Second Infiltration

Obi-Wan meditated as he focused on restoring his reservoirs of Force Energy. The fight with Vader had proven to be more difficult than he had ever expected.

Anakin- No, Vader, had clearly honed his lightsaber form. Before, he had been the master of Form V with competence in the forms of Niman and Ataru, but now Vader, in adapting to the armor that now supported his life, had evidently created a mixture of Form V and all other lightsaber combat forms, with mastery over most of those forms techniques and stances.

Grasping all six forms of lightsaber combat to a level worthy of mastery was something few in the Jedi Order had, Obi-Wan counting as one of them. Grandmaster Yoda and Master Windu as the two greatest lightsaber duelists in the Jedi Order had a particular mastery over all forms of lightsaber combat, with particular expertise in Ataru and Niman for Yoda, and Form VII for Windu. They both had their personal dueling style and approach that expertly blended techniques from each form and their abilities were so great that it felt more like they had their own singular form of dueling. 

Vader, astonishingly, was quite close to achieving same level of mastery, with how he complimented his Djem So so efficiently with techniques from the other forms, and it spelled grim omens for Obi-Wan if they were to duel again. Obi-Wan had mastered the art of supplementing Soresu with other forms, but Vader's level of grasp over the other forms were admittedly superior to his. Unless Obi-Wan were to work on retooling his combat style like his former apprentice did, then his chances against him even at his prime would not be desirable.

That said, Obi-Wan had a good sparring partner to work with, a Jedi Knight in title who had the level of skill of a true Jedi Master, so there was still hope. Cal had achieved proficiency over all forms of lightsaber combat, but he wasn't quite at the level of having achieved mastery over all of them yet. The ones Cal had reliably mastered would be Forms VI, V, and IV, while Forms III, I, and II were used as supplements for his fighting style, although Cal could be said to be nearly a master of Soresu.

"You okay, Master Kenobi?" Obi-Wan turned to Cal as he entered the room.

With the fact that Leia had been kidnapped yet the Empire had left Mapuzo anyway, they had decided to go to Jabiim and ask for the leaders of the Hidden Path. Cal also happened to have given the Mantis to Haja, so he would need to get there anyway.

"To be honest, I felt as though much of the rust has been shaken off. Dueling Vader and fighting alongside you brought back an astonishing amount of my old Jedi skills. I'm still shaken from the fight, but it could have been much worse had you not been there for me. I would not have had that chance if it weren't for you." Obi-Wan confessed humbly as he stood up.

"Thank you, Cal. Call me Obi-Wan. I think we've worked together enough for you to no longer call me Master Kenobi. You're effectively a Jedi Master in your own right by now. I'm sure Grandmaster Yoda would agree." Obi-Wan said with a soft smile as Cal scratched his back a bit, but grinned in gratitude.

"Thank you, Obi-Wan. It's a pleasure to help and fight alongside you too." Cal said softly as Obi-Wan chuckled, before he turned serious.

"Where do you think Leia would be taken?" Obi-Wan asked Cal as he shook his head.

"I have one particular idea, and it's going to be tough if it's right." Cal said grimly. 

"Fortress Inquisitorius, the stronghold of the Inquisitors, close to Mustafar where Vader's made his Castle. Since the Inquisitors captured her, they would have taken her there most likely. It's the same place where I first met Vader, where I retrieved the holocron of Master Cordova from. It's terribly well-guarded."

"You've been there once? Do you know of a way to enter that Fortress?" Cal sighed out.

"I do, but it's risky. We better get the help of the Hidden Path first."

"This safehouse is simple, but decent. It actually reminds me of some of Saw's lesser compounds." Cal commented as he and Obi-Wan walked across the Hidden Path's headquarters.

"I remember Saw Gerrera from my old times fighting beside him in the Clone Wars. He was always strict and fierce, preferred independence, and yet he had a good heart beneath it all. He was a capable leader and warrior. I was never friends with him, but we do respect each other." Obi-Wan commented as Cal chuckled.

