Author's note: So I recently finally got around to seeing the movie Bumblebee, and I enjoyed it! It was fun, had a decent plot and good action, and some good characters as well. There wasn't the feeling of characters accomplishing insane things just because the plot demanded them to, or to prove a political point (like how Star Wars has done recently), it was just a genuinely a good movie! Kind of reminds me a little bit of Transformers Prime in how it played out.

Of course after seeing it, my mind has now thought of ways on whether or not it could be incorporated into the Shaniverse when I finally get around to that storyline area. I can think through things and ideas quickly and efficiently, which is something I think helps me to write and upload several chapters each week (and I enjoy it too). Of course, it's only speculation at the moment but if I were to just take that movie alone, then I'd imagine it could fit alright into the Transformers Prime storyline if I do it correctly. REMEMBER, NOTHING DEFINITE YET!

Alright, now onto the chapter, which is what you're all here for! :D

Naboo; Chommell Sector; Mid Rim

Jarik POV...

"Ready R5?" I ask.

He beeps in confirmation, getting all of the ships necessary cloaking components ready. Taking a deep breath to calm myself, I stared resolutely out the cockpit to see the blue and white hyperspace smoke streaming by, and pulled the lever. The streaming white and blue slowed down back to reveal stars, and we came out of hyperspace with a sharp boom. Immediately, I started activating the cloaking switches and signal scramblers, keeping us hidden from other ships, and also physically making the ship invisible for a short time.

In the months since Malachor, I came across the wreckage of the Stealth ship used by Obi-Wan and Anakin back in the Clone Wars and repurposed its stealth drive for the Knight Hawk. It doesn't work nearly as well due to its age and the damage done over time, but it does provide cloaking long enough to get to the planet's surface, and a good thing too. There were several Star Destroyers around the planet.

"Oh boy..." I say quietly.

::I'm starting to think this was a bad idea,:: R5 complains uneasily. ::Why'd you have us do this?!::

"Why'd you tell me about that message?!" I snap back at him before faltering slightly and grimacing in apology, lowering my voice. "Sorry, it's fine."

::It's nothing...:: he beeps back sadly.

I glance at him sorrowfully for a brief moment before turning back to the sight before us. Three Star Destroyers were in orbit around Naboo, which would send alarm bells ringing through my head if it wasn't the norm. Being the Emperor's homeworld, and the burial grounds of... Padmé, both Sith Lords would have special attachments to the place, whether they were positive or negative. So the idea that he is calling Jedi to rally here, is both unbelievably insane, and genius at the same time.

"How's the cloaking holding up?" I ask.

::Doing alright, but it's fluctuating,:: he warns me.

I carefully pilot the Knight Hawk past the massive Star Destroyers, glancing up at them warily as we cruise along by. When we were two thirds of the way past the three warships, the alarms started to flare in warning, much to my alarm.

"Ah kriff! R5, can you keep it together?" I ask urgently.

::I'm trying, but this junk is old! It's almost out!:: he beeps nervously.

Hearing this, I push the throttle on the ship and start shooting us faster towards the planet's surface, going past the Star Destroyers now. Glancing at the readings I could see he cloaking device was fluctuating on and off, leaving us partly visible to sight. Thankfully though we were now entering the atmosphere, reaching cloud level by the time the stealth drive failed completely. With a relieved sigh, I pull back on the ships throttle and continue cruising us down more gently through the atmosphere towards the surface. It was late afternoon where we were currently right now, and where the signal originated from.

::That was stupidly close,:: R5 beeps sarcastically.

"Oh the usual," I grumble in agreement.

The place that the Jedi rallying signal is originating from just of course happens to be right in the middle of the most populated area of Naboo, Theed. And not only that, but from right underneath the Theed Royal Palace. Just perfect. The fact that I was still going along with this is beyond me, but if it does turn out to be a false rallying call, it's best that I disable it incase other surviving Jedi are wrongly lured here. Because of these ridiculous circumstances, I set the ship down in the forest outside of Theed, making sure it was well hidden in the foliage.

With that taken care, I got up from my seat and headed for the exit ramp, grabbing my new Jedi cloak on the way out of the cockpit. Once getting to the exit ramp, I pressed the button to open it and began walking outside into the evening, R5 rolling behind me. I pulled my cloak on and also pulled up my hood as well to keep my face a little more hidden.

"R5, stay with the ship," I tell him sternly.

