This is my first attempt at writing fanfiction and I was never very good at using the correct grammar. But I love the Starwars Galaxy in any way it comes, and especially the worlds greatest Jedi Knight I always felt he got a rough deal out of life and needs a girl worthy of him.

Disclaimer :- This original story is based upon characters and situations created by George Lucas, The great Zahn and other members of the novelisation fraternity. and as such is the property of Lucasfilm Ltd. I am not making an Imperial Credit out of this.

I pay some attention to detail as far as the time line is concerned, but if I don't like something I miss it out.

This is the first chapter in a longer saga , so any comments would be helpful. I have set this sort of after the Courtship of Princess Leia

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Light of the Force

The Skywalker twins are in grave danger (again) and are being protected unknowingly by a young girl from Lukes' home planet. Luke is rather interested in this girl.

Prologue - The Meeting

" Senator" the clear young voice cut across the assembled chatter of many tongues. The lecture had finished and the bodies spilled out of the main audience chamber. Free time was to be had for a very short while before rations at the tapcaf .

Mon Mothma turned with raised eyebrows to find whosoever was addressing her. The Grand Corridor of the Junior training Academy at Raithal was seething with dark green clad cadets. There was such a melee that it was difficult to determine the direction of the sound. As the guest lecturer and an important member of the Imperial Senate there was always an over-enthusiastic cadet just waiting to ask difficult questions.

"Senator" the voice spoke again. "A word if I may". This was a statement, not a question.

This time Mon Mothma located the owner of the voice. A slender nondescript human stood suddenly before her clutching a data pad.

"I am instructed to accompany you to the Commanders quarters so that you may dine in peace before you leave Ma'am".

Mon Mothma had seen too much of the galaxy to be surprised by anything, but this cadet was surely younger than the norm - she could only have carried fourteen or fifteen standard years. The average age of a Raithal Cadet was at least eighteen or older. That was in terms of the human population. Aliens were accepted at their equivalent age, when they were accepted at all and even then they had to be humanoid in physiology.The Empire embraced a rather narrow view of intelligent life rather enthusiastically. She noticed a couple of Bothans and a light blue skinned Omwati and the red eyed Graffiins. Sadly, however able they would prove to be it was unlikely that they would rise far in Imperial Ranks.

The Academy at Raithal trained the elite of the Empire's young, either for a military, diplomatic or civil service career. Entrance requirements were extremely stiff and competition for places was high. This child must be outstanding in her field: exceptions this young at the Academy were rare.

Mon Mothma looked closer at the girl. Dark, severely pulled back hair, a thin white face and unblinking dark eyes which stared steadily back at the Senator. The sort of individual you would never remember and never notice in a crowd, would never remember having met. Mon Mothma felt slightly unsettled by this thought. 'Now why did I think that', she wondered.

The Senator inclined her head graciously and followed her now silent green clad escort away from the Grand Corridor and headed towards the private quarters of the senior personnel. The Grand Corridor was purely for effect, a sort of mini scaled down version of the one in the Emperor's palace on Coruscant. All that white marble and precious Erindan Quartz was a little too much even on a smaller scale. 'I suppose it is to remind these young people of the glory of the Emperor'. Mon Mothma suppressed a shudder.

Suddenly the silent figure by her side stopped, gestured with the data pad to an alcove and spoke hurriedly in a low voice. "Senator I must speak to you, urgently - this is an opportunity I cannot miss. We shouldn't be picked up by any of the monitors here. I'm sorry to have to tell you this, perhaps you know already that you are in great danger, things are about to change, many lives will be lost. I mean you no harm, but you must heed my words or you will die and you are far too important in the scheme of things to let that happen."

The girl glanced furtively round the brightly lit corridor.

"Do not stay for rations, leave as quickly as possible for your ship will have been sabotaged, but I have left details of what has been done. Please believe me I am telling the truth", she raised her voice slightly. "I'm sorry Senator that you are not to give more lectures" and coolly walked towards the nearest turbolift.

