Disclaimer:
I don't own the Star Wars, though I wish I did. George Lucas owns that. I do, however, own Marra, Terke, Ryuin and Attca, who are the main characters of this story.
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Summary:
During the Clone Wars, three Jedi are stationed on the outer rim territory in the Ilum system. After order 66 takes place, they do their best to survive in a hostile galaxy that has no more use for the Jedi. Braving hostile elements, dangerous Clone Troopers, and even a Dark Jedi. Takes place just during and after the events of 'Episode III: Revenge of the Sith.' Rated PG-13 just to be on the dark side... er I mean, safe side. Safe side. I'm not evil, really.
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A lot of things could be said about the Ilum system. That it was remote, on the far edge of the Republic's dominion. That it was isolated, and apart from a few skirmishes has been left alone by both the Grand Army of the Republic and the droid legions of the Separatists. It was mysterious, for Jedi would occasionally venture there for unknown purpose. But right now, Padawan Terke had but one thought concerning Ilum.
It was cold.
Colder than any other planet she'd ever visited, far colder than the likes of even the Hoth system, and perhaps a smidgen warmer the icy void of space itself. Even now, covered in layer upon layer of heavy cotton robes, she swore she would freeze if ever she happened to stop moving. So it was she kicked her Tauntaun none-too-gently in the side, urging it on. The great gray snow-lizard was suited better to the climate, far better suited than she, and made good time as it two-stepped it's way across the snow, it's wide spread talons allowing it a far better grip on the surface of the snow as it made it's way towards her destination.
The Temple of the Jedi.
Not exactly THE temple, the one on Coruscant which was the center of the Jedi's power. It was not in the Jedi way to name things, apart from themselves, really. It could also be referred to as the Jedi Temple of Ilum, which was as close to a label as ever. It was a secret temple, guarded by the ice, hidden by the snow. Indeed, had Padawan Terke not known what she was looking for, she might have walked past the mountain and completely missed the entrance, hidden amidst a sliver of crystals and by a blinding wall of snow that seemed the perpetual weather here on Ilum. The doorway was a rough four meters high, far larger than would be necessary for the unusual short Padawan, and two meters wide. Companions, usually a master and apprentice, could walk side by side into the temple with ease.
Terke Riith, Jedi Padawan, still learning the ways of the Force and the world in general, rode her Tauntaun into the opening cavern of the temple, ducking her head slightly to avoid the ceiling. Short though she was, her Tauntaun was not, and she had to coax it to lower it's on head lest it slam into the doorway. A short round of coughing greeted her, as she glanced over to the side and found one of her fellow Jedi.
Ryuin, human by birth and Jedi by trade, had only recently come into the position of full Jedi Knight, his master having perished during the Battle of Kuthu'lu'lu. He was still young by human standards, his hair was light brown cut short against his head and trimmed down into a short van dyke style of beard. His eyes were an unremarkable hazel. Normally he was in the very peak of physical condition, an arena at which he excelled, for few were his match with a lightsaber. Upon coming to Ilum, however, he'd caught a terrible illness that no medicine seemed to be able to completely shake.
"Greetings," he said, muffling another cough in the sleeve of his own robe, shivering miserably in front of a fire as Terke made her way inside and dismounted from her Tauntaun, leaping down gracefully onto the ground. "What word from the main forces?"
"Out of the ordinary, nothing is. Received word, we have, from the Jedi Council. Master Windu reports that Count Dooku is dead," she intoned, her voice oddly musical coming from the folds of her hood. "Several days old, however, the information likely is."
"Oh? Wow... poor fellow. Be he at peace with the Force," intoned Ryuin without much sincerity, making the appropriate sign of 'peace' with his hand. She followed suit, shrugging off her hood in the process and allowing a casual viewer a better look at just who and what she was.
Terke Riith was three feet tall, unusually so for one of her species, green skinned and partially reptilian, with pointed ears that swept back onto either side of her head and short claws on her three-digit hands and feet. Her hair was a thick black, cut short in the manner of Padawans, with a short braided length thrown over her shoulder. Underneath her extra layers of robes, which she shrugged off inside of the warmer cavern (Ryuin kept it continually heated while she was away) she was dressed in the simple white robes of the Jedi, though no lightsaber was belted at her side. She had a decided calm, quiet aura about her. She was the only other of her kind among the Jedi. The other was the widely known and respected Master Yoda.
