The Conservatorium was, by far, Lorna's most treasured part of the Jedi Temple.
Ever since she had glimpsed it as a youngling, stopping to stare in wonder as Master Junda played her hallikset, music had fascinated her.
"Music is powerful," Master Junda had told her. "It can facilitate focus, healing, and mastering emotion. Learn to channel it and you will deepen your knowledge of the Force."
The room was small and simple, with soft lighting and acoustics designed to enhance the sounds produced within. A small selection of musical instruments was available to Jedi who wanted to play in their free time. Lorna's favorite was the electro-harp.
"You and Master Junda spend a lot of time in this place," Trilla said, a warm smile on her face.
They'd just finished sparring practice in the Temple training grounds. With training done for the day, their Masters had allowed them some downtime. There'd been no question of where Lorna would go, and her friend was happy to accompany her.
Lorna looked down at the harp, running her hands lovingly over the smooth curve of its neck. "It's relaxing here."
"Have you been working on anything new?" Trilla gestured to the harp Lorna was admiring.
"A little."
"Well, what are you waiting for? Let me hear it."
The first time she explored the various music genres available on the Holonet, she'd sat for hours, each new song taking her on a journey of emotion and sound. She came across traditional spiritual hymns that originated in the Church of the Force on Jedha. These hymns, often sung by just one voice accompanied by an electro-harp, mesmerized her completely. It took Master Secura's intervention to tear her away and back to her Jedi training.
Lorna picked up the harp and sat on a cushioned chair, placing it tenderly in her lap. Her hands rested on the strings, then she fixed Trilla with a glare.
" Don't make fun of me."
Trilla placed a hand on her chest in mock offense. "I would never." She lowered into the seat opposite Lorna.
Lorna threw one more warning glance at Trilla then closed her eyes and strummed her harp, singing in a rich and soulful voice:
"The Force is my guardian; I shall not falter.
It guides me to rest in peaceful meadows,
It leads me beside tranquil waters.
Though I journey through shadowed valleys,
I will fear no darkness,
For the Force surrounds me;
Its eternal light and wisdom comfort me.
It prepares sanctuary for me
Even when adversity surrounds;
It imbues my path with clarity,
My strength overflows.
Surely harmony and compassion
Will follow me all the days of my journey;
And I will dwell in unity with the Force
Forever."
When she finished, she looked up at Trilla. For once, her friend's expression was serious, her light blue eyes gleaming with a hint of awe.
"Lorna, that was brilliant!" she exclaimed.
Lorna flushed slightly. "It helps me focus when I play and sing." Indeed, the gentle twinkling melodies of the hymns had a way of drawing her into a meditative state easily.
Trilla looked hesitant, her lips pursing in thought as if debating whether she should say what was on her mind. In typical Trilla fashion, she decided to go ahead and blurt it out.
"It seems like you've struggled with focus in your training lately. Do you want to talk about it?"
Lorna's eyes darted back down to the harp in her lap, her fingers fidgeting with the tuning pegs. She didn't really want to talk about it. But she knew Trilla would probably pester her until she told her something.
"Our last mission to Felucia…did not go well."
"I heard. But you escaped the Separatist prison—thanks to you. Why are you not pleased?"
Lorna shuddered at the memory. "The horrors of that place, the people suffering… Master Secura has been wonderful, helping me through meditation, but... I cannot seem to let them go." She set the harp down next to her and sighed. "I'm sick of war."
"It's almost over, Lor. Dooku is dead. And didn't you hear? General Kenobi was dispatched to Utapau today to take care of Grievous. The fighting can't last much longer." Trilla gave Lorna an encouraging half-smile.
"I hope you're right. It's just—"
Lorna's speech came to an abrupt stop as a cold chill crept up her spine. It was as if a shrieking, dissonant voice suddenly joined the chorus of the Force.
"I feel it too," Trilla stood quickly, her hand hovering over her lightsaber at her belt.
Lorna unclasped her own saber and together they slipped into the eerily silent Temple corridors.
"Let's go down to the main level," Trilla suggested.
Lorna nodded and they boarded the turbolift. Her heart raced as that persistent discord in the Force set her every sense on edge. Before the lift even reached its destination, Lorna began to hear the clamor of blaster fire and humming lightsabers.
"Would the Separatists really attack the Te—" Lorna started incredulously, but her sentence was cut short. The turbolift doors slid open. A pair of clone troopers stood just outside.
Without hesitation, the two Padawans ignited their lightsabers, the hum of the blades filling the lift.
"Troopers! Who is attacking the Temple?" Trilla barked.
Startled, the clones swiveled to face them, their helmets masking any expressions. One of the clones raised his blaster, aiming it directly at Lorna.
"Jedi traitors, blast them!" he yelled.
Time seemed to slow down and Lorna stared in disbelief as the clone troopers fired.
Traitor .
The word thudded dully in her mind, its context so unexpected that she couldn't even process it. How could it be? These men had fought beside her, their loyalty unwavering until this moment.
