Lightsaber 101: Introduction to Gem Cutting

[Micah tol Powl]

| VOSS
| Temple of the Silver Jedi

The silvery-teal colored orb was almost as large as the youngling's head.

From a mission to Tattooine with his master, the Chandrila noble and Jedi Knight [member="Nefertari Sovint"], the small Nautolan had returned to Voss with a most curious thing. It had its origin in ordinary stone. Rocks consumed by krayt dragons, which became housed in their gizzards and helped to crush their food for digestion. Over time, these stones became worn smooth, and took on the quality of gemstones as they were transformed into shining orbs not at all unlike the giant pearls one would find among the clams on Mon Cala, Sanctuary, or Lamaredd. The size of this particular gem betrayed the fact that the youngling had faced the species known and referenced as the greater krayt dragon. A beastial creature the size of the dragons of myth and legend. Together with the Countess of Rosedge and Jedi Knight [member="Gherron Vhael"], the boy had emerged the victorious holder of a rare marvel.

His master had said that the pearl could be used in a lightsaber, except this wasn't an Adegan crystal... it was a bowling ball!

So how was a bowling pearl going to be used in a lightsaber?

It was a mystery that left the nine year old thoroughly confused, and doubtful that what his master had told him was true. But, when he had returned to Voss and begun asking questions of the weaponmasters and other instructors throughout the home of the Silver Jedi, he'd been told to seek out a reclusive human artisan, a former master of the Silver Jedi, and apparently the owner of Sasori -- the company brand that was prevalent on any number of articles common to the Jedi of the Silver Order. Even their robes.

What robes had to do with pearls, or pearls had to do with lightsabers...

Well, that was a mystery that was beyond the Nautolan's imagination.

His reflection captured in the giant gemstone, cradled in both hands, the small green youngling wandered through the grand halls of the temple in search of this mysterious artist.

[member="Matsu Ike"]​

 

[Matsu Ike]

[member="Zak Dymo"]

Matsu's lab on Voss was built into the edge of the mountain, more a cave system that had been modified while she left it open for the padawan to arrive. The entryway showing two statues she had found from an old and ruined temple getting her attention with sensors and alerts. an early alert to get her attention. Slowly going through deeper while there were tables of research teams working on parts and equipment machining parts from hand from sheets they were making in their new machines. Matsu herself was sitting at a large research table with three cubes in front of her while she was bringing her hands up and despite being originally a cave they had worked and secured, smoothed, created a lab area. Crystals and parts in several baskets on the walls while the glow of force energy from some of the equipment while she had her face in some of the tomes and notes on the table. "Yes yes come in." Slowly her eyes rose up from the book as she looked towards the padawan and raised an eyebrow motioning with her hands for him to come around the table while she was there. "You are the one who has been asking about me?" Or at least who could help him in terms of what and how to work his equipment. Matsu was watching the padawan while motioning him close and she closed the book. "Sorry about the mess, we've been working on some new notes."

 

[Micah tol Powl]

The youngling's head turned as though on a swivel.

Black eyes reflected the myriad of lights. Crystals, and things, and more things... and things doing things to things. The laboratory was a cornucopia of new sights that he didn't understand, but was enthralled to see. Any other time, he'd have probably made some remark about this place being astral, but his mouth just hung open in awe as he made his way further and further inside the cavernous workings of Sasori. He stayed that way until the woman's voice caught his attention.

Spying the lady standing at the table, the boy made his way toward where she was making notes in a book of some sort. That much reminded him of [member="Uri Aureleos"]. The gold knight also had a journal that he wrote and did different things in, rather than using datapads or holojournals. "Are you... are you Master Uke?" the child asked, mispronouncing the unfamiliar name as he tried to recall who it was that he was instructed to seek guidance from.

"My master said I could use this as a lightsaber crystal," the youngling remarked, reaching up to set the giant pearl on the table. "But... I dunno what to do with it."

