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***
Keldabe greeted us with frowns and endless checks before entering the space of the planet Mandalore. The pilot was swearing, cursing schizophrenics, but responded to all demands - descend slowly, in a certain zone under the control of air defence, remove shields... I, sitting on the bridge, only whistled - it is rare to find such strict precautions in the galaxy. Apparently, the attack of two weeks ago had affected them a lot. The holonet says it all in detail - three heavy Deathwatch fighters, packed to the brim with explosives, slammed into the grandstand and the royal palace. The guards shot down one and it fell on the hangar with the royal yacht, killing two technicians, but the other two were well prepared - the attack took the life of a KMC official and a dozen other people. The Watch, due to its, to put it mildly, radical views, was not popular even among the mercenaries, and now it has become an official terrorist organisation with all the consequences. Who's talking about what, but the bald man is talking about the comb - Valorum pushed a half-hour rally to expand the powers and combat unit of the Justice Corps, which could stop the activities of such organisations at the root. The loss of one of the leaders of the galaxy's largest corporation had an impact on KMC's stock, which plummeted and was still not going up - a couple of points were cut off by our agreement to give the mine to the Mandalorians, and another dozen by the assassination of one of the board of directors. It had caused some serious losses on the KMC side, but thank God they didn't blame me - I was just sort of making it up as I went along and it wasn't my fault, especially since I was officially dead anyway. Technically that was the case - I hadn't been in the world of the living for those two weeks, and neither had I been in the world of the dead. However, Valorum's initiative had passed - Correlia, who was one of the leaders of the financial world, strongly approved, and immediately tried to push her services in the construction of warships. The polemics started - who should provide Justiciars and it went on and on - after two hours of "democratic" rubbing, haggling and bickering nobody remembered that the expansion of powers was a question, not an approval....
The pilot was bringing the ship down to one of the landing pads on the outskirts of Keldabe. Deciding not to stand over her head any longer, I left the bridge. The yacht's systems were already set up for me, so I didn't have to fear for my property - as soon as we opened the hatches, I took Shiai in my arms and left the yacht.
I had to take a taxi to the royal palace - I didn't have my own speeder yet. I could relax in the taxi - the Duchess had taken precautions, so it was unlikely that the patrol would be able to find me in such a short time - the work of their agents should be difficult.
- Papa, where are we going? - Shiai came to life immediately.
- I'll introduce you to a friend of mine," I grinned, "a good woman, but a little busy...
Shiai tried a few more times to get to the truth, but I answered evasively and looked around more and more. The streets were still extremely winding and more like animal paths. The architectural chaos and the frankly scowling faces of the passers-by, who could be seen from the height at which the taxi was flying.....
The journey to the palace took about ten minutes, after which, after paying the taxi driver, I allowed myself to breathe more freely. Shiai was twirling his head around, trying to see everything.
- Dad, where are we?
- Mandalore. The Duchess's Palace," I looked for the checkpoint and went there. The guards were fierce, too, and they were slow to let me through.
After five minutes of bickering with the guard, he still agreed to contact Satine Kriz and in a minute the suddenly affectionate guard led me and Shiai into the palace. After checking my papers, of course. He paid no attention to the child - the Mandalorians were quite sensitive about children, and given their very unusual code that required every warrior to raise a new Mandalorian, having such a companion was not surprising at all.
The corridors of the palace were lit with a warm glow this time, and the number of patrols had doubled. The first time I'd come here, there had been only servants in symbolic armour, but this time the armour was real - there were few servants, and the guards were clutching blasters. The guard noticed my attention, but made no comment.
We made our way to the Duchess's chambers at a brisk pace. Nothing had changed here, not even the guards, as in the rest of the palace.
The duchess was not inside - the guard moved away from the door and let us in. We entered a room I already knew - with a sofa, a window overlooking the garden.
- Dad, why did they let us in?
