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***

The silent transporter had been travelling in hyperspace for a full week. Despite the hyperdrive, the journey from one of the central worlds to the outskirts of the galaxy was a long one - three days on the main hyperspace route and another three days on the secondary route to Mandalore.

In a whole week, the only living person on board had had time to suffer from boredom, re-sheathe both of his swords, and even meditate, merging with the force.

Skywalker's sword was not the same as the old one, the one he had created with access to valuable technology - the new sword was sleeker, with a long, slender hilt made of titanium. Long work with hyperdrive metals and innate powers had taken Anakin's skill at manipulating metal to a new level. Inside the titanium body, coated with a thin layer of freak, hid the finest web of neuranium, which was woven into the metal, and was a perfect shield, protecting the components of the sword from both radiation and detection by various sensors, and force-sensitive - it was impossible to sense the crystal through such a web. Inside, between the components of the sword, there was a vacuum, and the heat-generating components were cooled by the heat output through heat-absorbing tubes that led to the cap on the end of the sword.

You ask, what in the sword radiated heat, for others did not have this? There was a reason it was Skywalker's sword and not anyone else's. Accustomed to building up complexity and functionality, Skywalker added a whole host of electronic components to his sword. Sensors that registered the sword's position in space and recorded all movements on memory cards, so that the sword memorised all movements, which could later be viewed on a datapad. A small computer was added, the functionality of which was to record the location of the sword itself, as well as the registration of ongoing conversations - the sword could well be a recording device - when saying some key phrases began recording from the microphones. The crowning achievement of the sword was the integration of two expensive bugs that could record video and audio and could be easily removed from the hilt for use. Such a sword could be an aid not only in combat, but also in intrigue, of which there was far more to the galaxy than bloodshed.

As the ship flew through hyperspace, Anakin had time to walk around his purchase. On the whole, he liked the ship, even though it was cheap and simple - Skywalker didn't like expensive things - they attracted too much attention, and the G9 was the simplest and cheapest. Even pirates wouldn't attack such a vehicle - hardly anything valuable could be found on board the G9. All in all, a near-perfect transport from Skywalker's point of view.

Last up was the lightsaber lesson. Anakin went out to the cargo hold and set up a training ground and swung the lightsaber with dexterity. He was only getting used to swinging such an exotic weapon, nothing more. He had taken his blasters with him, too, so there were a couple of Vestars on board, which Anakin always carried with him. Without them and the light saber, it would have been better not to leave the ship at all, the former Tattooian and smuggler knew that for sure. They'd cut him down or shoot him and that would be the end of it.

The only thing that dispelled Anakin's boredom on the second leg of the journey were the books in the droid-secretary's memory and the datapad. Reading them, he passed another couple of days and finally the ship came out of hyperspace. There was a planet in front of Anakin - the droid had brought the ship, God willing, a thousand kilometres from the surface, that is, almost in orbit. Anakin leaned against the windscreen, looking out at a planet he had never been to before. Mandalore was strikingly similar to Earth from space.

With a machinic movement of his hand, Skywalker put on his headset and heard that he was already being paged:

- G9 serial number 65435249, come in.

- G9, do you copy?

- State the purpose of your arrival," the girl operator began to question. Anakin took his eyes off Mandalore and gave the required information:

- Excursion. Private individual, ship owned, no cargo, one person.

- Acknowledged. Entry granted. Shall I escort you to the spaceport? - asked a pleasantly surprised female voice.

- Not necessary, I'd like to visit the city of Enzeri.

- Acknowledged. Transmitting the coordinates to your droid, - the voice said and switched off. Erdva turned the sensors to the side and changed colour and beeped:

- Coordinates are in. Shall we fly?

- We're flying, Erdva. But wait, let me do it... - Anakin sat down in the first pilot's chair and took hold of the hand controls.

- Give me a heading from the current course.

- One hundred and twenty-four," the droid beeped. Anakin began a turn, keeping the thrust of the main engines and flew, holding his course. It was much easier to fly in orbit than in the atmosphere - his G9 was not known for its aerodynamics.

