Jedi: Remnants

by QueerNoob

Seven years after the events of Jedi: Survivor, Cal Kestis and his family have established the Hidden Path on Tanalorr and life is good. He and Merrin have trained Kata Akuna, now a teenager, as a Jedi and Nightsister along with several other Force-sensitives. But a strange experience Kata has will soon reveal that things are not all that they seem... (Cal x Merrin) (Long fic)

19. Chapter 19 - Love and Loss

19 / Love and Loss

The others were returning from the direction of the docks just as Cal was descending the steps down to the square. He made haste towards them, still feeling somewhat dissociated, but his new-found determination kept him moving forward. He met Teelo, Kata and BD-1 by the markets and the Mirialukan's eyes looked at him with questions. He suddenly felt a bit weird seeing them in front of him after what he'd witnessed in Maven's room, like he was seeing double.

"Maven had an accomplice," He began before they could speak. "I don't know who they were, but I know how they got to Tanalorr and helped her bring the Empire here and frame you for it."

Teelo's eyes widened.

"What'd you see?" They asked.

"I'll explain once we find the others. Did you find anything?"

They shook their head sadly, then glanced down at Kata, who stood by their side with BD-1 perched on her shoulder. Cal's eyes followed theirs to rest on his Apprentice; she was silent and her gaze was fixed on the floor. Her face looked strange and her eyes were red and swollen, like she'd been crying. That wasn't unexpected, given what she'd seen, but still her body language told him something was very wrong.

"Kata," He said softly. "Are you ok?"

She didn't look at him, instead looking away.

"I'm fine," She obviously lied. "Can we go now, please? I don't wanna be here."

Her voice was thick and shaky and it made Cal feel a pang of guilt in his chest. He regretted having to bring her here, even though she'd insisted it was their only choice. He could hear Bode's voice echoing in his head...

"When the Empire comes, will you be able to protect my little girl?"

He hadn't been able to answer him then, and he still didn't know the answer now. But Kata wasn't a little girl anymore; truthfully she hadn't been for as long as he had known her.

"We should leave," Teelo echoed. "We've already lingered here too long."

Cal peeled his eyes away from Kata and nodded at them.

"Merrin and Greez went to Dathomir, we need to hurry."

Without another word, he led the way back up the path towards Haven's Edge. He could feel Teelo's eyes on his back the whole way, but he didn't stop until he was sitting in the co-pilot's seat on the Rogue, already preparing for take-off by the time Teelo joined him. The other Jedi leaned forward in their chair and Cal could sense questions coming.

"Cal, what's going on? What did you see?"

He looked at them, unsure if he should share what he'd just seen, still not entirely believing it himself. They raised their brows expectantly, their expression telling him that they knew something was off with him.

"I saw Merrin, the day of the invasion."

"Is she alright?" They frowned in concern.

"I'm not—I mean, I-I don't know for sure, but—"

"Spit it out, Cal."

He hesitated, preparing himself to say the words out loud.

"I think she's pregnant."

Teelo's blue eyes widened.

"What?" They hissed.

Cal motioned for them to keep their voice down, looking towards the back of the ship where Kata and BD-1 were. Teelo followed his gaze, then looked back at him.

"Are you certain?" They asked in a more hushed tone.

"I know what I saw."

There was no mistaking it this time, no illusions – what he'd seen in that echo of Merrin was real. Teelo's brows furrowed and they shook their head slightly, looking just as confused as Cal felt. He had confided in them just weeks ago about his and Merrin's struggle to conceive, so they were probably just as blindsided by this news as he was.

"You're sure they're on Dathomir?" They asked.

"No, but it makes sense – where else would she go that's familiar and far away from here?"

"I think you're right," They agreed. "Dathomir, then."

Without another word between them, Teelo primed the ship for take-off and Cal entered the jump coordinates into the computer. It wasn't long before they were in the air and flying towards the Abyss. Cal couldn't help but wonder if this would be the last time he would ever see it, if they would ever be back here again, but something told him they would. The ship lurched into hyperspace and Cal stared at the familiar blue patterns. There was a long, tense silence in the cockpit and he could see Teelo eyeing him occasionally, but his mind was far away, unfixed on the present. Eventually the Jedi beside him broke the silence.

