Having rested properly and recharged with positivity in Bodhi, we set out to wander onward. Our next stop was Stav Kesh, the temple of martial arts—also known as the arsenal. Not only did they learn to fight there, they also studied new types of weaponry, working in close cooperation with Vur Tepe, the forge-temple.
Our route ran through a gigantic ice ridge—a chain of mountain peaks among which Stav Kesh had been built. Riding raptors, and with the Force enhancing them, we covered truly enormous distances.
"Guys, look—if you treat art as a form of expressing yourself and what's inside you," Feng argued during a halt, gesturing with a roasted pendly bird leg, "then how do you treat those who can't express what's inside them?"
"No way at all. Not everyone is given those kinds of talents." I shook my head, using the Force to stir the coals in the fire. "We're combat types, guys—and that's the whole story. Still, we look at other works, listen to melodies, choose what's closer to us. If I listen to a piece or read a book, I can say with confidence that I've met its author. And if I like their work, then the energy вложенный into the melody, the lines, or the sculpture will feel like my own. So by collecting a chain of other compositions, you can understand what you yourself are made of—even if, as a creator, you're not much."
"And what if you don't even have that? Like… suppose it's forbidden?"
"What nonsense?" Ramiry exclaimed, quietly fishing two snack bars out of my bag while Vessira worked hard to distract me with hugs. "How can music be forbidden?"
"No, I mean hypothetically. I just remembered the temple of balance, its minimalism, and it got me thinking."
"As Master Laniron said," Vess joined in, "why would you need a mirror if there's nothing in it to reflect?"
"Hm… fair."
That made me remember canon and what the Order is supposed to become in the end. Vaguely, sure—so much time has passed—but still. So I asked the next question:
"And what if someone thinks emotions can lead you to the dark side of the Force?" They looked at me like I was an idiot. "Uh… no, I'm just building hypotheses, like Zeng, since we're doing this kind of dance."
"That's nonsense. You can't refuse emotions because they're always with us. If you try to keep balance by suppressing emotional impulses, you'll only destabilize yourself even more." Vess shook her head. "And why would you even do that, when one cancels out the other perfectly. Shade, how could you even come up with something that stupid?"
"Well, you could say," I glanced at the sky, trying not to laugh, "I came up with it."
"Shaa-aa-aa-de?"
"Hm?" I looked at Vess.
"What are you keeping quiet about, huh?"
"I'm still a bit short-circuited after that 'will-o'-the-wisps' trail."
"Y-yeah." Vess calmed down and shuddered. "Creepy."
We sat in silence, watching the little fire crackle, and listening to Ramiry crunch.
"Rami, have a conscience," I glanced at our medic. "Could you not do it that loudly?"
"Wha'?"
All I could do was roll my eyes.
"Speaking of creepy—did you notice that the higher we climb, the harder it is to breathe?" Feng changed the subject.
"That's because the air is thinner. We'll walk around up here for a week and we'll get used to it. Crunch-crunch."
"Gro-ra-aru ur."
"Yeah, Gris, I agree. Weird feeling."
That's how we made our way there. A couple times we did have to deal with local flora and fauna, but nothing serious—we're experienced now, and we know in which cases you run, and in which cases dinner delivery is running toward you.
And then we reached Stav Kesh. From the outside it looked insanely epic: a massive, monumental fortress literally built into the mountain, as if fused with it. There were no especially tall spires or towers; everything was fairly squat, if you didn't count the light in the observation slits peeking out of the rock. We also immediately spotted three huge landing platforms for heavy cargo ships—and one of them was occupied right now.
"All right, brothers," I glanced at Ramiry, "and sisters—welcome to the temple of martial arts!"
"Ta-ta-da-dam-s!" Zeng supported my cheer.
"Gre-e-i ar ra-a-ai."
"That was vulgar," Vess smacked him in the shoulder.
"Ur ar-re grae."
"Yeah-yeah—straight from a resort to a ball," I sighed, hearing even here the sharp, loud commands of a master. "Come on."
