Disclaimer: All property of star wars including cannon characters and locations are property of George Lucas. My storyline and OCs are my own.

Chapter 2 – Purple Shroud

Mace moaned as he opened his eyes "Where am I?" he asked himself as he looked around at the sewer pipe he was lying in. It all came rushing back to him, Anakin, Palpatine, the clones, and the warning he had sent out. HE moved his hand to the hole in his stomach, surprised to find that he was still alive.

He removed his robe painfully and examined the wound; the lightsaber had missed any vital organs and went straight through him. Well that was all good and well but now he had a hole in him, he needed to find a medical center fast but the Jedi were being killed as he spoke. The purge had begun.

He checked his pockets and found a communicator as well as a credit card that had about 10,000 credits on it. With this much he could survive for a while, but he needed to get off planet unnoticed. He found his lightsaber but noticed something was off about it. He opened it up and noticed that one of the circuits was fused. That particular circuit was the one that controlled the solidarity of the blade. That was why it snagged. The fused circuit had saved his life; the lightsaber was useless now, but he could sell the parts for a good price.

He took the crystal and placed it into his pocket then proceeded to disassemble his lightsaber and chucked the worthless parts out the pipe opening. He placed the parts into his pants pocket, and tossed his upper-body robe over the side as well. He had to adapt and blend in. Mace hated himself for what he was about to do but he had to cast aside his sense of honor for the time being. First things first find clothes and a weapon, thank god for the undercover work he did when he first started out as a knight. He had gone undercover various times taking on the roles of mercenary and thug so he knew about Corusaunt's underworld as well as how to wield a blaster. So he threw his outer robe over his head and headed down the pipe in search of a way to the surface.

Mace had found a sewer access hatch that led to an under-level of Corusaunt, just where he wanted to be. He climbed out of the access hatch and put it back into place; no one gave him a second glance or questioned why he was coming out of the hatch. He recognized the place and knew of a dealer of sorts that operated in the area. He headed in that direction hoping to avoid any confrontations (as if that would happen). He turned down an alleyway only to be accosted by four youths. All were male of course; there were two humans, a Twi'lek, and a Tortugan. Mace sighed at the sight he really didn't want to make a scene, but he was desperate and they had some nice looking weapons despite the shape they looked to be in.

"Hey there fella, just hand over your creds and weapon and we won't give ya any trouble." The Twi'lek threatened.

Mace raised his hand and let the force flow through him "You don't want to hurt me. You want to go home and rethink your lives." Mace said in a calm voice.

He watched the results of his mind trick work. The Twi'lek and the two humans slowly lowered their weapons and turned to leave when the Tortugan yelled "He's a frackin jedi you sithspawn stop acting like his puppets."

Mace didn't expect a common thug to be able to resist his will but he reacted immediately and called on the force to strengthen his muscles and increase his speed. He punched the first in the gut hard and he slumped to the ground unconscious. The next had just enough time to break out of his trance and draw a small blaster but was too late to react. Mace knocked the gun out of his hand and punched the human in the nose. The force of the blow sent him into the wall, the Twi'lek opened fire on Mace but he jumped to the side and eyed a small piece of metal behind the gun toting youth, with a flick of his head the metal object collided with the back of the kid's head and sent him to the ground. Mace looked towards the Tortugan who had produced a Wookie Bowcaster from somewhere and was taking aim.

The whole world slowed to a crawl as the bolt of green energy exited the weapon; Mace reached out with the Force and pushed the bolt of energy back at the thug, who took it straight in the face. With a yelp the Tortugan fell to the ground dead. Mace felt no remorse, shame maybe that the man died so young but not remorse.

Mace gathered the weapons of his fallen attackers and decided that he could sell these to make some credits by selling them. With that he headed towards the dealer's shop.

Mace exited the shop with a slight grin on his face. The dealer had bought the lightsaber parts and three of the blasters he had looted if the corpses of his earlier attackers. HE had decided to keep the Bowcaster because it might come in handy later. The dealer had asked no questions and merely made a credit transfer to his card. Mace had gotten 2500 credits for his trouble as well as directions to a local club where he could find off world transportation.

About a half an hour later he stood at the entrance of the club the dealer had mentioned. Mace looked up and read the sign "The Seductive Twi'lek" it read. Mace put his hand to his forehead and rubbed his temples "I have a bad feeling about this." He grumbled.

Pushing aside the feeling that only trouble would come of this he entered the club and looked around; there were youths partying and going wild dancing to the overly loud music and drinking beverages that Mace had no doubt were illegal. HE looked up and saw a variety of Twi'lek females of varying colors in revealing outfits dancing in cages and grinding up against poles on raised platforms. Mace knew he was a Jedi and thus was sworn to a life of unattachment and celibacy, but he was still human and took a moment to drink in the features of the beautiful women before him.

