Jedi Temple, Coruscant
The attack had come without warning. The Jedi Temple sensor scanners detected several traitor Republic Gunships heading directly for the Jedi Temple. They had raised the main deflector shields over the temple to defend it, but the gunships had sent a volley of missiles that blew several holes into the barrier. Once the ships had flown inside, they landed outside the temple and began to deploy thousands of Clone Troopers, who charged into the temple and opened fire.
The Jedi had activated any and all defense systems against the Clones, but the enemy soon forced their way in, blasting open the main doors with miniature sonic grenades, technology based off of the weapons wielded by their template, Jango Fett. Chaos reigned as the Jedi battled the Clone Army, sabers and blaster bolts flashing in a storm of multicolor light that flooded through the ancient yet pristine halls of the temple. For every clone that was killed, ten took its place. Outside, the Republic Gunships relentlessly blasted away at the temple defenses and deposited an endless supply of clones to do battle with the shrinking Jedi forces.
Commander Cody, the head of the Coruscant Division of the Clone Army, rode toward the temple on his personal orange gunship, along with his entire elite squadron. He glanced down at the battle below, seeing the total destruction of the barrier and his army marching quickly yet efficiently into the temple.
"Orders, sir?" asked one of his lieutenants.
"Order 66 can allow no Jedi to survive," Cody replied. "Land outside the temple, then fly the gunships into the air above and circle over the temple. Shoot down anything trying to leave."
"Yes, sir."
The pilot activated the landing gear as their ship flew through the obliterated barrier and touched down near the temple entrance. Cody's clone division stepped out of the gunship in perfect formation, each wielding long-range, armor-piercing blaster rifles.
"Have our reinforcements from Mustafar arrived?" Cody asked.
"Yes, sir. They will be joining the attack any minute now."
"Excellent. Signal the men to head for the temple command center. Once there, we can deactivate the Jedi defense systems."
The blue-armored clone lieutenant saluted and joined the attack force. Cody looked up and saw, much to his satisfaction, several gunships landing at the entrance to the temple, carrying the reinforcements from Mustafar. The Jedi stood no chance now.
Running past the temple library and into the main hangars, Jack Foster, one of the few remaining Jedi Knights from the east wing of the temple, was searching for a useable Star Fighter so he could shoot down the enemy gunships. His unique orange lightsaber illuminated the darkened hangar as he quickly scanned the room. No luck. The clones knew exactly where to strike. All the ships were destroyed.
His master, Sophia Cartwright, had taught him to extend his vision with the force as often as possible. She said it was far more revealing than seeing with your eyes. He hid behind a ruined ship and tried to steady his breathing, communing with the force to locate the enemy. Despite his worry interfering with his concentration, he managed to sense the hostile auras of the Clone Army within moments.
There was a chilling aura of lifelessness about them, Jack reflected. Every time they murdered a Jedi, he felt a sharp pain in his gut. When his master had given him the news about the Clone Army exterminating the Jedi, he began to feel the pain more vividly, as though the knowledge somehow made the deaths more real. He had to find a way to stop them, but the clones seemed to have them outmatched in every sense of the word.
He peeked out from behind the wrecked ship, seeing two nearby Clone Troopers entering the hangar, weapons ready. He slowly extended his will in the force toward them. They found themselves lifted into the air, then slammed into the wall of the hangar. They sagged limply to the floor, unconscious.
A third Clone Trooper saw his comrades beaten from the hall outside. Instead of entering, he grabbed a small sphere from his belt and hurled it into the room. A mini sonic grenade. He pushed it away with the Force, but it detonated a moment later. Jack quickly covered his ears and fell flat on the ground.
The grenade instantly turned the room into a vacuum of light, fire and, above all, noise. Even with his ears covered, the sound was deafening. The blast scattered the nearby rubble and debris, and Jack had to hold onto the side of a ruined cruiser to avoid being flung aside.
When the explosion finally stopped, Jack ran out of the hangar and into the hall. The startled blue-armored clone fired at him on instinct, but Jack already sensed when and where he would shoot. With the reflexes of a cat, Jack thrust his lightsaber in the path of the blaster, the red laser bolt deflecting off his shining blade. Jack then held his hand forward and sent out a sharp force wave, the clone flying into the air and slamming against the ceiling.
