Star Wars - The Gray Jedi - Chapter 11 - Leaving Bogano.

[Chapter Size: 1800 Words.]
Third Person POV
Bracca.
...

...

A bug calmly flew through the swamp, flapping its wings, before landing on a plant. It opened its mouth to consume tiny edible particles, following its routine like any other day.

However, despite everything seeming normal, a commotion arose beside it. Its hundreds of micro-eyes saw a giant running toward it, and not even its instincts reacted in time to match the speed of the human.

It barely had time to fly away before the human aimed directly at the plant it was feeding on, stomping his foot on it and disappearing the next moment.

As the insect, a type of fly, tried to recover in the air, a swarm of Oggdos quickly charged after the unknown giant, while the fly struggled to survive without being crushed.

Meanwhile, Cal was running as fast as he could, his lightsaber ignited and ready in his hand. Several Oggdos were chasing him, and the only thing he could do was keep running, with BD-1 perched on his shoulder.

"Beep-beep!" exclaimed BD-1.

"I'm trying! I can't go any faster!" Cal shouted, feeling his body nearing the limit of his current strength.

One of the Oggdos lashed its tongue to try and grab him, but Cal quickly turned, swung his lightsaber, and cut it off, making the creature groan in pain. He spun back around and kept running without stopping.

Frogs emerged from all sides, trying to attack him as well. The entire swamp seemed to want him dead. Cal had to dodge attacks not only from behind but also from the sides and ahead of him. He swung his lightsaber and began injuring the frogs blocking his path. He was finally nearing the canyon wall where he had originally come from, but his body already felt at its limit.

"Beep-beep!" BD-1 displayed a healing syringe, but Cal shook his head.

"I don't need that! I'm not hurt; that's not the problem. If you have an energy boost or something like that, I'd appreciate it," Cal murmured, joking through his labored breathing.

"Beep-beep-beep!" BD-1 replied, sounding annoyed.

"I know you can't just buy that now. Just... we're almost there!" Cal said, cutting down a few more Oggdos. Finally, he emerged at the base of the canyon wall. He needed to find a way to climb and get away from all those creatures, now numbering in the hundreds, trying to kill him.

He spotted a section of the wall and quickly ran toward it, noticing a cave higher up that he could aim for. But there was no way to jump directly to it.

"Come on, Cal. I know you can do this! Remember!" he muttered to himself, visualizing the lessons from his Jedi Master, who had taught him to overcome obstacles set for him in the old Jedi Temple. He recalled the techniques for running along walls, feeling a sense of determination.

Cal's gaze grew more focused as he sprinted at full speed toward the canyon wall. At the right moment, he pushed off the ground with all his might, leaping as high as he could. His feet touched the wall's side, and he began running along it, maintaining his balance with the Force. Behind him, the creatures started slamming into the wall, tangling with one another, and some even leaping in futile attempts to reach him.

Cal kept running along the wall until he reached the height of the cave entrance. With one final jump, he grabbed the ledge and held on tightly to avoid falling. He strained intensely, pulling his body upward until he finally managed to climb into the cave's entrance.

From above, Cal looked down and saw the swarm of Oggdos gathering in the swamp below. Some still tried to reach him with their tongues but failed due to the height of over 10 meters.

"Let's keep going," he said, turning toward the dark cave. Igniting his lightsaber, he used it as a makeshift lantern.

They pressed on, passing through the canyon's crevices while Cal faced more and more creatures using the area as their lair. With his skills, he managed to deal with all of them, clearing the path as BD-1 occasionally chimed in with comments.

Finally, they emerged outside. Now they had to return to the Mantis. Cal, feeling a bit lost, closed his eyes and let the Force guide him, sensing Cere, Prauf, and Greez.

BD-1 managed to find shortcuts using platforms connected by external lines. However, Cal always looked to the sky before crossing those rope paths, cautiously watching for the bird in case it returned to attack them.

The journey took no more than a day and a half until they finally spotted the Mantis. However, as they approached, they saw blaster shots firing into the air. When he finally got a clear view of the ship, not far ahead, Cal saw the same bird that had attacked them earlier, now perched atop the ship. Greez seemed to be trying to fend it off using the Mantis' weapons, while Cere also fought back. Two blasters fired at the creature, which appeared intent on killing them.

"This is bad... Let's go!" Cal exclaimed, starting to run and leap as fast as he could through the canyons, jumping between ledges and taking shortcuts, moving toward the ship even as the bird loomed over its hull.

He finally emerged near the Mantis, and seconds later, the distinctive hum of a lightsaber echoed as Cal, still running across the grassy plateau, hurled the weapon forward. The saber spun at high speed as it left his hand, striking the bird's wing just as it was about to attack someone with its beak. A cry of pain echoed as the bird reeled from the hit, turning to identify who had attacked it. The saber returned to Cal's hand, and he kept advancing toward the creature.

