PART
I
THE RISE OF THE SITH
Chapter One: Holographs"They were great leaders." Jedi Master Obi-Wan said with a sigh. His apprentice, Anakin Skywalker, sighed too. They were at Mace Windu and Yoda's funeral. There were two stone tables with dancing flames on them. Windu was lying on one of them, and Yoda was lying on the other. A tear ran down Obi-Wan's face. "Master?" Anakin whispered. "What?" Obi-Wan snapped back. "This is a time to worship Master Windu and Master Yoda! Not a time for stupid Padawan questions!" Anakin fell silent. Obi-Wan fell to his knees in prayer. Anakin didn't. Obi-Wan could have punched him in the face. Instead, he just leered at him. Anakin quickly caught on and fell to his knees, too.
"What is wrong with you, Anakin?" Obi-Wan demanded him when the funeral was over. "It was like you didn't even care they were dead!" "Of course I care, Master." Anakin replied. "They taught me the ways of the Jedi." "They sure did!" Obi-Wan roared. "And treating them like that is no way to repay them!" "I'm deeply sorry, Master…" "Oh, please, Anakin, you're 'deeply sorry' for everything. And sometimes just saying 'I'm deeply sorry, Master' won't cut it." "Would you rather I not say, 'deeply?'" Anakin suggested innocently. "NO!" Obi-Wan screamed. "HAVE A GOOD LIFE, MY STUPID PADAWAN LEARNER!" And with that, he tore off.
Obi-Wan was sitting in his dorm reading an interesting book about the history of the Sith he found in the book section of the Jedi Archive Library. It was 11:30pm, and he was getting tired. He had just apologized to Anakin for screaming at him earlier and said to him it was just because he was mad Yoda and Windu had been killed. Anakin had accepted his apology, saying, "I accept your apology deeply, Master." Recalling that, Obi-Wan shuddered. He hated when Anakin accepts something or apologizes "deeply." Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. "Yes?" Obi-Wan called. It was Jedi Master Yarael Poof. Every time Yarael Poof came to Obi-Wan's door, he hesitated to open it for two reasons. One, Poof can get sort of crazy. Obi-Wan recalled the one night Mace Windu defeated a legendary Sith code-named The Mountain Sith (unlike most Sith, he chose not to use the title 'Darth') and there was a party. At the party, Yarael Poof got very drunk and behaved very badly. First he jumped up on the stage, lit his lightsaber, and chopped one of the band members in half. Then he jumped down, poured martinis on his head then gave Mace Windu a head-butt. Next, he tore off his Jedi robes and everyone in the room saw his extra set of arms. Then he started flirting with the Twi'Lek dancers, who punched him in the face. Then he tried to make out with Yoda. He then ran naked out into the Coruscant streets and signed up to perform at an alien strip club later that night at 1:00am. It was one of the most disturbing days in the history of the Jedi. (The next day he had a major hangover). The second reason is all Quermians sound the same, regardless of gender, so most Jedi don't know if it's really him or a Sith Lord in disguise. "Poof!" Obi-Wan yelled. "Come in!" The door slowly opened. Yarael Poof came in, smiling widely, his head bobbing. "Mael stel erel Obel I-el wael nel!" Poof yelled. Obi-Wan forgot he speaks in Quermian half the time. "Soel goel odel toel seel eel yoel uel!" "Good to see you, too, Master Poof…can you please speak Galactic Basic?" Obi-Wan replies. "Of course!" Poof yelled, cheerfully. "So, what are you doing here?" Obi-Wan asked. "I have come to warn you, Master Obi-Wan." Poof said, suddenly very darkly. "Master Plo Koon is now the leading member of the Jedi Council, and he has issued a warning." "A warning?" Obi-Wan asked, curiously. "What do you mean?" "He was meditating earlier today." Poof replied. "He said, during his mediation, he sensed Master Yoda and Master Windu were murdered by a Sith Lord." "Impossible." Obi-Wan boomed. "The only Sith in this galaxy is Darth Tyranus!" "No." Poof corrected him. "Tyranus has a master. His name is Lord Sidious." Then Obi-Wan remembered. He had heard something about Tyranus's master, Sidious. "But that's impossible!" He protested. "Aren't they both on Geonosis? Yoda and Windu were murdered on Coruscant. The two planets are halfway across the galaxy!" "Perhaps it wasn't them…" Poof said. "Perhaps there is another Sith." "That's unthinkable." Obi-Wan debated. "The Jedi Code forbids it! A master, Jedi or Sith, cannot have more than one apprentice!" "Maybe there are two masters, and two apprentices? Hmmm?" Poof said, speaking in a bold, wise voice. Obi-Wan just suddenly realized he was an idiot. Thinking there were only two Sith in the galaxy? It was the Clone Wars, for hell's sake! "I'm an idiot." Obi-Wan said. "Sorry, Master Poof." "Maybe you are, Obi-Wan." Yarael said. "Maybe you are." "Listen—I hate to be rude, but I must ask you to leave. I'm tired; I want to go to sleep." "Goodnight, then, Master Obi-Wan." Poof said. "Goodnight, Master Poof." Poof left, and the door slides shut. Now Obi-Wan really wondered: Who did murder Windu and Yoda?
