Oriel Dune | Obi-Wan Kenobi

Chapter Forty Six

[UNEDITED]

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"Obi-Wan was right. You have changed."
- Padme Amidala

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Oriel didn't think twice before rushing towards the alarming scene, and when she rounded the corner of the large hallway, she was greeted with what feared her most.

There were Jedi, old and young, experienced and beginners, all of which had their lightsabers drawn and deflecting blasts like their lives depended on it, because it did.

The part that shattered Oriel's heart the most was the fact that the Jedi were not fighting off battle droids, but they were defending the Temple from clones.

Clone Troopers.

Their own allies.

Turned against them.

Oriel was snapped out of her trans of shock, horror and confusion when she sensed a blast headed straight for her.

On instinct she grabbed her lightsaber from her waist and swiped it across her face in one swift motion, and deflected it back at the attacker.

She felt a pang of guilt hit her chest as she watched the clone in red armour fall to the ground with a smoking hole in his chest.

"My battalion is here." Oriel spoke softly to herself, the only tone her voice allowed her to speak.

To her dismay, she had no choice but to keep deflecting the blaster bolts, she tried her hardest not to hit the clones closing in on her but if she kept at it, they would eventually take her down and now she had not only herself, but her unborn child to think of.

"Oriel watch out!" Orie heard someone yell and she felt the heat of a lightsaber swing dangerously close to her back but the sound of a blaster bolt being deflected eased her mind.

She turned around and came face to face with an old friend.

Averil.

"Averil is that really you? Where have you been the past year?" She asked but the look in her purple friends eyes told her that now was not really the time to be discussing that.

"I think a more important question would be 'What the hell is going on here!?'" Averil yelled over the deafening sounds of war.

"I don't know but if I know one thing, this is only the beginning." Oriel said darkly as her mind was clouded with the worst thoughts of what the purpose of eliminating all of the Jedi could be.

"Stay focused Dune, now is not the time to get lost in your mind. Now is not the time to think at all, just do." Averil said deflecting yet another bolt that was headed straight for Oriel.

"Do what?" She asked feeling more lost than ever in that very moment.

"Do what you need to survive." Averil said taking in a deep breath in preparation for the next squad of clones headed for them.

"No. I can't. These are my men, I swore an oath to lead them, to protect them . . . to die for them." Oriel said, making a decision and retracted her lightsaber blade back into its hilt.

"Are you crazy!" Averil yelled and she was soon forced to turn away from her friend and defend both herself and Oriel from the incoming fire.

"Fine, you don't want to fight, then don't. But hanging around here is just gonna get you killed." She said not taking her eyes off her targets.