Chapter 5: Crystals, Creeds, and a Coffin

It had been nine months since Ryder had joined his master on the Ghost. During the past months, Master Korvin had Ryder improve and polish the Force techniques and lightsaber forms that he had developed. However, Ryder was still a novice in the ways of the Force, but he has learned a lot of history and strategy while under Master Korvin.

It was early in the morning, and Ryder was flying the Ghost toward the ice planet of Ilum. The planet was about one day away, but Ryder couldn't be any more ready. This was a big test for him since this is where he will construct his first lightsaber.

Master Korvin had already told him many stories of this planet's harsh conditions and the animals that inhabit the caves that lie on the surface. Ryder's master has been in his living quarters for the past two days meditating. He had told Ryder that if he hadn't come out by the time they had landed then to go ahead and proceed on his mission. Ryder turned on the autopilot and headed towards his quarters.

A few days ago, Master Korvin had explained the roles that the Jedi and Sith had played in his galaxy. The Jedi were supposed to be guided by the will of the Force, but had become blinded by their "duty" to the "good". The Jedi Council had started to serve the Republic of Dantooine as peace negotiators afraid to step in if need be for the sake of their code. The Sith were the same, but they believed in peace and stability through the rule of a single ruler instead of a democracy, so they were always on the move trying to take over planets and subjugate them to their will. They found flaws in their ideals through the many deaths that occurred for their thirst of power.

In the middle of the two were the Gray Jedi. They followed the true voice of the Force. These Jedi walked the line in the middle without succumbing to the dark side and never restricting one's options to the Jedi Code. These Jedi were often outcasts that left the Sith or Jedi Order. Master Korvin had told him that this is what they classified themselves as. For they would do the true bidding of the Force. Ryder reached his room and began to meditate until they landed on Ilum.

While meditating, Ryder felt his head begin to start hurting as if it was the worst migraine to date. Suddenly, a bright light flashed blinded his vision, and the light slowly faded as colorful lights began to fly by his vision. The image of a lanky man in a lab coat with snake with colorful rings squirmed in his grip. That imaged faded as two young people, a boy and a girl, laid dead in front of him. He could hear their screams along with his own. When that image left, he then saw a girl, a beautiful girl, crying in front of him.

She said, "I love you. Don't leave me." Right when she finished talking, a bright flash of light took his sight away again until he found himself in a white room that seemed like an empty void.

The walls were white.

The floor was white.

Even the ceiling was white.

"Where am I," Ryder muttered to himself?

A feint voice that sounded very familiar came from behind him and said, "Did he even really love you? Have you made the right choice?"

"Who is that," asked Ryder as he quickly turned his head but saw no one. He could only hear the voice.

"You're weak. That's why they died," said the voice again.

"What the hell are you talking about," yelled Ryder in to white void?!

Just then, Ryder heard the familiar beeps and whistles of a new acquaintance, R2.

Ryder opened his eyes to see the astromech droid standing in his door way. Wiping the sweat from his forehead, Ryder wondered what just happened to him while meditating. Was it a dream? Who was speaking to me?

R2 gave a more impatient beep this time, and Ryder snapped back saying, "Okay! I'm coming!" He could now understand some of what R2 was saying. Ryder stood up and went to his dresser.

He was already wearing his black ninja pants (that's what Korvin called them), ninja sandals with a wrap around his ankles all the way up to the bottom of his pants, and a normal t-shirt that had 'PUT IN WORK' written across the front.

Ryder took off his shirt, folded it and put it in his drawer, and he took out a black, short-sleeve shirt with a high collar and slipped it over his head. Next, there was a gray flak jacket hanging up in his closet, so he put that on. Next to the flak jacket was a parka.

"Well, I'm definetly going to need this," he said reaching for the furry jacket.

Ryder left his room and found Master Korvin waiting for him in the main hold.

"Here is some water and tablets for you to take into the caves." He tossed Ryder both pouches of tablets.