Mon Mothma stiffened slightly, but her facial features remained serene. The cadet had shocked her. No-one knew that she planned to go underground within the next few days to officially do what she had been secretly doing for several years now - planning a rebellion. Several attempts had recently been made on her life and Mon Mothma was sure that the Empire was responsible, although nothing could be proved. The Empire was corrupt, rotten to the Core and the Empire's core was on Coruscant in the Imperial Palace in the wizzened form of Senator, now Emperor Palpatine. Mon Mothma over the past few yeats had become increasingly outspoken against the injustices and atrocities she felt were being committed. Mon Mothma decided then and there that she would not return to Coruscant, she would just disappear as it had been arranged. She didn't know how or why, but this girl was telling the truth. Mon Mothma placed great reliance on her instincts, they had not failed her yet and had kept her alive.

The Cadet grasped Mon Mothma's hand and pressed a small holocube into it, along with the data pad containing the message from Commander Ryyklas. "This is so that you will know who I am when next we meet, and I will meet you, but not for many years". With that she pressed the acti-link on the outer door console, waited for a signal, ushered in the guest, bowed then disappeared.

Mon Mothma invented a sudden meeting of the Senate as a direct cause of the growing rebel activity, made her excuses with the utmost diplomatic skill and left immediately. Word came back that she never reached Coruscant, or Chandrila (her home planet) and for many months people thought that she was dead, murdered by the rebel insurgents. Then an announcement came from Imperial intelligence that she was alive and had turned traitor, joining the rebel alliance, in fact was one of it's leaders.

The small figure hidden behind a pile of crates in the docking bay breathed a sigh of relief and then smiled as the Senators' shuttle cleared the planetary defence shields. The smile faded to be replaced by it's ususal expression of neutrality, although if you looked closely into her dark eyes you saw something far older than her years would permit. She had work to do and must not be found away from the barracks. Her basic force skills would see that she wouldn't have been missed, but she wasn't confident in her ability to maintain this for any length of time. She rubbed her dirty hands over the drab grey coverall she had slipped on over her dress uniform, there had been no time to change. The guards had been told to fiddle with an airlock seal and to slightly upset the horizontal booster. Once in real space the air would leak from the cockpit and the ship would be unable to make the jump to hyperspace, the comm unit would blow a very big fuse and the ship would be a sitting target for any space pirates that had been arranged to arrive conveniently in the vicinity of the stricken shuttle. One influential and very powerful senator easily erased and many more lives depended on that not happening. The girl smiled again. It had been easy to crack the code to enter the ship, her father had been very useful in making sure she had certain skills, but there would be hell to pay if caught. She slipped noiselessly from the hangar and returned unnoticed from whence she came.

Light of the Force

Force Awakening - Chapter One

Slicing into the computer programme the nimble fingers began to delete the information, the figure was anxious, nervous. This was an unaccustommed action ,( or rather it hadn't been usual for quite a while) and if caught it would be very difficult to explain to anyone in the New Republic.She relaxed, no-one would be in the comm centre at this time, not the general office one surely. It wasn't as if this was the nerve centre of the New Republic. That comm centre was in the main building.

NAME: - Maija Darklighter SPECIES:- Human

RANK: - Lieutenant PLACE OF BIRTH:- Tatooine

FAMILY BACKGROUND:- Only daughter of Petros Kenobi and Jerna Darklighter( both deceased - Alderaan) Raised by Aunt and Uncle, Kendra and Merdom Darklighter at Moisture Farm between Bestine and Anchorhead.

Education and Training:- Anchorhead Programming Centre/ Junior Imperial Academy- Outer rim Sector /Imperial Training Academy at Raithal in Core Region (accelerated programme).Imperial Navy- 6 months on Executor.

Diplomatic Training School on Coruscant.

An impressive list indeed thought Maija as she calmly hacked the rest of her details from the central computer. No-one reading this would trust me within an inch of their lives and I don't think I would either, she smiled wryly. Hopping off the stool, Maija switched off her Luma and left the communications station. Time for a bite to eat she thought. I hope the tapcaf is serving rations that are edible tonight - it would make a change. Nerf steaks in Gallingan wine perhaps?

The reality that faced her was somewhat different, some sort of soypro meat-like substance and a bland green vegetable which looked suspiciously at her from the tray. But you didn't come to cheap dives like this one for gourmet fare. Rather to refuel and remain anonymous. 'Or detached from those around you', a cynical voice whispered in her ear. 'You don't want to get close enough to anyone to care'

" Hey Lieutenant!" a voice bellowed in her ear. So much for the remaining anonymous part. "You gonna eat that thing or are ya tryin' to talk to it and I know you diplomats jes love to talk."

