Lightsaber Creation Story

If you are reading this topic, I welcome you to witness one of the penultimate tasks that will be required of Jedi Hunter Prajna Berkana as he progresses towards the rank of Obelisk Knight. It is my hope to, in this run-on, work alongside this member as he demonstrates his capabilities of creating a truly unique piece of Character Fiction that will set the tone for the character Prajna throughout the Equite ranks.

I ask that only Prajna and I post on this forum, interuptions/other posts, will be deleted if they do happen to pop up. If you would like to leave words of support or offer insight to the Journeyman, I advise you to contact him via e-mail or mIRC.

Thank you, and I hope you enjoy!

Krath Archpriest Braecen Kunar
Proud Master of Prajna Berkana

The Heir of Kun danced to his right, swirling past the oncoming obstacle and setting himself up for his next line of attack. It was the precious moments between motions that counted for the final result... the end victory. Unfortunately, the Corellian was not in battle... not even training or sparring in the Clan recreational center. In fact, he was walking from the offices of the Envoys back towards the Consul's chambers. His narrow misses were not near fatal attacks or aversion to coursing bolts of blaster fire, merely dodging between the Apprentices, Novices and Acolytes as they hustled to their next training session.

"What did Chi used to say about apathy?" The Krath mused to himself. "It is the-"

"Beginning of the end." A Cerean voice interjected from behind the Equite. While the voice was not unknown, Braecen gave a slight start at how the Jedi Hunter had so thoroughly snuck into his wake and closed the distance. "How many times must I warn you about not being mindful of the Living Force, Master?" Prajna Berkana wore a smug grin as he chastised his mentor for his apparent lack of self-preservation in the halls of a horde of Dark Jedi.

Braecen finally overcame his apparent shock, turning his surprise into suspicion, placing himself on a verbal assault of the young pupil. "Why have you returned to Clan Headquarters, young one?" His chin rose to a defiant pose, a sharp image of an intimidating leader - but to Prajna the facade fell short, he knew the true heart of the Corellian Krath. Yet, the Proconsul carried on, "As I recall, you were supposed to be on a covert mission with Dark Knight Korbin... learning the trade of a warrior, the basics of combat."

The Obelisk Apprentice produced a dried piece of parchment, bearing the seal of the Obelisk Knight whom Prajna had been assigned to. Without reading it, Braecen knew it would confer the Right of Battle upon Prajna. The Jedi Hunter had learned the basics of combat, it would be to his true Master to hone those skills and transform the Cerean into a lethal being. The Krath pocketed the note, hiding it in the depth's of his cloak before turning and squaring his shoulders towards his student.

"You are ready to begin construction of your lightsaber..." A wide grin spread across the face of the pupil. "But..." The Proconsul sighed, exasperated with the duties of his position, "we do not have the necessary supplies currently in stock. The Great Jedi War drained us of are war-time supplies, including saber crystals and power packs... the good ones." Braecen steeled himself for the drain of emotion his Apprentice would now show.

Instead a wicked gleam lit Berkana's eyes. A thin, evil smile split his lips as he professed a new plan to his teacher. "We can, no we must, travel to Cerea!" Prajna seemed absolutely aflame with his desire to return to his home world, the planet that had served as host to his childhood and preliminary training. "I happen to know where I can locate a rare focusing device... a Black Pearl of Cerea."

Braecen, a Guard Captain of the Grand Master's Royal Guard and the primary authority upon Lyspair as the Lightsaber STudies Eclectic Pedagogue, was immediately intrigued by the concept. He had seen a wide host of items successfully, and unsuccessfully, used as the primary focusing crystal within a lightsaber. If the concept worked, it would become a unique weapon unto the Brotherhood... if not, perhaps it would simply not work, but an explosion was possible. Resigned to see his Apprentice through, the Archpriest declared himself free of his responsibility, "To Cerea, then."

The Modified YT-2000, a Correllian craft that was much to Master Braecen's likings, touched down on the Cerean surface as the Sun was just washing its light over the horizon. A new day always brought a new adventure. Prajna remembered words his father often spoke. He took a deep sip of the crisp air, still cold and wet from the dew quickly evaporating.

Though the Brotherhood warrior had not been home in years, he still knew where to go. Ta-Gal was a small farming town, but still the largest settlement in several days travel by foot. It was the town he was born, the one his mother governed when he was young, and the one his family had made their home for many generations. As the residences began to rise from slumber and start off another day, Prajna looked down on them. "How pathetic none of them will ever become something more like I did."

Braecen Kunar frowned. "So easily do you form dark emotions. It is only your weakness that you don't then turn this into energy to channel the Force. You are so strong, why do you resist it?"

"If only I could as you ask all the time Master. I would never fail to win any fight." Prajna lead on, Braecen using all of his senses to absorb the new world he was in.

