...The Fool, or the Fool Who Follows?

[Ral]

OOC: Any Jedi interested see this thread. Also refer all OOC discussion to that thread as well.

Kai was excited. Today was the day. After hearing about the large number of Padawans arriving to the Order without lightsabers, Kai decided that it would be a good idea to round a few of them up and take them on an adventure. He had been preparing this little adventure for weeks as he gathered and collected information on lightsabers and lightsaber crystals from people and the lore available to him. Who knew they were so complicated? Well Kai should have, that's who. After all, he had constructed his own not too long ago under the direction of his first teacher. But besides forging or finding a crystal and assembling the necessary components the actual creation of a lightsaber was really quite involved. There were several pieces that would be needed otherwise the blade wouldn't work, or worse, the entire handle could explode right in your hand!

Glancing at his datapad as he walked, Kai reviewed all the necessary parts of a lightsaber. There was the crystal, and while three were preferred only one was really required. Next, they needed a power cell, diatium was the most common and it was capable of recharging itself. After that, there was the lense, which could be a simple optical crystal like the kind one finds in a computer. Lastly, they would need matrix emitters to regulate and control the blade. Kai wasn't sure that they'd actually get around to making the hilt on this adventure, but hopefully with the information provided and a crystal of their own they could get the ball rolling. With the unfortunate lack of naturally occurring crystals outside of Sith space their best bet would be creating their own. Still, Kai would at least mention the few planets still outside of Sith space where they could find naturally occurring crystals. Arriving at the meeting place several minutes early, Kai sat down on the floor, placing the stack of datapads he was carrying close by, and began meditating. Hopefully, he would not be waiting long.

 

[Cap'n Hobbes]

Today Miranda was rather excited. Her friend Kai had invited her and several other padawans to go searching for lightsaber crystals. She wasn't quite sure what was going to happen but so long as they stayed out of caves, she would be fine. All she knew about the ancient weapon was just that, it was a tool used by the Jedi. All she wore was the simple padawan robes that had been given to her, it was all she really had after all. She made her way towards the proposed meeting spot and saw that Kai was already there.

She waved to him and said, "Um, hi."

 

[Just Falcon]

Jedi sit. A lot. Every day that's what they do; sit and ponder and sit some more. Awande had been with the order in exile less than a month and all she'd learned was a fancy pants new way to cross her legs and stare at dew. Ooh. Thrilling.
A field trip to make one of those shiney cut-things-up swords Jedi loved so much, that was at least something to do and Awande leapt at the chance. Not that she was in a hurry to get her hands on one of the things, though. They seemed like a hassle. A glorified flashlight that came with a junkload of responsibilities, pass. Then again, the alternative was sitting around with the other Jedi and pondering the Force all day long, which was a super pass in Awande's book. Like it really cared. Force probably gets self-conscious sometimes, all those Jedi peeping in at odd hours.
She reached the meeting site and sent her Akk dog ride back home, rewarding his three minute long trek with a bit of food. He wasn't exactly a people type reptomammal, best to keep him home for now. She was late to the meeting, of course, but she knew that going in. Stopping for that second weird snack cake thing had been a bad idea, and Awande quickly wolfed down the last of it. Two of the others were already inside and, shocking shocker of shockers, one of them was meditating.
"Hey," she said. "You guys are here for the space swords, right?"

 

[Nova]

There was no stopping Hacu as she made a dash for the discussed meeting point. Of all days to be running late... She knew she shouldn't have spent those extra minutes in the archives. Boots thudded against the ground as the Mirialan ran, weaving past obstacles. Her own motives for going on this little trip probably weren't as well meaning as the others as she was less concerned with finding crystals - a lightsaber was already secured on her belt. Her attending at all was really only based on invitation, and her own need to make friends. In a few short moments, she came upon the meeting point and slightly short of breath, came to a halt. "So sorry I'm late," she apologized, nodding to the others in greeting.

 

[Hairless Wookie]

Such a drag.

This whole becoming a Jedi, officially, thing was starting to get on his last nerves. He did not get along with any of the people he had met yet, of course they were all people who stuck their nose up at him and did not believe the way he did. He understood it, he brought a weird mentality to the Jedi. He lacked a certain interest in helping other people, and honestly, he had no idea why he was even there. It came down to the fact that he really had nothing else to do. He could go back to Glee Anslem, but then what? Work in a factory like his father, but that would be even worse than being a Jedi, so he guessed he was stuck here where he was less miserable.

