As Senator Organa left to attend Padme Amidala's funeral, Ben and Aubrie waited on his ship, which would depart soon for Alderaan.

They could both sense the heavy Imperial presence on Naboo. This was no surprise- after all, Naboo was the homeworld of the newly-christened Emperor Palpatine. Ben found it difficult to process how such a beautiful planet could be home to the monster responsible for the near-extinction of the Jedi Order.

Ben took comfort in the fact that this new order in the galaxy would not be permanent- nobody, not even a Sith Lord, could evade death forever, and Palpatine- Darth Sidious- was already an old man. Eventually, the Jedi Order would return, and Ben was determined that he and Aubrie would be standing at its head.

Eventually, the Senator returned, and the ship quietly left Naboo, jumping to hyperspace for Alderaan. It wasn't until then that Organa revealed, to Ben and Aubrie's shock, that he had encountered Ahsoka Tano, Skywalker's former Padawan, during the funeral.

"Does she know?", Aubrie asked. "About… Skywalker?"

The implication in her voice was clear, but Organa waved her off.

"She knows that he is dead, that is all. The less people who know the truth, the better. Telling her… would only have made things worse for her."

Ben had to restrain himself from laughing at the Senator's overwhelmingly political answer, as Organa now turned his attention towards them.

"When we get to Alderaan, the two of you will need new identities. We will have you work near the palace, but not so near as to attract attention. Would you prefer your identities to be as brother and sister?"

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The first year after the fall of the Jedi, Ben and Aubrie agreed, was an extremely confusing one, as they tried to adapt to their new situation.

They had taken on the new identities of Maxir and Amara Felian, brother and sister. Just two more refugees from the Clone Wars. The supervisor they worked under had barely even glanced at their (forged) identity cards before signing them on.

Senator Organa had been true to his word, and had found Ben and Aubrie positions as dock workers in the fishing industry near the palace where Skywalker's daughter Leia would be raised. It was only half an hour by transport between the palace, and the new cottage in which Ben and Aubrie stayed, yet the two of them were careful to remain in contact with the Senator, in case Leia showed any sign of her father's power.

By day, Ben and Aubrie would work, gagging down the smell of the fish being brought in from Alderaan's oceans, then preparing them for transport. By night, they would disappear into one of the many caves along the coastline they lived on, and meditate, or spar, sometimes with hands and feet, sometimes with their lightsabers. Ben could tell this was highly therapeutic for Aubrie, and for that he was glad. He knew the trauma she had suffered from the war, and the death of so many of their Order, would likely never fully dissipate, but he could sense a new determination in his apprentice as they honed their skills in the darkness of Alderaan's caves.

The lightsabers taken from the Temple, meanwhile, were buried beneath the floorboards of the Jedi's new home, and would stay there until they could train new Jedi to claim them. Ben and Aubrie had also, reluctantly, consigned their Jedi robes to one of the incinerators at Senator Organa's palace. They knew it was necessary to maintain their new identities, but that didn't make it any easier.

Organa would regularly bring in new reports from the outside, and none of them were good. Everywhere, it seemed, the Empire was expanding and consolidating its power. There were reports of brief rebellions on places like Mon Cala, but all were quickly quashed by the Empire, which seemed to be only growing stronger. There were further, more disturbing reports as well, of black-armoured Jedi hunters known as the Inquisitors. None of them came to Alderaan, but it would probably only be a matter of time.

All in all, the first year was not an easy one to get through.

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The second year of their new life was relatively tame. Ben and Aubrie had fully settled into their routine of working by day and training by night, and Ben was confident that, if the Order still existed, his apprentice would soon be ready for the Trials, to become a Jedi Knight and take an apprentice of her own, if she so desired. Could he raise her to Knighthood himself? Ben wasn't sure. The Council may not approve- but the Council no longer existed, save for Master Yoda and Kenobi, and they were likely on their own paths, whatever they may be. In the meantime, the two Jedi maintained their close comradeship with Senator Organa, who they were aware was trying to resist the Empire in his own way, through politics.

