Private Sooo Shiny!

[Okkeus Dainlei]

When you thought about Kyber Crystals, Mygeeto probably wasn't the first place that came to mind. From what he had learned Mygeeto had caves, much like Ilum, that had the crystals. It was about time he got his Padawan a lightsaber. His handprints were starting to mold into his blue saber. Besides, a master can't let his Padawan use his saber. He had to build one on his own.

He told his Padawan to get in the Blue Lightning, not telling him where they were going. From what he could tell, Caden has wanted his own lightsaber for a while now. He keeps asking and asking and asking and asking. Well, today was the day. Finally enough free time cleared up for them to do this. Wanting to keep the suspense building he told his Padawan to stay away from the viewport. That way he had absolutely no idea what they were going to do.

The ship contiued on downward toward the surface. As they entered the atmosphere he say a large cluster of mountains. On one side was a large opening, most likely where the crystals would he. Guiding the ship he saw a small group of Lurmen making their way back to the small settlements. If they had enough time, hopefully they could talk with them.

With the landing gear extended outward the Blue Lightning the ship not-so-gracefully touched down on the surface. Getting up from the pilots seat he went to get his Padawan. Motioning him to follow they walked toward the loading ramp. It hissed open as a cold rush of air hit them. Stepping off the ramp and onto the ground he began to see his Padawan's confusement, and why they might be here.

"So, Caden, do you know where we are? And why we might be here?"

Caden Evesa

 

[Caden Evesa]

He had spent much of the flight with his feet kicked up on the bed.

The Blue Lightning was the ship belonging to his master. Caden wasn't a fan of the ship personally, too industrial for his tastes. There's a reason he had redesigned his room on the vessel into a comfortable, yet simplistic room. It was calming enough to allow for meditation.

Caden had kept the Kasha crystal in his pocket since finding it on Takodana.

Takodana felt so long away. It had occurred before Yurb, before the Hutts and before his adventures on Nar Shaddaa. Takodana felt like years, yet in reality hadn't been much less than two months. The longest two months of his life. So much had happened.

Caden had always wondered about his lightsaber. He had designed it already, drawn up mocks and crafted the parts he would put together in the force. He was just waiting for the crystals. He had one, but all of his research had told him he needed three.

He sat up when Okkeus knocked the door. He threw his cloak over his shoulders and followed the man into the hold. He watched as the boarding ramp lowered and he followed his master down it. It was clunky and horrible and Caden definitely intended to fix it.

He looked around, and smiled.

"Mygeeto? Why Mygeeto?"

Okkeus Dainlei

 

[Okkeus Dainlei]

Okkeus saw the smile stretch across his Padawan's face. Hopefully he knew why they were on Mygeeto. The caves where the crystals were located were not in view yet, only a short walk away. Deciding to tell Caden the suprise he pulled out his own lightsaber, waving it around.

"So we can get you one of these."

He could sense the excitement coming off of his Padawan. They started walking toward the entrance of the caves. After about a ten minute walk they finally arrived. It looked much like the ice caves on Ilum, but instead of ice it was covered in vines. The vines slowly moved downward, liking a closing door. This was Caden's big moment, so he wanted to give him some words of advice.

"Padawan, it is time for you to collect your lightsaber crystals. The vines growing downward signal how much time you have left. Once the vines reach the bottom, you will have run out of time. Once inside of the caves you will face many challegnes, physically and mentally. If you trust in the force it will protect you, and it will be your guide. Before you go, do you have any questions?"

Caden Evesa

 

[Caden Evesa]

He listened to his master as he explained the situation.

He was excited to finally build a weapon of his own. He was interested in taking his first step into becoming a true protector of the galaxy like Jedi of old and Jedi of presence. The only lightsaber he had ever wielded was that of Okkeus, or a training lightsaber, and neither of those came close to the true feeling of holding your own weapon that was crafted in the force.

Caden shook his head towards Okkeus.

With a parting nod, Padawan stepped into the darkness, leaving his master (his mentor and his best friend) behind. The cave almost invited him, called out to him in the force, drew him in. Resisting it's pull was difficult, impossible. The will of the force was too strong for a small Padawan to fight against, to resist. The pull of the force was desperate for him to be drawn into the cave.

