Hey guys, it's time for a new chapter! I mentioned that I'm trying to finish the story before school starts so I've started on this chapter a day after finishing the last one. I'm so happy with how the story is doing, and I'm glad people seem to like it! Feel free to leave me any comments to let me know what you think! Finally, here's the chapter!

Ch. 21: A New Ally

(Luna's POV)

"It looks like you fixed your lightsaber!" Cere said to us as we made our way into the ship. Cal glanced at me before answering her.

"We went through some challenges, but it turned out okay."

He then paused, and it seemed he had something else to say.

"You know, I used to think I would spend the rest of my life as a scrapper on Bracca. But then you two saved me from the Empire, and then we added Luna to the group. A former Jedi, a gambler, a droid, and two padawans. I wouldn't have it any other way. Back in the Temple, BD-1 revealed his most precious memory to us because he chose us as his family. It only made me realize that you guys are my family, and I'm grateful for all of you," he said. I couldn't stop grinning while Cere looked proud. Greez tried his best not to be touched by Cal's words, but he was doing a poor job of it.

"Aw, shucks, kid. Why do you gotta get sappy all of a sudden?"

"Just needed you guys to know that," Cal replied happily.

"That's it, I'm making you a scazz steak!" Greez announced loudly, making his way to the kitchen. I raised my finger at him as he walked by me.

"I'll take one too, please!"

"You got it!"

Cere started heading that way as well after she spoke to us.

"All I'll say is that I'm so proud of both of you and how far you've come. I feel the exact same way, Cal."

She walked to her room, possibly to take in what Cal had just said. I turned to him and nudged his side with my elbow.

"That was sweet."

"Aren't I always?" he said with confidence.

"Oh, yeah."

We took a seat on the couch near the holotable as Greez took a moment to put us into the safety of hyperspace. It's been a very long day, so we all decided that we would spend the night on the ship before going back to Dathomir. Greez finished cooking our steaks and handed us our plates before going to bed. I think everyone was exhausted after today.

"So, when did you say you started having a crush on me?" Cal asked in between bites. I smiled at my food and thought about it.

"Well, to be honest, I thought you were cute from day one. I just hadn't crossed that stage of liking you yet. It wasn't really a certain incident, but rather a steady progression since we met. I will say that day we were trapped on Sorc Tormo's base really solidified my decision. Did you…have a moment when you started liking me?" I asked him bashfully. He chuckled and shrugged his shoulders.

"I think my answer's the same as yours. Each day we spent together I felt more and more for you. To be honest, recently it's gotten to the point where I love you…I don't know if that's too sudden to say, but it's the truth," he said to me. I was so glad that he said that because I was afraid to.

"It's not. I love you too, Cal," I said with a smile. We stared at each other for a moment before kissing once more. I loved his lips on mine. Pretty soon, we would probably move into French kissing territory…Geez, I'm getting flustered just talking about it!

"Heh, you know, that was my first ever kiss back in the cave," Cal said when we separated. My eyes widened, and I remembered what he had told me about not really getting with anyone back on Bracca.

"I totally forgot it was! For your first kiss, you were amazing!"

"Thank you, you were too."

"I'm glad! With it being your first kiss, especially, I wanted it to be really good! I'm sure we'll have plenty of practice, too," I said with a wink. He visibly swallowed, and I giggled. He was so cute and shy. I stood up from the couch and let out a big stretch, my arms over my head.

"You tired?"

I looked at him, and he was rubbing one of his eyes.

"Yeah, you?"

"Yeah, today has been a DAY," he said humorously as he stood up from the couch as well. He was right about that. I briefly thought about asking if I could sleep next to him, but I thought that would be overdoing it. We walked to the hallway and gave each other a hug.

"See you tomorrow?" he asked, obviously joking because where was I going to go?

"Of course! Goodnight, Cal."

"Goodnight, Luna."

