Disclaimer: I don't own Star Wars.

A/N: I think it's obvious I've taken some liberties with Force powers in this story, but that's the fun of fanfiction. More plot development. Thanks to all who have read and reviewed and enjoy.


Darth Sidious looked up from the datapad in his hand when he felt the dark energy swirl around the center of his office. Moments before nothing had been in the room but now a figure in a black cloak with the hood up, obscuring his features, a lightsaber hanging from his belt. The figure inclined his head slightly in greeting. "Darth Sidious, I'm sorry for the interruption, but it was unavoidable."

The Sith Lord smiled slightly as he set the pad down. He reached out a searching tendril, sliding along the other Force user's shields. "Darth Umbrage. I must say I wasn't expecting a visit from you but my brethren are always welcome. Is there anything I may do to assist you?"

Darth Umbrage shook his head. "No, but would you have someone escort me out of the building? I don't think your guards would believe me if I told them I was simply here on a visit."

The older man cackled, waving his apprentice forward. "No they would not, though I have no doubt you would be able to handle them. Maul; please make sure that our compatriot makes it out with out any problems. And give Darth Cimmerian my greetings."

"I will. Thank you for your hospitality." Umbrage bowed this time before following Sidious' tattooed Zabrak apprentice out of the hall. They walked in silence for several minutes before Darth Maul broke the silence.

"Teleportation? I was not aware of the fact that was possible with the Force."

Darth Umbrage laughed. "Usually it is not, but I have not had the easiest life and it seems like the Force is making up for the hardship I have been forced to endure. As far as I know I am the only Force user, on either side that has the ability. And on that note, thank you for your escort." He bowed to the Sith apprentice before gathering his power and teleporting out, leaving Maul staring at the space he had just been occupying.

--

Obi-Wan pushed his hood back as he climbed the stairs to the Temple, painfully aware of the fear and panic that permeated the air around the building. Stepping inside he stopped the closest apprentice. "What happened?"

The girl tugged nervously on the end of her Padawan braid, brown eyes wide with shock. "Knight Kenobi! Master Yoda and Master Windu are looking for you. Siri Tachi was killed in the Fountain room and they were hoping you would be able to help them discover her killer."

"I will seek them out." He bowed to her and strode off, mind going at the speed of light to figure out how he was going to keep the two Council members from becoming suspicious.

When he got to the Fountain Room it was locked. Carefully reaching out he brushed lightly against Yoda's shield, alerting the small master to his presence. The door slid open and he stepped in, feeling unreasonably nervous when the door slid shut. It wasn't as if the two Masters could stop him from teleporting out, like he had done earlier.

Following the main path he came to where Yoda and Mace were standing over Siri's cloak covered body, talking quietly. He bowed, making sure there were on gaps in his shields. "Master Yoda, Master Windu. I am sorry for not answering your summons sooner. I was out trying to remember the city."

Yoda nodded, green eyes focused on Obi-Wan. "Glad I am that feeling better you are. However, a murder among us we have. Reason to believe we have that young Bruck has done this. Lingers his Force signature does. Enough proof that is not. Place him here with motive we must."

Mace finally spoke up, dark eyes hard. "We ask that you use your new powers to help us." The dark skinned man paused for a moment, looking a little uncomfortable at the thought of Obi-Wan's new powers. "We were wondering if you could shape shift into something and see if you could pick up his scent."

Obi-Wan nodded, though he knew Bruck's scent, if it was even in the room wasn't going to be fresh. He quickly stripped and focused on using the Force to alter his body, wincing slightly when he felt his body shift into its new form. Moments later a Kath Hound was standing in Obi-Wan's place, staring at the two masters with jewel colored eyes. He sniffed around the ground, traversing the area around Siri's body for what he thought was an appropriate amount of time before changing back and quickly dressing. "He was here."

Yoda nodded slowly, leaning heavily on his gimmer stick. "Confirmed are our thoughts. Sad I am. Mastered his anger I thought Bruck had." He looked up at Obi-Wan. "Go to Bruck you must. Best chance of getting him to confess you have. Anger towards you will lead to his downfall. Sorry I am to give this task to you."

The younger Force user bowed. "I understand your hesitancy Master Yoda. I will do my best to get Bruck to confess without either of us being harmed." He turned on heel and strode out of the room, a soft smile on his lips.

--

Bruck was staring at the floor of his room when Obi-Wan entered his quarters without permission. He didn't move until the toes of the other Force user's boots entered his vision. Sighing heavily he looked up, blue eyes wide with anger. "Kenobi! What the hell are you doing in my room?"

