Temple-3

* 18:00 *

The evening began with Toshi interrupting me from a very important activity: taking the heavy blaster apart. It's a shame, of course, but it can't be helped. When she found me, lost among the tall racks with boxes of weapons and charges on them, she was horrified:

- Henia, aren't you... aren't you ready?

- What makes you think so? - I put the piece aside. - What, is it time already?

Toshi was even prettier-that she owed to a small chain of unknown metal in red, which highlighted the color of her scarlet lips. Her lips pressed together in displeasure.

- You damned..." Toshi switched to Togrut in emotion. - When are you going to be any more responsible? By the way, you just do not get called to the office of the bosses!

- Yes I understand, I understand, - I smiled as peacefully as possible. - I don't really care. Really, don't care. I just want to get to work quickly. So, you can appoint me the messiah, it makes no difference to me.

- You're too young to be a messiah, but you can finish your training. You have the skills of strength, sword waving you trained, so we'll see ...

- Well, well... what's wrong?

- What?" the Togruta wondered. - You still have to ask? You should be clean, clothed, shoes..." I looked at my clothes. There was nothing but a couple of small specks of oil on them. I admit, I'm not much of a fashionista.

- I'm dressed, clothed, almost clean, and ready to go to Corriban with the Sith! - I declared. - All the more reason to go to Master Lex. Shall we go?

- Hurry up," Toshi pursed her lips and stopped raising her voice, exchanged her anger for mercy, and chuckled softly. Not too pompous...

I do not understand these women! She just told me off for not being in uniform, and now she's complimenting me. Women are a mystery!

In the office of the Master of the Jedi Order, we arrived just in time. Toshi was pacing so fast that I had to keep up. The teacher was getting more and more "sucky under the spoon" during the march, but I was calm, collected, benevolent, and all the way thinking about how I could increase the rate of fire of my single-barreled infantry blaster. While we were each thinking about our own things, we got there. Tosi knocked on the door, though it was unnecessary - the Master had definitely sensed us coming. The door opened and we were greeted by a businesslike, collected Master, who was holding some white sheets of data in his hands. The holoprojector screen was lit next to him, and he himself pretended to be distracted from studying the document, though I did not scan his emotions, maybe he was really reading it.

- Here you are at last," the Master said in relief, "I think it's pointless to ask how you're doing, so let's get down to business. Anakin," the Master said my real name, which I was beginning to lose the habit of using. Toshi's head threw up in surprise, and the master continued: - "You came to the Order with quite a lot of practice for a youngling. The only thing that kept me from enrolling you into the Order was your lack of fighting skills, and now I see that you are at the level of an average knight. In some respects close to the masters, but not in all. In any case, your training is over, and from tomorrow you will join the Order as a Jedi Knight.

Toshi glowed and it was at that moment that the master turned his attention to her:

- "Knight Toshi Dan, according to the order's statutes, since your skills are high enough, you have completed your Padawan training, have not violated the order's rules, and have served faithfully as a knight for twenty years, I am introducing you to the next rank," said the master militarily. - Tomorrow you will be a Jedi master. Anakin will not be attending the ceremony, as he should not be seen by the Order and will leave us sooner or later, but your initiation ceremony will be tomorrow morning at ten o'clock. Don't be late and... don't wear makeup," the Master looked at the embarrassed Toshi. - I hope you will serve the Order well. I hope that you will serve the order faithfully. There is no talk of joining one of the Councils of the Order yet, but don't worry, if you can prove yourself, it will happen sooner or later. Just do not strive for it, the other masters will not appreciate the excessive zeal, let alone hasty decisions ... - said the master with a sigh.

- Yes!" - straightened his back Toshi. I was indifferently going over the components of the blaster in my mind. I had to give up the neuranium coating because it would greatly reduce the life of the barrel, durastal is also useless, beskar will be poorly cooled - the material is too poor heat transfer. So I'll have to experiment if I ever get around to it. But Erdva's been asking for some hull armor for a while now, so I'll do that... someday.

Toshi was gushing with emotion, but she held it back. I can certainly understand what's in her heart, having spent a year talking to her and no one else. The Master looked at the teacher, then at me, scratched my earlobe, wondering why we perceived the promotion so differently, and decided not to burden himself with unnecessary worries, just sent away.

