"Meanwhile," I drew Revan's attention. "I haven't told you about my romantic adventures. Did you watch my memories?"
Revan's Force ghost usually stood and stared into the void when nothing bothered him. Revan himself, according to his words, is in the afterlife in a place with good Force-sensitives. I asked him if he saw Bastila, and he answered affirmatively. As for the question of whether Revan would see my memory, I was afraid. From birth, I believed that my knowledge of the future was my absolute monopoly. This is a strategic advantage over Palpatine and Damask. No matter what intrigues they weave, knowing a lot, I can greatly inconvenience them.
"Hmm?" Revan turned his attention to me. "Yes... I think if I use that Force technique... But I need a competent, living vessel," he said aloud. "Huh? Did you ask something?"
"Master Revan," I gritted out, "I asked you a whole question. Now, it seems, I'll have to ask two!" What is "that" Force technique? And why do you need a living vessel?!"
"That's three," Revan noted. "Well, I'll answer in order. First – yes, I saw your recent memories. Amazingly, I was able to look into your memory from thirteen to twenty years old. Earlier, from birth to twelve – I couldn't see. I didn't have enough time. I looked into your mind when you gave me control to transfer NK to you. Second – that Force technique is related to the third question, and third – I need it for your training."
"My training?" I asked Revan.
"You know, at first, I didn't care about what was happening now. You don't know my descendants, the Sith have changed, the Jedi too. The logic of the galaxy – remained the same, but the changed factions of Force-sensitives... In short, this is no longer my war," Revan shrugged. "But after listening to your stories, I realized that I still can't. No matter how hard I try, I can't just leave. Returning to the Force, I still think about what we have come to... The Sith have read my research and transformed into Bane's Order. It is from my words, my research into the Sith path – that Bane created his rule and his Order that will crush the Republic. This is partly my responsibility. You, boy, are quite strong. You have a potential no less than mine, or Steris's. A strong Force-sensitive without proper training – is practically nobody. And I gave you training. My knowledge of tactics and strategy was based on old ship TTX, I could only offer you some tricks that work at all times – like unexpected maneuvers, especially in planetary combat, where Revan recommended attacking supply nodes simultaneously with a frontal assault. Classic, according to the textbooks I've long since received. I loaded you with philosophy, trying to develop your own vision of the Force, because when you are confident in your beliefs about the Force – you are much stronger than those who simply blindly follow a created directive, sometimes not even understanding half of it. And I also trained you in Force Techniques. I gave you trials on Lehon, forced you to jump beyond your limits at every training session, because it is a well-known fact – the harder the obstacle, the better you will become after overcoming it. Oh yes, his famous, sadistic training with rancors, fighting with HK-47, wild Rakata, who appeared once, and not only that... Revan squeezed everything out of me, sometimes putting me on the brink of life and death. And finally – you fought a prepared and unrestrained HK who attacked unexpectedly, defeating him... I am pleased with your progress. Our training is excellent, no doubt, but it's not enough. The final stage is needed... The essence of every apprenticeship, whether Jedi, Sith, or even Matukai, is to surpass your mentor. Not necessarily in everything, but to develop those skills, peculiarities in which you are better than your mentor. No matter what you call yourself, Shadow, your specialization is direct combat."
"But I've attacked indirectly so many times..."
"Yes, but don't forget how perfectly you wield both Soresu and Ataru, and some basic other forms. And you've honed Jar'Kai quite a bit. And your Force techniques are practically made for effective confrontation with almost any enemy. So, you must become better than your mentor. You are already definitely better than your initial Knight mentor, Lorm Decer. Surely you are also better than that second one... An'ya Kuro..."
"I doubt the latter. Kuro always has some ace up her sleeve, a trump card that can turn almost any situation upside down. After all, she is a Shadow."
"We are talking about direct combat. If we take purely that, then you will probably defeat her, but if we add her peculiarities, possible attacks from blind spots, traps, and so on, then yes – you might not have enough experience for her yet, but physically we have almost hit the ceiling," Revan said. "Now, me. I am your current mentor. What I have done with you – you know. You have become better at using Force techniques, concentrating faster, attacking with them. And controlling them. But, as I said – that's not all. The final exam is ahead. And here I will give you 'homework.' To test you, boy, I need a free body..."