The darkness engulfed in. He assumed Okkeus wouldn't have followed him, but even if he had they were separated. There was too much darkness, and sensing in the force was useless. The cave almost gave out interference, preventing Caden from sensing anything or anyone. He couldn't even sense Okkeus, and he was sure that the cave entrance was less than ten steps backwards.

Caden looked over his shoulder.

There was nothing but darkness, no entrance. No light. No Okkeus. It was almost impossible, Caden was sure he hadn't taken any steps at all into the cave and yet there was nothing but darkness behind him. There was nothing at all behind him, no noise, no lights. It was just pure pitch black darkness.

The call of the force drew the young Padawan deeper, and he followed like a pig following a carrot on a stick. He was useless to resist it's call. Like a moth to a fly, he was forcefully dragged to it and he was entirely unable to fight it. He couldn't get free from the grip of the force.

Twenty steps, maximum.

Still nothing behind him. It looked like he had taken so many steps, so many more steps than twenty. He was counting them though, he had literally only taken twenty. He didn't at all understand how only twenty steps had gotten him so deep into the cave.

It was cold, like someone had turned the temperate right now to absolute zero. He wasn't sure if he was shivering, honestly he wasn't sure of anything. He may have had goose bumps, he wasn't sure. He realized in that moment that he couldn't feel any part of his body, he couldn't feel anything except the super chilling cold that was freezing his bones.

He turned a corner.

There was something shining in front of him. He wasn't sure what it was, he wasn't sure if it was anything he wanted or needed but it was there. He didn't know if it was the source of the power drawing him in, he again wasn't sure if he wanted it or needed it.

He heard footsteps behind him.

He hadn't seen anyone else enter the cave with him, he hadn't felt anyone else inside the cave when he had entered. He wasn't aware of anyone else being in the cave, Okkeus hadn't told him that there was anyone else in the cave. Maybe Okkeus hadn't been aware?

More footsteps. Even closer.

He turned, no-one was behind him. There was nothing, no-one. Darkness, there was literally just darkness. Was there something in the darkness? What stalked him from the shadows? He wasn't entirely sure he wanted to find out what was currently following him.

He turned back and walked once again. He had taken at most another ten steps, making thirty, maybe forty steps total. He had taken at most forty steps and yet there was still absolutely nothing behind him. The light shouldn't had dissipated by now but instead it had.

More footsteps.

Cold breathing on his neck. Something was behind him, there was something. The pull of the force was forcing him in one direction but the fear of whatever was lurking in the dark was freezing him in place. He was powerless to resist the force, yet the fear he felt of whatever was behind him was certainly giving it a good attempt, a good attempt at stopping him walking.

He turned.

Okkeus. It was just his master. Okkeus must have followed him into the cave, must have come to check on his young Padawan. He was safe with Okkeus, the man would protect him. The relationship they had was amazing, two brothers learning from each other, going on adventures.

He tried to say something, anything, but there were no words. He tried to force air through his throat but there was nothing coming out. He wanted to speak to Okkeus but he couldn't form words. It was like he had suddenly become a mute. Why couldn't he talk, he had never not been able to talk before.

The yellow eyes.

Okkeus? Okkeus didn't have yellow eyes. Caden wasn't actually sure what color his mentors eyes were, but he was sure they weren't yellow. Why did the version of Okkeus in front of him have glowing yellow eyes? Yellow eyes were a Sith trait and Caden was very much sure that his mentor, his friend, his master was no Sith.

He heard the buzz of a lightsaber. He felt the blade skim past his face. Red blade in the hand of Okkeus. His mentor didn't wield a red blade. His mentor had two lightsabers, blue and white. Caden knew, he had held both and wielded the blue one into battle.

He didn't have time to process the red blade. He felt the floor beneath him vanish, and he dropped. The weightless feeling of nothingness as he fell faster and faster towards the darkness below him. He was gaining more and more speed as he fell.

The walls around him were adorned with crystals of varying shape and description. Each crystal appeared to be different, and there was so many crystals. Caden almost wanted to study all of them, but he couldn't. He was gaining too much speed to focus on the crystals.

Then he stopped.

He was stood up, not lay flat. The cave around him was wide, open like a room. In the center was a glowing object on a pedestal. The young Padawan was almost too scared to walk over and look, but the will of the force was compelling him towards the object.

It was a weapon, a lightsaber. It was a lightsaber based off of his own design. Caden reached out, placed a finger on the edge of the weapon. He wanted to touch it, to claim it. Yet he couldn't, because it wasn't there anymore. It had just vanished the moment he touched it.

