Making Light in the Night

[Veloster Turbo]

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Planet: Lamaredd
Location: Jedi Outpost

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Theme Song​

The rain poured steadily and the night skies were dark outside as Khelsea closed her eyes and listened as the rain fell steadily, thankful to be out of the jungles and back under the shelter of the Jedi outpost. Having picked a small but cozy meditation room to meet with Kai, Khelsea waited eagerly for her friend to come instruct her in the construction of her first lightsaber. The room was mostly empty aside from a few pieces of furniture as Kai had promised to bring all the tools necessary. Since she had nothing planned immediately after supper and had arrived more than several minutes early, Khelsea passed time by levitating her new lightsaber's crystal through the Force. Holding it up close to her face so she could see the shimmering shades of blue as the different edges of the crystal reflected the vibrant light outwards in many different directions, Khelsea pondered her experience prior to obtaining the crystal. All in all, the crystal was a symbol to her that she was tempted by the dark side but resisted it successfully, and she vowed to herself that she would strive for excellence while staying in the light side of the Force.

Happy with her promise to herself, she allowed herself to relax on the soft chair used for meditation and allowed herself to relax. A happy expression formed on her face as she thought about the recent experiences she had with Kai. His enthusiasm was contagious, and despite being the younger of the two by a few years, she had found him to be extremely resourceful and he also taught her multiple skills.

Deciding that she didn't have much else to do with her time, Khelsea opened her datapad and checked for any messages from family or friends back on Naboo. She hadn't told any friends about her membership in the Jedi order for fear of causing unwanted trouble or attention towards them, and as far as everyone other than her immediate family were concerned, she was just traveling the galaxy leisurely as a reward for completing her education. This story wouldn't hold up forever, but for now it was good enough. She didn't have much time to respond to messages usually, but between the trip to and from Galtea, she had finally caught up with replying to everyone she cared to spend time on. Satisfied with this, she put her datapad away and played with her freshly shampooed and conditioned hair, waiting for Kai's arrival.

 

[Ral]

There was always something soothing about the rain. Especially on Lamaredd where the stone roof of the Outpost made the sound a low roar which helped block out all of that extra sound that caused distractions. After getting back from the mission to Galtea he had spent a fair amount of time learning from his holocron and also getting to know his fellow Padawan Khelsea better. On their mission to Galtea she had been gifted a lightsaber crystal by the Force and since then he had offered to help her construct her hilt. On their trip back to Lamaredd Kai advised her to meditate on her crystal because it would help attune it to her in the Force as well as give her insight into what kind of hilt she would want to create. He was excited when she approached him and asked him to help her construct the iconic weapon. It was flattering in a way even though he did offer to help. So, after he ate a light meal he headed to the armory and grabbed what he felt would be necessary.

Now, as he strode through the quiet night halls of the underground outpost. In his hands were large boxes filled with a variety of parts and materials; things Khelsea would need to create a lightsaber. Each box was different and contained different items donated by Jedi on their travels who found pieces that could be used in the construction of the ancient blades. On his back he had a pack which held all the tools and extra components they would need. Walking into the training and meditation room they had agreed to meet at, Kai poked his head through the doorway. Seeing Khelsea sitting on one of the soft comfortable chairs with her attention on the datapad in her hands he smiled as he spoke to her telepathically. "Hey Khelsea! You ready?"

Walking fully into the training room Kai dropped the pair of containers on the floor in front of Khelsea. They made a heavy thunk as they hit the floor. Meanwhile, Kai took off his pack and placed it on the ground delicately. Opening it, Kai withdrew the toolkit and his Holocron. Placing the toolkit upon the open floor, Kai opened it so that they could have easy access to the tools when they needed them. Looking back at Khelsea, Kai grinned as he approached her and gave her a friendly hug. "I hope you've been meditating on that crystal!" He said with a wink. Pulling the Holocron up to his face Kai spoke. "Master Windstrider, would please describe the history of the lightsaber and the process of creating one." Facing Khelsea he said, "I hope you have an idea of what you want your hilt to look like! Time to get started!"

 

[Veloster Turbo]

Barely a second after Khelsea had put her datapad down and started examining her hair, Kai arrived with all the necessary tools. After returning his hug, the pair wasted no time and got down to business. Master Windstrider turned out to be an adult human male with a surprisingly pleasant sounding voice. It was definitely useful to have a Jedi Holocron around to guide and assist her in the construction of her new lightsaber.

"Yeah, I have a pretty good idea of what I want! Don't call me superficial, but I like nice looking things." Khelsea had noticed the box of parts Kai had brought along, and if it was for what she thought it was for, then she hoped there would be some pretty pieces for her to choose from. Looking at the younger boy expectantly, Khelsea stood up and stretched. "I'm ready when you are!"

