Unsettled/Disillusioned

Chapter 15: the Dead-Drop

Due to their secrecy, Draven would never tell Kanan how many Fulcrums they had spread across the Galaxy. But the Jedi could guess there was at least one new one. There were little more than dead drops of supplies or intel on Imperial movements in the Galactic Frontier from this Fulcrum in particular, but of course, every small effort, every tiny rebellion counted towards the larger revolution. The gifts this Fulcrum left with the dead drops were an appreciated boost of morale as well.

"I bet this drop was from Cal," Sabine said as she rummaged through the supply crate they were picking up in the forests of Devaron.

"How can you tell? Fulcrums operate in secret, this is beyond his usual sector," Zeb said as he and Kanan started sorting through the supplies. Sabine held her hand out in front of Zeb's big purple face and waved the little canister and datachip she fished from a secret compartment at the bottom of the supply crate. Sabine inserted the datachip into her datapad.

"This paint is from Jedha," Sabine read from the datachip. Surely, the chip had encrypted data about Imperial unit deployments or surveillance about industrial projects on it as well, this message was just a red herring to most. But not to the members of the Ghost crew. "These paints come from clay and minerals in the desert and were used to illustrate murals and mark pathways for pilgrims. The colours may be a bit muted compared to what you're used to, except for the green and blue, historically used to represent the blades of Jedi lightsabers—" Sabine quickly opened the canister and found a set of cakes of dried pigment. Most were earthy tones from cream to rust to charcoal. Except for two small containers, a geometric design of bright green and blue were painted onto their polished metal surfaces.

"Oh, definitely Cal," Zeb laughed.

"Though the earth-tone paints may be worn by the wind and sands, the blue and green enamel are only hardened by the heat and sun of the desert and remain steadfast," Sabine finished.

"Ha, sounds like he's trying to tell us something," Kanan said.

"Looks like part of the message is encrypted," Sabine sighed as she handed Kanan the datapad. A test, he thought, he tried to sense Cal's intent with the Force to find a hidden code... Kanan decrypted the last part of the message and handed it to Sabine to read aloud: "Though the Jedi may be hidden in the shadow of the Empire, their light, like stars, shine brightest against the Dark."

Kanan couldn't help but smile.

"Typical of the 'Sunshine Jedi'," Zeb laughed as he loaded the supply crates into the Ghost.

It was almost a year after he and Ezra had come across an adventurous droid and a studious archaeologist in a Temple under the sands of Pasaana. In the months since, Cal had left them more datadisks, paints and even charms and dolls, hidden in the dead drops for the larger Rebellion. Each time, a pleasant surprise. It warmed Kanan's heart to hold the little pieces of Cal's archaeological work in his hands. Because it meant he wasn't alone.

Once the crates were secured in the Ghost's cargo hold, Kanan felt around the drop point for a suitable rock or stick, to leave a message of his own. He tried to think loudly, whispered into the air, not knowing if this was how Cal's ability worked but tried anyway. He found a suitable stone. "Thanks for the drop, and we really appreciate the gifts," Kanan whispered to the stone, the surface rough on his fingers, imagining they were the hands of another man who'd earned callouses from a lightsaber, "I'm not sure how the Fulcrums work, Command won't tell me exact details but I wouldn't mind seeing you again. Maybe even on a mission together. I know you don't like action or combat anymore, but I wouldn't mind recon or intelligence. Take care, Cal." With a shrug, Kanan placed the stone near the drop point, unsure exactly if Cal would return to this place to pick it up. But that was the advantage to Jedi abilities like these, no need for encryption like the intel Cal had given to the Rebellion.

This message could only be read by one other Jedi in the Galaxy.