The soft fall of footsteps alerted the two Jedi to the arrival of the third member of their party, Jedi Master Marra Henis. A purple-skinned, limber twi'lek still in her prime, Master Marra was a renowned Jedi Master, known and spoken of even among the Order as one of their most gifted, imaginative students. She had even been offered a seat on the council, or so it was said (one of the youngest since Mace Windu had been made a member), and turned it down. She was Padawan Terke's teacher and good friend. The robes of the Jedi wrapped themselves around her body like a second skin, and she moved completely at ease with all things around her, as if everything was her ally. A lightsaber, seemingly too well-cared for to be a weapon, rested on her hip.
As always, whenever Terke saw her master Marra, she smiled, unable to find words.
"Everything went well?" asked Marra, making her way from her place deeper in the temple to join her two companions. The temple itself was suited for ceremony, but the outermost cavern was rough and suited their needs for their prolonged stay. It was where they slept and kept company with one another.
"Fine, everything is, Master Marra," replied Padawan Terke without hesitation. "The Council reports..."
The beautiful twi'lek gently held up a hand, smiling. "I heard, thank you... our orders are the same?"
The green-skinned Padawan nodded.
"Stay here, guard the temple, try not to get killed by more of Dooku's droids," grumbled Ryuin from off to the side, launching into a fresh bout of coughing. Normally a fairly decent fellow to get along with, losing his master and having been ill for so many days had been wearing on his nerves. Seeing the looks the two Jedi women were giving him, however, he immediately apologized as best he was able between fits of coughing. "Sorry... not in the best of mood these days."
"Given your condition, understandable, it is," remarked Terke. "The tea I suggested you try... work, it did not?"
Ryuin cast her a baleful glance, his expression speaking volumes. If it had worked, I wouldn't still be coughing, would I? he said with his eyes. Again he coughed, violently this time. Thankfully, however, he managed to draw in a breath after that, and give a sigh of relief. "I'm fine, really... I'll be better once we're called back to Coruscant and we can get out of this dreadful weather."
"At least, cold-blooded, you are not!" huffed Terke. "Murder out there, it is for me."
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The orders were almost exactly as Jedi Knight Ryuin described them.
Maintain a lookout over the temple on Ilum, keep watch for signs of danger, await there for further orders. Guard the temple at all costs.
Why this temple was so precious was a mystery to many, including many of the Clone Troopers stationed in the valley to the east. Sent by the Supreme Chancellor to assist the Jedi, he had acquiesced to their request to keep the Temple's location a secret, and were keeping a distance away. To further confuse the troopers, none of the three Jedi made the same trip to and from the armed campsite, and none of them rode towards or away from the camp the same direction. It was a bit of a hassle, but it was worth it. If the enemies of the Jedi ever discovered the temple, it would be in danger. And in a sense, so would the Jedi. Because of what was housed below them.
Below the Temple proper was a series of caverns and tunnels that stretched deeper into the earth. And scattered amongst these tunnels were crystals. Crystals of a unique make-up that they, and only they, could be used in the creation of a Jedi lightsaber. All the other parts, power pack, casing, and the like, could be found anywhere on Coruscant or the galaxy. But the crystals, here, were the source of the Jedi's lightsabers.
The Crystal is the Heart of the Blade. The Heart is the Crystal of the Jedi. The Jedi is the Crystal of the Force. The Force is the Blade of the Heart. All are intertwined. The Crystal. The Blade. The Jedi. You are One.
Every single Jedi had heard these words before, repeated by their master, as they had made for themselves their lightsaber. Each and every Jedi handmade their own. It was an extension of them, not simply a weapon. A lightsaber and a fresh changes of clothes were the most possessions a Jedi usually ever owned. Thus, the weapon was a part of them. A part of their soul.
Six years ago, Jedi Knight Ryuin had spoken those words, made his blade. A beam of gold had illuminated the hallway as he'd activated it. Now, today, as part of their duties on Ilum, Master Marra was repeating the words for her Padawan as she effortlessly put together her own lightsaber, constructing it from the pieces placed before her, manipulating them with the power of her mind. And now, a bright amethyst stroke of energy split the air, illuminating a shared smile on Master and Padawan's face.