 

[Ral]

At Kai's command the holocron hovered over the stone floor and the warm green light inside of it glowed intensely before a human male appeared and began speaking. Master Jace Windstrider was a human Jedi Master who had lived almost two millennia ago during the time of the old Jedi Order just after the Ruusan Reformation. He was also the gatekeeper for this particular holocron. Master Windstrider appeared to be in his mid thirties with a beard and neatly combed hair, and appeared to be of average height and weight. His voice was smooth as he spoke of the first protosabers and the developments since their creation as well as the process if building a modern lightsaber hilt.

"I don't think it's superficial, your lightsaber should represent you. Plus you're the one using it and looking at if for who knows how long... might as well be something you like to hold and look at!" Kai did his best to not sound silly while saying that, but he meant every word and hoped Khelsea understood that. Opening up the boxes of lightsaber parts Kai waved his hand to beckon Khelsea to come closer and look at what there was to use. "Come see if there are any parts you like. Hopefully there is, because these were most of the spare parts available! So, first things first you need to pick a casing. That's probably going to be the hardest part since that's what the outside will look like. You'll also need to pick out a lens, emitter, and the power cell. Those are pretty easy. I brought diatium power cells with me, which means you just need to pick out the type of lens and emitter you want on top of the casing. Depending on the lens and emitter you might have a slight wider blade, or a finer, more focused blade. The choice is yours all I can do is guide you along the path. Well, me and Master Windstrider here."

 

[Veloster Turbo]

Khelsea listened as Master Windstrider explained the history of lightsabers and the process of lightsaber construction. Appreciative of Kai's encouragement and glad he wasn't being judgmental, Khelsea accepted his invitation and approached the boxes full of lightsaber parts. Even after researching as much as she could in the short period of time she had spent in the outpost's library and hearing Master Windstrider explain the process, Khelsea was still overwhelmed by the amount of different pieces and choices available. Her stress was completely self-induced, as she had no experience buildling lightsabers and she wanted to make it as perfect as she could. Taking a moment to slow down, she decided to pick out pieces she thought were useful for her. After picking a few pieces out, she found her initial stress completely dissipated and she mentally checked off different pieces.

Remembering Kai's statement about different blade widths, she turned around and saw him observing her. "For the lens and the emitter, what pieces would produce a finer blade? Could you or Master Windstrider tell me if there are advantages and disadvantages to blade widths, or if it's merely cosmetic?" Khelsea personally preferred a narrower handle since that would be easier to grip with her small hands, thus making a finer sized blade would likely be her only option. In her mind as she visualized her final product, she thought to herself that a narrower blade would look more elegant as well. Turning back to the box closer to her, Khelsea noticed a silver cylindrical shaped casing with engraved designs on it near the bottom of the box. It was barely visible through the pile of parts, but Khelsea dug through the box and managed to eventually pull it out without making a mess and dropping other bits and pieces on the ground. She held the case up to examine the designs, and noticed that the bottom end had a very slight curve. Holding it up against the light to look at the designs, Khelsea was temporarily blinded by the light reflecting off its shiny and polished surface. As her vision returned to normal, Khelsea found the faint engravings to be elegant and the grip was definitely the right circumference for her small hands. She would like to add a grip to it, but that wouldn't cause a significant change.

"What do you think of this casing Kai?"

 

[Ral]

Kai could sense the anticipation and anxiety rolling off of his friend as she looked through the metal boxes at the plethora of pieces before her. He couldn't blame her for feeling nervous as he remembered back when he constructed his lightsaber. The whole process was rather nerve-wracking for him. But he found that by trusting in himself and the Force that he couldn't go wrong. If he just did what felt natural then he would construct what he would need, and so his lightsaber has served him well since making it. Watching as she began picking through the pieces and slowly choosing one over another a smile crept across Kai's face. He could see she was beginning to work it out for herself. Placing a hand on her shoulder he tried to transmit a calming feeling to Khelsea. "Relax Khelsea, take a breath. You'll do fine. Just trust in yourself. This isn't a test, the only thing you need to worry about is making sure you assemble it correctly. And that's not until later anyways."

Raising an eyebrow at her question about what lens and emitter would be best for a finer blade he frowned for a moment before smiling again. "Well, I have a few ideas, but Master Windstrider will be the expert we want to consult in this case. After all, he has the knowledge of several hundred years stored within him! Master Windstrider, will you please instruct us on which type of lenses and emitter matrices would be suitable for producing a finer blade?"

