Of Underlives and Dark Warriors

Before going to Daiyu, Cal decided to spend an hour and a half practicing his skills. They could reach Daiyu in 30 minutes, after all. He constantly worked on his skills in his free time, which was surprisingly decent, and while he did gain more and more experience by following through missions of Saw, he also had to learn the proper way to apply that experience through training, learning to overcome his weaknesses and apply the options his unique lightsaber gave him.

Cal started out with the "single-blade" form of his Lightsaber as he dispatched the 30 activated training droids with ease during the umpteenth training session he held, his lightsaber deflecting blaster bolts with ease and striking true as he took down several droids with a single swipe of his saber and also practiced chaining Force techniques into his bladework, blasting and even destroying the droids with casual telekinetic pushes and telekinetically throwing and manipulating his lightsaber precisely to dispatch dozens of droids.

Cal primarily used Form VI and Form I for balanced versatility, although he was quite capable of applying the other Lightsaber Combat Forms that he had learned long ago. 5 years ago, he only had Form VI and Form I, along with some skillset from Form IV and Form III, but now Cal had mastered those four forms he had already, and included Form II and Form V into his dueling style. He practically had grasped all the six forms of lightsaber dueling, with Form VI being exempt for natural reasons.

He next practiced Jar'Kai, making use of both the Form IV dual-wielding techniques and the classic Form IV Jar'Kai style. He relied on Ataru to maintain constant offense and the great manuevering of the environment needed to overwhelm the enemy and reliably avoid any counter or attacks while still being aggressive, but was also just as capable of relying on Niman's balanced dual-blade technique, mixing in some techniques from other forms as well. All the experiences and training he had been through gave him more than enough foundation to develop his styles after all.

Cal went up against 45 battle droids for Jar'Kai, taking them down seamlessly, his dual-wielding not only efficient in duels against both lightsaber and non-lightsaber wielding close-range fighters, but also able to efficiently deflect blaster bolts with defensive techniques from Form III. He could use Shien's deflection moves, but he hadn't fully mastered using them in this particular form.

He made sure to include lightsaber in those droids. He didn't want to get complacent, after all, should he have to duel Inquisitors rather than just run-on-the-mill mooks, and he even made sure to practice with replications of famous Jedi Knights and Masters, although less often.

Next was of course the double-bladed lightsaber. It was the form best suited for taking on multiple enemies, as Cal had figured out over time. The length of the staff-like saber meant it was best for Ataru's spinning techniques, along with being good for his acrobatic attacks to have much wider range, and it was also useful for Soresu and Shien's defensive style, especially against rapid blaster fire, forming a rigid balance between offense and defense strengthened by length that could take out multiple enemies much easier, not as indepthly versatile as his single-bladed form, but more effective against large numbers.

Finally, Cal moved on to the fourth form he had just gained thanks to his new friend Bode.

"Hey, Cal. Here." Cal watched as Bode took out a blaster and gave it to him.

"This was my first gun when I started freelancing. It saved my life often. Now, I'm giving it to you if you'll ever need some extra options in a fight."

Cal eyed the blaster thoughtfully. "I don't know, Bode. My Master always frowned on using blasters."

Bode shook his head. "Look, Cal, it's us against the galaxy. You may be a badass Jedi who only didn't earn the rank of Master because the Jedi Order fell before you could get to that level, but it's always nice to be flexible. We need to use every advantage we have against the Empire when we could find them."

Well, he supposed it was time to practice the Form II skills he had learned from the Jedi manuals he got. His Form II skills were admittedly simplified, as he preferred the other forms, but he did have to admit he often relied on it's techniques of feints and certain disciplines of movement economy. It's other precise direct combat techniques were used less often, but he still practiced them at times.

And so Cal activated 15 droids and took out his blaster, wielding his lightsaber in his right hand and blaster in left hand.

For starters, it was sufficiently adequate, at least. He struggled more as he practiced both his marksmanship and Makashi techniques, neither of which were his strongest suits. He came close to being hit several times, but managed to ultimately come out unscathed and win. He had to admit the focus on fencing was something that was more reliable on one-on-one duels, but he already had other forms ready, so he didn't take time to particularly master it. Some of the droids took 2 or 3 tries to successfully strike them down, though his blaster was fairly accurate at least, taking out dozens of them with a single shot.

Cal gave a deep sigh as he ended the training. He was proficient in mechanics, and could fix those droids up with ease, but he didn't have that luxury.

