Star Wars - The Gray Jedi - Chapter 12 - Arriving on Zeffo.

I delayed writing this fanfic a bit; I had to deal with some personal matters that took several weeks to resolve.

[Chapter Size: 2100 Words.]
Third Person POV
Bracca.
...

...

The Mantis emerged in Zeffo's space, with the planet displaying hues of oceans and vegetation. To the north, visible from the ship, a massive cloud formation swirled like a hurricane, with a clear space in its center.

"Alright, we’ve arrived... Now what?" Greez asked while piloting the ship.

"Head toward the hurricane," Cere began to respond but was interrupted as Cal appeared behind her, startling both her and Greez.

"Don't sneak up on us like that!" Greez scolded Cal, still shaken by his sudden presence.

"There’s wisdom to be found in the eye of the storm, according to Cere’s master. So head there," Cal said calmly before leaving the cockpit.

Greez stared at him as he walked away, then turned to Cere, who simply shrugged. "Now we’ve got a ghost on the ship..." he muttered, still somewhat unnerved by how Cal had gone unnoticed.

The ship navigated above the planet, heading toward the storm's center. As it descended into the atmosphere, Greez carefully guided the Mantis toward the target.

"One more thing... Stay alert. The Empire has a strong presence in this area, as they're also after Zeffo resources. Best to avoid their radar systems," Cal advised from a distance.

"Great..." Greez grumbled, focusing on piloting as he scanned for a landing spot on his radar. Suddenly, his screen lit up with signals. "Damn it, the place is crawling with Imperials!" he exclaimed, shocked.

Quickly, he pressed a series of buttons to try and cloak the ship and began flying at an extremely low altitude to avoid detection by the Imperial radars.

The Mantis moved cautiously as Greez concentrated on avoiding crashes and evading detection. Cere assisted him with navigation.

Meanwhile, Cal sat in the lounge, waiting for the ship to land. He gazed at his lightsaber, lost in thought—reflecting on how much he had improved since his days on Bracca.

"Beep-beep!" BD-1 chirped beside Cal, tilting its head with curiosity as its mechanical eye extended and retracted.

"I'm strengthening my connection to the Force, BD-1, but it's still not enough to face powerful warriors like Vader or the Emperor..." Cal said quietly.

"Beep..." BD-1 responded, sounding concerned. Cal couldn’t blame the droid. After all, what he had just admitted felt as daunting as dismantling the Empire itself.

At that moment, Cal sensed a disturbance in someone’s mind nearby. Turning, he noticed Prauf sitting quietly on the other side of the lounge. Prauf seemed indecisive, as though he wanted to say something but couldn’t. When he realized Cal was looking at him, he swallowed nervously.

"What’s bothering you? You don’t need to be afraid to speak your mind," Cal said, breaking the silence.

Prauf hesitated for a moment before finally replying, "You know, all this... I’ve been in shock ever since everything happened on Bracca. But I still can’t wrap my head around it. Sometimes I want to ask or say something, but I just can’t seem to get it out." His tone was hesitant.

"You can say anything, my friend. I won’t take offense. I understand your situation. This is a lot to take in, even for me," Cal replied gently, with no trace of judgment.

"You said I might leave soon?" Prauf asked, his voice tinged with doubt.

Cal nodded. "Yes. Things are only going to get harder from here, Prauf. And honestly, you should try to lay low. You’re off the Empire’s radar as a civilian who got caught up in an incident with a fugitive Jedi. I think you’re the only one of us who might still have a chance at a normal life."

Prauf didn’t respond immediately but studied Cal intently. Beside him, BD-1 observed with its usual curiosity.

"Beep-bip!" BD-1 emitted a robotic sound, turning to Prauf as if waiting for the alien’s response.

"And what if I could help somehow? What if I could fight against the Empire too?" Prauf murmured suddenly, his tone laced with a new possibility.

Cal raised an eyebrow, surprised, as Prauf continued. "I mean it, Cal. We lived ordinary lives, and look where that got us. I don’t know... I just feel like I should try to help in some way. The Empire has ruined most people’s lives across the galaxy, and I... Well, maybe I could do something too," he said, his voice low.

Though surprised, Cal chose not to prolong the conversation. Prauf wasn’t in a position to be of much help just yet—he would need training.

"We can talk about this later, Prauf. For now, I need to focus on something else—this Holocron and everything going on right now..." Cal replied, noticing that the ship had started to slow down.

From the cockpit, Greez announced, "Here’s the rendezvous point. A hidden base in the mountains. The Imperials are close. This is as far as I can take us. Any further, and we’ll have Imperial fighters on us." He landed the ship in a concealed spot beneath a rocky mountain formation, surrounded by vegetation with dark green leaves.

Footsteps echoed as Cere entered the lounge, her lightsaber now clipped to her belt. "Are you ready?" she asked.

Cal nodded, leaving Prauf behind and turning his attention to BD-1. "Can you grab the map the ship scanned of this area and upload it into your system to help us navigate while we explore?" he asked.

"Beep-beep!" BD-1 replied enthusiastically, darting to one of the ship's connectors. It plugged in its cable and began transferring data from the Mantis to its own system.

"Hey! What’s that droid doing? I didn’t give him permission to mess with my ship’s data!" Greez grumbled, but no one paid him any mind.

"Beep-beep-beep!" BD-1 exclaimed as Cal nodded.

"Great. Let’s go, BD-1." Cal adjusted his gear, including his communicator, rations, and supplies for days of exploration, while securing his lightsaber and cloak.

