The twelve council members sat in silence. Johannes stood in the middle of the room.

"See, did you, this creature?"

"It was an Iridonian, Master. His lightsaber was unusual. A double red blade."

"Master Windu, who is this creature?"

"It is a mystery to me, Master Mundi. He may be the one the slavers call 'Darth Sidious.' "

"Find out, you will, who this Darth Sidious is."

"Yes, Master."

Mace held his lightsaber erect. Johannes stood ten feet from him, his lightsaber held down, unlit. He attacked. Johannes blocked the blow, pushing Mace off. Mace swung again.

They duelled for ten minutes. Mace shut his blade down.

"Very good, Johannes. You surprised me a few times."

Johannes nodded. He smiled at his master. "Thank you, Master."

"You still have some skills to learn, Padawan."

"There is always room to learn." Mace smiled a sad smile. His mind wandered to Shmi. A tear fell from his eyes. "Master, there was nothing we could have done."

"I know."

The young Iridonian glared as the ship lifted off. The mother was dead now. He had failed to capture her. His master will be disappointed. That child needed to die.

He turned, his yellow eyes gleaming. He had no doubt the dark human was a Jedi.

Darth Sidious stood, watching. He knew that the child's mother was gone. There had to be some other way. That child was vital. And he was causing an enormous amount of trouble.

He is strong. And if he will not turn, he will die.

His apprentice had arrived back and now stood beside him. Life was full of complications, too many complications.

Mace was watching his apprentice practice when he was called to one of the Jedi meeting rooms. "Johannes, keep practicing. I'll be back within twenty minutes," Mace called up to him.

"Yes, Master."

Mace moved off. Master Yoda met him in the room. "Master Yoda," Mace greeted. He entered the room, and to his surprise, Shmi greeted him.

"Master Windu?"

"Yes?" he asked in return, a little confused.

"You think I'm Shmi, don't you?

"As a matter of fact, I do."

"Sit, Master Windu, and let her explain."

Mace sat opposite Shmi and she began. "My name's Seri. Shmi and I were twins. We grew up together, played together and did all things children get into together. We were the best of friends, even after Dad died. We shared things, no matter what.

"When I found out that my sister was pregnant, I was disappointed in her. I was shocked to find that her fiancée had kicked her onto the streets, but there was nothing I could do to help her. I knew then that there was something special about my sister's pregnancy.

"I waited six months to hear word from her, but none came. I got more and more down hearted. I felt my sister wouldn't survive the birth or would die several weeks later from an unknown cause. Two weeks passed with tears in my eyes. It was then that I got word. Shmi had delivered a healthy boy. She had named him Anakin, after our grandfather.

"The news that had shocked me more was her death. As we had formed a special relationship as children, I could feel her pain from here. I know why he is being chased and I want to help as much as I can."

Mace felt tears slip down his cheeks unhindered. "You have helped a lot, already, Seri." He swallowed a lump in his throat. "Why is Anakin being chased?"

Mace sat slumped aboard his Jedi Ship. It had been several weeks since Seri had come and spoken to him. They had found no traces of the Iridonian they had encountered on Nal Hutta.

Johannes shifted around in the back of the ship. Mace glued his eyes on the sensor board. No unknown 'friendlies' in sight. He sighed. Nothing can be gained by sitting in idle. Beginning to get up, he suddenly stopped as an unknown, a small hyper-jump from their current location, hailed the ship.

Mace sat back down at the controls. "Exceeder, this is JO-925. Go ahead."

"Mayday, Mayday! We are under attack. Need…quick." The connection began to break.

"Where are you, Exceeder? Repeat, where are you?"

Mace and Johannes found the ship minutes later with its homing device being activated.

"Johannes, we're going to be required for action."

"Yes, Master," Johannes replied, walking into the cockpit. "Are we boarding?"

"Yeah." Mace handled the docking with ease. The Exceeder allowed the Jedi ship to dock with it. Mace turned and looked at Johannes in the eye.

Johannes got up and made his way to the ship's ramp. Mace followed him. Johannes stiffened as the Force swirled restlessly around him.

"Something's not right here, Master. I feel something elusive."

Mace nodded. "I've felt it growing for some time. Split up. Meet back here in twenty minutes."

"That won't be long enough, Master."

"I know. It will be quicker to search the ship separately. I don't like this. I have a feeling…" Mace trailed, looking up around the docking bay.

"Yes Master."

"May the Force be with you."

"May the Force be with you, Master."

Johannes felt the Force around him intensify. He turned, hoping to see his master. But his eyes met glaring yellow eyes.

Johannes stood stone still. The Iridonian drew his lightsaber. The Mon Calamari didn't flinch. Double red blades emerged from either end of the hilt. Maul swung at Johannes' head. Johannes was too quick for him as he cleared his opponent's head.

