The Heart of the Guardian

[Ral]

"Well, we could always use fingers if we can't find a substitute for straws! Here," Kai remarked as he playfully grabbed for Saana's hand and pretended to try and bite of her fingers. After a few seconds of playacting he gave up and gave the young female a warm smile as they started to make their way down the cold, dark cave passageways. The journey up and out took a little while as both Jedi had to use their lightsabers and their own perception of the Force to aid in making their way through the network of caves before they got anywhere close to the exit of the caves. Stepping forward, Kai could feel the breeze just as Saana did, and he smiled. "Well, if it is, we should probably wait until morning to head out. We don't know where the cave lets out, and we don't want to be stumbling around the desert with the sun down, now do we?"

Plopping himself down a little distance from the exit of the cave, the Jedi Master grinned to Saana, "C'mon, you must be tired. We can pick up where we left off in the morning." He patted the ground next to him as he deactivated his lightsaber and rested the back of his head against the stone surface. "It's not the most comfortable of beds, but it'll do, especially if you've had a bit of an adventure."

 

[CJ Solo]

Saana smirked a little, then shook her head. "You are just being silly now." Still, the bit of humor helped to ease away whatever tension and stress lingered from the high pressure situation that they had just faced together. She walked along with him, the blade of the lightsaber in her hand humming with energy as it helped to light their way. The darkness, the coolness of the place seemed more evident now than it had before and the further they went, and the more time that had passed since the battle, she grew more weary. When she felt the breeze for the first time, she paused and let it brush over her skin, glad of the sign.

"I am, some, yes." She moved to sit down against the wall next to her Master, after shutting down the lightsaber. Saana offered the hilt back to him, knowing that it had once belonged to someone he cared a lot about. "Here. Thank you for letting me use it."

 

[Ral]

"A little nonsense now and then brings a smile to the wisest men," Kai rhymed with a musical note as he smiled at Saana in the dark cave. Once they reached the exit of the cave, the master sat down and got comfortable for what would likely be an uncomfortable night of sleep. Chuckling a little as Saana admitted she was getting tired, Kai motioned her to join him again, "Well, hurry up and get over here then!" He grinned as she moved next to him. Once her lightsaber was off, the only light was the small source that Saana had brought with her, otherwise darkness permeated the entirety of the cave. As she offered him the lightsaber hilt, the older Jedi looked at it, hesitating for a moment before his hand came up. Touching her hand, he gently pushed it back towards her. "Why don't you hold onto it for a little while? At least until you make your own then you can return it, if you want. A Jedi should have something they can actually defend themselves with."

Kai gave Saana one last smile as he reclined his neck and closed his eyes for a few seconds. After a minute or so, Kai extended an arm and grabbed ahold of Saana, pulling her towards him so they were closer. Opening an eye he gave her a playful smile, "How did you feel about today then?"

 

[CJ Solo]

Saana studied him for what seemed like a long moment after he told her to hold onto it, at least for now. "Thank you, Master. I will take good care of it." She knew the hilt meant a lot to him, as did the person it once belonged to, but to exactly what extent she did not know. Her gaze shifted away from him to look at the hilt for a moment before she put it away.

Saana's gaze lifted again, her attention returning to Master Kai when he pulls her closer to him. She relaxed against him, her head carefully resting against his shoulder. "That terrentatek was a frightening beast. Do you really think it was the gem it was drawn to?"

 

[Ral]

"Good, I'm sure you will be, Saana," Kai muttered out, the weariness in his voice was coming through as he spoke. He smiled softly while he relaxed his eyes a little. Through the Force Kai could still sense a few thoughts about the hill as Saana gripped the simple shape in her hand. When he pulled her close to him, he thought about how nice it felt to be close to a friend when it was cool, and the cavern was quite cool. Feeling her own warmth was nice, but not nearly as pleasant as when Saana rested her head on his shoulder, the gesture meant a lot to Kai even though he didn't say anything. It just displayed how close they had become and how comfortable she trusted her master like a friend, like family. As she spoke, her slightly accented voice answering his question. "Indeed it was," he agreed as he thought about her question. "I think so, that or it was drawn to more things down in that cave. We won't know unless you want to go digging deeper into those caves."

With a but of a chuckle, Kai took her red hand in his and squeezed it gently, patting the back if it with his other one. After a few more seconds he spoke again, "The hilt, it belonged to Aluae, the first Padawan I met as a knight. We were very close, she meant a lot to me, as I'm sure you know. I called her a friend and we had a lot of adventures together. But when the Empire came to Naboo she chose to fight in Char... I'm not sure what happened, but the city was razed, all I could find was her lightsaber. I have a feeling she's still alive out there, wandering, but I'm not sure... I may never know." Kai rest his head against hers, "So, now you know."