"Daiyu... I've been to this place three times, and of all the places the Inquisitors could pick when they decided to place Leia here, it's the worst." Cal said grimly.

"I take it you've been to various planets, then?" Cal turned back to see Kenobi walking into the training room.

"A surprisingly decently equipped training room. I can see why you would be able to develop your skills until you are a Jedi Master in all but title." Kenobi said in approval.

"Well, both personal experience and relentless training, and I think I've become a good enough of an expert to be a Jedi Master. No offense, Master Kenobi." Cal said as he awkwardly scratched his back. He had to admit a part of him wondered where did he get that reputation of being superior to a Jedi Master in battle, as he just performed like what he believed a Jedi Knight would in the field of combat.

"None taken. Your dueling skills were quite exceptional, and you displayed a noteworthy amount of skill in Telekinetic techniques too. I am quite rusty, and perhaps... if I need to fight with my lightsaber, I should practice with you." Kenobi said as Cal nodded. He had to admit Kenobi was definitely much more rough and socially blunted after years of isolation, but he supposed that was expected.

And so Cal deactivated the training droids as Kenobi went forth and warily drew his lightsaber.

The two proceeded to spar, and Cal had to admit Kenobi was right to want to practice his Jedi skills.

Kenobi was visibly out of practice, even more so than him back when he first returned to being a Jedi, but then again, he did spend much more time without practice than Cal did, about 5 years more, while Cal had enough time to properly develop his skills. Cal could see traces of the legendary Soresu skills the former Jedi Master wielded, as he fared better whenever he was forced into the defensive, but Kenobi was reputed to have mastered or at least was competent in various forms of lightsaber combat, yet he saw only a minimum amount of Ataru and Shii-Cho as they sparred, with Cal steadily gaining the upper hand as 3 minutes passed.

Eventually, Cal made to test Kenobi's Force defenses and pushed him with minimum force back, but found it was enough to leave Kenobi reeling. He frowned.

"Er... Sorry if this sounds a bit offensive, but you're definitely way out of practice. I can still spare an hour before we have to go to Daiyu, so how about we keep practicing? In case we have to fight Inquisitors?" Cal reasoned out.

"Yes. I'm afraid I did not practice my Jedi abilities over all those years, a terrible mistake, now that I realized it. I had buried my lightsaber in the dessert as I thought the only time when I would arm myself with it was when it was time for Luke to be trained." Kenobi said with clear shame and regret in his voice as Cal sighed out.

"Hey, you're still definitely better than Nari was at the start. I too had that same experience when I returned to being a Jedi, yet here I am, a "Jedi Master in all but title"." Cal said humorously as Kenobi gave a small chuckle.

"Well, let's keep practicing. I need to be at least on sufficient shape if I'm going to engage in duels."

The gloomy atmosphere of Daiyu, the many gamblers, traders, and Stormtroopers, always made Cal frown in the few times he had to come here, and Kenobi was no better than he was. Cal could literately hear Kenobi's thoughts begging for Master Jinn's advice, which was not a good news, as it only reminded him how much Kenobi had diminished. He had did his best to get him back on shape, and he eventually managed to keep up pretty well in the last stages of an hour, but with that kind of a mindset, he would be vulnerable.

But then again, he had already suspected the Jedi Master had a personal failure that lead to his self-blame, so he decided against addressing it now.

"Spare any credits?" Cal and Kenobi stopped in their tracks, as they turned around to find who seemed to be a former Clone troop.

"Help a veteran get a warm meal?" The utterly broken, miserable tone in the Clone was such that even Cal could not help but pity the man before him, even after seeing his master executed by Clone Troopers. 

Cal gave the veteran enough credits to get 5 "warm meals" and gave a deep breath as Kenobi also gave a few credits too. He had heard rumors of the Clones being possibly mind-controlled to massacre the Jedi from Saw Gereera, and now he supposed he could see that. With the Force, Cal could easily read the despondency, the regret in the veteran's memories over having killed Jedi.

"You know, despite everything, I just feel sorry for these Clones. After their so-called heroics, they were discarded like nothing by the Empire. Even though my master died due to those soldiers, whenever I look on them, I don't feel too much anger, just pity." Cal commented solemnly as he and Kenobi walked forth.

"The Clones weren't always like this, you know. It almost felt like they were brainwashed. I don't know how or why, but I too could not bring myself to hate them. They deserve to be pitied. I still remember the days where I once lead armies of them, and they were loyal. I wonder if there are any survivors and those who regret what they have become and wish to be better..."

