25 / Abomination Jedi: Remnants Kayden Lee Vaughn

CHAPTER 25

Abomination

The room had fallen eerily silent compared to the chaos it had been just seconds ago. Kata didn't even breathe as she stared in disbelief at the scene before her. Only Cal's choked gasp brought her back to reality as the Nightsister pulled her spear from his body and he immediately dropped to his knees, his lightsabers clattering to the floor. Kata could see the shock on his face, mirroring her own. She could tell he hadn't yet registered the mortality of his wound. She could see the redness of his blood already spreading through his clothes and dripping onto the floor.

"No..."

Her voice was barely a whisper, an involuntary murmur of shock. The Fifth Brother got to his feet and pulled his lightsaber back to his hand, grinning cruelly down at the Jedi on his knees. Cal looked up at him and Kata saw in his eyes that he knew this was the end.

Just as the Fifth Brother ignited his weapon and raised it to end Cal's life, Kata reached out towards him.

"NOOOOO!"

Her scream was guttural, filled with the rage of all the Nightsisters who came before her. Acting purely on instinct, she felt a dark energy surge from her as she gripped the Fifth Brother from where she kneeled, stopping him in his tracks. She gritted her teeth as she lifted him slowly into the air, enjoying the startled expression on his face, then she flicked her wrist and flung him across the room like he was nothing. He collided with the far wall with a crunch and she held him there, green tendrils of Magick enshrouding him, caging him. She didn't know how she'd done it, but there was no time to stop and ask.

She turned towards Jerserra, who was now looking at her with disdain. The Nightsister teleported away and Kata turned, sensing her intention, and grabbed the handle of her spear with her bare hands. Her head pounded, her left hand was on fire, but her heart ached the most. She fought through it all and used her Magick to reduce Jerserra's spear back to its broken form and punched her right across the jaw with her right fist. The Nightsister yelled in aggravation and Kata flipped backwards to create some distance between them.

She wiped the blood from her right eye and was relieved when she opened it to find she could still see. She looked over at Cal quickly, seeing he was now face-down on the floor and not moving. She could see BD-1 limping across the floor to get to him. She spied his lightsabers resting by his sides and she made a split-second decision to pull them towards her. She reconnected the two and ignited the orange blades, spinning the weapon into her right hand and preparing to face Jerserra.

The older Nightsister laughed cruelly and charged forward to meet her. Kata didn't know what strength possessed her, but it caused her to fight like she never had before. She felt such fury, such despair, and yet such clarity at the same time as she spun her Master's lightsaber towards the Nightsister. The adrenaline numbed her to the pain she'd felt moments ago and she was focused only on her adversary. She could see Jerserra's expression growing less confident and more concerned by the second. Kata was meeting her strikes not with fear now, but with resolve and equal power.

She could see Jerserra was pulling out every trick she knew to try and gain the upper hand, but Kata could almost sense every move she would make. It was as though the Force itself had taken control of her very being. She was prepared for every strike, countered every blow and she could tell she was wearing Jerserra down. They clashed sabers and Kata stared her down, unwavering. The Nightsister strained against her and her lips pulled back from her teeth as she snarled.

"You are an abomination!" She practically spat the words in Kata's face.

It was the same thing Maven had called her, the day Tanalorr was attacked. An abomination – an affront to the Force. Maybe that's what she was, and maybe not. It didn't matter. Kata met the Nightsister's murderous gaze, unintimidated.

"Yeah," She replied evenly. "I am."

Without giving so much as a clue to her intentions, she kicked Jerserra's knee out from under her, knocking her off-balance. She used her momentary distraction to push her spear aside and head-butt her right in the face. Jerserra was forced to her knees and Kata pulled her weapon back and swung the tip of it right across her face. The Nightsister let out a blood-curdling scream and fell backwards, dropping her spear and clutching at her eyes. Kata could see the bright burn mark left by Cal's saber right through her nose and both eyes and knew she had blinded her for good. She stared down at her foe, wounded and writhing on the ground, unremorseful. In that moment, she felt nothing but contempt for her. It was a new feeling, a strange and ugly one, but she didn't shy away from it. She could feel the dark energy pulsing through her veins.

