I don't own Star Wars or its characters, just my OCs.

Chapter II

POV: None

Early in the morning, with the sun just peaking over the hills of Alderaan, Trite Matterghost, a tall, pale figure with long black hair strode down the landing ramp of his ship. Cad Bane followed him.

"You know what to do Bane," Matterghost murmured lightly, but with a hint of warning, "Do not fail."

"And if the Jedi try to stop me?"

"They will be dead soon enough."

"And if they are too strong for you? There are two of them, after all." This was apparently the wrong thing to say, because Matterghost whirled around on him, his black cloak adding to the effect. "I have fought and killed multiple Jedi before, Bane!" He was angry - getting questioned by a bounty hunter? Even Cad Bane should know how easily Matterghost could kill him. "And I could do a lot worse to you," he said, his voice starting to soften, "Just remember that. Now go."

Bane stared doubtfully at the dark robed figure a moment longer but thought the better of arguing and strode off.

0)==0==(0

"Master, I sense darkness close by," Eela told Zeth over breakfast, "Something bad is going to happen,"

"I sense a trap," was Zeth's reply, "We must be on our guard, and keep the Senator safe at all costs."

"I am always on my guard, master" she said, with a hint of a smile.

"Do not get complacent, my young Padawan," Zeth advised his apprentice. Indicating to her now empty plate, he asked, "Finished?"

Eela nodded, so they both left the hotel and started east, towards the mansion of Bail Organa and his wife, when they noticed a tall, extremely pale person striding towards them. His hair was dark brown, quite short, and when he got closer the two Jedi could see he had startlingly blue eyes. He wore robes similar to those Eela had once seen on Obi-Wan Kenobi, but these were coloured grey instead of beige. His black cloak hid his arms.

"Greetings," he said upon reaching the pair, "Why is it that you are here, on Alderaan of all places?"

"Who are you?" Zeth demanded.

"A friend of the Senator. Now tell me why the Jedi have sent you here."

"What does this have to do with you? Our reason does not concern you."

"The Council expect there to be an attack on the Senator?" The stranger raised his eyebrows. Eela quickly realized he had read Zeth's mind. But the grey robed man suddenly frowned, as though he had heard bad news. "It seems they are correct. We must hurry." He turned on his heel, striding towards a black speeder.

Zeth and Eela quickly followed, trying to keep pace with his stride. "I have a bad feeling about this," Eela told her master.

"As do I, Eela." To the stranger, he asked again, "who are you? And how were you able to read my mind through my shields?"

The mysterious figure glanced over his shoulder. "An old friend of the Order."

The 'old friend' had almost reached a black speeder when red Force lightning hit the Padawan from behind. Eela screamed in pain and both the others turned towards source of the attack – a tall, pale man, with black robes, a black cloak, and black, long hair. He grinned. "Going somewhere?" His voice seemed mostly human, but mildly reminiscent of a Snake's. It had a slight taunting edge to it, as well as an arrogance which could chill one to the bone. Zeth hadn't even realized one could be chilled by arrogance.

The man in grey reacted first, Force pushing the attacker across the street, cutting off the Force lightning. "Darth Phobos. Why did you come?"

The man – or, apparently, Sith – referred to as Darth Phobos rose to his feet. "I have business here. You are in the way."

Zeth found the courage to break in. "You would call attempting a murder business?" He ignited his blue lightsaber, "You are messed up."

Darth Phobos ignited two red bladed lightsabers, and then connected them at the base of the hilt, forming a double bladed lightsaber. "I disagree," he said, "In my line of work, qualms about killing are a limitation." After a pause, he continued, "And I won't have any problem with killing you, Michael Shepherd."

Zeth glanced at his apparent ally and quickly ran through all he knew about him:

1) He was Force sensitive, and powerfully so. Just look at how easily he had bypassed Zeth's shields, or how he had concealed his Force sensitivity so well.

2) He and this 'Darth Phobos' had a history.

3) He knew how to build a lightsaber, and had the means to do so.

This last fact Zeth knew because Michael had just ignited a purple lightsaber. "You won't get away this time, Phobos." Michael Shepherd's voice had a hint of steel in it. As he dropped his cloak to the ground, Zeth realized he might be more powerful than he could possibly imagine.

"I think I will. You have no padawan to hide behind this time."

Michael's expression remained unchanged: cold, hard and calculating. "You have no brother to run to, either."

"I would have killed you anyway," Darth Phobos grinned and jumped at them.

0)==0==(0

Sat a meditation room with Jedi Master Mace Windu, Grandmaster Yoda was deep in meditation, trying unsuccessfully to look into the future. It was no use. The dark side clouded everything. Yoda could barely see what was happening on the other side of Coruscant, much less the future.

