Chapter Text
One
The act of constructing a lightsaber forever marks Padawans as members of the Jedi Order. The Construction of a lightsaber is more than an act of loyalty to the organization which has stood for a thousand of generations. It is an opportunity to make a saber of one’s own. The Jedi strive for consistency in manner and dress, but they do not make rules for this most personal of weapons. -- Skarch Vaunk, Edi Battlemaster
Billy had been training with Wanda for about a year. They made a very good team, and they found they complemented each other well. The first few months of an apprenticeship were mostly spent building a strong bond between master and student. It was a bond that lasted a lifetime.
There were no dangerous missions for newly raised Padawans. Those came later.
The next step on an apprenticeship was the building of a lightsaber. This was a relatively long process, as the separate components all had to be collected from different places, usually at different times. The theory of the lightsaber construction was covered in depth, but it was not actually put to use until all the pieces was collected.
The last piece collected was the crystal. Young Padawans went with their masters on a vision quest to the ice planet Ilum--a Jedi planet, where crystals for lightsabers were abundant.
Ilum had been a target for the Sith several times over the course of various wars, but they always abandoned the planet due to its strategic unimportance. The only activity Ilum saw was a few hundred Padawans a year visiting. So it wasn’t worth it for the Sith to blockade a planet that only inconvenienced so few. Alternative arrangements for the affected Padawan could also be easily made.
That said, Sith attacks on Ilum were usually short-lived and more of an inconvenience than anything else.
Billy had collected almost all of the parts he needed for his blade. All he needed was his crystal and then he’d be able to put everything together and build his lightsaber.
Finally.
Not that he was impatient. He wasn’t. Much. Maybe he was. But only because Tommy had just returned from Ilum. His brother always had to be first.
Billy’s Master, Wanda Maximoff, had said they would go to Ilum soon after he had collected all the other components. Now that he found the right focusing crystal, they could set off. It wasn’t just any focusing crystal that he’d found, they were an industrial product, and so they were abundant in the galaxy. But as with every part of the lightsaber, it had to be the part that felt right. The part the Force led him to.
That was one reason it took several months to complete the construction of a lightsaber, when technically all the parts and construction could take just a few hours. Each lightsaber was an extension of the Jedi who constructed it. It was personalized and unique. They said you could tell a lot about a Jedi by his blade, and so Billy hoped his turned out well.
He was on his way back from the Archives, where he had been researching current geopolitical conditions in the Tiberus System. It was an assignment from his Master.
When he arrived back at the quarters he shared with her, he walked in and saw Master Wanda reading on the small sofa in the common area. “Master, can we go to Ilum now?” Billy said, holding up the focusing crystal.
“That was fast, Padawan. I thought for sure you would say hello before you asked. I owe Pietro 10 credits.”
“Master...” Billy said. He tried to keep the whine out of his voice. He did not succeed.
“Padawan,” she replied.
Billy sighed and sat down on a chair near the couch Wanda sat.
“Building a lightsaber is more than an act of science. The blade will be an extension of your being. You must truly know yourself in order to complete it. Truly trust yourself. Do you?”
Billy closed his eyes, he reached out to the Force for guidance. This was a serious situation. His Master wanted an answer, and he was sure to give her the right one. He breathed deeply in and out.
He opened his eyes and said, “I am ready, Master.”
“Good. We leave tomorrow.”
Billy’s mouth dropped open. “But...”
“Billy, you’re my Padawan. I know you and I know you are ready. I just had to make sure you realized it for yourself. Now, you need to pack. Remember your winter gear. Ilum can be a bit nippy.”
Nippy was an understatement.
Being the fifth planet from its sun, Ilum was cold. It had a climate that was in perpetual ice age, but thankfully had enough flora to produce an atmosphere that was breathable by most species. Most life on the planet lived underground in scattered pockets warmed by geothermal heat.
What made it important was that Ilum had one of the largest concentrated deposits of lightsaber crystals in the galaxy. So for almost 20,000 years, Jedi had been coming to this place to find the heart of their blades.
“Are you sure you don’t want to land the ship, Padawan? It would be good practice.”
“No thank you, Master. You know I’m not very good at flying.”
“We must practice to improve.”
“I promise to spend some time in the simulator when we get back. I’ll even ask Master Danvers for help if she’s there. I’d rather practice when I can’t accidently kill us.”
“You just want to spend more time with Teddy,” Wanda said teasingly, referring to Master Danver’s Padawan.
Billy blushed. “You have to admit he’s a good pilot.”
“Indeed, he is. One of the best, if Master Danvers is to be believed.”
“Why wouldn’t you believe her?”