"Yeah. I didn't always agree with him, but he does seem to respect me enough to let me choose not to go on missions that would cause a lot of civilian casualties. It's not the Jedi way." Cal said solemnly at the reminder of his ally's more extreme methods.

"He's Cal Kestis!" Cal and Obi-Wan turned forward to see Tala arguing with a man who seemed to be the leader of this organization. "He's one of the primary reasons why the Hidden Path was able to grow as large as it did! You have to help them, Roken!"

The man named Kawlan Roken frowned as he turned towards Cal. "Yes, but he and Kenobi are risky! Too many people are looking for them!"

"Look, Mister Roken, we're sorry if we endangered your group in any way, but we can help each other-"

"Cere Junda may speak highly of you, but her faction of the Path focuses more on preserving the knowledge of the Jedi and gaining potential Jedi recruits. We are far from being ready to fight back against the Empire yet, and while she's proven herself to be invaluable, she's proven to be still stubborn and won't change her course of action." Roken stated gruffly as Cal frowned.

"I need your help." Obi-Wan stated appealingly as Roken shook his head.

"So does every kid making a rock float from here to Coruscant." Roken said bluntly.

"Someone very important to me has been taken. I need your help to get her back."

"General, I'm sorry, but that's not my problem." Roken stated gruffly to Obi-Wan, although his face softened when he looked at Cal.

"Look, you've already been to that place where that girl has been kidnapped. That's all I can give you." Roken said with some sympathy as Cal's face formed a grim expression.

So it was true. Fortress Inquisitorius was where Leia was.

"Unfortunately, we have to get her back too. She knows everything. Where we are, what we're doing." Tala said glumly as Roken cursed and began to walk away.

"Roken, we need to prepare an evacuation in case they have found us, but if they haven't found out, then we could still save her before-"

"I can't shut it down. Everything runs outta here. You've compromised our work, damn it! We got no choice but to go to Cere Junda's Archive now! She's the only faction with the power and space needed to provide for us until we could find somewhere else." Roken said frustratedly.

"Look, Mister Roken, I can assure you that I'll do everything in my power to help the Path if you help us with this-"

"You're on Saw Gereera's Partisans, Mister Kestis. That faction is infamous for being one of the most brutal and hardcore rebels-"

"I'm more their ally than a member, Mister Roken. I can be your ally too." Cal insisted as Roken frowned and breathed deeply.

"Please, Mister Roken. Help us get her back. I can't lose her. You have no idea what the Empire is capable of." Obi-Wan almost pleaded.

Roken looked at Obi-Wan dead in the eye, before shaking his head. "I had a wife once. I knew exactly what she was before we got married. We tried to hide it, but the Inquisitors came and found her anyway... all while Mister Kestis here was on the same planet as we were, yet he didn't even raise a hand to help us."

Cal's eyes widened as Roken glared at him bitterly. "So do forgive me if I don't admire you, Mister Kestis. You could have saved her. You were there to thwart the Empire, yet you just left that planet while the Inquisitors came in an hour later! We tried to contact the Partisans, but they just said they couldn't risk you. Apparently, my family isn't worth even just an hour of the "Great" Cal Kestis's time."

Cal felt guilt through his heart as he stared at Roken sympathetically, while a part of him felt anger at Saw. Saw had always been willing to make sacrifices, but to think he would straight-up deny Cal the right to choose to save an innocent family...

"I'm sorry. I didn't even know at all. I promise you that I'll do my best for the Path, Mister Roken. I can't bring back your wife, but I can use my skills as a Jedi to help you fight for the cause you dedicated to your wife." Cal said softly.

Roken stared at him hard for a few moments, before finally his expression lost it's enmity, replaced with sorrow and grief. "Would you have saved my wife if you were there?"

"Of course I would. I would have done my best." Cal said sincerely as Roken sighed out.

"Fine. When push comes to shove, we'll need you to help us get more in touch with Cere and her lot."

Cal nodded in gratitude as he and Obi-Wan followed Roken deeper into the base.

"We're not gods, Cal. We can't save everyone no matter how hard we try." Obi-Wan said sympathetically as Cal shook his head.

