Upon returning to the room, I saw Mom and Dalien calmly chatting, reminiscing about the past and sipping something non-alcoholic.
The bodyguards… or helpers, I’m not sure what they are to Dalien, were no longer in the room.
Quickly explaining to my mother that I needed to fly to Shikaakwa, we started coordinating our actions.
First of all, we postponed all this activity around the Old City.
Secondly — we concluded that we needed to finish our primary tasks.
For me, that’s the Pilgrimage, and now also Hadiya; my mother also has her own assignments weighing on her.
Dalien was given new parameters, with which he was supposed to revise the old plan and provide a new one by our return, which we would work from.
And until we clear up what we have, no active operations!
Before leaving the ship, I begged some data on the Hypergate from Dalien.
I’ll study it in my free time when I get around to it.
“looked in the book” Damn.
It’s definitely not going to be anytime soon.
I’m like that hamster that grabs everything it can get its paws on, but instead of material valuables, I’m hoarding intellectual ones.
Good thing the book is electronic, not paper, otherwise I’d have to carry a whole library with me.
But like this — you just carry a small tablet, a couple of holocrons, plus a flash drive for backups — beautiful!
After finishing with the data, I was the first to leave the indecently fanatical society of Stargazers and headed first to Nox, and then from there, on a cargo ship, to Shikaakwa.
Settling comfortably on the vessel, I return to my self-control training.
The ability to survive decompression or a lethal dose of radiation is very valuable.
If only I didn’t have to adapt the technique for myself — that would be absolutely perfect… Along with the self-control training, I was simultaneously developing my Force control.
More precisely — micro-control.
For this, a Je’daii is given a bag of sand.
Your task is to control every single grain and give them chaotic movement, and the more grains you control at once, the better.
This technique, at first, literally makes your brain leak out of your ears because you have to parallelize your consciousness.
At this stage, I can control up to half the bag, and even then not without the help of intuition and the Force itself, whereas Irbis calmly and effortlessly handles all the sand with no problem.
This was clear proof of the difference in our levels.
Yes, I am stronger than him in raw power, but he is more skilled, and by his example he set the bar for my training.
Ekh… I wonder how he’s doing?
Having latched onto this thought, I decided not to put it off and, interrupting my training, went to the communications center.
“Good day,” I nod to the operator sitting there.
“May I use the equipment?
I want to send a request to an old friend.” “Only while I’m present.” “Of course.” I could understand the operator.
The practice of taking on extra passengers might be justified, but if such a passenger is a plant from a competitor, he could easily leak data on the ship’s current location for further interception.
As they say — just business, nothing personal.
Sitting in the second chair, I dial the teacher’s identifier.
I hope he hasn’t changed it… “Are you really a Je’daii?” the guy sitting next to me suddenly asked.
An ordinary person, about my age, with a fiery red mane and a bored look.
I’ve gotten used to the fact that ordinary people feel a slight antipathy towards Je’daii and are not always eager to make contact.
When the ship found out who they were taking on board, contact with me had also been kept to a minimum.
So the guy deciding to talk was truly unexpected.
“Yes.
Why?” The terminal displayed the request sent symbol, and I turned fully to my interlocutor.
“I don’t want to offend you, but can I ask a couple… questions?” “Of course.
Ask away, don’t be shy.” “Thanks.
I’ve only encountered Je’daii a couple of times myself, and only in passing.
Face to face like this, much more often I’ve just heard things about them.
And I’ve heard that all Je’daii are arrogant.
That because of your connection to the Force, you all stick your noses up and look down on everyone else…” the guy spoke quieter and quieter, and by the end he fell silent completely.
Chuckling, I cut in: “That’s true.
Many do indeed look down.
But many doesn’t mean all.” “Then why don’t you leave your cabin?” “What’s the point?
Your comrades avoid me, and besides, I have things to do.” “And I thought you found it unpleasant to be around us.” “Listen… What’s your name?” “Hard.” “I’m Shade, Hard.
And let’s be on a first-name basis?” “Okay,” the guy brightened, relaxing.