"Cal, I'm sure she's fine," They tried to reassure him. "If something was wrong, we would know—"

"I appreciate what you're trying to do, Teelo," Cal interrupted, holding up his hand. "But I need you to stop talking cos I'm really just trying not to freak out right now."

"Ok, shutting up." Teelo nodded.

Cal shut his eyes tightly and all he could see was Merrin. He couldn't help but torture himself with all the subtle signs that he'd missed, all the clues he hadn't put together until now. It was all right there in front of him, but he'd been so consumed by the impending threat at the time that he had been oblivious to it.

"Why didn't she tell me?" He murmured to himself.

"Because I interrupted her."

Cal looked over at Teelo, his brows furrowed in confusion.

"The day of the invasion," They clarified. "I interrupted her to tell you Brother Kline was missing."

Cal's eyes wandered as he recalled Merrin's words to him that day before Teelo had interjected. He recalled her face as she'd said she wanted to speak with him alone, full of trepidation, the slight tremble in her hand as it held his, and his eyes widened now in horror as he realised.

"Kriff, you're right," He swore. "She was trying to tell me."

He knew they were right; they were usually quick on the draw with these things, unlike him. He made an aggravated sound in the back of his throat and ran his hands through his red hair, frustrated with himself and with the circumstances of it all.

"Kriffing hell," He cursed again. "I should've known!"

"It doesn't matter now, Cal," Teelo reminded with a gentle hand on his shoulder. "We'll find her, I promise."

Cal sighed and nodded at them. He was grateful for their reassurance as it was the only thing stopping him from spiralling into panic. He remembered what Cere had said to him, about learning to lean on the others when he needed support. He'd never been very good at that, but he would have to make a conscious effort to try. The ship soon dropped out of Hyperspace on the other side of the Abyss and Cal scanned the open space between them, Koboh and the Shattered Moon, thankfully not seeing any Imperial ships. Teelo pushed a few buttons and then threw the hyperdrive lever, lurching them into the second jump.

"Twenty-two hours until we reach Dathomir." They stated.

Cal was getting déjà-vu to when they'd made the jump to Ferrix to find Kata, knowing he would once again be losing his mind for the next day before they reached Dathomir.

"Why don't you go get some rest," He suggested. "I can keep things runnin' here."

"You sure?" Teelo asked.

"Yeah, I need some time to think and you haven't slept in three days, you look exhausted."

"Ok," They nodded, standing up from the pilot's seat. "Just don't fly my ship into any more asteroid belts."

"First of all, it was the asteroid belt or the Star Destroyer," Cal threw back. "And second of all, your ship is much safer in my hands than it is in yours."

"Yeah, you're right." They conceded.

Cal chuckled as he shuffled into the pilot's seat and Teelo headed to the back of the ship. It was quiet for a long time and he found himself wondering where Kata and BD were. She had seemed pretty out of it when they'd left Tanalorr, not saying a word the whole way back up the path. He supposed she had disappeared into her room; he would give her some space and check on her later. For now his thoughts were preoccupied with Tanalorr and everything he'd seen there. He was still reeling from it all and he closed his eyes to meditate to try and clear his mind. He tried not to think about Merrin, but she was all he could think about. He saw her beautiful face in his mind, heard her voice, felt her presence. He needed to find her, to see her, to hold her, to talk to her, to know if what he'd seen was true.

Kata didn't know how much time had passed by the time she emerged from her room into the kitchen. All was quiet on the ship save for the hum of hyperspace travel as she listlessly made her way down the steps to sit on the blue cushions of the curved sofa. BD-1 trailed behind her, hopping up onto the holo-chess table and looking at her curiously.

"bwoo?"

She didn't respond, didn't look at him, just stared down at her hands. She had already wept for what had felt like hours, eventually falling asleep from the exhaustion, but still she felt the emotions building inside once again, threatening to spill from her tired eyes. A shaky sigh left her mouth as she tried to bury her feelings deep down.

"Kata?"

She looked up to see Cal watching her from the cockpit door, she hadn't realised he'd been in there. She averted her gaze from his, not wanting him to see her swollen eyes, but she should've known her mood wouldn't escape his notice. He wandered over and BD looked up at him.

