33 ABY

Padmé Skywalker had been dead for five years.

Alana Naberrie had been alive for the same amount of time.

Padmé wished she could say that the pain of that night at the Jedi Temple lessened as time went by, but it would be a lie. The pain was still there but Padmé just gave other things in her new life attention. There was nothing else she could do.

Not after losing everything, she lost.

After that day on Yavin 4, everything changed.

The only people who knew that she was not dead were in that kitchen. Of course, her Uncle Han informed another trusted friend of the truth. Lando Calrissian. Other than that, no one knew that she was alive. They assumed she died in that Jedi Temple with her mother, sister, and cousin.

It made her furious that her sister and cousin were honored in that memorial service with her mother.

The same people who killed her mother and destroyed everything her mother had once fought for.

Even so, Padmé didn't argue with her aunt and uncle when they listed Aayla and Ben as dead too. She knew that it might've been difficult for her aunt to lead a Resistance if everyone knew her son and niece were leaders of the First Order.

Since that's what had become of Aayla and Ben, after all.

Padmé hadn't seen her sister and cousin since that night. Nor had her presence become known to them but she heard over the HoloNet what happened to them. The monsters they had turned into since that night. Worse than when they burned the Jedi Temple to the ground and killed everyone in it.

Kylo Ren and Vora Ren.

Two fallen Jedi who now led the Knights of Ren.

A group that extinguished any remainder of the Jedi.

There were rumors that Kylo and Vora were siblings…twins, even. It didn't surprise Padmé, after all. Ben and Aayla always acted like twins ever since they were children. Of course, people would assume that given their closeness…even during their path into darkness.

Padmé tried to stay away from the HoloNet because she knew she would only find pain there. Pain in the knowledge of death her sister and cousin were inflicting across the galaxy. Padmé was still recovering from that night at the temple. She didn't think she could handle reading about their actions every night.

"You want to grab a bite to eat later in the mess hall?" Rose Tico suggested to Padmé as she looked over her datapad at the redhead. "Most of the pilots should be asleep by then."

"Sure," Padmé said in agreement, breaking out of her thoughts. She shouldn't think about Kylo Ren and Vora Ren anymore. The reason she had nightmares some nights about the Jedi Temple was because she allowed herself to think about them…what they were doing or who they were hurting.

"Did you hear that General Organa recruited that New Republic pilot?" Rose mentioned and Padmé was only half listening to her roommate. Not because she was being rude but there was a lot on her mind these days.

Padmé had assumed the identity of Alana Naberrie when she was fifteen which hadn't been that big of a deal back then. However, Padmé was now twenty-years-old. She'd been this Alana person for five years now and Padmé sometimes wondered if she would be Alana for the rest of her life. Maybe she would be forced to hide from sister and cousin forever.

Her aunt assured her that wouldn't be the case, but did Aunt Leia truly know that?

Her aunt also told her that her father would come back to her, but it'd been five years and there was still no sign of him.

He hadn't even tried to contact her through the Force.

Not that Padmé used the Force anymore.

It was one of the things her aunt made her promise that day on Yavin 4. Leia made her promise not to use the Force again although Padmé had to admit she didn't argue against it. After that night at the temple, Padmé wanted to leave her past in her past. Her past which included her Jedi training. Leia wanted her to cease using the Force in order for her to hide from her sister and cousin while Padmé wanted to stop using the Force because it was part of a life she no longer lived.

Padmé was no longer Padmé Skywalker.

A promising young Jedi in the making with an impressive lineage full of Jedi before her. A true legacy. Someone who would lead the Jedi down the right path alongside her sister and cousin. The three of them would be a new generation of Jedi.

A Jedi no more.

Padmé was now Alana Naberrie.

A technician for the Resistance. Someone barely noticeable amongst all the cocky pilots and intimidating spies. Those were people looking for glory and heroics. Padmé's only job was to do her part for the Resistance while keeping a low-profile. She blended in the background with all the other technicians and Padmé even made more of an effort to do so.

It was part of the reason why she rarely ate in the mess hall when the pilots were there.

