9 / Out of Time
All was quiet in the Archive, save for Master Gidun's busying, as he always seemed to be there, no matter the hour of day. The sun had barely risen when Cal stood alone in the conference room, an Abyss Compass in his hand. He reached out through the Force and searched for something, anything amiss. But the echoes he gleaned from the object offered him nothing. That compass had been with Teelo everywhere before he had decided to lock them up for safekeeping, and he saw nothing awry about their movements.
So much about the last few days was swirling around in his mind. Kata's vision, the compasses, none of it was adding up. It seemed like the more they searched for clues, the less they found, and it was infuriating. He felt like they were missing something that was right under their noses, something they couldn't see because they didn't know to look for it. The more he kept his sights focused on Teelo, the more doubt started to pull at the back of his mind. His instincts were telling him they were involved in this somehow, but his heart wanted to believe there was another explanation.
"Find anything?"
Cal's head shot up, the compass still in his hand. He locked eyes with Teelo and their expression was hard. Lost in thought, pensive as he was, he hadn't heard the Mirialukan enter.
"No, I didn't."
Cal set the compass down on the metal table and leaned his hands against its edge.
"So, have you decided whether you can rule me out as a suspect yet?"
Cal looked up at them again, trying not to feel guilty at having been caught snooping. Teelo walked into the room slowly to stand opposite him, their arms crossed.
"Teelo—"
"No, I get it," They interrupted. "It's hard to know who to trust, right?"
Teelo stared at Cal, Cal stared at Teelo, neither of them willing to give an inch.
"Do you really think I would do this? Bring the Empire here?"
Them questioning him like that outright gave Cal pause. It was either an incredibly bold move, or an incredibly stupid one.
"Don't act like you're innocent of any wrongdoing," Cal's voice was low. "We both know you're not. I haven't forgotten what you were, what you did."
"What I was, not what I am," They reminded. "And you're not so innocent yourself, Cal. So don't act all high and mighty to me when you know you're just as screwed up as I am."
Cal glared at them and they met his gaze with no remorse. Cal couldn't decide if this conversation was serving to convince him they weren't involved, or whether it just made them seem more guilty. Hurriedly approaching footsteps distracted them both as an Anchorite made himself known at the doorway.
"Master Kestis, Master Niteva, please excuse the interruption."
"What is it, Brother Malark?" Cal asked somewhat curtly.
"Sister Taske has requested to speak with you at once."
Teelo and Cal looked at each other and the Mirialukan moved towards the door.
"I'll go see what this is about. You try and remember who the real enemy is, Cal."
After they had left, Cal hung his head with a deep sigh. It was frustrating him to no end to be constantly getting nowhere with finding out who their would-be traitor was. Maybe Teelo was trying to throw him off the scent, or maybe they really were innocent of any involvement and the threat was coming from somewhere else. Either way, he didn't know who to trust and it was driving him mad with paranoia.
Eventually he made his way back outside, the daylight and cool breeze helping him to think a little clearer. The square was not as bustling as it usually was today, many of the people having stayed out late into the night. Some even still making their way home at this late hour, it seemed. The Padawans were training as they always were, with Maven in the ring. He didn't see Kata with them, but he figured after all the excitement last night, she might finally be getting some much-needed rest.
"Cal!"
He was about to make his way into the offices, where he knew Sister Taske would be at this hour, when Merrin's voice stopped him. She approached him from the direction of their room.
"Hey, you feeling better?" He asked.
"Some," She replied, taking his hand. "I must speak with you, alone."
Something was strange about her expression; she seemed filled with trepidation, the slightest quiver in her voice and he could feel her hand tremble in his. He was immediately alarmed.
"Is everything ok?"
"Cal!"
Teelo's worried tone now had Cal turning to his right. They rushed up towards the two of them, their eyes wide.
"What is it?"