"Of course Padawan. While as I'm sure you know that there are a dozen different types of each that you could use to change the width and strength of a blade there are only a few selections for a fine blade. Most fine blades are useful for precision bladework, so I would recommend using a fencing set. If you have access to an Ossus-style of fencing lens and any grade fencing emitter will be useful in refining the blade's width to something you prefer."

Watching as Khelsea withdrew a cylindrical piece and inspect it he could feel that "ah-hah!" moment. Wondering what she was thinking he was about to ask if she thought she had found a good piece when she asked him what he thought of it. Reaching out politely to take the casing from the girl he brought it up to his face and examined the casing. Nodding, he looked satisfied. "I think it will do perfectly! Don't you have that piece you got at the temple on Galtea? I think it would go very nicely with this piece."

 

[Veloster Turbo]

Hearing Kai's reassurance was nice, but his hand on Khelsea's shoulder really helped her relax. If Khelsea were asked at that moment, she wouldn't be sure of how she thought of Kai. They've met before but only really begun their friendship less than a week ago. He was younger than her, but more knowledgeable and experienced in Jedi skills and activities. At times, when Kai was being goofy or his usual enthusiastic self, he'd seem like the younger brother she never had. On the other hand, Kai was able to teach her things and help her improve, much like her older brother had in the past. Either way, she knew that in the Jedi family Kai was probably the closest she had at the moment, and she was grateful for his company and his willingness to help.

If it was a stranger or an unwelcome suitor that had put their hand on her shoulder, there was a high chance she would have brushed it off. However, since it was Kai, she let his hand rest on her shoulder as they listened to Master Windstrider once again. A fine blade for precision bladework sounded right, since Khelsea would likely never overpower anyone in a fight due to her slender frame. Besides, graceful footwork and precise strikes sounded so much more elegant than broad strokes and heavy blows.

As Kai handed the cylindrical piece back to her, Khelsea knew that he was right. The piece from the temple on Galtea was perfect, and she found that it fit snugly on the casing. Not bothering to respond to Kai because her focus had already switched to digging through the parts and finding the correct emitter and lens, she spent a few minutes before setting a few candidate pieces of each part and set them down in front of her. Khelsea held each piece up against the light, examining them and throwing several back in due to scratches or minor scuffs which wouldn't have affected the usability of the weapon. However, she demanded perfection, and almost an hour passed before she had settled on everything she needed. After polishing everything and reexamining them, Khelsea was finally pleased. The heat of the room and her focus had caused beads of sweat to develop on her brow and neck, and she took the time to wipe her face, tie her hair back, and pin the loose strands of hair to her head before commencing the assembly of her lightsaber.

At this point, Khelsea was completely oblivious to the fact that Kai was there. Unless he stuck his face in front of her or shook her violently, she wouldn't even hear him speak. Her focus was immense, very much like when she had meditated on her permafrost crystal while on the trip back from the Galtea system and at the outpost. As she began putting pieces together, she slowly set each piece in place, connecting the pieces where they needed to be connected and used both her own vision and Force Sight to examine the process to ensure everything was perfect. It was now into the late hours of the night, and almost everyone at the outpost was asleep. If someone not aware of the process of lightsaber construction was watching, they would think that she was moving in slow motion and being completely unproductive. Not even aware of the passing time, Khelsea slowly but surely put everything into the casing.

It was a few hours before sunlight when she finally finished and sealed the casing. Looking up and taking a deep breath of relief, she noticed Kai for the first time in hours. She was surprised and embarassed he was still there, awake, and hadn't left yet. "Oh my... I'm so sorry, I kinda just zoned out and kept building. Didn't even realize you were waiting for me." Looking at her not yet ignited lightsaber, she examined it and passed it to Kai, slightly apprehensive and worried she might have made a mistake. "What do you think?" Leaning back and closing her eyes, she waited to see if he would do the honors and ignite the lightsaber, or if he would just take a look and either comment or hand it back to her. The hours of focus was mentally draining, and the lack of sleep left her physically exhausted as well.

 

[Ral]

Feeling that his touch and presence were welcoming to the older girl Kai smiled. At least she trusted him that much. Leaving his hand on the girl's shoulder he continued to send his "good" feelings to Khelsea through the Force. It was so she could relax easier and think clearer without worrying about making the "right" choice. Once the holocron was done speaking and Kai had given his vote of approval for the piece she had pulled out and shown him, Khelsea went back to work sorting her way through the myriad of pieces and parts before her. Keeping his distance in the Force, Kai made sure that everything was all right with her by sensing her emotions. After having picked all her pieces out, which was a tedious process and not particularly fun to watch, Khelsea began to assemble the parts together.

