A date on Ilum (Ally)

[arley]

Love...It was a feeling that Arley had only felt once and it was for his master, the only parent he had. But when he met Ally, he felt a different type of love. He'd never felt romantic love before when he was with the Jedi Order, they forbade such feelings and after he left he stayed to himself. That was until he met Ally when he saw her he fell almost instantly.

These last 6 months we're the best Arley has had in his life, she was a Jedi so they kept it secret but in space, they could be themselves. Currently, they were going Ilum, Ally didn't tell him why they were going. Telling him it was a surprise and he was admittedly excited about it, even though his experiences with surprises weren't great. He went to the cockpit of Ally's ship and sat in the co-pilot seat. He looked over at her with a smile, "So are you finally gonna tell me why we're going to Ilum?"[\b]

[mandajetii]

Alliera was never the typical Jedi, from the first times where she found herself in one of the droid bays she had known this, but she always tried to tow the line with the actual official rules. The Jedi Order, despite how some members viewed her, was a family to Alliera, so she tried her best with the rules. Then came Arley, a former Jedi who was a kind and good man, but one that was vulnerable. Who Alliera had initially though was a lost brother that she needed to help turned into so much more, Alliera came to love the man, and he loved her. The idea that came to Alliera for this trip came from an unlikely source, the Jedi philosophies on Lightsaber Crystals... The Crystal in a Lightsaber, and the lightsaber itself, had a special connection to the person that finds/makes it, so logically a Lightsaber that was made by a lover would be a piece of that person for the other to hold should they be separated. 

"Well my love, we're going to Illum to create new Lightsabers, I'm going to create one for you and you will create one for me." Alliera said, returning Arley's smile and kissing him on the cheek "So that no matter how far apart we find ourselves in the galaxy, we'll always be bound together." 

[arley]

New lightsabers? Arley was very intrigued by her idea. The crystals where almost sentient and created bonds with whoever made the sabers, the crystals chose the Jedi, well the Force guided the choice. Maybe it would increase their already strong Force bond? Arley didn't know, but he enjoyed her idea. He felt a strange warmth go through his body as her soft lips touched his cheek, he still wasn't used to how romance felt. Again, the Jedi part of him was manifesting itself.

Always together...Arley enjoyed the sound of that, hed been alone for so long. "So why lightsabers?" He asked quizzically. "Also, are you sure this is a good idea? With a Jedi Temple being here?" His tone turning from warm to worried.

[mandajetii]

"There's only a few Jedi there, and they're primary focus is to keep the Temple nice and tidy." Alliera said, turning her attention back to the controls of the Jolly Dancer "Unless you want to 'meditate' in the temple itself, we should be fine as long as we use an external cave entrance, and the caves themselves are expansive enough that we'll only get caught if the force itself wills it..." 


"As for 'Why Lightsabers', it comes down to our training; The Lightsaber Crystal and even the Lightsaber Itself, through the crystal, create a bond with the maker. Through these sabers, we'll each have another bond with the other person, even if they never see use." Alliera kissed Arley again, this time on the nose. "With tensions spiking again, I may be needed by the Order and the Republic again, and I hate the idea of leaving you alone too long...so I decided that we do this, explore the tunnels a bit, maybe find some meditation spot to relax....and maybe find a 'meditation' spot." 

[arley]

Most of Arley's worry went away after she explained that there aren't many Jedi here. He wasn't worried about the Order for his sake, no, he was worried about Alliera. If they found out about their relationship, they would take her lightsaber and banish her. Hell, they would probably try and take Arley's too, since he just left after the war. But the Force hasn't willed them to be caught yet so he assumed that they would be fine...hopefully. She was right though, the caves were expansive, and would be an ideal place to do if one was hiding on this planet. He replied with a simple 'fair enough' and nodded in agreement.

