Chapter 43 - Lightsabers
'...Systems Online. Memory bank is 33% full.' As Huyang's systems start up, the usual status updates come across his consciousness. Well, It isn't exactly the same. That boy, Anakin Skywalker, must have increased his memory banks while he was down. That is good. In the Millenia since Huyang had first been activated, he'd stored away terabytes of information, much of which he still finds useful in solving the practical issues that come up in saber construction.
"Aaaah," Huyang opens his jaw and lets out a long sigh. He notices that the odd click that had been in his jaw for the last 300 cycles was not there. Another thing he assumes he can give Anakin credit for. Huyang opens his eyes. Two bright blue ones were staring back at him.
"Well, take a few steps. Let's try out those balance stabilizers," Anakin says with pent up excitement in his voice.
Huyang cooperates. He walks in a small circle around the lab and back to his power terminal. "I can feel it. Why, I feel like a Hundred again. This is satisfactory!"
It wasn't a joke, but Initiate Skywalker laughs anyway. Sentients were prone to have the most illogical sense of humor, Huyang has learned.
"Probability of falling is less than .001 percent. Hmm this is new." Huyang reads the internal report he was receiving.
Anakin smiles even bigger.
"Initiate Skywalker, You didn't install the probability module, did you?" Huyang sighs. He is not programmed to discipline younglings. The worst he's dealt with were the occasional unapproved alterations to a saber constructed in his mists. "Master Windu said no."
"But…" Anakin tries.
Huyang looks down at the youngling. "As Head of the Council, he said he forbade you."
Anakin rolls his eyes. "What the council doesn't know, won't hurt them. It's what my grandmaster always says." And Huyang tries, but he cannot defeat that kind of logic. His probability module determines a probability of harm from him having these modifications at near zero.
"I believe his objections were based on other factors besides the probability of harm." Huyang finally says. "Like the fact this module was built for casino droids."
Anakin shakes his head. "But there are so many other uses it can have. Besides, I built C3-PO with one, and he's a protocol droid."
Huyang blinks, "You've built a protocol droid!"
"Yup." Anakin smiles, then it falters. "Well, I didn't build him completely from scratch. What I did was I reprogrammed an older droid's processor. Then I used discarded junk and parts that weren't functional anymore to build his body. To get his Power regulator I had to climb through about three meters of trash. I smelled like Poodoo for a week."
"Were you disciplined for this endeavor?" Huyang asks.
"No, well…" Anakin hesitates. "Watto was mad I didn't get the Labor droids for him which he sent me in there for, but they were rusted to the core. It would've been pointless to drag them out, only to have him throw them back. I was six and they weighed a ton!"
Huyang finds this information conflicting with Jedi standards. He files it away for later.
"Anyway," Anakin continues. "3PO now helps Mr. Lars in the senate, so it was all worth it."
"I see. I do have to inform the council of this upgrade. It is regulation, but I can send the report with the mission's technical logs and equipment reports. The probability of them noticing it there is less than 20 percent."
"Good. I doubt they'd care, but." Anakin shrugs.
"How goes your other assignment, Initiate? Have you awakened the Force in your crystal?" Huyang asks.
"It's-sss going," Anakin doesn't sound very confident. "I've got a schematic drawn up, only something still seems off." Anakin shows him a piece of flimsy with, as he described it, a lightsaber hilt's schematics drawn out.
"Hmm," Huyang hums "Most younglings don't draw out a schematic. Most go straight from conceptualizing to construction with the Force."
"Yeah, but I work with plans like this all the time. It'd be harder not to make one." Anakin explains.
"Hmm, you know these symbols were not designed for saber construction. There are several things that are non-mechanical that weigh in as well."
"Yeah, the Force. That's why I added these." Anakin points to some wavy lines around his drawing.
"Um-hmm. Then I think I can…" Huyang picks up the writing instrument and draws a stick figure beside the tool. He then makes wavy lines back and forth between the two drawings.
