The Last Apprentice: A Star Wars Story

Part 6: The Invasion

It began to rain. Coris put on his hood to shield himself and keep warm. It had been 3 hours since Del and Mira entered the temple. Coris was shifting uncomfortably on his speeder, never being able to find how to sit comfortably. His mind was too focused on the other two. It hadn't taken him this long to complete his Trials. Del had finished his in 55 minutes, which was a shock to most who witnessed his Trials. This, however, was unsettling, and the wait was making Coris anxious. He jumped off his speeder and began to pace. This was his way of showing nervousness. After walking back and forth for about another 20 minutes, he saw someone approaching. He immediately stopped and looked to see Mira and Del, bright smiles on their faces.

"So she passed?"

"She passed indeed."

"Well it took you guys long enough."

"Hey, I was making sure I was doing everything right. You have no right to judge how long it took me."

"3 hours is an irrational time to finish. What if something happened while you were inside?"

"Oh? Like what?" Mira said sarcastically

Just then, the communicator on Coris' belt beeped. He grabbed it and held it up to his mouth.

"Village this is Coris, I read you loud and clear."

"We need—under attack—too many—"

The call went silent. The three Jedi hopped on their speeders and headed back to the village. The wind was at their backs, making their hastened travel go much faster. Del had sensed great pain as they got closer and closer, he knew what was happening, but he wasn't sure if they had made it in time. It was like reliving Master Cormac's death all over again. This time, however, he hoped things would be different. When they arrived, they were shocked at how large scale the ensuing battle was. Hundreds of Stormtroopers crossing the wet terrain, all firing on the small village. The villagers, who had set up multiple makeshift defenses were fight back, and valiantly as well.

"What do we do?" Mira asked

"What do mean? We fight and help out!" Del said as he leaped off his speeder and ignited his lightsaber. He rushed head on into the fight and immediately began to combat multiple Stormtroopers. Deflecting blaster fire as he went, he cut his way through his enemies, making it look easier than it was. Mira and Coris rushed in soon after. Mira went to join Del in the heat of battle, while Coris decided to get to the bottom as to why exactly the Stormtroopers had arrived in such great strength.

"Hey! When did they get here?" Coris shouted to a villager firing on the enemy.

"About 15 minutes ago!"

Just then a grenade went off and Coris and the soldier moved to find better cover. Del and Mira were still in the thick of the fighting.

"They came out of nowhere. A bunch of drop ships just showed up and they started blasting. I noticed more going towards the capitol with a couple of Imperial shuttles as well."

"Does anyone else on this planet have the means to help us?"

"Well, there's a larger group of rebels on the south side of the planet, but we can't reach them. Our communications have been jammed. Plus, it's a long journey to their hideout, they would never make it in time."

"Well let's hope we made it in time. We're gonna win this fight!"

Coris got up and immediately took control of his situation. The villagers all followed the orders that Coris gave. It reminded him of how loyal his clone soldiers were to him. With Coris leading the villagers and cutting down some Stormtroopers himself, and Del and Mira still handing the front lines well, providing major support to the struggling resistance of the villagers, they eventually drove the troops back. The village all cheered their victory. The three Jedi were in the middle of the celebration.

Two more Imperial drop ships suddenly appeared in the air, ending the celebrations. As the villagers and Jedi refocused themselves, the ships landed. They were expecting a flood of even more Stormtroopers to appear, but when the ramps to the ships lowered, they were sorely mistaken. The same amount of troops had arrived, but now they were being led by a female Inquisitor. The villagers instantly recognized her from the first Imperial attack, but the Jedi had never seen her in person. She stood about 12 feet away from the three Jedi, her loyal troops behind her.

"I thought I had killed the only Jedi on this planet."

"Well looks like you missed three." Del said sarcastically

"It appears I have...no matter, it's only a matter of time before you join your Master. I can offer an alternative option."

"And what would that be?" Coris asked

"If you surrender now, I won't have any villagers harmed, and you will all be peacefully relocated to the capitol."

"To a prison where they will be treated like trash, absolutely not. I'll make a deal with you, leave now, or we fend off your troops like the last wave we took care of."

Melenna looked around the floor and saw the fallen soldiers on the ground.

"Very well, since you will not co-operate, I'm afraid you leave me no choice. Take the villagers prisoner, I'll handle the Jedi."

The Stormtroopers began to fire on the villagers, this time with their blasters set to stun. Caught off guard, many villagers were tranquilized and were taken into custody. Their ammo was low and things began to look extremely bleak. Del, Mira, and Coris had all activated their lightsabers to combat the Inquisitor that was before them. Though the sounds of conflict was all around them, they were undistracted and focused on each other. The Inquisitor ignited her lightsaber and made her first move, Coris took initiative and engaged first. His defensive style mirrored that of Master Cormac's, but it was certainly not as well executed due to the lack of experience compared to the late Master. Melenna's quick fighting style was too much for Coris, and she finally gained the upper hand, broke down his defenses, and used the Force to push him through a wall, rendering him unconscious. Mira then jumped in to attack Melenna, but the Inquisitor had anticipated the attack and easily blocked it. Mira and Melenna fought similarly, with both using a multitude of attack at rapid speeds and with fluid movements. Their blades clashing every 2 seconds as they attempted to outwit each other. Finally, the exhaustion got to Mira first, and with her guard broken, Melenna kicked her lightsaber out of her hand, then proceeded to use a martial arts kick to the head to render Mira unconscious as well. This left Del to handle the Inquisitor.

"I had the pleasure of killing your Master."

"Oh you did? Well, not much pleasure in murder now is there?"

"I can feel the hate flow through you. Use it, and strike me down. Prove to me and your friends that it makes you stronger and more powerful."

"The Dark Side deceives you, for those who resist its temptations are stronger than you will ever be."

This angered Melenna and she lunged forward and unleashed a fury that Del had never seen before in his life. Striker after strike, she forced Del on the defensive. Del, however, had wanted this. He had a balanced style of fighting, and after fighting two Jedi, he could Melenna was getting tired. His solid defense served him well, and it worked as he found himself going on the attack now, forcing Melenna to resort to her defense, which Del found out quickly was not very good. Del attacked hard and fast, making it difficult for Melenna to keep up. Eventually, Melenna couldn't maintain her energy, and Del used his lightsaber to throw her lightsaber out of her hand, he used the Force to push her into a wall, returning the favor for what she had done to Mira and Coris. Melenna seemed like she was defeated. Del lowered his guard and walked over to her so she could surrender to him. But suddenly, she came to, and in an intense rage, stood up and shot Force lighting at Del. Because he wasn't expecting it, it sent him flying through the air. The pain of being electrocuted was enough, but the anger of Melenna made her throw him through a building, still using her lighting. Del was on the ground in a heap, fading in and out of consciousness. He was barely able to catch a glimpse of a Stormtrooper reporting to Melenna before they left for their shuttles. As the shuttle left, Del was left unconscious and defeated.