Jaden landed not too far at the bottom of a narrow tunnel that led continually downward. It was lit with lights strung throughout by cables. She moved silent and swift, keeping an ear out for more snowtroopers.

Suddenly, she saw the end of the tunnel, a big round hole in the floor with a short drop down onto a large storage container. She sat on the edge of the hole and gently let herself down a few feet to the top of the container, her feet not making a sound. The room she found herself in was huge, filled with boxes, containers and all kinds of other items being stored there. She moved to peek over the edge of it but stopped short at the sound of footsteps and gingerly laid herself flat, face down and listened.

A voice just below her spoke. "Anything to report?" She chanced a peek over the side and sure enough, there was one snowtrooper walking towards the container she laid on. Below her were two snowtroopers gathered around a glow-lamp. As the conversation continued, Jaden shifted around on top of her hiding spot to get a better look at the troopers.

"No sir," said the trooper who approached.

"Keep sharp," said the first, "we've lost contact with the perimeter patrols. Could be the storm, or wampas. You don't want one of those things surprising you." Jaden had to smile at that, So, no one knows I'm here. That could work in my favor.

"I'm glad we're guarding this hole and not the command center," said another voice, the other one by the glow-lamp no doubt.

"Why? It's probably nice and warm in there," said the second.

The third one paused and then answered in a lower tone. "I don't wanna be anywhere near those Sith fanatics. They give me the creeps!"

The first and second snowtroopers chuckled in agreement. "Yeah, I know what you mean," the second said, and Jaden's skin went pale and clammy. Sith, here? Oh Force what if it's a whole crowd of cultists, or worse, their leader? Luke hadn't given her instructions on what to do if more Sith were there, just to determine if the Force energy had been drained, which was what she was sure she'd figured out already. She hadn't sensed any residual Force aura the entire time she'd been there, but she felt she couldn't just leave, not until she found out exactly what was going on. She decided she'd keep going, but would be extra careful. She mulled over what to do about the snowtroopers below her and considered either the extreme route: Jumping into the middle of them, catching them by surprise and killing them before back up came. Or, the less extreme: Sneak around and try not to be seen. She was about to choose the former when below she heard:

"Well," the first trooper spoke rather awkwardly. "You're not gonna like this but I've just gotten orders to switch guard posts. We're to report to the command center in a quarter of an hour."

Collective groans followed, but there was no use defying orders, the snowtroopers gathered their supplies and walked single file through the space behind the storage containers and boxes littered throughout the large room. As Jaden watched them go, she gradually stood, and moved to the far edge, looking for a safe way down without making much noise. Another box, shorter and smaller, was only a few feet below her. She eased herself down on top of it and then leapt the short distance to the ground, landing softer and quieter than she'd thought she would. She glanced around the corner of the crate she used for cover and watched as the last snowtrooper exited. She wondered if their replacements would come soon. Doubtless they would, she had an idea. Weaving in and out of the supplies and crates, she came close to the main door the troopers had used to go out of. She stationed herself behind some crates and waited. Five minutes later, the door opened and three troopers entered to replace the old ones. Jaden waited for the right moment, then, just after the third one passed, she slipped behind him and through the door before it closed.

Breathing a sigh of relief, Jaden continued down the passage. It was better to not draw too much attention to herself. She went down a few twisting icy corridors, these worse off than the others she'd been in, with debris scattered everywhere and piles of snow built up from years of neglect.

This must be where the main attack happened. She recalled that her research on the Battle of Hoth had mentioned that Vader had come during the attack himself. Then if that's true, wouldn't these hallways be reeking with his dark aura? Why hadn't Luke thought of that too? Unless he just had the vision of Kenobi on his mind.

She neared a door and, sensing no immediate signs of lifeforms inside, she stepped through it, looking from side to side, checking all her surroundings. Clear. She was in some kind of Med Bay. There were Bacta Tanks, bunks, stations that held old medical equipment and supplies. She tiptoed to an open doorway.

Empty.

