A/N: Deepest apologies. I never intended to go this long without updating. I've had a lot to deal with and just haven't had the time to sit and write like I have in the past. I do hope some of you are still out there. I wanted to get this chapter up before the new season started (couldn't cut it any closer!) and we were given all new information. :) Let me know what you think. I have one more chapter/epilogue to post and then I will probably wait and see what happens in season 2 before continuing. Enjoy!

Not being able to take a direct route to Arvala-5 caused the trip to take a few days but Alés could not fault him for his caution. They'd already run into two bounty hunters, not to mention Gideon, and an extended journey was fine by her if it meant they avoided any more problems. He seemed preoccupied and she gave him space to work through whatever was on his mind. The cautiousness of the early days of their acquaintance hadn't returned but she sensed he was trying to keep some distance between them. While she complied with that unspoken request she was a bit surprised to find she didn't like it. Din's presence had become comfortable to her. She felt … safe with him which was something she hadn't felt since her Master died and while that was a familiar sensation there was more to it than that. What was different she couldn't quite put her finger on. All she knew was she had grown to like this Mandalorian and liked being around him. It had been a very long time since she had let herself trust anyone else but somehow this helmeted man had earned that. Perhaps it was how dutifully he was trying to carry out his task of finding a safe place for the kid despite all the unknowns facing him. Someone far less honorable and worthy of trusting wouldn't have put himself in such danger.

She glanced over at where the little guy was playing with some netting he'd found in one of the boxes, his ears tipping up and down as he investigated his find. There was something special about him, besides his Force sensitivity. The Force seemed to hover around him and while he still wasn't fully aware of his potential it was clear he had some knowledge of being able to do something. Alés tried not to think about what possible reasons someone like Gideon might have for his pursuit of the kid and desperately hoped they'd be able to find someone that could help him. If there were other Jedi alive … she took a deep breath to calm the little spark of hope that had flamed up inside. Everything would be as the Force willed it and she had to keep her focus on that point.

There was a slight touch on her hand and she looked down to find the kid standing in front of her, his dark eyes boring into her with a wisdom far beyond his years.

"What do you know, little one? What have you seen and experienced?" She reached out and patted his head. "Do you know where we might find your kind or even other Jedi?" The last two words came out almost as a whisper. The thought of finding other Jedi after all these years was a bit overwhelming and sad at the same time. There had once been thousands scattered across the Galaxy and now … now there might only be one. One left that absolutely could not train the Force sensitive standing in front of her. Surely the Force would not ask such a thing of her; so much could go wrong if the Master was not ready. The kid tilted his head a bit as he stared up at her then moved his hand on hers in what she could easily call a comforting gesture. She gave him a small smile and he climbed up into her lap snuggling close to her.

"I suppose it is getting rather late." Wiggling around a bit she was able to find a more comfortable position on the corner bench she'd been sitting on and closed her eyes with a sigh. Not the most comfortable spot but she'd slept in worse over the years. The kid seemed quite content where he was and his warmth was welcome. She'd rest like this for a little while then move him to his more comfortable cubicle.

Alés was asleep within minutes.

Once her breathing was slow and even Din came down the final few rungs of the ladder and watched her sleep with the Kid on her chest. If he hadn't already felt like he could trust her the fact that the little guy obviously did would've been enough to convince him. Surely with the special powers he had he would know if someone could be trusted or not. It would've been a very useful ability in bounty hunting. Grabbing a blanket from the cubicle the kid usually slept in he carefully laid it over the two of them, surprising himself as he did so. What was coming over him? First the kid and now this female? He'd survived on his own for years without having to worry about anyone else and now, within the span of a few months, he was now showing signs of caring about two other people. As he looked down at them he couldn't deny that truth. The kid and Alés had become important to him very quickly and he knew he would do much more to keep them safe than he had ever done for himself. He'd heard her quiet words as he'd stayed hidden between the cockpit and the hold of the ship (though he wondered if she'd sensed him there). Uncouth bounty hunter he might be but even he could hear the hitch in her voice when she spoke about the possibility of there being other Jedi.

She'd mentioned the fact that her way of life had been completely wiped out, that he was fortunate in the survival of some Mandalorians. Din hadn't thought about it in that manner before but he supposed he wasn't as alone in the Galaxy as she and the kid seemed to be. Yes, the Empire had come after his kind but, as she'd said, some of them had survived. As his escape from Nevarro showed there were still enough Mandos around to help each other out of tight situations and the number of Foundlings that had been just in his covert showed their way of life was not in danger of being snuffed out … at least not yet. He didn't know anything about the Emperor but considering how thoroughly he had purged the Jedi Order it certainly seemed as if he had deemed them much more of a threat. If Gideon and those with him still believed as the Emperor had then Alés and the kid could still be in a lot of danger. It would certainly explain how hard it had been to find even knowledge of the Jedi. Of course Alés and the kid would stay with them if they ever found one …

He frowned at the thought. The thought of leaving them with someone else didn't sit well with him. Would these Jedi be able to keep them safe from Gideon? Could he trust someone else to take care of them? As if sensing his unease Alés's eyes flickered open.

