Ch.3 - To Forge A True Blade
- Temple of the Force - A few days later
Days after the event, people were still enthralled by the highest levels of physical combat which had been displayed, even if the Combat Temple elites had been so outmatched.
No one mocked them simply because they knew very few could have done better. Those elites were fighting at speeds nearly unmatched outside their Temple's best and their skills were far beyond them.
It was just that Kieran Bond had been too much for them.
Even if they had tried to use the Force against him, it wouldn't have worked simply due to him being a monster in its use, even more so after obtaining his own body as it caused his power to skyrocket to match his knowledge and experience. As a result, all participants had to rely on skills and supportive abilities, the match necessitating them all to enhance themselves to the upmost just to hopefully keep up or have a chance, almost hoping to catch their Grandmaster by surprise or overwhelm him through sheer offense or teamwork.
It didn't work, obviously, but it was a strong showing for the Temple of Combat as it sparked a desire in other Temples to not fall behind either. Now many Senior Learners, the most experienced members below the Temple Masters, and even said masters, were actively aiming to have a similar event to showcase their own elites and skills.
For the two youngest participants in the show and newly formed couple though, that match was seen as a blessing from the Force as they almost couldn't stay away from each other, reveling in the deepening emotions they had for each other. The explanation in regards to their new bond and all it entailed had been thorough and they did have several new lessons to master and learn how to protect themselves from it being abused or if the worst case scenario was to pass, but for now they were enjoying some time together, leaning against a tree near the Forest of the Living Force.
It was a relaxing place for many as the powerful natural energies of the forest gently flowed out, mellowing most, making it useful to help teach Initiates, or much younger guests, about the Force.
But unfortunately, the two would be interrupted.
"Hey hey! How is my favorite new couple?" An voice full of youthful exuberance asked as well muscled teen grinned down at Forrune and Selene.
He was, like most others from the Temple of Combat, tall as he stood slightly shorter than Forrune at 1.88m (6'2), but with thicker muscles. The young man had long black hair tied up in a low ponytail with small vestigial horns forming two lines on his skull indicating some Dathomirian blood, dark grey eyes with some mirth in them, a strong jawline and features to match, and light skin.
A handsome and strong youth no matter how one looked at him.
"*Sigh* What do you want Maar?" Selene mildly glared, not being pleased with being interrupted during their alone time.
And she usually responded with an ass kicking when bothered.
"C'mon, I want to hear about it! I was gone on that mission for only a few weeks to deal with those Grysk remnants, and you guys to fight the Grandmaster! So spill!" Maar Kun almost demanded in his excitement.
To be fair, he had made every effort to witness Kieran's retraining when he could, this being possible thanks to his master being the Temple Master. He had even received a great deal of help in terms of advice and information from his own ancestor, something which had not been offered to members of his family in centuries.
After all, the knowledge of Exar Kun was not to be shared lightly, but Maar had been found to have prodigious talent and Kieran had believed his ancestor's style of blade and combat would suit him well, at least as a base to build off of.
It was certainly an honor, so he wasn't jealous of his two friends for getting this opportunity to actually fight the Grandmaster.
The three having friends for years as the most talented of their generation by far when it came to combat, and their rather infamous lineages made them gravitate to each other since young. He was even happy to see them together because of it, having found it amusing how they kept dancing around the subject for so long with Forrune being too hesitant to take that step and Selene too proud.
"Honestly? It was humbling and inspiring." Forrune sighed with a wry smile. "We couldn't even come close and I'm sure you watched what he did on the Holonet."
"Yeah. They even had a full stop of operations so everyone could watch it." Maar nodded with ease. "The way he used Tutaminis was incredible and they say the way he caused all those spires to come down was due to striking a Shatter Point too."
"I've actually been studying up on Tutaminis because of it." Selene revealed with a serious expression. "If I can learn to do what the Grandmaster did, then I think I could incorporate it into my fighting style and get rid of a good deal of its weaknesses."
"That'll be tough, even for you, Initiate Shan." Her friend spoke in a serious and 'experienced voice' that a good deal of Senior Learners tended to have when speaking to younger Temple Members.
"*Pfft* Kriff off with that nonsense!" She laughed at the 'wise' face her friend was making.
