Sewing

Teacher... Tosi was resting. Yes, my yacht has VIP staterooms, a luxurious shower, and many other ways to relax - and all the guests of the yacht used them. Except for the battered stateroom, the yacht looked like new, although it was partly new.

The restoration of the hyperdrive turned out to be quite a long, but interesting activity - the circuit was damaged, it was located along the sides of the ship and consisted of large pipes of different materials, inserted one into another according to the matryoshka principle. Yes, it was not difficult to solder them - at first I thought that they could be useful for me to restore the coordinates of the jump in my time, but I abandoned this task - a jump back in time was theoretically impossible, so the theory could not tell me anything.

But the local Jedi were pleased with their rationality and willingness to help. Well, how to provide - go and work, and in your spare time you can do your own thing. I was sure that the Master was no longer thinking about the fact that I had to return, concentrating all expectations on leaving me in the Order.

Tosi didn't show any such thing - Togruta seemed unconcerned at all, though not always - judging by her skill level, I had a long, long way to go to get up to speed.

The journey to Shili took four days. Four long days - Toshi wanted to distract me and go train, but when she saw that I was using power navigation, she left immediately, humming loudly. I couldn't be distracted.

With the best hyperdrive this time, second class, and by hyperspace routes, it takes seventeen days to get from Coruscant to Shealy. That's very, very long, and I couldn't afford such a waste of time, so I steered my ship through the "beastly paths" of the galaxy - between the asteroid fields, through uninhabited regions, straight to the planet.

The teacher only watched as I, tired, landed my ship on some asteroid or left to drift in space, and, having surrendered to Erdva, went to sleep. After a short break, he wished Tosi a good morning and the journey continued.

Tosi asked no questions about why we were flying this way and not the other, but all questions fell away when, on the third day of the journey, I brought the ship out of hyperspace in the Shili system.

A planet was visible far in space, and Toshi, noticing the premature exit from hyperspace, came out to me in the cabin.

- Henya! Are we there yet? - she asked, looking out into the space in front of us.

- Exactly. It's a five minute sublight ride to the planet. Master, show me where to land," I said, nodding toward the planet.

- This can not be! - Toshi was indignant. - We've only just flown out. It took me a month to get to Coruscant!

- That was on a ship," I said in denial, "but I was fast, and we followed a straight line, avoiding every possible route. So we made it in three days," I said. - Actually, it would have taken a week to get there by hyperspace, but I didn't want to wait.

- You're so fast..." my teacher chuckled, and she sat down in the co-pilot's chair to make room for Erdev, who usually steered the ship on the landing, who came up behind me.

- As it is, Master," I shrugged. - So where do we land?

- Now... so..." she was remembering something, and she answered:

- "We need a village called Ita.

- I don't know if it's on our maps," I shook my head. Erdva silently agreed with me.

- I have a map.

- In that case, throw it to Erdva, he'll figure it out," the named droid turned toward the teacher and, pulling out his antenna with impatience, took the map from Tosya's datapad, and then announced:

- We'll be there in half an hour. I'll take the controls.

- Yes, please," I let go of the wheel, and Erdva took over the boat. The voyage was coming to an end.

Shili was not like land, like Correlia, for example. Shili was wooded - entire continents covered in green when viewed from orbit. It would take a couple of dozen minutes to descend on the repulsors. However, it does not matter - while the ship is descending, I usually leave to prepare for the landing. This time was no exception - after reporting to the planet's air defense, I immediately got up, leaving the droid and the teacher in the control room, and went out.

The first thing to do was to change clothes. From the looks of it, it was better to get dressed in marching clothes right away and bring my blaster with me. While I was pulling on my suit and checking my weapon, the ship descended to a kilometer altitude and began to land.

There was no spaceport near the village, but there was a relatively prepared place to land.

After checking with the force to see if everything was okay, I went to the teacher's cabin. Toshi was still sitting in the co-pilot's chair.

