(The events of this story take place before the events of Chapter 1: Burning Cold)

Aboard the Defender-Class Starship of Nedeser Thul, Barsen'thor and Jedi Master

Nadia Grell lay curled on the bed in her quarters, weeping inconsolably. He was gone. Tobas Grell – her father – had just died at the hands of a Sith Lord simply called Stark. She hadn't been able to save her father; neither had the Jedi Master Nedeser Thul, as powerful as he was. They had been too late. A knock sounded outside her door. "Miss Grell? Are you okay?"

What a stupid question. She pulled herself up and dabbed at her eyes uselessly with the hem of her cloak and said, "Who is it?" "It's Doctor Cedrax and Holiday. The ship is starting to shake a little. Is there anything we can do?" Nadia tried to take deep breaths and control her wild emotions but the ship still shook. "No. Thank you Doctor Cedrax. I'm trying to control it but it's just so hard."

There was silence outside and she heard a low murmur of voices. Suddenly, the sentient hologram Holiday popped up. "You poor dear." She said, sitting down next to Nadia. "I wish I could hug you and make you feel better."

Nadia sobbed brokenly as she lay back down. She only continued to degenerate into fits grief until the ship around her rattled like a can of stones. Suddenly, Holiday was gone and more frantic voices came from outside. After several moments – or was it hours – the door opened and Master Thul rushed in. He was extraordinarily young for a Jedi Master, between his mid to late twenties. In a calm, sympathetic voice, he said, "Nadia, I need you to look at me. Look deep into my eyes."

Nadia sat up and tried to take a few more breaths as she obeyed. The extraordinary blue eyes of Master Nedeser Thul filled her vision and she felt as if they were being enclosed in a cocoon of force energy. The ship ceased shaking but Nadia did not. "What am I supposed to do, Master Jedi? My father is dead and I didn't get justice for his death. My people will turn on our family and the Rift Alliance will break. Why couldn't I save him?"

Master Thul took her hands and said, "There was nothing you could do, Nadia. You need to grieve right now. You need to let it out. Scream, punch – whatever you need to do, but you need to regain control." Scream she did. She slammed her fists against the muscles of his chest and she shouted through her tears, "Why couldn't I save him? Why couldn't you? You're a Jedi Master! Why did he have to die?"

Finally, after several minutes of this, she simply collapsed, sobbing into his arms. Master Thul was hesitant and uncomfortable for a moment but then he wrapped his thickly muscled arms around her and rubbed her back comfortingly, resting his chin on top of her head. Before long, exhausted by grief, she fell asleep. Master Thul laid her down with a sigh. After watching for a few moments to be sure that she was deeply asleep, the tall man took his leave.

Nadia woke up several hours later and immediately began to weep again. This time, it was softly and far more under control. After several minutes, she had wept herself dry and she stood. Taking a deep breath, she looked at herself in the mirror. The white and blue paint on her face had smudged badly do to her weeping. Sitting down next to the mirror, she took a box filled with the dyes and pigments that she used to refresh the traditional Sarkhai marks on her face. The marks were an ancient tradition used in bygone years to frighten predators that prowled the jungles of her home world. As she worked on her face, she allowed her mind to think back several months – back to when she first met the kind, gentle, handsome Jedi Master and Barsen'thor of the Jedi Order, Nedeser Thul. There first conversation was via holo-communicator while she had been crammed into an air vent while Sith and Imperial soldiers had swarmed the ship that the Rift Alliance had met on. She pleaded with Master Thul to come and save them and save them he did. Before he had arrived, however, the man in charge of the Imperial's, a Sith named Lord Kyrus, had struck her father and began to beat him. Unable to simply remain hidden, she had leaped out, grabbed a blaster and threatened the Sith Lord. Kyrus only laughed and taunted her until the Barsen'thor arrived and defeated him with relative ease. Ever since then, through missions to Balmorra, Quesh, Hoth and now Belsavis, she had come to admire and even like the Jedi Master. Whenever things were discussed between the members of the Rift Alliance and she had made suggestions, Master Thul had listened. The other delegates often ignored or even criticized her ideas but not the Jedi Master, often encouraging and praising them. Now he had become her comfort in this hard time. To her surprise, as she applied the finishing touches to the paint on her face, she smiled a little. When finished with the dyes, she began to brush her short white hair, making herself presentable as best as she could. As she did, she kept thinking about the Jedi master. He was tall, no less than two meters in height, and was probably close to one hundred and ten kilograms of solid muscle. His face was chiseled and handsome with a scar across his nose and deep, almost startling blue eyes. Looking in the mirror one more time, Nadia decided to change clothes as well. She changed from the gray and white robes she had been wearing to a similar set that was blue and green instead. As she finished, a knock sounded at the door. "Who is it?" she asked.

