Jedi Fugitive (The Bad Batch)

1 (19BBY)

Astera:

The screams. I could feel them. Reverberating through the Force. Such widespread terror and pain, each voice silenced almost as quickly as it began. A betrayal, one that ran so deep it cut into the very core of me. And underneath it all, the tortured words of Anakin Skywalker. The raw pain of it was almost physical; I stumbled backwards, both hands going to my head as the cries spliced through my head.

The Jedi. They were being killed. All at once. Some grand scheme had been executed, I could feel it. And somehow, Anakin was at the centre of it.

But how? Even one Jedi was tough to kill. There was no way they could all be killed at once... Unless they were hit where they least expected it. Shot from behind.

Execute Order 66. The order was given right before the screams started. By that mysterious figure, to the entire legion of clones behind me.

It was the clones. They were behind this. The realisation hit me a second before I heard the guns clicking behind me. It was all I needed.

The clones opened fire on the spot I'd just been standing. Yellow blades buzzed to life in my hands, sailing over their heads, and I landed behind them, lightsabers cutting through their armour and leaving molten orange gashes behind. It left a bitter taste in my mouth, seeing Carver fall first with a scream, but I had no choice. It was them or me.

Whatever edge I had gotten on them with that split second wore off quickly. They had numbers, and the firepower. All too soon, I was deflecting shots rather than dodging them, blue bolts glancing off yellow plasma as I was forced on the defensive. Something that felt all too familiar - like the times Obi-Wan had blindfolded me and set several training droids on me at once to practise Form III combat, forcing me to rely on the Force to sense the direction and the time each droid would fire. I remembered hating the exercise at the beginning. Though much gentler than Anakin's idea of training, the sessions had often been full of nasty shocks all over my body when I failed to block a shot. Though now, all I could feel was gratitude for the exercise. Without it, I never would have sensed the clones' intention to shoot me from behind.

Fire seared into my arm, the blaster bolt tearing through skin and muscle, burning and cauterising the wound as quickly as it dealt the damage. A quiet gasp of pain escaped me, left lightsaber faltering briefly as I fell back against the crates behind me, my other blade still desperately blocking shots. Their sheer numbers were overwhelming me, more shots getting past my guard and sparking off my armour or flying straight past me. It was all I could do to keep blocking them.

There was nowhere to run. Behind me was the river, and everywhere else there were clones closing in. I needed to get out of here. The ship port was close enough. If I could make it over the river, I could run. The crates would provide enough cover for me. If only I could get over them.

A clone in the back stumbled, elbowing into the others beside him. He was off balance. That was my chance.

Channelling everything I had left, I clenched my hand and pulled forwards, sending the clone flying into the entire front line with invisible power. The blaster fire held up for just a second as their ranks were broken, attempting to regain formation. The precious time I needed.

The troopers regained fire just as I disappeared over the sides of the crates. Bolts sank into the metal, leaving burning holes behind. They wouldn't hold up for long. I needed to make my move now. The river was a good twenty metres across. It would take a good leap.

That jetpack Bo-Katan had offered me would have been very useful right about now, I thought with chagrin, tucking my lightsabers away in preparation. I should have taken her up when I had the chance. At least then I would have had more of an advantage.

Before I had any time to doubt my decision, I'd bunched my muscles up and taken a running leap up, drawing on the Force to augment my leap and clearing the railing easily.

I gained momentum quickly, cutting through the air and gaining speed as I sailed for the opposite walkway. The other side of the river was approaching fast. I was already almost across. I could actually make it.

The second shot punched through my side.

I twisted with a sharp gasp, my jump faltering and losing momentum. The other edge of the river disappeared, replaced with the smooth stone that lined the edges of the river. Only halfway through the leap, I began to fall.

Bubbles exploded when I made contact with the river, sinking straight to the bottom. I made no move to fight it, the pain in my side burning through every conscious thought in my mind.