If someone were to ask Ben Obrin what it had been like on the day the Jedi Order fell, he would have told them it started out quite normally. In the years ahead, Ben would look back and curse himself for not seeing the trap the Sith had laid for the Jedi Order.

In his defence, though, it really had started out like any other day. Ben and his Padawan had recently returned to the Temple after yet another deployment with their Clone Battalion on yet another planet he could barely remember the name of. Mimban, was it? All he could remember was that it had been made entirely out of mud, it seemed. It had been two days since their arrival on Coruscant, and Ben was still finding mud in places he would rather not mention.

As Ben swung his legs out of bed, he wondered how his Padawan, Aubrie Wyn, was doing. They had come together under such tragic circumstances at the Battle of Jabiim, where after several days and nights of battle, they had been the only two living beings left on a field of tens of thousands.

Who had the Separatist leader been again? Alto something? He had killed Ben's Master, Ben had killed him in response, and yet he could barely remember the man's name. That had been three years, and dozens, possibly hundreds of battles ago. Ben was twenty years old at the time, Aubrie had been thirteen, and they had both lost their Masters on Jabiim.

Though they were at war, and the need for new Knights was dire, Ben was still surprised when, shortly after Jabiim, he and Aubrie had returned to the Temple and the Council had performed the honourable yet solemn ceremony of bidding him to kneel and cutting off his Padawan braid. Master Yoda himself had requested Ben take Aubrie as his Padawan, and that was that.

Now Ben was twenty-three, Aubrie was sixteen, and both of them were thoroughly burnt-out after three years of war on planets whose names the both of them could barely remember. Ben couldn't list off the number of friends he had lost in this war without forgetting one or two- which he found particularly upsetting, as there was a time he would have willingly laid down his life for them. Instead, they had laid down their lives for the Republic, and Ben and Aubrie had soldiered on.

Aubrie wasn't doing much better, though. Ben had caught her crying quietly upon their return from Mimban. He had given her a hug, but struggled to find the right words to comfort her. All he could do was hold Aubrie as she cried into his chest, and try not to feel useless. In all seriousness, this would probably be frowned upon by the Order, but Ben didn't care. Aubrie had shown considerable bravery in the countless battles they had fought together, and he had come to view her as more of a younger sister than an apprentice. Trying to comfort her was the least he could do.

Ben wondered how he would comfort her now. Even with the news of Count Dooku's death, it had come as no surprise to learn that General Grievous had taken command of the Separatists. Ben had met the cyborg once in battle, and once was enough. If it had not been for Aubrie's intervention, Ben would not have walked away from their duel with his head still attached. The coils may be tightening around their enemy, but Ben did not doubt that Grievous would fight to the bitter end. Which meant there were more battles to be fought, more worlds to wreak havoc on, more friends to lose-

Ben was jerked out of his ever-spiralling thoughts to an announcement on his commlink.

"Master Obrin and Padawan Wyn, report to the High Council Chamber immediately, please."

News of our next deployment, no doubt, Ben thought, groggily rising to get dressed.

Ben found Aubrie waiting for him just outside of the Council Chamber. Ben was glad to see she had clearly rested well and cleaned herself up after their fight on Mimban, but he could sense she was as nervous as he was at the prospect of yet another battle to be fought.

"It's alright, Aubrie", Ben gently placed a hand on her shoulder. "Maybe it will be good news for once. Stranger things have happened."

The briefest flash of a smile appeared on his apprentice's face, before fading away. Ben could honestly not recall the last time he had seen Aubrie smile, and as they walked through the doors to the Council, he decided that if they really were being sent in to fight again, he would request Aubrie stay behind. A few more days of rest and recuperation would be good for her.

Ben focused on the Council, preparing himself for what they had to say, then realised the Chamber was empty, save for Master Windu. The tall, dark-skinned Jedi Master surveyed Ben with his usual stoic expression.

"Master Obrin."

"Master Windu. What would you have of us?"

Master Windu drew out a holoprojector from his robes, and showed Ben and Aubrie an image of a female Umbaran. She appeared vaguely familiar to Ben, though he couldn't place her.

