Equestria, Canterlot Palace
Office of Princess Celestia
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Princess Celestia, Diarch of the Sun, Ruler of Equestria, was not often seen upset or distressed. However, tonight, she was so. Princess Luna was upset as well, yet neither princess could confide how or why they were in such a state to anypony or anyone. Her subjects would not understand, or they would not believe her. Celestia turned to a bookshelf on the wall, and cast it aside with her magic, revealing a dark stairwell.
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Celestia walked down the worn stone stairs, tears falling as she went. Eventually, she reached a small shrine of some sort. It was a table of stone, white and pure. And atop it was a cube, gold and blue. It glowed with an unseen power beyond any imagination.
Celestia knew what it was. Given to her long ago by the Jedi, this Holocron was her own, or rather Equestria's own to keep. It had remained silent for countless centuries.
Until now. Celestia, in the middle of day court, had been struck with a sudden wave of sadness and regret. Not of her own emotion, but of the Holocron speaking through her. She had barely concealed it long enough to leave Day Court for her chambers, where she learned Luna had sensed it as well.
Something wrong had happened to drastically change the balance of the Force. Celestia opened the Holocron, and the feelings resurfaced within her. Celestia now knew for sure, that the balance of the Force had been changed. Without further words, she sealed the Holocron and departed, leaving the cold, dying chamber.
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Razkos
The Wilds
The air was filled with red and blue bolts. The sound of scorched metal and war shouts pounded against the eardrums. It was a cacophony that would send anyone to the hills.
For Jedi Master, and Republic General Kyris Marchen, this was his prime element. Hailing from the forest world of Lystrais, he was wolf-like in stature, with pale brown and gray fur. His modified armor and robes were dark brown, and his fur was covered with Lystraian warrior tattoos.
And right now, he, and the Clones of the 389th Strike Battalion were knee-deep in fighting Separatist Battle Droids, intent on wiping them off the map.
"Focus on the walkers!" Kyris yelled to his troopers, who heeded his orders and fired their weapons accordingly. "Don't let them get close to us!"
"You heard the General!" cried CC-4296, or Commander Gale, Kyris's second in command. "Take them out, lads!"
The pale-green colored Clones fired a volley of lasers that cut down several platoons of advancing droids. However, unlike the Battle Droids, the clones and Kyris were outnumbered, and were losing their ground fast.
"Radio the Sentinel!" Kyris yelled to Gale. "We need air support!"
"I've tried, sir!" the Clone commander replied. "That solar storm fried our communications!"
"Keep at it!" Kyris replied, his green-bladed Lightsaber slashing apart a Super Battle Droid. "We cannot lose this base!"
The battle continued for several furious moments, then for Kyris, everything seemed to slow down until it stopped. Then, there was a wave of emotion that he could not understand, coupled with a disturbance in The Force. Kyris felt many emotions, all at once.
Despair.
Fear.
Sadness
The battle slowly resumed, and Kyris then realized what had happened. Lystraians were pack beings, and bonds formed with friends were not easily broken. Feelings and shifts in The Force were sensed keenly by any of the lupine beings, and such an experience meant only one thing for the Jedi Master.
Something had happened to upset The Force.
"Gale!" he cried as he leaped into cover behind a barricade. "Issue evacuation orders! We're leaving!"
"Leaving?" Gale said in disbelief. "We can still win this battle, sir!"
"Something has happened in the Force, a great disturbance." Kyris said. "We must go! Now!"
Gale reluctantly nodded and the Clones began their retreat to their forward base. After loading their supplies onto several Republic Gunships, the Republic forces sailed for their Venator-Class cruiser, the Sentinel.
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Kyris headed for the Sentinel's bridge, followed by Commander Gale.
"Sir, what happened?" the Clone Commander asked.
"A great disturbance in the Force." Kyris said. "Something has upset the balance."
"I'm no Jedi, sir. No offense, but what does that mean?" Gale asked.
"That something bad has happened." Kyris said. "Is that solar storm clear?"
"Yes sir!" said a clone from his station. "Comms are clear...wait, we're receiving an emergency signal!''
"Put it through!" Kyris said. The Jedi and his Clone Commander approached the main table, and a hologram appeared. Kyris recognized him as a fellow Jedi Master, Obi-Wan Kenobi. The hologram then began to speak a message that Kyris would remember for all his remaining years.
"This is Master Obi-Wan Kenobi. I regret to report that both our Jedi Order and the Republic have fallen, with a dark shadow of the Empire rising to take their place. This message is a warning and a reminder for any surviving Jedi. Trust in The Force. Do not return to the Temple…that time has past. And our future is uncertain. We will each be challenged. Our trust. Our faith. Our friendships. But we must persevere. And in time, a new hope will emerge. May the Force be with you, always."
