"So?" I asked Laura over the comm. "Are you happy with the result?"
"What makes you think you can be happy with a result like this?" The Mandalorian wasn't wearing her helmet, so her emotions were plain on her face.
"Well, you got the remnants of an entire PMC, and you came out alive and healthy after everything that happened near the planet Run. Aren't you satisfied with the outcome?"
"My organization turned out to be a sham. My leader was a hypocritical liar..."
"Don't start crying now," I said sternly. "Liars, hypocrites... What were you hoping for, Laura? Are you really a Mandalorian, or did you just steal someone's armor? Who taught you to be so naive?"
"Whoever needed to," the woman snapped angrily. "And yes! I am mando..."
"Doesn't seem like it. For a cold-blooded mercenary, you lose your temper way too fast, and you act like you're not ready for the various shitty situations that can and do happen to you. Gaven turned out to be a liar, the organization turned out to be a sham... So what now? Order a shipment of Corellian whiskey, get drunk senseless, and cry in your cabin like a little girl? Understand this — the Galaxy is a very rough place. And you're not the only one who's been through betrayals, the deaths of loved ones... But if everyone stopped because of circumstances like that, what would happen? Everyone would sit in cantinas and cry into their mommies' blouses and each other's shoulders? No... Real life isn't a fairy tale about magical animals shitting rainbows. Pull yourself together, woman."
"Maybe... You're right..."
"It's an illusion and a trick of perception to think I'm wrong on this matter. Crying and whining after every defeat — you won't have enough tears. Better to stop, calm down, figure out where you slipped up, and become better... Instead of making excuses and committing pointless suicide by alcohol." I looked Laura in the eyes. "So, what will you do now? The Council wasn't too happy that I'm letting you go."
The woman sighed and seemed to transform.
"Yes, my life has been hard... Maybe that's why I was looking for someone who could help me get through it... And that someone turned out to be Gaven... But you're right," she said. "I'm a mercenary. And now I hold the reins of the remnants of my former organization. I think there's always work for someone like me in the Outer Rim. And you don't need to activate your computer virus. I'm not planning on doing anything illegal, Light."
"You're afraid for nothing," I chuckled. "That's exactly why you're alive. I was even surprised... A mercenary who tries to fight for a conscience, not for credits. That's why I'm letting you go for now. I never sensed any duplicity or hypocrisy from you. Also, don't worry about Alexi Garyn. He won't touch you. Officially, you no longer exist as an organization that was at war with the Black Sun. Your only problems are the Hutts. Jabba might not fully understand all the tricks we pulled at Run."
"I've already come to an agreement with him," Laura said. "I had to give him a lot. But he's not planning to destroy me. So... I'm leaving, Light." She put on her helmet. "See you around, jedi."
"See you around, maybe," I snorted. "May the Force be with you." Cutting the comm, I stretched.
A message came through on the datapad. Opening it, I saw Garyn's report on what had happened in the organization since his arrival. In essence — he'd spun something like this: upon arriving at the planet Run, Garyn had begun a battle with Hornly. Hornly had held up excellently; it was quite likely that "jedi or gifted beings were fighting on his side"; a diversionary boarding party had landed on Alexi's flagship, but he'd managed to destroy it, and then he'd dealt with Gaven's fleet, which had perished. The Vigo Council was pleased with his work, though some — obviously supporters of Kabra, who was already wary of Garyn's reputation — reproached him for the losses among the ships. And indeed — because I had helped Hornly position his forces in orbit, Garyn had suffered annoying losses. But on the other hand, I hadn't had the goal of making sure everyone walked away from there in one piece. Whether it was the Black Sun, Luna, or the Hutts, who had also sent their mercenaries — I didn't particularly value any of them during this conflict. Black Sun and the Hutts are criminals... Luna even calls itself a "PMC," which stands for "private military company.".. And that goes against my principles. After all, what is a military organization? It's a tool of violence. Ideally, only the state should have a monopoly on the use of violent methods. If everyone starts organizing their own private forces, handing out weapons to people without any state control, that state will quickly fall apart. On the other hand... the Republic currently has no way to obtain a monopoly on violence.
