"Wake up, little one."

The voice was a soft hush, and as she felt a hand jostle her knee, Aeyla was awoken from her slumber, groggy, stiff, and grumpy. It had been about a week since their mishap with the stormtrooper stragglers; while Alota successfully managed to eliminate that particular squadron, further digging revealed a network of Empire sympathizers within Mos Eisley. Of course, there was not a lot she and her daughter could do–Force-sensitive as Aeyla might be, a five-year-old wasn't supposed to be in the line of fire, and as hard as Alota tried, the young girl would find her way to her mother, no matter how dangerous the situation. So, rather than get right into the fray, Alota kept her head down, gathering what information she could to relay back to the New Republic.

But that still left the matter of Aeyla. Even in a week, she seemed to be grasping her Force powers more, and while it could have proved useful had she been older, Alota knew that it would only bring danger upon her daughter. It was why they left Tatooine, a week after they'd destroyed the squadron. While not familiar with Tatooine as she might have been other planets, there was still the lingering danger of who might use a Force-sensitive child to their advantage.

"Mm…where are we?" Aeyla's words were slurred as her hands balled into small fists, rubbing her eyes groggily. She had fallen asleep in the co-pilot's seat, unaware as to where her mother was taking her. Aeyla assumed it was another world, with another mess of Imperial soldiers awaiting their opportunity to rise again. However, yawning widely, she blinked the sleep out of her golden eyes, looking out of the window to the landing pad.

She had expected some sort of deserted, sandy planet, after hopping from one desolate wasteland to the next, but when she saw the greenery of foliage, and the bright blue skies and waters of this unknown world, her face lit up with a joy that she'd not shown in weeks. Beside her, Alota shot her a sideways glance, a grin curving her lips. They had been traveling for so long, on less-than-savory planets, that their visit to Chandrila was well received for them both.

Behind the togruta, MD-5 came shuffling from the medical bay, metallic feet clanking against the floor. "Mistress Alota," he said, inclining his head in a bow. Alota could not greet him, more focused on the escort that had slowly surrounded her ship. She should have thought to call ahead, but it was too late now. After all, her ship was easily recognizable among the New Republic, having been one of the primary vessels in the assault against the Empire, but she wasn't bothered.

"What is it, MD-5?"

Aeyla paid no mind to what it was they spoke about. Had she been able to, her small nose would have been pressed against the glass to see everything the could, and even with the senate cruisers flanking them on either side, the pure, unbridled joy that the girl felt could not be contained. She was excited. For once, she could kick off her boots, feel the soft grass between her toes, and the coolness of the earth against her feet. Everything was full of life, vibrant and colorful, and Aeyla was more than happy to take in all the wonders she could. Even the cities beyond nature were lovely, the classy, modern architecture gave off a vibe that Aeyla could not describe, but welcomed, nonetheless.

"There is a transmission on the first channel," he replied, matter-of-factly. Though he was a medical droid, MD-5 took on more responsibility since there were only the three of them, one of them being a child. It was a great help to Alota, and she appreciated the droid more than she let on.

"Who is it?"

The droid shrugged. "I do not know. They would not let on any more information other than they were senate security. However, I do not think that is entirely the case. The voice was, ehm, casual."

He seemed perplexed by the state of the transmission, but said nothing more on the matter. Glancing over her shoulder for a moment, Alota nodded in thanks, before reaching to hit the switch to allow the transmission to come through.

"General Alota Noebii, requesting landing permit," she said, and Aeyla looked back at her mother curiously. Aeyla had never heard her speak of her rank from the war; it was not something she liked to bring up when her daughter asked. In truth, Aeyla knew precious little about her mother's past when she was a part of the Rebellion, and while she was old enough to understand, it seemed like it was not an old wound that Alota wished to reopen. All Aeyla knew was that it was bad, but they had won in the end.

"It's been a while, my friend," the voice on the other end of the transmission responded, and Alota chuckled softly, recognizing it right away. It was a woman's voice, strong, yet weary, and it was also a voice that Aeyla had heard before. She must have been very young, however, as she could not pinpoint to whom it belonged, but the warmth in Alota's face told Aeyla that she must have been a very good friend.

"You're damn right it has," Alota replied, flipping several switches above her head. Aeyla heard the engines begin to slow as they started their descent, and looking out the window again, the landing dock came into view.

"Would you get your people off me, Leia?" she continued, growing impatient as the escorts continued to near her. "If they don't get out of the way, they're going to get hit, and I'd hate to see their pretty little cruisers with damaged paint."

There came a laugh from the other side, and Alota's non-eyepatched eye narrowed, her nose wrinkling in displeasure. It was true, the security neared, but after a few seconds, they quickly backed off, now hovering slightly behind their ship as she continued to descent.