The message faded, and Kyris felt hot tears fall down his face.
"General?" Gale asked. "What…"
"Trace that signal." Kyris said. "Where did it come from?"
"Polis Massa, sir." said another Clone. "A medical station in the Outer Rim."
"Take us there." Kyris said, now crying openly. "I will be in my quarters, Commander. Fetch me when we arrive."
Before the Clone could say "Yes, sir!", his General was gone. Gale looked at the ground, which was wet from tears, before he walked to the bridge viewport with a sigh.
"Keep me posted." the commander ordered. "We'll need to be careful."
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Three hours passed before a Clone Sergeant roused General Kyris from his deep thought.
"Thank you, trooper." the Jedi said. "Prep a gunship and fetch Commander Gale."
"Yessir."
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From a conference room in Polis Massa, Obi-Wan Kenobi and Yoda sat in their sadness. Not only was Padme' Amidala dead, but Anakin Skywalker turned to the Dark Side as a Sith, and the Empire had arisen.
They were both surprised to hear news from a steward Droid that a Republic Gunship had landed, and a Jedi was aboard it, asking to speak to Obi-Wan Kenobi immediately.
"Here, bring him." Yoda said. The droid bowed and left, and was soon replaced by Kyris Marchen.
"Master Yoda, Master Kenobi!" he said with relief clear in his voice.
"Master Marchen!" Kenobi replied. "You're alright."
"I received your message." the Lystraian replied, sitting down. "What happened to the Jedi? I have been trying to contact many of them, with no success."
Obi-Wan looked to Master Yoda.
This would not be pleasant conversation for the unknowing Jedi.
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"All of them? Even the younglings?" Kyris said in disbelief.
"Indeed." Obi-Wan replied. "Massacred by Darth Vader, and the 501st Legion."
"Wait, you said that the Clones turned on the Jedi." Kyris said. "My Troopers did not. A solar storm blocked all communications with us."
"Then they didn't receive the Order made them turn on the Jedi." Obi-Wan said. "That is good news, but I am afraid we have nowhere safe left to go."
"True, that is." Yoda said. "Master Marchen, nothing left here in this Galaxy, there is for you. The Force, unbalanced it is. Go, you must. Restore balance. In peace, live out your lives."
"But what about you?" Kyris said. "I cannot lose anymore of my kin."
"We will be alright. I plan to supervise infant Luke on Tatooine." Obi-Wan said. "And Master Yoda will go to the Dagobah system. You and your clones should find a world away from here to sojourn in."
Kyris nodded gravely, understanding what must be done.
"We'll sail away from the Galaxy, to the Unknown Regions." he said after a few minutes of thought. "Hopefully we'll find a planet that's habitable for settlement."
"To you, good luck." Yoda said.
"And may The Force be with you." Obi-Wan said, as Kyris sat up to leave.
"And with you." Kyris said as he returned to the hangar, and he boarded his Gunship.
"Where to, Sir?" Gale asked over the comms.
"Once we land, set course for the Unknown Regions, random coordinates." Kyris said. "We are leaving the Galaxy behind. I will explain our situation to everyone, once we return to the Sentinel."
"Yes, sir." Gale replied. "We'll await your arrival, General."
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Kyris returned to the bridge, and every Clone present saluted.
"At ease." the General said. "I have an announcement to make. Turn on the address system."
"Yessir!"
Gale hit a switch, and Kyris spoke.
"Clones of the 389, I have grave news, news that will shock you and most likely send you into despair. The Republic and the Jedi...are no more."
Every Clone aboard the Cruiser gasped, flinched, or did both.
"Our former Chancellor is in fact a Sith Lord, and he and his new apprentice have massacred the Jedi, and raised an Empire above the Republic. And every known Clone has turned on their Jedi Generals."
There was stunned silence. Kyris sighed before continuing, as many clones were whispering in distress.
"From what I have learned, the Order given to these Clones has not reached us. I have disabled our communications systems to ensure that. Furthermore, we are leaving this galaxy. There is no place that is safe. We are heading to the Unknown Regions, to find a world to live our lives out on, in peace. Either we will live in peace, or die in peace. General Marchen out."
Kyris turned to Commander Gale, who stood aghast with nearly every Clone on the Cruiser.
"Sir?" Gale asked. "Is this…"
"True, as true can be." Kyris said. "We're leaving. Set course for the Unknown Regions, random coordinates. Disable our communications systems, except for known Jedi frequencies. All troopers to their battle stations."
"...Yessir." Gale said. "You heard the General, let's go!"
The Clones, upset as they were, carried out their orders, and went to their stations as the Sentinel blasted off into lightspeed.