A/N: What if Joelle and Haris never left the Jedi Temple? What if they had been on Coruscant when the Great Jedi Purge took place?

PISHOOM!

I jolt awake to the sound of blaster bolts and loud crashes outside. The chamber shakes, as if a jet has crashed into one of the temple's structures. Pain seizes my head, and I squeeze my eyes shut, fingers rubbing my throbbing temples.

The aching intensifies, and so do the agonized screams outside. I lean out to peek over the edge of my bunk bed. "Immorri?"

The Wookiee continues to snore, apparently oblivious to the disturbance in the Force.

I climb down from the bunk just in time for the door to shoot open. Kela and Lee-Ara rush in, both in their tunics, lightsabers drawn and faces grim.

"The clones have turned on us," Kela says, lips set in a stern line. Her hand grips the hilt of her lightsaber as she peers out the dorm into the hallways. "It won't be long before they reach the dorms."

My eyes flare. "What?"

Lee-Ara descends upon Immorri without second thought, slapping her awake. "We have to go, Immorri. Wake up!"

"Wuh?" Immorri stirs and sits up straight.

"We don't have time for this," Lee-Ara snaps, yanking Immorri to her feet and out the dorm. Kela is right behind her, and I follow suit, unclipping the hilt at my waist. The green beam blazes to life, and I hold it steady as Immorri scrabbles to activate her own lightsaber.

The four of us make our way further down the Padawan dormitory hallway, charging into rooms and waking the others. Lee-Ara zips ahead, pummelling on doors and using her persuasion to pull everyone to attention while Immorri and I lag behind as Kela fills us in.

"We were in the training room when the clones attacked," she explains, as two more Padawans emerge from their chambers into the hallway, lightsabers produced. "Our Masters stayed behind to hold them back, but more are coming."

"Kela, you missed out the best part." Lee-Ara appears in front of us, a twisted grin on her face, as if all of us are already doomed. "It's not just any clone army that's attacking the temple; it's the 501st Clone Battalion."

My blood runs cold, and I nearly drop my lightsaber. Soldiers of the 501st Clone Battalion are famed across the galaxy for their courage and unconventional battle tactics, last heard fighting with the Separatist Droid Army in the ongoing Clone Wars. If they are attacking us, we wouldn't stand a chance.

But what are they doing here?

"That doesn't make any sense," Immorri protests, now fully awake. "The 501st Clone Battalion is loyal to the Galactic Republic, and by extension the Jedi. Why would they be attacking the Jedi Temple, of all places?"

Kela shakes her head. "I do not know, but we have to hurry."

"Jo!"

I spin around at the sound of my name, my mouth dry and pulse pounding, though I am not sure whether it is because of the incoming soldiers or the boy behind me.

Haris races out of his room with Arhan in tow, the latter still adjusting his pants. "What's going on?"

I open my mouth to reply, but right at that moment, the door to the central hallway slides open, and an army of clones open fire.

PISHOOM! PISHOOM! PISHOOM!

A barrage of blaster bolts streak towards all of the clan, beams of energised plasma strong enough to kill. All twenty of the clan raise their lightsabers to defend, but not everyone is fast enough. Agonized screams ring out in the hallway as the beams sear through limbs, the smell of burnt flesh filling my nose.

A bolt singes my ear, and my whole body freezes up from the scorching pain so close to my head, more shocked than anything else. I think I cry out, but I can't be sure under all this ringing. Somebody tackles me to the ground as the clones fire with a second round of bolts, Immorri's Wookiee battle cry echoing faintly somewhere as the clan retaliates, rushing forward to deflect the bolts.

"Jo!" Round, dark eyes stare down at me as strong hands dig into my shoulders, shaking me like a ragdoll. I blink the daze away, the sound of blaster bolts bouncing off lightsabers becoming clearer as I force myself snap out of it. My ear is numb, a part of it is gone, I am sure, but there is no time to fuss over it. I jerk off the ground, my shoulder knocking into Haris's chin.

PISHOOM! PISHOOM! PISHOOM!

Ahead, Kela levitates the clone closest to her as a shield, the bolts sinking into the white-and-orange armour as she continues to fend off more with her lightsaber. Her hand trembles, losing control as the soldier crumples to the ground, lifeless. Lee-Ara, however, shows no such hesitation. In a single sweep, she knocks two helmeted heads together and impales a third on her lightsaber.

As Haris whirls around to join the fight, bolts fly in our direction. All instinct, I pull him close mid-turn and wield my lightsaber. I cast my mind back to the training room with Master, deflecting blaster bolts from training droids.

"You have to think of it as your arm, that you are trying to catch the bolts with one lasered finger."

The bolts ricochet off my lightsaber, shooting back towards a few clones. One of them strikes the hand of a clone, his blaster rifle clattering to the ground as Arhan plunges his lightsaber into the soldier's chest, flashing a quick grin at me. His blue eyes flicker with impish delight before turning around and jumping right back into the battle.

