The Younglings

On a tropical planet in the Outer Rim filled with lush plant life sat a floating bronze city nestled between the mountains. This planet was known as Punjam Hy Loo and was home to one of the Rebel Alliance's staunchest allies and supporters, the Kinnaran people. The Kinnarans were avian humanoids, birdlike and adorned with feathers in a spectrum of colors. They were strong willed and large in spirit despite their small frames.

They had joined the Alliance after their queen, Toothiana, had been saved by its members. For a time the Alliance had placed their main base in their planet's orbit. But they'd moved for the safety of their friends, despite the Queen's insistence that her people knew and accepted the risks.

Despite this many of the Kinnaran people had enlisted, joining rebel cells as pilots, doctors, and engineers. Queen Tooth served on the Alliance High Command, the governing council of the Alliance. She now tended to stay on her homeworld to rule her people while maintaining her presence through consistent communications and holomeetings.

She'd also done their Jedi allies a favor by agreeing to take in and care for their younglings, the young children they'd managed to find for Jedi training. The younglings were trained by the Kinnaran warriors who specialized in swordplay, sharpening their bodies and minds while the Jedi periodically stopped in to give them lessons regarding the Force and to view their progress. The Kinnarans' contribution to the younglings' training was so influential that it had forever changed the Jedi style. With the Kinnaran sword play leading to the development of new katas and techniques that blended well with the traditional Jedi forms.

Carved into a mountain near the Kinnaran capital city that shared the planet's name was the Temple of the Sisters of Flight. A sacred place to the Kinnaran people where all their young eventually attended to undergo warrior training to learn the martial ways of their people. This was also where the younglings were housed and trained.

In the deeper parts of the temple a young woman with pale skin and white hair ran through a twisting and turning pathway, her senses on high alert for the unseen hazards all around her.

The girl wore a light grey tunic over a dark grey undertunic. She wore a light blue tabard held in place with a dark blue obi with a blue leather belt. Her forearms were adorned with dark grey arm guards. He wore pale leggings that matched her skin tone with a pair of grey and dark blue ankle length boots. Her face was framed by choppy bangs and her hair extended just past her elbows.

Her name was Emma. She was a Burgessian, a pale skinned human species from the planet Burgess. She was the first of the Jedi's students and had spent the last couple of years in training alongside her classmates.

At the moment she was running through a maze beneath the Kinnaran temple. The maze was rigged with booby traps and hazards. All to test her skills and reflexes and strengthen her connection to the Force.

She suddenly skidded to a stop and jerked her head back as a shaft of wood lunged out in front of her face. If she hadn't pulled her head back she would've received a painful blow to the side of her skull. Then she twisted and spun as more jutted out from hidden holes in the walls. She dodged before managing to advance. She broke into a jog before breaking into a full sprint. All the while she ducked and weaved around the headless spears.

Then with a spring she began to flip and cartwheel down the hall. She dodged each and every one, the Force allowing her to know where the next one would come out. She ended her acrobatics and switched to a normal run, pausing as she jerked back one last time and through a chop. Her hand broke through the shaft of one final headless spear. She snatched the long piece out of the air and kept running.

After a few meters she reached another length of rigged hallway. She heard a small puff of air coming from the walls. She began spinning her polearm in her hands, using it to defend as a barrage of darts fired from the walls and at her as she went. She deflected every one that came at her before she cleared this trap as well.

She was near the end of the maze. She sprinted at full speed and saw the light at the end of the tunnel, the way out. Then the floor split open as a pitfall trap revealed itself. She yelped as she fell, gravity dragging her down. But she recovered quickly, the length of her staff to wedge into the gap of the pitfall. She stopped and the staff bent. She used the moment of her fall to spin around it to gain speed, doing a full turn before springing up to the ledge of the pit and landing in a crouch.

She rose up and ran before finally clearing the maze. She hunched over, hands on her knees and panting. She heard hands clapping and looked up to be met with a black feathered Kinnaran hovering toward her, carried aloft by fast beating wings.

"Excellent work Emma," her teacher, Thrush, said impressed.

