Of Underlives and Dark Warriors (2)

Cal followed Kenobi, disguised in the outfit of one of the workers, concealed by the Force Cloak technique. He had to admit it was a technique that he didn't employ on a whim, even for stealth reasons, as it could be taxing, but if it's just for 3 minutes, it wouldn't be much. Besides, like Senator Organa and Kenobi had made clear, Leia's true importance shouldn't be revealed. The fact that he was on this mission rather than Kenobi would be proof that Leia had value beyond just sentiment, as Cal had no actual reason to back up Senator Organa.

Can you hear me, Kestis? Cal froze up at Kenobi's words in his mind

Yes, I can. Cal had to stop himself from smiling. Kenobi was regaining his ability to use the Force more and more it seemed.

It's slowly, but surely, coming back to me. I can feel the Force enough that I could sense your presence. Kenobi stated telepathically and Cal could hear the relief in the Jedi Master's voice.

Can you sense Leia? She is untrained, and my senses are rusty, so I cannot detect her. Cal didn't think too badly about it. The fact that Kenobi was regaining his connection to the Force was enough.

Yes, I can. She's here, no doubt.

Cal focused on his senses and felt her fear, yet also her refusal to give up.

Through that door!

Kenobi gave a mental nod and focused deeply before pulling a keycard from an employee while Cal caused a small vat to explode with the Force using telekinesis. Cal expressed his approval telepathically before rushing through the door once Kenobi opened it.

As soon as they reached the door, Cal disabled the Force Cloak.

"We're in a closed-off arena, and Leia's kidnappers haven't revealed themselves, so we have to be careful." Kenobi said grimly as he tossed aside the mask used by the employees.

"Hey!" Cal and Kenobi turned around to see a Zabrak and a human approaching them. Employee guards, from how they seemed to have some combat training.

"What are you doing back here?" Cal glanced at Kenobi, who seemed eager to fight them, and decided they couldn't waste time here.

You go ahead and find Leia. I'll deal with these two. Would be good to get some action again.

Are you sure? I could stay and let you be the one to find Leia-

You're the one whose Jedi skills and powers remain sharp. You'll be better equipped to deal with her kidnappers. They seem like normal guards.

Cal nodded at Kenobi and proceeded to march forward while Kenobi engaged the guards. He noticed Kenobi using hand-to-hand combat rather than a lightsaber, but considering all he had been through, that was already enough of an improvement.

Cal pulled the keycard from Kenobi and eventually found the cell where he sensed the presence of evil. Leia was not far off. As soon as Cal saw a cloaked shape, he shook his head.

"You know, anyone who knows a Jedi should know that Force senses wouldn't fall for this trickery." Cal said calmly as he waved his hand, blasting the cloak and the droid to a wall before turning around and easily blocking two bounty hounters from gripping him, dodging the green-skinned alien's attack and punching down the other merchenary before easily kicking down the green-skinned alien.

Blaster fire was next and Cal held out his hand and used the Force to block the blaster bolts launched by none other but Vect Nokru, one of the Imperial bounty hunters he ran into before.

"Cal Kestis! I thought only Obi-Wan Kenobi should have been lured-" Before he could finish his words, Cal had force-pulled Vect and threw him towards where his two companions lay before pinning them down with the Force.

"Where's the girl? Which Inquisitor ordered you to kidnap Leia Organa?"

A minute later, and Kenobi had caught up to Cal just as he finally reached Leia's cell room.

"She is here, isn't she?" Kenobi said hushedly as Cal nodded.

"Her kidnappers have been taken care of. They won't be bothering us anymore, but there is one particular Inquisitor who's behind all this. Third Sister, Reva Sevander. She seems to be obsessed with you because someone on the higher-ups of the Empire is looking for you." Cal informed Kenobi the information he extracted from Vect Nokru using Telepathy before killing him for good.

"We'll deal with that later. For now, we should free Leia."

Cal nodded, and opened the door before having to block a chair being slammed at him by the very girl he sought to save. Raising a few eyebrows, Cal ripped the chair and tossed it aside only to narrowly avoid being kneed in the groin by the girl.

