Purge (Star Wars)

The Holocron

"What do we do now?" Oloona asks.

"We train Adia."says Cere, "She becomes a Jedi."

"I don't know," Cal says, shaking his head, "The Empire has its sights aimed on us. We can't guarantee she'll be safe here."

"This isn't like the kids on the holocron, Cal. Those kids are still hidden but the Empire already knows about Adia. They're already coming for her. We have to teach her how to defend herself."

"True," Cal says, looking over at Adia, "which is why we need to find somewhere she'll be safe, somewhere she can be hidden."

"Cal," Cere pleads, "the Jedi Order is the best chance for the galaxy to be free of the Empire but there's no future for the Order without younglings. We can't turn away every opportunity we get. We don't have that luxury."

"Cere, she's six. Can we really ask her to fight the Empire?"

The ship is silent with tension. The rest of the crew have gone still, listening, waiting to see what they will decide. They know that this is a discussion between Jedi for the future of the Jedi. It is also the first Ilyana has heard about the fate of the holocron and it brought her an odd sense of closure.

"I don't want her to fight," Oloona says, breaking the silence, "I just want her to be a child, to be safe."

"Then that's what we'll do," Cal says decisively.

"There is a rumor," Ilyana says before Cere can argue further, "that all Purge Troopers are assigned to investigate; a standing order essentially. The intelligence division suspects that there are people, possibly organized but maybe not, who are sympathetic to the Jedi and help them and other fugitives escape the Empire. Perhaps, if they exist and can be found, they could help hide Adia as well."

"Why didn't you tell us about this sooner?" Cere asks, stepping toward Ilyana aggressively, her suspicions raised again.

"There was nothing to tell," Ilyana replies with sincere disappointment that she cannot offer more, "all we had were whispers, rumors, nothing concrete, nowhere to start. Our orders were to stay vigilant, on all of our missions, for any evidence of such activities. " Ilyana continues, awkwardly shifting her gaze between Cere and Cal. She has the undeniable feeling that she has stepped into the middle of a long debate and is unsure of how to continue.

"If there is no proof that these people are out there. How does this help us now?" Merrin asks, redirecting the conversation.

"I don't know that it will but you're on a different side of this than I was. People might be willing to talk to you when they would have just run from me."

"Cere," says Cal, "can you reach out to your contacts to see if anyone knows anything?"

"Okay," Cere says flatly. She holds Cal's stare for a moment, their disagreement far from over but put on hold for now.

Cere had only just turned and taken a step towards the cockpit when Oloona spoke up.

"What is she talking about?" Oloona asks, the faint sound of fear causing her voice to tremble. "She said 'our orders' that 'you're on a different side'. Who is she?"

Cal turns to Oloona and calmly explains, "She used to be a Purge Trooper but she defected. She's helping us now."

Panic rises on Oloona's face and she pushes Adia behind her as if to shield her from an attack that was not coming. "She's one of them !" Oloona shouts.

"Not anymore," Cal continues, trying to calm her.

"They destroyed our village, they hunted us and now you want us to trust one of them?"