Clearing those thoughts from his mind he moved towards the bar and sat down and signaled for the bartender, who came over.

"What will it be young one?" the male Zeltronian bartender asked.

Mace thought he had misheard; he was at least 40 years old and certainly not some kid like the rest of the crowd here. He pushed the thought from his mind and replied "I'm looking for a Moncalamarian named Drex. I need a ride off planet."

The bartender frowned at him and leaned in close "Careful boy saying such things so callously will get you killed around here. As for Drex I might lead you to him if you can help refresh my memory." The bartender said in a smooth voice.

Mace sighed and slipped the bartender his credit chip "1000 credits and no more or I put a blaster bolt in your head right here and now." Mace whispered coldly. Just for assurance he laced his words with the force to make them sound like a guarantee. Mace smiled as he watched the bartender tremble a slight bit as he swiped the card on his personal card reader, it was nice to know he still had it in him.

"Here ya go; Drex is in the back room for a good time. The password to get in is Sith." The bartender replied timidly.

Mace thanked the bartender and headed towards the back room. When he arrived, a mean looking Tortugan eyed him suspiciously "What's the password?" he bit out.

"Sith" Mace replied evenly.

The Tortugan nodded and opened the door Mace stepped through to see that the VIP lounge was smaller than the front area but still expansive. He took a few more steps, but was accosted by two burely human guards.

One of them looked at him and held out his large hand "Weapon please sir. It will be returned to you when you leave." The guard said in a voice that brokered no argument.

Mace sighed and reached onto his back to remove the bowcaster from its holster and handed it over to the man.

The man nodded "Enjoy your experience sir." The man said with a fake smile on his face.

Mace nodded and walked into the VIP lounge and noticed that the lights were dimmed and there were a number of doors in the room. Mace could only assume that Drew was in one of those rooms. He reached out with the force and started probing the minds of the lounge's inhabitants. He found Drex in moments and walked over to the private room and knocked quietly.

Mace heard a series of female voices pout in frustration and assumed they were Drex's private guests. The door opened and a small Mon-Calamari glared up at Mace with venom in his eyes.

"What the fuck so you want, can't you see I'm busy." The squid man growled out.

Mace narrowed his eyes and forced his way into the room past the small alien.

Mace looked at the sight before him, there were two other occupants in the room. One was a Zeltronian female clad in what looked to be a nun's outfit and the other was a red Twi'lek female with what looked to be ancient Sith tribal markings tattooed all across her body and was clad in nothing but a leather bikini. They were both very beautiful, but something was off about them, he just wasn't sure what.

He was drawn from his musings when he heard the drawing of a concealed pistol coming from behind him "You have some nerve punk, coming in here like you own the place. Get the hell out before I blast your fucking head off." Drex threatened.

Mace turned to face him, he had no weapon of his own and it was an enclosed space he was at a disadvantage. Mace didn't like using the force when it wasn't necessary but that didn't mean he had a problem killing smugglers either.

"I heard you could provide me with transport off planet, so I came to find you. I'm in need of your services." Mace said in a calm voice. This creature didn't intimidate him at all.

"Screw you lowlife I ain't taking you anywhere. In fact since you ruined my fun I think I'll just kill you and get back to my party." He chuckled sadistically.

"You would fire a blaster in here and risk killing your two prostitutes?" Mace questioned as he looked over his shoulder at the two women who had risen from the couch they were on and had drawn small handheld blasters of their own. Mace had no idea where the Twi'lek had hidden hers and was almost inclined to ask.

"Those two, they're nothing but slaves. So what if they get killed no one's gonna miss them and they're easily replaceable." Drex laughed.

Mace frowned; this worm didn't value anyone's life but his own and would kill anyone in his way. It seemed that physical force was the only way to deal with anyone like him. Mace reached out with the Force and pulled the weapon from Drex's hand and caught it in midair. Before anyone could react Mace flicked his hand upwards and Drex was lifted off the ground and preceded to float a few feet above the ground.

Mace glanced over at the two dancers who's eyes had narrowed slightly and they're bodies had shifted into combat positions readying themselves to attack at a moment's notice. Mace could take them out if necessary but really didn't want to make his presence known any more than required.