"Also, take this sword for protection," said Korvin. It was a katana. The weapon of samurais.

"Now, when you get on the surface, you will see multiple cave entries. Listen to the Force; it will guide you to the right cave. A certain kyber crystal will call out to you, and that is the one you'll want to harvest." Master Korvin kept explaining, "Many Jedi and Sith have died here as well. Some of their crystal may call out to you, but they only look to lead you down the path that will kill you. Only follow the voice if it holds a strong presence. The one with the strongest presence is the one most compatible to you." Ryder listened carefully to the wisdom that his master was bestowing upon him.

"Yes, Master. I'll be on my way then." Ryder walked to the exit ramp and continued to go towards the icy surface of Ilum.

"Wait!"

Ryder turned around to see his master walking down the ramp. Without getting off the ramp, Master Korvin tosses his mask to Ryder and said, "Take this. It was your dad's before he gave it to me. It may end up helping you out down there."

Ryder stared at it then put it on his face. He felt a heavy pressure emitting from the mask. He knew it was from all the previous battles it had been in, and the strength of the Force bond it held with its masters and the Force. "Thank you, Master."

"May the Force be with you, my apprentice," said Master Korvin. Ryder nodded and walked down the ramp towards the unknown that Ilum held for him.

As he walked on the surface of the planet, Ryder began to study his surroundings. The whole place was covered in snow and ice. Surrounding Ryder, were ice mountains that reached to the clouds, and canyons that seemed to have no bottom.

The mask seemed to make him more aware and perceptive of his surroundings. Ryder started to use Force armor and enlightenment to heighten and strengthen his physical and perceptive abilities. He had walked about a half days' worth seeing nothing but ice, mountains, caves, and canyons.

After a few more hours, Ryder heard a deep whisper coming from a cave that had fallen rocks covering the entrance. He walked over with extreme caution and looked at the fallen rocks for a weakness in the structure. He closed his eyes, lifted his hand and used the Force to move the rocks away from the entrance.

Ryder walked into the cave and saw a long narrow tunnel. He could hear a dense hum come from the tunnel. 'This has got to be it,' thought Ryder.

After about twenty minutes of following the path, Ryder came upon three passage ways that were available to take.

He suddenly heard a voice say, "Grays walked the line different than the Sith and Jedi."

Ryder turned around to see no one behind him. The narrow slit in the mask made his vision limited, but it made him rely more on the Force constantly. He turned around and decided to take the middle tunnel. The hum grew stronger as he continued.

It seemed like hours on hours before Ryder had reached another door. The door had carvings of ancient writings and fancy designs around the outer edges. Along the top of the door, a cryptic sentence was inscribed in the stone.

"Thank you Master for lessons on ancient languages," he said to himself. He began reading the language, "There was a time. A moment. When my destiny wasn't certain. That moment is gone!" It was hard to translate, but he was confident that his translation was correct.

"Use the force…"

It was that same voice from the entrance. Ryder closed his eyes and widened his stance shoulder width apart. He brought his hands to the sides of his chest and started to build up the Force in his palms. The Force grew stronger and stronger until it felt like a one ton ball in his hands. He pushed it towards the door, continuously using the Force to try and blow open the doors. At first the doors would not budge, but as he kept pushing harder and harder he felt the doors give a little bit. Increasing his strength as time kept moving, Ryder was starting to strain himself pushing himself this far and hard. It was painful. His body was hurting.

The thought of how his father died flashed into him mind. His vision turned a reddish hue as he used this anger to increase his power. As he kept pushing, he could feel energy building up in-between the door and himself. He pushed harder. He imagined in his head a forceful push that blew open the door, but when he opened his eyes, Ryder saw small ripples and crackles of light between him and the door.

Ryder smirked, "A stone door isn't gonna stop me now." He pushed harder having an idea what the crackles of light was, and when he did this, lightning shot out from his hands. The force of the lightning that Ryder had just summoned was enough to turn the stone door into rubble. After seen numerous things that made him speechless, this was yet another one of those times.

