The crystal is the heart of the blade…

[Nubica Felidae]

Nubica sat on her bed and opened the drawer in the cabinet beside her. The other Padawans bustled around as lessons were starting soon and late risers were rushing to grab something to eat.

For Nubica there were no lessons. Not in the strictest sense of the word. Instead she was finally going to craft her own saber. She had all the parts she needed in a large draw-string bag, that she fished out of the drawer.

And then she took the crystal she’d taken from Ilum and the one she’d been given by Varus from under her pillow and put them in a separate bag, which she then placed in the pocket of her dark brown robes.

She’d eaten an early breakfast as she’d heard a Jedi could spend hours assembling their saber – even with the aid of the Forge that currently resided in the grounds of Ossus.

And she rose from her bed and headed out of her dormitory and walked briskly to the entrance of the Academy, where she’d agreed to meet her Master. She was early. Ten minutes early…but couldn’t rest. She was sure some Master would tell her off and instruct her to meditate. But how could she? Today was all about her saber. Finally she would feel like a true Jedi – and she could not wait to feel how it was in her hands.

So she waited. And fidgeted. And waited. And then fidgeted some more.

[member="Varus Shatterstar"]

 

[Varus Shatterstar]

The morning had gone well enough, but he was still a but groggy. Either way, though, that morning had been something of a sweet relief to him the moment that his eyes had opened, for his dreams had been haunting him in the night. In fact, his dreams had turned to nightmares, and only hours ago when he was trapped in them he saw Seraphina, someone he hadn't thought of in a long time. Someone who had begun to fade into the back of his mind after having returned from almost a year of searching for her. Someone who's face had begun to dissipate as it was replaced by Nubica's.

It worried him, his dreams, in which he'd seen Seraphina die, and he couldn't tell if the force was lying to him or playing games. There was a trace of uncertainty where nothing but confidence had always been before, and when he'd realized that Nubica was gathering dominion in his mind he was even more concerned. He knew that he shouldn't be struggling with feelings for the younger Jedi and his very own apprentice, but there had been something about her that was absolutely stunning to him. Something that overshadowed the women of his past and left only her, which scared him a bit. It was profound, and the closer she grew to him the more hesitant he became as if he were walking the thinnest of lines that was becoming so narrow he couldnt see it any longer.

"What in the Force is the prettiest young Jedi there ever was doing up this early on an off day?", Varus asked as he scaled the few steps up towards the Academy gates, hands in his pockets, eyes to the ground and a smirk on his face.

[member="Nubica Felidae"]

 

[Nubica Felidae]

Nubica was unsure if she was being teased or if her Master had genuinely forgotten what they’d agreed to do. She was a young woman a lot of the time and still a girl the remainder.

But the fact he was here was an indication that he was engaging in banter, so she pressed this line of thought.

“Well…” she said, her voice drawn out as she stared into the distance. “I had planned for a special Jedi to help me with a particular task – but I don’t think he’s going to turn up. So I may have to settle for second best.”

Her hand went involuntarily to the crystals in her pocket and she cracked a wide grin…she couldn’t keep the pretence up. “Tell me, where did you craft your sabers?” The excitement in her voice was evident now.

[member="Varus Shatterstar"]

 

[Varus Shatterstar]

Varus smiled as he raised his eyes to see the pretty young thing standing there, waiting only for him, though her playful claims would have suggested otherwise. "Really now?", Varus asked as he stopped and turned towards her, squaring broad shoulders at her as he tilted his head to the side hinting slightly at curiosity before he asked her, "So if I'm second fiddle, who's the hotshot you were waiting for?", he asked, wondering if she would continue this little game. Either way, Varus found it entertaining and allowed himself to smirk just a bit as he waited for her response.

When she asked him where he'd created his own lightsabers, though, Varus thought back on what he'd had to do to gather those crystals of his, one of which she now owned. When he did he reached into his pocket and produced a dark blue crystal, which he had just recently obtained. "I assembled the both of them on my desk, but now that I've given one of the sibling crystals away I'll need to add this little guy to the saber it came from. So, I'll be working on mine today too.", he told her with a bit of a smile before he turned and began to walk towards their destination, sure that she would follow.

[member="Nubica Felidae"]

 

[Nubica Felidae]

Nubica's right eyebrow raised. She assumed most Jedi used the Forge or assembled the saber where they found their crystal or somewhere symbolic. But at their desk? It was practical but probably wouldn't make it into the annals of Jedi history when you could be freezing your butt off on Rhen Var or sweltering on Tatooine.

