"Where do you think you are going, initiate?" Eeth asked Jas who was honestly shocked into silence at finding herself in Eeth's grasp. Jas had been raised as a Jedi and so she wasn't going to physically fight him, but that didn't stop her from trying to struggle free from his grip. "Lemme go!" she demanded.

Eeth did let go of her tunic, but only to grab her ear. He used it to tilt her head backwards, forcing her to look at him. "You will not order me around," he said sternly. "And you have not answered my question."

Jas grunted because, Force, did it hurt when he got hold of her ear! She twisted sideways and went up on her toes, trying to lessen the pressure. "I'm leaving, is all. I don't know where I'm going," she gasped.

"No, you are not leaving," said Eeth with an air of absolute finality, his hold on Jas' ear not easing in the slightest, "nor will you go anywhere I cannot see you without my explicit permission. At least not if you value your ability to sit comfortably. Consider yourself warned. That aside, do you seriously mean to tell me you were running off without the slightest idea of where you were heading and what you were going to do?"

"Yes," Jas replied honestly, squinting her eyes shut. It was hard to answer him and maintain any semblance of composure while he had hold of her ear, yet Jas wouldn't beg for a reprieve.

"And what were you planning to do once you became hungry or thirsty?" Eeth inquired.

" Eat and drink!" Jas whined. She hated whining, but that had honestly come out as a whine!

"Did you take food and water, then?" Eeth asked, eyebrows raised.

"Nooo! But, Ah! letgo! I was going to find some." Jas once again reached for his hand, trying to dislodge it.

In response, Eeth only tightened his grip on her ear, which made her squirm more. If Jas did not know to ask him politely, she would just have to endure.

"Where and how were you going to find some?" he pressed on.

"I dunnnoooo, somewhereeeeeee!" By now the pain in her ear was bringing tears to her eyes and Jas was starting to lose her composure. Zabrak she might be, but so was Eeth and this was another level of determination than she was used to. "Letgo LETGO!" she complained, but when this failed to get the desired result, Jas let her pride go, both hands clutching at her ear. "Please?"

Eeth decided to count this as progress and released his hold on her ear. Punishing bad behaviour only made sense if good behaviour was rewarded, after all.

"Somewhere how?" he nevertheless asked, unwilling to let Jas derail this interrogation. "Did you take money?"

"I don't steal," Jas replied resolutely, trying to look like she wasn't in pain when her ear felt as if it was practically burning off. "I will get by. I am a Jedi and I am Zabrak; food, water, essentials, my abilities and the Force would lead me."

"Are you even aware," asked Eeth mercilessly, "that the sweet water in this entire region is undrinkable because it will infect you with a parasite that will eat your intestines from the inside?"

Jas' nostrils flared and she started to breathe heavily. No, she had not known about the water, but neither was she going to show her fear despite the fact that the idea actually scared the shit out of her. "I'd have made do," she replied.

"No, you would not have," said Eeth harshly. "You would either have fallen ill or you would have been reduced to begging. You ran headlong into a situation that you have neither the knowledge nor the skills or resources to handle, without a plan and without a second thought. Is this what your Zabrak superiority amounts to?"

Jas was still a bit too shocked about hearing of the parasites and the idea of having her intestines eaten out to mount much of an argument here, and so she folded her arms and looked down before answering him. "No," she was forced to admit. By now, Jas was starting to feel pretty stupid. Which was, of course, precisely what Eeth had been aiming for.

"This is why you are being trained to do better," he said. "Whether you believe it or not, you need that training. Now go back to the beach." He pointed a firm finger to where Raven was waiting for them.

Jas turned and ran – yes, she actually ran, which was quite against her stoic nature – back to where Raven was still sitting on the beach and sat beside her, doing her best to act as if nothing had happened.

Raven, however, noticed the stuffed pack and the way Jas was massaging her ear and suppressed a sigh at having put two and two together. "Running from your problems won't solve anything," she said mildly, putting an arm around the girl, only to have her gesture shrugged off.