- I had some business with the Duchess... I think my sudden revival is messing up her plans, so she's going to have to coordinate her plans for my land..." I sat down on the couch and waited, watching Shiai's actions.
The boy went around the room - he stood and looked at the garden, climbed with his feet on the couch, then quickly moved towards the shelves that held a few real paper books and tried to reach in. Failing, he used telekinesis and several books floated in the air and hovered above his head. Just at that moment, the rapidly approaching Duchess entered the study. Satine and Shiai caught each other's eyes - I may not have seen the Duchess' face, but I could feel the surprise through the force. The boy lost concentration and the book slammed down on his head with a clatter, landing him on his heel.
Satine shook her head, but the boy didn't disappear, no matter how much she wanted him to, and then I, who had been sitting on the couch until now, intervened in the conversation:
- This is Shiai, my son. Shiai, this is Satine Kriz, Duchess of Mandalore and simply beautiful..." my son immediately jumped up and quickly gave her the standard Jedi bow. Satine finally noticed me and turned around at the voice:
- Who are you? Is this a joke?
- Not at all," I turned to the Duchess, "I remember you saying not too long ago that my actions smack of the most audacious adventurousness you've ever seen... you have no idea how right you are..." I tried to grin politely. Speaking of which, the last time we'd talked, I'd been a kid, and now I was the same age as her. Standing up from the sofa I made the girl even more confused by my appearance, - sit down, Satine. I would like to tell you an interesting story... - I nodded at the chair next to me and the duchess sat down, keeping her appearance calm, but I saw that she was in a natural stupor. Shiai stepped aside and didn't look away.
- Anakin? - Satine tried again, is that you?
- Я. Listen...
I've changed the legend about travelling back thousands of years. I didn't want to spread the information around too much - what if the Jedi clamour to teach them Juyo or something? So the story was the same, only the journey was back seven years. I went back seven years, I lived in a backwater and miraculously met Togruta, love, a son, death in childbirth... if Toshi would forgive me for taking such liberties in defining our story, but technically she was already on the other side and I only minimised the lies. Satine listened to this with her eyes wide open. Apparently with the love story, I'd overdone it a bit - she almost had tears in her eyes. By the time I finished my return, she had already believed what had happened and started asking clarifying questions. Shiai was also not left without attention - the boy was examined, stroked on the head, treated to tea....
- That's how I ended up in this strange position..." I sighed.
- I understand... though it's hard to believe, - Satine said quietly, - to be honest, you never gave the impression of a family man....
- I don't have a family," I shrugged, "I have a mother, but I just made sure that she lives on a peaceful planet and has found a husband. By the way, I got a little sister a week ago," I told her the news.
- Congratulations, - Satine smiled sincerely for the first time during the evening, - what do you mean, your son is older than your sister, and this... Tosi is older than your mother?
- Well..." I scratched my earlobe, "it turns out that way. And Shiai is seven years older than her aunt...
- Yes, it's like a Corellian opera," the duchess grinned. By the way, Correllia was famous not only for smugglers and ships, but also for its soap operas.
Smiling and glancing at the uncomprehending Shiai, we finally moved on to the informal but formal part.
- Okay, let's not talk about family mishaps. I thought you promised to help me? - I looked at the duchess carefully, but I didn't find any displeasure - she nodded immediately.
- What kind of help do you need?
- I have a yacht docked in Keldabah. It has a crew of four hundred. I'd hire, but I don't trust mercenaries--I'd rather trust the Mandalorians and your credo. And besides, the boat should be armed to a first-class standard.
- It's possible," Satine nodded, "what kind of armaments are required?
- Laser turrets, turbolasers, ion cannons, several torpedo launchers and missile launchers. With ammunition, - I listed the standard armament of a warship, - it is true that it is lighter and smaller than on a military ship, but that no bastard would dare to do such a thing, as recently - - I smirked not naively.
- It is possible, - Satine repeated, - indicate where your yacht is and I will send a team and solve the issue.