[member="Matsu Ike"]​

 

[Matsu Ike]

[member="Zak Dymo"]

Matsu looked at the padawan and then at the pearl as her eyes widened a little, it was large and she motioned to the table. "It can be used in a saber, though we'd have to cut it down to fit. Depending on the size of the hilt you have." She was moving around the area and checking some of the parts in the baskets while coming away with a small grinder she could use for it. She set them off to the side while motioning for the padawan. "Who did you sat your master was?" She was looking at him and there was some wonder now while she also had a few more things to work with, the lab showed several designs she was working on including new types of crystals and amulets. "It isn't often I interact with others outside of my padawans who are usually with me exploring." She had sent some of them on missions and with some fo the work they had done she was still going over the footage and informations they had discovered. Endor and Cazador was interesting but she couldn't discount Felucia as her and Carona had worked seeing what the tribes there could do.... Also she had been riding a rancor that was always soemthing to make a note of.

 

[Micah tol Powl]

Wait, people were serious about this?

The boy looked at the woman, then at the bowling ball, and back again as his mouth fell open wider. It really was a lightsaber crystal? But you had to cut and grind and polish? So was it like a lightsaber crystal in disguise?

While he was processing all of that, her question was so easy that he answered without even thinking. "Master [member="Nefertari Sovint"], Jedi Knight and Countess of Rosedge," the child supplied. It was a question he got often enough, especially because it had been the Jedi Council on Ossus that had assigned Master Neffy to him. That had been before Zak had started attending the Voss Academy. "She's from Chandrila," the boy amended, in case the pearl-cutting lady had never heard of Rosedge before.

It was an awfully big thing to just make one lightsaber crystal. Could it maybe make more? "If... if we have to, like, cut it and stuff, can we make several lightsabers crystals out of it?" the boy inquired, looking back at the large opal-like orb. "There are some younger younglings in the Academy with me, but they don't have their own training sabers yet."

Maybe Zak could make training sabers for [member="Théodred Heavenshield"] and [member="Nina Heavenshield"]. And there was [member="Chashmona"] too.

If he was going to be a Jedi Guardian, then Zak needed to know more about lightsabers, so making the training sabers in addition to his own lightsaber would be good practice.

The comment about her own padawans made the boy look up again. "Do you... do you have lots of apprentices, Master?"

[member="Matsu Ike"]​

 

[Matsu Ike]

[member="Zak Dymo"]

Matsu was listening and she had to admit she had no idea who that was. Though there were a lot of jedi and a great deal she didn't know the names of now the faces sure she could know that. "This size you could make a couple dozen for sabers but I have never tried to upgrade a training saber." She seemed to zone out a little though while bringing a small diagram up for most of the training sabers they had and in theory it should be done but a training saber was made to not be upgraded so padawans couldn't hurt themselves.... Upgrading it had her more intrigued while she was tapping the table and inputing the size of the pearl the padawan had brought when she heard him ask a question. "I have ten padawans who learn from me at the floating temple. Much more space and I have a larger lab."

 

[Micah tol Powl]

A couple of dozen?

"Astral!" the boy chirped at the news, his head-tails perking up behind his head as the boy bounced happily at the thought of the krayt dragon pearl being used by dozens of Jedi Knights. "I could donate the extra crystals to the Silver Guardians," Zak mused, thinking aloud. Maybe giving that to [member="Thurion Heavenshield"] would make amends for Zak knocking a hole through the ceiling in the Grandmaster's office.

"I should give one to my master though," the boy reasoned, making the mental note to keep at least one in reserve as a gift for Master Neffy. "She recovered this ol' lightsaber of some brah named Qui-Gon Jinn while we were on Tatooine, an' she'll probably need a new crystal. Cuz, I think that brah's like ancient or something."

Now excited at the prospect of what this pearl would become, the boy eagerly looked over the gem as he asked, "So how do we begin?"

[member="Matsu Ike"]​

 

[Matsu Ike]

[member="Zak Dymo"]

Matsu looked up at him as she turned her head. "Patience, don't get ahead of yourself padawan. The pearl is large and you have a chance to make a good amount. You though this is your pearl and you will be dividing it up." She was looking at him while a diagram of the pearl appeared and where she was looking to break it down where it would be best to create the most for lightsabers. "I can provide the best way to maximize it but you padawan will be doing the work so you learn." She moved back a little but did offer a small smile down while grabbing the her saber while she was looking at him. "As for ancient sabers those have become more and more common."

 

[Micah tol Powl]

The boy watched as the diagram of the pearl appeared, trying to follow all of the lines that were drawn across it with his eyes.

