A Jedi's Fight - A Star Wars Fan Fiction Story

Chapter 73

Cap_H
Han Solo jumped out of the speeder.
"Put it behind the bushes, Chewie. We might need it again, then come to the underground cave," He said before he walked down the winding path to the cave entrance. Nobody was inside. He listened and heard the voices of some Quelans and his wife. He walked in the direction of the shaft, where he heard the voices and saw Luke and Leia working with the Quelans to clear away some last rubble.
"Leia," he called, "I'm back."
Leia Solo looked up and waved.
"Give us a hand, Han. These are the last baskets we bring bring up."
Han grunted an answer and took over the basket which drifted effortlessly through the gap. Behind him Chewbacca hoisted the baskets with rocks on his shoulders. The Quelans watched the big humanoid with glee and admiration as he easily brought the baskets outside the cave.
Han jumped into the shaft, took the shovel from Leia and filled the last baskets with the broken rocks, when suddenly his eye got a glimmer on one of the rocks. He took it in his hand and turned it over and over again.
"Are you aware you're throwing away a fortune," He exclaimed, pointing at the rock he held in his hand, "Chewie, come down here! I can't believe this!"
The Wookiee lowered himself unto the lowered level, looked a the rocks and started to grunt enthousiastically.
Leia and Luke walked over to them.
"What do you mean, Han?" Luke asked.
"These rocks contain aludium crystals. They are used to produce the best quality of transparisteel. During the reign of the emperor the imperials there were only two planets where these rare crystals were found: Koron and Mardon, two planets in the Rafarmian system. The imperial forces used slaves to mine the crystals until the mines were exhausted. Guys, you're sitting on a fortune," Han said turning to the Quelans, who were watching the rogue pilot of the Millennium Falcon in amazement.
"If you trade these rocks with the New Republick, you will earn enough credits to rebuild Ribana and decorate the streets and houses with marble slabs," Han continued, still searching the rock he held in his hand.
"We're not interested in wealth, general Solo. We only want to get a quiet life again, as we had before we had to go in to exile," Cornell who had come down in the underground cave, said.
"You could buy yourself better equipment to redirect that river much easily," Han said turning to the harvesters' leader.
"We could, general, but we have to discuss this matter with our elected leaders. If they agree we will make credits with these crystals. Until then we'll stick to our way of living," Cornell said sternly.
Han looked at the Quelan harvester in disbelieve. Luke looked at his brother-in-law and intervened.
"We will come back to this later, Han. Cornell is right, Toallin and Mugin have to agree with any trading options, but it might be an option to separate the rocks with aludium crystals and keep them apart. Han, can you tell Cornell and the others how you recognized the crystals in these rocks."
Han gave the rock to Cornell and pointed at the long silver shimmering crystals. He took several other rocks from one of the baskets and showed the harvesters' leader and his men the same characteristics. Cornell took one of the larger rocks, took a hammer from his belt and split the rock with an accurate blow. He searched the parts and looked up at Han Solo.
"Who can we trust, general, if we want to sell these crystals?" He asked, "We aren't use to trade with other species."
Han looked at Cornell and then saw how Leia shook her head.
"I wanted to make you an offer myself, Cornell, but my wife disagrees, but I can help you to find honest traders in the future, Cornell," He said.
Cornell turned to his fellow Quelans who looked at their leader reluctantly.
"Maybe we should take the general's words into account. We might indeed need a lot of credits after we have defeated that guy who has taken Ribana from us, but I don't think it's wise to make a rash decision. For the time being we will collect and keep the rocks with these valuable crystals apart, as Ben suggested. Do you agree?"
His fellow Quelans relaxed and nodded in unison.
"Alright then, general Solo, two of my men will help you to sort out these precious rocks. We will store them in baskets and keep them in the cave. The other rubble will be deposited outside as usual.
"Shouldn't we look at the rubble we've already brought outside, Cornell?" Romal asked.
