Chapter 18.

The temple was on lockdown as two unidentified beings landed their fighters in opposite hangars of the temple, before disappearing into the force in the blink of an eye. Whoever they are, they are not Anakin and Ahsoka. The temple guard was in despair as they watched their fellow Jedi fall to the floor unconscious.

"Force user confirmed!" a sentinel yelled over the comm as I watched in horror from the security tower as a Jedi knight flew across the screen.

I closed my eyes shaking my head. This can't be happening. An overwhelming amount of Force energy fluctuated over the temple as sentinels reported an anomaly rendering Jedi unconscious. Whatever this being was it wasn't a killer. It has to be after something, but what? It was hiding its force presence, yet its actions could be tracked like a hutt across the deserts of Tatooine. There was two fighters yet only one what appears to be using the force to fight. Where is the other?

One was moving in towards the middle of the temple coming from the hangar Anakin's fighter landed. The other, was untraceable, Jedi Knights sweeping the hall, padawans and younglings locked down in the training rooms. I reached out into the force, immersing myself in it, asking silently for an answer. Why would someone break into the Jedi Temple for?

The rate the sentinels were dropping, it wouldn't matter whether there was one or two intruders, they cannot be stopped. How do you fight something that is invisible? There is no known knowledge that I can recall where Jedi have been attacked by invisible beings, except for Dathomire Witches. Yes, it was the same art essentially but these beings, they are different, they might not even be human, perhaps a new type of Sith. I must consult the archives immediately.

"Commander Fox, come in," I call through my communicator, "I need reinforcements in the Jedi Temple".

"They're already on their way, Sir, Chancellor Palpatines Orders".

"Do not let them leave this Temple, Fox".

I left the communications tower and passed by the war room to consult Tholme and his apprentices of Force Cloak, Aayla Secura and Quinlan Vos.

I walked into the room and found three very confused Jedi. Aayla was leaned over the holoprojector and Tholme was pacing the room. Quinlan was posted up against the far wall, eyes closed and arms folded.

"What are your thoughts?" I asked as Aayla and Quinlan studied the surveillance footage presented in front of them of the holoprojector.

"I believe that they are using Force Cloak, however this is different," Tholme spoke.

"Yes, I agree, they shouldn't be able to use it, fight, and hide their presence like this, it's almost impossible for any force user," Aayla concluded, folding her arms.

I shook my head, "how are we supposed to fight against something we can't see? We don't even know what they're after".

"I think I know," Quinlan spoke up.

I turned my attention to him as he rose fom his position on the wall as he stuck a thumbdrive into the projector.

"The Tedryn Holocron," he said as a picture appeared, "it's the only object I can think that would be of use to intruders with such obvious high manipulation capability of the Force. It holds secrets of the Jedi and Sith that even half of the Jedi Council don't even know about. No memory crystal needed to acquire the knowledge within".

A sinking feeling drained my body of all warmth. No one would be that zealous to even try but if we can't see them nor fight them, they could do anything. Four Jedi always guard the holocron at all times, but that will not stop these force users.

Quinlan continued and pressed another button on the holoprojector pulling up a layout of the holocron archives, "they must have mastered Force Void and Force Cloak, it has to be how they're moving without notice of Jedi but we can fight them. If we get the clones with infrared visions and smoke grenades into the holocron archive we can set up an ambush and lockdown the temple".

"This is Kenobi, I want a full lockdown. Everything including the ventilation ducts and hangars," I called through my communicator, "no one leaves this temple without a fight".

POV: Ahsoka Tano
I could sense Anakin's force presence singing gleefully into the force as I sensed he'd begun his defensive front against the Jedi Sentinels. It gave me enough time to slip into the hangar without causing too much detection. I managed to navigate into the vents without notice as Jedi raced all over the temple. It was too risky to run the halls in case someone ran into me. To the other Jedi no one could sense me or Anakin or see, hear, smell. We couldn't even see each other, only sense each other since our training has allowed us to extend past the teachings of Jedi. But with power comes responsibility, hence why the grey jedi hide themselves away into the shadows. We'd be in and out of this temple without a hitch.

I was almost over the archives when dull thuds began to echo around me. It was coming closer. I searched behind me, down the long stretch of metal. It was slowly getting shorter and shorter, security doors. I lost all concentration, as I dived to get out of the way of the closing door. I regained my concentration and sunk myself back into the force, cloaking and hiding my force signature once again.

I placed my palm against the cool metal and began to use the force to undo the mechanism. It would take longer than cutting it with my lightsabre but I must maintain the illusion that we are not Jedi. I crawled through the minimal space in the vent system and slowly made my way closer towards the archives.

This vent system, it reminds me too much of the Judiciary here on Coruscant. A cold sensation ran through my blood as I blinked back tears, my hand shaking as I continued to make my way through the claustrophobic tunnel. Bit by bit, I edged closer and closer until finally breaching the panel to the archives, dropping down to the floor.

I clung to the wall, breathing heavily, trying to regain my sanity.

"Where are you?" I called to Anakin in the Force.

"Trying to lose Mister Cad Bane!" he called back.

I smiled, holding back a laugh. I could see him running from a Jedi Sentinel, a blue patch of paint splattered on his back.

"I'm in the archives, waiting for your arrival".

I could see Anakin run to a dead end of a hallway overlooking Coruscant with wide, roof to floor, double glass windows. A single sentinel was following him, undoubtedly the only one that could keep up with Anakin's speed. Anakin used the force to run up the glass and flip over the sentinel, knocking he/she out cold from behind.

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Anakin, sauntered through the library entrance as I made my way towards him from the other side of the room. A sense of uneasiness settled in the pit of my stomach.

He embraced me, smiling. I returned his hug and looked up at him. Although we were invisible to the world, our love still connected the both of us through the infinite of the force. His warmth filled my body as comforting waves of relief flew off of him and into me.

I pulled back, the unsettling feeling in my stomach becoming more prominent as the door to the holocron chamber opened.

We dove behind a desk out of instinct and watched as four sentinels exited the room, Obi wan, Aayla, Tholme and Quinlan inside guarding the vault to the secrets of the Jedi inside. We watched from our position as the sentinels, walked out the archive door, where a waiting platoon of red and white armoured clones entered. The very same red helmeted troopers that chased me over the pipe district.

The heavy clunking of their boots, rumbled my montrals as Anakin, scanned the room. The spread out throughout the room in pairs, smoke grenades piled onto their belts, heat vision goggles strapped to their helmets.

"I see fourteen in total," he said aloud; his words unheard by everyone but me, "we need to get into that room now".

I nodded.

The night vision goggles weren't the problem, the smoke grenades. They'd be able to track our movements easily once the room is flooded with smoke and unlike the clones, we do not have filtered helmets. It seems that we might have to reveal ourselves from the shadows of the force and fight against once allies.