Preparation for the flight to Ilum took a considerable amount of time. Jedi are slow to harness, and that's a fact... Because when I went to the warehouse keeper and puzzled this undoubtedly Russian man in a past reincarnation with the fact that I needed clothes in my size made of special fabric, a couple of heating generators created for colonizing cold worlds, boots, and a bunch of other necessary things — this individual scratched his head for a long time and muttered something like "Old Republic fighters — yes, there are even a couple of big smuggler freighters... but where do you expect me to find such clothes?" But a Jedi couldn't help the suffering one to keep his dignity and other body parts, and after asking me for a day for inventory, he sent me away, saying that everything would be ready for departure.
Well, fine... What is a lightsaber anyway? As I've repeatedly made a note in my memory, a lightsaber is a weapon that millions of boys around the world dreamed of. To become a Jedi... Many desired such an honor until they grew up and started arguing on forums with foam at the mouth that Jedi are weaklings, but the Sith kept bandits, pirates, and, most importantly, corrupt officials in check, thus agitating for the Empire, the Tsar, and so on. Although it's nonsense that dictatorship itself rids the state system of corruption. Examples? Corruption scandals in the Russian Federation, removing the Unnamed with his investigations from the equation, even without him, they steal a lot in my Homeland and catch... Mostly those who, for some reason, got too carried away, and others are treated... with understanding.
About lightsabers. The construction itself is not that difficult, considering that we were forced to literally memorize it. We also knew how to disassemble and assemble training lightsabers: the hilts of these are standard and quite uncomfortable for some races. It's another matter — custom-fitted hilts, which a droid helps create. And that droid, as far as I remember, is like the Ollivander of the Star Wars world. Of course, I would attribute him more to the New Canon, which I wouldn't want to end up in, than to Legends. Although his presence is amusing... A custom hilt, a custom crystal.
It will only be a little while until I get the rank of Padawan. Why do I care so much about forceful methods of problem-solving? Mastering the combat techniques of the Force, waiting for fencing lessons, learning to pilot a fighter at the expense of diplomacy? It's all very simple — I'm counting on my knowledge of the canon and I roughly understand how and to whom to say what words in the Order to try to initiate the necessary reforms. After all, it all started with the Order, and it will all end with it. The Senate will not change if the Jedi Order does not change before it. And diplomacy lessons in the context of the task "to change the Order" will give me little. In order to be listened to, or rather, to be listened to, I need to become a rather authoritative Jedi. And for that, there are only a few ways.
Jedi researchers, traveling the galaxy, searching for new worlds, races, knowledge. Experienced researchers are quite authoritative and know a lot...
Diplomats. Diplomats negotiate, and that's all there is to it. I would bet on diplomacy, but I'll put it this way. Can I negotiate with pirates? Or with bandits? Or with some mercenary? Not always, so I must be able to stand up for myself. On the other hand, is it bad that in the future I plan to focus on this at the expense of diplomacy? Yes and no. And more so, no. As I've understood, I know the canon perfectly, both Legends and, relatively, the New, forgive the Force. So I'll easily be able to deal with diplomacy later... But in martial arts, in fencing, in the combat application of the Force, piloting fighters, and so on, without having a child's advantage in learning (and children always quickly understand and learn new things) it will be very difficult. While my body is a child's and young, I can develop its parameters. And then I'll have time for diplomacy.
Well, and the third option is peacemakers. It is to the latter that defenders and, in part, guardians can be attributed. Their main goal is stated in the name of the specialty. They investigate crimes, participate in aggressive negotiations, destroy pirate gangs, although recently only those whose existence is not beneficial to the Senate.
In general, all this is quite conditional, but I saw myself more as the latter. And if my visions coincided with the Force's vision for myself. Entering the classroom, I looked around at those present. Now only our group had classes, the flight to Ilum is important, and naturally, we will be accompanied... We will be accompanied by one of the Padawans sent by the Council.
"Finally, you're here, Flyingstar," Qin grumbled, "I thought Your Majesty wouldn't deign to appear."
"How could I miss such an event, Qin?" I asked with a smile. "But to answer why I was late — I was asking at the warehouse for clothes for cold worlds. And I'd advise you to do the same. It's cold on Ilum."