We were met on the approach by a pair of students. Two Twi'leks greeted us politely and, citing that the masters were busy right now, invited us to follow them. As we walked through the temple's inner yard, I mentally compared it to an army base. One group trained together, repeating the same technique again and again on command. Another group—six xenos—ran past us. A third split into pairs and sparred against each other.
"Shade, you were wrong," Zeng suddenly said.
"Hm?" I turned to one of the twins.
"This is where they'll teach us to fight," the Zabrak looked at me.
"Mmm… heh." It hit me what he meant. Zeng was reminding me of what I'd said the day we reunited—when I told them we knew how to brawl, but we didn't know how to fight. "That's true."
"Though what do you care—your sword work's already something else," Feng added.
"Well, for one, I can't shoot. And besides—there's no limit to perfection!"
"That's true."
Meanwhile, for some reason my instincts started itching—like they were warning me about something. And in the Force I felt something too. Something familiar—very, very familiar—but what?
"Hm…"
"AERO!!!" A shout rang out not far from us. I froze mid-step, and the others turned. "You ill-mannered, arrogant, lazy, tactless, shameless, brazen bastard!"
Slo-o-o-o-wly turning around, I saw Hadiya walking toward us from the doorway into the complex. Taller, changed a lot—and very, very angry.
"Hadiya…" I mouthed soundlessly. Yeah… that was unexpected…
Pulling out the little knife I'd given her myself, she walked right up, pressed the point into my chestplate, forcing me to back up, and bore down on me:
"How dare you—after all these years—not write me even once, not call even once, and not warn me you changed your comm number?!" the Twi'lek girl got more and more worked up, poking me in the chest with the tip every time she reproached me. "Do you have any idea how worried I was?! You left—then you don't write, you don't call… In these two years so much happened, so much piled up—WHO AM I SUPPOSED TO TELL ALL OF THAT TO, IN YOUR OPINION?!" She gestured brightly with the weapon like a pointer… uh… and complained, did Hadiya. If I couldn't feel her real emotions, and didn't know her personality, I might've believed she wanted to kill me. But no—she was very glad to see me, she just couldn't not complain physically.
"Uh… Shade, do you know each other?" Feng asked.
"Sort of."
"What do you mean, 'sort of'?!" The Twi'lek stomped her foot. "He's my husband!" She jabbed the knife at me.
…
…
…
Processing was underway, and the gears stubbornly tried to turn a mechanism that had suddenly rusted solid.
"WHAT?!" the guys shouted—and I shouted with them. Gris stayed silent, but his wide eyes said it all.
"Shaa-aa-de?" Vess called to me with a sweet smile. Hm… I wonder if, if I jump down right now, Ramiry won't be able to bring me back? Knowing our medic, she probably will. Sigh…
"Hadiya," I exhaled, accepting my fate. "First: the fact that I'm your husband was a farce—played at your request. Second," I pinned her with a look, not letting her open her mouth, "I'm sorry. I admit it—I forgot. It just slipped my mind. And I had no time. But I checked in through Irbis and kept an eye on how you were doing, so I more or less know how you rose. Third: maybe stop scaring people and put away your knife, or your guard," I nodded at the clustered fighters who clearly didn't know what to do, "are going to drop dead of a heart attack."
"That's their problem. I'm worried about you!" She jabbed me with the knife again.
But before I could open my mouth, Vess stepped in.
"Hey! Have you completely lost it, girl?! Not only do you drag my boyfriend into every kind of adventure, you also dare point a weapon at him?!" Vess flared up—already riled by the scene—as she came closer.
"Looks like it's time for us…" Feng whispered, and the others nodded.
"And you too, Brutus?" I looked at Gris. He hesitated, then just pumped a fist in support of me and followed the twins.
"Traitors!" my soul screamed as I watched the deserters go.
"And who are you supposed to be?!" Hadiya turned on Vessira.
"I'm his girlfriend!" Vess growled.
"Yeah?" Hadiya looked at me. Then, as if remembering something, she nodded to herself and waved at Vess. "Well, congrats—you're not anymore. Now get lost!"
