Forging a Lightsaber (Crystal Search-Ilum)

[James Mathison]

[member="Solia Tala"] [member="Varus Shatterstar"] [member="Kian Karr"]


James dug out a small jacket, gloves and a pack for Solia then a set of the same for himself. White in color, the gear would surely blend into the snowy backdrop. He returned to Solia and began donning his own snow gear. Being a thinner man normally, he looked...poofy in the big weather jacket.

"Here." The simple word left his mouth, as it was all he felt was necessary for the action as he gave the gear to Solia.

James returned to his seat, a little more form fitted to the seat than before. He wished his normal garb was enough to bare the cold, he knew otherwise. There he'd be until they arrived.

 

[Kian Karr]

((Sorry for the long wait, but I'm going to move this forward!))

Kian and the others had passed the time talking, and he was glad to find that the others were getting to know each other better. Faster then he had anticipated the alert chimmed indicating that they would be leaving hyperspace. Kian rose up and turned to the others.

"We'll be arrive on Ilum soon. Gather your things." Kian said smiling and he headed toward the cockpit. As he went he began to prepare, throwing on the extra winter gear he had brought with him. He was just in time to see the ship leave hyperspace and the cold world of Ilum come into view.

"Bring us in." Kian said to the pilot and smiled deeply beneath his mask. He hadn't been back to this planet since the first trip as a padawan. Now he was bringing his own apprentices.....it seemed so surreal. So much time had passed, and yet it felt like only yesterday. Kian settled into the co-pilot seat and watched as the ship entered the atmosphere and made its way to toward the landing pad typically used by the Jedi when they visited the planet. Kian had reviewed the caves that were charted by the Jedi and had selected a cave that had fallen out of use as the place to take the padawans. There was something about the cave that just seemed right.

When the ship had finally settled down, Kian went down to where the others would be waiting.

"I hope you are ready for the weather." Kian said smiling and lowering the ramp. Immediately the cold air of the planet hit him and he pulled his hood up, the heavy fur covering his entire head except for a small area that kept his face visible. Even in the gear, he immediately felt the cold begin to cut into him.

"Well, luckily the cave is only 2.5 Kilometers from here." Kian said turning to the others. "Shall we?" He asked, but didn't really wait for a response. Instead he stepped out into the swirling wind and snow of Ilum.

[member="Mallisi Kyrgen"] - [SIZE=14.3999996185303px][member="Solia Tala"] - [member="Varus Shatterstar"] - [member="James Mathison"][/SIZE]

 

[Varus Shatterstar]

Varus smile at Kian and laughed lightly at his Master's comment, finding it a bit humorous in that moment. He then followed his Master down to the platform and out of the ship, the swirling, snapping winds pulling and tugging at him causing him to constantly need to maintain his balance. That wasn't an impossible task for Varus, however, as his core was tight and strong and he was a rather large and powerful man. It would be much easier for him to keep his footing for this trip than it might be for some of the others.

"Let's get going, then. The quicker we get out of this harsh weather the better.", Varus stated as he lead the way out of the ship and glanced down at his datapad to look over a map before sliding it into his pocket. He then stopped next to Kian, turned and looked back at the ship, waiting on the others to follow.

[member="Kian Karr"] - [member="Mallisi Kyrgen"] - [member="Solia Tala"] - [member="James Mathison"]

 

[James Mathison]

James rose with his Master and Varus, the brisk air hit him in the face like a ton of frozen bricks. He ducked into his coat and pulled the hood over his head. Without saying a word, James was walking and out into the frozen storm that was to test his resolve, and put his mind amongst the whirling snowflakes, hoping to toss him from his mission. He took a deep breath, he inhaled the aura of the planet, it was strong, the Force could be felt like a warm summer breeze against the skin. He looked into the whiteness beyond the ramp and in it, he saw before him his mentor. As a child, the forsaken Jedi had raised him as his own, tall and strong, his mentor, his father taught James everything he knew. It was then, as a child that he knew who he must become.

Varus and Kian were waiting for them to follow but as soon as James stepped into the snow, his mind found itself honed in on a feeling. He had steeled himself from the cold as the sensation grew stronger, with every step he took, James could feel the warmth of the Force guiding him towards his destiny. He pushed through the snow passed Kian and Varus, he was lost to them in the void of his sub conscience. Without knowing where he was going or what he'd find, James' feet moved along an unfamiliar path as though they'd walked it a hundred times. Through the blistering wind and howling torrent of snow, James walked towards the caves, but deviated into an unseen entrance to an opening as small as an Ewok.


