A/N: Wow. I really have been surprised by the number of y'all that have clicked follow. Thank you! Never thought there would be quite this much interested in this "thing" that popped into my head. So on we go. Please remember I really have no idea how long this will end up being; I'm just going as the ideas come to me. It'll be a several chapters at least I think. Enjoy!

He tensed when she picked up The Child but the kid willingly grabbed a hold of her neck so he kept silent though he remained close to her side. There was something different about her that he couldn't quite explain. The way she had just appeared out of nowhere with no warning had put his nerves on high alert but she'd made no movement towards him or any type of weapon even with his blaster in her face. There was a … calmness around her that was … calming but also slightly unnerving. Just the way she looked at him felt like she could see him and what he was thinking.

"I can to some extent, Din Djarin, though I have always made a point not to pry into the thoughts of others … when I've encountered any."

He reached towards his blaster again.

"How do you know my name?"

She glanced over her shoulder, disentangling the child's grip on her hair.

"The Force opens up many abilities to those willing to listen. Come. This little guy is hungry and you have many questions. My home is much more suited for both."

He frowned at the ambiguity in her words but really had no choice but to follow. They made their way up a narrow dirt path, winding through boulders that towered over his head. When it seemed like they were about to come to a dead end at the face of the mountain they stepped into a clearing with a decent sized hut on the left, a rather sickly looking tree throwing a slight amount of shade on its roof, a fire pit near by, and what looked like steps carved into the rock on the right. She sat The Child on one of the logs by the fire and disappeared through one of the doors in the hut, reemerging a few moments later with a couple of bowls. Giving one to the kid she held the other out to him.

"If what I remember about the customs of Mandalorians is accurate you are welcome to step into my home to remove your helmet and eat."

"I'm not hungry."

She shrugged and motioned for him to have a seat, sitting the bowl down next to him once he did so. They sat in silence for several minutes and he knew she was sizing him up just as he was doing to her. At least his eyes were hidden behind his visor. The woman across from him didn't appear to be a bounty hunter but he knew how deceiving looks could be. Her clothes, some kind of long gray vest over dark red tunic, black boots, black belt that criss-crossed at her waist, black arm wraps, were all quite worn with a few visible mended spots. It all certainly spoke to her being isolated from civilization for some time. Where she lived showed signs of having been there for quite some time as well. She wasn't tense or constantly on alert for danger like typical bounty hunters. His gut told him she was safe or at least not a threat to the kid and that was all that mattered. When it seemed like he would have to continue their conversation he sighed. He hadn't known her long but she was frustratingly stubborn.

"Who are you?"

"Alés Shann," was the response with no hesitation.

"But who are you Alés Shann?"

"I'm nobody. I've sadly been without place or purpose since I was eight years old."

That was a curious statement to make but he didn't have time to dwell on it; he needed information and it seemed she might be the one that had it.

"This massacre you spoke of: if the Jedi were sorcerers how were they not able to use their magic to survive?"

She gave him a smile that bordered on condescending.

"Despite all the weapons and tricks you carry if you were to suddenly be surrounded and heavily outnumbered what would happen?"

He conceded the point with a slight nod of the head, the memory of being pinned down by troops on Nevarro before the other Mandos had intervened still fresh in his mind.

"The Jedi were unknowingly manipulated into leadership during the Clone Wars, in charge of battalions of clone troopers in many cases. Somehow the Emperor issued an order to every trooper, all across the galaxy simultaneously, and they turned on their Jedi leaders. The Dark Side then reigned supreme until five years ago."

"How do you know all this? Of these Jedi?"

"Because I was one."

"You survived this purge by the Emperor?"

"I grew up in the Jedi Temple on Coruscant but I was born on Naboo. A visiting Jedi discovered my Force sensitivity when I was a baby and my parents allowed me to be taken and trained. I was only eight when my whole life came crashing down around me and the only family I'd ever known was destroyed in one stroke. My Master and I were able to escape the Temple when the troopers and … he came -"

"He?"

"Master Skywalker. He was one of the most gifted Jedi in the Order, some said the greatest, though now that I've had time to learn and grow I think Master Kenobi, his former Master, was the greatest of the Jedi."

"Why?" Despite himself he found himself somewhat intrigued by her story. He'd almost forgotten there had even been rumors about the existence of Jedi.

