In short, the plan they offered me was as reliable as a Swiss watch... We were to set up an ambush for the deranged Jedi who had arrived on Corellia and started taking over the planet's criminal gangs. Interestingly, he went mad from a damaged Sith holocron. Apparently, some part of the knowledge guardian remained inside it and managed to rattle around in Renak Albin's brain, a very ordinary padawan. And it rattled so much that he took down three knights. One he killed, another wounded, and the third barely escaped. Although all the survivors excused themselves in the report, saying he attacked unexpectedly — from my slight indignation and verbal discussion with Master Piell about these Jedi, no one was spared.
Before the task itself, I also laid into the Green Jedi, who had gotten a taste of it once and decided to wait for reinforcements. But what I disliked most was people directly interfering in my work. How was it before? I performed the tasks assigned to me or solved problems I created myself. But I found my own allies. Now they were literally foisting on me not only allies but also a plan for executing the mission. And that irritated me a little. After all, I was used to acting either by my own plan or by improvisation. My own improvisation. Not relying on others' plans... Perhaps that made me appear slightly arrogant in the eyes of other beings. But did that somehow affect the quality of the work done?
The irony is that I can, in some people's eyes, act in a way that's definitely not like a Jedi, yet still achieve the goals the Order set before me. But, to be honest — that kind of thing rattles the dogmatists. How can it be — that by not following the Code — you get the same results you would have gotten if you had followed the Code. And that paradox could make some people, those who know about me as a Shadow and about my missions, want to undermine a couple of points below the belt… The ass… And, if it came to that — the brain, which, in some cases, could also be up the ass. Nevertheless, I took this mission, so it's too late to grumble.
Public transport on Corellia and in Coronet consisted of huge speeders that could carry several dozen people. Basically — they're the same as buses, just able to fly. Though the traffic in Coronet was much lighter than on Coruscant itself. Now there — millions of different speeders fly at all sorts of speeds, and on different levels, too. You didn't see much of that in Coronet. Honestly, the plan of the Greens and Even Piell didn't sit well with me. Too much hinged on the word "if." If the part of the holocron that Renak found belongs to the same Sith whose other part is here on Corellia, then he'll attack. It makes you want to ask: "And what the fuck if he doesn't?" What will we do then?
All in all — I had my doubts about their plan. I figured that if Renak didn't take the bait, I'd grab the HK and go storm their central base. Well, more precisely, my trademark stealth infiltration. He wouldn't get away from me in that case.
"Honestly, I'm not even counting on him taking this bait," I sighed, watching the piece of holocron lying on the table in the compartment. We'd arrived peacefully at the Green Jedi residence, and then, demonstratively — one might even say pompously — headed for the main enclave in Coronet. Sitting next to the shard, I tried to study it through the Force. The holocron wasn't completely destroyed, so this part radiated darkness. "Whose holocron was this, anyway? And why are you so sure Renak is interested in this particular piece?"
"Because he tried to find information specifically about it," Lara explained to me. "Our Council has it all planned out, Knight Light."
"If you have it all planned out," I put my feet up on the table, laced my hands behind my head, and relaxed. "Then why do you need me, or Master Piell?"
"As I already said," the woman was sitting next to me. "We sent our brothers after him, but they couldn't handle him."
"Couldn't handle him," I snorted. "Do you really have no Shadows? Jedi specialized in neutralizing other Force-sensitives?" I asked the woman.
"We are not assassins, Knight. We are researchers and diplomats."
"Funny thing," I said thoughtfully. "I've heard that you interfere in all spheres of society's life much more than we do. And yet here we are. Not assassins… Researchers and diplomats. Or did the situation with Renak Albin shake you so much that you couldn't neutralize him right away… Or… The problem is that Renak himself comes from a family of your Jedi." Lara flinched. "Apparently, Renak is from the Albin family, which has served the Order of Green Jedi for a thousand years. And he was sent to Coruscant, as a Padawan to a Coruscant Knight, on an exchange program. This lenient treatment, inconsistent with your usual actions toward criminals, is explained by that, isn't it, Lara Leniko?"
"How did you find out?" the woman asked. Her Padawan tensed up, as if readying for a fight.