By this point Kai had taken a cross-legged position across from Khelsea and her work space. Placing his hands palms up on his knees Kai began to meditate and do whatever he could to support Khelsea through the Force as he did not want to interfere. This was her rite of passage, only she could do it. But that didn't mean he couldn't be a friend and help her get there. Hours passed and Kai lost himself in the Force as he meditated, feeling how Khelsea was doing and trying his best to keep her focused as he worked tirelessly on her hilt. He could easily feel how focused she was. That was good. She needed to be focused. More time passed, but neither one seemed to realize it as Khelsea was lost in her work and Kai was lost in meditation and trying to help her as a friend.

Finally, some time between late night and very early morning during the hour of the wolf Kai could feel that Khelsea had finished her work. Opening his eyes up he could see that the girl had a silvery cylinder in front of her. Smiling, he could feel her surprise when she saw him. As she spoke, apologizing to him he simply shrugged and shook his head. "It was nothing really. I rather enjoyed the meditation. I barely even realized how much time has passed."

His smile turned into a grin as he open a hand and pulled the new hilt closer to him with the Force. Inspecting it, Kai frowned thoughtfully before sending it back to Khelsea. Realizing that she had closed her eyes he sent a Pull to tug her back into consciousness. "Hey, wake up! This is important! You can sleep when we're all done here." He said, his voice a bit more stern than he intended. "This is your lightsaber, Khelsea. It should be you who draws it first."

Waiting for the girl to activate it, Kai watched patiently, not allowing his own weariness to cause him to miss what would happen next. When the girl activated her saber, Kai watched the frosty blue blade shoot out of the emitter and smile formed on his face. "I know I'm not your master, but if you'd allow me I'd like to say to you what my teacher said to me when I first crafted mine." Waiting for her permission, Kai smiled again, "As the crystal code tells us... ' The crystal is the heart of the blade; the heart is the crystal of the Jedi; the Jedi is the crystal of the Force. All are intertwined. The crystal, the blade, the Jedi. All are one." Congratulations, Khelsea!" He said with a happy smile before giving the girl a congratulatory hug. As he did so he felt something different about her. It wasn't an attraction, but more of a connection, something that was beginning to become more familiar with him as he studied it. Resisting the urge to hum thoughtfully, Kai's eyes narrowed, I wonder...

 

[Veloster Turbo]

khelsea's lightsaber
​

Being jolted awake by Kai's Force Pull, Khelsea glared at him. Being woken up was never a pleasant feeling, especially since he was being a little more pushy than usual. It took Khelsea a few seconds to remember where she was and how Kai had waited for her, and she relaxed her face, softening up her expression. While she no longer had the energy to do much, Khelsea gave Kai all the attention she could muster at the moment and listened as he spoke.

Standing up to activate her lightsaber for the first time, she pressed the ignition and the icy blue blade sprang to life. Success! Adjusting her grip a bit and getting a feel for her new tool, Khelsea was very happy with how it turned out. Still kind of groggy and not wanting to hurt herself or Kai by accident, Khelsea decided against swinging it around, deactivated her lightsaber, and mumbled a response to Kai. "Go ahead Kai..."

Standing still and expressionless as Kai repeated what his trainer at the time had told him when he first created his lightsaber, Khelsea took in all the words and stored them away in her memory. She stood still as Kai hugged her, leaving her arms at her side instead of hugging him back. All she did was rest her head on his shoulders as she was too exhausted to expend any extra effort, hoping that he knew she appreciated his help and patience with her.

 

[Mistress]

Lutomi knew that Kai was planning on helping Khelsea create her lightsaber and decided to peek in and see how things are going. They have plenty of training sabers and collected spare parts from merchants over the years; any time they see anything, they make the purchase! Nobody called for a medic, she noted; that's always a good sign!

Lutomi heard the familiar crack of its ignition as she neared their location, from the hall. "So how's the creation of the most deadly weapon in the galaxy coming along?" she said just as she was stepping into the room. She was surprised to witness the scene at hand. Instead of withdrawing, she remained in the doorway, her body language quite casual. She tried to hide the smile that crept over her face, thinking her Apprentice is surely growing up before her eyes. A sudden rush of nostalgia overtook her, 'He's practically a Knight,' she knew. 'Soon he will go off more and more on his own, like Rane.' No matter how much it hurts, she will have to permit him to, even be the one to encourage him to trust in the Force and do so.

She looked down at the newly fashioned Lightsaber. "Why it looks great. You did a wonderful job. You should be proud."