"Ah ah ah. You shouldn't speak to a Learner like that, young Initiate." Maar the said with a prideful smile as the two gapped at him.
"You made Learner?" Forrune whispered in slight awe.
While Learner might not sound like a big deal outside of Sanctuarate space, to those within it was a great honor. A sign of maturity, knowledge and skill.
Somewhat similar to the Knight rank in the Jedi Order, but the only difference being that the only one officially above them were the Temple Masters, with the Grandmaster as the overseer. This meant that Maar Kun was actually free to truly take control of his training and could now essentially do as he pleased as long as he followed the rules and laws in place.
Because, to be a Learner meant that one was on the path of learning beyond the basics. One was to learn about themselves, the Galaxy or the Force, it being up to them.
"How?" Selene asked, wanting to know how their friend had achieved this at such a young age.
"I felt I was ready after that last mission and seeing the Grandmaster in action. I felt like I knew what I wanted, no, needed to do so I can improve and help us get ready for when we wake up the Galaxy." The young man seriously answered with a far out look. "I felt it, both in the Force and myself.
And I think that's what allowed me to make it."
"That's… wow man. Congratulations." Forrune genuinely said with a smile.
"Thanks." Maar gratefully responded to his friend.
"So what are you going to do?" The only female asked out of curiosity.
"I'm heading to Mandalorian Space. I know I can do the most good in Clan Vornskr with their Civil War having started last year, it'll be an ideal time to make some real headway there, plus I can feel the Force wanting me there too." Maar Kun answered almost serenely from knowing the path he desired to walk and his goals.
"*Impressed Whistle* Those Republic Mandos'll never know what hit them." Selene grinned somewhat savagely.
It was no secret that many aspects from those Mandalorians had been incorporated into their military traditions, but the similarities mostly ended with training, equipment and some strategies as the Sanctuarate took the best parts of its varied military and combat cultures to form a monstrous system which created warriors of the highest order if they could make it through.
All members of the Temple of Combat were obliged to take part and complete this training on top of Force exclusive ones to even think about becoming Learners.
Those who succeeded could then chose to become Crusaders, the offensive ground elites of the Sanctuarate, or Guardians, those who protect the peace and their worlds from raiders or invaders. Of course, people can switch between the two if the positions were available.
Upon completing this training which would make Republic Mandos break, especially without the enhancements from both Force and Scientific sources, one is given Sanctuaran Armor. The evolution of Beskar Mandalorian Armor due the refinements in Force Imbuing, Alchemy and their ability to farm a Force enriched version of the incredible metal.
Add to the fact that they also had energy blocking and dispersing suits under them and anyone wearing their bonded gear become a nigh unstoppable force on the battlefield.
Those who do not make it through are of course still welcomed in the Military Branches and can try as many times to complete the training after obtaining more experience, which is incredibly common, but a good number also find their callings elsewhere within the Military as naval officers, engineers, medics or pilots. It might not be as 'glamorous', but this allowed them to also see the realities of warfare and decided if they wanted to keep going or find something else to do in their lives.
"No, they won't." Maar chuckled as he thought back to everything he had found out about the situation over there.
Clan Vornskr was the major branch the Sanctuarate had in the Mandalorian system. A group which actively included and trained Force Sensitives in place of the Jedi and most other Houses and Clans were supportive of this due to their intense feelings regarding the Order, although they were less trusted as well due to their high number of 'Mando Jedi'. But to Maar Kun, this was the perfect place to build up and turn into a key power for the region.
"You'll have to let us know how things are out there since I'm planning on joining the Crusaders." Forrune said with a small smile. "Master Darex and I both think that my gifts would make me an excellent battlefield commander."
"And I'm going to make sure my idiot doesn't get blown up from above by joining the Naval forces. My Battle Meditation will make the greatest impact there and no one's beaten me in any naval games since last year." Selene smirked playfully as she looked at her boyfriend.
"And I know I'll always be safe because of it." Forrune smoothly replied with warm eyes, causing the usually confident girl to blush.
"Haha! Then I guess we all know what we're going to do!" Maar Kun boisterously laughed. "Let's do our best. For the Sanctuarate and all those who need a sanctuary in the Galaxy."
These words earned solid nods of agreement from the two as that was exactly what they wanted.
