At least my part of the plan was going off without a hitch, for once and for a change. I activated my invisibility and flew toward the residence. As usual — they couldn't have the technology to detect ships under stygium coating. She's no Set Harth, though judging by resources, she's more powerful than him. But Seth was exactly a life-burner, someone who had lived for himself for so many years. And at the same time he had some special notion that any problem could be solved personally, by him, in a direct confrontation. But there are almost no problems left in the Galaxy that can be solved that way.
Even now, me, a Jedi, a sentient of incredible abilities, I have to resort to the help of other sentients. Because no matter how incredible my abilities are — I might make it through an army, but I'll be exhausted. And then even someone like Jarko Itari would kill me. No… Armies are needed to destroy other armies. And I'll face the main problem directly. Of course, I shouldn't forget my skills for fighting large groups. But I shouldn't try to turn myself into a one-man army either. It's not certain it would work out. I banked, flying around Jarko's residence. It was a structure in the form of a European, Gothic palace… No, even… A castle. Six towers rose up, forming a hexagon. And the seventh stood in the center, shorter than the rest, but I wasn't fooled. Most likely — Jarko was in the central building. Whether it was the law of the genre, or intuition, or the Call of the Force. But I needed to get in there. But penetrating through the shield meant exposing myself. This shield protected completely against energy weapons. Actually, the shield could also protect against kinetics, but such shields are more expensive. Large-scale shields can be of two types: energy, which excludes laser or blaster shots. And particle, which protects against classic projectiles. Dreadnoughts, for instance, and my ship, are protected by both types.
Also, shields can be supplied separately. But even together — shields can have many nuances. For example — deflector shields, which protect an area from energy damage, can allow objects to pass inside. But here I should make a note. The shield can have both versions — energy and particle. And ideally protect against shots from classic projectiles and lasers with blaster shots. But why will it let a droid or a sentient inside? Because shields are mainly designed to stop something flying at enormous speed — a shot, for instance, but because of my slower movement I can calmly penetrate through the shield to the inside. There are, however, versions that even protect against sentients. Against everything really… But such units are strictly controlled. Even the Black Sun with its connections and influence can't buy them. Incredibly expensive, or rather absurdly expensive, I'd say, the cost is no less than a full-fledged corvette. And like everything expensive in our times, it may not have high functional significance.
Right… I can't get inside the shield with the ship. Which means I'll have to penetrate 'the old-fashioned way.' By the way, the army could overload the shield, or go through it. But once they pass, the bandits holed up on the walls will open fire. The only way now is to start an artillery preparation, drain the shield, and then open fire on the castle itself… Or… I'll disable the shield myself. Luckily, finding the shield generator is usually not a problem. Just go to the place where the energy is radiating from. I could hack the computer and easily find that location… Or find the power station and cause a blackout on the entire base, along with the shield… Although no, if they're not fools, the shield has a backup power source. Better to find the shield generator and destroy it. So I'll start with that, I guess. This, of course, will give me away immediately… But it will distract a huge number of bandits to the Judicial Forces, which will certainly take advantage of the situation. Having rounded Jarko's residence, I directed the ship down to the ground. Just then, one of the caves came out to the surface. Most likely, it didn't lead under the castle, or its passage was blocked. I downloaded an old geological map that was here before Jarko arrived. Judging by everything, the cave was suitable. There was a passage leading to the basement. But it could be blocked… Although, judging by the map, it runs very close, parallel, to another cave. And I can burn through the rock with a lightsaber… Or I could already infiltrate by climbing the wall, but there's a chance I'll be discovered quickly, this slutty Anzati has too many subordinates. So infiltration through the caves is a priority. If it doesn't work out, well then… I'll say the experiment was a failure, obviously, and go infiltrate through the surface. Another problem in that case — the shield might give notifications about penetration through it. Anti-saboteur defense, so to speak…
Having jumped onto the rocky surface of the planet, I took a breath. The infiltration was still successful. A wave spread out from me, scanning the surroundings. Clear… In parallel… Force Cloak. The space around me should have distorted slightly, as if wrapping me in a cloak. For an ordinary sentient it's extremely hard to notice me, even for a trained soldier. Jarko, in theory, as a Force-sensitive, can sense me. It all depends on her personal skills. Which, I hope, aren't that strong… However, a sentient proposes, but the Force disposes, no matter how much I'd like it the other way. Moving toward the cave, I carefully studied the surroundings. So… The cave has some significance for Jarko. A guard of four sentients kind of hints at that.