He went into his room, and I went into mine. I didn't waste any time getting into bed and wrapping my body in the bed covers. I guess I'm…dating Cal Kestis now. Who am I kidding? I AM dating Cal Kestis! In my opinion, the hottest guy in the galaxy! No, I don't have any statistics or anything like that, it's a fact!

I laughed at myself for a moment before closing my eyes. Our trip back to Dathomir was going to be a better one. We're all in a much better place right now than we were this morning. We're going to find that Zeffo Astrium, I just know it.

I cleared my mind to fall asleep, and it worked. I fell asleep in the comfort of the covers and soft pillow under my head. I hope Cal sleeps just as well.

I woke up to the same sight of a blue streak flying across the ceiling. We haven't exited Hyperspace yet. Greez is probably waiting for everyone to be ready before he ends the jump. I sat up in the bed and noticed I had some serious bedhead going on. I slept hard! Taking a quick shower, I got dressed for the day and put the usual braids in my hair. Because of its length, they helped keep me in check. I walked out of my room, and Greez and Cere were eating in the kitchen. BD-1 was with them in spirit since he couldn't really eat anything. I didn't see Cal so I looked to my left at his room. The door was ajar just slightly. BD-1 must've slipped out when he was awake or Cal let him out. I gently pushed the door open, and there he was, sleeping like a baby. I'm glad he was able to get some rest after yesterday.

I let myself into his room and crouched down beside his bed. He was shirtless and sleeping on his stomach, his freckled arms wrapped around his feather pillow. He had really nice muscles for his toned body type. His hair was getting longer, and the red strands were sprawled out on the pillow messily. I think if he grew it out in a sort of windswept hairstyle that would look great! I smiled at his cute dreaming face and rubbed his arm until he woke up.

"H-Huh?"

"Hey," I said. He blinked a few times until his vision came back to him before he smiled at me.

"Hey."

"You sleep okay?" I asked him, getting on the bed and laying my head next to his. Even though we kissed yesterday, I noticed that his face still got red by being this close to me.

"Better than I thought I would," he replied.

"I'm glad," I said, pecking him on the lips and sitting up on the bed. He sat up too and chuckled.

"Did you sleep any?"

"Oh yeah, I slept hard. I fell asleep basically as soon as I laid down and didn't wake up in the middle of the night. I feel all refreshed and ready for today! We're going to get that Astrium!"

"Heh, I like the confidence," Cal told me as he got out of bed. "...But yeah, we will."

I hummed and walked to the door.

"I'll let you get ready. I mean…I would take a shower with you, but I already took one so…" I trailed off in a joking manner. He shook his head with a smirk.

"You're crazy."

We laughed at each other, and I let him do his business. I walked to the kitchen, and Greez had a plate of eggs and bacon already made for me and Cal. What a sweetheart!

"You are gonna need your strength today. We're going back to that hellhole Dathomir! This is all against my will, mind you, but damn it you're gonna have your energy."

"Thanks, Greez," I said as he set the plate in front of me. Greez is literally our private pilot and chef. Cere was drinking a cup of coffee and reading an Imperial report she managed to smuggle through her comms.

"Any news on anything?" I questioned her. She looked up from her reading.

"It looks like Sorc Tormo has an official bounty on both you and Cal. They've opened a contract with the Empire's help. You'll probably see posters of yourselves if we go to an ecumenopolis planet."

I furrowed my brow at the mention of Tormo.

"He can do whatever he wants, it's not going to do anything. We're prepared for anything he throws at us this time. This bacon is delicious, Geez."

Greez waved his hand up with his back turned to me as he continued to cook on the stove. Cal walked in soon after, hair wet and new clothes on. Today, he wore a dark outfit matched with a black poncho on top. With the colors matching, it didn't even look like a poncho. Though, I've always thought that if anyone's going to look good in a poncho, it's Cal. I patted the seat next to me, and he had this happy expression on his face. Greez set his plate of food down in front of him.

"There ya go, kid."