Their goals were to work their ways up the ranks in order to be able to contribute as best they could when the time their Grandmaster had foretold arrived. A few decades of time might sound like a lot for most sentients, but for those part of the Sanctuarate it could be made almost insignificant thanks to medical advancements, even more so for Temple Members who all had powerful connections to the Force. Hence, when it was time, all of them would most likely be reaching their peaks, not their twilights.
"Oh, by the way, does anyone know where the Grandmaster went?" Maar suddenly asked as no one had seen him since the match.
"My master said he was going to retrieve his Lightsaber Crystal to forge his own." Forrune answered.
Being the student of Darex Bond did have advantages.
"I wonder how his Lightsaber'll look." Maar pondered as his imagination ran wield.
"Whatever he makes will likely be extremely powerful." Selene softly commented. "I wonder if he will allow anyone to observe his forging."
"We could always ask. It's probably going to be a once in an era event." Forrune stated, causing the trio to look at each other before heading out to find their masters.
Each were students of very high ranking individuals after all.
- Tatooine -
"We will be landing near the Basin of Life in a few moments, master." a bronze platted droid announced from his position of pilot.
"I know." Kieran replied as he sat in meditation, fully dressed in light gray robes and a darker cloak as he did so. "And what have I said about calling me 'master', Arte?"
"You are our creator and teacher." The droid stubbornly stated as he and his 'siblings' always did.
Sometimes Kieran wondered if they did this to tease him.
After all, Arte was one of his three Personal Droids.
But they were also more.
Each of his droids were essentially Holocrons, with them each embodying a branch of Kieran's skills and knowledge as he believed having all three in one place would simply be far too dangerous.
Arte represented his physical skills and prowess. Knowing everything from battle to painting, although the droid did prefer the former.
He was a true living being though, just like his 'siblings' as he was based off Iokath, Rakatan and Sanctuary knowledge, then given full sentience and his impressive processing and data related abilities thanks to the incorporation of Kyber Crystals and a B'rknaa being into his core. Thanks to this, he was even Force Sensitive, although it was fully focused on the physical aspects of the Force, further enhancing his Alchemically empowered parts to surpass almost any in pure physical abilities.
Over the centuries, Arte became one of the only beings capable of serving as a true training opponent to Darex, various past Grandmasters and Temple Masters, being the best systematic instructor in the Sanctuarate by simple virtue of the immense amount of information he had at his beck and call. He also served as a personal 'bodyguard' for Kieran's hosts due to willingly choosing to do so out of respect for his creator.
As one of the three highest forms droids had ever achieved, Arte obviously possessed unique abilities to make him so. Beyond being self-repairing and regenerative like Rakatan Technology, he also possessed the ability to alter his physical form as needed thanks to his ability to become a semi-fluid metal and being capable of creating more using his core as a miniature factory. This meant he could shape-shift for combat, training or infiltration purposes, form weapons out of his body at will and easily negate any form of damage. Not that he could easily be armed, as it would take more than a Sun's worth of heat and incredibly powerful lasers to do so.
For now though, he seemed to have decided on old Hk-47's model, but with bronze playing instead of rusty red, for his appearance. Possibly as a form of tribute for the psychopathic, if highly skilled, Droid Kieran had known in the past and learnt much from.
"As you've all told me thousands of times." Kieran sighed.
"One would think you would learn not to compete with a droid in terms of stubbornness by now then." Arte jested lightly as Kieran could easily imagine a victorious smirk on his face should he have chosen a more biological form.
"I'm old and stubborn as well. Regardless, you know the drill. Don't land too close since we don't want the Ghorfa Tribes to get riled up from our intrusion into their holy land." Kieran instructed as they rapidly flew over the desert seas of the planet.
The Holy Land they were heading to was actually one of Kieran's creation as the planet was perfect as a testing ground for means of revitalizing destroyed or glassed worlds. Tatooine hadn't always been a desert world after all, only made this way by the Rakatan after the indigenous people rebelled against their enslavement. This is actually what caused them to form the evolutionary offshoots called the Ghorfa, or Sand People, and the Jawa, from those once known as the Kumumgah, as the survivors either did their best to live on these desert seas or within caverns.
In actuality, their were dozens of 'holy lands' hidden from most across Tatooine, primed to bring this planet back to life as they served to change things from the inside out. But this particular one had been made the home of someone Kieran needed to see in order to obtain his Lightsaber Crystal.
