Private First Blade, First Fang

[Jonyna Si]

TAG: Gem-in-Trash

Another one.

Jonyna was excited once more to meet the cathar padawan that had entered their own journey. It wasn't often, but it was always a treat for Jonyna to greet one of her own kind. This one had been brought in by Valery Noble , but Jonyna had the pleasure of helping them build their first saber.

And so, she waited in the temple's courtyard, waiting for the padawan to join her under the ancient tree.

 

[Gem-in-Trash]

It was not Gem-in-Trash's first time on Cathar, but it was her first time at the temple that was being reconstructed. She wasn't used to having real stakes to any exercise, but for a number of reasons, Gem felt like there were plenty on this trip. Jonyna Si was on the High Council and was leading a sort of Renaissance for the Cathar. The temple itself was a holy site for the Jedi and the Cathar, and Gem had the honor of being here to build her Lightsaber here. There was a lot going on here.

And she wanted to ride her Skimboard through the Temple so bad.

It was probable that she would be the first, especially since its rediscovery. There were so many walks to climb, cubbies to hide in, stashes to discover and fill with treats.

Focus. She needed to focus.

Gem usually had lots of energy, and the impulse to express it, but after he Gathering, she knew how much that took out of her, and how much energy this would take from her. She kept her crystal in a little box that she held in both hands as she entered the chamber with the holy tree. Keeping her hands on the box helped her contain her energy, and held her stay focused.

Gem wasn't nervous or afraid, at least she didn't think she was. If she was, she knew she was not alone in dealing with those emotions, and it wasn't just Master Si. Here, she was connected with all of Cathar, all its people and history.

"Master Si," Gem bowed it her. It just now occurred to her perhaps she should have worn her actual Jedi robes instead of her patchwork jacket and trousers; she was comfortable in these, though, and it was too late now, "I am Padawan Gem-in-Trash. It is an honor to meet you."

She looked up at the tree and around the chamber. She couldn't help but smile, "It is an honor to be here."

 

[Jonyna Si]

TAG: Gem-in-Trash

Jonyna let out a chuckle as she spotted the padawan, and tilted her head at her name. Jonyna had met many different subcultures of her people, most of which were on the homeworld.

But she unfortunately didn't have the chance to meet the many tribes that still wandered the stars.

"Likewise." Jonyna said with a smile. "You seek to start a life as a jedi. Your first saber is important. You'll want to keep it for the rest of your journey."

Jonyna tried her best to sound wise and experienced, but often it just sounded like she was doing a Yoda impression. "May I see your crystal?"

 

[Gem-in-Trash]

Gem-in-Trash didn't know all that much about the different tribes, but she did know that her ancestors had adapted to the mountains of Cathar, and so expressed more feline traits than many other tribes of Cathar. The Mountain Cathar were uncommon at the birth of their civilization, and the Mandalorian Genocide had been unkind to them. As far as Gem knew, her own nomadic tribe hadn't stepped foot on Cathar in nearly four thousand years. She doubted she was the first to return, but as far as she knew, her culture was extinct except for her and her mother.

Gem held out the box towards Master Jonyna Si and opened it, revealing a peach colored crystal. Gem tried not to look too proud at having such a uniquely colored crystal, and failed miserably; her smile reached both ends of her face and showed most of her teeth.

"I wasn't sure it was even real when I first saw it. I'd hoped for something unusual, but I hadn't even been able to dream this up," Gem admitted, and she sat in front of Master Si. She had a million questions for the Cathar Master, but knew to stuff them back while they focused on creating Gem's Lightsaber. One question burned in her chest, and she couldn't keep it in, "Is it true you built your first with the droid Huyang?"

 

[Jonyna Si]

TAG: Gem-in-Trash

"Oh, gosh no." Jonyna laughed as she took the crystal. "My first saber was made out of scrap and tape in the back of a ship, with help from a friend." Jonyna pulled her own saber off her belt, showing it off. "The version you see here is probably...what, the fifteenth redesign I've done? It's based on my mom's old saber. Don't feel too intimidated, it took me 20 years to get this one to where it is now." Well...

920 years, but who's counting?

Ooo....orange. Fancy...

"Where did you find this crystal? I've never seen an orange one before..."

 

[Gem-in-Trash]

"A Lightsaber made out of spare parts? That sounds pretty wizard, too," Gem said. She cocked her head as she studied Jonyna Si 's Lightsaber. She could feel that there was a certain tug around it, a power that she could tell was there, but couldn't understand.

"I never gave it much thought that a Lightsaber would get built and rebuilt. But I guess that makes sense. There's so much to being a Jedi that my Lightsaber was kind of lower priority for me. Like, I'd thought about it, wanted one, but not as much as other Initiates. Now that I'm here, ready to build it, I'm not sure what it is I want out of my lightsaber," Gem admitted, "Though now that I have this one, I'm not sure what to expect. And it's not orange, that's a different kind of crystal. This one's kinda pink but also orange? The other Masters at the Gathering were pretty confused about it, too."

Gem looked about, "So how do we begin? I know there's an instruction manual, and I read it - I promise I did - but is there a bunch of meditation I need to do, or a box of parts I start with? All I have so far is my crystal."

