A/N: Decided to take a break from this story last month because it was the holidays and even I was working on another story from the TV show, Gotham. I learned that Cameron Monaghan was Jerome and Jeremiah Valeska in the series, but I loved Jerome more than his brother. So I created a new story under Gotham called Till I See You Again. Check it out, I even loved the story as well and even this one!

Anyway, back to the story!

Chapter Twelve: Learning From Mistakes

Altering finding out the next clue and the next step to opening the Vault, Cal and Kairi started to return back to the Stinger Mantis to continue their journey.

But on the way back, the two decide to explore more of Zeffo as they headed back to the huge wall which had a giant Zeffo statue inside which amazed both of the Jedi Padawans. Upon their discovery they found a replacement scomp link just for BD-1 which he chirped happily once Cal fixed him as good as new. Finding a way out of the place and stopping a few Stormtroopers in their path, the two found the Phillaks from earlier and headed back.

"Looks like you're getting the hang of using your push ability and even your Phillak." Kairi stated as Cal was ahead of her on their Phillaks.

"Yeah. Somehow he's not kicking me off again. To tell you the truth, I never knew that this could be fun." Cal responded as he playful side was showing.

"Look who's acting like the fun loving 14 year old again. Is that right, Nier?" Kairi responded with a smile, before petting the top of Nier's horns.

"Nier?" Cal asked.

"That's what I have decided to call him. Is it a good name?" Kairi replied.

"Kairi, we cannot be attached to them. What if they were killed once we leave Zeffo? Or what if we don't come back?" Cal explained, before hearing their comm links turning on as Cere was trying to contact him and Kairi.

"Cal, Kairi, we've got a walker firing on us and our weapons are down!" Cere explained as the two know it was urgent to make it back.

"We're on our way. Time to leave them, Kairi." Cal responded before he got off his Phillak and Kairi did the same as well.

"Don't listen to him. We'll see you soon." Kairi whispered as her forehead was resting against Nier's head, after Cal walked into a hallway which leaded towards the hanger.

Kairi tailed behind Cal as she was catching up with him before the two ran out of the hanger to see an AT-ST firing at the Mantis, until the walker saw them.

"Kairi, stay back!" Cal informed the 16 year old Jedi as he pulled out his lightsaber.

"No way!" Kairi rejected, as she pulled out her own lightsaber, and immediately ran towards the walker.

"Kairi no!" Cal called out as he saw Kairi dodging each firing blaster, before the 16 year old held onto the walker's left leg with her body.

As Kairi held onto the AT-ST's leg, she started climbing slowly while the Imperial officer was trying to use the controls to shake her off by dropping a few landmines. Cal rolled away once they exploded around the AT-ST, but Kairi still kept a strong grip onto the leg when she used a protective shield around her. Starting back to climb up, Kairi thought of an idea as she looked back at Cal who was running to the AT-ST to take Kairi off of it, but ended up getting a muddy foot to the face.

"Sorry, Cal!" Kairi apologized after Cal landed onto his back while BD-1 who jumped off at the last second.

"Kairi, what are you doing?!" Cere asked as she saw Kairi climbing up the AT-ST, before she made it towards the opening latch.

"Just…fighting back for once!" Kairi stated as she tried to open the sealed door, but it was locked on the inside.

"Is that kid crazy?!" Greez asked.

"Heard that, old fart!" Kairi yelled from outside of the ship.

Pulling out her lightsaber, she immediately switched it on before using the glowing green blade to stab the door handle. Hearing the officer exclaim in shock, Kairi switched off her lightsaber and finally opened the door with all of the small strength she had left in her tired body. Climbing inside of the AT-ST, Cal finally raises his body up from the rain water to see Kairi's body half way inside of the walker while fighting back for the controllers.

Cal's emerald green eyes widened as he noticed that the walker was heading towards the cliff.

This is when he immediately sprang into action.

Almost close to the edge of the landing pad, Cal used the Force to slow down the AT-ST before he started climbing up the walker. He immediately grabbed Kairi by her white skirt and pulled her out of the AT-ST's control pod, jumping off when the Imperial officer and the walker fell off the edge at the last minute.

With Kairi over his left shoulder, the 16 year old Jedi Padawan's eyes widen to see that Cal had saved her once again, but quickly turn frustrated with her arms crossed.

"Really, Kestis?" Kairi asked as she felt annoyed.

"I was expecting to hear you say along the lines of "Thank you, Cal for saving me.". Cal responded sarcastically.

"I didn't even need your help. I knew what I was doing." Kairi explained, before Cal turned around and started walking towards the Stinger Mantis when Greez lowered the ramp down.

