Chapter Nine: The Abandoned Village
"Think I saw a Jotaz been here." One Stormtrooper responded as another one was next to him having a conversation.
"All you did was run away."
"Not while it was chasing me."
"At least you wouldn't die a coward."
"If I didn't, it would have caught me."
Quietly sitting down above a hill, Cal and Kairi were surveying the area in which the Empire had taken over Zeffo and its abandoned village. They can see multiple stormtroopers with their blaster guns and electro batons ready to use if unwanted visitors show up.
Cal nodded at Kairi before the younger Jedi Padawan did the same, until she used her ability to make them invisible after when she touched Cal's left shoulder.
"Some noise-" One of the Stormtroopers started to say after turning around when he heard a lightsaber switching on, until Cal and Kairi jumped from above and took down the two Stormtroopers.
Cal ran ahead as Kairi was tailing behind him while having their lightsabers in their right hands before more of the Stormtroopers saw them when the invisible ability wore out.
"It's the Jedi!" One of the announced as the tone of their voice sounded frightened.
"There's two of them?!" A second one asked as he got his electro baton ready, but he stayed away which caught Kairi's attention.
Her silver eyes narrowed at him as she could feel him shaking in fear once her eyes landed on him. Running towards him as Cal was parrying the first one, Kairi jumped up and kicked the second Stormtrooper in his chest with both of her feet, causing him to fall down.
"Is… is that all you got?!" The second Stormtrooper asked while he got up slowly, before running towards the younger Jedi Padawan and started swinging his baton.
"Kairi!" Cal called out as he alerted Kairi when another Stormtrooper came around the corner with his blaster gun.
"I see you!" The third one yelled out before shooting the Jedi Padawans who quickly blocked the blaster shots.
Kairi did two backflips as she kept her distance away from the second Stormtrooper, before pulling the third one with her pull ability and stabbing him through his armor and body.
"That's one. Make that two." Kairi responded after seeing Cal rolled over a Stormtrooper's body and swinging his lightsaber at him, killing him in an instant.
"I guess it's just me now." The last Stormtrooper responded to himself before he decided to charge towards Cal and Kairi, until the ginger haired Jedi Padawan slowed him down.
Kairi smirked before kicking the Stormtrooper's helmet causing him to be launched away from the two, knocking him out when his helmet hit against the house. Walking towards the unconscious Stormtrooper, Kairi stabbed him in the chest with Iris' lightsaber before removing it.
"Anymore of them?" Kairi asked.
"No. I think that's all of them." Cal answered after listening to the silence of the wind without hearing the nearby voices of any Stormtroopers.
"Good. I need a break. My arm's starting to hurt." Kairi stated as she had both of her arms behind her head with her head resting against her hands.
"You've barely fought and you're already tired?" Cal questioned as Kairi walked towards him while BD-1 was scanning the dead Stormtrooper's bodies.
"Hey, it's been 5 years since… that day. We have to learn how to endure and survive, Kestis." Kairi explained as her hands were clasped together behind her back. "Hey, can I tell you something? I don't know where my life would be if we didn't meet each back at Coruscant." She responded.
"Why do you say that?" Cal asked.
"Because all my life I believe that was just normal. But there's something about me being a Jedi that makes me different. I just don't know what it is yet." Kairi explained as she pulled out Iris' lightsaber.
"Yeah. Me neither. Quick question… if you were not a Force sensitive person, where would you be today? Like what would you like to be?" Cal asked, as Kairi switched her lightsaber on as she decided to stare directly at the glowing green blade.
"Uh… that's tough. Maybe working as a nurse. Or a sweet cook. No, maybe a rebel fighter. But when I was a Youngling… I wanted to be a singer." Kairi answered while putting away her lightsaber, before confessing the last part which sounded embarrassing to her, but to Cal, he was smiling at her.
"A singer? Can you sing something for me?" Cal asked, as Kairi was looking at her own reflection at the small puddle of water before seeing Iris who appeared behind her.
"Not a chance." Kairi rejected.
"I'll sing with you." Cal stated as he tried to press her buttons on making her sing.
"The only song you've known is Black Thunder by The Hu." Kairi explained as she started walking away when BD-1 started scanning a sign that was posted on an abandoned house.
"I'll hum it with you." Cal responded with a small smile, as he walked towards Kairi.
"Nice try, Mr. Kestis. But my answer is no." Kairi responded as she smirked to herself.
"Kairi Jabami… Please?" Cal asked once more before Kairi looked at him when BD-1 jumped onto her back, until he pouted showing big pouting eyes, which is a face that the younger Jedi Padawan cannot ignore… but she did.
"Never!" Kairi answered.
"You're no fun." Cal responded, before Kairi stuck her tongue out at him.
