10.

Jaina climbed out of the speeder and pulled her jacket a little tighter around her, trying to ward off the chill. Wherever they were, it was cold. Looking around, she could see nothing but wide-open space and wondered why Ahsoka had stopped here.

She may not have been able to see anything, but she could definitely feel something. The Force was strong here, stronger than she'd ever felt it before. It felt alive, like it was a living, breathing entity moving around them.

"Where are we?" she asked as Ahsoka walked up next to her.

Ahsoka said nothing and continued walking, eventually stopping several meters away. Confused and slightly annoyed, Jaina followed her. Ahsoka was looking down, at something on the ground, and when Jaina joined her, she could see there were markings carved onto it.

"A Jedi temple once stood here," Ahsoka said reverently, "before it was destroyed."

"Why was it destroyed?" Jaina quietly asked, when she realized Ahsoka wasn't going to offer more information on her own.

"The Emperor sought to use the secrets and knowledge within it for himself," Ahsoka replied. There was no mistaking the acidity in her voice. "He wanted access to the power that was contained deep inside."

Jaina had—for the first time since she'd known her—the sense that Ahsoka was struggling to control her emotions.

"Was he successful?" she tentatively asked.

A grim smile crossed Ahsoka's face. "No, he wasn't. The temple was destroyed before he could gain access to it." She looked down at Jaina. "This planet has a strong connection to the Force. It's another reason why I chose it."

Jaina nodded. "I can feel it, especially right here."

Ahsoka turned around and sat cross-legged on the ground, her hands on her knees; it was the same position she'd taught Jaina how to meditate in. Jaina got the hint and sat down across from her, in the same position.

"I brought you up here," Ahsoka said, "to one of the few places on this world that the Force is the strongest, so you could connect to it. I know you've been working on going deeper during your meditations, and that's exactly what I want you to do now. Use the strength of the Force here and try to go further than you have been. Open yourself up completely to it. Have you had any visions yet?"

Jaina shook her head. "Meditating on Yavin wasn't the easiest. There were always…distractions."

"Use the opportunity you have now, then," Ahsoka said, "to see how deep you can go."

Jaina nervously nodded. Yes, there had been plenty of distractions on Yavin, but she'd also been holding back. The idea of fully opening herself up terrified her, and she'd never let her meditations get that far. Ahsoka spoke of visions as if they were a good thing, but she wasn't so sure.

"I will be here with you the whole time," Ahsoka assured her, sensing her apprehension.

She nodded again and suddenly, a terrifying thought struck her. "What if the same thing that happened with Alderaan, happens again?" She hadn't meditated since then and wasn't in a hurry to experience it again.

"It won't, "Ahsoka replied firmly. Jaina gave her a skeptical look. "You can't worry about things that may or may not happen," Ahsoka said, her voice slightly more soothing. "Now…clear your mind."

Jaina closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She slowly blew it out, letting her fear, and worries, and doubts go with it. With the Force flowing so strongly around her, and with no distractions, she was able to empty her mind with ease. Within minutes she had sunk into a deep meditation, pushing past her comfort zone and fully allowing the Force to flow into her, as Ahsoka had instructed.

She was allowing the current of energy to pull her along when she suddenly sensed she wasn't alone. There was another presence with her, but it wasn't Ahsoka. She opened her eyes, expecting to see Ahsoka right in front of her, but she was gone.

Jaina frowned and got to her feet, looking around. Not only was Ahsoka nowhere in sight, but the speeder was gone as well. Frustration welled inside her; Ahsoka had promised she'd stay with her.

"Why are you here?" an unfamiliar voice said, seemingly from nowhere. Jaina spun around, trying to find the source of it. She saw nothing, and that only added to the growing frustration.

"Who are you?" She could hear the rising panic and agitation in her voice and tried to tamp it down. "Where's Ahsoka?"

"Why are you here?" the voice repeated, more insistent this time.

Jaina didn't answer. She didn't recognize the voice, and even though she felt another presence, she could see no one. "Where's Ahsoka? I'm not answering anything until you tell me where she is."

"She is safe," the voice replied. His vague answer only agitated her further.

"What is this?" she asked sharply. "Who are you?"

"Who I am is of little importance," the voice said. "The real question is, who are you, and why are you here?"

Jaina angrily shook her head. This felt like a game, one she wasn't going to win. But she decided to play along anyway. "I'm Jai—" she started to say.

"Yes, yes, I know your name," the voice interrupted dismissively, "but there's more to you than that. Tell me, do you know who you are?"

The question caught her off-guard. She thought about it for a moment and realized she had no answer for him. She used to know who she was. She'd told Ahsoka as much that first evening they'd spent at the overlook. She'd felt so lost back then, unsure of who she was anymore, what her path forward was supposed to be. Things had certainly improved in the time since, but she couldn't deny still feeling lost.

Yes, the training and lessons had given her a purpose. Held her attention and made her focus, but until now she'd never stopped and asked herself the real reason why she was doing it. Because of the Inquisitor seemed like the obvious answer, but she knew that was a cop-out.

