The farewell was quite emotional. For me, Mom and Dad here, along with my sister, were truly the family I lacked on Earth. Nevertheless — I was leaving. I had many ideas, goals, and tasks that needed to be accomplished. For this, I needed to become stronger, smarter, which I planned to achieve in the near future... More precisely — it's not like I'll become stronger and suddenly be the "top dog of the whole Galaxy." It doesn't work that way here; there's no specific level after which development stops. Even Vitiate was beaten to death... They also killed the so-called Daughter, who was supposedly a celestial being, and even Abeloth was done away with, and she was an incredibly powerful Force-user. What did I learn from all this? There is no absolute measure of strength in this Galaxy that you reach and become completely invincible. Anyone can be overcome... The infamous: "every technique has a weakness." Same basic principle here. Everyone can be killed; the main thing is knowing how to see the moment. And what can I do to prepare for upcoming events? I won't become a god... But I can become stronger to reduce my... chances... of an unpleasant outcome for me. That's what I'll be doing on Drongar. Thanks to the botae, I can strengthen my already strong connection to The Force. Also, thanks to the botae and the strengthening of the connection to The Force, I'll be able to master new techniques faster. Thanks to the materials sent to me from Anaxis, I'll be able to study the military theory of this world and be prepared for some conflicts. At least theoretically, because books won't prepare you for even the smallest skirmish. Thanks to the medallion, I'll be able to summon once-living Gifted Ones... I just need to find an important item for them. The question is — where and who? Let's say — Lorm Decer for testing, but who else? I need a warrior, if you think about it. Mentor Lorm had an excellent grasp of the properties of The Force and wielded powerful techniques. His guidance will help me master them. And a warrior... Tulak Hord comes to mind — he was the best of the best in swordsmanship, as the sources described him... The trouble is that Tulak is a Sith who once bore the epithet "Lord of Hate.".. Not exactly a name that inspires confidence in summoning, is it?
A Gifted with experience in warfare who could explain it clearly would not go amiss. The galaxy far, far away had plenty of such individuals. Lucky ones, unlucky ones… But the most famous, in my opinion, is Revan. The Mandalorians stirred up a real ruckus in the Republic long ago. The Jedi held back from the fighting, supposedly because they sensed the approach of Vitiate's Empire. But Revan — he couldn't care less about the Council's opinion after a certain point. He went to war and became a respected commander. He schooled the Mandalorians not as a warrior-Gifted, but as a general… But how do I summon Revan? Or Tulak Hord, for that matter, once I'm confident in my own abilities? No evidence from those sentients remains… Hmm. Wait a minute. Forget Tulak Hord… But Revan! I don't have a holocron, but I know about an object that made contact with him, and I hope it will be enough. I think on Mustafar lie either the remains or a fully intact HK-47. That droid was created by Revan, a droid that Meetra Surik — known as the Exile — also interacted with. Both individuals are quite famous and possess a wealth of knowledge. Maybe I can even reach Satele and Bastila Shan through them — also powerful Jedi. Or Darth Marr, a Sith I assessed not as a pure follower of the Dark Side, but as a statesman who prioritized the Empire's well-being. In short — pulling many interesting Gifted from that era back from beyond the veil and setting up plenty of training for myself is not a right, but a duty. Yes, I will never become a god, I realize that. Even meditating throughout my incredibly long second life as a Sephi, at most, well, perhaps, someday — I might be able to withstand someone like Abeloth, and even then with huge caveats… But becoming stronger, gaining the ability to show my convictions, to change something… For me, roughly speaking, that became the goal. Who was I on Earth? An insignificant man, without character, purpose, without abilities or any particular strength. And now — who am I? A Jedi Knight, a user of the Force. A sentient wielding a dangerous weapon. And there's more to come? I got a chance to live another life, but this time I have far more talents and advantages. And it's my duty to develop them, not to cut and run… Yes. To develop… To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield.