Iris nodded as she flashed a smile at her, but when Kairi finally saw her smile. Her eyes widened in shock before hearing a soft giggle in her mind, causing her to rub her head.

"Iris?" Kairi called out her name gently, before opening her eyes to see Cere who was looking at her.

"What were you thinking, Kairi? That wasn't a Jedi way for you to handle the situation. It was more reckless." Cere explained.

"I'm learning every single day. Cal is doing the same thing as well. Anyway, we found something in the tomb." Kairi stated, before Cal placed her down on the floor.

Cal pointed to the back of the Mantis which means that he wanted Kairi to go back to her room.

Kairi started muttering in a different language which she didn't even know about herself until she looked to see Greez floating up in the air, hollering out for something to get him down. Her glowing green eyes were staring at him, as Cal and Cere were trying to pull him down but the glowing green aura around the Latero was pulling him to the top of the ship, causing Kairi to laugh at Greez's cries for help.

"Ow!" Kairi cried as she snapped out of it when BD-1 landed on the floor and kicked her leg. "For a little droid, you've packed a mean kick." She stated after when Greez landed on Cal while rubbing her leg.

"Thanks, kid." Greez stated, before climbing off.

"Don't mention it." Cal responded, before Kairi helped him up as he noticed that he was having a hard time raising his body upright.

"Cal? A word?" Cere stated, before Cal nodded while Kairi was rubbing his back where Greez had landed on him.

Watching the two walk to the back of the Mantis with BD-1 behind them, Kairi and Greez were left alone as the 16 year old Jedi Padawan decided to head to the front of the ship. Sitting down in the captain's chair, Kairi had her hands on the controls, before Greez walked towards her from behind.

"Say, kid, you shouldn't sit down in my chair, ya know. The Mantis should be treated with respect. You know why?" Greez stated as Kairi looked at the Latero while removing her hands.

"Yeah. 'Cause it's a piece of junk." Kairi answered.

"It is not a piece of junk, kid. It's a work of art. A beauty, I might call it. Young ones like you may call it that, but after a few repairs and a couple of loans. My ship is one fine working machine." Greez explained.

"Wow. I didn't know you care about this ship. Even after that rocky landing you gave us." Kairi responded as she moved the captain's chair around to face Greez.

"I cared about a lot of things. My ship, cooking, my safety…" Greez stated.

"Hey, you have three Jedi like me, Cal and Cere. Don't worry. Nothing won't happen to you. If anyone comes across one of us, I'll be the first one to take care of them." Kairi explained, as she smiled.

"Like how you've taken care of that thing out there?" Greez asked.

"The AT-ST? I didn't know what to do. But somehow, I knew what I was doing. I just don't want Cal to do all the heavy work." Kairi responded, before Greez placed his hand on her right shoulder since she was still sitting down.

"In my opinion, I think you're doing just fine. But with Cal, you've gotta be more careful than what you did. You heard what Cere said." Greez stated as Kairi looked back at the Latero.

Kairi nodded, knowing that she has a lot to learn even after 5 years of being in hiding.

Cere had pulled Cal away from Kairi for a minute since she decided to talk more about herself. Knowing that it was going to be a long journey ahead of them, she wanted to open up more for Cal, but to Kairi, it will have to wait another time for her. On Cere's side of how Order 66 happened to her, she told the ginger haired Jedi Padawan that she was once a Jedi Master to a young Padawan named Trilla Suduri. Making a sacrificing decision to leave her Padawan and a few younglings who were in hiding, Cere was caught by the Troopers and taken to their base where she was tortured and forced to give up the other's location. But during a prison break, she managed to escape that horrible place and hid away from the Empire.

"Your Padawan… What happened to her? Did she make it out alive?" Cal asked as he was sitting down in his bed while Cere was looking away for a second, knowing that she was feeling down about what happened during The Purge.

"No…" Cere answered quietly, knowing that she couldn't do anything to save her or anyone else. "She did. Cal… there's a reason why you must protect Kairi away from the Empire. But I will tell you when the time is right." She stated.

"Is it something that I should not know at the moment?" Cal asked, before Cere looked back at him.

"It's the truth that she probably cannot handle. She is now in fear, Cal. I can feel it. We need to do this journey quickly or the Empire will be one step ahead of us." Cere explained, before leaving Cal's room.

Cal was sitting there in deep thought, thinking about what Cere told him. Kairi's life could be in danger soon if she was more involved with the journey.

But he wanted to know the reason why. What is it about Kairi which makes her different? Or why she must be protected at all times?

He needed answers soon before its too late.