A/N: A year has passed; Callista is now 15 years old.

Callista once more found herself in the training room late into the night. Her drive to learn more of her chosen form was unquenchable. She knelt on the training mat, her mind still and clear as she prepared to practice. Her lightsaber rested across her palms. She knew the weapon intimately, every piece and how it all fit together. Her mind focused, she brought herself out of the meditation, slowly rising to her feet. The mat was cool against her bare feet.

Holding the deactivated hilt in her left hand, she began slowly moving through a few of the more advanced forms, getting the feel for them. It was better to learn the forms first without an active blade, so they were familiar. She fought against an imaginary opponent, her movements quick and precise.

She could see him in her minds eye; his blade came down diagonally from a high guard position, aiming at her left wrist. Bringing her saber up from the low guard, she rotated her wrists so that her blade intercepted his at eye level. Their blades locked, sparking and hissing against each other. He shoved against her blade, trying to make her stumble, and she shoved right back, hard enough to force him off balance. He went stumbling away as she set herself again. He charged, aiming for her stomach, but she spun away and blocked it forcing his blade to the ground.

He could feel her intense concentration through their link, and he was surprised. She was very dedicated to her training, spending long hours practicing, usually far into the night. She always woke refreshed and full of energy, having slipped into a light healing trance.

He was surprised that she had such control of her self-healing abilities at a young age. All Jedi were trained in basic healing techniques, but some had the gift of healing. His Padawan was apparently one of them. He knew that he did not have the knowledge of healing to teach her, but the healers at the temple did. He felt it was time that she moved on to the next phase of her training.

The following morning, as Callista was preparing breakfast, he brought up the subject. "Callista, I think it's time you move forward in your training..." She paused in her preparations to look at him in surprise while he continued. "You have an innate skill as a healer, but that is something I cannot help you develop. There are Jedi at the Temple who could provide you with the training it requires."

Glancing down at what she was doing to steady her whirling thoughts, Callista felt sadness. Her Master had been a fixture in her life as long as she could remember. Was he getting rid of her because he was tired of having her around?

He could sense the direction her thoughts were taking, and came around the counter to place a hand on her shoulder. "Callista, know this: I will never leave you. When you need me, I will be there." She nodded, glancing up at him as she set her paring knife aside. "I will miss you, my Master. But if that is the will of the Force, then I will go."

Callista sat up much of the evening, thinking over the years that she had trained with Master Faulkner. He had taught her much of the ways of the Jedi, taking her in when no one wanted her. He was patient and kind, gently correcting her when she made a mistake.

Slipping out of her room, she made her way down to the training room, and then to the workshop area. The workshop contained the necessary tools and parts for building and repairing lightsabers. True to her word to Master Karrde all those months ago, she wanted to build a second saber to match the first.

She found the parts she needed hidden away in a box; her Master had expected her to build a second saber all along. He knew her skills were up to the task. Along with the parts, she found a note in her Master's handwriting.

Dear Callista,

I knew at some point that you would want to build a second saber. So here are the parts. I am so proud of you, my Padawan. You have excelled in everything I have taught you. Your patience and concentration during the saber lessons does you credit. It is my hope that this second saber will serve you well and that you will use it with care. I have included the instructions and appropriate meditation to use in the construction of a lightsaber when it is needed immediately as I know yours is. Be well, my Padawan, and May the Force protect you wherever you may go.

Yours in the Force,

Jedi Master Mark Faulkner

Callista's vision blurred with unshed tears as she read. He had known that she would keep her word, and he had gone to the trouble of finding those parts and crystals that matched her existing saber. She knew that was no easy task. Hauling the box out of the workshop, she set it down on one of the training mats, and settled back on her heels. It would be a long night, and tomorrow she left for Coruscant.

With the hilt laid next to her, she picked up the circuit board and began to connect he wires that ran to the ignition switch. Soldering them in place with a micro torch, she slotted it into place inside the hilt, connecting the wires. Next she connected the power cell. Slotting the crystal into place beneath the focusing lens of the emitter, she screwed on the end cap, and sank into the meditation.

She alone could not build a perfectly functioning saber. In order for it to function properly, the separate parts had to function as one unit. By bathing the saber in the Force, she was affecting an elemental shift in the components. This allowed them to function as a whole. She did not know how long she sat in meditation, but as she opened her eyes, she could feel her Master standing next to her. She looked up and accepted the glass of water he offered. "You did well, Padawan."

Sipping slowly, Callista emptied the glass and rose shakily to her feet, the new lightsaber in her right hand. With her master's steadying hand on her elbow she slowly made her way up the stairs and to her room. She sat down heavily on the bed, fumbling to remove her boots. Her master gently pushed her hands away. "Rest, Padawan. I will take care of it. Coruscant can wait a few days."

