A little short, random fic done during Opperation Knightfall. Sors, Jeswi, and Shia are not characters I made up. They're actual characters who weren't named in Revenge of the Sith. The only characters I own are Kahlo and Master Rayfall. If I do my job right you'll give a nice little squeak at the end or at least suck in a sharp breath. If not, I hope you enjoy anyway.
I know this sounds pathetic, but please review. I never know if anyone likes my stuff otherwise.
When the youngling Clan's caretaker stopped, Kahlo immediately knew something was wrong.
"What is it, Master Rayfall?" A youngling called Shia asked.
"Use your senses, younglings," Master Rayfall said, "Can you tell what is out of place?"
Kahlo closed her eyes and reached out into the great mystery known to the Jedi as the Force. At first she only felt her friends beside her. Their presence was familiar and soothing to her, like small beckons of light that would guide a wanderer through even the thickest shadows. It was one she'd known her whole life. No, that could not be what was making Master Rayfall nervous. She stretched her senses out further and felt the presences of other Jedi in the Temple. They walked about in the levels above and below them. Their presences were strong and bright with knowledge and experience. These older Jedi and future teachers were soothing even if she didn't know them by name. They couldn't be what she was supposed to look for. Then she stretched out beyond the Temple to the city outside. What she found confused her. There were hundreds of people outside. Their presences were not as bright in the Force as those inside the Temple and Kahlo knew they must not be Force-sensatives. They were gathered into tidy rows and were marching up the steps to the Temple gates. A mob? No. No mob was ever so organized. Mobs were wild and crazy, not as eerily precise as this group. She let her senses come back to the Temple it's self. She could sense the Gate Master outside and wondered if he knew what was going on.
Then she heard the marching, the sound of hundreds of feet hitting the ground at the same time. It was a mighty sound that could not quite be described as thunder, but was just as loud. The sound was growing louder, echoing through the open space full of columns and walkways. When she thought about it, she realized that she'd heard marching like this before. It was not on such a grand scale when she'd heard it, but it was still unmistakable. The people outside were clones, and clones were not their enemies. Kahlo came back from her ruminations and kept her attention fixed on the Gate Master. She wasn't too terribly familiar with his presence, but she could already tell that he was as curious as she was, and perhaps a bit frightened. She couldn't pinpoint why though. Why was everyone so nervous? She didn't think to pay attention to the nagging sense in the back of her mind that said, what are so many clones doing here anyway? Then, without warning, the Gate Master's presence was snuffed out like a flame by another presence she hadn't really noticed before. It was dark and ominous with undercurrents of fear and pain. Kahlo's eyes flew open.
"The Gate Master is gone!" she said, "What's going on?"
Master Rayfall didn't say anything for a moment before turning around,
"Hurry, younglings," she said, "We have to get out of here."
Her gentle hands ushered the clan back down the walkway, away from the Temple foyer below them without so much as a word of explanation. While the other younglings followed their caretaker's guidance, Kahlo stopped and let Master Rayfall pass by. She walked over to one of the great pillars holding the many walkways up and peered down to the foyer where the doors to the Temple were slowly opening. She clutched the pillar with her small hands as the doors swung open fully and the sound of marching poured into the building, louder than ever. Its source soon came into view. Below her, as predicted, were many rows of clone troopers, marching in perfect foreboding harmony. At their head was a figure in dark robes. He singled out a small squad of troops and they diverged away from the main hallways. Finally she decided to let the uneasy voice in her mind speak. What were so many troops doing here? Who was the shadowy person with them? And what had they done to the Gate Master?
"Kahlo, hurry!" Master Rayfall called back.
Kahlo spun around and ran after her clan.
"It's clones! But what are they doing down there?" Kahlo asked. She'd seen them talking to other Jedi over holograms and the Jedi always treated them like friends they'd known forever. If it was true that the clones were their friends, then why was Master Rayfall so afraid?
"I'm not sure," Master Rayfall said softly. Kahlo got the feeling that she was lying so as not to scare them. Something had happened not long ago before the clone's arrival that had troubled all the Jedi in the Temple greatly. Business as usual had come to a halt and the entire building seemed to stand still. Master Rayfall was no exception and she had stood there with a stricken look on her gentle face. Kahlo had a feeling that these two events were connected, but she didn't know in what way, or even what the first event had been. She didn't have time to think about that now, though. They ran off down the walkway into the halls of the Temple. On their way to the main stairwells they ran into a Zabrack Jedi who stopped and began speaking to Master Rayfall.
"Head for the higher levels," he said, "But steer clear of the communications center, I saw a group break off from the main unit and start off in that direction."
