Dantooine

[Jhoren Zeur]

Doing as he was told, Jhoren went back to his terminal and sat down again. Once again, he brought the machine to life, and browsed through the various topics until he found the one he was looking for. It read:

 

::Lightsaber Crystals::

 

It was, obviously, the exact thing he was looking for. He selected it, and was met with an entire paragraph explaining what lightsaber crystals did, what they were used for, and the different varieties of them that had already been discovered all over the galaxy.

 

--

 

It took him several minutes to fully understand the purpose of lightsaber crystals. After he had finished reading all of the text, he looked back up at Kirana again, over the top of his screen.

 

”œIt says that they're used in the construction of lightsabers,”

[Rodya]

Before Wranon could answer, the HUD connected to Rodya's armor displayed an alert indicating the detection of a nearby lifeform. Rodya, a seven foot tall muscular beast, turned to find the young, innocent Shelia. The girl jumped at the sight of Rodya's grotesque facial features: the lips that curled upwards, the fang-like teeth, and the jet black eyes all struck at the girl's heart like a monster sprung to life from a child's nightmare.

 

Unsure of what to do next, both Rodya and the girl stood staring at one another. Shelia longed for the safety of her father's arms. It had been nearly a full day since she had been kidnapped by the gang, and for all she knew Rodya and Wranon were just two bandits looking to capitalize off of the spoils left behind by the decimated gang.

 

"Are you Shelia?" Rodya asked, hesitating slightly. He knew the look of fright on the young female's face. The looks of terror and disgust were something he had grown accustomed to over the years, yet for once anger was not the overriding emotion dominating his actions. Yes, it was present, but something new had entered Rodya's life. Something within him was forcing him to care for other lifeforms. Shelia's situation tugged at the strings connected to Rodya's newly softened heart urging him to reach out and help the desperate child.

 

"Your father sent us to rescue you. Wranon and I, my name is Rodya, are going to look around the camp. Wait here then we will return you to your father."

 

Rodya turned from the young child straight faced and business like. Softened though his heart was, Rodya had yet to learn the subtelties of emotional interaction. Unless Wranon offered the girl comfort, she was left to wait in the cold until her rescuers returned.

 

Some distance from the girl, Rodya began to talk to Wranon, "Find whatever salvage you can. We're going to return the girl to her parents and leave Dantooine. I've got us a job..."

 

Rodya left the words to linger in Wranon's mind. He wanted to see how his younger companion would react to the news of a possible big time score.

 

After a half hour of rummaging:

 

Standing in a heap next to one of the tents was an old, slightly rusty, clone wars model driodeka. Rodya recognized the animal of a machine from holo-images he had seen but knew from the state of the camp the droid must be inactive. In their prime, driodeka had been one of the deadliest anti-personel machines ever built standing as a match even for Jedi. Had the droid been functioning, Wranon never would have succeeded.

 

With widening eyes Rodya, somewhat cheesely, exclaimed, "What a find."

 

The weapons systems were decimated, and several of the droid's joints seemed to be frozen with years of rust, but the CPU mountings appeared undamaged, its detections systems were unharmed, and Rodya even thought that with some tinkering he could get the droid to roll itself back to his ship.

 

He pulled from his belt his specially designed tools and began working on the droideka.

[Kirana Sunrider]

Kira nodded her head at his answer, a smile upon her face. That smile brightened as he asked his question, "I thought you'd ask that. Yes you will be. That is why you are to learn about the crystals and construction of a lightsaber. It will be part of your training, and a test for you to complete."

 

There had been no sign of Kenshi and Kirana was a little concerned regarding Malin. She wanted to progress with Jhoren's training though would have to continue here on Dantooine until Malin's return. When it did come to her padawan's lightsaber construction, she would take him to Ilum. The caves there were spectacular and they had special Force properties within those caves that tested each Jedi as they attained their crystals.

 

Giving another nod, she turned off the terminal in front of her and stood. The datapad she slipped across to Jhoren, "Study these in your own time. We'll head outside and we can practice what you have learnt already." She motioned for him to follow her as they headed out of the Temple grounds. He would be tested against a 'real' foe. They would go and find some Kath Hounds that were building the numbers of their pack close to the Jedi Temple and close farms.