Not that she had anything against the pilots, but they were a bit of a rowdy bunch and Padmé was trying not to draw attention to herself. She didn't want people asking questions. Padmé knew most of the technicians kept to themselves, but pilots were a whole other story.

"A new pilot?" Padmé questioned, distractedly writing another entry in her datapad. It was the one part of her old life that she kept. Her journaling.

"He's that famous one," Rose told her. "Commander Poe Dameron."

"Dameron?" Padmé questioned, the name sounding oddly familiar to her. For some reason, she couldn't quite place it.

"Yes, apparently he's really good," Rose said excitedly. "This will be really good for the Resistance, right? Having a pilot like Commander Dameron? He even brought some members from his old Squadron with him."

"It's very good, Rose," Padmé told her.

That wasn't a lie.

It was always good getting new members for the Resistance. They were still fairly small, but the Resistance was quickly growing as the First Order gained more and more control across the galaxy. Padmé remembered the early days of the Resistance. When her aunt had formed the Resistance from the ground up not long after they left Yavin 4.

Padmé hadn't been allowed to do much back then. Mostly being homeschooled by C-3PO in those days but once she became of age, she officially joined the Resistance. Her Uncle Han offered her a spot as a crew member on the Falcon, but Padmé declined. While her aunt would've understood, Padmé still couldn't bear to leave her alone. Uncle Han had Chewie, but Aunt Leia didn't really have anyone.

It didn't surprise her that her aunt and uncle had separated a year after Ben and Aayla turned to the dark side. Ben always complained about his parents arguing all the time. Not only that but her aunt was undoubtedly committed to her work while Uncle Han grew restless if he stayed in one place too long.

He left almost four years ago and Padmé hadn't seen him in nearly two years. Just when she officially joined the Resistance. Her uncle still sent her messages via holovid, but she missed him. His exaggerated tales of past adventures along with his sarcastic sense of humor always brought a smile to her face. Even in the darkest of times.

"I know that we're still small, but I feel like we've grown more in the past couple months than ever," Rose said optimistically. Padmé smiled.

Rose was probably the only friend she had.

The younger girl joined a few months ago with her older sister Paige. Rose was two years younger than Padmé but they immediately got along the second they got assigned as roommates. Padmé cherished her friend's optimism and kind nature. It was nice since Padmé lost much of her optimism some time ago.

"There's still a ways to go," Padmé told her and Rose just shrugged.

"True but it's a start," Rose added and Padmé nodded in agreement. She paused in her journaling as she suddenly wondered about her mother.

Padmé wondered a lot about her mother. Especially on sleepless nights which was more often than she wanted to admit.

Growing up, people always told her how amazing her parents were…that they were heroes of the Rebellion, and she should be proud. The thing is that Padmé never thought much of it back then but now that her mother was gone, she truly recognized the weight of it.

Most of all, Padmé wondered how her mother felt during the Rebellion.

Was she frightened?

Was she strong?

There were so many questions Padmé never got to ask her. So many regrets that Padmé had. Sometimes she felt like she wasted her time with her mother when she asked her questions about the Force and stuff that didn't even matter now. Padmé wished she asked more personal questions but now she'd never get the chance.

"Alana, have you ever had a boyfriend?" Rose asked her randomly, causing Padmé look up in alarm.

"What?" Padmé questioned, not believing she heard her friend right. Rose blushed as she looked over at her.

"It's just that this whole looming war has got me thinking about certain things. Like, the fact that I've never had a boyfriend," Rose confessed while Padmé just watched her in silence. "I haven't even been properly kissed. Not really. With everything going on, maybe I never will."

"You shouldn't think that way," Padmé told her quietly even though she knew Rose had a point. Being in the Resistance was dangerous. Each day could be their last. Depending on whether or not the First Order would find them. "But no, I've never had a boyfriend."

"Really?" Rose said in surprise as she glanced at her friend. "You're really pretty."

"A war doesn't seem like a good place for a romance," Padmé pointed out to her although she doubted her friend's compliment.

She didn't really think she was pretty.

Not like her sister, anyways.

Aayla was gorgeous.