"It's Felix Iresso, Miss Grell. Master Thul requested your presence in the communications room." Nadia went to the door and said, "Thank you, Lieutenant. I'll go now."

In the comms room were the members of the Rift Alliance and Master Thul, his hands clasped behind his back. On the holocom was Jedi Grand Master Satele Shan, a rather diminutive woman, her size belying her unquestionable power with the force. "You have our deepest sympathies, Nadia."

Blinking back a tear, Nadia said, "Thank you, Master." "Your father's will contained a sectioned that concerned both you and Barsen'thor Thul. One moment, please."

A life sized hologram of her father popped up, mentioning something about the Xenozoological Institute. "But finally, my most important concern. My dear Nadia. She is so gifted. But these "Children of the Emperor" are both gifted and trained. Therefore, I ask Nadia be accepted for a padawan's training and taught by the Barsen'thor of the Jedi Order."

The hologram winked out, leaving Nadia rather stunned. Master Satele reappeared and said, "The council has discussed this and approve it. Master Thul, will you take Nadia to be your padawan?"

Master Thul nodded but said, "The decision isn't mine alone. Nadia?"

She nodded. "Yes. This is what father wanted. I would be honored to become your student."

Master Satele smiled slightly, "A padawan should make an oath to honor the Jedi code and her Master."

"Oh…" said Nadia, feeling slightly put on the spot, "Then I promise to honor the Jedi Code and to respect my master and his teachings."

Master Thul smiled and said, "I promise to teach you the ways of the force, protect you from evil and remember that training is forever."

Nadia beamed proudly, a line of tears trickling down her cheeks. "This is everything father would have wanted. He would be so happy."

Later, Nadia was attempting to meditate in her quarters but all she could think about was her father. Her emotions were firmly in check but it still hurt. A tap sounded outside the open door. Her new master stood outside. "How are you?" he asked gently. She sighed and slumped slightly, "I'm doing better. It's just – everything is so hard. I keep thinking father is going to walk in and say, 'Cheer up, Nadia. The sun shines on a smile.' – just like I was a child. I hated it. Now I just want to hear it again."

Master Thul seemed slightly uncertain and asked, "Would it help if I said it?"

This brought a smile to Nadia's lips. "You're sweet but no. Thank you. I just want to stop hurting. I want to be like you. You're always so composed."

Nedeser smiled as he walked into the quarters, his hands firmly behind his back. "I just think of anger or sadness as a tiny, gray pebble. And anyone can cope with a little pebble."

This brought a bit of a chuckle from Nadia and she said, "Hmmm. I'll give it a try. As your padawan, maybe I'll understand everything better."

Master Thul nodded and said, "With time and dedication, you will, I'm sure. Now come, let's go. I have something for you that I think you will enjoy." Nadia was curious as she followed Nedeser out of her quarters.

"What are we doing, Master?" Master Thul smiled and said, "It's more what you are doing. Come on."

They made their way down to the workshop where Tharan Cedrix was messing with several different parts and cursing under his breath. Nedeser frowned and said, "Tharan, what are you doing?"

The scientist said, "I am trying to construct a lightsaber but every time I think I'm finished, Holiday runs a pre-ignition diagnostic on it and says that there will be a catastrophic failure if I power it up. The crystals simply won't align right now matter how precise I try to be."

Shaking his head and chuckling, Master Thul said, "That, my dear doctor, is because it requires the balance of the force to construct a weapon such as this. I need all the extra parts and crystals that are stored in here. My padawan is going to construct her first lightsaber."

