Chapter One

Hrowlf barks a reply in Shyriiwook, "With the power of the Force and the living world by my side, no challenge could best me!" and slaps his nearest companion on the back.

Jado grunted as Hrowlf slapped his back, and grinned. "I spent about half my time helping Aria find her way out. Turns out, she could get lost in her own back yard," and elbowed Aria in the ribs. Then he looked at Brent and winked.

Aria smiled weakly as Jado teased her. She made an effort to deflect the elbow, but her reflexes seemed slower than usual, "I am just glad it's over." She glanced at each of her companions, as she did her smile became genuine, "and I'm glad we did it together. "

"Thanks to your teachings, master, I was able to complete the trial." While his words seem confident, anyone looking at his face would know that what Brent endured left a lasting impression…and not a good one.

"I trust that, as much as it was to endure, the force knew that we were ready for it. And, maybe, it knew that was the test we needed to move forward and face whatever comes next." She smiles, throwing her right arm over Jado's shoulder and the other over Brent's, "Plus, while we learned that I can't be trusted with directions, we also learned that Jado should invest in some climbing gear." She winked with her right eye, so that only Jado and Master Tyre would notice.

"Of course not everybody has the same test. I am not you and you are not Aria. We have different strengths and weaknesses, the Force knows this and so tests us accordingly. Would you judge a Nerf as you would a Nexu?" Hrowlf laughs at the very thought.

Jado snorted at Aria's jibe and leaned his head toward her. "Actually, it'd help if I didn't oversleep and leave my climbing gear under my bunk. I'm just glad I strained my shoulder, instead of falling to the cavern floor."

Jado probably looked as affected as everyone else, but he was still processing the ordeal. No one was truly prepared for these trials, not that he'd heard, and he still wasn't quite sure what the exact test had been. He did feel like he had learned something, but felt as if the knowledge of what that was remained a little outside his comprehension.

Callis' and Hrowlf's exchange distracted him momentarily. "Hrowlf, Coruscanti kid over here. I didn't understand a word you just said about, what was it? A nerf and a nexu?"

With a satisfied grin Aria let Brent go, allowing him to ruminate on his experience. She used her now free hand to prod Jado's shoulder with just enough pressure to remind him of the strain, but not enough to cause more than minor discomfort, "Nerf's are a furry beast with curly horns and nexu's are fierce toothy felines that'll tear you limb from limb before you can blink. I don't even read the things we're supposed to and I know that."

"Jado, stop picking on the wookie! Just because he can grow a beard and you can't!" Brent grins, getting caught up in the joviality of his comrades.

With a grunt, Jado took just enough of a step away from Aria so that she couldn't keep pressure on his shoulder and crossed his arms. Either they didn't know, or they perhaps suspected, but reading still didn't come easily. It wasn't the amnesia, it was the fact that Jado had no education. Survival in the Coruscant under levels didn't permit such things when gangs were happy to sell or abuse you, and subhumans would just eat you. Even that he couldn't quite remember, and had to relearn from a book on his datapad.

"Right, well this is the first trip away from Coruscant that I can remember." His expression blanked as he tried to remember. "I haven't even seen an inhospitable ball of ice like this, before today. Not even before...."

Then he snapped out of it and poked Hrowlf, "As far as I can tell, he is a beard. Besides, you should compare your attempt at a mustache before pointing out my beard," and laughed. There was no need for seriousness after a victory.

When Jado pulls away Aria's grin fades quickly, she sensed the brief sadness or grief or regret... She was unsure. The power she had discovered in herself during the trial was new and she did not yet understand it or how to properly control it. She glanced to Master Tyre, her facial expression conveying her lack of understanding of the sensation she was experiencing.

She walked closer to Jado and whispered quietly so that only he would hear, "I apologize if my remark stung." Then, she bumped her shoulder against his, and spoke loud enough for everyone to hear, "So, with that behind us what next? Think you can beat me yet Jado? Maybe your skills are better with a real lightsaber."

"Beard? You little naked things only wish you could have such a majestic flowing mane as me. It's alright to be jealous. I know I would be were I cold and damp like you must surely be. Speaking of which, shouldn't we get back to the ship soon? I hear there's this thing called 'frostbite' and Aria is already looking a little bluer than usual." Hrowlf yowls to the group.

Rolling his eyes at Hrowlf's comment, he picks up his pace. "The fur-ball's right, though, we should get back to the ship. I'd like to start assembling my lightsaber ASAP." Brent looks down at the crystal in his palm, smaller than he thought it would be, before putting it safely away.

Aria is the first to clamber into the shuttle and remove her heavy winter cloak.

"Yes, Master Tyre," Hrowlf replies and heads up the ramp, smiling to Boomer, his clone trooper friend as he enters.

(OOC: IC in a post after work. Rolling so you can move on as need be.)

OOC: Destiny points.

Jado was last to enter the cruiser. He shucked his coat and gloves before lounging near the hatch, and just waiting while his body warmed up. Lately, corridors and tight quarters had held a feeling of menace that he had to occasionally address. As discomfort rose in response to the cruiser's tighter quarters, Jado took a few moments to meditate and clear his focus.

Aria walks around the room, opening each cabinet and browsing the parts and components within. She found components made of a ceramic-like material with little swirls and patterns carved lightly onto the surface. A few pieces of another material that were a vibrant purple found their way into her hand, she didn't remember picking them up but she liked the look of them. She sits quietly at a bench with her chosen parts and stares at them for a while. She places her crystal on the table beside it and, then, again, stares at it all. It dawns on her that she hasn't the faintest clue what she is doing. Then, she remembers Master Tyre's words and closes her eyes, holding her hands out and clears her mind. The Force will guide me she says to herself. The parts lift off the bench and begin to float around before her, clicking together into the shape should could see in her mind.