[member="Varus Shatterstar"] [member="Kian Karr"] [member="Solia Tala"]

 

[Solia Tala]

[member="James Mathison"] [member="Mallisi Kyrgen"] [member="Varus Shatterstar"] [member="Kian Karr"]

"Oh thank you very much!" Solia smiled as she thanked the other padawan as he handed her the cold weather gear she would be needing. As she stowed it away though she found herself reflecting on what Master Karr had said as well. About lightsabers that is. In all honesty she hadn't really worked towards developing any sort of practice with a dual ended blade or a pair of them, so she supposed when it came down to it she would end up trying to construct a single bladed lightsaber, and just one at that. Still she wondered what color she would be searching for, if she could even find her crystal at all to be precise. It had her worried about whether or not she could mess this up somehow the entire rest of the trip as she felt lost in a daze up until Master Karr spoke up about arriving soon.

After that she nervously began putting on her own cold weather gear as the ship was brought down to the planet below. Although it seemed like they weren't landing right next to the caves they were visiting by the sounds of it. And with the wind as cold as it was just as soon as the ramp opened and Master Karr stepped outside, Solia did not think it was really all that great of an idea. At least it was just a mile and a half abouts though. Hurrying to head out as everyone else began to leave, the young padawan called out as she tried to pull on the last of her gear and chase after them. "Wait for me guys!"

 

[Kian Karr]

[member="Solia Tala"] - [member="James Mathison"] - [member="Varus Shatterstar"]

((again, sorry for the delay, was away for the past few days!))

As they walked through the snow, the weather picked up and the snow swirled around them even thicker. It was beginning to get harder to see ahead of them, and Kian pulled his winter gear tighter around him as he trudged through the snow. He was going on instinct, and the flow of the force now, unable to see the path clear enough to find it with only his sight.

"Can you feel the call of the cave?" Kian yelled over his shoulder, his voice carrying on the wind to those behind him. "Can you feel it beckoning you too it?"

Kian smiled beneath his mask. He was glad to be here with the young Jedi. Glad he could lead them on this adventure. The hours wore on, the hike taking longer then Kian had initially planned due to the weather. It wasn't long though before he approached the crest of the hill that would indicate the end of their journey.

"There!" Kian said, pointing down toward the dark opening of the cave then began walking down the hill toward the opening. The wind picked up as they approached and the cold bit into him. The cave certainly wouldn't be warm, but it would at least provide a respite from the chilling wind.

 

[Varus Shatterstar]

Varus was the first to make it into the caves, his hood coming down the moment he'd stepped inside and glanced around. He spun a couple of times as he walked a few steps deeper into the natural cavern, his silver eyes scanning the edges of it. It only took him a few moments to realize that this had not been the same cave that he and Oron had found a few months prior, and in fact, he wasn't even sure they were even close to it.

He wasn't sure where on the map they were now, though he'd made sure to mark their landing on his holopad before they'd left the ship. "This isn't the place I came to my first time, but it's in a good location. We're not far from a natural vent of Ilum, which means that these tunnels that lead into the planet might very well share an area with that unique natural creation.", he said as he looked back at the others.

"Where the planet lets off it's heat, I mean. There are multiple places across this planet where the soil or crust of the planet is loose. In these places it can often be much warmer because the planet lets off it's excess heat from the core at these ventilation points. That's where you'll find your richest minerals.", he said, smiling at them as he completed his point. "For example. That is where you will find the most pristine and most powerful crystals."

[member="Kian Karr"] - [member="James Mathison"] - [member="Solia Tala"]

 

[James Mathison]

James heard the group walk into the caves behind him. He could almost taste the power of the Force. It was amazing to experience. James no longer felt the sting of the cold. His nerves were steel and his heart a furnace. It was amazing to see the crystals all around them. All colors glimmered in the dim light of the cave.

"What is the difference between each type of crystal?"

[member="Varus Shatterstar"] [member="Kian Karr"] [member="Solia Tala"]

 

[Solia Tala]

[member="James Mathison"] [member="Mallisi Kyrgen"] [member="Varus Shatterstar"] [member="Kian Karr"]

Geez it was cold! Solia struggled to catch up to the other initially with the snow proving to be a problem to trudge through, but she wasn't long in coming back up to the group. Though that didn't seem to matter much once the wind and snow mixed together began to become a visual impediment as well. Soon enough she found herself getting worried about becoming lost if she got separated by even a little bit. So much of the young padawan's focus was fixated on not losing track of the people in front of herself, and so if she was able or supposed to be able to notice the call of the cave as Master Kian Karr put it she didn't. That didn't mean she didn't try, especially when the Jedi Master made a point of calling out how it was just ahead of them, something for which Solia was immensely grateful for once it got out of the storm.

However, she knew this was just the beginning. Her question now was where would they start? At least the others had their own things to say, it gave her a better idea of what to ask too. "What James said, but also how long do we have and if we split up where do we meet back at when we finish?"

