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The atmosphere in the Jedi Temple was thick with a tension strong enough to deflect a lightsaber strike. Terse, hurried whispers darted between Jedi and Republic guards alike.
Three intruders - a human male Sith and a Twi’lek female in the main hallway of the temple, and a Mandalorian warrior somewhere in the upper levels. A small group, but Master Zallow senses danger.
“Aatalan!” A voice jerked a young Nautolan girl, barely older than seven, to attention. “You’re coming with me!”
Scared, Aatalan silently complied. The Temple was her home, and she felt comfortable among its many inhabitants, but she’d never felt safer than with her brother Bengel. He was everything she’d ever aspired to be. Gentle yet strong, humble yet talented, he seemed to be the perfect Padawan, and he was even trained by one of the best Jedi Masters in the Order.
Aatalan Morr had met Orgus Din a couple times, and she found him to be the perfect complement to her brother. The two seemed to be a perfect match, and Master Din’s witty humor, unassuming demeanor, and powerful command of both a lightsaber and the Force all seemed to be the perfect qualities of a Jedi Master. Master Din was kind enough to even talk to her, providing her with advice and even periodically checking in on her. She was so young, yet she still knew that these were the perfect qualities for her to strive for. After all, she and Bengel weren’t given to the Order for nothing. Life was so much better than back on Nar Shaddaa, but more importantly, the two siblings were being trained as Jedi so they could make life better anywhere, especially back home.
Bengel gently but firmly grabbed his little sister’s arm, and the two darted through the hallways of the Jedi Temple. All of a sudden, they heard a loud crash, and the entire building seemed to shake. Aatalan nearly fell to the ground, but Bengel quickly pulled her up, and they kept running. They passed by groups of Jedi and guards darting towards the source of the sound, and as they raced by a security terminal, they briefly made out a few words.
“...shuttle…main hall…more Sith”
There were even more Sith.
Aatalan nearly stopped dead in her tracks. Bengel pulled her on, and she picked up the pace once more. “Come on!” He cried. “We have to get to the tunnels! It’s the safest way out!”
The two kept running as the Jedi Temple kept shaking from explosions happening everywhere. As every Jedi and guard fell, Aatalan felt her heart sink more and more, and helplessness set in. If the invaders were able to cut down a fully fledged Jedi Master, what chance did she, an unarmed child, and her brother, still only a Padawan, have against the Sith? She looked at her brother. She could sense his tension and fear, but another feeling was taking hold of him. It was cold, foreboding, terrifying. She’d never experienced this feeling before, but she knew it was something she had to avoid at all costs. Yet, she said nothing. Survival was more important than her mental sleuthing.
As if to emphasize her point, the siblings heard blaster shots, followed by a pair of Imperial soldiers who were scouting the other passageways for more targets. Quick as a flash, Bengel drew his lightsaber and deflected their blaster fire before cutting them down smoothly in the way he’d fought down Master Liam Dentiri’s combat droids during intense training sessions.
“Keep going!” He cried out to Aatalan, and the two kept running. Turning a corner, they found the rest of the squad those two troopers had belonged to, and they immediately opened fire with heavy repeater rifles. Aatalan ducked behind the corner as portions of the Temple crumbled around her, and she desperately used the Force to swat falling debris from hitting her. As she watched, horrified, as Bengel fearlessly charged the soldiers, she could sense he was uncharacteristically animated, almost as if a shadowy puppeteer was controlling him with invisible strings. As the last Imperial soldier fell, Bengel turned to his little sister.
The little Nautolan girl couldn’t help but stare into her brother’s eyes. She could sense that, almost instantaneously, he had changed. His gentle persona and calming aura seemed to have faded away, replaced by the grim atmosphere throughout the Temple. Something stranger was controlling him. Something darker. She felt as if her initial suspicions were only being confirmed.
“Get moving!” Bengel screamed in a tone that seemed so unlike his normal self. “Do you want to die here?”
Jarred to her senses, Aatalan felt herself grow even more terrified - not of the Sith assault, not of the damaged Temple, but of Bengel and the darkness controlling him. She didn’t want to make this matter worse, so she raced behind him, trying to catch up to him.
