Falling

Chapter IX

Cal stirred when he felt something poke his nose. At first, he brushed it off, but when it happened twice more, he groaned and swatted the hand away groggily, peeling his eyes open.

Nima grinned as she scanned him over, her face hovering inches from his. "You talk in your sleep."

He sighed as he sat up, wiping the sleep from his eyes. "I've been told."

"What were you dreaming about?" she asked, folding her arms to lean on the mattress.

He stretched his arms and twisted his body to loosen his back. "Why would I tell you?"

She pursed her lips and shrugged. "I think I deserve to know. Especially since you were saying my name."

He froze in horror, his face suddenly on fire. He tried to sputter excuses when she started laughing.

"I'm just messin' with you." She smacked his shoulder as she stood. "Come on. We're about to arrive."

—

The Mantis hummed as it landed on the rocky plain of Bogano. As soon as it settled, Nima opened the bridge. "I'm gonna take a walk."

Cere perked up and turned. "You sure you want to go on your own? You've never been here before. There are a lot of creatures that could attack."

It took every fiber in her being not to glare at the former Jedi. What was it with her assuming she couldn't take care of herself? Sure, it might be coming from a good place, but she was fine. Still, she took a deep breath and flashed a smile, holding up her blaster. "I think you forget where you picked me up from."

The dark-skinned woman sighed and nodded. "Alright. Just try not to get lost. And be careful."

She nodded. "I'll do my best. See ya in a bit." She scurried down the ramp and scanned the planet's surface.

It was full of sedimentary rocky mesas and marshes. Trodden paths were leading in different directions, left, forward, right. She decided to ignore the paths and just head through the grass, taking in the scenery. She took in a deep breath, smelling the damp air, the fresh dirt, the shrubbery. The scent brought a small grin to her face.

She noticed unfamiliar creatures of different kinds that she managed to avoid: an amphibious monstrosity about twice as long as she was tall, ugly grub-like things that burrowed into the ground, large beetle-looking critters that tucked on themselves and rolled around in deep craters. The only one she didn't mind was the small pod of furry, gentle-faced animals with long, hopping legs. They seemed more afraid of her anyway, popping back into their small holes in the ground.

As she traveled further, scaling mesas and jumping down them, she noticed strange settlements through the fog. There were steel beams protruding out the side of the rock and even wires connecting to lower mesas that lead across the misty chasms below. She even saw a majestic structure on the horizon, tall and ancient and glorified. The sight inspired her to wander further, and she allowed her head to do the same. Who did all this? Was it a society? How long had it been since this place had been populated?

How did she even end up here? Obviously, in a ship, but she was referring to her life. She had been on Bracca for seventeen years, and now she had been on four other planets, soon to be five once they would reach Dathomir. Sure, she had wanted to leave that rock forever, wanted to explore the galaxy someday, but this was not what she had in mind. She was stuck with a group searching for a holocron; a Latero captain, a retired Jedi, an exploration droid, and...

She slowed to a stop, her heart sinking. Cal didn't deserve this, the way she was treating him. He didn't deserve to be pushed away. He deserved to know what she had been through. It was unfair that she wasn't telling him anything. Hell, it would probably make her feel better to say something. She needed to let down her walls.