"How bored I am," one of the guards was complaining. When I got closer, I could hear their speech. "Too bad I'm not on the western wall now, it's much more fun there."
"And what's fun about that?" the second snorted. "Those bastards won't break through the shield in any way."
"And what if they do?" asked the third. "And we're stuck here suffering for nothing."
"Lieutenant Lutseg isn't in the habit of doing stupid things, so you stop too," the fourth answered sternly. "Or have you forgotten? We do everything for the glory of the goddess Jarko. The Lieutenant was informed by the Judicial Forces that more Jedi had arrived. These dogs will use any trick to achieve their goal," he said. He was the only alien, more precisely a Zabrak.
"Well, for sure, the Jedi took your little brother when he was just a year old, Gorm," a man answered him.
"That's right," confirmed the one called Gorm. "They came to my home, struck my mother and me with their magic, took him and left… These bastards… Yes?" he suddenly turned his attention to his comlink. "I'm here, Lieutenant Lutseg. All quiet." I hid behind a boulder that lay nearby. "Yes, continue observation. Where's Rohim?" he asked. "Did he check that strange sound?" he looked in my direction.
For caution, I had jumped out not right in front of the cave, but hidden behind the elevation. Theoretically, they could have heard the sound of the ship. Stygium coating is not perfect. However, BV should have taken the ship farther away and landed, maintaining invisibility.
"I'm here, Commander Gorm," a man appeared. He walked past the boulder, receiving a weak suggestion from me, along with Cloaking, and still didn't notice me. "I checked. You worried for nothing. Probably some creature. The same kralits."
"They live in caves and can't stand light," Gorm hissed. "Alright, soon it's our shift, guys. We'll stand guard and they'll come to relieve us."
"The sooner the better," Rohim sighed. "I'd like to see how these losers try to break through the shield. What are they hoping for anyway? We have Nelson Kitar's daughter. The goddess will talk to him and he'll order the Judicial Forces to withdraw. And those bastard Jedi too."
"I don't know," Gorm sighed. "But nothing happens just like that… What the hell? The comlink is glitching." He looked at his hand. The electronics had just been destroyed. "Is that the effect of an EMP weapon? Or…"
He didn't finish. I appeared from behind the boulder and slammed the present company with telekinesis. Given my Force-potential and my mastery of telekinesis, the sentients were smashed against the "natural wall" where the cave was. Hitting the rock, three of the five lost their lives immediately. Perhaps I overdid it. It seems these bastards were using this cave to deliver something to Jarko's castle itself. Otherwise, they would have sealed it long ago. Look, there are rails visible. I intentionally hit Gorm less hard, so he even stayed conscious… He looked at me, stunned. I threw their weapons away, then lifted him with telekinesis and pulled him toward me.
"What an interesting movie this is turning out to be," I smirked, looking into the blue eyes. So familiar. A Zabrak, blue eyes, and light skin tone… And that face. "Don't you think so, Mentor Lorm?" We were far enough that the medallions of Plo and Tivokka wouldn't feel its effect, and my Force Cloak was hiding its effect as well.
"That's for sure," he chuckled. "I barely remember him, but he looks a lot like me. And not everyone is as lucky as you, born on the planet of a friend of the Grand Master, who gets another five years to live a normal life."
"That's the law of my planet. The Sephi, even those who become Jedi, must receive a basic education. Plus, we're long-lived, so we have a slightly different age ratio compared to other sentients."
