"Right." Adam said, tossing his blasters. The scummy water probably ruined the power packs, anyway, so there was no point in lugging them around. The young Jedi gripped his lightsaber but didn't ignite it. "Hopefully they've lost our trail for now. If we can hurry back to the ship before they realize where we are, we can get out, no problem."

As he spoke, Adam heard a soft sloshing noise from behind him. It was possible that there was something in the compactor with them. Not that he planned on sticking around long enough to find out.

Once Kijani opened the door, Adam rushed forward with his lightsaber drawn, hoping there weren't a platoon of troopers with blasters aimed right at the door. Instead, he nearly collided with a seven foot wall of smelly hair.

"What's the rush, kid?" said Han, equally surprised. Both were carrying Imperial blaster rifles. "Is that your dad?" Han nudged at Bail.

"Yea, but what the hell are you guys doing here? What happened to staying at the ship?" Adam asked. Chewbacca laughed while Han looked incredulous. "Don't look at me, Chewie talked me into it. But, hey, know that we've found eac-"

Before Han could finish his sentence, the corridor erupted in blaster fire. "There they are! Take them down!" said the metallic voicebox of a Stormtrooper's helmet. Adam batted a few of the bolts away as best as he could, but it wouldn't last. They had to get out of here.

"Split up! Meet up back at the ship!" yelled Han, grabbing the senator and pulling him down the hall. Adam hoped that he would be safe with Han and Chewie, but he couldn't think about that for now.

"Let's go, princess!" Adam said before running down the hall, leaving the Stormtroopers behind.

Everything was happening so fast. One second she was preparing for battle in her mind, but relaxed in relief at seeing Han and Chewbacca. "Thank goodness! I don't know what he said to convince you, but-" She didn't even get to finish that sentence before they were being shot at, again, and her father was separated from her once more.

There was no time to argue. She figured back a few shots to delay the Stormtroopers on their backs, and started to run herself. "I would really love to not be in this place!" Now, where was the ship, anyway? She was all turned around. "Not be in this armor, not be being shot at, all of it! Can't a princess get a little peace?" It was rare for her to complain so vocally, but wading in garbage water had pushed her over some type of edge. What she really wanted was to go home. But there wasn't that anymore. No, no there wasn't even time to think about that fact.

So instead of thinking, she ran and shot and ran some more.

Adam listened to Kijani while they ran, and found he couldn't bring himself to disagree. At least they had saved her father, so now all that needed to happen was to get back to the Falcon and get the hell out. Everything would be alright after that. That's what he told himself anyway.

Adam skidded to a halt in front of a massive, empty chasm. Looking down, it seemed to go on forever. "Why the hell would anyone built this?" he said incredulously. "What purpose could this possibly serve other than to kill your staff!?" Glancing at the other side of the chasm, he saw a door open and more blaster bolts fly towards them. He quickly raised his saber to deflect, and sent one bolt flying back.

The other, however, glanced off his blade and went into a nearby control panel. "I hope that's not the controls for the bridge..." he said to himself. Sure enough, it was. With a twenty foot gap in front of them and Stormtroopers behind, Adam was starting to run out of ideas.

"Does that belt have a grappling hook?" he asked Kijani, looking up at a large durasteel fixture. That thing looked heavy enough to support their weight.

Kijani looked down and down at the chasm before them. This whole place made no sense. She would love to see the blueprint for this section of the station. "Grappling hook, grappling hook-" She fumbled at her belt for several moments before finding it, ducking blaster fire all the way. "Here!" She unwound it, and started looking for a place to hook it. Her eyes lighted on the same fixture Adam had been staring at, and she said a silent prayer that it would hold them both.

"Cover me!" She wound up the hook and gave it a hard toss. She nearly got shot for her trouble, but her aim was good. She made it in one swing, the hook finding purchase on the large fixture. Giving it a test tug, she looked to Adam.

"Now or never!"

"Right. Here goes nothing." Adam said as he wrapped his arm around Kijani as tight as he could. Satisfied that he wasn't going to drop her, he leapt forward. For a moment, Adam felt completely weightless as he soared through the air, princess under his arm. Even as the blaster bolts whizzed past, the young Jedi felt the durasteel ground hit his feet. He let go of the cord, and got a few feet before he realized he was still trying to carry the princess. "Sorry." he said as he let her go and continued running.

