The remaining tasks that came through the shop were all small jobs—things I could finish in an hour or less. It gave me plenty of time to continue working with the Phrik alloys. My experiments with the indestructible metal were progressing, but I could feel the pressure mounting. Something was off.

Over the past few days, I noticed customers occasionally glancing toward the back of the hangar, staring at the locked room. Mike must have noticed too because he started acting more cautious around me. It was clear that rumors were spreading—rumors of a "mysterious stranger" working his way through the ranks of his shop. Given Sallos' visit last week, it wasn't hard to guess where the gossip was coming from. It wouldn't be long before someone put two and two together, and that scared me.

Sighing, I reluctantly stopped my current experiment and began rolling the strange stone in my hand, wondering what secrets it held. Its weight felt strangely comforting, but there was something more… something I couldn’t quite grasp.

"What’s that?" Mike asked, walking over from the workbench where he’d been fixing an old engine.

I held the stone up, watching it catch the light. "A rock," I said with a shrug. "One that chose me. It might contain a crystal, but I don't sense anything yet. All I know is that when I shake it, I hear water."

Mike raised an eyebrow, intrigued. "That's an enhydro geode, for sure. My dad used to collect samples like that back in the day."

"How do you know?" I asked, turning to face him fully, surprised by his knowledge.

"My father specialized in planetary rock formation surveys," Mike explained. "He’d take samples from every planet, and some of them were geodes just like this one. He always said the water inside keeps the minerals alive, or something like that."

I stared at the stone again, holding it up to the light. "If only I could understand its mysteries," I lamented, wishing there was more I could learn from it.

Mike chuckled. "Well, there’s only one way to do that."

Before I could react, he grabbed a screwdriver and aimed it at a small, dimpled spot on the stone. Without warning, he applied pressure, and the stone cracked open, spilling its contents across my face. The liquid inside burned lightly, crawling across my skin with a strange, ant-like sensation. My breath hitched, and my heart skipped a beat.

In an instant, the connection with Xanthe, the Murakami Orchid, flared in my mind. A vivid wave of memories and sensations washed over me, pulling me back to that painful moment when I lay injured, wishing I could do more, but using every bit of strength I had to protect Teya.

The voices and images were loud but far less overwhelming than last time. This time, the tide of power seemed to respond more easily to my will. I could almost feel the midi-chlorians inside me, pushing against the flood of memories and fear, yet I felt more in control.

"How?" I whispered to myself, my fingers trembling as I wiped my face dry, trying to process what had just happened.

"Kid, you okay?" Mike’s voice broke through the mental fog. "You kinda spasmed there for a second."

I looked up, realizing that I had zoned out. "Yeah, I’m fine. This happened before... but this time, it feels different. I think I just got an influx of midi-chlorians," I said, still trying to make sense of it all.

As I inspected the cracked stone, something inside it resonated with me. I could feel the faint pulse of a Kyber crystal hidden within the geode’s depths. I held it up, peering inside, and was immediately dazzled by a cascade of rainbow light reflecting off the crystal’s many facets. Nine small crystals shimmered brightly—each one too small for a traditional lightsaber, but perfect for my new project.

"Why didn’t I sense you until now?" I asked aloud, wondering why the crystal had remained hidden from me for so long.

It was the water, I realized with sudden clarity. The liquid inside the geode wasn’t just a simple fluid—it was a sealed ecosystem. The midi-chlorians were trapped within, sustained by the Kyber crystals’ energy, their life-force symbiotically intertwined. The crystals absorbed energy, while the midi-chlorians kept the crystals from ceasing to grow and being sensed. They thrived together in a balance that, until now, I had never understood.

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"What now?" Mike asked, his voice filled with awe as he watched me discover the crystal’s potential.

"Now, I see how powerful I’ve become," I said, a grin creeping onto my face. It felt like everything had clicked into place. I could feel the heat rising within me, the power of the Force surging through me.

I stepped into the hangar bay, needing more space for what I was about to attempt. With a deep breath, I focused on the Force and raised a Phrik alloy joint, unscathed by the years of wear and tear. I concentrated on heating it, willing the metal to reach its melting point. The small sphere became unbearably hot, radiating a heat intense enough to burn through most metals, yet it remained solid.

"It’s not enough," I muttered to myself, my frustration bubbling over. No matter how much power I put into it, I couldn’t melt the Phrik alloy. The metal was just too strong, too resistant.

