It was late in the evening. Katerrina stood at the small window in her room looking at the barren lands outside the Tower. The room was small and spartan, but she was long used to small and spartan on Ossus. A hard sleep-couch stood on one wall. A plain wooden bureau stood on the opposite wall. They were the only fixtures in the room besides the window.
Her hands were folded behind her back as she stood at the window. Katerrina's routine was similar enough to what she knew on Ossus so that it came naturally. Awake at dawn. A run as the sun rose. A small breakfast. Physical training, sometimes against droids, sometimes against Master Travanix. Another small meal. More physical training. The occasional visit to the Marketplace to replace unitards burned and damaged beyond repair. More training. A small meal. Sleep.
Katerrina used the time before sleep to go over the day. Seeing where she had made progress. Seeing where she needed work. Master Travanix taught her something daily. Usually with a healthy dose of pain behind it. For the first time, she was challenged. She learned more in the short time as Master Travanix's apprentice than she had in her years on Ossus. Even her old master paled in comparison to Master Travanix.
He drove her not just to the limits of her endurance. He broke them, and made new limits in their place. Katerrina was already stronger. Her muscles were firmer and harder. She was faster and more agile. Every now and then she thought she saw approval on her Master's face. Every time she tried to focus on it he taught her new levels of pain.
Katerrina turned from the window and lay on the sleep-couch. She gave her body the command to sleep. Dawn came early.
Her hands were folded behind her back as she stood at the window. Katerrina's routine was similar enough to what she knew on Ossus so that it came naturally. Awake at dawn. A run as the sun rose. A small breakfast. Physical training, sometimes against droids, sometimes against Master Travanix. Another small meal. More physical training. The occasional visit to the Marketplace to replace unitards burned and damaged beyond repair. More training. A small meal. Sleep.
Katerrina used the time before sleep to go over the day. Seeing where she had made progress. Seeing where she needed work. Master Travanix taught her something daily. Usually with a healthy dose of pain behind it. For the first time, she was challenged. She learned more in the short time as Master Travanix's apprentice than she had in her years on Ossus. Even her old master paled in comparison to Master Travanix.
He drove her not just to the limits of her endurance. He broke them, and made new limits in their place. Katerrina was already stronger. Her muscles were firmer and harder. She was faster and more agile. Every now and then she thought she saw approval on her Master's face. Every time she tried to focus on it he taught her new levels of pain.
Katerrina turned from the window and lay on the sleep-couch. She gave her body the command to sleep. Dawn came early.