- Thank you," I thanked Kriz sincerely, "your help comes in handy when I lost the foundation under my feet.
- It's okay," she smiled, "that's what friends are for.
As Armstrong would say - one small step for two people and a huge step for a relationship. I couldn't have hoped for such a development on my last visit.
- Thank you," I thanked him again, smiling, "that means a lot to me.
- Oh, come on," Satine waved me away, "if you hadn't met me first, I'd be looking for a job somewhere in Correllia or Alderaan...
- Well, don't say that," I pointed out exaggerating, though really - I was the first to reach out to Satine. Though I used to have friends - Julian and Erdva. Both of them are adventurers.
We talked with Satine for another two or three hours - I didn't count. The only thing that made us end our long and pleasant conversation was the sniffling of Shiai, who fell asleep on the sofa next to us. Chrys stood up and invited me to stay in her palace. I could not refuse, as there was no choice. This time we spoke on equal terms - I was not inferior to the duchess in education and knowledge thanks to the university. And I was right - neither architects, nor Jedi, nor Sith can teach anything really important in life. They can help you learn about yourself and your abilities and set a certain view of the world, but they can't teach diplomacy, they can't help you understand politics, economic issues, a Jedi or a Sith will never, even after learning everything their order gives them, be able to support a conversation about the fluctuation of corporate stock prices or the problems of small business incentives... Maybe that's why they're so... limited. Not stupid, but fixated on their war and their confrontation, though on the galactic scale it looked like a dispute between Protestants and Catholics for the Earthlings - as it is, as it used to be, as there were serious passions, but now it's somewhere far away and most of humanity didn't give a damn about their differences.
I said good night to the Duchess and took Shiai in my arms and carried her to the guest room. The guard escorted me out.
I fell asleep almost as quickly.
The morning, unlike the previous day, was sunny and clear, with birds singing in the crowns of the garden trees outside the window. The windows automatically turned down the transparency, so that the room remained in semi-darkness. When I finally woke up, I felt full of energy and vigour - the positive energy was flowing. I got up and stretched, spending half an hour to get myself in decent shape, so I could finally get down to business. Shiai was still fast asleep when I grabbed my tablet and started quickly typing up my to-do list for the day - find servants, a speeder, practice power forging - the ship needed hyperdrive faster than it was standing now. This I could do - there was much I could do - armed with hyperspace field theory and power forging techniques, I could assemble a new wunderwaffle. When I finished sketching, I immediately roused Shiai - it was not healthy to sleep for long, especially since it was a beautiful morning. The boy was almost awake, so he got up quickly and went to get ready to go out.
An hour later, when we were on our way out, one of the Mandalorian warriors caught up with me, judging by his armour.
- Mr Skywalker? - he asked me.
- Yes? I turned round. The man had stopped. He was young, about twenty-five, wearing grey light armour made of a carless durasteel composite and a military short haircut. He looked representative enough, and the Guard symbol on his armour spoke of good training.
- The Duchess has ordered me to accompany you in the city if you leave the palace.
- I assure you that won't be necessary," I nodded at him. - As a Jedi Master, I can stand up for myself and my son.
The warrior was not only strong, but smart.
- It's an order from the Duchess, and I can't disobey it.
- Well, if that's the case... then perhaps I could use a chaperone, especially since it's easy to get lost in Keldaba....
The Mandalorian nodded and the three of us set off. On the way, he was still impatient and asked:
- Excuse me, sir, may I ask you a question?
- Yes?" I was in the mood for conversation, so I agreed.
- You said you were a Jedi....
- I am," I nodded.
- But don't Jedi take celibacy vows? - he asked, not expecting a truthful answer.
- They do. But that's where my views and the council's diverge. I'm not going to spend my life alone if some master of the order thinks it's right.
My bodyguard hesitated, and we spent the rest of the journey in silence. He led us to a hangar of speeders and got into one of them. Before he left, he asked:
- Where are we going?
