Purge (Star Wars)

The Old City

The entrance tunnel to the old city was little more than a continuation of the shape and design of the gate, as if the main opening had been stretched out and pulled into the mountain like some optical illusion. The exhausted survivors walked for over an hour in near darkness with only a handful of torches to light their way before the tunnel came to an abrupt end. The ancient city is a wide, cavernous space filled with complex, ornate structures similar to those on the surface but of a style that assures this is the precursor to the city above yet no less intricate, no less extravagant. There is no indication of artificial light anywhere in the city but it is comfortably, though faintly, lit by the last of the day's light filtering through openings in a ceiling so distant as to seem like stars to those walking below. Despite their exhaustion, the survivors can't help but stare in awe at the sight.

Their wonder, however, is short lived as they are soon ushered away from the entrance so the technicians can once again begin setting charges. Within minutes they have skillfully rigged the archway and called out a warning to take cover. Ilyana and the others duck behind the closest building they can find before the explosives are detonated. A concussive wave echoes through the city as the entrance collapses in on itself, providing another layer of protection between themselves and the Empire and leaving the remains of an ancient master's artistry scattered amongst the stone and rubble.

They continue through the streets past the towering buildings, cracks in the stonework are visible but they have been expertly repaired and repainted. The city may have been uninhabited for generations but it has not been abandoned or allowed to fall into ruin. The Abednedo people have taken great care to protect and preserve as a treasured museum to their past and their ancestors. The windows may be dark and the doors closed tight but the city is so well preserved and cared for that any visitor would be unsurprised if someone were to poke their heads out of a window or step through a nearby door and invite the traveler into their home for rest or food. And right now the survivors were desperate for both.

"We'll rest here," Odoan calls out from up ahead, pointing to a long low stone building nearby. What its original purpose was Ilyana cannot tell but as they step inside, she can see why he had chosen it. The wide open space inside provides ample room for the people to lie out and rest.

The weary fighters file into the building and choose whatever piece of empty floor they first come upon to collapse into a heap and rest. Many fall asleep instantly while others pull out whatever rations they have left and eat.

Ilyana follows Odoan and a few others farther into the structure where they take a seat in a circle together.

"What now?" she asks quietly to keep her voice from echoing and disturbing the others who sleep nearby.

"Now we rest," Odoan answers, "Eat if you have anything. Then we must travel the width of the mountain range to the remaining ships on the far side."

"How long will that take?" she asks.

"Almost a day,"

Another Defender shakes his head wearily, "A day? Some of the people are too tired, too hurt to make that journey."

"The will make it," Odoan insists. "They will persevere. The ships wait at the other side. Escape, hope waits at the other side. The Empire will not crush us here."

Odoan's words remind her of Cal and his seemingly unlimited optimism that masks the crushing weight of responsibility. She smiles a sad smile and wishes she shared that trait too but she never learned how to equip a facade meant to encourage others, only one meant to elicit fear and obedience.

"Go now. All of you," Odoan continues. "With the entrance collapsed we are safe from the Empire for a while. We will begin moving again in a few hours."