Chapter 2 up. I'm still feeling this story out. Let me know what you think.

Zanthia POV

I slept like a rock that night. I didn't even hear the three other padawans who shared my chambers come in at the end of the day. This wasn't unusual, since we were all accustomed to being on different schedules, with different masters and different trials. Most of us could sleep through anything after a long day.

Of the four of us, I had spent the most time off world, since I was farther along in my trials. If I had been awake, my friends would have pressed me for details on my latest mission. Needless to say, I was thankful to have been dead to the world when they arrived. As much as I liked my fellow padawans, I really wasn't' much of a storyteller and most of my missions were fairly tame.

The next morning I wasn't surprised to find I was the last one to get up. Mercifully, Master Kiwiiks had let me sleep in, but it seemed my fellow padawans had not been so lucky. I managed a quick shower before grabbing a bite to eat at the mess hall and heading out to the training yard. It was still early morning, so someone was bound to be sparring.

I got outside just in time to see the start of a sparring match between my friend and roommate, Grella, and a new padawan who must had arrived while I was off world, since I did not recognize him. He was a Cathar with brilliant white fur and almost unnaturally blue eyes. I definitely would have remembered him if I had seen him before.

I sat at the edge of the field and watched as the two padawans began to fight. Each had a training blade, since neither were advanced enough to build their lightsabers, and it was customary for students to use training blades to spare. Lightsabers were far too dangerous in the hands of a novice.

I had created my lightsaber almost a year ago, right before I started to go on solo missions off world. Master Kiwiiks would not allow me off world alone until I was ready to assemble the blade and had learned how to use it effectively. She told me I needed more protection when I was out in the universe than a training saber could provide. I had yet to use my weapon for anything other than cutting a large piece of metal blocking a travel route on Taris, but I did feel better knowing I had it, if I needed it.

As I watched the match, I could tell that Grella was going easy on the less experienced student. She was, by far, one of the most talented duelist among the padawans and masters often asked her to work with younger students. She would be even better, once she starting learning to use an actual lightsaber. Unfortunately, her strength in the Force wasn't nearly as good as her fighting skills. It would be months before she gained enough control to successfully make her weapon.

I was the exact opposite of my friend. My touch with the force was extremely strong, regardless of the assumption that Chiss were not known for being Force users. My lightsaber work, on the other hand, could be described as sufficient, at best. I was improving with practice, but I would probably never reach Grella's naturally talented level.

After a few more minutes of toying with her prey, Grella got in what would have been a killing blow. They bowed to each other and the match was over.

"You keep practicing." I she said as she returned her weapon to a rack and approached me, smiling contently. "What ya think? I'm good, aren't I?"

I nodded. Grella had never been shy. It was one of the things that made us get along so well. Her outspokenness complimented my usually mellow attitude almost perfectly. We helped each other adapt to being different. My friend was a red skinned Twi'lek. I had been told by Master Satele that dark red skin in Twi'leks was a rare mutation. Granted, Grella wasn't as different as I was, with my vibrate, dark blue skin and glowing red eyes, but she was different enough for us to form a lasting bond.

"Indeed." I replied as she sat beside me. "If only your control were as good as your dueling."

Grella rolled her eyes. "You sound like my master."

"Your master is a smart man." I said, leaning back on my elbows and stretching my legs out in front of me. It was a sunny day and I was enjoying being out in it. It was rare for any of us to get a chance to relax.

Grella didn't comment, simply mimicked my position next to me. You could barely tell she had been doing physical activity. She wasn't even out of breath. The padawan she had fought must have been really new for her to have been going that easy on him.

"What do you think of the Padawan Praxial?" She asked. Her gaze was firmly fixed on the Cathar she had been sparring, who was now speaking with Master Orgus.

"What do you mean by, what do I think of him? If you mean, what do I think of his dueling skills, I think he has a lot to learn. Though it is hard to tell, since next to you, most padawans have a lot to learn."

Grella chuckled. "No, silly. I mean what do you think of him? Stunningly eye catching, isn't he? I wouldn't normally go for the full body fur look, but it totally works on him."

I balanced on one elbow and slapped Grella on the arm with the free hand. "We are in training to be Jedi. We aren't allowed to have those kind of relationships, you know that as well as I do."

"True, but that doesn't mean we can't look and fantasize about those kinds of relationships, particularly when we have someone like that to look at."

"It's okay to think of such things, as long as it doesn't interfere with your focus in the now. Regardless, it is a dangerous path I would encourage you not to take at this point in your training." Came a voice from behind us. Grella turned, but I didn't need to. I knew Master Kiwiiks would find me eventually. She never had any trouble finding me.

Grella had been startled by my master's appearance. Further proof that she was not very far along with her control of the Force. I had sensed my master's presence long before she spoke, without too much conscious effort. I was beginning to get good at sensing the lifeforms around me. That was my natural talent. It was getting almost impossible to sneak up on me.

"Of course, master." Grella backpedaled. "I would never act on my fantasies. I know attachments of that kind are not allowed."

"It's alright, young one. You are training to be a Jedi, but you are still a lifeform. It is a natural biological imperative to have such emotions. Part of your training is to learn how to control your emotions, so you can move beyond them for the greater good." Master Kiwiiks said, in her usual teaching tone, the tone which said you are not in trouble, but you should learn from my words.

