Of course, I wasn't going to set off for Drongar immediately — I needed to study the data about the planet a little. Especially about the organization "Black Sun," fortunately, I could now freely use the data base of the Shadows, collected by Jonnal throughout his relatively long life for a human. Apparently, the Council wisely decided that withholding such information was harmful, at least for ourselves. The database contained information about all major and many less significant events that had occurred and were occurring in the Galaxy. Moreover, some of this information was clearly withheld by Ezar for personal gain. The main thing I highlighted for myself was that he knew where "Black Sun" exported bota to the black market of the Galaxy. Why couldn't anyone call this organization to account? The answer is simple — it cannot be destroyed as long as only LOCAL law enforcement agencies are fighting it. And that's the whole problem — they fight not the causes, but the consequences. And the Senate will not allow a full-scale operation to anyone, because it's too expensive.
So that's the situation. Of course, over a thousand years of system degradation, criminal structures have become extremely strong, which neither the official army of the Republic nor the Judicial Corps can boast of today. At the same time, it should be noted that not only criminal structures like the Hutt Cartel, "Black Sun," or the Pike Syndicate are strong, but also such wealthy megacorporations as: Kuat Drive Yards, Rendili, Sienar, SoroSuub, Trade Federation, Techno Union, InterGalactic Banking Clan, and others. So it turns out that the Senate and the Republic have purely formal power, thanks to some odious sentients. No, peace is good. Peace, friendship, chewing gum — even more so. Still, it's much better than fighting and killing, but... one must understand that "good" must have fists. Or not?...
Okay, back to "Black Sun." The organization's structure was quite simple: nine territories, divided into sectors. The territories were managed by Vigos. Each Vigo had... let's say, a capital sector where he resided, and a territory that united dozens of other sectors with their own bosses. Sometimes it was incredibly difficult to establish the identity of the Vigo. For example, for the territory that controlled Drongar, the Vigo's identity was unknown. Of course, I wasn't going to search for the leader — it was enough for me to know everything that had already appeared in our database, as well as what I initially knew. And my knowledge is that during the Clone Wars, one of the GAR admirals was involved in the contraband of bota from Drongar together with the syndicate.
War, healing properties, speculation... However, bota is valued now, being a kind of "plantain," although it is inferior in its properties to bacta. Nevertheless, when war begins, every unit will be counted, every resource. Especially since healing properties are not all. Bota helps to enhance the Gifted, which is why the Republic and the CIS clashed in a battle for Drongar, where the latter suffered defeat. In retaliation, the Confederates carried out a total exterminatus on the planet, as a result of which bota mutated, losing all its useful properties. Strategically, Drongar had no more value, so everyone soon left. Now, those who want to know where the criminal syndicate gets bota disappear without a trace, and no one knows any information about its "other properties" that would surely interest all the Gifted of the Galaxy, so much so that they would start a real battle for it... Except for me. And I intend to use this knowledge. There is only one station on the planet's surface belonging to "Black Sun," and it is completely autonomous, meaning it is controlled by droids. I am sure I can hide on this planet peacefully, train, and quietly persuade "Sun" to share the valuable resource with me. Training in such a place will allow me to jump to a qualitatively new level of understanding the Force, which, paradoxically, will make me much stronger. And the fact that criminals will be short of an nth amount of goods is not a big deal. It's still an insult to use it only as an analogue of plantain.
Alas, I intended to use bota only to strengthen myself. Other Jedi... I see no point in making them stronger — few will support my ideas of returning power to a more or less adequate state, because officially the Order is a lapdog on a leash of the Senate. And let it remain so for now — I have no intention of playing altruism, no matter how disgusting it may sound. In parallel, using my real name, I enrolled in correspondence courses at the Citadel of Anaxis. This time I decided not to create a fictional persona, as I saw no point in it — only more hassle. And I will be able to get a registration certificate for completing the Academy in my own name, instead of delving into the University databases and diligently convincing the system that I am indeed me. However, I wasn't even going to do that — my attack on Seth Hart probably made the Bainites tense. And they, in theory, could have already come to the conclusion that Seth was attacked by Taivi Lanian. And then see that he suddenly changed all his data. And I could indeed pull this off in a couple of clicks and a day of waiting, but...
