[ Oh, the apology is just making him feel so guilty for the mostly-lie, and learning that she's a soldier fighting in a war of her own right now only makes it worse.

Because he has been there. His Master did his best to keep Cal away from the heavy fighting whenever possible, on account of his age, but it wasn't always avoidable. Cal still saw action, whether by accident or as glue at his Master's side, where Master Tapal could keep him safe. Relatively. ]

It's okay. Really. [ He puts stress on that. Really. It's not a platitude.

But she could definitely tell he had some sort of weird reaction, so he feels like he needs to explain himself. A bit. He rubs the back of his neck, feeling slightly abashed. ]

It—uh. The war didn't end well. For anyone, really, except the Emperor when he seized power. [ There's a pause, a humorless smile pulling at one side of his mouth. ] I guess you could say a different war started when the Clone War ended. One we're still fighting.

[ A war of rebellion. A guerilla war, far-flung rebels against the grinding machine of an endless Empire. Cal has no more Masters to keep him safe in this fight. ]