"Is that so?" asked a tall man with dark skin. He had short, curly hair from which a Padawan braid emerged. Dressed in classic brown Jedi attire. "In principle, it's a reasonable decision, although you'll be given the necessary minimum anyway."
"I'd prefer to have something in reserve," I informed the Padawan.
"Reasonable," the man nodded. "Alright. Since you're late, I'll introduce myself again. I am Padawan Mace Windu," I got a blue screen. Windu! And not even flown into the wind yet! (Author's note - fan joke. Windu - window in English. And in the third episode, Mace flies out the window. Hence, "Mace Windu flew into the Windu") "I will accompany you to Ilum."
"I... I understand. I am Light Flyingstar," okay, calm down. You've already met Master Yoda. And this is just Windu. Besides, I've glimpsed Ki-Adi-Mundi, Dooku, and even Qui-Gon, and Fimor and Cin Drallig are studying in my group.
"I've heard," Mace nodded. "So, clan. You have demonstrated skills, abilities, and talents, and you will be allowed to visit Ilum to subsequently find a kyber crystal and assemble a lightsaber," Windu took out his lightsaber and ignited the blue blade. Stop, blue? Although, what year is it? According to my calculations, it's fifty-nine years before the Battle of Yavin. He'll assemble his purple lightsaber, ala Revan, in about a year. Now his blade is blue. The most common crystals on Ilum are green and blue, and yellow and white are found less often. It's a matter of luck, or rather, the Force sees. "Ilum, as you already know, is a cold planet. Therefore, each of you, with adjustments for race, will be issued a set of clothing."
"Is a set needed for Gol?" Fimor quietly asked me. "He's a Wookiee and all covered in fur. Did you see his bed? He even sheds."
"I don't want to know the details," I quietly replied to Fimor. "Besides, haven't you fallen in love with him? You're watching his bed..."
"I was just trying to joke," Fimor whispered hurtfully.
"Uav, vuav vav (Just trying to joke? Well, wait until we get back from Ilum, and I'll show you, you bag of skin)," Gol grumbled, having heard our conversation, which made Fimor yelp.
"Enough," Windu interrupted sharply. "You are the future of the Jedi. And, as stated in our code — 'there is no emotion, there is peace.' Reject emotions and focus on what awaits you. Otherwise... You will be very unpleasant. Do you all understand?"
"Yes, Padawan Windu!" they all reported in unison.
"I hope so," Windu said importantly. "We are leaving the Temple hangar in four days, early in the morning, at six standard hours. Look for the Consular-class frigate number three hundred twenty. That's all."
Windu left the classroom. I should hurry the quartermaster, and re-read the memories about traveling to Ilum a couple more times.
The alarm clock was buzzing angrily, waking up our men's room. Although I felt no hatred for this instrument. After all, I had slept well, as confirmed by a light meditation as soon as I woke up, and I was in a good mood, unlike Drallig and Fimor, who couldn't sleep all night, so they were playing "Supergalacticfighting," an analogue of Mortal Kombat, where you could even play as a Jedi, although when Drallig asked Roan about this game, he grimaced as if he had swallowed a lemon, though he didn't punish the insolent youngling. Why this was, turned out later when Fimor found an old magazine that said that long ago, the future knight Roan himself had asked the then Master of Battle about this game. That one had no patience and beat into the youngling's body everything he thought about "stupid idiots playing games and thinking they are Jedi." And my clanmates would have continued to look like mummies, who could only be bandaged and presented as pharaohs in pyramids, if I hadn't shared stimulants with them.
Of course, after them, when the withdrawal comes the next day, they will look like cutlets. But when will that be? We have five days to fly to Ilum. The withdrawal will come the next day. They will have time to recover and arrive at the crystal search fresh and in good health.
We got ready quickly, packed all the required items into the bag. I did manage to get a couple of portable thermal generators, plus spare warm clothes, from which I immediately put on the underwear, so as not to freeze my little one. One should remember that there are many beautiful girls and women in the galaxy, and I will be very disappointed if I cannot appreciate them at least once... Probably.
