16 / Haxion Brood
Hyperspace
2 BBY
A faint beeping sound snapped Cal from his thoughts and caused him to raise his head. He saw the light blinking in the cockpit from where he sat and was immediately on his feet, wincing a little at the pain in his leg.
"Cal?"
Teelo's voice called to him as he was already reaching the co-pilot's seat. He sat down and pushed a button on the console, his mouth falling open slightly as he saw a tracking indicator appear, recognising it instantly.
"Is that…?" Teelo started to ask.
"It's Kata's locator signal." Cal confirmed.
"Where is she?"
"I don't know, it's faint, I'm trying to dial it in."
Cal pushed a few more buttons until he had the signal locked on, confusion colouring his face when he saw the location appear on the screen.
"She's on Ferrix."
"Ferrix?" Teelo questioned. "What the hell's she doing there?"
Cal was wondering that himself. He was also wondering why only Kata's signal was coming through, and why she'd activated it at all. If she'd been on the Mantis with the others, then surely... He had a sudden, terrifying realisation as he tapped away at the controls.
"Shit." Cal swore.
"What?" Teelo demanded.
"She's not with the others, I can't locate the Mantis on Ferrix."
He looked at Teelo and saw his worry reflected in their face.
"Maybe the Mantis went down?" They offered.
"With Greez piloting? No, no way." Cal shook his head.
"Then how did she get off Tanalorr?"
"She must've left on another ship."
"So you're saying she's alone down there?"
Teelo's tone was growing more concerned by the second, as was Cal. The possibility that Kata was alone in a place like that had the hairs on the back of his neck standing on end. He looked at Teelo very pointedly.
"Turn us around, now."
They didn't have to be told twice, immediately changing their course for Ferrix, which of course was in the opposite direction to where they had been travelling for several hours. Cal turned his attention back to the console, trying to pinpoint her location on the planet.
"It looks like she's somewhere in Ferrix City, though I'm having trouble nailing it down."
"Maybe she's on the move?"
"Or her beacon is…"
"What do you mean?"
"I mean she's not stupid – she's alone on an Empire-controlled planet, she wouldn't have risked activating her beacon unless something was wrong."
Teelo's expression shifted from worried to serious and they returned their attention to piloting.
"We're nine hours away from Ferrix."
Cal knew he was going to be losing his mind with worry for every second of those nine hours. His attention was back on the console as the beeping suddenly ceased and the locator disappeared from the map entirely.
"Damn it!" He cursed, hitting the control panel with his fist. "We lost the signal."
He heard Teelo let out a shaky exhale.
"I hope she's ok…"
Cal didn't say anything, his anxiety skyrocketing. He had been to Ferrix once before, years ago. He knew how dangerous of a planet it was, and from what he'd heard, things had only been getting worse since then. It was just typical of the kid to end up in such a place when she was on her own. The lost signal just now was making him very worried that something terrible had happened to her. If the Imps had captured her, they'd likely be using her as bait to draw them out. But he knew there were threats on Ferrix far worse than the Empire…
Ferrix
The Rogue Mercenary flew low over the planet's surface, the two Jedi piloting it scanning the ground for any signs. It wasn't long before the smouldering wreck of a single-pilot fighter caught their eyes, and to Cal's immense surprise and confusion, he recognised what was left of the Z-95.
"That's Bode's ship..." He said almost to himself.
But the ship wasn't the only thing that had caught their attention; an Imperial patrol was already combing over the crash site, their speeders parked nearby. Cal and Teelo weren't the least bit deterred as they set the ship down on the other side of the wreck and swiftly disembarked, lightsabers at the ready. The Stormtroopers immediately opened fire when they saw the two of them, but they didn't stand a chance, all eight of them dropping within seconds. Cal approached the wreckage, hoping, praying that it was empty. He climbed up to the cockpit and was both relieved and uneasy to find that neither Kata nor BD-1 were inside.
"They're not here." He breathed, jumping back down and turning to Teelo.
"But they were."
They held up the trauma kit that had been discarded next to a nearby rock and Cal saw its contents on the ground, stained red with blood. He walked forward and held out his hand for the object and they passed it to him. He connected with the Force and Kata's form appeared before him, sitting on the rock with BD-1 beside her, wrapping her bleeding arm in a bandage.
"She was injured in the crash." He explained.
"I don't get it, that kid is a better pilot than me, how did she end up crash-landing here?" Teelo wondered aloud.
"I don't know." Cal's brow furrowed, just as lost as them.
"Think they went to the city from here?"
"Most likely, it's where I would go."
"Then let's move."
