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Cham stood on a gentle rise, the short-lived and immeasurably one-sided battle over before it even began. Ever since the Jedi had come to aid his people on Ryloth, Cham had been in contact with the Jedi Temple in case his aid was needed in return. Somehow, the message that Master Obi-wan Kenobi had sent out had reached him as well. After a little tinkering, Cham and his daughter had managed to locate a few dispatched Jedi in the Outer Rim. They were currently on Kaller, a nearby forest planet that had been under Separatist control until the clones had began the siege for the planet.
However, gazing down at the nearby clearing, Cham could see the aftermath of the clones' betrayal. The older male was unable to distinguish who the Jedi lying face down in the mud was from this distance, but he figured it was probably best he didn't know. Turning from the ridge, Cham paused when his daughter's voice piped up from beside him.
"Father, aren't we going to help them?" She looked up at Cham with round, confused green eyes. His child was still very young, but she was quick, clever, and acutely aware of the situation in the galaxy around her.
Shaking his head morosely, Cham gently guided her by the shoulder away from the direction of the troopers. He lead them back towards their ship sitting just beyond a thin line of nearby trees.
"There's nothing that we can do to help now," he said, a darkness underlying his words. His tone pulled his daughter's gaze up towards his face, her eyes shimmering with curiosity and concern.
As they approached the trees separating them from their ship, the underbrush to their left began to tremble violently. Cham shoved his daughter behind him, facing the bush as a figure toppled through the thin branches, snapping quite a few of them on their way to the ground. Cham eyed them with narrow, suspicious eyes as the person simply lay on the ground, back rising and falling as they heaved for breath. The figure was cloaked, their hood pulled over their head to conceal their face. The cloak was a deep brown color, torn in a few places and peppered with smears of mud and ensnared branches.
Before Cham could even make a move, his daughter had darted around his legs and was kneeling next to the figure. She reached out a small hand, placing it delicately on their shoulder and attempting to peer under their hood.
"Hera!" Cham hissed, starting towards his child. They had no idea who this stranger was, if they were dangerous or not.
When Hera's hand connected with the figure's shoulder, their head snapped up, suddenly alert, and they scrambled back a few feet. Cham halted in his step as the hood fell backwards and pooled across the shoulders of a young boy. His face was contorted with sheer terror and he looked filthy and exhausted. As Cham studied the boy, he finally recognized the robes as Jedi's, the Padawan braid draped over the boy's shoulder giving away his affiliation as well.
Hera scooted closer towards the young Jedi, outstretching her hand in a calming gesture as Cham watched them from a few paces behind Hera.
"Hey, it's okay," Hera soothed. "We aren't going to hurt you. Are you okay?"
The boy began to nod his head minutely, tears shimmering at the brim of his eyelids. Glancing back at her father, Hera offered the boy a small smile as she moved closer still.
"My name is Hera, and this is my father. We can help you. Do you need a ride?"
The boy's shoulders drooped a little bit, the tension leaving his muscles as he glanced quickly between Hera and her father. Nodding, the boy pushed himself to feet, wobbling slightly as he tried to catch his balance, Hera following. She eyed him, trying to make sure he didn't topple over suddenly. The Padawan looked as if he might pass out at any minute.
"What's your name?" Hera asked, watching as he pulled his hood back over his head, casting his eyes to the ground.
"Caleb," the boy muttered, not looking up at either of them. Hera couldn't be sure, but she thought she could hear a tremble in Caleb's voice as he spoke. She bent over, trying peer underneath his hood. Hearing her father pointedly clearing his throat, she straightened up and looked over at Cham. He shook his head, gesturing for her to leave Caleb be. Cham walked over and knelt down in front of Caleb, placing a firm hand on the Padawan's shoulder.
"Caleb," Cham said, his voice deep and steady. "My name is Cham. My daughter and I are from Ryloth, our planet is not to far from here. We can take you there until you have somewhere to go. Is that alright with you?" At Caleb's silent nod, Cham continued in a gentler tone. "Is your Master the one down there with the clones?"
Caleb bit his bottom lip, catching it between his teeth and pressing down hard, causing the skin of his lip to whiten under the force. Hera watched a tremor begin in Caleb's clenched fists and reached out for the Padawan's sleeve, concern filling her eyes.
Understanding Caleb's body language, Cham nodded curtly and stood, removing his large hand from Caleb's scrawny shoulder. "I understand. We better get moving if we want to make it to Ryloth within the day."
--
Hera stood beside Caleb as her father prepared their ship to take off. The Padawan still had his hood pulled up over his head, his eyes shrouded by the shadow cast by the fabric. Stepping closer to him, the younger girl took hold of Caleb's arm.
"Jedi?" Hera asked softly, trying to peer underneath his hood again. "Caleb?"
"Hera!" Cham called from the cockpit, his voice harsh and commanding. Usually he only sounded that way when he was ordering his soldiers around. It surprised Hera and she looked over at her father. "Come away girl! He doesn't need you pestering him."
"But-!" Hera tried to protest.
"He's been through enough," Cham's voice, much gentler this time cut across his daughter's. He gave her a meaningful look before turning back to the controls of his ship.
