Toys Are For Kids....I Have The Real Thing!

[Via Dolorosa]

The time had finally arrived for her Apprentice to begin learning the fundamentals of constructing her own lightsaber. Each lightsaber, however fashioned, was just not an extension of themselves, but reflected who they were. Unlike lightsaber forms, each tool was unique in it's own right. Something they could identify with themselves.​

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Take her own lightsaber for instance. It was a crude instrument crafted by a twisted Sith Lady. There was no other lightsaber like hers. The crystals were hand chosen by her. The top of her blade had jagged edges that could be utilized for cutting or slashing flesh. And it was made for left-handed people like herself. It was a far cry of the traditional lightsaber most Sith and Jedi employed. It was hers. It was her Dagobah Curse.​

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Also, she had infused a piece of tree bark from her homeworld of Dagobah to the hilt; a constant reminder of where she came from. But more importantly, it was a reminder of what trials and horrors she had been forced to endure as a lonely child etching out her survival on the swamp infested planet. Dagobah was home, but it was a deadly place to grow up.​

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"We can do this one of two ways," she said to her Apprentice as they stood side-by-side in the hanger bay, a shuttle prepped for departure. "I could simply hand you the important pieces and two regular crystals then show you how to construct it. Or....we can scour the universe to find the important components....like a scavenger hunt and while we are out there....seek out two crystals of importance to add to your weapon."​

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"The choice is yours to make."​

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[member="Greta Kohler"]​

 

[Komo]

It was finally time.

An opportunity for the young apprentice to craft a lightsaber for herself. One unique to her. Greta had yearned for such a weapon for so long, the very weapon of destruction and authority now within her reach. It would not be long before she can hold one in her hands, and consider herself a proper Sith.

Too long had she been stuck to using guns, both blasters and slugthrowers. She had tried and used plenty of weapons before, from swords to rocket launchers. But none of them were as symbolic and awe-inspiring as a lightsaber. Now, that was on a league of its own.

Her master had deemed her worthy, and now placed her on the path to acquiring one. She was told about the two possible ways she would be able to obtain the lightsaber components, namely the crystals. The first was to be handed the components, and just use regular crystals, and the second was to scour the universe for crystals of more importance. The choice was hers to make. And she had decided.

She had chosen two different crystals to be used in the construction of her weapon. They were the Rubat and Lignan crystals. Rubat sharpened the appearance and definition of the blade, while Lignan crystals, which were made from Lignan ore was a crystal great for dark side users.

"Master, I have decided to use Rubat and Lignan crystals in the forging of my weapon. Would that be possible?"

[member="Darth Venefica"]

 

[Via Dolorosa]

"Anything is possible if you set your mind to it, Apprentice. Impossibilities only surface when you allow yourself to think possibilities are out of your reach."​

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So their first destination would be to Phaegon III, a planet not only rich in Lignan ore but held some of the most fascinating crystal caves to ever produce the Lignan crystal. Her Apprentice had chosen wisely to seek out this crystal. When crafting her own lightsaber, she even toyed with the idea of obtaining one for herself. In the end, she had took a different route.​

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The duo, Master and Apprentice, boarded the waiting transport vessel and the order was given to the pilot to take them to Phaegon III. The trip would take a few hours to reach the planet, so in the mean time Darth Venefica felt it was time to explain the process of reshaping the crystal so that it was attuned to it's owner.​

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"Every crystal needs to be aligned to it's user....making the crystal's effects not only work for you but to add to the potency of it. It is a delicate process that can take an hour to complete or weeks to complete. But in the end, it well worth the exhaustion. When we arrive at the cave, I highly suggest you try to obtain a few crystals. They are fragile things and can easily crack or break during the process. We will remain there as long as it takes for you to finally reshape a crystal."​

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She leaned back into her chair, getting a grip on her nerves. She hated space travel but it was getting better. Still, she never felt safe during flights. She looked over at her Apprentice and nodded to an open seat.​

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"This seems like a good time for you to begin unlocking the Force further. Using the Force and your mind, begin to move the objects around until you feel comfortable. Once your lightsaber is completed....your true training begins."​

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[member="Greta Kohler"]​

 

[Komo]

Her master, the venerable [member="Darth Venefica"] replied, confirming the possibility of such a combination. That was a good start, Greta thought to herself. Based on her prior research, she knew that they would have to go to the planet of Phaegon III, a planet noted for its rich supply of Lignan ore, the very material in which the crystal was made from. The pair then head into the waiting shuttle, as it began preparations to take off.

The trip would most likely take a couple of hours before reaching their destination, and she was sure her master would have something planned for her. After all, time wasted is time lost.