 

[CJ Solo]

Saana's voice seemed to lower in volume to match his as she responded, a faint smile tugging at her lips. "No. I think that I rather not go digging deeper." There was no need for it. The draw to the place was gone and anything else now would be frivilous. Silence fell over her as she listened to Master Kai's recount of where the loaned lightsaber came from. It was a while before she said anything; long enough that it might seem that she was not going to say anything, but eventually she does as she takes in his presence and his touch. "Maybe there was reason for it, something the Force wanted you to take from the experience, or learn from it. Maybe you were only meant to be touched by her briefly and maybe the reason you have not found her yet is that it is time for her to touch others."

 

[Ral]

"Good, I'm glad, we'll have plenty to do tomorrow and on the journey back." The dark-haired master said wearily, his voice was even more tired with each passing moment, but kept himself up so that he could share with Saana, his friend, one of those sisters he never had. Sitting with her after he shared his story of the lightsaber, he slowly started to drift away into sleepiness, the faint lingering scent of Saana's body wash, the odd exotic musk of her natural body oder, the fresh cool desert air, and the stale damp mustiness of the cave filled his nostrils. The gentle rhythm of their breathing was almost like a lullaby to him. Finally, Saana spoke again and Kai's eyes blinked awake. Shifting his head a little on hers he smiled as he listened to the wisdom that came from her mouth. When she was done he released her hand and pulled her head closer to him where he delivered a gentle, familiar peck on her forehead like a father to a daughter, or a brother to sister who had just done something both touching and remarkable. Wrapping his arms around her he slouched down a little. "You really will make a wonderful Knight, Saana," Kai said sleepily. "You have some really keen insight and wisdom to share... thank you for listening to me and being supportive. So, do you have any stories you wanna share?"

 

[CJ Solo]

Saana smiled a little at him. "I have my moments, but it is you that I get it from." Their closeness was comforting. The warmth that they exchanged fended off the chill of the night desert air. As she continued to rest against him, she yawned a little.

His last question was one that she had to think about. What tales did she have to tell that would be of interest? There was not one she could readily think of, so she settled for just talking about herself. "I have a sister who is still on Shili with my mother. It was she and my mother that taught me to be a huntress and to be a healer." She smiled a little. "I was often in trouble for being distracted by the stories of the past. I think, though... if it were not for them I would not be here now."

 

[Ral]

"You do me too much kindness, my dear," Kai remarked before letting out a yawn, no doubt caused by Saana letting out the first yawn. Rubbing her back with one hand, Kai closed his eyes and hummed to himself lightly a melody. It was off-tune, but it still had an air of tired comfort to it like a bedtime song a father might sing to his newborn child. After some time, Saana finally spoke, answer the question he had posed to her about a story. Humming bemusedly to himself as she explained to him about her sister and mother, and how she got distracted and in trouble for liking the stories of the past. It made him chuckle a little, but it was a barely audible, obviously tired laugh. When she was done had replied, half-asleep, "Well, I guess I should thank them for having you here with me. You'll have to introduce us sometime so I can thank them for making such a helpful and insightful Jedi, and a wonderful woman." Kai chuckled again, but by now he was very nearly on the edge of passing out. Pulling her as close to him as they could be he whispered quietly, clearly about to fall asleep, "Goodnight, my dear."

 

[CJ Solo]

Saana would have to do that some time, take him home with her. But the vocalization of the thought does not come out as anything. Her head simply nods a little against him. It was only moments later, with her eyes closed, that she drifted off into sleep as she rested against him. It had been a long exhausting day.

It was not until hours later when the first rays of light started to creep into the nearby cave entrance that her eyes opened again. Saana had slowly, and carefully, freed herself from Master Kai. She had moved to the mouth of the cave, looking out over the Tatooine morning landscape appraisingly. She sat down once more, there in the slowly growing pool of sunlight to eat one of her ration bars in silence. When that was done, she just sat there for a few moments before she extracts the crystal they picked up from where she had been keeping it, letting the sun's light catch it.

 

[Ral]

Kai opened his eyes sometime later, almost surprised to see that Saana wasn't with him. Blinking a few times, the dark-haired master rubbed his eyes before propping his elbow on the hard stone ground and resting his head on his hand. Looking at Saana, Kai chuckled slightly, "So, you're one of those girls who sleeps with a guy, then disappears in the morning, huh?" He was quite obviously being humorous and playful with the Togruta, who he guessed had very little experience with the sort of activity he was implying. Standing up he walked over to her, taking a seat on the ground and looking at what shew s doing. It was clear she had already eaten, and she seemed to be holding her crystal in her hand.

"You're supposed to meditate on it, ya know, feel it with the Force, try and make it attuned with you. You can put it in your lightsaber when you make it. I believe I have some spare parts if you want to get started when we get back to the ship." It was a suggestion he made, but he expected his apprentice to do what she felt was right, of course. "For now, just let you and the suns' light fill up your crystal. I'll wait here and meditate."