Anakin looks up at him questioningly.
"It's not a closed system," Huyang explains. "The Kyber Crystal, in one theory, is a lifeform. And in its life, it will form a bond with one Jedi and one Jedi only. This one chose you, and that means from you it will get the qualities that make it what it is. Including its color." He adds, knowing most Initiates obsess over the color more than anything else.
"Oh-hhh," Anakin hums
"And when that crystal connects to you through the Force, when you awaken its inner power, it will show you the form it needs to take. These plans are good. I can tell you understand the technical process. Now you must demonstrate them through the Force."
Anakin nods. "I know how to build a Force Bond. My master and I have one. And my Crechemates."
"Yes, then I'm sure it won't take you long." Huyang puts a hand on the boy's back to lead him out to the main workshop, where the other younglings were working on this same thing.
There, Master Windu sits watching the Initiates. When Huyang and Anakin enter, he looks up at them. "I see you were right. He does look more focused."
"Initiate Skywalker is a practical Maker. He finds relaxation and satisfaction in his work. Not the first, such an Initiate, I have met." Huyang steps past the Jedi to urge him to step away from the younglings. "However, I must report to you a troubling statement Anakin has made. Apparently, one of his Creche Masters has been allowing him to crawl around in trash bins and junk yards. This meets the definition of negligence set by the High Council. I haven't had the chance to look the name up in the database yet. A Master Watto, he implied, was responsible."
Mace sighs. "Watto is not a Jedi. He's a slave holder. The boy was not raised in the Creches, and has not had an easy life. The council is already aware of these things."
Huyang nods once, "If the council is aware of it, then I can lay it to rest."
Suddenly one of the younglings, a Nautolan boy named Ramu, opens his eyes. The crystals, which are hovering in front of him, begin to glow a soft yellow light. One of them continues to grow stronger until it is clearly golden in hue.
Huyang walks over to the boy. "Good, good. Now tell me, when you hold out your hand, what materials do you feel."
Ramu closes his eyes and holds out his hand, first in the typical way a lightsaber is held, then his hand turns. Huyang blinks in surprise at this. It wasn't often that a lightsaber's form was altered so much. Some Users went with a curved hilt, and some even wanted a second blade, but most used the same straight hilt.
Ramu opens his eyes and says, "I think I need a strong metal. Nothing that's going to break or bend."
"Right this way." Huyang already has his ideas. "How long will your hilt be?"
Ramu puts his hand in front of him and nods to himself. "This high."
"Why, that is long. If it's meant to be used as a staff, with an end on the ground, you will need a way to extend it as you grow. Might I recommend, ah-ha. In here." Huyang pulls out a bin and shows the youngling.
It was a quarter of an hour later. Mace was again thinking of his nap time as all of the Younglings seemed to be settled and doing well with Huyang. The door opened and Alex hobbled in with a brace for his leg and crutches.
"Initiate Ducriant," Mace greeted the new arrival. "How are you recovering?"
"My leg is fine. The med-droid wanted to give me some medicine for the pain, but it doesn't hurt, too bad. Besides the stuff will make me sleepy, and I'd rather build my lightsaber. Look at this!" The boy held up a glowing blue kyber crystal.
"Very good, Initiate. I'll get Huyang for you and he will explain the next steps."
"What's the matter?" Alex turned to ask Anakin, when the boy opened his eyes briefly and shook his head.
"I thought I had it that time." Anakin mutters. His eyes faded in disappointment.
"Oh, keep trying. You'll get it soon. I only got mine so quickly because I was in the bacta."
"But Ramu got his a while ago. And so did Kate and Leeta." He pointed over to the other section where they were all sitting in meditation with supplies floating around them.
Mace turned away from their conversation. Alex would comfort Anakin and encourage him to try again. 'The boy probably needs to be more patient. He was probably just about to before he opened his eyes.' Mace let his assumptions go unspoken and he went to find Huyang.