"You need to rest, too, Din," she mumbled, giving him a sleepy smile, before drifting off again. He caught himself reaching down to brush a strand of hair out of her face and jerked backwards rather awkwardly. What had come over him? Giving her a last, quick glance, he returned to his pilot's seat and tried to only think about searching the facility where he'd found the kid.

Alés and the Child watched Din as he worked on wiring behind one of the panels near the rear of the ship. Ever since they'd touched down on Arvala-5 he'd been messing with wiring and a whole lot of other things she didn't know a thing about. To her untrained eye it almost looked like he was trying to program the ship to do something. Before ushering them down the ramp he plugged several different wires in various places and flicked a few switches. Once they were on the ground and the ramp was up he began pushing things on his vambrace.

"What are you doing?"

"The last time I was here Jawas dismantled my ship. I'm not going to let that happen again."

"I think I'll prefer to stay in the dark about what will happen to any of the creatures should they be unfortunate enough to touch your ship," she said with a slight frown. Uneducated in the workings of a ship she might be but even she had seen him plugging things into the power supply and she didn't like the thought of what that energy could do to a creature.

"Might be best."

After situating the Child in the carrier on his chest Din started towards the facility wedged into the edges of the canyon. Though his movements were smooth she could tell by the way he held the blaster he was very much aware of everything around them. She allowed her senses to stretch out as well, searching for anything beyond what their eyes or ears would be able to detect. Obvious signs of a hard fight greeted them in the courtyard of the complex: scorch marks on the walls, charred wreckage, and a gaping hole in the blast door in front of them.

"What happened here?" she asked, toeing at some pieces of shrapnel on the ground.

"They were not going to give him up willingly," was all the reply he gave. Stepping through the charred opening Din brought his blaster up in front of him and his movements became much more cautious. Following his example Alés ignited her saber and took up a defensive position slightly behind him. There was no way of knowing if anything else had decided to take up residence in the abandoned facility after he left with the Child and considering the fact that there were no bodies anywhere ... They moved slowly but steadily down a long hallway until they came to a large door that was miraculously unlocked and open. Peeking inside they saw several computer stations and he nudged her inside.

She looked at him incredulously. "What do you expect me to do?"

"Use that power of yours and see if you can find anything useful."

"That's not how the Force works!" She grabbed his arm and yanked him in after her. "Two sets of eyes will make this go much quicker."

She could tell he wanted to argue but she spun him towards one of the consoles closest to the door then took a place at one nearby. Luckily the screens lit right up with just a couple of touches and they began scrolling through all the information looking for anything that would be useful. There was so much to go through and she had no idea what to even look for. Beside her she could sense Din's rising frustration but also … her hands froze and she looked towards their exit.

"What is it?"

"Something is coming … a group of somethings."

Din tensed. "Gideon? He found us?"

She shook her head. "No. They don't appear to be humanoid."

A howl echoed through the empty facility and Din took up a position at the door. "If I'm not mistaken that sounds like korienas."

"What are they?"

"Pack hunters. They must have picked up our scent."

"Lovely."

"Hurry. You don't have much time."

Scrolling more rapidly Alés tried to relax enough to allow the Force to guide her fingers, to at least point her in the right direction. Finally, as she could sense their hunters drawing closer, something caught her eye.

"There's no mention of where they found him but it does say he was at the Temple before the Jedi Purge. Its possible they took him from there when it was attacked and the Order fell." She frowned as she quickly did the math. "I'd hate to think he was a prisoner here for … twenty-seven years."

"Looks like we can't avoid Coruscant after all."

"I never thought we could. I had just … hoped there would be other places to look first but everything keeps pointing us there."

"Is there anything else?"

"No. For something so valuable there's a shocking lack of information on him. It's almost as if someone is afraid to have too much of a record on him."

"I doubt he was as important to the ones that held him here as he is to Gideon. Come on. We have to go."

They made it to the main entrance when the korienas found them. Two had been waiting right outside the door, leaping at them when they tried to step out. One was met with a blaster bolt to the gut while the other was greeted by the slash of a lightsaber. At their pack mates' deaths the others began to slowly close in on them.

The striped beasts weren't exceptionally large but there were at least a dozen of them scattered around the courtyard, yellow eyes locked on them.

