When We Connect (Previously: Connections Are Strength)

Chapter 21 - Getting Reacquainted

Tech watched in awe as Sheera tucked the lightsaber into her shoulder bag. Rising from the floor, she tilted her head toward the nearest exit and the two of them slowly made their way through the hall and left the museum.

His mind racing, Tech did his best to focus on blending into the crowds as he and Sheera traveled back to their lodgings. Once they returned to the relative safety of their hotel room, however, he exhaled audibly.

Tech locked the door and pushed the controls to lower the window shades. He waited for Sheera to remove the lightsaber from her bag, and when she laid it on a cloth on the table in front of them, he stood looking at the object, transfixed.

They both gazed at the unmistakable item completely dumbstruck. Finally, Tech's curiosity overtook his sense of awe.

"Is that...what I think it is?" he said.

Sheera nodded, and Tech resisted the urge to pick up the lightsaber and examine it straightaway.

He watched and waited for Sheera to offer an explanation as to how she found this relic in a heap of rubble in what was probably the most guarded site in all of Coruscant. She sat staring at the smooth metal device utterly silent, however, and his hands fidgeted at his sides eager to investigate the intriguing device.

Eventually his desire to analyze the lightsaber got the better of him, and he broke the silence with an avalanche of questions.

"Can you tell whose lightsaber this was just by looking at it? Does it appear to be in functioning condition? Will you attempt to use it?"

Sheera lifted her head to look at him, then closed her eyes and sighed.

"It's mine," she said.

"Wait, you mean to say..."

"Yes, all this time, my lightsaber has been buried under a pile of rocks next to the ventilation grate I escaped through all those years ago."

When Sheera looked at him again, her eyes were a deep green. Like the deepest parts of the Kaminoan ocean, Tech thought.

"I'm not sure if I should use it," she said, her voice wavering and her shoulders slumping forward. "Or if I even could wield it now. I've almost forgotten what it feels like to have it in my hands."

Tech moved to the door and checked again to make sure it was secure. Then he pushed the couch and table against opposite walls of the room.

"Why not at least attempt to use it?" he said, gesturing to the open floor. "You may find you remember more than you think."

When she didn't move, Tech picked up the lightsaber off the table and held it out to her. Sheera finally reached out her hand, and Tech wrapped his fingers around hers.

"No matter what happens, I'm here with you, cyare."

He stepped back and waited. Sheera inhaled deeply and closed her eyes. Tech felt a warmth come over him and his mind felt peaceful and clear.

I can feel her using the Force. She's reaching out to the lightsaber, and I can feel her connection to it.

Tech's eyes lit up as a bright green blade extended from the end of the weapon, its iridescent light filling the room. He heard the distinct hum of the blade's energy and decided the sight of the woman he loved wielding a lightsaber was the most beautiful and powerful thing he had ever seen.

Sheera moved her feet into a defensive stance and began swinging the glowing saber back and forth in graceful arcs, slowly at first, then faster and smoother as she kept going.