(A/N: I wrote this a long time ago when I wasn't sure of Alevic's age, so he acts more like a ten year old instead of a sixteen year old.)

Alevic's world comes crashing down on him in the blink of an eye.
•••

On board a Republic cruiser somewhere in the galaxy, Alevic Joharn was just finishing up a training session with his master, Valaras Feskin. The padawan was a quick learner and his master was very impressed by his progress, although he still had a long way to go in terms of training.

The doors to the training facility opened to reveal the Twi'lek Jedi and his padawan, who then stepped out into the hallway and continued their conversation while walking alongside one another.

"Can you teach me how to do that cool jump you did with your lightsaber, master? It looked so awesome! You could take out so many droids with that!" Alevic exclaimed excitedly, making his master smile with his lightsaber imitations and playful battle stances.

Valaras couldn't help but laugh at Alevic's excitement. He reached over and fondly ruffled the boy's raven black hair with his hand. "Of course, my young padawan. I will teach you everything I know in due time."

Alevic whined, tilting his head back dramatically. "Why can't I learn it now? I'm good enough, aren't I?"

"It isn't just about being good enough, Alevic." His master stated, folding his hands behind his back as he walked. "It's about patience, control, and commitment. One cannot become a Jedi Knight just because they think they are 'good enough'. A true Jedi knows to not let their ambition get the best of them. They are patient. They allow things to happen naturally instead of forcing it to happen. That is what you need to do, my young padawan. Do you understand?" He looked down at the boy with a firm, yet gentle gaze.

Alevic deflated a bit and lowered his head, nodding solemnly. "Yes, master." He quietly murmured.

Valaras sighed. He could tell that his padawan was being hard on himself. He hadn't meant to put him down—his intentions were quite the opposite. A moment passed before he placed a hand on Alevic's shoulder.

"Don't be so hard on yourself. It was not my intention to scold you. Please know that I am only trying to make sure that you grow up to be successful." He said in a soft voice, slowing his pace a little so that it was easier for Alevic to keep up. "I'm not going to be around forever, you know? I want you to be able to take care of yourself without having me to guide you."

"I know." Alevic responded, looking up when he felt his master's hand on his shoulder. A small smile tugged at the corner of his lips. He adored his master and he was sure his master adored him. "Master, I want to be just like you when I become a knight. I'm going to end the war and save the galaxy."

Valaras returned the soft smile and nodded. "I hope that will turn out to be true, young one. This war has taken too many innocent lives already." He said with a sigh.

Further down the hallway, he could hear clones conversing among themselves in front of the mess hall. "Come along, we should get some rations before—" He suddenly paused mid-sentence, coming to a complete stop in the hallway. Alevic almost continued on without him before he realized he had stopped.

The young padawan turned around, casting his master a confused look. "What's wrong, master?" He asked, a hint of fear in his voice.

Valaras didn't answer. He just stood there, looking as if he'd seen a ghost. Slowly, his hand came up to press against his forehead, like he was suffering from a headache. The voices from down the hallway had since gone silent.

"Master?" Alevic spoke quietly. The fear in his master's eyes was enough to instill fear in his heart. A sense of impending doom washed over him and he couldn't shake the feeling that something terrible was about to happen.

His master seemed to snap out of whatever trance he was in, but there was still a wild look of fear in his eyes as he rushed over to his padawan. "Alevic, something terrible has happened. I cannot explain what, but all I know is that we need to get out of here. Now."

"But—" Alevic cut himself off when he heard footsteps coming from further down the hallway. He looked over his shoulder and saw a group of clones rounding the corner with Captain Chasm at the front. Why were they holding their weapons like that? "Chasm, what's going on?"

"Valaras Feskin and Alevic Joharn, you are in direct violation of Order 66. You are to be executed for treason against the Republic." Captain Chasm replied coldly, aiming his blaster at the pair. The group of troopers behind him mirrored the action.

"Treason?!" Alevic exclaimed, an expression of pure horror crossing his face. His heart sank into his stomach. What was going on?

"Alevic..." Valaras murmured, not taking his eye off of the captain. "...when I tell you to, I want you to run. Run as fast as you can to the escape pods and don't look back."

Alevic could see his master reaching for his lightsaber and his heart sank even further. "You're going to kill them, aren't you?" He asked in a pitiful tone, fear gripping him in its iron fist.

"Alevic, remember what I told you."

"But I—"

By then, the troopers had already begun firing upon them.

Valaras's lightsaber was drawn in a flash, its brilliant blue blade illuminating the hallway. He deflected blaster bolts faster than the eye could see, taking a small step back to steady himself. "Go, now!"

