As the Republic Cruiser, Radiant VIII, neared the fourth planet of the Hoth system, Riv-Lyn Veers walked into the cockpit of the ship and looked through the transparisteel cockpit port. The white orb grew larger and could be seen more clearly through the asteroid field that separated the fourth and fifth snowy worlds of the system of planets. Behind him he could sense a trouble spirited young girl walk up to his side and gaze at the view. Riv-Lyn did not even turn to Pah-Rei when he spoke, "Your emotions are clear, my young Padawan. What seems to be troubling you?"

She turned to the man and looked at him for a long moment, and then returned her gaze at Hoth IV. She sighed and threw herself into the seat behind the pilot, "I have had difficulty following your instructions for me."

Riv-Lyn turned the seat behind the co-pilot and gently set himself in it, "What instructions would that be?"

She swiveled the chair to face Riv-Lyn, "It is just that I had spent over a year perfecting that lightsaber I had built! It was composed of some of the finest alloys ever, and the blade emitter and crystal chamber were made of electrum! Electrum has been forbidden to all classes behind me and any other Jedi except for the senior members of the Jedi High Council! Now look at the hilt!"

Riv-Lyn examined the golden colored substance and used his telekinetic ability to smooth out the lump in the surface that the fusion welder had caused. He looked it over and handed it back to the girl, "A finally constructed lightsaber, my young Padawan. Now calm down. You must learn to focus yourself on pure thoughts. Always remember anger is the start of the short-lived journey to the Darkside."

She looked back to the planet, which now filled the entire view of the cockpit port, "Yes, Master. I will try to remember…"

"No, Padawan," Riv-Lyn interrupted her, "Do or do not. There is no such thing as try. Remember my advice or do not remember it. Do not try to remember it. Do I make myself clear on this?"

She looked back at his hazel eyes and nodded to him, "I will remember your advice. Fear leads to anger, that to hate, and that to a life time of pain and suffering." The way she said that last phrase was monotone and sounded as she had read it straight from a holobook.

Riv-Lyn put his hand on her knee and squeezed it gently, "Very good. Now tell me, what instructions have you had trouble following?"

She hissed the loathed word through clenched teeth, "Meditation." She turned to look out the port again as she spoke, "Master, I hate it…"

"Hate is not an emotion of a Jedi, young one," Riv-Lyn interrupted her for a second time. He looked outside of the port with her, "You must learn to control your emotions, Padawan. Meditation is a part of a Jedi's life that will help us control all of our emotions. Fear, anger, love, hate… these are emotions we are not to experience to their full extent. Our Code forbids it. Now do you see the purpose of meditation? It will keep you from taking the wrong path and it will strengthen your physical as well as mental abilities. And as I know, physical activity is one of your greater attributes."

She thought about his words in her head for a long moment. She finally nodded her head, "I see, Master. Meditation would give us a greater advantage while on this mission?"

Riv-Lyn nodded his head, "Remember it will also hone your mental stamina, not just your physical attributes. Your emotions need more of your time to work on, not your physical ones." He looked at the nearing planet and told Pah-Rei, "We will continue this conversation on a future date." He turned to the blue uniformed captain of the cruiser and instructed him, "Captain, contact Governor Rafael Khan of The Wampa-Clan Trade Camp. Tell him we will arrive there as scheduled."

The man nodded, "Yes, sir." He flipped a switch and the view screen above the viewport came to life. An obese man wrapped in Wampa skin with a heavy beard was seen with the serene background of an indoor campfire with a group of people huddled around it. The Republic captain spoke to Governor Khan, "Governor, the Republic Ambassadors are to arrive on schedule and will arrive in an hour."

The heavyset man shook his head, his large cheeks jiggled as he did so. The screen grew unclear with static. He spoke in a gruff voice that could hardly be heard over a sudden burst of static in the speaker system, "I am afraid ambassadors… impossible… for another… apologize for the…"

Pah-Rei watched intently as the man talked. The screen finally went dead and she turned to Riv-Lyn, "I can fix the ship's sensors to get through the interference. May I assist with clearing the static from the message?"

The man nodded, "Of course, my Apprentice."

Riv-Lyn escorted her into the communications room that was only a few paces away from the cockpit, which they had sat in. Pah-Rei licked her lips as she overlooked the intricate display controls. She nodded and said to herself, "I can do this." With lightning fast movements she fixed the problem and then the small monitor flickered to life and the message they had just received. Khan spoke, "I am afraid ambassadors that any landing near our camp will be impossible. A large storm has hit us, larger than anything I've seen as governor here. This storm won't be over for another week most likely. We hope that your diplomatic mission can be held off until then. If not, we apologize for the inconvenience. Khan out."

