Star Wars: Light & Dark Rising

14. The Crystal Is The Heart Of The Blade

The arc of light from outside has gotten smaller and smaller as the Dynast brothers step through the cave. There were crystals here, the brothers were sure of it. They couldn't yet see them or sense them, but both could feel in their guts that there were kyber crystals in this cave they stood in. Jim crept slowly and quietly, peering closely for any signs of a crystal as his younger brother stood a couple meters away from him.

Jake stood straight as he watched Jim lower himself. This cave had been bigger than either had expected, Jake would be surprised if it were still day when they returned back outside, nonetheless to the abandoned enclave. A part of Jake felt this was futile, his brother was taking too long. But despite his boredom, he knew very well how necessary this trip was.

They were searching for a crystal for a reason. Jim has been using Jake's lightsaber for a couple months now. While Jake didn't have a doubt that he was powerful enough in the Force to protect himself without his lightsaber, as he's already proven by doing, a part of him still feels vulnerable. Like one blaster shot and slow reaction and that's the end of it. The lighstaber felt like armor, possibly because he could actually see the saber as a barrier and not the Force. While a part of him is ready for the end, years of war in his youth made sure of this, he certainly didn't wish to quicken it.

It is time for Jim Dynast to have his own lightsaber again.

"You aren't helping much." Jim says, his voice slightly echoing in the hollow caves.

"You know how crystals work. They call to their wielder. If I'm here for anything, it's for fighting and moral support." Jake replies, raising an eyebrow at his brother as he stands. "Now what's the problem?"

"We're going to have to go deeper. Crystals appear in clusters in these caves, they'd be hard to miss and there's absolutely nothing anywhere near the entrance." Jim says, and he unleashes the dark blue blade of Jake's lightsaber which had rested on his belt, "Come on, moral support. You're not scared of the dark, are you?"

The brothers walk together in a silence for a few minutes, at first Jake had hardly noticed it but over the minutes it got almost awkward, pressuring and unbearable. He could tell, not even by the Force but by body language, that his brother was thinking of something and he was considering if or how to bring it up.

The crunch of pebbles under their footsteps and their quiet breathing made up the sounds of the cave.

"How... How did she die?" Jim says finally, breaking the silence. He had hardly spoken above a whisper when he said it. "Ell... How did it happen?"

Jake paused completely, his face paleing and he has a sharp intake of breath. It had been five years, but the experience had still deeply bothered him. He didn't want to relive it. But this was Jim. Jim deserved to know what happened to his master, to his aunt. After all this time. He continued to follow his older brother's path, stepping forward.

"She... She led me out of the Temple during the purge. I don't think I could have made it with any other master there." Jake says, his voice obviously slowing. But his brother looked to him patiently anyways, awaiting what he had to say. "We were at the steps, we had almost made it- the both of us. But... A Sith assassin was waiting for us at the bottom."

Jake took a moment of silence, considering if he was going to tell the next bit of information or not. Who the Sith assassin was. With another slow and worried glance at his brother, he decided to be honest to completion. No matter how much it may have hurt.

"And the Sith assasssin was Zoe..." Jake looked worriedly over to his brother, expecting a reaction. But nothing. Jim just didn't blink and closed his mouth, but Jake knew he was listening. "We had to fight through her, but the clone troopers came. Between their blaster fire and her lightsaber, our chances had completely drained. And Ell knew this."