Takodana, 28 ABY

"HAN SOLO!"

He could hear Maz Kanata shout his name before he even came through the door. He entered the palace and gave Maz a sideways grin. Chewie followed behind as Maz approached. She smiled as he entered.

"You brought me my boyfriend!" She shouted over the band that was playing close to the door, hugging his furry leg. Chewie put an arm around her and let out a growl.

"Well, he needs to let you visit me more often, when you aren't here stirring up some sort of rebellion mischief!" Han gave her an annoyed look. She knew it wasn't his choice to get involved in matters of the Resistance.

"Come with me," she said, pulling herself away from the wookie and leading them back to a circular booth away from the rest of her guests. Han and chewie slid into the booth. She jumped up and sat in Chewie's lap. Han rolled his eyes. "I assume your wife told you I contacted her."

"No, we just decided to take a day trip to grab more fire whiskey," Han's sarcasm was unwavering. Maz gave him a look. He sighed, "I assume that this has something to do with Luke's search for students."

Luke's search had been going on for several months now. Several of the students that had been chosen were related to prominent members of the Republic, with whom Leia had been working to gain favor. As word had spread through the elite circles of the Republic, hundreds of people had contacted Luke, wishing to have their children enrolled in the temple. Luke became increasingly angered at this sudden surge of popularity, fearing his Temple would turn into nothing more than an elite boarding school. He knew his nephew would despise the very concept. Without a formal Jedi council to assist him in the rejection of unworthy students, he decided to enlist the help of Maz and a few other, select Force- sensitive people throughout the galaxy to assist in the discovery of children who have proven to already be awakened- connected- to the Force.

"A spy located in Canto Bight discovered a girl hiding in an alley, using the Force to convince a man to rent a room at a nearby hotel and give her 5,000 credits."

"Hmm, impressive." Han said, raising his eyebrows. Luckily Ben hasn't tried that on me…as far as I know…

Maz cleared her throat loudly, sensing that Han's mind was getting ready to wander back to a place it often went: fear of his son. He mumbled an apology.

"As I was saying…" Maz motioned for one of her bartenders to bring them a round of drinks and food as she continued, "He was able to stop her rather easily, which surprised him. He said the poor thing was frightened beyond belief, and that fear seems to be what gives her strength with the Force-"

"Another tragic backstory, I assume?" Han interrupted. He knew the story of Leia's father, Anakin. He was born a poor slave, and fear of loss led him to the Dark side. He might not know much about the Force – might not even believe in it at all, for that matter- but he but he knew that a Force user raked with fear was not something to be lightly dealt with.

"… More tragic than you would like to know." Maz said, seemingly unwilling to divulge the girl's past to him. "It's bound to send her spiraling toward the Dark Side. In terms of how powerful she currently is, well, it's likely nothing compared to your son's power, but it has gone uncontrolled for who knows how long. Living in Canto Bight while this awakening takes place puts her in a place of great danger, with the First Order's elite vacationing there often. Leia agreed."

"So Luke wants to take my son and a bunch of Force- sensitive delinquents and turn his temple into a- a- a Jedi reformatory?" Han scoffed. He knew Luke was trying to do with his son and these other children when he had always tried to do- use his legendary powers to save others. He had saved his father, or so he said, during the war against the Empire. But no one else knew about that. He believes he can do the same with Ben, this girl, and the other students his makeshift advisory council had discovered- remove the darkness from them through guidance. Part of him wished that Luke would just accept twelve children whose parents had the deepest pockets. Their parents would be pleased, they would make money for the formation of Leia's Resistance, and Luke would truly be able to focus on helping Ben.

"Luke is trying to do the right thing, Han." Maz said gently. "You just have to trust him."

Han sighed. " What choice do I have anymore?"

The three sat in silence for a moment, before Chewie decided to speak up.

"They were planning to leave Cantonica this morning. They should be here in a few hours." She handed Han another drink before he could complain, motioning for him to relax while they waited.


Before the ship even landed, Maz could feel the pain. It wasn't sharp and stabbing as it is when one feels profound tragedy. It was smoldering, but constant, wafting its way into her presence like smoke from the undying embers of a long- burning, far- off forest fire. Chewbacca let out a concerned growl as he watched her stare off in the distance. She patted his arm, asking him to let her down from his lap. He obliged, but gave her a concerned, sideways glance. She looked up at her favorite Wookie, and caught the confused glance of a tired Han Solo as she did.

"They're here." She said, looking back toward the castle door from their table in the far back corner of the room. Han gave her his typical look of surprised annoyance, a peculiar expression that he normally gave whenever he knew the Force was at work.

"Already? But I thought you said he was going to be a while."

Maz ignored him as she made her way to the door. The pain became stronger, a sign that the ship had landed. Normally, she would push the feelings of other force users away, but this type of pain had caught her off guard. It worried her. She wanted to meet the child alone. Han's attitude would do nothing to help calm her, she sensed.

An elaborate cruising vessel was parked outside of her palace. A dashing man in an elegant suitcoat, mustache perfectly trimmed, hair gelled back, had exited the vessel and was walking toward her. Beside him, wrapped in a blanket, was a short girl with long, disheveled brown hair. The stark contrast in their appearances made the pair rather shocking to look at side- by- side. Although she appeared relatively calm on the surface, her eyes betrayed her true feelings, as they tend to do. Her abilities with the Force were so uncontrolled, her true feelings emanated from her like the stench of a bantha herd in the desert heat, which only added to her soul's betrayal.

"Well if it isn't my favorite code- breaking boyfriend," Maz said as the pair got closer. He chuckled, giving her a small, formal wave.