With an agile leap, Cal attempted to reach the bird, but it reacted with fury, trying to snap at the Jedi with its beak. He dodged and, in a precise motion, maneuvered around its massive body and slashed at its side with the saber, completely severing one of the bird’s wings—the same one he had already injured.

The creature roared in pain, falling off the ship in desperation and rolling several meters before stopping. Cal turned to face it. On the ground, the bird tried to stand, enraged and with a burning desire to kill Cal despite its wound.

Cere appeared at the ship’s doorway, surprised, holding a blaster aimed at the creature. However, she hesitated to fire when she noticed Cal fighting, with BD-1 perched on his shoulder.

"Beep-beep!" exclaimed BD-1 as Cal spun the lightsaber into a combat stance, the only style he knew.

"This is for almost killing us!" Cal muttered, his expression serious.

In the next moment, the bird charged to attack, running as best as it could and leaping desperately to reach him. Cal spun his body to evade, raising his lightsaber in a precise upward slash as the bird passed over him, crouching beneath its massive frame.

In the following moment, the creature collapsed, tumbling across the ground as blood began to pool around it, writhing in agony with its neck severed.

"..." Cal said nothing as he watched it dying but decided to end its suffering. Just as he prepared to deliver the coup de grâce, several blaster shots struck the creature, finishing it off completely.

He turned to the side and saw Greez standing at the Mantis' doorway with an infuriated expression, Cere beside him, observing the scene in shock.

"That bastard scratched my ship! My dear and precious Mantis! I had to finish it off!" Greez exclaimed, turning his back and starting to grumble to himself, ignoring his actions and the way both Cal and Cere looked at him.

Cere had a disapproving look but said nothing. Her gaze, however, shifted back to Cal, who was checking if the bird was truly dead. Considering the amount of shots Greez had fired, it was clear that it was. Cal headed toward the Mantis’s entrance, relieved the ship was still there. If they had left, given his current situation, he would have been in serious trouble, with no chance of leaving the planet.

"Jedi don’t fight like that," Cere murmured as she watched him. "Jedi fight for life, not to kill," she said.

"I’m not a Jedi, Cere. You should know that," Cal responded with a shrug. He had already explained his condition before; it shouldn’t have come as a surprise to her.

Cere simply nodded, though it was clear she didn’t like what she heard, watching as he stepped onto the ship. She followed shortly after.

"That monster’s gone, right, Cal? Did you see the size of that thing?!" Prauf was sitting on a bench in the middle of the ship, terrified, hugging his knees to his chest.

"What’s this, Prauf? You’re a grown man!" Cal said with a faint smile.

"Beep-beep!" BD-1 chimed in, seemingly mocking Prauf.

"But, Cal! You didn’t see how big that bird was! I thought it was going to destroy the ship and kill us!" he protested, while Cal sighed. It was evident that Prauf wasn’t used to dangers like this.

"Well, let’s put that behind us. The bird’s no longer a problem," Cal said, changing the subject. He turned to Cere. "Now, let’s talk about what I found."

Cere approached cautiously, still glancing at the area and at the droid. "So, you actually managed it? Even though it’s..." she murmured.

"Even though it’s that, Cere. Anyway, let’s talk," Cal replied. He introduced BD-1, who projected a hologram of Eno Cordova, Cere’s former master.

"So, we need to go to Zeffo," Cere murmured.

"Yes. It’s time. We’re leaving now," Cal confirmed.

"Damn!" Greez clicked his tongue, looking annoyed. "I almost lost my ship out here in the middle of nowhere, getting attacked by giant birds on some hidden planet! I didn’t sign up for this. Seriously, I’d rather deal with Imperials than this nonsense. You’d better increase my pay for this, you hear me, Cere?!" he continued complaining.

"All right, all right! If it’s money you want, it’s not a problem. You can charge me!" Cal raised his voice, trying to end the argument.

"To Zeffo, then," Greez muttered irritably, heading toward the ship’s controls, but not before issuing a warning to Cal. "And you’d better not break anything on the way this time, got it?" he grumbled.

Cal shrugged and went to the center of the ship to sit and rest, noticing Cere staring at him. "Don’t look at me like that! I had to go through a lot to get back. My back’s a little sore," he said in his defense.

Cere only nodded, offering no comment. Prauf, though silent, gave him a curious glance.

Finally, Greez began the ship’s takeoff sequence. The doors closed behind them, leaving the planet’s plains behind. The Mantis raised its landing gear, pointed its nose toward the sky, and began to ascend, breaking through the planet’s atmosphere. Soon, they were in space, and moments later, they entered hyperspace, heading for Zeffo.