"This is Sly Moore, Chancellor Palpatine's administrative aide."

Ah, yes. Ben recalled seeing Administrator Moore standing beside the Chancellor numerous times on the HoloNet.

Master Windu began to explain, stating that over the last few weeks, he had grown suspicious of Chancellor Palpatine and begun to subtly investigate, sending Jedi out to observe his closest confidants. Ben began to realise why he and Aubrie had been summoned to the Council Chamber- there were no cameras, no recording equipment, no way for anybody on the outside to hear what was being discussed.

"Moore's speeder was seen descending into the lower levels of Coruscant earlier today. I had Master Keipth following her but… we have lost communication with him. I need you and your Padawan to investigate. If anybody tries to stop you, tell them you are about the Council's business."

"Yes, Master." Ben and Aubrie both bowed to Master Windu and left.

As he walked towards the speeder he and Aubrie would be using, Ben couldn't help but feel relieved. Finally, after what seemed like forever, he and Aubrie were getting a mission that harkened back to those Ben had gone on with his own Master. At the very least, it was unlikely at best that this one would involve bloodshed.

As Ben and Aubrie descended into Coruscant's lower levels, they kept their hoods up and disappeared into the crowds, subtly looking around for any sign of Master Keipth, or the Administrator he had been watching. They knew it would be like looking for a needle in a stack full of needles, and would probably take days at best, yet they persisted, subtly asking any vendors or police droids if they had seen anything worth mentioning.

As they descended further, Ben could not quite shake the feeling that something was wrong, and he could sense Aubrie feeling the same way. As they descended to yet another level, the dark feeling grew only stronger, and stronger, until it felt like a cold hand wrapping itself around Ben's heart. Still, this was no time to lay down and give up. Ben walked over to the next vendor he could find and started to ask them if they had seen Master Keipth, when Aubrie started tugging at his sleeve.

"Master-"

"Aubrie, not now. We can rest after this, it's alright."

"No, Master-"

"I get that you're tired, but if one of the Order is missing, it's our responsibility to find-"

"MASTER!" Aubrie screamed.

"AUBRIE, I SAID NOT NOW-"

"YES, RIGHT NOW, TURN AROUND-"

Irritated, Ben turned around- and found himself looking at several of the red-and-white clone troopers of the Coruscant Guard, all of whom were pointing their blasters at him and Aubrie.

They opened fire before he even had a chance to blink.

Luckily, Aubrie was faster than that, and her blue blade deflected the first blaster bolt a split second before it would have gone through Ben's face. Before he knew it, Ben had drawn his own lightsaber, and the green blur of his weapon shone out against the darkness of their environment, redirecting the blaster bolts back into the clones.

The fight was over in seconds, but the whole floor had been plunged into chaos, people screaming and trampling over each other in their hurry to get away. Ben and Aubrie deactivated their lightsabers and tried to recover, but both of them were shaking.

"Master, I don't understand, what-"

Aubrie was interrupted by the sound of more blaster fire taking place below them. Quickly rushing over to the edge of the level they were on, they were surprised to see more clone troopers, and even more surprised to see Master Keipth, of all people, being forced to retreat under their blaster fire. His lightsaber had become a blue blur deflecting, deflecting the bolts cutting down any trooper that came too close, but Ben and Aubrie could see it was a losing fight.

This time, the two reacted much faster, launching themselves off the platform and reigniting their lightsabers as they propelled themselves down against the enemy, quickly making short work of the troopers. Ben turned around to find Master Keipth on the ground, Aubrie pressing her hands against the hulking Abyssin to try and heal him. Aubrie was one of the best healers in the Order, but Ben could see it was too late. Keipth had taken numerous blaster bolts to the chest, and he was already slipping away.

"Master", Ben began, "what is going on? Why did the troopers attack us? Please, we don't have much time-"

"The Sith…" Keipth croaked, struggling to keep his one eye focused "Trap… get to the temple… warn the Council…"

The Abyssin's breath rattled, and he passed away. Ben swallowed his grief, and turned to Aubrie.

"We have to get back", he said. "He's right. The Council needs to be warned the clones have turned against us."