"Hey buddy, could you give us a minute?" He asked.

"boop-bweep."

The droid complied, jumping down from the table and excusing himself into the cockpit. Cal sat down beside Kata on the sofa and she could feel his eyes on her.

"Talk to me." He said gently.

She glanced up at him for a brief moment, wanting to talk to him, to confide in him, but not knowing how or where to start. There was so much she wanted to say, so many thoughts and feelings rushing through her mind and her heart. It took her a long time to speak, but Cal sat and waited patiently, not wanting to push her.

"You were right," She finally began. "Going back to Tanalorr, I knew it would be hard, but... we knew those people; we knew their names, their families, their stories, and now they're just gone. So many of them were kids I'd trained with, so many of them younger than me, and to see them like that..."

Her voice broke and she took a deep breath before continuing.

"We found Jeshan and Niuna, their bodies were in his stall, Stormtroopers shot them."

Cal's mouth opened slightly and his face fell, imagining the horrible sight. Niuna was a Youngling and her father Jeshan was a valued member of their community, he was deeply saddened to hear they hadn't survived.

"A week before the attack," Kata continued. "I found Niuna picking flowers by the square, she told me the Angel's Lace was her favourite. She gave me one, I kept it in a glass of water in my room. It's probably still there."

Cal listened to her silently, knowing there was nothing he could say to change what had happened, to make it better. He remembered Niuna, too, she was such a sweet child; the kind who brought a smile to your face through her enjoyment of life alone. And now she was gone, murdered by cowards with blasters.

"She was five years old," Kata began to lose control of her emotions as she thought of the little girl with blonde hair. "She was good and innocent and they butchered her like an animal. And Jynna..."

She started to sob, no longer able to hold the tears back as her grief and anguish resurfaced. She opened her hands to reveal the bracelet she had been tightly clutching. Cal's eyes rested on the object and his stomach sank as he recognised the stone.

"I gave this to her, the night before the attack. I found it in the rubble, it was still on her wrist."

Kata covered her mouth with her hand as a choked sound escaped her and closed her eyes tightly, the trauma of what she'd seen finally catching up with her. Cal immediately wrapped his arm around her shoulders and pulled her close to him. He was devastated for her, not only to hear of Jynna's death, but for the way she'd learned of it. He silently cursed the Empire and all the suffering it had wrought.

"I lied to you before, y'know," She admitted tearily, looking up at him. "I did like her."

"I know you did, kiddo." He replied softly.

The expression on her face was heartbreaking. Of course he'd known how she felt about Jynna; it had been obvious even to him.

"I just didn't know if she felt the same, and then... she kissed me, the night of the celebration."

"She did?"

"Yeah," Kata nodded and even smiled a little at the memory. "And for the first time, it was like I could see my future. I didn't feel so alone anymore."

Cal understood exactly what she meant – he'd felt the same way about Merrin. He hated that those possibilities had been so cruelly ripped away from her.

"But now she's dead," Kata sobbed. "They're all dead, and it's my fault."

"Kata, no, look at me."

Cal cupped her tear-streaked face with his hand and gently guided her gaze level with his. He needed her to hear what he was about to say.

"Listen to me, what happened to them was not your fault. We did everything we could to save them, but sometimes, no matter how prepared you are, things go wrong anyway. You're not responsible for what happened, so don't blame yourself."

He recalled Merrin saying something very similar to him once after they had lost Cordova and Cere at the hands of Bode and his betrayal. All he did for a long time was blame himself, and it was only now with time and perspective that he'd realised just how poisonous that had been for him. The irony was not lost on him that he was saying this to Kata now.

Kata knew he was right logically, that there was nothing more she could've done to prevent what'd happened, but she couldn't help but feel responsible. If only she'd had her premonition sooner, if only the details had been clearer, maybe it would've made a difference. She would never know now. She nodded at him and turned away, broken sounds of despair still leaving her mouth.

"Why is this happening?" She demanded. "Why did I have that vision if I couldn't stop it, if I couldn't save anyone?"

Cal wanted to reassure her, to tell her that she had saved lives, that her warning had made a difference, but the words caught in his throat. Because truthfully, he didn't know – he couldn't know how things might have been different.

