MEDIATING WAS something Amara did daily, but despite her best efforts, she couldn't make contact with her Uncle Luke.

"I swear he doesn't want to talk to me," Amara say sitting on a rock on the top of the rock formation, "He's ignoring me."

"Or maybe you're too impatient and refuse to put more thought into it." Anakin says and sighs, "Was this something Obi-Wan had to deal with, with me?"

Amara stood up and walked over to the edge of the rock formation. The Force ghost of Anakin followed her. She sat down on the edge and looked forward at the horizon. The sun was going to begin to set anytime now.

"I'm not being impatient, Anakin- er do I call you grandfather?" Amara looks up at him, "Or is that too weird? Or do you want me to call you Master Skywalker, since you know you've been giving me pointers?"

Anakin sighs again and shakes his head, "Anakin works fine." He tells her.

Amara nods.

"So you told the pilot about us speaking," Anakin says, "Did he take it well?"

Amara glanced from him to the horizon again, "I guess," She shrugs, "Ever since he was tortured by the First Order- he's been a bit hesitate towards the Force. I mean I know he supports me but- but I can sense fear from him."

Anakin frowns, "Having someone forcefully go through your mind as a Jedi is hard, but we have the ability to block it out. Although, the same cannot be said about your what-? Boyfriend?"

Amara looks at him, "I'm not a Jedi, remember. I have no obligations to a Jedi order." She tells him.

Anakin only nods.

"And I know he isn't like me," She says frowning, "I know how bad he had to endure on the Finalizer. If it wasn't for Finn breaking him out-,"

Amara paused on her words.

Anakin looks at her. Her eyes widen briefly before sighing. She ran a hand through her hair and the other one rested behind her, to lean a little back.

"Do not get caught up in that mind trap, Amara. Those ideas of what could've happened will only make you go crazy." He tells her.

Amara looks him.

"He is alive and well," Anakin says, "And is coming back from that mission you mentioned to me."

Amara smiles softly, "We only get a few days together before he is gone again." She says, "It's hard. Being away from each other like this."

"Back in the Clone Wars," Anakin spoke, "I had to keep my marriage a secret. We couldn't be seen together in ways I would've loved. The only times we really felt together was when we were alone. And it was those moments with her I really treasured."

Amara looks at him, "You two really loved each other." She smiles softly.

Anakin frowns, "I destroyed the Republic for her." He says.

Amara also frowns. She had heard of the death of her grandmother in the past. Leia recalls faintly remembering her own mother at birth, but the only logically reason was because of the Force.

"Love makes you do crazy things," Amara followed up saying.

Anakin glanced at her, "What would you do for your pilot?" He asks.

Amara looks at her grandfather, "Anything." She answers so quickly.

{RISE OF SKYWALKER}

HEADING BACK to base after being on her rock formation, Amara had to embark through the thick jungle. She knew her mother also didn't like Amara being out alone from the base or too far from the base, mostly on days like today where she was out past sunset. It was dark now. Amara assured her mother that it was perfectly fine. She was connecting to the Force after all. She was getting better and Leia saw improvement.

Amara jumped over a log and stomped her feet on the ground. Her feet stepped on some leaves. She looked up at the trees. She always loved the outdoors. She loved the fresh air and the feeling of freedom. Maybe that's why she was never inside as a child. Maybe that's why she enjoyed her trips to Yavin 4 as a child.

Her hike back to the base was a fifteen minute hike. Once she came through the clearing and saw ships and people, she knew she had returned. It was a little hard at first, given the light being limited on base. Amara walks by the X-Wings and other spaceships, passing Snap, Karé, and Jess. The three pilots noticed Amara and stopped what they were doing.

"She lives," Jess jokes.

Amara laughs faintly, "I wasn't gone that long." She says.

Snap shakes his head, "You sure about that, Solo?" He lightly laughs, "You've been gone since lunch."

Amara looks at Snap while shrugging, "So I lost track of time. So what?"

Karé lightly hits her husband, "Leave her alone, Snap." She says.

Snap still grinning goes on and says, "I don't understand why you need to be in the jungle at all hours of the day."

Amara pretended to look offended, "Snap, what I am doing is very serious Force sensitive business." She says followed by a smile on her face.

The pilots have become friends to her, more so in the past month and a half on Ajan Kloss. Even more with Jess filling a void that Poe had left with his absence most of the time.

Jess turns to Snap, "Do get her angry or the commander will have at you when he gets back." She teased.

Jess grabbed a towel covered in oil from fixing parts of an X-Wing and tossed it at Snap. The towel hits him in the face, which caused the girls to laugh at him.

Snap grabs the towel off his face, "I really need to hang out with other guys." He groans.

Karé grabs his arm, "Too bad, hun." She kisses him on the cheek, "You're stuck with us, but mostly me."

Snap smiles at her, "Well I'm glad I'm stuck with you," He turns to Jess and Amara, "Sometimes wish these two would find other places to be."

