every journey has a first step
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The ice planet of Ilum. The crystals that grow in its caves have a unique connection to the Force and are often used in the construction of lightsabers.

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!!!

"Am I gonna get to make a lightsaber?"

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"You will have the opportunity to."

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She makes an excited sound. "Thanks!" And then a stream of questions about lightsaber construction.

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There will be plenty of time to go over everything on the flight.

They take a smaller ship this time, not the full-size Consular-class, since it's just the two of them. This means they can depart directly from the Jedi Temple, without needing to go to the municipal spaceport. The ship has three wings, one on top and three on the side that fold up while it's on the ground. The rear of the ship is a cargo/common area, with a small 'fresher, a microwave to heat up premade meals, and a pair of fold-out beds. The cockpit is at the front, through a hatch, and has four seats.

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She's interested in how the ship works and in how it's flown, in addition to all her questions about lightsabers - and questions about the planet itself tacked on.

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Elesse can explain how the controls work, and once she's gotten them away from other traffic, Anakin can take a turn piloting.

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It's different from the ship she's flown before. A lot easier to fly just on her own, though, which is nice.

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That's what it was designed for.

After they make the jump to hyperspace, they can get back to lightsabers. There are some components that are standard, power pack, wiring, emitter, switches, but much of the design is custom. The shape and length of the hilt, the grip, the balance, casing material, any extra flourishes. All the little things that will make her saber truly her own.

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She has a lot of ideas for flourishes she's working through - not all of them practical, but she has a decent sense for which those are.

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The Jedi outpost on Ilum has a fully equipped machine shop she'll be able to use after she's collected her crystals.

Speaking of which, she'll need two. One focusing crystal and one resonance crystal. The focusing crystal gives the blade its color, the resonance crystal gives the blade what you might call its character. It's what lets a Jedi connect with their weapon.

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"Can I pick the color?"

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"Certainly."

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"What're the options?"

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"Shades of blue and green are most common by far. There are also yellows and oranges like mine," which is a warm topaz Anakin's seen a few times, "and some rarer colors, like Master Windu's purple. It depends on what you can find."

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"I'll find a pretty one, then."

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"I'm sure you will."

"There is one more thing you should know about Ilum. The crystal caves are strong in the Force, and can sometimes induce visions in those who delve their depths."

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She nods. "I won't be surprised if I start seeing things, then. What're the visions of?"

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"It varies. The future, the past, roads not taken."

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"Should be interesting, at least."

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"At least." There's a chime. "We've arrived." Back to the cockpit to land.

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She observes this, just as interested as she was in the taking off.

Are they going straight to the caves?

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Yes, they are. Elesse pulls up a holomap of the planet.

"The outpost is here," she says, highlighting it. "There are six major caverns, scattered around," these are also circled, "and various minor systems." More spots light up. "Which one do you want to try?"

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She hums, lets herself drift a bit -

And finds herself pointing at one of the deeper ones.

"That one."

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"All right." Down they go.

The entrance to the cave she's chosen is a thin cleft at the base of a range of craggy, snow-covered mountains.

"I'll keep the ship warm while you're exploring," she says.

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