Before she could react, the Fifth Brother was upon her, red saber bearing down, about to strike, when he suddenly seized. It was as if his body was yanked to a halt by some unseen force, though his eyes still darted about and small sounds left his gritted teeth. Barely having had time to raise her weapon, Kata stared at his frozen form, confused for a second, then she heard a grunt of effort to her right and looked towards Cal. He had been lying on the ground moments ago, now he was on one knee, one arm clutching his wound, the other outstretched, a bloodied hand shaking from the effort. His face was contorted in pain, but his eyes were sharply focused on the Inquisitor.

Kata turned her attention back to the Fifth Brother, realising Cal was giving her the only window she would have. Already having wasted too much time, she drew back Cal's saber and plunged it straight through the Fifth Brother's gut. He was released from his stasis only to wheeze pathetically. He lost his grip on his saber and it shut off as it hit the ground. Kata heard Cal collapse, but she kept her eyes on the Inquisitor, seeing the disbelief on his face as he realised it was over. Not wanting to chance it, Kata pulled the saber from his body, drew back and swung the blade right through his neck. She saw his eyes roll back and his now severed head fell to the ground first, his limp body following after.

She was suddenly breathless, whether from exertion or shock, she couldn't say. She heard Jerserra still whimpering and turned back to face her, seeing that she'd managed to crawl some distance away. Kata stalked towards her with saber still drawn, deciding she should end her suffering. Before she could reach her, however, the Nightsister heard her approach and vanished in a cloud of green smoke. Kata silently cursed herself for not ending her while she had the chance. But wounded as she was, she posed little threat. If she had, she wouldn't have fled in fear. The room was strangely quiet again and Kata could hardly believe it what had just happened.

"bwa-boop!"

BD-1 calling to her snapped her from her trance. She shut off Cal's orange saber, turned and ran to him, dropping it to the ground as she kneeled down beside him and BD. He was face-down again, desperately trying to push himself up with his hands, but not having the strength. She grunted with effort as she rolled him onto his back, BD also pushing him with his little head. A pained sound left him and Kata's eyes darted over him, widening as she realised how bad it was.

There was blood everywhere – smeared on the ground all around him, all over his arms, spreading in his clothes and seeping through his fingers as he clutched his wound. She lifted his right hand away briefly to inspect it. The spear had gone straight through the left side of his abdomen and she could see a nasty-looking gash left behind. She suddenly felt cold and numb, the horrific nature of his injury setting in. Out of instinct, she pressed a hand to his open wound, applying pressure. Her hands were smaller than his, and she could feel and see the blood oozing out.

With her other hand, she lifted him just enough to slide her knees under him and he groaned. She rested him on her legs and noticed the colour beginning to drain from his face, a sheen of sweat across his forehead, dampening his hair. He opened his eyes to look at her and his gaze was knowing. She was muttering assurances to him as she stroked his red hair gently, not really knowing what she was saying, but just needing to comfort him.

"Kata..." He groaned.

"Don't talk, Cal," Her voice shook. "Save your energy."

"I need you to hear this."

"You're gonna be fine..."

His bloody hand reached up to grip the sleeve of her jacket with surprising strength.

"Listen to me," He said more firmly, staring into her eyes. "This is it for me."

"No..."

Her eyes filled with tears, not wanting it to be true. He couldn't die. He couldn't leave her, not now. Not like this. She was supposed to stop this; she was supposed to save him.

"I'm so sorry, but you have to go on without me now..."

It wasn't the first time he'd said these words to her. She recalled the last time, when they'd come face to face with Vader on Tanalorr and he'd protected her from him.

"You won't be alone, Kata. The others will take care of you, and you have to take care of them, you hear me? Look out for each other, keep each other alive and keep going."

"wooo..."

Tears began to spill from Kata's eyes as she listened to his goodbyes, not wanting to believe this was the end. After everything they'd been through and survived, it couldn't end this way.

"Tell Merrin..." His face contorted and a pained sound escaped him. "Tell Merrin I'm sorry, and I love her..."

Merrin.

Kata's sobs stopped as she realised she would have to tell Merrin that the man she loved, the father of her unborn child, had been killed by a Nightsister. She couldn't do that, she wouldn't. This wasn't how it was supposed to be. This wasn't what her vision had shown her. She recalled it now; seeing Jerserra stab Cal with her lightsaber, watching him die in her arms. That same voice she'd heard in her vision of Tanalorr rang in her ears:

"Save him..."