I reached Sernpidal without incident. I also picked up my artifact, the one I planned to use for trouble-free learning. Honestly, I was afraid of trouble specifically from the Order. A mission could have come to assassinate another dark side user, or to study the location of a dark artifact. The Shadows could be pulled away at any time of day or night, for absolutely any assignment. But the Force spared me free time… So I reached Sernpidal calmly, found the bank there, retrieved the artifact I needed, and then set course for Drongar. To get there from Sernpidal, I had to return to the Perlemian Trade Route and follow it to Quermia, then aim for Drongar.
This required a huge number of hyperspace jumps. Although with my new hyperdrive, reaching Drongar took much less time than I originally thought. A journey that would have cost me nearly two weeks, I covered in just over a week. The hardest part was getting down to the planet itself, past the "Black Sun" checkpoints. That organization wouldn't have earned its position if it weren't powerful. But, thank the Force, the technology that could detect my ship in stealth mode had been pocketed only by the Jedi. And I know of no way it fell into anyone else's hands; the possibility of the High Council handing over a lidar system actually capable of detecting a ship with Stygium coating sounds like a fairy tale. So after dropping out of hyperspace in the Drongar system and immediately activating stealth mode, I carefully guided the ship toward the planet. A station hung alone in orbit around the planet, not particularly large; I only spotted it visually, because the Stygium coating meant I couldn't use my radars.
Must be a "Black Sun" sentry outpost. According to the plan, I'll bring the ship down to the planet under stealth and disembark near the Jasserak Highlands. Alas, I can't say exactly where the farms are — or rather, they're called bothu "deposits." Why deposits? Because, as I understood it, the places where this valuable plant grew appeared purely spontaneously, and controlling bothu was difficult. I'll land with all my camping gear — a supply of canned food, a tent, I even have a fishing rod and a collapsible lightning rod to avoid trouble with that element, and plenty of other things needed to set up camp — like a generator that ran on solar power, which almost completely prevented sensor detection, and a computer where I could properly study theory. All in all, I prepared myself, I thought, quite thoroughly. The climate on Drongar is tropical, with constantly changing weather.
Oxygen levels are above normal, which can cause dizziness and hyperoxygenation. If I hadn't trained in the Matukai system, hadn't learned to control my body with the Force and manage the processes within it through the Force — staying on Drongar would have been rather… problematic. However, I was mastering Matukai techniques, especially actively during the hyperspace flights before Drongar, and I was confident of my success… But I don't plan to leave the Star Trek here. Due to the elevated oxygen content, metal corrosion might accelerate. And I don't recall Stygium coating protecting against that, and honestly — I'm not in the mood to experiment with it. So, once the ship drops me on the planet — BB will take it back into orbit and hide it on one of the asteroids I saw on the way here. The ship will power down completely, and BB will enter hibernation mode, thus concealing the ship from the sensors, scanners, and radars of the "Black Sun" station.
If not for this atmosphere, I would have camouflaged the Star Trek on the planet. But oh well, things can't always go according to plan. Besides — what wouldn't you do for training?
* * *
From space, Drongar had a dirty-green color; I'd call it "plague-like," associated with disease. The planet's gravity was 1.2 times the standard. That'll also give me things to train with. But the greatest danger was still the spores. They were in the upper atmosphere and caused terrible diseases that the first expedition to this planet encountered. Some spores even attacked the ship itself. There was a description of so-called spore rot, which affected even starships, forcing a ship to move through the atmosphere incredibly fast. Well, my ship, built for a saboteur and elite mercenary, was already fast enough, so I zipped through the atmosphere, landing the ship on the plateau in a couple of minutes. The Stygium coating did its job; no one on the station even stirred.
There were probably sentients on the station guarding the planet. On the "deposit" farm where bothu was grown, there should only be droids. However, if I'm careful, I won't encounter "Black Sun" at all. I don't like running into unknown variables… And who the local Vigo overseeing order here was, I had no idea… Without knowing such important information, it's hard to plan anything. I finally stepped onto solid ground and coughed… The air here cut like a knife, slicing into my lungs… The stabbing sensation in my chest was unpleasant. I closed my eyes, recalling Matukai techniques, felt the Force within my body, and then, according to the description, tried to infuse it partially with my will and intent, directing it toward my lungs and respiratory organs. It wasn't perfect, but it became easier.
