Her brother was already standing in front of the holograms of Mon Mothma and the recently promoted General Antilles when Leia walked into the room, with a visibly irate Han trailing behind her. Leia had spent six months working herself to near death before leaving for this short trip, and Han was somehow much more annoyed than her about the interruption to their much needed break.

But Mon had been the one to practically force her into taking this leave, which meant that the Chief of State wouldn't interrupt it for anything less than a complete crisis. And based on her and Wedge's expressions, it couldn't be a minor one.

"Hello, Leia. Captain Solo." Mon greeted with her usual politeness, but her eyes betrayed how worried she really was. The holotable in The Falcon didn't provide the most detailed holograms, but that didn't hide the tension."I apologize for the interruption, but I'm afraid the New Republic needs its head minister back more urgently than planned."

"I take it that it couldn't wait until our leave was over." Han said matter-of-fact-ly, his previous irritation now replaced by concern.

"Afraid not, Han." Wedge said. "There's been a concerning incident. A New Republic trade convoy was attacked earlier today while en route to Bothawui. Some of the freighters managed to escape, but the rest were most likely captured. The two Corvettes escorting the ships were destroyed, but not before they sent back scans of the skirmish. We know for certain that they were attacked by two Imperial-Class Star Destroyers and an Interdictor cruiser that pulled them out of hyperspace."

Leia barely registered Han swearing under his breath as the implications settled in, and Luke looked pained in the extreme. "How many lives were lost in the attack?" The Princess asked. It was a once-common question she'd hoped to never need to ask again.

"Seventy-eight." Mon answered, and Leia's mind was already racing."We've already reached out to Governor Drome, and he assures me that those ships were sent by the deep core warlords and not by The Empire. Although to say that the outraged Senate is skeptical of that would be a rather severe understatement. And the Governor's promise of a thorough investigation on his end isn't of much help at the moment."

Leia's brows furrowed further. She didn't particularly like Drome. Because despite his words and actions, he was still an imperial who had stood by while the government he served committed atrocities. But she was fairly confident that his desire for peace was indeed sincere. "Drome may be speaking the truth from his perspective, but we can't rule out The Empire. It could very well be the Warlords, and it could also be one of Drome's underlings trying to reignite the conflict. Everyone knows our peace is still fragile."

Han snorted. "Tell me about it. I still remember all the disgruntled rebel voices when we signed that blasted concordance."

Leia pinched the bridge of her nose. The consensus around the peace had been mixed among the rebels ever since Mon's speech following the Truce at Bakura. Far too many of them had very personal reasons to hate the Empire, and many beings consequently didn't like the idea of compromising or co-existing with the Imperial Remnant. She had no doubt that the New Republic included plenty of people who'd like for the war to start again. The Empire probably wasn't much different in that regard.

"I'm more concerned by the fact that they managed to attack the convoy at all. Is there a possibility of a leak?" Luke asked, and Leia immediately understood what he was referring to. In order to prevent piracy, The New Republic's trade convoys usually avoided the more direct, more commonly used paths into the mid and inner rims. Instead, the ships would often use more secretive, complex paths that sacrificed speed for safety. The Empire knowing about at least one of them enough to intercept the convoy suggested some espionage.

"General Cracken is currently overseeing that investigation personally. If there is a leak, we can count on him to find it." Mon said"But there's a lot of work to be done if we're going to smooth things over, and the demands for a joint campaign into the deep core are growing. How soon can you return to Naboo, Leia?"

"If I know The Falcon ,we can be there in about sixteen hours, give or take." Han said.

Mon seemed relieved. "Thank you, Captain. I need to go now, but please reach out to me as soon as you arrive at Starlight City. May The Force be with you." She said before her hologram faded.

Han gave a frustrated huff. "I suppose I'll go warm up the engines. So much for our break away from all this lunacy." He said as he headed to the cockpit.

Leia gave a sigh of her own. "I guess I have to go back and get my stuff. I'm sorry I couldn't stay longer, Luke." And just when she was finally getting better at Soresu, too. It'd taken some getting used to, but she had to admit that she did enjoy learning about all the philosophies and techniques Luke's teachers had taught him. And after months of dealing with one crisis after another, she'd needed that break on Yavin IV.

Luke nodded. "I'd offer to come with you, but I don't think I'd be of much use in this case."

Leia snorted. "Yeah, well the old Jedi were diplomats. Maybe I should be the teacher next time." She said with a sad smile as she headed down the ramp, leaving Luke and his old squad mate alone.