Save him. That was what the voice had said. And that was what she intended to do.

She didn't understand how, but she knew that something had changed. She hadn't even seen the Fifth Brother in her vision at all, and yet his body now lay headless on the ground. Jerserra had stabbed Cal with her saber, not her spear, and yet that wasn't what happened, because she had stopped it. She didn't know why anything had happened the way it did, but if there was even the smallest chance she could change the outcome, then she had to try.

She re-opened her eyes, her expression focused and her voice filled with a sudden determination.

"Tell her yourself, 'cos you're not gonna die."

She shifted both hands to applying pressure to Cal's wound, ignoring the searing pain in her left hand.

"BD, call the Mantis."

"bwoo-doop!"

"Kata—" Cal started to protest.

"You listen to me," She said sternly. "You're not dying today, Cal Kestis! I won't let you! We both know what it's like to grow up without a father, and you're not doing that to your kid, do you hear me? You don't get to leave Merrin alone in this. You don't get to leave me alone."

"brrr-twoop!"

"Good, toss me a stim, BD."

BD-1 ejected a stim towards Kata and she jabbed it straight into Cal's abdomen near his wound, earning a grunt from him. But she knew that would only help so much and it wouldn't stop the bleeding. She had an idea of how to do that, but it would definitely cause him pain. She supposed that couldn't be helped, though.

"I need to cauterise your wound to stop the bleeding," She warned him. "I'm sorry, this is gonna hurt, a lot."

Green light poured from her hand as she used her Magick to scorch his wound. Cal cried out and she cringed, feeling terrible for causing him further pain. But he'd already lost so much blood, and she knew that if she didn't stop the bleeding, or at least slow it down, he would die before the others got there. It was over quickly and Cal exhaled in relief. Kata inspected his wound once more and sighed in relief as she saw that her efforts were successful, for now.

She snapped her fingers at BD-1 and he tossed her another stim. She injected it into him, then wiped the blood out of her right eye that was still trickling from her head wound. She picked up Cal's saber and clipped it onto her belt, which reminded her of her own weapon. She looked across the room and saw it still sitting near the pools of her blood where she had left it, and she pulled its broken pieces to her hand, stowing it away in her belt pouch.

"bwee-deep!"

"Ok," Kata nodded at BD, then looked down at Cal. "Can you walk?"

He nodded weakly.

"Come on."

She pulled him to his feet slowly, supporting him with his left arm around her shoulders and her right arm around his waist. He was very unsteady on his feet and groaned from the pain.

"Lean into me." She instructed.

He did, and he was heavy, but she managed. She started to walk forward slowly towards the edge of the room and BD limped along on Cal's other side. He gripped his wound as they walked and Kata could tell he was struggling, but she had to get him over to the wall and she wasn't strong enough to drag him. Once they reached it, she carefully lowered him to the floor and sat him up against the wall. He was panting from the effort and simply nodded at her, unable to speak.

"brrllt, wa-bap!"

They were here. The relief Kata felt was overwhelming. She'd been so worried something terrible had happened to them, too.

"Ok, I know you're tired, but try to stay awake," She instructed. "I'll be right back."

Cal nodded weakly again, his hand still clutching his wound. Kata laid her right hand atop his and he took it. She squeezed reassuringly, trying desperately to hold back her emotions and he managed a small smile. She was hesitant to leave him, terrified of what might happen if she took her eyes off him for even a second.

"BD, stay with him."

"boo-woop!"

Kata finally stood – feeling incredibly anxious at leaving them alone – and teleported away. A million thoughts were rushing through her brain, far too fast for her to make sense of any of them as she made several teleports back up to the twelfth floor. Everything that had happened in the last hour was a blur – the Inquisitor, the Nightsister, Cal's injury, whatever it was that had happened to her afterwards. Her head was spinning, and the pain and blood loss weren't helping.

The temple doors opened to the blinding sunlight as Kata flew through them. The Mantis soared into view right on cue, touching down at the far end of the landing pad. Seconds later the door rose and Merrin and Teelo piled out of the ship, instantly hastening as soon as they saw her running towards them, covered in blood.

"Kata!" Both of their voices called out to her.

She breathed a great sigh of relief to see them both, and that they appeared unharmed.