“Hard, the main thing you need to understand about Je’daii is that they are just like you.
They make mistakes, they know how to love and hate, and they are not without the same vices as you.
The only difference between us is that we have the Force, and you don’t.
That’s neither good nor bad, it’s just a fact.” “But that’s not fair!
Why do some have it and others don’t?” “Hard, having the Force doesn’t mean something special, like you thought.
Everything has both a good side and a bad side.
So does possessing the Force; it imposes a number of limitations.” “Like what?” “First and foremost — the Force is your greatest ally, and it’s also your greatest enemy.
It can help you, and it can easily kill you.
From the inside.
The Light Side lulls you to sleep.
The Dark Side corrupts you.
It’s like two presses constantly pressing against each other, and you’re in between.
And if you show weakness, you’ll lose yourself.
Yes, immense power is concentrated in your hands, that’s true.
But that same power is dangerous primarily to yourself.
We spend our entire lives understanding the Force and learning self-control, if only to keep our heads.
Some Je’daii are so afraid of this energy that they voluntarily renounce it.
The procedure is very painful, but that’s how they take off the burden of responsibility they were born with.” “Whoa…” “And when did you become so wise?” a familiar voice of a certain Noghri sounded.
“Irbis…” I turn and look at the grinning teacher.
“How long have you been on the line?” “Just a moment.
You’re lucky I’m on a ship.” “Still traveling by hitchhiking?” I tilt my head.
“No, this time I have my own ship.” “And why wasn’t there one when I was with you…” I sigh.
“So you wouldn’t get lazy!” We sit, looking at each other, but unable to hold it in, we start smiling.
“Hello, Irbis.” “Shade.” Noticing the movement beside me, I see Hard getting up from his chair.
“I’ll wait outside the door.” Nodding gratefully, I turn back to Irbis.
“How are you?” “Same as always.
Traveling, acting as a witness, signing contracts… In general, the same old thing.
But on my own ship and in the company of a new student!” “Oh!” “Yes, yes, Shade.
And you have no idea how happy I am.
I just relax around him.
Unlike you, he’s a calm, quiet, and diligent lad who knows how to listen, and most importantly — to obey his elder!
You know, after dealing with you, I think even if they gave me a flint-lizard hatchling, I could make a Je’daii out of it.” “Well, tha-a-anks.” “You’re welcome,” the teacher bowed playfully.
“And where are you now?” “On one of the transport ships, flying to Shikaakwa.” “Hadiya?” “The very same.” “And what about the Pilgrimage?” “With everything that’s been dumped on me, I’m not really up for it.” “You never change…” the Master sighed and shook his head.
“Hey, hey!
Right after Shikaakwa, I intend to finish it.” “And how many temples are left?
Four?” “Two.” “HOW?!” “Let’s just say, we didn’t linger.
And also, instead of running around Tython, we used a starship.” “Shade…” “What?” “I understand you don’t care about a lot of things.
But at least make it look like you’re observing the traditions!” “I’ll think about it.” So, Irbis and I chatted for about half an hour.
We recalled the past, discussed the present, and looked ahead to the future.
Irbis finally called his new student and showed him to me on camera.
After looking at him and chatting a bit with the guy, all I could do was sigh and rub the bridge of my nose.
All because the man didn’t understand where he had ended up.
Calm, reserved, he tried to live up to the ideal image of a Je’daii that was embedded in the word.
Where it was embedded wasn’t even a question — you could tell from his face alone: the monks are evil.
I asked Irbis if he had looked as ‘balanced’ as his student after finishing his training at Akar Kesh.
Hearing an affirmative answer, I made a mental note to stay away from the Talids.
With that, the conversation ended, but it continued with Hard.
After answering a couple more questions, I left the guy on duty and went to my room — to continue understanding the Force.
The Great, mother-loving, Force.
But who could have thought that this would only be the beginning?
I don’t know how or why, but Hard found in me not just a listener, but also a wise mentor to consult.
And every day he came to me either to vent, or to ask for a few tips, or just to chat, distracting me from my work.
