Chapter Text
Kamari knelt on the stone cold floor and focused on the sound of her breath. She blocked out the chatter of the guards outside, and other troopers passing by. Trust only in the Force. She repeated the mantra to herself over and over again as she meditated.
To her, the Force embraced her with an all consuming warmth. She floated through the empty void, but she wasn’t alone. The constellations of stars and other galaxies kept her company. Bright green, yellow, purple and blue surrounded her; both near and far. There was nothing and everything all at once. The essence of life and peace flowed through and around her.
With an outstretched arm, she inhaled and used the Force to lift clumps of dirt off the floor. She opened her eyes and observed the tiny grains floating. Twisting her hand slightly, she brought all the dirt together into a small ball, then set it down gently. Upon release, the dirt fell apart on the floor.
She sighed. Kami’s connection with the Force hadn’t weakened much, since she had nothing else to do, but manipulating dirt on the floor was pitiful. She winced as she moved from the floor to her bed. Her muscles were weak, and the burns from electrocution were still fresh. She had healed them as best she could, but the stress she was under dampened her ability.
She gently grasped the gold heart shaped locket around her neck. She released her breath as her lips turned upward slightly.
The Empire had focused on searching for weapons when she was arrested, but she didn’t have any since she didn’t have her lightsaber equipped at the time.
She took it off and opened it. Inside was a holoprojected photo of Elion, a boy who she had known during their time on the ship orbiting Bracca. His tousled light blond hair slightly covered his vibrant blue eyes. It was a candid photo she had taken after he successfully passed a difficult test.
Before the Purge, she rarely heard him complain, and he was so full of light that everyone he talked to looked happier than they did before.
A lump formed in her throat. If only we hadn’t trusted Ivy. She could never make sense of it. How could Ivy, a Jedi like them, betray them? She would never give in, no matter how much the Empire tortured her.
She thought back to about three days before everything changed.
Kami heard a sound similar to a guitar as she walked back to her quarters from training. She followed the sound until she found herself outside Elion’s door. Her stomach fluttered. She took a deep breath before opening the door.
“Kami,” he said, suddenly stopping and cheeks turning red. “How are you?”
“I–I’m good,” she could feel the heat on her own cheeks, “I didn’t know you could play the hallikset.”
“My Master thought it’d be good to teach me patience.” He changed his voice to imitate his Master’s bravado tone, “ ‘If you do not learn to be more patient, you will never become the Jedi you are destined to be. Therefore you must learn the hallikset, as it will aid you in battle.’”
Kami laughed, “Did he actually say that?”
He shrugged, “more or less. The worst part is, he was right. I’m more patient now than I was before.”
“Can I hear that song you were playing?” Elion nodded and started playing again. His hands shook a little. Kami hadn’t noticed it before, but she recalled Ivy telling her that Elion obviously had a crush on her. Maybe his shaking hands were because he was nervous around her, or maybe he just wasn’t used to playing around other people. She cocked her head to the side slightly as she watched him. His eyes were closed, and he rocked back and forth gently. Whatever this song was, he felt it deeply.
She felt a light tap on her shoulder, which made her jump. Elion stopped playing. She looked to the source to find Cal, taken aback by her reaction.
“Sorry, I didn’t hear you. How did training go?” “Good! I finally learned how to do a Jedi flip!” His eyes gleamed with joy and pride.
“No way! I’m so proud of you!” She held up her hand for a high-five, which he gave.
“Nice one!” Elion high-fived him as well.
“Hey, what is that?” Cal said, pointing at the instrument.
“This, my friend, is called a hallikset. Wanna try?”
Cal’s eyes lit up as he nodded. Kami smiled as he sat next to Elion, taking the hallikset. It looked huge in his arms. He couldn’t even hold it properly. He shifted it around a few times with Elion’s help, but it didn’t work. Disappointment crossed his face.
“Hey, don’t worry about it. When you’re bigger, I can teach you how to play.”
“Really?”
“Really. Wouldn’t want this beauty going to waste when I’m done with it.”
Their voices faded as the boys got lost in their conversation. She smiled. This is what she wanted. She didn’t want to fight in any kind of war with the ‘clankers’ or the Separatists. She wanted a home. Peace. When she was Cal’s age, all she dreamed about was becoming a Jedi and fighting alongside the greats. Now, though, that dream seemed obsolete. Guilt crept in her stomach. Wasn’t this the future she was fighting for? It would be foolish to step away when the galaxy needed as many Jedi as possible to fight. Wouldn’t it?
