Chapter Three: The Force Ghost
"What am I supposed to do with this?" Kairi asked herself after she stood up from her bed, leaving her bedroom and headed straight to the bathroom. "I can't keep it. This is not my lightsaber and Cal will flip his lid when he sees this! He probably said and gave me another lecture on our rules saying 'Kairi Jabami, why would you have that? You've promised me that you wouldn't do anything crazy with the Force-'". But her fast pace rambling talk was put to a halt when she looked up at the mirror to see that her black shoulder length was now to her waist and her purple forehead symbol had returned after 5 years of cutting herself from the Force.
Kairi's silver eyes widened in shock after she placed the lightsaber down on the counter, before touching her long black hair to see if it was just only hair extensions.
But it felt real when Kairi tried to pull it out as she gave out a yelping cry in pain.
"My hair is not supposed to be this crazy long. And my Force symbol… it came back!" Kairi responded to herself, as she backed away from the counter with her hands covering her mouth, until her back rested against the wall. "What am I supposed to do?" She asked herself once more, before she slid down onto the floor.
"Find the truth behind it. Find your answers and your destiny."
Kairi looked up and stared at the lightsaber which is where she heard the woman's voice once again.
"Great… a talking lightsaber. Now, I'm really losing it." Kairi responded to herself, before she saw it glow in front of her until a Force Ghost appeared, causing the 16 year old teen to move away in shock.
But this Force Ghost that stood before her happened to be the same woman from the nightmares and visions.
"Please don't be scared. I'm only here to help you."
"Oh no, no, no. Not this time!" Kairi responded as she quickly stood up and grabbed the lightsaber to throw it out of the window of the bathroom.
But the Force Ghost pulled it back as it rested in Kairi's right hand.
"Hey!" Kairi retorted as she looked back at the Force Ghost.
"Listen to me, Padawan of Rin Sotah. I'm only here to help. Not to cause trouble." The woman explained.
"And I don't need your help. Everything was alright with me and Cal being marooned here on Bracca, until I started having nightmares of someone's past!" Kairi explained back, after closing the bathroom window.
"Kairi… those nightmares and visions you've seen are a part of you. They are not mine." The woman responded, as Kairi was looking at her.
"They're mine? Are you sure because I can reassure you that I remember everything." Kairi replied as she put the lightsaber down on the counter.
"No. I can't tell you more. But everything before the Purge. And even before Coruscant are not your memories. They were changed." The woman explained, as Kairi watched her sit down on the bathroom counter and lifted up the 16 year old teen's blue hairbrush. "You must love your hair. I can really tell. That color of your hair reminds me of a certain someone I love." She responded as she was off topic before Kairi rolled her silver eyes.
"Back to the topic please? What can I do to regain them?" Kairi asked, before she went to the mirror to see if she can fix her long hair up into a new hairstyle.
"Here, let me." The woman responded before she got off of the counter and started putting Kairi's hair into a French braid with the rest of her hair down. "The truth is within the Force. I can only tell you this. But first, you have to get off this planet soon. Your adventure as a Jedi hasn't begun. You have to convince Cal that you have to leave. With or without him." She stated, as Kairi watched the Force Ghost put a blue ribbon in the back of it to hold it in place.
"That will be a no." Kairi disagreed after sighing to herself.
"Why is that? Are you hesitating, young Padawan?" The woman asked before getting the hairbrush to brush Kairi's hair.
"He will tell me no. I can't leave his side either. All thanks to Master Sotah, Cal can't break his promise." Kairi responded as she looked down at the sink.
"I can tell that he cares about you. But I can really tell… that you have feelings for him. Deep down, you care for him." The woman responded as Kairi left the bathroom and went into her bedroom.
"That's none of your business!" Kairi responded defensively as she showed an angry pout to the woman, before putting on her boots.
The woman giggled as she had one hand covering her mouth to hide her smile, knowing Kairi can't even see her face.
"Alright then, if you say so. Beside, Kairi Jabami, I believe that you two can do anything together as long as you two focus on the Force." The woman responded, before Kairi put on her poncho and grabbed her belt bag to put around her waist. "One more thing. We will talk again soon. Don't tell anyone about me. Just not yet. And… keep this with you." She explained, before she uses Force pull to bring her lightsaber to Kairi.
Kairi only stared at it for a few seconds before she managed to hook it on her belt bag.
"Alright. Before you go back to the lightsaber. I need to know your name. You are obviously dead and I can't call you Force Ghost or whatever." Kairi stated, before she walked into the hallway to grab her key to the apartment with the woman following behind her.
"Just call me by my name I was given when I was born. Iris." The Force Ghost named Iris answered, before Kairi turned around to face her.
"Like the flower? One strange name. But I'll accept it." Kairi responded, before Iris nodded until the 16 year old watched her disappear into the lightsaber. "Well… time to go." She whispered, before turning the door knob and leaving the apartment after locking it.
Catching the midmorning train to the work yards of Bracca, Kairi wanted to sit down, but she remembered that she had Iris' lightsaber on her, so she decided to stand up while keeping her head down, not to cause any attention.