Then he felt something.

He flew backwards. He felt the wall behind him as his body crumpled against it. He let out a grunt as he attempted to clamber to his feet. There was a figure darting towards him, a red lightsaber in hand. The weapon was absolutely pointed at his throat, the killing blow.

Caden parried the red. He wasn't sure with what, or how. All he saw was a blade of yellow clashing with a blade of red. The figure backed off, his red blade the only illumination in the cave, with the exception of the yellow blade that Caden held.

It was the lightsaber in his hand giving off the yellow blade. He looked down for a moment, blinking. It was the lightsaber he had touched earlier, the weapon he had spent hours crafting and designing. It was the weapon he had always wanted to build, to own.

"Go now, child. You can not beat him in your current state. You are not powerful enough to beat such a man. Return when you gain more experience in the galaxy, maybe then you'll be able to beat him. Until then, you are freed from this place."

He didn't know who the voice belonged to, and he didn't have much time to think if he recognized it. The figure charged again, red blade poised for the killing blow once again. Caden was powerless to defend, and he felt the pain and agony as the red lightsaber blade sliced through him from top to bottom, head to tail.

Then he woke up.

It was pitch black. He rolled from his front onto his back, wiping the dirt from his face. There was a star above him. He blinked, another star. And another, and another. There was a moon above him, and multiple stars. Caden closed his eyes one last time and forced himself to sit up.

He was in the mouth of the cave. Okkeus was behind the vines, Caden could see him. He felt the man in the force, it was the real Okkeus. Caden couldn't see his face, but he assumed the Masters face was streaked with concern and fear. Caden didn't know what Okkeus had seen, if he had heard the screaming when the red blade had sliced through him, but he assumed Okkeus hadn't seen what he had seen.

The vines were low. They were too low, Caden couldn't get underneath them. He could just about see through the gaps between them, but he wasn't sure how long that would last until they knitted together. He knew once they knitted together he was done for.

He pushed himself up to his feet.

His cloak was gone, Caden had no idea where that had vanished to. He didn't care either, he had other concerns. He patted himself down from top to bottom, making sure nothing was broken. There were tender parts, probable bruises yet nothing was broken.

Caden ran over to the vines, attempting to pick through them. He couldn't pull them apart enough to slide through, they were thick and intertwined. He would be claimed to the cave soon enough if he couldn't get through the vines in front of him.

There was something heavy at his side. His hands reached down, closing around the cold metal shaft there. He felt something unclip from his utility belt. He raised it to eye level and blinked. It was the same weapon he had held only moments before, before he had died.

It was built from the parts he had created, from the Rancor Tooth that Okkeus had granted him. The gold buttons adorned the Durasteel handle, just like he had designed. He didn't know where the weapon had come from, he wasn't sure he wanted to know.

He closed his eyes and reached out in the force. He knew the design he had built had a hidden switch which had to be activated before the blade was thumbed on. He felt the button in the force, and used the force to press the button in. It was right where his design had placed it.

He thumbed the blade on.

The yellow shot from the handle of the weapon, illuminating the cave. He raised the weapon and began to cut through the vines. He heard the noises as the weapon carved through the vines that were trapping him in the cave, holding him hostage in the cave.

He made a gap just big enough to squeeze through, and he just allowed himself to fall through.

He lay there for a few moments, just breathing deep. Okkeus was standing above him, checking on him, he was sure. He didn't care, he was exhausted. He didn't know what had happened in the cave, but whatever it was, he knew it would stay with him forever.

And he closed his eyes, with his new lightsaber in hand, and fell asleep.

Okkeus Dainlei

 

[Okkeus Dainlei]

Okkeus started to worry. Once his Padawan entered the cave the vines started growing at an insanely fast rate of speed. But whatever would happen, he couldn't go inside. He wouldn't let himself. As a Padawan he went through the trials on his own, receiving his blue crystal. Thinking about his lightsaber, he began to wonder what Caden's would look like. He knew that the boy talked about using the Rancor Tooth for it.

A blood-chilling scream rang from the cave. It was so incredibly hard for him to stay still. Under no circumstances should he enter the gave. He had to trust in the force. The vines contiued to grow. Near the back of the cave he saw a faint red and yellow flash of light. That must be one of Caden's trials. He knew his Padawan would pass.

