By all parameters—on this planet there could be... and there was life. Only one thing bothered me—the planet was in Wild Space. Even beyond the known grid of the Galaxy. However, I saved the path to it in several copies, so we could quickly return to known space. The only thing troubling me was the magnetic field, which interacted strangely with the signal. Judging by everything, the local inhabitants would have difficulty inventing satellites. And that the local inhabitants were sentient was beyond doubt. Because I could clearly feel the sentients fighting not far from my ship. In the heat of battle, they hadn't noticed the Star Trek. That was good; we needed to study the signal we'd caught and determine if Ki'zhara was here.
We walked through a small forest. The trees looked traditional, not tall. The star the planet orbited warmed it pleasantly. Jaro was looking around carefully, as if ready for an attack. Celeste walked behind. And I was in the center, staring at a datapad.
"Judging by calculations, this planet has standard time cycles. It rotates on its axis in twenty-four hours and orbits its star in three hundred and sixty-four days," I said thoughtfully, using the Force to swat bugs away from my body. "Be careful with the local flora and fauna. The planet is completely unexplored but inhabited."
"I hear sounds of battle," Jaro said.
"Just as I said, let's not barge in and kill everyone. We need information first, and then we'll see."
"They're definitely sentients fighting," Celeste said thoughtfully.
We came to a clearing and saw the battle unfolding. The chaos of the fight had already consumed the combatants, and they didn't notice us, but we could study those present. People were fighting here, dressed in armor... The most ordinary armor, no sign of firearms. Not even black powder... However, one side had a crest on their armor: a sword with five stars scattered around it. The defenders had no crest. They were defending a cart hitched to a pair of... no, not horses. They looked more like oversized cats, but much rougher, not feline at all.
"Do you understand their language?" Celeste asked. "I've never heard anything like it. Listen!"
And indeed. I knew Wookiee, Huttese, Alsakan, also known as High Galactic; I understood Geonosian and Sith... Considering the latter is essentially a language based on Latin script, it wasn't hard for me to learn. But what they were speaking didn't resemble anything else. And that wasn't good. When you and the natives speak different languages, communication becomes infinitely more complicated.
"What are we going to do, Master?" Jaro Tapala asked me. Then one of the warriors defending the cart with a crossbow froze in terror. He was pointing at our position and muttering something. He noticed us... No... Right behind us, I felt a void in the Force... As if something wasn't responding to scanning. A branch snapped behind me... I felt a foreign presence, not through the Force, but by instinct.
"RAAAAAH!" a roar sounded. I reacted instantly, turning and blasting pyrokinesis towards the sound. The fireball collided with a lizard-like creature. The smell of cooked meat filled the air... We burst out of cover, revealing our position.
"Mah?" I heard from one of the armored men.
But the lizard wasn't finished; it leapt out, trying to put out the flames while writhing in pain. Jaro stepped in front of me and ran his lightsaber through the creature's head. Done? I couldn't feel it through the Force. I'd have to rely on a physical check... However... A strange creature, about two meters tall, with two arms... Bipedal and lizard-like.
"Jaro," I called my Padawan. "I'm not sure if it's dead or not," I told the Lasat when he looked at me. "Sever its head."
Jaro calmly walked up to the creature and beheaded it. It definitely wouldn't get up now... Though I should still be cautious. Sighing, I looked at the people who had been fighting before. They were staring... Not at me, no—they were looking at the Lasat in shock. As if... they were seeing him for the first time... Was it possible only humans lived here? Or the Lasat race wasn't known among the inhabitants. They weren't particularly common in the Galaxy either. There were fifteen armored soldiers and about twenty caravan guards. The armored men had lost two, the caravan guards five.
"Alright then," I moved closer to one of the armored men. He looked and felt more imposing than the others. A commander? "We need to learn their language," I approached the commander. About five meters separated us. "I'll try to enter his mind; that way I can extract the language knowledge..."
"But didn't you say that against strong wills, suggestion might not work?" Jaro asked.
"I did, but what makes you think this guy is strong-willed?" However, our conversation seemed to have snapped him out of it. The commander realized we were talking about him and decided it was something unpleasant. Shouting something, he charged at me, swinging his sword. I caught his blade with two fingers of my left hand, reinforcing myself with the Force... But it was worth it. The man froze in astonishment. His eyes were as wide as saucers, since I had just stopped his strike with two fingers.
"Akh-Mah?!" he said in surprise.
"Apparently 'Mah' is someone who can use the Force. Should I assume 'akh-mah' is an enhanced version?" The man tried to pull his sword free, but I squeezed the blade tighter, pushing the Force into it. It began to crumble until it finally shattered, and the knight was left with a dumbfounded expression and a hilt without a sword in his hands.
