The air was dense that evening, as though the sun’s heat had been captured by the planet and it hung in the air, lingering before the temperatures would gradually drop to their usual night cool. Kai entered the Midsummer Comet to retrieve the package that would mark the end of her adventure on Jakku, the mysterious small black case. Kai entered the cockpit and kneeled beside the hatch in the left corner of the room, opening it. As she did so, that particular feeling came back, the one she had felt on the Revelatory, the Scarlet Eclipse cruiser. A strong and delightful pull that was both familiar and yet strange to her. She was increasingly curious about the contents of this special case and hoped that Aine would be inclined to let her catch a glimpse. Kai stood up and went to face the control panel to initiate a full scan of the ship. They hadn’t been shot at enough for any real damage to have penetrated the shields but given recent events she wanted to be particularly careful. Kai grabbed the black case and headed out, leaving the diagnostic scan to run in her absence.
   “Welcome back,” Aine said enthusiastically as she opened the door to let Kai enter the cozy home. “It would seem that you have the case,” she added with a keen look at the prize in Kai’s hand.
   “I have a case, that part is true,” Kai rectified, not even trying to hide her worry. She handed it over to Aine who placed it hastily on the table in the middle of the room. The Ardennian took a swift look at the lock and went to work searching vigorously through different drawers, picking up tools of various shapes and sizes and placing them back until she found the right one. Aine was quickly through the lock but she didn’t open the case. She stopped, carefully bringing her top two hands to rest on its surface. Kai was having trouble keeping her curiosity at bay, growing more impatient by the second. Aine had closed her eyes, murmuring something to herself in a quiet ritual. Eventually, Aine’s hands slid to the latches on either side of the case, clicked them open and delicately opened it. There, in front of them, were five kyber crystals.
   “Aren’t they magnificent?” Aine asked, her eyes gleaming.
   Kai could hardly believe what she was seeing. Kybers had become part of legend since the planet Ilum had been destroyed decades ago. There were other rare planets where kyber crystals could be found, although most had been harvested by the Empire, corporations or even pirates who had sought out the crystals for profit and power. Very few Jedi were still seen wielding a lightsaber. Those who lived on planets that accepted Jedi would typically pass on their lightsaber to a Padawan when the time came, although many lightsabers had been lost or damaged over the years. With no kyber crystals to be found, there hadn’t been talk of the forging of a new lightsaber for as long as Kai could remember.
   Aine turned around to locate another tool on the cabinet behind her, this time grabbing magnifying goggles that she threw on her head and secured neatly over her eyes. She delicately picked up a kyber and examined it thoroughly. Activating the goggles, she initiated a quick scan.
   “The genuine article,” she confirmed after turning the kyber crystal around a few times to examine it from all angles. “You don’t know how long I’ve been looking for one of these.”
   Kai continued to stare at the kybers. She could feel her connection to them more clearly now that they had been unveiled, a beautiful and passionate link that filled her with a sense of peace. Aine had put back the kyber crystal and removed her magnifying goggles.
   “I knew you would find them,” she said, turning to look at Kai, staring profoundly into her eyes as though Aine could see through her. The sensation made Kai feel uncomfortably exposed in a way that she wasn’t used to. Very few beings knew of her connection to the force and she wondered how Aine had discovered it after such a short time spent in her presence.
   “What gave me away?” Kai asked, breaking the silence that had settled in the room.
   Aine closed her eyes and inhaled deeply, extending two of her arms towards the case containing the kyber crystals. Hesitantly, the case started to hover, turned gently to face Kai and made its way across the table, settling down in front her.
   “I told you that not many Ardennians have a link to the force, that doesn’t mean that none of us do. Mind you, mine isn’t strong enough to move starships, but it’s served me well over the years,” Aine explained. “I must admit that I almost missed you,” she added after a pause.
   Kai had not wanted to be noticed and was surprised that Aine had been able to pick up on her link to the force. It had been part of her training in the underground dojo she went to on Coruscant to learn to conceal it. Although blending in on Coruscant, a planet with so many beings of all types crowding together, had been easy, perhaps she hadn’t been prepared for somewhere more remote like Jakku with less to hide behind.
   “Closing yourself off from the force is dangerous, you know,” Aine said, stepping closer to Kai with a certain look of concern. “It’s like closing off a part of yourself.”
   Kai had learned quickly the importance of not making her abilities known to others. Even on Coruscant, where the acceptance of Jedi was long rooted in the planet’s history, there were many mixed feelings among its inhabitants. There were some that feared the power of the Jedi and thought them unnatural, while others criticised the role Jedi had played in the great galactic wars, arguing that they had become bearers of violence more than the guardians of peace they had claimed to be. On Coruscant, like on all planets that adhered to the Senate’s laws, all force-users had to be registered. When and how a force-sensitive would use their abilities was also recorded. The Senate believed that as long as there was strict oversight, action could be taken as soon as it would be deemed necessary to avoid another raging battle between Jedi and Sith that had in the past devastated so many planets and civilisations caught in the middle. Long gone were the days when Jedi had been admired and respected, regarded with the utmost esteem.
   As much as it left Kai feeling cold and empty, cutting herself off from the force was the surest way to avoid detection, but it seemed that she had slipped up. Had she been caught by an official, she would have gotten away with a heavy fine and forced registration at best.
