Morning. My room
I learnt a long time ago that mornings do happen. Especially if you wake up in the company of a nice girl, someone you could walk across the fire for. And Hadiya was the kind of girl I'd walk into the abyss for. And now, this cute little face is lying on my chest and happily, no, even solemnly, looking into my eyes. That's probably how a general looks at victory in the most serious war of his life.
«Are you happy?
Morgue.
«Well done, you will be my slave.
Morg-Morg.
«I'll seduce you and Wes and have orgies.
Blink.
«Will you at least have the decency to be outraged?!
«Nope.
«For some reason I thought so. One of them went for it, the other one went for it. No, that's it, we're not adding any more servants.
«I'm all for it, but I wonder why.
«Because I still care about my nerves!
«What are you talking about? - she frowned jokingly.
«It's not a hint, it's a statement of fact. And the fact that you'll be forced to share me is also a fact.
«Eh... Mm-hmm.
«Speaking of which, Hadiya.
«М?
«Tell me, how come I didn't see your true feelings until last? Before that, you swam in the pool with fire, with gusto, but... no... other emotions.
«It was difficult. Very difficult. I know you feel emotions, so I came up with a plan where I had to trick myself. Well, not trick myself, but convince myself. I sort of abstracted myself, focused on the goal, made myself believe in the current situation so that I could actually experience exactly what you saw. And only when the trap went down did I let myself relax.
«And I didn't even feel the catch....
«There was no catch. There was no trick. You had nothing to do with it, I did it all on my own.
«No, Hadi. If you think about it that way, you can trick me. If a man believes his own lies enough. I hadn't thought of that before.
«Hmm... Well, now you know you're not a know-it-all either," she rose higher. - But not everyone can do that. And if you had used the Force on me, I wouldn't have been able to resist and everything would have been ruined, so that's also a moment like this.
«Mm-hmm.
«Shade, are you angry?
«At what?!
«I'm not mad at you. You didn't mean it.
«I didn't mind, especially after all your wiggling, hints, and actions, I didn't mind at all!
«Um.
«That's not what I was worried about, Hadi. I was primarily concerned about your possessive nature! And the problems that can come from that.
«And secondly?
«And secondly, I don't want to hurt you. I don't. And there's a conflict of interest. You're not gonna stop, but you're gonna keep pulling your weight. So you need a waiver. And you won't take no for an answer, especially not that kind. And even if you did, it wouldn't be pleasant. I tried to explain to you the background, and-- Mm-hm-- Mm-hm? - shut me up with a cheeky but beautiful kiss.
«Shade, chill. I'm well aware of that. In the end, I thought about the situation from all angles, including how to eliminate my rival. But the conclusion was the same. Either leave you alone or try to reconcile. After listening to myself and realising I couldn't leave you alone, I chose the second option. Yes, I'm jealous. Very jealous. Because you're mine. Mine! And there's all these catarrhs. But I have to. Besides, I can't cross you.
«?
«The moment you flared up, you just overwhelmed. All my years of core strength just shook and fell apart. You probably don't remember, but I've seen you like that before. When you were angry. It's exciting. And addictive. That's why I'm gonna put up with it. For you. That's my word. End of story.
«Eh... Hadiya.
«Hee..." she suddenly cheered up.
«Hadiya?
«It's nothing. I was just thinking how disappointed all those people will be when they find out that their train has left and the only seats are taken. And how I'd be trampling them into the mud. Mm-hmm.
«You're such a bitch," I shake my head reproachfully.
«Maybe. For others," I was kissed and got up and started packing. And with a huge-o-o-om-om-om reluctance, I didn't even need to see my emotions to see.
«What is it?
«I have to check my idiots, my mail at the same time, and just to see how things are going. It's so hard to hold that kind of power in my hands," she pressed her hands to her chest and rolled her eyes. - It's so heavy.
"You explain that to Palych," I added to myself, snickering into my fist. - "What was it? "Absolute power, right?" Shit, my memory is failing me, I'm forgetting so many things... well, whatever, after all, where's me and where's the clone war?".
«But what can you do, you have to," Hadi brought me back from my thoughts.
«And why is that?" I couldn't help but wonder.
«Why? I made it a point a long time ago to become queen of Chikagu. First of all, to get the place in order for once. I'm so sick of this filth, I want to make a normal world.
«So what's the problem? Go to any other planet, it's better and more peaceful than Chicago. Even the colonies.
«Yeah, but... It's easy to say, "None of my business." It's easy to just walk away. But you try taking it and fixing it. You're the one who made me realise that, you're the one who said: "not everybody's rotten yet." I don't want to rot like the others and turn a blind eye to what's going on in my house. If only for the sake of those like you who believe in the best.