As the pair of them ran, Adam noticed the Stormtroopers and blaster shots begin to lessen. Are they really breaking off? Why stop chasing us now? After a moment of not seeing any more imperials, Adam slowed his run and tried to catch his breath.

"Do they know something we don't?" he asked no one in particular. Even as he spoke, he knew something had to be terribly wrong. Worst still, he had no idea if they were even remotely close to the Falcon. And where the hell was Obi-wan?

Then it hit him. The full power of the darkside was suddenly all around him. It was darker and more terrible than anything Adam felt before. He felt his breath begin to quicken as fear and adrenaline coursed through him. From the other side of the hall sounded a strange, mechanical noise that almost sounded like... breathing?

Kijani ran along with Adam, heart pounding. She was actually elated when the troopers stopped. Maybe they had to regroup and figure out a new plan? She wanted to stop to breathe, but Adam was still moving. So did she. The armor was beginning to chafe.

Finally, they slowed. Kijani was panting by the time they did. She sighed, and when Adam spoke, she barely managed a reply.

"Maybe they have to... regroup or something. Or maybe they're just as tired as we are?"

She watched Adam's face go pale, and she was about to ask why. Then it hit her too - a little less intensely, and she didn't know what she was feeling. Suddenly she was cold sweating, and felt a twist of nausea in her stomach. Something was very wrong.

"...what... what is that noise?" She was whispering, without knowing why.

Adam shook his head as the walls of the space station began to creak from stress. Who or whatever this thing was, it was powerful. His thoughts had returned to the smuggling apartment on the Falcon. Was this the same being that he felt?

The door at the other end of the hallway opened, and a wall of pure blackness stepped forwards. He was tall, taller than any man that Adam had ever seen, with the only color eminanting off of him were from the electronic lights on his midsection and the gleaming red lightsaber in his hands. Adam ignited his own blue saber and held it up in a guard position. He wanted to run like hell, but deep down he knew that was pointless.

"What's this?" said the man in black with a deep, mechanized voice. He sounded genuinely surprised. "Where is your Master, child? Where is Obi-wan Kenobi?" Adam felt the inside of his mouth become dry and his words completely failed him.

"Nothing to say? Very well, then." The man said as he rushed forward, lightsaber raised.

Kijani paled as the man - machine - whatever, raised a wicked looking red lightsaber. Adam was in trouble. She knew that. She could see fear in his face, and she was just as afraid. She could feel it quelling up in her, threatening to overwhelm her. It was already rooting her to the spot.

"No-" Her voice came out in a hoarse whisper. She could see it then, suddenly, in the back of her mind. Playing out like a film. Adam getting carved down like butter. His eyes going blank. Then this person coming for her, and her father, and -

"NO!" She didn't know why, or how. She wouldn't be able to replicate it later. But she stretched her hands out and pushed, with everything she had in her, and then some.

Adam could feel the force emanating behind him, but he dare not take his eyes off his opponent. When Kijani's hands shot forward, the walls buckled and groaned, and even Vader took a step back. Adam felt the dark side radiating off Kijani, and knew he wasn't in a much better place.

"Two Jedi children." Vader said as he righted himself. "I sense great fear in both of you. Give into it, and you may overwhelm me." The expression on the man's face couldn't be seen, but Adam got the impression that he was smiling. Before saying another word, he rushed forward, saber raised. Adam moved to block and the two lightsabers crackled and hummed. Adam was forced to use both of his hands while Darth Vader seemed to be lazily holding onto his weapon. He was toying with them, and Adam knew it. Vader could end this fight at literally any time he wanted, so why was he trying to stall?

Adam tried to push away and tried to attack, but the Dark Lord casually batted away his every attempt before bringing his hand out. The dark side of the force filled the room, and Adam felt himself being lifted off the floor. His windpipe began to collapse, and all he could do choke. Before he blacked out, he could hear another lightsaber activating and a figure rushing for Vader. In surprise, Vader loosened his grip on the young Jedi.

