After Satele and I made it back to the Republic fleet, she has been personally teaching me 10 hours a day. I use the extra 2 to self-study and explore the forms I'm being taught. The two weeks spent with Satele has shown me how much work is needed to close the gap with potential sith. It's a common fact that the sith are better fighters because of their inherited dark side use. I'm making great progress, and I can say I can now take on a sith apprentice.
I get out of the bed and walk out of the bedroom. I enter the common area and see many Jedi and padawans. I see Knight Jayla peering at me. I don't know why, but she has some problem with me. You can't be on friendly terms with everyone. I walk over to the table and join them. I don't interrupt their conversation and listen. Two Master are comparing how their padawans did on their first missions with them.
Satele didn't tell anyone about the sith we ran into. Not anyone on the station anyways. I asked if she would tell anyone, and she said the only people that would know would be the council. "So padawan Nate. How was your first mission?" My thoughts are interrupted by a question from Knight Jayla. She has a neutral and calm expression while asking me that too. I don't know why people are drawn to question me or know about me.
Just because I'm strong in the force doesn't mean I like the attention. "Master Satele taught me a lot. She is really good at talking with difficult people. We got to fight some rakghouls on Taris too. They were evil little creatures. I feel sorry for the poor people they used to be..." Jayla looks at me the same way she always does. The two Masters never stopped talking. They were too distracted by their own stories.
I look at said padawans, and they are looking at each other in determination. These Masters must go way back to have conversations like this. "Your next mission is supposed to be assigned soon, Nate. Today if I remember correctly. Its either between Hoth or Alderaan." I look at Jayla fast. Alderaan is a potential mission? I was never told where my mom and dad were sent, but maybe I could see aunt Mary and grandpa Jora again.
I feel Satele getting closer to the room, and I lift my head as the sliding door opens. "Nathan. We have a new mission. Come with me to Commander Trev for the details." I stand up and walk over to Master. She and Jayla share a look between each other. I can't really describe it. "Knight Jayla. I'd like you not to question Nathan on any of his missions. You have your own to worry about." I look at Satele in confusion. She starts to walk away, and I join her.
We walk side by side until we reach the Commander's office. We enter, and I can tell he is in a foul mood. "Hoth is a strategic location in this war! The fact the empire moved in, and we did nothing is absolutely insane!" He is in a very foul mood. He turns around fast and looks at us. "I know you outrank me, Grandmaster Satele, but this is absolutely ridiculous! How are we supposed to win this war if we let this kind of rancor shit happen!" He is obviously very patriotic about the war and how it turns out.
I've been reading reports in my free time and seeing how much ground the empire is gathering. In a sense, I agree with him, but the senate stands in the way of a lot of progress. The chancellor only has so much power. A new election is arriving, and there is a heavy favorite. A Twi'lek named Saresh is looking to be the winner this time around. "I understand your frustration Trev, but senators are good at debating. Not decision-making. I have people to answer to as well, and that's the very senators that run the republic." In all fairness, that is also true. The senate argued a long time ago about the Jedi's role in the war.
In the end, it was decided that Jedi would lead forces into battle instead of deciding where to take the war. Commander Trev sighs and plops down in his seat. "Your mission is on Hoth. A very important republic spy has uncovered vital information about the empire. We lost contact with the spy 15 hours ago. Your original mission was going to be on Alderaan, but this takes priority." So that means I won't be seeing Alderaan any time soon.
Satele nods her head, and we make our way to the hanger and do all the necessary things to leave and enter hyperspace. "What's on Hoth that the empire and republic are willing to fight? I thought it was a near lifeless world covered in snow and ice." I don't know the value of Hoth or why the empire is interested in it. It seems like a waste of time for the empire to be so adamant about fighting for such a worthless world. It has strategic value, but not as much as other worlds currently contested.
Satele looks at me, and we sit in the seat, watching hyperspace go by. "Hoth has many treasures. One of them being The Star of Coruscant. It's a superdreadnought filled with tech and important information. The real important thing isn't the dreadnought and what it's hiding. It's the old Jedi temple on Hoth." I wasn't expecting that. I wouldn't think the Jedi to build a temple on Hoth. Well, they built one on Ilum, so why not Hoth. "It's very old and abandoned, Nate. Most of what was hidden in there is either lost or has been recovered by the Jedi." So that goes straight back to my first question. Why is the empire interested.
She sees my confused look and rubs her temple. "We don't have all the answers, Nate. We are going to find out what the empire is hiding. The republic spy is our top priority, not why the empire is interested in Hoth." If this spy has information that they send the Grandmaster of the order to get, it must be important. The sith really have no limits on what they do. I know there are kyber crystals on Hoth, but those hold no value to the empire.
We get up and head to the training room on the ship. Satele teaches and helps me for the duration of the trip. After 6 hours, we hear beeping indicating we are getting close to Hoth. We stop training and enter the cockpit. We do all the work, and we start to descend onto the planet. We land on one of the landing pads and exit the ship. This place is as cold as Ilum, in my opinion, but when it gets so cold, you can't really tell the difference anymore.
I follow Satele all the way to the commander's station at this post. "It's good to see some Jedi after so long. I'm Commander Jesir. I'll be helping you in your mission during your time on Hoth." Satele and I give light bows in respect like all Jedi do. Now it's time to hear the real details of the mission. I have a feeling this is going to be harder than Taris. I also sense a dark side presence on Hoth. It's on a very high level. I say it's at least a Darth.