[Jhoren Zeur]

Jhoren took the datapad from Kirana and slid it into his pocket. He'd read the information that she had stored there, after he was given a bit of downtime.

 

He stood up from his chair as well, and followed her as she proceeded to make her way out of the library. His head was still spinning, regarding all of the information that he had taken in while studying at the terminal. There was, without a doubt, more for him to learn about in the archives. However, that would have to wait.

 

They had exited the temple and were now outside. There was a gentle breeze blowing, though that didn't change the seventy-five degree weather that Khoonda was now experiencing. However, the warm temperature aside, it was a fairly nice day.

 

”œWhere are we going?”

[Wranorn]

Wranorn rummaged through several rooms not finding anything worth taking back. Other then a few hundred credits off the bodies, Wranorn was left wanting. He scurried several tents, find blasters, and rifles none that were any better then the one he picked off of Cal Rendar. He didnt expect to see much better anyways.

 

He looked over as Rodya murmmered something to himself. Wranorn eyes light up apon seeing the heap of metal that Rodya was working on. He knew that it was something interesting, but wasnt quite sure as to what it was. He glanced at it from afar, and then relaised that it was an ancient droidica, he had only seen images of them before, and thought that they had all been destroyed, save for a few that were still in use at some of the Jedi Temples, and Sith lairs.

 

Wranorn went back to rummaging. He entred a tent that had a few antenas poking out of the roof, and wires crossing every where. He figured that this was the tent of some low level wanna-be slicer. Wranorn lifted some fallen debris, and pushed the rubble with his feet, not finding anything worth-while. He walked over to what used to be a desk, and lifted some notepads.

 

A flickering green screen crackled to life as one of the pieces of rock dropped on it. It seemed to be a simple data pad, but Wranorn got the distinct feeling that it was something more. He picked up the data-pad, and leaned against the wall, and began to inspect it.

 

It seemed that the slicer was working on it when he began his attack, not giving him time to lock it, or secure it. This allowed Wranorn to scroll through the programs, and information that was on it. The data-pad was heavily modified, with programs that would grant access into systems with a push of a button. It contained viruses that would cripple defence systems, and networks, and could intercept comms.

 

Wranorn was highly surprised that such a small group of low-life criminals would be able to create such a piece of work. He knew now how they were able to survive so long, with out being taken out. The slicer would intercept comms that law enforcement was comming, and have everyone take up positions to prepare for the on-comming attack. And they would get their credits by slicing into the banks, and transfer funds to their accounts. It was simple for such a beautiful work of art, such as this modifyed data-pad.

 

Wranorn had a little experience with slicing, so he set a new encrypted password for the tool, and slipped it into his pocket. He began to rummage around a little more, but knew he wouldnt find anything better then what he already had.

 

After a while, wranorn walked out of the tent, and took his place next to Rodya. He glanced over at the girl, who was calmly sitting on a slab of rock. She was pretty at least, maybe he would have to come back here and look her up.

 

"When ever your ready Rodya. I didnt find much, a few hundred credits at most." He didnt mention the data-pad. He knew it would be best to keep that to him self, a good slicer didnt show off his tools to anyone.

[Wranorn]

Wranorn rummaged through several rooms not finding anything worth taking back. Other then a few hundred credits off the bodies, Wranorn was left wanting. He scurried several tents, find blasters, and rifles none that were any better then the one he picked off of Cal Rendar. He didnt expect to see much better anyways.

 

He looked over as Rodya murmmered something to himself. Wranorn eyes light up apon seeing the heap of metal that Rodya was working on. He knew that it was something interesting, but wasnt quite sure as to what it was. He glanced at it from afar, and then relaised that it was an ancient droidica, he had only seen images of them before, and thought that they had all been destroyed, save for a few that were still in use at some of the Jedi Temples, and Sith lairs.

 

Wranorn went back to rummaging. He entred a tent that had a few antenas poking out of the roof, and wires crossing every where. He figured that this was the tent of some low level wanna-be slicer. Wranorn lifted some fallen debris, and pushed the rubble with his feet, not finding anything worth-while. He walked over to what used to be a desk, and lifted some notepads.

