"Of course I can." said Han. "You saw how we outran those Imperial slugs. Getting us to Alderaan should be easy. Just sit tight here for a few hours and we'll have you planet side before you know it." With that, the smuggler turned back into the cockpit.

Adam stirred under his blanket and snored lightly. Obi-wan shook his head, keeping his bemused smile. "Adam always pushed himself too hard. It's a trait he shared with his father."

Obi-wan turned to Kijani, looking straight into her eyes. "You performed well today, as well. I can see that the Rebellion is safe in your hands. Tell me, what has Adam told you of the Force?"

Reassured by Han Solo's confidence, Kijani went to take a seat near Obi-Wan. The old man's blue eyes seemed to look right through her, and she had a brief feeling of amusement at being on the other side of such a stare.

"The Force? Well, as I understand it now, it's something that's both in and around us. It is a part of life, and some people can harness it and do miraculous things with it. He also explained the light side and the dark side, and what can turn someone to darkness. We sort of argued about that. Is it true Jedi aren’t allowed to love?” Besides that, she had more questions.

“Is it possible to teach anyone to be a Jedi? If it is, I would like to learn. I need to be… stronger.” There was something dim in her eyes, and it would be clear that she was still young despite being a leader. The girl Kijani underneath the titles and the crown and the danger peered out. “I need to protect everyone.”

"It's not quite that simple." said Obi-wan. "You have to be born with it. Although, after seeing how you've protected yourself, maybe you might have the gift." Obi-wan got up from his seat and stood before her, looking her in the eyes. "In the Old Republic, we trained Jedi when they were kids, so that they wouldn't have any attachments. Is that something you are willing to give up now as an adult?"

For a moment, Obi-wan struggles, almost falling over. Adam wakes up, cold sweat on his face. Both Master and Apprentice shared a look of horror. "Something terrible has happened..." Adam managed to say.
-------
Senator Bail Organa struggled again with the cuffs placed on him. "Stop that!" said one of the Stormtroopers escorting him as he clubbed him with his rifle. The clean, sterile halls of the Death Star were giving the former senator a migraine with how clean they were. He didn't remember how exactly he got here, but he it didn't take a genius to figure it out.

The last thing he remembered was Darth Vader and a company of troopers entering the senate building. They said that the Emperor himself had dissolved the Senate, and that Bail Organa was under arrest. He guessed they must have injected him with something that put him to sleep, and the effects were still wearing off.

The soldiers led him to a massive viewing room, with the blue void of hyperspace before them. Standing next to one wall was Darth Vader, but in the room's center was a man that Bail recognized but had never actually met until today. Wilhuf Tarkin, Grand Moff and Governor of the Outer Rim. The graying man was the picture of military discipline and tidiness, with his crisp uniform freshly pressed and cleaned.

"Bail Organa of Alderaan." Tarkin's voice was smooth and carrying a posh, superior tone. Bail was reminded of a cruel teacher reprimanding a child. "I trust you find our facility comfortable."

Bail said nothing. No matter what sort of flowery language one used, an interrogation was still an interrogation. Tarkin simply shrugged. "No room for pleasantries, I see. Unfortunate, but I understand." Tarkin said as he went over to the viewing screen.

"In ordinary situations, we would begin by torturing you and making you a little more pliable. But I have decided that we would try something different." Almost on queue, the Death Star dropped out of hyperspace and halted before a blue and green planet. Alderaan itself.

The oxygen is Bail's lungs left his body all at once, and he forgot himself. "You can't do this!" he said, nearly rushing Tarkin. Vader himself stepped in front of him, and Bail stopped in his tracks. "You would be committing genocide!"

Tarkin's mask of politeness and calm started to crack. "You know what we want, Bail. Where is the Rebel base?" he said with a tone that demanded an answer.

Bail's mind raced. He thought of his wife. His home. His colleges. The nearly two billion people living there. They would all be gone in an instant, unless he answered. To Bail, there was no decision to make. "They're in the Yavin system." he said, almost at a whisper.

All at once, the cruelty faded and Tarkin was the perfect gentleman again. "Very good, Bail." he said before reaching to his comlink. "Commander, prepare the weapon. Full power."