"I don't need advice from you," said Jas. She was already feeling stupid thanks to Eeth and she didn't need salt rubbed into the wound.

"Suit yourself," said Raven, retracting her arm. "But it might help to know that you're not the first or only padawan to feel like giving up. You're stronger than that." She tutted, which was enough to have Jas bury her head in her bag so she didn't have to listen to Raven.

At this moment, Eeth – who had been walking, not running, of course – arrived. He bent down to retrieve his plate and lay back down on his side to finish his food.

Jas still had her head buried in her bag at this point. She didn't want to look at either Jedi, but eventually the need for a breath of fresh air overcame her stubbornness. Jas glanced over at Raven who was ignoring her. Good! And then, tentatively, she looked at Eeth who was lying on his side watching the ocean. It was then that she noticed Eeth had something wedged in the back of his belt. Frowning, Jas poked it with her finger and it was hard as a board because it was a freakin' board!

"What the fuck?" she said more to herself than either Jedi. Apparently, this guy thought it necessary to carry a paddle around with him. Jas didn't know what to make of that. Had Raven been such a bad apprentice that it was required? Surely not. Or maybe Eeth had procured it specifically for herself? Jas didn't know what to say.

"I have my reputation for a reason, initiate," Eeth said, the edges of his mouth quirking upwards ever so slightly. "Yes, I usually carry that around. And as you learned today, I will not hesitate to use it on you if your behaviour warrants it."

Jas fixed Eeth with an incredulous look. Well, at least now she knew what had hit her. Literally. "Do you still use that on her?" Jas asked, aiming a pointy chin at Raven.

"I have not used it on my padawan in a long time," Eeth replied calmly. "And my padawan goes by the name of Raven Trebeck. There is no need to call her 'her.' Now finish your food. We will go swimming when you have done so."

Frowning, Jas started to eat the food that was still in the same place as she had left it before attempting her escape.

When they had finished their meal, Eeth led the way across the rocky beach to the water. There was some light, but not enough to clearly see the outlines of the rocks. With a bit of focus on the Force, this was not going to be a problem. He was interested to see how good Jas' sense of inanimate objects was. Despite her claim to be good at everything, it was obvious that she must have weaknesses, just like anyone else. Eeth's biggest weakness, as an initiate, had been his social skills, and it seemed that Jas was not that different from him in that regard although it showed in different ways.

"How long do we have to do this?" Jas asked, pulling off her tunic and tossing it onto her pack. She did not like water at all.

"Until I allow you to stop," Eeth said in a voice designed to quell all objections.

Jas frowned, but said nothing.

"Let us head for the rocks over there" Eeth continued, ignoring Jas' glower. "Padawan, you may go at your own speed if you like." Raven had always liked exercise and, what was more, needed it. When she had been younger, she had quickly become restless and frustrated if she had no physical outlet for her excess energy. Now, of course, she had much more self-control and could endure conferences and negotiations without complaint, but Eeth knew that she still felt better when she had properly worked out. And adapting to Jas' speed was not likely to be what she needed.

Raven didn't need telling twice. She was in the water and gone before Jas had even waded in.

Jas made a face. The water wasn't cold, but neither was it dry! She glanced at Eeth. "Go ahead, I'll meet you there," she told him. Arrogant the girl might be, but she wasn't so self-absorbed that she believed herself capable of outswimming him. Eeth was enormous compared to her and had at least four times the muscle mass. Besides, he didn't need to watch her; she wasn't about to drown.

"You may safely leave that to me to decide," Eeth replied. He was not planning to let a girl swim unsupervised whose skills he barely knew. Nor was he going to encourage her notion that it was her place to tell him what to do. He stepped into the water and, sensing that the ground was descending rapidly, dove in. Then he turned around, waiting for Jas to follow.

