U can support me on Pa tre on. com/JediCO
20 chapter ahead. --
I cut my meditation down to a minimum of half an hour. I understand that this is a controversial decision, but I was just desperately short of time. And when I did, I found myself thinking that I had never studied with such dedication in my own world. Not even that. I loved it. I loved the whole Jedi thing. Not their very teachings, philosophy, code, but the applied sciences. Everything to do with the Force. I wouldn't say it made me a genius who could figure it all out in a heartbeat, but the desire to learn was very much there.
But, no matter how slowly time went by, it did move, and I did wait for my birthday. Despite the fact that the day itself did not stand out, I did not care. Even if no one knew it was my birthday, even if no one congratulated me. It's not so bad, when you think about it, not only are my congratulations missing, but I don't have to congratulate anyone. Keep track of the birthdays of friends and acquaintances, to agonize with the choice of gifts ...
After the last class, without going into my room, I almost ran to Dzik. I hadn't felt this way in a long time, not in this life or in a longer one. Anticipation. A very strong anticipation.
As I entered the familiar hangar, I greeted a technician who was passing by. And another. And another. Oh, Jedi - hello to you, too. And you. Yes, yes, and to all of you.
But here at last was the bald man's workplace, and there he was, smiling ear to ear.
- Well, hello there, birthday boy," the man muttered. - Let's go. Let's finish assembling it and turn it on already.
The droid stood where we left it yesterday. Practically assembled, all that was left was to bolt the outer hull to the frame. And so we did, taking only twenty minutes to do so. And here it is, the decisive moment. I personally flicked a switch inside the droid and watched as several lights on its body lit up at once. The radar eye flashed, the external sensor moved, and something clicked inside. Well, I closed the lid of the case and took a couple of steps away.
- I like this motherfucker," I said in a low voice in English, when the droid began to hum something in his binary.
- What?" Zik turned to me.
- No, nothing. That was good.
- You should be. Couldn't have gone wrong with a tech like you and me. No, I didn't," he said to my droid. - Here's your master," they put a hand on my shoulder. - Rayne Dacari. Introduce yourself, kid. He needs to remember you.
- Rayne Dacari. Six years old. Your master, if anything," I said with a chuckle. - And I'll call you... uh... what's his name? - I asked Zik. - R2 to him hardly applicable.
- Well, whatever you want to call him, - the man was surprised. - May be two, may be twenty-two. You can call me Loverboy.
- No, I haven't had enough to drink.
- You what? Ha, you're a joker. All right, what's his name?
- Why don't we call him DR-6? In honor of the day.
- Maybe...
- No, that's not it. Let's call him Drish. Nah, nah, nah, nah. Mmm... what should I think of? Birthday six," I tapped my chin with my finger. - Let's go with Derosh.
Didn't I tell you I'm not very imaginative?
- Let it be," heckled Dzik.
- So, Shorty," I said to the droid, "from now on, your name is Deroche.
It was the first morning of the conditional new school year. Yesterday Lairi had announced that tomorrow we would be adding an hour to our free time, and she hoped that we would make the most of it. I envy Ahsoka - she already has four hours.
I threw back the blanket and glanced at my little neighbors. Asleep. I was in the middle of the night, and I was in the middle of the night. I reached out through the Force and pulled the blankets off everyone. "I'm not going to sleep when I'm awake.
I got out of bed and stretched, and went to put on a light robe, just to get to the shower and back. The kids never got up. They turned around, shivered, rolled over on the other side, and went on sniffling. And that, I tell you, they did it for nothing - the beds are not bolted to the floor.
- А?
- Shh...
- Oh.
- Re-a-a-u-u-u-u-u-n... - yawned, and was already on the floor, Palatt. - Why did you throw it off?
- Hurry up and get dressed, sleepyheads," I answered all at once. - Palatte, you're the fastest one, so why don't you go round the rest of us? I bet half of them are still asleep.
- Okay.
Tack. Lairi said yesterday that now the list of lessons will be sent to us on datapads... aha, here it is. Hmm. First up today is politics... fuckin' A. Then fencing. The third lesson is Force Deployment. Fourth, uh, History, fifth... bullshit, eighth... Only meditation was new. Well, curiosity satisfied, now I could go to the shower.
Before breakfast, when I went out into the corridor, I saw a bunch of kids who had gathered and were waiting for something.
- What are you waiting for? - I asked them.
- Well... we're here... - Mumbled Nalisa, a girl of the Togrut race. - Waiting for everyone.
- Oh. What for?
- Why? - Misty was indignant. - To go to breakfast.