"Thank you," Master Rayfall said, then she lead the younglings onward towards the stairs that lead up to the higher towers of the Temple. Kahlo felt a sense of panic and urgency rising in her small chest. She wanted to scream at anyone she could and ask them what was happening and why everyone was so scared. But she knew this wasn't respectful, nor would it get her anywhere, so she just kept running and letting her frustration out through her breathing.
"We'll head for the Council Chambers," Master Rayfall decided after a moment of quiet thought, "It's safer there."
"Aren't we just boxing ourselves in?" a skittish youngling called Jeswi asked.
"But if we box ourselves in well enough nothing will be able to get us," another youngling called Sors said, trying to comfort his friend who seemed to be even more scared than the rest of them.
"Are you sure about that? Clones have blasters and blaster can-," Shia started but Sors cut her off.
"Clones aren't our enemies, Shia!" he said. He seemed appalled that Shia would even suggest that the clones were there to hurt them.
"Then why are we running?" Shia countered. Kahlo frowned, Shia could be annoyingly realistic-almost to the point of pessimism-but she was often right either way.
After this statement was made, the blasting started. It began nowhere near them, but Jeswi screamed regardless. Kahlo stopped and wheeled around. She could hear the hum of lightsabers and the firing of lasers down the wide hall in the open space they'd left behind. Kahlo's heart started to beat faster. Were the clones attacking? Or was it the other Jedi who had struck first? She lingered a moment longer before a voice broke her out of her reverie.
"Kahlo, come on!"
She turned around,
"I'm coming, Sors! Keep your hair on," she said with a touch of annoyance in her voice. She raced after her fleeing clan.
"Are you sure this is the way to the Council Chambers?" Jeswi asked in a small voice.
"Of course it is! Everyone knows the way to the Council Chambers, especially Master Rayfall," Shia said. Her tone held a note of scorn, but it seemed to reassure Jeswi that they weren't lost.
"Master Rayfall knows what she's doing, Jeswi," Sors said, "We'll be fine."
"Like I said," Shia continued, "Everyone knows their way."
"I don't," Jeswi murmured, looking down at the hem of her tunic and twisting it in her fingers.
Shia just shrugged.
"Keep your senses sharp, younglings," Master Rayfall said, "See if you can tell if there's anyone coming."
The younglings gave their caretaker an obedient nod and continued on down the halls. It was very quiet, save for the distant sounds of blasting and lightsabers humming. There were no footsteps except for the clan's own. Kahlo could see the tension in Master Rayfall's shoulders and she could feel it in her own clenched stomach. She chided herself for being so afraid.
Jedi are not supposed to be afraid, she thought, Jedi are supposed to remain calm at all times and not dwell on their emotions. She then tried to push her fear of the clones and fear for her friends out of her mind. She took deep breaths and tried her best to center herself. It worked a little, but it is impossible to keep a young mind from fearing completely. Doubts will always linger. Kahlo was so focused on riding herself of these less than pleasant emotions that she almost didn't noticed the presences of several clones coming down the adjacent hallway in front of them. She snapped out of her thoughts when she heard a gruff voice say,
"Here's a few."
Master Rayfall's lightsaber seemed to appear in her hand as if by magic and the green blade ignited. It cast a strange glow on the hall which seemed to be getting darker the further they went. There were only three clones, each with a blue stripe running down the front of their helmets. They aimed their guns and started firing. Jeswi let out another high-pitched scream. Master Rayfall effortlessly deflected the first few shots and turned her head briefly to shout an order to the clan over the sounds of the clone's guns.
"You know where to go. Get there!"
Then she turned her attention back to the battle. Her saber swung in wide arcs, making soft hissing noises when a laser bolt hit it. The clan hesitated a moment before obeying their caretaker's orders and racing back down the hallway they'd just come through. Kahlo took deeper breaths as they quickened their speed. She could still hear humming and blasting behind her and she resisted the urge to turn around and see what was going on.
"I know the way to the Council Chambers from here," Sors said, "We just need to take a detour."
"What if there are more clones though?" Jeswi asked.
"We'll worry about them when we get there," Shia said, "Now move!"
Sors let them through long corridors and up twisting staircases, not stopping to even let the clan take a quick breather. Kahlo was sure that they were lost several times, but each time Sors insisted that they weren't and lead them on. They had to take several detours through other halls and along walkways to avoid areas where other Jedi were fighting the clones. A few times the clones fired on them but they managed to escape each time. After avoiding another such situation another youngling in the clan remarked,
"We were lucky that time. There were a lot of them back there."