As soon as the door closed behind our backs, the teacher jumped on me for the second time that day and pressed against me, giving a "hurrah" cry of joy, but in Togrut. I did not disturb the teacher, especially since I did not mind the fact that a pretty woman, who had a lifelong dream come true, was clinging to me. Only the Master was higher than the Master, but she'd better not swing there, at least not yet. When she noticed that we were standing outside Lex's office, hugging, she immediately pulled away from me, looked back at the door and was embarrassed, causing her cheeks to blush.

- I'm sorry, um...

- It's okay, I understand ... - I smiled, - do you want another hug, but in a more intimate setting?

She blushed even more at my suggestion, which gave away her degree of embarrassment. A Jedi practicing the Juyo style can't be an ordinary unemotional monk, so Toshi often showed a variety of emotions.

- I prefer not to violate the rules of the order...

- This is no longer a violation. In case you haven't noticed, you're not my teacher anymore," I switched to you, which was accepted without the slightest problem since we were quite close.

- Well, I'll think about it then..." Toshi shot her eyes at me, which embarrassed me. And after that I finally guessed to do the first very important thing today:

- Why don't we just go out and celebrate the appointment? I'll make a reservation at the restaurant...

- Oh, I'm called for a date? In that case, why not celebrate. Only without alcohol... well, maybe a little..." Tosi was embarrassed. I also had no love for alcoholic beverages, so I decided that it was time to get down to business.

And I had a very important business - money.

You could say that I wanted to fluff up the tail in front of the girl, however, that is the nature - a man needs to show off. I had to do something about it and I thought about it, seriously. How could I find money right here? I wondered. I couldn't sell the information, so that left me with some work for the Order. The Jedi were not poor, and with the ability to intuitively and forcefully assess stock market trends and warn the Order's financiers against dubious transactions, the Order was virtually unlimited in funds. Only the Jedi were restricted, because an overly luxurious life can corrupt any sentient who degenerates by having everything he desires. And desires more and more. If only to look for money, then only from Lex, because more than the Jedi money only the bank clans, but they are far away and do not share, and Lex is ten meters away, in his office. I decided to talk to the master about the birds, and after furtively checking to see if anyone was watching us and not finding even a shadow of attention, I got up and quickly kissed the togruita, who had not expected it, on the lips, and then said:

- "I'm glad you agreed. I'll pick you up at eight o'clock tonight.

- All right..." Tosi blushed a little, then smiled and said some unkind swear word and left. Apparently, she realized that I did not need her company for the time being. It was two hours to the hour X. And now the question is, where can I get the money to go on Coruscant? Coruscant is the most expensive planet in the galaxy and, by my reckoning, the evening could take up to fifty thousand credits, if not more! All the more reason to need a place where we wouldn't be seen by completely unnecessary eyes.

I turned around and headed back to Master Lex. I had an item that could help the Order while making life much easier for the Jedi - a sword that none of the existing sensors could see. And will not see, not until my time. You can't go public about the existence of such swords, they will search everyone with special care, but as a sabotage weapon, it is indispensable.

The door swung open as I approached. I turned off Jedi mode and turned on Merchant mode. The Master was still sitting at his desk, doing something on his terminal. He didn't look up at me right away.

- Did you want something?

- Yes, Master. As a matter of fact, to cut to the chase. I can render services to the Order in the creation of some... objects.

- Yes, yes..." the Master absent-mindedly rubbed his earlobe, and then looked at me with interest, "Do you have any suggestions?

- Of course. I do," I took my sword from my belt and handed it to the Master, "for example, I can create such swords. For the safety of technology, a limited edition.

- Oh, yeah? How is your sword any different from a normal sword, except unreadable? - the Master raised an eyebrow. This is my finest hour!

- Undetectable by any sensors, invisible by any force, equipped with two crystals - a training and a fighting one, an audio sensor, a video sensor, removable listening devices, which are also undetectable by any search means. A gyroscopic position sensor, a memory card recording all sword movements during combat so that we could analyze any mistakes later, a voice communication device, as well as a system of emergency signals. That's not counting the logs, which record the sword's activation and deactivation times, in case we need to reconstruct the course of events in... in the event of a crime committed with the sword...

The Master listened, and his jaw, still on the removable listening devices, began to creep downward. Toward the end, I finished:

- I can't guarantee the same on your materials, but I think I can make a sword invisible to the enemy's sensors and sensorics, with microphones and removable listening devices. At most, I can integrate a comlink into it.

