Cal Kestis

“I know what it’s called, just because you practice a dead ancient religion doesn’t mean everyone’s forgotten it.”

He looks the scrawny little man over for a moment, then turns white optics back and forth to make sure there were no nearby troopers or officers. “Though they’d probably be more able to kill you if you didn’t have that.”

“It’s not dead,” he told the droid and he even surprised himself by how certain he sounded. “Even if there’s so much as one Jedi left in the galaxy, it’s not dead.” He was alive, Cere was alive and there were others – there had to be. They couldn’t be the only two out there – the only two who had survived.

TO SAY THAT ANAKIN MIGHT AS WELL HAVE A ’ I AM A JEDI ’ STICKER ON HIM WOULDN’T BE TOO FAR OFF AS HE WAS WEARING … WELL, HIS ROBES, UNDERNEATH THE DARK CLOAK. It’s not like he had anything else to change in and found himself in this strange place ( and time ) only a few hours prior. Weirdly enough though, as if knowing that he needed to somehow, he hid his force signature like he had been thought ages ago and made sure not to look anybody in the eyes, even less then man in that strange white armor. Those were no clones, not with how stupid they seemed to be.

He heard conversations about an Empire, about killing the remaining force sensitive people … Talk of an Emperor, and honestly Anakin was either dreaming ( which in his case was never a good sign ) or this was truly happening and he was sent either into an other universe, or in the future. Either way, it didn’t sound too good and the man was utterly confused, wondering how he was supposed to get back home since the pinching to his fleshed arm wasn’t doing any good.

And while he was hoping to see a familiar visage soon … He wasn’t expecting that one, even less so in such a strange surrounding. He had so many questions, but he was aware that this wasn’t the time … Nor the place. So he simply shrugged, blue eyes taking in just how many people were out there, it should be easy if anything came down to it. Hopefully though, no such thing would take place.

“ Believe me, I wish I knew. ” He wasn’t sure himself and he doubted that the young male would be able to help him with that. If him being grown like this was any give away though, this was indeed the future and something … He didn’t know what, went horribly wrong. Did they lose the war? What happened? Where were all the Jedi and why was this boy in this area? 

Something told him that he wouldn’t like any of the answers to these questions. “ I’m not, no. I’m not sure how or why I got here but … You, on the other hand, seem to be here willingly. Why? ”

Cal honestly wasn’t sure what to think of the whole situation. Skywalker didn’t exactly look inconspicuous, but at the same time, nobody would necessarily pay him much mind as long as he didn’t give him reason to. Cal didn’t feel a Force signature, but he wasn’t sure he would even be able to anymore. His connection...it was damaged. He couldn’t even meditate anymore.

“What do you mean?” He asked, tilting his head in confusion. It was a strange thing to say. Even if the man had crash-landed, that was still a reason. He looked confused, too. And the way he’d seemed so surprised to see how much Cal had grown...he’d assumed he was just surprised to see him after so long, but maybe it was something else.

Maybe Anakin really didn’t know why or how he was there.

He took a quick glance around to determine that nothing or nobody was within earshot, but even so, he kept his voice down. He wasn’t sure whether willing was the most accurate term. Bracca was safe enough though. That was the only reason he’d decided to stay. He wondered where Anakin had been all these years.

That they were just two people worked in their favour. They were as non-threatening as possible and Obi-Wan was glad that Cal was young, around the same age as some of the teenagers peeking down with clear interest. They clearly wanted to come down and meet him.

Obi-Wan watched Cal take charge. It was always fun to see him work, to see how he approached different people. The youths his age were more willing to return the greeting than the older villagers. One waved, another opened his mouth to speak in a heavy accented basic. “Hello, Cal.” That seemed to break the ice, as the adults stepped back to let the younger ones move down to a path to meet Cal halfway. 

Obi-Wan watched the display carefully, then met the eyes of what appeared to be a man in a high position. He wore more adornments than the other villagers and brighter colours on his skin. At first he just stared back at the Jedi, then gave a small nod. Relieved, Obi-Wan went to follow Cal who was already surrounded by the teens. 

“I never met a Jedi up close before,” one of them said, staring at both Cal and Obi-Wan as if they were very interesting specimen under a microscope. 

