In the morning, I was already in the southern part of the city, where I was supposed to meet Jacob Jarps's group. The landscape was ordinary for this planet: sand, driven by a light breeze, and that's basically it. The city of Mos Espa was still sleeping, at least – there were very few inhabitants on the streets themselves.
"I see you're ready," the voice of the Dark Woman sounded from behind.
"And you've even done some preparation. Although it was rude of you not to pay for my lunch, Light. Have you ever heard of etiquette? A man must pay for a woman."
"Well, I never intended to be a diplomat," I replied to Kuro without turning around.
"And besides, neither my home planet's etiquette rules nor your home planet's rules prescribe such a thing. Sephi even consider such a thing an insult to a woman and prejudice. And all such meetings happen according to the scheme: everyone pays exactly for what they ordered. It's foolish to order an extremely rare and expensive dish if you work as a sewage cleaner."
"I see," Kuro grunted, "it seems the boy has grown teeth and is now trying to bite. Only very clumsily."
"A gifted Sephi can live for a thousand years, I'm not even a hundred," I remarked.
"You'll still be proud of me. If you live that long."
"If you live, because you might not turn out worse than Lorm," Kuro said, standing next to me.
"Did you come to give me advice?" I asked, turning to my mentor, whose face was also hidden by a hood.
"It's useless in your case. Lorm influenced you too much, both your character and your perception of the Force," she sighed.
"He remains your teacher, even after death. I'm just polishing your skills. Although I must note that the way you look at the Force is a bit strange, even from the perspective of a sentient being like Lorm."
"Even I myself cannot understand how I look at the Force," I shook my head.
"That was your problem, but it also set you apart, favorably, from everyone else. You unconsciously, in the eyes of your mentors and even Lorm – did not divide the Force, but used it. There is the Light Side of the Force, there is the Dark Side of the Force..."
"And there is the Unifying Force, which our predecessors knew how to use..."
"All Jedi who tried to study the Unifying Force – fell into Darkness one way or another," Kuro replied harshly.
"I've cut down so many of them, you wouldn't believe it. So don't tell me about the Unifying Force. Fairy tales, nothing more. You either use Darkness, or Light. Before your Padawanhood, and I spoke with your mentors who guided you as a youngling, it wasn't very noticeable. But now I see... After the Fall – you view the Force not as Light or Darkness, but as some kind of substance."
"Energy," I interjected, "a bio-energetic field that permeates all living things. Why do we, Jedi, and our counterparts – divide everything into Light and Darkness? When the Force is just energy. But let's not have these fairy tales about good and evil, mentor..."
"And I thought I was going for a walk, taking you as a student," Kuro sighed heavily.
"Depending on the side of the Force – so go our actions. We, Jedi, protect peace, tranquility, and the well-being of the majority of Sentient beings. Light always protects and warms. Sith, on the contrary, in their love for Darkness, have always wanted only to destroy, subjugate, and rule. They would prefer to destroy what they don't understand. Do you understand? Your view of the Force is strange, but it's definitely not what a true Jedi should have. It's not a fact that they won't make you a Knight because of this. On the contrary, they will make you one, considering your abilities. But ask yourself a question. With such an attitude, can you bear the responsibility of our Order to the Galaxy? The responsibility for a huge number of lives. No. Sooner or later – you will fall again with such an attitude. And I am not Lorm, I will be forced to use my blade against you... What a pity, and you have so much talent. But discipline, apparently, is lacking. This is what I would like to teach you."
"I will hope that your lessons will be useful to me, mentor," I said, bowing.
"I hope so too. I would really not want to receive an order from Master Jonnal about your liquidation. And he wouldn't even think twice, Light. I'll leave you now," Kuro told me.
"I won't follow your group... with special zeal. This is a test for you and your skills, and the prize is incredibly valuable. I hope it's worth it. May the Force be with you," the woman disappeared.
Won't follow? So be it. I'm sure I can handle it. I just need to do what I always do. But this time, to the fullest, so to speak. No excuses, no regrets, and no holding back. Yes... And as for the Republic? The Jedi Order? The Force? Exactly... I feel something strange, like a fleeting vision. I feel like I'm starting to understand what I need to do. But something is missing. Something that doesn't allow me to completely rethink everything and define my path to the end. Until Lorm's death, I was a Jedi because I hoped I could change something without sacrificing anything, using my knowledge of the "canon." Now I understand that he who does not sacrifice, changes nothing. We sacrifice our time, energy, mental health, to become stronger. So on a galactic scale... Something must be sacrificed to change everything. Everything that will be... but why should I do this? Why am I still, understanding that hellish trials await me in the future – still clinging to something?