- Wow..." the Master shook his head. - How? How could you fit all that into the sword? And why?

- Let me start with the last one. A sword is not only a device for cutting off the enemy's head, but it is a tool to be carried around all the time, so it should have all the things that a decent person in a dangerous profession, especially in politics, should always have with him - microphones to collect information, a wiretap for the same purpose, a comlink for communication and a means to signal a distress. All of this can be contained in a single device, combined with a sword. This becomes especially valuable since the Jedi can carry the sword anywhere, and the shielding layer of Neuranium protects the sword from scanning. I've been through a few scans before when I flew to the KMC, and all successfully. Though their security systems were almost better than the Senate's, it's still a machine-building corporation, not a barf shop on Tatooine...

- I see, I see..." said Lex. - So, you're saying the sword is undetectable by the sensors?

- Yes, that's right. They don't.

- You'll have to ask me about it tomorrow...

- Excuse me, but can't we talk about my work now? - I asked, feeling that it is necessary to strike while the iron is hot.

- Well, yes, we can..." sighed Lex. - What do you want?

- I'll order the parts for the swords, and the crystals are made to order, but I think you know what kind of crystals your colleagues use...

- Yes, I'm aware of that. Anything else?

- Yes. I need the money," I said defiantly. - I'm a Jedi, of course, and I wouldn't take money to help the Order... if there was a need," I said. - But I see no reason why I shouldn't sell a dozen swords to the Order.

- A dozen? - the Master was astonished, did you say ten?

- I could make a few thousand, if I had to, but that would only lead to more hand searching. Making a sword intangible is beyond even my abilities, and not all races have natural ways of concealing weapons on or in their bodies..." I smiled.

- Ahem..." once again the Master was embarrassed enough that I could even feel it. I'm definitely saying something wrong!

- I meant that making a sword is usually a laborious process..." - Lex hesitated.

- Not for me," I opened one of my trump cards, "I can make a sword in a minute. And that's if you take your time.

Judging by his emotions, the Master was swearing, but he said aloud:

- I'll keep that in mind. So, what and most importantly how much do you want for the series? And what parameters? And how long will the work take?

I pondered, counting the details of the operation to create the artifacts.

- The work will take from one to three days, the parameters, the type, the size of the blade depend on personal preferences and the materials provided to me. I will need some not too expensive components, which I will order from the technicians.

- Can you make one just like it? - Lex nodded at my sword.

- Not exactly the same, no. Some of the components are too small. But I can make similar ones with more limited capabilities. At least I can guarantee their invisibility, I've got enough Neuranium and other metals. - I said after thinking for a moment, "Name your own price. I don't believe you'd ever betray my trust, especially since I can offer my own exclusive wares on the market for a profit, so..." I hinted firmly that if he made a false price, I'd be selling my wares to someone else. And the deceiver wouldn't be a Jedi Master...

- All right," Lex thought about it, "you'll get your materials. I won't hurt you for the money. Do you want it now, or after the swords are surrendered?

- Better now," I rejoiced, "I invited Tosya to take a little rest for the evening...

- It's almost seven o'clock..." the Master raised an eyebrow. - Well, it's your business. Do not pay attention to my old lectures ... - he smirked at his thoughts.

On the one hand, I have already presented my swords, and even put his sword on the table of the magister, on the other hand, the price has not appointed. So in the mind of the magister was bargaining - on the one hand reluctance to pay more than what is required, on the other hand fear of cheapening. I did not stop the magister from thinking about the situation. For about a minute there was a tense silence between us, and then he finally decided something and took out one of the credit cards from the table, inserted it into the terminal along with another credit card from another drawer and transferred money to an empty card, as I understood it.

- Here's a hundred times what the usual five swords are worth, an advance for half the job. The other half after the swords are turned in. I hope you are satisfied with the sum of the bargain," he muttered grudgingly.

I took the credit card from his hands and bowed.

- In that case, I'll get to work right away. You can keep this sword as a guarantee of our deal. If something goes wrong, you'll have a workable specimen..." I said, thinking. Lex was more sympathetic, but still thoughtful. The amount of the deal was not insignificant - the sword was worth about a thousand credits, so it was a deal of a million. Not much by the standards of the Order, but still, it wasn't in the budget. The financiers would make up for it, of course, but...