"Looks like I'm going to get a lot of practice in everything," I smiled. The gravity, slightly higher than normal, was also noticeable. And I resisted it easily. "Alright, BB, start executing my plan."
According to it, he would hide on one of the asteroids I had scouted, completely cutting all power for a full six months. After that, he would fly back to me on the planet, to this exact spot, and I could submit my exams for the distance learning program at the Anaxian Academy. Actually, the most important thing at the Academy was the in-person exam, but that was at the very end of the course, three years later. Until then, once every six months, I had to pass a test in the form of an examination. Distance learners were sent materials and could study them however they wanted; the main thing was to pass the test for a passing grade at the end of the semester. Convenient for those who don't want to bother with student life… Convenient for me — because I had to seriously change my routine on Alderaan. I had to train in the art of using the Force less than usual. Which annoyed me, a "training maniac," to no end.
"Just remember — you must not be discovered, and remember the order — exactly six months from now, you must fly to this point."
Droids pilot ships using sensors that are suppressed by the Stygium coating… I think he won't be able to land the vessel properly, but there's one catch. BB only needs to start the ship's systems, including the stealth field, and the ship itself will execute the program I loaded into the computer — namely, flying along a specific vector calculated by me from a specific asteroid, or rather, calculated by the program, since my mind isn't capable of such computation. The system will guide the ship to the right place itself… Though testing this feature wouldn't hurt. So before I finally set off to find the plant I needed, to meditate, to comprehend the Force, techniques, and so on, I made the ship pull off this trick. And it turned out quite well. About thirty minutes later, I watched my ship recede from me, turning into a distant speck.
Well then… I took in the landscape before me. I had landed on a hill not far from some fairly large mountains. A breeze rustled the strange, green grass. Not bothu… Midges and insects flew around me, and I tried to push them away with the Force. Although, if I recall the descriptions from old expeditions, they weren't particularly dangerous. The greatest danger came from the spores and the air with elevated oxygen content. First, I needed to find a place for the camp, and then go explore the local locations, looking for useful bothu…
* * *
I chose a camp spot near a cave, adapting the latter as additional shelter from the local weather. By the time I found it, I'd managed to get caught in two heavy downpours and seen lightning strikes hit the forest. A fire even started, though it quickly died out from the rain. The planet impressed with the abundance of its weather… I moved carefully, studying every element of the environment with the Force. A couple of times I saw some animals that were definitely mammals. Once, a fanged predator resembling a wolf attacked me. After I hit it in the face with my lightsaber, burning through its head and destroying its brain, it died pretty quickly. The cave I set up in was near a small clearing where the huge trees I'd noticed on my way here didn't grow.
So in the clearing, I was able to place the generator that ran on the local star's energy — or, more precisely, I called this battery "solar." Perfect for wilderness survival. I set up the tent relatively easily; the gusty wind couldn't fill the cave. Next to it, I placed a thermal generator — a special device that replaced a campfire. It could also heat food, so after eating and resting, I set out to explore the area, first returning the energy generator to the cave and blocking the entrance with a boulder.
"Right," I said when I finished the simple tasks of hiding the camp, and activated the map. "I landed at this point, about five kilometers from here. Shelter… marked. Now I just need to find a bothu deposit. It would be good to scan the whole area… But the 'Black Sun' station and base would know right away if I used the ship's scanners… So… I'll have to search the old-fashioned way. I don't want to attract… unwanted attention from my criminal neighbors…"
Under the Empire, in theory, you could just bring a Star Destroyer here, blow the bandits' station to hell and destroy their base on the surface… Or better yet, capture it… But these aren't the times of Palpatine's Empire. And that's still far off, so it's better to act covertly. Especially since I know how. The weather changed… Rain was starting again, and judging by the flashes — with lightning. The air filled with the smell of ozone. I walked on calmly; there were no other options. No matter when you go out, the chance that the weather will change is pretty high anyway. The planet also had a tropical, hot, humid climate that I wouldn't have been able to withstand if I weren't adapting my body with the Force.