- Master? Are we going?

- Already? We haven't landed yet.

- There's nothing else for us to do in the cabin, now we'll report to the local post, pay for parking and go wherever it is ... - I said thoughtfully.

- How do you know all this?

- I worked on a smuggling ship once. Took me a few months to get around the galaxy.

- Yes," the teacher scratched the tip of her lekku and followed me to the exit. On the way out, Toshi briefed me:

- So, Ita is a relatively small hunting village, inhabited by one of the clans of hunters, the Dal'kogha. This ancient profession has survived to this day, and the way of life in the village is, one might say, conservative. And the Dal'kogha is one of only two surviving hunter clans.

- I see," I nodded. "It would seem that some sort of aboriginal tribe lives there.

- Don't look so," the Master said indignantly, "they are, you know, highly respected Togroots, and their lives are part of the history of my race.

- Yes, yes, Master," I said hurriedly, "I understand. But what are we going to do there?

- Study," said Tosi, a little offended. A tribe is a tribe.

The ship landed on a small earthy area. Nearby stood two more light transports, remotely resembling the one I had pulled from the sands of Tatooine. Apparently, though there was a conservative way of life here, they had connections to the cities. The weather was... hot. Toshi, as soon as we were downstairs, walked toward a tepee in the distance. Why "wigwam"? Because it was what it looked like, though the color and shape of the walls were similar to that of the Togrut montral. On our way there we met a flock of Togrut boys, who, by all appearances, were playing at something, and the older members of the race, too, were about fifty yards away, looking at us with interest.

Erdva, as was the custom, stayed behind to guard the ship-he's not badly armed, if anything.

Toshi led me into the building, where no one was to be found. As I turned my head to look at the unusual, tinged with local color, she quickly found an older man and spoke to him fluently in her own language. The language was unusual - quite melodic, with many complex sounds that human vocal cords cannot replicate.

With a nod in my direction, she chanted something to the old man, and after waiting for an answer, she led me on. The old man never paid much attention to me.

- They don't particularly like newcomers here, but we are not in danger. We won't live in the village..." said Tosi, looking around the settlement, "Don't pester the local girls, and you'll be fine...

- The girls? - I was astonished. - Are a Human and a Togrut...

- Yes, yes, relatively compatible. But here, if you mess with a man, you may be kicked out of the clan. Can't help it, it's the law," Tosi shrugged. - Besides, no one would respect such a toggrut, and there'd be no way to get to Shili.

I sighed regretfully - I haven't had much taste for exotica yet, though it sounds rather strange coming from a half-man half-worldling. Specificity of self-consciousness.

Somehow, this village reminded me of an Indian settlement, with a mixture of high-tech elements in the form of droids, or a young Togruta, carrying a heavy and long blaster rifle behind his shoulders. I should take mine with me, for I'm sure it will come in handy.

- What are we supposed to live on?

- What the whole clan lives on. Hunting. Or can't you kill a shark? - Toshi asked playfully. - In any case, there's plenty of game and edible plants here-we won't starve.

The journey through the village ended at the local store. Tosi, finding a rather shabby sign with a Togruti inscription, smiled and went inside. I followed.

It reminded me not even of a country shop, but of a medieval one. If it weren't for the blasters hanging on the walls and the pair of droids in the corner, it was a wooden structure, with a counter, behind which an elderly Togruta was bored. Her face was richly adorned with white stripes, not unlike Tosya's, and her skin tone was the opposite - almost Negro. After glancing at the tribeswoman and me, the old woman spoke in a common language:

- What do you want?

- Supplies for a few days, a blaster rifle...

- Master, I have a set of weapons. Including a rifle.

- Then no rifle," the teacher nodded. Then she ordered everything that could be useful, from sleeping bags to another set of hunting clothes for me. Judging by her comment, this suit was something historically Togrutian-almost all hunters wore one. To me, though, it looked like a thin leather and lace-up shirt, the same leather pants, and something balachonic, like a poncho. Everything was adorned with white and blue stripes, as camouflage. Deciding not to test fate and local mores, I did not change my clothes; the ladies were almost right for my size anyway.