"Padawan Terke Riith, your training is complete. I have nothing more to teach you. When we return to Coruscant, I will bid the Council to place you through the trials... and you will become a Jedi Knight," said Master Marra. And though she'd spoken the words many times before to many apprentices, this time they seemed touched with a sense of... compassion. She saw a lot of herself in Terke Riith. They were like sisters, almost. They'd grown very close in their time as Master and Apprentice.
Not all had been so lucky in this time of war.
The Temple of Ilum itself was proof of that. Only a year or two ago it had been attacked by spider-droids bent on destroying it with explosives. Master Luminara and her apprentice Bariss Offee had managed to fend them off, but it had nearly cost them their lives. They had been the fortunate ones. Many others had not been. Friends, apprentices, masters, all and more had been lost, united eternally with the Force. Jedi taught that was the way of things, that death was not the end.
But it could still sometimes be hard.
Brushing aside such unpleasantly dark thoughts, Master Marra placed a comforting hand on her apprentice's shoulder, again offering her congratulations on completing her training. As she did, however, she felt... something odd. A rippled in the Force. A disturbance. Her eyes opened in surprise, and she glanced at her former apprentice in surprise. A similar look of astonishment was etched across the reptilian green flesh of Terke Riith. She'd felt it too.
It was as if...
"Hey!" came a voice from high above. "You two may want to get up here, we got some company!"
Swiftly to the two Jedi ladies grabbed their lightsabers and thrust them into their belts as they ascended the corridors and passageways to the top of the Temple, where Ryuin would be found.
"I have a bad feeling about this," intoned Terke as they ascended the stairs.
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They found Ryuin by the entrance to the temple, out of sight behind one of the heavy support columns. His lightsaber was out, and both of them raised they eyebrows at the sight of that. As good a fighter was, Ryuin never took out his blade unless he intended to use it. Trouble was indeed upon them. But what sort of trouble could visit them on remote, isolated Ilum?
"What's wrong?" asked Master Marra, determined not to rush into things blindly.
Ryuin replied with a jerk of his head towards the entrance. "Take a look for yourself, Master."
Puzzled by his odd reply, she did indeed take a look outside, cautiously peering around the side of the entrance.
To her surprise, not combat droids, not Separatist troopers, not even a rampaging herd of Tauntauns. It was a division of Clone Troopers. Their leader, separated by the others only by a distinct yellow crest on his helmet, was paving the way through the snow as he guided the others, apparently straight towards the temple. Now that was odd.
"How did they find the Temple?" she asked.
Neither of her companions had any answer. But neither liked it. Terke was wringing her hands in confusion and perhaps a little fear. Ryuin stifled another cough behind his hand, his other still clutching his lightsaber, ready to use it the instant it was required.
"Master Jedi!" came the call of the Clone Trooper. Ryuin and Terke shivered, and not entirely because of the cold. Like most Jedi, it never sit comfortable with them the origins of the Clone Troopers. Clones. All the same being, made again and again like assembly line droids. All bearing the same face under those helmets. And all possessing the exact same voice. You could make friends with one, have him die in battle, and not realize it talking to another until they told you.
Eerie.
"Master Jedi!"
"Perhaps... important news, it is," suggested Terke tentatively.
"Still doesn't explain how they found the temple," murmured Ryuin, half to himself.
Master Marra nodded to herself, apparently thinking the same thing. Her purple tendrils bobbed behind her head as she nodded in agreement with Ryuin. But she had a decision to make. The troopers already knew where the Temple was, that was clear enough. What did they gain by skulking about in the darkness like common bounty hunters? Slowly, cautiously, she stepped into the entrance and into full view. Her bright purple skin could hardly be missed in the otherwise pure white of the surrounding landscape. The Clone Troopers spotted her instantly.
"Jedi Master Henis?" asked the Clone Commander, perhaps unable to see with snow blocking his visor.
"It is I... what brings you here, Commander?" she replied as lightly as possible.
"Are the other Jedi with you? Are they all here?" he asked insistently.
"Yes, yes everyone is here. What is wrong?" persisted Marra, unsure of where this was going.
To her further surprise, the Commander suddenly stopped, and she could sense a smile forming behind his helmet. "Nothing. Everything's in order," he told her. Then, suddenly, turned back to his troops. "Execute Order 66," he said in crisp, commanding tones.