Gella nodded. "I'll remember that, master."

Master Kiwiiks smiled at Grella, then turned her attention to me. "Walk with me, Zanthia."

I got up from my lounging, brushing stray grass from my robes. I waved goodbye to Grella, who had already returned her gaze to the training field, and followed my master back towards the temple.

"How are you feeling?" She asked me. "You were very unfocused the last time we spoke."

"Much better, master. Rested and ready to go."

"Good to hear." Master Kiwiiks said, then remained silent until we entered her meditation chamber. Once inside, she dialed up a holo projection of a planet on the table and looked to me.

"Do you remember when I told you about the old Jedi research vessel, the Gossamer?" She asked.

"Yes. If I recall correctly, it was a ship whose purpose was to research the origins of the Force. It was shot down at the beginning of the war on Hoth and was never recovered."

"Correct. It was lost in what is know as the starship graveyard, where decades of ice and snow have entombed hundreds of ships on Hoth. "She stopped the spinning holo projection and focused it on a small section of the planet. "It was lost, until yesterday, apparently."

"They found it?" I asked. I could hear the excitement in my master's voice. The Gossamer had been a well known fascination to my master for years.

"I was contacted this morning by the commanding officer of the main Republic base on Hoth. His name is Colonel Windborne and he has been the commander of Auruk base for years. He knows well my fascination of the Gossamer. He reports that a Republic research team has uncovered a ship, which matches the age and location of the Gossamer. They are almost positive it is the ship and have asked if I would care to participate in its unearthing. A find like this could be monumental to the Jedi. Just imagine would knowledge we could find on board, if the vessel is still intact. I plan to travel to Hoth to oversee the excavation and I would like you to accompany me."

"I'd be honored, master, of course. I've never been to an ice planet before." I replied, maybe a bit too enthusiastically.

"I'll leave your participation up to you, since this would not be like your other missions, Zanthia." Kiwiiks said, turning away from the holo image of Hoth to face me directly. "This mission could be dangerous. Hoth is currently highly contested territory. It's not just the Republic and the Empire, but also several groups of pirates and scavengers. Part of our presence there will be to help protect the site from hostile parties. You have never been in a real battle before and I do not wish to push you into conflict before you are ready."

I could sense my master was genuinely concerned about pressing me into a situation I may not be ready for, but I could also sense something else in her. She wasn't telling me everything.

"I'm ready to face whatever challenges might arise, but you're leaving something out."

Master Kiwiiks smiled at me. I could feel per pride.

"Good. Your connection to the Force grows more and more each day. Yes, there is one other thing which might affect your decision to go with me to Hoth." She stepped away from the table and paced across the room, then back again, her hands clasped together behind her back. "Reports are scattered, of course, but it has been noted several times that there is a rather large Chiss population on Hoth. We assume they are there to support the Empire. There is a significant chance of you running into another of your species. You might even be forced to battle one."

I sat down in one of the nearby chairs. I wasn't shocked to hear about others of my kind on Hoth, but the news still nudged a bit of conflict inside me. Conflict I kept pushed to the side, to prevent it from distracting me. The Republic had little information about the Chiss as a species and what they did have was more assumption and rumor than fact. The few Chiss who had defected to the Republic were frustratingly tight-lipped about Chiss society as a whole. They would share openly about the Empire, but every single one of them refused to elaborate on any Chiss specific inquires. This left me to be raised with a lot of questions about my species, with little to no answers. Everything I knew about my species I was forced to learn from first hand experience.

"I guess it makes sense. We're rumored to be well adapted to cold climates. At the very least, we can confirm or debunk that rumor for sure if I go on the mission. As for defending myself and others from an attack, I will do what I must, regardless for who or what is attacking."

"I have raised you as best I can. It troubles me deeply to not be able to provide you the answers I know you desperately seek. I do not wish your first confrontation with others of your kind to prove to be your undoing. I care a great deal for you."

"I wish to go to Hoth with you, master. There will be no issues. At least as it pertains to my genetics. I can't guarantee I'll be much good to you in a fight, but I will do my best."

"That is all I have ever asked of you, my padawan." She turned off the holoprojector. "A transport will be leaving for Coruscant this afternoon. I have some business to attend to on Coruscant before I travel to Hoth. When we arrive, you will board a larger transport and head directly to Hoth. I will join you in a week or so. I will inform Colonel Windborne of your early arrival, to prevent any confrontations your arrival might cause."

"You mean to prevent anyone from pointing a blaster in my face, thinking I'm there to infiltrate the base." I was only half joking. In truth, I had been threatened on a few occasions when traveling on Republic worlds.

"Exactly. Normally, I consider it a valuable exercise, to negotiate out of a situation such as the ones you face, but this time, there will be enough unknowns. No need to upset the poor people stationed on Hoth. It's not the most cheerful of places to be stationed. I feel we will face many challenges on the mission. There is no need for your involvement to be one of them."

I nodded, secretly thanking my master in my head. As much as I was used to being seen as a potential threat when I got off a transport, it would be nice to be expected, for a change.

To Be Continued...

Forgive any spelling and/or technical issues. I'm posing with a new computer and I'm still working out the document features. Thanks for reading.