Anyway, if you think about it, the standard logic of many works where you have to train to get stronger applied here. Often, the training spots in them are quite hard to reach, with their own conditions for entry. Although the results from such training are many times better, that's a fact. In my first twenty-four hours on Drongar, I still hadn't found the "Black Sun" facility. I had to hide from one of their reconnaissance droids… They could be a problem. The droids could trace an energy signature and find me. The droid didn't detect me this time — I hid in a ravine… But it could find my shelter… On the other hand, it's good that they only use droids, trying to send in living personnel as rarely as possible. Droids are easy to reprogram; you just need to find their main computer, which is definitely located on the base itself. Why not on the space station? Because of the abundance of weather phenomena — lightning, storms — the signal can reach the droids with delays and errors. So I was confident that the main computer was on the planet's surface.
Alas, I still hadn't found the "Black Sun" shelter. I didn't follow the droid; I just sketched a map of the area surrounding my shelter within a ten-kilometer radius and made notes about the flora and fauna I encountered. I hadn't found any of my target, bothu, yet… But it's stupid to be sad — I'll be here for a long time and I'll definitely find what I need. I stumbled upon the "Black Sun" base only on the fourth day, this time not chickening out about following the droid. And I have to say, they'd built a pretty impressive structure. The building was made entirely following the logic of droid habitation — no windows letting in light; I only noticed them in one place — the greenhouses with bothu seedlings. The bothu greenhouse was entirely made of glass, with open windows. The base perimeter was fenced off, with what seemed to be an electric current running through it. There were also several turrets, and combat droids were visible. Overall, they had some serious security here… by their standards.
But I have one important strategic advantage. They don't know about me at all… Otherwise the entire base would already be in an uproar. Which means I can infiltrate their base, upload a virus, subjugate them, and "diplomatically persuade the local 'Black Sun' branch to share useful resources with me" … To put it briefly and to the point, so to speak. But before infiltrating anywhere, you have to scout the place out. And for that, I decided to conduct a special operation to obtain the base's schematics. What's needed for that? Catch one recon droid and upload a virus to it so it sends me the base's schematics. I could, of course, try to upload the entire virus into the base's system through the recon droid… Only I'm not sure if the recon droids are fully linked to the central computer or to some remote server where data is filtered and then sent on to the system. Still, it's worth the risk, so I loaded not only a spy program but also a system control program and prepared to wait.
To avoid anything going wrong, I didn't set up an intentional ambush based on the "something suspicious — go check it out" template. Machine logic works such that they might send several more droids as backup immediately. Which I didn't need, so I just singled out one of the droids, followed it, and attacked it from above, pinning it to the ground. The recon droids here were wheeled models. So it wasn't hard for me to make the system think that the recon droid, which consisted of a single sensor mounted on a wheel, had accidentally "tripped" and tipped over. Gaining access to the port, I activated the program on the datapad and started uploading data into it, then jumped aside. The droid used its stabilization system, returned to its normal position, swiveled its sensor head, and continued on its way.
Satisfied with the successful operation, I returned to the shelter, which I opened using the boulder. It was dark inside, which was unsurprising — it was a cave. First thing I did was eat, then I sat down at the computer and launched the data viewer program; the droid had just reached the base. The time had come to check how strong the security protocols on the base were… After all — there was a risk that the programs I'd uploaded into that droid would be detected. Well, my programs, currently? They were slicer programs from the Jedi, which the Shadows had access to. I'm not perfect at everything, after all; my hacking skill was roughly at the level of: I can open something simple. For the most part, I relied on the programs uploaded into BB. But he wasn't here now; instead, I had my new, unexpected ally. Who could, in theory, deliver me the entire "Black Sun" base… But alas, he couldn't do it. The controller program self-deleted when data from the droid started being downloaded to the server. Looks like I'll have to infiltrate it the old-fashioned way. Well, at least my newfound spy gave me a rough schematic of the base, even if not the whole thing.
When was anything ever easy? I sighed… Alright, I need to prepare for infiltration, but I won't do that now. Right now, it's better to meditate and do a little practice with other techniques. Then sleep… "Planning great plans for the victory of the beaver over the donkey," I quipped sarcastically in my thoughts…