"I just spoke with Sister Taske," They began in a hushed tone so others around them wouldn't hear. "Brother Kline didn't report for duty this morning, and none of the Anchorites have seen him since last night. He's not in his quarters, either."
Cal looked towards Merrin, her eyes flicking between him and Teelo.
"Sorry, did I interrupt something?" They asked in sudden realisation.
"It can wait," Merrin said. "This cannot."
"Come on."
Teelo led them towards the offices, but Cal was distracted on the way there, wondering what it was Merrin needed to talk to him about that suddenly wasn't so urgent.
When they reached Sister Taske, she explained what she had told Teelo earlier, that Brother Kline hadn't been seen since midnight and wasn't in his quarters, or indeed anywhere in Haven that she had thought to look. Cal was at first sure that he had just gotten a bit carried away at the celebration the night before, but that would be very out of character for an Anchorite, especially one like Brother Kline. Now Sister Taske's concern was starting to tell him something might be very wrong.
"And you're sure no one's seen him," Cal asked. "Or that he didn't just lose his way?"
"I know my fellow Anchorites as well as myself," She replied. "Brother Kline has never failed to report for duty, not once. He is devoted and dutiful as any of them. Something is not right, young Sage, I know it in my heart."
Cal nodded, he trusted her instincts unwaveringly.
"Alright, call the Anchorites in and send out search parties, start with any place that he's likely to be and we'll work our way out from there."
"I will begin at once."
"I'll help them search, maybe there'll be something I can sense that they can't." Teelo suggested.
Cal hesitated only briefly, still feeling the tension between them from earlier.
"Alright, but take two of the Anchorites with you." He instructed.
Teelo nodded in response and left.
"What should we do?" Merrin asked.
"I want you to talk to the people in the market, see if anyone saw him there."
"What's going on?"
Kata approached them both with BD-1 perched on her back, looking a little more rested than she had these last few days.
"weeoow?"
"Brother Kline is missing," Cal explained, holding out his arm for BD to transfer to him. "We're heading out to look for him."
"Ok, let me help." She offered.
"Sure, stick with Merrin."
Kata nodded and she and Merrin left to head towards the markets. Cal stopped for a moment, an ugly feeling rising in his chest; a terrible, wrenching feeling that was twisting all of his insides.
"woo-woop?"
"Yeah, I'm good, buddy." He lied.
He tried to push the feeling down and focus on the task at hand. He started with questioning the other Masters, finding Maven in the ring, Gidun in the Archive and Horos in the Temple with the Younglings, but none of them knew where Brother Kline was. He spoke to Rion in the workshop, Lysana by the docks, even interrupted Greez in the middle of his morning prep-work to ask where the Anchorite was, which the Latero was less than pleased about. No one had seen him, but Cal knew he hadn't simply vanished into thin air, and he was beginning to fear the worst.
He asked around to everyone he could find – Mosey, Nells, Jeshan, Sari – no one knew where Brother Kline was. Eventually, another Anchorite found him only to report there was still no sign of him. Cal called everyone back to the office where Sister Taske and several of the Anchorites were, Kata and Merrin being the last ones to file in.
"Anything?" Teelo asked them.
Merrin simply shook her head in response.
Cal contemplated for a moment before running his hand through his hair, a nervous tick of his, and turning to address the room.
"Ok, we need to widen our search. I want everyone to travel in groups of three and fan out around Santari's Peak, search every cave, every cliff, every crevice, every alcove. Anywhere someone could've hidden a body."
There were audible gasps in the room and one of the Anchorites turned to Cal.
"Master Kestis, surely you don't mean to suggest–"
"That's exactly what I'm suggesting," He confirmed. "Stay together, mind each other's backs, if you find anything, report directly to Sister Taske or to me or Merrin immediately. Understood?"
There were some nods, but mostly obvious shock from the way many of the Anchorites stood with their feet rooted to the ground.
"You heard Master Kestis," Sister Taske piped up. "Get moving!"
