I deactivated the lightsaber and carefully examined the one-armed Jedi. I had no doubt he was Force-sensitive. And now, most likely, this lightsaber belonged to him. So he was a Jedi... He didn't seem much like a Sith, based on my feelings. And a fairly decent Jedi. I can't speak to his skills in detail until I see them. But that he was a Knight was indisputable.
"I'll repeat my question: who are you?" My voice echoed through the room.
"I... Kha," he removed the mask that protected him from the liquid and looked at me. "Dagan... Dagan Gera."
"Dagan Gera?" I repeated. He nodded. Hmm... He was telling the truth. Or believed it strongly enough that he couldn't deceive me. "And you're a Jedi... Your name was mentioned in reports about Tanalorr. You're the Jedi who found it and promoted the idea of creating an enclave on that planet."
"You have... my weapon," he noted.
"True," I agreed. "It'll stay with me for now. Until you convince me you're not a danger."
"A danger?" the Jedi asked. "I'm a Jedi, like you."
"And I'm a Jedi who's a bit suspicious of beings who've literally been in a coma that stopped aging entirely for the last three hundred years."
"Hmph," came from Celeste.
"Well, at least you're not a pretty girl whose body Karness Muur is trying to possess. But you're not a woman and your body isn't being possessed by Karness Muur," I smirked. Jaro put his hand to his forehead. I'll have to talk to him about the fact that facepalming at your master, while he's still your master, isn't appropriate. A chuckle came from Celeste.
"Observation: master, oh how I hate that word, of all your jokes, that was the most idiotic one. Suggestion: why don't you implant a brain chip whose architecture will be built on my AI. Then you would learn the concept of 'jokes.'"
"Oh, go HK, into a gas chamber," I waved dismissively. "But back to you. The reports about Tanalorr are fragmentary, because they overlap with the Nihil war. A large band of marauders that terrorized the Republic... About two hundred years ago."
"Two hundred years have passed," Dagan said dryly. "Impossible."
"There's a woman here who's been lying around for nearly four thousand years," the Jedi stared in astonishment at the only woman — Celeste. "In a coma. So don't tell me it's impossible."
"I... I'll tell you everything," he said. "But I want my lightsaber. Without it, I feel uneasy."
Should I give it to him? There are more of us here, so if he sees us as enemies, we'll beat him down so badly that his arm, clearly cut off by a lightsaber, will seem like child's play. On the other hand — why should he consider us an enemy? In the reports, Dagan was characterized as an explorer and skilled diplomat, and an excellent warrior who managed to defeat the Gen'Dai — Rayvis — in combat. The latter is currently in prison, in cryostasis, because Dagan's disappearance became the removal of his leash. But why does Dagan rest here, in bacta, when other Jedi who explored the Koboh Nebula and Tanalorr returned to the Republic? Some of the reports I was given had inconsistencies. Especially the part written by Master Santari Kri. Fine... If he needs this saber... I tossed it to the half-naked Dagan, and he caught it with his intact hand. At first he played with the hilt, rotating it and admiring the yellow blade, then looked at me. His eyes... They began to lighten.
"Jedi," he began, disassembling the lightsaber and gaining access to the crystal. "Jedi... They're the ones who used me. They got my knowledge and my skills!" He began focusing the Force around the crystal. What was he planning? I felt strong emotions within him. Anger, fury, hatred? Was he going to use them as a catalyst for a Force technique? Fall? Jaro started to rush toward him, but I stopped the Padawan with my hand. Looking at him, I shook my head. "They thought I would leave my home. But I endured! And now I will take revenge, but first I need to get to Tanalorr!"
Wow. This was the first time I'd watched a natural crystal change. It went from yellow to orange, and then to red... Hah, and my own pontite, which I'd found long ago on Ilum — it wasn't mine anymore after the events involving Arrogant and Mila Karnur. That's not fair... He finally reassembled his lightsaber and ignited the crimson blade.
"Fool," I stated. "I'll paste you to the wall. But go ahead and try, if you want."
"You're the fool! Talent in the Force isn't everything!" He rushed at me. He jumped and in mid-air swung, aiming at me. This time I didn't stop Jaro. The Padawan covered me, shielding me from the deadly, crimson blade.
