Log:Jedi Order: A Symbol Reforged
Grand Master Rey and Padawan Zalon discuss the forging of a new lightsaber.
OOC Date: June 20, 2024
Location: Millennium Falcon, Tempes
Participants: Rey, Zalon Bo
It was a cold day on Tempes, which was nothing new.
The Falcon's ramp was open, and Rey had come up inside it but a handful of minutes ago. There was lightsaber training taking place on the ground of the main arena outside, and Rey had just been participating in one of the classes provided. It would not be hard to get directions to find out where she'd gone, and at this stage of the Jedi Order, it was not forbidden, or frowned upon, to enter the Millennium Falcon's open ramp when it was open.
Inside the ship, with its heaters on, it was much warmer, even with the ramp open, its boarding air jets were on, keeping the cool air out better by design.
Rey was seated at the engineering station, a heavy Jedi cloak worn over the rest of her attire, as she entered some updated info in to the terminal, with delicate finger strokes.
The heavy footfalls of a large creature can be heard near the boarding ramp. One could almost begin to imagine their belonging to another famed name associated with the Millennium Falcon: Chewbacca. Such a belief is shattered however as a low, rumbling voice wrapped in warm tones calls out and into the Falcon, "Master? Master Rey?" The voice calls out, clearly unmoving and now rooted on the boarding ramp of the old freighter. The words that follow are likely to identify him, even if there's the very real likelihood that the Jedi Order's very own Grand Master probably already knew who was calling out.
He takes a breath and finally begins forward. Up the ramp he goes with a sack clutched in one hand and the opposite clutched into a fist, clearly holding something within it. The permissions regarding the Falcon may be more relaxed these days, but it's still something that Zalon tends to approach with caution and without assuming too much.
He moves down the corridor in search the one whom he seeks: Master Rey.
It doesn't take long for him to wander his way into the lounge with his sack and fist. When he does finally find the smaller Jedi, the Padawan among them offers a respectful bow toward her. He rises after a moment and then begins to speak, getting right to business, "I hope you are well, Master," he pauses a beat before he continues and sets the sack aside. The metallic parts within clink and clank as he does so, "Regarding your views on the importance of our lightsabers and striving to keep them safe, just as they keep us safe. Master Garo has asked that I take this opportunity to learn the views of others.."
Rey didn't need the Force to recognize the voice. She knew it was the Lasat Jedi before he lumbered through the ship's corridor to find her in the recreation room. When he did arrive, she took two more seconds to finish the string of code words sent to the ship's computer, and ignored the snarky response that the computer gave her for the entry of that information. The Falcon was notorious for its odd computer, afterall.
"Zal." Rey said, as she turned on the high-backed swivel chair to face him, as he stood tall within the room, challenging its very limit on head room all together.
He got a smile from the Grand Master, her hair tied back in a pair of braids that hung behind her neck, making her facial features quite easily visible to him. She adjusted her robe over the light tan hued clothing she wore beneath it, and stood up, still towering beneath him at nearly two feet in a height deficit.
"Lightsabers..." She softly says, as she eyes what he has brought with him.
She motions with her good hand toward the holo-chess table, "Please, let it down there." She says in a soft tone of her smooth voice.
"I heard that your first saber was either damaged, or destroyed?" She asked the very big, but still younger, Lasat man.
Whether it's due to some low-hanging piping or some other contour of the ship, there are moments that Zal must dip his head in order to prevent bashing it against something. Which given the age of the Falcon, could prove detrimental in both obvious and less than obvious ways. Therefore when he chooses a place to stop, it's somewhere that he can stand fully upright without too much fear of smacking his purple hued head against some feature of the ship. The sack is taken up anew and upon reaching it, the parts contained within can be heard clanking about. He begins to withdraw them, setting them down as he speaks, "My lightsaber was," he pauses as though preparing to say damaged, but ends up confronting reality, "it was destroyed. I spoke with Mast -- Qutha. I expressed my concern and belief that the crystal had its attunement shaken."
The parts are laid out into view. The hilt itself had split in half and the area just beneath the the focus crystal has blossomed outward as though an explosion transpired. A moment later and Zal's closed fist shifts and turns, placing the crystal gently down among the debris before he continues, "The accident could have been avoided had I been more alert, but as Qutha assured me: we can't predict everything. He also believes that there could be some possibility that it is my guilt that is creating the imbalance, rather than the crystal or its integrity."
Then Zal's gold eyes turn to regard the shorter human female. To her he offers a polite bow of his head, before the obvious question is presented, "Do you have any insights or thoughts, Master Rey?"
When the pieces are presented, Rey lets her hazel hued eyes fall upon each one. She even reaches out for a part of the severed saber hilt. She gathers up the shroud end, raising it up to delicately turn it around within her soft fingertips of her right hand. Her metallic left hand comes up to stabilize it as she holds it, and turns it. She listens to the tall, and purple, Lasat on her right, showing a faint smile as he talks about what could be causing the remaining issues.
"I ... suffered a similar fate to my first saber," she informs him, as she sets the shroud piece down once more, then looks toward the crystal. She stares at it for a moment, simply giving it an occular once-over.
