The Force Betrayed: Cal Kestis x OC

12.

Sakana was studying the outside of the Imperial Refinery when Cal finally came back from the Mantis. His expression was conflicted, and she watched his face intently until he was right next to her.

"Hey," she said awkwardly, unsure how to start the conversation between them. His face brightened up at her voice, which made her shoulders softly relax.

"Hey," he replied. "Cere said they're going to keep watch on the Mantis, but I have my comm device and BD in case we need to get in contact with them or make a speedy exit. Or if I need to, I guess."

"Bee woop!" BD said excitedly.

"Yeah," she responded, scratching the fabric covering her arm to distract herself. She hated when there was awkward tension between them. "You okay?"

"Mhm," he shrugged, looking out into the the distance. "Cere and I just had a...difficult conversation."

"You want to talk about it?" she asked, taking a step forward. "Bit of a journey."

He shook his head and looked around, following slightly behind Sakana. "The Second Sister, Trilla, used to be Cere's padawan. Cere was captured by the Empire and tortured until she gave up Trilla's location, and when she saw what her padawan had become, she used the dark side. That's why she cut herself off from the Force."

Sakana almost stopped in her tracks as Cere's story unfolded before her. But to Cal's confusion, she kept walking forward, seemingly almost unbothered as she didn't say a word.

"That's awful," she eventually spoke, looking ahead with a somber expression. She remembered the betrayal her father had experienced from his own padawan turning to the dark side and the guilt that he carried because of it. While the situation was a little different and the revelation about Cere slightly troubled her, she understood the kind of pain she was in.

"You don't seem...bothered?" he said, trying to walk in time with her so he could read her expressions more clearly.

"My mother told me the story of a Jedi Master she knew whose padawan turned to the dark side," she half-lied, neglecting to tell him that the 'Jedi Master' in question was her father. "I can't imagine the kind of hurt and anger that would cause someone."

Cal nodded, letting himself think deeply about the situation. "I...understand why Cere turned to the dark side. It takes a certain kind of strength to resist it, and another to give in and still come out of it. I guess it's just hard to trust her sometimes...I know she would never sell us out, but—"

"You're worried that if she was ever captured again, the same thing would happen?" Sakana asked, meeting his eyes.

"Yeah," he sighed, his shoulders falling. "And I wanted to be honest with you about her past."

"That's brave of you," she said.

"I guess," he shrugged. "It doesn't really matter now, since you're not coming back."

"Right," Sakana replied sheepishly, watching the trees in front of her. Even she had forgotten that she wasn't going back to the Mantis.

Silence fell between them as they continued to trek through the forest. She hadn't been to this part of Kashyyyk since the Empire had arrived and she needed more time than usual to navigate. At some point, they reached the edge of the forest and came to a small plateau.

"Blast it," Sakana said to herself, looking out at the other plateau hundreds of feet ahead of her. The fallen Wroshyr tree bridge that had once connected the two was gone; it had likely been the Empire's doing, she figured, which only furthered her frustration.