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Jaro knew his apprentice processed a gift, one that he himself wasn’t fully familiar with. Psychometry, or Force Echoes, was a power only a few Jedi possessed.
Cal had only recently figured out how to find echoes around him. Certain objects gave off an aura that would draw him to the memory. However, there were times he would touch an object and suddenly be thrown into a strong echo that even Jaro Tapal couldn’t snap him out of.
There was a time that nearly brought both padawan and master to their knees. There had been a battle on the surface of Bracca as the Grand Republic tried to gain control of the strategic planet. Cal had accompanied Jaro to the forward post to assist the Clones in evacuating any injured troops.
“Sir! Several troops are reporting an ambush a few clicks South of here,” a clone medic reported. “FOrces pushed the separatists back but there are many more wounded that need attention.”
“Come, padawan,” Master Tapal instructed.
“Yes, master!” the young redhead replied. Cal hurried after the tall lasat. His master as a good three times taller than he was, making it a bit harder to keep up.
Bracca was littered with ship debris and a number of creatures. The two Jedi were able to make it to the site and began to assess the situation before the evac could arrive. Cal was particularly good at helping put those in distress at ease with his quirky smile and tendency to make a small joke whenever he felt uncomfortable.
Some of the troops had not made it. It wasn’t Cal’s first experience with death, but it was the first time he’d been witness to it. He was comforting an infantry member who had taken a bad hit when the man took his last breath. The young padawan held the man’s hand for a few more minutes before letting go, committing his CT number and also chosen name to memory.
“Commander, see if you can scavenge any weapons,” CT-5442 said to Cal, motioning around them.
Cal nodded and took off looking. Jaro was busy assisting a medic when he realized what was happening. “Cal... wait!” He rarely used his padawan’s first name, but in this case he was desperate to stop him from touching any of the fallen soldier’s gear.
The first blaster Cal knelt to pick up immediately pulled him into an echo, the worst he’d ever experienced in his life. He felt the world melt away as visions forced themselves into his mind. The clone that had died had been brutally stabbed and ripped apart, a pain that Cal could actually feel . His body spazzed as he tried to release the cold metal but it only pushed him further into the past, watching this clone in his youth on Kamino, the training he had endured, the happiness and also doubts he’d felt before being assigned to the 13th battalion and sent to Bracca. Then, his ultimate demise.
Jaro knelt beside the quaking Cal. “Cal, Cal can you hear me?” he pleaded. He tried to pull the blaster away but his padawan had an iron grip on the weapon. “Cal, breathe…”
The pain, emotions, everything was pulsing through Cal’s body. His eyes were open but he only saw red as tears streamed down his cheeks. He bit his lip trying not to cry out.
Master Tapal planted himself on the ground in front of Cal and put both hands on the young Jedi’s shoulders. “Breathe through it, Cal. Let the pain envelope you, then let it go.”
He could tell that Cal was trying to break out of it but it seemed to only make it worse. Finally he could see him relax, his body no longer shaking. It seemed to go on forever, but then Cal was able to let go of the rifle. Jaro caught him before he toppled over. He held his padawan close, waiting patiently for him to regain himself. Finally, Cal was holding him back, burying his face in the lasat’s chest. Sobs wracked the young one’s body.
“It’s okay, Cal, you made it,” Jaro said softly.
“It...it was awful, master,” Cal said between sobs.
“Yes, and there will be more of them in your lifetime. Unfortunately your gift can also feel like a burden. But listen, young padawan, we cannot know pleasure without pain. How can we know happiness without grief? These men have given their lives for a cause they believe in, and you have the ability to empathize with them on a level that most other Jedi never will.”
Cal pulled away and wiped his nose on the sleeve of his robe. His red puffy eyes looked up at his master with sadness and understanding. “I will try harder to understand, master.”
Jaro stood and offered a hand to his padawan. “I believe you will do great things, Cal. Things like this, they can only help you. Don’t ever forget that the world around you is far beyond what you can see, but what you can feel.”
“Thank you master,” Cal said, a small smile starting to show. “Um… will you go find the weapons? I think I’ll do something else to help.”