Chapter 1 part 2

"Yies"

The Dakari brothers are very friendly, without any irony.

....

"After about an hour, bidding farewell to Ram and his family, my father and I headed home. All the way, I was thinking about how to approach my father with my questions, as my curiosity was at its peak. I had no intention of asking him anything on the way, as he might get distracted from the road and, well, you know, but I had plenty of time to figure out how to start the conversation. If I were a bit more grown-up, I would have just asked him directly, but I'm only four years old, almost... well, you get the idea, so I decided to play it safe. Although I knew it was all nonsense. Don't get me wrong, I'm not a paranoid person. It's just that I came here with my adult mind and couldn't take everything for granted. That's why I was afraid of saying something wrong... It's hard to explain. Never mind. When we arrived home, my father parked the speeder bike in the garage, and after picking me up, he was about to head into the house, but halfway there, he paused for a moment. He looked back at the spider bike, then at the door leading into the house, shook his head and said:"

''And why not. Someday I'll have to show it to you. Alright, little one, let's go, we'll let your mom know everything is fine, and I'll show you something interesting.

We found my mother, Sanu Dakari, in the kitchen pouring juice into glasses.

''Hi, dear, - father kissed her on the ear. - Look, little one, what a wonderful mom we have. The men have just returned home, and this wonderful drink is already waiting for them. After that, he sat me down on a chair and pushed one of the glasses towards me.

"So, tell us, man, how was your meeting?" said the woman with a smile.

"Wonderful! New spare parts for the droids, new seeds, and even a bag of Jedi wheat," he replied.

"Wow, you managed to get it? I never believed it," she said.

"That's not all," he said conspiratorially.

"After all these years, I finally became the owner of a krayt dragon pearl!" he exclaimed at the end.

"And the mother smiled. Sincerely. I felt her joy and a little bit of pride. But not the kind of joy you feel when you get something you've longed for, like my father's feeling now, but the kind you feel for a loved one, rejoicing with them. Enjoying that HE is happy. How lucky they were to have met each other.

You did get it after all," she said, smiling. "What color is it?

"Green. Come on, I'll show you!

"Finish your juice first, hurry up.

"But I already did."

After these words, my father downed the contents of his glass in one gulp, and my mother shook her head and nodded at me. I, knowing my father and afraid of being left behind, tried to finish my drink as well. But because of my age, I couldn't drink it all in one gulp like my father did. Plus, my glass was twice the size of my parents'. "Don't hurry, honey. We're not going anywhere without you," the woman said, smiling. My father took the bag from the spider bike's trunk as if it were some treasure. And in the same way, but now from the bag, he took out a small metal container. And the face he made while opening the container...

The pearl itself didn't impress me. It was a semi-transparent green ball the size of a tangerine, with a pale green, almost white center, and veins of the same color running from the center to the edges. I understood that it was a rare and expensive thing, but I had seen similar jewelry back in my world.

"That's nothing," my father said. "When I cut it like the Jedi do, then it will be truly beautiful." Two hundred thirteen thousand. My father's spider bike cost one and a half. Brand new. And he wants to "cut" it? Isn't he afraid of breaking it?

"You won't break it, will you?" my mother voiced my thoughts."You won't break it, will you?" my mother voiced my thoughts.

"Me? No way. I won't be doing it by hand," he explained to my mother, who raised a skeptical eyebrow. "It will be worth even more after I'm done."

"How do you know how the Jedi cut them?" my mother persisted.

"I've seen it," my father muttered. "When I was a youngling."

What!? Youngling? That's like kids they teach at the Jedi academy. My father was a youngling? Wow. Maybe he's a Jedi? Damn, how do I ask? I mean, I don't know anything about it, really.

"Youngling?" I finally said.

"They're gifted children, son, who are trained in the Jedi Temple on Coruscant."

"Daddy a Jedi?" I asked a new question. My father sighed sadly.

"No, little one. I never managed to become a Jedi. I was too weak, so I left." Wow. You can leave there?

"Daddy is strong," I said as confidently as possible.

"Haha. Of course, son. Your father is the strongest of all the fathers in the galaxy," he patted me on the head, and his sadness vanished before my eyes. "Come on," he said, putting the pearl in the container. "I'll show you my collection."

