By revealing a secret, you strengthen trust.
A terrible accident! Master Yang Dooku, after the death of his disciple Qui-Gon Jinn, decided to leave the Order, thereby breaking his promise to take Santal as a student. Wanting to get to the truth, the girl finds him, but in the end she is driven away. But she meets the hunter Jango Fett, who made a deal with her failed teacher and gave her a strange warning…
— Are you an Angel too?
Santal was surprised. She would never have thought that someone would get to know her, starting with such an unusual phrase.
— You're An Angel. Starship pilots talked about them. They are the most beautiful creatures in the universe. They live on the moons of Iego, it seems.
— Have you read about it?
- no. I listened to the traders and pilots who flew to Tatooine. You know, I'm a pilot myself.
— You 're just…
— And I can already, even though I'm only ten.
— Wow! — Santal sincerely did not understand how a child could be so smart at just ten years old!
The newcomer was clearly different from the others. Like her in her time, he also knows life outside the walls of the Temple. But this is different. He knows more. And he also knows the same things that adults can do.
— I thought you could become a pilot only when you grow up, — the girl honestly admitted.
— No, you can do it earlier, — the boy replied with a smile. — It's not that difficult there. I used to drive racing cars, and recently I got on a fighter for the first time. Do you want me to tell you?
— Come on.
The boy began to talk about his life on Tatooine with his mother (hearing this word, Santal felt a pang of envy) and working in the shop of Toydarian Watto. Santal was surprised again. She thought the children were playing, studying, but not working. When she told the boy about it, he replied:
— When I was little, three years old, probably, Gardulla the Hutt bought me and my mother. But she lost us in the race.
Santal shuddered. For the first time in a long time, a mechanical voice spoke in my head: "We are already approaching Tatooine. Someone will definitely buy you. I'll sell it to the highest bidder."
— What happened? the boy asked.
The girl wondered if she should tell him something. Shaking her head, she answered, trying to smile wider:
— Nothing, everything is fine, — if only the boy would believe. "You'd better tell me something else," she didn't want to pull unpleasant memories. Both your own and others'.
The boy began to talk about his hobby of making all sorts of mechanical things. He especially boasted about the construction of a robot secretary, who knows many languages, for mom. And at the end he told me how he got to the Temple.
"That's a boy! Santal thought. — He's ten, and already a mechanic, a racer, a pilot. Against his background, it's like we're all going to go into the shadows." And, frankly, she didn't like it.
— But I'm a complete zero in mechanics, — said the girl.
— I can teach you.
— No, thanks. I like the other one better.
— What exactly? — the newcomer persisted.
"Anything but that.
Indeed, Santal did not like mechanics, physics, mathematics and other exact sciences at all. Therefore, she decided that having learned the simplest things, she would not take on the more complex ones. Not for any awards.
— By the way, we haven't met yet. I am Santal, — usually the girl did not take the initiative in such cases, but this time she wanted to make an exception.
— I'm Anakin.
After that, the children sometimes saw each other in between classes. The difference was that Anakin was already a padawan, and Santal was still a youngling. And it made her a little uncomfortable. Because he passed the step. Quite important, according to the older and younger generation. Someone thinks that being a jungling is shameful. But there are also advantages. Surprisingly, you manage to enjoy your childhood. Your life, despite the difficulties, was easy and carefree. And Santal was convinced the hard way. She studied, played with fellow clansmen, communicated. But that was before that fateful mission, after which everything went awry.
A month has passed since Dooku's departure, but the girl still hasn't recovered. After meeting Anakin, she returned to her apartment. She picked up the crystal left by the master, reread the note and burst into tears again.
—I thought we'd always be together," Santal said into the void, sobbing.
She had so many plans! I thought he would take her as an apprentice, they would go on missions together, and then remember with a laugh. I thought they would find her parents together. And they will be one big family. I thought, then together this Django will be piled up, then this Cade Bane will be piled up, whoever he is. What kind of name is Cad Bane? The surname is just like a Sith. And the name? How could you call your son that? I wonder what his childhood name was? Caddy?
