4 BBY
For the few days that followed, Kaleena got to know Ahsoka and her role in the rebellion. She also heard plenty of stories regarding her parents. But she had to cut the time short. She couldn't stay with the Ghost forever. Well, she could, they'd probably let her, but the Force was telling her not to. It was almost telling her that she needed to stay as far away from the Ghost and her crew as Kaleena possibly could get, so she decided to go with Ahsoka who would take her off of Garel. Her and Ahsoka had already talked about it. Kaleena just needed to tell Ezra and the rest of his crew.
Ezra was outside practicing his lightsaber skills. Chopper was shooting a blaster at him. Kaleena had to admit it would be more effective for an unpredictable droid to shoot than a preprogrammed training droid like Kaleena had practiced with.
"Hey, Kal, watch this!" Ezra exclaimed upon seeing her. He then attempted to deflect the numerous incoming blasts from Chopper to hit helmets that were set up in the background. But one of the blasts hit him instead. "Ow!" Chopper beeped in a way that mimicked a laugh.
Kaleena smiled and shook her head at him. "You're trying too hard," she informed him. "You have to let the Force flow through you. Let it guide you. It's a constant part of you, not something that you call on to help occasionally." Ezra paused at her words before making himself relax and feel the Force around him and in him. "Stop seeing the Force as some separate entity. Let it fill your senses, your very being. It makes you stronger, faster, instinctive. Don't be afraid to use it. You should be able to use it without thinking about it, but you have to open yourself up to it."
The teachings that were passed down from her father were now passed on to Ezra. Kaleena no longer felt like she had been completely taking advantage of their hospitality as she saw her words have an effect on the younger Jedi.
After a few moments of sort of meditating, Ezra opened his eyes, his stance much more relaxed than it had been earlier. He nodded at Chopper, who started shooting the blaster once again. This time, Ezra deflected every shot and even hit multiple helmets with the blaster bolts but still not all. He sheathed his lightsaber with a huge grin, turning to Kaleena. "Thanks!" he told her.
His grin was infectious, but Kaleena still felt sad at the thought of leaving her new friend. She had to though. The longer she stayed, the more the sense of unease grew within her. "Do you have a minute?" she asked.
"Uh, yeah, sure." Ezra was immediately awkward like he knew something was wrong.
The two young Jedi watched each other as Kaleena figured out what to say, but she wasn't good with words, leading her to simply blurt everything out. "I'm leaving with Ahsoka at sunset."
Ezra's eyes widened in surprise. He didn't think she'd leave so soon, especially since he knew she was having a good time, that she was growing comfortable. "Wait, what, why?" He stumbled over his words.
Kaleena folded her arms over her chest. She was never exactly comfortable talking about her feelings. Probably something she grew accustomed to through Jedi training. It was something her and her dad had in common. "I told you I wasn't making any promises about staying."
The boy kicked the ground. "I know. I guess I just thought you'd be here longer."
"Look on the bright side, you know there's more Jedi out there." Kaleena shrugged her shoulders nonchalantly, trying to brighten the mood a little. It worked. Ezra chuckled at her statement. "I know who to call if I get into trouble."
Ezra nodded and glanced at the sky. The sun would set soon. Leave it to a Jedi to wait until the last possible moment to leave. "Don't be a stranger." He held his hand out and Kaleena shook it. Kaleena gave him a slight nod of respect before walking back up the ramp and to the cockpit. Hera was inside, planning the next mission.
The Twi'lek looked up at the young girl as she walked in, the door shutting behind her. "Hey, what's up?" Hera asked, concerned at the look on Kaleena's face.
Kaleena twirled her fingers as she spoke. "I just wanted to say thanks for taking me in. Ahsoka's prepping her ship right now, and I'm going with her."
"I know." While abrupt, Hera was calm and understanding. "It's written all over, but you don't have to be ashamed of it, Kaleena." The young Jedi's head dipped down, causing Hera to rest a hand on her shoulder. "You're doing what you have to. Just know that if you ever need us, we'll be there."
Kaleena gave her a sheepish smile and nodded. "You have a nice family here. I have to find my own."
"Do you know where you're gonna go?" Hera inquired.
Shaking her head, Kaleena answered aloud, "I still need to figure that out, but Ahsoka promised to take me personally, after telling me stories about my parents. That was a specific request from her. I think she has some funny stories that she really wants to share with someone who knows who she's talking about. And if her and Rex talk about them they'll probably just get sad."
Hera completely understood her meaning, nodding with a distant look like she had already seen it happen. "Well, I won't hold you. Take care of yourself."
"I will." With that, Kaleena walked out of the cockpit to find Kanan. He wasn't outside, and she didn't see him in the galley, so Kal knocked on his bedroom door.
The door slid open to reveal Kanan sitting in the center of the room, legs crossed with a holocron in front of him. Kanan gestured to the floor on the opposite side of the holocron. "Come in and sit." Kaleena, while slightly weirded out, closed the door and sat on the floor. "I wanted you to see something before you left. Open it."
Kaleena stared at the blue Jedi holocron sitting on the floor. She wanted to ask what was on it. She wanted to ask where he got it. She almost didn't want to open it. The Force was prodding her to do it anyway. She reached out with the Force, turning the pieces of the holocron and opening it.
"This is Master Obi-Wan Kenobi." Kaleena's eyes snapped open at the sound of her father's voice. There he stood in a hologram above the opened holocron. "I regret to report that both our Jedi Order and the Republic have fallen, with the dark shadow of the Empire rising to take their place. This message is a warning and a reminder for any surviving Jedi: trust in the Force. Do not return to the temple. That time has passed and our future is uncertain. We will each be challenged. Our trust, our faith, our friendships. But we must persevere, and in time, a new hope will emerge. May the Force be with you, always."
The hologram flickered off and the holocron closed, leaving the room in silence. Her father's last message to the Jedi. Seeing him young, in his Jedi robes, and standing tall and strong was almost unbearable. It reminded her of the Jedi she had wanted to be as a kid. She didn't think she could make herself be that person anymore.
"I'm not going to pretend to know what happened between you and your father," Kanan began, looking and sounding sincere, "but I do know that Master Kenobi is one of the wisest and strongest Jedi I have ever met. And I don't mean in physical strength. Everyone respected him, even his enemies. If he has hope, I have hope. His words have helped me get this far and make a difference. Wherever you go, whatever you do, find your purpose. It may not all be alright, but you'll do good, kid."
"Thank you, Kanan."
"Be safe out there, Kaleena. It can be pretty difficult at times. Keep your head up." Kanan stood and held out his hand, helping Kaleena off the floor. "May the Force be with you."
"May the Force be with you."
"Oh, and one more thing." Kaleena paused at the door and looked back at Kanan. "You should cut your padawan braid. I think Ahsoka will agree. None of us are padawans anymore."
Kaleena smiled, nodded, and left the room. She met up with Ahsoka right as the sun was dipping below the horizon. She strapped herself in as Ahsoka lifted off, leaving the Ghost crew behind on Garel.
After leaving the upper atmosphere, Ahsoka looked at the young girl sitting in the copilot seat. "Have you picked somewhere?" Ahsoka asked.
Kaleena stared out at the vastness of the stars and the darkness of space, fingering her padawan braid that hid under her hair. After seeing Kanan's holocron and her dad's message, she knew exactly where she wanted to go.
"Coruscant. Take me to Coruscant."
Sorry for the shorter, filler chapter, but I hope you like it and review!