Obi-Wan folded his arms across his chest, a smirk twisting his lips. "I'm here to bring you before the Council for the death of Siri Tachi." At the shock on Bruck's face Obi-Wan's smirk widened. "That's right. They think you killed her. I planted your Force signature around her body. I couldn't very well have them knowing I had killed her for insulting my bondmate."

Bruck lunged to his feet, lightsaber flaring to life. He found himself flying through the air in one direction, his lightsaber going the other way as the blade died. Trying to break the Force bonds holding him to the wall he watched Obi-Wan move closer, his multi-hued eyes glowing slightly. "Your bondmate? What the hell are you talking about? Everyone knows you're single. Someone would know."

Obi-Wan smiled softly. "No one would know if my bondmate was someone the Order didn't approve of and didn't want anyone to know about. A fallen Jedi who hated the Order and made it his goal to ruin Qui-Gon. A man who claimed a fifteen year-old boy, despite the fact said boy hated him at the time. The person, who helped me ascend to the Dark Side, showed me the power that we can use to bend the Jedi to their knees." He leaned forward. "Come Bruck. You always told me you were smarter than me. I've given you enough clues. Figure it out."

The white haired man stared at Obi-Wan. Seconds later he connected the dots, an angry look on his face. "I can't believe you. Bonding with Xanatos. How could you? I thought the Order meant everything to you."

The older man shrugged. "It was until Qui-Gon killed me in his anger to get to Xanatos. Xan trapped my essence in a crystal and later found a new body for me. I displaced the other person and took his body, in a kind of possession. However, in the new body I was unable to touch the Force. I spent a year and more unable to touch the Force and it nearly drove me insane. Xanatos traveled to the Sith Archive where he learned it would be possible to blast my channels open so I could touch the Force again. There was the chance I could go insane but I opted to let him do it."

"By the time he managed to reopen my channels I had spent so long feeling angry and frustrated that it was impossible to go back. I quickly fell to the Dark Side. It has been a long time since the Order has been important to me." He smiled at Bruck, one hand stroking his lightsaber. "Xanatos and I have been plotting the fall of the Order for some time now, with the help of a number of Sith Lords." Obi-Wan frowned slightly. "You know what the worst part of this whole fiasco is?"

Bruck nodded a feral grin on his face. "Yes. The worst part of this is I'm going to tell the Council all of this and you're going to be executed."

Obi-Wan laughed, his braid swinging behind him. "Not quite. I'm going to lock this conversation behind so many mental barriers no one is going to be able to find it, and you won't be able to speak of it. You are going to spend the rest of your life knowing exactly what is going to befall the Jedi and you won't be able to warn anyone about it. And you'll also have to live with the knowledge you killed Siri."

Without warning Obi-Wan plunged into Bruck's mind. He first blocked the conversation behind several barriers, making it as painful for the white haired man as possible. Smiling at the pain filled groans he continued to weave a false memory of Bruck attacking Siri because of her feelings for Obi-Wan into the other man's mind, complete with feelings, sights and the smells of the fountains. He knew he was simply getting back at the other man for all the pain he had been forced to endure from Bruck all those years ago but it didn't matter. All he cared about was the pain.

Once he was sure the memory was seamless he released the Force bonds holding the man to the wall, smiling when Bruck dropped to the floor, pale and sweating profusely. "Bruck, did you kill Siri?"

The white haired man nodded, tears streaming down his face. "I did. I was upset because of her feelings for you. Not because I had any romantic feelings for her, but because I thought of her as my sister. We were in the Fountain Room talking and she mentioned you, and I just lost my temper. I couldn't stand the way she was talking about you, the adoration in her eyes. Everything just sort of blurred after that and when I finally realized what had happened she was dead, and my lightsaber was in my hand. I came back here, hoping that it was just a nightmare."

Obi-Wan rested one hand on Bruck's head. "It's a good thing you confessed Bruck. Now let's go to Master Yoda and Windu. They may go easier on you if you come along quietly. Just give me your lightsaber and I won't even worry about restraining you." He tilted the other man's head back slightly, a smirk curling his lips. "Because we both know I could kill you with barely a thought."

When Bruck didn't move Obi-Wan reached back into his mind and forced him to his feet. "Don't fight me Bruck. I could turn you into a vegetable. Just do what I tell you and nothing will happen."