This caused Jess and Amara to laugh lightly. Amara watched the couple kiss each other briefly before parting.

"I should head in and see what stuff I've been missing, "Amara grins, "You three continue what you're doing."

Jess salutes, "Commander," She grins.

Snap and Karé even saluted Amara as Amara began to walk off.

Not many people salutes Amara, she tells them not to. Sure, she is an officer. She is a commander, but she never liked having people salute her. It felt awkward to her. Amara walked into the cave and found Rey at her spot. Rey looked up from her Jedi texts and briefly waved at Amara before pulling her face back inside the book she was reading. Amara passes Rey's spot and heads to command center. People were moving around, all chaotic but it was orderly.

Larma D'Arcy noticed Amara, "Oh you're back," She says, "General Leia was wondering if you'd be back before sundown."

Amara grins, "I guess I was out later than usual."

It's true. Amara is usually back from training before sundown, she knew her mother never liked her being out alone after dark.

D'Arcy eyes her, "It's not for me to explain to General Leia where you've been." She says and points to Rey, "Even she was back before sundown."

Amara gives an awkward smile, "Sorry. I must've lost track of time." She says.

D'Arcy eyes her again, "Uh huh, sure."

Amara watched Commander D'Arcy walk off with her datapad in her hands and heading off. Amara walked further and found herself by Kaydel Ko Connix.

"How's everything?" Amara asks.

Connix turns to her, "Oh you know, all work and no play." She playfully grins, "I wish I could spend all day in the jungle running around."

"I'm hurt, Kaydel. I'm training. It's serious." Amara says.

Connix laughs, "Oh right. Sorry, my bad." She says.

Amara leans over Connix station, looking over the monitors in front of Connix. Connix looks up at Amara and lightly hits the woman back, because Amara was gesturing to push a button just to annoy her.

"Knock it off, Amara." Connix says, "I'm working."

Amara kept the grin on her face, "Alright, I'll stop." She says as he eyes wonder, "Where is the General at?"

"A meeting," Connix says, "She should be out whenever they come to a solution."

Amara nods, "New Republic stuff?"

Connix looks at Amara and nods, "Yep."

Amara grins lightly, "So glad I don't have to play politics."

Connix grabs a datapad and hands it to Amara, "You spoke too soon," She grins, "The General wants your input on this latest trade deal with the New Republic."

"Isn't that what they're meeting about?" Amara asks.

Connix shakes her head, "No. I have no idea actually what they're doing," She says and holds the datapad in front of Amara's face, "So take this please."

Amara groans and takes it, "Fine."

Connix looks at Amara with a grin, "Look at it on the bright side, now people won't think you're doing nothing in the jungle."

Amara looks at the datapad and fake laughs, "Oh ha ha. I get it, I play around with a lightsaber in the jungle." She says.

Connix kept the grin on her face. Amara goes to walk off, but halts and turns around to face Connix. The young women looked at each other.

"You come find me in my quarters when you want to get something to eat," Amara says, "Okay?"

Connix nods, "If not me then Rose," Connix says.

Amara nods, "Good." She says.

Amara couldn't help but smile. She had friends around her on the base. A support group. Rose and Kaydel had begun to join her for meals on the base, whereas Rey has been pulling back little by little. Only being social for Jedi training. Amara turns away from Connix and begins to head to the Tantive IV to begin to read over the trade deals with the New Republic.

{RISE OF SKYWALKER}

DATAPAD IN her hands, Amara sat on a chair next to a desk in her quarters. She read over the report maybe ten times or so. She ran a hand over her face. On the surface the deal looked fair. The New Republic sending supplies and some recruits as long as those in power did not have to fight in the wars.

The politicians are cowards.

Amara glanced from the datapad and then to her bed. Her eyes darted further to the holocom sitting next to her bed on a nightstand. It's silent. Poe hadn't tried to call or leave a message. A knock on her doors gained her attention. She placed the datapad on her desk and walked to the door, standing there were Rose and Connix. Both girls smiling.

"Ready to get something to eat?" Rose asks.

Amara nods, "Yeah." She says, "I'm starving."

Amara steps out of her quarters. The door shuts behind her and locks it. The three girls walked down the halls of the Tantive IV to the mess hall.

"Did you get a chance to read the trading report?" Connix asks.

Amara nods, "Uh huh." She says, "Everything seems fair, well at least fair for the senators to avoid being recruited."

Rose frowns, "They'd rather send their own people into battle than join the fight." She shakes her head, "Cowards really."

Connix shrugs, "Or just politics. They might think that if we win that with us getting recruits from them would help them get some sort of glory in the end of the war."

Amara frowns and sighs, "Everything is a game for politicians."

The two other girls nod in agreement.

Once they reached the mess hall, the three girls grabbed some treys and went to get some food. Amara's eyes dart around the mess hall. The pilots were at a table eating, some officers were eating together, and cadets and new recruits were together.

But no Rey.

Rose noticed as she turns to looks at Amara, "Guess Rey isn't going to be eating with us again," She says.