"Yeah, right. It's also important to have loyal comrades who'll help and cover you at a moment's notice," though I could have handled him myself. Still... This Dagan would be good training for Jaro. Otherwise my Padawan has gotten too used to even my developed style. Yes, it had become effective and lethal. But when you see the same thing repeatedly, you learn to counter it. So Jaro had gotten used to my style... Though he hadn't gotten used to my speed, which he'd paid for. But Dagan wasn't me — he was much slower. Which meant the Lasat could test his skills in practice. I stopped Celeste, who wanted to help the Lasat. HK didn't even move without my order. Even when someone swung a lightsaber at me. He must have sensed that Jaro would protect me.
"You pathetic wretch," Dagan said, switching to the Lasat, who had managed to throw him back. "Padawan, you think your master has trained you well? Well enough that you can stand against me? Better join me! I'll teach you techniques this little Jedi has never even heard of!"
"My master," Jaro said calmly. "Is the one who helped me look inside myself and pull out my ugly nature, then change and become better. Do you really think I'd fall for such a simple provocation, Dagan Gera?" The Lasat didn't rush to attack, watching his opponent carefully. I had taught him not only Force techniques, not only helped him master the fifth form, but also taught him the third form. And over this time, he had developed two versions. When Jaro was confident in his victory — he was a "shock tank," pressing with the fifth form. And when he faced a serious opponent, like Dagan — Jaro used the "defensive tank" scheme and, using Soresu, learned all the enemy's advantages, only to suddenly switch to the fifth form. That was how he had defeated beasts on the "hell planet," even those that even I had trouble with as a Padawan. Dagan couldn't handle the staring contest and attacked.
Jaro met his assault like a rock meets an oncoming wave. With an impenetrable defense. He barely dodged, using his developed reflexes and catching Dagan's attacks on his block. Sometimes even too rigid, on the verge of fouling. Nevertheless — it worked for a while. Jaro even managed to suddenly change his stance and switch to the fifth form, slightly surprising the fallen Jedi. But thanks to experience, Dagan quickly reoriented to the new conditions. And yet — Jaro was retreating. His attempts to use telekinesis ended in failure.
Dagan himself was stronger than the average combat-oriented Jedi Knight, whom Jaro couldn't yet defeat in a fight without receiving a serious wound, or dying altogether. It was worth remembering that he had defeated combat-weak Knights even as a Youngling. Besides watching Jaro, I was also watching Dagan. And he had adapted well to now being able to hold the saber with only one hand, even though the long hilt of his saber was clearly designed for a two-handed grip. He was also managing to use Force techniques. And with them, he was breaking Jaro's rhythm.
"Alright, that's enough from you two," I said, stopping an attack where Jaro was about to take a strike directly to the heart. He would have died if I hadn't thrown Dagan back with telekinesis and pulled the Lasat back with it. "You fought well, Jaro. Progress is visible. But, perhaps, it's time to stop these... childish games," I pulled my lightsaber from its sheath, taking it in my right hand, and stood in the opening stance of my style. A cocktail of enhancement techniques spread through my body. I hoped this Dagan Gera would show me something interesting. "Well? Are you ready?" I asked the man lazily.
"Don't be arrogant, Jedi," he said, not taking his eyes off me.
"It's not arrogance. Don't get distracted, don't get surprised, and sharpen your senses... Or this will all end too quickly!" I closed in on Dagan. He was surprised by my speed. At the first clash, I jumped over him, and he tried to slash my spine. Clever, that's what Dooku advises when countering Ataru jumps. However, I blocked the strike and spun using the Force and momentum instantly, then kicked Dagan in the chin and landed on the floor. The man leaped back and spat angrily... I didn't give him time to recover, closing in again and landing two strikes immediately. The first was a classic slashing blow to the torso, and the second was a dragon tail sweep. He blocked the sword strike, then jumped, letting my sweep pass under him. Because I'd crouched for the sweep, his strike at my head whistled above it. Recovering my stance after the dragon tail, I immediately performed a pirouette, landing two lightning-fast lightsaber strikes to his stomach and neck. He blocked the first, but the second nearly ended his life — he dodged at the last moment.