 

A flickering green screen crackled to life as one of the pieces of rock dropped on it. It seemed to be a simple data pad, but Wranorn got the distinct feeling that it was something more. He picked up the data-pad, and leaned against the wall, and began to inspect it.

 

It seemed that the slicer was working on it when he began his attack, not giving him time to lock it, or secure it. This allowed Wranorn to scroll through the programs, and information that was on it. The data-pad was heavily modified, with programs that would grant access into systems with a push of a button. It contained viruses that would cripple defence systems, and networks, and could intercept comms.

 

Wranorn was highly surprised that such a small group of low-life criminals would be able to create such a piece of work. He knew now how they were able to survive so long, with out being taken out. The slicer would intercept comms that law enforcement was comming, and have everyone take up positions to prepare for the on-comming attack. And they would get their credits by slicing into the banks, and transfer funds to their accounts. It was simple for such a beautiful work of art, such as this modifyed data-pad.

 

Wranorn had a little experience with slicing, so he set a new encrypted password for the tool, and slipped it into his pocket. He began to rummage around a little more, but knew he wouldnt find anything better then what he already had.

 

After a while, wranorn walked out of the tent, and took his place next to Rodya. He glanced over at the girl, who was calmly sitting on a slab of rock. She was pretty at least, maybe he would have to come back here and look her up.

 

"When ever your ready Rodya. I didnt find much, a few hundred credits at most." He didnt mention the data-pad. He knew it would be best to keep that to him self, a good slicer didnt show off his tools to anyone.

[Kautra Nadio]

Kautras ship slipped through the atmosphere, and landed near an abandoned crystal mine. It was miles from any town or village, so he felt comfortable that they would not be disturbed by anyone.

 

He waited for his Padawan to join him before embarking into the mine.

[Rodya]

With one final twist from his tools, the rusty droideka creaked to life. Its limbs jammed and groaned as they attempted to break off years of corosion. There would be a lot of work to do on this one driod, but Rodya knew how worth his efforts this one metallic companion could be.

 

"When ever you're ready Rodya. I didnt find much, a few hundred credits at most," said Wranon.

 

Rodya turned and looked at Wranon catching the younger bounty hunter's glance at the innocent young girl. The word pedophile passed through the back of Rodya's mind, but he barely thought anything of it. He too was ready to leave.

 

"Fine, follow me. As you can see, I found us a friend." Rodya reached down and twitched a couple of wires which caused the droideka to grind its way into rolling position. It then steadily began making its way back towards the town ahead of Rodya and Wranon.

 

"Come with us little girl." Rodya said to Shelia. "It's time to leave."

 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Back in the town, Rodya and Wranon were met by a crowd of civilians.

 

"Did you find her?" asked Shelia's father in a panic, "Is she safe?"

 

The little girl poked her head out from behind Rodya's tree trunk-like leg smiling at her father who washed over with a look of joy and gratitude. Rodya remained like stone during the proceedings and he didn't notice anything different from Wranon. Doing something good was quite unusal for them both, he guessed.

 

"Col's gang is destroyed, primarily thanks to my associate here. We didn't find anything much, but I'd assume if you go have a look around their camp you may find their hidden stash of credits."

 

The people thanked Rodya and Wranon and then dispersed with several of them heading off in the direction of the gang's camp. Rodya motioned to Wranon for them to head to the ship. Each of them had found what they had came for. It was now time to leave.

 

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Aboard the Frozen Thunder, Rodya took off his armor and manuvered his new battle droid into one of the storage compartments.

 

"Feel free to join me in the cockpit or take over one of the cabins. We're headed for Coruscant first. I have some business to do there. Once we're in hyperspace I'll fill you in on my plans. If you don't want to be a part of them then I can return to Dagobah for you to retrieve your ship, or leave you on Coruscant."

 

Rodya started to head to the controls but stopped in his tracks and turned towards Wranon. "Thanks for helping those people, Wranon. You may not think anything of it, but I appreciate it."

 

It was an odd gesture from Rodya who hadn't said a pleasant thing to a person in years. What's come over me? he thought, standing awkwardly in the ship's hallway. He didn't wait for a reply from Wranon, but instead quickly turned and headed for the control room. There he preped the ship's engines and before Rodya could have said spit-wanger, the two bounty hunter's were cruising through hyperspace.