Pah-Rei watched as the screen went black and slouched down into the chair she sat in. After grumbling for a moment, she bit her lower lip as she often did when frustrated. She turned to Riv-Lyn, "Now what are we supposed to do? There is not another camp for another days flight!"

"We improvise, Pah-Rei," Riv-Lyn responded. He pulled on her brown robe gently, "Come, I have an idea."

The two went back to the cockpit and watched the terrain as they flew over it. Riv-Lyn nodded, "Captain, land on that ridge over that ice lake. Wait until we have confirmed our arrival at our designated location, then you may take off."

"Yes, sir."

"What shall we do, Master?" Pah-Rei asked. Riv-Lyn pointed to a herd of bipedal creatures that were huddled in the mouth of a cavern. They were gray to white in fur and had a large tail that sprouted from behind its hind legs. They had a brown horn that curved up on each cheek placed right below their ears. The two Jedi could clearly see the breath shoot from their nostrils.

Pah-Rei did not need an explanation. She cocked a thin black eyebrow, "You have got to be kidding me! Those things are not even tamed! How are we going to even attempt to ride those things?"

Riv-Lyn looked to her, "I will do it my way. You can figure it out as a test of your skill. Come follow me, we have a long journey ahead of us on the tundra of this forsaken planet."

She did not argue any further. The two retired to their shared quarters and pulled on a heavy blue parka that replaced their brown robes. After putting their rolled up robes into their backpack they pulled it onto their back, and covered it with a heavy hided saddle. After putting on yellow tinted goggles to protect their eyes from going blind from the glaring white snow, they wrapped scarves around their neck and headed for the exit to the ship.

Once the scarlet painted Republic Cruiser landed in the location instructed by Riv-Lyn, the two Jedi walked down the loading ramp and carefully made their way to the cavern using the gear that they got from their backpacks. Pah-Rei pulled up the heavy parka hood over her head and adjusted the goggles on her face to a comfortable fit. Riv-Lyn did the same, as they got closer to the wild beasts known as Tauntauns.

" Master," Pah-Rei whispered, "How are we to get on those things?" She could smell the intoxicating fumes of the beast and plugged her nose with her fingers, "Uhh, yuck! They smell like…there is no real thing to describe it. They smell awful!"

She began to gag and wrapped the scarf around her nose, mouth, and chin. Riv-Lyn threw a saddle onto one of them and he hopped onto it with ease but every time Pah-Rei approached one it turned and ran away. She looked to her master, "How did you do that?"

Riv-Lyn looked down at her, "Concentrate on your goal, Pah-Rei. With your ability of the mind, you can turn any weak-minded being to do your will. Do as I instruct."

She did as he told her to do. She closed her eyes and slowly took steps toward one of the beasts of burden and finally placed her finger tips gently on the creature's soft, yet cold nose. She snapped open her eyes and stared into the beast's big brown eyes as it stared into her cool gray eyes. She smiled, "Thank you, Master." She got onto its back after throwing the heavy saddle onto it, and guided it to Riv-Lyn. She began to complain again, "I have never ridden a bipedal creature before, Master. I am unsure of how to move it."

"You can handle it. Follow my lead. I am confident in your ability to do so." He took out his comlink and instructed over it, "You are clear for take off, Radiant VIII. We will notify you when it is safe to set down closer to the mountain for our pickup."

Pah-Rei and Riv-Lyn watched as it flew away and disappeared into the thick layer of clouds in the blue sky, leaving a visible trail of ion particles in the thin atmosphere. Riv-Lyn then put the comlink back in its proper place and turned to Pah-Rei, "We must get to the base before nightfall."

She nodded, kicked the Tauntaun in the ribs, and held on tight to the reigns as the creature took off. After it had nearly left her on the ground, she decided to grip the animal's neck and hold on for her life. The horrid aroma of the beast reached her nostrils and she wanted to vomit. Scrunching her face up and looking to the sky for fresh air, she noticed that the clouds were darkening and shouted to her master who was several yards away, "Master, there is a storm approaching fast!"

Riv-Lyn looked back to her, "More reason to get moving faster than, young one!"

They took off at a fast pace as the Tauntauns' long legs fell a whole two yards in front of the other. Hours had passed before the two Jedi got to the base of a cliff face that extended vertically into the clouds for several kilometers. Pah-Rei looked up at the horrific journey that lay ahead, but was not overcome by the temptation to add another complaint to the long mental list of them she had already given to her master. She dismounted the fine steed and patted its thigh gently and watched as it ran off into a small cave. Riv-Lyn leapt off his own beast of burden and let it follow Pah-Rei's Tauntaun.

Pah-Rei could not hold in her rage any longer, "How are we supposed to climb that? It must extend above the clouds!"

