As soon as I left my room, dressed in my real gear, I ran headlong into Amella. The girl was standing right in front of the entrance, clearly waiting for me.
"T… Tayvi?" she looked at me questioningly, trying to peer under my hood.
"What?" I asked the girl. "Did you want to see me?"
"I… ahem…" I sighed, took the girl's hand, and led her into my room. Closing the door, I sat her on the bed, and then stood in front of her about three meters away, crossing my arms over my chest.
"So, what?" I asked her. "What are you going to do next?"
"Well…" Amella blushed. "I just wanted to ask you… About your plans…" she averted her gaze.
"About my plans?"
"It's just all, somehow… Unexpected," she explained. "A person appeared, with a glaive on his back, and said his mentor was waiting for you. And you arranged a meeting with them… Why are you going to them? And what will you do?"
"Amella," I sighed, "this person is quite important in my past, which I cannot tell you about. Some secrets are better not told to others."
"But I told you about my childhood pranks!"
I snorted. All her pranks consisted of was being allowed to do something, although sometimes her father would pull her back.
"Understand, what's happening here is not childish pranks, Amella, this is all incredibly serious. They didn't come just like that; they found something. Something incredibly important," I closed my eyes. Could it be that Teidor found the one that entire squads of Shadows couldn't find… And why? Could it be… Because someone in the Order is leaking information to our target. And this someone… Is related to the Shadow Corps? Or can somehow track members of the Shadow Corps? Who has access to our missions? First, Shadow missions can be issued by the High Council, second, the Grand Master, in this case Yoda, although there are rumors that Yoda is considering stepping down. But such rumors appeared from time to time. Third, some other Masters from the Grand Council could order the Shadows to act, albeit with limitations. At the same time, any of the Masters could request information about the Shadows' missions, including current ones. There are too many suspects… "I can't enlighten you about everything, because these are not my secrets. And yes. I will most likely leave Alderaan," considering that the enemy didn't find me here – it means the informant from the Jedi Order doesn't know my location. And that's good; only Yoda, Jonnal, and Jorus know my current location. And even then, only because I revealed myself to the latter when circumstances demanded it. This means Yoda and Jonnal can be excluded from the list of potential informants? Well, I was partly sure about Yoda because he is canonically for the Jedi. And as for Jonnal. I haven't heard of such a Master, nor of the leader of the Shadows. This means – I need to keep my ears open anyway.
And at the same time, a couple of Matukais tracked me down calmly, albeit in two years. This means they have valuable information. Maybe they even want to offer me to go with them to destroy our enemy, whoever he may be. And I would be inclined to accept their offer. So much time has passed, the Shadows' actions under Jonnal's leadership have had no effect. I'm like in a golden cage on Alderaan, locked up. Deprived of action, any action.
"You'll leave?" Amella asked. "And for how long?"
"Who knows," I shrugged. "Who knows."
"And…"
"Well?"
"What about us?" Amella asked.
"Us?" I looked at her in surprise. "What do you mean by 'us'?"
"Well..." she tried to peek under my hood again. "You see... Why isn't my father against our relationship?"
"I have a rough idea," I nodded. "Sephi, though they may not seem it, are quite orthodox and don't often enter into marriage with other species. In addition... Our birth rate isn't the highest. And yet, your House is considering the possibility of our children, Amella," the woman blushed. "Even though it will take several generations to establish my race's traits in the Doine House."
"Exactly!" Amella exclaimed loudly. "You understand, Taivi! The House is considering it. My father is thinking about it. And I... Even if people might not take kindly to my marriage with you, I consider it the best solution. For us..."
And aristocrats might not take kindly to such a marriage. After all, Taivi Lanian is the son of merchants, not outrageously wealthy. Just ordinary. My true identity has aristocratic status, and though many might think the lineage of the King's maids is at least laughable, it's actually an elite position. Inherited. Getting into King Alaric's palace is incredibly difficult. And that's only because the ancestors of the courtiers long ago claimed all the positions in the palace and simply pass them down, effectively, by inheritance. Yes, they teach their children their craft. But no one is allowed into the palace for our positions, that's a fact. That's what "court aristocracy of Tustra" means. And no aristocrat would consider marriage with such a sentient to be shameful, especially considering we could also bring the gene of longevity to the House. But the problem is that Sephi aristocrats, even those who hold positions as maids and servants of the King, are incredibly proud and orthodox. My mother and father got married, effectively, through a fight. And that's the main reason why elves-sephi haven't conquered the galaxy yet. After all, longevity is a significant motive to start using us as sperm donors, or "breeding mares," depending on gender. But at the same time, everyone remembers that it's difficult to make a Sephi marry an outsider. And to force them is impossible. Tustra is a quite wealthy world, our system has a neighbor like Mandalore, which has left its mark on our outlook on life. Defense is a very important point for the Sephi government; billions of credits are allocated to it annually, which are certainly not embezzled.
