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First crystal grew over the day. I reached out to it with the force, felt it grow and tried to move and adjust the crystal's structure as the solution solidified into an actual crystal. My focus broke multiple times throughout and I had to take a break and when the solution I had selected had finished crystalizing, I didn't even have to look at the thing to know that there was no way in heck that it would work as a saber crystal.
I mean, I did go over it when I researched things in the senior track – I and just about every officer that came out of that school (which admittedly wasn't many) knew what a Kyber crystal looked like and what it's chemical components were but actually growing one from scratch? That was much, much harder apparently. I guess Illum was just stupidly strong in the force for how many crystals show up there.
So, I started again.
And again.
And again.
I'm on crystal nine right now and it's been two weeks since my leave started. If nothing else, it's good practice for actually using the force instead of locking myself in a closet, plugging my ears and going 'la, la, la, I'm not listening'. Metaphorically, I mean.
Which is good because Niman? It's stand-out feature, according to master Drallig, is the heavy emphasis on using the force in conjunction with the bladework. Pulling people into your lightsaber, pushing them away them jumping after them, that sort of thing. Given how important a connection to the force is to winning in the dark-light tug of war, it makes total sense how Exar Kun, the most notable user of the form, was totally unbeatable with it.
So that meant I actually had to start trying to lift things around.
That hasn't gone very well, though. There's a reason Anakin and Luke needed an instructor for this sort of thing, it's just not very intuitive. Not at all. I barely slowed the fall of a couple of cans in desperation a few years ago and that's as much as I got. Sensing and reacting to danger is one thing, actively trying to lift a crystal or two? That's just completely out of my purview.
I don't even know if I'm doing it right or if there's something I'm missing that would be obvious to a master. If I wasn't scared to death of losing my mind to Inquisitor training and being broken by the Emperor, I'd have turned myself over a looooong time ago. Of course, if I had done that, Luke and Leia were kriffed big time. Obi-Wan and Yoda too.
It's just frustrating, which is bad because then I got to stop trying, take a breath to calm down and come back to the project a few minutes later which just makes it worse. Aggravating.
---
It works!
It works, it works, it works!
…not the lightsaber, I'm on Crystal fifteen. But this other part works!
See, the idea I had to camouflage my Lightsaber was to make it a part of a multitool. Because if Obi-Wan's lightsaber was any indication, with it's insanely skinny neck right before the blade's output, lightsabers can afford to be very, very compact. Which means that the traditional hilt will have some empty room for some additional tools. The first idea I had? An astromech I/O port. Because it always drove me nuts in the movie that they had to wait for R2 in the movies to open a crucial door.
So, here's how the port works – the bottom end of the saber plugs into the wall and operates the socket. It has a plug for a data-pad for me to input commands and maneuver the computer systems and a holoprojector to show me what the insides of the system look like. It also works as a holo-comm unit so bonus.
This'll all be mounted and built into the lightsaber hilt apart from the components of the blade itself. The clincher is that the hilt itself will be filled with opening and closing panels so that it looks like a seamless device. Both ends fold open and close and the lightsaber end, if I've got my numbers right, won't even look like it opens – just a round, seamless end to my slicing tool. Add the fact that the on and off switch will only be accessible with the force and won't activate anything until the blade compartment is opened as a safety feature, and it'll be indistinguishable from a power pack.
I won't be able to actually wear it on my person until I've received my commission, so it's a no-go for my next internship, but when I'm an actual officer? With a command? We can carry custom multi-tools. The only problem will be declaring it when I'm bringing it aboard the next star destroyer for my internship but after a brief demonstration of what it does (for the record) I can just leave it in my trunk. To top it off, if the crystal I end up making is as good at hiding as I am, I might even be able to bring it even if there's an Inquisitor onboard.
Which is good, because the whole point of the lightsaber is for plan Z. The plan that is 'everything's gone wrong, I've been found out, they got the drop on me, my back is against the wall, HELP ME!'. It's to help me get away from an inquisitor and find a ship, likely a gunboat since those actually have hyperdrives.
You know, I could set it so that the blade can be only an inch long. I wonder if they'd buy it as just a plasma cutter? Well, nah. Because the buttons would need to be visible for everyone to use and I don't want it activating for anything other than full-blown fight.
