Star Wars: From the Clone Wars to Starfaring Heroes

Chapter 292-294 - A Galaxy of Stars (Part 4)

In the industrial zone, Yoda moved with lightning speed.

With a flash of green light, his lightsaber lit up at an extraordinary speed, slicing across the neck of the Valiant commander before he could turn around.

The head rolled off, the body exploded and fell to the ground, and the blaster hit the ground with a metallic clang.

"You are the Sith!" Yoda roared, his voice unusually fierce, as he pounced on Palpatine like a whirlwind.

A dark shadow shot out from the Sith Lord's sleeve, a crimson lightsaber hissing as it deflected Yoda's attack, sparks flying.

Palpatine retaliated with a maniacal laugh, his dark side making his attacks even more ferocious.

But behind him, Shakti moved with the same speed, his blue lightsaber arcing straight toward Palpatine's side.

The Sith Lord roared and twisted his body strangely, simultaneously deflecting the two men's swords.

The three instantly transformed into blurry shadows, their lightsabers clashing and crackling.

Chaos erupted behind them.

Jedi Knight Iscaris Akaris whirled around, his lightsaber precisely deflecting the first burst of energy beams from the assault team.

"Behind!" she shouted, her voice cutting through the chaos.

Other Jedi Knights followed suit, forming a defensive wall with lightsabers to block deadly barrages.

The burst of energy bounced off the walls and floor, filling the air with a pungent ozone smell.

The Republic's intelligence agents huddled in a corner, pale-faced, clutching their communication equipment.

They stood frozen in place, caught between two unbelievable realities.

Adi Gallia took the opportunity to contact someone, parrying the energy beam with his lightsaber while whispering urgently into the communicator.

Iscart couldn't hear what was being said; the roar of the Force drowned everything out.

The shadows around her eyes seemed to seep in, meandering along the office walls, sliding across the chair, and spreading to the floor.

A grenade thrown by a commando exploded on a distant wall, the violent tremor shaking the room and scattering debris, briefly disrupting the Jedi's formation.

With a growl, Iscart used the Force to grab the shattered durasteel and hurled it at the soldiers, sending them flying.

White plastic alloy fragments scattered like bullets, and the carpet was quickly soaked with fresh blood.

Iscart allowed the smells of blood and rust to fill his senses, drawing strength from them.

The Force surged in her ears, no longer the familiar gentle hum, but a violent symphony.

This feeling is so familiar.

Was the last time she felt it on that satellite over Coruscant?
It's like a poem, a dance.

It sings a single song, a single desire, a pure, singular focus and goal.

kill!

kill!kill!kill!

The songs blended into a harmonious chorus, transforming into an irresistible driving force that spurred on every inch of her body and every thought.

Her body instinctively leaped into the melee, and the Jedi around her fell one by one, overwhelmed by the endless stream of assault troops.

She did not hear Palpatine's aide frantically contacting Commander Thorne, ordering him to march on the Jedi Temple.

She also failed to notice that Yoda, Shakti, and Adi Gallia were gradually pushing the Sith Lord toward the edge of the enormous permanent glass window.

All she could see was red.

Is it the color of blood?
Is it the color of anger?

Or is it the color of the armor of those approaching clone soldiers?

Once, Iscart feared the darkness within herself, which she could always sense lurking beneath the surface like a wild beast, incompatible with the tranquility advocated by the Jedi Order.

Her late master also noticed this and constantly urged her to meditate and recite the Jedi Rules like a prayer to maintain inner stability.

This method used to work... until this moment.

When survival is threatened, the body reacts faster than the mind can intervene.

She didn't know if it was related to her mysterious race or simply a personal issue, but at that moment, she hardly cared.

She was grateful for the darkness, confided in it, and embraced it.

She was completely absorbed in it.

She activated the second lightsaber.

This is her mother's lightsaber, a fountain of molten gold.

Then she charged into the enemy's encirclement.

Every fiber of the carpet, every piece of the chair, could disintegrate instantly in the green or gold light.

The lampposts became makeshift shields, sliced ​​into pieces and spinning in the air.

The sofa became a terrain that could be climbed for leverage or used for retreat.

She lets her body handle things on its own, without the need for conscious intervention.

As her lightsaber spun and hissed, as her feet glided and her weight shifted, her arms slashing down one enemy after another, her consciousness slid along the circuits of dark power, like an invisible hand caressing the scales of a slick snake, following its roaring head and guiding her direction.

The enemies fell one by one, their shouts and screams unable to reach her ears.

Iscart's attention was diverted only when a commando's blast beam struck Adi Gallia's leg, and the Force compelled her to turn around.

Master Gallia staggered, her lightsaber lowered, and pain contorted her face.

In that brief moment, the Sith Lord charged forward.

His crimson lightsaber pierced her chest, the scorching sound of burning flesh cutting through the chaos.

The Solothoran Jedi Master gasped for breath, his lightsaber fell to the ground, and his body collapsed with a thud.

Seeing the fallen Jedi Master, something within Iscart was stirred.

The chorus in her mind was interrupted, the harmony was broken, and the snake that had been coiling around her loosened its grip.

She looked around for the first time.

The Jedi Knights around were gone; their bodies were scattered throughout the room, their robes riddled with hundreds of smoking bullet holes.

are dead.

Only the duel between the masters of light and darkness is visible to the public.

Meanwhile, Master Yoda and Shakti had little room to defend their parliamentary colleagues, their faces hardened with determination as they continued their attacks on Palpatine.

