"No, take it," the caretaker insisted. "Is too big for me, I would never use it. It looked so fine on you."

"But it's a gift from your son," I reminded, smiling. "I don't have anything to give you in return, so keep it for yourself. And remember us by it. Remember how we talked Qui-Gon into having the party, and the look on his face when he realized he couldn't argue with you."

Amused, Shassa gave a relenting sigh. "All right, but if someday you find yourself needing it, don't accuse me of keeping it from you."

I grinned and knelt down to hug her, and then the Jedi said their farewells, and we were off. As we walked, savoring the path and a last view over our shoulders of the stone temple, I mentally ordered the things in the bag slung over my back to make sure I hadn't forgotten anything. I had my clothing, my pad of paper, and the little box with the whistle given to me by the Master. And pressed in the back pages of the journal, the spray of white flowers from Obi-Wan. I had placed them between two pages the night before and weighted it with the nearest available heavy object, hoping that would be enough to preserve the flowers for now. I just had to be careful not to lose them on Salji. Hearing a roar of engines, I looked up into the hazy sky to see a ship descend from the clouds. Our transport was landing.

The small ship had settled onto the packed dirt of the spaceport landing pad and was waiting when we finally passed through the outskirts of Kalinda and came to meet it. Also waiting on the landing pad was Kazik and a handful of his officers and kin, who had come to see us off. Kazik stepped forward boldly to meet us, and Qui-Gon halted in front of him and bowed respectfully. "It pains me to see you leave, so soon and suddenly," the chieftain said in a serious tone I didn't expect from him, "but someone somewhere in the galaxy needs you. I wish you well, and I thank you for all you have given Kalinda, Master Jinn."

"It is I who must thank you, for your hospitality and graciousness," Qui-Gon said in return. "We had a splendid time here on Chad. I will do my best to see to it that more Jedi come your way, to experience the peace and generosity of the Chadra-Fan."

"Oh, not necessary," Kazik assured. "The blessings of the nine go with you, my friends, and my hopes that you will return here again someday. Perhaps, for another haridi, eh?"

Qui-Gon smiled brilliantly. "Perhaps."

We said our goodbyes to the chattering creatures and crossed the open ground to the ship, just as a sandy-haired man stepped out of the hold and started down the ramp toward us. "Master Qui-Gon Jinn?" he wondered of the elder Jedi, who nodded. The man straightened up at attention. "My name is Cam Falte, I will be transporting you to the Salji system."

"A Republic starpilot," Qui-Gon noted, inclining his head. I wondered how he knew, for Cam was dressed like a freighter captain in simple trousers, shirt, and vest. If I didn't know any better, I would have sworn he was a blond relative of Han Solo. He even had a blaster strapped to his left hip. The Master eyed him and the ship carefully. "I was not informed that there would be a deception involved."

"Oh, not for you, Master Jinn," the pilot assured him. "A Republic cruiser would attract unwanted attention if it landed on Salji, we have to take the guise of a freighter. I even have cargo. But Master Gallia has informed me that once we land, she will meet you at the Revin spaceport, so you don't have to worry about sneaking around Salji in disguise." He held out a hand, gesturing for us to go before him onto the ship.

"You seem to know more about this mission than I do," Qui-Gon continued to prod in a light, aloof voice as we headed up the ramp and into the ship's hold.

"I have been assigned to this mission since Knight Oberanu first went to Salji," Cam explained, his tone even and serious. "I have flown the route from Coruscant to Salji more times than I care to count in the past year, and the locals are used to seeing me. They think I really am a freighter pilot." He slapped a hand to the control panel by the door, retracting the ramp and activating the airlock. "My last flight brought the body of Knight Taal Arvis Oe back to the Jedi Temple for a proper funeral."

Qui-Gon halted and turned sharply, staring at the pilot. "It was Taal?"

"You knew this Knight, Master?" Obi-Wan questioned.

Master Qui-Gon's shoulders turned, carrying him away from us as he recalled something. "Yes," he quietly answered. "He was an old friend - a Trianii, a skilled warrior. He never took an apprentice, he had no aspirations to be a Jedi Master, only to serve the Republic and make things right." Both he and Obi-Wan bowed their heads respectfully, though the Padawan didn't know the unfortunate Knight. I glanced awkwardly at Cam, who just waited to see what would happen next. After a pensive silence, Qui-Gon lifted his head and fixed Cam with a hard look. "Are we prepared to depart?"

Cam straightened up again, out of reflex. "Yes, sir. As soon as you're ready, we can take off."

"We are ready."

"The data files on the conflict are in the system holoprojector," the pilot continued, "and the supplies you requested are stored in your cabin. I'm afraid this ship isn't built for comfort, it's a cargo transport, but I saved the largest crew cabin for your use. My crew only consists of three others, as it is."

"Thank you." Qui-Gon turned on his heel and immediately made for the crew quarters at the rear of the ship, and after a moment Obi-Wan and I followed. Cam was left to his duty in the cockpit.