I kept pressing him, using the full arsenal of my style in a one-handed grip, saving my second saber for the final blow. Dagan was clearly retreating, backing up, and was sometimes a step away from defeat. My saber literally disappeared, turning into a green flash. When he dodged one of my attacks, I caught him and struck his body with Force lightning. The former Jedi was thrown back, his body convulsing. Before he could recover from the initial shock, a fireball of Pyrokinesis slammed into him. Only after about three seconds of agonized screams could he concentrate and absorb the flames using Tutaminis.
"You bastard!" he exclaimed, also using Pyrokinesis. His technique was powerful because he fueled it with emotion. "I'll gut you!"
"Big words, little action," I said, dodging a fireball that hit the complex's windows and blew them out.
"You sure about that?" Three Dagan Geras suddenly appeared before me. These were... Illusory clones? One of them was real, the other two were just illusions. I saw Jaro stir to help. "Jaro," I called to my Padawan, "I can handle this. They're just illusionary clones. Only one of the three is real."
"Ha, then come and check which one is real, Jedi!"
Actually, the situation was a bit worse than I initially thought. The weakness of illusion techniques is that the illusion has some kind of flaw, or is revealed by sensing. My sensing skills — without exaggeration — are among the best. Through training, I had found the weak point, learned to glimpse the future during battle and sense the auras of living beings around me. And even droids... But his illusions were a problem. My sensing couldn't tell which one was real... Damn, that was his real trump card. Though, in a way, that made it even more interesting. I licked my dry lips. All three Dagans rushed toward me, beginning their attack. Given the reaction of my sensing, these were high-quality illusions, meaning even being hit by an illusion's strike could disorient me. And then the original could finish me off... He attacked me in all three guises at once. But I didn't let myself be confused, tearing up a pile of debris with telekinesis, including the remains of Dagan's bacta chamber, and hurled it all at the trio attacking me. However, Dagan turned out to be quite skilled and smart — instead of revealing his real body by blocking the flying debris with his lightsaber, he sent a wave of telekinesis on the move, shoving the flying debris away from him.
Smart... Since the illusions were created by The Force, it would be difficult to sense who exactly used the technique. I'd have to figure out who was who the old-fashioned way. I used Force lightning... Dark green lightning attacked all three opponents at once. But each of them blocked the dangerous technique with their saber. And then... One of the opponents disappeared, right out of my field of view, and immediately appeared behind me. That wasn't teleportation. He just dispelled the illusion and created it directly behind my back. Breaking off the lightning, I dodged the strike, spinning in the air; I also blocked an attack from another copy and the original body. He was so proficient with illusions that he could even mimic the heat from a lightsaber.
Landing, I created a telekinetic shockwave in all directions, throwing all opponents back. Taking advantage of the brief moment of disorientation, I threw my second lightsaber at the illusionary clone Dagan had created to strike my back, and meanwhile rushed at the other two. My second saber pierced the illusionary clone, making it disappear, and I pulled it back to me, attacking both enemies at once mid-jump. After two or three exchanges, I got a chance to decapitate one of the Dagans, which I took, sweeping his saber aside with the blade in my right hand, and with my left I decapitated him... And that was also an illusion, because the last one didn't disappear. So I'd found the original, though it bothered me a bit that I'd had to find him through ordinary combat rather than analyzing him with sensing. That method would have seemed... more impressive. But Dagan was just too good at these illusions. I wasn't going to give him time to recover; using Heavenly Palm, I teleported behind him by swapping places with some piece of his bacta chamber debris that was lying behind him. However, Dagan's surprise at my disappearance lasted too short a time, and he managed to react, sharply turning around and blocking the strike. Good reflexes, but Dagan didn't celebrate his superior reflexes for long, because I introduced my second lightsaber too late for him. And he couldn't get used to its presence in the fight... At least not fully, because while he was blocking the saber in my right hand, I simultaneously cut off his legs with my left, then threw him about ten meters with telekinesis. Dagan's body slammed into the wall.
"Ugh," he said, slumping down.