She kept going, hoping that this good fortune would continue. There were other Med Bay rooms, but she kept straight, hoping to exit them and find the command center. As she went down another icy hall, she heard footsteps and ducked behind a crate. The footsteps weren't coming towards her, but retreating in the distance up ahead. She stepped out of hiding and followed the snowtroopers until they entered a door. On impulse she entered behind them, silent as a ghost, and pressed herself against the wall. Nearby on her right was a large round tank of some kind and she hid behind it, looking out now and again to see where the snowtroopers were. She watched as the three troopers went down a short ramp into a trench with control panels. If she hadn't found a hiding space, they most definitely would have seen her by now. She waited until they were down in the trench with who knew how many others and slowly stepped out of hiding, pressing herself against the wall. Over the next nerve racking minute or so, she inched along the wall, not making a sound as she watched the pit in front of her, barely seeing the tops of the snowtroopers helmets, willing them to not look up. She couldn't help hearing them talk to each other, glad their conversation seemed to be capturing all of their attention.

"Have you been by Auxiliary Hole B?" Asked one.

"Yeah, why?" Said another.

And the first answered: "I thought I heard something down there. Could be a wampa…"

"We cleared this place out when we got here, there are no wampas inside the base," said the second one matter of factly, as if reassuring a frightened child who should know better. The first trooper didn't seem reassured.

"I don't know… I don't like going down there alone."

"Let's go check it out right now. I'll prove to you there are no wampas." The first one sounded annoyed, but willing to prove a point. Jaden heard them gathering their stuff. She started to panic. There were no more hiding places and they would definitely see her now, not that they probably would've heard her go through the door, and now she could hear their footsteps. They were coming! Any second now and they'd see her.

So much for stealth.

"Jaden, Scenario: Imperial stormtroopers have you surrounded, you're weaponless with no way of escape. What do you do?" Kyle had asked Jaden during one of their early training sessions, before she'd even gotten her first mission.

"Die, I guess," Rosh had muttered off to the side, arms crossed.

"This isn't your Scenario Rosh. C'mon Jaden, I know you've got it, whaddya do?" Kyle had pressed.

She'd shrugged, unsure. "I guess I'd try to do what Master Luke would."

"Which is?"

"I heard somewhere that the Force can be used to bend the will of the weak minded, is that true?"

"To an extent, but it's not a power to be misused. To do it you have to focus on the person's will and make them think that what you want them to do is what they want to do." This last sentence echoed in Jaden's mind. She'd never actually tried Mind Trick on anyone, but now seemed to be as good a start as any, and who knew, maybe she, Kyle and Rosh would be laughing about this in their next training session.

The snowtroopers had started up the ramp now, Jaden began to focus on their wills, the two pliable minds before her, and by the time they spotted her and hurried up the ramp further to investigate her and call for their comrades, just two others, she felt she could do it. Though the two new minds did complicate things a bit.

"Hold it right there!" Said the first snowtrooper who'd suggested going to check out Auxerily Hole B.

"You hold it right there," Jaden said, focused mainly on his mind. He merely stopped walking. His partner seemed confused. The other two troopers came up behind them.

"Hey, get moving! That's not one of the Sith, I think that's a Jedi, take her down!" Said one.

"No!" Jaden said firmly, looking each snowtrooper in the face in turn. "No, you will all forget that you've seen me and go back to your positions and stay put until someone comes to get you." The troopers were quiet a moment, the ones in back shifted uncomfortably as if given an instruction from their parent they didn't really want to follow. Jaden repeated her order, looking at each of them, putting all of her focus and will into their minds, willing them to want to do this as much as she wanted them to. Then, as if by some miracle, they each turned and walked single file down the ramp, almost mechanically, and all sat around the glow-lamp, not moving. It slightly unnerved her, but Jaden would be forever grateful for the teaching of her master coming at the eleventh hour to help her out of a bind. The Force truly did some mysterious things. She backed slowly out of the room and rushed through the door as if the snowtroopers would change their minds, hoping the effect would last at least an hour. The hallway was empty of troopers and she kept going at a quick and even pace. She found a lift that went down and took it, seeing how it was her only option. At the bottom she found three snowtroopers caught by surprise, these she had to kill. Hoping she hadn't made too much noise, she hurried through the room's only exit.

She moved silently along the icy passage, concentrating on what was ahead to try and see through the Force what awaited in the next room. A voice. Jaden slowed, taking purposefully careful steps to stay as quiet as possible. At the doorway she reached, she silently peaked around the corner. It was a control room, or what was left of it. Several large monitors filled the room, most of them crushed or destroyed by debris from the Battle of Echo Base years before. Piles of snow and icy rubble were strewn about. Though she couldn't see him, Jaden could sense the presence of a cultist just around the corner, standing before a monitor. Judging by the hum it made, it was one the only ones in the room that worked. She heard the sounds of buttons and switches being pushed and flipped.