Ally then began to explain why she wanted to create the lightsabers, it was not only to create a stronger bond, but it seemed it was also meant as a symbol. It really was a great idea. She leaned over and kissed his nose, he moved his head and his lips met hers. 'I could get used to this life, ' Arley thought to himself. She explained that she wanted to do this because she was going to get called back to fight and thus leaving Arley alone to his own devices. Arley wasn't the biggest fan of the Order anymore, but he didn't hate the Republic. They were at war with the Sith...Again. "I may have to see about joining the Republic, maybe they can find a use for me, I hate the idea of you going to fight while I sit and do nothing, " he confessed. If she left to fight he would feel quite useless if he just sat around and he may not be a Jedi anymore, but the Sith were still his enemy.

He let out a chuckle, well it was more of a loud snort at her comment about finding a 'meditation' spot. He shot her his best charming smirk, " What did you have in mind for 'meditation'?” Arley laughed.

[mandajetii]

"Well, meditation can take many forms..." Alliera said, teasingly "Painting, dancing, repair work, Lightsaber construction...but I think you know exactly what I mean; I borrowed a pair of portable heaters and blankets for some meditation/construction, but there's no reason they can't be used for more intimate activities..." A series of beeps and whoops called out from in the hall outside the cockpit, R4 was putting in his two cents. "R4's still mad that he caught us in 'his cargo bay'" Alliera said to Arley, as the T7 unit kept beeping at them "He also told you to stop corrupting the innocent Jedi maiden." 


The Loud and stuttering sound from R4 needed no explanation, the shaking of the head was obvious from here. "Shouldn't you be checking the hyperdrive?" Alliera asked, good naturedly. The Droid seemed to comply as it left the area, likely to do some checking of the Hyperdrive.  

[arley]

"I know exactly what you mean, " Arley said laughing at how Ally danced around talking about their intimate time together. Her T7 droid chimed in, recounting a time he caught them in the cargo bay of the Jolly Dancer, and how Arley was corrupting the "innocent" Jedi maiden. "I'm afraid I won't be able to fulfill your request there R4, she's the one corrupting me!" Arley replied jokingly, the droid didn't seem to like him very much and spazzed put every time Arley so much as kissed Ally. The droid made him laugh though. 

He turned to Alliera, "So how long until we reach the surface? I'm excited to go back to the caves, I haven't been to Ilum since my master took me to pick my crystal, . Wow, that seems like it was so long ago..." Arley trailed off, the memory of his master was still painful to think about. Arley remembered Jarek taking him to the crystal caves to choose a crystal, he also remembered being in the caves and building his lightsaber.  "Is this where you came to your lightsaber crystal as well?"

[mandajetii]

"We should be there in about 10 or so minute..." Alliera started, before noticing where Arley's mind had gone. Alliera put in the location of thier landing spot in the Autopilot system, and turned her chair towards Arley, taking his hands into her own. "Actually my Crystal came from a damaged Lightsaber among the scraps and spare parts in one of the workshops I used to go to with my master...it just called to me one day, and Master was able to get the Workshop owner to hand it over because the Lightsaber being damaged wouldn't look to good on the Workshop owner if someone else found it...I even used the reusable parts of the saber on my own Lightsaber." Alliera kissed Arley on the lips, before turning back to the console, and overseeing the Autopilot's finaly approach.

After a few minutes, the Jolly Dancer landed with a small thud. "We're here." Ally said, getting off of the seat, and walking towards the cargo bay, the one not converted to a Training/Meditation area. "Come on, I have our stuff right here!" Ally called to Arley, hefting two packs with blankets obviously rolled up in an external strap harness. "Inside the bags is a decent variety of Lightsaber Parts, so you have a choice of what exactly you build, and the portable heaters I mentioned earlier." 

[arley]

Arley was told they would land in about ten minutes and excitement started to fill him. Ally spoke about how she got her crystal, she found a broken lightsaber in a junk heap. She said it called to her, as the crystals did to all Jedi. Ally said she used some parts of the broken saber to make her own and then she kissed him he returned it. Arley couldn't help but think about how remarkable this woman was, she built her lightsaber from a junked one, likely did all her own upgrades on this ship. Arley sighed, 'she really is something special,' he said to himself.