"Hah, you're too careless," I showed her a datapad with their Order's website. "Goron Albin, Jedi Master, archaeologist. Lera Albin, formerly Leniko, his wife. A Protector. And so it turns out you're heading on a mission against your own nephew."
"That would be all well and good," Lara said coldly, "but what you pointed out is classified information, accessible only to members of our Order. How did you get it?"
"Lara, Lara, Lara," I shook my head. "You give the impression of a woman as smart as she is beautiful, but you can't grasp some things, given your abilities. I hacked your site — more precisely, I had my droid do it before the mission started. And don't look at me like that. What you told me seemed suspicious from the very beginning. And why did I do all this?" I asked the question and immediately answered. "To know my enemy. Knowing your enemy lets you understand his weaknesses. And understanding his weaknesses lets you deal with him faster. You could, of course, stage a flashy battle, for five to ten minutes, changing the surroundings and hitting him with pompous, epic techniques. But what's the point when the goal is elimination? I just pulled up the entire database on Padawan Renak — where we got him, where he was born, and then I found the Albin family in your database."
"And now what?" asked Lara.
"Nothing," I waved her off. I got up from the couch and stretched. "I still have to eliminate Renak Albin. I just want to warn you — I don't care why you're here. You probably want to 'bring him back' … I'll give you one chance. But if he refuses… Remember — he killed one Knight, wounded another, and is using artifacts of the Dark Side of the Force. And I don't care who is whose son, who is whose nephew," I looked at the woman, "and what kind of relationship he has with your Padawan." The girl flinched. "Whether he's your childhood friend or whatever, you'll only get one chance. After that, neither I nor Piell will hold back. I'm sure I don't need to explain what 'won't hold back' means."
"No," Lara shook her head. "But you are a terrible sentient."
"Terrible? In what way? Because I refuse to compromise? There are two types of events — those where you must compromise, to avoid a greater number of casualties, and those where compromise would lead to even more horrific consequences. Compromise right now is contraindicated…"
Suddenly there was a crash. The transport had been hit. I looked toward the rear of the transport — the bulkheads and roof were torn open. Sentients, armed and using jetpacks and various grappling hooks, began jumping onto it, immediately opening fire on CorSec, who were assisting us on this mission. CorSec Major Eldrik Ogner — at first he was firing back with his ten subordinates, but due to the enemy's numerical superiority and such a fierce onslaught, CorSec couldn't hold them back for long. The transport was divided into three sections. The front section was up front. That's where the pilots were, and getting to them was incredibly hard, since the section was armored. The central section, where I was with Lara and her student. And the rear section. They'd launched their attack on the rear, where I'd set a few traps in the form of simple mines. Some of the bandits successfully fell into them. Meanwhile, CorSec forces had already retreated to us.
"Jedi, there are too many of them," said a stern, bald man. Major Eldrik was mostly reporting to Lara, while I walked over to the HK and pressed its activation button.
"Rise, HK," I sang. "It's about time to optimize the amount of sentient life."
"Joyful: Oh! Optimize the number of meatbags. How long I've waited for this moment!"
"Knight Light," Lara said sternly. "Remember — negotiations first."
"Yes, yes," I replied with a sigh, sending a signal to Piell. He was flying in his starship above the clouds, following our route. The Master should arrive within ten minutes, maybe less. Explosions were still ringing out in the rear section. Some of the bandits were hitting the traps.
"Knight Lara!" Major Eldrik said loudly. "What do you mean, 'negotiations first'? That scum killed five of my soldiers!"
"Calm down, Major. The Master knows what he's doing," Sheila spoke up. The Major gave the girl a threatening look.
"How many are there?" I asked the man.
"In the chaos of battle, I counted about fifteen, but there could be more!"
"Hmm… Nine, ten… Hmm… All seventeen? I sense seventeen non-Force-sensitives behind the bulkhead and one dark-side Force-sensitive. Are they about to enter?" The door separating the rear and center blew off its hinges and would have crushed the Major, but I stopped it with my telekinesis and moved it aside.