Santal laughed at her own joke, which at least distracted her a little from her grief. The girl crawled under the blanket, not wanting to hear or see anyone.
From now on, everyday life for Santal has become gray, dull and routine. Studying no longer brought joy. As well as the end of the school day. It's over. There will be no more after-school classes. No communication. Nothing.
At first, the girl did not want to tell her friends anything, but they themselves learned from the masters. And, considering it their duty, they expressed sympathy. Santal, of course, was grateful, but that didn't make it any easier for her. What's the use of saying "I'm sorry" if it doesn't bring it back?
The masters also saw the condition of the girl, and therefore did not bother much. And Master Yoda came up and said:
"The ordeal has been too much for you, Santal Sabura. But we need to move on. Life is changeable. Like Force, it has two sides. Dark and Light. And one replaces the other forever. Mourn the past, but try to let go and move forward. You should handle it.
For some reason, these words did not make Santal feel any better. Rather the opposite. "You should handle it." Well of course. He thinks it's so easy. Forget and go ahead. To forget that you were, so to speak, betrayed. That the one you trusted broke his word.
— You said you would always help me! That you'll take me under your wing! — the girl screamed, jumping out of bed, looking at the wall.
And then she fell to her knees, dropping her head. He promised that if… Or maybe... it's all her fault? Maybe she wasn't good enough for him? Maybe I should have tried even harder? Maybe he was just tired of her, and he decided to get rid of her in this way, instead of telling her to her face?
The girl read the note again.
"It's not your fault." Or maybe it's a lie? For my peace of mind? Well, he's wrong. "You'll find a new teacher." Well, yes, of course. It's so easy to find a replacement," she thought sarcastically.
The next day, in the library, Santal again went to the alley of busts of the Lost Twenty. Straight to the bust of Master Dooku. In order to perform an almost daily ritual — to stand and look at him. Once she watched for so long until she was told that two hours had passed.
Santal's favorite librarian, Madame Jocasta, was passing by. The old woman stopped, looked at the girl with sympathy, and at the bronze bust with regret. Santal knew that the woman was also worried about the departure of Master Dooku and found it necessary to nod in response. She sighed, stood for a few more minutes and left. Today, the visit to the bust turned out to be very short.
"I think we should do something about it," said Master Sesi Tiin, after the Council had discussed all the pressing issues.
— What are you talking about? Adi Gallia asked.
— About yunling. Santal Saburu. She still hasn't recovered from Master Dooku's departure.
— His departure became a heavy loss for all of us, — Yoda stated the fact.
— But we are adult masters, and she is a child. She's only seven years old! Billaba reminded him.
— Any ideas? Tiin asked.
— We can try to give her a new teacher, — suggested Eet the Cat.
— No way! Mace Windu replied sharply. — First of all, she hasn't grown up yet. And secondly, I am sure that this will not solve the problem. The girl was seriously injured. And if we give her a teacher, she will constantly compare him with Dooku. And thirdly, yunling simply will not be able to withstand such tension. The new title will put pressure on her.
— So, what should we do? Gallia asked.
— Definitely should not be ignored. I propose to temporarily put the girl under the care of healers. They will help her. She will also be under more vigilant control than other younglings.
— I completely agree. Mundi nodded. — Especially since Santal has a habit of running away. And it needs to be weaned from it in time.
"Time heals, my friends," Master Yoda summed up, as it were.
The head of the Order was partially right. At first Santal did not want to miss classes, but she was assured that it would only benefit her. The girl spent two weeks under the care of healers. After psychotherapy, she got better, but the final "recovery" did not work out. However, Santal decided not to talk about it, hoping that it would pass over time. Gradually, thoughts of Dooku's departure stopped completely filling her mind. The girl began to be distracted by more pleasant things.
During the treatment, she could not help but pay attention to the work of healers. These fearless Jedi work tirelessly every day, refusing to help anyone. Even in small things. And what can we say about serious injuries.
