Y/n felt weightless in that moment before she hit the water, suddenly engulfed in the waves of the blue river. Her chest filled with air, she opened her eyes and looked around the darkness for the familiar silhouette of Cal and BD. It was so quiet, so peaceful, under the water. She almost didn't want to come up. There was no war down here. No fires burning down the trees. No TIE fighters waiting to shoot them into oblivion. Here, underwater, she just was.
BD was the first to rise from the depths, shaking his head clear of water as he said, B-b-b-b-eeeeep! Cal gasped as he took in a breath of air, breaking from the water while BD jumped from the sudden appearance. Beep woo. Cal shook out his wet hair, pushing it away from his face with panting breaths as he faced the AT-ATs ahead. Looking around, he panicked when he didn't see his companion. "Y/n??" he called out, treading water and swimming around to see if he could locate her. "Y/n?!" The water burst beside him, and there she was panting with heavy breaths as Cal let out a sigh of relief. "Thought I'd lost you for a moment there," he breathed, swimming closer to her.
"You can't get rid of me that easily," she retorted, shrugging as best she could.
"You're thinking that I would want to," Cal said back, unaware of how they sounded. He suddenly flushed, looking away from her when she raised an eyebrow at his words. He let out a breath, nodding towards the three walkers that had just risen from the water and saying, "You ready to do this?"
"As I'll ever be," Y/n said back, and the three of them began swimming towards the AT-ATs, BD resting comfortably on Cal's back as he swam. Another LAAT fighter crossed the sky, shooting down a TIE fighter that rammed into an algae covered walker. Debris fell dangerously close to them, nearly knocking them off their path.
Bee boo! BD exclaimed at the sight.
"Yeah, that was a close one," Cal responded. They swam closer to the walker, the nearest one being the algae infested one. "I think I can climb the leg of this thing. It's covered in vines," he spoke out loud, managing to grab ahold of the vines.
"While you're doing that..." Y/n started, unclipping her blaster from her side. Aiming it up, she fired the grappling hook from her blaster, the hook sticking itself high onto the body of the walker. Cal watched as her grappling line lifted her from the water with ease, the boy trying to catch up with her as he climbed up to the top.
He managed to get up with relative ease, kneeling down to reach his hand out to help Y/n climb up the last part she struggled with. "Need a hand?" he asked, and she gratefully took ahold of the help. She didn't expect him to be able to pull her up with such ease as he did. But then again, having been a Jedi and a scrapper, he was bound to be strong.
A stormtrooper hadn't noticed their presence, and was sitting in an entrance. Before either of them could do anything, a blast from one of the ships in the sky knocked him from his position. He let out a scream as he fell, the two of them glancing at one another as Y/n said, "That was easy."
"Don't get cocky. This thing is still riddled with troopers," Cal spoke as he jumped into the walker, Y/n following close behind him.
It was easy to find their way through the vents. The walker looks bigger on the outside than it is on the inside. The two of them took out any troopers they found along the way, Y/n using her now trusty electrobaton back on the Scout Troopers. They opened the cockpit door, the two troopers piloting the walker blissfully unaware of their approaching presence. Cal motioned for BD to create a distraction, the droid hopping up on the console to cause the troopers to look away from their position. With the troopers confused, Cal grabbed them by their scruffs and banged their heads together, effectively knocking them both out.
Y/n grabbed the co-pilot and dragged him from his seat while Cal sat in the pilot's chair, muttering, "Can't believe that actually worked."
"I can. The integrity of the trooper armor is some of the worst," Y/n commented, BD hopping comfortably onto her lap.
Boop-be-beep! BD agreed.
As Cal tried to figure out the controls of the AT-AT, a hologram message appeared in front of Y/n, showing a trooper commander. "Report! What's happening over there? You're in violation of Imperial Protocol Z-207. Stand down, or we won't hel-"
"Can you shut that guy up?" Cal asked irritably.
Y/n pressed a bunch of buttons of the monitors as the trooper kept rambling, finally finding the button to close the hologram. "Done," Y/n nodded.
"Better," Cal grinned, and looked back to the complicated controls. Finally, he got the walker up and running, laughing at the feel of driving an AT-AT. "Let's do this. You've got weapons, Y/n?"
"Up and running. Thankfully, they're not too different from the Mantis' weapons," Y/n said, gripping the controls tightly. Firing on the walker ahead of them, Y/n spoke to herself as she figured out the weapons system. "Okay, so that's the blasters. Which means this is..." she trailed off as two cannons fired from the walker. "The cannons."
Boop!
"You said it," Cal grinned at BD, the droid having the time of his life.
They kept moving forward as the walker blew up in front of them, moving towards where the heat of the battle was the worst on land. The Imperial refinery was ahead and Y/n wasted no time in shooting down troopers for the rebels' aid. BD kept putting out little sparks with his foot whenever they popped up in front of Y/n or Cal, but they were thoroughly startled when a man landed on the the window of the walker. He was older, with dark skin and a lazy eye, dressed in heavy armor with gun in his hand.
He slammed his gun on the window as if he didn't already have their attention, shouting, "Hey! Who are you?"
