While Willow waited for Cal's return, she took a closer look around the ruins. She figured it wouldn't hurt to collect a bit more of the local flora. She picked one plant after another, without really knowing their uses. She hoped the little droid would help her identify them later. After all, these unknown plants could potentially turn out to be potion ingredients.

"I'm in the tomb. It's massive," she heard Cal over the communicator in her ear.

Cere's response came quickly. "And the Empire?"

Willow held her breath, hoping not. Although she didn't know him well, she didn't want him to get caught up in some serious trouble.

"No sign of them down here."

"What about Cordova?"

Cal exhaled briefly. "Still not sure what I'm supposed to find. He is a little, uh..."

"Excentric?" Cere laughed. "Tell me about it. But he wouldn't send us here for his amusement. Keep an open mind."

—

For quite a while, there was silence over the comms. Willow didn't worry too much about it. Instead, she focused on a stubborn root she couldn't pull out by hand. She grabbed her wand, aimed it at the root, and said, "Accio!" With the added strength of her wand, she pulled harder at the root just as Cere's voice returned in her ear.

"What did you find?"

"The Zeffo went to Kashyyyk. Cordova mentioned someone named Tarfful."

"Oh, a Wookiee chieftain. They were old friends."

"Think he's still around?"

"There's only one way to find out. We have to go to Kashyyyk."

Another planet? Willow was starting to think starting a journal might be a good idea. With so much happening, she wanted to remember it all later.

She forgot she had been pulling hard on a root and stumbled backward when it finally gave in. Willow breathed a sigh of relief, grabbed the root, and stashed it in her bag.

Shortly afterward, Willow heard engines approaching. At the same moment, she heard Cere say, "Cal! The Empire's identified you as the Jedi from Bracca. They're searching for the Mantis as we speak. An engine start would be too risky now; we're waiting for you."

Willow immediately understood that the ship above must be hostile. She saw several troopers sliding down ropes into the ruins. Her mind began working at high speed. If she sprinted to a hiding spot now, she'd be caught; the troopers were already too close to the ground. She still had the advantage of shadows, but that wouldn't last much longer. Then it clicked. Willow reached into her bag and swiftly pulled out a phial. To her own surprise, she grabbed the correct phial on the first try, saving her a lot of time. Without thinking further, she downed the invisibility potion.

To the naked eye, she vanished, giving her enough time to hide. She saw a small niche between two fallen stones. Just in time, she slipped into it before the potion's effect wore off.
Trying to control her rapid breathing, she attempted to count the troopers. Her excitement kept throwing her off, but she estimated around a dozen troopers. She knew she wasn't a target for the Empire, but she didn't want to test their mercy.

"Willow, can you hear me?" came Cal's voice in her ear.

The girl swallowed hard. She couldn't speak too loudly, but a whisper should be okay. No trooper had positioned themselves nearby.

"Cal, be careful when you come back. This place is packed with stormtroopers."

"Did they see you?" Willow thought she detected a hint of concern in his voice.

"No, no. I'm hidden."

"Do you have a way to fly away on your broom?"

She weighed it briefly. The positioned troopers couldn't harm her, but the ship hovering above the ruins unsettled her.

"Negative. Just be ready for things to get very tricky when you show up."

"Got it. Thanks."

Willow was relieved that Cal understood her despite the whispering. She wasn't sure how to act most wisely. Theoretically, she could drink a phial of Thunderbrew. The storm clouds it summoned were handy if she was surrounded. The lightning from the potion was accurate with it's strike. Additionally, she had a Mandrake, whose scream could paralyze the troopers temporarily. Not to mention her Venemous Tentacula, which fired poison effectively at enemies.
But did she really want to use all of that up? What if she needed it in a more useful moment? She couldn't just get more supplies on a whim here.

So no preemptive attack. Willow decided to wait until the young Jedi joined her. Nonetheless, she casted a Disillusionment Charm over herself. It wouldn't wear off without her active influence. It wasn't as foolproof as an invisibility potion, but it would suffice.

Willow involuntarily remembered the moment she learned the spell. Sebastian had taught it to her when she wanted to sneak into the restricted section of the library. "Cloaks are expensive, but spells? They're free."
When she asked him for help with this mission, he had agreed without hesitation.

She patted her vest pocket where she had stored the picture. Good, it's still there, she thought.