"Are you going to use possession?" I asked Revan.
"Mmm, yes," the man nodded, "you're right. I intend to possess a living creature and test all your abilities in practice."
"Then are there any requirements for the living creature?"
"Only that it wouldn't be alive in the sense that I would have to take its life and could, in theory, wield the Force. We want to test you fully. And for that, I will need a fair fight. It would be good if the subject had sufficient potential in the Force, after all, I am used to using techniques without special restrictions, without that – the exam will be boring."
"To realize your potential," to fight against Revan? I want to. No, I understand that he is dangerous. But, damn it... I want to test myself fully. Fighting with minor, fallen Jedi and other dark-aligned Force-sensitives, I won't be able to accurately understand what I'm capable of. I almost toyed with Jarko. And a battle with someone like Revan... But... A simple body won't suit him... No, this requires something durable, unique, and with an affinity for the Force... And also something that clearly won't be a pity to hack to shreds. My mood was stubbornly sliding into the abyss of anticipation. Now I will fight "Black Sun" again... But after – I can deal with Revan's exam... Only what will suit him? Ideally, he needs a talent for the Force... Or good endurance, because a living organism won't withstand Revan's Force if it doesn't have enough potential... But that's the problem, not every Force-sensitive is suitable for possessing someone as gifted as Revan. So we discard that and look for a durable body that compensates for the obvious difference in Force with its natural physical endurance... Revan... Well, exactly...
"You've thought of something," Revan noticed my changed expression. The ship entered Rishi's orbit, and there was some activity observed. Two "Dreadnoughts," three "Gozantis," and at least a squadron of strike craft were hovering in orbit. They weren't stopping anyone, but they were clearly scanning.
"Correct," I agreed. "I've thought of something. Looking for a sentient being with high Force potential for you is an almost impossible task. A Jedi Master from the High Council would suit you. Each of them has sufficient talent, a perfect body for possession. But why do you need this?" The ghost looked at me with curiosity. "You need an exam, not permanent possession, right?"
"Yes."
"So it can be temporary. It's not necessary to find a worthy candidate for you who can 'withstand' your Force for an extended period, we need someone who won't fall apart for at least thirty minutes, and I have a whole group of such 'candidates'... on Jebble."
"Jebble?" Revan asked. "Cassus Fett conducted a nuclear bombardment of that planet. It's in the same sector as Taris, where..."
"Where you began your redemption, essentially," I noted. "Your contemporary – Jedi Zayne Carrick sealed, on Jebble, a certain Celeste Morne. Essentially my colleague in the craft."
"Hmm, Alec spoke of Carrick. I remember that boy prevented me from buying a batch of exogorths," that's the creature that tried to eat the "Millennium Falcon" in episode five. A terrible monster.
Exogorth.
"Yes? I don't remember such details, but there's another nuance. Zayne Carrick imprisoned not only Celeste in the Ark of Draip, but also the Sith talisman of Muur."
"Sith talismans are not toys, Light..."
"Oh yes, I see that, watching you," I noted.
"Hah," he snorted, "continue, and you'll develop a sense of humor."
"Muur's talisman," I continued, "allows the creation and control of Rakghouls..."
"Rakghouls?" he asked. "You mean those creatures... I see. Among the Rakghouls, there were even Nekghouls, who were capable of using the Force."
Rakghoul.
Nekghoul.
"Correct. They have excellent bodies, from a physical standpoint, and also – some of them are capable of wielding the Force."
"And you want me to possess a Nekghoul, and then fight you..."
"Yes, they somewhat resemble humans, which you were. Therefore, the battle will be, as it were, with you. The developed body will allow you to use almost all your physical characteristics, and the Nekghoul's talent for the Force will allow you to use the Force. Since it's just a monster, you won't even have to fear that your Force will be too much for the body."
"However, Rakghouls have one nuance, Light," Revan said. "Any bite or scratch will infect you with the Rakghoul plague. After some time, your cute little face will turn... not quite into a cute little face."
"Perhaps that would have affected me, but I have something to counter it with. The Rakghoul plague is created with the Force. Even without a cure for it, I can suppress it. In addition, I studied Matukai techniques, if you forgot, my body is no longer like that of an ordinary sentient being."