Why? Sidious and Plagueis, of course, tried not to show themselves, not attacking Jedi unnecessarily, and it's better not to set a precedent — I'm not ready for confrontation with them. After all, to destroy these two, it's not enough to win on the battlefield — you need to overcome the very structure that they and all previous Sith of Bane's line have built, gnawing at the Republic for centuries. To accomplish all this, an unimaginable amount of resources of the entire Galaxy is needed... I don't have them yet. However, even with such resources, you can easily screw everything up — the current and New Republic are proof of this: the creation of the "Katana" fleet and its inglorious disappearance, the Yuuzhan Vong invasion, and so on, and so on... That's why I resorted to additional training — it's not enough to have great resources, you need to know how to use them. Some Jedi, by the way, sometimes took similar courses to mine in the Academies... Unfortunately, the closer to the wars, the rarer.
My specialty was listed as "Captain" and was purely general, involving training officers and commanders of combat starships. Naturally, there was a higher level, training command of several starships, but I decided to master this path gradually. After downloading the materials, I immediately began to study them. First, as everywhere, followed the history of interstellar fleet in the Republic from beginning to end... Famous personalities, wars they participated in... So, the Anaxian classification of combat starships, then... Modern achievements of science and technology... More! Ship systems... What do we have here? Ah, engines, fire control systems, turbolasers, communications, missile and torpedo launchers, hangars for small spacecraft... Clear... Then come the regulations, norms, and programs for personnel serving on combat starships.
Finally, we were offered to study combat tactics and strategy. Rather, there's only the name of the latter. Well, it's understandable — this is the level of senior officers. My specialty involves only commanding a cruiser with a possible promotion to commanding three or four such ships... A very murky prospect, I must say, under the current conditions. Although there are other organizations in the Galaxy that would snatch up an Anaxis graduate with open arms... Yes, it's hard, of course, to maintain competencies after so many years of degradation. But Anaxis is still considered elite. Tactics were based on knowledge of the TTX and the role of one's ship in battle. Which, in principle, is logical. But with the current system, tactics and strategy are a matter of pure luck. Firstly, because many ships are simply not unified... Even those that made up the bulk of the Judicial Corps fleet — the good old "Indomitables" from Rendili — had many modifications. You look at one and in your soul, well, you don't, uh, imagine — does it have standard armament, or did someone cut something in one place and weld it in another.
And, no matter how you look at it, it's impossible to bring order to the unification of everything and everything for now. The problem is the same — the Senate's fear. Well, that's how things are. So, what else was I going to do?
The Star Trek had just completed pre-flight checks and was ready for launch. The Council hadn't given me any special assignment, so I could freely go about my business. Of course, I shouldn't forget about my direct duties: destroying dark gifted, finding dark or any other Force artifacts and bringing them to the Order. And I definitely intended to violate one direct duty... In general, it's not new for me to break rules, because if I acted according to them, I would have died long ago.
Ensuring that all prepared supplies were loaded, including for my camp on Drongar, I started the engines. It's a shame I didn't get to talk to Rela — she and her mentor were abruptly sent on a mission to the south of the Galaxy, as I heard. So the conversation with the pretty Twi'lek was postponed indefinitely. And... I couldn't give her what she wanted. And it's unlikely anyone can... My thoughts were interrupted by the trill of the BB.
"Where are we flying? To Tustra, little one," I said, "I want to see my family. My little sister must have grown up by now..."
The navicomputer displayed the current coordinates... Tustra. Sernpidal, Drongar... It was in this order that I planned to visit these worlds. While flying in hyperspace, I could study new theory... I was particularly impressed by the theory concerning structures for Force Techniques. After all, how did it happen when I was a youngling — the result was achieved by simple training and repetitions. The anatomical structures used for mastering techniques were studied minimally. And only after starting to study the theory I received from the healer did I understand why: the theory in terms of anatomy, physiology, and biochemistry was simply incredibly huge! Of course, someone will say that it's obvious, but... what's easier — to memorize hundreds of megabytes of data or to master some technique by simple repetition, never knowing about some posterior cortex of the cerebral hemispheres? As my biologist friend used to say: "You have no idea how much makes our pathetic bodies move. Even simply to defecate." And he was right... Only after starting to comprehend anatomy, and my own at that — not someone else's, did my brain overheat. Without exaggeration. The guides provided to me in detail explained which structure could be responsible for which technique in our body, and how to train this structure. And I can already say that understanding which part of the body is responsible for what will help me master and develop Force techniques. However, now I was focused on mastering my own "Celestial Hand," as I had managed to call it.
