Temple 1

The new day began with packing. It was time to leave Shealy for good. The yacht we had left was waiting for us, and so was the Jedi Order.

Toshi seemed to have mellowed a bit after what had happened and began to teach to the best of her ability, so we quickly flew through the core curriculum of the seventh form of combat in a couple of months.

Oh yeah, we didn't talk about what happened between us by mutual agreement. We understood everything, but we could honestly say that nothing happened-suspicion and circumstantial evidence would not stick, and we could tell everyone that we were diligent in our studies without breaking any rules.

While the teacher was running around the camp, collecting everything we had gained by hard work, i.e. shark skins and fangs, I was phlegmatically adjusting my clothes. When we bought them, they were baggy, but now they were even a little tight. And in general, it's amazing how fast teenagers grow - a year ago I flew here, was a head shorter than I am now. That's not to mention the fact that I'm much broader in the shoulders now.

We didn't clean up everything we'd made in the camp, and there wasn't much of it, so there was no point in taking anything apart.

I got dressed and went out, and found Tosi dragging a huge bale of skins on her hump.

- Henia, will you carry the spoils? - she said, dropping the bale to the ground. It's heavy, judging by the bump.

- All right, Tosi," I shrugged, "it's no trouble at all. I didn't want to carry it in my hands, anyway-no one had ever cancelled telekinesis.

We set off in the direction of the village at a normal hunting pace, that is, much faster than walking here, so that the whole way to the village should take no more than three or four hours.

After half an hour of unhurried walking through the forest in silence, Toshi could not stand it:

- What are you going to do?

- Returning directly to my own time. There's certainly nothing for me to do here. I've never aspired to become a soldier in another confrontation.

- Suit yourself," she said. - I'm guessing Lex will either order you to help, or he'll scatter you everywhere you go. He's got that covered.

- I hope he doesn't do something stupid like that," I shuddered as I walked away.

- I know, I know," she said. - But the Master is the Master, you can not argue with him.

- Why? You can try to change the chief. He's not so inadequate, so if anything ...

- You don't have to go on," said Tosi. - So, as he decides, so it will be. He knows best, and if he asks, you decide.

- Yes, Master! - I answered cheerfully as I began to think of a plan to return to my home time.

The ship remained where we had left it - it had been on bad ground for a year. After such an extreme situation it would be necessary to do an early check-up, because I bet that the year had not passed without a trace for the ship. As for me, in general.

We were not greeted with bread and salt in the village, but looked at strangers more than closely. Only villagers can do that. The bale of hides behind me got a lot of interested stares. The Togrutts were talking among themselves, discussing us. Now I understood them well enough - a language thanks to Tosya learned well enough.

The teacher came with me to the ship and looked at the "crown" and decided:

- I'm going to sell the spoils, and you get ready to leave. Let's not linger too long.

- Yes, Master," I said cheerfully again. I was not in the habit of arguing with her.

Erdva was glad to be back on board most of all - he immediately landed on the floor and went into the cockpit. I caught up with him and asked:

- "Will you take a look at the condition of the ship?

- You're insulting, captain. Already hooked up.

- И?

- No damage. The rest we'll have to see for ourselves. The self-diagnostic system is powerless here.

- I see.

Leaving the droid in the cockpit, I went to my quarters. The cramped space in the ship was unaccustomed to me, though it wasn't particularly crowded, but it was unaccustomed to seeing anything but the sky above my head.

The first thing I did was to take a shower, the holy of holies, for it was impossible to find a shower in the forest. There was still enough water in the reserves for washing, and the rest we can buy here, or in the nearest spaceport.

Tosi didn't wander for long, quickly finding me as I got out of the shower.

- I told you to get the ship ready to go!

- Erdva is preparing it. He's a big boy, he'll figure it out on his own.

- All right, then. Here," she handed me her credit card, "your money.

I accepted the honestly earned money with gratitude, as the money deficit was decent. Tosi handed me another card.

- And what is this?

- Your salary. In a year of self-sufficiency you have accumulated a decent amount of fifteen thousand credits.

- Thank you," I accepted the card from her. - Tell me, how much did we make on the hides?

- About a hundred thousand. Fifty each.

- My balance is sixty thousand. That's not bad... - I thought it was enough money to buy a small ship. In general, it's pretty expensive to live, but from the looks of it, a hundred or two credits a day is enough to live on Coruscant. Prices in the peripheral worlds are many times lower, and the same couple of hundred is enough for a week. Capital City. Deciding not to bother with price calculations, I went to change my clothes, but I couldn't find anything. Nothing that suited me - everything was smaller, and much smaller.

- Toshi, have I grown so big? - I asked, peeking out into the hallway. Her quarters were next to mine. Toshi stuck her head out, too, and answered:

- You have no idea how much.