With a hate filled glare Bruck turned away from Obi-Wan and started walking, back ramrod straight. The older man smiled softly at the show of defiance knowing Bruck was just acting like that for show. It was easy to slip through the other man's shield, to sift through his thoughts and find Bruck was actually worried, more about the fact he thought the Council was going to have him killed then about what Obi-Wan had told him. "Don't worry Bruck. They won't kill you. It would go against all of their beliefs."

--

Obi-Wan slipped back into his room and shed his robe on the floor. Whistling he crossed to his small desk and pulled out a white envelope, a small sheet of paper and a blood red pen. He scribbled a quick note on the paper and jammed it in the envelope before extracting Siri's Padawan braid from his belt pouch and coiled it in the envelope before sealing it.

Closing his eyes he wove the Force signature he had created as Darth Umbrage around the note, knowing Adi would give it to the Council the moment she sensed the signature. "And so starts the downfall of the Jedi. They can only hope it will be quick and painless." He set the note on the table and stripped before heading to the fresher.

--

Stepping out of his quarters, the note tucked safely in the sleeve of his robe; Obi-Wan scanned the hallway, hoping to find someone who would give the envelope to a droid so that it would eventually make it to Adi. He was halfway down the long hall when a Twil'ek Knight entered the hall, her red skin bright against her dark robes. She smiled at him as she bowed. "Knight Kenobi. I am glad that you were able to return to us. It would have been horrible to lose you at such an early age to the Force."

Obi-Wan smiled brightly. "Knight Zen'n. It's good to see you too. I was wondering if I could talk to you."

Zen'n nodded, her head tails twitching slightly. "Of course. My room is just down here. It will give us some privacy." She stepped past him, leading the way to her room.

The man smirked at her back, glad that she had suggested they find someplace private to talk. It would cut down on the risk of him being interrupted while he tampered with her mind, and since he knew there wasn't any kind of security in the dormitories, it meant no one would be able to identify him as the one that had used mind control on Zen'n.

The moment the door closed behind Obi-Wan he slipped through her shields and placed her under a hypnotic suggestion. Her eyes slid shut and her muscles relaxed. He pulled the note from his sleeve and placed it in her hand. "You will take this to the message center and have one of the droids deliver it to Adi Gallia. After that you will return to your room to meditate. If anyone asks you where you got the note from you are to tell them that you found it on your table when you returned to your room after training. Understand?"

Zen'n closed her fingers on the note and she bowed low. "As you wish Master."

Obi-Wan nodded slightly, glad to see his mind control had set in. Before releasing his hold on her mind he added in a memory of a conversation between them of maybe sparring later in the day. With a soft smile he slipped out of her mind. "What would be a good time for you Zen'n?"

The Twil'ek blinked several times as the hypnotic trance slid off her mind. "Tomorrow at 12:00 would be good. Master Yoda convinced me to work with some of the younger crèche members. I'll meet you in the north training salle."

The man bowed to the Twil'ek. "I'll see you then Zen'n." He swept out of the room, a slight smirk twisting his lips.

--

Adi Gallia locked the door to her room behind her, trying to keep her shields from shattering. She had been working with some of the younger teens on their lightsaber work when she had received word Siri had been killed in the Fountain Room. As much as she had wanted to cancel the lesson, she knew she had to continue. It was important the Temple continued to function, even if someone had been killed.

Sighing she shed her robe and draped it in one of the chairs before sinking into another, reinforcing her shields. It wouldn't do to start leaking her emotions all over the Temple and scare all the crèches. An envelope on the table caught her eye and she pulled it closer, eyes going to the unfamiliar writing. She opened the envelope and reached in, her fingers sliding over something soft. Biting her lower lip she pulled the object out, a wave of horror sweeping though her body. It was Siri's Padawan braid.

She stroked the plait, feeling tears well in her eyes. Siri had been her Padawan for nine years and the girl had almost been like a daughter to her. She wasn't sure she would ever get used to the fact that Siri would no longer be around. "I'm sorry I wasn't there Siri. This should have never happened to you."

The Jedi Master forced herself to get to her feet, her Padawan's braid in her hand. She picked up the envelope, intent on throwing it away when she noticed the note. With shaky fingers she removed the small piece of paper, eyes skimming over the short note.

Siri begged for her life. It was rather pathetic. I expected much more from the Padawan of such a highly thought of Jedi Master. I'll be meeting you soon.

