The Jedi Temple stood still as I walked the halls, passing through the archway into the residential area. Only a few Knights and Padawans were up this late; talking amongst themselves and the Temple Guards who stood their watch. Nodding my head in respect to the knights I passed, I ran a hand through my hair; my fingers brushing past my braid. Memories rushed through my mind at that point, even as I tried my best to block them.
Master Quin, his robes bellowing in the wind as he stood tall, his lightsaber held aloft as he waved his troopers into battle. Cries of the wounded and dying somehow louder than the actual sound of blasters and explosions. I gripped my lightsaber so hard I could see my hand shaking. I swallow, my throat dry as I gathered my courage and charged forward with my squad of troopers. Then darkness as the Separatists blasted our whole unit with artillery.
"Padawan!"
I turned to see a man running towards me, his dark brown robes flapping in the wind as he ran, his lightsaber clutched in his hand as he skidded to a stop. His olive skin was stained with soot and his robes were burned in multiple places. I didn't understand why his robes were in such a state. Mendiola was my roommate's Master and so I knew him from association, but why he was calling me was odd. Two other padawans ran behind him; their sabers activated and blades raised as they turned to face the way they came.
"Master Mendiola? What is going on?" I asked, pushing myself off of the wall I had collapsed against when the Force vision hit me. That's when I felt the Temple shudder violently and I had to reach out and grab a pillar.
"Master what is happening?" I asked as the sound of blasters began to echo down the halls.
Master Mendiola grabbed me by the shoulder and shoved me forward. "Run! Where is your roommate, padawan?"
Breaking into a run with him, I glanced behind me at the two padawans with us. One of them was human like me, but the other was a female Miraluka; her long black hair was singed from force knows what.
"H-he's in our room, but what is going on? Why are your sabers activated?" I questioned as we rushed into my quarters; light flooding the small room as the sensors recognized us.
"Meh…What?" My roommate rose from his bed as we rushed inside. The two padawans took up positions on either side of the door as Master Mendiola locked the door and walked to the bed; pulling my Zabrak friend out of his bed and onto the floor.
"Ow, Master what is the meaning of this?" He asked, rubbing his elbow before standing and pulling on his pants.
"Moran, my young padawan, we must leave." Master Mendiola said as he stared down at Moran and I. "We have been betrayed from the inside."
"Betrayed?!" I shouted, taking a step forward, but Moran stopped me by a hand on my chest. Glancing at him, I pushed his hand off of me. "How?"
"The Clones have risen against us and are cutting down the Jedi as we speak. We must flee while the hanger is still under our control. Pack your things and follow me."
Moran immediately grabbed his satchel and began throwing things into it at random it seemed. I just stood dumbfounded as I looked from Master Mendiola and the others. Striding over to my bed, Mendiola reached under the bed and grabbed my pack and threw it at me.
Catching it, I sighed and began to add a few more things to the satchel. My things had already been packed and I caught Mendiola's stern gaze as he looked down at me. Nodding his head, he went to the door as I reached under my pillow and pulled my prized possession from it. The cool metal felt odd against my skin as I buckled it to my belt beside my lightsaber.
Slinging my pack onto my back, I turned to look at Moran; his gaze drilling into me. I hung my head as the temple shook again. He brushed past me and joined the others at the door; Mendiola peeking outside the door before waving us forward and breaking into a run towards the hanger.
"You were really going to do it, huh?" Moran asked as we ran, passing blaster marks and bodies…too many bodies. "Answer me, you were going to leave the Order like Tano weren't you?"
Jumping over the corpse of a clone, I looked over at him. "I think that it is a little late to be having this conversation, Moran. We seem to have bigger things going on!"
We rounded the corner and skidded to a halt as a trio of clones turned to face us with blasters raised. Mendiola pushed us behind him and raised his hand towards the clones; walking slowly towards them only for the clones to raise their blasters.
"Troopers, lower your weapons, that is an order!" Mendiola shouted, his eyes shifting from one trooper to the next.
The commander of the troopers stepped forward and raised his blaster to his shoulder. "You're not in charge anymore. By order of the Chancellor, you are under arrest and must- "
The trooper never finished his sentence due to Mendiola's saber slicing through his neck and severing his head from his shoulders. Before the man even collapsed, he sprung forward and sliced his blade across the chest of the trooper closest to him. Pivoting and thrusting, the last trooper cried out in agony as the superheated plasma burned his lower abdomen.
"Let's go!" Mendiola stepped over the bodies and turned to corner only for us to see that the hanger bay was under intense fire.
We rushed forward, force leaping over the heads of the troopers, deflecting stray bolts as we did. We managed to get behind the hastily built barricades; my chest heaving as blaster bolts continued to rain down on our position.