"I got too complacent with the Partisans. I never thought they would go that far just to keep me around." Cal said, still furious at Saw for what he had done, and Obi-Wan sighed but said nothing.

Cal stopped briefly on the Mantis's location as they crossed it.

"Master Kestis! I kept my word. Your ship is fine! I was able to get a few modifications done to it too! Simple but efficient." Haja said warmly as Cal gave him a small grateful look.

"He's right, Master. The Mantis is now more equipped with battle droids and can now form a deflector shield. It should help you avoid a decent amount of damage from scuffles with the Empire." Nari said excitedly as he came out of the ship.

"Alright, keep the ship safe, the both of you. I'm going to discuss things with Mister Roken here."

"Are we going to get Leia back? Such a small girl... We can't let her just die, Master!"

Cal nodded firmly. "We won't."

"Look, you have first-hand experience in infiltrating Fortress Inquisitorius, so the best we can do is provide some backup. Leaving aside the "Legacy" faction of Cere, we aren't soldiers. You'll have to do most of the heavy-lifting." A woman pilot named Sully said as Cal shook his head.

"Can't you contact Cere? I could ask her for some help, if that's what you need." Cal said reasonably, but Tala shook her head. 

"She's still building up her faction. It would be unwise to have her soldiers be used for this when they're still learning how to be Jedi." Cal sighed at the obvious explanation. Of course Cere wouldn't have been able to build a Jedi Army so easily with how little survivors remain and how the people she would have at her disposal would still be younglings at best.

"It's Vader's system, Mister Kestis. Vader himself isn't there yet, but he won't take long. If he does arrive there, then this mission is bust." 

"Then we'll have to get there as soon as possible. The Mantis can get us in there, but we'll need another trained pilot to get us out of there. Just one other speedster would do." Cal said firmly.

"I can get you in there. I have clearance-"

"No. Nari told me that while fighting the Third Sister, she managed to figure you out through the Force. She'll know." Cal disagreed firmly as Tala gritted her teeth.

"It has to be me, Kenobi, and a pilot you trust to be trained enough to ride the Mantis, along with another pilot. A small, light force." Cal said as Sully and the other pilot named Wade reluctantly put their hands up.

"Alright. Here's the plan. Obviously, we can't just enter the Fortress normally, but fortunately, I've talked to Senator Organa and he's agreed to provide the best cloaking device there is. It'll be enough to fool the Fortress's defenses, but he can only give one of that. Once we're near, me and Kenobi will infiltrate through the sea-"

"The sea?" Obi-Wan said in surprise.

"Yes, Obi-Wan. The sea. We'll use air-drops to get there. When we're nearly there, I'll use a com device to summon the Mantis. Do you understand?"

"Simple but efficient. Alright, we'll help you through this, but after this, we'll be expecting you to offer help here and there." Roken stated curtly as Cal nodded.

"I must admit your tactics are simple on the outside, but can be elaborate and well-thought at certain times, Cal." Obi-Wan stated after they dispatched every guard in the airlock.

"Well, over the years spent as a scrapper while unable to use my Jedi abilities and then becoming the Empire's most wanted, you have to develop some strong tactical skills if you're going to survive." Cal said with a small smile.

"Recently, before all this happened, I found something that seemed to be worth fighting for. A place that can be used for the hope of the galaxy, a hidden world that not even the Empire can truly reach." 

Obi-Wan stared at him in surprise at those words. "A hidden world?"

"Yes. It's called Tanalorr. Have you heard of it?" Cal said curiously.

"Tanalorr... I did hear the legends amongst the people of Koboh about how it was a hidden world filled with treasures, but Master Qui-Gon at some point told me that from what he believed and had seen in the records of the Jedi that few had access to, Tanalorr once used to be one of the few worlds with a Jedi Temple, and that means existed to guide you through it. I didn't research it much, though." Obi-Wan stated as Cal nodded.