"Anticipatory: Master, oh how I hate that word, my sensors have detected meatbags. May I slightly optimize their numbers on this planet?" HK cocked its weapon.
"Stand," I ordered briefly. Having moved the door aside, I looked at the men who had rushed in. They immediately aimed at us, but I wasn't in a hurry to act and glanced at Lara Leniko. "Let's wait for the negotiations."
"Sad: Master, oh how I hate that word, do I need to remind you — that the best way to negotiate with a meatbag is to burn a hole through them with a weapon. A dead meatbag always agrees with your terms."
"What a pompous droid," said a young voice. It came from a boy who was dressed in a dark outfit, resembling Jedi robes. The boy was tall, with blond hair. His eyes were golden, like all those who fall to the dark side. At the same time, I felt some strange aura around him. Probably — a remnant from the holocron. "I think I'll keep him and reprogram him, after I'm done here."
I simply sat down next to the HK and sank into meditation.
"And this," he looked at me. "You called in a Shadow from the Order on Coruscant? Aunt," he looked at Lara. "You must understand that this is all useless. The Lord has explained the true nature of the Force to me… Neither my father, nor my mother, nor you — are capable of what he is capable of."
"Renak, please," the woman said quietly. "I want what's best for you, just like everyone else. And now you're breaking the laws…"
"I'm not breaking them, I'm creating new laws. When I complete my training with the Lord, I will crush the Jedi Order, and a new one will rise from the ashes!"
No matter what you say, all Jedi who fall to the dark side, more or less, believe the same thing. In their own exclusivity and infallibility. I know, I've been there. Even after my fall, I sometimes caught myself thinking that way.
"And either you will take your place beside me in the new Order, or… I will kill you all! You are either with me, or against me! There is no third option!"
"Renak, but…" Sheila sniffled. So they have "very close relations"? Honestly, I kind of liked the "Green Jedi" policy regarding family. But here's the problem — a boy who could be called a rich brat went nuts and wants something like "a new war." And they can't do anything about him because he's their own flesh and blood…
Sighing sadly, I attacked Renak. A Force Lightning, a dark green hue, instantly crossed the ten meters, knocked the hapless revolutionary off his feet, and slammed him against the wall above the door… Hmm… It even came out a bit stronger than after my training sessions with Revan… Is this because of Karness Muur?
"HK, engage," I ordered, glancing at the snarling bandits. "The Force-sensitive is mine, eliminate the rest."
"Joyful: As you command, oh Master, how I hate that word! Eagerly: Let's do some optimization!"
"That's enough from you," I announced to the stunned Lara and Sheila. Well, what did they expect? Where else would they see Force Lightning? "Negotiation time is over." I stood in the middle of the compartment, drew my lightsaber in my right hand, activated it, and assumed the stance of my new style. "It's time to settle this the old-fashioned way."
"Kkh… Kkh," came from Renak's direction. "How is this possible?"
HK opened fire, as did the bandits. And the remnants of CorSec joined the fray. Interestingly, the bandits didn't even try to shoot at the Force-sensitives, focusing their efforts on CorSec and the HK. And while CorSec had been overwhelmed by numbers before, now, with the HK's help, the bandits' ranks were thinning. Plus, I could sense Piell's aura, who had jumped onto the roof during the conversation and, as soon as the fight started, began cutting down the bandits up there.
"A Jedi who knows Force Lightning!"
"You don't like it?" I asked the boy with a smile. "Look how beautiful it is. I've often been told my color is purple, because of my eyes. I beg to differ… I like green better!" I attacked him with Force Lightning again. This time he deflected it, holding a red lightsaber in front of him. I didn't insist, stopping the technique, and then my body practically shot toward him. Instantly closing the distance between us, filling my body with the Force, I forced him into close combat. The boy was clearly outmatched by someone used to fighting with lightsabers. That is, me… He was a decent training dummy, when you thought about it. Training a new style on an overpowered opponent right away isn't the best idea. If only because a top-tier swordsman can "share his authoritative opinion," which might just throw me off my chosen path. The point is that only you yourself can see the pros and cons. My strikes were fast, but at the same time, they followed the logic of an instant transition from attack to defense.
