There is a Mandalorian word in this one, so I put the definition at the bottom. Warning: said word is bad on some people's standards.
Chapter Four
Caleb had never seen so many Imperials running around.
As soon as he steps outside of the Shriek-Hawk's Nest, he's bumped into by a stormtrooper running down the road.
Caleb looks to where the troopers are running, and he spots smoke rising over the buildings just a block away. There were TIE fighters flying over the area, and troop carriers were zooming down the road at speeds he didn't even know they could reach.
What is going on?
He has the urge to go and investigate, but there would be so many Imperials he'd probably be arrested just for being in the way.
Instead, Caleb's attention turns to a subtle whistling sound. He faces the buildings across the road from the cantina, where the source of the noise seems to be.
He walks across the street and heads down the alley, oblivious to the people hiding from the Empire's forces.
Using the ladder hanging from a balcony, Caleb climbs up to where the whistling gets louder and clearer.
What is that?
He stares at the door in front of him and recognizes the symbol above the opening button. That's Kirra's mark. The abandoned apartment had been a safehouse that his partner had set up, apparently. He didn't remember the place, though.
Caleb tries the button, but the door doesn't budge. So, he pushes the door open with his bare hands, and he ducks as a blaster bolt flies past his head.
"Stay back!"
A girl?
Caleb raises his hands, showing that he means no harm. Once his vision has adjusted, he sees a green Twi'lek standing next to an open window on the other side of the room, her pistol aimed at his head.
"Haar'chak …" Caleb mutters, shoulders slumping. The Twi'lek makes a confused face when he speaks.
He keeps his hands where she can see them while he pushes the door closed. "You look awfully jumpy there, lady," he says, noticing that she hadn't put the blaster down.
"Is this your house?"
Caleb shrugs. "It's about as much as yours as it is mine."
The Twi'lek doesn't lower her blaster, and only seems to look more defensive.
"What do you want?"
Have to get her to put that blaster down. Then I can stun her without worrying about getting shot.
"Probably the same thing you want. To get off the streets. Empire's tearing this place apart." Caleb notices the look on her face.
"Has anyone gotten hurt?"
The question is so innocent that he wishes he could give an answer. Unfortunately, he didn't have one.
"Don't know. But I do know one thing …"
Caleb slowly turns and locks the door. "The Empire isn't going to stop if they don't find the person they're looking for."
He sees her hands' grip on the pistol tightens. "I wonder who did it."
"So do I."
Caleb waves his fingers, causing a picture frame on the wall to his right to fall and shatter. The Twi'lek flinches and looks at the wall, only for Caleb to charge and pull the blaster out of her hands.
However, the girl puts up a fight. Before he can aim the weapon at her, she kicks his right hand, sending the pistol flying. Then she knees him in the side and knocks him off balance.
"Ugh … I just want to —" Caleb blocks a punch and backs up. "— talk!"
The girl sweeps his feet out from under him, and he lands heavily on his back.
She lands on his stomach, pinning his arms to the floor with her knees. Then she punches his helmet, causing it to vibrate inside.
Get … off!
Caleb brings his right leg up, pushing her to the side, which allows him to get his right arm back. He grabs her forearm firmly before flipping them over, slamming her onto the floor.
The Twi'lek bares her species' naturally sharp teeth in defiance, but she freezes when Caleb puts a vibroknife against her neck.
"Move one more time …" he dares, voice stern.
The girl's eyes narrow as her breathing slows, and only then can he actually see what she looks like. Gray cap covering her cone shaped ears and the back of her head, where her lekku start. Smooth face, round jaw, curved nose. Vibrant green eyes glaring.
Beautiful …
He shoves the thought aside just as hard as he'd done to the girl. He wasn't here to make friends.
"You're a bounty hunter," the girl says, oblivious to the knife against her neck.
"That's right."
"I'm trying to help you. If you let me go —"
"That ain't happening. You're staying right here." Caleb frowns right after. "Wait. What do you mean 'help'?"
"Get the knife out of my face, then I'll tell you." She smiles triumphantly up at him.
Caleb only applies a tiny amount of pressure on the knife, but it's enough to make the smile fall off of the Twi'lek's face.
"Tell me now."
She lets out a frustrated sigh before she talks. "Fine … I'm trying to figure out why the Empire is here. I'm with the New Republic."
Caleb's eyes widen in genuine surprise. The girl must take the silence as such, because she continues, with more enthusiasm.
"I can help Mandalore. If you let me get some information, I can report back. The fleet can liberate the system."
Caleb stays still, causing the girl to feel more frightened about the knife.
"You have to believe me!"
"No one has gotten off world in a year. You might've made it here, but you're not going anywhere."
Caleb stands and puts the knife back in its sheathe on his belt. He bends down and grabs her arm, lifting her up before slapping restraints on her wrists.
She stares at his helmet's visor, mouth slightly open.
"And I need credits … not some elaborate plan to end up dead." Caleb looks out the window at the empty alleyway. "The Central Complex is in the middle of the city. It'll take a while to get there with people looking for you."
The girl watches him as he watches the TIEs on patrol. "You're going to turn me into the Imperials, but they can't catch you?"
"I'm not worried about Imperials. It's other Mandalorians."
Caleb picks her pistol up off of the floor and turns the safety on. He gives it a quick examination before tucking it into his belt.
"You got a name?"
He glances up from the blaster to see the Twi'lek staring at the door.
"It was Syndulla … but I'm guessing I'll be dead by tomorrow, so why does it matter?"
The whistling that leads Caleb to Depa is kind of how Ezra first sensed Kanan on the series premiere of Rebels. That's what I was trying to make it seem like.
Haar'chak — Damn it
What a note to end on, huh?