That seemed to kick them all into gear as they began to organise themselves and file out of the room. Cal saw Teelo take the two Anchorites that were with them earlier back down the hall, narrowing his eyes as he watched them go.
"We should search the cliffs on the East side." Merrin suggested.
"Good, take Kata with you, I'm gonna search Haven's Edge."
"I don't think any of us should be alone right now, Cal." Kata's tone was worried.
"brrleep."
"I'll be fine, Kata, BD will watch my back. Stay with Merrin." He instructed, leaving the room before she had any further chance to protest.
Cal's head was spinning as he made his way up to Haven's Edge. That feeling in his chest was getting worse by the hour. A part of him was terrified that this could all be a distraction, that this is how the traitor would finally make their move. He hoped, perhaps foolishly, that he was wrong. He pressed his hand to the biometric scanner and made his way up the path, the silence here eerie in comparison to the chaos in Haven. He slowed his pace as he approached the ships, keeping his wits about him. He immediately looked up, his eyes searching the cliffs above him, not wanting to get jumped. Not able to see or sense anything, he approached the Rogue Mercenary and let himself onboard.
He looked around as he entered, everything seemingly in its place. He headed straight to the cockpit and sat down. BD-1 hopped off his shoulder and stood on the controls in front of him.
"boo-woow?"
"I'm checking the ship's logs. I want to know where Teelo's been."
"brrtrrt?"
"I don't know, but something just doesn't feel right."
Cal pulled up the ship's log on the screen, reading down the lines and immediately leaning forward when he got to the third and fourth entries.
"They didn't return to Tanalorr from Nar Shaddaa, they jumped to Malastare first."
"woop?"
"I knew something was off, what the hell were they doing on Malastare?"
Cal stood and started to storm off the ship. BD-1 scuttled after him, jumping between the furniture to get onto his back.
"boo-wee-oop?"
"That explains why their hypercore burned out. It wasn't four jumps, it was five."
"myam-wam?"
"Why would they go to Malastare?"
Cal had a sudden, terrible realisation; there was an Imperial base on Malastare. And not just any kind of Imperial base... it was a communications base. He felt his blood go cold.
"I need to find their compass."
Cal quickened his pace, jogging back up the path towards the gate. Just as he crossed through it, he saw Kata and Merrin making their way through the tunnel on the other side. His eyes rested on Kata, his whole demeanour falling as he realised what he would have to tell her soon. Before he could get a word in, though, Merrin spoke.
"They found Brother Kline."
Her tone told Cal everything he needed to know.
The four of them made their way to the eastern side of Santari's Peak where two Anchorites were awaiting them. The hairs on the back of Cal's neck were beginning to stand on end. As they rounded the corner, the two Anchorites, who had been conversing quietly, saw them approaching and bowed their heads.
"Master Kestis..." One of them said, gesturing towards an alcove in the mountainside to their right.
Cal's breathing grew heavier as he approached the small cut-out in the rock, feeling completely unprepared for what he might find. He recoiled slightly as his eyes rested on Brother Kline's body.
"Oh my..." Kata breathed quietly, her hand covering her mouth.
"It's definitely him?" Cal asked the Anchorites.
"Yes, Master Kestis." One of them nodded.
Cal looked down at the Anchorite's body, stripped of his robes and dignity, unceremoniously dumped in the rock. He knelt down to get a closer look, shielding his nose from the smell. The bugs had already begun to work their way into his eyes, nose and mouth, though the corpse still looked fresh enough to have been dumped less than a day ago. Cal had seen a lot of death in his time – far too much for his liking – and he was no stranger to its horror. But this was the cold-blooded and callous murder of an innocent; a targeted attack, though he had a feeling Brother Kline wasn't the target.
"Who else knows he's here?" Cal asked.
"Master Niteva," One of the Anchorites replied. "They were with us when we found him."
