Chapter 1 part 1

I became aware of myself about six months after birth. It was an unpleasant time, as I recall. Let's start with the fact that I never liked milk. Especially directly from, so to speak, the "organism". Warm..., ugh. Add to that problems with vision, hearing, not understanding the surroundings, an unfamiliar size of things, and a complete lack of communicativeness. Oh, and I couldn't even go to the toilet properly. Crapping my pants... oh, damn, I shouldn't have remembered that. Moreover, I could feel my parents' emotions. Fortunately, only theirs. And considering that I didn't notice anything like this in my previous life and couldn't recognize anything, you can imagine the extent of my discomfort. I couldn't even just lie down and study the ceiling properly. I could only calm down at night. Fortunately, with age, this ability... dulled. What else can I say? Until about two and a half years old, my new body had only two emotions - laughter and crying. I was a real hit with my parents.

But, as they say, all bad things, as well as good things, come to an end sooner or later. We just don't always notice this transition. People, what can you do, we adapt to everything like cockroaches. In short, my infancy passed. I won't say that everything became fantastic, but things did get easier. As soon as my body was strong enough, I started learning to walk. Both a joy and a sin. But overall, it's like riding a bike. Just longer.

"Come on, little one," my father said, holding me by the hands. "One leg, two legs."

"Go to hell, brute!" What legs? They're just stumps. Stum-ps!"

"Come to me, my dear. Come to mommy."

"Wouldn't it be better for you to come to me? Oh damn, if it weren't for your emotions, I would have sent you far and for a long time. I had to train at night. These parental sweet-talkings not only didn't help but also drove me crazy. Before I could see properly, I thought I had landed in the past or some other medieval world - my parents wore such archaic clothes. Tunics, cloaks, some nondescript dresses. Our house didn't look modern either - it was more like a hobbit hole. To be fair, I wasn't taken out of my room very often. So I only realized my mistake when I entered our kitchen for the first time. Where I heard running water. The damn faucet was missing, and all I saw was a sink. But I could hear the sound of water running or not running. And then dad bought some kind of device for the kitchen that washed dishes. Actually, it did more than that, but the first and only thing I saw at first was a dishwasher. With each day and month, I noticed more and more. A wardrobe in the hallway with automatic cleaning. Not a washing machine, of course, but it will remove the dust. The same washing machine built into the bathroom wall. Holes in the ceiling throughout the house, it turns out it's climate control. And what was happening in the garage... A workbench with a pile of incomprehensible tools, several robots of various configurations, and a machine hanging in the air, damn it. And the first time I got scolded was when I opened a strange cabinet in my parents' bedroom, which turned out to be a weapon. Futuristic-looking, but undoubtedly a firearm. By the way, later on, my father spent half a day fiddling with the gun, unable to understand how I had opened it. He kept asking me how I did it. And what was I supposed to say? Not to mention that as a child who hadn't even turned three yet, I didn't have a vocabulary, and I didn't understand anything myself. I approached, pulled, pulled again, pulled frantically. Bam! And the cabinet opened. And a few months later, a few days before my birthday, I found out where I had ended up after the transmigration."

That time, our family was celebrating some kind of holiday where ten people were invited, out of which I only knew two - my father's friend and his wife. Although about ten people, I exaggerated. Three of them had no relation to the human race. So, drumroll please! They were a pair of Twi'leks, apparently a family, and one Zabrak. While I could have been mistaken about the latter, who on Earth doesn't know Twi'leks? And having seen them together, I can say with confidence that I have ended up in a quite specific galaxy. Far, far away. After all this, the quite recognizable word "Jedi" that came up in the conversation did not surprise me much. Interestingly, the whole company wrinkled their noses at the mention of the Jedi.

I only realized what a mess I was in that evening when my parents put me to bed and I was able to gather my thoughts.

First of all, the Star Wars universe is filled to the brim with wars. And I'm not talking about some local wars that are just too many to count, but about global, galactic wars. And it's just terrifying to get caught up in one of them. One war with the Yuuzhan Vong is worth a lot. Although it seems to be one of the bloodiest, I don't even know what time I've ended up in!

I really got caught up in it. My second problem is that I'm not a fan of the "far, far away galaxy." I always liked this universe, but not enough to know it thoroughly. Imagine you're reading a book from the Star Wars series or a fanfic. Your gaze catches the name of some race. But the book isn't a movie, and you want to know what this race looks like. You go to the internet, find a specialized website and find out what you need. Sometimes you click on a link and learn something else. Then something else. And then you give up and go back to the book. Well, I'm not a fan. I haven't read that many of those books. Few, to be honest. Although I do play some computer games.... But you agree that this is not how you become an expert on the universe. Although I always liked this topic, so I know a little more than the average person, lying now in bed, being in a three-year-old body, feeling how my new parents are having fun with three non-humans, I very clearly realize how little this "little more" is.

"Okay, at least my memory has always been excellent. It's a shame it's not perfect. I hope I ended up in a relatively peaceful time, otherwise I'm completely screwed. Unfortunately, I even have problems with dates. Because the only dating system I know is "BBY" and "ABY", which stands for before the Battle of Yavin and after, respectively. But what if I ended up before that battle? Then they have a completely different dating system here, and that's about thirty-five to forty thousand years ago.