If Aayla was here, she wouldn't be able to blend into the background like Padmé had. She'd stick out too much with her flaming red locks, mesmerizing green eyes, long legs, and generous curves that Padmé used to envy so much. All the pilots would lose their minds over Aayla if she were here.

If she hadn't fallen.

"You've really never had a boyfriend?" Rose asked and Padmé shook her head. She thought of a boy at the Jedi temple.

Manon.

He was two years older than her and extremely handsome. So much that her sister used to tease her about her crush on him while her cousin played the role of the protective older brother. Padmé really liked Manon. They stole a few kisses in between their classes with her parents and Padmé used to write his name in her journal over and over again because she couldn't get him out of her head.

The romance was short lived.

He was one of her fellow students that Padmé found dead on the steps of the temple.

Whether his death was her sister or cousin's doing, she never knew.

Padmé supposed it didn't matter, anyways.

One of them did it. It didn't matter which.

"No. I've never had one," Padmé told her, not wanting to think about her sister or Manon anymore. It was too painful for her to remember. She didn't want to remember. "There's too much going on right now."

"I guess you're right," Rose told her and Padmé couldn't really blame her for thinking about boyfriends and first kisses. Rose was only eighteen, after all. Although…Padmé couldn't really relate to the boyfriend thing either. She never really gave it much thought. Padmé's only concern was X-wing fighters which kept her pretty occupied with the recklessness of some pilots.

Boyfriends were the last thing on her mind.

"You'll find someone someday," Padmé promised her friend with a small smile on her face. "We just have to get through this war first."

"You'll find someone too," Rose told her although Padmé didn't think she wanted that. Not after everything she'd been through. Padmé just wanted to live her life as peacefully as possible. Maybe not now with the war going on but after the war Padmé didn't really envision the domestic life that so many other people at the Resistance talked about.

She honestly didn't know what she pictured.

But it definitely wasn't a husband and kids.


Padmé didn't know where she was.

A forest, for sure, but Padmé didn't know where the forest was.

All she knew was that there was a heavy sheet of snow covering the ground and it was dark.

Padmé ran through the forest but for some reason she didn't feel as though she were running away from something. No, she felt like she was flying towards something instead. The redhead ran through the snow, dodging branches, as her hand gripped her lightsaber in her hand.

Lightsaber?

That couldn't be.

Padmé has her lightsaber locked in a box underneath her bed. She swore to herself that she would never use her lightsaber again. Not for anything.

So then why did she suddenly have her lightsaber?

"Sister," A familiar sounding voice said and Padmé immediately stopped in her steps.

Standing just ahead of her, deeper inside the forest, was none other than her older sister.

Formerly known as Aayla Skywalker, Vora Ren stood in the distance with a void expression on her face as she stared at her younger sister. Padmé stared back in shock. Her sister was definitely older than she remembered. There was something different about the way she presented herself…more mature.

"You've grown older," Vora Ren told her, the coldness in her eyes giving Padmé shivers. This person wasn't her sister.

It was someone else.

Someone Padmé didn't know.

"But not more powerful," Vora told her with the vaguest hint of a smile. "You've been neglecting your studies, Skywalker."

"You used to be a Skywalker too," Padmé reminded her. "Before you became the monster you once sought to defeat."

"That's just your perception of it," Vora Ren said in response. "Kylo Ren and I have done more for this galaxy than your little Resistance could ever dream of doing."

"I thought you'd fallen so far from the light before, but I was wrong," Padmé said quietly, shaking her head in disgust. "You've fallen further than anyone could've foreseen. There's not a part of you that resembles my sister in any way."

"Sentiment…that's your weakness," Vora Ren growled, glaring at the younger girl. "It's a quality that you share with your mother."

"It's a strength that I share with our mother," Padmé retorted and Vora ignited her lightsaber. The glow no longer the purple Padmé remembered from her childhood.

It was a red that stood out against the snow covering the forest.

Red.

The color of the Sith.

"I'm going to finish what Kylo Ren didn't," Vora announced, her stance becoming tense as Padmé ignited her lightsaber. For the first time in years, she was not only facing her sister again, but she would be fighting her again too. Something she never thought she'd do. "This time, I'm going to make sure you stay dead…unless you join Kylo, and I and we can finish what our grandfather started."