The crew cabin was a lot smaller than I expected, though it occurred to me that if this was the largest of them, pity the poor crew! One bag sat on the floor, but Qui-Gon picked it up and set it on the table jutting from the wall in order to rummage through it. A smile tugged at the corner of his mouth as he drew out a pair of boots and presented them to me. "Are those mine?" I wondered.

"I hope they're the right size," he answered. "I had to guess."

I sat down on the edge of a sleep couch and dropped my bag, taking the boots and kicking off my shoes in order to try them on. They were a little large, but nice, coming up to my mid-calf. "They'll do," I smiled up at the Master. "Thanks."

His eyes softened, and he nodded. Returning to the bag, he sorted out warm clothing based on who it was intended for, bringing out last a folded parcel of brown wool. With a shake, a Jedi robe cascaded down from his grip. He turned toward me. "This is yours, as well."

"What?" I reached eagerly out and gathered the robe into my arms. It was actually shorter than their standard robes, and of a crisper, brighter shade of brown than either of theirs, but I still grinned in excitement. A robe of my very own. "But..."

"You needed something for outdoors, this was the only thing I could request on short notice. It's made for a young Padawan, that's why it's so short, but it should fit you well enough and keep you warm." Qui-Gon peered into the empty bag to satisfy himself that he had taken everything out, and then set it on the floor beneath the table. "We will need to travel light. Everything we need must be on our person, or else carried by one." He eyed me. "Would you be willing?"

"Sure," I shrugged.

"Save this for when we are about to land." Qui-Gon handed out each carefully-sorted allotment. "You will be grateful once we step out into the snow."

I took the extra clothes and stored them away in my bag, beginning to dread the idea of hanging about a cold, wintry world. I hoped that for the most part, I would be left somewhere indoors while the Jedi went about their business, like on Rodia. Glancing up at Qui-Gon, I worried inwardly about his mood. Hearing the name of the Jedi Knight who had been killed by Niall Oberanu had destroyed his calm confidence, leaving him curt and dismissive. I decided to stay out of his way and not bother him until he was less preoccupied and in a better mood. The ship's engines fired up and began to drone, but Qui-Gon did not go up to the cockpit as he usually did to watch the takeoff. Sensing his Master's disturbed mood, Obi-Wan asked me if I wanted to see the cockpit, and the two of us went up to watch the green slopes of Chad disappear into the mists.

Well after the planet had faded into the black backdrop of space and the ship launched itself into hyperspace - which I got to watch out the main viewscreen for the first time, open-mouthed at how accurate the on-screen effects were - Obi-Wan and I went back to the rear hold of the ship where crew quarters lay. Qui-Gon was slumped in a padded chair in front of a computer control panel, holding a datapad in one hand and frowning at it. He glanced briefly up as we entered the lounge area, but said nothing and returned to reading whatever he had in front of him. "...but that was when I was younger, they may do it differently now," Obi-Wan finished telling me a story as we came in. I grinned at him, but his attention was already on Qui-Gon. He bobbed his head in greeting. "Master..."

Qui-Gon glanced up again. "Yes?"

"Oh...nothing," Obi-Wan quickly assured. "Is that the information Master Windu promised you?"

The Master sighed before answering. "Yes," he said wearily, lowering the datapad. "More than enough information, and I've only just begun reading about Salji. It seems Master Windu withheld more from me than I expected."

Obi-Wan's eyebrows lifted. "How so?"

"He told me that the conflict which Niall was sent to settle was a land dispute. He did not, however, inform me that this is an armed conflict." His voice was rough with irritation, but he kept his usual calm as he related to us a few details of Salji and the region in which this land dispute took place. The snowy planet's only industry was mining, and the land in question was rumored to hold great wealth if it were mined, but two neighboring regions - Reva and Thara - both lay claim to the tract and had fought each other for around fifteen years trying to take possession of it. "I have only read the initial request for assistance which brought the Jedi into it, and a few of Niall's early reconnaissance reports, but it seems to me that there is fighting daily, especially on the borders, and settlements within the warring regions have been shelled and mined to the point that they are nearly uninhabitable. I have a feeling we may be staying in one of those settlements." Qui-Gon glanced up at us - at me, his eyes hard like obsidian. "This is indeed going to be dangerous."

"I'll be all right," I assured him, though inwardly my courage was failing. I had never seen a war zone before, much less been thrust into the middle of one.

"You must be alert, even more so than on Rodia," the Master continued, glancing over the datapad again. "I will know more about what sort of plan of action we will need once we land and Master Adi has brought me up to date on the situation. Until then," he decided, "I will withhold any advice or cautions. You may as well sit down and relax," he added with a quick glance up at me and Obi-Wan still standing just inside the door. "We have a long trip ahead of us."

"How long?" I wondered.

"A good two or three days, I would assume. The captain didn't tell you?"

"We didn't ask," Obi-Wan said with a smirk.

