𝘚𝘈𝘓𝘜𝘛𝘌→𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘢𝘥 𝘣𝘢𝘵𝘤𝘩

order 66.

ALORA NERO COULD not believe what was happening right in front of her. The events unfolding felt like she was having some sort of fever dream, it couldn't have been real. She needed to wake up. Seconds would pass that felt like tiny eternities, every blast that whizzed by, every crack of a lightsaber, every scream.. What seemed like a normal mission had turned into a nightmare.

Alora felt a deep sense of anguish. Looking behind of her, she could feel Depa Billaba's pain. Caleb Dume's heartbreak.

The woman was surrounded by clones, and with all of their blasters pointed towards her, they began barking orders for her to stand down and to surrender. So they could execute her. Unforgiving blasts were shot her way, as she struggled to deflect them all with her lightsaber. The clones, her clones, were trying to end her life.

Why? "Why is this happening?" Alora asked herself. She stood in the middle of a clearing, the shock of what was happening had frozen her. She couldn't move, couldn't even think.

"Master!"

Caleb Dume sprinted past Alora, bringing her out of her trance and back to the sad reality. He was running as fast as he could towards his master. Alora could sense how desperate he was to save her. Just like she was as desperate to save master Obrinth...

Alora hadn't even realized it, but she, too, was sprinting towards the Jedi master, right behind her padawan. She reached down to grab both of her lightsabers, but stopped in her tracks once again, after Depa turned her attention towards her and Caleb.

"You must run, Caleb!" She screamed. Her voice sounded broken, and fear had a permanence in her eyes now. A blaster shot hit her in the arm, though she hardly reacted to it.

The clones began closing in on her, and she screamed once again, "Run, Caleb!" She was desperate for him to flee, for she did not want her fate to be his as well.

Alora reached down to grab Caleb by his hand. "Come on!" She yelled, "I am so sorry. We have to leave!"

Caleb squeezed his eyes shut, a single tear spilling down the side of his face. In that moment, he was a lot stronger than anyone, even himself, thought he ever could be.

He began to run with Alora, away from the clones who were about to murder a person who swore to protect them. The two young people could not understand why this was happening. Caleb was heartbroken, and Alora was afraid.

Why would the clones turn on Master Billaba? Did she do something wrong? She couldn't have..

The two didn't stop running until they came up onto another clearing. The air was frigid, and Alora thought for sure that her hand was frozen to Caleb's. The two of them were trembling. There, they were met with the clones of the Bad Batch.

Suddenly, Caleb ripped his hand away from Alora's grasp, grabbing his lightsaber and igniting it, all in one swift movement.

"C-Caleb? Stop!" Alora gasped, her eyes widening.

It hadn't dawned on her that, like his clones, he feared the Bad Batch could turn on the two of them at any moment. Alora wasn't afraid though, maybe she should have been. The thought never crossed her mind. She couldn't even begin to think it could be possible. She didn't even consider it.

"Hey! Kid, calm down." Hunter raised his hands up, to show that he didn't plan on doing anything to harm Caleb.

Caleb was afraid. "G-Get back! Stay away from me!"

"They won't hurt you!" Alora exclaimed blindly. She had no idea in her heart if what she was saying was truthful, yet she needed to believe it.

"No! Stay away!" Caleb simply screamed. At that, he turned, dashing off into the snowy wilderness. His mind scattered with betrayal, heartbreak, anger..

Alora Nero's eyes were glossy. A large lump was forming in her throat. She desperately tried to swallow it down, as her lungs were aching for breath. She was panicking.

"Are..are you okay?" A hand was placed on the girl's shoulder, and she quite noticeably flinched. Looking up, her eyes only met with the helmet of Echo. He didn't pull his hand away, but even though his face was covered she could tell by the way his shoulders slightly dropped, that he was disappointed by how she seemed frightened by him. All she could do was shake her head. She was physically fine, but mentally, she was afraid. Witnessing Caleb Dume go through something so similar to what she herself went to months prior. Not knowing what was happening, why everything seemed to be falling apart.. All she could think about is how badly she needed Lo'ree Obrinth's guidance. She'd give anything to hear the twilek's soft, yet firm, voice.

"What just happened?" Wrecker asked, clutching his blaster closely to his chest.

Tech, his eyes were visible. Alora could see the anxiety ridden gleam. It wasn't something she was used to seeing. "The comm channels are projecting only one directive... Execute Order 66."

At those three words, a sickening feeling was placed in the pit of Alora's stomach. A cold shiver sent down her spine. Why?

"I heard it, too."  Wrecker muttered, looking at his brothers and the girl. "What is Order 66?"

Everyone looked to Tech once more. More anxiety filled his eyes, as he pushed his goggles up quickly. "I-I- I am not certain." He stammered, shaking his head.

Alora was used to Tech knowing, pretty much, everything. Seeing him so flustered was upsetting in itself.

"Th-They just... K-Killed her." Alora's stuttering was something hard to understand, as her eyes glossed over with tears. She stared straight ahead of her, in the direction of the previous murder. She was in a daze.

"Hey, Alora?" Hunter grabbed her arm, very gently. "You gotta focus. We have to figure out what's going on."

Did he care? "I-I told you what's going on! They murdered her!"

An even bigger sense quickly manifested. A sense of fear, confusion, and anger was brooding amongst the group, but she couldn't place it until then. Crosshair quickly stepped into her view, as he held his rifle up. "They were following orders."