[h3]“Get Down!”[/h3]

Charuri barely had time to react instinctively dropping her body to the ground as next to her a charged blaster bolt from a DC-15A slammed into one of the riflemen working with temple security. Crawling moving close to the ground and out of the firing lines above her she moved over to the man to check his vitals positioned behind the portable cover hastily deployed by the security forces. He was a youth barely older than herself maybe nineteen or twenty with signs of a light dusting of hair across his jaw. The blaster bolt had easily penetrated his armor meant to deal with hold out blasters and rioters not clones and their military tech, his right lung was punctured and he was fading quickly. His shaking hands found one of Charuri’s and grasped it tightly as he tried to voice something but couldn’t quite force it out with the blood pouring into his lungs.

The sound of footsteps as somebody rounded the barrier in front of them. Charuri turned her head to see the emotionless facade of white with blue highlights. The 501[sup]st[/sup] had once been the heroes of the Republic, hand selected for their skill and ability at combat the top tier of the entirety of the clone army and had fought with the Jedi on many an occasion. It seemed fitting in some way that they would be the ones to bring down the executioner’s axe. Looking down the barrel of the blaster rifle before she even had a chance to move there was a flash of yellow and the clone let out a strangled grunt as he fell to the ground. She looked backed as Master Feemor approached her catching his lightsaber flung with the force back into his hand.  

“Stay aware of your surroundings Charuri, let the force be your guide!” Even in the cause that engulfed and threatened to consume them all Feemor voice was calm in its projection and it give his young padawan an odd sense of comfort. Nodding she looked back to the soldier that she was tending to but already the boy had passed on his head lulled to one side matched by cold unmoving eyes. Charuri turned away... another one they failed to save. How many more would die before the night was over? How many would die for what she could only perceive as insanity as the wrath of the Grand Army of the Republic came bearing down upon them. 

As she rose to her feet natural Cathar battle instincts began to kick in matched by her own Jedi training. Her lightsaber was reignited in a flash of brilliant green as she dropped into the opening stance of Soresu. Some called Soresu the resilience form, well if that was the case than it would be needed more than ever to survive the night. She moved as Feemor had taught her over hours of drilling keeping her circle of defense tight around her body, to succeed each move had to made with precision, one wrong twitch and the defense falls and a blaster shoot will inevitably find the hole eventually. 

The clones kept on coming in wave after wave, as one fell two more seemed to be appear through the smoke to take vengeance for their fallen brethren. The defense of the outer temple had broken down and the clones pushed after them blasting their way through all that opposed them. They seemed to be coming in from all sides as the LAATs dropped off more squads while provided deceived heavy fire support with their laser turrets shredding through flesh and other matter like it was loose paper. Charuri had seen temple security and Jedi alike be indiscriminately taken down by the clones who moved with an eerie silence about them as only the sparest of orders being called could be heard as they came down like a symphony of vengeful wraiths conducted by the maestro of death.

In the chaos and fury, Charuri picked up on a familiar form approaching them. It was Jenner she remembered the face, the boy was a few years older than her but they had run into one another more than enough throughout the course of the war that they were at least familiar with one another. As he approached the sound of his voice was muffled by the large concussive blasts coming from within the Council Tower. A dreadful moment of silence followed by a single voice echoing through Charuri’s head before fading into the beyond. Run. After this the trio of Jedi looked at one another with probably the same expression across their face. Soon Jenner in words that seemed very wise in Charuri’s ears at the moment suggested that they too should retreat.

“No young one, your suggestions seems most apt considering our current circumstances. All those that have been evacuated successfully would have done so by this point. Remaining would only be foolish as a sacrifice to uphold a falsehood of victory is a most senseless sacrifice indeed.” Feemor responded with understanding in his voice towards Jenner treating him the same as he would his own padawan having work with Master Fora in the past. Gravely he turned toward his own padawan and give her a small smile. “Charuri now I must ask you to take heed of our conversation from before take Jenner with you and run now.”

“Of course master... but what about you aren't you coming with us?” She asked her master and friend over all the years. The tone in his voice had told her something, something that she didn't want to accept. It was filled with a finality in it and a strong willed sense of determination that she had only sensed a few times before one of the more recent times in the last speech of one of the separatists holdouts on Ithor before they rooted them out. The cutthroat tone of somebody that knew the end had come upon them.

“Sadly not my young [i]friend[/i]... It would appear it is time for this old man to make one more senseless sacrifice to protect the things he stands for and those he cares about. My master did not run when death faced him at the plasma generators on Theed, and I will not run here. I feel it in the force, it is my time to depart but you two still burn brightly in dark and you must hold that torch alight. Now please for my sake Charuri run.” Charuri wanted to yell in protest, she wanted to hit her master for being so daft, she wanted to do so many things but she couldn't and she would’nt. It was not the Jedi way. [i]There is no emotion, there is peace.[/i] She grit her teeth and nodded holding back tears as she grabbed Jenner with one hand holding his arm,  still holding her lightsaber in the other and turned bracking in run towards the path behind them intending to break through the slowly forming clone line erecting a human wall behind them in the hallway as they pushed their way through the High Council Tower and out through the main entrance. She didn't say goodbye, she didn't say anything out of fear of what would slip out of her mouth and instead followed orders. 