Santal sincerely admired them. So much so that after the end of the course of treatment, she asked for "a couple of lessons". Neither she nor the healers suspected that this would turn into additional classes after school. From the very first lessons, the girl realized that she had a predisposition to healing. So, you can move on. Vocara Che explained to her that there are races and just individuals who are organically incapable of healing. In this case, you should not work too hard and you need to accept it.
So the void formed after Dooku was filled. Santal began to live according to her schedule again. Everything seemed to be fine again. However, sometimes the girl would sit somewhere, watching the adult Jedi, and think: "No, this is not Master Dooku." Each of the Jedi lacks something, some quality, to get the one who is needed.
Master Yoda said that there are no identical people. Well, he was right. However, as always.
A year after Dooku's departure, Santal's group, and all the Younglings, were given an excursion. In the Senate building. Or rather, on one of the floors. The organizers of this event wanted the children to learn a little about one of the most important buildings in the galaxy. We made a schedule, who will go when.
The curator of the group Santal Tera Saynube acted as a guide.
Even after seeing the building in the distance, the children choked with impatience to see everything. This is one of the oldest buildings, which is many thousands of years old! And how many rooms there are! I want to climb everything. But it was forbidden to do so. The Senate building is a huge maze. To get lost there is nothing to spit on. Therefore, after going inside, the curator strictly forbade lagging behind and going out of order. They split into pairs.
— Well, well, guys, let's start our tour. In front of us is the building of the Galactic Senate of the Republic. The massive building was more than two kilometers in diameter and several hundred meters high, with a shield-shaped dome mounted on a narrower cylindrical base.
The master talked with breaks to show something interesting. The Younglings were constantly looking around, casting admiring glances in different directions. Max walked with his mouth open most of the time. He was so amazed by what he saw. But the cherry on the cake was still ahead.
— Now we will go to the Grand Chamber of Convocation. It occupies most of the building, a huge funnel-shaped room over a hundred meters high, filled at the edges with repulsor platforms (Senatorial Boxes). In the center stands a podium, on which is the Supreme Chancellor, Vice-Chairman and Chief Administrative Adviser. All Senate repulsor platforms can be controlled from it. There are 1024 repulsor platforms in the Great Chamber. When a senator speaks, his box is separated from a special attachment against the wall and moves to the middle of the room so that all senators can see the speaker. It is here that the most important issues are solved.
"It takes too long for them to decide everything," Max replied.
"It takes a lot of time for the Senate to make many decisions, but the galaxy needs it. Our Order obeys him," said Saynube.
Santal didn't like this news. Why should the Order obey anyone? It should be independent.
— And why does he obey? — she decided to ask.
Saynube was about to answer when something made him turn his head to the left.
— Dear Chancellor.
Palpatine was walking sedately towards them with a smile on the street. The children immediately stood up straight and said hello:
— Hello, Your Excellency.
— Hello, guys, — the chancellor smiled sweetly.
The Younglings smiled back. It's not every day you can meet with the Head of the Republic. Moreover, he was extremely friendly with them.
Santal alone was uneasy at heart.
"He looks like that guy. After all, the Evil Hat also spoke sweetly to me, and he himself ... maybe this is also a bad person. Especially not a Jedi. The strange thing is that the Force does not warn of any danger. And I myself can't believe that this dear grandfather is capable of something bad. But I look into his eyes, and there's something in them that I can't explain."
At this moment, the girl interrupted her thoughts and raised her head. The Chancellor looked at her and, apparently, thought about the same thing. At least, she thought so, judging by the gaze on her.
— Santal Sabura. That's the meeting.
- yes. We've met before. You came to see us all then. Which I'm surprised about.
— Nothing surprising. I've always been interested in watching the training of a new generation of Jedi. I am sure that the chancellors did the same before me. Besides, I heard rumors that a little girl unwittingly became a participant in the Tournament. You may disagree, but for me you are the winner.
— I disagree.