"Ahem," I cleared my throat. "For us? Amella," I sighed, "I can't reveal everything to you. But I can show you why I absolutely cannot marry you." Tears welled up in the girl's eyes. So quickly? "Not now, nor in the future." I flicked my wrist, and from the sheath hidden in my suit, a lightsaber flew into my hand. "Do you know what this is?"
I used telekinesis and brought the lightsaber close to the girl's eyes.
"So you..."
"Correct," I nodded, returning the saber to myself. "I liked it here. I like you, I like our company, even the bickering with Mecetti and his companions. But there are things I must do. And, alas, they are important now. Very important."
"So your whole life with us was a lie?"
"Don't exaggerate, I said I enjoyed it. You are truly my friends, but, unfortunately, I must... I am obligated to move on, Amella. I revealed myself to you because I believe in you, in your feelings." I'm not an empath, but even now, she's practically radiating love. Which is surprising. "Maybe you'll understand me."
"Then I understand everything," Amella took out a handkerchief and wiped her tears. "Now I understand. And your actions, your attempts to dissuade me. Though one thing I don't understand is why you got involved with me in the first place. Did it amuse you? You're forbidden from any relationships."
"Mmm... No," I shook my head. "I just liked you. You're an incredibly persistent and such a proper girl." I walked up to her and stroked her cheek. "At first, it even annoyed me, but getting to know you better, I discovered a growing interest in you. Which I didn't fight. Because if you suppress something, it will later erupt with much greater force and sweep away everything in its path. We are not forbidden to love, Amella. We are forbidden to surrender too much to love... So that love doesn't become passion. Because, believe me, there is nothing worse and more disgusting than a Force-sensitive who has fallen into base emotions. Love, as you correctly remember from your favorite novels, is something far more sublime than mere passion."
"And you love me?" she asked.
I knelt down, embracing the girl. The warmth of her body was captivating, as was her scent. I wanted to undress her right here and... No, now is not the time.
"I do," I whispered in her ear. "That's why I can't give in. If it were just passion between us, I'm sure I would have just brushed you off, left without you noticing, used a technique on you to make you forget me... though the latter isn't so bad." I myself didn't notice how I succumbed to these feelings for you. Ahem..." I stood up and moved a little away from her. "But you know, I love you. But I also understand perfectly well that I cannot truly give you everything you deserve from a sentient who would say these words to you."
"And that's why you're leaving..."
"The novels you read, alas, differ from real life. Only in them does a knight stay with his lady until the end of his days, and they live happily ever after," I sighed heavily. "Often, duty calls the knight away. And it calls me away too. And all I can do is try to help smooth over your possible pain from all this with words."
"You revealed yourself to me," Amella suddenly said. "Told me about your true origin and spoke such beautiful words." Oh, that tone. It usually precedes a scandal. "But what are you even doing here, Jedi? Why were you playing with everyone, and then 'befriended' us?"
"Ahem... Why I'm here is a Jedi matter. And if you want to understand your value to me, I finished that task a year ago, but I'm still here, near you. And I'll repeat myself again - I wasn't playing with you. Neither as friends with Bail, Delon, Rulana, and Mia... Nor in love with you. You can believe all of this, or you can not believe it." I headed towards the exit. "But it's time for me. The Matukai are waiting."
"Taivi..."
"My name is Light, not Taivi," I said.
"Light..."
"Correct," I stopped at the exit. My heart felt heavy. And yet, infiltrating society is also a Shadow task. But I became too attached to this society. However, I joined the Shadows because they constantly fight the Gifted, in various ways. I thought it would allow me to gain experience, hone my skills.
"I'll remember, my knight," I chuckled at the address. "You know, Light, at first I wanted to beat you up badly."
"You still want to..."
"True, but maybe I've just read too many novels," Amella unexpectedly laughed. "Go. And remember, no matter what happens, I will always accept you. And about your name... And your true identity... I won't tell anyone."
"And yet I wasn't wrong about you," I said. It's surprising, I constructed Amella's possible character traits, including those she showed almost no one, based on the data I received from Rela, as well as my study of diplomacy at Aldera University. Is that how it works?