"The crystal is fine." She tells him, without having to really do any deep technical inspection. She's dealt with enough lightsabers in the past two decades to know what crystals were still good, and which ones were lost to damage.
She turns her eyes toward him, her dark brows raising as she looks up to his own above her.
"Are you looking to reforge this hilt? Or are you building anew?" She inquires. "Even if you are going to build anew, keep these pieces in your cabin. Put them on a shelf, and honor them for what they were to you. We do not celebrate attachments, as you know, but our lightsabers are different. Celebrate what this one was to you. Or rebuild it, and give it more life yet to live. Either way, what you need to ultimately do is meditate with the crystal beside you. Let it feel the Force, as you swim through it, together." She flashes him a little grin.
"Once you're ready to rebuild, you will feel comfort, and know it is time."
[PASS ( +47)] Zalon Bo's Meditation @ (100) diff.
The pieces are taken up by the Grand Master and Padawan Bo remains silent, awaiting the conclusion of Rey's inspection. He watches on with rapt attention, but much like her his gaze does fall to the lightsaber's remains. He studies them, remembering for a fleeting moment what once was. Though when Rey's attention turns up toward himself and the smile is given after he's imparted the potential issues at hand, Zal's own expression relaxes into a warm smile, "As tragic as that may be, Master," he pauses, answering the matter of Rey's own first lightsaber suffering a similar catastrophe, "it does help to assuage some of the guilt that I do feel. Thank you."
He takes in a long, calming breath and offers another nod at the declaration that the crystal is fine. That cleansing breath is released, yet the Padawan's expression remains sternly in placed. He's focused and attentive, with a face that seems to broadcast it openly.
He shifts slightly to regard the blossomed and hewn hilt. The question of whether he'll make use of it for his next earns a soft shake of his head, signaling in the negative, "I will forge a new hilt, but with the crystal I first earned". The answer is given before his smile grows again, while gold eyes turn to rest upon Rey's own presence before he answers her suggestion with warmth, "I will do so, Master. Not out of attachment, but as a reminder. Sometimes we fail, but those are experiences to teach us how to avoid that failure again."
He reaches down again to take up the crystal, holding it up between two thick fingers as he seems to inspect it for himself, but also to reach out to it with the Force itself. He embraces it there, wrapping his own mind and spirit around it within the flow of the Force. In that brief moment he cups it between imagined hands as though to offer it safety and security.
He nods once, his breath suddenly sliding from him a great weight seemingly lifted from his shoulders. "I will do this, Master. I will spend the next few days in meditation. There I will draw the Force around us and seek to renew the bond that has been forged."
The crystal is tucked away and Zalon's gaze shifts from the hand that had held the crystal and now back to Master Rey.
"Well, the saber I was using at the time... it belonged to Master Luke, and his father before him." Rey would explain to Zal, as he summed up his intentions in the days to come. She turns her back to the left side of the recreation lounge booth, and takes a perched seat upon the edge of it, her hands folding together on her lap, as she regards the Lasat. Knowing master Luke Skywalker, and the story of Anakin Skywalker to Darth Vader, and back again, is standard lessons for the Jedi order. Learning from that story is one of the key elements of the new era of the Jedi Order, as it stands today... built by the Skywalkers legacy, and achievements.
"I was not going to be the cause of that saber's final ignition." She states, showing a sly grin toward the younger student.
"Also, I don't know if I ever told you this, but my original 'first saber' was going to be a double bladed staff saber. But... I broke the second half, and simply never got around to finishing it." She shows a light grin, and even exhales a little laugh at her own expense. "Everything got very complex around that time, and I simply have never gone back to attempt a rebuild, or a new variant. What I have, has served me well, even if the original design was meant to be a bit more... than it ended up as."
She flashed him another smile from her seated position, a glance given to the table to her left. "Sometimes, things do not end up as we foresee them to be. With our lightsabers, or otherwise."
The crystal tucked away and the decimated parts still resting nearby, Zalon instead turns his attention toward Rey and the wisdom that she seeks to impart. His large hands folded atop one another across his midsection. He listens attentively and offers a soft dip of his head in acknowledgment of a point; in particular the first lightsaber being the as storied as her own.
Zal's smile grows a touch greater when the conversation turns to personal aspirations, lightsaber design, and Rey's very own past ambitions. He offers a soft nod of his head and a warm smile to accompany it before he shares his similar considerations, "I have thought in the past of doing something similar. Two blades in a staff format. I've also considered a lightsaber for each hand. I felt," he pauses for a moment, glancing down the length of himself for a moment before he looks up once again with a small smile tugging at the corners of his mouth, "the staff may benefit from my height. However, I have felt that perhaps if I wish to be a symbol of the Order and for the galaxy? To stay with the classic of an era past, may be just as important."
The Grand Master continues to perch on the edge of the lounge booth seat's left side. She shows a hint of a grin at what the Lasat says further, before she gently nods her head a pair of small times to his words. "you are of considerable size, Zal." She notes, "It would not be a terrible idea for you to go with a staff setup. I have even seen mention of long staffs, coated in an energy shield, with a saber blade extending out of the end. Such a tool could give you extensive reach, with your size." She tells him. "Something to consider, if nothing else."
