Minor Changes

by Tallictr

Having witnessed the horrible reality that was the galaxy's future in the wretched hands of Darth Sidious, a powerful Jedi seeks to do all she can to keep the Jedi Order alive. But in doing so, she risks making the future far darker than it was while on its original path. Nonetheless, she fights onwards. Even when it's against the interference of a Force beyond her understanding.

Hello readers!

This is new territory so I'll try not to be absolutely horrible at writing for this fandom. I've been on a Star Wars craze these past few days and I knew if I didn't write something it would end up bugging me forever once the urge to write died down.

I try to stay with Legends information because it just seems so much more in-depth and interesting. Let me know what you think and I'll maybe see you all in the next chapter.

Bye~

"It's treason, then?"

Before Palpatine, or rather Darth Sidious, can leap over his desk and begin his fight with the four Jedi standing before him, I hurl myself from my ship and into the building. Smashing through the window and igniting my own two lightsabers as I roll back onto my feet immediately draws the attention of all five men towards me.

Agen Kolar, Saesee Tiin, Kit Fisto, and Mace Windu look positively stunned at my arrival. It's not surprising since I had gone missing and was assumed dead over a decade ago; as far as most of the Order was concerned, that is. Though, it was good to know Sidious didn't recognize me, if the genuine confusion following his initial shock said anything. I worked hard to hide my presence from those who were good enough to sense me; especially from him.

Thus, I feel extreme satisfaction at being able to take the Sith Lord by surprise.

"Hello, children!" I think, after two thousand years, I've earned the right to treat even the most wrinkled of men and women as nothing more than children. My gaze hovers on the four men standing by the door and I speak out to them with a hint of pride. "My, how you've all grown."

Out of the corner of my eye, I can see Sidious trying to leap into the air and catch them by surprise only to be thrown into the wall several times. It wouldn't do much to him considering he's about the same level of strength that his master was; Darth Plagueis was a bitch and a half to track down and keep a semi-consistent eye on long enough to gage how strong he was. The man was slippery, I'll give him that.

"Ah! Don't any of you move." I point an accusatory finger at them, Mace especially since he'd already taken a threatening step towards the 'downed' Sith Lord, and command them with what most everyone who knew me personally called 'The Voice'.

A smile blossoms on my face as they suddenly find themselves unable to move. I didn't even need to use the Force either. Just giving them a reminder of the good old days, when 'Evil Master Glendora' managed to sneak up from behind and find them in sudden need of a one-on-one 'training session', was enough to do the trick.

It wasn't my fault for getting so damn frustrated at those useless Senators who had all but refused, refused, to come to a decision on how to handle the Outer Rim's unacceptably high enslavement rates.

I mean, slavery in this day and age? Come on. That's basic Sentient Rights.

But, oh, how my poor Padawans had suffered whenever I managed to get my hands on them after a long day of representing Jedi interests at their, the Senate's, almost magically pointless meetings. They did come out better for it, though. At least, Mace did if his almost flawless stance said anything. If he'd only let out some of that shoulder tension, it would be perfect.

"The Sith is mine. Besides, he's way out of your league." Speaking of, I hold out a single blade to block Sidious' lightning without so much as turning my head. Fear and intimidation tactics, plain and simple. Not particularly Jedi-like but who's going to complain if they're used against a Sith Lord of all people.

Perhaps this will be easier than I thought. He's weakened after not using his beloved Dark Side of the Force for such a long period of time. "Who are you!?" He screams as he channels more energy into the lightening. It won't do him any good, however.

I answer but don't spare him so much as a glance, for my eyes are still taking in the much welcome sight of my former students. I still can't help but wonder how rare the Kyber Crystal that produces a purple lightsaber is. "Who am I? Boy," I notice his anger spike at both my dismissive tone and my demeaning words. "I am someone beyond your paltry existence."

He stops attacking with his lightning and instead throws his desk at me while sprinting for the door. If he engages with them, it's very likely that they would be killed in a matter of seconds.

That said, I throw one lightsaber at Sidious and use the other to cut the desk in half. He deflects the blade, but in doing so gives me the chance to rush him and Agen the opportunity to catch him off guard. Unfortunately, the Force is strong in the Sith Lord and he is able to push all four men out of his way as he attempts to flee. It seems he's finally come to understand the danger I pose.

