CHAPTER 1:

Ella Morning stepped out of her spacecraft and onto the platform. She removed her helmet and turned to see two men approaching, one about twenty years older than the other. Smiling, she finished shutting down the craft and turned to greet them.

"Qui-Gon!" She exclaimed as she embraced the elder Jedi. "My goodness, I haven't seen you in ages!" She looked up into her old friend's face as she stepped back, taking in the new lines and grey hairs that had appeared since they had last seen one another. He smiled back at her, his blue eyes crinkling in exactly the way she remembered.

"It's been eight years, my friend, but you look well." He said, warmly squeezing her shoulders. "So, I hear you've finally become a Jedi Knight."

Ella nodded. "Yes, Kesta felt that I was ready three years ago."

"One of the youngest ever, correct?"

"Yes, at twenty years of age I was the second youngest to become a Knight. I guess the Council felt that I am old beyond my years."

Jinn chuckled. "I could have told you that years ago, my friend. Come, we have much to talk about." He stepped aside so Ella could lead the way into the Jedi Temple.

"Master, aren't you going to introduce me?" The young man asked Jinn quietly.

"All in good time, Padawan." Jinn answered, following his old friend into the building.

They followed Ella silently through the hallways, watching as she greeted old friends and reconnected herself with the sights and sounds of the Temple. Jinn watched his old friend with the eyes of an elder brother. The last time he had seen this young woman, she had been fifteen and as fiery as the moons of Tatooine, always at odds with her Master, Kesta Ruto, one of Jinn's close friends. He had gone on assignments with them quite a bit, and had many discussions with Kesta about her Padawan and her fear that Ella would never be ready for the Trials. She was smart and a quick learner, but her temper was great and her fuse was short. Apparently much had changed in the next five years, for Kesta had recommended Ella to the Council and she passed with flying colors. Jinn had heard many stories about the young woman over the next few years. Her mind was sharp, and she was among the best swordsmen the Jedi had. She had never failed an assignment and Jinn had heard rumors of her attaining the title of Master by the time she was thirty. But he could already see that she had changed from the fifteen year old with a temper into a young and calm Jedi Knight who served the Order to the best of her ability. When he had last seen her, Ella had preferred dark, form fitting clothing and her sandy brown hair had been cut short and was always straight, accentuating the sharp angles of her face. She had grown her hair out since then, allowing it to flow down her back in waves and wore the traditional robes of the Jedi Order, but her green eyes still showed the fire in her soul. It would always be there, but apparently she had figured out how to control it. The men followed the tall woman into the dining area of the Temple, where they all got food and sat at the end of a long table.

"I missed Temple food." Ella said after she took a few bites. "The food on Tiboro was awful. Bitter tasting plants and sour liquid. I was glad when the negotiations were over."

"What were you sent out there for?" Obi-Wan asked eagerly. The woman had become a Jedi Knight when she was his age and he was curious about her. Was she really so much more advanced then he? Jinn gave his Padawan a stern look for speaking out of turn, then glanced back to Ella.

"This is my Padawan, Obi-Wan Kenobi."

"Nice to meet you, Obi-Wan." Ella smiled at him and his heart skipped a beat, without him knowing why. Jinn felt this and turned to regard his Padawan. Interesting. "The Tiboron were at arms with the inhabitants of their moon, the Riits. The Riits wanted to become a separate entity, but the Tiboron weren't letting them, as Riit is the only place where Orbium metal is found. Considering Orbium is used to make Tiboron spacecrafts, it started a war. I negotiated a treaty where they could compromise. Riit and Tiboro are completely separate, but Orbium is traded in exchange for spacecraft. Everyone wins, and Ella gets to eat real food again." She took another few bites, chewing slowly. "What have you two been up to?"

"Nothing quite as interesting as a war." Jinn answered. "We've actually been here the past few months, so that Obi-Wan can catch up on his studies."

"It would be nice to have a break." Ella admitted. "Unfortunately, the Council has other plans for me. That's why I'm here. I am meeting with them first thing tomorrow morning. It seems to be important."

"Odd." Jinn said. "We have a meeting with the Council first thing tomorrow morning as well."

Ella looked up at him. "Well, it looks like we might be going on this assignment together."

"Indeed. Will your Padawan also be joining us?"

