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20 chapter ahead. --
At the end of the school day, I took thirty minutes to meditate, and then I went to Dzik's. I've got nothing to do in the Archive today, I haven't finished reading everything yet, but I've got a freaking gyroscope to install. Although... no. I'll finish what I've already read. And I'll spend the time I have on installing... Here is also a question. What should I do first, the power lines or the sensors? In the first case, it is easier to install, first all these wires and tubes, and then a couple of sensor units. In the second one, I won't have to take everything apart and put it in again, if anything. If there's going to be a problem there, it's with the power lines that are in plain sight. Whatever, I'll ask the bald one.
Just went into the hangar, noticed that near the workplace Dzik, except him, there are two more - a man-man and a boy about thirteen, though from such a distance I can be mistaken. The boy was also human, by the way.
- Good evening, Master Paratus," I greeted the rather rare Jedi on my way to Jik's house.
- Fuck you, little man. Can't you see I'm busy? - He said thoughtfully, circling the three-meter droid.
As courtly as ever. Kazdan Paratus was a Jedi of the Alyn race. Small, with a long, elongated back of his head with spikes growing around the edges, and the face of some gremlin. That's someone I wouldn't want to meet in my sleep. I'd have a heart attack. If anyone remembers the little guy Starkiller killed on a wasteland, you'll know what I'm talking about. I don't remember if it's really one and the same, but it's very similar nonetheless. Despite this, like many of the races in the DDH, the Alin have a good-natured character while looking rather scary. But that's about it in general. However, Paratus was not vicious or even grumpy; he was more of a loner, preferring the company of droids. Consequently, his temper was aimed at being left alone. Even so, he never once sent me away if I asked him to help me with anything, but he was as evasive as he could be.
I should probably point out that if it weren't for his antisocial personality and the fact that he doesn't come around here very often, I'd probably be asking to be his apprentice. And I would have made it. As I said, he does not know how to refuse. By the way, the funny thing is that the little brute was the head of the Technical Department of the Order. That is, the most important one here. The boss of the same Dzik.
- Hello BBR-3," I waved to the three-meter droid.
- Help me, young sir," he raised his right hand, "they want to kill me.
- Improve, mountain of iron," Paratus kicked him, "improve.
Heh. BBR-3 is being a joke, as usual. He's generally humping his petty creator mercilessly. And he tolerates it.
So, greeting everyone I knew within earshot and waving in the line of sight, I approached the mustachioed man's workplace. And mine at the same time.
- I'm sorry, Master Kenobi, but that's impossible," he waved his head. - Even if I were to go out and order the parts now, and make a fuss of getting them delivered as fast as possible, they wouldn't arrive until the day after tomorrow, at the earliest.
After listening to the end, the young bearded man scratched his beard thoughtfully. I stared at him with all my might. So was the boy. I was so lucky. Saw, you might say, the legendary people. The lad, by the way, was not a chosen one, more like a thirteen-year-old boy, who was tired of listening to adults talking.
- Hmm," Kenobi said at last, "it's a pity. Bad, I'd say.
- Hutta ass," the boy muttered.
- "Anakin! What kind of language is that?
- What's wrong with that? It's a good situation.
- That's no reason to swear.
- Oh, come on, Master. What's the occasion then?
- There's no reason to swear.
- Yeah, yeah," the kid nodded, glancing at me. - I told you we should have taken that ship.
- We couldn't do that, apprentice. The ship didn't belong to us.
- It wasn't anyone's! Its only master was cooling at your feet.
- Ahem, Anakin," he gave me another oblique look. - If that man had relatives, we'd be thieves.
- Relatives? A pirate? Ha!
- Even people like that can have them. And we didn't have time to check, you know. Neither did we have time for an extra pilot.
- I'd have done it myself. - The Chosen One jumped up, but before he could finish, he waved his hand. - Ah-ah-... You don't believe it yourself, teacher. Let's go, maybe we can borrow a ship from someone.
- Yeah, let's go. I wouldn't want to... - he hesitated, looking at me and Dzik, - I don't want to be late.
- Then rent a spaceship," I grumbled.
Kenobi looked at Skywalker disapprovingly, and then grumbled:
- "Unfortunately, we don't have the cash right now.
- I don't think it takes much," I scratched the back of my head. - If you want, I can give you some coins.
- Money? Do you have it? - Skywalker asked with such a demeaning look on his face that it made me want to give them money.
