Aria considered his point regarding the Council not appointing some of the older Force users as Champions, chewing her lip for a moment while she processed how to word her answer. “Or maybe they thought about it, or even asked them, and said Inquisitors, Warriors, whatever...refused?” the Champion shrugged one shoulder. “Just seems...a waste for them not to ask, like you said. But what if none of them are up for it? You heard Cheriss,” her cheeks puffed out and she furrowed her eyebrows together in her best rendition of the Elder’s stone-faced visage. “ ‘I’m getting too old for this Bantha poodoo!’ ” a quick inspection of the hallway to ensure Cheriss hadn’t been around to hear it confirmed they were safe and Aria relaxed again. “Some of the Inquisitors aren’t exactly spring chickens either...Ashara and Viqi don’t seem like they intend to stay around for very long now that Manus is dealt with, and Vano might complain about being bored up in the archives a lot but she’s not as sharp a fighter as she was before she lost her eye, I think she’d rather stay out of the line of fire as it were. And as for Kira….” Aria doubted the Knight would be back in action for a very long time, after the events of Voldon’s passing. 
“So, it makes sense that they’d rather turn to younger, more willing individuals for the job.”

As Yerbol mentioned thinking of the amount of future Champions they would have to train, an involuntary shudder passed through her. 
“Oh, I hope it’s not TOO many….I’d like to get to forty at least before I start turning grey, eh?” 

_______________________________________

The low light of the hangar obscured the pilot’s face, but the immediate reaction from the dogs prompted the conclusion that it was someone familiar by the way they leapt to their paws and bounced around them, tails lashing excitedly. When the woman spoke, it was clear exactly who she was and hearing it again brought a broad smile to Aria’s face. 
“Get down, you bumbling buffoons, you’re going to trip her up!” the Tuk’ata grumbled softly but slunk back to give Neta room to approach and embrace the two Champions one after the other. 
“It’s good to see you too, Neta.” she murmured, stepping back as the pilot released her, indicating both of the youngsters beside them respectively. “This is Ethan and Kytra, Neta is an old friend of ours.”  
“U-Uhmm..” Kytra raised a paw nervously as her whiskers twitched at the red-head. “But..which one is your chair, ma’am?” 
“Just stay out of the cockpit unless she calls you and you’ll be fine, Kytra.” Aria chuckled.

As Neta voiced her approval of Ethan’s knowledge about the ship, Aria couldn’t help but raise her eyebrows and give a slight nod of her own. 
“Very impressive.” the Champion gave an appreciative whistle as her eyes passed over the Commodore, she might not have had much knowledge about ships and how they worked but she could appreciate a well-made one when she saw it. “Well, certainly looks like you landed something leaps and bounds above the Icebox.” the Champion gave a conspiratorial wink. “I won’t tell the old girl, I promise.” 
Of course, she was just as surprised as her husband to see Netanya Orso back in the field, but unlike Yerbol chose not to voice it. It would seem it was somewhat of a sensitive topic, if the changes in her expression were anything to go by. Aria decided to shelve the topic for later, perhaps. She was rather glad (if a little surprised at the ease with which it was done) when the pilot lowered the ramp and led them into the interior of the ship. Aria listened to Neta’s explanations, frowning somewhat at her declaration that the politics had been “Boring”. 
“If this is what came out of it, I’d hardly call it ‘boring’, Neta…” she muttered incredulously as the pilot walked them through the layout of the upper most level. “This isn’t a ship, it’s a freaking summer house with a hyperdrive.” the Champion shook her head in amazement, “Whatever their reasoning for it, I have to agree, this is amazing.” 

Before they could bombard Neta with any more questions, they were dismissed and the door to the cockpit closed. Aria chuckled at Ethan’s complaint about being hungry before pointing out:
“Well you might have to get used to eating less, kid...you’ll be living on more space rations when you’re planet hopping; not always easy to store proper food.” Ethan’s face couldn’t have become more flushed if he tried, the apprentice abruptly excusing himself followed by Kytra who seemed no less eager to be loitering about and getting under the Champions’ feet. Aria turned to face her partner, her eyebrows disappearing into  her hairline. 
“Or maybe it’s just a guy thing? OR you’re upset because there might finally be somebody on this ship that can eat more than you, hmm?” she shot him a mischievous grin, nudging his stomach lightly and sauntering away down the hallway that Neta had indicated led to the crew’s quarters. “C’mon, let’s go check everything out. I’m sure you boys can survive without food for another hour or two.”  

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Finding a bunk of their own was relatively easy, the Commodore seemed to have ample room for the amount of passengers currently aboard and it wasn’t long before the Champions were settled in their own room, deciding to give the apprentices some time to settle down and gather their thoughts before they re-convened again. Aria perched on the end of the bed, tilting her head slightly. 
“I wasn’t expecting to see Neta again...not that I’m not glad for it, but doesn’t it seem...a bit odd to you?” she asked her husband, wondering if he felt the same way. “I hope nothing bad happened…” despite not having a connection to the Force, Neta was still incredibly hard to read (without invading her privacy and delving into her thoughts uninvited, which was just….wrong). The Champion sighed, leaning back on her arms and tilting her head towards the ceiling. “Y’know….of all the dangerous places we’ve been to in the last few years, I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t REALLY nervous about this one.” she admitted at length. “I’d even take going back in time and reliving that first visit to Quensu over going to Malachor V.” a pause, followed by a sideward glance and a plea of. “Do NOT tell those kids I’m scared, please? They’re going to expect us to be calm and stoic and...leaders. But I think we both know anything could happen over there….”
_____________

“Not that I would want to make it sound like the Council doesn’t know what they’re doing but…” Kytra piped up in the middle of their meal. The two apprentices sat across from the Champions, having fallen into a comfortable silence after exchanging a bit of small talk beforehand. Kytra seemed to be deep in thought before the Selonian spoke up to voice some of her concerns. “...Are you SURE it’s safe for us to even go anywhere near Malachor V? The...the system is restricted for a good reason, the magnetic fields there are very powerful and I heard there was a...a device there that could have even come from the Star Forge that drains Force power and pulls ships right out of the air!” her whiskers quivered uneasily, wide-eyed as she shrank back into her seat a little as Ethan shot her a look that implied he was questioning either her sanity or her nerve to question their superiors. “I-I’m sure you’re well prepared Master b-but it’s just...I...I read a lot.” the Selonian squeaked, covering her face with her paws. 
“You have nothing to worry about, Kytra.” Aria reassured her student, exchanging a glance with Yerbol. “It might be dangerous but it’s something you’re going to have to learn to deal with, with our help. Yerbol and I won’t let anything happen to you, just make sure you stay close and don’t wander off and I don’t see why we’ll have any problems on that front.”  the Champion cleared her throat and pushed her chair back as Neta’s bubbly voice crackled to life on the intercom unit, beckoning them to the briefing room for the chat she had mentioned earlier. 
“Try not to overthink it, let’s go and see what Neta has to say. It’s best not to keep her waiting.”