"Stand aside!" Once again, they stop at my command. I begin following Sidious and speak quickly as I move. "Agen, Kit, Saesee. You clear the rest of this floor and the one below it. Keep an eye out for anyone who might be coming to help Sidious. Let no one but Anakin Skywalker through when he gets here. Mace, come with me."

I can sense them sharing meaningful looks with one another before all four were in agreement. I was there Master, after all. One of them, anyways.

Mace catches up to me, ready to fight and even kill Sidious if need be. And while he says nothing, I can see it all in his eyes. The incredulity at my unexpected intervention, the confusion as to how I was still alive when he and many others felt my 'death', as well as the relief he feels for having my support in his attempt to confront the first credible Sith threat the Order has faced in nearly a thousand years. But mostly, I can see the pure, unadulterated delight that I'm still alive.

"I see you're still just as expressive as you were when I left, Mace. Maybe even more so now." It gives me no small amount of pleasure to tease him about his mannerisms. Especially when-there it is!-he does that thing where he sighs heavily through his nostrils.

I throw him an amused smile and he throws back a half-hearted glare. It really does feel good to finally be back amongst other Jedi, though doomed for the most part they may be.

We corner Sidious in the room right across the hall from the one we were just in. He could have gone for the door to try and escape, but instead he chose to make a stand. He's stalling for time until the Skywalker boy can get here and choose him over the Jedi; I can't wait until his plans for the boy blow up in his face.

Despite how I've spent the last few years, however, I do intend to end things here and now. All my work would be for nothing, but so many people would be spared their fates. And while I've tried before only to be thwarted by the Force itself, that never gets old, I will try again.

Because…maybe…maybe this time…it'll work.

Neither of us bother with words as we rush him. It's all too clear that Sidious has no intentions of being captured; or killed from the way Mace is going all out beside me. Together, we make short work of the Sith Lord. For all the man's admittedly ingenious scheming and plotting, significantly less impressive though when considering that 'his' plan was already being formed and carried out hundreds of years and dozens of Sith Lords before he was even born, he wasn't much of a threat after years of infrequent practice with his lightsaber.

Then again, he is going against me and one of my most talented students. It's hardly fair to judge true ability in the face of such overwhelming odds.

Our fight brings us near the glass window which is consequently shattered by Mace's Force enhanced swing, even with my efforts to keep the fighting closer to the hall and less likely to smash open the window.

The same time that Mace manages to land a kick and send him to the ground, I snatch his now falling lightsaber out of the air and float it over to him. Maybe seeing the red lightsaber would help Skywalker, who just walked in on us standing over a 'frightened' Palpatine, to understand just what he's trying to save. It might even allow a certain oblivious Jedi Master to keep his right hand.

I mean, how did he, not to mention the rest of the Jedi Council, not see something like this coming with all of the very noticeable signs staring them right in their faces? Skywalker's constant states of frustration with the admittedly flawed Jedi Code forbidding him from attachment, fear of losing more of his loved ones, and anger at his feelings and personal issues being ignored and even looked down upon have been coming to a head for some time. This is that head.

"You are under arrest, My Lord." I'd smile at the attitude in his voice, but all my concentration is on making sure, at the very least, the five of us, and possibly even Skywalker if I can manage it, survive the next few minutes with our lives and limbs intact.

Donning his helpless old man voice, 'Palpatine' calls out to his would-be apprentice. "Anakin! I told you it would come to this. I was right. The Jedi are taking over."

"You old fool. The oppression of the Sith will never return. Your plot to regain control of the Republic is over…you have lost!" Mace was having none of it.

"No! No! You will die!" Sith Lightning is once again unleashed, on the both of us this time. I allow myself to get hit first and take on most of the attack in doing so. I also take the opportunity to get 'thrown back' towards where the Skywalker boy is standing. While I put on a show, Mace quickly recovers and begins catching the Sith Lightning with his lightsabers.

He sends a concerned glance my way to see if I am alright and then turns his attention back to the problem at hand. Without me there to lead the fight in our favor, another thing people knew me for, the odds of him losing were much more than they were.

As Sidious fights to overwhelm his opponent, he continues to appeal to Anakin. "He is a traitor, Anakin!"

Slowly, my old student manages to push forward and get closer to Sidious' weakening form. "He's the traitor, stop him!"

I watched on as both men struggled over Skywalker's loyalty. Unfortunately, Mace and the other Masters of the Order had already made it clear that they could not give him what he wanted most. The Jedi Code forbade and discouraged attachment and so, too, would they.