Yeah, almost all styles are based on that logic. There are offensive moves and defensive ones. But in the new style, I tried to develop moves where the switch between attack and defense happened instantly. And, naturally, Renak Albin couldn't withstand the barrage of fast strikes I unleashed on him. Any attempts at a counterattack either hit a block, or were dodged, after which I repeated my attacks. Plus, I was hitting vulnerable areas. The boy was retreating. A diagonal overhead strike, then a strike to his right leg… A pirouette and an attempt to take his head off.
"Hutt!" he said after I jumped over his saber and nearly pierced his chest. "You…" He decided to attack me with the Force, but I was faster, knocking his attack aside with a powerful telekinetic push. He was thrown from this section into the rear of the transport. What? He tried to take a piece of the artifact with him? Not on my watch…
A second saber appeared in my left hand, and I threw it at the piece of the artifact flying past. Spinning the blade with telekinesis, I ground that piece into dust.
"NOOO!" a strange cry came from the rear. "No!"
"Looks like I made someone angry," I smirked. Just then, a lightsaber cut through the ceiling, and Piell jumped inside. The Lannik didn't look tired, even though he'd just been fighting bandits on the roof of the transport. "You'd better cut off his escape route. Who knows, maybe he'll try to run."
"Too much is at stake for him," Evan said confidently. "He won't run. Moreover, if I were you, I'd be careful. Judging by everything, he's partially possessed by the holocron's guardian and can use Force Lightning."
"He's not the only one who can do that," I shrugged.
"I will crush you, Jedi!" Renak's body practically shot out of the rear. He flew into the compartment and lunged at me. Have his marbles gone completely off the track? Or does this guardian not have even a semblance of critical thinking? There are: four Jedi here. Well, I suppose Lara and Sheila can be discounted; they, after all, don't want to harm Renak, i.e., his vessel. But I'm a Shadow, a Jedi specialized in fighting other Force-sensitives, plus, considering my techniques — I'm not a standard Shadow. And Even Piell, a Master… If Shadows can still be slightly written off — not all of us can throw lightning — then a Master… Well, anyway, it looks like his brains have been completely knocked loose. Returning my second saber to its scabbard, I easily fended off the torrent of his attacks with one blade. Renak — or the holocron's guardian, who had somehow taken over his body — must have wanted to surprise me. Because his lightsaber turned out to be a light pike, which he suddenly activated.
But the surprise failed. I parried that attack too, and then began actively pressing him. During one of my counterattacks, I destroyed half of his pike, cutting through the hilt, and was already preparing to take his head off, when he retreated and blasted me with Force Lightning, but I met it with my own.
"Amazing that the holocron's guardian can influence the one who found it to such an extent." My lightning, even if it wasn't as powerful as Palpatine's. After all, it's primarily a dark side technique, and when using Force Lightning, the dark side realizes its true potential… But I was more experienced than Renak, and the guardian, even if he was a Sith, couldn't channel all his power through a temporary vessel. So I was able to overpower his attack, and then throw him back again.
"Hutt take you!" he exclaimed as he was flung back. He pushed off the wall of the compartment, grabbing his saber in a reverse grip. Trying to surprise me with that move? Pathetic… Shifting slightly to the side, I performed a one-handed variation of the "Scorpion Sting," that is — a classic thrust… Shiak pierced his stomach. Executing a pirouette, I came level with Renak, who was slumping to the floor, and attacked his neck with a "Dragon Rush." The head of the hapless Padawan fell to the floor.
"Unfortunate child," I commented, pulling the holocron into my left hand. "Hmm… The guardian invested too much in Renak, so now the holocron is inactive. And, given that I destroyed part of it, it's unlikely it will ever activate."
"You… you killed him," Sheila said. "Just killed him."
Evan and Lara deactivated their lightsabers.
"Yes, that tends to happen when you hit someone with a lightsaber," I said calmly, deactivating my own blade, twirling the hilt, and stowing it in its scabbard. Concentrating, I began to gather the Force in my left hand. Now I understand what Scourge was talking about. You need to see the weak points in the artifact's structure. It's very hard to learn, but since I've mastered the weak point technique, I can do it. And then — start creating cracks from that point, until finally, the artifact is destroyed. The piece of holocron in my hands became covered in cracks and finally crumbled to dust. Sheila walked over to Renak's head. The girl picked it up… Something was off with her…
"You killed him, even though you had enough skill to simply disarm him!" she exclaimed. Falling?
