Ask Crystal Clear

[Harald av Svendsen]

Burinjina Crystal Caves​

And here Harald is with the Padawan he has taken up his wing Johanes av Holsen. It really is nice and fitting that his padawan is also from Sverend, also from the nobility. The Jedi Knight was with his padawan here for two fold reason. First would be to help Johanes obtain a kyber crystal from the caves they are in. Harald understands while Johanes has a lightsaber, but was given a crystal. Harald well help his padawan understand the process of getting a crystal and attuning it. That way, Johanes can says he has not just a crystal, but his crystal.

The second reason why they are here would become apparent to Johanes in due time.

Harald would be wearing his nice robes, he would have a utility belt, comlink, and a lightsaber stowed away. "Alright my favorite other Northerner in the Order." He addressed while smiling. Northerner referring to Sverend, the Northern Kingdom. It is true that Johanes would be his favorite other Sverender, although Harald isn't aware if there are any others in the order or not. But still! "It's time for you to get your very own crystal. Then, you can bond with it."

Where they are positioned now, there would be a path forward further expanding into a cavern, there would be glittering water too. "You may move ahead when ready. If you need anything along the way feel free to ask." he would give his learner the initiative. A quick pause but before his apprentice could take more than a few steps forward "Beware though, there might be some critters in here" When Harald lead other Jedi into claiming these caves, there were Hunter-Wasps and Gundarks. Not very friendly creatures.

@Wills

 

[Johanes av Holsen]

Burinjina. Johan hadn't heard of the world prior to the Prince telling him they were going there for something important. The moment he stepped out onto the planet, though, he almost wished he never set foot here. The heat was unbearable. Seriously, why would anyone want to settle down in a scorching place like this? Its only saving grace was the caves the Jedi had claimed a while back. The crystals hanging from the walls and the ceiling— they were marvellous, leaving the young Sverender entranced as they stepped foot in the caverns.

Fittingly, he opted to wear only his sleeveless padawan tunic, leaving his armorweave cloak on the ship upon witnessing the horrifying state of the climate on this planet. Though of course, he still kept on his utility belt, no matter how uncomfortable it was. As well as having his lightsaber clipped on his right hip, and a comlink on hand just in case.

Johan's attention shifted from the mesmerising crystals dotted around the cave when Harald addressed him, a wide playful grin adorning his face when the Prince called him his favourite. He waited and listened until Harald finished giving him the rundown on why they were here. "Aww, aren't you sweet, Master? You're my favourite too!" he nudged him teasingly before taking a couple of strides forward. His expression soured slightly at Harald's warning. Critters... great. He thought, keeping a hand on his lightsaber still buckled to his belt.

As they moved further into the caverns, with the young padawan in the lead, Johan couldn't help but continue gawking at the crystal formations. They were beautiful. It almost made him forget about the potential bugs that could leap at him from a corner without warning, at any moment.

Truthfully, he wasn't sure what he was looking for, having never gathered a kyber crystal of his own before. His pace slowed momentarily as he turned toward his master; "Uhm, what exactly am I looking for?" He asked, glancing toward the myriad of crystals all around them, feeling slightly lost. But, at least there were no bugs to be seen! Yet...

@The Good Doctor

 

[Harald av Svendsen]

Good question. "Open yourself up to the Force." Harald acknowledged he gave rather cryptic advice. "Feel the Force flow through this place." he said. This place is strong in the Light Side of the Force, the two would be able to feel it as they moved forward "Remember, you aren't just looking for any crystal. You are looking for the one. It will make itself apparent. It will call out to you." Although a kyber crystal may appear to look like any other crystals, they are living things with feelings and are touched by the Force.

Up ahead, the two of them would see a sizable four-legged creature up ahead. Harald can't say he's familiar with it. Must be new. The creature would be enraged and then it would start charging at the group, going for Johanes that's up and front aiming to make him into a snack.

"You got this" Harald quipped and smiled as he would step backwards, letting his apprentice deal with it. Shouldn't be too difficult for a lightsaber wielding Jedi, padawan or not.

@Wills

 

[Johanes av Holsen]

Open up to the Force. Right. Johan acknowledged his master's advice with a gentle nod, turning to continue further into the caverns.

In that chilling moment, he noticed the weird froglike beast eyeing him up. For a second, he froze and looked for guidance in Harald; "Master?" Johan turned back slightly to where his master stood just a moment ago, only to be greeted by... nothing. "Harald?!" His gaze quickly snapped around in confusion, seeing the Prince slowly backing up with a smile and a few 'encouraging' words. "Great..." He muttered as he moved to face the four-legged creature up ahead. Except it didn't have the courtesy to wait for the padawan to get over his initial state of shock. No. It had bigger, tastier plans in mind as it closed the distance within a matter of seconds.