Minutes must have passed when she noticed the sudden agitation among the troopers.
"The Jedi! He's here!"

That was Willow's cue. She moved out of her hiding spot and lifted the charm. Right in front of her stood a trooper who turned around at that moment.

"Who are you?! What are you doing here?!" he yelled.

"Oh, I'm just looking around," she grinned. She drew her wand, and before the trooper could say another word, she blasted him with Depulso! into the rubble of a ruin behind him. The impact was so powerful that Willow doubted the trooper would get up again.

Her gaze went upward, where she already saw Cal fighting the troopers on the higher positions.

With the panicked shouts of another trooper, she focused again on the situation in front of her.
"Unexpected threat! The enemy seems to be working with the Jedi!"

She couldn't see it, but she was sure that this message was also being send through a communicator.

The weapon this trooper carried was new to her. She was startled when he ignited it. Instead of laser bolts, a dangerously large flame shot out. She knew her Protego,wouldn't protect her long enough.
A flamethrower? Alright, I can fight dirty too.

She put just enough distance between herself and the trooper, then took a deep breath. The magic inside her started to bubble, and she welcomed the feeling like an old friend. Her hands tingled and a warmth ignited in her chest, almost too much to bear. Her fingertips glowed a bright blue. Slowly, the magic crept into her wand, which now also glowed blue at the tip. She was almost sad that she was not able to see the trooper's face.

Willow raised her wand high into the air and unleashed her magic at the unfortunate trooper. The man was enveloped in dark mist before exploding, and the attack hit the unsuspecting trooper behind him.

Cal landed beside her. "Whoa, we need to talk about that later," and Willow saw the fascination in his eyes as his gaze fell on her still-glowing hands. The glow never lasted long, and it was already fading, set to disappear completely in a few minutes.

She smirked before focusing back on the enemies in front of her. Now she fought back-to-back with Cal.
She saw three more troopers charging at her, but with a Confringo! she took them all out at once.

Willow used Accio! to pull a more distant trooper toward her, then set him ablaze with Incendio!
As macabre as it was, his screams fell on deaf ears. She had already set more Acromantulas on fire and killed them than she'd liked to. The screams of the spiders had followed her into her sleep often enough.

After a handful of troopers, she stood breathless next to Cal.
"Good work," he said, and Willow nodded in agreement.

"We should really get back to the Mantis now."

That was all it took for her to follow him.

Together, they headed toward a door that BD-1 had shown them as a shortcut. The little droid could project a small holo-map. Cal explained that he only found his way on the new planet thanks to his little companion.

"How long have you known BD-1?"

"Since we both met, well, almost; BD and I met a few hours earlier."

Willow nodded. "And how did you orient yourself before? When you didn't know him?"

"Uh, well... I didn't need the help before. Before Cere and Greez picked me up, I lived on just one planet for a few years."

"How did you end up joining them?"

Cal raised his eyebrows. "That's a long story."

"I'd love to hear it when we get the chance. Just voluntarily, of course. I have a lot of questions."

"Yeah, maybe we'll have time for that soon. After all, you owe me answers too," the ginger said teasingly.

Willow just laughed and lightly punched his arm.
"We'll see about that, Redhead."

They were getting closer to the Mantis, nearly reaching the landing platform when Cere spoke up.
"Cal, we've got a Walker firing on us, and our weapons are down!"

As if on cue, Willow saw a massive machine stomping toward the Mantis. She stopped. "What the hell is that?!"

Cal didn't answer her question. He dashed off, and Willow stumbled after him.

"Hold on, we're on our way."

Willow watched as the machine fired not only laser bolts but also grenades and rockets. She quickly realized that this was not a battle she could participate in and stayed sheltered behind a few crates scattered around the platform. She saw how Cal skillfully deflected the laser bolts and hurled the grenades and rockets back with a technique she didn't recognize. She was certain that her Depulso spell wouldn't work in this situation.

So, she decided to wait until Cal had dealt with the machine. It took only a few minutes before she felt a massive vibration through the ground and heard the impact of metal. She emerged from her cover and saw the Jedi take down another enemy before calm returned.

"That's it, let's head to the Mantis," he said, slightly out of breath, as the ramp opened for entry.

Cal let Willow go first but followed immediately. They headed straight to the cockpit, where Greez greeted them.