At my thirteenth birthday I was starting to grow fast, so I could definitely use the clothes.

After purchasing everything I needed, Toshi said in a commanding voice:

- Tomorrow we will go into the woods. And today, if you would be so kind as to finish all your chores. The ship can stay here as long as you like, so we'll sleep there and be on our way.

- Shall we take the droid with us? - I asked. - Because Erdva is so restless, I'm afraid of leaving him alone, he might take off in search of some adventure...

- A droid? - Toshi didn't understand. - You mean the astrodroid?

- Yes, my Erdev. He's very... willful. Intelligence is about the level of a ten year old, and that's what's frightening.

- Well, you can take him with you.

We returned to the ship. At night, lying in my bed, I remembered my not-so-long but full life-Tatooine was hardly memorable-just sand, heat, nasty slave owners... then Ju and his Lucky Old Man-that was better- traveling all over the galaxy, orders that kept growing. Then Alderaan - learning is such a time that seems long, but in no way memorable. Probably affects the intensive work of the brain in the other direction, and all unnecessary things disappear from memory. I remembered only the day when I learned about my origins and "Alderaan" - Ali, wrapped in two towels, just out of the shower, a few drops of water dripping down her slender waist, which glistened in the light of the stars...

I chased away the sad memories and fell into a sound sleep. A long but unmemorable period of life lay ahead of me, and I needed to get ready for some intense training.

Out into the woods was in the morning. Nothing remarkable - we packed our bags and went out with our duffel bags behind our backs. The teacher decided to take me to a special place.

We walked for a long time - we had been stomping through the forest all morning. I, who was not used to such a walk, stumbled regularly, until I guessed to use my intuition while walking. When I figured it out, the branches under my feet stopped crunching, and I stopped stumbling and walked just as almost silently as Tosi did. The teacher hummed loudly at that:

- Lex was right, you guessed it yourself. But it will play tricks on you someday.

- What?" I didn't understand her comment.

- They teach you to move in the temple using your intuition. You don't have a problem with intuition. If you can intuitively fly a ship in hyperspace, you won't have a problem. But your movements might be. Stamina, flexibility, speed, all of which you have so far fallen behind the average youngling. I estimate that within a year you could reach the level of a good Padawan.

- Master, I have a question..." I walked around a few trees and continued speaking carefully, "I have a question, at what age are you eligible to be a padawan?

- As a rule, a yunling is accepted into the temple at the age of four or six, four years of compulsory training, and after that he may be accepted at any time. If no one is taken by sixteen, the youngling is given a certificate of the temple as an elementary school, after that he can go to any destination. As a rule, all more or less strong students quickly disperse, immediately after training, to the masters, and the knights sort out the rest.

- So there are a lot of Forsuzers in the galaxy who left the temple? - I asked.

- Exactly. They're not dangerous, so the Sith won't take them. In life, they tend to have only a slight advantage over the rest of the citizens...

I was surprised at that. Indeed, what can a weak Forsuzer with little or no training do? And what's the point of restricting him to anything, anyway, an ordinary Mandalorian hunter can be much more dangerous?

Leaving these reflections on the fate of Forsuers in the galaxy, I moved on to reflecting on my own fate. Or rather, about how I would find my way back. Apparently, judging by events and decisions, the leadership thinks I'll be doing that once I've finished my training and become more or less self-sufficient. For now I'm an easy target and a typical front-line worker, with my tendencies and dislike for petty extremes and finding adventures on my own backside...

I already understood and guessed something about the Force, but without a teacher, trying to learn something more complicated than forging or intuition would have been futile. The "feel power" method would not work here - you need to know the sequence and the best way to learn, and self-taught you cannot achieve any results. The teacher strutted briskly ahead, scouting the area, while I kept in sight and occasionally came close to talk. Erdva closed the procession, flying behind us and surveying the area.