[Kirana Sunrider]

"We're going to help reduce some of the Kath hound numbers close by the farms and the Temple. It will test your skills with the Force." Kira grinned at him, "Don't worry, I won't let you come to any harm. You need to be able to think on the spot, or rather not think about using the Force, just let it happen. I want you to open yourself to the Force, let it guide your movements. Once you trust the Force, it will strengthen you in ways you can't hope to imagine."

 

They walked further from the Temple, striking out across the open plain towards some of the trees that were scattered across it. "If you find yourself in trouble, let me know and I'll reinforce you. Do you have any questions for me?"

[Jhoren Zeur]

Jhoren shook his head.

 

"No," he replied. "I'm ready."

 

He was anxious, though, about this. After all, if it hadn't been for Kirana, he would have become Kath Hound meat when he met her for the first time. However, he felt more confident in his fighting abilities, so he didn't think that a couple of Hounds would prove to be of any real challenge to him now.

[Kirana Sunrider]

Kira stopped out in the open, still a distance from the tree in which she had been headed towards. She knew there were two kath hounds lying in the shade though they were not visible from this angle. She looked at Jhoren, "I want you to tell me what you feel. Stretch out with your senses and tell me what you feel around us."

 

She would let him go for these kath hounds by himself and only intervene if necessary. There was a larger group of them across the plains, under a larger tree. That would be more of a challenge that the pair of them would deal with together. It would teach him how to fight along side someone while linked with the Force.

[Jhoren Zeur]

Doing as he was told, Jhoren reached out with the Force to see if any Kath Hounds were near - or tried to. He recalled what he had done during his training exercise with Kirana. He'd been able to move the bamboo pole with the Force, and had even managed to hold up against his master during their short - yet all the more grueling - sparring match.

 

So why wasn't he able to tell if there were any other life forms nearby?

 

He sighed, then shook his head to clear his thoughts. He remembered doing that back at the temple, when he had first moved the pole. He closed his eyes, and, concentrating as hard as he could, was able to expand his senses over a fairly large distance. What he saw - or thought he saw - were a couple of Kath Hounds resting on the other side of the tree. They appeared to be oblivious to the fact that there were two Jedi nearby, for he didn't sense any sudden alertness from the pair.

 

He opened his eyes, and almost immediately, the vision of the two Hounds vanished. He looked back up at Kirana, his hand already moving to his lightsaber. He quickly brought it from his belt, but did not yet ignite it.

 

”œThere are two of them,”

[Kirana Sunrider]

"Yes, there are two of them. Now stretch out your senses again, reach further this time and tell me what you can feel. When you take on these two, I want you to keep your mind open to other threats. Keep on guard all the time."

 

Kira gave him a nod that when he was ready he was to go after the kath hounds... she would keep monitoring the others and make sure they didn't decide to 'join the party' too soon...

[Jhoren Zeur]

Jhoren went on ahead, the lightsaber that Kirana had given him earlier still not yet ignited. He would wait until the last minute to activate the blade, as to preserve the all-important element of surprise. He made sure to avoid the taller grass surrounding the tree. Kath Hounds were known for having keen hearing, whether they were sleeping or not. He knew that it didn't take much to render one awake. He probably wouldn't be able to come in arm's length of either one, so he would have to move swiftly, and be precise with his movements to strike them both down without having to chase either one down.

 

He made his way to the tree, and crouched down low to remain hidden. All the while, he remained on alert in case there were other hounds near by. He did sense another group - a larger group - a good distance away from the tree, so he knew that he'd have enough time to kill the two animals on the other side of the tree, rendevous with Kirana, and move on to deal with the remaining pack.

 

He pressed a hand against the tree, and slowly started to work his way around it. He held his hilt out in front of him, should one of the hounds become aware of his presence and decide to attack him. He kept his thumb on the ignition button, and finally made his move.

 

He leapt forward, and before either hound could react, the blade of his lightsaber was ignited, and had already cut through the middle of one of them. The other one sprang to its feet and lunged at him, but before it reached him, he quickly spun to his side and plunged the blade into the right side of its body. It snarled in pain, collapsed to the ground and stayed still.