"Yes sir," they replied as one, with the same voice.
"Commander?" asked Marra, now suddenly feeling much worse, not better. What in the name of the Force was going on?
Her answer was given to her as one of the Clone Troopers tossed a heavy energy rifle to the commander, who effortlessly grabbed it out of the air, spun around, and immediately opened fire... on Jedi Master Marra Henis herself. Totally caught off guard, the Jedi Master would've been dead in mere moments from the super hot laser blasts...
... that is, of course, if a bright blade of gold hadn't suddenly intercepted them, blocking them before they could reach their target and knocking them off harmlessly into the snow.
"Go!" shouted Ryuin, lightsaber upraised as Terke gently grabbed her Master and pulled her out of the line of fire. By now all the troopers were firing. A literal wall of red fire was raining down on Ryuin. Thousand of non-Jedi, and even a few skilled Jedi Knights, might've been slain by such a barrage. But Ryuin was a swordmaster with few equals even in the Jedi Order, blocking and parrying the deadly blasts, sending them flying off in different directions. Beyond this, he could sense his actions had bought him some time, as well as time for his companions. A blade of bright emerald and another of glowing amethyst shined on both sides of him as they joined the fray as well, deflecting the blasts of the Clone Troopers. Marra was even able to deflect a few right back at their attackers.
For a brief moment, it seemed that perhaps being vastly outnumbered, the Jedi might be able to best their attackers and win the day.
That hope quickly faded and died as more of the Troopers arrived. Vast numbers that three Jedi, however good, could not defeat. Worse, a special division had arrived high up on the ridge. Marra spotted them before either of her companions, noticed the configurations of the weapons they were preparing. Missiles. Bad news. Jedi lightsabers could deflect energy attacks like laser bolts commonly fired by weaponry in the galaxy, but against a missile, they were close to worthless.
"Back! Back to the Temple!" she ordered, falling back in precision with the other two. She and Terke had been a team for many years, one carrying on where the other could not, one blade blocking an opening the other left. And while he had not worked alongside these two Jedi before in the heat of combat, Ryuin was a trained Jedi Knight and a skilled swordsman, and he easily fit himself into their routine. Between the three blades, gold, amethyst, and emerald, they created all but an impenetrable prismatic barrier as they fell back to the Temple.
"Deeper into the Temple!" ordered Marra. "Hurry!"
A command given not a moment too soon, for as soon as the Jedi started to run one of the missiles struck the support columns by the entrance. The explosion made the floor under them shake. The Temple's structure, already unstable from the last series of explosions that had rocked it, was precariously close to collapse. To emphasize the point, the ground was already starting to break up into fissures. With a loud cry of protest, their Taumtaum gave a great roar as it vanished into one of these cracks. There was no way they could save the beast. They would be lucky if they could save themselves.
Nimbly, the three Jedi leapt up and over the crevices and towards the deeper caverns, hoping they would perhaps be more stable. More explosions followed behind them. The Troopers were determined to bury them alive, it seemed. Crude, but effective, especially against Jedi. They'd be preparing for this. But why? Why betray the Jedi and the Republic? Or was there the possibility, remote though it may be, that the Republic was behind the attack?
Wasting no time, the Jedi leapt down into the lower caverns of the temple.
Ryuin stopped on a nearby outcropping for a moment to catch his breath, and launch into a fresh round of coughing. He'd managed to keep it under control during the fight but the exertion was starting to do him in. He had to stop and catch his breath...
... a fresh shudder rang throughout the temple, and he glanced up in alarm, the Force warning him of danger. A rocky column above them had given way and was now hurtling down atop of him. He threw up his hands to ward off danger, knowing in truth he was about to be crushed...
... but miraculously, he wasn't. The falling rock simply... stopped... just above his head.
He glanced back over his shoulder, seeing Master Marra, palm outstretched, fingers splayed, and knew instinctively she had been the one who had stopped the rocks from falling.
He couldn't quite manage a "thank you" through his coughs, but he nodded his head, and she could sense his gratitude flowing along the lines of the Force. With a flick of her wrist, a casual gesture, she sent all four hundred pounds of stone flying through the air to slam against the far wall, furthest from the three Jedi, and they took off. Even Ryuin managed to continue a dead run despite his cough, figuring better to catch his breath after he wasn't in danger of losing his life.