The deal went through, and I walked out of the office with the card in my pocket. Together with the money I had saved and earned on the skins, it came out to a very decent sum. I stopped thinking about work, promising myself to return to this matter tomorrow, and immediately rushed to my ship. I ran inside and called out to Erdva, who came out to me.

- Erdva, look up a decent restaurant in the holonet, a place to sit and relax, and most importantly, away from the Jedi temple. Preferably far away from the political and military centers of the planet, so we won't run into any Jedi there...

- Will do, Captain. There are several suitable options. For example, family restaurants...

- No, no, no children! For tonight, I mean at night, preferably a decent one. Don't worry about the money...

- Not far from the temple, then. There are restaurants on the rest of the planet, of course, but the nearest galaxy-city center with such establishments is a couple thousand kilometers away," said the droid. - So it'll take you at least a couple of hours to get there.

- Oh, yeah, right," I remembered the size of the city. - What is it?

- A restaurant not far from the opera house, in a relatively cultural place.

Erdva showed the holoprojectors images of the restaurant. It was located on the upper floors of a particularly high-rise building.

- Is it possible to sleep there? Something doesn't make me want to go back to the order, when I'm drunk and with my teacher...

- There's a hotel nearby. It's also expensive, and opera guests and artists often stay there...

- That'll do. Book a table in a restaurant, preferably somewhere in the corner, for nine o'clock, and a hotel room for tonight.

- A room? Room? Number of beds?

I wondered... Ah, was not:

- One, preferably a bigger one. Time to grow up, Erdva...

- You make it sound as if I wasn't the one who listened to you all night," said the droid in a cheerful tone. - Alright, I've already made a reservation. Transferred the money for the reservation. Anything else?

- No, we have our own transport. Oh, I need clothes! - I looked at what I was wearing. I looked around, and saw what I was wearing. Maybe work clothes with stains of gun oil were good enough for a party at the magistrate's, but not for a date.

- I can order clothes, but it will take time to deliver...

- Damn, I can't make it..." I glanced at my comlink watch. It was ten to seven...

I had to make the fastest run to the store in my history, the powerful high-altitude speeder I had, and I took it at full speed out of the hangar, going to the nearest place where you can decent clothes. The temple was not far from the senate building, so I didn't have to look long; in five minutes I was there, and I ran inside. There are two saleswomen inside, a Twilight and a human.

- Do you want something? - They asked me dazedly as I approached them.

- Clothes. I have a date in an hour, quickly, no, immediately!

The girls immediately rushed over and started dressing me in decent clothes according to the latest fashion. The fitting took another ten minutes before a loose black suit was found that looked like something indefinitely Japanese and a mix of it and alien. It looked like two big ribbons of silky material, obviously natural, and a base of similar material, so kind of both informal and not informal enough. I had something like that during the Clone Wars, only much worse, with a black leather vest and a balaclava base of dirty brown. The current version seemed much preferable, because of the fabric and quality, as well as the lack of unnecessary bloating, which did not conceal the rather developed muscles and slim figure underneath the clothes. Any Jedi could take care of looking decent, as long as he had a rudimentary medical skill... He just took the shoes to match the color of the rest and, after paying, ran out, looking at his watch. I had less than an hour, during which I returned to the hangar, ran into my ship, changed my clothes, checked the transport and took a sword from my belongings.

I made it to Tosya in time - she did not have to wait long and as soon as I knocked, immediately opened the door. This time the girl was wearing makeup and quite beautiful. When I looked at her, from her montral to her bare feet, I was satisfied. She looked at me and smiled:

- So you're dressed up for a party, and how to go to the magister for promotion - "and so will do?

- The Master is not a red maiden, he will tolerate ... - I answered. - Well, let's go?

And we went to rest. The restaurant, of course, was decent, although I, being hungry, did not notice a particularly cool taste in the food. The same could be said of Tosya - she did not observe any etiquette and simply leaned back in her chair with a hearty meal. Erdva took seats in a secluded nook, so no one saw us, except the bartender, who didn't annoy us with unnecessary attention.

- Will you take care of getting back to your place now? - Toshi asked right away. - Or maybe you'll settle in with the Order first?

- I don't see the point," I shrugged. - I only have to go back anyway. I have prospects there, things I can't afford to leave to chance, and all I can do here is fight against the Sith," I said sadly.