Teelo stood from their kneeled position and started to head back towards the Rogue, but Cal stopped them with a hand on their shoulder.
"Whoever has Kata, we don't want them to know we're coming," He reminded them. "We should leave the Rogue here and take those, it'll be less conspicuous."
Cal jerked his head towards the speeders the Imps had ridden out there. Teelo nodded once at him, their face all business, but Cal could tell the hard exterior they were projecting was just to mask their anxiety. They seemed just as worried about Kata as he was. He followed them towards the speeders and they each took one, racing off towards Ferrix City.
The city was as cold, decrepit and uninviting as Cal remembered, perhaps even more so than the last time he'd been there. There also seemed to be far more Imperials patrolling the streets and generally making life miserable for the residents. The two Jedi kept their hoods up and their heads down, knowing that they couldn't afford to be recognised. They stopped at the end of an alley that connected to one of the main streets and Teelo tapped the back of their hand to Cal's arm. He looked at them and they nodded towards a group of four people on the other side.
"Syndicates." They stated in a low voice.
Cal looked at the group and saw what they'd seen: each of them was sporting distinctive tattoos somewhere visible on their bodies. Teelo had a similar one on the back of their neck, Cal had seen it before, but they kept it covered these days.
"You think they could have Kata?"
"Depends," They replied. "These are Crimson guys, they don't usually take prisoners, but they might to lure out a couple of Jedi. But if they're here, good chance the Black Sun is, too."
"Wasn't that your crew?" Cal asked flatly.
Teelo glanced sideways at him, their expression hard.
"Yeah, and they're only in the habit of abducting young women for one reason: the flesh trade."
Cal looked away from them, his stomach turning at the mere thought of it. He wouldn't let that happen to Kata – over his dead kriffing body.
"We don't know that they have her yet, Cal," Teelo reminded. "Let's not jump to conclusions until we learn more."
"Yeah, you're right." He conceded.
"So, where do we start?"
Cal looked around them, trying to imagine where Kata might have gone from here. His eyes rested on a shady-looking bar with a sad neon sign and something about it was drawing him in.
"There." He nodded towards it.
Teelo followed his eyeline, their eyes narrowing at the place aptly named "Rix's Piss".
"You feel it?" Cal asked.
"I do," They nodded. "Think she went in?"
"Maybe. Only one way to find out."
"Ok, you head in and see what you can find. I'll stay here and keep an eye out."
Cal nodded at them and they leaned against the wall, settling in to keep watch. Cal rolled his shoulders and straightened out his stiff neck as he headed into the bar. As soon as he was inside, a familiar feeling washed over him and he instantly knew that Kata had been there, and recently. His eyes scanned the room for anyone turning their head at his entrance, noticing one man in the corner eyeing him a bit too curiously. Cal was instantly suspicious, making a point of not looking at him as he headed straight for the bar, the droid serving drinks behind it eventually turning.
"What can I getcha?" The droid asked briskly.
"Nothin', thanks." Cal replied, resting a hand on the top of the bar and the other on his belt.
"Then whaddaya want?" They demanded.
"I'm lookin' for someone," Cal got straight to the point. "A young woman, sixteen, dark hair, brown eyes, about this tall."
Cal motioned Kata's rough height with his hand.
"I might've seen someone like that," The droid folded their arms. "What's it to ya?"
"My daughter, Kata," Cal explained. "I think she might've been abducted."
"She must look like her mother." The droid remarked.
"She does." Cal replied evenly.
He could feel eyes on his back and he half-turned his head towards the man in the corner he'd noticed before, seeing him look away from his peripheral vision. The droid unfolded their arms and leaned on the bar as Cal turned back to them.
"I saw a kid like that," They admitted. "Didn't give a name, though."
"When?" Cal tried not to show the sudden hope he felt.
"She was in here about a day ago, looking for a ship. I gave her a name."
"Whose name?"
"Information isn't cheap 'round here, y'know." The droid narrowed their eyes at him.
"And yet you've told me this much for nothin'."
The droid scoffed in response and Cal stared them down before softening his face.
"Please, if the Empire, or worse, the Syndicates have her, I'm running out of time. A name, that's all I need."
The droid seemed to contemplate for a moment, then they leaned in again.
"I'll tell ya, but only cos I liked the kid, and it did seem like she was in trouble," Cal leaned in to listen. "Guy you're lookin' for goes by Geezer, and he just made a swift exit out the door."
Cal's head whipped around to find the booth in the corner that had previously been occupied was now empty. He turned towards the door, but it looked like he'd already made a break for it. He wasn't worried though, knowing that Teelo would already be hot on his tail.