…
"Oh, this is going to be bad…" I even took a step back. And not for nothing. Instead of answering, Vess simply and plainly slapped Hadiya. No Force—just a very spectacular slap that made her recoil and almost fall, though she stayed upright.
"Watch your mouth. Even if you were the queen of Shikaakwa herself, nobody gets between me and Shade!" Vess snarled.
"When I become queen, nobody will dare defy my will," Hadiya hissed back.
"Girls, I'm a pretty hardcore 'don't-care' type, but even for me this is too much," I cut in, trying to separate them. Sure, I'm suicidal—but how much does a dead man have to lose? Not much, that's what. "We're in the temple's main square and you're putting on a drama like this."
"Shade," Vess shot me a look; Hadiya mirrored it.
"Hadiya, Vess is my girlfriend. Period. And insulting her means insulting me," I pressed the first one down with my stare. "Vess, Hadiya may be stubborn, and arrogant, and sharp-tongued, but she and I have certain arrangements…" After a brief thought, I added, "…even if I somehow managed to forget them."
"And I, by the way, didn't forget—and in two years I dug up everything and a little more," the Twi'lek girl muttered, folding her arms across her chest.
"Dug up?" Vess was surprised.
"Business partners," I shrugged.
"Nope. I didn't forget your words about me growing up! Well, I grew up, and you're not even glad to see me—and you've got a face like you'd rather I never showed up at all." She turned away, nose in the air.
"I am glad, actually. I'm just… a little surprised. Very, very little. And I'm not glad about how you told Vess to get lost. Like I said—insulting her is insulting me."
That cooled Vess down, and triumph showed in her eyes. Not pride—just the look of a woman who'd proved to a rival who the boss was. Hadiya sighed and rubbed her burning cheek.
"Fine. Forgive me."
"Huh?" Vess perked her ears, wanting a repeat.
"Not you." Hadiya waved her off. "Forgive me, Shade. I… I'll try to watch myself."
"Good enough. Come here, kid." I hugged the Twi'lek—who now reached me up to the nose with the top of her head—and with my other hand used the Force to take away the burning sting. The swelling wouldn't go down—my medic skills suck—but at least it wouldn't hurt.
"I'm not a kid. Not anymore. I didn't just grow up—I made it so on Shikaakwa nobody even dares think about calling me a kid. Only you still do."
"And I don't care."
"Hee." Vess snorted into her fist.
"All right, let's go." I nodded toward the fortress. "You'll tell me what you've been up to, what you found, and what you're doing here."
"Mm-hm."
As we walked into the fortress under the spectators' slanted looks, I mentally wiped sweat off my brow. Irbis—may the Force be with you, and may you have health and patience—I'll remember you forever! Who would've thought his lessons on bringing two conflicting sides to peace would save my life? Literally like that. I wouldn't have believed it even if I'd seen it in Force visions. And we've had stranger things in practice. I remember once we ran into a married couple—ready to tear each other's throats out, and destroy the company they ran together just so the other wouldn't get it. Nothing—worked our way out…
But then we managed to solve it so we wouldn't have to come back to it. With me, it had turned into a temporary truce: two sides drilling each other with their eyes while walking to my left and right. I felt like a singularity point—antimatter on one side, matter on the other, and my job is to prevent "hugs." Yeah.
My fully intact face—especially with Vess and Hadiya—triggered a new round of bug-eyed shock in my friends sitting in the mess hall. Looks like they'd already buried me, the bastards. And traitors. Yes.
"Well, you bastards—didn't expect me?" I snorted.
"No, we expected you," Zeng smiled.
"Just in pieces," Feng added.
"Ar-rg ear-r rirru," Gris nodded in agreement.
"You bastards," I sat at the table, dropping my bag beside me. The others had apparently already taken their things to their rooms.
"And me?"
"No, little dandelion, you're weak and fragile, and you're a well-raised lady—can't have you listening to that and, even worse, taking an example."