BRINGGG! BRINGGG! BRINGGG! Obi-Wan's alarm clock went off. He got out of bed and hit the alarm clock. It stopped ringing. Dim light was beginning to stream through his windows. Obi-Wan glanced at his clock. It was 5:00am. "Right on schedule." He said. Suddenly, his communicator beeped. Obi-Wan frowned and picked it up. He pressed a small button, and a ghostly figure of Plo Koon appeared on the communicator edge. "Good morning, Master Kenobi." Plo Koon said. "Congratulations on making the leading member." Obi-Wan said to him. "Please, Master Kenobi, don't mention it." Obi-Wan smiled. "I think you'll make a great leading member." "Well, I hope so." Koon replied. "Anyway, did Master Poof come to see you last night?" Obi-Wan scratched his head. He couldn't seem to remember. Then he did. "Yeah, he did." Obi-Wan said. "He said something about you issuing a warning?" "And he was right." Koon said boldly. "I have issued a warning, and though I'm the only one who believes it, I think Master Windu and Master Yoda were murdered by a Sith Lord." "But Master Koon," Obi-Wan said, "You do know there are only two known Sith in the galaxy, right?" "For goodness's sake, Master Kenobi, use your common sense!" Koon boomed. "Fifteen years ago, or I think it was fifteen years ago, the whole Jedi Council traveled to Naboo for Master Qui-Gon Jinn's funeral. He was murdered by a Sith Lord, someone known as Darth Maul." "I know." Obi-Wan replied. "I remember. He was my Master, how could I forget?" "Anyway, he's a Sith Lord, Tyranus is a Sith lord, Sidious is a Sith Lord." Koon said. "For all we know, there could be millions of Sith in this galaxy, not just two!" Obi-Wan stared blankly for a second. He blinked. Master Koon was right. He wasn't using his common sense. "No, Master." Obi-Wan admitted. "You are right." "So you believe me?" Koon asked. "Yes, I have to say I do." Obi-Wan replied. "Finally." Koon sighed. "One Jedi uses his head." Obi-Wan laughed. He had a sudden image of Yarael Poof bonking his head against Mace Windu at the party. "Anyway, I need you to come and do some research with me this afternoon." Koon said. "On the Sith's history." "Will do." Obi-Wan replied. "What time?" "Around 2:00, I guess." Koon answered. "Meet me in the Jedi Archives Library. End communication." And with that, Koon's figure disappeared.
Still pondering about the massacre of Windu and Yoda, Obi-Wan stepped into the shower. He turned the heat to maximum, set the massage setting to "rough" and relaxed as he closed his eyes. "What a nightmare this whole thing is." Obi-Wan said. Obi-Wan grasped the soap and washed himself.
Obi-Wan met Ki-Adi-Mundi and Oppo Rancisis at the sushi bar for lunch, located on the seventeenth floor of the Jedi Temple The three of them discussed the assassinations of their masters. Soon, it was almost time for Obi-Wan to meet Master Koon in the Jedi Archives Library. He glanced at his watch and said goodbye to Oppo Rancisis and Ki-Adi-Mundi. He left the sushi bar full of sea urchin and raw tuna. Walking down the 4th floor hallway, Obi-Wan stopped to look at a mirror. According to the mirror, an extremely tall un-human figure about 11 feet tall dressed in black robes was standing right behind Obi-Wan! Obi-Wan whirled around…and saw nothing. He turned back to the mirror. The figure was gone.
"I am getting so worked up about this whole thing." Obi-Wan said as he boarded an elevator. "I've never hallucinated quite like this before." Obi-Wan punched the 16th floor button. The elevator jerked into motion as Obi-Wan waited. Suddenly, a loud screeching noise was heard as part of the elevator's ceiling fell to the ground! A battle droid jumped down from the hole and aimed at Obi-Wan. Obi-Wan lit his lightsaber. "Drop your weapon." The battle droid said in its robotic voice. Obi-Wan swung his saber and the droid snapped in two. "What the hell—" Obi-Wan started to say. He used Force Jump to jump out of the elevator and onto the roof. The elevator started to speed up. A Super Battle Droid suddenly jumped out of thin air and started to shoot at Obi-Wan. Obi-Wan deflected the blasts and sent them flying back at the droid. The droid fell to the ground. Carefully, Obi-Wan made his way to some emergency high-tech elevator controls. Using his skills, he activated the panel. "This should do it." Obi-Wan said as he punched in a security code. Suddenly, sparks flew everywhere and the elevator stopped. "Where the hell did those droids come from?" Obi-Wan wondered out loud. He looked up and saw a metal ledge with a door connected to it. Obi-Wan Force Jumped and landed on the ledge. Lighting his lightsaber, he stuck it through the door and moved it around, cracking the door. Soon, the door cracked so much it fell apart. Obi-Wan passed through. "Next time I'm taking the stairs…" Obi-Wan said.