For the untrained, still children, Princess of Alderaan, she made a surprisingly good attempt.

Cal grabbed Leia with one hand as she made to escape and gently placed her a few feet back in the room.

"Who are you?" The girl said sharply.

"The ones your father kindly asked and trusted to bring you back safe and sound to Alderaan, Princess Leia." Cal said reasonably as he knelt before her with an assuring expression.

"Where is the army?" Leia asked, clearly still suspicious.

"There's no army. We two are the only ones who would get you out of here." Kenobi said as he proceeded to take Leia's hand and drag her out with Cal following suit.

"Why should I trust you?" Leia asked as they went to exit the Spice Den.

"I'm Cal Kestis, and I think you know who I am." Cal introduced himself as Leia's eyes widened.

"You mean the Cal Kestis? The Jedi who has been running about, kicking Imperial asses?" Leia asked, suddenly excited.

"Well, yes. I am that famous Cal Kestis." Cal said awkwardly as he scratched the back of his head. It would seem even before trusting him to save Leia, Senator Organa already had in mind to make sure Alderaan had a more favorable view of him.

"You're a Jedi Master! Does that mean that he too is a Jedi-"

Kenobi shushed Leia as they stopped at the exit.

"Now listen, your highness. You have no idea what we are both risking, being here. We have to be careful, and I suggest you listen to the two of us and we'll get you back to Alderaan eventually."

They snuck out of the Spice Den fortunately unseen, with Cal giving Kenobi and Leia changes in clothes to sneak around undetected.

"So are all the awesome stuff my father described true? That you killed two of those bad Inquisitors and took down dozens of the Empire's machines and soldiers?" Leia asked excitedly as Cal sighed.

"Yes, Princess Leia. It's all true. Although I only killed ONE Inquisitor. I did beat another, but that one was killed by their own boss for failing." Cal said, his tone becoming a bit solemn at the reminder of Trilla. She had killed Prauf, but in the end, she too was a victim. She didn't deserve to die like that just when she seemed willing to redeem herself.

His thoughts were cut, however, when he sensed 3 more Inquisitors on Daiyu. He could already detect the Third Sister's presence, but now it had included the Fifth Brother, another Inquisitor, and who seemed to be the infamous Grand Inquisitor.

"Do you feel it?" Cal asked Kenobi, who looked at him in confusion before his eyes widened.

"4 Inquisitors. I could take the Fifth Brother and the Third Sister any time, but the Grand Inquisitor would be some challenge. There's also another Inquisitor. We're better off avoiding them. If you were at your prime, you could probably take dose those Inquisitors easily, but I can't defeat 4 of them at once. Perhaps if the Grand Inquisitor isn't here, then I could, but I still would prefer to separate them off rather than taking them on a 1 vs 3 fight."

Kenobi shook his head. "I am confident I could still take down one of those Inquisitors, but leaving aside the fight being difficult, we're also having a small child to protect here. We're better off avoiding conflict with them indeed, but if push come to shove, then I could still help you. If they intercept us when we've arrived at the Mantis, is that Jedi apprentice of yours, Nari, proficient enough to fight an Inquisitor?"

Cal thought about it before shaking his head. "No. He's not ready. He can hold his own, but he won't be able to win or fight on par with them yet."

"Then our option is to run indeed."

However, things were of course not going to be that easy for them.

Only after getting out of the "sewers" of the planet, and Cal noticed several images of him and Kenobi in the bounty hunters list.

"Damn it." Cal said with gritted teeth. "Looks like they're more desperate than we thought. We got to-"

Before he could complete his words, bounty hunters had noticed him. "Ah! There they are! Snatch them!" 

Cal used the Force to disarm several bounty hunters of their weapons before they could fire, but some managed to fire their shots, with Kenobi activating his lightsaber to block the bolts. 

