Star Wars - The Gray Jedi - Chapter 6 - Talking 03.

I'm writing this again after months, so if I'm getting something wrong or making any mistakes with details, I would appreciate it if you could point out my error.

[Chapter Size: 1900 Words.]
Third Person POV
Bracca.
...

...

The Stinger Mantis continued advancing through hyperspace toward Bogano. While the space outside was chaotic, things had calmed inside the ship after it had nearly been torn apart mid-jump.

Cere stood with her arms crossed, leaning her shoulder against one of the metallic walls near the cockpit, watching Cal. He was seated in front of Prauf and Greez. The silence was heavy, but, as always, Greez was the first to break it.

“He’s dangerous...” he started in a low tone, then looked at Cere. “Did you hear me? He’s dangerous! You said we were picking up a Jedi, but we ended up with a walking time bomb!” He immediately directed his complaint at Cere.

Prauf stood by his side, unsure of what to say, glancing cautiously between Greez and Cal.

Cal was staring at his hands, which were trembling from the power he had tried to control. Just a touch of it had almost torn the ship apart under those conditions.

‘This kind of power is far beyond what I can manage right now...’ Cal thought, incredulous. He could already bring down an Imperial fighter in his current state by using dark side lightning. What else could he do if he unleashed his full strength? Both sides of the Force were incredibly powerful, each with its unique characteristics.

His gaze shifted from his trembling hands to Greez, who was glaring at him with anger and caution, and then to Prauf, who looked at him with fear. Cal turned his head and saw Cere watching him with uncertainty and wariness.

“Sorry about that...” Cal broke the silence, his voice showing some sincerity, which made Cere raise an eyebrow, surprised by the apology. After all, someone aligned with the dark side wouldn’t typically apologize—they were arrogant and reckless.

“Sorry? You still have the nerve to apologize...” Greez started to complain again, his tone rising.

“Greez!” Before he could continue, Cere snapped at him. Her sharp tone made him look at her, and her steady gaze urged him to calm down.

“What now... He almost killed us...” Greez muttered under his breath as Cere stepped away from the wall, moving closer to them. Her expression shifted to one of curiosity rather than the caution she had shown earlier as she looked at Cal.

“Tell me... what happened back there? Why are you trembling all the time?” Cere asked, her gaze probing the mystery of the person in front of her.

“I... tried to focus both sides... but it’s too much power for me to handle... I don’t even know if it’s possible for anyone to control that kind of force...” Cal murmured, still unsettled. He wondered what would happen if someone could wield such power—would they become a god or something else entirely?

“Do you think we can really destroy the Empire?” Cere suddenly asked a completely different question, returning to their earlier discussion. She seemed to take a step toward believing in Cal. After all, she had never felt such a disturbance. Even without sensing the Force anymore, the intensity had been suffocating when she approached Cal during his meditation.

Cal was the strangest enigma Cere had ever encountered. A being wielding both the light and dark sides simultaneously defied every known rule about the Force. Traditionally, one could only practice one side while rejecting the other. Yet here stood someone speaking of the future, foreseeing events, and presenting solutions and plans of action. It was strange, but perhaps there was a glimmer of hope in him.

“Of course we can. I’ve already said I’ll do it—with or without you,” Cal said, looking at her seriously.

“Tell me honestly,” Cere pressed on, while the others remained silent, listening intently. “What’s the chance of you betraying us to the dark side?”

Cal merely raised an eyebrow. “You overestimate the power of the Sith Emperor, Cere. He’s not the center of the dark side, nor does he turn everyone into his servants instantly. The dark side is a path, not a nucleus—just like the light side of the Force.”

His response left Cere momentarily speechless. She didn’t understand much about the dark side, only knowing that her former padawan—whose fall she blamed herself for—had become one of the Empire’s hunting dogs, alongside others.

“And do you plan to train the children you rescue in the ways of the dark side?” she asked after a moment, while Cal shook his head in denial.

“Of course not... I’m the only one who can use this side without being corrupted, as far as I know. After all, I want to destroy the Emperor, not create another one,” Cal said.

“I see... I’ll trust you, Cal Kestis...” Cere finally began to take a step toward trusting Cal, despite him being an extreme anomaly and the fear inside her urging her not to. Still, she decided to take the gamble.

“And what about the fact that he’s a ticking time bomb, ready to explode at any moment and kill us all?” Once again, Greez opened his mouth to complain about Cal and how this decision might lead to their premature deaths.

“Greez...” Cere looked at him, calling his attention and asking him to hold his tongue.

“Oh, come on! Worse than dying in the future is dying right now!” he exclaimed, still dissatisfied.

“Hahaha.” Despite the complaint, a laugh escaped Cal’s lips as he turned directly to Greez. “I’ll try not to blow up the Mantis again, I promise,” he said, smiling, finding the ship captain’s remarks amusing, even though his hands were still trembling constantly.