What keeps me in the Jedi Order? What makes me move forward? The desire to survive, which gnaws at me like a flame during another battle? Or the understanding that a Force-sensitive with my talents cannot live peacefully in this Galaxy? Or perhaps something greater, altruistic, burns within me... What tells me to put everything on the line to change future events? Or is it pride that pushes me? Pride that looks at me with contempt? If not pride... Because if it's pride, then nothing has changed even with such sacrifices. My teacher and the girl died because of damned pride.
"You're late," I said sharply, sensing the heavy steps of four sentient beings. Now is not the time for introspection, considering that I have almost found the answer. Only a couple of puzzles are left to get. I hope it will bring at least a little clarity... to my meaningless actions.
"The meeting was supposed to be twenty minutes ago."
"There were... unforeseen difficulties," Jacob said.
"We had to get distracted."
"The mercenary group that set up camp nearby suddenly decided that their speeders were broken because we messed around at their base," Hori's voice came.
"Do you happen to know anything about this?"
"I think," I turned to the group, "I accidentally took a couple of 'extra' parts from their speeders. And besides. I'm the one who cut off their comrade's hand."
"They didn't ask about the hand," Bombur said.
"But they did ask about the damaged transport."
"Then they are idiots," I summarized.
"Twenty-nine sentient beings against four Mandalorians... Even drunk, I wouldn't bet on a different outcome," but now it's clear about the strange sounds. I thought it was gunfire. But who knows. Mos Espa, after all. They can shoot here every day.
"Again, I'm surprised by you, son," Wanda said mockingly.
"Do you even know why sentient beings get drunk?"
"I know, auntie," I replied innocently.
"But you don't. You don't take off your helmet, according to the Code. It's respected, yes... But it imposes... certain restrictions. I even doubt: whether you are a woman or a girl. After all: the code and rules are sacred for Mandalorians."
"Hahaha-ha-ha-ha," Bombur laughed.
"He got you, Wanda."
"Shut up," the woman's voice came.
"And you, little, impudent, rude..."
"Hey, don't swear in front of children," I stopped her.
"Oh, stop it," Bombur said dramatically, clutching a part of his armor on his stomach.
"I'll die like this!"
"Enough," Jacob's cold voice cut off sharply.
"I thought we had a serious matter here. And you're a bit distracted from the topic. At least one more group will move from Mos Espa and about five from Mos Eisley. And you're behaving like children in kindergarten. Either take this matter seriously, or the city behind my back."
Silence fell. Jacob spoke sharply, coldly, and with his voice, he, as it were, drowned out Bombur's laughter and Wanda's response to me. He instantly made us all listen only to him.
"Are there any who wish to return? Those who think we're going on a picnic can return. No? Then gather and get ready," he said.
"Prepare your speeders. You have ten minutes, then we begin the operation. And I want to warn you, Padawan, about the iron rule of the 'Steel Strike' group. If you fall behind – no one will have your back. My group – does not tolerate weaklings and whiners. I can only help in combat, and even then, depending on the situation. Understood?"
I just nodded.
"Yeah, good," Jacob's voice came.
"Then go, get your bike ready," he nodded at my speeder.
My speeder had been ready for a long time. So I just glanced over it, especially some important nodes that could give way. After all, we were heading into the desert, into the Dune Sea. Using technology in the desert has its specifics. High temperatures, sand, wind... All this could be extremely unpleasant not only for sentient beings but also for technology.
"So," Jacob concluded.
"Everyone ready? Then let's begin," he pressed a couple of buttons on his datapad and brought up a holomap.
"The approximate area where the Krayt Dragon lives is quite large. Initial reconnaissance indicates a square twenty kilometers long and wide. The first objective is to reach this square. It will take us about an hour and a half to two hours to reach the square. Then we need to find our target. We will reach the square on speeders, switching to rocket packs only in battle," he nodded to his team members.
"So. We've reached the square. Is everything related to reaching the square clear? Any questions? Excellent. Special formation for travel: the Jedi goes first, at the head of the column. I know – your reflexes are much more powerful than those of ordinary sentient beings. I'm sure that if we are attacked head-on – you'll come up with something," I nodded.
"Immediately after you, I follow, the group commander. I hope you have no illusions?"
"The group is yours, I joined, which means you are the commander, Jacob," I said indifferently.
"I only know about Mandalorian group tactics from history courses. And I can't command you. It would be inefficient."
"Then I'll continue," Jacob nodded.
"Immediately after me follows Hori, after Hori – Wanda, and after Wanda – Bombur. Hori provides operational information during movement, so the whole group will have to adjust to his speed, he is the only one whose speeder will be controlled by a droid, and I need you to use your system hacking skills, Hori. Hack our enemy's communication and report their movements to us. Bombur will provide rear cover... in his own style," he looked at the last Mandalorian.