- "I see. A bad peace is better than a war, right?

- At that moment the waiter brought a bottle of wine, poured it into glasses, left the bottle on the table, and went away without looking at us. Tosya and I raised our glasses, but I made the toast:

- To peace in the galaxy.

Tosi supported us, and we drained the first glass. Biting on cheese, I went on to develop a thought:

- After all, I don't stand a chance of being anything more here. The thing is, the Sith are opposed to any of my ideas, and if I stand out, I have to play against them. In any case, I'll be on the same side of the barricades as Master Lex, forced to work for the Order. And there's at least a relative freedom there, especially since the Order stopped looking for me, as far as I know, after I faked my death. And there wasn't even any scrutiny-"A recruit goes missing, and he goes missing. Strong could have been a Jedi, too bad, move on."

Toshi whistled:

- What, just left like that? With your midichlorian level?

- Imagine that. No war, so there's nothing to worry about-they're too lazy to go to their places. Of course, it'll cost them a lot when they need to use their power, but they haven't had the chance yet.

- Yes, and Sith with them," Tosi raised her second glass, and then, without a toast, we drank.

The bottle was rapidly emptying. The topic of conversation wiggled like a hare running from a hunter, and the more we drank, the more the hare wiggled. From discussions of the physics of hyperspace, to favorite fabric, and from personal love themes, to questions of high politics.

When a bottle of what I estimated to be about a liter and a half had been negotiated by us, Tosi got up. We were not drunk, but a little tipsy - in this mood the world was perceived much more positively, and we wanted to talk to our neighbor more and more.

- I think it's time," Toshi said. - I have to be at the ceremony tomorrow morning at ten, and now..." She looked at her watch. I looked at my comlink. It was midnight.

- It's midnight, Toshi.

- Here. I'd hate to be late for my Jedi Master ceremony... come on, let's go...

I left the droid the money and took the girl under my arm and followed her to our speeder.

Fortunately, Tosi was adequate enough to think about returning to the Order, while I had already thought it through and said:

- Tosi...if the two of us show up, and even more so, I don't think you'll be patted on the montrals...

- И? - she asked.

- Maybe we could check into a hotel. And in the morning we'll go back to the temple...

Toshi, being under a shock, blushed slightly, but nodded accordingly. The hotel was close, literally two minutes away. After renting the reserved room, we went up to the room. As we approached the door, Tosya's playful mood increased.

But when she saw a room with one, but a large bed, worried, though outwardly it did not show.

- Hm ... - she looked around the room, - not bad ... and a big bed ...

- I'm sick of the woods. And temple beds," I admitted. - Don't you like it?

She turned to me with determination in response, but I was quicker to kiss her. This time I wasn't going to change anything-I liked Toshi, and I didn't see the point in changing anything. Her clothes came off easily, and then we fell on the bed and she undressed me.

I didn't want to worry myself unnecessarily, I just started kissing Tosi, quickly moving from caressing to sex, which was received with pleasure... I don't remember our last time, but I will always remember this one - togrits were not like humans and felt caresses very strongly, so that even a kiss can make a girl get excited, not to mention the sex itself.

*Morning*

It wasn't the ringing of the alarm clock that woke me up, but the unpleasant sounds in the room. I opened my eyes and looked around - the blanket was lying on the floor somewhere, while I, in the hotel room, was lying on the bed... my clothes were also on the floor along with the blanket. There were some very disgusting noises coming from the bathroom - someone was sick.

- Tosya? - I called. My attempt to get up ended with a pain in my back, which appeared to be in scratches. It was - there were traces of blood on the bed. Throwing some strength on the scratches to make them heal faster, I got up and finally walked around the room, looking at the time. It was nine o'clock in the morning. It's good to get four hours of sleep out of the body!

Toshi, after more than a rough night, should have felt fine.

- I'm fine," I heard from the bathroom. Five minutes later she herself appeared, pale-faced and naked. Quite pretty, I must say, especially the thin white streaks of pigmentation on her breasts, next to her nipples...

- What's the matter?

- Yeah, never mind. Probably ate something too exotic yesterday... or incompatible with wine.

I shrugged and went to the shower. Tosi, judging by the drops of water, was already there.

Without haste, but with complete mutual satisfaction, we packed up and took off in the direction of the Temple. I hope the Master will allow me to attend the ceremony.