Alex waited for her legs to stop wobbling like jelly as they left the Falcon, all chattering animatedly about their favourite parts of the ride. Maya and Kay ended up coming with them to grab a snack (they were growing, and growing requires carbs) from Docking Bay 7 Food and Cargo. They got to know each other better, Alex and her friends using a cover story of sorts that was mixed with truths and lies. She did feel a bit bad about all the white lies but it was necessary. Dix was a princess, and Medora had to remain a secret.

The sun was that sort of lazy warm, that you felt slightly sleepy in but you could still have around without being a slug. Taking a long chug of her water, Alex threw away her snack and walked back to their table. Squished as it was with six people, everyone had shuffled to take Alex's seat for a bit for spare room. She had to playfully force Dix and Bear apart so she could wriggled into the tiny space.

"So, what are you guys doing next?"

Maya answered Alex's question as she swallowed a bite of her vegetarian kofta. "Droid Depot. We did Savi's yesterday and today we have Rise of Resistance and the making of our droids."

Jordan nodded thoughtfully, "Nice, we have just the lightsabers left today. I think we were planning to go to Animal Kingdom in the afternoon, right?"

Dix nodded affirmation just as Kay checked the time. "Crap, we gotta Maya. The lines are gonna get long if we don't go soon. It was really nice meeting you guys!" She called the last words as the couple ran for the Depot, the Core Four responding with smiles and waves. They took their last bites, threw away their rubbish and started walking to Savi's Workshop, teasing each other and proclaiming their lightsaber crystal colours.

Alex wanted blue, Jordan green, Dix purple and Bear...red. She still couldn't believe that he was a Sith kinda guy but he insisted it was because that they'd explored the Force more. Alex called it favouring armies, sick lightsabers and swishy robes. They scored lucky again as they managed to squeeze into the next group going on. Alex barely had time to register her surrounding of hard, earth-worn walls and old metal parts jutting out from it.

They were led into an oval shaped room with a domed roof, a big lighting piece providing a barely there glow. A large metal table shaped like a C was where ten other people were gathered, divided by pipes halved along the middle. Dix, Jordan and Bear quickly filed out alongside her where a bruque mannered lady who shooed them into position.

There were about five little kids and their respective parents, then five teens mixed with adults clustered around the table as well. The music in the background was very fitting, relaxed with the iconic Star Wars tinge to it.

"Come in my friends, quickly!" ushered...Ronda, judging by her badge.

Several crates and metal boxes added to the atmosphere, little cubbies and nooks hollowed out of the packed walls. Alex glanced down to her workspace where there was an outlined area for the messy stuff, and a special holder for the saber. Once everyone was in place, Ronda strode to the middle of the curved workspace with a friendly smile. Under her light cargo robe, she wore a big leather apron with lots of pockets and tools.

"Welcome, welcome to Savi's Workshop! We apologise for the confusion outside, but ever since the First Order arrived, things around the outpost have been a little...tense." Alex's head whipped to her friends, and they shook their heads. They hadn't seen any scuffle, but they'd arrived pretty late and just managed to squeak in.

"But in here, rest assured, you are all safe." A couple of kids glanced to their parents doe-eyed, entranced by the act. "And this is indeed our workshop, filled with junk maybe, but to us...this is everything. Let me introduce ourselves," Ronda smiled warmly again and gestured to her left. "Karl." Then to her right, "Chris."

Everyone nodded or smiled in acknowledgement as Ronda walked back to the middle, hands on her hips with a steely glint in her eyes. "I'm Ronda, and we humbly call ourselves the Gatherers. We have travelled far and wide throughout the entire galaxy. To abandoned planets, and forgotten outposts, even the ruins of Sith and Jedi temples. We've done all this to bring back relics and artifacts, more specifically, we brought them back...for you. This is our history, and by preserving our history, we can ensure our future. But as you may have seen outside, we are in troubled times. We've all heard the stories of Luke Skywalker, and now we have new Jedi in our midst, you may know her name,"

"Rey." everyone realised, hooked on the story.

