Yuku free message boards

Etti IV - Construction starts here

The labor droid tightened it's grip on the small iron forge bucket it carefully removed from the hanging rack that had allowed it to heat to magmetic proportions. Contained within the durasteel, which was thickened a coated to prevent its own molten ending, was an interesting alloy that Malcolm himself had overseen the mixing of. Common durasteel, untreated and allowed to simmer within the casting bowl like a stew cooked over an open fire, mixed with one of the rarest and most valued metals in the known galaxy. Cortosis. Pure cortosis from the Arvordine Mines that mal had... investigated shortly before an accident had killed rallying workers there. he pushed the thoughts of the insurgent miners from his head, reminding himself that it was for the good of the CSA and the right of the law for him to put a stop to them. While he'd gone through to motions of his plan, however, he'd come upon aweak place in the rock, behind which was contained an untapped vein of the pure silvery metal. Reknowed for being one of the few materials in the galaxy which could repel lightsabers, he'd made a not of its location and had Governor Beyhm ship him a sampling of the ore. That samplign had been melted down and forged into the ally molt that now glowed before the dull black photoreceptors and ice blue eyes of the droid and Human.

The droid tilted his prize over a mold, the long black cast sealed at one end. Within was a smooth hollowed out cylinder, a mere few inches in diameter and roughly two feet long from end to end. The Molten Duratosis had taken on a silvery glow as it poured slowly into the open end of the mold, the steady hands of the droid showing a perfection of form and balance in the actions. As soon as the molten metal threatened to flow up and out of the mold, it ceased its pouring and droped the bowl heavily back on the forge racks. At Mal's beckoning, it then took a long metalic shaft, it's end flaring out and showing pockmarks from use over the years. it plunged one slim end into the mold and activated a switch on the shaft. there was an impacting sound, and flecks of molten metal popped out of the cast and ran down the sides, menacing the droid's legs. The automaton didn't flinch, and Mal took a few hurried steps back to avoid the danger. He repeated the process over and over, the rod sinking further into the mold and more of the molten metal rushing out. This would create a hollow space, since once the handle was fully cooled it would be near impossible to cut with common tools. After a few minutes, the droid looked to Malcolm again, who nodded his aproval, and then hefted the mold and dropped it into a waiting vat of cooling water. By now the metals weren't molten, but were rather a maleable glowing form, and had perfectly shapped into the smooth yet hollow cylinder Malcolm had wanted. Water hissed up from the vat like an angry Nexu. but Mal's thoguhts were already focusing on what was coming next. he took a seat at the large worktable he'd ordered set out with the various tools he thought he'd need. laser scalps, hydrospanners, engraving materials, cortosis picks... all were laid out within ghe reach as the droid now cracked the cooled mold open in fron of him.

the droid's hands were immune to the sullen heat radiating from the Duratosis hilt that he pulled, in two peices from the mold. they had separated just as they should, two halves that formed a perfect whole, the sides of which had been naturally configured to slide and lock into one another once mal's work was complete. Putting on protective gloves, he activated one of the laser scalples and went to his work. he didn't understand exactly what he was doing as hestarted, but ever so quickly his mind filled withthe neccesary images. He remembered the symbols he'd seen in the jedi lorebooks, and his deft fingers etched them into the cylindrical hilt that would contain his blade very soon. His hands moved quickly, knowing he didn't have logn to dawdle, but still managed exquisite detail in the working of it all. he carved out litle dips at eaither end, the edges flaring out to where to blades would emerge, looking elegant yet dangerous, like all the light weapons of the Force users were. all up and down the sides, he carved the runes and symbols as they came to his head, not realizing entirely what they meant, but knowing that they went togetehr just like this. Knowing that this was not only right, it was neccesary. His artistic work done, the hilt showing the rough un evenness and ahving the neccessary ridges to allow him grip, yet being smooth enough that Mal knew it would feel comfortable in his hands, he scored otu an area of metal that would serve as the activation switches on either side of the blade.