"Come to your senses, boy. The Jedi are in revolt. They will betray you, just as they betrayed me."

Mace groans, almost screaming, in pain as runoff electrical currents manage to slip past his defense.

"You are not one of them, Anakin. Don't let him kill me!"

Again, the currents slip past his defenses and he is unable to stifle his pain as a mere groan. The screams visibly disturb Anakin as he had never imagined his 'friend the Chancellor' ever inflicting that kind of pain on another person.

"I am your pathway to power! I have the power to save the one you love! You must choose! You must stop him!"

Suddenly, the power behind the lightning starts to die down and Mace is able to close the distance him and Sidious. Another feint, for the most part, to lure us into a false sense of safety. No doubt he still has plenty of strength to spare.

There's a shift in Mace's stance and the lightning begins to shoot back towards Sidious, causing him to deal more damage to himself than to my student.

Mace speaks without turning his head, not willing to risk getting hurt should there be a hidden weapon somewhere on his enemy's person. "Don't listen to him, Anakin!"

Then Sidious cries out in a withering voice. "Help me! Don't let him kill me. I can't hold on any longer. Ahhhhhh…ahhhhhh…ahhhhhh!" Oh~ if I wasn't pretending to be just as helpless right now, I'd pluck him and his annoying 'pleas of mercy' right in the throat.

His face starts to twist and warp, reflecting more and more the festering evil that lies within. Ever present and just beneath the surface.

Which reminds me. I still need to ask Roadie, the R9-X5 Astromech that I picked up during the brief period of time that I spent studying those time portals I discovered in the Jedi Temple on Lothal, if he was up for breaking into the buildings security systems and copying the recordings of all this.

In just a few short years, it'll be a smash hit amongst all those in the galaxy who wish to know the true story behind this abomination's rise to power; because how else can one describe a man that uses the Force to slaughter innocents and bend others to his will. I can't wait to play it, and the other security tapes I'm still in the process of collecting, someday.

He stops his assault on Mace and lays feebly on the ground, stuttering and whimpering. Unfortunately, it's working. I can see the sympathy in the boy's eyes.

"I can't…I give up. H-help me. I am weak…I a-am too w-weak. Don't kill me. I-I-I give up. I'm dying. I can't hold on any l-longer!" Having enough of his fake sniveling, I choose this moment to 'recover' and stand. The moment I do so, I can sense the underlying fear in the Sith's heart.

He knows if he doesn't get Skywalker on his side, he might not be able to win the ensuing fight. Looks like even the Dark Side can't help him handle a six on one fight, which is still a five on two fight if he does manage it.

"Filth. You're a disease…and I am going to end this once and for all." I don't miss the overconfidence in his tone, as if he's already won the war. We'll need to work on that later. It seems a certain former student of mine needs to relearn a little thing called humility.

I grab onto Skywalker, using him to pull myself to my feet. It's a little unexpected when he moves to help me up; rather gently, too. A nice gesture, but still unexpected when he has more to worry about then helping an old woman to her feet. If I could just get him to not stop me or Mace from killing Sidious, things-

And then, much to my immense displeasure, an intense chill I've been feeling more and more since I started this journey crawls up my spine and I feel the need to rip apart the nearby desk. The Force can be such an annoyance at times with its inconvenient warnings of peril.

I sigh in resignation, the message loud and clear. Stop now, before it gets ugly. Another failed attempt…damn!

Still, I need to at least say this. I lean into him and whisper in his ear. "Whatever you choose, boy, be careful not to lose sight of what makes you Anakin Skywalker. If you lose that part of yourself, you're sure to lose her as well."

I felt nothing more from the Force and released a breath of relief. Good.

Now…

"Kill him, Mace. Wipe the Sith away once and for all. Let us finally be done with their corruption." My own two yellow blades were ignited with a snap-hiss. He nods, raising his hands to prepare to strike Sidious down.

"You can't kill him, Master. He must stand trial!" He takes several steps forward, his hand hovering over his own lightsaber. The boy has made his choice.

It's a shame he wasn't around when I was still at the Temple. This could've all been avoided if only he were my student. He fits in more with the Jedi Code of the Old Republic's Order than he does with the Jedi Code of this Republic's Order.

Mace hesitates, addressing Skywalker's claim. "He has control of both the Senate and the Courts. Not to mention his use of the Dark Side of the Force. He is much too dangerous to be allowed to live."