Cal waited until enough of the civillians had parted while using his lightsaber to guard from the blaster shots as the people around him ran away in terror, before he then charged up his Force powers for a few intense moments and unleashed a massive repulse of telekinetic energy that send all the bounty hunters to the ground, which also upturned all the street shops in place.

Cal breathed deeply as he started to feel the strain of using Force Cloak and then a high-level Force Repulse. He had trained himself hard to be able to use the Force constantly, but he had never used a powerful attack after having used Force Cloak only 5 minutes ago. In fact, most of the time where he employed Force Cloak, he had made sure to use his lightsaber instead as he knew he would tire himself easily after using such an esoteric Force technique.

"Come on!" With that, Cal along with Kenobi and Leia marched towards the tunnels, hoping to lose them. 

"How about we go up!? That way, we can-"

"Leia, no!" Cal shouted in alarm but it was too late as Leia had already climbed up and proceeded to run in haste.

Cal jumped up with the Force, landing down just a few feet away from her, barely hearing Kenobi climb up in haste too.

"We have to get down, Leia. There could be bounty hunters even-"

Cal's words were cut short as he deflected the blaster fire of several bounty hunters. Gritting his teeth, Cal drew the blaster he got from Bode and opened fire while using his other hand to wield his lightsaber. Form II wouldn't be effective against blasters, but there were techniques of Form III and Form V that could be used one-handed. While deflecting the blaster bolts, Cal was simultaneously firing shots at the bounty hunters, taking them down surprisingly easily.

Cal privately acknowledged at that moment that no matter how much Jedi rarely use blasters, they sure could be useful, and thanked the Force for making sure he had worked on his marksmanship, as he took down bounty hunter after bounty hunter while making sure to focus on Leia. At least fighting with both meant he could recover his Force energies as he had to refrain from using the Force, meaning if he had to fight an Inquisitor, he would still be able to handle himself well.

"LEIA!" Cal turned around at Kenobi's scream as he marched forth, and with horror, he realized that Leia had fallen off a cable.

His Force senses were clouded by the adrenaline of the fight due to him being weakened by his previous use of Force Cloak!

Cal marched forward, but stopped when he saw Kenobi focusing on Leia, slowing down her fall. He didn't think twice, and jumped down, catching Leia on both arms as they landed to the ground.

"Do remember, Princess, that you need to think things through before acting." Cal said gently as he set Leia straight.

"He really is a Jedi... You both are." Leia said softly as Kenobi came rushing forward.

"Is she okay?" 

"Yes, she is fine. Nice Force Stasis, Master Kenobi. I know you had it in you, no matter how you don't believe in yourself." Cal said in approval and happiness at Kenobi's success to use the Force more liberally.

"Hey, Mister Kestis!" Cal and Kenobi turned around to watch as Haja Estree came rushing towards them.

"Come on! We got to go!" Cal narrowed his eyes at the con Jedi. "To Mapuzo! You were lucky to choose that automated Cargo port to place your ship on. The whole city has been locked down. I'll guide you through shortcuts I know. Let's go!"

Obi-Wan had to admit that Cal Kestis had quickly proven himself to be a remarkable Jedi Knight, both in heart and ability, which caused the former Jedi Master to contemplate on his life. It brought up regrets buried in the past and admittedly made him feel ashamed.

Here was Cal Kestis, a Jedi who survived Order 66 as just a Padawan, who had experienced the death of his own master and was left traumatized and with feelings of failure similar to Obi-Wan's own, yet had managed to not only survive and return to being a Jedi, but had also managed to grow from his experiences and become effectively a Jedi Master in all but title by overcoming his trauma, choosing to fight a seemingly unwinnable war, and remaining a compassionate and noble warrior and defender of the weak, like a true Jedi should.

He had only been a child and an apprentice in the ways of the Jedi back then, while Kenobi had been a fully-grown adult and a true master of the ways of the Jedi, yet right now, Cal Kestis was doubtlessly a greater Jedi than him, not only in terms of Kenobi's current level of skill, rusty and having deteriorated over the years, but also in terms of the heart and mind.