"I'll finish what our grandfather started," Padmé insisted, getting in a defensive stance as she held her lightsaber close to her. The green glow casting a light over her face. "What Obi-Wan Kenobi started. His strength flows through me. It always has."

"Then prepare to die like Obi-Wan!" Vora said in anger before moving forward, her red lightsaber drawn. Padmé reacted and held her lightsaber in front of her to dodge her sister's attack.

Red clashed against green.


Padmé woke up from her sleep with a gasp. She searched the room for any sign of her sister but calmed down when the only sign of another person in the room was Rose who was sleeping soundly in her own bed. She sat up in bed and forced herself to take deep breaths.

Padmé wasn't stupid.

She knew that the dream wasn't an ordinary dream.

It was a Force vision.

It wouldn't be the first time she had a Force vision.

Ever since Padmé was a child she was plagued with Force visions. It wasn't rare for a Jedi to have Force visions, but it was highly unusual for Padmé to have as many of them as she did. Her mother told her it was a trait she likely inherited from her grandmother Tellervu who suffered from the same habit.

The young Skywalker stared at the wall as she tried to force her thoughts away from the vision. It felt so real. Like she was actually there. It wasn't an odd notion for a Force vision, but it had been so long since she had one.

Padmé hadn't had a Force vision since before the night her sister and cousin burned down the Jedi Temple.

Usually, Padmé would discuss her Force visions with her mother who was always kind and understanding. Her mother would allow her to talk her way through them before discussing what they might mean for her. However, it was no longer possible.

Her mother had been dead for five years and Padmé wasn't about to use the Force to reach out to her.

She wouldn't put the Resistance at risk by using the Force.

Padmé realized there was only one person she could go to.

Her aunt.


"General Organa," Padmé said softly as she entered the command center. Her aunt looked up in surprise. Somehow Padmé knew she would find her aunt there. She was always the last one to leave the command center.

"Padmé," Leia said, giving her niece a worried look. Padmé seemed unsure as she stood in the command center, but Leia waved her hand dismissively. "It's alright. Everyone already retired to bed. I'm the only one who refuses to sleep."

"You really do need rest, Aunt Leia," Padmé told her aunt who only gave her a knowing look.

"So do you," Leia told her. "Which begs the question…just what are you doing up at this hour?"

Padmé sighed heavily before taking a seat in a chair that was usually taken by Lieutenant Kaydel Connix. Leia gave her a curious look as she gave her niece her full attention.

"I had a Force vision," Padmé confessed, and Leia looked at her in surprise.

"You're not supposed to-"

"Use the Force? I know," Padmé said, looking troubled by whatever her vision was. "Force visions are different. It's the Force trying to reach out to you instead of you trying to reach out to the Force. At least, that's always how mom used to explain it. It's just…well, I haven't had a Force vision since before everything happened."

"You're questioning why now?" Leia said quietly and Padmé nodded.

"I used to have them all the time but not anymore. I suppose it's because I no longer use the Force," Padmé said thoughtfully. Leia nodded.

"And what was your vision of?" Leia inquired and Padmé swallowed hard before meeting her aunt's curious eyes.

"My sister," Padmé admitted, and Leia fell silent. It was no secret that Padmé never discussed her sister. In fact, Padmé never discussed the past. Not her sister, her cousin, her father, or anything about the Jedi Temple. Padmé at times discussed her mother but that was the extent of it.

"Could it not have been a flashback?" Leia suggested and Padmé shook her head.

"It wasn't from the past," Padmé said, sounding sure about that fact. "She seemed older than I remember. She was Vora Ren in my vision. There was no doubt about that."

"What happened in the vision?" Leia asked her and Padmé shook her head.

"We were in a forest on a planet I didn't recognize…it was snowing. I don't think I've ever seen snow. That's why it struck me as odd," Padmé recollected as her aunt quietly listened. "She tried to convince me to join her and Kylo Ren. I refused and she attacked me."

"That's all?" Leia questioned and Padmé sighed, looking unsure as she glanced at her aunt.