His silver blade hummed on. Their blades engaged.

Mace felt a disturbance in the Force. He reached out to his apprentice and felt a dark presence swarm his senses. The Iridonian, he thought to himself. He pulled his comlink out. "Johannes?"

No reply. Mace broke into a sprint in the direction of his padawan's Force signature.

Maul snarled, his painted face forming into an evil grin. Johannes stepped back, holding his silver blade erect.

"You can't win," Maul spat into the Mon Calamari's face.

Johannes didn't reply. There was something about this Iridonian that he couldn't figure out. Maul threw himself at Johannes, moving with incredible speed. Johannes broke into a rhythm of defence.

A purple blade joined in with the fury of silver and red. Johannes smiled into the eyes of his master.

Working together, Johannes and Mace drove Maul back. Maul knew he could not win. Driving the seventeen-year-old backward so he lost balance, Maul loosened a heavy object so it would land on top of the wounded Jedi padawan. Mace disengaged his blade from Maul's and, using the Force, stopped the falling object.

Maul ran.

Mace knelt beside Johannes. "Are you alright?"

Johannes looked down at the lightsaber wound in his left arm. "I'll be fine." Neither of them spoke of their attacker. Both knowing what awaited them on Duro, Johannes suggested they return to Coruscant.

Mace agreed and helped Johannes back to their ship. There was nothing more they could do on this ship—­it was abandoned, set as a trap.

Master Yaddle met them returning to their quarters in the Jedi Temple. "Successful, was it?"

"Not as successful as we would have liked. Nobody knows a thing about this Sidious or the young Iridonian."

"Encountered this creature, did you?"

"Yes, Master," Mace replied. He turned to his apprentice. "Go to the healers. Have that wound cheeked out."

"Yes, Master Windu," Johannes agreed readily. He made his way off in the direction of the Jedi Medical Faculty.

"Wounded, was he?" Yaddle asked.

"Yes. This Iridonian is well trained in the Jedi Arts. No doubt, he could be a Sith."

"The Sith, Master Windu, have been extinct for a millennia. Impossible for them to return without us knowing it."

Tapping came from behind them. Mace turned and smiled as Yoda joined them. "Unlikely, but not impossible," Yoda said. "Find your attacker, Master Windu."

"Yes Master." The three of them turned and headed toward Mace's quarters. "Do you really think this Iridonian is a Sith, Master Yoda?"

"Unsure, I am," Yoda replied. "Rest, you must."

Mace ran his hand over his eyes. He nodded. Pushing open the door to his simple dwellings, Yoda and Yaddle left Mace to rest.

Johannes appeared several minutes later.

"Are you alright?"

"It's painful, but I'll live. Get some rest, Master."

"You too, Johannes."

Johannes pulled the bandage off a few days later. Mace looked on. "What are you doing?" he asked.

"It's getting itchy."

Mace walked up to Johannes and helped remove the bandage. His lean fingers ran along the now ugly wound. "It's better than it was."

Johannes reached up and covered the wound. "It still hurts."

"Expect that, Johannes."

"When are we leaving?"

"As soon as you get that dressed." Johannes smiled. "Run along."

Johannes approached the centre-point on Duro's orbital city, Bburu. He looked over to Mace. They both got the same feeling of urgency. They knew they were coming close to discovering who Darth Sidious was.

Johannes felt like they were being followed. Looking back over his shoulder, he saw nothing.

"Johannes!" Mace yelled, drawing Johannes' attention to him. His purple lightsaber hummed, hovering feet above the ground. Johannes found his lightsaber already in hand as he ran to aid his master.

The horned crown glistened as Maul removed his cloak. Drawing his lightsaber, Maul ignited its double blades. His eyes gleamed, the scared face curling into a snarl.

Johannes leapt; silver blade clashing with his opponent's red blade.

Mace attacked simultaneously with Johannes. The Iridonian had learnt to control his power. Mace was surprised the Iridonian could force him reeling away.

Johannes continued to attack Maul. He was stronger in the Force than Mace, but he knew he was more uncontrolled. Not even thinking of where he was, Johannes moved with the flow of the Force.

Mace staggered to his feet from where he had fallen. Calling his lightsaber to him, he thumbed it on. Running to where Johannes and the Sith were, he again entered the fury of blades crossing.

Johannes knew they were wearing their opponent down. But that didn't count for how tired he felt his master getting.

Maul stepped backwards. Johannes disengaged his blade from the red one. His eyes turned to regard Mace. Mace was panting hard, his forehead cut and bleeding, coagulating down his face. His dark eyes locked with Johannes.

He never saw it coming. "NO!" the scream echoed around the city. "Bastard!"