What had Kenobi done over these years? Nothing. He just protected Luke from afar and waited for hope while the Galaxy continued to suffer under the Empire. He had even talked all about how the Jedi were over and that they had truly lost to Nari, and yet Nari did not hold a grudge and forgave him. Cal also didn't see him as a failure, even if he didn't know just how much Kenobi had failed, and still reached out to him.

Those words of Cal? Failure is not the end, it is a necessary part of the path. Hope will always survive in those who continue to fight.

Spoken by Master Cordova it might be, but Cal had truly mastered the meaning of those words. He had failed, had to discard a potential hope of reviving the Jedi Order, and yet he continued to inspire hope and protect others. In the end, Cal had risen from failure and became a great Jedi, but Obi-Wan? He had failed, lost himself in bitterness and hardship, and only now did he realize just how much he had fallen-

Obi-Wan's melancholic thoughts were cut off when Cal stopped near the place where they had stationed the Mantis.

"They're here." Cal said grimly before he turned to Haja.

"Go to the ship with her. I and Kenobi will take care of the Inquisitiors. Get inside, and tell Nari this when he asks you what is the meaning of rebellion even in the face of a great loss and odds. Failure is not the end, it is a necessary part of the path. Hope will always survive in those who continue to fight."

That phrase again... Kenobi shook his head with a remorseful sigh as Haja nodded and grabbed Leia before marching towards the ship.

"Cal Kestis... You are truly a great Jedi. I daresay you have far surpassed your master. He would be proud of you." Kenobi said sincerely as Cal looked at him before nodding in appreciation.

When they walked back into the port's insides, sure enough, the Third Sister was there, but there was another much more powerful Inquisitor there.

"I told you they would come." The Third Sister said almost smugly to the Grand Inquisitor, who narrowed his eyes.

"Obi-Wan Kenobi and Cal Kestis. The Jedi Master of the old, and the Jedi Master of the now." The Grand Inquisitor said calmly as Cal and Obi-Wan said nothing.

"I must say you've made quite a handy work of my Inquisitors, Mister Kestis. The Fifth Brother was quite awed and almost fearful of your progress after you bested him and the Third Sister here in combat single-handedly without much effort. Reports of your lightsaber abilities and force abilities outside of duels with the Inquisitors, during which you had killed the Ninth Sister and bested the Second Sister, were very impressive. You've fared well against the other Inquisitors, and have caught the eye of even Lord Vader and myself. Now, though..."

The Grand Inquisitor ignited his double-bladed red lightsaber as Cal ignited his own along with Obi-Wan and Reva.

"Let us see how well you fare against a true master of the arts of the Dark Side and dueling."

Without any other word, the Grand Inquisitor charged at Cal, who activated his own lightsaber and engaged the Grand Inquisitor, while Obi-Wan was pitted against Reva.

Their lightsabers clashed and Obi-Wan found his opponent to have skills indeed, but even in his diminished state, he had little trouble defending himself from her attacks as they clashed blades.

"I've been waiting for this, Obi-Wan. Lord Vader would be pleased if I were to capture you. I knew you were alive! Now, it's time for me to finally defeat you!"

Obi-Wan's eyes narrowed at the mention of who must be a Sith Lord in charge of the Inquisitors as he parried Reva's attacks with ease, finding himself to be regaining more and more of his dueling skills as he soon began to push her back.

But then he suddenly remembered Anakin, and despite the impossibility of it, Obi-Wan started to realize that something was very wrong.

It couldn't be...

Cal parried the Grand Inquisitor's attacks first, aiming to test his opponent's skills and analyze his fighting style. From what he could tell, the Grand Inquisitor was capable at Makashi, from his one-handed techniques and preference for precision and fluidity of movement, but considering someone of his infamy, Cal knew he was most likely versed in the other forms as well. He had to test what the Grand Inquisitor's preferred form was first.

As if noticing this approach, the Grand Inquisitor began to mix in techniques from other lightsaber combat forms, clearly to confirm Cal's suspicions but leave him still unaware of the full extent of it.

