"So my training, Knight-Light…" the Kel Dor looked at me in surprise as I headed for the exit from the Dreadnought.
"It has already begun, Padawan Plo," I replied calmly. "What about your sensory perception?"
"Sensory perceptions, Knight?" Plo Koon asked thoughtfully. "In the clan, I was one of the best in using this Force technique."
"Commendable. However, that's not enough, there's always another level. And the new level of sensory perception, advanced, is foresight. During combat, we entrust our hand to the Force, thereby managing to catch blaster shots with our lightsaber. To dodge what some sentient beings are not always able to notice. However, there is one problem. It's called the Will of the Force. You'll probably be surprised now, because a Jedi is one who is a conduit for the Will of the Force. And to say that this is a problem is, in the eyes of some, a crime. However, this does not prevent many others from comprehending full foresight."
"But isn't foresight a manifestation of the Will of the Force?" Plo asked. "And you are right. I cannot foresee, I only rely on the Force in combat."
"The future is constantly in motion, but we can glimpse it with the Force. For example, I've had dreams about it a couple of times. But I'm not talking about Jedi dreams, in which we can even predict the fate of hundreds of billions of sentient beings by seeing some event. I'm talking about combat foresight. The technique has two gradations. The first is mastered in the Temple – when studying classical sensory perception. Among knights, it's called the 'Will of the Force'. With the Force, we can direct our movements so as to… Block an attack, or dodge. But you don't literally see the future. You are, roughly speaking, dependent on the Will of the Force, Padawan Plo. And what happens if the Will of the Force commands you to die?"
"But we are Jedi!" he suddenly exclaimed loudly. Well, of course, he's still a Padawan now, not a calm knight. "We serve the Force, how can it…"
"Wish us death? Easily," I shrugged. "Therefore, many knights who understand that they will participate in combat try to develop the second level – direct foresight. An ordinary Jedi Knight can look into the future for a second or two."
"And you?"
I looked at him with curiosity.
"Three seconds, at the moment," that's why I so easily deal with non-gifted sentient beings. It's harder with gifted ones, they can also look into the future. Not all of them, Jarko clearly couldn't. But her specialization didn't involve direct confrontation at all. "You currently possess the first gradation. And apparently, you assumed that my training, which I agreed to, would be a duel, because you are clearly aiming to be a defender, and for you, direct confrontation is quite important. But I will disappoint you. It is useless for me to teach you swordsmanship, to conduct a sparring training."
"That is?" the Kel Dor asked in surprise.
"That is – look. I cannot teach you through sparring because you do not meet the minimum level. And I cannot lower my level too much for you, because then you would have to go through a whole course of training with me, but neither you, as Master Tivokka's Padawan, nor I, have time for a full course. Therefore, we cannot just spar and finish it. I'd better give you information that will help you become better. And we will fight sometime later," I stopped. Plo Koon stood in front of me. Clenching my fist, I punched him in the stomach.
"Kha…" he coughed, the blow was accented.
"Second-level foresight works best when you are calm and rational," I explained, landing a second blow to his chest. My blows were too fast and unpleasant for the Kel Dor. "Oh, I feel you're uncomfortable with such a change of scenery. But you'll understand. Calm your mind as much as possible. I'm only using my hands and feet. Concentrate, try to see my actions. I'm moving at a speed that a gifted being first mastering the second level of foresight can see. Don't try to rely on the Will of the Force. It will only help you cover yourself with your hands. Try to see my next blow and perhaps prevent it."
"But you… kha," he got hit in the stomach again, "said… that there would be no sparring."
"This is not sparring, Plo Koon, this is practical learning of what you have long been ready for."
And yet, I consciously lowered my level so as not to beat him too badly. The guy initially tried to block, tried to use the Force, but I didn't ease up. It was fortunate that the crew was busy with the circumstances with Admiral Graves' body. And Tivokka stood just around the corner and didn't interfere, clearly observing his Padawan. He tried to strike me in the head, but I blocked his arm and immediately threw him off balance with sweeping blows. A blow to the head, chest, stomach, then a kick to the stomach. He tried to block and counter-attack, again I grabbed his arm and immediately struck him with my elbow to the neck. Plo Koon fell to the floor… I didn't give him time to rest, immediately aiming my leg at his ribs, but he tripped me. Really? Jumping back, I closed in on him again, swinging my left hand, which he blocked and immediately tried to deliver a sharp knee strike to my chin. I jumped back… Plo Koon didn't continue to attack me, instead, the Kel Dor stared at me in shock, and then clutched his head.