"Master Kenobi. At last." said Vader, turning to face the new threat. "I'm glad that you finally arrived." The aged Jedi master simply took up a guard position.

As Adam was lifted off of the ground, Kijani could do nothing but watch in horror. Adam had put up a good fight, but she could see that there was no chance of winning. This man seemed to be amused, if nothing else, toying with Adam for reasons she didn't know. Kijani herself was utterly exhausted. It seemed her little display of Force had done nothing but to make her tired. Her head was spinning.

"No! Please don't kill him!" All she could do was uselessly plead, leaning against the wall. She knew that she was next, and could do absolutely nothing to defend herself. "Please!" Tears were blurring her vision now, as she watched Adam's face go redder and then slip into a disturbing looking purple.

And then, like a miracle, Obi-wan showed up. "Obi-wan!" It seemed like a great battle was about to take place. As Adam was dropped like a pile of trash, she rushed to his side to try to get him on his feet. "Adam, please, get up if you can. We have to get out of here."

Adam struggled to his feet, his breath coming in heaving gasps. He reached out for his lightsaber, wanting to help his master. Maybe if they both fought Vader, they could overwhelm him. Maybe they could-

"Run, Adam! Run!" said the voice in his head that he knew belonged to his master. "I've rigged one of the reactors to explode! Take Kijani and get to the rebels! The boy took one last look at his master, and he knew it would be for the last time. Mentally, he bid farewell to his master and started to run, just as an explosion rocked the station.

The space station was in chaos, and no one seemed to notice or care about the two fugitives running all the way to the hanger bay where the Falcon awaited. When the pair climbed the ramp, Adam felt his strength finally fail him. He collapsed on the deck, completely exhausted.

"Is that everyone? We need to get out of here while the tractor beam is down! Where is the old man?" Han shouted from the cockpit.

"He's... not coming." Adam said, rasping. Good-bye, master. I'm sorry.

Kijani nearly felt her legs give out as they finally, finally reached the deck of the Millennium Falcon. "We... we encountered a monster. Darth Vader." She had been too afraid to think straight before, but all of the reports from the rebels matched that man's description. It made complete sense. The only thing that didn't match was their survival. "Obi Wan saved us both." She felt tears welling up, but she pushed them away. She slumped near Adam, eyes shut.

"...We should go, Captain." Let it be her to make the hard choice. Sure, it was possible for Obi Wan to survive his encounter. Theoretically, he could be on his way. But they had to survive. The Rebellion had to. "Let's fly."

Sacrifice one for a thousand.

If anyone wanted to switch places with Kijani, she would have liked it to be for these moments.

Adam didn't remember falling asleep on the floor, but when he opened his eyes, he was back home. Everything was where it should have, completely untouched. Even the wall was put back into place, as if the Deathtroopers had never come. Obi-wan himself was sitting in the middle of the room, cradling something in his arms. Adam first thought it was his own lightsaber, but when he approached and say before his master, he could see that it was someone else's.

"Hello, Padawan." he said. His smile was genuine, as if nothing was wrong. Adam desperately wanted to reach out and hug his old master, but he stood still. If this was a dream, he didn't want to disturb it. If it was a message, he needed to pay attention.

"My time is short, and there is work for both of you." Obi-wan said, looking sad. Adam got the sense he genuinely wanted didn't want to leave Adam and Kijani, but had no choice. "You must continue her training, as well as your own." Obi-wan raised the lightsaber over his head and ignited the blade. It filled the small room with golden light.

"When you are ready, go to the Dagobah System, and find Master Yoda."

With a shake, Adam woke up. He could feel Kijani still slumped against his shoulder and the cold, durasteel floor underneath them. Adam wanted to take a shower, find some food, and do about a million other things, but he decided that he could leave Kijani on the floor. When he stood, he picked her up and bridal carried her into one of the back rooms. She was surprisingly light, and hoped he didn't wake her up when he set her down on one of Han's spare cots. When he saw a familiar looking lightsaber hooked onto Kijani's belt, he smiled and close the door behind him. To his surprise, he turned around to find Bail Organa staring face to face with him.