"Are you planning to supervise my each and every moment? Are you gonna watch me sleep too?" Jas accused more than asked and strode into the water behind him. Truth be told, she had wanted him to go ahead so she didn't have to try so hard and could go at her own pace. With Eeth right at her side, she would feel compelled to do her best to keep up with him, and that would ultimately push her more than she could be bothered with. Jas hated the water.

"Stop questioning me," Eeth snapped. "It is not your place to do so. Unless you want another lesson on disrespect, you had better keep your mouth shut and start swimming."

Scowling, but utterly disinclined to push him being so close to the shore, Jas turned to face their destination and started swimming. The smaller Zabrak was no match for a fully grown male, but if she tried hard enough, she might just catch the feeble human, she thought.

Unfortunately for Jas, Eeth had taken Raven swimming at least twice a week – whenever practical – for the past nine years. She was fast, agile and in excellent physical shape, and thus she reached the rocks well before the other two. It had felt good to her to blow off some steam. This child was a pain in the ass, she thought, although as she pulled herself up onto the rock ledge and waited, Raven couldn't help but be reminded of herself a little. Sure, she had never, ever been as disrespectful, nor did she have any problems making and keeping friends. Raven and Jas did, however, share a rebellious streak, not to mention a terrible case of bucket mouth; for the longest time as a youngster, Raven would speak before she thought and it had bought her a world of hurt from Eeth and her teachers over the years. The memory of her lessons with Professor Kogan sprang to mind, causing a slight smile. Perhaps she should try talking to Jas again; maybe sharing some of the issues she had faced as an initiate and young padawan might help? Raven pondered this as the two approached. Jas was really struggling, but despite looking as if she was not going to make that next stroke, she was not giving up.

Eeth kept beside Jas. She was not incompetent at swimming, but it was obvious that she did not enjoy it, and as for being "good," as she had claimed to be at everything – Eeth would definitely not call her that. However, she was tenacious and thus they reached the rocks finally.

Jas ignored Raven's proffered hand, choosing instead to struggle her way onto the rocks, and lay back to catch her breath. The rocks weren't the softest of beds and her arms ached, but she had made it.

Eeth effortlessly pulled himself up after her and looked around. There were no tides on Borleias and it was not actually all that late, despite the darkness, so they might as well stay for a bit. Besides, the starry sky was spectacular. Untainted by external lights, it was a view that was inconceivable on Coruscant. Eeth lay back and gazed up at it. He had always loved the stars, ever since he had emerged from the Nar Shaddaa slums for the first time and actually seen the sky.

"It's truly beautiful," Raven commented, gazing up at the stars with Eeth.

Jas had never seen anything like this before. She lay sprawled on the rock catching her breath, happy for the rest as she took in the sight.

The swim back took her a bit longer than it had taken her to reach the rocks. This time, Raven swam with Jas to give Eeth a chance to push himself. This bothered Jas, who felt that she didn't need babysitting by the human. However, one look from Eeth was enough to make her keep those protests to herself.

When they reached their cabin some time later, Eeth sent Jas to take a shower while Raven shook sand from their towels. She tossed one at Eeth when he exited, a playful smile on her face when some left-over sand splattered him as he caught it.

Eeth ignored this completely, as he usually did in such cases.

"Jas may have half an hour to herself when she has finished taking her shower," he said. "Then we will meditate together and she will go to bed. As for you, you are free to spend the evening as you like. Tomorrow, I will set up a schedule of lessons and workouts for Jas. If you could take care of the grocery shopping, that would be helpful. Apart from that, you are free to spend the day as you like."

"There is a small group of shops about a kilometre from here, although if we're planning to stay for longer than a week or so, it might be worth taking a cab into Rashet and stocking up," said Raven, Rashet was the closest city to their cabin and would have just about everything they needed.

"Then best go to Rashet," said Eeth. "I hardly think we will be done here in a week."