"Command center to Alora," he said. Jaden felt relief that he didn't seem to know she was there.

"Alora here." Responded a female voice. Jaden didn't like it. It sounded cold and arrogant.

"We've just finished downloading the data." The cultist went on. "The Rebels must have erased everything during the evacuation. Fortunately, the computer kept logging their flight information."

"And…?"

"...And we found Rogue Leader's flight trajectory when he left Hoth." The cultist was sounding proud of himself now. "From it, we've been able to determine that Skywalker went to Dagobah."

"Dagobah?" Alora said, suspicion coating her snobbish voice. "That sneaky little Jedi."

The hair on the back of Jaden's neck stood out and waited as they finished up their conversation, her mind racing with questions. Why were they looking up places that Luke had visited? And more importantly, had they already drained the Force energy from here?

Well, she wasn't going to get answers by lurking in the doorway. Brandishing her saber, Jaden stepped into the room and rushed around the corner of the monitor she knew the cultist to be behind, hoping to catch him by surprise.

"A Jedi?!" He blurted out in both surprise and vehement hatred. Their sabers clashed.

"Wanna tell me what's going on here?" Jaden asked as she parried a strike, there wasn't a lot of room to move around in due to the monitors. She felt a bit cramped but didn't let up.

"You'll learn NOTHING from me, Jedi!" The cultist spat the word like a curse, bringing down a barrage of strikes so that Jaden had to stay on the defensive. She really didn't want to have to kill him, she needed answers, but he wasn't giving her much choice. Her first opportunity came when the cultist took a side step to avoid her right to left slash aimed at his leg, he stepped on some piece of a broken console and lost his balance, arms flinging out to try and regain it. That second he took to correct his stance was all she needed. Jaden swung her saber at his exposed side and it was all over. The cultist slumped down, dead.

Jaden stood over him momentarily, chest heaving, whole body feeling clammy and weighed her options. "This isn't good." She shook her head. "I'd better find this Alora."

Sheathing her saber, Jaden turned around, finding the exit -the only other doorway in the room- and ran as fast as she dared without being too loud down the corridor. They might have drained the Force energy already, she thought, but if there's some way I can stop it, I have to try!

And if not, at the very least, if she could get answers to Luke and Kyle's questions from Alora, then this mission wouldn't be a complete loss either.

The next few corridors held no other enemies or anything of interest, except in a small room she came to, which was more like a cave with icy stalagmites and stalactites poking out of the floor and ceiling, some even meeting together. At the far end stood a saddled and bridled tauntaun. Jaden felt some relief, Maybe I can ride this one back to my ship. She gave the tauntaun a consoling pat as she went into the next chamber which was small, with a large rectangular door at the end. It was different from the others she'd seen and something about it, maybe what was behind it, filled her with a strange, cold ominous feeling. She looked back at the tauntaun, who seemed oblivious to her discomfort.

"No sympathy huh?" She asked the snow lizard, then set her shoulders and faced the door, taking in deep, calming breaths. "I am one with the Force and the Force is with me." She approached the door, somehow deep down knowing that whatever happened, she'd be okay.

Jaden entered what proved to be a large room, taking in the crates and various supplies scattered around it, all hastily abandoned during the evacuation over a decade ago. Natural pillars dotted around, holding up the ceiling and looking more like a cave rather than a bunker. In the center of the room stood a large boulder covered in snow. High above it, Jaden spotted a large ventilation shaft that went far up into the ceiling.

Then she saw her. Ducking quickly behind a nearby pillar, hoping she hadn't been seen, Jaden peaked out at the red Twi'lek, clad in warm garments varying in shades of blue and bluish-green half sat, half crouched atop a lower section of the boulder. Jaden's skin prickled with goosebumps. A Twi'lek? Is she the one the smugglers from that recording of R5's was talking about? She had to be! Thankfully, she didn't seem to have noticed Jaden, as she was seemingly distracted by a conversation she was having via comlink. As she spoke to the unknown individual on the other end, her voice was already annoyingly familiar to Jaden.