"I don't know," He admitted. "I'm sorry, I wish I had some wisdom, some insight to offer, but I know there's nothing I can say. I wish I had the answers for you, Kata, but I don't."

"I do."

Teelo's sudden voice caused them both to turn as they emerged from the back of the ship. They made their way over to stand by Cal, making direct eye-contact with Kata, their expression serious.

"There are no answers, there is no reason this happened other than the selfishness of one person and the greed and hatred of an Empire," They explained. "The Force granted you that vision, but we can't know why or what the point of it all was. The only thing I know to be true is that we did everything we could. And it wasn't enough, but that is no one's fault, Kata – not mine, not Cal's and definitely not yours. Maven made her choices; she killed them, not you."

Cal and Kata stared at Teelo as they spoke, listening to their words and knowing they were right. The only blame to be placed for all of this pain and death rested solely on Maven's shoulders. She was the one who conspired against them and set Tanalorr's destruction in motion. Kata knew it was pointless to wish for things that could never be now. She dropped her head, still feeling the despair gripping her. Teelo walked around the table and knelt down next to her, causing her to look at them, their dark brows pressed together over their empathetic eyes.

"Kata..." Their voice was softer now as they took her hand in theirs. "I know what it's like to lose someone you love like that. And I'm so sorry; I wouldn't wish that pain on my worst enemy. But she wouldn't want you to blame yourself or fall into despair, she would want you to keep fighting."

She would – she could imagine what Jynna would say if she were here right now. She could hear her sweet voice telling her not to give up.

"How do you know?" She asked sadly.

Their eyes flicked down for a moment and she could see them contemplating.

"Because I had someone I loved once, too. I want to tell you about him."

"Teelo," Cal suddenly spoke, causing them both to turn towards him, his gaze very serious as he locked eyes with them. "Are you sure?"

The corner of their mouth pulled up slightly, but the smile didn't touch their eyes.

"I'm sure," They nodded, turning back to Kata. "It's past time I trusted you with the truth."

Cal was suddenly anxious for how Kata would take what she was about to hear. He knew every detail of Teelo's story and it wasn't a pleasant one, to put it mildly. Kata knew some of it, but there was a lot they hadn't told her. He was also anxious for Teelo, knowing how much pain and suffering there was in their past, knowing how dredging it up made them feel. They stood and sat down on the sofa to Kata's left, resting their arms on their knees and taking a moment before they began.

"His name was Amai Sorva, and he was a Jedi, too. We'd always been close; we'd trained in the Temple together since we first arrived. When the Clone Wars began, we were assigned to our Masters and sent off to different corners of the Galaxy. Three years later, we were reunited by chance on Aridus as we were garrisoned there for a couple of cycles at the end of the war. During that time, we would often meet without our Masters' knowledge, and slowly but surely, our friendship developed into something more. We knew that what we felt for each other was forbidden, but it didn't matter to us."

Amai... Kata had heard the name before; Teelo had muttered it a few times in their sleep. She'd asked them about it once and all they'd said was he was someone they knew before. She'd never pried further, understanding it wasn't something they were ready to share. She almost smiled at the thought of them having a secret love affair with another Padawan – it was such a Teelo thing to do.

"On the day of the Purge, Amai and I were together when we heard the fighting. When we made it back, we saw the Clones kill my Master. They shot him right in front of us and there was nothing we could do. They tried to kill us, too, but we escaped off-world and went into hiding. For seven years we worked in the spice mines on Ryloth, kept a low profile, trusted no one..."

After all that had happened recently, Kata found herself able to imagine what it had been like for them after the Purge. How scared they must have been, how alone they must have felt. Never feeling safe, never knowing who to trust. The only reason she was still here was because of them and Cal, and she was grateful they had someone by their side back then, too.

"Over those years, the more I thought about the Purge, the more my anger grew. I resented the Jedi Council for not seeing the signs, for allowing the Sith to corrupt the Republic and murder Jedi by the thousands. That resentment festered within me like a parasite, a darkness that was lurking inside, waiting for the opportunity to consume me."

Teelo's eyes wandered down then, seeming lost in their memories.