She nodded wearily, leaning back against her pillows as he removed her boots. She could hear the boots thump to the floor as he took her left foot in his hand and began massaging it. The muscles were tense from hours spent in the meditation posture. He sent waves of reassurance through their link, urging her to rest.

She could still feel his presence next to her as she slipped into a light healing trance. She knew that it had been a good couple of days, and her body needed to rest and heal.

Turning over, she opened her eyes. He was standing right next to her bed. She started, and then sat up slowly, shaking off the momentary disorientation associated with coming out of a healing trance. He sat down on the edge of her bed, handing her a bowl of cereal. Smiling her thanks, she ate it.

"If you're feeling up to it, I think we should go to the temple today." She nodded, and then paused in her eating. "I am ready." He smiled, and then bent over and picked up a package from where it rested on the floor. Accepting her empty bowl, he handed her the package. "I contacted the Temple as soon as your healing skills began to surface. I wanted to give you something to take with you when you go."

Carefully unwrapping the paper, she uncovered a set of dark blue and tan robes worn by a Healer. She gasped, and threw her arms around his neck. "Thank you..." He chuckled. "You're welcome, Padawan. Now when we reach Coruscant, you will have the proper attire."

Slipping the strap of her bag over her right shoulder, Callista rose from her seat on the transport and followed her Master to the landing pad. He turned to her as they made their way to the Temple. "Stay close, Padawan. We must meet with the Master Healer." They made their way to the Medical Wing of the temple. Callista was amazed; she had never seen so many Jedi in Healer colors before.

Pausing by a door marked 'Master Healer Manna Azad', her Master knocked on the frame of the open doorway. The woman seated at the single desk glanced up, and smiled. "Welcome Master Faulkner, Padawan Gseran. Please have a seat." She turned away from her computer, focusing her attention on the two Jedi before her.

Master Faulkner spoke first. "Healer Azad, this is my Apprentice, Callista Gseran." Callista inclined her head. "As mentioned in the message I sent you, Callista has extraordinary skills in healing. Is it possible for her to train under one of the Healers here at the temple?"

She nodded, "Currently, all Healer Apprentices are trained in a classroom setting, but some are chosen as Apprentices to the Knights. I have been watching Callista's progress, and I believe that she would be a wonderful addition to our staff." Callista smiled and blushed slightly.

She continued, looking directly at Callista, "Padawan Gseran, given where your particular skills lie, I would be honored to train you in the ways of the Healer."

Stunned, it took Callista a moment to find her voice. She cleared her throat nervously. "Master Azad, it would be an honor to learn the Healing arts from you." She rose and bowed, the other woman doing the same. "You may have the next two hours to set your affairs in order. When that time is up, please report to me here." Callista nodded as Master Azad handed her a sheet of flimsiplast with directions back to her office. Accepting the flimsiplast, Callista and Master Faulkner bowed, and left her office.

"Master, do we have time for a sparring match?" He thought a moment. "We do. The practice rooms are this way." He pointed to the left. Entering, Callista noticed that it was set up much like the training room in her Master's home on Corellia. They paused to remove their robes, and Callista set her bag off to the side. Her second saber was in her bag.

Having shed her robe, she approached the mat, saluting her Master with her saber. She sank into the Force, preparing for the spar. Flicking the selector for her saber, she set it to the lower training setting. The saber hung loose in her left hand, at the ready. Circling each other on the mat, they waited. Her Master moved first.

His bright green blade came slashing upward from a low guard that Callista blocked easily. The tip of his blade knocked into the mat causing it to smoke a little. While his blade was still low, she spun and struck for his midsection. The blade grazed his stomach and he grunted. "Well done, Padawan." She smiled and set herself again. Flipping her hands over so that her right arm was level with her chin, and her blade pointed at the floor, she slid her left foot forward to balance herself.

His blade was a blur as it came in from the left, but her move was wise, for his blade bounced off hers and went wide. She flipped over his blade, blocking an upward strike as she went. She landed in a crouch behind him, her blade held low. Sensing him coming around, she rolled away from his strike. She came up on one knee, and they locked blades once more. He deactivated his blade and backed up a step, signaling an end to the match. They bowed to one another and went to gather their robes.

They slowly made their way back to the landing pad. She was reluctant to see him go, as he had been a part of her life for so many years. He paused as the reached the pad. "Callista, Master Azad is wise in the ways of the Healer. There is much to be learned from her." He turned to go, but Callista stopped him and hugged him hard.

She could not stop the tears that came to her eyes. "I will miss you, my Master. I thank you for everything that you have taught me, and I will honor it." She released him and bowed, then turned and headed back to the Medical Wing and her new studies.