Your Lightsaber and You: Aquatic Edition

[Micah tol Powl]

| VOSS
| The Silver Temple

Built into the side of a great mountain, overlooking the valley of Voss-Ka, the temple of Voss loomed over the surrounding jungle as a terrestrial monolith. A memorial etched in stone of the bygone civilization that had carved the ziggarut from out of the sheer face of cold granite and left as their tombstone a marvel of masonry and engineering.

It was also a dwelling made for humans, or near-humans. Or even near-Duros. Arboreal creatures, adapted to life on the ground. People who dealt water fleetingly throughout their lives, rarely involving themselves with more than just the surface of a river or ocean. And their approach to engineering reflected that reality. When it came to designing a lightsaber, all of the usual substances were hard and hearty.

There was durasteel, an unbending alloy. Or wood of the Brylark tree, said to be as strong as Mandalorian iron. The problem with both of these common solutions to padawan problems was that durasteel rusted with exposure to salt. Oxidation sapped away all the strength of that mighty metal. And wood fared no better, as water saturated the porous fibers, rotting and weakening the wood.

So when you spent half your life in the depths of salt water, what were you supposed to make your lightsaber out of?

This was the question which had stumped the young Nautolan ever since he'd begun the monumental task of building his own lightsaber. He had the crystal. He had the design. He just... had no idea what this was supposed to be made out of.

Luckily, a Jedi never had to seek answers alone. And rare to their order was a question which had not been asked before. So, just as he'd been sent to find [member="Matsu Ike"] with questions about how to use a krayt dragon pearl as a lightsaber crystal, he was now sent to find a different master that would know about metals and alloys, and how they interacted with water.

Master [member="Draco Vereen"]. A Mandalorian warrior. A powerful Jedi. A cunning soldier. And the owner of a company known as ArmaTech.

 

[Laira Darkhold]

An uncommon sight amongst the Silver Jedi, less so given the merger between the Silver Jedi and the Sanctum, was a Mandalorian Dark Jedi on Voss. But I never really held to stereotypes anyway. Voss was not a place I visited normally, and I rarely spent time in the Temple, but my ties to the order did require that I spend some time here on occasion. Normally it was just to have someone check in and let them know I wasn't off promoting some crusade for this or for that. Under the Techno Union ArmaTech had florished into a massive company with Iego dedicated to producing arms and weapons for the Silver Sanctum Coalition.

While I was checking in on things someone had alerted me that a Padawan was building their lightsaber and needed some assistance with the design or the production of the weapon. Lightsabers were an elegant weapon, not like the massive beskar power mace strapped across my back or the crushgaunts I used if I brought someone to grips, but even still, I kept a fairly basic Dual Phase Lightsaber with me so I was familiar with the weapons, and this wouldn't be the first saber I had helped with.

I stood waiting in the main hall for the Padawan, his name was [member="Zak Dymo"] and I thought I remembered him from my short lived time in the Republic, or I had at least heard of him some while I was with the Republic.

 

[Micah tol Powl]

If Draco was recalling anything he'd heard about the Padawan Menace of the Galactic Republic, it was doubtless one of the boy's finer moments.

From blowing up a Republic dropship on Attahox to getting fingered for egging the starfighter of the Grandmaster, the name Zak Dymo was one that dwelt in infamy and conspired with notorious. Not that Zak was a bad kid. He hadn't actually caused the destruction of the transport on Attahox. A rebel mortar rocket had done that. Zak had just been on the dropship when he wasn't supposed to be, because it was a war zone and Zak was nine years old. He was supposed to have been at the Jedi Academy on Ossus, but rarely if ever was Zak where he was supposed to be. Or even paying attention to where he was, which is why he so often wound up in detention after class. Which, was the reason why when another youngling blamed Zak for defacing the starfighter of Grandmaster Raaf, no one had even given it a second thought. Of course, that was exactly something Zak would have done!

Except he hadn't.

But, this was Voss now. And Zak wasn't exactly off to any better of a start. Day 1 with the Order of the Silver Jedi and Zak had misplaced the son of the Master of the Order, knocked a hole in the ceiling of the Grandmaster's office, and nearly put a toddler into low earth orbit.

Padawan Menace was not a title given. It was a title earned.

Coming into the main hall of the Silver Temple, the boy's mouth fell open as he looked upon a towering behemoth of an armored giant. The man was very nearly 2 meters tall. And, from Zak's perspective the man appeared even taller than that. The small Nautolan was barely any bigger than the war maul that was strapped to the man's back. The armor made him seem like a juggernaut. A living weapon of beskar and fury.

Was that a Mandalorian?

"Are you Master Vereen, brah?" the youngling inquired, attempting to make eye contact when he spoke to the much taller human, but the eye swirls inside the inky darkness of his eyes kept trailing over toward the star-like head of the beskar mace.

That probably weighed more than he did!