The crew lounge, the last habitable area of the ship before the engine rooms and cargo hold, consisted of nothing more than a communicator and computer bank, a small cafeteria-like table, and a couple of chairs. Qui-Gon was seated in one, I slid into another beside him, and Obi-Wan eased himself to a seat on a bench running along the rear wall of the cabin, clasping his hands in front of him and merely watching his Master work. Aware that we were watching him, waiting for him to do something, a faint smile crept onto Qui-Gon's face. "Am I the only interesting thing on this ship?"

"At the moment," I answered with a cheeky smile. His eyes flicked in my direction, and the barest hint of a chuckle made his shoulders move. I peered curiously at him. "How are you doing?"

The Master took a deep breath and let it out slowly, setting the datapad aside and lifting his head so that his gaze fell absently on the opposite wall. "Forgive my sudden change in mood earlier," he said tiredly. "I did not expect the captain's news, I would have thought that Mace Windu would have told me himself that it was an old friend who was murdered by Niall Oberanu." He folded his hands and rested them on the console, staring absently at them as his mind traveled into memory. "It concerns me that Taal was unable to apprehend Niall, he was one of the finest warriors I know. Nothing took him by surprise, he had a gift for anticipating even the most unexpected move of his enemy's." He sat in silent reflection for a moment, but when he swiveled his chair to face me, he dropped the subject. "No matter. I expect I will learn more after we land, this situation is obviously not as it appears on the surface. Oh, there was also a bit more information on the climate. At the moment, the northern regions of Salji are snow-covered and cold, with occasional storms that can bury a settlement for days until they dig out. But not to worry," he added with an amused look at me. "They seem fairly adept with technology. We shouldn't have to trudge through the snow on foot very much."

I grumbled playfully. "Good. But I hope I get to stay inside as much as possible."

"I thought you said you were used to cold and snow?" Obi-Wan prodded.

"Used to it, yes, but I never said I liked it."

Both of them chuckled at that, and I smiled to myself, glad that I could make them laugh. It was a promising moment. "Then you're not going to like Salji much, I'm afraid," the Master said with a dry sort of smile. "But, if all goes well, none of us will be outdoors much. It depends upon many things."

"Ah, talking about the weather on Salji?" a grating voice interrupted. A Mon Calamari clad in tan fatigues stepped through the doorway and halted as we all turned in his direction. He was the navigator, whom Obi-Wan and I had met in the cockpit. "Not my choice of destination, to be sure, but Captain Falte needed my skills in those dark, outer regions of the galaxy." He paused to introduce himself to Qui-Gon, and then told us, "the captain sent me down to see if you were in need of anything."

"No. Everything is fine," Qui-Gon informed him with perfect courtesy. "Thank you. If I may ask, how long is the journey to Salji?"

"From Chad, sixty-two hours," the navigator replied. "Shorter than the route from Coruscant, but only because we can take a direct route and not have to skirt the Core. Will your quarters suffice, sir?"

"Yes, thank you." The Mon Calamari nodded and left us, and the Master turned to me instead. "Well? Sixty-two hours is a long time to pass. We should make the most of it."

I lifted my eyebrows a bit in curiosity. "Do you have a suggestion?"

He smiled and drew the datapad to him, clearing off its screen with the press of a button. "We didn't have much time on the retreat to teach you the Republic lettering, like you wished. Now is as good a time as any to learn."

Nodding, I took the datapad from his hand and looked at it, even as the symbol-letters popped onto the screen in what seemed to me like random patterns. I had had a brief lesson prior to leaving for Chad, but forgot a lot of it already, so the task ahead of me was rather daunting. There wasn't much else to do in the cramped hold of a borrowed freighter for two and a half days, though. I narrowed my eyes and peered at the screen. "All right. Now...what does this say?"

*****

I wrote in my journal, "sixty-two hours on a ship drags as slowly as any block of time measured at work or standing in line. You can only explore every corridor and room so many times before you start to hate the limits imposed on your space. And as much as you might want to sleep the whole time away, it's impossible." In between the somewhat interesting lessons in reading conducted patiently by Master Qui-Gon, I sat around the lounge or in our cabin trying not to beat my head against the wall in boredom. I'd take a jump-cut to the next scene any time now, I thought grimly. Things were so much easier in the movies. Fortunately, I had the two Jedi to keep me company, and they were much more patient with space travel than I - though Obi-Wan less so than his Master. The odd thing was, if I measured the trip in hours like the crew did rather than days, I fooled myself into thinking it wasn't so bad - at least, for a little while. We ate when we felt like it and slept when we were tired, taking shifts because there were only two sleep couches in the crew cabin, one on top of the other like bunk beds. In between, we dropped into the cockpit to check on our status, or sat together in the lounge, reading reports and discussing all kinds of things. Though the Jedi were busy gleaning every tiny detail from their reports, I only paid attention to about half of it, remembering what I deemed important and ignoring what I cared not to know. Qui-Gon used his reports on Salji as teaching material, so I read about many things, but understood very little. However, I did want to know more about this Jedi Knight who had "gone rogue," the one they had to find. "What did you say Niall was?" I asked both of them at one point. "A Chagrian? What's that?"