 

[Jonyna Si]

TAG: Gem-in-Trash

Jonyna reached out, a box floating over from across the courtyard. "Well, that depends." She said, opening the box. Inside, a myriad of parts sat. "What do you want your saber to be?"

It was a broad question, but one every padawan had to answer. A lightsaber could be upgraded, could be adjusted, could be imbued, but they all had to start somewhere.

 

[Gem-in-Trash]

What do I want my Lightsaber to be?

That was a big question, and Gem didn't have an answer for it, or at least didn't have one ready. A Lightsaber was a tool, first and foremost, before it was a weapon or anything like that. Gem thought about the Force, and her specialties, and her relationship to it. She thought about the presence in the lightsaber that Jonyna Si had shown her, and mentioning her own mother.

"I want it...I want it to keep up with me. Be as fast as I am. Push me to be even faster. And, uh...Hmm. I have a strong bond with my mother. Some Jedi say it's an attachment, but I don't know about that. I know I'm stronger with her. And I'm stronger with others. I know it's not very specific, but I want more of that. I don't know if that's helpful," Gem admitted.

 

[Jonyna Si]

TAG: Gem-in-Trash

"Speed is good. You can be quick, be nimble." Jonyna nodded, picking out a few parts. "Your mom. Tell me about her?"

Jonyna felt the call of her own mothers from her saber. A cathar's relationship with their mother was a strong one.

 

[Gem-in-Trash]

"Uh, well, she's, ah, here. Not here, here, but she's somewhere in the Temple. It's her first time...Uh...Here. At the temple. As well. Same as me."

Gem bit her lip, and concentrated on her thoughts and on her feelings.

"My mom is great. She's strong, the strongest person I know. Not in terms of being able to kick butt or anything, which she can, just with everything she's endured, and who she's become. She was fifteen when I was born, escaping slavery and...Well, everyone's on drugs on Nar Shadaa. And that was after losing her whole tribe. The Jedi got her cleaned up, and she had the chance to become a Padawan, too, but she gave it up so she could be there for me. Not because she didn't want to lose her cub or anything, but because she wanted to be here for me. She made sure I saw the Galaxy, going from temple to temple."

Gem adjusted her hair, realizing that she was beaming as she talked about her mom, "She doesn't just say that I can be whatever I want. She taught me how. I'd say she sacrificed a lot, but I've only ever seen her grow more and more. Now she's an archaeologist for the EduCorps. She didn't even really give up on being a Jedi, at least not the way she sees it."

 

[Jonyna Si]

TAG: Gem-in-Trash

Jonyna let out a chuckle as Gem went on about her mom. "Would you like to introduce me? I can introduce you to mine." Jonyna wasn't one to usually tout her own mother, but this padawan was of her own kind. Best put her own paw forward.

 

[Gem-in-Trash]

Gem's ears perked up, and she cocked her head, "Meet your mother? Aren't you from, like, the Clone Wars? Did she come with you?"

Gem's eyes looked down to Jonyna Si 's Lightsaber, and her eyes went wide, and she pointed to it, "Or...Is that...Yes, I would very much like to meet her! How does it work?"

 

[Jonyna Si]

TAG: Gem-in-Trash

Jonyna chuckled, lifting her saber. "Come on out, mom." She then tossed her saber into the air, letting it flip over and over, before suddenly a ghostly figure appeared in front of them, grabbing the saber.

"You really do need to stop flaunting me around like a trophy, Master Si."

"But Master Si, counter point, it's funny."

The elder cathar rolled her eyes, turning to look down at Gem "Ah, a new padawan. Hello, I am Cici Si, Jonyna's mother, and former Jedi Master."

 

[Gem-in-Trash]

Gem's ears folded back, and her dilated to the point they looked like saucers as she looked the Force Ghost up and down in wonder. Paired with the emotions of building her Lightsaber, visiting the Cathar temple, and being in such a holy place, the experience was more than a bit much for the Padawan. She'd never seen anything like...Well, any of this before.

"Oh, wow...She's beautiful...Uh...I'm, uh...Lya'laha Flahajawek," Gem said, stating her formal Cathar name. 'Fla' meant 'Down', while 'Haja' meant 'Cradle' while 'wek' meant 'climb.' It was a bit of a clumsy compound word, but it roughly meant, together, 'Gem whose cradle was a hole.'

"I'm, uh...I'm a Padawan. Which you know. I'm here to build a Lightsaber," she held up the box with her peach-colored Kyber crystal, "Master Si said she built her Lightsaber out of spare parts, but you must have learned from Huyang, right? The Droid? Master? Lightsaber Master? The Kitapavar. Do you have any tips for me?"

Jonyna Si

 

[Jonyna Si]

TAG: Gem-in-Trash

"I did. He was an old friend, but one I sadly never got to reconnect with. As for tips...find something that suits you. And I don't meant that in your style, but something that reflect you. Are you quick to the draw? Then made one with a hair trigger. Do you prefer to keep your distance? Make a dual phase saber, or even a double bladed one. Your saber should be a reflection of how you act as a jedi, Lya'laha." The ghost smiled.

Jonyna nodded in agreement. "It's also not the only option. Some jedi nowadays prefer the traditional blade of the Je'daii, or even a blaster. That crystal of yours doesn't have to create a Kitavar."