Hammer and Tongs

[Garza]

Wiping my brow, I had been searching for this information. It was a lot. One that I had to see through. Looking in the forge as I had asked my son to meet me. Zeph was still on the fence about the Silver Jedi. I wanted him to find a purpose with them. if he didn't then I would understand. I had left the Republic and came to help the Silver Jedi because I felt the Republic was not for me. The same for Zephyr. He was being trained as a Mandalorian. In much the same ways that the Imperials taught their Imperial Knights.

The force was a tool for him to use. While he was quite dark within the force, I could still see him as my little boy. The young man he was. He stood in the doorway of the shop. Leaning up against the frame with his arms folded. His voice a little over the top, and acted as though he were not in the mood to be with me.

"What is it that you want me here for?"
"I want you to help me. In turn, I can help you."
"And help doesn't mean lecture me."
"You are Mando'ade. You are a Man. You have grown, and you can make your own decisions. I want you here, because I love you as my son, and because I would like your help."
"Tell me what I need to do."

I smiled at him. A data pad floated towards him through the force which I controlled. He was to start and set up everything I needed. Mainly, he needed to fetch me some items while I started the forging process.

"Why do I need to go to your room to get a Permafrost crystal? I thought we were forging?"
"We are. Everything will be explained in time. For now, Go get those for me while I set everything up."

 

[Delsin Shaw]

Gale was bugging me the whole time. Asking why was I acting so weird towards this man. I just listened to my father as handed me the datapad. He wanted me to get him a Permafrost crystal, a force crystal, some oil, coal, his old hammer, and finally, "my willingness to work with my father." I rolled my eyes at that one. When we were far enough away from my father I started talking to Gale.

"That's my Father, and before you say anything, I get my blue hair from my mother. She's a Zeltron."
"That actually explains a lot."
"What do you mean by that?"
"Your father is a light hearted man, but clearly takes his work seriously. Even so, he was built for fighting. You are the same way."
"I am not like my father."
"Sure you are."
"We are done talking about him."

She was silent the rest of the time. She knew that I didn't like talking about my family. Now that she had met my father, she wanted to know more. In all honesty, I was kind of glad she asked. I wanted to see more about why she wanted to think I was like my father. But I had work that needed to be done. Getting to my old man's room, I went into his little bedside dresser. Pulling open the drawer to see his lightsaber, and two crystals. One a light blue, and the other looking really closely to a diamond. Picking both up, I put them in my pocket.

Now time to go to the market, and start getting everything else.

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About an hour later I came back to the forge. My father standing there. Having a billet being hammered out on a powerhammer. Smacking hot metal into a single bar. As far as I was aware, he was making a sword. But after looking over what weapons he used most often, I thought better of it. Walking back out to the speeder, I pulled the four bags of coal into the shop and sat them away from the furnaces, and the fire forge. Moving back into the speeder, I grabbed the 10 gallon drum of oil. Moving it into the shop, I then walked over to the anvil, and pulled out the two crystals. Holding them into my hand, I last remembered what I read about them.

Permafrost crystals, when attuned right, would only allow a lightsaber to activate to the attuned person. And force crystals could effectively increase force potentials, as well as act as a "Force Battery." Allowing you to store latent force energies within the crystal. What was my father up to with these crystals? As if on que, he turned around and moved the billet into the furnace. Walking to me, he placed a hand on my shoulder.

"Get geared up. We are forging non-stop."

 

[Garza]

While my son went off to go fetch me my items, I began working. Taking the alloy of Turadium. quite dense compared to durasteel. While most of the time it was made for the use of Blast doors on ships, or even in fortified bunkers, I needed something that would be strong, and durable enough to withstand the constant bashing of a hammer. Using the force upon the alloy as I heated it up, I began to forge it down. Using the power hammer to consolidate it into a smaller bar. Moving the metal rather fast with a hammer that could crush bones with a single smack. After I had done so, I lengthened the bar out. Making sure it stayed nice and even.

Using a Hotcut tool, I "cut" about ninety percent of the way down the billet, and then pressed the hammer down on the hot alloy. Holding it there like a vice, I grabbed a hammer and bent it down into a ninety degree angle before releasing it, and using the power hammer to push the sectioned off area, down into one another. This process known as folding, I performed a few times over. Using borax to make sure the mold between the layers didn't create air pockets.

I did this two more times and was about to do a third when my son returned. After doing so, I put the billet into the furnace to heat up once more. Telling my son to prepare himself, I watched as he took off his jacket, and glove. Removing his shirt so he could put on a dirty one I provided. Sure, it was a little loose, but it would work for now.

Moving over to the tools, I grabbed a die, one with rounded edges, and was held together like a clamp, Instructing him how to do what I was doing, I wanted him to hold the billet. After he pulled it out, I continued to focus upon it with the force. Making him place it on the power hammer, I then slide the die underneath, as well as over. "pinching" the metal between the two dies. I then used the hammer, and slowly moving the die over the face of the billet, I was spreading out face. Making it wider. Once that was done, I had Zeph move it to the anvil where we used a hotcut tool, and a hammer to carefully cut it down the center. Folding it in on itself once more, and then closing the gap.

Placing it into the forge once more, we then waited for it to heat up. And did this process for another three hours. Stacking the layers to effectively become a million layer billet.

"Take a break. Prepare the oil in a quench tank for me."

 

[Delsin Shaw]

I had seen forging done in various places. Mostly just holovids and people within the Dark Brotherhood that is now considered dead. Taking a hold of the bar that was attached to the billet, My father proceeded to use the power hammer and to slam the billet into a single bar. Using the layers and layers of metal that he had prepared to make a very sturdy and worth while metal. Sure, as this weapon has been useful to him in the past, he wanted a new one that would meet the requirements of his more adventurous abilities.

Seeing him do this, He then took this rather long, wide billet, and cut it into pieces. I was preparing the quench tank for him. Just a small trough that held the oil in it. The metal trough had to be able to withstand a lot of heat. Once my father had cutted them, he used tongs to to grab the slivers of metal and dunk them. Indicating for me to do the same, I did so as he did. Moving them back and forth to prevent air pockets from forming.

As he was done with them, he pulled them out, and checked to make sure they were straight, and didn't warp after the quench. To change them ever so slightly as he went through them all, He set them down on the anvil and began to move about the shop. Gathering materials, I just stood there. Reaching out with the force, I looked at my father to maybe see what he was feeling, and thinking. However, he was solely focused on the metal that sat on the anvil.

Thinking I was helping him, I focused my force potential upon the weapon. Making sure that the weapon stayed true to my father's intent. I sincerely wanted to help him. And by doing so, I myself was now thrust into this forging process. Wanting to make this weapon to aid in protection of my family, of the clans, of the Silver Jedi, the Mandalorians as a whole. I wanted to help in everything.

My father then walked over to me, and handed me the pieces.