Cal couldn't help but notice they weren't here now, but he put that out of his mind for the moment and focused on examining the body. He gently touched the corpse's shoulder and rolled it towards him, the arms falling away to reveal the unmistakable wound left behind by a lightsaber. A precise stab wound straight through his heart that would have killed him instantly.
"A lightsaber did this." Cal stated.
"Whose?" Merrin questioned.
Cal hesitated, knowing what he would find, but not wanting to see it. He reached out with an unsteady hand and laid it on the body, a shaky breath leaving his lips as he connected to the Force.
He saw Brother Kline making his way back to the Anchorites' quarters in the dark. The dim lights from the heat lamps illuminated his path. Once he was out of sight of the now-dying down party in the square, Cal saw a dark figure stalking up behind him. For a moment, he almost wanted to shout, to warn him, forgetting this was just a memory. Brother Kline heard them approaching and turned, startled at first, but then relaxing as the figure stepped into the light and he recognised them.
"Oh, Master Niteva, you startled me," Brother Kline chuckled. "What can I—?"
Brother Kline's words caught in his throat as Teelo grabbed them, ignited their white saber and thrust it straight up through the Anchorite's chest. They looked straight into his eyes as his last breath left him and smirked.
Cal was thrown from the echo, reeling, having to throw his arm out to grip the rock beside him so he wouldn't fall over. He couldn't believe what he'd seen, didn't want to believe it. He had felt it, suspected it all this time, but now that he knew, he almost wished he didn't. He was instantly filled with a rage he hadn't known in a long time. He could feel his blood boiling, his teeth clenching, his heart threatening to leap from his chest.
"Where is Teelo?" He practically growled.
"They went to the docks, to secure them." One of the Anchorites replied.
Cal looked straight at Merrin from where he was still kneeling and made eye contact with her.
"Get there first."
Without so much as hesitating, understanding all at once what he had seen, Merrin teleported away. Kata approached Cal, her eyes wide with terror and confusion.
"Cal, what did you see?"
"It was Teelo," Cal stood, not looking at her. "They killed Brother Kline."
"What?!" She demanded.
"bwee-oop?"
"This whole thing was a distraction, so they could flee Tanalorr. We're out of time."
"Master...?"
"Get back to Sister Taske, round up the Anchorites, begin the evacuation protocols," Cal instructed. "The Empire is coming. Go, now!"
The two Anchorites rushed off and Cal turned and walked right past Kata.
"Where are you going?"
"I need to see something."
Kata hurried after him, neither of them stopping until they reached the Archive, where they slowed, wary of everyone watching them. Kata looked up at Cal's face as they walked quickly and his expression was hard and focused. He led her into the conference room at the back, going straight to the lockbox hidden in a compartment in the floor underneath a shelf he had to use the Force to move. He retrieved Teelo's compass from it and placed it on the metal table in the middle of the room next to BD-1, then pushed the button to activate it. The compass opened, but the cylinder in the centre did not turn and no sound came from the object as it should have.
Cal was seeing red. This one detail that he had overlooked, this one thing he had not thought to test until now, might just have been the one thing that could've ended this madness. His anger got the better of him as he slammed his fist down on the table, cracking its glass top and making both Kata and BD jump.
"I knew it!" He shouted.
He walked away from the table, his back to Kata and tried to calm himself somewhat, not wanting to lose control of his anger in front of her, and knowing he needed to try and keep a level head. He activated his commlink.
"Merrin."
"Cal?"
"Teelo's compass is a fake, don't let them escape."
"I see them now, they will not leave this planet alive."
Kata felt as though her head might explode. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. She felt like she couldn't breathe. Teelo couldn't have betrayed them. It was impossible, unconscionable. It didn't make sense! It couldn't be them.
"This can't be happening," She whimpered. "It can't be true..."
"bwooo..."
Cal turned back towards her, his expression pained.
"I'm sorry, Kata, but it is."