“Cal...” Prauf murmured.

Cal looked at him, ignoring both Greez and Cere, who raised their eyebrows at his words. “Prauf, it seems we’ve finally left that scrapyard, but what we’ve been through is only a glimpse of the real dangers ahead. You should go to a safe planet and live there. I believe this will be far too dangerous...” Cal looked at him, knowing he might not survive.

“I... could stay?” Prauf muttered. He was lost, unsure of what to do. His old life was no longer viable.

“He would be caught by the Empire,” Cere commented.

“Not necessarily. Prauf can live a normal life. We can find a way to make that happen. But if he wants to stay...” Cal turned from Cere to Prauf and continued, “Know that you could die here, just like any of us.”

Prauf didn’t respond, only nodding his head. He was confused and deeply afraid, but he couldn’t bring himself to tell Cal he wanted to leave.

After that, a silence quickly settled over the ship as they all exchanged glances, unsure of what to say to Cal, who was once again focusing on his trembling hands, trying to steady them.

Once again, it was Greez who broke the silence. “So, tell me, weird kid... if you know so much about the future like you said earlier, why didn’t I retire and buy a nice, quiet farm somewhere far from the Empire? Like, on the other side of the galaxy, or better yet, travel to another galaxy entirely? Don’t tell me we’ve got technology for intergalactic travel by now!” he grumbled, half-serious, half-trying to lighten the tension, sounding less angry at Cal.

Cal lifted his gaze again and smiled slightly. “Because you’ve got a bigger heart than you like to admit, Greez. You wouldn’t have left us. Even knowing the risks, you stayed with us until the end... and no, there’s no technology yet to make starships capable of intergalactic travel,” he said.

“Oh, great. Now I’m the ‘guy with a heart of gold,’” Greez grumbled again, his voice rising slightly. “I just hope this heart of gold survives long enough to see some profit out of this crazy plan. This time, I’m definitely buying my farm on the other side of the galaxy!” He sounded very serious as he said it.

“I’ll do everything I can to make sure you survive, Greez,” Cal said.

“Don’t talk like that. It’s weird,” Greez grumbled, drawing a smile even from Cere. “Whatever. I’m heading to the Mantis’ cockpit,” he said, finally getting up from the ship’s couch and walking toward the control room, grumbling something inaudible under his breath. Before leaving, he stopped and pointed at Cal one more time.

“Don’t even think about meditating! If you want to blow yourself up, do it on some planet far, far away from my ship!” he barked, then continued on his way to the front of the Mantis.

"He’s a bit embarrassed because of your words," Cere eventually commented, still keeping a small smile, finding the situation a bit unexpected. After all, it was rare to see Greez touched.

“It’s fine. I know him...” Cal murmured as he took a deep breath. “I think I need to sleep a bit. I’m tired...” he said, glancing toward the cabins, where he had destroyed part of one not long ago.

“Hey! Don’t even think about meditating again!” Greez’s voice called out from the front of the ship, making Cal smile.

“It’s fine, I’m not planning to. I’ll stay where you can see me if that makes you feel more comfortable,” Cal replied as he stood up. He even avoided using the Force to bring objects to him, choosing instead to fetch his bedding manually. He brought it back to the ship’s main room, placing the mattress in the middle of the space. He decided to sleep in front of everyone, ensuring he wouldn’t do anything reckless, just to ease the group’s nerves.

“You should sleep too, Greez. We’ve got a good amount of time before we reach our destination. You need to rest after the madness we went through in that pit called Bracca,” Cal said, looking at the alien, who nodded slightly in agreement.

Cere noticed Prauf, then went to one of the cabins as well, bringing back another mattress and lying down near Cal. Prauf still trusted his friend, from what she could see, despite the chaos he had caused. After all, he had saved Prauf’s life and had known him for years. She sighed before finally retreating to the cabin.

“You’re here, aren’t you? Better keep an eye on that ticking time bomb,” Greez muttered, still a bit embarrassed.

“The kid’s telling the truth. He’s not going to try meditating again. Besides, he’s right here in plain sight, so it’s fine,” Cere said with a sigh as she settled into one of the ship’s seats.

“Let’s hope so,” Greez grumbled. “And let’s also hope that whatever we’re doing doesn’t get us killed with this future he’s talking about.” Greez was determined not to die.

“We don’t have a choice, Greez. And you’ll be rewarded,” Cere replied.

“I still can’t believe you’re putting your trust in this... what exactly is he...?” Greez asked, confused.

“Even I don’t know...” Cere said in a tired tone before continuing. “But maybe that’s what we need... neither a Jedi nor a Sith. Maybe the galaxy needs something new,” she murmured, letting the words slip out of her mouth, even though she wasn’t entirely convinced.

For now, however, she had decided to trust Cal. And with that, the ship continued its journey toward Bogano.