 

Finally, he deactivated his weapon, his senses still on high alert. He could sense that the larger group of Kath Hounds had been alerted to something happening nearby, though as far as he could tell, they weren't running away or coming to the tree to investigate what had happened.

 

He made his way over to Kirana again, and jerked a thumb over his shoulder, towards a much larger tree in the distance.

 

”œThere's a larger group of them back there,”

[Kirana Sunrider]

Kira watched her padawan, noting how he handled the first two kath hounds. She was keeping a close eye on the other pack, knowing the exact moment they started to stir. As Jhoren returned to her side she answered him, "I don't expect you to handle all of them. This is where teamwork and our force bond comes into play. Open your mind and link it to mine. By doing this you shall know exactly where I am and visa versa. We can co-ordinate our movements easily through the Force."

 

She glanced towards the pack in the distance and then back towards Jhoren. "You will lead here. How do you want to handle this?" Kirana gave her padawan an encouraging look.

[Jhoren Zeur]

Jhoren eyed the pack in the distance, sensing every movement that came from it. The hounds in the larger group had in fact either heard ”“ or seen ”“ Jhoren cut down the two beasts resting underneath the tree. One of them started circling the tree in the distance, as if egging him on to go over to it and challenge it to a fight. He knew that it was normal for Kath Hounds to do this. It was more of a defense mechanism than anything, as far as he knew. Kath Hounds ”“ excluding Horned Kath Hounds ”“, when provoked were unpredictable. They did not hesitate to attack those who they deemed a threat to the rest of their group.

 

”œI think we should attack the pair to the right of the tree,”

[Kirana Sunrider]

Kira nodded her head in agreement and drew the Force to herself. The Jedi Master would let her padawan lead, testing him and strengthening him at the same time. She then touched the Force so that she shared her strengths with Jhoren, reinforced him through her talents. He would find himself bolstered, feel stronger and able to handle anything that came his way. That was only part of what she could do with her battle meditation and mind skills, being linked to her padawan, she could reinforce him while still able to concentrate on what she was doing herself.

 

"Are you ready?" Kirana asked. She would act as soon as he did. This was his show.

[Jhoren Zeur]

Without warning, Jhoren suddenly felt”¦ empowered. He felt stronger; he felt as if he could take on every single Kath Hound by that tree, without breaking a single sweat. He re-ignited his lightsaber, not caring if the Hounds saw the bright cyan blade or not. Knowing the behavior of Kath Hounds, he knew that they wouldn't simply run away. If they did, however, it would only make it easier for him and Kirana to cut the rest of them down.

 

”œOkay, I'm ready,”

[Kirana Sunrider]

Kira laughed softly at Jhoren's reaction, wondering if he realised she was bolstering him. She gave a sharp nod as he said he was ready and drew her sabers, azul blade in one hand, silver in the other. She watched from a distance to begin with, seeing how he handled himself. As the rest of the pack regrouped from Jhoren's initial assault, Kirana leapt into the fray, the Force speeding her movements so that her blades were azul and silver streaks of light, the hum and smell of ozone tainting the air.

 

The Jedi Master winked at Jhoren then positioned herself so that she was back to back with her padawan, guarding his back as well as letting him guard hers, therefore both of them could act without fear of the hounds coming up behind them. Not that either wouldn't be aware if they did have a hound at their backs with the Force flowing through them, surrounding them with it's comforting presence. She sent one hound flying back into another with a Force push, following it with a slash of her silver blade, the azul on guard.

[Jhoren Zeur]

Being back-to-back with his master, Jhoren felt like they could accomplish anything. The Kath Hounds certainly didn't stand a chance against them now. They were facing not only one, or two, but three lightsabers. The fact that Kirana was a Jedi Master didn't better the beasts' chances of coming out victorious in this battle. It would take, he figured, less than a minute to take care of all of them. Until then, he would wait for one of them to advance on him first, before he attacked them.

 

His time came when the Hound on the left of the other two bounded forward, baring its teeth as it approached him. It leapt into the air, its black, jagged claws growing out from its paws. One swipe, and it was all over for Jhoren. He would be unable to continue in this battle if one of the hounds was successful with injuring him to the point where he could no longer defend himself against him.