He hadn't noticed her lightsaber until she'd brought it up, now pausing to look over at the cylindrical icon of the Jedi Order. Well, not just the Jedi Order he supposed. Sith and other non-Jedi people used them too. But, Jedi were the ones who made lightsabers cool!

This was a very important distinction and point of order when you were nine years old.

"Is... is your lightsaber very old, Master?" the child inquired, as he waited to be told how and where to begin.

[member="Matsu Ike"]​

 

[Matsu Ike]

[member="Zak Dymo"]

"Yes, about five thousand years old." She looked at him while she touched it but left it on the table. She had a small grin though while also pointing to the cube. "I have several things that are older, that one cube is near ten thousands years old." She was looking at the chu gon dar cube that pulsed with ancient runes, the healing cubes she had created with its properties were using older crystals and more. "There is many things you can find digging around in the dirt. Now are you prepared padawan? You have a pearl to break down and refine, while you do that I will work on modifying your training saber to see if it will fit the pearl though I would recommend your master oversee you constructing your own. Training sabers are not meant to take modifications."

 

[Micah tol Powl]

"Five THOUSAND!?"

Inside voices? What inside voices? We don't need no fething inside voices.

Blinking, the small Nautolan just looked at the woman incredulously. "That's..." he began, before pausing as he tried to actually fathom that number. Nothing was that old. Not even Master [member="Mak Manto"]. And Master Manto was really, really old. "That's like the age of a planet!" the boy blurted aloud finally.

Okay, so that would be more like five million, not five thousand. Still. Five thousand was crazy old.

At the mention of his training saber, the youngling looked down at the well-worn and familiar silver cylinder at his side. "Oh, I'm not gonna put the crystal in this," the boy announced, looking back up at the woman as he explained, "This belongs to Master Neffy. She made this, like, a long time ago. I'm 'sposed to return it to her after I make my own."

There was some traditional master-padawan speech that Zak was supposed to say when he returned the lightsaber. But, he hadn't actually looked up what that was all about. He'd try to find the CliffNotes version. Or maybe he could call [member="Animone"] at the Temple Library on Ossus. The Selonian droid brain would definitely know what Zak was supposed to say, and probably have all sorts of stupid facts about where that speech even came from.

Now it was time to cut this crystal.

And next... just what the Hutt was he going to put the crystal in?

Well. One step at a time.

[member="Matsu Ike"]​

 

[Matsu Ike]

[member="Zak Dymo"]

She was looking at him as he seemed surprised and was talking. So he didn't want to put his in that saber... well alright, the least she could do while getting a seat for him to work and the tools near the pearl. Was have the casings he could keep the ones in that would work best for sabers. "I'll show you how to work some of the remains into something special." She had the cube in her hand and with a little infusion for it she could think of a few things using the shards of other crystals she had been working with that were in dust and shards around. The experiments and the sections of some things strewn about as she picked up a few of them. The metal plate of an amulet and some crystals she had been working on as they glowed and swirled with energy. "You may begin when ready and I'll show you how to polish the stones that are usable."

 

[Micah tol Powl]

Hopping up to the seat that [member="Matsu Ike"] had prepared for him at the table, the youngling looked over the tools that the artisan had set aside for the task.

There was a pair of safety goggles which, by virtue of being made for adults, were still large enough that they shielded the Nautolan's large, inky-black eyes. And with the head-tendrils draped behind him, his head was large enough that the strap held the goggles more or less in place on his nose.

Steadying the pearl in front of him, the boy looked at the remaining tools, then back to the pearl, and finally over to the artisan master. "What do I use to start?" the boy inquired, as he turned his attention back to his little art project. "And where should I start cutting it?"

 

[Matsu Ike]

[member="Zak Dymo"]

Matsu was looking at him and she held up her finger before grabbing a small marker. Going towards the pearl and making some lines along it for the padawan. "The grinder you will use has a small safety on the side you can flick it up and turn it on. Use the line to start and there is the diagram. There is no wrong way to do this padawan but take your time and the more patience you have the more viable pieces you will be able to make for yourself and your friends." Matsu sat down there and watched him moving a little with a small smile as she tinkered with the other objects on the table getting a gem polisher.