"Well, how is it?" I asked him. "Usually, this is achieved through meditation. Through beating, it's not fashionable for Jedi to gain foresight now. But, much more effective, isn't it?"
"My head hurts, and it's not from your blows," the Kel Dor said.
"Yes, for now, the sensory areas of your brain are not capable of adequately perceiving the fact that you see the future. There is a so-called phenomenon of 'desynchronization', which manifests during the first attempts to use foresight. It's like giving hypersensitivity to an unprepared body. Nothing good will come of it. If your body is not sufficiently prepared for the sensory information received, then the phenomenon of 'desynchronization' occurs. That is – when you can see everything in detail, but your body doesn't keep up with the information. You can, for example, see your head being severed in all its details, but the body doesn't keep up and bang… You just see your head falling to the ground in slow motion. However, in your case, it's different. Your body and the sensory areas in your brain are almost ready for this ability. I just helped you take a step and master it much faster, all that remains is… To train separately, Plo Koon…"
The Padawan, apparently, guessed what exactly I wanted from him.
"Thank you, Knight-Light," he replied. "Although I still have a lot to go on this path, you have helped a lot."
"Here," I activated the datapad and sent him the information, "here is information on the development of sensory perception. I think it will help you a lot, including in mastering what you have just received. Final mastery."
"Thank you, although it was unpleasant," he rubbed his hands.
"Or you could have spent a couple of months meditating," I shrugged.
"Yes, now," a sense of anticipation emanated from him, "something will change, Knight-Light! May the Force be with you," he turned sharply and walked away.
"I hope you enjoy the training with him in the future, Master Tivokka," I grinned at the Wookiee when he appeared.
"Thank you, of course," the Wookiee sighed, "but you overdid it. In addition, his development was previously uniform."
"Uniformity in the development of a gifted being?" I asked the Master. "Forgive me, but that's nonsense. He is calm and rational. He will perfectly master foresight techniques, as well as Alteration, such as pyrokinesis."
"Alteration techniques are dangerous, young Knight," Tivokka said importantly. "I do not approve of teaching them to young Padawans. The fact that you mastered them as a Padawan happened only because of your teacher and his specific views on this issue."
"It's not like I became worse after that, Master," I said carelessly, folding my hands behind my head.
"But you fell to the Dark Side of the Force, Light," the Wookiee looked me in the eyes, "Alteration techniques hit the unprepared minds of young Jedi hard. I would advise you, if you ever have a Padawan – don't rush with them. I myself will not rush in this context with Plo."
"Teach him when he becomes a Knight?" I asked sarcastically. "I understand everything, Master Tivokka. But I have to fly. Good luck with the upcoming training sessions with Padawan Plo. I foresee an increased number of sparring matches and an increased amount of scorched fur."
"Not the best joke," the Wookiee noted. "Well. Once again – may the Force be with you," he said goodbye.
That's how my training with Plo Koon turned out. I must say – he is truly talented. But I shouldn't forget about my own problems. Yes, no matter how talented and strong the canon characters are – one should also remember such a phenomenon as "plot armor." They can possess not only a predicted destiny through comics, books, series, films, and games. They can also survive in places where I, not being sufficiently trained, would die. Moreover, they can survive even if they are weaker than me. That's why I constantly exhausted myself with training. And that's why I intend to take the next step. My goal is HK-47, as well as Revan, his master. I am more than sure that I can summon him if I make contact between the medallion and HK. It remains only to understand – which of them could be more dangerous for me? The Force Ghost of one of the strongest Force-sensitives in history? Or a killer droid created by Revan, that very Force Ghost I intended to obtain?