"Well, have you had enough, Dagan Gera?" I would have killed him, like Renak. After all — my main specialization was killing his kind. Only with Renak I'd given him a chance to negotiate, because there were beings close to him with me. Remembering them... Brr, gave me chills... Lara Leniko's face surfaced. As I learned later, that woman envied her sister and desperately wanted, like a Green Jedi, a family, especially children. That's why she'd acted the way she did specifically with me, because I was a strong Jedi. Not even the fact that I'd decapitated her nephew stopped her... Strange woman. Even stranger than ordinary women... And I hadn't killed Dagan yet, even though he was clearly fallen, because he could provide valuable information about Tanalorr. "You do understand you're no match for me, right?"
"Cur," he said. "If I had my second arm..."
"Hope to grow it back?" I smirked, slowly approaching the now legless cripple. "Try starting with legs — they were just cut off recently."
Was he drawing emotions for the dark side from his pain and awareness of his helplessness?
"Listen, maybe that's enough?" I asked him. He tried to attack me from behind with his lightsaber, but I spun around sharply and cut through the hilt of the ignited blade. "You understand you can't defeat me, so why are you resisting? Is your hatred for the Order that strong? Just explain: what does the current Jedi Order have to do with the one that supposedly abandoned you?"
"The most direct connection," Dagan said through gritted teeth, leaning on his one intact arm. "Your Order comes from that one, doesn't it? Nothing has changed in all this time, Jedi! And I want revenge. I want to create my own Order on Tanalorr and train far better Jedi there and take revenge on all of you!"
"Great plan, and so realistic," I pressed Dagan to the wall with telekinesis. "Pursue it after you grow back your arm and legs. Heh-heh... Now let's talk seriously," I pressed him harder against the wall with telekinesis, literally pushing him into it. HK, Celeste, and Jaro stood nearby. "You are Dagan Gera, Jedi Master. You belonged to the Guardian Corps, specifically as an explorer. Your service record includes many great deeds. For instance — you defeated the Gen'Dai — Rayvis," the Gen'Dai race were real monsters, actually. They were a special race with incredible regenerative abilities. Their bodies literally consisted of blood vessels and nerve cells. They had no obvious weak points, like a heart or a brain. And if an ordinary Sephi could live four hundred years — Master Fay was wandering the Galaxy, having lived almost a thousand... Then the Gen'Dai lived for four thousand years. On average... Some could live up to seven thousand years. Imagine — some of them might have known Vitiate in diapers. "And also discovered the Force-rich planet Tanalorr," Force-rich planets were valuable because training there was more effective. And that wasn't all. The crystals that could form there were far more valuable than ordinary ones from Ilum. Though you could find far more valuable pontite on Ilum. "Santari Kri wrote in her reports that you were wounded by the Nihil. But, judging by everything," I examined the stump of his right arm. "The Nihil had nothing to do with your injury. That's a lightsaber wound... Santari Kri, she cut off your arm, didn't she..."
"Yes..." Dagan said. So much hatred. However, even generating so much rage and anger, he still couldn't overpower my telekinesis. Besides, he had been thoroughly defeated, so his rage and anger were of little use now. His mind had registered that I was stronger, and Dagan could no longer resist me.
"So this woman wasn't the brightest," I remarked. "She cut off your arm and then put you in a bacta tank. People don't just chop off arms for nothing. Given your behavior, I'd say you had fallen, or were close to it, which is why you lost your right hand. Also," I clenched my fists, pressing Dagan even harder against the wall. "Santari Kri didn't mention your condition in her reports on Tanalorr. She was probably hoping you'd come to your senses. But I've studied fallen Jedi extensively. There are unique cases like Ulic Qel-Droma or Revan, but the statistical majority rarely truly repent for the crimes they committed while on the Dark Side of the Force. That's why my Corps exists."
"So you're a Shadow," Dagan hissed. "That explains your skills... Ugh... Freaking attack dog on a leash for the High Council."
"So you judge me based on my profession?" I asked him. "How pathetic — grasping at straws like that. Every organization needs specialists like me. Especially the Jedi. Well then, Dagan Gera. You're going to tell me everything, and then we'll decide what to do with you..."