"Yes master. Our stealth systems are already fully active just in case." Arte easily said as he brought us in for a landing.
One smooth landing later, Kieran stood on before the ship's lowering ramp rather casually.
"Please protect her while I'm out. It would be annoying for 'Stella' to regrow." He told his 'bodyguard'.
This made the living ship send out a wave similar to a nod. She was his personal bio-ship after all, and he did care for her.
Being capable of flying through stars and black holes aside, she had a Hyperdrive classed at 0.1 when not using Jump Gates and the weapons to tear through any ship like they were paper. A personal craft refined through the millennia, ever since he received her from Zonama Sekot, where he also obtained everything he had needed to create the Living Worlds of the Sanctuarate, somewhat resembling the X-70B Phantom-Class personal ship of the Sith Empire, but narrower and capable of self-modifications.
Stella was even completely self-sufficient thanks to studies on Purrgil biology allowing the Sanctuarate to grow engine and Hyperdrives capable of forming their own fuel, with floral plumbing and filtration systems making water and air non-issues, and being capable of making its own special ammunition by absorbing solar energy just like the Star Forge could. This wasn't counting the onboard food synthesizer or fruit/vegetable/grain vines capable of producing nearly any after introducing the necessary seeds to them.
It was just a mild jest that Kieran mentioned regrowing since Stella dislike the process any Bio-ship was capable of undergoing in case of destruction or heavy damage by using 'Soul Seeds' to form new 'bodies'. She was far too sturdy and would never allow anyone without his express permission from piloting her, but Kieran still worried a bit about her.
"Understood master. Enjoy your time with your familiar." Arte easily accepted the request, having mostly come to the planet to assuage the worries of others in the Sanctuarate.
It made them feel better to know Kieran wasn't alone in 'hostile territory', no matter how strong he was.
"It'll be good to see Salesh again and thank him for his part in my body's creation." Kieran genuinely smiled as he pulled up his hood and vanished from the lowered ramp.
He did not wish to be forced to harm the nearby Ghorfa. Those the Sanctuarate had formed ties with and aided in recuperating from their cultural trauma were not present here, with only the more barbarous tribes worshipping the Holy Land containing the Great God of Life and Death present today.
Before the small canyon which held the opening to this 'Holy Land', was a rather large gathering of tribes, with many huts being set as they exchanged goods and prizes between each other.
Slipping by their encampments with ease, Kieran made his way into the proper cavern and headed down the familiar path to his friend's home.
He walked the darkens cave until he reached the source of light he desired.
Walking in, he was met was a truly enormous cavern spanning kilometers on end, with light being fed in from large glowing plants adorning the elevated ceiling, underground rivers feeing into a Great Lake, lush grass and vegetation bearing ripe fruits, various animals wandering around with little care.
The most prevalent species present was actually Blue Bantha thanks to the Force Nexus formed here to nourish life and the planet. These weren't actually blue furred, but white, with their names actually coming from their large blue horns. Each was force sensitive to a degree and this allowed them to communicate telepathically with each other and their riders/owners.
Walking by them while enjoying this untouched paradise of the Living Force, Kieran simply let it guide him as he immersed himself in Tatooine's hidden beauty and life.
The animals present, did not mind him, with some actually bowing as the Blue Bantha had passed down knowledge of the shifting being accepted by their world and protector. It would be a baffling sight for most, but Kieran cared little for such, simply letting his own power gently entwining itself with the planet as he felt the Force telling him that it would be important.
Tatooine would be somewhere he would need to return to later as a great Shatter Point would come, aiding him in striking down the coming darkness.
He would not ignore such a warning and would make sure to keep an eye out for that time.
For now, he approached the home of his friend.
The heart of Tatooine's strongest Force Nexus, which just so happens to be at the bottom of the Great Lake of this Holy Land, filled with Kyber Cystals creating the illusion that it was akin to the night sky during the night. The Force infused water was actually quite miraculous in nature and had spawned many myths within Ghorfa tribes, some even sprinkling down to off-worlders and making adventurous sorts venture out to search for some.
Sending out a pulse to his friend through their bond, Kieran then waited as the waters suddenly stirred.
The entire cavern seemed to quieten as a response to it, as if holding its breath.