Ronda nodded, "And she is our spark of hope. Luke and Rey answered the call, just as you have. And now, you are here to build this." She picked up a lightsaber and held it up for everyone to see. Her story was funnily similar to Alex's journey of being Chosen and Called by the Library.

"The lightsaber. Elegant, and enigmatic. The lightsaber has been used by our greatest heroes and their darkest foes. To build a lightsaber is an art form, it creates a connection between a builder and the Force. Today, you are going to make that very connection."

Dix looked to Alex, eyebrows raised. A very insightful speech, her expression seemed to say. Alex's eyes replied The real deal, eh?

Ronda took a step forward, grabbing something off the counter. "And your journey is going to begin with..this." It sparkled in the low lighting, a roughly cut gem of blue colouring. "The kyber crystal. The kyber crystal harnesses and magnifies the power and energy of the Force. The colour of your crystal will become the colour of your blade. Now there are many colours out there in the galaxy that we have brought back just for you to use. We will begin with the blue crystal."

As she said so, Ronda held the kyber crystal up to the light and everyone sucked in a gasp as the ceiling reflected the blue, the lights dimming down even further.

"Once owned by Master Obi-Wan-Kenobi," Jordan grinned at that (Obi-Wan was his favourite Jedi, probably because of his iconic line and the memes it's brought), "His apprentice Anakin Skywalker, and now by Rey." She switched over to the green crystal, the blue melting away from the ceiling as green took over. "The green crystal, once wielded by Qui-Gon Jinn, Ahsoka Tano, Luke Skywalker, and Master Yoda himself."

Alex watched the seamless transition between purple and green on the ceiling as the next crystal was showcased. "Violet, rare and beautiful, once wielded by Master Mace Wu." The music darkened as red swamped the lustrous purple ceiling, and Ronda held the dark crystal out for everyone to see. "And red, the crystal of power, Darth Maul, Darth Vader, Asajj Ventress, and today, by Kylo Ren."

Alex snorted at the enchanted look in Bear's eyes. "But that's all history. Let's start writing your story, shall we? Yes, builders, please close your eyes, and envision which colour crystal is calling to you. Listen with your heart, for your crystal will become the heart of your lightsaber."

Her eyes fluttered close as she imagined the soft blue glow of the kyber crystal hue so many had used before her, blue was strong and patient and reliable. Loyal. The blue crystal would almost be like A'enera in lightsaber form.

"See your crystal clearly in your mind, now open your eyes." Alex did as she said and found the helper Karl dressed in similar attire to Ronda in front of her. He held a carrier specially designed for crystals out to her. "Now, choose your kyber crystal."

Alex carefully slipped a blue crystal out, and her friends followed suit with green, purple and red crystals. There was a small dish beside the lightsaber holder designed for the crystals, so Alex positioned hers there. As soon as she stopped touching it, the unique light inside left the gem.

"Now, let's move on to assembling our hilts. The hilt is the centre of control of your lightsaber. It will also protect your hands from being vaporised." A round of chuckles. "My helpers and I are bringing out the trays of the components needed." Just as Ronda said, Chris deposited a tray full of parts in front of Alex.

"We will go over these components with you and we will also be standing by to assist you in any way we can." Alex looked down at the eleven unique elements in her tray as Ronda explained them. "First you have your chassis, that's where your kyber crystal will go, right in the centre. Then you will choose two of the four sleeves, choose one of the emitters for the top, one of the pommels for the bottom, and finally two of the activation plates for the sides."

Ronda gave the room another warm smile. "Are we ready builders? I think we are, so let's get started!"

Everyone cheered, and Alex picked up the chassis, the framework of the saber, and gently inserted the kyber crystal with the spring as Karl - their side's helper dictated the process. Like Karl said, once properly inserted, spaces circulating the chassis lit up and the crystal spun a little. Then Alex moved to her activation plates, choosing the pair which had lines running across it horizontally. The activation plates were intended to house the kyber crystal to make sure it was safe.

