AN: Because I've plotted myself into a corner and there are aspects I want to touch on and other parts of the story I want told (primarily family fluff with Qui-Gon, Obi-Wan and Jane) I am going to be posting a vignette series that ties-in to the story and it's sequels. It will be titled 'A Speck of Green in a Sea of Brown'.
Now, onto the chapter notes. This chapter will start setting off events to happen later in the story. It will also explain a bit of why Jane is the way she is. Hopefully, it will all make sense in the long run. Enjoy!
Chapter Nine: Ilum and Secrets
Jane took a deep breath as she followed Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan off the ship, absentmindedly twisting one of the earrings in her newly pierced ears—a gift from Qui-Gon for her fifth birthday the week before.
She looked around Illum, her eyes searching for the mountain filled with caverns where she would build a lightsaber of her own, instead of using spare ones from the Temple.
She double-checked the pouch at her waist full of tools and parts for her lightsaber, knowing she'd find pre-made hulls and the focusing crystal inside the cave.
She followed her Master and Obi-Wan up the snow covered hills, shivering underneath her heavy coat. Finally, they stopped at the top of a hill. Qui-Gon pointed to a castle-like structure carved out of the mountain with his gloved hand at the top of the next hill.
"That is where you will find the rest of the materials to build your lightsaber and where you will construct it. Obi-Wan and I will wait here for your return. Do you have everything you need?" Qui-Gon asked.
"Yes, Master," Jane said, patting her pouch gently.
"Then you may begin your journey, Padawan," Qui-Gon said. "May the Force be with you."
"And with you, Master," Jane said with a bow. Then she proceeded to run down the hill, up the next one and into the old stone fortress.
Obi-Wan bit his lip nervously as he watched as she entered the caves.
"Think she'll be alright?" Obi-Wan asked, rubbing his hands together for warmth as he entered the tent he and Qui-Gon had set up minutes before.
"I know she'll be fine," Qui-Gon said as he sat down and began to fiddle with the space heater. "Come sit with me, Padawan. We have things to discuss while we are alone."
"We do?" Obi-Wan asked as he positioned himself across from his Master.
"Yes," Qui-Gon said. He sighed, then looked at Obi-Wan. "Two years ago, shortly after I took Jane on as my apprentice, you asked me what was so special about her that I took on a three year old as my Padawan."
"I remember," Obi-Wan said, remembering his initial jealousy of Jane's ability to capture attention—Qui-Gon's in particular. He hadn't liked sharing his Master, but had been mature enough to hide it, for which he was grateful because in two short years he and Jane were very close and many days they drove Qui-Gon insane by finishing the other's sentences.
"Do you remember what I told you in response?" Qui-Gon asked.
"That it was a matter of politics that we would discuss when the time is right," Obi-Wan said. Then he sat up straighter. "May I assume that that time is now, Master?"
"Yes, my Padawan, it is," Qui-Gon said. "After explaining that Jane's mother wanted me to train her, I told the Council that I would train her after your training was completed and she was of age to become an apprentice. I was then informed that I needed to begin her training then because of how strong and smart she is, so that in ten years or so, she could be knighted."
"Well, whoever came up with that plan didn't think it all the way through," Obi-Wan said with a slight smile. "The Council does not want to have to deal with a knight going through puberty."
"Obi-Wan," Qui-Gon said in a warning tone.
"I'm sorry, Master, but, really, why would anyone want Jane to become a knight so young?" Obi-Wan asked.
"To further her training." Qui-Gon said softly.
"In what?" Obi-Wan asked, the grin disappearing from his face.
"In anything the Council wants."
It took a moment for Obi-Wan to fully comprehend what Qui-Gon was saying and his eyes widened.
"They want to turn Jane into a weapon," Obi-Wan whispered.
Qui-Gon nodded.
"While I am Jane's guardian, she is under my protection. Masters Yoda, Windu and Gallia are helping to protect Jane. But shortly after our mission to Hapes, I began to worry. What would happen to Jane if I died? After several long discussions with Master Yoda, we came to a conclusion: I will find a lawyer and write out my Last Will and Testament, passing on my guardianship of Jane to whomever I choose.
"And I've chosen you, Obi-Wan, to train and protect Jane after I've joined the Force."
"Me?" Obi-Wan asked, his eyes widening again. "Are you sure?"
"I can think of no one better for the job, nor anyone Jane would trust more than you. Do you accept?"
"Of course I do," Obi-Wan said. "Are we to tell Jane?"
"No. I do not wish for her to know she's thought of as a potential weapon just yet. However, when we return to Coruscant, I will need you to be a witness, along with Master Yoda, upon completing the will."
Obi-Wan nodded.
"This is why C'boath is accusing you of being a bad master, isn't it?" Obi-Wan asked.