"You'll have a hard time findin' 'im now." The droid stated.
"He won't get far." Cal replied.
"Good luck."
"Thanks."
The Jedi left the bar hastily and turned right up the street, allowing the Force to guide his way. He sensed movement above and looked up to see Teelo's robed figure a few buildings ahead, dashing lithely across the rooftops in pursuit of their target and he smirked to himself. He eventually turned down an alleyway and saw the guy trying to look casual as he walked with his hands in his pockets. Cal pursued him up the alley and the man stopped as Teelo suddenly emerged from around the corner in front of him, pulling their hood back.
"Where you goin' in such a hurry?" They asked.
He started to turn away and stopped again as he saw Cal blocking the way out. He swallowed, obviously realising he was in trouble. He made a move to run, but he was far too slow as Teelo grabbed him by the back of his jacket, dragged him around the corner into a dead end and threw him against the alley wall.
"You must be Geezer," Cal stated as he approached, looking him up and down. "Figures."
"Whoa, whoa, easy, I think you got the wrong guy!" His voice shook with obvious fear.
Both Cal and Teelo boxed him in, glaring at him menacingly.
"You didn't stop staring at me the whole time I was in that bar," Cal said in a low tone. "Which either means you know who I am or what I am. Either way, I think you know who we're looking for."
"I don't know nothin', I swear."
Teelo stepped forward and grabbed him by his collar, shoving him up against the wall.
"Listen, scum, here's how this is gonna work," They threatened. "Tell us what you know or I start snapping bones."
The Corellian scoffed.
"You're Jedi, you're not gonna do anythin' to me." He said smugly.
"I wouldn't bet on that," Cal warned and jerked his head at his fellow Jedi. "Teelo here used to run with the Black Sun, and I'm guessin' you know how they deal with rats like you."
Geezer's eyes widened as he stared at Teelo and their eyes were focused on him, cold and unfeeling, as they tightened their grip on his shirt.
"Where is she?" Cal demanded.
"Who?"
Without so much as hesitating, Teelo pulled their left arm back and punched him right across the nose. Cal couldn't help but cringe at the vicious strike, knowing from experience how much a clock from Teelo hurt. The guy cried out and fell to his knees, clutching his face. Teelo crouched down and grabbed his hair, pulling his head back and examining the bloody mess while he whined pathetically.
"Hm, looks like I broke it." They observed, uncaring.
"Ya think?!" He exclaimed.
"You ready to talk now?" Cal asked.
"Screw you, Jedi scum! I ain't tellin' you shit!"
"Wrong answer." Teelo growled.
They threw him to the muddy ground, stood and kicked him in the face hard. The force of their kick knocked him on his back, then Teelo knelt down with one knee on the ground and the other on his chest, grabbing him by his shirt with both hands. He struggled for oxygen as they pressed their knee into his ribcage, forcing the air from his lungs. Cal shot a worried glance at the Mirialukan, wondering if he should stop them. It wasn't the first time he'd seen them rough someone up, but they were usually more controlled about it. When he looked at them now, their knuckles were white, their teeth were slightly bared and their eyes were focused but murderous. He was somewhat concerned about their mental state, but he turned his attention back to Geezer for the moment.
"Where is she?" Cal asked again.
"I don't know who you're talkin' about." He wheezed.
"The girl!" Teelo shouted in his face, making him flinch in fear. "Young Jedi, dark hair, brown eyes, sound familiar?!"
"I haven't seen any girl 'round here."
"Break his arm next." Cal instructed.
"With pleasure."
Teelo hauled him to his feet rapidly and shoved him against the wall, pulling his arm behind his back with one hand and pressing the side of his face into the wall with the other. They braced to snap his bone in half when he started to beg for mercy.
"Wait, wait, stop, I saw her! I saw her!"
"Where?" Cal demanded.
"In the bar! She was lookin' for charter off-world."
"When?" Teelo pressed, unmoving from their position.
"Yesterday, but I don't know where she is now, I swear!"
"He's lying." Teelo stated.
"I'm not lyin'! Please!"
"Teelo."
They looked back at Cal and he nodded at them. They released him, dropping him back onto his feet and stepped back.
"Go on, get outta here before we change our minds." Cal said.
Geezer only hesitated for a moment, probably deciding if this was a trick, before he took off past them, up the alley and around the corner. Cal and Teelo watched him go until he was out of sight.
"You think he's stupid enough to lead us right to her?" Teelo asked.
"I think he's a coward, and the first thing he'll do is disappear straight back down whatever hole he crawled out of."