Folding Keipth's arms across his chest, Ben picked up the fallen Jedi's lightsaber and steered Aubrie away. Though they were both determined to make it back to the Temple, Ben could not shake the disheartening feeling that it was already too late, as he felt the Force darken around him.

In the end, it took far longer to return to the surface than the Jedi had anticipated. Clone troopers were patrolling on every level, looking for them, and it took every bit of training Ben and Aubrie had to dodge and evade them. It was early morning by the time they made it back to Coruscant's surface, and then-

Ben's heart dropped, and he could hear Aubrie stifle a sob. Even from a distance, they could see the Jedi Temple burning. The clones must have struck there as well. Ben fleetingly thought of his own Clone Battalion, with the ever-wisecracking Captain Gigi at its head. Would he ever see them again? If he did, it wouldn't be as friends. Of that, Ben was becoming increasingly certain.

Both of them could sense the death and despair coming off the Temple, and were trying to figure out what to do when both their comlinks beeped with a new message.

All Jedi, return to the Temple on Coruscant. The war is over.

This was all the message said, yet Ben and Aubrie both instantly realised the trap.

"We must get to the Temple and send out a new message," Aubrie said. "If there are any Jedi off-world, they will fall into the trap and be killed."

There was steel in her voice, yet Ben could sense her fear.

"We will get there, Aubrie," Ben said. "If you see any clones, do not hesitate."

Forced to travel on foot, it took well over another hour to get to the Temple. They could both see the clones patrolling around its outskirts. Ben could sense Aubrie's hand tightening around her lightsaber beneath her robe, and he did the same with his.

Yet, at the exact moment they took their first steps upon the Temple stairs, they could hear blaster fire, and the ever-familiar hum of lightsabers. Quickly advancing up the steps, Ben and Aubrie were surprised to see two more Jedi cutting down the advancing clone troopers. Ben could not see the face of the hooded Jedi with the blue lightsaber, but the other-

Yoda. Master Yoda, thank the Light.

Had he not just seen what they had done to his home, Ben would have felt sorry for the clones as Aubrie and he activated their lightsabers and joined their fellow Jedi in battle. He could sense the other Jedi's surprise, then pleasure at their arrival. Ben could understand that- he'd had a sinking feeling that he and Aubrie might be the only Jedi left. As he struck down the last clone with a blow that nearly cut him in half, Ben turned towards his colleagues.

"Master Yoda", he began, "We feared you might be dead."

"Good to see you alive, it is, Master Obrin. Padawan Wyn." Yoda nodded kindly to Aubrie as she bowed.

The other Jedi turned to them, and Ben at last recognised the bearded face of Obi-Wan Kenobi, Yoda's fellow Council member.

"Excellent timing, I must say", Kenobi smiled. "I take it you received the message to return to the Temple?"

"We did. We are here to shut it down."

"As are we. Come, we don't have much time."

As the four Jedi walked through the Temple, the initial good mood at their reunification soured as they came across the bodies of their fallen comrades. Even the younglings… Ben turned his face away.

"Killed not by clones, this Padawan", he heard Yoda say. "By a lightsaber, he was."

What?

"What?" he heard Aubrie say.

"Who?" Kenobi asked, dumbfounded. "Who could have done this?"

But Yoda had no answer, and they slowly moved on.

As they came to the communications room, Ben and Aubrie stood guard by the door while Kenobi dismantled the message sent out by the clones, replacing it with a new one warning all surviving Jedi to stay away. But as they turned to leave, Kenobi turned towards the security recordings.

"Only pain, will you find there", Ben heard Yoda warn, but Kenobi turned them on regardless.

"No", Ben heard the Jedi Master say "It can't be. It can't be…"

Ben craned his neck around, to see… Skywalker? By the Force, was that really him? But Ben knew his eyes were not lying to him as he saw the images of Anakin Skywalker, the prophesised Chosen One, cutting his way through Jedi who Ben had known as long as he could remember.

Ben was only a year older than Skywalker, but they'd never really been in the same social circles, and since Jabiim, where Skywalker and Kenobi had taken part, he'd barely seen his peer at all. Still, it was a shock to see what Skywalker was doing, and Ben could sense Aubrie's shock and disgust as well. But the next shock was soon to come, as Ben saw Anakin kneeling before a cloaked figure.