More Imperial soldiers appeared, and Bengel drew his lightsaber and charged them without any hesitation. His guard was poor, but the sheer brutality of his attacks seemed more than enough to make up for his lack of a solid defense. The Imperials weren’t used to a Jedi fighting in the wildly aggressive manner characterizing the Sith that fought beside them, and they were all cut down. As every Imperial fell, Bengel openly savored each kill with a sadistic, murderous joy. His bloodthirst knew no bounds, and he was carving a path of destruction through the small squad of Imperial soldiers. Every Jedi death only brought him more pain, and he lashed out more aggressively at the infantry. Every Sith death only gave him more joy, and he relished the satisfaction of every kill.
The last Imperial soldier fell, and Bengel briefly turned to look at Aatalan. The Nautolan girl stared into her brother’s eyes, and she saw that he’d completely changed. Gone were the gentle eyes that conveyed so much compassion and kindness, and they were replaced with an expression revealing so much fear, so much rage, so much darkness. She couldn’t recognize her brother anymore.
“Look around you!” He snarled. “This…is only the beginning! What you see before you is nothing compared to what shall happen!”
Aatalan looked around, confused and terrified. Her brother’s tirade continued.
“Do you not see it? Do you not see a galaxy in flames? Every world, from Dromund Kaas to Coruscant, shall burn, and I shall relish the chaos to come!”
With those words, he turned around and swiftly strode down the halls of the crumbling Temple. Acting on instinct, Aatalan tried to chase after him, but she tripped on a corpse and fell hard. As she looked up, she watched her brother rapidly disappear.
“Bengel!” She cried out helplessly as she stood up. “Bengel! Come back! Don’t leave me!”
Her cries fell on deaf ears. Her brother was not turning back, and she couldn’t do anything about it. Anger, fear, grief, horror consumed the young girl, and she sank to the floor. Her brother, the light of her life, her hero, someone she could trust with her life, was gone. As she lay on the floor, the sounds of death and destruction resounding all around her, she surrendered herself to her fate. There was no way she would be able to make it out of the Temple alive. Any moment now, the Sith would find her, and then she’d be dead. Choking on her emotions, she couldn’t help but shudder in horror at how her parents were reacting to the news from home, and how they would feel when they learn that they lost two children - one to the dark side, and another to the blade of a Sith.
As if to confirm her feelings, she could hear footsteps, accompanied by the distinctive humming of a lightsaber, grow louder. She didn’t need to look behind to know that this was a Sith. Closing her eyes, she bit her tongue to keep herself from panicking. The end was near, and it would be swift.
All of a sudden, she heard the sound of another lightsaber, followed by a curse and an exclamation of surprise from the Sith. This was swiftly followed by the sound of boots hitting the ground and lightsabers clashing. Shortly afterwards, one of the blades was extinguished, and a body fell to the ground.
“Aatalan!” A familiar voice called out to her. “Aatalan! Come on! Let’s get out of here!”
“Sominick?” She cried out, surprised at who was there. Much like Master Din, Sominick Timmns was another Jedi she looked up to. Even though the Mirialan Jedi wasn’t even a Master, he was still so much like Master Din. The two were known for their witty humor, enduring patience, compassion, and strong command of both the blade and the Force.
“I’ve been looking for you.” He gently but quickly pulled her up, and the two slowly started to head out. “Where’s your brother? Where’s Bengel?”
“He…” Aatalan couldn’t even bear to say those words. “He’s gone. He just snapped and, and…” She burst into tears before she could finish her sentence.
Timmns knelt beside her, quickly understanding what she meant. “Come with me.” He slowly walked on, but he turned and waited for Aatalan to follow. “We’re getting out of this mess.” He extended a hand to the young Nautolan, who gripped it with all the strength she could muster. She didn’t want to be abandoned a second time.
As the pair made their way into the depths of the Jedi Temple, away from the carnage, Aatalan looked back at the ensuing devastation, at Jedi being mercilessly cut down while more chunks of the Temple collapsed. She turned her head again and looked out of a window. Imperial warships ominously prowled the skies while their complements of fighters and bombers rained even more destruction on the vast, ornate cityscape. She squeezed her eyes shut, not wanting to watch as a large chunk of a nearby tower exploded in flames. Opening her eyes, she looked forward, sensing that the way out wasn’t too far off.
She quickened her pace. No matter what, she and Timmns were going to get out of the Jedi Temple. Alive.