Scavenging/Salvaging

[James Prent]

James shrieked in spite of her best efforts as she lost her balance. Almost in slow motion the padawan tipped over and fell into the waste removal bin, the lid clanging shut behind her. The only good thing about it was that the garbage scows weren't due for another two days.

The bad thing about that, was that the bin was full of garbage. James gagged at the smell and flailed about getting herself sitting upright. She banged her head against something in the nearly pitch darkness, and cursed loudly enough to make the metal ring.

This wasn't how she'd pictured this going.

Do a little research, make a list, find the parts. It all had seemed so easy. James didn't feel comfortable leaving the Temple without her master, and Salemn was busy with her other padawan, Lillian, today. So instead of heading to the nearest scrap yard, the five foot tall padawan was starting with the Temple's own garbage piles.

And there sure was a lot of it! From the way this bin smelled and squished, there was mostly food in this one. Not stray focusing crystals or tubular pieces of metal suitable for creating a lightsaber pommel. James got to her knees on the garbage and pushed up on the heavy lid, forcing it up, but not able to get it all the way open. "Augh!" She tried to stand to her feet, but when she moved the garbage shifted underneath her and the padawan fell back down inside the bin, the lid clanging shut once more.

Use the Force, James. Don't be such a dren head! James scolded herself, and then added mentally, but calm down first.

Meditating on a pile of rotting food stuffs wasn't her idea of relaxing, but she closed her eyes and gave it a try, getting a feel for the shape of the lid above her.

[Ka' el Darcverse]

"Ughh, what is in this bag?!?" Ka' el asked to no one in particular as he took the bag of garbage from his room to the trash bins outside.

"Jandor must have cleaned his fridge," he griped making mention of his roomate. As he came to the last set of stairs he leapt down the final five and made his way rapidly to the bin.

Grabbing the lid in one hand he pushed it upwards, it was heavy but with the Force, Ka' el's physical strength was more than up to the task.

"Alley-oop!" He whooped as he tossed the bag of smelly refuse into the bin and prepared to drop the lid again.

[James Prent]

The lid above her moved, and James blinked in confusion. She had been paying so much attention to the lid that she'd not noticed the sound of footsteps. As it opened she scrambled to her feet, only to get hit in the chest with a bag of garbage.

"Krasst!" James managed not to fall over again, and the young man who'd opened the bin nearly dropped the lid on her head in surprise. "Wait! Help me out, please? These things are deeper on the inside than they look." She grabbed the edge of the bin as the things under her feet shifted once more.

[Ka' el Darcverse]

"Whoa..." Ka' el said in suprise, he had let go of the lid with his hand but he suddenly raised his hand so that he could channel the Force and hold the lid hovering over his fellow padawan's head.

"You ok? What in the world are you doing in here?" He asked half-laughing.

He then stuck his hand down towards her gripping her by the wrist and prepared to pull her out.

[James Prent]

James grunted as he helped her out of the bin, and stamped her feet on the ground outside, shaking off stray bits of garbage. "Oh gods, thank you so much. I was just...trying to find some spare parts and I lost my balance."

The padawan sniffed her tunic and grimaced. "Yuk!"

[Ka' el Darcverse]

"Yes yuk indeed," Ka' el responded; "How long where you in there? Days?"

He distanced himself a bit from the smelly woman before him as he brushed himself off.

"Spare parts? For what? A ham and cheese sandwich?" He mocked slightly as he noticed the molded piece of cheese in the woman's hair.

[James Prent]

James felt the slight weight on her head and leaned over, shaking vigorously, ridding herself of the last bits of refuse. "Ha! Days? Try a few minutes. I was lookin' in the wrong bin, though."

She looked up at him and stuck out a mostly clean hand. "M'name is James Prent, and thank you for helping me out. And in answer to your second question, I was lookin' for parts so I can start assembling my lightsaber."

[Ka' el Darcverse]

"And you are looking for that in the waste bins?" Ka' el responded with a raised eyebrow.

"Why not visit the workshop, I'm sure that there are some components lying around there somewhere." Ka' el replied.

"I can even show you how to get there."

[James Prent]

James looked at him for a moment, and then chuckled, "I'm sorry, I didn't catch your name. And I already found..." she reached into the bag slung over her shoulders, "this."

It was an old swoop bike handle. "I think it can be altered to become the casing." James flipped it into the air and caught it again deftly. "But where is this workshop?"

[Ka' el Darcverse]

"It's Ka' el and its nice to meet you James," Ka'el replied courteously. He then began to walk checking over his shoulder to make sure James kept up with him.

"The workshops not very well know by padawans most make their sabers in the training ground with their masters; a rite of passage of sorts. From what Master D'an told me the workshop is for Knights who want to repair or improve their sabers or build a second weapon."

He continued walking through the praxeum grounds seemingly oblivious to everything else around him save James.

"It's near the training grounds though, behind one of the western wings."

[James Prent]

She quickened her pace to keep up with the longer legged padawan, and tucked the bit of tubing back into her satchel. Her whole outfit was a little worse for wear, but thankfully the smell wasn't too bad. Or maybe her nose had just been burnt out from the intensity of it. James sniffed her shoulder surrepticiously.