The girl did not like that the chancellor unwittingly caused her unpleasant memories. After all, she was attacked that day, she was scared, but also ashamed. I still couldn't forget the face of the guy I accidentally ruined the performance for. She didn't blame him at all for snapping. She understood him. How terrible it is when something doesn't work out for you. Fortunately, in the end, the guy still got a teacher. This is good, but the name of the mentor, if it can be called a name at all, put the girl in a stupor. A dark woman. It's all very strange.
When the children entered the Convocation Chamber, they took their breath away. No one has ever seen such a huge room. Santal was even scared. The room was like a huge funnel. It seemed to the girl that she was going to fall down, so she moved away from the edge.
But Max, for example, ran to one side of the platform, then to the other.
In general, everyone liked the tour. Everyone was satisfied. Then everyone plunged back into the atmosphere of study and training.
A year later, when the guys from the Santal clan were already about nine years old, their first serious test awaited them. Out of fifteen guys, six of the best will be selected, and they will go to Ilum.
— Do you understand what this means? Max shouted. — We will collect real lightsabers!
— We know. And don't yell," Landa snapped at him.
The next day it became known who would fly. Tera Saynube began to announce:
- so. Ready for the challenge of Collecting... Max Navarre!
— Hurrah! Max exclaimed.
— Trilla Suduri!
The girl smiled.
— Daria Ossaki.
Togruta stretched her smile to her ears and even jumped up.
— Green Pine!
Mikkianka refrained from reacting.
— Landa Selmura!
Twilekka nodded.
— And... Santal Sabura!
The girl was surprised, not expecting this. She was chosen one of the best! She will fly to Ilum, the most sacred planet for the Jedi! On the most honorable and important mission — Gathering!
The departure was scheduled for tomorrow, which means we need to prepare. The guys were instructed in advance about what to take. Plus, moral preparation is required, since the task is not easy.
After collecting her things, Santal decided to study the information about Ilum, about swords and the Kayber crystal. In the book "The Way of the Jedi", the structure of the sword was described in clear and accessible language.
That night the girl could not sleep for a long time. She kept tossing from side to side. I kept thinking about tomorrow. And about unfulfilled dreams. She had thought that Master Dooku would be the escort. How many times had she imagined herself sitting on the floor, collecting a sword, and he was standing next to her and watching the process closely. Or the two of them sit and think about the details.
Then, finally, imperceptibly passed out and fell asleep. Santal found herself in a dark forest in the rain. Looking around in fright, the girl saw a dark figure in the distance, which turned out to be approaching…
—Master Dooku?" Is that you?
The mysterious figure turned around, and Santal realized that she was not mistaken.
— MA-A-GI-I-ISTR! — a loud child's cry spread like a huge wave through the forest.
The girl ran forward.
— Master… Please… Wait!
And woke up. Just in time. Looking at the clock, it became clear: a little more, and she would have been late. And they wouldn't have waited for her.
Their curator was already waiting for the six Younglings near the special ship. Five minutes later we sailed. The flight lasted four hours. To save energy, the guys plunged into meditation.
There was a blizzard on Ilum that day. Upon arrival, the younglings dressed in fur coats, put on their backpacks and went out.
"It's not a very hospitable place," Daria said.
—That's probably the whole point," Landa said.
When she reached a huge wall several kilometers long, Santal noticed that there was a circle in front of her, inside which, as it seemed to her, a flower with four petals. However, because of the snow it was difficult to see the picture completely.
"So, Younglings, stretch out your arms and focus on the Force. Only together can we enter.
The seven Jedi stretched out their arms. Someone on the right, someone on the left. Rectangular blocks began to descend, and a door with patterns and paintings appeared.
— Hurry up. The sun has risen. It's time to start.
Inside the Temple it was slightly warmer due to the lack of wind.
"This Temple is even more beautiful inside," Santal admired, looking at the columns and ornaments, monuments and statues.
Master Yoda was already sitting on the stone, waiting for them. The Younglings approached him and bowed slightly. Master Saynube stood to the right of the Grand Master.
— The force forms a Jedi physically, imposing great responsibility, right?
Everyone nodded.