On the other hand, if you think about it, there's nothing to think about. Both are dangerous… I can't predict how Revan will react to his summoning and a request from someone like me for training. But I can also perfectly imagine that HK might not be happy to be awakened not by his master. What is HK capable of in theory? As an artificial intelligence, he might hack my system. Yes, it's better protected than many. But it seems he's done something like that before. Or not? In any case, all options must be considered. According to my memory regarding HK – he was found by Separatist engineers during the Clone Wars, almost at the very end, on Mustafar. HK was in perfect condition, deactivated. That's a plus. The downside: if activated – he might go on a rampage. I am, of course, strong. But… HK-47 is not the kind of opponent one really wants to fight. So…
A comprehensive set of measures is needed. First – I will disconnect all his limbs, leaving him only his head. Second – when attempting to reprogram him – I will use a separate computer, not the VV. VV is too tightly synchronized with my ship. The slightest mistake and HK could upload himself. The consequences of that might not please me. Everything up to a machine uprising. This cannot be allowed. Rewrite HK's program in its deactivated state? What if there's some protection and he activates at the most inopportune moment? No… These options must also be considered… In short… I need to start with HK before Revan. The droid will be a useful ally in the future. But Revan… If I can find HK and win him over to my side before meeting Revan – perhaps it will show Revan in a better light?
I flew to Mustafar in almost a week. Considering that I had to get from one part of the galaxy, the galactic north – to the south – the flight was long. The planet Mustafar's sphere was red, which is understandable, due to the lava. Originally, this planet was covered with forests. The Jedi Order created their enclave there. However, after some time – the Sith arrived and said: "This is our planet, give it back." The battles that occurred were too intense, which provoked a change in the orbit of a gas giant near the planet. As a result, the climatic conditions on the entire planet were changed… Again… And Mustafar became the lava world that everyone saw.
According to the information I received – Mustafar was controlled by one people. The Mustafarians, who themselves were divided into northerners and southerners. The difference was that the northern Mustafarians were tall and intelligent, while the southern ones were stocky and plump. However, the differences ended there. Both peoples did not fight and the only thing they did was extract resources from Mustafar's lava. They traded them with everyone, participating little in the politics of even their own sector – Atrivis. They were the ones everyone saw during the battle between Anakin and Obi-Wan.
Negotiating with them is actually easy. The main thing is to assure them that you don't need the resources of their planet. Well, and HK-47 is not a resource. He, so to speak, should bring them nothing but trouble, so my search for him shouldn't concern them at all. However – propriety must be observed. According to regulations, I must let them inspect my ship to ensure there are no resource extraction tools. I landed on one of the platforms, not far from a northern Mustafarian settlement.
"Greetings," as soon as the ramp lowered, I was met by a representative of the northern Mustafarians. "I am Overseer Ulk," beside him were four more Mustafarians. "We would like to know the reason for your arrival here? You sent a request for a research mission, correct, Jedi?"
"Yes," I bowed slightly, VV remained in the ship. "I received information that Jedi Temples and enclaves used to be located on the surface of this planet."
"If they were, then your people have already taken everything," Ulk shrugged.
"Perhaps…" I agreed with him, "or perhaps not. Practice shows that some things that initially seem priceless can have their own special value."
"It is your right to think so," Ulk said. "Nevertheless – we must ensure that you will not steal our resources. You will allow us to inspect the ship, won't you?"
"Inspect it."
After about ten minutes, during which they scoured the "Star Trek" far and wide and found nothing, I was allowed to explore Mustafar. I was also, for a certain amount of money, given a map of the planet, and it was much more detailed than the one I found in the public domain. And it was practically the same as what I saw in the Shadow bases. The heat from the planet was felt even in the ship. Taking off from the platform, I sent out scout droids in all directions and chose my own direction. Mustafar had many different, strange structures. Unfortunately, I didn't find the object I was looking for immediately, as I didn't remember where exactly they found it. And was it mentioned anywhere? I was looking for parameters of a Hammerhead-class cruiser. And I spent a week in vain searches. Finally – one of my droids discovered interesting wreckage on the Blazing Plains. The droid sent information about strange wreckage located three hundred meters from the nest of bistomks, lizard-like creatures. The Blazing Plains were a thin layer of crust floating in a sea of molten lava. An earthquake had occurred there not long ago. According to sensor data – my ship would be able to land right next to the strange wreckage. Why should they be checked? Because the wreckage belonged to a Hammerhead-class ship.