"Hee…"
"Hadiya, these are my friends. Gris," I nodded at the Wookiee. "Zeng and Feng," the twins raised their hands in sync, greeting the new acquaintance. "Ramiry," the girl smiled shyly and nodded. "And Vess."
"Hadiya."
Yeah. Still lots of work to do with her. A cold lady among high servants.
"Arru ru-ae erg?" Gris asked where we knew each other from. I glanced at Hadiya, got a nod, and started:
"Well… basically, I met Hadiya on Shikaakwa. It was my first mission with Irbis. A clan that no longer exists—Shi… I think that's what it was called, but it doesn't matter. They decided to get stronger at someone else's expense. Marry Hadiya off, toss her father into the furnace, get the girl on drugs—supposedly grief broke her." I explained at my friends' stunned faces. "Pretty standard stuff on Shikaakwa, actually. Then they'd get rid of her too. That way they'd gain a whole clan to use, and the others would have nowhere to go. And to keep everything quiet and smooth, they invited Irbis and me… well, him. I was just there on the side in case something flared up—to cover the teacher. He's not a fighter." I shook my head. "But anyway. Everything was fine, except the girl ran away, and then there's me, walking around the city all handsome, because Irbis and I couldn't stand each other at the time. I found her and decided to help—just because. And she latched on to me. Then I learned the backstory, sketched a plan, Hadiya refined it and spun it up. That's how we met."
"Wow…"
"You've got some serious drama over there," Zeng clicked his tongue.
"Rar er-r-r iarg," Gris nodded in agreement.
"It's Shikaakwa," Hadiya snorted, like that explained everything.
"You pick up the habit of poking a knife at your conversation partner fast there," I sighed, and at Vess's look I added, "well, my mom's from there, and you know as well as I do how she likes to negotiate." Vessira nodded. "So there."
"I mean, I knew Shikaakwa has a special… atmosphere," Ramiry picked a word. "But that much?"
"That's nothing. When I was with Hadiya, I saw things…" I snorted, nudging the smirking Twi'lek. "Tython's no place to relax either."
"Got it."
"Listen, Hadiya—what was that situation… with marriage?" Ramiry asked, and Vess immediately perked her ears, tail flicking back and forth. "Shade never told us anything like that."
"Pff." Hadiya sized up Ramiry, then glanced at me, and after seeing my disapproval, sighed and answered. "All sorts kept coming at me." She started forcing the words out like it physically hurt. "So I asked Shade to play my husband to scare the rest off. We spread the rumor. It worked."
"Only you gave me problems," I rolled my eyes. "Almost immediately, they tried to take me out about five times, and only on the sixth they calmed down. Zero imagination in assassins—poison, shot, bomb. Losers, in a word. And I won't even mention how nervous Vess got during that farce." I glanced at the blushing Cathar.
"Wait." Vess snapped to attention. "You mean they tried to 'take you out'?!"
"Yeah."
"You didn't tell me," she protested, ears and tail twitching, face set in a threatening frown.
"Why would I? It's normal. While I was on Shikaakwa, I regularly snapped someone's neck. That's also where they taught me to spot and defuse charges. Poisons, sure, I'm not great with—but," I smirked, "the poisoners clearly didn't expect that the food we ate was cooked either by me, or by Hadiya, or by two cooks I kept under my thumb."
"You can cook?" Vess asked, genuinely surprised, looking at the Twi'lek.
"Well… 'cook' is a strong word, but I can." Hadiya hesitated. "Why?"
"No, it's just… for your status, it's… strange."
"Only for Shade," Hadiya parried. "Otherwise, you're right."
"R-r-r-r…"
"Ladies, calm down," I cut in immediately. "Hadiya, you said you rose up."
"Huh? Yeah. Dad put me in charge of weapons, fuel, and some related profiles touching the first two. With fuel—and some… losses—I crushed a number of competitors, bought up enterprises, raised income, and bought Vortix shares, so part of the trade-and-transport company's market belongs to me."
"Wait… doesn't Shikaakwa have its own company? Hagarad, I think?"