We're too stuck in the phrase "stagnant swamp." The Senate would choke on its own bile before it allowed the creation of an army. A proper one, not the Judicial Forces, which even outright weak gangs sometimes push around... That's why, by the way, it's too early to run off and cut off Palpatine's rise. Yes, later Sidious will be "try and pry him off.".. But another truth is also known — without an army, we won't get far. And creating an army now is almost impossible. We have to wait... until wars shake the Galaxy. These very events will create a demand for an army. And then it will be offered... Along with opportunities to take out Sidious. Of course — he's a politician of incredible talent.
But we won't try to use only politics to overthrow him. At the very least, after the Clone Wars are over, we could force the Senate to pass a Vote of No Confidence in him, if we get evidence that Palpatine himself played both sides — for the CIS and the Republic — to further his ambitions. Getting such evidence is incredibly difficult... But who's stopping me from doing what must be done in that case? Difficult or not... Doesn't matter how difficult the task is. I have to do everything I can and even more. We'll see what comes of it. I reached Jebble, having transferred to the Hydian Way, in about a little over a week.
Sector N7 and the planet Jebble.
I had to linger a bit to refuel and restock on food. I could cook reasonably well, and I treated myself to decent steaks with vegetables. But when I had a protocol droid — namely, HK-47 — I decided it was time to upgrade the cooking level a bit, and I uploaded cooking programs into HK... As a "true master," I could modify his code however I pleased. Naturally, I didn't delete anything, because for me, HK was also a kind of "fanservice.".. Though, for a true Star Wars fan, even a conversation with Yoda is fanservice. Anyway, it turned out funny. An assassin droid — using the same manipulators he was used to holding a blaster with — was cooking, and all the while he kept muttering about how much he hated cooking. When Revan saw the situation — HK standing at a makeshift stove, checking the steak's doneness against my preference, and grumbling about how he hated cooking — he nearly dissipated from laughter.
From space, Jebble looked like a blue ball. The planet was completely covered in ice. Obviously it was cold, but I wasn't too worried about freezing. The Matukai techniques allowed me to use the Force to control my body and its physical characteristics — at an enhanced level. Using the Force, even without Matukai knowledge, I could already surround myself with a barrier that would keep me warm. But the knowledge from the Matukai scrolls was enough for a slightly different method — namely, a light infusion of the Force into the muscles and tissues of the entire body, followed by its transformation into heat. That's what helps me stay in light clothing amidst the snow and ice.
All that's left is to figure out how to find the rakghouls and Celeste with Dreypa's Ark. After the Mandalorian nuclear bombardment, the ark survived. Ideally, the rakghouls could have survived too. Here, on Jebble, they still mined ice and some useful minerals.
"Don't worry about how to find what you need. I've encountered rakghouls, far too many times, and I remember perfectly well how to find them... How to find even the faintest trace," the ghost of Revan said.
"I don't doubt that, but... how will we get access to a nekghoul that can use the Force? We'll have to wake up Celeste Morne and explain a lot to her..."
"You're afraid of a girl?" Revan asked.
"You bet I'm afraid of her," I shrugged. "She's carrying the talisman of Karness Muur. Someone who wielded Sith alchemy on some insane level..."
"Don't talk nonsense," Revan said. "Who are you afraid of? Hord? Muur? Or maybe Ajunta Pall? Or your Sidious and Plagueis? They all pale in comparison to Valkorion... To the one who could drain the entire Galaxy."
"Nihilus was close to his abilities," I recalled.
"Are you comparing a wound in the Force — someone who got those abilities almost by accident, you could say — with someone who did it deliberately?"
"No, I'm not comparing them, just finding similarities."
"And how will that help you?" Revan snorted. "Among the Sith, there are, so to speak, two castes. The rank-and-file, who are your typical warriors with swords. And the unique ones, who possess unique abilities. The rank-and-file are as alike as two drops of water. But the unique ones don't resemble anyone, for the most part." Yeah, just like the extras compared to the unique heroes. "So it's impossible to defeat one of the unique Sith by finding someone similar. You can only use knowledge, Light. But never try to use what helped you with, say, Sidious against another Sith. You'll just waste your time. Sit down, right here," Revan pointed to a small rise. "I sense a strange object below... Usually during a sensory scan, my Force penetrates everywhere. But this object... It seems to ignore it, creating something like a hole."
