Star Wars: "The Purge"

[rylevao]

Chapter 1



Stronghold of Shu Mai, Felucia

19 BBY



"We're nearing the stronghold, General."

The clones surrounding him gave their blaster rifles one last check as the green-skinned Twi'lek looked out of the Low Altitude Assault Transport's (or LAAT's) forward cockpit window to see the fungi forests of Felucia drawing nearer. Seeing it again after so many years brought back memories from when he was sent with Luminara Unduli to train there. It seemed so long ago, back when he was just a Padawan learner.

Before the Clone Wars.

Ryle Vao nodded to the pilot. "All right, men, prepare to be under fire!"

The clones nodded as they prepared themselves for action. Ryle himself took his lightsaber from his belt. "Remember, we are to rendezvous with Master Secura after we've investigated here."

"Yes Sir," the clones said in unison as the transport declined.

Ryle had been sent to Felucia to help Aayla Secura and Barriss Offee to foil the plot to poison the planet's water supply. Currently all that was known of the plot is that Presidente Shu Mai of the Commerce Guild was behind it, and it had to be stopped. So Ryle had been sent to the personal stronghold of Shu Mai to hunt her down. This would be Ryle Vao's first mission after being given the title Jedi Knight, so he did not intend to mess it up.

"Land here," Ryle called to the pilot.

"Yes sir." There was a small bump as the transport touched ground. The transport doors opened, letting in the muggy Felucian atmosphere.

The clones slowly walked through the dense foliage of fungal growth that made up the surface of Felucia toward Shu Mai's tower stronghold.

"That's strange," clone Commander Col said as he and Ryle stepped off the transport. "I was expecting at least a few droids to be guarding this place."

"As did I," Ryle replied as he looked the tower up and down suspiciously. "Something in the force doesn't feel right. I'm not sensing any living being inside."

"So are you saying that Shu Mai could not be here at all?" Col asked.

"Possibly." Ryle looked around at the surrounding wildlife. "I'm not certain."

When they reached the large gate two clones set to placing detonators around it. Once placed, the clones pressed down on the detonator's remote button and each detonator blew, on after the other, until the door fell forward with a loud THUD. The clones advanced into the tower, crouching and ready for action.

Ryle and Commander Col stayed back. Ryle shook his head and straightened his light brown tunic. "Something isn't right, I can sense it."

"Do you want us to pull back, sir?" Col asked.

There was a moment of silence as Ryle thought the situation over. "No, we shall continue to move forward," he finally said decidedly, and walked into the tower.

The interior was dark and seemed uninhabited, with not a piece of furniture to be seen. They had walked up two levels without seeing a sign of life.

"Now I have a bad feeling," Commander Col said when they reached the staircase to the third floor of the tower, "as if we're walking into a trap."

Just then, there came a hissing sound from behind them as a door at the end of the hall opened. The clones quickly turned as two destroyer droids rolled out of the open door way, unrolled, and began firing. In an instant Ryle had his lightsaber in his hand and ignited it with a snap and a hiss. He walked out in front of his squadron of clones and deflected blaster bolts, some bouncing back and hitting the destroyer's deflector shields, but this did no good.

As he deflected bolt after bolt Ryle looked around the hallway for something to use against the droids, but he could see nothing.

"Col, get some thermal detonators up here!" Ryle called back over his shoulder.

"Right away! Twofer, chuck a thermal!"

The clone nicknamed "Twofer" took a thermal detonator from his belt, armed it, and threw it over Ryle's head at the destroyer droids. It rolled between the two droids, and, through an exertion from Ryle through the force, came to a halt, and then detonated, destroying the droids immediately.

"Good job, Twofer," Ryle said, turning to the clone and switching his lightsaber off.

"Thank you, sir," the clone Twofer replied, nodding.

"That's two-for-one Twofer for you," one of the clones said, to many nods.

"Now," Ryle said, "we should-" but before he could continue his comlink beeped. He pulled it from his belt and turned it on. "Yes, Master Secura?"

"General Vao," Aayla Secura's voice sounded slightly mechanical through the small speaker, "we have uncovered the plot and we need you and your squadron to rendezvous with us at the city of Niango immediately."

"Yes, Master Secura," Ryle said, "But what of my mission here?"

"We have discovered that Shu Mai isn't even on Felucia at the moment," Secura replied, "but with her fleet retreating to Belderone."

"Oh," Ryle did his best to keep the disappointment from his voice. "Then I shall meet you at the rendezvous point."

"I'll see you there," Secura replied, and then the comlink went quiet. Ryle clipped it back onto his belt. "Well, let's get moving."



The transport lifted off not long afterward, rising high over the fungal forests. Ryle held on tight to the support bars as the ship sped forward toward the city of Niango.

"Commander Col," Ryle addressed the red-armoured commander. "When we land, I want you to take your men and join Master Secura's squadron.

"Yes, sir!" The commander replied as he loaded his blaster with full cartridge.

Suddenly, Ryle felt a yanking feeling in his heart. He put a hand to his chest, as he felt it again. He had felt it through the Force; it was as if something that was present had just vanished. Forever.

Commander Col's belt suddenly beeped, and he unhooked a hand-held holoprojector. When he switched it on the image of a cloaked man flickered to life, his image a light holographic blue.

"Yes, Chancellor?" Commander Col asked.

Chancellor Palpatine? Why would the Chancellor hologram Commander Col in person? Ryle Vao thought as the image began to speak. The Chancellor said four words, four words that would haunt Ryle Vao's dreams for many years to come.

"Execute Order Sixty-Six."







This is a FanFic on the Star Wars movies/books, featuring my invented character, Ryle Vao.