- I don't know exactly where anything is. I need to hire a dozen servants of various kinds for my private yacht.
- Good," the bodyguard nodded and lifted the speeder into the air, "you've found a good place for that. It's true that it's easier to find bounty hunters or mercenaries here, but you can hire regular staff as well.
The speeder moved to the gatehouse and through it flew into the streets of the city.
The bodyguard enlightened me:
- Not everyone is looking for adventure, and Mandalore has no developed industry of its own, so the main income for the local population is hiring. Of course, the Mando'ade are unlikely to accept such work, but there are plenty of reasonable ones - wives and children of Mandalorians who don't want or can't hold a weapon. There are also plenty of veterans who are no longer on combat contracts, but who are not used to sitting still - they often work on ships and in the homes of aristocrats as servants. Of course, they don't do any dirty work, they just keep an eye on the household and other servants, and if necessary, they can shoot a thief or give advice to their employer. It's better than just sitting on their earnings and waiting to die, especially since no one cancels code enforcement and their employers don't have to fear betrayal. It's a pretty lucrative job.
- I see," I nodded, "I think I'll need one of those, too, but only one. I need a cook, two men, a tutor for my son, preferably from Mando'ade. I can teach him lightsaber or strength, but as my turbulent youth tells me, sometimes it's better to knock out teeth than to swing a sword....
The bodyguard backed me up and we travelled the rest of the way in silence. Shiai was too busy looking around to ask questions.
The speeder flew into a building of a purely utilitarian kind. The bodyguard commented: -This is where people who want to find a peace treaty usually gather. Not all of them, of course, but the place is pretty old.
The place appeared to be some sort of administration. Of course, not really - it was a mercenary guild. There were no people in armour - but in the corridors there was a whole galaxy in miniature - representatives of a dozen different races and of various ages. The corridors were quite spacious, and there was no smell of bureaucracy here - in spite of the unsightly appearance, it was cosy inside. There was furniture, tables, and people and non-humans sitting around them just sitting there with their trousers on, as well as people and non-humans talking to each other.
The bodyguard went through a couple of corridors, up the stairs and quickly led us to the office. Before entering, he told us that this was the place to hire servants. With a grateful nod, I handed Shia to him and went inside. I had to get my first subordinates....
Inside was a grey-haired old man, quite sturdy, but already very archaic.
- What can I do for you? - he looked me over with a rather keen eye.
- They say you can hire your own staff here," I stepped closer, "Anakin Skywalker.
- You weren't fooled," the old man nodded, "Rose. What kind of staff do you need? There are specialists in all sorts of fields.
- I'm interested in a cook, an assistant cook, a teacher for my son in general studies, a droid specialist, and two stylists.
- Good," Rose agreed and quickly scribbled something on the terminal.
- Contract term? Living conditions?
- Term - three years. Living and working on my private yacht.
- On a yacht? - Rose was surprised. - Will there be enough room?
- Enough," I chuckled, "my yacht used to be a cruiser with a crew of five thousand people. So the living conditions are comfortable.
- Is that so? - Rose raised his eyebrows. - It's a nice yacht you have. Just a second, I'll be right there!
He rapped on the terminal some more, then asked:
- Do you want to see it in person, or will you leave it to the guild?
- No, I'd like to see the candidates in person. Oh, yes, I forgot. You don't have any Togrut women here?
- Yes, we have some," Rose nodded.
- I'll ask them to be on the list. I'll just see what they can do, and then we'll figure it out.
- Okay," the old man didn't argue, and I went to look at the footage.
All the people who had been summoned immediately went to one of the offices. Rose sent me there as well. As I approached, I noticed people streaming towards the office. The Togrutians were among them.
The bodyguard followed me for a while, and before I reached my assigned interview room, he called me aside. Leaning over my ear, he whispered interesting tidings to me:
- Mr Skywalker, I must warn you that the broker, if he suspects hiring for... intimate purposes, can pass such information to the hired and they have the right to complain to the broker if the client offers such a thing....
