Eventually you will construct your own lightsaber

[Jantar Keltainen]

Jantar stretched out on the cot, but sleep would not come right away. The nagging thought kept running through her brain: What’s worse...to have an unhappy story, or to have no story at all?

She had no answer.

Jantar was not alone. She was surrounded by people she had never met, but who she knew intimately. Their skin colour varied and their hair was predominantly monotone – shades of black through to white.

But amongst the crowd – and there were hundreds, if not thousands around her – Jantar spotted the occasional person with red hair like hers. And every now and then she spotted someone who looked like her. Maybe it was her? It made no sense yet it made perfect sense.

They were all tall like her and carried themselves with deportment and grace. And as she stared into their faces, she saw eyes of blue, grey and lilac, but none with amber eyes – except for the woman in the distance. But as fast as she tried to make her way to her, she could not shorten the distance between them. They were close but somehow destined to never meet.

As Jantar became accustomed to the crowd, she was aware of a murmur. Of voices. But they were not speaking Basic, but another tongue. Yet it sounded so familiar to her ears – unlike the languages of alien species that always sounded harsh.

And then Jantar realised they all had a Force aura.

And as much as she was staring around at those around her, she became aware they were staring back. Not some, but all. And they were speaking to her – although she could not understand what they were saying. But the words were repeated over and over and in her mind she knew what they were saying.

Blessed. She was blessed.

Except this was not how Jantar felt. She felt lost – and oddly found they were all of the same mindset. She sensed it all around her. They were searching. But for what?

And as Jantar walked through the crowds, she saw that some – no many – had scars on their bodies, and some on their faces.

And they spoke to her, their voices sounding angry…no they were now warning her. But of what? She had a sense of emotion – but without meaning. She should be wary. She should not trust. But who? And why?

 

[Jantar Keltainen]

“You’re late,” Neuk said, as Jantar walked into the galley and poured herself a cup of stimcaf.

“Bad dream,” she said and took a large gulp of the bitter liquid.

“We’re about to exit hyperspace,” he said. ”I was about to come and get you.” He raised an eyebrow but Jantar ignored the innuendo. The dream had disturbed her more than she was prepared to let on. This was no random dream but Farseeing in action. She just knew it.

 

[Jantar Keltainen]

“Here we go.” Neuk hit the controls and the ship dropped out of hyperspace. “We’re about to find out just how effective this cloaking system is, or this could get very interesting very quickly.”

“It will be. The Slicer is the best of his kind.”

Neuk angled the vessel to merge smoothly with a moderately heavy flow of space traffic heading toward the planet’s surface. Up ahead was a checkpoint – a blockade of massive vessels. He kept his eyes on the comm channel as they passed close by one of the enormous ships.

“We’re not even noticed,” she said. “One potential disaster averted. All we need to do now is get into the compound, find what I’m looking for and take it. Piece of cake.” She’d filled the Jedi in on her plan as they’d approached the planet’s surface.

“But one more thing to do before all of that,” Jantar said. “We need to make a quick stop.”

“Why?”

“We have to purchase clothing first.”

“Shopping, at a time like this?” There was levity in his voice.

She leaned out of her chair to give him a withering look. “We can’t walk around a private estate looking like this, can we? If anyone sees us, the alarm will be raised. We need to blend in.”

She took them to an establishment that she knew provided the uniforms for the rich and reclusive on this planet. They broke into the storeroom and purloined a couple of sets of servant’s clothing – one a chambermaid and the other a security guard. Then Jantar used a tool the Slicer had given them to hack the inventory of the shop to account for the missing items. The Sith wanted no trace of her being here, and no loose ends that anyone might pull at – forcing her deception to unravel.

 

[Jantar Keltainen]

The flight to the estate was quick. As the sun set, casting warm rose and lilac hues on the white-walled home that resembled more of a fortress, Jantar vectored them in to dock not in the home’s hangar, but behind a small hill to its rear.

The cloaking device meant it would not show up on any radar and unless someone went looking for the ship, it would not be found. And Jantar knew that those that lived in these complexes never wandered outside of the security perimeter. The risk of kidnapping was too great.

As she descended the ramp, she turned her head sharply. Neuk followed her gaze, but he saw nothing.

“Are you expecting someone?”

“Berri.”

At the sound of her name, an old woman stepped out of the shadows. Jantar went to meet her. The old woman cocked her head to one side. And Jantar knew the question without having to ask.

“Yes, everything has gone smoothly so far. You have the passes?”

Berri held up two small, engraved cards.

Jantar smiled. “You’ve done well. Thank you. Your loyalty will not be forgotten.”

She leaned forward and placed her left hand on Berri’s shoulder, squeezing gently. A sudden blur, a familiar snap-hiss, and Berri crumpled without a sound. There was a smoking hole in her torso. Jantar’s face was calm as she extinguished her lightsaber.

 

[Jantar Keltainen]

The murder had happened so fast that Nuek had barely had time to register it, let alone stop it.

“What are you doing?” he exclaimed. “She helped us!”

Jantar’s voice was cold. “Remember what I told you. No loose ends. And no compassion. She doesn’t matter. All that matters is what we came here to do. There must be nothing – absolutely nothing – to stand in my way now – or later. I’ve come too far.”

Still reeling, Neuk looked down at the tiny, crumpled form. Berri had been, no doubt, a traitor to the home-owner – selling her services to Jantar. But she had also been a person. She didn’t deserve to be summarily executed when she had done everything she had promised.

Anguished, Neuk closed his eyes for a moment. And maybe, just maybe, his torment was selfish.