…though having it be a plasma cutter would be useful. Just a non-advertised feature.
---
"So, how's Balmorra?" I asked the tiny hologram.
"It's amazing," Tori gushed, this huge grin painted on her face "This is where the Empire manufactures its walkers and since I'm an Officer Candidate, they let me watch the whole process. It's fascinating to see."
"They let you tour the factory?" I asked with a smile of my own. "That's awesome! What's it like?"
"I can't really say all that much," Tori shrugged. Then a large smile painted itself on her face. "I had to sign a non-disclosure agreement before I could go inside. But watching so many huge machines putting everything together, bolting the legs onto the chassis and seeing them install the cannons on the front? Oh, I almost got chills."
"There's nothing quite like watching a large gun get put together and knowing it can ruin someone's day," I replied with a matching smile. "Well, aside from firing it but you know. If we need to fire it, something's probably going to be shooting back."
"That's about the only downside, isn't it?" Tori said, taking a breath. "By the way, am I hearing the beginnings of a Corellian accent?"
"You are, actually," I answered, nodding. "I figured since I lived here, it'd be good to pick it up. You know, try something new."
"I like it," She said with a smile. "It makes you sound rugged."
"Ruggedly handsome?" I asked with a grin. "Or handsomely rugged?"
She giggled. "Both."
"Did you cut your hair?" I asked, putting on my best smirk. "It looks fantastic."
"I did," Tori responded, playfully pushing her hair up while striking a coy pose. "Thanks for noticing."
"How could I not notice?" I asked, playing at sounding shocked.
She giggled again. "Thank you. When are we going to see each other again?"
"Perhaps sometime next month?" I tried, looking sad and regretful. "I'm sorry, but I've got some projects that have got me completely booked."
She hummed. "Same, actually. There's a lot of social engagements here on Balmorra and my parents are coming to visit to make sure I haven't died. Or forgotten them. Would the weekend of the sixteenth through eighteenth work?"
"The sixteenth's a Taungsday, right?" I asked. That's roughly the equivalent of the Wednesday through Friday since a standard week only has five days. "That works for me. Can't wait to see you again. In person."
"Neither can I," She replied with a wave. "See you then."
"See you," I ended the call.
…the more I thought about our time on Kuat, the less I liked it. She clearly lost interest after our second discussion, then was perfectly fine with me the next day. I mean, I guess she could've thought about it and decided she could respect our differences in opinion but I'm afraid she reported me to the Imperial Security Bureau. Obviously, I haven't been dragged away in stun-cuffs, so I don't think that's the case but I could easily be wrong. If she did…that would be bad.
I'd be on a list. Maybe I wouldn't be watched every second of the day and maybe I got some leeway for surviving an attack on a Star Destroyer, but I'd be on a list and that would make my goals so much harder.
My apartment was clear of bugs, I checked. I soaked the information on how to place bugs from Werner so I knew where they were likely to hide them so again; there's room for some doubt. But I've got a bad feeling about it and if Han Solo's taught me anything, it's that bad feelings mean bad things are going to happen.
Makes me wish I had kept my mouth shut to be honest. I don't know, I thought there might've been a deeper connection there. That I might've had someone I can trust. I felt like I could trust her. I still do, though there's the doubt that it's just my hormones screwing with me.
If she did, I don't think I'd be able to look at her without being sick.
---
You know what I just realized?
Blaster bolts can be affected by the force.
The thought came to me as I was brushing my teeth and looking in the mirror and I remembered a scene where some Sith Lord froze a blaster bolt in mid-air. I don't remember who it was that did it, but it happened. Do you know what that means?
It means that the saber-style that I'm learning from and am having trouble building the saber to practice it, might actually be of use when shooting a blaster as well as in the lightsaber fight. Since I'm on crystal nineteen, that helps me out a lot since I was afraid I wouldn't be able to get anything of real worth out of the Holocron besides theory if it took too long too to build before my next internship – because after the one, it was straight to the Corps for training and my commission – I wouldn't have this level of free time again.