"It's mine now. All of it."
"I don't even want to know how you did that," I glanced at this lekku'd monster.
"Hey-hey! What vile insinuations are those? I just put a knife to the throat, a sickle to the balls, and offered a pastry. A very, very big pastry. And a filling one. The kind you can't refuse. I told you—some losses… I mean expenses… helped me take a couple companies." I gave her a look. "Fine. A couple dozen companies."
"And you're not embarrassed to talk about this openly… with witnesses…" Vess waved her hand in the air.
"What's wrong with it?"
"Well, like… illegal, court, all that?"
"Oh, don't make me laugh." Hadiya waved it off.
"Vess, you don't convict people like that. You only negotiate with them," I explained. "Or you take their head off. Along with the entire ruling elite."
"Yes-yes, Shade understands how we do business," Hadiya nodded, scooting her butt closer to me. "Anyway, that's only half."
"Half of what?"
"What do you mean, 'of what'? Of achievements, of course!"
…
"The other half is weapons. I was already working with it, and when Dad dumped all operations and control onto me, I really expanded. I beat a couple companies from Nox… figuratively beat!" she clarified instantly at Vess's dropped jaw, and even I was a bit stunned. "And took the contracts, then bought their shares cheap. There were, though, two tense moments," she tapped the knife tip against her lips, "that, let's say, really stressed me out."
"Hadiya, if something really stressed you out, that's not a 'tense moment,' that's a complete clusterfuck!"
"As you say." She shrugged and scooted her butt even closer, sitting pressed right up against me. "Anyway, they tried to take me out. I bit back. Jedaii showed up. I hoped it'd be you and Irbis, but no." She shot me a look. "I explained the situation, said I'd handle it. They nodded, but waited until it all settled down. So I eliminated the competitors. Like, completely. Because kriff them. No, seriously—can you imagine, they started threatening they'd dare go after my Shade!" Hadiya fumed righteously and banged the knife on the table.
"Ahem." Vess.
"Well, he is my husband," Hadiya sang and hugged my arm. "And they could have. They had their own Jedaii, even if former ones. Those I deorbited, to be safe—and I found the handlers too. So now the main flow of weapons in the Tython system is concentrated in my hands. There are other major players, but I broke into the lead—even Clan Ryo doesn't dare defy me," and after a brief thought she added, "not right away, though. But that's only weapons. And since it touches every sphere of influence, I managed to reach the drug traffickers and lean on them too. I just asked my colleagues in the trade to hold back their goods, while I jacked up prices. In the end they came to me themselves to make peace and take protection. And I'm not against it—why refuse an additional source of income when it walks up to you on its own? You only need to make it safe." Hadiya finished, like she'd been talking about the weather.
"Shade…" Feng called me.
"Hm?"
"What abyss did you pull that monster out of?" Zeng asked hoarsely.
"Rugr aruee-er urur-ae."
"No, guys, you're wrong. Hadiya is just a little miracle…" The Twi'lek girl blossomed. "…of terror. And if she's a monster, it's only a political one. In that sense, she really is a little monster."
"That's so sweet," Hadiya purred.
"Sh-sh-sh," came from my other side.
"Hadiya, pull yourself together. Vess, don't take the bait—she's provoking you."
"Hmph!"
"And how did you even end up here?!" I demanded righteously, turning fully toward the Twi'lek.
"Huh? Oh, well… I got in touch with Irbis, and he told me you weren't his student anymore and were roaming around Tython. I contacted the Jedaii. At my request they found where you'd last been. So they gave me the probable place to look for you. In Bodhi, unfortunately, I missed you—I didn't make it in time—so I flew here. And since I have contracts, including ones for weaponry and spare parts, I came on a cargo ship. Actually, there were several ships, including cargo. Some went straight here, others to other temples. Anyway, that's roughly how I decided to wait for you here."
"Y-yeah…"
"And what else was I supposed to do when you don't call, don't write, and I have to learn where you've been from third parties?!" She jabbed me reproachfully with the knife, flaring with sincere indignation and a bit of hurt.