That's when I realize the five-feet tall, blushing human boy between my elbows. Haris stares down at me, and I blink back into his softening gaze, heat rushing to blood vessels in my cheeks. A lump forms in my throat, and I freeze on the spot, somehow reluctant to move. Beams flash all around us, like stars in the night sky the evening we snuck out to spar in the courtyard-

PISHOOM!

Immorri slashes down a clone trooper, her beady eyes glaring incredulously in our direction. "Not the time, guys."

Immediately, my arms pull back, and Haris clears his throat. He dips his chin awkwardly towards me. "Jo."

I muster the audacity to pretend I am not blushing and whirl around, brandishing my lightsaber. "Let's go."

I leap into defense mode, deflecting more bolts as the clone troopers close in, gunning down two of our own. Cauterized burn wounds mark their writhing bodies, and I barely have time to even glance at them before the clones intensify their assault, blaster bolts bombarding us in all directions. I deflect some, employing Kela's clone-shield strategy to fend off the rest. I move closer to Immorri, trying to pull another clone to cover her, but the tortured shrieking of my soldier-shield in my ears tears into my concentration. Instead, I shift the battered clone between us, Immorri deflecting on the right and me on the left.

My eyes rove around the hallway, doing a quick tally of what's left of the clan. Bodies litter the ground, both Padawan and clone trooper alike. Out of the twenty in the dorms, I count six still standing, and around a dozen soldiers, far too many than the ones that fell. These are genetically-enhanced fighters, created and bred for war, and definitely unmatched by young Padawans who have yet to fully master the Force.

At this rate, we won't be able to hold much longer.

"Where is Cep'souza?" I yell above the chaos of plasma beams shuttling around the hallways. I strain to hold the soldier in the air, teeth gritted and arm twitching, but the Force wears my energy thin. The shield drops, forcing Immorri and I to jump apart. "Isn't he supposed to be guarding our dorms?"

"He was outside when we came," Kela shouts back, white eyebrows furrowed as three clones rush her at once. Lee-Ara leaps onto the back of one, stabbing through his skull with a razor-sharp smile. Her tunic is ripped on one shoulder, revealing pink flesh burnt raw. "I guess not anymore."

"The Masters, are they coming?" Immorri calls out, limbs twisted impossibly as blaster bolts bounce off her lightsaber, her breath coming out in wheezes. One hits her in the elbow, and she drops her hilt on reflex. The next slams her square in the chest, her eyes bulging as a primal scream escapes her lips. More ram into her as she falls back on impact, thudding to the ground.

My heart stops.

No.

"Immorri!" I dash toward her, only to be blocked by more blaster bolts being fired. I grit my teeth harder and heave a fallen clone nearby for cover. Two soldiers bolt in my direction, but a cat-like growl and flashes of a blue lightsaber assure me they are not my concern.

I scramble to Immorri, reaching for her furry arm. Her once-warm, black eyes are wide open, empty and absent, the rest of her features frozen in pure terror. I do not have a clear plan, no idea of what I'm going to do, but the moment the pulse in her wrist fails to beat against the pad of my thumb, and I realise her chest isn't rising, my mind blanks, compounded by the single thought that my best friend and roommate is gone. 

Farewell, Immorri.

I slide my hands down her petrified face, closing her eyes, willing the memory of her horror-stricken expression not to ingrain itself in my mind.

"May the Force be with you," I whisper, and turn my back on her, lifting my lightsaber once more.

I charge at the clones near Haris, hacking one in the back and aiming a kick to another, who falls perfectly onto Haris's lightsaber. Haris nods, lips pressed into a thin line, and cuts down a third. I blink an affirmation, and at the same time, we spring together, backs against each other as bolts assail us for what seems like the thousandth time.

A bolt catches Haris in the shoulder, and he cries out, but holds his hilt steady, parrying forward until we're close enough to the trio of clones firing. I shoot him a look, jumping ahead and punting rifles out of gauntlets as he staves off any remaining bolts.

A feral scream catches my attention for a split second, and my gaze darts to the side to see Lee-Ara, jumping from shoulder to shoulder, hacking and twisting and kicking as she takes down four clones at once, her green laser spinning in mid-air. Her eyes are wild, screeching and cursing as she razes through the soldiers.

PISHOOM!

Her head snaps back, mouth open. Her grip on the soldier she's straddling loosens, legs falling limp, and she plummets to the floor with a sickening crack.

"ARA!" Kela screams, yanking her lightsaber out of a clone's torso. She races across the combat zone, dodging and deflecting plasma bolts carelessly as they singe her tunic. I break away from Haris to cover her, suspending yet another clone trooper to absorb the incoming fire.

