[Freebuild] A Master of the Forge

  A hot, blue flame spurred to life as Hayk started up the forge. A kiln was already waiting with some beskar. Hayk held up some goggles to protect his eyes from the heat and light. The forge and holotable cast lights that danced and shimmered around the dimly lit shop. Hayk worked in concentrated silence as Chirp observed with curiosity.

  Hayk looked through his plans and double-checked that he was following the template properly. Chirp peered at a small, dark orb that sat amidst the clutter on the holotable. After a while, Hayk noticed that the beskar had melted, and was ready for the next step.

  Hayk turned the heat on the forge down enough for the handle of the kiln to cool, and while it cooled slightly, he prepared the mould for being poured. Carefully, without spilling one drop, and without tripping over an all-too-curious Chirp, Hayk walked over the pot of molten beskar, then spilled it into the mould. It would take much time for the metal to set, but this part of the tempering was crucial.

*A few hours later...*

  Later that day, once the metal had finally cooled enough, Hayk broke open the mould, and brought the contents out onto the table. He laid the shell of something resembling a sword hilt out over the holotable, causing more shadows to tremble and scurry frantically on the wall. Hayk went to work, soldering wires and electronic bits into the inside of the hilt. Wiring everything together so that it mostly remained in two pieces until it was ready to be put together was tricky, but with time, Hayk was comfortable with how things were coming along. He added a subtle button onto the hilt, and soldered the last connection, then placed the small dark orb, a Krayt Dragon pearl, into a gyroscopic frame within the handle. Very gently, he calibrated the position of the gyroscope, until an indicator indicated that the pearl was aligned properly. He brought the two pieces of the hilt together, and they slid together, and locked into place.

  Hayk lifted the device with a sense of accomplishment, and tested it's weight in his hand. The moment was cut short as movement flickered and shuttered through the holotable, and an image pixelated into focus. The hologram was a Mandalorian, and after a few seconds, the T-visored helmet began to move, insinuating that someone was speaking. The only sound was a somewhat garbled mess, so Hayk pressed a button on the table, which opened an encrypted channel. Suddenly, the voice on the other end was clear.

  'Hayk Kuarris,' the glowing figure said, nodding slightly. 'The council asked me to send word... The meeting took place. Our representatives have met with the Presager, and we have discovered that our enemy is holed up on a world called Ra'un. The various factions of the galaxy are coordinating an attack on a number of targets across the planet. The council has requested your presence in this fight, and Sarad'yc has already reached out to the Hapan Queenmother to request support from them as well. I will message you again soon to give coordinates to rendezvous with the larger alliance fleet.'

  'Tell the council that I will begin preparations immediately.'

  The figure nodded, then pixelated out of view. The holotable dimmed slightly.

  Hayk looked at the hilt in his hand, resuming his excitement, then looked over toward Chirp, exclaiming.

  'I'll need to show this to Cadus, but first...'

  Hayk pressed the button on the hilt.