"How will we search for the Krayt Dragon?" Wanda asked Jacob.
"Tatooine's temperature makes some sensors... inoperable. Therefore, we will have to search for the Krayt Dragon using bait. We divide into three groups. I go alone, crossing the square in the center, Wanda and the Padawan head to the right, Hori and Bombur – to the left. We keep in touch with each other, if our target attacks someone, we call the others."
"Sensors might have problems," I said thoughtfully.
"But in my group, I was the best in terms of Force sensory techniques. Predicting the future during combat, finding vulnerabilities," the Mandalorians looked at me, "and including – sensing the Force. Roughly speaking – I can perfectly sense invisible targets. The Krayt Dragon is a huge living creature and sensing it won't be a problem for me."
"Is that so?" Jacob asked, a strange tone in his voice.
"Interesting. And what is the radius of your sensations? I understand that this ability is active from your body. You can't, as it were, transfer it to a certain area."
"I can't detach it from my body, although in deep meditation I can catch 'hints,' let's call it that. But we don't have time for me to sit in deep meditation. Firstly – it's time. Secondly – I will be extremely vulnerable during such meditation. But there is another option. I can use sensory perception while moving. The range of the technique is about five hundred meters in all directions. If we accept your plan, Wanda and I will have an advantage."
"No," Jacob shook his head.
"My first plan, with new input, is now invalid. Since you can cover such an area with your Force, everything now hinges on you. The group will not split up, we will simply continue to follow you," an editor appeared on the holomap.
"We will cross the square. Then, if we don't find the target – we will go another five hundred meters in another direction and cross it again. All this time you will be trying to find the dragon. Until you find it, we will be crossing the square. Moreover, in this case, we will also act as a profitable bait. They are voracious creatures, at least they will prefer to attack several at once, so they have something to eat."
"So, we're hoping on the kid?" Wanda asked.
"Besides everything else – he will be able to predict the attack on us too," Hori remarked.
"No," I objected.
"You have a much better chance of predicting an attack on the group. My detection radius is five hundred meters. Not enough to realize any advantage."
"But considering the speed at which we will cover the distance to the enemy," Bombur's voice came.
"It will be enough for me to charge the grenade launcher."
"Each to their own," Wanda sighed heavily.
"Meanwhile: how will we fight?" I asked Jacob.
"Obviously, you will attack in close combat. Your task, Padawan – is to keep it at a distance from us. Of sentient beings – only Jedi and Sith like to fight in close combat. Others use blasters. And the most dangerous fauna objects – prefer close combat. We have had many problems with mobile, and not so mobile, strong and resilient fauna objects, because they closed the distance. Therefore, we Mandalorians use jetpacks. But now it's not a fact that we will need to use them. Use your sword," Jacob nodded at my right hand, where my Lightsaber was attached, "and keep the Krayt Dragon away from us."
"Seems easy," I said thoughtfully.
"But it's a giant and strong creature. Do you think I can hold it? Physical strength has never been my strong suit. And in general – is it even possible? It weighs a couple of tons!"
"And do Jedi only use swords?" Wanda asked innocently.
"Even with the Force... I think I can buy you no more than a minute."
"That's enough," Bombur said confidently, "I have three grenade launchers with me."
"As for encountering sentient beings..."
"Everyone fights as they know how, Hori," Jacob interrupted him.
"With the dragon, we fight as a group. And with sentient beings – everyone as they know how."
When the tactics and plan were clear, we got on our speeders and rushed into the desert. Maybe no one saw it, but I was overcome with pre-battle jitters... in the sense that: I'm finally in the game, after such a break. The speeders rushed through the desert... Suddenly Hori's message was heard.
"Those mercenaries, or rather their remnants, decided to use their ship."
"And I told you, Bombur, that we should have finished them off!"
"They don't want to get the Krayt Dragon. They want to finish us off," Hori explained.
"What do we do, Jacob?"
"Don't break formation," Jacob's order was heard. At an altitude of about ten meters, to our left, the very ship appeared.
"Bombur, shoot it down."
"Allow me," I intervened in the conversation.
"VV, are you there?" – adjusting to my droid's channel, I asked him.
A positive trill was my answer.
"What the... Another ship is approaching at high speed. A... 'Star Courier' class?" Hori reported.
"That's mine. Now..."
The Star Courier came from the right and fired three missiles at the mercenary ship. The sentient beings there didn't have time to react. They hadn't even put their vessel into combat mode before that, so they didn't use missile countermeasures. The missiles hit the engines precisely. An explosion sounded, and the pirate vessel tilted and headed for the inhospitable sands of Tatooine.
"What did you do to it for a courier ship to fire missiles?" Hori's voice came.
"Just modified it... a little."
"A little? This ship is simply ideal for sabotage! It has stygium coating on its panels!"
