Capítulo 73: Star Wars : Chapter 73: Order 66 part III
The sky slowly awakened on the crystal world of Mygeeto as the battle between the Republic and the Separatists raged on. Clone troops battle the droid armies across a long bridge where Ki-Adi-Mundi led the charge. Clone Commander Bacara exited a Gunship near the entrance to the city where he rallied his men to join their General. Shortly he received a message on his comlink. He stopped as he saw the hologram of Darth Sidious.
"Don't tell me...", Mundi uttered, worried for the worst to come with the Galactic Marines.
"Commander Bacara"
"Yes, sir"
"The time has come. Execute Order Sixty-Six"
"It will be done, My Lord"
The Sith Lord's hologram had faced, and the Clone Commander and his men looked at General Mundi. "COME ON!", the Cerean Jedi told them as he continued his charge. They stopped dead at their tracks as Mundi turned, his expression reading betrayal as they raised their rifles at him.
The rest were now looking at Commander Rex, and their hands begin to reach the handles of their lightsaber despite him being in clear agony. But a few refrained from doing so, trying to arrange the pieces of Rex and the rest of the Clones. But now, they could only watch helplessly as one of their own was about to be gunned down by their own soldiers.
They open fired, with Master Mundi deflecting their blaster fire and killed two his troopers before he was overwhelmed and was killed on the spot as a few circled around him to see if he was still alive.
Master Mundi could only watch in silence as he realized how his life would end in a short time's notice.
"Are they involved in Chancellor's elaborate scheme?", Padme uttered in horror. "Pretending to befriend and fight for the Jedi before they received his orders?"
No one in the Council wanted to believe that. They have fought alongside with the Clones for years, and this is how they would end up eventually?
...
At Felucia, Aayla Secura and Commander Bly patrolled the vast jungles to hunt dwn any remaining Separatist forces before the Jedi stopped, her men followed. The General could only hear her soldiers pointing their weapons at her and before she could react, Bly and his soldiers brutally executed her by shooting her multiple times as she tried to crawl away from them.
The Jedi could only watch in horror at another callous murder by their own soldiers to one of their own. Ahsoka and Anakin were struck internally, as they had often considered Aayla to be a good friend to both of them.
Kit Fisto on the other hand, was visibly shaken. And his usually calm and bright demeanor was replaced by despair, to the bewilderment of the Jedi, and it took all his willpower not to shed tears for her, constantly reminding himself that they could still saved both the Jedi and the Clones from the Sith. "Aayla...", he uttered sorrowfully.
...
At Kashyyk, Yoda's cane was released from his grasp when he had felt their deaths through the Force, with two Wookie Guards flanking him.
The Grandmaster would only close his eyes in grieving after seeing himself being unable to help them in any way whatsoever.
However, Luminara remembered that Commander Gree was with Yoda when the battle had begun, while she and Quinlan Vos were in the frontlines. And that would only mean one thing once the 41st received word from Palpatine...
...
At Cato Neimodia, Plo Koon and his starfighter squadron were currently in a reconnaissance mission where the Republic has recently emerged victorious when they captured the Trade Federation Stronghold. Inside one of the ARC-170 Starfighters, Captain Jag received an incoming transmission from the Supreme Chancellor. And almost in an instant, all sense of caution were replaced by complete obedience as he heard the hologram's words.
Ahsoka's eyes widened in fear, realizing the worst-case scenario for the Jedi Master. Desperately, she hoped that Master Plo could sense what is to come before him.
"Execute Order Sixty-Six"
Without protest, Jag responded. "It will be done, my Lord"
Immediately, Jag and his fellow pilots open fired to the Kel'Dor Master, who was completely taken off guard by this sudden betrayal. Within moments, Plo-Koon's starfighter erupted in flames, and it crashed into one of the many bridge cities below.
The Jedi were again struck once more, horrified of another death of another Council member who was much loved by his men, who in turn treated them like his own sons from time to time. Anakin could only shake his head as he tried to erase the memory within his mind, as he had always respected Master Plo as both a Jedi and a fellow pilot. Ahsoka could barely hold onto her tears, a few dripping down her face as she turned to Master Plo Koon in anguish.
The Jedi could sense both the grief and the overwhelming sadness that overtook the usually serene Master, and he only buried his masked face with both of his hands in despair.
"Wolffe ... Sinker ... Comet ...", Plo Koon could only choke out as he desperately tried to know what Palpatine and the Kaminoans made them do.
...
Rex's face was blank as he received his new orders from high command. His eyes narrowed as the hologram of a hooded figure rescinded his mission to deliver Maul for trial in favour of a new one.
"Execute Order 66." A soft, sinister voice from the hooded figure spoke.
Like a droid whose program had been activated within him, Rex said in response.
"Yes ... Lord Sidious". He bowed his head and acknowledged his new orders without protest.
As Palpatine's hologram winked out of existence, the doors opened with a hiss as Ahsoka rushed through. "Rex! It's Anakin. I feel like something terrible has happened."
Did she sense my betrayal?, Anakin worriedly thought for the Togruta, now panicking for Rex as he began to slowly recover from his ordeal.
Rex's hands trembled and the helmet in his hands shook before he lost his grip and it fell from his limp fingers.
"Rex…?" Ahsoka hesitantly spoke up as she noticed the Clones behind her were beginning to raise their weapons at her.
"No!" Rex ordered the guards to stand down before they could open fire.
"I'll do it."