"What happened?!" Teelo demanded.

They gripped her shoulders as soon as they reached her, their blue eyes wide with worry. She felt strange at seeing them in front of her now – the real them.

"I'm fine," Her voice shook. "It's Cal..."

She saw the fear instantly cross their faces.

"Where is he?" Merrin asked.

"This way."

Kata teleported away and Merrin grabbed hold of Teelo and followed. Kata didn't know how they would react to what they were about to find. They must've known already how bad it was just from the sight of her. What if they were already too late? What if...? She shook the thought from her head immediately. He was still alive, he had to be...

She teleported into the throne room and the others were right behind her. The Fifth Brother's body still lay in two pieces in the middle of the room, distracting them momentarily. Kata looked over at Cal leaned against the left wall, and for a split second terror gripped her, until she saw him look over at them. BD-1 was watching over him dutifully.

"bwoow-wap!"

"Cal!" Teelo ran towards him as soon as they saw him.

Merrin froze and Kata could feel her dread, as she had felt her own. The Nightsister's feet soon compelled her forward to join Teelo in kneeling beside the wounded Jedi. Kata wasn't far behind her, but she stayed out of the way.

"Merrin..." Cal rasped.

"Shh, do not speak," Her voice trembled in a way Kata had never heard before. "Save your strength."

"He's in bad shape," Teelo said. "We've gotta get him outta here."

"Can you help him?" Merrin asked.

"I don't know." They admitted.

"He can't walk." Kata told them.

"It's ok, I got him."

Teelo slid their arms under Cal's legs and around his back and lifted him almost effortlessly, strong as they were. Cal made a pained sound and they started to walk back towards the door, Merrin in tow.

"My hero..." Cal managed to joke.

"That's right, keep joking, Jedi," Teelo grinned through their worry. "You might yet make it out of this alive."

Merrin laid her hand on Kata's shoulder gently as she passed her. Kata looked down towards BD-1, offering her hand to him, and he struggled to climb up onto her back. She only noticed then that he also had Cal's blood on his head and legs. She would fix him up when they got back to the Mantis.

Greez was pacing as he waited for them outside the ship when they finally reached it. Kata saw his eyes widen and all four of his arms drop when he saw Teelo carrying Cal towards him.

"Is he ok?" He asked, probably out of shock.

"No." They replied.

They passed Greez up the ramp and the rest of them followed. They immediately carried Cal towards the engine room and Merrin went after them. Greez stopped Kata, his face filled with concern.

"Kid, what the hell happened? Are you ok?" He asked.

"I'll explain soon," She assured him, her voice still shaking. "Just get us out of here, please."

"Ok, you got it."

He hurried back into the cockpit and the Mantis was soon in the air. Kata wanted to follow the others into the engine room, but decided it was best she stayed out of the way.

"wooo..."

She turned to BD-1 on her shoulder and her face fell.

"C'mon, buddy," She said softly. "Let's get you fixed up."

"bwoo?"

"He's ok, Teelo will look after him." She assured him.

She retrieved a cloth and cleaner from the kitchen and Cordova's toolbox from the shelf. She sat down on the sofa and BD hopped down onto the table. She looked at his right leg, frowning at the damage Jerserra had caused.

"Your scomp link's busted again."

"brrt."

"Don't worry, we'll find you a replacement soon."

"bwoo..."

"I know, buddy."

She got his leg back in working order, then she started cleaning Cal's blood from his body, her hands trembling the whole time. Greez waddling into the room made her look up.

"You ok, Kata?" He asked.

She didn't know how to answer that. Numb was how she felt. Exhausted and numb. When she didn't reply, Greez wordlessly walked around the table to sit beside her on the sofa and rested his left hands on her back comfortingly. She was grateful for his presence and his touch grounding her. She finished cleaning up BD's body and then turned her attention to herself. Her hands and arms were still covered in red, and she knew her clothes and face were, too. She removed her soaked arm wraps and started to scrub her skin clean, but Greez must've seen her hands shaking.

"Kata, let me." He offered.

"I can do it." She refused.

"I know you can, but let me, please." He insisted.

She nodded after a moment and Greez took the cloth from her and wiped the blood from her hands and arms. She gave a cursory glance down at her left hand and regretted it immediately. Her fingers were definitely broken. She leaned down so he could clean her face and neck, being careful to avoid the open wound above her right eye.

