Chapter Text
As soon as Master Jaro Tapal learned he was summoned to Soris for an important meeting, all he could do was wonder what was so important that he had to leave his duties immediately. Not every day did Jaro feel he had the opportunity to leave the halls of the grand Jedi Temple on Coruscant and venture into the unknown reaches of deep space, so he took this matter entirely seriously, knowing his missions on the field have all been few and far in-between.
The Jedi Council had dispatched him to this extremely barren planet days ago, and by the looks of it, the chance of finding his target was relatively small. Three days have passed since he was stationed here, and for once, Jaro feels like he's beginning to lose his patience. Soris is...unusual by galactic standards. A small planet in an even smaller solar system, held together by a rather charming and unexpectedly small red dwarf star. Only two more planets orbit around the aforementioned bright celestial object, all lifeless and cold, unable to reach its warmth.
His eyes wander across the gloomy scenery. Only dead trees and dried grass greet him, the sound of undiscovered fauna bleeding seamlessly into the night sky. Three agonizing days of silence could break an unprepared soul, yet for Jaro this unnerving stillness feels nearly like a blessing. He's grown tired of the sound of battle, and he can still hear the screeches of those damned uncivilized blasters ringing in his ears, sometimes even in his sleep. They haunt him, reminding him that while places like Soris hold an unfathomable quietness to them, other planets are less fortunate. Ravaged by war and selfish minds who only seek to dominate the weak and helpless.
Meditation is the key to patience, and Jaro feels the need to place himself in it before the wait becomes too much and his mind starts playing tricks on him. Another hour passes. Nothing occurs.
His prayers to the Force are finally answered after another hour or so, as an older woman can be seen approaching from the west on foot. She's not alone, dragging a child that holds her hand tightly after her, both their faces sullen. As soon as they get near him, he steps forward with haste.
"Are you the one who contacted the Republic about an urgent matter?" Jaro declares in a calm voice. His eyes rest on her face, noting the unspoken horrors hiding behind her weary eyes.
"Yes, I'm the one," the woman replies with a shaky voice, and she stops for a second, her eyes darting left and right.
Her nervousness makes Jaro hunch, trying hard to make himself as small and less intimidating as possible. The last thing he needs right now is to frighten this woman even more.
"What happened?"
"The raiders... they killed everyone..." her voice resounds into the empty valley with a shiver, barely containing her emotions. She opens her mouth to speak again but finds herself unable to do so, her speech cracking, tears already streaming down her face.
"Calm down," the tall Jedi Master replies with a more gentle voice. "Please have a seat. The young one too. Tell me everything," he invites her to take place near his campfire.
The woman agrees reluctantly, while the small child remains silent, never leaving her side. Jaro casts a worried glance at him as the woman begins to recall the tragic events. A band of raiders had made camp near their village a few weeks ago, threatening the citizens with violence if they refused to comply. The people refused and stood their ground, leading the raiders to steal all their hard-earned goods and burn their village to the ground. The only ones who survived stand in front of him right now, scared and alone.
"What about the boy's parents? Did they survive? Are you his mother?"
"No. I'm just a neighbor. I pulled him from under the rubble and ran as fast as I could. Nobody else survived..." the woman replies with a hint of hesitancy.
Jaro leans closer, wondering if she's telling the truth or if there's more to the story than a basic village raid that went wrong. The Force does feel incredibly strong on this planet, despite no records showing any Jedi originating from this place. Maybe the raiders came here for something more than just simple crops and a handful of credits.
"I'm so sorry to hear that. I apologize for my delayed arrival. Had I known the situation was so dire, I would have arrived sooner with reinforcements," Jaro admits in a remorseful voice.
The woman simply shakes her head as a sudden outburst of cries fills the valley. She lowers her head while she weeps silently into her palms. Jaro begins to inspect the sole survivors of this terrible ordeal in front of him. The woman continues to sob silently while the boy is almost too quiet. He stares through the fire with empty eyes, and Jaro shifts closer to him to inspect further.
A skinny boy, not older than eight, stands in front of him. He has short, bright red hair and a plethora of freckles all across his face. On the right side of his face, a thin blaster burn travels all the way to his neck, while another smaller scar resides on the bridge of his nose. The boy continues to stare deeply through the fire with pale green eyes, and Jaro dares to wave a steady hand in front of him. When he fails to respond or gesture anything, he tries again with the same disappointing result.
