The Adventures of Nomi Darklighter

Chapter 82 - Lightsaber Construction

A few standard weeks later, Nomi Darklighter had gathered almost all of the
components to build her new lightsaber.
Now all that was missing was a crystal, which she needed to consolidate the plasma beam. She had no idea where or how to get one.

Dash stood behind her and looked over her shoulder as she sorted through the components. His wife sighed and leaned her head against his chest.
"What's the matter, darling?" Rendar asked as he bent down and kissed her neck.
"I need a crystal, Dash. Do you know where I can get one around here?" Nomi asked, staring at the components lying on the table.
He walked around the table and sat down opposite his wife.
"It's going to be difficult, unless you have a fusion furnace to artificially create it."
Nomi shook her head.
"Then you have only one choice, darling. You must sacrifice your jewelry. Don't look at me so surprised. Have you forgotten that the Corusca gem is a crystal?" Dash asked, smiling. "Take the gem from your ring. I think it should be the right size."
"But Dash, I can't destroy your present."
"You're not destroying my present, you're just changing it a bit," her husband said, still smiling. "I'll buy you a new ring when I get a chance. C'mon, what are you waiting for? Break the gem out of the ring. Or shall I do it for you?"
He held out his hand, but Nomi shook her head.
"No, I have to do it myself," she said, taking a small pair of tongs.
Dash Rendar watched with interest as his wife pried the gem out, placed it in a small vise, and began cutting it. The young woman had to be very careful. One edge too severely clipped and it would be useless. Sweat ran down her forehead as she worked. She finally finished her work and took the crystal out of the vise. Holding it in her hand, she looked at it and wondered if it would fit.
Nomi's husband had left in the meantime so as not to disturb her concentration. She took a deep breath before placing the crystal in the prepared holder. It fit perfectly. She slowly began assembling the other components of her lightsaber.

Hour after hour passed, but assembly proved more difficult than expected. The tangle of cables and wires bore little resemblance to the diagrams in the book Luke had given her. She had to disassemble everything and start over. It was enough to drive her to despair.
"Mama, pway?" Corran asked, looking up at his mother.
It was the third time her youngest son had stood by her side seeking her attention. How was she supposed to focus on her work when she was constantly being interrupted? Still, she smiled at the little boy.
"Please ask your father, sweetie. Mama is very busy."
The little guy pouted, but turned on his heel and went to his father.
Nomi continued to work on her lightsaber.

When the aspiring young Jedi finally tried to insert the crystal holder into the handle, she experienced disappointment.
It didn't fit. She must have done something wrong again.
Luke had told her that at the time of the Clone Wars, it took some Jedi just one day to build a new lightsaber. Obviously she wasn't one of those brilliant Jedi.
She tried to stay calm, but it was in vain.
With a yelp, she threw the half-finished lightsaber across the room in a high arc. The weapon clattered to the floor and slid into a corner.
"Damn, Luke, I can't do that! I'm not ready for this task! You want the impossible from me!" Nomi screamed in frustration.
At the same moment she heard her Master's voice in her head. She could almost see his worried and disappointed face in her mind's eye.
"What are you doing, Nomi? I sensed a disturbance in the Force. You've given in to your anger again," Skywalker sighed. "Why are you always so short-tempered? Whenever I think you've finally understood what's important, you fail. You must learn to be patient, Nomi. If you don't understand this, you'll be easy prey for the dark side."
Nomi stared at the lightsaber lying in the corner. Luke had no idea how difficult it was staying focused on the task at hand with four children and a husband who also had his needs. Although Dash was very understanding, Nomi didn't want her married life to be harmed by her Jedi training.
"You're asking too much of me, Luke," she replied in the Force. "I'm not up to the task you gave me. Give me some more time. Maybe in half a year..."
She couldn't finish because Luke firmly contradicted her.
"You are ready for this task. I can feel it, Nomi. Don't lose patience too quickly." He paused before continuing. "I wonder who you got that hot temper from. If I remember correctly, your parents are the most peaceful and calm people I've ever met. Maybe it's better if you stop working on your lightsaber for today. Take care of your little daughter. She needs all the love you can give her."
Nomi nodded, though Skywalker couldn't see it, rose and walked over to the crib where Tasherit lay. Nomi took her daughter with her. She tenderly held the girl in her arms, which snuggled up to her. The young mother sat down on a chair and gently rocked the little one in her arms.
As she looked at her daughter, who was just putting a thumb in her mouth, Luke's comment about her parents came back to her. She had never thought about it before, taking it for granted that she easily lost patience and control.
It was true, in her impulsiveness she was the opposite of her parents. They were always calm and balanced. As was her brother Gavin, who was a bit wild but never lost his temper. She hesitated at the thought of her younger brother. If she was Force sensitive, why wasn't he too? The young woman wondered where this ability could come from if neither of her parents were Force sensitive. She had to get to the bottom of it.

