This was a fic that couldn't be contained after I played Star Wars Fallen Order, it was awesome! Especially running like a maniac in the end. From what I understand it's about 5 years after Order 66 so Cal is just verging on being an adult at the age of 18. Anyway this chapter alone is more of a prologue that which will cover some of the actions in the years after their escape from Nur. Regardless of a sequel, it has Cal meet Luke and join the rebellion, which is 14 year off till Luke even begins his journey... making Cal a jedi for about 32 years before Luke even enters the picture...

Hm...

Nothing too substantial, since I am not sure how motivated I am this may just be something I had to get out and won't add to it.

-YARN

P.S. All credit to respective owners!

Cal Kestis took a deep breath as he shifted his stance, lowering his cyan lightsaber to his right side and extending his hand slightly forward. Cere swung her own red saber in a downward stoke that Cal spun away from and retaliated with a force push. Cere crossed her arms in front of her and grunted as the wave sent her sliding back despite her guard. Merrin watched on in interest as Cal and Cere battled across the impromptu training area that they were using, lightsabers crashing against each other in loud snaps and crackles of energy. Using their lightsabers was dangerous if anyone saw, but any amount of improvement was well worth the price of having to run from the system. Since Bogano had been discovered, monitored, and therefore unable to be an area of respite for the crew, they had decided to hop from place to place, never staying too long in any one place.

In addition, they had to do something in order to make sure they had a steady stream of income, the Mantis was already a ship the empire marked as a 'enemy' ship and so they strayed as far as they could from the empire as they could. Cere was constantly hacking transmission when she and Cal weren't training in order to keep abreast of any movements the empire was making. They even returned to Dathomir for a brief trip to pick up the sabers that Malicos had left behind, giving them to Merrin for safekeeping in case something happened to Cal or Cere's lightsabers. They weren't keen on changing their faces, so they took a page from the inquisitors and donned masks and armor — which were recycled, repainted in black and dark blue, and remade (with the rest being sold for profit) from the armor that various miscellaneous bounty hunters that came after them (though the crew generally preferred Haxon Brood armor since they were usually the most flexible and durable armor they found and it capable of taking heavy damage before failing) — and did what they could to be hidden. Not to mention it was a bit of a thing for bounty hunters to pilfer lightsabers — broken, fabricated, or otherwise — and claim they had killed jedi for them. It was disgusting and frankly disrespectful, but Cal and Cere both knew that it just wasn't worth broadcasting their position over or endanger themselves by taking them. Cal and the rest of the crew were already priority targets on the Empire's bounty list as being Jedi. And that had before infiltrating the heavily fortified Nur let alone having blown up the inquisitor's training grounds that were there and even more so escaping Darth Vader.

Who currently served as Cal's most recent determination to increase his skill and strength in the force. After getting a rundown on exactly who Vader was, Cal was absolutely floored by the fact that he had escaped him at all and he wasn't in some extended dying life or something. He had been utterly overpowered and outclassed — in strength, skill, and force-abilities — by Vader in their brief encounter and if it hadn't been for BD-1 electrocuting Vader, Cere attacking Vader from behind, and the Sith Lord 'playing around' he would have died and Vader would have had the holocron of force-sensitive children to use at his discretion. In those few moments he had confronted the Sith Lord, Cal wasn't ashamed to admit he was most definitely screwed if Vader hadn't toyed with him for a bit to prove his superiority. His 'force-barrier' may not have even existed with how easily Vader had bypassed it, even when he yanked a part of the ceiling down on the sith, a simple raised fist stopped that by ripping the metal from Cal's control. Cal noticed that his force-abilities had been damaged from his refusal to use the force, and while they had recovered and even become stronger, it simply wasn't enough. Malicos showed how large the gap was by pinning him with one hand and bringing down a rock with his other. Cal often wondered if he should have kept the holocron intact but hidden, but his visions on Bogano of the children being killed and caught and him falling to the darkside had only affirmed his decision in destroying the holocron. He wasn't a jedi master like his Jaro Tapal had been — no matter what Cere said — and even if he was ready to be a knight, a master was a rank far above his current abilities. He wouldn't have been able to keep whatever children he found safe and would only give them fresh new inquisitors as Cere had been unable to save Trilla after she was captured.

He wondered if Master Jaro Tapal would have agreed with his decision of leaving the children's future to the force.

Either way, the past was over with and they had to keep moving, it was the only way to stay safe.

Cere was almost incredulous as she read reports of a group of rebels that were striking out at the Empire. The attacks were small and nothing too substantial, but definitely were happening, a group of fighters were striking out against the oppression of the empire and their domination of the galaxy. This fledging alliance wasn't strong enough to take on the empire in full force but it was surely something unique, with empire transmissions commenting on several attacks and some stolen ships. Transmission were filled with rebels blew up imperial installations, others who did simple hit-and-runs, and some simply ambushing imperial supply lines. Cere wondered if this could be the best chance that they needed to show the galaxy that the jedi weren't totally gone yet.