"Chagrians are huge, muscular. Very tall - as tall or taller than Master Qui-Gon," Obi-Wan replied, holding a hand over his head as if to measure the height difference, "and that's not counting the height of their horns."

"Horns?" I repeated. Then an image flashed into my mind, making me sit up sharply with the recollection. "Ooh! Mas Amedda is a Chagrian, right?"

Obi-Wan frowned at me, as if trying to remember where he had heard that name before, but Qui-Gon answered for him. "Yes, the Vice Chancellor is Chagrian. You know of him?"

"In passing," I shrugged. "Who doesn't? So, Niall is like that?"

"He is of the same species, yes. Chagrians are strong, powerful beings," Qui-Gon continued to explain. "And also very intelligent, as indicated by the Chancellor's aide. Those who are Jedi are renowned for their skill as warriors but also as investigators. The more I read about the conflict on Salji, the more I can understand why Niall Oberanu was sent there to settle it."

"Do you think he will be easy to apprehend, Master?" Obi-Wan asked seriously.

Master Qui-Gon looked away for a moment. "I don't know. He is a skilled fighter, if he was able to kill Taal Arvis Oe, though I don't have all the information on how that happened yet. Perhaps two of us can succeed where one could not."

I gazed at him, while he gazed piercingly at his apprentice, and I could feel him examining the strength of the bond between them. Obi-Wan's skills could be greatly tested by this mission, his body and mind both. The Padawan met his Master's challenge with a firm but not boastful stare, and Qui-Gon nodded. "That is, after all," he added as an afterthought, "why the Council called for us. We will do what we must, and it may be enough."

By the counting of hours I knew that two full days had passed, but my sleep patterns no longer coordinated properly with them. The ship's custom of napping whenever I was able to threw my habits out of whack, so that I could no longer judge my need of rest. Still, Master Qui-Gon sent me to our cabin to bed, saying I should rest now while there was a chance in case there was none later. For a long time I lay awake in the lower bunk, unsettled by the feel of the ship's hyperdrive coasting us through space, listening to the sound of light snoring above me as Obi-Wan slept. The door hissed open, and Qui-Gon's unmistakable form darkened the entrance for a moment until the panel shut and left the cabin in blackness again. I looked up at him, blinking, waiting for my eyes to readjust to the darkness. "What is it?" I whispered.

He glanced at me, not quite startled but clearly not expecting to find me awake either. "Nothing," he replied in a whisper of his own. "I merely came to get some rest. I was speaking with the co-pilot, but the captain came to relieve her of her shift, so I figured it was time for myself to retire." Qui-Gon sank to one knee beside me, and I could see him better now. A very dim glow came from the ceiling of the cabin, in which his eyes gleamed keenly. "Having trouble sleeping?"

"It's the ship, I think." I rolled onto my side, facing him. "I don't know how you guys do it."

"We're used to it," he explained with a wry smile, reaching out and laying his large hand on my head for a brief moment. "Just rest. It won't be long now."

He rose and moved back into the center of the cabin. "Do you want the bed?" I asked, shifting an arm under me to get up. "I'm not sleeping anyway. You can have it."

"No. I'll take the floor," the Master assured, shrugging his robe off his shoulders. As I watched, he spread the robe out on the floor and folded the hood to act as a pillow, and then stretched out on top of it with a weary sigh. His booted feet rested toward me, and he folded his hands quietly on his chest, taking one deep breath before settling down to sleep.

I lay on my side, still gazing at him. He had passed this trip in a solemn mood, keeping largely to himself apart from helping me understand Republic lettering. I would not have noticed it, except that it seemed such stark contrast from the laughter and smiles of the past week on Chad. I dared not intrude on his privacy, though I wondered if there was something besides hearing of his friend's death that had sobered him so. I itched to ask him more about Taal Arvis Oe, but it wasn't the time. Comforted by the sight of his huge form resting peacefully on the floor, near enough to hear him breathe, I smiled to myself, tugged my new robe up around my shoulders for warmth, and closed my eyes to sleep.

It seemed like only minutes passed when the buzzing of a comlink woke me up. I lifted my head and squinted at the noise coming from an intercom near the door. Qui-Gon was on his feet and answering the summons before I could even groan my annoyance. He pressed his thumb to a switch. "Yes?"

"Master Jinn," Cam Falte's voice nonchalantly addressed him. "I wanted to let you know, we're about to come out of hyperspace and enter the system."

"Thank you." Master Qui-Gon released the switch and promptly triggered the lights. I flinched as the cabin was filled with brilliance, and heard Obi-Wan overhead let out a groan. The Master swept his robe off the floor and shook it out before throwing it over his shoulders. "We've arrived," he announced gruffly on his way out the door. "You might want to get ready. It won't be long before we land."