"Holy..." he said, looking at the hilt.
"Well, I'm guessing this is surprise," I said, pulling the man over with telekinesis and looking into his brown eyes as I exerted my will upon him with the Force. His mind didn't resist too much—the surprise did the trick. No, that's not quite right—he was utterly shocked to his core. Because, as it turned out, he was a Warrior. These were the ones who could use the Force... well, almost like the Matukai. And the so-called "Maha" were actual mages who threw fire, lightning, water, and earth... depending on the situation. On his country's side, there were even mages who could summon acid. But mages, as always, were weak in close combat, preferring to keep their distance. He'd pegged Jaro as a Warrior with an "artifact sword," and me as a mage. Hence his attempt to kill me first. Along with his understanding of the world, I was studying their language. It really wasn't that difficult, only twenty-eight letters. Using his memories, I'd need a couple of days to become a confident native speaker. Now, about this world... They lived in a kind of magical medieval age, fantasy roughly speaking. And a war was currently raging in this world: the Empire of the North, the powerful Rakaza, against the union of the Five Kingdoms. This man, Rogndj Alekar, was a forager from the union of the Five Kingdoms and wanted to crack down on the smugglers who were precisely the ones they had attacked. Those individuals were dealing in weapons, so the people of the Five Kingdoms' alliance were within their rights. "Oh," I sighed, absorbing the information. "Hmm... we're screwed. Straight into a pervert's dream," I recalled the local fashion of the aristocrats. The image surfaced from Alekar's memories. And the aristocrats were all, without exception, beautiful. Beautiful, in open dresses. Not whores, but the finest parts of their bodies were... a little on display. "Alright, I don't need you anymore."
I shoved the commander of the Five Kingdoms' union away.
"I understand everything..."
"As expected of the teacher."
Hmm? Someone shot a crossbow at me. I caught the bolt with my hand and sent it back to the shooter. It pierced the man's skull.
"No, that's just audacity," I said in the broken language of these people. Quite slowly. "I... didn't do anything to you!"
"Attack!" Rogndj Alekar yelled to his men. And then we were all surprised. Both the smugglers and the soldiers from the Alliance army rushed at us almost in unison.
Jaro and Celeste activated their lightsabers. I did the same, drawing my lightsaber into my right hand. They had asked for it.
"Don't kill them all," I repeated to Celeste and Jaro. "We need more information about this world."
"Understood," they said in unison. And then began the most dishonorable fight this world had ever seen. Three gifted individuals, all talented in combat, in peak condition... against others who were also gifted, but frankly weak. It was a one-sided beatdown. Lightsabers cut through everything. Weapons, armor... Within a few minutes, the clearing was filled with corpses. A stunned Rogndj sat there, dazed from me hurling him into a cart with telekinesis. I walked over and crouched down.
"I told you..." I began slowly. "I don't need you anymore. What wasn't clear about those words..."
"Mon... Monsters!" the commander flinched, shifting his gaze between me and Jaro. "Monsters."
Come to think of it, Celeste and I did the least killing. I killed five and slammed Rogndj. Celeste mostly defended herself, but a good dozen had piled onto her. Jaro handled the rest, slashing left and right.
"My congratulations," Celeste said, approaching. "Looks like he's broken."
"It's his own fault," I snorted. "Alright. We'll interrogate him and decide what to do next. Hey," I said in the language of this world. "Are you still with us, Rogndj Alekar?"
He glanced at me.
"How... How did you know who I am?"
"I know everything about you," I smiled. "I saw it in your head. But I was in too much of a hurry, so I couldn't grasp everything. And you... will have to clarify the answers to my questions."
"I never thought I'd meet such powerful archmages here... or such high warriors..." that's what they apparently called Force users. Warriors fought up close. Many used weapons, but there were some hand-to-hand fighters too. Archmages and high warriors were a special caste of mages and warriors, much more powerful versions of them.
"Well, since you're scared, maybe you'll answer some questions?" Celeste asked. He gave her a strange look. "Hutt, I forgot I don't know his language and he doesn't understand me."
"I'll give you the language knowledge," I calmly replied to the woman. "For now, search the bodies. They might have some valuables on them. Anything will help us. Pay attention to their animals. And also... I want to know what that lizard is, the one that crept up on us." If I hadn't suspected something was wrong when I felt a void in the Force, we would have been in trouble. The lizard had claws as sharp as razors on its feet. And it wasn't the only thing unreachable by the Force... I had been too relaxed. If I'd suspected something right away because of the void in the Force, I would have noticed it. I need to remember that the Yuuzhan Vong are also unreachable by the Force. If I only rely on Force senses without noticing such voids, I won't live long... But wait... Yuuzhan Vong? Didn't they have servants, lizard-like ones, called "hazrak"? Maybe... is this some form of that? "Hey, you, Rogndj. What is this animal called?" I nodded towards the lizard Jaro was examining.