"It's good to see you, Wedge." Luke said with a sad smile of his own. "How's life as a General treating you?"

"Hours are terrible, but the food's a lot better." The Corellian joked before growing somber. "In all seriousness, I can see why you turned down the rank and left the military altogether. Being responsible for twelve people was hard. But having so many lives in your hands? That's a burden I'm not sure anyone with a heart can carry for long."

Luke's smile grew somewhat bitter. "Yeah, I remember General Dodonna's lessons too. But if there's anyone I trust with this, it's you, pal."

Wedge gave a cocky smirk that reminded Luke a lot of Han. "You're just saying that to feel better about leaving me to deal with all the kraytspit. And I shudder to imagine what the Rogues are doing to poor Hobbie now that they're his problem. But enough about me." The Corellian said."I sent your astromech the necessary clearance codes. Wasn't easy to get them now that you're no longer part of the military, so don't expect this to be a regular occurrence. Just be at Sunspot-5 in two days."

Luke grinned. "Thanks Wedge. I owe you one."

The newly promoted General snorted."You owe me more than one, but who's counting? Anyway, I have to go now. You just drop by next time you're in Starlight. Antilles Out." He said as his hologram disappeared, leaving the Jedi alone.

Thirty minutes later, Luke had said his goodbyes to Leia and the rest, before standing near The Falcon as it launched. He followed it with his eyes as it dashed towards the atmosphere and into open space, leaving the Jedi once again alone with his thoughts.

An air of foreboding, confusion and loneliness hung around him as he walked towards the temple. And he found himself confronting thoughts he didn't really want to confront. The truth was that Luke had felt somewhat lost and more than a little useless after resigning from the military.

He didn't regret his choice. Jedi were peacekeepers, not soldiers. And he'd played soldier long enough. The Galaxy needed the Jedi, and it was his burden to bring them back. Only problem was, he had no idea how.

Sure, he'd been doing fine teaching Leia everything his teachers had taught him, be it about wielding The Force, lightsaber combat, meditation techniques or Jedi philosophy. But there was more to teaching and guiding people on the Jedi path than simply passing on the same lessons. There had to be. And while he was proud of Leia's progress, he knew that she wasn't interested in becoming a Jedi in the way that mattered at the moment. She had a different calling, one no less important. And that calling required too much of her focus and time.

And Mara Jade, the only other candidate he knew, had made it clear that she wasn't interested, and Luke suspected that The Force didn't represent a lot of positive things to her. She'd barely touched it during her service to the Emperor. And in many ways, The Force reminded her of things she regretted. To her, it had been no more than a tool, and Luke knew that Mara had a lot to overcome from her past. He simply couldn't push her, but he did let her know that his door would always be open.

Luke was lost. He didn't know how to find students or how to guide them individually. He had knowledge thanks to his teachers and all the lore he'd gathered, but he wasn't sure how to really pass it on the way his teachers had done with him. Months had passed since his resignation from the navy, and the only things he'd accomplished were the sporadic training of Leia and the furthering of his own studies. He knew that he couldn't rush the rebuilding of the order, but the burden was far too heavy to bear alone.

And as much as he hated to admit it, Yavin IV could often get lonely. He was used to the camaraderie he'd found with the rebellion, and he rather missed spending time with his found family and his friends, before they'd all gone on different paths. Leia was now busier than ever as the head minister of a nascent government, Han and Lando were off slowly but surely establishing their shipping company, Chewie was on Kashyyyk with his family and Wedge was now the General in charge of training new pilots. He didn't necessarily miss the life of soldiers, but he did miss doing something as part of a cause bigger than himself.

And then there was the political state of his new Jedi order. He knew that the New Republic senate was still debating whether or not to give him Yavin IV to build his praxeum there, and he didn't think it was avoidable for the new senate and his order to work closely. But just how closely? Yoda had hinted that the Jedi of old made a mistake by not realizing just how deep corruption had gone in the old senate. That they didn't have a voice in the government, and didn't pressure the senate enough to at least try and find a diplomatic resolution to the clone wars.

Luke couldn't allow people to tell him who and when to fight. A Jedi entered into violence only as a last resort, and must try everything else first. His order would have to maintain a degree of independence, but still work closely enough with the senate to have some jurisdiction and actually make a difference. But independence would require a separate source for funding, and he didn't have that.

Leia said that the new senate would be different, and wanted him to work more closely with them. But Luke still had his reservations, because while he didn't know much about politics, he knew that things seldom remained the same. He would have to find balance somehow, which was always part of a Jedi's duty.