 

[Kian Karr]

Kian led them down to the cave entrance, not answering any of their questions until they had entered and the wind was suddenly left howling outside behind them. It was immediately warmer inside, due to the absence of the bitter wind. The initial entrance was a jagged cave corridor. Kian remained silent as they walked further in until finally they came into a room that was clearly man made. The room was square with intricate runes and symbols cared into the wall. Ahead of them was a sealed stone door, and alongside the door were the marble statues of two kneeling Jedi, their hands outstretched grasping stone lightsabers. Both statues showed signs of damage, one lightsaber blade being cracked in half, and the other statue showing cracking along the neck.

"This particular cave has served the Jedi for a very, very long time." Kian said smiling and turning back towards the others.

"The vast majority of the crystals found on Ilum are green or blue in color and they are Adegan crystals." Kian said turning to James. "Adegan crystals resonate with the force. One of these crystals, and on occasions," Kian said nodding to Varus, "several call to you." Kian said moving over to stand in front of the door.

Turning his attention to Solia's question, Kian extended his arms out indicating the room they stood in. "If separated, you can return here. I will be staying here." Kian said smiling beneath his mask. "I want the three of you to advance into the caverns in search of your crystals. When you are done, you can return here to construct your lightsabers. Follow your instincts, follow the force."

Kian turned around and lifted his hand, closing his eyes and concentrating on the door. Sweeping his hand to the side slowly, the door began to slide into the wall, dust and rocks falling down to the ground. As the door moved aside, warmth flooded the room they were standing in.

Once the door was open, Kian stepped aside and indicated the opening. "I'll keep in communication with you and monitor your progress from here." Kian said smiling warmly beneath his mask. This was something they had to do on their own.

"May the force be with you!"

[member="James Mathison"] | [member="Solia Tala"] | [member="Varus Shatterstar"]​

 

[Varus Shatterstar]

OOC: Sorry for the delay, guys. You should have gone on without me.


Varus was well aware that this trip to Ilum wasn't at all for him, but he figured that the experienced working with others was something valuable. He was certain that Kian had summoned him for such a mission for that reason exactly, coupled with the possibility that Kian wanted to him to work on his leadership skills, which he wasn't so versed in. Still, he supposed he'd encourage the others and play guide for now, considering this had been his second journey to the snowball of a planet.

"Welp...", Varus said as he started walking towards the darkness ahead that lead deeper into the cave. "What are you two waiting for?", He asked, turning around and walking backwards for a few paces as he looked at [member="Kian Karr"] , [member="James Mathison"] and [member="Solia Tala"] who were still standing at the entrance to the caves.

 

[James Mathison]

James followed after Varus into the depths of the cave. At first he used his eyes but there was an itch in the back of his mind to told him to use the Force. James stopped mid stride in the mouth of a cavern doorway, trying to figure/feel where to go next. He was being pulled towards another opening in the rock. It was a slightly smaller opening, James was required to squat to fit.


Inside the opening was a small downward slope that James didn't see. He found himself sliding on his butt down a snowy slope. At the bottom was a mound of snow that exploded when James made contact with his feet first. Now covered in the freezing white fluff, James looked about the area, more unusual colored crystals were housed here. Yellow, orange, white and even red.


[member="Varus Shatterstar"] [member="Kian Karr"] [member="Solia Tala"]

 

[Solia Tala]

[member="Kian Karr"] [member="Varus Shatterstar"] [member="James Mathison"]

Solia felt really nervous for a while as she waited for some kind of answers to the questions herself and the other Padawans were asking. Master Karr's silence for a while was a little unsettling, leaving the young Jedi to wonder if perhaps they had done or said something amiss? Or maybe it was just the Padawan's impatience and lack of self-confidence considering that the Kel Dor Jedi Master began to speak once they apparently reached the cave they were looking for. However, his words weren't as comforting as she had hoped, nor were the ones issued by Varus as he began to descend into the shadowy lip of the cave entrance.

She knew they were supposed to do this alone, but all the same the young woman certainly had been hoping for a lot more hints an advice before departing. When Mathison also took to entering the cave system though, Solia saw she really had little choice in the matter and groaned before pulling her winter coat tight and following after the other padawans as well. Taking the first path that she came to, Solia just hoped she knew the right crystal when she found it. She really ought to have studied more in preparation she supposed. . . . .







Because I'm evil fufufufu. Solia pondered her situation, but as she did she would remember back to at time when she screwed up a mission. A familiar whistled song would linger in the back of her mind till mentally all she saw was a blonde woman grinning. A voice she knew only to be that of Spencer's laughed and then spoke. "Boo"

 

[Kian Karr]

Kian watched as the three vanished into the cave system. There was very little within the cave that could actually hurt them, though psychologically they could face some things that were rather terrifying and/or enlightening. Finding a spot in the center of the floor, Kian knelt down on the stone floor and folding his hands across his lap. Closing his eyes he stretched out with the force, first touching Varus' mind.