Landing the ship next to the rise, I discovered that the rise turned out to be an abandoned ice mining building. The ice from here could have been transported to other planets. Inside was empty, nothing could be felt... I stepped forward, looking around at the bare, partially collapsed walls. In my right hand was a deactivated lightsaber.
"I wonder if the elevator works?" BB had stayed on the ship. But HK was walking next to me. He was supposed to help in the fight against the rakghouls. I didn't remember exactly how the miners had discovered Dreypa's Ark with Celeste here. More precisely — they were trying to resume mining here. It was still a long way off. But I didn't remember if they'd encountered any rakghouls. I didn't think so... But it wouldn't hurt to be careful.
"Doubt: master displays intelligence."
I pressed the button... The elevator doors didn't open. The power wasn't restored yet either. Not that I needed it. Activating my lightsaber, I inserted it into the elevator doors and cut a circle out of them. Using the Force to pull it out, I carefully peered inside to see if there was a floor. There was a floor — the elevator seemed to have frozen solid in the shaft. Stepping inside the elevator car, I started cutting a circle in its floor... I wondered how deep the shaft was. Pulling out a second lightsaber, I dropped it down, activating it at the same time. That would help me see everything in the light.
"You could have asked me," Revan noted. "I would have looked."
"I have to learn to get by without someone else's help," I replied, retrieving the second saber. "About ten meters. Not bad."
There was only one exit, directly into the shaft. I jumped into the hole I'd cut, simultaneously activating my grappling hook to slow my fall and reinforcing my body with the Force. A superhero landing; Deadpool would be proud of me. It was dark inside, but my lightsabers illuminated the cave where ice had once been mined. Using the Force, I could navigate in the dark as if it were daylight. At the far end of the shaft was what was indeed Dreypa's Ark. I'd actually thought it was supposed to be in Pulsifer's laboratory — the Mandalorian scientist. Had it been moved? Or was this place later used as a mine? I didn't even notice how the knowledge was starting to slip away, bit by bit... Well, it was a minor thing with no significance. After walking about ten meters toward the ark, I stopped, staring to the right. Frozen directly into the ice was a corpse... A rakghoul corpse. And it was well preserved...
Hmm, Revan's ghost appeared next to it. "The parameters of rakghouls are incredible. I'm sure that if you forcibly thaw it, it will move just as if it had never been frozen in here. But this specimen is clearly not a nekghoul... It has no aptitude for the Force. And for our training to be complete, we need exactly that."
"So, do we have to pull Celeste out of Dreypa's Ark?"
"Not necessarily," Revan said. "As I said before — their bodies are unique among all the animals in the Galaxy. Their capacity for mutation..."
"So, wait — if you possess its body, it will become Gifted?"
"No. Not if I possess it, but if you share your blood with it and I possess it. Your blood contains an enormous amount of midi-chlorians, Light. And I learned a great deal over the many years of my life. I took some knowledge directly from Vitiate after my defeat. I won't be able to fully resurrect in this rakghoul's body. But your blood and my intervention will start its transformation into a nekghoul. For a while, it will house me... Your task is to hold out against me in this shell and not die," the man chuckled.
"HK," I called the droid, who had also come down here using the jetpack I'd attached to him. "Give me a sword." He handed me an ordinary vibroblade... Well, not entirely ordinary. It was a blade whose composition I had reinforced with beskar. It would help Revan fight more fairly.
"So, ready for the training, Light?"
"I've been using the Force ever since I got here; won't you give me a rest?"
"What a stupid question," Revan said. "The Galaxy will never give you a rest unless you take it for yourself. So... come on, let's begin."
Revan walked up to the block of ice and pointed his hand at it. There was a crack, and the block, which had been almost embedded in the wall, was torn free, shedding ice as it went. Revan used pyrokinesis, heating the block... Or was it hydrokinesis with water transformation? He probably had hydrokinesis too. The rakghoul fell at my feet and began to growl...