"It's a Shirman," the warrior said in a broken voice. "They're strange. No one can sense them. They have a tribe in the swamps. They live by hunting people."
I see, so they have sensory abilities here.
"Good. What else can you tell me, Rogndj? I'm interested in whether anything strange has happened in this world lately. Any... strange beings, like us... have they come here?"
"I've heard rumors. In the Kingdom of Adversity, which is part of our Alliance, a strange magess appeared," the warrior replied. "She is strong, stronger than any mages of the Alliance. Some would call her an archmagess. They say she descended to us from the heavens."
"Is that so... A magess who descended from the heavens," I said with interest. "And what about her?"
"In the Kingdom of Adversity, there is a group she has taken as students. They fight against the Rakaza Empire," the man answered.
"Do you know where this group is?" I asked.
"No," he shook his head.
"Why did the war start between the Empire and the Southern lands?" I asked.
"The war started over the inheritance of the Kingdom of Garando," he replied, "my homeland. Two people claimed the throne there. The daughter of Queen Likara, who is the sister of Emperor Lator of Rakaza, and the bastard son of King Garando—Grond. According to the laws, the child born in wedlock has the right to inherit; Grond is a bastard. However, many in our Kingdom did not want to see a woman as ruler. Grond seized power and raped Princess Hestia, Likara's daughter. They say he raped her for two years before the Emperor demanded his niece back. But during those two years, Hestia bore three children by Grond. And all of them were promised in diplomatic marriages," Rogndj explained. "Marriages to other Kingdoms. By forming the marriages, the Southern Kingdoms created an alliance with King Grond. The last straw was when Grond executed that whore, a descendant of the northern barbarians." Well, well. He was calmly telling me how his lord had raped a woman and then executed her, but... he still considered his actions right. Though I don't know the whole story. But so far, this Grond is a real piece of shit. "Lator declared war on Garando. Which means he declared war on the entire south. And we will destroy this vile place. No one will help them! Our heroes, the warriors of the Kingdom of Adversity, will destroy the Imperial army!"
"I see," I chuckled.
"Sir, allow me a request."
"Mmmm?"
"Kill me," he said. "All my men are lying here," he swept his eyes across the battlefield. "I don't want to live anymore. Grant me a warrior's death. You do have a concept of honor, don't you?"
"Honor doesn't command me to kill an unarmed and weak opponent," I waved him off.
"Then, allow me to fight you," he tried to stand and began using the Force to empower his body.
"What does he want?" Jaro asked me.
"He's talking about honor; simply put, he wants to die here, by my hand," I pulled a sword to him with telekinesis and tossed it, stepping back three meters and activating my lightsaber in my right hand. "He's broken, completely. This battle was a shock to him. Which is surprising, since he's been in the war, but apparently losing his entire squad shocked him."
The man picked up the steel sword I'd thrown and immediately attacked me. In an instant, I pierced his heart with a shiak. A quick and painless death.
"Was that necessary?" Jaro asked me.
"Broken sentients seeking death like him are hard to bring back. And I don't want to help him find a new meaning in life. It's not our task. But he explained enough about what's happening here. According to him, not long ago, an archmagess appeared in the Kingdom of Adversity, which is part of the Alliance of Five Kingdoms opposing the Rakaza Empire. That's what they call Force users who focus on ranged techniques, like pyrokinesis or Force lightning. She 'appeared from the heavens.' I think you understand what that means..."
"She came... from space?" Celeste asked.
"Most likely," I confirmed. "No, that's not right. She definitely came from outside. So, we need to find her. Unfortunately, he didn't mention her name. Their communication isn't very advanced here, and only rumors reached him. But we'll be able to find this 'archmagess' at the front, where the squad she leads on the Adversity side is fighting the Rakaza Empire."
"And how do we find her?" Celeste asked me. I crouched down over Rogndj's body and started searching through his things.
"Aha, a map." It was drawn rather clumsily, but it had markings. The Five Kingdoms of the south seemed to lie under a shield. The shield of the southern kingdoms was precisely the Kingdom of Adversity. It stretched along a huge river, on both banks. The Ars River... It flowed into the Ungian Sea. "The Kingdom of Adversity," I poked my finger at the elongated kingdom. It seemed to shield the other southern countries from the Empire. "To the north is the Rakaza Empire. We are in the Kingdom of Adversity, right here," I poked my finger at the cross that marked this Rogndj's camp. "Too bad I don't know the scale here. It might be that this map is only valuable as a schematic. The Alliance army is fighting the Empire. Their history... is convoluted. But in my opinion, the Kingdoms are mostly to blame. More precisely, the Kingdom of Garando." I retold the story Alekar had told me.
