The training foil hummed past Rand's left as he sidestepped to avoid it. Before his opponent, Padawan Surro, could recover, Rand struck a blow to the young woman's ribs with his own foil. As Surro swung her blade again, Rand lowered himself into a defensive position, holding his weapon over his head and parallel to the training room's floor. Just as he predicted, Surro's foil struck his almost dead-center, clanging with the impact. Rand moved to execute River Undercuts The Bank.

"Hold!" Master Din barked from a nearby bench. He had been actively observing the duel between the two Padawans. Rand and Surro both lowered their weapons and faced the Jedi Master, who was now standing. Master Din took a few paces closer. "That was nicely done, but still not perfect. Both of you made errors. Rand, what do you think your mistake was?"

Rand looked down and shook his head in mild embarrassment. "I was about to use a sword form instead of a lightsaber one," he said softly, wiping sweat away from his forehead. Rand hadn't noticed how much effort eh was exerting.

"Correct. Some of the sword combat techniques - like that one, River Undercuts the Bank - that you learned back on your homeworld are useless when wielding a lightsaber. You must remember that."

I DO remember! Rand thought. "I shall remember, Master," he said aloud.

"Good man." Master Din turned his eyes to Surro. "What was your error, Surro?"

The copper-skinned, curly-haired human girl was silent for a moment. "I... didn't best my opponent?" she said, uncertainly.

"No, Padawan," Master Din said plainly. "That was no mistake, though it was unfortunate. Your mistake is that you released your hold on the Force late in the duel."

"Oops," Surro muttered with shame, looking down.

"It is indeed an 'oops.' A Jedi is always armed with two weapons: a lightsaber, and the Force. Which is the more important?"

"The Force," Surro replied confidently. She met Master Din's gaze at those words.

"Very good. Now, I want both of you to channel the Force. Go right ahead."

Rand opened his mind, letting the Force flow through him, filling his soul with life, amplifying his senses. The foil in his hand no longer felt so heavy, and the whiskers on Master Din's chin seemed sharper and more visible than before. A sweet smell like flowers entered his nostrils. Was Surro wearing a faint perfume?

Master Din returned to his seat on the bench. "Begin again, Padawans."

Rand and Surro both faced each other, entered combat stances, and raised their foils. Rand struck first, swinging his weapon in a powerful downward arc. Surro blocked the attack, outstretched her left hand, and suddenly Rand felt an invisible hammer strike his middle, knocking him onto his back. He grunted upon impact with the ground. Frustration bubbled up in Rand as he hurried back to his feet. This was the ninth time in a row that Surro had defeated him. Was there no end to the girl's victory streak? If he was to gain an advantage, perhaps it was time to think outside the box.

Surro rushed forward, foil raised and ready to strike. No! Rand thought angrily as the young woman charged. You will NOT best me again! Rand outstretched his hand, expecting to push out with the Force and knock Surro down. Instead, a stream of electricity shot from his fingertips. Surro screamed and fell to the ground writhing in agony as the electric bolts struck her.

"Rand, stop!" Master Din was on his feet, lightsaber hilt in hand. "End what you're doing now!"

Horrified by his own action, Rand released his hold on the Force, causing the electric stream to vanish. Surro, still on the ground, let out a muddled noise that seemed both a sigh and a whimper. Master Din rushed to her side, stowing his lightsaber hilt, then held his hands over Surro's body, channeling the Force to heal her injuries. Surro was on her feet again in a moment. Despite Master Din's healing, the Padawan's expression suggested that she was on the edge of sobbing. Rand noticed that Surro wouldn't meet his eyes. He hadn't meant to frighten her so. Oh, Light.

"You are dismissed, Surro," Master Din said in a compassionate tone. "Return to your quarters for some food and rest."

The curly-haired girl sniffled and then, wiping away tears, made her way out of the training room.

Master Din cast a stern gaze at Rand. "Do you know what you just did, Rand?" he asked in a serious tone. "What technique that was?"

"I... don't know." Rand replied. "Though I'm sure it was nothing good."

"The technique you just used is called Force Lightning, Padawan." Master Din's voice became more serene as he continued. "It is an ability used only with the dark side of the Force. When you let your frustration take control, you touched the dark side, allowing your otherwise harmless attack to turn into a deadly one. Remember the first line of Jedi Code? Say it for me."

"There is no emotion, there is peace," Rand recited from memory. His first lesson as a Jedi Padawan had focused on the Code and its interpretation.

"Very good. Live by those words, and you need not fear touching the dark side."

"I understand, Master." I will steel myself.

"Good man. Now, I think that's enough sparing for one day. Come with me. There is one more task we must accomplish before the day is out."