And in a few moments, Bail's home was destroyed in a cloud of fire and plasma. He tried to attack Tarkin with his bare hands, but Vader casually threw him back against a bulkhead. Fading into unconsciousness, the last thought in his mind was how he failed his daughter and his home.

Vader reached for his saber to finish Bail off, but Tarkin raised his hand. "Put him in a cell. He may still be useful to us."

Kijani was startled when Obi-Wan nearly fell. She jumped up to try and help him, but Adam was awake just as fast. At first she thought that the old man had just had a spell of some kind, and needed rest. But then the two of them shared a strange, knowing glance, both of them pale in the face.

“What do you mean, something terrible happened?” There was a cold knot in her stomach. Funny that; had that been there before or after Obi-Wan fell?

To her surprise, R-2 came veering around the corner, scrreching in an alarmingly high pitched way.

“What is it, R-2?”

R-2 beeped out a rapid series of whistles and chirps that Kijani had to struggle to understand.

“What do you mean, Alderaan disappeared? Slow down, you know I can only understand you up to a certain speed.

The droid started over again. “You were tracking Alderaan to prepare for our arrival, okay. Trying to get early clearance. I got that. And then it just… disappeared from your tracking system?” She frowned, staring quizzically at her robotic friend.

“R-2, run a diagnostic. Planets don’t just vanish.” She wiped her forehead, and noticed it was layered with sweat, like she’d been running a hard race. Where had that come from? No matter. She went to the cockpit, and looked between Han Solo and Chewbacca.

“Would you gentlemen do me a favor and pull up Alderaan in your tracking systems? I think my droid is a little glitchy at the moment and I’d like to set it straight.”

Han only shrugged and brought up the tracking system. He punched in the coordinates for Alderaan, but the sensor came up blank. "Huh." he said to himself as he ran it again. And again. And again....

"It's not showing up." he said, leaning back in his seat. "It's like it's been completely blown away." From behind Kijani, Adam came up, still a little unsteady from his vision.

"How is that even possible?" the young Jedi said. "How can it come back negative on all of our systems?" Han could only shake his head. "You're guess is as good as mine, kid. We're coming up on Alderaan right now." the smuggler said when his console began to beep.

The pilots brought the Falcon out of hyperspace, and a field of rocks and asteroids were hurtling through space before them. Han cursed and pulled up, avoiding a rather large rock.

"What the hell?" the smuggler said, looking over the destruction. Adam sighed and muttered under his breath. "It's worse than I imagined..."

Kijani frowned as Han tried to bring up Alderaan several times, and failed. “This is very strange, indeed.” Why was it so cold in here?

They came out of hyperspace then, and Kijani saw the sights with her own eyes. One, a mess of rocks and asteroid, and two, an empty space where her home should have been.

“What is this? Are we in the right place?” But she knew it was the right spots, there were the other planets and moons around Alderaan, but no… no…

“W-where is my… home?” There was that scared child again. Lost on her way. Her face went gray and ashen as she realized the horrible truth. That the asteroid field they were traversing through was her home. Her eyes went wide, and the strength went out of her body. She slumped into a kneeling position.

“Impossible.” She spoke as if the rest of the people in the ship didn’t exist. “This is absolutely impossible, no weapon exists with the strength to destroy a planet, it just doesn’t. So Alderaan should be here, but it’s not. It should be, but it’s not.” There was a blankness taking over her gaze. “It’s gone. Why is it gone? Why’s it gone? Mother?” No answer. “Papa?” No answer. Even R-2 dared not beep over his human’s deep shock.

Kijani started to scream.

The sound that echoed through the halls of the Millennium Falcon broke Adam's heart. It was bad enough looking at the remains of a dead planet, but this was Kijani's home, her entire life even. Now it was nothing but lifeless rock. He couldn't even begin to imagine what hell she must have been going through at that moment.

Adam took Kijani out of the cockpit and back to the living area. Not sure of what else to do, he embraced her. Stroking her hair, he tried his best to console her.