"Nice work out there, kid! Hey, you got some real moves on ya," he said with enthusiasm. "Just tell me that this visit wasn't for nothin'."

The boy took a seat next to Greez and turned to face everyone in the room. Willow began to enjoy leaning against the doorframe.

"I found the tomb of a Zeffo sage," he announced proudly. Then he glanced at Cere. "They definitely used the Force."

"An advanced civilization of Force-wielders who mysteriously vanished - no wonder Master Cordova became so obsessed with them. What else did you find?"

"Before they disappeared, the Zeffo journeyed to the planet Kashyyyk," Greez interrupted the boy with an annoyed sigh. The latter raised his hands in a placating gesture. "Cordova had a Wookiee friend named Tarfful. Maybe we can find him?"

"Kashyyyk? I- Look things are really bad down there. The Empire's muscling in on those Wookies big time!" The pilot seemed definitely displeased.

"Then we better get ready for a fight." Cal got up from his seat and patted Greez on the shoulder. He went to the kitchen to pour himself a drink while Cere followed him.

Willow, on the other hand, approached the captain.
"Greez?"

"Hm?"

"I heard you're very particular about tidiness. So, I wanted to ask if it would be okay if I cleaned and bundled my plants on the big table by the sofa?"

The little one looked at her with indignation. Willow feared she would get a reprimand or something similar.
"Plants? What plants?"

"I collected a few in case they might be useful."

His silence made her nervous.
"Fine by me. But make sure everything is clean afterward! And if you find any seeds in your plants, feel free to put them in the terrarium across from the kitchen."

Willow shot him a stunning smile.
"Understood, thanks a lot, Greez!" She couldn't see it, as the pilot had turned forward again, but he smiled inwardly at her joy.

Eager to finally do something that would distract her, she plopped down in the middle of the sofa, took off her woolen scarf, and placed her bag beside her. One by one, she pulled out the plants wrapped in paper towels and laid them out on the table in front of her. She began unwrapping the towels and sorting the plants according to their apparent types. She would get confirmation or correction from Cal's droid later.

At that moment, another conversation between Cere and Cal began.
"I think this lifestyle suits you. Fighting that Walker seems to have made you more confident. So, how are you holding up?"

The boy walked up to the former Jedi.
"You mean with the Force?"

"Yes, with the Force. You said it could... be overwhelming."

"Haven't gotten myself killed yet. Rather not talk about it," he dismissed Cere.

Suddenly, Willow felt that this conversation was not meant for her ears. Just as she was about to abandon her task and move away, the two of them joined her on the sofa - Cere to her left and Cal to her right. Wonderful, escaping is no longer an option.

She felt uncomfortable being unable to escape the situation. She could feel her cheeks growing warm.

"Yeah, well... I understand. More than you realise." Cere noticed Willow's indecisiveness. "Don't worry, dear. Stay put. If our conversations were only meant for four ears, we wouldn't be having them here." She briefly placed a hand on the girl's shoulder before returning to her conversation with Cal. Willow barely shrugged. If she couldn't escape, she might as well continue with her plants.

She did her best not to appear too curious while the two talked, but the topics were simply too interesting. Willow did her best to focus on cleaning her plants.

"Well, why'd you choose to stop using the Force?"

Cere hesitated. "When the purge started and our... clone troops turned against us, my Padawan and I took several younglings and went into hiding. But... we didn't last long. Imperial patrol was about to discover our location so I tried to lure them away from my Padawan, Trilla. She stayed behind with the younglings. But... they caught me. And they tortured me. They wanted to know about the others and how many were left, but mostly they wanted to know about Cordova. And where he went."

Willow bit the inside of her cheek. She didn't know Cere or Cal well enough. She couldn't quite understand why they were having such an open conversation about such a sensitive topic.

"But you escaped."

"Yeah, there was a prison riot. I saw my opportunity took it." Silence fell before Cere continued.
"But they almost broke me. And I'm not the same as I was, Cal."

"Your Padawan," Cal seemed to hesitate. "Did she survive?"

Cere's answer took so long to come that Willow feared it might not come at all.
"No," she replied, standing up. "But that's why we can't give up. We can't let the sacrifice of those closest to us be for nothing." When Cal didn't respond, Cere went back to the cockpit, and the ship began to move. Off to Kashyyyk.
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