He stops rolling after me halfway down the ramp and grumbles in annoyance, but reluctantly gives in to my request. It's for the best, as he would be more needed with the Knight Hawk then with me on this mission, not to mention the fact that R5 isn't too conspicuous here on Naboo, and he won't be able to keep up with me in getting into the palace. As he closes the ramp behind me, I take my first steps back into the Naboo environment and make my way towards the large cliff that Theed Royal Palace rests on. Although I do also have to get past the spaceport, which is just underneath the palace off to the side...

I reached another arm out to grasp onto the next rocky ledge, pulling myself up further. Lifting a foot I settled on the next outcropping, and continued my climb up the cliff of Theed. I glanced up with a few heavy breaths, and then looked back down to see all of the ships leaving and exiting the spaceport, mostly of Imperial design. There were no more Naboo starfighters since they had been shut down by the Empire since the takeover, which makes sense considering how much the Naboo respected the Jedi. Palpatine wouldn't want any chance of insurgency, especially from his own planet.

Gritting my teeth, I focused back on the cliff face and continued the climb up the cliff. After several more minutes the sun had just set beneath the horizon, leaving the sky dark now. I pulled myself up to the top of the cliff in a green forested area, not far from the main city. Wrapping my cloak around myself and keeping my hood up, I made my way in that direction. The air was cool and a little breezy as I made my way along, and it wasn't much longer before I finally got into the city. Since it was now dark out, there weren't to many people out and about in the streets, but there was fortunately no real curfew, so I wasn't in any danger from that.

On the downside there were Imperial stormtroopers patrolling the streets every so often. Not in the huge quantities that places like Lothal would have, but enough that there could be a whole bunch of them gathering together quickly if I was discovered. I would have to tread cautiously. As I kept walking along the streets of Theed with my hood up, I couldn't help but think about the last time I was here back during the Clone Wars, during the attempted kidnapping of the Chancellor by Dooku and a few bounty hunters. Knowing now that Palpatine was the Sith Lord all along grated at my nerves due to the fact that I protected him from danger. Of course Dooku most definitely knew who he was, but he kept up the act at his master's wishes.

"No wonder he was so horrified when Palpatine demanded his death," I mutter to myself with a scoff.

A quick breeze shuddering by had me come to a stop and glancing over to the side. This breeze wasn't normal, as there was a faint sense of the Force filtering through it. Frowning, I changed my direction from the palace and headed for the disturbance instead. It was after passing through and turning onto several streets that I arrived at the brief disturbance, and realized why I felt that. I knew this place... well, from afar anyways.

Me, Obi-Wan and Yoda could only watch from afar on the Tantive IV when she was laid to rest here, but I could never forget the location of this place. Swallowing nervously, I glanced around to see nobody in the nearby vicinity, and then carefully trudged my way towards Padmé's mausoleum on the outskirts of the city, in the middle of a beautiful and lush garden full of ponds and trees. There was nobody around here from what I could sense; not a single soul or sound aside from the wildlife populating the lush garden. Even after all these years it was still kept in prime condition to look as beautiful as ever, just like the soul whose body inhabits it.

Walking up the stone steps and into the mausoleum felt like I was carrying heavy weights over my shoulders. Padmé was the last person that Anakin would've ever turned against, his last anchor into remaining good. Once she was gone, his transformation into the suffering, hateful machine that he is today was complete, and Palpatine had his apprentice ensnared for good. I entered the stone building to view a circular chamber, with a large stone sarcophagus lying in the middle. On the opposite end of the room was a stained glass window, showcasing Padmé in a beautiful blue dress, a happy and genuine smile on her face. The mausoleum was lit up by the moonlight filtering through that window.

I hesitantly stepped up to the sarcophagus with a heavy heart, and raised a shaking hand to lay it on the stone. I bowed my head and shut my eyes to keep the tears contained as the memories of that horrible day came back to me, along with memories of my own wife Ahsoka, who will never get to have her own final resting place.

"I'm sorry Padmé..." I whisper sorrowfully. "I'm sorry we couldn't save him..."

There's good in him...

I slowly look up, gazing sadly at her sarcophagus, noting the Naboo emblem engraved into the stone.

"I don't know how to find it," I add softly.

I know there is... still...

With a heavy heart, I gently pull my hand away from Padmé's sarcophagus and slowly exit the mausoleum, leaving her final resting place to continue my mission. I've dealt with enough emotion today to last a lifetime.

