News of Alderaan - 0 BBY

Asa sat in a cushioned chair the living room, a bundle of fabric scraps beside her. Kade lounged on the couch nearby, absently tossing a small ball into the air and catching it. It was a quiet moment, the kind they rarely got, filled with the warmth of home and the soft murmur of a distant conversation from their parents in the shop.

Suddenly, Asa stiffened. Her shoulders jerked as if struck, and her breath caught in her throat. Her hand shot to her chest.

It started as a faint, sharp ache in the back of her head, but it grew rapidly, flooding her senses. The air seemed to thicken, pressing against her chest. Sounds in the shop—her brother's voice, the rustle of fabric, even her own breathing—blurred and stretched, as if she were underwater. A cacophony of feelings slammed into her: fear, grief, anger, and despair, all tangled together, surging like a tidal wave. She stood and clutched at the edge of the counter, her knuckles whitening, as the room around her began to melt away.

Colors blended unnaturally, walls rippling like water. Her vision pulsed with each beat of her heart, and the steady light of day pouring through the windows shifted into a dizzying blur. She gasped for air, but the pain in her chest only grew tighter, like a vise squeezing her ribs.

"Kade," she gasped, her voice thin and panicked. "I—I can't breathe!"

Kade sat bolt upright, the ball forgotten as it rolled across the floor. "What? Asa, what's wrong?" He moved quickly to her side, crouching and gripping her shoulders.

Her face was pale, her brown eyes wide with terror. "It—it hurts," she stammered, clutching at her chest as though trying to peel away an invisible weight.

Kade's heart pounded. "Mom! Dad!" he shouted, his voice cracking with urgency. "Something's wrong with Asa!"

Her knees buckled, and she collapsed to the floor, her hands pressed against her ears as if that could block it all out. The overwhelming presence of death and loss was suffocating. She tried to cry out, but no sound came. Her lips moved silently as tears streamed down her face, her body trembling violently.

And then, it stopped. And all that was left was a massive, consuming void. The panic had gone enough for her to gasp in a desperate breath. The overwhelming tide ebbed slightly, leaving her raw and trembling. The room began to return to focus, the colors settling into their normal shapes and tones. But Asa was still frozen, her eyes wide and unfocused, her breaths shallow and ragged.

Alara came rushing into the house minutes later, her normally composed demeanor fractured. The destruction of Alderaan had hit her hard as well; as a Mirialan and a Force-sensitive, she had felt the tidal wave of anguish and despair reverberate through the Force. She still bore the weight of it in her own heart, but her training as a healer kept her focused.

She crouched beside Asa, who was still gasping for breath, her hands clenched into fists on her lap. Kade hovered protectively, one hand on Asa's shoulder as if grounding her.

"Asa," Alara said gently, her voice calm but firm. "I'm here. I need you to try to breathe with me, okay? In and out. Slowly."

Asa's wide, terrified eyes flicked toward Alara, but she couldn't match the healer's steady rhythm. She gasped shallowly, tears streaming unchecked.

"She said she couldn't breathe," Kade explained, his voice tight with worry. "And now she's shaking, and—and she keeps saying it hurts."

Alara nodded, placing two cool fingers on Asa's wrist to check her pulse. She then closed her eyes briefly, reaching out with the Force. The chaos she felt within Asa was staggering—a maelstrom of emotions that weren't entirely her own.

"She's experiencing something through the Force," Alara explained, her voice low and steady as she looked at Mira and Raal. "It's… grief. An enormous, overwhelming wave of it. It's not hers, but it's drowning her."

Mira's hand flew to her mouth. "Grief? How could she feel something like that?"

Before Alara could answer, the door opened again, and Varan stepped inside, his face grim and pale. He had felt Asa's turmoil as well and had rushed to the house. His gaze swept the room, locking on Asa.

"What happened?" Varan asked, kneeling beside Asa.

Alara glanced at him, her face weary. "It's Alderaan. She's feeling what we felt. But she's too young, too raw in the Force to know how to shield herself from it."