"We'll have to keep moving or they'll overwhelm us by attacking at once. We should be able to pick them off if they come too close," Din explained. "Stick right by my side. Don't let them separate us."

"Wait. Let me. I can subdue them until we get by."

"They'll just come after us again."

"Not once we're in the ship."

He hesitated but she stepped around him and calmly made her way into the courtyard. Then, just like during the fight with Gideon, Din could only watch amazed as each of the korienas, after trying to get close to her, laid down in the dirt, their noses on the ground. She motioned to him.

"Come on but carefully, no sudden movements."

Alés held her breath the whole way back to the Crest – which was still in one piece thanks to luck or Din's tinkering – and didn't release her hold on the korienas until the ramp closed behind them. Once they were safe she sank to the floor, pulling her knees to her chest. She had been worried her skill would not be strong enough to hold back that many and she didn't know if they would have been able to fight off ten at once. She felt the ship lift off but the sensation of rising through the atmosphere did not follow. Dragging herself to her feet she made her way up to the cockpit and through the windows she could see that they were flying just above the surface.

"What are you doing?"

"There's one more stop I need to make."

.

The cluster of huts, fencing, and moisture vaporators was not what she was expecting.

"What is this place?" she asked as she followed him into a small shed. There were tools and pieces of machinery scattered across the ground and workbenches. Din walked up to one and began looking through the mess, picking random items up to examine closer.

"A … friend lived here. He was a mechanic. I wanted to pick up some of his tools to keep on the Crest."

Glancing around the small compound it was clear it had sat vacant for some time.

"What happened to him?"

"He was killed on Nevarro. Stormtroopers after the kid. He tried to get him to safety." His hands stilled and his helmet tilted up as if he was glancing around the abandoned homestead. "All he wanted was to live in peace."

.

They decided to stay long enough to rest and eat. Knowing their next stop, Coruscant, was a few days journey, Alés enjoyed the brief time they had free of the confines of the ship. While she didn't mind traveling she had decided she much preferred staying in one place where should could be free to move around. Wanting to take advantage of the opportunity she slipped out after they'd eaten and walked to the edge of the little homestead and settled herself on the ground. She sat cross legged facing the sunset but she did not see it. Her eyes closed as she slipped into her meditation. The quiet, with only the sounds of Din and the Child moving around in the hut, was peaceful and she allowed herself to relax.

There was darkness, unbelievable darkness, and in it …

It wasn't over. Those that sought to harness and use the Dark Side had not been defeated completely. No. The Emperor might be gone but there were those hoping to resurrect what the Rebellion had defeated only a few short years before. They couldn't use the powers of the Dark Side but they knew of it and someday someone would appear that could use it. Alés frowned as she searched through the Force. That was what the Dark Side wanted. She could feel it hovering, waiting until …

Something in the darkness seemed to become aware of her and it lunged. She felt like she was being spun around, yanked in all directions, then squeezed until she couldn't breathe. All the while a horrible, screeching, cackle echoed around her …

"Alés!"

She forced her eyes open to find Din in front of her, his hands cupping the sides of her face.

"What is wrong?"

"I saw … they … it's not over. The Dark Side, it's just waiting, biding it's time." Her words came out in spurts as she gasped for breath. She reached up and wrapped her hands around his wrists, finding comfort in his presence.

"Waiting for what?"

"Someone new that can harness and use its power." She glanced at the Child hovering in the hut's doorway. "That is why they want him."

"So what do we need to do?"

"We have to get to Coruscant. I feel … I feel like there is something or someone there that will be able to help us but we need to hurry."

Din didn't move, remaining where he was in front of her. "Are you alright?"

"Yes. Now. You pulled me out of … whatever it was. How did you know to come check on me?"

"I didn't. The kid suddenly got agitated and began pointing out here. At first I thought the korienas had found us again. When I didn't see anything near you I came out to investigate and that's when I found you choking."

"Choking?"

"You were gasping for air. I … wasn't sure what to do for you …"

"Thank you."

"Can you get up? I think I'm ready to get off this planet."

Though she nodded he helped her to her feet then kept an arm around her waist as they gathered up the Child and made their way back to the Crest. Feeling her next to him and then hearing her gentle words to the kid as she sat in the seat behind him in the cockpit calmed his nerves and reassured him that she was, indeed, alright. Din really didn't want to remember the fear he'd felt when he'd heard her gasping for air with no visible signs of why or how helpless he'd felt when he couldn't figure out a way to help her. If whatever had attacked her had done it through the Force then how would she ever be safe? As he set their course for Coruscant Din hoped that whoever or whatever they found there would be able to help more than just the kid.