Soon enough, her guess was confirmed as the Sith Lady began to speak, informing the girl about the process of reshaping the crystal to be attuned to the user. She was told about how the procedure made the crystal not only work through you via the force, but aid in the potency of it as well. This vital process is delicate, and so may take up to several hours to a few weeks for its completion.

No matter how long it took, the apprentice knew full well, that it would definitely be worth it in the end. She was also instructed to gather a number of crystals, as they are rather fragile and are highly prone to breaking and shattering. She was glad to know that they would remain there until she was done, and hoped that she didn't have to stay there too long.

The Sith Lady then instructed her to spend the free time they had now engaged in the practice of her force. The apprentice was to move the assortment of loose items lying around in the empty seats only with her mind. She knew it was called telekinesis, and one of most basic force powers.

Greta closed her eyes, and began to focus, before opening them once more, willing the data pad lying on an empty seat to move. At first, there was nothing, but the girl didn't give up. She tried even harder, and this time she was rewarded for her efforts as the datapad shifted off the seat, landing on the floor with a clank.

[member="Darth Venefica"]

 

[Via Dolorosa]

"When willing an object to move....no matter the size....always envision the object moving in your mind and allow the Force to work through you. Practice is never short of supply. Over time you will be able to move objects without a thought. But for now, that was good."​

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In her young life before joining the Sith, and being properly trained to command the Force, she had been able to move things with her mind. Most of the time she didn't understand how she did it because there were times that she had failed. There was no other person around to teach her. She had been thrust into using the Force, or what she had called witchery, as a matter of survival. Even when she practiced she failed more times than succeeded on some days. But failure was not an option living on Dagobah as a young girl where so many monsters looked to make a meal of her. Fortunately, in extreme cases of danger the Force had protected her. It wasn't until she met her fist mentor on Dagobah that he had crudely began teaching her.​

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Now years later she had mastered the Force, but still practiced it everyday. She knew she had managed to birth unseen rivals among the Sith, and that one day they would find the courage to confront her. And when they did, she had no desire to give them a reputation based off her death. Power didn't make a Sith. It was doing what was necessary to hold onto it.​

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Her body relaxed when the pilot announced first that were heading down to the planet then added so time later that they had arrived. The space flight was over and she was grateful for it. She rose to her feet as the ship vibrated slightly as the ramp began to lower. ​

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"We'll work more on smoothing out the edges in regards to mastering the Force," she said walking down the ramp then added, "But first let's go get your crystal."​

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[member="Greta Kohler"]​

 

[Komo]

Succeeding in lifting off the datapad from the seat had earned her a brief praise followed by a critique on something further she could work on. Greta was told to envision the object in her mind moving, allowing the force to do the heavy lifting of the work. The girl was also told to practice often as it not only improve her skills but also kept her mind quick and nimble.

Putting that into action immediately, the apprentice willed the datapad sitting on the floor to move, imagining it moving in her mind, she allowed the force to flow through her as it began to lift the object, slowly but steadily back up onto the seat, back to its original position. This time, it felt easier, using the new advice her master had given her.

It was not long after that the pilot of the shuttle announced that they had arrived in the atmosphere of the largest moon of Phaegon III and would be landing shortly. Excitement bubbly within her as she moved to look out of one of the shuttle's windows. The landscape that greeted her eyes was a barren one, devoid of any life.

She had read up on the Skirmish over Phaegon III as The Sith and Jedi fought a bloody battle on the largest moon rich in Lignan ore back in 5000 BBY. It was desired then, and it was desired now.

As the shuttle approached its landing location, the pair of Sith got up from their seat as they prepared to disembark from the craft. The ramp lowered with a pneumatic hiss as it extended out from the body of the shuttle. The Sith Lord stepped onto the ramp, walking off it, with her apprentice in tow along with a couple of mining droids that had been brought along for the work. It was time to get to work.

[member="Darth Venefica"]

 

[Via Dolorosa]

The caves were not far off, rather closer than she thought the pilot could muster a landing. Mentally she applauded the efforts of the pilot. The cave's entrance, she could see, had signs of some overgrowth dotting the sides of it; while a few tiny plants and small hedges had took up sentry duty directly in front of the cave. This struck the Sith Lady odd. These crystals were heavily sought out but the sight before her told another story. How long has it been since someone came here? Were the crystals depleted? How about the ore? ​

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Well they had brought some mining droids with them, most people failed to plan ahead. Following a quick scan through the Force she felt the teeming of 'life' from the crystals. So there were crystals in the cave which meant there was ore as well. Again she couldn't shake the thought why the cave had sat without visitors long enough for growth to be here. Regardless, this was an important pointe in the growth of her Apprentice.​