Obi-Wan's legs dangled down from the top bunk, and after a pause he leaped down and landed softly on the floor. I stayed where I was, groggy and displeased at the abrupt end to my nap, though I was starting to realize several hours had passed between my last waking moment and the comlink going off. Obi-Wan smirked at me. "Not much for mornings, are you?"

I swung my feet out of the bunk and sat up, combing both hands through my unruly hair to sweep it back from my face. "It took you until now to notice?"

"No. I merely thought it safer to comment on it now rather than before." Obi-Wan sat at the table and pulled on his boots, while I did my best to straighten myself out and brush my hair before leaving quarters. I left my warm clothing in my bag for now, resolving to bundle up after we had landed and I knew it was safe to venture outside on the strange, unknown planet. Qui-Gon's talk of armed conflicts and shelling was coming to mind, and made me nervous.

As I stepped into the cockpit, I found Qui-Gon standing behind the captain's chair, arms folded and hands tucked inside his sleeves as usual, gazing silently out the viewports at a whitish globe growing ever larger as we neared it. I touched his arm to let him know I was there, and he gave me a shade of a smile before returning to his watchfulness. Captain Falte, his navigator, and the engineer were in their seats, but did not require the co-pilot's aid, apparently, for she was nowhere to be seen. I felt Obi-Wan's presence behind me, and ducked behind Qui-Gon to let the Padawan into the cockpit as well. "Here we are, sir," Cam announced breezily. "It'll be about midday in the Revin settlement when we land, I've already contacted Master Adi on her secure channel to let her know that we're coming in."

"Good," the Master acknowledged. "Is there any reason to expect trouble upon landing?"

"Not that I know of, sir. This settlement is in a far southern area of Reva, with the whole Dospara between it and Thara. Things should be fairly quiet where you are." The captain flung out names of places I knew nothing about as though he grew up on the planet, though he had only landed on it long enough to take on passengers and cargo or unload them. Over the course of the journey I had had a chance to hear some of his stories about his mission, but the names of people and places and the complex nature of the struggle in which they were involved did not stick in my mind. Until I stepped into the cockpit and got my first sight of the milky orb hanging in the black void of space, it didn't dawn on me that this conflict he spoke of was now my business, and I was about to be thrown into the middle of it. I hid behind Qui-Gon, arms wrapped around myself but ready to reach out and grab him for stability should the landing prove rough, watching the white mantle of Salji fill our screens with its reflected glare. The white was not all snow, much of it was cloud-tops, through which the freighter plunged as it descended toward a northern latitude. The Jedi remained silent, watching, neither of them ruffled, while the crew reduced itself to short muttered orders and reports as they used their instruments to navigate through the misty cloud layers. The gray haze over the viewports and the terse orders Cam snapped at his navigator made me instinctively clench one hand on a fist-full of Qui-Gon's robe. He glanced down and smiled, apparently amused at the wide-eyed, stricken look on my face. But the landing proceeded without incident, and before long the freighter glided in low over a toothy mountain range and pointed her nose toward a landing field outlined with bright markers that showed up blue and red against the snow.

While the ship settled onto the landing pad, my companions and I returned to our cabin to dress for the weather and pack the rest of our supplies into one bag, which I would carry and be responsible for. There wasn't much in it, just extra clothing for warmth and my personal belongings, because most of what we needed was on our backs or the Jedi's utility belts. I pulled my new robe on and flung the hood up, glad when it settled on my head as if it were made for me, though Qui-Gon was right - it was a bit short around the bottom, coming to just below my knees. I was surprised that we had no gloves, but then reasoned that the Jedi just hid their hands in their sleeves instead. They're going to wish for gloves pretty soon, though, I thought, if it was as cold as Cam described it. His stories made me think of Alaska, and that put a shiver into me. Qui-Gon was all business, now, and prepared himself with stern efficiency before leading the way to the docking ramp. The captain met us there, having put on a thicker jacket and wrapped a scarf around his neck and head. "Well, Master Jinn? Ready to experience Salji?"

Master Qui-Gon nodded curtly, and Cam activated the ramp with a big stupid grin on his face. He was enjoying this, somehow. I wondered if he usually transported Jedi, if he knew that little things like weather didn't bother them in the least. Qui-Gon let him go first, preferring that a freighter captain known well to the locals precede his passengers regardless of who was there to meet us. I didn't feel the chill right away, standing in the warm corridor of the ship, but as Qui-Gon stepped down the ramp, followed by Obi-Wan and then me, a cold blast of wind slapped at us, yanking my hood off my head. I grabbed at it, preferring a little numbness in my fingers to a cold face and head, and resolutely followed the Jedi off the ramp onto a paved tarmac. The ship had actually landed in a covered hangar, of which all sides were open, and drifts of powdery snow had been tamped down into slippery patches here and there. The roof was only enough to keep heavy falls of snow off ships and shelter them between flights. Cam wandered casually to one side, making a show of inspecting the landing gear or something, as his job and his association with us was officially over. I kept my eyes on the ground as we walked, dimly aware of the brown robes in front of me as we crossed the wind-swept hangar, the sharp click of our footsteps echoing from the roof. Qui-Gon stopped abruptly, and I looked up to see that we had joined two people who had been standing on the leeward side of a squat building, seeking shelter from the wind as they waited. Master and Padawan bowed. "Master Adi," Qui-Gon said.