He walked through the door and into the cave. Immediately, giant spiders crawled out of holes and cracks that lined the walls and surrounded him.

'These must be some of the animals that Master told me about,' thought Ryder. He calmed himself and took a deep breath. 'Thank goodness for Dad's Force Applications notebooks.'

Using the Force, Ryder reached out to the angry spiders and calmed them down. The spiders were very territorial, so they would attack anyone that entered the cave. Ryder just used the Force to make them feel at ease, and he sent them out of the cave.

Ryder took the mask off to get a better look around the cave. As he did this the spiders started to go berserk and attacked him. Ryder dropped the mask and began to dodge the attacks the spiders were throwing at him.

As he jumped over one spider, another shot him with its web and stuck him to the wall. The spiders began scurrying towards him. Ryder knew being nervous and anxious would not do anything good for him, so he channeled his frustration with himself and used the Force to lift all the spiders into the air. Suspended, Ryder smiled, then slam them onto the ground, killing them all.

He tore the webs off him and went to pick up the mask and swore not to take it off like that again. He put it on and heard the voice again.

"Comeeeee…" Ryder turned his ahead towards where the voice was coming from.

"Comeeeee," it said again. He followed it carefully. Upon reaching the back of the cave, he saw a tomb with more inscriptions on it.

"HERE THE DARKNESS REIGNS ETERNAL. There is no sun, no dawn; just the perpetual gloom of night. The only illumination comes from jagged forks of lightning, carving a wicked path through angry clouds. In their savage wake thunder shreds the sky, unleashing a torrent of hard, cold rain. The storm is coming, and there is no escape."

The phrase sent a chill down Ryder's spine. He calmed his mind and used the Force to open the tomb, but nothing happened.

"Noooo… Only through your anger will you open me…" It was the same voice again. He thought about his dad. How he was hunted down. Deep down, he even felt a hatred towards himself for leaving his best friends by themselves while he went off and learned how to use the Force. Why did he have to be alone? Ryder screamed out using the Force.

"Raaahhhhhh!"

The top of the tomb flew back so hard that when it hit the wall, it crumbled into small pieces of rock. Taking deep breathes, Ryder lifted his head and was astonished on what power that gave him.

He walked up close to the tomb and found a single lightsaber in there. It was about 25 centimeters long and had three steel spikes lining the side of the hilt. Ryder examined the lightsaber contemplating if he should take it or construct his own. After a few minutes of meditation, he decided to use that lightsaber. 'It called out to me for a reason,' he thought.

Before Ryder could reach down and pick it up, the entire hilt turned into sand. "Shit," he said. "I forgot the possibility that it hadn't been exposed to air in a long time."

However, sitting on top of the dust were two clear crystals. 'Perfect,' he thought. He reached and grabbed the crystals.

Ryder walked to the center of the cave and sat down on the stone floor. He remembered what Master Korvin told him, "Gripping the crystal firmly, pour the Force into them and they will turn to a color specific to you."

Ryder gripped the crystals and focused the Force into them. The crystals started to get hotter and hotter, but he kept his concentration. After a few minutes, the crystals cooled back down to their normal temperature.

The one in his left hand had turned into a cyan color that emitted a strong yet calm presence of the Force. The other crystal turned into a deep, crimson red that was heavier than the cyan crystal. Instead of a calm presence, the crimson crystal screamed out in pain and anger. Confused about how the two could be different colors, he was eager to get back to the ship and ask Korvin, so he stood up and began his journey back to the surface of Ilum.

As Ryder walked through the door that led to the cave, he could hear rocks falling behind him. He looked behind him and saw the ceiling begin to fall to the ground.

"Damnit," Ryder muttered. "I knew it had been going to smooth so far."

Calling upon the Force, Ryder sprinted out of the cave right before the tunnels could collapse on him. After dusting himself off, Ryder looked up at his surroundings and saw that it was sunset. Since many of the ice mountains had kyber crystals, the rays of the sun turned into different, beautiful colors.

