Chapter Text
The Bergruutfa dormitory was alive. Younglings ran in and out of rooms and carried various equipment and belongings with them. I was among the hoarding masses. Today was a very special day. Master Quarmall had informed us of a very important mission that we were to go on. All we knew was that we were going off-world, and the place we were headed was very cold. I clutched the bottom of my pack while I forced the cover over the top and buttoned it in place. I looked up as C'aren joined me, slinging her pack over her shoulder. “I wonder what our mission will be!” She exclaimed, peering towards the door as if she wanted to leave right away. I shared her excitement, but closed my eyes and projected the feelings into the Force as best as I could. “I'm not sure,” I replied, opening my eyes again to see that Rharo and Bazi had finished packing their stuff as well. “I bet it has something to do with becoming Padawans,” Rharo declared. I opened my mouth to respond, but was stopped when the door to the dormitory slid open, revealing Master Quarmall.
“Younglings! Once you are finished packing your stuff, you will proceed down to Hangar B1 and meet with Padawan Shule. He will tell you more about what this mission is about.”
After the rest of our clan were situated and ready to go, we all trooped outside and headed to the lift. It took us down to the main levels, from which we navigated to the hangar bay Master Quarmall told us. Padawan Shule was standing at the entrance to a ship, waiting for us. “Gather around, younglings. This is an important mission. You've all done splendidly in your classes here at the Temple, and so it's time for you to take your first steps to becoming real Jedi.” I exchanged a glance with Rika, who gave a curious “Rarrw!” In response. “Today,” Shule continued. “You will be traveling to the planet Ilum, where you will undergo a ritual known as The Gathering. It is here where you will find your kyber crystals, and begin the construction of your very own lightsabers.” My eyes grew wide. I could feel the excitement of my clanmates bubbling through the Force. “Waarw! Raauw!” Rika said, and I nodded in agreement. “It won't just be cool,” Votren exclaimed. “It'll be frigid! Ilum is cold enough to make you freeze if you stand still too long.” Padawan Shule was grinning. “You have no idea. The place where you're going is one of the most sacred places to the Jedi. Alright, what are we waiting for? Let's go, younglings!” We followed Shule into the ship. “Welcome to The Crucible,” he introduced, as we were led through the halls to the room we'd be spending most of our time for the journey. “One of the most well known and special ships to ever exist. Come now, leave your bags. You can watch takeoff if you'd like.” We exchanged eager glances, packing after Shule while he led us up to the cockpit. As we began to ascend, I watched while the Jedi Temple, and along with it the rest of Coruscant, became a speck in the vastness of space.
-
The flying part of the journey became less interesting, and eventually we were ushered back to our waiting room of sorts. In one corner of the room, Votren pointed out an old-looking Mark IV droid, deactivated and limp. Shule told us not to worry about him right now. He then had us meditate to clear our minds and prepare ourselves for what lay ahead. It didn't seem like much time had passed, yet it could have been hours, by the time Shule told us it was time to don our thick snow gear.
“Rika has an advantage,” Bazi stated, lifting the bushy hood attached to his jacket over his head. The hood was large and slid over his lekku with ease. “All that fur will keep her warmer than a beetul in a rug.” I smirked, passing my eyes onto Rika, who stared bashfully back at us. “Eaaarrww!” She responded, earning a giggle from C'aren. “It's okay, Rika,” I assured the Wookiee. “We aren't jealous of you.” Rika tilted her head and grinned. I trailed after the rest of my clanmates as we emerged, bundled into our snow gear, out into the hall where Shule was waiting. “We're nearly there,” he informed us. “Let's go.”
We followed him down to the docking bay where we entered, waiting while the ship touched down. “Prepare yourselves,” Shule warned us. “The cold can be a shock to your systems the first time. Even with all those layers.” His words still hung in the air when the bay door cracked open. As it lowered, I felt a strong blast of frigid air hit me in the face. I squinted, staring out above the descending door at the landscape beyond. We stepped out into the snow, while mind-numbing winds swirled around us, buffeting Rika’s fur against her body and stinging my face. Shule began to trek out into the snow, and we hurried to keep up. The cold winds forced tears from my eyes; no sooner had they appeared than they froze, and soon my cheeks glistened with a sheet of frozen tears. I wanted to stop, to sink to my knees and succumb to the cold, but I forced myself to keep going. It could have been days, or only a few minutes when Shule stopped before a massive ice wall, one that stretched for as far as the eye could see in both directions.