Alevic was frozen in place. He didn't know what to do. "What about you? I'm not leaving you here!" He cried, his voice sounding so small with the sound of blaster fire over it.

Some of the blasts hit the walls and ceiling around him, even striking the floor near his feet. If he waited any longer, one would eventually find its mark.

"Don't worry about me! I'll meet you there! Go!"

Alevic didn't hesitate this time. He took off down the hallway, the pounding of his boots against the floor almost as loud as the pounding of his heart. He could hear the blaster fire quiet down as he got farther away. Frantically trying to remember where the escape pods were, he whipped around a corner and tried plotting out a course in his head.

Suddenly, an alarm started blaring throughout the cruiser. The lights flashed red as the eerie sound echoed down the empty hallways, shaking Alevic to his core. He was in a cold sweat, his pulse throbbing in his ears and his hands trembling. He didn't know where to go or what to do—he usually relied on his master for those kinds of things. Now that he wasn't here, everything was falling apart.

He was just a scared little boy now, not a strong padawan training to be a Jedi Knight.

"Alevic!"

His master's voice rang through his mind and he whirled around, spotting the Twi'lek racing towards him with his lightsaber still drawn. From what he could see, his master hadn't sustained any injuries.

"Master!" Alevic cried.

"Ignite your lightsaber, you'll need it to defend yourself. We'll have to fight our way to the escape pods. Do not hesitate, understand? The clones aren't on our side anymore."

"Why?"

"I'm not sure. Right now, time is of the essence. We need to keep moving. Stay close to me."

Alevic nodded hurriedly and pulled his lightsaber from his belt. He gripped it tightly as he followed his master, his heart continuing to pound away within his chest.

Never in his life did he think he would have to kill a clone.

•
•
•

The escape pods were located on the other side of the cruiser. Valaras and his padawan were only halfway there.

As they ran, Alevic could see hordes of clones taking down Jedi in the hallways they passed. Even if it was just a glimpse, he still felt sick to his stomach as he watched them get shot to pieces. His master had to remind him to keep moving, otherwise he would freeze out of fear again.

"We're almost there." Valaras reassured him, though he wasn't so sure that was true.

It was strange that they hadn't been stopped by more troopers yet, unlike the other Jedi who weren't as lucky. Of course, as soon as that thought crossed his mind, a squad of clones cut them off at the blast doors. He held out his hand in front of Alevic, making sure he stayed behind him.

"M-Master.." The young padawan whimpered, still trembling in fear. After seeing what the clones had done to others, he was absolutely terrified. Part of him didn't even want to believe that this was really happening.

"It's okay, my padawan." Valaras replied softly. "I know it hurts. Remember your training. Make their deaths swift so they will not suffer."

Alevic fought back the urge to cry and slowly nodded. He bit down on his trembling lip as he ignited his lightsaber, preparing himself for a fight. Even then, nothing could truly prepare him for this. He had grown up with these clones and befriended them. Some had even taught him neat tricks and useful life skills.

Now he had to kill them.

Within seconds of him igniting his lightsaber, the clones opened fire. The sound of gunfire was deafening. His arms moved automatically, shifting his lightsaber to deflect the bolts before they could hit him. He zoned in completely on deflecting the bolts, trying not to focus on the fact that he was killing troopers with them.

When his master decided it was time to go on the offensive, his body moved on its own. All he saw was a flash of blue and a trooper would crumple to the ground, a burning gash through their white armor. His vision went red as he cut down trooper after trooper with his lightsaber, their cries of agony filling his head.

When all was said and done, nearly twenty-five clones laid dead at their feet.

Alevic stood still for a moment, taking in the death and destruction that surrounded him. His breaths came in heavy and hard. His entire body trembled uncontrollably. The realization of what he had done came crashing down on him like a tidal wave and he doubled over to vomit.

"Alevic, we need to go." Valaras urged, though he could see how upset his padawan was. He allowed him to have a few moments to recover. "I am so sorry it has to be this way, but we have no other choice."

Alevic stayed silent, his dull gaze staring at the floor. How was he supposed to live with himself knowing what he did? He wiped his mouth on his sleeve and tried to get rid of the foul taste on his tongue.

"I know, I just... I don't understand why they turned on us. We're their friends, don't they know that?" He asked, lifting his conflicted gaze to meet his master's.

"I don't quite understand it myself. The clones have never turned on the Jedi like this. Something is terribly wrong." Valaras replied.

Even his wisdom as a Jedi could not explain what was happening. He felt as though he couldn't reassure his padawan that everything would be alright—he didn't even know if that would turn out to be true himself.