Although, what am I doing? This is madness... I revealed myself, almost completely... Succumbing to my feelings. If Jonnal could see me now, he'd be getting a belt to whip me for my foolishness. My infiltration was perfect... And yet I couldn't hold back... Perhaps this is a pathetic sight? Or, did I do the right thing after all? Who knows... The galaxy is a strange place. You think you're doing the right thing, but your actions can lead to the most unimaginable consequences.
"Farewell, Amella Doine," I opened the door. The woman got up from the bed and walked to the exit. She stopped next to me and, turning sharply, kissed me on the lips.
"Farewell, Jedi Light. Remember... You can come to me, I might be a little confused, but..."
"Thank you," I simply said, leaving the room.
We left the hotel together. As we descended, I shielded her with the Force, as I did myself. This is how I acted when I went somewhere in my main Jedi suit.
The "Pika" restaurant was located practically on the outskirts of Aldera. In that very part of this beautiful city where the poorest strata of the population settled... As far as that's applicable to Alderaan, as a beautiful and prosperous world. I quickly reached the meeting place with the Matukai. My heart felt heavy... Rationally, I understood that I couldn't take Amella, or any of my friends, from Alderaan. It's incredibly simple – I travel the galaxy and I will definitely form connections with sentient beings. Men, women... From planet to planet, from system to system – I will definitely find those with whom I can become friends, or even fall in love, as with Amella. After all, I finally understood that I cannot live solely on Milla's memory. I need to move on. At the same time, I understand perfectly well that I will have to move forward a lot, sometimes leaving behind all those with whom I have managed to form so-called connections.
It's impossible otherwise. I am a Jedi, I decided to be a Jedi, I have goals and plans that I intend to realize as a Jedi. And, most importantly, I don't want to cancel them, I don't want to change them... No matter how painful it is to realize that I will leave someone, forget someone... I have to move forward. For anything... Why? Because there's no one else. All Jedi do this, all Jedi have done this. They did exactly what they did - because no one else did. That's why I decided everything for myself long ago. Let them all be happy... I will find my happiness too... Someday. Or is my happiness the process, the journey itself? Or the achievement of my goal? I will answer these questions when I reach the final point. The restaurant's interior looked decent, well-made. Tables stood in proper order throughout the hall, mostly rectangular. Two of them even hosted a festive procession.
"Good afternoon," an waiter, dressed in a classic three-piece suit consisting of black trousers, a matching shirt, and a white vest, approached me. "Do you have a private order, sir, or perhaps you've come just to eat?"
"I have a private booth," I glanced at the middle-aged man. "Theodore Loy is waiting for me."
The man tried to peer under my hood. But he couldn't make out anything special. The hood reliably hid most of my face.
"Hmm," he said thoughtfully, "according to the description Mr. Theodore provided, you resemble him. But could you tell me," he raised his right hand to his eyes and activated the datapad attached to his wrist, "where did your first meeting take place?"
"In orbit around Rishi," I smirked at the check.
"That's correct," the man nodded. A child's check. Lotar's employer would surely know where exactly two Matukai and one Jedi, united, destroyed his controlled group. "Follow me, Mr. Taivi."
I just smiled and followed the waiter. He led me into a corridor with ten doors leading to rooms. I assume these are the private booths.
"Third booth, sir," the man indicated with his hand towards an open door. And I followed. The interior was quite richly furnished. In the center of the room stood a table for four, made in a modern style. It was laden with dishes, which Sheydjen was devouring with delight. The Matukai sat facing the entrance... The waiter grimaced, looking at Sheydjen, but said nothing. The young Matukai ate, barely using cutlery, stuffing himself with everything he saw. His mentor merely smiled, but didn't try to rein in his student and, on the contrary, demonstrating aristocratic manners, wielded cutlery. "Gentlemen, your guest has arrived, he answered the question."
I threw back my hood and sat opposite the old Theodore. The man nodded, and a filled portion was placed before me. An analog of pasta, with meat and sauce.
"Have some wine," he offered. "It's excellent here."
"I'd prefer a liqueur from my home planet," I addressed the waiter. "Do you have 'Tustra Wind' liqueur? It has a wonderful, rich taste."
"Alas, such a liqueur is not available in our restaurant," the man apologized. "But we have sweet drinks from Bothawui."
"Are Bothans good for anything other than espionage?" came from Sheydjen, at least he chewed before opening his mouth.
"Bring it, we'll try it," I asked, and the waiter left. "Your manners suit you," I looked at Theodore. "Just as they would suit your student, esteemed Theodore."
