#don’t let Merrin burn them cal

[weadapt]

Cal Kestis loves his ponchos so much he’s gonna do a little silly dance. Look at him.

[breakfastteatime]

Comfortember Day 19 - Loved Ones

(This is a tag to 'Just Breathe' because we always need more Post-Nur content)

Eventually, Greez gets up and says he wants to put a few more jumps between them and Nur. Cere and Merrin move Cal slowly, carefully, and only once they’ve stripped off his soaked, burned and bloodied clothing. Prior to removing his innermost layers, Cere covers Cal with a blanket to protect what little dignity someone so grievously injured can be offered. Then, once he is dressed in dry clothes, Cere and Merrin get him into his bed. Cere covers him with a blanket, freeing his arms to rest atop it. That, Merrin has been told, is how he prefers it.

Cere's hands shake as she brushes Cal's hair back. Her skin remains wrinkled from the seawater, her clothes as drenched as Merrin’s.

Cal does not stir. He does not even twitch when BD hops up beside him, nudging gently. His beeping is uncharacteristically timid. Merrin stills the little droid with her hand. “Let him rest,” she says. “He will survive.”

BD slumps with a sorrowful murmur. Merrin shares his concern. Cal is not coming around. Maybe that is a blessing. He has been through a lot, deserves a rest, but not long ago he was motionless, not breathing, slipping away from them. The idea that he may never awaken, that the damage done by not breathing is somehow permanent, is a fear that lingers. Merrin knows he will likely awaken to sickness and pain, and yet she would love more than anything right now for him to open his eyes and promise he is fine…

…a fine liar, perhaps.

The sound of his breathing is unsettling, congested and crackling. Merrin does not care. It is far, far better than the silence from earlier. She shivers in her clothing. Now that they are away from Nur and its horrors, her own shock is settling in. She can see Cere is at the end of her strength, sunk as she now is at Cal’s bedside.

“Rest, Cere,” Merrin tells her. “He is with us.”

"I know." Cere stares at Cal, and Merrin cannot say for certain what it is she sees. “I can’t lose him, Merrin.”

“You have not lost him,” Merrin says. “His life energy remains with us.” She reaches for the older woman. They do not know each other well, and yet Merrin feels right as she takes Cere’s hand in her own. “See to your own needs. Leave Cal with me. He would hate to see you drive yourself to sickness.”

BD squawks.

“Yes, leave him with BD too,” she adds.

Leaning forward, Cere presses her forehead to Cal’s. Merrin senses something, some unknowable message passing from Cere to Cal. Merrin no longer feels so cold. Cere stands. Merrin releases her hand.

“Don’t leave him,” Cere says over her shoulder.

“We will not,” Merrin says.

BD beeps quietly.

Sometime later, Greez returns with a towel. Merrin startles awake. She pushes her damp, salty hair back. She is worn out, her use of magick today far greater than anything she has ever done before.

“Go on,” Greez tells her, handing the towel to her. “Get cleaned up and get some rest. Cere’s left some spare clothes for you in the ‘fresher. She’s out for the count, by the way, checked on my way through. Can’t believe it. Never thought she’d be able to sleep, but I’m so glad she is. Now it’s your turn. Oh, and make sure you put what you’re wearing in the drier. Can’t have you catching a cold. Cal will be okay, so make sure you are too.”

Merrin nods at Greez’s wisdom. She glances at Cal. “Do not die,” she orders him. “I will not forgive you if you do. Neither will Greez.”

Greez sits on the edge of Cal’s bed. “She’s right, kid, I won’t.”

Merrin slips out. She’s just going to get some sleep. When next she sees Cal, she is sure he will be awake. He will be. He is too stubborn to die this way.

[wrencatte]

-jazz hands- yet another jfo fic in the works! This time post-fallen order. (there's stuff that happens before this, but it's mostly flavor and Cal introspection)

“Hey, Cere, I think I found that facility they were talking about. It’s built into the mountain.’

“Interesting that nothing came up on my scans. Is there a landing pad nearby?”

“Nope. Also, there’s no way to get here on foot unless you really, really like climbing.”

“…Cal,” she sighs in exasperation. He just grins in response, amusement humming over the tentative Master-Padawan bond still growing between them. They’ve gone through a lot these last few months, but wounds from Trilla’s death are still a little raw. “I told you to turn back if that happened.”

“I got curious,” he replies with a shrug. “Don’t think I can get back the same way though. It was a bit tricky getting over here in the first place. I’m going to have to go through the facility. Looks pretty abandoned, I’m sure it’s fine.”

“Famous last words!” Greez shouts. His voice fades away into muttered cursing.

Cere sighs again. “Don’t let them be,” she says, tone serious. “Ping the Mantis every hour. Call us if you run into any trouble. I’m serious, Cal. There’s a time for exploration and there’s a time to cut our losses. This facility isn’t worth it.”

“Yes, Mas – Cere.” He winces and hopes she doesn’t catch the slip up. The last time he called her Master, delirious and in pain, suffering through a fever so high he thought he was burning from the inside out from the point where Vadar stabbed Cal through the chest with a lightsaber and out – the last time Cal called her that, Cere had slammed her shields down so tight it actually pained him in return.

It hadn’t ended with for either of them.

“I’ll be careful,” he swears.

“Those would be terrible last words,” Merrin muses distantly, sounding utterly serious, just before the line goes quiet.

[rollinginthestars]

Forget Luke finds Ezra, or Hera finds Ezra. Cal finds Ezra.

And it was by accident. 

Imagine, Cal asleep on the Mantis, and he dreams someone else’s nightmare. He unfortunately knows all of the Mantis’ crew nightmares, and it was any of theirs’. He wanted to know who’s it was. The closest planet was Hoth. That poor soul. 

Cal knew Hoth was like Ilum but so much colder. He also knew about the abandoned rebel base on Hoth. He races to find Greez. Cal greets Stowaway, and finds Greez eating his breakfast.    

“We need to go to Hoth. The old rebel base.” Cal smiles, hoping his “charm” will help to persuade the Latero. 

“Why?” Greez rightfully asks. While Cal tries to decide to lie or not, Merrin enters with Cere. 

“Greez we need to check out Hoth.” Merrin declares. Greez hated to argue with any force user,  maybe out of fear, maybe because he doesn’t want to have a three (3) against one (1). Greez rises from his seat, hobbles to his fight chair. Merrin pours herself some caff. Cal reaches into the force, to double check, the poor soul is actually on Hoth. 

They are.

Cere starts to talk, “Cal, you sense them too? Don’t you?” He nods. “We should try and find them. I tried to reach them while meditating but got nothing. Just a slight acknowledgement. I think”

Cal turns to face the older Jedi, “I didn’t get that, I got their nightmare, I think they are in trouble. I’m not sure if it is in the physical world, or in the force.” He accepts a cup of caff from Merrin, “But i would like to help.” 