“Padawan Shule!” Votren yelled over the blasting wind. “It's a dead end!” Shule only looked back at us calmly. “Things aren't always as they seem. Close your eyes, younglings. Feel with the Force. Together, we can break the ice with our minds.” I did as he instructed, closing my eyes tightly shut and focusing my energy into the ice that blocked our way forward. The sensation of the pushing winds faded around me as I imagined the wall ahead cracking and breaking. A sharp crack and whine split the air, followed by a cascade of crashes, and I opened my eyes to see the wall ahead was gone. Instead, an opening loomed ahead, one that revealed a sparkling cave. Shule led us inside. As soon as we walked inside the cave, the winds subsided. We were sheltered in here, and I finally lifted my hand to wipe away the solidified tears on my face. I blinked to clear my wind-blown vision, and my eyes grew wide with joy when I looked ahead.
Giant crystals glimmered and sparkled above us. Carved into the shapes of legendary Jedi, they all pointed to the centre of the cave, where on a small crystal bed sat my favourite Jedi Master; not that anyone but me would know of such. He looked up as we arrived, looking the same as I always see him in the Temple back on Coruscant. Dressed in a soft brown undertunic and lighter outer robes, the small green Jedi Master regarded us all as we surrounded him. “Welcome, to the Crystal Cave, younglings,” he greeted us. “Master Yoda!” Rharo addressed. I shared his surprise. I had not expected to see Grandmaster Yoda on this mission. I wasn't disappointed, however. My clanmates knew as well as anyone that I had always thought highly of him, and seeing him now gave me an extra boost of anticipation. “The Force become physical, a Jedi is,” Yoda began, and I already could sense an important lesson brewing. “Comes great responsibility with that, yes?” We all nodded eagerly. Yoda let his eyes pass over all of us, and I wondered if I imagined his gaze lingering on me for a longer moment. “Protect others, how does a Jedi, hmm?” He asked, shifting his position and standing. We all exchanged glances, but the Grandmaster wasn't waiting for an answer. He pulled one side of his robe aside to expose his own lightsaber hilt, and we watched in transfixed awe while he hovered his hand above it. The handle floated out for us all to see, before igniting, casting a brilliant green over all our faces. “Build your own lightsabers, you will,” Yoda explained. “But first, harvest your crystals, each one of you must.”
Excited murmurs drifted around my clanmates, and I caught Rharo's eye. We all looked back as Yoda extended his hand, and the saber handle snapped into his waiting fingers, deactivating with a satisfying zaap. “The heart of a lightsaber, the crystal is,” Yoda told us. “Focuses the Force from the Jedi, it does.” With that, he looked up, lifting his hands and narrowing his eyes in concentration. We all followed his gaze and watched in amazement as a section of the wall near the ceiling slid down to reveal startling rays of sunlight. Yoda shifted his hands in a circular motion, and the crystal chandelier above our heads spun around and around until the sunlight reflected off all angles. One ray of light bounced off another perfectly positioned crystal, which angled it down towards the massive doorway ahead of us, that was blocked by a thick sheet of ice. The sunlight hit the ice and it began to melt before our very eyes, sending a brilliantly sparkling wave of water to pour down the steps leading up to the doorway.
“If Jedi, you are to become,” Yoda spoke again, tearing our attention off the display of water behind him. “Enter the Crystal Cave, you must. Trust yourself, trust each other, and succeed, you will.”
Yoda then side stepped, giving us the signal to go ahead. We erupted into excited chatter as we all jogged up to the stairs. Shule stopped us only to tell us to get our crystals and leave immediately, for the door would freeze over again. When Rika asked, “Waaurw, aurraaw?” Shule responded that the sun would not be in the right position to melt the ice again for 19 standard days.