"Alderaan?" Raal asked, his confusion mingling with worry.

Varan looked up at him briefly. "The Empire destroyed it. Every life on that planet… gone." He shook his head, his voice tight with anger and grief. "It echoed through the Force. Asa felt it."

Varan moved swiftly to Asa's side, kneeling beside her as Alara followed close behind. Her medical bag was slung across her shoulder, though it was clear to Varan that this situation demanded more than traditional medicine. The two exchanged a brief glance, understanding passing between them.

"Asa," Varan said softly, his voice steady and calm. "I'm here."

Alara knelt on Asa's other side, her hands moving with practiced precision. She placed two fingers gently on Asa's wrist, feeling for her pulse, while her other hand rested lightly on the girl's shoulder. "Her pulse is fast," Alara murmured, her voice low but firm. "She's still caught in the wave."

Asa sat curled on the floor, her arms wrapped around her knees, trembling violently. Her breathing was shallow and erratic, and her gaze was unfocused, fixed somewhere beyond the room. Mira hovered nearby, her hand hovering over Asa's head as if afraid to touch her and make things worse.

"She's overwhelmed by the Force," Varan explained to Alara, his voice heavy with emotion. "The destruction of Alderaan—it's too much for her to process."

Alara nodded, her expression tight but resolute. "Then we'll help her find her way back."

Alara closed her eyes, taking a deep breath as she reached into the Force, letting it flow through her and into Asa. Her presence was soothing and steady, like a stream washing over jagged stones, and she spoke in a soft, melodic tone.

"Asa," she said gently, "I need you to listen to me. You're safe. You're here, with your family. Focus on my voice. Feel the ground beneath you, the air around you. You are not alone."

Varan added his voice, low and reassuring. "Follow our presence in the Force. Let it guide you."

At first, there was no reaction. Then, slowly, Asa's trembling began to ease. Her breathing, though still uneven, started to deepen as she unconsciously attuned herself to the calming energy Alara and Varan were projecting.

Alara gently placed a hand over Asa's heart, her voice soft but commanding. "Breathe with me, Asa. In… and out. That's it. One breath at a time."

Varan mirrored her tone. "Let the noise fade, Asa. You're stronger than this storm."

Asa's fingers twitched against her knees, and a faint whimper escaped her lips. She blinked, her gaze briefly meeting Alara's before flicking to Varan. Her expression was still distant, but the emptiness in her eyes began to recede.

"You're doing well," Alara encouraged, her tone warm and soothing. "Just keep breathing. We're here with you."

After what felt like an eternity, Asa's body softened, the rigid tension in her frame releasing like a coiled spring finally unwinding. She let out a shuddering exhale, and her hands fell limply to her sides.

When Asa finally looked up, her eyes were red and swollen, her face pale and drawn. She seemed exhausted, as if she had run a marathon through a storm, but she was present.

Mira immediately knelt beside her, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. "Asa, sweetheart," she whispered, her voice trembling. "Are you okay? Can you talk to us?"

Asa tried to speak, but her throat felt dry and raw. She shook her head faintly, tears streaming silently down her cheeks.

"It's all right," Alara said gently, her hand still resting on Asa's shoulder. "You don't have to speak right now. Just know that you're safe."

Kade, who had been hovering protectively nearby, finally sank to his knees beside Asa. He placed a hand on her other shoulder, his grip firm but gentle. "You scared us," he admitted, his voice thick with emotion. "Don't ever do that again, okay?"

Asa let out a faint, shaky laugh that was more a gasp, but she nodded slightly.

Mira pressed a kiss to the top of her head. "You don't have to carry this alone, Asa. We're here. All of us."

Raal, standing a few steps away, crossed his arms tightly over his chest. "We'll figure this out together," he said firmly, though his voice was quieter than usual, touched with worry.

Mira took Asa upstairs and Kade followed closely behind wanting to keep a protective eye on his sister. When Mira returned, it was evident that there was a lot on her mind. This conversation had been a long time coming.