"Wedge!, or should I call you sir, Where did you borrow that outer rim accent from. That doesn't go down in the best circles, you know. Why did I get stuck on a planet where the pilots are rather unintelligent, with very little dignity and class. Perhaps I'll use my military influence to get myself where the Corellians are half-way handsome" She huffed slightly, but you couldn't stay mad at Wedge for very long. He looked so......harmless. Now that was funny, a man with two Death Star tabs on his flight suit. The only other was....... She stopped.

Wedge stood there grinning boyishly, brown eyes twinkling and a mop of dark brown hair which flopped over his forehead. Maija liked Wedge. She didn't know him very well, (she didn't know any of them very well) she tried to keep herself apart from most people and just do her job. It didn't pay to get too close to people or trust them too much. But she was a fair pilot and had flown extra cover for the Rogues a few times between various occupations and shifts. For that favour Wedge was appreciative and tried to make her feel a part of the team.

Wedge looked at the small female in front of him. Maija seemed to be a nice girl, but very self-contained, gave very little away about anything. She seemed to fade into the background at staff briefings and never drew attention to herself. But man, could she fly. She was extremely capable at her job as a junior Aide to Princess Leia Organa as well. You often couldn't remember what she looked like five minutes after you had left her presence. She would be a very good spy Wedge inwardly joked, but that seemed rather a fanciful idea, rather exciting for the serious closed face in front of him . He supposed she was pretty, but she didn't try to make the best of herself. He looked closer "You seem tired, Lieutenant."

"I am tired Wedge, this delegation that we're expecting from Deegan is going to be awkward I think, but you'll know as much about it as I do. I know the Lady Winter is very anxious that nothing goes wrong especially with the wedding of the Princess and General Solo so close", she sighed softly" and I can't help thinking that the Empire has been so quiet recently that they'll do something to jeopardise the talks or the wedding. I hate to say this, but we need the increased trade and revenues that Deegan could bring to us, but...., I don't think....." She stopped " But enough of this, I'm tired that's all". This was said almost in an undertone as if Maija was trying to convince herself.

"Hey Wedge, can't you get this place to serve decent food?" Commander Luke Skywalker stood beside the table clutching a tray filled with the same unappetizing brown mush that Maija had been pushing around her plate for the last half hour.

"Luke! what are you doing here?"

"I've come to give my support to Leia and Han .And," he drawled "I've got things to look up in the Imperial Libraries before I head back to Miocene, Tatooine and Yavin IV. Care to introduce your companion Wedge?" he asked casually.

"I might, if you tell me the real reason you're in this classy eating establishment rather than the more upmarket one in the Imperial palace".

The young Commander opened his mouth and then stopped. "I don't actually know why I came here, it sure isn't for the food", he grimaced casually at the guck on his plate. "I was going to pop in and see Leia and possibly the Rogues. Check that all their training hasn't been eroded altogether".

Wedge lobbed a table napkin at him .

"Then I found myself in the civil sector and who should I see heading towards this hive, but Captain Antilles, New Republic hero and leader of Rogue Squadron from time to time. Call it a force hunch if you want but I thought you might have wanted company. I didn't know you already had company."Luke finished with a wry smile.

"So Captain Antilles, care to introduce me to your companion". This was said with a great deal more deliberation.

Maija stiffened slightly.This was the great Commander Luke Skywalker in person standing next to her deigning to acknowledge her presence. She immediately quashed the petty thought. Luke Skywalker was a truly good man and Maija's cover was obviously better than she had hoped for.They had met beforebut obviously she had made a great impression. That suited her just fine.

"Luke, where have you been for the past year or two. Maija works for Leia, or rather more for Winter"

Luke was surprised. He scanned Wedge's sense, the two were not an item, a pity as Wedge was a good man and they had been through a lot together. It was difficult for them to form relationships and the girl sitting across from Wedge was......, well.....

Luke suddenly felt hot under the collar of his black tunic and blurted out the first thing that came to his fuzzy brain. "We've met before and I don't remember you." He looked chagrined. "Leia will tell you I never was a diplomat, my feet were always too big for my mouth. It must be my farmboy upbringing," he then looked completely appalled "Now Leia will never let me speak to the delegation and I won't get to go to the shindigs with the decent food as I'm now insulting her staff. Do you think that would work Wedge or would it just mean extra coaching. I wouldn't want to miss the food."