At this point, discreteness was of the utmost importance, as keeping myself from being seen at all was now a necessity. Regular citizens were not allowed to venture into the Palace grounds, much less a Jedi of all people, so if I were to be spotted the alarm would be raised immediately. On top of a second-story terrace, I surveyed the Palace Plaza, noting the patrols of Stormtroopers moving up and down the area, as well as a couple of AT-ST scout walkers as well. They seemed to be moving at a more urgent pace than the usual, so I could only guess that they now know about the presence of another Jedi. Which means, this is a genuine call, and not a trap.

Still, knowing that he's alive...

Shaking my head, I run quickly down the upper corridors in a crouch to keep myself from being visible, using my black cloak and the cover of night to hide myself from sight. Once I moved as far as I could go, I glanced around before jumping to ground level, dashing between the buildings and sneaking along the walls. The stormtroopers were still just moving along in the center of the street, not paying attention to the sides too much, which was good for me. I went along the same pattern of using the buildings for cover as I moved more quickly towards the palace. Reaching the stairs, I kept myself towards the smaler entrance off to the side, and then dashed up that direction, slipping into the palace unseen.

Once inside the palace, I made sure I was hidden before releasing myself to the Force, stretching out with my senses. Taking deep breaths, I scanned through the palace in search of any Force signature, be it visible or cloaked. At first I couldn't find one, but there most certainly was a Jedi here based on the Imperial activity, so I did it again, focusing more intently. This time I felt a brief flickering presence that felt full of power before it disappeared again, as they no doubt felt me as well. I grinned slightly to myself, now knowing where they were.

They were in the catacombs beneath the palace.

"Wonderful," I mutter to myself.

Having found out where the Jedi was hiding underneath the palace, all I had to do was figure out a way to enter the catacombs, and then find them the old fashioned way. However to my annoyance and exasperation most of the entrances to the underground levels were completely sealed off, leaving me to try and find another one. Finding one of the few remaining entrances that had yet to be blocked off had me sighing in relief. The Jedi was probably blocking off the entrances to keep people from finding him.

I was just about to climb down there myself, when the worst thing possible happened.

"An intruder! It has to be him!"

"Blast him!"

Widening my eyes in alarm, I turned around to spot a patrol of stormtroopers rushing for me, opening fire with their blasters. I quickly whipped out my blue lightsaber to deflect the blaster fire just before it could hit me dead on, backing up quickly and cursing myself for not noticing the patrol on time. One of the troopers raised his arm and began talking into his comlink.

"All units, we've found the Jedi! He's near the southwest-"

I didn't give him another chance to finish that sentence before thrusting out my arms, using the Force to knock them all off their feet. I then spun around for momentum and threw my lightsaber through the air towards them, slashing the troopers across the torso to kill them all. Unfortunately as I was catching my lightsaber again, large numbers of stormtroopers began surging forth and headed straight towards me, aiming their blasters and opening fire.

"Blast!" I exclaim irritably.

Ducking down, I made a rush for the exit into the catacombs and ran down inside, pulling an arm to collapse some stone onto the entrance behind me. However as I was continuing to run the sound of an explosion going off told me that the stormtroopers had blown the makeshift blockage away, and were continuing the chase.

"Honestly, why'd it have to be kriffing Naboo!? Why not Garel or Tatooine?!" I shout to myself in annoyance.

In the dark corridors underneath the palace the only thing giving me light was my blue lightsaber, and the red laser blasts shooting by my head. For stormtroopers, they were keeping up the chase fairly well. A quick glance back to block an oncoming laser blast revealed why they were so good at chasing me down, and made me groan.

Deathtroopers. The elite, of the elite, and a dozen of them were on my tail

"Oh perfect," I grumble angrily.

Sensing a sharp turn up ahead, I skid around the corner and come to a stop right there, standing for a few moments. When the first Deathtrooper also runs around the corner, I catch him by surprise with another powerful Force push, sending him hurtling into the rest of the group that was chasing me, and then continued onwards.

Unfortunately for me the Deathtroopers weren't named just because they looked menacing. It didn't take them more then fives seconds to recover and shoot at me again. I was forced to whip around and slow down quickly in order to deflect the blaster shots they were sending my way. I leaned my head left and right to avoid a stray shot that zoomed past my head and into the far wall, twirling my lightsaber around to deflect the shots and redirect them back at the troopers. The Deathtroopers continued shooting as they ran for me, although one wasn't able to avoid one of my redirected shots, which struck him in the head.