"If there's enough time left, we should, but our main task is to dig a new bedding for the river," Cornell said, while he look at Luke.
"Ben, can I have a word with you in private," He continued.
Luke nodded and the two men hoisted themselves up in the shaft, leaving the other with the last bit of work.
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The Astræa was circling above Tatooine in a stationary orbit at about twenty planet diameters. She was invisible for prying eyes as Yarmod had activated the cloaking device. From the cockpit the planet still filled a large part of the window screen. Liane stood looking intensively at the yellow glowing sphere, that looked almost like a soft glowing sun. Somewhere down there in the Jundland Waste her father had been living for nearly two decades, watching over Luke Skywalker, the hope of the Rebel Alliance and the future of the galaxy. While Luke grew up on the moisture farm of his uncle, unware of the his Force potential and his ancestery, his father had adopted and taken care of the daughter of a Jedi Knight. He had trained and instructed her at the Dark Side of the Force, filling her mind with ideas of power, ultimate control and passion.
Liane sighed. She looked at her own reflection that could be vaguely seen in the transparasteel screen in front of her. Almost twenty years she had been an apprentice of the Dark Side, then Luke Skywalker had crossed her path. He had had a tremendous influence on her life and had turned everything upside down, changing all her old believes. Liane smiled and shook her head. No, Luke hadn't changed her all old wrong believes, part of them she already had discarded a long time before she met him. But Luke had helped her to become aware of the right use of the Force, her skills as a healer, like her mother had been. Now she had to take her next step on this new path; she had to assemble her own lightsaber which would the ultimate proof of her union with the Unifying Force. After she had taken that hurdle, only one thing remained. She would ask Luke to be her master and teach her everything a Jedi Knight had to known.
She sighed again. The twin suns of Tatooine were illuminating part of the planet, reflecting the intense glare of the desert lands. Liane watched the colors of the different landscapes on the planet's surface. She had asked Yarmod and Ian ... oh, no, her brother Tama-Hinn, to keep the Astræa near Tatooine, for she had had a strange feeling that she needed to stay near the planet where her father, her advisor Ben, had lived in exile, for she wanted to do the Illum-meditation during their stay in Tatooine's orbit. Yet she hadn't a clue if the Astræa really was the right place where she would find the necessary inner peace and concentration to perform the most difficult Jedi meditation. She had looked at different spaces: Leia's room, now hers, the control room, the different cargo holds, even the spaces where the hyperdrive and the ion-engine were installed, but not one of those places had evoked a real satisfactory feeling.
"Still I must find a spot where I can perform the Illum-meditation and create my own lightsaber," she mused, while she sat down in one of the pilot chairs.
"Is there anything we can do for you, mistress Liane? You know Artoo and I want to do anything to make you feel comfortable."
Startled Liane turned in her chair and started to laugh.
"Threepio, Artoo, I'm so sorry. You're such a pair of loyal servants and I hardly pay attention to you both."
She looked at her two droid friends, and shook her head.
"No, I don't think you two can help me. To be honest, Threepio, I need Luke's knowledge and presence for what I want to achieve."
"Maybe you should contact him the way you always do, mistress Liane," the golden droid suggested.
"That would make matters worse, Threepio. If I contact Luke now, he will probably send Wedge Antilles to pick us up and bring us back to Na'ctaMagh'Ba, or some place else. No, I have to do this all by myself."
"Did you talk to master Ian and master Yarmod about your problem?" Threepio asked inquisitively.
"I did, Threepio, and they also don't have a solution. They have performed the Illum-meditation to create their own lightsaber already in Ben's house."
"And you also want to create a lightsaber, mistress Liane?"
"I have to, Threepio, if I want to go the Palomintar Four and tell Trevor Matrik to stop chasing me."
Artoo hooted a long stream of binary language. Liane grinned and stretched out her hand to the barrelshaped droid.