 

A single swing of his lightsaber brought about the end of the Kath Hound that had leapt at him. After cutting its front right leg off, he plunged the blade through its torso. He didn't bother waiting until the beast hit the ground to pull his weapon out of the corpse.

 

Whether it was seeing their fellow Hound die in front of them, or if it was because Jhoren had attacked, the other two sprang forward.

 

He smiled, bringing his lightsaber up, ready for anything...

[Kirana Sunrider]

Kirana was aware of every move her padawan made, as well as being aware of the Kath Hounds and which way they would leap or attack from. One came from her left a few moments before another came from the right. They were becoming organised, though not as organised as they might have been. The Force flowed freely as she pushed the second one back, her azul saber connecting with the first, slicing it cleanly. The second hound came back at her, only to meet a similar fate. The smell of burnt fur and ozone tainting the air.

 

There were only two left now, Kirana watching her padawan closely as they were in front of him. She would act only if he needed her to, though she still reinforced him.

[Jhoren Zeur]

Raising the cyan blade of his weapon, Jhoren advanced on the hound to his left first. He took one, giant step forward, and cut the creature down without any difficulty. He cut through its neck, killing it instantly, then side-stepped to to take care of the other one. Instead of using his lightsaber, he decided to change things up a bit. He had been able to push the bamboo pole to the wall of the training chamber, why wouldn't he be able to do the same with the Kath Hound?

 

Concentrating on the advancing beast, he used the Force to push it back towards the tree. It let out a sharp cry as it left the ground, before the pained sound was cut off as it struck the tree. It fell to the ground in a heap and lay still.

 

It was over. The pack of Kath Hounds had been eliminated, and Jhoren had managed to escape with nothing more than a small scratch on his hand. He deactivated his lightsaber, then turned around and looked at Kirana, a grin visible on his face.

 

"That's the last of them," he said. "In this area, at least."

 

He held the hilt out to her to take it.

 

"That was..." he said, but trailed off, unable to find the right words to describe what had just taken place. The adrenaline that had been coursing through his veins before their confrontation with the Kath Hounds was still there. He felt as if he could take on another group of the hounds; he was feeling more powerful than ever before...

[Serpe]

Moon's ship glided easily through the atmosphere, following Kautra's ship closely. She took a small open space beside his ship, just large enough for her E-wing. As it landed, she popped the cockpit and climbed out. She walked to her Master, and bowed graciously.

 

"Have a nice trip? I love space."

[Kautra Nadio]

Kautra hopped out of his own ship, and returned the bow back to his young padawan.

 

"Seems like you do like space, seeing as you were there for so long" he said in a sarcastic tone. " However, it is time that you went into the mine and retrieve a crystal for a new lightsaber. This is a very important task to be asked of you. The crystals inside this cave call to a Jedi, when the right one is found. If a crystal is not obtained in this way, then it is not as strong for the user. Your task is to enter the cave, and listen to what the force is telling you. When you have a stone, return to me, and we'll go from there young one"

 

((Okay we'll try to get this done in 2 posts, i would like to see some good description if you can. I have been missing you, glad to see you havnt forgotten about me=P)

[Kirana Sunrider]

Giving a nod, Kirana stopped reinforcing him, the Force powers she had been using reducing so that what he felt was his own connection to it. "Yes. At least the Farmers in this area will be alright for a while now." As he went to hand her back the hilt of the saber she shook her head. Having disengaged both of hers, she re-clipped them onto her belt loops, motioning for him to do the same, "You may keep that training saber until you make your own. As I've mentioned before, you have to beware of the dark side of the Force. It can creep up on you when you are unaware. One day, sooner or later, you will have to face it. Let us hope that you are strong enough to face the darkside and come through whatever trial awaits you."

 

The Jedi Master took a couple of steps back towards the way they had come from, "Come. We shall head back to the Jedi Temple." Seeing her padawan following her, she glanced back at him with a mischievous grin, "I'll race you back. Use the Force to speed your movements." With that she broke into a run, stretching out her senses so that she was aware of where he was, that there were no threats to either of them on their way back. Instead of going around a large fallen tree trunk, Kirana gathered the Force into herself and leaped over it, clearing it by a metre before landing lightly over the other side and keeping her stride as she landed. Using the Force to guide her movements, she turned around so that she was running backwards, to watch how he took the obstacle ... if he jumped it, or if he went around it.

