Happy Veteran's Day! Hope you enjoy the chapter! I had this chapter ready for the longest time but was struck by a certain inspiration to add more to it which led to me writing another chapter between what I already had written and just about ready to go, as seen at the end. Meaning, the next chapter will take place directly after this, despite my tendency to jump forward in time between chapters.

Anyway, carry on lol.

1 ABY

Learning about the Force proved to be more difficult for the young Skywalker than anyone had previously conceived. He gladly absorbed all the information like a sponge, learning as many things about the Jedi as he could; however, his inability to control and use the Force continued to be a point of frustration not only for Luke but for his trainer as well.

The young Kenobi knew Luke could do it, feeling his strong connection to the Force far better than Luke himself could feel it, but Luke was too old. He had already learned so much in his nineteen, almost twenty years. Unlearning it all and starting new was the hardest thing he could possibly do. On top of the Force training, being a Lieutenant in the fight against the Empire didn't help. He had duties to attend to. Kal had already forgone most of her responsibilities in order to train Luke, but he wouldn't be able to do the same in order to learn.

Once Luke entered the secluded cargo bay to meet Kal for his daily training, he went to take a seat as he had done for the past few months. "Stay standing," a feminine voice called out. His dejected, solemn expression shifted into one of curiosity and confusion as he turned his head to face Kal who sat on one of the crates in the shadows. Kal hopped off the crate and strolled over to where Luke stood. "We're gonna do something different today."

Luke's eyebrows pinched together as he stood in front of the woman who had been attempting to train him in the ways of the Force. "Finally realize I can't use the Force?" he asked sardonically.

Rolling her eyes, Kal replied, "Switch off, Luke. You can use the Force, you've done it before, just not consciously. And remember, Jedi are supposed to be realistic, if not idealistic."

"I am being realistic." Luke folded his arms across his chest. "We've been at this for months and I haven't been able to move anything."

"Now you're being pessimistic," Kal argued.

"How is it so easy for you?"

Kal sighed softly as she studied the younger man. "I've been actively using the Force almost daily since I was maybe three years old. You haven't been aware of your connection to the Force for your whole life. That's not something you just move on from like flipping a switch. That's why the Jedi started training when they were young. It was easier that way. It still took a while, but it's easier to learn something the younger you are, especially if that's all you know."

Silence permeated the air as Kal let her words hang between them. What Luke needed to realize was that he wouldn't get it in a day. The frustration budding in Kal was due to her impatience at doing the same thing over and over again. She knew for certain that if she had been born while the Jedi Order was still around, she would never have willingly taken on a padawan of her own. This one had been forced upon her, much like Ahsoka had been to Anakin. Her father certainly had a way with people.

Unfolding his arms, Luke met Kal's eye. "What are we doing today? You said we're doing something different?"

Kal smiled at him. "Take out your saber," she ordered. Resisting the urge to chuckle at his excited eyes and grin, Kal unclipped her own and ignited it while Luke did the same. "The basics of all lightsaber combat come from Form I, Shii-Cho, the Way of the Sarlacc. Follow my movements." As she transitioned slowly between each basic move and maneuver the form employed, Kal instructed Luke with the importance of the lightsaber form. "Form I was the first form created in order to transition the Jedi from using metal swords to energy beam lightsabers. It established the basic rules of attacks, parries, and target zones and has two methods: the Ideal Form and Live Combat Form."

"What are the differences between the two?" Luke asked as both he and Kal entered back into the opening stance.

"Ideal Form is used in sparring with all of the moves executed perfectly, like when it's being drilled into your muscle memory," Kal explained, continuing the pattern of movements. "Live Combat Form is more practical with an aim to increase the speed and lessen your movements, which is better for instances of an actual fight." Like what you'll have to do with Vader, she thought. Your father.

"One to teach you what you need to know, and the other to simulate real life."

Kal nodded. "Exactly. Shii-Cho emphasizes victory without injury, so the majority of practitioners use a disarming method, sun djem. This is the form my dad started teaching you on the Falcon. It's the first form any Jedi learns."

Luke hesitated momentarily before continuing to copy Kal. It was the first time in a while that she had mentioned her father in front of him. She avoided the subject like the rakghoul plague. "Do all Jedi-in-training get blindfolded when learning?"

The bounty hunter chuckled. "Yes, but at a younger age. And they're called initiates. You start as a Jedi youngling or initiate until you pass the Initiate Trials to become a padawan."