Master Din turned on his heals and strode towards the training room's exit. Rand followed close behind his teacher, easily matching the Jedi Master's pace. Outside the hallways were still occupied. It was late in the day, and most of the Jedi that Orgus and Rand passed were walking in the direction of the dining halls. Rand caught a whiff of freshly baked bread as they passed a door leading to one of the kitchens, causing his stomach to give a low rumble.

"I know you're hungry," Master Din said without looking back. "We'll eat soon, but this can not wait."

"What is it we're about to do?" asked Rand.

"You'll see."

Master Din took a sudden left turn into an open doorway, leading Rand into a room that greatly resembled a workshop. Waist-high workbenches, racks stocked with tools, and containers filled with raw materials lined the chamber's walls. Several Jedi sat or stood at the various workstations, crafting in silence. The only noise in the room came from the power tools. Master Din halted near the center of the workshop. Rand stopped beside him, crossing his arms, waiting.

"Welcome to the Lightsaber Forge," Master Din said, just loud enough to be heard. Rand was taller than Master Din, and briefly considered leaning over to hear him better, but the Jedi Master continued. "This is where Jedi build and maintain their lightsabers. Over the years, many Padawans such as yourself have crafted their first weapons here in this very room."

"I guess that's why you brought me here," Rand remarked, looking at Orgus.

Master Din gave an approving nod. "You catch on fast. Rand Al'Thor, despite your hiccups in the training room today, I believe that you are ready to construct your first lightsaber."

A smile appeared on Rand's lips. "I am pleased to hear that, Master."

"As well you should be. You've made incredible progress since your arrival on Coruscant. Now go ahead and gather your materials. A Jedi must craft his first weapon alone. Only come to me if you need assistance."

"I'll get it done, Master Din." Rand walked off in the direction of the containers housing raw materials. Each container was labeled according to what specific part(s) or material was stored within. Rand went over a mental checklist of parts as he sorted through the containers. Emitter, power cell, lens, igniter, crystal... he thought, remembering Master Din's lecture on lightsaber mechanics from yesterday. After gathering the needed parts and depositing them at the workstation, Rand returned the containers, pondering what material to use for his lightsaber's hilt. Deciding on a bronze-like material with the strength of steel, he returned to the workstation and set to work on his new weapon. After an hour's worth of labor, Rand held a brand new lightsaber hilt in his heron-branded hands. The hilt itself, copper in color, was one foot long and wrapped tightly in brown leather, allowing for a firm grip. A knob near the emitter allowed for adjusting the blade's length, while a button opposite the knob ignited the blade. The mark of the heron was engraved on the weapon's hilt.

Tired, hungry, but also quite proud of his accomplishment, Rand presented his new weapon to Master Din, who had quietly watched Rand work. "Outstanding work, Rand," he said with a faint smile. "This a fine tool, but it's not yet complete."

Rand frowned. "What's the matter with it?"

"Your lightsaber already contains two crystals for resonating the blade, but you still need a third crystal to produce both its color, and its unique properties. Each Jedi has a crystal that is attuned to the Force embedded within their lightsaber. To attune the crystal, the Jedi must meditate on it until the crystal is ready." Master Din withdrew something from a pocket on his robe and handed it to Rand. It was a plain, transparent crystal no larger than his thumbnail. "This crystal responds to you, Rand. The night after you and Aviendha arrived at the Temple, I took a visit down to the Crystal Depository in the lower levels. Out of the thousands of crystals stored within that vault, only this one responded to your presence in the Force. And that, my friend, is most unusual."

Rand rolled the crystal in his hands, eyeing it. "I imagine you'll expect me to meditate on this crystal? When should I begin?"

"Go and get something to eat, then return to your quarters and start your meditation. You'll know when the crystal is attuned and ready."


After enjoying a meal of roast beef and vegetables in the dining hall, Rand returned to his room with the Padawan's quarters. The room itself was modest in size, with a pair of beds against one wall, a table and two chairs opposite the beds, and two dressers on the far wall. A small window above the dressers overlooked the Coruscanti skyline. Rand's roommate, a Togruta boy named Arin, was fast asleep on the bed nearest the window. Arin had the sheets pulled up over his face; only the tips of his head-tails poked out from underneath the quilt. Due to the overhead light being shut off, Rand almost didn't notice the boxy, squat mouse droid sitting in the middle of the floor. The droid beeped a noise and bolted for the open door as Rand entered, causing him to mutter a curse as it came within an inch of striking his foot. The droid raced out the door and disappeared around a corner. Quietly closing the door behind him, Rand removed his robe and draped it over the back of his desk chair. He walked over to the far wall and set the hilt of his new lightsaber down beside his sword, which rested atop his own dresser. Sitting cross-legged on his own bed, Rand withdrew the crystal from his pocket and set it in his lap. He reflected on how Master Din had described the crystal, about it's ability to "respond" to the Force. Rand was reminded of how angreal performed a similar function, allowing a channeler to hold more of the One Power than they could otherwise. Did this minuscule crystal do just that - allow a Jedi to channel a greater amount of the Force?