"Thank you, for you concern, Artoo. I know, that Luke has assembled his own lightsaber years ago in a cave near Ben's house. I've been there, but I didn't feel comfortable about the place. No, guys, I have to find my own place somewhere, or I have to drop this idea for the time being. I'm still no one's padawan, you know."
Artoo hooted again a comment.
"Artoo says, master Luke would be greatly surprised, if he finds out what you can do, using the Force. Artoo thinks, you're doing very well with all the practise you've been doing in the underground residence."
Liane smiled again.
"You're right, but performing the Illum-meditation take a lot more knowledge of the Force than I posses yet, Threepio."
She rose and patted Artoo on his domed head and lay her hand with a friendly gesture on Threepio's arm.
"Thank you, for listening to me. I'm going to my cabin and do some Jedi meditation practise. It will certainly help me to get some relaxation. You both switch off yourself for a while, and recharge. We might need you two when we've arrived on Palomintar Four. I don't think you will get some moments to recharge once we're there. It's going to be tough, guys, I fear."
She left the cockpit and walked to the deserted control room. The ship was on auto-pilot and its computer carried out all necessary controls and corrections. Her friends were in their cabins fast asleep. Liane wandered to her own cabin and entered. She looked around. This had been Leia's cabin, when Luke and his sister had been traveling together. It was unlikely that Leia would ever use the Astræa again with Luke. Leia was now part of the crew of the Millennium Falcon and Han's wife. Only Luke would use the Astræa after his sister's marriage. Only Luke! Liane smiled happily. No, Luke wouldn't travel alone. She would travel with him. She would be the new user of Leia's cabin. She and Luke, they would travel through the galaxy, at first she would be his padawan-learner, but after her final trials she would be his partner Jedi Knight and maybe one day ... A Force vision emanated in her mind and made her blush.
'Keep your mind on this moment, Shaayla-Car,' She ordered herself, 'stop daydreaming about the future. A lot of obstacles had to be solved before that vision might come true, if it ever will.'
"I'm sure I have to perform the Illum-mediation on board this ship, but I haven't a clue where," She said aloud, more to hear her own voice.
'You want to do the Illum-mediation, Liane,'a soft voice said.
In front of her the apparition of Anakin Skywalker appeared.
"Yes, father, for I want to have my own real lightsaber, before I'm going to Palomintar Four to assist Luke." Liane said determinedly.
'Palomintar Four can be a dangerous place for you to go,'
"I realize it is, but I have to stop Trevor from messing up the galaxy with his lack of Force knowledge."
The apparition of Anakin Skywalker laughed and nodded approvingly.
'You're right, my daughter. He has to be stopped, but you must team up with many others to stop him. Don't think you can defeat him on your own.'
"Luke, Han, Leia and Chewbacca will be there, father, and Yarmod and my brother Tama-Hinn are coming with me too. Luke also told me that a group of original inhabitants have come with him. Maybe they will help us too."
'Good, my daughter. I had to warn you not to do anything rash, or carry out one of your reckless plans. Now I will show you a spot that might help you to perform the Illum-meditation. Come with me.' the apparition of Anankin vanished. Liane slid the door aside and stepped in the dimmed lighted corridor. There the Force apparition of Anakin was waiting for her. He pointed ahead of him and beckoned her to follow him. Liane followed, wondering what her father wanted to show her. The corridor made a slight bend and Anakin stopped for durasteel door in a shallow niche.
'You've been here before, remember,'He said.
Liane nodded.
"This is the entrance to your former meditation room. The door is locked with a code."
'You could ask my son to give you the code, couldn't you?'
Liane shook her head.
"No, I can't, father, for then I would reveal to him where Yarmod, Ian and I are and I don't want Luke to know that I want to join him on Palomintar Four. Not yet."
'Do you really think, my daughter, that my son isn't aware of your intentions. Don't you remember the two Force visions you have had about Palomintar Four and our former friend Trevor Matrik, or Darth Golluth as he calls himself now.'