"Master Qui-Gon," the rich alto voice warmly greeted him. I peered around his shoulder to see Adi Gallia, hoping she had not forgotten me. Her eyes flicked to Obi-Wan, and an approving nod tilted her head, but then she caught a glimpse of me and paused. I wasn't sure what kind of expression crossed her face, but Adi hid it well and covered it with a sly half-smile. "I should have expected it. You continue to surprise me, Qui-Gon."

"I'm not entirely sure what you mean," the Master returned.

"It's nothing, merely an apology that I took Mace's word over my knowledge of your habits." The Jedi Master turned slightly and gestured toward her companion. "This is Colin Goeben, one of my contacts from the Revin town which will shelter us. Colin, Master Qui-Gon Jinn, his apprentice Obi-Wan Kenobi, and..." Another pause. "A friend."

Colin nodded sharply and extended a gloved hand in greeting. He was human, but barely so, with finer features and a more wiry build than any human I had met on Earth. A scarf covered his head and neck and draped over his shoulders, and his ivory jacket appeared stuffed well with fur or down. And good thing, too, because it was very cold. "Master Jinn. Welcome to Salji, and to my people, the Revin. Thank you for coming."

"It is my pleasure to assist you in this matter, a matter in which the Jedi are most responsible," Qui-Gon said, a note of darkness in his calm voice.

"Have you been apprised of the situation, then?" Colin wondered.

"Much of it, but not all, I'm afraid."

"We will discuss it in private, in a warmer place," Adi broke in, stepping aside. For the first time I noticed a bank of repulsorlift vehicles parked behind the building, hovercycles and snow speeders mostly, but also tractor-treaded snowmobiles and antigrav sleds. The landing field was mostly deserted save for one other cargo transport and a few local crew members, but a cluster of small buildings marked the spaceport and its supporting town. Adi and Colin started towards the speeders, letting us follow them, and I looked up as we stepped out from under the shelter of the hangar roof. A leaden gray sky hung low on the shoulders of the mountains which seemed to surround us, and the dark shapes of tall fir trees carrying snowy burdens in their limbs marched right down to the very fringe of the buildings. Indeed, it looked like Alaska, or Siberia, I noted as I stepped gingerly through the snow which crunched underfoot. Colin led the way to a large snow speeder and opened the hatch, looking warily around him as we boarded.

There was only seating for four inside, I saw as I climbed into the passenger half. "Uh oh," I started to say.

"Here. You can sit on my lap," Obi-Wan offered, wrapping his robe around his legs to provide a stable platform. Grinning, I willingly took a seat, perched shyly on his knees with my back resting against the speeder's window. Qui-Gon did his best to stifle a grin as he climbed in behind me and settled into the other tiny passenger seat. Master Adi and Colin sat in front, with the Saljan piloting.

"We have a place to stay tonight in this port," Adi informed us after the hatch had closed and sealed out the cold. "In the morning, we will be transported to Droste, Colin's town, from which we can base all our movements."

"This isn't where we're staying?" Obi-Wan wondered, gesturing with a nod to the little settlement passing by the speeder windows.

Adi smiled peculiarly. "It's not close enough to the front lines."

"Adi, what is going on?" Qui-Gon demanded. "I have been given nothing but the most scant information available, and been told half-truths since being contacted. What exactly is our mission here?"

"Your mission is to apprehend Niall Oberanu," the Councilor replied, undaunted by Qui-Gon's stern tone, "nothing more. Mine involves other tasks, I have not asked you here to help me though we are both working on parts of the same problem. You must find and arrest Niall so that I may concentrate on rebuilding the peace process which he broke down by his fall. You did receive information on the nature and extent of the conflict between the Tharin and the Revin, correct?" Qui-Gon quietly nodded affirmation. "What you did not know is that Niall has been sheltered by the Tharin. There is a reasonable expectation that you will have to cross enemy lines to find him."

I reserved my reaction, only glancing down at my precarious seat to make sure I wouldn't be unceremoniously dumped onto the wet floor of the speeder. But inwardly, my heart fell. Poor Qui-Gon! I worried. He'd better leave me behind, I would only get in the way! Maybe I shouldn't have come. I heard him sigh, and glanced his way, only to find him looking sympathetically at me. He knew what I was feeling. He commented toward Adi, though. "Why was this information not in the file given to me? Was it late in coming?"