Umbrage

Adi stared at the note, feeling the dark energy that surrounded the note. Bluish green lightning crackled over the paper and she dropped it, hissing in pain as a small bolt struck her in the forearm. She carefully touched the paper again, expecting to be struck again. When nothing happened she snatched the note off the table and headed up to the Council chamber, knowing that Mace and Yoda had to see the note.

Mace stared at the note in his hand, dark eyes not seeing the words anymore. He, Yoda and Adi had been discussing the note for nearly half an hour and they weren't any closer to figuring out what was going on. He turned to face the other two Masters, frowning. "We need to figure out who this person is. We can't have someone running around killing Apprentices."

Yoda nodded, tapping his gimmer stick against floor. "A Sith among us there must be. Young Bruck is not our culprit. Been off planet lately he has not been." He looked at Adi, who was sitting next to him, fiddling with the edge of her tunic. "Have you any idea who brought you this note?"

The woman shook her head as she got to her feet and moved to stand next to Mace. "No. It was in my room when I got back after my class. I can only assume one of the message droids left it in my room." She tapped her fingers against her lightsaber, eyes focused on the city. "How are we going to figure out who it is? If he's managed to infiltrate this Temple, then he must be exceptionally powerful in the Force."

"If Bruck wasn't the one to kill Siri then he must know who did it. We'll have to see if his mind has been tampered with, and if it has we need to try and break the tampering. It may be the only way to figure out who this Sith is and why he killed Siri." Mace folded the note and stuck it in a pocket. "Master Yoda, would you have Master Poof come up here. I'm going to go get Bruck."

The diminutive Master nodded. "Contact him I will. Adi, remain here if you will. Have you here I would if your Padawan's attacker is named. Deserve to know you do."

--

Bruck sank into the chair across from Yarael Poof, wondering what was going on. First he'd been locked into some kind of cell that blocked him from the Force and then Master Windu had come down and dragged him up to the Council Chamber where Masters Yoda, Poof and Gallia had been waiting, all of them staring at him like he was the Chosen One.

"Come to our attention it has that kill Siri you did not. Believe a Sith among us there is. Know his identity you do. Try to find his identity in your mind Master Poof will." Yoda leaned forward slightly, green eyes serious. "Dangerous to you this could be."

The part of Bruck's mind that knew about Obi-Wan was screaming loudly enough to make thinking straight difficult. He tried to tell the assembled Masters their much loved protégé was the one who had killed Siri but invisible fingers tightened around his throat and white spots flickered before his vision. A warm Force signature wrapped around him and the pressure on his throat eased. He leaned forward as he gasped for air, using the Force to ease the pain in his throat.

Yoda nodded. "True I was. Blocked you from speaking his name this Sith has." He looked up at Mace, eyes sad. "Truly powerful this Sith is, if his memory recreation fooled two Master Jedi. Prove this might, that the Sith are powerful enough to decimate the Order."

The dark skinned Jedi Master nodded. "I agree. The smartest thing to do right now is to call back all of the Master-Apprentice teams followed by the Knights and the Masters. We don't want this lunatic to get any more of us. I realize he killed Siri, but with everyone here we'd better be able to watch everyone."

"However, first we have to discover who this Sith is. Yarael, if you would." Mace moved to stand slightly behind the long necked Master, dark eyes focused on Bruck. "Just relax and lower your shields. It'll make it easier."

Bruck nodded as he slowly slipped into a meditative trance, lowering his shields. The first touch of Yarael's mind against his caused him to jump but he quickly relaxed, knowing the Council had to know Obi-Wan had killed Siri and was planning the Order's downfall.

Yarael slipped further into Bruck's mind, carefully sliding around the man's mind, searching for the memories the Sith had repressed. It didn't take long for him to find it, seeing as he was a master of mind tricks. He had to admit that the Sith had done an excellent job of hiding his work, but he had left behind a faint Force signature.

With exaggerated care the Quermian Master started unraveling the Force shield in Bruck's mind, not wanting to damage him. They could ill afford to lose anymore Jedi. He was nearly finished unraveling the shield when blinding pain flashed through his body, knocking him unconscious.

When the Master came to, Mace, Yoda and Adi were standing over him, all looking upset. "What happened?"

Mace helped the long necked alien sit up straight, dark eyes troubled. "The Sith seems to have anticipated the fact we would come looking for his identity. He seems to have placed a Force suggestion deep in Bruck's subconscious that caused his heart to stop the moment you broke through the shields." He looked to Yoda who was staring at Bruck's body. "It seems the Sith mean to wipe us out, one at a time."

Yoda nodded slowly. "Come the Ascension of the Sith has."