A Jedi's Compassion - Tumblr Posts

Whump: The Musical Day 2: Wicked ("No Good Deed Goes Unpunished.")

Fandom: Star Wars (bad batch time zone but not the batch)

Warning: referenced and an attempted suicide of a side character

Summary: Caleb stops a man from killing himself. When some citizens see this they report him to the authorities.

    Why did Caleb have to save that man?

    Roofs were a good place to travel when you didn't want to be found. The ex-padawan learned that pretty fast. Being above everyone had its advantages. Seeing everything that was going on below you made being someone everyone wanted dead at but safer.

    But then he came across a man who was ready to jump. Before Caleb could stop himself he started to talk. "Sir?" he asked. "Are you okay?"

    The man looked panicked as he turned around. "Get going kid. You don't want to see this." Before he could say anything, the twi'lek jumped.

    Running to the side of the six story building, instinct kicked in and Caleb reached for him. Before the man hit the ground, he found himself levitating. There was a look of surprise on his face, as well as the faces of the people nearby.

    The danger the child had put himself in, hadn't made it's way to his fears yet.

    Caleb ran down the stairs. Skipping steps made him reach the bottom quicker. Bursting though the metal doors, the boy ran to find the man who was still sitting on the sidewalk. "Sir?" He started. "Are you okay?"

    Crying, the man tried to smile. "Thank you kid. I'm okay."

    "So, what's been going on?" Caleb said as he sat next to the older man.

    "You're a child."

    "Then let's find someone for you to talk to." He stood again and extended a hand to the man. The Twi'lek nodded and took his hand.

    "Do you have any family or friends?" As he spoke, Caleb started to feel the eyes on him. He realized what had happened. Shoving the thought off to the side, he starts to lead the man away from the crowded street.

    "No."

    "Same" was the first thing that came to Caleb's mind but he figured he probably shouldn't say that.

    "How about I take you to the nearby hospital? They can help you there."

    Despite the look of defeat in his face, the man agreed.

    They took the scenic route. Caleb knew he needed to avoid larger streets. With the empire around and with them knowing he was around, hiding was important.

    As they closed in on the hospital, a voice came from behind them. "There! Get the Jedi!"

    Turning around, Caleb looked at them. Then he turned to the man, "I have to go. Please, take care."

    Then it was time to run. The padawan did a lot of that. It hurt, having to run away from the man. Every part of him wanted to finish taking him to the hospital.

    The imperial presence on the planet was a large one. Hiding, Caleb ducked into a building. Then he started to run for the roof. They seemed to be his only safe place. He always liked sitting in the highest place he could find at the temple.

    The kid made his way to the stairs. Tripping over some stairs on the third floor, slowed him down. His ankle was sore.

    On the stairs of the sixth floor, imperials caught up to him. The door was in sight. Pushing the men down the stairs, Caleb threw open the door to the roof. Without looking back, he jumped to the next building.

    After a while of jumping from building to building, Caleb took a break. Out of breath, he started to curse himself out. Why did he have to save that man? Jedi  instincts were going to get him killed.

    "No good dead goes unpunished I guess" he whispered. It seemed he almost lived by this saying. Every time he helped someone, something bad happened to him. Maybe he should learn to control his companion. Maybe he should have just let the man have his way out.

    Listening to his surroundings, he deemed it was safe to wait a few more minutes. Sitting down, Caleb looked at his ankle. Luckily, he had just twisted it.

    It was time to move. There was a nagging feeling in the kids heart that told him he needed to make sure the man had gotten to the hospital alright. It wasn't too far, even if he had been running in the opposite direction.

    The stairs down the building he had ended up on, creaked as he walked down them. Opening the door, Caleb faced the night. The beautiful sunset that had previously painted the sky, was gone. It was a pretty sight to kill yourself too. The red and orange in the sky would have matched the red on the pavement as well as the orange of the man's skin.

    Caleb snuck around, trying to find a discreet way to the hospital. "Why am I doing this?" He muttered. "This is gonna get me killed."

    After a while of walking and a few close calls with the empire, Caleb found the hospital. Seeing the nurse reach for the phone sent a cold chill down the kid's spine. "Excuse me?" He said, his voice going up a few octaves. "Did a Twi'lek come in earlier to be admitted to the psychiatric ward?"

    "Are you family?" The nurse asked, setting her phone down. She hasn't been calling about him.

    "No, I'm the person who stopped him and brought him most of the way here. I just-" he sighed, trying to keep from crying. "I just wanted to make sure he got here okay."

    The nurse came around from her station. "He came in. He's been admitted." She put her hand on his shoulder. "You're a good kid."

    "Thank you. I'm just doing my job." That probably sounded strange to the poor nurse.

    "Can I call your parents, I'm sure they'll be proud of you for saving that man's life."

    What did he tell her? She was right, Depa would be proud. "My Mom's out of town. I'll just head home."

    "Okay. Stay safe."

    "Can I do me a favor?" He asked quietly.

    "I'm sure I can." The girl kneeled beside him.

    "Can you tell him I got away safely? That I came to check on him, and if the empire asks, can you say I was never here? I'm just trying to survive and every time I do something to help people, it always gets me caught and I'm just so tired." Tears welled in Caleb's eyes and the nurse tightened her grip on his shoulder.

    "Of course I can." She pulled him into a hug and Caleb started to cry. It had been so long. The boy wasn't sure how long he had been there, but by the time he stopped crying, his throat was sore and his eyes hurt.

    The nurse let go of him and walked around the counter. Grabbing soothing she walked back over to him. "Use this to get you something to eat. This is a safe place for you."

    "Thank you. For everything. Hopefully this doesn't hurt you. My Captain, Styles-"

    "You fought in a war?"

    Instead of answering, Caleb continued his sentence. "He used to say that no good deed goes unpunished. Just be careful." Before she could ask any more questions, Caleb made his way to the door.

    The nurse caught up to him, "hey kid." She kneeled down beside to make sure no one else would hear what she had to say. "May the force be with you."

    There was something comforting about hearing that. "Thank you." With that he left the hospital and shortly after that, the planet.