Teelo nodded in response and the two Jedi set about scaling the building next to them to follow him from above. They watched him weave his way through the streets below, constantly checking behind him for pursuit, but never thinking to look up. Sure enough, he led them straight to a building on the outskirts of the city that looked long abandoned. The two of them crouched low behind the edge of a roof a few buildings away and watched him disappear inside.
"Looks like an old sewage processing plant." Teelo observed, pulling out their binoculars.
"That's probably exactly what it is." Cal agreed.
Teelo kept searching the building for any signs and Cal watched them, wary of their body language. They seemed calm enough, given the circumstances, but he could feel anxiety and anger rolling off of them. He usually couldn't feel their emotions at all, as he knew they tried to keep a tight lid on their projection, and he felt the need to check in with them.
"You good?" He asked.
"I will be, once we find Kata." They replied flatly.
Cal hummed in response, then hesitated before continuing.
"Sorry about back there."
"Don't be. What's the point in having an ex-merc around if they can't use a little forceful persuasion when it's needed?"
They grinned sideways at Cal and he huffed a laugh. He had never been quite sure what to make of Teelo. On the surface, they didn't seem like the kind of person to have a dark side, but when it rarely showed, you quickly realised they weren't someone you wanted to make an enemy of. He knew enough about their past to know how dangerous they were, and also how useful it was to have them as an ally. They had lived a lot in their thirty-three years, going from the Jedi Temple, to the Clone Wars, to the spice mines of Ryloth, to the underbelly of Coruscant, then to joining their crew and the Hidden Jedi on Tanalorr. He still didn't know if they had any conscious part in Maven's betrayal, but he knew one thing for sure: there was a lot more to them than meets the eye.
"Oh, shit..." Teelo swore.
"What?" Cal demanded.
They kept looking for a moment, then lowered their binoculars, handing them to Cal with a look.
"Tell me that's not the Haxion Brood down there."
Cal took the binoculars and immediately dialled them in on the two guards standing by the rear entrance to the building. He let out a frustrated sigh as he recognised their armour and the sigils on their chest plates.
"Dank farrick." He cursed.
"These guys don't know when to quit."
"I should've killed Sorc Tormo when I had the chance," Cal lamented, lowering the binoculars and handing them back to Teelo. "They're using her as bait to lure me down there."
"Of course they are," They agreed. "Question is, are we biting?"
"There's bound to be a lot of them inside." Cal pointed out.
"I don't care, Kata's in there. BD too, probably."
Cal wasn't sure where BD-1 was, but if he had been with Kata, then they had most likely been captured together. They had no choice: they had to rescue them both and get off-world before they attracted any more unwanted attention.
"Like that time on Cato Nemoidia?" Cal asked.
"I'll follow your lead, Jedi." Teelo agreed with a nod.
Cal proceeded to throw himself over the edge of the building and slide down the side of it into the alley. He leaned casually against the wall beside him, whistling sharply to get the attention of the guards. Their heads whipped towards him and he smiled slyly.
"You fellas lookin' for me?"
They immediately took the bait and started to chase him, shouting something incoherent. He darted back down the alley and hid between the buildings. As they rounded the corner out of sight of the plant, Teelo dropped from above, landing gracefully on their feet and plunging their separated sabers into the two guards' backs, killing them both instantly.
"They never look up," Teelo remarked, twirling their sabers before rejoining them. "Why do they never look up?"
Cal shrugged and shook his head with a smirk.
"Now we just have to figure out how we're getting inside." He mused.
"Luckily there's a perfectly good back door that's now unguarded."
Cal regarded them sceptically.
"What, just walk right in, sabers blazing?"
"They'll never see it coming," They pointed out. "And we can take 'em."
Cal raised his brows and shrugged.
"Alright," He agreed. "Let's do it."
Teelo's mouth pulled up in a smirk and the two of them stalked back towards the plant.
Chaos erupted inside as the two of them burst in, startling the living hell out of the guys guarding the first chamber. There were five of them, but they were still no match for the Jedi Masters who had spent three years fighting together, and they cut their way through them with minimal effort. Teelo left the last one alive, pointing their white saber at his masked face as they loomed over him.
"Where's the girl?" They demanded.
"Kriff off, Jedi scum!" He spat back.
Teelo held up their right hand and waved it in his direction.
"You will tell me where the girl is." They used the Force to persuade him.
"I... I can't..."
He struggled against their hold on his mind and Cal approached, standing beside Teelo, ready to assist them if they needed.
"Tell me where she is and I'll let you live." They tried again.
That seemed to work as the hunter's body relaxed.