Cal visibly brightened as the other children approached him, his small smile turning into a full grin. He eagerly returned the wave and took to chatting with them. He could be a little shy at times, but he’d always liked meeting new people and...well, he wanted to help put them at ease. He wanted them to see him as a friend rather than an enemy.

“Oh, well, I’m only a Padawan learner right now,” he admitted with a light shrug. He didn’t seem to be annoyed at the fact though. He wanted to be a great Jedi one day, just like his Master, but he was patient. He knew that it would be years before he would be able to take the trials. Until then, he was content to learn everything he could from Obi-Wan. “But my Master is a fully-fledged Jedi.”

Anybody could hear the admiration in the boy’s voice. He might be biased, but he thought Obi-Wan was the best Jedi there was and there was nobody he’d rather have as his teacher. The man always knew the best thing to do, both out on a mission and whenever Cal had any sort of problem. 

THE FUTURE WASN’T … IT WASN’T HOW HE PICTURED IT, AND THAT WAS PUTTING IT LIGHTLY. Nothing was how he left it, and if he ever thought that they would win the war … Well, he never knew just how dumb such notion would have been because there was no winning it, not when the orchestrator of both sides was the very same person. Someone in whom he had put his whole trust, from such an early age. He couldn’t believe that the Republic was all lies, and that it was now … An Empire, with the Chancellor Palpatine behind all of it.

The worst thing he came to learn was that he was a major part of what went wrong, as he turned on his own kind – And became the one thing he swore to beat – Killing so many, kids and adults alike. He had to remind himself that this wasn’t him, that he never did such things … Not yet, anyway but he knew that was a lie. Maybe he never betrayed the Jedi in his present time, but he had blood on his hands, – From the very night he lost his mother, and killed a whole village of Tusken Raiders, without an ounce of regret. He knew now that this was the beginning of his fall.

He came to learn a lot, thanks to a meeting with none other than Senator Organa, Master Yoda and the force ghost of the very man who brought him to the Jedi Temple so many years ago, Qui-Gon Jinn. He couldn’t help himself but to ask him if he regretted his decision then of bringing him out of Tatooine, expecting a positive answer but no … Apparently, even after all that he told him, he believed in his protégé. He was sure that … This time around, he would make the right choices. And while he wished that was the case … The question was how … How would he manage to stop all that was unfolding, being in the making from years prior ?? No one had the answer, not even the wisest of them all. So how was Anakin supposed to know ??

And now … After learning everything, the man was left to wander around, making sure not to be recognized ( just in case ) while waiting for the Force to pull him back to where ( and when ) he came from. Apparently, there was no hurry so he was left to his own devices and while unsure why he ended up on Bracca out of all place … Well, he wasn’t sure, but it was as if he needed to be there for whatever reasons. 

Then … He heard it. A voice that wasn’t all that familiar, but one who knew his name none the less. Turning around, Anakin laid blue eyes on features that for a few seconds reminded him of no one until it all clicked. “ Cal? ” This was surprising, but also a relief. So, there were padawans who managed to survive. “ You’ve … Grown. ”

The teenager blinked once more at the recognition. It really was him. He was a little surprised that the Jedi recognised him in the first place. It wasn’t as if they’d interacted all that much. Cal had been a Padawan back then, shyly trailing behind his Master, so he hadn’t contributed much to any conversations between the two older Jedi. He remembered the meetings of course – how could he not? Anakin Skywalker was a legend. His feats during the war had been well known.

“Um, yeah. I guess,” he replied with a sheepish smile, hand moving to awkwardly rub the back of his neck. He had grown. It had been five years since the Order fell. Cal was eighteen now, and growth spurts and the demanding day-to-day life as a rigger had caused him to fill out compared to the twig-like padawan Anakin had known.

It was strange to see him here. Not only had he assumed he was dead, but it was like his past was returning to haunt him. He’d pushed down just about everything about being a Jedi into the deepest, darkest corners of his mind. It was the only way to stay safe, the only way to survive. But he’d never been able to let it go completely. He still carried what remained of his Master’s lightsaber.

The damaged hilt was proof of the Lasat’s sacrifice. He’d given his life so that Cal could live, and that was all he had left of him. He couldn’t get rid of it. He didn’t use it though, either. He kept it hidden beneath his poncho just in case.