- And you can not do it yourself? Get used to doing everything without a curator.
We were exchanging words with a few more of the cubs, and the rest, too, I could tell, were coming over to us. The others, too, I see, had already left the rooms.
We stood and waited for them all to come up. We stood a little longer. We were quiet. I was just curious what would happen next, but I don't know what the others were waiting for. Well, actually, I understand, but how come nobody would go ahead and lead us? However, this is not a question to which I am ready to exchange the answer for breakfast. So, after standing for a few seconds, I waved them off and went to the dining room. The children, accordingly, followed me, chattering behind my back.
Lairi was already sitting at the curators' table, devouring her breakfast. As we entered, she raised her head and met my gaze with a kindly grin. She didn't look like she was going to leave us abruptly. She wasn't going to leave us abruptly, and she probably wasn't going to. She's called a handler for a reason. I'm sure she'll keep an eye on us.
After the first lesson, where breakfast was overcooked, the whole bunch went to the fencing room, where we were waiting for our mentor. The hall itself, as always at this time, was packed to capacity. Some were just arriving, some were leaving, and some were just having a little break in a double or even triple lesson. Noise, clamor, laughter somewhere, cue-style shouts somewhere. The hope for something new, the honing of what's there, the waving of the lightsaber, which is not only useful, but beautiful... I like it here.
- Draw your swords, younglings," the instructor said. - Today I will show you a new technique, the so-called Five Steps of Harmony. And you," he glanced at me, "can practice them on the sidelines for now. - Well, yes, I know the technique. I even, on Drallig's advice, asked my mentor to look it over and correct me, if necessary. Even more, I told him the accompanying philosophy of the technique. As I understood it. The point is simple: you must have only one feeling when retreating or when attacking. And it doesn't matter which one. I was corrected, though, that it is very important. Such feelings as hate and rage should not be present anywhere, especially where harmony is needed.
The technique itself is a cycle, where the fifth movement seamlessly transitions into the first, and everything starts all over again. Also, all five movements... or rather the bunch, can be performed with a step forward as well as a step backward. You can also stand on the spot, but it's not recommended for beginners. In fact, the whole first form is positioned as a movement. Forward, backward - it does not matter as long as you move.
That's what I was doing now. Four steps forward, one sideways, four steps back, sideways again, and four steps forward again. And so on in a circle. It's boring and monotonous, but if you don't do it, your body doesn't have time to memorize the movements, and you start thinking too much during the fight. And as a result, you get confused. I, by the way, suspect that the Jedi put something in our food, because my memorization rate, for example, seems to be a bit too fast. I can't tell about the kids, I don't know what they're supposed to have, but I remember what I had in that life. Yes, I always had a great memory, but not that great. And my memory was more about information. I didn't care which part, it was worse anyway. I've only been in the Temple for two years, and I already know three languages besides the standard one. Wookiee, Twi'lek and Rhodian. You'd think I was a freakin' chosen freak with a miracle memory after the transition, but the fact is, I'm not the only one here. Some have managed to learn two languages, some, like me, three. Some, like Jiro and Rama, already speak four. Not counting native and standard. Anyway, I have my doubts...
- Greetings, Master Shur," a voice came from behind me. Very close behind me. But apparently I was so imbued with the harmony of the Five Steps, that I did not even flinch. Holy crap, does it really work?
- Greetings, Master Drillig.
I couldn't take it anymore and turned around. That's right - Dralligg. Standing there, blond bastard, smiling a little.
- Hello, Master.
- Same to you, youngling," he nodded at me. - Master Shur, do you mind if I steal this young Jedi from you?
- A... Master Drillig... are you sure?
- Of course, Master Shur.
- Well... I guess a master teacher like you would know better.
Holy crap again. So that creepy blond guy is a master swordsman? A master swordsman? And he's picking me up? That's awesome.
- You don't have to be a master swordsman for that. Isn't it?
- Yeah. The guy's pretty entertaining.
- In that case, we'll be on our way. Yunling, keep up.
We headed to the very edge of the fencing hall, to the area opposite the entrance. There had already gathered a small crowd of younglings from about seven or eight to twelve or thirteen years old. I can't be exact, because I've always been a sucker for age determination, and I've always been a sucker for determining the ages of people who are not quite human and not at all human.
As he approached his students, Drallig said:
- Meet the younglings. This young man's name is Rein Dakari, and from this day forward he will probably be studying swordsmanship in our group. - Wow, just possibly? I had my head in the sand. - But first, I need to find out what his capabilities are. Chabit, Raine to the circle.