Arriving back at his quarters, he dropped on his bed and lay there for a few minutes before reaching out for his commlink. A few moments later, the glowing image of a female Togruta appeared before him.

"Luke. How's my favorite Jedi?" Ahsoka asked cheerily, although Luke sensed that something was bothering her. "Trying my best…but I could be better." He said with a weak smile. "Any news on your end?"

Ahsoka seemed to grow dejected."None, but practically mapping unknown space bit by bit is slow work." She noted "We have a lot of ground to cover, but Mon Mothma seems satisfied with our progress for some reason. Sabine's unending intrepidness also helps."

Luke nodded, although he could sense her frustrations. It was not a priority at the moment, but The New Republic had still expended some meager resources towards mapping The Unknown Regions and monitoring for any threats coming from that direction. Luke still regretted the loss of the maps he and Mara had found on Pillio. As it was, Ahsoka and her allies were forced to launch scouting mission after scouting mission to create a small fraction of the maps he'd seen.

"I'm not going to lie, Luke. Things feel pretty hopeless sometimes." Ahsoka confided."But Sabine is still as determined as ever, and it helps us all keep going."

Luke smiled sadly. "I wish I could help." He said, and Ahsoka mirrored his expression. "Not much you can do." she reminded, and it only made him feel more useless. "Now, what's bothering you?" She asked.

"Nothing gets past you, huh?" He noted wryly before confiding in his father's old friend, and her expression seemed to soften as he spoke.

"You're on the right track, if you ask me." She said when he was done. "It's good to ask a lot of questions, because only then can you find the answers. The task won't be easy, but you're on the right track."

Luke sighed. Ahsoka could give some good advice, occasionally. But much like Obi-Wan and Yoda, she was adamant that he ultimately had to shape the order himself. Luke would have to stumble and possibly fail before he could succeed. He would have to make his own choices and live with their consequences. It was a somewhat scary thought, but ultimately it was his burden to carry.

He'd been taught not to rely on visions, but his last one seemed to confirm that his next step was on the right track. He could only hope that the optimism said vision gave him wasn't misplaced.

In the eyes of most people, Nar Shaddaa was the ugly distant cousin of the Galactic Capital, and it was easy to see why. Both were worlds covered in a giant city, certainly, but from then on the similarities ended for the most part. Kye Manan had once heard a spacer describe Smuggler's Moon as "if Coruscant's lower levels were a world, and smelled even worse somehow". She'd never been to the capital herself, but the description seemed accurate based on what she'd heard about said lower levels. After all, Nar Shaddaa had a lot of people who did business on both of those fronts, and Kye was willing to bet that most people living on Coruscant never suspected how many threads connected them to the biggest hive of crime in the Galaxy.

Orbiting the swampy Hutt homeworld of Nal Hutta, The Smuggler's Moon was the largest known haven for pirates, bounty hunters, smugglers, criminals, and anyone who wanted to disappear for a while, although many of those would find themselves disappearing permanently. As far as Kye could tell, no government or any form of law had ever existed on Nar Shaddaa, aside from the loose order imposed by the Hutts. The worms controlled most of the moon from the capital district of Hutta Town, although their presence was just as strong in other areas like Wormstew Town, and one was safe from their "order" as long as they got their cut. But Despite the worms' dominion over the world, other syndicates had their own presence. The Corellian Sector, for example, was largely under Black Sun control. The young pickpocket would guess that the Hutts gave the fellow syndicates those territories as a way to maintain whatever fragile alliances the worms shared with them.

Born on Smuggler's Moon fourteen years ago during the reign of one Grakkus The Hutt, young Kye Manan had never known a life other than that of a Nar Shaddaa scrumrat. She had no idea who her parents were, and she didn't care to try and learn. She'd learned the hard way that, on Nar Shaddaa, relying on anyone could easily turn into a fatal mistake. Smuggler's Moon didn't much acknowledge friendship or kin, and only barely tolerated alliances of convenience. It was a world of vice and villainy, and it was nice to be on only if you had the credits and knew how to keep them. And Kye had seen what happened to fools who couldn't keep them.

Arriving at the Black Comet bar, she stepped inside and ignored the glances of the patrons, who were obviously somewhat intrigued by the young age that often caused people to underestimate Kye. Instead, the young tholothian went straight to the bar and sat on the stool, waiting for the bartender - also the owner - to finish whatever it was he was doing.

