Private Second Chances (Life Day 2024)

[Cailen Corso]

Tags: Efret Farr
Location: Aboard the Ember

The low rumble of the Ember’s engines was finally a sound Cailen found soothing; until now, it was a constant reminder that the original power converters were long overdue for a replacement, and the growl they made left the boy feeling anxious every time the freighter spooled up. After begging Efret for days to let him check out a few local markets, she’d finally given in and set him loose on Trevi IV. He’d found exactly what the old Dynamic-class needed at Fizzi’s Slightly Used Starships.

Now, the Ember hummed just like she should: low and steady, like a sleeping Loth-cat.

Cailen had just settled onto his bed with a datapad when he finally noticed the soothing sounds of the engines. He was reading through local news from Anaxes, as he usually did during this time of year. Life Day never failed to remind Cailen of his parents back home, and the new baby brother that joined his far-away family just a few short months ago. A small photo of baby Kendon Corso hung on the wall next to Cailen’s bed. He smiled as he glanced over to see the tiny guy in his mom’s arms.

A small wave of sadness weighed on his chest, but he didn’t let it get the better of him. Cailen had a lot to be thankful for, most notably Master Farr. She saved his life from pirates and, to his knowledge, did not rat out his whereabouts to the NJO. For that, and all the other things she had done for him, Cailen was making one of his famous Life Day trinkets. This one was made from a collection of bronzium that he’d salvaged from droids and other such things since partnering with the Chief Curator.

He clicked off the datapad and laid it on his nightstand before slipping his handmade craft out from the drawer, a small bronzium amulet.

“She’s gonna love this, Dart!” The little pit droid who’d been by Cailen’s side for the last few months chirped and stumbled clumsily over to see it. He particularly liked the way the metal shined and so fixed his optical lens its reflective surface.

 

[Efret Farr]

A plate of thinly-sliced layer cakes sat on the kitchen's breakfast bar. The golden oil lamp she had bought recently on Niv Hani hung from the hull ceiling above, burning low at all five of its points even though the overhead lights were on throughout the lounge. The Chief Curator stood with her back to it at the galley's sink, working on something else festive.

Cailen wasn't the only one who had done some shopping on Trevi IV. As he was looking for the parts they needed to keep the Ember healthy, Efret was concerned with things that would keep both of their hearts healthy. She had taken stock of the foodstuffs they had stocked in dry storage. They had most of the ingredients she needed to bake the dessert she had in mind, but had to buy some nutmeg and coconut shavings, the latter of which she was surprised to find on a desert planet. She also purchased succulents and flowers that were native to the local biomes.

She stepped back after a few more minutes to admire the small tree she had made out of them, then carefully cupped the base, turned around, and set it near the food. She stepped over to the speaker she had installed into one of the kitchen walls. After activating it, she made his sign name. "Cailen." Together, they had also installed speakers around the ship in places that Cailen frequented. It made it convenient for them to communicate, as he could hear her interpretation unit over the intercom and he could reply verbally back, as the screens adjoining each speaker captioned his speech. "Are you coming?"

Cailen Corso​

 

[Cailen Corso]

Tags: Efret Farr
Location: Aboard the Ember

The speaker echoed his name, and Cailen scooted back from his workbench. He picked up the amulet he’d made for Efret carefully and held it up. It sorta reminded him of how ancient Je’daii astrologists depicted the cosmos, a coincidence that he now imagined was subliminal due to the way that Efret had found him - derelict in space.

“Coming!” Cailen called back when he was ready. The speakers transferred his speech throughout the ship, outputting it into sign for Master Farr. He patted D4-R1 on the top of his domed head and smiled. “Be back soon, buddy! Why don’t you power down and have a little nap?” Dart beeped sleepily -if droids could do that- and then skipped over to his charging station. Cailen was in the hall heading to the kitchen before the droid was fully offline.

He rounded the corner and stopped to grin at the treats Efret had prepared for them. “I don’t think Master Edo could ever compete with those,” he said. Then, he signed, <“Looks delicious! Thank-you!”> Elias Edo may not be as good of a cook as Efret, but he sure had Cailen beat when it came to signing.

