Hey, everybody. Back with another chapter.

Let's get to it.

Anthony: I'm not intending to crossover this series with any other fandom. The Alliance still has rules against human experimentation. Yes, some strength boosters have been made, and some soldiers have been augmented with cybernetics, but this isn't the Empire. Super soldiers will not be a thing here. They have other ways of combating the Grysk

GREAT CELESTIAL-DRAGON: There will be new species from the Milky Way. No, there won't be another other powers in the Milky Way besides the Alliance and the Grysk Hegemony.

Sectrooper: Good to hear from you again. Not sure if I'll be using any other characters from that chapter. I'll make sure to check out your page.

Chapter 5- Family Gathering

(April 18, 2049, Winchester, Virginia)

In the town of Winchester, Virginia, it's a relatively nice day. There had been some rain a few days earlier, but today is a clear day. Loudoun Street is busy with shoppers and people looking to eat at the cafes, and a few locals have set up stands selling fresh produce.

In the outer parts of Winchester, a new model Chevvie Silverado is driving through town, heading out of the town to their destination just outside of town. Sitting in the driver's seat is Kelly Adams Skywalker.

Kelly is now 54 years old, and a very accomplished Jedi Master. Kelly is definitely showing some signs of age. Some of her dark blonde hair has just started to turn grey, and when she smiled, one could see some wrinkles around her eyes. However, she hasn't really let her age affect her skills as a Jedi. Her strength in the Force has only grown, she is still able to move almost as quick as she used to, and she was still incredibly skilled with her lightsaber.

Kelly is currently on her way to her brother Calvin's house. Calvin was hosting a barbeque for the Adams family at his property just outside Winchester. She had spent the last few months mostly by herself, just studying into the Force, so going to see her family would be good. Of course…it only reminded her of Luke not being there.

"Hey, mom." Kelly turns to the passenger's seat, where a young man is sitting, dressed in jeans and a T-shirt depicting Captain America wielding his shield in one hand and a lightsaber in the other he had bought at Comic Con the year before.

"Yes, Ben?" Kelly asks with a smile.

"Is Uncle Andrew and his family going to be there?" Ben asks.

"Aunt Jackie and all the kids will be coming for sure. Andrew said he's kinda busy at work, so he wasn't sure if he was gonna be there. Hopefully he'll be there, but I'm not sure," Kelly says. Andrew works as an electrical engineer, so he's often very busy and sometimes has to miss family gatherings.

"Well, at least Kyle is going to be there," Ben says with a smile. Kyle is Andrew's oldest son, and very good friends with Ben. They're also very close in age, with Ben being almost 23 and Kyle being almost 22. Although Ben has had a very tumultuous life and is a Jedi, while Kyle has had a pretty stable life and is a successful college basketball player ready to join the NBA, the two have been extremely close since they were kids.

Kelly smiles as she refocuses on the road. After just about 10 more minutes of driving, Kelly pulls off the main road onto a smaller road. A minute later, she pulls onto Calvin's property. There are already several cars parked in the driveway. Kelly finds a spot to park and pulls in before she shuts off the engine.

Kelly and Ben hop out of the truck and start heading around the main house to the backyard. Before they're even in the backyard, they can smell the delicious smells of burgers and steaks cooking on the grill. Both mother and son look at each other and give big smiles, their stomachs already rumbling from the smell.

The two come around into the backyard to find the party already in full swing. Two of the cousins are playing horseshoes, and several others are playing volleyball. Calvin and Kyle are both at the grills, cooking the burgers and steaks. To their surprise, Andrew is already there. He's manning a deep fryer that Calvin had bought some years ago, currently deep frying potatoes and cheese to make fries and mozzarella sticks.

"Hey, everybody!" Kelly calls out to announce their presence.

"Hey!" several of the adults call out, hands raised in greeting!

"Aunt Kelly! Cousin Ben!" many of the cousins cry out happily.

The two laugh a bit as they head towards the group. Ben walks over to the grills, hugging Kyle and laughing together with his cousin. Calvin then has him start checking the Dutch Ovens around the fire pit to check on the cobbler they're making for desert. Ben bends down over the Dutch Ovens, using the Force to lift up the coals and lids to check the cobbler without having to touch them or use any tools.

Meanwhile, Kelly heads for the small group gathered around the fire pit. She heads right for an old man sitting in a camp chair, taking to one of the cousins. Kelly smiles and leans down to hug him. "Hey, dad."

"Hey, honey," her father says tightly hugging her tightly. Kelly then pulls away and summons a camp chair with the Force, sitting down in the chair.

Kelly smiles brightly at her father, who smiles back at her. Samuel Adams is now far from the seasoned, peak condition warrior he used to be. Adams is now 88 years old, and age has definitely taken its toll. His hair is now very light gray and wispy, with a slight gray beard. His face is now definitely wrinkled, and his movements have gotten much slower. He can no longer move like he used to, and even his mind is getting a little slower. He has long since retired from the military. He and Eliza now live about five minutes away so Calvin and his family can help him and Eliza now, as they are now at the age where they need a little extra help.

