Kissed by Fire: Cal Kestis

Chapter 20

If Y/n thought she had seen Heaven before, she was sorely mistaken. Nothing could ever be as beautiful as riding on the back of the Shyyyo Bird as it carried her over the sights and trees of Kashyyyk. With her arms tightly locked around Cal, she was able to enjoy the view set in front of her. They were flying high above the clouds that surrounded Kashyyyk's mountains, and were able to see the vast beauty of the forests it held for them. The sky was the most crystal blue, and the sun shone down on them from above.

"There's still so much the Empire hasn't touched!" Cal exclaimed as his green eyes, eyes that matched the trees below, examined the view in awe.

"Look at that..." Y/n whispered when they returned their view to the Origin Tree. It was larger than they even thought at first. The idea that this plant could grow to be so tall and strong, surviving ever war the galaxy has ever seen, was shocking to them. Y/n had never seen such beautiful life before. Seeing it from the vantage point of one of the most ancient and respected animals on Kashyyyk only added to her wonderment.

Wanderlust hit her hard as she gazed into the very soul of the planet. It almost felt like with seeing the very top of this tree, they were seeing the very great wonders and achievements of the Wookiee people. Cal had seen echoes from times past of when Wookiees would climb this sacred tree as a moment of upbringing in their lives. She couldn't imagine climbing as far as she did without the aid of her equipment and the Jedi at her side. She admired the Wookiees in their resilience. She knew it would pay off for them in the end.

The ride wasn't nearly long enough, Y/n finding herself disappointed when the Shyyyo Bird rested upon a large branch high in the Origin Tree. "Let's go. We're so close now. I can feel it," Cal said as he stood from the mighty beast, jumping down to the branch below.

Y/n slid off the side, landing on her feet when she saw BD jump off of Cal's shoulder and run to a... workbench? "What's a workbench doing all the way up here?" Y/n asked as she and Cal approached it, BD hopping up onto it with a joyous trill.

"Cordova must have left it up here when he was studying Kashyyyk," Cal told her, examining the station. "Wait a minute, maybe I can..."

Y/n watched in confusion as he took out his lightsaber and set it on the bench before taking out his welding torch. A few pieces of discarded lightsaber parts were laid freely along the desks, and Cal took each one of them as he sealed them together. When he finished, he looked upon his finished blade, igniting one side, then the other. A double bladed saber. Y/n could do nothing but stand there in awe as he swung it to the side, getting the feel for the new blade.

Cal felt almost complete now. This was his master's blade before the Purge. During their escape, he recalled how the clone troopers had blasted the other end to pieces, leaving Cal with only one half of his master's lightsaber. Now, it was whole again.

He shut off his weapon and looked to Y/n's watching gaze. When they met eyes, she blinked herself back to reality, saying, "Sorry, I just... wow, that's impressive." She settled for a compliment, not really sure how else to speak the rile in her gut.

"Thanks. It's how it's supposed to be now," he spoke back, putting the blade on his belt once again. Grinning, he said, "Maybe I can show you how to work it double-bladed?"

"You were pushing it with the one plasma beam in my hand, Kestis," Y/n told him, wagging her finger at him. "Two would certainly end in disaster."

BD-1 jumped back up to Cal's shoulder, telling them they were nearing the end of the path on Kashyyyk. "BD's right. Cordova awaits," Cal said, and they headed towards the center of the tree.

Through a small tunnel, they found the familiar looking marks of a Zeffo artifact. The large stone in front of them was carved into the face of one of the Zeffo people, while his robes had a small carved out hole in the center. Large enough to fit a small circular object. BD rushed forward, and from his memory bank, another vision of Cordova appeared for Y/n and Cal to watch. He was holding something small in his hand, something they could barely make out before Cordova began speaking.