"No! I don't believe it!" She shouted, tears beginning to streak down her cheeks. "It can't be them, why would they do this?!"
Cal crossed the room to her, bending down in front of her and placing his hands on her shoulders to try to calm her hysterics.
"Kata, listen to me," He looked into her eyes, her pain reflected in his. "We don't have time for questions right now. We need to tell the Council what's going on and then we need to prepare to defend Tanalorr."
"No..."
Kata couldn't stop the tears from spilling over her eyes. She couldn't believe this was happening. After everything they had done, her vision was still going to come true. The Empire was going to invade and so many were going to die. For all their preparation, they were out of time.
"I'm so sorry, Kata," Cal's own voice shook. "But you know what we have to do now."
Barely able to breathe between her sobs, Kata eventually nodded.
"Ok."
"Run and find Master Horos outside, I'll find the others." He instructed.
The two of them hurried from the room in different directions, BD-1 jumping onto Kata's back as she left. She wiped the tears from her face as she ran through the Archive, ignoring questions and startled sounds from those she passed. Everything was a blur around her, her mind unable to process the last several minutes. All she could see was Teelo, the moments they had shared together, all of them as a family. How could they do this? Did all of that mean nothing to them? Did she mean nothing to them? Why was this happening?
She felt as though she was running on autopilot as she approached Master Horos in the Square outside with her fellow Padawans. The Twi'lek took one look at her blurry, red face and stopped.
"Kata, what's wrong?"
"Cal needs to speak with you in the Temple, now."
Her own voice sounded foreign to her. Master Horos simply nodded in response, understanding it was something serious. He addressed the class, then followed Kata up the stairs and into the Temple. The others had only just arrived when they joined them and Kata could feel the stress and anger radiating from Cal's body. She stood to his left and the other Masters gathered around them in a circle.
"Now, would you mind telling us what this is about?" Master Gidun asked.
"Shouldn't we wait for Merrin and Master Niteva?" Master Horos wondered.
"That's what we're here to discuss." Cal's voice was low.
He faced them, the agony for his next words clear on his face.
"There is no easy way to say this, so I'll just say it," He looked each of them in the eyes as he spoke. "We've been betrayed, the Empire is in possession of an Abyss Compass and they're likely on their way here as we speak."
Shock was the first thing Kata saw on their faces, shock and disbelief. Two emotions she was still struggling with, having barely had a chance to understand what was happening.
"The Empire is coming here...?" Master Gidun seemed to be more thinking aloud than asking a question.
"Who has betrayed us?" Master Maven demanded.
Cal turned towards her, his expression cold.
"It was Teelo; they murdered Brother Kline and gave their compass to the Empire."
"Teelo...?" Master Maven's eyes widened and her mouth fell open slightly.
"It... it can't be." Master Horos seemed equally shaken.
"I wish it weren't, but it is." Cal confirmed.
"Where is Merrin?" Master Gidun asked.
"Teelo was trying to flee the planet, I sent her to stop them," He explained. "Listen, I know you all have questions, but there is no time to waste, we need to prepare Tanalorr for an Imperial assault. They could arrive at any moment."
"What do you need from us, Cal?" Master Maven asked.
"We need to round up the other Jedi and prepare the defense of Haven. We must send support to the Western Expanse, if the Empire ferries their troops in there, they'll be cut off from us. Lyle, I need you to head to the docks and prepare the ships to transport civilians off-world. Rohm, I need you to head back into the Temple and round up the Younglings, get them to the ships..."
Cal's voice began to fade into the distance for Kata, no longer acknowledging his instructions. She had become distracted by something she couldn't see, but feel. She hadn't stopped watching the three other Masters since Cal had begun speaking, time seeming to slow around her, such was her focus. A strange feeling washed over her, one she couldn't describe even if she'd had the words to. Her heartbeat was loud in her ears, every breath slow and drawn out. She didn't know how, but she knew this was the Force. It was the same feeling she'd had during her vision, and she knew instantly what it meant.
