A parade moved through the streets, Imperials of all ranks, either marching or riding on the edge of vehicles. All citizens were required to attend and show their love and admiration for the Galactic Empire, though few if any had any to speak of. The sides of the streets were packed with the city's citizens crammed so close that some found it difficult to breathe, children clinging tightly to their parents to avoid getting separated, many of the elderly were at the front of the crowds just to sit and rest their strained legs.
Empire Appreciation Day, an admiral with a microphone called it, as if there was anything to appreciate about such an entity.
"And it is all thanks to the Galactic Empire" the admiral proclaimed to the citizens, "I know many of you used to look at us with distrust, but know that everything we do is for your own good and protection. You may not agree with all of our actions, but the Empire will always take care of its people and deal with any and all threats to maintain peace and order."
His words were interrupted by screeching feedback, "Don't make me laugh" a voice said through the speakers around the city as the floating monitors suddenly changed to show the nearby Imperial base.
"I've heard more truths from those pompous Hutts than the bullshit you're spewing."
The admiral turned to one of his subordinates, "What the hell is going on?"
The lieutenant quickly trying to gain control of the situation can only tell that someone hijacked their broadcast system and he is trying to regain control and trace their location.
"Admiral Raler Fik" the voice said again before some monitors switched feeds to show a young man appearing to be no older than 18, a young man the admiral recognized, a general in the Grand Army, a hero of many Republic battles during the Clone Wars, former Jedi Knight Leon Solstice.
"I remember you" the former Jedi said, his voice low, but somehow more intimidating than the Imperial forces gathered in the streets, "I remember the things you've done. This" he held up his hand, a detonator tightly held within, "Is for all of those you've murdered."
His thumb pressed down on the switch, it happened on the screens first, but the distant booms were heard a mere second after. The entire Empire's base on the planet, along with its airfield engulfed in flames.
"You have two minutes before I arrive" Leon told him, "Start running."
The broadcast cut, returning to normal, the cameras in the admiral's vehicle still focused on him, showing a clear expression of fear, his hand that still held the microphone trembling. His forehead was already glistening from the sun's heat, now he was sweating for a different reason.
He ordered his soldiers to disperse the crowd and go into emergency protocols, while many of the troopers were in disbelief that one man could be this much of a threat the damage was clear and it wasn't long before whispers began stirring amongst the Imperial forces as to the identity of this individual, Der Attentater, The Assassin. While the higher ups tried to keep the worst of it quiet word and rumor still spread about what Leon had done. The only ones that knew The Assassin's real identity were already dead, not even security footage of him survived his destruction. Even grunts heard stories of him, many exaggerated as rumors tend to be, but his reputation spread all the same.
This seemingly unstoppable, supposedly unkillable man waged a one-man war against the Empire, leaving nothing, but fire, flames and rubble and corpses in his wake.
The civilians were all ordered to return home as an emergency curfew and lockdown was put into effect, anyone caught outside would be shot on sight with no questions asked. Leading many if not all of the citizens to wonder, just who was this man that not only managed to firebomb the Empire's base, but cause such a panic amongst the Imperial leadership.
The Imperials began rushing to the spaceport, now in battle formations with Admiral Raler Fik surrounded by his men hoping they would be able to protect him or at least buy him time to escape to safety. He knew what Leon was capable of, he knew if Leon said he had two minutes then he meant it and he had no time to waste. He knew going back to their base was pointless, everything was destroyed, his only chance of escaping was to make it to the spaceport and commandeer a transport to get him offworld.
As he fled with his entire battalion calling in all forces to converge on his position he recalled his last run in with the former Jedi. He received word of a group of Jedi that survived Order 66 so he gathered an elite stormtrooper group to help him in apprehending and executing them, only when he arrived he found a group of children 18 of them at most with the oldest among them being a twi'lek girl that seemed around 15 at most, judging by their surroundings they were clearly in hiding. They tried to claim they were street urchins and orphans banded together for survival, but the more Admiral Fik pressed them the harder it became for them to keep up their facade.
With an expression of confidence he asked one last question and the pressure of the situation became too much. One of the older ones, maybe 12 he guessed, tried to conceal the wave of his hand as a muscle spasm, but he knew a Jedi's mind trick when he saw one, he ordered them all executed.