The journey was not over, but we stopped for a halt. The teacher, after examining a small clearing, dropped her duffel bag to the roots of a large tree and stretched tiredly. I followed her example and immediately asked:

- Shall we stop?

- Let's take a break," she nodded briefly, "and go on our way. Let's see how you learned your first skill.

She took a sip from the flask she carried on her belt and continued:

- Let's start with the most fundamental part of your training. You're going to have to build muscle mass while you're too... skinny. But you just have to work at it for five or seven years. You can do it faster, but you're going to have to learn how to fuel your body.

- Feed?

- Of course. They don't teach Junlings that, as a rule, you have to be too sensitive to feel power, but you can do it, I'm sure. - Toshi said confidently. - The Master has planned your training, which is quite different from the normal program, in that you can use your power and intuition on a level that most knights cannot master. Roughly at the level of an average master. Just don't get too cocky.

- Yes, Master! - I said. - Where do we begin?

- Theoretically," Toshi stretched out with a thoughtful look, "theoretically it's a medical skill, but it requires no medical knowledge, only a subtle sense of your power. The power flows in you, like blood. You can consciously change the rate of flow in one part of your body or another. You don't have to change the structure itself, just the speed of flow. Where the force flows faster, the efficiency of the organs increases - the regeneration and growth of cells is accelerated and they become more immune to aging. There are many cases where Jedi have lived twice or three times longer than the rest of their race. We Togrutians live about eighty or hundred years, and those skilled in controlling their own bodies can live up to three hundred years.

- So," I interrupted the lecture, "you can prolong your life?

- Of course. As a rule, the body may not endure if the power flows too slowly, but each race has its own peculiarities. Some can prolong their lives a dozen times over.

I was just thinking of old Yoda. If green men could live for a thousand years, more would be known about this race-all long-lived races are well known. But I think I get the point.

- That's not what's important, it's the use of strength as a natural doping. Before we start training for stretching, building muscle mass, and speed, you need to master the appropriate skills, with which you can accelerate the process of developing your own body. If we were talking about an ordinary Padawan it would shorten his life, but your abilities are enough to counteract any negative effects," the teacher said. - Shall we begin?

- To what? - I asked a question, for which I received a humorous slap.

- Weren't you listening to me? Let's begin. There, do you see a blade of grass? - she nodded at some white stripe near a tree.

- "A blade of grass?" - I was surprised.

- Yes, it's a weed. By the way, in other places it takes up whole fields, that's why our race has white pigment on its face. A disguise we inherited from our animal ancestors.

- I see, Master," I interrupted her.

- Your task is to speed up the flow of power within her. Accelerate it so that it grows faster.

I did not argue and went to the meter-high "weed". The plant is really quite unusual. I decided to approach the task the same way as I do all the others - to start with meditation. My unusually deep immersion in the force allowed me to influence it in this state almost completely. As I began to meditate, I plunged my gaze into the force. The force flowed everywhere, like the natural background of the entire galaxy. The grass was no exception, and within it, from the root up to the tip, there was a steady stream of power. I couldn't speed it up right away; I had to get used to the speed of the force. I was in sync, and slowly, with my own power, I began to apply pressure to the force of the "weed. My own power slightly accelerated its flow, but not as much as I needed it to. The blade of grass, unexpectedly for me, began to wither, and in half a minute I was sitting near the yellow, cracked dry grass. It didn't work.

- You are too persistent," the teacher commented on my actions. - Remember what I told you - the body can't withstand if the power current is below a certain limit. And if higher, too. Smoother.

- Yes, teacher," I agreed and took another blade of grass. There were quite a few of them here. This time the result was faster - after only one minute the grass began to grow faster, increasing within five minutes by almost thirty centimeters, and after that the speed exceeded the limit and it withered away.

