When I got to the dock, Mom and Irbis were already waiting for me.
"Good morning, Mom."
"Mm-hm," she answered without any spark as she was the first to step aboard. Apparently I wasn't the only one whose morning got ruined.
"Teacher," I nodded.
"Hi, Shade."
"Can you explain why you dragged me in together with my mother? I'm not only on vacation, I'm not even a Hunter—and she's not even a member of the Order anymore."
"I know, Shade. This was all my initiative," the Noghri admitted, falling into step beside me.
"Why?"
"Alek'Nar—the Force-user who lost his balance—is an old friend of mine. Since he has the new weapon, if they can't take him alive, they'll try to kill him, and that's not something I'd like to allow. And here you are with Aala—and armed, too. Dalien was warned about the problem right away; you, as the author of the project, should also have been brought up to speed—if you hadn't blocked your working comlink."
"Understood."
"Sorry for pulling you away from vacation, but…"
"It's fine, Irbis. Call anytime," the Noghri hesitated, and I decided to switch topics. "By the way, I keep forgetting to ask. Where's your student? You know, heh—the one who's better than me?" I admit it, I couldn't resist a little jab.
"Where, where—at the temple, on retraining," the Noghri growled, displeased. Looks like I picked a bad alternate topic…
"What for?"
"He has control problems. At an emotional peak he can't properly control the Force. So I sent him to finish his training."
"Got it."
By the time we reached the control console, Mom was already in the copilot's chair, warming up the engines.
"Aala, what kind of life is this?" the Noghri complained, dropping into the pilot's seat. "Every student is some kind of constant problem. First yours with the voices in his head, then this one with a hidden bundle of issues that even an experienced Master won't spot right away. Why can't they give me someone normal?" The poor guy's soul finally cried out.
"You're too good a head-doctor, Irbis," Mom smirked.
"Mom, do you know where we're flying?" I leaned in, resting my hands on her chair.
"Yes. Coordinates—forty-five, twenty-one. That's where the Force storm is raging."
"How'd you get them?"
"Tsikuna handled it. She'll slow the Hunter down, so we'll have more than enough time to solve the problem."
"Understood. Irbis, this is a new ship, right?"
"What are you hinting at?" the Noghri raised an eyebrow.
"Well, we're flying into a Force storm."
"Eh…"
"Relax, Irbis. I fly into storms regularly, so I'll back you up."
"If you think that calms me down, you're very mistaken," the Noghri said, getting back to work. He took the yoke, closed his eyes, drew a deep breath, and connected to the ship through the Force. Mom, on the contrary, removed herself from piloting, relaxed, leaned her head back—and seemed to sink into meditation. Or a half-doze.
Settling into the first officer's chair, I studied the instruments with interest, recalling what I'd gone over with Mom on her ship, and also in Wur Tepe.
"Irbis, can I take the controls?"
"You sure?"
"Yep!"
"Mmm…"
"By the way, I have a passed qualification check! Master Rakhnar from Wur Tepe took it and signed it."
"For some reason I feel like you're not telling me something," the Noghri said suspiciously, eyeing my honest face. "Fine."
So, yielding me the yoke, we flew over Tython. But the closer we got, the stronger the Force storm felt. Soon it was clearly visible through the viewport. It wasn't especially powerful—more of an ordinary, run-of-the-mill storm that can arise spontaneously—but that didn't make things any easier for us. In piloting terms it felt like a real storm: the ship was pulled off line, shoved sideways; lightning hit it a couple of times, but Tython ships were built for far heavier loads, so everything was fine—though for me it was new experience. Mom, meanwhile, was no longer meditating; she was covering.
After flying through the storm for a while, following Mom's guidance, I set the craft down neatly in a clearing, squeezing between the trees with almost no margin.
"Aala, Shade—don't rush in right away," Irbis asked as he was the first to leave the ship. "Give me a chance to try talking to him."