The ship finally landed and Ally got up and went to one of the cargo bays, she had everything packed and ready to go. Arley hefted a bag and heater, "Shall we go pretty lady?" Arley asked shooting her a smirk and waiting for her to lead the way.

[mandajetii]

"I believe we shall handsome." Alliera said, smiling herself "R4 will watch the ship while we're gone." Alliera activitated the exit ramp of the ship, which lowered fairly quickly. After that, Alliera led the way down the ramp, and towards a Cave entrance that was fairly close to the landing area. Alliera spared a look at Arley as she kept going, smiling softly. Alliera loved the Jedi Order like the family it pretty much was, and the idea of betraying them was a cold knife in the gut. The Order would consider this whole thing a betrayal, Alliera knew, but they were wrong. Alliera knew the force had helped her find Arley, and the half a year she'd had with him was among the best in her life. Now, the Sith were going to be at the metaphorical walls again, and that wasn't counting the constant hunting the Mandalorians did of her people...which almost made her want to hunt Mandalorians sometimes, to let them feel like the hunted animal for a change. Alliera shook the dark thoughts from her head, and led the way into the cave. "Ok, so do you want to go a different way so the sabers can be a suprise, or do you want to do it together?"

[arley]

Arley followed Alliera into the icy caves, he loved to watch her walk, it was...soothing. He wasn't allowed to feel this way when he was with the Order, the new feelings were so foreign to him. But he didn't feel the pull of darkness that the Jedi associated with love.

Arley stayed in his head, thinking about the situation he was in and didn't notice that Ally had spoken to him. It was nice to actually get some rest from all the people hunting them and the constant wars that plagued the Galaxy. He looked up when her question finally registered. "I think we should do it together. Seems...more intimate. But it is your choice my love," he stated catching up to her and leaving his thoughts.

[mandajetii]

"It does seem like the more intimate way to go." Alliera said, grabbing Arley's hand and gently leading him through the caves. Alliera was a Jedi Guardian, which meant that most of her training and experience went towards active combat, but she did still have a decent ability with the more indirect abilities of the force. Alliera had her eyes closed and was following the force, to find a crystal that would be perfect for Arley. This quest took a few minutes, but eventually the two were in a branching cave, with a variety of crystals everywhere in almost every color of the rainbow and forming various beautiful patterns as they all shined. Alliera opened her eyes, and had her free hand on one of the crystals. 

"The Wonders of the Universe, sometimes lost to the fear of the dark..." Alliera said, looking at the shining Crystalline Cave. Alliera spent a few moments looking at the beauty of the cave, smiling softly. Before too long, Alliera looked at the crystal she had been guided too, and found a Viridian light dancing in her palm. 

[arley]

The crystal caves were stunning, Arley was as mesmerized by the caves now as he was when he came here as a child to pick his lightsaber crystal. The dark cave illuminated by the colored light emitting from the clusters. To Arley it felt as if they were humming, sending a strange vibration through his body. Arley was a Sentinel as a Jedi, the discipline required balance with both lightsaber combat and mastery of the Force...among other things. He was also taught things like... espionage as the sentinels learned many different skills.

"Yes is generally is isn't?" Arley asked rhetorically as Ally held his hand whisking him through the tunnels, stopping and picking up a crystal after admiring the beauty of the cave. He did the same as he quickly found a crystal as well. He looked at it as if the sun was over head. It was a deep magenta it emitted a small glow and vibrating intensified and called to him as if it was singing...Arley always felt these strange feelings in places strong in the Force.

He turned and looked at Alliera with the crystal in-between two fingers. "Found the one!" He smiled at her. "What color is yours?"

[mandajetii]

The Jedi pulled her green Crystal out of it's setting, and showed it to Arley. "It called to me, just like my original one did." Alley said, walking over to Arley, and setting the Crystal in his palm "It's so exciting, thinking about how the Jedi of the past came here..and now coming here with you, doing this and hopefully some less pure things." Alliera kissed Arley light on the lips, and leaves the green crystal with him while taking his magenta one. "So now, we make each other's blade." Alliera found a relative flat spot, and started laying down the Blankets. "There's plenty of suitable ground here, so I figure we might be able to work in this beautiful area..." Alliera said, still somewhat in awe of the room's natural beauty "These blankets would also be perfect for meditation...of various sorts..." 