"Luke doesn't know that we went to Tatooine to make our own real lightsabers, father," Liane said stubbornly.
'That's indeed something he doesn't expect, but I'm sure he'll approve your decision. Those training lightsabers wouldn't have helped you and your friends. If you don't want to ask my son for the code of the meditation room I can not further help you,' Anakin said and his apparition disappeared, but Liane heard him laugh softly.
"He left me deliberately, so I would find the solution myself," She said. She walked over to the console and typed a series of six numbers. Nothing happened. She tried another sequence, but the door didn't give way. On her third try she extended the series to all nine numbers. To no avail. Pensively she stepped back and looked at the console and the locked door, then suddenly she started laughing too.
"Thank you, father, you're still instructing me the way you always did. I have to use the Force to show me the code."
She walked over to the console and put her fingers on the buttons. Then she tuned in on the Force and slowly started to press several buttons with the guidance of the Force. After ten numbers the door slid aside and the small stair of four steps that lead to the lower room, became visible. Hesitatingly Liane walked down the stairs and looked around in the domed space. She remembered how she had stood here when she and Luke had entered Tatooine's orbit after their flight from Endor. The view of the stars in the void of the galaxy had been overwhelming. Now the panels that protected the transparasteel dome were closed, but Liane saw a small console at the wall and started reading the captions on the buttons. She pressed one and a soft glowing light started to illuminate the walls arround the lower part of the floor. The top of the dome rose some three meters above her head. She turned to the console again and wanted to activate another button, but her hand stopped, instead she switched off the light tubes and left the room. She put her hand on the console near the door and let the Force guide her to close the door. Feeling some excitement she went back to her cabin, gathered the parts she needed to assemble her lightsaber and walked through the corridor back to the meditation room.
After she had entered again and lit the light tubes again, she pressed a button on the console to close the door. Thoughtfully she placed the stone with the Illum-crystals, the power cell, the several switches, the beam amplifier, the disk and the handgrip in the middle of the floor, before she sat down cross-legged in front of them. Her eyes wandered over the different parts. Yes, all the elements she needed were here, now she had to find her inner peace, close herself off from any disturbing thoughts and deepen her connection with the Force. For a short moment she looked up at the dome high above her head, then she started to smile, rose again and walked over to the console. Carefully she read the captions, then she firmly pressed a double set of buttons. The lights dimmed, the floor started to rise and the protecting panels vanished, leaving her in a bulb of the transparasteel dome, that left her a unobstructed view on the deep velvet black of the galaxy where the different stars sparkled. Tatooine drifted in front of her in this fast void of space. For a moment Liane intensely enjoyed the overwhelming view of gold yellow glowing planet.
'I'm only one of the billions of lifeforms in this galaxy. Nobody notices me, here in this space ship, and yet I'm bound to everything and everyone out there.' She thought and sat down near the parts of her lightsaber again.
The raised floor still gave her a full view of the galaxy and it felt if she became a part of it only separated by the transparasteel dome. Unwittingly she reached out to the Force and let the unseen power show her the secret bonds between the tiny sparkling stars and their planets. Billions of living things were bound by the Force and Liane felt how she became one with them. The power of the Force began to surround her and it seemed to her that she became weightless and radiant, a luminous being, one with the Force.
She looked down and saw the glittering Force flow between herself and the parts that had to become her lightsaber. The stone with the precious crystals inside radiate a bright glow. Slowly she raised her hand and the stone started to hover and floated to her. It came to rest in her outstretched hands. Carefully she covered the stone with her fingers to guard and to protect the treasure inside of it. The stone felt warm and cold at the same moment.