"How long has the boy been like this?" Jaro asks while he remains by the young boy's side.
"The fire took his eyes away. He's completely blind," the woman manages to reply in a tearful voice.
Jaro gestures with a quick nod, allowing the woman to grieve alone and in silence. He contemplates his words for a second, unsure if he should speak or if the boy will even reply to him. He feels inclined to at least try, knowing there's nothing he can do anymore but speak and hopefully give him some much-needed comfort.
"What is your name, young one?" Jaro speaks, discreetly reaching for the youngling's right hand. Shaky fingers greet his steady ones, with the boy finally acknowledging his presence.
"Cal… Kestis..." he rasps in a weak voice, his lips returning into a deep frown as soon as he closes his mouth.
Jaro's face contorts into a sorrowful stare, his eyes fixed on the sad image in front of him. A youngling whose entire family was ruthlessly slaughtered was sitting in front of him, all alone. No more family; the place he once called home burned to the ground. His sight taken from him by greedy and heartless individuals who didn't care who they harmed.
"It is good to meet you, Cal. My name is Jaro Tapal, and I was sent here to help in any way that I can."
The tall Lasat's voice is soft, gentle even for his incredible stature. His left fingers squeeze the boy's hand, the gesture drawing a subtle reaction from him. Not sorrow or grief, in spite of the tragedy he endured, but something else resembling a tiny bit of hope, cleverly masked under his youthful innocence.
"Can you? Help us?" Cal's eyebrows raise, at last showing some emotion after staring through the campfire with broken submission. He tilts his head, expecting Jaro to speak.
"I will try. Unfortunately, there's nothing I can do for your family anymore, but that doesn't mean I can't help the both of you. I have a ship not far from here. It's warm inside and I have rations to keep us fed for days. We can leave shortly. I can take you somewhere safe."
Cal's silence, accompanied by the neighbor's discreet scoff, can only confirm Jaro's worst fears. It's often common for citizens living in such secluded and tight communities to resist relocation, some outright refusing to leave their homeland and continue their lives elsewhere. To them, this was their home, and no raider, pirate, or smuggler could ever change that. Jaro understands this feeling all to well, the need to stay close to home, despite all the hardships, and he'd consider himself a fool to blame these poor people for their unwillingness to leave.
Another quiet moment passes, with only the sound of burning wood filling the silence around them. Jaro sits with his hand under his chin, trying to think of a way to formulate his request as sensible as possible, but eventually decided its better to be blunt and state his wish before its too late.
"Will you take the boy and raise him as your own?" he asks the woman, who suddenly raises her head from her palms and stares at him with an almost unreadable expression on her face. Her entire mood shifts, and she quickly glances at the boy before she begins to speak.
"I...can't." She shakes her head. "My sister lives on the other side of this region, and I've already made contact with her husband to come pick me up. She's pregnant with her fourth child, and... as selfish as it sounds, I can't bring her yet another mouth to feed."
Jaro contemplates her words for a moment, a feeling of relief washing over him. He had considered the possibility of adopting the child the moment he saw him, yet he feared the woman might oppose. Her answer feels like prayers to Jaro's ears. He stands up quietly, walks to her side, and places a firm hand on her shoulder.
"Then it is settled. I will take the child back to Coruscant and decide his fate with the rest of the Jedi Council. He will have a roof over his head, and he will be raised among our kind."
"Will he be a Jedi?" she raises her gaze to meet his eyes, sounding a tinge curious and surprisingly disappointed.
"I do not know. Some younglings take time until the Force speaks to them, but he will be tested. If he passes the test, then yes, he will become a Jedi."
"And if he fails?" the woman casts a quick and worrisome glance at the silent boy, who is alone by the fire, completely lost in thought.
Jaro simply smiles at her. It was never a question of whether the boy is Force-sensitive or not, though he already knows the answer to that. He felt it as soon as the boy reached out, desperate to be heard. Still, a faint voice at the back of his head keeps persisting, alerting him that there's more to that freckled face than meets the eye.
The trip back to Coruscant was made in complete silence, with the occasional background noise keeping Jaro from falling asleep. Cal was sitting quietly next to him, his hands gently caressing the control panel in front of him. Jaro reaches out and guides one of Cal's hands to a small round button, the gesture making him flinch suddenly.