“Why are you here?” He didn’t mean to sound rude. He was happy to see him – he really was – but it was also dangerous. You never knew when somebody might be listening, or a security drone was watching. Cal had been hiding for so long now...the idea of drawing attention to himself now was frightening. It wasn’t a glamorous life, but it was safe. He didn’t want to lose that.

Cal was very wise for his age. His abilities to feel the emotions and memories of others as his own had given him a wider range of understanding and empathy. It was a difficult burden to carry but it amazed Obi-Wan, day after day, how it made Cal grow above the maturity of his peers. He offered him a proud smile.

It was Obi-Wan’s duty as his master to make sure that Cal wasn’t getting overwhelmed by his ability. He gladly spared his Padawan any unnecessary grief or onslaught of negative emotions. So he reached out alone, sensing both Cal’s apprehension and the confusion, distrust, yet hope from people around them. “They know we’re here. But it looks like we need to initiate contact first.”

The mid-rim planet was not as advanced as Coruscant or other core worlds and the planet had far more nature to offer than Coruscant’s ocean of sky scrapers. It was beautiful. The large trees were ideal for tree huts, and Obi-Wan sensed that most people were located above them. It wasn’t ideal, the two Jedi were sitting ducks where they were standing, in case of an attack. So Obi-Wan reached out to place a hand on Cal’s shoulder and lead him along. “They’re above us, did you see them? Beautiful houses.” The tree huts were adorned by lush leaves and colourful tribal motives. The villagers who watched them looked human, but they had interesting hair colours ranging from blue to green to black.

“I wasn’t stationed here, Master Windu was, and he reported that the villages had been under siege by the Separatists for weeks when he broke the siege with his men. It’s only natural that they mistrust any strangers now, even if it were Jedi who helped them.” The Jedi and the Republic were often one of the same in the eyes of others - something Obi-Wan greatly disliked and considered worrysome. 

Cal supposed that had to be a good thing. They were waiting for them to make the first move rather than attacking them on sight. They were apprehensive but not necessarily hostile. Hopefully, if they could prove that they weren’t there to hurt them, they could slowly begin to build the foundations of trust. That would be important if they were going to help these people – it would be important going forward too. The Jedi needed to rebuild any trust they had lost through the war.

He looked up as the hand landed on his shoulder, his pace slowing as he allowed his Master to lead the way. He thought that, perhaps, his presence would ease their fear. It wasn’t an army approaching or even two fully-fledged Jedi; it was a Master and Padawan. There might even be some children his age living in the village. 

It was beautiful. It was so different to what he was used to, but he could see its charm. Before the war, the village was probably a peaceful place, and Cal wanted to make sure it went back to that. He wanted these people to live without fear.

“So we just have to prove that we’re friends, right?” He asked, a small smile forming on his face as he walked past his Master to look for a way up, ideally the route they used. He figured that drawing further attention to the fact that they were Jedi would only cause them more apprehension.

The war being over meant a lot of relief for the civilians on Coruscant and other core worlds but not every planet was this lucky. The fighting had naturally caused a lot of damage all over the galaxy, and though the fight was over, the Jedi were given no respite. Masters and their padawans were sent to all sorts of places that needed help getting back on their feet.

Naturally, that made the reception on each arrival a gamble. Obi-Wan turned to eye Cal and smiled encouragingly. His padawan had come such a long way. Obi-Wan knew how taxing the gift of psychometry could be, he had seen how much Quinlan suffered. Being a Jedi was already hard enough, being a padawan during wartime was terrible, and his special ability only made it even harder for Cal. But he was brave and attentive and always tried his best, regardless of his added vulnerability.

“I’m hoping for something neutral. I know it’s upsetting to risk your life for people only to have them come to resent you, but that is part of being a Jedi. We mustn’t let it discourage us, alright?” While he spoke, Obi-Wan reached out with the force to scan the area for any dangers. It wouldn’t be the first time they got jumped at on a relief mission. 

"Of course not, Master." The boy replied. He understood, perhaps better than anyone else. His gift brought with it a great deal of empathy. It was hard not to empathise when you experienced someone's feelings or a glimpse of their past first-hand, after all.