The girls, surprisingly, got ready faster than us. Apparently, an invention like cosmetics is only in demand among female Padawans. Youngling girls are not yet able to buy such an invention of intelligent races, and therefore, they will not spend five hours getting ready. We reached the hangar at a run, although credit must be given — in formation. The huge hangar was teeming with ships of varying degrees of modification, novelty, and paint. We had glanced in here a couple of times. Jedi are communists, if you look at it. There are no personal ships in the Temple hangar, there are common ones. Any Jedi can use them. For example, if a Jedi gets assigned to a mission, you can take any Temple ship. There are just a couple of thousand of our usual consular ships. Enough for a small fleet.
And one of them was just at parking spot number three hundred twenty, where Windu directed us.
"So," Windu deigned to look away from contemplating the ship to direct his dark eyes at us. "As I said, you have shown yourselves worthy. Light, Qin, Gol, Fimor, Versaria, Rela, and Maru," he pronounced our names. "You are given a unique opportunity to create your own Jedi lightsaber. But a lightsaber is nothing without a crystal. The crystal is what focuses the Jedi's Force. And that is what we are going to find."
"Cool!" Drallig exclaimed.
"I haven't finished yet," the Korunnai sealed him with a look. "Listen to what the elders say, Cin Drallig!"
He is two years older than us, and he has the arrogance as if he were King Alaric, and we are barely born Sephi.
"The trial that awaits you on Ilum... is somewhat different from what you are used to seeing here in the Temple. I know," he glanced at the girls, who, embarrassed, looked away, "some of you have already tried to find out from the Bear clan and not only from them what the trial consists of. So — no one will tell you anything, and you will not tell anyone. Because each trial is strictly individual for each youngling. You will understand what I mean when you see it. And now, please, everyone on board."
How hard it was for me to fly. And not because Gol, Qin, and Fimor were literally dying to get a lightsaber. Even the girls, and they always separated themselves from us guys, especially after that memorable xenobiology lesson where it was explained that girls mature earlier than guys, which sowed seeds of pride in the fair half of our group. Even Versaria, Maru, and Rela were dying of impatience. Minutes seemed like hours. The ship entered hyperspace. It was flying... The vessel shuddered, and Windu announced that we had exited hyperspace. The flight to the planet itself... And just incredible cold. Although we were all already dressed and ready to endure the cold temperature. Ilum seemed to be waiting for us. I concentrated slightly, feeling the flows of the Force on this planet.
The wind howled like wolves at the moon. Snow, if not for the heated protective goggles I put on, would have blinded me. And the cold, judging by Fimor's and Drallig's shivering, pierced to the bone. How fortunate I was to have brought thermal generators. Portable boxes, no more than three kilograms in weight, generated a temperature in an area with a diameter of one and a half meters from the body. Which literally made me popular among the girls. Rela and Maru almost fell on me with their bodies. Although it happened because they stumbled, and I almost fell too.
"And how will we get through now?!" Drallig exclaimed when we ran into a wall. Credit must be given, we landed not far from the wall itself.
A wall of ice blocked our path to the cave, behind which was the entrance to the caves with kyber crystals.
"Focus on the Force," Windu's voice sounded. "Together and only together can we overcome this obstacle!"
I started first, closing my eyes and directing my hand at the wall. Later, my classmates began to do the same... A roar was heard, the ice cracked like lightning, and finally, it fell down, revealing the entrance to the location... The primary cave, where there were no crystals... It was clearly warmer there than outside, so I turned off the thermal generators, relying only on my clothes.
"What were you doing at all?" I asked Rela and Maru when the Twi'lek and Togruta, embarrassed, detached themselves from me.
"Um... Thank you," Rela smiled as gently as possible.
"You did the right thing," Windu praised me. "Helping comrades is the right thing for a Jedi."
Not that I particularly wanted to help them. Although no, I did help them! I warned them about the planet!
"You've finally arrived," a high, cold voice was heard. A man with aristocratic features, correct, I would say, stood before us. Straight, dark hair and in light Jedi clothing... And the aura! Incredible power, almost like Yoda's, emanated from him. "I am Master Jedi Dooku," but everyone remembered Dooku as an old man who dueled on par with Yoda. Here, it's his young version. "You have arrived here for kyber crystals, haven't you, Younglings?"
"Yes!" Drallig exclaimed, for which he received a cold look from Mace and Dooku. "Kyber crystals. How do we get them, Master Dooku?!"