Kairi was thinking about Iris had told her earlier that her memories of the past were false to the 16 year old teen, but she knew that she had to get off of Bracca somehow and reconnect with the Force.
But she feared that the Galactic Empire would find her and end her life if she was discovered.
Brushing that off at the moment, Kairi felt the train stopped moving as she got off when she arrived at the bar where she has been working for 2 years now. Her afternoon shift was just like any other day when working at the bar. She greeted a few customers, taking orders and serving them their orders, until Kairi saw two familiar faces enter into the bar, causing her to flash a smile.
"Hey, you two." Kairi greeted, before Kairi gave a side hug to Prauf who accepted it and the 16 year old ruffled Cal's ginger hair.
"Hey, watch it, Kairi." Cal responded as he laughed before fixing it until he and Prauf looked at the younger woman to see her long hair.
"So, how's work?" Kairi asked.
"Did you do something different to your hair, Kairi? I hardly recognize you, kid." Prauf asked, as Kairi kept her gentle smile on her face.
"Oh this? It's just… hair extensions. My coworker told me to add something or do something with it, instead of just having my hair up in a bun." Kairi responded as she lied, but Cal was just staring at it, before seeing a circular flat bandage on her forehead until he realized why it was there.
"What do you think, Cal? Does she look like a young woman, instead of the little girl back then?" Prauf asked, which Cal heard before looking back at him.
"No, she's still looks the same to me." Cal answered.
Kairi was in the middle of writing down a note by using a napkin as she heard that, knowing that irritated her as she felt like hitting Cal in the back of his head.
'I swear I'll put something in your dinner tonight, copperhead!' Kairi thought as she was seething while keeping her smile on her face.
"But I don't mind the new look. Kairi is still Kairi Jabami on the inside and out." Cal responded as Kairi calmed down before she finally finished the napkin note.
"Kairi, I've been telling him that he won't find someone he loves if he doesn't listen to me." Prauf stated as Kairi looked at him.
"Really?" Kairi asked as she smirked at Cal.
"Don't get any ideas, Kai. Right now, everything is okay just the way it is." Cal responded, as Kairi lightly touched his right hand to open it, before the 19 year old felt a napkin inside of his hand, indicating that it was a note.
"Whatever you say. That's usual Cal Kestis for you, Prauf. I'll be back with your usual." Kairi responded before she left.
Once Kairi walked away, Cal decided to look at the note as he hid it underneath the table.
"We need to talk when you get home. It's important, Kestis."
"Is that a love note I see?" Prauf asked jokingly, as Cal's emerald green eyes widened in shock, before putting away the napkin note in his pocket.
"No, it wasn't. It was a note from her telling me that she had something to say to me when I get back home." Cal answered defensively, before having his arms on the table.
"It's probably her telling her feelings about you." Prauf suggested.
"What makes you say that?" Cal asked as he looked at him.
"Listen, kid. I have watched over you two for the longest. But the more and more I see you two talk, it feels like you two are more than friends." Prauf explained.
"We're just only friends, Prauf. Back then, we didn't talk much in our past because Kairi was bullied for being short and shy. And to tell you the truth, Kairi is a mystery to me as we grew up. She's been acting strange recently." Cal responded, as he watched Kairi talked to a few of the workers from the scrapyard before seeing her laugh. "But it's a mystery worth finding." He stated.
After Kairi gave Cal and Prauf their drinks, Kairi stayed behind the bar the whole time as the two left to return back to the scrapyard.
A coworker informed Kairi that they were running out of berries to make their berry cocktails, which Kairi taken the offer to help out instead watching the time go by during her evening shift. As she went into the freezer part of the bar which was in the back of the building, Kairi started shivering as she felt the cold air through her black top and long white apron skirt which reminded her of the Bracca rain. Finding the Jogan berries, Kairi was having a hard time pulling them out from the fridge and she was quickly getting numb fingers. Using her breath to warm up her hands, Kairi suddenly heard Iris' voice in her mind
"Use the Force." Iris suggested.
"Are you crazy? No, I can't do that!" Kairi whispered while rubbing her hands together.
"Just this one time. I wish to find out how strong you are." Iris responded in Kairi's mind.
Kairi looked around to make sure that no other coworker was around to see it happen before she stepped back a few feet.
"Okay… Just this once." Kairi thought to herself.
Closing her eyes, Kairi concentrated on the silence before she raised her right hand to have it in front of the box of frozen jogan berries. Kairi breathed through her mouth as she felt her forehead symbol glow through her bandage, knowing that the Force was giving her the strength she needed.
Kairi felt the Force around her before the box quickly pulled itself towards her, until it hit her chest, causing the 16 year old teen to fall back against a rack of more frozen food.
"Above you!" Iris warned through Kairi's mind, before she quickly used the Force to slow down a falling box that was going to crush the young teen.
Quickly moving herself out of the way, Kairi heard the box slammed against the floor as she was breathing in and out through her mouth, after Iris had saved her from being injured on the job.
