Alethea Surik finished putting the last of her things in the bag she would be taking with her on this mission. She had no idea who her partner was to be, as her Master had given her no indication as to who it would be and she had dared not dig into her Master's mind. Of course, some form of telepathy happened almost instinctively, so she did get a name--Thal-ion Serr--but she wasn't terribly familiar with him, so a simple name didn't give her too much information. She supposed it didn't matter a great deal. She doubted that they would put her with someone that she wouldn't get along with. She was certain that they would undoubtedly make a good team. After all, she got along well enough with most people.<br/><br/>She tossed the bag over her shoulder and clipped a lightsaber to each side of her belt before heading out the door to where she was supposed to meet the other Jedi who would be accompanying her on this mission. It was a bit early, but she generally preferred showing up early to being late. No sense wasting time lounging around here when she could be on her way. After all, she'd rather wait for her partner at the ship than hang around her just to kill time. There was always the chance that her partner would be early, too, and they could get started sooner rather than later.<br/><br/>She was rather pleasantly surprised to find her partner was already waiting there for her. Of course, as soon as she came anywhere near him she was bombarded with a myriad of thoughts coming from the Jedi who was tall and about her age. She quickly blocked the thoughts from her mind as she strode towards him. Her stride was long, her footsteps silent, and her movements graceful, even in a task so simple as walking. Her long, dark curls were loose for the time being, tumbling over her shoulders and the light brown robe that she wore. She was tall for a girl, standing about 178 cm tall with a small, lithe figure. She was fit but not overly muscular, as physical strength was not her focus. She preferred the use of speed, agility, strategy, and the use of the force over brute strength. Her blue eyes took in the appearance of her partner and decided that he, too, likely favored speed and agility.<br/><br/>"Hello." she greeted him with a light, nonchalant voice, pausing next to him and eyeing the ship. "I'm Alethea Surik." she offered by way of introductions. "You are Thal-ion Serr, I presume?" she glanced his way, waiting for his answer before looking back at the ship, which was an older one, but should serve their purposes well enough. "We best get going." She spoke up again after falling silent for a long moment. She wasn't much for dilly-dallying. She liked to make the most efficient use of her time. They would have plenty of time to chat once they were on their way to their destination. No use wasting time conversing here when they could be on their way. She only hoped that her partner agreed.<br/><br/>This was her first mission without her Master, and from what she understood, the same was the case for her partner. Even so, she wasn't nervous. If anything she was excited. It was a chance to prove herself, to spread her wings a bit. She was itching to get started. With everything that had happened, the Jedi couldn't afford to hold their students back. They needed to rebuild their strength. She also understood, however, that they couldn't send students out unprepared, lest they fail and the ranks of the Jedi diminish once more. It was a delicate balance to find, to be sure. To know when to let them go out on their own without holding them back, but also without risking their lives by sending them out when they weren't ready.<br/><br/>She thought that they were often too cautious for their own good, holding back students who could have moved forward already because they didn't want to take the risk. They wouldn't call it fear, of course, but that was what it truly boiled down to. She couldn't blame them for it, of course. After everything, fear of the order falling again, as it had so many times in history, was understandable. But fear was an emotion that Jedi should not allow themselves to fall prey to. At any rate, she supposed that, at least for the moment, that wasn't for her to dwell on. She wasn't a Master, so her thoughts and opinions were not sought. Of course, that didn't mean that she never gave them, even if it sometimes got her into trouble. It did, however, mean that even if she was right, sometimes it was discarded. Oh well. One day she would be a Master and then that would all be different. For now, she would focus on the mission in front of her. This was the first step on the journey to that goal.