She stopped running, closed her eyes, and thought about what she did know. Master Yoda was strange, and more often than not, she didn’t understand him, but he was almost always right. She would just have to trust that he was right now, that she would find her crystal and she would know it when she did.
She opened her eyes. There, twinkling in the dark of the cave, was a light that hadn’t been there before. It called to her, and she went to it. When she got close, she saw that it was a crystal, and just like Master Yoda had said, she knew it was hers. It fell into her hands, and she turned to run back to the mouth of the cave.
It was warm in her quarters when she woke up, which is how Ahsoka knew the dream was over.
“Thank you, Master,” she whispered, though she knew that Master Yoda couldn’t possibly hear her, or help her even if he could.
Rising, she went to the low table that held her belongings and picked up the little pouch that usually rested in her pocket. She spilled out the collection of used parts and other derelict pieces she’d been carrying with her since her arrival on Raada. She could see now that several of them were useless, and she discarded them. The pieces that were left, however, might be worth something.
Lightsaber construction was a Jedi art of the highest order. Ahsoka had never done it unsupervised, as she knew she must do now. She also knew that she was missing important components, but since her vision was guiding her toward Ilum and the crystals that grew there, she would have to trust the path she was taking. The material she had would be sufficient to begin construction on the chambers. The hilts would be inelegant, but functional.
She finished after a few false starts and examined her work. She could almost hear Huyang fussing over her shoulder, but she still felt pleased with herself. She stood, stretched out her shoulders, and went in search of the senator. She found him in the mess hall, having a conversation with the captain.
“No, Captain, stay please,” she said, when Antilles would have left them alone. “I think I’m going to need your help, too.”
“What are you thinking, Ahsoka?” Bail asked.
And Ahsoka told him the plan.
THE CRYSTALS GREW.
Clear as ice and cold until they found the hands that waited for them, they added structure in an ordered way, one prism at a time. And while they grew, they waited.
From time to time, someone would arrive and call to them, like the harmony of a perfect song. Each crystal had a chosen bearer, and only that bearer would hear the music and see the glow. All others would pass by, seeing nothing but more ice.
There were larger crystals, visible to all but inert unless properly calibrated, and there were tiny ones, the size of a fingernail or smaller. Even the smallest could channel power and find a bearer. All they had to do was be patient and grow.
There was no particular pattern for where the crystals might be found. There were some planets that hosted them in countless numbers, and those places were often considered holy or special. Pilgrimages were made and lessons learned and lightsabers crafted. And thus the light crystals went about the galaxy to be put to use.
Dark crystals were made, too, but not in that holy place. They were plundered from their rightful bearers and corrupted by the hands that stole them. Even rock could be changed by the power of the Force, bleeding alterations until their color was the deepest red. The balance was finely staged between the two, light and dark, and it took very little to upset it.
When the first ships appeared in the sky over a planet where the crystals grew in number, nothing seemed amiss. Ships visited the planet all the time, and crystals were taken away, but this occasion was different. There were no young bearers to hear the songs, no attentive students to learn the lessons. There was only greed and a terrible, terrible want.
The planet was ravaged, its crystals broken by uncaring hands who thought to twist them to their own uses. No more could the planet be considered a holy place, and no longer would pilgrimages be made. Instead, those who had once gone there would avoid it and despair for the loss of the crystals that once sang to them.
But in the wideness of the galaxy, there were many planets and many places where the crystals could appear. They would be harder to find, their concentration lower, but it would not be impossible for one who sought, for one who listened—for one who had learned the first lessons and had the patience to learn more.
The crystals grew, adding structure in an ordered way, one prism at a time.
And while they grew, they waited.
Chapter 26
BAIL OFFERED HER A SHIP, but Ahsoka turned him down. Everything in his manifest was new: sleek, fast, very obviously built on a Core world. Ahsoka elected to keep her own craft. She knew its foibles, for one thing, and she also knew it would stick out less on an Outer Rim world than any of the fancy ships in Bail’s collection. She did let Antilles’s crew fix the engine damage, though. Well, she let R2-D2 do it while she supervised.
While the droid worked, Ahsoka took the opportunity to examine Bail’s operation. He’d said that not everyone on board was fully aware of what he was attempting to organize, but it seemed like everyone at least knew that what they were doing wasn’t entirely Empire business. She could tell from the conversations she overheard that the crew was loyal to Alderaan and to Breha and Bail themselves, which was a good start. Bail’s work was slow, as he’d said, but his foundation was strong. Of course, it helped that he had more resources than she’d had on Raada and that the people he was working with were already trained to fight and follow orders.
Sitting in the hangar bay, with R2-D2 by her side, Ahsoka began to realize that what she had accomplished on Raada was more of an achievement than she’d thought. It wasn’t like Onderon, where she’d had time and, most important, Rex to help her. She hadn’t failed on Raada, even though her people had suffered casualties. She had learned a new way to fight, too, and she needed to have as much patience with herself as she did with the people she fought alongside.
R2-D2 beeped a question at her, and Ahsoka examined his work, even though she had a feeling they both knew he didn’t require a second opinion.
“It looks great, Artoo,” she said. “I’ve missed having you around for exactly this kind of thing.”
The droid chirruped happily and made a few last adjustments to the engine. It hummed to life, and Ahsoka jumped to her feet.
“Thanks, little guy,” she said. “I don’t know if it’s ever sounded so good.”
R2-D2 made a smug sound, set the tools back in the crate, and rolled off without making any further comment. He passed Bail, who was walking in Ahsoka’s direction. The senator was off that day, as well, on a mission no less dangerous than hers. He was headed back to Coruscant to play Imperial puppet in the Senate, and he was dressed for the part.
“Are you sure you don’t want backup?” he said. “I’m sure Chardri and Tamsin don’t hold a grudge, and they’re good in tight spaces. Well, they are when they know what they’re up against.”