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Stepping inside the cave, she felt a chill run amok over her entire body. Producing her lightsaber, while ignoring the feeling, she ignited it; throwing light upon the darkened tunnel. Darth Venefica led the girl and both droids through a winding tunnel that spilled them out into a massive cavern; where crystals infused on the wall winked and glowed welcoming them. Toward the rear of the cavern, sitting off to the right was another opening.​

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"The droids are now in your possession. Take all the time you need," she said while her eyes remained locked on the opening. "I'm going to go and investigate where that opening leads to. Good luck, Apprentice."​

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[member="Greta Kohler"]​

 

[Komo]

Greta had to give credit to the pilot who flew them here. He had managed to land the craft close enough for the master-and-apprentice duo to only require a short walk before they reached their destination. The pair had stood before a cave. Could this be the cave with the Lignan ore was located? It looked ordinary. Then again, she had no idea what she was expecting either. It was unguarded. That was strange, considering the potency of the material it contained.

Perhaps the exterior was but just a facade, its unguarded exterior luring in the unwary, claiming its victims one at a time. Its appearance was overgrown, green foliage lining its entrance, yearning for what little light the cave received as tendrils of vines snaked from the interior of the cave walls.

The apprentice heard the snap-hiss as the lightsaber of her master came to life. The Sith Lady must have felt something that had unnerved her, a disturbance in the force perhaps? The girl thought again, about the supposed sentinel creature that probably stood guard in the cave. As the pair moved further into the cave, they entered into a massive breathtaking cavern, where the walls were filled with the ore she had came to mine.

Tell-tale crystals littered the ground, and scrutinising one further, Greta was delighted to find that it was indeed Lignan ore. The apprentice looked across the wide expanse of the enormous cavern as far as her eyes could see, but she saw no fearsome creature, no ever-watching sentinel, laying in wait to pounce upon her. Yet.

Greta set her droids to work as they began the mining process, their mining lasers biting deep into the ore. The sooner they were done with this the better. The Sith Lady then moved on, her gazed fixed on an opening that had caught her attention. The Darth had informed her that she would be exploring her new point of interest. The girl had no problem with it. She had a crystal to get.

"May lady luck smile upon you as well, master."

[member="Darth Venefica"]

 

[Via Dolorosa]

The opening led to a tunnel, whose air smelled moldy and rancid, that was littered with the bones of small animals. Bending down, she picked up a bone and examined it, seeing teeth marks on it. The chill returned. Casting the bone aside, she stood up and proceeded down the tunnel spreading her senses out before her. The only feeling she was getting was that of her Apprentice's Force signature and the humming of the crystals. Then she felt another presence, not living but Darkside based that was radiating further down the tunnel.​

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Darth Venefica threw back the hood of her skin cloak with one hand, while igniting her blade with the other to illuminate the dark tunnel. Casting everything else from her mind, she focused on the new feeling; curiosity getting the best of her. Drawing closer to the source, the air began to grow more colder while the presence began to grow stronger. For one fleeting second, she thought about running down the tunnel to reach whatever was calling to her more quickly. But she was no fool. She was patient enough to wait long enough to make the discovery.​

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The eyes of the Sith Lady flickered with excitement when she finally stepped into the cavern. Among the bones of small and larger creatures, was some sort of ancient looking chest. Playing the cautious role, she looked around the chamber to ensure that she was alone and there were no surprises waiting to jump out at her. The chamber secure, she moved toward the chest, powering down her weapon, and looked at the it seeing words etched into the front of it; words written in the Sith language.​

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Her right finger began tapping her pursed lips while she contemplated whether opening it or not. The words were not a warning but bore a name. Ajunta Pall. She had respected the Sith Sorcerer and Alchemist. Part of her wanting to throw back the lid and see what was hidden inside, while another part of her wanted to leave it alone. Unaware of her actions, she reached down and opened the chest.​

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[member="Greta Kohler"]​

 

[Komo]

The droids had begun the mining works. Their mining lasers chipping away at the Lignan Ore. There were dozens of ore-filled rock walls that lined the cave, and Greta wouldn't have to go very far at all to get all the crystals she required. All she needed was time. It was but a mind-numbing process waiting for the droids as they worked away at their task of retrieving the precious ore from the bedrock there. The presence of the Lignan crystals there also gave the cave a somewhat spooky experience, its interior littered with the sparkles of the black glistening ore.

Greta had heard plenty of supposed guardians that guarded the site of the highly valuable Lignan ore. Lignan was no ordinary ore, it was one that was steeped in the dark side of the force, brimming with negative energy as it left its user with an euphoric feeling coupled with the sense of power and confidence. It had been some time since her master had left her to venture further into the cave, in search of something that had piqued her interest. The young acolyte wondered what it was, and if she would be missing out on anything interesting by not tagging along instead.