<“Made-this, for you. Hope you like.”> The gestures at least felt right. He hoped they conveyed what he meant.

Cailen passed Efret a small parcel made of burlap, a makeshift container that was as equally imaginative as it was practical. With vicarious excitement, he watched her take the gift. His eyes were eagerly fixed on her hands.

 

[Efret Farr]

It was perhaps for the best that D4-R1 stayed in Cailen's quarters, as seeing him would likely remind Efret of Nirrah's absence even more than she was already aware of it. And, in turn, that would remind her in the same way of Elias' absence.

"It's bebinca," she explained, "my favorite dessert." She had already set aside a few slices to send to Astri. Hopefully, both padawans liked the little cakes.

Efret would surely love the gift Cailen had made for her. Taking it with both hands, she transferred it onto the tabletop directly in front of her. She first untied the jute strings and then worked her fingers into the fabric pursed at the top to work the folds loose until the fastening came undone. When she reached into the burlap, her fingertips found the necklace's leather cord and pulled until the amulet had emerged from the parcel. She glanced from it to Cailen, her smile saying all she needed to communicate in that moment.

More silence passed between them as she clasped the cord behind her neck and pulled her loose braid out from under it. The necklace was a perfect addition to her earthen-toned Jedi tunics.

"It's beautiful," she commented. "Thank you."

Cailen Corso​

 

[Cailen Corso]

Tags: Efret Farr
Location: Aboard the Ember

Cailen’s smile spread ear to ear. His favorite part of Life Day was giving gifts to his loved ones and seeing their faces light up when they opened them. Efret was now a part of his found family, which seemed to grow little by little as he got older. Maybe that was the whole point of Life Day, to recognize what you have and show gratitude for having been given them.

<“Glad you-like!”> the boy signed. While Efret looked over the necklace, Cailen reached for one of the tiny cakes. He took a small bite at first, then grinned and ate another, larger portion.

It had a smooth texture with a unique taste of coconut and almond. He very much enjoyed it, better even than most festive Anaxian foods - which was very hard to beat, considering much of it was fried. “Wow!” Cailen said, then signed, <“I like this a lot!”>

 

[Efret Farr]

Efret likewise smiled at Cailen. Food was such an effective avenue through which to share one's culture and expression with another, so she was always very glad when people she cared for enjoyed her cooking.

Her gaze slid from the redheaded teen to the golden oil lamp hanging above the bar. Each of the small flames symbolized Efret's undying devotion to Elias. Even if her attempts to bring him back from the Netherworld all failed, she'd keep the lamp burning, an outward expression of her feelings for him and how they would never fade.

With a small, dejected sigh, her attention returned to Cailen. His freckles and green eyes alive with the spirit of Life Day brought an easy smile back to her face. "I also have a gift for you," she announced. "It's less material."

She wasn't sure how Cailen would react to what she had in mind, but there was only one way to find out: by asking him. After how she had conducted herself with Elias when she had left him on Bogano immediately after her Dark visions began, she didn't want to let fear hold her back in any area of her life anymore. She felt as if that was more than a little unfair to Astri, but Efret had no idea where to find her—not that Cailen was who Efret was settling for instead. On the contrary; they had grown close over the last few missions they had gone on together. This pairing, as far as Efret was concerned and if Cailen found it agreeable, made good sense for them both.

"I'm unsure how much I have to offer you, my dear. You strike me as more of a guardian or a sentinel than a consular. I'm the latter but, should you want a new master, I'd be very happy to teach you what I know, and learn more with you. I know you've been down a path with others that has made you feel at times like a failure or a reject. If you aren't ready to try to have this kind of relationship again, tell me no." Efret's smile was somehow more than understanding. It was empathic, not through the Force but through her own life experiences. "My feelings won't be hurt, I promise."