"Master Jedi!" A temple guard slid on his knees beside Mendiola; his arm in a sling and his remaining hand clutching a blaster pistol. "We've got most of the younglings out on the transports except we're missing a large group that was led to the Council Chamber."
I glanced to the man and then to Master Mendiola. "We have to go get them then!"
"No, they're lost. The clones have taken the Temple. Our only hope for the Order is to escape." Mendiola sighed as he peeked over the barricade. "Moran, go and prep the ship for launch. You two, go with him."
The other two padawans nodded and left; leaving beside the master and the guard as he rose to fire a few shots towards the advancing clones. I rose to go with the others only for Mendiola to grab me by the arm and pull me down.
"Merric, I know what you were planning and I know why; but it is time for you to trust in the Force and to let it guide you." Mendiola said as he ducked down, a blaster bolt glancing by his head. "This war is over, but a new one is beginning. Captain!"
"Sir!" The guard-captain responded, his face streaked with sweat and blood. Mendiola pulled his lightsaber from his robes and turned it around in his hands before sighing and holding it out towards me.
"Master?" I looked at him with question before he pushed it into my hands. "You need this."
"I'm not coming; I'm staying behind to keep the clones busy until you've escaped with the others. Take the ship and give my saber to Moran; he needs to know that I wanted him to have it." Mendiola explained as he pulled a shoto lightsaber from his robes; blade igniting as he looked at me, the blue of the blade casting an eerie glow on his face.
"Master, please we need you!" I pleaded with him as he stood and began to deflect bolts back into the advancing clones. I ignited my own blade and stood by his side and batted bolts back at the traitorous troopers; hissing as a bolt grazed my arm.
"GO!" Master Mendiola thrust his hand forward and, with the Force, pushed me across the floor; towards his ship. Clutching my arm, I struggled to my feet and watched with hope as another Jedi leapt over the barricade and landed behind Master Mendiola.
His hood fell from his face and the face of the Hero of the Clone Wars stared back at me. I grinned, knowing that we would be safe now.
"Master Skywalker!" I took a step forward only to stop before I saw the look in his eyes. They were not normal…they were yellow and I sensed evil permeating from him. And I sensed it too soon.
With a vicious swing of his saber, Master Skywalker cut through the body of the captain; cutting him from shoulder to hip. I reignited my blade and leapt forward; thrusting my blade and parried Skywalker's blade from cutting down Master Mendiola. I gasped as Master Skywalker's boot slammed into my stomach; knocking me back to the ground.
Master Mendiola spun and locked blades with the Master Skywalker. "You've betrayed the Order and all it stands for, Skywalker! We trusted you and you betrayed us!" Shoving his weight forward, Master Mendiola used the Force to send Skywalker flying into the barricade.
"Go now!" Mendiola shouted, turning his head towards me. I rushed to my feet and sprinted towards the Mendiola's ship; running up the ramp and into the ship.
The main corridor led me straight to the cockpit where I found Moran hunched over the controls as the ship's engines hummed to life and the ship began to lift from the ground.
"Master, we're ready to go. What…Where's Master Mendiola?" Moran questioned as he turned to me, his eyes looking from the blaster wound to my eyes as the ship's autopilot began turning the ship towards the exit.
I nodded with my head towards the viewport and we both watched as the clones began to pile over the barricade and engaged the remaining temple guards. I felt each life pass to the Force as they were cut down; clone and guard alike.
Two blue blades stood out amongst the red blaster bolts passing back and forth. I watched as Master Mendiola battled Skywalker in the midst of the chaos. Skywalker was gaining ground as he slashed through Master Mendiola's guard; cutting into his shoulder. Moran shouted at his master as the autopilot began to send us out into the city and atmosphere.
Moran stood to leave, but I grabbed him by the shoulder and shoved him back into his seat; looking at him with sorrow in my face as we watched helplessly as Skywalker slide past Master Mendiola's defense one last time and his blade slide into Moran's master's stomach.
Tears streamed down Moran's face as he watched his master fall to the ground and we passed from view; the ship rocketing into the sky. I slid into the copilot's seat and took over the controls; sending the ship into an arc as we weaved through the traffic of the planet.
We passed through the atmosphere quickly and with a few simple commands I prepped the ship for hyperspace…I had no clue where we were going so I only typed in random commands. Reaching forward, I grasped the throttle in sweaty hands; glancing over at my only friend left alive in the galaxy.
"Moran…" I muttered, begging him to say something, but he only continued to hang his head in his hands. Turning back to the emptiness of space, I took a deep breath and pushed the throttle forward; sending us into hyperspace. "May the Force be with us."