"Excuse me. Gaurdian Berkana?" A soft voice chirped through the air. Prajna turned to meet the gaze, only to be stabbed in the heart by the sharpest of blades. There before him stood the most beautiful creature he had ever seen. More so, she was his betroved when they were young.

Prajna's voice hiccuped a squeeky gawk. "Joy"

"Mayor Joy. I was still the next leader after your mother passed away."

Braecen looked confused off to the side. Prajna tried to quickly fix the situation. "This is my ex-girlfriend when we were kids. She called me Guardian because that was my title when my first master passed away a very untimely death before I left for the brotherhood. I am still the planet's greatest warrior of royal decent, so the title is always mine."

Joy leaped into PJ's arms. "I knew you would return someday. We all of the village have missed you very much."

Prajna frowned and turned away to break the embrace. "I have not returned, I must retrieve a Pearl of the lake."

Joy began to sob quietly. She bowed ever so politely, before running off. Prajna couldn't help but watch her walk away. "I guess we all got our closet girl problems, aye?" Braecen chuckled a bit at his own joke before trailing off toward the crystaline lake.

It was a short hike to the edge, but that is where adventure really begins. Both took out a small rebreather device and took a dive. Prajna having grown up here took a few strokes to relax. Braecen was a little more cautious, but followed Prajna none-the-less. They swam deep under the surface to where the light could barely be seen to penetrate darkness. Prajna several times had to slow down to let Braecen catch up. Prajna had swimming experience and strength on his side.

However, it was this lackluster effort on both Jedi's part that led to the ambush. Three Shark-Rays moved swiftly to defend their territory. Even Prajna couldn't outswim these beasts. A bright blade shown through the darkness. Water vapor formed everywhere, but it was only a few seconds and the three beasts were dead bodies floating slowly toward the surface above. The pair swam deeper.

It was then a large sparkling object finally appeared on the lake floor. This was the legend of his village growing up. This was what he had come looking for. The black orb was almost half the size of a hyperball. It would take some careful crafting, but at least one lightsaber crystal could be made from this rare gem.

The sun now shown directly overhead, but already Braecen started the engines back up. They were quickly off toward the next destination. Prajna's excitement grew as he was one step closer toward his lightsaber and the final tests for being a Dark Jedi Knight.

The tunnel of sheer light fell into pin pricks of sharp, jutting white lines before the Corellian Transport fell out of hyperspace; the nearby gravity well triggering the ships auto-disengage feature that was installed in the event of miscalculations. Prajna rocked his command seat around by pressing his right foot on the ground and pushing off. "Did Master commit a mistake?"

A sly grin spread on the Jedi Hunter's lips. While his Master and he both knew the Krath was prone to making mistakes, it was a very rare event in which the overly proud man would admit to them. Just to prove the point Braecen barked at the pupil as he quickly worked to make astronavigation adjustments before the ship neared the atmosphere. "There is no such things as mistakes, Prajna. It is simply the lack of will to succeed upon that which you most wholly desire." The azure eyes fell on the Journeyman, a sense of wisdom enforcing the underlying message, "If you fail, it is because you truly do not desire that which you had set your eyes upon."

Always with the philosophy lessons! Why did I willingly take a mentor of the Krath Order? The Cerean's mind raced in loops as he recalled a time long forgotten... He had been a pathless Guardian, lost in the crowd of the Rogue Society upon the surface of Antei. Then, a seemingly innocent transmission had come to him from Braecen: an invite to the Clan of the newly minted Proconsul. Daunting his destiny and fate, Prajna accepted the invitation. And upon his induction into the halls of his new Clan, he accepted the Heir of Isradia as his teacher and friend.

The Jedi Hunter rolled the Black Pearl about in his off-hand, a mindless action that betrayed his anxiety. The young pupil was obviously lost in thought, as to what Braecen could only make an informed guess: the past. Why do children always look ahead, while the rest of us are consumed with the mistakes of our past? But the Archpriest was not allowed to play the argument out in his head... Sirens began to wail, indicating missiles were in close proximity.

The Corellian forced the ship through a steep climb, using his sensors to pick up the projectiles. The Proconsul had not been alerted to their presence earlier because he had been moderately scanning the currents of the Force, only searching for potential 'threats'. "It must have been an automated defense system!" The Guard Captain shouted as he chopped the throttle back and inverted the ship in a sudden turn that forced the transport to groan from the stress. While the ship had the luxury of dictating direction and speed, the proton torpedoes were not afforded those same properties and roared past the ship before making a long, arcing turn back upon the ship. "Deploy chaffs!"

Instinctively, the Obelisk punched the command that deployed the counter-measures installed upon the freighter. A series of sharp bursts strung out behind the Corellian-made ship, scrambling the sensor packages of the incoming missiles. Two bright blasts erupted behind the ship, a shockwave rocking the controls beneath Kunar's hands as he attempted to maintain stability. "To the guns, Prajna. To the guns!"