"I'll tell you... they're keeping her in a cell on sub-level five."
"Thank you."
With that, Teelo whipped out their blaster and shot the hunter through his helmet, his body instantly going limp. Cal flinched a little at how cold it was, but he knew they didn't have time for small mercies. They both stowed their weapons and Teelo turned to him.
"Let's move."
Cal wanted to stop them and make sure they were alright, growing increasingly worried about them, but he followed silently. They had to find Kata and BD-1 quickly, and the more of them they dealt with now, the less they'd have to worry about later.
The two Jedi had barely made their way out into the main chamber when they heard voices echoing from below them. They both crouched down on the metal walkway behind the railings, hiding in the relative darkness, and looked down to see three Brood hunters and a familiar-looking rat engaged in a heated discussion.
"What did you tell them, scum?" One of the hunters demanded.
"I told you, I didn't tell them anything!" Geezer held up his hands.
"You said they let you go, so either you squawked, or you led them right to us!"
"N-no, they didn't follow me, I swear!" He stuttered.
"You were stupid enough to let them corner you in the first place," She turned towards the other hunters. "Kill 'im!"
"No, wait!"
The two other hunters raised their blasters and fired an excessive number of bolts into Geezer, his body dropping limply to the metal floor. The hunter who'd ordered his execution then used her foot to roll his body off the walkway into the sewage water below, making a disgusted sound in the back of her throat.
"Clite should've known better than to trust the rats in this place." She said.
"No love lost there, I guess…" Teelo murmured.
"No kidding." Cal muttered back.
The two of them pulled their sabers from their belts, preparing to ambush the three hunters from above. They took the first two out swiftly, the noise causing the third one to turn and start firing. Cal deflected her fire and Teelo dashed towards her with blinding speed, driving their saber through her front.
"Hope you can't swim!" They taunted before kicking her off the edge.
The hunter yelled as her body fell into the water below. Teelo sheathed their weapon and Cal whistled as he looked over the edge.
"You know rats can swim, right?" He asked.
"Ha!" They humoured him. "C'mon."
They continued through the plant, cutting down any Brood who were unfortunate enough to cross their path with ease. When they reached sub-level two, Teelo suddenly halted, holding out their hand for Cal to stop.
"Wait... do you hear that?"
At first, Cal couldn't hear anything, knowing their much sharper ears would have picked it up before his. But he closed his eyes and focused, and sure enough, he started to hear a distant echoing of a familiar voice singing a familiar tune...
"Kata..." He breathed.
The two Jedi looked at each other, then took off once more, following the sound.
"Ghost star, wonder where you are..."
Alone in her cell, shivering from the cold, the young Padawan sang the lullaby her mother taught her to herself. It usually calmed her when she was scared, but right now it didn't seem to be helping much. She didn't know how many hours had passed since she'd woken up here, but it had felt like an eternity. The silence was deafening apart from her soft singing and the occasional conversation she overheard from the Brood guys as they patrolled near her makeshift cell.
"When the sky is clear, I can sense you're near..."
Her eyes suddenly flew open and a small gasp left her mouth as she felt something. It was small, but tangible, and it felt eerily similar to the feeling she'd had on Tanalorr right before the Star Destroyer had appeared in the sky. She knew it was the Force, but it felt different. It felt safe and familiar, it felt like...
"Cal..." She whispered.
Her eyes widened in recognition of the feeling. She almost didn't want to allow herself to believe it – could she really be sensing Cal's presence? Did she dare hope that he was alive, that he had somehow survived Vader and Tanalorr? Did she dare dream that her signal had reached him and he'd come to find her? The more she tuned into the feeling, the more she realised there was no mistaking it; it was Cal she could feel. He was here, and he was close. She almost wanted to sob with relief, but she knew she wasn't safe yet.
"Pretty song."
The sudden voice had her lifting her head, startled. She saw one of the Brood leaning against the other side of the barred door, his gloved fingers poking through the gaps. Kata glared as she recognised his voice – it was the one who'd said those disgusting things about her earlier. Her stomach started to twist in knots at the sight of him standing there, watching her.
"Please, don't stop on my account." He said.
Kata didn't respond, continuing to glare at him silently.
"You cold in there, little Jedi? Want some company?" He taunted.
She spat on the floor towards him in defiance.
"I'd sooner share my cell with Jabba the Hutt." She shot back with disgust.
He chuckled, a low, gravelly sound and stood up straight, cracking his knuckles.
"You Jedi are all the same... maybe I'll open this door and kriff you bloody, teach you some respect."
"Krev!" Another voice suddenly sounded from behind him. "Leave the girl alone."