That starts Sidious up again. "I-I'm too weak…Don't k-kill me. Please…"

The purple blade and red blade form an 'X', the sound of two lightsabers connecting piercing the air. "It is not the Jedi way." I slowly approach and prepare to jump between them, aware of the possibility that Mace might have to lose a hand if Sidious needs to live. "He must live…"

His hand wraps around the hilt of the idle blade and the old man continues to 'beg'. "Please don't, please don't."

"I need him!" Anakin's hysterical cry is ignored. It feels odd to refer to him simply as Skywalker or 'the boy' now that I've actually spoken to and interacted with him. Even if it was only a one-sided conversation.

The now soon-to-be Emperor doesn't relent, "Please!" even as the red and purple X widens and then begins to close in on his neck for a swift decapitation.

"NO!"

The Jedi Master hears the young Knight's opposition at the notion of killing someone he considered a friend but thinks nothing of it beyond just that. His only concern, in that moment of time, is striking down the greatest threat to the Jedi in the last thousand years.

What Mace doesn't expect is for said Knight to swing his own lightsaber, bringing the two he held away from their target, and forcing him to miss Sidious' neck completely. Caught off guard, he turns his head and simply stares at Anakin with eyes wide at the sudden betrayal.

Seeing his chance to strike, Sidious sits up and extends his hands once more. None of the fragility from earlier anywhere in sight. Only the burning desire kill the first of many Jedi.

"POWER~!" The bolts of lightning he unleashed this time were far more powerful than the preceding ones. Mace's horrendous screams testified that fact. "UNLIMITED~! POWER~!"

With only a thought, I use the Force to push back Anakin; who slams into the wall and falls limply to the floor. After that, I pull Mace behind me to shield him from taking any more damage. I then collect the two lightsaber hilts Mace has dropped on the ground and center myself, because the sight of my student's spasming and smoking body enrages me beyond words.

"Oh, shut the hell up already!" I slam him into the ceiling with the Force and run out of the room with Mace's unconscious form floating beside me. I slice at the door controls, put away one of my lightsabers, and pull out a communicator from inside my robe.

The image of a sitting clone trooper comes into a view. The only notable differences between this clone and the clones fighting for the republic is that this clone's armor made for a woman. "Nova, get to the opposite side of the building. Things didn't work out with our resident Sith Lord, so we'll be making our exit on the floor just below this one. Be ready to take off as soon as we're inside."

"Yes, Ma'am. I'll be right there." I sigh at her respectful tone. This little tantrum they're throwing has been grating on my nerves more and more. I've tried to appease them, but they're so damn set on being mad at me.

Putting that communicator away, I take out another. This one bulkier than the one before it and built for long range transmissions. It wasn't all that hard for Roadie to hook it up so that I could use Coruscant's communication capabilities to get my messages out to my people.

Another thing to thank the future portals for giving me.

"This is Glendora to all active and inactive operatives." I rush down the hall and to the staircase hoping that the other boys haven't run into too much trouble. No doubt that by now 'Palpatine' has called out to the Senate Guards for 'help'. "My mission was a failure and Order 66 will soon be in effect."

I reach the bottom of the stairs and hear the sounds of blasters going off. Thankfully, the sound of lightsabers deflecting those shots is there as well. As long as I can hear that, I know they're still alive.

"Those of us in the field, grab your targets and head to your designated rendezvous locations. Your transportation will be waiting. Those of us at the Sanctuary, make sure you finish any and all remaining preparations before we arrive."

"Good luck, be safe, and I'll see you all soon. Glendora out."

I turn the corner and find three Jedi facing off against twenty heavily armed guards fighting desperately to get to their Chancellor; soon-to-be Emperor. The three men keep trying not to injure them too severely while the guards are doing everything in their power to kill the men they understand to have just attempted to assassinate the Supreme Chancellor.

The communicator goes back in my robe and with my free hand I use the Force to shove them all into a room on the right. A quick stab with my lightsaber and the door controls are fried. Time to go.

"Time to go." I say, but I notice their concern with Mace's injuries distracts them from my words. "Boys!" Snapping out of it, they look at me. "We need to leave, now." Not waiting for their reply, I head to the window.

The countdown has started and we can't waste anymore time here.