“Masters can be funny about their Padawans. You should hear some of the stories I tell about you.”
“I don’t think I want to know, Master.”
“Yes, you’re probably right,” she said as she gently landed the ship. She turned to look at her Padawan. “Now you head off towards the temple. There should be no one else here. It’s about three clicks to the west.”
“You’re not coming with me?”
“I will join you when you find your crystal. You must meditate alone, for as long as it takes you to hear the call. I’ve known Jedi to take up to two weeks, Padawan, so do not rush yourself. You may experiences visions of the future or specters of the past. Take heart and know that you are not alone, and any fate you may see is not set in stone. We make our own destinies.” She paused. “Also, do not assemble your lightsaber until I arrive. I’ll know when to come. Do you have any questions?”
Billy nodded and said, “No, Master.”
“May the Force be with you, Billy.”
Billy smiled at her and moved off towards the small ships hatch and exited.
He made it to the temple in a little over an hour. The façade looked to be slightly damaged, which was understandable as the Sith had attacked not too long ago. The Temple was built upon a deep cave, so while the outside looked damage, the inside was probably untouched.
He was on his guard, because Tommy had told him that he ran into a Gorgodon, a native species that liked to eat Jedi Padawans. Or anything else that wandered into its path.
As he entered the temple, the wind died down, and he was protected in the cave. It was not necessarily warmer, but it was calmer.
Large columns of rocks held up the ceiling, and all around were slightly glowing crystals, proving enough light for him to see. The crystals lined stalagmites and stalactites all over the cave, as well as the walls and ceilings.
Billy entered deeper and there was a large room, going deep into the ground. A spiral ramp circled the fissure, and he could see the bottom. There was a small altar there, and he made his way towards it. The Force was singing to him from all the crystals.
He approached the center of the room where alter was and knelt on it. He reached out with the Force and began to meditate. He opened himself to the Force was let it guide him.
Time lost all meaning when he was meditating. Images flashed before Billy’s consciousness.
He saw battles rage and Jedi leading troops into massive battles. He saw a flash of silver hair and a Jedi looking like Tommy leading the charge. Before he could see if he was there…
He saw himself, older, smiling at a child, a Padawan, in the cockpit of a ship. He had never seen the child before and wondered if it was someone he would take as his Padawan at some point.
He saw Master Wanda looking his age, staring at a baby through a glass window and smiling. Was that him as a baby?
He saw an old Jedi Master (was it him?) fight off four Sith and be cut down after a long struggle.
He saw an older Teddy leaning in close to him and smiling. He could feel Teddy's breath on his face but then Teddy pulled back to look around quickly as someone rounded a corner.
He saw a vision of himself sitting in a cave, soaking wet and looking lost.
He saw someone younger than him, dressed in Sith robes, holding out a hand to him.
He saw Tommy standing at his side, fighting off attack droids while a nearby Sith laughed.
He saw himself standing at the top of a hill waving his lightsaber in the air to ships overhead.
He saw...
He saw...
He saw the way the worlds and people connected with the force and for a moment, understood a great truth about the universe.
Then he felt it. A pull from nearby. His eyes snapped open and the world around him was dark. The light from the crystals was gone, but there was still a light shining in the room.
He walked over towards it and reached out for the shining blue crystal. It broke off in his hand and the cave light back up. He realized that it was probably not really dark in the cave at all, but the Force led him to the crystal he needed.
He smiled and turned around. He was shocked to see his Master standing there.
“Master, you’re here.”
“Indeed, Padawan. You look to have picked a fine crystal. The Force alerted me that you were close to completion. Are you hungry? You were meditating for six days.” She handed Billy a ration bar and he took a bite.
“Six days? It felt like almost no time at all.”
“The Force works in mysterious ways, Padawan. Come eat, and then we shall assemble your blade.”
The pieces of a lightsaber weren’t soldered together. They were fused together with the Force itself. It required absolute concentration, and Billy had practiced the technique several times on scrap metals. Failure to align the pieces properly could result in tragedy.
Billy took a deep breath and the lightsaber pieces began to float in the air in front of him. Wanda started to recite the mantra as Billy used a precise application of the force to fuse the pieces together.
The crystal is the heart of the blade.
The heart is the crystal of the Jedi.
The Jedi is the crystal of the Force.
The Force is the blade of the heart.
All are intertwined.
The crystal, the blade, the Jedi.
We are one.
When she finished reciting the poem, the lightsaber was complete. It settled gently into Billy’s hand and he was just looking at it.
“Well, Padawan. It appears you completed it correctly. Shall we test it?”
Billy nodded and pressed the activation button. A bright blue blade sprang to life in his hands. He looked up at Wanda and smiled. She smiled back.
