We managed to leave the police station an hour later. Before that, we finally met Jord and his Padawan. Jord turned out to be a huge Lasat, with a staff-like saber hanging in a very visible place. He literally towered over Kuro and, not to mention, over me, considering that I myself am about half a head shorter than An'ya. Jord had purple skin, large sharp ears resembling mine, and wore somewhat dirty green clothing. His Padawan turned out to be a human teenage male, about fifteen to seventeen years old, with black hair. He preferred brown tones, and again — on his belt was a lightsaber with a rather long hilt and a familiar shape from a rather terrible movie. Next to the main emitter, from which energy was emitted, there were three more, forming a crossguard. It was this kind of saber that Kylo Ren wore.
By the way, such a peculiar crossguard also protects the fencer's hands. Mine is made of Mandalorian iron, and here the light beam itself helps.
"Long time no see, Jord," Kuro began the conversation with a smirk. "I see you've gotten even taller since our last meeting."
"And you've gotten even more sarcastic, Kuro," the Lasat grumbled, his voice very loud. "And you've found yourself a Padawan."
"This boy," she nodded at me, clearly inviting me to introduce myself.
"Good afternoon, Knight Jord, I am Light Flaingstar, Padawan to Knight An'ya Kuro," I bowed slightly.
"I'm Jord," the Lasat said simply. "This is Malcolm Blam, my Padawan. I was told you have a plan to catch this beast…"
"And you haven't changed," Kuro sighed. "'Catch'. Personally, I won't catch her, nor will my Padawan. She has only one fate when we meet — destruction."
"Jedi are not murderers…"
"You know better than I do that this is not true," Kuro smirked again. "Alright, it doesn't matter. We received information that she has taken refuge in an energy production complex in the west of Sernpidal City. She lures sentients there and takes their… life. This is a Dathomirian Witch, named Shillaj, she is dangerous. Light, tell them what you know about her."
On the holoprojector, which previously displayed the complex's plan, appeared the silhouette I so hated.
"Shillaj knows how to use 'Dathomirian Witch magic'. She can control the earth with magic and literally bury an enemy. The countermeasure against this is a sharp release of the Force, essentially the use of a Force Barrier around oneself. She also wields two beskar swords, a material that can withstand a lightsaber blade," I took out my lightsabers and demonstrated them to our companions, then ignited one of them and pointed it at the hilt of the other. "See? The hilts of my swords are made of beskar, entirely, they cannot be cut by a lightsaber blade, no matter how hard you try. Shillaj's are the same. She is likely also a master of traps, especially magical ones."
"Force Barrier?" Malcolm asked. "I don't know that technique."
"What are you even teaching him?" Kuro looked at Jord. "How can you not teach a Padawan such a useful technique?"
"We haven't gotten to that yet," Jord grumbled. "So we need to revise the plan, considering that Malcolm will most likely not be able to resist Shillaj's technique."
"I thought we would divide the plan into four!" Kuro exclaimed. "Each will enter from their own side and comb their sector. Tsurko," she called the investigator.
The man pressed buttons, and the complex map returned, with divided sectors. Malcolm and I were assigned less area.
"In that case," the Lasat scratched his head, "I guess Malcolm and I will have to go together. I would suggest he go with Light, but he's not strong enough to cover my Padawan. And you certainly won't want to take him with you."
Tsurko fiddled with the holoprojector again, and the zones changed. Malcolm's and Jord's zones merged and formed a semicircle. My zone and Kuro's zone remained untouched.
"I will definitely raise the issue of your incompetence before the Council, Jord," Kuro said sternly.
"Mentor is not to blame!" Malcolm exclaimed. "He…"
"Be quiet, boy. You don't understand what fate would await you if you met Shillaj without knowing about such a technique, but he," she nodded at me, "knows…"
"Since we are all aerobic beings," I took the floor, "and need air, her ability would kill us instantly. She would simply bury us with earth, which would clog our lungs… It's a burial alive. A cruel death. I saw her kill a monster this way, whose hide a lightsaber recoiled from."
"Impossible! A monster whose hide a lightsaber recoils from?" Jord asked.
"And such things exist?…" Tsurko said quietly.
"They exist. I've seen at least three such. I saw one on a planet where my first mentor, Lorm Decer, took me. There were flying green dragons. Then we visited a planet that was once part of the Zakuul Empire. There we found a monster named Gornum. And finally, not long ago, on Tatooine, I encountered an ancient krayt dragon, its hide withstood a lightsaber strike…"
"Well, you've got adventures worthy of a Knight," Jord stated seriously, "but a krayt dragon. Did you try to get the pearl?"
"I got two suitable ones."