"I thought I did," she finally replied. "I guess I don't."

"That is something you will need to answer," he said. "No one else can answer it for you. And until you do, you will never truly be at peace."

The voice paused for a moment, then continued: "Now, tell me why you're here."

"To learn," she quickly replied. That was a question she could answer. Or so she thought.

"To learn about…what?" he prompted.

"The Force," she replied, "and my connection to it."

"Ah yes," he said, his voice growing more serious, "and a strong connection it is. What is it about that connection that you want to learn?"

Once again, Jaina was at a loss for words. The easy answer would've been "how to defeat the Inquisitor", but just like before, she knew there was more to it than that. It brought her back to the question of why she was doing all this in the first place. What was she hoping to gain from Ahsoka's lessons? Defeating the Inquisitor and getting the Empire off her back was an obvious goal, but what happens after that?

"I—I guess I don't know exactly," she stammered.

She heard him sigh. "These are questions you will need to answer, and soon. There is a darkness growing inside you. It's being fed by the guilt, regret, fear, and anger you're holding on to. The longer you remain unbalanced; the longer you allow these emotions to eat away at you, the larger that darkness will grow, until it consumes you.

"This is a dangerous time for you. You're just beginning to discover your abilities and the power that comes along with them. If you do not heed my warning and find balance; if you do not find the answers to the questions I asked you…" he trailed off.

Jaina waited for him to continue, and when he didn't, she quietly asked: "What will happen to me?"

"It won't be what happens to you," he said ominously.

A vision suddenly appeared before her eyes. She saw herself and Sabine; Sabine was standing over her, a look of disgust on her face. She turned to walk away, and Jaina watched in horror as she saw herself use the Force to throw Sabine into something. She crumpled to the ground and didn't move.

Jaina wanted to look away but couldn't, and as she watched herself angrily stride toward Sabine's motionless body, the vision suddenly changed. Ahsoka was now in front of her, her lightsabers drawn and ignited.

"You don't want to do this," Ahsoka warned. Jaina watched herself circle Ahsoka, an ignited saber in her own hand.

"Yes…I do," she replied. Her eyes went wide as she watched herself charge at Ahsoka, striking hard and fast with her blade.

The vision abruptly changed again, and this time she saw herself standing in front of Emry. "Please, Jaina, don't do this," Emry pleaded. The look of fear and hurt on her face was almost more than she could bear, but she couldn't look away.

"Get out of my way," she growled at Emry, in the vision. Emry shook her head.

"No, I won't. I can't let you go." Horror turned to revulsion as she watched herself raise a hand towards Emry; seconds later, Emry began to struggle to breathe. She choked back bile, helplessly watching as Emry's hands clawed and tore at her throat.

"Enough!" she yelled, pleading with the unseen voice. "I've seen enough! Make it stop!" The vision finally ended, but not before she watched Emry's body go limp and fall to the ground.

Jaina fell to her hands and knees, sucking in deep breaths and trying not to get sick. She didn't want to believe she was capable of such cruelty, but there was no denying what she'd seen. The voice had said there was darkness in her; was that why the Force showed her this? To show her what was going to happen if she allowed it to grow?

"I can't let that happen," she mumbled, more to herself than anything. "I won't…"

There was no reply, though she hadn't expected one, and she slowly realized she couldn't sense the voice's presence anymore. She was completely alone.

She sat back down and closed her eyes. The images from the vision were there to greet her, and she took slow, deep breaths, trying to clear them from her mind. After an agonizing while, they dissipated, and she fell back into a deep meditation.

Out of nowhere, she heard Ahsoka's voice calling her name. It sounded distant and she immediately followed it, hearing it grow closer and closer until finally, it sounded like it was right next to her. Tentatively, she opened her eyes and realized she was now lying on her side, on the ground. Ahsoka was kneeling next to her, a hand on her shoulder as she shook her and called her name again.

Jaina groaned and sat up. "What happened?" Ahsoka asked. There was a hint of worry in her voice, but Jaina could tell she already knew the answer.

"A vision…I think," she replied. "I don't know. It wasn't exactly like you'd described them to me." She shivered, though she wasn't sure if it was from the cold air or what she'd seen.

"Given how strong the Force is here, I'm not surprised," Ahsoka said. "You're not the only one who's had strange visions here." She paused. "Do you want to talk about it?"

Jaina hesitated, then shook her head. "No, I don't think so," she said, apologetically. "At least…not right now."

Ahsoka gave her a slight nod and let it go. Jaina was beyond grateful she didn't push her to discuss it. She didn't know if she could right now, not without breaking down. Ahsoka helped her to her feet, and they made their way back to the speeder.

The ride back was just as quiet as the ride there. Jaina spent the entire time turning the conversation she'd had and the vision she'd seen, over in her head, trying to make sense of it. By the time they'd reached the outskirts of the city, she was no further along in understanding it than she had been when they'd left the temple site.