"It's okay. It's gonna be okay." he whispered to her, not sure of what else to say. He just knew that he didn't want her to cry anymore. Adam didn't have much experience with women, or with people in general, but Kijani didn't deserve this and he wanted to help her. He started to think he was making it worse when he heard Han from the cockpit.

"What is that? Is that a moon?" he asked, unsure if he wanted to know what the answer was.

Kijani wailed into Adam's chest, trying to control the noise of pure anguish pouring from her throat. Her family, her friends, her home, it was all just snuffed out in an instant. She felt weak, so weak and cold inside, as if a part of her had been torn out with the death of Alderaan.

"Okay?" She couldn't look at Adam. "How could it possibly be okay? It's... it's gone, it's all gone -" She hiccuped, trying to control the tears. "Everything I know and love. I didn't even get to say goodbye, I didn't-" This started a fresh wave of tears. It took her several minutes to calm down enough to pull away from Adam, and even then she looked very shaky.

"This is my fault. I know it is. The Empire is trying to break me." She paused, staring at her shaking hands. "...they might have."

Then she too, heard Han from the cockpit. "Alderaan only has 1 moon, but it shouldn't quite be visible from where the ship is. What's going on?"

"That's not a moon. That's a space station." said Obi-Wan from the cockpit. His voice was grave, and he swiftly left the cockpit. If he was at all bothered by Adam and Kijani in eachother's arms, he did not say.

"Is there anyway we can hide on this ship? We can't let them find us here." He said, turning to Han. Han, following close behind, scoffed a response.

"Hide? We can fight or run, but we don't have to hide!" As he finished his sentence, Chewbacca growled from the cockpit in frustration. "What do you mean we're caught in a tractor beam?!" Han yelled across the room. Chewie grunted again as he left the cockpit. There was no point in flying the ship now.

Han managed to swallow his anger before speaking again. "There are some smuggling compartments under the floor. Get in while I launch a few escape pods."

Chewbacca opened a floor panel, showing a small section of empty space. It was big enough for three people, and maybe an astromech droid. Han motioned for Adam and Kijani to get in. Once they were inside, Adam and Chewie lifted Threepio down with them. Before pulling the panel back over, Obi-wan gave a nod to Adam. "Stay there until I come and get you." Soon, the three were plunged into darkness, with the droids eyes giving off the only light.

"I don't know how soundproof these walls are, but we should try and keep it quiet." Adam whispered. He was glad that Kijani couldn't see him blush.

"That sounds like a good plan." Kijani murmured, eyes still puffy from crying. She had the oddest feeling, a strange twist in her gut, that things was about to get much, much worse. Her voice was a dull whisper.

"I have a bad feeling about this, Adam." She said, gracelessly plopping herself down on the floor and hugging her knees. "I would rather be out there, facing the danger. But I suppose your Master is wise and knows what he's doing." She lapsed into silence, staring at her shoes in an empty way. She understood the need for silence, but could only manage a few moments before the thoughts of her dead planet came flooding back. Tears started to prick at her eyes, and she knew she had to do something to distract herself. Kijani was not a quiet crier.

"What was it like, growing up with him?"

"With Obi-wan?" Adam asked, leaving his voice as a whisper. He sat down on the floor next to her, mostly to be a shoulder for her to cry on if she needed it. When part of his brain told him he was just hoping for another hug, he tried to ignore it. Still, atleast she was talking instead of thinking about Alderaan.

"It was alright, I guess. He was always there to help, but he was definitely my teacher first, my parent second. Worse still, it felt like he was keeping secrets from me all the time." In the dim light of C-3P0's eye, Adam could make out Kijani's tear-streaked face. It didn't really dawn on him til now just how close he had gotten to her in the short time he had known her. How long had it been? A day? That wasn't enough time to get to know someone. All he knew about her was what the trashy Holonet gossip shows ever said.

And yet, here he was, wondering if she would try and fight him if he kissed her. He decided not to find out, and instead do something more productive.

"I don't know what Obi-wan said about training you, but if he won't, then I will." he said to her, trying to sound optimistic. "I'm not a master, but I can at least pass on what I know. We could even get started now if you like. I don't think were going anywhere."