Judging by the reflection in the growth mirror, I was a sixteen-year-old teenage athlete, with a decent tan, straw-colored, sun-burnt hair that, for lack of a hairdresser, had grown to an obscene size and fell to my shoulders, just like my hair during the Clone Wars.

I couldn't find any clothes, so I had to get into what I had, which was a Shilis shark hunter's outfit. Toshi had already cleaned herself up when Erdv's voice came over the loudspeakers:

- The ship is ready for departure.

- Copy that," I answered into the void, "I'll be right there.

Erdva must have been watching the whole ship, so he heard me.

The return trip, as they say in the assembly-disassembly instructions, is "in reverse order". That is, we entered the orbit, said goodbye, Tosi sat in the co-pilot's chair looking at the readings of sensors and instruments, and then decided not to disturb me in my "very important business" - the power navigation.

We made the trip to Coruscant, in my opinion, even faster than we had made to Shili; I just ate, slept, and chatted with Erdva about the ship and our plans for returning. Tosi was resting idly-lying in her cabin, reading something on the terminals, taking regular showers and massage baths, and then getting dressed up. She didn't pester me, which was a relief.

When the ship finally came out of hyperspace, we were both relieved. The only sound Erdva made in our campaign was what, with a little imagination, could be mistaken for a sigh of relief. As we descended to Coruscant in the right place, Toshi, who was sitting in the copilot's chair, turned to me:

- Okay, now let's get down to business. The Master will probably want to test you. A year on Shili is not to be wasted-I've taught you everything, of course, but you haven't mastered everything as well. You will have to start training in swordsmanship with renewed vigor, and preferably with knight fighters. Your style is more of a rudimentary one, and I wouldn't want you to lose Lex in the first minute. What about Nova's assignment? - The teacher squinted.

- It's okay, teacher, I got through her assignments back in the first six months. After all, I modified my voice to speak Togrutian..." I said in the named language. - So I won't have to blush in front of Master Nova.

- I hope so. So, let's move on. You're pretty high on suggestion, reading, and foresight, but I'm still worried. Try working on those areas. The Master won't ask you anything important on the first day, so you can spend a few days practicing in the lower town.

- The lower city?

- That's the name given to the levels of Coruscant closest to the planet's surface. It's where natural light doesn't get in, and is usually inhabited by low-income citizens. It's the largest hangout in the galaxy, not counting Neil Hutta, so you're likely to get a lot of "test subjects" there in decent clothes.

- It's great," I sighed. "It's a good place to practice.

The ship had descended enough to see the Jedi temple in detail, the square thing towering over the houses.

- Erdva, lead the way to the hangar," I commanded. The droid obediently led the ship into the hangar of the temple, where, as well as a year ago, was full of all kinds of things, against which our yacht was one of the largest.

- Well, Master, we're here," I unbuckled and stepped out of the cabin, followed by Erdva and Toshi.

Master Lex regularly met Jedi from missions, but this time it was a special occasion - Toshi had taken the newcomer to the forests of his home planet for a year, so that they would not be interfered with training there. Given the newcomer's abilities, the Master was extremely curious as to what he could learn in such a short time. It was all the more interesting that one of the five adepts of the Juyo style, which was difficult to master and without a talent for self-control and emotionalism was rather flawed, went with him.

The Master's expectations were met, and just in time, Skywalker's angular yacht flew into the temple hangar, which was immediately reported to him by the droid the Master had briefed about the ship.

- Toshi, have I grown so big? - I asked, peeking out into the hallway. Her quarters were next to mine. Toshi stuck her head out, too, and answered:

- You have no idea how much.

Judging by the reflection in the growth mirror, I was a sixteen-year-old teenage athlete, with a decent tan, straw-colored, sun-burnt hair that, for lack of a hairdresser, had grown to an obscene size and fell to my shoulders, just like my hair during the Clone Wars.

I couldn't find any clothes, so I had to get into what I had, which was a Shilis shark hunter's outfit. Toshi had already cleaned herself up when Erdv's voice came over the loudspeakers:

- The ship is ready for departure.

- Copy that," I answered into the void, "I'll be right there.

Erdva must have been watching the whole ship, so he heard me.

The return trip, as they say in the assembly-disassembly instructions, is "in reverse order". That is, we entered the orbit, said goodbye, Tosi sat in the co-pilot's chair looking at the readings of sensors and instruments, and then decided not to disturb me in my "very important business" - the power navigation.

We made the trip to Coruscant, in my opinion, even faster than we had made to Shili; I just ate, slept, and chatted with Erdva about the ship and our plans for returning. Tosi was resting idly-lying in her cabin, reading something on the terminals, taking regular showers and massage baths, and then getting dressed up. She didn't pester me, which was a relief.