Nadia's mouth fell open and she said, "I get to build a lightsaber? Really?"

"Of course." Answered Master Thul. "Every Jedi needs a lightsaber. Theran, I'm sorry but I need to kick you out of this work station. This is a sacred Jedi tradition."

The Doctor nodded slightly gloomily and left. Nadia was looking at all the different color crystals. "Which one should I pick?"

Thul shrugged and said, "Let the force guide you. I will be over here meditating. This is something that you and only you can do."

Nedeser sat in the corner, closed his eyes and left Nadia to her work. At first she was nervous but as she opened herself to the force, she felt things begin to simply fall into place. She selected four crystals, two green ones and two white ones. She then took parts from the storage locker and laid out the ones that felt right. After she was confident she had all she needed, she turned to Master Thul, wishing to ask him how to proceed, only to see that he was standing over her shoulder. "Very nice." He said approvingly. "Now I will tell you how each of the internal parts and mechanisms work…"

It took the day and the better part of the night to finish the weapon. In the end it was a double bladed lightsaber, similar to the one that Master Thul used, though the handle was smaller and slimmer, better suited to Nadia's petite hands. She looked at the finished product. It was incased in white metal with etched Sarkhai designs and all the pieces seemed to have fit together perfectly. "How do I know it's ready?" she asked.

Master Thul said, "Reach out with the force. Feel the power cell and allow energy to flow into it. If you feel as though something is out of place, stop and I will examine it."

Taking a deep breath, Nadia closed her eyes, picked up the weapon and reached out with the force, keeping her explosive power rigidly in check. The energy flowed into the weapon and she could feel that it was perfectly tuned and aligned. Lead by the force, she ignited the weapon and opened her eyes. The blade was a brilliant emerald color. Pressing the other switch, another emerald blade extended from the other end. Nadia smiled excitedly. Master Thul beamed with pride. "Now to the comms room. I am going to begin teaching you the sequences of lightsaber combat."

Nadia nearly shrieked with delight, extinguishing the blades and hugging her master before realizing what she was doing and stepping back saying, "Thank you, Master." He smiled and said, "My pleasure. Come on - times a-wasting."

It was almost dawn on the side of Belsavis that the ship was in orbit on and Nadia was exhausted. She stripped off her outer clothing and collapsed onto her bed with a sigh. Setting her new lightsaber on the stand beside her bed, she pulled the blankets over herself. For hours, Master Thul had made her memorize the velocities of Shii-Cho, the first form of lightsaber combat. At first, he made her start with just the single blade but then, after he was sure she would remember them, he showed her the variation used with the second blade ignited. Even though the weapon was only as heavy as the hilt was, the amount of cardio vascular strain and the constant movement had greatly tired her. Deciding that tomorrow would be spent working on lightsaber combat, Nadia slowly fell asleep.

The next morning, Nadia dressed in more athletic clothing – a stretchy, skin tight shirt with netting in several areas to allow for air to cool her and a pair of leggings to match. Tying her hair back, she went into the comms room only to find that a group session of hand to hand combat training had begun between Master Thul, Zenith and Lieutenant Felix Iresso. The two humans wore athletic clothing but Zenith, a twi'lek, was bare chested. Felix and Zenith were fairly evenly matched but they were totally outmatched by the Barsen'thor. Master Thul was fast, even without the aid of the force, and his size gave him both a height and strength advantage. As she watched he hipped tossed Zenith without any effort at all. The twi'lek hit the ground with an umph. "No more for me, thanks. I'm done." He said, stretching his bruised muscles.

Felix agreed with a shake of his head. "Master Jedi, I'm glad you're a friend and not an enemy. "

They both passed Nadia, greeting her cheerfully as they passed. Master Thul smiled and jokingly chided, "You missed martial arts practice. It was quite the lesson."

Nadia smiled and unclipped her lightsaber. "Well I was hoping for a private lesson with you. Groups were never really my thing."

Master Thul sat down on a thick mat against the wall and said, "Do you want me to observe or should I turn and face the wall?"

Hoping that her blush didn't show through her white and blue paint, Nadia brushed her white hair back and said, "You can watch if you want. Who knows? Maybe you'll enjoy being the spectator and not the participant this time."

