Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker: Aftermath

22: Familar Places

Cass groaned.
"Why am I back here!?" she shouted at her starry surroundings. Something hooted from her shoulder and she realized Toet was with her again. "Can you tell me why we're here again?" she asked him. He tilted his head and made a noise that sounded very much like a sigh. I didn't aim to bring you here, she suddenly heard him say.
"I can understand you now?"
It appears so? Toet answered. He dug his claws into her shoulder without warning and the World Between Worlds vanished. Nothing but blackness for a moment, and then a scene unfolded around her. It was clearly the aftermath of a battle.. or.. maybe not. To Cass's shock and horror, hundreds of bodies lay around burning homes. Enough bodies to fill a small village. And in the middle of it all was Cass, but she looked different. Older. She was curled in a small ball on the ground, her entire body shaking. Her lightsaber was in one of her hands, but as they watched, she dropped it and kicked it away, the weapon rolling furiously through the dusty and charred ground. She buried her face in her hands while sobs raked her body. Current Cass looked away.
"Who did this?" she asked Toet, crouching down to examine one of the bodies. Long burn marks across his chest. The work of a lightsaber. Toet hooted a low, sorrowful note. This event has been set in stone. However, I am still going to try to prevent it, he assured her. Cass glanced back over at the Cass in the vision. She had picked herself up and was walking away silently. The lightsaber had returned to her belt.
Visions are tricky things, Toet said. I will find you soon.
"Cass? Are you here? We're almost at Lothal," Lalo's voice burst through the drowsiness of her mind. Cass opened eyes she didn't know were closed and looked around the ship, still thinking of all she had seen.
"A vision?" Amaliea asked from across the room. Jacen glanced over his shoulder at her words. Lalo was watching her intently. "I recognize your facial expression." Amaliea added when Cass looked confused.
"Uhh.. yeah, actually." she admitted, rubbing the back of her neck.
"About what?"
Cass hesitated. "Nothing important," she lied. "When are we arriving at Lothal?"
Amaliea turned to Jacen, who quickly side-eyed the control panel. "We're only forty clicks away," he said. "Ten minutes at most and we're there."
Cass nodded and rubbed her temples almost subconsciously. Lost in her own thoughts, she didn't hear Zarli's body thump down onto the cot beside her. The younger girl kept a close eye on Jacen, watching him intently, as though she knew something the others didn't. As Cass thought this, the Twi'lek flinched visibly, but still only barely paying attention, Cass didn't notice.
Ten minutes passed in utter silence, and Cass realized that she missed Rey. The older one was a strong leader. She had a comforting presence, something Cass hadn't remembered since she was a young girl, when she'd lost her mother. The Pantoran exhaled deeply and averted her mind to another place.
The ship came out of hyperspace and a large white, blue, and green planet revealed itself. Lothal was gorgeous.
"Wow.. you and Amaliea grew up here?" Cass asked, approaching the captains seat. Lalo was already standing there, the stars reflecting in his large eyes as he pressed both hands against the glass. Zarli was also there- she was leaning over the small boy with one hand clenching Lalo's shoulder, and the fingertips of her other hand also brushing the thick pane that protected them from the outer atmosphere. Cass rested against the captains seat. Jacen gave the three children a small smile.
"Beautiful," Zarli breathed.
——
They landed Nessa in the shipyard in the back of a large house, which neighboured a farm with fields that stretched out for miles. Zarli crouched and brushed her fingertips against the blades of grass that whispered in the wind.
"Can you hear it?" Lalo asked quietly as he joined her. Zarli tilted her head, letting her eyes close. A sweet, gentle singing reached her senses.
"The Force."
"It's very strong, here." Lalo remarked. He slipped off his shoes and discarded them in the field of long grass, turning around in a circle afterwards. His toes wiggled in the soft soil and he exhaled contently.
"I wish we could stay here forever," he sighed. Zarli ruffled his hair fondly and left to join the rest of their shipmates, who were already at the doorway to the house. Two female species that resembled Togruta were standing there. Behind them was a much older female, this one without a doubt a purebred of the species. Zarli tilted her head, studying the old one. Ahsoka met the Twi'leks gaze with her own intense one, her deep blue eyes flickering mischievously. The tallest of the three Togruta gently took the unconscious human who was being held by Jacen into her own arms. She nodded shallowly at him and re-entered the house without a word. Cass trailed after her with a look of solemn interest, one which Zarli could not explain.
"Amaliea!" cried a voice from out in the fields. The blue haired girl whirled around and bolted towards the voice. Zarli could make out the form of an orange Twi'lek in the fields, waving and running towards Amaliea. The Mandolorian scooped up the Twi'lek into her arms and kissed her so passionately that Jacen had to cover Lalo's eyes.
The two women twirled around in the tall grass for a long moment before walking back over to the rest of the group. Now that they were closer, Zarli could tell that the Twi'lek had striking amber eyes and crinkled when she smiled, and a large brown headdress that covered the top of her head and wrapped around her lekku. Her outfit was that of a healer, and she held multiple jars full of herbs and unfamiliar liquids in the arm that wasn't attached tightly to Amaliea's.
"Hey, Evie," Jacen greeted warmly as they finally reached them. Evie glanced through the window and her demeanour completely shifted at the sight of the bloody, unconscious body lying on the table inside the house.
"Oh, no. What happened?" she furrowed her brow. Lalo grabbed two bottles from her hands and examined them. "She needs these," he said, holding up a vial with a purple liquid inside. Evie exchanged a look with her fellow adults. "And what's your name, little one?" she asked the boy, taking back the medication.
"Lalo Damgu, at your service." Lalo inclined his head. Evies amber gaze shifted to Zarli. "How about you?" she asked, adding a friendly gesture with her left lekku. Zarli gave a small smile. "My name is Zarli Datta. Amaliea talks about you a lot," she mirrored the older ones kind movement. Her teacher coughed loudly. "Doeda, don't embarrass me right now," she muttered playfully. The yellow Twi'lek gave a grin.
"I should get in there," Evie said, worry returning to her voice. She brushed another kiss over her partners lips and rushed inside.
"Too morbid for me in there. You all can go ahead." Lalo said after the healer had left. He shook his head and looked out on the fields. The others all looked at him pointedly. "What do you mean, bud?" Amaliea asked.
"The planet is calling me." he added simply. Jacen ruffled the child's hair. "You want me to come with you?"
The Mirialan shook his head again. "I think that girl is important for you. Stay here. Same with you two." he glanced at Zarli and Amaliea. "I'll return when Rey gets here."
"How will you know when she gets back?"
"I'll know." he finished simply. Jacen fidgeted nervously. "All right, go do what you must. Be careful, though. Rey told us that there's a crap ton of assassins after our heads, remember?"
"I remember."
The adults joined everyone else inside, leaving only Zarli and Lalo alone in the shipyard.
"Promise me you'll be careful?" Zarli leaned against the younger boy. He was growing quite quickly, but she knew that he was already much older mentally than he appeared physically. Lalo took her hand and squeezed it reassuringly.
"I have a feeling we all have something that we must discover here, on this planet." he admitted. "I'm just going to find mine first."
He reached up on his tiptoes and kissed the Twi'lek on her cheek. "See you soon."
With that, the boy was gone, vanished as if taken by the wind.