Raven glanced towards the shower where a click and the stop of the sound of running water indicated that Jas was finished cleaning herself up. "I was thinking," she said thoughtfully, "it might help speed things up if I spend a bit of time with her. I know she doesn't think much of me; of all humans for that matter. You know, she tried racing me back to the shore, and had her tenacity not been so obviously driven by arrogance, I may have rewarded the effort and let her win."

"It is a good thing you did not," said Eeth. "I just hope she is a fast learner."

Jas emerged from the shower, sore, overtired and, given the massive upheaval to her usual routine, feeling very much out of sorts. As she typically did, she had spent five minutes trying to make her horns stand out more by slicking her hair as flat to her head as she could make it. Unfortunately, her horns would not be fully developed until the end of puberty and she had barely begun this process.

Satisfied with her efforts, Jas left the bathroom, clad in a pair of underpants, and scratched at her flat chest. She looked at Eeth and Raven who were seated at the table. There were so many questions that she wanted to ask him. At what age had his horns finished growing and how long did it take? When did he get to take his rite of passage and have the traditional tattoos, and had he chosen his own? But she did not know how to bring up any of them.

"In half an hour, it will be time for you to meditate and go to bed," said Eeth. "Before that, would you like a drink or a snack?"

He thought it likely that Jas might be hungry again after their swim.

"Both! Please…." The pleasantry having been added on as an afterthought. Eeth nodded, rose and prepared a sandwich with sliced meat and a jug of water for her. Jas sat at the table and started to scoff her food.

"Slow down,"Eeth said. "Wolfing down your food like this is not healthy, nor is it good manners."

Jas nodded, unwilling to argue at this point.

After their meditation, which had actually helped Jas somewhat to accept her situation, much to her own surprise, she went to bed without complaint; she was bone tired from both the physical and mental aspects of her day.

"I'll be back by mid-afternoon," Raven said the next morning, shouldering her pack and climbing into the cab.

Jas was leaning against the doorway, watching the padawan leave, and looked up at Eeth. "I want to go, too," she said.

"Not today," said Eeth. "I will go through your classwork with you, get your lessons organised and assess your skills at sparring and Force work. That will take most of the day. You might get permission the next time, depending on your behaviour. May the Force be with you, padawan."

When the cab had left, he turned towards Jas.

"Would you like us to do your work inside or outside?" he asked. "I do not mind where we do it as long as you are able to focus."

"Neither," Jas replied, brutally honest as was typical of her. Her gaze lingered on the cab as it sped off. She was jealous of Raven's freedom.

Eeth raised his eyebrows. "Whether you like it or not, you will go through your classwork with me," he said. "Your only choice is whether you want to do it outside or inside. Either you make that choice or I will."

Jas wanted to keep that choice. A minute later, they were outside in the yard, seated on a wooden picnic table under a green tree, datapad resting in her lap.

Much to her horror, Eeth had managed to download all of her lessons. ALL of them were here, all of them! Well, there wasn't much that could be done about that, and thus she got to work as instructed. Jas was surprised to find that Eeth was actually a pretty good teacher, and the extra attention on some of the trickier subjects – not that she'd admit they were a challenge for her – was paying off.

It was rare that initiates got such individual attention for so long. This was both a blessing and a curse, she discovered as her patience for the work began to dwindle.

"When did your vestigial horns start growing?" she asked out of the blue, her Basic lesson not being a priority right now.

"Feel free to ask me that during your next break," Eeth replied woodenly, "which will not be before you have finished your Basic assignment to my satisfaction."

"Seriously?" Jas stated rather than questioned, her fingers drumming a tattoo of frustration on the wooden tabletop. She was accustomed to having her questions answered by the adults in her life, not forestalled, especially over something as stupid as a Basic assignment. "Fine then, I'll take a break. Will you answer me now?" she asked, pushing her pad aside.

"No, you will not," Eeth snapped.