Before Luke could reply, Kal raised her saber and brought it down on top of his in a quick slash. He yelped as he stared wide-eyed at the two lightsabers above his head.

"Good," Kal said. Kal then slashed at his side which he blocked again. His eyes flitted around trying to anticipate where she'd attack next. "Stop thinking." Kal feigned an attack in one spot in favor of his unguarded right leg, stopping next to his boot while he stared dumbly at her. "Trust your instincts." After blocking a few more attacks, Kal quickened her pace and disarmed Luke, catching his lightsaber in the air and holding it, ignited down at her side with her own saber pointed at him.

"How did you. . . " Luke trailed off, looking back and forth between each lightsaber.

"If you apply enough force at a certain point, you can disarm any opponent. As long as they don't see it coming." Kal slyly winked at him and handing back the Skywalker blade. "Try again."

After a few more run-throughs of the same variations, Kal started picking up the pace. Other than a few hiccups, the basic Form I wasn't much different across several weapons or even bare-fisted, and Luke had already been decently versed in fighting considering how often he found himself in trouble with thugs or even play-fighting with his friends. Shii-Cho was the first form for a reason. There had to be one to outline the basic movements, especially for younglings.

Kal sheathed her saber and stared at the panting Luke Skywalker who bent over his knees. "How do you do this for so long?" he asked. He wasn't not physically fit by any means. Lightsaber combat was simply a different type of workout that he wasn't used to.

"That's not even the most intensive form. Just wait until Ataru or Juyo." Kal placed her hands on her hips as she unapologetically raked her eyes over him.

Luke looked up at Kal from his bent-over position. "What's the least intensive one?"

"Soresu." She then shook her head as he stood up straight. "But just because something is less physically intense, does not mean it's easy. To master Soresu, one must be incredibly skilled and precise. It took me years to master." Kal paused as she thought of her next words. "A big part of lightsaber combat is using the Force." Luke's shoulders slumped, so she continued. "The Force allows you to keep fighting even when you're tired. It helps you anticipate your opponent's next attack before you would without it. I can teach you all I know, but if you don't open yourself to the Force, you'll never be a Jedi."

With that, Kal decided to end the lesson for the day, by walking out without another word or glance. Something was blocking Luke from using the Force, and he needed to figure it out for himself. She couldn't do that for him and it wasn't something that could be taught by someone else. You had to teach yourself to be calm and open and aware. Even with all of the guidance in the galaxy, you are your greatest obstacle. Or at least, that's what her father had always said.

She found herself by the escape pods. No thought in her mind led her to be tempted to get in one, instead, it was yet another empty area. Calmly igniting her lightsaber, Kal ran through various lightsaber forms. The basics of Shii-Cho. The quick footwork of Makashi. The defensive Soresu. The athleticism of Ataru. The straightforward Shien and Djem So. The balance and moderation of Niman. The aggression of Juyo and Vapaad.

Losing herself in her swings and steps, Kal almost didn't notice someone behind her. She only noticed as she held her saber a little too close to his neck. Immediately sheathing her blade, Kal let out a frustrated sigh. "Don't sneak up on me like that," Kal scolded, glaring at the older man.

Han's signature smirk graced his expression. "If I knew you would try to chop my head off, I would've howled."

Kal rolled her eyes as she clipped the hilt to her thigh. "What do you want?" she asked.

Leaning on the wall next to him, Han said, "Just wanted to see how you're doing. Haven't had much of a chance to talk since joining the circus. You still owe me an explanation, sweetheart." He looked pointedly at the still visible saber hilt.

Kal picked up her long coat from the floor and threw it on, covering the weapon. "It's a long story."

"I've got time." He gestured to the floor next to him as he sat down.

The young bounty hunter grumbled before sitting next to him. "Fine, I grew up on Tatooine, was trained to be a Jedi, instead ran away and became a bounty hunter. Happy?"

"Kal. . ." His stern brotherly gaze made her pause and sigh, her shoulders slumping as she leaned back against the cold escape pod. It was a long-overdue conversation. And it had to be done, she knew.

"I was born on Coruscant during the Clone War. My dad had a forbidden relationship with a handmaiden to a senator." She left out the part where said senator turned out to be Luke's mother. Han didn't need to know that before Luke did. "My mom died before the war ended. At the end of the war, my dad took me to Tatooine with him, into exile. As I grew up, he trained me to be a Jedi, to use the Force. But eventually, I learned we had different viewpoints so I left."

"Then you met Fett," Han said.