Cal said nothing at Kenobi's sadly wistful thinking as they avoided the attention of some Stormtroopers by going through a tunnel. He had been familiar with their routine on this planet after having experienced it 3 times before, so he knew how to best avoid them.

"Hey, you two! You look young, but you have a beard, while you're an old man." Cal stiffened when he noticed the girl. Tetha Grig, one of the youngest and outwardly nicest inhabitants of this Force-forsaken planet.

"I've got Kessel pure, glitterstim, and Felucian. What do you need- Oh, it's you." Tetha said in recognition upon looking at his face.

"Tetha... I told you to start trying to regain yourself. I even gave you a few hints for you to leave this planet." Cal said softly as Tetha gave a defeated laugh.

"It's too late for me. Daiyu is all but my home now." Cal shook his head. He had first met her when he was on a mission to sabotage some nasty Imperial project of turning a hostess brothel into a breeding ground for soldiers. He had destroyed the hostess brothel, and the experience of it was admittedly among the top worst, and that was saying something. Seeing so many women abused and used in such degrading manners... It was completely disgusting.

"Why are you here, Cal Kestis? Doing some Jedi work? Why don't you retire and I could be your bed partner." Cal shook his head at Tetha's offer. She had offered it in his second time around in Daiyu, stating she liked him. He had admittedly found it somewhat flattering, but it didn't take long for him to say no. With how his life had been, he didn't really had time for romance. He had an Empire to keep fighting.

"How about some information? I'm looking for my daughter. She was taken, and she's on this planet." Kenobi interjected.

Tetha narrowed her eyes. "Haven't you told him, Cal? Nobody leaves this place. This poor old man will never see his daughter again-"

"Not if I can help it." Cal said firmly as Tetha shrugged.

"Here. That one's for free, and do you want some free-" 

"No, Tetha. I don't need to forget. I told you that I am a Jedi, and I'll remain a Jedi, no matter what. Here. I've been giving you this 2 times already, but I'll still give you this. You still have a heart and a smart brain. Don't waste it here." Cal said as he gave Tetha yet another way out of Daiyu that no one in the Empire knew, courtesy of Gereera. The man had kept a particular close watch on Daiyu ever since Cal told him about all the operations the Empire could do there. The fact that Gereera cursed when Cal divulged all the revolting details spoke volumes of how disgusted he was personally with this planet and how the Empire treated it.

"You know I won't take them, so why do you insist?" Tetha asked calmly.

"Because I still have hope. And you should too. No matter what you've experienced in your life, if you don't have hope, then you wouldn't have survived." Cal said simply. With a small huff, Tetha left as Cal shook his head.

"You are quite wise and forgiving, Cal. Master Tapal always spoke about how he had faith in you. He would be proud to see you remaining true to the Jedi Code." Kenobi said in solemn approval as Cal nodded appreciatively.

"The same cannot be said for-"

"Hey! You having trouble?" Cal narrowed his eyes at Jayco, whose eyes widened as he also recognized him.

"You still going around with this business? I haven't met Haja Estree yet, but I can read your mind easily, so I know your partner is nothing more but a con artist. I warned you once because you were just a kid, but it seemed I would have to be more forceful, eh?" Cal reprimanded the boy before him sternly. 

Jayco simply smirked at him. "Oh, Cal Kestis, I think you'll find that my pal Haja can be a lot more useful to you than you know. He told me to take you to him. He says there's someone he knows who's very much interested in you. Come on. Go and visit him. He'll make it worth your time."

Cal turned towards Kenobi, who nodded. "We don't seem to have much clues, here, so we should try it out. If he's just a con, we'll have no trouble dealing with him, after all."

And so they went to the building, and Cal had to admit that for all of his contempt towards false Jedi and cons, having encountered a few and been disgusted with their selfishness and pretenses of a tragic victim, making sure to send them so badly away they would never try again, Haja Estree was on another level.

His "Force powers" were masterfully fabricated, indeed, using remotes to close the shutters of his building and magnets to summon his comlink to create an illusion of using the Force, even using what seemed to be a contact at a spaceport on Daiyu to pretend using a Jedi mind trick on over his comlink and "convince" him to give individuals safe passage through the port.

Nevertheless, a con was a con, and Cal only had a begrudging degree of acknowledgment towards the man who had evidently tricked so many people. The mother giving money to that con was a sight that severely grated on Cal's nerves, seeing the name of the Jedi tarnished in such a way. As soon as the mother and the son had left to safety, Cal went forward first, Haja's eyes widening as soon as he laid eyes on Cal.