Deep in a Force trance Liane looked at the stone. Her Force meditation intensified further. She could even see the crystals inside the stone. There were five large ones and quite a number of smaller crystals near the rim. Softly she put some pressure on both sides and all at once the stone split in two halves. Four of the five large crystals remained attached to stone halve in her right hand, but the fifth crystal started to hover in front of her. Amazed Liane put the stone halves aside and reached out to the crystal that had detached itself from the stone. She let it turn to all sides while it hovered. It was an elongated transparent crystal which slowly began to radiate an intense green glow with six regular sides in the middle and two pointed ends. Liane left the crystal in midair and turned to the other parts to start assembling her lightsaber. Almost immediately the other parts rose from the floor and lined up with the crystal. With her thoughts focussed on the crystal and the Force she started to fix the parts in the same way as Luke had taught her when she had assembled the training saber. One by one the parts fell in the right place inside the handgrip. With her Force thoughts Liane fixed the disk at the top of the handgrip and the amplifier of the beam underneath. In the lower part she fixed the power cell and the switches to activate the beam. Finally she touched the crystal with her thoughts and let slit underneath the amplifier. With a soft clicking sound the crystal fixed itself near the amplifier. She attached the threads of the amplifier with the power cell and attached the upper part and lower part of the lightsaber together.
In front of her in midair now hovered a completed lightsaber, her lightsaber. Liane surrounded the weapon with her thoughts and became one with the power the weapon implied. It lifted her and like the weapon she started to hover above the floor of the meditation room. She felt an inner peace with all that surrounded her. Through the Force she saw the images of her former lives and her long union with her unseen ally. Time didn't seem to exist any longer and Liane let herself drift in her deep Force trance. The Force showed her the many lifeforms which existed in the galaxy, the big and dangerous one, but also tiny life forms and friendly species which are living their lifes on far off worlds. It made her aware of her deep bond with all those different lives, the very tiny ones, but also the huge, sometime monstrous and frightening ones. Her journey through and connection with the Unifying Force lasted a long time. Hour after hour passed slowly and unnoticed. Finally she seemed to return to the meditation room and looked her lightsaber that still hovered in front of her.
Completely relaxed she reached out to the lightsaber and it came to rest in her hand. Keeping her Force trance she admired her new weapon and the strong bond she felt with it. This lightsaber was hers, forever. It belonged to her, like she also belonged to Luke Skywalker, her eternal friend and partner in the Force. The Force had bound her magically to this new piece of equipment. Carefully she touched the weapon, took it in the firm grip of both hands and pressed the igniter switch. A glowing, sparkling green beam extended from the disk.
Slowly she lowered herself to the floor and stood up with the ignited lightsaber high above her head. She still clenched the weapon in both hands in the same way she had once seen on the picture in the Jedi Path and which Luke had carved in the Jedi-pendant.
"I hope I will learn to wield this Jedi weapon for peace and justice," She said aloud, before she held the lightsaber in front of her face in the formal Jedi greeting, then she released herself from her Force trance. She hooked her new weapon at her belt, next to the training saber Luke had made.
"I did it," She whispered.
'I knew you could do it here,'a soft voice said.
"Thank you, father," Liane said with a smile.
She bowed and picked up the two halves of the stone. With great care and respect she put the two halves together, taking care not to break the existing four crystals.
"When I visit Ben's house again I will put these back next to the stones Yarmod and my brother used."
After having closed the panel walls and lowered the floor, she left the meditation room and went back to the control where Yarmod and Ian were sitting, looking at her with a concerned expression.
"Liane! Where have you been? We've been looking for you for hours?" Ian said relieved.
With a unsure laugh Liane hooked her lightsaber from her belt and held it out to her friends.
"You did it!" Yarmod exclaimed.
Liane nodded, but all at once she could no longer suppress her emotional feelings. Her vision became blurred as tears of great relief and excitement welled up in her eyes. Yarmod went over to her and put his arm around her.
"Now you're really belong to us Jedi, Shaayla-Car!" He softly said and held her tight for a moment to comfort her.
"I thought I never could do it," Liane whispered, but a feeling of great joy flowed through her.
Her brother joined her and took her in his arms.