"GRAAAAR!" it roared a couple of seconds later. Coming to that fast? It lunged at me, swinging a claw, but was immediately stopped by my telekinesis and pinned to the ground. Using the Force, I began to force its jaws open, simultaneously bringing the vibroblade to my left hand and making a small cut on my palm. Blood started dripping straight into the monster's maw. In the same instant, I threw it away from me and focused the Force on healing. And Revan's ghost entered the monster's body. I threw the vibroblade in front of it and prepared for battle, taking a lightsaber in each hand. The rakghoul grabbed its head and started rolling on the ground, and then an incredible Force began to emanate from it... Which was in some ways akin to my own. Flesh shot out from the rakghoul's body, literally growing in all directions. From what I could see, it was going through one of the worst moments of its existence. Finally, it began to change, its body starting to elongate. If before it had been more like an animal, in the end it became a bipedal monster.
The monster's remaining eyes glowed with a cold, blue light. It rose to both feet, picking up the sword.
"We don't have much time, student," Revan said. His voice was sinister, growling. "Time to see how much you've actually mastered. I will not go easy on you! Since I trained you in the aspects of the Force, taught you martial arts, we'll test exactly that!"
"HK, my order! Do not interfere!" This was my test.
"Understanding: I understand, master. Doubt: the specimen known as 'master' displays reduced intellectual activity and a tendency towards pomposity. Recommendation: if you do not wish to disgrace yourself, do not include this episode of your life in your autobiography should you survive, so as not to be forced to participate in forum flame wars where the entire Galaxy will dispute the fact that you possess any intelligence whatsoever, master."
Revan aimed his hand at me, and in an instant, jets of blue Force lightning shot toward me. I channeled the Force through my lightsaber, blocking the lightning with my right blade, and in the same moment, I hurled the left one to the side. Using telekinesis, I made the thrown saber swing around to Revan's flank. The nekghoul stopped using the lightning and jumped back, while I began my attack, closing the distance between us and pulling the previously thrown saber back to my left hand. Having trained in Jar'Kai for so long, I had become quite proficient in it. The core philosophy — simultaneous attack from two different directions — suited my not-so-large build perfectly, and the fact that speed, agility, and flexibility had always been my best physical attributes.
But even a simultaneous attack on the legs and head didn't help here. For all my speed, I was dealing with Revan. Not exactly him, but with a rakghoul that Revan had possessed. He blocked the strikes with a quick movement and immediately followed up with his own combination. Without the constant meditations and trial-training he liked to put me through, I'd probably have trouble even keeping up with him. Force augmentation, plus the unique body of a nekghoul, which he had managed to transform the rakghoul into... Revan was fighting with intent to kill. The strikes were fast, strong, and precise... I parried three of his consecutive attacks and was about to jump into a counterattack, but he caught me mid-air with a high kick... He must have picked that up from me; I used high kicks and the Dragon Tail — a sweep followed by finishing off the enemy — far too often.
I was thrown back... My Force-reinforced body absorbed the damage more or less. Except — I'd been hit and scratched to the point of bleeding by the rakghoul's claws, which meant that the plague created by Muur had gotten inside me... And it would have done damage if I hadn't started mastering the Matukai techniques, which allowed an enhanced level of control over my own body... The Force surged through my vessels, almost like blood... Energy gathered at the infection site, stimulating the white blood cells — the defenders of our body — as well as the platelets, which usually initiate hemostasis, also known as "blood clotting.".. Revan, however, wasn't in the mood to give me a chance. With a crack, the ice began to break, and in the same instant, ice blocks were sent at me with incredible speed. While they were still in the air, he shattered them with telekinesis, deliberately sharpening them, turning them into spears. I put up a Force barrier, which all his "spears" slammed into... But he was able to accelerate them to impressive speeds.