As the two were exploring the village, Cal found a force echo where there was a mother and a father who were quickly packing their bags, but the father was telling the mother to take their child and run away before the Empire took them away.
But they faced the consequences by being forced out of their home which caused the father to fight back to make sure his wife and child got to safety away from the Empire.
"The Empire just wanted this land. Everything is all lies." Cal explained.
BD-1 chirped in a sad tone, after jumping onto Cal's back when he scanned an eviction notice.
"Kairi, what do you think?" Cal asked as he stood up.
He waited for her response, but when he turned to his right, the short haired Jedi Padawan was not next to him at the moment.
"Kairi?" Cal called out while looking around for her.
"Where did you come from?!"
"Aaah! Cal, help!" Kairi cried loudly as Cal's emerald green eyes widened in shock.***
When Cal heard her frightened voice, he immediately started running towards Kairi's location as she was behind one of the houses, blocking each strike of an Eletro Baton Stormtrooper who caught her by surprise.
Once Kairi saw Cal running towards them, she immediately pushed the Stormtrooper away before getting out of the way and started catching her breath.
BD-1 jumped off and walked towards Kairi, popping a healing stim into her shoulder before Kairi looked back at the bi pedal droid, thanking him as she stood back up.
When Cal defeated the Stormtrooper, he immediately ran over to Kairi to check on her.
"I'm fine, Cal. Just a little winded." Kairi responded as she wanted to brush it off before BD-1 jumped onto her back.
"Just a little? Kairi, why did you walk away from me?" Cal asked as he wanted to know why she decided to break one of their survival rules which was to never be alone.
"I saw something I need. It was just some fresh Zeffo grass." Kairi responded before lifting it up in her left hand to show the fresh damp grass until she put it in her side bag. "I'm collecting stuff that I need to make something." She explained.
"And what is this something?" Cal asked, before Kairi pulled out her journal and started writing down her thoughts which the page was titled 'Planet Zeffo'.
"A memory book. Master Sotah never let me see the outside world of each planet. So, I need stuff to add in my book. You can also help. Anything helps." Kairi explained as she finished drawing a small picture of BD-1 and a healing stim.
BD-1 trilled and chirped happily as he saw a picture of him, which Kairi smiled.
"Yep, that's you." Kairi responded before quickly closing the book when Cal tried to look in it. "But not for the nosey eyes of a Jedi." She warned, before poking Cal's nose.
"First, no to your singing and now your journal?" Cal asked while rubbing his nose.
"My life is not an open book, Cal." Kairi responded, before putting her journal away.
"And our survival means something, Kairi. Do not walk away from me again. You know that we can't be alone. We don't know what could happen if one of us were separated." Cal explained.
"Alright then." Kairi responded after rolling her eyes.
'I wish you would stop treating me like a baby, Cal. I'm 16 years old! I know how to cut my own meat and even cook my own meals!' Kairi thought to herself as she had her arms crossed, while BD-1 was staring at her, before turning back to Cal who was walking ahead, knowing that the bi pedal droid was worried about his two owners.
As they managed to find a way to make it to the rooftop of the houses, they found another way to make it back to the Mantis by finding a door which leads back to the hangar garage when Cal opened it.
Making a mental note of it, Cal and Kairi continue on their adventure walk around Zeffo to find the first clue to Eno Cordova's quest.
"Kioku no katasumi ni… Koe ga mada nokotteru." Kairi sang quietly as they were inside of the turbine facility, which surprised Cal when he heard her voice echoing.
Kairi giggled to herself quietly as a smile appeared on her face, before Cal turn around to face her, but he missed catching her in the act.
"Was that you?" Cal asked.
"No. It's probably the wind." Kairi lied as she was looking away while blushing.
Cal smirked to himself, before walking ahead as Kairi was doing a shushing motion to BD-1, telling him not to say anything.
BD-1 beeped once as Kairi started following Cal until he turned on the lights of the cave.
Once he made it outside, there was a Stormtrooper who was guarding his post while looking in the opposite direction, unaware that Cal and Kairi were behind him.
"Wait." Kairi whispered as she felt a vibration from underneath the ground when Cal was just about to pull out his lightsaber. "Watch this." She whispered, before pulling out a bag of cookies which was in her bag, until Cal had taken a few in his hand after when Kairi quietly opened the snack size bag.
Throwing a couple at the Stormtrooper's back armor plates, it caught his attention.
"What?!" He asked himself as he turned around and saw Cal and Kairi, but unaware that a Spazz Rat was digging himself out of the ground and attacked him.
When the Stormtrooper was out of the way, Kairi used Force push as the Spazz Rat was pushed over the cliff.