"Amai was the light that kept that darkness at bay. So much happened in our time on Ryloth, but he stayed by my side through all of the hardship. Eventually though, we made a mistake – we exposed ourselves, and the Inquisitors came for us. I used the Dark Side to protect Amai and we fought our way through the garrison, but we got separated in the chaos. He was captured by the Inquisitors and I escaped Ryloth alone, knowing they would either torture him to death or turn him into one of them. Either way, the man I loved was gone."

The pain was clear on their face as they recounted the loss.

"My greatest fear had come true. I was scared, in pain and vulnerable, and for the first time since the Purge, I was completely alone. The darkness that had been festering within consumed me and I didn't fight it. I succumbed to the Dark Side and corrupted my crystals."

Their expression had grown dark, something Kata had never seen on them before, and it looked wrong on their face.

"I was alone for almost three years, spent most of that time on Coruscant working for the Syndicates – the Black Sun, to be specific. The work I did for them involved a lot of intimidation, shakedowns and plenty of violence, but my specialty was contract hits. I murdered people, for credits."

Kata felt strange at hearing this. She already knew that Teelo had fallen to the Dark Side; Cal had learned that only half a year after they'd met them. By then, they were already on their path back to the Light, and hadn't immediately been honest about their past for fear of being rejected by them. All of that was long forgotten now, but Kata had no idea they had essentially worked as an assassin. It wasn't something she could even imagine them doing.

Cal studied Kata's face closely as she listened to Teelo, watching her expressions. They had only admitted the truth to him after they were forced to use their lightsaber to save his life once. He still remembered how he'd felt when he'd seen the red blades ignite – the disbelief, the shock, the betrayal he'd felt. Once they'd told him their story, he'd understood their reasons for not exposing their secret. At the time, though, it had just felt all too familiar. But it was in the past now, and they had more than proven themself since.

"I killed a lot of people in that time, some bad, some not..." Teelo continued. "And it was easy, like breathing. The further I fell into darkness, the more lost I became. The Dark Side doesn't just corrupt your mind, it changes you, alters your very being. I started to forget who I was, to forget the names and faces of people I'd once cared about; my Master, my friends on Ryloth. But no matter how hard I tried, I could never forget Amai."

Teelo sighed and their gaze was far away, lost in the past.

"Eventually he tracked me down after he'd escaped the Inquisitorius. I should've been happy to see him but I was cold, callous. For as long as I live, I will never forget the look on his face when he realised what I'd become. Like he was looking at a stranger, and he was. He still tried to save me, to convince me that this wasn't the way, that I could come back. He said that he didn't care what I'd done, that he still loved me and he wouldn't leave without me. But I didn't believe him – I knew what I was and I didn't deserve to be saved."

Kata couldn't imagine how it must have felt for either of them in that situation. Hearing Teelo talk about their life before she knew them, it was hard to believe it was their life. The person she knew now was nothing like the one they were describing, and she wondered what had brought them back. Though, sadly, she had a feeling she already knew the answer.

"The Empire wasn't far behind Amai, and at first I thought he'd led them to me, but he defended me against them. We fought them together, but we were hopelessly outnumbered. The Inquisitor bested me and was about to end my life when Amai jumped in front of me."

Kata watched Teelo's face as they collected themself for a moment, feeling their pain through the Force.

"I don't know why he did it, why he sacrificed himself to save me knowing how twisted I had become. In my rage, I ripped that Inquisitor apart, then I slaughtered the Imps, tore through them like they were nothing. I held Amai in my arms as he left this world, his last words to me still ring in my ears: 'You always have a choice.'"

They closed their eyes as they recalled the painful moment, their voice shaking when they spoke again.

"I loved him so much that when I lost him, I lost myself. He was all that ever mattered to me, my only reason to keep fighting. I looked into his lifeless eyes and what I saw reflected back at me was the monster I had become. I had allowed my anger and hatred to strip away all that I was, until it took away everything I'd ever cared about. So I made him a promise, then and there, that I would try to make the right choice. That I would choose to be better and to do better, that I would choose not to let his death, his sacrifice, be in vain."

Teelo looked down at Kata's face for the first time since they had begun their story. She searched their blue eyes for any trace of the person they had talked about, but all she saw was them.