"Well, you have a monster for a Padawan, Kuro," the Lasat licked his lips. "It would be interesting to fight you…"
"Everyone talks about what they know, and Jord always talks about fighting," the mentor put her hand to her face. "Alright, Tsurko," she turned to the investigator, "what about securing the operation area?"
"I've contacted General Kedo of the Planetary Defense," Tsurko reported. "He promised to join our conversation. Aha!" he exclaimed, pointing to a blinking light. "He's been trying to reach us for twenty seconds," Tsurko pressed a button, and a hologram of an old man in uniform appeared before us. "General Kedo…"
"Tsurko, Jedi," the man nodded. "Let's get straight to the point. I'll deploy a battalion of eight hundred sentients to secure the area. In addition, a no-fly zone will be declared over it, and the air will be patrolled by a detachment of Planetary Defense fighters."
"General," I raised my hand, "allow my ship to join the patrol, it will be controlled by a droid. It has a sufficiently advanced AI to conduct standard combat."
"What is your ship's classification, boy," the man addressed me, looking at me.
His gaze somehow made me want to stand at attention.
"It's a transport vessel," the man raised an eyebrow, "a heavily modified transport vessel," I hastened to add. "Star Messenger from Sienar. Six turbolasers, four of which are aimed forward, two to the rear. Two missile launchers, each capable of firing five actively homing missiles, and a seismic charge launcher. The ship is quite fast. In atmosphere, it will reach a thousand kilometers per hour. In space — ninety McS Prim. Author — megalight — a term for measuring speed in space (not hyperspace speed). The protagonist says 90 McS — 90 megalights. However, it should be remembered that the protagonist does not have a fighter and should accelerate to these values first. For comparison, a X-wing could reach 100, a standard TIE fighter, with afterburner, all 110, if allowed to accelerate."
"Impressive," the General agreed. "If your ship also had stealth, it would be a perfect saboteur."
Kuro looked at me eloquently and smiled. Well, I won't tell him about the stygium coating. There's no need for an army officer to know that a saboteur's dream is flying right next to him.
"I give my consent. If the droid you have is truly capable, your ship will become a good intercept point if this creature tries to escape. However… are you sure you don't need help, Jedi? There are only four of you…"
"I assure you, General," Kuro took the floor, "no one else can handle a Gifted person better than another Gifted person."
"Then so be it. Boy-Jedi," he said to me, "give me the communication method for your droid on the ship and warn him yourself about what you've planned, so there are no surprises."
"Don't worry," I said, pulling my hood over my head. "Everything will be done in the best possible way, according to the newly approved plan."
So… we left the police station. Well… it's time to pay the bills. So much time has passed since Gizelum… I've already burned out on revenge, cooled down. And it's true — revenge is best served cold. Yes, I killed Teyron Jarps, but that's not enough. To fully complete it, I must kill her too. I'm not Jord or Malcolm, I won't spare. Anticipation spread through my body. I've become stronger since our last meeting, I feel it. So Shillaj was in for an unpleasant surprise.
The complex turned out to be truly huge. We were to inspect a square, ten kilometers in area, divided into three zones. The largest, western zone, was given to Malcolm and Jord. I received ownership of the northeast, and Kuro — the southeast zone. The complex buildings were both industrial and administrative. In my zone of responsibility were mainly industrial areas. The star of Julevia, which replaced the Sun here, illuminated the complex from the west. Time was drawing to a close. We couldn't afford to delay, Shillaj could decide at any moment that she'd had enough here and leave, which no one intended to allow. Too many victims had been claimed by her efforts…
***POV Shillaj
The huge industrial complex was, as never before, suitable for her experiments with the new artifact. Sernpidal — a planet from the Outer Rim, the Jedi's claws wouldn't reach here quickly… Arrogant's Medallion — that's what interested her, and that's why she chose this planet. The Medallion itself was versatile in terms of charging. You could either, through meditation, accumulate Force within it, or take Force from others. What did it do? What was needed — it summoned Force Ghosts, the main condition — to have any item of these Ghosts… And then… Shillaj herself absorbed the Ghost using her magic and became stronger. She literally felt the Force flowing through her veins, and the knowledge… The knowledge that the Ghosts had in life, accumulated in her head. Thus, she would become stronger than Plagueis, stronger than Sidious. Truly, she had received a great Gift capable of making her the most powerful of the Gifted in the Galaxy. And then the Jedi and the Sith, who for centuries looked down on the Dathomirian Sisterhood of Witches, would crawl on their knees before her. But first… Shillaj aimed the medallion at one of her victims… Hmm… A beautiful girl, maybe she'll have some fun with her first, and then use her as fuel for the Medallion?