"Well, it turns out it was real. When I went to Koboh, I encountered a High Republic Jedi droid who gave me a tuner device and the means to activate a Forest Array where a High Republic Jedi Master named Dagan Gera was kept inside. He was the one who discovered Tanalorr, and had meant to use it as a bastion of the Jedi's teachings, but the planet was attacked by the Nihil and thus the planet was abandoned by the Jedi." Cal said, still admittedly a bit unnerved by the fact that the Jedi Order abandoned Tanalorr despite all it's potential.

"A Jedi Master from the High Republic Era?" Obi-Wan asked with a frown. "You set him free? Is he helping you?"

"No. He was so angry and bitter that the Jedi Council refused to counter and push out the Nihil from Tanalorr that he refused to obey and was sealed away in a Bacta Tank. When I freed him, we fought. I managed to push him back, but he escaped. He still has only one arm and has just woken up from stasis, but he was definitely above the league of Inquisitors. I don't want to think what would happen if we were to fight once he's back at his prime." Cal said grimly.

Obi-Wan looked deep in thought. "If only the Nihil was able to get into that planet, with them gone and very few records existing about Tanalorr, then maybe..."

"I know. I was wondering if we could use it to rebuilt the Jedi Order and have the Jedi counter-attack the Empire in ways the Empire won't see coming, and since Cere has began to rebuilt a Jedi Archive, then when I get in touch with her, perhaps..."

"You'll figure it out eventually, Cal. You are a great Jedi, and I can sense the Force will be with you." Obi-Wan stated after a brief moment of pause as Cal nodded gratefully.

"We'll have to separate. You'll go to the control room and shut down the defenses, while I'll fight to reach Leia."

"Has there been any news of a potential attack on Fortress Inquisitorius?" Vader asked his personal servant for news as he had just received a report from the Fortress.

"No, my lord. The Fortress remains secure. The girl the Inquisitors believe will be useful as bait for the Jedi is still in their hands. We will soon begin her interrogation."

The girl... She was an adopted daughter of Bail Organa. Vader remembered him. He was one of the few Senators Vader had a degree of respect for, competent and passionate in his work, even though they were now enemies as Bail was now all but formally a rebel. He was a good friend of Padme's-

Vader froze at the sudden thought that came over him. What if- What if that girl was his daughter?

It would explain why Kestis and Obi-Wan were willing to risk as far as they did to rescue her. She would be one of their hopes, besides a possible son of his. Not only that, he had recalled the name "Leia Skywalker" from Kestis's temporary lapse in his mental shields, and the girl's name... just happened to be Leia.

However, the thought was cut by a sudden burst of astonishingly high levels of Force energy. It came from Nur, but something was wrong. No Inquisitor had even close to nearly the level of power needed to unleash such a sharp burst of power.

Was it Obi-Wan? 

But after sensing the energy further, Vader realized it was Kestis's force signature. Only, it was significantly darker and more potent than it would be.

Did Kestis fall to the Dark Side somehow?

"Vanee, ready my ship immediately."

If Kestis had fallen to the Dark Side, then was it possible that Vader could indeed have the apprentice he needed to overthrow the Emperor? Not only that, he would be able to find out where his children was.

Two stones with one bird, then.

Vader was unable to stop himself from grinning beneath his suit. Things finally seemed to be moving forward at last.

Cal stared at the corpses of the fallen Jedi before him in stunned horror even as Obi-Wan contacted him through the comlink.

"Cal? Cal! I've disabled the security, but the whole Fortress has been alerted. We got to save her and then get out quickly!"

But Cal did not respond as he looked upon this hell of a Fortress's most disgusting secret. 

So many of his fellow Jedi... Even younglings...

Eventually, horror and grief gave way to rage Cal had never experienced before.

"Cal Kestis! Seize him-"

Before a female Inquisitor and any of her droids and Purge Troopers could react, Cal clenched his fists, unleashing a wide burst of telekinetic stasis, freezing all of them.

Without any hesitation, Cal crushed all the Droids with a brutal clench of his fists, all the rage he felt towards the Empire unleashed at the sight of such a desecration.

After breathing deeply, Cal roared.

The sheer intensity of the Dark Side boosting Cal Kestis's powers shook the whole Fortress.