"How horrible," Celeste said, placing a hand on her chin.
"Yes, although the southerners believe Grond was right. He dragged all their countries into a war with Rakaza, but among the southerners, he's practically considered a hero. Either they're all fucking crazy here, or they just needed an excuse to finally have a war. Most likely, a bit of everything."
"And what will we do?" Celeste asked.
"Our task is to find Kizhzhara," I replied. "She's most likely the very archmagess he was talking about. The witch is at the front, overseeing, as I understand it, a special squad of Adversity in the fight against Rakaza. The simplest way to find her is to go to the front. However... We don't know the size or location of the squad. It's quite possible she commands a mobile group that gets sent to problem areas of the front. So... We'll need to make contact with the Rakaza Empire... and help it... create problem areas on the front. Kizhzhara's group will be sent there, if it's her, and from there it's a matter of skill. Or we could just head towards the front and take out everyone who gets in our way. True, in that situation, she might just hide instead."
"If we help the Rakaza Empire, without giving ourselves away too much," Celeste said thoughtfully. "Then she'll come crawling in with her squad."
"Exactly," I agreed. "And you'll handle that," I nodded to the woman.
"Me? But if we went into battle together..."
"Only humans live here," I reminded her. "And these Shirmans. I'm a Sephi, and look at my ears," I touched them. "Besides, I always stand out when I take off my hood." To many humanoid races, I was a handsome guy. An elf, what can I say. "And Jaro is a Lasat. He's very conspicuous. If Kizhzhara realizes that we also came from outside, and given who we are to the inhabitants of this world, she'll figure it out quickly and may lie low. And hunting down a Dathomirian Witch who is hiding is a real pain. You, on the other hand, can easily pass for a magess or a warrior. We won't be completely idle, though. While you're fighting on the front line, we'll be more focused on planning those battles. We'll hire ourselves out to the Emperor of Rakaza. Luckily, we're special, and he'll notice that right away if he's not stupid. As I said, the alternative to this plan is to wander the front, basically running the risk of encountering all factions, exhausting ourselves with unnecessary battles, or even attacking armies with my ship. But its energy isn't infinite, and if Kizhzhara sees the ship, she might hide. So let's go, unless anyone has other plans."
"Let's go," Celeste agreed. "I'm in."
* * *
The journey to the Imperial Headquarters, as I called it, took about a week. We actively studied this world, hunting wild animals and eating them. The headquarters was located in the city of Riktar, which required us to, roughly speaking, cross the front line. I was being hasty calling it a "front line," though. Armies here fought more spontaneously than along a set front. In some places, Imperial troops had crossed the Ars and were even trying to besiege southern cities; elsewhere, the situation was the opposite. The Emperor resided in a pompous estate built from white stone. His chambers were heavily guarded—more than enough by this world's standards. It wasn't hard for us to infiltrate them. As soon as he entered, accompanied by a beautiful girl who vaguely resembled him, Jaro stepped up behind his back.
The Emperor was a tall man with a bushy mustache and short, black hair. He had a green right eye. His left eye was covered with a black patch, pirate-style. The girl who entered with him was short but had black hair and a good figure. She seemed to be Larana, the Emperor's daughter. He also had a younger son, Laidvir, who remained in the capital of Rakaza.
"You... Who are you?" Larana looked at us in fear. She examined me and Celeste. Morne stood by the window, watching the estate's inner courtyard. I was sitting at the Emperor's desk. Then the girl saw Jaro... "Monster! A monster!"
The Emperor calmly drew his sword with his right hand, and with his left, he pulled the patch from his left eye. And then he surprised me. Set directly into his eye socket—I couldn't call it anything else—was a crystal. A cyber-crystal, judging by the emanations.
"You've done a fine job, assassins," the man said, tossing his cloak to the floor of the room. "But don't think you'll leave here alive!"
"We are not assassins," I said calmly. "Emperor of Rakaza. We came to talk."
"Talk? You broke into my chambers, scared my daughter, and came to talk?" he asked. "What do you want?"
I lowered my hood. The Emperor glanced at me in surprise. He was definitely looking at my ears, while his daughter was definitely staring at my face.
"You see, we are, one might say, wanderers from the heavens."
"Wanderers? Like that strange archmagess who appeared in the Kingdom of Adversity?"
