Chapter Thirteen: New Planet, New Problems
With Cere and Greez outside of the Mantis, the two Jedi Padawans decided to take a small break. After getting a small snack and a glass of blue milk, Kairi was left in the living room part of the ship while Cal was in the sleeping quarters, working on his lightsaber on the workbench.
Kairi was staring at the holo-like planets of Zeffo and Bogano on the holotable as BD-1 was with her. Remember a red sun from when she was inside of the Vault in Bogano, Kairi tried to search up 'red sun planets', until she saw Cal walking towards her.
Panicking, she quickly deleted it in the search bar, before looking back up at the holotable.
"Uh, where are we going again?" Kairi asked, as she was trying to ask her scared look.
"Kairi, you have to stay calm. It's not alright to be in fear." Cal explained.
"I know. But somehow, I got this funny feeling that the next planet we land on will have more strange creatures that I don't even know and more of the Empire searching for us. It's too much on me. I wish we were back at home on Bracca." Kairi explained, as she was leaning against the holotable with both of her hands.
"I wish for the same thing too. But there's no turning back for us, Kai. We have to accept it. Even Prauf's death. He helped us out until the very end." Cal responded, before Kairi rested her head on his poncho.
"I'm trying not to fear death. Or even the dark side, Cal. But it's hard." Kairi replied quietly, before Cal wrapped his arms around her gently while rubbing her back.
She slowly wrapped her arms around him, before hiding her face into it.
"I know… I know." Cal whispered.
With everyone back on the ship after when Greez managed to repair his ship, Cal set the course for Kashyyyk.
"I always wanted to go to Kashyyyk. I never met a Wookie before." Kairi explained as she sat down in her chair in the cockpit of the Mantis.
"You never get out much, do you?" Greez asked.
"I was always sheltered away from the outside world by my Master. I don't know why, but I think it was his way of protecting me." Kairi explained as she had one leg crossed.
"Master Sotah has always been with that. He was once an open minded Jedi Knight before he became a Master to his first Padawan." Cere explained.
"I thought I was his first. Who was the Padawan before me?" Kairi asked as she was confused.
"I'm not supposed to mention his name. But he was once a Jedi before he turned Sith. There's more to that story another time, Kairi." Cere stated.
"Okay, kid. Get in your chair. It's time to land." Greez stated, as they were about to jump out of hyperspace, before Cal sat down.
Arriving just outside of the atmosphere of the planet Kashyyyk, the group immediately took notice of a few ships which belonged to the Empire.
"Oh no!" Kairi responded in shock, before she turned invisible after she stood up from her chair.
"Kairi, no, don't do that." Cal told her as he thought that Kairi was using the Force to hide herself.
But just as he remembered, he couldn't feel her presence from behind like he would.
"Never mind." Cal stated before turning back around to start looking at the Empire's ships. "Tell me we're not going through that." He responded, as Kairi moved closer to get a better look.
"Captain, keep your power signature low and act like we belong." Cere instructed as Kairi looked back at her.
"Just like Bracca. No problem." Greez responded before he smacked Cal's hand away from the switches.
"Hey!" Cal exclaimed, before Kairi laughed at that.
"I don't need another pair of hands. Just please keep your eyes on the scanner. Please?" Greez explained, as Cal looked back at the Latero.
"Alright, alright. Alright." Cal responded before returning back to the scanner, until they all heard a lightsaber switching on from behind.
"Sorry." Kairi whispered as everyone saw her holding her lightsaber while she stayed invisible, before switching it off and putting it back on her belt.
As the Mantis got closer towards Kashyyyk, they managed to get past the enemy's ship, once they started entering the planet.
Flying through the planet, they came to see a bright blue sky along with so many trees surrounding the planet, but a few smoke signals and destroyed Wookie homes were seen from down below, knowing that the Empire was on Kashyyyk and taken over.
"It's so beautiful here… but how?" Kairi stated.
"The Empire has taken control over the planet. They turned the Wookies into imprisoned slaves or displaced them." Cere explained as Kairi looked back at her.
"That's so horrible." Kairi responded… until an enemy ship flew by as everyone was taken aback on how they nearly crashed into it. "What the… Owww, not again!" She exclaimed after landing on her butt.
"Kid, I thought you were watching the scanners!" Greez responded.
