After the Gathering

This takes place after the Darkened Gathering story. I've had it in my head for a while, but only just now putting it down in digital format. Hopefully y'all like it!

#SeerofSpace

•┈┈┈∘┈┈┈❃┈┈┈⚘┈┈┈❃┈┈┈∘┈┈┈•

Q'taran was quiet at first about why he had rushed everyone out of the Hall, but once he was certain Katyra had recovered and she and Traxos were unharmed, he reluctantly told the younglings.

"There was a disturbance," he itted, "Something very strong in the Dark side was beyond that ice sheet. It was gone when we came through, but I was concerned that it might return - I didn't want any of you being put in danger."

Katyra looked over at Traxos pointedly, and he met her look before ducking his head. They both knew what Q'taran had sensed, but neither of them wanted to say it.

They made the jump to hyperspeed, leaving Ilum behind, but Katyra felt that the thing that had ed her there hadn't been left behind with it.

I will always be with you. You will never be alone.

But she didn't want that. She wanted this thing to leave; she didn't want it mes her chances of becoming a Jedi.

I will stay here, in the shadow, unless you need me. I will not interfere.

You'd better not, thought Katyra.

Not long after they entered hyperspace again, Q'taran introduced them to Professor Huyang - a droid that acted so incredibly like a humanoid that it unnerved Katyra a little. Sure, they had droids in the Jedi Temple, but those ones didn't have a clear personality - it was harder to dismiss them as "just robotics and AI" when they acted more like a living being.

"Ooh, now you are an interesting one," he said, taking Kendra's hand. "Close your eyes, and /feel/ your lightsaber in your hand. What does it feel like?"

Kendra closed her eyes, and Katyra watched, feeling as the other girl accepted the Force flowing into her. She hummed softly for a moment.

"It feels like sand," she replied softly, "Like... Gritty, but there's smooth bits, like waves."

"And just like a wave, I'll bet you'd feel more at home with a curved grip," Huyang told her, moving back over to the thousands of drawers behind his workbench. "Now, I think I have the perfect-- Ah!"

He drew out a slightly curved tube made of some sort of metal, with a grainy grip section. Holding it out, he offered it to Kendra, who took it.

"Yes! Like this!" She cried, grinning, "But wait - where's the rest of it?"

Huyang then gave them each the essential parts for their lightsabers, and they each meditated, trying to figure out what their weapon would feel like in their hands.

For Katyra, however, the meditation always seemed to be interrupted.

"I just can't quite get it," she told Huyang and Q'taran. "It feels... Symmetrical, and pale. Smooth, slightly concave... But I can't pick exactly what it feels like beyond that."

"Maybe I could help by reading your thoughts," Q'taran offered. Katyra blanched.

"No!" She cried, immediately thinking of the Other in her head. Quickly, she recovered her composure. "No, thanks. I-I... Have bad memories of that sort of thing."

Q'taran's eyes softened with pity, but he smiled reassuringly. "I'm sure you can figure it out, then. I only meant to help."

"I know,"

She had kept the red crystal tucked inside her inner pocket, and as far as she could tell, nobody else knew about it. She intended for it to stay that way - in all the chaos of getting out of the caves, she had forgotten to drop it somewhere.

"Hmmmm I've only encountered trouble like this a few times before," Huyang said thoughtfully, "But they all resolved it within themselves after meditation."

"Tried that," Katyra slumped down into one of the seats, looking over at everyone else working on putting their lightsabers together. "Maybe I'm just not meant to have one. First all the trouble with the crystal, now this."

"Or maybe," Q'taran sat beside her, "It's a sign that you still need to overcome your own fears about yourself."

Katyra sighed, looking at her feet. "I guess... I guess my biggest fear is that I'll fall, and won't come back."

"Fall?" Q'taran frowned slightly, before he realised. "Oh. You mean, you're afraid of being corrupted by the dark side?"

"It's already in me," Katyra told him, "I know you can sense it. Everyone can. And I have to fight it, all the time. I don't want to fight it, because it's just part of me that I can't help, but... I can't become a Jedi if I don't fight it."

"Well," Q'taran hesitated, "The fact you're already fighting it is more than most people. And you freely it that it's there, which again, is more than most it."

Huyang snapped his fingers suddenly. "I have an idea! Wait here. All of you," he turned to the others, "Clear a space in the middle of the room!"

Katyra watched as he began wrenching drawers from their places, dumping all of the materials and components in a large circle in the centre of the room. She stood up, incredulous at the amount of mess he was making - he would have to sort all of it back later, wouldn't he?

"What are you doing?" Q'taran asked, as Huyang kept tipping out components in the circle. Huyang, having emptied the last of the drawers, gestured to Katyra.

"Step into the circle, dear," he told her. Katyra hesitantly did so, stepping over the line of parts.