"Over there, I heard a commotion!"

Alevic's heart began to race again when he heard boots thundering in their direction. He couldn't kill more troopers. He just couldn't. The images of troopers being cut down by his own lightsaber flashed in his mind. He felt sick all over again, his insides churning like an angry sea.

Valaras frowned, looking down the hall. They didn't have much time. "Listen to me well, padawan. The escape pods are located just down the hallway. I will hold them back for as long as I can so that you can reach the pods."

"No, I'm not leaving you!" Alevic blurted out. He teared up a bit as he met his master's gaze. "I'm not leaving you to die!" 

Valaras smiled at his padawan, though it was a sad smile. "I will do everything I can to make sure that we can escape together. But if the clones are closing in and I am not there, you must leave without me."

"I can't do that! I.. I can't leave you here!"

"If all else fails, you must. I will not let them kill you too."

The footsteps were getting closer. The clones would round the corner any second now.

Alevic stared at Valaras for a few moments, blinking away tears. Then, he threw his arms around him and hugged him as tight as he could. After a minute or so, he was finally able to tear himself away. The two exchanged what could be their last glances before the young padawan turned and ran down the hallway.

•
•
•

Alevic reached the escape pods without encountering any additional clones. The alarms continued to blare in his ears as he frantically pressed the button to open the door of an escape pod. Once it opened, he ducked inside with his lightsaber in hand and waited.

Soon after he took shelter in the pod, he began hearing the sounds of battle coming from further down the hallway. He gripped his lightsaber so tightly that his knuckles turned white.

What if his master didn't make it? No, he would.

He had to make it. He just had to.

Alevic stiffened when the sound of blaster fire suddenly became louder. His ears were already ringing because of the continuous alarms that were going off and now the blaster fire was making it hard to hear anything. His gaze was glued to the open door and he half-expected his master to appear any second now.

Finally, after a few agonizing minutes, Valaras came sprinting down the hallway. Parts of his robe were in tatters and Alevic could see several spots where the fabric had been burned by a blaster bolt. Although he was happy to see that his master was alright, he couldn't help but worry.

He silently cheered his master on, just waiting for him to leap into the pod so he could close the door and hit eject. The clones behind the Twi'lek were slowly gaining on him, their blaster fire intensifying as they tried to take him down.

Alas, they could not catch him before he reached the pod. Alevic slammed his fist on the button to close the door just as Valaras entered the pod. Once the door closed and the eject button had been pressed, both master and padawan let out sighs of relief.

There was a short period of silence between them as they strapped themselves in and tried to comprehend what they just went through.

"Master?" Alevic was the first to break the silence.

Valaras looked up from examining his tattered robes. "Yes, my padawan?"

"What are we going to do now?"

Valaras let out a heavy sigh and leaned back in his seat. What was he supposed to tell him if he didn't know the answer? He couldn't tell him that he didn't know—that would only reinforce his fear of not knowing what to do. However, he also could not lie.

"...I don't know." He eventually admitted, uncertainty lacing his voice. He rubbed his forehead and sighed again. He knew he had to be strong for Alevic, but it was hard to do so when so much tragedy had just taken place. "This escape pod will take us to the surface of the planet beneath the Republic cruiser. If we are lucky, we should be able to escape unharmed before troopers are sent down to investigate."

Alevic slowly nodded, wringing his hands together nervously. Images of the troopers firing at them flashed in his mind again and he shuddered, quickly shaking his head to get rid of them. "So... I guess we're on our own now. We'll just have to hide and try to start new lives, right?"

"That's the plan, at least." Valaras answered, casting a quick glance at the window. The planet beneath them was starting to get bigger, indicating that they were being pulled into its gravitational field. Soon, they would be entering its atmosphere. "The future may seem bleak, but we must remember to always trust in the force. The force will guide us through our darkest times and bring us to the light."

"And we must embrace the light, or else we will succumb to the darkness."

Valaras smiled a bit at his padawan. "So you have been listening to my lectures."

Alevic chuckled and shrugged his shoulders. "Most times I just tune in to certain parts before I go back to daydreaming." He shrunk down in his seat when his master gave him a look. "What? That still counts as listening!"

Valaras couldn't help but laugh a little, grateful that they could forget about what was happening and focus on other things, even if it was just for a small amount of time.

"I suppose it does." He replied with a soft sigh, the smile slowly fading from his face.

Alevic's happiness seemed to drain from him as well. He slumped back in his chair and sighed heavily. Life as he knew it had changed completely. Would it ever go back to normal?