Shia turned her head to look at him,
"A Jedi once told me that there's no such thing as luck," she said. The other youngling fell silent after that.
"How far to the Council Chambers?" Jeswi asked.
"Not far," Sors said, "the stairs are just around-,"
Then a blue laser bolt cut through the darkness and stuck the wall behind the clan. It dissipated in a flash of sparks and left behind a black smudge. Close by the hum of a few lightsabers could be heard. A few younglings, not just Jeswi this time, screamed in surprise. The clan started to turn around. Kahlo stopped when she saw Sors wasn't following them.
"Well come on!" she said.
"We can't go back!" Sors said, "All the other halls will lead to this spot. This is the only way I know up to the Council Chambers!"
"That can't be right!" Shia said, coming back, "There has to be another way."
More younglings started coming back to the spot, offering suggestions as to how to get past the clones. Their voices began blurring together into an undistinguishable hubbub.
"We could go through another hall."
"We could fight them."
"One of us could distract them."
"We could do a mind trick on them!"
"That'll never work!"
"There has to be another way up."
"We're going to die!"
"Quiet!" Shia yelled at the clan. There were a few more murmurs before the clamoring of voices wanting to be heard subsided. For a moment all that could be heard was the sound of blasting and lightsabers.
"This is the only way to the Council Chambers," Sors insisted, "There has to be a way to get there. Now if we just think about this for a second-."
"Sors look!" Jeswi cried, pointing down to where the blasting noises were coming from. The clones had apparently taken care of whatever Jedi had been there and one was now coming after them. A few younglings at the front ignited their training sabers and held them in shaking hands.
"Just like the remotes," Shia whispered to herself.
The clone raised his gun and started firing. The younglings at the front managed to deflect two bolts but they knew they wouldn't hold out for long. The other clones seemed to be satisfied that whatever Jedi they'd been fighting wasn't going to be a problem now and were coming to join their comrade. Then a blur of motion blocked the hall and a blue saber came crashing down onto the lead clone. The trooper gave a startled yell and his companions began firing on the Jedi who had jumped in. They hadn't finished him off after all. He blocked each bolt easily. It was clear he had had more training in deflecting this kind of fire than Master Rayfall. He spun the blade around with such speed that it made Kahlo's head spin a little. He even managed to deflect a bolt back to its source and one of the clones yelled and stumbled back, stunned. He looked back at the younglings.
"Quick, go to the Council Chambers. I'll hold them off," he said.
The clan nodded their thanks and waited a moment for the Jedi to clear the hall. With a burst of newfound energy he launched himself at the clones and killed a second one. He pushed them back, leaving an opening for the younglings to run through.
"Hurry!" Sors said.
The clan surged forward, slipping through the gap and heading for the stairs. Kahlo began to breathe heavily as they ran up the steps, franticly rushing towards safety. She nearly slipped but caught herself. She sucked in another breath and continued running after the others. Shia tripped on one of the steps in her haste and Kahlo stopped to help her up before continuing to run. Behind them in the stairwell below the sounds of the Jedi's lightsaber could still be heard. The clones continued to fire and the sound added to the crescendo. The blasting became louder as a few more clones arrived. Kahlo knew they didn't have much time. Then she heard a soft cry and a nearly inaudible thud. The guns and lightsaber fell silent. Jeswi gave a tiny sob.
"They killed him," she whispered, so soft Kahlo almost missed what she said. The clan stopped in a shady door way out of sight at the top of the stairwell and listened for a moment as the clones talked.
"Sir, a group of younglings just ran up the stairwell," one of the clones said.
"Leave them," another clone said, "We'll get them later. There are still more Jedi in the Temple."
Then the sounds of their footsteps faded away.
"Did you hear that?" Jeswi whispered, "They're coming for us later."
"We'll worry about that later," Shia said, "We still have a mission remember?"
"This way," Sors said. They turned back and continued to run. Fueled by fear, they kept running through rooms and up stairwells until they were high in the High Council tower. Finally they stopped to catch their breaths as they came close to the tower's apex. Jeswi and several others were shaking, partly from fear, partly from exhaustion. Sors was peering down the stairwell they had just come up to see if anyone was following them.
"I can't go any further," Shia whimpered, "Can we just stay here?"
"We can't stop here!" Sors protested, "We need to keep moving! Master Rayfall said to go to the Council Chambers so that's what we're going to do!"
None of the others felt like arguing. They were almost there anyhow. Kahlo took in another deep breath and looked down the stairs. Her imagination projected images of row after row of clones coming up the stairs, guns held at the ready. The imaginary clones would all line up and then start shooting, firing squad style. She shrank back a little. That was enough of that. She turned and scampered off after her clan.