- Don't worry," I reassured him, "I just need a servant, and I prefer to seduce women with my own resources...
The bodyguard smiled and said in a louder voice.
- I should have warned you.
- Thank you," I nodded and headed for the office.
It was just a small office cubicle - a desk, two chairs, a window overlooking the street... nothing noteworthy that could get foamy - office greyness. I sat down in the chair and started calling the candidates one by one. There were over fifty of them, and four more togrutas.
The first candidate was a middle-aged man with a sad look.
I didn't want to get into his soul with words, but with force. The man was quite lonely, and he was applying for a job as a cook - not an easy job to find on Mandalore.
I looked at his portfolio - he'd worked in a local restaurant, then, judging by his story and the things he wasn't telling me, he'd had an altercation with a waiter over a standard domestic love story. The male playthings went nowhere and both were punished, but both were fired for fighting. Now looking for a place away from the planet. Leaving the unsuccessful donjuan and making a few notes in the file, I invited the next one in. To his unspoken question, I said I'd invite everyone first. And on it went.
By the way, excellent practice in the art of digging into other people's souls - both with words and force. The staff was pretty good - almost everyone was suitable for the job, except for a couple of dirty technicians who wanted to work with droids.
The survey took almost two hours of continuous work - some came out quickly - that's when the results of the scan were definite. The usual question - do you think it's acceptable to steal any item from the ship and lo and behold, the unclean ones are culled. The rest were similarly straightforward questions - that was it. Though there were some difficult cases - when a man could figure it out for himself, not that I, with my strength, understood anything.
Togrut I left for an appetiser. After everything, it was nice to see already familiar faces with white pigments on my face - one had them round around the eyes, the other sharp....
The first two togrutas were simply residents caught in an uncertain situation who wanted to find a place in the sun. Marking them as neutrals, I invited the next one and then luck smiled on me. A girl of eighteen, with a pretty face, looked at me warily. That Rose had probably sent a hint of intimacy in the message, the old goat.
- Sit down," I nodded to the chair, "what can you do? What kind of education?
- School on Shili, - she answered, - I know about technology, I know how to deal with children ...
- Well, I see," I nodded, "why are you looking for a job on Mandalore?
- Um..." she hesitated, "why not on this planet?
- You're right, there's a good market for contract workers. Why did you leave Shili?
The girl was nervous, though outwardly it was hardly noticeable:
- I decided to see the galaxy, and to find a good job here is problematic after school, and I had no money for the institute.
- I see," I felt that she was deceiving me in some way and decided to get her out of it: "But still, you're not telling me the truth. Togrutians rarely leave their clans, except for Jedi and officials, or those who left for their own reasons....
The girl named Maekoi did not respond to the Jedi and officials, but became nervous at her reasons, and I continued to gently press the party line.
- I am recruiting for the team those who will be completely loyal to me and have no dark past. A dark past is defined as having a criminal record, and hiding the truth from your employer. Of course, I'll try to stay out of your personal life, but I don't want any trouble. Of course, getting a good job is not so easy, if you hide some facts from your biography ...
The girl cracked up:
- I'm sorry, - she lowered her head, - it's just....
- Yes?" I feigned interest.
- My family... or rather clan belongs to the orthodox. Well, they maintain the culture, live in a small settlement... And the clan also lives according to the old traditions. Two years ago, a man, a Mandalorian. A bounty hunter.
As the girl was clearly emotional, I took advantage of the calm and continued to listen to her entertaining story.
- He was after some criminal. My father, the head of the clan, put him in our house. I don't know why, but then... well, between you and me..." she got embarrassed. I continued for her:
- Did something happen between you two?
The girl nodded, and after a moment of sniffling continued.
- My father found out from one of the younger members of the clan and there was a big scandal. Reis defended me, but my father said that if he was more important to me than the clan, then I should go with him," she said sadly.
