Purge (Star Wars)

The Inquisitors' Cruiser

"I'm getting a signal," Cere calls out from the cockpit to Cal and Merrin who are in the common area talking to a Tholothian woman and her daughter. Merrin immediately turns away and walks towards the bridge.

"What is happening?" she asks Cere.

Cal offers the woman and her child a seat, then follows after Merrin. Once they are all in the cockpit, Cere activates the message from the hologram display so they can all hear it while maintaining some privacy from their visitors. The hologram crackles to life but the image is distorted to hide the contact's identity.

"Go ahead," Cere says to her contact.

"I thought you should know the battle is over. The Empire has taken the city."

"Were you able to get the people out?" asks Cere.

"Thankfully, yes. Well, most of them. Those who remained to help the evacuation left through the Old City. Most made it to the transports on the far side but some were lost."

"I'm sorry to hear that," says Cal.

"Was Ilyana with them?" asks Merrin.

"No," the contact says hesitantly and Cal feels his stomach drop. "We know that she made it into the Old City with Odoan. The last report said that they were nearing the far side of the mountain but they never arrived at the evacuation point and the transports were forced to leave without them."

"Could they have found another way out?" Cal asks.

"I doubt it. The Empire bombed the mountains. Much of the Old City collapsed."

All of the crew goes silent from the news.

"I am sorry for your loss" the contact offers.

"Thank you," says Cere and ends the transmission.

"I shouldn't have let her go," says Cal.

"It was her decision," says Cere.

"You wouldn't have been able to stop her," Merrin offers. "When she is determined to do something, she does it."

"Wait, wait, wait," Greez interjects, "We don't know that she is actually dead. Maybe she's hiding or was taken prisoner."

"Yes," says Merrin, "we should go to Abednedo and try to signal her. She may need help."

"The planet is overrun with Imperials," says Cere. "We can't risk bringing Adia there."

"We put ourselves at risk all the time," says Cal who is still staring at the place where the hologram had been, hands on his hips.

"Cere's right." says Greez, "We've been lucky so far, Cal, but our luck is due to run out at some point."

"We have to try," Merrin pleads.

Cal knew when she left that there was a chance she wouldn't survive the battle. That was just the ugly truth of war. What he did not expect was that sinking feeling in his stomach when he heard the news and now he knows from the sound of her voice that Merrin had felt it too.

"If she has been taken prisoner, we can't just leave her," he says with determination. "Greez, take us Abednedo."

The Mantis is already hidden by Merrin's magick when it drops out of hyperspace, which turns out to have been the right decision. Abednedo is surrounded by at least two star destroyers and several smaller cruisers and gunships. Greez puts the Mantis into an orbit just beyond the Empire's sensor range but close enough that Cere can listen in on their transmissions.

While still in hyperspace, Merrin and Cal had helped their visitors get settled in and were now waiting in the cockpit in anticipation. It feels like hours pass as they sit there waiting silently, trying not to make any noise that might keep Cere from hearing a critical transmission and slowly they each begin to lose hope.

"I'm getting some chatter about a high priority prisoner," Cere whispers then turns to Cal who had been waiting in the co-pilot chair, "...a deserter!"

"That has to be her," he says, his heart leaping in his chest.

"It sounds like she's on board that far cruiser but Cal, there are Inquisitors there too."

"Honestly," says Cal, "I'd be surprised if there weren't."

"How are you going to get to her?" Greez asks.

Cal thinks about that for a minute then turns his chair back to the control panel and checks the scanners.

"Their shields are down," he says.

"They aren't expecting company," says Cere.

"Merrin," Cal says, jumping back up out of the chair, "can you hide the ship again? Like you did on Nur."

"Of course."

"Greez, get us close to one of the maintenance hatches on the belly of that ship. I'll use a space suit to jump to it."

"Are you crazy?!" says Greez.

"Can you do it?" asks Cal.

"Of course I can."

"How are you going to get back out?" asks Cere.

"I'll figure that out when it comes to it."

"This is reckless, Cal," Cere continues.

"That's what we do!" he says as he leaves the cockpit.