Order 66: Rapunzel

On the exoctic jungle planet of Felucia, Master Aurora and her Padawan Rapunzel were engaging the separatist droid forces attempting to invade. The Jedi fought alongside their clone allies as they drove through the legion of battledroids. Aurora stood back, deflecting laser fire at the droids as she defended her comrades.

Her Padawan on the other hand was feeling quite energetic it seemed. She watched as Rapunzel charged ahead, deflecting fire with her lightsaber before leaping onto a spider droid and stabbing it through the head. She backflipped off as she began slashing the other droids apart.

Aurora smiled. She knew her Padawan had the making of a great Jedi in her. And she vowed to help her reach her full potential. Aurora gripped her saber firmly in hand and was about to rush forward, when she suddenly froze.

Her hand flew to her temple, where she suddenly felt a massive pounding on her skull. Her chest tightened as she felt a sudden pain. She could hears cries of angish in her mind. Coming from everywhere and nowhere. And they sounded familiar. Like all her comrades in the Jedi Order.

She looked up to the sky. Something definitely felt wrong.

She suddenly heard her troopers stop behind her. She whirled around to see all their blasters up and aimed...directly at her. The only thing that saved her were her reflexes as she began blocking and deflecting fire back at them. She had no idea what was going on. She was bewildered to see her troopers suddenly turning on her without warning.

She jerked her head to the side, keeping her saber close to her body as she dodged and deflected the blaster bolts. But the sheer number was too much and she took a shot to the arm. She cried out before thrusting her palm forward, sending the troopers hurtling away. With the momentary reprieve she turned and ran to Rapunzel who was still battling the droids.

She grabbed her Padawan's arm, startling her as she turned around in confusion.

"Come Rapunzel!" Aurora shouted. She began leading them away from the battle as the clone troopers advanced, wiping out the droids while also firing at the Jedi. Rapunzel's mind was spinning at the sight of the clones trying to shoot at them. She thought it was surely a mistake. But as a bolt flew past her head by a few mere inches she realized the horrible truth. The clones, their comrades and friends, had betrayed them.

The Jedi took cover behind a downed AT-TE as they regrouped.

"Master, what's going on!?" Rapunzel asked frantically.

Aurora peeked around their cover, ducking back as she was shot at by the advancing clone forces. They were being stalled by the droids, but they'd be on them soon enough. She shook her head.

"I don't know Rapunzel. But I feel this isn't happening only to us," Aurora said grimly.

Rapunzel's eyes widened. "You mean-"

"Yes. I can sense it. The Jedi are being killed all over the galaxy. And I think its the clones who are responsible," she said in dread.

Rapunzel's stomach dropped. All over the galaxy. The other Jedi? The Clones turning on them? This was nearly too much for the young Padawan to comprehend. Why would the clones turn on them?

"There are too many to fight," Aurora said cutting through her thoughts.

"We can do it together master," Rapunzel insisted.

Aurora shook her head. The clones were too many. And the battle had taken its toll on both of them. If they engaged they were done for. She looked to her Padawan, the girl she cared for beyond words. She smiled sadly at her. "You must go Rapunzel," she whispered.

Rapunzel flinched and her eyes widened. She shook her head. "I won't leave you master."

"Thats an order my Padawan," Aurora said holding her gaze.

Rapunzel looked into her master's eyes as hers began to water. "Please don't make me leave you master. My place is at your side. If we are to die then let it be together," she pleaded desperately. She didn't want to do this. She didn't want to leave her master. The woman who'd saved her. Given her her life as a Jedi and been like a mother to her.

Aurora kept smiling at her. She reached a hand out to caress her cheek. "Please Rapunzel. These are my last orders. Will you heed them?" A tear escaped the Padawan's eye as she struggled to keep it in. Aurora pulled her to her chest and held her close for possibly the last time.

"Live Rapunzel."

She kissed her on the forehead before standing up. She closed her eyes and focused. She extended her palms and began to channel the Force. She focused on the AT-TE. Her hands trembled with effort before with a screech it began to lift off the ground. The clones stopped as they saw the several ton machine floating a few feet off the ground.

With a shout Aurora thrust her hand forward, sending it flying away and at the clones. The clones screamed as some were crushed beneath it while others leapt out of the way.

"Run Rapunzel!" Aurora shouted as she activated her lightsaber and charged forward. Rapunzel obeyed, taking off through the forest as fast as she could. And as she did her master fought the clone forces to give her the time to escape.

She slashed and cut them down with her purple lightsaber. Not stopping even when her lungs burned and her arm screamed at her. Some tried to run past her to pursue her apprentice, but she yanked them back with the Force. She leapt over them, landing in front of Rapunzel path and throwing them all back with a powerful telekinetic push.

"YOU WILL NOT TOUCH MY PADAWAN! NOT WITHOUT GOING THROUGH ME!" she shouted. The clones raised their weapons and opened fire. Aurora fought valiantly, twirling her lightsaber around her in a blur of purple as she fended them off as best she could.

But soon she was hit in the leg. She nearly fell to her knees, but she kept on her feet. Then she was hit in the shoulder. She ignored the searing pain as she kept fighting. Then they hit her in the elbow, causing her to drop her lightsaber. Then another blast passed through her chest.

Aurora began to fall backwards as she felt her strength leaving her. As she fell the world seemed to slow down. And as she began to become one with the Force she peered into the future for the last time. She looked farther than she'd ever been able to. And she saw her Padawan. It brought a smile to her face, though she was also hit by guilt and sadness.

She could see her apprentice was in for a lot of pain. She'd be alone for a long time. She'd have to run and hide to survive. But eventually she would be ok. She would find comrades to protect her. To cherish her.

The last glimpse she could make out was her Padawan with two Knights. One green and one blue. And her Padawan was happy. Happy and strong as she found the people who would make her a proper Jedi in her place.

Goodbye my little one. My little flower. My little Rapunzel.

A few miles away Rapunzel stopped dead in her tracks. She'd been running non stop for ages. Ignoring the branches and plants snagging her clothes and whipping at her face. Heeding her master's last command.

And then she felt it. She brought her hand to her chest as she felt her heart clench. A single tear escaped her eye as she felt her master die and become one with the Force.

She was hit by grief. She fell to her knees as the tears began to flow. She released a heartbreaking cry of pain and despair as her savior and dearest friend was gone forever. The woman she'd hoped to see her to Knighthood. To watch and advise her when she one day took an apprentice of her own.

Gone.

"Master," she whispered as her shoulders began to shake and she choked on her sobs.

Unfortunately she couldn't grieve for long. She kept moving, running and running until she couldn't run any longer. She took shelter with the native Felucians. They were kind to her, helped her ambush a squad of clones and get her a ship. She made her way off planet and into the unknown.

As she tried to contact the Jedi Temple she got a transmission saying to stay away. To hide. That the Order had fallen.

And so Rapunzel wandered the galaxy. Alone. Scared for her life. With no one to turn to and deemed a traitor by the galaxy.

She'd be alone for a long time. But eventually she'd find someone to ease the pain of all she'd lost.

He'd become her friend.

And through her battles beside him, all in the name of fighting for a galaxy they both belived in, he'd become so much more.