"Thanks." She said quietly.

What felt like hours, but was probably only minutes passed before Teelo and Merrin finally emerged from the back of the ship. Kata stood from the sofa and Greez wandered over from where he had been pacing anxiously.

"bwoo?"

"BD-1, keep an eye on him?" Teelo requested.

"bwee-deep."

The droid scuttled off towards the engine room.

"How is he?" Kata inquired.

"I've done everything I can," Teelo pointed at her. "Your turn now, sit."

"I'm fine." She protested.

"You're not fine, Kata, your face is split open," They replied a little harshly, then they sighed and softened their tone. "Siddown, please."

She realised it was pointless to argue and sat back down. They approached her and laid a medical kit down on the table, then kneeled next to her and took her chin in their hand, examining her face with a furrowed brow.

"What did this?" They asked.

"A spear." She replied listlessly.

"Is that what stabbed Cal?"

She could only nod in response. Merrin sat on the other end of the sofa, her expression unreadable, but Kata could feel her turbulent emotions through the Force. She winced and hissed through her teeth at the familiar sting of bacta seeping into the open wound above her right eye. She hadn't really noticed the pain until then, but it was so bad.

"I'm guessing it was you that cauterised his wound?" Teelo deduced.

"Yeah."

"You did the right thing."

She looked away from them, very much not feeling like she'd done the right thing.

"How bad is it, Teelo?" Greez asked.

"It's bad," They replied, turning towards him. "The stab wound would've ruptured his spleen, might've even hit his lung. Cauterising it bought him some time and the meds I've given him will buy more, but he's probably been bleeding internally and his vitals are dropping."

"What does that mean, Teelo?" Kata clarified.

They turned back to her, their expression grave.

"It means if we don't get him help soon, he's going to die."

Kata felt fear and despair grip her at their words. She put her right hand to her mouth to stop a sob as it left her and closed her eyes tightly.

"This is all my fault."

"Kata, no—" Teelo started to protest.

"It is!" She cut them off, looking up at them. "I knew this was gonna happen!"

"What?"

She steeled herself to explain, feeling the guilt sink in.

"On our way back from Geonosis, I had another vision. I saw the Nightsister stab Cal with her lightsaber! I saw him die!"

The silence hung heavy in the room. Everyone stopped breathing, no one said a word. She could feel the sudden tension in the air.

"I'm so sorry, Merrin," She turned towards the Nightsister, babbling hysterically. "I-I didn't know what to do! I was terrified that if I told him what I saw, he'd just go running into his fate! Just like on Tanalorr..."

Merrin's brown eyes flicked up to hers and Kata felt the weight of her inscrutable stare.

"I should've told him the truth," She sobbed. "I shouldn't've lied, I'm so sorry."

"Kata, it doesn't matter now," Teelo pointed out. "Cal's still alive and we need to get him help if he's gonna stay that way."

"Teelo is right," Merrin agreed. "What's done is done. We must focus on what we can do now."

Kata met her gaze for a moment, then she wiped the tears from her face and nodded.

"Ok."

"So how do we help him?" Greez asked. "Where do we go?"

"There is nowhere in the Galaxy we can take him where he will be safe," Merrin said. "He is wanted on every system."

"What about the Anchorites?"

"We'll never find the Anchorites in time," Kata disputed. "We don't even know if any of them survived."

"I might know a place," Teelo said, everyone turning to them. "There's a clinic, on Coruscant, it's funded by the Rebel Alliance. They treat Force-sensitives there."

"How do you know of this place?" Merrin questioned.

"Because they saved me once, after the Inquisitors found me there and killed my partner."

"That was years ago, how can we know they are still active?"

"I know they are. Remember the last group of people you and Cal brought to Tanalorr?" Merrin nodded in recognition. "I talked to Jaden, they said they'd been treated there, that was how they got connected with the Hidden Path."

"And you're certain it was the same place?"

"Positive, it's in the Undercity."

"Whoa, whoa, wait a minute, Coruscant?" Greez questioned. "In case you've both forgotten, that place is Imperial home base."

"I can mask the Mantis and stay with you and Cal while Teelo and Kata find this clinic." Merrin suggested.