Rex was already horrified to say the least, and Ahsoka only looked at him, betrayed. "Commander...I...I wouldn't hurt any of you..."
Some wanted to believe his words, but the actions of his brothers made others think otherwise.
"Rex, what's happening!?" Ahsoka approached only to freeze in her tracks when Rex pulled out his dual pistols and aimed them right at her head.
"Rex...", Anakin called out in fear as the rest of the Jedi slowly began to pull out their sabers from their robes in anticipation for anything that came from the Clone Commander.
"No...", Padme suddenly spoke, not wanting to believe that the betrayal of their clones was genuine. "Something's not right, as if something's telling him to do this!"
"Stay back!" Rex shouted, the blasters in hand trembling and throwing off his aim. Sweat beaded on his forehead and his face contorted in an ugly grimace as his fingers began tightening on the triggers.
Shaak Ti observed the scenario more carefully and, widening her eyes in realization, she spoke. "Senator Amidala's right...there is something wrong the Clones!"
"Or better yet, something is programming them to do so...", Obi-Wan added, wanting to believe in that theory as well.
"Find him. Find him. Fives. Find him", he uttered cohesively before he shouted. "FIVES!"
"Fives?", Anakin uttered, wondering what the late ARC Trooper had anything to do with what the Clones were doing.
With those words, the 501st Commander open fired on Ahsoka.
"NO!" Rex, Anakin, and Padme shouted helplessly for the former Jedi.
...
Back at Coruscant. a whole army of Clone troopers marched behind Lord Vader as they made their way to the Jedi Temple in silence as they moved in for Operation Knightfall: the eradication of the Jedi Order for their treason.
Anakin held in temples in disgust, anger and shame to himself, never imagining that he would lead the other half of the 501st to destroy the very life he had ever known.
And immediately, the hateful image of Darth Sidious invaded his mind, holding on to his anger that made him the man he had hated. To the Jedi, they cannot imagine how their home would become another warzone that is to be invaded by the Sith, just as Darth Malgus had done several millennia ago.
"With most of the Masters in the Outer Rim being gunned down by their own Clone Troopers...that would only leave the Guard, Masters Drallig and Ti on its defense", Kit Fisto observed haphazardly.
"And considering how powerful Skywalker had become...", Shaak Ti spoke in a low tone. "Not many could stand up against him and the veteran 501st"
What I remember about the rise of the Empire is... is how quiet it was. During the waning hours of the Clone Wars, the 501st Legion was discreetly transferred back to Coruscant
"A traitor finds his voice...", Mace spoke in utter anger towards the narrator.
"It would only mean that Ahsoka had escaped Commander Rex...", Plo Koon said, hopeful that she had made it out.
It was a silent trip. We all knew what was about to happen, what we were about to do. Did we have any doubts? Any private, traitorous thoughts? Perhaps, but no one said a word.
The Jedi heard the words clearly. It was as if something had invaded their minds that forced them to do this but none had a clue as to why indeed.
Not on the flight to Coruscant, not when Order 66 came down, and not when we marched into the Jedi Temple.
Lord Vader and his troops finally reached the gates of the Temple where Gate Master Jurokk questioned Anakin on what was happening, before the risen Sith Lord killed him by igniting his lightsaber below the Jedi's jaw.
Not a word.
...
For a moment, Commander Grey paused at Depa, hesitating at the orders given to him, but not before raising his firearm immediately and open fired at Master Bilaba.
"Master!", Caleb cried out in horror. "Commander Grey!"
Depa managed to destroy Grey's blaster and knocked him to the ground, but not before more of her now-renegade troops appeared to gun her down. She deflected more bolts as she turned to her Padawan.
"YOU MUST RUN!", Depa shouted at him before another blasted bolt struck her right hand, disarming her as Caleb watch helplessly as more of her Clone troopers circled and executed her right before his very eyes.
The Padawan could only bury his face at his knees as he watched the brutal death of his Master at the hands of the friends and comrades. He felt a pair of arms circling him, but he couldn't raise his head as Depa embraced him in an effort to console him.
In a rare moment of camaraderie, Mace turned away from the screen momentarily, wanting to remove the memory of his apprentice's death within him.
...
At the Jedi Temple, Vader delivered a brutal blow by the knee to Serra Keto's abdomen, before sending her flying to collide to a wall by the Force. Outstretching his hand, Vader forced a collapsing pillar to the apprentice, crushing her by the waist down. While Commander Appo and the rest of his men dealt with those unfortunate enough to oppose them.
Jedi Battlemaster Cin Drallig could only watch in horror as he glanced over his dead apprentice's body as he turned his gaze to the Sith Lord.
"Your prized pupil is no more...", Vader mused almost mockingly, re-ignitng his lightsaber to illuminate his remorseless expression hidden underneath his robe's hood with his sapphire blade. "Perhaps you have a lesson for me instead, Master Drallig?"
"All this...is part of Sidious' grand scheme to destroy the Jedi?", Mundi finally spoke out in disbelief. "To defeat them from the inside?"
Yoda's ears lowered in pure grief as he spoke. "Begun ... the Purge has"
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AN :
Now before any of you raised your torches and pitchforks as to why Rex and Ahsoka's were incomplete, remember this arc has two parts and this still Part one, and Part two will be in for later.
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Hey guys I would really appreciate it if you could throw some power stones to help elevate the ranking.
...
if you want to read ahead of the public release, you can join my p atreon :
p atreon.com/Darkness013
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