The scanners now showed a flight of TIE-Interceptors rocketing through space to prey upon the solo ship. What they had in numbers would be diminished by the pairs ability in the Force, but it would not remove the degree of difficulty. Braecen opened himself to the Force, a menacingly flow of ice bitterly tore through his body... attempting to consume the mere mortal. Using his training from the Brotherhood the Krath quelled the nefarious Dark Side energy. With haste the Archpriest began to shape and mold the energy, using it to aide his reflexes and broaden his scope. Hoping a battle meld would not damage his young Apprentice, Kunar opened himself wholly to Prajna.

It took several moments before the Jedi Hunter could comprehend that he was perceiving two sets of sensory data. Dynamically, he began to process the information while augmenting his own perceptions with the new data. The first of the fighters came from underneath the ship, a regularly impossible shot for a normal, disintegrated with a quad-blast of crimson energy. "All too easy..."

Even before the debris of the first fighter began to disperse the laser cannon barrel turned on well worn hinges in a complete 180 to look toward empty space. It came like already predetermined information, a destiny of fact. This knowledge floated in the wind, like the whisper of a thousand voices, still as clear as if it was a command of one firm voice. For a split moment in time, Prajna was able to simply let himself fall into the Forice.

The ship groaned as the Krath pulled turns much harder then the basic design allowed. Prajna could see the ship float right into the empty space before his guns and only required a single shot to fall the second of the four fighters. Where did these hostile ships come from and who was piloting them? Even the best pilot in the galaxy would have fallen in such a dominating defense as the Master and Apprentice could put on this day.

With ease, the guns came to bear upon another spot of empty space. This too would have been filled with a soon dead fighter if not for the quick action of the TIEs. A shock hit the Jedi Hunter like a wave of water on the shores of the lake he was born on. Sirens screamed from the direct hit. "Sorry." PJ heard the voice from Braecen, but swallowed the ball that formed in his throat when he realized this was a word that floated into his head, neve spoken. The battle meld was so deep between them at this moment that their thoughts blurred into one.

The ship dropped into a deep dive to try to shake the last two fighters. Suddenly Master Kunar pulled up quickly, enough to red-out a lesser man. Good thing Prajna wasn't human! The Force connection coordinated this move in perfect sycronization. Prajna boar the guns with two crisp shots to destroy a third TIE/Interceptor. The last moved with random jukes and turns to avoid a clear shot. Twice Hunter Berkana fired rounds, but never could the shots connect with the fast moving craft. Finally Prajna just expanded his thoughts out toward the final pilot. Feelings flowed off this man: Anger, Fear, Determination. And that was all it took for both Dark Jedi to know all they needed about the group that attacked them. "Clouds; Bespin; Pirates; Astroid Field; Power Cells; Star Desroyer;" The final thought of the pilot gave off his intentions to pull a steep climb.

PJ lead the laser turret just a hair in front of the Imperial TIE and unloaded several shots. The guns shook heavy in his hands as each round sang off. The debris spread and slowly dissipated into the deep nothingness of space. It was a beautiful feeling: that of the Force. The last savor the two had before the connection was cut was pure exhileration and a joy for them both that they had survived the ambush so well. PJ slumped into his chair exhausted... suddenly blind to everything like shocked from a bright light being too quickly shut off.

He sat there for a minute as he caught his breath. Prajna didnt even know how hard he had been working. The ship was floating straight and slow. Braecen had set the ship on a slow autopilot while he closed his eyes to relax and take a short break as well. A few minutes passed and PJ lifted himself from the gunner seat and made his way back to an oversized chair next to his Archpriest Master.

"So a well armed band of ex-Imperial Pirates have our Bespin power cells in an Imperial Star Destroyer hiding in the astroid field close to the Cloud Planet." Braecen, still tired, looked over at his Apprentice with great pride. "Oh how revenge shall be sweet, eh padawan?" So many more words were said in the exchange of their eyes. One was never the same again after such a bond was formed between two sentient beings.

Prajna grinned and gave off his unique Cerean chuckle. "Perhaps sir I should set the nav-computer this time?" And with that the Krath moaned with such a heave before they both laughed more. A little brewsky would taste good to celebrate, but they both would have to wait on those until this mission was complete.

The Obelisk Jedi Hunter sat in the co-pilot's chair, hunkered over the nav-computer as he poured over his calculations for the next jump destination: Bespin. While the Krath had received the same information through the Force-bond that his student had, he held a certain amount of reservation about lancing forward with no caution.

In his mind there was no doubt that they could overcome any such force, especially if they made it aboard the Star Destroyer, but something gnawed in the back of his mind. 'Why would they leave four star fighters, without hyperdrives, parked in a system without a way out?' The Corellian's brow knotted as he considered the many sides of his conjecture. What bothered the Proconsul was the apparent 'coincidence' of the pirates appearing amongst their flight plan... while only a few people had access to his logged entries within the Clan, it appeared one of them had sold him out. "I will find out who..." Braecen muttered audibly enough that his Cerean Apprentice arched a brow and looked in his direction.