"Thanks, Greez," he said gladly. I know I like to talk about how I can devour food, but Cal is no slouch, by any means. He must have been starving because he scarfed down his food in under a minute. I comically tore a piece of napkin from its holder and handed it to him.

"Mmm!" He hummed, his mouth full. I rolled my eyes with a giggle and crossed my arms.

"Why don't you tell Cal what you just told me, Cere?"

Cal swallowed the last bit of food and looked slightly concerned. Cere saw the look in his eyes and held up the report she had been reading.

"Nothing like that, I was just telling her that Sorc Tormo had put an official bounty on you two. He and the Empire have set up an open contract for the Haxion Brood."

Cal snorted and laid back in his chair.

"Wow, I've never been this popular before. I hope they know we're just going to beat up any guy they send our way."

"I said the same thing," I said.

"He's just mad we made him lose a whole day's worth of money."

Greez finished cooking and turned off the stove. He grabbed a wet rag, wrung the water out, and began wiping off the stove and pans.

"Man, the thought of that greedy bastard losing money is music to my ears! You two did well that day!"

He tossed the rag on the counter and began the trek to the cockpit. It was funny sometimes to see him get all giddy from the suffering of his enemies. I asked him about it one time because that really isn't the Jedi way to hold grudges, and his reply was, 'Yeah, well I ain't no Jedi.'

No, he was not.

"If y'all are done eating, you should get a move on. I don't wanna be on this deathtrap any longer than we have to," he said as he piloted the ship to leave hyperspace. The giant red planet of Dathomir came into view and filled the ship with a dark, crimson tint. He quickly landed the ship in the same place as before and waved his hand at us. Cal looked at me and stood up.

"I think he wants us to leave."

I smiled and stood up as well.

"I guess so."

Cere looked at us and put her cup of coffee on the table.

"Stay safe, you two. You got it this time. We believe in you."

We nodded in thanks, and BD-1 jumped from the table to Cal's shoulder. The squad was back and better than ever. I felt a new sense of purpose in Cal that I hadn't felt before, and that confidence boosted my own. BD-1, as usual, was just along for the ride. He was just happy to be spending time with us.

We exited the ship and felt that dry desert-like air hit our faces. It was such a contrast to the cool air conditioning of the Mantis. By this time, Cal's wet hair had dried and was back to looking sexy as can be. Okay, I know that was a cringe-worthy thing to say, but come on! I smiled and brushed a few strands back from his forehead.

"It won't stay in place," he said to me in an annoyed tone as we walked the path toward the broken bridge. No sign of Malicos or Merrin so far.

"I think it looks great! If it keeps falling over your eyes, I'll just have to keep brushing it back," I said flirtatiously. He seemed pleased by that answer.

"Suddenly, I'm not mad about it anymore…"

"Good!" I cheered. He laughed and stuffed his hands in his pockets. I tended to walk with my arms behind my back.

"Do you think Malicos is dead? Didn't he fall off the bridge or something?" he asked, the conversation swinging to something more serious. I tried to think back, but nothing came up.

"I don't remember seeing him fall. Then again, I was running for my life when it happened," I replied.

"That's true…We'll just have to see when we get to the tomb."

We walked all the way to the Tomb of Kujet without any pushback. Sure, there were a few monsters here and there, but nothing too dangerous. Even on the bridge, we didn't encounter Merrin or Malicos. It was very bizarre. We went inside the tomb, and there was that door again.

"I'm probably going to see my master again when I touch that door. I know you won't be able to help me, but do you think your Jedi ability will allow you to see what's happening?"

"It's possible. I still don't know how to control it that well, but if it does, I'll be there for you," I said.

"Thank you," he replied with relief. We stopped at the door, and he reached his hand out to touch it like before. As soon as his hand hit the door, he closed his eyes and became motionless. I knew he had reached that "place" already. I moved to put my hand on his and felt my reality change in mere seconds. It wasn't a particular place that I had been transported to. It was more similar to the place I imagined myself in when meditating.

"Master."

