Post by Nik Vecto on Sept 27, 2005 18:02:28 GMT -5
Well, everyone, this is the belated first part of my "Fall of the Jedi" fic submission. I hope you like it, though.
--------------------------------------
“Purge”
Or
“The Betrayal of Jedi Master Nik Vecto”
By: Christopher Collins
The Battle of Kroi was over. After nearly three months of heavy fighting, the Grand Army of the Republic had finally defeated the Separatist Army for control of the planet, two years after the Clone Wars had begun. Leaders had been captured, their soldiers destroyed or killed, and the very land itself had been scarred by the fires of war, but for no longer. Now, Kroi could be safe.
So reflected the Jedi Master Nik Vecto, Commanding General of the Republic’s campaign at Kroi. He had remained at the front lines of the battle ever since the people of Kroi had first asked the Republic for assistance. On the battlefield, he had seen many of his men die, and with every one of them, he felt the deepest loss. When he became a Jedi, he had sworn an oath to protect all living things, and it grieved him to lead these clones—No, these men—To their deaths. But now, he could return to Coruscant, and to the Jedi Temple. He had seen enough death, and wanted to see life… Perhaps, he could help Master Yoda with training the younglings…
“General Vecto… General Vecto?” Nik opened his eyes, looking to see who had disturbed his meditation. “Sorry to disturb you, General”, the clone soldier said, “but Commander Cale wants to speak with you about moving the army back to Coruscant”. The Jedi Master blinked a few times, clearing his vision of the room. “Thank you, trooper. In fact, I believe that I was drifting off into sleep during my meditation…” “You’re welcome, General. Commander Cale awaits you in the control center.” With that, the clone left. Master Vecto grabbed his robe, hooked his Lightsaber onto his belt, and went out of the small room’s door toward the temporary command center, already being disassembled. He went inside, and found Commander Cale, his second-in-command. “You wanted to see me, Commander?” Commander Cale looked up. “Yes, General. I understand that you wish to leave for Coruscant, and I wanted to go over the evacuation protocols before you left.” “Very good. Proceed, Commander.” Cale looked to the holographic display in the center of the room. “We will begin by moving out all the equipment, starting with the temporary central computer systems, artillery, and walkers. Second, the prefab command center and barracks. Third, we will clean up whatever Republic hardware is left, such as mines, mobile scanners, and other technology. Finally, we will load the troops on the transports and return to Coruscant.” Nik nodded in approval. “Just like Badgen and Galidran”, he said. “Yes, General. We are ready to begin when you give the command.” Master Vecto looked at Commander Cale. “You may begin, Commander. I will leave immediately, and expect you back at Coruscant in three days time.” Cale nodded, and picked up his helmet. “Thank you, General. Have a nice flight back.” Vecto smiled, and turned to leave.
When Cale could no longer see him, he resumed his work. Work relaxed him, just as it did with all of the other clones, but he took particular joy in organizing these kinds of things for Master Vecto. For some reason he could not explain, he had always liked the General, and liked doing things to assist him. When the Jedi had been asked to serve the Republic as generals on the battlefield, they knew nothing about the ways of war…. Only by trusting their intuitions with the Force did they achieve victory, not by their own knowledge of military tactics. Eventually, the Jedi adopted a special clone as an assistant, to take care of the finer points in battle. Cale had been assigned to Master Vecto at the Battle of Badgen, the General’s third major campaign, and had been serving him ever since. He felt confident that Vecto trusted him with his duties, and thought that Cale would do a good job…
A chime on Cale’s holographic communicator indicated an incoming message. He took the small device from his utility belt, and activated it. A small holographic display of a man appeared, but not of just any man—This was Chancellor Palpatine, the leader of the Galactic Senate. “Yes, Chancellor?”, Cale said. “The time has come, Commander Cale….” Cale was confused. “Sir?” Palpatine looked up, and then continued. “Execute Order Sixty-Six.” These last three words, Order Sixty-Six, froze in Cale’s mind. Something touched his very core, something that had been there ever since he began his accelerated learning courses. All at once, his emotions changed, and his confusions dissipated. His orders were clear—Destroy the Jedi. “It will be done, my lord.” “Good”, Palpatine replied in a dark, hissing voice. “You are doing the Republic a great service. Good luck, Commander Cale.” “Thank you, my lord”, Cale said. The hologram of the Chancellor then disappeared, and Cale returned the communicator to his belt. He now knew what must be done… He must kill his former commander… The Jedi Master Nik Vecto.
