Survivors - Cal Kestis x Merrin

Survivors

Jedi are curious creatures to me. They wield such unimaginable power, but hold themselves to the codes of their order with an unwavering resolve. Cal Kestis is one such a Jedi. We met as enemies, but soon I left my home on Dathomir to aid him in his fight against the Empire. I was drawn to him for reasons I did not yet know.

Almost a year after I left Dathomir, Cal and I were traversing across a small ice planet. The bitter wind bit at our skin. I wrapped my cloak tighter around me. We were climbing up a steep hill, Cal in the lead. We were outfitted in white cloaks to blend in with the terrain, but his bright red hair proved a stark contrast to the snow. I lifted my hands to summon a small amount of magick, which I used to lift the hood of Cal's cloak. I flicked my hands, which sent the hood up and over his head. Cal laughed without turning around.

"Thanks Merrin."

A little droid perched on Cal's shoulder spun his head around and gave me a series of beeps that I didn't understand. The droid was our constant companion, BD-1. He followed Cal everywhere. As did I. For the last six months, we had been flying to small planet settlements, to attack the troopers who had their boots on the necks of people just trying to scratch out a living. It was good work, helping people. But it was risky. I wanted to do less of it, Cal always wanted to do more.

"You have not yet told me why we are here?" I said as we continued to trudge up the snowy bank.

Cal looked back at me briefly, then returned to watching his footing on the ice.

"My contact at the cantina yesterday said a large group of settlers here have been trying to leave. They have transports, but the Empire won't permit them to take off. The settlers are afraid of getting shot down if they make a run for it."

"You still have not mentioned our part." I said.

"We are here to remove that threat. There is supposedly only a single garrison of troopers stationed here. If we can take them out, the settlers can get off-world before a new garrison arrives."

I nodded. Not that Cal could see. He had his eyes fixed firmly on the top of the hill, always focusing on the next task at hand. As we neared the peak, Cal motioned for me to get down. We both dropped down onto the ice. I stayed where I was as Cal crept up to the top of the hill and peered over it. After a minute, he crawled back down to my position. He was still watching the top of the hill, and I took the opportunity to study his face while he was so close.

There were so many times on missions like these that I wondered why I did it all. Why would I hop from planet to planet, hiking hostile terrain, wading through swamps, and putting myself in the line of fire only to do it all again in a day or two. Laying this close to Cal, I remembered.

We had visited many crowded cantinas over the last year for clandestine meetings. I saw the way women and men watched him. He was so striking. Tall, strong and confident, with a shock of amber hair and a magnetic swagger. The scar across the bridge of his nose spoke of a turbulent past, but he had a gentle smile that could break hearts. It was no wonder he received the attention he did. Somehow Cal seemed oblivious to it all.

"There's a small valley just over this hill." He said.

"There's an Imperial outpost. The information was good after all, it looks like it's a single garrison. We can take them out in no time."

"How big are their guns?" I asked.

"Big." He said, turning his face to mine.

"The heavy artillery is positioned close to the outpost itself."

"I will handle them." I said.

He nodded, and climbed back up to the top of the hill. I followed, like I always did. I'd follow Cal anywhere, for better or worse.