"Who are you go-" The question was cut in mid-sentence. Moments before the claxons began to wail a sudden unease formed itself in a tight knot in the gut of the Krath Equite. Immediately, Prajna reached to disengage the siren, slamming down on the button with the palm of his hand. The chamber was flooded with welcome silence, the red warning lights still revolving in a circular motion of impending doom. "Master - I have a Corellian Corvette on the monitor. Goes by the name of 'Gungan Delight'." Both Dark Jedi reacted to the name, looking at one another... a loss of words filling the time.

"Who would name a ship...that?!" Braecen bellowed as he transferred the nav codes into the computer.

The Obelisk avoided the rhetorical question, instead focusing on the current situation. "Deploying fighters. They are forming into a screen, only eight of them." The Journeyman jumped from his seat, "I'll man the guns!"

"You will do no such thing." The Master chastised his pupil. "If we depart for Bespin now, it is my approximate guess that we will have half an hour to work before that Corvette can return as support." The Krath pointed at himself and the younger Cerean as he continued, "WE will be moving in to analyze the situation at Bespin... I want to see what this Star Destroyer looks like."

Prajna accepted the course of action, refraining from arguing by settling into the over-sided command chair and strapping himself securely into it. The Corellian brought the ship around, he would drag the fighter screen out from the ship... forcing the Corvette to either abandon the fighters or spend crucial moments to pick-up the ships before it's return.

The Apprentice watched, making mental notes of the strategy. His lips wore a devilish grin, betraying his thoughts - 'Only My Master would dare take on an entire Star Destroyer and consider that an analysis. Oh, how jealous the other will be when they hear about this..."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

The transport fell out of hyperspace, coming from the near side of the gravity well and lining up Bespin in the forward viewport. "Couldn't have done it better myself... The Krath cooed to no one in particular.

You definitely could have done worse, though. Prajna looked up and over to find his Master's azure orbs afixed on him with the hint of a glare. The Journeyman gulped and looked back down, the Black Pearl rotating is his hand.

Gently he stroked the smooth orb with the Force. When he had first joined the Brotherhood upon Lyspair, at the Shadow Academy, he had thought the Force a tool he could manipulate with sheer willpower. In fact, it had been his straight-forward approach that excited his teachers and helped him glide through the initial ranks of the Campus. His mastery over the latent ability made him the envy of his peers. And, for a time, was enough to speed the young man on.

But with time the practices grew more tedious... his powers seemingly failing him when others would could accomplish the same tasks. Those with 'lesser' ability. It had frustrated the Cerean to a point of no-return, forcing him to forsake the Academy and seek a teacher outside of Lyspair. But as irony often works, he ran into the scholar he had been searching for upon the moon of Antei, literally. An upstart Eclectic Pedagogue, Braecen Isradia, had turned a corner coming chest-to-chest with the bulkier Obelisk. At first Berkana had worried he would hurt the man, but with ease the Krath manipulated the Force and 'bent' out of the way. It was then that Prajna became a member of Plagueis, a student of the upstart Krath Proconsul.

Through the time they had known eachother, since their initial meeting, the Equite had taught him to 'see' the Force. It was a highly different strategy than most, but once he had mastered the visual part of seeing the threads of the Living Force, it became abundantly easier to manipulate it. Now, Prajna could expend half the energy to complete a task that would require his entire power and concentration.

With the perilously long lessons in visualising the threads, he had learnt that by 'plucking', 'pulling' or 'snapping' the threads he could manipulate the environment about him in a unique fashion. While it still took him an adequate amount of time to identify the appropriate thread, he found the process challenging and rewarding; however, he also delighted in the power it would afford him.

Now, his final task, was to materialize new threads from scratch; using his own personal reservoir of power to embrace the Force and bend it to his own desires and will.

Gently he spun his own weave about the pearl, begging it to spin within in his hand... while the thread was properly constructed, the orb would not spin.

While Braecen had been overseeing his apprentice in furthering his force training, he had also been multitasking elsewhere. Scanners had been sweeping the system for the lost Star Destroyer, but to no avail. Master Kunar had guided the ship toward the edge of system with a very short micro-jump. Now close to the astroid field, there was still no sign of the pirates' flagship. There was no way it could be hiding in the marsh of rocks and ice, could it?

Just as PJ slumpped down into his chair after another failed attempt to grasp the new force tecnique, sirens screemed again, causing both Dark Jedi to jump. Prajna, by instinct, shut off the alarms again. A comm light flickered on, and a quick shudder of the ship came as the pilot reached to see who was on the phone.

"Tractor beam." Braecen said it matter-of-factly. Prajna took the word as so too, knowing his elder had been through many more battles.