Kijani nodded a bit, seeing the wisdom in that. Anything to keep from thinking, or losing herself to the fear creeping in her belly. "Obi-wan really didn't say anything one way or another, to be honest. I guess he's got his hands full with you." A tiny, teasing grin graced her lips.

Her mood sobered quickly, though. She had the most horrible feeling, that everything was going to go terribly wrong, and quickly at that. And it would be her fault, like always. She inhaled slowly, trying to calm herself down and focus on the matter at hand. Stay as quiet as possible, wait for the others to come back. Try not to get caught, again. Try not to put her new companions in danger,again. Easier said than done.

Kijani abruptly stared Adam in the eyes. "Just in case I never get the chance, I wanted to thank you for everything you've done for me, Adam. You've left behind your home and friends to help a stranger, and all you've been rewarded with so far is more trouble." She leaned forward and hugged him tight. Her heart fluttered slightly; he was solid and muscled, and very warm. She found herself suddenly embarrassed. Better not think about that now, there was no time for it.

"T-that's all I wanted to say." She looked away, clearly flustered. "Um... so what's the first step to being a Jedi?"

"Well, I uh..." Adam sputtered before composing himself. He certainly wasn't prepared for the heartfelt hug that Kijani gave him. It seemed very... genuine. And honest. For a fleeting second, Adam had the feeling that maybe she liked him as much as he did her. It was a short second, however, and Adam quickly came to his senses.

Hoping he didn't look completely nonplussed, Adam brought his feet up into a meditative position. "Let's start at the beginning. Sit like this, and close your eyes." When Kijani did so, Adam continued.

"Now, still your mind. And Breathe. Deep breaths. When you are ready, reach out with your feelings." As he told Kijani, Adam did the same thing. He felt the galaxy. The fleeting life of Alderaan. The dark cold of the Death Star. But there was something else, too.

It was a single being. Not so much a person as it was a presence. In all of the creatures of the galaxy, the light and the dark side of the Force are in perfect balance. But not this one. If the Death Star radiated the dark side of the Force, than whoever this was a black whole. Sucking life, joy and light from all around it and bringing forth more darkness.

The worst part of all, though, was that something told Adam that he recognized this. This was someone he should know...

Adam came back to his own body, and found it covered in sweat. Adam wondered if Obi-wan felt it, too. And if whoever they sensed knew they were coming.

Kijani sat as she was instructed, shutting her eyes and calming her breathing to slow, deep breaths. She reached out and felt... nothing at first. Not one to give up quickly, she tried again. Reach out with her feelings? All her life she'd been told that her feelings could cloud her judgement, and were to be kept carefully regulated. This was new. She felt her heart expanding, and suddenly, she felt it.

She felt everything. Adam sitting across from her, warm and gentle. The buzz of the two droids nearby. Further out; the rubble that was once her home. The hum of stars and the spin of planets. The looming presence of the Death Star. So many lives in one place, it was almost like a planet of it's own. Further in, she could feel the sparks that were soldiers and officers and cleaning droids and - what?

"...f-father?" It shook her out of her meditation, and almost immediately her head and heart started to pound.

"Agh..." She groaned very softly, burying her face in her hands. "Is it always that overwhelming?"

"No, but as you practice, it will become easier." Adam said, short of breath. Adam looked to see Kijani, head in her hands. He tenativly put a hand on her shoulder. "Are you okay? What did you see?"
-----
Darth Vader walked down the hallway of the Death Star, causing many Stormtroopers and officers to stand aside. The ensign who followed in his wake had to walk double time to keep up with the Sith Lord's massive strides.

"Reactors four and nine are still down, my lord. We are currently running on low power until they are repaired." she said.

"Prepare the station to jump to lightspeed the moment the reactors are back online." Vader said in his bellowing, machine enhanced voice. "We have the location of the Rebel's secret base, and the time has com-."

The ensign nearly ran into Vader's back as he suddenly stopped in his tracks. "Is there something wrong, my lord?" she asked.

I sense something. A presence I've not felt in many years. Vader thought to himself. What could he be doing here? No one could have known that the senator is here so quickly. And who is that with them. His students?

