For the second time in all of her fifteen years, Jedi Padawan Rey'na Vell felt real fear.
The first time had been when she was a tiny girl of three. She had the misfortune to be trapped underneath a fallen tree that was slowly crushing her to death. She was saved by a young Jedi Padawan on her first solo mission. That Padawan, Minae Telerell, had realised that Rey'na was Force-sensitive and had taken her back to the Temple. Eight years later, Minae had become Rey'na's master.
And now she knew again what it was like to be too terrified to do anything, to call out, to move. Fear was coursing unheeded through her veins, both white-hot and icy-cold.
Ahead, the clone troopers were shouting out and receiving orders. She could hear the crackle of comms, and incessant blaster fire. Most chilling of all, she could hear the hum and snap of a lightsaber.
The 501st, along with their hooded leader, had stormed the Jedi Temple just minutes ago. Already, bodies littered the once peaceful halls and gardens, and the air was heavy and suffocating with the smell of blood, lasers and death.
She would have to be lucky to live through this.
Rey'na carefully made her way around past the majority of the clones, hiding in the shadows when possible, and if not, lying still and silent as if dead. Her ploy worked, and she was not found out.
Rey'na now had only to get to the window that was only just ahead, climb out, and she would be free! But screams and cries of pain shattered her hope and determination. Something snapped, broke, fell away, and she was alone. She fell, and lay there.