There were about a dozen spears, so holding them back was harder... I hurled a fireball at him, but Revan dodged with astonishing ease, continuing to press my barrier with the makeshift spears while bringing in new ones. Force lightning shot from his free hand again... It also struck my barrier, piercing it. The ice spears and Force lightning attacked me from all sides. Damn... I dodged to the side, away from the lightning and the ice spears, and threw a lightsaber from my left hand at him. But Revan, with a wave of his hand, not only raised more ice blocks but also seized control of my flying lightsaber and attacked me with everything he had. The situation reminded me of Set Harth's on Royce, when he'd also attacked me from all sides, but back then it was blasters, tableware... Now it was a lightsaber and ice blocks sharpened by the Force into spears. And back then I'd left myself wide open, trying to both deflect and dodge. I was trying to dodge now too, but tricks like that wouldn't work on him... I had another ability that could help me escape from under fire, though I preferred to conserve it. Waiting for the moment when his attack was literally fractions of a second away from hitting me, I covered my right eye and concentrated the Force in my left... In an instant, I switched places with Revan.
My exchange happens instantly, as does the formation of the "exchange point." And I can form an exchange point on absolutely any body. Whether it has the Force or not. I place the point on the surface itself, and if that surface is part of a sentient being's body, then that being gets teleported too. Yes, it wasn't a fair, "chivalrous" duel. But I'd never been a knight. I can strike a pose for a dramatic one-on-one fight, following all the laws of shonen... But who said that even within the context of this fight, I wouldn't be cunning and use "unfair play"? Winners aren't judged... I wasn't too worried about my thrown saber. That one should have hit Revan along with several "ice spears," which wouldn't even scratch the beskar-reinforced hilt. And the lightsaber blade should have cut off part of his body... However, even in the dust kicked up by the ice projectiles flying at considerable speed, I could feel Revan. And his body... Wasn't that enough? Then... I aimed my left hand at the cloud of rising ice dust and fired Force lightning. Jets of green lightning quickly crossed the distance between us and slammed into something...
When the dust cleared, Revan stood before me. He was holding my second lightsaber by the blade, using a Force barrier that kept the dangerous edge literally at skin level. He was absorbing my Force lightning using Tutaminis.
"The plan is excellent for its surprise," Revan said. "But it's not enough."
I ducked and immediately used a second charge of the Heavenly Hand, appearing behind Revan after swapping with a pebble I'd spotted behind his body — I'd seen it between his spread legs — and pulled my second saber out of his hand. Two slashing blows, crosswise, at his back. He lunged forward slightly, but the edges of the lightsabers grazed him, leaving a cross-shaped scar on his back. He spun around sharply, using a high kick again, but I landed, ducked, and used the Dragon Tail, spinning myself with the Force... A quick, powerful sweep knocked him off balance and disrupted his attack... He retreated, and I used a Rising Whirlwind, a Jar'Kai maneuver in which a hail of quick blows is delivered. Constantly spinning my body around its axis, performing pirouettes, I landed fast strikes from different angles. Revan blocked them until he thrust his hand forward... Telekinesis? I beat him by a fraction of a second, throwing him back, then jumped and, rotating horizontally in the air, delivered a series of blows.
Revan figured out the maneuver and easily blocked a couple of strikes. Finishing the pirouettes in the air, I landed on my knees and shot my grappling hook between his legs. The cable quickly reached its target and, as it began to retract, pulled me towards him. I pointed my saber upward, trying to cut through Revan's torso, but he jumped straight up, avoiding the treacherous strike. Reeling the grappling hook back in, I spun around. Revan was about to use a Force technique, but I beat him to it. Was the nekghoul's body starting to tire? Because I felt like I was getting faster than him? Or was it a result of my training and predictive abilities? It didn't matter...
I pulled him towards me, disrupting his technique, and attacked again with a double strike, which he blocked. Then he threw me back with a wave of telekinesis. I was ready for the attack, but didn't manage to avoid it. Upon landing, I shot fireballs at him, followed by lightning, but Revan absorbed everything with Tutaminis, then landed several powerful, fast blows. I blocked the last one crosswise with my lightsabers, entering a clinch.
"Not bad, not bad," the nekghoul-Revan growled. "You've mastered lightning and fire quite well; you use Force techniques at the right moment... It's just that you spent your charges of the Heavenly Hand too quickly. You should have saved one for the end of the fight. It's not certain you'll survive to the end because of such a waste. And you put yourself in a position where you were forced to use your trump card at the very beginning!"