By now Jas had an idea of what it meant when Eeth used that snappy tone, and as he stood abruptly and took her by the scruff of her neck, her suspicion was confirmed. For quite possibly the first time since she was five, Jas felt a genuine stab of dread when she saw him pull out the paddle and bend her over the table.

"I think I was quite explicit about when I will grant you a break," Eeth said sternly. "Finish your Basic assignment."

To underline this message, he applied three scorching swats to the seat of her pants, right where she would have to sit. Then he pulled her up and sat her back down again promptly.

Jas gasped in protest as her bottom hit the bench; it had hurt, not terribly so, but enough to annoy her, not to mention her wounded pride. "Stop smacking me," she said through a glower, only just forbearing to add "it hurts."

Eeth was astounded at the nerve Jas had. Unfortunately, it was not going to buy her any favours with him.

Conveniently, he was still standing and the paddle was still in his hand. Without missing a beat, he pulled Jas up again, bent her over a second time and pulled down her pants.

"Wait, no!" The words had come out before Jas could stop them and it horrified her; she never tried to beg off, not ever!

Unperturbed, Eeth brought the paddle down onto her underpants six times, at full force.

"You," he said sternly, "have not been smacked nearly often or hard enough lately if you honestly think you can give me orders. Do not try that again. Your Basic assignment. Now. If I need to tell you another time, I will add a few strokes of my belt for emphasis, and that will definitely hurt more than my paddle."

When he released his hold on her, Jas remained across the table. That had hurt considerably more than the first round. It took an effort to make out like it hadn't and that she was in no mad rush to jump up, bounce around and rub, like some of her weakling human peers. She looked around, pleased to see that they were alone, and pulled up her trousers. Eeth's threat was heeded. Jas had never been smacked with a belt before but it did not take a genius to figure out that it would hurt. She sat down, hid a wince, snatched up the datapad and, without comment, started working on the assignment. Eeth was proving to be more difficult to handle than Jas had ever imagined.

An hour later, the horrid thing was finished, and she pushed her datapad aside. Jas had not spoken to Eeth again during that time, nor was she entirely able to keep from shifting, ever so slightly, on the hard, wooden bench seat while working.

"Now you may take a break," Eeth said quite gently. "Shall we take a stroll in the jungle behind our cabin and see if we can find some fruit? Borleias has a lot to offer. And I am perfectly willing to tell you about my horns if you want to hear about them."

Now Jas was stuck between a rock and a hard place. The thing was, she hadn't yet forgiven Eeth for taking his paddle to her. An ability to stubbornly cling to and hold grudges was just another of her winning personality traits. However, today it was going to have to take a backseat. What Eeth had said actually sounded like fun and was something Jas really wanted to do. Also, she wanted to hear from his personal experiences. Thus, she got up and nodded silently.

Eeth could tell how hard it had been for her to do so. She was already making progress, he thought. It was clear that Jas had plenty of redeeming features, if only she managed to conquer her arrogance and pride.

He packed strips of dried meat, which was a Zabrak staple the Temple commissary had provided them with, plus some nut bars and two bottles of water. Then he locked the door and set off down a narrow, overgrown path that led them into the jungle. It felt very hot under the trees because it was humid and there was no breeze. Their path was soon seriously overgrown. Eeth used his saber to hack it free; then, noticing Jas' curious look, he showed her how to do this with a practice saber, which was possible if one used the highest setting.

Jas was really enjoying this. She slashed, swirled and arched her blade in many creative variations that Eeth had taught her were safe. It was the most fun she'd had in ages.

Soon the path led downhill towards a small shallow stream where the going was a little easier because it was frequented by animals who had worn a track through the undergrowth. There were also many bushes bearing large purple fruit, which Eeth recognised as edible, overhanging the stream. He plucked two, handed one to Jas and sat down on a mossy rock, unpacking the drinks and food from his backpack.