Her thoughts shattered as a low groaning sound filled the air. It had pierced the air, interrupting the monotonous whine of laser on rock as the droids worked away on rock after rock, leaving chunks of ore on the ground to be collected after. Greta shifted her head around as she looked after side-to-side, looking for whatever had made the ghastly sound. Perhaps it was the cave guardians after all, or her master had awakened something from what she had done further in the cave.

The blonde acolyte finally located the sound of the groaning as the sound came closer. They belonged to a group of misshapen, grotesque creatures that were lumbering towards her, creatures that had been utterly corrupted by the dark side of the force. Greta ignited her saber as she awaited for them to approach.

She would get some fighting done after all.

That should kill some time.

[member="Darth Venefica"]

 

[Via Dolorosa]

Her eyes glistened over with utter delight as they stared at the lone object resting at the bottom of the chest. For one fleeting moment, she was unsure if this was reality or if she was dreaming. She reached over and pinched her left arm with her right thumb and forefinger. The small trickle of pain she felt was all she needed to know that she wasn't dreaming. And the object in the chest was not only real, but now hers. ​

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Reaching into one of the pouches on her belt, she produced a piece of cloth and slowly reached down and gripped the Sith holocron, taking care to ensure the entire artifact was covered with the cloth. The desire to spend hours, perhaps even days, working her magick to unlock the holocron greatly appealed to her. The desire to learn or see what legendary information was stored on the beautiful object right now was even more appealing. But this was not the time nor the place. ​

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Darth Venefica placed the encased holocron into one of her empty pouches and spun around on her feet and took one step when she felt it. Something was here, she was not alone. Opening her mind up further via the Force, she felt the presence of something in the chamber with where her Apprentice was. With a snarl, she ignited her blade and took two steps when three figures dressed in tattered black robes pealed their wretched bodies off the fall; slowly dragging themselves toward her, positioning themselves between the opening and the Sith Lady.​

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Whatever manifestations they were, one thing was absolutely clear. The Darkside was radiating off them. And not just whispers either, but a full on wave of Darkside energy.​

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[member="Greta Kohler"]​

 

[Komo]

The grotesque, misshapen creatures dressed in tattered rags lumbered towards her, their moans as loud as the shuffling of their feet against the rough cave floor. Greta could feel the overpowering aura of the dark side pulsing as it radiated off them. They numbered four, and the acolyte could tell that they were stronger than they looked. She had learnt the lesson the hard way in the past, not to judge one by its way of exterior appearance. In most cases, there was always more than it seemed.

Slow and lumbering they may be, but they must still possess some form of power, if they were to be the much talked-about cave guardians. Or maybe, she was wrong, and there were no cave guardians, and they were but just fellow explorers who had fallen to the dark tendrils of the dark side, unable to control its manifestations upon them. The dark side of the force was not for everyone, especially not for lesser beings.

Greta ignited her saber, and charged towards the lead shambling creature. She was not about to let them have the advantage of striking first, thus allowing all four of them to close up on her. The acolyte would endeavour to strike the lead creature, which would give her some time, before the second abomination approached. She raised her saber in the usual Djem-So fashion, preparing for the launch of the strong overhand blow that came with the form.

The malformed abomination seemed not to care, or perhaps it was not in its ability to do so, and as the acolyte's blade came crashing them on the creature, it raised both its arms up, revealing a set of manacles fastened on its hands. Greta's weapon struck the manacles but did not penetrate. Made from some kind of saber-resistant metal, it must be. No matter, she would then struck the rest of the body, after all, the rest of them were just tattered pieces of cloth on its otherwise exposed decayed corrupted flesh.

[member="Darth Venefica"]

 

[Komo]

Struck the body she did. Ignoring the manacles which had proven to be made out of lightsaber resistant material, Greta instead attacked the various exposed parts of the abomination's flesh, and the blade sliced through them like knife through butter. Dismembering the creature's limbs at the elbows with a swift strike, the acolyte then proceeded to lop off its head with a decisive follow-up strike.

With adrenaline flowing indiscriminately through her veins, Greta would then proceed to finish off the rest of the malformed guardians of the cave. These so-called guardians were not much of a challenge at all to defeat, and she wondered if there was more than them just that. From what she could see, they seemed to be nothing more than vessels of the dark side. Perhaps they were stronger once. They had to be. She refused to believe that these supposed guardians were hardly anything at all. They had to pose some challenge at some point of time.

Now that the misshapen humanoids were taken care of, Greta would turn her focus back onto the task at hand. Glancing back at the mining droids, the acolyte would see that they were all but done, with just the carrying of the Lignan ore back to their awaiting ship outside. With the meat of the matter settled, her purpose here on the moon of Phaegon III was done.

[member="Darth Venefica"]