One strange adventure. Chapter 10 – Crafting a lightsaber.
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… Rika gathered all 4 commandos within her room for a special "briefing". She told everyone what surprise she is planning for her Renamon, and all 4 commandos, even grumpy Sev, decided to help. They were doing some part of the whole plan. Renamon was away, as usual, probably staying somewhere in the gardens – a place, where she usually went to clear up her thoughts.
"Alright, people, you all know what to do." Rika said briefly. She already explained everything.
"Yeah, we know. We go, find Renamon, and give her such a rough training that will wear her out completely." Scorch replied.
"Right. Meanwhile I will craft a lightsaber for myself under my teacher's guidance. When that will be finished, and I will secretly craft another saber. After your part Rena will be too tired and will fall asleep till next day, as far as I remember. And then I'll make my move… Now, you have your orders. Dismissed." Rika said strictly in a military – fashioned way.
"Yes, miss!" all troops replied simultaneously and left…
…Meanwhile Renamon was in the gardens. She was quite bored. Rika was busy, as usual, all four soldiers suddenly disappeared somewhere, so she was left with nothing else to do. She tried to do some training on her own, but it was quite boring, and Renamon was in perfect physical condition, thanks to the training she performed with those clone commandos.
In fact, those clones were the only people who were paying at least some attention to her recently. Like it was told before, Rika was just too busy, and every day Renamon returned to their room, at night, she was seeing Rika sleeping with a very tired look on her face.
"Maybe, when she will learn about this Force, she won't need me anymore?" Renamon whispered to herself, while watching the water coming down from an artificial waterfall. These thoughts were lacking logic, though Renamon was feeling too sad to ignore them. She remembered well what day should be tomorrow. The day she and Rika have met each other…
If other tamers celebrated the day they've met their digimon, she and Rika never did. It was because of their distant relations in the past. When Renamon tried to forge ties and brought Rika a gift on her birthday, a nice necklace, Rika rejected it with screams about "who do you think you are?" Since then Renamon never tried to bring gifts again. Those words have struck her deeply then. Now, Renamon was noticing that Rika was changing, and in a good way too. Renamon suspected that people around Rika had a good influence on her. It was pretty obvious that Rika was becoming more calm, kind, benevolent to others even. But still, Rena didn't wish to try her luck just yet. She wanted this day just to be forgotten, left without notice.
However, Renamon was not left in peace this time. She heard heavy steps coming from different directions and the next moment she found herself surrounded by 4 commandos.
"Hi, teacher!" Scorch greeted cheerfully. Their appearance surprised Renamon a bit, yet in reality she was glad to see them.
"Hi there, Scorch. Err, what are you doing here?" she inquired.
"Well, we were seeking you, to ask if you don't mind doing some training, teacher." Sev replied eagerly.
"Sounds like a good idea. Let's go." Renamon replied and left the gardens, followed by a squad of troopers. She was quite happy to hear that proposal, though. Renamon admitted to herself quite a while ago that she actually enjoyed the company of those four troopers. They helped her escape the loneliness she felt frequently. Renamon thought that she enjoyed loneliness before. But now she realized she was just fooling herself, that is why back on Earth, when she was not following Rika, she spent some time with Impmon, or Calumon, or someone else. And here there were always available those guys, "old" enough to discuss anything with them, and still who where childishly devoted to her. Scorch with his joking was always able to ease up the tension, and Sev, who had a talent of ripping Scorch off. Fixer, who remained serious all the time, and often chided both Sev and Scorch. And, of course, Boss, who after each training gave Renamon a couple of compliments about her skills. Renamon was not able to say that she didn't like when someone spoke highly of her abilities, though. It was flattering her quite a bit...
Rika was waiting for her teacher in her room. In her meditation, she lifted off the ground, and also levitated three chairs around her. It was not only a good way to ease her mind. but also a way to practice the use of the Force.
"Are you ready, Rika? Come on, we have a lot to do today." her teacher, Shaak Ti, said, when she entered the room.
"Yes, I am ready, teacher." Rika stood up, and followed Shaak Ti through the maze of corridors of the Jedi temple. She has already finished the construction of her own lightsaber, as well as the other, special one. The only thing left to do now was to insert the cristal...