[rylevao]

Chapter 2



The City of Niango, Felucia

19 BBY



Aayla Secura stood on a hill overlooking her troops as they prepared to charge on Niango, her light blue skin making it hard to distinguish her from the surrounding fungi. Being a Twi’lek from Ryloth she was unfamiliar with the excessive wildlife and stuffy atmosphere, in fact she considered the prospect of living on the planet a miserable punishment.

“The troops are ready, Master Secura,” Commander Bly of the 501st legion of clone troopers approached Aayla where she stood, his yellow armour gleaming in the setting sun. “Shall we commence with the attack?”

Aayla looked at the clone troopers as they stood in readiness. “Yes, Commander. Commence the attack.”

“Yes, Master Secura,” Commander Bly nodded, and ran down to relay the order to his troops. Aayla followed him, desiring to be in the front line when the fighting started.

The troops started moving forward not long afterward, marching six abreast at a steady pace with four troopers astride gelagrubs in the front. Aayla walked just behind the mounted troopers with her lightsaber in her hands, prepared to take on an onslaught of droids. They walked in silence, the only sound being the cries of Felucian birds overhead and the noises of a variety of Felucian wildlife. An Ackley cry could be heard from a distant part of the forest, the very noise making the clone troopers tense.

Then a beeping issued from Commander Bly’s belt. He hung back, behind some clone troopers, unhooked a holoprojector from his belt, and switched it on. The flickering image of Chancellor Palpatine came into existence and said, “Execute Order Sixty-Six.”

Bly looked at Aayla, who had stopped to look up at a low-flying Felucian bird. The commander shook his head and said, “I’m sorry, Master Secura,” under his breath, before signalling the troops about him to fire.

Aayla Secura didn’t even have time to ignite her lightsaber before twelve blaster shots hit her full in the back. She fell to the ground, lifeless as a rag doll. But the troopers continued to fire until they were absolutely sure that the Jedi was dead. Bly was thankful that he was wearing a helmet, because nobody could see his tears. At that very moment Ryle Vao, though miles away, felt through the Force Aayla’s passing.

But he didn’t know that’s what it was.



Not far away from where Aayla’s body now lay, Barriss Offee was standing on a small hill near the city of Har Gau watching her troop’s storm the city. Barriss’s skin tone appeared to be a dark green in the fading light, though normally it was more of an olive hue. The tattoos on her face were barely visible now that the sun had sunk lover below the horizon.

Then her commlink beeped, and she unclipped it from her belt and switched it on. “Yes, Zondor?”

“We are ready to commence to the third part of our plan, Master,” the muffled voice of her padawan replied.

“Excellent, be ready for my signal,” Barriss said, then waved to lieutenant Galle, who had been commanding the clones as they stormed the city. The lieutenant nodded, then began shouting to retreat. The clones reluctantly followed orders and retreated, drawing the battle droid and mercenary defenders out of the city.

Barriss then pressed a button on her commlink. She saw her Padawan, followed by two other young Jedi, run into the city, which was now defenceless.

Lieutenant Galle stopped at Barriss’s side. “We’ve pulled a full retreat, Master Jedi,” he said.

“Good job, lieutenant,” Barriss replied. “Be ready to fire the AT-TE’s main cannon at the centre of the city on my signal.

“Yes, sir.” The lieutenant replied. Just then his holoprojector beeped. He walked a few steps away from Barriss before activating it.

The image of Chancillor Palpatine flickered into existence and said, “Execute Order Sixty-Six.”

The Lieutenant nodded and switched the holoprojector off, just as Barriss cried, “Fire!”

Lieutenant Galle complied, signalling the AT-TE to fire. The large vehicle’s cannon flashed, but instead of the shot speeding toward the city, it sped right toward Barriss Offee’s position.

The Jedi didn’t even know what had happened before the cannon fire disintegrated her where she stood.



Ryle Vao, several miles away, clutched at his heart as he felt the effect of Barriss Offee’s death through the Force.



In a LAAT just over Niango, Felucia



Around him the clones raised their blasters toward his chest. Ryle didn’t think, but acted on instinct, using the Force to unclip his lightsaber from his belt and fly to his hands. The clones didn’t have time enough to shoot before Ryle had ignited his lightsaber with a hiss and, swinging it in a circle around his body, severed the top of the blaster rifles nearest to him. The clones out of the lightsaber’s reach proceeded to open fire, but Ryle deflected each blaster bolt before slicing the clones down. The other clones had resorted to their secondary blaster pistols and all began to fire at him, which was their mistake. Each deflected shot hit and killed a clone trooper until there was not one left in the transport’s cargo hold.

Ryle turned around to face the pilot’s cockpit, just in time to deflect a blaster bolt from the pilot’s blaster pistol. The pilot quickly steered the transport toward the ground in what was apparently supposed to be a suicidal attempt to kill Ryle.

Ryle quickly used his lightsaber to slice a hole big enough for him to fit through out of the bottom of the transport. Once completed, Ryle jumped out of it, using the force to slow his fall down to the earth below, where he landed without stumbling. The transport, however, was moving too fast to change course, and flew head-on into the fungi-covered surface of Felucia.

Ryle straightened and brushed some dirt off of his brown Jedi robes. What had just happened? He thought. His own squadron had tried to kill him, but why? He had to get to Aayla Secura as quickly as possible. He unclipped a holoprojector from his belt and switched it on. A blue scaled-down image of the planet flickered to life. On it were yellow, green and red dots on different parts of the planet. Ryle touched the red dot, and the round planet flattened to a miniature third dimensional image of Felucia’s surface, with a red line plotting a course between his location and where Aayla Secura was supposed to be.

After staring at this for a while, he turned the holoprojector off, clipped it to his belt, and ran in the direction that the hologram had illustrated with speed that was only possible for a Jedi.