Cere hummed in agreement before, also accepting a cup of caff and making her way to her chair. 

~~~~

Upon landing on Hoth, the force signature became more loud. It was no longer a fading flame but more like a steady flame. Suddenly, another signature seemingly appeared. No, Cal could finally sense it. A blizzard roared it’s way across the desolate planet. The second force signature was burning out. The person was dying. Cal couldn’t let that happen. 

Dressing in his longest poncho, Cal left the safety of the Mantis. The snow crunched under his feet. The wind attacked him with all it’s might. 

Cal fount an entrance to the abandoned base. It was covered in snow and debris. Bd could sneak on in, but for Cal to get in, he would have to use the force and alert the people inside the base. It would be worth it if he was able to save them. So Cal force-pushed to snow and debris out if the way, and marched into the rotting base.

The corridors were lined with even more snow and debris. Cal wasn’t sure if he was stepping on what was meant to be the floor. The corridors seemed to curve and twist their way into a never-ending maze. Maybe they were mean to be that way. One small safety precaution against intruders such as himself. 

Cal could smell smoke. A fire. Heat. The one thing Cal’s body was aching for. 

He snuck into the small room, BD inching down Cal’s back. The fire was small, and quickly dying out, quite like the blue man next to it. At the far side of the room, was a blue haired person, trying their hardest to grab something. 

“You can use the force to get it, you know?” Cal smiled, using the force to retrieve the small vial for the small blue haired person. 

“I know, but Mr All important Imp here doesn’t like it. Even though I’m keeping his sorry ass alive.” The Blue haired person argued, turning around to face Cal. “So who are you?” 

“Cal Kestis. Jedi knight. As are you imagine.” Cal continued to smile. 

“Well Cal Kestis, I’m Ezra Bridger. Let’s get his ass onto your ship ay?” Ezra beemed back. 

[elionwriter]

MY FAV STAR WARS COUPLE DYNAMICS:

(for the sake of this post let's all just pretend no one dies, ok?)

Anakin - Padme: their relationship started with pure drama and really bad, corny pick up lines and it just goes on that way. Even when they are happily exiled on Naboo with their children and everyone knows about them, whenever they talk about their love or tell the story to Luke and Leia it's always with the tones of a 'larger than life situation'. Obviously Anakin is the drama queen who really pushes it (and is still salty he had to give up his title as Jedi Master) but Padme fell for him when he did the whole whiny speech about sand and married him, she secretly supports this s***t! 😝

Han - Leia: bickering is their love language. Screaming to impose supremacy is their flirting. The thing is, they never bicker for serious stuff, because they actually agree on what matters and get along as a couple, it's the principle of things! Sometimes a friend of Ben overhears them and goes 😱 "I'm really sorry for intruding on this, pal. Will your parents be alright?" And Ben with the calmest expression will answer "They literally do this all the time". It's the silence that's worriesome. When Leia is just too tired to keep fighting after hours of doing so with politicians, when Han doesn't bother to stay to face the argument and just hops on the Falcon again, THAT'S when they realise they are falling out. So they push duty and lust for adventure aside to go back spending quality time together and patching things up. Sure enough, the bickering starts again and Ben is like "😌 aaah everything is fine again".

Din - Luke: they are the picture perfect couple. They literally never argue, at best they poke eachother when one of the two does something the other doesn't entirely agree on. They have each other's back in any instance, support every choice and are there for backup when others want a fight or have something to say either on Din's leadership or Luke's approach to the Jedi code and teachings. It took them forever to actually get together because they acted like shy teenagers on their first crush and Leia, Han and Cara had to practically push them into each other's arms, but once they got there they were solid a couple as a rock. Others look at them and think they are either disgustingly mushy or still in a 'honeymoon face', because NO ONE has such a stress-free marriage. Din and Luke truly don't get what the fuss and all the drama's about. So even though they end up practically parenting the space version of the kids from 'Cheaper by the dozen' they act like parental figures to their friends as well. Life as Manda'lor and the Reviver of the Jedi order can be hell, but together they are just balanced like that and can face everything! They even create a new co-op fighting style for Jedi/Mandalorians that becomes the terror and amazement of the Galaxy for centuries to come!😌😏💪

Kannan - Hera: very similar to Dinluke except they do at times have some small moments of tension because Hera is a fighter to the core and Kannan can't help but wonder if the battle will ever truly end. But his queen's passion and resolve is so bright and steeled that he can't help but fall in love a little more every time and follow, knowing it's the right thing to do. They have an example to set for their son, after all. Kannan will absolutely love Jacen and will introduce Ezra to his son (once Sabine and Ashoka bring him back) as his older brother. Much like when he trained Ezra or faced Sabine, Kannan will sometimes doubt himself and wonder if he's acting like a good parent to Jacen. Hera will smile and reassure him, describing to him the bright and happy smile on their son's face or how Jecen's nose scrunches and his long, greenish ears wiggle in delight whenever Kannan plays with him or cuddles him. As Hera says so, Kannan holds her and feels like he can actually see it too.

Sabine - Ezra: After Ezra is brought back to his family from wherever or whatever happened to him after facing Thrawn, both of them will just indulge in sudden hugs or touches to make sure the other is actually there. Of course, they first think of their bond as a solid friendship and camaraderie, because that's what it was when they left off. The extra touching is just the response to being apart for so long and being worried for each other. But then Sabine notices that Ezra actually looks really good with long hair and the scruffy beard he grew out. She catches herself thinking of how warm and safe if feels in his arms and mentally kicks herself because she's a Mandalorian, all she should need is a loaded blaster to feel safe. Ezra, on the other hand, starts playing with Sabine's hair when complimenting her new dye and suddenly finds himself cupping her face like it's the most natural thing in the world. Long story short, they fall for eachother hard and become the prototype of the couple "my boyfriend/girlfriend is my best friend". When they are comfortable with their new status, Ezra goes back flirting dorkishly with her like he did all those years back when they first met and Sabine will tease him by shooting his advances down.

Ashoka - Bo Katan: joke's on Bo-katan for cringing back in the day at her sister's relationship with a Jedi. She thought destiny or the force or whatever was really messing with her when she realized that her rival and pupil, Din Djarin, the new leader of Mandalorians was also falling helplessly in love with a Jedi (Obi-Wan's student nonetheless). When she hears Sabine Wren and her Jedi boy also got together she stops questioning it. The thing is that she herself has been inexplicably, undeniably charmed and hooked to a Jedi for years now. The very same Jedi she had teased didn't have enough booty, what felt like a lifetime prior. But she's Bo-Katan, she can be in angry denial about anything. Ashoka, on the other hand, has seen and has been conditioned too much on what attachment does to a Jedi, even if she doesn't consider herself one anymore. So, even if the chemistry between them and the long lingering stares are real, their love is always kept a quiet, unspoken thing. Whenever they call eachother "my old friend" they know they actually mean more, but leave it at that. Everyone around them can't help wondering 'are they a thing or...?!' but they never feed the theories and gossip. They know what they are and mean for each other when they are alone in the same room, talking about the past or what must be done in the future and Ashoka's mere presence is enough to cool down the ever-present burning rage inside of Bo. Meanwhile, the other can't help but admire how single minded and devoted to her people and culture the Mandalorian princess is, how she never gave up on them, despite everything. They smile softly at each other, then one of them breaks the spell by leaving. They go back to their own business and life untill destiny or the force or whatever brings them back into eachother's orbit.

Revan - Carth: normally they act very much like Leia and Han with the bickering and teasing bit but then Revan has one of her memories returning or is haunted by how she basically condemned her lifelong best friend Malak to a terrible death and Carth instantly does a 180° shift becoming the most caring, comforting and tender partner. She'll hide into his chest until the crisis in over. Sometimes it can go on for days and Revan is oh, so grateful of how patient and good Carth is to her. Then, at times, Carth is the one burying his head in her chest and she's the one doing the tender, hair strokes. Carth needs a lot of reassuring and might get upset and fret over even what appears to be a trivial thing. He's trying to heal and get better but the long, long years of solitude, hurt and paranoia are hard to iron down. Expecially when Carth seems to have an instinct that puts a Jedi to shame, foreseeing a crisis neither she nor Bastila had picked up. But he is making an effort to improve and she's proud of him, even as he tries very clumsily to patch things up with his son Dustil. She doesn't really step in that matter more than she has to, since Dustil is clearly not happy nor comfortable with the idea of them being together yet. Carth will sometimes open his heart to her and say something deeply meaningful on how he wants her to stay ( when she looks particularly haunted and about to leave without a work of warning) and be happy but does so with such awkward word choices that Revan just cannot refrain from laughing at his face and making puns. It's at this point that the back and forth teasing resumes. There is no denying they are still deeply wounded individuals and they are at their best when their friends are there to lighten the mood and show love to the both of them. Because they could easily go down the path of drama like Anakin and Padme but they choose the Ebon Hawk crew shenanigans instead.

Obi Wan - Satine: their love is stored in the memory of that glorious time they spent together in their youth. A moment in which no responsibility or sense of honor could keep them from giving in to that feeling of want and need for each other. It's a love that never truly went away, never left space for anyone else, but it never fully grew and bloomed either. So years down the line, that's what it is for Obi-Wan, a pleasant memory. He would never change how things went afterwards, but he wouldn't give up those memories and feelings for anything in the world. Satine feels the same, mostly. There are nights that she falls asleep wondering what could have been if only she had talked up at the decisive moment and dreams of a life spent together with Obi-Wan. But when she wakes up, she sobers up and goes back to her things. It's when she looks at her Korkie smile and notices how resembling to his secret father he is that she is truly at peace. She managed to keep a peace of Obi-Wan in her life.

Cal - Merrin: I have no idea for this one, but just stop and consider the possible 'nightsisters babies' though! Wouldn't they be the cutest things ever?! 😀

Sorry Cara Dune, you just haven't met the woman of your life yet. 😔

Also, I kinda like Zeb and Callus too but I don't really ship them enough to add them here, you know? Anyway I'm sure they make a lovely couple.

[redrobinhoods]

with you I fall (down) | Whumpay 2021

CW: Graphic descriptions 

A/N: Halfway through finals so I can get some more writing in!

Summary: Cal knew that the Nightsisters used the Dark Side of the Force, but not until that power is used to heal him after a skirmish with the Haxion Brood did he realize how deep that connection was. [7/11]

AO3 Link | Whumpay Index | Chapter 1, Chapter 6

Cal knelt down in the brush beside Merrin and Cere as they looked out over what had once been the partisan encampment. Fires now burned from the brush surrounding the site, ashes smoldering around tents and supply boxes. Down below, closer to the camp, he could barely make out the shape of BD-1 creeping closer through the tangle of roots and vines.

“Can you sense anyone?” Cere asked.

Cal closed his eyes, reaching out into the Force for a few seconds. “No. But that doesn’t mean that there aren’t any droids. We’ll wait for Beedee.” Even now, the small droid was scrambling back towards them just as quietly as he had run down. Cal greeted him as he jumped up into his arms with his report. “No droids or organic life forms according to his scanners. What’s your call, Cere?”

Cere’s grip tightened around the hilt of Trilla’s lightsaber. “Let’s approach, but stay alert.”

Cal drew his hilt from his side as the group slowly made their way down the slope, aware of every little sound the forest around them made, aware of every little sound their own footsteps made. BD-1 softly chirped as they stepped foot into the charred camp. Cal turned to see Merrin kneeling down beside a body, blackened beyond all recognition. She looked up when she noticed that the three of them were staring down at her and shook her head.

Cal turned to walk further into the camp, aware of Greez following close behind him. “I don’t like this at all.”

“Me either.” Cal agreed, pulling up his shirt to cover his nose when the scent of burning bodies became too strong for him to stand. This had been the smell of the war, when he had been too young to truly understand what he was breathing in. He was not young anymore.

“There’s a shuttle.” Greez said, gesturing before them. “Let’s go check it out.”

“Right behind you.” Cal said, swallowing hard as he tried to fight the way his throat constricted at the bodies before the shuttle, the ones who had tried to flee. There was something rising in his chest, the very thing that tightened his throat and made his head swim with every glance around him at the wreckage. He hadn’t felt this before, perhaps he had felt a variant in grief, but this was a new heat emanating out through his body from his breast. Still, he choked it down as he followed Greez to the shuttle, helping the Latero pull open the shuttle doors to a pristine interior that had been spared the flames. Cal stood sentry as Greez made his way to the pilot’s seat, turning on the engine and flipping through the systems checks.

“The air conditioning is damaged, but the engines appear to be fine. Hull integrity too.” Greez poked his head around the corner. “Do you want to get our women while I boot this up?”

No, he didn’t. He didn’t want to wade out into the sea of bodies again. “Yeah, sure.” To his relief, he found Merrin and Cere walking up to the shuttle before he could step out the door. “Shuttle is working. Let’s leave.”

Cere nodded and let her arm fall from around Merrin’s shoulders as they climbed up into the shuttle, letting Cal close the door behind them.

“Are you okay?” Cal asked Merrin when Cere had departed to the cockpit.

Merrin pursed her lips as she thought about how to answer. “I don’t think that these people were killed by lightsabers, but I don’t think that I should know what that sort of massacre looks like either.”

Cal wrapped his arms around Merrin the moment her sentence ended, pulling her close and letting her bury her face into his chest. There he held her as they listened to the engines starting to roar and felt the shuttle tilt as it slowly rose from the scorched earth. Only one they were sure to be miles away from the carnage did Cal loosen his hold on Merrin, allowing her to pull away. Before she did, she stopped to gently cup his face so that she could lean forward to kiss him, their first since the conflict in his body had seemed to cease. “I’m here for you.” Cal promised as she pulled away.

“I know.” She smiled sweetly at him before taking his hand and pulling him towards the cockpit of the shuttle. There, they found Cere and Greez sitting quietly as the forests of Kashyyyk faded away beneath them.

“Where to now?” Cal asked, leaning over Cere’s shoulder.

“Somewhere where we can trade this ship for another. We can recoup the damages to Saw later.” Cere froze for a moment before turning to the console before her. “We’ve got contact on the scanners.”

“Haxion Brood?” Greez called over.

“Imperial.” Cere growled. “What weaponry do we have?”

“None that survived the fire.” Greez sighed. “The shields are damaged anyways. And I don’t think they’re going to let us jump into hyperspace.”

“Guess we’ll have to take our chance with the Empire.” Cal said, squeezing Merrin’s hand in affirmation. “Maybe they won’t recognize us.”

“Maybe they’ll kill us immediately.” Greez wailed.

Cere turned her chair around so that she could look at all three of the beings with her. “Cal’s right.” She reached down to her belt to pull out Trilla’s lightsaber. “But I don��t plan on going down without a fight.”

[felagund-fiollaigean]

Stay tuned! We’ll be right back after these messages

A Jedi: Fallen Order fanfic

1k words of angst as Cal and Cere try (and fail) to cope with the galaxy celebrating the genocide of their people. Happy Empire Day.

Read it here or under the cut!

Cal’s terrible, horrible, no good very bad day begins when Greez turns the news on in the morning.

That in itself isn't a terribly shocking occurrence. It was common for the crew of the Mantis to listen to the morning news broadcasts as they went about their various morning routines and then gathered for breakfast and caff in the common area. Cal’s smearing jam onto a slice of toasted bread, Cere’s stirring sugar into a mug of caff, and Greez is tidying, for no apparent reason. Merrin had taken BD-1 with her on a quick scouting trip to see if she could find any edible wild plants they could add to their ship’s store of provisions.

By all accounts, today should have been a normal day.

But Cal had forgotten the date. To be fair, he thinks Greez has as well.

“... Extermination was necessary for the formation of the Galactic Empire,” a news anchor recites. “We have here the security footage from Emperor Palpatine’s office, and we can see with our own eyes top members of the Jedi Council, including Mace Windu himself, attempting to assassinate the Emperor, who was serving as Chancellor of the former Republic at the time. As further proof of the Jedi’s deranged treason, here we see Padawan Zett Jukassa making a brazen attack on Senator Bail Organa. Fortunately, the would-be assassin was stopped by stalwart members of the 501st legion.”

Cal’s mouth goes dry. He had been hungry a moment before but now nausea churns in his stomach. Zett had been his friend. The pair of them were nigh inseparable until they were taken by masters and began training separately. The last time they had talked had been only a week before his master was killed.