Jack scanned the areas nearby for any other opponents, then continued down the hall to look for another useable hangar. He saw several other Jedi nearby battling a squadron of Clone Troopers in the command center, deflecting blaster fire as best they could, but most of them couldn't keep up with the hundreds of shots being fired and eventually fell.
Behind the clone squadron, Jack noticed a particular clone wearing faded yellow armor. On his belt were two blaster pistols and several sonic grenades, and he carried an automatic machine blaster rifle in one hand. It could only be Commander Cody. The clone leader was standing at the top of a nearby ledge. He grabbed a sonic grenade from his belt, dodging a stray blaster bolt. He then hurled it down into the center of the room, the explosion decimating both his own soldiers and the nearby Jedi.
From the top of the ledge, Commander Cody watched the explosion wipe out the squadron of Jedi, as well as his own men. It was a logical sacrifice. They outnumbered the Jedi, but were out skilled by them. The clones gained far more than they lost.
Cody searched the nearby areas for survivors, then grabbed a small communicator from the back of his belt and activated it. The holographic image of his chief lieutenant appeared on the device.
"Report," said Cody. "Battle status in and around the temple."
"We have the advantage in numbers, sir," the clone replied. "But the Jedi still have the upper hand in skill and are holding their own."
"Then perhaps it is time to deploy the weapons from Mustafar. Send in squadron D-19."
"Yes, sir."
Out of the corner of his eye, Cody noticed someone in a brown cloak running down the nearby corridor. An orange lightsaber shimmered brightly in his hand and weaved a trail of color in the air behind it as he ran. Another Jedi target. Cody reloaded his blaster rifle and went after him.
Jack finally stopped to catch his breath in one of the training rooms. He saw the bodies of several younglings nearby, along with several dead clones, and felt sick. He was barely able to avoid hurling as he saw how many bodies lied in death's cold embrace. They may have been young Jedi, but they were still children, and the thought that these clones had murdered them made him burn with a rage he hadn't felt in years, despite all his training.
Jack suddenly sensed a small yet strong aura nearby. He closed his eyes and extended his vision in the force. It wasn't hostile. The aura he sensed was that of a youngling. One of them was still alive! He detected the aura beneath several bodies. It made him even more nauseous to move them, but he had to see if the child was alright. He moved the bodies off the boy. He leaned down and felt his pulse. It was normal. The dark-haired boy couldn't have been more than four or five years old.
Suddenly, the boy opened his eyes and jumped up in fright when he saw Jack.
"It's alright," Jack said softy. "I won't hurt you."
The child calmed down slightly as Jack put away his lightsaber, the orange blade vanishing into the metal hilt.
"Are you hurt?" Jack asked.
The boy shook his head. Jack noticed that the youngling's lightsaber was broken, probably from a battle with the clones.
"How did you survive?" Jack asked in wonder.
"I hid under the bodies of my friends," the child responded, his voice quivering.
Jack put his hand on the boy's shoulder, trying to calm him. He sent soothing waves of energy into his aura, which seemed to slightly relax him.
"What is your name?" he asked.
"Han," the boy replied. "Han Solo."
Jack glanced around the room, neither seeing nor sensing any other younglings alive. In that moment, Jack realized that he had to help Han escape.
"Come with me," Jack said calmly but firmly. "I'm going to get you out of here."
Suddenly, Jack heard a strange sound nearby, but sensed nothing in the Force. Han heard it a moment later and moved instinctively closer to Jack, who drew his orange lightsaber and activated it. Jack had heard the sound before. It was the sound of metal rolling across the ground. He looked back through the corridor and saw what he feared most.
Two large, round metal disks were rolling toward them. He recognized them instantly. They were the most devastating weapons ever developed by the Separatists, the ultimate Jedi killers.
Droidekas.
The two bronze-colored disks stopped rolling when they reached the chamber, opening up from their ball-shaped forms. Eerie metallic eyes appeared, along with two pairs of mechanical arms. On each arm were two large blaster cannons, which began rotating. Blue, semitransparent blaster-proof barriers materialized around each Droideka, and they began firing armor-piercing lasers from the rotating cannons on their mechanical arms.
Jack grabbed Han and ducked out of the way, the lasers exploding and obliterating the nearby walls. Now he knew why the Jedi were losing so easily. Whereas it took several clones to overpower a single Jedi, it took several Jedi to overpower a single Droideka. The Jedi no longer had the advantage in combat superiority.
