Work Text:
"You know, I was a Jedi. It'd be fun to bring you in, watch you crack like the rest of us! What angers you? Just wait until the isolation, torture, mutiliation, and your friends…”
Cal sat upright, his shirtless form drenched in sweat. Another nightmare… or… memory? He looked around the dark and lonely space of the Star Destroyer. His body shook as he rubbed his tired eyes. He knew there was a power beyond himself that was trying to break through his thoughts, but whatever visions he would be granted were only small slivers that made no sense.
His fatigue wasn’t enough to allow for more sleep, so Cal got up on shaky legs and stretched. He knew the Grand Inquisitor would be checking in in a few hours. While yes, their first objective was to hunt Jedi, they were also going after force-sensitive children to bring to their Emperor.
A soft tap echoed through the depressing sleeping quarters. Cal smirked and opened the door to reveal Merrin, his nightsister companion. Another memory flash, her form changed from inquisitor garb to red robes. Her eyes changed, too, from the gaunt hollow yellow to sparkling soft grey. The vision faded and her actual form stood before him, arms crossed and head cocked.
“Didn’t sleep well again?” Merrin asked with concern.
Cal shrugged. “Ahh.. yeah? Just, nightmares.”
Merrin entered the room. She didn’t need an invitation, she and Cal frequently visited each other’s quarters in their off-hours. She was the only person he allowed himself to be familiar with. He couldn’t quite figure out why, perhaps because she invaded so many of his visions and dreams. It was like he’d known her in another life.
Merrin gently pushed Cal back down onto his bunk, a hand on his shoulder. “You have not told me everything,” she purred, running a hand through his messy red hair. “Sometimes you look at me like I am a different person.”
“You are in my dreams,” Cal admitted. It wasn’t that he wanted to lie to her, but he didn’t know how to explain what he saw.
Merrin sat beside the redheaded inquisitor and clasped her hands in her lap. “You are in my dreams as well,” she admitted, staring at her knees.
They sat in silence. Cal reflected on his past, or at least the past he thought he knew. He had been a Jedi, but the Empire had taken him in. Or perhaps he had been captured, but he wasn’t sure. His last clear memory was waking up in a medbay, his body aching and on fire while he was poked and prodded. Something in his mind seemed to break every time he tried to probe his memories further. Questions were absolutely forbidden, and he didn’t enjoy the punishments offered to him any time he angered his superiors.
“You had better get dressed,” Merrin said, breaking the silence. “It is almost time for us to see the Grand Inquisitor.”