Churning water splashed around as a large shadow grew from the depths of the lake, suddenly emerging in a dramatic show which made Kieran raise an eyebrow at his friend's actions.
A giant serpentine neck arose from the water, towering over Kieran, large dark golden scales decorated by a ridge of sharp spines leading up to a being any would classify as an apex predator thanks to its great size, obviously deadly teeth forming its maw and crown of near black horns on its head.
Just its neck alone measured over 20m (65'7ft).
This was Tatooine's God of Life and Death.
The absolute top of this planet's food chain for over 2000 years, killing any who had challenged it, even greedy Hutts had been eaten by it.
But to Kieran, this was Salesh, his longtime and friend and Force-Bonded Familiar. Someone whom he hatched himself and raised personally for quite some time.
He had given him the title of Royal Krayt Dragon.
"How are you Salesh?" Kieran warmly asked.
The response came in the form of an excited pur as the large being suddenly dropped its head in front of him, earning an eye-roll as he reached out and began scratching him in the ways Salesh absolutely loved, causing more purring.
"Yes yes, I missed you too. Thank you for your part in this new body of mine." Kieran said as this went on, noticing the rather large horn Salesh was missing from his crown.
He knew the big lizard had voluntarily donated it to help form his current skeleton. Said horn was an extraordinarily strong material with a deep connection with the Force. After all, Salesh had been imbued with it since Kieran had found his egg on the black market and had enhanced his very being through self-created rituals resulting in him not only becoming Force Sensitive and sentient, he also going through a form of atavism by unlocking many of his latent genes relating to the Greater Krayt Dragons and the Duinuogwuin, or Star Dragons, beings Krayt Dragons are said to be the mindless descendants of.
As a result, Salesh was born with dark golden scales, much larger than even Greater Krayt Dragons, with only four powerful legs and a pair of great wings unlike any of either kind. And this isn't all his atavism and Force Sensitivity changed in him as Star Dragons not only had special organs to aid them in flying, they could also do so in space for weeks and months at a time and had super heated breath attacks far outclassing even turbo lasers, which was actually improved in Salesh due to him being able to refine these attacks using specially formed Pearls.
The only ability he hadn't obtained was their ability to travel through Hyperspace on his own, although he had managed to use the Sanctuarate's knowledge of Jump Gates to mimic that.
In all honesty, there was a reason the Hutts hadn't come to destroy Tatooine just to kill Salesh after he had 'dared' to eat a few of them and it wasn't because they hadn't tried. It was because Salesh just wasn't worth it after he destroyed a few fleets worth of mercenaries and slave warriors, killing more Hutts in the process, when he was perfectly content with his territory. This being how he became respected as a god among the native species.
And now, Kieran had come exactly because of a very unique Pearl they had been preparing for this body of his.
"Come on my friend, you know why I'm here." Kieran gently chided as he stopped pampering the big lizard, much to its disappointment.
Trying to ask for more using his large emerald green eyes, Salesh was met with an amused face indicating that it wasn't going to happen.
Letting out a huff, he then focused his powers on himself to bring out the Pearl they had refined over the last few centuries, a pristine silver pearl larger than Kieran's own head, which seemed to pulse and flow with light as the Force itself was heavily present within, gently placing it on his large reptilian tongue to pass it over to his parental figure.
A being which has hatched Salesh, raised it, taught it, and cared for it.
"Thank you Salesh." Kieran appreciatively smiled as he touched the Pearl, letting out a deep sigh of satisfaction from the immediate acceptance he had felt.
Normal and Greater Krayt Dragon pearls could serve as powerful lightsaber crystals if prepared properly, but this was going to be one on a whole other level.
On a basic level, Salesh's normal pearls alone would outdo nearly any other type of lightsaber Crystal due to his own great power in the Force, his environment, diet made up nearly exclusively of Force Sensitive animals, imbued fruits and water. Then one adds his preferred slumbering location to be the heart of a Nexus while surrounded by Kyber Crystals he sometimes consumes and refines within himself, how Kieran used the Krystal's from the blades of all the past hosts he could, and Salesh himself purposefully using his own and the Nexus' energies on a single pearl, and you have what is likely to be the single most powerful 'Crystal' in existence.
The pearl was practically a beacon in the Force on its own, being capable of acting as an amplifier for it and other types of energy.