"The reason I'm telling you this, Kata, is because I want you to know that you're not alone in your grief, your struggle. Loss is a pain we all share, and it's not a thing for which to place blame, it's simply a part of life. The way we honour those we have lost is by carrying on, by striving to be better. My struggle with the Dark Side is not over, it never will be. It's always there, lurking in the shadows. But I choose not to give in to it, because I made a promise and I intend to keep it. You have that choice, too, and the time will come one day for you to make it."

Kata stared at Teelo's face, sensing a deep sadness and pain she had felt in them before, but now understanding it in a way she never had.

"I'm sorry I'm not who you thought I was." They lamented.

Kata's features softened and she took Teelo's gloved hand in hers, as they had for her earlier.

"You're exactly who I thought you were," She assured them. "Because who you were doesn't matter, what you did doesn't matter. That's not who you are anymore."

The grateful smile that crept onto their face at her acceptance despite everything they'd told her had Kata smiling back.

"Teelo, we don't care that you fell to the Dark Side, or that you did things you regret, we all have," Cal interjected. "Kata's right, it doesn't matter anymore. You're one of us now, whether you like it or not."

Teelo chuckled and nodded once at him.

"Thank you for saying that, Cal."

The other Jedi nodded back at them with a small smile.

"Teelo?"

They met Kata's gaze again.

"I'm sorry... about Amai."

Their brows pushed together sadly and she saw the emotion welling up in their eyes.

"Yeah, me too," They choked out. "Not a day goes by that I don't think about him, that I don't wish things could've been different. But had I never lost him, perhaps I never would have found myself, or my new family. So, in a way, I'm very fortunate indeed."

Teelo smiled again, warmly this time, and Kata returned it. They stood and leant down to kiss the top of Kata's head affectionately, then they headed for the cockpit, leaving Cal and Kata alone.

"You ok?" Cal soon asked. "I know that was a lot to take in."

"Yeah, I'm ok," She assured him. "I'm glad they finally told me. What they went through... I think I understand how they felt. It's the worst feeling in the world."

"Yeah, it is." Cal agreed.

He saw Kata's eyes shift back down to the bracelet she still held in her hand and she sighed sadly. She slid it onto her left wrist and tightened it, touching her fingers gently to the black stone.

"We have to make this right, whatever it takes," She said tearily. "We have to make sure her sacrifice wasn't in vain."

She looked up at him and Cal smiled at his Apprentice, continually impressed by her. She was truly extraordinary.

"We will, I promise." He assured her.

Kata nodded with a sniffle and breathed deeply.

"So, Merrin and Greez are on Dathomir?" She asked.

"Yeah, I think so. We'll find them, then we'll figure out our next move together."

"Ok."

As if the Universe was reminding them that it didn't care for their plans, an alarm began to blare from the ship's holo-projector. BD-1 suddenly scuttled out and jumped up onto it and Cal and Kata got up and sprinted into the cockpit.

"bwoow-bttrtt-wee-boop!"

"I know, I know, I see it!" Teelo yelled back.

"What's wrong?" Kata asked.

"The hypercore is overheating." They explained.

"What?" Cal demanded.

"Did someone sabotage the Rogue too?" Kata quickly situated herself in the co-pilot's seat.

"I don't know, but we're gonna have to drop outta light speed before we get ripped to pieces."

"Whoa, whoa, you're droppin' out of hyperspace blind?" Cal questioned.

"I don't have a choice, Cal, get to the engine room and make sure the hyperdrive doesn't explode." Teelo instructed.

"Explode?!" Kata exclaimed.

Cal was already rushing towards the back of the ship.

"Brace yourselves!" Teelo warned before pulling the hyperdrive lever back.

"TEELO, WATCH OUT!" Kata practically screamed.

They pulled the ship up sharply as it was ejected from light speed almost directly into the surface of a moon. It was such a close call that the ship bottomed out on the rock below. Kata screamed again at the impact and Cal and BD-1 were both thrown to the floor along with several items on the ship.

"Teelo, what the hell was that?!" Cal yelled from the door to the engine room.

"Nothing!" They called back, then muttered under their breath. "Just a blasted moon."

"That was too damn close, Teelo." Kata scolded, panic still in her voice.

"We lived."

"Barely. You ok, BD-1?"

The droid staggered into the cockpit, looking a little dazed.