Adrenaline burst through her body. Her years of training took over even as her mind reeled, her green lightsaber moving on instinct to deflect blaster bolts just in time.
"Stand down, troopers!" Trilla commanded.
The clones ignored her, bolts ricocheting off the turbolift walls.
Lorna deflected laser fire with shaking hands as Trilla's blue blade sliced through the chaos, as She gritted her teeth, drawing on the Force to fuel her movements.
"Remind me to file a complaint with the Kaminoans about their inhibitor chips," Trilla called over her shoulder. Her eyes flashed with a kind of thrill the way they
Leave it to Trilla to be cavalier at a time like this. But her friend's composure steadied her hands and unclenched her jaw. She redirected a bolt into one trooper while Trilla slashed at the other.
Bile rose in her throat when she saw the bodies of her fellow Jedi littering the Temple corridors.
"Why are they doing this?" she asked, her voice breaking as she released a shaky breath.
Trilla rested a hand on her shoulder. "I don't know, Lor. But I intend to find out. Come on, we need to get the main assault."
Lorna forced herself to breathe deeply, shoving her terror aside, knowing she would need to focus on whatever awaited them in the Temple entrance.
A door on the left suddenly slid open. They readied their lightsabers in defense but it was Master Junda who entered the hallway, closely trailed by a group of terrified younglings.
"Trilla, Lorna. Thank the Force that I found you. We must escape the Temple now," Master Junda said, ushering all of them away from the distant sound of battle.
Lorna didn't move. "Where is my Master?" she pressed, panic rising in her voice.
"She is leading the counterattack at the Temple entrance, but… there is nothing you can do to aid her, Lorna–"
"I have to help her!" Lorna interjected. "If the Jedi are mounting a defense, I should be there with her to assist."
"This is not a battle we will likely win, Padawan. Live to fight another day and come with us." Lorna's throat tightened as the meaning behind Master Junda's words sank in.
"Come with us, Lor!" Trilla implored, "Master Secura can take care of herself. We need to get the initiates to safety."
Lorna looked from Trilla to Cere, then down to the children, their eyes wide with fear. It seemed not so long ago she had been one of those younglings, seeking refuge and guidance from her Master. But she was not a youngling any longer. She had gone to war with Master Secura. She would not shy from it now.
"If my Master is holding off the assault, I should be with her."
Trilla's eyes met Lorna's pleadingly, but she relented as Lorna set her jaw with determination.
"Then may the Force be with you." she said.
Lorna nodded her head. For only a brief moment, she watched her friends retreat down the hallway, then she took off toward the Temple entrance.
She passed through a tall archway into the main hall but stopped abruptly on the high marble walkway. At the feet of the bronzium states below, dozens of Jedi clashed with an entire legion of clone troopers. Her eyes scanned the cavernous room, desperately seeking Master Secura. A flurry of lightsaber blades drew her attention. There, she recognized the blue lekku of her Master as she and two other Masters dueled a hooded figure wielding a lightsaber.
Lorna dashed closer, but as she drew nearer, a wave of pure terror washed over her, rooting her to the spot.
The hooded figure's presence was a suffocating darkness that sucked the very light from the Force around her. As if sensing her, he turned, revealing the face of Master Anakin Skywalker. His eyes were red-rimmed and dark, and the sheer malice radiating from him made her recoil—a twisted, corrupted version of the Force she had never encountered.
She tore her eyes away to find Master Secura, who had finally spotted her. When their gazes locked, a silent yet forceful order thrust into her mind:
Flee .
But Lorna froze, her instinct to fight warring with her fear of Anakin and her duty to heed her Master's command. He seized their moment of hesitation, his blue blade arcing with terrifying speed. The unspoken plea in Master Secura's eyes was the last thing Lorna saw before Anakin's lightsaber found its mark.
The Force narrowed to a point of searing pain that did not belong to her but cleaved her spirit all the same. The fierceness of it finally propelled her into action.
Lorna sprinted down the walkway back the way she'd come. She didn't dare look back, fearing that Anakin's shadow might be upon her. Her chest heaved with ragged sobs as she slammed her palm onto the turbolift call button.
She fled into the Temple's storage levels, eventually finding a mechanic's jumpsuit in a locker. With trembling hands, she discarded her Jedi robes and tucked her lightsaber into the jumpsuit's deep pocket. She commandeered an automated transport vessel, and from its viewport, watched the Temple burn. Tears flowed freely over her cheeks as flames billowed from the roof, brilliant orange against the dark, smoggy night sky.
The only home she'd ever known was destroyed, her Master and many other Jedi slain. There was no telling if Trilla and Master Junda escaped. She reached for the Force to reel in her shock and grief only to find it too murky and turbulent to soothe her.
The transport descended into the labyrinthine corridors between towering buildings. When it landed, she stepped out into Coruscant's lower levels, where even Republic troops feared to venture. That was where she had to go. She merged into the throngs of citizens, losing herself in the shadowy depths of the Underworld.
