Private This Old Saber (Rebel Edition)

[Kaelen Varrin]

With a bit of digging, he had located someone who might just have the skills Kaelen was seeking. It was all well and good to be out fighting the good fight, sticking up for the little man. But he could do so much more if he had a functional weapon besides a blaster. Even if he learned the Force, assuming he found a teacher or an Order, he still needed a lightsaber. And ever since he had found that old footlocker with all his grandfather's things, he had been obsessed with seeing what could be done to restore the lightsaber found within it. It had to be something internal, and likely highly technical. Most weapons experts he knew didn't really touch lightsabers, and even a few who knew a couple of bits about them had said the one he had was beyond their minimal skills.

So the ledger of people Julius knew he went. Several people were busts. One, a 'Ran Serys' was notated as being "Largely unknown. Good mind. Good heart, in the right place. " and went on to a few other summaries. But in the margins of that entry, a scrawled note saying something about 'weapons management' was hastily added, likely some time later than the original. So, with some digging and bribes, he had located where this other Jedi was, and had started his way towards there.

Julius had said she was good, and one of the cramped notes had noted "Green Jedi", which Kaelen had come to understand meant that the woman was a Corellian Jedi, and that was enough for him.

Walking up to the door of what should be the place where Ran was at, the young man knocked. He hadn't really dressed too fancy, just a corellian longcoat, typical spacer's gear, but he had taken to wearing a Corellian Jedi Credit around his neck from his grandfather's belongings, outside his shirt, and this time he wasn't hiding the broken lightsaber or his bespoke blaster. No need to, he figured. But fixed on his face was his most disarming, charming grin.

Well let's hope the old man was right...

Ran Serys

 

[Ran Serys]

Location: The Ruined Home of the Family Unil - Ularune, Mirial.
Tags: Kaelen Varrin

Upon hearing a knock on the door of her once abandoned ancestral family home, Ran Serys, Jedi Knight jumped with a start. The sizable but ruined, earthen shelter was located on the outskirts of an already remote village, and the sun was on its way down over the Mirialan sky. It was less than the ideal time for civilized visitors, yet even so Ran's Jedi senses felt no danger. Once she composed herself, she made her way through the courtyard and answered the visitor's call.

The wooden, gate-like door opened inward and revealed to her a human man. At a glance Ran might've found his appearance average for a human, but she never glanced when she saw an unfamiliar face. She saw more than others would. She saw a hardened man, rugged, and experienced, wiry like a steel cable, and maybe even a bit wily, but the verdict was out on the latter. More than anything she noticed the lightsaber that hung from his belt. Unlike the man, the Jedi weapon looked familiar, at least in the little light left. Her gaze lingered on it.

To him, Ran would be revealed. Tall like the fabled Amazons of so many creature myths, and muscular like them too. Her green skin showed through her scantily clad take on the robes of a Jedi, while her sunken, glowing eyes gave her an unsettling look of intensity. Her gold accessories would shine as they were touched by the final rays of sunlight this rotation, as would the lightsaber that hung from her own hip.

Through the confusion of meeting a stranger on her doorstep, Ran met the man's smile with one of her own. "Can I help you with something, traveler?" She asked plainly, avoiding the word Jedi. Not everyone who carried a lightsaber was one. And while she didn't know whether or not the man was a Jedi, she knew that if the man wanted some of her time, he'd need a good reason for it.

 

[Kaelen Varrin]

"Well, you might be able to... Are you, Ran Serys? I'm Kaelen... I found some notes about you in my grandfather's journals... He was a Jedi... Of sorts... And... Well... He made a note about you and weapons? His lightsaber is... Less than operational... Though, from what I know of Julius, it could be he just spilled a bit of whiskey on it while it was turned on... And, he also said you were a Green Jedi, which... Well... Now I'm wondering how much of my snark is Sedaire familial lineage..."

The words were a bit scattered. Technically, formally, this was his first seeking of a Jedi where it wasn't just conversation. He was coming to Ran as somewhat of a fellow Force User, maybe even a fellow Jedi... It was not his normal arena, and somehow his polished quips and sarcasm seemed... Uncouth... At least at the moment. He wasn't per se tense, but he was far from relaxed. The woman was not at all what he had been expecting on any level, and it somewhat threw him for a loop. But, regardless... This was where he was, and this was his best step forward...