"Master Glendora," Kit speaks up. He sounds happy to be able to say that without thinking that I was most likely dead. "what about Palpat-Sidious. Did you stop him? And where is Skywalker?" I pick up a nearby potted plant and throw it at the window, shattering it. The turbulent winds that can be felt when you are this high up fills the hallway.

I shake my head, facing. "Darth Sidious still lives, and Anakin Skywalker has joined him." They breath in sharply. "But they are no longer the issue at hand." I can sense Nova coming. Hopefully we can make it to the Temple, pick up the rest of my team, and save who we can before the clones come and kill whoever they can.

Aurora, Dawn, and Roadie should be finished any moment now, if everything went according to plan. Tens of thousands of years' worth of Jedi knowledge and secrets, the ones that we know of anyway, will be copied and stored safely in the portable drives I gave them. And then, everything will be wiped from the Temple's archives so as to deny Sidious the pleasure of having unrestricted access to our knowledge.

There was so much data to transfer, though, that I'd needed several dozen drives with the largest available storage space just to get it all.

"The Sith have been in hiding for a thousand years, following what they call the Rule of Two. One master and one apprentice earning and passing on the Darth title for as long as it took to get their revenge. And now…they're about to get it."

Nova's ship pulls up, and I motion for them to follow me as I jump in. Behind them, I can see more Senate Guards coming. "To the Temple! Go, Nova, go!" Several blasters fire at us but bounce harmlessly off the, now closed, door.

I look at Mace's body laying quietly on the ground and feel the anger beginning to build inside. If I hadn't shown up…if I hadn't done all that I'd done these past few years…everything and everyone I've ever known and cared for…would be …

Shaking my head of those thoughts, I turn my attention to Nova. "Have you heard from them yet?" She nods. Thank the Force for that. "They've finished with their primary objective and are moving to secure their secondaries."

Good, good. Dawn was coordinating with our hidden cargo vessels, Roadie was playing my warning message to the remaining members of the Jedi Council still on Coruscant, and Aurora was already on her way to disable the planet's sensor array, so our cloaked ships can sneak in and out without getting shot down by any of Sidious' forces.

"Keep me informed of any updates." I turn my attention once again to my former students. I open my mouth to speak only to be cut off by Nova's respectful tone. "Yes, Ma'am." I resist the urge to sigh. Damn brat.

Agen speaks up first, though the others clearly have questions they'd like to ask as well. "Master Glendora." I smile at that. Call me vain, but I missed people calling me Master Glendora. There was…a certain ring to it, you know? "Where have you been? You-"

"-disappeared all those years ago? Yeah, I'm sorry to put you and the rest of the Order through that. If I'd had my way, I'd have stayed and done what I could here. But…in the end…it was better for me to stay away. Fate unknown and presumed dead, but free to make moves I wouldn't be able to make otherwise." My smile becomes forced.

Saesee and the other two frown unhappily with my answer. "Yes, but why did you stay away?"

I stare at Mace and speak in a near whisper. "For the same reason I came back tonight." To save you all from certain death. To minimize the casualties in what would one day be known as The Great Jedi Purge. To make sure the Order I have dedicated my life to doesn't die before I do. To have the freedom to do great and terrible things that no respectable member of the Jedi Order would ever think of doing even in the name of peace. "I had to."

Silence reigns at my vague response until Kit decides to say his piece. "For months on end, so many of us went out and scoured that star system looking for you, the four of us included. Master Yoda and Master Yaddle couldn't even find your presence no matter how much time they spent meditating. Eventually, we assumed you'd been killed in an accident or by an unknown space anomaly of some kind. Otherwise, how else could the disappearance of someone of your reputation be explained?"

Even Kit with his usual happy self is upset. Well, if I didn't feel like a terrible person before…I sure do now.

"I'll…explain when this is all over, I promise." They will understand my reasons; they must. When we have all gathered at the Sanctuary, I will explain everything." Everything I'm willing to, anyway.

I find myself annoyed both with being shamed by a bunch of children and being in a position to be shamed. So, clapping my hands together, I all too cheerfully move on to another subject. On the bright side, they look appeased with my promise.

Then, a hoarse voice cuts me off. Getting interrupted before I even start twice in one day is certainly a new record for me. I'm usually never just cut off like that. "I'll hold you to that, Master."

I look down on the floor and raise an eyebrow. If he's being snarky then he's perfectly fine. "Well, look who finally decided to join the party." He shoots me a halfhearted glare and I shoot him a beaming smile as he sits up with little more than a disgruntled huff.