Cere’s mug of caff drops from her hand and shatters on the floor.

“Jrik, what motivation could a Jedi Padawan have for attacking a Senator?”

The grainy camera footage vanishes and is replaced with two humans inside a sleek news studio, wearing crisp robes seated at a spotless table.

“Well, Assawle, once the Jedi revealed their real motivation for fighting in the Clone War, it becomes clear the entire order must have been deeply, deeply deluded by their lust for power. Evidently, they were far gone enough to brainwash their young initiates into supporting their goals. It’s impossible to tell for how long their organization had been planning this coup, but it’s very possible that it was their goal since the conception of their religion.”

“Religion? More like a cult, if you ask me.” The other anchor quips.

Jirk chuckles, and the sound of it makes Cal feel even sicker. “You got that right. Well, we can all agree we have our boys in white to thank for keeping our galaxy safe from the violence and tyranny of the Jedi. I know I sleep better at night knowing that they’re well and gone.”

“Well said, Jirk. And you know what I always say. A good Jedi is a dead Jedi.”

“Hey, that’s a good one! I’ll have to remember that. The parade here in the upper levels of Coruscant is expected to begin any minute now, so stay tuned, we’ll be back to report on the Empire Day festivities as they-”

“Well, that’s enough of that,” Greez almost shouts as he switches off the holo-screen. “Nothing interesting on this morning, no use burning the bulbs out if there’s nothing worth reporting. Don’t worry about the mug, Cere, we have plenty others.”

Any other day, Greez would absolutely want Cere and everyone else in the next 3 systems to worry about the mug. But today he busies himself with the broom and doesn’t comment on it again.

Cal reminds himself to breathe. He looks at Cere, who’s gone almost as pale as he is and hasn’t yet stopped staring at the screen.

“Cere?”

She doesn’t seem to hear him.

“Cere!” He moves to stand between her and where the news used to be, and that seems to get her attention. Her eyes snap to his, as if suddenly awakening from a dream.

“Sorry, Cal. Are you okay?”

He nods. “Are you?”

“Yeah, I’m fine.”

He wants to call out her brazen lie for what it is, but doing so would make him a hypocrite, so he leaves their falsehoods hanging awkwardly in the air between them.

“I… Greez, let me help you with that.” She turns around suddenly and busies herself with fetching a damp rag to wipe up the caff that was spilled on the floor.

“No no, I said don’t worry about it. You just take it easy, Cere.”

As if sitting around would bring the Jedi back. He knows Greez means well, but Cal isn't in the mood to deal with their captain’s fussing, so he turns on his heel and strides back to his cramped quarters, notions of breakfast entirely forgotten.

Yes, today seems like an excellent day for staying in his room and shutting out the rest of the world.

He pulls his headphones over his ears and turns the volume of his music up as high as it will go. Prauf liked to warn him he was going to go deaf that way, but Cal doesn’t care, and thinking of Prauf only hurts more. So he closes his eyes and tries very hard not to think of Prauf, or Zett, or Caleb, or his Master. He doesn’t think about the men with matching faces who had been his friends once, who managed to destroy everyone and everything he loved in one fell swoop. He doesn’t think about Cere in the common room, who seemed determined to pretend that everything was just fine. He doesn't think about the billions of beings who thought he had been brainwashed by a fucking cult.

The music is hard and fast and he focuses on it until it consumes him completely. He lets his upper body rock with the rhythm and empties his mind until there’s nothing left in his consciousness but sound.

[cl-01-kestis]

My Little Rebel - Inquisitor!Cal Kestis x Female Rebel!Reader | Part 12

Summary: Tension runs high within the Mantis as Cere continues dwelling on what she witnessed on Kashyyyk, whilst you and Merrin venture forth to find more holocrons on you’re home world; Coruscant.

Warnings: longish chapter ahead

“Be safe, and don’t bring any attention to either of yourselves” Cere said in a more than stern voice, her hands tightening their grips on you and Merrin’s shoulder as she nodded. The two of you looked at one another before sending Cere a sharp nod in reply and scattering to find your bearings.

Greez piloted the ship into the landing docks at the bottom of the skyscraper distribution in the middle of the concrete jungle planet; Coruscant, which is also your home planet. It didn’t feel right being back here, as well as finding out about Cal you also found out about your life back at Coruscant when you were a preteen and before then. You didn’t tell Cere why you were so tense about being on Coruscant but you were comfortable enough to tell Merrin, you felt like you could tell her more things because she wasn’t a very judgemental person and she was already a very close friend of yours.

“Alright ladies! Here’s your stop!” Greez yelled from the cockpit, alerting you and Merrin from your rooms whilst you were still packing your things for the journey ahead. A satchel was wrapped across your body, the strap travelled from the left side of your neck to the right side of your hip, securing the chance of it not being stolen. Emerging from your room, you walked out to the main body of the ship and walked towards the ramp which was wide open and ready for you to exit. Merrin appeared behind you seconds later and only then did you snap out of your thoughts and get ahold of yourself. You took a nervous step out onto the ramp and you were unable to stop the burning curiosity churning in your gut. You were in central Coruscant, right in the middle of the capital. You could tell with all the sky high buildings and monuments. You were surrounded by multiple towers, you were even surprised Greez managed to land the Mantis so well in such a built up area.

Dismissing your whispering thoughts, your feet left the ramp and were flat against the concrete platform of the landing dock. A small beep knocked your attention away from what was in front of you and to BD-1 who was standing on your shoulder, it’s weightless presence causing you to smile. You looked back to the area around and took a deep breath. Imperial troops surrounded the docks, thankfully unbeknownst to what you really were and not suspecting a thing, considering the trooper ahead of you was waving at you and Merrin and signaling you to approach him. You gave another look around the area, noticing how intense the security was around Coruscant. You’d be lying if you said you weren’t intimidated by the amount of bodies of white armour patrolling the area, holding brand new shiny blasters that could kill someone if they aimed it correctly.

You looked at Merrin, nodding to her in reassurance before walking over to the trooper with a fake friendly smile on your face.

“Welcome to Coruscant, state your business” The stormtroopers voice was mutated by the modulator within his helmet. You cleared your throat briefly before resting your hand on the empty satchel which held nothing but your lightsaber, just in case they done a pat down on you and ended up finding it clipped to your waist.

“My name is (Y/N) (S/N) and i’m here with assistant visiting the Senate” You said, keeping up the fake act of being all nice and friendly as the trooper sailed into the coms system and took down your visit.

“Alright ma’am, you’re free to go, have a safe trip” The stormtrooper saluted with two fingers before taking a step aside and letting you pass through. Merrin smiled underneath her mask and pulled her hood further down her forehead, way too wary of her surroundings. She had never been in such a built up area before, it was safe to say she hated it so far.

“See? that wasn’t so hard” You judged her with a smirk, turning to look ahead of you whilst keeping your head low and managing to quickly pass through the security area without having anyone suspect a thing. This was surprisingly better than you thought it would be, not one stormtrooper had stopped you yet and it brought a bit of the weight off your chest.

You and Merrin approached a row of turnstiles, you looked to Merrin who had a confused expression on her face and looked at the turnstile as if it were her worst fear. To your fright, a nearby stormtrooper had taken notice to your hesitance in going through the turnstile and started walking towards you. Merrin cursed to herself underneath her breath and looked up at the stormtrooper, putting on an awkward smile as if she was trying her best to be friendly.

“Something a problem?” The stormtrooper asked, tilting his head to the side slightly as he inspected the two of you. Nodding quickly, you assured him.

“My apologies soldier, my friend here has never travelled before so she isn’t very familiar with all the modern technology” You made sure to add a subtle, joking chuckle at the end just to make sure you avoided suspicion as much as possible.

“Ah, I see. Sorry for bothering you, safe trips!” The stormtrooper had a much more positive voice this time, waving you off as he turned his back and started making his way back to his post.

“Let’s get going, we can’t stick around any longer” You said to the Nightsister, passing through the turnstile and hearing it click sharply in the air once you were on the other side and making Merrin flinch slightly.

“It’s not going to eat you, come on!” You giggled, waving Merrin on as she reluctantly passed through the strange entering machine and pushed it forward violently when it didn’t move, resulting in one of the three bars hitting her in the backside and causing her to fall forward. You caught her quickly before she fell and let out a wheeze of amusement, your face red as you tried holding in your laughter as Merrin’s face held humiliation and anger.

“Shut up” She hissed, pushing you away and gaining her composure before walking forward and waiting for you to catch up.

-

Coruscant was everything you remembered it to be. You only remember it from visions of your past but it felt unreal being able to walk on its grounds once again. You weren’t even going to think about approaching the Jedi temple, that was too dangerous. Plus, the Emperor was here, the main man in charge of all this chaos.

You and Merrin thankfully found a place to seek refuge in for a break, getting something to eat with the credits Cere gave you and filling your stomachs before continuing your mission. It was raining in the city, it didn’t come as a surprise to you somehow, it was as if you knew the planets ins and outs completely even though you can’t remember the last time you set foot on it.

Merrin was still wary about everything and everyone she came across, glaring to those who stared at her for too long and clenching her knuckles till they were white instead of that milky grey. You had to keep assuring her what felt like every minute, she was so defensive and scared, unlikely of a Nightsister. She was brave though, she was determined to help you continue the mission and hopefully find what you were looking for; the holocrons.

In all honesty, you weren’t even sure this was going to be a successful mission. Holocrons were highly protected and had an incredibly reliable security system that not even the best thief could get past. You wanted to try though, as absurd as it seemed. You remembered exactly where the holocrons were since you sometimes guarded the grounds as a Padawan in training. But this came as an advantage, thanks to Cere hacking into the Temple’s online systems, your name was still available and you were still able to use your code in order to gain access to certain areas. These are the moments where you’re glad to be a Jedi.

Merrin’s job was to be your advisor, you were hoping to get into the Senate building at first and pose as a Senator for her planet, Dathomir, as naive as it sounded. Your name was still in the systems so you wanted to use it in more than one advantage. With a little Jedi mind tricks and manipulating storm troopers, you might just have a high chance of this mission being a success.

“Should we dial the Senate and tell them we’ll be attending the negotiations?” Merrin asked curiously, looking down at the coms device on your wrist and then back up to you to study your expression. Frowning, you thought deeply for a brief second before nodding and pressing a few small buttons on the coms device.

“Let’s do it, remember your position, we’re posing as Dathomir Senators. Do you have any experience in politics?” You asked. Merrin shook her head.

“Being a Senator consists of defending your planet in negotiations, you listen to what the Senate is discussing about and decide whether or not you agree or disagree” You explained as simply as you could, earning a groan from Merrin who pinched the bridge of her nose and pursed her lips.

“So if they want to take control of my planet, what do I do then?” She asked.

“They won’t, not many Senators know we’re attending, we’ll just be sitting on the side inspecting everything going on” You assured her, gripping her shoulders and shaking them softly before returning to the coms device and pressing the green button before hearing a beep echo in the air around you both.

“This is Senator Organa of the Galactic Senate, how can I help you?” A man with a deep voice asked through the speaker of your coms device, his voice polite and full of acceptance.

“This is (Y/N) (S/N) of the planet Dathomir, my assistant and I will be attending the galactic senate shortly, I apologise deeply for giving you such short notice Senator Organa” You said in a sophisticated, well put together voice, looking to Merrin who was smiling in amusement as she watched you speak to the Senator at the other side of the coms.

“No need to apologise, we haven’t had any Senators from Dathomir in centuries! This is a very welcoming surprise indeed! There will be someone at the entrance of the senate waiting for you and will es court you to your pod” Senator Organa replied with an even more enthusiastic voice, making you and Merrin smile a bit wider before replying.

“Thank you very much, Senator Organa, it’s a pleasure to be back” You said before bidding farewell and ending the line. Merrin shook her head in disbelief whilst a giggle left her lips.

“Was it really that easy?” She asked, earning a short lived laugh from you. Nodding your head, you took Merrin’s hand and lead her to the curb beside one of the many main roads within Coruscant. It was obvious you were calling for a taxi, leaning your body out of the curb a bit and stretching your arm out, waving it from side to side until a taxi pulled up. Getting inside, you told the driver your location and gave him the credits necessary for the journey.

-

On the journey to the Senate, BD-1 sat on your lap and took some time to recharge. Merrin had packed paint in her bag whilst she was back at the Mantis, in order to paint your face so you looked like her and were a believable looking Nightsister. She done your face paint quickly and swiftly in the taxi but the driver seemed to be a bit nosy when she was smearing packs of grey on your face. It felt cold against your flushed face, covering up any sign at all of being a human. Merrin made sure to also add the details, you were surprised at how prepared the Nightsister had been for getting you ready. She added small yet believable markings on your face which started above your eyebrows and curved steadily down to your cheek bones, another few markings on your jaw which curled up at your ear. Merrin smiled at her handiwork and nodded to you.

“This type of paint takes a while to come off, it has its own shield when it comes to rain and things that are wet, so don’t worry about it washing off” Merrin smiled, packing away her paints and the small brush she used to apply the markings and zipping it up quickly as the taxi came to a halt.

“Senate building” The driver announced without turning around, waving you and Merrin off after you gave him your thanks and got out of the floating vehicle. You looked up at the large semi oval shaped Senate building and felt your lips curl up into a smile. Merrin looked astounded as she stared with twinkling eyes at the building. She’d never seen something so big and so weird looking.

“Let’s go” You dragged her attention back to reality quickly as you grabbed her wrist and ran up the stairs.

“Wait!” Merrin stopped you quickly, standing behind you and quickly tying your hair back and covering it all with the red hood she supplied you. You thanked her quickly and returned to running inside the building. Thankfully the taxi driver had dropped you off at a high platform which meant you could slip through to the Senate meeting without much attention.

As you and Merrin approached the entrance, a tall lanky man with pale skin and ashy brunette hair stood with his arms folded behind his back. He had a mean looking stare as his eyes landed on you and Merrin. This must be the man general Organa sent to escort You.

“Welcome to Coruscant Senators of Dathomir, I am Admiral Wilhuff Tarkin and I’ll be taking you to your pod” The man named Tarkin said in the most monotone voice you’d ever heard, it was clear he’d recited the words from a piece of paper and wasn’t thrilled at all to be here at that moment. Wanting to at least be civil, you bowed to him and clasped your hands in front of you with a smile.

“I am grateful for your welcome, Admiral Tarkin, lead the way” You smiled as he bowed back out of courtesy and turned around to lead you to the centre of the building without another word. Merrin walked beside you, you could feel her anxiousness so you sneakily grabbed her hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze. She was under pressure, it was clear she’d never been in this type of situation before. If you fucked this mission up, the two of you could be executed, and the two of you are aware of that.

After a couple of silent minutes, Tarkin led you to a pod which was fairly high up and had a view of the whole Senator negotiation. He left without another word after giving you and Merrin another bow and quickly scurried away to his duties. Merrin was quick to look over the edge and notice how large the room really was, it brought an expression of amazement to her face. You let out a silent chuckle as you watched Merrin study her surroundings. You slipped behind the seat in front and quickly told her to sit down before any attention was turned your way.

Merrin took off her mask but still kept on her hood out of pure shyness and need to keep her identity to herself. You were the same of course, you would take off your hood but Nightsisters don’t have (H/C) hair, so that would be very suspicious.

The two of you watched with stone cold faces as the man in the middle of the Senator room spoke with a loud clear voice. You knew that man the moment you saw his red cape and grey, deathlike face. Immediately, you raised your barriers up and closed your presence off so force sensitives such as Emperor Palpatine wouldn’t notice you. You couldn’t risk that, it was the most important thing that you couldn’t let slip. The only thing that was really missing from this whole ordeal was Darth Vader, but you weren’t going to manifest on it just in case he appeared out of nowhere, what would be horrifying.