"Thank you Master," Emma said as she caught her breath and stood.

"That was your fastest time yet. But you're still slower than Havo," Thrush continued, referring to one of her classmates.

Immediately Emma's face formed into a scowl. "How much slower?" she asked.

"Four seconds."

The young girl's mouth fell open. "Four seconds!? Are you serious!?" she cried in outrage. "Ugh. He'll never let me live that down!"

Thrush laughed before consoling her and leading her back to training with the others. Meanwhile Emma's peers were training throughout the temple. Her classmates were of varied species. But they got along for the most part. They'd all grown in their own ways, displaying different talents that their masters encouraged them to cultivate on their own.

There was the youngest, Nuna. She was a Pantoran child of 10 years old while the rest of her classmates ranged from 14 to 15 years of age. She had the blue skin her species was known for and lilac colored hair with golden yellow eyes. Her lilac hair was parted to the side, with the left side being tucked behind her ear and the other kept out of her face with a clip. She wore a long dark blue sleeved dress that extended to just above her knees and was secured by a red sash she tied around her waist. She wore white leggings with boots that matched her dress and wielded a white bladed lightsaber that was tucked into the sash at her middle.

She had her eyes closed and her arms out in front of her. Surrounding her were a circle of stones that she was controlling, practicing her precision with moving many things with the Force. She waved her arms about and the stones moved in time with her movement. She made patterns like figure eights and circles while spinning on her heel, all while maintaining her focus.

Away from her another girl was practicing. She had red hair that she tied into a long single plait that fell to her lower back. She wore a far less traditional outfit that would be expected of a Jedi. She wore a tight black sheer top that left her shoulders and back bare. Over that she wore a cropped red tank top with a black skirt. She wore a criss crossing red belt with a turquoise buckle that matched her boots that went up to her shins. She wore black leggings and long grey gloves that covered the majority of her arms, stopping just beneath her shoulders.

Claire was a girl who'd come from Alderaan and her style was apparently the current in style fashion trend that was all the rage. She had a green hilted orange bladed lightsaber clipped to her belt that resembled a flower. She was practicing with a seeker droid, a small floating round droid that moved in random patterns and fired non lethal blaster bolts at unpredictable intervals.

The girl watched it closely as it circled around her. She waited hands slightly raised in preparation when it fired. She responded quickly, raising a hand and channeling the Force. The blaster bolts hit an invisible wall and dissipated before the droid moved to a new location and fired again. She did the same, throwing up her other hand and the bolts were blocked yet again. The girl had begun learning to erect barriers with the Force. It was a skill she proved to be quite adept at and was eager to hone.

In another part of the temple two of the younglings were sparring. They were performing velocities, lightsaber drills practiced repeatedly at ever increasing speeds until one of them took a hit. They were two young males of different species. One was a Zabrak and the other a Sephi.

The Zabrak, Wrath, wielded a crossguard lightsaber with forest green blades. He was on the defensive, which for him was his forte. He wore a dark blue sleeveless tunic over a light blue sleeveless undertunic. He wore dark cloth wraps around his arm and a matching obi around his waist. He wore dark pants with grey boots. As a Zabrak he had a crown of horns growing out of his head. In addition the boy had undergone his peoples' right of passage that marked his ascent into adulthood. His face was adorned with black tattoos, symmetrical and jagged that gave him a fierce look.

Sparring with him was his close friend and fellow youngling Havolian. A Sephi. The young Jedi in training had the pointed ears his people were known for. He had white hair that was cut short and styled into a widow's peak. At first glance it would appear the boy was swinging a blaster with a plasma blade coming out of it. But it was the clever design of his lightsaber. His lightsaber's blade was a spring green and the hilt was curved, a style that emphasized dueling. Something which was what the young man excelled at.

The Sephi wore a loose long sleeved olive green tunic over a dark brown long sleeved high collared undertunic. Over his tunic he wore a light brown tabard with a dark brown obi around his waist. He had dark brown pants with matching olive green boots. The young man was the best lightsaber duelist out of his comrades, displaying amazing form as he launched a quick series of attacks that his friend met with a stalwart defense. They'd been going at it for several minutes straight without either of them taking a strike.