I sharply deflected his strike to the side, and then, driving the saber from my left hand through his right shoulder. Putting maximum effort into speed, if I could put it that way, I jumped onto Revan's neck and tried to pierce his head with the saber.
But a powerful wave of telekinesis flung me back. At the same time, he managed to pin my second lightsaber with his shoulder and the Force. Back... Revan didn't even let me land properly, immediately spinning around and... He channeled the Force into his lightsaber as he swung, creating a shockwave. I ducked, pressing close to the ground, and fired Force Lightning...
"Don't you get it yet?" he answered with his own Force Lightning. "Your Force Lightning, since you mainly use the light side — doesn't even compare to mine!" he snarled. And he was right. His lightning overpowered mine. When will Heavenly Hand recharge? Still a long time... Absorbing his lightning with Tutaminis, I created a huge fireball from his energy and hurled it at Revan. "What childish games," he said, raising a Force Barrier. The fireball collided with the wall of Force and exploded on contact; his barrier did its job, but that was only the initial goal. Revan goes by the classic pattern — take a hit, immediately counterattack. So he charged at me and even raised his other hand, when suddenly he fell to the ground. His left leg had been severed. "But how?" he asked, staring in surprise at the lightsaber I had thrown from my right hand. "You hid a lightsaber behind the fireball?"
"Correct," I confirmed. The attack was two-stage. Revan can sense Force usage perfectly, so I didn't throw the saber with telekinesis — I tossed it away from me, hooked it with a cable, and launched the blade right under the fireball, timing it so the fireball hit the barrier first. Revan has a limitation here — namely time. So, after surviving my powerful attack, he was going to counterattack quickly, without wasting energy on defense. That's why he dropped the barrier, and since the saber wasn't thrown with telekinesis, he didn't sense it. I pulled both my lightsabers back to me.
"Clever... But... I AM REVAN! As if tricks, tactics, and strategy are enough to defeat me!" Leaning on one leg, he leaped into the attack. His body wouldn't last much longer. I could have waited until the nekghoul's body, under the strain of Revan's Force ghost and my blood, finally gave out, but that victory wouldn't feel complete. So I met his assault... We exchanged quick blows, during which he nearly cut me in two, then almost took off my legs. I blocked his third strike, but jumped back, making a pirouette, and he struck at my legs again. I raised my left leg and, timing it perfectly, brought it down onto his weapon, pinning it to the ground. I didn't waste any time, quickly spinning and using the Rising Whirlwind maneuver, landing fast strikes on different parts of the nekghoul, literally cutting it into several pieces... Finally — its head fell at my feet, and Revan's ghost stood before me. "Well, what can I say... It's good that you managed to defeat me, even in this form. In my original form — you probably wouldn't have gotten off so easily. But we have what we have. You've mastered the basic level of Echani that I showed you. But what's truly notable is your progressing swordsmanship, battle instincts, and command of Force techniques. Consider your exam passed," Revan said. "Take your prize... Hmm... And what was my prize again?"
"You said that if I could defeat you, I would 'earn the right to summon Tulak Hord'..."
"Yes, as it turned out, I couldn't allow you to summon the Lord of Hatred without confirming that you, Light, had thoroughly mastered Force techniques and developed your swordsmanship enough to at least stand against me." At least? "But now I see you're ready. Your prize is the location of Tulak Hord's artifact. You need something that interacted with his Force, right?"
"Let's say," I deactivated my lightsabers but kept my eyes on Revan. Just in case he pulled something else.
"Long ago, I found his mask. Hord's mask." I did. "I used it to design my own. I also disassembled it using Force Forging."
"But then the mask must have been saturated with your Force?"
"Even after that, it radiated such darkness as I never had, even in my darkest periods," Revan said. "I can still feel its location in this galaxy. It's..." he closed his eyes, "on the planet Veinay. I felt it when you showed me a map of the galaxy once. I even sensed my very distant descendants there."
"Your sensory perception is incredibly developed..."
