❝ you're father once had his own apprentice. ❞

―

CARINA TIGHTENED HER GRIP on the blaster in her grasp as she walked beside Luke with Chewie treading between them. The brunette spared Han a look as they continued down the halls before a small droid rolled towards them but halted as the Wookiee let out a growl directed at the machine that quickly turned its course.

The group came upon the elevators and Luke cautiously glanced around as Imperial officers walked past them, not having a clue as to what was going on. Carina watched the two boys attempt to blend in and mentally shook her head at their acting.

The elevator doors slide opened before them, moving slightly to allow a officer step out before the group of four stepped in before hitting the level they were heading for.

Carina let a sigh escape her lips as Luke whispered, "I can't see a thing in this." The blonde Skywalker went to remove the bindings on Chewbacca as Han huffed, "This is not going to work."

Carina glanced over at the male's direction, "I don't remember asking for your input and last I checked I didn't force you to come, I said Luke and I could have handled this on our own."

"I highly doubt that."

"You have no idea what I've done on my own."

Before the conversation could escalate the elevator doors suddenly slid open and the group cautiously stepped out to see a rather grim looking officer staring right at them, his eyes lingering on Chewie longer, "Where are you taking this... thing?"

Luke raised his head slightly, "Prisoner transfer from Block one-one-three-eight."

Uncertainty shone in the officers eyes, "I wasn't notified. I'll have to clear it." The male began to reach for the control panels, making Carina's hand twitch in anticipation as she inched closer to the lightsaber hanging on her utility belt.

The Imperial officers gestured over to the two stormtroopers, making them tread over to the group in response and Chewie was quick to react as he walked one soldier away before Han began shouting, "Look out! He's loose!"

"He's going to pull us all apart."

Carina rolled her eyes before slipping her weapon into her grasp before igniting it, smiling slightly as ember met her line of sight before she began spinning the saber as the troopers fired at her.

Carina cursed the suit she was currently in as she wasn't as agile because of it. Han and Luke back at the girl up as they shot down the officer before taking out the security cameras filming from above.

Carina spun on her heel before stabbing her saber into the troopers chest before watching them plummet to the ground, slashing her weapon to her side to hit the other soldiers chest. The mother straightened up before shutting off her weapon to look over at the two boys who were already watching her.

Carina slipped the helmet off of her before tossing it onto the ground as she gave them a look, "What?"

Han blinked before hurrying towards the control panel, "We've got to find out which cell this princess of yours is in. Here it is."

Carina placed her lightsaber beside the male on the panel as he spoke to her and Luke, "Cell twenty-one-eight-seven. You two go get her. I'll hold them here."

Just as Han had finished that sentence, Carina was already darting towards the cell as she opened the door. Her eyes landing on her youngest who was laying on the bench.

Leia looked towards the door, her eyes widening immediately as the eyes she had not seen in roughly ten years met her own. "Carina?"

A warm smile spread onto the mothers lips, "It's been awhile, Leia." The princess immediately shot up from her place before engulfing the woman in a well needed hug.

"I didn't think I would ever see you again."

"Can't get rid of me that easily."

Leia pulled back, taking in the brunette, "You barely aged."

Carina let out a hearty laugh as the princess' attention when to Luke who was standing behind her, "Who's the short stormtrooper?"

Luke stood dumbfounded before realizing what she meant before sliding his helmet off, "I'm Luke Skywalker."

Leia nodded slowly as Carina spoke up, "We need to go, like now."  The trio slipped back into cell hallway when Han and Chewie stumbled into them while firing with their blasters, "Can't get out that way."

Carina took notice of the mass amount of troopers piling into the control room and she grit her teeth as she remembered something, "You didn't happen to grab my lightsaber on your way out, did you?"

Han blinked, "Nope."

Carina closed her eyes in frustration as she ran a hand through her thick brown locks while Leia gave Solo a look, "Looks like you managed to cut off our only escape route."

"Maybe you'd like it back in your cell, Your Highness."

The Algora pursed her chapped lips together as she thought of how she was going to retrieve her lightsaber, she refused to leave without it.

A sudden impulse flowed through the brunette as she drowned out all noises, chest heaving as she knew the only thing she could do.

