Different journeys AU
It was a month ago that the Clone War had ended. When the news broke, many celebrations across Ryloth started. The Syndullas were planning a family reunions to celebrate. The CIS who had conquered, looted , and oppressed the Ryloyh were gone forever.
As a gift to Hera, Syndulla's parents bought her two new space ships, a Republic ARC and a vulture droid. Her father didn't like the idea of buying her the droid ship, but Hera told him that the republic ship needed something to fight. Right now she was playing with her new toys.
Hera was a green skin twi'lek girl of about 11. She had on loose-fitting khaki shirt and pants. She also had a flight cap and goggles. Her mother had made the cap for her after she told her mom she wanted to be a pilot. She was also barefoot. Her mother always told her that she shouldn't run around the Rocky hills near their house but nothing bad has ever happened before so she continued to do it. Playing Starfighter become her favorite game. She liked to run down the rocky hills with two toy starfighters in hand, pretending she was flying one of them on a mission for the republic to stop the evil CIS.
She always thought spaceships were cool. But she fell completely in love after the battle of Ryloth. Seeing the beautiful republic spaceships piloted by brave clone pilots liberate her home planet. That was when she knew for sure that being a pilot is what she wanted to be. It was honestly one of the happiest days of her life. When the ship first appeared overhead everyone in town had stopped what they were doing to go outside and watch the ships. A lot of her neighbors had believed that the republic had abandoned them and that they would never come. But that wasn't true, the republic had not forgotten them and the sight of the ships renewed their hope.
There was a CIS artillery position near their home. They could see the republic y-wing bombers attempting to take it out. CIS anti aircraft guns fired on the bombers. The y-wing made several passes but they kept missing the position. One bomber was hit and spun out and crashed. She remembered feeling fear in that second, maybe the republic wasn't going to win, that the CIS would rule over her plant forever. But then a blue plasma torpedo from one of the y-wings finally hit its target. the artillery positions magazine caused a large explosion destroying position. All the twi'leks burst into cheers knowing that was finally the beginning of the end of the occupation. The republic was going to win.
XXX
Caleb was a Jedi Padawan who had survived order 66. He was on the run from the newly-formed empire. He had come to the planet of Ryloth to seek shelter. Caleb didn't know who he could trust but he had heard of the legends of Cham, Syndulla the freedom fighter leader of the free Ryloth movement. He fought with the Jedi during the battle of Ryloth. Hhe was also distrustful of Palpatine, and other high ups within the republic government. Caleb hope that Cham would hide him from the empire and help him find out what happened to his master. He had gotten separated from her during order 66. He should have tried harder to stay with her.
The smuggler who had helped him get to Ryloth had refused to land him in the capital of the Tann Provence. He had dropped off Caleb a few clicks outside of the town. He was pretty sure he was going the right way but he wasn't sure. It had never occurred to Caleb that Cham might have been from such a remote part of Ryloth. Cham had been a politician before he became a freedom fighter. He had been governor of the remote Tann Providence. He had recently moved back into the governor's residence after the CIS had been defeated on Ryloth. Caleb hoped the home would be easy to find.
Then he saw a green skined little twi'lek who is running barefoot down a Rocky Hill. He then heard her scream in pain and then tumble 10 feet down the hill. She fell on the ground in the heap and then began crying while holding one of her injured foot.
Caleb knew that it might not be the smartest decision to help her. He didn't know who I could trust here and she could turn him over to the empire. But he was a Jedi and it's his job to help people and something that his Master would want.
He walked over to the poor girl and as gently as possible picked her up put her on a rock where he could take a look at her foot.
XXX
Hera had stepped on a piece of glass. Pain shot through her foot which caused her to trip while she was running.
It felt like she went in slow motion as she fell down the hill. Both of her new toy spaceships flew out of her hands.
She fell about 10 feet in a heap. Hera was in so much pain she started to cry. She looked at her wounded foot it was bleeding she was dreading having to walk home on it.
She felt herself picked up and was placed on a rock.
She took a good look at a person who picked her up. When she saw him, she stopped crying just stared at him. He is a human teenager with tan skin, was thin but looked athletic, short brown hair with one small braid going down, he was wearing a robe and had blue eyes.