Kata looked past him to see another Brood hunter approaching, but this one looked different from the others. His helmet was off and he wasn't wearing as much armour as they usually sported. The one named Krev gave one last pointed look at Kata before he reluctantly turned and sauntered off.
"Whatever you say, Clite."
Kata remembered Krev and the other one mentioning Clite earlier, and from their talk it sounded like he was their leader. The human man approached the barred door and opened it.
"Sorry about him," He apologised, seemingly sincerely. "He has something of a reputation."
He took a few steps towards her, the bars closing behind him, and Kata couldn't help but shrink away from him in fear.
"It's alright, I'm not going to hurt you," He held up his hands to reassure her as he knelt down a few feet from her. "We're not all monsters here."
Kata was watching his every move closely, panicked breaths leaving her nose, prepared to fight if he showed even the slightest hint of threatening her.
"Where's BD," She asked. "What did you do to him?"
"It's safe, don't worry, our interest isn't in the little droid."
Kata glared at him calling BD-1 "it".
"Why are you keeping me here?"
"Because we know that Cal Kestis is your Master, girl, and Sorc Tormo still has a score to settle with him."
"He'll have to get in line, then." She said sarcastically.
Clite laughed, a sinister sound that contrasted with his friendly tone.
"It won't work," Kata continued. "He won't take the bait."
"I wouldn't be so sure about that; he's on his way down here as we speak."
Kata's face betrayed her surprise. That was him she'd sensed, then, but to hear Clite confirm it filled her with both hope and dread.
"He won't get far, though," Clite seemed sure of himself. "Between you and him is a small army of the Brood's finest. Rest assured, we'll make sure you go to a nice home after we've dealt with him."
"If you actually believe you can stop him, you Brood are even stupider than you look," Kata spat. "All the bounty hunters in the Galaxy couldn't stop Cal Kestis. He will make it down here, and I'll get to cherish the look on your face when he makes you eat your own words."
"You certainly have a mouth on you, girl," Clite's tone was decidedly less friendly. "Maybe I'll let Krev have you after we're done with your Master, after all."
"He's not gonna lay a hand on me, and neither are you," She said defiantly. "Because I'm gonna kill you, then I'm gonna kill him, then I'm gonna find Cal and we will deal with whatever is left of your guys upstairs."
Clite scoffed at her.
"And just how do you mean to do that?" He asked with a smug smirk.
"Clite!"
Another Brood rushed up to the bars behind Clite and he turned swiftly, still kneeling.
"What is it?" He demanded.
"The Jedi, he's made it to sub-level three!"
"What," He stood, turning towards him "How is that possible?!"
"He's not alone – there's another Jedi with him!"
Kata's eyes widened once more, her heart suddenly pounding in her chest. It couldn't be them; she wouldn't dare allow herself to think it. She tried to focus, knowing that Cal was drawing close, now. She saw Clite's blaster holstered on his hip and she took her opportunity to reach out and pull it to her hands with the Force. He started to turn immediately, but she was already raising the weapon and unloaded it into him, five blaster bolts ripping into his body until he fell to the ground. The other Brood hunter was quick and had his weapon pointed at her before she could adjust her aim. He was going to shoot first and kill her, for sure. Fear overtook her mind and body as she realised she was about to die. Then suddenly, inexplicably, she was no longer in the cell, but staring at his back on the other side as he looked around in confusion.
"What the?!" He exclaimed.
Kata was completely disoriented, her mind taking a very long time to catch up before she understood what had happened. The only giveaway being the distinctly familiar sensation and the almost imperceptible green flash as her matter had shifted from one place to another in an instant.
"That works." She said aloud.
Her sudden speech startled the Brood before her and he started to turn, but she raised her weapon and shot him through the helmet twice for good measure and he clattered to the ground. She couldn't quite believe she had just managed to teleport completely on instinct, driven by her fear of dying. She was entirely unsure if she'd be able to replicate it, but she supposed it didn't matter. She could hear the sounds of fighting from the levels above and she turned and started to run up the hall where she had seen the Brood hunter she'd just killed come from, following the feeling that was still clear in her mind.
Cal jogged behind Teelo, letting the Mirialukan lead with their acute senses, but he knew Kata was close now, he could sense her. He was anxious to find her, to see her with his own eyes, to make sure she was safe. He hoped she was ok – the Force help however many of these bastards were left if they'd harmed her. Cal wondered how many more of them there could possibly be, but it felt like the entire Haxion Brood was in this plant. He made a mental note to take care of Sorc Tormo once and for all after their more immediate problems were dealt with.
