Disclaimer: I don't own Star Wars. The characters belong to Lucasfilm, Lucasarts, et al. Any characters I made up are mine; but the majority of characters in the story are official Star Wars characters I do not own. Enjoy the story.
Under Siege
Ten year old Betha woke up with a start. Blaster fire and the hum of lightsabers could be heard close by. She checked to see if her roommate was okay. The sight relieved her. Her eight year old roommate and Jedi friend Juakin was in his bed, filled with the same look of fright and shock as her. "What's going on?" he asked.
Betha shook her head.
Understanding, Juakin got out of bed, lifted his pillow and retrieved his lightsaber. He always had his lightsaber under his pillow; it was like what a security blanket was to a kid on Earth. "It sounds like we're under attack, but by whom?"
By now, Betha had gotten up and retrieved her lightsaber as well. "I guess we'll find out."
The two Jedi cautiously made their way out of their room. They were high up in the Jedi temple, thus they both knew escape would be extremely difficult.
As they made the turn down the next corridor, they saw five fellow Jedi knights with their backs towards them deflecting blasts from ten Clone Troopers. The blue blasts hitting the green and blue blades, then deflecting back to the Troopers.
Though the Jedi were outnumbered, they were holding their own against the Clone Troopers. But that didn't last long. One by one, three of the Jedi were killed off, with three Clone Troopers remaining. Finally, the two Jedi killed the remaining Clone Troopers and deactivated their lightsabers.
"What's going on?" Juakin asked in his cute, boyish voice.
The two remaining Jedi turned to see Betha and Juakin. One was a man roughly in his fifties; the other was a female teenager with short black hair, and plenty of makeup. "How long have you been here?" the man asked.
"Not long Master Drallig," Betha replied in her cute feminine voice. "We heard blaster fire and were woken up by it."
Cin Drallig was an excellent Jedi master, and he understood what the two children were going through. The female was Serra, his most prized apprentice. There was never an attack on the Jedi temple before, so the rules for conduct were vague, with the obvious exception of do the best one can to survive. Drallig smiled at the children. "Stay close to us children."
The two children nodded.
"Do you have your lightsabers?" Serra asked.
The children nodded again.
"Good, 'cause I think you're going to need them."
The master, apprentice and children cautiously walked down the hall of the Jedi temple.
"Let's hope we're lucky in the sense that the higher in the temple we are, the less Clone Troopers there will be," Cin Drallig said.
Almost as if life were responding 'yeah right,' twenty more Clone Troopers appeared. "Kill the Jedi," ordered the lead trooper in the middle.
Like lightning, the four Jedi activated their lightsabers. A light green blade emerged from Cin Drallig's lightsaber. Serra's two sabers activated with the same color blade. Betha's lightsaber had a blade that was also light green. A blade that was light blue emerged from Juakin's lightsaber. Each Jedi let the force flow through them; jumping, blocking and striking the Clone Troopers.
Cin Drallig stabbed the closest trooper to him, and took his saber out just as another Clone Trooper was about to fire. He didn't have the time to move. Just as he was about to consider himself dead, Serra jumped in front of him and cut the Clone Trooper's head off with the saber in her left hand, and deflected another enemy blast with the saber in her right. "Don't get rusty on me now master," Serra joked. Even though the situation was dire, Cin Drallig could not help but give a short laugh.
Betha struck down one Clone Trooper, and then used the Force to hurl three Clone Troopers back into the wall of the corridor. Upon their landing, Juakin used the force to summon one of the Troopers blasters. When it landed in his vacant hand, he shot the three troopers, and deflected numerous blasts while continuing his offensive with his lightsaber as well.
After what seemed like an eternity to the four Jedi, all twenty Clone Troopers were killed. Cin Drallig gave a gesture, and they all continued their mission defeating the Clone Troopers and escaping.
They progressed further towards the bottom floor of the Jedi temple. They encountered groups of Clone Troopers on the top floors, but the groups increased as they went downward.
"Only a few more floors to go," Cin Drallig explained.
Suddenly, about five Clone Troopers came into view. All four Jedi's activated their lightsabers as the Clone Troopers noticed them and fired. As the Jedi deflected blasts, they noticed more Clone Troopers in the back ranks.
Cin Drallig, Betha and Juakin charged while deflecting the blasts, but Serra stayed back. Something coming down the corridor next to the one they were in had caught her eye. It was a shadow of a person progressing up to the top of the temple. Someone not wearing the armor of a Clone Trooper. She followed the shadow.
Meanwhile, Cin Drallig used the Force to lift a piece of debris from the damaged temple and hurled it at the Clone Troopers. Five troopers were squished as a result. Betha and Juakin, using the Force and their child given agility, moved in circles around the Clone Troopers, mainly deflecting and jumping, but striking the soldiers down as well. Then they both used the Force to hurl the Clone Troopers back. The Clone Troopers were pushed so hard, they flew through the corridor, and down the three remaining flights of stairs.
After five minutes, the thirty Clone Troopers who had appeared and attacked were killed.
"Let's go," Betha pleaded.
Cin Drallig nodded. He started to walk, but stopped midstep. "Where is Serra?"
Betha and Juakin turned and looked everywhere they could. Serra was nowhere in sight.
"I have to find her," Cin Drallig said.
Fear filled Betha's and Juakin's faces.
"Please don't sir," Juakin pleaded. "She's a great Jedi knight, she can handle herself. We need you!"
Cin Drallig knelt down before them. "True, Serra is a great Jedi knight, but you two are excellent Jedi knights as well. You have great knowledge of the Force, and you both are strong enough to protect yourselves. Just get out of the Temple and find shelter, someplace where the Clone Troopers won't find you. Understood?"