"How is she?" he asked, his gaze moving to Mira and Raal with a mixture of concern and frustration—concern for Asa, but frustration that he hadn't been able to protect her from this.

Mira sighed deeply, her expression one of weariness. "She's... better. But she's not the same. Not after today."

Raal nodded. "We know you're both still processing the news, but we have to talk about Asa. She needs guidance, Varan. And I don't think we can wait much longer."

Varan furrowed his brow, though he didn't say anything at first. His thoughts flickered to Asa—her reaction to the news of Alderaan, the panic, the way she had struggled to breathe, the sense of overwhelming emotion that had nearly overtaken her. It had hit her harder than he could have imagined. He had been too focused on his own history, on his own struggles to fully grasp how deep the impact was for someone as sensitive as Asa.

Alara looked at Varan, then to Mira and Raal, sensing the tension between them. She could feel the emotional weight that was hanging over them all, but there was something else, something unspoken. "You're saying she needs to start training soon?" Alara asked gently, her tone soft but carrying a sense of urgency.

Mira nodded, her voice tight. "We've seen the changes in her, Varan. And with everything happening... we can't shelter her from this any longer. Not from herself. She's been feeling it, hasn't she?" She was speaking more to Varan than Alara, though she addressed both of them. "The Force is growing stronger in her, and she's already begun to sense the weight of things far beyond what we can protect her from."

Raal leaned forward slightly, his voice steady but firm. "We saw it years ago, when she first showed you, Varan, what she could do. That's why I took you to Chaladdik. We knew she was different. And we've been doing our best, but I can't pretend anymore that we have the skills to help her like you can."

Varan's eyes softened at the mention of Chaladdik, his thoughts drifting back to the time when he had first felt the weight of Asa's potential. He had seen it in her back then, just as Raal had. "I never meant for her to face this alone," Varan said quietly, his voice tinged with a regret that was more about the past than the present. "But I think you're right. The time has come."

Alara nodded in agreement. "She's more sensitive than we anticipated, and with everything that's happening... we need to help her understand her connection. It's going to be overwhelming for her, but if we wait, it could break her." Her voice was steady, but the weight of the situation was clear in the way she looked at both Varan and Raal. "She'll need training, and she'll need to know how to shield herself from the pain of it all."

Varan rubbed his hand over his face, his mind racing through the implications. He had never wanted to push Asa into something she wasn't ready for, but he knew she couldn't keep running from this—especially not after today. "I can teach her. But we need to approach this carefully. The last thing we need is to overwhelm her even more than she already is. The Force is asking something of her, and she can't ignore it anymore."

Mira leaned forward, her gaze fixed on Varan. "We can't do this for her, Varan. We've tried, and we've seen her struggle. You were the one who saw it in her from the beginning. We trust you."

Raal's voice was steady and sure. "She needs you, Varan. She needs to know how to handle it. And we need to make sure she doesn't lose herself in it all."

Varan met their eyes, the responsibility weighing heavily on his shoulders, but there was a certain resolve there too. He had seen it in Asa—the same strength he had seen in himself at that age. And he knew now that, just as he had once needed someone to help guide him, Asa needed him now.

"I won't let her fall," Varan said quietly. "But we'll need to take it slow. She's still young, and this will be harder for her than anyone realizes. But she can handle it, if we help her."

Alara gave a small nod of agreement. "We'll do this together. But she has to understand that she's not alone. We all feel this... and she has to learn how to live with it, before it consumes her."

Raal squeezed Mira's hand, his voice low but resolute. "Then it's decided. We'll help her take the first steps. But she has to start soon. The galaxy is changing, and she needs to be ready for whatever comes next."

Mira glanced at Varan and Alara, her expression weary but hopeful. "We'll support her, but it's up to you to help her take the lead. When the time comes, she needs to be able to stand on her own."

Varan nodded, his mind already turning over the steps ahead. It was time for Asa to begin her training—and time for him to show her the path forward.