And so off we went, into the relative darkness of the cave. Many twisting and winding paths lay ahead. “How will we know where to start?” C'aren asked. I paused. “You heard what Master Yoda said,” I told my clanmates. “‘Trust yourself, trust each other.’ We have to let the Force guide us. I think we should go whichever way we feel a pull towards. Right, guys?” The others looked at me, then exchanged glances. “You're right, Corde,” Bazi said at last. “Let's split up. Remember, it isn't a race. We're a team, and if our paths cross again, it's because the Force wills it. Right?” We all nodded. I closed my eyes, focusing the Force around me. I felt it pull me in a direction, and I opened my eyes to follow it. As I did, I discovered I was alone. I walked down the quickly narrowing pathway, following the gentle tug of the Force drawing me further into the icy darkness. I wondered what I would have to do to get my crystal. Surely there was some kind of test involved, right? I followed the path as it began to twist, suddenly opening up into another intersection of icy hallways. I frowned, closing my eyes. The Force wasn't tugging anymore. It was practically dragging me down the widest, easiest pathway that lay before me. I was about to take a step down it when a shriek echoed through the cave, bouncing off the walls. It sounded like Votren. I stopped mid-stride, looking back in mild horror in the direction the shriek had come from. The Force's pull was so powerful, however, urging me to go the other way. Almost too powerful to ignore. But what if Votren was in danger?
I turned on a heel, ignoring the Force screaming in my veins to turn around and find my crystal. My clanmate needed my help. I jogged down the hallway towards where Voltren's cry had come from. I turned a corner and saw her, halfway up a sheer ice wall, looking frozen stiff. Only, she seemed paralyzed by fear, not the cold. “Votren!” I called, drawing her panic-stricken gaze onto me. “Are you alright?” She shook her head. “I'm going to die up here, Corde!” She shrieked. I immediately lunged forward towards the ice wall, but the moment I placed my hand it, a seering, burning cold gripped my skin, making me recoil with a cry of pain and alarm. “I-I can't come up, Votren!” I stuttered, clutching my hand to my chest. “Listen, just close your eyes! You're fine! Focus the Force. Calm your mind. You're not going to die, okay?” I could see Votren close her eyes, and after a few long, tense moments, she looked back up and continued to climb. She climbed all the way to the top of the wall, where she picked something up from a collection of ice, a grin spreading across her face. “I got it! Thank you, Corde!” She called, and I returned her grin. Turning away from the wall, I jogged back down the same icy path I had followed, until I returned back at the intersection of winding ice tunnels. Once again, a powerful sensation pulled me down the tunnel across from me. That was until I heard another sound come from the pathway to my right. It sounded like running. I turned my head, but saw no one, and no sign that anyone had been down there. I hesitated, before veering to the right and beginning down the tunnel I had heard the sounds from. I was walking for maybe three minutes when I heard the footsteps ahead of me again. I increased my pace to a jog, rounding a bend in the pathway and nearly colliding straight into Rika. “Awaauuur!” She exclaimed, pointing frantically back down the tunnel she had come from.
“A giant gutkurr?” I repeated. “What in the world is that, Rika?” Rika turned, pointing again down the hallway. I peered down it, but saw nothing but dimly lit, thick blue ice walls and floor. “Waauuura!” Rika cried, and I turned back to her. “No, it's not going to eat you, Rika. I don't see anything, it's probably something only you can see. Which means it isn't real. You have to get past it, Rika, and you'll probably find your crystal! You can do this.”
Rika held my gaze for a long moment. I offered her an encouraging grin, pumping feelings of confidence into the Force, hoping she could pick up on them. After a moment, Rika turned back down the tunnel and started to jog, a new look of determination on her features as she went. I didn't stick around. This was up to her now. Turning back the way I had come, I sprinted back to the intersection, taking short, quick gasps of cold air. I didn't know how much time I had left. All I knew was that the Force was pulling me down the tunnel I now stood before. I cast a final, brief glance at my surroundings, before starting down the tunnel. It seemed to keep going for ages. Twists and turns took me around until I didn't know which direction I was facing anymore. I slid past another bend in the tunnel, and stopped dead in my tracks. Up ahead, glowing among a pile of ice, a single, sharp point of light filled the surrounding tunnel with a pale hue. I jogged forward and knelt by the pile. Sure enough, tucked into the ice, was a sparkling crystal. I picked it up in my fingers, feeling a strong sensation of power flowing through my limbs. Grinning, I tucked the crystal into one of the many pockets in my thick jacket, then stood up. I had to get out of this cave, and fast. I sprinted down the winding tunnel once again until my lungs screamed at me to stop, the cold air stinging my chest. I finally made it to the intersection, veering to the right and heading down the original tunnel I had chosen at the start of the journey. I emerged back into the open space where I had left my clanmates, turning for the hall that led to the door. I hadn't taken even one step further before something echoed down through the icy cave; “Corde!”