Kal shook her head. "No, before I met Boba, I met a band of rebels. One of them was caught with me in an interesting predicament and helped each other out. They were my introduction to the rebellion. I didn't join then though. Instead, I went back to Coruscant. I wanted to find a purpose, I guess. Then I met Boba. We were after the same bounty."

"And he didn't shoot you?" Han asked.

She chuckled at him. "No, he didn't shoot me." Kal resisted the urge to roll her eyes again. "He's not that bad once you get to know him. He took me in, taught me how to be a bounty hunter. Got me off of Coruscant. I joined the rebellion after his ship was attacked and we were rescued by the little band of rebels I had met after Tatooine. I learned one of them ha-had died. I joined for her. I became a spy for the rebellion for her."

Han nodded uncertainly. He didn't know what to say. He asked for her story and he got it. He didn't know what to make of it. "So. . . now you're training the kid, why?"

Kal didn't quite understand why he continued to call Luke "kid" all the time considering he was only a year younger than Kal and she didn't get called "kid" very often by him. "My dad asked me to."

"But why?"

Kal's eyes drooped as she looked at her feet. "Because he's Force-sensitive. And we've all got a part to play."

"Why do I feel like there's more to it than that?" Han asked.

"You can think what you want."

Han snorted and chuckled as he nudged her with his elbow. "Something's up between you two, whether you know it or not." A momentary pause spread between them before Han clapped his hands on his thighs. "Well, enough of the heart to heart. I lied earlier. I came to get you because command wants to run something by you."

She wanted to glare at him for manipulating her into spilling her story, but she was more confused at command needing her. They hadn't needed her or requested anything of her in a while. "What?" Kal asked. "What could they possibly want my opinion on?"

Han didn't reply, standing and offering his hand to her to help her off the floor. Kal took it and followed him to the command center.

Around the main console stood Hera, Rex, Sabine, Leia, General Dodonna, and the newest Gold Leader, Commander Crix Madine. Technicians and officers bustled about, but largely ignored the main group in the center of the room. The moment Hera spotted her, she greeted, "Kal! So glad you could make it. Was worried you might be busy with training since you didn't answer your comlink."

She had completely forgotten that she turned off her com. "Anything for my favorite rebels," Kal replied with a smirk as she turned her com back on and slid into place next to Sabine along with Han. "And consider me intrigued for being summoned in the first place. So, what's wrong this time?"

Everyone turned to General Dodonna. "Our supply ships have been having increasing difficulty with delivering supplies to our command ships. They've been coming underfire by various people who we believe are bounty hunters. The latest incident was with the Ghost." Dodonna pressed a button on the console and a blue hologram of the Ghost and another ship lit up. Kal's blood ran cold as she recognized the adversarial starship. "The Ghost's scanners picked up this ship during their encounter." Kal turned to look at the Ghost crew that stood by her. "They've said the ship belongs to the bounty hunter Boba Fett."

"Why am I here?" Kal asked, trying not to sound standoffish or accusatory.

Leia, from her spot next to Rex, was the one who answered her. "You're a bounty hunter. Have you met Fett before?"

Kal glanced at Rex who discretely shook his head, warning her not to answer truthfully. She didn't know why, but she decided to listen. He probably knew as well as she did that if she claimed to know Fett and had befriended him, it would not end well. "Not many hunters have had the pleasure. Why?" Thankfully, Han didn't call her out.

Leia sighed in frustration. "I guess I was hoping that if you knew him, you'd be able to talk him down or get information from him."

Kal folded her arms over her chest. "Then you don't know much about the hunter's creed. We stay out of each other's way."

"Bounty hunters have a code?" Madine asked, not exactly polite about his disbelief.

"It may seem ridiculous because we're lawless mercenaries or whatever you want to call us, but yes, we have rules," Kal answered, unamused at his tone. "Anyone who breaks them is no longer considered a reputable bounty hunter. Boba Fett has broken it enough times that guild members felt he didn't need protection from it. But that doesn't mean I'm going to break it." The reason Boba didn't particularly like the guild was because of their stuffy rules, though he did have his own code that didn't exactly follow the ones already laid out.

"Is there a way to get more bounty hunters on our side?" Leia asked. "This would be the perfect time to persuade them with the guild in shambles." Kal figured that even though the rebels knew the Bounty Hunter's Guild had been torn apart, they didn't know it had been done by Boba Fett himself, but she kept that tidbit to herself.

"The highest bid makes the rules." Dodonna and Madine wanted to curse at her words. The only way to get a bounty hunter to switch sides or even join a fight was to pay them. They knew it before Kal said it, they just didn't want to hear it.