"No, we knew as soon as we received confirmation of Niall's desertion that he had hidden himself among the Tharin," the woman answered straightforwardly. "Information placed in the file was highly sensitive. We wanted to give you a basic sense of the scope of the mission, but nothing that should not be intercepted or read by less cautious eyes. There is much more to tell you, Master Qui-Gon, I'm sorry. As for what you were told upon contact..." She grinned suddenly, her eyes sharp and merry. "...I take no responsibility for what Mace does or doesn't tell you. Take that up with him later."

Qui-Gon lapsed into a contemplative silence for the rest of the relatively short ride up through the trees to a cluster of buildings, a compound of sorts, where I presumed we would be staying the night. Obi-Wan also spoke no word, but his mind was alive with thought and one hand rested steadily on my back to keep me from falling off his knees. Every once in a while I would glance down to find him looking up at me with bright eyes, and a smile would lighten his young face. I just grinned back and watched the trees file past in the murky grayness of Salji. Upon reaching our destination, Colin parked the speeder at the end of a row of similar speeders outside the complex of low, slope-roofed cabins. I noticed as we trudged through the snow, most of the speeders were fairly banged-up and patched together, showing signs of much wear from the environment. Multiple foot-tracks criss-crossed each other in the yard, some treaded as if from boots, some incredibly huge and animal-like. I wondered if there were pack animals in use here, and if so, where they were being kept, because the semi-circle of cabins was quiet and nearly dark. Colin led us to the centermost cabin, larger than the rest, and ushered us into what looked to me like a lodge. A fire warmed the hearth at one end, and a desk near the door formed a barrier to anyone who would enter without being seen or taken care of. No one sat at it, but even before the door had closed behind us (an electronic door, again, which I had not seen at all on Chad) a figure covered in white fur waddled out of a side door and yammered a greeting. Colin answered in a foreign language, and it nodded. "Good, sir," it then mumbled in Basic. "All is made ready for you. Will you need anything?"

"Likely not. If we do, you will be notified," Colin said crisply.

The furry being handed over a card. "Come back at nightfall. Many come to share the warmth and company of my hearth." It waved a paw towards the fire, indicating the tables near it and the benches alongside it, possibly. "Good stories to trade, and news of recent battles."

"Thank you, but I know more about those battles than anyone in this port, and I care not to hear it repeated for fun." Palming the card, the man turned and gestured for us to follow him. I was just beginning to feel warm again, but trailed obediently behind Qui-Gon as we headed back into the snow. Colin was grumbling to Adi as they walked ahead of us. "I hope you don't mind. I haven't come all this way to sit in a makeshift cantina and drink Talz ale with spacers."

"Neither did we," Adi retorted with a light smile at him. "We have much to do tonight anyway, to prepare Master Qui-Gon and his apprentice for their task. There's no time to visit. But that reminds me, I have to contact Captain Falte and let him know what he must do."

I walked with Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan, a few steps behind our hosts. "What is this place?" I asked.

"It appears to be guest lodging, for travelers passing through the spaceport," Qui-Gon replied. "Most of them likely off-worlders who need to spend the night, though the locals may also use it as a place to gather."

"A cantina," I grinned. "I know what that is."

"'Cantina' is not the term I would use, though the clientele is probably quite similar." The Master smirked down at me for a moment, but we reached our cabin and had no more time to talk. Colin slid the card into a pad by the door, which beeped as it unlocked and let us in.

The lodging was basically a single room with chairs and beds, though a doorway led off one side to the refresher and an alcove opposite it held a tiny kitchen. It reminded me somewhat of my apartment back home, only much more alien in design and stern in décor. Two large beds were separated from the main room and from each other by thick curtains, which were drawn back at the moment. Colin, being the native, instantly checked the environmental controls and the supplies in the pantry, and nodded in curt satisfaction. "Good. He followed my instructions to the letter. We should be comfortable here for the night, and undisturbed. Master Qui-Gon..." The Master lifted his eyebrows, indicating his attention. Colin waved toward the beds. "Since we now have two women with us, they can share one bed. Would you and your apprentice be comfortable sharing the other?"

"It wouldn't be the first time," Qui-Gon assured. "But what about you?"

"If I can't be at home with my family, it is preferable to me to sleep on the floor," the man said kindly. Now that we were indoors and he had taken off his protective scarf, I could better see that he was much older than I thought at first. Middle-aged, with shaggy black hair stark against his smooth, pale skin. "Trust me on this. Please?"

Qui-Gon nodded with an understanding smile. "If you insist."

"Accommodations will be much better when we reach my home in Droste," Colin went on, unbuttoning his jacket and draping it on a chair. Master Adi lowered her hood at last, revealing the Tholoth headdress, and the other Jedi also dropped their hoods and shook out their sleeves. Colin started into the kitchen, still talking. "You'll be staying with my family. We're one of few who has guest quarters, so it probably won't raise eyebrows. The Goeben are always ready to show their hospitality - as Master Adi can no doubt tell you."

Adi smiled warmly as she pulled out her comlink. "Be prepared, Qui-Gon," she warned. "Saljan families are large and overly friendly. You will have no need go unfulfilled here."

