Chapter up...enjoy...

Two years later…

I breath a sigh of relief as my ship touched down on Tython. It had been a very long six months and I was happy to finally be home.

When I returned home from my time with the Chiss on Hoth, I had found a new purpose in my life. I began to see everything around me in a different way and, just as Master Orgus had predicted, this new found confidence in myself made me a whole new Jedi. My already strong connection with the Force seemed to only get stronger.

The first thing I did was mix up my saber style. Master Kiwiiks had taught me a single saber technique, but I decided to try a two saber style, after watching one of the Jedi Knights who also used the style. She was happy to give me a few pointers and once I constructed a second, smaller lightsaber for my offhand, I started to train using both my weapons at the same time.

Fortunately, my gamble worked and my dueling ability improved almost overnight. Even Master Kaedan was impressed and he was not an easy man to impress, considering his military background.

I often thought of the time I had spent on Hoth, but instead of letting it distract me, I used it as a source of focus and strength. Two months after returning home, Master Kiwiiks and the Jedi council officially promoted me to the the rank of Jedi Knight.

Shortly after getting my new title, I dedicated myself to learning how to fly a starship. Most Jedi learned the skill, since you never knew when it would come in handy, but I was determined to be good enough to be granted my own starship. I had never been able to master how not to get spacesick on large ships and hoped that if I had my own ship, I could minimize my exposure to the larger ships that made me sick.

Once I had proved my proficiency and had been granted my own ship, I began being sent on more missions and they became more and more dangerous. I was sent to places like Nar Shaddaa and Taris, places where I would no doubt run into trouble, simply by the nature of the mission and the location.

I had just returned from a six month mission to Balmorra, where I had been assisting the local resistance with their struggle against the Empire. It had been a particularly difficult assignment. For the first time, I saw almost daily combat and had fought and killed many people, including my first Sith. Though mentally draining, I felt I had accomplished something during my stay.

I stretched as I got off my ship. As much as I loved having a ship of my own, space travel was still exhausting. I took a shuttle down to the surface of Tython and was greeted at the hanger by Master Kiwiiks. Though she was no longer my master, she still felt responsible for me and had obviously been eager for my return.

"Welcome home, Zanthia."

"It's nice to be back." I said as we headed into the temple.

"I've heard you did an amazing job on Balmorra."

I nodded. "It was a hard mission. I've never seen so much combat and death in all my life. Not to mention fighting my first Sith. It's going to take some time to fully absorb everything that happened to me."

"You never forget your first combat mission. They tend to stick with you longer than most. I'm pleased you managed to make it back in one piece. Some Jedi go their whole lives without fighting a Sith, one on one."

We walked by the council chambers and Kiwiiks stopped. "There's a council meeting I'm late to, since I wished to greet you upon your return. I'll talk to you later, though."

I nodded and continued to my own chambers. Not all Jedi stay on Tython once their training is complete. In fact, most choose to have homes on other planets, usually where they came from originally. Since that wasn't an option for me, I chose to stay on Tython, until I found a planet I liked enough to settle down on. Not that Jedi ever really settled down. Some choose to spend their later years in isolation on various plants, though living long enough to retire was never a certainty.

I took off my lightsabers, placing them on the stand next to my bed and laid down. It felt amazingly good to be on solid ground again and not have to be constantly on guard for possible attack. That was the hardest part about being on Balmorra, I had to be constantly vigilant. There had been a few other Jedi on the planet, but not nearly enough of us to make any camp truly safe.

I had almost drift off to sleep when an extremely hyper form landed next to me on my bed, almost crushing me in the process. I didn't' need to open my eyes to know it was Grella.

"You're back!" She said, bouncing.

I opened my eyes and pulled myself to a seated position. "I am? I knew I made a wrong turn somewhere after leaving the fleet."

"Ha ha. So, how was your mission. I bet you got all kinds of amazing stories and had all kinds of adventures."

"No, I don't." I said with an edge of irritation in my voice. "The last six months have been the most difficult of my life. I was both mentally and physically pushed to almost my breaking point. Thousands of people were wounded and killed on Balmorra during the past six months alone. Some of which were wounded or killed by my own hand. It was war, Grella, not exciting and certainly not an adventure. Being a Jedi is not about going out and having adventures, so you have stories to tell your friends. It's about helping people. It's about saving lives and sometimes about taking them."

Grella was taken aback. "Wow, you sound like a real Jedi."

I sighed. "That's because I am a real Jedi and it also proves why you are not, yet."

"I'm sorry." She replied. "I didn't…"

"It's alright, Grella. I'm sorry for going off on you. I'm just exhausted, and as I said, it was a difficult mission."

Grella smiled at me. "Oh, I almost forgot." She pulled a lightsaber off her belt. "Look what I made."

"You finally made your own lightsaber. Congratulations." I said, not pointing out that she was still very far away from being a full Jedi. Being able to build a weapon was one thing. Being able to use it responsibly was another matter entirely.

"Thanks! You should have seen Master Bronn when I showed him." There was a paused, then Grella swore softly under her breath. "I'm supposed to be in upper Kaleth like five minutes ago."

She jumped off my bed and rushed out the door, waving as she went.

I honestly didn't know what I would do with that girl. Even though we were similar in age, my maturity level was so far above hers, sometimes it felt like I was her mother and not her friend. I chuckled at the thought, giving up on a nap and attaching my weapons back on my belt. I headed down to the mess hall, which was empty due to the hour, and got lunch.

I ate quietly for a long time, but was soon joined by Master Bronn, who was Grella's master. He was a human man in his late forties, with a bald head and large, blue eyes. He was a large man, but also one of the gentlest souls I had ever had the opportunity to meet.

"I hear from Grella that you just got back from offworld. She seemed very low key just a minute ago. It's very unlike her."

I shrugged. "Yeah. I might have yelled at her, just a little."

Bronn chuckled. "Let me guess, she wanted to hear all about the adventures you had on your mission. At which point, you informed her about the reality of your mission."

I nodded. "Pretty much."

Bronn sighed the sigh of a man who had heard the story before.

"I'm not sure what I'm going to do with that girl. She doesn't seem to understand that being a Jedi is not just a job you do from nine to five, but it's a lifestyle. An all day, everyday commitment we all chose to take on. It's not all adventure and excitement, and often requires sacrifice and tough decisions. I fear the day she learns this the hard way, will be the day she gets herself killed."

"Don't give up on her, yet, master. With your teachings and an occasional reality check from me, you'll get her there."

"I find your optimism refreshing, Zanthia. Kiwiiks did a good job with you."

"She's a good master. So are you. I've been here on Tython so long, every master has influenced what I've become in some way or another."

We ate the remainder of our meal in comfortable silence, then parted company at the door. Bronn was off to find Grella and I was off to find some well deserved sleep.

To Be Continued...