"What happened? Did you kill Sidious? Are the Sith destroyed?" And then it hits him. "Anakin! He stopped me. What-"

"Mace." My hardened voice stops him in his tracks; I missed doing that. I wait for him settle down and then I speak to him in a gentler tone. "Sidious still lives. Anakin has betrayed us. And now, I fear, the Jedi Order is facing genocide at the hands of the clones on Sidious' command."

None of them expect that little bombshell.

"What!?"

"Genocide?"

"I don't understand…"

"The clones?"

I raise a hand and they become silent. "It's called Order 66. One of a hundred and fifty Contingency Orders for the Grand Army of the Republic. Every clone that has ever come out of Kamino has had this list memorized for as long as they can remember. If one of these orders are given, the clones have been hardwired to follow it through. Order 66 is the contingency that is in place should the Jedi ever fight against the interests of the Republic."

"The exact wording is: In the event of Jedi officers acting against the interests of the Republic, and after receiving specific order verified as coming directly from the Supreme Commander (Chancellor), GAR commanders will remove those officers by lethal force, and command of the GAR will revert to the Supreme Commander (Chancellor) until a new command structure is established."

They don't say anything as I explain, but they don't need to. The growing looks of horror are telling enough.

"But he couldn't just give the order halfway through the war. No, because then he'd lose the effective efforts of the Republic's Jedi Generals. So, he waited. He waited until the clones outnumbered the Jedi, who wholeheartedly trusted them, a thousand to one. He waited until the moment the Separatists were all but defeated and the need for strong and capable Jedi came to an end. He waited until he knew his desired apprentice, Anakin Skywalker the supposed Chosen One, felt so isolated from the admittedly coldhearted Jedi Council, who pretty much shortchanged him the whole time he was a member of the Order, that all the faith he had left to place in people was placed in his wife and in the Grandfather-figure-like Chancellor who supported him more often than his own Order did."

I'd be lying if I said that didn't feel good to get off my chest after stewing over it for fifteen long years. The time portals had the odd effect of showing you the past and the future and forcing you to see them objectively. Without the bias clouding my vision, I saw so many faults in today's Order it was laughable. Many of them I recognized, and some I didn't.

"From the looks on your faces, I can tell you didn't even know he had a wife." I shake my head. "See what I mean? Isolated. Oh! And it's Senator Padmé Amidala, if you were wondering." The look on Mace's face. Absolutely priceless!

"Anyway, even with all that going for him…it was you four who he was in absolute need of. He had all the personal reasons he needed to do it lined up for him. All he needed was the legal ones. It's treason, then?" I did my best impersonation of him. They trade looks of dismay. "You geniuses gave him the only legal reason he needed to get on with it: An assassination attempt."

From the cockpit, Nova spoke up. "We'll be there in sixty, Ma'am." I wonder if they'll expect me to not do anything back to them? They'd be wrong to assume that, of course. "Get ready!" I give her a cheery thumbs up, to which I get a roll of the eyes, and she goes back to piloting.

"There's much more to that story, but we'll need to talk about it some other time. Right now, we need to focus on getting as many Jedi to safety as possible. Hold on." I speak louder so Nova can hear me. "Nova! What's it look like down there!? How long until the clones are on our doorstep!?"

She takes a calculating look down below for several seconds before facing front again. "That depends! If they march into the Temple and don't use any transports to get there, maybe twenty minutes!? But probably less because the odds of them using anything less than everything they have at their disposal is essentially zero!" Okay, so let's see if I can work some Jedi Magic in, let's say, ten.

I turn back to them. "So, here's what you're going to do now that you know. Agen, Kit, and Saesee." I reach under my seat and pull out six very large black bags the size of two adult men. They were so big it was almost comical. I specifically enjoyed the way Kit's eyes bulged when I unfolded them to their actual size. "You will go to the Holocron Vault and gather as many Holocrons as you can fit into those bags."

They looked unsure about removing Jedi Holocrons form the Holocron Vault but trusted in me enough to believe everything I've claimed to be true was true. It was heartwarming, I must say. Plus, how could they not believe what I was saying was true when it was possible and a reality that their exalted Supreme Chancellor was actually a Sith Lord.