It was kind of a clumsy attempt at flirting and Nadia could hardly believe she had even attempted it but it caused Master Thul to cock a dark eyebrow. "Maybe you're right." He said and leaned back contentedly.

Nadia calmed her nerves with several deep breathes and began the motions with the single blade, going through each velocity twenty times before moving on to go through all of them with the second blade ignited. When she finished, Master Thul stood and ignited the silver blades of his own weapons. "In slow motion, I am going to simulate an attack. Your job is to anticipate it and respond to it. Again, this will be in slow motion. Ready?"

Nadia nodded. They repeated the exercise dozens of times until Nadia's stomach growled with hunger and Master Thul lifted a hand. "You have made a remarkable start, Nadia. You will become a formidable Jedi Knight someday." The praise filled Nadia with pride and joy. She bowed and said, "Thank you master."

"Just remember – to truly master a combination or sequence, you must go through it ten thousand times correctly."

Nadia nodded, considering that she had gone through each sequence fifty times already in only two days. She was heading towards the galley when Master Thul gave a call from the comms room. Inside, the royal family of Sarkhai were up on the holo-projector. As she entered, the King said, "Ah, young Nadia Grell. We offer our greatest condolences on your father's death. He was a great man and honored his people with his service."

Nadia bowed and said, "Your majesty is most gracious. How may I serve you?"

With a kindly smile, the king said, "We would be pleased if you would take his place as our representative in the senate. Under his tutelage, coupled with the teachings of the Jedi master, we are most confident in you and your skills."

Nadia was shocked at first but her face broke into a smile and she bowed again. "I am so honored, your majesty. I will represent our world with pride." The king nodded and said, "I know you will do well. Master Jedi, will you leave us for a few minutes? We need to discuss some things with young Representative Grell in private."

Master Thul bowed and said, "Of course, your majesties. Nadia, I will be heading planet side within the hour with the Lieutenant. Keep working on your velocities."

Several hours later, Nadia was heading towards the galley, still in her athletic outfit, Nadia made herself a plate of fruits and a couple of roles made out of an unfamiliar cereal product that she had found she liked. An appreciative "Mm-mmm" came from behind her. Doctor Cedrax stood there, eating something out of a bowl. Nadia could smell the left-over soup, the remains of what she had made the other day for her dinner and smiled. "Do you like it, Doctor Cedrax?"

Doctor Cedrax wasn't even looking at the bowl when he said, "Oh the soup is quite delicious but my exclamation was not for it at all."

Nadia was confused, looking around at what he may have been paying attention too before looking down at herself. The dark gray, skin tight athletic clothing hugged her gently curved hips and flat stomach as well as every other part of her figure. She suddenly realized what he was talking about. Blushing and giggling, Nadia turned away from the Doctor and sat at the table. Doctor Cedrax joined her and said, "Are you feeling any better?"

It was a serious, heart-felt question. Nadia looked into her friend's face. He was handsome, with a fine mustache and goatee that joined at the corners of his mouth. His eyes were serious, which was rare. Normally, they held a bright light that bespoke eagerness, curiosity and a little disdain for those who were not his "intellectual equals".

Nadia reached across and took his hand, smiling gratefully and said, "I'm doing much better, thank you. You really are a good friend, Doctor Cedrax."

He smiled gently and squeezed her hand back. "I do try to be. I was wondering if – you know, if you ever have any extra time – if you want to take an astronomy lesson. The stars really are quite remarkable."

Nadia chewed slowly, trying to find a way to let him down easy but suddenly, Holiday popped up. "Hello, Sweety. You look like you're feeling a lot better. Tharan, honey, I was keeping an eye on some of your equipment and I think there is some you should see."

Tharan smiled down at Nadia as he stood and walked out. Nadia waved goodbye. After finishing her meal, she took a shower and grabbed her datapad. Walking to the very small lounge just outside the comms room, she keyed in the text she wanted. It was called 'Meditations on a Padawan's Journey' by Master Alaqua. It was a great read and helped her clarify her role as an padawan. She sat there for several hours and read before she could hardly keep her eyes open. At that point, she stood, stretched and went to grab something to eat and drink before finding Master Thul to ask him questions about what she had read but then remembering that he was planet side.

