This is going to be a very slowly updated story, so fav and/or follow and all but forget about it! XD
Anyways, enjoy!
~Silverleone
After walking around for a few hours, we had found a restaurant and were enjoying a nice evening meal. A more casual tone accompanied Kalenta's voice as we recalled our different adventures and missions. I snorted around my drink and had to set it down before I made a mess.
"Wait, the Shiny tripped on flat ground and dropped the grenades?!" I asked in disbelief.
"Yeah, thankfully none of them activated, but the feelings of sheer horror and embarrassment is something I'll never forget," Kalenta giggled. "The other clones never let him forget it. Poor man just can't live it down." I opened my mouth to say something when my breathing hitched. Warning after warning came from the Force until it was a droning buzz that filled my ears. I looked at my two companions.
Kalenta's eyes were as wide as dinner plates, and her breathing had quickened. Sweat dropped from her brow.
Master Sebaal also looked horrified, and when his eyes met mine, I knew I had the same look.
"Temple. Now!" He said. We ran out of the restaurant and down the street. My thoughts raced as I tried to pick apart what was happening. As we got closer to the temple, all I could hear through the Force were screams of agony and fear.
Our little group suddenly went from three people to two, and I spun around to see Kalenta standing in the street. I ran over.
"Kalenta, we gotta go!" Her eyes were seeing right through me. "Kalenta?" I felt a warning through the Force, this one directly aimed at me. I threw up my arms, calling on the Force to form a quick barrier.
Kalenta fell to her knees as she let out the most soul wrenching scream I had ever heard. Her own influence of the Force sent out a shockwave to accompany the sound. Trash and smaller objects went flying, and bigger things like speeders and storage crates shuddered under the pressure.
My barrier strained as I pushed back, trying to stop her from accidentally harming the locals. I pulled on the Force as hard as I could and shoved my arms forward, cupping my hands together. My barrier formed a dome around Kalenta, stopping her from causing anymore damage. I felt my Master join me, and my barrier gained strength.
Kalenta finally stopped screaming and her power stopped pushing against the barrier. My Master and I released our hold and I ran over, falling to my knees next to her. Kalenta was sobbing into her hands, her whole body shaking.
I wrapped her in a hug, but when I tried to send her comforting feeling through the Force, all I felt in return was grief in return. I searched through the feelings, trying to figure out what she had felt. I realized it was Master Plo's death she had sensed. Master Sebaal too grieved the Jedi. But he shook his head.
"We need to go. The temple needs us. This, whatever this, is, has only just begun."
"She is in no condition to fight!" I snapped, before remembering who I was yelling at. I quickly apologized. "I'm sorry, Master." He nodded in understanding, only for another wave of fear and death to ripple through the force.
"You stay with her. Find someplace safe. Keep your comms on, but don't trust anyone who calls out!" His face grew even grimmer, "I feel the time of the Jedi is coming to a close." I could only stare at him in horror as he stood up. He turned but paused and looked over his shoulder.
"Remember my lessons, my Padawan," He looked me in the eye, his own burning with a blazing flame of determination. Then his influence in the Force suddenly pressed down on me, our bond was severed instantly. My eyes widened when it felt like a saber blade through my chest. He was gone into the crowd the instant later.
"Master, NO!" I watched the spot where he disappeared, hoping with all I had he would come back.
He never did.
««{{¤}}»»
I led Kalenta away from the more crowded parts of the city-planet. I didn't dare go underground, not without my Master there, but I had to keep her out of sight while she grieved. I found a small café and sat her at a booth in the back. It was the only quiet place at the moment, as murmurings of the Jedi temple falling kept getting more common. I glanced at Kalenta to see her hollow eyes staring at her lap. Her hands were open and limp.
'She's in shock. There's nothing I can do to help her. I can only keep her safe.' My thoughts were interrupted by a flicker of warning from the Force. I lifted my head and looked to the front door of the restaurant.
"They're in there. I saw them earlier." I kept my head low, but my hand rested on my saber hilt.
"You two! Hands in the air!" My eyes widened at the voice. A group of three clones stood at the table. I recognized the teal patterns on the first helmet.
"Raider?"
"Hands!" I gasped when his rifle pointed at me.
"Raider? What are you doing?!" He ignored me and gestured towards me.
"Cuff them. We don't need to make a mess in here." I shot a look at Kalenta before stretching my hands forward, wrists close together. She copied me, and cuffs were slapped on our wrists. Our lightsabers were taken and we were led out of the restaurant. I felt the confused stares of the locals. Jedi in cuffs being led by clones? It was a shock to many, especially us Jedi.
"Raider, you want to talk to us?" I muttered at the clone marching at my shoulder.
"You're to be executed according to Order 66." He said stiffly. I looked at him in shock.
"What? Why?!"
"All Jedi are traitors and are to be treated as such."