Han glanced over at the woman, "Leave the sword behind, we gotta go."

Carina swallowed thickly, slightly unsure whether on not she should but a small voice in her head screamed for her to do it. A nagging feeling as if this was the best choice she could make. So, she caved.

The brunette closed her eyes, letting out a soft breath as her hand slightly twitched as she extended it out. She felt as if she was nine again, learning how to tap into that connection was not an easy task.

Carina cleared her mind of all thoughts, solely focusing on the force and the connection she once broke.

Luke glanced over at the brunette, head tilting in confusion before wind suddenly gushed right by him. The boy blinked to see Carina's eyes snapping open as she gazed at the lightsaber that had flown into her grasp.

A breathless laugh escaped Carina's parted lips, "I did it." she whispered to herself. She had thought tapping into the force again would be more of a hassle, but she now knew what Obi-Wan had meant when he'd described it to her.

More voices plagued her mind now as she felt a familiar chill run up her spine, she could sense him, and that meant another thing. He could now sense her.

Han blinked at the woman as he kept firing down the hall, "You might want to put that weapon to use now." Carina rolled her eyes before stepping before the group as she ignited the saber, spinning it to deflect incoming fire while she spoke to Luke, "Get in touch with 3PO and tell him to have R2 find us a way out of here."

Luke pulled out a small comlink transmitter from his belt as Carina continued to shield them from incoming fire, "C-3PO? C-3PO."

"Yes, sir?"

"We've been cut off! Are there any other ways out of the cell bay?" Luke knitted his brows together as 3PO's voice sounded distorted and static, "What was that? I didn't copy."

"I said, all systems have been alerted to your presence, sir. The main entrance seems to be the only way in or out, all other information on your level is restricted."

Luke glanced up at Leia, Han, and Carina, "There isn't any other way out." Carina twisted her wrist before glancing back at the princess as she gestured over to the garbage chute. Leia immediately got what the woman was saying and snatched the blaster from Han's grasp before firing at the wall near him, making the male glare at her, "What the hell are you doing?"

"Somebody has to save our skins. Into the garbage chute, wise guy." Leia jumped down into the opening as Chewie took a whiff of the smell before groaning.

Han gave his friend a look, "Get in there you big furry oaf! I don't care what you smell. Get in there and don't worry about it."

Carina slashed her saber once more before shutting the weapon off, "Troopers have horrible aim." The brunette dropped down into the chute, her features scrunching up in disgust as the smell in the air was almost unbearable.

Luke followed after the brunette before Han tumbled into the area. Carina glanced around the room as Han sarcastically retorted, "Oh! The garbage chute was a really wonderful idea. What an incredible smell you've discovered! Let's get out of here! Get away from there—"

"Oh because you had a better plan." Carina snapped at the man. Han drew his blaster as he fired at the hatch, only for the laser bolt to bounce off the walls widely in response. Carina ducked slightly as Luke narrowed his eyes at Solo, "Will you forget it? I already tried it. It's magnetically sealed."

Leia glanced over at Han, "Put that thing away. You're going to get us all killed." Han whipped his attention over to the princess, wearing an incredulous expression, "Absolutely, Your Worship. Look, I had everything under control until you led us down here. You know, it's not going to take them long to figure out what happened to us."

Carina narrowed her eyes at the male, "With your plan we would've been shot to death."

"You don't know that."

Carina pointed towards the opening they came through, "Be my guest then." Leia nodded in agreement, "It could be worse." A loud rumbling noise suddenly purged the atmosphere as the junk on the ground began to move slightly.

Han grit his teeth, "It's worse."

Carina darted her eyes around the moving floor as Luke clutched the blaster tightly. The mother's hand reached for her lightsaber as her son spoke, "There's something alive in here."

Han looked up at the blonde Skywalker, "That's your imagination." Luke watched a pile of junk move by his leg before he chimed up, "Something just moved past my leg."

Just as Carina looked over at the boy, he had been pulled under the mass amount of garbage. Carina's eyes widened in concern as she began to look around, "Luke!"

Han blinked at what had just happened before rummaging around, "Luke, Luke!"

