Lightsaber 101: Introduction to Gem Cutting

[Micah tol Powl]

A special crystal?

Pressing his hands against the table, the boy lowered his chin so that it was resting against the surface as he looked over at the converted that Master Ike was impressing upon him. The lights and designs were unlike anything that he'd seen before. And this was something that used the Force? "Force Magic," the youngling repeated, looking up with a confused expression. "What's Force Magic?"

Padawan meant nobody told you anything.

Well, not anything worth hearing anyway. Padawans got told a lot of things actually. Zak got told to clean up his room frequently. That didn't mean he listened. But, still, nobody ever told him about any interesting stuff. Like Force Magic.

He was curious just what this converter was going to produce.

[member="Matsu Ike"]​

 

[Matsu Ike]

[member="Zak Dymo"]

Matsu looked at him as she spoke. "Well the ancient jedi knew how to do many things and they knew how to search for a great many things. In the case of this they built and constructed these cubes that could create items with the force itself. In some cases whatever your imagination can think of given you give enough into it." And had the ability to read the directions.... She wasn't going to lie it was a strange device still to understand but thankfully she had working with materials and crystals the ability to experiment. Her hand held and presented the crystal while she set it down in front of the padawan touching it. "You see when you create something like this crystal it can have unknown properties. Unknown dangers as well but there are wonders." She placed a hand on the crystal as it glowed in a rainbow relfecting the light around the area they were in.

 

[Micah tol Powl]

The boy marveled as she set the crystal down.

Reaching out a hand apprehensively, the youngling poked at the gem on the table. "But, how do you know its safe if the dangers are unknown?" the Nautolan asked, turning his eyes up to regard the artisan master. "You wouldn't wanna use it in a lightsaber," the boy rationalized aloud. Having an unknown crystal in your lightsaber just seemed like asking for trouble. It could blow up in your face!

"So... what are you 'sposed to do with it?"

Was it just pretty to look at?

Most gems were just pretty to look at. And Zak was horrible when it came to just looking. Stuff was meant to be played with.

[member="Matsu Ike"]​

 

[Matsu Ike]

[member="Zak Dymo"]

"Well that is why we have places like this. To observe and test crystals to see what they can do. It is also why we are here in a cave in case something dangerous is made it can't easily get out and harm people." She had a smirk on her face though looking at the crystal while checking it. "Right now from initial observations it is a more refined crystal, the pearl and kyber shards that went into it likely fused allowing it to be more attuned to the force. If you knew the skills for attuning a crystal I would say we could make it into a nice surprise but I'll have to work on it. For now another lesson and this one will likely tire you out. So focus your mind on the crystal and feel it, not with your hands but with the force. Touch the crystal and feel the texture and search for the fault lines and imperfections within it. Then try and go deeper to run through and feel it."

 

[Micah tol Powl]

The Nautolan's expression turned from curiosity to confusion, then to what almost seemed like a sense of dread.

Touch it... with the Force?

Like, Force Sense Force? She wasn't serious. Was she serious?

She was totally serious right now, wasn't she? "Uhhh," the boy began, his head-tails drooping some in what seemed like defeat. He wasn't sure if he liked the sound of this. For starters, she said she didn't know what this crystal thing was even about. And Zak knew that he didn't know what Force Sense was about. "I dunno 'bout this."

The last time he'd tried to reach out and touch something with the Force, a holocron had gone flying through the window of the Ossus Temple Library.

"I'm really, really bad at Force-y stuff," the boy confessed plainly, looking dubiously still at the gemstone.

[member="Matsu Ike"]​

 

[Matsu Ike]

[member="Zak Dymo"]

Matsu looked at him as he spoke and she bowed her head in understanding. "Alright then, it is fine." She wasn't upset but motioned for him to give his hand the case of pearls. "Well then I'll have to let you try when you master has taught you. Do not worry there is a great deal of things you can still do and help with before you leave. Beyond taking this case for yourself I will need someone to run one of the telchek cubes to Cathbodua in the medical wing. Don't let her demeanor fool you, she isn't always cranky."