"It's not sensory perception," he shook his head. "The Force isn't just midi-chlorians. The Force is the energy that permeates the entire galaxy. From start to finish, Light, from start to finish. That's how I knew where Hord's mask was. There's your prize. Thank you for the entertainment... If you don't mind, I have to go now. There's nothing left for me to teach you. Perfect your skills... And don't you dare come to me without any results, or I'll sic Bastila on you. She's more dangerous than two hundred rancors when she's angry."
"I'll be sure to tell her that when I join you..."
"You wouldn't dare," he looked me sternly in the eyes.
"That's exactly what I'll do, Master."
"Kkh... You would make an excellent politician in the Republic Senate. You're cunning — if you ever lose your conscience anywhere, you'd become the perfect Senator."
"Nonsense... I have no intention of becoming a Senator. I'm aiming much higher."
"Good, if that's true... For your position, a conscience is far more important than for a Senator's," Revan's ghost faded away completely.
I sighed, steadying my breathing.
"Statement: so that really was the former master Revan. You fought him."
"Yes, HK... I wish I could say we're done in this unfriendly little world, but..." I glanced toward Dreypa's Oubliette. Even our fight with the nekghoul, given the changed landscape, the ice melted by lightning and fire — hadn't touched the sarcophagus where the Jedi woman rested. "First, I need to decide what to do with you, Celeste Morne..."
I walked up to Dreypa's Oubliette. As I recall, Vader managed to open it. So will I... But who's going to come out? A former Jedi Shadow and member of the Covenant? Her secret organization inside the Order was dismantled long ago. And the Order itself is nothing like the one she knew... Or will it be the Sith Karness Muur? I shuddered. A dangerous creature... Although I'd feel uncomfortable in his place. Celeste is a woman, and Muur is a man. Being reborn in a woman's body? Brrr... I've noticed I'm getting a little unhinged and even started licking my lips in the middle of a fight, like Orochimaru... Like I'm anticipating pleasure... But even I, with all my issues, would find it weird to be reborn in a woman's body.
"This screams for a decent, big, hardcore lesbian fanfic, no less," I commented. "Sith, especially those who've given in to passions, including the sin of lust... So Muur in that case wouldn't refuse to satisfy his carnal urges after so many years of imprisonment. Would he go for a man? That sounds even more disgusting. Someone once asked me — if you were reincarnated as a woman, would you stay hetero or become homo? The answer is homo... Hmm..."
"Observation: master — talking to yourself won't lead to anything good. Suggestion: contact your family psychotherapist. Get checked."
"Shut up, HK, it's thinking out loud," I sighed heavily, looking at the Oubliette's console. The Oubliette itself somewhat resembled a sarcophagus. Pressing the control keys, I was surprised to find it active. Not the Oubliette itself as a life-preservation device, but specifically its control console. After poking at the keys, I pressed 'open.' The lid opened, slowly rising upward, revealing a beautiful, slender woman. All according to Master Lorm's teachings. The most beautiful are Jedi women, because they don't neglect physical exercise and are mostly fit fitness cuties.
Celeste Morne in full height.
Her clothing was a combination of black and white. A breastplate covered the upper half of her body and was complemented by massive shoulder plates. Her shoulders were covered by massive pieces. Her arms were also hidden by the outfit, ending in 'fingerless gloves.' Her pants were tight-fitting, accentuating her figure. And on her neck shone a golden talisman, from which dark energy emanated... The talisman began to awaken from its slumber.
There was no energy left in the Oubliette. At least, it had all been used to sustain the life of the sealed woman and for the unsealing.
"Ugh," her face winced. Regular facial features, a neat little nose... And dark hair. The girl really was beautiful and had remained so. After all that time, if not for the stasis, even her bones wouldn't have reached me. "Where am I? Who are you?" she stared at me with eyes as blue as the water in one of Alderaan's seas, and then realized that her lightsaber was in my hands. I had pulled it to me as soon as I opened the Oubliette. It had been lying next to her. "How long... How long was I inside? What about the Covenant? The Jedi Order? The Republic? The Mandalorians..."
"Oh, I have to explain everything again," I sighed heavily. "Good day, Celeste Morne, my name is Light. Light Flyingstar. I'm a Jedi Knight, specializing as a Shadow in the Guardian Corps."
