The bottom of the waterfall lushes with greenery, tangled roots mischievous, vines wrapping around each other. The river was no longer in sight, the waterfall still far off in the distance, the rapids having taken them far from where they originally fell. Cal held a shaky hand over his wound, manoeuvring his way around trees keeping Saw In sight. Cal doing his best to focus on the challenge at hand, other than past events unable to be changed. Cere's words of warning came to mind, for the mission and for Saw. She tried to warn him, worrying of his methods. Cal only now realising what she had, that the mission was all that mattered to the man, lives were expendable. This led to him questioning Saw's supposed retreat, having left some of his own fighters behind who refused to abandon the Wookies. To only then return, Cal could only assume that at least the man was not a fool, possibly understanding he would be able to do little from a cold grave. A tactical retreat a responsible move. Cal almost walked into the back of Saw who had stopped. He had been lost in his own internal questioning, eyes on the ground to assure his feet found steady terrain.
"Empire's been busy." Saw studied the trail, a strip of the jungle cleared, heavy artillery having forged a path. Tracks having torn through the dirt, the moist ground still trying to recover. Cracked branches, scared trees and trampled wildlife like a stain on the landscape. A deep cut across the jungle, the ground bleeding.
"Prisoner transport?" Cal queried, not sure what tracks he was looking at, the markings not disguisable to a specific vehicle.
"That or just more Troopers." Saw took a knee, getting a closer look. "Little foot traffic, long distance travel." He stood, looking down the path.
"Heads back down towards the Imperial refinery." Cal deduced, not sure if Saw had noticed.
"I doubt there taking the Wookies off planet, this is their main transport route." Saw looked to Cal, then turning to the gradual hill. "Makes this a little easier." Saw started to follow the forged path.
"If this is their main transport route then we're going to run into more Imperials." Cal inched forward, not wanting to move to much unnecessarily.
"Kid I'm starting to get sick of explaining myself to you." He called back this time not stopping. "This is the quickest and easiest way to our destination, if we want the mission to go on as planned, we need those reinforcement here for nightfall."
"And what happens if we get captured or worse?" Cal questioned the seemingly all-knowing Partisan leader.
"We won't." This time he stopped looking back at Cal, eyes meeting his like a threat to back down. "Why don't you make use of that Force, give us a heads up if anyone heads our way."
Cal sighed, picking up the pace to catch up to the idle Saw.
"It does not work like that." He breathed the few meters exhausting.
The unexpected sound of a commotion caught their attention, both turning in the to face the sound off in the distance. A woman's cry bouncing from tree to tree.
"Up ahead." Saw determined. He moved forward up his desired path, Cal following behind.
Saw pulled Cal behind a rock formation, it was sudden and painful. A hand smacking over his mouth to muffle his groan. He pried the gloved hand from his dry lips. Saw hushing him silently. Ahead was what had made the earlier commotion. A woman was surrounded by Stormtroopers in the middle of the path. Drag marks showed she had been pulled from the jungle and onto the dirt road. Peering over the rock with Saw Cal recognised her. The woman who he had initially saved from taking a tumble of the cliff, who he had pulled to safety. She now sat on the ground before him, blood on her face, blaster burns on her leg. The four Troopers circled her.
"What do you think they're going to say?" One Trooper asked the others, the group appeared to be waiting for orders to decide her fate. Cal went to make a move, lightsabre in hand he was ready. He was yanked back before he was on his feet, his hand once again finding his side, fresh blood oozing through his clothing.
"What are you doing?" Cal hissed through gritted teeth.
"They've already contacted command; they go missing now and they'll know the rest of us survived." Cal peered back over the rocks; the woman sat silently waiting for her future to be decided.
"Understood." The Trooper replied having received a transmission, an answer. He raised his blaster, Cal was already vaulting over the cover he was behind, finding himself a sizable distance from his destination. The lightsabre ignited, crackling with a pure blue light. Cal tossed his weapon desperately at his foe, it is spinning through the air at speed. The baster went off seconds before the lightsabre struck. Cal watched as if in slow motion the woman get struck and go down, face hitting the earth. Eyes lifeless a cold stare looking nowhere. The clattering of armour came next, the Stormtrooper also now lay motionless beside her. Cal's hand reached out, using the Force to return his weapon to him, the hilt sliding back into his hand in time for him to deflect blaster fire right back at the remaining Troopers. Cal in the matter of moments now stood around lifeless corpses. The blade retracted the blue light diminishing, environment returned to is natural colours of green and brown, fresh red blood still stained the floor. At this point Cal didn't notice he held his side in pain, he didn't notice how unsteady he was on his feet. It had just become a natural feeling to him now, he wished this too of the pain in his heart. The woman's stare impossible to meet. He kneeled the best he could beside her, running his fingers over her eyelids to bring her to rest.
"I'm sorry." He emotionally mumbled, doing his very best to keep himself together in such a time.
"You're a fool." The never grateful Saw told him from behind.
"And you see life as nothing more than something to be thrown away." Cal didn't turn, anger starting to build inside, seeing the man's face would only infuriate him more.
"They gave their life to me the moment they joined the cause." The sound of Saw's boots let Cal know he was approaching.
"I could have saved her." Cal had to bite his lip to hold back his emotions.
"You did, once already." Saw's war-torn boots where now in front of Cal. "And look what that got us, look where it got you. Nothing more than a guilty conscience and blood on your hands." Saw was right he did have blood on his hands, his own. Blood he would give kindly to protect others.
"I can't standby, and watch people die when I can do something!" Cal was taken back to time he wants nothing more than to leave behind. His young self-unable to save his master, unable to do anything. He had forgiven himself but with the strength he now knows he has the loss of life in that way again was unacceptable. Cal did feel responsible for this woman's untimely end, however he blamed Saw all the same. A hand grabbed Cal pulling him to his feet to finally meet Saw.
"What can you do when your dead?!" Saw was ravenous with his words, pure passion coming from within. "You need to get this through your head kid, like I told you before people die and have to die in war if there is ever to be an end."
"She didn't have to die." Cal now stood his ground, no longer listening quietly to Saw's absurd words.
"What happens now Cal? These Troopers won't reach their next checkpoint, there will be suspicion which can jeopardise the mission."
"If you consider there to be a reasonable amount of danger of this mission failing and the chance of lives being lost unnecessarily, then we should pull back regroup." He spoke his mind, calming himself. "This war against the Empire is not going to be won in one fight."
"So, in the end she did die for nothing, for a plan that never got off the ground." Saw was harsh, pointing at the dead woman, using her as tool even when dead to gain ground in their debate.
"And there will be more like her if we walk straight into a trap." Cal watched the man look down on him, his eyes wandering around the jungle quickly before returning focus. "You can't win a battle without fighters." There was a pause of thought.
"We keep going, contact base rethink a plan from there." Saw refused to give in, the mans will unbreakable. Cal was just happy to see at least he was listening.