— Protecting others is the task of a Jedi, — Yoda Forcibly removed his sword from his belt, put it in the air in an upright position and activated it by twisting it like a wheel. — You have to make your own sword. But first, everyone must find their crystal. The heart of a lightsaber is a crystal. He is called to focus the Power of the Jedi.
The Magister Forcibly opened a round window, from which a stream of light burst out, reaching an unusual chandelier. That, in turn, spun like a top, and then rays of light burst out from there. It turned out the sun. Two ice icicles or crystals, one large, the other small, stood up one after the other. By refraction of light, the beam passed through the icicles and shot into the top of the high ice door. The ice melted, turning into water, opening the entrance to the caves.
— To become a Jedi, you must enter the cave of crystals. Trust yourself, trust each other, and success will be yours.
— As soon as you find your crystal, don't linger there. When the light of day goes out, the door will freeze again and you will be trapped," Saynube warned.
—And for how long?" Green asked.
— One turn. And no one can help you out.
— How do we know which crystal to take? Max asked.
— Only you will know yours. Forward.
From all that was said, Santal began to get nervous. But she tried not to show it.
The guys were walking through a room with columns, the same flowers with four petals were visible on the floor. And then the tunnels began.
— What are we going to do? Trilla asked.
"It's better to stick together for now," Max said. — Just in case.
Santal was once again surprised how her friend manages to combine a noisy joker and an unofficial group leader who thinks sensibly and gives reasonable ideas. Moreover, each "mode" was turned on when it was necessary.
"If Justin were here, he'd be staring at the datapad all the way," Green quipped.
The group, passing by stalactites and stalagmites, came to a room where there were three passages.
— What's next, Guide? Landa asked.
Then, unexpectedly for herself, Santal raised her voice:
— They said that everyone recognizes his own crystal. Maybe we should try to turn to the Force? She will tell you where to go.
"Or just pair up, genius," Green crossed her arms over her chest.
— What's the matter? Max intervened.
— Why is she being clever here? I couldn't turn somersaults myself once. And now he's just an acrobat.
— She was afraid. Aren't you ashamed? — the boy angrily besieged mikkianka.
"I think she was just pretending to be afraid." And I don't like liars," Green snapped angrily. — You would have thought. It is impossible that it did not work out, and then suddenly abruptly…
— That's enough! Landa interrupted sternly. — We're wasting time!
—I agree," Green replied, looking around the room, and chose a passage in the middle. She took a couple of steps in his direction and turned around. — Who's with me?
Trilla came up to her. The rest decided to trust their intuition. Max and Daria went to the left aisle, and Landa and Santal got the right one. Dark, unlit. However, this did not frighten the girls.
After a couple of minutes, Santal decided to speak.
— Listen… Thanks.
"I just didn't want to waste precious time fighting," Landa replied coldly.
"Are you still angry?" — the girl was surprised.
Twilekka sighed.
— I'm not mad. I just... I don't know how to explain it.
— And you try. Tell me, what's eating you?
— It doesn't matter. Don't bother your head," Landa turned away and focused on finding the crystal. — Better get busy.
— good.
Santal plunged into the Force, but to no avail.
"We need to calm down. I am one with the Force. Gather my thoughts. Focus on the crystal. There are no emotions, there is peace," the girl said to herself.
Suddenly she felt as if something was calling her. Santal headed deeper while Landa examined the wall. It was getting darker. The girl was scared. How can you find something here? I can't see a thing.
Suddenly, smoke began to fall.
— Coward.
Santal jumped up and down. To her right, that uncle was sitting on a rock, crossing his legs.
— Somebody help me! Grab him! Santal shouted.
— Green, why do you treat Santal like that? She didn't do anything to you," Trilla asked.
— Because… I didn't like her right away. I don't know why. She initially stood out. There is some special attitude towards her. But for what? At first she was afraid of simple flips, and now she's almost the best! — mikkianka broke into a scream.
And then I realized that I had done it in vain. Icicles fell from the ceiling. Thank the Force, both managed to bounce back, but these icicles separated them. We'll have to clear the passage. Green almost cried. And all because of her! Maybe they'll never get out now.