Khelsea is here on Lamaredd after their trip to the Moon of Galtea's Temple, because they were unable to locate her Knighted master across any channel. Lutomi had been in meditation on the matter during their return space travel. "Also Khelsea I've been meaning to ask you an important question. If we remain unsuccessful in locating Raleigh, you will stay on Lamaredd to train as my Apprentice? After Kai becomes officially Knighted, of course!" She paused for a moment in thought, smiling at Kai. "If you will oblige me this, your first assignment will be to get some sleep. Training is grueling here on Lamaredd." Dedication is non-negotiable, especially since their awareness of the instability of Lamaredd since Jedi Master Larik Novan's capture. "I'll see both of you in the morning."

 

[Ral]

Chuckling at the look the girl gave him when he Pulled her awake Kai continued speaking. The boy was a little surprised when Khelsea stood still with his hug. She wasn't stiff like a person who was repulsed by the hugger. Her body was still loose and relaxed. As she laid her head across his shoulder, he could feel the weight of her exhaustion. Poor Khelsea barely wanted to stand. Patting her back so that she knew it was okay to be tired, Kai could feel the powerful and familiar presence of his master approach. He wasn't sure what to do, Khelsea seemed so tired he didn't feel right just pulling away, but he supposed that he would have to eventually.

Hearing his master's voice, Kai looked to the short, blonde woman who had taken him under her wing. Feeling a little awkward still holding Khelsea in his arms he slowly pulled away making sure she didn't collapse from exhaustion. Turning to face Lutomi, Kai bowed slightly embarrassed. For some reason the look on Lutomi's face made him bashful. Hearing the praise from his master Kai grinned, he was happy for Khelsea, proud of her in his own way, proud of himself for being able to help her in his own small way.

However, it was hearing what his master said next that his heart skip a beat. Lutomi asked Khelsea to become her apprentice. It was surprising to Kai but he was sure that she did it for good reason. The way she had been acting and talking made it clear that their time as Master and Student was almost over which both saddened the young man and excited him. And now she just confirmed what he had been thinking. It meant he was growing up, moving on, becoming a true Jedi Knight. A Jedi Knight, Kai liked the sound of that. Kai would wait for Khelsea to reply of course, but he felt that he already knew the answer she would give.

After Lutomi would leave, Kai would give Khelsea one more hug, lifting her up off her feet with the typical goofy grin his friends had come to know on his face. Putting her back down spoke as he led her out if the room. " Wow, big day for you! Congratulations Khelsea! Looks like we'll both have been apprenticed for a little bit under Lutomi! That makes us almost like family! But first let's get you to sleep!"

 

[Veloster Turbo]

Not quite caring about what was going on, Khelsea stood still and allowed Kai to hug her. She was comfortable enough with her body and with Kai, and too tired to really care. Seeing master Lutomi walk in and hearing her speak woke Khelsea up much more than Kai did. She didn't want to be seen cuddling up to Kai, and she could tell he had similar sentiments about his master seeing him with her as he stepped away from her.

What really jolted her awake was master Lutomi offering to take her as an apprentice. Khelsea felt extremely honored and grateful, and for some unknown reason Khelsea felt that she wouldn't see Raleigh again for the foreseeable future, or maybe ever. However, she didn't want to leave her current master without a reason or official closure. What master Lutomi proceeded to tell her was a very reasonable proposal, and Khelsea was more than happy with the arrangements. "Umm... I'm very flattered by your suggestion and I'd love to train under you and be your apprentice master Lutomi. Regardless of whether Raleigh comes back or not I'm sure he wouldn't mind you training me! We can make it official if or when all the things you listed happen." Not sure if it would be an acceptable response, Khelsea hoped the next thing she said would ensure Lutomi understood that she was extremely interested. "See you in the morning master Lutomi!" It didn't matter whether or not Raleigh would return, because for the meantime, Khelsea had a new instructor to guide her and even though she was surprised, she knew that being trained by master Lutomi would be really good for her.

Being lifted off her feet after Lutomi left, Khelsea wondered what Kai thought of her and whether or not he was slowly developing feelings for her. Although she didn't mind hugging or physical contact, what Kai just did was a little uncomfortable and made her feel vulnerable. Khelsea had never been in a serious long term relationship, but having experiences with dating and having flirted with males and been flirted with, Khelsea had enough experience dealing with unwanted advances from admirers. It wasn't that she disliked Kai, but she wasn't sure what he thought of her and she saw him more as a younger sibling than a potential partner. Not wanting to give Kai another opportunity to pick her up or do anything else she would feel uneasy about, Khelsea turned him around as he led her out of the room. "Thanks for your help tonight, I'll see you in the morning!" Giving the younger boy a quick hug, Khelsea walked off on her own, heading back to her room in the living quarters.