Listening in to the meeting, you looked around and at other Senators who were involved in the negotiations and speaking their opinion like it was the only thing that mattered.

You remembered a long time ago in your years of Jedi youth, Shaak would take you to the Senate negotiations and teach you all about politics as well as training you to be a Jedi. You had your first Senate negotiation when you were 15, a month before the Jedi Purge commenced, and it was about the death of a trooper named Fives. Your master once knew him very well and he died because of unknown circumstances, not how he died, but rather why he died. You were up against the Chancellor with your thoughts and opinions on the situation, but just like every other Padawan, your opinion didn’t seem to matter due to your age and lack of ‘knowledge’ needed to go into a Senate negotiation.

This is why you felt so tense staring at him as he announced each word with such clarity, each word laced with poison as if someone spat in his drink. Merrin didn’t seem to like him much either, considering the tense and uncomfortable emotions you felt from her. She knew who Palpatine was, due to hearing you speak of him many times whilst staying up with her during the night in the Mantis cockpit or falling asleep with her on the sofa in the middle of the ship.

“When do we get the holocrons?” Merrin said in the quietest voice she could muster, making you lean in close to her as you replied.

“Patience, Merrin, once this is over I’ll go and fetch my old keycard and the codes for disabling the security” You replied, so quiet it almost seemed you were mouthing the words to her. Still, even though the two of you were as quiet as mice, you still kept your gaze sternly on Palpatine who was still talking and exchanging opinions with other Senators.

“What about me?” She asked.

“You’re coming with me, I need you to help me load my satchel and call Greez to pick us up as soon as the mission is complete” She nodded at your words before leaning back in her seat and spectating with caution. The two it you looked almost identical, sitting with such poise as you got stared at Senators from underneath and above. It made you feel vulnerable, but then you remembered you were in disguise and had a hood over your head.

As you looked over the crowd of Senators, something began to feel different, as if something in your chest got all fuzzy and uncomfortable. You started feeling a little uneasy and took a glance around to see where the source was coming from. Merrin turned to look at you with wide eyes and her whole body went as tense as a brick. Your heart dropped as you recognised the presence through the force and you immediately wanted to get out of there as soon as possible. This wasn’t good.

The Inquisitors were here.

-

“The codes for each security system is in this very computer, there’s only one here but there’s lots more at the temple” You said in a rushed tone, painted grey fingers rapidly typing on the laptop as you put in your name and all the rest of your details in order to gain access to your key card. Merrin stood over you, her hand on the back of your chair whereas the other was on the table beside the laptop. The two of you had to leave the Senate the moment it finished, you informed Merrin that the Inquisitors had made an appearance and the two of you were now, very quickly, running out of time.

You got to the nearest computer port there was and desperately tried to get ahold of your card. Thankfully, after typing in all the details and questions about yourself in order to confirm it was you, a small slot at the side of the computer spat out a clear keycard with a single golden stripe across it, your coding in tiny black letters written across it. Merrin raised her eyebrows in surprise as she watched you yank the card out of its slot and logged out of the computer.

“Let’s go” You said anxiously, grabbing Merrin’s wrist and dragging her along to the exit of the senate building. Without wasting a moments hesitation, the two of you grabbed the nearest taxi and demanded to go to the Jedi temple, as nervous as you were. BD-1 chirped anxiously as it looked from you to Merrin, worried in case the mission was going to go wrong but you quickly assured it as Merrin gave you a warning look.

You tried acting calm but deep down something inside you told you this was going to end badly.

[generallynerdy]

Maybe it does all add up to a single hush (Kanan Jarrus/Cal Kestis)

Summary: 15 years after the Fall, 10 years after the death of Caleb Dume, Kanan Jarrus and Cal Kestis find each other again.

Warnings: Jedi: Fallen Order Spoilers, Implied/Referenced Character Death, cursing, brief suicidal ideation/thoughts Word Count: 5,143

Author’s Note: the effort I had to put in not to make this another series...I had to stage an intervention for myself. Anyway, I love Cal and Kanan’s dynamic, whether as partners or as friends, and an Idea struck me that wouldn’t leave. Also, idk how old most people think Cal was when the war ended based on JFO clips, but I always just kind of went with him being the same age as Kanan at the end of the war bc I love them and I need them to know each other. The title is from the poem “So They Say— They Finally Nailed— The Proton’s Size— & Hope— Dies—” by Rosebud Ben-Oni.

Read On AO3

*

When the hard part is over, Cal returns to Bracca, his new lightsaber tucked under Cere’s old robe that still smells like the Temple, with the intention of burning Prauf’s body.

Caleb still had his own robe. He kept it in the deepest part of their shared closet, bringing it out only on the worst days. If Prauf saw it, he never mentioned it, and both boys were grateful for it. There was a lot he didn’t mention.

Cal thinks, sometimes, that Prauf knew who they were before. After all, it’s hard to look at two abandoned kids in the wake of the Clone Wars that can survive being riggers and not think of the thousands of Jedi younglings that died on Empire Day. It’s even harder to ignore two lightsabers and one ratty, brown robe.

Maybe Prauf wasn’t sure.

But he had to be, on that last day, when they found that fighter. When Cal caught him with the Force. He knew then, maybe before. But he still took care of them.

Maybe he knew when the Empire showed up, when Caleb heard the roar of a TIE Fighter and looked instantly to the redheaded boy beside him like he was about to die before his eyes. Maybe that was the moment he put it all together. Or was it his last moment? When the world began to go dark and both Cal and Caleb lashed out in fury at his killers with matching, bright blue blades—did he know? Did he know that he died for the children of an already dying Order?

Standing over the bonfire, Cal holds the Holocron in shaky hands.

Did Prauf know his sacrifice would save the life of every child just like them?

Cal moves away from the flames to the gap in the ground that they’d held Caleb over, his calloused hands clawing at the Ninth Sister, who clutched his throat.

Deep in Cal’s heart, he knows half the reason he beat her was for his best friend. He’d almost given in to rage but stopped himself at the memory of him. Revenge is not the way of the Jedi. But justice is. And so is survival, these days.

Caleb’s lightsaber fell long before he did. When he did fall, he went screaming bloody murder, the noise echoing in the silence that rang in Cal’s ears.

Standing at the edge now, Cal almost considers simply...stepping off.

He can survive it. He has before. And what’s to say that Caleb isn’t waiting at the bottom?

Caleb...used to like animals, he remembers. He preferred them to plants, which are unreadable if you don’t have practise with them. Animals, like people, are complex but tell you in simple terms what they want and what they don’t want. Cal has always been better with plants. They’re simple, grounding, natural. Caleb used to tease him for it.

The only plant he ever managed to grow on this place was a seedling in a boot filled with dirt he kept in their room. It had been making good progress in their last weeks, enough that he’d actually felt some semblance of hope.

And then...and then he’d lost everything. Again.

The Holocron burns in his hand, reminding him that there is more in store for him than an endless chasm. Hundreds of thousands of Force-sensitive children are depending on him now, him and the Mantis crew.

Cal lets out a shaky breath. “I couldn’t save you,” he whispers to the wind. “But maybe I can save them.”

On the way back to the Mantis, he turns around to go find the robe and the plant in its boot. The robe smells like blaster fire and the plant is wilting but both are comforting: one because it’s familiar and the other because it’s not quite gone yet.

*

Kanan changes his name.

It doesn’t feel right, hearing his given name from anyone that isn’t Cal or Prauf. The first and only time it happens, nausea sinks in and he quickly makes the change.

Some days, he wants to go back to Bracca. Some part of him still hopes Cal survived the Inquisitors, that he’s waiting for him back at what used to be home, but the logical part of him knows that he’s not. Kanan surviving was a miracle, a fluke, and those don’t happen twice. Sometimes he wishes it had never happened at all.

He managed to save his lightsaber, as broken to bits as it was. It and the necklace Cal gave him are all he has now.

Kanan doesn’t let himself grieve, as much as he knows he needs to. He hardly did it before, on Bracca, but now he won’t allow even a tear. Surviving is the only thing on his mind, though for what he doesn’t know.

When he almost loses that little piece of metal on a string, though, he breaks down sobbing.

It’s the stupidest thing, really. All those lessons on attachment are lost on him now, as he cries over the rusted symbol of the Jedi Order on a piece of scrap metal that Cal had put on a cord for him. He keeps it close to his heart, hanging off his neck every hour of every day if he can help it, and getting that close to losing it is the last straw.

He knows now, why he’s surviving. Because Cal would want him to.

Meeting Hera is a relief. She’s kind but curious, which is more of a bane than it should be.

(Painfully, he’s reminded of himself as a youngling. His Master always said his frequent questions were what drew her to him.)

She’s the first to know about his past, both as a Jedi and a rigger on Bracca. He doesn’t think to mention Caleb, doesn’t think it would matter to anyone, not until after a mission gone bad.

Hera is putting bacta on his wounds and graciously ignoring his constant wincing when she sees it.

She points to the cord after examining what hangs on it for a minute. “For someone who’s trying to be discreet, you wear a lot of Jedi stuff.”

Kanan snorts. “Yeah, well, I won’t get rid of this one.”

“It’s important to you,” she points out. “Can I ask why?”

He hesitates, swallowing roughly. “My best friend gave it to me...on Bracca, befo-before the Inquisitors caught up to us,” he admits. “He didn’t make it.”

Her eyes are full of empathy, something she never lacks. “What was his name?”

“Cal,” he says, voice quiet. “Cal Kestis.”

“If you remember his name,” she promises, “he’ll always be with you.”

It’s not so much a Twi’lek belief as it is her own but it reminds Kanan of Grey more than anyone else. His buir. The clones subscribed to many Mandalorian beliefs, including the echoing of remembrances for the dead. Before the abrupt end of the war, little Caleb used to say his every morning with his Master and buir.

So, he decides to start again. It’s difficult, at first, to even get through the first names, his oldest names.

“Depa Billaba,” he says through tears in the quiet of pre-dawn, “Grey, Styles, Prauf...”

He stops.

It’s hard to think, even harder to say, but he knows he needs to. He needs to tell himself the truth, needs to accept the truth.

“Cal—”

He sobs, shaky and painful. His throat burns just like it did when he fell down the chasm on Bracca, screaming his head off, part out of fear for himself but mostly for fear of what was happening to Cal above him. It hurts to speak it into the world, into the Force and those marching on. Cal is among them now, he knows. He just...has to admit it.

“Cal Kestis,” he finally says, the admission wobbly and half-hearted.

He never loses the necklace again.

*

They’ve finally settled on Bogano, after wiping every trace of it from Imperial data servers. The Holocron is safely locked away in the Vault, guarded by their crew and the Binog, fondly called ‘the big guy,’ mostly by fault of Greez.

Though mostly self-sufficient, occasionally some of them will leave the planet for supplies they can’t make themselves. While off on supply runs, well, they can’t help it if some Imperials just look like easy pickings. Apparently, slavers get the same treatment because Merrin ends up a figure in some sort of oral tradition of a Tatooine family, which Cal finds hilarious. Cere is not so amused and grounds them—literally, in that they can’t leave Bogano—for over a month.

Cal spends most of it repairing old platforms and ziplines, not to mention entertaining the Boglings.

They’re fond of him, for some reason, and BD-1, who loves to run around with them while Cal works. One in particular, named Rabid by Merrin after she stole her entire plate of food, is especially loveable.

Cal snickers as he pulls Rabid off his shoulder. “I have to finish this, then I can play.”

Rabid is not pleased with his answer, nibbling at his trousers.

“Rabid,” he chides, ignoring her in favour of his work. He laughs again. “I used to know somebody who would’ve loved you, annoying as you are.”

BD, who has taken Rabid’s place, beeps curiously.

Cal’s face falls a little. He pauses in his work. “Oh. I guess I’ve never told you about Caleb, huh?”

The little droid shakes his head.

Cal never intended to talk about Caleb to anyone, really, but it all comes pouring out. He tells BD and Rabid all about his old best friend, his confidant. The story is a long one, reaching from the creche all the way to Bracca and its bitter end. By the time he’s finished, his voice is quiet and hesitant, his grief echoing through.

Rabid curls up in his lap, nudging his hand, while BD sits in front of them, tilting his head.

A little light on the side of his scope says that he’s recording. He does that a lot, Cal knows, for prosperity, just like he was programmed to. Cal doesn’t mind, really.

When he finishes, BD gets his attention by chirping.

“Huh? You have something to show me?”

BD’s projector whirrs to life and a blue image appears. It’s Cordova, again, but not a video this time. It’s only a holo, of him and another Jedi—Master Jocasta Nu, Cal realises. Master Cordova is dead asleep on her shoulder and she’s leaned over to kiss his brow.

“Oh,” Cal breathes out, something jarring in his chest.

BD-1 thinks that he and Caleb were—well, were like that.

“I—” he pauses. “I dunno, buddy. I never asked him if...but I think…”

Well. It’d be a stretch to say Cal loved him, but he certainly cared for him more than he ever did anyone else. When they were thirteen and stupid, he might’ve said he had a crush on him. After the Fall, on Bracca, he just...didn't think of it. Caleb was all he had and he clung but he never...thought about what it was, thought about what they were.

It hurts to think of now, all that he missed.

“I don’t know if I did,” Cal tells BD quietly. “But I think I- I think I could have.”

BD asks about Caleb a lot, after that. Maybe he can tell that talking about him makes Cal happy. The others know about the one he lost but they don’t ask. They all have their demons and Cal’s are just...just too great to pile on another person. BD, though, is a little easier. All he wants is to see Cal smile again.

*

“What’s this?”

Kanan doesn’t think to look up at whatever Ezra—the newest addition to the Ghost crew—has swiped from him, until he notices a weight missing from his neck. His head snaps up to where a cord hangs from Ezra’s hand.

“Give that back,” Kanan growls, not meaning to be so aggressive.

Ezra’s eyes widen. He holds it out immediately, dropping it into Kanan’s open hand. “Sorry,” he mutters, watching curiously as Kanan puts it back on.

Almost by instinct, Kanan tucks the piece of scrap metal back under his shirt and breathes out a sigh of relief. He goes back to his datapad. Then, a moment later, when he notices the entire room is still silent, he looks up. Sabine and Zeb have joined Ezra in staring incredulously.

“What?” Kanan asks, his voice back to normal.

“I’ve never seen you that mad before,” Sabine admits with a half-shrug, though her eyes betray her concern.

Zeb nods, arms crossed. “And I’ve never seen you without that thing on your neck.”

“Yeah, you even sleep with it!” Ezra adds. “What’s up with that?”

“I—” He goes to make an excuse but stops, his hand fidgeting with the necklace.

“You don’t have to…” Sabine starts to say, but he shakes his head.

He sighs. To be honest, he’s surprised Zeb and Sabine haven’t asked before. “My best friend gave it to me.”

Ezra immediately sits down across from him, eyes wide. “Another Jedi?”

Admittedly, the kid is a lot like he used to be: always asking questions, always pushing. It’s going to get him in trouble someday but for now, it just gets him more stories out of Kanan, stories about the Jedi.

“Yeah. Yeah, another Padawan. We grew up in the Temple together.” He smiles, a fickle and fleeting thing. “He was picked by a Master before me, so we were separated...at the end. But I found him again, on the planet he was last assigned. He gave me this.”

Ezra’s face is bright, curious. Sabine, on the other hand, looks prepared for a gut-punch.

“What happened to him?” she asks quietly.

Kanan exhales sharply, ruefully. “Inquisitors. After 5 years of nothing, they came out of nowhere. I never saw what happened to him. For all I know, they still have him.”

“Oh,” Ezra says, his face falling.

“You know, Zeb,” Kanan begins, not wanting to make things any sadder, “his Master was a Lasat.”

He scoffs. “No way.”

“He was, swear it on my life!” he claims, raising a hand. “First time I saw you, I thought Master Tapal came back to haunt me for being a bad influence.”

Zeb snickers. “Bad influence? You?”

“Eh, a nudge here and there. We were not good kids.”

He tells them a few stories before Sabine and Zeb are called away by Hera and Chopper, leaving Ezra and Kanan alone. Ezra makes to follow them but stops, his expression cautiously blank.

“What is it, Ezra?” Kanan asks, already knowing that he’s brimming with curiosity.

“You said he was...your best friend?”

He frowns. “Yeah, ever since we were kids. Why?”

“I dunno. The way you talked about him just reminded me of my parents,” Ezra admits hesitantly. “Sappy. Did you—?”

Kanan sighs, touching his necklace again.

He had always been more reckless than Cal, back then. He threw himself into everything, into every situation. No matter the problem or the person, he was all-in. No matter what. And that included Cal. Once he took that step, he was karked. Before he knew it, he was hanging onto the redhead’s every word.

Cal was...different. Kanan had known that for a long time but the war only brought it out.

Kanan had a stupid crush, that was all. But on Bracca, it was everything and more.

He’d known then, known for a long time. Cal had never seen it but he didn’t have to. Kanan was fine the way things were. It didn’t feel right, bringing things up after...well, after. So Cal never knew.

(Sure, he could see the past of things with a single touch of his hands but he’d always been pretty oblivious.)

“Love him?” Kanan asks, raising an eyebrow.

Ezra nods.