Luke surfaced with a gasp of air and thrashing of limbs. A membrane tentacle was wrapped around his throat, Carina reached to move through the junk filled floor but her movements were slow, the trooper uniform not helping her either.

Leia reached for a pipe and extended it out for Luke to grab but he was too busy gasping for breaths. "Luke!" the princess yelled before Carina ignited her saber.

Han and Leia snapped their attentions towards the brunette. The male gave her a bewildered look, "You'll kill him."

Carina didn't even bother paying any attention to him as she swiftly slashed her weapon dangerously close to Luke's face, but she successfully sliced the tentacle in half. Eerie screeches filled the waste room and the garbage rumbled before the creature disappeared completely.

Luke felt a gush of air flow through his lungs as he stood back up on his own two feet, chest heaving as Carina looked up at Han, "Does he look dead to you?"

Han clenched his jaw but before he could say anything, the walls began to rumble. Luke held a panicked expression, "The walls are moving."

Carina immediately moved to grab a pipe of anything that could help as Leia shouted at her brother, "Don't just stand there. Try to brace it with something."

Han gazed at the Algora, "Can't you do whatever you did back there and stop this?" Carina blinked at the male, he couldn't be serious, "I just tapped into that power source again, okay? It's a process, I can't just bend everything to my will now."

"So then what's it good for?"

Carina narrowed her eyes significantly before she continued looking for ways to brace it, "Someone shut him up before I do it."

An idea suddenly popped into Luke's head as he slipped out his transmitter, "3PO, 3PO come in. Where could he be?"

Carina grit her teeth as the walls inched closer and closer to each other, she grabbed two pipes, placing them between the enclosing room hoping it would slow it down just a bit but it was useless.

"3PO! Come in, 3PO."

Carina glanced over at her daughter to see her beginning to sink into the trash, "Leia get to the top."

"I can't."

Han made his way towards the girl to help her up as Carina's foot slipped, before she tumbled down the brunette had reached for a pole. She gripped it tightly before hauling herself up, looking over at Luke that was shouting into his comlink, "Where could he be? 3PO, will you come in?"

Carina grit her teeth together as she planted her feet on the wall that was beginning to close in on them as the junk rose higher and higher. The mother breathed heavily as she thought of ways to get them out, she couldn't slice through the wall to make an exit because the last she had that bright idea over twenty years ago, she almost fell to her death had Anakin not grabbed her before she plummeted.

The only way to get out of the situation was to have someone stop the chute from a control panel.

"Are you there, sir?"

Relief filled Carina's eyes as she heard 3PO's concerned voice.

"3PO!" Luke shouted happily as the droid tried to explain, "We've had some problems—" The blonde Skywalker was quick to cut him off though, "Will you shut up and listen to me? Shut down all garbage mashers on the detention level, will you? Do you copy? Shut down all the garbage mashers on the detention level!"

"No. Shut them all down. Hurry!"

Carina blinked as the walls suddenly stopped caving on them, she let out a soft sigh as Luke and Leia began hollering in happiness with Han smiling brightly. Carina chuckled quietly as Luke grinned before speaking into his transmitter, "3PO, we're all right."

Carina smile slowly faded as an awful sensation began to overcome her, she had forgotten what being able to sense things felt like, it was a sensation she hadn't missed one bit.

―

Darth Vader continued down the hall when a painfully familiar presence struck him, his breath hitched as it was the first in decades that he could finally feel her.

Carina, she was on board.

He had begun to lose hope that she had truly been alive, never having found her and he never felt her. Now he realized it was because she had cut off her connection with the force, but now it was back, and he would finally be able to find her.

The Sith Lord picked up his pace, the need to see her rising, her true physical self, not the ones that had been plaguing his nightmares. Vader halted his movements as another familiar presence hit him, Obi-Wan was here.

He was much closer than Carina was, Vader raised his head as he came to a decision, he would deal with Kenobi first before meeting Carina.

Knowing little that Obi-Wan was waiting for him.

―

Carina ripped off the remains of the trooper suit as she felt like she could finally move at her will again. The brunette slipped her saber into her utility belt as the group stumbled into the halls.

Han adjusted his shirt, "If we can just avoid any more female advice, we ought to be able to get out of here." Carina glared at the male, "It's no shocker you're still single."