Now, she was fighting in a different type of war. She hadn’t given the Empire the satisfaction of telling them where she last saw her brother. Even if she wanted to, the last time she had seen him was during the Purge, and that was seven years ago.
She had made it to the escape pods shortly before Cal and Master Tapal. Her Master, a togruta woman named Lapaz, died right at the start. She gave her the opportunity to run, promising to follow, but she never did. Master Lapaz told her not to wait. When she got to the escape pods, she climbed inside quickly. Lapaz never came.
Just as the pod door closed behind her, she saw Master Tapal and Cal rush in. She saw Master Tapal die and fall into Cal’s escape pod with him. She banged on the door in a poor attempt to get Cal’s attention. Maybe if he can see me, he won’t feel so alone, she had thought. But it was useless.
When they landed on Bracca, Kami pulled him out of his escape pod. He was exhausted, but still panicking. She picked him up and carried him far away from the crash site. She repeated to him that it would be okay, but it didn’t help. He shivered as he tried to regain his composure. It had been a long time since she last held him like this.
Her arms grew weak and she set him down in the forest. She heard clones coming closer. She shushed Cal, and drew them away from him. Once she lost them, she carefully made her way back to her brother, but he was gone.
Kami shook her head, ridding the memories. Her attempts at leaving the past behind her had failed. Something she knew Master Lapaz would be disappointed in. She closed the locket and clasped it around her neck. She held the pendant, wishing Elion was with her.
The prison alarm blared, pulling her from her thoughts. Troopers hurried by her cell. One of them, a commander most likely, said there was an intruder on the lower levels. Kami closed her eyes and slowed her breathing. She meditated, trying to connect with whoever it was. A familiar presence swarmed her mind, she concentrated more. Cal.
Before long, her cell door opened. Cal stood wearing dark grey clothes, and a dark blue poncho with black on the shoulders. A light stubble had started growing on his face.
A realization of her absence in his life crossed her mind. He wasn’t the little boy she could still struggle to carry anymore. He had grown up.
A little red and white droid on Cal’s shoulder beeped happily as it ran over to her and Cal helped her off of the bed. Her knees gave out as soon as she stood but he caught her.
“Got a stim, BD?” he asked as he looked at the droid. A small vial shot out from BD, Cal caught it and injected it into her right arm. The cold green liquid coursed through her. A slight shiver went through her. Her heartbeat increased, the burns cooled, and the pain left her body. The muscles in her legs regained their strength.
“Thanks,” she said with a smile. His independence and capabilities made her relax. Whatever had happened to him, whatever he had done, it paid off. He was stronger than she imagined he would be. She always knew he could be great, but after the Purge, she didn’t know how he would react, or if he was even alive at all.
“Of course. Come on, let’s get out of here before they send backup.”
They ran through the prison the way Cal came in with little difficulty. They entered a large ship painted blue and white on the outside. The door closed quickly, then the pilot took off.
“Are you okay?” Cal asked.
“I am now that I have you back,” she said, pulling him into a tight hug. Kami fought the tears filling her eyes with little success. “I’m so sorry, I never should have left you,” she let go and looked down.
“You couldn’t have known you wouldn’t be able to make it back. And…I’m sorry I couldn’t stay where you could find me.” “No, you have nothing to be sorry for. You were only a kid.”
“So were you.”
She blinked, she didn’t know what to say. She knew he was right, but it didn’t make it any easier. She was his older sister. If the Jedi Order wanted to admit it or not, she was responsible for him. Sometimes she forgot she was only thirteen during the Purge. Whenever she remembered, she didn’t know how to handle it.
“We’re together now, that’s all that matters.” He said.
“I hate to break up this little reunion, but we’re about to land.” The pilot called from the front of the ship.
Kami and Cal sat on a curved orange sofa, which was softer than it looked. She looked toward the front of the ship and saw two women sitting next to the pilot. A woman with dark brown skin and short hair, and…was that a Nightsister?
Kami would no doubt be hunted by the Empire now, which made everyone on the ship a target. The thought made her shift in her seat. She couldn’t put Cal in danger, not again. The thought of leaving and going back into hiding crossed her mind. But leaving him last time was a mistake, one she wasn't about to make again. He said he forgave her, but she had yet to forgive herself.