At first it was amusing, then it started to irritate, and when the other crew members started coming too, I began quietly cursing to myself.
No, I could have told people to piss off, but then my reputation would suffer, and I had kind of shown myself in a positive light.
But I honestly tried to explain that meditation is a huge, painstaking, and very important work.
Alas, those not gifted with the Force can’t understand that.
In their eyes, you’re just sitting on your ass doing nothing, and there’s nothing you can do about it.
Ekh… Life is pain.
So when the ship arrived at Shikaakwa, I was as happy as the first time I landed here.
Freedom!
Freedom, normal fresh food — and an abundance of even bigger idiots that I want to kill with my own hands.
Especially when, in the very first store, they try to cheat you just because you’re a ‘clueless tourist’.
But at that point I couldn’t hold back, and lifting the shopkeeper by the scruff of his neck with the Force, I sweetly asked: ‘Which one of us is the clueless one here?’ After the affirmative answer that it certainly wasn’t me, they handed me something resembling shawarma and even gave me change.
Ekh… They just don’t get it the nice way here.
Not the first time.
So, eating breakfast, I walked down the street, looking around, and there was something I liked less and less about what I saw.
There was too much security, both theirs and others’.
A certain tension was in the air, and armed representatives of different clans looked at each other with anything but loving eyes.
At the same time, on the other hand, I didn’t hear any shouts on the streets, I didn’t see any thieves, everything was much more peaceful than before.
Hell, there wasn’t even the usual street scum, which was a real anomaly.
But the changes weren’t just physical, but emotional too.
Walking among ordinary citizens and listening to their emotions, I was confused and asked myself — had I flown to the right place?
The people had really become… kinder, or something?
There was no anger in their eyes, the locals didn’t show open hostility and didn’t flinch away from the clan fighters.
The protectors themselves weren’t running rampant either, and more resembled a real police force that cares not only about the clan’s power, but also about order on clan territory.
I even rubbed my eyes when I saw one of the patrols get involved in a squabble with a drunken group and try to resolve the conflict peacefully.
Not that it worked perfectly, but the guys were trying, and the swords and knives served more as decorative and motivational accessories.
I even helped them out a little, scaring the drunks with the Force to make them more cooperative and stop trying to throw their clan weight around.
But I hadn’t gotten far when the same patrol recognized me as Hadiya’s (future) husband, caught up, and politely offered their services.
I mean, how could it be — such an important person without an escort?
Even a nominal one.
I looked the guys over and saw that while they couldn’t care less about me personally, they genuinely cared about the Lady’s honor.
So I gave the go-ahead.
Not five minutes later, an aircar was provided.
Hadiya’s palace, where I was delivered, was more of a small pyramid-shaped fortress with towers on top and a very generous supply of all sorts of surprises for intruders of every type — flying, crawling, running.
In the center of the fortress, right at its peak, stood a heavy laser cannon, plus several more in the city, so even if someone brought a cruiser here, it wouldn’t have a good time.
One look at all this splendor was enough to appreciate the girl’s approach to her own security, and recalling the situation in the city, I had to admit the measures were justified.
When the aircar flew into the hangar, a surprise awaited me: two rows of soldiers lined up in the corridor.
And at the end, right at the entrance, stood a happy Hadiya.
Well, I could feel she was happy — radiating it — but on the surface: icy calm and a stern glare.
“Welcome back, Shade.
I’m glad you arrived so quickly,” Hadiya said with a restrained nod as I approached.
“Hey there, Sunshine.
You could’ve rolled out the red carpet too,” I sighed, ignored the protocol, put my arm around her waist, turned her toward the door, and led her along.
The confusion, mixed with surprise and bewilderment at my back, was an excellent reward.
The soldiers themselves, taking note of the Lady’s fleeting gesture, began dispersing to their duties, leaving us alone.
“Shade, how many times have I told you to be more restrained in front of subordinates?” Hadiya hissed, throwing me an angry look, though she didn’t try to break free.
“Well, I am being restrained.
What’s the problem?