...The place, where a padawan would choose a cristal for the lightsaber, was almost a perfect replica of the caverns of the planer Ilum. The ice caverns of Ilum were used as a ceremonial site where Padawans came to build their first lightsabers. It was here and in similar places that the Jedi would choose the best focusing crystals for them through meditation and communion with the Force, and then complete the assembly of their lightsaber...
...The whole procedure was under the suprevision of master Ti. Rika had to meditate for quite a long time, to choose the best focusing cristal for the lightsaber. To do so, one must be attune to the Force, feel it's flux coming through everything around, circling.
"The cristal is the heart of the blade. The heart is the cristal of a Jedi. The Jedi is the cristal of the Force. The Force is the blade of a heart. All are intertwined: the cristal, the blade, the Jedi. You are one." Shaak Ti helped Rika with an advise, though it was unneeded. For the last partof this trial to succeed, Rika was supposed to find a correct lightsaber cristal among multiple "failed" ones. But still, she was a good pupil. It took her only half of an hour to find a right one. It was of violet color, just like Rika's eyes.
"A violet one? This color is quite rare among the Jedi. Yet still, master Windu has a sword of this color as well." master Ti said thoughtfully.
"What does this color mean?" Rika inquired.
"Violet lightsabers are vielded by those Jedi, who prefer agressive lightsaber combat, and, when fighting, are drawing themselves close to the dark side. Greatest lightsaber wielders of our order often had violet lightsaber. Whi knows, maybe one day you will become one of them. All I can tell is that you and that cristal are connected, as everything is connected by the Force."
"Thank you, master Ti, I will begin the construction of my lightsaber at once." Rika said.
"Take your time, padawan. Putting the cristal right is the most difficult part..." Ti replied, as Rika began the process...
...Meanwhile, Renamon recieved one hell of a training back in the training chambers...
"Gosh, what is wrong with you today, people? Have you been eating steroids or something?" Renamon hissed as she barely evaded a whole bunch of blaster bolts directed at her.
"Everything to please our beloved teacher!" Scorch said jokingly, while shooting, as Renamon was approaching him with speed.
"Yeah, everything to shoot... I mean, please our teacher." Sev added.
"Beloved, am I? Let's see if that will change after this!" Renamon nearly screamed as she approached Scorch and tried to hit him in the head with a leg.
"Missed me, loser!" he replied as he ducked and attempted an uppercut, which Renamon, once again, barely evaded by teleporting out of there.
"C'mon, men! We've got her on the ropes!" Boss called as they made Renamon retreat again.
"I don't know what's wrong with you today, but I'm so gonna get you for this!" Rena said, while eagerly launching herself to attack again. This fight was gettting good, and she enjoyed a good fight...
...Rika spent more then 3 hours on concentration on the cristal, to imbue it with the Force. It was quite hard to do for the first time, but, like it was said, Rika was an excelent student, and she didn't tolerate any failure from her part. She practiced this process more than a hundred times on practice cristals before attempting to do so on the real thing. The cristal, which was glowing with inner violet light, was not the only one Rika found during her search. She also picked up a blue cristal, which she was planning to use on the saber she was going to make for Renamon...
...After a couple of hours, Rika has finally finished crafting her own lightsaber. With a bit of trembling in her hands, she ignited it, and a flash of pure energy went out of the hilt of the lightsaber, simbolising her success in attempting to construct her very own lighsaber.
"Congratulatons, padawan. Your cristal seems to be positioned perfectly. That's quite an achievement, its rare when someone positions the cristal correctly from the first attempt." master Ti congratulated her.
"Thank you, master Ti. I couldn't have done it without your teachings and proper guidance." Rika replied gratefully, and bowed.
"It's not just that. Rika, you are probably the most talented padawan I've ever teached. You've done in weeks what many were not able to do in years. I know you for less than a year, and you have already mastered far more than an averege youngling should know. I congratulate you yet again, Rika, on becoming a full - fledged padawan." Shaak Ti said with a bit of enthusiasm. Such appretiation of her work was flattering Rika quite a bit, yet she had a lot to do.
"Master Ti, can I remain in the caverns for a bit more today? The place of such strength in the Force will do good to replenish my own strength." Rika inquired. Yet Ti was a bit amazed by such a request, she was not agains't it.