Alongside them was a more bestial youngling. A young Shistavanen male with brown fur. His people were a canid and wolf like sentient species and usually xenophobic, making him a rare sight to see alongside his classmates. The fur on his head was longer and spiked up like a mohawk. He wore a black vest with a black leather sash tied around his waist that held up his black pants. He wrapped his feet in strips of black cloth and wore a yellow spiked collar around his neck. He wore a pair of black fingerless gloves that allowed for free use of his claws.

He wore a bone encased lightsaber wrapped in leather with a sky blue blade that was secured to his belt. Unlike his friends he possessed a unique ability to sense things with the Force. His Force senses could be linked to his sense of smell, allowing him to essentially smell Force signatures like they were unique scents and odors.

In another area of the temple another youngling was training with their Kinnaran caretakers. She was perched on several rows and columns of high wooden pillars. She was moving from one to another, all the while the Kinnaran helping her practice were attacking her, swinging at her with wooden staffs. She ducked and dodged, twisting and bending her body as she sprung to another pole to dodge.

This female youngling was dark skinned with dark brown curly locks. She wielded a bronze colored lightsaber hilt with a sky blue blade. She was wearing a tight blue sleeveless crop top with a high collar that exposed her midriff. She wore shorts and a long kama that covered the front and back of her legs. She wore dark grey boots that went up to just below her knees. She wore a long orange sash that she tied several times around her waist and knotted in front of her.

The girl was very skilled at connecting with animals. She seemed able to commune with and calm all but the most vicious of creatures. She also had a special connection to the jungle, something the people of her home planet shared when they were still alive.

In a chamber filled with pools two more non-human younglings were practicing on their own. They stood on either side of a pool with their hands outstretched and eyes closed. Before them were floating orbs and streams of water. It was a new technique they were trying to develop. Which was proving difficult as water was ever shifting and harder to manipulate that solid objects with a definite shape and structure.

One was a young Mon Calamari male. He was a fish-like humanoid who was orange with black and white spots, a rare coloration for his species. He wore a light blue under tunic and over it a navy blue tunic. He had a robotic right hand and wore white gloves over it and his normal three fingered one. He had a silver hilted lightsaber with a deep blue blade hanging from his belt. He wore dark pants with navy blue boots.

Across from was a female Gungan. She was a blue Otolla Gungan. She had a slender frame and a beak-like mouth with large ear flaps. She didn't tie hers back like most of the females of her species, which made her look tomboyish by her peoples' standards. She wore a dark leather vest she kept buttoned over a strapless brown dress. She wore brown pants and no shoes. Her lightsaber hilt was fashioned out of a Gungan atlatl, a tool they used to hurl their boombas and had a purple blade.

The girl could leap higher and farther than any of her classmates given her kinds' naturally strong legs. This extended to her kicks which were devastating, capable of shattering rock and stone. She was a great swimmer like Nemo and the two often swam the Kinnaran lakes together.

The younglings were the next generation of Jedi and had taken diligently to their teachings. They awaited the day when they too would defend the galaxy like their masters.

Until that day they would train and keep training.

At the floating Kinnaran city the Winter Spirit was set down on a landing platform at the city's edge. Jack and Rapunzel got off while Euegene stayed on board so he could continue to try and reach his contact.

Rapunzel decided to go to Tooth's palace to pay the queen a visit while Jack was eager to head to the temple to see his sister. They went their separate ways, agreeing to meet up at the temple later. Jack took a sail barge to the temple, smiling as it drew closer. He was looking forward to seeing his little sister. They were the only family each other had and she always greeted him with a big hug and a happy smile that always made his day.

He couldn't wait for that hug.

"Alright children! Break time!" Thrush called out.

The younglings all stopped what they were doing and smiled. They began to run through the temple and converged into a single hallway.

Jack rounded a corner and stopped as the younglings began to run by him. He watched the procession before seeing his sister heading his way.