Want me to stop holding back?” And I kissed her on the forehead, which was at nose level for me.
“U-uh… Fine, I believe you.
Better leave it as it is,” the Twi’lek girl faltered, interpreting my words in her own way.
“So?
Who dares to offend my future Queen?” “Your current one,” she said, wrapping her arms around me.
“I’m only future for Shikaakwa.” “Whatever you say.” “As for who’s offending me… I’m handling it.” “Maybe I can help track them down?” “Unlikely.
Shade, just provide me with cover.
I’ll handle the rest myself.” “Whatever you say, Sunshine, you know best.
But let me clarify — when’s the meeting?” “In nine days.” “Are you going anywhere before it?” “No.
Like you told me, I’ve been staying put and keeping my head down.
Besides, I’m not confident enough to play games with the Je’daii.” “And how do you know the executor is a Je’daii?” “Executors.
Plural — not sure exactly how many.
I figured it out from security camera footage.” “And how did you fight them off?” “The first time, the assassins didn’t expect that my guards A — wear insulated suits, and B — would react so fast, and by then I managed to escape.
The second time, the attack was on the fortress itself, but one of the attackers fell into a trap with poisonous gas.
It’s been quiet since then.” “Can I take a look at the body?” “Of course, it’s here.” “You have a morgue in the fortress?” I even stopped walking.
“More like a lab with a section for corpses.” “Seems like that wasn’t here two years ago.” “A lot of things weren’t here two years ago,” Hadiya nodded.
“My home is my fortress, and I’ve been working on it.” “Heh.
Got it.” “Shade, please forgive me…” She bit her lip and radiated guilt.
“…but I really need to run right now.
A lot has changed here, so I’ll call a guide for you.” Raising her wrist, which had a wrist comm unit attached, she pressed a few buttons.
“No problem, I understand.” “I promise we’ll talk in the evening.
And… thank you so much.” She hugged me tighter, burying her face in my neck.
“Don’t be silly.
How could I abandon my charge, especially in her hour of need?” I stroked her head and, knowing how sensitive Twi’lek lekku are, gently ran my hand along her left lekku while subtly channeling the Force.
“O-oh!” Hadiya exhaled in a trembling voice and flinched.
“Shade!!!” “Sorry, I couldn’t resist.” I pecked her frowning nose.
“Alright, that’s it!
You wait here, someone will come for you, and I… I have to go.
Yes.” And twisting out of my embrace, she turned around rather sharply and strode down the corridor with long steps.
I didn’t have to wait long — less than a minute passed before someone ran up from behind.
“Oh!
Familiar faces,” I chuckled, looking at one of Hadiya’s close associates — someone I myself had once weeded out from the general pool.
“Greetings, Master Aero,” the Zabrak said sincerely, with a slight bow.
“And where is Lady Hadiya?” “She went about her business.
You were called for me.” “Oh!” “Take me to the labs.” “Then we need the elevators — they’re on the third floor.” Following the Zabrak, I started questioning him about the changes that had occurred in my absence.
For example, while before there were always people walking through the corridors, now they were empty, except for the occasional patrol.
Apparently, Hadiya had quite rigidly divided the fortress into segments, and people worked right where they lived.
Instead of one residential module, there were several small ones on each floor.
Warehouses had moved down; soldiers were pulled to the first floor; the command center, like Hadiya’s personal quarters, had moved to the heart of the fortress.
Instead of regular sliding doors, there were now heavy blast doors.
And that was just the beginning.
Listening to the entire list of changes, I got the impression this place was preparing not just for a war, but for a nuclear one — seriously.
I then re-evaluated Hadiya’s paranoia and asked what she drove around in.
I thought it was an armored aircar, but no.
Hadiya either flies on her personal cruiser with an escort, or rides in a wheeled tank.
I even asked again — a tank?
To which the Zabrak admitted that it was just what they called the vehicle among themselves, because although the tech was classified as a “personal armored vehicle,” it rode on eight wheels and weighed about twenty-five tons.
No big cannon — instead, it had a powerful engine, repulsors, accelerators, and lots and lots of armor.
