Fanclub **Guardians of Light: The EUC Jedi ~ ~ Close Your Eyes... Feel It... the Light. ~ ~**

Ask Bardan.

Unless you are from the future, for which you should know...

 

"A major weapons test is imminent. We need to know what it is and how to destroy it.”

 

It is a very good costume.

 

It was as quiet as it was cold in the ice caves of Ilum. The only sound I heard was the faint scrape of metal on metal from the joints on my armor.

Master Ananta Chetan had not looked pleased at my choice to wear steel on my quest for a lightsaber crystal, and I had almost changed my mind, but I was not wearing it out of misguided attachment to my old life. I just had a feeling that I was going to need it. I was resolved to trust my gut instincts today. And I wasn't dependent on my armor by any means; I had survived more than one dungeon crawl on Avantooine without armor. And if I keep telling myself that, maybe I'll convince myself I don't need it!

Forward, into the caverns, glassy clear walls of ice on all sides, I followed the twists and turns of ice crevices and canyons. I've never had a good sense of direction and soon felt completely lost, but I forged on, trusting that the Light would guide me to my goal and back. And I couldn't die, could I? Not for at least 25 years, or my conversation with my older self would be a temporal paradox, and the Force would never allow that to happen, would it?

Always in motion is the future. Where did that thought come from? All right, whoever or whatever is sending thoughts into my head, I wasn't serious about not being able to die, just trying to keep a positive attitude!

I emerged from a mildly claustrophobic tunnel that opened onto a wide chasm crossed by a narrow bridge of ice. Pausing and looking around, I caught glints of light from the depths below me. I hadn't seen anything sparkling like that so far, and something about it drew my attention. Was I on the right track? I'd have to get closer to find out.

On the other side of the chasm I made out a switchback trail wending its way down the steep walls of the chasm. If I crossed the bridge, I could follow the path down the far side to the glittering lights. Easy enough. If only I had a head for heights...

It doesn't make much sense, but a lot of pilots are mildly afraid of heights. If we're strapped into a cockpit seat, we don't care how high we are, and even standing on a precipice is manageable if there's a good railing to hold onto. But poised over the depths with nothing but my own sense of balance to keep me from tumbling to my death, vertigo had an unpleasant way of spinning my head.

All right, don't look down, just focus on the far end of the bridge and walk. Don't overthink it, just walk like a normal human being, doing fine, don't lean to the side, straighten up, now I'm overcompensating and leaning the other way, focus on the end of the bridge and just walk over that way, almost there almost there almost there... What was that cracking sound?

The bridge collapsed beneath my feet. I fell about five meters before I scraped against the steep side of the chasm wall. Scrabbling against the ice, I tried to slow my fall, but there was no purchase on the glassy slickness. All I could do was keep myself upright as I slid downwards.

The impact was much less severe than it should have been. Master Chetan's lesson in falling must have been foresighted; it saved my life. And my armor absorbed what little impact the Force didn't.

At that moment, my first priority should have been to look for a way out. But the glittering lights that had caught my attention from the top of the chasm now shone right in front of me, at eye level. They sparkled like starlight on a winter night, glittering like ice, but clearer and purer. I wanted to grab them all!

Then, a faint glow from behind the others drew my eyes. I instantly forgot all but that one, reached out, and it dropped into the palm of my hand at my first touch. This was the one. I raised it up to my face.

It was rough, a raw and uncut gemstone. To my eyes, it was little more than an uneven pebble. At the same time, it was a gloriously beautiful shining jewel all aglow in my mind's eye. From what the other padawans had told me, it wasn't what I had expected. But this was the heart of my lightsaber; there was no doubting that.

Realizing I had been lost in thought, gazing rapturously at my crystal for several minutes, I reluctantly tucked it out of sight into a pocket. Time to get back to the surface.

Easier said than done. I was stuck at the bottom of a chasm of ice with walls much to steep to climb. In one direction, the chasm dropped away still deeper. The other way was a dead end. The switchback trail upward led only to the broken end of the fallen bridge. It looked like the only way out would be to scale the slope I hadn't slid down.

Sliding down was easy, going up was not. I couldn't get any kind of grip on the surface, managing only a meter or two upwards before sliding back down to the bottom. I tried to get a running start, but there was barely any room, and I still wasn't getting anywhere. What I needed was climbing gear, pitons and crampons. Mental note: add those to my utility belt.