When the ship finally came out of hyperspace, we were both relieved. The only sound Erdva made in our campaign was what, with a little imagination, could be mistaken for a sigh of relief. As we descended to Coruscant in the right place, Toshi, who was sitting in the copilot's chair, turned to me:

- Okay, now let's get down to business. The Master will probably want to test you. A year on Shili is not to be wasted-I've taught you everything, of course, but you haven't mastered everything as well. You will have to start training in swordsmanship with renewed vigor, and preferably with knight fighters. Your style is more of a rudimentary one, and I wouldn't want you to lose Lex in the first minute. What about Nova's assignment? - The teacher squinted.

- It's okay, teacher, I got through her assignments back in the first six months. After all, I modified my voice to speak Togrutian..." I said in the named language. - So I won't have to blush in front of Master Nova.

- I hope so. So, let's move on. You're pretty high on suggestion, reading, and foresight, but I'm still worried. Try working on those areas. The Master won't ask you anything important on the first day, so you can spend a few days practicing in the lower town.

- The lower city?

- That's the name given to the levels of Coruscant closest to the planet's surface. It's where natural light doesn't get in, and is usually inhabited by low-income citizens. It's the largest hangout in the galaxy, not counting Neil Hutta, so you're likely to get a lot of "test subjects" there in decent clothes.

- It's great," I sighed. "It's a good place to practice.

The ship had descended enough to see the Jedi temple in detail, the square thing towering over the houses.

- Erdva, lead the way to the hangar," I commanded. The droid obediently led the ship into the hangar of the temple, where, as well as a year ago, was full of all kinds of things, against which our yacht was one of the largest.

- Well, Master, we're here," I unbuckled and stepped out of the cabin, followed by Erdva and Toshi.

Master Lex regularly met Jedi from missions, but this time it was a special occasion - Toshi had taken the newcomer to the forests of his home planet for a year, so that they would not be interfered with training there. Given the newcomer's abilities, the Master was extremely curious as to what he could learn in such a short time. It was all the more interesting that one of the five adepts of the Juyo style, which was difficult to master and without a talent for self-control and emotionalism was rather flawed, went with him.

The Master's expectations were met, and just in time, Skywalker's angular yacht flew into the temple hangar, which was immediately reported to him by the droid the Master had briefed about the ship.

The apparatus opened and Toshi came out, followed by... an astrodroid. Flying, not driving, like the astrodroids the Master was accustomed to. At the back of the procession was none other than Anakin Skywalker, aka Henya. The master thought it was better not to give more reasons for gossip, so he did not meet the arrivals in person, although he watched them through one of the droids standing in the hangar of the temple. Tosi hadn't changed at all, though you couldn't say that about Skywalker - he'd grown a head taller in the intervening time, and was now as tall as a short man, though Lex remembered perfectly well that he was seeing a teenager. The newcomer's gait had also changed dramatically - it had become smoother and more cautious, his eyes groping all around. Suddenly Anakin turned to the astrodroid and waved his hand, which made Lex, to whom, by all appearances, the greeting was addressed, think. If Anakin sensed the surveillance not personally but through the camera, he had the sensitivity of a Jedi council member or a knight specializing in sensorics. Smiling contentedly, the Master turned off the terminal and decided to test the newcomer one of these days. But before that, the two Jedi would probably want to rest and regain their strength.

Tosi led Haniya to the wing where the Jedi lived, explaining to him in passing how to get here from the hangar. Anakin listened and nodded, though he had no doubt that the Force would tell him what to do. There were times, though, when the Force did not take him exactly where he originally wanted to go, but that was the least of his worries. Only when he arrived in the ascetically furnished room did Skywalker throw off the weight of his training and fall into sleep. Just as the door closed behind him, a Padawan unknown to her approached Toshi:

- Master Lex summons you to his quarters.

- Why isn't he texting me on my comlink?

- I wouldn't know. If you'll excuse me, service," the padawan bowed briefly and immediately left. Toshi, sighing heavily and looking at the closed door to her apprentice's room, gathered her courage and went to report to her commander. She had to make up the report as she went, since she had been resting during the trip to Coruscant and had completely forgotten about such a small thing, figuring that she would have time to work in the temple. It didn't fall out; the Master's impatience exceeded her desire to give rest to those who had arrived.

The study greeted Togruta with the smell of fresh tea and a satisfied magister, who was sipping a drink from a large white cup, from which steam was flowing. He likes it hot.

- Well, knight, tell us," he said before Tosi could even finish her welcoming phrase.

- What is it, Master?

- How is the apprentice? Is it all right?

- Yes, Master. Learned incredibly fast, due to his ability to absorb information quickly and control the force quite subtly. However, at the beginning there were problems with the abilities, they were too powerful, but the practice quickly put everything in order.

- What skills did your apprentice master? - The Master poured himself some more tea, not forgetting the cup for togrita. But Tosi put it on the table, as drinking boiling water was not in her habit.

