Nah Olos let out a ragged breath. The smoke in his eyes would have been blinding to anyone not versed in the horrors of war. The stench would drive men mad. The tremors in the ground would force ordinary soldiers to the ground in terror. But he was no ordinary soldier. He was Nah Olos, Jedi Knight. Guardian of peace and Justice for the Galactic Republic. His master had been Seetha Raashaka. And his apprentice had been E'kul rekla'wyks.
The key word was 'Had'.
Olos had been in the upper confines of the great library when he felt the disturbance in the force. Every Jedi had. He, like the Knights, Masters and Padawans, looked down, over the edge of the balcony. The tremor in the Force was located around Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker, a man who Nah had served with on several battlefields. And while the two knights had never fully agreed on one strategy, Olos had respected his skills on the field. But he never would have imagined feeling the swirling clouds of the Dark Side surrounding the Jedi.
To add further insult, Skywalker had lifted the Jedi Librarian, Madame Jocosta, into the air with a powerful Sith technique, and impaled her. Many Jedi had been outraged by this attack, not only on sacred ground, but on a master whose reverence was matched by the likes of Master Yoda and Master Windu. However, Olos remembered Skywalker's uncanny skill with a lightsaber. In fact, the young Jedi could very easily rival any member of the Council in terms of pure skill. He was not someone to be taken lightly, even by a large group. The Jedi Knight had winced as he saw three of his friends get struck down by the shining amethyst blade. He had been quick to ignite his emerald blade, but not to engage the warrior, as a mass of clone troopers poured into the library, gunning down the few Jedi who survived Skywalker's initial assault.
And thus began the siege of the Jedi temple.
The fighting spread like wildfire from the library, with many skilled, hardened Jedi setting up a hasty defence against the incoming troopers. Nah had been one of those Jedi. He fought on the front lines of the battle, hard. Together, with his fellow Knights and Masters, they formed an impenetrable wall of bodies. Their lightsabers flashed and danced, deflecting the bolts of the Clones back at them with deadly accuracy. Nah relied on his affinity for Shien, an arm of Lightsaber combat that had served him well in the trenches of the Clone wars. He aimed the bolts back towards the commanders, sowing chaos among the ranks of the Troopers as their leaders fell.
However, for every trooper that was cut down, two more seemed to take its place. And soon enough, the Jedi began to be overwhelmed by sheer numbers. They fought back hard, trying to regain the tactical advantage, but it was to no avail. They were too exposed, to vulnerable, and thinking like the clones and Skywalker expected them to.
"Retreat!" Olos shouted, as he smashed a bolt towards a battle-hardened clone trooper. "Retreat! To the hanger!" He shouted, knowing that escape was their best option now. There was no way they could fight off the entire Grand Army of the Republic. Even if they managed to survive the assault of the 501st, Skywalker's personal soldiers, the rest of the army could not be far behind. The Republic's forces were literally infinite. Soldiers would pile into the temple until their bodies suffocated them all. They would drown in a sea of blood and bodies. He swiftly deflected blue bolts back at his attackers as the Jedi line scattered. Several Masters and Knights held tightly to the ground, displaying legendary valour as they bought precious time for their fellow peacekeepers. Olos was one of the last to leave the corridor, making sure the last of the Padawans got to safety. One final soldier was felled before he retreated deep into the Jedi Temple, making his way towards the Hanger.
However, a Republic Gunship zoomed into view, through a hole it had created in the wall of the Temple. Quickly, Olos assumed a defensive stance, defending the Knight to his left, who was not fast enough to react in time. Three troopers fell before Olos, and the other Jedi were joined by fellow Knights, who formed a tight circle. They did not stay stationary, as they knew they would soon be killed thinking like that. That tactic had cost over two hundred Jedi lives on Geonosis during the first battle of the war. Instead, the group of Jedi raced forward in a traditional charge, whch the clones had no defense against. With their speed augmented by the Force, the Jedi closed the distance in a matter of seconds. Lightsabers flashed brilliant emerald, amethyst and gold, striking down the clones with ease and precision.
More troopers piled into the room from the left, laying down heavy fire. Too heavy for the meagre group of Knights and Masters, who fled into one of the many side-passages. They thundered down the passages, for several hours on end. Pausing on few occasions, waiting for soldiers to leave the area, or for a quick respite. Many times, they attempted to escape the Temple through one of the many tunnels, but Skywalker was too good of a commander. He knew the halls too well, and posted a heavy guard outside of every exit. AT-TE's would blast them into nonexistence. And the hangers were reduced to dust and ash. Leaving only one option. They had to go deeper. The deeper they went, the more likely it was that there would be an exit for them to slip through. Skywalker could not possibly have troops posted at every single one, after all.