"I remember where it is." Teelo confirmed.

"I dunno about this, guys..." Greez hesitated.

"We don't have another option, Greez," Kata reminded. "And Cal's running out of time."

"Coruscant is sixteen parsecs from here," Merrin turned to Teelo. "Will he make it?"

"He might." They replied honestly.

The four of them looked around at each other uncertainly, but no one seemed to have any better suggestions.

"Ok, to Coruscant, then?" Greez asked.

All eyes turned to Kata, and she realised they were waiting for her to make the call.

"Yeah, let's go."

CORUSCANT

Kata stared at her face in the mirror, unable to take her eyes off of the long gash from her forehead down through her right eyebrow. Teelo had done a good job of stitching it up, but they'd said it would scar for sure. Her own face looked so strange to her, not just because of her wound, but there was something else there. She couldn't say what, exactly, but for some reason, she almost didn't recognise herself.

She sighed as she peeled her eyes away from her reflection and looked down at her mangled left hand. Her three left-most fingers were strapped together, the skin bruised black and purple, all of them broken from being crushed under Jerserra's boot. It was going to make fighting difficult, and shooting impossible, so she hoped the clinic wasn't far. The cut on the heel of that hand also had a few stitches and her whole hand was wrapped in bandages.

She looked down at Cal's lightsaber that sat on the dresser next to the bloody clothes she'd changed out of. She picked it up and stared at it for a moment before she clipped it onto her belt. The broken pieces of her own weapon were currently sitting on the workbench in the engine room. Repairing it was going to be a nightmare, but it was a problem for later. She had enough problems for right now. She sighed again and left her room, knowing they would be touching down any second.

"Kata."

The Padawan almost jumped at Merrin's voice sounding so close. She looked up to see the Nightsister standing in the corridor waiting for her. Her expression was still unreadable and Kata felt that pang of guilt hit her again.

"We are about to land." Merrin informed her.

"Ok." She nodded.

She was about to make a move to pass her, but the older Nightsister stopped her with a hand on her shoulder. Kata met her gaze and it was somewhere between worry and sympathy.

"I cannot blame you for choosing not to reveal what you had seen." She stated.

"But, if I just—" Kata started to protest.

Merrin held up her other hand, signalling for her to let her finish.

"None of us know what it's like to be in your position, so we have no right to judge."

"But if Cal doesn't make it..."

Kata couldn't bring herself to finish that thought.

"You said that in your vision you saw Jerserra stab Cal with her lightsaber, yes?"

Kata had spent much of the flight over from Onderon explaining to the others what had happened in the palace. The appearance of the Fifth Brother, the death of the Vice Director, her fight with the Nightsister, her injury, Cal's injury, killing the Inquisitor, blinding Jerserra... it had seemed like so much when she'd had to say it all aloud.

"Yeah." She nodded.

"But that is not what happened."

"I got rid of Jerserra's lightsaber," She explained. "I'd hoped that doing that might stop her from hurting him."

Merrin's eyes wandered down for a moment as she thought. She didn't know how to feel about Kata keeping such a thing to herself, but she had been honest when she'd said that she had no right to judge her for that decision.

"Then perhaps you made the right call." She conceded.

"I guess we'll know soon."

Kata looked past her towards the bunk where Cal was lying.

"I need to say goodbye to him, just in case."

Merrin nodded.

"Yes, but quickly."

Kata moved past Merrin and tentatively approached the bunk. BD-1 made a sad sound as she drew close and her face contorted in pain when she looked at Cal. He was in an induced sleep from the medication Teelo had given him, IV in his arm, oxygen mask on his face. His skin was pallid and his chest was barely moving from the shallow breaths that were rasping in his throat. She tried to keep a hold of herself as she knelt down beside the bed.

"Cal?" She said softly, hoping he could hear her somehow. "We made it to Coruscant. Teelo and I are gonna get you some help. We'll be back soon, but you have to hold on until then."

Of course, there was no response from him, not so much as a stir. She took his hand in her broken one, and his felt cold.

"You have to hold on, you hear me? We can't lose you. I can't do this without you."

She started to lose her grip on her emotions, feeling yet another tear escape down her cheek. The events of the past week had been nothing short of traumatic. And now, seeing Cal like this... it was too much for her to bear. She stood and leaned over to kiss his forehead gently.