"In the Galaxy, slaves are bought for money, Hori," I replied.
"So why not buy a decent ship? Although I didn't buy it. It's a trophy, a memento of one idiot."
"Both of you shut up," Jacob said, "our square is close. Use your technology, Padawan."
I concentrated. The dragon, quite possibly, is underground. They can sleep in caves or even slightly bury themselves, forming hills... dunes. About five minutes later, we found them... Right behind one of the dunes, a real tragedy unfolded. We stopped to look... Twisted technology, sentient beings, blood, and devastation. Some were torn apart, mangled, and dismembered.
"According to the data, there were twenty-three sentient beings in this gang," Hori's voice came.
"I can confidently state that they were one of the groups from Mos Eisley."
"Did the dragon do this to them?" I flinched.
"Do you feel it?" Wanda asked.
"No," I shook my head, "although I'm using the technique to its maximum."
"It must have gotten away not far," Jacob informed.
"We can try to look for tracks," he looked at one of the sentient beings. It lay right in the center of a paw print. Slightly to the side were other prints.
"There are only nineteen here. It carried four away, apparently, to its lair. The problem is that its lair is not in the nearby caves, which are too small for a creature of its size. Most likely, it doesn't have a permanent lair at all. It figured out how to bury itself in the sand and sleep wherever it pleases. Due to its size and ferocity – it can afford it."
This is... I stopped abruptly as we were heading towards the speeders. It can't be... These sensations.
"Is everything alright, Padawan?" Wanda asked.
"It seems you'll have to continue the search without me," I replied to the group.
"There are two Dark Force-sensitives present here. And they've taken a course towards us."
"Sith?" Bombur asked.
"No. Too weak for Sith," not that he was stronger than Shilazh. And if it were a Sith, like Sheev Palpatine or Hego Damask – I'm sure I would have felt it a hundred times stronger than the chilling sensation I felt now. But still palpable...
"For effective confrontation with them, it is logical to use the group," Jacob remarked.
"Only if you don't have a Force-sensitive on your side," I dismissed.
"Your group is long-range, and I, as you noticed, fight in close combat. During combat, a Force-sensitive moves at high speeds. And it will be difficult for me to fight together with you. You will, roughly speaking, just get in my way. Leave. I'll catch up with you later. Come on! And don't forget my share!"
"To get your share, you first need to survive, kid," Wanda's voice came.
"Yes," Jacob nodded.
"If you survive – we'll give you what's due, I swear on my honor. But if you die, we won't avenge you, don't be offended. Revenge is a futile feeling. It won't bring the dead back. So I wish you that your Force be with you."
Bombur, however, just shoved something into my left hand.
"Hope for the Force, but carry grenades with you," I heard a whisper.
"And may it help you too, Mandalorians," I nodded, turning towards the Force-sensitives, who were already close. The Mandalorians, using their speeders, disappeared from the current location... so to speak. My Lightsaber flew into my right hand.
Two Gifted, clad in black cloaks that hid their faces, appeared before me.
"A Jedi," one of them said. "How unexpected... and pleasant."
"Lies," I shook my head. "You guys wouldn't have come here if you didn't expect me. And since you're here, it's not as unexpected as it should be. What's your goal? And who are you?"
"Ha-ha-ha-ha. Maiko, what are we talking about again?" the second asked the first silhouette. "Let's hack him to shreds!"
So, by all appearances, both have fallen. But the one who is Maiko controls himself better. As for the second...
"For you now, it's 'Master Maiko,' my apprentice," the first said. "We wanted to get crystals from the dragon's belly. But they're not going anywhere." Maiko activated his crimson lightsaber blade. "First, we'll kill you."
"And naturally," I activated my lightsaber. "There's no point in our conflict, just as there's no point in any conflict between the Sentient, but you will try to kill me through it."
"Another damn diplomat on our heads!" the apprentice exclaimed. "I'll chop you into tiny pieces," he ignited his lightsaber blade.
"There is a point to our conflict. You are someone's trump card. One of the hunting groups. We cannot allow such a trump card to exist... I would offer you to join us, but..."
"But I'll send you to a Hutt's ass, and I'll be right, Fallen One," I took the Ataru stance, using a one-handed grip. Grenades were clutched in my left hand. I need to destroy their escape route first. They won't use my bike, because I went to the trouble of demanding biometric security on it.
"It's worse for you..."
"No. It's worse for you," I applied a standard "cocktail" of techniques for combat. Enhancing physical characteristics, foresight, weak points. I can handle it... After so many training sessions, two fallen Padawans are no match for me. It was obvious... They weren't even Knights when they fell. And although not everything in the world is so clear-cut, I was confident in my victory... No matter what I brought to the Galaxy, I wasn't going to die here.