"I had my lightsaber in the vision." Padmé admitted and Leia didn't seem surprised at that. Not like how Padmé felt. "I swore to myself that I would never use it again yet in the vision-"

"Force visions aren't definite," Leia interrupted, trying to give her niece some comfort. She could tell that this vision frightened her. "Your mother used to tell me that the future was ever changing so it's impossible for Force visions to be definite. The future can change along with the outcome. Your Force vision might never happen."

"You're saying that I should ignore it then?" Padmé questioned and Leia shook her head.

"Not ignore it. You should still be cautious but also know that your vision wasn't a true vision of the future," Leia informed her. "You shouldn't let it guide your actions and you should also be careful of Force visions. There's not always truth to them."

"You're referring to my sister and Ben," Padmé said quietly, and Leia grew silent as she looked away. "They had what they thought were force visions, but it was really just Snoke influencing their minds. Are you saying this could be Snoke? He thinks I'm dead. I thought the whole reason behind Alana Naberrie was so he could keep thinking I'm dead."

"I'm not saying that it's Snoke," Leia replied, not wanting her niece to panic. "I'm just telling you to be careful of Force visions. Don't rely on them."

"Okay," Padmé finally said as she determined that what her aunt was saying made sense. It was logical. "So, my sister…."

"I think the Force might be telling you to be mindful of your connection to your sister," Leia advised as Padmé listened to her. Her aunt didn't have the training her parents did, but she was all Padmé had at this point. Everyone else was gone. "Your Force signature might be hidden, and you might've cut yourself off from the force, but your connection to your sister is still strong."

"She's not my sister anymore. Vora Ren consumed any good left in my sister, leaving nothing but a monster in her place," Padmé argued, and Leia placed her hand over her niece's, giving the young woman a knowing smile.

"Even with everything your sister did, she's still your sister," Leia tried to tell her. "Just as Ben is still my son even after all the pain, he's caused us all. We can't change those things about ourselves."

"I know you believe there's good left in them, but I don't," Padmé said quietly, looking down at her lap. "They've fallen so far into the darkness that there's no way they could ever come back. Snoke warped their minds with his lies. My sister and your son died that night at the temple. There's no changing that."

"A lot of people thought the same thing about your grandfather. Even I thought there was no changing your grandfather," Leia reminded her and Padmé sat still, unsure of what to make of what her aunt was telling her. "But your father proved me and everyone else wrong. It's never too late to turn back."

"I'm sorry but I don't believe that," Padmé finally said when her aunt finished. Leia just looked at Padmé sadly. The poor girl had been through so much pain in her life that she lost a lot of the hope she used to have. Leia couldn't really blame her, but it still hurt seeing her niece like that. "You weren't there that night…you didn't see what they did, firsthand. There's no turning them back. The only way to save them is to destroy them. There's no other way."

"You think that you could do it? That you could destroy them?" Leia asked her and Padmé faltered in her thoughts. She honestly doubted that she could ever face her sister and cousin again, much less destroy them. Her heart was already broken from the last time. Seeing her sister and cousin again like that would hurt her even more.

Padmé wasn't strong enough to face them.

She wasn't her parents.

"I don't think you give yourself enough credit," Leia told her niece honestly. "You're stronger than you know."

Padmé looked back up at her aunt questioningly.

Sometimes she wondered if her aunt could read minds. Either that or maybe Padmé was easier to read than she thought.

"Luke and I share a connection. I think siblings who are Force-sensitive do," Leia said after Padmé didn't say anything. "There's not much proof since there's not many of us but I think maybe your sister and you share a connection too."

"She and Ben always seemed to have a connection. I never thought we had one," Padmé said in response, but her aunt just smiled.

"Remember that day you broke your arm when you fell out of that tree on Naboo," Leia recalled and Padmé looked at her in confusion. She hadn't been on Naboo in quite some time. Not since she was five or six.

"Naboo?" Padmé questioned, furrowing her eyebrows in confusion. "You mean, when I was climbing that tree?"