I spun around. It had sounded like Bazi's voice. Was he in trouble? I forgot about getting to the door, beginning back the way I had come, only instead I went right, down one of the tunnels the others had taken. Footsteps began to echo down the tunnel, and a moment later, C'aren, Rika, and Votren appeared. “Corde!” C'aren exclaimed when she spotted me. “You have to come, quick! Bazi is in trouble!” My eyes grew wide as I fell into step behind my clanmates. We ran for it down the tunnel, emerging into a massive ice chamber. It didn't take long for me to notice the large chasm in the floor. We piled along the edge, and I peered over to see Bazi, many lengths down in the chasm, staring up at us in horror. “He fell in there,” Rharo explained to me. “While getting his crystal, the floor fell away and he ended up in there. What are we going to do?”
I looked up to see all eyes of my clanmates were on me. I swallowed, looking back down to Bazi, then up again at my friends. “We get him out together,” I said slowly. “Remember how we combined our Force energies to break the ice to get into the chamber?” My clanmates were nodding in understanding. I looked back down to Bazi. “Bazi! Hold still, and calm your mind. We're going to pull you up, with the Force. Got it?” Bazi stared back at me, giving a single nod of acknowledgement. I looked back up at the others, and they all nodded to show they were ready. I closed my eyes, concentrating my energy into Bazi. I could feel the energy of my clanmates, combining and swirling together as one. I imagined Bazi lifting into the air, and sure enough, I felt him begin to glide towards us. I kept my mind focused, until finally Bazi gave a grunt of effort, and I heard the sound of him clambering onto the ice. I opened my eyes to see him next to us, panting as he straightened to a kneel. “We did it!” Votren exclaimed, her eyes bright. I grinned as my clanmates cheered, patting a very nervous-looking Bazi on the shoulder. “Come on!” Rharo said, standing. “We all have our crystals, let's get out of here!” The rest of us didn't need to be told twice. We ran together all the way down the tunnel, and towards the entrance. When we turned the corner, I saw that the ice was nearly covering the doorway. Spurred on, we all sprinted for the quickly freezing exit, dropping to the ground and wriggling out from underneath the ice. As I scrambled under the doorway, I saw all my clanmates crawling out as well. I stood up and turned, to see the ice had fused with the ground once more. Turning, I saw the triumphant faces of all of my clanmates. They were all safe. We exchanged grins before scrambling down the staircase, to the awaiting Jedi Master and Padawan. I wriggled my way to the front of the group as we piled around them. Yoda looked up at all of us expectantly, and we all produced our crystals. Yoda's expression brightened. “Work together, all of you did to get your crystals, hmm?” We nodded. “Corde was the most help,” Votren spoke up, making me look up sharply in mild surprise. “Yeah!” Bazi agreed. “They helped come up with a plan to free me. And everyone helped.” I felt the eyes of everyone drift towards me, and I caught Yoda's gaze. I didn't miss the hint of pride in his eyes as he turned back to the others. “Trusted each other, you all did,” he told us. “Take your crystals back to The Crucible, and construct your lightsabers, all of you will.”
-
I was more than thrilled to return to the comfortable warmth of the ship. I was disappointed when I learned that Yoda would not be accompanying us back to The Crucible, as he had arrived on Ilum by a separate transport and needed to return to Coruscant for a council meeting. Still, anticipation and excitement pumped through my veins as I settled down at the table in the room we had used to meditate in on the journey up. Padawan Shule activated the old-looking droid I had spotted before. “Allow me to introduce you to Professor Huyang,” he stated, stepping aside to allow the droid to step forth. “These are them?” Huyang passed his surprisingly expressive eyes over us. “I swear they get younger every expedition. “All have passed The Gathering?” He asked, turning to Shule. He nodded. “For thousands of generations have I instructed younglings, much like yourselves, in how to build their lightsabers.” Huyang paced around the room in front of us, before clicking a button. A holo-image displayed above our heads, resembling a diagram. We watched while Huyang sidestepped into an area filled with drawers, shuffling through them before pulling one out and planting it on the table. “Focus the Force, around you and your crystal,” Huyang instructed. “Let it guide you, until you have the perfect weapon that will respond to you first and foremost.” Huyang began to slowly circle the room.
“Well, what are you waiting for? Begin, young Jedi!”