Instead of heading into the city, Ahsoka drove them to an old communications tower on the outskirts. Jaina could see a figure standing on the platform at the top, and as they got closer, she realized it was Sabine. It dawned on her—as they climbed out of the speeder and Ahsoka told her to grab her things—that this was where Sabine lived. And apparently, where they were staying.

They rode the lift up to the top, and once inside, Jaina could see that Sabine had begun to convert it into a living space. There was a large common area, and three other rooms branching off it. One was more finished than the other two, and Jaina assumed it was Sabine's. Sabine showed Jaina to one of the rooms and Ahsoka to the other, then disappeared into her own.

Jaina was unrolling the bedroll that Sabine had left for her when Ahsoka appeared at the door.

"Do you remember what I told you about visions you might have?" she asked, leaning against the doorframe and crossing her arms.

"Yes," Jaina replied. She turned around to face her. "You said they can be interpreted in many ways, and I shouldn't take them at face value."

Ahsoka said nothing, and Jaina sighed. She already knew what Ahsoka was thinking. "I know, I know. But it seemed so real."

"They usually do," Ahsoka replied. "But that doesn't mean that what you saw will happen exactly as you saw it. Or even happen at all. Remember that." Jaina nodded. "Get some rest. We start first thing in the morning." And with that, she headed back to her room.

Jaina was awake long before Ahsoka came and got her the next morning. The vision had haunted her every time she'd closed her eyes, and she'd barely slept. Ahsoka didn't look too pleased when she saw how tired Jaina was, but she didn't scold her. Which was just as well, because the last thing she needed was a lecture.

She was able to down two cups of caf before Ahsoka herded her out the door and into the speeder. She drove them to a nearby mountain range, where, after navigating through a narrow gorge, they emerged into a large valley that was tucked between the towering peaks. Ahsoka parked the speeder at the entrance to the valley and got out.

"Sabine was able to find this for us," Ahsoka explained, as Jaina climbed out after her. "It's completely secluded, and as far as she knows, no one knows about it." Jaina nodded as she looked around.

"We'll be spending the majority of our time here," Ahsoka continued, "in this valley, and these mountains."

Jaina finished her visual sweep of the area and looked back at Ahsoka, satisfied. It would be awfully hard for someone to sneak up on them or spy on them here, without them knowing it. With seemingly only one way in or out, they'd hear anyone coming long before they saw them.

"Sounds good to me," Jaina said. "So, what am I going to be learning today?"

After a short meditation session, they got to work. Ahsoka kept her busy the rest of the day, just like she had on Yavin. And, just like on Yavin, they quickly fell into the same routine: wake up, eat, train all day, dinner, then she'd collapse into bed, thoroughly exhausted. The only difference now was that she had absolutely nothing to distract her anymore.

She threw herself into the lessons, determined not to let what she'd seen in the vision come true. Even though she had no idea how she was supposed to stop it. She never spoke about it again, and Ahsoka never brought it up; but it was always there, in the back of her mind, threatening to rear its ugly head at the most inopportune time.

Most days, it was just her and Ahsoka, but Sabine would join them occasionally. Especially if the training that day involved anything related to blasters or sparring. The first time Sabine joined them and Ahsoka had mentioned using blasters, Jaina had protested.

"I already know how to use a blaster," she'd told Ahsoka, with some disdain.

"Oh, I'm sure you do," Ahsoka had replied with a smirk. "But you're not going to be the one shooting." She gestured to Sabine, who was wearing a smirk of her own. "She is. At you."

Jaina had looked at her like she was crazy until Ahsoka explained exactly what she meant. Jaina still thought she was crazy, but she also remembered the stories Rex had told her; stories of watching the Jedi walk into a hail of blaster fire and not being touched by it. Being able to anticipate and avoid being shot seemed like a useful skill to have.

In practice, however, it proved far harder to learn. She'd spend those days attempting to evade blaster fire from Sabine, while, at the same time, trying to stay calm and focused enough to anticipate, using the Force, where the shots were going before they got there.

It was not an easy task. No matter how hard she tried, she could never seem to stay focused or calm enough. Especially after being stung for the hundredth time by one of Sabine's shots. The lessons would always end in frustration, and not just her own. She knew Ahsoka was growing just as frustrated as she was, with her lack of control over her emotions.

The hand-to-hand combat training was no different. She had always had a knack for it, but Sabine was on another level. Jaina might have access to the Force, but she certainly couldn't use it properly or control it yet. Sabine was just faster, stronger, and better than her. And that annoyed Jaina to no end.

It wasn't that she disliked Sabine, however. To dislike someone, she'd need to be around them more often, and Sabine was rarely around, save for the occasional training session. And even then, after she'd shot Jaina for the hundredth time, or won yet another bout, she was always gracious. She never rubbed it in Jaina's face or boasted. Jaina respected her for that and found the quiet intensity she brought to the training sessions refreshing.

Outside of the training sessions, though, Sabine kept to herself. So, it was a complete surprise that she was able to provide Jaina with an answer to a question that had been plaguing her since she'd arrived on Akiva.

What Jaina couldn't know, was that the answer Sabine would give her would just create more questions; questions only her mother and father had the answers to.