[Junior Jedi Knights] -05(5)

Tahiri sat back and watched the front viewports. In the blackness around them, swarms of sparkling stars stretched into glowing streaks as the Lore Seeker shot into hyperspace. ArtooDetoo twittered and bleeped proudly.

“Thank you, Artoo,” Tionne said. “I could get used to having an experienced droid like you around.”

The barrel-shaped droid made an embarrassed - sounding noise.

Tahiri giggled.

“Maybe you’ll have to train me instead, Tionne.”

The instructor turned and grinned back at her.

“I probably will. After all, Master Sky - walker taught me a lot about flying.”

“My dad says Uncle Luke was a pretty hot fighter pilot before he became a Jedi,” Anakin said.

For a moment Uldir looked very interested, but then he snorted and said,

“Any idiot can become a pilot-but being a Jedi is something special.”

Tionne swiveled her seat around to look at the three junior Jedi. Her wide mother-of-pearl eyes were serious.

“What’s really special,” she said in a stern voice, “is finding the things that you’re good at, things that you enjoy, and then practicing until you become the best that you can be.”

“Uh-oh. I think that’s her way of telling us it’s time for a lesson,” Tahiri said.

The Jedi teacher smiled ruefully.

“Yes, I suppose it is. We’ll be in hyperspace for quite a while now. Artoo can let us know when we get closer to Vjun, so this would be a good time for me to do a bit of teaching. Let’s see,” she murmured. “What would be the best subject to teach about today?”

“How about lightsabers?” Anakin asked hopefully.

“Yeah, tell us about lightsabers,” Uldir chimed in.

“I’d like that,” Tahiri said.

“It is appropriate, isn’t it?” Anakin asked. “Because of our quest.”

“All right then.” Tionne chuckled. “Lightsabers it is.” She cleared her throat and began to speak in the musical voice she used whenever she taught. “For thousands of years, Jedi have used energy swords called lightsabers as their special weapons. Anyone can pick up a lightsaber and turn it on, but only someone trained in the Force can really use it well. The energy blades are powerful enough to, slice through doors, helmets, people…. These weapons can be very dangerous to anyone who doesn’t know how to use them.

“And so,” Tionne concluded, “a Jedi Master waits until a student is mature enough and has enough skills in the Force before beginning lightsaber training.”

“But how does a new Jedi student get a lightsaber in the first place?” Uldir asked.

Tahiri was glad that Uldir was so interested in what Tionne had to say, even though she knew he would probably have to train for many years before he could ever expect to have a lightsaber.

“Well, there are several ways that I know of,” the instructor answered in her musical voice. “Most of the time a Jedi will spend weeks or even months choosing just the right parts for a lightsaber. For mine, I searched almost a year to find a spiral mist-horn to make the handle and the perfect crystal-pearl to use for the laser gem.

“When a Jedi builds a lightsaber, unless it is lost or destroyed the Jedi keeps it until death. Sometimes, though, a master or a parent who is a Jedi makes a gift of a lightsaber. In some cases, although it is rare,” Tionne continued, an old lightsaber may be discovered or a new one may be captured.”

“Uncle Luke said that his first lightsaber once belonged to his father before he became Darth Vader,” Anakin said.

“That’s right,” Tionne said. “But after he lost his hand and his lightsaber at Cloud City, Luke was forced to build a new one.”

Uldir nodded thoughtfully.

“So Master Skywalker inherited the first one and built his next one…

. Do all Jedi carry lightsabers, then?”

Tahiri was amazed that Uldir still found the subject so fascinating. Tionne’s huge pearly eyes grew unfocused, as if she were trying to remember something.

“In the past there were some Jedi who did not carry lightsabers-at least not all the time,” she said. “There is a legend about a Jedi named Nomi Sunrider. She refused to touch a lightsaber for a long time after using one against her husband’s murderers. She didn’t fight with a lightsaber again until she had to save her daughter and her Jedi Master. But the lightsaber is more than just a weapon. It is a symbol of the Jedi. Nowadays I think that all Jedi, once they are fully trained, carry their lightsabers with-“

“No. Not all Jedi.” Ikrit, who had been completely silent up until now, spoke from where he sat on ArtooDetoo’s head.