She chuckled. "I don't have a Padawan, Qui-Gon. I'm not ready for the responsibility."

Jinn smiled at her. "Kesta did well with you."

Ella's face fell a bit at the mention of her old Master, but she smiled back. "I wish you could tell her that."

"Me too. But she's at peace now. In the end, that's all any of us can ask for."

Ella nodded her agreement and quickly scarfed down the rest of the food on her plate. "Well, my friends, it has been great meeting and catching up with you, but now I am afraid I must retire for the night. The journey from Tiboro was long and I am quite tired."

As she stood, Jinn and Kenobi jumped to their feet. She grabbed her plate and utensils, bringing

them to the washing area, then turned to regard her friends. "Good night, gentlemen. I will see you in the morning." The Jedi murmured their goodbyes and Ella smiled. It was good to reconnect with old friends. She made her way towards the sleeping quad and was greeted by a service droid.

"Hello, I am C-4RK. May I have your name, please?" It asked in it's synthesized voice.

"Ella Morning."

"Right, Jedi Morning, this way please." The droid led her up three levels and down a labyrinth of hallways, until it reached a plain set of steel doors on the right. "Here we are. Your luggage has already been brought up."

"Thank you."

"No need to thank me. I am only doing my job. The door is already programmed to your fingerprints. If you need anything else, just send a ping. Someone will be along shortly."

With that, the droid turned and walked back the way it came. Ella watched it for a moment, then turned and placed her thumb on the scan pad beside the doors. The pad toodled and the doors slid apart. She stepped through them and glanced around the room. It was large, much larger than the Padawan quarters she was used to staying in. The entrance led into a large sitting room with a holoprojector and plush couches taking up most of the room. A kitchenette was tucked away in one corner along with a mini bar. Floor to ceiling windows spanned the entire room, giving Ella an unparalleled view of the city of Coruscant, hovercraft speeding through the skylanes as beings went about their business. In the back of the room was a hallway and it was along this that Ella walked, checking out the refresher and finally making it to the bedroom. A full sized bed took up most of the space, with beautiful dark nightstands on either side. A matching dresser stood in the corner of the room along with a full length mirror and a battered brown bag. Ella grabbed the bag and dumped its contents on the bed. Out came a tightly bound bedroll, random leather straps, and extra clothes. Bits of food also came tumbling out, along with a Babor-toothed comb, a folded bit of paper, and a necklace. It was the necklace that caught Ella's eye and she lifted it by its delicate gold chain. The pendant was beautiful, a polished green stone that had a ring of gold in the center. It glowed softly in the dim light. She set it back on the bed and picked up the piece of paper, reading the writing on the top flap. For Ella, it read. She unfolded it and read the words she had memorized.

My dearest Padawan, enclosed is a small present for you. I picked it up on Dantooine and thought of you. It is a fire emerald and it matches your eyes perfectly. I hope you are doing well on your first assignment and I look forward to hearing about when we meet. Until then, your Master, Kesta.

Ella read it a few more times, then carefully folded it back up and placed it gently back in her bag along with the necklace. Kesta had never gotten to hear about her first assignment. The fire emerald was the only token Ella had ever received from her old Master and she took that and the note with her everywhere. She sighed and stood, removing her robe as she did so. Naked now, she stood in front of the mirror and looked at herself. She had a small chest and toned abdomen. Her arms were nicely muscled and her legs were strong. Her body was hairless except for what was on her head and a small patch of curls between her legs. She would have been perfect save for the thick scars roping around her torso like snakes, running this way and that. Souvenirs of the time her and her Master had been captured and tortured at the hands of a Dark Jedi over ten years ago. Qui-Gon Jinn had been their rescuer then, but her mind would never forget the torment she endured. It was the anger from the incident that Qui-Gon had sensed when she was fifteen and it was the anger from this incident that she had learned to control and subdue. But since the death of her Master, it had started to grow again, poisoning her body and mind. She had been trying to fight it for some time, but it grew stronger every day. Nothing helped. Meditating, talking, exercising. Nothing. She knew she should talk to the Council about it, but she was frightened that she would be expelled from the Order if she couldn't control it. And it was this fear that kept her mouth shut.

Sighing, she grabbed her bedroll and spread it out on the floor next to the bed. She laid down on it, still naked, and stared out the window, letting her mind wander until she fell asleep.