So when we got to the lab, I had several very pressing questions for Hadiya that I’d definitely ask.
In the evening.
For now — the lab.
After explaining to the staff why I was there, I was presented with… what was left of the corpse.
Apparently, the stuff the failed killer had gotten into had not only a poisonous but also a corrosive effect, so I couldn’t possibly identify the face even if I wanted to.
“ID’d the body?” “No, Master.
We checked the DNA database, but nothing.” “What about the Je’daii?” “They said they’d conduct their own investigation.” “Clear.
Let me ask another way then.
Did you find anything?” “Yes.
We managed to identify the group this man belonged to.
It’s ‘Antares.’ A group specializing in eliminating competitors for a moderate fee.
They’re convenient and extremely honest with clients, which is why they still exist.
They’re also very meticulous about their work.” “How did you find out?” “Equipment and gear.” They showed me a half-eaten face mask.
“Good…” I took the mask and examined it.
In theory, it was supposed to cover the whole face, leaving only slits for the eyes.
Too bad I couldn’t read an object’s past… “How did the killer operate?” “Well… with the Force.” “That’s not what I mean.
Did he throw things, use lightning, swing swords — how did he work?” “Used lightning, was armed with a laser rifle and a pistol of our manufacture, also threw objects and… could freeze things, it seemed.
At least we have a recording of him putting his hand on a door, freezing it solid in seconds, and shattering it into pieces with a light tap.” “Cryokinesis…” I mused, assessing the technique.
Not that it was very rare, but it was complex.
I never managed to adapt it for myself.
“Did you trace the weapons?” “We tried.
Clean.
But interestingly, we removed an implant with poison from under his skin.” A capsule was shown to me.
“We believe it’s poison, in case the target ended up in captivity.” I took the tiny, pill-sized ampoule with a dark green liquid containing white granules that emanated the Force, and examined it closely.
“We tried to run an analysis, but the equipment malfunctioned.
To get a sample, we’d need to open the ampoule.
Lady Hadiya forbade it until your arrival.” “And she was right to,” I said grimly, looking at the Selkath.
“This isn’t poison.
It’s an alchemical compound created with the Force.
You can’t make something like this on your knees — you need a serious lab, Force proficiency, and the appropriate knowledge.” “Does that mean it can be opened?” “Don’t even think about it!” I hid the ampoule in my fist.
“I’ll handle it myself.
Anything else?” “No, Master.” “Good.
You’re dismissed.” Leaving the lab and closing the door behind me, I examined the ampoule with the alchemical substance again.
“Master, do you know what that is?” the Zabrak inquired.
“No.
I don’t have the faintest idea.” “Then what do you plan to do with it?” I looked at the guide.
“Sorry…” “Where’s the comm center?” “This way.” Going up two more levels, I was led to the main sensor hub.
Kicking everyone out of the room and dialing an ID, I waited for an answer.
About five minutes later, the screen flickered on and my mother’s face appeared.
“Hi, Shade!” “Hi, Mom.
Why are you so happy?” “Just learned a couple of new secrets, nothing special.” “Right.
Anyway, Mom, I have a business matter.” “What this time?” “I found a dead Force-sensitive person with an implant containing an ampoule filled with a green alchemical solution.
A serious solution, I’d say it’s some kind of Force concentrate.
Do you know what it is?” I showed the ampoule.
“Um, y-e-es,” she said, caught off guard.
She leaned back from the camera and thoughtfully rubbed her chin.
“It’s a stimulant.” “A stimulant?” “About ten years ago, or thereabouts, we had one ‘genius,'” she made a face, “who thought of increasing Force sensitivity through alchemy.
He actually got results — the substance multiplied sensitivity several times over.” “Let me guess.
The side effect was falling to the Dark Side?” I chuckled.
“No.
The side effect was madness.
I don’t know the specifics — I wasn’t involved in that mess because I was busy with you.
I only know from Tsikuna that those who took the solution thought themselves gods and did Sarlacc-knows-what.” “They killed them?” “No, they didn’t have to.