[Serpe]

Moon kept her eyes on Kautra for a moment, her mind somewhere else but in her head. It was examining the situation from outside of her body, as she often did. She gave Kautra a slight nod and a barely audible grunt; and began to enter what was known as the Crystal Cave.

 

She made her way through the dark, winding tunnels towards a feint glow on the opposite side. This tunnel turned many times, and sometimes she'd accidentally fall into an old kinrath nest. The last nest she had stuck her right hand into, while feeling against the wall. Her hand crushed an ancient egg, which began to glow red. It was a natural red crystal. She put her hand over it, it began to whisper words into her head.

 

Take me. Take me with you. Keep me hidden.

 

Moon looked left, right, and back. Kautra hadn't followed her. She reached out with the Force, but not too far, trying to sense his familliar presence. Nothing. With her heart racing, she snatched a piece of the red crystal and placed it in her pocket.

 

Finally, after her long search, she reached the innard of the cave. Her eyes were instantly filled with brilliant blues, greens, oranges, purples, golds, silvers, yellows, and even pinks. Her eyes, however, were drawn to a single crystalline formation in the far left edge of the chamber. It seemed to emit a dim light, but suck in light at the same time. It casted a shadow on the ground. This formation was not of any color, but devoid of color itself.

 

Moon let her legs carry her to the crystal, just as she let her hand will itself to touch it. She ran her hand along the formation, her eyes wide while taking in its full beauty. Her jaw dropped as if the Force itself willed it, and a small crystal small enough to fit in a lightsaber dropped into her palm. She wrapped her hand around it... And she knew. This was her crystal.

 

Using her memory only, Moon closed her eyes and made her way through the tunnel system quickly back to her Master. She placed her hand on her left pocket to make sure the red crystal hadn't fallen out. She then walked out of the tunnels, a large smile on her face. Filled with excitement, she said, "Master, look!" She opened her right palm to display the almost black crystal. "Isn't it beautiful?"

 

((How could I forget'cha?))

Edited April 13, 2009 by Guest

[Kautra Nadio]

(( just so you know, if you want to make a black saber, it has been discussed throughly on the starwars Misc forum, and it has been decided that a black saber isnt possible, because black is the absence of light, and that is what a lightsaber blade is made out of, however if you want to make it a dark purple/red= "almost" black then that should be fine, but make sure the description does not state that it is black.)

 

Kautra watched as Moon entered that cave before them, and watched until she was out of sight. He knew that this was a journy that she had to take by her self, because she might pick up the force from him, and not find the right crystal for herself.

 

Once she was out of sight he began his simple task of slaving her ship to his. He walked up the stair way to his ship, and sat down at the controls. Pressing buttons quickly, for he had done this many times before, he slaved the navigation system to his own. That way when Moon returned she could just get in his ship, and create her saber under his watch, with out leaving her ship behind.

 

Once that was done with, he calmly strode out of his ship, and looked around. He noticed a cloud of smoke rising from the south. It appeared to be a fire of some sort, but something was amiss about it. It seemed as if there had been an explosion of some sort, but he decided that it was best for all parties involved to not inspect it, he was still not sure how the local populace felt about Jedi being around.

 

He sat on the ground, and started playing with the grass. He spread his palm over it, and willed the force into the grass. The grass seemed to respond to his touch, and the color grew to an emereald green. Kautra watched as the grass seemed to grow beneith his hand. He willed more force into the grass, and watched as it exploded with life, and color. It began to grow rapidly stretching its leafs past his fingures, and curled around them.

 

Master look, isnt it beautiful?. Kautra wsa shocked, he didnt expect to see his young one so soon, though he had lost track of time while playing around with the vegetaion before him. Inside her hand laid a small crystal shard. So dark in color that it almost appeared black.

 

"my, what an interesting find you have there" Kautra said stunned by the crystal. he himself had never seen a stone of that color before, but knew it to be a rather rare find for any traveler.

 

"The force has provided you with a very rare crystal Moon"

 

As he said this, Kautra got a sudden chill up his slender spin, a dark presence had suddenly appeared out of no where, yet he knew it not to be a life form. he took a second before saying anything, not sure as to what would have given him a sense of the dark side. He didn't think that the crystal she had in her hand was the source, but he knew it to be from another crystal. He shrugged it off quietly, because they were rather close to the mine, and he knew that there were dark sided crystals in there.