Mom nodded, while I shrugged. Let him try—why not? Finding a Force-user, even in this chaos, was no problem for either me or Mom. She's a Hunter; that used to be her job—to track down people like this. And since she'd trained me for the same profession, I could also pick out a single spark of life even in a storm like this.
Adjusting the mask on my face, I got up and went out last, tapping the lock panel by the hatch and sealing the doors. No sense coming back to find some raptor moved into the ship.
Dropping down the lowering ramp, I listened to the sensations and, almost in sync with Mom, turned my head toward our target. Irbis even shuddered a little.
Pushing through the thickets, parting them with light touches of the Force, we moved forward. The storm boomed, lightning flashed and struck dangerously close, and the flow of water felt unbroken. So as not to accidentally attract Force lightning, we didn't use serious techniques, making do with small, light, quickly dissipating effects. I remember last time I burned myself on that pretty badly—my whole arm is tattooed now, heh.
"Aala, Shade—should we wait out the storm?" Irbis glanced anxiously at a scorched mark ahead.
"It won't end, Irbis," Mom shook her head. "We need to neutralize the Force-user."
"And what… like this every time?" he indicated the sky.
"On Tython?" Mom turned. "Yes. Nothing can be done about it. That's a Hunter's job."
"How good it is that I'm a negotiator."
After about two hundred meters, we finally reached the target. Bushes and trees cut down by an energy blade were the best confirmation that we were close. And then there he was—a Je'daii Twi'lek only a little older than me. He was meditating under a tree, sunk into the dark side of the Force. The poor bastard's face was covered with cracks, turned gray, and was disfigured, like the rest of his body. Clothing: boots, a worn-out shirt and trousers. In front of him, a saber hung in the air. A blaster pistol lay beside his right hand, and a small bag was by his left.
Kriff… just a taked ago I'd seen that Twi'lek among the researchers. Not cheerful, but a reasonable, responsive guy—someone who could go deep into the Force but always come back. And sure, he often played with the new development, but pick anyone in Enil Kesh and they'll poke at their own project with the same childish delight. The alchemists are completely cracked in the head, the kind of filth they brew on their upper levels. They were even put into special halls on purpose, so that if something happened, it'd be easier to ventilate.
"Wrap it up?" Mom looked at me.
"We have time. Cover from the side; if anything—drop him." I pulled in a breath. "All right, Irbis, let's go talk."
"Yes."
Splitting up, we moved toward the target—Mom stepped aside, vanishing into the Force, while the Noghri and I headed straight for the Force-user.
"Alek!"
At the call, the Force-user opened bright yellow eyes and looked at us.
"Irbis…"
"Alek, my friend, long time no see. What happened—how did you change so much?" the Noghri began warmly, smiling.
"Wretch," the Twi'lek rose, taking the saber in one hand and the blaster in the other. "Get out of my head!"
Following the Force's warning, I grabbed Irbis by the shoulder and yanked him back. With my other hand I pulled the saber to me. Activation—and the blade flashed for an instant, reflecting the blaster bolt.
"Irbis, am I imagining it, or is this the shittiest and shortest negotiation you've ever done?"
"Remember Ska-Gora."
"Ah, right. Back then they didn't even listen to us." Switching the blade off, I looked at the collapsing body—Mom had come around from behind and stunned the poor bastard. "All right." Pulling the cursed saber closer, I examined it. The crystal was broken and saturated through with rage. Now it either needs long, miserable cleansing—or it goes in the trash.
"I don't understand… how could this happen?" Irbis crouched over his old acquaintance.
"Looks like he was already on the edge, and the Forcesaber just accelerated what was already going on," I sighed. "You know better than me, Irbis. Nobody is safe from this—not even me."
"No. You'll go insane faster than you'll fall to any one side. Or you'll just die."
"Most likely."
"Boys, are you done?" Mom cut in irritably. "I'm tired of getting soaked, and I want to get back to bed faster."
"Yes, yes, we're done. Shade, help."
With a snort, we hauled the unconscious body up and carried him toward the ship.
"Still, I'll try to bring him to reason. But already at the temple."
"Try."