"You were outside with your Uncle Han, and he just turned away for a second," Leia told her and Padmé vaguely remembered that. She just remembered the warmth of the sun against her skin and her uncle's scared expression after she fell. "Your parents weren't mad. They knew better than anyone that you had a knack for getting into trouble. All you needed was a few seconds."

"I don't think getting into trouble was my issue. I'm just accident prone," Padmé joked, a rare smile making its way on to her face. "Everything always seems to happen to me."

"Your father used to say the same thing," Leia told her and Padmé's smile faded at the mention her father. Her father was still a difficult subject for her. Even after all these years. "But your parents knew the moment you broke your arm. Not because of Han or you but because your sister cried out and ran outside to help you the second it happened. From that moment on, we knew you shared a connection much like your father and I share."

"If that's true then how come you can't find Dad?" Padmé questioned, her eyes glistening from the memory of that day. How her sister held her in arms and used the Force to heal her. She kissed away her tears and held her tight. It was moments like that which made her miss her sister. The feeling only lasted a moment before she felt disgust come over her at the notion.

Her sister was gone.

The Aayla knew was gone forever.

"If that's true then how come she hasn't come looking for me?" Padmé questioned again and Leia gave her niece a sad smile, shaking her head.

"Because your father and you have both cut yourselves off from the Force," Leia informed her. "I can't reach out to your father if he doesn't want to reach out to me. It's the same concept as your sister not being able to reach out to you if you, in turn, don't wish to reach out to her."

"I suppose that makes sense," Padmé said quietly although she was slightly disturbed by the notion of her sister and herself being connected like that. It was different with her father and aunt. Their connection didn't threaten the fate of the galaxy. In Padmé and her sister's case, it did. They were both on opposite sides of this war.

Opposite sides of the Force too.

One sister was in the light while the other had fallen into the darkness.

Although, Padmé wasn't entirely sure if she was in the light or darkness these days. She wasn't anything anymore. Padmé was just a technician for the Resistance now. The former Jedi in training was no longer on a path to anything.

Not the light and not the dark.

"Just be careful of your visions and be mindful of the connection you share with your sister," Leia advised her and Padmé nodded, knowing her aunt was right. She shouldn't pay too close attention to her vision. The future wasn't concrete, and it was always changing. Her grandfather Anakin once fell prey to Force visions and Padmé had to be careful not to do the same.

"You're right, Aunt Leia. Thank you," Padmé told her gratefully. Leia just smiled at her as she looked at her niece who resembled her late sister-in-law so much.

Except for the eyes.

Padmé had Luke's eyes.

"You should go back to sleep, Padmé. There's a long day ahead of us tomorrow," Leia informed her and Padmé nodded in agreement. "I have you scheduled to work on some of the X-wing fighters. I want to make sure they're in good condition for the upcoming mission."

"That's fine, Aunt Leia," Padmé said. She was actually relieved to work on the X-wing fighters again. Things had been fairly slow lately and it would be nice to work on something other than maintenance on droids or faulty wiring in one of the panels in the command center.

"Goodnight, Padmé," Leia told the twenty-year-old woman. "Try not to reflect too much on these visions."

"I won't," Padmé promised before giving her aunt a small smile. "Get some sleep too, okay?"

The general only nodded before Padmé exited the command center to head back to her own room on the other side of the base. She doubted she would be getting any sleep tonight after her vision. A part of her was terrified that she would have another vision about her sister.

Her aunt's reassurances about Force visions definitely helped. Leia was right. Force visions shouldn't be taken seriously. The future was always changing so she couldn't rely on her visions. However, the other thing her aunt told her scared her. The connection she had with her sister. A connection that couldn't be broken by one sister falling into the darkness.

A sibling bond could be strong.

Maybe too strong.

That's what Padmé feared the most.


"Isn't he handsome?" Riva Rosetta said, giggling as she gazed over at a table across the mess hall. Padmé wasn't really paying attention to Riva who was another technician in the Resistance. She was too busy eating her lunch and stressing out over the fact that the connection she had with her sister through the Force might still be there.