"I see the rumors of your methodical approach to matters serve you justice, but I am on another level compared to the other Inquisitors you have defeated before. The title of the Grand Inquisitor is reserved to the greatest of the Inquisitors, which I am!"

Cal said nothing in response to that as he decided to display his full skills as well, seeing the Grand Inquisitor wasn't holding anything back, and he wasn't the type of enemy who could be taken on without serious effort.

Cal took the offense by using the aggressive flurry of Ataru's attacks to fight back against the Grand Inquisitor, who took a defensive stance and effectively blocked most of Cal's attacks while managing to avoid the few that did come close to hitting him. When the Grand Inquisitor made to retake the offense, Cal responded in kind, matching him using various techniques from differing lightsaber combat forms, fighting with the same multi-style approach the Grand Inquisitor was using against him.

The Grand Inquisitor truly lived up to his words, as he managed to efficiently counter Cal's usage of various forms with his own. Unlike the other Inquisitors, who excelled in only one or two forms, the Grand Inquisitor excelled in all and knew how to properly fight back against Cal even as he switched between stances and styles with the finesse and prowess of a veteran Jedi Master that many have considered him to be. What was more troublesome would be the Grand Inquisitor's Makashi and Juyo.

Cal's understanding and prowess in Makashi was limited at best, and he didn't dare use the form in fear of the Grand Inquisitor overwhelming him, resorting to a mixture of Djem So and Soresu to fight off the Grand Inquisitor's Makashi-efficient one-handed fencing techniques and precision by deflecting blows most of the time and only returning with power blows as the weakness of Makashi to push back the Grand Inquisitor. Cal did have familiarity with Juyo's techniques to recognize and know how to better defend against the Grand Inquisitor's trained focused aggressive techniques, but he felt himself being pushed back at certain times even as they continued to duel to a draw.

An opportunity eventually came when Cal identified a brief blindspot in the Grand Inquisitor as he attacked with Juyo and then Force pushed the Grand Inquisitor, sending him back a few feet, and threw his lightsaber at him.

The Grand Inquisitor simply swatted aside the lightsaber, but Cal activated the double-bladed lightsaber form and attacked the Grand Inquisitor with the well-practiced techniques of Ataru and Soresu that he had used constantly, managing to push him back more visibly now even as his enemy still adequately fended off his assault.

"Impressive! Most impressive. A worthy opponent, at last!" The Grand Inquisitor said with a thirsty grin as he unleashed a powerful Force Push that pushed Cal slightly as he blocked it with the Force.

It didn't take long before they resumed fighting, his saber-staff matched by the Grand Inquisitor's own.

"Argh! Damn you!" His opponent screamed as Obi-Wan pushed her down with the Force after disarming her of her lightsaber for the third time.

Obi-Wan gave a small breath as he adopted his iconic Soresu stance again. It had been so long since he had fought with a lightsaber or used the Force, but fortunately, it would seem he just needed to shake the rust off. Kestis's help by sparring with him also proved most invaluable in his ability to recover this soon.

He would have to thank the young Jedi Knight later, not just for this, but in other ways as well.

But suddenly the Third Sister began to grin. "Ah... I see you don't know, don't you? You didn't manage to kill off Anakin Skywalker properly. He's alive, Obi-Wan. Anakin Skywalker is alive, and as Darth Vader, he's in charge of the entire Inquisitorius."

Obi-Wan felt his mind freeze as thousands of thoughts and memories overcame him, reliving the moments of his duel with Anakin, of how much he had failed to live up to his promise to Qui-Gon to train the boy.

He only narrowly blocked the Third Sister's resulting onslaught when she was near him.

Cal took a slash to the cheek just as he had slashed the Grand Inquisitor in the shoulder, the two of them stepping back from one another as they assessed their injuries.

After the initial rounds, the fight had intensified rather quickly as they both fought with all their might, trading fluid to vicious combat techniques, simple to lethal shifts of lightsaber stances and styles, and exchanging Force attacks, slamming and throwing one another away.

They seem to be well-matched in terms of the conventional techniques of single and double-bladed lightsaber forms. Cal supposed it was time for him to change stances.