"I hear Master Karr found the Forge on Tython a short while before the last galactic event. He was your Master wasn't he? What's he like? I mean, I know he's a Shadow." She lowered her voice. "Unless that's supposed to be a secret? But in the Shadow robes? How many Kel-Dor do we have?"

She walked and talked in a carefree manner. If there was a formal bone in her body, she did a good job of hiding it.

[member="Varus Shatterstar"]

 

[Varus Shatterstar]

Varus smirked as they walked along, only a few minutes away from their destination now, though it seemed that Nubica wouldn't let a moment of silence go on between them seeing as she had so many questions. She was young and eager to learn, and if he could, Vaurs would impart upon her everything that she would handle, but eventually she would have to learn to find answers on her own. For now, though, he was more than happy to answer a few of those questions she'd posed.

"I feel like you're thinking it, but even if you're not, I'll just say this anyway. No, there's nothing spectacular about fashioning your first lightsaber on your desk in the privacy of your room, but then again, no great Jedi ever became a legend because he used some station or alter to assemble his or her weapon.", he told the young woman who he was walking along with. "It's the impression we leave behind in this life that people will remember, not so much our faces or the colors of our blades.", he then said, glancing down at the dark blue crystal in his hand, wondering what it would be like to wield a blue and a violet blade when he'd gone so long with twins of the same shade.

"And as far as Master Karr is concerned, he was indeed my Master.", he told her as he glanced over at her again while they walked along. "He's quiet, most of the time, and has a way of speaking only when he should. He seems to always know what to say and never wastes his breath, which makes him invaluable as a leader and exceedingly wise. Something he'd laugh at you for telling him, I'm sure, which also makes him rather humble.", he said, smiling lightly as he thought back on his previous mentor and friend, wondering how long it had been since they'd seen one another.

"He's a much better Jedi than I'll ever be, for certain, but as for your last question I'll just say this...", he said as they reached their destination, icy eyes surveying the area to see if anyone else would be joining them to construct their sabers on that very same day. "I have absolutely no idea how many Kel-Dorian Jedi are among us in the Jedi Order, but perhaps we'll find out."

[member="Nubica Felidae"]

 

[Nubica Felidae]

She walked and listened. She was a touch arrogant at times, often brusque, but he was a Master and she was a Padawan – and if she learned half of what he knew? She’d do very well out of it.

She felt humbled by his talk of where she should fashion her saber. She was not typically romantic in her notions of being a Jedi and her cheeks momentarily flushed. But only for a few seconds.

And she enjoyed hearing about Varus’ Master. It gave a sense of perspective – she was no the third generation in this trilogy and one day would have a Padawan of her own. “Master Karr’s mask always seemed intimidating when I was a Youngling. But I’d heard nothing but good about him.”

She looked ahead and saw the copse of tall trees that hid their contents so naturally. Inside was a small hill and the Forge, but from here nothing was visible.

She paused for a moment as Varus did but then her enthusiasm got the better of her and she ducked under a branch to walk through the trees.

A couple of dozen of trees later she was in a clearing. Ahead was a stone path that led up the side of the hill and atop it was a small temple. Apparently an exact replica of the one on Tython.

Just without the monster!

[member="Varus Shatterstar"]

 

[Varus Shatterstar]

Varus rested his hand on the tree limb that his apprentice had passed beneath, but instead of going beneath, the tall Jedi hopped up and threw his legs over it with one quick bound. He then carefully made his way through the other trees on either side of him, fighting his way out into the clearing that Nubica had wondered into. When they were free of the trees and out in the open, though, the scene changed, and now they were looking up a path to a temple, which she had seemed all too eager to journey to.

He smiled, at first, as he walked behind the bright and talented young Jedi, but his smiled faded away when his eyes shifted south to the her backside. She was perky and shapely, but his admiration had been unintentional. He was surprised at himself and realized that he would have to struggle with his attraction to this young woman as long as she was his apprentice, and that was something he wasn't sure he could stand. It would be like torture, and he would do his best not to let himself get fall like that for her, but he had a feeling he'd be able to do so whether or not she realized it or picked up on the signs.

"Take your time.", Varus told her as he gained on the young woman with long strides. "The monster was there for a reason, after all. Getting ahead of yourself and not remembering patience was the reason that many young Jedi have made the journey and never got to construct their sabers."

[member="Nubica Felidae"]

 

[Nubica Felidae]

Nubica slowed slightly and listened. If there was one thing about Varus, it was that he was unconventional. Which worked for her. Yet his last statement was so orthodox, she was almost surprised.