"Considering we just came from the company of the Chadra-Fan, I believe we're prepared." Qui-Gon moved to take the bag from my shoulders without me even asking, and set it on one of the beds for me. I could finally take off my robe and relax, if I could, for the strange surroundings made me ill-at-ease.

"If you'll excuse me for a moment, I need to call Cam." Adi tweaked a knob and activated her comlink. The rest of us moved away, though privacy was not needed. She merely told the captain that he could stay on the surface for a night if he chose, but to take off as soon as possible and return to Coruscant, for the mission could be overlong and not worth waiting out.

Meanwhile, Colin was making something in the kitchen, possibly a warm drink, and Obi-Wan and I took seats on the short couch along the wall. Qui-Gon drew a chair near and slumped into it, looking tired again now that we were indoors and in private. "Well, here we are," he noted. "Things are off to a good enough start."

"Or they will be, once we have all the information we need," Obi-Wan muttered. He had read all the reports while on the ship, and knew as much as his Master about the mission. "I should like a few questions answered."

"And they will be, my friend," Colin said as he joined us, folding his arms over his lean chest. "I started heating some water, a hot drink would do us all some good before we sit down and start talking. I hope your journey went well?"

"It did," Qui-Gon nodded. "How far did you have to travel from Droste?"

"It's about five hours, by speeder," the man answered. "Nothing but a lot of snow and rocks and trees, but that's Salji, and it's my home. If we get a good enough start in the morning, we should get there early in the afternoon. I'm sorry," he suddenly interrupted himself, turning towards me. "I didn't get your name."

"Stacey," I told him, leaving it at that for now.

He held out a hand, and I shook it. "Good to meet you. Are you a Jedi as well?"

I smiled slightly. "No, I'm not."

"Then how do you come to be in the company of these Jedi?"

"Yes, Qui-Gon, how does she come to be in your company?" Adi Gallia broke in, striding gracefully over and stopping behind Qui-Gon's chair. "We were informed that only two would be arriving."

The Master refused to look up at her, and I thought I saw a twitch of annoyance cross his face before he composed a reply. "We had no time to return to Coruscant, Master Windu insisted we depart straight from Chad for this mission. What he failed to tell you is not my responsibility, take it up with him when we return."

Adi smirked at having her own joke turned back on her. "It's all right, Qui-Gon. I did bring up the subject of your friend's presence with Mace last time I talked to him. He stated without a doubt that he would talk to you, and she would not be with you. As I said in the hangar, I should trust my understanding of you and your ways over any promise Mace tries to give me in contradiction." She looked over at me, and I could see nothing threatening in her eyes, only a smile. "I had a strong feeling she would be with you. It did not surprise me to see a third step off the ship, but I had hoped that my feeling would prove incorrect. This is not a place for stragglers."

"Stacey is not a straggler," Qui-Gon said, his voice losing its weariness and becoming sharp. "If you wish and time permits, I'll tell you all the things we discovered about her while on our retreat, things I intended to report to the Council had we not been summoned here. She may be important to us. At the very least, I won't have her wandering about the galaxy on her own."

Adi held up a hand. "You need not make your arguments to me, Qui-Gon, I am already persuaded. She can stay, and we will take care of her. But I do need to warn you..." She looked at me again, and I knew she wasn't warning the Master, but me directly. "...Droste is within the war zone. It may be the largest city in Reva, but its safety is uncertain. It isn't far from the border with Thara. There haven't been any attacks recently, but there is no guarantee that it will remain outside the conflict anymore. Niall's failure has thrown everything into chaos."

I nodded at her. "I understand that. I'm not a pet that needs to be looked after, or a baby. I can take care of myself. I'm ready for anything that happens, and I mean anything." Qui-Gon smiled faintly, and I caught a vague sense of his pride in me. He knew I wasn't just saying these words to be brave. "Qui-Gon did teach me some things in case I need to defend myself," I added helpfully.

Master Adi held my gaze for a moment before settling down into a chair. "That's good. That is a comfort to my mind. Even without the ability to sense your feelings, I can see that you're not afraid. Out of your sphere of comfort, maybe, but not afraid."

Qui-Gon's eyes raised as he turned to her. "You still can't sense her?"

"Not at all. She is blank as a rock."

"Interesting," he murmured, but that was all. In the following pause we could hear the water steaming in the kitchen, and Colin went to do something with it. Master Qui-Gon sat back in his chair so he could fix all of us with his studious gaze, and announced, "There is no sense putting it off any longer. We need information, Adi. You must tell us everything you know, everything that was not in those reports. And begin with the people among whom we are staying. If we are not to take sides in a conflict, explain to me why we are being sheltered by the Revin and Niall is in hiding among the Tharin."

Master Gallia also settled into her chair, glancing at me. But no one asked me to leave, so I stayed right where I was, thankful for Obi-Wan's silent but reassuring presence beside me. "We will begin with that, then," Adi relented. "Make yourself comfortable, Qui-Gon. It's going to be a long day."

On to part 19

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