"Professor, that seventh youngling, the one who was in the Med bay, is ready to start now. He's already awakened his crystal, and I told him you would fill him in on what to do next."
"Yes, Master Windu. I will help him right after I help Ramu with his next steps," Huyang said.
"Yes, of course." Mace looked down at Ramu's saber and cocked his head. It seemed he had three sabers he was building, and a lot of spare materials around him. "I will be meditating on the bridge. Alert me if you have any trouble," Mace added.
"Afirmative," Huyang responded. Mace wasn't sure why he lied to the droid. He just didn't want Huyang to mention it in any of his reports to the council. Mace could picture Yoda's look of amusement already. He would not be able to live that down.
Anakin sat and focused on his crystal. He could feel it responding to him and every so often it urged him to open his eyes, but when he did, all he saw was the same dull colored crystal he'd started out with. It wasn't changing colors like the others. Freya had since made her crystal glow green. Now the only one left, besides Anakin, was Kent. "HHhhhhhhh," Anakin let a long breath escape him, but he didn't even open his eyes then. If he kept pushing, eventually it would have to work.
The Kyber urged him again and he could see his future weapon. He felt it slice through the air as he swung it down in a well practiced form. Soon the focus was unbearable and he had to open his eyes. Looking down at the same lifeless crystal, Anakin moaned.
"Yes! I've got it." Kent shouted beside him. His Kyber was glowing blue, but it was a darker blue than Kate's, Leeta's, and Alex's crystals.
"Congratulations," Anakin said without feeling. "I'm sorry. I'm just disappointed. I thought I had mine, that time."
"Hmm." Kent tapped his chin. "Huyang, where are the light controls?"
The droid was making his way over to them. "By the door, but I don't know why you would…"
Kent didn't wait another moment and he ran to the wall to push the switch and turn out the lights.
"It's… It's glowing!" Anakin said as soon as the lights were out. His crystal was glowing, not a colored light, but a clear, white light that was hard to pick up with the lights on.
Kent turned the lights back on and he laughed. "The number of times over the past half hour that you've insisted your crystal was awake, I knew something was going on. And you know," he shrugged, "Why not."
"Hmm. Silver crystals don't give off a hue like others do. Only they are very rare and I hadn't thought to expect one," Huyang said. "Come this way, both of you. We'll get your supplies. Anakin, has anything changed from your earlier schematics?"
"Ummm, a couple of things, yeah," Anakin nervously stated.
Huyang handed him his flimsy drawing from earlier and told him, "Make the notes here, and I'll get everything you will need."
Mace leaned back against the Piloting console on the Crucible main deck. He knew he should meditate to clear away the stress of the day, but stress, he finds, is tiring. And Younglings doubly so. He closed his eyes to get just a few minutes of rest.
Beep Beep Beep Beep, the unyielding alarm went off above his head.
Mace opened his eyes and threw his hands up as he shook himself to figure out what was going on.
'Approaching targeted coordinates. Press B lever to drop out of Hyperspace now.' The ship's computer told him on the readout.
"Oh," Mace rushed to pull the specified lever. Then he read their location on the ship's star charts. They were on the edge of the Coruscant System. If he'd hit the switch any later they'd have had to turn around to jump back, but at this distance, the sunlight engines should get them there soon enough.
'The younglings should be finished building their sabers by now. I wonder how it went?' Mace thought. He decided to go see.
Mace walked into the workshop to see Kent and Freya dueling with their new sabers. Freya pulled her green blade down to feint a weakness, as Kent lifted his Indigo blade to strike where he thought he saw an opening. Freya, though, was more skilled than that. She pulled her blade up and swung around to strike at Kent's sword arm as he tried to strike her. Mace winced and he jumped up to intervene, before the blade bounced off the Youngling's arm with a hiss.
"Aww! You got me there," Kent said, shaking his limb.