   “I understand why you do it, of course,” Aine continued as she headed towards the kitchen. “Dark stories followed the ratification of the Force-Users Registration Act.” Her voice trailed off as she spoke the name, leaving Kai to infer that the Ardennian had likely experienced her share of loss due to the law. It had been signed decades ago, years before Kai had been born, but it continued to be the cause of violence and death. Nothing could be said to ease the sort of burden Aine was surely carrying. When she returned holding tray, Kai simply bowed her head as a sign of understanding and compassion.
   “There’s no need for that,” Aine said, waving her free arms around as though taken aback by the gesture, making her colourful bangles click together as she did so. She placed the tray on the table and gestured for Kai to sit, taking a seat herself.
   “I’m glad I was able to help,” Kai replied, complying.
   “You helped more than you can imagine,” Aine affirmed. “More than the price of a transpacitor,” she added as she gently picked up a clay carafe from the tray and poured an earthy-coloured drink into two glasses, accompanied by the sound of crushed ice clinking as it fell.
   “Tell me about it,” Kai answered jokingly.
   The Ardennian didn’t seem to pick up on her tone and went on. “I appreciate that you haven’t inquired about what I’m going to do with these kyber crystals.” Aine picked up a few raisins from a small bowl and placed them gently on the top of the drinks. “But would you like to know?” Aine asked as she handed one of the finished preparations to Kai.
   Kai nodded firmly in confirmation. The question had been burning in her mind but it had seemed overly intrusive to ask.
   “Much of my life has been dedicated to the force. I’ve been obsessed with it ever since I was a youngling, barely able to use the force to lift the small rocks in my parent’s backyard. I wanted to know more about what I could do, what the force could do through me. Most of all, I wanted to know why I wasn’t allowed to tell anyone about my abilities, but my parents were adamant. Neither of them were force-users so there was little I could learn from them. I used to test my skills in the cover of darkness whenever I had the chance, but I knew that if I wanted real answers, I needed to go find them. As soon as I was old enough, I set off. I explored more planets and moons than I can count in the search for relics, holocrons, records, anything I could find, and I found quite a few of great interest.”
   Kai was listening intently, curious to learn more and newly appreciative of the various items covering the cabinets that lined the walls, the very same she had previously disregarded as simple trinkets. She took a sip of the cool drink, savouring the sweet taste of dates and raisins enjoyably cut by the sour presence of lemon. The drink also had a delightful hint of rose, like the the promise of a beautiful sunrise.
   Aine continued. “Through my travels, I came across other force-users and I shared with them what I had learned as though it was my calling to impart the knowledge I had gained. I would also listen. I listened and learned about their lives, their struggles and their hopes. There was a particular family I had been visiting while on Castell, every one of them more eager to learn than the other. Two Gossams and their son. How incredibly curious and bright the little one was. He wasn’t older than six.”
   Kai didn't know much about the Gossams except that they were a small sentient reptilian species native to the planet. She would have to find another time to learn more. Aine had paused, placing her four hands on the table as to steady herself. she had looked away from Kai, staring blankly ahead.
   “I still can’t be sure of how they were discovered, but they were. One day, I arrived to find their bodies laid out in front of their home, their belongings scattered, windows broken. They didn’t have weapons. They weren’t trained well enough in the force. There was nothing they could have done against a group of merciless anti-force-users. Their lives were taken for no reason other than fear, spite and ignorance. I had heard and witnessed too many stories with the same ending, too many lives lost. I decided that day that we needed to defend ourselves. That is when my quest for kyber crystals began.”
   Aine turned back towards Kai with determination filling her eyes. “And now we’ve found them,” she said, standing up and coming closer to Kai. “I started this search to help protect force-users, and the first one I can start with is you. If one of these kybers calls to you, it’s yours.”
   It took a moment for Kai to register what she was being offered. Her very own kyber crystal and, one day, a lightsaber. She was quite confident she would be able to figure out how to craft one. It couldn’t be more complicated than building a starship. She looked from Aine to the case of kyber crystals on the table in front of her and back to Aine. As much as she craved being in possession of a crystal, as much as she wanted to reach out and see if one would call to her, a part of her felt that it would be wrong. She was gifted with the force, that much was true, but she spent most of her time closed off from it, hiding. With so few kyber crystals left in the galaxy, it wouldn’t be right for one to be tucked away. It belonged to someone who would have the will and courage to use it. With a heavy heart, she stood up and pushed the small black crate away from her.
   “I’m honoured and infinitely grateful, but I cannot accept this gift,” Kai declared with as much conviction as she could muster, trying to convince Aine as much as herself.
   Aine didn’t look surprised by her reaction and instead of trying to argue, she simply said: “How about we let the force decide?” Then she pushed the small black case of crystals back in front of Kai.
   Kai took a breath. Aine was right. There was little chance that a kyber would respond to her anyway. A kyber crystal chose you, not the other way around. If one of these crystals did resonate with her, it had to mean that she was worthy of it. She closed her eyes and opened herself up to the force completely. In only an instant she was nearly overwhelmed by it. It was like being able to feel again, sensing everything after having been numb for months, even years. When she did let herself use the force, it was usually just a fraction, just enough for what she needed. To connect with a kyber crystal, however, there would be no holding back. Letting the whirlwind of sensations flow through her, she raised both her arms to her sides and turned her hands so that her palms faced up towards the sky, towards life. There she stood, reaching, inviting, calling. The power of the force was coursing through her so strongly that she could feel dust and sand swirling around her. The effort was draining after having been in darkness for so long but she stood tall. Then finally, she felt it.

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