Droidekas were nearly impossible to kill. Blasters were useless against them, so fighting them from a distance was impossible. Even using the force would have little effect against their powerful defense shields. The only way to kill one would be to get in close with a lightsaber, but doing so would almost certainly lead to death thanks to their laser cannons.
Jack quickly picked up Han with his free hand and ran out of the room, ducking through the corridor. The Droidekas retracted their metallic limbs and began rolling after them once again, moving at ungodly speeds. It was impossible to outrun them. In the few moments he had left, Jack tried desperately to think of a way to defeat the Droidekas.
As he ran, Jack glanced at several dead Clone Troopers nearby. Then, it hit him. He quickly set Han down, turned around and faced the Droidekas.
"Keep moving, Han!" Jack shouted. "I'll catch up with you in a moment!"
Han quickly obeyed, trusting Jack to keep his word. Once the child was gone, Jack held his lightsaber ready as the Droidekas stopped rolling, opened up and began firing at him. Jack had to use all his Jedi training to block and dodge the rapid volleys from the droids, parrying and ducking as many shots as he could. A few lasers deflected back at the Droidekas, bouncing uselessly off their shields.
Finally, Jack reached his free hand toward one of the dead clones. Extending his senses as far as he dared while battling the Droidekas, he found what he was looking for. Slowly, he began to pull the object off the clone's belt with the Force. It finally snapped free and flew into his hand. Jack dodged another volley of lasers, then hurled the sonic grenade at the Droidekas.
One of the stray lasers hit the grenade, detonating it. Jack held himself steady with the force, clapping his ears shut. The explosion flung him several feet backward despite Force abilities, and the wind was knocked out of him as he hit the ground and rolled to lessen the impact.
When Jack looked up, he breathed a sigh of relief. The Droidekas were obliterated. He quickly stood, trying to catch his breath and regain his composure. He had to find Han and make sure he was alright. Once he managed to recover enough to move, he ran back down the corridor after Han. He reached the end of the hall and used the Force to open the door.
He entered the mess hall, looking around desperately for Han. When he found him, his heart missed a beat when he saw Han hiding behind a table. A Clone Trooper pointed a rifle in his direction, obviously about to shoot straight through it and vaporize him. However, before Jack could intervene, Han pulled a blaster from another fallen clone to himself with the force and leapt up, shooting the surprised Clone Trooper before he could react.
Jack was amazed at Han's quick thinking, not to mention his accuracy. He quickly ran over and knelt beside Han, who looked winded and terrified.
"Are you alright?" Jack asked.
Han merely nodded in reply.
"Come on," Jack said quickly. "There should be another hangar nearby. The clones may have destroyed most of the Star Fighters, but if we can find even one working speeder, we can get out of here."
Jack and Han headed out of the mess hall, Han keeping a tight grip on his new blaster. The two stopped near one of the corridors leading to the council chambers. They peeked in through one of the large windows and saw several Jedi Masters battling a horde of Droidekas. They were holding their own, but the enemy kept coming, more and more clones and Droidekas pouring into the chambers with each passing minute.
Jack knew he couldn't be of any help to them, and he couldn't risk Han's life in a hopeless battle. It pained him deeply to leave the masters behind, but he had no choice. The two continued through a side door and into another large hall. As they moved toward the hangar, they saw less and less signs of the battle. Perhaps the hangar would be intact this time.
Suddenly, a blaster bolt flew down at them. Jack barely managed to sense it in time, jerking away and avoiding a fatal hit. The laser struck his shoulder, pain shooting through him like a hot knife. He tossed his lightsaber into his left hand, looking for the source of the shot. Standing on one of the metal ceiling rafters, Commander Cody himself aimed his blaster rifle and fired at them.
Jack parried a laser that was heading for Han, who fired back at Cody with his blaster. The shot missed the clone leader, who threw his now-empty rifle aside and drew a pistol from his belt, firing three more shots. Jack tried to reflect the bolts back at him, but Cody was already running across the rafters, firing a spread of shots as he went. Jack and Han ducked into a nearby room to avoid the lasers, Cody leaping off the rafters and out of sight.
Jack and Han, panting and gasping for breath, waited and listened for Cody. Jack tried to sense him nearby, but he couldn't find any sign of him. Perhaps he had given up the chase. Jack waited a few more moments, then stepped out of the room and back into the corridor. He looked around him, waiting for Cody to try and ambush them, but didn't see him anywhere.