As Nik walked towards his starfighter’s landing pad, he reflected on the beauty of this once-besieged planet. As if always in winter, the air was chilly and clear, and the sun shone brightly without giving warmth. The trees, amazingly, survived in this climate, without leaves or plentiful water. Because of this, they appeared to be dead, as if waiting for the coming spring after fall had stripped them of their leaves. Being from a planet laden with trees, Nik much appreciated the beauty of this pastoral scene, and thought fondly of the wonders of nature on his home planet. “Perhaps”, he said to himself, “I might go back to Badgen to walk in the Great Woods”…
A tremor in the Force halted Nik’s steps. Danger… Close danger was upon him. He turned around, and saw Commander Cale leading a small force of clone soldiers toward him. “Ah, Commander”, he said, smiling uneasily. “What is wro--“. A blaster bolt whizzing by his head cut his words short. Pulling back his robe, he called his Lightsaber to his hand, and ignited it as a barrage of deadly energy came his way. While blocking the bolts that reached him, his mind raced furiously. What are they doing?, he thought, Why are they firing at me?.
As the clone soldiers approached, Nik realized that it didn’t matter… He had to escape. His fighter was just a little farther down the path… He could reach it in a matter of seconds if he ran. Turning around again, he sprinted toward the waiting starfighter, deflecting the offending blasts back toward their source. As a clone fell with a bolt in his chest, Nik could hear Commander Cale shout an order to his soldiers. “Don’t let him reach his ship! Take him down!” Nik was aghast… His close assistant, perhaps even his friend, was instructing his men to kill him… It did not make sense! As he reached his fighter, he motioned for the cockpit to open, and leaped inside.
The clones were still firing as the bubble windows closed around him. He activated the takeoff sequence, and saw that his R3 unit was already in it’s socket. His shields came online, and the blasts from the soldier’s weapons no longer had an effect, even though they did not cease firing. The fighter hummed as the dual sublight/twin ion engines came to life, and Nik grabbed the controls. There was an impulse to fire on Cale’s men…. But the Jedi Code played over in Nik’s mind, and instead, he lifted off, rising swiftly above the trees toward the atmosphere.
As the Jedi Starfighter breached the planet’s protective shell, Nik knew that it would not be long before the clones would come after him in space. His first priority, rather than engage them, would be to get to his fighter’s hyperspace ring. Then, he could safely go to lightspeed, and contact Coruscant to inform the Jedi Council about this treachery. Surely enough, Nik could see three ARC-170 clone fighters bearing down on his position from the planet. Nik pushed his engines to go even faster as the first blaster bolt whizzed by. A volley of blaster fire soon followed, nearly piercing his fighter’s metal plating. Even while sensing every bolt’s path before it reached him, Nik could only barely continue dodging this salvo of death, much less keep on course toward the hyperspace ring! He could see it just a kilometer ahead… He realized that there was only one chance… Concentrating even harder, Nik pulled the hyperspace ring toward his speeding fighter, and docked with it, with the clone fighters still firing. “R3!” The little droid turned his domed head to Master Vecto’s cockpit, and beeped in acknowledgement. “Set a course for Coruscant! Quickly!” The Astrodroid beeped again, and Nik saw the course confirmation image appear on his display screen. After dodging one more blast, Nik activated the hyperspace engines, and felt his back press against the seat in acceleration. As the stars stretched before him, he disappeared, safely, into the vastness of space, with the clone fighters far behind.
