The First Step is the Hardest [Jace]

[Mara]

With all the working parts of the lightsaber put together, the lightsaber still looked naked without its outer hilt casing surrounding it. All that was left was to put in the crystal, the source of the energy for the blade. When she snapped it in place, it glowed slightly before returning to its normal shade. Was the Force telling her the crystal had finally found its rightful place? After traveling so long in her first lightsaber, it had served her well. But if it was really meant to be fashioned in this way into her own saber... Xierra could not imagine what she would be able to wield with the weapon.

If Xierra had done it all right, the lightsaber should work, even without its casing. Still immersed in the Force and eyes closed, she pointed the business end away from her and depressed the mechanism to release the blade. With a softer less dramatic snap-hiss that was the weapon's telltale sound, the pale green blade emerged. The Falleen felt its humming inside her own body, almost keeping time to her own heartbeat.

It had worked! Xierra's good feelings washed over her, merging with her overall Force aura. She removed her finger and it automatically shut off. Having woven in a dead-man's switch into her new lightsaber, the blade would disappear anytime her finger left the activation switch. Her former saber had not had this function, and she felt that she would need something of the sort later in life. Master Revisc had one on his as well.

With the lightsaber skeleton in her hands, she opened her eyes to briefly observe it before setting it down and reclosing them. Now she needed to fashion the hilt casing, one of the few ways each Jedi could show off their individual traits. With the Force, she picked up a simple black tubing to use as her starting-off point, her clay block that she would mold into what she wanted.

Xierra pulled on the Force and began her most intricate work yet: she wanted to fashion markings upon the hilt, so delicate that no physical tool could do the work for her. Instead, she needed to use all her knowledge of the Force to rearrange the atoms of the tubing, taking them above and below the surface so that the whirls and markings would appear, gradually turning into a design. The Falleen concentrated hard on her work, more oblivious than she had even been earlier. This work needed her undivided attention as she worked microscopic bit by bit.

[Jace]

Jace wasn't sure why he was having these visions, if thats what they even were. He knew that it was testing him, the voice constantly ridiculing and tempting him. Jace looked at it as an opportunity to build his resistance against the darkside until he figured its source. He decided to push his thoughts on this matter aside for now. He once again reminded himself that there were more important things for him to focus on.

Jace's thoughts extended towards Xierra, she seemed to be doing fine. The creation of a lightsaber was one of the most satisfying but possibly frustration tasks for a Jedi. Many believed that it was a flawless process, but in truth, many had to make lightsabers multiple times until it fit them. Jace himself was quite satisfied with his lightsaber upon his first try though.

His thoughts drifted towards the core, to Coruscant, and the Temple. On one hand he was glad to be able to travel but he was uneasy without being at the temple. He knew the grandmistress and many other Jedi were there, but it still bothered him. Jace knew it was a natural feeling, with what he had seen through his life. He sensed neither hostility nor darkness so he relaxed.

[Mara]

The design in the hilt was finished. Xierra let out a breath that she thought she had been holding all day. Relieved that the hardest part was over, her fingers moved slowly over the obsidian-colored hilt, feeling the grooves of the inlaid design she had just completed. Yes, it was perfect. She smiled.

Still with eyes closed, she put together the pieces of the lightsaber, slipping the inner workings into the hilt and fastening it all closed with help from the Force. The lightsaber was a bare skeleton no more and as the moments went by, looked even more like a completed lightsaber. Concentrating through the Force, Xierra checked the mechanisms for anything wrong, but it alerted her to nothing.

Satisfied, her eyes snapped open to gaze upon her lightsaber with her real eyes, instead of gathering up an image through the Force. It was better than she had imagined. Her own weapon of the Jedi. She had done it with help from her late Master. Without him, it wouldn't have been possible. Yes, she would have found a crystal eventually, and it would be resting inside her lightsaber. But it wouldn't be the same as the one she had now, she was sure of it. Her master wanted her to use this crystal; he had picked it out a decade ago for her to use. The Force must have led him to it as well. Led her to realize that she must continue to use it.

There was only one thing left. Xierra stood up gracefully, her legs not cramped at all from being in a crosslegged position for hours, maybe even days; she didn't know how long it was. The Force had sustained her throughout the process. She held up the weapon in front of her in the first stance of the Ataru form and depressed the activator switch. Her pale green blade shot out with a hiss, and thrummed quietly.

Xierra smiled again. She had done it.

[Jace]

Seconds...minutes...hours, how many had gone by since Jace began his meditation? Though he didn't lose all sense of time, he only had a vague idea. He usually didn't go into such deep meditation, then again he rarely got the opportunity. Just as he was vaguely aware of time, he was also vaguely aware of his surroundings. He suddenly felt a deep sense of satisfaction, and it was from someone near by. Jace breathed in and out deeply three times, and then opened his eyes.

Looks like Xierra has succeeded he thought as a smile formed on his face.

Jace stood up slowly, and then stretched out, sitting around for days could be quite hard on the joints. He walked over to the balcony just to see Xierra ignite her lightsaber.

"Congratulations Xierra" Jace said from the balcony.

He then made his way to the right of the room, and down the staircase. He studied Xierra as he walked up to her, confidence and relief radiated from her.

"It seems you have succeeded young one. Now I think it is time for us to head back to Coruscant, come" He stated serenely, yet his eyes seemed clouded as if something else was on his mind.

Jace made his way back to the ship with Xierra, soon they would be on their way back to the Core.

[Mara]

((I'm assuming this will be last in this thread, unless you want to end it....
I'll post next in Council Chambers, methinks))


She started slightly with mild surprise as Master Beleren congratulated her. Xierra had been focusing too much on herself to realize his presence. Nodding, she acknowledged him, remaining quiet and waiting for him to join her. She took her finger off the activator switch, and the green blade disappeared, seemingly melting back into the black hilt.

Xierra smiled and nodded, quickly gathering up the rest of her things and slinging her bag over her shoulder before following after the Jedi Master. She forced herself to think more outwardly instead of focusing on herself. Keeping the Force inward for too long could bring trouble to her or to others.

But once she opened herself out, she could feel different emotions coming off of the master in front of her. He seemed troubled, but the Falleen pushed it from her mind. It was not her place to ask him what was bothering him. If he wanted her to know, he would bring it up. But Xierra assumed it was something he would save for the rest of the council.

She followed quietly to his ship and went up its ramp, thinking instead of her own future. In just a few short days she would be back on Coruscant at the Temple, and would be attending her knighting ceremony. Xierra couldn't stop a small flood of pheromones and emotions washing off of her. She didn't think that Master Beleren or any other master would deny her these feelings of happiness.


[to Council Chambers thread...]