What was going to happen to them?

•
•
•

Valaras and Alevic survived the pod crash with no injuries sustained. Once the hatch popped open, Valaras was the first to emerge so that he could make sure the area was safe.

They appeared to have landed in a small, quiet clearing surrounded by towering plant structures that roughly resembled trees. The pod left a trail of steaming mud behind it from where it carved into the ground. After taking a brief look around, Valaras gestured for Alevic to exit the pod.

Once he had crawled outside, Alevic brushed himself off and took a look at the weird tree-like structures around them. "Master, do you know what those are?"

Valaras shrugged. "I've never seen anything like them. They seem like they would be a fascinating thing to study." He replied, gazing up at the sky. "We should get going. Staying in one place makes us easier to find."

Alevic nodded in agreement. He went to follow his master, but something out of the corner of his eye caught his attention. With growing horror, he realized it was a clone.

"Master!" He cried in alarm, but his warning came too late.

One blast from the clone's stun gun was enough to make Valaras crumple to the ground. He didn't have any time to react. Alevic tried to go over and help him, but he was grabbed from behind and yanked off of his feet.

"We found the Jedi and his padawan, sir." The clone that was holding Alevic said to the clone captain that emerged from the bushes.

Alevic recognized him as Captain Chasm and his heart sank once more. He thought Chasm had died back on the cruiser.

This couldn't be happening. Not again.

"Execute the Jedi." Chasm replied, gesturing for the group of clones nearby to come over. "The padawan will be next."

"No!" Alevic screamed, kicking and thrashing in the clone's hold. He could only watch as they lifted Valaras up from the ground and put him in cuffs. "No, stop it! Stop it, Chasm! You're better than this!"

"Shut that kid up." Chasm growled, glaring in Alevic's direction.

Alevic received a blow to the side of his head and fell silent, his vision going blurry. Tears welled up in his eyes as he watched them line up with their weapons drawn. They're going to kill him . . . And then they're going to kill me . . .

Valaras was viciously beaten before being hauled up to stand before the firing squad. His face and robes were now bloodied as he stood there with a sullen expression on his face.

This was it.

This was the end.

He slowly looked up and met Alevic's terrified gaze as the clones readied their weapons. A small, sad smile crept across his face. "Don't let the darkness consume you, Alevic. Remember what I taught you."

Alevic had broken down into sobs, his chest heaving as tears spilled down his cheeks. "Embrace the light... don't let fear c-control you.." He whimpered pitifully, barely finding the strength to speak.

Valaras's smile grew. "That's my padawan." He said softly, keeping his gaze locked with Alevic's while the clones took aim. "Remember me."

Those were his last words.

The clones fired upon command and his body crumpled to the ground like a piece of paper.

It was like the entire world stopped moving. Alevic just stared at his master's limp body, fresh tears spilling from his eyes. Finally, he couldn't contain it anymore. All of the anger, the fear, the hatred... it all came crashing down on him at once. He balled his hands into fists and let loose a terrible scream of agony, his voice raw with pain. The clones surrounding him were launched like projectiles when his rage exploded using a powerful amount of the force.

He landed on his feet, every nerve and muscle in his body burning with hatred. He drew his lightsaber and ignited it, a devilish glare to his dark eyes. With a ferocious cry, he lunged forwards and began slashing at any clone in view. He was blind with rage, slicing and tearing each and every clone to pieces. He used the force in ways he never had before, crushing a clone's throat or savagely ripping them limb from limb. When the red suddenly left his vision, he was able to see the destruction he had caused.

Various body parts were scattered across the ground, still searing with the heat from his lightsaber. The smell of blood and burning flesh was unbearable. It was sickening.

Alevic was horrified. It felt like he couldn't breathe—like someone was squeezing his lungs. He wanted to vomit again.

How could he have done this?

What would his master think?

The memory of Valaras being executed still burned freshly in his mind. It was all he could think about. He stood there in pure horror for several minutes before finally being able to regain feeling in his body.

The first thing he did was take his master's lightsaber. It was the only thing he had to remember him. Then, he ran. He ran as far and as fast as he could. There was no turning back. What he had done was unforgivable.

He didn't know where he was going to go. All he knew was that it had to be far away from that place. Far, far away.

Alevic ran until he could not run any longer. His legs finally gave out from underneath him and he collapsed. He just laid there, staring off into space. If this was where he died, then so be it. He deserved to die after what he just did. His master would be horrified if he was still here.

He forced every thought of his master out of his head, leaving his mind blank.

And then he succumbed to the darkness.

Hoping for death to take him.