After flying for a few minutes on sublight engines, Skywalker brought the ship to the right point and began to descend.

As the planet's surface approached, he turned to Erdwa:

- My friend, lay one hundred kilometres strictly north of Enzeri.

- One hundred kilometres?

- That's right. Come on, don't be shy," Anakin encouraged him. Erdva went to the holonet for the Mandalore maps. In a minute he found what he needed and set a course and took control. Anakin relinquished control to the droid and the ship sped northwards - the altitude was somewhere in the region of a dozen kilometres. A relatively small town and a couple of small creeks floated below them. The journey through the atmosphere took twenty minutes, but still the astrodroid brought the ship to the right point.

- Why did the Vong bomb this place?" Skywalker grinned as he saw the virgin forest beneath the belly of the ship. The trees of Mandalore were completely unfamiliar to Skywalker, but still, Anakin had no fear of them. The problem arose - where to land. Anakin took control and with the help of a strong word and his own skill, found a small stream, just enough distance between the trees to land.

The transport plopped on its belly just in the middle of the creek, but Skywalker didn't care - the ship was prepared for such use.

- Now let's get out, Erdva. Will you come with me? - Anakin asked.

- I don't like the woods," Erdva squeaked, "I'd rather sit here.

- As you wish, my iron friend," Skywalker shrugged. It took him another five minutes to strap on his blaster and sword belt and open the hatch to exit.

He had chosen a bad place to land, but there was no other place. At least there was a clearing....

Skywalker stepped out onto the planet's surface and breathed in the heavy, thick forest air.

He didn't intend to walk long in the forest - he walked a few dozen metres away for prevention, and sat down on a large protruding tree root and began to think. Somewhere here there must be, presumably, beskar, a particularly valuable ore. The only reason the Mandalorians hadn't discovered the deposits was because they'd been discovered after the bombing of the Yuuzhan-Vongs. And if the deposits were discovered after the bombardment, that means... That means there's something above them besides the ground that prevented exploration by traditional means.

Anakin, sitting on a tree root, decided to rely on the force and put his hands on the ground...

A stream of power passed through his hands, but didn't go further than two or three metres, at which Anakin felt nothing, much less a beskar.

He rose to his feet and moved a few metres to the side, repeating the procedure - same result, no change. Skywalker sat down on the ground, cranking his sensitivity to maximum. He was going to be lucky, it couldn't be otherwise!

* * *

Naboo

* * *

A maid was hurrying down the long corridors of the royal palace, carrying a new set of royal clothes in a large, thick bag. As she passed by, some of the guards said hello or just nodded in greeting. The woman returned the greeting - she had come to know most of the employees in the palace, even though there were several hundred of them, including the queen's servants.

She crossed the doors to the Queen's chambers without a hitch and stepped inside. And inside...

- Shmi? - The queen turned round. Her right cheek was already painted with ceremonial make-up as well as some other parts of her face. Shmi put the bag on the bed and turned to the queen:

- You're good at sleeping, Padme," Shmi glanced disapprovingly at the queen. She only smiled and turned back to the mirror. The make-up girl immediately started to finish her work.

- What's wrong? - Padme asked without opening her eyes.

- No, nothing," Shmi Skywalker sighed. But Padme kept up:

- I can tell something's wrong. Don't be dull.

- It's been a while since I've heard from Ani," the woman said sadly.

- 'Ah, you're worried...' Padme realised, 'unfortunately, nothing is known yet. I'd be wondering where he disappeared too.

Shmi was about to say another news, but did not have time - the queen interrupted her:

- You will be, he's a clever and capable boy, he won't be lost. I'm sure he'll come back.

- Yes," Skywalker nodded, "I'll be waiting for him.

Padme didn't answer. Shmi hesitated a moment longer before continuing:

- 'And one more thing...

- Yes?" the queen turned to Shmi and gazed intently into her face.

- 'Ed... anyway, he wants to get married.

- To whom? - Padme was surprised before she realised.

- Me.

- Well, that's news... and you didn't say anything? - Amidala even rose from her chair.