Then, Xanthe’s voice echoed in my mind, calm and steady. "Then go smaller than anyone else could fathom. I know you can do it. Sense the very molecules that bind. Seal them off and heat them."

Her words hit me like a revelation. "That... could work," I murmured, the concept unfolding in my mind. With her guidance, I could focus my energy on manipulating the molecular structure of the metal, instead of just heating it directly.

I concentrated again, feeling the Force flow through me like a tidal wave, separating the individual particles of the Phrik alloy. The process was slow, agonizingly so, but I could feel the bonds between atoms weakening under my touch. I separated the iron and the electrum from the rest of the Phrik, molding them into separate pieces. The heat inside me grew as I focused on the next phase.

It took days of work—long, exhausting hours where I barely stopped to eat or sleep. Mike, ever the loyal friend, had shut down the shop to keep the others at bay, leaving me to focus on my task in peace. He didn’t question the late hours, just kept the shop closed and helped me when I needed it. He’d seen something in me, a quiet confidence that made him want to do right by me. Maybe it was because of the way I pushed through the pain, or maybe it was the same thing that made him long for a son—someone to show the ropes to, someone who could take up the lessons he had spent his life learning. For all his gruff exterior, Mike was more than just the owner of a shop. In his own way, he was rooting for me.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, I had enough material to form the casing for my first "Firefly" lightsaber.

Putting everything together was the easy part. I placed the Kyber crystal into the components I had prepared, and with a flick of my hand, I used the Force to shape the molten Electrum and Aurodium. The two metals mixed together seamlessly, forming a smooth, liquid-like consistency that encased the device holding the crystal. The only part left was the emitter lens, which I carefully fashioned using a fine-tuned Force manipulation to ensure a clean, smooth rounded surface.

Levitating the tiny lightsaber in front of me, I felt a rush of power as the green blade sprang to life. The brilliant light illuminated the entire hangar, casting shadows that danced across the walls as if the blade were drawing them away. The deep, resonating hum of the lightsaber vibrated through the air, almost like a living thing, settling into my bones. I stood frozen, mesmerized by the sight of the weapon I had crafted—a perfect blend of Force and metal, a symbol of my growth. The sound and the glow reminded me that this was power, yes, but also something I had to control.

I barely noticed when a pile of scrap in the corner toppled over with a loud crash.

I turned just in time to see Sallos, the Geonosian, stunned by the lightsaber’s glow but quickly recovering. Panic flashed in his eyes as he bolted for the exit. Mike reacted immediately, rushing toward him, but Sallos pulled out a blaster and aimed it at Mike. The weapon’s red bolt flashed through the air, heading straight for Mike.

Without thinking, I raised my hand and sent a piece of Phrik alloy flying toward Sallos. The metal intercepted the blaster bolt, blocking it just in time.

But Sallos wasn’t done. He pulled the trigger again, his eyes wild with anger. In an instant, my Firefly saber was in my hand, and with a surge of energy, I hurled it toward him. The dagger-sized lightsaber blade passed through his body in one swift motion, and his body crumpled to the floor, lifeless.

I stood frozen for a moment, horror filling me. I had killed him. A sentient being. For the first time in my life, I had taken a life, and it felt like a weight I would never shake. He had been a threat, yes. He had seen me, tried to harm Mike, and he would’ve reported us to the Empire—but the guilt gnawed at me all the same.

Mike placed a hand on my shoulder, his voice steady but gentle. "You should go, kid. It’s time to get out of here."

"What about him?" I asked, nodding toward the body.

"He’s an intruder in my shop with a grudge and a blaster in his hand," Mike said, his tone hardening. "It doesn’t take a smart trooper to figure out what happened here. Go, Roan. Get out while you still can."

I looked down at Sallos’ body, the weight of my actions settling heavily on me. "What about the wound?" I asked, still trying to make sense of it.

Mike pulled a large blaster rifle from a cupboard and handed it to me. "It looks like the same kind of wound as from a heavy blaster. No one will question it."

I nodded, feeling a knot form in my throat. "Thanks, Mike. I won’t forget you."

I reached out and shook his hand firmly, then turned and walked toward the ship. My heart was heavy with guilt, but I knew Mike was right. It was time to leave. Time to disappear once again. And as the hangar doors closed behind me, I couldn’t shake the feeling that we were running out of time.