"Shadow? You're from the Covenant?"
"No, your organization within the Order was destroyed long ago by Zayne Carrick and Lucien Draay."
"Draay betrayed the Covenant?" she asked in surprise.
"Yes, and more than that. The entire Covenant turned out to be a fiction, a puppet in the hands of someone named Haazen. It all ended with his death..."
"I see," the girl said in a sad tone. Does she mourn her organization? "And Zayne? Did he send you?"
"No, of course not," I replied negatively. "Zayne, Celeste, lived... four thousand years ago, officially, just like you."
Her eyes widened in surprise. The emotions of confusion were so strong they would have affected even a novice empath.
"Four... thousand years," she said dryly.
"Yes. For someone who's four thousand years old — you're very beautiful," I said, looking her over. "And that's astonishing. It seems this Oubliette completely halted the metabolic processes in your body, which is why you didn't turn into a pile of atoms over that amount of time."
"I lay in this place that long just to hear compliments from a youngster?" the girl smirked.
"I was the same age as you when you went into it," I nodded at the Oubliette.
"Doesn't look it from your height," she stepped out of the Oubliette. Amazing, she lay that long and walks so steadily?
"When will the galaxy's jokes about my height finally stop?" I asked a philosophical question. "But that's not even a question for you — I'll ask the Celestials; maybe they know the answer. So. What should I do with you? The records I found are lies; only my knowledge exists. You serve as the guardian of an ancient Sith Lord's talisman — Karness Muur," I looked at her neck. "And I can sense the dark side of the Force emanating from that little item. And before this, I stumbled upon a frozen nekghoul."
"A nekghoul did that to the surroundings while fighting you?" she asked, surveying the environment. "Pretty weak for a Knight."
"Well, the problem was more that the nekghoul was possessed by the Force ghost of another Force-user. A pretty strong one. Also from your era, by the way. Dealing with him was tough."
"I would advise you to run," she said. "You freed me in vain. Muur has already awakened... And he'll start turning everyone around into rakghouls very soon!"
"How fortunate we're alone here, then. My droid, HK," she looked behind her, "he won't turn. And he doesn't have the strength for me."
"Question: master, may I burn a hole in this bag of meat?"
"No," I replied. "Not yet. If Muur takes you over, I'll have to kill you, but until that happens..."
What's that noise? I can feel several dozen living auras approaching... Very similar to rakghouls.
"It seems my awakening has affected my frozen servants on this planet!" I could see him next to Celeste. An old man with a gray beard and hair falling to his shoulders. The top of his head was completely bald. His eyes were either red or aurodium-colored.
"Karness Muur, I presume?" His clothes were dark, and a crimson cloak could be seen behind him.
"Young Jedi. I sense far greater potential in you than in this girl! Submit to me as an apprentice, and I will make you great!"
"Denied, I'll pass," I answered Muur. "And... what are you going to do now, old man?"
"Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!" he laughed. "I will cast you into an ocean of despair, boy. And when you know it, know your powerlessness — you will accept me as your master!"
"I hope you have a plan," Morne said. "I can't control them right now!"
And indeed, the talisman detached from her neck and nimbly jumped away from us. I tried to destroy it with my lightsaber, but it flew over the blade and was immediately picked up by one of the rakghouls that had broken through. Will it become the center of his personality?
"Without the talisman, they won't obey me. Muur, you said you needed a Force-user's body for control..."
"I lied," the rakghoul snarled. "I need a body... And the Force-sensitivity... A useful bonus, but not critical. I'll take the boy alive and turn him to the dark side. And you... you were my jailer for too long, Celeste Morne. I'll just kill you!"
I returned her lightsaber to Celeste.
"You asked about a plan," I said. We were surrounded by about twenty rakghouls. HK stood beside me. "So here's the simple plan. Attack. I hope you haven't lost your skills."
My Heavenly Hand power had recharged for both eyes.
"The main thing is to kill Muur. If he could constantly use rakghouls as his vessel, he would never have bothered to take over a sentient's body. He's lying..."
"Like all Sith," I confirmed. "Shall we begin, Celeste Morne?"
"I'm ready..."