I deactivated all scout droids and brought the ship to the wreckage. And it was well preserved.
"VV," I said, addressing the droid, "under no circumstances should you contact any of the signals that may come from this ship. Only with mine, and that too after running it through a special program."
I pulled a lightsaber into my right hand. A premonition told me that this was the ship I was looking for. All that remained was to find the main target. I entered the ship, destroying the hull with my lightsaber.
"What a pleasant place," the green light of my saber illuminated the corridor. "And cute," I looked down, and then brought to my eyes an object that caught my attention. It was a bone, a blackened bone. Apparently, one of the crew members. So, what do we have here? The ship belonged to the Republic fleet, it was assigned to it three thousand six hundred and seventy years ago. And the essence of its mission was to fly to Coruscant. In a week, I found about five ships similar to the Hammerhead. They were all of different years of construction, and even different factions. But this particular one belonged to the Republic, and also had the production and operational period I needed.
The corridors of the ship were littered with charred remains. Here and there, intact cables dangled. What was also strange was that some remains lay next to the remnants of turrets, clearly part of the internal security system. I need to be more careful. And what happened here? Although I have a guess. Carefully following the schematics I obtained, I went underground. It clearly became even hotter, sweat poured from my forehead. My suit was made of special fabric, with Mandalorian steel woven into its texture. This gave it a certain durability. And also a weak frost resistance. But it protected me poorly from this heat. Suddenly, a metallic clang sounded from above, and I instantly jumped forward. One of the beams, succumbing to gravity, wanted to fall right on me. A moment later, my saber reflected a blaster shot… Directly at the shooter. A droid collapsed in front of me. It was all scorched, with only one arm, in which it held a blaster.
"What is this?" I asked, approaching the remains of the destroyed droid. Wow, it's from a completely different era. But now it's clear. Most likely – the ship's control system, the main computer, judging by the remaining logs, barely, in this droid, considered all sentient life – as enemies and decided to destroy it. And I can imagine who could have reprogrammed the AI like that. It's amazing that this thing still had power to move. Maybe HK is not completely deactivated? No, according to the data, it is in an isolated compartment. And there shouldn't be any energy there, but this one, I kicked the remains, exhibit – came from the reactor compartment defense team. That's why it retained its energy charge. Managed to connect to the reactor. Alright… I headed down the corridor, carefully avoiding all obstacles, finally arriving in front of the door leading to the compartment I needed.
The compartment… was littered with the remains of droids and sentient beings, whatever they were. All this would have melted soon. And right in the middle stood a capsule, opened. And from it, the most intact inhabitant and droid here was almost climbing out. My heart almost skipped a beat. I saw him… Only part of his plating was blackened by the heat. But otherwise, he looked almost the same as I remembered him from the games.
Rusty-red plating with scorch marks. Height one meter eighty. Powerful limbs, helping him eliminate his targets as effectively as possible. I stepped carefully, fearing unpleasant surprises. Finally, the droid was within arm's length of my saber. I could have destroyed him completely now, but I decided to do otherwise. Carefully, I touched his chassis, stroking it and making sure there was no threat emanating from him. Calm, only calm. You can foresee attacks, especially now, being on edge. Sighing, I slightly moved the saber away with telekinesis and, finding the necessary places – began to unscrew HK's limbs one by one, separating them from his body. After the limbs, I was satisfied… Now he can't pose a threat to me, so I inserted a spare power cell into the connector, this will help start him, and found the launch toggle. The sensors, which were in place of HK's eyes, instantly lit up orange.
"Surprised exclamation: where am I? Question: who are you, meatbag, and what are you doing? Question number two: why don't I feel my manipulators, with which I could snap your neck?"
"Your questions require answers," I sat down next to HK, "and the answers will take a long time, HK-47."
"Surprised: you know me, meatbag? As warmly as possible: then I greet you. I am droid HK-47. My primary function is to burn holes in bags of meat."
Well, this will be interesting.