"It is nothing. You are dismissed." Vader told the ensign, who graciously saluted and left Vader alone. The Sith Lord knew that one way or another, he would confront his old master for the last time this day...

Kijani stared up into Adam's eyes, still obviously shaken. "I saw... I thought I saw..." She shook her head, shutting her eyes. "I saw - I felt - my father's presence." Her eyes opened, dull and empty. "But that is impossible. My father is gone." A tear escaped her, and she brushed it away hurriedly. No time for tears. She took a few deep breaths, calming her racing heart.

"Maybe the Force was just showing me what I wanted to see. I am new to this, after all." She flashed him the briefest of smiles, clearly trying to keep a brave face on. "So, the first step is meditation. I can handle that, as long as it isn't so... intense as the first one. What's next?" Despite the strange, lingering presence of her father, Kijani was still eager to learn.

"Sense is always the first step. For now, lets try Alter." said Adam, trying to quote Obi-wan as best as he could. Adam pulled out his lightsaber and laid it on the floor in front of him and Kijani. "Now, reach out just like before. Think of the space between you and the lightsaber. When you are ready, try to lift it.

It took Adam a long time to get to do this lesson the when he was a student. In his defense, though, he was very young. It's possible that Kijani might be able to do much better than him. It was just a matter of patience and self-awareness.

Would Obi-wan be upset if Adam trained kept training Kijani like this? His own training wasn't finished. On the other hand, the galaxy needed Jedi, and having one more couldn't hurt. At least, that's what he hoped.

Kijani looked down at the lightsaber with great curiosity. She'd seen Adam wield it like an expert. That was the part that both impressed and scared her most. Someone as gentle and kind as he could be absolutely lethal.

"Alright. Focus on the space." Her eyes slid shut, and she started to concentrate. There was the lightsaber in front of her, cold metal and... something like a banked energy in between it. With her mind, she explored the sturdy shape, and her fingers stretched forward.

"Lift... lift..." She felt something flow from her fingertips toward the blade. She cracked an eyelid to watch, and... nothing happened.

"Hm. I thought I had it. Let's try again." She closed her eyes once more, this time focusing everything she had on the saber in front of her. Her other senses seemed heightened. The hum of the droids and Adam's breathing became stronger, the dimness behind her eyelids seemed to brighten into sparkling stars.

The lighsaber in front of her jumped about a half inch on one side, then lay still.

Kijani reluctantly opened her eyes. "...Did I do it?"

"You had it for a second, yea." said Adam, bemused. "Let's try that again, but don't stop yourself in the middle." Before Adam could instruct further, the hatch above them opened, filling the small compartment with light.

Han looked down on the two of them, grin on his face. "I'm sorry, am I interrupting a romantic moment?" Adam just hid his blush and pulled himself, Kijani and Threepio out of the smuggling hold. Obi-wan soon joined them, raising a finger to his lips.

"We don't have much time. The troopers are going to be back any second." Han gave him a wink. Adam realized that the Falcon wasn't moving anymore. They must have docked with the Death Star by now.

"Don't worry. Once they get here, we can take their uniforms." said Han. Adam had to admit, that wasn't the worst idea he had ever heard. Hopefully he could find a uniform in his size...

As the hatch door opened, Kijani flinched away from the light. Her senses were still on high, and it burned her eyes. She balled her fists, prepared for a fight. But none came, as it was just Captain Solo.

“Thank goodness, it’s only you.” With Adam’s help, she climbed out of the hatch, not quite looking him in the eye. Why was she embarrassed? They weren’t doing anything untoward, and certainly not romantic.

“We’re going to steal stormtrooper uniforms? That…” She couldn’t think of a better plan, not with such little time. “That’s going to have to do.” She looked at the Han, then Obi-Wan, before glancing to Adam. “Aren’t you going to be a little short to be a stormtrooper, Adam?” She looked down at herself.

“And what about me? I don’t think they make female stormtroopers.” Then again, had anyone seen them without their masks on? Perhaps there were. “Whatever way this goes, I will help you fight.”

(Forgive me for the reference, I had to.)