It’s without hesitation that he answers. “I did.”

When they go in search of Master Luminara, Kanan’s kids buy him a precious few minutes to search for a Cal Kestis in the prisoner logs. He’s not there, of course, but Kanan thinks he prefers that to a death certificate.

*

“Ho-oly shit,” Greez says over comms one day. “You guys better get up here.”

Cal shares a look with Cere, following her out of the workshop with BD on his shoulder. Merrin has already teleported to Greez’s side when they arrive, lightsabers in hand. Greez passes the young man—not so young anymore, Cere has commented teasingly as he desperately shaves away any trace of his age—a pair of electrobinoculars.

Squinting through the scope, he spies a trail of smoke on the horizon attached to a ship.

“Kriffing hells,” Cere says after she gets a look.

In all their 10 years here, no one has ever landed—or crashed, for that matter—on the planet. The few ships that have come into orbit were Imperial and always quickly dealt with before word could get out. This one, however, isn’t exactly your standard Imperial cruiser. And it’s wrecked.

“Looks like a modified VCX-100 light freighter to me,” Greez says. “It’s a nice ship.”

Merrin rolls her eyes. “Are we waiting for them to come to us?”

“Looks like we don’t have to,” Cere declares, still looking through the binocs. “They’re headed this way, six hostiles. Three humans, a Lasat, a Twi’lek, and a droid.”

Greez laughs. “A Lasat? We’re kriffed.”

“Says you,” Merrin snorts.

“I’m with her,” Cal agrees, a cocky smile on his face. “Merrin and I will take the Vault. Cere, Greez, take home. BD will lure the big ones our way.”

“You got it, kid.”

Cere puts a hand on his shoulder before he can follow Merrin—more or less, seeing as she just teleports everywhere. “Be careful.”

The worst part of intruders is that even the hypothetical good ones can’t know Bogano is here. They’ll have to knock them out hard enough for their memories to be spotty and dump them in a nearby system if they’re smart—and they are.

Cal slips on his robe, a gift from Cere, and flips the hood up, making for the Vault.

If these visitors think they can take the Holocron, they have another thing coming.

*

“Are you sure we can find help here?” Ezra asks for the third time as they approach the massive building in the distance. “It looks...deserted.”

Hera sighs for the third time. “Scanners said there were signs of life here in a higher concentration than the rest of the planet. It’s worth checking out.”

Sabine gestures through the mild fog. “There’s buildings up ahead.”

“Good, let’s head there,” Kanan says, a cautious hand on his lightsaber.

Hopping across platforms is a pain, but they all manage to make their way to what looks like a residential area. A small path digs into the ground, leading deeper inside the planet’s crust. With a look at her second in command, Hera starts toward it. However, she stops when Kanan freezes.

“Do you feel that?” he asks suddenly, squinting as he looks into the distance.

Something is...tugging at him. Something in the Force is insistent that he go...that way. The feeling of incompleteness settles inside his chest.

“No…” Ezra replies uneasily. “What is it?”

He shakes his head. “I don’t know.” After a moment, he decides. “I think I should go this way. You guys go on ahead.”

Zeb scoffs. “I’ll go with you. We don’t know who lived here. Could be Inquisitors for all we know.”

“They generally prefer places with lava,” Ezra counters.

The group splits, with Hera leading Sabine, Chopper, and Ezra into the abode. She and Sabine have their blasters raised, while Ezra keeps a hand on his lightsaber. Chopper is always ready to give someone a nasty shock.

“Anyone home?” Sabine calls.

There’s no answer.

They come across a small kitchen and dining room, where two chairs are pulled out. Over one hangs a small, ratty brown robe with multiple blaster burns.

Ezra plucks it off the back of the seat. “Woah, cool,” he breathes. “Very Jedi-like, huh?”

“Leave it, Ezra,” Hera chides fondly.

“You’d best,” says another voice.

All three of them jump as a lightsaber hums to life. Double-bladed, the weapon burns bright white throughout the room, illuminating its bearer, a woman with dark skin and hair, and her companion.

“Inquisitor!” Ezra cries, lighting his own.

The lightsaber wielder’s friend fires off a blaster right at Hera, who’s shoved out of the way by Sabine. Chopper shrieks, his head spinning.

“Look out!”

On the surface, Zeb follows Kanan to the edge of the platform. There, they find a zip line, which they intend to brave before a series of chirps stops them.

Zeb yelps and lifts his rifle when a droid appears, only stopped by Kanan’s raised hand.

It’s...a buddy droid.

“Hey, little guy,” Kanan greets cautiously. “What are you doing all the way out here?”

He beeps excitedly and backs away, indicating that they should follow. With a single leap, he attaches himself to the zipline and whirrs as he zooms all the way down.

“Don’t tell me we’re following the droid,” Zeb groans.

Kanan just smiles. “We’re following the droid.”

Using the Force to balance himself, he leaps atop the zipline and begins to tiptoe his way down. Behind him, Zeb sighs but reaches up to grab the line, following right after him. They land on a platform a good distance away, where a small slope is guarded by two statues; the beings depicted are of an unknown species, one lost to time.

“I don’t like this,” Zeb says as soon as he hops onto the grass. “It’s like the start of a bad horror holo.”

Kanan snorts. “If that were true, it would be raining tookas and massiffs.”

The buddy droid whirrs loudly to get their attention and bounces his way up the sloping path, on top of which sits a fluffy native creature. Kanan doesn’t know what they’re called, but this one is adorable. She chirps at them, much like the droid did.

“Oh, you’re a sweet little thing, aren’t you?” Kanan coos, moving to meet the creature and let her sniff his hand.

She makes a happy noise and nudges him.

“Ugh,” Zeb mutters, “more things.”

The droid and the creature lead them to the entrance of the massive, ancient building that had caught Kanan’s eye from the crash site. He steps in front of Zeb, placing his hand on the runes in the rock as the Force sings. This isn’t what’s calling him, but…

“Something is here,” Kanan whispers.

“I hope it’s not something that wants to eat us,” Zeb says long-sufferingly.

The slab of rock retreats into the space above, leaving an open tunnel of sorts.

“Karabast,” the Lasat curses, “I hate Jedi stuff.”

Kanan rolls his eyes. “C’mon.”

It’s a tight fit, but the two squeeze their way through, Kanan leading the way. They exit into a large cavern filled with a few inches of water, just enough to be annoying. Standing in the midst of the cave is a figure in a brown robe. The moment Kanan spots him, he draws his lightsaber and stands in front of Zeb until he can ready his rifle, too.

“You are not meant to be here.”

Kanan frowns. “The Force says otherwise. Who are you?”

“The guardian of this vault. You need to leave,” the figure says.

From underneath their robe, they draw a very familiar weapon. With a snap and a hiss, two blades of yellow light appear. Kanan lights his own lightsaber in response but it’s too little too late.

A green smoke encompasses Zeb, who yelps as he’s flung across the room by a pissed off Nightsister—which makes zero sense because they’re all supposed to be dead.

Kanan makes for his friend, interrupted only by the mysterious guardian rushing at him.

“Where did you get that lightsaber?” the faceless figure hisses.

And, well, Kanan doesn’t know how to answer that question except with another question. “Where did you get yours? ”

Back in the residential platform, Hera leaps in between Ezra and the lightsaber-wielder. “Wait!” she cries.

Both stop, staring at her like she’s crazy.

“That’s a healed kyber crystal, isn’t it?” Hera asks, pointing to her white blade. “You’re not an Inquisitor. You’re a Jedi.”

The woman lowers her lightsaber just slightly. “I was.”

“I’m one, too!” Ezra chirps, popping out from behind Hera. “Er. I’m training to be one!”

Her eyes widen. “A Padawan? Who’s your Master?”

Before he can answer, Hera speaks for him. “Kanan Jarrus. But his name used to be Caleb Dume.”

“Caleb?” she asks, her voice hushed in awe. “Depa Billaba’s Padawan?”

She nods.

Abruptly, the woman turns sharply on her heel, raising her comm unit to her lips and rushing out the door. “Cal, they’re non-hostiles, non-hostiles! Don’t hurt your boyfriend!”

“What!?” Ezra and Sabine cry at the same time, the former’s voice cracking.

Without another word, they follow her and her friend outside.

*

Merrin has the Lasat out of the Vault long before Cal gets his opponent to the entrance, admittedly. Lightsaber to lightsaber combat is significantly more balanced than Nightsister magick against a bo-rifle, poor guy.

Still, Cal pushes the intruder to the top of the Vault’s slope, the man just on the edge of slipping.

That’s when Cere’s voice crackles through the comms.

“Cal, they’re non-hostiles, non-hostiles! Don’t hurt your boyfriend!”

Hand grasping the intruder’s shirt, holding him above the edge, Cal freezes. He meets brown eyes and suddenly can’t breathe, gaze drifting to the cord around the taller man’s neck. His gloveless fingers just barely skim the material, Force signatures exploding in front of his eyes.

And suddenly, he can see it. He can see himself, painstakingly painting that symbol onto the metal and bartering for a cord. He sees an older Caleb sobbing in the quiet of an unfamiliar room, clutching that necklaces like a lifeline.

“Did you—?”

“Love him? I did.”

A shaky breath passes his lips.

“Caleb?” he asks, voice breaking on the name that’s so unfamiliar on his tongue.

The grip on his wrist loosens.

Kanan hears the woman’s voice, clear as day, but he almost doesn’t believe it at first. He almost doesn’t believe when he hears that whispered question. Caleb. It’s the name of a stranger and yet—yet when that robe’s hood slips off to reveal red hair and bright green eyes, he feels like he’s never known any other name.

“Cal?”

The Force wasn’t calling him to the Vault. It was calling him to its guardian.

Silence falls, the rest of the world fading away. All they’ve been through, all they’ve seen, and it all stops in this moment. It all adds up to this.

Cal lets go of his shirt, letting him balance precariously at the top of the muddy slope down from the Vault. Neither of them speaks—neither of them knows what to feel, except bright, unparalleled joy.

Cal doesn’t let himself flinch when Caleb reaches, his fingers just barely skimming his cheek.

He doesn’t get much further. Green smoke encompasses his body and before Cal knows it, his best friend is being flung from the Vault entrance to the platform beyond, screaming as he goes. The platform beyond, where the Oggdo used to reside, is covered in flowers. It was there that Cal planted his little sapling in a boot and there that the plant spread, covering almost every inch of land with budding blue and yellow flowers.

Cal whirls around to see Merrin, her eyes glowing green.

“Merrin, no!” he protests, eyes wide with desperation. “That’s Caleb!”

Merrin’s glowing fades as she glances at the nearby Lasat and her friend’s horrified face. “My mistake,” she says in that tone that says she knows exactly who he is.

(They were taking too long to speak, in her opinion.)

Cal huffs at her before getting a running start toward the entrance, using the Force to balance himself as he slides down that muddied slope, sailing right toward Caleb. Near the end, he leaps into the air, propelling himself a mere few feet from his collapsed companion.

“Caleb!” he cries, stumbling the last few steps and falling to his knees, where Caleb is face-down in the damp grass, his hair-tie mysteriously missing.

Caleb is—well, he’s okay. He’s just...wheezing with laughter.

He pushes himself up on his elbows and flips over just as Cal makes it to him, his chest heaving with the effort. And still, he laughs, a half-mad sound.

“Are you o—?” Cal is cut off by his own yelp when Caleb flings himself up from the ground and pulls Cal with him.

He embraces the redhead, dragging them both to their feet so he can swing Cal around. Cal shrieks and hitches his legs up on his hips, as difficult as that is with the man’s height—the bastard, he grew. He reaches desperately for Caleb’s shoulders to hold onto when they spin, completely unaware of Cere and the rest of Caleb’s group appearing on the platform.

Finally, Caleb stops, looking up at Cal with shining eyes and a smile that could kill a man. Cal leans forward, letting his forehead fall against his and breathing out a sigh of relief.

“I thought the Inquisitors had you,” Caleb whispers, a thousand more words in the back of his mind, too many to count.

Cal’s eyes well with tears. “I thought you were dead.”

Caleb has always been more reckless than Cal but the latter was the one to hear his words echo through that necklace, an admission years too late. It’s because of that little echo that Cal buries a hand in the hair that falls to his shoulders and pushes his head upward, meeting him in a searing kiss.

Out of shock, Caleb both squeaks—adorable, Cal thinks—and clutches the back of Cal’s shirt for a moment before dropping him. Luckily, his instinct has him landing on his feet.

The drop pulls him away and, looking up, he sees Caleb looking shell-shocked.

He just grins, grabs the taller man’s shirt, and pulls him in for another kiss, this one saying much more than the first. Caleb plants his feet and buries a hand in Cal’s hair for good measure.

They both ignore Greez cackling in the distance and Sabine’s whispered: “What the fuck, what the fuck, what the fuck —”

Because in that moment, all is right with the galaxy. Cal’s flowers are fully grown and blossoming beneath their feet, Caleb’s robe is waiting for him in the other room, and they have each other again.

And that’s all they’ve ever really wanted, isn’t it?

*

River’s Tags: @hahaboop & @mystoragehatesme

Masterlist

[capricornus-rex]

Someone Left to Save (5)

Cal Kestis x Reader

Requested by Anon

Summary: The Mantis crew arrives to the capital of Ulfin, in the planet of Pevera, under siege. They meet the local rebel cell spearheaded by the former Republic admiral, Jax Beneb, who seeks to destroy the Empire’s occupation that was aggressively imposed upon while exploiting the planet of its natural resources. A plan is devised to destroy the Imperial’s main base of operations—as well as their influence—in the planet; however, it was a do-or-die mission that you and Cal had gotten yourselves caught in.

A/N: I’m so sorry it took way longer than it should :((( Work got me close to a burnout and my laptop’s sometimes a lil bitch ;-; I should pick up the pick soon, but thank you for still reading this fic! I really appreciate it ❤

Tags: Force-Sensitive! Reader, Inquisitor! Reader, Jedi! Reader, Fake Death, Jedi turned Inquisitor, Seduction to the Dark Side, Turn to the Dark Side, The Dark Side of the Force, Aftermath of Torture, Torture, Psychological Torture, Redemption Arc! Reader, Possible Redemption, Premonitions | Trigger warning: Graphic bodily descriptions

Also in AO3

Chapters: 1 – 2 – 3 | Previous: Part 4 | Next: Part 6 | Masterlist

5 of ?

Cal reluctantly left the structure with his companions. Throughout the entire exit, the Jedi never spoke a word, Larki and Morzen could do nothing but glance at him every once in a while until they mounted their speeders again.

Not even BD-1 himself could get a response from his owner.

Throughout their exit from the structure, Cal spoke nothing. Larki and Morzen could only catch a glimpse of the Jedi, neither of them can say something of value to him—perhaps nothing at all. The three of them mounted their speeders and without even waiting for the two, Cal revs up the engine of his bike and sped out. Fortunately, Larki was able to catch up as soon as his own speeder sputtered to life.

The small search party returned to the temple ruins, as they were told by Cere via comlink in the middle of their drive. Cal’s entrance rattled some of the rebels loitering within the ruins’ vicinity, Cere included; when she saw that the headcount remained the same as they left, her heart sank to the pit of her stomach.

“Cal, where is [Y/N]?”

Silence. Cal’s eyes drooped, avoiding eye contact with Cere.

“Cal, where is [Y/N]?” Cere spoke through her clenched teeth while her fists shook with a confusion of anger, worry, and fear.

“T-This…” Cal stammered, unfolding his fingers to show the bracelet to Cere, which she instantly recognizes to be yours.

“That’s all they found?” the woman’s voice cracked.

Cere covered her gaping mouth with trembling hands, in full shock of the discovery, and her breathing became shaky. Her hands fell to her chest, as if her heart’s about to burst through her ribcage. Eventually, Merrin and Greez were drawn to the scene, quickly, the Nightsister spotted the trinket in Cal’s hand; she held her gasp and her eyebrows furrowed, she brought her hands to her mouth but they stopped at her chest.

Greez worriedly uttered your name.

Cal was given time to be alone. He stayed in one of the chambers of the temple that served as a sleeping quarters. For the rest of the day, Cal was exempted from strategy conferences by the grace of the empathetic Jax. The grief-stricken Jedi never let go of your bracelet, however, he was unresponsive even to the little boy staring at him as he sits on the floor in the far corner of the room.

BD-1 chirps and beeps from time to time, trying to fish a word out of Cal, but he would speak very little.

“She’s not gone, BD… I know it. So, why don’t they believe me? They look like they don’t,” Cal’s eyes trailed, aligning it with BD who’s nestled on the space between his crossed legs. “I’m not crazy, aren’t I?”

The little droid shook its head in reply, BD-1 nudged your bracelet with his head’s visor, followed by a sad, long beep that faded out. The hours felt like only minutes to the boy, he leaned his head against the cold, cobblestone wall and eventually dozed off.

That night, Cere personally went to the Cal’s room with a tray of food. Cal has lost track of the time that he didn’t wake in time for dinner. It was BD-1 who sensed Cere coming into the room, a quiet chirp emitted from the droid, and the woman carefully walked into his bedroom to set the tray down on a podium. Even upon her presence, Cal didn’t wake up; Cere’s eyes wandered to his open hand, one cord of the bracelet dangles out of his palm. She took a deep sigh and didn’t bother waking up to remind him to eat.

“Keep an eye out for him, BD, please…” she softly pleaded and then left. “And tell him to eat when he wakes.”

A good chunk of minutes passed after she left the room and Cal finally wakes. He blinks several times until his eyes adjusted to the darkness of the room in the moonless night; the first thing he notices is the power lamp sitting next to his futon built from straw, animal hide, and mismatched pieces of cloth sewn together.

“Hey, BD… dozed for a long time, haven’t I?”

“Boo!” BD nodded and then gestured to the tray that Cere had left.

Cal’s stomach ferociously growled when his nostrils flared upon picking up the scent of the food—albeit having gone cold for a time. The rations weren’t exactly a culinary art, neither was it a cuisine, but it was enough to sate an empty stomach—the adrenaline from earlier had dulled Cal of his senses and awareness of the goings-on in his body, only then was he starting to realize just how hungry he is.