Han blinked in response as Chewie suddenly whined before rushing away from the hatch where they had come out of the garbage chute. Han rolled his eyes before aiming his pistol while Leia shouted, "No, wait. They'll hear."

Solo of course didn't care as he fired into the room before slipping his gun back into his hilt to gaze at Chewie, "Come here, you big coward." The Wookiee shook his head in disagreement as Leia narrowed her eyes at the male, "Listen. I don't know who you are, or where you came from, but from now on, you do as I tell you. Okay?"

Carina hid an amused smile as Solo narrowed his eyes at the princess, "Look, Your Worshipfulness, let's get one thing straight. I take orders from one person. Me."

Leia gave him an incredulous look, "It's a wonder you're still alive." the teenage girl turned on her heel as Chewie stood before her, "Will somebody get this big walking carpet out of my way?"

Carina struggled to contain a laugh as Han looked over at Luke, "No reward is worth this."

The group continued down the deserted hallway, Carina knitted her brows together as she struggled to understand the wry feelings creeping into her mind.

Leia glanced back at the brunette, "Are you okay?"

Carina looked up at her daughter and nodded, "Yeah, we need to hurry though."

They finally came across the bay window that overlooked the ship they had arrived in, troopers standing by— guarding the aircraft. Han gazed intently at his ship, "There she is."

Luke reached for his transmitter, "C-3PO, do you copy?"

"Yes, sir."

"Are you safe?"

"For the moment. Uh, we're in the main hangar across from the ship."

Luke glanced at Carina before speaking, "We're right above you. Stand by." Leia eyed the ship that looked older than her, the princess peered back at Han, "You came in that thing? You're braver that I thought."

Han turned down the hall, "Nice, come on."

Carina walked behind Luke and Leia when they suddenly came across twenty Imperial stormtroopers. The brunette blinked before Han had already blasted through one, chasing after the group with Chewbacca as he shouted back, "Get to the ship."

Carina crossed her arms over her chest, "He's an idiot." Leia pursed her lips, "He certainly has courage."

Luke shook his head, "What good will it do us if he gets himself killed? Come on."

Carina followed behind her two children when blaster shots began to fire at them. The mother quickly slipped her saber out before igniting it as she deflected the gunfire back to the troopers.

"Go, go."

The trio continued running down the narrow hall, Carina thanked her reflexes as she continued dodging shots fired when Luke occasionally glanced back to hit a stormtrooper down with his blaster.

Carina spun her saber around as they were coming up on an open hall when she suddenly felt her two children halt abruptly. The Algora girl paused in her steps to see there was no bridge to connect them to the other side.

The mother deflected another laser shot before hitting the control panel to create a temporary block between them and the incoming troopers.

Leia breathed heavily as her eyes roamed over the panel, "There's no lock." Luke impulsively reached for his blaster, frying the controls making Carina gape at him, "That didn't do anything, you just trapped us here."

Carina's body swiftly lurched to the side on instinct as a shot was fired directly at her, she grit her teeth before turning her saber on once again to bounce back any incoming shots. The brunette glanced back to see her son reaching for his grappling hook and quickly remembered she one of her own.

Luke handed his sister his gun, "Here, hold this." Leia gazed at the blaster before aiding Carina as she fired away on the troopers that were standing on the level across from them. Luke pulls a thin nylon cable from his trooper utility belt. The hatch door began to slow open behind them, revealing the feet of many troopers awaiting on the other side.

"Here they come."

Carina bounced a shot fired at her back at the soldier and watched them fall to the ground as Luke tossed the rope across the gorge and it wraps itself around an outcropping of pipes. He tugged on the rope to make sure it was secure before glancing over at Carina, "What do we do?"

Carina shook her head reassuringly, "Take Leia, I have my own grappling hook. Once you guys are on the other side I'll follow."

Luke nodded as Leia wrapped her arms around his neck, slightly nervous about the idea as the blonde pushed off, leaping over the vast space before landing on the opposite side. Leia quickly glanced back at Carina who had shut off her saber and was reaching for her own nylon string.

"Come on!"