Then came the sleeves. Alex stuck with the lines theme and chose the bottom sleeve to have a black matte background and the lines jutting out slighting in a bronze tinge. The top sleeve was completely silver with dots and lines interchanging. She had to twist them a bit until she heard the reassuring click. Alex then chose her emitter for the top, and her pommel for the bottom. Alex chose her preferred parts - keeping in with the bronze-black-silver theme and screwed the parts on securely.

When she pressed the activation she could even hear the noises of it misfiring a little, which as Karl said, was a sign of it working. He also warned it that it wasn't completely stable and that she should let it rest in the holder. She did exactly that.

Now Ronda addressed them all with sweeping arms. "This is the most dangerous part of the process. I need you all to step back, all the way back."

Alex kept walking like everyone else until her back hit the wall, watching curiously as the Gatherers placed the hilts into the crystal stabilisation chambers. "This is a very dangerous, sensitive process and we want to avoid...accidents." Ronda's tone implied accidents had very much happened before, and the outcome was not pretty.

The activation chambers turned out to be the halved pipes dividing their workspaces. Clever. One of the lightsabers flared green - Jordan's - and Karl rushed to stabilise it. Everyone laughed at the funny exchange between the Gatherers as they checked Karl still had all ten fingers and all ten toes.

"Hoo! Good job Karl. Now, while these crystals are stabilising—" An unearthly hiss interrupted Ronda, the ceiling turning a vibrant green colour.

And then he spoke, "Hmmmm. With many parts you began, yes, with the heart of the saber, they are joined, hmmmm, much more they will become. It's time."

"The Force works in mysterious ways. Thank you, Master Yoda." Ronda said in a stage whisper as the ceiling faded back to it's normal colour. Everyone was talking in hushed, excited whispers of theories and conspiracies.

"I suspect the Force must be very strong in this room. Now, it's time to forge the bond. In a moment, I'm going to ask you to step forward, place your hand on your hilt, and as one, we are all going to activate. Are we ready?" Mummers of assent assured Ronda. "Please step forward. Place your hand on the hilt, take a deep breath, and activate."

In unison, fourteen blades lit to life in an array of enchanting colours, the room darkened and only lit by the glow of the sabers. The chambers turned to reveal the full extent of the blade and cheers and 'ooo's filled the room. Just as Ronda said to, Alex raised her lightsaber with everyone else, the alluring colours rippling across the room.

"Congratulations. You have just built a lightsaber, and with it, you have the power to change the galaxy. Remember, all it takes is a spark." The music peaked at the perfect time, and Alex held her breath as she examined the weapon closely. Some people took a few experimental swings and Ronda indicated for everyone to deactivate their sabers.

That green light snuck into the room again as Yoda spoke, "Hmmmm, complete your lightsaber is. Choose your path, it cannot, but, light your way, it can. May the Force be with you." Alex found herself uttering the famous phrase along with Yoda, a brief smile flitting across her face.

"In your hands, you hold tremendous power, and tremendous power must not be dropped on the ground," Laughter at that, "So, to protect your saber, we are pleased to present you with a saber-shield as you exit. Our time has come to an end but your journey? Oh, it's just started. It's time for you to make your mark on the galaxy."

Everyone grinned at that, thanking the Gatherers and shuffling towards the exit to collect their saber-shields. The Core Four skipped out, equipped with some of the most bad-ass weapons in the entire galaxy.

A/NN: oh how i wished id experienced that myself, alas, dumb corona has entered the groupchat. This chapter is pretty long but for some people (me) this is a really special experience and i wanted the core four to have that too! Now the core four only have two more full days at disney world so that's three more chapters, then off to universal studios my friends!

Have a great day, and may the force be with you :)

-dommie out