Gently rubbing his snout on Kieran, Salesh enjoyed having succeeded in this task as he would forever aid in defending his parent with this, feeling great pride and enjoying the emotions shared over their bond.
"I have to go back now, but I promise that I will be actually living on this planet for a time in a decade or two." Kieran told his large draconic familiar who was acting more like a puppy.
The excitement felt from a being which could strike fear in pretty much anyone in the Galaxy certainly didn't help that comparison.
"Until then, try not to destroy too many annoyances." Were Kieran's words as he used the Force to conceal himself and the pearl.
This place was heavily shielded to stop anyone from feeling the powerful Nexus within or Salesh himself, as such, the pearl had been hidden as well, but taking it outside without any preparations would cause any decently trained Jedi or Sith to feel its presence. Kieran couldn't risk that, plus he needed to fully attune himself to pearl and head back home to prepare it for its role.
Watching his hatcher disappear, Salesh decided to return to his slumber. Removing the pearl had taken a lot out of him due to it having served as a major power source for him, but it had been worth it. And when he awoke anew, his hatcher would be living on his domain, which was something to look forward to.
- Symbiose - Temple of Creation - A Month Later
Even with an already established connection, it had taken a month of efforts for Kieran to refine and prepare Salesh's Pearl fully.
First, he had to completely bond with it to the deepest levels. Making them one as both would be an extension for the other. Any true Lightsaber Crystal was sentient to at least some degree thanks to the Force, and those they chose, or fought alongside of them, would form bonds through the wielder channeling parts of themselves and the force within their crystals, while the crystals aid them in combat or to use the Force itself.
A mutually beneficial relationship like that of the Force and its sensitives.
After successfully doing so, Kieran had to then alter the pearl to fit into an actual lightsaber as it had been bigger than his head and he wasn't thinking about using a blade whose hilt would be larger than himself. To do so Kieran had actually condensed the pearl by essentially forging it through the Force alone, folding it upon itself, removing every last impurity and finalizing their bond utterly until it was small enough to fit in what would be his blade.
Because of this, the pearl was actually much heavier than any other Crystal, but the sheer power one could feel from it certainly wasn't anything to scoff at. If it hadn't been for the specially created meditation room Kieran had done this in, every Force Sensitive being would have felt what he had done.
But with that done, it had been time to forge his blade.
Every aspect and component to be formed using the same technique he had for Salesh's Pearl, from rituals to imbue certain properties or even parts of himself, and by Alchemical processes, all designed to vastly improve a Temple Member's blade(s) of choice.
It might be much more time consuming and extremely difficult, but the results simply couldn't be argued with.
Every Temple Member had blades far surpassing anything in existence thanks to the efforts of Kieran and many past Grandmasters and Temple of Creation members. They had strived to combine the modern Lightsaber with the knowledge of the past, especially the inspiration for the first Proto-Sabers, which would later be improved into their modern forms, known as Rakatan Force Sabers and Pikes, alongside the Ancient Sith Alchemical Blades and Je'daii Force Imbued ones.
With these arts combined, they managed to create near indestructible blades which can act as amplifiers for their bonded users and formed much more powerful blades. They could never be lost or corrupted, would become a true part of their wielder and completely unique to them.
Of course, all this was only possible because Kieran had actually recreated ancient practices and then evolved them to form more neutral and even Light-sided versions or counters to pretty much any arts of the Sith, the ancient race included and not just what they became. Five millennia of knowledge and time while never falling to the trap many long lived beings fell in helped tremendously in achieving his goals.
This had been one of the main reasons the Sanctuarate had actually advanced and became the dominating power in the Unknown Regions. Their ability to recreate aspects of Rakatan technology, alongside that of the Ancient Kwa, the Gree and Iokath, led to advancements unseen anywhere else.
And right now, Kieran was using its mostly powerful and advanced forge, located in the Temple of Creation's own Force Nexus, something which every Temple had, to form the parts of his saber.
Although it was called a forge due to that being what it had been originally, this place had actually been upgraded and improved immensely over time to allow for any form of creation to be practiced here.
There were even stations where one could create special paint or ink which allowed artists to actually imbue knowledge, impressions and emotions into their artwork by using them as mediums.
