The Lightsaber
"This is the weapon of a Jedi Knight, an elegant weapon for a more civilized time."
...Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi
A Lightsaber is a concentrated "Hard light" weapon, focused by Adegan crystals. It is constructed by a Jedi many times during his or her lifetime, often marking a change of state in the Jedi himself as he progresses in the ways of the Force.
A Jedi will make several Lightsabers during his apprenticeship, one on his passage from Apprentice to Jedi Knight and another when he passes from Jedi Knight to Jedi Master. More may be built as the Jedi sees fit, to replace inefficient, outdated or a lost Lightsaber. A Lightsaber will gradually become part of a Jedi as he uses it - the loss of a lightsaber can be felt by a Jedi almost as the loss of a close friend...
The Lightsaber is more than a weapon... it is part of what makes a Jedi a Jedi.
The lightsaber is a product of an ancient, once-forgotten technology. It is an exquisite weapon, one that flows and moves as its master moves. The skillful wielding of its legendary blade was considered the true mark of a Jedi, right up until the reign of Emperor Palpatine and his Empire began - at which time the Jedi were hunted down and eliminated.
While the order of the Jedi is all but extinct, a few of their elegant weapons remain. One lightsaber, constructed by Anakin Skywalker, belonged to the last of the Jedi, Luke Skywalker. The saber was roughly 24-30 centimeters long and featured a handle body of polished durasteel. An inner shell contained the incredible energies generated within, without transmitting their heat to the device's outer surfaces.
Using what Luke Skywalker had learned from the detailed examination (and skilled use) of his father's saber, Luke Skywalker, like all Jedi before him, built his replacement lightsaber himself. This new, self-built unit shares those elements common to all sabers: It houses a power cell within its handgrip, crysallite lenses are faceted to perfection, a focusing core channels the intense energy of the cell into a coherent beam that bends circumferentially back upon itself to create a cutting "blade".
A lightsaber can be wielded properly only after years of extensive training and disciplined use. The Jedi can deflect blaster bolts and particle beams by the skilled use of their blades. Often the mere sight of the intensely-luminous blade and the unique, indescribable hum of that same blade slicing the air served to scatter most opposition.
...Jedi Mitth'raw'nurida
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