"It seems like this specimen didn't impress you much," he chuckled.

"Okay," said the mother with a smile, "you guys go ahead, and I'll go prepare lunch. Come back in an hour."

"Whatever you say, dear," he kissed his wife.

The father's workshop was located in the backyard. It was not quite a barn, nor a hangar. It was something big and made of metal. But we didn't go to the workshop; instead, we went behind it. About ten meters away from the building, there was a boulder lying on the ground, and that's where my dad went.

"Look closely, son. See this recess here, you press here and... voila. The disguised console opens up. You enter the code... even if you don't remember it on the first try... well, never mind, just watch carefully. "After slowly typing ten digits, he looked at me and said," Don't worry, if anything, you'll learn it later. " "Oh, you shouldn't have said that, father. My memory is really good."

After he pressed "enter," something clicked about a meter away from us, and my father approached the spot and lifted a hatch blending into the ground. "Come here," he said, picking me up by the armpits and hoisting me onto his shoulders. He began descending down into the opening. "Hold on tight, son," he said, "if you fall, your mother will kill me."

"Having descended, we found ourselves in a room two by two meters, right in front of a metal door and another console. However, this time it was more complicated. Setting my fragile body on the ground and taking my hand, my father approached the door."

"Now, little one, we'll add your information to the list of those who can enter here. Come on, put your finger here."-After placing my finger where instructed, I felt the spot heating up and then a sharp prick. "See, it doesn't hurt at all".

"Now, look here," he said, picking me up and bringing me closer to a blue glowing lens. Flash, and I'm back on the ground. "Good job, son, you're a real man. Dakari!" My father said proudly. Apparently, he thought I would have a fit - first my finger gets pricked, then I'm blinded... "And now, another code... which you don't need... like this. Now remember it. Although, we'll learn it later." And ten more digits. "Okay, you can go in now."

The space that opened up to me beyond the door was not that big, about ten by five meters. And on the opposite wall, there was a huge glass cabinet displaying a multitude of colorful stones. Some were immediately recognizable as crystals, while others were not easily identifiable as anything other than rocks. There was even something remotely resembling a ginseng root.

Here it is - my pride! - father puffed out his chest. - I've been collecting these crystals ever since I ran away from the academy. Four hundred and eighteen crystals for the lightsaber. Most of them are ordinary, cheap ones, but there are also quite rare specimens here. - It seems like dad needs new ears. - Look, - he said, approaching the glass and pointing to one of the stones with his finger, - Ophylia. It is mined in the asteroid field of the Fitth system. Increases the cutting properties of the lightsaber. It was relatively easy to get. And this one, - he pointed to another stone, - Nexthor. Comes from the planet M'haeli. What it does exactly, I can't say, but I spent three months wandering the planet trying to buy it from someone. In the end, I won it in sabacc.

Although I'll tell you a secret, I'm not very good at playing cards. This was probably the luckiest game of my life. Or here's another stone - this blue beauty is called upari. It's found in the orbit of forest worlds and gives many small bonuses to a lightsaber. I got this on Kashyyyk. I just bought it from a local merchant, they use them as decorations. I paid twenty thousand for this little bugger. Oh well... Practically every crystal in this collection has its own story, both general and personal to me. For example, because of this red crystal, which is very rare, your father had to chase three Jedi around for two months. Because quixoni is a very powerful crystal that increases the power of the dark side. I won't even mention its uniqueness. I got it for free, but on the black market, such a stone would cost fifteen hundred. Although, in my opinion, the price is still too high.

He said, pointing to the milky-white stone, "This one releases a huge earthworm living on one of the planets of the Uncharted Territory. If you only knew what it took me to get it.... I almost started looking for the planet itself. The sigil," he pointed to the pale pink stone, "is an extremely powerful crystal that increases the power of a sword. And as for the price, I'd better keep my mouth shut. It still gives me the chills." By the way, I remember something about the sigil. I think I saw it in some game, and it really did increase the damage. And listening to my father, all these precautions with the bunker become understandable. If he's not lying, and I doubt it, there are crystals here worth a lot more than his brother mentioned. While I was examining the stones, pondering the great things, my father opened a shelf and placed a pearl in one of the few free places.