"Come on," he whispered to Han once he was sure it was safe.
Han came out and the two continued cautiously through an archive chamber, Jack searching as far as he could in the Force for any sign of his enemy. Finally, when he was ten feet away from the other door, he sensed him. Commander Cody entered the room from the opposite door, standing in front of Jack and Han, his blaster ready.
Jack and Cody stared each other down for a moment. Jack knew it would be a contest of sheer skill and reflexes if they fought. He wasn't sure if he could best the clone commander, but he would certainly go for it. Cody began to shift into combat stance, aimed his blaster forward…and then turned and ran. Jack was stunned for a moment as he saw Cody flee through the nearby door.
Then, it hit him. He was heading for the hangar! He was going to destroy the ships!
Jack quickly ran after him, Han trying his best to keep up. Jack charged into an office room, hearing Cody run through another door ahead of him. Before Jack could follow, he heard a strange hissing sound. A second later, he realized what it was.
"Look out!" he screamed, grabbing Han and ducking back out of the room.
Suddenly, the whole office behind him exploded as a concealed sonic grenade detonated again. Jack managed to avoid being flung away again, but the distraction had cost him precious time. He quickly but more carefully continued his pursuit of Cody, sharply training his senses ahead of him as he went. He Force-shoved the door ahead of him open and ran through, quickly raising his lightsaber in case Cody tried a cheap shot at him.
He sensed Cody well ahead of him as he ran through another door. He heard the hissing again, but was prepared this time. He used the Force to find the grenade and hurled it into the next room, hoping against hope the explosion took out Cody. The bomb went off, but Jack still sensed Cody alive.
When he entered the next room, Cody suddenly jumped down and fired at him. Jack quickly thrust his blade forward and deflected the shot. Since they were in close quarters, Cody was holding both pistols in each hand and firing point-blank at Jack and Han. Jack stepped in front of Han and blocked the blaster bolts as best he could. Cody was quickly moving and dodging back and forth, becoming far harder to hit with deflected shots.
Finally, Jack saw an opening and Force-shoved Cody, who flew backwards and slammed into the wall. Jack ran forward and thrust his lightsaber at him, but Cody rolled out of the way as the lightsaber embedded itself into the wall. The Clone Leader fled through the door before Jack could pull his lightsaber free, Han shooting at him as he went. One of Han's shots managed to hit Cody on the side, but his armor seemed to be thick, powerful, and blaster-proof, as the shot barely made him stumble.
As Jack yanked his sword free, two red-armored Clone Troopers ran into the room through the hall Cody ran into, obviously to defend their commander. One of them reached for a sonic grenade on his belt. Jack quickly jumped and rolled forward, stabbing the trooper before he could detonate it. Han shot the other one as it aimed for Jack.
"Thanks," Jack said quickly as they continued through the corridor.
Finally, the two entered the hangar. Luckily, the ships nearby seemed relatively undamaged. However, Jack saw that was about to change. Cody was planting several sonic grenades on the nearby ships, more than enough to destroy the entire hangar. Jack knew he couldn't reach Cody in time. However, before he could destroy the ships, Han fired a shot that nailed Cody in the back. The clone leader staggered forward, giving Jack the moment he needed. The Jedi Knight thrust himself ahead with the force, swinging his lightsaber.
Cody ducked under the orange beam, leaping aside and aiming his blaster. However, Jack was too quick, and he Force-shoved Cody against a speeder and held his lightsaber at the clone commander's throat.
The two stayed like that for a few moments, eyeing each other and waiting for the other to make a move. Finally, Jack broke the silence in anger.
"Why are you doing this to us?" he demanded. "Why have the clones betrayed us all?"
Cody held his gaze. He answered almost like a machine, "You Jedi have been deemed a treat to the galaxy. Your government is weak and your ideology flawed. We are saving the system from you."
"Those are complete lies!" Jack yelled. "We are not the enemy! None of those things are true!"
"I don't care," Cody replied emotionlessly.
That sent Jack over the edge. He realized that he was talking to a soulless monster. He knew that killing an unarmed prisoner was against the Jedi code, but this ruthless copy was responsible for the deaths of hundreds of Jedi. He saw Cody trying to go for his second pistol, and Jack quickly used his lightsaber to decapitate the clone leader.