The vines were nearly to the floor. Sweat dripped from his forehead. What if his Padawan did get trapped, claimed by the force? Stay still...stay still. That is when he heard mov,ent. Through the vines he faintly saw Caden. Somehow he had to get through the vines. But without his master's help. A bright yellow flash illuminated the area. In Caden's hand was a lightsaber. A quick rush over joy washed over him as his Padawan cut through the vines.

Rushing over to see if the boy was fine, Caden soon passed out. He quickly checked the boy for a heartbeat, but it was faint. Panicking he thought of the quickest thing that could work. Rubbing his hands together sparks started to form. Setting his hands on his Padawan's chest he sent the bolts. Hopefully it was enough to wake him.

Caden Evesa

 

[Caden Evesa]

The world was spinning around him.

It was dark. Not pitch black but certainly darker than normal. He was almost certain he was in a room of some description, yet he couldn't figure out any of the dimensions of the room. Part of him wanted to stand up and walk around until he hit some walls, but he couldn't move his legs.

Wait, he couldn't move his legs.

He looked around once again. There was a figure in front of him, directly in the middle of the room. The figure was cloaked in darkness, but was clearly more slender than the Sith from the cave. The figure was radiating in the force, the feeling of calm pouring from it.

"Hello, my child."

The voice was female, one he recognized. He blinked for a few moments, attempting to run towards the voice. It felt like running through concrete, and when he looked down he hadn't moved at all. He seriously couldn't move at all, and that scared him.

"Mother"

He wanted to know why he heard her voice. She hadn't even shown him any interest after his father had died. She hadn't cared about him at all and then she had died. He didn't even care about how he was hearing her voice, he assumed it was the Force. He just wanted to know why.

"I sense that you haven't once forgiven me for neglecting you to continue my studies further"

He went to answer, but the figure cut him off. A light was starting to appear over her, his mother becoming draped in light. She always loved being the center of attention so being directly underneath a light suited her more than the Force even realized.

"No, I believe you haven't. No matter, I never wanted you to forgive me, it doesn't at all bother me if you do or don't. I was never a good mother anyway"

The Force had gotten that right. After father had died in the mining accident, she had become entirely focused on herself. She had spent so long in her bedroom that she turned grey. Caden hardly ever saw her after father died, and then she died herself.

"This is a warning Caden. The galaxy is changing for the worse, the darkness continues to grow stronger. Soon, you will have to choose between the light and the dark and I definitely hope you choose the right option. I can't tell you what that option is, but I'm sure you'll figure it out and when you do, make the right choice. Make the right choice for you."

There was a knocking noise. Caden jolted, like lightning had shot through his body. He doubled over in pain and gasped. The figure of his mother in the middle of the room offered a little smile, and shook her head lightly towards her young son.

"It appears your master quite wants you back. Go now, but heed my warning my child."

And like that, the room he was in vanished completely and everything went black. There was nothing but the darkness. Every part of him hurt, that was all he was aware of. He wasn't sure if he was dead or not, he seriously hoped he wasn't dead though.

Then his eyes snapped open.

"Master"

Okkeus Dainlei

 

[Okkeus Dainlei]

He shot another round of lightning to Caden. This was his first time trying this, so he seriously hoped he didn't hurt his Padawan. Suddenly Caden's eyes snapped open. He weakly spoke out.

"Haha, it worked! I mean, are you alright? You sorted blacked out."

After the Padawan shook his head Okkeus then helped him to his feet. Wiping his hand on the back of the boy's shirt he swept away the dust and dirt. Where had the Caden's robe gone? Oh well, no way that he is going in there to find it.

The two walked back to the Blue Lightning, not talking about what happened in the cave. It was the most silent the two had ever been together. This wasn't like his Padawan. Something must have gone wrong. He will ask the boy later. But for now, he needs to recover.

Once aboard the ship he helped set Caden down in his room. The boy quickly fell asleep on his bed, obviously exhausted. The lightsaber rolled out of Caden's hand. Okkeus grabbed it and began to examine it. It was elegant in style, but had a sharp look to it. Especially with the Rancor tooth. Setting it down on the desk he walked out of the room.

Sitting down in the pilots chair he started up the old ship. Gradually it fired up. Lifting the ship up it took off, leaving Mygeeto behind. Now it was time to return to the Silver Rest.

Caden Evesa