The body can’t handle that much load.
As far as I know, it tears them apart from the inside.” “So you could call it a ‘last resort’ when you’ve got nothing left to lose?” “Basically, yes.” “Great.
And what happened to the research?” “Nothing.
It was archived and put in the library for future reference — it’s an interesting topic.” “…” “Shade, what’s going on there?” “Well, you see… Hadiya managed to poison an assassin, and this crap was inside him.
Question is — where did it come from?” “You’re saying there’s an alchemical lab somewhere on Shikaakwa?” Mom frowned.
“That’s the most logical explanation,” I shrugged.
“I’ll let Tsikuna know.
Let the Council have a headache.” “Then also tell them that the dead man belonged to some group called ‘Antares,’ and that Hadiya is actively investigating them.” “Alright.
I’ll warn them.” “That’s all I’ve got.” “Oh, Shade…” She looked at me reproachfully.
“What?” “You’d better get out of there quickly.
I don’t want to answer Council questions about what my son was doing on Shikaakwa during his pilgrimage.” “Sooner than you think,” I grinned.
“Talk to you later, Mom.” “May the Force be with you.” The screen went dark, and silence filled the room.
I stood there for a moment, staring into space, then took out the ampoule.
I needed to stash this thing somewhere more secure than my pocket.
Turning around and leaving the long-range comm room, I locked eyes with the Zabrak who was waiting for me.
“Master?” “Let’s go to the security office.
I want to see the footage.” “Yes, Master.” So, having gotten the recordings, I locked myself in my room to watch the tape.
What do we see?
Three attackers — one lead, two assistants.
Dressed identically, took out the guards accurately, broke down doors efficiently.
A clearly coordinated team.
What else?
They didn’t care about secrecy, which meant the objective was straightforward: eliminate by any means.
During the fight, one of the ‘students’ rushed forward and fell into a trap.
Feeling their colleague’s death, the remaining pair didn’t bother breaking down doors and chose to withdraw.
I replayed the recording over and over, watching their movements, how they used the Force, how they handled their weapons.
What bothered me was how blatant they were.
Where was the cover?
Where was the backup?
What if Hadiya escaped, like last time?
I requested footage from the outer walls and checked that too.
And it was a good thing I did — there was backup after all.
Four unremarkable cargo trucks were positioned in very strategic spots, in case someone decided to leave the fortress through the roof.
Remembering the missile launchers Hadiya had once bragged about to me, I somehow got the feeling the enemy had something similar prepared.
“Oh… Hadiya, who have you picked a fight with…” I rubbed the bridge of my nose and paused the playback.
Reaching for the snack basket, I was surprised to find it empty.
While I was in the kitchen restocking supplies and brewing some vorka tea, Hadiya walked into the room.
Throwing the door open, she swept inside like a valkyrie and slammed it shut just as hard.
“Problems?” I poked my head out of the kitchen.
“Oh!” The Twi’lek girl jumped, her hand flying to her pistol.
“Easy.
Who’s going to protect you if you kill me?” “Shade…” She breathed a sigh of relief, holstered her weapon, and came over to me.
“What’s wrong?” “Oh, nothing.
My nerves are just frazzled.” “Can you at least give me the broad strokes of what’s happening?” “I’ll tell you now,” she said, snatching a few chips from my basket and shoving them in her mouth.
“Crunch crunch crunch.” I followed her, set the basket on the nightstand, and sat down next to Hadiya as she collapsed onto the bed.
“So?” “Well, it all started relatively recently,” she said, putting her hands behind her head and pulling up her legs, looking at me.
“You already know that Father is slowly shifting the burden of the clan onto my shoulders.
And even though he’s technically the leader, I’m the one running the clan now.
Already am.
And as you know, I wasn’t about to stop at what I’d achieved, and I’m still not.
We’ve recently had a clash of interests with Clan Ro.
Basically, I’m taking their power away.
I have more people, more influence; their territories are already being patrolled by my fighters.
I could, at any moment, just snap my fingers,” she did, “and Clan Ro would cease to exist.