Through tears, Betha and Juakin nodded.
"I'll find you when this is all over," Cin Drallig explained. "I promise." With that, Cin Drallig retreated back into the temple to find Serra.
Betha and Juakin waited a minute for their tears to clear up, then progressed to the lower floors of the temple.
"Be on the lookout for any Jedi you see," a voice said from up front.
"Juakin," fear was in Betha's voice. "Those Clone Troopers are behind the next turn."
Juakin gulped.
Steps could be heard. The Clone Troopers were approaching.
"We have to strike them before they can act," Betha explained. "When I give the word, we attack. You understand?"
Juakin nodded, the same fear on his face.
Their hearts beat at least two hundred times per thirty seconds as they waited for the Clone Troopers to come closer.
Finally, the steps reached the turn in the corridor.
"Now," Betha whispered.
Like lightning, they activated their lightsabers and entered the turn.
"There, kill them!"
The Clone Trooper was too late. Betha and Juakin had the element of surprise, and had used it well. Betha jumped up and threw her lightsaber at the nearest Clone Trooper. The blade pierced his armor and he stood still. Just as quickly, she used the Force to call her lightsaber back to her hand. Meanwhile, Juakin struck down three Clone Troopers, then used the Force to push them back farther into the corridor. As the Clone Troopers were pushed, he lunged and using his lightsaber, struck all three down. Then both Jedi started deflecting blasts until all the Clone Troopers were killed. They then deactivated their lightsabers.
"I can't believe it," Juakin exclaimed. "We did it; we are great Jedi knights after all!"
Betha nodded. Then they continued downward.
They stopped for a few seconds and hid behind two huge vases by the stairs. They had reached the last floor of the temple, but at least fifty Clone Troopers were massed inside. Both Jedi knew that even the greatest Jedi couldn't hope to win against these odd.
"What do we do now?" asked Juakin.
"I don't know," Betha was almost on the verge of crying. "There's no way we can get out of here now." She could tell from his face that Juakin was about to cry also.
"Look," hope was in Juakin's voice.
Betha did. At least thirty of the Clone Troopers had gone through another corridor. "I don't know why they're leaving, but I'll take it."
"You think we can fight them now?"
Betha looked seriously at Juakin. "Are you sure you can handle ten Clone Troopers at once?"
Juakin shook his head. "I don't think so. But it doesn't look like we have much of a choice if we want to get out of here."
Just then, Betha did something she hadn't through the whole fiasco... she smiled.
"What is it?" Juakin asked.
"Do you think you can lift the chandelier?"
Juakin immediately realized what Betha was getting at. "I'm not sure, it is heavy after all. But I can try."
Betha gave a nod. "We'll do it together. Once the Clone Troopers are down, we run for the exit. Got it?"
Juakin nodded.
"When I say go, ready?" Betha paused. "Set? Go!"
They both used the Force with all their might on the chandelier. It shook slightly, but only ever so slightly. Then it stopped. They didn't have the strength. They stopped.
"I can't," Juakin said.
"Yes you can Juakin," Betha encouraged him. "Remember what Master Cin Drallig said, we are great Jedi knights, and we are strong. Trust me, we can do this!"
Juakin gave a nod. "Okay, let's try it again. When I say go,"
Betha nodded in agreement.
"Ready? Set? Go!"
Again, they focused all their strength on the chandelier. It shook ever so slightly at first, and then it gained in movement.
The Clone Troopers looked up at the chandelier and couldn't believe what they were seeing. "What the?" they were each asking in their own way.
In seconds, the base holding the chandelier broke, and it fell.
"Now steer it towards the Clone Troopers!" Betha ordered.
Again they used the Force to move the Chandelier, this time to the left. It flew directly towards the troopers.
"Incoming!" One of them exclaimed, but it was too late. The large and heavy chandelier plowed through all twenty Clone Troopers like a knife through butter, killing them all.
Immediately, Betha and Juakin made their dash for escape. They ran. Each step bringing them closer to escape, and maybe if they were real lucky, help.
Just as they were about to reach the door, blaster fire erupted. The thirty Clone Troopers who had left earlier must've come back after hearing the chandelier fall down. Then, Juakin gasped.
Betha stopped and looked at Juakin as he fell to the floor.
"Juakin!" she screamed.
He hit the floor with a thud. "Go," Juakin closed his eyes.
Betha could hold it in no longer, the tears poured out. But she stopped when she heard one of the Clone Troopers say, "Kill her." She tried to run, but a blast hit her in her leg. She screamed in excruciating pain. She couldn't stop screaming. She knew all hope was gone. She was going to die, like many other Jedi before her.
She looked behind her. She had expected to find the thirty Clone Troopers with blasters pointed at her, but she didn't. In fact, she was surprised with what she saw. A young adult male in a black hood was approaching her. As he got closer, she knew who he was, "Master Skywalker! Am I happy to see you."
He continued walking slowly towards her. Betha could not see the evil smile on his face.
Betha summoned all her strength and picked herself up. "Master Skywalker, we were attacked by Clone Troopers, and we left Cin Drallig and Serra up there, we need to go help them before the Clone Troopers kill them."
She walked as quickly as she could past Skywalker and to the stairs.
"There's no need for that," Skywalker replied behind her. "There's nothing you can do for them now. I made sure of it."
Betha stopped dead in her tracks. 'What could he mean by that?' She turned around. "I don't understand-" As she turned around, she saw a blue lightsaber bolt slice across her face, and all went dark.
The End