"See? Easy work." Kairi responded as Cal was still munching.
"But that's not the Jedi way, Kairi. We always use our lightsabers to defend ourselves." Cal explained after finished eating.
"I just thought of a different way for us not to get hurt. Don't worry, I won't do it again." Kairi responded as she put away the bag, until two more Spazz Rats jumped out of their holes and attacked Kairi.
Screaming in shock, Kairi quickly used Force Push on both of the rats as they fell off the cliff. Breathing in and out through her mouth, Kairi straightened herself out before turning towards Cal.
"See? Under control." Kairi stated, before having her hands on her hips.
Walking towards the ledge, Cal and Kairi took turns by using the Force as they jumped from one platform to another to make it to the other side of the mountain. When Kairi made it, she nearly slipped off by Cal quickly using his protective instinct and grabbed her by the waist and pulled her close to his body.
Kairi's silver eyes began to widen in shock when Cal had his hands around her waist which made her heartbeat echo in her mind.
"You've nearly scared me, Kai." Cal responded gently as Kairi kept staring at Cal's emerald green ones.
"Uh… yeah. Thank you." Kairi responded quietly, as she gently pulled herself away from Cal's chest when she almost rested her head against his chest, smelling his masculine scent. "Uh, Cal?!" She called out in an alarming tone.
"Now, that's going to be a problem." Cal stated after turning around to see another creature running towards them, before charging at them at a fast pace. Quickly jumping out of the way, the creature immediately rammed into Cal's chest, causing him to be thrown back.
When Cal's lightsaber was tossed out of his hand, Kairi immediately ran towards it while avoiding the creature's charging attack towards the younger Jedi Padawan and immediately took the lightsaber in her left hand.
But suddenly, her eyes were rolled back as she was staring up at the Zeffo sky, before seeing a fainted silhouette that was holding two different lightsabers. One lightsaber in the left hand was blue and the other one was green, until she heard Cal's yelling along with the sounds of a lightsaber swooshing and clashing together.
When Kairi snapped out of it, the creature was standing in front of her as it was breathing heavily throughout its nose. Cal and BD-1 were looking back at Kairi as she was calm, while holding two lightsabers in her hands without the creature in front of her being hostile.
Switching the lightsabers off, Kairi put hers away before tossing Cal's back towards him which he caught.
Kairi gently put her hands on it's horn, before resting her head against it.
"You're such a sweet Phillak. Yes you are."
A woman's voice was heard in Kairi's mind as she can barely recognize it. She probably had heard of this woman's voice in her mind, but cannot tell who it is.
"Go. Be free." Kairi whispered as her purple forehead symbol glowed, until the creature backed away and walked away from her, minding its own business.
"What was that? That was not the Force." Cal asked after walking back towards Kairi.
"Actually, I think it was. Cal… There was this woman who had two lightsabers. And somehow, I know her. But she wasn't a Padawan. More like a Jedi Knight… I think she is part of my past." Kairi explained, before smiling at the end.
Cal smiled back before ruffling her short black hair.
"Hey!" Kairi protested.
"You were always the weird one growing up." Cal stated.
"I'm not weird, Kestis!" Kairi protested once again.
After making it around the mountain, Cal and Kairi both saw the Phillak from earlier attack the Stormtroopers as it got rid of most of them before it got killed by a Stormtrooper who was holding a rocket launcher.
"Hostile approaching!" The last Stormtrooper called out before he tried to reload, until Kairi pulled him towards her to use her lightsaber to stab him in the chest.
After putting down the dead Stormtrooper, Kairi walked back to the dead Phillak and gently got down on her knees.
"Rest in peace. You were such a great help." Kairi whispered before gently closing the Phillak's eyes with her hands.
BD-1 beeped as he was asking Kairi if she was going to be okay.
"Yeah. I'm fine. I'm surprised that it helps us out instead of trying to kill us." Kairi responded as she stood back up.
"Just don't get too friendly with them, okay?" Cal stated as he helped Kairi climb up.
"Alright." Kairi responded flatly.
Arriving at the Weathered Monument of Zeffo, Cal and Kairi were looking around after taking out the Stormtroopers as the 19 year old Jedi Padawan noticed that the father who is named Ostkar had died protecting his wife Mirenna and his daughter, Sienna from the Empire as they walked inside the fan.
"He will be missed." Kairi whispered.
"He didn't want his wife or daughter to be sold off to the Empire or to be at a work camp. He fought for their freedom. He took that chance." Cal explained, before Kairi found another path which was next to the giant fan where they found the bones.
"Cere? There's a ship leaving Zeffo. And there's an Imperial base here as well." Kairi responded through her comm link as Cal heard it through his, before finding the 16 year old Jedi Padawan once again.