«Me and the best? - I smirk jokingly.
«Yes, Shade. You and the best. Don't forget. You're the one who didn't pass me by. And since you had the power to change my life, the life of an entire clan, I have enough to change Chicago.
«Mm-hmm...
«And secondly," she continued, "I told you right then and there that you were going to marry the Queen! - Hadiya put her foot down on the bed beside me with an important sniff, suggesting that she wanted to pet it.
«How do you fit such gigantic complexes in such a small girl?
«Somehow," the girl shrugged, returning to her clothes.
Sighing and looking at the time, I rolled my eyes miserably. I had to get ready, but since I was late anyway, there was no point in rushing. Getting up and following Hadiya's example, I can't deny myself the pleasure of not slapping her firm ass, with the full realisation that now it's also mine, and I don't give a fuck!
Hadiya herself only got excited and before she left, she grabbed me by the collar of my T-shirt, bent me over, kissed me, and pushed me backwards from the hip to the door. Yeah, she's a hell of a girl. Found it on his head...
I turned the thought of that light-blue twi'leek in my head for a moment, and then turned my attention back to our conversation about friends last night. Hadiya had been right about going as a group, and if I was inclined to go, I'd have to warn our friends beforehand and ask their opinions.
So, with thoughts of future trekking, I reached the hall where classes were in progress. I apologised for my lateness and sat down among my friends, who were learning to treat and sew up wounds on a mannequin. Sharif himself did not react to my tardiness at all, well, he was late, after all - it was us who had to learn, not him to teach us. At least somewhere adequate teachers!
«How is the process going? - I'm curious about Vessira, when she injected the wound with anaesthetic.
«It's going great. You missed the lecture on the treatment of wounds caused by shrapnel damage to tissues, - slanting my gaze, I see a piece of metal sticking out of the wound on the mannequin's leg.
«So I'm about to see it on a test drive.
«Mm-hmm. Where the hell have you been?
«I've been talking to Hadiya.
«М? - Wes glanced at me, still in class. - Hmm... Why do I have a sense of deja vu, like I've seen something like this before? Oh, right! You're only late on two occasions," I was given a sly look.
«Heh.
«You know, Shade, you could've hidden your emotions, or I'd have wanted to, too, you know? - Now the look changed to one of reproach. - Did you forget we're connected?
«I'm sorry, I've sinned. I'll make it up to you!
«Be sure to correct this omission, or next time I'll come and.....
«Will you disperse me?
«I'll join you.
«Hmm. Good idea. But I'm afraid some people won't appreciate it. At least not right now.
«That's right. Who's the initiator?
«Who do you think?
«Did she really take my advice? - Wes was fake surprised.
«Calculated, planned, and, yes, she went ahead. Wes, weren't you the one who chased her in the first few days?
«I did," the katara nodded, picking up a vial of the solution. - But when I got to know her better, I decided that she's a great ally, secondly, you obviously care about her, and thirdly, despite all of her peculiarities, she really loves you, and with such a partner, I can be calm," I winked.
«I'm fucking with the world," I shake my head.
«Shade, please don't? It's normal, I told you that. And I even squatted on your ears once, what problems can there be if a partner doesn't get satisfaction, also in terms of health.
«I wonder what Mum will say," I raise my eyes to the ceiling thoughtfully.
«She'll pat me on the shoulder, wipe away a happy woman's tears and, with the words "well done, my son", bless me.
«Pfft. Knowing her, that's the way it seems to me.
«But seriously, what's bothering you? - Wes got her act together and stopped being flirty. - I can feel the rock in your soul.
«Not a rock, more like a slight uneasiness. There's some news, both bad and good, that's worth discussing, between us, - I nod at the guys. - Everyone's concerned. But that can wait, for now, please explain to me what you're doing and why?
«That's easy. Look, I started with...
So, back to the lesson, I was shown and briefly recounted the missed material, and then was given to practice on several mannequins with different types of shrapnel wounds, as well as different zones of penetration of shrapnel.
However, at some point the Master decided to test us and put a mannequin with a bullet wound in the chest. I was the test subject, and I fucked up immediately. I was going to work according to the tried and tested principle, but I was stopped and explained that a different approach was needed here. In fact, we had already reached our level, and this was no longer the material we needed. That's why Master Sharif explained that if the wound was in the torso, and a splinter or bullet remained inside, we should take the wounded to a professional with equipment. If not, they would have to use the Force, because it was physically impossible to perform this operation in the field. At most - anaesthetics, blood clotting medicine and a medical stapler, so that he wouldn't die from blood loss.