- Anakin," Kenobi snapped, and then he glared at me. He squinted at Zik. - Don't worry, youngling, I think we'll find the money if we have to. But thanks for the offer.
- Always ready to help, Master Kenobi," I bowed.
- Well," the man nodded to me with a smile, "in that case we shall be going. Master Dzik," he bowed lightly. - Good evening. Come, apprentice.
- Hey, what's your name? - The boy turned to me, without even looking at his teacher.
- Rayne Dacari," I said, trying not to wince.
- Anakin. - Obi-Wan rushed him.
- I'll remember your name," he said patronizingly, before running off.
He waited until they were far away so they couldn't hear us, and then he said it out loud:
- Unpleasant boy.
- A child, really," the moustache shrugged. He's too kind.
- Is he that kind of a celebrity? - I wondered.
- I'll tell you about him later. Right now I want to show you something.
He led me to his desk and pressed a couple of keys on the built-in remote control, pointing at the holographic screen that appeared.
- Here, take a look.
So I looked at it. But because of peculiar terms I did not understand a lot.
- I'm only six years old, Dzik. Even if it's seven soon. But what did you expect when you showed me this?
- Hmm, I didn't really think about it. Somehow I... - he looked at me, - never mind. Anyway, these are the characteristics of the gyroscope you gave me yesterday.
Oh, I don't like it. Is he going to scold me?
- And what? - I asked cautiously.
- So... You were right, you've got a strange piece," he said, and stopped talking. - Well, I'm not going to tell you any more about it, because it's twice what it should be in the specs. And I have no freaking idea why. But it doesn't matter. But now you don't have much of a choice, putting PP-14 in your hands would be unwise, to say the least.
Wow, wow, wow. So I improved the part, didn't I? Even though there was a pretty scary snap inside? Shit, damn it. Okay, Lecha, calm down and clear your mind. You got it? Now... now... Yeah, now we have to take a chance.
- How much is the RR-7?
- Worth? - surprised Dzik. - It costs a lot. Five hundred credits for a ball like that. Why? - He finished slyly.
- And how much can you sell this gyroscope for?
- Sell it? - he hesitated. - Seven hundred for sure. But, Rein, you'd have to pay two thousand to buy something like that, so would it be worth it?
- It don't make a damn bit of difference. Why is that so unfair? Wait, don't tell me, I get it. And the model, in any case, is not the same, and we are not well-known manufacturers.
- Something like that," the man nodded.
- In any case, it's all nonsense," I said thoughtfully.
- What do you mean? What are you talking about?
- You got a tester in this hangar?
- Yeah," he waved to something behind my back.
- Wait, I'll be right back," I said, and then I rushed to my place, looking for my PP-14. - Let's go to the tester," I said to the man with the gyroscope in his hand.
- Wait, kid, tell me what happened.
- The money," I said, looking at him. - Do you want it?
- Who doesn't? - He scratched his bald head. But he didn't even think of getting up. He didn't even think about getting up. A six-year-old kid starts rushing around, talking all kinds of nonsense. What's he doing, flailing around with me?
- Mmm... - I mumbled, rolling my eyes. - Alright, look.
Pour the Force into the piece. Tune. Feel it, feel it, feel it. Smooth.
Click.
- Yeah. I think you just broke your gyroscope," Dzik remarked.
- 'That's exactly what the RR-7 clicked yesterday,' I replied. Then I thought I should have phrased that fact in a more considerate way.
- Heh," the bald man froze, looking at me with an expressionless look. But then he froze and did something resembling a hand-to-face motion, sliding his palm across my face. - Ree-ee-eye-eye...
- Why Rein? I'd pay for it, if you need it. You know I've got money," I said. - No, really, I'd pay. Oh, take it easy. Breathe in, breathe out, think of something good.
- Rayne.
- Raine? No, I'm a nice guy, but I meant something else.
- Give me the gyroscope," said Dzik tiredly.
- Here," I handed him the piece.
- Come on, let's see what you've done with it.
The tester was a cabinet. Not an ordinary one, with lots of colorful lights and buttons, a nightstand. We had a similar one in the barracks. Though I wasn't there often, spending more time in the staff, it was hard not to remember such a thing.
Dzik approached the tester, pressed a button on it and put a gyroscope ball into the opened cabinet. Then he began to press the sensors on the "cover" of the tester.
- What's up, Dzik," I asked him.
- Can't you see I haven't even started the test yet?
