Unsettled/Disillusioned

Chapter 13: the Revelation

When they arrived at the rendezvous point on the empty moon there was nothing but grey sand and stone that stretched to the horizon.

"What? Are they late?" Ezra sighed as the four of them and BD made their way down the ramp onto the surface.

"We are dealing with the Rebellion, we must remain vigilant," Cal shrugged. Toa hid a laugh behind her hand as she walked forward and suddenly disappeared from view.

"What!?" Kallus gasped, his feet stumbling.

"Oh, what? Merrin! We're still invisible?" A voice cried out in the empty night air. Then a whole ship emerged before their eyes like a sheet of green flames was suddenly pulled from it.

Toa was standing on the ship's landing ramp; along with an elderly, grey Lateron, his four arms crossed and his large mouth in a pout.

"Merrin, we want to make a good impression with the Rebels, right?" The Lateron called into his own ship, the Stinger Mantis.

"Perhaps I am testing the Rebels' mettle," a woman emerged from the ship, clad in black and red clothes, her long silver braided hair framed her grey-skinned face and delicate grey tattoos.

"Merrin!" Cal broke into a run towards the Mantis as Merrin hurried down the ramp to meet him. They embraced and Cal immediately pulled her into a deep kiss. BD-1 hung close to Cal's back, the lights on the back of his head flashing in a soft rhythm. Kallus' heart swelled seeing the two display their love so openly and comfortably, a sentiment Ezra didn't seem to share as the young man awkwardly turned away. 'Jedi don't form attachments', he remembered Kanan mentioned once. Cal was ignoring that rule, clearly.

When they finally broke apart but still held each other in their arms Cal said, "I missed you," his bright green eyes traced every line on Merrin's tattooed face.

"I know," Merrin said as she caressed his bearded cheek, "for you to kiss me like that, perhaps your expeditions should be discovered by the Empire more often."

"Merrin!"

"I missed you, too, my Jedi," The woman's laugh was as soft and light as down feathers, and she caught his lips in another kiss, swallowing Cal's protests of 'we have guests'. He kissed her right back.

Finally, Cal and Merrin turned to the Rebels, his arm still wrapped around her.

"Kallus, Ezra, I'd like you to meet my wife, Nightsister Merrin."

Merrin smiled and gave a little wave by twiddling her fingers.

And suddenly it struck Kallus where exactly he'd seen Cal "the Jedi Terrorist" Kestis before. All the little clues Cal had dropped over the past few days suddenly crashed upon Kallus like a deluge: how did he not realise it before? He was a former ISB agent for kriffs sake!

His unique lightsaber and skills rivalled even Kanan. His history with the Partisans, his track record with Inquisitors. The way Ketsu spoke of his bloody reputation. The ease with which a younger Cal had dispatched hordes of enemies, beast and man alike. The names he spoke during meditation and the ones he hissed in his sleep. The ferocity he displayed if anyone dared insult the memory of Master Cordova or.... Cere! Kallus should have done research on Cal Kestis instead of writing reports for Rex or planning missions with Zeb. If he were still in the ISB he would have found out about Cal Kestis immediately.

No.

If he were still in the ISB he would be dead.

Dead.

Dead. Just like all those other ISB agents and stormtroopers and even the droids in the wake of that massacre.

Early in his ISB training, Kallus and the rest of his class were brought into a room and shown an old holo. Old security footage was recovered after the II-0810 Satellite Station in the Nova Garon system sent out a distress call. After what could be recovered of the men stationed there were sent back to their families. Because they didn't just die, they were murdered.