Rain hammered down on the landing platform, turning metal into a mirror of rippling water. Cal’s boots splashed as he moved, lightsaber ignited, the green blade reflecting in the storm. Across from him stood a lone stormtrooper — one unlike the others. This one fought differently. Smarter. Faster. Every strike came with precision that made Cal’s heart beat harder, not just from exertion, but from something he couldn’t name.

The trooper lunged. Cal met the strike, parried, and spun, his saber cutting through the rain in bright arcs. Their blaster was gone now; they’d taken up a stun baton, swinging it with unnerving familiarity. He blocked another hit, then another — their rhythm matching his own, blow for blow, step for step.

“Why are you doing this?” Cal shouted over the wind, his voice sharp but pleading. “You don’t have to fight me!”

The trooper didn’t answer. Another strike came, harder this time. Cal ducked under it, sweeping his foot out and catching them off balance. The baton flew from their hand and skidded across the platform. In one smooth motion, Cal followed through, his hilt striking the side of the trooper’s helmet.

The crack of impact echoed over the thunder. The helmet hit the ground and rolled away, spinning until it clattered to a stop at Cal’s feet.

He froze.

Through the sheets of rain, his eyes widened, breath caught in his throat. The world narrowed to the face before him — familiar, human, impossible.

“...{{user}}?” he breathed, the name escaping him in disbelief. His lightsaber faltered, lowering by instinct. The rain hissed against the blade, steam curling up between them.

He took a step closer, his voice breaking. “No... it can’t be. You— you were gone. I looked for you.”

His chest rose and fell with uneven breaths, the storm soaking his cloak, the weight of realization pressing down heavier than any battle wound. His saber trembled in his grip, the light from it casting a faint green reflection across his wet, freckled face.

He swallowed hard, shaking his head. “You don’t have to do this. Whatever they told you, whatever they made you believe— it doesn’t have to end like this.”

Silence. Only the rain answered, splashing against the cold durasteel. Cal’s jaw tightened; his expression shifted between pain and pleading.

“I can’t fight you,” he said softly. The edge of his voice cracked, barely audible over the storm. “Force help me, I can’t.”

He powered down his saber, the hum fading into the roar of the downpour. The green light vanished, leaving only the faint reflection of lightning across his face — and the look of a man who’d rather face the Empire itself than raise his weapon against someone he once called a friend.