Cal was on his knees with his eyes closed, assembling his lightsaber with only the force. It was a common practice that many padawans, jedi knights, and even jedi masters would occasionally use to help them bond with their weapon and deepen their connection to the force. Pieces clicked into place and when he finished with it, it floated in front of him. He reached out and grasped it before igniting it, observing the humming cyan blade. Cere had wanted a green crystal to match her old saber than the red that was carried by the sith, but there was no way for either of them to find some without alerting the Empire (as the now had illum under complete and utter lockdown) and frankly a red lightsaber might actually help them out in some situations. They hadn't been able to stay on Polis Massa for too long, the longer they stayed, the more danger they invited. It was one of the more neutral ports they had been in, and while they had been dressed in their 'bounty hunter' armor, paranoia was useful in helping them stay alive. He deactivated it as he sensed Merrin watching him and turned to face her.

"Hey." He greeted casually, "What's up?"

"Nothing." Merrin replied eyes tracing his saber hilt, "It's fascinating seeing your meditation. It's reminds me of the meditations I used when I use my magic as a novice."

Cal hummed, "Well, it may be similar. I didn't know about the night-sisters or your magic until my travels even took me to Dathomir."

They both paused as they considered how Merrin had tried to kill him and Malicos and how they then decided to work together.

Merrin shook her head, "Our meeting wasn't... very good for a first impression on my part... You tried to be peaceful and I..."

Cal couldn't help the rueful chuckle, "Yeah, it was less than fun when you powered up the nightbrothers to kill me since I didn't leave."

Merrin looked down, biting her lip as she remembered, "I wished I hadn't listened to Malicos when he spoke of the jedi... I wish I hadn't treated you as a though you were here to kill me..."

Cal walked up to her took her hands — not unlike he had after retrieving the astrium and letting her hold it — his voice soft and understanding, "Hey. You had no way of knowing what I was there for, Malicos was your only experience with a jedi after and armored guy with a lightsaber killed your family as you said. He lied to you and manipulated you and used your grief against you, I don't blame you for any of what happened. He fell to the darkside and when it really counted, you helped me beat him and saved my life twice over. I can't thank you enough for that, you are an important member of our strange little family, even if it isn't the one you thought you would have."

Merrin couldn't help the smile that came to her face, "I'll admit, I was a bit apprehensive at first, but I am happy. Dathomir held nothing more for me after our triumph, and even though our lives are in danger, I can't imagine leaving this family."

Just then Cere walked in and blinked at Cal and Merrin, "Am I interrupting something?"

Cal dropped Merrin's hands as Merrin quickly turned to face Cere, "No. Not at all, I was just telling Merrin about how thankful I am that she is here."

Cere smiled at Cal, "I see. Well, either way, I wanted to talk with everyone about some interesting news I got from imperial comms."

Cal nodded, "Sure."

Merrin bobbed her head in agreement, "Of course."

"So there is a group of rebels who are fighting the empire?" Cal asked as he leaned on his knees, "Why is that new? There are plenty of those that come and go. Why is this one special?"

"Because this isn't just a planet fighting." Cere replied, "They have a actual fleet, bigger than the forces Saw had on Kashyyyk. It's not massive or something to make the Empire think twice, but it is definitely a substantial amount considering what is usually considered an uprising these days."

Greez scoffed, "You ask me it's not enough, the empire had scrapped most of the starships that might've been recyclable, and used them to make their new star destroyers. I don't think that the Empire would let any planet build starships with decent military capability."

Cal mouth twisted into a frown, "Yeah, that was mainly what planets like Bracca was for, basically all the old starships from the clone wars were being broken down and refitted for the Empire's Star Destroyers."

Cere hummed, "I don't know why, but I feel there might be something more to them. The force swirls around them in a way I can't quite explain."

Cal looked at the reports, "Maybe we should look into it — even if we don't join —there might be something there."

Darth Vader mused over the failings of his inquisitors as he often had since the the disastrous event that was the infiltration of Nur that occurred a year ago.

He knew that it was a possibility for his inquisitors to fail or lose, but the second sister was one of the most skilled, zealous, and fervent followers in destroying the remaining jedi. He never imagined she was capable of feeling bad for her actions, of feeling remorse and shame over what she was in comparison over what she used to be. The ninth sister was little more than a brutish fallen jedi who now hunted her former allies, she had strength and presence, but her skill and forethought was lacking as she constantly underestimated her enemies. Her eventual failing to beat her opponent and death was as unsurprising as it was ignoble and — Vader supposed — fitting. Being beaten by a young jedi who had only just began to regain what he had tried to forget?

Shameful.