Things then got worse as one Deathtrooper pulled out a grenade and threw it towards me. It hit the ground a couple feet away and exploded in a blinding flash of white light. I yelped in pain as the light from the flashbang briefly blinded my eyes, and another shot hit my lightsaber directly out of my hands. The lead Deathtrooper then kicked me to the ground, and I rolled backwards while blinking furiously to try and restore my sight. Their garbled voices echoes throughout the hallway, and I tried sensing with the Force so I could fight back against them hand-to-hand. There wasn't enough time for me to draw Ahsoka's green lightsaber.

Something else then happened to took me completely by surprise. Just as one of the Deathtroopers was about to fire his blaster at me, a blue lightsaber whipped out of nowhere to cut one trooper down. The Deathtroopers all yelled through their garbled voices in alarm, whipping around to face the intruder when a second blue lightsaber shined out of the darkness, followed by a green one. Three Jedi all worked together to swiftly slice through and kill all of the Deathtroopers, who were firing back in a futile effort.

Seizing my chance, with my vision better now, I jumped upwards and punched the lead Deathtrooper in the helmet with my left arm before grabbing him by the shoulders, kneeing him in the gut, and then throwing him harshly against the wall, his head hitting first. That was definitely a killing impact with the amount of force I delivered. I glanced up to see the rest of the Deathtroopers all defeated, three familiar Jedi standing before me, lightsabers still on.

Oppo Rancisis... Coleman Kcaj... and Shaak-Ti.

I was about to make a move when a familiar purple lightsaber snapped to life harshly, held inches from my neck as a figure appeared out of the shadows to my left. I slowly glanced in his direction to give him a narrow stare.

"Why have you come here?" he asks harshly. "State your business!"

I narrow my gaze at him, old feelings of irritation and hate brewing forth again at the sight of my least favorite Jedi Council member. Probably my least favorite Jedi of all time.

"Your fight with the Chancellor certainly didn't improve your looks... Master Windu," I state with an unpleasant look.

He widens his eyes before glaring furiously at me and holds the purple blade even closer to my neck, close enough that I could feel the intense heat.

"Who are you?!" he demands angrily, raising his voice.

Just then, Shaak-Ti gasped quietly and lowered her lightsaber, her eyes widening in recognition.

"Padawan Shan?" she asks in surprise.

The surprise that ran through the four Jedi Masters was evident, and they glanced at each other. However Mace was giving me a disbelieving stare, eyes narrowed suspiciously.

"Impossible. He's likely an imposter," he says in disagreement.

I roll my eyes, disregarding the lightsaber to glare back at him. "There's no way you're stupid enough to actually think that Windu."

His eyes flared dangerously. "I would watch your tone if I were you-"

"Mace, it is Jarik! Lower your weapon," Shaak-Ti urges.

Mace glares coldly at me, a look which I am all too eager to send right back at him. Glancing at his fellow Jedi Masters however, he finally gives in with a frustrated sigh and lowers his lightsaber. The other three all turn off their own lightsabers, although Mace doesn't, and I use the Force to recover my main lightsaber.

"I received your message?" I tell them sarcastically.

Coruscant; Core Worlds

3rd person POV...

Darth Vader's TIE Fighter soared away from the Executor as it hovered above the Imperial Center, swiftly entering hyperspace not much longer afterwards. On board the Executor Palpatine was in his private quarters, gazing out the window which showcased the city planet before him, and the rest of the Imperial fleet.

"Commander, prepare my personal shuttle," he says into his communicator. "I seem to be afflicted by a certain sense of nostalgia to visit my beloved Naboo!"

Ending the transmission a sinister smirk crosses the Emperor's face, and he lets out a cackling laugh as he continues to survey the center of his Empire.

Theed Royal Palace; Naboo

Jarik POV...

The four Jedi Masters led my back to their main campsite where they've been hiding out in the catacombs for Force knows how long. Windu kept himself behind me though, obviously mistrustful. Having taken in his appearance he was obviously heavily injured by the Emperor when he tried to kill him 17 years ago. His face was scarred with burns from Force lightning, and he was missing his right hand, a crude prosthetic in its place. Arriving at the campsite, Rancisis set up a small generator to light up the small space, and we all sat down around it in simple stone chairs, more like ledges really, made out of broken rock.

"It's good to see you are still alive Jarik," Shaak-Ti tells me warmly.