Wedge hooted with laughter at this. " Luke, you old gamorrean. You would love to get out of speaking to the delegation. I'll speak to you later you old Jedi. I'm on duty very soon if my chrono is to be believed. He waved a cheery goodbye and left.

Luke indicated to the vacant seat "May I?" he sat down blue eyes curious as he looked at Maija. " How long have you worked for Leia ?" he asked. His hair was darker now than it had been when he was young, but the eyes were still a crystalline blue that shone in the dim light of the tapcaf.

Maija was extremely wary. Luke could see that and didn't understand why, but he persisted in the question. She shrugged her shoulders and reluctantly admitted that she had worked for Leia for about eighteen months. She looked down at the cheap microplasti table top." I enjoy my job and I'm good at it. I've worked in other areas for the New Republic, but I was trained as a diplomat and a code encryptor. She gazed at Luke fully for the first time, almost mesmerised by the layers of blue in his eyes and he was struck by how beautiful she was. He looked beyond what Wedge had seen and saw the bone structure, and the shiesna nut rich dark brown colour of her hair. Then there were her eyes, darker brown than his sister's, but well worth looking in to. Time infinitesimally stood still for a parsec, Luke tried a gentle mind probe.

Slam. - Barriers were erected quicker than a Yuzzum at food. He could feel nothing from herno force sense at all. She glared at him in a hostile manner and said "My mind is my own Commander. I'm sorry please excuse me". With that she slipped nimbly from the booth and vanished towards the sleeping quarters. This made no sense at all Luke was extremely confused. Why had he never noticed a very close member of his sister's entourage in nearly two years. So he wasn't on Coruscant that often, but this was, well, strange. Diplomatic training perhaps, but Luke could have sworn that she had blocked his entry into her mind. He pushed it to a small place towards the back of his mind for future reference because there was something that did not add up and he wouldn't forget the mysterious Lieutenant the next time. This warranted further investigation at a later date.

The huge destroyer moved out of Hyperspace near the Knosp system. Knosp was far into the Outer Rim territories with only two of it's planets being habitable. There were six planets in the system the one nearest the sun was really a ball of gas, and the second planet Kallinn was used to mine certain strategic metals useful to the Empire, who controlled the system. For mining the precious ores they used a prison colony that housed the only inhabitants on Kallinn apart from a lizard like animal which resembled a smaller version of a Krayt Dragon, and some lesser species and insects which served the general food chain. Working in the Kallinn mines was a sure way to meet an early death. The Empire didn't want to waste mine droids when there was a supply of cheap labour available.

The primary planet in the system was Chiaase, which had a variable climate and a largely human population. The natives of the planet lived mainly in the mountainous region to the north and had very little to do with the human colonists. Short and squat with powerful legs they had been treated badly by the original settlers so they had retreated to the mountains to avoid being used as slave labour in the Kallinn mines. They ventured into the towns on occasion to trade, but mainly kept their distance.

Knosp City on Chiaase was one of the main Imperial Centres in the Outer Rim and as such was home to a powerful group of men.

Grand Admiral Thrawn maintained an apartment in Knosp City, but was away on the Chimaera in the uncharted Territories. In charge on Chiaase and effectively most of the Imperial Forces was Admiral Gtrec Joulwe, originally from the planet Deegan in the Efik Minor system. He was a very able commander had served with Vader, Thrawn and Tarkin. Tall and thin-faced he was an able tactician, but that hadn't saved his leg when it was crushed in an explosion during one of the rebellions successful engaging of the enemy. He limped to the data-screen to accept the incoming call.

The holocomm crackled, Joulwe barked impatiently at it. Something in the atmosphere around Chiaase always interfered with transmissions......." the raid on Durros was successful Admiral. We have destroyed a rebel outpost and have gained access to a vital transparisteel-producing centre. We also destroyed Durrossin, the main city as it is obviously a haven for criminals and rebel outlaws". The tinny voice of the Star destroyer Commander filled the operations centre at the military base .

Admiral Joulwe smiled, but it was no more than a flattening of his lips. Cold grey eyes glinted metal. He turned to his aide Viret. "Contact the Princess and Councillor Rivn. Tell them to arrive on Chiaase in three standard days before they make for Imperial Centre and Coruscant."