The following months were interesting. Master Thul was constantly going from the orbital station to the planet surface, sometimes gone for weeks at a time. On the days that he did not have either Nadia or Doctor Cedrax accompany him, the good doctor came again and again to invited her to learn astronomy. She told him that, while it sounded very enlightening, she had to focus on her Jedi studies. He said that he understood but then stayed and discussed his fascination with the Jedi code and its ideology. It wasn't until Master Thul strode in after a rather long mission and chided the good doctor that he left. "Tharan, how is my student supposed to study if you are distracting her. Shew. Nadia can come and find you when she wants to take a break or she finishes her text."

Tharan left and Nadia smiled. "Thank you master. That was the fourth time that he offered to give me lessons. He said that he built his own telescope and everything." Master Thul nodded. "I've seen it. It's quite an impressive piece of equipment. You seem quite taken with our good doctor."

Nadia shook her head, her white hair swishing as she objected. "Doctor Cedrax? No! I mean, I like him – like talking to him. He's just so curious about everything and talking to him is like talking to my father." She paused, considering only for a moment before saying, "He's nothing like you. He really doesn't even come close."

She watched as Master Thul blushed ever so slightly and looked down. Nadia was happy to see she could affect him. In a quiet voice, she asked, "It is okay that I'm friends with Doctor Cedrax, isn't it." Master Thul smiled and replied, "Of course. You can be friends with whomever you choose." Nadia nodded and said, "I know. I just wanted to ask because… well…" and she looked down shyly as she said, "You're more to me than just a master. You know that right?"

Master Thul looked very touched and after a while, he said, "You are more than a padawan to me, Nadia." Nadia smiled and said, "I kinda thought so." They spent the rest their time together in companionable silence. Suddenly, the holocom chimed in the other room. Thul stood and departed, leaving Nadia alone again.

The mission on the prison world of Belsavis was eventually a success and the Rift Alliance gained a new ally in the form of the poetic Esh-Kha. When Master Thul returned, Nadia met him at the boarding ramp. Something very exciting had happened. "You're not going to believe it, Master. Let me start from the beginning. While you were gone, the Royal Family contacted me. Apparently, a guild wanted to tear down the Annex of Kaspen to build a space port. Everyone involved wanted to know what I thought of the issue. After a good deal of meditating and some logical reasoning, I recommended that they tear it down and build the spaceport – and they listened!"

Master Thul smiled and hugged her proudly. "Well done, Nadia. I had every confidence that you would excel." Nadia beamed at him gratefully but suddenly sobered and sighed. "I finally feel like a diplomat but the truth is, I don't really feel like a Jedi yet."

Master Thul nodded in understand. "You are gifted, Nadia. But Jedi training is a lifetimes pursuit." Nadia shook her head. "But it's not about where I'm going. It's about where I've come from. I want to go to Tython. I want to walk where you walked, see the temple and follow where the ancient Jedi went." Master Thul looked skeptical and Nadia surged forward, "I won't be gone long, just long enough to explore. I already got maps from the ships computers. I could leave now via shuttle from the station."

Master Thul scratched his chin, which had a thin layer of stubble on it. Finally, he said, "If you go with a clear purpose, you may get more out of your time there. There is a settlement of twi'leks there called Kalikori village. They are poor and usually barely scrape by. Anything you can do to help will be greatly appreciated and effective."

Nadia's face lit up and she bounced up and down with barely controlled excitement. "Oh you're the best! I mean, thank you for your great kindness, Master. I'll be back soon."

Nadia left the ship, her lightsaber on her belt and a bag of clothing across her shoulders and her datapad in her arms. She looked back at her master's Defender-class starship. Even though she was so excited about visiting Tython, her heart was heavy at leaving. It was only after she was on the shuttle that she realized that her feelings about Master Thul were utterly confused. She had thought of him as a friend, a master, an older brother and had flirted with him clumsily but she never realized how she truly felt about him. As the station disappeared in star-lines, Nadia Grell realized that she was falling in love with Barsen'thor Nedeser Thul.

Updated May 23, 2016