It was the end.

The assault on Kashyyyk had not lasted ten minutes and already it was over. Cale could feel himself drop to the ground, a searing pain tearing through his back. He had pictured his death in so many different ways, none of them as beautiful as this though. Truly, it was a beautiful way to die.

Kashyyyk was always such an awe-inspiring place. The massive trees and foliage which grew in abundance there never failed to knock his breath out of him. Lying with his cheek pressed into the dirt he could see them now; the trees stood stoically amid the chaos that was bubbling around them.

He could not see the Imperials, but knew that they would be there soon. He could hear his broken comlink cutting in and out. There was screaming, muffled cries that echoed through the static. He closed his eyes and could feel the ripple of the force carrying new patrons.

More Jedi had been killed.

Opening his eyes, Cale assessed the situation, willing himself to remain calm. He breathed in a large amount of dust, then proceeding to hack it out of his lungs, the organs clenching with wretched pain. Spluttering up a mix of phlegm, dust and blood he knew that he did not have much longer. The blaster had pierced a hole in his lung. He could feel himself drowning in his own blood, the familiar rusty taste welling in his mouth.

In all respects, a better Jedi would have seen it coming. But, Cale was still young... too young to really be a smart soldier. Eighteen and lucky to have been enlightened to the force was a rarity with Order 66 still ringing in the ears of the inhabitants of the galaxy.

But, in spite of everything, they had still found him, and they were still willing to train him. A few rogues, but rogues who he felt were good, and knew more about life and beyond it than anyone he had ever met. He had no parents anyway. They disappeared before he could remember them.

So, that made it better. And he became better. And before Cale Cage could speak in coherent sentences he was lifting objects that weighed a ton with the flick of his finger.

But he was also foolish and reckless. No matter how much tutoring he had, how many lessons he memorized, they could not rid him of his arrogance. Which was why he was now pressed into the dirt on some foreign planet drowning in his own blood.

He coughed up more bloody mucus. It would not be much longer now. He allowed himself to close his eyes, ignoring the yells of Wookie soldiers and the flashes of light, signalling the First Order troops. He had failed. It was over.

Then he could feel the pain in his back intensify as he was picked up.

"No!" he screamed, "my back!"

Nevertheless he was carried onward. He turned his head and could see the white-armoured soldiers begin to raze the ground behind them, unleashing mass destruction upon the lush life that had once resided there. He closed his eyes once more, not expecting them to open.

Aurora knew that once she stepped foot on the massive pile of steel she would never see her home again. Like a child she did not want to let go of her mother's hand. Tears threatened, but she promised herself that she would not cry. They could expect as much from a senator's daughter.

She clenched her mother's hand tighter.

"I don't want to go," she whispered.

Luckily, mother did not hear her. Even now she stood stoically at the gate, her gaze not wavering for a moment. Even in the chaos that had taken place for the past few months, she had never seen her mother lose composure. The wife of a senator was expected to remain silently assured at every moment. It was as though the thin line of her mouth had been cemented into place.

Aurora could spot her father in the crowd, speaking with members of the security team. He was arranging for them to board the craft safely. They would have taken their smaller, more comfortable yacht but in times like these it was dangerous, even foolish to put themselves at risk in a smaller vessel.

The massive star cruiser yawned on in front of the family. She could feel a few tears slide down her face, she welcomed them.

"Hush now," her mother scolded, a sense of regal authority in her voice. "I will have none of this. You are a senator's daughter and a princess, I raised you to know better."

The young woman looked up at her mother, her eyes shining with brimming tears.

Then suddenly there was a blinding flash of light. There was no sound, only people running and screaming.

A heavy weight crushed her. She was pinned under a piece of scrap metal. Her cheek was pressed to the ground, staring at those running by. She was helpless.

And then there was someone pulling at her. She felt herself lifting in their hands, her ears ringing loudly. She could not remember anything, desperately confused about how she had ended up on the ground.

The hands brought her over to the ship, where another person had collected her. They grabbed her arm roughly, pulling her onto the barge. Slowly, as they pulled away and into the upper reaches of the atmosphere she turned back and looked at her saviour.

She promised herself to always remember his face.