"No.No----. Don't !, you can't ,please - all those innocent people. Please..... No!" The mutterings rose to a crescendo then finished with a scream of pain and horror. Maija jerked herself upright and sat up, sweat dripped from every pore. The dream seemed so real, that was what she couldn't comprehend. The beeping from her comlink disorientated her further. "Lieutenant!" it was Winter. Princess Leia Organa's personal Aide , confidante and friend. A tall stately woman with hair the colour of snow she organised Leia's Junior Aides and ran her office as the New Republic Senate Representative for the displaced world of Alderaan. "Could you come to the main comm centre now, it is urgent". Maija tiredly surveyed the tangled bedclothes and struggled from her pallet. She placed her bare feet on the Tatooine woven rug and mentally dragged herself over to the fresher and stood underneath the sonic shower for all too brief a time, hoping perhaps this would ease the pounding in her head. She pulled on a dark red robe instead of her usual Alliance military grey tunic and rushed from her quarters. Never stopping to think about the dream that had had her so distressed ; she just couldn't.

Durros . The Empire had staged a hit against Durros .A planet in the Borderland Region. An Alliance station had been operational and now it was there no longer. Maija saw it all . She had seen it in her dream." It was all true",she gasped silently in anguish "and I couldn't do anything about it, no-one could ". The blood drained from her face and she sank onto her usual repulsor chair.

The Princess explained what had happened, she was also visibly distressed, butWinter noted that Maija had seemed unsurprised by the news, although she had been upset ." Lady Winter, I have noted that the Empire's hit and run tactics have increased greatly in the last few months, but they have never been quite so openly aggressive for quite a while. Durros was a producer of transparisteel and of course, there was the base. I have monitored the usual comm frequencies, but there are no reports of any survivors as yet."

Maija turned to the computer terminal and set to work Three hours later she pushed back the chair and wearily rubbed her eyes. It was as they had all suspected, this was the Empire's work. Maija had managed to intercept some transmissions which broadcast on an old Imperial code, but it gave them no further insight on where the attack had come from and who was in charge of it. With the Empire still controlling a large section of the Outer Rim territories it was difficult to know where to begin to look.

Leia stood up and left the room. She had gone to seek out Han. He would take the Millennium Falcon to Durros to look for survivors, the Rogues would fly escort. Winter told the remaining staff to go and get some rest as most of them had been up all night. Maija blinked as the sun streamed into the courtyard of the Imperial Palace. She had been too unsettled to go back to her room. Sinking down in a corner behind an Alligan flowering shrub she closed her eyes. Commander Skywalker came across her as he went to Leia's quarters. She looked so different in the red robe and her dark waist length hair unbound. He guessed that like Leia and Winter she had been up all night and needed the rest so he left her sleeping peacefully and went to his sister. When he returned later she had gone.

Maija finally went back to her quarters . She had been given a modest two room apartment on one of the upper floors of the Coruscant Palace. One room contained the refresher ,a sleeping pallet, a bookshelf and a cupboard for clothes. The main living area had a comfy chair, a sofa, a desk with her computer terminal and some shelves for books and other personal items. There was a small cooking ring and other kitchen furniture behind a screened off area. The cooking facilities were so basic that most Junior Aides tended to eat in one of the local restaurants or tapcafs for the military and diplomatic personnel. She lay down on the sleeping pallet. 'I should really invest in a repulsor couch 'she mused 'I might sleep better than I have been recently'. with that she dropped into an uneasy sleep, broken by strange dark frightening flashes of danger , destruction and mayhem.

The Tie fighters spilled from the Star Destroyer like a plague of insects, the assorted fleeing Durrosian ships had less than no chance. There were no survivors.

Two days later a small Alliance Garrison on Miocene was hit. Again there were no survivors. Commander Skywalker rejoined his regiment,so to speak and again led Rogue Squadron on missions against the Imperial menace.

"Luke!" he raised his head and glanced at his twin."They are doing to us what we used to do to them. Guerilla Tactics." Leia sighed. I cannot see an end to this at the moment. When will we ever be at peace, when can I finally set a date for my wedding . I do not know if the guests will arrive safely, or there won't be a full scale diplomatic incident because I forgot to invite someone. Or , on a more galactic scale the Ssi-Ruuvi stage a new bid for our souls. But too many people are dying."