He was the first human teenager Hera had seen in real life. She had seen human teenagers in the holonet but never one in person. She had seen a few humans before, when the clones liberated the planet. Also some human businessman from Ryloths and the bigger cities who had been invited to their home during her father's galactic Senate campaign about 5 years ago.
The human teenager looked very pretty. Definitely the prettiest human she had ever see it ever seen maybe the prettiest boy she had ever seen in general. Hera didn't speak to him. She kind of had the feeling like if you like see a wild bird maybe if she spoke she might scare him off.
Then the pretty human spoke .
"I saw you fall are you okay?" he said with genuine sounding concern in basic.
Hera even though she knew basic, said nothing. Her parents wanted her to be able to know the most widely spoken language in not only the republic but the entire galaxy, had hired a tutor. She wanted to empress the human with her mastery of his language. But found she still had no voice. She nodded a little, hoping that he would understand that she meant yes.
"Can I take a look at your foot? I think it might be hurt," he asked
Hera hesitated she had just remembered something her mom said about humans. She said that most of them were good, but that she had to be careful around human boys. Warning Hera that some of them have twi'lek fever. her mom said she also told her to never alone with a human boy or accept food and drink from them.
For a second, she felt a little bit afraid, that she might get in trouble if her mom not only for not wearing shoes, but spending time with the pretty teenager.
She was brought out of the her thoughts by the sound of the human's voice.
"My name is Caleb Dume. I'm a Jedi you can trust me. Please, I just want to make sure you're okay," said Caleb
Really! A Jedi. Hera always wanted to meet one. She didn't get a chance to during the battle of Ryloth. Only clones had been sent to her province. The Jedi had been sent more important parts of the battle.
She heard stories about how the Jedi were kind, stoic, and brave. Her father had told her stories of the Jedi he had met as leader of the free Ryloth movement. He told her that even though he was distrustful of the republic he had a great respect for the Jedi.
And he did look like he could be a Jedi. He had on the robe, he had the braids that she had read that padawans often had. And he had a lightsaber attached to his belt that Hera just now noticed.
If he was a Jedi, Hera thought that meant she could trust him. A Jedi couldn't possibly have twi'lek fever. He probably just saw her fall and wanted to help that's what Jedi are supposed to do after all.
She stretched out her foot to the Jedi. He held it in his hand gently almost as though she was made of glass and he was afraid if he held her too hard she would shatter. He started looking at her foot intensely to see if it was all right. Hera blushed deeply at the contact.
The young twi'lek tried her best to keep still, but when the Jedi padawan's fingers trailed over a particularly ticklish spot, her foot twitched involuntarily. The boy's hands instantly stilled. "I'm sorry. Did I hurt you?"
Hera though the question silly, considering how careful he was. But he had such a severe look about him that she bit her lower lip uncertainly. Instead, she simply shook her head mutely, her lekku subconsciously echoing her impatience to get moving.
Eerily intense eyes regarded her for a fraction longer before he returned to his ministrations. "I don't believe it's broken," he finally said after a few more careful presses. "Just swollen. Ruptured blood vessels," He then reached into his belt, digging through what seemed like emergency supplies. "I'm sorry, I can't fix this. I don't have the proper equipment. Only have a few kolto strips with me." And while it didn't seem possible, the frown on the boy's face seemed to grow two-fold.
Did he honestly think she blamed him? Hera had zero supplies on her. In fact, she had been prepared for an arduous, painful limp back home though the rocky terrain. Kolto strips were fine. Fantastic even. She wanted to tell him all this but she still found she couldn't speak.
Nodding, the padawan began wrapping the strips around her injured foot. He performed his task with unfailing intensity, as if handling some precious cargo. It felt strange being the focus of such attention. Especially from a Jedi, a Jedi with unnervingly strange coloured eyes. And though she would never admit it to a living soul, she began to understand the aesthetic appeal of human eyebrows. His, after all, were very pretty.
Distractedly, Hera abruptly snapped to attention. Had he been talking to her? She blinked mutely at him, eyes wide, before flicking back down to her neatly bandaged foot. Oh.
"Can you try standing?" he said, dusting his dirt-stained white pants.
Hera pushed herself off her rocky seat nimbly but the moment her weight settled on her injured foot, pain shot back up instantly. Before she could even stumble, let alone wince, the Jedi padawan had already caught her, instantly shifting her balance back onto her good foot.