"By the way, I've already managed to help Force-users come back to themselves."
"You're a head-doctor, Irbis. A head-doctor, that's what you are."
"And I'm proud of it. Not everyone has to run around with a blade like you do. And—thanks."
"For what?"
"For covering me."
"By the way… isn't this the moment you saw in your visions?"
"Very much like it," the Noghri snorted, shifting the unconscious body's arm more comfortably across his neck.
Suddenly, Force lightning struck right in front of us. Since there was no direct threat, my instincts didn't even twitch—but the strike was not only unexpected, it was genuinely terrifying.
"All right… let's get out of here fast."
"Agreed."
"Mom, start the ship!"
So we practically ran aboard. There was no desire to tempt fate further, and I didn't believe in lightning not striking the same place twice. It does—very much. On Tython it can hit the same spot thirty-two times; I've seen it.
After we returned to the temple, we handed the weapon over to Dalien, the Force-user to the Temple Master, and the Council members a report on the work done… which Mom and I dumped onto Irbis—it was his idea, so let him deal with it. And after that I went to carry out an old plan, because vacation was waiting! I'd wanted to visit the leisure beaches on Ska-Gora for a long time. And all complaints that I was "not recommended" to leave Tython can go to the woods. Rest. Period!
***
Unfortunately, we couldn't just up and fly off on vacation. They tried to stop us, because "no one but me will work with the Kwa holocron." Last time we managed to slip away because Hadiya's coronation is a real argument, and as her husband I absolutely had to be there. Now it was different: it was simply my whim, and they tried to talk me out of it. And, in principle, their arguments were perfectly reasonable, but—Vessira was right: I'm still me. I made my choice a long time ago, so I simply ignored all Council decisions. Expel me? Fine. Dalien isn't a member of the Order at all, neither are his people, and he lives in Enil Kesh like it's the most natural thing in the world. Mom isn't in the Order anymore either, but at Irbis's request—and as a "freelancer," as the last outing showed—she keeps flying. It's still her main profile; you can't just quit it. On the other hand, Hadiya took care of things and offered Mom the position of head of the Citadel's security service. "Citadel" was the name given to the tyrant's fortress, into which she'd turned her home.
After weighing the options, Mom agreed—especially since this way she'd be closer to her grandchildren. Yes, I also ultimately decided to move to Shikaakwa. The Order is good, and there's nothing against it; more than that, its ideals are something to support, because you do have to teach a Force-user at least minimal control—so they don't get themselves or their loved ones killed. But! I will raise my own children within my own family the way I deem necessary. Period.
Back to rest… Ignoring everyone, we simply flew to Ska-Gora. The girls and I on one ship, Mom on the other—she wanted to unwind too. And on her ship the guys were flying as well, since I didn't let anyone onto mine. After all, I had a honeymoon taked with my beloved girls. Irbis wanted to come too, but if he joins, it'll be later—after he deals with Alek'Nar.
Since building permanent buildings and settlements on Ska-Gora was forbidden, crafty hustlers had set up something like a summer tent camp, where they sent people who wanted to отдых via special small cars straight from the city. It got ridiculous—we once spent half a taked with Irbis on Ska-Gora because of that camp, sorting out whether the operation was legal. And now we were flying there again, but not as police—this time as tourists.
The girls prepared thoroughly. Hadiya brought several tops and tried them on right in front of me, asking my opinion. Vessira went further—since Tython is tight on shops, especially in the temples, she simply sewed herself swimsuits. Yes, with the Force's help, but still—they looked at least as good as Hadiya's. Black, with crimson streaks—matching my "official" suit. Considering her native pigments and overall figure, it looked absolutely stunning and, honestly, she beat Hadiya on that point. But the Twi'lek isn't made with a finger—once we arrived on Ska-Gora, she went to pester the local craftsmen for a custom job. And while Ves wore a black swimsuit, Hadi made herself a white one with crimson designs, matching her red skin pigments.