"bwoow."

"Sorry about that, little buddy." Teelo apologised.

"prrtat!"

"Hey, I didn't put that moon there!"

BD-1 made a noise that sounded suspiciously like he was blowing a raspberry as he climbed up onto the controls in front of Kata. Teelo levelled out the ship on course to the nearby planet that the moon they'd just narrowly avoided hitting was orbiting.

"I re-engaged the compressor on the hyperdrive," Cal informed as he wandered back into the cockpit. "Now we just need to land and fix it. Where are we?"

"The Taanab system, it's an agricultural planet," Kata said, reading the monitors. "We're eighteen parsecs away from Dathomir."

"Well, at least we've ended up in the right damn direction." Cal observed.

"I'll find somewhere out of the way on the surface to land so we can make the repairs without any interruptions." Teelo said.

"Please, I've had enough surprises for one day." Cal replied.

Teelo scoffed knowingly and pushed the throttle forward to fly down to the planet below.

Taanab

The fields of Taanab were vast, wide-open spaces interrupted only by trees and snow-capped mountains in the distance. It felt strange to Kata to be on such a peaceful, quiet planet now given the chaos their lives had been lately. As she sat on a rock next to where they'd parked the ship in the middle of a meadow, she leant down and allowed the tall, lush grass to tickle her fingertips in the breeze. She breathed in the clean air deeply and admired the orange and pink hues of the early sunrise. She could see a large moon with a ring around it quite close in the sky. Teelo had said the ring was made up of chunks of ice, which fascinated her.

"Kata, hand me the socket spanner?" Cal's voice sounded from under the ship.

She pulled the spanner from the toolbox by her feet and placed it in his open hand.

"This one?"

His hand disappeared for a moment, then popped back out.

"Nope, other one."

She swapped that one out for the smaller one.

"That one?"

"Yep, that one."

She could hear him grunting in effort as he fixed the ship and Teelo's footsteps soon sounded on the landing ramp behind her.

"How's she lookin'?" They asked.

"Gettin' there... I think." Cal replied.

"Hey, why do people always call ships 'she', what's up with that?" Kata questioned.

"Teelo, you wanna take that one?" Cal grunted.

"Uhh..." Teelo thought for a moment. "I think it's 'cos ships are beautiful like women? It's sort of like a weird compliment, I guess?"

They didn't seem very sure about their answer.

"To the ships or the women?" Kata clarified.

"Both?"

"bwoop-pttrrt!"

"Yeah, I agree, BD." Kata replied.

Cal shouted in surprise and a loud snap followed by a hissing noise sounded as a pipe under the ship suddenly burst and alarms blared from inside.

"Dank farrick!" He cursed.

"Uh oh." Teelo immediately disappeared into the ship, BD-1 following them.

"bwee-doo-dooop!"

"Kata, grippers, quick!" Cal instructed.

She grabbed the grippers and handed them to him so he could clamp the leak.

"How's the hypercore pressure?" He shouted.

"Sixty-three percent!" Teelo called back.

"That's not good. Kata, get under here, I need you."

Kata laid down on the grass and shimmied under the Rogue next to him. There wasn't a lot of space between her body and the underside of the ship and Cal was practically pressed up against it. She had never been claustrophobic, but the air was hot and uncomfortable under there.

"What do you need?"

"See that valve?" He pointed to a small red valve next to where his hands were with his little finger. "Turn it three quarter turn to the right."

She did as he instructed, finding the valve a lot stiffer than she'd thought it would be. She managed, though the effort aggravated her injured shoulder.

"Grab the solders there."

She reached down to grab the tool that was resting between them.

"Now I need you to cram those wires back in there and solder that plate to there while I keep this clamped." He pointed to the parts with one finger as he talked.

"Ok, got it."

She got to work, remembering how Greez had taught her to use the solders. She was suddenly very grateful for his and Cal's many lessons on ship maintenance over the years, they were certainly coming in handy now.

"Alright, good, was there bonding tape in there?" Cal asked.

"Yeah, I saw it," Kata pulled the toolbox to her hand with the Force and fished around for the tape. "Got it."

"I need you to tape up the hole in this pipe. Now as soon as I let it go, it's gonna start spraying gas everywhere, don't breathe it in. You ready?"

