Chapter 59 – An apprentice searching for a crystal

"What will you do after?"

"What do you mean ?"

She cleared her throat before explaining her question as she looked at his nonchalant expression plastered on his face.

"Admitting your plan succeed, the Siths will be killed, the Jedi Order will be mostly destroyed and will have to be rebuilt. The Republic and the Separatists will be in a disturbing situation, both sharing the wrongs. And you? Alone, surely considered an enemy by your master because of the Jedis death and an enemy of both the Republic and the Separatist.... What is the plan after that? Before you answer, I have to say that this plan is pretty crappy."

"There is none. As for the consequences, that's why I wanted to create the New Jedi Order. To take care of my mess in my stead and give stability to the two shaken governments, maybe even reunite it."

She looked at him totally flabbergasted after his declaration he told on a flat tone and with a disturbing nonchalance.

"That's totally irresponsible! You create a mess on galactic scale and let other take care of it while you disappear in some dark corner of the galaxy and weep on your mistakes?!"

"I never said I will weep, but the chances are near zero that I can enact such a plan while maintaining my identity hidden. Palpatine isn't an idiot, even if I kill him, he will expose my identity. I'll probably be hunted down by vengeful groups and let's not forget bounty hunters, even if four years in the future, I'm pretty sure no one will be able to stop me."

"Boastful."

"Yeah, half boasting and half reality. I'm still searching what are my true limits, give me some time and I'll kick a lot of asses. But their is still that gut feeling helped by my deductions telling me that some major shit will fall in our heads soon enough."

When she heard his words, she once again sighed. It was hard to bear with his self judging and guilty temperament.

"You should really learn to see the positive side of things. Maybe find a girl, create a family of annoying shiny gold kids with your impossible nihilistic temper. And go fishing to distract you from all the bullshit in your head."

"Yeah, good idea. And when my kid will ask me what was my job, I'll tell him that I was a mass murderer on a galactic scale that let millions, die even though he could save them."

Anticipating her words, he added.

"Dont tell me I'm doing this for the greater good, this is how talked the worst monsters of history to justify their actions. I know my actions are necessary to save a lot of peoples. But it's just the less horrible plan that my braindead brain created to conciliate the destruction of the Siths and a rebirth for the Jedis. Otherwise I could have simply found a way to convince the Jedis and let them take care of Palpy."

"Kriff! You're so depressing! I join."

She was sullen by his actions and chose to help him as even if his actions were more radical than her and she knew he would lead his plan to the end. He will always judge himself guilty because of it."

"Why?"

"Because without me, I don't know how you will end. You have a stupid tendency to judge your own actions and inactions. Can't you be like every others and don't give a shit and simply live for yourself?"

As Layan said nothing, Lyn explains further her reasons why. After all, he was asking her to be an accomplice in murders and manipulating the destiny of the Republic.

"I knew already of the dark side of the Republic even before you told me about it. Even though I'm young, I'd like to say I'm pretty smart. If I have the chance to make it better and maybe change the fate of my peoples in this galaxy, then I'll do it."

Layan couldn't help but smile when she accepted to join his cause. At first, he was planning if she refused to follow him, but he couldn't. As they grew closer to each other's, Layan started to consider Lyn as a member of his family.

"Good. Now is time for you to get to work."

"What are you planning? I just passed 4 trials."

"What a poor girl. You're right, I'm asking too much. Forget it, you don't need to search for your own lightsaber crystal and build your own lightsaber."

Layan was speaking in a serious tone while enjoying her surprised expression.

"You tricked me."

"Hahah."

Her sullen speech tone made him laugh, something which didn't happen since who know how long.

"Let's go. After this, we planned with Ood and Vima to go check the seal of the Lost City and if possible, destroy Exar Kun's spirit once for all."

Inside the Phoenix, Layan let Lyn seat in the pilot seat while he sat beside her and watch her preparing to take off.

"You can go wherever you want. In galactic markets, on a world where you know you can find a crystal interesting you or meditate to find your crystal. Taking one from the cave here would be too easy and limit you to blue and green colors."

Lyn while piloting the ship entered in a state of moving meditation and change the coordinates for a new set of the expansion region, near the core worlds.

"May the force be with you. I don't want to be lost in space, or worse and crash into a sun or being sucked by a black hole."

"Relax, I know what I'm doing. I'm a great pilot, you taught me yourself."

The young girl smiled brightly before pulling down the lever which launched the ship into hyperspace and toward the wild space. As the cockpit was filled with light streaks, none moved and stayed in the cockpit to monitor all the systems while heading toward their destination.

"What did the force show you? You got a name?"

"A world of mountains, waterfalls and a purple crystal glittering in a dark place without a hint of light. The world is named M'haeli"

"When we will be back, I'll have a few gifts for you to celebrate our association, your success in your trials but also the first year of our meeting."

"Can't wait to know what is it. You're a millionaire, I hope you won't be stingy."

Seeing her stick out her tongue before giggling, he sighed while looking at her. How can she be so relaxed after making such a change in her life and is now one of the two persons holding the fate of the galaxy in their hands?