Dosan was a somewhat obese Zabrak with pink skin, black markings and short horns. He, too, had been born and raised on Nar Shaddaa, eventually inheriting the Black Comet from his father. Kye couldn't prove it, but she was almost willing to bet credits that Dosan's father hadn't met a natural death. Then again, not many did on Nar Shaddaa. But the fact remained that Dosan was not someone people crossed. For he was as greedy as a toydarian and as ruthless as a Hutt, with enough craftiness to con just about anyone. He'd also sell his own mother for the right price, and Kye suspected that he actually had.

But desperate times called for desperate measures, and pickpocketing wasn't enough to survive on Nar Shaddaa anymore. And so, Kye found herself running deliveries for the old Zabrak. After all, there were plenty of people on Nar Shaddaa who couldn't move freely for one reason or another. And what did they do in that instance? They called Old Dosan to send them what they needed. Food, intel, narcotics, arms……anything of the sort could be supplied, if one could afford the ridiculous prices.

"There are three kinds of people you can easily clean out: drunk people, stupid people and desperate people." Dosan would often say. Of course, the zabrak could eventually sell out a client in hiding, once the credits ran out. He'd even done so once or twice, to make an example for those who would consider welshing on him. But doing so on a regular basis wouldn't exactly be good for business, once word got out. And so Dosan had a surprising reputation as a reliable supplier. And the supplies were delivered by runners like Kye. Scrumrats, for the most part.

It was a dangerous job. After all, The runners were often desperate, small kids carrying valuable goods or plenty of credits. In short, Perfect targets for muggings. But Kye knew how to avoid muggers. She'd always known how. For some reason, Kye always knew when danger was about to strike. It was a gift that had served her well growing up on the streets, and probably why Dosan gave her more runs compared to the others.

"You're late." The zabrak said as he arrived, with a glass of something fruit-y in his hand. He offered her the drink, and Kye was a little surprised at the rare display of generosity. Still, she'd learned not to look a gift bantha in the mouth, so she heartily gulped down the juice.

"Sorry about that" she said, putting the glass down on the counter. "Had to take the long way around Horas Square."

"Is that what your gut told you?" the zabrak asked, receiving a nod in return. Dosan had learned to trust her instincts over the years. "Hmph. My own little jedi." he said wryly, drawing an eye roll from her. The Tholothian didn't know much about the extinct wizards, but she was pretty certain that she wasn't one, despite what Dosan had to say on the subject.

Besides, Had the Jedi truly been wizards, they certainly couldn't have been that impressive considering The Empire had wiped them out. Apparently they were traitors, but Kye had never been one for politics. Republics, Empires…..didn't really matter in the outer rim. And certainly didn't matter on Nar Shaddaa. Governments weren't much of a help in her experience, and barely existed out here.

"What is it this time?" She asked.

Dosan simply gave a smile that she supposed was meant to be friendly, but was anything but. "Ah, ah. You know the rules. No questions."

"Whatever you say, boss." She said as she raised her hands in surrender, and Dosan's toothy grin widened. "That's better. Now, stay here while I prepare the package."

The Zabrak disappeared into one of the back rooms and returned with a nondescript duffle bag. He placed it on the counter before handing Kye one of his many datapads. Kye studied the information on the device with a raised eyebrow. "You want me to deliver this all the way to the Corellian Sector before nightfall?" She asked skeptically.

Dosan simply nodded. "You'll bring back six hundred credits. I'll pay you two portions and fifty credits for this run, if you can pull it off."

The tholothian smirked. "Don't worry. I know some shortcuts in that area. I should be there by sunset."

The Zabrak gave a smirk of his own. "That's why I like you, kid. You get the job done and you're way too smart to try and welsh on me."

Kye's cocky smirk persisted, but she had to suppress a shudder at the thought of what happened to runners who tried to take Dosan's money and escape. The zabrak wasn't a gang leader, but he had working relationships with many of them, and those allies meant he had plenty of muscle to send after anyone. Few certainly managed to escape him.

Nar Shaddaa was not a forgiving place, especially for small fry like her. But Kye had been on her own since she was ten. She knew how to play the game, and how to stay in it. And someday, she was going to escape this hellhole.

But for now, she had a delivery to make.

Author's Note:

Another chapter that is mostly set-up and introspection, although I had fun with the ideas for where our heroes would end up after the war. Do you guys think my choices worked for them?

Personally, Chapter 3 has been my favorite to write so far and I can't wait for you guys to read it. If you have any theories regarding where the story is going, and what role Kye will play in it, let me know! Lord knows I need the engagement.

As usual, let me know what you think please. Likes/Dislikes/thoughts...it will mean the world and get the next chapter here faster.