She draws in a light breath, as she raises her left hand, the metal one, to brush aside a few strands of hair, before she rests her left arm on the edge of the chess table that serves the lounge booth.
"But, really just do what you feel suits you best, and I am sure you will continue your path of being a Jedi of legend." She says in a soft voice, giving him a half grin once more.
"What did Master Garo say about the loss of your hilt?" She inquires, out of curiosity. Garo was a young Master, as all were in the Order of today, but she knew him to be a very capable fighter, one who took high respect in coming through fights unscathed.
"Something to consider," Zalon echoes with a small smile and a nod of acceptance. "I have no dismissed the idea entirely, but for the time being I'll focus my attentions toward something functional and utilitarian. Perhaps I'll revisit the matter should I eventually pass my trials," he answers, likely speaking of the potential for a new lightsaber upon his knighthood. The Lasat's left hand rises up and traces a path along the network of pipes, ducts, and other fixtures of the Falcon's ceiling. Not only to get a feel of the ship itself, but to prevent his few pacing steps from resulting in his head striking something above.
He does carry on with the conversation however, preparing to ask a question of his own. He's silenced however by Rey's remark of his continuing down the path of becoming a Jedi of legend in his own right. It's not excitement that etches its way across his typically stern features. Instead it is the weight of responsibility. It is the recognition that while he may fail in such a goal, that being a Jedi that is just good enough is something more that the galaxy is in dire need at present. He does offer a soft bow of his head, accepting the compliment regardless of his own obvious uncertainty.
Though the talk of Master Garo results in his stern countenance shifting until it is replaced by something thoughtful, while also bearing the hallmarks of a wince, "Master Garo believe that I should be more mindful and careful. He recognized that accidents happen, especially in the midst of a clandestine investigation," Zalon explains before taking in a low, soothing breath. He releases it slowly and with a wry smile before he continues, "in the end he saw it as a valuable moment for any Padawan to encounter. The loss of something useful and important. He believes - and I agree - that it is a teaching moment. Not something to be chastised, but to be used to impart a greater understanding of responsibility and respect for a valuable companion."
The information with regard to how Garo reacted to it, causes Rey to smile. Garo was with the Jedi Order before the Sith took over reigns of control from the First Order, and then the New republic. He'd been a recruit at the time, but since then has become a very capable instructor, and a reliable Jedi Knight himself.
"I am glad to hear the level headed approach," Rey comments, showing another soft smile as she glances toward him watching out for his head space. She lets out a rare, soft, laugh. "This ship is not the best for Chewie either, for that very reason. I'm surprised he doesn't have a permanent crook in his neck." She states with no small amount of affection in her voice.
As she stands up again, the sleeves of her outer robe pool around her hands, her eyes glancing toward the engineering station where she'd left her satchel. "Let me know how the saber forging goes. I am curious to know if you have a better experience with the new one, than you did with the previous." She tells him, offering him another soft expression of warmth.
"Master Garo has been a wise master. I am very thankful that he chose me," Zal answers without the customary hollowness to his words that may come from some who aren't as truly thankful as they may claim. This particular padawan seems genuinely thankful and the Lasat's gold eyes settle upon Rey. He listens to her commentary regarding head space, Chewie, and the Falcon. To this Zal offers a solemn nod of his head, though he answers in his usual rumbling voice, his stoicism remains intact, "I imagine he could walk this ship with his eyes closed and never strike his head".
Though as the conversation seems to draw to a close, Zalon offers a deep bow before the Grand Master. Upon rising once again to his full height, Zal steps forward to collect the sack and the shattered components of the old hilt. He was bid to make a space for them to be honored and it's clear that he intends to make good on his agreement.
When he has finally collected the shattered pieces, Zalon's gaze turns back to rest heavily upon Rey. He offers her another bow of his head, along with an appreciative smile and a few words to accompany it, "Master Rey, you are a spring of wisdom and your presence is always refreshing. I thank you for your time and look forward to telling you of my experience forging my lightsaber once again."
Then he steps back, seemingly prepared to make good his departure.
Rey stands beside the engineering station once more, the high backed chair holding her satchel draped over its head rest. She watches Zal gather up his belongings, and at the kind words he offers her, she just smiles warmly back to him.
"I'm always here for a chat, whenever you need it." She fires back, "Let Master Garo know that I'd like to speak with him when he returns to Tempes," she adds, as she gathers the satchel off of the chair, and drapes it on to the console itself. Her metallic hand reaches for the data reader she'd used to enter the text in to the computer console, and she slips it in to one of the side pouches upon the worn satchel's edge.
"If you see Chewie outside, tell him that I entered the commands he wanted me to, and the computer is on the job." She states, grinning. "And you couldn't be more right about him, and this ship. he's an asset I cannot fathom how much more challenging maintaining this thing would be without him." She says this, while giving a glance around to the ship, indicating feelings of doubt on her own ability to upkeep the vessel without the famous Wookiee's invaluable aid.