"You must learn patience," Dooku said, turning the lenses hanging from the ceiling with the Force. The entrance was again frozen with a wall of ice. But the lenses began to focus light, and the ice... turned into water. "You don't have much time. You must enter the cave and find YOUR," he emphasized the last word, "kyber crystal."
"But how will we know that it's our kyber crystal?" Rela asked. "Master Dooku," she added at the end, embarrassed.
Dooku approached the girl, bent down to her eye level.
"You will know," he nodded, turning away from the Twi'lek. "Each of you, as soon as you see the crystal, will know that it belongs to you and only you. Concentrate, sharpen your perception, rely on the Force, and... Overcome yourself. And remember, you have less and less time."
I didn't listen to the end, rushing to the entrance. They'll catch up if they want to pass the trial. The black cave was dimly lit. I had no problems orienting myself, nor did the others, as they quickly caught up with me at the fork...
"Three paths?" Fimor asked. "How so?"
"Three paths," Versaria said thoughtfully, "Does that mean we need to share somehow?"
"Does seven divide by three?" Drallig asked.
"Uwa uwav? (Are you serious?)" Gol asked.
"Not entirely," I added. "We need to choose, not discuss."
"And how will we do that, huh, smarty-pants?" Qin asked me, pointing his hand at the paths. "Do you think it's that simple? Like your Force lessons?"
"There's nothing complicated, Qin," I replied seriously. "Just concentrate on the Force, and it will show you the way. Remember who we are trying to become. Jedi. And what did Master Yoda tell us? The Force is a Jedi's ally, and a mighty ally it is."
I closed my eyes and focused on the Force. The Way… I must find it… The Force of Ilum filled me as I raised my hand and…
"That's where I'll go," I said, pointing to the right entrance.
"And you'll just go like that?" Rela asked. "Leave us?"
"Not entirely," I shook my head. "Choose your own path. And if anyone, after communing with the Force, chooses my path, they will go with me."
Five minutes later… I was calmly walking through a dark cave illuminated by small crystals.
"You'll protect me, won't you, Light?" Rela asked. "From monsters."
The Twi'lek clung to me, which was slightly annoying. I have a rough idea of what she thinks of me, and honestly, if she and I give in to those thoughts in time, they will only distract us. It's too early for that. I need to become strong enough to be heard by the Council and everywhere else. And so that, if I fail my plans, I can at least fend off an Imperial Stormtrooper detachment and a couple of Inquisitors.
"If you had read the manual, you would know that there are no monsters here and never have been. Ilum's cold climate is uncompromising when it comes to life forms, especially fauna," I remarked, a little coldly. Although there is some fauna here, it is rare enough to be forgotten.
"But I'm still scared," you're probably walking too close. "What is that?!" Rela exclaimed, pointing a finger at a piece of ice. I instantly probed the direction with the Force.
"What do you see?" I asked Rela.
"It… It's glowing and… Shimmering with the Force!" the girl noticed.
"There you found your crystal," I observed. "It's a bit high, though." I couldn't see anything, not even in the Force, but it sparkled specifically for Rela.
"Too high?" Rela asked. "It's impossible! What should I do?"
"What's impossible?" I asked, looking at the girl.
"We-e-ell," she stretched, "I'm, like… A little afraid of heights."
"What did Master Dooku say?" I asked. "Prepare yourself and overcome yourself. You found your crystal, and only you will figure out how to get it. As for me," I ran my hand along the wall leading to the crystal. The walls were crisscrossed with cracks… The cave seemed to know that a person had to climb. "I'm going further, Rela. I need to find my crystal."
"But I…"
"Hey," I walked up to the girl, infusing her body with the Force, trying to convey my confidence. "You believe in my powers, right? Try to believe in yours now. I won't always be around to help you. Go on, Rela."
I hope I motivated her…
"Yes," the girl nodded, her eyes filling with determination. "You're right! I have to. And I will!"
The right mindset. There are no attempts in the real world. There is only action. Either it fails or it doesn't. My crystal… I must find you.
I didn't walk for long, by my internal clock – about ten minutes… Yes, I know everything from the canon and supplementary materials. I'm fully prepared for anything… I… AAAAH. Suddenly, the corridor broke, the ice gave way, and I was plunged into incredibly icy water. So icy that no thermal underwear could save me. What is this… How cold! Quickly! Crucitorn, barrier… Buff. The Force flowed through my body, giving me some warmth. Where's the shore?! The exit! I swam towards the shore, moving away from the chasm.