[member="Draco Vereen"]​

 

[Laira Darkhold]

I looked to the small Nautolan Padawan, standing before me. "Draco is fine young one." I said young, but for all intents and purposes I was still in my twenties. I glanced over the padawan, and took a moment to assess the young creature. The young boy had a reputation, but a reputation for mischief rather than destructive and cruel. Mischief was a refreshing change from the lock and stock Jedi I was used to. My own training had been highly superficial and the Silver Jedi had little to do with it, nonetheless, I had pledged myself to them before I had even been aware of my abilities, and now as a Master and a company, I owed it to them to assist their younglings where I could. Even if training them was a little far fetched given my mood as of late.

"I was told you were seeking help in crafting a lightsaber. A lightsaber can come in many different forms and take on many different responsibilities." I started, catching myself. He didn't need this shtick about be responsible with it, or don't cut off your arm. "Its a weapon, and you are young, but if your Master thinks you are ready, then you are. Worst case scenario it becomes a learning experience to carry with you for the rest of your life. But, you asked to see me, so how about telling me what it is you need?" I asked plainly. Best to cut to the point and get to work. We could socialize during the building process if he wanted.

 

[Micah tol Powl]

A lightsaber was a weapon.

The weapon of a Jedi. Which, wasn't that kind of an oxymoron? If Jedi were the guardians of peace, then why did they carry weapons? There was certainly a whole of fighting going on when it came to the Jedi. They were more like the guardians of butt-kickings.

"Like, every lightsaber since forever has been made of durasteel," the youngling remarked, holding out his arms in a shrug as he explained, "But I'm aquatic. Durasteel rusts in water."

Gathering together the sheets of crayon-scrawled blueprints that the youngling had assembled over the course of his meditations and studies on the matter of lightsaber construction, the boy held up a rather comprehensive schematic that, despite its Crayola draftsmanship, detailed a curved hilt lightsaber with a krayt dragon pearl at its core. Every detail was accounted for, from the crystal assembly matrix to the setting for the focusing lens to the exact size and dimensions.

Just one detail was missing.

"So, I wanna make a lightsaber, but I don't know what to make it out of," the youngling explained, turning his eyes up to the giant of a man as the boy said, "Can you help me, Master Draco?"

[member="Draco Vereen"]​

 

[Laira Darkhold]

Lightsabers had been used underwater for centuries, and the young Nautolan wasn't the first of his kind to be a Jedi, nor would he be the last. Even still I wasn't aware if those designs had featured anything beyond a bifurcating cyclical ignition to sustain the blade in aquatic environments. "Well, for ships I have been fond of using a hydrostatic field, but that is probably impractical for a lightsaber. The smallest of those were retooled into personal shields. I presume you want something to craft the handle out of so that it doesn't turn to rust when you have to leave the water." I thought for a moment.

"Follow me, young one." I said as I turned to move towards the hangar. I needed access to the HoloNet, maybe put out a few calls to the engineers or designers on the payroll to figure out what he might be looking for. "I need to do a little research and we might have to take a trip, assuming you don't have anywhere better to be." I said with a laugh. "Well, come on. We can use the terminal on my ship."

The sleek black corellian designed ship sat in the hangar attached to the temple complex. As was standard a group of war droids were on guard within the ship, and Netra lounged lazily on the bridge, taking up a great deal of space behind the captain's chair, his black metal mass sprawled on the floor like a large cat.

[member="Zak Dymo"]

 

[Micah tol Powl]

The youngling followed in the giant's footsteps.

"Woah," the boy breathed, as the black ship came into view. The familiar hangar was transformed into something out of a holovid, with armed security droids at the loading ramp. And a mecha-beast lounging on the floor.

This Master Draco definitely did not play.

"The cyclical ignition pulse kinda operates like a... a hydrostatic field for the blade," the boy mused aloud, following the man's line of thought with what might have been surprising clarity. He'd been reading a lot of books and technical manuals on lightsabers over the last year, trying to piece together how this was supposed to happen. "It's like a sheath in the water."

That was the easiest way he'd come up with to rationalize or explain it. "But, yeah, that's useless if the handle comes apart."

Who wanted a rusty lightsaber? He'd be taking a wire brush to it any time he came up to the surface.

And, as much as he liked the surface or terrestrial planets, he was really hoping to get some bottom time on Arda, Sanctuary, or Mon Cala.

[member="Draco Vereen"]​

 

[Laira Darkhold]

As we walked aboard the bridge the big droid cat looked up and scanned the youngling, growling lazily before laying back down behind the captain's chair. The droid had been allowed to go without a memory wipe since its creation and had thus developed a bit more personality than it had been programmed with. This was largely intentional, but it had allowed the droid to adopt a few quirks, even making it fairly unpredictable from my perspective. I could rely on him, but I didn't know what he intended to do with the very broad orders I gave him. Just as caution I decided to call him off, as he often attacked from behind and the lazy, uncaring mood could be a front. "Down Netra, he's with me."