Riv-Lyn looked at the mountain for a moment and responded to her sternly, "Size matters not. The climb should take less than an hour. We can go up using our ascension guns."

Pah-Rei looked at her boots ashamed that she could not contain her anger, "I apologize, Master. I am sure I have been quite an irritant. I will try… I mean I will not let this happen again."

Riv-Lyn smiled through his scarf that was clinging thousands of snowflakes on its thick fabric, "I am sure you can do it, young Padawan." He reached into his pocket of his parka and produced a silver cylindrical device in the palm of his heavy gloved hand. He took careful aim at the cliff above and let a reinforced cable launch up at the rock face. Once he heard the satisfying thud of the grappling hook stick to bare rock, he pulled on it to make sure it was a taut line.

He looked to Pah-Rei and saw her do the same, "Use caution, Padawan. Black ice is sure to cover the majority of the surface. That storm is approaching quickly and the night will befall us soon."

"I will make quick work of the climb," she said and using her muscles began the long climb up the vertical rock face.

As the two ascended the mountain, the large storm was closing in on them. They were no more than a half-mile high when it did hit. It was as if all of the forces gravity of the galaxy was pulling at them from one side and a vacuum of space pulled at them from the other. Pah-Rei clenched her teeth together to distract herself from the headache she was getting from the stressful winds as Riv-Lyn stopped to reassess their situation in his painful head. They had over two miles to go yet and they could not start down now.

Riv-Lyn nodded to the girl and shouted as hardening ice-snow slammed on his face from all directions, "Concentrate, Padawan. Focus on your goal of reaching the top!"

Her face was bleeding from the sleet, but she managed a nod, "Of course, Master. This is just a day in the life for me!"

Riv-Lyn looked back up to the clouds above and looked back to Pah-Rei, "Use all of your powers. If we get caught in this storm in the middle of the night, we will have to turn back!"

Pah-Rei managed a smile and cocked an eyebrow, "Me turning back? By the time you get to the summit, Master, I will have already got the Flaming Rancors in custody! No disrespect to you, Master!"

Riv-Lyn knew she was trying to reassure herself over him. He did not break her confidence, so he reassured her with his words of comfort, "I would not doubt you in your abilities! Let us go now, the storm is growing worse by the minute!"

The two Jedi continued to ascend the vertical cliff face as the blizzard threatened to take them like toy rag dolls and toss them to the icy surface below. If it were not for their connections with the Force, they would have been killed on the journey.

Hours passed. Pah-Rei Wenpa's arms burned from using them to hold her self up on the rope. Riv-Lyn Veers looked to see how she was doing. He could see she was weakening. They had braved the large storm, but sacrificed an entire two-hour of their valuable time. They had almost a full hour yet before night fell upon them however. Pah-Rei gritted her teeth together and concentrated on the rope she held.

Riv-Lyn soon saw a outcropping in the rock that would certainly hide a cave from an aerial view, but from where he was it was hard not to notice. Using his gloved hand, he pulled her up by the small of her back and onto his rope. He shouted to her over the howling of the wind, "There is a cave only meters away! I do not want you to freeze as you try to get to it! Hold onto me, I will get us there soon enough!"

Pah-Rei could feel the burning tears fill her eyes at yet another of her failures in front of her master. This was her most disappointing because she excelled in physical activity above all else. She wrapped her arms around Riv-Lyn and watched as they ascended higher and higher and until they were at the mouth of the cave. Pah-Rei could feel a severe heat burst from the mouth as she crawled in with the remaining amount of strength she had left in her.

She lay on the dirt that filled the cavern ground with her limbs spread out while gasping for air. Riv-Lyn followed her shortly after, rolled her over onto her back, and undid the fasteners that bound her parka shut. He removed it for the girl who could not even lift her arms to do it for herself. Riv-Lyn looked into her cool gray eyes and wiped the bloody sweat from her forehead and smiled, "Now do you see the importance of meditation, Padawan?"

She tried to nod, but resorted to answering with a simple, one word statement, "Yes."

He patted her on her shoulder and gave it a gentle squeeze, "Than perhaps before we make our next move, we use the time to meditate."

"What?" she exclaimed. She took another deep breath, "Master, we have sacrificed enough time as it is!" She tried to get up, but it was futile. Riv-Lyn repeated his question and this time she managed a slight nod.

He smiled, "Good." He turned to leave her, but she scrunched up her face in pain and called for Riv-Lyn, "Master, I can not sit up."

He took a hold of her back and stomach and put her up against the rock wall and said, "Stay here until I am finished, Padawan." She nodded and then closed her eyes and instantly fell in a trance and slowly, but surely, regained her Force powers. Riv-Lyn undid his parka and fell into the same trance; only his was deeper and more focused on his mental abilities.