"Someone who just brought an AT-AT to the table. Who are you?" Cal answered back, but not without a good amount of sass lacing his tongue.
"Someone making the Empire angry," the man responded, but Y/n paid no heed to his words. All she was focused on was taking out the Imps ahead. "We're advancing on an Imp landing pad up ahead, wouldn't mind fire support."
"Copy that," Cal nodded, but Y/n didn't like the man's attitude. When he disappeared, Cal shared a glance with her and BD, saying, "Let's make 'em even angrier."
They moved forward with ease, taking out AT-ST, troopers, and transport ships alike as the walker advanced on the landing pad the man was speaking of. When they finally reach the landing pad, they took out as many TIE fighters as possible before a large transport ship was trying to leave the refinery. "Oh, no you don't," Y/n spoke, and fired as many cannons as she could at the ship. She saw every mark and dent she made in that ship as it tried firing its green blasts back at them.
Finally, a wing on the ship blew, but when it started on a course for their AT-AT, the both of them panicked. "It's headed for us. BD, can you do anything??" Cal asked urgently.
BD merely screamed, "Beep-beeeeeeee!!"
"Hold on!!" Cal exclaimed, his arm reaching out to Y/n just as the ship rammed itself into the head of the AT-AT. The force nearly knocked them from their seats, but they watched in horror as the ground came closer and closer as the AT-AT fell to its knees. Y/n lurched forward onto the console, hitting her head as Cal was thrown towards the back of the cockpit. Smoke billowed around them as Cal stood, hearing the pained groans of the girl in front of him. "Y/n, are you all right?" he asked, standing and coming up to her side.
She held her head in her hands, saying, "Yeah, I'm okay." She felt her eyebrow, looking down at her fingers to see blood. "Ouch," she muttered, feeling Cal's arms around her as he helped her stand up from her seat. "I can stand, I can stand," she said quickly, removing Cal's hands from her waist.
They popped the top of the AT-AT's hatch, Cal hopping up first and escaping with a single jump, before reaching down to help Y/n out. They jumped down from the head of the walker, BD-1 flying down and landing on Cal's shoulder. Beep boop? BD asked.
"Yeah, I'm okay. Are you alright?" Cal answered.
Trill! Beep boop beep?
"No, BD, we are not doing that again," Y/n told him with a laugh. Of course BD wanted to hijack another walker. That little droid had the heart of a battle droid but the size of a womp rat. It didn't bode well for Cal, and he knew that.
The Jedi looked over to his companion, seeing the red liquid dripping down her eyebrow on the side of her face. "Hey, whoa, what's that?" he said, his fingers gently brushing the wound.
"It's fine, Cal. Just a scratch, it's nothing," Y/n told him, taking his hand off of her face. She didn't need to feel his calloused fingers on her cheek. Even if it felt... nice?
"Are you sure? That looks pretty bad," Cal continued. BD one beeped from behind him, ejecting one of the little glowing green stims he kept stored away, and, Cal caught it midair. "Here. Use one of BD's stims. You'll feel better."
Y/n took the capsule in her hand hesitantly. Whatever Cal was going to do next, he needed these stims. "I don't want to waste them," she said, going to hand it back to him.
"You're not going to waste them. Take it," Cal insisted, pushing it back into her palm.
Y/n sighed, putting the stim up to her arm and injecting the liquid into her. She had to admit, it did feel wonderful. The cooling sensation spread similar to that of the warmth of bacta, but somehow more pleasant, even if it came from a needle. She instantly felt stronger, the stim working on repairing her torn skin and healing her sore body. She let her lip rise, impressed at the power of the stim. "Wow," she lightly laughed. "These really do work wonders."
"I told you, Doc," Cal grinned back at her, and she lightly punched him on the arm in good will.
"You just wrecked a perfectly good walker," the same man from before said, approaching them. Y/n couldn't tell if he was joking or not. "Got a name?"
"Cal Kestis," the Jedi answered. "And this is..." He looked to his partner warily. Telling this rebel fighter of her true name probably wasn't the best idea.
"Y/n Kol," she told him, giving a stern look to Cal. One that hopefully went unnoticed by the man in front of them.
"Saw Gerrera," the man, Saw, gave his own name. His passing glance at Y/n made her stomach roil, but his gaze passed between both of them as he asked, "What are you doing on Kashyyyk?"
"Looking for someone," Y/n vaguely replied. She didn't trust Saw. Something about the way he held himself put her off for some reason. She supported the rebels and everything they stood for, but something about him told Y/n not to trust him. Not yet.
"What are you doing here?" Cal questioned Saw, the three of them, and BD, walking towards the now demolished landing pad.
"My companions and I came to Kashyyyk to disrupt Imperial supply lines," Saw told them. The familiar sound of the Mantis flying overhead caused them to look up, Cal waving from the ground. Y/n could almost see Greez's disgruntled face at having to land his ship surrounded by so much fire and debris. "So," Saw continued, "who are you looking for?"
Y/n was reluctant to answer, but Cal spoke with no hesitation as he said, "A Wookiee chieftain named Tarfful."