"Traitors? Raider, how can you say that?!" I stopped, only to get a rifle shoved into my back with a command to keep walking. I kept moving but glared at the clones. "You've gone crazy if you think I've betrayed everything we've fought for." He didn't respond immediately.
"Not according to our orders." I slowed a little, dread made me sweat. I ducked my head and looked at Kalenta out of the corner of my eye. She glanced at me and I nodded. She was still in shock, but her adrenaline was kicking in, clearing up the fog just enough for her to function. We were marched into an open courtyard. Raider pushed my back against the wall and turned to step away.
"Raider, listen to me, please. We haven't betrayed the Republic. We haven't done anything to warrant this!" He spun around.
"Quiet!" He barked. My hand went up to my stinging cheek. I felt my blood begin to boil.
"If you're going to kill me, at least look me in the eye you coward." I spat. I felt Kalenta stiffen next to me. After a moment of pause, Raider slowly pulled off his helmet. I looked him in the eyes. "You're not Raider. Raider was my friend and would never do this." The clone stiffened, and his eyes unfocused. "You disgust me soldier." The other two clones shifted their rifles and I moved. I threw my arms forward, shoving the three of them back, scattering their rifles out of reach. I snapped my cuffs with a surge of the Force, Kalenta doing the same. I ran forward and grabbed Raider by the chest plate, hauling him up.
"Whose orders are you following?! The Jedi are the commanders of the clone armies, so who gave the order?!" I snarled. Raider shook his head, looking dazed.
"Orders…orders…" He looked like he was having an internal fight with himself. I shook him again.
"Raider, answer me!" I begged. His eyes became clouded again.
"Orders. Good soldiers follow orders." He droned out. He leaned his head back before head butting me. I grunted and stumbled back. I ducked when Raider threw a punch. I tripped him with a single strike of the Force on his legs. I brought my knee up and met his face with it with a crack.
"Raider, stop!" I pleaded, even as I felt a warning from the Force. My lightsaber snapped to my hand and the green blade snapped into existence. I deflected a blaster bolt that came from my left. More clones were running into the area.
"There they are!" A barrage of blaster fire backed us against the wall, even as the clones began fanning out. We were dodging and deflecting as best as we could, but we couldn't keep up. I leaped high into the air and brought my arm back.
"Leave us alone!" I fell on one knee, my open palm stopping just above the ground. A massive wave of the Force knocked every clone off their feet, halting their fire for a second. "Kalenta!" We took off running, leaping over another dozen or so clones that were just entering the area, knocking away any blaster bolts that got close.
"After them!" A clone cried.
"Jondu, what do we do?! They're trying to kill us!" Kalenta cried. I bit back a smart reply and looked around, even as we ran through the streets.
"We need to hide! Then we need to find another Jedi, find out what happened! It was almost like Raider didn't know what he was doing!" I jumped forward and pushed off a metal stand, spinning just in time to deflect a bolt into the sky.
"We ne-AH!" I watched as she tripped, her shoulder smoking.
"No!" I spun around and got between her and the clones. My lightsaber was a blur as I blocked every shot. "Kalenta, get up!"
"It hurts!" She groaned as she stumbled to her feet.
"I know-!" I used the Force to throw some trash at the clones. "But we have to run!" I used the opening to grab her good arm, dragging her to her feet. She cried out in pain. "I know, I'm sorry!" I apologized. She gritted her teeth and nodded, using the Force to help her move. We ducked into an alley and I looked around.
"We need to get on the roofs. Here," I cupped my hands, "I'll give you a boost." She nodded and clipped her saber to her belt before taking a few steps back. She ran towards me and I pulled on the Force. She planted her foot in my hands and we both grunted as we released the Force build-up. She flew high into the air, easily passing the rooftops. She landed with a roll, wincing at the pain in her shoulder. She scrambled over to the edge and looked down.
I was hopping from windowsill to ledge, slowly but surely gaining height. Clones entered the alleyway and looked around. One looked up and called out to the others. Kalenta reached an arm out.
"Jondu, JUMP!" I bunched up my legs and leaped with everything I had. She snagged me with the Force and pulled with all her might. A shot blew a chunk off the roof inches from her, startling her enough that she almost dropped me. She rolled onto her back and threw her arms up and forward, dragging me through the air to safety. I landed roughly, coughing at the dust cloud I kicked up. Kalenta walked over, holding her shoulder as she grimaced in pain.
"It's a good thing I stopped growing, huh?" I said. That sarcastic comment earned me a sore shoulder. "Ow. Come on, let's find a place to hide." I gently took a hold of her arm and glanced at her injury, "And find something to patch you up." I could hear the clones below us scrambling to find a way to get to us.
We took off at a slower, but still urgent pace, dropping back into the streets when we saw they were clear of clones.
No warnings from the Force told us this evening was only going to get worse.