From that moment the work with the tools ended and the work with Force healing began. What can I say? It's brutal. Ramira's already in the rank of heaven, and now she's added a few more things. It turns out there are several stages of technique, within which there are sub-stages, so to speak. To heal with the Force, it's not enough to direct the energy and say, "Heal, heal, heal." No. To begin with, for normal (!) Force Healing you must have a clear understanding of the state of the object in front of you. That's why the medic connects to the patient's aura, reading directly from it about the condition of the subject. If the aura is your own, it is much easier to work, you already know where and what hurts you, you just need to determine what exactly is wrong. Wound, inflammation, tumour, or something else, and for the definition itself you need to read from yourself the exact indicators.
Then, having an idea of the damage in your head, you can already start, but! You need to understand how the regeneration process works. Of course, it is not necessary, the Force can direct your intuition in the right direction, but it will be faster and more effective. And when you control the whole healing process "from" to "till", then you can heal fractures in minutes, but it's such a level - that's oh-oh-oh-oh. We've only been able to patch ourselves up so far, and that's mediocre. Mediocre in comparison with the same Ramira, the necessary "minimum" was taught to everyone in Qigong Kesha.
In general, there were many pitfalls in the technique of Force Healing, one of which was concentration. Without it, you couldn't use the technique, and concentration could be easily disrupted by an elementary electric shock. In fact, that's how Sharif taught us. We'd make a small cut on our hand and then try to heal it with the Force. The matter was complicated by spontaneous small discharges, which the master gave us. To his surprise, we did better than some of the other students, and we just shrugged our shoulders. We couldn't tell him that our whole group was so fucked up that we had somehow passed through a strong source of Force, while constantly electrocuting ourselves, just to clear our minds?
While we were being taught the "simple", I glimpsed what Ramira was up to, peeking at her notebook. I wish I hadn't looked at it, even the drawings were incomprehensible, not to mention the text.
But as I told Wes, we had to have a meeting. So, having chosen a time in advance, our friendly company, in which Hadiya unnoticeably entered, gathered in my room.
«Shade, what's the matter that you're not even trying to be humorous? - Zeng chuckled.
«Graer?
«No, Gris, not a problem. Rather, I want to confer with you," I said, sitting backwards in my chair and tapping my fingers thoughtfully on the backrest. - But I'll start from afar. As it happens, my father doesn't have a very good reputation, moreover, formally he is considered to be expelled from the Order.
«Ah..." Ramira began, but I stopped her with a raised palm.
«Wait, Rami. The situation there is very strange and confusing. And I'd like to get to the bottom of it. To make a long story short, my father has something to do with the Stargazers. Those guys are fanatics, if you've heard of them. They found something here on Tython that caused them to switch all their power. The information is accurate," I nod at Hadiya sitting on the table, her legs chattering, and she nods in agreement. - They're preparing a major operation, and to find out what's going on here, we need to get ahead of them and get to the scene first, and we have plenty of time.
«What's the location? - Feng asked in a businesslike manner, having already got the gist of it.
«Old Town.
«Not good. There's a slight Force pressure and monsters there," Zeng frowned.
«Ever been there?
«Just passing through. I had to check out a group of explorers while practising with a personal teacher.
«What happened?
«They got eaten," he waved his hands.
«Mm-hmm.
«Arg rie-r rare?
«No, they didn't possess the Force. Just a group of explorers who'd forgotten what was in there.
«I think I can guess what they forgot," Hadiya interjected thoughtfully. - Were they, by any chance, members of the NachTechIndustrial Research Centre?"
«They were.
«The company is owned by the Stargazers.
«How do you know so much? - Ramira raised her eyebrows in surprise.
«Shade asked me to find out more about them once. Have I mentioned it before, or do you have sclerosis?
«No, we remembered.
«Anyway, here's the situation," I brought the boys' attention back to me. - There's something very valuable and very obscure. It's in Old Town. We've got the coordinates, so we should go check it out. We should go as a group. Hadiya's got her guys to back us up, plus equipment. I'll use my mother as my most experienced J'Dayi.
«Do you think she'll go along with that? - Wes tilted her head.
«I think so. If we don't call her, she'll be offended, but she might be willing to do it just to back us up.
«Mm-hmm.
«Areur rag-r-r-ri a-r-r-re?
«Yes, Gris, there are better arguments for this venture.
«Rae?
«For example, the Stargazers are a sect scattered throughout our system with enough influence to steal an entire Sleeping Ship. And twenty years ago, they did steal it. And now they've devoted all their energies to preparing for one single operation. Emphasis on the preparation, which has been going on for two years now.
«By the way, Shade.
«Yes? I'm turning to Hadiya.