The Sith Lord moved with astonishing speed, his lightsaber flashing like crimson lightning, laughing maniacally as he drew power from the carnage and chaos in the room.

Yoda's attacks were precise and relentless, his petite figure weaving through gaps in Palpatine's defenses, while Shakti's elegant and fluid swordsmanship forced the Sith Lord to distract himself.

Even Iscart could see that, among the three Jedi Masters, Adi Gallia's practical combat skills were relatively weak.

Their lightsabers clashed and flashed, bursting forth with flames and weaving a deadly web of energy. The clash was so fast that Iscart could barely see it, only green, red, and blue orbs of light, within which seemed to be dozens of swords slashing from all directions. But she could sense it all within the Force.

The Force surged, erupted, and clashed around them, brimming with power and deadly intent.

More footsteps came from the entrance, drawing her attention back.

“A bunch of rats,” she roared, stretching out her arms, “all of you!”

Her fingers tightened around the lightsaber, and the private turbine elevator leading to the Speaker's suite was crushed like a soda can.

A flash of bright light, and intense pain pierced her temples like a hammer and chisel.

That's the feeling of a person's body being crushed.

She ignored them and focused on the remaining soldiers ahead.

She gripped the lightsaber tightly.

She had a mission to complete: to buy enough time for the Jedi Masters to send Palpatine to his grave.

This was a responsibility she was happy to take on, and her mother's golden lightsaber hummed fiercely as her rage reignited.

But this time, the anger has a focus.

This time, it's not just about killing.

It was for revenge.

……

On the other side, the Jedi Temple.

Baris Orpheus stood quietly in the tranquil rooftop courtyard of the Jedi Temple, the incessant hum of Coruscant's traffic echoing in the distance.

The skyline of the Senate District shimmered in the soft night, a magnificent monument to the Republic.

She crossed her arms, the fabric of her robe fluttering gently in the cool breeze, allowing herself a moment of peace amidst the chaos brewing throughout the galaxy.

At that moment, her tablet emitted a notification sound.

She frowned, reached for it, thinking it was the latest news from the front lines, or perhaps an order from Parliament.

However, the sender's identifier made her pause for a moment.

Priestess.

She tapped the screen and discovered that the message had been forwarded by Bode Akuna.

Her heart sank, and a chill ran through her.

Before she could fully grasp its meaning, a strange fluctuation in the Force drew her attention to Republic Building 500.

Paris turned sharply, her gaze fixed on the towering skyscraper, the private residence of the Supreme Speaker.

She uses the Force to enhance her vision and extend her perception to penetrate greater distances.

She held her breath when she saw a human figure fly out of a broken window on the top floor and fall toward the endless cityscape of Coruscant, a faint blue light illuminating its trajectory.

Her thoughts raced.

Who is that?
But before she could think about it further, another, more pressing threat caught her attention.

In the distance, several bright white searchlights pierced the night sky, unlike the constant flow of golden traffic.

They belong to the LAAT/i low-altitude assault transport aircraft, painted in the distinctive red of the Coruscant Guard.

The searchlight drew closer, sweeping across the massive, pyramid-like structure.

Listening closely, she could almost hear the clear rumble of boots and walking machines advancing into the temple area.

Paris froze, holding her breath as the clues came together.

The Jedi Temple was empty, mostly filled with older masters and young apprentices.

The best Jedi Masters and warriors are either on the front lines or in Sereno.

The Jedi Temple has never been so empty since the start of the war.

Paris Orpheus rummaged through the many pockets of her robe until she grasped a familiar, cold metal object that did not belong to the Republic or its Great Republic Army.

That's the technique of separatists.

She turned away from the edge and ran towards the nearest passageway.

It will be some time before the first batch of armed helicopters arrive, and even longer before the ground forces of the homeland security forces arrive.

The traitor and spy within the Jedi Order have been exposed, and she can turn the Temple into a fortress and hold it for a while.

At least, they can hold out until reinforcements arrive.

Finally, after holding this little device for nearly two years, Paris flipped the switch.

The device emits a beep and then goes out.

This is state-of-the-art separatist technology, a remote communicator condensed to the size of a radio.

Although it cannot transmit detailed information, it can send specific signals that penetrate almost any distance and interference in the Milky Way.

Her tablet beeped again.

[Signal from CND_1310RV] has been received.

Reinforcements have departed, flight route: Cross-Jellyk
-
Ruan Foster-Kanté.

Estimated arrival time: 18 Standard Time.

Please stand by.

Eighteen hours later, Paris put down her tablet and stared at the approaching searchlight.

Those armed helicopters will arrive within an hour.

She put away the device and took out the communicator.

He turned away from the edge and sprinted toward the nearest passageway.

When she activated the communicator, her voice was steady yet urgent as she contacted the temple's security command.

“Jurock, this is Jedi Barris Orpheus,” Barris called to the gatekeeper of the Jedi Temple. “Seal off all hangars, entrances, and external access routes to the Jedi Temple. Raise the deflection shields in the temple area. I think Master Gallia has already briefed you on this situation, hasn’t he?”

"...It seems the Sith have finally made their move."

“I’m afraid so,” Paris replied seriously. “I have summoned reinforcements, but it will take them some time to arrive.”

"Good news, how long will it take?"

"Eighteen hours."

"...At that time, the Jedi Temple was already under siege."

(End of this chapter)