Chapter 2: Two
Summary:
Billy has some downtime at the Jedi Temple and spends some of it with Teddy.
Notes:
Jedi’s aren’t fans of attachment. Material or emotional. So two Padawans being too close is considered not appropriate and something to address. Usually with separation and counseling. Someone was bugging me to post a chapter (you know who you are) so here it is.
Chapter Text
"A Jedi is a Jedi, first and foremost, and only. For a Jedi to divide his attention between the will of the Force and the will of others is to invite disaster." ―Hoche Trit
Two years had passed since Billy Kaplan was raised from Initiate to Padawan. He had gone on several missions with his Master, and they had several adventures together.
They had just returned from a mission to the Outer Rim and were scheduled for some down time. Padawans had knowledge trials, so they could not always be on missions. They had much to learn. Languages, history, politics, mathematics, sciences. A Jedi needed to know all of that and more. So between missions, there were classes and lectures to point Padawans in the right direction. Much of the work was done independent study, but classrooms were still used for many topics.
Practical Jedi skills were taught by one’s master, but no master knew everything. So they all worked together to help make the next generation of Jedi be prepared for their futures.
Billy was very excited to find that Teddy Altman, his closest friend, was also back at the temple. There was no one else from their old clan here now, but Tommy and his master were expected back soon.
He had made plans with Teddy via comm message to meet up to go swimming after they did some work. One of the larger ponds in the Room of a Thousand Fountains had been commandeered by Padawan ages before to be a meeting place for swimming and relaxation. It was out of the way, and most younger Padawan didn’t think their masters knew it was there.
Billy appeared at the appointed time, and saw Teddy waiting for him by the edge of the water. It was surprisingly quiet that day, and no one else where around.
“Hey Teddy!” Billy said, reaching out to hug Teddy, but then awkwardly changing to a handshake midway through.
Teddy smiled back and grabbed his hand. “Hi Billy.” They didn’t let go for a moment, just smiling at each other and then realized at the same time and let go. “How was your mission?”
“It was good. We broke up a slaving ring, which was abducting children from Republic worlds. There must have been hundreds of kids there. What have you been up to?”
“Master Danvers and I were escorting a shipment of food and medical supplies to the enclave on Dantooine. I got to fly a fighter on my own, it was amazing.”
“I didn’t realize you got your pilot's license already! I can barely find my way around a cockpit still...”
“Yeah, I got it a few weeks ago. I can give you a few tips sometime, if you want.”
Billy beamed. “That would be great! Schoolwork later, swimming now. Let’s take advantage of having the pond to ourselves.” They were standing by the side of the pond, and as Billy said this he grabbed onto Teddy’s arms and used his own body weight to pull them both into the pond.
Teddy’s eyes widened comically before they hit the water. When they came up for air, Teddy was laughing and splashing Billy, who was splashing back. Unfortunately for him, Teddy was larger and was pummeling him with water.
They were both laughing and Billy put his hands up, treading water and said, “I surrender!”
Teddy didn’t stop assaulting him with the water. “I think you owe me an apology for pulling me into the water,” he said as he kept attacking the dark haired boy.
“I’m sorry, it was a horrible thing to do. I’ll never do it again! Forgive me!”
Teddy stopped, and looked like he was thinking it over. “You didn’t sound that sincere.” He lunged forward and grabbed a squirming Billy and dunked him under the water. Billy surfaced again and glared at Teddy. “There, I think you learned your lesson.”
Billy stuck his tongue out at Teddy, who responded by splashing him one more time.
It was a very wet few hours later when Teddy said, “I’ve got to go, my master is expecting me for dinner.”
“Yeah, mine too. This was fun.”
“It was. Flying lessons tomorrow? Master Carol gave me access to the simulator room. I bet we could go and get some practice tomorrow. I don’t think there are any classes.”
“That would be great. I have some history work to do in the Archives, but the afternoon would be great.”
“It’s a date.” Teddy said, then blushed, “I mean that works for me.”
Billy smiled back.
“How was your time with Teddy, Padawan?”
“It was very good, Master. We were sw-- meditating in the Room of a Thousand Fountains.”
“Meditating, hmmm? That’s why your clothes are soaking wet and your fingers are all wrinkled?”
“Um...”
“It’s alright, Padawan. Do you think your generation is the first to go swimming there?”
Billy smiled at his master and said, “I didn’t know if the Room of a Thousand Fountains was there when you were a Padawan, Master. Just how old is the Jedi Temple again?”
Wanda laughed. “Go change, you little gundark. Dinner will be ready in a few minutes.”