Kela kneels over Lee-Ara's body, tears welling up in her eyes as her fingers lift our friend's head to see the blackened crater where the bolt had burned through. I seize up on the spot, heart pounding in my head. Lee-Ara gives no response, no snarky comeback, no teasing quip, limbs splayed out stiff on the floor. I watch Kela lay Lee-Ara's head back onto the ground, fingers reaching for the hilt of her lightsaber.

Then I notice the rifle aimed at her.

Shit.

I attempt to fling the clone trooper under my control at the soldier focused on Kela, but panic stifles my focus. The clone drops to the ground.

"Kela!" I shout, but she turns too late.

PISHOOM! PISHOOM! PISHOOM!

Blaster bolts sear her neck, punching holes in the montrals above her head and burning through her lekku braids. Kela's mouth falls open, but no sound comes out. Instead, she locks eyes with me, her gaze serene and peaceful. Her chin begins to dip in a nod, like she wants to reassure me, but before she does, her body slumps to the ground right next to Lee-Ara's.

I stumble back, shaking my head.

No, no, this isn't real. This can't be. The alarms should have sounded by now, the Masters should be here to defend us, the clones can't have turned on us—

PISHOOM! PISHOOM! PISHOOM!

As if trying to prove me wrong, the clone shoots at me. I recover in time, redirecting the shots back to him. They hit his helmet, barely causing any damage, but I use the distraction to zip forward, lightsaber twirling in my grip. In a flash, my green laser passes clean through his armour like butter, spearing his neck. I yank it towards me, and the soldier's head rolls off his body, landing with a satisfying squish on the bloody floor. 

"That," I whisper as the body tumbles to the ground," was for Kela."

A piercing shriek erupts ahead, and I whip my head to see Arhan clutching at the massive wound scorching his stomach. His horned face stares straight at the clones, shocked and scared, but the remaining clones do not flinch. They open fire, ruthlessly battering him with plasma bolts. 

Haris leaps forward with a cry, lightsaber poised to strike. A bolt catches him in the knee, sending him crashing to the ground with a yelp. Arhan's legs buckle and he topples over Haris, pinning him to the spot. 

"Ris!" I yell, running towards him. The last few clones advance, intent on finishing him off. There are no others left to help, no Masters to rush to our aid, I am the only one standing. I let my tears run down my face as I grip my lightsaber hard, fingernails digging into my palm until they bleed. 

So be it. 

I launch myself at the clones with an anguished wail. My lightsaber slashes into their armour, my limbs a tornado of punches and kicks as the clones fight back to disarm me. I impale one through, but another comes at me from behind. My foot lashes out, slamming into his chest. I pull out my laser, cutting down a third clone. A fourth grabs me by the shoulder, and I pummel his helmet with my elbow, spinning my lightsaber back into his visor. 

PISHOOM!

Intense, searing pain explodes in my side, knocking me off-guard. A clone seizes me by the neck, squeezing my throat. Desperate for air, I thrash around, my lightsaber cluttering to the ground. Between the scorching pain eating at me and the fingers closing around my windpipe, I can barely tell which is which anymore. My hands flail uselessly in the air, trying to pry the clone off of me, but somehow I cannot reach him, my arms growing weaker by the second. As if my eyes have been shot through by bolts, the corners of my vision begin to blacken. 

All of a sudden, the clone drops me with a surprised howl, and I collapse to the ground. Wheezing, I suck in a breath of air, coughing almost immediately. My eyes dart to the fallen clone's leg, where a blue lightsaber has skewered it through. 

PISHOOM! PISHOOM! PISHOOM!

The familiar burning sensation washes all over my back. It feels almost cold, almost glacial, as if I were walking through Ilum's frozen tundra again without so much as a winter coat. If it were real, Kela would be right in front of me, berating me and saying I would catch a cold. Lee-Ara would grin and laugh her head off first before lending me her spare coat, without so much as asking what happened to me. And Immorri, she would say she could go without hers, since her fur helps her trap heat. The corners of my mouth curve a little, and more tears drip down my cheek. 

Was Immorri cold when the bolts hit?

"Jo! JO!"

I snap back to attention, scrabbling over the clone with grunts of effort. "Ris..."

Pulling himself on his palms, Haris crawls closer, his right leg rendering him immobile. He does not look at the clones aiming at us, only looks right into my eyes. He raises a bloodied hand to my cheek, sweeping his thumb across my tears. "It's okay."

"Mat Kucing." I search his brown eyes, still as piercing and brave as ever. I do not blink, not even as the darkness creeps into my vision once more. I brand them into my memory, however long it will last, recalling the first time I looked into them when the door opened. I want to remember him, even now with all the tears and burns and blood. 

I close my eyes and lean into his palm. "May the Force be with you."

PISHOOM! PISHOOM! PISHOOM!

"May the Force be with you also, my Wildcat."

A/N: I mean, hey, this is just a bonus chapter. The happy, hope-filled ending is in the previous chapter.

Okay, signing off for the last time and bidding farewell to my favourite ship of all time!

Scarlet