Olos veered around one corner that lead to a wide balcony, perhaps with less caution than he should have. He was not confronted by a volley of blaster fire. There were only two others present on the balcony. One dead, one not. One a Jedi, one not. Nah held up his hand cautioning his fellow refugees against boldly charging the former Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker, whose ocean-blue blade hung from his hand. At his feet lay the Temple's battle-master Cin Drallig. The very man who they had all gone to for further instruction in the art of Lightsaber combat. Perhaps the only Jedi who could hold his own against any given member of the Council in terms of a pure duelist, and yet was not a member. All around the courtyard, they could see evidence of a mighty duel. Scorched and shattered tiles littered the ground they walked upon. Cautiously, Olos signalled for his men to flank the Fallen Jedi to the left and right, hoping to get an advantage quickly over the seasoned warrior.
"Surrender, Jedi," Skywalker said, his voice filled with icy steel.
"In the name of the Galactic Republic," Nah Olos said defiantly as he raised his shining blade in a formal salute. More of a sign of respect to the thousands of Jedi who had fallen on that night. "You are under arrest, Skywalker."
"Hahaha," Skywalker replied with a vicious sneer as he stepped towards the group of Jedi. "Do you really think the Senate would side with you?" he asked directly as he returned the salute, as more of an insult to the Jedi than anything. Not that they cared. "The Jedi attempted to murder the Chancellor, Olos. They have all been branded as traitors!" he finished bringing his azure blade up in a furious strike, aiming for Olos's head. However, the Jedi was faster and managed to deflect the strike, while returning with one of his own. Olos's strike failed to penetrate the defence of the seasoned warrior. But his grip held stubbornly, even as they both disengaged and swung around. Brilliant auras of light surrounded them both as beams of light connected again and again.
Olos knew that in terms of pure skill, Skywalker was his superior. However, the rogue Jedi had been in a constant duel for the past few hours, whilst Olos had been given brief periods of rest. This evened the ground between them somewhat. Neither one could properly gain the advantage over the other. As experience, power, resolve and exhaustion all came into play at the exact same moment. Olos stabbed out with his blade, but the blow was sidestepped. Skywalker raised his blade high, for a killing blow. But the blade was intercepted by an eager Master Rakata Boss'an. A blow which cost the master her life, but gave Olos all the time he needed to recover and sweep his shining saber around in a deadly arc. One which was strong enough to force the former Jedi back several steps, and emboldened Olos's companions into action. Three Jedi charged Skywalker's left flank. Two never had a chance. One, named Bashki, struck a hard blow, which Olos exploited, and drove his blade into the Former knight. However, Skywalker turned at the last second, and Olos's blade only singed his side.
At that second, blaster fire erupted onto the ground. But not from clone troopers, or any military vehicle of the Republic's military. Olos spared a single glance upwards, and saw a Corellian Light freighter with two protruding manned turrets. One on the top, one on the bottom. It circled the balcony tightly, raining fire down on the Jedi's position. But the turrets were not aiming for them. No, all the bolts were aimed straight towards Skywalker, Olos realized as he disengaged the former Knight.
"Come on!" A hoarse voice shouted from the lowered ramp of the ship. "On board, now! Hyperdrive's engaged!"
"Go!" Olos shouted, knowing this was their last chance to retreat from the planet. He deftly made his way towards the ramp of the ship, which was still laying down heavy fire on Skywalker. But not heavy enough, as the man reached out with his hand, and seemingly grasped the entire ship with the force. There was no way that the ship would break free of his grip. Olos knew it. He gave his fellow two Jedi a single glance of remorse, as he resolved to do what he had to. He turned his back on the ship, and challenged Skywalker one-on-one. The duel was pointless. Olos knew that he would never leave the temple alive now, even as he raised his Emerald saber into the ready-guard he had learned so long ago from Master Yoda. It was more of a formality now. A show of defiance against Skywalker's rampage against the order. His green blade clashed perfectly against Skywalker's blue. A back-and-forth bout ensued as a sense of knowingness filled the Jedi Master. He knew that it was his fate to die there, on the temple grounds.
But he knew so much more. The Force granted him the parting knowledge of the fate of the freighter that held his fellow Jedi. He foresaw the line of Captains who would pilot it. From the man on the ramp, to the Corellian Smuggler and his Wookie Co-pilot. He saw the ship's many trials. Its many battles. He saw as it flew through swarms of ships. He saw that ship bring new hope to the galaxy. His singular sacrifice was all that was needed for peace to return in the galaxy. Even if it was gone for the moment, he knew that hope would return. Even as the azure blade sliced through his torso, Nah Olos felt more alive than ever. He was transcended into the Force as a whole. More powerful than any words could describe.