After appreciating this planet for its features, Ryder pulled out his communicator and said to Master Korvin, "I'm ready to be picked up." Ryder looked down at an electronic map that he pulled out of his pocket then said, "I'm in sector eight-hundred and fifty-three."

He looked around to take in the final moments of being on this planet. Even though the planet was covered in ice, there was a beauty to the bluish white ice that covered the mountains around him and the gorgeous sunsets and sunrises here.

"I'll be there in a few moments," replied his master.

Ryder walked to the center of the area where there was an opening and sat down to examine the crystals. He held the two up near his eyes and looked through each other, one at a time. Each crystal gave a beautiful tint to the world, but you could feel that these crystals had a strong bond with the Force by the heavy pressure they emitted.

The Ebon Hawk descended close to the ground with the exit ramp extended. It hovered about fifteen yards above the ground. Gathering the Force in his legs, Ryder jumped up onto the ramp, took one last look at the planet, then walked up into the ship.

It was colder than usual in the ship. It was like the Ebon Hawk took on Ilum's icy climate. Still wearing the mask, Ryder walked into the main hold and called out, "I found two crystals, Master. They were in another lightsaber inside a coffin, but the lightsaber eroded into dust and left these two crystals."

Master Korvin walked out of the cockpit looked at Ryder and his crystals for a few seconds. "Tell me everything you experienced down there," he said confused and intrigued.

Ryder began telling his master everything that happened. How he started with walking the surface and hearing a voice that lead him to a blocked off cave. He told him about the voice that led him through the correct tunnel, and then his experience with the door and the lightning.

Master Korvin's face stayed expressionless during every part of the story. He told his master that when he took off the mask, the spiders attacked him, but he disposed of them quickly. Finally, he told him how he removed the cover of a coffin to find a lightsaber inside of it, but it turned to dust among contact with the outside air. How the crystals were just sitting on top of the dust, and how when he infused them with the Force, they turned different colors.

Master Korvin took a few minutes to think over what his apprentice had just told him. He had heard those phrases before, but where did he hear them?

"HERE THE DARKNESS REIGNS ETERNAL. There is no sun, no dawn; just the perpetual gloom of night. The only illumination comes from jagged forks of lightning, carving a wicked path through angry clouds. In their savage wake thunder shreds the sky, unleashing a torrent of hard, cold rain. The storm is coming, and there is no escape."

"There was a time. A moment. When my destiny wasn't certain. That moment is gone!"

These quotes sounded familiar to Korvin, but he couldn't put his finger on when or how he heard them. "Can I examine these crystals for a moment," he asked Ryder?

"Sure," said Ryder wondering why his master was so intrigued. He put the two crystals in his hand.

Master Korvin balled his hand into a fist, closed his eyes, and reached out with Force. He felt the emotion that the crystals held inside them. He could see the pain, sorrow, power, and triumph that crystals had witnessed throughout their use. Korvin knew who these crystals belonged to now. He didn't the who the person was exactly, but he could see some of their memories.

He opened his eyes, gave the crystals back to Ryder, then said, "These crystals belonged to a very powerful Sith Lord that wreaked havoc and created chaos in the galaxy. They are powerful crystals, and they might try and sway you to a certain side of force. If you choose to use these crystals, you must be careful, for they will give you great power, but they will also try to corrupt you."

Master Korvin had a serious expression that Ryder had never seen, so he knew that this decision was one he had to consider carefully. A red crystal and a blue crystal that would grant him great power. He remembered what he heard at the entrance of the cave, "There was a time. A moment. When my destiny wasn't certain. That moment is gone!"

He looked into his master's eyes and said, "I'm gonna use the crystals. They will not use me. I came with you for the sake of power. Power to avenge my dad. Power to save the ones I love. These will help me, but I will not help them change me." Ryder's resolve echoed throughout the main hold.