 

"come we have much to do, board my ship, yours is already taken care of."

 

(( I dont know what the second stone is for, but i am assuming that it is for her fathers saber, but i left it open for you to eventually move to the dark side, most time a red crystal is not of the light, and i remember you saying that sooner or later you were going to make that change. So i made sure to give you that room))

 

(( I am easily forgettable, had that problem all my life))

[Serpe]

Moon looked puzzled, and then realized the coordinates for whatever Kautra was planning to go had already been entered into the E-Wing's navicomputer. She nodded and placed her hand at her side, encasing the crystal in her protective grip.

 

She followed Kautra closely into his ship. She had been his Padawan for a little while now, however she had never set her eyes upon the interior of his ship. She took a seat on the floor near the cockpit.

 

Her eyes glimmered with anticipation as she realized why she was hitching with him this time. It was time to build her lightsaber. She smiled, a childlike joy filling her face. She wanted her father's lightsaber to be her own, however building one of her make filled her with a joy that she welcomed dearly. A happiness that had not joined her since before her father's death.

 

((Psh. ))

[Jhoren Zeur]

After clipping his lightsaber back onto his belt, Jhoren started following his master. However, just as he was about to step up next to her so that he would be walking beside her, she took off, running towards the Jedi Temple. She wanted to race, she'd said, before she broke into the run. He watched her as she leapt over a thick, fallen tree trunk, and land on the other side of it. He knew that she was using the Force to help herself increase her speed, for she was moving faster than any normal human. He assumed that she'd also used the Force to jump over the tree trunk, something that he was sure he wouldn't be able to do.

 

However, after dealing with those Kath Hounds, he felt as if he could do anything. He, too, took off in a sprint. He was fairly fast on his feet even without the Force, but now, he called upon it to help speed his movements up. He'd discovered that during their confrontation with the Kath Hounds, that he didn't need to concentrate so heavily on the task at hand. All he needed to do, really, was focus on his goal, which was to speed up his movements so that he could catch up to Kirana. So, that is exactly what he did.

 

Soon, his legs were moving so quickly, that they were a blur of beige and black. He ran ”“ no, soared ”“ over the plains of the Kath Hound breeding grounds, moving at such a speed that he had trouble keeping himself from toppling over and landing head-first onto the ground. He was quickly approaching the tree, and took the time to brace himself so that he could perform a clean jump over it. As soon as he was about twenty feet away from it, he launched himself into the air, catching himself off guard by how much height he gained from the jump. His arms and legs flailed a bit, but he brought himself to so that when he hit the ground, he landed on both feet. He glanced over at Kirana before he started running again and, unlike last time, had no trouble breaking into another run aided by the Force.

 

He was thrilled! He hadn't expected to catch on to this new trick so easily. He supposed that he still felt the effect of being empowered by Kirana, that he completed this new challenge with little difficulty. However, as quick as he was at that very moment, he was unable to catch up with Kirana, who was nearing the Jedi Temple. This was expected, however. She, unlike him, was an experienced Jedi Master, and he was a mere Padawan.

 

Still, it felt absolutely enthralling to be running with the aid of the Force!

[Kirana Sunrider]

As soon as she had seen her padawan land and begin running again, Kirana turned about in a smooth movement and continued on her way back to the Jedi Temple. She slowed to a brisk walk as she reached the small bridge just before the Temple grounds, coming to a stop half way across the bridge. There she turned around and watched Jhoren approach. She smiled at him. He'd done what she wanted him to do and done it well. Another test complete.

 

Bringing out her comm unit, she sent a message through to one of the other Jedi Masters within the Temple. Kira requested that they look after Kenshi while Malin was away. She couldn't remain any longer waiting for her friend to return. It would disrupt her training regime if she delayed too longer. As Jhoren reached her side, Kira turned so that they walked into the grounds together. "If you have anything in your room go and grab it now. We shall be leaving soon. I'll meet you on board my ship" Winking at him she motioned for him to follow as she entered the Temple once more. She would gather a few things before boarding the Lost Soul.