Hera looked back at Caleb, he hadn't moved at all, hadn't reacted to the exchange between Hera and Cham. His cloak was still unbelievably filthy and Hera could swear she heard the Padawan's stomach rumbling.
"A-Are you hungry?" Hera asked timidly. When he didn't answer her, she continued, "I-I'll get you something eat."
Hera began walking away, giving up on getting an actual answer out of the young Jedi. With a soft sigh, she wondered if Caleb would eat the food she and her father had stored away on their ship. As she was moving away, Hera felt herself get stuck in place, a cold hand holding firmly onto her own. Looking back over her shoulder, the young Twi'lek found Caleb's hand staying her. Looking up to his shrouded face, Hera could only see the streaks of dirt smeared across his chin and cheeks, the marks disappearing into the shadows cast by his hood.
"Uh..." Hera stammered, not entirely sure how to react to this situation.
"They killed her," Caleb's voice trembled out softly, no louder than a whisper.
"Huh?" Hera asked, a cold feeling seeping into her chest, pricking at her insides and making her nervous. She wasn't entirely sure that she had heard him right.
"T-They shot her in the back," Caleb said, his voice rising enough for Hera to completely understand what he was saying now. She could visibly see that Caleb was trembling harshly. The Padawan was gritting his teeth as his grip tightened slightly around her hand, her fingers being mushed together in a way that was not entirely comfortable.
"Why?" Caleb questioned, his voice harsh and laced with anger. Hera's eyes widened slightly, her heart beginning to pound heavily in her chest. She wanted to back away from the Padawan, he was beginning to scare her, but she couldn't move. Hera couldn't figure out if she was simply too frightened to move or if she was actually unable to. Caleb's grip was becoming more and more painful as his trembling increased.
"Why did this happen?!" Caleb shouted, finally lifting his head from it's bowed position. Hera could see his eyes now, pale blue and sparkling with pain as he stared at her angrily. Hera was unsure if he actually expected an answer from her, but he was trembling and his eyes were watering, the threat of tears obvious.
"Caleb," Hera said, her voice quiet and cracking slightly halfway through his name. She was terrified of the rage contorting the Padawan's face. He was too distracted to hear her, and Hera noticed a handful of lightweight objects hovering a few inches from the surfaces they had been resting on. The young Twi'lek had no idea where her father was at this point, but she didn't think his interference would matter at this point. Caleb's power was terrifying and she tugged futility against his hold on her hand.
"Caleb..." she tried again, obviously not getting through to him. Desperate at this point and beyond frightened of Caleb, Hera screwed up her eyes, only then realizing that they had been watering when she felt tears drip down her cheeks.
"Caleb!" Hera shouted. Looking up, she found Caleb staring at her with wide eyes, not looking anything like he had a few moments before. All of the anger had subsided from his pale irises, replaced by what Hera could only describe as heart-shattering sadness and pain.
Unable to hold his gaze any longer, she looked down at their joined hands and whispered, "That hurts."
The Padawan looked down and made a painful noise in the back of his throat. Quickly releasing her hand, Caleb's face contorted with anger and he turned away from her. Hera watched Caleb with silent concern, clutching her hand against her chest, softly massaging the fine muscles stretching across the back of her hand. She watched as Caleb pressed his hand against his forehead, the strained noise escaping him again as his hood slid even further down his face. Before Hera could even ask if he was okay, Caleb was dashing away from her.
"Caleb?" Hera called after the fleeing Padawan. His cape fluttered out behind, snapping around the corner as he ran.
Hera hesitated for a moment, pondering whether or not she should actually go after him. Caleb was unpredictable, wild, and he frightened her. Her father had always told her that the Jedi were kind, peaceful, and always willing to help others. Caleb was not what Hera had pictured. But then again, Cham had also told her that the Jedi were powerful, and that made more sense to Hera as she rubbed at her aching hand again.
Sighing, Hera started walking off in the direction that Caleb had fled, the hallway he had taken her leading down to the loading bay. Hera palmed the door open and looked around the dim loading bay. She had no idea where the Padawan had gone to until she heard a muffled noise from behind a small pile of crates that her father had loaded onto their ship before their departure from Ryloth.
Walking over towards them, Hera peered around the edges of the monochrome crates. There she found Caleb, his form slouched underneath the dirty folds of his dark cape. His hands were gripping his forearms, his body curled up into a ball and pressed against the cold side of the crate. Biting her lip, Hera stepped around the corner of the pile and stood next to Caleb awkwardly.
Letting out a quick breath, Hera plunked herself down next to the trembling Padawan and glanced sideways at him. Hera felt guilt creeping into her chest as she watched Caleb's hunched shoulders shake with the effort of concealing his pain and sobs. Fidgeting with the goggles atop her head, Hera moved closer to Caleb and wrapped her arms tightly around his shoulders.
Caleb's eyes widened and he tensed up slightly underneath her embrace. But after a moment, Caleb went limp and leaned into the little girl next to him, finding comfort in her presence even if he was still furiously upset over what had happened to his Master. Maybe Ryloth wouldn't be such a bad place to settle down for a while.