AD has his eyes fixed on Cal but after all, gives him his hand. «AD.» he says.
Cal pulls back his hand and then turns and looks at me. «So?» he asks. «What's your mission and why are you looking for Cole?»
AD and I are looking at each other. Cal seems to have no idea that Anderssan and his wife are dead.
I take a deep breath, deciding that I have to tell him the story from the beginning.
«My former captain and I were captures into a station controlled by Moff Gideon. We managed to escape. We collected a lot of information and we discovered a project by the name "Resurrection".»
«What kind of project?» Cal asks suspiciously.
«Training children from an early age to become the perfect Stormtrooper. There was a list of candidates. Children of members of the Rebellion.»
He opens his eyes, frightened. «Cole's children. We have to warn him.» he says heading to the door of the hut.
«Cal!!!» I'm saying with a shaken voice.
He turns around and looks at me and from the look on his face I can tell that he suspects what I'm about to say.
«We got too late. Anderssan and his wife I'm sorry.»
His eyes are filling with tears and then he nods and walks out.
«Keirah? What do we do now?»
«We're leaving for the next planet as soon as possible.» I'm answering and head out.
«Where will you go?» Cal asks glumly.
«Back to our ship. We left our Landspeeders back on the Anderssan farm.»
«I'm coming with you.» Cal says.
We walk in silence. I'm thinking about the whole situation of the bounty and how much harder is it going to be for us to do what we want to do. AD walks next to me glumly with his eyes fixed on Cal, who's ahead with his head bowed. Apparently, the news about the Anderssans had affected him deeply.
«Do we trust him?» AD whispers.
I'm turning and look at him in certainty. «If we was to kill me he would have done that already.»
«You mean US. Kill us.»
«There's a bounty for my head AD. I am the target.»
«I have to admit I'm a bit offended.»
«About what?»
«He was abandoned by one of his best Stormtroopers. I betrayed him and no bounty for my head?»
I can't help but smile. I'm sure he's saying this to make me feel better.
«By all means, you can have my bounty.»
We both laugh, and with the edge of my eye, I catch Cal peeking at us.
The sun slowly rose on the horizon and our journey through the forest became easier.
Arriving at the Anderssan house, the signs of the fight with the hunters are obvious. They wretched the whole house with their blasters and I couldn't help myself from wondering how on earth is it standing still.
AD headers to our Landspeeders, which are intact where we left them.
Seeing me standing still he stops too. «We're not leaving?»
Seeing the look on my face, he remembers. Before we were attacked by the bounty hunters, we had decided to bury the Anderssans. With a nod, he approaches me and we head to the entrance together.
We're finding Cal in the living room. He was standing and looking around just like we had done when we crossed the threshold.
I don't know if I should tell him anything. I'm looking over him and I'm starting to look for a shovel.
«The shovels are in the backyard.» Cal breaks the silence with a shaking voice.
His eyes are bulging as I turn to look at him. With a nod, I head to the backyard where we had run through the woods.
I took the two shovels and started looking for a spot with soft soil. When I finally found it, I started digging. At first, I had a rhythm, but the more I dug, the more intensely I could see the faces of Anderssan and his wife. They were peaceful. Sleeping and then someone killed them. I stop abruptly and fall to my knees. We were late.
«Keirah?» I hear AD's voice behind me.
«Why didn't Crone warned us? We would have started earlier. We would have saved Lando's daughter and the Anderssans.» I'm saying breathlessly, full of anger.
«I do not know.» he responds glumly.
Cal approaches us, holding in his hands something wrapped in a sheet that he reverently lays on the ground. «Will you help me with the other one?» he asks AD.
AD nods and follows him back to the house.
I keep digging and I'm almost done when the two of them come back.
«Give me that.» Cal says reaching his hand to the shovel.
I'm handing over the shovel and climb up. A few seconds later he throws out the shovel and climbs up too.
We're placing the bodies in the puddle and gently cover them with the soil.
When we're done, we stand silent. I have nothing to say other than how sorry I am that we didn't come sooner. We could have saved them. But we were too late.
«They'd like the place you picked them for their grave.» Cal breaks the silence again. «Cole and Ava were amongst the best people I knew. They took me with them when I was left all alone after the end of the Rebellion and made me part of their family. And someone killed them in their sleep. Their kids were like siblings to me and they kidnapped them.» he turns around and looks at us intensely. In his tearful eyes, there is only hatred. A rage. «I wanna come with you.»
AD's tightening up and he's about to say something.
«I need to find Cole's kids. I'm not going to leave them to that fate, I have to at least try. And even if I can't help them, I'm going to help the other kids.» Cal adds determined.
AD relaxes and turns to look at me. Surely he can't deny him such a thing.
«You can come with us.» I'm saying.
Cal turns his eyes back to Cole and Ava's grave and draws a deep breath «No one's ever really gone.» he says and then turns around and walks away.
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Soundtrack: James Newton Howard - Taunting the Cat (Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2 OST)
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THIS IS THE WAY (A Mandalorian / Star Wars Fanfiction Story)
FanfictionA long time ago in a galaxy far, far away... Keirah leaves a normal peaceful life when the ship of the Mandalorian Din Djarin crashes on her planet. And everything changes. Based on the Disney+ tv series "The Mandalorian", set on the Star Wars Unive...