"If we reach out to talk, do you think he'd show?" Sabine asked Kal. "Preferably without shooting?"

Pinching the bridge of her nose, Kal sighed. "He will if I do it. A good chunk of his bounties come from the Empire because they pay extremely well. He won't risk being drawn out by rebels who might possibly try to kill him. But he should agree to a meeting if he gets a call from me since I'm a hunter." She didn't enjoy lying to them or beating around the truth, but letting General Dodonna know about her connections just seemed like a bad idea. "I'll do it."

"You shouldn't go alone," Leia said. She nodded her head towards the smuggler standing beside Kal. "You should bring Han and the Ghost crew."

"No," Kal quickly argued, Han also voicing discontent at Leia's suggestion. Everyone around her looked at them strangely. "Fett hates Han with a burning passion."

"The feeling is mutual," Han grumbled. "Guy's tried to kill me too many times."

"If Fett sees him, he's likely to shoot him. If you're sending me with backup, it needs to be people he doesn't know or hasn't seen. So not Han or the Ghost." Madine was about to pitch in with some suggestions, but Kal cut him off before he could try by lifting her hand. "With all due respect, Commander, I want people I trust by my side. I won't go in with just anyone." Mostly because she knew how meeting Boba would go.

"Who do you suggest?" Dodonna asked. By his tone, he already knew who she wanted.

Kal gestured to Sabine next to her. "Wren, Antilles, Klivian, and Skywalker."

"You want almost half of Rogue Group?" Madine pointed out, absolutely incredulous at her words.

"It's who she knows best, Commander," Hera said sternly. Kal smiled softly at her. Of course, the only mother figure Kal had ever had would come to her aid. "She's worked with them before. If she's going in to negotiate with an infamous, unpredictable bounty hunter, she needs people who she knows has her back. And Sabine used to be a bounty hunter. Two hunters and three pilots against the best bounty hunter the galaxy has seen in centuries seems good to me."

Dodonna took a moment to think it over, stroking his beard. "I'll allow it. Gather what you need. You'll be authorized a YT-2400 light freighter." Kal nodded and the group disbanded.

Leia followed Kal, Han, and Sabine out of the command center. "Are you sure about this?" Leia asked as the four walked down the hall. "From what I've heard of, he's not exactly a forgiving man. Don't get me wrong, I'm glad you're taking as many people as you can, it betters your chances, but if things show any sign of going wrong, I want you to fall back and get out of there as fast as you can."

Admittedly, Kal appreciated her worry since it showed that she cared. But at the same time, it mildly sounded like the princess was questioning her judgment. "Leia, we'll be fine. He won't do anything rash as long as he doesn't feel threatened. Sabine, get your stuff. I'm going to find the boys."

"Yes, ma'am," Sabine said sarcastically with a mock salute and a grin before rushing to the Ghost to grab her necessary equipment.

Kal turned to Han and Leia, Han in particular. He nodded curtly and said, "Be careful."

The bounty hunter smiled. "Don't get all soft on me now, tough guy. I'll be back soon." She looked at the princess. "Take care of him." Then she left them, going to the main hangar bay. Two of the three flyboys she was searching for were already in there. Hobbie and Wedge were tuning up their X-wings as she approached them. "Hello, boys."

Both of them popped out of their respective ships with shit-eating grins to look at her. "Hey, hunter," Wedge greeted.

"Whatcha need, beautiful?" Hobbie asked as he leaned on the hard metal cockpit.

She resisted the urge to roll her eyes and pointed at them. "You two are joining me for a mission. Pack a bag and grab a blaster."

Wedge wiped off his hands with a rag. "What about Luke?" His smile was less than subtle so she actually rolled her eyes that time.

"Luke's coming, too."

"Coming because of you?" Hobbie clarified with a sly grin.

Kal groaned, a hundred percent understanding his meaning. "I'm seriously considering disinviting you two."

Hobbie shook his head. "Nope, too late. You're stuck with us."

"Just go put civilian clothes on."

"Want us to find Lieutenant Wonderboy?" Wedge asked.

"Yes, now go." Kal pointed harshly at the hangar bay exit. The two scurried off, both smiling like the pain in the asses they were. Kal made her way to the Falcon and picked up her weaponry and droid. Gray settled on her shoulder as she hooked her blaster pistols to her belt and grabbed her heavy blaster rifle and go bag, filled with emergency credits, first aid supplies, and dried food. She was ready for her rebel pilots to meet her mentor.