- 'He just told me last night,' Shmi justified herself.

- 'That's how... and...'

Shmi reluctantly replied:

- 'I haven't answered anything yet, but I promised to think about it...'

- That's the right thing to do," Amidala smiled, "or she'll think she's something else....

- Oh, come on, Padme, I've been seeing Ed for a year, what am I supposed to do with him, play games or something? He knows me well.

- And you will answer him..." the queen teased.

- Yes, of course I will," Skywalker smiled, "I'm not going to miss out on my happiness.

- That's the right thing to do," Padme nodded. - When is the wedding? Oh, yes, sorry, I forgot, when the bachelorette party is, will you call me?

- Of course," Shmi said indignantly. - If you come.

- I'll be there, of course I will. I wonder how Ani will feel about it when she gets back..." Padme wondered.

Shmi remained silent...

* * *

Mandalore

A week after E. Skywalker's arrival.

* * *

The teen hid behind a tree. It was unusually quiet, with only the sound of Skywalker's breathing breaking the silence. Even the wind seemed to have died down, to wait for the moment and play again in the crowns of the trees. Anakin felt the predator's gaze on him, and he pushed himself up off the ground, helping himself with his strength, and leapt three times his height in an unthinkable leap.

- I warned you, bear-pig," Skywalker growled, standing firmly on the ground. He reached for his sword and activated his weapon. The raptor, called a bear-pig, sensed the danger, but it was not about to cancel the dinner menu it had already mentally approved, so it came at Skywalker once more. Anakin wanted to move away, but he sensed that the bear-pig's paws would easily reach him, and there was no way to dodge. The sword whipped through the air, illuminating the small and sparse forest. The beast stepped back a few metres and prepared to jump again. Anakin, who had already prepared a plan of attack, stood and as the large, fur-covered carcass sprang at him, he pirouetted upward, activating his blade in a pirouette that would cut the beast's back in a half-circle. The bear cub was powerless against the lightsaber and fell to the ground. Skywalker, who had landed, switched off his sword and immediately drew his blaster and discharged half a clip into the belly of the beast. Anakin didn't want to waste his energy on the hunter's craft, but nature forced him to - the sword, after shortening and thinning the blade with the appropriate twists, turned into a thirty-centimetre light machete.

The beast looked like a bear, except for the head, which bore two fangs and a real boar's heel. An overgrown boar with fur. Skywalker immediately skinned the bear cub, and using telekinesis, dug a hole in the ground and buried the scraps, leaving only the meat and hide for himself. Skywalker's gut told him that the animal was edible. When he returned to the ship after such an expedition, he dumped the meat into the small reservoir that had formed after he had blocked the stream with his ship. A large puddle, knee deep, with amazingly clear water. Skywalker ran into the ship and asked Erdw to find information on the bear-pig. A few seconds later, the droid had already found the information he needed on the planetary network.

It turns out that it is a local Mandalorian predator, occupying a place similar to a bear or a wild boar - omnivorous, aggressive, the skin is used for clothing, and the meat is consumed as food.

- Erdva, see what you can make from it?

- Now... recipes... - the droid was silent, but then displayed information with recipes on holomonitors - soups, stews, pies, and other delights. Skywalker didn't have a kitchen - the ship was simple and cheap, and all the food that was available was convenience foods from the "just heat it up" series.

- No, it's not going to work that way. Keep looking, there's kebab....

The droid didn't know the word "kebab", but Anakin, realising that the meat was quite edible, decided to improvise.

- Okay, I'm going into the woods.

- We have enough food, don't we?

- These rations are going to drive you crazy. I'm going to the woods," Skywalker said, taking his IQA-11 rifle before leaving the ship. Ask where the rifle came from? It's an optional question - guns aren't banned on Mandalore, and Alderaan has a rich selection for every taste and colour.