Amara shrugs, "She might be too caught up in her studies." Amara answered.

After they filled their trey with questionable looking food that surprisingly tasted good, they found a table to sit at. The three girls found an empty table, but it was near the table that housed the officers.

"Have you read any of those texts?" Rose asks.

Amara poked her food with her fork, "No. I haven't."

Rose looked a bit shocked, "But- But you're a Jedi, right? Wouldn't you want to know about your people?" She asks.

Amara poked at the food and looked to Rose, "I don't know, I guess I'm not nearly as curious about it as Rey. I had stories about the Jedi growing up, I knew them to be real. Whereas Rey thought they were merely myth." She says.

Connix took a sip of her drink and nods, "That makes sense." She says, "But it probably would still be cool to read about whatever is in those old texts. I mean, ancient Jedi text? Where are you going to find that again?"

Rose nods in agreement after she swallowed a bit of her meal, "Kaydel is right," She says, "That might be the last remaining text of the Jedi that was somehow saved during the purge of the Jedi."

Amara thought about it, "I mean I guess that's true. I never thought about it like that."

Connix grins, "Of course you didn't." She lightly nudges Amara, "You have your head in the clouds than here on the ground."

Rose also grins at that comment.

"If I didn't know you as well as I do, I'd think you were a pilot with the way you get lost in the sky." Connix says, "Mostly the stars."

Amara looks at Connix, "Okay, now I'm feeling attacked here."

Rose and Connix laughed.

Some of the recruits and cadets had finished their meal, so they began to leave. The door to the mess hall opened, but they stepped aside and saluted, only to be told to stop. In came Leia with 3PO next to her. Leia walked in with the droid her father had built walking along side her. She had this droid with her ever since she was eighteen, and it would feel wrong not to have that golden piece of worry next to her.

Leia's eyes went to her daughter. Noticing she was socializing with Connix and Rose. Leia was happy Amara was able to keeping herself open to making her friends, after the loss of Vira on Crait. Leia was nervous after Vira's passing that Amara would shut herself off from the world, but instead the opposite happened.

"Oh goodness," 3PO says, "Why Miss Amara seems to be back from her time in the jungle. Would you want me to get her for you, General Organa?"

Leia shakes her head, "Leave it alone for tonight, 3PO." She says.

C-3PO only nods.

{RISE OF SKYWALKER}

THE COOL breeze of the outdoors always felt calming for Amara. After she ate with Connix and Rose, they had called it a night, but Amara was wide awake. So instead of pacing in her quarters, she was going to just sit outside. Under the starry night. Amara looked at the stars, she had begun a habit Poe had been doing for however long he's been doing it, which is counting the stars in the sky. She got to a hundred, when she heard someone coming over.

"Waiting for your flyboy to call you?" It was Leia.

Amara glanced back at her mother, "Yeah."

Leia stands next to her daughter and looks up at the stars. She thought about the times she sat under the starry nights with Han talking about all the places he's traveled to in the Falcon with Chewie. All the adventures. Sure, Leia and Han had their own adventures, but she loved to hear his.

"You know your father use to have me stargaze with him when we were younger," Leia says, "Han always loved the stars."

Amara smiles hearing that.

"He would say before he died he'd travel to almost every planet in the galaxy," Leia laughs lightly, "Foolish idea but it was sweet."

Leia glanced at her daughter. Amara's eyes just stared intensely at the stars. It was at that moment, that Leia could see her husband in her daughter. Their eyes were almost the same.

"I know it's been hard on you with me keeping Poe off planet for missions," Leia says.

Amara looks at her mom, "It's okay. It's war and things aren't simple." She says.

Leia kept her eyes on Amara, "Maybe when he, Finn, and Chewie return I'll allow them to have a week or so to recover. They've been away nearly as long as we've been here on Ajan Kloss."

Amara doesn't say anything but nods.

Leia reached over and placed a hand on her daughter's shoulder. Amara looked up at her mom again.

"I know we're at war, but war can't be our only reason for existing. Once the war is over there will be a new path for the Resistance and it's people." Leia says, "I hope that Poe makes an honest woman out of you. You settle down and have a family of your own."

Amara blushes nearly at the comment about Poe and her having a future together. Leia smiles at her daughter and then let's go of her shoulder.

"Don't be up too late," Leia says, "I want to speak with you first thing in the morning regarding the trading deal."

Amara nods, "Yes, General." She saluted to her mother.

Leia laughs lightly, "Good night, Amara."

Amara smiles, "Night, mom." She says.

Leia walks back to the cave, Amara watches for a few seconds before her eyes darted back to the sky. Counting the stars.

One.

Two.

Three.

Four.

She blinks and glanced down at the holocom next to her. Nothing. Maybe Poe was too busy to call tonight. Amara looks back at the sky and sighs.

"I'll give him another hour." She says.

And Amara went back to counting the stars in the sky.

One.

Two.

Three.

Four.

Five.