But I don’t want unnecessary bloodshed, so I offered them a choice: swear fealty to me.
What’s more, everyone stays in their positions; I won’t even touch their structure — why interfere with a working mechanism?” “But they weren’t happy with that.” “That’s putting it mildly,” Hadiya nodded and reached for the basket, wiggling her fingers in a clear “hand it over” gesture.
Snorting, I used the Force to pull the basket closer to her.
“Crunch crunch crunch crunch.” “So now they’re stirring the waters, trying to turn all the clans against me.
“Crunch crunch.” The others don’t dare do anything — or even say anything.
They’re afraid of me.
But if they manage to unite, there’ll be war.
But!
Clan Ro is second only to mine.
“Crunch crunch.” And if they join me, the others won’t even think of crossing me, because Clan Ro would be the second clan I’ve absorbed.
Notice, not without your help.
“Crunch crunch crunch crunch.” “What do I have to do with it?” “Who was it who beheaded Clan Shi?” “Ah, right.” “In the end, I got the biggest piece.
And now, I can swallow a whole clan.” “And they’ll just agree to that?” I raised a skeptical eyebrow.
“Where else can they go?
The clan head died in a freak landspeeder accident.
His eldest son, in grief, tried to avenge his murdered father on a fabricated pretext, which cost him his life.
Now the youngest is in charge, and he’s very much in favor of submitting to me.
“Crunch crunch crunch crunch.” “Right.
Politics?
Who needs politics?
A blaster to the head is more reliable,” I sighed.
“You can accomplish far more with a kind word and a blaster than with a kind word alone,” Hadiya winked.
“As for the assassins?
I sent them a message.
Either they stop, and I forget our differences, or I burn their entire organization to the ground.
We’ll find out what they chose soon enough.” “You know, I have a feeling they wouldn’t be above using a nuclear warhead against you.” “You flatter me, Shade.” She pushed the basket aside and dusted off her hands.
“But they could hit us from a cruiser, that’s true.
That’s why I don’t even go around the city without air cover.” “You’re a paranoid.” “A live paranoid!” She raised her finger importantly, then grabbed my vest and pulled me toward her.
Snorting, I lay down next to her, and she immediately and possessively threw a leg over me.
“A live paranoid who uses a tank on wheels as personal transport, with a squad of special forces to boot.” “Yep.” “You blow my mind.
You might as well hand out chips to your men so you can detonate them if necessary.” “Hm…” “I WAS JOKING!!!” “But it’s a good idea!” “Hadiya, that’s too much.
Your own people would crucify you.” “Fiiiine.
I’ll trust you with my safety, then.” “…” “How’s the body?
Find anything interesting?” “Something like that.
If I told you you’re in trouble, would you be surprised?” “I’ve always been in trouble.
That’s nothing new.” She shrugged.
“No, this time it’s big even by my standards.” “What?” She looked at me, propped herself up on her elbow, placed it on my chest, and rested her cheek on her fist.
“Well?” “First, you were being watched.
If you’d tried to run, they’d have shot you down.” “Not news.
That’s what the fortress is for.” “Second, the Force-sensitives who attacked you definitely aren’t Je’daii.
Exiles, most likely, but they never finished their training — their Force skills show it.
If they had, they would’ve gotten you.” “Also not news,” the Twi’lek girl grumbled condescendingly.
“But they’ve been on Shikaakwa for a long time.
It was a coordinated team.
The guys clearly knew what they were doing.
Where they messed up was underestimating your paranoia.” “See?
And you were just scolding me for it.” “I wasn’t scolding, I was surprised.
That’s what made them retreat.
If not for that, they’d have reached you and cut off the head.” “That all?” “No.
Did you get the report on the ‘poison’ found in the body?” “Yes, and?” “It’s not poison.
It’s a last-resort alchemical solution.
Once it enters the bloodstream, it multiplies Force sensitivity several times over for a short period.
You’ll die in the end, but you’ll leave quite a bang.
Neither your poison nor your bulkheads would save you.