“Conquer recklessness, I know,” she said, nodding. “The tenets have been drilled into us. The key for me is to know when the first blow is important. Some Jedi seem to be too passive, too much about counter-punching and not taking the fight to the Sith.”

She shrugged as she walked. “Just my thoughts of course, I’m not saying the Code is wrong. But being too cautious is just as bad. You’re on the back-foot before you know it.”

She was enjoying this chat. The Code could be a very dry subject and so to have a proper conversation was vital to her development. To understand where her thinking added to the debate and where it was flawed.

They were half way up the steps now, and her anticipation was rising. “Patience,” she reminded herself, grinning. Constructing a saber was not a race and she needed to make sure she did it perfectly. “Tell me…should I recite the Crystal Code or will you?” She’d heard it worked both ways and just wanted to get Varus’ preference in her head early, as she prepared for crafting.

[member="Varus Shatterstar"]

 

[Varus Shatterstar]

"I didn't suggest that one should forget to act, I simply implied that there is a right moment to. It takes patience to wait for and know when that moment comes along and courage to pull the trigger when you should.", he told her as he walked along side her, knowing full well that she would understand him without much trouble. She was smart like that, which was one of the reasons he liked her as much as he did. He hadn't been like her. He hadn't practiced much patience, and even now he was a man who didn't follow his own advice, often times acting before he thought or allowing himself to resort to less than productive ways to get his answers.

Often times he'd turned to drink when he didn't have the answers, as if that would help anyone get any answers at all. He was well aware of that, however, and his self destructive ways were also a design to drown out his sorrow and regret while floundering in the knee deep, stinging liquid he'd found himself soaking in more than once at the bottom of a bottle. Nothing would ever put him in such a relaxed state as whiskey or some other devilish drink could, or at least, he'd convinced himself that this was the case, though the force had always been there for him. The Council had never barred him from their chambers. The other Jedi had been nothing but accepting, yet still he'd held on to doubt and allow himself to regress more times than he'd care to admit.

Now he was beginning to see that these few relationships that he'd agreed to allow, with Nubica and the Padawan that had come before her, were an attempt to draw him down an easier, warmer path. A path lined with those he might call loved ones, if any of them had ever stuck around, but like the Padawan he'd trained before Nubica, and Jedi like Seraphina whom he'd come to love, they'd all left him. That was why he wasn't holding his breath these days, and why a bottle of whiskey was waiting for him tucked away in his desk back at the temple.

"We're not here to construct my first saber, are we?", he asked her, clearly suggesting that she should be the one to do the reciting.

[member="Nubica Felidae"]

 

[Nubica Felidae]

As they reached the top of the steps, the Forge came into sight. It was truly an ancient machine and as they approached, the intricate carvings on the stone glowed blue, no doubt Force-sensitive.

Nubica had read and re-read the manual on what to do and was broadly confident of success. For to plan to fail was not a Jedi trait.

So she stood in front of the machine and removed the bag from her pocket that contained all of the elements she required to construct her saber. She listed them in her head and checked them off from the components laid out in front of her. Her beam crystal – the present from her Master, a blade-emitter matrix, various dials, a blade length adjuster, a lens assembly, a hand grip, an activation stud, a power conduit, a belt ring, a safety switch, a recharge socket, casing, a sensor array, a recognition chip, a blade lock, a beckon call.

But first she had to imbue the crystal with the Force – and it was one she knew had already been part of another saber, so she went slowly…carefully. She closed her eyes, held the crystal in her open hands and recited the code:

“The crystal is the heart of the blade
The heart is the crystal of the Jedi
The Jedi is the crystal of the Force
The Force is the blade of the heart
All are intertwined
The crystal, the blade, the Jedi
We are one”

She repeated this over and over. On occasions she was so at one with the Force that she lost track of time.

Opening her eyes once more she knew the crystal was ready.

Slowly, carefully and methodically she began to assemble the sabre. She closed her eyes and meditated. She used her Telekinetic powers to lift all of the components into the air. She detached one half of the hilt and attached the power conduit. Then she connected the recharge socket to the power conduit. Aware she was no longer breathing, she practiced Breath Control for a few moments before entering into a Moving Meditative state – allowing the Force to flow through her.

Once calmed and at one with the Force, she connected the emitter matrix to the power conduit and then attach an activation stud to the emitter matrix and slotted it under the casing. Next she added a blade length adjuster to the emitter matrix.