"What can I do—I really got swamped. Sorry."
"And I won't forgive you!"
"Hadi."
"Fine, I forgive you," she said—and out of the corner of my eye I saw Vess's eyelid twitch. Oh… and the emotions—brr.
"Ahem… Lady Hadiya, does it… not scare you that you're kind of not on your planet, surrounded by so many strangers…" Zeng started carefully.
"The chance of someone eliminating me?" the Twi'lek asked bluntly.
"Yes."
"Won't happen. While Shade is nearby, nobody will lay a finger on me."
Even I felt that, because Hadiya said it with such certainty, like it was a reinforced, unshakable fact.
"So… and how are you doing here?" the Twi'lek switched to me.
"Well…" I looked at the ceiling. "Stoically walking the wanderer's path, overcoming all hardships and trials of bearing this burden. Something like that. Roaming Tython, tanning, admiring the views, dropping by famous places, meditating, and… ahem… socializing with the wildlife."
"N-de?" She raised an eyebrow, took my left hand, and lifted it. "And where did you get this?"
"Oh, we got caught in a storm. Took a lightning hit."
Hadiya already had a somewhat pale bluish skin tone compared to others, but now she went outright white.
"Everything's fine! I'm alive, healthy, energetic—don't worry."
"So…" Her expression changed; she measured me and my group with her eyes. Thought a bit, then shook her head and exhaled mournfully, while amusing me with her shifting cocktail of feelings.
"Heh-heh, I can just see you getting up and ordering everyone to fly with you instead of wasting time on this nonsense."
"Mm-hm," she muttered, resting her head on my shoulder. "Yeah, and what's the point—yell at you or don't, it's all the same."
"Tell me about it. I suffer too," Vess mumbled quietly, turning away and propping her cheek on a hand at the table. "Oh, I mean—" Vessira flustered. "Ah, never mind. By the way. You said something about mutual cooperation. Shade—so, he saved you, but what did you give him?" The Cathar perked up and narrowed her eyes predatorily.
"He asked me to find…"
Beng! A gong rang out, cutting Hadiya off.
"What's that?"
"Break time. The whole academy's going to flood in here," I sighed. "All right. Thanks for coming—I'm really glad to see you, and even more glad you're okay." Hadiya didn't answer, only smiled. Like back then—her sincere, genuinely kind smile, the one she only showed me. "If you don't mind, we just got in, so I want to eat, drop my stuff, and then we can talk about my request too." Hadiya nodded. "Guys, did anyone tell you anything about the master, teacher—well, whoever's going to be assigned to us?"
"Nope."
"Nothing. They just asked us to wait here, said he'd come himself."
"Got it. Then we'll wait, learn the plan, and then unpack." I glanced at Vess; she nodded.
"Hadiya, are you staying with us long?" Vessira asked casually, examining her claws.
"Depends. I brought a communications center with me, so I can work straight off the ship."
"Oh…"
"You're not happy?" Hadiya asked, genuinely surprised.
"Well… how do you put it. Just surprised. Your visit… is unusual. And I'm worried about you. Tython isn't the kind of place where non-Force-sensitives feel good—and certainly not safe."
"You're telling that to me?" she raised an eyebrow.
"Yes, Hadiya. Because the moment you step outside the temple, beyond its walls, you'll be torn apart within the first hour."
"And why would I go outside?"
"Because when we're done here, we'll move on."
"Uh… why move on? I can give you a lift," she waved her hand.
"The healing temple is in the middle of an ocean, by the way," Zeng added thoughtfully, earning a very "kind" look from Vess. "No, I'm just saying. I don't really want to sail for a taked, if I'm being honest."
"Gra-r-re uri."
"Nobody asked you," Vessira muttered.
"No, but really—what's the issue? As I understand it, you're on a pilgrimage. So let me drop you off temple to temple—why walk? The fact the Jedaii didn't give you a ship is their problem, not mine. Hm?" As she spoke, the first students and masters began entering the mess hall.