It wasn't so bad, though, as he was going to be building a lightsaber. He had been reading up on it, a lot, and he seemed to know what it took. At least the basics, actually putting it together would be the problem, and that was why he was meeting together with the other Padawans on this day. The Nautolan strolled into the room behind Hacu as she proclaimed she was late. Late? Great, he did not think there was a dedicated meeting time. These Jedi were strick on their time tables and he did not want to be lectured about how a Jedi always had to on time and blah, blah, blah.

"You guys are here for the space swords, right?"

He had to stop himself from laughing when the girl spoke. "They are called Lightsabers." he said gently to the girl, showing no signs of being rude. That was quite nice, Jarlock. He thought to himself. He did have the ability to be friendly, she just did not seem to know any better, but it did put into perspective the Jedi he would be working with. He opted to stand instead of sit and he looked around the room, noting it, photographing it to his mind. Mostly out of habit, just in case, one never knew what could happen.

 

[Ral]

Kai had sensed Miranda approach before he saw her. Her presence was one he had gotten used to recognizing. As she walked up to him Kai opened his eyes and nodded to her when she waved. He was glad at least she showed up, having one friend would make this a little easier on him. "Hey, Miranda, good to see you. Are you ready?"

It didn't take long for the other three to arrive. He wasn't sure if anyone else would arrive, but this seemed like a good number to start with. Standing, Kai dusted himself off before looking at the new Padawans. "Don't worry, you're not that late." He responded to Hacu, the Mirialan. Looking at the newcomers he focused on then as a group and could sense something was off, or maybe they were just impatient. It was a curious sensation, but not everyone adusted to the lifestyle as easily as he or Miranda had. "Welcome everyone, I'm Kai, and this is the place to learn about lightsabers. This won't be a formal setting so please don't worry about manners, I want everyone here to feel comfortable and welcome. The idea here is to socialize and learn while we collaborate on making and finding the necessary components of a lightsaber." Taking out his own lightsaber he activated it so his amethyst blade sprung to life with a snap-hiss. The humming blade cast a slight glow on his face as he swung it around gently before he deactivated it. "The most prolific and definitely the most commonly depicted weapon of either the Jedi or Sith. It's easy to think of it as the weapon of the Jedi or the Sith, but it's important to remember that the Force itself can be both a weapon and your ally. Now, enough of that, does anyone here know anything about making lightsabers? If not I made a few datapads containing everything I knew and learned from making mine."

Grabbing the datapads he waited to see who would take them. There was quite a bit of information in them, although it was far from being as comprehensive as a holocron. Something he wished they had, unfortunately holocrons were rare and tightly regulated, so this would have to do. "The first thing we'lol talk about is the crystal. Hopefully, if nothing else, we'll get your crystal."

 

[Hairless Wookie]

Jarlock listened intently as the man spoke about the crystals. He guessed he was either a brand new Jedi Knight, or just a higher ranking Padawan, by the way he spoke. He did not have the authority in his words that some of the other Jedi had, he seemed.... too nice? Then again, Jarlock had barely been around these Jedi, the only one he had ever known was Adonari who was extremely authorative so his view on what a Jedi should and shouldn't be was a little skewed. He asked if they knew anything about lightsabers and Jarlock almost opened his mouth and rattled off everything he knew, but he thought better of it, he did not want to come off as a know it all right off the bat.

So, he reached out, and he took a datapad from the man and he slowly glanced it over. It was all information he already knew, in fact, it may have been pulled from one of the textbooks he had read. "Crystals are essentially the heart of a lightsaber," Jarlock said as he looked up from his datapad and looked at everyone in the room. "They give the blade color and are what make a lightsaber a lightsaber. There are different kinds, colors, and you have to meditate on the one you wish to use for a few days depending on different circumstances. Awesome, so we are getting crystals, where are we going? Ilum? Dantooine?" Excitement resonated in his voice, it was only a little, but it was there. He remembered that there was a place on Ilum called the Crystal Caves, a cave full of Crystals, but it was a bit of a difficult journy.

Plus, it was cold, cold was not good.

 

[Cap'n Hobbes]

Miranda just nodded to Kai and tried to blend in with the scenery as the others showed up. She stayed silent as Kai spoke and wondered what else went into making a lightsaber. The squid-thing seemed pretty knowledgeable about the subject and she listened to him. She had declined Kai's offer of a datapad mainly because she couldn't read very well. Instead she decided to keep quiet as she listenedto the others.

