Star Wars: Rebellion and Betrayal

Chapter 5

"That's our cue!" Rhodes said as he pulled a lever accelerating the Kestrel into hyperspace.

Rhodes took a deep breath once they were out of danger. Before he knew it, Lena was running by him, heading to the back of the ship. Once Rhodes could make it to the cargo hold, he found Lena sitting with her kyber crystal on the floor in front of her. Rhodes just laughed and shook his head as he began digging through a crate. From the crate, he produced a small chest that he placed in front of his apprentice.

Rhodes motioned for Hunter to join them in the cargo hold. "Hunter, I need you to display schematic LS-2." The droid did as instructed projecting a holographic image of a dismantled lightsaber between the master and apprentice. "This diagram will help you construct a working lightsaber." Rhodes started. "In this chest I have collected many parts that will work. You might not have many customization options, but this will at least give you a working weapon."

Lena nodded and dug into the chest. Rhodes watched as she grabbed the pieces and tried putting them together by hand to no avail.

He waited until he could sense her growing frustration before he said anything. "You need to use the Force, Lena. You must meditate and slowly assemble your saber through the Force. Only through the Force will your lightsaber parts fit together to fulfill its proper function. I know you are just learning how to utilize the Force, but I am confident you will get it eventually."

Lena groaned and rolled her eyes. "Of course, I need to use the Force. Like that's gonna happen."

Rhodes remained silent reaching for his own lightsaber. He set it down in front of him and closed his eyes. The saber lifted into the air, splitting apart into its different components. In the center, Lena could see the green glow of Rhodes' crystal.

"Whoah!" she yelled as she watched Rhodes dismantle his saber.

Rhodes opened his eyes as he admired the pieces of his lightsaber. "When apart, the pieces of a Jedi's lightsaber do not appear to fit together. Take mine for example. The hilt itself is made from the wood of the silverwood tree, a plant that grows on deep space asteroids. It appears metallic but if you pay closer attention, you can see the grain of the wood. Such a material is uncommon for a lightsaber, yet through the Force, it comes together to form a functioning weapon." As Rhodes was explaining, the pieces were slowly coming together, seamlessly clicking into place. "See, it's possible. Just follow the diagram and you will have a lightsaber in no time."

Lena went back to rummaging through the small chest while Rhodes returned to the cockpit. He leant back in his chair and tried to sleep, constantly being interrupted by grumbling coming from the cargo hold. He tried to ignore it before eventually jumping back to his feet.

Before he could complain about her noise, the navicomputer began to beep. He sighed and returned to his seat. "Coming up on Iridonia. Last I checked, the Empire didn't have a sizable presence here so we should have a smooth landing. I will—"

Lena burst into the cockpit interrupting him. Her face was red with her hands full of lightsaber components. "We can't land yet! I haven't finished my saber."

Rhodes laughed as the ship exited hyperspace. "You can finish it later. We shouldn't need weapons here. Jedi temples are places of knowledge, not violence."

Lena pouted as she returned to the cargo hold. Rhodes ignored her and brought the Kestrel down to the planet's surface.

Iridonia was a mountainous planet with deep, windy canyons and seas filled with acid. Rhodes navigated the rough terrain before coming to the coordinates stored within his holocron. The Kestrel sat down in the bottom of a windswept canyon with towering cliffs.