"Carefully!" he admonished, strange not blue, not green eyes fixing into a frown. "The kolto strips will take time to reduce the swelling. It's not instantaneous,"
Hera pursed her lips, pouting miserably. She shot a glance skywards and now it was her turn to frown. The boy Jedi followed her gaze, squinting against the sun which was getting close to the mountain tops on the horizon.
It would be night soon and Hera had been out longer than she thought. It would be hard to navigate the steep rocky terrain in the dark and there were nocturnal predators that could be dangerous.
It was starting to get dark enough that she could see the glow from the lights of her family's house. The Jedi saw what she was looking at.
"Is that where you live?" asked the Jedi.
Hera nodded.
"I'll walk you there" the Jedi offered. He offered his hand to her.
Hera eagerly took it. She thought it felt nice holding his hand. She blushed a little bit she hoped that with it getting darker he wouldn't notice.
That's they walk she started to stumble a little bit. He put his arm around her and let her lean on him as they walked but it was still hard for her.
The boy spun away sharply, muttering something under his breath. His fingers tapped his chin rapidly before he seemed to come to a decision. "Okay, new plan," he announced. The twi'lek tried very hard not to stare at his pretty human brows.
"Climb onto my back. I'll carry you down. We should make better time this way. I promise I'll be careful," Caleb assured her.
And that is how Hera later found herself tightly clutching the Jedi's back while he stumbled his way through the rocky slopes.
XXX
Hera was doing okay on Caleb's back. She was afraid that he would trip and she would fall couple times but other than that she had no complaints.
During the walk she fantasized about what good friends she and the Jedi could be. She thought about showing him the astromech droid she was trying to repair that she had named the droid chopper. He came from the crashed y-wing during the republic's liberation of the planet. Unfortunately both the gunner and the pilot had died. Hera decided she wanted to repair the Droid that had been abandoned.
She also wanted to show Caleb her collection of toy starships. That is when she remembered when she fell she left both of her toy starships behind. They're both new toys she couldn't lose them already.
"Jedi we need to go back!" Hera urgently told the Jedi. In basic but with the common twi'lek accent.
When he heard her voice Caleb was so startled that he almost dropped her.
"You can talk," Caleb said, surprised. Caleb was beginning to think she was mute or at the very least didn't speak basic. Sure, it seemed like sometimes she might have understood what he was saying but he was not 100% sure.
"Yes, I can talk. I am very well educated," Hera said. "Please Jedi, we need to go back and I left behind something very important when I fell."
"What did you leave behind?" asked Caleb. Caleb wondered what she could have left behind, but he couldn't think of anything. But from the tone of her voice, it sounded important.
"My two toy starfighters," Hera said, a little agitated that he hadn't turned around yet.
Caleb frowned a bit after hearing that. From how urgent she made it sound he was a little disappointed that she just wanted him to go back for her lost toys.
"But we're already halfway to your house. Can't you just get them tomorrow" asked Caleb
"No, tomorrow I might not be able to find them again! They could be lost forever!" Hera paused for a second to come up with some smart sounding basic words. Since, she was talking to him she want to impress him with her mastery of his language. "And they have great sentimental value," she added.
Hera felt proud of the words she had chosen. Then she realized she never introduced herself. "My name is Hera."
Caleb let out a long sigh. He really didn't want to go back for the toys. But what difference would a few more minutes of carrying her really make?
After walking back a few minutes he set Hera on the rock he first put her when they met. He took out a flashlight and use the light to start looking for the toys.
He found two toy starships. They were nicer than he was expecting. Even though he had recently decided he was too old for toys, he still kind of wanted them. And, yet, he still didn't think they were worth coming back for.
He picked both of them up and took them over to Hera. When she saw him with her ships her face lit up with a big smile and she squealed a little bit with joy.
When Hera held her toys she felt like a weight had been lifted off her shoulders. Hera thought about how both toys were very cool and it would have been sad to have lost them after only one day of having them. The Arc was a little scratched but she could just pretend that that was battle damage. Hera then thought it would be polite to thank the Jedi specially after he did this reluctantly.
"Thank you so much. You're the best Jedi ever," Hera said, holding both the toy spaceships close to her chest.
