**Chapter 389: The Cleansing Fire**
**Scene 1 – Dagon's POV**
The blue mist was spreading.
I watched it roll out from the vents of the underground lab like living smoke, thick and malevolent, carried on the evening breeze toward the river and, beyond that, the city of Theed. Even with the cure already developed at Lantilles thanks to the Dittmar family's expertise, I knew a lot of people were still going to die. The virus was too fast, too aggressive. By the time medical teams could reach everyone, the death toll would be catastrophic.
Nox was already safely in orbit with the girls. That was one small mercy.
*Oh… this part might hurt.*
I keyed my comm, voice steady despite the weight pressing on my chest.
"Tarkin, order all ships to prepare for Base Delta Zero at my position. I am planting a beacon now."
A pause. Then Tarkin's voice, calm but edged with disbelief. "Sir… are you sure?"
"No questions."
I slammed the beacon into the soft marsh ground and activated it. A bright red pulse shot upward, marking my exact location for the fleet.
"All warheads are to fire at my position."
The silence on the other end was heavy.
"Sir—"
"Open fire."
I felt the girls' torment through the bond — Ahsoka's sharp fear, Zule's desperate worry, the others' confusion and pain. I also felt the suffering of Naboo itself: millions of lives suddenly threatened by an invisible killer. The Force screamed around me.
I closed my eyes and began to walk forward, straight into the heart of the expanding blue cloud.
*Don't stop walking.*
*Don't abandon hope.*
*Don't cry alone.*
*Don't hurt your body.*
*Don't reject love.*
*Don't harbor hatred.*
Total concentration.
I drew on every ounce of power I possessed — light and dark in perfect, dangerous balance. The Force answered like a living storm. I felt the midi-chlorians in the air, in the water, in every living thing around me. I reached deeper, pulling on the very essence of life itself.
A thought bomb — something similar, but harnessed and directed. Not destruction this time. Purification.
White-blue lightning began to crackle across my body, then spread outward in rapidly expanding rings. The lightning wasn't destructive — it was cleansing. It burned through the Blue Shadow virus at a molecular level, neutralizing it wherever it touched. The rings spun faster and faster, growing in size until they covered the entire marsh, then the river, then the outskirts of Theed itself.
The pain was immediate and excruciating. My body rebelled against the sheer amount of power I was channeling. Blood vessels burst in my eyes, my nose, under my skin. Every nerve screamed. But I kept walking, kept concentrating, kept pushing the healing wave further and further.
I could feel the virus dying by the trillions. The blue mist began to dissipate, burned away by the purifying lightning.
But the cost…
My legs buckled. Cuts appeared all over my body, bursting open with fresh blood. The side effects of forcing this much raw Force energy through a mortal frame were catching up fast.
I lost consciousness just as a LAAT gunship raced toward my position.
**Scene 2 – Tarkin's POV**
"Sir, look at the planet… it's glowing," the sensor officer reported, voice hushed with awe.
Tarkin stepped closer to the viewport. The entire surface of Naboo was covered in layer upon layer of blue-white lightning rings, spinning rapidly like colossal halos of pure energy. The sight was both beautiful and terrifying.
"Sir, message confirmed," another officer called. "We are green to engage."
Tarkin stared at the display for one heartbeat longer, then whispered to himself, "These things are heavy in your heart…"
"Uhh, sir?"
"Jedi surprise us every day," Tarkin said louder, voice steady once more. "Or only this Jedi. Open fire."
Dozens of warheads launched from the fleet, streaking down toward the beacon Dagon had planted. A wall of fire erupted from his position — not destructive plasma, but controlled, purifying energy that merged with the lightning rings already sweeping across the planet.
Then… quiet.
The blue mist vanished. The lightning rings slowly faded. The planet below looked strangely clean, as if washed by an invisible storm.
"Sir… all traces of the Blue Shadow… it's gone," the sensor officer reported, stunned.
Tarkin allowed himself the faintest smile. "Deploy the medical ships. But keep your suits on. We take no chances."
"Yes, sir."
**Scene 3 – Dagon's POV**
A gunship was racing toward me.
I tried to stand, but my body betrayed me. Cuts appeared all over my skin, bursting open with fresh blood. The side effects of forcing that much raw Force energy through a mortal frame had finally caught up.
*Damn…*
I lost consciousness just as the LAAT's ramp lowered and hands reached for me.
When I woke up again, I was in the medical bay of the *Sovereign*. Zule was sitting beside the bed, holding my hand. Ahsoka stood nearby, arms crossed, eyes red from worry. The others were close, their presences warm and concerned through the bond.
"You idiot," Ahsoka said softly, though there was no real heat in it. "You almost killed yourself down there."
I managed a weak smile. "Had to… make sure the virus didn't spread."
Zule squeezed my hand tighter. "You saved Naboo. You saved millions. But next time… let us help."
I nodded, too tired to argue.
The war continued. Naboo was safe for now. The Blue Shadow threat had been neutralized in one desperate, painful act.
But the cost — to my body, to my spirit — was real.
And somewhere out there, the true architects of this nightmare were still watching.