"Don't worry. I've had them dueling with the safety setting on," Huyang said as he walked past him.
Mace breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank you. An Indigo blad, that's interesting."
"Hmm," Mace would be foolish if he thought the droid laughed at him, "This was a very interesting group. I found everyone's sabers to be sufficient when I examined them. No doubt you will want to do your own inspection."
"Yes, everyone gather around, let me see your sabers." Mace ordered. "Activate your blades and hold them out so I can see them."
The younglings all formed a line. Mace's eyes trailed Freya's green and Kent's Indigo blades which he'd already seen. Kate, Leeta, and Alex had the standard blue blades. Then Mace stopped and blinked when he eyed Anakin's saber.
"Do you like it?" Anakin asked. "It's Silver, which Huyang says isn't a bad thing."
"Not just Silver. It has that bluish shine," Alex added.
"No, that's not blue. It's more green." Ramu argued.
"Blue." Alex argued back, his tone suggested this was a subject they'd been arguing for some time now.
"I think I know blue better than most. Water's blue, that is not!" Ramu argued back, tapping the staff he held on the ground to make his point.
"And I don't know green." Alex's hand went up to lift a section of his hair. The green highlights reflected off in the light.
Mace had heard enough. "An almost silver and almost Turquoise saber. Anakin, that is a unique one, and I'm sure you will use it well." He bowed to the Youngling, then turned to examine the last Saber.
Ramu, however, was not holding a saber hilt. Mace cocked his head to the side. 'Surely Huyang would have said something if the youngling didn't have one.'
After a moment, Ramu shook his head, and let out a startled, "Oh." He pushed something on the staff he was holding and from the top emerged three yellow blades. The center blade was brighter and almost golden. The design reminded him of a Trident. Mace reached up to scratch where he once had hair and said, "Well, I wasn't expecting that."
Ramu looked down and his cheeks blushed. "I listened to the Force, like you said, and it showed me this."
"Yes. Then it will make you a fine weapon. You are probably going to have to create your own forms for combat. I've done so myself, but I am not familiar with Polearm type weapons. When we are back in the Temple, I will look up what knights we know who are. One of them will help with your training."
Ramu smiled. He and the others moved to deactivate their weapons.
"Well, It looks like we are a good distance from Coruscant still. Do any of you want to try piloting through open space for a bit?" Mace asked and seven hands shot up. None as fast as Anakin's. Mace smiled and laughed to himself. 'What harm can it do? We're out in the middle of open space, anyways.'
Hi Everyone,
Happy Independence Day, to all of my American readers. Thank you for reading my chapter, here.
I acknowledge that a lightsaber trident is not canon, but it sounds cool to me. I did some reading and it would be a good defense tool to block other weapons.
The colors of the lightsabers are all Canon, well sort of, even the rarer ones. Kent's Indigo saber is from a video game. Thought of as a combo of blue and purple, it's said to be associated with calm, wisdom, spirituality, and intuition. I mainly picked it for the wisdom and intuition lines, because he was the one who thought to turn out the lights. Ramu's Yellow I chose primary because of who I want to bring in to train him … no spoilers… It is associated with a change in identity or personality. In Legends it is also a color of the Jedi Sentinel branch. Finally Anakin's saber is where I am stretching Canon. While there is a Silver one in Legends, I think it was achieved by combining something with a regular Kyber Crystal. In Canon there is no one yet. Also rarely is a saber said to be a combination of two colors. The turquoise part of his blade is more the color of it's shine, or reflection. A turquoise blade is supposed to be a combination of a blue and a green saber's qualities.
I hope you enjoyed Huyang having his part. I tend to write Droids in the present tense to give their pov a different feel. Plus I think it more reflects how their mind is a computer reacting to what is happening.
Next chapter, I have no idea what will happen, to be honest. I assume they will return to Coruscant. Then I will either introduce my next section of the story, or I will give you an update on Jar Jar, Dooku, and their war game.