I turned around and saw Cal standing there in front of a much larger man. He was a Lasat male so he had purple-colored skin, and he was twice the size as Cal's 5'11" frame. He had a Clone Wars Era general outfit on with his dark hair in a braid. He was holding a lightsaber near Cal's face, but he wasn't flinching or anything.

"I won't forget what happened and what you did for me. That loss is a part of me now. I won't run away from it," Cal said to his master. All I could do was stand there and be proud. He was standing strong against this false image of his master, and it was working.

"I'll honor your memory and your sacrifice," Cal finished. His eye contact with his master was steady and unwavering. Master Tapal stared at him before pulling the lightsaber away from his face. He didn't seem happy, more accepting of what Cal had said to him. I got the sense that a lot had happened before I got here.

"Remember, persistence reveals the path," he told Cal as he walked away and disappeared in a fuzzy mist. With a blink, we were back in the Tomb, and the door was opened now.

"It worked. Were you able to see any of that?" he asked.

"Just the latter end of it. I'm super proud of you for standing up to him. Did you have to fight him before that?"

He shook his head.

"No, it didn't come to that this time. I made sure it didn't. I'm just glad it all worked out and that the way is open."

"Me too," I said, looking past the opening and deeper into the Tomb. "...Let's go."

We walked through the opening and were met with a couple of arrows shot at our heads. We deflected the arrows and saw a few more undead Nightbrothers with bows in their hands. Without thinking too much about it, we ran at them and struck them down before they could do any damage to us. When all three Nightbrothers were dead the room went silent.

It was eerie.

"I'm a little freaked out right now," I confessed. This place had an energy that wasn't positive at all. I could feel all the death and hatred that's covered this place for thousands of years. Cal and I shivered, feeling the same vibes simultaneously. At the end of the room was a crack in the wall that was big enough for us to slip through. I had a good feeling that the Astrium was through that crack. Cal went first, and then I followed close behind him. I held his hand as we shifted through the narrow opening. It made both of us feel better about being here. On the other side, we could see a figure in the distance. It was too foggy to make out who it was, though.

"You've both returned. Brave, but not wise."

We turned around and Merrin, the Dathomirian Witch, was standing there. Surprisingly, she didn't seem intent on killing us this time. For one, the hood was off her head, showing her silver hair that was in a tight bun. One side of her bangs hung down beside her face. Her eyes didn't show a gaze of hatred, rather it was one of depression and exhaustion. I doubt she's slept in days. There was a certain innocence to them that I was very interested in. Could we make her an ally?"

"Maybe it was…I'm Cal Kestis," Cal told her.

"And I'm Luna Valerian…Merrin, right?"

She nodded.

"What you were told about the Jedi wasn't true. We're nothing like Malicos said we were," I tried to explain to her.

"Why should I believe you over him? How do I know you're not lying to me as well?" she asked. I don't blame her for asking, honestly. Cal took a step forward.

"Malicos used to be a part of the Jedi Order, but not anymore. I don't know why. What I do know is that he doesn't represent us and that just owning a lightsaber doesn't make you a Jedi."

He tossed his lightsaber, and she caught it in one hand. Her eyes widened, and it was clear she didn't expect him to do that.

"We were peacekeepers," he said, looking at me, "that was until we were betrayed by the ones we protected. Ever since we've been hunted down by the Empire. Luna and I…might be the last Jedi left. We're not sure…"

Merrin stared at him and then at me.

"What's your story?" I asked.

She ignited the lightsaber in her hand and looked upon the bright blue blade shining in her face.

"When I was young…An armored warrior holding a weapon like this encountered our planet. He deceived my people…My sisters…before destroying them all. It wasn't long before I was the only one left. I was left here with my dead people surrounding me. And then Malicos came. He promised me revenge for what had been done to my people and me. I relished that promise, and I held that hatred in my heart every single day until the moment I could enact it."

Cal sighed in response.

