Last Stand of The Jedi
Master Traitun Larton was working with the younglings, helping them learn the ways of the Force, when Master Windu and the other Jedi accompanying him went out to arrest Chancellor Palpatine. Naturally, he was mostly unaware of the reasons or purpose of their trip, as he was not a member of the council. However, he was aware that it was important.
Like Yoda, Larton found great fulfillment in teaching young children, and the children generally enjoyed their lessons with him. However, at the moment, he was mostly occupied by those who could sense the Dark Side's ever growing presence in the Force. Perhaps they were too young to truly understand the distinctions and subtleties, but Larton did not lie to his students, or cover complicated problems with simple lies.
"You feel the presence of the Sith, the Dark Side, but do not let it concern you now or occupy your mind with it. Concentrate on the here and the now. The Council will concern themselves with such matters."
He was attempting to help refine their skill with the Force by making them move objects around. Most of them could achieve this, but not with any precision or grace. The objects moved in fits and starts, and were usually dropped instead of placed on the floor. He was trying to help them learn control.
As a demonstration, he concentrated on one of the training blocks. They were not heavy, being designed for very young children to lift, and neither were they particularly awkward to move. Extending a hand, he twitched his fingers upwards, concentrating on getting the Force to follow his movements. Slowly, he lifted the block up, and deposited it gently onto one of the others.
"Now, you do the same. Do not try to do it. Just do it." He said the oft repeated advice.
He watched the class proceed with varying degrees of success, absent-mindedly stopping one of the blocks that had been nudged a little too enthusiastically. "Gentler this time." He said, as he directed it back to the young girl.
He, along with the more sensitive members of the group, was instantly aware of the death of the Jedi at the hands of the Dark Lord. Larton had a brief, vivid vision of a single lightsaber, with a purple blade, falling, and knew immediately what had happened to Master Windu. He couldn't sense how, except that the Dark Side was involved.
The class stopped anxiously, those that did not sense the event directly picked up the signs from the ones who did. They all looked at him, nervous.
"Put aside your fear and your concern. You are safe here. Jedi protect each other to the last man and woman. Now, let us try something different."
The class progressed well. Each youngling worked with a partner, trying to gain a finer control over the blocks they had moved by working together.
Suddenly, faintly, Larton felt the shudder in the Force of a dieing Jedi. Then another shudder moved through the Force. More arrived, from varying directions. Then, even the least sensitive youngling sensed the death of a Jedi in the temple. Larton drew his saber, and ignited it. Carefully, gently, so as not to disturb the Force too much, he reached out.
He could feel, close by, the light presences of other Jedi, and moving in on them, a darker presence, shadowing something much larger. The shadow engulfed the lights, which stayed like lighthouses for a minute, until they winked out one by one, leaving shudders as they left the world of the living.
Larton concentrated, drawing together all the power of the Light Side that he could muster, and tried to penetrate the shadow. He got enough of a feeling to distinguish humans. Lots of humans. All the impressions seemed oddly similar. Clones!
Larton staggered backwards as he realized the implications. The senate, under the control of the Sith it seemed, had turned the might of the Republic's army on the Jedi.
His first thought was to protect the younglings. Though each had a lightsaber, it was barely enough to deflect a blaster bolt. It was a training weapon, no more.
"Come, we must go." He shepherded them all in front of him. "Draw your sabers. We must go." He repeated. Each of the children drew their lightsaber and lit it, holding it reasonably well. He could sense a little anxiety, a touch of excitement, but no fear. He was proud of their response.
Behind them, Larton sensed a group of people's presence. Instinctively he turned, and easily deflected their blaster fire. Many were hit by the returning bolts, and the rest he cut down with his saber.
Together, with the children just keeping pace, Larton ran towards a room where the children were sometimes taught. Behind, he could hear the singing of a lightsaber deflecting blaster fire. Then a noise came down the corridor that Larton had dreaded, a second saber hitting the first.
Larton knew there was little chance of either younglings or him surviving, but he hoped to take the Sith Lord with him. It was a thought unbecoming a Jedi, but one that had solid grounding. He turned to the younglings. "I must go and help the other Jedi outside. I cannot say if I will return, but I am proud of you all. Now go, hide, don't come out until a Jedi comes to help, and may the Force be with you."
