Well, here's the new story, Too Late! First of all, I would like to thank formerAnnie, Renesmee Culleswan, Jocasta Silver, and Falconstar for reviewing the last chapter of this one's predecessor. Your support helps me a lot! Second, if you haven't read Loveless?, I suggest you read it, because this may or may not be able to stand alone, plus you may get a greater knowledge of some of the characters than from what I've given you here. I hope you like it, and please review! Hopefully this is better than the last...

I don't own Star Wars, and I never will... How sad.

Prologue

Night had already fallen over Coruscant as the cloaked figure swept over the crimson-carpeted floor. With a flick of her hand, the doors parted, hissing softly. She entered the room; someone else was waiting for her.

"You're late, Monious."

The cloaked woman pursed her lips and scowled.

"My daughter broke out in a high fever only about two seconds before I left."

The other person shrugged, clearly dismissing the matter. Darth Monious's brat of a daughter. This was exactly why he hated children. They got in the way of his affairs.

"Never mind that. You're here now. So, have you been keeping up with your assignment?"

"With great interest. She's been progressing. Which reminds me, have you been keeping up with yours?"

"Of course."

"And how has he been progressing?" Monious asked.

It was the second shadowy figure's turn to purse his lips this time.

"Ah… not as well as we had hoped…"

Monious's eyes lit up with an angry fire.

"Sidious! You know they must be pulled simultaneously! We will fail if one comes without the other!"

Sidious recoiled. From what was seemingly nowhere, the hilt of a lightsaber was drawn. Sidious ignited the blade and thrust it underneath Monious's throat.

"Are you saying I'm not pulling Skywalker correctly?" he growled.

Monious looked down at the scarlet blade precariously hovering next to her throat. Then her eyes moved back to stare up at Sidious levelly, her expression cool.

"All I'm saying is that we must be careful. We can't afford to blunder, not even the slightest bit."

Sidious lowered his blade and deactivated it. He hid it away again.

"You're right. But you need not fret for long; I have a plan. It will speed up the process by tenfold."

Monious looked interested. She sat down in one of the plushy chairs in the office.

"Tell me about it."

Sidious sat down across from her.

"Skywalker has revealed to me a great secret… It is a sign that he will join us! He has told me that…" Sidious paused, something like a smile playing across his lips. "Skywalker is married… to Senator Amidala!"

Monious was astonished.

"So he is the father!"

Sidious nodded and continued, "Remember his dreams about his mother? I will send him dreams just like those, of Amidala dying in childbirth. I am sure I will then be able to convince him the answer to saving her lies with us. His love for her is his biggest weakness, not his arrogance, as the Jedi think."

"Yes! Yes!" Monious cheered. "Oh, and don't forget plan about the Council, either. That's imperative… for both of them."

"Yes," Sidious acknowledged. "With that, and the dreams, Skywalker will be a Sith before this time next year."

"I wonder…" Monious mused. "Does Moonrunner have a similar weakness?"

Sidious's lips parted to form a smile, revealing yellowed, rotten teeth.

"That, my dear Monious, is your job to find out."

Chapter One

"Hello, Emma."

The silky, reptilian voice floated towards the woman yet again. Emma whirled around to find a dark, cloaked figure, gliding towards her. She sighed. It was going to be another one of those dreams...

"Is there ever going to be a time when I don't receive visits from you?" she asked, trying to keep her voice from quivering with fear. "I won't do it, you know."

"I'm not here to try to turn you."

"Then what's the point of your coming here?"

Monious shrugged innocently.

"I just want to talk."

"I have better things to do than waste my time talking to a Sith!" Emma spat out the last word.

Darth Monious pulled down the hood of her cloak, finally revealing her face. It was a face Emma recognized clearly, but when the dream passed, she would not be able to recall who it was.

"Then so be it."

Monious stuck out her hands; fierce bolts of Force Lightning erupted from them, shocking Emma. Emma doubled over and cried out in pain.

"AH!" Emma Moonrunner squeaked, sitting up in bed. She groped for the sheets, but she was just grabbing at air. Her sheets were in a pile on the floor. There was a groan from the other side of the room.

"Emma... Mistress... can't you sleep noiselessly for once?" Emma's apprentice, Taisha Starminick, moaned.

"I can't help having bad dreams!" Emma snapped, wiping the cold sweat from her face. "Do you think I like waking up sweaty and disgusting?"

"No," Taisha sighed. "I guess it's time to get up anyway. Ha, I'll tell you, you're really annoying when you scream in your sleep, but you have excellent timing."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

Emma dragged the sheets back onto her bed.

"You make a fabulous alarm clock."

Emma sighed.

"Gee, thanks."

The two Jedi walked out of the room and entered the breakfast area. Master Dash-el Perr was waiting for them. He was acting as usual, reading yet another battle report.

Without looking up from the report, he said, "I could hear you again, Emma."

"Everyone's a critic," his former apprentice hissed.

"I'm just saying."

Emma tugged at her pajamas. They were sticky from her sweat and stuck to her skin.

