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In sharp contrast to the first time he had made a lightsaber as a teenager, Anakin Skywalker now held little reverence for the art of the blade. He had found it to be long, detailed and largely boring work, and the only thing that drove him as a boy was the thought of actually using the sword and wearing it on his belt, letting all those around him know that Anakin was a Jedi, proving all the doubters in the Temple who felt him too old to begin the training to be wrong.
This time around, he knew it would cut down on his training sessions and on his time with Padme, for Obi-Wan was bound to notice if he retired to his quarters obstensibly to work on the saber only to be at the same spot of progress the next day. With thoughts of nights without Padme plaguing him, he made himself appear eager to Obi-Wan's idea to leave immediately to secure rare gems for their new blades.
Taking a two-man Jedi Starfighter, and allowing Anakin to fly rather than hear his complaining of his piloting skills throughout the flight, Obi-Wan set course for the third moon of Utopden, where he knew that the crystals they both sought could be found with relative ease. They were hard rock creations, not the soft kind from which jewelery could be made and thus coveted, and apart from a few raised eyebrows as two Jedi arrived in the spaceport, they would have no interference in their search.
Renting a landspeeder, the pair sped out into the foothills of the Utopdenian city of Krye, and set up a small camp, so they might enjoy a night of rest before beginning the search in the morning.
Not surprisingly, Anakin had found a large, bluish gem in the first hour of their search that he felt would make a fine blade. But much to Anakin's annoyance, Obi-Wan continued to scour the hillside, turning over rock after rock and carefully setting back into place those stones he examined but did not want.
Several times Anakin nearly lost his temper as his Master carefully handled and gazed at a perfectly-acceptable gem, only to place it back where he had found it. After the ninth time this happened, he finally spoke up.
"Master? You seem to be bypassing many gems that could easily be cut into a lightsaber hilt."
While he expected a quick chiding from Obi-Wan, Anakin instead got a nod from his Master. Obi-Wan did not seem put off in the least, and his face remained quizzical as he stared at the next stone in his path.
"I agree, my Padawan," Obi-Wan said in a distracted tone. "There is something else at work here, however. Last night I had a most peculiar vision. This blade I will make, I feel very strongly that it will be used for a great cause one day. None of these gems feel right, I must continue searching."
His curiosity piqued, Anakin now watched Obi-Wan with renewed interest, even as Utpoden's twin suns sank below the horizon. Finally, Obi-Wan stumbled in his search, only to turn over that which he tripped on and suck in a surprised breath of awe.
Even Anakin, once more bored by the tedious search and meditating with his eyes closed against a tree, looked up, then leapt to his feet to close the distance.
Obi-Wan had lifted the stone he had nearly fell on and revealed a large gem, so brightly blue it almost seemed white. He held it for a long time in his hands, staring deep into it, before nodding and turning to Anakin.
"This is what I am looking for."