"Alright," said Master Korvin placing his hand on Ryder's shoulder. "Then it is time to construct your first lightsaber."

Korvin began leading Ryder to the cargo hold where there were parts for Ryder to use. About half way there, Korvin looked back at him and said, "Also, keep the mask. It is yours now. It will prove useful in some situations." He turned and continued walking to the cargo hold.

"Okay, in the bins are the supplies you need to make your own lightsaber," said Korvin pointing to a few bins that had scraps of metal in them. "Make it however you want. Whenever you finish, come and get me so that I can see the final product."

Ryder was as excited as ever knowing that he can finally create his own lightsaber with powerful crystals. "Yes, Master. I'll begin at once." Korvin walked out with a smile on his face. It made him happy seeing Ryder like this. Ryder had given up a lot since they left and now, he can finally complete his novice trainings.

Ryder started sifting through the bins seeing all kinds of hilts, power cells, emitters, hand grips, and many more components. He decided to grab a piece of paper to try and draw what he wanted his lightsaber to look like. He started to draw a straight hilt with two knobs on the side. One was to control the power of the lightsaber and the other controlled the length. Towards the bottom was a grip that went straight up and down so that the control of the blade was optimized. At the top, he drew three prongs that started about a quarter of the way from the top and protruded from the top. In between two of the prongs is the power switch. Ryder liked the lightsaber that he just drew up thinking about what arrangement he should put the crystals in. He got to work immediately constructing the hilt of his lightsaber starting with the grip and hilt.

This lightsaber greatly resembled the one he found inside the coffin. He liked that one enough to the point that he might as well go ahead and try to make it.

Seven hours had gone by when Ryder finished constructing his hilt. It was 1:23 am. He decided to use the cyan crystal as the primary crystal and the red crystal as the focusing crystal. He used the Force to open the crystal chamber and placed them in. He closed the chamber and gripped the lightsaber firmly.

"Okay, it's time to test this bad boy out," Ryder muttered to himself. He ignited the blade.

The blade was beautiful as it emitted a purple blade and a crackling sound. The heat from the purple light that shown from his hilt was more intense than the welding tool Ryder had used back on earth. It was light, but he felt strength in it.

He swung it to the left and then to the right. The sound was music to his ear.

*Voom voom cccrrrrkkkk voom*

He turned off his lightsaber with a sigh of relief. He loved the color and thought that it was a good fit for him, but he had an idea. What would happen if he changed the order of the crystals?

Master Korvin had overheard Ryder igniting his blade and swinging it around. He began to walk towards the parts room while concealing his presence through the Force. While walking over, he saw a purple light disappear with the sound of a lightsaber deactivating.

Right when he peaked through the doorway, he could see Ryder using the Force to switch the two crystals around. After reassembling it, he ignited the second form of his lightsaber.

Suddenly, a deep crimson color filled the room emitting a powerful presence where a calm purple glow once was. Korvin slowly backed away from the door and walked back to his room with a smile on his face.

Ryder was amazed by how the different color of the blades affected his lightsaber. The purple blade was light and made him feel calm and focused. The crimson blade was heavy but very powerful. Ryder could feel power surge through him when he activated the red blade. Confidence built up inside of him. He could feel it swell up deep within himself. Ryder performed the same combo that he did with the purple blade. He noticed that his attacks were slower because of the heavier blade. However, these attacks would be stronger due to its weight as well. He deactivated his lightsaber proudly as he held his new weapon in his hand. Ryder put the lightsaber on his hilt and walked toward his master's room.

"I'm finished, Master. I have finished constructing my lightsaber." Ryder pulled his lightsaber from his hilt and held it in front of him. "By switching around the crystals, I can choose two different colors for the blade: purple and red." He ignited his blade and the red light filled the room.

"Ahhhh, so this is your red lightsaber." Korvin reached out for the hilt and grabbed it. He held it out in front and swung it a few times. "Heavy, yet powerful. Embrace this power as you use it, for it will give you great strength. This is truly a weapon of the Sith. This is what I meant by the two crystals will try and sway you a certain way. Let me see the other color form." He gave Ryder back the hilt, so that he could readjust the crystals within it.