- Ahhhh... I see.
Here appeared a holographic panel, on which I could only make out a scale, like an equalizer. Something flashed inside the unit, and then the scale twitched.
- What was there?
- Get off.
A few more flashes, and the text on the panel began to change, and the scale went up and down.
- Dzik...
- Leave me alone. I'll tell you when I'm done.
Five more minutes of flashes, text changes, and jerking scale, and then, finally, everything froze.
- It's not over yet?
- Rayne," the man turned to me, "I had no idea you could be so... clingy.
- Well, it's interesting... - I muttered.
- Interesting to him... I'm curious, too, but it's not like I'm jumping up and down out of curiosity.
- I haven't even moved yet," said my majesty indignantly.
- Well, I have no one to jerk. And leave me alone. The more you distract me," he turned back to the tester, "the longer the wait for results.
- I'm silent," I said, raising my hands. And then I muttered aside: "Shit.
It is difficult for me, as a person interested, to say how long the scanning lasted, but ten minutes for sure. All this time I stoically endured and did not take Dzik away from his work, though, believe me, I wanted to hurry him. But there was a shrieking sound, and all the flashes of light, clicks and flickers of text on the screen stopped.
- So," the mustachioed man said, and stopped talking. I almost kicked him in the ass at that moment. The characteristics increased by one hundred and fourteen percent. - And then he turned to me and added: - That's even a little more than with the RR-7.
- And? The price went up?
- That depends on what you compare it to.
- Dzik...
- Heh, hurry up. Anyway, oddly enough, you actually improved the part. I'm surprised. The standard price of the PP-14 is five hundred and ten credits, but with the improvements I can make it two hundred credits more expensive. So that's two hundred credits more. Of course, it's not bad, two hundred, but I don't understand your excitement. All right, even with RR-7 it'll be four hundred. So what?
- Dzik... - I said in amazement. - Are you bald? You still haven't got it? I improved this part in your presence in only five minutes! A measly five minutes! I'll make...er... twelve improvements. That's two thousand four hundred credits a day. Okay, wait," I started calculating. While the expression on the man's face slowly changed. It looked like he was really just now starting to catch up. - Oh, I've lost track. Anyway, that would be about eight hundred and eighty thousand a year. And that's only working an hour a day. - And after scratching his head he added: - I don't even need to waste my free time, I will make twelve improvements during the day. Wait. Dzik, are you even going to be able to sell that many parts?
- How much money do you have now? - He asked back.
- How much? Well... almost one hundred and forty thousand. Even a hundred... thirty would be.
Now the expression on his face changed again.
- Well... However... Hmm... Yeah... Okay. So... that makes two hundred and sixty parts... that's five hundred credits each... times two hundred... fifty-two thousand in net profit. In less than a month... Well, you know... I'll be able to sell them, with such characteristics and for such a price you'll get them, but two thousand from you for the work. From each fifty.
- I agree, - I thought about it, and answered. It's even less than I thought it would be. Something like four percent. - But, you know, before I start, I'd better find out what else I can improve that could be sold even more profitably.
- You could, of course," the man shrugged. - But I don't even know what to offer right off the bat. Something more expensive wouldn't be taken in such quantities. You'd have to be more specific, though. Well, cheaper, you know, probably just not profitable. That's if you take into account the work - the part in five minutes... In general, we have to look at it.
- You should take a look, Dzik, by all means.
- All right, all right," he said with a chuckle. - Except... you don't think about what the Order would say about what you're doing?
- What's wrong with that?
- As far as I know, it's not customary for a Jedi to have his own money.
- So? - I grinned this time. - No, bald, that's the key phrase, no. There are no prohibitions. If I want, I earn, if I want, I don't.
- You talk like you're not a Jedi. It's a pretty strange ambition for someone as young as you.
No, there was no suspicion in his words. Not even surprise. Just a tease. What's the answer? That I'm not going to tie my life with the Order? Heh.
- I just don't want to end up in Master Kenobi's situation," I answered the technician.
- ... - he gathered his breath in his chest. - Well, that's true," Jiq said, clearly not what he meant to say at first. - I wouldn't mind making a little extra money, especially not with that kind of money.
- Listen. How much do you make?
- Two thousand a month," he shrugged. - And that, believe me, is a lot, for a grown-up man.
Wow. So with my help, he'll have another paycheck a month. Even a little more. That's a lot.