"It's okay. Feel this?" He reaches out again, this time with a more gentle touch.
"Yeah, it's a button."
"We'll soon reach Coruscant and the Jedi Temple. That button brings us out of hyperspace. Want to try it?"
The boy's face lights up for a second, and a sincere smile flashes on Jaro's lips. Making Cal feel more comfortable around him was now his number one mission, along with gaining his full trust. He had contacted the Jedi Council hours ago, telling them he had found an orphan youngling, but he kept most of the details to himself. Until he is one hundred percent sure that Cal is Force-sensitive, he will keep a watchful eye on the boy.
"We're almost there. Ready?"
"Yeah, I'm ready," Cal replies with a faint smile, and Jaro wonders if the boy truly knows all the details about what happened to his entire family. The fire had burned everything to the ground, and he was incredibly lucky to have escaped with his life.
He presses the button, and the ship emerges from hyperspace instantly, revealing Coruscant in all its glory. The Jedi Temple stands right ahead as the ship descends into the atmosphere, the ecumenopolis so big and bright that it makes Jaro marvel every time he sees it.
The spaceport is filled with citizens as Jaro makes his way with Cal towards the transport shuttle. So many people stare at him, but his eyes remain fixed on the young boy who is presently sitting next to him. He can spot Cal tilting his head to the side as he stares ahead, and Jaro understands exactly where Cal's mind is. The sound of the shuttle is faint but steady, the vibrations in the air allowing him to feel the journey.
"Cal, have you heard about the Jedi Knights?"
The sentence makes Cal shift his head. He nods quickly, his right ear now listening intently to his words.
"What about the Force? Do you understand how it works?"
"Not really," Cal replies in a disappointed voice, his fingers now gently fidgeting with the bottom of his shirt.
"The Force resides in all living things. Everything that surrounds us is connected to it through balance and harmony. When I rescued you the other day, I felt a strong connection to the Force inside you. Have you ever felt it?"
"I...don't know." Cal begins to speak and stops as if distracted by something.
"Sometimes when I was outside, playing in the sun or running through the forest, I could feel the grass under my feet...alive. I could hear the Kimmi's singing from the other side of the village, and one time I even made my dad's shoes move a little."
"Interesting. What else?"
"I once touched my mom's old jewelry box, and I saw my Nana. She looked very young."
"Was your Nana still alive before the raiders showed up?"
"No. She's been gone for many years."
Jaro brings his hand under his chin and contemplates Cal's words in complete silence. The Force was definitely strong within him, and he considered the possibility of Cal possessing rare Jedi abilities. A trip to the Jedi Council will have to be scheduled immediately if Cal is to begin his journey as a Padawan, and Jaro feels it's only fitting for him to be the person to train him as a way to atone for not being able to save his family in time.
The Jedi Temple stands tall behind them as both Jaro Tapal and Cal Kestis emerge from behind the main entrance and walk down the long stairs. A flash of disappointment and sadness flashes briefly on Jaro's face. The Jedi Council had unanimously denied his request to take Cal as his Padawan and train him as a Jedi.
His age was the deciding factor, with Cal being far older than the rest of the Padawans inside the temple, and Jaro scoffs lightly, remembering that the rules had been broken before for other, more important students. Cal had passed the test, yet for some reason, the council members refused to allow him into the Jedi Order.
"What a tremendous waste of time," Jaro sighs while he holds Cal's hand and guides him towards a small bench. The boy remains quiet, his expression incredibly serious.
"Maybe I'm just not meant to be a Jedi."
"No, it's not that, Cal. I had many Padawans in training, and if one thing's for sure, you were definitely a strong choice for a Jedi Knight."
"Those people seem to think otherwise..." Cal stops and squeezes Jaro's hand tight as a small tear traces down his cheek.
"Hey, it's okay." Jaro kneels down and wipes the tear gently with his thumb. "We'll figure something out, I promise. I won't give up on you, Cal. You have my word."
Cal simply nods as Jaro holds him in a tight hug. The boy cries silently in his arms while he ponders what to do next. Cal's potential is unlimited when it comes to using the Force, and there's only one place that has everything Cal needs to grow as a Force user, despite his rejection. So Jaro thinks about his decision until it becomes final. He will take Cal to a monastery on Jedha personally while instructing the monks there to raise him as their own and to teach him their ways.
"I know the perfect place for you."