He smiled and stepped into her view with outstretched arms. "Hey! Baby sister! Big bro is-"

"Yeah hey Jack see you later!" Emma said as she ducked his arms and kept going, following behind her comrades. Jack blinked in shock and followed after her as she kept on going, not even bothering to look back.

Meanwhile the younglings navigated through the temple to head straight for an open entryway carved into the mountain side. Being capable of flight the Kinnarans mostly had entrances in the mountain face they could just fly right into. There were some paths for the more elderly Kinnarans to reach the lower levels but they were few.

In the past the younglings would use one of these paths, following down to the jungle floor. But not anymore. One by one they all leapt out of the temple to free fall toward the jungle floor below. One might think them mad, but of course they were no ordinary children.

They fell through the clouds as the wind whipped past their bodies and they felt the windchill. But they found it all exhilarating. It was a rush and one of the most exciting parts of their day. The tallest trees of the jungle drew nearer and nearer; they spread their limbs to catch the air and slow themselves down. They also began to focus their powers, ready to unleash it to soften the impact of their fall.

Some of them chose a more flashy way to break their fall. Ella, who was accustomed to jungles, grabbed one of the large leaves at the top of a tall tree. The leaf bent and she let go, grabbing onto another beneath it and repeating the process as she descended.

One by one the younglings hit the jungle floor in soft landing before they began to run and gather into file. Havolian led the way. Followed by Emma and then Ella. Wrath followed behind the latter with Claire and then Wally coming up behind him. Then Nemo and Lan Wu fell into step with little Nuna bringing up the rear.

They ran through the jungle at incredible speeds, following the familiar trail they'd run time and time again nearly everyday since they'd begun their training as they made their way to their hangout spot.

Finally they broke through a clearing to arrive at their lakeside resting spot and began to settle down to relax for their free time. All save Lan Wu and Nemo who dived right into the lake to go for a swim. They hit the water with two big splashes before surfacing and then laying back in the water to leisurely float as they paddled circles.

The younglings lounged about and talked. All while Emma stood at the edge of the look and began to fiddle with her hands as she geared up to practice something.

"Was that your brother Emma?" Clair asked her.

"Yep," Emma answered simply as she rubbed her hands together. She cupped her hands over her mouth and blew into it. "C'mon. C'mon," she said between breaths. She was feeling the temperature of her breath. Waiting until it was the right temperature.

The younglings watched knowingly. They were curious to see if she'd finally got it down. Finally with one last breath Emma could feel the chill. She smiled as she spied the faint mist wafting from her clasped hands.

She began to rub her hands together and focus.

Then with a final breath she threw both her hands out. But nothing happened.

"I...don't think that was it," Claire commented with a wince.

"Yeah. Definitely not," Emma agreed with a frown. She cupped her hands over her mouth and breathed into it, waiting for her warm breath to turn cold. After a few moments it had, and she tried again.

Once again...nothing happened.

"Ahhh. Kriff," she swore aloud.

Claire gasped and she clapped her hands over Nuna's ears. "Emma! Don't swear in front of Nuna!"

Nuna's face was neutral. "I know curse words," she said flatly.

"Sorry," Emma said, more for Claire than the Pantoran. "This technique is just so hard."

"Well Elsa said it would be," Havolian pointed out.

Emma was and had been attempting to replicate Elsa's Force Ice techniques. But with little success. She'd asked Elsa how she did out of curiosity, and the knight had offhandedly explained how she did it before telling Emma she shouldn't attempt it until she was a few more years into her Force training.

So of course, Emma decided to see if she could figure it out now.

Emma was hell bent on learning how to perform Elsa's technique. She felt this would only further cement her place as the knight's Padawan in the future. Though it was already more or less guaranteed and confirmed by Elsa herself.

So really it was more out of pride than anything else.

"Come on. I can do this," she whispered to herself as she felt her breath once again. She took more time to prep, slowly breathing in and out and quieting her mind. She waited for the coldness of her breath. For the frosty mist to seep from her hands.