"Same to you," I reply genuinely. She was one of the few Council members that I actually liked, if only a little bit. "How long have you been hiding down here?"

"A few days now. We all received the message from Mace, and decided to gather here. Coleman arrive first, followed by Oppo, and finally, me," she explains.

"Yeah I have to ask; why the kriff did you choose Naboo of all places? The Emperor's homeworld?" I ask with a raised eyebrow.

"That doesn't concern you," Windu snaps. He was the only one who refused to sit.

I turn to glare at him. "I think it does if you're calling all Jedi to be gathered here! You're lucky you haven't been caught by now!"

"If you're so against us coming here, then why did you join us?" Rancisis asks.

"To see whether or not it was actually genuine, and to disable the beacon if it was a trap set up by the Empire," I tell him.

"What do you mean, a trap? Mace used an encrypted Jedi code," Kcaj says in confusion.

I let out a sorrowful sigh. "They've done it before. One of their traps was leaking intel about a Jedi imprisoned on Stygeon Prime. Their Inquisitors used Master Luminara's bones as bait."

They all let out quiet gasps of disbelief and sadness, and Windu's face contorted angrily. "That's... that's outrageous! The idea that they would desecrate a Jedi... that cannot stand!"

"Yeah, well that's Darth Sidious for you," I reply with a shrug. "Well, now that you've all gathered on Naboo, what is your plan Windu?"

"It is Master, Padawan Shan," Windu says sternly.

Scowling, I stand up from my chair and turn to face him with a glare to which he holds a hand over his lightsaber, still mistrusting. The other three slowly stand up as well in concern.

"First of all, I am no longer a Padawan, and have not been for over a decade," I state. "Second of all, I don't need to refer to you as Master."

He glares back at me irritably. "As I remember it, I am still one of the members of the Jedi High Council, and a Jedi Master. And without someone to appoint you, you can never become a Knight, Padawan Shan. So you will refer to me as Master."

"Oh I have been knighted," I retort. "By Master Kenobi and Master Yoda himself."

"I highly doubt Master Yoda would ever allow that," he scoffs doubtfully. "Besides, Obi-Wan and Master Yoda are regretfully lost to us, killed during Order 66."

"Oh really? You're more of a fool than I thought to think they perished," I scoff in sarcastic amusement.

"Neither of them will respond to my calls," he tells me.

"Maybe that's because they don't want to!" I snap. "And quite frankly, I doubt Master Yoda would take your word over mine anymore, he's had a lot of time to think about past choices while in exile."

"Wait, you know where Master Yoda is?" Kcaj asks in surprise.

"He's lying," Windu states distrustfully.

"Am I?"

"If you aren't, then perhaps you should tell us where he is, Padawan," he orders me.

"Ha! So you can go try and pull him back into a fight he doesn't wish to be a part of? No thanks," I scoff.

"Show some respect! Master Yoda would never hide when the Sith have control of the galaxy! He would fight!" Windu exclaims.

"And as I remember it, wasn't it Master Yoda who said that by fighting we already lost the battle?!" I shoot back at him.

"Not like-"

"Will both of you stop it!" Shaak-Ti exclaims, cutting the two of us off. "Please, are we not all on the same side? Must we lose ourselves to violence and mistrust?"

"She's right, it is very unprofessional, and something we should not be partaking in," Rancisis adds, almost making me stare at him in bewilderment.

Unprofessional?!

"Jarik... do you truly wish to help us?" she asks me.

I breathe in and out slowly to control my rage, just barely keeping the flickering specks of gold from my eyes. With one last glare at windu, I turn to face her.

"As difficult as it may be... I would like to help you. Yes," I say as calmly as possible.

Shaak-Ti smiles at me, and then turns towards Windu. "I see no reason why we should not accept his help in our endeavor. He could be of great assistance Master Windu."

"He is too emotional, and he would not do what is necessary," he argues.

"Too emotional," I scoff quietly, mocking him behind his back. What a hypocrite.

"But he does know him best, and I believe he would be able to come up with a suitable plan on how to continue," she suggests.

"We have a plan already!" he replies firmly.

"Wait, what do you mean him? And what kind of attack could you possibly carry off on the Emperor's homeworld?" I ask in confusion before faltering, slowly widening my eyes. This isn't just the Emperor's homeworld... it's also the resting place of... of...

Padmé.

I slowly look between Shaak-Ti and Windu with wide eyes, coming to the realization of what they were planning to do.