"Yes, Master. Dagobah. Skywalker didn't mention it in his journals; he must have been trying to protect something."

"Well done, my apprentice," the cold sultry voice of a woman answered. "Meet me there."

Alora lowered her comlink and returned it to her belt. When she looked up Jaden was standing out in the open, lightsaber in hand, fingering the on switch.

Alora straightened up. "Ah. You must be the saber-wielding troublemaker who neutralized our perimeter guard. Are the Jedi stretched so thin that Skywalker sends children to battle the Disciples of Ragnos?" Her scarlet blade lit up the space around her, casting eerie shadows, coloring the snow covered spots around her like blood.

Well that's a bit harsh, I can't be that much younger than her, thought Jaden as her saber lit up her surrounding area in a less threatening color as she waited, measuring her opponent the way Kyle had trained her to, pulling her back to the last time he'd drilled her and Rosh together.

Rosh. Jaden briefly wondered how his mission was going. Probably less exciting than this, for once she wished they could trade places, he'd enjoy this for sure. Jaden wasn't quite liking the churning in her stomach as Alora rushed toward her faster than she'd expected, almost catching her off guard.

Their sabers met with a loud clash that echoed throughout the cavern. "So, wanna tell me who your master is?" Jaden asked, staring down her opponent over the crossed blades. Alora said nothing but made a loud noise like a war cry and pushed Jaden to the floor, preparing to pounce. Jaden pulled a nearby crate with the Force and hurled it at her with all her strength, which Alora easily dodged, but hitting her wasn't what Jaden intended anyway. It gave her just enough time to jump back up and get her bearings. Jaden didn't have to sense it to know that Alora out-skilled her, but she still had a few tricks up her sleeve.

They only crossed blades a handful of times during the course of their fight, with Jaden resorting to using rocks and crates, as well as a fistful of snow to distract or hurl at her opponent. Kyle would probably have called it a sloppy fight, but hey, she was still alive for the chance to hear him tell her that.

Alora was tiring, but so was Jaden. Something had to give. Jaden decided to give it one more go. A burst of adrenaline came over her as she rushed headlong at Alora, and made a slash at her feet. The red Twi'lek leapt into the air, landing on a higher section of the rock. Jaden jumped after her, frustration building in her chest as she slashed again. Alora leapt effortlessly and perched atop a set of pipes that ran along the bottom section of the giant ventilation shaft high above. Jaden's shoulders dropped a bit, she didn't have the experience or the energy to try and follow her. Alora jumped to another set of pipes, higher than the first, she didn't even seem to be breathing hard.

"We'll meet again, whelp." She hissed and practically flew out of sight, disappearing into the darkness of the vent above.

With nothing else to do and no hope of following her, Jaden leapt down from the boulder, extinguishing her lightsaber.

"I can't wait," Jaden muttered. "And next time I'll be ready."

Back at the Academy, Jaden stood with Kyle and Luke at the top of the dais in the Audience chamber. She filled them in on everything that happened on Hoth as she sipped a warm mug of caf and steamed blue milk Kyle had brought her. She finished with a generously short account of spending the night hiding in a cave just outside the room she'd dueled Alora in. Then in the freezing early morning, she finished off what was left of her rations and rode back to her ship on the abandoned tauntaun. Thankfully, her ship was fine and what's more, the tauntaun she'd initially befriended had waited nearby with her herd. She'd freed the tauntaun that took her back to her X-wing. The memory of sadly watching them disappear into tiny specks outside her cockpit window as she lifted off was still fresh. She felt like she wouldn't exactly mind coming back again for a visit. As long as there were no Imperials or cultists to mess with that is.

"So they know about Dagobah," Luke said grimly. "Master Yoda hid there, knowing his presence would be masked by the planet's strong dark side aura. If they find it…" He didn't finish his statement and went over to look out at the view between the stone pillars behind him, lost in his thoughts, hands ever clasped behind his back. Kyle and Jaden watched him a moment before looking back at each other.

"Did you find anything else on Hoth?" Kyle asked.

Jaden shook her head, taking another sip of the creamy, rich confection. Ah, perfection. "Nothing," she answered aloud. "I did overhear this Alora talking with her master. It sounded like another woman, but there's no way to know who she is without a name." Luke merely nodded at this information. "Anyway, Alora must have already taken the Force energy from there before I got to her."

