Purge (Star Wars)

Purification

By the time Cal and Ilyana returned to the Mantis, the sky had opened up and was releasing a full deluge on the region. The rain pelted the Mantis so hard the crew did not hear them approach till they were already standing in the common area.

"Cal! What're you do..." Greez begins to chide him for getting water everywhere but stops short when Ilyana comes in and rips off her poncho. Greez and the rest of the crew catch their breath in their throats when they see that she is not only drenched with rain but also with mud, blood and gashes from where her enemy's blade had barely missed its mark. She throws the poncho to the floor and storms to the back of the ship without a word, stopping only to grab a towel from the refresher on her way.

Cal removes his poncho as he steps up to the low table in the common area and places the fallen Jedi's lightsaber in the center of it.

"We were too late," he says, "A team of Purge Troopers made it there first." Cere hangs her head in disappointment.

"What happened to her?" asks Merrin.

"One of the Purge Troopers was still there, waiting. They knew each other," he answered then went quiet.

"But what happened?" asked Greez after a moment.

"He's gone now," is all Cal says before picking up the poncho she had dropped and following her to the back of the ship.

Cal climbs down the ladder to the lower level of the engine room to find Ilyana sitting on one of the large pipes opposite her cot. She sat still, with her head in one hand and a damp cloth in the other. She had been cleaning her wounds but stopped before finishing. Most of her wounds had stopped bleeding but blood still dripped from a few of the worst gashes.

The training she had done with Cal during their trip here had opened her up to the presence of others in the Force, the difference in how each person feels; and the shifts in their moods. She could feel him coming down the ladder and after the fight, there was no doubt about the shift in his presence.

"I'm sorry you had to see me like that," she said without looking up. "I understand if you don't want me to stay aboard your ship."

"You don't have to go anywhere," he said, sitting down on the pipe beside her and setting a med kit down nearby.

"And the others? Would they agree with that?"

"You don't have to go anywhere," he repeats as he takes the cloth from her hand and begins cleaning and dressing her wounds.

"I scared you."

"Yes, but I'm more scared for you."

"What was that?"

"The Dark Side."

She turns her face away from him, unable to bear the look. After a moment she finds her voice again.

"I don't think I should continue training with you."

"What?" Cal asks, so surprised he stops dressing her wounds for a moment.

"The dark is already lodged in too deep. You saw it. I should just push the Force down, hide it away till it dries up."

"I don't think that's the answer. With training, you can learn how to control your feelings rather than letting them control you."

"But I don't think I can ever be rid of the darkness. I will always be a danger to people."

"You told me once that you never wanted to become like the Inquisitors. Do you still feel that way?"

"Of course I do," she says.

"That's enough for me. I believe you'll find the right path. Just let me know if you need my help. I'll be here."