"Phew… Phew," I spat out the cold water. "This is a bit… Brrr… Too much! It's easy to catch pneumonia like this! What the?!"
A block of ice crashed down on the spot where my body had been a few seconds ago. A nasty crackling sound… The cave is collapsing?! Damn it, where did I end up?! This wasn't in the canon! Not in the canon, not in the legends! Nowhere at all! I ran, I could be buried alive… I ran down the corridor, and it kept collapsing. While running, I applied a buff to my entire body, increasing my speed and improving my reaction… An ice block crashed in front of me, partially blocking the passage. I dived down, sliding under it. Over the next block, I flew, pushing off with my left hand… The passage ahead collapsed! Either jump to the remains of the passage or dive into the water again. But jumping, even with a buff, is far. Stop, what? The left part of the wall is ice, but the right part is somehow dirty… The entire analysis took me at most a second. Remembering survival lessons, I jumped onto the right part of the wall and ran along it, pushing off, I jumped into the passage… My legs gave way again, and I slid down, jumping into another cave. A dead end? No, the cave "turns" almost one hundred and eighty degrees, the cave arm leads back… Running to the dead end, I performed a "reverse," jumping onto the wall of the dead end and turning my body, I ran on. Another collapse? How many more times?! This time I'll be able to jump with a buff… Acceleration, jump… I reached a ledge, grabbed onto it, and climbed up. Author's note – music for the protagonist's run. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=juv5sfc-HrQ.
"Whoo," I panted heavily. "I always dreamed of being a parkour runner. How they control their bodies… Thank you, Force…"
Please… If only I could hear a sarcastic voice, considering I made a childish mistake. The ledge gave way, and with it, I… What the hell?! Crucitorn, body buff. And still, it hurt and was unpleasant when I fell on the ice…
"KHA!" I spat blood onto the cave walls. "It hurts so much! My ribs!" I touched the places that ached after the fall. "F***! If anyone tells me to come back here even once more! Never! After all that run I went through, this is how I was thrown!" Palpatine's laughter echoed somewhere in my ears… Brrr… Stop, what is this?!
After walking a few meters, I noticed a strange glow. A glow that beckoned, literally called me and my entire being to approach it… My kyber crystal? What was the test? To understand that not everything always goes according to plan. I prepared so much, studied information, gathered inventory, but in the end, I still got it "in full." The generators are broken, the cold pierces to the bone… A long corridor, not ending in a dead end. Two blocks of ice hold my kyber crystal in the center of a huge hall. Right behind it, apparently, is the exit from the caves… I jumped forward, and just in time, again, a block of ice almost crushed me! This place just wants to kill me! I have to disappoint it! I rushed forward again, under the crackling of falling blocks. Not everything always goes according to plan, plans can fail, that's the lesson they're teaching me. Therefore, I must not only rely on the information I know but also on what I see with my own eyes… Blocks fell, I overcame them. Every obstacle, regardless of how it arose – is just part of the path. Down, from above, from the side… An ice wall appeared unexpectedly, it wasn't there and now it is… I threw my hand forward, and the wall shattered into pieces. Finally! Under the buff, I jumped up, grabbed the crystal, shimmering with green light, in mid-air, and pushing off from the lower part of the block that held it, I jumped to the exit of the cave… Stepping away from the ledge, I looked back… The cave I ran out of was completely collapsing, buried under blocks of ice.
"Time to go home?" I asked myself.
Right… I got the crystal, but it's too early to relax. Limping, without rushing, I moved forward. I know perfectly well that I will definitely get out of the cave now… Yes. And then to the ship, where I'll drink a couple of liters of warm caf and get out of this damn planet!
Shivering and limping, I stumbled out of the cave entrance…
"Congratulations. You're third," Dooku nodded, with Rela and Gol standing next to him. "Well, show it."
I handed my crystal to the master. He studied it with curiosity. In someone else's hands, it stopped shimmering with green light and dimmed slightly.
"Yes, that's right," Dooku nodded. "The crystal is larger than usual. You found a Pontite, boy."
