Title: Broken Faith

Author: Science Fantasy

Rating: M

Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars, any of the characters, places, etc. Except for the stuff I made up (which is consequently my property), it all belongs to George Lucas and Company. I don't make any money for writing this stuff.

Note: This is my second attempt at posting this story on FFn. I'm really hoping that it has improved a lot since I first posted, so please be sure to review and tell me what you think. Everything that is written in italics is a flashback. The flashbacks will take place farther and farther in the past as the story goes on, and provide the back-story for the events that are happening in the present. Thanks for reading; I hope you enjoy the story!

"The remaining Jedi will be hunted down and defeated. Any collaborators will suffer the same fate. These have been trying times, but we have passed the test. The attempt on my life has left me scarred and deformed, but I assure you my resolve has never been stronger. The war is over. The Separatists have been defeated, and the Jedi rebellion has been foiled. We stand on the threshold of a new beginning. In order to ensure our security and continuing stability, the Republic will be reorganized into the first Galactic Empire, for a safe and secure society which I assure you will last for ten thousand years. An empire that will continue to be ruled by this august body and a sovereign ruler chosen for life . . . An empire ruled by the majority . . . Ruled by a new constitution."

Prologue: The Third Survivor

Arion grunted as she hauled the other Jedi to his feet. Positioning his arm around her shoulders, she made her way through the blaster fire and swinging lightsabers, towards a nearby medical escort ship. She paused, using her free hand to wave down a few Clone Troopers not locked in combat. Soon, a small detachment had surrounded them, shielding them from the chaos of battle.

"Where were you hit?" She asked the wounded man.

"In my side… by my rib cage…" He gasped in response.

"Is it deep?"

"No, it was an indirect hit."

"You're bleeding quiet a bit; looks like one of your ribs shattered and cut into you pretty good." Arion said as she briefly examined his injury.

"There!" One of the Clones yelled, "Up head, there's another medical ship landing now. Move fast, we're almost there!"

Nodding in response, Arion looked up at the ship, which was closer to them than the previous one had been, and then back over at the man she was dragging along. He was still conscious.

"Did you hear that?" She smiled comfortingly at him.

"Sure did." He managed.

"You're going to be fine." She reassured him.

The other Jedi nodded weakly, taking in a ragged breath.

The group picked up their speed, stepping over the dead bodies of Clones and Jedi Knights, and the broken shells of ruined droids. The yellow sky was clouded with black smoke, obscuring the sleek silver bodies of Republic ships and the hulking black droid fighters. All around the battlefield red cliffs rose imposingly out of the rough terrain, sweeping across the vast horizon. This planet, she believed its name was Lok, was nothing Arion wanted to fight over. It was small, stark, and insignificant to the Republic. The only reason they were here was because the space battle had literally fallen out of the sky, bringing the war to the uninhabited wasteland.

And to think she'd been thrilled when she'd finally been offered the chance to serve as a general in the Outer Rim Sieges. Arion rolled her eyes at the memory. She'd been stationed at Arbra with a small task force of Jedi Knights before she was called out to fight in the Karthakk system. Because she didn't have her own Apprentice, the Council had allowed her to take one of the newly appointed Knights along with her. He was barely even a month out of his training when he arrived, and now here he was beside her, facing an injury that had the potential to change everything. Not just for him, but maybe even for her as well. Having never taken a Padawan learner, Arion was yet to be elevated to the rank of Jedi Master. She sensed that this was her final test of sorts; after all, she was the only non-Master to serve as a general in the Republic Army. She was sure that one promotion would surely follow the other, as long as the battle went smoothly. Getting your partner shot wasn't exactly considered 'going smoothly'.

"Your name's Blaike, right?" Arion inquired to the man, attempting to fill the silence that had fallen between the two Jedi Knights.

"Right," He answered.

"Well, Blaike," She said over the roar of battle and the pounding of the ship's engines, "We've finally made it out of that forsaken skirmish."

With that, the ramp came down on the ship, and a Clone medic came rushing down to meet them.

"What happened?" He asked as he took Blaike from Arion.

"Shot through the rib cage." Came the reply.

"He needs help right away, but it looks like he'll make it." The medic stated as he inspected the wound. "Get him onboard!"

"Roger that," One of the Clone troopers responded, picking up the wounded Jedi and carrying him after the medic. Arion and the four Clones that were left followed, and the ramp sealed shut behind them.

They quickly found Blaike a repulsorlift cot to take him down to the medical bay. The Clones followed along as Arion helped the medic pull Blaike's robes away from his wound so they could get a better look.