The week before—the day after Jane's birthday—Qui-Gon and C'boath had a long and loud "conversation" in the hall while Qui-Gon was trying to defend his teaching techniques and C'boath telling him that, if he was a good Master, Jane would have completed her own lightsaber. Other Council members, prompted by C'boath's argument, agreed that it was time for Jane to build her own blade. Qui-Gon could not argue his case—or get in any other word for that matter—and the next thing the trio knew, they were packing for their trip.
"Yes, it is," Qui-Gon said. "Yoda may be the Grand Master, but C'boath holds a lot of power over a majority of the Council."
"How did C'boath get into the Council to begin with?" Obi-Wan asked.
"Like with his promotion to Master, it was self-imposed," Qui-Gon explained. "His beliefs about the Jedi and their place in the Galaxy have motivated a lot of people in the Temple. Many of those are beginning to teach their apprentices the same belief. It is a frequent argument amongst mentors over what is right and what is wrong for us to teach our Padawans."
"As Jedi, we are to make sure that peace rules the galaxy, but not rule the galaxy ourselves," Obi-Wan said, feeling a growing distaste for C'boath as the conversation progressed.
Qui-Gon sighed.
"This is why Master Yoda doesn't take pilgrimages to Dagobah anymore. Every time he leaves, he comes back to find the Temple in a bad state. Like Jane says, C'boath is one twisted duck," He said. "Speaking of Jane, I wonder how she is doing…"
Jane was not having much luck.
None of the materials for the hulls fit quite right for her growing hands. Everything was either too small or too big.
Jane sat against the wall of the temple in near tears. She knew exactly what she wanted for her lightsaber hilt. It had been the first lightsaber she had held: her mother's.
She remembered her tiny hands—well, tinier hands—that were wrapped around it, shivering from the sudden warmth in her hands, feeling the vibrations of the blade, hearing the comforting buzzing sound, being mesmerized by the green shade of the blade.
Jane had hoped she would be able to use the focusing crystal from her mother's lightsaber, but Jocelyn had requested that the crystal be turned into a pendant and for that pendant to be the only jewelry she wore to be buried in.
Jane sighed. She had been thinking about her mother more and more since her birthday, thinking about her last days with her mother, the last days of her former life.
"Little lamb, by now you should know that it does not do one well to dwell on the past."
Jane's head shot out of her hands.
"Nonna?" She whispered in shock as she clambered to her feet, utterly shocked to see a ghost of the old woman who had raised her in her infant years standing before her. "Nonna, I had heard that you were—but I never really—are you really—?"
"Yes, my lamb, I have passed on," Nonna said, her fingers trailing over Jane's cheek. Her blue eyes twinkled as she smiled softly at Jane. "But that is not why I am here. You need to know."
"About what?" Jane asked, confused. She knew practically everything already. What didn't she know?
"Little lamb," Nonna said. "I know you are starting to regret your vast knowledge. I know it makes you stand out in a way you'd rather not. But this is a gift and you must treat it that way."
"Who is it a gift from, the Force or from up above?" Jane asked.
"In a way, both," Nonna said, a smile dancing over her lips. "When you were born, one of the Seers on Corellia foretold that you would be instrumental in bringing peace and order to the Galaxy after many decades of conflict, conflict that I believe you seen signs of on recent missions."
Jane couldn't deny it. Politicians were getting edgy and irritated with Chancellor Valorum. The Trade Federation was starting to show signs of rebellion, and there had been rumors that they had been ordering battle droids made, rumors that the Trade Federation's leader Nute Gunray denied. Of course, not many people believed him.
"How exactly does my 'gift' play into all that, though?" Jane asked.
"You're here, aren't you?" Nonna said, one pale eyebrow arched. "You are the youngest apprentice in the history of both the Temple Jedi and the Corellian Jedi, and you are here to complete your first lightsaber."
"Trying to, at least," Jane said, glancing woefully over her shoulder at all the discarded lightsaber hulls.
"Which reminds me," Nonna said, reaching into one of her long sleeves. "Your mother asked me to bring you this. She had hoped to find a way to give it to you on your birthday, but we agreed that now seemed more appropriate. Ah, here it is!"
Jane's eyes widened and filled with tears as Nonna revealed the hilt of Jocelyn Mago's lightsaber.
Nonna placed the hilt in Jane's hands; it felt just as she remembered it. Somewhere in her head, Jane was wondering how Nonna—a ghost—had managed to give her a solid object. The rest of her brain didn't care. She was just so happy to hold the lightsaber she had begun her training with, remembering all the happy times with her mother and Nonna.
"Thank you," Jane whispered.
Nonna smiled and brushed Jane's Padawan braid out of the girl's face.