"And that's true," Revan noted. "Well, then, the next item, after the battle with 'Black Sun' – Jebble."
"Correct. And we don't necessarily have to participate in the 'Luna' campaign until the end. If I can uncover Damask's machinations with 'Black Sun,' especially with Kabra, and perhaps even link Palpatine to it – I can calmly leave the war."
"Dream on," Revan said. "It's unlikely they are so idiotic as to send someone like a singer along with Alexi Garin to sing: 'The current boss of 'Black Sun,' Kabra, works for the Sith! The Sith are Damask and Palpatine! Jedi, draw targets!' That's at least stupid..."
"And at most – funny, but still – it will be possible to find other useful information. After all, they are not much different from 'The Exchange'..."
"In terms of influence, definitely," Revan noted.
***
Rishi is a planet familiar to me. Without much difficulty, I flew through all possible checkpoints and even received a warning not to "make too much trouble" before landing in a large city that had a reputation among pirates, smugglers... In short, a good reputation among all sorts of scum. After renting a hangar at the spaceport, again under a false name, I set off for the information gathering I had grown to love. Jedi preliminary reconnaissance almost always gave a decent assessment of the situation, give or take. But it always described the situation in general terms. I had already understood that one should only trust one's own eyes and hands. Everything else is situational and relative. So on Rishi, I again used my favorite cocktail of techniques for reconnaissance. Force Cloak helped not to attract the attention of sentient beings. And Sensory Perception – to hear snippets of rumors that could be useful in the mission.
Rishi had transformed. In the capital of the planet, favored by smugglers, one could find a huge number of pirates, mercenaries, bandits of all stripes. A significant clash was brewing, and I was partly responsible for it. As I understood, Jarko Itari's own people were thinking of eliminating her. After all, her ambitions extended far beyond the position of Vigo; she clearly wanted to rule the syndicate instead of Kabra. And if she had been eliminated by her own, everything would have been calm. Within the structure itself, like a syndicate, such showdowns are quite real. Although the lion's share of Vigo are disciplined and subordinate to the common goal, sometimes they break through, criminals, outcasts of society, what can you expect from them? As Revan noted – the lower the faction, the less understanding of honor, reason, and subordination it has. Garbage – cannot live by any laws. This applies to their relationship with ordinary sentient beings, and their relationships with each other. Such matters...
But since I intervened, and then the Republic and the Jedi – Gaven Hornly and his commanders, as well as the Hutts, decided that the syndicate was too weakened and began to act openly. Which provoked the current situation. The elimination of Itari's cell undermined "Black Sun," albeit insignificantly. The cell was held together by fanatical devotion to Jarko herself, so her people, seeing the death of their leader, laid down their arms very quickly, although some dreamed of revenge. Nevertheless, Jarko's entire army, the fleet of her cell, which, by the way, was one of the strongest that the Vigo organizations could field, quickly disintegrated... The fleet was completely shattered, with my help. The army was mostly either destroyed or captured. Rare, statistically insignificant groups of Jarko's bandits returned to the organization. This is not critical damage, but it is noticeable.
Naturally – the Hutts and Gaven himself became more active. Apparently, they had an alliance with each other... So... We clearly have two factions... Gaven Hornly sees a chance – eliminating one of the candidates for the title of the new Vigo of the organization, Alexi Garin, as well as further defeats of the syndicate, could lead to a new criminal organization rising here, under his rule. The Hutts... Apparently, they want to seize resource points, bases, and production facilities of the criminal business of the Syndicate "Black Sun" and would definitely not refuse to have Hornly as a vassal. Or a debtor... Although the former is preferable. This would significantly strengthen the Hutt cartel. So if Hornly's forces fight at full strength, then the Hutts will clearly try to hold back their forces, to then say to Hornly: "Heel, cur"... Well, and "Black Sun," in the person of Alexi Garin – definitely wants to regain its reputation and crush Gaven Hornly... A war against the Hutts is unlikely to continue if Gaven himself is removed from the equation. Most likely, the Hutts and "Black Sun," after eliminating Gaven's organization, will go their separate ways, home. After all, the Hutts will understand in that case that "Black Sun" can still pack a punch. Thus, this entire conflict boils down to the personality of Gaven Hornly himself. And to extinguish it – he should be eliminated.