"Sheila, you…"
"I will avenge you!" the girl continued. Before she could do anything, I threw her against the wall with telekinesis, then, pulling her toward me, slammed her to the floor. Sheila coughed up blood and was knocked unconscious. When we fight a Force-sensitive, they can interrupt an attack of this kind. But Sheila literally hadn't had time to even start the fight. Add to that the enormous difference in skill between her and me.
"You really need to talk to your student," I told Lara. "Otherwise, we won't stop at Renak. Master Piell," I looked at the Lannik. "Now have you seen everything you wanted?"
"Yes," he nodded. "Let's step aside."
He walked to the rear of the transport, and I followed him. The situation in the third compartment was one of utter destruction. Corpses were strewn about — both bandits and CorSec personnel.
"You concealed from the Order the fact that you know Force Lightning," Piell began the conversation. "The Council said nothing when you mastered pyrokinesis. But lightning… Who taught it to you?"
"Is the fact that I know such a technique really so frightening?"
"It's not frightening to me," Piell replied. "It raises questions about your loyalty to the Jedi Order. The Grand Master and some members of the High Council are insisting that, despite your, to some extent, freewheeling actions, you are fulfilling your role. But we are Jedi… The end does not justify the means, if the means is the dark side of the Force."
"The dark side of the Force?" I asked loudly. "Did you sense it in me? You watched me use that technique. And? Did you feel darkness in me?"
"You walked the edge…"
"Half the Order walks it, especially those who work in the field," I said sharply. "Renak himself is a case in point. Do you think this is an isolated incident?" Taking a heavy breath, I continued. "Master Piell, I respect you as a Jedi. But your suspiciousness can only cause harm. And not just in relation to me. I've already fallen into the darkness once. I didn't like it." Who would like a diagnosis of schizophrenia, anyway? And the funny thing is, I wouldn't even need a psychiatrist to give it to me. He wouldn't be wrong.
"And you keep joking. Do you think this is funny?"
"Of course they're jokes, just not funny ones. History repeats itself with one formula. The first time is a tragedy, all subsequent times are a comedy. A shitty comedy, but a comedy. That's how it is. But what are your conclusions? Am I really the traitor you were looking for?"
"Not yet… If it were up to me, I'd lock you up in one of the Order's prisons, or expel you, but… Even what I saw today, just now, is not treason from the Order's point of view… I can only say one thing, Light." He came almost point-blank. I'm short, but the Lannik Evan is even shorter than me. Still, he tried to catch my gaze. "You can be strong, you can know many things. Just make sure your current Padawan doesn't share Renak's fate. The techniques of Alteration are not your favorite jokes. You are unique in terms of character, which is why you are still alive, still a Jedi."
"I understand. Thank you for the warning." Honestly, given Jaro's temperament, I wasn't about to rush into teaching him those techniques either. I need to discipline him. So my training on a remote planet will come in handy. Shadows, in terms of training, are an excellent choice. Specialized missions for a specific Jedi Shadow aren't issued that often. And the rest can be picked up on our website. "If that's all…"
The transport began to slow down. Probably landing soon.
"Yes, that's all for you, for now," Piell hinted that he would still be keeping an eye on me.
We both returned to the central compartment. Sheila was lying unconscious, her head resting on Lara Leniko's lap.
"Oh, I sense she's stabilized," I noted.
"You acted very cruelly," Lara looked at me. "Though correctly, not that it should be forgotten."
"You don't want revenge for your nephew? Or should I expect it from his father? Or your sister?"
She sighed, smoothing Sheila's hair. Major Eldrik just snorted.
"You needn't worry," she replied. "My sister and her husband will understand."
"Understand," I replied, sitting down next to her. "Or will they go to meet their son ahead of schedule?"
The concept of Jedi families definitely has its downsides… I'll need to keep that in mind.