--------------------------------------
“Purge”
Or
“The Betrayal of Jedi Master Nik Vecto”
By: Christopher Collins
The Battle of Kroi was over. After nearly three months of heavy fighting, the Grand Army of the Republic had finally defeated the Separatist Army for control of the planet, two years after the Clone Wars had begun. Leaders had been captured, their soldiers destroyed or killed, and the very land itself had been scarred by the fires of war, but for no longer. Now, Kroi could be safe.
So reflected the Jedi Master Nik Vecto, Commanding General of the Republic’s campaign at Kroi. He had remained at the front lines of the battle ever since the people of Kroi had first asked the Republic for assistance. On the battlefield, he had seen many of his men die, and with every one of them, he felt the deepest loss. When he became a Jedi, he had sworn an oath to protect all living things, and it grieved him to lead these clones—No, these men—To their deaths. But now, he could return to Coruscant, and to the Jedi Temple. He had seen enough death, and wanted to see life… Perhaps, he could help Master Yoda with training the younglings…
“General Vecto… General Vecto?” Nik opened his eyes, looking to see who had disturbed his meditation. “Sorry to disturb you, General”, the clone soldier said, “but Commander Cale wants to speak with you about moving the army back to Coruscant”. The Jedi Master blinked a few times, clearing his vision of the room. “Thank you, trooper. In fact, I believe that I was drifting off into sleep during my meditation…” “You’re welcome, General. Commander Cale awaits you in the control center.” With that, the clone left. Master Vecto grabbed his robe, hooked his Lightsaber onto his belt, and went out of the small room’s door toward the temporary command center, already being disassembled. He went inside, and found Commander Cale, his second-in-command. “You wanted to see me, Commander?” Commander Cale looked up. “Yes, General. I understand that you wish to leave for Coruscant, and I wanted to go over the evacuation protocols before you left.” “Very good. Proceed, Commander.” Cale looked to the holographic display in the center of the room. “We will begin by moving out all the equipment, starting with the temporary central computer systems, artillery, and walkers. Second, the prefab command center and barracks. Third, we will clean up whatever Republic hardware is left, such as mines, mobile scanners, and other technology. Finally, we will load the troops on the transports and return to Coruscant.” Nik nodded in approval. “Just like Badgen and Galidran”, he said. “Yes, General. We are ready to begin when you give the command.” Master Vecto looked at Commander Cale. “You may begin, Commander. I will leave immediately, and expect you back at Coruscant in three days time.” Cale nodded, and picked up his helmet. “Thank you, General. Have a nice flight back.” Vecto smiled, and turned to leave.
When Cale could no longer see him, he resumed his work. Work relaxed him, just as it did with all of the other clones, but he took particular joy in organizing these kinds of things for Master Vecto. For some reason he could not explain, he had always liked the General, and liked doing things to assist him. When the Jedi had been asked to serve the Republic as generals on the battlefield, they knew nothing about the ways of war…. Only by trusting their intuitions with the Force did they achieve victory, not by their own knowledge of military tactics. Eventually, the Jedi adopted a special clone as an assistant, to take care of the finer points in battle. Cale had been assigned to Master Vecto at the Battle of Badgen, the General’s third major campaign, and had been serving him ever since. He felt confident that Vecto trusted him with his duties, and thought that Cale would do a good job…
A chime on Cale’s holographic communicator indicated an incoming message. He took the small device from his utility belt, and activated it. A small holographic display of a man appeared, but not of just any man—This was Chancellor Palpatine, the leader of the Galactic Senate. “Yes, Chancellor?”, Cale said. “The time has come, Commander Cale….” Cale was confused. “Sir?” Palpatine looked up, and then continued. “Execute Order Sixty-Six.” These last three words, Order Sixty-Six, froze in Cale’s mind. Something touched his very core, something that had been there ever since he began his accelerated learning courses. All at once, his emotions changed, and his confusions dissipated. His orders were clear—Destroy the Jedi. “It will be done, my lord.” “Good”, Palpatine replied in a dark, hissing voice. “You are doing the Republic a great service. Good luck, Commander Cale.” “Thank you, my lord”, Cale said. The hologram of the Chancellor then disappeared, and Cale returned the communicator to his belt. He now knew what must be done… He must kill his former commander… The Jedi Master Nik Vecto.