"I have a few more words of wisdom for you before I leave you," Nonna said. "First of all, always remember that there are easier ways to defeat an enemy than with the weapon you are about to make. 'Therefore, if your enemy hungers, feed him. If he thirsts, give him a drink. For in doing so you will heap coals of fire on his head'." [Romans 12:20]
"Kill 'em with kindness," Jane whispered with a nod. "Got it."
"Second, 'do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good'," Nonna said. "This is hard, as you will discover in the coming years. Evil is everywhere. And there are some evils goodness cannot overcome. Death is one of them. It is not our job as mere mortals to challenge death, or to rid the galaxy of it." [Romans 12:21]
Again Jane nodded.
"Now, this is the most important piece of wisdom I can give you: 'we are children of light and children of the day. We are not of the night and the darkness'." Nonna said, placing a hand on Jane's head. [1 Thessalonians 5:5]
Jane sighed and looked at her feet.
"But I am a child of both, of the Light and the Dark," Jane whispered. "I can turn either way."
"At the moment you are a daybreak child, a twilight child," Nonna said. "Neither fully in the light of the day, nor in the blackness of the night. The time will come when you will have to choose what you become. I just pray that you will remember my words, and those of your mother, and those of your Master when that time comes.
"Thank you Nonna," Jane said with a nod.
"My time is drawing to a close here, my precious lamb," Nonna said. "So, I must deliver a message and say my good-byes, for the next time you see me, you will have passed on as well.
"Your mother wants you to know that she loves you dearly, and is very proud of you, and I second both," Nonna said. "You are becoming a strong, fine, independent and beautiful young woman. She also pleads that you will never forget your roots and not conform under the pressure of the Jedi Masters to become something you are not. And, lastly, she asked for me to tell you that, one day, you are going to have to reveal who you are, both your parentage and your real name. She knows why you hide both, but she also knows that you can't keep the façade up forever."
Jane sighed.
"I know. As soon as I figure out a way to tell Qui-Gon the truth, I will." Jane promised.
"You worry he and Obi-Wan will not love you if they know the truth," Nonna said. "But know that they love you for your big heart and fierce personality. Not for your powers or genius. Remember that."
Jane nodded.
"I will, Nonna," Jane whispered.
"Thank you," Nonna said. She bent down and kissed Jane's forehead. "I love you, my little lamb."
"I love you, too, Nonna," Jane said. "And will you tell Mommy that I love her?"
"I will," Nonna said as she straightened up. She waved at Jane…
…and then she was gone, leaving Jane alone once again.
The hull of her mother's lightsaber in hand, Jane took a deep breath and closed her eyes. She stretched out with the Force, searching, searching, searching, until she…
Found it.
Jane grinned and made her way past the thousands of gems and crystals, following the Force-sense through the caverns of the temple. Finally, she came into a room filled with mounds of gems and crystals in about a million different shades and colors, all perfect in size and shape. She walked past them all to find, lying abandoned on the floor, a gem about the length of her palm that was the exact shade of green her eyes turned when she was extremely happy. It wasn't the ideal size, nor was it the right cut; it would have to be shaped and molded.
As Jane held the gem in her hand, she saw through the Force that this gem had been overlooked many times as it lay alone in the dust and dirt amid the mounds and mounds of beautiful gems. It had never been picked simply because it was simply in the wrong place and because it would mean work to use the crystal. Those who came to build their lightsaber would rather use an already perfect crystal than one they would have to shape.
Like the Jedi, Jane thought. They'd rather take the perfect ones and use only them. The imperfect ones just won't do. They don't want to take the time to shape them.
Still, Jane was proud of her find as she sat down and began to shape the crystal to perfection.
Two hours later, Jane was putting the pieces of the lightsaber together and an hour after that, she had her completed lightsaber in her hands.
She shivered from the sudden drop in temperature as she stepped outside and began to climb back to where she had left Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan. She was not surprised to see them waiting for her.
"So?" Qui-Gon said, the corner of his mouth lifting.
"I did it," Jane said, unclipping the weapon from her belt. She activated the lightsaber, felt the vibrations in her hands and beamed with pride as Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan marveled at the brilliant green blade.
"It's wonderful, Jane," Obi-Wan said. Then his brow furrowed. "Hey, that hilt looks familiar…"
"Is that your mother's hilt?" Qui-Gon asked.
"Yeah," Jane said, smiling as she ran her finger over the metal.
"Where did-?" Obi-Wan started to ask, but Jane cut him off.
"Let's just say, an old friend brought it to me," Jane said. "So, are we ready to go home?"
"Yes," Qui-Gon said, placing one hand on the back of Jane's head and the other around Obi-Wan's shoulders. "Let's go home."