Cailen Corso​

 

[Cailen Corso]

Tags: Efret Farr
Location: Aboard the Ember

The room suddenly became very dense, as if the air itself were weighted. Cailen wasn’t sure exactly why, but his best guess was that the gravity of Efret’s question had literally made itself known as it pressed against his body. He slowly chewed the dessert, swallowed carefully, then looked to Efret with a mix of excitement and nervousness on his face.

“I- uh…” he stammered. “I’m kind of a bad luck charm. I’ve had two Masters already. Three, if you count… you know,” he said sheepishly, referring to Master Edo’s training on Dagobah.

Master Undara died trying to protect him, Master Noble was swept away in the GA’s conflicts, and Master Edo was stuck in the Netherworld. Cailen had a bad streak, and he couldn’t help but feel like it was somehow his fault. Like he was the cursed Padawan that was running out of chances. When he was little, he had hope, but each year that passes without proper training puts him closer and closer to failing the Knight trials. And if he can’t be a Jedi… what else could he be?

Cailen realized he’d drifted in thought, and pulled his gaze back to Efret. She was probably the wisest Jedi Master he knew. Efret was insightful and no doubt knew what she was getting herself into.

“If you’re sure,” Cailen finally said. “I will train as your Padawan.”

 

[Efret Farr]

A small frown flicked at the edges of Efret's lips when Cailen alluded to Elias. That was another reason to do it: to finish something he had not started but been a part of.

"I'm sure," she said. "But you need to be too."

Another soft smile overtook her lingering distress. "I had two different masters when I was a padawan, did I tell you that? Nothing...bad happened to the first, but we came to realize that—" She stopped signing suddenly, then started her thought over. "Well, I always knew he was a bad fit for me and I for him. It was harder to convince the Council." If he wanted to know more about what had happened, she would gladly tell him, but that was not a story to share now. She had only brought it up to illustrate a small similarity in lived experience that they shared, though really there was more different about it than the same. "I might not understand your exact circumstances and emotions, but I understand a bit.

"You're broken," she admitted with a slightly furrowed brow that smoothed with her next signs, "but that's not your fault. In fact, maybe that's a good thing. It means the Light can filter through all the cracks and you are full. We just have to figure out how to capture it.

"I'd like to help you recover. You have much to offer the galaxy, especially if you want to do it outside of the bounds of the Order." She extended a hand over the bartop, seeking his. If she found it, she'd send him a comfortable jolt of warmth.

"I care for you either way."

Cailen Corso​

 

[Cailen Corso]

Tags: Efret Farr
Location: Aboard the Ember

Cailen almost winced at the word broken.

It felt like all the other words that had weighed heavily on him since he lost Master Undara; liability, wayward, weak, lost - they were just words, he knew that, but they had come to define him these last few years. Cailen’s training had shifted from learning new skills and exploring the world around him, to searching for ways to just keep up. Jedi only two years his senior who served alongside him as Padawans were now Knights, while he had simply stagnated. They were undertaking important missions, working with their Masters as colleagues, and assuming leadership roles.

He felt stuck. Unheard. Distant. Forgotten.

Broken.

Efret’s hand startled him, but Cailen didn’t flinch or withdraw. He let her take his hand and welcomed the warmth that radiated from her. After a moment of quiet, he finally spoke up.

“I’m sure,” he said. “I accept.”

Much like with Master Noble before, Cailen would have to choose to believe that Efret’s decision to take him as her Padawan was informed and wise. She was too skilled to make such a choice lightly, or out of pity, as he was so convinced before.

A small smile creeped from the corners of his mouth as the reality of a new chapter started to sink in. It was a second chance for him to be the Jedi his mom and dad said he would.

 

[Efret Farr]

Efret mirrored Cailen's smile. "Wonderful," she signed before walking around the bar and giving the teen a side hug. "We'll plan our first step together in a few days. Until then, we enjoy all our lives have given us..." Her smile widened. "...including each other."

And, for her, Nirrah and Elias, even and especially if she wasn't able to get them back.

This is what he would want for them, the ones left behind: to take respite from all of the galaxy's challenges together.

Cailen Corso
Exit thread​