Skywalker spoke without looking back. "Just as others have reported. Bespin, Endor, Coruscant, everywhere…" He turned around and rejoined them. "Kyle, what about Byss?"

Her master folded his arms. "Rosh hasn't returned. He's long overdue and we haven't heard from him."

Jaden felt something twist inside her, she glanced down at her cup. Empty. She felt sadder. Luke bowed his head, eyes closed, brows knitted in concentration. He then slowly raised his head, opening his eyes.

"I sense he's still alive…"

Kyle unfolded his arms. "I'll go to Byss tomorrow to look for him. I know some people that can get me into some of the outlying Imperial outposts. I'll see what I can find out."

"Very well," Luke said.

Jaden felt helpless, useless. "What about me? I want to help. Rosh is my friend."

Kyle put a hand on her shoulder. "You can help by staying here and completing your training."

"Kyle's right. There are still missions for you to undertake and we can't neglect the training of one of our most promising students."

Jaden perked up at Luke's words, completely astonished. "Promising?" She stuttered.

"Yes. Due to your heroics on Hoth, we are promoting you to Apprentice." Luke smiled slightly.

"Thank you Master Skywalker," Jaden said as solemnly as she could, bowing her head to each of them. "Master… uh, Kyle."

Kyle just grinned and slapped her on the back, then headed out so he could prepare for his search for Rosh.

Jaden returned to her bunk, feeling lighter than air and excited and nervous about her promotion. As she leaned back to close her eyes she felt a sudden fear take hold of her. Where was Rosh? Was he okay? Did the cult find him? She sat up straight, crossing her legs to sit in an impromptu meditation pose. Please let him be alright. Please let him be safe.

Memories of their last interaction burned into her mind, bringing with them feelings of guilt. Why didn't you just talk to him? Was he really that much of a nuisance to you?

"I didn't want this to happen," she whispered. "Please, I just want a chance to get to know the real Rosh. To get past the part of him that masks what he's really thinking."

That was it, that was the part of Rosh she actually disliked, the mask of false confidence that made him hard to be around. But the real Rosh, the vulnerable, authentic Rosh that she'd glimpsed on Blenjeel, that was the Rosh she liked being around. That was the Rosh she wanted to get to know better. To sit up on the roof and talk more with.

"Please, just give me one more chance."

12 Hours Earlier…

Rosh was scared, of that much he was certain. His "no problem" mission to the ruins of Byss had gone terribly wrong. An Imperial ship had shown up out of nowhere and now he was caught in its tractor beam. On the verge of panic, he fumbled with the buttons on his X-wings console, trying to get a distress signal out, but they had already jammed his transmissions.

"'No problem?' Rosh you idiot, now you're gonna get captured and they're gonna kill you!" His breaths came out as frantic sobs, he'd never felt more afraid or alone in his life. He tried to calm himself, repeating a mantra he'd heard Jaden say to herself often, "I'm one with the Force and the Force is with me. I'm one with the-" He tried something else to make himself feel less vulnerable, "I'm strong with the Force, I am a powerful Jedi!" But his words felt hollow. He thought of Jaden, how scared he'd felt on Blenjeel when she'd almost fell from their rock. How close they'd sat, when they'd held hands. Her skin was rough like his from training but he felt he wouldn't have it any other way. He shook his head as he remembered the last time he saw her, how she walked away without saying a word. Was she mad at him? Probably. He'd always managed to screw up whatever relationships came his way, why should his teammate be any different? He thought of how jealous he'd been that Jaden got assigned a planet where Master Luke himself had seen a vision. They always give her the cool missions and she's always currying their favor. He stopped that train of thought. What if their roles had been reversed and she'd come to Byss instead? Whatever it was, she was probably having more fun than he was as usual. But would I want this to happen to her? He thought as he stared up into his coming doom. Maybe I would? But that wasn't a definite answer.

I just wish this didn't happen at all. He thought as the feeling of unimpeded fear coursed freely through his veins.

Just as his ship was pulled into the Imperial Cruiser's hanger and its bright lights blinded him, a darkness seemed to engulf his vision. A voice spoke in his mind that was not his own, but sounded as clear as if it was: "I've been waiting for you Rosh Penin. Come to me my dear." The echoing laugh of a seductive female voice was the last thing Rosh remembered before passing into unconsciousness.