Immersed in theory, I didn't even notice how five hours passed. The ship was already in hyperspace. So... I got up from my chair and looked at the computer data. I still have a couple of days to fly. Now I was studying theory: I spent two hours studying the materials that Anaxis sent me, and the rest of the time was spent on theoretical biology. And now I should stretch a little. It seems such a thing was called active rest according to Sechenov. Well, of course, in that Galaxy from which Leonid originated. As far as I remember, active rest is the alternation of activities. If you worked actively with your right hand, work with your left. What activity is opposite to studying theory? Of course, physical education! That's why this subject, in my opinion, is present even among the most bogged-down theorists, for whom, it would seem, it's completely unsuitable to pass these standards for running and jumping. Personally, I have already found practical confirmation of Sechenov's words here, in the DDG. When I felt that if I continued training, I would do more harm than good, I simply changed my activity. Understanding the logic of "Star Wars" through knowledge of the canon, my Giftedness, and the theory of active rest — that's what helped me not to go crazy... and not to overexert myself. After completing a set of exercises consisting of push-ups, squats, abs, and jumps, I headed to the captain's cabin. I got so carried away that I left the theory in the cockpit, and even managed to train there... I need to be more careful with this. It's one thing to read, but doing sports near the control point of such a ship is not my best idea. And I was going to command a whole cruiser...
"BB," I addressed the droid. Although he remained in the cockpit, he could easily hear me through the ship's internal communication. "Play some podcast with Galaxy news."
A few seconds later, a broadcast of some show appeared above the holographic projector in my cabin, which was opposite the bed. Why not, after all?
"Greetings! This is Terint Mirton, with you," a man with dark hair and gray eyes appeared. "Welcome to the talk show 'Galactic Investigation,' and today we will continue our conversation about the egregious incident that occurred almost two weeks ago on Royse-VIII. We have with us leaders of opposing opinions: I present to you Senator from the Portmoak Sector Gozi Gage," a stout man with light hair appeared, "the famous blogger and Jedi fan Alaya Pirts," the angle shifted to a blue-skinned Twi'lek dressed in a luxurious dress, "and a member of the organization 'People's Inquiry' Trinka Padounete," a pretty black-haired girl appeared on the screen. In my opinion, about my age.
Well... Ten out of ten: wanted to listen to the news — here you go.
"Let us remind you of what happened. Almost two weeks ago, a rather ambiguous event occurred on Royse-VIII," the host reported. "At the presentation of the new heir to the Hart family — Seth Hart, the thirty-first, if anyone is interested — a Jedi knight appeared and started a fight with him right in the middle of the banquet hall filled with sentients. It turned out that Seth Hart belonged to the teaching of 'dark gifted' who fought with the Jedi a thousand years ago, known as the Sith. And today, even after so much time, we continue the discourse on this event, especially since new information has emerged about this circumstance..."
I lay down on the bed and began to listen carefully to their conversation. It's interesting...
"You call them info-leads," Padounete snorted, "aren't those the excuses the Jedi presented in the Senate? That this attack was a 'planned special operation' aimed at destroying a Sith. Laughable, Terint."
"Yes, of course," the man smiled, as if ignoring the young girl. "You can support one of the views that will be broadcast here by calling the numbers on your screens. The call is free throughout Coruscant. As for other planets — it depends on your providers, but in general, it's not worth half a credit. Well, today it's time to draw a line under this conflict, which was caused by the action of the said Jedi. You either support the measures taken by the Order and that knight, or you don't. Naturally, each side has its representatives and arguments. First, Senator from the Portmoak sector Gozi Gage will express his opinion. After almost two weeks and your conversation with the Order's master, Ian Dooku, has your perception of the situation changed in any way?"
"Ahem," the man cleared his throat, "in general, the elected king of Royse-VIII has put forward quite reasonable claims to the leadership of the Order. I emphasize — neither His Majesty's security service nor the planetary defense forces knew about the planned operation."
"Moreover: a number of sentients later stated that even within the Order, they could not imagine that their knight would act like this," the host supported the conversation. "Although the Order at least didn't stay silent this time and informed the Senate that everything was going according to plan..."
"For some reason, I think that's not the case," Trinka interrupted Terint's speech again. "They were caught with their pants down and hardly imagined what this knight would do. I also have questions for the knight himself. I would like to talk to him... It's a shame we never saw his face, even though the Senate and the Chancellor, it seems, asked for this knight to be presented on the first day after the event, to hear his justifications."
"Justifications?" Alaya joined the conversation. "Didn't you see that he attacked a Sith?"
"At the cost of the lives of some innocent sentients or the injuries they received in the process," Trinka remarked sarcastically. "Yes, I saw. And I sincerely wonder what the problem with this individual is. He attacked with a lightsaber in the middle of a banquet. A weapon that is guaranteed to kill absolutely any sentient! Or did you not notice," that excerpt with my first attack was replayed in the studio. "He stands surrounded by a crowd of sentients. Only by a miracle did Seth manage to deflect the blow so that the lightsaber didn't hit anyone!"