"Yep."

She sucked in a deep breath and Cal released the grippers, turning his head away from the toxic spray. Kata wrapped the tape around the pipe several times, finally stopping the leak.

"I think that'll do it." She breathed, shoving the pipe back in and pressing the plate into place.

"Looks good," Cal agreed. "Start 'er up, Teelo!"

The Rogue whirred to life and the sweet sound of a fully functioning engine kicked in.

"Yep, it's comin' up!" Teelo confirmed.

Cal breathed a sigh of relief and he and Kata scooted out from under the ship right as BD and Teelo emerged from it.

"So far so good," They said, leaning in the doorway. "Gotta run diagnostics, but hopefully we'll be good to go."

"myam-wam!"

"Good work, Kata." Cal praised, high-fiving her.

"I learned from the best." She grinned.

Cal laughed once and cleaned his hands on a rag. His white undershirt and exposed arms were covered in sweat and oil stains and he definitely felt like he needed a shower. He did a double take at Teelo as he looked up and caught them eyeing him.

"What?" He demanded.

"I think this is my favourite look on you yet, Cal," They mused, raising a brow as they looked the Jedi up and down. "I should break the ship more often."

"Gross." Kata emphasised.

Cal narrowed his eyes at Teelo, trying to stop a grin from crawling across his face.

"Stop flirting with me in front of my Apprentice and—" He threw the rag he was holding at them and it hit them square in the chest "—get your ass in the ship and run diagnostics."

"I love it when you get bossy." They teased, disappearing into the ship once more.

"prrtat!"

Cal and Kata both shook their heads emphatically.

"Just warning you now, if you fool around with Teelo behind Merrin's back, I will snitch on you when we find her." Kata joked.

"Yeah, in their dreams," Cal dismissed. "BD, keep an eye on them, will ya?"

"boop-bweep!"

Kata and Cal grabbed the tools and the three of them headed back into the ship. Cal went straight for the refresher and by the time he returned to the cockpit, clean and dressed, Teelo was already prepping for take-off.

"Everything looks good," They said as he sat down. "A few more hours 'til we reach Dathomir."

"Good, let's hope there aren't any more delays." Cal replied.

Teelo hummed in agreement and Cal watched them for a second, his mind wandering back to before this chaos had interrupted their trip.

"Hey, Teelo?"

"Yeah?"

They turned to him with their brows raised expectantly.

"I know I've said this before, but..." He began. "After all you went through – the Purge, Ryloth, Coruscant – the fact that you're still here is a testament to your strength. The person you described, the one who held such hatred and darkness in their heart, that wasn't you, not really."

The corner of their mouth pulled up in a smile.

"I appreciate you saying that," They said gratefully. "But it was me. I won't make excuses for the things I did, for the people I hurt. I can't change the past, but I can learn from it."

Cal smiled back at them, admiring their resolve as he often did. His eye was caught by movement from Kata in the living area. She seemed to be organising the toolbox and BD-1 was 'helping' her.

"I was wondering," He turned back to the other Jedi, his tone lowered so Kata wouldn't overhear. "Why didn't you tell her everything?"

They seemed surprised by his question and they hesitated before answering.

"I didn't think you'd want me telling her everything."

"That's not up to me." He refuted.

Their gaze wandered towards where Kata stood in the kitchen.

"She's got enough on her mind as it is, and she's still just a kid," They explained, their eyes returning to Cal's. "She doesn't need to know everything. One day I'll tell her, but... not today."

Their face was serious as they looked at him pointedly.

"I understand." Cal nodded.

He did understand. He knew how much time and trust it had taken for Teelo to share everything with him. They hadn't lied to Kata, but they hadn't told her the whole truth, either. He supposed that was for the best, for now. It was their past; it was up to them who to share it with.

"Let's go." They suggested.

"Yeah."

The two Jedi prepared the ship for take-off and Cal found himself incredibly anxious once more, knowing they were just hours away from Dathomir now. His thoughts returned to Merrin and Greez and the others that were with them. He wondered how many they'd managed to ferry out on the Mantis and whom, though he supposed they would know soon. He clutched her gold compass tightly in his pocket, feeling her energy connected to it through the Force...