49 BBY.
Everything has a habit of ending, including my time on Lehon. Revan squeezed every drop out of me, firmly following the rule: "at the next training session, you must give a little more than at the previous one." Did this make me an imba, super-powerful? Both yes and no… One should always remember that with all my strength, I may encounter circumstances, situations where I will face someone equal to me, or stronger. There will always be a bigger fish. What did I really learn, or what abilities did I improve? Well, firstly – my teleportation no longer injured my eyes. It simply went into recharge. Each eye's ability "recharged" in about ten to fifteen minutes.
It would seem like a very small interval. But battles between gifted individuals are very fast, the score is literally in minutes, although they can last seconds. So, quickly exhausting all "charges" can lead to me having no trump cards left. So you need to know how to use them correctly. In addition to this, Revan helped me hone my telekinesis, as well as pyrokinesis and Force lightning. I improved the Matukai techniques, which I received from my former allies, so I brought the coefficient of physical ability enhancement to a completely different level. However, again, the enhancement of physical abilities had a limitation in the form of the limit of my physical body. So I won't be able to overcome the sound barrier in speed.
I can move fast, but there are heights that I will objectively never reach, no matter how hard I try. In general, Revan helped specifically with Force techniques and slightly helped develop the physical body for them. Especially brutal were the training sessions for developing sensory perception. They were distinguished by the fact that I fought against HK-47… That is, how did I fight? I ordered him to attack me in the most brutal mode, combat mode, to be precise. I did not respond to him in any way. Revan was cunning, constantly complicating the training, some of which put me right on the verge of life and death. Revan the Jedi had undergone too many changes in his life.
And the training was effective, not just spectacular, due to its brutality. What he couldn't help me with was swordsmanship. The whole point is that I, while training, went somewhere else, as he told me. To another planet. And to retrain me in his swordsmanship, in his own words, is nonsense. What was I good at in swordsmanship? Speed, agility, pirouettes, multiplied by two swords. I was a kind of Yoda, on a minimum, of course, only with two swords. "You spin like a mad gizka," my mentor once characterized me. And I myself held the same opinion, I practically defended myself, not spinning like a mad gizka, only when the opponents were objectively more numerous. Much more… And a jump to the side, in theory, can even put me in a more difficult position.
And in combat, both with lightsabers and against a small crowd, I try to move more often. This disorients the opponent. During my stay on Lehon, I also organized my own base-shelter. Revan advised, and I myself had long come to this conclusion – to organize shelters in many places in the Galaxy. The main condition for my shelter is that it must be located on the Outer Rim, or even on the border with the Unknown Regions. The closer to the center, the more chances someone will discover my hiding place.
While I was training, BB was not idle. It was on his… "shoulders" that the duty of taking everything that could be suitable for my shelter to Lehon fell. In addition to this, I had to perform ship maintenance. And not just what an astromech could do. Once I had to leave Lehon completely for about two weeks to fly to the nearest Sienar point, so they could check the condition of my ship. But now I was leaving Lehon for a long time. For the Order, I was listed as a traveling Shadow. In principle, Shadows mostly engaged in so-called free hunting. But there were also cases when they were summoned to the Council… Or, as I noted earlier, one could choose a mission for oneself on a special forum where we were registered.
"Hmm," Revan looked at my study of the Shadow reports. "And those you told me about… Sidious and Plagueis. Those are some monsters, that even in the readable Shadow reports, there are practically no testimonies of Sith activity from the Order's spies. In my time, they were more open."
"So Vitiate was also inactive until a certain point," I noted.
"No," the ghost shook his head. "I could trace his influence. But with you… Problems. Either you have degraded and the Shadow reports don't mention a hint of this pair, or this pair is too skillful."
"Probably both," I sighed. "I only know about the actions of these two because a Force vision appeared to me. Otherwise, I wouldn't have even guessed that Hego Damask, the head of the financial organization 'Damask Holdings,' is a Dark Lord of the Sith, and Sheev Palpatine, a new senator from Naboo, is his apprentice."
"But now you have exposed them," Revan noted, "which means you can correctly allocate the resources that will fall into your hands. It's ironic that these two will themselves give the Jedi weapons that can play both ways. Clones. And information about the so-called 'emergency orders'."