 

[Just Falcon]

Awande picked up the datapad. She thumbed past all the lore and ceremony and Jedi hooplah until she found what she was looking for, the blueprints themselves. Construction-wise, the swords seemed pretty simple. Run power through some crystals and refine the result so your face doesn't blow and/or burn off. Engineering 101, really. She could probably cobble together a makeshift hilt from the parts in her old toolbox, it wasn't like anything was that uncommon. Well, anything except the crystal. Datapad and the others were clear; it would be a hassle and a half to find that.
"So." Awande drummed her fingers along the underside of her bracelet. "This a treasure hunt type scenario we're on?" She flipped around the datapad, set on a screen listing crystal types and their locations. "Find a cave, poke around, nab the goodies?"

 

[Nova]

Hacu nodded along with Jarlock's explanation, as if checking off items on a list. It seemed he and Kai, at least, new what they were talking about. Good to know they wouldn't be going in blind. Also good to know she probably wouldn't have to contribute much. She casually leaned against a wall, keeping a slight distance from the others. Every once and a while, her eyes would glance over each of the others' faces in turn for no particular reason other than habit. "That's the gist of it," she stated, speaking slowly, deliberately. She was silent for a few moments, considering what else would be important to know. "So where are we going? And how are we getting there?"

 

[Ral]

Kai listened as the Nautolan listed off what he knew. A smile spread across his face at the excitement of having someone who had done his research, but quickly faded when he mentioned Ilum and Dantooine. "Ah... well, that's going to be a little tricky you see... unfortunately, the Sith control almost a quarter of the Galaxy, and it's the quarter with most of the deposits of lightsaber crystals. That limits our options as mounting an incursion as deep into Sith Space as Dantooine or Ossus would be foolhardy. No, the farthest we'll go is just over the border. There are several systems that we can go to. These would be the Barab system, Ambria, Plynn, Qixoni, Phemis, and Christoph systems. Other crystals you might be able to find are Corusca gems, Phonds, and Uparis. Corusca gems are often used for industrial applications like mining. Phond crystals are a byproduct of certain allowing processes, and Upari can be found around forest worlds like Kashyyyk, or maybe even Endor. The Plynn system has two distinct kinds of crystal, the Dragite and the Nextor. The Qixoni system is also technically a Nebula, which means there won't be any one planet we can land on, just something to keep in mind The famous crystal towers of Christophsis can also be used for lightsaber crystals. The last option is to use a Furnace and forge your own. Whichever you choose be prepared for a bit of a trial to find it or make it, and don't fool yourself, meditating to infuse it with the Force isn't a breeze either."

Kai took a breath from his explanation. Taking a moment to read the faces of each of the Padawans before him. Noticing that Miranda had melted back away from the rest, Kai made a note to make sure to spend more time with her on this trip and make her feel more comfortable. Clearing his throat he continued on, "So, this will be a bit of a treasure hunt. I have secured passage for us with a freighter captain with no love of the Empire and who doesn't mind breaking a few laws. So, the first thing you need to do is decide where you want to go to find your crystals. Think about this for a little bit, and feel what the Force wants you to do. This is just as important as finding the crystal itself." Kai remarked Glancing at each of the Padawans in turn. "You should also think about what kind of lightsaber you want as this will affect how many crystals you shall need. If you're unsure hold out your hand and feel the hilt in your hand. Get a sense of it through the Force. Trust on the Force."

With that Kai finished speaking and let each of the Padawans decide on what they wanted.

 

[Hairless Wookie]

Jarlock listened intently as Kai spoke about where they should go. He thought about the planets he had mentioned and went over in his head which ones he knew. Christophsis stood out to him because of Crystal City and he tried to remember the lore surrounding the place. He knew his mind did not work like everyone elses. His thoughts were organized, methodical, everything had a place for storage and it was like he was flipping through old documents. He saw pictures from books he had read, he could pinpoint exact words and sentences if he focused hard enough, and it was like he never ran out of room.

"I say we go to Christophsis," Jarlock spoke up after a few minutes of thought. He had been rummaging around his mind, trying to remember specific locations, what types of crystals they had there, etc. "I mean, besides the fact that its Capital is called Crystal City, it is a haven for Crystals from what I remember. It is perfect for this venture because it gives us crystals, or, if anyone wants to forge there own they can do so as it is a well known mining planet. That is my vote."

 

[Cap'n Hobbes]

Miranda stayed silent as she listened to Kai describe the different places they could go to search for lightsaber crystals. At the mention of a crystal city, she perked up. She had seen pictures of such a place in some of the books she had looked at, but had thought such things were merely fantasy. Now that she knew otherwise, she really wanted to go.

Stepping from the shadows she said in her naturally quiet voice, "I agree,it sounds like a wonderful place to go."