Take care of them. Kian communicated telepathically, This is an important experience for them.....and for you. Kian assured him and then stretched out to communicate to Solia and James. It was easy to put the words into James mind, but Kian was more cautious with Solia's. The two had never communicated telepathically and he didn't want to be too invasive.

Solia, James, follow the force. Allow it to flow into you and help guide you to the right crystal. They will call for you.....but if your thoughts are clouded by fear of anger, you won't hear the call.

Open yourself to the force. Open yourself to the crystals.

​

[member="Solia Tala"] | [member="James Mathison"] | [member="Varus Shatterstar"]​

 

[Varus Shatterstar]

I'll keep an eye on them, Kian...

It was all Varus whispered back to the man in the force as he walked along with James and Solia and realized something for the first time. Kian wasn't at all concerned about him. At least, he wasn't concerned about him in that moment, on that mission, and he thought about why as they descended into the caves.

The only conclusion he could come to was that Varus had been far along when he'd first met Kian already, and there was only so much that he could share with him about the force, despite the hours upon hours of saber and combat training they'd undergone together. It was as if Kian was getting ready to cut the cord, but Varus had been seeing signs of disconnection for some time now. It was only so surprising, and he picked it up in subtle hints here and there.

It wasn't as if Kian didn't care about him, but Varus was about to be past the point of being able to learn from the Kel Dor Jedi. It was almost time to move on, and that was something he was beginning to realize, especially in such instances. That, however, was not something that he wanted to dwell on for the time being. They had a mission of self exploration to complete, and he was eager to get through this all quickly, and unscathed.

"Can you hear them?", Varus asked, his voice echoing through hollow caverns.

 

[James Mathison]

[member="Varus Shatterstar"] [member="Kian Karr"] [member="Solia Tala"]


James shook off the snow from his coat and head. Looking around, he focused on the Force. It was so concentrated here he could almost taste it. He sat in the snow, awaiting the Force to speak to him. He listened for what wasn't there and heard off in the distance, the echoing voice of Varus. 'Can you hear them?'


"I can hear them all. All at once, what I'm listening for is the one that's not just calling out, but calling out to Me." Trailed from James' lips.

As he said this, a thought slammed into his head. The image of his old master. Back on Nar Shadaa, the Wondering Jedi. A man of quality. Then the image of his death at the hands of the local thugs. They'd killed him in his sleep. The young James was very angry then. He slew them all, used the training he'd received to avenge his caretaker.

Then, James was visited by the image of the Emperor of the Atrisian Empire. A man he personally served as an Inquisitor. A Force-trained officer of the Law. He lived there for a time, then he found the Grey. They were short lived. Finally, it was the image of his training amongst the Sith. The path he'd taken to reach his destination. The secret he held inside, from everyone. He saw the lights dancing in his head. Red for the anger that dwelled within the depths of his heart, the grey, the tranquil neutral that he felt about the universe and green, the pride of service he felt in Atrisia as he felt now with the Jedi. What came out of it was a middle color, the balance in his life. His anger met pride that was wrapped in neutrality. Orange, the color orange shined in his mind.

James blinked, snow had covered him in a thin layer from head to toe where he sat. He looked about him as if he'd forgotten where he was. And there it was. Amongst the cyan and green, lay one large crystal formation. A brilliant, cooling orange. James reached out for it and with the help of a knife as leverage, uprooted the formation. It was a hefty crystal, with small 'branches' on the bottom. Still large enough for multiple crystal to be separated. James tucked it into his jacket and looked for a way back.


James still had no idea how much time had passed since his vision.

 

[Solia Tala]

[member="Kian Karr"] [member="Varus Shatterstar"] [member="James Mathison"]

The last thing that Solia had expected while walking along was for something to reach out to her in the force. Especially not Master Karr trying to talk to her through her mind. The voice sounding as if out of nowhere telling her to open herself up to the force, to listen to the crystal itself. Her crystal. Needless to say the young padawan felt incredibly overwhelmed, both by Master Karr's ability as well as the task set before her. In fact when the words echoed in her head, not even she was sure if she flinched because of the surprise or due to the fact she half believed she would fail in finding her own crystal. She wasn't even on this trip with a master of her own after all, she was just tagging along with other apprentices who had the fortune to find someone who was willing to teach them.

She didn't have anything like that. . . . . .

These thoughts weighed on Solia enough that she either ignored or missed what Varus had to say to her. James had seemed to take a seat in the snow laden cave while contemplating what was said himself. The white haired young girl though, decided it was time to separate for a brief time. Not that she didn't appreciate the others help, but their presence reminded her of how jealous of them she was too much, not to mention her own shortcomings, and she didn't want those feelings to get in the way of her search. So she began to wander down a path to the right nearby, hoping the others wouldn't leave her in the time she was gone.

She opened herself to the force. . . . .and began to search.

Spoiler

SORRY FOR THE DELAY!/