𝚃𝙷𝙴 𝙲𝙰𝚅𝙴 𝚃𝙷𝙴𝚈 𝙷𝙰𝙳 𝙳𝚄𝙲𝙺𝙴𝙳 𝙸𝙽𝚃𝙾 𝚆𝙰𝚂 𝙰 𝙲𝙾𝙽𝙵𝙸𝙽𝙴𝙳, 𝙷𝚄𝙼𝙸𝙳 𝙲𝙷𝙰𝙼𝙱𝙴𝚁 , its atmosphere thick with moisture and the faint, mineral scent of stagnant water. the walls and ceiling were alive with patches of bioluminescent fungus, their soft blue glow pulsing in the gloom like the breathing of some unseen organism. pools of uncertain depth littered the uneven ground, their surfaces shimmering with an eerie blue-green light—be it from the fungi clinging to submerged stone or the water’s own latent toxicity, akuna couldn’t say. probably both.
it was, in its own strange way, beautiful. the kind of place that would’ve fascinated his daughter, where he could almost hear her voice asking him to describe every detail. he would’ve liked to stand there for a moment longer, to commit the scene to memory—not for himself, but for her. she’d want to draw it, to bring his words to life in color. maybe she would even ask him to help her, if denvik allowed him to stay long enough to pick up a brush. . . but, as always, the mission came first.
❝you always snack like we’re not one misstep away from a firefight?❞ bode leaned back against the damp rock, arms folded over his knees, expression an amalgamation of bafflement and reluctant intrigue as he watched kestis demolish an entire protein bar with all the focus of a man savoring his last meal.
this wasn’t in the reports. bode had meticulously studied cal kestis’s file in preparation for this mission, dissecting every account of his feats, every reported piece of intelligence the empire had gathered over the years. he knew kestis was unpredictable, foolhardy, and yet frighteningly competent in battle. a fugitive jedi knight known for reckless engagements and an uncanny ability to survive against overwhelming odds. bode had prepared for volatility, braced himself for the kind of raw, desperate aggression that came with years of running across the galaxy.
instead, he found himself in a dank, dimly lit cave, watching the so-called ‘legitimate threat to the empire’ enjoy an afternoon snack with seemingly absentminded contentment.
bode didn’t quite know what to make of it. there was something disarmingly human about kestis, almost boyish in his casual defiance of the danger outside. it was unexpected. disconcerting, even. and, in a different life, under entirely different circumstances, he might have even called it charming bode quickly shouldered aside the wayward thought. what the hell was he even thinking? oh, fierfek. maybe his proximity to the bioluminescent alien fungi had rendered him stupid for a second.
❝you’re lucky you’re good,❞ he muttered, eyeing the protein bar with a bemused mix of skepticism and approval before plucking it from the jedi’s outstretched hand, his voice dropping just slightly. ❝and i mean that. you’re. . . different, kestis. in a good way.❞
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