"Pontite?" Rela asked. "I heard it's more powerful."
"Correct," Dooku nodded. "Although not everything depends on the crystal. Much depends on the Jedi themselves. But in the Order, holders of Pontite are considered… Much stronger. Usually, such crystals resonate with the Force of the most potential Jedi…"
"Uwav, wa war (Light has fourteen thousand midi-chlorians)," Gol remarked, and who pulled his vocal cords?
"Is that so," Dooku scratched his chin. "Then it's not surprising."
"That's all well and good, but Master Dooku… May I have a little… This… Caf to warm up…"
"To warm up?" Dooku looked at me with a thoughtful gaze. "Force! What happened to you there?" He felt my body, infusing it slightly with the Force. Clearly, he's probing for damage and healing what he can.
"Ah… I got into a corridor like an obstacle course and… Made a," the cold began to take its toll, I was no longer using Force techniques. And my clothes are wet and cold. "Real ch… chase. And it all started, for your information, with me being thrown into a cave lake."
"Padawan Windu," Dooku looked at Mace.
"Let's go," Windu waved his hand. "You need to warm up. You passed the trial. You did well."
Already sitting in dry, warm clothes, drinking my third mug of caf, I noticed my group entering the ship. They were all literally glowing with happiness… Panting, warm, and satisfied younglings joined the caf-drinking.
"Hutt!" Drallig exclaimed. "I came fifth! And again, I'm worse than Flyingstar!"
"Does it matter?" asked Fimor, who had come seventh, looking sulky. "I don't even remember us competing in anything."
"It matters… It matters… Exactly!" Drallig exclaimed. "Flyingstar, how does it feel to lose to Gol and Rela? Especially Rela?! You even lost to her…"
"Uwa wau wav (Who are you to talk)," Gol remarked.
"I don't care," I said, unclasping my left hand and levitating the shimmering green Pontite. "The main thing is my crystal. I managed… It was a dangerous trial."
"Indeed," Windu's voice was heard. "You got off no easier than I did in my time. What I ran into," Mace grimaced, "I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy. In any case, you have proven that you understand the Force sufficiently. Each of you has overcome yourself in this cave."
Indeed. I prepared and planned my trip to Ilum so much. But the Force played a cruel trick on me, throwing me into an extreme situation and forcing me to cross the cave. But I tested my body and was delighted. It's not perfect, no, but even so – I can do things I only dreamed of as a child. Somersaults, rolls, various jumps. I remember it like it was yesterday. Assassin's Creed, Mirror's Edge, Vector… What captivated me in those games back then – parkour. Overcoming rough terrain. Especially in Assassin's Creed, it's shown a bit more realistically, in my opinion. I appreciated it, so to speak… And Jarro Tapal was right: for a Jedi, any obstacle becomes a path. It doesn't matter if the obstacle arose during a run or in politics. Overcome it… And that's that.
We emerged from hyperspace. Not near Coruscant, no… Now we're heading to "Mr. Ollivander's" ship from SW. The droid Huyang, who, according to our preferences, will help us choose other materials for the lightsaber. Why do I call him Ollivander? The answer is simple: he will provide us with materials for the hilt, and the materials for the hilt are strictly individual for each Jedi and change, like the shape, like the kyber crystal of the saber, very rarely. Mostly, only after a total change of character, which is not a threat to me. So I will choose a companion for my entire conscious life in the DLG… And then I will do good and inflict justice, as planned, to a minimum, trying not to shine too much. Otherwise… A knife in the liver and no one is eternal, as some used to say. And although it's problematic to kill me, but… A lion is extinguished by a crowd. So I should be careful… Yes…
The ship we were taken to was called the Crucible. And it too was literally permeated with the power of the Force. Thousands of Jedi passed through this ship, no… Hundreds of thousands, if not millions, assembled their first sabers here… It seemed that even Drallig, whom everyone called "the barbarian" behind his back, was imbued with the atmosphere and was silent, except for opening his mouth…
"Here you will meet the one who will help you assemble your first saber," Windu informed us as we approached the table. "Wait for him, he will appear now…"
And as if on cue, a heavily modified protocol droid came out to us. At least it looked very much like a protocol droid. Its silver paint was gleaming, it had recently been washed, and judging by the streaks, its oil had also been changed.