The people who resented them were mostly people who had suffered because of the war. Of course, there had been some resentment before, but their reputation as peacemakers had been much more positive. Or that was what Cal understood from his years growing up in the Temple.

"I don't blame them. They're angry and scared and they've suffered a lot. They want someone to blame." Cal didn't disapprove of their role in the war - it had been necessary - but he regretted that so many people were caught in the crossfire. It had been hard to think about at the time. There had been too much to do for them to really look at the damage brought by the war, but now it was over, it was painfully clear.

"I just hope they'll let us help them."

Some didn't. Some hated them so much that they wanted nothing to do with them and...well, they couldn't force them to accept their help. It would just make things more tense.

𝐬𝐨𝐟𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐰𝐞𝐞𝐭 𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬.

"Mommy wait," the little girl cried as she reached out for the stuffed toy she had dropped as her mother desperately dragged her along.

Explosion. Screaming. The people of this village were fleeing the destruction brought about by the war. The Separatist army had been here. They were moving in on the village.

"There's no time," the mother replied. "We have to go."

Cal fell backwards from his crouch and landed in a sitting position, the stuffed toy falling out of his hands. His head was a little foggy. That had been a relatively tame echo, but he was still left feeling dazed.

He was snapped back to the present by the sound of his Master's voice. That was right, they had split up for a little while, but a designated meeting time and place had been set. If Cal had missed it, his Master must have been worried.

Wiping his hands on his pants, he let out a soft sigh. It had been a long day and he was covered in grease, oil and dirt – just your average day as a worker for the Scrapper Guild. It wasn’t the life he’d envisioned growing up at the Jedi Temple, but he was alive. He’d been one of the lucky ones. There could be others still out there, but not many. If there had been a lot of them, the Empire would have been pushed back by now.

Life on Bracca was hardly glamorous, but it was safe. The Guild sold bits and pieces to the Empire, but for the most part, Bracca was overlooked and Cal did his best to avoid drawing attention to himself. He kept his head down and focused on his work. He hadn’t used the Force in years. He wasn’t even sure he could. Ever since that day, his connection had been broken. He’d tried meditating a couple of times in the days and weeks that followed, but he’d lose control. 

It was better, safer, if he avoided it entirely. You never knew who was watching, after all – even friends could turn on you these days. 

He ran his hand through his hair, brushing stray strands out of his eyes. He just wanted to return to his room in the Rigger’s quarters and pass out in bed. He had another early morning tomorrow. He thought he was hallucinating when he saw the familiar face of Anakin Skywalker. He hadn’t known him well, but he’d seen him a couple of times and...well, everyone back at the Temple had known who Anakin Skywalker was. He was the hero with no fear.

Cal had assumed he’d died along with most of the others. Maybe he had. Cal blinked several times, half expecting the man to disappear, but he didn’t.

With a tentative stride, Cal followed behind his Master as he descended the steps down from their ship. They’d been sent on a lot of these missions lately – they all had. The war was over, but it hadn’t been easy. Damage had been done, and the Jedi were being deployed to help with the various restoration efforts across the galaxy.

Cal didn’t mind. It was a nice change of pace. Up until a month ago, much of Cal’s training under Master Kenobi had taken place on the battlefield. It hadn’t been ideal – the Knights and Masters were reluctant to bring Padawans fresh from the Temple into battle, but there was no way around it. Still, Master Kenobi had left him on the ship when it was too dangerous and if he was allowed to accompany him planet-side, he had to stay close. 

Cal understood that it was important for him to stay close to his Master, more so than other Padawans. He’d gotten better at controlling it over the years, but there were still times his psychometry would be triggered unintentionally and he needed Master Kenobi to be close by to help him through it and potentially defend him if there were enemies nearby.