"This pearl, kid," he said, admiring it, "can only be obtained from the stomach of a krayt dragon. A rare, huge and very dangerous creature that inhabits the Tatooine desert. The black pearl is considered the most valuable, but getting it would be a miracle. Especially without leaving our planet. By the way," he continued, "there's also a crystal cave on our remote outpost Pzob. I'm just not sure what they give to the gifted. Here they are, by the way," he waved his hand to the right. "Right on the edge, if you're interested."

Wow! A crystal cave? Here?! That's amazing. After my father's words, I suddenly really wanted to see this place. Very much so. Nothing special, just curiosity. After all, this is the crystal cave of the Star Wars universe! Ah, damn this darn age. I'll have to wait.

"What, kid, interested?" asked my father, looking at me. I never went to see the crystals, after my father's words about the cave I just stood there, staring at him. And when he asked about my interest, I quickly nodded. To which he kindly laughed and said, "Don't nod so fast, kid, or your head will fly off. Alright, I'll take you there. I'm just going to that area for some ore soon, why not make a little detour for my boy," and with these last words my dad began to squeeze me, as if I were a plush toy. Well, for that I am ready to endure such teasing without words.

We went to the cave, or more precisely, to the ore that father uses in alloys, the next day. Mom walked around with a face as if we were going to war, and I, in response, showed in every way possible how much I was looking forward to this trip. As a result, my mother fell silent. And by the end, she wasn't upset anymore, she was just irritated.

Although when they put me in the car and fastened my seatbelt, the thought flashed through my head - maybe I shouldn't go, but the thought only flashed once and very quickly. After all, it was the crystal cave! Damn it, to enter this world and not see such a cave? Yes, it could be done later, but curiosity was gnawing at me now. And what if I'm a Force user and I'll sense my crystal there? At least, it seems to me that's how the Jedi find them. I can't say for sure, but something like that is spinning in my head. If I am right... No, I don't want to be a Jedi, or a Sith, I'm living pretty well on this planet, but I want to pull objects with the power of my mind, like a Force user, Gifted... or whatever they call them here... in short, I want to use the Force.

"I hope that I can learn on my own with such a small thing. I don't even need great power, just enough to be different from others. And how one can unfold with this power... Here, on Pzob, I mean. One problem is that someone, a Jedi named Obi-Wan, I believe, said that there are billions of living beings in the galaxy, and there are only a few thousand Jedi. The chance of me being sensitive to the Force is one in several billion. These are not very optimistic odds, you will agree. Even if the Jedi only find a small fraction of such children, it is still one in several million - if the maximum optimism, not very bright odds. During the first hour of the trip, my father, without stopping, told stories from his life about how he extracted this or that crystal. He stopped only when we passed the serpentine road, and a picturesque valley stretched out to our right."

Valley of Talar, - said the father. - That's where the crystal cave is located, but we'll visit it on the way back. First, we'll collect cortosis ore. It's a fragile metal, but in some places it's very necessary. And if we turn west at the nearest fork, we can get to the lommite deposits. It's what they use to make durasteel and transparent steel. It's not as expensive as cortosis, but still pretty valuable. Pzob is rich in all kinds of ores. Someday our family will save up enough money to be able to start mining all of it. First the cheaper ones, so we don't get crushed right away, and then, when we expand, the more expensive ones. Like cortosis. And when we become big people in the galaxy, we'll take on the nearest asteroid belt, - the father daydreamed, while I was amazed. - My father, your grandfather, found deposits of frickite and tibannite there. And that, little one, is just huge money.

"Wow, my dad sure has big plans. And I'm not even against it - after all, he only has one heir. And even if I end up with a couple of brothers - it's not a problem, I'll still be the eldest... No, damn it. It's actually a big problem. That's two younger siblings to deal with.

"And you'll be the heir to all of this, little one. So pay attention to everything you'll be taught. When you turn thirteen, we'll send you to the Alderaan University. It's not cheap, but it's worth it. Personally, I would have sent you to Coruscant, but unfortunately, your mother was against it. Apparently, there are too many criminals, temptations, and perverts there... But okay, I agree with her on that. But they do have better education in technical sciences over there."