Laying aside the laser scalpel, he took up the hyrdospanner, gathering up bits of metalic wiring he'd accumulated next to it. The metal was cooling, and Malcolm realized with satisgfaction that it would not be workable ever again, that this cylinder, bearing his marks and his energies, would be distinctly his for all time. Mal allowed the hilt to cool as he called to mind the wiring he'd studied within the Jedi's lightsaber he'd taken from Exis Station. He'd lain awake many nights going over that weapon, trying to understand how it had worked, and keeping it as a sort of commemoration of the Jedi's noble sacrafice. he laid the wiring out on the table, apart fromt he cooling metal, which he'd cut the cut upon the inside to accomodate the internal works, using the other lighrsaber as a model. He laid out the silvery crystals he'd gotten from Phyrus, again noting the way they glowed both physically, and as a product of the Force, a great gift indeed to the young force adept. he laid them side to side, angling them as if they were already in the hilt, as a sort of practice assembly. there were four crystals in all, and Malcolm had cut them into their proper shapses and sizes ont he return trip to etti. it hadn't been much work, since the crystals themselves were already prepared form the looks of them. Between them on the table, mal laid the power source he intended to use. It was something of a gamble, a modified blaster pack that performed on two levels rather than the spontaneous charge of energy that characterized the less civilized weapons.

The energy cell was configured with both a negative and a positive charge at either end, allowing for both, or for just one of the blades to be active at any given time. included within the mechanism was a recharging feature that would loop the needed energy through one crystal and into the other, then back through the unit itself in an effort to both strengthen the blade and prevent excessive drain on th epower cell. Basically, it would either explode the first time he activated it, or it would run for as long as Malcolm needed it to. The item had been a careful crafting on Malcolm's associate iota, who's knowledge of power sources, although mostly linked to explosives, was unmatched in anyone Malcolm knew. He just hoped the Kel'Dor hadn't forgotten that this power source needed to last.

He connected the wires to the conduits at either end, runnign them over the crystals in a weblike manner that bound them all togetehr most effectively. The currents would loop through the two on either side, chargin up before focusing into the lenses and oming out as a full blade. As iff noting that thought, the droid remindind Trite that the metal was cooled to touch by now, and he drew the two lenses from a hard case he'd had attached to his belt. Each was as wide as the hilt itself, their diameters nearly matching as he slid one into its furrow at the end. The lenses had been the most difficult items to procure, especially since it had been his intent to mmatch the pair for maximum effectiveness. He'd been forced to utilize his connections with the Sith, who'd manufactured a special pair to his specifications and delivered them to his offices just a day ago. the timing of everythign was so perfect, the mal had to wonder exactly what powers were at work here to make it all fit togetehr with such perfection. He'd been gatehring the materials, bit by bit over the last few months, and now here he was with the last few falling right into his lap as he was prepared to construct.

Reverently, he secured both lenses into one of the halves of his hilt, tyhe two distorting te light through them as if throguh water. He carefully picked up the internal workings he'd constructed on the table beside them, placing them carefully into the nooks he'd carved out awhile ago to accommidate the crystals and power unit. he fed the open ends of the wiring into the small holes on the underside f the lenses, feelign an almost tangible power through his tranclike state as he completed the curcuit. the last part to do was wire the switches he'd secured to the outside, though this required little real effort, as the whole of the lightsaber seemed to so perfectly belong already. He pressed the hydrospanner down into the crevices between the switch and wire, and after a quick zap he knew his work was finally done. removing one of the safety gloves, he reached otu a tentative hand to feel the metal he'd created. it was warm, but not hot, it was ready.

Removing the other glove he picked up each end of the lightstaff, sliding the two halves together perfectly, as he'd planned, the metal clasping strongly within his hands in his hands. he tested the weight of the handle, it would no doubt take some getting used to, but each end was properly balanced, the handle carved just right to accomidate Trite's hand. there was a sense of pride, this was his, he'd made this and no one but he would use it. he spun awya from the table, holding the weapon out vertically before him. He slid the indez finger of his right hand forward, at the same time sliding the little finger of his left downward. There was an impact sound as power surged into the wiring, wrapping around and through the crystals, and then were projected into the lenses. With a hiss twin Silver blades, a color wholly unlike any he'd seen before, each at least three feet at either end. he spun the weapon, remarking at the hummign soudn it made as its twin blades sliced air. Then he laughed, but it was a laugh of happiness, of accomplishment. tis was a right of passage, this meant he was more than just a bumbling apprentice hidden at the back of his master. He was a knight of the Force. The silver blades deactivated, and he gazed fondly at the inscriptions he'd made in the hilt.