"You have done well, Lord Vader", the figure said, with a voice Ben recognised as Chancellor Palpatine's. "Now, go and bring peace to the Empire", as Kenobi turned off the image.

Empire? What Empire? Palpatine was the Sith Lord the Jedi Order had been searching for? Ben shut his eyes. They had been fools, all of them. How could they not have seen this coming? All this time… the war, in which hundreds of Jedi had already fallen… and now, they had fallen by the thousands… all this time, Palpatine had been the one pulling the strings.

Was this the end of the Order?

"Destroy the Sith, we must", Yoda voice dragged Ben out of his thoughts. Ben immediately felt ashamed of even considering giving up the fight. Yoda was correct. Now they knew who the Sith were, all they had to do was destroy them. A simple enough concept, though easier said than done.

"Send me to kill the Emperor. I will not kill Anakin." Ben heard Kenobi plead.

"To fight this Lord Sideous, strong enough you are not", Yoda replied, not unkindly.

"He is like my brother. I cannot do it-"

"Send me to kill Skywalker", Ben said, in a voice that surprised even himself. "Master, if you and Kenobi attack Palpatine together, I can-"

"NO!" Yoda suddenly growled, shocking everyone present.

He then spoke more softly. "Obrin, guarantee we must, if Kenobi and I fall, at least one Jedi Master survives what is to come. To survive, and train the next generation, your responsibility, it will be."

The next generation? Ben wondered, then felt cold all over as he realised. The force-sensitive younglings… how many children would be born in the years to come, with a connection to the Force? If the Jedi Order was gone, this new Empire would hunt them down too, it was clear.

Yoda turned back to Kenobi. "Twisted by the dark side, young Skywalker has become. The boy you trained, gone he is. Consumed by Darth Vader."

"I do not know where the Emperor has sent him. I don't know where to look," Kenobi replied.

"Use your feelings, Obi-Wan, and find him you will", Yoda stated, as the Jedi took their leave. But before they left the Temple behind, Ben reached out, and took the time to pick up a few of his fallen comrades' lightsabers, adding them on to Master Keipth's. If he truly was to be responsible for the next generation of Jedi, it seemed only prudent to not let everything fall into the hands of this new Empire.

Aubrie looked at her Master with surprise, then followed his lead and scooped up a few more lightsabers herself. She had hoped to sit on the Council, one day. Perhaps if she survived what was to come, that dream would not be as dead as it had seemed that morning.

Walking onto the ship which had come to collect them, Yoda and Kenobi were quick to introduce Ben and Aubrie to Senator Bail Organa, who greeted them warmly.

"It is good to meet you both", the Alderaanian Senator shook their hands. "I am… so terribly sorry about what has occurred."

"Thank you, Senator", Ben and Aubrie bowed their heads.

After that, there was little else they could do but wait on Senator Organa's ship. Besides Master's Keipth's blade, Ben had taken five more lightsabers from the Temple, to which Aubrie added four more. Placing them on the table the Senator let them use, master and apprentice surveyed the ten collected blades.

"Not much, is it?" Aubrie asked.

"Sadly, no, but perhaps Professor Huyang-"

Ben caught himself. The ancient droid had most likely fallen with the Temple. But Aubrie's eyes were alight.

"Professor Huyang! Yes! I heard yesterday he had gone off into the Outer Rim on Jedi business!"

"Do you know where in the Outer Rim?"

Aubrie's face fell, and the brief spark of hope Ben had felt quickly sputtered out. Still, it meant there was a decent chance Huyang was alive. It was better than nothing.

When Yoda returned, tired and dishevelled with reports of his failure to kill the Chancellor- no, the Emperor- their little group fled Coruscant, heading for the Polis Massa asteroid field, to a base Senator Organa swore would be safe for them to rest. Ben and Aubrie willingly collapsed into sleep on the beds that had been provided, both of them having stayed awake for well over a standard day at this point. Yet, it seemed they had both only just closed their eyes when Organa apologetically woke them up, telling them that Kenobi had survived and was on his way.