"Un-Gifted ones don't have enough Force to charge the Medallion, it would be good to catch at least one Gifted one. Maybe a Jedi? No… it's too early to mess with them," the Witch muttered to herself.
"Stop… Am I again? Again?! AGAIN?! Am I talking to myself again?! Where is this coming from…" she looked ahead: five figures stood before her, shimmering strangely, as if not of this world.
"BE GONE! I DON'T WANT TO TALK TO YOU!" she raised her hand and sent a powerful wave of telekinesis.
The wave seemed to pass through the ghosts and threw the girl back. She flew into the wall with a sickening sound and fell onto the concrete floor.
"GHA!" the girl spat blood and fell silent.
"No… No, no, no, no, don't rush to die, beauty," Shillaj ran to the unconscious body of the red-haired girl.
Her face was straight, covered with sparse freckles and cute dimples on her cheeks. Her eyes, now tightly closed, were green, her body slender and athletic. She had caught her yesterday and had been thinking for a whole day about what to do… On top of it all, strange voices began to appear in her head. She had already absorbed two Jedi Ghosts and three Sith. These were not legendary figures, nothing remarkable… But something was happening to her. What were these voices? Why did they speak differently?
"I think… We'll spend some time together…" she brought her face close to the girl's face, when suddenly the squeak of the holoprojector sounded.
"Who is it?! I'll kill you! I'LL KILL YOU! I'LL KILL YOU! I'LL KILL YOU!" she roared, rushing from the girl to the holoprojector.
Pressing the button, she saw him appear before her… Or rather — only his face. He was in his usual black hood. His face was gaunt, elongated. Plagueis…
"Shillaj," the Sith said. "It's been a long time since I've seen you," his gaze seemed to look through her and see all her plans. "It seems… you're a bit off course from where I asked you to move. Aren't you supposed to be on Mygeeto? Or on your way there," the Sith surveyed the room.
It was a production hall, completely empty. Previously, plasma was transported through huge pipes in this room. But with the company's bankruptcy, all production tools, machines, and equipment were bought by the Trade Federation.
"Please forgive me, Lord," Shillaj knelt.
Damn! Fucking Plagueis, she dreams of triumph over the Muun, but not now… She needs to become stronger, and then… and then she will challenge him!
"I considered that Arrogant's Medallion needed additional trials…"
"You considered?" Plagueis asked sharply.
Shillaj suddenly felt her throat constrict. This is…
"Who gave you the right to consider? You are just a pathetic whore in my service. It's not the first time you've started to consider, though you shouldn't, Shillaj," she was lifted off the ground, "go to Mygeeto and bring me Darth Arrogant's medallion, and you'd better not disappoint me. You know the price of failure," the Muun said. "Hahaha, you will die the most agonizing death I can devise if you do not fulfill my order, am I clear, Shillaj?"
She was thrown to the floor. Shillaj coughed, trying to suppress her trembling. Still, Sith are in a completely different league than she is… But… This doesn't diminish her desire to destroy Sidious and Plagueis.
"Gha… Ha… Ha…" the woman breathed heavily. "I understand, Lord… Ha…"
"I hope so," the Sith grinned. "And be careful. Your actions on Sernpidal have surely attracted the attention of the Jedi Rats. Get rid of the witnesses and head to my base…" the Sith's image disappeared.
End POV Shillaj.
I walked through the complex, carefully examining every nook and cranny. Such large production facilities can scare anyone. Especially considering that a mad witch with a Sith medallion from the Vitiate era could have settled in them. You can expect anything from her... Even... traps? I stopped about two meters from a strange, barely visible thread. More precisely, if not for the use of Sensory Technique, I wouldn't have noticed it at all. Cleverly designed. Shilla's favorite trick of "packing underground," as soon as you cross the thread. However... it was designed with the expectation that the opponent would step over it, but I can break the laws of gravity, at least with the help of my grappling hooks. But a second... she prepared a trap even in the air... A cunning creature. So where would it be easier for me to fight back? Most likely, in the air. Having made a decision, I jumped over the thread, hooking onto the ceiling with my grappling hook. There they are... green flashes flew at me, transforming into arrows.
A lightsaber flew out of my sleeve. Activating it, I spun the weapon in front of me, deflecting all the projectiles. Landing on the floor, I turned around... Damn... A ripple followed me, shimmering with green light. Without turning off the lightsaber, I rushed towards the exit of the building. I need to move on to the next one... Running away from the ripple, which definitely wanted to capture me and "bury me," I jumped over a machine tool, which also turned out to be a trap, firing steel ribbons at me. Damn it... Using my grappling hook, I closed the distance to the window, pulled myself in, and broke it with the Force. Finding myself on the street, I suddenly felt something strange, dark, and cruel.