"I am not really one of you... Not yet... But... This seems like a good first step. And you were one of the ones Julius spoke highly of, besides the Starchaser's and some man called Jorus..."

Ran Serys

 

[Ran Serys]

Location: The Ruined Home of the Family Unil - Ularune, Mirial.
Wearing: Personal Jedi Robes
Tags: Kaelen Varrin

Ran blinked at the man. He was Julius' grandson alright. Not only did he look like him in certain ways but both men had a certain aura about them. Was it the force? The color of legacy? Or maybe it was just the connection they shared as members of the same family? Ran couldn't be sure but regardless of what it was, Julius' Grandson was on her doorstep asking for help. It was a surprise to Ran, but a welcome one. Julius Sedaire had been one of Ran's many mentors on her unorthodox journey as a Jedi Padawan and then a Jedi Knight. He had given her lessons and shared with her knowledge that had saved her life several times over. She felt indebted to the Corellian Jedi, and now his family. The least she could do was help Kaelen.

Ran listened and waited for Kaelen to finish completely before she finally spoke. "It is as you say. I am Ran Serys," she confirmed. "And you are Kaelen, grandson of Julius Sedaire, who is on my doorstep to rob me of my status as a "Green" Jedi?" She asked the question, but in a joking and mostly rhetorical manner. After all, Ran was and wasn't a Green Jedi depending on one's understanding of Galactic Basic. "You're also here to tell me that you are on your first steps to becoming a Jedi?" She continued. "I've got to say that all sounds really great, Kaelen," Ran said with a hint of sarcasm. "But you still have not technically told me if there was something I could help you with. Am I to assume you need help with Julius' old lightsaber?" She finished, and opened the old courtyard door wider. "Because I can help you, but only if you answer my question. Why not take this to Julius? Where is he?"

 

[Kaelen Varrin]

"So far as I know, dead. He hasn't been seen by anyone in a decade or more. My father wouldn't even speak his name growing up. Apparently Julius left a string of bastards in his younger years, and my father resented him never coming back to fix things I suppose. I found some of his old things when I struck out on my own recently. Figured i'd look up his old contacts and associates... Figure out who to trust."

His eyes quirked, a wry twist of his lips, and an almost snarky rise of the eyebrow making the question clear to the woman before him: Was she one of those he could trust?

He straightened a bit suddenly, and nodded his head.

"Look, I don't know if these are my first steps, last steps, or something else. Or where those steps are even headed, really. I'm not that big on organizations, councils, or much of any sort of law and order excepting the principles I cling to, personally. Chief of those being don't be a dick, and take no shit. And tolerate no one who violates those two things upon others. I'm out here to see if any of these folks calling themselves Jedi stack up to my values, and if so... Maybe join them... If not, then I'm out to learn all I can, so I can do the most I can for those who have the least..."

He sighed then, a rush of air. An uncommonly raw and open statement. And a pretty stark and honest glimpse into what made Kaelen tick as a person.

Ran Serys

 

[Ran Serys]

Location: The Ruined Home of the Family Unil - Ularune, Mirial.
Wearing: Personal Jedi Robes
Tags: Kaelen Varrin

The news of Julius' death, or at least disappearance, shocked Ran. The fact that he seemed to have been an absent father and grandfather less so. It made sense considering the life of a Jedi, but she wasn't going to say that to Kaelen. Instead Ran listened to the younger man, and she found that his sentiments and ideals echoed her own in recent days.

"Thanks for your candor, Kaelen," Ran nodded a small bow. "And it seems you've come to the right place." The Knight informed and opened the old courtyard door as wide as it could go. Beyond its threshold there was a sizable but barren courtyard, and an old ruined desert house, large not in height but depth, as a network of rooms could be felt underground if one was attuned to the force in that way. There were also supplies and tools strewn about as if Ran was beginning work to alter and update the damaged structure. Her starship the Onyx Runner was also landed among the rubble. "At this moment I believe our ideals make us kindred spirits, and if you'd like to join me here to learn the ways of the lightsaber, how to fix it, use it, and even more, I extend the invitation to you." Ran made a gesture for him to enter the grounds. She didn't know if he'd accept the invitation, after all she still had to hold up to Kaelen's estimation of her. Maybe his grandfather's notes weren't enough. Regardless, she knew the man hadn't come here for no reason. She eyed him expectantly.