 

[CJ Solo]

Saana had not meditated with the crystal or felt out its presence in the Force or tried to attune herself with it as she sat there. Instead, she moved it here and there letting it catch, reflect and refract the light of the sun. She took in its physical appearance and contemplated the importance of such a small thing. She was so lost in those thoughts that she had not noticed that Master Kai was stirring until he spoke. Saana startled a little when he did and looked up from the crystal. "Hmm, what?" She blinked once taking a moment to realize what he was talking about. "Oh... No, not reallyMaster." She smiled a little at him.

"Attune myself to it?" Saana gave him a questioning look. "I have read about it; some Jedi spending weeks or even months in meditation on a crystal to imbue it with the Force. Does it really take that long? How do you know when you are attuned to it?"

 

[Ral]

"Sure you're not," Kai laughed as he stood up and started to walk over. "I'll believe that when I see it." He smirked as he sat down next to her and began explaining the need to attune to the lightsaber crystal. When she asked about it, remarking that she had read it can take weeks, he just shrugged. "Sometimes they can. But in my experience that's a more extreme case. When you find a lightsaber like this, there's a reason. The Force wanted you to have it, so it's already going to be somewhat attuned to you. After all, this is what was calling you here remember? You just need to finish the job yourself..."

After a brief pause, Kai smiled, "Well, we can head back to the ship if you want to start your meditations there. What does the Force tell you? Do you want to stay here or try to find the speeder and head nack?"

 

[CJ Solo]

"Oh. I see." Saana understood the concept of it, however, it left her unsure why a Jedi would choose a crystal that was so far unattuned to them already to require so much time. She regarded him a moment, then looked out the entrance of the cave to the open sky and landscape of Tatooine. The togruta put deep consideration into weighing the options for a good minute or so before she looked back to Master Kai. "I will do it here. You are welcome to stay, if you like, but if you feel you would be bored you could look for the speeder."

Saana smiled at him warmly, then her attention shifted to the crystal still in her hand. It represented so many things for her. It was a symbol of the time that she had spent with Kai as Master and Apprentice. It was a symbol of that time coming to an end and their relationship progressing into something else. It represented the distance she had come in her training and soon she would no longer be a padawan, but a Jedi Knight. It represented the future and those that she would one day guide from padawan to Jedi Knights. Saana looked up at him once more as she sat there.

 

[Ral]

"I don't want to distract you, my dear, you should probably do this alone, unless you think you need my help attuning to your crystal for some reason..." Kai's voice trailed off. The young master had no doubt Saana was more than capable of attuning to the crystal on her own, but he figured he'd give her the option. Standing up he clapped his hands and patted himself down, clearing some of the sand and dust that had gathered on his clothes. Smiling at Saana, Kai leaned in as he cupped the Togruta's face, and planted a gentle kiss on her forehead where her red skin transitioned to the ivory flesh of her crest. It was gesture he did to all the women he was close to, not just romantically so, and it was to show the care he held for the person who was receiving it. "You have your comlink in case you get attacked and almost eaten by a Krayt Dragon. I'm going to go get out speeder and bring it around. Maybe practice some stuff while you meditate here. That sound good to you?" He asked, looking into the red-skinned alien's beautiful golden eyes, waiting for a response before leaving.

 

[CJ Solo]

Saana smiled at the gesture of the kiss; it was endearing. At the same time, it sent her thoughts back into that of the future. It was a reminder that with each step forward, times like these were coming to an end. She would, in time, become a Jedi Knight and no longer be Master Kai's apprentice. She would move on to missions of her own and training her own apprentices and he would move on to other things and other apprentices as well. The togruta studied his eyes a moment, then nodded slightly. "I will be fine. Go ahead."

As he headed out, Saana sat there watching him leave until she could not see him anymore. She commented silently to the crystal, as she turned her attention back to it, that it was just her and it now. The padawan moved a little to make herself a little more comfortable and to position herself the way she wanted to be, facing out of the cave. Only the one sun was still rising and she took in the new day's light as she closed her eyes. She held the crystal cupped in both hands; the light shining on it as much as it was shining on her. Through the Force, she reached out to the crystal. Such a little thing that had called to her from across star systems. The togruta allowed her energy to touch that of the crystals; to blend and merge with it.

The experience was a unique one. Saana lost track of time as Tatooine's first sun rose the rest of the way and eventually the second one did as well. Master Kai had been right, not that she did not trust him, but she had not been sure how she would know that the crystal was attuned to her. As she meditated there with it, though, it felt more and more a part of her. She felt things and saw things and a few hours later she rose to her feet and exited the cave. Saana glanced over the landscape to see if Master Kai had made it with the speeder yet.