— Green, can you hear me? Are you okay?
— Fortunately, yes.
— Are you crying?
- no.
— Don't lie. Don't be afraid. It's all good. We're alive.
Green breathed, trying to calm down. To distract her, Trilla asked.
— So what if Santal is the best? I don't care about that. I'm learning for myself.
— And I care. I wanted to be the best. Moreover, I have been in the Temple since infancy. And she knows life from the outside.
"You're jealous,— Trilla guessed.
— You're talkative today. But you're right," Green admitted, taking a deep breath. — You usually don't say anything. Why?
— I don't like to talk. I like to watch. Notice the details. Moreover, we are alone now, outsiders do not hear.
After clearing the blockage, Green noticed something glowing. It must have fallen together with the icicles.
— Look! Max shouted, pointing up at the stalagmite.
"I don't see anything,— Daria said.
"Of course you don't. Because the crystal is mine.
Max ran up to the cliff.
— Max, stop! It's high up there. You're going to fall! Daria panicked.
But the boy was determined not to back down. His crystal is at the end of an icicle, and he needs to figure out how to get it. Precisely! We must try by Force.
At first Santal shrank into a ball and covered her face with her hands, and then she remembered. Wait a minute, she's on Ilum. Which Dooku? What uncle? It looks like she was just imagining things.
— Listen, you, leave me alone! I'm not a little girl you can pat on the cheek anymore!
— What can you do? You don't even have a sword! the "vision" laughed.
— And here it will be! — Santal rushed forward and got into a bright space. Apparently, there is a frozen lake here. Looking around, the girl saw something glowing on top of the stalagmite.
- "Maybe this is what I'm looking for?" — the girl thought.
But there was a problem. To get there, it was necessary to walk on the ice. And Santal was afraid to walk on it. Dangerous. But there was no choice. And there's no time to linger, either.
— So. Quietly. Neat.
Carefully and sideways, the girl reached the stalagmite and took the crystal.
—Wow," she admired. — How beautiful. Blue. Okay, now we need to go back and find Landa.
With joy, the girl forgot about caution. I remembered only when it crunched under my feet. Without having time to react, the girl fell through the ice.
— It's a crystal! Green was delighted.
— Great ... — before she could finish, Trilla fell down.
— Trilla! Green was scared.
— It's all right. I'm safe. Look at that!
Mikkianka went downstairs.
— Wow. It's so beautiful here.
The place where the Younglings got to resembled the starry sky. Everything is dark, but there are a lot of glowing stars around.
— Maybe my crystal is here. — smiled Trilla. — Only how to distinguish him from others?
— I didn't think I'd say this, but... remember what Santal said? We must use Force.
Trilla stretched out her hand, closed her eyes and concentrated. Green stood aside and watched.
The advice turned out to be very useful. After a couple of minutes, one of the "stars" lit up especially brightly, flew out of the stone and jumped into the palm of a black-haired girl.
— Hurrah! We are great! — the children jumped for joy.
It's time to go back.
Max successfully pulled the crystal out of the stone by Force, but was exhausted. As a result, the find fell down, rolling down the slope.
— We'll have to climb anyway.
Max, like a real climber, began to climb up nimbly. Although it was hard because one arm was tired.
— Great. I have it! But how do I get down now?
Going down is always harder than going up. In the end, the boy fell off and flew down. Fortunately, Daria managed to catch him.
— Now it's your turn.
Togruta, who had been worried about her friend before, lost her nerves.
— There's nothing there! While you were looking for yours, I was looking for mine, but it's nowhere to be found! I've searched everything! — Daria burst into tears and fell to her knees.
Max was amazed. Da Ossaki, who was known for her optimism, empathy, is ready to give up.
— Daria, — the boy put his hands on her shoulders. — Pull yourself together. What's wrong with you? You're a brave and sensitive girl. You've always been an optimist. I could always cheer you up. Even now you were worried because you felt my fear. You're an empath. And I am absolutely sure that there was no case that the Jedi did not find. EVERYONE always found EVERYTHING! Let's look together.
