Different journeys 3

Caleb and Cham were hiking through the muddy hills of the planet Kaller. Caleb knew the way to go. His master had made him study maps of the planet before they landed.

Caleb was in a very good mood. It seemed like things were finally looking up. Hera was unfortunately ordered to stay on the ship. Celeb thought it would have been nice to have a friend with him when he reunited with Depa. In the mud, there were lots of footprints. They had come upon something that made Caleb's heart stop. They saw a body and a Jedi robe with scorch marks on the back. Caleb ran over and turned the body on its back.

He saw the decayed face of his master. Her eyes were gone he knew it would always see her empty eyes in his nightmares from now on. "This is too horrible to be true," thought Caleb. Caleb had always thought that if his master was to die, he would be able to somehow sense a change in the force, but he had not. Until this moment, in his heart, he just knew that his master was alive and they would be together again. How could that feeling not be true? Tears began to stream down his face.

XXX

Cham and Caleb were walking back to the ship. He thought that maybe his wife was right maybe it was a mistake to come to this planet. After he was able to get Caleb away from the body of his master, he noticed that Caleb was no longer crying. To Cham, Caleb seemed like it was in shock, but also angry. Cham watched how Caleb on the walk with sometimes angrily kicked the dirt.

XXX

Hera was waiting outside of the ship on the landing platform. She watched as her father and Caleb approached. She noticed that Depa wasn't with them and wondered why.

She looked at the pretty human teenager. He was covered in mud and looked sad- and hungry. Hera felt like she could practically hear his stomach growling in her head.

She waved to him and shouted "Hey, Jedi!".

But he didn't respond. She was on walking towards him and put her hands on the muddy sleeve of his coat "Jedi?," she quietly asked, her voice filled with concern.

"Leave him alone. Doesn't need you're pestering, He's been through enough," said Cham to Hera. He kept walking and entered the ship. He looked at her but didn't say anything.

"Would you like something to eat?" asked Hera nicely and gently put her hand on his arm. Caleb, still silent, makes eye contact with Hera and she sees that his eyes are red from crying.

" I'll go get you something," said Hera nervously. As she tries to move, she finds that something stops her. She notices that Caleb is holding her hand and she blushes a little bit.

"They killed her!" says Caleb angrily. "They shot her in the back!" Caleb shouts and his grip on her hand tightens.

"Why?" Shouts Caleb who is now squeezing Heras hand hard.

"Caleb," said Hera gently, trying to get his attention so he won't grip her had so tightly.

"Why did this happen?" Caleb into Hera's face, but he's not really shouting at Hera. He is shouting at the Clones that kills his master, angry at the people of the Galaxy for not caring, angry at the force for letting it happen.

"Caleb!" shouts Hera. "You are hurting me!"

Caleb finally notices how tightly he's been gripping her hand and that he has been yelling at her. A look of guilt and sadness passes over his face. He feels guilty. Hera didn't do anything wrong. She is a sweet kid. Caleb lets go of her hand and covers his face with his hands and lets out a scream in frustration as tears of anger and sadness start the stream down his eyes again.

Caleb has to be alone and runs to a more secluded part of the spaceport. He lays down behind a shipping crate and begins to cry silently.

Hera follows him sees him crying. She feels bad for him. She thinks back to when her brother died. He hadn't died in the Clone Wars or anything like that, he was just trying to climb a wall and fell and landed on his neck. It was just a tragic accident and it was really hard on the Syndulla family.

Hera then sits down next to him. For a second, she doesn't know what to do or say. So she just wraps her arms around Caleb and hugs him.

XXX

Two days later Caleb and Hera were sitting on the floor in Hera's room. Caleb was staying with them in their mansion indefinitely. Even though Hera was grounded and wasn't allowed to spend time with most of her friends this didn't include Caleb. To distract Caleb, she was showing him her toy spaceship collection.

He wished the Younglings at the Jedi Temple had toys this nice. Hera began to race two of the starfighters that were decorated with bright colored numbers and logos from their sponsors. Hera was a fan of the sport so she was much more knowledgeable about than Caleb, so she told him the rules and the biggest events in the sport. The race they're playing specifically was the Boonta Eve Nar Shaddaa Starfighter Race.

He was still very sad and angry. He just couldn't accept that the Clones betrayed him. He had thought they were friends. He had believed the people of the Republic we're grateful for what the Jedi had done for them for over a thousand years only for them to throw it away for the Empire. How could so many people betray and let him down. He wondered if his master believed the same thing. If she thought he let him down. Caleb cringed he pictured her as she was getting shot in the back, wondering why her Padawan abandoned her too die.

He decide he will not let anyone else down again if he could help it. When Hera asked if he wanted to see her toys he decide to say yes even though he didn't really feel like it. It felt wrong for him to upset the sweet little girl especially when it seemed like she thought he was cool for some reason. Caleb realized that he was enjoying himself for the first time in a long time.

XXX

Hera and Caleb continued to race throughout the long corridors of Cham's home. Hera occasionally announced things that were happening in the imaginary race and Caleb added things, too, where appropriate.