"Calm yourselves I will not harm you." Mace said with force laced words. He felt substantial resistance from both women and then realized why they felt off. They were both Force sensitive and to some degree knew how to use the force. Mace was curious that these two women had gone unnoticed by the Jedi. Then again he realized they were adults and wouldn't have been able to receive any training in the first place. Most likely if they had been found out and it was made known that they could control their gift they would have been killed because they were potential threats to the Republic.

He pushed aside those thoughts and carefully turned his head back to Drex who was still floating in midair. He was still scowling. Mace had to give him credit for having a stubborn temper.

"So you're a force user, big deal. I've killed Jedi before and you're no different." Drex said smugly.

Mace flicked his hand forward and sent Drex into the wall "I'm Mace Windu and I don't appreciate your tone. I need to get off planet and you'll help me. I'll pay you 10000 credits and you'll take it. Or I make your immediate life very complicated. I'm injured hungry and out of patience. You're the kind of cowardly scum that cares about no one but themselves and you sicken me. So let's get moving." Mace said in a low cold voice.

Drex had a look of terror on his face but still summoned the willpower to reply "Forget it, a Jedi is too much trouble. I know that the clones are hunting the Jedi and your one of the masters they'll kill me for merely talking with you." He stammered out.

Mace smiled "They already think I'm dead so I have an advantage. Not for long though; I know they're searching everywhere for force users and will kill any witnesses or people associating with Jedi so you have two options take me off planet or risk being killed by the clones for associating with a Jedi. Your choice" Mace responded in an even tone.

Drex was about to answer until a commotion outside the room caught Mace's attention. He threw Drex into the side wall and cracked open the door to see what was going on. The door to the VIP lounge was blown open and two Clone Troopers stepped into the room and held up a scanner like device. Mace mentally cursed, those were new sensors the Jedi had been working on in order to more accurately detect force sensitive children that the Jedi could recruit. This was Palpatine's doing which meant the Temple had been compromised. Mace hoped some of the knights and padawans had made it out safely.

Mace closed the door hastily and turned to the two dancers "Are there any back entrances to this place?" he asked calmly.

The Twi'lek nodded hesitantly "Yeah but why? What's going on out there?" she questioned.

Mace looked at both of them "Clone Troopers have attacked this club looking for Force-sensitive beings and they are going to kill anyone they find including you two." Mace replied

Both women's eyes narrowed once again "We have no idea what you're talking about Jedi. We can't use the Force. We should just hand you over to them and then they'll go away." Both responded

Mace could see that they were both guarded and scared "You're wrong they'll kill everyone here under the premise that they were harboring Jedi. You'll be killed along with everyone else." Mace said in a deadly tone. "Now is there any other way out of here?" he asked once again.

The sounds of blaster fire erupted outside the room and Mace turned to the two girls "Do you believe me now. After getting out of here you can do what you want, but I need to leave now and staying here will get us all killed." Mace said warningly.

"Fine there's a passage in the back that will lead us into the sewers." The Zeltronian spoke up.

"That will have to do. I assume you two can handle blasters because it's a warzone out there." Mace inquired.

Both women nodded in agreement.

Mace turned to Drex who was still on the ground "It looks like you have no choice now take me off planet or die by the hands of the clone troopers." Mace said.

Drex scowled as he got to his feet "Fucking bastard. Fine I'll take you off world but you'll pay for getting me into this mess." He growled and then pulled out another blaster hidden in his robes.

All of a sudden a blaster bolt shot through the door and hit Drex in the back of the head. He crumpled to the ground, dead before he even hit the floor.

"Sithspawn" Mace cussed and quickly kneeled down and searched Drex's body for his Launch Port access card. He found it and swiped it along with a handful of credits and shoved the items into his robe pockets. He then picked up the other blaster and looked back at the two women who had taken cover behind the couch "Let's go. WE have to move now." He shouted.

The two women paused for a second and looked at each other before nodding. They jumped over the couch and took up positions behind him ready to fight to the death.

With a flick of his wrist Mace blew the Durasteel door straight out of its sliding grooves. The door sailed through the air and crushed two clones who had been preparing to fire on the room the three were in "Stay low and keep your cover. I'll provide covering fire while you two head for the exit." Mace said as he switched into combat mode.

The two hesitantly nodded and Mace lunged out of the room and saw the club personnel trading fire with at least nine clones. Both groups had taken cover on opposite ends of the room. Mace took aim and fired three force guided shots. The bolts struck true and took out two clones while damaging a third.

"Move now" Mace ordered and the two women bolted out of the room. They stayed low and took out anyone in their path with deadly accuracy. Mace kept up his barrage of shots and took out three more clones including the one with the scanner. For good measure he took out the scanner with a well-placed shot as well. Then made a beeline for the area where the two women had disappeared to. He was almost there when he felt a blaster bolt connect with his back and he went down. He turned around and force pushed the unlucky club enforcer into a missile's line of fire. The room shook from the explosion and blood and guts splattered all over the place.