They reached a crossway with seven different tunnels diverging in all directions and both of them looked around for a moment.
"This way." Teelo said, starting down one.
Cal followed them and the tunnel led them past a painted wall that informed them they were on sub-level four; almost there, now. Teelo used the Force to open a door at the end which led them into a wider tunnel, putrid-smelling sewage water that had long been sitting stagnant on either side of the walkway. Both Jedi almost jumped out of their skin and halted in their tracks as a Haxion Brood bounty droid was thrown through the wall in front of them by an unseen force, debris flying everywhere. They ignited their sabers, preparing for a fight, when they saw a green flash and Kata suddenly appeared in the tunnel.
Cal watched in disbelief as Kata reached out towards the droid, green tendrils of Magick flowing from her fingertips, her face focused and her teeth bared as she lifted the droid into the air. She curled her fingers and strained, sparks flying from the droid and its speech coming out garbled before she gave a yell of effort, throwing her arms wide as she ripped the droid apart with her sheer power. It clattered to the metal walkway in pieces and Kata leaned forward, her hands on her knees, panting from the exertion. The two Jedi Masters were equally stunned for a moment, but Cal soon stepped forward, realising she hadn't noticed their presence.
"Kata?"
Her head whipped in the direction of the familiar voice and her eyes widened. She stood up straight and stared at him for a moment, not quite believing that her eyes weren't deceiving her. But there he was, standing right in front of her, green eyes wide and not a red hair out of place.
"Cal?"
"Kata!"
He ran to her, she ran to him and they embraced. Cal held her tightly and she buried her face in his shoulder, the smoky scent of his leather jacket the most incredible thing she had ever smelled. A strangled sob left Kata's throat in both relief and disbelief. Until moments ago, she'd thought he had died fighting Vader, and now here he was, holding her, breathing, alive.
Cal pulled back from her eventually and cupped her face in his hands.
"Are you alright?" He asked.
"Yes." She nodded.
"Did they hurt you?" He looked down at her blaster wound. "Your shoulder..."
"I'm ok, I promise," She held up a hand to assure him. "Cal, I thought you were dead, how did you find me?"
"Your signal came through to the Rogue."
Kata looked to Cal's left at the other familiar voice. She had been so shocked to see him that she somehow hadn't noticed them, and she was equally stunned to see them now. They smiled weakly at her, their bright blue eyes and soft green face filled with both relief and trepidation. Kata looked up at Cal and he nodded in approval. Her face contorted as she looked back at them, wasting no more time in running to them.
"Teelo…"
She held back a sob as she threw her arms around their neck and they held her. Cal watched Teelo as they embraced her; the way their hands clung to her, the way they closed their eyes tightly as a shaky breath left their mouth, and he knew immediately that he'd made a terrible mistake. Their love for that girl was obvious in that embrace – he knew they could never have done a thing to hurt her. All at once he felt awful for how he'd misjudged them.
Teelo pulled back from Kata and gripped her upper arms gently.
"Are you sure you're ok?" They asked.
"I'm fine," Kata nodded. "Teelo, what—"
They held up a hand to stop her.
"Later."
Kata nodded in agreement, knowing her questions would have to wait a little longer.
"Kata, where's BD?" Cal asked.
She turned back toward him, her expression hardening.
"They took him, I don't know where."
"C'mon, let's go find 'im, and your weapons." Teelo said.
They led the way once more and the three of them started to hurry back up the passage. Cal caught up with Kata and looked at her.
"Did you just teleport?" He asked.
"Yeah."
"When did you learn to do that?"
"Uh, like ten minutes ago." She replied casually.
Cal simply laughed once in disbelief. But he knew from experience that there was nothing like a life or death situation to force one to learn quickly. They proceeded back up to sub-level three when Teelo stopped again, their head whipping to their left.
"I hear him!" They exclaimed.
The three Jedi hurried in that direction, Cal and Kata able to hear the droid as they drew closer, and also someone shouting at him. Cal grinned to think that BD-1 was causing trouble for his captors. Teelo broke into a door and they saw a Brood hunter holding the little droid, a string of curse words flowing from his mouth.
"BD!" Kata called to him.
"bwee-oop!"
"What the fu—?"
Teelo cut the hunter off as they shot him and he immediately released BD-1, the restraining bolt on the droid preventing him from using his jetpack. Thankfully, though, Cal was already rushing forward and caught him before he could hit the ground.
"I gotcha."
"boo-weep-bee-dee-woop!"
"I know, I'm glad to see you too, buddy," Cal greeted. "Here, let's get that off you."