The Grandmaster wondered for the billionth time what had made the dark side so strong recently. Millennia ago, the Jedi Temple had been built over a Sith shrine, in the hopes of quenching the dark side. This attempt had apparently failed – for now the oppression of the darkness was stronger than ever. It was Yoda's belief that the mysterious Sith Lord was causing the darkness. But who was this Sith Lord? And how could a single being be so powerful? Yoda wondered if there were multiple Sith. It was extremely probable that the Sith Lord had an apprentice. But could this apprentice be powerful enough to reinforce the master's darkness? He doubted it. In which case, were there more Sith? This would mean that they had abandoned the rule of two.

Yoda again wondered if there was a way to light the way through the darkness. There was the young Anakin Skywalker. He was powerful, and supposedly 'the chosen one'. But Yoda wasn't certain they had read the prophecy correctly. And he didn't think young Anakin could gather the focus at the moment. He was too rash, too quick to make decisions.

Anyone else? Mace Windu had also tried many times, to no avail. Yoda thought he might be trying right then. They were the two most powerful Jedi in the Order, but if they couldn't do it together then no-one stood any chance alone.

But was there really no-one else? Dooku may have been able to aid the masters, but he had left the Order ten years ago. Yoda thought back to the prodigious Michael Shepherd, who had left the Order a year before Count Dooku. He had been extremely powerful, and his then young age had made it all the more impressive. But no one had ever really understood him. Even Yoda, with his eight hundred years of experience found him confusing. Although it had appeared young Shepherd had understood him perfectly. He would be forty-one years old now, although Shilerrians aged much more slowly than other humans. They could make it to three hundred sometimes. At his age of fourty-one, he would be about the same has a twenty-five-year-old human.

Did he have what it took to shed some light on the darkness surrounding them? Although, as Yoda doubted he could be found if the whole galaxy was searching, he was unlikely to be of much help.

And that is when both Yoda and Mace felt a blinding light through the Force, removing the cloud of darkness. The darkness was fighting back immediately, clouding their vision once more, but not before the two masters both saw a figure in darkness. Two. And, more definitely, a figure in grey, who appeared to be on Alderaan.

"Did you feel that?" Mace asked. He had his thoughts on who had caused it.

"I did. Hope, I have, that he comes soon, and in finding the Sith, aid us, he will," Yoda replied. He too thought he knew who it was.

0)==0==(0

Eela climbed to her feet and started to sprint towards the three-way duel happening now three hundred metres away. Almost immediately, she heard a voice in her head: Don't join us. Go and protect Senator Organa at all costs! Cad Bane is on his way to kill him! The voice reminded her of the grey robed stranger, although in her head, slightly different. More commanding, with a tone of authority about it. She stopped, perplexed. Then the voice sounded again. Don't just stand there! There is a speeder behind you! The words registered in her brain, and she realized what she had to do.

0)==0==(0

The battle should not have lasted this long. But Darth Phobos was just too quick with his lightsaber for Michael or Zeth to break through his defences. He would kick or Force push one of them, forcing the other on the defensive against his powerful Juyo.

Again, Michael was Force pushed to the side. He was getting angry now, which was especially dangerous in a lightsaber duel, where you may lose control. He felt the familiar pull of the dark side; the pull he felt when he harnessed the dark side but remaining in control. Taking a deep breath, he summoned every ounce of the light side within him, in an attempt to surprise Phobos, who would expect him to fight with a mixture of light and darkness. He had told the padawan to go and protect the senator through the Force, and now he felt her nearing him. But he could also sense that Bane was closer.

Michael could feel the light rush through him. He launched himself at Phobos, and Phobos was taken aback, now on the defence.

Phobos had to end this soon. Michael's new attack had forced him back, and would end up killing Phobos if he didn't break away. He tried to Force push his enemy back, but Michael saw what was going to happen and attempted to Force push Phobos. For a moment, they stood there, fighting to push the other, when they were both launched back – although Phobos a little further.

Phobos jumped up and ran towards the nearest speeder he could find. It was still before midday, and there were a few about. Jumping in one, he flew as fast as possible to the residence of Bail Organa. If the other Jedi were there, she could easily stop Bane.

0)==0==(0

Cad Bane slipped inside the mansion of the two Organa's. Though he could hear them talking, he couldn't make out the words. He slipped through the rooms silently, getting closer to their chatter.
He stopped outside what appeared to be a dining room. The unsuspecting pair seemed to be eating a leisurely breakfast. Hiding behind the doorframe, he silently drew one of his blasters out of its holster.