All right, time to make some sacrifices. I needed to lighten my load. I reluctantly removed my helmet, and gazed at it fondly. I had made it myself years ago, pounding the contours out of hull plating from the wreck of the scout ship Gypsy Rover, cutting and welding and riveting and polishing it to perfection. It had saved my life many times. But not this time. I reluctantly put it down on the ice.

... put it down on the ice! Maybe my armor is going to save my life one last time! I slammed the helmet down hard, driving the edges into the smooth ice. It stuck there. I carefully put my foot on it and pushed myself up. It's holding! What's next? Elbow guards! I unstrapped them, drove them into the sloping ice, and carefully stepped from the helmet to the guards. It's working!

It took nearly an hour. I finally stood at the tunnel where I had entered the chasm, gazing down at the trail of armor pieces left behind me. I had succeeded.

If only I had mastered telekinesis before I came here, I wouldn't have to sacrifice anything! But if losing my armor was the price of a lightsaber, so be it.

In a half-hearted gesture of farewell, I gestured toward my helm, willing it to rise up to me, one last gesture to a faithful old friend. And my helmet rose. It rose, it flew, it soared up the slope right into my hands! Finally! Now I can use the Force!

In short order the rest of my armor was strapped back onto my body where it belonged. I turned away from the chasm and followed the convoluted path back to the surface. My instincts led me surely back to where Master Chetan awaited. All was well.

Why didn't I believe that?

I was in a somber mood when I found him. He looked at me inquiringly.

"One step forward, two steps back, Master. I have a crystal now. And I made a breakthrough in telekinesis. But more importantly than either of those two things, I learned something about attachment. My breakthrough came because I was too attached to my armor to let it go. And I was willing to let it go for a lightsaber. That's because I want a lightsaber even more than my armor. If I build a lightsaber, my attachment to it will be even worse than my attachment to my armor. That's what Master Bonaventure was warning me about. I proved to myself that I'm not ready for my lightsaber. This is my crystal. Uncut, unfaceted, raw. Unfinished. Not ready for a lightsaber. That's my crystal. I think you should keep it until I'm ready for it."

 

I agree that it's a great costume and you will never lose your coolness.

 

Expertly executed with both trials, the crystal retrieval on Illum and the final post of the Mini-Mission. 10 FP's



I am pleased to inform you that the Council has readily agreed to bestow the rank of Knight upon thee, padawan. In the meantime, make all of the necessary preparations for the Knighting Ceremony and remain vigilantly alert for the moment when you shall beckoned to the great hall. IRL read what you can find on the Wook and in The Jedi Path regarding this milestone.

Sarge

Bardan_Jusik pts

 

Padawan Training
Psychenous

For your next task, report to the Rancor Pit and locate the Shadow Knight known as Han Solo29. You will duel her for a period of one week. She is the apprentice of Darth Bellorum, also known as Lady Belligerent in the SWC Sith group The Knights of Darkness.

We expect all rules of the Pit to be observed and both Lady B and I will keep close tabs on the proceedings. As this is your first lightsaber duel, do your best and resolve to make yourself a more willing instrument of the light.

=========

Rules of the Rancor Pit:

1: Obey the TOS for the JC forums at all times
2: Keep things IC, no personal attacks.
3: The word of the Pitmaster is law
4: All combat is to be non-lethal.
5: No permanent maiming is allowed unless agreed upon prior to engagement.
6: When the pit is not in use for formal events, Zombie Jar Jar is kept chained up on the lower level for those wishing to "work off some steam".

==========

May the Force be with you.

@Ananta Chetan

 

I have yet to build a lightsaber, Master Ananta Chetan. My skills are not yet complete.

OOC: I can probably post the lightsaber build before today is over, if you insist on my readiness for knighthood. I was kind of hoping y'all would argue against my decision to give up my saber crystal. I just didn't want things to go easy for Ven. I really should add "tends to do things the hard way" to his character sheet.

 

Padawan Bonaventure should endeavor to have as much faith in himself and in his readiness to become a Knight as the Council does.

OOC: Take whatever time you need. Master Mitth_Fisto will be concocting the Ceremony this time around, so just notify him here or via PM when you are ready.

 

OK, I'm trading PM's with Mitth. Let's press on.

 

Congratulations on breaking 100 Sarge!!!
I look forward to your knighting!

Man, the BMC really is going to bankrupt us at this rate.

 

I studied my crystal carefully. Very few Jedi had managed to take such a rough stone and turn it into the smooth, faceted gem that a lightsaber needed. This was going to be a real test of my skills. I wasn't even sure where to start. Light refracted at odd angles through the stone, so I didn't even know where to cut it.

Your eyes can deceive you. Don't trust them.