"It's difficult to tell how extensive his injuries are from just looking at the outside. If it's as bad as it looks, I'd like to take him up to the field hospital in the asteroid field for surgery to repair the internal damage." The medic said, injecting Blaike with a sedative as the group passed through gleaming white blast doors, at last entering the ship's medical ward.

The medic transferred Blaike from the cot to a bed, and a medical droid quickly buzzed over to attend to the Jedi Knight. It clicked and whistled something at the medic, who nodded and turned back towards Arion and the other Clones.

"He needs to get back to the hospital. There's nothing more you can do here," He said.

"I see. Thank you for helping him." Arion bowed to the medic then gave Blaike a reassuring smile before pushing her way past the Clones. As she was leaving the medical bay, she heard one of the Clones' comlinks beeping.

She swiftly made her way down the hall, taking care to dodge any small droids or carts that obstructed her path.

Finally, Arion reached the ship's exit ramp. Oddly enough, the door did not automatically open when she approached it. With an exasperated sigh, she reached out and tapped at the control panel. It was just like one of these ships to malfunction at a time like this.

But nothing happened. Arion's brow furrowed as her annoyance grew into concern. She tried again, but still to no avail. Something wasn't right.

The sound of a loud crash behind her caught her ear, and she swung around, lightsaber at the ready. Arion looked around warily, but the source of the noise was only one of the droids in the hall that had banged into a cart of unused medical supplies. She powered down her lightsaber, and then reached back over to the switch on the wall, desperately trying to operate the door controls with one hand while she hooked her lightsaber back onto her belt with the other.

"Come on," She muttered anxiously, turning her full attention back to the panel.

"There she is!" A voice called out.

Arion wheeled around, only to see the Clone detachment that had followed her onboard as they quickly raised their blasters, taking aim at her.

With a gasp of surprise, she Force-pushed them back, knocking all five troopers off of their feet. She then took off down the corridor, taking the first sharp turn she saw and disappearing around the corner.

At last, she found a door that would open for her, and hid inside. Using the small control panel on her side, she locked the door behind her. She sank to the ground with her back against the door, heart pounding. She took a deep breath and looked around. She was in a small supply closet, with no way to escape.

Arion worriedly bit her lip as she heard the footsteps of the approaching Clones. She slid away from the door, placing her hand over her mouth to stifle the sound of her breathing.

"Open the door," One Clone ordered when they were right outside of the closet where Arion was hiding.

Taking a deep breath, Arion placed her palm flat against the door.

"This door's jammed… move along," She whispered.

"This door's jammed. Move along." Sure enough, one of the Clones repeated her words.

"You three," Another one began, "Keep searching. We'll stay here and guard the exit ramp, in case she doubles back."

They began to march off. Arion exhaled quietly, carefully turning the handle. Slowly, when she was sure the troopers were a safe distance away, she pushed the door open. She silently stepped out into the austere white hallway. Her heart was beating rapidly as she tried to keep herself under control. She was gaining on them now, only a few more seconds and she would have them. She warily took her lightsaber from her belt, ready to power up the blade at a moment's notice.

"There's no one back here," The Clone on the far left said, "let's search the cockpit. She could have slipped past us."

"Roger." The trooper next to him replied.

"Roger." The other one echoed. They turned around, only to come face-to-face with Arion.

"What the-"One began, but it was too late. Arion switched on her lightsaber, the golden blade shooting up from the base with an electric buzz. Before any of the Clones even thought to raise their blasters, she swung the saber, cutting all three cleanly in half.

She waited for a moment, hardly daring to breathe, let alone move. The soft hum of her lightsaber was the only sound in the silence. When she was sure the other Clones weren't coming to investigate, she powered down the blade.

She let out a long, slow breath before she finally turned away from the surrealistic scene before her. She didn't have time to think about it now. Whatever the reason, they had tried to kill her, and that was all there was to it. Her own men had turned on her. And she didn't have time to wonder why. She had to find the other Clones aboard the ship… before they found her.

She felt like she was moving in slow motion. One foot in front of the other. She slowly headed back down the hall, striding dangerously towards the remaining two Clones. She finally saw them standing guard at the exit ramp, once facing the medical wing, the other facing her. She turned on her lightsaber once again, spinning the metallic base with a flick of her wrist for added effect.

"Sir, there she is!" The trooper facing her exclaimed.

"Open fire!" The other one commanded, wheeling about.