She felt it, saw it, and knew it was time. With a yell she threw both her hands out, feeling like this was it. This was her moment.

From her hands flew a single glittering blue snowflake. It drifted and danced through the air before falling to the surface of the lake and then melting into the water.

Everyone was quiet as the atmosphere grew awkward. They felt a little bad for the white hair girl. All that practice and this was the extent of it.

"Keep trying and you'll eventually have an ice cube," Havo quipped to break the silence.

"Shut up Havo!" Emma barked at the Sephi. The exchange earned a few chuckles from the group as Emma went to sit beside them with a deep frown.

With that, they settled back to relax.

"I think one of the Jedi is here," Wally chimed in.

The group exchanged a glance as a silent message passed between them.

"So, we all still agree?" Emma asked. They all gave a nod to confirm that they were aligned.

"Ok. So we'll bring it up with whoever is here," Emma said, her mind set on what was going to come.

Dread walked through the Imperial palace alone. He scowled to himself, his conversation with Drago fresh in his mind. Dread was wary of the Emperor's choice of allies, the Mandalorians and the Nightsisters. And when he'd voiced his concerns Drago dismissed them.

The Mandalore was a powerful ally, and at the same time a significant threat. He and his warriors were warmongers. Already beginning to conquer planets and acquire territory of their own. The Empire had left them to themselves, keeping in their graces by paying and hiring their services against the alliance.

Dread wasn't sure if Drago was unconcerned by the threat they posed or didn't believe they posed the significant threat Dread thought they did. But in the end it wasn't his place to question Drago.

As Dread walked to his quarters he passed by several Nightsisters. The witches smiled coyly at him, winking as they passed by. He noticed they were new, likely having just come from Dathomir to replace the ranks of their sisters who'd gone back home with child.

Dread continued on his way, walking the halls of the palace that was once the Jedi temple. Drago had converted the Jedi's sanctuary into a monument of the Sith's power and victory. As he went on his way he stopped. He turned his head to find yet another Nightsister sitting at a temple window, gazing out and over the city of Coruscant.

Heather.

Dread stared at her as she kept her gaze out over the illuminated city. She was different from her sisters. She was more powerful than any of the other witches. Apparently she was the right hand of their leader. She could easily defeat members of the shadow guard. And even the Inquisitors, the Empire's most powerful collective of Force sensitives, stood no chance against her.

And the most obvious difference she had from her sisters was that she was not human, Dathomiri, or Zabrak. She had reddish skin and a natural, almost hypnotic, charm about her. Dread had his suspicions as to what species she was, but kept his opinions to himself.

Unlike the other witches she wore black instead of red. She had long black hair that she wore in a braid over her left shoulder. Her outfit consisted of long black boots that extended just up below her knees and black leggings that went up and stopped at her thighs, displaying the red skin of her thighs with a pair of short black trunks. She wore a black top with a hood and cowl that concealed her face.

It annoyed Dread that she always kept her face concealed. She herself was a mystery.

"Beautiful. Isn't it?" she suddenly asked aloud.

Dread blinked, realizing he'd been staring at her. It irked him, how even he found himself enraptured by her without his knowledge.

She turned her attention from the city and to him. He could tell she was smirking at him. Her eyes twinkled with mirth. She crossed her legs and stared at him, awaiting an answer.

"Quite. The Empire's capital city is a sight to behold," Dread said evenly. He remained silent as he continued to stare at her, ensnared by her green eyes and noting how the light shining from the window bathed her in light. He almost wondered if she'd planned this beforehand.

"Something on your mind Dread?" she asked as she cocked her head to the side.

"Just wondering why I find you alone, Sister? Wouldn't you prefer the company of your clan?"

She chuckled. "I enjoy my solitude. Besides, most of my sisters find themselves in the company of Drago's dark side adepts," she explained with the shrug of a shoulder.

"And why not you?" She arched a brow in question. "I noticed how many of your sisters find themselves with child. Yet you-"

She narrowed her eyes at him. "I seek only the strongest male to be my mate."

"And the members of the Shadow Guard or the Imperial Inquisitors?"