He called out with the force and summoned its power. He felt it flow through him, but it wasn't a calm feeling no it was a feeling of desperation and survival. The Force acted like a super dose of adrenaline and he felt strength and power flow through him. His pain vanished and he got up and resumed his trek to the back of the club.

He found the girls in a back office typing a code on the computer. The floor then opened up to reveal a hole that led downward into the darkness.

"Let's get out of here." the Twi'lek hastily said.

Mace couldn't agree more, but he felt a presence behind him and threw himself to the ground to avoid a barrage of blue laser bolts that scorched the ground where he had stood seconds before. He looked over to see that there were three clones standing in the doorway guns aimed at the three in the room.

"Mace WIndu, you're still alive I see. It's time to change that." The middle clone said as he leveled his gun at the Jedi master. "Kill the other two as well. The scanners picked up on their force presence." He added.

Mace knew that this was a do or die situation. If he couldn't survive he would make sure those two girls would. He reached deep within himself and let the force flow through him, it had been a long time since he had used the force destructively and it would be very draining on him. HE found though that he had no problem at all calling on the force for his next action which surprised him. Brushing the thought aside he gathered Force energy in his hand and then violently thrust it forward. A solid wall of Force energy erupted from his hand and blasted into the clone troopers. The force of the blast shook the room and took out the walls surrounding the door. He looked at the destruction he had caused and then at his hand.

He had blown punched a huge hole straight through Durasteel walls that were at least a foot thick. What was going on he was never this powerful.

"Come on Jedi boy let's go." The Zeltronian shouted which snapped him out of his daze. He got up and scrambled over to the hole. The Zeltronian had already jumped down the hole and the Twi'lek was preparing to take the plunge when two blaster bolts caught her in the arm and leg and she fell to the floor.

Mace spun around and fired at the clone trooper who had gotten up on one knee and fired off the rounds. Mace pulled the trigger once and the shot from his blaster hit the clone directly between the eyeholes and he fell to the ground dead. Mace turned around and blasted the computer console on the desk. The escape door started to close slowly. Mace removed the clip from his first blaster and threw it over to where the dead clones were. There would be more arriving very shortly.

When the blaster clip had reached the area where the dead clones were Mace fired his second blaster and the force guided shot hit the clip perfectly. The clip ignited and then detonated; the blast caused the ceiling area where the passage area was to collapse and thus sealing off any hope of entering the room. Mace turned around and dashed toward his fallen comrade. He picked up the Twi'lek woman and jumped down the hole just as it closed.

He landed hard in the ankle high waste and tucked his passenger to his body and rolled into a kneeling position. After the jolt of pain left his legs he looked around to see the Zeltronian woman rushing towards him. She had changed from the nun outfit into a black spandex tank top and tight fitting pants that ran down the length of her legs and disappeared into black combat boots. She wore a utility belt that started at her right hip and moved diagonally down and across her front side and stopped on her left thigh. Mace admitted to himself that she looked god in that outfit.

She came to a stop in front of him and saw the blaster burns on the other woman's body and her face contorted into rage "What the hell happened up there Jedi boy?" she shouted at him.

Mace calmly got up and walked over to one of the concrete rises on either side of the tunnel and set down the Twi'lek woman. He then checked her pulse and found she was still alive. He breathed a sigh of relief and then turned to face the other woman who had followed him over "She is wounded but still alive, be happy she isn't dead." Mace said in a calm tone.

"Happy, happy, why should I be happy Jedi boy you got us into this mess in the first place, you bastard." She shouted at Mace. She pulled out her blaster and aimed it at him "I should kill you right now. You're nothing but trouble. Get lost we can handle things on our own from here." she spat at him venomously.

Mace remained calm and merely gazed at her before speaking "Your friend is injured badly as am I. You didn't escape unscathed either." He responded as he gestured to the blast wound on the side of her stomach. Mace continued "We are both running on adrenaline and will soon succumb to the effects of our wounds when it wears off. We are tired, injured, hungry and weak. For now we must find a safe place to rest and then we can decide what to do later." He finished.

Mace turned around without another word and picked up the injured woman and started to set off down the sewer pipe.

The Zeltronian shouted in frustration before she ran after him.

chapter end

Author's Note: That's it for this chapter readers I hope you liked it. I apologize for the extreme delay but, I've been busy with tests and papers the past 4 weeks or so. From now on I'll be trying to update every week.

Peace out people