Ben and Aubrie shook off their drowsiness and head downstairs only to see- was that Padme Amidala, the Senator from Naboo, being carried in Obi-Wan's arms? What in the world was going on?

After that, it was all a rush to get Senator Amidala into the nearest hospital room, only to hear that she was dying, and carrying twins. Ben and Aubrie waited in the background quietly observing. As the Senator took her last breaths, amidst the crying of her newborn children, Ben saw Aubrie quietly slip out. Following her, he was alarmed to see tears pouring down her cheeks.

"M-master… I'm sorry… h-how… how do we survive this? All our friends, everyone we know… j-just gone… the Sith won-"

Ben enveloped Aubrie in his arms.

"Aubrie… as long as a single Jedi survives, the Sith have not won. Good and bad, light and dark… one cannot coexist without the other. There are dark times ahead, but we will survive them. Together."

Aubrie didn't say anything. She simply clung to him, and sobbed.

Organa's ship had arrived on Naboo, carrying Senator Amidala's body.

"Is Skywalker dead?" Ben asked. He had to know. It was hard to believe that only the day before there were close to ten thousand Jedi in the galaxy, and now the four who sat around the table on Organa's ship may be all that were left. Master Windu… Master Fisto… the younglings…

Though he would never be so arrogant as to call them friends, Ben had always held Anakin Skywalker in high regard. Now, he wanted him dead with every fibre in his body.

"Anakin… Darth Vader was… as good as dead when I left him" Kenobi said, and would not elaborate.

Kenobi then went on to tell Ben and Aubrie that Senator Amidala's twin children had been no less that the progeny of Skywalker himself, to their shock.

"Hidden, safe the children must be kept." Yoda stated.

"We must take them somewhere where the Sith will not sense their presence", Kenobi agreed.

"Hmm. Split up, they should be."

"My wife and I will take the girl", Organa stated. "We've always talked of adopting a baby girl. She will be loved with us."

Kenobi nodded. "And what of the boy?"

"To Tatooine. To his family, send him", Yoda replied.

Ben winced. Tatooine was a harsh, barren wasteland, and he was quietly relieved when Kenobi volunteered to take the child and watch over him.

Yoda then turned to Ben. "Master Obrin, watch over the girl on Alderaan, you must. With your permission, Senator."

"Master Obrin is most welcome to stay with us", Organa stated, turning to Ben. "You as well, Aubrie", he added kindly, looking at Ben's Padawan.

Ben felt absurdly grateful towards the Senator. Even after the fallout of the previous few days, Ben could sense the older man's steadfast support of the Jedi, and for that he was truly happy.

"I will continue to train Aubrie to Knighthood, and Skywalker's daughter as well, should she exhibit any of her father's power," Ben stated.

Yoda nodded, and they all stood up. "Until the time is right, disappear we will."

Ben and Aubrie bowed, and followed Senator Organa out of the room.

Master and apprentice quietly shadowed Senator Organa as he ordered the Captain of his guards to take care of the two droids who had been Amidala's companions. After that, he led the two Jedi into his office.

"We will remain on Naboo to give Padme a proper burial, then set off for Alderaan", Organa explained. "When we are there, we must discuss how to move against the Empire, what paths must be taken against Palpatine and his lackeys."

"We wish nothing more than to lend you our aid, Senator", Aubrie stated, and Ben was glad to hear the steadiness return to his apprentice's voice. "Whatever path we take, it must be discreet… hidden."

"A hidden path, you say?" Organa smiled. "That has a nice ring to it."

Ben and Aubrie gathered to say goodbye to Yoda and Obi-Wan.

"Remain alive, the two of you must", Yoda stressed. "The future of the Jedi Order, you are."

"We will not fail you, Master", Ben bowed, and Aubrie did the same.

"You first name is Ben, yes?", Kenobi asked.

"Yes, Master."

"Then that is the new name I will take. Should any of you need to find me on Tatooine, I would suggest you look for me as Ben Kenobi, not Obi-Wan."

Kenobi smiled, and Ben found himself smiling back. The times ahead were dark, but surely… surely… there was hope ahead for the Jedi.