"Anakin Skywalker was strong in the Force, skilled with his lightsaber and powerful in battle; he was called 'the hero without fear.' All the Initiates in the Temple, we all watched stories about him on the Holonet. Master Kenobi, though not as flamboyant as his former apprentice, was a master in lightsaber combat and had a command of the Force unrivaled by anyone except Master Yoda." Her eyes flicked to The Child, her expression falling. "I do not know what happened except Master Skywalker fell to the Dark Side and slaughtered the Jedi in the Temple … even the children. After evading the clone troopers we found passage on a freighter to the Outer Rim. We moved from planet to planet for a few years before settling here. Master Basri continued my training until his death ten years ago."

The kid had sat quietly by his side, drinking its broth, as she'd talked though when she came to the slaughter of the Jedi its attention had shifted to her.

"Why were you so surprised to see him?" he asked, nodding his head towards the Child.

"He looks exactly like Master Yoda, the Grand Master of the Jedi Order."

"How can you be sure this isn't who you think it is?"

"Because Master Yoda was nine hundred years old when he was supervising my lessons as a Youngling and … I felt him become one with the Force five years ago, right before I felt the lifting of the veil of darkness."

"Nine hundred years old?" Alés nodded and he stared down at the kid. "He is only fifty."

"Just a baby."

"If you knew this Master Yoda then you know where I can take him."

She shook her head. "I have no idea where his people live – if any of them are even left. I'm not even sure who his people are; Master Yoda was one of two I ever saw of their kind … until now."

Annoyance grew in him again. He had found one of the sorcerers but it seemed like she would be unable to help him. This had been valuable time lost. The longer it took him to find the kid's home the longer he would be in danger.

"Perhaps you are not supposed to find his people. Perhaps you are the best one to keep him safe."

"I doubt that. My way of life is not … safe for a kid."

"Yes, I can see how bounty hunting would not be the best environment for a child to grow and learn in."

Again he stared at her in surprise. First she knew his name and now that he was – or had been – a bounty hunter?

"How do you know these things about me?"

"The Force. It is an energy field created by all living things, a tension, a balance that binds the galaxy together. Jedi are trained from the start to feel the Force around them, in them, and to listen to it." She took a sip from a cup before turning her attention to the kid. "You didn't come all the way out here for a lesson in the Force but in a desire to help this child. Why is he in danger?"

"Moff Gideon, part of the Imperial Remnant, put a bounty on his head. Why I do not know. When I accepted the job I only knew the target was fifty years old and being held on Arvala-7. I never expected to find a … baby."

"But you chose not to take him in."

"Not initially though I was reluctant. I ended up going back for him, finding him being tested by some doctor. We have been on the move ever since as numerous bounty hunters were given the job. I was told by another Mandalorian to find the Jedi since he can do things."

"Things?"

"Yes. He … lifted a mudhorn into the air without touching it, stopped fire, and healed someone's wounds."

Alés was quiet as she stared into the fire.

"Hearing that there are some still clinging to the Empire's ways is a bit distressing. What they might want with a Force sensitive child is even more so."

"Force sensitive? Are you saying he's … one of you?"

"Not all Force sensitives are Jedi though if he is as old as you say he is then it is entirely possible that he had some training before the Order fell."

He sighed. "What do you suggest I do?"

"Give me some time to think and meditate on this. Perhaps the Force will show me something so I can at least point you in the right direction." She stood and headed for the stairs cut into the rock. "Feel free to eat while I'm gone. There is more inside if either of you need it."

Waiting until several minutes had passed since the sound of her quiet footsteps disappeared he finally felt like it was safe to take her up on her offer and eat. Supplies had been running a bit low on the Crest anyway. The kid curled up next to his side and seemed to be drifting off to sleep. As darkness descended on them he glanced up towards the top of the mountain, the only place he could imagine those steps leading to, and wondered if this strange woman, this … relic of some lost religion or whatever would be able to help him.

.

Alés stared up at the stars.

She had not meditated long before the Force began prodding her. What it told her was not exactly welcome and she had remained on the mountain top for some time thinking about the task that seemed to have been set before her. But if she ignored this it could have some wide reaching consequences.

"Wonder if I had disappeared?" she asked quietly.

"Quite some time had passed since you came up here." His footsteps inched closer. "Did you … learn anything?"

"Yes."

"You don't sound like it was good news."

With a sigh she stood up and faced him.

"Though a Jedi can hear the will of the Force, if we open ourselves to it, choosing to actually listen is entirely up to us. Some times … some times we really don't like what we hear."

"So you don't know where his people are?"

"No, I'm afraid not." She held up a hand when she felt the surge of irritation flare in him. "However, there is some place where we might be able to find that information … if it wasn't completely destroyed by the Emperor."

"And where is that?"

"The Jedi Temple on Coruscant."