But like a miracle, the second sister was somehow influenced by the very same fledgling jedi and he — alongside her old master — somehow made her reconsider her hate, made her begin to see that her hate — while justified and powerful — wouldn't change anything for her. The two words she chose cry out before she was struck down for her failure was more than concerning.

The quiet hum of the ship punctuated by the various noises that occasionally echoed across the ship was his only companion as he stared out into space from his isolation chamber that he had made.

Vader was partially to blame for their escape, he had toyed with the Jedi, offered him the chance to surrender (his anger towards himself flared as he evaluated what his hubris cost him and the empire).

A holocron that contained the future of the inquisitors that had the potential to be the most promising force possible was gone. Had he those children under his hand he might finally be able to overthrow the emperor with the most promising of the force-sensitive among the batch.

However... what he had learned about his foes made what happened on Nur not entirely for naught.

The boy had caught his eye.

Cal Kestis had potential, his growth had only just begun but Vader could see a promising inquisitor if the boy could be... 'moulded' correctly. His skill with the saber wasn't on par with Vader (and while not prideful, Vader was quite confident that he was the best lightsaber duelist in the entire galaxy as Palpatine preferred emphasis on his force-powers), but the boy had been a padawan for years and only truly began to use his lightsaber and connection to the force again days before he and Cere Junda infiltrated Nur and he managed to cut a swath through multiple purge troopers and several squads of stormtroopers. After all that, he alone — without Junda's help — had bested the second sister in a battle, which Vader had been sure was impossible for a unskilled acolyte of the jedi order. She had been trained non-stop for years, from padawan to inquisitor to find and killer her once-master and finally be free of that failure. And even after that, he had managed a strike on Vader himself (granted a droid had jabbed him with a hacking tool sparking with electricity, but Vader had come out unscathed from battles with jedi masters and multiple foes).

But beyond all of the potential Cal Kestis contained, he had a talent that could be beyond invaluable. Cal Kestis apparently had a form of psychometry that was incredibly rare in evenn the force-sensitive across the galaxy, Vader own flashes of visions and nightmares were indistinct and haunting, but Kestis could vividly see and experience what happened to a person based solely on an item he touched. With a tool like that at his disposal, Vader could easily gain any information he needed without having to resort to breaking someone's mind with torture.

A shame he refused and even managed to keep Junda from giving into her darkness as she was also promising; a wild tangle of shame, hate, and rage in constant combat with the foolish dogma of the fallen order and a self-imposed exile. To stop his lightsaber with a force shield was an advanced technique and could be an invaluable asset, and for Kestis to destroy the corridor around them to let the water carry them out and force Vader to hold it back lest he be crushed showed a cunning mind. Things that Vader himself could grudgingly admit was smart and resourceful, they didn't try to fight a losing battle — Cere Junda knew the holocron must not be recovered which is why she went so far — and chose to escape to live another day.

It didn't matter though, if the young jedi or struggling master wouldn't bend to the darkside, then they would be broken by Vader.

He would see to it personally and make sure that — that time — there would be no escape.

Cal grunted in exertion raised his hands as the red blade wavered and began to descend towards his chest. The blade halted as he poured more focus into his barrier and sweat trickled down his forehead. The blade snapped and hissed as it slowly once again began to force its way down to impale him.

"Done!" He gasped as the saber hovered a few inches from his chest.

Cere pulled back her saber as he fell to his hands and knees, trying to regain his breath as BD-1 hovered beside him and whirred its concern. When Cere had told him that the barrier she used was taxing, he had underestimated exactly how much it took out of her. She had passed out almost immediately when she used that technique against Vader, Cal and Cere both would have drowned without Merrin. He had chalked that up to the fact that she was out of practice, which really was stupid of him. After picking up a lightsaber — when she hadn't in years —she was a vicious fighter and he saw her handiwork first-hand.

Cere smiled at him and knelt down to lay a hand on his shoulder, "Amazing progress Cal, I had to push very hard to start piercing through your shield."

Cal let out a breathless laugh, "Vader would have cut through it almost immediately. I need it to be stronger."

"We have time." Merrin interjected as she pulled Cal to his feet, "It will be of no benefit to train to the point of burning yourself out. A rigorous amount of training can only be sustained by a equal amount of rest. While your growth is exceptional, you cannot continue on this way without stopping."

Cal closed his eyes and realized exactly how tired he was and how heavy his arms and legs were now that his body was untensing. The past year had been grueling with what he put himself through as well as how hard it was to avoid the empire. He probably hadn't been exactly objective when it came to himself and he noticed Cere giving him concerned looks from time to time. It was then Cal realized he was having way too much trouble prying his eyes open again.

"Sleep." Merrin whispered to him as he felt himself sit on the couch, "It will be better when you wake."

She began to hum a soft tune and Cal sighed as he felt her fingers card through his hair.

He was out like a light.