Cere had sneakily doubled the servings for each food type she’s prepared for Cal: three scoops of Lemus corn, a bowl of bone broth nearly filled to the brim, and two turkey drumsticks—instead of one as imposed by Jax to conserve rations per headcount.

“Looks like the fighters must’ve looted the Imps’ storehouse, huh?”

“Woo!”

The Jedi scrambled towards the food and helped himself, however, he didn’t exactly scarf down whatever’s on the platter. He only ate what he wanted and had some leftovers. He dismissed it and returned the tray on the podium.

—–

The Inquisitors, Seventh Sister and Fifth Brother, charted a course to one of the Imperial medical outposts and also their satellite fortress—a smaller likeness of their stronghold like that of the one in Nur—in Mons Golotha, a moon situated in the Outer Rim.

“We are bound to Mons Golotha in T-Minus 35 minutes, Seventh Sister,” reported the command ship’s admiral.

“Good, have them prepare a medical capsule for the bodies we’ve recovered—for immediate transfer.”

The admiral bowed in compliance and returned to overseeing the cadets on their computers.

The pair strode in exit of the bridge and to the command ship’s cramped medical bay. The Fifth Brother sensed the Mirialan’s thoughts dwelling on you.

“What’s on your mind, Sister?”

“The girl’s an intriguing subject. She’s going to be very busy in her interrogation when she wakes,”

“If she wakes,” reiterated the Fifth Brother.

There was silence between them as they marched through the corridors. Crew members avoid eye contact as much as possible from the Inquisitors in any way doable—tipping the rims of their uniform caps downwards so their eyes are obscured, others would maintain eye contact while speaking even though they caught the Seventh Sister giving them a passing glance when she entered their periphery.

The pair didn’t mind their fear of them, it was insignificant of them to pick up every single thought and feeling flooding this corridor.

Upon their arrival to the moon, Mons Golotha, they were instantly given confirmation to land and instructed whoever’s capable to transfer the patients from the medical bay to the shuttle for their descent to the surface. A couple of medical specialists assigned in the medbay helped in settling both you and the Second Brother in your own medical capsules, the 2-1B medical droid meticulously configured the control panels of both pods to the optimum setting for each one’s survival from the descent until the complete transfer.

From one medical specialist to another, you and the Second Brother were handed over. While being escorted to your rooms, the doctors and nurses were performing their SOPs in bringing in emergency patients.

“Both of them are in a vegetative state, but he’s in a more critical state. I want an operating table prepped for him and a Bacta tank filled to the brim—infused with antibiotics for his second to third degree burns. This surgery is strongly required pre-Bacta treatment.” Barked one of the doctors who led the way while the Inquisitor pair flanked them.

“The girl’s vitals are stable. I have a heartbeat! Blood pressure is low though, she’s suffering from minor concussions and burns,” diagnosed a second doctor who stood close to your own gurney. “Prepare a Bacta tank for her as well, infuse it with a mild painkiller and antibiotics for her burns so they won’t infect and blister.”

The nurses rushed to comply with the doctors’ orders. Your doctor was astounded with your body’s physical resilience, he wagered it was your fight-or-flight response or your self-preservation instincts despite lying down on the brink of unconsciousness—seconds before the Fifth Brother picked you up and spotted you. He may have not seen what happened to you, but he was sure that you were a fighter—perhaps even more of a fighter than the Second Brother, dare he thinks!

“Alright now, you little darling, let’s get you patched up.”

The female nurses strip you off of your soiled and scorched clothes, washed off the grime and soot that stuck to your skin and face, and attached the apparatus necessary for your body before submerging you to the vat of Bacta.

“How long will they be submerged?” asked the Fifth Brother to the Second Brother’s attending physician.

“That depends on their case, really. In his case, since he’s the most severely injured, it may take him weeks to recover fully—better if he regains consciousness in the middle of his treatment,”

“And…” the gray humanoids jerks his head to you in the tank. “What of her?”

“Well, evidently, her wounds are less fatal compared to the other patient. However, we are detecting some signs of internal bleeding. Recovery may take weeks as well, but perhaps it’ll be shorter for her.”

“Will she have regained her strength when she wakes up?” the Mirialan interjected.

“All of that will be determined on the amount of time she’ll use for rest and recovery,”

The Mirialan hummed and dismissed herself to the doctors. She contacted the Grand Inquisitors in private, reporting the diagnoses of the doctors for both you and the Second Brother, and your involvement with the rebel cell that they’ve encountered in Pevera.

“We found one of the Jedi helping the rebels, m’lord,” reported the Seventh Sister. “But she’s still being taken care of here.”

“Good, let her body relish the remainder of her days where she will not yet feel any pain and anguish,” the Grand Inquisitor snarled through the small hologram projection on the Seventh Sister’s holodisk. “She will answer to us the moment she opens her eyes.”

“The girl is a survivor—a better one than the Second Brother, he didn’t have it easy. I sense something in her, something familiar,”

“Oh? How intriguing,” the Grand Inquisitor took the bait. “I should like to hear what you have to say about this girl, Seventh Sister.”

“Yes, m’lord,”

“See to it that she recovers in her treatment, she has a lot to answer for us,” the Grand Inquisitor added before his hologram fizzled out.

The doctors and their companion medical droids worked on the Second Brother’s surgery meticulously and tirelessly. They picked up a pulse from him and then began their procedure. It was a gruesome image, even for the droids.

For one, a large patch of burnt flesh stands out from the Second Brother’s scarred, olive skin. It covered his left shoulder down to the left half of his torso. Shards and portions of his clothing—both the undershirt and the armor plates—have melted and stuck to his skin, tools were required to separate debris from the flesh. A string of viscous pus connected the removed shrapnel and his blistering, black and red skin. Bodily fluids oozed out from every orifice conceivable on his wounds—throughout the operation, he’s partially conscious, flinching on particular moments where the droids would prod their syringes and quite-delicate mandibles on his skin.

“I sense his hate, even in his dormant state,” the Fifth Brother commented as they watch the operation.

“Likewise. Last I heard, these two were fighting. I’m certain he’ll be most hostile towards her,”

“I checked the database,” the Fifth Brother huffed, and a curious Seventh Sister craned her head to face him. “I found her in the records: [Y/N] [L/N]. Another Jedi survivor, in hiding until she apparently joined the rebels with the other Jedi—Cere Junda and Cal Kestis—and then the Second Brother engaged her while trying to infiltrate the stronghold with the rebels.”

“They’re all the same,” the Mirialan scoffed.

The Inquisitors watched the doctors do their work until the surgeons have finished their job on the Second Brothers and then he was dropped into the tank. The two of you were being observed by the Seventh Sister and Fifth Brother, she watched the two of you bobbing in the liquid substance like apples in a bucket.

“Doctor, do whatever it takes to speed up the girl’s recovery period. We want her conscious as soon as possible,”

“B-But… Seventh Sister, we haven’t even carefully observed her wounds and their fatalities on her body!”

“Unless you want to be the one strapped to the Imperial torture chair, I suggest you do your job faster,”

“Y-Yes… m-madam.”

The Fifth Brother has gotten the hint of the Seventh Sister’s other plans for you. He’s been sensing it running in her mind ever since.

“Do you think she’ll get the Grand Inquisitor’s attention—even Lord Vader?”

The Mirialan girl turned to the gray humanoid, having to tilt her head back to emphasize their height difference, she smirked.

“I don’t doubt it,”

“And if she refuses?”

The smirked retained. Seventh Sister seemed to be amused to answer his question.

“Well, I think we can persuade her,” she pans her head to your tank: sections of hair floating about like soft tendrils, closed eyes yet bursting with life the open they shoot open, and a weakened spirit that she perceives as a blank slate. “One way or another.”

[breakfastteatime]

Today's fic is for @wigglewigglewigglenot who requested 'Family'.

Greez hears Cal bound aboard, BD whistling in the way that Greez always translates to ‘honey, I’m home!’ “Cal, BD, good timing. I’m about to start chopping up the veg for tonight’s stir fry. Wash up and –” A foul stench billows over Greez. Dropping his knife, he looks up from the galley table and stares at Cal. “What in all the hells happened to you?”

Cal grins from under a thick, muddy coating. “I threw some stormtroopers around for a while in a swamp.”

“Did you get in the swamp with them?”

“No,” Cal says. BD makes a sound that sounds very disagreeable. Cal stares at his friend. “No, I didn’t. It doesn’t count if a whole bunch of grenades explode after they’ve sunk into the mud and shower you with swamp juice.”

“Whatever, Cal, just get in the shower, burn everything you’re wearing and clean up so you can help out.” Greez glances at BD. “You too, BD.”

BD whistles and takes off. Cal sighs and follows him. A few moments later, Greez hears the ‘fresher door open and close, followed by the sound of the water shower starting up.

Cere emerges from the cockpit next, stretching out her limbs after hours of decrypting Imperial transmissions and tangling them all up so no one could talk to each other. She catches a whiff of ‘Odour of Kestis’ and immediately joins Greez in the galley, seeking out one of their emergency candles. “His sense of smell must be impaired after all that time on Bracca,” she mutters. Once the candle’s lit, she glances at what Greez is doing. “Stir fry? Excellent. Can I do anything?”

“Sure. You can get the hell out of my kitchen before something explodes because it’s in your presence and you scared it.”

“I am not that bad!” Cere protests.

“Hah!” Greez doesn’t trust Cere in a kitchen with something more complicated than a teapot or a caf maker any more than he trusts himself with Cal’s lightsaber. “Just go sit in the lounge and think happy food thoughts.”

“I think I’ll take the time to meditate,” Cere says, heading for her cabin. “I’ll send Merrin.”

By the time Merrin appears, Greez has the vegetables chopped, the pan heated, and everything ready to fry. “You are not adding scazz?” Merrin asks, peering over Greez’s shoulder.

“I know you like it, but scazz doesn’t actually go with everything, Merrin,” Greez says. No, what he needs is a few spices, a little extra soy for the noodles, some ginger to add a kick…

“I want scazz,” Merrin said. “I shall prepare it myself.”

Greez knows he’s not going to win a fight with her. “Fine. There’s some in the fridge. Make sure you use the knife with the red handle, that’s the one that’s sharp enough. You can cook it up yourself.”

“Why? You do it so much better than I do,” Merrin says as she gets the meat, knife and chopping block.

“You’ll never learn if I always do it,” Greez tells her.

Merrin stares at him.

“Fine, fine, I’ll cook it. Make enough for everyone.” Greez says that, knowing full well only Merrin will have any unless Cal’s feeling particularly irritating tonight.

The rhythmic sound of Merrin’s chopping provides the beat for Greez’s whistling. He drops the noodles in a pan while prepping another for Merrin’s meat. She carries it over on the chopping board when she’s done and waits for Greez’s nod to add it to the pan. It crackles and hisses. Merrin closes her eyes and inhales.

“Excellent,” she says. “Remember, I like it rare.”

“It’ll still be bleeding, don’t you worry,” Greez says.

Content, Merrin heads to the lounge. Greez lets her go because he hears Cal and BD returning. Both are clean and fresh, so Greez orders them to set the table. “With your hands, please,” he adds. “The last time you used the Force to do it, I lost a perfectly good set of plates.”

“How is it my fault Merrin distracted me?” Cal shoots a glare in her direction.

“Jedi training is clearly inferior,” she replies without looking up from the datapad she’s looking at. “A Nightsister would not be so distractable.”

“Wanna find out?” Cal fires back.

“Children,” Greez warns.

Cal sighs and wipes down the table while BD nudges placemats around with his head. Happy that Cal isn’t about to push and/or pull anything, Greez begins dishing up. He puts the scazz chunks in a serving bowl so at least the others can pretend like they want some. Cal dutifully puts the bowls out, chuckling to himself when he picks up Cere’s. He does that sometimes, catches onto things no one expected to leave behind. If he’s not sharing, Greez ain’t asking. He's learned to temper that curiosity. Cal is very polite about accidentally learning people’s secrets. Unless it benefits him some way. Or if the secret is so hilarious, he can’t contain himself. Greez may never live down that whole ‘Phixy’s Midnight Runner’s debacle down.

“Merrin, would you tell Cere it’s dinner time?” Greez asks as he shuts off the hobs and grabs the muja juice out of the fridge.

“Of course.” Merrin disappears in a twirl of green magick.

“Show off,” Greez mutters.

BD and Cal take their usual places. Merrin and Cere appear moments later. Greez takes his seat.

“This looks so good,” Cal says. “Thanks, Greez.”

“You’re welcome,” he says. It’s the least he can do, keeping everyone fed. He reaches for his fork. “Enjoy everyone.”

They all dig in, BD-1 watching with the same amount of interest the very first time he was allowed to sit at the table. Greez sits back and watches them all, smiling as they chat and laugh.

Yeah, he’s a lucky guy. Maybe he hasn’t settled down the way his great grandma would’ve wanted, but he’s still got people who matter more than anything, people who need him… He just never expected his best friend and his two kids to all have superpowers, or for a little droid to become an essential presence in his life.

Greez knows a good hand when he’s holding it.

(Pssst – The Phixy’s Midnight Runners minific for those who may have missed it. It’s an oldie but a favourite of mine)

[creative-frequency]

Cal Kestis x Reader: Indecisive

Word count: 909 Pairing: (ex?-Inquisitor) Cal Kestis x Reader Contains/Summary: You both presumed the other dead and things took a turn in Fortress Inquisitorius. Angsty but hopeful aftermath. Notes: Requested by @ksmy-99. I know you technically requested inquisitor Cal and this kinda isn’t but instead of going for the obvious moment of conflict I wanted to do something bittersweet and hopeful. I hope you like this!

My Writing Masterlist

“How is he?” Cere asks quietly, brows knitted together in concern and arms hugged around her torso. Despite the warm temperature of Bogano, the air feels chilly and the mood is despondent aboard the Mantis.

“He’s still asleep. I asked Merrin to stay with him… I don’t think he should be left alone,” you reply.

It’s hard to think what could’ve come to pass if it weren’t for Cal. Suddenly running into him in Fortress Inquisitorius. Him risking his life to save you and Cere from the worst nightmare. You accepted so long ago that he is gone, that now that you found each other again… It’s difficult to wrap your mind around it. You’re already mentally and physically exhausted from the events on Nur.

When you sit on the sofa and close your eyes, the burning red flash of Cal’s lightsaber dances before your eyelids. It’s so bright it hurts and you find yourself trying to swallow the tears prickling your eyes.

He is alive. He is with you again but you’re scared to be in the same room. If you let him be true, he might disappear again. You don’t know how you’d survive that.

“You’re troubled,” Cere says. It’s not a question. She can feel it in the Force and it concerns her.

You don’t open your eyes or answer.

“I know it hurts but you can go to him… He must feel as confused as you.”

Merrin sits cross-legged on the floor in something of a trance – a mannerism taken after you. An eerie green glow surrounds her and before you can interrupt, she already looks up with an accusatory glance.

“This is your job,” she says in equally captious tone.

“Sorry,” you say hesitantly and look at Cal. His chest rises and falls in a peaceful rhythm.

Merrin gets up from the floor and stares at you sternly until she’s out of the door. You owe her your life. Twice. She has every right to judge you in this.

The room feels huge when you’re alone with sleeping Cal. His freckles are a bit paler than when you last saw him on Bracca. Otherwise he looks exactly the same. The image of the Ninth Sister strangling him in the air as you fall down plays in your head but the trauma lacks its usual punch. Cal looks so gentle. Peaceful.

You sit down on the edge of the bed, every nerve in your body tingling.

You hesitate, shaky fingers hovering over Cal’s hand that rests on the covers.

“Go! I’ll hold him back!”

“I’m not leaving you again!”

That boyish smirk that says so many things. Everything will be alright. I was glad to see you again. You have no choice. Do I need to Force push you, ‘cause I’ll do it.

His hand is warm and you’re almost hyperventilating.

“Why are you crying?” Cal’s voice is raspy from the sleep, so quiet that you almost fool yourself to believe you’re imagining him talking. His hand moves slightly under yours first, then your fingers intertwine.

You wipe your cheeks with the back of your free hand and sniffle. “Because.”

“Sorry I tried to kill you.”

You chortle with laughter and sniffle again. “Let’s not talk about that.”

Cal’s eyes are brighter than they have been in months. The life they tortured out of him is already returning when he is with you. He feels your presence both physically and in the Force. When you first stepped into the Fortress, he couldn’t believe his senses. All those months he thought you dead. No one could’ve survived the fall.

But you did.

“Where’s the holocron?” Cal asks as if suddenly remembering what happened on Nur.

“I destroyed it…” you reply quietly.

Cal heaves a relieved sigh. “You made the right call.”

“Thanks.” You manage a small smile. It’s so difficult and yet so easy to talk with him again. “How are you feeling?”

“I… barely know what year it is, but I’ll be okay,” he says, aiming for a casual tone but failing. He starts to rewind the events of Nur in his mind. He had you at blade point. Your words got through to him. You escaped together by a hair’s breadth.

You watch as a frown deepens on Cal’s features.

“I’m sorry,” he says quietly.

“You don’t have to–”

“No. They told me you were dead and I believed them.”

You don’t know what to say. If falling in despair is a crime, you’re just as guilty. After getting separated, you didn’t feel him in the Force anymore. You had no way to even begin doubting it was a trick. How could the Inquisitors have known about your connection?