Where is Hornli? On his Dreadnaught, in the Rishi system. I found that out by eavesdropping on stories from the PMC "Luna" guys. They usually kept to themselves, projecting an aura of "get too close and you'll get a hole between the eyes"... But even so, I managed to overhear them. All that's left is to arrange a meeting with Haven himself. I think, I dare to hope, more broadly. Eliminating Haven Hornli won't do me any good right now. Based on the information I managed to glean studying the Star Wars universe, Kabra, the current leader of "Black Sun," is working with Hego Damask. It is this fact that stopped me from doing what I had to do in the current situation, as a Jedi Knight of the Shadow Corps. Namely, to simply cut down all the leaders I could reach. However... Defeating a couple of Sith – Plagueis-Sidious by killing them – is almost impossible. They've managed to mess things up too much, and besides, in the world, they are quite worthy sentient beings. This means we need proof of their filth, proof that could drown the political career of Sidious himself, even if he becomes Supreme Chancellor, even in such a privy as the Galactic Republic Senate. And such proof I can obtain...
The thread from Haven Hornli leads to his former colleague Alexi Garin, who was responsible for eliminating Haven's former employer – Dalridn. And from Alexi Garin, the thread leads to his direct superior – Kabra. And even though in the future, Alexi, most likely physically eliminating Kabra, will become the new boss of the organization, but now I will be able, in theory, to get information bit by bit, at least some... Or get nothing at all. In that case, I'll just kill everyone: destroy Haven and his organization, but before that, I'll thin out "Black Sun" as much as possible, using the Hutts and Luna. In this mess – I absolutely don't care about the victims and the costs. Bandits are fighting, who, if not me, then someone else would have to clean up.
It was already dark when I sensed a Force-sensitive, and a very strong one at that, for someone who could be Haven's subordinate Nira, or Haven himself. Alexi Garin is also Force-sensitive... But the essence of it is that neither Nira, nor Haven Hornli, nor Alexi Garin were strong enough to be taken to the Jedi Temple. Some Force-sensitive current could have taught them, but not the Jedi. And I felt, judging by everything, a Jedi. He almost didn't hide. A spy from the Order? No, for espionage, they usually send a Shadow... My brother-in-arms would hardly be quickly discovered by me. Sensory perception would do its job, yes, but not quickly. And here, it was as if this individual had always been on the periphery of my consciousness. Moreover, this sentient being clearly didn't sense me due to my Force concealment. I've trained that well...
Jarko sensed me only at the very last moment. And even then, she dodged, most likely, not so much because of her sensory perception, but because of the predatory instincts that Ansati possess, who hunt for "soup." Here, the Force-sensitive behaved too calmly... I went into an alley. I need to find out who it is. Jumping onto the roof of a three-story building, with the help of the Force and three jumps, I approached the edge of the roof from where I sensed the Force-sensitive. Standing at the very edge, I took a breath of the night air and concentrated. My sensory perception spread for about three kilometers around me. If I enter meditation and partially stop hiding myself, I can cover an even greater distance around me. Found... The aura was calm, bright, and structured. Clearly trained. Distance... Two kilometers and three hundred and ten meters. Apparently, the owner of the aura was in a cantina, surrounded by other sentient beings. Apparently, it's still an observer from the Order...
For a spy, he hides unskillfully. Ideally, one should use Force concealment and sensory perception to be unnoticed and listen to information. But, as I've already noted, the owner of the aura, one might say, didn't hide at all. Jumping to the neighboring roof, about three meters from the building, I headed towards the owner of the aura. I didn't drop the concealment on the go... My Force potential is too high – everyone would feel it, including, most likely, Nira. And for now, I wanted to remain incognito. Jumping from building to building, I stopped right on the roof of the cantina where the Force-sensitive was. I need to lure him out. If I go inside, I'll be immediately discovered, even concealment won't help here. I'm too close, my clothes are too specific, and it won't work on a well-trained Force-sensitive. How will he react? Who knows, so it's better to lure him into some alley. How? The solution came quickly... The cantina was busy, people were constantly going in and out. So, having secretly caught one sentient being, who had already softened his brains quite a bit with alcohol, I influenced him to commit the most trivial theft. I indicated the exact location to the short Twi'lek of my target, and I returned to the roof and waited.