"I need to change," she grumbled, returning to the room.

A few minutes later, she emerged, wearing a soot-black tunic with pants and boots of the same color.

"Master, have you heard from Master Navarr?"

Dash-el shook his head.

"It should be any time now."

Coincidentally, Dash-el's comlink buzzed.

"Hello, Master Navarr; are you and Padawan Mercury ready to go?"

"Meet us outside the base in five minutes," was the other Jedi Master's staticky reply.

As Dash-el shut off the connection on the comlink, Emma turned to Taisha.

"Get changed. Quickly, this time, please!"

Taisha sighed.

"Fine!"

Five minutes later, Emma, Taisha, and Dash-el had joined forces with a dark-haired Jedi about the same age as Dash-el and his red-headed apprentice, who was one year older than Taisha.

"Are you ready?" the dark-haired Master asked the group.

Emma nodded.

"Yes. Now, the town is this way," Emma pointed to the west. "It's still pretty dark over where the base is, so we will probably be able to sneak over there without being seen, if we hurry. So-"

"Emma! This is Master Navarr's mission, not yours. Let him doing the planning," Dash-el stated sternly.

"She's fine, Dash-el. Remember that she's not your apprentice anymore. I don't mind, anyway. She's absolutely correct," Oram Navarr dismissed. "So, let's take Mistress Moonrunner's advice and head west."

The five Jedi pulled the camouflage cloaks from their backpacks and put them on, keeping them from standing out too much in the forests of Endor. The entire trek to the Ewok town, Emma kept her hand on her lightsaber while Oram delineated his plan to help the Ewoks.

Before too long, the five Jedi arrived at the Ewok's town. Of course, it didn't look normal. At least three hundred battle droids were swarming around the encampment.

"I smell Separatists," Emma growled.

"I smell blaster smoke," Taisha replied.

Emma lifted her left arm, which was clad in a black bracer. Nestled in the bracer was her comlink. She pressed a button on it.

"Commander, now!" she hissed.

Upon her command, a battalion of clones exploded from the undergrowth. Immediately, they began shooting at the droids, who, in retaliation, shot back. The Jedi drew their lightsabers to deflect the blasts. In time, the smoke cleared, and the various bodies of clones and droids dotted the forest floor. With the remaining clones left in tow, Oram deactivated his lightsaber.

"Good job!" he said brightly. "Let's continue."

He led the group through the city. Ewoks were huddled fearfully in niches within the city. In the center of it all was the chief of the Ewoks. And the sight wasn't pretty. A Separatist was holding his blaster, nefariously pointing it at the diminutive chief.

"We'd like those supplies you promised us," the Separatist demanded, his teeth gritted impatiently.

The Ewok gurgled and babbled in his native language. Emma picked out a few words, roughly translating the message into something like, "I never promised you anything."

The Separatist was beginning to look frustrated.

"Look, I don't really care if you promised supplies to us or not. Give them to us anyway!"

Oram looked over at the other two Jedi and the two Padawans.

"Now?"

The remaining four nodded.

Oram walked boldly out into the plaza-like clearing, with Dash-el, Emma, Taisha, and Eris behind him.

"Xiarr Kolzaar. I thought I smelled a slimeball like you."

Xiarr, the Separatist, stared in disbelief at the Jedi leading the mission. He lowered his blaster.

"What are you doing here?" he sneered.

"Camping. This moon of Endor is so lovely at this time of year."

"Droids," Kolzaar commanded, "Get them. Now."

The battle droids hefted their blasters and began to fire; the Separatist commanding them switched the position of his blaster, sending his bolts to the five Jedi.

"COMMANDER!" Emma shouted, signaling the leader of her troops to join the second battle. Within an appropriate time, only the Separatist was left standing on the Trade Federation's side. The Jedi surrounded him.

"Eris, are you ready?" Navarr asked, his eyes not leaving Xiarr.

The red-haired Padawan nodded.

"Yes, Master."

With a swift cut of his blue lightsaber blade, he disarmed the man, deactivated his lightsaber, and handcuffed the prisoner.

"Nice job," Taisha told Eris.

To Emma, Eris seemed to color slightly, all the way up to his ginger hairline.

The next morning, Emma and Taisha were lounging around in their quarters in Coruscant.

"Mistress, what are we going to do for your birthday tomorrow?"

Emma moistened her lips. She had already made plans to visit her (secret) husband, Senator Garrett Lowen, on Fresia.

"Gee, Taisha, I was planning to go to Fresia tomorrow," she said smoothly. Before Taisha could ask why, she quickly added, "We can do something today, though. There's plenty of time left before I go tomorrow morning."

"Fine. So what are we going to do for your birthday today?"

"Surprise me."

Well... that's done... That was kinda fast... wish I could write Lake Wars this quickly. Well, hope you liked it! And, as always, review, please!

You know what's weird? I'm posting this in the middle of my Lit Comp class. But it's study hall and I have nothing important to do. Except study for midterms. Which I'll do at home.