I noted to myself that the silent competition for my attention between the girls continued to this day and, apparently, would never end. For example, Hadiya used the fact she could do the most breathtaking vork in the entire world. Ves couldn't replicate it even with the Force, and that says something. But Ves has micro-control of light-side Force technique, giving her touches a special edge—so even a simple massage could take you by elevator to seventh heaven.
When they put on their swimsuits, a funny thought came to me. Hadiya and Ves are as different as they are similar. Hadiya is a яркая nature who draws a lot of attention, loves it, and constantly emphasizes her status. Vessira is the exact opposite—quiet, calm, indifferent to everything that doesn't concern her family. But inside Vessira hides a hot, fierce nature, while Hadiya, for all her quirks and titanium spine, remains a rather vulnerable girl who's easy to hook and provoke into emotion. Not action, no—despite her temper, she can control herself, but that doesn't change the fact.
If they swapped swimsuits, it would be pure symbolism. One is constantly tearing and throwing, the other quietly purrs and enjoys herself—so long as you don't poke at the little demons in her head. By the way, a funny incident happened with the ladies. Upon arrival, they didn't want to let us through because of the Order. The Order contacted Ska-Gora and "requested" we turn back to Tython. When Vessira found out, she nearly strangled the customs officers right there. Hadiya would have buried them. And someone lectures me about my nerves and lack of restraint. I had to step in and save the poor souls, because the ladies were deadly serious—both of them.
Mom put a stop to it. She simply looked over our scuffle, then shifted her gaze to the head of security—who, by the way, is Force-gifted—and asked only one question: "Problems?" Did anyone say learning to speak with a single look is a useful skill? Said it once—saying it again: lessons from Mom are definitely happening. Because that ended the issue, and we were wished a pleasant rest.
And now, having overcome all obstacles and adversity, I could lie on the sand in the shade of huge trees. Behind me, Vessira sat and rubbed sunscreen into my back, combining it with a massage, while Hadiya walked over from the snack stall. That's it. Now, truly, one hundred percent, because it can't get any better, I'm in he—
Catching the thought, I flinched in the same rhythm. Propping myself up, I glanced left, then right, but no—everything was quiet. The comlink wasn't anywhere in sight either. Friends were busy with their own things, and nobody even thought of approaching me. Seems calm…
"Shade? Did something happen?" Ves worried.
"No… nothing. Just paranoia." Yeah, paranoia. But just in case, I won't comment on anything. I'll just enjoy myself. Yes.
"Shade, why are you so tense? You already walk around like you're on needles all the time—relax at least now," Ves pressed her chest to my back and nipped my ear.
"Fine. For you."
And to my surprise, nothing happened. Apparently the Force decided to take pity on me and at least let me rest now—for which, glory and special thanks.
A ball that flew into my forehead pulled me out of my thoughts. Half-opening my eyes, I looked at the laughing Hadiya.
"Play?"
"No-o-o-o. I'm so la-a-a-azy," I smiled. Truly, after Ves's massage I didn't want to move at all.
"Weakling!"
"Who are you calling a weakling?"
"You. Who else?"
"Hm… That's a provocation."
"Exactly!"
"Fine. It worked," I sighed, getting up. "Come here, you Shikaakwa monster, I'm going to gi—" The same ball hit the back of my head. "—ve you… Ves!"
"Hee."
"So you teamed up, did you? All right, I'll show you…"
Catching both of them and giving them a little thump with that ball took no effort at all. What did catch me, though, was someone's intense stare. Turned out it was ordinary paparazzi filming Hadiya outside her home. After dunking them a couple of times, then having Ramira revive the poor bastards, I asked if they understood their mistake. After getting a yes, I dunked them once more, revived them again, and let them go. Because kriff ruining either my rest or the girls' rest. The guys were fully in agreement. Though… the crowd on the beach thinned out a bit, yes—but good, less noise.
After that came shopping trips. No, not clothes, as one might think. Vessira got stuck in the local armory, while Hadiya looked into buying the shops themselves. Well… to each their own. The one place they were completely united was the confectionery. I'd never seen that level of synchronized behavior from them in my life.