Luke put his arm around her. He felt there was a disturbance in the force and Leia was perhaps experiencing a dark feeling. But he understood her frustration and despair. They had never been at peace. Luke had been fighting or training to fight or to be a Jedi since he had been eighteen years old. They had packed more into their short lives than some people had done in centuries. He sighed and rubbed his eyes. "I don't think we were meant to know that state of being".

Something wasn't quite as it should be. There was a darkness coming closer.

The doorlink chimed softly and one of Leia's staff entered in with two glasses of Stim tea. She thanked them and with a small bow they left. It wasn't until Luke had finished his drink that he realised that it had been the dark eyed girl he had met with Wedge in the Tapcaf. He dug deep into his memory. What was her name again? Luke shook his head,this was really strange.

"Leia who brought in the stim tea just now?" he asked in a bemused fashion. Leia looked at a roya vox pad in front of her."Lieutenant Maija", she answered tapping the pad. " Extremely efficient,but not very exciting, she fits in well at diplomatic functions, glides from group to group and can sense underlying tensions."

Luke tensed 'Could this girl be force sensitive?'

" I don't know her well. She's one of the newer girls on my staff.",Leia twisted a strand of hair into her chignon. "Mon Mothma recommended her ".She spoke into the comm-link " Could you come in and clear up Maija, then escort Commander Skywalker to the main door " Leia kissed him and said "I'll see you later at Mon Mothma's meeting".

Luke grinned and faced the Lieutenant perfectly arrayed in an Alliance grey uniform. Was this the same girl who had slept in the sun with a smile on her face or stormed out of a dingy Tapcaf because she had felt his mind probe. He tried to gently do it again and all he felt was the tiredness of someone who had not had enough sleep and had two more hours on duty before Mon Mothma's meeting. This person didn't have the power to block a force probe or put up barriers in her mind. But Luke was somehow suspicious. He couldn't be mistaken about such things,Could he?

Maija felt the probe but firmly worked on letting him see what she wanted him to. As he left, her facade cracked. Maija was badly frightened.The dreams had become more and more realistic. She was almost afraid to sleep But last night had come the final straw. Woken from a troubled sleep where a dark presence stalked her every move, a blue eyed Jedi had pleaded for her help and the Princess of Alderaan had been cut down by a lightsaber in front of her eyes, Maija had sensed a voice calling to her from the edge of her bed. There in front of her eyes had been her Grandfather, dead these five or six years. "I know I'm not sleeping well, but I've never been reduced to seeing ghosts before" she whispered in real terror.

"Once you begin to grow in the light it cannot be stopped Maija.You come from a powerful Jedi dynasty and you are working with force sensitive beings. It is the nature of things that you will grow and be nurtured in the light and your skills develop. The Skywalker twins are in danger from a dark side presence that will soon be among you. It is your destiny to stop her, She is from your past also, though she didn't know you as you are now. You cannot hide for ever from your heritage."

"But Grandfather I am to all intents and purposes protecting the Princess as it is.Surely the Jedi can manage to look after himself? My force skills are so weak as to be almost non-existent"

The old man chuckled and it brought a breath of dry desert air into Maija's featureless room. "When I watched out for him he was reckless and impulsive, he hasn't lost that entirely it's just very deeply hidden. You have been around Luke and Leia for too long to remain unaffected. Bury your impulses deep or SHE will find them . Your force ability is far stronger than you thought. You have to protect the Princess and Luke from...."

"I know Grandfather"

"Maija?"

"Yes" the girl knelt and stretched her hands towards the figure.

"Don't be bitter. That comes from the dark side and you need all the strength to come from the light. Your Aunt and Uncle needed you more than you needed me. Luke really had no-one,especially when Owen and Beru were killed. Someone had to take the boy on. You were safer in the belly of the beast right under the empire's noses. I'm only sorry that I wasn't able to start your training myself. Be true to yourself Maija and stop starting at shadows. Fear is also from the dark side of the force you must learn to conquer it. I have to leave now. May the Force be with you"

"Grandfather,Grandfather" she raised her arms further as he vanished as if he never was. She collapsed back onto the bed and cried as though her heart would break. They were all in mortal danger now.

Commander Skywalker felt the ripple in the force and awoke. The presence had felt comforting and familiar somehow, but weak. muted. He stretched out force tendrils but the presence had gone and all he could feel was a mind in pain. Then it too was gone.