"No matter what you decide about me or your training, you should at least stay the night." She said as a sharp gust of wind picked up, howled and lashed at the surrounding walls. "The desert nights can reach below freezing temperatures, and there is a sandstorm on its way." The wind seemed to howl a confirmation. "Come in. Stay warm. We can begin the work on Julius' lightsaber, your lightsaber, now if you'd like." Ran extended Kaelen every pleasantry she could. She might've been done with war, but she wasn't done with leading and guiding the next generation of Jedi.

 

[Kaelen Varrin]

"I would gladly join you... I admit... I don't know much more than what Julius left behind in his ramblings, and what holovids say... But since I am so gifted, I figure it's my responsibility to learn to use it the best I can, for the purposes that truly need it. No offense to any Order or Government, but I doubt those will qualify for said purposes..."

He walks in slowly, looking about, nodding.

"Just moved in, have you? You know, I've done some construction and repair work here and there. Rebellion outreach... If you're going to help me, I'm glad to help with shaping this place up. If you want me to. Fair turn and all that."

Reaching down, the lightsaber came unclipped from his belt easily, and he handed the heavily carbon scored and scorched device over to Ran Serys , the emitter almost falling out, barely attached to the retention fixture.

"I am no repairman of electronics, so I haven't even touched it. But it took some serious damage at some point..."

 

[Ran Serys]

Location: The Ruined Home of the Family Unil - Ularune, Mirial.
Wearing: Personal Jedi Robes
Tags: Kaelen Varrin

"I would gladly join you... I admit... I don't know much more than what Julius left behind in his ramblings, and what holovids say... But since I am so gifted, I figure it's my responsibility to learn to use it the best I can, for the purposes that truly need it. No offense to any Order or Government, but I doubt those will qualify for said purposes..."

“It is your responsibility and a great one, in that you are right, but for as much good as it can help you do, it can also enable you to do great evil.” Ran said unsure if she had just given him his first warnings of the dark side outside of the information he’d inherited from Julius. “Be mindful on this path if you choose to take it, Kaelen. We all struggle but those who know themselves struggle just a little less.” She wasn’t trying to be grave or cryptic, just honest and open as she could be with someone on their first steps. “Also I take no offense on behalf of any order or government." Ran stepped aside fully to let the man in.

"Just moved in, have you? You know, I've done some construction and repair work here and there. Rebellion outreach... If you're going to help me, I'm glad to help with shaping this place up. If you want me to. Fair turn and all that."

“I would welcome the help. Thank you. We can work together as I’ve also had my hand in a few restoration and construction projects in my time with the New Jedi Order.” She informed as she walked beside him.

"I am no repairman of electronics, so I haven't even touched it. But it took some serious damage at some point..."

“She has seen better days,” Ran agreed as she held Julius’ lightsaber. “But it’s nothing we can’t fix, or rather you can’t fix.” She smiled at Kaelen. The act of crafting and tinkering with a lightsaber was one of her favorite pastimes. “It is part of a Jedi’s training to construct and maintain a lightsaber, an important and rewarding part.” Ran released a wistful sigh as she thought back to the first lightsaber she had crafted. Like Kaelen, her first lightsaber was also that of an ancestor. She was excited to help with Julius’ old one as well.

“Follow me. I’ve already gotten my workshop up and running.” Ran announced and began leading Kaelen into the ruined home and to the floor below.

She led Kaelen to a room lined with both common and specialty machinery and tools. There were storage cases that housed different lightsaber fittings, accessories, and attachments. Anything that Kaelen needed to repair Julius’ lightsaber was likely to be found here. “This is where you’ll be working. Can you read schematics?” Ran asked, getting down to business, as she pulled a few examples up on a nearby datapad. All were different in make and shape but had several commonalities that when boiled down made up the most common internal lightsaber build. “I can sit here with you, Kaelen, and guide you. Just know this is not a fast process. While lightsabers can be quite similar in how they work, they are all unique pieces. They are reflections of the spirit of the one that created it. And it isn’t just tinkering with tools. There is the testing of the lightsaber, and meditation that one must engage in with it.” Ran informed. “I'm not sure how much you've gathered from what Julius left you. Does this make sense?” She questioned.