The morning sun filtered through the windows, casting a soft, golden light across the kitchen as Asa sat quietly at the table, stirring her breakfast absentmindedly. Her parents, Mira and Raal, had already gotten up and started preparing for the day, though there was a quiet heaviness in the air. It had been a difficult night, the remnants of her panic attack still lingering in her mind, but she had managed to sleep, and for the first time in days, she felt a sense of calm.

The silence was broken when Raal sat down beside her, his presence steady and reassuring. Mira took her seat across from them, the warmth of the morning light softening the lines of worry on her face. Asa glanced between her parents, a subtle unease creeping back into her chest. She knew what this conversation was about, and part of her dreaded it. She had felt different for so long, but now, with the Force stirring inside her more intensely than ever before, everything was changing.

"Morning, kiddo," Raal said gently, reaching for the mug of caf on the table. "How are you feeling today?"

Asa shrugged, still not quite sure how to answer. "Better. I think." She pushed her food around on the plate, her thoughts drifting to yesterday's events. It had all been so overwhelming—the news about Alderaan, the emotions crashing over her, and the panic that had nearly overtaken her. But at the same time, she knew her parents weren't going to let things slide back into normality. They hadn't, not for a long time.

Mira exchanged a glance with Raal before speaking. "Asa, we need to talk," she said softly, but firmly. "About what's next. About your training."

Asa felt a lump form in her throat, her fingers tightening around the edge of her plate. She had known it was coming, but hearing it out loud made it all the more real. "I don't know if I'm ready," she whispered, her voice barely above a breath. "I don't understand everything that's happening to me."

Raal's gaze softened, and he placed a hand over hers, offering silent support. "We know this isn't easy," he said, his voice calm and reassuring. "But you've been showing us, in small ways, that you've always had the ability to sense things, to feel things that others can't. Your connection to the Force has only grown stronger, and now... it's time for you to start learning how to control it."

Mira nodded, her expression gentle but resolute. "We've seen it, Asa. We've seen how you've struggled with it. How you've tried to keep it all inside, afraid of what might happen. But you can't face this on your own anymore. You need guidance, someone who can help you understand and use what you're feeling."

Asa's mind spun for a moment. The thought of training—of becoming a Jedi—was daunting, but she couldn't deny the pull she felt, the desire to understand this strange, powerful force that coursed through her. She had been afraid of it, afraid of what it might make her become, but deep down, she knew that she couldn't ignore it any longer. This was part of her. This was what she was meant to do.

"I... I don't know what it'll be like," Asa said slowly, her voice uncertain but tinged with a quiet resolve. "But I want to learn. I want to understand."

Mira smiled at her, her expression filled with pride. "We know you do. And we think it's time for you to start training, Asa. You'll be learning with Varan, who's been through everything you're about to face. He'll help guide you, teach you how to understand and control the Force."

Asa's heart beat a little faster at the mention of Varan. She had always looked up to him, and now, with everything that had happened, he felt like the one person who could help her make sense of it all. "I'm ready," she said, the words leaving her with more certainty than she expected. "I think I'm ready to do this."

Raal gave her hand a reassuring squeeze, a proud smile on his face. "You've always been ready, Asa. You've had the strength inside you all along. This is just the next step in your journey."

Mira nodded, her voice warm with love and pride. "We'll be here every step of the way. But you're not alone in this. You have us. You have Varan. And you have the whole community here who cares about you."

For the first time since everything had changed, Asa felt a sense of calm wash over her. It wasn't the certainty she'd been hoping for, but it was a quiet strength, one that told her she was on the right path. She didn't know what was ahead, but for the first time in a long while, she wasn't afraid of it. She was ready to face it.

"I'll do my best," she said quietly, looking up at her parents with a newfound determination. "I won't let you down."

Mira reached out, pulling her into a gentle hug, the warmth of her mother's embrace grounding Asa in the moment. "We know you won't," she whispered.

As the morning light filled the room, Asa knew that the path ahead would be difficult, but it was one she was prepared to walk. With her parents' support, with Varan's guidance, and with her own resolve, she would face whatever came next. And she would learn to control the Force, to understand it, and to find her place in the galaxy.