He ignited the blade once again. This time, a beautiful, purple color filled the room. Master Korvin reached for the hilt again to examine this blade. He held it for a second and complimented Ryder saying, "I like the hilt design a lot. It reminds me of your dad's old one as it has the same spike design that his had. The purple blade is a lot lighter and focused than the red blade. This one is more refined. A good strong blade. One that does not push for power and strength but unity with the force." Master Korvin looked up at Ryder with a serious expression.

"However, the more you use only one of the colors, the more it will sway you to do the actions it desired. For example, say you use the red blade a lot more than the purple blade. You will begin to rely on the power, aggression, and confidence it gives you, instead of relying on your training and judgement." Master Korvin deactivated the lightsaber and handed it back to Ryder.

"Good, now it is time to test your blade." Ryder looked surprised because he didn't even know his master had a lightsaber anymore. "Stop standing there and get to the training room. It's time that you really learn how to fight."

They get into the training room, and Ryder stands on the far end with his hilt in hand waiting for his master to come in. Master Korvin walks in with two lightsabers in hand, and his battle armor strapped on. This included his mask as well. He stood still, in place and ignited one of his lightsabers. It was purple too.

"Since we are in a confined space, no retreating. You can only move your feet to perform attacks and counters or defensive steps," explained Korvin.

Ryder ignited his purple lightsaber with a smile and held it firmly with two hands by his side. He dashed toward his master effectively using form five's aggressive attacks. Every strike was blocked perfectly as he tried to analyze his master for an opening or weakness. His master then side stepped and began his assault. He was using the standard form one fighting technique, but it was strong and fast.

"How are his attacks this strong when he's only using one hand and the most basic fighting form," thought Ryder.

The attacks forced Ryder to start using the defensive, form three technique for the rest of the sparing session. He was only able to get a few counters in when his master purposefully slowed down his own attacks. Ryder's wet hair flung sweat everywhere with each step as he was gasping for air at this point.

About forty-five seconds into the duel, Master Korvin disarmed Ryder effortlessly as Ryder fell to his knees. With Korvin's red lightsaber at Ryder's throat he said, "It's over. You'd be dead right now. You need to work on your speed and power with the blade, and most importantly, you must work on your fighting endurance. Your fighting forms look good, but they can always be polished too."

Master Korvin stretched out his arm and helped Ryder get back to his feet. "Since the red blade is heavier, try training with the red one to improve your strength when fighting. It will help your speed and strength simultaneously."

Ryder could barely speak he was so tired. "Yes… My master." He stood up tall, turned off his lightsaber, and he put his hands over his head.

Ryder could really tell the difference in his two lightsaber colors. The purple blade was light and swift, but with his current strength, the attacks hardly had any power to them. With a red blade, his attacks would be more straight forward and powerful than his purple blade fighting style, but his speed and strength would both improve.

After he took off his mask, Korvin said, "Sit down my apprentice. For now on, we will train every day, 3 times a day, for 2 hours each. Our first session will be at six in the morning. The second session will take place at twelve noon. Lastly, the third session will begin at five in the afternoon. You will hone your skills against me, so that you will be able to start your missions as soon as you can. When you finish each session, I want you to start on your Force training right away. Start this now, and don't worry, R2 will provide you with food, water, and vitamin tablets." Ryder nodded in response, saying that he understood.

Korvin knew that this was a hefty load to place on Ryder, but it was necessary for his future survival. He had a lot of things on his mind at the time; that is why he did not waste time in Ryder's first training session.

He began walking back to his room when he felt a strong power explode far away. He stopped in his track in the middle of the main hold and heard Ryder call out to him, "Master, is there something wrong?"

Ryder had never seen his master look so worried before. "No, get back to your training. We will talk in the morning." Ryder turned and sat down to meditate, focusing on his training.