Just as she was about to get Cal's attention to tell him something was wrong, the slightest of movements caught her eye. It was so subtle she would never have seen it if she hadn't have known to look. The smallest reach of a hand towards a lightsaber had Kata's eyes snapping up to the face of its owner. Master Maven's face, hard and hateful, her eyes narrowing, staring straight at Cal. Everything seemed to snap back to reality for Kata as Maven unclipped her saber from her belt.
Kata's instincts completely took over, pulling her own weapon and igniting its purple blade just as Maven ignited her blue one, preparing to strike Cal when he was completely off-guard. Kata swung her weapon upward, interrupting her strike by slicing straight through her right arm. A scream of both pain and surprise left her mouth and she fell to her knees, her weapon shutting itself off and clattering to the ground between them.
For what felt like an eternity, no one said a word, everyone stood there in complete shock, everyone but Maven and Kata. Startled breaths left Cal's mouth as he looked down at Maven, cowering on the ground, acutely aware of how close he just came to being killed by her. His mind already reeling from the events of that day, it took him several seconds to realise what had just happened.
"You little witch!" Maven screamed at Kata.
Kata stepped forward, pointing her saber at Maven, silently threatening her.
"You..." She growled.
"Kata...?" Cal finally spoke, his voice shaking.
"It's her, Cal. I saw her in my vision, and now I know why. It was all her."
Cal's brain finally catching up enough to realise she was right, he turned towards Maven who was glaring daggers at Kata.
"Nadirr..." Master Horos whispered.
Maven looked from him, to Kata, to the floor. She hung her head, sharp breaths being pulled through her teeth that soon turned into sinister laughter.
"You poor, blind fool," She taunted, looking up at Cal. "You never even suspected, not once. As always, your compassion is your undoing."
"Why?" Cal demanded. "Why did you do this?"
"You really don't know, do you?"
The two of them stared each other down for a moment, then Maven's expression turned pained.
"Gabrys Maven, she was my sister, and she died on Coruscant saving you."
Cal felt his blood turn to ice, something grip his chest in a chokehold and cease his breath, and somewhere in the back of his mind, a memory. One he had long forgotten, so seemingly trivial at the time/ A moment on the Mantis so many years ago, sitting, talking with his crew.
"I had family, once, but they all joined up with the Empire after the Purge. They don't mean much to me now."
A shaky exhale left him and he felt as if his legs would buckle from the shock.
Gabs.
"That's what all of this is about," He realised. "You would bring the Empire here and doom all of these innocent people, the last of our kind with them, all to avenge a sister you never even cared about enough to call?"
"She meant everything to me!" Maven shouted.
"And when she died," He accused. "I was there... where were you?"
Maven's lips pulled back from her teeth, looking very much like she wanted to kill him. Kata almost couldn't believe this was the same Maven she'd known for years; the funny, strict but understanding Jedi Master who'd instructed her almost every day since she'd come to Tanalorr. Now she didn't even recognise her.
"Unfortunately for you, I came here with one purpose," She practically hissed like a snake as she spoke. "To destroy you and everything you love. But then I saw what you were doing here; this perversion of the Jedi Order, and this abomination you call an Apprentice!"
She spat that last part in Kata's direction and the Padawan's face hardened, inching closer and pointing her weapon directly at Maven's throat.
"And I knew it wouldn't be enough just to destroy you, I had to lay waste to your legacy," She continued. "The Hidden Path, your Jedi, your witch lover, all of them."
Cal's lip twitched, her comments about Kata and Merrin fuelling his anger.
"You didn't do this alone," He deduced. "You couldn't have."
"You're right. I had help."
"Who?" Kata demanded.
Maven looked at her and laughed in her face. Kata pointed her saber so close to her neck, she must be feeling the heat from the blade.
"Answer me, you evil bitch!"
"Kata."