Draw speed, accuracy, pointing my blaster in the right direction, assisting the bolts in midflight, speeding up the bolts, all things that would be useful and possible with the force assisting me in combat. This is Niman's biggest specialty and what I'm going to be focusing on since I can't get the freaking Kyber-crystal to work.
I'll keep working on the crystal of course, simply because it's too useful to get and this might be the only time I'll be able to actually build a lightsaber before my defection – that means getting practice with it in case things go south and since it's Niman, it should be relatively simple to pick it up and make it useful.
I can't really practice with a vibroblade or staff because those weapons have weight all over them while a sabers weight is all in the hilt – I'd pick up a lot of bad habits and integrate them into my muscle memory and I'd have to completely relearn everything once I get a saber which will actually take longer. It's just not feasible.
So, first things first – start practicing my TK, use a blinder with a stun blaster to practice with a remote to start practicing fighting with the force. I don't exactly know what my assigned specialization is going to be once I get to the Academy on Carida, so I think it'll be best to train with something of the same weight and kick as the E-11, as well as a sidearm.
Thirdly, I need to find something else if this next crystal doesn't work because I can only take so much frustration on this leave, and I'd like to relax before I'm thrown into the Imperial War machine.
---
The crystal was clear, and seemed to shine from within with a white glow. It seemed to have the force within it as an unnatural warmth glowed from within it. And it is with that force presence that I learned that this crystal would get destroyed if I tried to use it in a lightsaber.
Alright, that's it. I'm done trying to make a Kyber crystal, I'm not skilled enough in the force to do it. So, what do we do? Well, I've got some options. Illum is absolutely not. Going to Tattooine to obtain a Krayt Dragon pearl is absolutely a no-no because if I am on some kind of list, I'd be leading the Empire right to Obi-Wan and more importantly to Luke. So, what are my options? Dantooine?
I almost didn't want to try that because I wasn't sure it even existed in this universe that I'm in. The reason I say that is because the Crystal Cave was the source of some very powerful lightsaber crystals for both Darth Revan and for the Jedi Exile and the Empire hasn't done a darn thing about it. It's not under quarantine, people can come and go from it as they please.
Compared to Illum's complete and total lock down, that seems like a pretty good indicator of 'there is actually nothing to see here at all'. So then…wait. Wait, wait, wait. I just had a memory come back.
Chandrila.
I haven't see too much of that planet, but I remember that it had an amazing tomb for a long-dead Jedi Master. Crystals everywhere. It was also untouched by the Empire for whatever reason, only being defiled by the Disciples of Ragnos to drain its force energy.
…long story, but the point is, I might be able to find something there!
I'll need to take a shuttle there, rent a speeder to search through Chandrila's crystal canyons for the tomb, hopefully find a crystal there, then come back. Should only take me a few days, but I'll plan to be gone for the whole week just in case. I don't know exactly where the tomb would be but I think I can find it in the planetary archives when I get there.
I get paid…what, tomorrow? Yeah, I can budget for the trip. Should be simple. I just need to remember the costs when I'm purchasing another remote tomorrow because I accidentally fried the first one with a full power shot.
Well, not entirely accidentally. It managed to land a lucky hit on me and I got annoyed. They're not exactly cheap, either. I mean, they are, but not to the point where I can buy one every week. I'll practice when I'm out there, it'll be kind of like camping.
Now, what to do with this comparatively fragile little thing?
…you know, I just had an idea for a necklace I could give to Tori…
---
So, I more or less decided that Corellia was like 'space America'. It had all the components of the heartland, it's architecture reminded me of New York City and San Francisco. Chandrila was not that. Its architecture was flowing and fluid, great bridges and tall spires. If I had to describe it succinctly, it was 'comic-book sci-fi, crystal empire utopia…pared down to realistic standards'. The whole planet was just beautiful, on the surface being every person's dreams of what the future would hold, a peaceful planet populated by peaceful people.
If it kept to that beneath the surface even a little bit, I'd be surprised but maybe I've spent too long in the Empire.