When her husband entered the room with their sons, she had made a decision.
"Dash, I have to go to Tatooine."
Rendar looked at her in astonishment.
"What do you want on your home planet, darling? Is there something with your family?"
His wife shook her head.
"No, everything is fine. I just want to see my parents. It's been a long time since I last saw them."
Her husband nodded.
"Yes, we haven't seen them since Nar Shaddaa. We'll take the children with us. Since then, the triplets have grown and it's about time your parents met their youngest grandchild. They will definitely be happy about our visit. And since Tatooine is no longer under Imperial occupation, there won't be any problems," Dash said and smiled at his wife. "However, I wonder if we can do it that easily. We have to fulfill an important task for the Alliance here."
When Nomi heard that, her heart sank. She hadn't thought about that.
Her husband had noticed the expression on her face.
"Cheer up, Nomi. It will work for sure. After all, we can also stay in touch with Targeter on Tatooine," he said looking at his chrono. "Anyway, I have to go to General Madine and report on my Coruscant mission. He asked for it yesterday. When he heard that I was wounded during the mission, he postponed the meeting. But one shouldn't overstrain a superior's patience," he winked at Nomi before continuing. "I also have important information for attack planning. I was able to contact Targeter before the Imps caught me. I just want to know who betrayed me to the Imps. My disguise was perfect. If I ever catch whoever betrayed me, you can scrape him off the walls. You'd best go to General Madine with me, honey. After all, you made a crucial contribution to the success of the mission. And I'm pretty sure the general knows that."

After placing the triplets and Tasherit in Leebo's care, Nomi and Dash made their way to the command center.
When they entered, General Crix Madine was seated behind his desk, looking up some reports. Seeing the couple, the general deactivated his datapad and turned his attention to them.
"Captain Darklighter, Lieutenant Rendar. Please have a seat," he said, pointing to the two chairs in front of his desk.
Both sat down on the offered chairs.
"I think you should give me the data card Targeter gave you, Lieutenant," Madine said, holding out his hand.
Nomi's husband took the data card out of his pocket and handed it to the general, who inserted it into a reader and studied it carefully.
After a while Madine looked up and nodded.
"That is very valuable information you brought with you. They are very important to our attack planning because they relate to the Coruscant defense system."
Then the general looked at Nomi.
"I understand that it is thanks in large part to you that we received this information, Captain."
Before his wife could reply, Rendar nodded.
"It gives me particular pleasure to inform you that you have both been promoted for your services to the Alliance," the general said. "It's well deserved. Major Darklighter, Captain Rendar, congratulations,"
"Thank you, sir," Nomi and Dash said almost in unison.
For the latter, it seemed like a good opportunity to ask General Madine for permission to fly to Tatooine, and so he spoke up.
"We have a request, sir."
"Yes, Captain Rendar?"
"My wife would like to fly with me to her home planet to visit her parents."
Crix Madine looked at the young woman sitting in front of him.
"You're from Tatooine, aren't you, Major Darklighter?" Without waiting for an answer, the general continued. "You are surprised that I know that? Oh, I think a good superior should know as much as possible about his subordinates. However, you were already known to me when I was still an officer in the service of the Empire. Your trip to Tatooine shouldn't pose any problems. There is a base of ours and you can also carry out your tasks from there. Where are you staying, if I may ask?"
"We're going to stay with my parents because my house in Mos Eisley was destroyed by the Imps and hasn't been rebuilt yet. My parents have a small moisture farm in the Jundland Wastes."
Madine rose from his seat, and Nomi and Dash did the same.
"When will you be back?"
Nomi looked at her husband, who then took over the answering.
"We think in a standard week, sir."
The general shook hands with both of them.
"Upon arrival on Tatooine, please contact the local base immediately. I wish you a pleasant journey. Dismissed."

After they exited the command center, Rendar hugged his wife.
"I look forward to spending an undisturbed week with you and the children on your home planet, darling. Getting approval for our trip to Tatooine was easier than I thought."
But Nomi wasn't quite as euphoric as he was. It wasn't going to be a pleasure trip for her. She needed answers and wasn't sure if she would like those answers.