"Luna and I know what it's like to lose everything. To lose everyone you've ever met in an instant. Malicos was wrong to use that against you. He took advantage of your hatred and amplified it for his own benefit. We would never do that to you. We don't have to be enemies," he told her.

I turned around and looked at the figure standing across the room. I still couldn't distinguish who exactly it was, but I had a pretty good idea now.

"Is that him? Is that Malicos?" I asked Merrin.

"Yes, he waits for you. I will…think about what you said. I'll be watching," she said before blowing up in a ball of green flames.

"There she goes again," Cal said with a snicker.

"I hope we were able to give her some relief as to who we are. I don't want her to be afraid of us anymore," I told him. He nodded and looked at the figure ahead.

"If I was a betting man, I'd bet that we've got a fight up ahead."

I clicked my tongue and held my lightsaber at my side.

"I would bet the same."

We stayed close to one another as we made our way forward. Malicos' silhouette became more and more distinct the closer we got. I thought that he would be angry with us because we didn't exactly end our last conversation in a good way. Instead, however, he was inviting to us.

"Cal Kestis! Luna Valerian! Welcome home!" He said, stretching his arms out. I looked at Cal and then back at him.

"Home?"

"Here for your training?" he asked, as if all of the events from before had been forgotten. Seriously, did he not remember the part where we found out he was talking trash about us, and then we all had to run away from Merrin before she murdered us? It's not really something you would forget that easily!

"Uhh...No?" I said with sass. Malicious slowly frowned and dropped his arms to his side. Cal cleared his throat to keep from snickering and got serious again.

"Then why are you two so tempted to enter this place? For power? For glory?" he questioned us. Cal shot the question right back at him.

"We could ask you the same thing. Why do you seem so obsessed with teaching us 'your ways' when you just met us?"

Malicos' sinister smile returned to his face, and he took a step forward.

"Because I have the power you're looking for. I can give you everything that you seek and more! You just have to trust me!"

A ball of green flames silently appeared on a pedestal behind him, and I knew Merrin was watching the three of us again. The older man before us didn't seem to notice her.

"What gave you the impression that we wanted power? We're here to rebuild the Jedi Order," Cal informed him. Again, that frown appeared on the man.

"The Jedi Order? The Jedi Order!? Are you two idiots!? It's done! It's over! The Jedi fell long before the Purge! They were stifled by tradition and endless war!"

I was sick of hearing this guy talk already.

"Maybe, but it's never over. We can rebuild the Order and learn from our mistakes."

"It's just not possible anymore. Now is the time to build something even greater. You two and I together."

Cal and I both shook our heads.

"No."

Malicos slowly glared at us and then took out two lightsabers from the waistband of his pants.

"Then Dathomir will be your grave!" he yelled, igniting his lightsaber. My eyes widened, and I got in between him and Cal.

"Whoa! Whoa! That escalated quickly! What is wrong with you!?" I scolded him. He paused, surprised by my reaction but didn't turn off his lightsabers.

"You won't join me…"

"Okay, well, is that a reason to kill us?" I asked.

"...Yes…?" he answered honestly. I looked at Cal, and he slowly ignited his lightsaber. I sighed and looked back at Malicos.

"Alright, you asked for it."

Igniting my own lightsaber, a flash of green shot out from the metal hilt I was holding, and I took a giant swing at the man. He blocked the attack but was forced back a few feet. Cal slid beside him and burned part of his side with his own attack.

"Amateurs!"

He Force-pushed us back and created some space between us. He had two red lightsabers, which made it harder. Well, not necessarily harder, it just required us to change our strategy a bit. Speaking of his lightsabers, we knew something wasn't right about him. We kind of knew that the first time we met him. In order to make a red lightsaber, you have to infuse the Kyber crystal you already have with so much negativity and anger that it basically takes on the color red to show that emotion. Rather than being part of the Sith, I think this guy was just lost. He was obviously mentally ill as well.