“I forgot about you,” Cal says in a broken voice. “I can’t believe I forgot and–”

You hush him and stroke his hair. The tears start rolling down your cheeks again. The ginger shade weaves into your fingers and Cal’s eyes close. He squeezes your hand.

You lean down and he pulls you gently from the chin for the rest of the way to his lips.

“I love you,” you murmur, lips still almost touching, just enjoying feeling his presence again.

Cal smiles. “I can’t believe I let you say it first.”

You kiss again and feel confident that soon this trauma will be in the past. Everything will be alright because you’re together again – if not well yet, then at least alive.

[redrobinhoood]

Index | Whumptober2020

Whumptober is now over! Thank you everyone for the love that’s been shown to my fics on here. This has been a very good writing challenge for me. I feel like I’ve learned a lot about my writing style over the course of this past month and what types of stories are the most compelling from your comments and reactions, so thank you for hopefully making me a better writer!

So as to provide the best reading experience, the index is a summary of every work I did for Whumptober and lists out the all characters, pairings, additional tags, triggers, and level of whump so that you may make an informed decision about what you would like to read. Feel free to ask questions, or for more summary/description if you are unsure if you would like to approach something, in the comments of this post or through DM or ask.

AO3 Index Link

* Lighter whump

** Eek but they at least kinda get their shit together

*** I kill or graphically traumatize someone here

Full index under the break

Single-character focus

No 31. TODAY’S SPECIAL: TORTURE ** | Tumblr | AO3

Left for Dead

TW: None

Boba Fett

Description: Left to die, Boba Fett refuses to do so.

No 19. BROKEN HEARTS *** | Tumblr | AO3

Grief | Mourning Loved One | Survivor’s Guilt

TW: Character Death, Depression

CC-5052 | Bly / Aayla Secura

CC-5052 | Bly. CT-6734 | Galle, CC-3636 | Wolffe, Aayla Secura

Description: Bly finds himself in the same situation that he once put Aayla in when he returns to Felucia.

No 1. LET’S HANG OUT SOMETIME * | Tumblr | AO3

Waking Up Restrained | Shackled | Hanging

TW: Psychological Trauma

CC-2224 | Cody. CT-7567 | Rex, Alexsandr Kallus, Sabine Wren

Additional tags: Retrospective

Description: Captured by the Rebel Alliance, Cody thinks back on the events that led to this moment.

No 25. I THINK I’LL JUST COLLAPSE RIGHT HERE, THANKS ** | Tumblr | AO3

Disorientation | Blurred Vision

TW: Graphic Descriptions

CT-5555 | Fives & CT-0408 | Echo

CT-0408 | Echo

Additional tags: Canon compliant

Description: Echo makes a mistake at the Citadel and waits for Fives to save him from it.

No 26. IF YOU THOUGHT THE HEAD TRAUMA WAS BAD… ** | Tumblr | AO3

Migraine

TW: None

CT-0408 | Echo & CT-5555 | Fives, & CT-7567 | Rex

CT-0408 | Echo, CT-7567 | Rex

Additional tags: Canon compliant

Description: Trapped inside his own mind, Echo relives his final moments of freedom.

No 28. SUCH WOW. MANY NORMAL. VERY OOPS. *** | Tumblr | AO3

Accidents

TW: Character Death, Graphic Descriptions

CT-5597 | Jesse & CT-6116 Kix

CT-5597 | Jesse

Additional tags: Canon compliant

Description: Pinned down, Jesse thinks back on the events leading up to Order 66.

No 20. TOTO, I HAVE A FEELING WE’RE NOT IN KANSAS ANYMORE *** | Tumblr | AO3

Field Medicine

TW: Needles, Drug Use

CT-6116 | Kix. CT-5597 | Jesse

Description: Kix fights to keep his brothers alive on Umbara, but gives them peace when he cannot do so.

No 14. IS SOMETHING BURNING? ** | Tumblr | AO3

Branding

TW: None

CC-4477 | Thire. Jek

Description: Thire finds that the Emperor has found a solution for telling the identical clones apart.

No 8. WHERE DID EVERYBODY GO? *** | Tumblr | AO3

Abandoned | Isolation

TW: Death, Depression, Graphic Descriptions of Violence

CT-7567 | Rex. Ahsoka Tano

Additional Tags: Post Victory and Death

Description: Rex returns to the wreckage of the Venator once Ahsoka falls asleep to mourn his brothers.

No 29. I THINK I NEED A DOCTOR * | Tumblr | AO3

Intubation | Reluctant Bedrest

TW: Mentions of Death

CC-3636 | Wolffe. Boost

Description: After suffering serious injuries at the hands of the droid army, Wolffe finds himself on the road to recovery.

Friendship focus/pairings

No 15. INTO THE UNKNOWN ** | Tumblr | AO3

Possession | Alt 10. Nightmares

TW: Violence, Implied Character Death

Barriss Offee & Ahsoka Tano

Barriss Offee, Ahsoka Tano

Description: Ahsoka dreams about Barriss Offee and the tipping points in their friendship.

No 24. YOU’RE NOT MAKING ANY SENSE * | Tumblr | AO3

Sensory Deprivation

TW: None

Barriss Offee & Ahsoka Tano

Barriss Offee, Ahsoka Tano

Description: Imprisoned for her crimes, Barriss tries to sort fact from fiction as she finds herself deprived of her senses.

No 7. I’VE GOT YOU * | Tumblr | AO3

Support | Enemy to Caretaker

TW: Wounds

Cal Kestis & Merrin

Cal Kestis, Merrin

Additional notes: Fallen Order Spoilers

Description: Merrin goes to see Cal with thoughts of Dathomir on her mind.

No 18. PANIC! AT THE DISCO ** | Tumblr | AO3

Panic Attacks

TW: Panic Attacks

Cal Kestis & BD-1, & Merrin

Cal Kestis, BD-1, Merrin

Description: With all distractors gone, Cal’s thoughts wander to old trauma and old wounds.

No 12. I THINK I’VE BROKEN SOMETHING * | Tumblr | AO3

Broken Down | Broken Trust

TW: None

CC-2224 | Cody & Obi-Wan Kenobi

CC-2224 | Cody, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Ghost Crew (all), Millennium Falcon crew (almost all)

Additional tags:

Description: The Ghost receives a transmission concerning a former Jedi, a farm boy, and the Death Star.

No 30. NOW WHERE DID THAT COME FROM? *** | Tumblr | AO3

Internal Organ Injury

TW: Character Death, Graphic Descriptions, Blood

CC-2224 | Cody & CT-7567 | Rex

CC-2224 | Cody, CT-7567 | Rex

Description: Cody tells Rex of a new Separatist weapon. Later, Rex comes face to face with it.

No 4. RUNNING OUT OF TIME** | Tumblr | AO3

Collapsed Building

TW: Blood, Mentions of Death

CT-27-5555 | Fives | ARC-5555, CT-5385 | Tup, CT-6116 | Kix, CT-5597 | Jesse. CT-7567 | Rex, Anakin Skywalker

Description: Rex sends some of his best men to steal data from a recently abandoned Separatist base.

No 13. BREATHE IN BREATHE OUT * | Tumblr | AO3

Oxygen Mask

TW: None

Plo Koon & CC-3636 | Wolffe

Plo Koon, CC-3636 | Wolffe

Description: Captured during the infiltration of a Separatist base, Plo Koon chooses to save the lives of his men over his own.

No 23. WHAT’S A WHUMPEE GOTTA DO TO GET SOME SLEEP AROUND HERE? * | Tumblr | AO3

Exhaustion | Sleep Deprivation

TW: Depression

CT-5555 | Fives & CT-0408 | Echo, & CT-5385 | Tup

CT-5555 | Fives, CT-5385 | Tup

Description: Following Umbara, old nightmares come back to haunt Fives.

No 2. IN THE HANDS OF THE ENEMY ** | Tumblr | AO3

“Pick Who Dies” | Collars

TW: None

CT-7567 | Rex & Anakin Skywalker

Anakin Skywalker, Ahsoka Tano, CT-7567 | Rex, Obi-Wan Kenobi

Description: Anakin is forced to choose between three of the beings he loves.

No 16. A TERRIBLE, HORRIBLE, NO GOOD, VERY BAD DAY * | Tumblr | AO3

Hallucinations

TW: None

CT-7567 | Rex & Anakin Skywalker

CT-7567 | Rex, Anakin Skywalker

Description: Rex and Anakin find themselves doused with hallucinogenic powder while pursuing Asajj Ventress.

No 9. FOR THE GREATER GOOD *** | Tumblr | AO3

“Take Me Instead” | “Run!”

TW: Character Death

CT 7567 | Rex & Ahsoka Tano

CT 7567 | Rex, Ahsoka Tano. CT-6116 | Kix, Anakin Skywalker

Description: When their ship comes under attack, Rex and Ahsoka desperately try to hold off the droids from the control room.

No 21. I DON’T FEEL SO WELL * | Tumblr | AO3

Hypothermia

TW: None

CT-7567 | Rex & Ahsoka Tano

CT-7567 | Rex, Ahsoka Tano. Anakin Skywalker, CC-2224 | Cody, Obi-Wan Kenobi

Description: Rex and Ahsoka find themselves stranded on an ice moon after escaping from Separatist forces.

Romance pairings

No 5. WHERE DO YOU THINK YOU’RE GOING? *** | Tumblr | AO3

On the Run | Failed Escape

TW: Character Death

CC-5052 | Bly / Aayla Secura

CC-5052 | Bly, Aayla Secura, CT-6734 | Galle

Additional tags: Worse Than Canon

Description: Bly decides to take the execution of Order 66 into his own hands

No 27. OK, WHO HAD NATURAL DISASTERS ON THEIR 2020 BINGO CARD? ** | Tumblr | AO3

Earthquake

TW: Suicide

CC-5052 | Bly / Aayla Secura

CC-5052 | Bly, Aayla Secura

Description: Trapped by a collapsed building during an earthquake, Bly and Aayla take different approaches to their survival.

No 6. PLEASE…. ** | Tumblr | AO3

“Get it Out” | “Stop, please”

TW: Blood, Mentions of Death

CC-2224 | Cody / Obi-Wan Kenobi

CC-2224 | Cody, Obi-Wan Kenobi

Description: Obi-Wan and Cody lead a mission to scout out what appears to be an abandoned Separatist base.

No 17. I DID NOT SEE THAT COMING * | Tumblr | AO3

Blackmail | Dirty Secret

TW: None

Rey / Ben Solo | Kylo Ren

Rey, Ben Solo | Kylo Ren

Description: A reminiscing Kylo Ren is interrupted by a call for a momentary truce following the near extermination of the Resistance.

No 3. MY WAY OR THE HIGHWAY* | Tumblr | AO3

Manhandled | Held at Gunpoint

TW: None

Riyo Chuchi / CC-1010 | Fox

Riyo Chuchi, CC-1010 | Fox. CC-5869 | Stone

Description: It’s the weekly bounty hunter break in in the Senate. But this week, Commander Fox finds Senator Chuchi to be one of their demands.

No 10. THEY LOOK SO PRETTY WHEN THEY BLEED ** | Tumblr | AO3

Blood Loss | Trail of Blood

TW: Blood, Graphic Descriptions, Character Death

Riyo Chuchi / CC-1010 | Fox

Riyo Chuchi, CC-1010 | Fox.

Description: Commander Fox leads an assault on a team of bounty hunters who have infiltrated the Senate.

No 11. PSYCH 101 *** | Tumblr | AO3

Defiance | Struggling | Crying

TW: Character Death

Riyo Chuchi / CC-1010 | Fox

Riyo Chuchi, CC-1010 | Fox

Description: The Chancellor learns of Commander Fox and Riyo’s relationship and orders his property to be destroyed.

No 22. DO THESE TACOS TASTE FUNNY TO YOU? * | Tumblr | AO3

Poisoned

TW: None

Riyo Chuchi / CC-1010 | Fox

Riyo Chuchi, CC-4477 | Thire

Description: Thire watches over Riyo at a senatorial gathering after she receives another threat on her life.

[gredandforge01]

Cal Kestis: The Dark Side

PLOT: Yourself and the infamous Jedi, Cal Kestis, are on the mission to stop the Empire killing innocent, Force-Sensitive kids; but as you and Cal venture further into Ilum, you find it harder to focus on the mission as a certain memory keeps showing up in your mind.

•••

The Mantis landed with a few oddly concerning sounds. "Hey Greez, I think you need to check your ship out, eh? It's making weird sounds." I told him as he walked around the Holotable to reach Cere, Cal and myself.

He looked up at me and scoffed, "why would I do that? This ship is in perfect condition, there's no need to-" Greez was cut off from something falling around the back of the ship. He stopped for a moment and lowered his gaze, almost embarrassed. "Yeah, you know what? That sounds like a perfect idea, I'll be doing that while you and Cal do... whatever it is you need to do on this freezing planet. But don't take too long, I don't want to freeze my ship or arms off, thank you very much."

I laughed at him, patting him on the shoulder and went over to Cal as Greez walked around back to check out the source of the sound. Cal was standing by the door, waiting for me, he didn't say a word to me, but went outside into the freezing climate of Ilum.

We recently had a fight because I had risked my life in order to save Cal from a bunch of Nightsisters attacking us when Merrin had unleashed them upon us and the weird Wanderer. I had used the Dark Side to push them away from us, before bolting to get back to the Mantis. I knew I was in trouble, as Cal was very against using the Dark Side of the Force, but I had saved us both; what would have happened if I didn't?

Unlike Cal, I was very persuaded to use the Dark Side of the Force every time I used any type of Force, and so to prevent myself from doing so, I cut myself from it - much like Cere did. Cere helped me try and control my habit, but because she wasn't using The Force herself, she could only do so much. I once burned a hole in the side of the Mantis trying to contain the power within me and hurt Cere and unknowingly Force-Pushed Greez into The Holotable, and that's when I decided that I couldn't control my power and so stopped using The Force altogether.

That was before Cal came along into my life. Cal and I had bonded quickly, soon enough getting together. I found out that Cal too had some trouble with The Force and so that's when I decided to tell him the I once used to be a Padawan; a very tricky one to deal with, unfortunately. My Master was obsessed with The Zeffo and how it all worked, much like Condova, and therefore didn't teach me as well as she could have. That's when The Purge happened and my Master had been turned to the Dark Side and I barely escaped her torture to try and turn me as well, resulting in me using the Dark Side to escape The Empire. I would have been lying if I said I wasn't thinking about turning to the Dark Side in order for her to stop torturing me, but then I thought of my parents and what they would have wanted me to do and so fought it as much as I could and barely escaped.

I shivered as I looked up at the tall Jedi Temple, it was beautiful, much like it used to be when I went there as a child. "Hey Y/N, got a second?" I heard Cere say and walked over to her. Cal waited a few feet away, talking to BD-1. "I know you and Cal are having trouble at the moment, and I don't blame him for being mad at you, because you did use the Dark Side, but you both have to make up. It's making him not as focused on the task as he should be. You are each other's rock, you need to do something or otherwise this mission may fail." Cere told me and I nodded, she had a point.

"I will Cere, I was trying to help and- and- I don't know. I was just trying to help, Cere. Please don't be mad at me for that." I whispered and lowered my head in sadness. I get why she was mad at me but after all, I was just trying to do what was right.

She brought me in for an unexpected hug, "it's okay Y/N." We pulled away and I smiled at her before joining Cal. He looked down at me for a moment, sensing my sadness before turning to walk towards the Jedi Temple, I sighed and followed him. As we came closer to the temple, BD-1 jumped from Cal's shoulder to mine and I smiled at him.

"Beep Boop?" The droid spoke to me, wondering if I was alright.

I laughed at him, trying to cover my hurt up. "Yes, I'm alright BD. How about you? Are you alright? Your parts aren't freezing up, are they?" I asked him.

The droid made a sound, "Beep Boop Beep!"

"That's good, little buddy." I said as we neared a small gap to squeeze through. Cal went through before I did and we neared the other side before Cal climbed up the ice wall, me following in suite. "Wow, it's beautiful up here." I mumbled and BD-1 beeped in agreement. We continued up the ice wall, having to jump to reach it, before climbing up to one of the side areas. It was dark for a moment, my eyes adjusting to the darkness before I saw a plug that connected to a stand on the other side of the room. I jumped to get to it but soon realised that I need to Force-Pull it towards me.

"Um, Cal? Can you do this please?" I asked him and he looked over in my direction to see the plug. He jumped onto the ledge I was on and Force-Pulled the plug towards him before putting it into the stand. I watched as the door opened and light shone through the magnifying window in the next room.

When we got to the magnifying window, I stopped for a second, enjoying the slight warmth it was giving. "It's nice to have the warmth from the window." Cal spoke but I realised he wasn't speaking to me, but BD-1 instead and I sighed quietly as I followed him to other room where there was another magnifying window.

Once we broke down the ice walls covering the entry ways to undiscovered sections of Ilum, we followed the path that lead underwater. When I jumped in, I made a noise of discomfort and Cal looked behind him to see if I was alright before quickly turning back and submerging himself completely underwater. This silent treatment was killing me, it hurt that he wasn't talking to me at all. I grabbed my breather and followed him, spotting a chest behind one of the columns and swimming over to it. BD-1 jumped off and dived into the chest before coming out and showing us what he got.

The reason why we were on this isolated planet was because Cal had broken his lightsaber when facing his dead Master, Jaro Tapal, and he was a wreck afterwards, only hurting more when I used the Dark Side of the Force. We were in search for a Kyber Crystal to help him rebuild his lightsaber and hopefully get over his guilt for not being strong enough to save his Master. I still remembered when we got back to the Mantis after barely escaping the deadly rage of the Nightsisters, Cal had broken down into front of the crew. Cere wouldn't have any of it though, explaining to Cal the truth behind her failed Padawan, Trilla, and how she escaped the torture she was held in. She gave Cal her lightsaber and demanded he rebuild one; to move on from his guilt.

I knew I was in trouble when I was sitting on the sofa in the Mantis and Cal came up to me and sat down, looking at me with a look of disappointment in his beautiful green eyes. "Why would you do that?" He asked, it sounded harsh, even if he didn't mean too. I went to speak but he spoke again, "you could have lost control back there!"

My gaze lowered and I took a deep breath, trying to fight the tears that threatened to spill. "Cal, I'm- I'm sorry. I was just trying to help the both of us." My voice was quiet yet my heartbeat was loud in my ears. Cal sighed and ran a hand through his ginger locks.

Standing up abruptly, Cal suddenly grew frustrated with me. "What would have happened if there was a few more Nightsisters there, huh? You would have to have used more of the Dark Side to stop them, and then what? Y/N, you could have turned there!"

"I'm sorry." Was all I managed to whisper as tears hit my pants. Cal let out a frustrated groan and stormed off to his room. I whimper and brush the hair from my eyes, only to see Greez and Cere looking at me, making me look away instantly. Taking a deep breath, I stand and make my way to my own room before shutting the door, not coming out until we landed on Ilum. Greez had a look of sympathy, and while Cere also held that same look, she also had a look of anger as well. I had truly screwed up this time.

Replaying back on those memories, tears once again gathered in my mind, but I quickly brushed them away before Cal or BD-1 could see. Cal stopped for a second, almost making me crash into him but quickly stopped myself. "I see it BD-1, that's where we need to go." He said, looking over the ice walls at a ledge in the distance.

Its like anger grew inside me when he mentioned BD-1 again, and not me, and I couldn't control my outburst. "Why are you always talking to BD-1? I exist too, you know, or do you wish I didn't because I save us from the Nightsisters and had to use the Force? Why- why can't you just realise that I am sorry and move on?" My voice cracked at the last sentence, tears gathering in my eyes faster than before and succeeded in spilling.

Cal looked back, while BD-1 made a sound of sadness. Cal's eyes softened as I broke down and crouched on the iced floor, not caring that it was cold or that my hands where freezing and I could barely feel them.