All the children returned the traditional salutation, the more perceptive of them with more fervor than was normal.
Outside, Larton found the two Padawans heading towards the lightsaber battle as well. They were both still young, but so had Obi Wan Kenobi when he defeated the Sith Lord on Naboo. Hope swelled inside him, they had a chance yet.
"Come on." He said. They both followed him. Before he rounded the corner, he heard a yell of pain, and the clattering of a saber hitting the floor. He was ready for the shudder that followed that dreadful sound.
The trio charged around the corner, and caught the clone warriors accompanying the Sith Lord off balance. A third of them fell under the Jedi's blades before they realized what was happening. The two apprentices dealt well with the soldiers, while Larton headed straight for the single man in black.
It was the hardest fight he had ever fought. All the Jedi tricks that were usually an advantage in a fight were reversed. The Sith turned the Force against him, blocking his ability to predict his enemies actions or divert his attention.
He felt a sudden surge in the Force, and just about mustered his own in time to stop him flying away. The recoil from the two blasts colliding knocked a few of the clone warriors to the floor, where they didn't get up.
A slight 'Oh' emanated from one of the Padawan. Larton had no time to be worried about him. The Force told him all he needed to know.
The other Jedi was still a controlled frenzy centered around a lightsaber, and the clone warriors were dropping right, left and centre. The bolts he deflected made an extra challenge for the two combatants with sabers.
Eventually both Jedi were fighting the Sith Lord. By the will of the Force, they both shoved towards their opponent. The surge knocked him backwards, and the hood of his cloak fell back.
Both Jedi stopped, stunned. The man's green saber revealed his previous allegiance, but he could easily have taken it from a fallen Jedi. However, that face was one that all Jedi would recognize. The Chosen one.
In the time it took the Jedi to overcome their surprise, Anakin had righted himself. He came at the two Jedi, saber raised, and swung. Both Jedi blocked it, and forced him back. Anakin dropped his saber and it skittered across the floor, extinguished.
The Padawan rushed forwards to finish the fight before Larton could warn him, as he could see right through that simple deception. Too fast to shout a warning, Anakin's saber snapped into his hand and he lit it, running the young woman through.
The two remaining men met in a melee of blurred sabers, then broke apart. Larton was tiring, but Anakin looked like he had just started fighting. They circled each other cautiously. Looking for some advantage, Larton reached out with the Force. One of the Padawan's sabers slapped into his hand. Anakin grinned and snatched the other one.
They came together again; their sabers made bright green and blue streaks in the air. For a moment they both relied entirely on the Force to govern their movements. First one saber, then the second, skittered across the floor, smoking, useless. They broke apart again.
Larton moved across the room, panting, while Anakin was merely breathing slightly heavily. Larton could see no way he could win. There was no point of balance, no advantage, but he could not surrender. A Jedi should never surrender to the Dark Side. He didn't expect mercy if he did, he just didn't even consider it as an option. It went against everything he knew to be good and true.
They came together again. Larton's saber managed to get in Anakin's way, just, and he managed to force it towards the ex-Jedi's face. Somehow, Anakin's blade slid up Larton's, and before he could parry, Anakin's saber scored Larton's arm, and he dropped his saber, desperately moving away.
Anakin, now free to do as he wished, swung his saber around in a showy arc, and then plunged it into Larton's shoulder. It was a killing blow, but not a Jedi one. They were always taught compassion and mercy. If they had to fight and to kill, then they made it quick and merciful. They did not make the victim suffer.
Larton collapsed. He knew the blow would be fatal, but he also knew that moment would be a time off yet. He watched from the floor as Anakin made his way towards where the younglings were hiding. He callously pushed one of the Padawan's bodies aside with his foot, as if he was just a piece of rubbish on the floor. He listened as Anakin stepped into the room, lightsaber out of sight and extinguished He heard the little sounds as the younglings revealed themselves, unaware of the danger.
He heard one of the younglings, he couldn't place the name, ask Anakin what was happening and what they should do. He heard the hum of a lit saber. The younglings didn't make a noise, they had no chance.
He felt the shudders in the Force. He felt tears run down his cheek, and then, with one last sigh, he felt himself joining the younglings and all the other fallen Jedi in the Force. The last known Jedi was left, lying not far from those he had desperately tried to protect.