"I heard. They plan to take Zeffo artifacts back to Coruscant." Cere explained as Kairi was looking at the entrance, before she started drawing it in her journal.
"I miss Coruscant. And even my old room back at the Jedi Temple. It can get pretty boring. But I always love to explore new things." Kairi responded as she walked towards the closed doors of the Imperial Base of Zeffo.
"You were always the mischievous one, Kairi. But you always have an open mind." Cere explained as Kairi studied her drawing, before BD-1 started scanning the scomp link pad.
"Can you slice through this?" Cal asked.
BD-1 beeped as he reminded Cal about what happened with his scomp link.
"Sorry about your scomp link. But standing up to that Bog Rat. That was pretty brave." Cal explained.
"I agree with you, Cal. I've never seen a droid like you do that before." Kairi stated.
BD-1 chirped as he understood, before jumping back onto Cal's back.
Going back the same way that they went, Cal and Kairi found another path where they could go around instead of going inside of the Imperial Base. After boosting Kairi up where she can cut a rope down with her lightsaber, the two found another shortcut where it leads to another abandoned base that the Empire had left behind.
"Uh… I'm starving." Kairi announced as she felt her stomach rumbling.
"That soup Greez made wasn't enough?" Cal asked.
"I have a bottomless stomach, Kestis. It's not normal. As soon as I eat, I eat again. All I do on Bracca is eat, sleep, work and repeat." Kairi explained as she sat down to take a breather, by sitting down in the dirt trail.
"What about those cookies you've brought?" Cal suggested, after remembering that Kairi had a snack sized bag of them when she used a few against a Stormtrooper for a Spazz Rat to come out.
"The bag is halfway empty. I need to save it just in case." Kairi stated, before BD-1 climbed down and sat down on her lap. "The next Spazz Rat I'm seeing, I'm eating… Like that one!" She responded, before they saw one climbing out of its hole and Kairi quickly pulled out her bows and arrows.
"Wait, Kairi!" Cal called out as he saw a Heavy Assault Trooper coming out.
"Crap!" Kairi cried loudly as she finally looked up and saw the Stormtrooper who was aiming at her.
Cal immediately ran towards the 16 year old in a quick second and pushed her down to the ground, as he used his body to protect Kairi underneath him. Looking up, Kairi saw that the Spazz Rat was the only one who got killed in the crossfire as she narrowed her eyes at the Heavy Assault Trooper.
"You've ruined my food!" Kairi retorted as Cal got off of her and the Jedi Padawans draw out their lightsabers.
Quickly reflecting the blaster bullets back at the Stormtrooper, it immediately broke the shield when he couldn't handle being fired back, until the last bullet that was shot hit through his chest.
"That takes care of him... You still hungry, Kairi?" Cal asked, before he saa Kairi pushing the Spazz Rat over the cliff with her right foot.
"I'm not even hungry now, Cal. Stormtroopers ruined my appetite." Kairi stated as she pouted, before they went inside the base, until they found a holo computer which the 16 year old Jedi Padawan started touching the buttons.
"In accordance with the Emperor's will, we've occupied Zeffo, redistributing its inhabitants. This planet has failed to yield significant data of relics for Project Auger. It's electromagnetic winds have rendered the bulk of our mining technology useless. Meanwhile, more stormtroopers lose their lives to dangerous fauna. We will not be able to fulfill our directive here. It is my recommendation that we disband the project and leave a token outpost to keep scavengers from stealing our technology."
"So that's why the Stormtroopers were here for?" Kairi asked.
"Whatever relic that they can find is worth to the Empire. Zeffo has been abandoned since the start of Project Auger which was during our years of hiding." Cal explained as Kairi moved closer to him so she can use the blue light from his lightsaber to write down information about Project Auger before making a rough draft picture of the Stormtrooper.
"There's a possibility that the Empire might look for the tomb, Cal. We have to move fast." Kairi stated after putting away her journal, and switching her lightsaber on.
"Jedi! Engaged with caution!" A Stormtrooper's alerting voice was heard along with an electro-baton switching on, as Cal and Kairi saw two of them heading towards their way.
"This never ends." Kairi stated as she and Cal ran back inside of the imperial base…
The song Kairi was sing was the first part of a Japanese song that I loved hearing. It came from the new anime called Yashahime: Princess Half Demon and the song is called Break by Uru.
Black Thunder or Sugana Essana, what do you call the song Cal loves to listen to in the beginning of the game? I prefer Sugana Essana instead.
*** I thought of a part that would happen in the game where Cal has a small amount of time to save Kairi from being killed or its Respawn time (Kairi is dead). But as the game progresses, Kairi will be able to protect herself and Cal will have more time to save her.