"Guerrilla fighters. Wookies and offworlders fighting off the Empire by ambushing an Imperial convoy. Walkers are approaching their positions." Cal announced.
"Could Tarfful be down there?" Kairi asked before revealing herself as she had her hand on Cal's chair.
"Look, you two, Tarfful could be anywhere! Like deep in the ground if we get caught up in that!" Greez explained after rolling his eyes.
"But we don't have any other choice!" Cal responded.
"You got a plan or something?" Greez asked as he looked back at the two Jedi Padawans while Kairi started walking around the cockpit until Cal stood up.
"I got it. Sabotage. We used walkers back on Bracca. Me and Kairi can jack one." Cal explained, before BD-1 jumped onto Kairi's back.
"Ha! Look at this kid! He thinks we're back in the Clone Wars!" Greez laughed before Kairi rolled her eyes.
"I think it's a good plan, old man." Kairi stated in annoyance before running towards Cal and Cere who were by the ship's door ramp.
"Kairi, I think you should stay here, just to be safe." Cere instructed, as Kairi looked at the older woman.
"No. Wherever Cal goes, I go with him. We stick together. It's part of our rules of survival, Cere." Kairi explained, as Cal looked at the short haired Jedi Padawan when he heard one of the rules which he constantly reminds her of for their safety.
"Alright. I'll go by your word. You two be careful." Cere stated, before Cal nodded.
"I'll add that to the plan." Cal responded.
"We will be. Just stay safe here." Kairi explained, before the ramp opened slowly as Cal and Kairi felt the wind blowing inside the ship. As Cal took a few steps ahead onto the raml, he was nearly blown off until Kairi caught him by his left wrist with both hands. "I got you, don't worry." She responded reassuringly, as she slowly moved onto the ramp.
Holding still, Kairi and Cal can see that they had a long jump ahead of them but as long as the two stick together after landing in the water, the two Jedi Padawans should be okay for now.
"If you're jumping now, now it's the best time to do so." Greez responded over their comm links.
"Ready, Kai?" Cal asked loudly over the roaring wind while Kairi's silver eyes widened in shock, before nodding quickly and holding onto Cal's wrist with her eyes closed. "BD? Ready for a swim?" He asked, before the droid beeped in reply as he nodded his head.
They jumped off as Kairi let go of Cal's wrist, before the two pinched their nose before they landed in the lake.
Kairi was the first to swim up to the surface of The Origin Lake as she started coughing, while trying to stay calm.
"Cal? BD-1?" Kairi called out while looking out for them.
Moving her damp hair out of her face, Kairi saw BD-1 next to her as the droid looked at her.
BD-1 beeped out a question as Kairi smiled.
"Yeah. I'm good. But where's Cal?" She asked, before feeling someone gripping onto her feet until Cal was finally up on the surface of the lake.
Quickly grabbing a piece of log, Kairi immediately held onto it before Cal had BD-1 on his back.
"I can't swim, Cal. Give me a minute to catch up." Kairi stated, before she felt Cal pushing her onto the log.
"Don't worry, I'll push. Just hang on." Cal responded, before Cal started pushing the log.
As the two were navigating their way through the lake, avoiding missiles, blaster shots or any falling debris from the walkers, Kairi immediately grabbed onto the vines that were on the nearest walker leg before Cal followed behind her.
"I miss climbing." Kairi responded, as she was reminded of how she used to be a great climber.
"Brings back times when you climb into trees back on Coruscant." Cal replied with a laugh as he was catching up with her.
"No shoes. No gloves. No problems with me." Kairi explained, before she immediately stopped moving when she was nearly hit by more missiles. "That almost killed me!" She exclaimed, before moving once again.
Reaching toward the top of the walker, Kairi lifted up Cal's hand as he helped him up before walking towards the hatch when a Stormtrooper got shot out of it.
"Ladies first." Cal mocked, before Kairi smirked at him.
"Why thank you." Kairi responded before jumping down the hatch.
Moving out of the way, Cal was behind Kairi before they managed to find a way to the front of the walker's control room after taking care of a few Stormtroopers who were reporting about dead casualties during the ambush.
Walking into the control room, Cal and Kairi slowly snuck up from behind the Stormtroopers who were minding the controls as BD-1 stood in the middle of the two Jedi Padawans.