You were lucky that the ‘genius’ didn’t manage to break the ampoule!” “Well… He was clearly a bit busy,” Hadiya tried to joke.
And though she didn’t show it, I could clearly feel from her emotions that she was shaken.
“See what I mean?” “Yes.
Shade… Can you handle it?” “In theory — yes.
Immense power is an undeniable argument, but the skill to wield it is just as important.
And they don’t have the skill.
At least not from what I’ve seen.” “So we’re fine,” she said, dropping back down and resting her head on my chest, while my soul was somewhere down by my feet.
“You amaze me…” the words slipped out.
“With what?” “With your faith in me.
You can’t just do that.” “Yes I can.
I can.
I can do anything.” She rubbed her cheek against me and pressed closer.
“Whatever you say.” “Shade, what about your problems?
The ones you didn’t want to talk about over the comm.” “Huh?
Oh, pfft, it’s nothing.
Basically, either someone is going to eat our whole system — including all its inhabitants — or the whole thing gets sucked into a black hole.
Me and my mom are trying to figure out how to prevent either scenario.” “(O_O)” “That’s the short version.” “Blink.
Blink.” “Though it’s not set in stone,” I added, reaching for a chip and munching one.
“It’s just that my mom and I absolutely must not let Dalien Brock get himself killed on Tython.
So we’re planning to help him activate the hypergate, essentially going against the whole Order and its bans.
And if something goes wrong, we’ll be enemy number one.
And if everything goes really wrong, there’ll be a black hole instead of Tython.” “Shade…” “Mmm?” “Tell me you’re joking… please.” “Sorry, Sunshine.
We have two contradictory prophecies.
One scenario is a total disaster, the other is a different kind of total disaster.
And we’re stuck in the middle.
If we do nothing — scenario two.
If we do something… maybe, just maybe — scenario one.” “How?!
How did you get involved in this???” She grabbed my vest.
“Don’t ask.
That’s actually what I wanted your help with.
We need to smuggle a group of soldiers and scientists, plus equipment, onto Tython.
Dalien has the equipment; Mom can help on Tython.
But how to get there quietly — we don’t know.” “Just load you all onto a ship and send you under the guise of cargo!
What’s there to think about?!” “Exactly!
You have contracts with Tython.” “Exactly!
And I’ll provide the men!” Hadiya sat up, straddling me.
“No, we have fighters.” “Soldiers, Shade.
Professional soldiers.
I doubt your Stargazers have people of sufficient quality.
And my guns will be way better than anything those fanatics have.” “Heh… Thanks, but I don’t think you should get more involved than necessary.
This is… a very dangerous gamble.” “So what?
I’d raze the whole of Tython to the ground if they dared to stand between us!” she blurted out, her eyes burning.
“I don’t doubt it, but let’s not get ahead of ourselves, okay?
Priority one — sort things out here with you.
Priority two — plan the infiltration.
Dalien is already working on that; we should update him with the new parameters.
Priority three — plan an escape route in case everything goes straight to hell.” “Mhm.” “Alright, alright, calm down.
I feel like you’re about to drop a nuke on it right now.” I gently pulled her down, pressed her to my chest, and stroked her head.
“I have one.” “Khkh… Where?!” “Oh, you know.
Just in case.” “Great Force, who have I gotten tangled up with…” I leaned my head back and closed my eyes.
“With the future Queen of Shikaakwa.” “Right…” “Shade.” “Mmm?” “Can you continue where we left off?
Back there… in the corridor.” Smiling, I moved my hand from her head down to her lekku, gently channeling the Force.
I felt Hadiya tremble, her breath catch, and goosebumps run across her skin.
Clutching the vest on my chest, she didn’t move, savoring the sensation.
I watched and listened to this small, tense, trembling bundle of nerves and couldn’t believe who she was outside this room.
What if we tried to stir up that other Hadiya?
Shifting my grip, I laid her down on the bed and ended up on top.
Understanding something, Hadiya winced slightly.
“I don’t want to.
Let me be weak.
With you.” “Whatever you say…”
It all helps promote the story.