Chapter 8: Ilum
Connor awoke the next morning to his clan chatting like teenage girls at a slumber party. Could you blame them? They were about to collect their very own kyber crystal which will be used to construct their very own lightsaber! This was a rite of passage for any future jedi and would be their first major step to becoming peacekeepers of the galaxy.
Connor spent his time preparing for by looking at the list of skills to decide which ones would best aid him in the construction of his lightsaber. After about 10 minutes, Connor selected two separate skills, [Novice Metal Working] and [Novice Wiring]. Younglings were required to make their own lightsabers almost entirely from scratch.
Although the materials were provided and those overseeing the construction could assist, a large part was left entirely up to those young soon-to-be padawans. [Novice Metal Working] would help Connor to craft his hilt which was a major part of any lightsaber. [Novice Wiring] on the other hand, Connor was hoping would help him to increase the efficiency and overall performance by better working through the power source, the kyber crystal.
The time had arrived to head to Ilum. The clan headed to the ship that would take them to Ilum to select a kyber crystal, they would then reboard the ship and craft their lightsaber. As the clan approach the ship, they saw Grandmaster Yoda waiting for them. Connor really respected Yoda; even though he had many responsibilities as head of the Order, he still took the time to guide the younglings throughout their journey. This really showed his dedication and commitment to the Jedi Order.
"Joining to construct his lightsaber today, another will be. Under special circumstances, never a youngling like you, he was, but he still needs to construct a lightsaber.", Yoda was quick to the point. That was when Connor noticed two others standing beside Grandmaster Yoda. Connor's eyes widened when he saw the who it was. This was Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker. One was the first jedi to defeat a Sith in one thousand years and the other was the man who would later become Darth Vader. "Hello, I am Obi-Wan Kenobi and I will also be attending in order to keep an eye on my padawan", Obi-Wan addressed the younglings. There was some chatter among the clan, as they had all heard of the famous Obi-Wan Kenobi.
All present then boarded the ship and it then began its ascent into space. While aboard, Connor found a corner in the room and began to meditate, he still planned to make every moment count and become stronger and stronger. "Excuse me", Connor was then pulled out of his meditation by a voice. He opened his eyes to see Obi-Wan and Anakin standing in front of him. Connor then stood up and bowed, "Hello there". 'I hate myself', Connor inwardly thought. "Jedi Knight Obi-Wan, how many I assist you?".
"No need such formalities", Obi-Wan replied. "I saw the holo-vid of your trials and just wanted to talk with the young man who has such a high mastery of Form III at such a young age. I myself practice From III. My padawan here on the other hand seems to be intent on mastering every form.", Obi-Wan motioned to Anakin on the last sentence. "Of course master, I will become the most powerful Jedi!", Anakin declared. "You still have much to learn, my young padawan", Obi-Wan reprimanded. "Youngling Connor, I hope we have a chance to cooperate together in the future", Obi-Wan said and bowed to Connor. "If the force wills it", Connor replied and returned the bow.
"Wow, you just received praise from Obi-Wan, the first Jedi to defeat a Sith in a thousand years and as a padawan no less", Bruce, who had been eavesdropping on the entire conversation, approached and started speaking to Connor. "He simply wanted to congratulate me on my performance at the trials", replied Connor. Connor continued to star at Obi-Wan and Anakin as they walk to another part of the ship. Obi-Wan was right; he planned to have a very close working relationship with them both.
Not long after, the ship exited hyperspace and began its descent to Ilum. Yoda began to instruct the younglings prior to the journey. Yoda may sure to remind the younglings to always stick with the group and listen to all of his instructions very carefully. Luckily, they landed very close to the clave that housed the kyber crystals so the walk in the snowy terrain would not be far. The ship then landed with a clunk; they had arrived.
Connor exited the ship along with everyone else and headed towards the cave. Upon entering, Connor was amazed at the sight. Hundreds…No, thousands of colorless crystals covered the wall. "The crystal you will not choose. You the crystal shall choose.", Yoda instruction was clear to everyone. They must meditate and feel which kyber crystal the Force is connecting them to. Connor sat down as did the other younglings to begin their search for their crystal.
After several minutes of meditation, Connor began to feel something calling him towards a particular side of the room. Connor stood up his still closed and walked towards the direction he was being led. After walking about 50 paces, Connor stopped and opened his eyes to see he had reached a wall. Looking at the crystals in front of him, he noticed one that stood out to him more than others. The only problem was that it was slightly out of reach compared to the rest of them. Connor reached out with his hand and gave the crystals a slight tug using the Force. The crystal, as if wanting to be set free, immediately detached from the wall of the cave.
The crystal landed in Connor's hand and the clear nature of the crystal changed to a stark blue. This made sense as he only knowledge of the light side. If he had put any points into dark side, the crystal might have become purple and only through the Sith ritual of making a crystal "bleed" could it become red. Green, on the other hand, was reserved for those who were more attuned to the Force, and Connor had more points towards his lightsaber skills. While yellow was for the sentinels of the order who moved in the dark for the Order when needed , and protected places like the Jedi Temple. Connor then put the crystal away in his pocket. He had what he had came for and now it was time to forge a lightsaber.