A static burped through the console, followed by a quick silence. Then the scratchy voice came through. "So nice of you to drop by my new home, Jedi." There before the two on screen: the stars faided into a grey-white mass. It was perhaps the most recognizable symbol across the galaxy, the triangle shape of an Imperial Star Destroyer.

The comm cut off. Prajna leaned forward as if it would help to get a better look at the ship they were now shooting straight toward. "Is that a cloaking device?"

"I think it is atually an Imperial II-class Star Destroyer." Working with the Cerean for the past several years had given the more serious Krath a lighter sense of humor, even in the most tense of situations. "Are you ready?"

The conehead-shaped alien flashed a lopsided grin, one you would expect to see on a Corellian. Being so close together had given them both odd quirks from the other."Here's where the fun begins!"


~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Prajna awoke with a headache. "Mornin' Sunshine. Have a good nap?"

PJ rubbed his head and squinted, trying to get his bearings. "Where are we?"

"Cell Block 1138, kid. We should move fast. More guards will be here soon." Prajna dragged his feet, but followed the elder down a narrow hall to the detention block control room. The two guards were both out cold on the ground. "Our gear is with the captain, and then we can move to docking bay 34 for the ship." They entered the turbolift, and PJ hit a key to shoot them up to the bridge deck. Soft music began to play as the tubecar shot up a hundred stories.

"Ugh! I hate this song." Prajna said in disgust, but Braecen was taping his foot and looked like he was jamming out to the beat.

The Cerean glared a puzzled look at the human next to him. "What? This is a classic." The music shut off again as the car slid to a halt on the top story it would go.

Four blaster barrels were pointed at them as the two stepped out of the turbolift. "We really should plan this out better next time, Master."

A tower of man pulled his pistol up in the general direction of the two Dark Jedi. He stood almost 3 meters tall, and half of that wide. His face was scared from many battles. "So you are the Jedi." The bull-man who stood between his 4 minions had the same scratchy voice they had heard over the comm earlier. "It is too bad you must die now. You have been worth the hunt I was promised."

Three things happened at once. Two blasters flew through the air to hit the ground across the ground of the large hallway. Braecen spun toward one of the weapons he had snatched through the force. The second thing to happen was the pirate Captain fired twice where Prajna had just been standing.

The third thing to happen was Prajna moved by reflex. He spun across the deck in the opposite direction from his master. The closest pirate was kicked in the knee so hard it bent backward. A crack from broken bones echoed off the durasteel walls.

Braecen fired a quick spurt of blaster fire, and the other soldier near PJ fell with a scream. The two now unarmed pirates charged the Krath like flies on a rotting corpse. The Captain didn't care much, and rifled more laser fire toward Braecen. He was able to use one as a shild from the barrage of gunfire. The poor soul didn't have a chance.

The other pirate fell into a scrum with Braecen. Meanwhile, Prajna covered the short distance to the giant of a Pirate Captain. He got in very close, where he normally prefered all combat. It was just unfortunate, because Prajna had nothing on the strength the Captain had.

One flip of his massive arms, and Prajna flew 2 meters into a wall. Braecen heard the thud, but he flinched from feeling the pain through the Force. It was this close bond formed between master and apprentice over a length of time that caused what happened next.

The Captain towered over the Jedi Hunter. He laughed with his sinister and crackly voice. Chills shot down Braecen's spine. It was only a second later that he realized this was a trigger in the Force.

The skin-hide bag attached to the Pirate Captain flew off his body. It landed right next to the Krath Epis. Inside was the pearl, the Corellian's lightsaber, and a set of twin Ryyk blades. Braecen grinned at the general direction of his apprentice, but Prajna more could feel the emotion of pride and joy through their strong bond.

Prajna summersaulted underneath a potentially killing blow from the Pirate's right fist. He came out of the spin standing. "I think we overstayed our welcome." They hit the turbolift before the lumbersome Captain could absorb everything that just happened. The car began to descend. If only everything was over...

The car went into lockdown, still over one-hundred meters above the level they needed to get to their ship and escape.

The Corellian admired the Cerean's resolve. He doubted that his past Apprentices would have been able to handle the diversity and challenges that they had faced already on this journey. In fact, Braecen was unsure what would happen when his pupil was caught in the chest with a stun bolt when they debarked from their transport.

The tractor beam had fully caught the Corellian YT; however, it had been the Archpriest's intent to board the ship. 'Even if it was in less conventional means,' the Krath thought to himself. Unable to overcome a platoon of soldiers and incapable of moving his downed companion, he had surrendered and allowed them to be escorted to the brink. Only through deception and guile had he been able to convince the Captain of the Imperial Star Destroyer that the two would work in tandem as his personal servants.

'Only the fools desire more power,' Braecen reconciled his thoughts as he plunged his silver blade into the floor of the lift, 'and those whom have none are simply fool-hearty in their ambition to collect some small amount.'

"Master," Prajna broke the silence, "we have but one cable to descend with." The Obelisk presented the durable wire attached to his belt as proof of his statement. A genuine look of concern passing over his face.