"Greetings, young Jedi, my name is Master Huyang, and I will be the one to teach you how to create your first lightsaber," the droid introduced himself.
"A droid will teach us?" Drallig grimaced.
"I hear skepticism in your tone, and don't try to deceive my sensors," the droid approached Drallig. "Hmm…" he snatched the green crystal from him. "Pontite. You have potential, but you are wild," a giggle came from the girls. Well, wild, yes. "Your hand is rough. Judging by your appearance, you spend a lot of time practicing swordsmanship. I think the old, proven method will suit you," he walked over to the material cabinets. "Without any special frills. Yes. Simplicity is the key to health. Where is it? Here it is," he placed a hilt in front of Drallig. "Here. A hilt made of a special steel alloy will suit you. It will result in a saber that is not heavy, but not light, with excellent balance for you and your possible weight category. Just right for practicing Form V."
"Uh," Drallig hesitated.
"Next," Huyang proclaimed. "Sephi," he looked at me. "Quite small. Didn't they think to take you by birth to the Temple kindergarten? After all, Sephies develop slightly slower than humans, hence their lifespan. But… A saber for a Sephie. Long arms, fingers. Bronze would be perfect," a bronze-colored hilt was demonstrated to me. "Not polished, light as a feather. Suitable for fighters focused on speed styles. Neuraniium would also be suitable, but not now. It's more convenient for you to use bronze.
Handing me a toolbox, Huyang switched to Gol.
"Wookiee!" the droid exclaimed. "I'm glad to see you in the Order…"
Never mind… I focused on the offered parts. I recalled the diagrams… I can sit here in meditation. Sighing, I sat cross-legged, focusing on the disassembled parts. The bronze parts were mixed with leather inserts to make it easier to hold the blade itself. The metal felt pleasantly cool in my hand… The first thing to do is to infuse each part of the lightsaber with my Force, so that it becomes yours. Which I proceeded to do, infusing every millimeter with my Force… That's it. Every part that will become an element of my lightsaber…
"Done!" Drallig exclaimed, activating his lightsaber. I emerged from meditation…
"Stop! Don't activate it!" Windu ordered, but Drallig, intoxicated by the moment, pressed the activation button. And only Windu's reflexes saved him from death. He simply and without fuss telekinetically knocked the saber out of Drallig's hand. The saber flew off, exploding in the air.
"WHAT?!" everyone asked in unison.
"A classic beginner's mistake," the Droid explained impassively. "He incorrectly placed the focusing crystal. Thereby almost killing himself and all of you. After such an explosion, as a rule, only the crystal remains intact, which goes out forever." The group members moved slightly away from Drallig, only Gol grumbled words of regret. Cin himself, with a sullen look, went for his crystal.
Poetic… No, truly poetic… I returned to the floor and levitated the parts again with telekinesis. I've done this so many times with a training lightsaber. It's on the Clone Wars that younglings train with sticks, we used training lightsabers. Yes, universal, without frills. But we passed the assembly and disassembly test. And I'm not Drallig, I won't mess up such a moment. I don't need a length regulator, it's better to adjust this with the power of the lens and get used to the required length immediately, but a power regulator will be useful. Next – the energy modulation circuit, then place the cyclical field chargers. It is especially important to pay attention to the placement of parts, fitting. They should not obstruct the output channel. The charging device doesn't fit… I'll pick a smaller one. Focusing crystals are universal and are given to everyone, they are placed behind the focusing lens, and the primary crystal, immediately after it – that's what we got on Ilum. The Pontite, shimmering green, took its place. I paid special attention to its orientation, making sure I didn't make Drallig's mistake. Well, and then – the blade's power elements… Done!
The saber landed in my hand, filling me with strange emotions. Here it is… Is it ready to act with me? I twirled the hilt, as I was used to doing before a fight, and caught Mace's gaze. He looked at my saber, scanning it with the Force, and then nodded, a slight smile on his lips.
"Turn it on," the Padawan said only one word.
I pressed the black launch button. I pointed the hilt upwards. A green blade with a familiar hum burst from the hilt… But its energy was different from the training one. Not because the crystal was Pontite, no… It was because it was entirely MY lightsaber. It's so warm, and so pleasant, and familiar… We will accomplish much, I can feel it…