As the dead clone commander sagged to the ground, Jack shoved him aside and walked over to a nearby Star Fighter, sheathing his lightsaber. It was still functioning.
"Can we use that ship to escape?" Han asked.
Jack nodded. "Yes, but first I want to send off a distress beacon outside the hangar."
Han cocked his head, confused. "Will someone come to rescue us?"
"No, but the Republic Gunships outside will go after the distress signal, looking for the source. Meanwhile, we'll fly in the opposite direction. They won't be able to catch us once we hit the atmosphere."
Jack found a perfect standard-issue beacon on one of the speeders. He used his lightsaber to cut it loose, then aimed it outside the hanger and set it off toward the city. He then quickly turned back to the Star Fighter and opened the cockpit, using the Force to activate the machinery and typing in the startup code. As the machine came to life, the thrusters hummed, ready for takeoff.
Jack stepped out of the cockpit, grabbing spare helmets for both of them.
"Alright," he said, "we should be able to escape without trouble. Once we're off the planet, we'll go as far as we can and see if we can find the rest of the surviving Jedi. There must be many more out there."
Jack felt a surge of hope at the thought that many Jedi might have survived, but also a feeling of great loss and despair at the knowledge that so many had lost their lives to this clone menace. Once again, he felt a great pain as more of his comrades were no-doubt killed. Jack paused for a moment, then shook his head. He handed Han a helmet and gestured toward the fighter.
"I've set the autopilot to Tatooine," Jack said. "It's the farthest planet I could find. The ship should have just enough fuel to reach it."
While the fighter's engines warmed up, Jack quickly gave Han a run-down on the basic controls of the Star Fighter, though he knew it would probably be unnecessary as the auto-pilot would handle most of the flight.
"Once on Tatooine, we'll be safe," he explained. "There isn't enough fuel for a return trip, but we won't be coming back anyway."
Han climbed into the back seat of the ship, strapping himself in. Jack was about to climb into the front seat, when he suddenly felt a large group of hostile auras. He looked back into the corridor and saw a massive squadron of Clone Troopers heading their way.
"Jack, what's going on?" Han asked, growing worried.
Jack looked back at Han. "The enemy is soon upon us. The Clones have found the hangar."
"Well, climb in, quick! Let's get out of here!"
Jack shook his head sadly. "If I did, the clones would take the other ships and follow us. We'd never escape the planet. I'm sorry, but I have to stop them."
At this, Han tried to jump out of the cockpit, but Jack used the Force to close the hatch and lock him in. Tears began to fill Han's eyes.
"Jack, you saved my life. I don't want you to die now too!"
Jack smiled at the youngling. "Don't worry. My journey was good. I'm glad I at least saved one person from this nightmare clone attack."
Han looked down for a moment. "I'm sorry I failed everyone, Jack."
"What are you talking about?"
Han shrugged sadly. "It's my fault that you got into this mess. If you hadn't come for me, you could have escaped. Besides, now that the temple's lost, I'll never become a Jedi like everyone wanted. My master always said I was a bad student anyway."
Jack laughed a little. "That doesn't matter. I don't care if you become a trader, a pilot, or even a mercenary. I just want you to live, Han. At least then, I'll have done one truly good thing in my life, even if no one remembers me for it. When you reach Tatooine, find your own path and live your own dream. Just don't forget that there is always hope out there, even in situations like this."
The loud footsteps of the marching clones grew louder as they entered. Han watched Jack sadly as the Star Fighter took off from the hanger, flying into the sky. Jack felt a slight sting of worry when he heard the Republic Gunships nearby, but he smiled when he saw them heading for the beacon he sent off, completely unaware of the launched Star Fighter.
Yes, Han, he thought, closing his eyes. Live and find your own way. May the Force be with you.
Jack turned and faced the advancing Clone Army. He pulled one of the sonic grenades from Cody's belt to him with the Force, knowing that the other bombs the clone leader had planted would go off as well. As soon as the entire clone squadron was in the hangar, he detonated the grenade.
Outside, Han Solo looked down at the temple from the back of his cockpit as the Star Fighter took to the skies. There was a massive explosion below that took out the entire hangar, sending flames and debris flying everywhere. Han looked away, holding back tears at the thought of his friend.
Within minutes, the Star Fighter left the atmosphere. Han took one last look at his home of Coruscant before the ship flew into the sea of stars, never to return.
THE END