Young Writers Society

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.


Now as of yet this is not the official second chapter... just a little something to hold you over... (though, if you like it a lot, I could make it the official second chapter!) I just wanted to try and write a little something about Aayla Secura and Barriss Offee.
Enjoy!
-LordLoredaen

Now here's a question: Should I re-write the bit where Ryle cuts down his clone squadron and change it to where he is forced to kill all the clones except for Commander Col then interrogate the Commander?
Express your thoughts.

Interesting. I remember the sequence where Aayla Secura dies in the movie. I like how you explained a little more about it before she was killed.

Should I re-write the bit where Ryle cuts down his clone squadron and change it to where he is forced to kill all the clones except for Commander Col then interrogate the Commander?

I think you should. If he knows what the clones are doing it might make the story more exciting. It could make it too easy though . . . Nah, just go with it. Make him interrogate the commander. Maybe you could make it so he knows, but has no way of warning the other Jedi.
Anyway, good job and post more soon!

Just a short post, low on time. I absolutley loved it. I read your first chapter, and have decided to follow this. Keep writing. My own SW Fanfiction will be on soon, and I hope it will be as good as this. I feel so sad that Barriss Offee had to die. She and Luminara Unduli are the best of the SW characters. Just thought I'd mention that. KEep writing.

Yeah, got a bit of writer's block on this story.... hope to get back to it soon!