Carina flung the rope, watching it successfully latch onto the pole above before she planted her feat firmly on the ground to push herself into the air. The mother landed perfectly beside her two children as she let out of the wire.

"Okay, let's go."

The trio ran down the hall before they finally made it to the main forward bay where Chewbacca and Han leaned against the wall.

"What kept you?"

Leia dusted her dress off before responding, "We ran into some old friends." Luke glanced over to where the troopers stood guarding the aircraft, "Is the ship alright?"

"Seems okay, if we can get to it. Just hope the old man got the tractor beam out of commission."

Carina breathed heavily as a shiver ran through her, Vader. It was her only thought, because he was here, he was so close.

The group watched the stormtroopers gaze ahead at something before treading off, leaving the ship unguarded. Han pursed his lips, "Now's our chance, go."

Carina ran after Leia and Luke when she felt a sudden pull, the mother glanced to her side to see Obi-Wan dueling Vader. Her heart sank to her stomach as she realized why death plagued her thoughts, she now realized why Obi-Wan had been acting so odd.

Her chest heaved as Kenobi met her eye, smiling one last time before he back away from the Sith Lord, shutting off his lightsaber as his eyes fluttered closed.

Carina's lower lip began to tremble as she swallowed a lump in her throat, before she could even blink it all happened. In a mere second Vader was slashing his saber through Obi-Wan only for his body to disappear, his Jedi robes sinking to the floor followed shortly by his treasured weapon.

Carina couldn't comprehend what had just occurred as she heard her son shout, "No!"

His shout caught the troopers attention as they began firing at them but Carina didn't move— she didn't budge as she watched the place where her brother once stood. The brunette clenched her trembling hands as she bit back a cry, feeling strong emotions flow through her.

Vader tilted his head in confusion as to how Kenobi had merely disappeared. The male felt sudden sadness and grief plague his mind, making his brows furrow until he realized it wasn't coming from him.

Darth turned his head, his breath catching in his throat as his wife came into view. He couldn't believe his eyes as he struggled to understand he wasn't hallucinating her. His eyes focused on the single tear that ran down her face, and his chest tightened.

Vader knitted his brows together as he felt... sudden guilt overcome him. He couldn't understand why, he had never felt guilty for something he had done.

The Sith Lord turned towards the troopers, "Algora is not your target."

The stormtroopers immediately pulled their blasters away from her, aiming towards Han now as Vader gazed back over at his wife who was being pulled away by a blonde boy.

Carina shoved down her cries as she attempted to push Luke away, reluctant to leave as Han shouted over the loud crossfire, "He's gone, Carina."

The mother felt utterly weak as Leia gently took ahold of her arm, pulling her towards the ship, "It's too late."

Luke blasted the control panels and watched the barrier close before Darth Vader that had begun to approach them.

Leia lead Carina to their seats but the brunette fell to the floor as she choked on her cries, Han's words chanted in her mind, He's gone.

He was, he was gone. The last person she'd had left was gone. Carina ran her fingers through her brown locks as she pursed her trembling lips.

Leia held a saddened glint in her eyes, she knew the two were close, especially from she saw ten years ago. Carina inhaled sharply as she allowed another tear to fall from her watering eyes.

"There was nothing you could have done." Leia softly spoke as she wished to comfort the brunette. Carina rested her head on her knees as she breathed heavily, she knew, she knew there nothing she could have done because Obi-Wan had wanted to die.

She understood that, but that didn't make the pain any less. She still felt guilty because that was just how she was, she would always feel responsible for losing someone close to her.

Carina began to scratch her scalp with her grown nails as she shut all the lingering voices in her mind out. "Can I be alone for a bit?"

Leia gave the woman a small smile before gently placing a blanket over her shoulders, "I'll be here if you need anything." The princess gazed at her one last time before walking over to join Luke and the droids.

Carina harshly bit into her lip as a sense of loneliness coursed through her. Obi-Wan had been the last person to stay by her side, the last person who truly knew her, the only one who had never turned against her.

She was alone again.

That sense of comfort she always felt knowing that somewhere in the galaxy was at least one person she could always rely on— it had disappeared.

Leaving only it's void.

―

AUTHORS NOTE,
I just know you all are so happy with me rn