And I'm also worried about my newfound empathy. I haven't decided for myself yet whether I want to be a Force user or not. On the one hand, it's cool, on the other hand, it's a hassle. And that empathy is pretty weird. Besides, its power fades with each passing year, and I only feel my parents. It's unclear, though. Maybe I'm not a Jedi. I mean, not a Force user. Jedi are an order.

Oh, and it's worth considering that this is still reality, and it may not match the "canon" I know, both in general and in detail.

Ah, Leha, Leha.... Why didn't you buckle up in that car, maybe you wouldn't have ended up in such a mess."

A few months after realizing where I ended up, my father took me to the nearest m-m-m... settlement. And he took me on a two-seat speeder bike, a kind of analog of the thing that the Imperial stormtrooper scouts liked to race on. The name of the vehicle is cool, by the way, have you noticed? For me, such things sound wild in general, I know that there is no Earth with its English in the foreseeable space. And yet, here it is. However, familiar words from my past life appeared quite often. And not only in English, by the way. So I've long stopped paying attention to such coincidences.

My mother didn't want to let me go with my father. Not on a speeder bike. Even when he strapped me to his waist with belts so that even if I wanted to, I couldn't fall off, she resisted. Mothers... what else can you say.

Overall, I was on her side. Not that I didn't want to get to the city, but the motorcycle, with which I associated this clunker, didn't inspire much trust in me. Especially the fact that I wouldn't be the one driving it. The driver's syndrome, so to speak. In my world, I was a racer. Not a very good one, but still. And I started doing it because of my love for speed, which, although not passionate, was still present. And even the car accident that took my life to this universe didn't take away that love. Most likely... I don't know. But the rejection of another person behind the wheel of the car I'm in bloomed with bright colors. I can tell you that now with all responsibility.

Well, never mind. My father persuaded my mother, and no one asked me.

My dad turned out to be a biker and drove us to the city in about forty minutes, with an average speed of around 200 km/h. Although I won't claim anything for sure. Personally, as expected, the ride was not pleasant for me, and all the time I spent on the road, I hoped that the city would be just behind that hill. So, I wouldn't be surprised if we arrived at the destination a little faster. By the way, let me mention that I was not far off. Dad usually arrived from us to the city in about thirty minutes.

The city itself... well... a settlement, as I said at the beginning. Only two houses above the first floor, and no more than two hundred houses in total.

The first time my father went there was to meet a friend and negotiate the supply of parts for droids, which he repaired. He had a workshop in the backyard for these purposes. He negotiated in a canteen - a half-bar, half-dining room. When I went there, I thought that, like in canonical cantinas, I would see a whole bunch of different races. But it turned out to be in vain. Twi'leks and Zabraks were all I saw. Well, I wasn't very excited. By the way, I declare with responsibility - Twi'lek women are just a miracle. I rarely saw so much femininity and grace in my own world. As for their men, they were pretty ugly to my inexperienced eye. And what do poor girls find in them? Although, as any man, I am inclined to be biased in this matter, even in this body. As for the Zabraks, I can't say anything. It's the same as with people - there are beauties and uglies.

Overall, it turned out to be quite an informative outing.

After that trip, my dad started taking me to the workshop, telling me what was what. I wasn't drawn to this kind of education, but that's exactly where everything was heading. I wonder, are there any institutes or academies here, besides the Jedi one?

I grew up as an unsociable child, or so the people around me said. But how the hell can you grow up sociable here? I haven't died of old age yet, but how am I supposed to behave in the body of a three and a half year old child, with the consciousness of a twenty-four year old man? Fuck you, again! Do you want me to talk to my dad about life? Or with my peers about the theory of the origin of dark lords? And I saw those peers... Well, just three times.

Traders arrive on our planet with unclear frequency, but my parents and many others always know when this event will occur. They gather together exactly one day before and drive to a distant location, leaving us children with one of the mothers. Women with a child under three years old do not participate in this lottery.

The first time I hung out with some teenagers from our group, we went to visit some woman who I didn't know before. There were nineteen of us, aged between three and eight. I felt sorry for her, but I couldn't do anything to help her. I just sat quietly in the corner and didn't cause any trouble. I don't really like kids.

The second time, I went to visit a Twi'lek woman. Once again, I was amazed by the stories of their flexibility and coordination. I saw her bending over to pick up a small object from a shelf, and managing to prevent another one from falling down from behind the corner with her foot. I understand that it's not really a miracle, and it's something that a trained gymnast could do, but she was just an ordinary housewife!

Well, for the third time this kindergarten came to us. When I found out about it... I felt so sorry for my mom... anyway, I decided to at least watch over my peers. And you know what I realized? Little kids, they're like animals, they don't even need to fight. It's enough to stand in a spectacular pose, different in different situations, and press them with a look. In very rare cases, growling. And when the sister of one of the little ones, whom I put in the corner, decided to defend the honor of the family, I "crushed" her too. An eight-year-old Twi'lek girl. Moreover, it was not easier than with her brother. Oh, yes. At the end of that meeting, I almost felt like a king. All boys under five and girls under eight, that is, everyone, obeyed me. The rest tried not to get involved. And if anything, they fulfilled my requests. And that day was probably the most "sociable" in my practice of communicating with peers.