Cal armed himself with a blaster and a lightsaber on the other as he fired accurate shots at the Grand Inquisitor, who stepped back in surprise even as he easily deflected the shots fired at him before he was pushed back as Cal attacked him with various one-handed techniques, some from Makashi but mostly from the other lightsaber combat forms.

"A remarkable display! But not enough!" The Grand Inquisitor shouted as he responded by intensifying his attacks, deflecting Cal's shots with the Force and beginning to prioritize on close-combat, pushing Cal slowly but steadily back.

Cal gritted his teeth as he fell back and proceeded to place his blaster back on the holster before activating his dual-blades.

"Jar'Kai? I remember you used it to decisively defeat the Ninth Sister and make a fool out of the Fifth Brother and the Third Sister. This has been quite an interesting duel, Cal Kestis. You've proven your abilities in lightsaber combat, but I wonder how skilled you are in using the Force?" 

With that, the Grand Inquisitor proceeded to lift a few rocks and throw it at Cal, who easily caught it with the Force and threw it back at the powerful Inquisitor. With a roll of his eyes, the Grand Inquisitor crushed those rocks easily and made to strike Cal with his lightsaber, but Cal stopped the Inquisitor's slash with Force Stasis and pushed with considerable force, sending the Grand Inquisitor a few feet back.

Cal unleashed a telekinetic slam on the Grand Inquisitor and jumped to attack his downed foe, only for the Grand Inquisitor to split his double-bladed lightsaber into the dual blades it was formed of and parry his attack easily before pushing him with the Force, sending him flying a few feet back.

Cal focused up as he and the Grand Inquisitor continued to duel, red and blue blades clashing again and again as they neared a stalemate.

"Remarkable. Such an exceptional talent could make you an extraordinary Inquisitor, Cal Kestis." The Grand Inquisitor commented, sounding pleased despite his clear seriousness in the fight.

"I'm stronger than that." Cal replied simply as the Grand Inquisitor chuckled, Cal adopting Ataru against the Grand Inquisitor's Niman approach of Jar'Kai. 

"Is that so? You think just after defeating a few Inquisitors, your ability to use the Light Side granted you power above all those who master the Dark Side?' The Grand Inquisitor taunted as Cal focused on maintaining constant focused offense against the Grand Inquisitor's relaxed but powerful dual-blade swordsmanship.

"The Order may be gone, but the Jedi lives on. One day, the Jedi will rise again and defeat the Empire!" Cal declared firmly as he and the Grand Inquisitor pitted their Force Pushes against one another, the Force energy sending them both flying back after a few moments.

"Ha! Your skills and persistance are admirable, but your ideas are flawed! The Jedi are gone! A few scraps remain, but you are not a scrap, are you? You are a worthy master of the Force and the Lightsaber. Even Lord Vader seems interested in you to a degree after you survived him on Nur and infiltrated our base, cutting down many of our well-trained Purge Troopers and besting two of our ranks while you were still only a mere Padawan."

"Well, I don't see Darth Vader coming out to fight me himself." Cal said cooly, but he had to admit he felt somewhat worried at the Grand Inquisitor's words. 

Darth Vader... While Cal had gained more knowledge and awareness of the Sith and Inquisitors over the years, he just didn't seem to be able to find out who Darth Vader truly was. He appeared out of nowhere as Darth Sidious's third apprentice, yet seemed to be extraordinarily powerful, on a level above the other two Sith Apprentices the Sith Lord had.

"Ah! You are wondering who Lord Vader is? Lord Vader too was once a Jedi Knight. In fact, do you know that the Jedi Master who trained Lord Vader, Obi-Wan Kenobi, is the one you chose as your ally in this mission." Cal's eyes widened even as he and the Grand Inquisitor continued to duel.

"You talk too much!" Cal shouted as he intensified his approach, mixing in techniques from both Ataru and Djem So in his dual-blade combat to push the Grand Inquisitor back slowly but surely.