"They won't give you anymore trouble, Alota. I'll meet you on the platform in a few minutes."

"Wonderful," she replied. "Noebii, disconnecting."

With a hiss, the transmission ended, and slower but surely, the ship landed on the docking bay, the escorts landing relatively near, but still well out of the way of Alota's vessel. With a sigh, she stood, raising her hands above her head, and her spine cracked in several places, having sat in the same position for so long.

Aeyla slid from her seat excitedly, jetting toward the door. Unfortunately, MD-5 blocked her way, and Alota caught her by the upper arm, holding her back.

"Little one, this is Chandrila," she said, kneeling before her daughter. "We have to be on our best behavior for the senators. War hero or not, a bounty hunter isn't an honorable profession to most."

Aeyla grimaced but said nothing, resolving to slowly nod when her mother straightened. Feeling a gentle touch on her back, Aeyla walked solemnly through the ship, down the hall and toward the door leading outward, Alota and MD-5 in her wake.

"Mistress, shall I stay on the ship?" the medical droid asked, and Aeyla glanced up, snagging his metallic hand within her own. "I doubt you will have need for a medical droid, as the senate has the best of the best."

"Come with us," she said, her lips curving into a grin. "Being stuck on the ship is no fun, and you've been stuck since we left Shili!"

MD-5 looked at Aeyla, his emotionless face somehow still eliciting surprise at her sudden touch, and Alota, beside him, clapped a hand to his shoulder, jostling him lightly. He looked from mother to daughter and back again, his head tilting, as though about to ask why they'd want him along.

"You need to stretch your legs, pal," Alota said, reaching for the door's latch, stepping back as it slid open. The ramp, leading outward, slid from its place beneath the ship, and the three of them paused for a moment, waiting for it to hit the ground.

"I highly doubt that, Mistress," MD-5 replied, allowing himself to be pulled along as Aeyla dragged him from the ship by the hand. "I do not have the muscles that require stretching as you do. I would be perfectly fine to stay behind."

Alota let out a bark of laughter, causing both Aeyla and MD-5 to pause in front of her, glancing back at her. "It was a figure of speech, MD," she said, making sure to shut the ship's doors. "We'll need to have you tuned up a bit, though. There's still a bit of sand in your joints that I wasn't able to get out, and you could use a vacation, you know."

He made to respond, but Aeyla began pulling him along again, golden eyes gleaming as she took in this world. Clearly, Alota had been here before, but this was the first time Aeyla had ever laid eyes on the planet, and honestly, she didn't want to leave. It was beautiful! So vibrant, like her homeworld, but with a certain class that Shili did not have. She was almost tempted to run off and explore, but she remembered her mother's words, and thought better of it. Good thing, too, as up the walkway, leading toward the docking bay, approached a woman and her young son, her dark eyes dancing and her expression alight in glee. The woman was vaguely familiar, and though Aeyla could not place it, she knew this woman was important. Strong and wise, the woman walked with a proud and elegant gait, and within her hand was held the hand of the boy beside her, dark, tousled hair and around the same age as Aeyla.

"Aren't you a sight for sore eyes, Alota?" she chuckled as the bounty hunter patted Aeyla between her montrals, before striding toward the woman and her son. Holding out her arms, Alota embraced the stranger as Aeyla stood back, still grasping onto MD-5's hand, swaying awkwardly from side to side. She should have known who this woman was, but her name escaped her, though she had heard it on the ship. Of course, Aeyla hadn't been paying attention, but still, she should have at least known a friend of her mother's.

"Speak for yourself, Senator," Alota replied, sticking out her tongue. "Some of us have been shot at more times in the past week than she'd like to admit."

The woman merely laughed, shaking her head. However, as she glanced behind Alota, catching a glimpse of Aeyla, a warm smile curved her lips, her hand resting on her son's shoulder.

"Is that Aeyla?" she murmured, and Alota reached for her daughter's hand, encouraging her to come forward. "It's been years, hasn't it? She's gotten so big…"

"It has." Truthfully, it had been ages since Alota had been to Chandrila, and the first time she visited with Aeyla. Had it really been that long? Had it really been five years since she's seen her friend, face-to-face while she worked to better the New Republic? "And Ben, too! I haven't seen him since he was a baby!"

Aeyla, taking her mother's hand, glanced at the boy curiously, who eyed her right back. He seemed very stoic, even for a child their age, and she offered him a small smile, one that he did not return right away. Even so, he smiled stiffly in return, still uncertain, and hung tighter onto his mother's hand.

"Aeyla, this is Leia Organa, and her son, Ben," Alota said. "She's here to help you."