He pulled out his soldering tool and started removing the restraining bolt as Kata approached them.
"You ok, BD-1?" She asked.
"wooow, bwa-boop?"
"I'm ok, I was worried about you, too."
As soon as the restraining bolt was off of him, BD jumped into Cal's arms and the Jedi hugged him for a moment. Kata smiled at the two of them, relieved beyond words that they were all together again. But she knew they weren't out of the woods, yet. BD-1 clamboured up onto Cal's back and he and Kata stood as Teelo approached them, holding out Kata's lightsaber.
"Here."
She took her weapons from them, grateful to have them back in her hands.
"Now we just have to fight our way outta here, get back to the Rogue and get off this blasted rock." Teelo remarked.
"Should be easy." Cal echoed their sarcasm.
"They won't even know what hit 'em." Kata added.
"myam-wam!"
The three Jedi grinned stupidly at each other as they headed back out into the halls, their adversaries immediately accosting them. Three lightsabers ignited in unison and there was a beat where none of the Brood guys made a move.
"You fellas sure you wanna do this?" Teelo taunted them.
They didn't look sure at all, but eventually their leader ordered them forward and they hesitantly attacked. Teelo ignited their second blade and took the two on their right, Cal met the strike of the droid in the centre and Kata turned her attention to the two on the left. Teelo dispatched the two hunters with ease, their movements far too quick for them, turning them into separate torsos and legs before they could barely get a shot off. Cal made equally short work of the droid, dodging its heavy strikes and lopping off its arms before dragging his saber up its middle.
He turned towards Kata in time to see her vanish as one of the hunters fired his blaster at her, re-appearing behind him and driving her saber through his back, using him as a human shield as the other shot at her. Then she shut off her weapon briefly to drop his body to the ground and flipped gracefully towards the other, teleporting behind him mid-strike and finishing her blow by splitting him down the middle. Cal shook his head slightly, grinning widely. Despite his regret at her having to take lives and the inherent violence of it, he would've been lying if he'd said he wasn't immensely proud of his Apprentice. Kata sheathed her weapon and noticed him, BD-1 and Teelo all staring at her.
"What?" She demanded.
"I just want you to know that I am immensely annoyed that you can do that now." Cal remarked.
"And I'm insanely jealous," Teelo added. "Suddenly the kid's got more style than either of us."
"boop-bweep!"
Cal hummed in agreement and Kata smiled at them all very smugly, then her expression turned startled as she saw another hunter suddenly appear behind Teelo. They turned quickly, sensing the danger, and deflected his shot back at him, hitting him in the shoulder. He went down and they were about to stalk towards him to finish him off, but Kata blew right past them, igniting her weapon and pointing it towards him.
"You..." She growled.
She glared at the hunter on the ground, her lips quivering with anger as she recognised his helmet – it was Krev.
"Kata?" Cal asked from behind her.
She hesitated, unsure if she should just kill him or tell them why first. She heard Teelo approach, stopping to stand next to her, she could feel their eyes moving between her and Krev.
"This one threatened to kriff me bloody to 'teach me some respect'."
As soon as the words left her mouth, Cal's eyes turned on the hunter, anger not unlike what he'd felt on Tanalorr instantly overtaking him. He tried to keep himself calm, not wanting to act on impulse in front of Kata. He stole a glance over at Teelo and saw the rage on their face, their eyes fixed on the hunter and absolutely homicidal. They laid a hand on Kata's shoulder, causing her to look up at them.
"I'll deal with him."
Their voice was even, but Kata could see the anger clear on their face, and something in their eyes told her this was not a point to argue with them on. She stowed her weapon, glaring down at Krev, wishing she could see the fear on his face as he realised he had threatened the wrong Padawan. Teelo stalked towards him with their saber drawn and Kata felt Cal's hand on her shoulder.
"Come on, Kata."
To Cal's relief, she complied without protest as he pulled her back and she turned to walk away with him, keeping his hand around her back. He didn't want her to see what he had a feeling Teelo was about to do to that bastard. As the two of them walked away, they heard Krev start to beg, then his begs turn to blood-chilling screams of pain. They heard Teelo deactivate their weapon, but Krev was still screaming, so Kata knew he wasn't dead.
"Sous-merde." Teelo cursed, spitting at him.
Cal tightened his grip on Kata's shoulder, blowing out an exhale. He had only ever heard Teelo curse in Mirialan when they were seriously pissed off, not that he blamed them for a second. He heard Teelo's hurried footsteps behind them trying to catch up and the four of them made their way back to the surface, leaving the Haxion Brood in tatters once more.