Drallig present

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20+ chapter ahead. ----------------------------------------------

When I got to the gym, I noticed that I was the last one to arrive today, and everyone else had already started warming up. It was a little unusual, and I even thought that I was late. But no, Dakari is not late, at least not the men, so I was on time, and now I had to change quickly and go to the workout.

After jogging, stretching and repeating the last bundle I learned, I approached Drallig.

- Mmmm... mentor.

- Yes, youngling.

- Here's the thing... - I hesitated. I probably shouldn't have come up, - Could you... uh... well...

- Funny, because I don't know what I want to show you something from other Forms," I said at last.

It took a while to get an answer, which was weird. He was supposed to send me to... to work on my ligaments, or he'd just say yes. But he stands there, watching, silent.

- I give up. You haven't asked for any of this in almost a year. You're the only one in the whole group. What makes this day any different?

Shit. This is unexpected. For some reason, I thought everyone understood that Drallig had a better idea of how to teach us. Well, there it is. Man, what am I supposed to tell him?

- Forget it, mentor. Sorry to have bothered you.

- Oh, no, youngling, answer my question.

And answer him what? Do I want something special? A birthday party? He wouldn't understand, child of the Order.

- I'm just...

- Don't lie," he interrupted me.

- It's my birthday," I muttered.

- Oh... - And that was it. Standing there, silent. - Hmm... okay. I hear you. - He clapped his hands suddenly over his head, and shouted to the hall: "Younglings, attention. All of you, line up. You stay here," he said to me, in a much quieter voice.

- Yes," I said, hiding my surprise and curiosity.

- So, younglings," Drallig began, as the men gathered in line, "today is not a typical day. Today is Rein Dakari's seventh birthday. It's not usually a day that stands out, because I don't think it's much more than that. It's worth remembering, but there's nothing to celebrate. However. Not everyone feels the same way, and for some, a day like this is more than that. Today I want to help our youngest comrade. Help him remember this day for a long time. And since I teach fencing, not dancing, he will remember through pain and fatigue. Dakari to the circle!

That's an alarming speech. But nothing to do, I go to the center of the circle, where the sparring. I have time to warm up, the sword is with me... well, let's see what happens now.

- Today," the blond continued, turning to me, "you won't leave the circle until you've fought every one of your comrades. - Uh-oh, isn't that a bit much? More than three dozen young scumbags, two-thirds of whom fence at my level or better. I mean, they're my... ahem, who cares? You wanted something like that, didn't you, Lech? I did. Well, get it and sign it. It's a day I'll really remember for a long time. - And I hope," he glanced round at us, "that you'll all give your best," and then he yelled: - Talir! Circle up!

Oh, the easiest opponent I've ever faced. If that Twi'lek isn't fighting in a group, he's no danger to me. Well, I twirled my sword, I'll deal with you quickly, and then... not just me, you're all gonna remember this day. I will make you all remember.

Today, Lairi announced that our group was adding one hour of free time. And Ahsoka, running in the evening, bragged that they, I mean eight-year-olds, were given their own room, and then dragged us, me and my little neighbors, to see this very room. Apparently, words of bragging were not enough for her. But I didn't mind. I had to know what awaited me in a year.

What awaited me was a shabby little room. A bed, a nightstand, a closet. If you divide our present room by five, there's more room for one. Jedi, such Jedi.... But walking over to the bed and touching the mattress left me with a sniffle. It could be psychologically traumatic. And not only psychological. I should buy another one through Dzik..... In any case, even if it's small, but its own, that's where I'll swing. One mattress won't be the end of it.

Well, yes, the room, it is still a year away, but the fact that the time has not increased so much, it was kind of a shame. And that was in spite of the added hour. I had waited so long for this, and as soon as the sweet moment came, I found out that there were more varieties of lessons. And that would have been all right, but piloting... I just couldn't be satisfied with the standard program. And the stealth and reconnaissance courses? I might not need it personally, but life, asshole, says otherwise. Who better than me to know that such knowledge will be very much in demand in the future. So much so, in fact, that I was not too lazy to bullshit my teenage neighbors, but I convinced them that this knowledge would be very, very useful to them. Maybe someone will survive.

By the way, it was in the intelligence course that they taught us the famous - "these aren't the droids you're looking for." Or something like that. What's interesting, sensitivity in the Force wasn't really needed there, in fact "Mind Influence" referred to attack techniques and wasn't recommended for use by Jedi. Especially the insensitive ones like me. And why is that? Because it led to the Dark Side. Of course, I had to use it a lot to get close to CU, but the fact remained. Any attacking technique, like killing, brings the gifted one closer to the other side, and while a normal Jedi can sense the "darkness" coming early enough to "take action," I could wake up dark one day. One thing that encourages me is that among those "measures" is meditation, which I do every day. I was also thinking that it might be a while before I mastered the technique, because I might be more sensitive to it by then.

But piloting... is the joy of my soul. There's only one obstacle - time. And the only annoying factor is Sam. And if time makes sense, that little bugger... uh... you got to admit, he's a genius pilot. I like piloting too, but what that kid does defies reason. I don't know what Skywalker's capable of, but in just a couple of weeks I saw Sam manage to not only learn how to fly multiple machines, but he also made it to level 4 in the simulator. Holy crap! Fourth level out of five! Personally, I'm only on level two now. It's a shame. Me, and on level two, and this little seven-year-old boy - on level four. Out of five!

Fine, we'll quietly take over first place from him. Eventually. Someday. I guess... Ahem. Well, I guess you have to admit, you can't be first in everything. I wasn't much of a racer in my world, so it'd be weird if I was an ace here.

Anyway, that's the way things are with me - no time, and so much stuff around.... Even my usual trips to the Archives had to be increased. One day I came across the notes of a Jedi who mentioned some Aing-Ti fighting monks. I was interested, but to my surprise the terminal produced only two tiny archives that didn't even mention what those monks looked like. What's more, there's nothing even about their race. Maybe Aing-Ti is the name of an order, or a name in general. I guess I was a little infected by Nyu's confidence that you can find anything in the Jedi Archives, but I approached the cheerful old lady a little discouraged. And about the same expression I saw on her face after an hour of searching for information. The older cloner, I can't remember the name of, and nothing was found in the Archives, so when Kenobi asked her about the planet where they made the clones, she reasonably assumed that... Well, there isn't such a planet, she argued. After all, there was NOTHING about it, as far as I remember the movie, which is pretty weird for a Jedi Archive. No, I'm not a follower of Jocasta Nu and I quite admit that not all the information on the Galaxy is collected here, as it seems impossible to me at all, but I can understand Nu. But now there was kind of information, but so damn little that it was of legitimate interest.

Anyway, having found practically nothing in an hour of searching, and after a little pondering, she decided that it was all bullshit. Firstly - it's not the Archives that are incomplete, it's just us fools who haven't found anything, and secondly - if you really need it, you can ask the Great Holocron. And that's the kind of luck I didn't even count on. Jocasta Nu offered me the job of replenishing the Archives by granting me access to the Holocron Guardian. It didn't mean that I could go to him whenever I wanted, and I could go alone, but it was a gift anyway. It didn't even bother me that, in addition to communicating with the Great Holocron, I'd have to go through the regular Archives as well. I didn't care. All that mattered was the trust I had earned. Now it's Aing-Tee, then something else, then something else... and then I might even get a free pass.