"Is she alright?" he asked with concern.

"Yea. She's just tired. I'm sure all of us are." Adam said before trying to move past him. Bail put his hand up.

"You care for her, I can see that. But if you really want her to be safe, you should keep her away from this Jedi business. When we get to Yavin 4, you need to leave." He said, finally letting him pass. Adam simply nodded and he walked past. What Kijani wants is not up to any of us, just her.

Kijani barely stirred as Adam carried her to bed. She was locked in a dreamless sleep, and had exhaustion written all over her face. She slept for hours as the ship traveled, only to wake with a start. She came to slowly, the events of the past few days catching up.

There was a gentle knock on the door.

"Come in."

Bail entered, looking both relieved and worried at the same time. "Thank goodness, you're awake. I was starting to get worried." He smiled warmly, but there was something hidden in his eyes that Kijani couldn't quite understand.

"Father... our home is gone. What are we doing to do?" She rose up and hugged him, and quite suddenly began weeping. She'd been holding it back for some time now. Everything came out in a flood. Kijani even saw her father shedding some tears. For a while, there was nothing but quiet weeping between the two of them.

After that, Kijani stood. She hadn't noticed it before, but the lightsaber hanging on her belt immediately drew her attention. She took it in hand, transfixed, and then she lit it. The golden glow matched her eyes, somehow. It felt right in her hand, but she didn't dare swing it without ample practice. This was a weapon of beauty and destruction.

Bail winced. "Kijani, we must talk about this.... Jedi business."

Kijani turned back to her father. "What is there to talk about? I'll take any advantage I can to win this war. If only I had known sooner." Her shoulders squared as something occurred to her. "Father, did you and Mother know about this? From what I know of Jedi, they are trained from the time they can walk and hold a blade."

Bail sighed softly, and patted the side of the cot beside him. Kijani sat back down.

"...we suspected. Strongly suspected. But you must understand - at the time you were coming up, the Jedi were being hunted down. There was no one to take you in, no one to train you. The Jedi were - and are - a dangerous thing to be. I... I don't want you to do this, little sun. It's far too dangerous, likely to get you killed."

"And leading the Rebellion isn't dangerous? I'm wanted throughout half the Galaxy, and you're saying this is the dangerous part? No." Kijani raised her chin. "I will take up this training. I will become a Jedi. I will lead the Rebellion into battle, and victory. Even if I have to carve Darth Vader and the Emperor apart with my own two hands."

There it was again, that unreadable look in Bail's eyes. "...why are you putting all of this on your shoulders? Why you?"

"Who else? This is the crown I have been tasked to wear." Kijani stared down her father. For a moment, there was a silent battle of wills. Slowly, Bail hung his head. A few tears slipped down his cheeks.

"Your mother would be very proud. You have more of her in you every day."

"Thank you, Father." Kijani had to fight back tears herself. "I'm going to find Adam."

And she stepped into the hallway, the weight of a saber on her belt, and the weight of destiny on her shoulders.

Adam managed to find the shower, and even remembered where his old clothes were hidden before changing into his disguise. Clean and with a few hours of sleep, he made his way to the cockpit to check on Han and Chewie.

"How are we holding up?" Adam said, taking a seat behind Chewbacca.

"Well, it looks like the Empire are more concerned with fixing their space station than chasing us, so it looks like we're clear." Han said. "Bail told us where the rebels were, and we should be there in an hour or so."

Adam nodded. His thoughts fell back to Kijani, sleeping in one of the backrooms. Now that Obi-wan was gone, she was really the only person he knew. He remembered what Bail said about staying away from her, but he'd like to think she cared for him, too.

"Han, you're pretty popular with girls, right?" Adam asked. Han turned his head with a look of confused suspicion on his face.

"I mean, yea. Why?"

Adam internally took a deep breath. "So you know how to talk to them and not seem like an idiot, right?" Han stared blankly for just a second before he and his wookie companion burst into laughter.

"You mean, can I help you get Kijani to like you?" the smuggler said between breaths. Adam suddenly felt his face grow very, very red.

"Am I really that obvious?" Adam said, knowing it was pointless to try and argue.