The ship’s ramp lowered, revealing a small valley covered with trees at the base of the mountain. Cal took a moment to observe the area, noting the overgrown landing pad, its surface invaded by roots that the Mantis had crushed with its legs upon landing.

Cal’s gaze shifted upward to the towering peaks, which rose majestically, indicating a climb of over 2,000 meters to reach their goal. The peaks were partially shrouded in clouds, adding to the challenge ahead.

"Well, it’s farther than I imagined... But it makes sense. I can sense the Empire’s presence coming from there, though it’s faint due to the distance," Cal remarked.

"Let’s go, BD-1," he said, calling the droid, which promptly hopped onto his shoulder.

"Cal," Cere called from the doorway as he began to walk away.

"Good luck. May the Force be with you," she said, while Prauf and Greez also watched him depart. Greez, being much shorter, had to crane his neck to look up at him.

"Yeah..." Cal murmured with a nod before heading off, leaving the Mantis behind.

They ventured through a small stretch of forest, reaching the mountain base after a few minutes. There was no clear path for climbing, and the clouds obscured much of the view halfway up. Trails were nonexistent, as no one had ever needed to make this climb. Parts of the mountain seemed impassable, and the shadows of Imperial ships could be seen patrolling above the clouds.

With no other choice, Cal began the ascent. He started with small hills and gradually moved onto rocky outcroppings, scaling dozens of meters as the mountain’s terrain became increasingly rugged. Over the next few hours, he searched for easier routes, though his body wasn’t fully accustomed to such exertion. He clung to rocks and carefully advanced, suspended above deadly heights that would spell his end if he fell.

BD-1 remained alert, scanning the surroundings and searching for any alternative routes to assist Cal on the climb.

"Beep-beep!" the droid exclaimed, indicating a rocky formation that appeared to have a more stable path, avoiding the need to climb hundreds of meters in height.

Cal followed BD-1's guidance, ascending a few more hundred meters. As they reached the 1,000-meter mark, clouds began to envelop them, making the environment even more challenging without visibility. He could feel the presence of the Empire growing stronger as they neared the summit.

In this particularly treacherous section, Cal relied on the Force to guide him, ensuring he placed his weight only on rocks that wouldn’t crumble beneath him. He pushed forward, battling the high-altitude winds that threatened to unbalance him.

Cal had to be meticulous—one mistake would end his journey. He pressed on through the dense cloud, which surrounded him entirely.

After some time, he finally emerged above the clouds. He could no longer see the forest or any signs of what he had left behind. Looking upward, he spotted a platform roughly 200 meters above him. It had taken him five hours of climbing to reach this point.

Without a word, he continued onward. BD-1, silent, clung to his back, assisting wherever possible to help him finish the climb.

Meanwhile, atop the platform:

"So here we are, in the middle of nowhere... Do you think it’s worth finding any artifacts in this place?" the voice of a stormtrooper echoed from the platform built into the mountainside. No ships were visible at this particular landing site.

"Who knows? We just follow orders from the higher-ups," his companion replied.

"I heard one of the Inquisitors arrived here a few days ago..." the first one added.

"Really? I sure don’t want to run into one of those, ever," the second stormtrooper muttered, clearly uneasy at the thought.

"That sounds interesting. Care to share more about it?" Their conversation was interrupted by a voice—Cal’s voice—as he stood on the platform.

The stormtroopers turned abruptly, startled, as they spotted the red-haired figure in a cloak. Their eyes widened as they realized there was an intruder among them.

"Who are you? Identify yourself now!" one of the stormtroopers shouted, both raising their blasters at him.

Cal simply raised his hand, and their weapons flew away, torn from their grips without resistance. The soldiers stared, stunned.

"A Jedi!" one of them exclaimed, panicking.

Before the trooper could reach for his radio to call for reinforcements, Cal used the Force to lift him off the ground. "I don’t need you," Cal said coldly. He then flung the soldier off the platform. The stormtrooper’s scream echoed as he plummeted down the mountainside, his fate unmistakably sealed.

The remaining trooper, witnessing this, immediately backed away in terror.

"Stop," Cal commanded, freezing the man in place with the Force. He could feel the stormtrooper’s fear as he approached.

"Let’s see if this works," Cal muttered, raising two fingers and his thumb, waving them in front of the stormtrooper’s face.

"Tell me more about the Inquisitor on this planet," he ordered, trying to glean information.

The soldier appeared dizzy and confused but didn’t speak.

"Again. Talk about the Inquisitor," Cal repeated, making the same gesture.

The stormtrooper shook his head, trying to resist.

"Looks like mental influence isn’t something I can pull off yet," Cal murmured. With no other options, he lifted the man using the Force.

"No!" the soldier screamed, but Cal didn’t hesitate. He hurled the trooper off the platform, just as he had the first.

"I could have been merciful, but I can’t take any chances..." Cal said, almost to himself, showing little regret.

"Beep-beep!" BD-1 chirped, reproachful, seemingly questioning his decision.

"We’re at war. Sparing enemy lives can sometimes lead to our destruction. If we want to defeat the Empire and build a new system, we have to take decisive action. Our enemy won’t show us mercy," Cal replied, sighing.

Reluctantly, BD-1 climbed back onto Cal’s shoulder as they moved forward.

The area was filled with various technological structures. Imperial ships occasionally flew overhead between the mountains, reinforcing the Empire’s heavy presence.