Anakin stepped out, though the darkness was taking its toll - only the light from the starship's passenger hatch illuminated the area. Skywalker didn't intend to wander the forest for long, though; he found a clearing where a fragrant herb that smelled like mint grew. The young forsuser went out for it. Since he used his power vision, the darkness was not a barrier to him, moreover, he noticed birds and small rodents jumping in the tree crowns. As he approached the clearing, Skywalker ducked and peeked out from behind a tree. Anakin could clearly see the large cluster of birds near the clearing. Deciding to shoot one, he aimed the barrel of his rifle and fired. To his disappointment, he missed - shooting with such a weapon required serious training, which, of course, Anakin didn't have.

- Well, fuck it," Skywalker shrugged and found the right herb.

"Erdva was waiting for him at the camp, and as it turned out, he was worried about his master.

- Don't worry, Iron Man, I'm not going anywhere without you," Skywalker put down his weapon and while the droid was checking the herb for edibility, he sat down to construct the necessary equipment. If any of the Jedi who worshipped the Force had learnt that the Force could be used to make a good brazier and skewers, they would have been permanently shocked. But none of the Jedi knew, of course, and so, in complete obscurity, a thick-walled brazier and a dozen skewers were constructed from scrap metal. Erdva had already returned to Skywalker:

- Edible, used as a seasoning for canning vegetables.

- Great," Anakin sharpened one skewer with his strength and cut the pieces of meat one by one. There was a total of ten kilos of meat from the carcass, so ten skewers were not enough - it took some work to find more metal and expand the brazier. The droid, already used to the sight of Anakin's abilities, only squeaked and moved aside.

- Erdva, do you think we came here for a reason at all? Maybe we shouldn't go to Mandalore.

- I don't know, it's your idea, it's up to you," the droid replied.

- Well, that's true... but I can't seem to find a beskar anywhere. I'm so trained that I can feel our ship from a couple of hundred metres away, but there's still no metal...

- There must be some reason. Where have you looked?

- Everywhere. I've searched the whole forest, and I've gone south, east and west a bit. And nothing, not a damn thing. They don't have to be small deposits, do they?

- They don't," the droid confirmed. The meat, already well-drained and drained of blood, took its place on the brazier.

- Didn't you look here?

- Where here? - Skywalker asked. During his search for ore, his power detection range had increased by leaps and bounds, and he was having trouble finding the metal.

- Below us.

Erdva fell silent, and Skywalker's face showed the work of thought.

- Turn the meat every minute," Anakin said. The fire was already mostly out, and the heat from the coals was causing the still raw meat to ooze, sizzling, juices.

Anakin rose to his feet and ran to the ship, ran inside, and then the ship soared into the air, the repulsors ready to go every second.

After flying a few dozen metres from the base, Skywalker landed the ship lower down the creek and exited, jumping straight out of the hatch without waiting for the boom that served as a ladder to lower.

Skywalker ran up in the direction of Erdv and the kebabs, avoiding the water, which, for lack of a dam, immediately rushed down in a torrent.

The teenager sat down on the ground and put his hand to the ground... the smell of the meat, already starting to fry, threw him off balance, but Skywalker steadfastly and courageously endured... after a minute of such torture, he opened his eyes:

- You know... there really is something there... deep down. You can barely feel it.

- There, I told you so! - the droid began to beep happily.

- Yes, you're right as always, my iron friend," Skywalker returned to his meditation, and after about ten minutes, he snapped back to reality:

- Exactly! Metal. Lots of it. Down there! - he jumped to his feet and kissed Erdv. The droid also showed his joy.

- Today is my day! Skywalker rejoiced.

- You've worked hard," Erdva praised him.

- That's right," Anakin smiled and returned to the ground. This time he tried to reach through the ground to get some of the metal. It was difficult - there was a layer of rock between the surface and the ore - but Anakin managed to get the metal out. From a depth of a hundred metres, shiny fine sand rose to the surface and was immediately turned into a small ball.

- Here, - the teenager showed Erdva his loot, - the most valuable thing in this land! Now let's think how we can get money for it.

- Sell it? - suggested the droid.

- Obviously. But to sell something unnecessary, you have to buy something unnecessary, and that doesn't make sense," Anakin flipped the kebab over, sat with it for a while longer, and returned to the ship.