I walked past the Rotunda, a relatively famous place in the Galaxy that had been derided in the Academy for being a bed of sedition and treasonous ideas so clearly it wasn't that bad. I mean, even people who claimed to be for peace and tolerance could be as hostile to ideas different than their own as the Emperor himself if they didn't keep check for the infectious sin of hypocrisy. So I wasn't sure if it really was a discussion for different ideas or merely a circle-jerk of their own delusions that continually got more and more detached from reality until they alienated the grand majority.
But then, notions like that are why I stayed out of politics for the most part – I couldn't be bothered to find out who was right and who was deluded. Too lazy and since I'm trying to defect later, I've more or less made my stance.
Anyway, Chandrila's planetary archives reminded me of the Hall of Justice and it made me smile just looking at the thing. Inside, I'd say it felt like the Library of Congress in that it felt quite stately and orderly. Thankfully, I was wearing my uniform so I didn't feel out of place.
I walked up to the front desk and caught the eye of the Librarian. "Excuse me?"
She, a girl with her curly red hair falling down her back, looked up at me with emerald eyes. "Hello, sir. How can I help you?"
"This is going to sound odd," I replied, putting on my best, charming smile. "But I'm looking for a mausoleum here on Chandrila and I would like some help finding it."
"Oh. Is someone you know buried there?" She asked with a careful look at me while she reached for her terminal.
"No, actually. I just heard from someone who saw it that it was amazingly beautiful," I replied, still smiling. "And I wanted to see it for myself – but I forgot to ask who it was built for."
"That's a shame," She replied with a nod. "Uh…list of mausoleums. Did it have any distinguishing features?"
"He said there was a lot of crystals," I replied. In the game we explored that tomb in, my Jaden was always male. I don't think I ever completed a playthrough with a female Jaden, even though she was voiced by the lovely Jennifer Hale. "So, I assume it was built into one of the crystal canyons."
"How old was it?" She asked, typing some more things into the terminal.
"Thousands of years," I replied with a nod. That I knew for a fact. "I think he said something about…someone from an old religion being housed there? Like a knight or something?"
"You mean like a Jedi?" She asked, turning to me.
"That's the one," I replied with a snap of my fingers. "Thank you."
"You must be young," She muttered to herself, shaking her head. "Hm…no, I'm not finding anything here. No Jedi with tombs that old. I'm sorry."
She's lying. I can feel it. "Well, thank you for looking. I appreciate the help."
"You're welcome," She said with a warm smile. "If there's anything else, please come find me."
I gave her a gracious nod, and left for further into the archives and withdrew into the stacks of data-slates and archival servers, arranged in ways reminiscent of bookcases. The place was the model of a futuristic library and because of that, I think I'll be able to find…aha.
At the end of each stack was an Astromech port. I brought my multitool and after opening the jack, the holo projector and hooking up my datapad, I slid the jack into the port and it started spinning, getting to work.
It was a simple matter of searching – the archives were all hooked up together and the terminals they had for public searches might have parameters and firewalls restricting the search. The Chandrilan's hiding the existence of the tomb would be why it wasn't disturbed by the Empire and I applauded the guts they had.
Get past the firewall, add throw in some junk code to keep the system busy…there.
The Tomb of the Barsen'thor, a Jedi Warden. Buried some three thousand years ago, this was clearly what I needed.
I looked to the side, then another, to make sure no one saw me or was coming to investigate. I couldn't sense anything, but as my training with the remote has taught me, I'm not the most precise when it comes to that sort of thing.
Download the coordinates onto the datapad and…done.
I withdrew the tool and unhooked the datapad. I put both back on my belt and got onto a terminal, looking through planetary records…best to look legitimate for a while and give anyone looking for me, and I was afraid that the librarian might tell someone that I was looking for that tomb, the wrong idea about the progress that I made.
Last thing I need is someone following me to the tomb.
---
Chandrila's crystal canyons, for lack of a better word, were breathtaking. Miles and miles of canyon with crystal growths as tall as buildings growing out of them and reflecting the light of Chandrila's sun in such a way as to make it appear like a sea of stars.
I love this planet. I love this planet quite a bit. The speeder I was in was open-top, with the seats and vents heating the cockpit to keep me warm even at the altitude of a kilometer above the ground. I wasn't going to take a direct route to the tomb incase I had someone sneakily following me. Besides, I needed some time to train with the remote I brought.