[arley]

"We can get to less pure things very soon," Arley said with a chuckle, after returning her kiss. He peered at the crystal it emitted a faint pinkish glow. He watched Ally as she put down the blankets with all the lightsaber parts. She was right this place was beautiful a perfect spot for what they planned to do as well. "The area seems perfect to me my love, and remember we have to attune the crystals," he said with a wink. Arley sat down near the blankets and crossed his legs, he grabbed a tool and began to tinker with the power assembly and the emitter assembly after that was done, Arley used the force to pick up the parts he wanted and let out his hand and watched as they swirled around the crystal, he focused on the crystal and attuned in to him, like the first time he came to this planet as a youngling. The crystal started shining brighter as it started attuning to him through the Force and the metal parts fell into place, the satisfying clicks as they perfectly set.

A sleek black and silver lightsaber hilt floated into his hand and Arley looked at it admiring his handiwork. It had no blade length adjuster, just a single button, it was simplistic but it was a beautiful work of art. He then switched it, the familiar hum ringing in his ears and the room filling with a light that wasn't quite pink, but not quite red. He looked over at Ally, "Amazing color isn't it? Its a bit between pink and purple, I love it, thank you," Arley said to her with a smile. He began waving his saber around getting a feel for it.

[mandajetii]

"Oh yeah...sorry..." Alliera said, switching the crystals between them so they could meditate on them while working. When Arley got to work, Ally did as well, her moves mirroring his at first. This beginning was where the synchronicity ended however, as parts and tools flew to Allliera's hands alot quicker than Arley's sedate pace, with her focusing on the minute details of the saber more... but still, the green crystal floated and spun occasionally, signalling that Alliera was indeed meditating. In fact, when Arley eventually needed the Crystal, in gently laid itself into his free hand. Arley's own crystal was gently procured in a similar way, once he was done with it...and Alliera was finally done with the mechanisms inside. The crystal floated slowly into it's slot, and the saber constructed itself. 

Alliera gave over the saber that she had made, and accepted his own construction. What jumped out immediately was that it was evidently a crossgaurd saber judging from the 3 emitters. The saber itself was Silver and gold, having a simple activation stud higher on the saber hilt. "It is a very beautiful color." Alliera said. Alliera activated her saber, surprised when the viridian blades came out sputtering and sparking, the signs of an unstable blade, also denoted b the harsher sound the blade made when it was active Alliera was not worried however, as unstable blades weren't dangerous, and still usefull in combat. Alliera turned her attention to how the blade felt, to find what was important, and found it immediately...She could feel Arley through the saber... "The way the blade dances is Beautiful." Alliera said, looking at the Blade as the energy sparked. "and I can feel you in it..." 

[arley]

Arley chuckled and told her not to be sorry as the pair went to work. Alliera was done with her saber much faster than Arley was, he focused on making it a work of art, not that hers wouldn't be, but his lightsaber was the same, engraved and personalized. After they were done they ignited their sabers, the ignition of the blades seemed to strengthen their Force bond instantly. Arley could feel Alliera's essence within the magenta light and as he looked up he saw vibrant magenta and viridian lights dancing off of the walls of the crystal cave...it was mesmerizing, like one of those Coruscanti light shows Arley saw as a teenager. Ally finally spoke breaking the trance Arley had found himself, she told him that the blade was beautiful and the dancing of light was as so. She also told him that she could feel him in the blade.

Arley looked over and agreed. "Yes it is very beautiful..." He trailed off. "I can feel you as well," he whispered just loud enough for her to hear, not that there was anyone else around. He then looked her in her eyes, he held the stare for a few seconds, all of his intensity beaming at her. Saying nothing he kissed her passionately.