[i]There is no passion, there is serenity[/i]

As the duo broke off from him Feemor took a deep breath and closed his eyes feeling his breathing slow down as he entered the serenity trance feeling the force flow through his entire body invigorating it. Opening his eyes he took in the situation around him. The clones were now pushing in from both sides on his position, their numbers seemingly ceaseless. He had to hold them back for as long as possible, the more he took down, the more that would not chase after Charuri and Jenner. If they all ran together they would've just been cut down somebody had to die and at least he could do this one thing right after doing oh so many things wrong.

In truth he felt like Initiate again preparing for his trials as they same sort of looming uncertainty surrounded him. Usually in moments like these he had always entrusted in the force, that somehow their would be a path, a way forward for him to fight his way through. All that was left was dark and flickering embers as dozens died around him. The clones had quickly surrounded them and were cutting them down with heavy swaths of fire, unrelenting as barrage followed barrage. He felt old friends die next to him and young lives silenced in seconds but he kept on fighting and never withdraw. If the adrenaline was not pumping through his body he could of sworn if only for a moment his Master was there next to him guiding each and every saber stroke, having never died all those years ago. But he had died and now it seemed it was Feemor’s turn to join him.

As the clones slowly surrounded him and the remaining Jedi backing them against a wall he felt that he truly understood what Qui-Gon had told him all those years prior when Femmor was about to become a Jedi Master. He said that a Jedi’s true learning did not begin until they became a Master because it was with the training of those new members that you truly learned the importance of all the codes and morals you had so well learned. The padawans taught him as well three in total they had all taught him something about himself and about the world that he had always thought he knew everything about. Charuri was the last of these, a bright girl it pained for him to have to place such a great burden upon her shoulders, but to preserve the order it had to be done if only a few survived those few could rebuild.

His master had once told him all those years ago "I'm sure Yoda will soon assign you a student of your own. And that will be a lucky child indeed." He truly hoped that he was right. The circle of clones pushed in closer now and the last of his companions had fallen, he dropped into Center of Being and held out and reached into the force deflecting as many bolts as he could coming his way almost making a shimmering yellow curtain covering his body as he saber moved at an alarming right. Still it was not enough, a millisecond off and a hole was made and a blaster bolt slammed into Feemor’s leg. He staggered and dropped to one knee opening him up to another blaster bolt that slammed into his shoulder making him drop his saber to the ground. He never felt the third bolt as it met home with his head. His body dropped to floor another amongst the carnage.

[i]There is no death, there is the Force.[/i]

Charuri didn't look back but she felt it happen and with it her entire heart sank but she did not stop running. Her body at this point was running on pure instinct at this point letting the force guide her back to one of the many supply hatches that she knew lead deep into the temple. One of the clone scouts sent ahead of the main group ran into them but barely had a chance to react as a flash of green flashed out severing his hand and incapacitating him. Pushing forward away from the sounds of violence, death and more importantly the pain she just wanted to keep on running forever but eventually they came to their destination. It was a small indent in the wall near the kitchens, two hatches nothing more and nothing less empty crates went out one end and full ones came out the other and both lead down to the supply channels underneath the temple. The pair would be able to barely get down but any clones would have to find other means to get deeper beneath the temple complex 

She moved towards the one that lead down and pushed her way inside the long tube feeling the darkness surround her. It was a less than comfortable fit for herself and so the resulting ride down for Jenner most of been if anything a tight squeeze. Coming out the other end they found themselves in a dark corridor stretching endless in both directions with seemingly no lighting in any sense. They were on a deactivated conveyer belt of sorts the power having been knocked out on the attack. Back when she was an initiate she would spend hours down her working with the workers making sure the proper boxes with up through the proper tubes in the almost labyrinthine like passageways. She knew if she followed them far enough they would empty out somewhere but at the moment she couldn't think straight to tell where. 

Instead finally somewhere safe, her proper resolve that she had shown aboveground had finally broken down. Here in the dark with only Jenner somewhere in the darkness beside her she felt the tears in her eyes finally let go as the soft sounds of her scattered breathing filled the void as above them the temple shook as another explosion sounded off far above. It felt like a horrible empty dream and yet the full devastation was not over yet.
[i]
[hr]
Order 66: In the event of Jedi officers acting against the interests of the Republic, and after receiving specific orders verified as coming directly from the Supreme Commander (Chancellor), GAR commanders will remove those officers by lethal force, and command of the GAR will revert to the Supreme Commander (Chancellor) until a new command structure is established.[/i]