The shrill shriek of blaster fire accompanied the hum and buzz of Arion's lightsaber. Arion deflected their blasts, swiftly gaining ground on the Clones. Leaping over the nearest Clone's head, she flipped gracefully in the air and landed smoothly between them. Taking advantage of their confusion, she immediately executed one by thrusting her lightsaber into his back. Arion kicked the other in the chin as he turned to fire at her, knocking him across the hallway and into the remains of the cart that had been knocked over in the crash earlier. Pulling her lightsaber out of the dead Clone, she nonchalantly blocked the clumsy blaster fire aimed at her. Angling the blade just right, Arion caused one shot to ricochet back at the trooper on the ground, hitting him in the arm. The Clone cried out in pain, scrambling backwards to put distance between Arion and himself. Firing sporadically, he rose to his feet and continued to back up.

Arion winced as one of his shots whizzed past her face, missing by mere inches. She was beginning to have trouble blocking his wild firing, and at the rate they were going, he was going to have some help from the medic before long.

In an act of desperation, she took one hand from the hilt of her saber and Force-pushed him back again, sending him flying into the blast doors of the medical bay. The doors opened when he impacted, and he fell through the hole and into the next room.

With a burst of speed, she rushed after him, diving through the shrinking opening in the blast doors. She swung her lightsaber as she rolled across the floor, slicing the Clone's legs off from below him. She regained her footing and stepped down on his throat, grabbing the blaster out of his hand and firing off one shot to finish him.

She spun around in time to catch the medic off guard. She shot him squarely in the chest while he was still fumbling with his blaster pistol.

"Another one bites the dust," She quipped, switching off her lightsaber and hanging it back on her belt.

Looking around, she saw the medical droid from before buzzing around the back of the room, confusedly darting between the three dead bodies. It beeped something at her, but she didn't have the faintest idea of what it was saying.

"Can you take me to the cockpit?" She asked it, making a motion like a ship taking off with her hand.

The droid clicked and whirred as it came over to her, but it didn't seem to understand her request either.

"The cockpit," She repeated, "You know, the place with the pilots. The cockpit."

The droid buzzed again, and flew by her. She followed, once again navigating her way through the crowded halls. After a while, the droid stopped and hovered in the air in front of a set of doors. It beeped something at her again before moving off.

Taking a deep breath, Arion approached the doors. They slid open with a soft metallic hiss. Beyond them, two Clones sat in the pilots' chairs. Arion let the breath she had just taken slowly escape her lips as she stepped inside the room, letting the doors slide shut again behind her.

The ship lurched into flight, swiftly ascending into the atmosphere.

Heaving a sigh, Arion switched on the ship's autopilot, then began to make her way back to the medical bay. She slowly shuffled along, keeping her gaze cast down towards the floor. When she got back, she paused a moment next to Blaike's body to fold his arms over the fresh blaster holes in his chest before she sat down on the edge of another empty bed. She pulled out her comlink and spoke quietly into it.

"R10, do you copy?"

The sound of cheery beeping came from the other side.

"R10, take my ship up to the hospital in the outskirts of the asteroid field near the planet. Avoid the battle if at all possible. And send out an emergency signal to all known Jedi."

R10 beeped and whistled a reply.

"Yes, emergency code 913."

After a moment of silence, R10 bleeped again.

"Thank you, R10. I will be joining you shortly." Arion finished, placing the comlink back into the pouch from which it had come. For a moment after that, she was still, her unfocused eyes gazing off at some distant nothing.

The ship pitched as it entered space, jolting her out of her quiet state. She straightened and rose, looking down ruefully at the body of the dead Clone beside her. Before she knew what she was doing, she wound up and kicked the trooper's body, sending him tumbling over the floor of the vessel. He smacked into one of the beds lining the wall across from Arion, knocking some loose object out of his uniform. It was a comlink. The device rolled on its side to Arion's feet, clinking to a halt when it hit the toe of her boot.

She looked down at it curiously, then slowly bent to pick it up. As soon as her fingers touched it, the comlink flickered to life, displaying its last transmission on a loop. An iridescent blue figure crackled into focus on the tiny holoprojector. The figure appeared to be an aging man, though it was hard for Arion to tell, as he was wearing a robe with a hood that covered most of his face.

"Execute Order 66," The figure droned, then sputtered and was gone, only to appear again and deliver the same haunting message over and over.

"Order 66?" She wondered out loud. Gradually, she began to realize what was happening. This was the order for the Clones to kill their Jedi commanders. She looked back down at the comlink, carefully studying the image it was projecting. Arion felt a cold chill run down her spine as she realized who the figure in the dark cloak was.