The Jedi is a scoundrel, the Sith is a good guy. The Galaxy has forgotten the lesson of a thousand years ago, oh, it has forgotten... Regarding the throw - I specifically calculated the angle so that even the most skilled Gifted would not be able to deflect it towards innocents, while controlling the sword with the Force. Moreover, even if it had flown at someone, I could have simply turned off the blade - I would have had enough reflexes and reaction for that. At most, a sentient would have received the hilt in the jaw. Considering that after deflecting, the initial speed was lost, a sentient would have at most lost consciousness, maybe got a mild concussion. And definitely wouldn't have died.
"What you are talking about is just your speculation. You should have first understood if it would have hit anyone," Alaya asked. "I worked with Jedi and saw how knights perform a lightsaber throw. They are capable of controlling every centimeter of their sword's blade even in flight. I'm sure a knight would..."
"Oh, you are 'sure'?" Trinka asked her opponent. "I wonder what your confidence is based on, that this particular knight is the very Jedi you worked with, with his corresponding abilities, and not a yesterday's Padawan? After all, judging by his actions, everything points to the latter."
Meanwhile, Trinka had more support than Alaya. M-da...
"The casualty statistics. By the way, Trinka, did you notice that only sentients died from the actions of Seth Hart, and not from the actions of the Jedi..."
"No, the Jedi is to blame! As an uncontrolled unit, he attacked, and because of his attack, Seth Hart was forced to defend himself. And only in the process of this defense did sentients die. If he hadn't attacked..."
"Seth Hart was a Sith, as the Jedi Order stated," the Twi'lek went on the offensive. "And then data was published regarding all his machinations. The Jedi went to deal with him. Or do you think that a sentient who can throw lightning and control blasters with telekinesis can be defeated by a special forces squad? Senator Gozi, the special forces squad of Royssa-VIII, the national guard, or the army itself... Can any of them cope with Seth Hart, who uses the Force and all those skills he showed in battle with the knight?"
A perfectly reasonable question. And the answer is simple - he would have killed them all. Be that as it may, Seth turned out to be a quite capable fighter. His encounter with the special forces squad would have ended with the squad's funerals in closed coffins. More likely - not even in coffins, but in a mass grave.
"We are not talking about that..."
"Oh no, we are talking about exactly that. I want to draw the attention of the Republic's citizens to this," Alaya smiled. "Look at the guardians who protect your peace. The police, special forces, the army. And ask: can they protect you from a sentient who easily controls a weapon that cuts through almost any material? Can they cope with those who move at such incredible speeds that they can dodge a shot or deflect it precisely back at the shooter? And among the Gifted who use lightsabers, there are many masters of form three, which specializes in defense against blaster fire. Imagine a lightsaber and the fact that a Gifted can catch a shot on it, and then deflect it. Can your defenders cope with those who can use the very element to their advantage - lightning, for example?"
"So, just because the Jedi can protect us from such sentients, we should blindly trust them, the child abductors?" Trinka asked. "Those who are not controlled in any way? What prevents the Jedi, for example, from usurping power? After all, there is no civilian oversight over them! The Code? The rules? Nonsense!"
"Nonsense only for Sith, which Seth Hart was," Alaya parried. "The Jedi strictly follow their treaty with the Republic," yes, unquestionably. Honestly, I don't particularly like the treaty itself. It allowed us Jedi - strong, and sometimes even wise beings - to blindly follow the orders of mostly foolish and greedy sentients. The Ruusan Reformation... I understand the need for criticism, but thanks to this reform, we can now be smeared even for the fact that we use a free toilet! That's if we exaggerate. The program continued. I even spent time giving my vote to Alaya when I exited hyperspace. As a result, each of the girls stuck to her guns.
"...and I will seek a meeting with this knight," Trinka declared unequivocally at the end of the talk show, "to call him to account for the deed he committed."
Alaya just smiled at her words. Such an understanding, sympathetic smile... Strange, I always thought bloggers were not the smartest individuals. Although there are smart ones among them, in fact. Not all of them are communists or sentients who haven't even finished nine grades. And if Trinka Padawnete wants to meet me, then I sincerely don't want that. Let her go to hell, and to Plagueis too. I'm sure he'll appreciate her effort and possibly pay for it. Trinka also announced that a couple of senators heard the pleas of her movement and created a law on "Jedi oversight." Which is already failing spectacularly, if we look at the preliminary votes. It seems the other senators understand that they won't be able to handle this undertaking. Jedi are patient, but their patience is not infinite. And the senators are desperately afraid of touching that edge... Well, on the forums, as always, a battle of armchair experts erupted.