 

[Ral]

Giving Saana that familiar and endearing pat on top of her head between her twin montrals, Kai smiled at his red-skinned friend and nodded. "Alright, that sounds fine to me. Good luck, Saana, and may the Force be with you."

Kai was excited for Saana, she was becoming a better Jedi by the day. A small part of him was proud of her. Indeed their time together was coming to an end finally as master and apprentice, but he wasn't sad about that, simply happy and excited. A new time of their life would come after that. One where they're more or less equals as they continue to learn and grow in the Force and as Jedi. Who knew what the Force had in store for them as master and knight. Kai was more certain than ever that Saana could quickly make Master if she wanted to. She had the drive and potential, the skill and the aptitude. She was true Jedi material.

As he left the cave, Kai did his best to stick to the still long shadows in the early morning light. It would take him a little while to scale the rocky cliffs and sandy valleys, following where the Force would lead him. The suns rose higher into the sky, the shadows shortened, and the temperature went up. Kai knew that he would need to find the speeder soon, or he was going to start burning up. Luckily for Kai, after only an hour or so, the dark-haired Jedi Master finally managed to find his ride. It had survived the night unscathed, thankfully. Driving it back to the cave entrance where Saana was meditating on her crystal, Kai parked the speeder and waited for the Force to tell him to go get his friend.

 

[CJ Solo]

Saana had stepped out of the cave and pulled up the hood of her cloak to protect her head and face from the two suns of Tatooine that were now high in the sky. She did not see Master Kai immediately and for a few moments she just stood there. With her senses in the Force, she reached out looking for the very familiar presence of the man who has been her friend, mentor and Master. Upon finding his presence, she smiled a little and trekked over sand and rock to go find him. It is not long before she finally sees him, and the speeder, taking cover in the shade provided by a rock outcropping.

"Master Kai." Saana spoke up once she drew closer to him. "I am ready to go now, to build the rest of the lightsaber." She offered him a bit of a smile as she came to stand next to the speeder. "I did not keep you waiting too long, did I?"

 

[Ral]

Kai was rather surprised when Saana showed up and surprised him. Raising an eyebrow at her when she said she was ready to go, he nodded. "Alright, I take it you got everything with your crystal sorted out?" He asked as he hopped into the speeder and started to power it up again. "And no, not too long, I was just thinking to myself mostly. Would have started working on some vectors and katas if you were going to be any longer. Maybe see if I could sneak up on you and surprise you when you finished. That sorta stuff."

Driving back through the valleys, and open sand fields, over the dunes, and finally back to the starport, Kai returned the speeder to the rental shop, walking back with Saana by his side, Kai wondered what they could talk about, until finally he realized that he could bring up the sort of lightsaber she wanted to build. As they neared the ship, he looked at her and started speaking again, "Alrighty, so, do you know what you want your lightsaber to look like? I mean, do you have an image in your head? My first teacher taught me to draw on the Force like I was meditating, and then try to visualize what I wanted my hilt and blade to be. I remembered it for the second time I had to make a lightsaber hilt and made this," Kai took off his own lightsaber and handed it to Saana so she could imagine the craftsmanship of the hilt. It was mostly straight, but it had a slight curved, almost ergonomic wave to it. There was an extended emitter shroud on the backhand part of the hilt, and the design was covered in chromium. "Much better than the first one I made."

Finally, they reached Kai's small freighter and they walked up the boarding ramp together. Once inside, Kai went to the small workshop area he had set up in the cargo bay, and taking out all of his spare parts he let Saana go through them. "This isn't everything you might want, I know. But it has the basics, lens, power cell, that sort of stuff, plus grips, shroud emitters, and all those goodies. The Galactic Evolution or an outpost will have more, but feel free to take what you need here."

 

[CJ Solo]

Saana nodded and smirked a little as she caught the moment of surprise from her Master. "Clearly, you waited too long then." The smirk grew into a grin even as he climbed into the speeder; climbing into it as well. She settled in as he finished powering up the engines and then soon they were off once more. This time, she simply enjoyed the trip without having to look for anything through the Force or otherwise. In the end, they returned to where they had gotten the speeder from, returned it and headed off for the ship they had come on.

Saana shook her head. "No, I have not put a lot of thought into it." She accepted his hilt, taking a look at it and noting the characteristics of it. Finally, she handed it back to him. "I... just always thought it would come to me as I focused on the task." For a moment, she was silent before she continued. "A lot of Jedi have done many things, few really the same, to build their lightsabers. It always struck me that maybe they let the Force guide them in the process instead of planning it out ahead of time."

When they came to a stop on board the ship at his work bench, Saana rested her hands on the edge of it. Her gaze swept over the different parts and pieces as they were put out. They all varied, even if just slightly, in color, size and even shape. For what seems like a long time, her attention is focused on them silently. Eventually, though, she turned her attention back to Master Kai. "Would you say that in a way the Jedi Code applies to even building a lightsaber?"