CORUSCANT, NIGHT:

A short, green alien in Jedi robes sits in his chambers within the Jedi Temple. This alien is Jedi Master Yoda, one of the greatest Jedi to ever live. He sits in a chair, his mind lost within the Force.

Yoda…

There was that voice again. That strong, noble, familiar voice coming from a part of the Force that even Yoda cannot see.

Who's there? Yoda asks the Force. There is no answer. A veil of darkness clouds Yoda's Force connection.

In the Senatorial Apartment building, a darkness also meditates… but it focuses on the Force's darker side. In the Dark Side, the darkness hears screams of people dying and suffering. It hears the last breaths of some, and the first breaths of others.

But birth is just the beginning of death.

The darkness sitting on the floor of the dark apartment has lost his sense of time, and so he forgets that his guest will be arriving soon.

There is a knock on the apartment's door. The darkness does not hear it.

Lord Sidious… A voice calls from the Force's shadows.

Master Plagueis! The darkness replies. How is death?

You traitor! Roars the spirit Darth Plagueis.

Another useless knock on the door.

"Senator Palpatine?" comes a voice from behind the door. It is senator Taerht of Tatooine. "Are you there?" After a few moments, Taerht enters Senator Palpatine's apartment. "Senator?" Taerht finds a light pad and puts his finger on it. Light fills the room, and the darkness' concentration is broken. It's eyes open, and it stands up. This darkness is Darth Sidious, Lord of the Sith, disguised as a Senator from Naboo named Palpatine.

"What are you wearing?" Gasps Taerht as he sees the black, hooded robe over Sidious' body. "And… is that a lightsaber?" Taerht stares at the metal hilt hanging from the robe's belt.

"YOU!" Sidious roars. The Sith Lord runs up to Taerht, reaching for the Senator's throat.

Taerht jumps into the main hallway of the building for cover, but Sidious just follows.

"What are you!" Taerht asks. Sidious raises both of his hands, and lightning erupts from his fingertips.

Taerht screams and ducks behind a statue before the lightning can hit him. Heart pounding, he crawls toward the door that leads to the building's stairs. Another blast of lightning just misses him. Realizing that crawling isn't going to do anything, the Senator gets up and breaks into a run.

Another blast misses the senator and hits the ceiling. The lights go out, and darkness engulfs the hallway.

"You must not know about this," Sidious explains. "You must die."

He sees a running shadow out of the corner of his eye. He blasts lightning in the shadow's direction, and the figure of Taerht falls.

Sidious approaches the wounded Senator.

Taerht moans in agony.

Sidious activates his lightsaber.

BANG! A blaster bolt sends the lightsaber out of Sidious' hand, and Taerht runs down the hallway and enters the elevator. The elevator doors close, and Taerht goes to the apartment building's lobby.

Meanwhile, Lord Sidious recovers from his shock and picks up his deactivated weapon. He walks to a window in the hallway in time to see Taerht leaving the planet.

Taerht knows Palpatine's true identity. He must be killed.

Darth Sidious screams with rage.