Variety arrived when we accidentally ran into radicals calling on people to settle on the planet. Like, the rich have long had private houses on Ska-Gora, while ordinary citizens have to cram into the floating cities. There was something else about faith, but we weren't listening anymore. We looked at them, exchanged glances with the friends, and went about our business, leaving it to security to handle. It's not that the activists were wrong—the floating cities do have limited space—but on Ska-Gora there truly isn't a single residential house. Even the miners have to fly to the worksite directly from the floating cities, and the mines are equipped in such a way as to minimize any damage to nature. And that's watched very carefully.
Returning to the beaches, a competition began: who could build what out of sand. When Vessira used the Force to make a big sand raptor, a new rule was introduced—only what was made by hand counted. Even so, Ves took first place, I took second, Hadiya third.
Despite the games and rest, subconsciously I kept waiting for life to spring a trap—or for an attempt on Hadiya, which is the same thing. She's not exactly a simple girl; plus she'd recently become queen, and, let's be honest, not everyone was happy about that. Not everyone. But despite my worries, everything stayed calm. Out of curiosity, I even brought it up with Hadiya herself.
"Shade… are you serious right now?" she looked at me like I was… well, not an idiot, but close.
"Yeah. Why?"
"First: behind your back they call you the Demon of the Tyrant. And everyone understands that while you're nearby, it's better to stay away from me. Second, here and now your mother is with us, and she's also a known figure. And third, I'm not the kind of person someone will just attempt to kill like that anymore. Under my власть there are those who, even if I'm gone, will grind to dust anyone who dared—because I really did create order and stability on my land; the миграция is proof. So I don't think there's some lunatic who'll try to kill me now."
"Unless it's one of the aristocrats you ruined, who has nothing left to lose," Ves added "casually," filing her claws.
"Unless it's that," Hadiya agreed. "But I know all of those by face." And, after a moment, she added, "All the ones who survived."
"Y-yeah. I'll keep it in mind."
And to my surprise, throughout the entire rest there really were no global problems. I even called Tsikuna to check whether everything was fine on Tython, and there too there was order. Either the Force truly heard me, or a storm is coming.
***
I didn't want to return to workdays, but it was necessary. At least to finish sorting through the Kwa holocron, and then we could think about moving to Shikaakwa. So, letting Hadiya go home (after all, she's the Queen!), Ves and I returned to Enil Kesh.
To разнообразить scientific activity, I periodically sparred with different Masters using Forcesabers. Ordinary-saber tactics didn't work here anymore—I couldn't use the weapon's weight, so I had to improvise and use new combined techniques. For example, switching the weapon off at the right moment, or chaining combinations with unarmed techniques. Mom laughed when she saw me trying to assemble a new combo out of two completely different styles. And I even managed something. I just need to tune it and polish it.
Seeing my efforts, a Master from Stav Kesh was sent to us. The martial-arts Master I already knew arrived—the one who'd kept me company in sparring when Mom wasn't around.
I noticed by accident that because of the high concentration of brains around me, I started poking at electronics here and there. They say it right: you pick up habits from the company you keep. And that measured schedule lasted right up until I got to my father's notes left on the Kwa holocron.
And there was so-o-o much interesting stuff. In one section, Father подробно described transitioning from one system to another using Force techniques. You could call it a form of foresight, but he invented it and tested it in practice himself. In essence, a Je'daii would sense danger and, laying a route through unexplored territory, could steer a ship away from trouble. The ship itself would carefully record the route, and if not for wandering anomalies, we could have long ago established stable jumps to neighboring systems.
But that's not the point. The point is that using Kwa techniques and Father's theory, I could recreate a similar technique for myself. At least in case the Infinity Gate doesn't work, so we have a way to safely leave on the Sleeper Ship into unknown regions. I don't know whether I'll ever need it, and I hope not, but better to have it.
Also, with Father's help, I managed to pull out a few more perks for myself—specifically, inspiration. It's a mental Force ability where you boost your comrades. I saw it in Akar Kesh but couldn't adapt it; now, though… very much yes.