«They've postponed the surgery for a few takedas. I don't know why, but it stems from their science department. Something happened, but... No details.
«That's good for us," I nod. - Anyway, I've made my point.
«And the plan?
«The plan... Once we're done here, we fly to Enil Kesh and prepare for a sortie. I'll be doing some research, but that's a personal matter. Then Old Town. We'll discuss the plan of action in front of my mother, she has more experience than all of us put together.
«That makes sense," Feng nodded.
«So what do you think?
«We're in favour of anything," Zeng smirked, to which his brother nodded.
«A-a-r-r-re," Gris agreed.
«Where you go, I go," Vess retorted. Her gaze fell on Ramira.
«Huh? Why are you looking at me like that, of course I'm involved. Someone has to patch you up.
«Thank you.
«It's a bullshit question, bro," Zeng saluted me.
«If you'd just said you'd go, we'd have gone anyway," Feng nodded.
«Well... I don't take your opinion for granted," I smirked.
«Gr-e ur-r-e ar?
«Details? Yes, there are. What do you want?
We sat up until almost dawn discussing Stargazers, my father and the whole situation. People came up with theories, Hadiya threw in facts, it was all analysed. It was especially heated when it came to speculation about what might be in the Old City. The options ranged from the most adequate to the downright delusional, but as long as we didn't know the truth, it all had a place to be.
When we realised that it was too late to sleep, we had to resort to a technique of the Force, with which an hour of meditation replaces eight hours of sleep. Often you can't abuse such a thing, you might even leak a roof, but that's the last thing on your mind in a combat situation.
And so another takeda passes. The twins, as usual, get into all the cracks and quickly make new acquaintances, Vessira also found someone to chat with. Ramira and I didn't have time for that, the latter was fussing in the library, while I spent hours in meditation, realising the Force within me and strengthening my body. Gris stood out. Whenever he had free time, he'd pull out his communicator and sit in it, texting his acquaintances. I bet if there was internet here, he would never leave his communicator.
But all things pass, and so did our time in Mahara Kesh. In the last few days before we left, we allowed ourselves to get away from everything and just swim in the pool. Hadiya and Wes are talking to each other more and more, but even so, I can't even call them friends. The former's nose is always up in the air, while the latter constantly brings the former down to earth. One thing is good, their rivalry for my attention, moved from a battle to a game where the main task is not to drop the competitor, and surpass her, which shamelessly used me.
It's so nice when you have on one side and on the other side sit girls who love you. And if one purrs, and the second caresses, demanding attention, m-m-m ... Right in paradise I feel myself. Suddenly I caught myself thinking that I became a drug addict. Those emotions, which radiated from the girls... That care, warmth and just happiness, they were intoxicating.
Yeah, sometimes Hadiya liked to scream. And poke her with a knife. And swear if she was on fire, but that made me smile indulgently. She'd always been like that, and always would be, but no matter how hysterical she got, her emotions gave her mistress away.
Vessira was no better. If Hadiya could still be embarrassed, this one was impenetrable. She didn't care about the people around her or her own reputation, as I could see my influence with her mother. About those moments when she blows the roof, I'm not even talking, there is no shame, no conscience, no fear.
By the way, I found a common trait between her and Hadiya, but still differentiating them. While Hadiya would order her "slave" to take care of business and would manage the process, for example, the same interrogation, Vessira would personally take care of this very interrogation.
That's the kind of girls I got, a little crazy. Although... Should I talk about madness? Exactly, not me, so I'm satisfied, happy, and generally "high, dae". So we left Mahara Kesh fresh, a little rested, and some of us, including me, happy.
But the happiness was short-lived, until we arrived at Enil Kesh, the temple of Science.
«Hi Mum," I smile strainedly, waving my hand under the reproachful and disgruntled gaze of one particular togruta.
«Shade...
«I think he's about to be killed," Zeng whispered behind me.
«Where do you think you're going, 'children'? - she raised an eyebrow and gave the whole group her signature look, including Hadiya. And by the way, she was the only one left standing proud and unwavering, but inside her, she was shaking.
«And us along with him," Feng added doomedly.
But then Mama noticed the "tattoo" on my left arm.
«Ta-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-ack.
«Ma, wait, I'll explain! Well, we once got into a Force Storm... - I look at my mother, - I mean, at first there was nothing to foretell, and then it started, and I was struck by lightning, but I survived and everything is fine, Ramira was very quick to give me first aid, - I point at Dandelion hiding behind Zeng. - So it's all good, and the mark is a memento.
She gives me a glare and exhales.
«Okay. I'm glad you're okay," a faint smile appears on her lips. - Come on, tell me what happened to you, and why you're so interested in Old Town.
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