"I love you," She whispered. "I'll see you soon."

She straightened up and felt Merrin's hand on her right shoulder.

"He has made it this far, Kata. Do not give up hope just yet." She encouraged.

Kata nodded.

"And do not lose that," She motioned towards Cal's lightsaber on her belt. "Or you will never hear the end of it from him."

Kata chuckled sadly.

"I won't."

"Go now."

Kata left the engine room and approached Teelo in the living area. They were adjusting the straps on the black jacket they had owned as long as she'd known them. The sight of them wearing it now made her think about the dark version of them Jerserra had conjured up, then she realised... it was the same jacket.

They looked at her as she approached.

"The clinic's on Level 2039, it shouldn't take us long to get there."

Kata nodded, then her brows furrowed as she looked at their face and saw their troubled expression.

"Are you alright?" She asked.

Their blue eyes met hers for a second before they dropped to the ground.

"I haven't been back here since Amai was killed."

Kata didn't know much about their time on this planet, but she could imagine why they'd be hesitant to return after what they went through.

"Are you gonna be ok?"

"I have to be, for Cal."

She nodded understandingly. Cal was counting on them; they had no choice but to do this.

"Let's go."

Teelo hit the button to open the door and Kata could see that focused, hard expression settling on their face.

"Teelo, Kata," Greez's voice got their attention. "Be safe."

"You, too." Kata returned as she followed Teelo off the ship.

Navigating the Undercity turned out to be relatively uncomplicated. Kata had been to Coruscant once before, shortly after her Papa had died, but she hadn't gotten the chance to explore, then. Merrin, Cal and Greez had been very adamant she stay on the ship and she'd had to admire the city lights and sounds from the safety of the Mantis. She wished she had the capacity to take it all in now, the strange beauty of this busy world, but there was no room for it in her tumultuous mind.

She followed Teelo closely as they seemed to know exactly where they were going, having lived here for a couple years. They stuck to the high ground as much as possible and they knew every shortcut, every side alley, and they avoided the numerous Imperial patrols with ease. And she was glad for it, as with only one good hand and her head constantly throbbing, she wasn't exactly sure how good she'd be in a fight. She was teleporting as much as she could to keep up with Teelo, not able to climb well without the use of her left hand.

She stopped for a second as they neared the edge of a roof and put her hand to her right eye, groaning quietly.

"You ok?" Teelo asked with concern.

"I'm fine, my head just hurts."

"boo-wa-woo."

BD-1 ejected a stim for her and she took it appreciatively.

"Thanks, buddy."

She injected it into her left arm and very quickly felt it dulling the pain in both her head and her hand. Teelo was still looking at her with distress and she nodded at them.

"Ok, I'm good."

"We're close now." They informed.

The two of them dropped down to the ground and started to walk casually but briskly through the streets. The streets that Kata soon realised were suspiciously deserted.

"Where is everyone?" She murmured low, knowing Teelo would hear.

"Yeah, it's too quiet," They agreed. "Something's not right..."

"boop-bweep."

She saw their left hand hovering over their lightsaber instinctively, their eyes darting around, looking for the threat they could both sense.

"This way."

They turned down an alley and the hairs on the back of Kata's neck began to stand on end. She grabbed Teelo's arm to stop them.

"Wait..." She muttered.

"I feel it, too." They replied.

Their hand gripped the hilt of their saber, but before either of them could make a defensive move, an unfamiliar voice sounded from the shadows.

"Don't move!"

Kata's eyes darted around as several figures emerged from nearby alleys and on the rooftops above. All of them were holding blaster rifles, pointed at the two Jedi.

"Hands where we can see 'em!" The same voice demanded.

Kata and Teelo both raised their hands slowly. It was immediately obvious from the look of these people that they weren't Imperials, or Syndicates, neither. Kata recognised the insignias on their clothes and the typical yellow, orange and blue colours of the Rebel Alliance. The authoritative voice belonged to a woman who stood before them. She was fawn-skinned with dark eyes framed by angular brows, emphasised by the reproachful way she regarded them.

"One wrong move and we'll blast you where you stand."

"Easy," Teelo tried to calm her. "We're not with the Empire."

"Who are you?"

"We're Jedi." Kata interjected before Teelo could reply.