"What?" I asked, looking around. The sounds... The world itself seemed to have split into two parts. Behind me, I left the ordinary world, and now I was observing... darkness... It was churning and thickening around one of the buildings. "What is this..."
I have a feeling that I need to go into that large building. But it's... scary! Where did such darkness and such Force come from? I felt the danger of that place with every cell of my being. But still... there's no time to retreat. Putting the lightsaber back in place, I activated my datapad and wrote the coordinates to my mentor. I think she felt it too, but I can see the building in direct sight, it's about two hundred meters away. And she can't.
"Another trap," I looked ahead. "A strange one. It activates if you walk on the ground..."
I was interrupted by a stream of arrows coming from the roof. Ducking, I let some pass over me. Behind me... Leaning on my right leg, I pirouetted away from an attack from behind. Damn her! Is she mocking me... Aiming my hand with the grappling hook, I pulled myself onto the roof...
"Ruuu..."
"Bii..."
"Tii..."
Are these corpses? In front of me stood real zombies, not the kind used in the Clone Wars by the Witches when attacking their planet by Grievous. No, they were mostly humans... So this is what she does with the victims of the medallion, draining their strength...
"Out of the way," I said calmly, drawing my second saber and charging. The zombies' movements were sluggish; against me, focused more on speed and agility, it wasn't even funny. I quickly dealt with a dozen bodies and, noticing an open window in the very building that interested me, flew into it with my grappling hook. The building was a huge room, cleared of machinery. Four huge holes were sticking out of the floor - two on one side, two on the other. On one side was a control panel and a holoprojector... Looking closer, I noticed her... A figure so familiar to me, so hated. I pulled up my hood, deactivating the lightsabers. Shilla, it was her, was holding something above the floor... Or someone. Is this the Force? Someone was holding it with the Force... Wait... It can't be!
I looked closer at the holoprojector. So that's where that feeling came from! It had, by the way, disappeared, but I still remembered it... It's him! A Sith! Darth... and judging by the fact that he's a Muun... Plagueis himself, also known as Hego Damask.
"...if you don't obey my command, did I make myself clear, Shilla?" he said, sending shivers down my spine. I hope he's not here. Neither he nor Palpatine.
She was thrown to the floor. Shilla coughed, trying to suppress her trembling.
"Gha... Ha... Ha..." the woman breathed heavily. "I understood, Lord... Ha..."
"I hope so," the Sith grinned. "And be careful. Your actions on Sernpidale have surely attracted the attention of the Jedi Rats. Get rid of the witnesses and head to my base..." The Sith's image disappeared. Did he sense me?
It doesn't matter... I have to kill Shilla right now. I surveyed the room again. If the plans we received are to be believed, plasma was being processed here. I don't remember what they did with it, and it doesn't matter. Those four holes in the middle of the floor are clearly for pipes. But there are no pipes or machines here now, only open space. There are no hiding places near Shilla either. I can't get any closer. The only option is to strike by jumping from above, hiding my intention as much as possible until the very end. It would be good to finish it with one blow. There's a civilian here too...
"Damn Plagueis! Damn Plagueis!" Shilla suddenly exclaimed. "I'll kill him... I'll find a way to kill you, I swear, you Sith spawn. But first," she looked at the girl's body, "I'll have some fun with her."
To her misfortune, the girl had just deigned to wake up...
"Huh? Where am I?" the girl asked, turning her head.
Shilla accelerated, deciding to pounce on her. What is she going to do to her? Could it be... She... well, it doesn't matter. The girl was in a convenient position, and all of Shilla's attention was on her. This is my chance... I drew my lightsaber in my right hand, gripping it in a reverse grip, and prepared... A few more steps... Two... One... Chance! I jumped down, instantly activating my lightsaber, and tried to cut Shilla down. However... She dodged at the very last moment! The moment I struck!
"Jedi!" she roared. "How long have you been here?"
"Long enough," I grinned slyly, "it seems everyone has abandoned you. Considering how he treats you, like trash - he foresaw your defeat."
Damn it, I'll have to fight.
"Judging by your clothes, you're a Shadow. You came here in vain; if you had come a couple of hours later, you might have stayed alive."
She drew her swords.
"You," I addressed the girl, "don't go far. This place is full of traps."
"You deserve praise, Jedi," the Witch said importantly, "you managed to get through them all. Well, at least part of them. But here your path will end..."
"Enough," I interrupted her sharply, taking the Ataru stance. "Are you going to talk or fight? Your boss is waiting, by the way... Although he won't see you alive. But he will see your cold corpse, Shilla!"