OOC: I'm imagining something like the middle one here

Hrowlf looks over the massive array of machined parts, most of them too small for his huge shaggy paws. Finally he decides on a dusty old pike haft, too large for many but ideally suited to his oversized frame. He heaves a deep breath, less comfortable than many Wookiees with the process of assembling a mechanical tool, and puts his faith in the Force to guide him during this trial.

As the components dance and weave together before him, Hrowlf has a moment of doubt, thinking that perhaps all of this technology might be woven harmoniously together with nature after all, the synthetic and the natural working together in peace and harmony. Then his concentration slips, he loses sight of his goal for one single moment and everything falls apart.

He gives a roar of frustration and wookiee rage, nearly breaking the haft of his pike over his knee before reigning in his emotions.

Brent spends some time looking around to find just the right parts for his new tool—his new identity. It takes a bit of time, but he does find a bit power-coupling shielding and works it into a short hilt. A matt-silver brushed look with very little ornamentation.

After some intense focus, he starts feeling out the components he needs. Closing his eyes, he lets the Force guide his actions, not opening them again until he feels he has finished. Grinning with what he hopes is success, he hits the switch to activate his new blade…and nothing happens. He presses the button a few times and the hilt starts smoking and he receives a mild electric shock.

"Well, anything worth doing is worth doing right. Master Tyre, can you show me where I went wrong?"

(OOC: I blame Keleth. :P)

Jado followed the others to the cargo hold and watched for a few minutes. He hoped that by watching he could get a clue from what the others were doing. He usually left questions of technology and puzzles to Callis, Hrowlf, and Brent. But Jado figured that if hundreds of Jedi could roam the galaxy with 'sabers ... then building them had to be easier than he thought. Maybe he just needed some time and luck, or guidance from the force.

Since it was probably better to settle for guidance from the force, he started there. The first thing that called to him was a dented piece of conduit which reminded him of the underlevels of Coruscant. It was long and suitable to a saber pike. So he took some time to shape it to a suitable staff-like appearance. Then the pieces of the emitter, power cell, power couplings, and so on started demanding his attention. Once everything looked complete he activated his saber to see if it worked.

Nothing happened.

After a couple of tense moments hoping it wouldn't explode in his hand, suddenly activate and take a hand off, or something suitably hazardous he risked a peek at the emitter. A faint glow came from the emitter, so he used the force to lift it from the end of the saber pike. The molten power cell then proceeded to drip and take half the emitter with it back down inside the body of the pike.

"Wow. At least it didn't take my hand off!" He said, grimacing, "anyone else have better luck?"

He looked around but thought, as well as felt, that everyone had similarly unsuccessful results. Jado felt a little embarrassed for himself and his friends. It wasn't supposed to go like this, was it?

Hrowlf looks up from the mess he's making at the sound of blaster fire. "Was that a blaster?" he grumbles quietly.

"Blaster fire? Here? What's going on? Were we boarded?" Brent stammers, looking around. He hastily gathers all his lightsaber supplies into a rucksack and slings it onto his back. He shakily pulls out his holdout blaster he keeps 'just in case' and listens for more sounds.

Just as Master Tyre leaves, Aria's lightsaber bursts to life. A vibrant purple blade extends from each side of the hilt, which itself is surprisingly well made. The Milarian's pride at her construction briefly flickers when she notices that no one else has yet succeeded. Respectfully, she turns the weapon off and clips the hilt to her side.

When the muffled sound of blaster fire reaches them, her eyes narrow. Filled with confidence and drive, she takes the lead and runs down the hall after Master Tyre, "Let's go." She says to no one in particular.

Jado put the damaged componentry back on the workbench and prepared to start over on the emitter and power pack. Then the blaster fire started and he heard a cry of pain. He dropped what he was doing and move to the front of the group. Jado was unarmed but that hadn't ever been a problem before.

A glow of purple caught his eye and he smirked. Looks like he was behind Aria again.

"Brent, that sounded like Master Tyre! Whoever did that has to be dangerous, so everybody use whatever cover you can find." He took the initiative and temporarily blocked the others from the hatch. "Let's see if we can hear anything on the other side, first. Just in case there was an ambush."

Jado put his ear against the hatch and listened.

(OOC: I want to make a perception check, what's my difficulty GM?)

Seeing Aria rush headlong into danger yet again, Hrowlf jumps up and goes after her, calling out, "Wait For the clones! They can handle any boarders!"

(OOC: making a perception check for my earlier post. Wow, really?!)

(OOC: Yeah, I'll take a boost on my next check.)

After a moment's pause, Jado made ready to launch himself through the hatch. "I don't here the clones talking, and it's quiet on the other side." He didn't know what to expect. It could be almost anything. All he knew was that they had to find out what happened to Master Tyre. In one swift moment he slapped the locking mechanism, and leaped through the hatch the instant he could fit through it.

Aria is right behind Jado. As he leaps through the hatch she takes her newly made lightsaber hilt firmly in her hand and pushes through after him.

(OOC: rolled vigilance for Jado.)

(OOC: initiativizing! Are you chuffing kidding me with these dice?!)

((OOC initiative))

OOC: updated the previous post with it, still 2 successes.

Initiative!