"Don't let your Wookie hear you say that," he said with a grin. "I'd like to leave with all of my limbs attached to my torso, thank you very much."

Maz turned her attention to the girl, gazing deep into her dark green eyes, concentration causing her to frown. The girl shifted uncomfortably as Maz stared at her, her fear now breaking through to her face.

"This is Kira, the girl I contacted you about." The Codebreaker said to Maz. He nudged Kira with an elbow and indicated that she kneel down so she could be face to face with Maz. She cautiously obliged, her blanket falling off her shoulders as she did to reveal an oversized tunic, obviously borrowed or stolen from someone much larger than her. Maz got closer to the girl, bringing her glasses down in front of her eyes. She let out a sigh after what felt like an eternity to Kira.

"My poor child," Maz said softly, gently resting a hand on the girl's knee. "Your emotions betray you."

"W-what do you mean?" Kira whispered, her eyebrow furrowing in a look of confusion and worry.

"Fear. It has built up inside of you, and your connection to the Force is allowing it to spill out. I was able to feel it before you landed."

"My... what?" Kira asked in a small, confused whisper. Her eyes widened and she sat back on her feet. Maz held her hand and continued.

"I can see it in your eyes. They are attached to a soul that has seen much sorrow." Kira looked away when she said this, her vision clouding with tears she had told herself not to cry for many years. She bit her lower lip to prevent it from quivering. Maz gently cupped Kira's cheek with one hand to bring her gaze back. "You must learn to properly control your emotions. The more you allow them to build up inside you, the more likely they are to betray you to those who wish to manipulate and harm. Those who are strong with the Dark side of the Force."

"I'm sorry," Kira said, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand as she stood up, "but I don't have any idea what you're talking about. I'm grateful for being saved from my life in Canto Bight, but I have no idea what sort of force you think I am tapping into. I just... I have a knack for hypnotizing people it's nothing that special!" She shook her head and took a small, nervous step back as she spoke, her voice shaking slightly.

"You have a unique gift, child." Maz said with a grin. "It is why you have been chosen to train with the last Jedi Master in the galaxy."

Kira shook her head as she took another step back. Tears had begun to stream down her cheeks. She was so confused, she was unsure of how to even voice the questions that she had spinning around in her mind. The Codebreaker grew tense, preparing to halt any escape attempt.

"You will understand more in time." Maz said as she removed her glasses, her voice gaining an even gentler tone. She also sensed that the girl might run to the forest. "Luke will teach you all you need to know. Now come."

Kira slowly walked toward Maz, who led her back to the castle.

"I suppose I will take my leave then, seeing as I am no longer needed here." The Codebreaker said nonchalantly.

"You will stay in your ship until my boyfriend leaves, Mr. LaPlume." Maz said, turning to wink at the man. "Don't think I'm going to let you get away that easily! It's not every day you visit me from across the galaxy."

Han and Chewie stood by Maz's statue, waiting for them.


Kira sat behind Chewbacca in the cockpit. Her mind felt as if it were numb after thinking over everything she had been through in the past two days. Her head began to ache from mild dehydration due to the endless, silent tears she had been shedding since she boarded this ship. Her life on Cantonica had been recently filled with hardship and loss, but it was still her home. Even if that home had become more of a prison as of late, being across the galaxy was much more anxiety- inducing than she had originally thought. Mr. LaPlume had given her a choice when he caught her; she could either stay in Canto Bight as a freed slave, or come with him to meet someone that could help her " learn to control her fear." She hadn't considered her parents in that moment of deal making. Her realization of just how selfish she had been came to light as they made their way to the Pirate Queen's castle.

There was an awkward tension in the air that none of the them seemed to feel up to dissolving. Han never had to deal with this sort of emotion from Ben. While his son was very emotional, he typically took to breaking the nearest thing to him instead of sitting in a corner and crying. If he did, well, he never did it within earshot of Han, at least. Han knew that the girl was trying to keep to herself. She wasn't grabbing for his attention or a concerned display of sympathy. He respected that. After an hour of silence, however, he felt the need to change whatever topic it was that caused the girl to be in this fragile state. He'd be damned if he was made to feel uncomfortable in his own cockpit.

"So, kid...how old are you?" Han asked cautiously, turning to look at Kira.

She straightened up in her chair and shook her head, snapping back into reality when she realized he was talking to her.

"Eighteen, Mr. Solo"

"Please, call me Han." He said, scoffing at the formality. He looked back at her. "Eighteen, huh? That'll make you one of the younger ones at the Temple."

"How many students are there?" Kira asked, tilting her head. She should have assumed that she wasn't going to be the only pupil to a supposedly living legend, but she hadn't exactly given much thought to just how many other students there might be at the Training Temple.

Han groaned and scratched his head, trying to count. Chewie barked an answer before he could finish.

"You will be student number thirteen." He translated for her.

"So... you work for Master Skywalker then?" she asked after a short pause.

Han laughed at the question, " No, kid. I'm just doing a favor for my wife. "

Kira stared at him, confused.

"Who is your wife?"

Chewie and Han looked at her, then each other."Leia Organa," Han answered.

Kira thought for a moment. Canto Bight had its share of wealthy Senators pass through its casino on political holidays. The name was one she had heard many a time from them.

"You mean the Senator?"

"Senator, Princess, General... she's many things."

"But... Why would a senator of the Republic arrange for me to be sent to a Jedi Training Temple?"

"Luke is her brother. He's very...picky about who he trains."

His answer felt incomplete, but before Kira could ask him to tell her more, a large, green planet appeared in front of them.

"Welcome to Naboo."