"Yes, kid. You are really that obvious." Han said, finally calming down.

"So are you gonna help me or not?" Adam was starting to feel a little ridiculous.

"I would, but she's a princess. Are you sure you're not aiming a little too high?" Han asked. That was exactly the question Adam had been asking himself for the last few hours. Her home was gone, but she was still royalty. Surely she could do much better than a dirty farmboy, Jedi or no Jedi.

"Honestly, I don't know. I'd like to think I'd still be in love with her if she wasn't a princess. I mean, she's brave, clever and very kind. Could she settle for much better than me? Definitely, but I'd like to at least try."

Darth Vader stood above the catwalk, surveying the damages done to the Death Star. One of the cores had been destroyed, and the resulting power surge fried many of the stations systems, including the engines. Fires had also broken out, but thankfully the emergency repair teams were getting them under control. What was more maddening than the damages was the fact that the rebels slipped out during all the chaos. The Emperor would demand and explanation... and retribution.

In his fist, Vader still grasped the lightsaber of Obi-Wan Kenobi. When the Sith Lord struck down the old man, he vanished, becoming one with the force. All that was left was his dusty old robe and his weapon.

Kenobi brought two Jedi apprentices with him. One of them was Kijani Organa, of all people. The princess of Alderaan would prove to be a powerful opponent of the dark side and leader of the Rebels. There was another, too. A boy who had shown some skill with a lightsaber. More than that, there was something about him that reminded Vader of...

"Padme." Vader said to himself, saying the name he thought he had forgotten. How long had it been since he last saw his beloved wife? And why did this boy bring back these memories?

"Sir?" said the officer standing not far behind vader, already nervous. He had come to inform vader that the Emperor demanded an audience with both him and the Grand Moff.

"As he wishes." Vader said, turning towards the turbolift to take to his shuttle. It would be a long flight to the Emperor's palace at Coruscant...

The U-wing came out of hyperspace with a jolt, and Adam felt the shake through the whole ship. He was still relatively new as a pilot, but he manage keep the ship under control. Adam Skywalker, son of Anakin, had only been learning how to fly for about six months or so, but he was slowly proving to be a natural pilot. Between that and keeping up on his training as a Jedi, he had kept relatively busy. He even found time to teach Kijani a few things.

"There it is." Adam said, looking at the dull grey planet before them. "Dagobah." The planet looks to be a miserable place, and Adam wondered, not for the first time, why a Jedi Master would come here. The only reason he could think of was that it had a strong connection to the Force, and might mask his presence.

"There's no telling what's waiting for us down there." Adam said, taking his hands of the controls and stroking his beard. "Although I can't imagine Obi-wan sending us here if it was too dangerous." He turned to his companion sitting in the seat next to him. "Ready, Kijani?"

"No." Came the curt reply from the Princess. R2-D2 beeped its concern. Kijani, dressed in soft clean white robes with her lightsaber hooked to her belt, looked about to be sick. It was likely the most nervous Adam had ever seen her. With the Rebels, she always displayed aloof control. Around Adam, she was warmer and friendly. But nervous? Never.

"What if I'm not good enough for this famous Master? I've only been at this 6 months, and you've had your whole life, Adam..." For the first time in a long time, Kijani had the burgeoning fear of rejection looming above her. "What if I can't do it?" Usually, no one would dare reject a royal. But her rank meant nothing in this instance. Adam outranked her by far, and she was kind of still getting used to that.

"Oh... I really hope this works out. I've come too far to turn back."

"We both have, but I'm not gonna let you get turned away." Adam said as he reached for his friend's hand. "I've seen how far you've come in the last six months. You are growing stronger with the Force every single day, and if this Master Yoda can't see that you aren't capable, then he's not worth both of us."

In the last six months, he felt like he had gotten much closer to the Princess of Alderaan. When he met her, he was infatuated with her, but that was just puppy love. This... was something else.

He gave her hand a good squeeze. "Come on. Worst case scenario, we go home and continue our own training." Adam said before taking back the controls and taking the U-wing in. The grey lump of a planet grew larger and larger before them as Adam prepared to find a good place to land.