 

[Just Falcon]

Awande slunk off her seat, forgetting about the datapad and letting it plop down on the ground. "Was thinking of the sonic screamey boomey dragite crystal, but I'm down with whatever you guys want. So long as we stop sitting around and, you know." She waved her hand at the always boring always there sky. "Go somewhere. Do something. Get to the getting."

 

[Nova]

Before long, Hacu was the only one who hadn't cast a vote. She really couldn't care less where they went, as long as they made a decision, and it looked like they had. "Then it's decided,"she concluded, taking a step forward. She paused, remembering what she could about the system. "When do we leave?"

 

[Ral]

Kai had closed his eyes while the other Padawans made up their minds. It was an attempt to use Force Sight as Miranda had taught him. While the Padawans made up their minds, Kai reached out with the Force and got a feeling of each one of them, then as he focused his mind and manipulated the Force he could see the Padawans as they glowed brightly with its power. He hadn't used the power in the presence of others before, besides Miranda, and not with this proximity. It was an odd feeling when he used it, like something new was being revealed to him. He just wasn't sure what it was. When Jarlock spoke, Kai's eyes remained closed, but he looked over at the Padawan and he nodded, "Christophsis is a safe choice. I am not certain what kinds of crystals we will find there, although most will be between a blue and green color if I had to guess." When Awande slumped disappointedly, Kai turned towards her. Her disappointment he could almost feel. "Awande, there is no reason why we can't also go to M'haeli. Christophsis is the closer of the two, and it seems at least two of the party wishes to go there. But if you feel that the Force wishes to travel to M'haeli for your crystal then I say we listen to the Force. This does not have to be a one-stop trip. And you all must realize that you may not find your crystal on either of those planets if that is not the Force's will. Your crystal will call to you, and you will know it to be yours." Looking lastly at Hacu, Kai announced, "Once you all are ready we can leave. We will be gone for a few days at least, so please remember that. If you must grab some extra clothes or what have you please do so. We can all meet at the Theed Space Port, Dock Three."

With that, Kai opened his eyes. The others glowed briefly but quickly stopped as Kai stopped using Sight and instead relied on his own vision. Kai then ended the meeting there and waited to see what the others decided before heading to the space port.

 

[Just Falcon]

"Groovy," Awande said to Kai. "Hit up Christophsis then play it by ear, I'm cool with that." She scratched her chin, already distracted by some overhead squabbling birds. Going with the flow was one part of this whole Jedi gig she could get behind. "Gonna take you up on that offer of gearing up beforehand, though." Awande kicked the ground with wobbly flip-flops. "Need some out and about shoes." And a blaster. And a credit or two, probably. She'd have to convince her neighbor to watch Hoju, he got super bitey on a cramped freighter with strangers. For some reason that annoyed people.

 

[Cap'n Hobbes]

So it was decided,, off to Chrostophis! Miranda was rather excited and hoped she could slip off to the space port without anyone noticing. As the group dispersed, she headed straight for the space port. She didn't need to grab any possessions as she had none. The docking bay that Kai had mentioned was familiar to her, it was the one she had came in on when she first arrived on Naboo. She made her way there without any surprises on the way. She knew the streets of Theed like the back of her hand. Arriving at the correct bay, she waited for the others to show up.

 

[Nova]

Hacu nodded her understanding. "Understood. Until then, then." With that, she took her leave, heading back to her quarters. Gathering what she deemed to be necessary supplies, she stuffed it into a bag. She then took a moment to meditate, focusing on journey to come, willing it to go well. Once she felt she'd meditated enough, Hacu stood and adorning a hooded cloak, slung the bag over her shoulder. With one final inventory check, she nodded to herself, pulling the cloak tighter around her figure before leaving. The spaceport wasn't a completely new territory for her. All the same, it took her a couple minutes to locate the exact location.

 

[Just Falcon]

It took three hours and a hundred credits for Awande to convince her surly, smelly Snivvian neighbor to watch her pet Akk Dog. That was the opposite of a fun time. Probably be late for the hangar again; second time today. In a hurried rush she packed up her things, changing into actual shoes at the same time and nearly kicking her old pair through the window. Clothes she had on were fine, no point in changing those. One good thing about being Pantoran is that you never need a jacket. Then again, she used to live on Tatooine, but still . . .

Awande packed a travelers bag, the kind that stays on your back no matter how high you jump or how fast you run. She didn't have much, just her blaster, a laser lockpick and one or two random doodads. Her hand strayed over her meager credits on the way out, stored inside the cylindrical handle of her old swoop. Superstition and a funny feeling convinced her to throw that in last, and she hurried out the door. She only stopped for street food once on her way to the Theed Space Port, Dock Three. Surprise surprise, she wasn't the last to show, and that made her smile.