"How are you doing, dad?" Kelly asks with a smile.

"Good, good. I just finished my second book, and we just got a new dog," Adams says.

"Oh, great, dad. That's awesome. What kind of dog?" Kelly asks.

"A black lab," Eliza answers Kelly's question.

Kelly smiles brightly. Adams then says, "Tyler also came up a few weeks ago. We travelled down to DC. We actually got to visit Grant's grave." He ends with a sad smile.

Kelly nods in response, a bit of a sad smile on her face as her minds goes back through years of memories, feeling a pang of loss for friends departed. Many of the original 12 members of the ASAT team have passed away. The first was Toshiyuki Yamazaki, who died in 2043. Since then, seven others have passed away, including Grant Wilson, who Adams had just referred to. Most had passed in just the last year and a half. Of the original 12 members, only 4 of them are still alive: Adams, who is 88; Hall, who is 85; Mofaz, who is 87; and Rommel, who is 88. Thinking about all of them, all of whom Kelly has known all her life, makes her feel some real pangs of sadness over the loss of so many who were close. At least all of them had died peacefully, surrounded by family and friends. Still, it reminds her of all of the loss she has experienced in the last few years, including her nephew and husband.

"That's good, dad. I'm sure that Grant appreciates that you try to visit so often," Kelly says, trying to keep her emotions at bay.

"I hope so," Adams says with a slight smile.

"Tell me: how many jokes did Tyler make about him besting Vader when you couldn't?" Kelly asks with a smile on her face. This draws some laughs from everybody. It had become a bit of an inside joke between Adams and Hall that Hall had beaten Anakin as Vader during his first duel with him on Mustafar and stalemated with him during their second duel on Geonosis, while Vader had beaten Adams relatively easily in their duel aboard the Profundity over Scarif. Hall teased him about it almost every time they met up.

"About four times," Adams responds, drawing more laughs from the group.

Adams pauses for a moment, then asks, "Has Ben been taking good care of the saber?"

"Yes, he's been taking very good care of it. And you'd be very proud of how good he's gotten with it," Kelly says with a smile. For Ben's 18th birthday in 2044, Adams had formally gifted Ben with his old lightsaber. Adams felt, with him being in his 80s, that no longer had need for the blade, and since Ben was using a borrowed lightsaber for his training, he had decided to gift the saber to his grandson. Also, with the superstitions surrounding his saber, Adams felt it was time to pass it off to someone in the family.

"I'm glad to hear that. Perhaps you two can show us your skills today," Adams says with a smile.

"Perhaps," Kelly says with a smile.

One of the cousins in the circle, Lexi, one of Andrew's kids who is in high school, starts talking about her time on the school volleyball team and how they had a new coach coming in who had a very good track record in her career. She's talking about how, with the new coach, perhaps their team can make it to the state championship.

As the group is talking about Lexi's volleyball team, Kelly is smiling brightly. Then, her mother Eliza leans in and taps her on the shoulder to get her attention. Kelly turns towards her mom and Eliza leans in a bit. As Kelly leans in a bit, Eliza asks in a softer voice, "Honey, I know you don't really like me asking this, but…has there been any sign or word of Luke?"

Kelly's face falls, and she slowly shakes her head. "No, mother," she says softly.

Eliza wraps an arm around her daughter's shoulder. "I know it's been 7 years, darling. But, you can't give up hope he'll come home one day," Eliza says, trying to comfort Kelly.

"I'm not so sure, mom. I know Luke better than anybody. I can't think of any reason that would make him stay away from his family for 7 years with no sign he's alive. Either way, it's easier if I try and convince myself that Jacen either killed him, or he died soon after," Kelly says sadly.

Eliza nods her head sadly, holding Kelly a little bit tighter. Then, she says, "Come on. Let's get some food. Maybe you'll feel better with a burger."

"Worth a shot," Kelly as she tries to manage a smile. She reaches forward to grab a plate and joins the line, already mentally assembling her plate in her mind.

And, I'll end the chapter there.

Hope you liked seeing our old friends again. I didn't want to take too long to show Kelly and Ben. Also, for those wondering, I imagine Ben as basically looking just like Josh Hutcherson. I thought about Tom Holland, but Tom is a little young for the role, and when comparing them to younger Mark Hamill, I felt like Josh looked more like Mark than Tom does.

Now, on to the sad part. Yes, we have started losing our original ASAT team too. And, sadly, I will tell you that, by the end of this story, only Hall will still be alive.

I've started to hint at what happened with Jacen and the destruction of the New Jedi. I'll give more hints about the incident in the next chapter, which will also see the return of two characters we last saw as children. However, I won't include a full explanation of the incident until we finally see Luke again, which will not be until Chapter 23 or 24.

Alright. Next chapter will be up soon. Until it's up, please leave a review, and stay tuned!