So, why did I start this conversation in the first place? I was almost sent to my uncle - my father's brother, who lives in the city and has four children. At first, they wanted to send me there for six months. I cried. Well, what else was left for me to do? At my current age, they wouldn't have taken me any other way. In short, I cried. And I shocked my parents so much with that, that they reduced the time to a month. I mean, it was almost the first time in my life that I started shedding tears. Not counting the age when I was an infant, although even then, according to my parents, I was not a big fan of crying. After such a clear display of surrender, I moderated my insolence a bit and only sobbed. But then suddenly my mother sided with me, and all my father could get was two days a week. Which only lasted a month.

First of all, I began to depict universal sorrow at departure and the same universal joy upon returning. And secondly, with each passing week, I reduced my communication with my parents. It turned out that their meddling only made things worse. And they gave up. It's interesting, by the way, the planet on which I was born for the second time. Although not at first glance. A wandering visitor arriving here would see an ordinary agrarian planet, whose main source of income is food, both of plant and animal origin. The Council, consisting of the thirty-eight richest and most influential inhabitants of the planet, manages everything here. Among them, incidentally, is my father. As I eventually found out, Daddy is one of only four technicians on the planet. And his eldest brother, who lives in the nearest city, is the second technician. His youngest brother is involved in growing grains and rycrits - aggressive-looking animals bred for their meat. I didn't quite understand how the brothers divide the profits. Either Daddy is the head of ONE enterprise, or each of them has a share in the other's enterprise. But if that's the case, then Daddy has a significant stake because he doesn't hesitate to give orders to his younger brothers.

The planet is located on the border of the Outer Rim and Wild Space. On the one hand, that's cool. There's a good chance that no one will pay attention to this planet, I mean, like Palpatine or the Yuuzhan Vong. So if I want to live a peaceful, measured life, it's better not to attract attention here. On the other hand, the planet is not technically under the jurisdiction of the Republic, and it's far away from it. If pirates or slave traders come here, the planet's inhabitants will have a tough time. However, from what I overheard from my parents, it seems that EVERYONE here has weapons. Who will fare worse - innocent victims or vicious aggressors - is still a question.

In general, at first glance, the planet is quite backwater. But there is something here that sets it apart from the multitude of others. I learned about it a couple of months before my fourth birthday. I was sitting at my uncle's house, the one who lives in the city, waiting for my father to return from meeting with one of the local shipowners. By the way, there are only eight of them on the planet. And yes, they are members of the Council. So, I'm sitting there, waiting, and then my happy and practically glowing father bursts into the yard of the house. And the first person he saw was me, sitting on a bench by the door.

"Rein, baby!" he flew up to me.

"Your dad is very, very happy!" After that, he picked me up and tossed me up slightly.

And again. And again. His brother interrupted him, whom I was happy to see for once. He's actually a good guy, but he has kids. Damn spineless creatures. And if they were older, I wouldn't have any complaints about them. And since my uncle and his children were inseparable for me at the time, I usually wasn't happy to see the guy.

"Are you going to drop your son in your excitement? What are you going to tell your wife?" he greeted my father.

"Ha! Would I drop little Rein? Not a chance." But he did let me go to the ground.

"So come on, share the good news. What happened to you?"

"Gaari came home today."

"Oh, so he's back," my uncle said with a smirk. I even knew who my father was meeting with.

"He got it, Ram," my father said, turning up the brightness level.

"Got what?" "The pearl of a krayt dragon!"

"Oh, that's what it is," Ram nodded.

"The dream of an idiot has come true. I won't even ask about the price."

"Two hundred thirteen thousand!" my father exclaimed happily.

"Green!" And picking me up on his arms, he tossed me up again.

"Meh. If a miracle happened and you sold your collection..."

"Well, I..."

"A miracle! I repeat - a miracle. If you did that, you'd be rich for a few million."

"Well, we're not exactly impoverished," my father waved it off.

"This is true," nodded Uncle.

"But if you had taken up economics and left the machinery to me...."

"Oh, don't start." "The Dakari family could have become the wealthiest on the planet," Ram finished. "They still don't accept me as a full-fledged person, as usual. But I don't take offense. Only four years old. Soon enough."

"I'm managing? I'm managing. Are our families thriving? They are. So let's not talk about it."

"You know, unlike you, I'm only a technician," Uncle began speaking in a tone as if he had already given this speech hundreds of times. "And our youngest one only thinks about his pets. But if..."

"You're about to get something in your eye," my father said, smiling while holding me in his arms.

"Uh..." Uncle interrupted himself.

"Your wife will kill you. Keep that in mind."

"What?" Dad was surprised, then looked at me.

"Ah, no worries. I have a strong son. Rein, just twist around and hit this uncle in the eye with your head. Alright?"

What else was there for me to say in response to that?

"Yies"

The Dakari brothers are very friendly, without any irony.

....