"Ho-ho," the man chuckled, wiping his lips with a napkin, "do you think I haven't tried to instill them in him? However, it's all to no avail. The only thing he's learned is to swing a glaive in all directions."
"Hey, mentor! He's humiliating me... Do you think..."
"Here, Sheydjen," Theodore interrupted him. "I'm listening. And thinking. With my head, and you think with a glaive."
"Familiar," I grunted. The waiter brought a bottle of yellowish liquid. A sweetish smell emanated from it.
"And I, perhaps, another bottle of that alcohol from Kashyyyk," Theodore smiled. "Or better yet, two."
"But sir," the waiter said, slightly surprised, "it's not that I want to object, but you've already emptied two bottles," he glanced at the two empty bottles standing on the table, "are you alright?"
"I came and paid the restaurant so you wouldn't ask such questions, waiter," the old man said sharply.
The waiter nodded understandingly and left the room, closing it. After a couple of minutes of waiting, he brought two more bottles and placed them in front of Theodore, and then left us completely.
"Hmm. Can you use Ionization?" Theodore asked me.
"I've practiced," for a moment, a wave of white energy spread from my body, which didn't affect living sentient beings, but cameras and listening devices should have immediately burned out.
"My friend recommended this establishment, saying they don't eavesdrop here. I'm honestly surprised they don't serve your Tustraian liqueur, Light. After all, this is a transit point for Alderaan smugglers."
"Hmm," I grunted, glancing around the room, "I suppose the absence of alcohol from my homeland is the least of the problems you're prepared to dump on my shoulders, Theodore." The man nodded. "We parted ways two years ago. You helped me by translating part of your founder's treatise for my training. And I won't hide it, it was useful in mastering Force techniques aimed at the physical aspect, but I thought that was our last meeting, esteemed Matukai. Considering which Jedi corps I belong to... And what the formal Head of this corps requires. I can explain his requirements, they literally sound," I bent down slightly, "kill you both right here and right now. I am far less radical compared to Master Jonnal. But, you know him."
"And better than you, Light," Theodore Loy nodded. "I met him a couple of times. In the distant past. Don't worry. We've taken precautions, no one will know we're meeting with you."
"Then let's get to the question that concerns me. How did you track me?" I asked maliciously. "You know, I'm here, like, incognito. Even to the Jedi. Why were you, Matukai, able to find me?"
"Does that matter?" Sheydjen chimed in.
"It matters to me," I froze him with my gaze. "If I could be easily found by those who are not part of the Jedi Order," I looked Sheydjen directly in the eyes. Theodore's student couldn't hold my gaze and looked away. "Then," I clasped my hands together, "this is very serious. The scale of the problems is serious."
"Well," the main Matukai took the floor, "I suppose we'll start by answering the question of how we tracked you. From the moment we parted ways, we've been thoroughly investigating Lotar's boss. You understand, the secrets of our Order are important to us. And here someone is slaughtering Matukai and taking our artifacts and knowledge. We managed to pick up his trail. We found several of his hideouts. Recently, your colleagues," Theodore poured himself a glass of Wookiee drink and saluted me, "joined us. We acted... in a kind of tandem, combed the Outer Rim. And you know, we found an abandoned surveillance station. A kind of base, a transit point, where our enemy couldn't completely control the destruction of information. For some reason... Apparently, it was related to the fact that there were also three burnt, almost to ashes, corpses of Jedi Shadows from the Order. We were three days late, but we managed to retrieve an infochip from the base."
"Is that so," I said with interest, "are there any leads on the identity?"
"Alas," Theodore shook his head, "most of the information was still destroyed. The infochip wasn't ordinary... We gave it to a friend of Sheydjen's... A good friend of Sheydjen's," Sheydjen gave a wry smile. Only now did I notice a barely visible mark under his left eye from something sharp.
"Life is beating with a key?" I took a sip of the Bothawui liqueur. Not bad.
"It's not just you who can fool around with beauties," the man snorted.
"In any case," Theodore interrupted us. "We discovered that he had reliable data on the whereabouts of many Jedi. Shadows, where they are going and why. Missions of Consulars, Guardians. Everything!" Theodore slammed his hand on the table. "Can you imagine? A significant portion of your Order, regarding operational work, is compromised. But... We were able to roughly predict his actions," the man raised his left hand and activated the datapad, a map of the system appeared before me. "Here, look."
"Hmm?" I looked closely at the map. "And what system is this?"
"Wild Space," Sheydjen said. "The system has no name, it's almost on the border with the Unknown Regions. And it's interesting to the Matukai."
