SoftWare: I got this idea just today.

Gakowa: Ready when you are.

Chapter Seven

A New Trial

(EV Leto, in orbit above Coruscant)

Gakowa leaned against his guest quarters wall, in deep thought. He'd been thinking something over, and was in the process of making his decision. As he made up his mind, the chime on his door

sounded. "Come in." His mother walked in, and noticed his facial expression. "What's on your mind?" Gakowa faced her. "I've decided to learn more about dual-wielding." Ahsoka nodded for him to

continue. "Thing is, I want to save the crosssaber for a last resort. I don't want to be too dependent on it." She nodded again. Gakowa faced her. "I've decided to build a new lightsaber. Not a shoto,

just a regular design." Ahsoka nodded. "I think I know a way to help you with that." He faced her with a look of curiosity in his eyes.

(Jedi light ship, en route to Ilum)

Gakowa sat in the room he had been given aboard the Gathering cruiser, a tradition for Younglings who excelled at their classes. They were going to build their lightsabers, and Gakowa would join

them in the caves of Ilum. He had no problem with that, he liked children. Katooni was with him, as her old lightsaber had been destroyed when the Centennials had first arrived. She sat beside him,

meditating. They remained like that until they felt the ship touch down. Donning winter gear, they joined the others outside of the ship. There, Gakowa saw a person he thought he would not have the

honor to meet, Jedi Master Yoda. The green Jedi Master was chuckling at his students, then he noticed the Togrutan boy approaching him. "Ah, Knight Tano. A pleasure to meet you, it is." Gakowa

bowed in respect. "The feeling's mutual, Master Yoda." Yoda smiled, then said, "Come. Into the caves, we must go." Once inside,Yoda spun the device in the ceiling, revealing the sunlight that melted

the ice that would lead into the caves. Gakowa looked at the entrance, then faced the Jedi Master. He removed his weapons from his belt, and tossed them to the Grand Master. "Hang on to those for

me, okay?" Yoda faced him. "Certain, are you?" Gakowa nodded. "Pass or fail, I'm doing this without my lightsabers." Yoda smiled. "Then enter, and find the crystal before the ice freezes over."

Gakowa waited for the others to enter before facing Yoda. "It's just ice. You can break it." Yoda chuckled, not surprised the boy had already seen through that trick. "Taught you well, your mother has."

Gakowa smirked. "She wasn't the only one." With that, he walked in, and caught up with the younglings. They arrived at a crossroads, where the path split into three junctions. One of the childrren

spoke up. "What do we do now?" Gakowa smiled. "Follow your instincts." Katooni stepped forward, getting Gakowa's attention. She looked over the paths, then faced the others. "I'm going this way."

Another youngling asked her, "Why?" Katooni shrugged. "Because I feel like it." Gakowa smiled, and said, "She has the right idea. The Force will guide us to our crystals, but here is where we must

choose different paths. I think you all know what to do." His instincts told him to follow the same path as Katooni. "Guess we're walking together for a while." The two walked on, leaving the others to

choose their paths. Along the way, Gakowa saw two paths, and his instincts told him to take the one on the left, whereas Katooni pointed to the right. "Well, it was a nice walk. I'll see you outside." He

walked down his path, and Katooni followed hers. Along her path, Katooni saw a person laying in her path. She approached them, and turned the person over. It was her mother. "Master Gallia?" The

old Jedi Master faced her, with a look of regret in her eyes. "I'm sorry, Katooni. I should have told you, but I wanted you to be freer of attachments than I was." Katooni shook her head. "No, I'm not

mad at you. I never was. I was just confused. But now, I know. You didn't try to hide me, because you knew I had a special destiny, that I would be a key part of the Centennial War." Adi Gallia smiled

up at her daughter, and said, "Can you forgive me?" Katooni held her mother's hand. "I've already forgiven you." With that, the Jedi Master vanished, and Katooni knew she would never see her until

she became one with the Force. However, she no longer feared death. Now, she looked forward to seeing her mother again. She kept walking, and found a green crystal, calling to her. She gently

removed it from the wall, then smiled and walked back the way she had come, never looking back. The past was behind her. Meanwhile, Gakowa walked through the cave, using the Force to try to

locate his crystal. A voice called to him, sounding old and menacing. "Gakowa." He stopped, and looked ahead. There stood a cloaked figure, holding an unlit crosssaber in his hand. Gakowa cocked

his head. "Who are you?" The answer was the igniting of a red blade, with the secondary blades soon joining it. "Do you fear death?" Gakowa faced him. "Huh?" The Sith lord stepped forward, his red

blade glowing menacingly in the darkness of the cave. He pointed it at the boy, then said, "You are the one thing, the only thing, that can stand in my way. No other Jedi can defeat me. Therefore,

since you are unarmed, it will be easy to destroy the last wielder of the Jedi's Crosssaber!" The Sith lord leapt forward, but Gakowa held his ground, preparing to disarm his foe. However, the Sith was

faster than Gakowa had expected, and swung the blade. Gakowa held still, and nothing happened. His opponent had vanished, along with the weapon. In his place, a blue crystal floated down.

Gakowa gently accepted it, and walked outside. After meeting up with the younglings and Katooni, he faced Master Yoda. "I'm ready." Yoda smiled. "Yes, you are." In the Gathering ship, Gakowa and

Katooni constructed their new lightsabers, Gakowa going last. He preferred to see what Katooni was building. To his surprise, her weapon was a crosssaber, and she caught it as it fell into her hand.

Gakowa faced her. "You built a crosssaber?" Katooni faced him. "You've influenced me in many ways." Gakowa nodded, then sat down to construct his new weapon. The pieces came together

around the crystal, and the hilt was embedded with eight rings, with a cutout where the activation button was. He gently raised the weapon, and ignited it, the sapphire blade illuminating the room,

before it was joined by the green blade of Katooni's crosssaber, the two weapons humming in harmony with each other. Master Yoda saw this, and smiled. "Powerful are you, young ones." Facing

Gakowa, he said, "Your test in the cave, saw it, I did. The Sith lord that attacked you, Darth Khan is his name. He is your enemy, and challenge you, he will." Gakowa nodded. "Then I guess I'll have to

master fighting with the crosssaber." Facing his apprentice, he added, "And you are going to learn it with me." Katooni smiled. "I've been waiting, master." Gakowa sighed. "I said you didn't have to

call me that." She laughed.

A/N

SoftWare: Now, Gakowa has two things on his immediate agenda, and has learned the identity of a new Sith Lord. Their fight will be a battle of honor, and together, they will develop a new lightsaber

combat form, much like Ahsoka.

Gakowa: Yes! I've been waiting for that to be mentioned.

Katooni: (Sipping water) Hm?

Gakowa: Oh, I was talking to the readers.

Computer: SoftWare, offline.