"Except their wording has many flaws," I observed. "In addition, they were implanted in the clones by those who are clearly on Palpatine's side. Even if only for a while. They cannot be persuaded. More precisely, Sidious will not allow it. If I appear there, he will immediately understand everything."
"Therefore, the mission to create the right conditions for the execution of orders that will nullify Sidious's activity falls on your shoulders. Or do you still consider the repetition of that catastrophe necessary? The destruction of Alderaan, the tragedy on Caamas, and many other incidents across the galaxy, just so the Sith can stay in power, and also 'prepare' as they understand it for the invasion of invaders from another galaxy?"
"As you already noted, we have two important bifurcation points…"
"Yes, and by pressing on each of them, you will be able to fundamentally change the history of the entire galaxy. As you once noted, you are not the chosen one who changes everything by the fact of his existence. Although by talent, some would say otherwise… But no. You are more like someone who wants to change everything by choosing a favorable moment, which corresponds to your direct specialty. The chosen ones are usually some fearless knights who rush into the breach. And here is a favorable moment for you… You will have to show all your political skill, the skill of a Jedi general, and twist and turn as if you were fencing against five Sith at once, but twist it so that the Republic not only does not fall, but also begins large-scale reforms. Or… Step aside and surrender the galaxy to the Sith. Allow billions of casualties, in addition to those who will be killed by those crazy invaders."
"Yes, you know how to describe the consequences colorfully."
"It's not colorful yet," Revan noted. "These are just facts, albeit not fully calculated. In any case, you must act. And I, if I were you, would act with maximum effort."
"Maybe I should give you my body?" I asked with a smirk.
"You? Your body?" Revan asked in a cold voice. "Then what is the meaning of your life? Trained, suffered, gained knowledge about the Sith who secretly planned the destruction of your beloved Republic, only to give your body to some ancient being whose existence is a three-thousand-year history? If this is a joke, then it's a bad one. Wipe away the remaining snot and do what you can and how you can. Maybe it will be little, but… At least then you will have a clear conscience."
"I heard you," I said.
"You heard, but did you understand?" Revan asked, disappearing.
Not particularly. My body is perfectly suited for his reincarnation. It is sufficiently developed and has excellent affinity for the Force. He just got angry… Because it would devalue all his efforts as a mentor… And mine too, if you look closely – it would devalue them. A truly foolish joke… And as for whether I will interfere in the process of establishing the Empire. Indeed, this will avoid many casualties. And I am sure that by then I will be perhaps even stronger than Palpatine, considering that he is a politician, and I am an operative. A politician is forced to engage in politics, while I can hone my skills during this time and devote more attention to the art of the Force. But… The problem with current Sith, and subsequent ones, is that they cannot be stopped simply by defeating them in battle. The consequences of their actions will manifest everywhere possible. Many processes will occur by inertia.
And without the appropriate lead-in in the form of the rebellion from the original trilogy – the Galaxy may consider us much greater tyrants. On the other hand… What is my disagreement at this moment to act in the twenties before Yavin? Cowardice? Or pragmatic calculation, at the cost of billions of lives? After all, this is the price I decided to pay for the "opportunity" … Damn, I thought that torment and doubts were left with my previous personality, but in the end, nothing has changed… Although, no, the previous one worried about rather minor problems. I would like Mila to live – I would simply run away with her to some Galactic Backwater. Now I am worried not about such a trifle as the life of one sentient being, albeit very valuable to me. I am worried about the lives of billions, if not more, and I hesitate… Why do I hesitate? What limits me, actually? Lack of ideology? Worldview, not understanding how the Galaxy should be structured if everything works out? I have all of this. I have found answers, outlines, plans… Then what will change with the establishment of the Republic after Palpatine's canonical death? Essentially, everything is the same, it's just that I thought that then the majority of the galaxy would accept my ideas… Yeah, right…