But for now, Kieran was hammering away at the final pieces of his Lightsaber with his own hands, imbuing every stroke with the Force, every aspect of the metal with his 'self' to reach the best results for him.
The metal used was actually an alloy between Sanctuaran Beskar, the Force Enriched version of the metal, mixed with pieces of Kyber formed by the hearts of the five original living planets Kieran had guided as the first for his people, to form a somewhat dark crystalline metal with silver-ish hue.
As necessary when it came to powerful alchemical processes and rituals, symbolism was one of the most important things when doing them. That was why Kieran formed the core of his lightsaber within one of his familiars and with the crystals of his past host, and why his handle would include the planets forming hearts of his people's civilization. It brought great power and held a powerful link between himself and the Galaxy as a whole, excellent symbolism for his blade.
This kind of thinking was actually a key point which made Sanctuarate arts 'Light-Sided' or Neutral, as instead of brute force and blood sacrifices, using symbolic weight and willing sacrifices to bring about beneficial results without the serious downsides of Dark-Sided practices.
And as Kieran struck the metal which would protect the blade's inner workings and serve as his link to them, he even used this chance to carve Force Runes on the inside, making sure his blows wouldn't harm them but only strengthen them to aid in its future tasks. This would allow much greater capabilities in energy channeling and protect it from being overloaded by things like Cortosis.
It wouldn't do to make a powerful blade and have it rendered useless for minutes at a time because of a specific metal. This was actually a standard procedure amongst Temple Members due to how their own robes were actually woven of a Cortosis Spider Silk made by Alchemically altered Kinrath to protect them from energy weapons and standard Lightsabers.
Although not truly useful against other Temple Members, it was still an incredibly useful piece of standard equipment that had been adapted into most elite Crusader or Guardian squads. So useful that they had to be bond by blood using a very minor ritual to make sure their enemies couldn't take them and that the Cortosi Kynrath's locations and existence were highly guarded secrets.
Regardless, under the fascinated eyes of the most senior members of the Temple of Creation and some of their rising stars, Kieran forged on until every piece was perfected for only himself.
Laying down his hammer with a heavy breath due to the exertion of the entire process.
It had taken two full days in a deep trance as he let the Force guide him while guiding the Force in turn to give both of them a part in everything. Because one needed a balance between the self and the whole to obtain the best results.
Placing each piece before himself, he then sat down and began the final stage in closed eye meditation, reaching out with his senses as he gently assembled every piece he knew intimately with great care.
A tense silence hung in the air, every observer was solemn due to the personal and near sacred process occurring before them as piece by piece, the lightsaber began to form.
All until every piece was aligned and in one swift moment, it all came together to leave a singular hilt floating in the air.
It looked deceptively simple, lacking more decorative aspects but seemed to be made of a single well crafted piece of near black diamond. No buttons or adjusters, only an area indicating where one would hold the blade.
Gently grasping the lightsaber, Kieran felt as if a missing part of himself had clicked into place as the Force sang around him, awing the spectators, and then with but a thought, it lit up to sing to the world.
A somewhat narrow silver blade with a profile reminiscent of Je'daii blades of old, but the truly unique part as that after being turned on, the hilt also lit up, making it seem as if Kieran was wielding a blade made purely of light.
And to the surprise of those present, Kieran seemed to be able to adjust the length of his blade at will, all seemingly without any input on his part.
"Now, I am whole and can truly walk in this Galaxy as Grandmaster." Kieran announced with a satisfied smile as he gently held his blade before shutting it off.
He had time.
And now, he would use it to set the board for his Forces.
The Sith might have had the patience of a thousand years, but let Kieran would see for himself if they were ready for the might of five.
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ALEX'S INFO CORNER:
•Sanctuarate Temple Power Structure: Initiates are at the lowest level, but anyone can technically become one. They have access to many classes and to most knowledge unless it requires the presence of a Learner or permission from the Temple Master.
Learners are those who passed a series of trials and tests, passing them deems them ready to set their paths in the Galaxy, take on Initiates as personal apprentices if both sides find themselves compatible and receive much better resources and gain access to all knowledge beyond those off-limits to any beyond Temple Masters or the Grandmaster.
Temple Masters are the leaders of each individual Temple, with only six at one time. They are seen as the most skilled and knowledgeable overall in their Temple's focus, with the possibility to challenge them for the position if someone more qualified is identified. They are generally in charge of their respective branches and manage both members and ressources alongside support staff.