"I agree with that, you were still a child back then, even as a teenager…"
"Shut up."
"It happens, the truth stings, my young apprentice. But about him, I'd ask you not to kill him."
"And I wasn't going to." Gorm had already recovered from the stun and was glaring at me with anger. The replacement guards would arrive soon. I'd definitely cross paths with them on the way. "I'll just knock you out, but first you'll tell me — does this cave lead to your mistress's residence itself…"
"Like hell, you fucking Jedi." He spat at me, but I stopped the saliva with telekinesis and then returned it to his face.
"Why would you do that?" I asked him. "You can't do that, or you might get hurt. And here comes the relief." I looked toward the cave entrance. "Sleep for now." I touched his forehead with my finger and channeled the Force. Considering the newcomers, interrogating him now would be stupid. Five guards appeared from the cave, all armed and wearing the same clothes as the ones I had knocked out. Pants, a jacket with reinforced inserts.
"What the f…" one of them started, noticing the condition of his comrades, but he didn't finish; they were pinned to the ground. The commander was the one who almost cursed. A tall human male with black hair.
"Hey, Jackhogg," came through the comlink of one of them. "Did you get there? What's up with Gorm and his group? Their comlink isn't answering."
I walked up to the man and drew my lightsaber. Kneeling in front of him, I showed it to him.
"You know what this is, don't you?" I addressed Jackhogg. "Just say everything's fine, that Gorm's group's comlink malfunctioned, and everything will be okay."
"Go fuck yourself, Jedi!" he said angrily. "I won't betray the mistress!" He struggled to get up. "I'll kill you…"
"Such a pity, these fanatics," I sighed sadly, taking out a drug. "And I can't just suggest you. Alright then." I injected the drug into his vein and used suggestion. The man, so to speak, became compliant.
"Everything's fine, Lutseg," he said, in a slightly slow voice. "Gorm's comlink malfunctioned." His other comrades couldn't even say a word; in the end, I used the Force on their jaws too, forcing their mouths shut. "They'll be arriving soon."
"Good, Jackhogg. Keep up the duty, remember the importance of this passage."
"We remember," Jackhogg said. The connection ended. Excellent.
"Now you must answer every question from Lutseg by saying everything is normal," I ordered.
"Yes."
His comrades were practically radiating hatred, but that's fixable. Lifting them into the air, I slammed all of them except Jackhogg hard against the ground. Perfect, I knocked them out too. Good thing they didn't put a camera here.
"Well, will you tell me why this passage is important?" I asked Jackhogg.
"We deliver new slaves to the mistress through it," the man answered, under the influence of the drug and suggestion. "Officially, slavery is banned on Pakuuni. The sector senator is on the relevant Republic Committee." Yeah. "If slaves were delivered here openly…" He was about to pass out soon. "…there would be suspicions. And the mistress doesn't need them…"
"I see. So they didn't seal this cave," I grinned. "Well then." I didn't knock him out. The Force suggestion on his mind would last long enough. Then I would pass Lutseg and find the shield generator. I'll arrange for all of us… a much more fair fight. Actually, these pirates have gotten out of hand. In a normal country, the state has a monopoly on violence. Bandits are an antisocial element. Some state organizations can control the situation themselves, but they invariably destroy the small ones. But here the situation is dire! A powerful criminal organization is not just unmonitored by intelligence or someone from the Republic. It is practically a lobbyist for some Senators… No, it actually is. The Galaxy is a real mess, everything is very bad. However… If things weren't bad, Palpatine wouldn't have accomplished even half of what he did… We have a complex… First — a time bomb set by the post-Ruusan Jedi and the Chancellors of the time. Second — the Baneites, who also contributed to undermining the Republic. As a result, the Black Sun now isn't even afraid to challenge the Judicial Forces, which is, in fact, the executive branch of government! A fantasy, I'd say, situation where bandits not only don't run. They might not always run from the police either — what can you expect from the police? They are clearly not afraid of army units. That's a full-blown crisis. But I'm here, right now, precisely to put an end to this. Of course, killing one Vigo won't help the cause, but even so — it's not bad.