"Those imitations of Sith?" she asked in disgust. "They're weak, unworthy of fathering my children."

"Oh?" Dread asked curiously. He smirked, standing at full height. "And me?"

"I am a Sith Lord. I am one of the most powerful beings in the galaxy. My strength in the dark side is second only to my master," he pointed out. "Do I not meet your standards?"

Heather hummed as she uncrossed her legs and stood up. She took a step toward, slowly, holding his gaze all the while. She raised her hands up and placed her palms on the front of his chest armor. Even with the layers between them Dread had to suppress a shudder.

He stared down at her as she traced her palms over his armor. He could feel his pulse quicken as she asserted her charm over him. And try as he might, he couldn't get away.

"Well," she said as she rose up slightly on her tiptoes, hovering just a few inches away from his face. "I just don't like you."

And just like that she took a step back. Dread scowled at her while she only smiled in amusement. "If you are in need of female companionship, my sisters will be more than happy to share your bed with you."

With that she walked around him and went on her way.

"How will you know when you've found him? This worthy male?" Dread asked as he stared after her, glaring at her back.

Heather stopped, not turning around as she answered him.

"He will defeat me."

Jack walked the halls of the Kinnaran temple and to his sister's room, wondering why she'd run out after training so suddenly. The girl had been acting...different. She was moody, more withdrawn, and less openly affectionate with him. He used to remember the times when she'd run to him with a happy smile and throw her arms around him in joy. Now he could sometimes barely get a nod to acknowledge that he was there. Elsa assured him that she was simply growing up, maturing into a beautiful and independent young woman. Who, as a maturing adult, simply didn't need her older brother around watching her all the time.

The very thought made Jack shudder.

As he turned down the hall where Emma's room was he nearly ran into someone. He took a step back and glanced down at a different youngling. A young red headed human girl he recognized as Emma's closest friend, Claire. She stood before him, arms crossed behind her back and smiling up at him.

"Hello Jack, whatcha' you doing?" she asked casually.

"Hey Claire. Just going to see my sister," Jack answered as he shuffled to the side to walk by her, only to be halted as she quickly stepped in front of him.

"Oh she's busy right now. I can tell her you stopped by and she can call you later," Claire offered.

"If it's all the same I'd rather speak to her now," Jack replied simply as he stepped to the right, only to have Claire copy him. He narrowed his eyes in suspicion. "Ok Claire, what's going on?" Jack asked as he crossed his arms over his chest.

"Going on? Nothing is going on. Emma is just really busy and would rather not be disturbed," Claire answered.

"Yeah, well I'm her big brother. So I'm going to go see her," Jack answered. He tensed, quickly moving side to side in an attempt to get by the youngling. But her Jedi training and reflexes made her fast and able to predict where he'd move next before he even did it.

Her determination to stop him only made him more curious as to what Emma was doing.

"Hey Claire, is that a zit?" Jack asked out of the blue as he pointed at her face.

The young girl gasped, hands flying up to feel her face. "Where?" Using her distraction Jack quickly spun by her before proceeding towards Emma's room. Jack paused outside when he found a large slab of stone partially blocking the entry, he peeked inside to see what his sister was up to.

He found her sitting on a cushion with a small holoprojector in front of her. The thing was displaying a person right before her. He stared at what appeared to be the hologram of a young boy around her age.

"I wish you were here," Emma said wistfully as she hugged herself, smiling at the hologram.

"I know. I wish I could be there too," the boy's hologram said back. Jack suppressed a gasp, staring in shock and horror as Emma blushed and brushed some strands of white hair out of her eyes.

Jack's mind didn't want to believe what he was seeing. But there was no other explanation.

Emma had a boyfriend!

"How's the fleet?" Emma asked curiously.

The boy shrugged. "We're good. Fighting the Empire where we can, saving lives and all of that," the boy answered casually.

"My Hiro," Emma said with a smitten sigh. Jack gagged as he stared, feeling a flaming pit of brotherly protectiveness flare up within him. He reached his hands out and grabbed at the edge of the slab before he started to pull with all his might. But even with his full strength the slab barely gave an inch.