"When you get there, you'll notice that about half of them are already gone. That was from me sneaking in and taking the most important ones earlier this morning." I ignore their incredulous gazes and stand up, getting ready to hop out and play my role. "Hit the button on the remote inside of the bag once to cloak and once more to de-cloak." I point to the strap/portable cloaking device hybrid.

We hover over the landing pad on the rooftop of the Temple and I open the door. "Get back here as quick as you can and unload them. Once that's done, you go around and collect as many of us as you can. Bring them back here."

I hop out and they follow suit. "If Nova," I point to my pilot/daughter, who's standing by the door with a blaster rifle in her hand. "says it's time to go, then it's time to go and you're to leave with her. Whether I'm here or not. Understood?" They go to protest and I hold up a hand. "Stop. You have your mission. I know we've only just reunited with each other, but I'm trusting you to see this done." I smile. "You can do it. And afterwards, we'll have all the time in the world to catch up."

I don't wait for a reply. "Mace, you sit there and wait for people to arrive. They'll be confused, so you'll need to explain what's going on. You're a reassuring presence despite your unwelcoming facial expressions." Another half-hearted glare gets thrown my way.

He's gotten moodier. I'll to need to make sure I tease him much more than I did before. To make up for all the lost time.

"Let's go!" And the four of us take off, running full speed into the Temple. I watch as Agen, Saesee, and Kit break off after going down a few flights of stairs with me. They didn't have long to grab those Holocrons.

As I run through the halls, I pull out my communicator. "Dawn, what's the status of our cargo ships? Are they ready to go?" The line is silent for a moment before the image of a sitting clone comes into view.

"They're ready, Ma'am." I sigh but ignore the formal tone and annoying title. Something to severely deal with later.

I switch channels. "Aurora, do you read me? How are things going on your end?" Instead of a hologram of my daughter, only her hushed voice comes through. "Things are going well. I am ready whenever you are, M-"

I cut her off, sweetly. "Aurora, sweetheart, if you plan on saying anything other than 'Mother who I love and cherish so very much', I highly suggest you keep it to yourself. Now is not the time." Silence on her end until I hear a very put out sigh. "Yes…mother."

Victory!

"Good, I'll see you soon. Love you!" I say cheerfully. It's oddly satisfying when one can practically feel the exasperation of one's child from the other side of a communicator. Knowing that even when we're separated by long distances, I can still mess with their lives.

As I move through the Temple, I can see Jedi of all ranks moving quickly and with purpose. Masters, Knights, Padawans, and even some Younglings who look scared and confused, asking those who were leading them why they were being evacuated from the safety of the Temple. It seems the Council got my message after all.

I reach the Communications Room and find Roadie waiting for me. I smile and pat him on the head. "You've been amazing, Roadie. Thank you for doing this for me." He chirps excitedly at the compliment and I laugh at his enthusiasm to break into more high security systems. "Of course there will be more chances for you to prove how amazing you are." Another series of excited chirps erupts, and I can't help but wonder how he'll react to breaking into Imperial Star Destroyers in a couple of years if he gets this excited over Temple security.

After that, I waste no time in sending out the emergency signal. Hopefully they'll see this in time. If not, a lot more of us are going to die than I'd hoped.

THIS IS A MESSAGE TO ALL JEDI

STAY AWAY FROM REPUBLIC SPACE

RUN AND HIDE AS FAST AND AS FAR AWAY AS YOU CAN

DO NOT RETURN TO THE TEMPLE

DO NOT RETURN UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES

IGNORE ANY AND ALL MESSAGES THAT FOLLOW THIS ONE

THEY ARE LIES DESIGNED TO LURE YOU TO YOUR DEATHS

CLONE TROOPERS HAVE BEEN ORDERED TO KILL ALL JEDI ON SIGHT

SHEEV PALPATINE IS THE SITH LORD KNOWN AS DARTH SIDIOUS

HE HAS DECIEVED US AND MANUFACTURED OUR DESTRUCTION

DARTH VADER AND HIS INQUISITORS [FORMER JEDI] ARE NOW HUNTING US

THE PEACEFUL REPUBLIC WE ONCE KNEW HAS FALLEN

FROM ITS ASHES RISES A SINISTER EMPIRE

WHATEVER HAPPENS

DO NOT GIVE IN

FOR THOSE OF YOU READING THIS

GOOD LUCK

BE SAFE

AND MAY THE FORCE BE WITH YOU

I finish writing the last line and send it out. Then, I use my personal access code to lock down the system so that no one with security clearance below that of a Grand Master can get in. It should take Sidious and his best men at least a week to get around it. Maybe. He might have some really good people on his payroll so who knows what might happen.