"Two can play that game," Cal said, separating his lightsaber into two blue ones. I smirked and looked at Malicos' surprised face. I used this moment to swipe at him once more. Cal did a flurry of slashes that overwhelmed Malicos, and he soon had cuts and bruises all over his body. You know, if he was wearing a SHIRT then maybe he wouldn't be hurt as bad. Maybe if he wasn't TOPLESS he wouldn't have those cuts and bruises.

"Enough!"

He was so sick of getting beaten that he picked us up with the Force and slammed us down on the ground. Cal and I grunted and couldn't break free from his grip. He was definitely strong with the Dark Side, that was for sure.

"I was wrong to think you two could stand with me!" he screamed. He looked at one of the stone pillars that held up the tomb and ripped a slab off of it to crush us. The heavy stone hovered above our faces before exploding into green flames. Green flames! Merrin helped us!

"You have no right to Dathomir! You have no right to our magick!" we heard her say as green fireballs flew in Malicos' direction. He deflected them with his sabers and forced her off the pedestal that she had been watching us from. The brief interaction gave Cal and I the chance to stand back up, and we did.

"Cal Kestis! Luna Valerian! You aren't dead yet!" Merrin said to us before vanishing.

"Thanks for the help!" I said right before her body disappeared completely. Malicos growled in frustration and began hurling rocks at us from more of the stone pillars.

"I got the rocks you focus on attacking him!" I yelled to Cal. He nodded as I Force-pushed the rocks back at the man. Even though I was throwing them back at him, he continued to send rocks my way. His rage was blinding him. Cal sprinted at him and put out another flurry of lightsaber swipes that were almost impossible to track.

"You're finished!" Cal screamed as he knocked both of Malicos' lightsabers out of his hands and down one of the various abysses the tomb possessed. Merrin saw the opportunity to appear again and used her magick to bind him against his will.

"What are you doing!? No!"

"It's like you said Malicos! Dathomir will be your grave!"

His body began to descend to the ground, and his screaming got worse. A group of ghoulish hands popped out of the ground and dragged his body down even more until he was gone for good. It was silent after that.

"That's…one way to get rid of him," I said with a nervous laugh. Merrin glanced at me and then back at the spot Malicos had previously been.

"Let him linger in the dark with his secrets…Until death takes him," she said with disdain. I looked at the spot for a few seconds and tried to forget Malicos ever existed.

"Thank you for helping us, Merrin. We would have been smashed to pieces if you hadn't stepped in," I admitted.

"Yeah, we couldn't have beaten him without your help. We really appreciate it," Cal told her. BD-1 beeped happily, causing Merrin to flinch unexpectedly.

"I…I just wanted to rid my home of that parasite…" she said sadly. I stared at her solemnly and carefully put my hand on her shoulder in a gentle gesture. She didn't move away from me, which I was glad to see.

"I'm sorry, Merrin…about everything you went through…I know it's not much coming from people you just met but…"

"No, it is okay. It is nice to hear someone care after years of being alone," she said, "that being said, why are you two really here?"

"The Zeffo, the ones who created this tomb, left something called an Astrium here. It's essentially a key for a vault on another planet. In that vault is a list of Force-sensitive children across the galaxy. We're trying to get the list before the Empire does. We have to protect those children before the Empire finds out who they are," Cal explained to her. Merrin looked confused.

"What Empire?" she asked innocently.

"THE EMPIRE," Cal said, astonished that she had no idea who they were.

"...They've been exterminating Force sensitives so that no one can oppose them!"

"Then that means they will come for Dathomir eventually, just as the war that killed my sisters did. I will help you find the Astrium," she said.

"Thank you, Merrin," Cal replied, relieved.

"Yeah, it's nice to see an ally for us as well," I told her with a grin. Her gray cheeks softened in color for a split second before returning to normal. She didn't smile back, but it was close.

"You're welcome, Cal and Luna. I believe the object you are looking for is this way."

She walked us across a broken bridge to the other side of the tomb. I stayed close to Cal the whole time because the tomb gave me the creeps. Cal wrapped his hand around my waist, and I kept a hand on his chest. Somehow, he made the tomb less creepy.