"Cal Kestis! Finally here on my humble abode. Welcome! Your teacher, Cere Junda, speaks most highly of you." Now it was Cal's turn to widen his eyes as Haja greeted him excitedly.

"You know Cere? Why would she let you get away with being a false Jedi?" Cal asked harshly.

"Oh yeah! Cere helped me perfect my skills and tactics in this job. She also predicted at certain point, I MIGHT run into you, so she told me to tell you about what she couldn't tell you before."

Cal's eyes widened. Cere had left, sure, but she did tell him about how she had plans to restore the Jedi Order. Why would she allow the existence of con artists shamelessly impersonating one of their own?

"And she also predicted you won't react too well about it, but she wanted you to know that it's all for a good reason. The reason why I am here is because this planet is awfully full of force-sensitive children and those who want to get away from the Empire. I pretend to be a Jedi and give them the hope and guidance needed to escape to places where they could find new identities and help oppose the Empire."

Cal didn't even need the Force to read the man's mind to realize he was being sincere. So Cere was trying to gather force-sensitives and persecuted individuals? Was that what she had been doing all this time?

"Look, you can trust me. I'm a con man, yes, and I did impersonate Jedi, but doesn't that mean the Jedi is still seen by some people as the good guys? Trust me when I say Cere wasn't fond of this when she first found out about the whole "Con Jedi" network as part of the Hidden Path-"

"The Hidden Path?" Cal said with raised eyebrows. That was the organization Cere was in?

"Yes. We're an underground network whose purpose is to shelter anyone persecuted by the Empire and resist the Imperials whenever they could. Now, back to Cere. She threw a tantrum at first, but calmed down when she talked it over with Master Eno Cordova, and the whole thing was actually his idea. An ingenious one, actually, which served to make the Empire uneasy and unaware of who we have in us, and who we can throw at them, since if you just play it out convincingly, they won't know that a con Jedi is just a con. We've all received some training with a lightsaber too, and we have a few more equipments to replicate Force attacks. Master Cordova's work is ingenious."

"Master Cordova is alive?" Cal asked in surprise as Haja nodded.

"Yes. Now, shall we get to business! How can I help?"

"Master Eno Cordova is alive... BD is going to be pleased when we get back." Cal said with a smile as he and Kenobi traveled towards the spice den Haja had told them about.

"He and Master Qui-Gon were good friends. Qui-Gon always spoke of his passion and talents as a scholar on the highest of regards." Kenobi affirmed. "From what you've told me, you once went on an adventure to find a holocron depicting all the force-sensitive childrens in the galaxy, hoping to rebuild the Jedi Order, but then decided against it. Was that holocron-?"

"Yes. Master Cordova made it. Were you already in the Council when Master Cordova warned about his vision of the Fall of the Jedi?" Cal asked curiously, wondering if Master Cordova had anything to do with whatever personal fault Kenobi had.

"No. I was still a normal Jedi Master at that point. If I had been on the Council back then, perhaps I could have convinced them to listen." Kenobi shook his head as he denied being in a position to support Master Cordova's warnings.

"We're here." Cal said as he and Kenobi eyed the entrance to the Den, with scientists entering through the door.

"Now, I can cloak myself with the Force for a few minutes, and I assume you can too?" Cal asked Kenobi as he began to concentrate, only for Kenobi to shake his head.

"Such techniques are difficult. In my current diminished state, I'm not sure I am up to using such techniques." Kenobi said apologetically.

Cal felt the urge to facepalm as he nodded sympathetically, feeling a bit bad at the realization of how stupid the question was. Of course Kenobi couldn't. He already struggled to keep up with Cal in their spars, and this technique was something even he found to be difficult after practicing it so many times. While he had no doubt Kenobi could use this technique in his prime, he was far from those days.

"Okay... So how about I cloak myself, and you-"

"I'm coming in. I may be rusty, but I can still defend myself if needed and be stealthy." Kenobi insisted as Cal nodded. Kenobi's eyes seemed more determined than ever. While he previously lacked confidence, now Cal could tell he was regaining it. Perhaps hearing that hope existed in the galaxy and getting to interact with a fellow Jedi survivor was allowing him to regain himself.

There was hope indeed, and Cal had faith that in time, Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi could return to the great warrior he once was.

After all, hadn't Cal started off like the way Kenobi was?