Frantic, Johan grabbed his lightsaber. Cyan blade snapping to life in an instant as he clumsily moved to evade the coming onslaught. Or, to be more precise, he tried; only able to move enough to be mostly out of the way.

Ouch. It wasn't quite enough. Johan let out a groan as the creature slammed into his shoulder, stumbling him back a couple of meters. Though to his credit, not before he was able to swing his lightsaber to the side, lightly slashing into the beast's sticky, slimy skin.

Alas, the beast quickly recovered with ample determination to get its lunch, swiftly turning to lunge at the young padawan. Not quite swift enough, however. The young Sverender aggressively lunged forward, thrusting the lightsaber straight into the creature's eyes, closing them forever.

With a loud, echoing thud, the corpse fell to the ground. "How's that? You over-grown toad." Johan mocked with a frown. Apparently he wasn't quite above taunting the deceased.

After taking a few moments to recover, he turned toward the Prince with a deadpan look on his face. "Thanks for the help. It really came in handy." He quipped sarcastically, keeping an expressionless face for emphasis.

@The Good Doctor

 

[Harald av Svendsen]

"No problem! I was worried there for a moment, but I was glad my moral support came in clutch there" he smirked as he joked. Now that the weird three-eyed frog-like beast was slain, they can continue onwards. Following the path ahead, there wouldn't be any more critters, at least for the moment.

However, one would feel the hum in the Light Side of the Force grow stronger. "You feel that?", he would ask Johanes

Next they they would enter into a large wide open cavern, at the end of the pathway, a large chunk of kyberite would extend out, almost like a bridge but didn't connect on the other end. But in the expanse, it's wide open. There are many paths and paths upon paths.

"Close your eyes, reach out with the Force, concentrate. Feel through the Force for a Kyber calling out to you..." he would then instruct his padawan.

After allowing his padawan some time, he would ask the other Northerner. "Did you feel the tug of the Force?"

@Wills

 

[Johanes av Holsen]

Johan rolled his eyes at Harald's response as he shut his lightsaber off, clipping it back on his right hip. He could've died, for god's sakes! Even so, the padawan couldn't keep the stoic facade up any longer. A prideful grin enveloped his face. Bruised shoulder or not, he took the three-eyed freak down all by himself. That counted for something, right?

Delving deeper into the caves, Johan felt the harmonious hum of the Force. "Yes. It's so peaceful." His muscles eased up, still tense from his earlier tug with the toad. He heeded Harald's advice, closing his eyes. Concentrate. He reminded himself, reaching out into the Force. "Yeah." he replied, taking a few steps forward. Stopping at the tip of the outstretched kyberite.

He opened his eyes and glanced down into the open expanse. Big drop. Slipping now would be quite embarrassing... And deadly. "It's calling to me from down there," he gestured while looking for a way down. Jumping was an option, but he was unsure if he could make it. The training hall was the only place he ever tried cushioning his fall with the force. This, was something different.

Once again, he glanced toward his master, silently seeking guidance on what to do.

@The Good Doctor

 

[Harald av Svendsen]

Harald could see the long way down and then look at his padawan, there is only one way down. And Harald can tell that his padawan is looking to him on what to do next. "It's down there?" he asked to confirm.

"I'll help you down there. You jump, you try to slow yourself down and I'll use the Force on my end to help you down as well." he said. He wasn't fooling around.

If Johanes took that route, Harald would lower his profile down and stretch his hand, reaching out with the Force to make sure that the padawan had a gentle decent downwards.

After making sure Johanes was down, Harald would jump down. As a certified Jedi Knight™, he would be more comfortable on his own. He would make the decent of his own, using the force to slow his fall and soften his impact with the ground. Now at the bottom, they would now be in a wide open cavern, there would also be small ponds inside as well.


"Where is it calling to you now?" he would ask.

@Wills

 

[Johanes av Holsen]

"Yep, think so." Johan nodded to Harald before taking a literal leap of faith. As promised, the young padawan smoothly glided into the depths of the caverns, landing with a soft thud. He watched as his master followed, descending with skill. Neat, cool even. He thought before turning around, glancing toward the many pods of crystals.

Once again, he opened himself up to the force, listening to its call. The hum of the Light Side enveloped his mind, pointing the way. "That way," he gestured toward a large cluster of crystals to the right. Its pull intensifying as Johanes approached them with soft steps.

