DEFECTED | cal kestis [1]✔️

i. trust me or not, i'm not going anywhere

"Cere! Now!"

TN-0237 sat beside Greez, her fingers pressing buttons and switching on other controls as they hovered beside a platform where the Second Sister and a Jedi were battling. The crew had heard in the communications of the Empire that there was Jedi on Bracca. With the help of the former trooper's knowledge in the Empire and Cere's ability to hack into technology, the search for Jedi survivors was easier than ever. Unless you count escaping Imperial scouts easy.

"We need to go! Now!" Cere shouted as she ran into the cockpit, the Jedi following behind her. His orange lightsaber was still ignited and his face held fear and confusion. Greez did what he was told and directed the ship upward, only for the Second Sister to jump onto the ship and use the Force to control it. The Mantis swung around violently, making all of them dizzy and slightly nauseated.

TN stood from her seat and grabbed the steering wheel Greez tried to turn. The two struggled until the newcomer came forward and helped. They managed to gain control again and the Second Sister fell from the ship. Greez and TN piloted ship back out of the atmosphere and into hyperspace, everyone tense and breathing heavily.

"You can put that away now. We're not going to hurt you." Greez said to the Jedi as he looked at the three. TN turned from the control console and faced him, her gaze soft and slightly troubled.

The Jedi sheathed the weapon and looked at the other two, his arms crossed.

"Who are you?" He asked, his voice wavering. He was tense and his blue eyes were narrowed.

"I'm Cere Junda. This is the captain of the Mantis, Greez Dritus, and that's our newest member, TN-0237."

The boy looked at her incredulously but also had a distrustful gaze. The former trooper rolled her eyes and pulled her hair back in a bun.

"A stormtrooper? Why trust a stormtrooper?"

TN stood and walked out of the cockpit and to the lounge area. She stood in front of the him, her height almost the same as his. Her posture was impeccably straight and the way she held herself reminded him the stormtroopers he had seen on Bracca.

"I defected, Jedi. I'm in this war and I'm helping you. Trust me or not, I'm not going anywhere."

"My name is Cal Kestis." He replied back to her as she walked away from him to grab a snack. He then turned back to Cere and Greez. Cere was giving TN a warning look before softening when she noticed Cal.

"So, how much are they paying for Jedi these days?"

"Right now, a couple million and its sounds awfully swell." TN spoke up from the small kitchen area. She was pouring herself a cup of blue milk and grabbed a cookie. She turned to face him, an innocent expression on her face as Cal glared at her.

"Excuse TN. Look, I understand you don't trust us. I know how hard it must have been all these years alone, but with your help, we can help fight against the Empire and rebuild the Jedi Order." Cere said to him as they sat down on the circular couches.

TN walked over the terrarium, a small smile appearing on her face as she gently ran her fingers over a seedling sprouting. Cal noticed but he was in shock from what Cere said. Rebuild the Jedi Order? How would they do this? Why would she care?

"How? How can we rebuild the Order?"

"There's some sorcery thing on this planet Cere used to visit. Apparently only Jedi can access it." TN spoke up, her mouth full of food. She swallowed it and leaned against the counter. Crumbs from the cookie stuck to her freckled, tan cheeks.

"And Cere used to be a Jedi Master, if you must know."

"Thank you, TN-0237, for your input." She said sarcastically. The trooper shrugged in response before downing the rest of her blue milk. She used a napkin to wipe her mouth.

Cal watched her walk to the holotable and pull up a map of the sector they were in. She turned to face him, her eyebrow raised questionably. Cere stood from where she was sitting and walked to the cockpit. She stopped beside TN, her voice dropping to a low whisper.

"Be nice to him, even if he isn't very forthcoming." She warned before proceeding to her seat. The girl rolled her eyes and walked over to Cal, a grin on her face.

"I understand you don't like me very much? I don't really like you either, but a wise person once told me to befriend the enemy. They won't expect it and it could change them." TN said to him as she crossed her legs.

"You're a Stormtrooper. You help in the destruction across the galaxy." Cal said lowly, his body language telling her to go away and to leave him him alone. Knowing that Cere would want her to do that, TN raised her hands and stood. She walked away, her feeling slightly hurt, but she covered it up with her sarcasm.

"I used to help in the destruction. Now, I'm trying to fix what I have done by rescuing or helping as many innocents as I can. Besides, if I didn't defect, I would not have met you, you lovely yet bantha looking ass--"

"And you wonder why I don't like you?"

+ + +

Chapter one is up!

So this is going to be a sort of "slow burn" book, so expect Cal and TN-0237 to not get along immediately. Don't worry, they will get better.

I will try my best to include as much as I can from the game. I'm currently playing through it a third time while also going back in my first profile to collect everything. The dialogue won't fully follow game since there's a sarcastic former Stormtrooper in the mix.

Anyway, I hope y'all enjoy this and I'll see you in the next chapter!

BYYYEEEEEEE