- Don't feel bad, you figured out the speed for this plant," the teacher commented again. - Now take the small one and grow it all the way up.

I complied as required and accurately metered the power and infused the weed. In half an hour of meditation it grew into a meter and a half taller than me. It was very depleted of soil, because the roots absorbed nutrients with terrible force, and I used my power to replenish the lacking nutrients.

- Amazing," the teacher approached me from behind. - It takes months to learn.

- And what is the basic training?

- To learn how to dose the power," the togrita shrugged. - But you already know how to do that. When we get there, we can work on the body. Remember, accelerating the flow of power leads not only to accelerated cell division, but also to exhaustion. So for any Jedi, eating right is an important part of life. You need to have some nutrients in your body at all times, so that there are no consequences of using the force. The best is meat. To increase cell growth you have to speed up the flow of force, and to increase endurance you have to increase the amount of force in a muscle group.

- Yes, Master," I nodded.

After a little bit of work, we set off again. The forest was teeming with all kinds of critters, but they didn't hurt us, except for the insects that couldn't bite through our clothes. We moved toward the mountain range visible on the horizon.

Walking monotonously, I walked another two hours and began to get tired. Very tired. That's when I was reminded of my teacher's words about endurance. I was in a kind of trance, so I felt a current of strength in me and began to experiment right on the move.

Almost all my muscles were tense, except for my arms. My torso, my back, my legs...

I began to build up my strength in them, while at the same time examining my body. The only difference was that gradually the muscles began to receive more oxygen, and their ability to absorb it increased. After adding about a fifth of the volume I already had, I woke up from the trance, driving the maintenance of the changes to the subconscious level. I felt like I had at the beginning of the hike - well rested. My tone had clearly increased, but the teacher did not notice it. Then I dove "into myself" again and began to examine the changes. I noticed almost nothing, except that the oxygen was going from my lungs, through the blood, to my muscles. The oxygen was flowing as it was, the increase in the volume of power only allowed the muscles to absorb it faster and more actively, relieving fatigue. That was... comforting. The consumption of other substances also changed, but almost imperceptibly - as with a heavy workout, the body burned fat cells and protein, increasing the number of muscle cells. I told no one about my ability, like a Jedi medicine man, to sense my body. In fact, the necessary skill was mastered by me - I stimulated my own body, and even with a simple walk in the woods it benefited as from many hours of hard training. But I was not going to frighten the teacher yet, especially since she was walking ahead of me, also increasing my stamina with the help of strength.

The journey became quite monotonous - we walked until dark, but Tosi did not utter a word. When dusk came and the ridge was a stone's throw away, she stopped:

- Well, I see you've mastered that skill, too. I've been waiting for you to run out of steam," she smiled. - "But it is dangerous to experiment with your own body. You have to do a lot of tests on your test subjects before you can use them on yourself. Do you understand me?

- Yes, Master," I said, and I bowed my head. She was right, it was risky to start training on my own body, but that was me...

- That's good. We'll spend the night here. There are predators here, so you sleep first.

- That won't be necessary, Master. Erdv has a bioform sensor, he can smell anything from half a kilometer away. And he's armed. Are there any armored creatures around here?

- Armored? - The teacher raised her eyebrows. - No.

- Then Erdva will shoot anyone. Wouldn't he, Erdva? - I asked. The droid responded by pulling out a blaster on a long tentacle-manipulator from its body and firing it toward the forest. Then with a attracting beam it drew in some small animal that looked like a ferret or a gopher.

Tosi was surprised by this:

- Is your astrodroid armed? Isn't it dangerous?

- No, I trust Erdwah," I said, embarrassed. - Besides, with his temper, he could use one. And what kind of beast is that?

- Timiar. Tasty, but small. It's good for breakfast," said my teacher as she unfolded her sleeping bag. - Well, let your droid keep watch. Go to sleep. Good night, Henya.

I fell fast asleep, hungry.