The Last Apprentice: A Star Wars Story

Part. 12: The Battle (Pt. II)

"Good idea" Thorn said as he grabbed his communicator. "Coris, this is Thorn, do you copy?"

There was no answer

"Forest, this is Thorn, come in."

No answer again. A rebel soldier with a portable computer began working to see what was causing the interference

"Sir, it's seems all communication inside the city has been jammed. The only way to get a message in or out is through the Imperial Headquarters."

The tense silence was finally broken by the sound of boots marching towards the rebels. It sounded like there were easily hundreds on their way. Commander Thorn quickly instructed his men to set up some makeshift defenses. Mira aided them as well, and just as they had finished, the Stormtroopers arrived. They were easily five-hundred of them, and they were being led by a Stormtrooper clad in all black. He didn't have a blaster, but an electrical staff that he held like a double-bladed lightsaber.

"Jedi! Come and face me!" He yelled out.

Thorn peeked over the defense, then proceeded to stand and fire at the mysterious enemy. The shot struck him right in the chest, but it did nothing to him.

"What the hell is that?" Thorn said as he ducked back down.

"That's a Purge Trooper sir. They have blaster resistant armor. Used typically when dealing with Jedi." said the rebel who noticed that the communications had been jammed inside the city. 

"Then I'll handle it. You guys just cover me, and take out some of those Stormtroopers." Mira said bravely.

Mira emerged from the defenses, igniting her blue lightsaber. She had never faced a Purge Trooper before, and her fight with Melenna back during the invasion hadn't exactly gone well. However, she knew she would have to step up and take on this challenge. The rebels wouldn't stand a chance against the Trooper, and so Mira did what was expected of a Jedi Knight, stood up to defend others.

"Here I am. One Jedi in the flesh. I will let you know that this decision is unwise, and if you surrender now, we will show mercy."

"Mercy is never an option. I'm bringing your head to the Governor." The Purge Trooper said coldly in return. He ignited his electrostaff and ran towards Mira. Mira stood in a defensive stance as her enemy rushed towards her, trying to anticipate where the first strike would come from. In an instant, the two crossed weapons, and the fight was on. Commander Thorn had ordered his men to open fire on the Stormtroopers, resulting in the Stormtroopers returning fire.

Mira and the Purge Trooper were trading blows left and right. The Purge Trooper was able to block all of Mira's fast paced attacks.

"Your attacks are weak. I was promised a fight with a true Jedi, not some Padawan."

Mira responded with a flurry of angry attacks, trying to break down the Purge Trooper's defenses. Try as she may, she failed to land a blow that would give her the advantage. The more she attacked, the more tired she became. This gave the Purge Trooper all he needed to gain the upper hand. With three swift strikes, he broke Mira's defense, and with a strong blow, he struck her with his staff, knocking her off her feet and on the ground. Commander Thorn rushed over to make sure she was okay.

"COME ON JEDI! GET UP AND FIGHT!"

Mira ensured Commander Thorn that she was alright and got back up. Igniting her blade, Mira rushed forward and crossed weapons with her foe.

Meanwhile, the rebels had been pinned down inside the city center. Some had used the fountain as cover, others still using the defenses that had been quickly set up before the ambush. Commander Thorn bravely led his men during the battle, keeping one eye on Mira to ensure she was safe. As the troops fired at each other, the air seemed to be filled with nothing but blaster fire. Mira was still fighting the Purge Trooper and their Stormtroopers were unrelenting.

Mira had been fighting with her enemy for some time now, and both were getting worn down. Noticing this, she planned one last quick barrage of attacks. It had to work, otherwise it could cost her life. The two warriors clashed once again, but this time, Mira was on the front foot, striking high, low, left, and right. The Purge Trooper was struggling to block every blow, and the protective layer around his electrostaff which had enabled him to block a lightsaber was wearing off due to Mira's attacks. Strike after strike, the Purge Trooper was struggling even more. Then, as he went to block high, Mira's lightsaber cut clean through the staff; the power of the strike knocking the Purge Trooper off balance. With one quick move, she thrust her blade right through his chest, killing him. The rebels cheered for a brief moment as they continued their fight with the rest of the Stormtroopers. Mira had finally beaten her enemy.

Then, the brief moment of joy was immediately extinguished as the rebels heard even more boots marching towards their position. Reinforcements had arrived, surrounding the rebels, and accompanying the Stormtroopers was yet another Purge Trooper.

Mira raised her lightsaber in a defensive position once again. Thorn quickly instructed some orders which made the rebels get into a new formation.

"We just have to last until someone gets here to help out. I'm sure Coris has his area under control, and if not him, maybe Del hasn't gone too far deep into the Imperial Headquarters, he could still come back to help" Mira thought to herself.

"Hold the line men. We just need to stay alive for a little while longer" Commander Thorn said. "Just until our reinforcements arrive."

Mira and Thorn looked at each other, nodded, and braved themselves for another intense fight.