       Anakin in particular understood being attached to your master. Obi-Wan was many things to him. His father, his brother, his mentor, his friend. Becoming a master himself had been an anxiety inducing affair. How could he be sure he was ready? How could he possibly be half the master that Obi-Wan had been? These thoughts had plagued him, even as he celebrated being knighted, even as the Clone Wars began. He was more confident now, and his relationship with Ahsoka was strong, but yes. Anakin was guilty of being more attached than he should have been. To be honest, he wasn’t sure how one was meant to remain distant when you spent so much time together, when you fought and lived alongside one another. When Cal spoke again, to thank him, Anakin flashed him a bright smile. “Good, I’m glad. And you’re welcome. Wouldn’t be much of a master if I’d just left you like that, huh? Plus, I like to think your master would do the same for Ahsoka,” Anakin reasoned, taking another bite of his own bun. “So, tell me. What have you and Master Tapal been doing about these episodes of yours? Are they always like that? I imagine that’s a lot to deal with, especially when you’re surrounded by so many people. But Master Tapal keeps you with him normally, right? On his ship?”

      Anakin was just firing off questions now. He definitely didn’t expect the boy to reply to them all, especially not in order or all at once. “What do you like to do when you’re not training? I’m sure you have lots of reading to do. That was not my most favorite part of being a padawan, I’ll admit,” He said as he chewed, and took to sipping his hot tea. “I liked to tinker and build things. Of course, I couldn’t really build too much here because my room wouldn’t hold a pod racer but, I built one of those when I was nine. And then there is this! I was still a padawan when I lost my arm,” He explained, gesturing with his gloved mechano arm. “It was interesting to learn about it by taking it apart and putting it back together. Made it stronger and more useful, too,” Anakin said proudly. As he chewed, he let his questions settle over Cal, allowing him to pick through and choose which one’s he was most interested in answering.  

The young Padawan gave a small nod. There wasn’t a doubt in his mind that his Master would have done the same had he come across a Padawan in distress. The Jedi Master was stern but he was also soft. He was calm and patient and his presence was just soothing in general which made him a good fit for training someone like Cal.

A lot of questions were shot his way, but Cal was a bright boy and a good listener so he seemed unphased.

“Sometimes we trigger them on purpose in a controlled environment where it’s just me and him.” That was the problem with an ability like his. It wasn’t something that could be learned without doing so in order to learn how to manage the episodes, they had to induce them. It was never pleasant, but in the long run it was helping. He remained conscious most of the time now even if the headaches were bad. “Yeah. I have my own room so I don’t have to worry about accidentally touching something that might set me off. They can be worse, but haven’t been for a while. I guess I’m getting a little better at dealing with them.”

Now that the tea had had a little time to cool, he brought it to his lips and took a deep sip, savouring the way it warmed him up.

“   it  can  be  difficult  to  see  such  things  as  a  gift ,   but  i  believe  it  to  be  one.    of  course,   i  am  not  the  one  who  has  to  live  with  it.   ”       tone  grows  purposefully  light  and  obi - wan  smiles  slightly  before  beginning  to  shift  from  his  meditation  position ,   relaxing  against  the  wall  of  the  hut.

while  cal’s  explanation  is  vague ,   he  does  not  make  mention  of  the  child  and  obi - wan  decides  that  there  is  little  to  worry  about.    yet ,   anyway.    surely  cal  would  have  mentioned  it  by  now.       “   good.    i  would  not  wish  to  lead  the  empire  here ,   to  cause  them  to  set  up  on  tatooine.    it  would  be  terrible  if  the  presence  of  a  jedi  here  brought  further  hardship  to  the  people.   ”

“I’ve learned to live with it,” he admitted with a light shrug. “I’d be lying if I said it didn’t come in handy. But it’s dangerous too. I understand now why the Jedi were so wary of it. There was a moment – not too long before I came here – that I disarmed an inquisitor. I felt her fear and her pain. I felt her anger and hatred. It was intense and I almost lost myself. Before that, I didn’t understand how one of us could fall so far but...she was just a padawan. I could have easily been in her place if I’d been found by the Empire after the purge.”

That was why he’d decided to destroy the holocron. Those children didn’t deserve to be dragged into a life of hardship and hiding. They would become targets and if they were found, they’d be slaughtered or perhaps even worse, broken until they had nothing left but to become an Inquisitor.

He was just glad he’d kept it out of Vader’s hands. That had been all that had been on his mind as he’d faced off against the Sith Lord, even as the man struck him with his own lightsaber. It didn’t matter what happened to him as long as he kept the holocron safe. He’d known he couldn’t beat him. It was just about surviving. Running away.