As the journey started to go long, the sun setting behind me as I left daylight time-zones behind and space lag started to set in, I brought the speeder down, letting it rest on the ground next to the canyon. The tomb was six clicks to the east and if I can see that I'm not being followed, I'll follow after my rest and morning training.
Then my holo-communicator beeped. The one that was not in the lightsaber-hilt, I haven't connected that one yet. The holoimage, after the static cleared, showed Brigand. "Hey, Candidate."
"Master Sergeant," I replied, responding with a crisp salute, before remembering that he wasn't my commanding officer anymore. "Oh, heh. Sorry."
"It's fine," He said, waving it off with his hand. "Old habits die hard, right? How's leave treating you?"
"Honestly, I'm taking the opportunity to see the galaxy," I replied with a smile. "I've been wanting to see Chandrila's crystal canyons for a while and now that I'm on leave, I've got a chance. They're gorgeous. Have you ever been here?"
"I have," Brigand nodded with a smile…the first one I've ever seen him wear. "I was stationed there on peace-keeping efforts early in my career. Most boring post of my career, it was great."
"I'll bet it was," I nodded. "No threat of rebel cells blowing anything up here, it's just…peaceful."
"That it is," Brigand nodded. "Zipir and I have been talking, and we were going to put a request to High Command that once you became a proper trooper, you'd take your first command with the 357th. You and Orton, seeing how well you both did."
"That'd be great," I said with a nod. I would not mind serving with Brigand again, actually. I might not, since there's over a dozen squadrons in the Legion, but I'd like to stay on with the 357th. It'd be better than the 501st, definitely. "Say, now that I'm off duty…what do I call you, Brigand?"
"Off duty? Call me Charles," Brigand answered with a nod. "You and Orton still talking?"
"Yeah," I nodded. "Things are going great. You had a chance to talk with her at all?"
"I've called her, yeah," Brigand replied. "She seemed kind of upset when I brought you up, so I was curious if something happened."
Uh-oh. "You know why? I thought things were great."
"No," Brigand shook his head. "But if you want to keep things going with her, I'd find out what it is and resolve it, if you can."
"I'll try," I nodded. Still going to give her that necklace. If it's nothing, it's nothing. But if it's something…it might guilt her into admitting it. I don't want to go full on manipulation, but if it's nothing, I gave a girl I was interested in a pretty necklace. "…so, did you know she was interested? In me?"
"Eh, I suspected it," He shrugged. "I caught her sending you a few looks that officers typically don't give each other. Don't think she was going to do anything though until the attack happened and she thought you were going to die soon."
"Cool, so it wasn't completely out of the blue," I replied with a shrug. "I'm just oblivious."
"If you find a guy that isn't, you better introduce me," Brigand replied with a sarcastic smirk. "I want to know the secret."
"Same," I nodded, before yawning. "Excuse me. How's the 357th?"
"We're almost entirely restaffed," Brigand replied, shaking his head. "We just got a cargo-hauler's worth of new blood, so we're going to be going back on maneuvers as soon as we've got everyone – get them trained up. Highlander's space worthy again; took them long enough."
"That's good," I said with a smile. "This might sound odd, but I miss the old girl."
"That's just a sign that you're already a trooper," Brigand said. "Being on leave is great, but a Destroyer is honestly home. I'm not sure what I'm going to do when I retire."
"How long you got until then?" I asked quizzically.
"A while," He said, looking off to the side. "Anyway, you look beat, so I'll let you go so you can grab some shut-eye, alright?"
"Alright. Thanks for calling, Brigand," I said with a smile. "Good night."
"See you kid," He bade farewell and I shut off the coms.
…I've got a bad feeling about Tori. That's not something I really want if I'm going to be entering a serious relationship.
---
Author's Notes: It's legal to camp out under the stars on Chandrila on any piece on unclaimed land. It's illegal to pick a spot, call it home and start a community there.
Uh…other than that…yeah. I had debated him going to Tattooine. I really wanted him to hunt a Krayt Dragon. Maybe he'll head there at a later date to do just that but not right now. As much as I like Tattooine, I love the tomb of the Jedi on Chandrila. One of the greatest levels in Star Wars video game history in my opinion.
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