As Nik walked towards his starfighter’s landing pad, he reflected on the beauty of this once-besieged planet. As if always in winter, the air was chilly and clear, and the sun shone brightly without giving warmth. The trees, amazingly, survived in this climate, without leaves or plentiful water. Because of this, they appeared to be dead, as if waiting for the coming spring after fall had stripped them of their leaves. Being from a planet laden with trees, Nik much appreciated the beauty of this pastoral scene, and thought fondly of the wonders of nature on his home planet. “Perhaps”, he said to himself, “I might go back to Badgen to walk in the Great Woods”…
A tremor in the Force halted Nik’s steps. Danger… Close danger was upon him. He turned around, and saw Commander Cale leading a small force of clone soldiers toward him. “Ah, Commander”, he said, smiling uneasily. “What is wro--“. A blaster bolt whizzing by his head cut his words short. Pulling back his robe, he called his Lightsaber to his hand, and ignited it as a barrage of deadly energy came his way. While blocking the bolts that reached him, his mind raced furiously. What are they doing?, he thought, Why are they firing at me?.
As the clone soldiers approached, Nik realized that it didn’t matter… He had to escape. His fighter was just a little farther down the path… He could reach it in a matter of seconds if he ran. Turning around again, he sprinted toward the waiting starfighter, deflecting the offending blasts back toward their source. As a clone fell with a bolt in his chest, Nik could hear Commander Cale shout an order to his soldiers. “Don’t let him reach his ship! Take him down!” Nik was aghast… His close assistant, perhaps even his friend, was instructing his men to kill him… It did not make sense! As he reached his fighter, he motioned for the cockpit to open, and leaped inside.
The clones were still firing as the bubble windows closed around him. He activated the takeoff sequence, and saw that his R3 unit was already in it’s socket. His shields came online, and the blasts from the soldier’s weapons no longer had an effect, even though they did not cease firing. The fighter hummed as the dual sublight/twin ion engines came to life, and Nik grabbed the controls. There was an impulse to fire on Cale’s men…. But the Jedi Code played over in Nik’s mind, and instead, he lifted off, rising swiftly above the trees toward the atmosphere.
As the Jedi Starfighter breached the planet’s protective shell, Nik knew that it would not be long before the clones would come after him in space. His first priority, rather than engage them, would be to get to his fighter’s hyperspace ring. Then, he could safely go to lightspeed, and contact Coruscant to inform the Jedi Council about this treachery. Surely enough, Nik could see three ARC-170 clone fighters bearing down on his position from the planet. Nik pushed his engines to go even faster as the first blaster bolt whizzed by. A volley of blaster fire soon followed, nearly piercing his fighter’s metal plating. Even while sensing every bolt’s path before it reached him, Nik could only barely continue dodging this salvo of death, much less keep on course toward the hyperspace ring! He could see it just a kilometer ahead… He realized that there was only one chance… Concentrating even harder, Nik pulled the hyperspace ring toward his speeding fighter, and docked with it, with the clone fighters still firing. “R3!” The little droid turned his domed head to Master Vecto’s cockpit, and beeped in acknowledgement. “Set a course for Coruscant! Quickly!” The Astrodroid beeped again, and Nik saw the course confirmation image appear on his display screen. After dodging one more blast, Nik activated the hyperspace engines, and felt his back press against the seat in acceleration. As the stars stretched before him, he disappeared, safely, into the vastness of space, with the clone fighters far behind.