The schematics then called for her to place the lens assembly with the crystal between the emitter matrix and power conduit before adding the safety switch and blade dial. Finally she added the sensor array, recognition chip (already set for her own DNA and midi-chlorian count) and the remaining parts. She then sealed the lightsaber and attached the belt ring.

Once more she spoke the code:

“The crystal is the heart of the blade
The heart is the crystal of the Jedi
The Jedi is the crystal of the Force
The Force is the blade of the heart
All are intertwined
The crystal, the blade, the Jedi
We are one.”

[member="Varus Shatterstar"]

 

[Varus Shatterstar]

Auro stood in place behind Nubica not making a sound, noting her concentration and care taken during this process. It was clear that she had been waiting for this moment for a long time, and her heart was in every moment of this. She was excited and knew that this was the moment that would complete the process she'd been undergoing for years. She knew that this very moment, despite already having been taken as a Padawan, that she would become a true Jedi. One moment that would define her as she took her first step into the life of a warrior of light, and when that lightsaber was complete and in her hands she would feel as thought she'd been completed all the same.

Her light saber had been assembled, and so had she. Now she would be prepared to go to war, and when she did, Auro would be there to guide her. Now she would be prepared to take on missions with Auro's guiding voice in the back of her mind, and before long she would become a Jedi Knight. With the skills that she possessed and the touch of the force that she had been gifted with, she would make short work of her training and become a Knight before she knew it.

[member="Nubica Felidae"]

 

[Nubica Felidae]

Her hands were almost trembling. She opened her eyes and gave the hilt a final check. And then another. It all appeared to be in order and she gazed up at Varus, a look of one seeking approval on her face.

But that was not her style, so instead a wicked grin spread across hr face and her green eyes lit up.

She took a step back and pressed the activation switch.

The snap-hiss did not do justice to the feeling that coursed through her. The blade and crystal were truly linked to the Force and the Jedi. She felt connected to her saber in a way that she’d never felt before with any training weapon.

Her eyes were transfixed to the purple blade as she moved it slowly at first – before she performed a few standard moves, delighting in how responsive it felt. It was no longer a weapon – it was part of her. The saber was an extension of her arm, of her body.

“It’s…it’s a wonderful feeling,” she offered, aware her words could not do it justice. And then she beamed at Varus. “Thank you, the crystal is perfect.”

[member="Varus Shatterstar"]

 

[Varus Shatterstar]

"Don't thank me.", Varus said as he raised his right hand, the tips of his fingers crooking inward ever so slightly as he tugged the saber she clutched with the force. It jumped from her hands in an instant, not giving her much time to react, and he received it with an opened palm, long digits snapping around the cool metal that shaped it's outer shell. He raised it up in front of him, examining the fine work of his student, and noting that it wasn't at all simple like many others. So man others were either too fancy with odd etchings and shiny plating, or too standard and plain. Something about this saber, however, seemed to reflect Nubica's style, which he liked, and for some reason it felt more narrow, which for some reason made it seem quicker and more maneuverable.

He watched it for a long time, allowing his mind to delve into the force, and when he felt the crystal again he felt that it no longer held allegiance to him. In fact, it longed to be back with Nubica, which made him smile as he took a couple of steps and reached out to hand it back to her. "You earned it, and I'm not the only one who agrees with that notion.", he told her as he turned pulled a bag from his belt. He released that bag and allowed it to hang suspended as he used the force to unfasten it's ties and open it's mouth. When he did, the parts to a new saber rose up out of it, at least, the replacement pieces he would need to modify his currently empty offhand hilt.

As the pieces hovered around him his empty hilt disconnected from another spot on his belt and raised into the air, and as it did, the plate that covered where the previous crystal had been raised off of it as a couple of the pieces traded places with those who'd made sure to bring with him in his bag. The length adjuster and the power conduit had gotten a bit old, and so he decided to replace them before setting in the hilt his new crystal, not nearly as special as the last, but one that would do for him the job he needed it to.

A rather pretty, bright blue crystal finally rose up out of the bag before that bag fell into his open palm and he tucked it away into his pocket, now empty of the contents it had previously held. He watched as that little blue crystal hovered over towards the hilt and sank away into the metal cylinder before the metal panel covered it back up and fastened into place. He then reached out and took the saber again, activating it and examining the blue beam for a few moments before he was satisfied, disengaged it and reached down to clip it to his waist.

"Not quite the same, but little blue will come around eventually.", he whispered with a smirk on his face as if the crystal he'd just placed into his saber had feelings of it's own that he would need to carefully tend to.

[member="Nubica Felidae"]