Luke Skywalker, the Last Jedi, faces his toughest challenge yet. After taking his Jedi vows, he assumes the misbelief that love has no place in his life. As a result, he denies the love he craves in order to establish the New Jedi Order and maintain...
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❶ Two months after meeting Master Skywalker, Naluma sat on the deck of the main cabin late one evening, the metal cold on her body from the changing of seasons. Since she had finished most of her training modules during the past week, the Padawan turned to focus on constructing her own lightsaber.
Master Skywalker was at another High Command dinner tonight, allowing her time to work on her saber without interruption. Since the episode in the grove a few weeks ago, he had not relapsed.
She closed her eyes and reveled in the feeling of both of their power defeating the darkness within him. It wasn't just the victory—the synergistic teamwork, the knowledge that together they were much stronger than apart. It sent shivers up her spine. I wonder if it will be like that when we fight together, syncing our movements, inside each other's heads.
She shook her head. Well, it's not going to happen if you don't finish this saber. She turned the amethyst-colored crystal for the optics over in her fingers. How can this tiny gem could do everything the faded schematics says it can?Maybe if it were a Kyber crystal it ... but even Master Skywalker had to create a power source for his saber. That green stone is synthetic, too.
It will work. I know it can. Just need to figure this out again. Wish he'd let me take his apart so I'd have a model to work with. Too bad the Empire harvested all of the Kyber crystals in the galaxy for the Death Stars.
She settled the purple crystal into its bracket and considered its orientation. Hmm? Naluma tinkered with the gem, rotating it until the smoothest side aligned with the activation stud. She smiled and clicked it into place.
A jolt ran from the hilt up her hand, washing through her body.
She soldered a few more connections before assembling the handle. She elevated the saber, pointing it away from her before pressing the activator. A hiss emanated from the device, but then it burned—too hot to hold. Naluma quickly shut it off and dropped it to the deck to cool off.
While she waited for it to cool, she reclined against the jump seat behind her and studied the diagram yet again. If I can only finish this tonight before he returns. Maybe if I get this right, he'll take me back up in the shuttle again.
It had been a few weeks since her first and last flight training session.
Oh, admit it, Naluma, you'll never be a pilot. You almost killed Master Luke and yourself the last time, crashing into the canyon. If Artoo hadn't intervened, the Jedi Order would be history.
The Padawan pushed flight lessons from her mind and returned to her work. She gingerly touched the saber hilt, judging it cool enough to handle.
