The in Between || A Star Wars Story

Chapter 25 - A Series of Unfortunate Events Part 2

Cal led her through the upper levels of Coruscant.

They had been walking for half an hour and Kennedy was starting to get suspicious.

"Kestis, where are taking me?" Kennedy asked, trailing behind Cal.

He looked over his shoulder, "Somewhere special. We're almost there. C'mon we gotta hurry."

He waved her to go faster and she stayed at her walking pace. The Sun was beginning to set over the city, just beginning to paint the sky with oranges and pinks.

Various buildings lined the street they now walked down. Signs glowed in the growing darkness. If Kennedy didn't know any better, she'd be scared to be this deep in the city by herself. Especially with the anti-war movement going around Coruscant.

"Here it is. Just up this ladder," Cal said as he began climbing a rusty ladder.

"Cal, you can't be serious."

He paused. "Oh, I'm very serious Kenz. I set this up before the eulogy this morning. I just hope everything is still there." He resumed his climbing.

Kennedy scoffed and shook her head before climbing up after him. The ladder creaked with everything rung she climbed.

When she reached the top of the building, Cal was standing there nervously. At first, she didn't see the—"A rooftop picnic?" she said with a huge smile.

A blanket was laid out with a picnic basket and pillows for them to sit on with a lantern to the side for when it got dark. In the distance the sun began to set behind the tall buildings. The most beautiful sunset she'd seen on Coruscant ever.

Her mouth gaped. She was speechless.

"Do you like it?" Cal asked tentatively.

Kennedy scoffed. "Are you kidding me, Cal? This is amazing. You didn't have to do all of this," she said gesturing to the picnic setup.

"But I wanted to. It's been so long since we've been in the same place at the same time. I know the circumstances aren't...ideal, but I wanted to make sure we made it count."

There her heart went again, beating against her chest like an animal trying to free itself from a cage.

"I-I don't know what to say," she shook her head.

"You don't have to say anything. Just come sit down, let's enjoy this sunset." He sat down and opened the picnic basket. Kennedy sat down on the pillow next to him as he pulled out food for both of them.

Kennedy sighed, not from tension but with relief. She couldn't remember the last time she had a moment to just sit down like this and enjoy a sunset. "I love being Obi-Wan's Padawan, don't get me wrong, but we are constantly busy. Always on missions. It's exhausting."

Cal slowly ate away at his food, just staring at the beautiful colors painted across the sky. "Do you ever wonder what your life would be like if you hadn't been brought to the Order?"

It seemed to be a day of contemplation. "Sometimes," she admitted. "More than I should, honestly. Mostly because of how the council treats me. I'm never good enough and it's...frustrating. I'm supposed to be a Chosen One, yet they treat me like a naive child while simultaneously treating me like I'm supposed to be a Jedi Knight who should know better. They treat me like I'm a weapon. Like I'm dangerous. They're scared. They're hypocrites."

He finally looked at her with a faint chuff. "I always forget you're a prophecy."

She met his gaze and scoffed. "I wish I could."

"It doesn't change anything you know," he said, leaning into her, drawing a soft chuckled from her. "You're still Kennedy. You're still a great Padawan learner. It's just an added bonus that you might help balance the force the in the future. You'll get all the glory and the council will never want to cross you again."