Cal held out his hand for her to stand down and she backed off a little, still keeping her weapon up. He stepped forward and addressed the other two Masters, who were still frozen in shock.
"Rohm, get to the Temple, get the Younglings and get them out. Lyle, round up the others in the square, then get to the docks and secure them."
"You're too late..." Maven taunted, looking up at Cal, grinning cruelly. "He's coming for you, Cal Kestis. There is nowhere left for you to run."
Cal felt the fear rising in his chest, images flashed in his mind of the black suit, the mask, the red saber; a figure all too familiar to his memory. Cal had known he might come, Kata had seen him in her vision, but to hear Maven confirm his worst fear threatened to send him into a blind panic. He stopped his spiralling thoughts, knowing he couldn't afford to fall apart. He turned back toward the other Masters, who were still hesitating.
"Go!" He shouted to get their attention.
At last, Horos and Gidun's feet willed them forward and they took off in opposite directions. Cal placed his hand on Kata's left wrist and lowered her arm. She looked up at him and he nodded slightly, so she deactivated her saber, keeping it clasped in her hand. He stepped between her and Maven, pulling his own weapon from his belt. He stalked towards her, making sure to kick her discarded saber away so she couldn't pull another fast one on him.
"It doesn't matter what you do now," Her voice was strained from the pain she must have been feeling from her wound. "You will not survive this."
"Maybe not," Cal conceded. "But neither will you."
Maven looked up at him, realisation dawning on her face, knowing it was over.
"Kata, look away."
"No."
Cal turned his head towards her, keeping his peripheral on Maven. Kata's face was cold, focused on Maven. He didn't want her to see what he had to do, but he couldn't make her leave. Maven began to laugh again.
"That's right, you know what you are, girl," She goaded. "You will never escape it, it's in your nature. Like Master, like Apprentice."
Maven looked up at Cal, grinning wickedly. Cal didn't know how she knew the things she hinted to know, and frankly he didn't care; it didn't matter now. He ignited the orange blade of his saber and ended her miserable life with a swift motion, her severed head rolling away from her body as it collapsed. Kata flinched and looked away reflexively. She had never seen Cal take a life like that before, not someone who was disarmed and defenseless against him. It wasn't his way, but she knew there wasn't time, and somehow she doubted Maven would've shown him such mercy.
Cal stood for a few seconds longer, absolutely reeling, trying to hold himself together. His people needed him now, his family needed him. He had to find Merrin and Greez and prepare before the Empire arrived. He sheathed his weapon and turned, approaching Kata.
"You ok?" He asked.
"bwoo?"
"Yeah, I-I'm good." Kata replied shakily.
"Come on, we have to find the others." He said quickly, gesturing for her to follow him.
He started to sprint from the cavern, Kata and BD-1 following behind him, each of them leaping the stairs as they went, knowing that every second they had now counted. The yellow and orange hues of sunset lighting up the mouth of the tunnel were muddied by the grey of cloud rolling in. There was a distinctive chill and moisture in the air that grew more obvious as they approached the entrance. Kata stayed focused on Cal's back as they flew down the tunnel, finally slowing as they made it out into the open air.
Cal held out his hand for Kata to stop and she saw him press his other to his head, swaying a little unsteadily.
"What's wrong?" She asked.
"Oh, no..." He muttered.
And then Kata felt it, too. That strange, inexplicable feeling, similar to what she'd felt right before Maven had attacked. The Force activating every nerve ending she had, warning her something was approaching. She had never felt it so strongly in her life. A clap of thunder sounded from the skies above and the two of them looked up towards the rolling cloud, seeing the white flashes of electricity between them, lighting up the rapidly darkening sky as the sun fell over the horizon. As though the heavens themselves had been trying to draw their attention, Cal and Kata heard the distinctive booming of a ship dropping out of hyperspace into the atmosphere, and so quickly it was disorienting, a Star Destroyer pulled into view.