First Reply Forging Anew

[Jace Rhane]

Jedi Temple
Naboo​

Jace was an enigma to most, annoying to others, and ultimately a victim of his own machinations and lack of desire to be understood. However, there were some constants about him: he was a fighter, he liked to practice, he liked to train, he liked fancy shampoos, and he was a fan of creating things.

So, there he was, deep in the bowels of the Jedi temple, Shiraya's temple, in the forge. Where normally, lightsabers, armor was made for the Jedi. But he was there, hammering away. He wasn't making a lightsaber. He wasn't making armor. He was making something that most Jedi had not encountered, trained with, or prepared for:

A dead blade.

He was going to create a sword, able to be used by either two hands or one, to deflect lightsabers and to defend himself. He'd trained for so long with one, a Sith sword albeit, that it felt alien sometimes to use a lightsaber. But he felt the need to create, the need to design, to have imperfections worked through. He worked up himself in the past few days, and the recent meeting of the Jedi stirred something in him. Action, or perhaps frustration. But either way, his idle hands demanded work.

He clenched his muscles, the room quite warm with the forge going. His body dripped sweat, his well-formed physique raising the hammer again. He slammed it on the straight piece of metal. He wanted the blade to be simple- not a single edge, but dual edged like the swords of old. A crossguard to protect his hands. Flat enough for stabbing, but thick enough to block the blade and to apply pressure with his hands. It needed to be heavy, but not too heavy. It needed to have weight, to counteract lightsaber's weightlessness.

It needed to be made.

It needed to be his.

And it needed to be done right.

 

[Fervos Kej]

Tags: Jace Rhane

It was a rare honor to be deep within the temple of the Jedi, and Fervos was aware he had no business being amongst such honored heroes. However, their forges were one of the few places to have advanced swords serviced. Getting to the forges usually meant jumping through a myriad of hoops and several favors. So to say non-Jedi weren't welcome was an understatement, only the privilege of being a Republic Lieutenant got him this far, and he wouldn't squander such a great gift.

As he neared the forge his ears rang with the clanging of metal on metal, a hammer striking the edge of a sword. That gave the massive feline pause, was a jedi forging a traditional blade? Surely not, they had no need for such things! Surely it was a piece of armor, or some noble piece befitting the Jedi creed.

Yet, as the heat of the forge licked at his skin, he saw it, a man hard at work on what was unmistakably a blade. What a story must have been behind such a thing. A warrior monk who felt the need to forge his own implements. It was something that sparked the natural feline curiosity!

"Excuse me Sir Jedi, I must interrupt you for a moment. I do mean no disrespect, but is the humble sword not beneath you? Have you not your lightsaber?"

Fervos stopped himself, realizing that he'd forgotten his station. The brotherhood of the sword was great, but it didn't excuse poor manners. No, he was to bow his head and place a fist on his chest.

"Forgive me Sir Jedi, I overstep my station. I am Lieutenant Fervos Kej. It is an honor to make your acquaintance."

His ash grey eyes leveled to look at the blade in the man's hand, it was rough, but it had much potential. Jace's calloused hand surrounded a fairly elegant grip. He could see places to improve, but the yolk of his common military station forbade that he speak out of turn. In his mind being impolite meant too much of a risk, better to wait and see how things developed.

 

[Jace Rhane]

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It was a quiet moment before Jace responded, putting down the hammer that he was forging the blade with. He turned over the red-hot blade in his hands, eyeing the handle he had yet to craft and form. Jace did not seem the least bit alarmed by the man's presence. He was, a Jedi after all.

"Questions beget curiousity. Curiousity begets understanding. And understanding, is how you're made better. You do not overstep, Lieutenant."

He set the blade down, putting it back into the forge. Long gone were the days of coals and wood, this was blue-hot jets of fire. However, it did need a moment to heat the blade up fully.

"There are many who think like you. Who don't understand the weight of a blade. The power that it can have. And yes, I do have a lightsaber. But it lacks certain qualities that a dead blade such as this does." He pulled it out, and placed it on the anvil, striking it once more, shaping it. A long, thin blade- edged on both sides. Good for stabbing as much as cutting. Long, but not too long. Able to be wielded in either one, or two hands. The blade of a warrior, a soldier, a blade of balance and for engagement. Not ceremony, not slicing.

"Besides, doesn't it feel good to make something once and awhile?"

Fervos Kej

 

[Fervos Kej]

Tag: Jace Rhane

Dead Blade, the name for the primitive swords, common on some worlds, and seen as ancient relics on others. However, this Jedi didn't seem to be at all nostalgic for such weapons. He was making no ornate showpiece. No, his blade was one meant for defense, a tool to end a man's life. Fervos looked over it, he'd seen many like this in his time, but this was an example of a masterwork.

The untrained eye would see it's lack of showy decoration, a plain exterior that belied the love and craftsmanship underneath. Such details were not lost on the leonine, he smirked as he watched the blade move into the forge.

"You are correct sir, that there are many who underestimate the wonders of crafting one's own tools. The humble art of smithing is lost on most. I respect what it takes to produce a weapon such as a handmade sword."

He wondered what kind of life a man might lead to have such an appreciation for rustic armaments. Surely there was a fascinating story behind it, as most humans had for their quirks. Would it be out of turn to push for an answer to such a query? He couldn't help but think it would be.

"It is strange, no matter how many humans I meet, it seems that no two are exactly alike. It is a truly wonderous thing. On Togoria, so may of my kin seem to agree on things. Whereas humans couldn't be more different from one another."

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