- no. Only I can find my crystal," Daria sighed, trying to put her thoughts in order. Got up. — We need to concentrate.
Meanwhile, Santal was desperately fighting for her life and the crystal. In no case should he be let out of his hands! But she swam badly.
— Mom, Dad, help! — she screamed in her mind.
No! She can't die. She's just a kid. She has to come out! To spite the uncle! To spite Dooku for daring to refuse her! Although... what if it was a clone?
Gathering all her strength, Santal swam to the surface and broke the thin ice by Force. Hurray! Air!
Getting ashore was also problematic. Because of the water, the ice was slippery. Santal thought she was going to fall again, but suddenly Landa appeared and helped her out.
- thanks.
— Please.
The girls walked back, hugging each other.
— Let's go back.
"Did you find the crystal?"
- yes. When you left, I hit the ice wall out of anger. It split, and there was my crystal. Then I went to look for you. And you decided to swim, it turns out.
Despite the cold, Santal laughed, her teeth chattering. But then I remembered about the anger of tvilekka.
— What were you angry about?
—At myself," Landa bowed her head guiltily. — You see, I lied to you then. In fact, I haven't changed five owners. But my parents really wanted to sell me. And sold. But it so happened that the ship I was on was spotted by the Jedi. They took me away.
— Why did you lie?
— I just wanted to make an impression. You know, I was glad when I found out we were from the same planet. I thought we'd be friends. And as for Daria, I told her then that I was just an orphan. I don't like being discussed. And I didn't want them to worry about me.
— I see.
— I'm sorry.
— It's all right.
The girls went out to Yoda. Green and Trilla were already there.
— Where are Max and Daria?
— They haven't come yet.
"It's too early to despair," said the head of the Order.
And indeed, when the door was almost frozen, the remaining guys slipped under it. Everyone is finally here. The children began to hug.
— Santal, why are you wet? Daria was frightened.
— She fell into the water.
— Horror! We need to warm you up urgently!
— And you? Literally at the last second…
— This door is made of frozen water. It's easy to break if you want," Yoda smiled.
Everyone's eyes popped out. It turns out…
"You were talking about a trap," Green reminded him.
— The trap is not in the cave. It's in my head. We've learned our lesson. You have gained courage, trust, self-confidence, mutual assistance, learned more about yourself and each other. Smoothed out the sharp corners, right? Take your crystals to the Temple and take care of them, young Jedi.
On the ship, Santal was wrapped up, blue and clanking with teeth, and they began to give her warm tea.
"You're lucky,— Max said. — It's better not to do that anymore.
"Nothing would have happened to me. I am unsinkable," the girl tried to calm her friend.
The guys burst out laughing. But if Max is because of a joke, then Santal is also because of the Wisest. How could they be so stupid? She also wondered why the masters were so calm? How could she think that they, the children, could be subjected to such a dangerous test?
Everyone on the ship took off their fur coats. Santal was wrapped in a blanket. The girl did not stop coughing, the blue on the skin was gone, but still she felt bad. Max decided to practice with a stick, a shooting ball and a helmet covering his eyes.
— I'll call this technique "Lightning", — the boy boasted.
"Come here, everyone," said Tera Saynube, who had come. — You all successfully passed the Training Camp. And they got crystals.
— When will we start collecting swords? Max asked.
— Put the crystals on the table. The lesson begins. Let me introduce the developer and designer of the lightsaber Hugh Yang.
What was Santal's surprise that it turned out to be a multi-armed droid, remembering the sword of every Jedi! He even remembered how Yoda himself collected the sword! The droid promised to tell a story about it if the children were obedient.
— What do you choose? A simple handle? Curved? Since ancient times, the lightsaber has been the only reliable ally of a Jedi. And how do they work? You brought the crystals, but they are useless until you breathe life into them. Do you know how to awaken the Power inside the crystal? No? Then listen and learn. In front of me are Togruta, Mikkianka, tvilekka and three people. I can handle you.