"I'm so proud of you, my dear sister," He whispered in her ear, "And so will be our parents, and master Luke. My lovely sister, Shaayla-Car, you've taken a huge step this time. Yarmod, what do you think, shouldn't my sister dress herself as a padawan learner."
Yarmod Martan nodded in agreement, but Liane objected.
"Luke hasn't taken me as his padawan yet, Ian."
"You told us, that you have been talking about it with master Luke," her brother grinned, "Let's find out, if somewhere in the Astræa are some suitable padawan clothes. Master Luke once told me, that his sister was dressed as a padawan learner, when he went with her to Dagobah."
"I'm already wearing many of Leia's clothes," Liane opposed.
"I know, but those were from master Leia's wardrobe, before she became a Jedi Knight. Come on, Shaayla-Car, show us master Leia's cabin. I'm sure we will find her padawan clothes there."
Reluctantly Liane followed her two friends to Leia's former cabin. Thoroughly Yarmod and Ian inspected the remaining clothes in the wardrobe, while Liane warned them to keep everything tidy. To Liane's relief the boys didn't find Leia's padawan outfit, but neither Ian, nor Yarmod wanted to give up their plan easily.
"Let's see master Luke's quarters," Ian said.
"No, Tama-Hinn, those are private. You can't rummaged through Luke's belongings and properties. I even wonder, if Luke hasn't locked this private quarters," Liane protested.
"We don't know, if we don't have a look," Yarmod said.
To Liane's dislike her companions pulled her to the other side of the Astræa, where Luke's quarters were. Ian pressed the button to open the door. Immediately it slid aside. Yarmod and Ian entered the room, but Liane stayed outside, feeling very uncomfortable. Slowly she retreated from the entrance and started to walk back to the control room, when she heard a triumphant yell from Yarmod.
"Liane, come over hear. Your brother was right. There's a case with Jedi clothes in here."
With a frown Liane went back and entered Luke's cabin. She had been here only once, when Luke had shown her the Astræa on Endor. She remembered that his room was sober, a couch, a chair, a small desk and a closet. Compared with Leia's cabin Luke's quarters weren't luxurious. As she entered, she saw Yarmod, holding up a Jedi tunic and pants. Liane shook her head and started laughing.
"These certainly aren't my size, Yarmod," She said and walked over to the two boys, who looked at her with glee.
"Why not try them on, Liane?" Yarmod said, "There are several other sets in this case. Please, Liane, do us a favor? We want you to look like Luke's padawan."
He put the Jedi outfit in her arms and looked at her with a irresistible smile.
Liane took the clothes and looked at them. How would she look in these clothes? She remembered how she had dressed herself as a padawan, while Luke and she had been in the apartment in Mos Eisley.
"Alright, you both win. I'll take these to my cabin. I'll be right back."
She went back to her cabin and put on the clothes. To her surprise they fitted precisely. In wonder she stared at her image in the large mirror in Leia's wardrobe. How could it be, that these clothes where her size? For a moment her thoughts trailed off. Could it be that Luke had been expected earlier, that she would be come his padawan learner? She remembered that he had always alluded at her Jedi training. She turned round and looked at the holographic image of her friend.
"You win, master Luke," She whispered with a laugh, "From now on, I will follow you and call you master Luke. Take me as your padawan, master Luke, I want to follow your footsteps and become a Jedi Knight, like you, Anakin, and my parents, Obi-Wan and Severini."
She braided a strand of her hair at the right side of her head, fixed the rest of her hair in some tight knots at the back of her head, put on the Jedi coat Ian and Yarmod had given her on Na'ctaMagh'Ba, and cast a last look at herself. With satisfied smile she closed the wardrobe and walked over to the door. In the passageway Ian and Yarmod were waiting for her.
"You look great in these clothes, Shaayla-Car. You're born to wear this outfit. Now you're a real padawan learner, master Luke's padawan learner," her brother said as he took her hand.
Liane chuckled and firmly pressed his hand.