Grandmasters are mostly ceremonial as they were generally the hosts of Kieran before obtaining his own body. Not every host wished to be a grandmaster and it was not required, when they did these hosts served to manage the Temples overall and acted as spiritual leaders of the Sanctuarate.
•Battle Meditation: special meditation during combat that considerably boosted the morale, stamina, and overall battle prowess of an individual's allies while simultaneously reducing the opposition's combat-effectiveness by eroding their will to fight.
•Iokath: For those who didn't play the Old Republic MMORPG, they're basically an ancient race of extremely skilled creators who made dozens of super weapons and very powerful droids, a super fleet that over powered the Sith Empire and Old Republic at the same time and was eradicated by their own genocide robots after building a super factory over their Sun.
•Rakata: Onto KOTOR territory, they are essentially an all Dark Side race of cannibalistic slavers who might have been responsible for most the near human species in the Galaxy, why humans were so widespread, for creating very powerful and self-repairing dark-side powered superweapons and were the original creators of the Lightsaber's ancestor which resulted in the split in the Original Je'Daii which later would create the Sith.
•Gree: Our third ancient species of the era around 100'000 BBY alongside the ancient Kwa and Rakata, the Gree were a species of smaller squid people with Technology more advanced than even the post-empire era. The little bastards at warp and teleportation technology.
•B'rknaa: Sentient Crystal beings who manipulated other crystals or the earth to form bodies. Their energy could imbue life in inanimate matter and were Force Resistant. They could get as big as an entire moon.
•Zonama Sekot: A living planet with people who formerly held the title of crafters of the fastest ships in the Galaxy. It was said to be the Seed of the Yuuzhan Vong homeworld and could actually travel through space.
•Purrgil: Star Wars' Space Whales. They can actually travel through Hyperspace and normal space naturally and get about as big as half a Star Destroyer.
•Duinuogwuin/Star Dragons: Oh yes, Space Dragons are a real thing and everyone one is said to be a match for a New Republic/Post Empire era (best era for ships) Star Defender Battlecruiser. They could be Force sensitive, could live thousands of years, had nuclear fusion fire breath and once basically beat down Coruscant until the Republic was forced to sign a treaty with them.
•Krayt Dragons: Tatooine Desert/Earth Dragons. Can't fly but the Greater subspecies was able to swim through sand and destroy entire colonies with ease. They were the planets top predators.
•Alchemy: Although mainly used by the Sith due to its innate leaning into the Dark Side, Alchemy was used to 'change' things using the Force, either materials or flesh. Many very bad things can be done through Alchemy, but it can also be used to basically create enchanted items and even help heal wounds.
•Force Imbument: Jedi enchanting. Technically, this was using to Force to improve the molecular structure through it guidance to improve objects or materials created this way. But yes, Je'Daii and Jedi created Katanas this way before the Lightsaber.
•Cortosis: a rare and somewhat fragile but extremely energy resistant and dispersive. A lightsaber hitting something made of Cortosis would shut down for minutes due to the feedback.
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AUTHOR NOTES:
Yes, I know I have a lot of Force this and Force that with Kyber Crystals everywhere, but this is by design.
The Sanctuarate is a place where Kyber Crystals can be farmed and are understood much better than anywhere else. Their use of the Force is imbedded into their very culture because Kieran designed it this way, making sure to avoid the pitfalls of the Rakata and previous Dark Side civilizations by forming a balance and giving back to the Force by literally revitalizing planets.
Beyond that, say hi to Salesh, literally a Space Dragon who I had fun creating and just got more fun when I made him eat Hutts and made them fear him. Space Dragon gives no shits and he was the best way I could figure for creating an incredibly powerful lightsaber core for Kieran.
The why behind the descendants of three very famous Jedi/Sith names being alive and in the Sanctuarate will be explained later, this was more of an introduction to currently still learning teens who will become more important in the future.
Also giving some glimpses into what the Sanctuarate has going on in the wider Galaxy as a whole.
But now that these couple of chapters are done, there's going to be more time-skipping until we get closer to 'canon' events while mentioning some other stuff before it.
Hope you like me making the most ridiculously op Star Wars faction by just combining all of its nonsense.