"Master Din's instructed me to meditate on this crystal," Rand whispered to himself. "He claims that I'll know when it is "attuned" to me. What under the Light did he mean?" Even as he despaired, Rand could sense a... presence... within the crystal, as if the rock itself was holding the Force. Intrigued by his discovery, Rand sought the void, emptying all of his emotions into the imaginary flame, fueling it until the fire roared. The Forced surged into Rand, filling him with joy and bliss. Suppressing the feelings that rose up along with channeling, Rand focused the Force on the crystal, which began to hum; faintly at first, then louder as more of the Force entered it. The humming, Rand noticed keenly, was not in echoing in his ears, but in his mind. Rand seized more of the Force, and the humming grew to a dull roar, coming within a hair's width of breaking his concentration. At last Rand held as much of the Force as he believed possible for him. The crystal's humming completely drowned out his senses until Rand was certain that the Force would overpower him. At that moment, the humming ceased, and the Force flowed out of Rand, leaving him panting with exhaustion.

A knock sounded at the door. "Come in," he said absently. The door opened with a hiss, and Aviendha entered. That didn't surprise Rand. She and her roommate occupied the room next his own. What did surprise him - though probably shouldn't have - was her lack of clothing. Does this woman have any shame? Rand wondered. "Did you need to a borrow a robe, Aviendha?" Rand asked humorously.

The naked Aielwoman was not amused. "I sensed you channeling the Force," she said, ignoring the joke. "Is there a problem?"

"No there isn't," Rand replied, picking the crystal up from his lap. "I was just following Master Din's instructions."

Aviendha raised her eyebrows. "What did he tell you to do?"

"He told to meditate on this crystal..." Rand showed the crystal to Aviendha, and his jaw dropped in surprise. The crystal, once colorless, glowed with a brilliant golden light. Ripples of Force energy radiated outward from its smooth, flawless surface. What had once been a dead, silent rock was now alive with the power of the Force pulsing through it. "...and then put this in my lightsaber once it was "ready." Can you feel the power contained with this tiny crystal?"

Aviendha nodded. "Yes. It is as though you hold a star in your hand."

"It must be ready for my lightsaber." Rand uncrossed his legs and stood up from the bed, walking over to his dresser, moving quietly to avoid disturbing Arin. Aviendha followed him into the room, sliding the door shut behind her. As Aviendha stood beside him, Rand set down the crystal, picked up his lightsaber, and began to slowly unwrap the leather from around the hilt. He then opened the lightsaber's power chamber and gently placed the glowing crystal inside. With the crystal in place, Rand closed the power chamber, then replaced the leather wrapping. Gripping the lightsaber as though it were a priceless treasure, Rand's right thumb found the ignition switch. "Hope for the best," he whispered and pushed the button.

A blade of superheated plasma shot up from the hilt. Rand flinched at the sudden noise made by the weapon, but Aviendha stood firm. The blade, about thirty-two inches in length, glowed with a radiant gold light, matching the power crystal's color. It was a majestic instrument that the Dragon Reborn now held in his heron-marked hands. Rand couldn't help being in awe of his own weapon. "You were right," he said as he turned to look at Aviendha. Her pale skin was illuminated by the lightsaber's gentle glow, giving her a haunting appearance, albeit a strangely attractive one. "It does feel like holding a star; perhaps even a sliver of the sun itself."

Meeting Rand's eyes with a soft smile, Aviendha wrapped her right arm around his own left. "It is a fitting weapon," she said approvingly, "for He Who Comes With the Dawn."


Out in the corridors, the mouse droid continued its flight, racing along the tiled floors and weaving around passerby. Zipping through an open sliding door leading into a security station, the wheeled machine halted at the feet of a Temple Security guard. The lone guard made a brief check of the surrounding room and corridor. Certain that no unwelcome eyes were watching, the guard picked up the droid and placed it on a nearby desk. After carefully removing the droid's outer casing on its back, the guard withdrew a hidden holodisc. Plugging the disc into the station's holoterminal caused the holoimage of Rand Al'Thor to appear over it.

The Temple Security guard put on a triumphant smile. "Found you."