"Now, let the Force flow through you," Huyang told her, "And find the right components. And, while you're at it, see if you can sort everything back into its right place."

Katyra stared at him. "Wait, are you... Sure?"

"Yes! And don't hold yourself back - forget about the whole Light and Dark, and just let it flow."

"Uh, Professor, I don't think that's--"

"What?" Huyang turned to Q'taran, "You just heard the girl - she's afraid of using the Force because of what we teach. Well, forget what you've learned and just let it work."

Katyra bit her lip, looking at Q'taran, who had folded his arms. He nodded reluctantly, though, before looking away.

You have permission, even encouragement. Use it.

Rather than telling the Other to be quiet, Katyra closed her eyes. She summoned her Force, ignoring the two sides and just calling upon it in general. She felt it flow through her, and she raised her hands.

A soft gasp from someone caused her to open her eyes, to see that all the components and parts had raised off the floor, and were swirling about her slowly. She tried to keep her focus, closing her eyes again as she reached out.

The lightsaber that's right for me...

That casing. That emitter. Those housings. She could sense the individual parts that connected with her, and, hands moving slowly, began to assemble the weapon. Without touching it, she withdrew the blue crystal from her pocket, fitting it neatly into its place.

The other components still hung in the air about her, and she opened her eyes, looking at them. They knew where they belonged, and with a wave, she sent them floating back to their drawers each. Once that was done, she reached out, taking the lightsaber from where it still hung in the air.

"That was..." Kendra breathed softly, sounding awestruck. Q'taran looked wary, watching Katyra as she inspected the new hilt.

"May I see?" Huyang asked. Katyra hesitated, before handing it over. Immediately, he began scanning it with his x-ray eye, inspecting the internal structure.

"Hmm, interesting," he turned it about, "It has two crystal housings - but only one crystal fitted. Tell me, did you find another crystal in those caves, Katyra?"

She hesitated, looking at Q'taran, before drawing out the red crystal.

"It was the first one I found," she itted in a small voice. Huyang pulled the saber apart, inserting the red crystal into the empty housing, and resealing it again.

"Well, it isn't unheard of for Jedi to have a red crystal," he stated, "In fact, if it was the first one you found, then the fact you also found a blue afterwards is evidence of your determination to remain away from the dark side."

Katyra glanced at Q'taran again as Huyang held her lightsaber out to her.

"However, it only appears to have one shroud emitter," he stated, "And no discernible activation switch. So perhaps a little adjustment--"

"Oh, no," Katyra grinned, already knowing why it had neglected the activation switch, "I don't know about the shroud emitter, but I activate it by pushing the Force through it - see?"

She did so, pushing the Light into the weapon - and a dark blue blade appeared, springing from one end.

"Like the Force-sabers of old," Huyang nodded, sounding pleased, "That explains the single shroud, too - depending on which side you are using, it will determine which blade appears."

Katyra looked down at the weapon, letting the blue shut off. As a test, she hesitantly tried the red.

Nothing happened.

"I think that's enough," Q'taran spoke up finally. "It's a fine weapon, but I think you've dabbled a little too much in the Dark Side for all of our liking, at least for today."

Katyra nodded in understanding. She was reluctant to put the weapon away, but it was probably better to try and activate the red side at some other time. Mentally, she put her "Force tool" away once more.

"What an interesting young girl," Huyang remarked later. Q'taran sat with him, a hot beverage in one hand.

"I have to report this to the Council," he stated, "I don't wish to, because I know what they'll say, but... I can't simply ignore it. She's far too Dark."

"Well, you could always just "forget"," Huyang told him. "You saw it yourself; she has the choice of both, and is far stronger in Dark - but she actively chooses to use the Light. Why, she couldn't even activate that red blade."

"She may become a threat--"

"She is more of a threat to herself than the Order," Huyang reassured him. "And besides, pushing her away will only fuel her own sadness and anger. Would you like to be the one responsible for that?"

Q'taran pushed the droid's accusing finger out of his face, sighing. "It makes sense then - the disturbance I sensed on Ilum, it must have been her finding that red crystal - and she must have used the Darkness to help them escape."

"See? Even when she does use it, she does so for good intentions," Huyang relaxed back in his chair. "Padawan Kess, tell me - have you gone your entire life without knowing fear?"

"Of course not," he frowned, "It is natural to feel fear."

"And she feels it, too. More than most of you, but did you not hear her? That red crystal, she obtained that through giving in to that fear - and then, despite obvious "failure", kept going."

He stood, stretching out his mechanical ts. "Report it to the Council if you wish, Q'taran - but keep in mind that she did not give up, even after her fear was confirmed. She sought another way, and found it. Oh my, I'll be interested to see what else she can achieve as she grows older."

He left Q'taran alone, stewing in his thoughts.