"Of cource you can, Rika. Take all the time you wish." master Ti said and left the cavern. "Good, now that you're gone, I might as well finish my little surprise for Renamon..." Rika thought as she took the blue cristal out of her hidden pocket and started to imbue it with the Force as well...
...The doors to the training chambers have finally opened, and 4 commandos finally exited the room. Renamon went out as well, while relying on Sev's shoulder.
"Sev, have I ever told you that you're an idiot? You just had to overreact, hadn't you? Now teacher has a dislocated knee because of you!" Scorch started to make Sev feel guilty.
"Hey, I said I was sorry! Um, sorry there, teacher, I really didn't mean any harm, it was an accident I swear! Hope you would forgive me, because I don't want to end up on your bad side when you'll feel better." Sev muttered to Renamon.
"Don't worry, Sev, it's ... nothing. You guys beat me fair in square today, so I cannot be angry. I'm very proud, actually." Renamon said with a rather happy intonation. Today was, like, the best workout she had in month, and, for the first time, she lost. And since everyone in Delta squad was calling Renamon "teacher", she was rather proud of her students. However, she was tired dead, and, when she cmae to her and Rika's room, she just fell on her bed, and was asleep in a second.
"Um, sweet dreams, teacher." Scorch whispered quietly and shut the automated door...
...After long hours of hard and delicate work, at last, the second lightsaber was complete. Rika whipped the sweat from her forehead, and sighed:
"Finally, it's finished. My anniversary gift for Renamon. She deserves such a gift, for all that time she spent taking taunts and insults from an arrogant little brat like me..." She swung the ignited lightsaber a couple of times in the air. Everything was working perfectly, and she triple - checked the saber she was going to give Renamon, because she didn't want it to short out and break.
"Now, to come back to my room and see if those commandos kept to their end of the bargain." Rika said to herself as she traveled to her room through various corridors...
...Rika pressed the button, and the doors to her room have opened with a slight hiss. The room was dark, all lights were shut. The silence and tranquility was disturbed a bit by some slight wheesing coming from the part of the room, where Rena's bed was.
Rika approached her bed on tip - toes, and looked at Renamon. Her face, which always remained serious and concentrated, while she was awake, was now looking so calm and innocent, so it made Rika smile.
"Well, would you look at that! She is sleeping... How cute. Well, this will make your morning a whole lot better... Sweet dreams." she whispered quietly, as she put a small box wrapped in a pretty colorful paper and a card on the table near Rena's bed. After that, she cautiously, without any sound, traveled back to her own bed, and in ten minutes was asleep...
...The morning came in quick. As usually, Rika woke up early. She made her morning preparations quickly, and noticed that Rena was still asleep. "Wow, I knew those clones will live up to their end of the bargain, but I guess they've overdone it a little. Still, I can't wait to see the look on Renamon's face when she'll find out what I have built for her..." Rika thought as she left the room...
...It was around 10.00, when Renamon finally woke up. The first thing she noticed was the time she slept.
"Wow, I must have been really tired yesterday, for me to oversleep that much ... huh? What is this?" Renamon asked herself as she spotted the pretty little box on the table. Her first thought was not to touch it, because she thought it belonged to Rika, but curiosity finally took over. When she approached the table, she also spotted a card attached to the box, and read it. It said:
"Dear Renamon! If you remember, today is our anniversary! That's why I prepared something special for you in the box. I know that we didn't celebrate this, mostly because of my spiteful and angry behaviour, and I am very sorry for that time when I screamed at you and insulted you when you tried to make me a gift two years ago. I hope that the past won't hinder our relationship in the future.
P.S: The idea of making you such a gift belongs to Scorch.
From Rika"
This message intrigued Renamon, and she impatiently opened the box... All this time Rika was outside the door, eavesdropping. When she heard the familiar humming of a lightsaber, she entered the room.
"Well, what do you think?" she asked promptly, as she witnessed Rena stare at the sword in her hands.
"Rika... I don't know what to say ... except that you you owe my deepest gratitude... I can never repay you for such a wonderful gift." Renamon replied with a blank voice. She was still mesmerized by the glowing of the sword.
"I'm glad you liked it. C'mon, Rena! Let's go to the training chambers, I'll teach you to use it!" Rika exclamed cheerfully. She was glad her little surprise worked out perfectly.
"I'm right behind you!" Rena replied as cheerfully as they both left the room...
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