"Iris… thank you." Kairi whispered before she stood back up and went around the broken box, leaving the freezer.
When it was the end of Kairi's shift, she decided to clean up a few tables that the customers had left a mess with a few empty glasses and plates.
"Okay. Just tell Cal that I have a lightsaber that is connected to me. And I have to leave Bracca. Simple as that." Kairi thought to herself, before she saw three Stormtroopers walking into the bar with their blasters ready to fire.
"Can… Can we help you?" One of Kairi's coworkers asked as she sounded frighten in her voice.
"We want everyone out." One of the Stormtroopers announced.
Kairi gently placed down her washcloth on the table as she was holding onto her right wrist, before Kairi felt someone's hand touching her shoulder until she looked at Kie who happened to be the owner of the bar.
"Are you okay, Kai? You look nervous." Kie asked as she and Kairi left.
"What is going on?" Kairi asked.
"They're probably just going to search the place. No problem." Kie responded, before Kairi saw a few Purge Troopers holding a blaster which the 16 year old teen felt her own heart stopped until she heard a TiE fighter flying over and it landed a safe distance.
As Kairi got in line with the rest of her coworkers, she was having a hard breathing as she could feel that they were here for more than a search. The Bracca rainfall was still dripping down onto everyone she was looking down at the ground with her poncho hood covering her head, until she heard sets of footsteps approaching the line.
Slowly looking up, Kairi saw another Purge Trooper, but this one was different from them. He had a dual sided lightsaber and even a mechanical right arm as Kairi can tell that this one was the leader of the group that he came with.
"My, my… such beautiful young women working at a bar. Ages 16 to 28. I'm surprised that this place hasn't been shut down." The leader of the Purge Troopers responded in a haunting tone which sent shivers down everyone's spines. "Now, calm down. I'm only here for one person. No... I'm seeking two fugitives. One works here at this rundown bar you ladies run. And the other one works as a Bracca scrap rat. Don't be alarmed but I won't harm you all. Unless one of you turn yourself in." He explained, before the Purge Troopers aimed their blasters at the bar women lineup, causing shock and confusion to the workers.
"Oh no… I'm dead and so as Cal!" Kairi thought to herself, as she was copying the same thing so she wouldn't stand out from them.
"You really think having your hair long and covering your forehead symbol was going to make you stay hidden from me?" The leader asked, before Kairi felt the hood of her poncho being pulled down.
Kairi's eyes widened in shock as she felt her throat being grip, causing her not to breathe while the leader of the Purge Troopers was using Force Choke and pulled Kairi close to him once he managed to lift her off the ground.
As Kairi was unable to move, her eyes were staring up at the dark rainy sky before the leader made her look at him by grabbing her chin with his red and black glove.
"You have really grown the last time I've seen you. But don't worry. I won't hurt you… yet." He responded, as Kairi felt her forehead symbol glow through her bandage while she was fighting out of it.
Suddenly, she swung her left leg at the leader's helmet which her boot collided with his chin, causing her boot to fly up in the rainy sky.
Once Kairi was out of the Force chokehold and was able to breathe, she fell onto the muddy ground before she made herself invisible, causing the workers to scream in shock.
The Purge Troopers were looking around for Kairi as the leader was recovering from the younger woman's attack.
One of them shoot their weapon where Kairi was, but he didn't hear her cry out in pain.
"I know you are here, little miss disappear." One of the Purge Troopers responded while he was aiming his blaster, until he started yelling out in pain.
Everyone was seeing him getting hit from behind by an object, causing him to drop his weapon and fell into the muddy ground.
"Right there, you idiots!" The leader of the Purge Troopers retorted, before they saw muddy footprints running off. "Get that Jedi!" He yelled.
"Yes, First Brother!" The second Purge Trooper responded before they started running off to catch Kairi who was still invisible while First Brother stayed with the bar women.
"She's probably running off to find the second Jedi. Don't worry. I have sent her a little meeting buddy to greet her." The First Brother thought to himself, before he ignited his dual side lightsaber, causing the coworkers to scream in fright once again.
"Kairi, run! Run and don't look back!" Kie thought to herself, as Kairi was looking back to see the Purge Troopers were still shooting at her once she revealed herself.
In a blink of an eye, Kairi saw a flash of red when she saw The First Brother slaughtered her coworkers before she jumped onto the moving train when she slowed it down. When she made it, Kairi was looking back at the Purge Troopers who were stuck in that one spot, as she lost them when the train got faster.
Tears ran down her face as Kairi was catching her breath, before she started running through the compartments of the train to make herself blend into a crowded one.
"Almost there. Just hold on, Cal!" Kairi responded.
But when she made it to the second one, Kairi felt herself being electrocuted throughout her body as she was screaming in pain, before she passed out with one hit in the back of the head.
"Jedi scum. Tried to run away from me again, I see? And looks like you gave yourself away. Wait until Second Sister sees you along with the Emperor." The First Brother responded as he looked over Kairi's unconscious body.