"That's the Sith Lord we've been looking for," She noted bitterly, then furrowed her brow as she grew more and more concerned, "But how did he gain access to our Clone Troopers? And why would they take an order from him? Force, if he ordered all of the Clones to do this, then the same thing has probably just happened to every Jedi Knight outside of the Temple."

Once again unable to control her emotions, she lifted the comlink from the floor and heaved it as hard as she could against the far wall. It connected, shattering into minuscule pieces that all fell with a light clinking noise. As it did, Arion slowly sank to the floor, pulling her knees under her chin and hugging them tightly against herself as she waited for the ship to land again.

The medical escort landed on an asteroid that was being used as a make-shift hospital for those injured in the battle. Dressed in the least damaged pieces of Clone armor she could find aboard the ship, Arion pushed the cot that still held Blaike's body down to the morgue. At the foot of the bed was a white canvas bag, usually used for holding the belongings of the deceased, which contained her possessions.

When Arion had dropped off Blaike's body, she took the bag of possessions and swung it over her shoulder. She exited the room, and headed down the hall to the civilian docking bays on the other end of the compound. The hall was congested with pilots, troopers, medics, and droids; but the hospital was so busy, that none of them took any notice of her as she passed.

At last, she reached the docking bay. Finding an empty dock, she ducked into the shadows, and took her comlink out of the bag.

"R10," She whispered, "R10, do you copy? I'm at the hospital. Civilian docking bay number 03054."

R10 whistled happily in response.

"I see you now. I'm on my way." Arion finished, putting the device back into the bag with her other things.

The small fighter came down easily, and the cockpit opened. Darting across the ramp, she jumped smoothly in, and immediately re-started the launch cycle.

"Has anyone responded to our message?" She asked R10 as the ship lifted up in the air and she fastened the restraints.

R10's answer was negative.

"Well, have you picked up any messages?" Arion wondered out loud, and R10 pulled up a coded message on the read out screen. It appeared to be from the Jedi Temple, but when Arion read its contents, she began to doubt its authenticity.

"Return to the Jedi Temple, the War is over?" Arion puzzled, removing the Clone helmet and putting on her own headset, "The war is over my-" She paused and took a deep breath, "No R10, we're not going back. Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice…"

R10 beeped proudly.

"That's right," Arion half-smiled, "now, let's get out of here."

The ship cleared the hanger, and was on its way. Arion set up the autopilot then leaned back in her seat. She rubbed her eyes wearily, sighing to herself as the full impact of what had just happened slowly sank in.

R10 whistled dejectedly.

"No, R10, nothing's wrong." She replied to the little droid. It bleeped something back, but did not continue to inquire about her disposition.

Digging through the bag, Arion pulled out her utility belt, and opened up one of the smaller front pockets. From the pouch she removed a simple necklace. It was made of a black chord with a tiny silver sunburst charm. In the center of the charm was a bright green crystal that, though very small, sparkled and shone radiantly in the dimness of the cockpit. She undid the clasp and slipped it on over her head, absent-mindedly rubbing the charm between her fingers.

Suddenly, a blurry image popped up on her hologram projector. R10 whooped excitedly.

"It's Senator Organa… but I can't understand what he's saying, R10 can you find a way to make the signal clea-" Arion was cut off by the sound of lasers and R10's cry of surprise.

Overhead, two droid fighters were closing in on them. The autopilot had taken them too close to the battle.

"Blast it all!" Arion exclaimed, overriding the program and taking back control of the ship.

She dove into a downward spiral, attempting to loose the pursuers. The two ships opened fire, several shots barely missing Arion. She pulled the ship level, only to run right into another droid vessel, which fired and made contact.

"We've lost all communications!" Arion shouted in frustration, returning a barrage of laser fire and homing rockets. When the missiles hit it, the ship in front of her lost control, and spun dizzily into a nearby asteroid. Quickly pulling up and looping around, Arion got behind the other two, unleashing the same bombardment upon them. She barely had time to roll out of the way as one fighter exploded, taking the other one down with it.

"Well, that was close," Arion muttered, "R10 can you repair the damage to the communications system?"

R10 whirred and beeped back, stating that the injury was far too great for him to mend. With another set of short whistles, R10 asked where they would go next.

"We'll just have to hide out in another remote system until this thing blows over," She said, setting a course for another remote Outer Rim planet, "After that, we will go to Alderaan, and find Senator Organa."

With a sinking tone, R10 beeped in his agreement.

"Don't worry, R10, if there are any others left, we'll find them…" Arion reassured the droid, "I promise."