Moving through the cave, which was lit, I carefully looked around. There were simple cameras on the walls, which were apparently being jammed and having their footage replaced. Still, I have decent software on my datapad. And here's the checkpoint, with sentients already on duty there. This creature didn't just gather a gang. This is a full-fledged army, with several Dreadnoughts. Amazing… All I can do is curse. When will things get better, according to the plan? After Palpatine's fall? Under the New Republic? Whether in the new canon, Force forgive me, or in Legends — it's the same thing. Absurdity, madness, and sometimes stupidity. Maybe forget it? Although wait… Now isn't the time to think about this. There were five sentients at the checkpoint. I pulled myself up to the cave ceiling… Destroy them? But why… They didn't notice me and wouldn't interfere with me. The only thing I need is to find the deflector generator. For that, I can catch some soldier along the way. Having decided to simply bypass this outpost, I jumped down behind it. No one was watching the area leading to the residence entrance, apparently not considering it necessary. The doors separating the cave area from the residence opened without any fuss. Pass codes weren't even required, although I had confiscated the passes from Gorm and Jackhogg, who were obvious commanders. Apparently, they would be needed somewhere after all. Peeking out of the open door, I looked around. No one was in the corridor, although in the perpendicular one I clearly felt the presence of sentients. Cameras hung to the right and left… Nothing unusual. Tapping on my datapad, I activated the hack on these… Wait… These were already upgraded versions of cameras. So she skimped on the cave, but not in the first corridor? Interesting… In that case, I need to calculate the viewing angle and timing of the lens rotation. But first, to figure out where to go: right or left? I need someone to tell me where the deflector generator is hidden. Although I can find it myself, just start an energy scan, or hack the residence's computer. But the scan could be noticed by the bandits, and hacking is also a thing, possibly risky, considering that Jarko has some kind of smart hacker.
Listening to my feelings, I decided to go right. Having calculated the timing of the cameras on the right side of the corridor, I moved in a zigzag, avoiding the lenses' gazes. At an intersection with another corridor, I noticed a huge, wide door. Judging by the auras, that's where the guards I felt earlier were. I might have found myself some new tongues. Only… What are those strange auras next to them? Some weak ones… Having calculated the cameras there too, I entered the room… Which turned out to be a huge prison. A grating, electrified, divided the room into two parts. Inside the prison were many people. Women, children, men. So that's what those auras were. Prisoners.
"Let us out!" came from behind the grating. Children and women were crying, some men touched the bars, were shocked, and jumped back with screams. "Fucking freaks," one of them expressed.
"Shut up," one of the guards said. "Don't you understand! When the mistress performs your initiation, your life will become easier and better!"
"Completely dumb sentients," the second chimed in. "Nothing, the mistress knows what to do with them."
What should I do here? The Jedi part of me, and my personality itself, told me to free the sentients. This creature, Jarko Itari, wants to turn those present into her slaves. But rationality said otherwise… It insisted that these sentients would give me away… Although… They could start a commotion, and besides, does their liberation necessarily mean I've infiltrated the base? Maybe one of them is handy. Having made up my mind, I sent one of the guards with telekinesis into the grating. Getting into the high-voltage area, he screamed from the shock, and then passed out…
"What the f…" the second didn't finish; telekinesis pinned him to the cold floor. I couldn't knock him out yet.
"Good day, everyone," I appeared before the prisoners.
"Is this…" A man with an impressive figure approached the grating; he was at least three heads taller than me, broad-shouldered, with a bare torso. "Who are you?"
"Well, I'm a Jedi Knight," I confessed.
"A Jedi Knight?" one of the women asked. "You've come to free us."
"Well, my dear lady," I looked at her, "that partly depends on you too. Currently, the Judicial Forces are conducting an operation to destroy Jarko Itari's gang. What do you understand by freedom?"