Obi-Wan soon met up with Koon at the Archives Library. "Master Koon!" Obi-Wan yelled. "What is it, Master Kenobi?" Koon asked. "I took the elevator up here and suddenly battle droids appeared out of thin air and started attacking me!" A surprised expression crossed Koon's face. "What!" Koon yelled. "You heard me." Obi-Wan said. "Then the elevator started speeding up and I had to access the emergency controls." "Even I've never heard of something like that." Koon said mysteriously. "Wait! I know what happened. This is all to do with the Sith Lord that killed Master Windu and Master Yoda!" "What? How?" Obi-Wan asked. "Somehow, this Sith has constructed an extremely powerful device that can target any location and attack that location by sending computer-generated battle droids." "Computer-generated?" Obi-Wan asked, confused. "Those battle droids you fought, Obi-Wan, were not real battle droids. The Sith, using his device, sent…shall we say, 'holographic enemies…' to attack the Jedi Temple." A horrified look crossed Obi-Wan's face. "What is it?" Koon asked. "If the Sith attacked the Jedi Temple with his device, then that means the Jedi Temple is still under—" BOOM! A door was kicked down and about 500 Super Battle Droids burst into the Archives Library. They immediately started shooting without hesitation and without mercy. People screamed and ducked for cover. Blood went everywhere, oozing off the walls. Koon and Obi-Wan activated their lightsabers. Koon slashed the feet of a large table and kicked it over for cover. "Duck!" Koon yelled. Obi-Wan ducked just as a laser blast was about to nail him in the throat. "We need to get out of the Temple." Koon said. "Got any plans?" Obi-Wan asked. "Well, no, since we are 16 stories above ground…" "Wait!" Obi-Wan yelled. "Is there some kind of escape pod on this floor?" "There are five on the twentieth floor, which is the floor of the Council Room." Koon answered. "For emergency use only." "I would classify this as an emergency, Master." Obi-Wan retorted. "Yes, well…got any plans for getting to the Council Room?" Koon asked. "Just one." Obi-Wan replied. "But its not a very good one." "We have to do it." Koon replied. "There's no time for debating!" "Alright, then." Obi-Wan said. "We activate the sprinkler system somehow. This will destroy almost all of the invading droids since they are holographic. If they come in contact with any form of water, they will disappear." "Good plan!" Koon said. "There's only one problem, however…the sprinkler system controls are in the BASEMENT." Obi-Wan cursed. "Well, there's only one thing left to do." Obi-Wan said. He threw his lightsaber up to the ceiling. Part of the ceiling broke off and stones were falling from the ceiling. "GET OUT OF THE WAY!" Obi-Wan screamed. Koon rolled out of the way just as the stones fell on the area he was recently sitting on. "FORCE JUMP!" Obi-Wan screamed again. Obi-Wan Force Jumped up to the 17th floor using the ceiling hole. Koon followed suit. "Three more floors to go." Obi-Wan said, throwing his lightsaber again to the ceiling. Again, the crashing stones began to fall. "Look out!" Koon and Obi-Wan jumped out of the way. Then they Force Jumped. "Two more floors to go." Suddenly, a door burst open and two Droidekas rolled into the room. Slowly, they assumed their attack position and grew energy shields. Then they fired their deadly blasts at the two Jedi. "GET TO THE 19TH FLOOR!" Koon yelled to Obi-Wan. "I'LL COVER YOU!" Quickly, Obi-Wan threw his saber again as Koon deflected lasers like mad. The stones fell, and Obi-Wan jumped out of the way. He Force Jumped and Koon did the same. "Master, are you ok?" Obi-Wan asked Koon. "I'm alright." Koon replied. "Let's get out of this hellhole. Just one more floor." Together, they successfully got to the Council Room. The two Jedi almost cried when they saw what was in the Council Room. Yarael Poof, Ki-Adi-Mundi, Adi Gallia, and all the other council members were lying on the floor, covered in blood. "WHAT!" Koon yelled. "BATTLE DROIDS KILLING ALL OF THE JEDI COUNCIL MEMBERS?" "That's right." A robotic voice said. The two Jedi whirl around and saw a single unarmed battle droid. Koon and Obi-Wan activated their sabers. "Tell us how you massacred all the Jedi, or we shall slice you like butter." Obi-Wan demanded. "I cannot tell you." The droid said. "But I can show you." Suddenly, the droid grew eight extra arms and extended all of its arms. Ten random red lightsabers came flying through the windows. The droid caught the sabers and ignited them. "You are now about to witness the wrath of the new battle droid unit." The droid said. Then, the droid attacked. Swinging its ten sabers like mad, Koon and Obi-Wan dove out of the way. First, the droid attacked Koon. "LOOK UNDER MACE WINDU'S COUNCIL CHAIR!" "WHY?" "JUST DO IT!" Obi-Wan followed Koon's command and lifted Windu's former council chair. It was as large as a closet inside. It was one of the five escape pods. Then, Koon screamed in pain as his arm was chopped off. "NOOOOOO!" Obi-Wan screamed. He grabbed Koon and threw him in the pod. Obi-Wan jumped in himself. Hastily he closed the pod door. He activated the controls and BOOM—the pod flew out of the Temple.