"We only have need of one wire, young Hunter." The Corellian's smirk forced an audible groan from the Obelisk. "As I will be going to our ship, I will be borrowing that cable. You," he emphasized by pointing sharply at the Cerean, "will be going to get those power cells we came all the way here for."

Prajna sighed. "Will you at least point me in the general direction of them... I don't believe we are welcome any longer."

"Valid point." Braecen's features contorted as he worked out some unseen riddle. "The power cells are located in the forward armory. The only defense mechanism in the immediate area is the ten digit combination, you will have to slice past the defenses."

"Armory you say? I'm guessing that is up..."

The Krath Equite tossed a subtle wink indicating the student was correct. "Enjoy!" And with that the tails of the man's robes were the last sight Prajna held before the Corellian was gone. Carefully the Jedi Hunter opened the hatch on the ceiling and began his long ascent towards the forward armory of the Capitol ship.

-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

Silently, Braecen crept through the air ducts above the hangar bay that housed his ship. Keeping his weight evenly spread he prevented his lean mass from buckling the supports of the unstable vent. Right hand forward. Left foot forward. Left hand forward. Right foot forward. His progress was tedious, meticulous and very Krath-like in nature; based on subterfuge, surprise and his own resourcefulness.

While the task was not difficult in nature, the fact he had left his Apprentice to tackle the armory defense system alone gnawed at his mind. Braecen knew it was not force premonition of doom; however, he knew it to be the feelings of an overly involved Master. He had become too attached to his pupil - a dangerous prospect for a Dark Jedi - and knew that Prajna would only become another rival vying for power and position.

'But for now,' the Proconsul contemplated, 'I can keep him suckling at the power teat. It will satisfy his lust for knowledge and power... for now.'

The Corellian found himself suddenly above his destination, the YT transport directly below his current position. With a resigned sigh he opened himself to the Force, fighting back it's primal urges to consume his mind - a slick film of oil pulsed through his body as the Force primed itself to his will. Gently he caressed a series of threads from his mind towards the base of the ship.

If he wove the threads into tight tendrils of the Dark Side they would become almost physical entities that could maintain his weight as he descended to the foot deck of the hangar. The spirals swirled, life-like, to the ground before merging into thicker tendrils - snap - the fragile spool became taunt and the Krath dropped from his perch. Carefully he worked his way along those lines; however, the product was conceptual and not entirely perfect. Towards the end his pace rapidly quickened and forced the Guard Captain into a tight roll, somersaulting him forward from his desired position.

Two guards yelled in surprise as the dark clad individual sprang up before them. A tumultuous round of actions ensued: blasters drawn, saber ignited, bodies falling to the ground. In the mere seconds of action, only one man was left standing and he wielded a flaming sword of silver light.

Before the other sentries could rally into a defensible position, the Archpriest raced forward to slaughter his foes. His training in the Grand Master's Royal Guard would allow him to hold back the ebb of enemies for a few minutes.

'Hurry Prajna,' the Krath demanded through their telepathic bond.

It wasn't hard to recall from his memory the schematics of an Imperial Star Destroyer. At least he knew the layout well enough to hurry straight to the main armory. The door was a massive durasteel wall. There was only one way in, too. Unfortunately for him, Prajna Berkana was a warrior. He always preferred to smash things and had never taken the time to master the art of slicing.

PJ looked around. Everything was the same dull Imperial whitewash: the barren hallways, the plain-Jane walls, the dull illumination from the glowrod panels in the ceiling, the door to the armory and the last piece to the puzzle that would be the Cerean's first lightsaber. There was no chance to hack in; one false slice would give away his position and bring all hell from the pirate forces down on him.

Some gear inside his head shifted, and Prajna knew he just had an insight idea triggered from the Force. It was good to be Force Sensitive. The electricity! It might not work, but it was the only idea the Obelisk had right now. He followed the lighting around the corner. It took only a moment to find a circuit box for this sector of power. He didn't wait to find the correct switches to flip. Time was of the essence now. He felt the pressure being provided by his master to go faster.

Prajna raised his blades, gripping tight. The whole box was decimated in a moment. The lights all went out, and the door to the armory opened...

Prajna stepped inside. This room had a separate power source, because the room lights flipped on when he entered. Stormtrooper stock Blaster Rifles lined the wall to his left. That was to be expected; the rest of the room wasn't.

It was a workshop; that was clear. Battle droid parts scattered the room. Spare arms and electric components littered the floor. This explained a lot. The question why the pirates had the power cells in the first place; why the ship was not crawling with crewmen; and how the pirates could still keep the ship running. There must be a droid over mind running most of the ship from the main bridge.

Well it was too late to stop that now. Prajna gathered a few untouched Bespin Power Cells still in the box. He had to get back to Braecen, too. The Cerean could sense the drain from battle begin to wear on his Corellian friend.