 

[Micah tol Powl]

The boy lit up again as the pearl was returned to him, a path for the grinder now etched in marker for him to follow.

It was like paint-by-numbers. Or tracing paper. Tracing pearls? "Thanks, Master!" the boy chirped, head-tails bouncing happily as he looked over the markings on the pearl and then picked up the grinder. A hydraulic whine cut through the air as the boy tested the power switch, startled at first. The surprise quickly melted into a smile as he started giggling with the experience of something new that he could do with his hands.

He liked working with his hands.

Applying the grinder to the pearl, the boy depressed the power switch a second time. Dust went flying, as the sound of the coarse blade sheering into the gemstone filled the room, as the stone began to break down into shards and pieces - while bits of this and that went soaring in all directions as the youngling turned the gigantic opal and continued working his way through the volleyball sized object.

[member="Matsu Ike"]​

 

[Matsu Ike]

[member="Zak Dymo"]

Matsu was watching him work as she sat there and didn't make a sound, she wouldn't busy herself with other things but she was giving as her hands were gathering the shards t small for a saber and putting them into a pile for later use. As the sounds of pieces coming off that were larger she grasped it and picked it up slowly marking some parts of it with the marker for him to use. "Remember take your time and you are doing very well."

 

[Micah tol Powl]

The Nautolan didn't look up from his work, but the comment that he was doing well immediately struck home.

Renewed with dedication to his art, which looked a like like crumbling a pearl into dust and pieces, the boy chirped, "Yes, Master," as he continued working the grinder back and forth across the lines that he'd been given as a guide. And, when the lines were no longer visible, he just kept going in what he thought was the pattern that she had given him. After some more time, and more dust flying everywhere (most of which seemed to be covering Zak from head-tail to toe), the grinder spun to a halt as the boy looked over a table full of pieces and shards.

"I wouldn't wanna hafta put that back together," the boy opined aloud, as he raised the goggles up so that they were perched on top of his head. The area around his eyes and the bridge of his nose were now the only parts of him that were still green, as the remainder of the boy was coated in a fine, glitter-like dust. Still, Zak waited to be told what to do next.

Would there be more tools?

He liked tools.

He hoped there would be more tools.

[member="Matsu Ike"]​

 

[Matsu Ike]

[member="Zak Dymo"]

Matsu looked at the pieces he had gotten out and they were good sizes while she was gathering them up into a small container. A small bottle of water to clean them and the rest was being gathered as slowly the dust and small bits were being set in the cube with the mechanical hum of it working. Matsu didn't explain what it was but she did have space for the polisher as she removed one of the pieces and positioned it on the little stand. "Good now we will polish the stones until they are smooth and the correct size for a saber. You have a good amount of pieces here for your goal. Your master would be proud." She was letting the chu-gon-dar cube work with what she wanted as she touched it and could feel it, the runes along the sides glowing before the first stone finished. "This part will be a little easier but you will still need to clean and place them in the machine."

 

[Micah tol Powl]

The boy watched as the woman shuffled through the shards and pieces of the pearl.

As she finished demonstrating the first one, the boy picked up the first shard from out of the gathered pile and started cleaning it. Operating the polisher took a few minutes, as he adjusted to the concept and how it operated. Then he was going one after the other, cleaning, polishing, and dropping the resulting shards into the device that Master Ike had indicated. There were a lot of shards, so it took a few minutes before he was left with only the smaller pieces. Dropping the last of the larger pieces into the machine, the boy turned his head toward the lady as he waited for the next set of instructions.

[member="Matsu Ike"]​

 

[Matsu Ike]

[member="Zak Dymo"]

Matsu was workign with the devices while the padawan continued... Waiting until he was finished and she smile looking at a few of them as she spoke. "And now for the real treat of it all." matsu had the little case for him but more then that she brought the hand sized cube up as the last of the dust and shards were set within it. From the polisher and grinder plus a small kyber force crystal for good measure while she uched the runes on the sides making it work. The converter to flash before she put her hand in and spoke. "Now for one of the real good secrets of the jedi, knowing how to make something from scraps and nothing." She brought her hand out while looking over a newly pressed and forged crystals while smirking. "A little force magic and you can make a slightly unique crystal."