"You're really too relaxed. Can't you focus a bit?"

"And you're too serious, always frowning. You should smile, or get a girlfriend, it may help to help you lower your stress."

Layan simply smiled at her antics before continue to look at the ship even though they were primarily focusing on the force to pilot as it was easier than focusing on the ship. They did several jumps in hyperspace to avoid massive objects which mass may affect them in hyperspace such as stars before finally reaching M'haeli.

The trip lasted several hours as they travelled in the Perlemian Hyperroute for most of the trip and had to slow down while coming in core worlds proximity.

Lyn activated the cloaking device before entering the atmosphere of the planet and fly over the mountain ranges all over the planet searching for a distinctive element.

"Master! Look north, it's the mountain I saw in my vision!"

The ship landed a good distance away and the two of them started to explore the planet.

The world they landed on, M'haeli, was an agricultural world, ruled by a human monarchy even though it was the homeworld of the H'drachi, a force-sensitive species with a special link to the force.

"I know this world, the H'drachi live on it, a specie highly in tune with the force and many them are force-sensitive but I never heard of a H'drachi becoming a Sith or a Jedi, it's strange, on the other hand, they have a famous group of seer. The jedis don't let much of a choice in the current times when taking a child in their order, and those refusing and resisting are reported to the council. I don't know what happen next."

M'haeli was a mountainous world with vast plains separating the mountain ranges. The two of them did not take their speeder this time and walked on the mountain range while Lyn was leading the way searching for the place she saw in her vision.

While exploring, they saw large fungus grew in the mountain ranges around falls and waterways.

"This way!"

Lyn sped up her rhythm while Layan followed behind her. Finally, she stopped at the foot of a waterfall where water was creating mist and a clatter while falling from higher in the mountain.

She started to search everywhere for her crystal, even going to the side to see if there was a hidden cave behind the waterfall, but found nothing. After checking the place again, she concluded that the only place she didn't check was underwater.

Layan watched as she jumped in water with her clothes on, not even taking her off her jacket or shoes.

"What an impatient little girl! T3 bring the ship to our location before she gets ill."

He called the astromech droid using his comlink before sitting on the grass and waiting for Lyn to emerge from water.

Meanwhile, Lyn was swimming deeper and deeper. The depth was almost five-meter-deep, but she detected a submarine tunnel leading upward. Emerging from water into a dark cave, she lit her lightsaber to see around her.

The cave was nothing special, small damp and dark but signs of creatures living in it were laying on the floor, skeletons.

Her instinct kicked in. She jumped on the floor before a claw would pass through her head. Sounds of several feet were echoing in the cave as the beast run toward her, raising her blade to protect herself, she recognized the beast who attacked her.

"An acklay! Why is my luck so great?"

Lyn back flipped to avoid another claw which embedded into the soil where she was laying prior. Rushing toward it, the creature opened his jaw wide before extending his head toward her to bite a piece of her flesh.

Lyn jumped above the creature and rolled in midair before landing behind it and cutting one of its legs. The creature cried in pain and rage, but Lyn cut the head off.

After killing the beast, she examined the walls of the caves but found no traces of her crystal but a gut feeling was telling her the crystal was here, inside the cave.

Suddenly she turned toward the dead body and whispered with repugnance.

"Oh, kriff no, tell me no. Covered in a rancor's ocular fluids some days ago, and now this."

She used her lightsaber to open the stomach of the beast and let everything fall on the floor. A really gruesome sight, but the treasure was here, glittering like an amethyst.

She swam back up and saw her master laying on the grass, enjoying the sun with his eyes closed.

"You found it?"

"Yes. Look, a beautiful amethyst color."

She gave him the druses with few purple crystals on it. It was small and could be held in a hand.

"Like I thought. Dragite crystals."

"You knew it?"

"Yes, only few worlds produce lightsabers crystals, from those we know of. M'haeli is known for its dragite crystals as an efficient power source, but can also be used in lightsabers. You're lucky as these crystals have a special trait to them. They create deep sounds when clashing and may produce sonic damage to the opponent."

He gave her back the druse while walking toward the Phoenix, where she dried herself with a towel and changed into dry clothes.

"Here your gift. The other one should arrive on Ossus tomorrow."

Layan took out a small box. When Lyn opened it, she discovered a beautiful, lustrous white colored stone almost filling her fist.

"It's so beautiful. What is it?"

"A krayt dragon pearl. I thought it could be good for your second lightsaber. I hunted it myself on Tatooine, hope you like it."

"A KRAYT DRAGON PEARL?!! It's worth hundreds of thousands of credits, even more so for a white colored one!"

The krayt dragon pearl could be found only inside the said dragon, the apex predator of Tatooine if except for the greater Krayt dragon. They could be found in colors such as blue, green, red, white and black.

To be used in a lightsaber, the pearl needs to be cleaned, prepared, shaved and installed properly, otherwise it was a waste. The process is extremely difficult and require focus.

"You'll need to work hard if you want to succeed, using a krayt dragon pearl as a lightsaber crystal isn't easy."

"Another test?"

"No, an incredible gift and an exercise for my apprentice."