"Well, it does sound like a good place t' go look for spare parts, Ka' el. I never woulda found it on my own." She grinned at him. "Thanks again for helping me out of there."

[Ka' el Darcverse]

"Looks like you've got a hilt casing," Ka' el said motioning towards James' swoop handle.

"Though you might want to look for a more durable piece. The steel they use for swoop handles doesn't stand up to heat very well." He commented.

"I'm sure however that their will be plenty of spare casings lying around at the workshop."

Ka' el walked into the training complex and took a left. He glanced at the site map to double check his location.

"I'm pretty sure it's this way..."

[James Prent]

James trailed along behind him, and peered at her casing once more. It looked durable enough, but if he was right and it wouldn't stand up to heat...

"Wait, I thought that only the blade of a saber emitted any heat. The handles are usually very cool. Otherwise how would a Jedi be able to hold one?" She flipped her swoop handle in the air and snagged it as it came down. "Coolant plays a role I know..."

[Ka' el Darcverse]

Ka' el blushed he had made a mistake in his semantics and it embarassed him.

"I meant to say that when you are fighting with your saber and your opponent's blade locks low next to your hilt a metal that conducts heat such as yours is going to become very uncomfortable very quickly," He smiled as he explained.

"Coolant does play a role but your asking for that much more weight with the amount of coolant you'll need for that metal."

He continued walking and took another right. There where two corridors to walk down and he couldn't remember which one to take.

[James Prent]

James nodded, and fished around in her pouch once more, pulling out a wrinkled flimsy. She smoothed it between her hands as Ka' el looked down two corridors, as though not quite sure which way to go. "I made a list of the major parts of a lightsaber..."

The tiny padawan looked it over:


power cell
<strike>cyrst</strike> crystal lens assembly
activation plate
emmiter matrix
hi energy flux 'aperture'
blade emitter
handgrip -something comfy!
focusing core


..and then back at her rescuer. "There are a lot a' things on here that I'm not quite sure how I'm gonna get ahold of them. I mean, a power cell is easy enough, but a crystal lens assembly? They won't just happen to have one laying about in the workshop, d'ya think?" She shoved her list back into the pouch and rubbed her forehead, streaking a bit of greasy dirt across it.

[Ka' el Darcverse]

"I don't think we will be able to get a crystal lens assembly, but alot of the other things we should be able to find," Ka' el replied. He noticed her removing some of the grime off her face and reached into the folds of his pocket, removing a hankerchief.

"Here you go, try this. Your hands are just as dirty as your forehead," He said trying not to laugh.

"As far as the other stuff goes, have you thought about perhaps cannibalizing a practice saber?"

[James Prent]

She accepted the clean handkerchief gratefully, and carefully wiped her face, not sure if she was getting all of the gunk off or not. Without a mirror it was hard to tell.

"Cannibalizing a practice saber? I did think about it, but the mechanism in those isn't the same as a real saber, is it? Anyway, I think that I can find the parts to a lens assembly, and make one myself." James hesitated, and then stuck the grimy handkerchief in her pocket. "I'll wash that an' give it back to you. Thanks so much."

They had reached a non-descript door, and she looked for any sort of sign declaring where they were. "Are we there?"

[Ka' el Darcverse]

Ka' el smiled and shrugged; "Not really sure, I got lost about three left turns ago."

Pausing for a second he turned back at James and winked; "Guess there is only one way to find out."

Gripping the handle to the door he turned it and pushed, it was obviously a pull door.

"Oof" He blushed fiercely and then opened the door stepping inside.

Immediately he jumped out of the door and back outside next to James; "I'm terribly sorry and very embarrassed sorry!"

He hollered backinside.

[James Prent]

James stumbled slightly as he rushed back out of the door, and then laughed at the redness in his face. "What's going on in there?!" She tried to peek around his very embarrassed shoulders as he shut the door tightly and marched off down the hall.

"Okay, so that wasn't the right place, I take it." James hurried to catch up with Ka' el as he retraced their last three left turns. "Holy frell, what was in there?"

[Ka' el Darcverse]

"A wookie taking a bath." Ka' el replied, his face now white as he realized the horror of what he had just seen.

"Umm I think we were supposed to take right about 2 lefts ago."

Sure enough as they retraced Ka' el saw the training facility. The followed around behind it and through a door.

"I think this is it."

The room was full of parts and tools, everthing a Jedi needed to build a saber except crystals. Those had to be earned. Ka' el marveled at the pristine nature of this room that catered to one of the most treasured activities a Jedi has; building their saber.

[James Prent]

She whistled as she looked around the room, and walked in slowly. They appeared to be the only two beings in the room. "So I can just find what I need ... and take it?"

James scanned the area, and frowned, "What I really need is a crystal."

[Ka' el Darcverse]

"That is one thing I can't help you with, at least here."

The young boy frowned a bit and shrugged.

"Its an honor thing, Jedi are supposed to find or be given a crystal because of some heroic act or something."

He looked around and then smiled.

"Everything else however is here."