I sat down into the comfortable chair and began searching the HoloNet, sending out a message to the main office on Mandalore telling them at least some of what I was up to so perhaps they could give me a few pointers. Of course they would suggest Rust treating Mandalorian Iron, but I didn't want to part with the substance, and it was heavier, and less survivable than the kid wanted. He wanted to be able to practically live underwater, and that much salinated water would rust the thing away in a matter of years, even with regular cleaning.

It took a few minutes, but with some minor direction from the Metallurgist under my employ I found schematics of an old, aquatic lightsaber that had its composition listed along with a suggestion or so. "Looks like we could use Duralumin." I said, glancing through some other things. "And an interior Agrinium lining to help it resist Ion and EMP weaponry you might encounter out in the field. Nothing to expensive or fancy for your first saber, but a versatile tool nonetheless. We just need to make a trip to Iego to grab the materials. They should have everything we need. Buckle up." I started flicking switches and turning the ship on and getting ready to take off out of the hangar.

[member="Zak Dymo"]

 

[Micah tol Powl]

Was that a droid or a dog?

It looked like a droid, but Master Draco's command made the boy think of how an owner treated a pet. That was a little confusing, and the droid-dog was a little frightening, so the small Nautolan opted not to ask about either. Instead, the boy turned his attention toward the research that the Mandalorian Jedi was calling up on the HoloNet.

The HoloNet seemed like a really useful thing. But, for some reason, Zak wasn't allowed to use the HoloNet without a Jedi or one of the librarian droids around. Something about HoloNet safety. Whatever that was. It was just a computer. What wasn't safe about it?

"Duralumin?" the youngling echoed, as though to test the word out. He'd never heard of duralumin before. "Dura... Like, the dura prefix means its an alloy, right Master Draco?"

Thank you, Miss Kal-Am in Third Period Galactic Basic class. He did pay attention. Sometimes.

Agrinium was another metal he hadn't heard of, but that wasn't what made him want to ask a question. "What's EMP?" the youngling inquired, as he buckled himself into the cockpit behind the giant Mandalorian.

[member="Draco Vereen"]​

 

[Laira Darkhold]

"Nine times out of ten Dura refers to some kinda composite from my experience." I said, but I wasn't sure if it was a one hundred percent thing, and normally there were exceptions I just didn't know one off the top of my head. Power up sequences were flaring up. "Electromagnetic Pulse is EMP. Messes with Electronics, in the past they have been used to interfere with Lightsabers on rare occasion. But since Agrinium isn't terribly expensive putting a liner to cover the electronics of a lightsaber handle isn't a bad idea, and may save your life once. And that will be worth doing." I said, watching gauges and other electronics as I eased the ship out of the hangar and angled up towards the stars.

"Iego is a short trip, and this thing is pretty fast so it won't be too long a trip. I told the folks there to get the materials there, and then you'll at least have the materials you need. I am not experienced in forging a lightsaber, but I can help manufacture the parts you will need. Constructing it though, that is between you and your master." Iego was only a relatively short distance away, and the ship did have one of the better Hyperdrives in existence to get us there no problems.

[member="Zak Dymo"]

 

[Micah tol Powl]

They were going to Iego?

As the ship made the jump into hyperspace, the youngling strapped into the cockpit seat only now realized the destination that Draco had mentioned. "Oh, cool," the boy commented happily. "Iego... Like, I hear the spacers talk about it. They say it has a THOUSAND moons!"

Shuffling the diagrams that he'd drawn up for the lightsaber, the small Nautolan started pondering what adjustments would need to be made to work with an agrinium-lined duralumin cover. The protection against EMP sounded like a good suggestion.

Electro-magneto-whatever pulses. Who thought of these things, anyway?

[member="Draco Vereen"]​

 

[Laira Darkhold]

"I guess it has a bunch of moons. I mine a bunch of them for minerals and the factory there produces a lot for the Silver Sanctum. They should have everything you are look for on hand and its still in Silver Sanctum Space. So I guess its not much of an adventure but its something." I said as the ship continued into hyperspace. The eerie blue white tunnel of hyperspace filled to forward viewscreen for the relatively short trip to Iego, the planet with a thousand moons.

Hanging in the atmosphere was a simple small station that made up the administrative offices of my factory on the planet. Even from atmosphere the city ArmaTech had constructed on the planet below was visible at night, its flickering lights some of the few on the planet. Inhabited mostly by the thousands of shipwrecked spacers that had fallen prey to the planet over the course of the centuries. "Well this is it bud. My boys should have what you need for a single lightsaber."

Sure enough, when supplying materials for a manufacturing plant that produced tanks, weapons, armor, shields, and ships, there were the composites needed to make Duralumin, and Agrinium was a popular metal among high end electronic shielding. "Its your saber. You should take part in machining the parts for it." I said as I nodded to two machinist to assist the young Nautolan get the pieces, minus a crystal, for his saber.

[member="Zak Dymo"]