The Children of the Stars

Hearts of Kyber

In the weeks that followed the rebuilding of the Praxeum, the Jedi took shelter in the Kenobi house. Rey had preserved the home of the old Jedi Master when she first was on Tatooine, and used it as an archives vault. All possessions and holocrons that they wanted in a separate location for emergency purposes were here.

After all, the Kenobi homestead was just far enough from the Skywalker Praxeum to discourage marauders and robbers.

And, apparently, the likes of the Imperial Remnant.

Ben and the other Jedi Masters were amazed at what was still left.

One of them included the chest of materials for making a lightsaber.

"You'll want to make one of your own," Ben said. "Before we send you out on your next mission. You won't last long against the Sith and the Hands if you've only got a blaster pistol."

Allana's jewelry-clad hand reached unconsciously for the gilded Hapan pistol in her holster. Considering that was why she was left out of the ground assault on New Alderaan, she had to admit that her father had a point.

"Can I use the materials in Master Kenobi's chest?"

"What did you think I was going to ask you to use?" Ben raised both of his eyebrows.

"Didn't Jaina literally grow her crystals in her bedroom?"

"Normally we have our Padwans take care of the crystals they'll use to assemble their lightsabers," Ben admitted. "But we don't have the luxury of that kind of time."

"Yeah," Nellith said from where she lay in a hammock, tossing her own lightsaber into the air and catching it. "It took Jacen, like, months to find his crystal."

"I was waiting for a lightning storm." Jacen blushed. "Desert sand crystals are really good if you can't use kyber—"

"That's not the point," Ben interrupted. "We have work to do, and time is of the essence. Every second we spend bickering about kyber crystals or how Jedi training should be done is another second that we don't know where your mother is!"

Nellith, Jacen, and Allana shared a look with raised eyebrows.

"Fine, Dad, I'll get on the lightsaber building." Allana smiled. "I guess I'll see you in a little bit."

She then headed into one of the entrances beneath the Kenobi house. This was where the lightsaber materials were. Indeed, some mechanical parts and the like, as well as extra crystals that had been retrieved by older Jedi for extra or future lightsabers had been added to Obi-Wan Kenobi's original collection.

There was plenty for Allana to use to craft her lightsaber.

She planted her hands on her hips, looking at it all. She was overwhelmed by the sheer number of options— where would she even begin?

She supposed the design would be the best place to start. What kind of lightsaber did she even want to have?

Then it popped into her head. After reading legends of the Jedi Knights of the Old Republic, she'd dreamed of holding a double-bladed yellow lightsaber like Bastila Shan.

As in, the saber-staff literally appeared in her dreams alongside the mysterious throne and the shifting faces of the strange-yet-familiar and those she knew.

The more she thought about it, the more she felt it was right. Yes, she needed a double-bladed yellow lightsaber. That meant she would need two matching crystals.

She looked into the large durosteel tub of crystals, and pulled out two. She inspected them for size, and any flaws, but they seemed about right for the job.

Nodding in satisfaction, Allana took a step back and pocketed the crystals.

Now it was on to machines and the like. Allana heaved a sigh in anticipation of the work required ahead of her. She'd never had Nellith, Jaina, or Anakin's inclinations towards mechanics. Sure, she knew a few tricks on how to keep a speeder running, but to make one? She knew some small-time slicing techniques, like bypassing a forgotten password on some chatroom, but nothing major.

That was for her other siblings.

Still, it was in some ways, kind of nice to be spending an afternoon by herself, working on this giant puzzle that was the mechanical construction of her lightsaber.

While she missed the fashions and the friendships of Hapes, she didn't exactly miss all of the history and politics. She liked learning such things— it was just that on Hapes, it was a constant reminder that she did not truly belong there. It was a reminder that she was in a pit of vipers.

Some assimilated as much as they had to, like Teneniel and Tenel Ka.

But a part of Allana wanted to refuse to assimilate at all, if she could help it. Hapan history was drenched in its own blood, in horrible acts of murder and betrayal and machinations and manipulations.

At least the life of a Jedi was honest. I wasn't easy— neither was being a princess of Hapes— but it was filled with deception. As a Jedi, she wouldn't have to play the head games.

She would have to go back to Hapes someday. If Sansa ever got in the presence of Tenel Ka, it would be all over. Because she had once trained as a Jedi, and once was a Knight of Ren alongside Ben Solo, she could sense the true identities of all of the handmaidens.

They'd never be able to fool her.

Besides, it was about more than that, Allana decided as she took out silver pieces of durosteel to use for the cylinder of her saber-staff.

She'd sworn an oath to Tenel Ka when she'd come to the Queen Mother for help. After all, Tenel Ka had only ever mentioned her lack of a daughter once. It was Allana who had suggested the whole idea in the first place.

After all, she was powerless, and felt at her lowest, at that point. She would have done anything to have a sense of purpose again, so she did.

Now Allana had an abundance of purposes. To help stop her eldest sister. To carry on Tenel Ka's legacy of progress and justice on Hapes. To fulfill whatever strange and magnificent destiny haunted her dreams.

There was so much to do. While Allana was ready and her blood was screaming for her to be out and saving the galaxy, she could sense that she wouldn't feel that way forever.

It wouldn't be for several years, at least, but eventually she would tire of all there was for her to do in this galaxy.

How long would she be able to bear it? Could she at least do it all justice?

Allana wasn't sure.

After all, what if she wasn't truly ready for any of this.

Allana sighed again as she fastened the last bolt into place. She scrambled to her feet, and held her saber-staff aloft.

Then she pressed the first trigger knob. A bright golden yellow sprang from one end of the lightsaber. And then came the other.

Allana tried a few basic swings. The blade was steady, strong. It would get the job done.

Just like she would, she realized as she turned it off.