"Which way are the Council Chambers anyway?" she asked.
"I think I know the way from here," Jeswi offered. Her voice shook a little and she stepped up to the front of the group. A few younglings gave her a surprised look. Jeswi rarely ever took the lead. Sors stepped aside and gave her a smile, encouraging this strange show of leadership. She looked at the doors in the small room, uncertain at first, before striding forward with new determination to lead her clan to safety. The stairwell was eerily quiet. Kahlo didn't see a soul, which she supposed shouldn't have surprised her. They were pretty high up in the tower. It made sense there was no one there. Regardless, her stomach began to churn with uneasiness and she chewed on her fingers nails a little.
"Maybe we're going the wrong way," Jeswi said suddenly, her confidence fading, "Maybe I'm wrong. Maybe-,"
"Hold on, I think we're there," another youngling said. He ran ahead to a more open space at the end of the staircase, "Jeswi you've found it!" he said. He smiled and Jeswi's face brightened.
"Hurry, before more show up," Sors said. The clan rushed forward and through the door into the large circular room. The door closed behind them with a soft hiss. Kahlo ran immediately to the large windows. She climbed up onto one of the gray and red chairs so she could get a better look. Outside the already dark sky was clouded by thick plumes of smoke. Bright orange licks of flame reached up from the building below, devouring anything they touched. The bright lights of Coruscant were barely visible through the gloom. A Republic gunship flew past the tower. The engine roared and the windows rattled. Kahlo whimpered and jumped down.
"Get down," Shia said, grabbing Kahlo's hand and pulling her behind one of the larger chairs not far from the door.
"What are we going to do now?" Jeswi whispered, "What if the clones find us? They said they'd come back for us."
"I don't think they will," Shia said, "We're too high up. They might not think to check this far."
"But they might," Jeswi said. She stared out the window at the rising smoke and a few tears started to fall down her cheeks. She continued wringing the hem of her tunic with her hands. "They aren't that stupid. They'd check all the floors."
"We could try and get out of the Temple," Shia suggested timidly, "Or go looking for help. I hear there are tunnels under Coruscant. If we could-."
"They'd just find us and kill us like they did the others," Sors said, sounding very much unlike his usually determined and optimistic self.
"We're trapped here," Jeswi said, dropping her face into her hands.
Kahlo wasn't sure what to say. She bit her lip and looked at the rest of her clan around her. Why did she get the feeling that they'd be trapped up here forever? That this might be the last place she'd ever see? She didn't like it and she felt like crying herself. Fear was eating her up. She spread her hands across her knees, trying to dry her sweaty palms. There was something else too. The same dark presence that she'd felt kill the Gate Master had been in the halls very close to them. She didn't like it at all and it seemed to be getting closer with each passing moment.
"Do you guys feel that?" she finally whispered, "It feels…evil."
"I don't feel anything," Shia said.
"I feel it," Sors said, "I'm not sure what it is though. It could be clones."
"Or your minds playing tricks on you," Shia said.
"I feel it," Jeswi offered timidly, but no one seemed to hear.
Before anyone could say anything else they heard a soft hissing noise coming from the front of the chamber. The heads of all the younglings turned as the door to the Council Chamber slid open. Sors poked his head over the chair.
"Look, someone's here to help us," he whispered. He stood up and the rest of the clan followed. Kahlo didn't recognize the Jedi who had entered the room immediately. The hood on his cloak was pulled up and it succeeded in shading much of his face. He wore a slightly pained expression on his face that made Kahlo feel uneasy. After a moment though, she remembered that this was the Jedi who she'd often seen with Master Kenobi. He helped rescue the Chancellor and had done countless other acts of heroism during the war. This Jedi might look a bit threatening but he wouldn't hurt then. Hope rose in her heart and she almost smiled. Surely they would be safe now. Sors walked out from behind the chairs and stood in front of the Jedi. It was clear he too felt the same hope upon recognizing the new arrival.
"Master Skywalker, there are too many of them. What are we going to do?" he asked, looking up at the Jedi with his big blue eyes.
The Jedi lowered his head a little and gazed back at the boy with a strange look that Kahlo didn't quite understand. He looked…angry. Any hope that she had began to wither and die. Something was wrong. The dark presence she'd felt was stronger than ever. She and the rest of the clan jumped back as the Jedi ignited his lightsaber. Kahlo's eyes widened in shock. What was he doing? Then the blade sliced through the air and struck Sors. The Jedi didn't even pause to watch the fair haired youngling fall to the ground before advancing on the rest of the clan. Kahlo opened her mouth to scream, but the sound never left her mouth.