Prajna sprinted out at high speed, he found a different lift-tube than the one from before. It responded quick, and the Jedi Hunter jettisoned speedily down to the main docking bay level.

The closer he moved toward his Master, the stronger Prajna could feel the Force flow through their bond. It was like a current that charged him and give him renewed and limitless energy. The obelisk blurred as he moved down the hallways faster than he ever thought he was capable of moving. His hands gripped the two Ryyk Blades he loved.

It was not even an effort to find the bay where the ship they came in was. Braecen was like a beacon in the Force, and Prajna moved straight to it. 10 pirate soldiers were locked in a fight with the Krath. He stopped with wide eyes as he watched his apprentice go to work. The guardsman knew Prajna was a true warrior, but with the speed only capable of reaching that inner connection with the force, Prajna was almost invulnerable now.

One pirate turned to late to fire at the new arrival. His hand was severed from his arm before he could think to pull the trigger. The obelisk's other arm-blade jabbed the foe straight in the gut. He withdrew the blade and was already on his second victim before the blood started to rapidly flow out of the new wound of the first gunman.

Braecen's silver blade joined in the fray too. With the pirate soldiers distracted by the ferocity of two Dark Jedi, the rest fell quickly. Prajna stopped to breath for the first time in what felt to be minutes. His hands dropped to lean on his knees, and it took several deep breathes not to pass out from exhaustion.

"Do you have the power cells?" Braecen was smirking with pride for his apprentice. Prajna Berkana didn't have the energy left to respond, but the large point of his head did waver enough in a nod for the other to recognize the confirmation.

Braecen boarded the ship and started the systems up. They still weren't out of this.

The wild escape that ensued was nothing short of miraculous. Braecen, an accomplished Dark Jedi, was not the Clan's best pilot... perhaps not even one of the top ten within the Clan; however, with the aid of the Force, he performed admirably. The large transport bucked, up and over, the oncoming fighter screen as the Krath reversed the engines and pushed she ship up vertically before dramatically swinging low and from the fighter's firing arc.

Prajna swore, saying something that Braecen distinctively took for Mandalorian. Yet, before he could chastise the dagger like form of the Star Destroyer came swinging back into their forward view panel. "How?!" The Krath blurted as his eyes instinctively flickered towards the radar. His heart sank as he registered a pair of the behemoth warships on the screen.

"Time for evasive action, Master?" Berkana grinned from the co-pilot's seat. His knuckles were white with pressure from his grip on the command chair's arms. "Or should I move to the gunnery and blast a whole through their fighter escort?"

"I-" But the truth was that the Corellian was not sure what to do, so he carefully closed his mouth. His eyes narrowing in determination to escape the star fighters chasing and those that were rapidly advancing. Static began to hiss over the communications array, a garbled message pertaining to the transport. "Clean that static up, we might glean a bit of useful information."

Prajna removed himself from the seat with haste, working his way to the communications station where a third pilot could operate during combat. His hands flipped several switches and levers, his brow furrowing with frustration as he troubleshot and diagnosed the frequency. Finally, the Cerean barked over his shoulder, "You are not going to believe this..."

The message rang through the entire cabin, Prajna had routed it from his miniscule headset to the main speakers. "Corellian transport - Identify yourself or prepare to be swept aside by the forces of Scholae Palatinae." Thran Occasus' voice demanded over the intercom.

Braecen tossed his pupil a mighty wink as he buckled himself back in by his side before he replied with a message of his own. "This is Braecen Kunar. Scholae Palatinae, please stand down on firing. But if you must shoot something... make it that fighter screen behind me."

The TIE-Defenders of the Clan waggled their wings, welcoming the transport home as they shot over the starboard side. Carefully, the Corellian watched as the dozen advanced fighters tore through three squadrons of fighters with apparent ease. Their flying was as impressive as the Force meld that held them together, making it both an aerial and mystical display of prowess and power.

"Come Prajna," the Master whispered to his Apprentice, "we must return to Judecca to begin the construction of your blade." The Cerean nodded his understanding. "But you must use what I have taught you... weave the Force about the parts, bring the blade into harmony all at once - when you snap the tendrils together."

Prajna Berkana spent most of the trip home in a deep trance. The perfect sphere of the black pearl from the Loc de Ta-Gal spun easily between his fingers, even though the Cerean had it far from his conscious thoughts. The web of Force bond PJ had held with his master in those intense moments of battle, the connection was now so easy to recall. It was that same string that now connected him to his crystal, and would undoubtedly grow stronger as he constructed and finally used his own lightsaber.

PJ found himself in the largest room at the Meditation Shrine on Judecca. It was bare, except for a small table with a plate of bread and a pitcher of water to the side of the door. Every morning, a young handmaiden would enter and refill the table with nourishment. However, Prajna didn't notice when he ate or slept. Days slid by like minutes as he studied himself, studied the components of his new weapon, and most importantly the Force itself.