Seeing how happy finding her ships made her, Caleb felt a little bit better about going back for the toys. But he has doubts that he's the best Jedi ever.
In his, head he pictures a the bust at the Jedi archives in the Jedi library with a librarian leading a tour group of younglings. The group stops to look at it bust of his head and the Jedi librarian says, "This is Jedi Master Caleb Dune, the legendary finder of lost toys."
Caleb smiles slightly for the first time in a while. "All right Hera, let's take you home."
XXX
Cham Syndulla looked out over the balcony of his home. After being gone for such a long time, he is happy to be home, reunited with his wife and daughter. Despite the planet liberation of his planet, he is worried for the future of his people.
Cham was an orange skinned twi'lek. Today, he had on a loose-fitting robe he thought it felt good to wear something so casual. In his time as both a politician and a freedom fighter, he felt pressure be well-dressed all the time. He put on a brave face he made a public statement on the holonet praising the Republic military for finally defeating the CIS and ending the destructive conflict of the clone war. In order to celebrate his family was going to have a family reunion at his home.
But Cham never fully trusted the Republic and he didn't trust them now. They had become the empire. On the holonet, the Chancellor, now emperor, seemed honorable and yet, Cham never trusted him because of the man's friendship with Cham's hated the political rival, Senator Taa.
Cham wasn't sure how he felt about the Jedi coup attempt. It seemed unlikely the Jedi would overthrow the government they have sworn to protect. He reminded himself that he was only hearing the empire's side of the story. The Jedi probably thought they had a good reason to do it.
The empire had recently requested that the free Ryloth movement be disbanded and turn in their weapons over to the Empire since it was no longer necessary for them to be armed. But Cham was not convinced. He worried he might one day have to fight a war against this empire. He told his soldiers to go home and hide their weapons instead of turning them over to the Empire. They would be needed if need ever arose. He had reported to the empire that all the weapons were either lost or destroyed during the battle against the separatists. He hoped they would believe it. He was hopeful that war with the Empire would never come. A war with the Empire would be harder than the one against the separatists. There'll be no ally to save them. Ryloth would have to stand alone against the might of the Empire. For now, he would just have to hope for peace and be prepared for war.
XXX
A pretty green skinned twi'lek in her early thirties stood in the kitchen watching the cook and his staff prepare the meals. She was dressed in a tank top that showed off her abs and was wearing shorts. Normally, she wouldn't to wear something so revealing, but it was such a hot day.
Rhea, Hera's mother, was starting to get worried about Hera. Hera had gone out to play a long time ago. Rhea noticed Hera and had not worn her shoes again. She was worried that Hera might have stepped on a piece of glass or a scorpion. She probably shouldn't have let Hera go out to play unsupervised, but she was preoccupied with planning the family reunion.
Then one of the family's servants came up to her. The servant gave a curtsy before telling her what was on her mind. "Mrs. Syndulla, your daughter is back and she brought a strange human boy back with her. I have never seen him before I thought you should know."
"A human? Where could have he come from?" thought Rhea. The Tann province was almost 100% twi'leks. She honestly had a fear of human men. When she was a little girl, she lived in an affluent neighborhood in one of Ryloth's larger cities. The neighborhood had a minority of humans. When you think of Ryloth you think of twi'leks, not humans. Even though there have been humans living on Ryloth for hundreds of years they actually make up 20% of the planets population.
As a teenager she wasn't afraid of humans. She had a few human friends and occasionally would go out on dates human boys. She even worked at a restaurant that was popular with human tourists. But after one truly awful experience with tourist at that restaurant that changed everything. Since then, being around a human, a human male especially, caused her great fear and anxiety. It became impossible for her to continue living in her home city. She had to get away, so she moved to the Tann province, and felt much calmer living among her own kind. She didn't like the idea of her little girl spending time with a human boy.
Xxx
Outside, Hera and Caleb had just got to the house. It was nicer than Caleb was expecting. Ruloth had always been famous for its high rates of poverty.
Caleb was about to knock on the door, when Hera said, "You don't have to knock. You can just walk in."
"Are you sure that's allowed?" asked Caleb.
"It's my home, too, and I say you're allowed to come in," replied Hera.
Caleb hesitantly walked into the home. It looked very nice with its traditional twi'lek art and furniture, but it also had streamers and other decorations. Caleb wondered if some kind of twi'lek holiday was coming up or maybe it was for a party to celebrate the end of the clone wars.