The next afternoon found Billy waiting for Teddy outside the flight simulator room. Teddy was late, which was unusual. He was about to call him on his comm, when the door to the room opened and Teddy was there.
“Hi,” Billy said.
“Hi, yourself. I got everything set up for us.”
“Good. I hope it’s not too much. I usually freeze up in the cockpit. So many buttons and nobs and switches. It’s overwhelming.”
“Let’s just try it out. I’ll monitor you from the control room and walk you through it.”
Three tries later, Billy was ready to give up completely on flying and walk everywhere for the rest of his life. Teddy was not willing to give up on him.
“I’ve got an idea. I’m opening the pod,” Teddy said and after a second the simulator was open and Teddy was there. “Scoot over. I’ll walk you through this in person.”
Billy swallowed and said, “The simulator’s kind of small for both of us, isn’t it?”
“They’re made for multiple species, so I think if a Wookiee can fit, we both can.”
“Alright,” Billy said, moving as far as he could to one side. Teddy fit, barely. Neither of them could move their legs, and they were jammed in pretty tightly. “I’ve got an idea.” Billy lifted one of his legs so it was resting on top of Teddy’s. This gave them a lot more room to move around.
“Perfect,” Teddy said, smiling. He pushed a button and the lid closed sealing them in. “This way I’ll be able to point out all the buttons to you without trying to describe where they are.”
Billy nodded and said, “Let’s try it.”
It worked remarkably well. With Teddy there, Billy was doing a lot better. They made a really good team, and Teddy was patient and helped him every time he needed it.
Billy was able to take out all the enemy fighters and didn’t even take a single hit. Usually he was destroyed before two or three of the fighters even appeared.
He was able to complete the simulation without dying, for the first time ever.
“This is great! I can’t believe I got through it. I couldn’t have done it without you.”
“You did good, but I won’t always be there. Let’s try it again. This time, rely more on the Force then me.”
Billy nodded and Teddy started the simulation again. It felt nice sitting so close to Teddy. It put him at ease too. One of the most interesting things about the simulators is that every time it ran, it was slightly different. The difficulty was always the same, but the setting and enemies were different.
Billy was doing well. Teddy only had to help him once, and the Force was with him.
He destroyed all but one of the enemies before the enemy fighter got off what Teddy called a lucky shot.
“You’re doing great, Billy. I bet you could do that well without me in here with you.” He threw his arm around Billy’s shoulder.
“I doubt it. You must be my good luck charm.”
“I wonder what Master Carol would say about this teaching method, though. These pods are really only built for one per--”
Teddy was interrupted as the pod snapped open and a smug-looking Tommy stood there.
The moment he saw Teddy in the pod as well as Billy his eyes widened. “That’s not quite what I was expecting...”
“Tommy, we were practicing.”
“Were you?”
“What do you mean?” Teddy asked. “Why else would we be in these pods?”
“Why could two people be in a small little pod made for one person? That’s a tough question.” he said, teasingly.
“You think...” Billy said at the same time Teddy said, “We weren’t…”
Tommy sobered and said, “What if one of your masters walked in, what would they think?”
“Teddy was just helping me, Tommy. When he was with me here, I could really fly well.”
“I bet...” Tommy said and then snorted. “Look, you guys are great, and I care about you. If a Master walked in here and saw you, they would think you were too attached to each other or something. You’ve got to be subtle. I’m here to help. I’ll make them look the other way when the need arises.”
“When the need arises for what?” Teddy asked.
“You know, when you want some alone time. Together.”
“Tommy, stop,” Billy said.
“What? You’d rather find small spaces to be together without someone looking out for you?”
“We’re just friends, Tommy. I’m not sure what you’re trying to say.” Tommy leaned over to whisper something to Teddy’s ear. Teddy turned red and said, “You’re crazy Tommy.”
Tommy laughed and said, “I’ll have your back when you need me to. Just say the word. No, better yet, I’d appreciate you saying ‘Tommy, you were right. We need your help.’”
Billy rolled his eyes. “There is no chance of that happening. Ever, Tommy. So don’t count on it.”
Tommy looked between then and laughed again. “Why don’t you come find me and say that when you’re not sitting on Teddy’s lap, Billy.”
Billy jumped out of the cockpit of the simulator so fast, he may have used the Force.
“I’ve got to go, Teddy. Thanks for the help, I really appreciated it.”
And with that Billy was off, leaving a confused Teddy and a snickering Tommy in his wake.
Letobaskerville on Chapter 1 Fri 17 Apr 2015 08:14PM UTC
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Perky on Chapter 1 Tue 21 Apr 2015 06:55PM UTC
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