"You wanted to know about horns," he said as Jas settled down onto another flat rock. "They grow during puberty. At what time exactly, differs from person to person; also, there are different types of Zabrak that are not exactly identical. Generally, girls reach puberty a little earlier than boys, as is the case with most humanoids. Mine started sprouting at age twelve. The biggest growth spurt occurred when I was fourteen to fifteen. At sixteen, their growth was all but completed. You, being a girl, seem to be starting a little earlier so you might be finished a little earlier as well."

Jas listened eagerly, hanging on his every word as he spoke. "They've been like this for a couple of months now," she said. "They came up fast, then stopped growing." Nothing else had changed, but she had noticed a little fat was gathering in places where it didn't use to be.

"They grow in spurts," said Eeth. "What you describe is quite normal."

"I want my horns to be pointy and menacing-looking, not round. I'm not a freakin' moose," she told him, only to realise that Eeth's horns were rounded. "No offence," she added quickly. It wasn't like Jas to offer excuses for insulting people but Eeth was helping her here, and she didn't want to blow that.

"None taken," said Eeth, giving her a brief smile. "Your horns will grow to whatever shape you have inherited from your parents. You will have to wait and see."

"How old were you when you got to go through the rite of passage, and does it hurt?" asked Jas. "The tattoos, I mean." Jas would do it, regardless of the pain. However, the idea of having a billion needles in her face was a tad daunting, not that she would ever in a million years admit as much. Sith, no!

Eeth took a bite out of his fruit, thinking about how to answer this question.

"I was fourteen at the time," he said. "Normally, a Zabrak would go through the rites shortly after the horns start growing. At the Temple, we prefer to wait until a padawan has been chosen by a master, but that happened fairly early in my case. However, it took me a while to make up my mind. For Zabrak at the Temple, the tattoos are not compulsory. Most choose to have them, but some do not if they feel no connection to Zabrak culture. I was undecided for a long time because I considered my culture of origin quite repulsive and had never had a meaningful interaction with Zabrak societies. What settled the matter for me was the fact that going through the rites and having the tattoos would help me conduct undercover missions. And yes, it hurt."

"Have you ever performed the tattoos on another Zabrak before?" Jas asked, curious.

"No," said Eeth, his lips curling into a slight smile. "I assume that most Zabrak younglings would have been too terrified of me to ask." Jas tutted, disdainful of how weak this made them seem.

"But," Eeth continued, "I would do it if I was asked. Normally, adolescent Zabrak conduct the rite with their parents or tribal elders, but at the Temple, it is usually a combination of their master and an older Zabrak Jedi, as you probably know. You are starting puberty fairly early; if it is really your wish, you might be allowed to go through the rites in a year or so, I assume."

"I do want it," Jas said. "I have already sketched my design." Jas was sharing a lot more of herself now than she had in a very long time and it felt like a relief to let some of her feelings air.

"That is good," said Eeth, intrigued at the degree to which Jas valued her Zabrak heritage. "I do not know if you are aware that the design will require your mentor's consent. Which is the Zabrak way. But mentors only have a veto right, and they rarely execute it. Ultimately, it will be your design and I am glad to hear you have already put quite a bit of thought into it."

"I have," Jas said, privately thinking that even if she were ever denied the tattoos, she might just do it anyway. Such was her attitude at the moment, although it was already starting to change.

She looked at Eeth. "What would you have done if your master had said you were not allowed to receive your tattoos?"

Eeth raised his eyebrows. "I do not quite see why she would have wanted to do so," he said. "If she had, I presume she would have given me reasons and I would have based my reaction on those."

That the adults in Jas' life had good reasons for giving her orders that they deemed necessary had not really occurred to her yet. In fact, Jas had stopped listening a long time ago. "Oh," was all she said.

Eeth could guess a little of what went on in her head. "At age ten," he said quite gently, "you will simply have to accept that your superiors will tell you what to do and what not to do. You might not like it, but rebelling against it will not make it better. Your life will become much easier if you find it within yourself to trust them."