And the Shards of the Empire? And the chaos of civil war? The flourishing of crime, the weakness of the new country… Because of all these upheavals, there is no opportunity to prepare for the Vong invasion… And as a result – new tragedies of galactic scale. So, is my post-knowledge a universal recipe? But will I have time? On the other hand, if everything works out at the first point, we will have forty years to get on our feet and build a sensible state. The main thing is not to hesitate… Does this mean that everything is decided? Yes, everything is decided… We need to act with full commitment, immediately, to take advantage… More precisely, to try to take advantage of absolutely any opportunities. If we win – good. If we don't win… Well, then if we survive, we will have another chance, and if not… What then? If I die… I think I stopped asking myself this question a long time ago. Either the galaxy, or the fact of my reincarnation, or the training – has knocked out of me the thoughts that my death is something catastrophic. One should fear death, but one should not let this fear overcome oneself…
***
To tell the truth, the Shadow's speed… bored me? Not quite. I mostly flew around the galactic north and west, eliminating dangerous sentient beings. Mostly Force-sensitives. After some time, I gained a reputation as someone who could quickly and mostly quietly resolve a problem. After all, my training with Revan wasn't in vain, and I rarely engaged in open combat where I was forced to engage in swordplay. Although there were cases where sneaking in wasn't possible for certain reasons. For example, once I docked with a ship that was being refueled by another Force-sensitive, who turned out to be, oh wonder, a Matukai. True, he had fallen to the dark side of the Force, which is why he radiated darkness for a couple of sectors. Due to his maniacal intuition, he managed to detect me, and we had quite an epic fight for about two minutes. As a result, I threw him down the elevator shaft of his own frigate, bombarded him with grenades, and finished him off with telekinesis from above.
Of course, I had to step on the gas afterward, as the ship couldn't withstand such abuse. But those are just details. While traveling through the galaxy, I also wondered about summoning someone more formidable than Revan. When I summoned Revan, I was genuinely afraid of summoning Darth Revan, the Sith Lord, with whom I would hardly have been able to negotiate. And the Revan I summoned was cruel… But now I've returned to my old dream – summoning Tulak Hord. I've always wanted to hear the "god of the sword," as I nicknamed him in my notes. He would have really helped me with my swordsmanship… If he had agreed, of course. What my training taught me was also confidence.
If Tulak doesn't show me any kindness, I'll simply annul the ritual, sending him back. And I'll try to improve my swordsmanship myself. Or I'll look for another Force-sensitive, a more agreeable one. The concept of "trying" works here… If it doesn't work once, I'll do it another time. At least somewhere this works… Unlike all that wise advice: "Don't try, do," which makes me want to crack. But to summon Hord, I need something related to him. And I don't have anything. So I opened the reports again, where I started filtering data for "suspected dark artifacts" and "Sith temples" from that era. Alas, there was nothing new there, just like the previous times. The Jedi didn't even have any preliminary information about artifacts, temples, and finds from those times.
Instead, I stumbled upon strange information… There were reports that a war had begun, almost. Between Black Sun and… Luna, that very organization that I encountered when destroying Jarko Itari's cell. No, Lora said that their organization's goal was to oppose Black Sun… But what started after Jarko's destruction can only be called a war. The Jedi preferred not to interfere, or rather, there were no direct orders regarding the battles of these organizations. Why? Because they fought in the Outer Rim, and also near Hutt Space, which, judging by all appearances, were leaning towards Luna themselves. It seems they are having fun. It's sad that my colleagues in the Order don't want to interfere, because it's clear that the clash of two such organizations will not lead to anything good for the peaceful inhabitants of the southern galaxy. But should I interfere without an Order command? As the Shadow, I can react to anything, justifying it by saying that the Force guided me. I am not limited by the Order, in a certain sense. Although, what thoughts are these? Pragmatism? Rationalism? I can intervene, and therefore I will. All that's left is to study the sides. "Luna" is fighting "Black Sun." The Hutts are more likely to support the former…
Most likely, this is because the latter want to overthrow "Black Sun" from its position as the strongest criminal syndicate in the galaxy. Therefore, they support Luna, which has grown quite a bit over time. And who should I support? In principle, the answer is relatively obvious for now. My goal is to support those who fight "Black Sun." After all, Luna is still considered a PMC, that is, a "private military company," while "Black Sun" is precisely a criminal syndicate. Defeating "Black Sun" will help make the galaxy even a tenth cleaner. Of course, the Hutts and Luna themselves are not paragons of virtue. But in the current situation… I have no choice. Of course, if I want to intervene in the conflict.