And as far as I can tell, my father didn't really need a conversation partner. Look how he wandered off. But whatever he said, I'm all for it. I'll look at the world and gain knowledge. It took us half an hour to get to the destination after that conversation. Father spent an hour digging through the ground, picking out boulders, then another forty minutes riding to the cave and finally, there it was - the purpose of my visit! The Talarskaya Crystal Cave was not as big as I imagined it to be. I thought it would be much larger. There were actually four interconnected caves, and you couldn't get lost if you wanted to. But it was beautiful. The walls of the cave were covered with multicolored, transparent crystals in their natural form. And when my father turned on the second flashlight... In short, it looked truly stunning. But I didn't feel any call. I wandered around there for an hour, and nothing. I wonder if the Jedi cave is just as small? Although, of course, it's irrelevant. It was looted millennia ago.

Overall, it was a cool trip. Informative, interesting, and disappointing. I don't even dare to say how much my chances of becoming a Force user have decreased. And two months later, I turned four years old. Oh, what a wonderful celebration it turned out to be. Although, due to my young age, it was more of a celebration for my parents. For my fourth birthday, they invited twenty-two people...that is, sentient beings, including several Zabraks and Twi'leks. That's not even counting their children. It was on that day that I first saw my youngest uncle. And his children, by the way. Two boys, six years old. So it turns out that among the Dakari family's children, I was the youngest. Even Rama's youngest son, who was also four years old, had his birthday six months ago. Gifts, by the way, were not only given to me, but also to my parents. And yes, they were given. I mean, the tradition of giving gifts on birthdays exists in this galaxy. Maybe not everywhere, I don't know, but it was present here on Pzob. And now the last gift-giver is approaching me, who turned out to be Galil - my father's youngest brother.

In his hands, he held a plastic box about fifty centimeters, with which he squatted down in front of me.

" Well, nephew," he said, smiling widely, "my turn has come. Look what I have." With these words, my uncle opened the box. And looking into it, I realized that even such a cynical person as me could still be moved. In the box lay an animal that looked mostly like a kitten. Except that instead of fur, its body was covered in tiny scales. Curled up in a ball, the creature slept, ignoring the noise and commotion in the yard of the house where the celebration was taking place.

"This is a Hasian gratt," Galil said. "Take it in your hands and bring it to your face. It needs to see you first when it wakes up."

Taking the kitten in my arms, I brought it to my face, and Galil stepped aside. The gratt, disturbed by the movement of its body, began to wake up, blinking and wrinkling its nose. And after blinking, the first thing it saw was my eyes. And, whether you believe it or not, after that I felt as if a soft paw was touching my brain.

"Not something ephemeral, called mind or consciousness, but specifically the brain under the skull. Nothing unpleasant, just unusual. It lasted for about a minute, after which the creature made a sound resembling meowing, but only resembling. Rather, it meowed and purred at the same time.

"Here we are," Galil approached. "Now you won't have a more reliable friend than this gratt. It won't betray or abandon you, it will always support and share your joy. Take care of it and remember that these animals are very smart. I wrote your parents instructions on how to take care of it, so ask them more often how to better care for it."

Against the backdrop of various toys that were given to me, this gift clearly stood out. As I later found out, the grat wasn't something amazing or rare, and their kittens were fairly easily tamed. What was rare was the drug that bound the grat kittens to their owner on a mental level. But I learned that later, and now I was looking at the kitten curled up in my arms, who had decided to continue sleeping, and was charmed. I had never seen such cuteness in my second life. Especially endearing was how he was trying to settle on my arms. The grat may have been small, but my hands as a four-year-old child were not particularly large either.

"And one more thing, little one, - added my uncle, - don't go too far away from him in the next month. Nothing serious, but the kitten will feel uncomfortable. Really? Oh, it seems to me, uncle, that you're not telling me something. Maybe the bond can be disrupted or something else?

I might not have known about the drug then, but what happened, coupled with the many fantastic books I had read in my native world, allowed me to make a pretty definite conclusion. But nevermind, it isn't too hard for me anyway.

...