She saw them give her a startled look out of her peripheral, clearly not having expected her to get quite so straight to the point. But she was certain these people were Rebels and they had no time to waste on charades.

"My name is Kata Akuna and this is Master Teelo Niteva and BD-1," She gestured to them both with her head in turn. "I'm Padawan to Master Kestis."

"Master Kestis?" The woman questioned. "Cal Kestis?"

"bwoow-woop!"

BD-1 suddenly leapt up on Kata's shoulder and addressed the woman in front of them directly.

"You know her, BD?" Kata asked.

"brrllt-boop, doo-weep!"

Kata watched the woman, seeing the undeniable recognition cross her face as she looked at the droid perched on her shoulder.

"I remember you," She acknowledged. "You're Cal's droid."

"myam-wam!"

Kata didn't understand exactly what was going on, but clearly this woman knew Cal somehow. Perhaps this would work out in their favour.

"Stand down!" She ordered.

The Rebels lowered their weapons and Kata and Teelo lowered their arms. The woman approached them both cautiously.

"My name is Mari Kosan," She explained. "I met Cal Kestis on Kashyyyk, but that was many years ago."

"You're Mari?" Kata's eyes widened. "Cal told me about you, how you and Choyyssyk helped him track down Tarfful."

"boo-weep!"

Kata remembered hearing the story, from when Cal had been on his journey to find Cordova's holocron with Cere and Greez. She never imagined she'd meet Mari face-to-face, and on Coruscant of all places, but there was no time to get acquainted.

"Is Cal alright?" Mari asked, probably guessing as to why he wasn't with them.

"That's why we're here," Teelo stepped forward slightly. "Cal's been wounded, badly, he doesn't have much time."

"We need your help, Mari," Kata also moved forward. "Cal needs your help, please. I know you don't know us, but—"

"You're right, I don't know you," She agreed. "How do I know that what you're telling me is the truth?"

Kata unclipped Cal's saber from her belt and presented it to Mari. The Rebel looked at it, both acknowledgement and fear crossing her face.

"bwoo..."

"If you know Cal, then you know that if he could be here talking to you himself, he would be," Kata pointed out. "Please, Mari. If you don't help us, Cal Kestis is going to die. Is he a Jedi the Rebellion can really afford to lose?"

Mari's dark eyes flicked up to Kata's, conflict clear on her face. Kata understood that she had to be cautious – she had her own people to look out for, after all. But the longer they stood here, the closer Cal was to death and she didn't feel like wasting time.

"They speak the truth, Mari." Another voice sounded to their left.

"How do you know, Gendra?" Mari turned and asked.

A young Zygerrian woman looked from Mari straight to Teelo.

"I recognise this one," She explained. "It was years ago, but I brought them into the clinic after they collapsed on this very street."

Kata looked up at Teelo, seeing their blue eyes widen.

"That was you?" They asked in disbelief.

Gendra nodded her head once, a small smile pulling at her lips.

"You saved my life that day. Thank you."

Mari debated a few seconds longer before she looked back to Kata. The Padawan saw her eyes rest on the wound on her head before meeting her gaze.

"Where is Cal now?"

"He's on the Mantis; the ship's hidden not far from here." Kata replied.

"Gendra, take three others and go with them," Mari instructed. "There are docking bays hidden below this level, return to your ship and bring it here, and we'll get Cal seen to as quickly as we can."

An involuntary sob of relief left Kata's mouth before she could stop it.

"Mari, thank you."

"Don't thank me yet. Go now, hurry."

Kata and Teelo both nodded and they turned back to lead the way for Gendra and the three other Rebels with her.

"We won't be able to avoid the patrols as easily now." Teelo said.

"That's ok, causing a ruckus might actually serve as a good diversion." She pointed out.

"Just what I was thinkin'."

They smirked at her and she could see something in them that she could also feel inside, but she dared not indulge it. She didn't dare let herself hope – Cal's life was still hanging in the balance and they were by no means out of the woods, yet. She couldn't help but think about the chances that Mari would be the one to meet them, that they would be able to convince her so easily that Cal was in trouble and needed her help. But then, she supposed hers wasn't the only life Cal had impacted over the years. So many depended on him, believed in him and trusted him. She aspired to one day be the kind of Jedi that could be that spark of hope to keep the fire of resistance burning.

18