About mid-way through the new year, something changed. Senator Organa came to them, stating that a Force-sensitive child had been born to a family he knew, and he needed their help in getting the family to a new place, undetected from the Empire. It was simple in the end, really. Ben and Aubrie posed as healthcare workers moving a "sick" child and their family from one place to another. Neither the child nor their family knew of Ben and Aubrie's true identities, for their own sake, but it gave Ben and Aubrie a sense of purpose they had not felt in a long while. It felt good to defy the Empire and its Jedi hunters from getting their hands on the child, and they hoped this would be the first of many times they would get to do so.

So they stayed on Alderaan, and they waited, and they trained.

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As they progressed through to the end of the third year of the Empire's reign, it became apparent that Aubrie had learned all Ben had to teach her. Whether or not this made her ready for the Trials, he didn't know, but it was probably time for him to take on a new apprentice. The question was, whom? Force-sensitives weren't exactly common, and the toddler Leia was still far too young to train, obviously. Ben decided he would approach Senator Organa and ask him.

Meeting in the Senator's office in his palace, Ben explained his dilemma.

"You haven't perhaps heard of any new force-sensitive children since the one Aubrie and I escorted off-world, have you?"

"Not on this planet, my friend, but if I do, you will be my first point of contact, you know that."

Ben had expected this, and he turned to go.

"What of those who families turned away the Jedi when they came to recruit them, years ago?"

Ben swung back around in surprise at the Senator's question. He hadn't thought of it, but it seemed like a possibility. At the height of the Order, there had always been rumour of the Jedi kidnapping children from their families, and forcing them to join their ranks. Of course, it wasn't true- the Order had always made a point of emphasising that when they tried to recruit force-sensitive children from their families, it was strictly at said families' discretion.

And come to think of it, it wasn't as though the Jedi identified all Force-sensitives at a young age. As a child, Ben had been a tremendous bookworm, and he remembered reading about Jedi in ancient times who had entered the order as adolescents, or even as adults.

Ben pondered the situation. Could he take an apprentice who was already grown enough to remember their family- or already have a family of their own? Anakin Skywalker had been accepted into the order at a late age- and look how that turned out. But Ben quickly shook his bias aside. Skywalker's actions could not possibly speak for everybody who joined the order at a late age. And really, what did he have to lose?

Ben made his decision. "Very well, Senator. If you find any records of failed Jedi recruitments… or even those who displayed force-sensitivity at a later age, please let me know."

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The next week, Ben received a message inviting him back to Senator Organa's office. Upon arrival, he was surprised to find an older man with a long white beard there with the Senator.

"Master Jedi", the man bowed. "I am Garo Typhe, the schoolmaster here."

Ben was taken aback. Was this his new apprentice? He was just figuring out how to process this when the older man handed him a holobook, on which it seemed a student's profile was displayed.

Ben gazed at the image of a young girl. She seemed to be no more than a teenager, yet her date of birth listed her as only a year younger than him. The name under her profile listed her as Marie Raines Carradine.

"My apologies, Master Jedi," the man began, "but that is all we have of Miss Carradine. She was withdrawn from our school here some eight, nine years ago now."

The old man hesitated, and Organa explained.

"The young Miss Carradine was never approached by the Jedi Order as a child."

He gazed at Garo Typhe. To Ben's surprise, he was glaring at the schoolmaster. Garo swallowed, then pressed on.

"As she entered her teenage years, Miss Carradine would become… affected… by certain objects she touched", he explained. "She would have fainting spells, seizures, and she claimed to have visions relating to the objects, and who they belonged to."

Psychometry. It had to be. It was a rare gift amongst Force-sensitives, but Ben had seen it in action before. During the war, he and Aubrie had accompanied Master Quinlan Vos on a mission in the Outer Rim. Vos was known as one of the Order's best trackers due to his psychometric abilities, being able to pick up any object and instantly knowing who it belonged to, and certain things about them as well. But Ben had never heard of what would happen if somebody with these gifts went untrained. He began to feel sorry for the poor girl.

He could imagine what would have happened next, and was proven right as the schoolmaster continued.

"Miss Carradine… I recommended to her parents that she be sent to doctors, to psychiatrists… anybody who might help her. Nobody could find anything physically wrong with her, though."