Saw stopped in his tracks, giving the two of them a look of what seemed to be disbelief. "Tarfful is impossible to find," he claimed, and continued forward. "There's a reason he's evaded the Empire for this long."
"He's a freedom fighter?" Y/n inquired, looking at Cal before glancing back to Saw.
"He's the freedom fighter, girl." Saw spoke the final word with a tone of superiority, something Y/n did not appreciate. "A symbol of the Wookiee resistance, striking at the Empire from the Shadowlands."
Cal hummed in intrigue. They came to the ramp of the Mantis where the rest of their crew stood, waiting for Cal and Y/n. "Cere, Greez. This is Saw," Cal introduced.
"How you doin'?" Greez responded with a nod to the taller man, Cal giving Greez a pat on the back. When Cere saw Y/n's injury on her brow, she took a handkerchief from her pocket and gave it to her, who thanked the older woman and began wiping the blood from her face.
"What do you want with Tarfful," Saw asked them, arms out wide.
"Jedi business," Cal answered him, and Y/n was grateful for his discretion in their mission at least at this moment.
"The Jedi are dead," Saw stated with his hands on his hips.
"Not all of them," Cere finally spoke, a smirk going Cal's way.
Cal held up his master's lightsaber, hoping it would be enough proof to Saw that he was telling the truth. He, however, looked unimpressed at the weapon, asking instead, "You get that off a corpse?"
"My master gave it to me," Cal spoke back quietly. The question hit a string deeper than Saw probably meant it to. A memory he wanted to forget soon came rushing to him at full speed.
He put the lightsaber back on his belt, but given Saw's expression and his next words, he seemed to believe the boy. "This pad supports an Imperial refinery that runs on Wookiee slave labor. Intel suggests that some of the captives there are guerilla fighters."
"I should help them," Cal spoke almost immediately. He saw the hesitant looks on the surrounding faces, and shifting his stance, said, "One of them might know how to contact Tarfful." Y/n could see through his words. When he met her eyes, he looked away.
"It's possible," Saw admitted with a shrug.
"Wooaaah, wait a minute, hold on, wait a minute," Greez quickly interrupted. "The Mantis works wonders, I mean it's a great ship, excellent pilot, but it is not built for close support."
"We'll stay here and monitor Imperial transmissions. With a bit of luck, we'll intercept any distress calls," Cere said, and Saw nodded his appreciation.
Saw looked to Cal, saying, "My lieutenants and I will scout ahead to prepare the attack. Join us when you're ready."
Saw moved forward towards the Imperial halls with his men, Cal remaining with his crew to talk. "Glad you're alright," he told them, looking down to Greez.
"Yeah, yeah, good to see you too," Greez spoke with little care in his voice. "This place is a dump."
"Your plan worked," Cere said, but her face fell as she continued. "And now you want to follow Saw?"
Cal hesitated once again, and Y/n could see in his eyes as he looked around that he wanted to be a part of what Saw was fighting for. Instead of answering, he asked, "What do you think of Saw's plan?"
"He's fighting a losing battle," Cere honestly answered, crossing her arms. She was not impressed by Saw, and it was obvious. "I doubt freedom for the Wookiees is his only goal."
"I agree with Cere," Y/n spoke up, voice low. "He seems more interested in fighting than actually helping."
"He seems trustworthy," Cal said, looking over to her. She could see he was slightly irritated at her distrust of Saw, but she couldn't help it.
"The only reason Gerrera even considered going into that refinery is because he knows there are guerilla fighters," Y/n pointed out, giving Cal a look of disbelief. "He didn't care when it was just Wookiees civilians."
"Y/n, I'm sure there's more to it than we see," Cere soothed the girl, knowing an argument would start between her and Cal if she didn't stop it here and now. "He might prove to be trustworthy, but there's more going on here than we know."
"And don't forget the Empire fights dirty. Watch your tail in that refinery, kid," Greez spoke up to Cal. He thought the Latero almost sounded worried about him. The thought almost made Cal smile.
"Thanks. I'll keep that in mind," Cal nodded.
He gave one last look to a chagrined Y/n, who refused to meet his eye, and began heading off towards Saw's position. However, a call from behind made him turn, seeing the girl walking to catch up with him. He raised a brow when she approached as she said, "Look, I might not agree with Gerrera, but I want to help free those Wookiees from the Empire." Cal could feel BD peering over his shoulder to watch his response. She was hesitant, but even so, Cal could see that she just wanted to help bring down the Empire and free those trapped under its terrible claws. "If it'll hurt the Empire and help save these people, I'm in."
Cal was still a little off-put at her insistence to distrust Saw. He was a freedom fighter, working against the Empire. That was enough in Cal's book. But then again, he always found himself needing help when he least expects it, and right now, he knew he would need help. Going into an Empire occupied planet was one thing, but running headfirst into an Imperial base was something else entirely. And she had proved herself to be a valuable ally in the field on Zeffo. Nodding, he gestured for them to enter the refinery, both of the grumpy teenagers hiding the small smile that crept onto their faces at BD-1's joyous whirs at the matter of Y/n joining their little crew once again.