"Y/N-" Cal started but I wouldn't hear his complaints about me anymore.

He crouched down to be with me, placing a hand on my shoulder. "Forget it Cal, I'm going back to the Mantis." I grumbled and wiped away my tears before standing and walking in the other direction, back to the ship. He didn't try and follow me back, which I was glad for.

I didn't know why I was so angry at him, when really it was my fault in the first place. I understood that I had done something wrong but he or Cere didn't have to keep telling me and pulling me down into my abyss of guilt and regret, they could help me try and control myself.

I was shivering violently when I got back to the Mantis, Greez seeing me first and gave me a questioning look. "Hey kid, what's the matter? Why aren't you with Cal?" He asked as he salted his steak.

Cere came from the cockpit as he heard Greez and saw me on the verge of tears and shivering violently. I looked down at my hands that were starting to go blue before up to Cere. "Why can't you accept that I'm not like you or Cal, that I don't know how to use the Force properly, that I have trouble controlling it? Why do you have to be so mean and keep telling me about my mistakes? Why can't you just accept what I did and move on?" I knew I shouldn't be angry, but I couldn't help it. My hands balled into fists and the sound of shattering came from the kitchen.

Greez leaped back as the light above him shattered into tiny pieces. Our attention was moved to the light and I felt guilt wash over me again when I saw Greez picking out a shard of glass in his arm.

I broke down then, covering my face in my hands. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry. What's wrong with me?" I sobbed and ran to my room, locking it behind me before sliding down the metal and bringing my knees to my chest. I sobbed for a long time, not knowing when I had stopped and finally drifted into an uncomfortable sleep.

I woke to faint whispers being ushered between people before I groaned and stood up from my position on the floor, moving to my bed. It was terribly cold and I was still shivering violently as I wrapped the thin blanket around my body. Someone knocked on the door a few moments later, "who is it?" I mumbled, secretly hoping it was Greez, he seemed to be the only one to not judge me.

"It's me, Cal." I sighed when I heard his muffled voice on the other side of the door. I knew I couldn't avoid him forever, that I had to face him and the mistakes I had caused.

I got up and padded to the door, unlocking it for him before it swooshed open and he came in. His eyes held nothing but softness and I'm sure that if he was looking into my eyes, they would be red with hopelessness laced all throughout them.

Cal didn't usher a word for a few moments, making the air around us thicken with tension. I looked down at my hands, them being the most intriguing thing in my room. "Y/N-"

"I'm sorry, Cal." I whispered. Tears threatened to spill once again but I held them back.

"It's okay, I'm sorry I was so harsh on you. You had made a mistake yet I made it seem like the end of the world, when it wasn't." Cal said and grabbed my hands in his, bringing them to his mouth to blow hot air on, it was nice seeming I was so cold.

I stayed quiet for a while, just enjoying the peaceful silence between us. Cal unexpectedly brought me in for a hug, trying to warm me up as best as he could, and I felt myself relax beside him.

"I'll help teach you become a Jedi." Those words rang in my head and I looked up at Cal, his green eyes glancing back down at me lovingly. "Cere will help too, we discussed this just before. We will go to Bogano and I will help teach you there. We just have to get the Holocron first then I'm all yours."

I sat up then, tears forming in my eyes for what seemed like the hundredth time and I engulfed Cal in a hug. "You would do that for me?" I whisper.

"You know I would." He whispered back. I smiled at him, grabbing his face and kissing him lovingly. I pulled back as soon as I leant in, we've never kissed before... A bright blush covers my face and so does Cal's. He slowly reaches up to cup my face before gently bringing my face back to his, stopping just before he kisses me and brushes his lips against mine. I whimper and he finally pushes his lips to mine softly.

As we pull back, I lean my forehead against his and smile softly. He does the same, and for the first time that day, I felt content and happy; safe and wrapped up in Cal's arms.

[mmand0]

Rise of the Fallen: Cal Kestis x Reader Fanfic

Ch. 2: Aboard the Mantis

As you and Cal made your way to the Mantis, you pull him into an empty dark alleyway. "What the hell do you think you're doing carrying that thing around?" you hissed as you clenched his poncho tightly. "You could have gotten yourself killed!" You sighed and let him go. "Look. If this ship is badly damaged, you need to hide that, or else we're both dead. Got that?"

"Yeah, got it, sorry. Glad to know you weren't trying to kill me at least..." He chuckled, straightening his poncho. "We're almost to the Mantis."

A group of bounty hunters walked by loudly talking about a rumor of a force-sensitive human that has been elusively traveling the galaxy. Your heart begins to pound and your stomach churns. The three of you wait until they were out of earshot, then proceed to your destination. "Force-sensitive human?" Cal asked, looking at BD. "What's that all about?" BD made a series of beeping noises, indicating its confusion. You remained silent, attempting to keep a calm demeanor. "Do you know anything, Y/N?"

You shrugged. "Not really. It's a vague report, and there's always rumors like that being passed around in the cantina." Cal glances at you suspiciously, then at BD. You can feel his suspicious stare, but continue to walk calmly. "Look, kid, if you've got somethin' to say, say it. Unless you're just admiring my good looks, then proceed." You chuckled as the three of you approached the ship.

Cal blushed and cleared his throat. "I- well, I didn't mean to-"

You stopped and turned to face him. "Just teasing you, kid. You're not bad to look at yourself," you winked before walking to the front left side of The Mantis. Cal was frozen for a moment, unsure of how to take the compliment. BD climbed on his shoulder and beeped at him, breaking the spell.

"Jeez. We can take down any enemy, but can't take a compliment?"

"Boo-Beep!"

"Ok, fine I can't take a compliment..."

Cal shook his head and jogged to catch up with you. You were already inspecting the ship and moving to the other side when Cal arrived. "How bad is it?" You inspected the dents and burn marks on the left side, peeking beneath the belly of the Mantis.

"Not too bad. I've got spare parts, but it will come with a price."

"HEY!!!!"

The three turned to look at Greez who was scrambling to get out of his ship. "CAL! You had one job! This ain't Han!!" He yelled angrily. His face scrunched up as he glared at you. "Who's this? She a friend of yours or somethin'?"

"I'm not a friend... yet.  Just someone who can fix your ship. I'm Y/N."

"What happened to Han, Cal? I told you to get HAN!"

Cal sighed and brushed his hair back. "He's-"

"Han Solo is a dirty cheat, and he owes me money. He's gone for now, and I have no idea where he is. So if you don't want my help, good luck finding another mechanic."

Greez inhaled deeply, attempting to calm his nerves. "Sorry. I just- I'm very particular about my ship, and we can't just trust anyone."

"Yeah, I get it. Harboring a jedi can be pretty dangerous," you said chuckling slightly. Before Greez could say another word, Cal raised his hands to stop him. "We're good, Greez. I think we should trust her." Greez closed his mouth and placed his hands on his hips. "Alright, Cal, if you say so."

"Great. Before I can start, how about we talk about exchange of services?" you said crossing your arms. "If you've got the goods, I'll even make you a drink in your ship while we talk business."

"She can make you that bloody rancor drink you like, Greez," Cal said, patting his shoulder. Greez grinned widely at you. "Now that I like. Climb aboard, my lady! I'll prepare the bottles for you."

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Inside the Mantis, two women huddled around a map, murmuring as they pointed to different planets.

"Welcome to the Stinger Mantis! The most beautiful piece of metal that ever flew in the galaxy!" Greez boasted, arms wide open to show off his beloved ship. The women raised their head and looked at you. "This is the rest our crew: Cere Junda and Merrin. Everyone, this is Y/N. She'll be replacing Han." The women looked at Cal with confusion.

"I see. Well, welcome to our ship. We are grateful for your help," Cere said, smiling warmly at you.

"Now, Y/N here, she's a bartender and she has kindly offered to make us some drinks," Greez said, heading to the kitchen. He began to rummage through the storage, mumbling to himself as he searched for bottles. "Ah! Here it is!"

You began to make drinks for the crew, your movements quick and relaxed. Cal watched your fluid movements as he sat down at the round table. Greez sat next to him and gave him a nudge. "Quit starin', Cal, I don't want your drool drippin' on my table," he whispered, snickering. Cal blushed and pushed Greez lightly. Cere and Merrin suppressed a smirk, exchanging looks with one another as Cal turned red. You began to serve the crew with bloody rancors except for you and Cal.

"I think that was enough bloody rancor for you. Try this instead." You push a cup filled with a light blue liquid. "It's my specialty." You settle at the edge of the bench next to Cal, and raised your glass. "To new friends," you said smiling at the crew. They follow your lead, and proceeded to drink. Cal hesitantly sipped his drink, and was delighted to find that it tasted like berries with a hint of mint. "Good?" you asked. Cal nodded, smiling at you.

"Now, let's talk business, shall we?" Greez said as he placed his cup on the table. "What's your price, kid?"

You stared at the blue liquid in your cup, swirling it around as you gathered your thoughts. What could you say without raising suspicion? Although you knew Cal had a lightsaber, there was a chance that these people could turn on you. They seemed nice enough... Cere is rather quiet and reserved, but Merrin looked rather intimidating. You finish the rest of your drink, hoping to find some courage.

"I need safe passage to Kashyyyk."

The crew stopped drinking, and stared blankly at you.

"Kashyyyk? Why Kashyyyk?" Merrin asked.

"I hear there's a group of folks fighting alongside the Wookies. I want to join them."

"And why are you interested in their fight?" Cere asked, her brows furrowing. You looked at Cere and sensed her suspicion. As you two stared at each other's eyes, Merrin had been exchanging a look with Greez and Cal. You sighed, and leaned back into the cushion. "Look, Tatooine... it's not safe. I need a purpose. I don't want to be stuck working odd jobs around the galaxy and in cantinas forever. I was sold as a slave, and ended up here. My parents... well, I don't really know where they are. Never knew them." You sighed heavily, eyes watering slightly. "There's... There's something more out there."

Cere nodded slowly. "I see... We understand. Perhaps you might be a good fit with our crew, Y/N."

"Hmm... Alright, kid, we'll get you there," Greez offered his hand to you. "You got yourself a deal." You smiled and shook his hand.

"Great. We'll start tomorrow. It's getting too dark, but not dark enough for another round, eh?" Greez winked at you, making everyone roll their eyes. You laughed and stood to collect empty cups. "Give this kid another!" He wraps an arm around Cal's shoulder, pretending to punch him with this other arms. He pushed Cal to let him off the bench, and headed towards you. Meanwhile, Cere leaned forward, eyes locked on Cal.

"She's hiding something, Cal," she whispered.

Merrin nodded in agreement, "She feels... confused."

Cal sighed quietly, running a hand through his hair. "Yeah, I feel it. I'll get to the bottom of it, don't worry."

For the rest of the evening, the crew drank and ate together. Greez a little more than everyone else. As the women excused themselves for the evening, you bid them good night, and stood to stretch and yawn. "Guess I'd better go, eh?" you said. A slightly inebriated Cal stood as well and looked at the snoring captain of the Mantis. You noticed how red his face had gotten from two drinks, making you chuckle.

"Don't drink much do you, Cal?"

He laughed in response, scratching his head. "No, not really... It was good, though. Thank you. Much better than that bloody rancor."

"Told you! Anyway, glad you liked it. I think it's time for me head back home. Thanks for a good evening, Cal. I haven't had fun with people like that in ages." You leaned to kiss his cheek, and patted BD's head. "Good night, see you tomorrow." You began your trek to town, leaving an awestruck Cal standing in the Mantis with his mouth open.

"Hey, hey, look at you, kid! I think she likes you!" Greez had been awake, watching their interaction in secret. He patted Cal's back, bringing him back to reality.

"Y-yeah, I guess so." Cal smiled and touched his cheek where your lips had been. "She's... something, isn't she?"

[redrobinhoods]

with you I fall (down) | Whumpay 2021

CW: None

A/N: Important side characters: Cal’s ponchos. Also I found out today that the Cal/Merrin name is Merrical, which is super cute, guys.

Summary: Cal knew that the Nightsisters used the Dark Side of the Force, but not until that power is used to heal him after a skirmish with the Haxion Brood did he realize how deep that connection was. [2/11]

AO3 Link | Whumpay Index | Chapter 1, Chapter 3 

Cal chewed thoughtlessly on the steak as he listened to the argument breaking out around him. Though he had grown accustomed to Greez’ cooking in the time he had known him, the food was now tasteless to his tongue. Beside him, Merrin sat, glowing in the Force. Across from them sat Cere and Greez. If Cal had reached out to them in the Force, he would have felt their energy, Greez’ comforting presence, and Cere’s repressed connection to the Dark and the Light. But the way his head was pounding with their words and the healing of what he was sure had been a crack in his skull, it would have been overwhelming. Merrin herself was almost too much. Cal had paid enough attention in his classes at the Temple to know that Nightsisters used the Dark Side of the Force, but, until now, he had not noticed the dark nexus of the Force saturating her clothing, even free of the influence of Dathomir’s soil.

“If we stay here, the wreckage will put us at risk if the Haxion Brood decides to check for survivors.” Cere said, waving her fork in her hand.

Greez waved his fork back at her. “If we leave, we’ll lose access to shelter and food.”

“We can carry food.” Merrin suggested. “We can sew the end of some ponchos together and carry those.”

“Or we could wear the ponchos as protection against this very dangerous planet that would like to kill us!”

“We could do both.” Cal cut in. “We can wear the hydrophobically treated ones, turn four into sacks, and use the rest to make tents.”

“We could turn three into sacks.” Cere corrected. “I want you to rest as much as possible, Cal.”

“I’m fine, Cere.” He lied. “It barely hurts when I walk.”

“And we’ll be doing a lot of that.” Cere silenced an objection from Greez with a glare. “I want to salvage as much as we can in the next hour and get as far away from this wreck as possible tonight. The Haxion Brood is not known for their easy-going nature, they will be searching for survivors.”

---

Cal sat silently as Merrin killed their small campfire, poking the smoldering logs apart with a wet stick they had found nearby.

“What’s on your mind?” She asked, turning back to face him.

“Too much.” He admitted.

She looked back over at the fire for a few moments, the dying glow silhouetting her features, before she stood up and made her way back to his side. When she sat beside him, Cal wrapped his arm around her shoulders out of habit. He regretted it almost immediately as pain from his healing body exploded in his chest. Sensing his agony, Merrin lowered her head onto his shoulder and brought a hand to rest on his chest. “I wish I could’ve done more.”

“You saved my life, Merrin.”

“You saved mine first.”

“Then we’re even.”

“This doesn’t feel even.” She laughed.

He turned his head to the side to press his face into her hair, breathing in the scent of campfire. “It does to me. I don’t know how to thank you.”

“You could try to stay out of trouble?”

“Anything but that.” He chuckled before grimacing. Still too much. But as he stared over at the wreck of the Mantis, the pain didn’t settle as it had before. Merrin’s touch was burning against his chest. She had burned against him before, when she had embraced him as they were leaving Nur, but at the time he had thought it to be Vader’s energy seeping into them. But now, far away from Vader and his influence, he realized that it had been her. The Dark Side that moved through her body, her very veins, brought out through her magick. Cal tightened his grip around her shoulders as he tried to breathe through it, to allow the Dark Side to pass through him into the ground beneath them. The pain still too much, he slowly withdrew his arm from around Merrin and wrapped his hands around his legs, resting his head on his knees as he tried to breathe through it.

“Are you okay?” Merrin reached out to rest her hand on his shoulder, leaving her hand hovering above it, afraid to touch him.

Cal let out a sigh of frustration. “I’ll be fine. I just need a moment.” Without her. But still, he didn’t think he could stand to be alone right now. He raised his head at the sound of footsteps to see Cere and Greez approaching them, carrying bundles of food and two spare ponchos for Cal and Merrin.

Cere set down the two sacks she was carrying and walked over to approach Cal, squatting down to look him in the eye. “We need to move, Cal.” She said despite the concern for him radiating off of her in the Force.

“I can move.” Cal accepted Cere’s hand when she offered it, letting her help him rise to his feet. Taking one of the spare ponchos from Greez, Cere gently set it over Cal’s head and brushed it out over his shoulders. Cal couldn’t help but remember another time, when Prauf he straightened this same poncho for him after a long day on Bracca.

“Let us know if you need to take a breather, okay?” Cere gently brushed back his hair with a small, reassuring smile. “I know that moving after eating one of Greez’ meals is hard, but it’s necessary.”

Cal found himself returning the smile with a light chuckle. “I’ll give you fair warning if I feel queasy.”

“I take offense to that, you know!” Greez raised one of his arms out of the bright orange poncho he was smothered in. Cere had trimmed the length, but they hadn’t bothered to tighten the width and it hung around him like a sack.

Cal shrugged at Greez. “Risk comes with the territory.”

“Where are we going?” Merrin asked as she took the other poncho from Greez, the red one that Cal had picked up the first time they were here on Kashyyyk.

Cere turned to face her, brown and blue poncho swirling around her body. “I was able to get our GPS working. Saw’s rebels have an encampment not too far away. If we can get there, we can get help.”

Merrin nodded. “Then we shouldn’t delay.”