“Am I to suffer the same fate? A loose end to be tidied up once I’ve served my purpose?”

Jantar gazed at him. She suspected they’d have this conversation at some point – in truth she was surprised it had taken this long.

“I can understand your concern. But I need you now and your usefulness needn’t end once I have what I need. We work well together and you have my word that you will not suffer the same fate. Unless you cross me.” The sentences started with Jantar’s usual tone but the final words were delivered in that icy monotone that told Nuek that she meant every word.

 

[Jantar Keltainen]

They entered the grounds via a cut in the fence that would no doubt be discovered after they had gone, but for now it remained hidden.

The Slicer had ‘gifted’ Jantar a hand-held device. Its purpose was simple, to create a zone around them that meant they would not be detected by any electronic security arrangements. They would slide by any cameras, motion detectors and locks as if they weren’t there. Nothing was damaged, and so no alarms were set off once they’d passed by.

“Can I have that when we’re done here?” Neuk had asked.

“A small price to pay,” Jantar replied, much to the Jedi’s surprise.

“Really? Excellent.”

They slipped into the building and Jantar headed for the stores – where she grabbed a handful of pristine white towels. They were hand-made and brand new. Clearly they were discarded after use. “Better to look busy than just wandering the corridors.”

They strolled through the building, not encountering anyone else. The trouble with high-end security, Jantar had said back on the ship – as she explained her plan – is that people get complacent.

 

[Jantar Keltainen]

They walked at a steady but casual pace, and entered the vast dining room. It was enormous, almost cavernous. Statues posed in the corners; the busts of famous figures stared blankly at them. The walls were clad in some no doubt expensive and rare wood – almost probably an endangered species – and adorning it were paintings of landscapes, portraits, and a few pieces of modern art.

It was an eclectic mix and Neuk suspected the only thing they had in common was their price tag and, potentially, the fact they were stolen.

There was something about wealth and taste – how they were so often mutually exclusive. Value, and not elegance, was what determined what ornamented the homes of the inordinately wealthy.

 

[Jantar Keltainen]

Jantar walked to one of the busts and turned it upside down. Underneath was a switch and she flipped it.

Her eyes immediately swivelled to the painting an Alderaanian moss painting by someone clearly enamoured by the work of Ob Khaddor. Jantar could take it or leave it. The idea of having to regularly water your paintings was a concept lost on her. It was way too much hassle for the young Sith.

But she cared nothing for the art itself, but rather the safe behind it.

“Odd to have it here?” Neuk offered.

“It’s a cliché to have it in the study. This painting requires constant maintenance and so any damage would be immediately spotted. So, in that sense, it makes a lot of sense.”

Neuk nodded and noticed that Jantar had not approached the safe. “Aren’t you going to take a look?”

She shook her head. “No, that’s why you’re here.”

Neuk took a few paces forward, until he could see the safe secured into the wall. And he understood why she’d been so reticent to get too close.

 

[Jantar Keltainen]

“Hello Master,” Neuk said, bowing involuntarily.

“Greetings young one,” the blue holographic image replied. It was a familiar face to Neuk – and the technology well known to him. For this was a gatekeeper, akin to something you’d find on a Jedi holocron.

Neuk chuckled. He’d gotten over the shock of seeing his former Master, even in this holographic form, and had to hand it to his former teacher. “Now I know why you needed me,” he said to Jantar. “Unlike Sith gatekeepers, that will look to seduce and corrupt anyone that uses a holocron, a Jedi gatekeeper us very much a custodian of the knowledge contained within. It not only keeps dark siders out, but limits knowledge to the level of the recipient.”

“Yes,” Jantar replied, keeping her distance. “Only a Jedi can open the safe, and only a Jedi would not want to open the safe.”

“Except me.”

“Except you.”

“Please open the safe,” the young Jedi asked, and the holographic image faded as the door swung open.

Jantar wanted to rush forward but held herself in check. Her presence may activate the gatekeeper once more and close the safe door and set off an alarm. So she allowed Neuk to reach inside the strong-box and retrieve her prize.

He pulled out a nondescript velvet pouch, about twice the length of a saber hilt. Turning slowly, he handed it to Jantar. He sensed the darkness within the item and wanted to pass it to the young Sith as soon as possible.

She closed her eyes and at once snapped them open again. “Let’s go,” she said.

 

[Jantar Keltainen]

Not until they were in hyperspace did Jantar consider opening the velvet pouch. She sat in the galley. In her mind’s eye, she had pictured opening her prize in some symbolic location – but impatience hd gotten the better of her. She wanted to open it, and she wanted to open it now!

Inside the crimson pouch was a durasteel box. Opening the clasp, she lifted the lid. Inside was a lightsaber hilt.

The handle of the lightsaber was slightly longer than normal and accommodated twin crystals, although neither were present. Two were required to power the blades that extended from either end. However, her research had told her that while most traditional double-bladed weapons had blades each measuring a meter and a half or more, those of this lightsaber were slightly under a meter in length. This small but significant difference was critical to the way in which the weapon would be used.

The smaller blades would allow greater speed and manoeuvrability. Jantar knew because Jantar had read everything there was to know about it.

The Sith twirled her newly acquired lightsaber in her left hand, focusing on mastering the feel of its unique balance and weight.

She gripped the handle lightly in her fingers. She controlled the weapon with her wrist and hands rather than the muscles of her arm, just as the notes she’d read so often suggested. She would sacrifice reach and leverage, but once she’d mastered its use, she would be able to create a shield of impenetrable defence.

Finally it was hers.