- And so you did," I said affirmatively. - And what's next with this, what's his....
- Flight. Turns out he was just following the code and didn't care about our relationship....
- Was there a relationship? - I leaned back in my chair. - A Mandalorian might not know your traditions, much less those of your clan.
- But he did! - The Togruta began indignantly, looking up at me, but I didn't let her lecture me further about how all men are assholes:
- It wasn't his fault. Or did he not ask your permission? Or did he promise you something? As far as I know Mandalorians are men of honour, but they have their own Mandalorian honour. Casual liaisons are not uncommon, but they don't make promises like that.
- Still," she lowered her gaze to the floor again.
- Oh, all right," I agreed, "but as I understand it, it's all your clan's traditions and whoever didn't explain the rules of behaviour to Reis. You must have been brought up in the Clan and felt out of place here, and you must have been taught the rules of behaviour in Mandalorian society...
The girl nodded.
- In that case, don't blame anyone but the carelessness of whoever invited this man into the house. You're a girl, it's only natural for you, and even at that age... something like that.
The girl was more relaxed about continuing.
- I realise that you were raised in the clan and that there's some history involved. If you want this job, there's one cardinal rule - don't cheat on me. It just won't work.
- I'm sorry, how did you know I was from the clan? - She didn't realise.
- Very simple. The clan probably speaks mostly Togrutian, so that the difference with the basic language is not perceived. I've been talking to you in Togrutian for half an hour now, and you still haven't noticed it..." I smiled, seeing how the girl's eyes almost popped out of her orbits. - I'll accept you, but it's a credit, as I don't like such traditions either.
- Thank you! - she glowed.
- You're welcome. You'll look after my son. Who else is there? - I nodded at the door.
- No-one else. I'm the last one.
- Then go and wait for me to select the other candidates.
The happy brat flew out the door, and I started working on the CVs, putting them in folders and cutting out the unnecessary. Half an hour later, twelve people had jobs. Togruta did, too.
I walked out the door and called their names. The others left, with heavy sighs.
- So, to begin with the terms of the contract," I laid out the datacards with the contract I'd downloaded and entered the items I needed, "work on my yacht, the Mystery of Darkness, standard working conditions, with a floating schedule to be determined by the supervisor. All social guarantees of a standard contract of the Alderaanian sample - payment of medical services, if necessary - correspondence education, - I threw a glance at Makoya, - paid holiday once a year. The length of the contract is three years, with extensions for those who don't earn penalties or don't want to leave. You can terminate at will. Okay, let's get down to personalities.
The contract was drawn up and now everyone was reading it on their datapads. After a few minutes of reading, I continued:
- Cooks, - I waited until the two named men and women came closer, - your task is to cook for us, and also, if necessary, to serve the guests, if there will be an occasion to invite them to a formal dinner. I warn you that it is better to be patient and learn all protocols well, as guests can be of different levels. Next, the technicians..." two relatively young guys came out, "there are thousands of droids on the ship, but you will only work with the ones that work in my personal living quadrant. They nodded in sync and I switched on. - Specialists... generalists, - a large group of six people came out, - your task is general maintenance - cleaning, "housekeeping", keeping order and cleanliness.
- And last..." I looked at Maekoi, "you will be my son's teacher. Standard subjects, and you'll also keep an eye on him. I'm not always around, and given his temper, I wouldn't be surprised if he wanted to saw off a piece of the reactor as a souvenir.
The workers smiled, Makoi was flattered by such trust and things went quickly - they signed, I transferred the first salary and money for accommodation outside the ship, as the ship itself is still being finalised.
The rest of the crew is on Satine's conscience.
After saying goodbye to the hired men and promising that I would be in touch with them, I went back to the speeder, on my way grabbing Shiai and the bodyguard who had been waiting for me for a long time.
Now it was time to think about what I was going to do after Mandalore. The plans were rather vague, but the first concrete hints in the face of the centre of the galaxy remained.