- My parents are rich," I sighed. - But you know, Jedi, I'm telling you as a Jedi, young as you are, life is too fickle, and if something happens... something global, I wouldn't want to rely on them alone.
- Well, you know... - the man grinned, putting his hands on his belt. - You've got two whole things you can always rely on - your parents and the Order. And I can't imagine what would have to happen for you to suddenly have to rely on yourself.
- Hmm, okay. I'll check it out.
- Just hurry up, okay? Just so I can finally make a choice.
- All right, all right, you're in a hurry. I'll test it tomorrow morning.
- Thanks, Zik. You're the best man in the world.
- Yeah, well... - ...he was a little embarrassed, the best.
- For this particular youngling, no doubt.
Phew, I think I got that off my chest. After that snap, something must have broken there. I kind of had nothing to do with it, I just smelled something... Man, that's childish. You have to be able to take responsibility for your actions. And I certainly will, but some other time. Yeah, definitely. Damn, what was I supposed to "click" in my gyro?
- Oh-ho-ho. You embarrassed the bald one out of me," Jik rubbed that part of his head. - What are you going to do now?
- Yes, I think I will," I glanced at my watch. - I even have time to meditate. Not long, really, but as long as I have. All right, Dzik, see you tomorrow.
- See you tomorrow, kid.
- Derosh," I said to the droid standing in front of R3T1 Dzik, "don't shit on the boss, and cuss with all your heart. - In response I heard two droids squeaking at once. I didn't know binary very well yet, but I understood that a couple of tin cans were terribly indignant. - Yeah, yeah, Arthritis," I hummed, "and you, too.
"Arthritis," in case anyone didn't get it, is my free reinterpretation of the name R3T1. ar, three, te. The last digit, I decided to ignore. Not entirely accurate, well, so it is free. How nice that the local folklore, too, mate zigzag, otherwise such a joke would have to forget.
The next day our group had a new lesson - shooting training. For fifty minutes we were given a lecture on the various shooting things, their use, their dangers to us, to the enemy, when we could use them, when not, and, of course, safety procedures. Finally, we were each handed a training blaster and allowed to shoot at the target. And let me tell you, it was cool. Almost as cool as a lightsaber. In my world, I'd only fired it twice. Both times in winter, and both times five rounds each. And a shooting range in the winter and in the army is no way cool. And a M-16. It's not that the M-16 is bad, it's just... well... it's just a M-16. And here, albeit a training blaster! It shoots glowy shit. No recoil. All around me was sci-fi, the sci-fi I had known since childhood, but it was moments like this that I could feel it even by the tips of my hair. Not the holograms, not the spaceships I'd never even seen, not the sight of Coruscant outside my window, but the lightsaber, the blaster, and the telekinesis.
Shot after shot, I watched the blaster's charge go off into the target, and listened to that funny "pow" sound. Shot after shot. And another, and another. Na, bitch, na, na, na!
- Dakari! - Uh-oh, I think I've been playing around. - Who have I been talking to for the last hour? - My mentor came up to me. - How many times do I have to tell you that a blaster is not a shooting toy? Or do you think you're in the entertainment center? Or maybe the whole Order is just a playground to you? - Then he glanced at my shooting screen. - Dakari! Nineteen shots and only six points? Even a blind man can shoot better than that. My grandmother shoots better with her left foot! What kind of a result is that, Dacari!? Why don't you say something, youngling? Answer me!
What a screamer, huh? What does he want to hear?
- Well... I'm only six years old, so I thought six points...
- Ah six years... There are three hundred and sixty-eight days in a year, youngling," he said benevolently, and then suddenly he abruptly went back to shouting. - So why do I see six points and not two thousand two hundred and eight!
- Because it's against the laws of physics?
- Telekinesis is also against the laws of physics, but you use it, don't you? Or don't you know how to use it either?! - Oh, man, he's gonna come up with something for every answer I give him. I'd better keep my mouth shut. I'll pretend to be sorry.
And why, indeed, he shouted? I'm really only six years old, can't he cut me some slack? In short, he talked for about five minutes, stealing my time to shoot, but then, at last, he finished and went away, and I went back to my previous occupation.
A shot, another one. A glance at the screen, thirty-eight points. That's a little low. Aim, shoot, look at the screen. Aim again. Shoot again, again, again. Damn, but how I love this activity. Shot, shot, shot... Here, bitch, here. What'd you eat? More...
- Dakari!
Fucking hell.