First, close your eyes and imagine your swords. How do you feel them in your hands?
While everyone was thinking, the professor brought several boxes with details.
— My task is that you leave the ship with all the necessary parts to create lightsabers. And most importantly, they knew how to do it. Let's get started. We have a lot of work to do.
As they say, the matter has boiled over. Each youngling chose a corner for himself and sat down there with the details and began to assemble the so-called constructor. But first the guys started telling each other how they were looking for crystals.
"I was desperate at the end," Daria was saying. — I couldn't find it for a long time, but in the end I found it in the snow. Can you imagine?
Santal listened and was grateful to Master Yoda for helping her feel better, and to herself for falling into the water in a fur coat. Otherwise it would be worse. But then she still needs to see a doctor. The girl opened a book with instructions. There was a picture of a standard handle on the page, all the elements were signed. Types of handles were also drawn.
At first Santal wanted to make a curved handle, and then she thought about it and settled on the standard one. Firstly, it will be easier this way. And secondly, she also has a donated kayber crystal. Let it be in a curved shape.
Now the details. The blade emitter matrix, the body of the emitter segment, the activation button, the blade power regulator, the charging connector, an optical lens, a powerful energy cell, and you also need to leave room for the handle girth.
— Remember, guys, calm your thoughts and focus. Then the design will become clearer," Master Saynube said. — The crystal is the heart of the sword. The heart is a Jedi crystal. The Jedi is a crystal of Power. Power is the sword of the heart. Everything is connected: crystal, sword, Jedi. We are all one.
When the complete set of parts was ready, Santal decided to see how others were doing. Surprisingly, Max has already collected.
"With this sword, I will fight the Sith and challenge Master Yoda," he said.
Professor Hugh Young came up to him, examined the internal structure of the sword and said:
— With this, my friend, you can only kill yourself. You turned over the emitter, which will cause a system outage. Turn it on and everything will explode. One crystal will remain.
The children laughed. But Max was not discouraged:
— Nothing. I'll redo it.
— Redo it, but this time follow the pattern.
— It turns out that all the details are needed? Landa asked.
— That's right. Although there is one detail that you can still do without. Activation button. There were times when the Jedi created swords without her. There is a plus in this. Such a sword cannot be used by someone who is not sensitive to the Force. Although it is better to follow the instructions.
But Santal decided without a button. She immersed herself in the Force and began to imagine the assembly. It's like in medicine to represent internal organs.
Unexpectedly for herself, the girl lost consciousness. And when she woke up, she found out that she had not finished the assembly, but had fallen asleep, weakened by illness. In order not to get worse, she was sent to the custody of Vocara. Fortunately, the members of the same clan brought her her details.
While Santal was working, she didn't notice how she dozed off. This time she didn't realize right away that she was asleep. She's in the hospital wing. Suddenly Dooku comes in.
- hello. How are you doing?
— Better.
— Ready to assemble the sword? All your comrades have already gathered. Do not lag behind them.
And so Santal sits on his knees, looks at everything, picks it up, and the master sits next to him and prompts, gives advice.
— Well, are you ready? Master Dooku asks with a smile.
— Santal! — a sharp voice from outside pulls the girl out of the shackles of sleep.
Vocara Che came with medicine and a glass of water.
— What happened? — after looking at Santal, tvilekka saw that she was crying.
Having failed to get an answer, however, the healer considered it her duty to calm the child.
An hour later, Santal decided to finish the job. It was an incredible, unique feeling of the movement of all the details, as they become one. And here's the final touch. The finished handle falls into the girl's hands.
But for safety reasons, Santal Forcibly carries the handle a little further away. Raises the air and activates it by force. A second and... the turquoise blade breaks free!
Santal Sabura jumped with happiness! She could! She did it! And quickly pulled the sword into her left hand.
Thus, the chamber became a mute witness of how the girl, raising her head, looking at the ceiling, with her legs spread shoulder-width apart, raised her hand up, holding an activated real, self-created lightsaber.