"The only thing I lack is a pair of boots, like the ones you're wearing," She said, pointing to her own pair of shoes.
"Let's get back to Tatooine and land on Mos Eisley's space port," Yarmod suggested, "I'm sure we will find a shop where they can make you a pair of nice boots."
"Don't worry, Liane, no one knows we're on Tatooine. You don't have to be afraid that some one finds out about our escape plan," he continued, as he saw the thoughtful frown on her face.
"Ben, Chati said I should ask you to help us with your knowledge," Cornell said and looked at the young Jedi.
They were walking in the direction of the place where the harvesters were digging out a new canal from the lake to the entrance in the mountain cave.
"What do you want me to do, Cornell?" Luke asked, feeling the embarrassment of the man.
"Chati said, that you want to help us, but that you don't want to tell us, what we can do better. I mean, how we can get this work done easier."
"You want me to help you using the Force, Cornell?"
Cornell nodded.
"I have seen you, lift heavy stones already, but I wonder if you also could help us digging out this canal a bit faster. This rocky plateau is difficult to break, using our method of freezing, and I still don't want to use explosives."
Cornell silenced. Luke still felt how difficult it was for the leader of this sturdy group of men to ask a favor.
"I'm glad you still don't think about using explosives. Any idea how my knowledge as a Jedi can be of any use to you?" Luke said quietly, using his soft Jedi voice.
"Chati told me, that you've used your weapon, I mean that Jedi's lightsaber, to crumble a rock in the old riverbed. I wonder if you're willing to use it to help us digging this canal."
"I certainly will, Cornell. Show me, what you expect me to do?" Luke said friendly.
They had reached the lake where the first waterfall came down. Cornell showed Luke the overflow of the lake, where a second waterfall went down at the other side of the mountain ridge. Then he took Luke back to the lake and pointed to the elevated ridge that blocked their view at the cave entrance.
"At the other side of that ridge ran the original bedding of the river before the volcanic activity changed its course. We've tried to make a passage between the lake and the old bedding, but had to stop our efforts, because with our method it seemed impossible to break through the rocks," Cornell said, "We've made a new plan. We want to dig out a canal on this side. It can be easily directed to the exit, we're creating to use the underground bedding again."
Luke looked around and nodded.
"This side slopes downward very regularly. It's indeed a better alternative, compared to your original plan, but you need to make sure the water flow will stay inside this new canal. It has to have a wall which will prevent the water to choose another path again."
"Near the lake we have managed to create a shallow puddle which gets its water from the lake, but our method of rock freezing isn't really sufficient to do some fast digging. We need better equipment to get the job done."
Luke laughed.
"It would certainly make your work easier. The problem is that you can't get that equipment immediately. You did well, Cornell to ask me to help you. Although a lightsaber isn't commonly used to break through rocks, it can help you and the other to get faster results. "
Luke hooked his lightsaber from his belt and held the weapon near the rock at their feet. He ignited his weapon and pressed the laserbeam through the rock. Slowly he made a deep incision with the lightsaber. The rock around the beam started to crumble and Luke released his weapon. He raised his hand and the crumbled rocks hovered above their original place. A deep gap became visible where the rock had been split apart. Luke pushed the loose rocks aside. Cornell looked amazed at the gap at his feet.
"It still will take much work, Cornell, but it can be done. I will ask my sister to assist me with this work."
"It won't damage your weapon, Ben?"
"No, but we have to use it with care. The power cell inside needs to recharge the beam after some time. Together with your freezing method we can create the river's new bedding faster. Probably Han and Chewbacca will come up with some other ideas too. We will discuss our plan with them."
"Won't this work interfere with your own plan, Ben?"
"Not at all. If we can redirect the water flow our opponent will have to find himself another sanctuary."
"You think the water will drive him out of his underground dwelling?"
"If he doesn't want to get drowned, he has to leave and find himself another place. By that time my friends and I can carry out our original plan and you can bring the Quelans back to Ribana."

To be continued...