"What?" one of the men asked. "Freedom? I want to grab a fucking blaster and shoot all these fucking bastards!" What a hothead.
"Me too," came from the side. The cameras had been prudently disabled by me with ionization. The system might register it as a routine glitch, so repairmen would likely show up soon. "Me too!"
Indeed, there were many enthusiasts… About five hundred sentients here. At least two hundred of them were men capable of wielding weapons.
"Excellent, I swear by the Force," I smirked. "But children and women cannot fight bandits."
"We can't?" one woman exclaimed. She was completely naked, with traces of bruises. "Give me a blaster and I'll shoot off every last one of their members! Every single one!"
"Maybe get dressed first?" I shrugged. "Alright, I am a Jedi and I must release you. Unfortunately, I can't provide you with weapons." I used the Force to flip the switch, disabling the electricity running through the bars, and then tore them out with telekinesis. "But, I believe this Rodian man can be your guide to the armory."
"Go to a Hutt, you bastard!" he snarled, trying to get up.
"Why would I go to such unattractive sentients?" I asked. I pulled the man toward me. "There aren't enough drugs in the galaxy for you fanatics." A combination of "drug plus suggestion" and the man was ready to lead all the freed prisoners to heaven or hell. And judging by his expression, he clearly saw the road to both places. But I limited him to the armory. He also roughly oriented me to where the shield generator was… The prisoner revolt would distract the guards. The bombardment from outside had already diverted significant forces… Destroying the deflector generator would help the forces outside penetrate inside… I grinned. The noose is tightening, Jarko Itari. You won't escape…
* * *
Jarko lazily looked at the holoprojector. Her huge room, where she lay on a sofa that Hutts liked to buy, was filled with various servants… Their thoughts, their feelings… Adoration, passion, sincere love for their mistress and goddess — warmed her. How pleasant it was… She extended her hand and stroked the warm breast of one of the slave girls. Simultaneously, one of her tentacles penetrated her brain and slightly drew out the soup. The girl let out a moan full of perverse pleasure. The only thing that marred her mood was the destruction of the fleet and the station. It was all that bastard Jedi who was on Drongar. Not only did he discover the bothu, but he also led her by the nose… Alas, even with her connections, she hadn't been able to find out this Jedi's identity. What she did know was that he was most likely the same knight who attacked Set Harth, the Sith survivor, on the planet Royiss-VIII. So she had a rough idea of what he was capable of… And she knew that in direct combat, one-on-one, she was no match for him. However, she didn't need to fight him one-on-one…
The Judicial Forces and the Jedi Order had sent an entire army after her. And she intended to bloody them a little, then escape from Pakuuni and take refuge in her other bases. The fact that she would repel these enemies would slightly boost her reputation among the Vigos, which had fallen due to the Drongar incident… Only… What game was Graves playing? That bastard was the only Black Sun employee in this territory who had never been personally loyal to her. The Admiral had rejected her offer… To sleep with her, because during the act she would addict sentients to herself… It was irritating. Graves was playing his own game, though she suspected that the bastard was aiming for her position and was playing on the side of the Jedi and the Judicial Forces only to destroy her with his own hands.
She turned her attention back to the holoprojector. They were bombarding her shield with all their weapons, but couldn't break through it. And if they tried to march through it with soldiers, they would immediately come under a hurricane of fire from her sentients. They didn't have enough soldiers for an assault, so they were currently trying to drain her base's shield to a minimum.
"Mistress," one of her slaves suddenly bowed before her.
"What do you want?" she asked.
"A report has been received: the prisoners have revolted and seized weapons!" What was he saying?! Her future slaves? How?
"What happened?" she asked dryly.
"It seems one of the guards wanted to personally abuse the prisoners." She didn't, in principle, forbid such things. With the level of medicine, even the most beaten-down being can be made into a wonderful sentient. And subordinates need to be incentivized. She was basically unable to sleep with everyone, or taste everyone's soup. "They attacked him, then killed the second one, but before that they found out where the armory was. Now they've reached the weapons!"