"Damn…" Ramiry exhaled, looking mournfully at Vess. Vess understood too, but she couldn't just give up. "Vess?"
"F-f-fine. I'm in."
"There!" Hadiya cheered.
"Everyone, remember this. This girl right here," I nodded at Hadiya, "basically grabbed Shikaakwa's economy by the throat with an iron grip. Not all of it, but I get the feeling it's only 'for now.'" Hadiya nodded in agreement. "So. She has enough cunning, slipperiness, and intrigue-weaving skill for all of us combined. So never—hear me? Never argue with her. She'll always find a way to out-argue you or buy you out."
"And you?" Feng smiled.
"And he doesn't care," Hadiya answered. "Arguing with him is useless—like throwing peas at a wall. He has enough stubborn, naked persistence to go against his own interests, so I can't influence him."
"Still sulking?" I smirked.
"Yes! How could you refuse… refuse…" Hadiya puffed up, and in her eyes flashed all the mountains of gold I'd been offered.
"Don't care at all," I said, propping an elbow on the table and looking with fondness at that boiling kettle.
"There! There!!! That's exactly what I'm talking about! See?! And it's always like this."
Everyone laughed, and even Vess smiled now and then, watching Hadiya complain so expressively about my sins to the group. Then our idyll was interrupted by Master Shaalin—a Sith temporarily assigned to our group.
In a short conversation, we learned his task was to determine our approximate indicators of strength, capabilities, and skills, and based on those, redistribute us by assigning each member to talents roughly matching their own.
To avoid dragging it out, we agreed on the evening. For now, as arranged, we split up—back to our rooms to unpack and rest after the road. Hadiya also went to her quarters to issue orders and check on her idiots. Yeah… who would've thought…
That evening, each member of our gang had a demonstration bout against the master. Our task was simply to take him down—then see how it went. Zeng and Feng, probably fighting alone for the first time without the other, performed so-so. As a pair, yes, they managed to put the master down—but that's a pair. What will you do if you're alone? So the twins were split and assigned to different teams to build up their skills. Ramiry… well, Ramiry is Ramiry. She's not a fighter, which they told her bluntly. She was assigned with others who weren't going to tie their lives to fighting, but still needed to be able to stand up for themselves and be worth something.
Gris did a bit better than the twins. Yes, he couldn't take the master down, but the "I'm a tank and I don't care" tactic has its advantages—you just need to refine it. Though what tank… more like an APC, because for a tank he was too quick and slippery.
The one who did well was Vess. She managed to surprise Shaalin. Since the Master had relaxed with the others, Vessira used that and dropped him to the ground in the first minute. Mmm… Mom trained her well. In the second round, Master Shaalin didn't slack and was much more serious. And after evaluating Vess's abilities, he kept her in his personal group.
With me, there was a problem. Shaalin knew who I was, and knew my mother. And when my turn came, he just walked up and asked directly:
"What don't you know how to do?"
"Shooting."
"Anything else?"
"Maybe you evaluate it yourself? Because I'm… kind of at a loss…"
"Shade, Aala warned me herself that she taught you not to fight, but to kill. So a real spar with you…" He shook his head. "Besides, you've had a blade in your hands since you were in diapers, and you never let it go. The only thing I can offer is close-quarters hand-to-hand combat and advanced training—but that course is taught when you receive the status of Master of Martial Arts. You're only on pilgrimage for now, so it's too early to assign a profile, and I can't offer something at that level."
"Then I'll just sharpen what I already have," I shrugged. "And unarmed combat, of course. If possible, I'd still like to look into the Master of Martial Arts program."
"Good. You also stay in my group."
I nodded. That ended training, and Hadiya, who'd been watching, congratulated us on our success. She was especially happy for me—saying even other Jedaii recognize I'm such a big deal, and in general I'm the coolest here and nobody measures up. Yeah…
At that moment Vess was blazing like a torch—only emotionally. And because of our link, even a set block couldn't hide it from me. Sigh… I'll have to talk to her before sleep.