Noticing my interest in Father, Dalien dragged in old records about him from somewhere. No, I knew before that my dad was an insanely strong Miraluka, but now… they should put up a golden statue of him the size of a cruiser. Seriously. For starters, he never ran. In one recording, back when Dalien was still training under Father, they got into trouble on Shikaakwa. While Dalien hid, Saros simply went straight at the enemy. Walking. With complete calm. And not a single bullet or shard hit him; he didn't even use any defensive techniques.
And later too, as Dalien said—if Dad switched from walking to running, that meant total f*cking disaster. Otherwise he always walked and kept perfect calm and complete indifference. Something explodes nearby? Who cares. A bullet whistles by? Okay. A saarl bursts from the ground and is about to eat you? One step to the side, leave explosives where you were standing—voilà!
I was blown away by my father's abilities, and I understood—I'd never reach that. Dalien even told me in secret how much Mom used to rage about it. Saros was always a step ahead of her words, always a step ahead overall, and always could find the right key to her. Looking at it like that, there was nothing surprising about them getting together.
And then I felt kind of ashamed. Looking at myself in the mirror, I asked myself—what have I achieved? Mom is a legend, and it was her fame I rode on when I was young. Father is a pioneer who truly changed our world, as did his student. Hadiya… yes, I helped her, but in essence I stand in her shadow, because she came to the title of Queen herself, thanks to her charisma, mind, and talent. More than that, she's returning an entire planet to the right path! Ves… she just follows me as someone stronger. She believes in me—and where I succeed, she stands right there beside me. But… what have I achieved on my own?
Yes, I swing a blade. Yes, I'm not a bad fighter and a solid average Hunter. The fact I wield the Unifying Force doesn't mean much yet, because I don't have any outstanding achievements in it. The Forcesaber? I just latched onto an idea and brought it to completion within our reality. The Kwa holocron? If others could interact with it safely, nobody would have put it in my hands. Kriff, because of my own research I have to take money from Hadiya!
"Shade?" Ves called worriedly, coming up behind me. Eh… she senses everything.
"Everything's fine, Ves. I'm just kind of complexing because there are so many great beings around me, and I'm, like…"
"Like what?"
"You could say—a loser."
"You're not a loser."
"Oh yeah? Ves, I'm always walking in someone's shadow, and it irritates me a little. My own inability irritates me."
"Shade, that's not true at all."
"Yeah? Then tell me—what did I do? Specifically me, with my own силы or hands."
"Mm…"
"Ves, you know what my goal was, but now everything changed. I ignored a lot, but now I can't follow my own old selfish убеждения anymore, because they disgust me. Especially compared to my parents. In the end, it feels like I'm shaming them."
"Shaming them?" the Cathar smirked and hugged me from behind. "Shade… you cleared your father's name when he was considered a renegade. You forced the Order to admit its own mistakes. More than that, you managed to become the only Je'daii who truly follows the Order's Code and possesses the Unifying Force. If that's shame, then yes—you're the greatest shame in history, including mine," Ves nodded seriously. "And if you keep 'shaming' everyone like that, then all the better. And in my eyes, you'll always be that same lively, kind boy who pestered everyone and everything, and whom I decided to stay beside. And, by the way, you were never selfish."
"Y-yeah."
"And also, it seems your time will come. The Force didn't lead you to this day for nothing. And while everything is good, just enjoy the present."
"You're right, Ves. I really fell apart," I said, turning and hugging the Cathar with a fresh surge of energy. "Thank you."
"There. Much better. What are you plotting?" she immediately caught my shift in mood.
"Oh, nothing… Just remembered we haven't set the table or wiped the threshold for receiving dear guests. I don't know when, or from where, the threat will come, but it will come—I know that for sure. And then, whoever they are, they'll regret raising a hand against my family," I couldn't hold back and bared my teeth a little, already mentally mapping out future work.
"Yes! Now I recognize you."
***
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