"HUTT!" In rage, she snapped the reporting sentient's neck with the Force. "How inconvenient… But… Extract information from my subordinate?" Even those with whom she didn't have a direct link fell under the influence of her telepathy. It was very difficult to extract anything from her subordinate. Though not impossible. "Who is the leader?" she asked.
"A certain Got Corden. He was captured recently during the boarding of our ships. You ordered…"
"I remember," she hissed. "Suppress this rebellion." She clenched her fists. "Nella," she called the slave girl lying at her feet. Her new creation was unique. Nella was elite among elites, graduated from Alderaan University with one of the most elite specialties. Entered the top 10 best students. A modest and quiet girl, whose head was filled with nonsense about handsome princes… She was corrupting her, almost without using her Anzati tentacles, having only recently begun to consume her soup. "Did you call your father?" Immediately after the defeat she would inflict on the invading army, he was supposed to stall her case in the Senate and order the Jedi and the Judicial Forces to back off.
"Yes, mistress," the girl said, bowing her head, "but recently the connection has been jammed."
"Hutt," she expressed. These bastards had decided to cut her off from the outside world completely. Though... She clasped her hands together... For now, the situation was in her favor. They couldn't break through the shield, and the riot would be suppressed. They could keep these forces here for another couple of days... She would hold them here for a while, then leave the base and contact the Senator. Or rather — let that Nella girl contact her father... She also needed to find out what had happened to Graves... That bastard wasn't in a hurry to give her intel about the Jedi group. What's more — he'd fed her slightly altered data. She'd have to have a serious talk with him. Yes, Graves was in the Black Sun, yes — formally her subordinate. But he wasn't personally loyal to her... Could it be that he'd plotted to have the Jedi take her out? A very real possibility. How long had Graves been working for the Syndicate? Thirteen years, after certain events where he'd become completely disillusioned with the justice of the Judicial Forces. But Graves had always been an ambitious fellow, so... If that bastard had betrayed her — she'd kill him in the most painful way possible. Suddenly the building shook, as if from a powerful explosion. "What the fuck is happening?!" she snarled, glaring menacingly at the slave.
"The shield generator is destroyed!" the slave answered.
"What?" she asked in surprise. "HOW?! How, by Hutt, bantha poodoo, can it be destroyed? The rebel prisoners?"
"No," her slave replied. "The generator was simply destroyed. We stopped the rebels on the lower floors. But the generator..."
The generator had been deployed on the fifth floor. The rebels simply wouldn't have had time to reach it.
"Milady! They're coming for the assault! Judicial Forces troops have opened fire on the base. We won't hold out long!" The building began to shake from shell impacts. The Republic wasn't going to spare her. Though — the ships that had landed on the planet hadn't joined the bombardment yet, judging by the holoprojector.
"Activate the Planetary Defense complexes! The shield is gone, now we can shoot back!" she ordered. "I won't give up so easily... And still... Who's so smart among us... The deflector generator didn't go haywire, did it? It's relatively new... Could it be..." The prisoner riot couldn't have happened for no reason. Her people were too cautious for that. But if a sabotage team had infiltrated... But how? Through the slave delivery cave? Because of Republic laws, she couldn't openly deliver slaves to the residence. Sure, the Judicial Forces had long since stopped working the way they were supposed to. But there were those bastard Jedi who would only get in her way! But a sabotage team professional enough to infiltrate the base unnoticed... That bastard Graves hadn't warned her about it... Then a figure in tattered white clothing appeared before her face. A Jedi, in a hood. Exactly! Him! He was surely from the Shadows, the most dangerous of the Jedi. A Shadow honed for liquidation could infiltrate almost anywhere for its target. If not a team, then him. He was using the riot and the assault on her residence as a diversion. And he could have infiltrated her base relatively quietly, without arousing suspicion until a certain point! Bastard... He probably thought that since he was a knight, he could easily overpower her! But nothing, she'd prove him wrong...