The blaster fire illuminated the large room, most of the Jedi were killed immediately with only a few managing to activate their lightsabers and defend themselves with only 5 of 18 left the admiral tossed a flash grenade to the back of the room ordering his soldiers to cover their visors and with the Jedi blinded two more were killed and the remaining three were backed into a corner, one tripping over her dead friends and immediately shot in the chest before she could defend herself.
He watched the 'leader' of this group of Jedi hold her silver colored lightsaber tightly in her hands, her hands trembling, but despite her obvious fear she stood resolute
Admiral Fik smirked, but he would never get to say what was on his mind as the concrete wall behind him was torn out, debris and crumbling stone falling or flying out into the street as the now gaping hole allowed the sunlight in unobstructed and he heard the oldest of the group say his name, "Leon."
He wasn't sure how he knew, but something in him told him it was the Jedi he knew years ago and as he turned he saw the Jedi that defeated and killed General Grievous in one on one combat on Kashyyyk just a few short years ago.
He never had time to issue the order, no time for his thoughts to be turned into breath in his lungs before the former Jedi struck. He watched Leon lunge forward with impossible speed and a strike, not from a lightsaber, but with his bare fist land a vicious blow against the helmet of the lead commando, the commando's body dropped with a heavy thud his helmet dented in and cracked as if it was in a high speed collision and everyone saw how quickly the blood began spilling from his helmet and pooling beneath him.
The rest of the commando's trained their weapons on him only none of them would ever get to pull the trigger, the next fell in a single blow as well as Leon charged her and with a strong open hand strike to her gut sent her flying to the rafters above, her spine snapping through her armor from the impact. The third died immediately after from a heavy chop to the neck, he dropped his weapon as his trachea was crushed falling to his knees as he struggled to breathe. Admiral Fik watched, it took less than a dozen seconds for the former Jedi to kill his squad of thirty commandos all with just his bare hands and rage in his eyes.
Admiral Fik tried to run, he had to get away, fear and the chill of death is all he felt as he turned to flee through the tank sized hole Leon tore through the wall, but the sun's warmth had graced his skin for only a moment before he was lifted from the ground and felt the bones in his hand break and be crushed. He screamed as he was forcefully turned around to see the former Jedi approach him and seize him by his throat.
He struggled against Leon's hold on his throat, seeing only death in his eyes as the life was being strangled out of him.
"You'll die slowly for this" Leon promised him before a deafening blast erupted from the building, Leon's body had shielded him from the worst of it, but the blast sent both of them hurtling through the air. One of the commandos clinging to life just long enough to activate an explosive in an attempt to take the Jedi with him, but the twi'lek girl used the Force to contain the blast, mitigating it before the strain overwhelmed her.
Adrenaline coursing through him, Leon quickly got back to his feet turning to the destroyed sanctuary, "Seilaa!" he shouted rushing back toward the rubble, "Seilaa!" he shouted again before seeing her body half buried, blood flowing over the shattered concrete she laid on.
Digging her out and cradling her body he called the twi'lek's name again, her warm blood running from deep shrapnel wounds, heavy and limp she looked at him with unfocused eyes.
"I knew you wouldn't leave us" she struggled to say.
Leon looked around, the other survivor Yrix a male rodian was killed in the blast, his mangled and shredded body in the corner. He returned his attention to Seilaa when he felt her hand on the back of his neck, "I'm sorry I couldn't protect them" her words slurred with her strained breaths.
Her hand on the back of his neck she lifted her head up just enough and kissed him confessing not just her long admiration, but also her love for him before her strength left her and her chest rose and fell for the last time.
Admiral Fik remembered everything clearly, while that was months ago he still lost sleep over the memory of that day, how he almost died to what he started calling the Wrath of the Jedi.
He was forced from his memories when he felt his vehicle make an abrupt stop, the engine smoking before the shell of the vehicle was being crushed by an invisible entity. In a panic he jumped from his transport ordering his soldiers to protect him as his personal vehicle with his driver screaming inside was lifted into the air and compacted into a steel ball of scrap.
He heard one of the stormtroopers yell, "You are surrounded!"
Risking a glance he peeked over the shoulder of the trooper in front of him seeing Leon Solstice being surrounded by stormtroopers.
He watched the lightsabers flared to life in his hands, silver in his right, red in his left and then two green blades behind him wielded by invisible hands.
Then he heard the former Jedi speak, "All I'm surrounded by is fear, and dead men."