The colourless crystal glistened in the ambient specks of light. Johan reached forward and gently grabbed it, cupping it in his hands.

For a moment, it glimmered a bright turquoise shade before settling in the colour. He took a step back from the formation as he observed the crystal. Aside from a slight difference in colour, it didn't look all too different from the one he used in his lightsaber. But it felt different. Much more personal.

"Is that all? Are we done here?" he turned to Harald with an inquisitive look glistening in his hazel eyes. A hint of eagerness seeped through his words; he could hardly wait to leave. Burinjina left much to be desired between the wildlife and the climate. The crystals were pretty, whatever that was worth. Though, a part of him felt like harvesting a crystal wasn't their only purpose here...

@The Good Doctor

 

[Harald av Svendsen]

"Brilliant" Harald said of the crystal that his padawan picked. "A very fine crystal. Great job" he said, smiling. Congratulating his padawan. "It's a rite of passage well done." he said.


"We are done in these caves. We can see about getting another lightsaber being constructed in due time. If you want to talk to me more about the kyber crystals, we can do that later. We do have more business elsewhere on the planet though" Sure, the Jedi have the crystal caves here, which in which more young Jedi such as Johanes will be able to get kyber from. "I set up an appointment with a representative of the Burinja natives. We are going to ask for their blessing to construct a Jedi Temple on this planet." a pause "I figured with the crystal caves, the planet's connection to the Force, and the interesting enviroment, this would be a perfect place" That was the second reason they were on this world.

He would then ask the other Sverender. "What say you, care to assist me?" he figured his padawan would love some diplomacy experience.

@Wills

 

[Johanes av Holsen]

Johan pulled a smirk in response to Harald's question. "I'm guessing you only asked to be courteous." He raised a brow. Ain't no way he'd just let his Padawan call it a day this quick. Johan may have been clueless sometimes, but he wasn't that naive. With a dramatic sigh, he agreed. "Lead the way, master." Yay, more Burinja fun!

As they prepared to leave, he glanced back at the crystals one last time. A memory he won't soon forget— not least because of the three-eyed frog-thing and the trauma it may have given the young Sverender.

That said, he was somewhat excited to try his hand at some diplomacy. Or even to observe Harald having a go at it. It would be a first for the young padawan. Who knows, Johan might even decide to follow in Harald's footsteps after this experience.

He did have one question, though. "Are the natives nice?" A simple question. They certainly weren't hostile, otherwise this part of their little trip wouldn't have happened. But they still could be... stand-offish with the Jedi. Especially now, with the rebirth of the Jedi Crusaders. It wouldn't come as a surprise if they were hesitant to let the Jedi establish a permanent presence on their world. Such efforts were bound to attract unwanted attention eventually.

@The Good Doctor

 

[Harald av Svendsen]

"Well, they let us have these crystal caves rent-free as long as we could clear them out. I think they are nice." There is though a limit to how nice one can be. The caves are one thing, a Jedi temple is another. With that, they would then leave the crystal caves. "Alright then, we will do this together"

---

The meeting with the native delegation would be held in one of the larger tribes, but Harald and his padawan would be hosting the actual negotiations in the former's own ship the the Svanevit, in the luxury room with the couch and the vacant bar. The two would already be in the present, they would have plenty of time to clean up and such to be presentable.

An elder female tribal leader then walked in, having been ushered in. She would then say "Greetings, I am Lilmac, I will be representing our people in these talks." Harald would then offer to shake hands with her. "Welcome aboard. I am Jedi Knight Harald Svendsen" He would glance over to his padawan. "This is my padawan apprentice. He will be joining us if you don't mind" there would be a pause so his padawan would be able to introduce himself.

Harald would then point towards the nice fine exotic leather couches. Must be nice to be in an air-conditioned ship rather than the heat of the outback world.

The tribal diplomat didn't waste any time getting to things. "So, I understand you two are looking to build a Jedi Temple on planet. We were fine with the crystal caves, but a temple might bring unwanted attention to this world. Plus we heard that the Jedi is militarizing.. We won't rule out the possibility of a temple, but we would rather not be in the middle of any war that isn't ours."

Already right for the get-go. This is a really common concern and Harald doesn't blame them. "I hear your people's concerns. We don't wish to involve you in a war that isn't yours. But this location is perfect for a temple. We don't want to have you get caught up in the middle. But, if we build a temple here, we would not advertise it's presence to the the galaxy."

Lilmac barely nodded her head and kept a stoic, blank expression on her face. It wasn't clear if she was being swayed, was in disapproval or what. Still, Harald had more to say, but looked over for his padawan to add input. They are doing this together afterall.

@Wills