Caleb knew that many people all over the galaxy were celebrating the end of the war. Caleb always assumed that he and his master would be among them, but then order 66 and the Empire happened.
He walked into a sitting area with an orange couch. He gently set Hera down. It felt good to finally be able to set her down after carrying her for so long. He sat down on the couch as well. He was very tired.
After he sat down, Hera scooted closer to him. They saw a servant with a broom walk into the room. She looked in her forties and had orange skin.
When she saw Caleb and Hera on the couch she froze staring at them.
Hera then ordered her in her first language to get her and Caleb some water. Realizing it might have come out as rude she quickly put in a soft please.
The servant bolted from the room to find Rhea knowing she would want to know that her daughter has brought a strange human boy home.
Caleb and Hera were waiting on the couch with what felt like a long time. Caleb was wondering if he should leave and continue his search for Cham. But he was so tired and the couch was so comfortable. Hera was now leaning on him. Just like him she was hot and sweaty, he was tempted to push her off but decide not to. It just felt wrong for some reason to move the little girl.
Rhea eventually walked into the room and glared at Caleb. "Who are you?" she said accusingly in basic. Caleb quickly stood up and warily looked at her. She was a beautiful green skinned twi'lek. She was wearing a belly shirt that showed off her abs. He felt his eyes drift towards her stomach.
Look at her eyes, look at her eyes he repeated in his head like a mantra. His master told him to make sure he always looks women in the eyes not their bodies when he talked to them. But it seems like now his eyes had a will of their own.
"What are you looking at?" Rhea said sternly.
"Your eyes, I swear!" said Caleb, in a bit of a panic.
"Right," said Rhea, sounding like she didn't believe him.
"It's okay, Mom. Caleb found me when I tripped playing starfighter. He helped fix my foot," Hera said, raising her leg to show her mom. " Then, he put me on his back and carried me home."
Rhea, after seeing her daughter's bandaged foot, forgets for a moment the human. Her motherly instincts take over and she takes a long look at Hera. She is relieved to see that it's bandaged even though it looks pretty swollen.
" My sweet Hera I told you to wear your shoes when you played outside," said Rhea gently.
"I know, Mom. I'm sorry," said Hera, looking at the ground a little guiltily.
"Mom, you can trust Caleb. I know he's human, but he is very nice and friendly, and," Hera paused for a second and pointed to the lightsaber on Caleb's belt. "He's a Jedi so he can't get twi'lek fever," Hera then paused again and looked at Caleb. "You don't have Twi'lek fever, right?" said Hera slightly concerned.
Caleb having never heard of this disease before wasn't so sure. But he figured, if you feel fine, you probably didn't have it.
"I don't think so," said Caleb, as he looked at both Hera and her mother.
Rhea was shocked, she never seen the Jedi in person before. And she never expected to, especially in her own home.
Caleb was start to realize he might not be welcome here. It might be best for him to move on and continue looking for Cham.
"I'm sorry for intruding to your home. I think I'll be leaving now but if you could please tell me where I can find Cham Syndulla I would very much appreciate it," said Caleb.
Rhea wanted Caleb to leave. It made her uncomfortable seeing the human so close to her daughter. But if he really did come to see her husband, he would want to hear what the Jedi had to say. Rhea knew that her husband had something weighing heavily on his mind and thought the Jedi might have the answer.
Rhea told one of her servants to take Hera to her room and then to redo her bandages and check to make sure her foot is okay.
She then grabbed Caleb by his arm and hissed for Him to come with her.
Hera protested a little about going to her room. She didn't like the idea about being left out. She didn't want Caleb to leave without saying goodbye. But, her mother's face told her not to argue.
Caleb followed Rhea through the house and eventually they came to flight of the stairs. They climbed the stairs and went down a long hallway to a balcony where a man was standing alone.
Rhea said something to him in her language and the man turned around.
Caleb finally got a good look at him. It was Cham Syndulla. It was weird not seeing him well-dressed or having a blaster on his hip but it was definitely him. Caleb felt hope run through him. His master had told him to always trust in the force. It has brought him and Hera together for a reason. It had let him to the man he needed to find, to help him hide from the Empire and find his master.