And of course, I want to… "Black Sun" has no place in the galaxy I'm thinking of building, in any case. And inflicting critical damage, or even defeat in the current situation, is reasonable. I think that in a universe where I wasn't present, in the story told, Jarko Itari either retired successfully or was buried by one of the Vigos… Competition exists between them, criminals, after all. However, I intervened and discovered some forces that, for some reason, were not known in the canon, in either of the two. However, this is logical. None of the creators of the universe can imagine absolutely every moment in a created universe. Many things can happen off-screen, and one can only guess about many others. This is exactly what happened with "Black Sun" … There was no information about Jarko Itari in any of the canons. But in the end, she existed until recently and was a rather famous person. And now she has surfaced…
Gaven Hornly, the leader of the PMC "Luna," who was once an officer of "Black Sun," according to the information received, reported directly to Vigo Dalridn. Both Kabra and Dalridn are Dug, natives of the planet Malastar. And both, according to information, were in conflict for the position of "ruler" of the syndicate. As a result of the conflict, Kabra headed the syndicate, while Dalridn, according to the old tradition of all criminal syndicates, went on a "well-deserved rest." In other words, the data indicated – an indefinite leave on one of the stars of the Malastar system… Gaven Hornly, deeply disappointed by the outcome his boss received, and being ambitious himself, certainly left the organization. What was Gaven's role in the organization? A general… One of many, under whose command were all of Dalridn's forces, who was the Vigo of the outer territories, with the capital of his part of the criminal empire on Rishi. People followed Gaven, including the not-unknown Lora, who was once a mercenary who actively collaborated with various scum. When Gaven left the organization and created his own, Lora became his officer, one of the four.
Gaven began to act very actively, attacking "Black Sun" territories in the Outer Regions, chipping away at their spheres of influence. And he acts very skillfully, perfectly oriented in the organization's forces – he strikes precisely in those places where resistance will not be the strongest, and the damage will be maximal. However, they have now decided to deal with him seriously. From the Central Regions, "Black Sun" brought its fleet, led by Alexi Garin. And this is already interesting, because Alexi is a Force-sensitive sentient. Both sides hired mercenaries, preparing for full-scale combat operations. And judging by what I knew about the "Star Wars" universe, or rather, the fact that in the thirty-third year before the Battle of Yavin, the destruction of the first Death Star, Alexi Garin was the head of "Black Sun," the outcome for the PMC "Luna," led by Gaven Hornly, was very sad. Alexi, already as the boss, was eliminated by Darth Maul in the same thirty-third year BBY. But this did not finish "Black Sun." The syndicate existed even in the forties after the Battle of Yavin, and even in Legacy, they were involved in smuggling Yuuzhan Vong weapons. Neither Maul nor anyone else could deliver a final blow to this organization, so that it would share the fate of "The Exchange." Is this even possible? Good question… There were a couple more reasons for me to deal with this Syndicate now.
The first is that I might be able to obtain information that this syndicate is collecting. The information I received on Jarko wasn't particularly valuable. It was valuable for that region and Jarko Itari. But there's a catch – it has no special value for me. There was information about some of Jarko's caches… But I was interested in what could theoretically help me, namely, evidence of Sith machinations. Plagueis and Sidious got involved with this organization, or rather, Plagueis himself was in close relations with Kabra, the current leader of "Black Sun." Even for someone who doesn't know the canon, it's quite official that Kabra took loans from "Damask Holdings" banks. No one paid attention to this, because who is Hego Damask? A Sith? In the shadows, yes, but in the world – a banker. No one knows about his Sith persona, and a banker… Well, Kabra is a magnate who made his fortune trading fuel. So he can get credit from any bank. In theory, I can access the information that I foolishly destroyed earlier. Once, after killing Shillage, I decided that the galaxy wasn't ready for the discovery of the Sith… But I could have at least copied the information for myself. Oh well, through "Black Sun," I'll be able to reach Plagueis. And then maybe I'll find a thread to Sidious. However, that's ideal. Secondly, I'll train again… And thirdly, it's to make the galaxy cleaner by damaging the criminal syndicate. So… If I were describing my adventures in two hundred years, I would write the following: the "Black Sun" arc is not over yet… It's still ongoing. And it could lead to something кардинально new.