Garo looked down at his shoes. "Please forgive me, Master Jedi. None of us could have guessed she had a connection to the Force. We thought… we all thought…"

You thought she was insane.

Although he had never known Marie Raines Carradine, Ben could not stop himself from feeling guilty. Even if the girl's family had figured out the truth, the Jedi Order he knew would likely never have accepted her at such a late age. Helped her, maybe, but Carradine would likely never have been given the chance to become a Jedi.

"Where is Miss Carradine now?" Ben asked.

"I have looked through her family's records, and it appears that her father took a position at the mining colony known as Jackson's Star, on the planet LV-410," Senator Organa replied. "Roughly about ten parsecs from here."

He turned to a holoprojector on his desk, bringing up an image of a ringed planet.

Ben had never heard of Jackson's Star, or LV-410 for that matter, but if that was where Carradine was, that was where Aubrie and he would be going. At the very least, he may be able to help her, though he was unsure as to how much. Neither he nor Aubrie were psychometric. Master Vos was, of course, but Ben had no idea if he was still alive, let alone where he might be.

As Garo Typhe took his leave, Ben explained to Senator Organa what psychometry was.

"Aubrie and I will set off for Jackson's Star as soon as we can, and work to gain Miss Carradine's trust."

"You had best take care", Organa warned. "I have conducted research on Jackson's Star, and the Imperial presence at the mining colony has increased steadily since the end of the Clone Wars. If you are discovered…"

"Whatever happens, we will ensure nothing is traced back to you or your family", Ben assured him. "Especially not young Leia. I still fully intend on training her when she comes of age."

As he stood to go, Ben decided to ask. "Could you please use your contacts to find out if Jedi Master Quinlan Vos still lives? He was psychometric as well, he may be able to help Miss Carradine."

Organa smiled. "I will see what I can do."

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In the end, it would take just over two weeks to get to LV-410- and five different transports. Not that the result made the trip worth it. As their fifth and final cargo ship emerged from hyperspace, Ben and Aubrie got their first up-close-and-personal look at LV-410 out the ship's window, and neither were happy with the result. Although the planet was orbiting a sun, they could see dark clouds and smog completely covered the planet, and they both doubted any sunlight was getting through to the planet's population. After living for two, almost three years now on Alderaan's sunny surface, LV-410 did not make a welcome change. No matter, they had no intention of staying for very long.

"So, Master", Aubrie began. "What exactly was the plan again?"

"Find out if Carradine is still on this planet, befriend her at whatever job she is working at, gain her trust, explain to her who we are and how we can help her, then bring her back to Alderaan. Shouldn't be too hard, I'm sure she's missed it after living here for so long."

"Easier. Said. Than. Done."

"Yeah, well, who asked you?"

Aubrie laughed, and Ben grinned back.

"I'm glad you are with me."

Aubrie's expression softened. "Likewise," she replied, as their cargo ship descended below the clouds.

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"Names?"

"Maxir Felian, ma'am. This is my sister, Amara. We have come to Jackson's Star from Alderaan in search of work."

Imperial processing and employment officer Eilana Rene surveyed the two new arrivals in front of her desk.

"I suppose you have a particular area of work in mind?" She asked, failing to keep the sarcasm out of her voice. The young man looked particularly strong, and would be a prime candidate for the mines. As for the girl-

"You would like to send us where Marie Raines Carradine works."

Eilana snorted. "Excuse me?"

The young man's hazel eyes seemed to twinkle, and he almost carelessly waved a hand in front of him, like he was warding off a fly.

"Pardon me, ma'am, but I believe you would like to send us where Marie Raines Carradine works."

Eilana smiled. What a nice, polite young man. Of course she would send him and his lovely sister where this Marie Raines Carradine worked. She quickly dug through the database on the computer in front of her, and found what she was looking for.

"Report to farming station 4A. Talk to the supervisor there."

"Thank you, Ma'am", the young girl replied sweetly, as she and her brother took the employment papers Eilana gave them.

Really, what a nice pair of siblings they were. Eilana wished all the new arrivals were like them.