- In fencing - the first, third, fourth and seventh forms.

- Is that all?

- Yeah. That's all he needs. If he can get to a decent level with what he already has, he'll be invincible.

The Master gritted his teeth in frustration:

- Ayyyy, how so. There's no such thing as invincible, Toshi, you of all people should know that.

- Forgive me, Master," the knight apologized.

- Forgive me. Powers?

- He had the following: forging, foresight, force vision, navigation by force, empathy, telekinesis, and the ability to work with his own mind. The skills of suggestion of emotions and orders to animals and sentient beings, amplification and acceleration, healing, stunning, installation of barriers were acquired," Tosi reported. In her opinion, the list of acquired abilities was not too long compared to what the apprentice had achieved on his own, so she corrected herself: "And in addition, he sharpened the abilities he already had.

- Yeah, I figured that," Lex said. - He sensed my observation when you left the ship," the Magister said rather contentedly. - And by the way, I was watching through the droid's sensors.

Toshi smiled contentedly - the coveted title of master was getting closer and closer, and such an unorthodox apprentice was the perfect option for her to be noticed. At least the Master was paying Skywalker a fair amount of attention as an interesting phenomenon.

- Master, tell me, is the ability to forge... I've noticed that compared to everyone else, it's almost as if Henia has it on an intuitive level...

- Henya? - The Craftsman raised an eyebrow, but then nodded when he realized what he meant. - Yes, she has a phenomenal ability to forge. Though I can hardly see how they could be used in battle, but as a technician he's invaluable.

- You're not going to..." Toshi began, but the Master interrupted her:

- No, Tosi, I'm not going to turn your apprentice into a technician. We have a shortage of technicians, of course, but not so much as to waste one of our most promising students on such a trifle. Though the Order may need his help to build precision equipment.

- Also on this subject. Henya asked to be introduced to the Order's armory to see the different forms of weapons.

- He has the right to visit the arsenal. We'd grab something original from there.

- That won't be necessary. I'm no master of the exotic, and Henya only uses a standard sword.

- Yes," the Craftmaster nodded. - In any case, he can go into the armory whenever he wants. Shall we test his skills? - The Master asked with interest.

- Isn't that dangerous? Of course Henya is trained, but there have been occasions when, instead of stun, he accidentally killed sharks.

- Killed? How much power would you have to put into stunning to kill?

- A lot, Master. Henya has a lot of power.

- We've already established that. How is he with swords?

- Juyo and ataru suit him well. His speed rivals that of an average master, and his strength abilities, too. When combined with the rest of the elements, he's an extremely dangerous style.

- Let's take a look at that dangerous style," the Master smiled into his cup. - The day after tomorrow, at noon, in the main hall. Let's see what your apprentice is worth.

- Are you going to try him out in person? - Tosi asked.

- Yes, of course. Apart from the two of us, no one knows about him or his abilities. The others know there's a novice in the Order, but I don't advertise his case for obvious reasons. Any other questions?

- No, sir!

- I have," the Master smiled slyly. - He did not molest you?

- No," replied Toshi in surprise. - What are you talking about!?

- You know what I mean. It seemed a strange idea to me to let a teenager and a young, beautiful woman together, in the woods, for a whole year... especially considering that to teach a style that requires an emotional attitude.

- Henya's not like that!

- You'll tell me what he's like yet. I have three sons, mind you, I know better what teenagers his age are like. Especially at his age. You're sure nothing happened? - sternly asked the Master, listening to Tosya's strength.

- "I'm sure there wasn't. Nothing that would violate the rules of the Order between us! - Tosi declared. Inwardly she shrank, of course, because she knew that there was between them. Moreover, breaking the rules of the Order threatened her with a deferral of the next rank, but her own tribesmen in such a situation expel and deprive the name of the clan for this is a very serious offense. The Master exchanged anger for mercy, not noticing anything beyond mere excitement. To his subconscious and his own power, the existence of a non-statutory relationship, more like a mutual relationship, was nothing more than a debatable statement on circumstantial evidence, rather than a proven fact, for neither Toshi nor Anakin remembered it. And we can argue about whether it was or wasn't for a long time...

- You may go. Lex let Tosi go and opened the file on Anakin to make some additions. Before filling in the column about swordsmanship skills he stopped and decided to continue filling out the dossier only after the exam. He wanted to see for himself that Toshi hadn't failed.

Tosi had just left the office and decided that she would spend tomorrow's day to the best of her ability and have her student spar with mentors and knights. The level of most of the Order's mentors was not suitable for her apprentice, and moreover, was useless in honing her juyo skills. Master Lex preferred the second form of combat, not disdaining techniques from other forms, so Toshi decided to turn to an adept of that style in the first place. Fortunately, she had acquaintances...