"I bet they didn't see that coming!" One of them responded
"My family came here on vacation once." The second one stated.
Kairi looked at the Stormtroopers with confusion as she was interested in the conversation that they were having.
"Before the Empire?"
"Yeah… Weird to be back like this."
Kairi had both of her hands covering her mouth, before looking back at Cal who was giving her a signal.
He moved closer to her left ear which caused Kairi's cheeks to glow a light red.
"Use your invisibility and knock them out." Cal whispered.
Kairi nodded with a smile, before Cal watched her turn invisible until both of her hands were resting on the back of the Stormtroopers' helmets, slamming their heads down.
"Success!" Kairi responded, before pulling the Stormtrooper in the passenger side seat out while Cal pulled the other one out.
"Good job, Kai." Cal praised, before he sat down in front of the controllers, as BD-1 was next to Kairi.
Figuring out what to turn on, Kairi waited on Cal before she jumped when she saw a hologram of a Stormtrooper calling in.
"Report! What's happening? You inviolated Imperial Code Protocol Z-207-" The hologram of the Stormtrooper stated after seeing both Cal and Kairi.
"Can one of you shut that guy up?" Cal asked.
"Stand down-"
BD-1 used his scomp link to drill a hole into the panel which made it stop.
"Scared me there." Kairi stated before relaxing back, as she pushed the throttle and the walker started moving.
"Let's do this." Cal responded with a smile and Kairi did the same as she nodded.
As Cal started moving the AT-AT, he started firing the missiles while Kairi was keeping her eyes open for anything in their path as BD-1 was hoping all around her side.
The two fought their way through the lake, blowing up Imperial ships, walkers and even Stormtroopers, until someone with metal armor used a grappling hook to land onto the walker which caught Cal and Kairi's attention.
"Hey! Who are you?" He asked.
"Someone who just brought an AT-AT to the table. Who are you?" Cal asked back.
"Someone who just wants to make the Empire angry. We're advancing onto a landing pad, wouldn't mind the extra fire support." He stated.
"Copy that!" Kairi responded, before he left.
When the two made it towards the landing pad after taking out a bridge that had Stormtroopers on it, Cal continued to fire missiles at the Stormtroopers, before Kairi noticed an enemy ship in front of them who was trying to flee.
"Cal!" Kairi cried as she pointed towards an enemy ship that was about to crash into them, but in a quick and instant way… she pulled the ginger haired Jedi Padawan away from the controllers until the ship impacted the AT-AT.
Glass flowen everywhere as Cal and BD-1 held on tight when the walker crashed onto the ground. Smoke started filling up as Cal started to look for Kairi who saved him at the last minute.
To his shocking surprise, Kairi's head was bleeding on the left side as a glass shard was sticking out. Quickly pulling Kairi out of the chair, he heard her make noise as she managed to open her silver eyes to stare at his green ones.
"We… did it!" Kairi responded gently, thinking that she got a headache from the impact.
"Come let's get you out." Cal stated, before he opened the hatch door, knowing he was trying to keep Kairi calm without her knowing about the large glass shard.
He climbed out of it before BD-1 jumped out of it, before Cal managed to pull Kairi out of the walker until he had her on his back.
"Are you okay, BD?" Cal asked after BD-1 jumped out of the hatch door.
BD-1 trilled and beeped to Cal before looking back at Kairi who had a tired smile on her face.
"Yeah! Again!" Kairi responded, knowing that the bi pedal droid wants to get into another walker and cause more destruction to the Empire.
"No, you two, we're not doing that again." Cal responded with a laugh, before lifting up Kairi as he noticed that she was slipping off.
"Old times, Cal… old times." Kairi responded as she managed to wrap her arms around him while resting her head sideways. "I have this pounding headache… and some horn growing out of my head." She stated before lightly touching the glass shard.
"You two just destroyed a perfectly good walker." The man from earlier responded as he walked up to the two Jedi Padawans and the bi pedal droid who was next to his owners. "She doesn't look too good. Is she alright." He asked.
"She needs help quickly. There's a glass shard in her head." Cal stated as Kairi started touching it again.
"Cal… what is this?" Kairi asked as she started to feel tired…
A/N: This girl can't even catch a break getting hurt or placing herself in front of enemy lines! The next few chapters will be different from the story mode version. So, get ready!