If Padmé opened herself back up to the Force, even a little bit, her sister might be able to find her. This also meant that her sister could find out where the Resistance was. Her aunt didn't seem too worried so maybe Padmé shouldn't be worried either, but this was still troubling news. Padmé had to make sure she was cut off from the Force which also meant not having Force visions and the only way to do that was to not sleep.

It had been a few days since the conversation with her aunt and Padmé maybe only got six hours of sleep total in those four days. She was extremely sleep depraved, but Padmé was scared that during her sleep she would somehow unknowingly open herself up to the Force which would reveal her presence to her sister and cousin.

Not sleeping was the only option but Padmé was now suffering from it.

"I don't know. He's kind of older than us, isn't he?" Rose replied as she followed Riva's gaze.

"He's not too old for me," Koo Millham replied, a smirk on her face. Koo was yet another technician as well as Riva's roommate. Padmé and Rose sat with the two slightly older technicians during lunch all the time even though Padmé wasn't a fan of them. They were too gossipy and preoccupied with handsome pilots for Padmé's liking. She also got the impression the women didn't like her either because Padmé was all about her work and didn't care for much else.

Padmé didn't have time for gossip or boys.

"What do you think, Alana?" Rose asked her and Padmé snapped out of her thoughts. She was too busy staring into her bowl of soup, trying to not lose her mind over that Force vision of her sister.

"What?" Padmé questioned and Riva rolled her eyes.

"We were talking about Commander Dameron," Riva explained as she nodded her head in the opposite direction.

"The new pilot that General Organa recruited."

"Oh…" Padmé said softly, vaguely remembering Rose saying that her aunt recruited one of the New Republic's star pilots. She finally noticed the commander sitting with all the other pilots across the mess hall.

Padmé could definitely see why he was very popular with all the female Resistance members.

The commander was definitely handsome.

Commander Dameron was talking to his fellow pilots, probably relaying some tale of an adventure or something similar, but everyone seemed to hang on to his every word. His hair was thick and dark as well as a bit unruly with some curls that couldn't quite be managed even though it looked to Padmé as though he might've attempted to do so. His skin was a nice olive tone that told Padmé that he more than likely hailed from a planet that saw plenty of sunshine. Commander Dameron's brown eyes also gleamed with mischief as he excitedly talked to the other pilots.

Padmé assumed that he must've been a lot older than herself and Rose.

His reputation in the New Republic's Navy was evidence of that as well as the way he held himself. He was a little young to be a commander but definitely too old for Riva to be giggling over.

Padmé finally glanced away from him to look back at Rose and the others at the table.

"I heard he's a good pilot," Padmé said plainly before continuing to eat her lunch. Riva looked at her in disbelief.

"Are you deaf? We weren't exactly talking about his piloting skills," Riva said, causing Rose to blush. "We were talking about how absolutely gorgeous he is. More so than the other Wookie-looking men around here."

"What do you have against Wookies?" Padmé retorted and Koo laughed.

"You have to agree that Commander Dameron is somewhat pleasing to look at," Koo told the younger girl. Padmé just stared blankly at her before answering.

"All I care about is if he's as good of a pilot as everyone says he is," Padmé said pointedly, suggesting that Koo and Riva stop gossiping about the new commander. It wasn't as though she didn't also find Commander Dameron attractive, Padmé just felt like it was disrespectful and an insult to trivialize the commander's skills by gossiping about him.

"You're boring," Riva complained loudly. Rose just gave Padmé an apologetic look, knowing how annoying Riva and Koo could be sometimes. "Can't you just stop being serious for once and be fun?"

"There's a war going on. There's no time for fun," Padmé deadpanned before taking her tray of food and leaving the table. She wasn't hungry anymore, anyways. Those two Gundarks were annoying enough to rid any one of their appetite.

Padmé threw the contents of her tray in the garbage before exiting the mess hall.

She supposed there was a time in her life where she might've gossiped about cute boys like Riva and Koo. Back before everything with her sister and cousin happened. Padmé used to blush and giggle over Manon back at the temple all the time which her sister used to tease her about, but those days were long gone.

Padmé wasn't the naïve and silly teenaged girl she used to be.

She couldn't afford to be that girl.

Not anymore.