Deep in the Force voices called to him. Jealousy, fear, and compassion all whelmed his very heart with emotion, fueling the Dark Jedi with strength. This entire adventure had completely turned Berkana around. He had come an eager and well trained warrior, looking for another tool to help him catapult forward in his path of eternal glory. Now he could feel and warp the Force and everything in it like he never would have imagined. The greatest lesson of all, though, was how much more he now knew could be learned. The Force is truly bondless.

There were times when Prajna Berkana shocked himself. He would resume a brief moment of consciousness and see metal parts circling in the air at high speed. Other times the pieces would sit on the ground, scattered about.

It was quite miraculous this new feeling and new confidence. A month ago, Prajna would have given almost anything for the Lords of the Brotherhood to call him a Dark Knight. Now it no longer mattered. Inside, and through the Force, he already knew he was. Now it was only the final step to complete his lightsaber and show everyone what being a Dark Knight really means.

The whole journey, while it was indeed a quest to gather parts, was much more than a junk raid. This was all about learning what really is required, and to test the limits of himself and his master.

And then Prajna Berkana became aware of where he was. *Click* The saber lay before him complete. While he had been in the same position for weeks, PJ's joints were limber from his strong flow of the Force. Prajna Berkana flew with a speed not capable by any mere mortal. For now he was a Dark Jedi Knight with the full power of the Force at his beckon and call.

It took less than ten minutes to travel the many kilometers back to the capital. His target was just ending a meeting, surrounded by the rest of the clan leaders. Phoenix, Thran and several others were laughing at one of the infamous bad jokes of their Consul.

The laughing ended suddenly as two lightsabers buzzed to life. A fury of rage but extremely controlled swings and blocks commenced. Prajna was almost blind with a fury of dark energy. Everyone in the room stood shell-shocked as they watched the Cerean and his Corellian master clash in combat.

It was another moment, and then the violent clash ended as quickly as it started. The Silver and Crimson sabers each deactivated in unison. Braecen flashed a well known Corellian sly, and Prajna did his best to mimic it. The two laughed before a short embrace of arms. "It looks like you did well. I have nothing more to teach you."

"And you too have learned from me, Master. Hopefully I will learn much more from you in the future." Prajna couldn't hide his smirk even for a moment.

Braecen Kunar stood tall and proud, but still overshadowed by his taller apprentice. "I see much success in your future, but tonight you are going to drink until you fall!"

"As long as I don't pass out before you, I will do so happily."

Jedi Hunter Prajna waited patiently in the hall before the Audience Chamber of Clan Scholae Palatinae. The massive doors framed by an ornately carved dragon; its tail extending from the floor on the left side and massive jaws resting upon the floor of the right. The doors themselves were made of a tender, rare wood from the planet of Judecca itself. Puzzling, however, was the absence of any door handle - the massive doors required the Force to open and close.

At last the doors began to part and a familiar face was on the opposite side to meet the Cerean. Consul of the Clan, Corellian Krath Pontifex, Braecen stood before the path to the dais of the Clan Summit. "Come, My Apprentice." And with the slightest nod of his head, he indicated he should follow. As he had for so long, thus far, he acquiesced to his demand. He marched proudly through the gathered members of Scholae Palatinae.

Though many of the Journeymen took great care to hide their identities, the Elders and Leaders observed the ceremony with their cowls lowered and a glint of satisfaction in seeing another individual approach Knighthood. Amongst their ranks were Consuls Emeritus: Dakari, Cuchulian and Vally Tamalar. Upon the other side of the path rested a host of current leaders, each in ceremonial robes: Rasilvenaira StormRaven, RevengeX Palpatine, Zeron, Thran Occasus and Fionn. Before the Cerean Jedi Hunter, patient as he approached, was the Proconsul of the Clan.

Braecen performed a low bow, "Lord of Scholae Palatinae." Phoenix made the ceremonial nod in response. "Today, I present my pupil before you for elevation into the ranks of Dark Knights of Scholae Palatinae. He has learned all that I can teach him, he must now go forward and learn what he may for himself."

Phoenix stepped forward as the inductor of House Caliburnus. "Young Hunter, are you prepared for the hardships and tasks that shall be set before you as a Knight of this Clan?"

"I am, My Lord..."

The Proconsul turned to the dais and picked up a package of wrapped in silk: Prajna's fully constructed lightsaber. "Then go forth, with this lightsaber and maintain the honor of Knighthood. For with this elevation you are inducted as a full member of the Dark Brotherhood and are tasked with maintaining your proactive status in furthering your House, Clan and Brotherhood."

It was now the Consul's turn to address the Clan, he spoke as he stepped onto the platform, "From this day forward... Prajna Berkana, our Cerean warrior, is now anointed Obelisk Knight. And has earned the rite to carry a saber of his choosing."

The assembled Clan broke out into cheers of congratulation. "Drinks on Prajna!"

The End.