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After reporting to the supervisor at the farm station, Ben and Aubrie travelled to the room assigned to them. After shutting the door, master and apprentice quickly set about unpacking their belongings, making their beds- and concealing their lightsabers in the mattresses they were using. They had wrestled with the decision before leaving Alderaan, but both had decided if their true identities were discovered, they would rather have their lightsabers on hand.

Quickly leaving to eat dinner before lights out, Ben and Aubrie sat down in the cafeteria, hoping to catch a glimpse of Carradine before they started the next day. The place was crowded and noisy, so the two quickly finished their meals and stood up, when all of a sudden-

Ben saw Aubrie's eyes widen, and looked around. There.

Although Carradine had done some growing up in the years since leaving Alderaan, there was no mistaking her. She had the same brown hair, though it was shorter than her school picture, the same blue eyes- and she was wearing gloves.

Of course. The poor girl probably still didn't know she was force-sensitive, but had clearly figured out by now that as long as her skin didn't make contact with any objects, she was relatively safe from visions of any kind.

Ben and Aubrie watched as Carradine stood up from her table as well, bringing her dinner tray to the wash-up station, followed all the while by a dark-skinned boy, who it seemed hadn't eaten anything.

"Did you see those gloves? She's still not in control", Aubrie said to Ben as they bedded down for the night.

"I saw them", Ben concurred. "I believe we did the right thing, coming here. Neither of us are touched by the Force the same way she is, but we can do more to help her than anyone else has before, I'd wager."

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Rain sleepily shook herself awake as the morning alarm went off, and rose to dress herself, slipping on her gloves before heading into the cafeteria. Andy joined her at the breakfast table.

"I gave the builder a to-do list, but he only did jobs 1, 3 and 5. I guess he only does odd jobs," Andy smiled.

Rain put her head down and groaned. Stars above, Dad, why? Why did you have to make him think he was a comedian?

As always, Andy accompanied her to the farming station. It was unusual at best for a synthetic droid to work in any kind of labour position, but Rain's supervisor at the farmhouse had been a friend of her mother. Not that Andy received any wages or anything- what would he have spent them on? Nonetheless, Rain was grateful for the help as Andy held the baskets while she plucked fruit from the trees.

When the lunch bell was called, as always, Rain and Andy sat alone at a table. Droids had not been overly popular at Jackson's Star since the Clone Wars, so it was no surprise that they were alone.

What was a surprise was when two others, a boy and girl who looked relatively close to Rain's age, sat across from them.

"Hello", the boy introduced himself, "I'm Max, this is my sister Amara".

"Hello", Andy replied. "Are you new here?"

Amara nodded. "We just emigrated here from Alderaan."

Alderaan? Rain blinked in surprise.

"We came here from Alderaan as well", Andy replied cheerfully. "Can a frog jump higher than a house?"

Oh no. No, Andy, no, don't do it-

"Of course they can, houses can't jump", Andy finished triumphantly.

There was a pause. Then Amara giggled, and her brother smiled as well.

Rain, meanwhile, let out a breath she hadn't realised she'd been holding in.

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"This is Andy", Carradine introduced the boy next to her. "My name's Marie, but everyone just calls me Rain."

"Nice to meet you, Rain", Ben replied politely.

"You too. Are you both really from Alderaan? We've been here a while, and I think you're the first two we've met who are also from there. What school did you go to?"

She was testing them. Ben didn't blame her.

"We were homeschooled. We grew up on a farm near the Glarus Lagoons, but our crops all died out. Moved on to the fishing industry, but… well… the pay was beyond terrible. A family friend recommended Jackson's Star to us, so here we are."

"Yes, here you are. What do you think of your new home?"

"I think our family friend needs to have his head examined."

Rain laughed, and Ben felt her mood relax.

Amongst the ranks of the Jedi, each usually relied upon a certain skill more than the other. Some might be particularly good at mind tricks, some could swing a lightsaber better than most. Aubrie, despite her young age, had been particularly renowned as a gifted healer within the Order.

But Ben had always gravitated towards his empathetic abilities, and had never found reading emotions to be any trouble at all. Beneath Rain Carradine's laughter, he could easily sense the pain she was hiding.

He wanted to help her. But more than that- to his surprise- he wanted to make her laugh again.