Purge (Star Wars)

The Wizard

During the weeks it took to reach Lah'mu, Cal spent a good deal of time in the cockpit with Greez who was trying to teach him all he could about flying. "Someone should know how to take care of the Mantis... just in case," Greez would often say, however, Cal refused to ask what Greez really meant by that and why it was so important to the captain that he learned. He couldn't imagine the Mantis without Greez at the controls.

Ilyana and Merrin would spend hours talking about Nightsister Magick and how Merrin relates to the Force. Ilyana had never met a Nightsister before and Merrin's threat during her last match with Cal on Savereen sparked her curiosity in a Nightsister's abilities. Merrin's use of the Force was heavier, darker than the Jedi's. In some ways it reminded her of the Inquisitors; however, it did not consume her the way the darkness seemed to consume the Inquisitors. At times Ilyana felt she related more to Merrin's use of the Force than the Jedi.

The Jedi.

The Jedi confused her. When Cal was not in the cockpit with Greez he was trying to teach Ilyana about the Force and how to control it, as no one wanted the ship to end up in shambles whenever she tried to meditate. The teachings were so at odds with how she had been trained that she was often left confused and aggravated but over time some of the lessons began to sink in.

Other times, however, they would split Ilyana's staff in half, each taking one makeshift baton, and practice fighting in the common area, the most open space available on the ship. Or better yet, with no weapons at all. No Force. Just skill alone. One against the other. It quickly became clear that Ilyana had as much to teach Cal about hand-to-hand combat as he had to teach her about the Force, to Greez's unending entertainment. Each time one would get the advantage and send the other to the floor with violent crack it was immediately followed by Greez's howling laughter. The idea of a Jedi, one of those mighty warriors from legend, being thrown to the floor so easily or the Purge Trooper, who lives to fight losing to the frightened boy who had scrambled onto his ship on Bracca, was all too funny to him. But at least it kept both of their egos in check.

On the other hand, Cere's worry grew as she saw how much each of them needed to fight, how they fed off of it. Ilyana was constantly itching for a fight, whether it be by words or fists. She reveled in the opportunity to let loose, to give in to her need to fight back against everything the Empire had put her through. That revelry put her at constant risk of giving in to the Dark Side of the Force. Then there was Cal who had spent years in hiding and now felt he must make up for it somehow, must fight harder, take up the standard of all the Jedi who fell while he could do nothing to stop it. Cere worried that he wasn't looking forward, he wasn't seeing anything beyond the fight. What would become of him if he could not see a future?

The Mantis drops out of hyperspace and enters into orbit outside the rings of Lah'mu. Their shimmering silver contrast strikingly against the cool blues and greens of the planet below.

"Okay, where do we need to land?" Greez asks Ilyana.

"I'm not sure yet," she answers, "I don't know much about the surface. The Empire doesn't come out here often."

"Okay," says Greez, "Cal, I'm putting us into orbit. Let's do a few passes around the planet to see if we can get an idea of what's down there."

"Sure thing," says Cal as he starts working the scanners.

"We should focus on the agrarian region in the western hemisphere," says Ilyana.

"Got it," says Greez.

A couple hours later and after a few orbits around the planet Cal sits back from the scanners. "Looks like there's not a lot down there in terms of development. It's mostly agricultural land and forests with only a few villages."