"Okay Roadie, let's-" Explosions and blaster fire erupt from far away. Oh, shit they're here! I thought we'd have just a bit more time before they started their assault. "Change of plans! Roadie, you have to leave the Temple right now." He let out a barrage of confused and offended beeps and chirps. "No, you crazy droid! For the last time, there is no other R9 unit I don't want you to know about. And I know that you know, for a fact, that you are the only R9 unit in existence right now."

"You know, I have never met a droid as paranoid and as emotionally attached to one person as you are to me." He coos. "That wasn't a compliment, you psycho bot! Just. Listen. Go to my ship and wait for me. I'll be there as soon as I can."

With a very disgruntled set of whines, Roadie finally flies off towards where I secretly parked my ship. As he flew away, I watched him disappear into thin air. I would never not be impressed by that. Though that was mostly because I was the one who equipped him with the cloaking device in the first place.

To the straggling Jedi I ran past in the halls, I was nothing more than a blur and a gust of wind. If they don't make it to the roofs in time, they'll miss their chance to escape. Whatever, I would deal with that when I was done with this. Vader, I'll call him as such when the situation demands it, and the clones had to be stalled for as long as possible.

Easy enough. Well, the fact that the clones numbered in the thousands put a damper on things. But it could be worse. They could all be Sith. Instead, it's just the one apprentice…and his thousand-man army all shooting at me.

Great.

In total, it takes me all of a minute to reach them. And when I do, I drop down from the rafters and land in front of Vader and the men trailing behind him. There are dozens of bodies laying motionless all around us. Some of them Younglings. It seems that I was too reliant on Nova's time estimation and it cost these children their lives. Lives I could have saved if I was here defending their escape instead of arguing with Roadie.

The clones raise their blasters and begin to slowly encircle me. But Vader holds his hand up and thy stop halfway. "You again?" He turns on his lightsaber and I raise an eyebrow while turning on one of mine. Did he really think he could take me? "Who are you?"

"The question is…who are you?" I've been thinking this over for a while now and it seems that even as the big black mechanical suit version of Darth Vader, actually talking to him seemed to influence him a great deal. So, I thought I'd try and give that a go. It probably won't work, but at least it'll make me feel better than if I ended up doing nothing. And besides, it worked for Luke so why wouldn't it work for me?

"I am Darth Vader." I hum and nod. Some clones try to slip past me but I push them back behind their General. I can't help but wonder if the other clones are questioning why they stopped. Which reminds me. The next talk I'm having is with them.

"So, does that mean you've given up on being Anakin Skywalker?" He looks at me blankly before narrowing his eyes. He leaps from his position and tries to land a strike. "It means that I am far more than just Anakin Skywalker." He swipes at me. "It means I have the power I need to save her now." He lunges, only to find himself piercing air. "It means that soon I will never have to lose anyone I love ever again."

I roll my eyes and he bristles at the blatant disrespect. "Yes, that's all well and good. But did you ever think to consider how your wife might feel about you doing this? What if she doesn't like the new you?" He freezes in his tracks. Did he really not? Wow, talk about a shot in the dark.

"What? N-no. No! Padmé loves me…she'll see that I'm right. The Dark Side will give me the power I need to save her. I know I'm right!" He swings at me with all the strength he can muster, but I casually bat it away with a single swing.

I shrug my shoulders. "As long as you're sure she'll love the monster you're becoming, I have no doubt you two will live happily ever after. But tell me," I tilt my head and dodge another swipe. "when you were standing by her side, did she ever give you the impression that she hated people who were cruel and merciless."

I was really starting to get to him. It was almost kind of fun; except for the part where he has some serious psychological issues and I was playing with them like it was a game of 'What'll Break You?'

"I…I'm not a monster! I'm only trying to be strong enough to save her!" Three 'ferocious' attempts to land a blow on me and he's still no closer to getting me. At his claim I let loose a mocking laugh.

"Tell me, did you or did you not come here with all those clones for the sole purpose of slaughtering the Jedi? That includes the practically defenseless Younglings. If I were your wife, I don't think I could even stomach the though of you." And with that, it seemed that I had short-circuited his fragile mind.

Well, looks like it's the clones' turn until Darth Clueless can properly think again.