"Anakin..." I say quietly, and they give me looks of surprise and wariness. "Now I get it... You want to draw Anakin here."

The four masters all give each other uneasy glances, and I narrow my eyes at them, especially at Windu.

"You're using Padmé's resting grounds as a way of killing Anakin?!" I say accusingly.

"What of it?" Windu demands.

"What of- are you kriffing with me right now? Should I state the obvious?" I exclaim incredulously.

"Skywalker made his choice and broke the code of the Jedi, joining with the Sith and becoming Darth Vader," he states in disgust. "That traitor has to pay for his actions."

"Oh so it's all his fault is it?" I ask sarcastically. "You know this is exactly why I don't respect you as a Jedi Master! Kriff, even as a Jedi in general!"

"You have no idea the menace that Sith Lord is!" Windu tells me.

"Oh I know perfectly well how dangerous Vader is! I was there on Mustafar when me and Obi-Wan confronted him. I was there when he assaulted the Jedi Temple! I was there with Obi-Wan and Ahsoka as we fought together in the Clone Wars! I know exactly why he turned to the dark side!" I tell him sternly, gesturing to myself with every comment.

"Vader's actions of choosing attachment over the code he should've followed are what led to his fall. He deserves nothing but justice from us," he snaps at me.

"Oh there it is," I state mockingly, spinning around with a sarcastic hand gesture. "That's all you ever think about is it? Your Jedi Code. Have you ever considered the idea that the code is what caused him to turn in the first place?"

"What? That- that's preposterous!" Kcaj says in disbelief.

"Oh it's spot on," I retort. "Having emotion and attachments themselves do not lead to the dark side!"

"You clearly do not know what you are saying Shan," Windu says in disgust. "Emotional attachment is a direct path to the dark side. The Code clearly states this."

"Will you- oh Force can you just kriffing shut up about the Code?!" I exclaim angrily. "Anakin had no one to turn to that culd probably help him through his struggles! In fact, his attachments are what kept him good for so long!"

"Vader chose to listen to Palpatine and save his wife rather than do what was needed in order to keep the galaxy from falling into darkness!" Windu argues.

"That's because Palpatine was manipulating him! He knew about their marriage, and since Anakin knew he'd be expelled if he revealed it, Palpatine was the only one he could turn to to help his troubles!" I shoot back. "The Jedi Code, kept him from receiving the advice and support he needed!"

"Vader made his choice," he replies firmly with a glare, dismissing what I was saying. "If the Jedi Order is to survive, he and Palpatine must be destroyed."

"Your Jedi Order is dead," I snap at him, a brief golden flicker shooting through my eyes.

The other three Jedi gasp in shock, and Shaak-Ti eyes me incredulously. "Jarik!"

"What did you say?" Windu asks dangerously.

"The old Order was doomed to fail the moment that Code was written up," I state. "It is dead!"

"As long as Jedi fight for the Order, it will never die! But you cannot be called a Jedi anymore. You are not worthy of that title with the nonsense you've been sprouting. However, I am choosing to fight for the Jedi!" Windu declares.

"Unlike you, I don't fight just for the Jedi. I also fight for the citizens of the galaxy!" I retort, causing him to frown in confusion. "All you think about is the survival of the Jedi. You don't think about anyone else."

"Of course we think about others! Jedi are compassionate!" Shaak-Ti argues.

"The galaxy needs the Jedi in order for peace to be restored," Windu states.

"And that, is why the Order died," I reply. "The galaxy doesn't need the Jedi one bit. It never did."

"What are you talking about Shan?" Rancisis questions with a frown.

"Arrogance is supposed to be a path to the dark side, is it not?" I ask, and at their hesitant nods, I continue. "The belief that the galaxy can't survive without us, is nothing but arrogant."

"Are you saying that we're-" Windu demands.

"That's exactly what I'm saying," I retort. "The old Jedi Order was arrogant. You believed it impossible that the Sith could've returned without you knowing. You refused to listen to Master Qui-Gon Jinn who quite frankly, was right."

"Qui-Gon was wrong. He brought in the very person who doomed the Jedi Order," Windu states. "He was wrong about the Chosen One."

"Was he?" I counter, coming to a realization. "The Chosen One was supposed to bring balance to the Force. Too much darkness means it is unbalanced. But with too much light... you have the same problem."

"You're actually suggesting that the Chosen One was meant to kill the Jedi?!" Shaak-Ti exclaims in bewilderment.