Well... It should be remembered that every action of mine has consequences. And from now on, I must act even more carefully and cautiously.
The most interesting thing that happened upon my arrival on Tustra was that my father suggested installing a more powerful hyperdrive on my ship. I myself had been eyeing new hyperdrives for a long time and was going to order a replacement from Sienar, but I could never pick a day, although during my studies on Alderaan I could have done it. In short, I kept putting it off. And now I have no problems or missions, so I gladly agreed to the replacement, especially since I didn't need to fly anywhere. I planned to rest on Tustra for three or four days. Leaving the ship with the technicians at the Astroport, I called a taxi to the Palace Quarter, where my family lived. My heart was almost jumping with happiness as I observed the surroundings of my home planet, which I had grown so fond of.
I arrived in the evening, so my mother and father were already waiting for me at home. Jedi are forbidden to form attachments. I was taken away quite late - usually, they try to bring Gifted to the Temple as children... True, my case is a rare combination of facts: me, a native of Tustra, our strict laws, which even Order recruiters cannot ignore, and Yoda's friendship with Alaric. Mother and father have aged very little - sephi, after all. But my sister Ziri has managed to grow a bit. She is now ten, and the girl is about to become a young woman.
"Brother," she closed the distance as soon as she saw me and hugged me. The girl was wearing a purple sundress that harmonized with the color of her eyes. Mom, whom I saw last and was, as always, preparing something in the kitchen, was in her usual maid's outfit, which she rarely took off even at home. I remember, only when we went to public places as a family, she dressed in a blue dress or other clothes of the same color.
I hugged my mother, feeling her warmth... If I tried to analyze her feelings with empathy, I could swoon from happiness. An hour later, in a warm family circle, I was chatting and telling about my adventures.
"It was you who was on Royssa," my father stated affirmatively.
"This information is classified," I said calmly.
"But we know it was you," my mother said sharply. "If I could decide, Light, I would never let you find yourself in that situation again. But I perfectly understand that this is impossible," Myla looked me seriously in the eyes, "so please be careful. That, alas, is all I can do."
"And don't pay attention to the slop that some are pouring on you," my father added. "You are a man, not a pathetic nobody. What do you care about the opinions of others if you truly have justifications for your actions. You do have them, son?"
"Yes," I sighed, taking a sip of juice. "My justifications, in general, have been stated many times. If, may the Force not allow it, a similar situation repeats itself, I will do the same. The price for such deeds is quite high. Critics will always exist, as will the victims. My duty is to reduce the number of the latter, but... it is impossible to exclude them under any circumstances... However, I don't want to talk about work here anymore."
"That's right, I bet you've told us everything... What you could," my father chuckled.
"Even more," I confirmed. "But I would like to know how things are with you?"
"And how can they be? We're working, trying to raise something sensible out of this little one. Grandma tried too hard and is now being treated at the 'Waterfall' sanatorium," yes, a truly picturesque place. A sanatorium built over a waterfall...
"Yes, indeed," Myla sighed.
"Hey!" Ziri exclaimed. "What about me being here?"
"Nothing," my father parried. "Your brother should know about our problems, as well as yours. He is your family."
"And a Jedi too," my mother added. "So don't hesitate to ask him for help."
"And does she need my help?" I asked.
"Brother, you're so cool!" my sister said proudly. "Can you show me? This... what's it called? The Force! And... lightsabers. Shirley and Koliri will be jealous!"
"Ziri," my mother said sternly. "Lightsabers are not a toy for children or adults."
"Hmmph!" the girl pouted.
"Mom is one hundred percent right, Ziri," I said importantly, chewing a piece of meat. "What you're asking for is an incredibly dangerous weapon. I can't give it to you. Without the appropriate skills, I'm afraid my beloved little sister will only get hurt."
"Oh, well," Ziri said sadly, eyeing the last piece of fried meat of a local fauna. Which I couldn't allow, and, a couple of seconds ahead of my sister, I took it away with telekinesis. "Hey! What are you doing?"
"I want to eat," I said importantly. "So, sorry."
"N... Not fair! Give it back!" she demanded.
"Too late," I laughed, although, encountering my mother's stern gaze, I still took a knife and divided the piece equally, giving one part to my sister.
"And thanks for that," she snorted, starting on her portion.
We stayed up until late at night. As I lay down in my own bed, I made sure that this was exactly what I had been missing. Family... These sentients, despite the fact that I had been separated from them for so long, still waited for me and welcomed me warmly, asking for nothing in return. Family... Perhaps this is one of the most significant values I have gained in this galaxy.