I balanced the stone in the palm of my hand, let my eyes drift shut, and awareness of the true nature of the gem brightened in my mind's eye. Yes, the crystal was hidden, but clear and solid and flawless. All I had to do was remove the excess roughness around it.

Placing a clean bucket under the grinding wheel in my workshop, I paused for a moment of calm, steadied my hands, and gently touched the stone to the wheel. Sparks flew and dust drifted gently into the bucket. A clear glassy surface emerged. I paused again, letting the image of the crystal clarify in my mind, and touched it to the wheel again.

My stomach growled. I glanced at the clock and was startled to see I was late for lunch. I'd been at this for hours. Should I press on with the final tricky facet, or take a break for food? My stomach growled again. For the Jedi it is time to eat too. OK, then lunch it is.

Stomach filled, I contemplated the crystal. Only one facet left to cut. And there was a flaw in the stone, a grain of common sand embedded right on top of the crystal, not a molecule away from the face I needed to cut. If I didn't get this last cut exactly right, all my work would be ruined. I could work my way down to the grain layer by layer and remove the sand before making the final cut, or I could simply cut away the whole offending material in one fell swoop. I asked my instincts which way would be best. My instincts didn't answer.

All right then, I'll put the gem aside for now, there's more to a saber than a crystal. I would need a hilt to install it in when I finished the crystal. Not if, when!

Now, I just need to remember where I stowed that thing... Oh, who are you kidding, you know exactly where it is, bottom drawer on your left, right where you put it. Right where you've been ignoring it and pretending it doesn't exist for years. I opened the drawer and lifted it out, brushing a faint layer of dust from the shiny surfaces.

Spoiler

The simple but elegant swept hilt fit my hand as comfortably as ever. The broken blade changed the balance from what I remembered, but it was not so different from the balance of the lightsabers I'd been training with recently. Yes, it was time to bring this one back into my life.

Then, as gingerly as peeling a bandage from an infected wound, I allowed myself to think of the one who had taught me to use it.

Spoiler

Instead of the familiar stabbing pain in my heart at the memory, there was only a distant, dull ache. So, another old wound had healed over when I wasn't looking.

I unscrewed the pommel from the hilt and laid out the pieces of the hilt, returning the broken blade to the bottom drawer. If I bored out the grip, it should be wide enough to hold the crystal, power cell, emitter, and control circuitry. I reached for a micrometer to measure the hilt, then stopped. No, I don't need to measure it. It will fit. It will be a snug fit, but it will fit.

An hour later I had all the parts I needed. I had cannibalized a broken commlink, a spare blaster power cell, and a perfectly good hyperdrive plasma injector, and it would all go together like it had all been designed for a lightsaber. It was going to be ideal.

I turned back to the crystal. That last grain of sand still lay inside the last ugly lump on the crystal's surface. Decision time. Do I gradually scrape away at the lump, layer by layer, and hope that the sand doesn't scratch the face of the crystal when it finally comes off? Or do I risk shattering the whole thing with one clean blow of hammer and chisel?

With no further thought, I picked up the hammer and chisel, quickly positioned them, and struck. The ugly lump fell into the bucket with the crystal dust. I held up the flawless crystal, gave it one last polishing pass on the grinding wheel, and dropped it into the hilt. Perfect.

The rest of the parts flowed together as smoothly as on a topgrade assembly line. And the finished lightsaber hung before me, suspended in midair by the light of my will.



This is the part where I gingerly push the button and pray to the Light that it doesn't explode, right? No, not for me. The Light has been guiding my hands all along. Thanking the Light and those who had showed me its ways, I pressed the button.

Spoiler

 

I posted on the thread. Was I supposed to tag you? I only tagged my opponent.

 

Yes, that would be wise. The eyes of both communities will be on you two, in this first of its kind training duel in our new Temple.

Are you clear on how to proceed from what I PM'd you plus the standard protocol between opponents that you see practiced in the Pit?

Psychenous

 

I'm loving all the droid names given in the Legacy PR thread.

Edit: Go get 'em Psychenous !

 

I like imagining all our droids hanging out in their free time.
I get the feeling my droid would be the buzzkill of the bunch.

 

Navi is extremely old and cantankerous... but she usually hangs out in my closet recharging.

Sent from the edge of a galaxy far, far away via my comlink

 

Hm.

We have many droids in all shapes and sizes around. A few of which are very outdated, mine included considering he's an R4 unit.

I also keep tossing around the idea in my head of giving Master Octaris a stuffy protocol droid to help him in the library.