"Yes," I confirmed. "She supposedly came from the heavens, according to rumors. Do you know her name?"
"Her name is Kizhzhara," the Emperor said. "That's how she introduced herself."
"Is that so... Is that accurate information, isn't it?"
"It was obtained by Count Ademar Versini," the Emperor replied. "The head of my intelligence. But what do you want, wanderers from the heavens? It's believable," he looked at me, and then at Jaro. "But you didn't just come here to see me for no reason."
"No, not for no reason. That Kizhzhara," I replied. "Is a criminal from the place we came from. Unfortunately, she's a professional at evading responsibility. You've tried to trap her in the war, along with her squad."
"So you've come for her," he didn't rush to switch from combat mode to peaceful. "What do you want?"
"I'll take a guess, Emperor," I smirked. "Kizhzhara's squad is used by the enemy command in the most problematic areas. Where your armies are almost winning, and victory is just within reach. Right?"
"Yes," he admitted. "They come, destroy supplies, kill commanders and generals. Her squad consists of seven people, but they can challenge a good hundred, if not a thousand. She wields magic my mages have never seen. Moreover, she teaches it to her squad. It consists of three men and three women. The strongest among them, after Kizhzhara, is Donovan Gaizo, a descendant of the Gaizo counts from Adversity. He's already a great warrior at a young age. And the rest..."
"I'm not really interested in who's in the squad," I interrupted the Emperor. "I'm interested in finding Kizhzhara and punishing her according to the laws of the place I came from. Along with my companions. That's why I came here, and I've somewhat embarrassed your guards. Although, you don't have to be too hard on them. Infiltration is one of my main specialties. They never stood a chance. But that's beside the point. We—that is, me and my comrades—are offering you an alliance. Our target is Kizhzhara; your target is to ensure Kizhzhara and her students don't interfere with your country. I'm not interested in the war between your countries. So here's our proposal: using our powers, we will lure out Kizhzhara's squad and destroy it. You get rid of a problematic squad, and we achieve our goal."
"Hmph," the Emperor grunted, frowning. He sheathed his sword. "I understand you, wanderer from the heavens..."
"Call me Light, Emperor."
"Then you call me by name too, Light. I am Lator, this is my daughter—Larana." The girl had already recovered from the shock. She had heard our conversation, so the brunette was coming to her senses, so to speak.
"We know," I smirked. "Well, let's discuss plans. I can help you plan offensives. I've studied the map a bit," he walked over to me. "We need to conduct a series of offensive operations, right here," I pointed to three places.
"But they're planning their own offensives in those very places. The castles of Krebin, Gorton, and Rakhim are used by them as supply bases. There are considerable forces concentrated there..."
"Precisely," I said. "Your troops will feign an attack on that area, while our next attack will actually be directed at the city of Thalas," I pointed to the spot. "Not long ago, the Alliance managed to storm it, and now you're saying that considerable enemy forces are concentrating in the castles of Krebin, Gorton, and Rakhim. The city of Thalas is a strategically important point—it stands at a crossroads of roads and rivers. And there are mines nearby. The attack on the three castles should frighten the Alliance. I know you're preparing a defense on that front. And they're preparing an attack. But if we attack suddenly, it will somewhat disorient them. Simultaneously, we'll lay siege to Thalas..."
"What kind of siege? They tore down the city walls during their assault," the Emperor smiled.
"Then we'll take it on the fly... And that will cause chaos."
"However, such operations will deplete our manpower. We've been at war for a year now. The losses aren't huge, but attacking such important places will leave a mark on our army, Light. You want to punish Kizhzhara, but I want to win the war..."
"Speak plainly," I interrupted.
"After Kizhzhara is defeated, you will stay to help me finish the war," Lator replied. "Only under these conditions will I support your ideas for 'luring out Kizhzhara.' That's what you want, isn't it?"
"Yes," I agreed. "I will help you win the war. After we deal with Kizhzhara. The best one for luring her out would be Celeste. Well... Let's continue the discussion."
The result of our discussions was that we agreed on a whole host of various operations. To carry them out, the Emperor was pulling up "strategic reserves" from deeper into the country. Did I intend to help him with the war? Yes. But only in my own way. After we deal with Kizhzhara and take the beacon from her, I'll simply go to the Alliance headquarters and kidnap their Kings. Then there will be an "offer they can't refuse." I could have played the Jedi and conducted diplomatic negotiations... Although... No, wait. I was already planning to conduct negotiations between them. The Kings would just, not entirely of their own free will, be guests of the Emperor and talk to him. That could also be called "negotiations"as an attractive lady once put it, "aggressive" ones.