"Am I? I can sense your doubts and worries, Cal Kestis. We're of fairly similar levels of power and ability, after all. Allow me to answer your questions as to who Darth Vader is. Why, he is Anakin Skywalker, the very same Jedi who held the title "Hero With No Fear", of course!"

Cal stopped briefly as the Grand Inquisitor smirked. "Surprised, are we? That's right. The poster boy of the Jedi, the so-called Chosen One, was in fact the master of the Inquisitorius!" 

Cal clenched his fists as he gripped his two lightsabers tightly. "There are plenty of Fallen Jedi." Cal said without further elaboration as he pushed the Grand Inquisitor back more and more, calling upon the Force to overwhelm the formidable opponent before him.

Eventually, Cal managed to disarm his opponent of one of his Lightsabers before impaling him on the chest. "So much for the Dark Side being superior. The Light may fade and struggle, but in the end, hope survives!" 

With that, Cal ripped out his lightsaber from the chest as the Grand Inquisitor collapsed, his eyes wide.

"Come on!" Cal turned around to see Kenobi, who had grounded the Second Sister, and nodded grimly.

They rushed towards the Mantis and activated it to fly to Mapuzo with the cloaking device activated, ensuring their safety for now.

"Are you both okay?" Leia asked in worry as Cal nodded.

"Don't worry about us, Princess. Nari, escort her to the bedroom. I need to talk with Master Kenobi here."

"Yes, Master Kestis!"

As his apprentice enthusiastically showed Leia to the quarters, Cal turned towards Kenobi, who looked visibly shaken, and knew the Jedi Master had just came to the same realization as he did.

"Tell me... About Darth Vader." Cal asked with authority as Kenobi turned his horrified eyes from the cockpit and looked at him with dread.

"This was the information you didn't want me to know, was it? What Senator Organa left out? That Anakin Skywalker had became Darth Vader?"

On Mustafar...

"Where are they?" Darth Vader asked the youngling impersonating an Inquisitor coldly through a hologram.

"I don't know. The Mantis ship has been cloaked. That said, I was able to get information from a young boy who appeared to have connections to this matter on their next destination. It's Mapuzo, my lord. However, I must confess with the Grand Inquisitor injured as he was-"

"The Grand Inquisitor means nothing. Kenobi is all that matters now. Is that understood?" Vader said impatiently, knowing fully well the girl before him actually enjoyed the Grand Inquisitor's incapacitation at the hands of Cal Kestis.

Cal Kestis... When Vader first met him on Fortress Inquisitorius, he appeared to be a Jedi of only average potential, but still had skills and cunning that allowed him to briefly survive against Vader and even injured him once, a feat that few he encountered had ever accomplished. His resilience and dedication was foolish, yet he did have to admit it was worthy of a few acknowledgment.

However, only years later, and Cal Kestis had transformed from who seemed to be just a sufficient user of the ways of the Force and lightsaber combat into a master of both sides of the Jedi skills. Vader had to admit he was intrigued by how Cal Kestis had grown and developed his skills. He supposed the other Jedi who helped Kestis survive him wasn't the only one with promising talents.

"Y-Yes my lord, but with the Grand Inquisitor incapacitated, I don't think anyone could defeat Cal Kestis amongst the Inquisitors-"

"There is no need to worry about the lack of Inquisitors. I shall personally face Kestis and Kenobi myself. As soon as you uncover further details about their destination of Mapuzo, contact me. I shall act myself." Vader declared firmly and watched as the girl flinched. She had clearly not expected him to make such a move so soon.

"I've been watching you, Third Sister. I know what it is you seek. Prove yourself, and there is a chance that you may one day indeed get the position of Grand Inquisitor. Fail, however, and I will make sure you do not live to regret it."

With that, Vader dismissed the holo-call and stood up.

It was about time he discovered that traitorous former master of his who took everything from him and finish him off personally.

As for Cal Kestis, if killing Kenobi meant at the same time he would be able to either recruit a promising Inquisitor who could well be his personal apprentice or enjoy a degree of challenge, then all for the better.