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Outside the Temple, the entrance and much of the structure had been reduced to rubble by Clone Troopers attacks, blasting it away with lasers, bombarding it with missiles. A rock slide had aided them considerably in the endeavor, and now a mountain of snow had collapsed the only known entrance. Clone Commander reported in to his superior, Clone Lieutenant, characterized by a distinct red on his helmet.
"Sir, we got them. The Jedi were inside and the Temple is no more."
"I've heard it before. Search the rubble. Show me bodies, Commander," ordered the Lieutenant.
"Yes sir," replied the commander, without hesitation, snapping out orders to his underlings. "You men, start digging around the exterior..."
The Clone Lieutenant brought up his binoculars to his face, training them to the maximum detail, scanning the wreckage of the Jedi Temple. As his Commander had said, it was unlikely anything could have survived. But he had fought alongside Jedi for many years during the Clone Wars. He knew what they were capable of. Bodies, they were dead. No bodies, they could still be alive.
And his orders were very specific.
Order 66. Exterminate any and all Jedi in the immediate vicinity.
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Finally, the rumblings of the Temple had ceased. It was indeed destroyed, the upper levels were a mess, but the lower levels, the caverns of the crystals and the like, were relatively intact. This was where the three Jedi found themselves.
They would've preferred to keep going, all of them, but Ryuin had collapsed, unable to proceed, and they were forced to admit this was as safe a place as they could likely rest for the moment. Terke snapped a plasma pack they kept on hand, allowing light to illuminate the cavern and heat to fill it. All three Jedi were shivering. Mostly from the cold, but from something else as well.
"By the Force," swore Terke. "What happened to our troops? Why did they suddenly turn traitor?"
"If they did turn traitor," murmured Ryuin, between coughs. Reluctantly he accepted a waterskin from Terke, sucking greedily on the water, which seemed to calm him a little. His coughs came less frequently, and he was able to draw breath more easily.
"The Council has been worried recently by the growing power of the Supreme Chancellor," remarked Marra thoughtfully. "But to go this far..."
"Impossible. The Republic would never betray the Jedi. We have protected them for millennia," said Terke Riith, pulling herself up to her full three feet in righteous indignation. She was the youngest of the three by few years, but by far the most inexperienced. Ilum had been one of her first missions outside of the safety of the Temple on Coruscant. She was from the old belief of Jedi, that they were a force for good, that they protected the Republic, that the Republic itself was good and helpful to all those it served.
Ryuin and Marra were slightly older, far more experienced with the full level of corruption that filled not only the Galaxy, but also the Republic itself. And most especially, the Supreme Chancellor, who had been in office far longer than should have been possible by clever manipulation of the Senate's fear of the Separatists and the growing war effort.
None of this explained anything. None of the three Jedi on Ilum knew they were simply pieces being moved in a larger game of chess, none of them realized their lives had suddenly become insignificant, that whatever they did no longer had any consequence in the Galaxy.
But they did realize one thing.
They were going to survive, no matter what it took.
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Author's Notes:
Seems I caught the Star Wars bug going around. Obviously a lot of influences from the six movies, particularly Episode III and the epic cartoon mini-series Clone Wars. Yoda's race as of yet remaining unnamed, I'll leave it the same for Terke. Jedi Master Marra Henis, and Padawan Terke Riith are based off of good friends of mine (I'll tell you at the end of the story) and Jedi Knight Ryuin, I shamefully admit is a Mary-Sue (or Marty-Sue, or whatever the masculine version of that is). It's me. Then again, who hasn't wished they were a Jedi (or more frequently, a Sith) at some point in their life? The Kuthu'lu'lu system is also entirely made up, though Ilum is quite real (in the sense that it exists in the Star Wars galaxy, so far far away that it is). The infamous order 66 comes from Episode III, of course, where upon all Jedi are to be betrayed by their Clone Troopers and slain. Explaining, of course, how so many very powerful individuals could have all been destroyed by the Empire. To my mind, however, at least some Jedi should've had a better chance of surviving, and that was the original thought that brought about this story. Whether or not the three Jedi herein survive I won't say, you'll simply have to find out for yourself.