"I wish I could fight out in the galaxy like you do. The only missions the Jedi ever take us on are ones with pretty much no danger."

"Don't be mad, but I'm kind of glad for that. I like the thought of you being safe."

"Awww," Emma gushed at his concern for her well-being. "I hope I get to see you again Hiro."

"Me too Emma."

Jack paused, taking shallow and quiet breaths outside the door after failing to budge the slab. He peeked inside, only for his eyes to bulge at the sight of Emma leaning in with eyes closed, like she was about to kiss the hologram.

This would not stand!

"Emma you stop that!" Jack cried as he made his presence known.

Emma gasped as she and the boy's hologram looked to the door. Emma's face burned in embarrassment. "Jack!?" she shrieked in indignation.

"That's right! Me!" Jack said as he tried to squeeze through the crack and into her room. He strained, pushing against the door to get a few more inches of space as Emma shouted at him to stop and get out. "Damn this thing is heavy," Jack muttered as he slowly but surely wiggled his way through and into the room.

He fell inside ungracefully before leaping to his feet and stalking to tower over the boy's hologram.

"Who are you?" he demanded of the boy.

"Uhh..." the boy said as his hologram looked up with wide eyes.

"Jack!" Emma shouted as she stood in front of him and shoved him back. "This," she said as she gestured back to the boy. "Is Hiro. My boyfriend."

"Like hell he is," Jack growled. He peeked over her and at the boy. "Who the heck are you? And what are your intentions with my sister?" he demanded.

"I'm going to go Emma," the hologram said quickly. "Bye," the boy said before the transmission ended.

"No!" Emma cried angrily as she stared at the space where his hologram had been. She whirled around angrily to scowl up at her big brother. "Nice going Jack. Do you know how often we get to talk?"

"How long has this been going on?"

"I don't know. A few months."

"And you're what, actually dating this...Hello?"

Emma narrowed her eyes at him. "His name is Hiro, and yes. He's my boyfriend."

"Oh no he is not. You do not get to have a boyfriend."

"You can't tell me what to do!"

"Big brother," Jack said as he jerked two thumbs toward himself. "Little sister," Jack said as he gestured at her. "I think I can."

"What do you care? We're in a long distance relationship anyway. Like, lightyears away, long distance," Emma said with a note of bitterness.

"You're not in any relationship with him. Long distance or otherwise. My baby sister does not need to have a boyfriend."

Emma turned red in anger. "I'M NOT A BABY!" she shouted at him. "My hair is completely white," she said as she pointed to her snow white locks, which by their people's standards indicated sexual maturity. "And I have-"

Jack slapped his hand over his ears as her hands came up to gesture at the budding lumps on her chest. "LALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALAL! LALALALALALALA! I CAN'T HEAR YOU!" Jack sang to drown out the dreaded word he believed had absolutely no business associating itself with his baby sister.

"Boobs Jack! I have breasts!" Emma shouted at the top of her lungs.

"AHHHHHHH!" Jack cried, ears bleeding, after hearing the awful word despite his attempts to drown her out.

"Get out of my room Jack!" Emma shouted as she shoved him back towards the door. She paused, raising a hand and concentrating, with some effort she used the Force to drag the slab out of the way to make the exit bigger. Then she thrust her hand toward Jack.

She used the Force to shove him out, not enough to send him flying out of the room but to make him stagger out of it and fall onto his backside. He gaped at her, almost in disbelief she'd used the Force on him. With one final glare she waved her hand, dragging the slab back into place to completely seal herself into the room.

Jack sat there for a moment in shock. Then he picked himself up and dusted himself off. He stared at the slab, wondering where the time had gone. He tried to think back, searching his memory for the time when he blinked, and she was no longer a little girl who would cling to him whenever she saw him.

"I told you."

Jack turned his head to see Claire, staring at him in disapproval. She had the nerve to shake her head before turning on her heel and walking away. Jack stood there, before looking back to Emma's room. He let out a breath and bowed his head.

"Teenagers."

done