Caleb noticed a ceramic statue of a bird he assumed was native to the planet Ryloth.

"Look a giant bird has flown on to the track!" said Caleb excitedly. In reality, it is a flightless bird, but for the sake of the game, Hera graciously does not correct him.

"Take evasive action," commands Hera as she attempts to sharply turn her spaceship to avoid the bird. Caleb's ship almost hits the bird but is able to pull away at the last second. Caleb then begins to think how he is actually having a lot of fun with this kid. He's glad that he's friends with her. Yet, he cannot help that his thoughts turn to all the Jedi that have been lost and is saddened.

"The Blue Ghost has gone through the golden ring and has won the cup for the third year in a row!" announced Hera in triumph. She looks at Caleb says, "and the Golden Chariot comes in second place." The Golden Chariot is the name of the Caleb's toy racer and for a brief moment, Hera feels guilty that she came in first place.

"Yay. you won!" says Caleb as he picks her up and puts her on his shoulders, setting her mind at ease as she basks in her victory. Hera then cheers. Caleb's Master had done this exact thing with him after he accomplished an important part of his Jedi training and he thought it might be appropriate for winning an imaginary race.

Cham hurriedly entered the corridor and gave them a surprised look having thought that he was alone.

"I won, Father!" says Hera excitedly. "Yep, she won," confirms Caleb. Cham belatedly noticed the toy space ships and their hands and responds, "Alright, that sounds fine," says Cham, no longer really interested in what's happening. As he's continues down the long corridor, Cham thinks how Caleb a good sport for not only playing with but being fine with losing to a little girl.

XXX

It was time of the Syndulla family reunion. Hera had been temporarily pardoned from being grounded to enjoy it. She undertook the job of translator for Caleb since many of relatives didn't speak Basic. Since they couldn't tell people that Caleb was a Jedi they made up a story that he was the son of a human family that supported the free Ryloth movement but were tragically killed by the separatists and Cham was temporarily taking Caleb in until they could find new relatives for him to stay with.

Hera was currently introducing Caleb to two of her cousins on her father's side. Rhea approached the two of them.

" Hera I'd like to see Caleb for alone a second," said Rhea in Basic

"Do you want me translate for you, Mother?" asked Hera even though her mother just spoke to her in Basic.

"I'll be fine, dear. Why don't you go enjoy some pastries?" suggested Rhea, as she gestured to a table near them that had several traditional Twilek fried foods.

Hera reluctantly walked over there. Rhea gestured for Caleb to follow her. They walked to a part of the house currently unoccupied. Rhea looked at him with gentle, motherly eyes and put her hand on his shoulder. After she heard what happened to his master, she had begun feel guilty about the way she had treated him. She shouldn't have been so rude to him just because he was human. The poor kid couldn't help that.

Rhea regretted that now. She had a reputation for being kind and gentle. Some even said that Hera got her spirit and adventurousness from her husband, Cham, and her kind and caring nature from her. But, she had failed to show that side of herself to Caleb when it mattered the most. It wasn't too late and Rhea vowed that she would make up for it now. .

"I am so sorry to hear about what happened on to your master," said Rhea gently she thought about had been through. "You can stay with us as long as you need to and if you ever need to talk I will be here for you."

Cham had warned Caleb that Rhea might never accept him because of her past bad experiences with humans and had explained why she was so afraid. At the time, Caleb was sad that there was nothing he could do to reassure Rhea that he wouldn't bring harm to her family. Now, here she was offering him comfort. He now understood that his master was really gone.

Like all Jedi, Caleb believed that death was not the end. In the afterlife, the soul and spirit would become one with the Living Force. This thought gave him a little peace that his master wasn't gone forever, that she was out there somewhere and at peace.

Caleb noticed he was starting to tear up a little bit from the sadness of thinking about his master and being touched by Rhea's small kindness and blushed.

"Caleb it's alright," said Rhea as she led Caleb to a nearby couch. They sat down together and she handed him a box of tissues.

XXX

Cham looked worriedly at his daughter eating a fried pastry. He was concerned that Hera might have a crush on Caleb, was not only older but a different species.

"Hera do you like Caleb," asked Cham.

"Yes," said Hera with no hesitation. Maybe, I wasn't specific enough thought Cham.

" Do you want to marry Caleb?" asked Cham. Again, Hera said yes with no hesitation.

"She can't marry a human," said a relative who was listening in on what was meant to be a private conversation, her voice dripping with disapproval.

"Yes, I can! We're going to get married Nar Shaddaa! And you won't be invited!" said Hera, her eyes flashing angrily

Another relative, who was also listening to the conversation was more amused than scandalized, said, . "Oh, ho ho! Looks like your daughter already has everything planned out, Cham"

Hera didn't see why she couldn't marry Caleb he had a lot of good qualities. The was pretty. He was nice. He liked her dream of becoming a pilot someday and he liked her toy spaceship collection. What more could a girl want?