"Maybe he was, maybe he wasn't," I reply. "But if you try to take it upon yourself to interpret a prophecy into how you believe it will be carried out, there's nothing more arrogant than that kind of thinking."

There was silence for the next few moments, Windu glaring at me furiously the whole time. He, Rancisis and Kcaj were not so eager to believe what I was saying, but I could tell that what I've actually got Shaak-Ti thinking, doubting the Jedi Order of old a little bit. With a furious growl, Windu whips around and storms off into the caves by himself. The anger was steaming off of him.

"Master Windu? Where are you going?" Kcaj asks in surprise.

"To do what I need to do," he replies fiercely.

I would've followed after him, but a familiar presence in the Force had me falter and look up towards the ceiling in dread. I could sense him approaching... Vader... When I looked back, I could see that Windu was already gone, and widened my eyes in alarm.

"Oh no..." I say uneasily.

"What?" Shaak asks me. "What's wrong?"

"We have to find him before Vader does!" I exclaim urgently.

"Vader?!" Rancisis exclaims in bewilderment.

"He's here!" I tell them dreadfully.

3rd person POV...

Vader's TIE Fighter comes to a booming halt out of hyperspace before Naboo, the blue and green planet clear before him. He takes off for the planet's surface, flying towards Theed. Once there he makes way for the Royal Palace, coming to land on a platform positioned at the backside of the building. The full moon lit up the surface in the night with pale, silvery light. Disembarking from his TIE Fighter, the Sith Lord moves forward to the palace, determination and cold rage fueling him.

Darth Vader marched through the doorway into the palace, immediately being greeted by a Stormtrooper commander. They walked down the large hallway while the commander gave his report and greetings.

"Welcome Lord Vader. The Jedi have barricaded themselves in the catacombs and sealed off all of the entrances, so we had to blow our way in. But out of all the troopers we've sent in, none have returned," the stormtrooper commander reports.

Vader turns around to glare at him.

"Lost stormtroopers do not concern me commander," he states coldly, pointing a finger at him. "I want every last one of those Jedi. I will use the First Legion."

"As you wish," the commander replies, heading off to see the order carried out. "Make way for the boys in blue!"

As the commander heads off, Vader surveys the destroyed portion of the ground before him with a critical eye. With the Force, he could sense that there was something... or someone, close by... His gaze narrows hatefully as he senses the lingering presence of Shan... and, Mace Windu. Vader looked up at the large hall around him and then turns around to head out and search for the Jedi himself, when a voice whispering to him makes him halt his movement.

"Anakin."

Everything goes quiet as he was frozen in shock, almost disbelieving that he could have just heard... her voice. How...?

The sound of blaster fire from the catacombs down below has Vader slowly turning back around to gaze into the darkness. Bright flashes of red stormtrooper fire continued to burst out at high intervals as the lasers sounded forth, along with the slashing hums of a lightsaber. The stormtroopers inside were screaming in alarm and fear, trying desperately to fight off their single, enraged attacker.

"Go go go!"

"Blast him!"

"AHH!"

"Brother!"

"It's the fugitive!"

"We need reinforcements!"

"HELP US!"

The last pleading call of the final trooper is cut off as the conflict down below ends with a loud bang, signaling the deaths of all of the stormtroopers. Streaming forth from within the cave, Vader could see the glow of an amethyst lightsaber and hear its hum as it rushed by the entrance, swiftly being shut off not much longer afterwards. Vader was silent for a moment.

Then with a sharp snapping hiss, Vader's red lightsaber flares to life, and he glares furiously down into the cave.

The Jedi would not escape this time.

Well, that was intense. So now we've got four Jedi Masters who've survived the Purge, all hiding out on Naboo in hopes of assassinating Darth Vader! Master Windu is certainly an irritating person to be sure. I don't think he's a complete jerk to the core, he's just so focused up in how he thinks things are supposed to go that he sees anyone else's opinion as wrong, not realizing how arrogant he is.

Next chapter will be intense for sure. Glad you guys have continued to enjoy my stories, your support really means a lot!

Also the Vader fan film by Star Wars Theory is so amazing that I once again have to mention that. He did a great job, and I don't want to accidentally overshadow his work by using it in my story. However from here on out it's just what I'm saying things happen, and Episode 2 of Vader will probably play out much differently. Moral of the story is, Vader: Shards of the Past is awesome, and Star Wars Theory deserves every ounce of praise for it.