"Hah, who would doubt it," I smirked.
"Of course, it's our heritage," the elder Matukai said. "Perhaps one of the planets is the capital of the 'Ancient Kingdom of Tsai' – a state that, according to legends, was once founded by the children of the founder Tsai Lin."
"Oh, your founder has a name?" I thought the Chinese style was closer to the Yuuzhan Vong.
"Exploring tombs holds incredible wonders. Before this, we didn't know the name of our esteemed founder, nor had anyone seen her holophoto," Theodore chuckled. "And I assure you, it would be worth seeing."
"Old pervert," Sheydjen grumbled.
"Shut up," Theodore snorted and, pressing buttons on the datapad, displayed an image of a beautiful, slender woman in crimson clothing before me. The woman turned out to be a brunette with blue eyes. She was wearing something resembling a light sundress. On the upper half of her body was... a "bra-like armor," behind which her breasts were hidden... let's see, let's see – a special super-technique of any self-respecting man. "Breast size is determined..." A four.
"Understood," I nodded, indeed – a beauty, to be sure. And, according to tradition – yes, a woman engaged in incredible work, martial arts, but preserved an exclusively feminine body, not a hint of an excess of male sex... Though, it's even for the better.
"I think she has a five, esteemed Light."
Sheydjen choked.
"A four," I said with an authoritative tone.
"Hey! Don't argue with the mentor on such a matter!" his student spat out.
"Truth is born in dispute, my eternal student," Theodore said instructively. "After all, it is known to be somewhere in the middle, and one sentient rarely finds it on their own!"
"Don't turn this situation into another moral lesson," Sheydjen exclaimed.
"But you think it's a four, do you think an experienced sentient like me can't distinguish a five from a four?"
"An old horse doesn't spoil the furrow," I sighed, "but an old horse's eyesight, limbs can fail. But my vision is clear. I've honed it during this time. So, it's a four."
"I see you are firm in your convictions," Theodore sighed, after a couple of seconds of looking into my eyes. "It suits you."
"Founder, forgive these..." Sheydjen sighed heavily, clasping his hands in a prayer gesture. "But I will become much stronger and in your name, I will beat the foolishness out of them! Both of them at once!" the young Matukai promised. A naive child.
"Let's return to our dispute later, young Light. And now: why we contacted you. We found data about you in that hideout, and we contacted you because you are the only Jedi known to us who, with at least a fifty percent probability, is not a hypothetical spy. Or the Jedi we could contact without risking death from the Shadows. We need your help, Light. Our enemy has definitely headed to that system, to the capital planet," Theodore zoomed in on the fourth planet from the system's star. "You will help us. In return," Theodore placed the infochip on the table, "I will give you advanced techniques of our Order. Not just part of our founder's research, but almost everything we have," the man said seriously. "Plus, I will translate for you what we can discover on the planet Tsai."
"If it's the planet Tsai," I remarked.
"We were able to glean information about it from the data we extracted from our enemy's former hideout, Light. And I am sure he intends to visit it. Now is a unique time, your ship is quite fast. We can manage to intercept him, engage him on our terms. And also – we will gain incredibly valuable knowledge. You will destroy the one who hinders your Order and gain techniques to strengthen your body. It won't hold a lightsaber, but you will be able to withstand much. In particular – to enter a village where a lethal disease is raging and leave it: alive and unharmed."
"It seems he touched a nerve, Theodore," I noted.
"He touched everyone," Sheydjen said sharply, hitting the table with his hand. "We don't know who he is, how old he is. But the fact remains – for years he has been hunting the legacies of the Gifted throughout the galaxy. He slaughters us if we get in his way. And if for this we need to unite with the Jedi Shadows... Even with the Sith, damn it, we agree to it!"
"I agree to join forces with you, Theodore, Shayjen," I said, having already drunk my third glass of liqueur. "When will you be ready to fly? And what are the hyperspace coordinates? Do you have an approximate route?"
"I'm glad we've come to an agreement, esteemed Light. We can start right now..."
"Wonderful," I said, standing up from the table. "Then I'll order the droid to prepare my ship for departure immediately. It's about a week's flight from here to that system. Will you find something to do?"
"Of course, we must finish our argument."
Shayjen facepalmed at this point.
"Then prepare yourselves, for I have no intention of retreating," I said, trying out the diplomacy techniques I'd picked up from Rela's notes on him. Not all of them could be used, after all – I wasn't a slender, beautiful Twi'lek. But some had to be used.