Jas huffed. "I'm sure you were the epitome of initiate and padawan perfection. I'm definitely not. My teachers are always bawling me out over one thing or another. I want to trust but I am having a hard time believing."

"I was not perfect," Eeth replied. "I was merely good at sticking to the rules. I was also occasionally good at interpreting them in my favour and exploiting loopholes, which was something that mostly escaped my crèche masters' attention, but my master quickly caught on to it. Like you, I did not find it easy to trust at all. But I learned that self-reliance can only get you so far. We all need others we can rely on."

"Maybe, but I don't like the idea of relying on others," said Jas. "I like to think I can stand on my own two feet."

"Yes, that much is clear," said Eeth. "And does that feeling extend to the Jedi Order? Do you think you can get by without us?" She probably did, he thought. He would have been the same, had it not been for his less-than-uplifting experience as a street child in the slums of Nar Shaddaa.

"I can," Jas said. "Don't worry, if they kick me out, I'll make my own way. I have a plan." Jas wasn't saying it aloud, but the inference was clear; this was a subject that she had given a lot of thought. Who would choose her as a padawan, after all? Nobody! And she would rather throw herself on her saber than grow beans at the AgriCorps.

"Nobody is going to 'kick you out,'" Eeth said mildly. "We do not expect children to fend for themselves. What is your plan, anyway? Use the Force in order to fight crime and make a living on Coruscant?" It was as educated a guess as any. The Council was dealing at least once a year with initiates who were strong in the Force, had difficulties fitting in and were losing hope of finding a master. At least half of them "had a plan." And they all thought they were the only ones.

Jas was surprised that Eeth had been so perceptive. "Something like that. I'm not going to AgriCorps, that's for sure. They can't force me." She looked up at him, her expression deadly serious. "I would run away if they tried." And that was about the only thing that would cause Jas to even consider doing such a thing ever again.

"The Jedi Order offers a number of options for Force-sensitive children, other than the AgriCorps," said Eeth.

"I'd be better off on my own," Jas repeated. "I'm not big on consolation prizes."

"Believe me, you would not be better off on your own, and I am speaking from experience here," said Eeth solemnly. "That aside, there is no reason why you should not be made a padawan. There is still plenty of time for you to conquer your arrogance and improve your attitude."

Jas just snorted, not believing him for a moment. From her perspective, she wasn't being rude, it was just how she felt.

Eeth decided not to go into this any further. It would take time for Jas to learn to trust.

He rose and said, "We will go back to the cabin and get back to work now. You will complete one biology lesson. Then we will have lunch, and after that, a workout."

Unenthused, Jas dragged her feet through the two kilometre trip back to the cabin. She did not say a word to Eeth.

Once they had arrived at the yard of their cabin, Jas thumped onto the bench and started skimming through the pages with a finger, her frown growing. "The life cycle of garbage worms! Are you serious?" she said, spinning her pad so Eeth could see the stuff he had downloaded for her to complete.

"That must have been a rhetorical question," said Eeth coolly. "Of course I am. It is one of the lessons your teacher sent you."

"It's about garbage worms," Jas said incredulously.

"I know," said Eeth. "And your point would be?"

"My point would be that there is no point!" Jas exclaimed.

"Your teachers require you to learn about garbage worms for a reason," said Eeth. "And you do not get to disagree. Get started on your lesson."

There was no way that Jas was going to spend an hour, or however long this took, reading this crap, she decided. Thus, she glowered at him defiantly and then slammed her fist into the pad, cracking the screen. It started flashing different colours and Jas was satisfied that it would be unusable now. She might not get to disagree but there were other ways to get her way.

Eeth returned her glower with a steady look of his own while he pulled the paddle from his belt, slowly and deliberately.

"That was not what I meant when I told you to get started on your assignment," he said grimly. "Pull down your pants and bend over."