"In here," Merrin said. We walked into a room that appeared to be the end of the tomb. What stood in front of us was a Zeffo statue. This had to be it! It must have sensed our presence because a blue glowing object appeared in the statue's hands when we stepped into the room.

"The Astrium!" I called out.

Cal walked to the statue and took the spherical object from its hands.

"W-We found it. We found it, Luna!" he said in disbelief. He handed the Astrium to me, and I stared at its neon blue glow. It felt unreal.

"After all this time, we finally found the key to the vault. It's surreal," I said back to him.

"I'm happy for you," Merrin said behind us. We turned to her, and she looked sad. "...and your Jedi…It is just…Nothing will be able to bring back my people…" she muttered before walking away. I watched her for a couple of seconds and held my hand out.

"Merrin?"

She stopped and looked back at us. I swallowed and tried to think of the best thing to say.

"Cal and I…After the Purge, we were alone for a long time on each other's planets. We were hiding from the Empire. I remember feeling scared every single day that they would find me. Even if I had forgotten about it for a second, it just came back to me in a new wave of fear. We were Jedi, and I was scared that they would find out who I was and what I was. I'm certain Cal felt the same way."

Cal nodded.

"What changed for you?" Merrin asked.

"One day I was working at my job as a waitress, making little to no money. It was raining that day, and I noticed a guy sitting at a table who had flaming red hair. When I went to take his order, all of my senses went into overdrive. I felt an overwhelming sense of familiarity, and so did he. The boy asked me to talk to him and told me his name was Cal," I said, looking at him with a loving smile, "...He asked me to come with him to help rebuild the Jedi Order. I felt a sense of safety when I talked to him. A sense that going with him would be a new and exciting chapter in my life…and it was. Sorry I'm rambling," I apologized.

Cal smiled and put his hand in mine.

"I could listen to you talk all day, Luna," he chuckled. I blushed a bit and looked at the ground.

"What Luna's trying to say is that life has a funny way of forcing you on the path forward."

Merrin stepped towards us.

"A path forward."

She looked like she was contemplating something in her head before taking a few more steps toward us.

"I will join you on your journey."

Mine and Cal's eyes went wide.

"Y-You will?"

I didn't have a problem with that. On the contrary, I could use some more girlfriends. I just wasn't expecting her to say that.

"I've been waiting years to avenge my fallen sisters. I'm finished waiting. What good is it for me to be stuck here? I wish to fight by your side. Jedi and Nightsisters do not travel together, but as survivors, we adapt to any situation that comes our way," she said with a genuine smile. She had a pretty smile.

"Yeah, yeah we do," Cal said smiling as well. We were all smiling!

"What do you think, BD-1?" he asked the droid.

BD-1 made an amicable sound, and I understood it as he had no problem with her joining us.

"I agree," Cal said, holding his hand out. Merrin shook it and then shook mine. Cal chuckled to himself and asked him why he was doing that.

"I just thought about Cere and Greez. They might need some convincing."

"Then let's convince them," Merrin said with confidence, turning on her heel and walking towards the exit.

"I like your style," I praised, following her. Cal shook his head and caught up to me with BD-1 on his shoulder.

"You two might be more similar than we originally thought," he whispered to me. I laughed as we made our way back. It felt good to get out of that tomb, and it felt good to have made a new ally.

It will be interesting to see how Cere and Greez react to the Mantis' new member!

And that is the end of the chapter! I'm so sorry for taking so long on this chapter, guys! I've been busy with moving into a house and starting school. Luckily, I'm almost done with the story, so I'll try to finish it before school starts completely. Some people have wanted me to continue with the story for Jedi: Survivor, and I would say that it's possible I would add a chapter every once in a while. I can't guarantee it, though! I do think Luna would make a great addition to that game's story, though! Anyway, thanks so much for reading and liking the story. Finally, I'll see you guys next time!