The result came in thirty seconds. As I expected, the Jedi didn't start swinging his lightsaber right in the cantina, breaking his cover, but rushed after the thief. The Twi'lek led him, or rather, judging by her form, her, into an alley.
"Return my things," she decided to use Force persuasion. The knight's voice was calm and clear. Her body was wrapped in a cloak. From here, it was noticeable that she was tall.
Well... I should get acquainted with a colleague from the Order. Jumping down, I tried to pin her to the ground, but she jumped back... The woman turned out to be a Nurian. Her dark skin was almost invisible in the night, but I recognized the eyes, which were characteristic of this race. The eyes were represented by vertical black stripes, placed in an orange iris. She quickly realized that I was Force-sensitive and was about to activate her lightsaber, but I was faster, pulling it from under her cloak into my hand. What a cliché to hang a lightsaber on your belt, on the opposite side from your dominant hand and hide it under a cloak?
"I don't think you should be waving that weapon around here," I shook my head.
"Who are you? And what do you want?" the Nurian asked.
I looked at the Twi'lek, whom I used as a means to attract the attention of the beautiful Jedi-Nurian, and then said, "Sleep," the man, under the influence of the Force, passed out. "It's more appropriate to ask who you are, Jedi Knight, and what you need here."
"Answering a question with a question is not polite, especially to a lady."
"You clearly haven't noticed, respected lady, but I'm the only one with a weapon here. So let's use rule number zero from etiquette."
"Which one? I've never heard of such a thing..."
"This rule is: if you have a weapon, and your opponent doesn't, then you are in charge of the conversation. However... You are clearly an intelligent woman and can guess who I am and what I belong to."
"A Shadow," she guessed. "I didn't sense you, except for the very last moment when you clearly indicated your intention. Did you want to boast about your abilities?"
"To study yours," I corrected her. "I am indeed a Shadow. My name should not concern you, but if you doubt, I can give you my code, which, when entered into the database, will confirm that I am not deceiving you – such codes are used for the identification of Shadows. We are not always obliged to reveal our names. But the code will simply say: whether such a Jedi exists or not."
"No need, I don't sense any lies in your words. I am Master Jedi Tal, you can just call me Tal," she introduced herself. So that's it. A Nurian and this name... Is she the master whom Qui-Gon Jinn was in love with? "But I suppose you are not here by the will of the Council," she surmised.
I returned her lightsaber, she clearly understands that I told the truth. Can she sense truth and lies? It's easy to deceive this technique if a novice uses it, but she is a Master Jedi. And she clearly hasn't lived for the first day.
"That's right, you know that we can act at our own discretion, unless ordered otherwise?" I inquired. "So I am here of my own free will. There are some things I intend to do here. And you... Were you sent as an observer of the military conflict?"
"Yes," the Nurian agreed. "My task is to report all movements of all participating factions to the Temple. The Order is concerned about this conflict. The Republic is unlikely to intervene. For them – the more criminals die, the better," she said sadly.
"A very stupid approach, because this is not a war of annihilation. The victor – captures the resources of the loser, thereby becoming stronger," I said. "But are you here alone? Is there no one else with you?"
"In this direction, there will be other Jedi from the Order, but that's if the Order decides to intervene."
"I see," I said.
"What are you planning?" Tal simply asked. "Are you going to destroy the bandit leaders?"
And she knows about the specifics of the Shadows' work. But no... As I've already noted – for now, they all need to be alive.
"Not yet," I answered concisely, crossing my arms over my chest, "we'll see later. Well, Master Tal, it was a pleasure to meet you. Now that I know you are here – I will act with consideration for your presence. I will inform you of all my actions if they are global in nature. For now – keep the information about my presence a secret. Shadows need to work in the shadows... If you need anything," I activated the transmission, "here are my contacts."
The woman accepted them.
"Then you too..."
"I don't need yours," I grinned. "I'm a Shadow, remember?"
"You'll find it through the database," she guessed. "In that case – may the Force be with you."
"And with you, Master Tal. I will definitely contact you soon."
Nurian Tal.