Taerht sits in the pilot seat of his speeder, which is hovering in the middle of space. Coruscant is only a bright star in the distance.
Cold sweat has drenched Taerht's robes. He doesn't care. He has just learned a terrible truth about Palpatine of Naboo.
He is a Dark Jedi!
Should I tell the Jedi? Taerht wonders. No, he decides. That would just make Palpatine angrier. I have to hide.
He presses a button, and he jumps to lightspeed.
Meanwhile, Darth Sidious climbs into his speeder, still wearing his Sith robes. He does not have time to change. Taerht knows a deadly secret about him.
The speeder takes off, and it jumps to lightspeed.
Taerht's speeder lands on Alderaan. Not bothering to turn the ship off, Taerht jumps out of his vehicle and runs to the nearest house.
Knock, knock, knock! Comes a banging on the front door of a young couple's home. The wife gets out of bed and goes downstairs to the door.
Taerht sighs with relief when the house's door slides open.
"Can I help you?" The wife asks Taerht.
"I need shelter, someone horrible is after me!" Explains the Tatooine senator.
Seeing the fear in Taerht's eyes, the woman lets Taerht enter.
Sidious can see Taerht's route through the Force. The Dark Lord will find his prey soon.
Alderaan! Sidious realizes as he senses Taerht's final destination. He underestimates my power…
The dark speeder speeds on.
"Th-thank you s-s-s-so m-m-much!" Taerht says for the fifteenth time to the couple that sits next to him at a table. A nice, refreshing (and full) glass of ice-cold water is sitting in front of the terrified senator.
"So, what happened to you?" the husband asks. All Taerht can do is shake his head.
"You can sleep in the guest bedroom tonight." The wife offers.
"Th-th-that's very k-kind of you," Taerht tries to say. "But I c-cannot s-sleep. Not when there is s-so much d-d-d-d-danger!"
"Well you make yourself comfortable. We have the Holonet if you'd like…?" The wife says.
"Th-thank you." Taerht says with a crooked smile. All of a sudden, a shadow clouds the senator's mind. His eyes widen.
"Are you all right?" the husband asks.
"He's coming!" Taerht screams. "HE'S COMING! HE'S COMING! HE'S COMING! HE'S COMING! HE'S COMING!" Taerht knocks his glass of water over.
"Who?" The wife asks, but Taerht just keeps on screaming. Suddenly, the senator collapses. The couple rush to his side.
Sidious grins as he feels Taerht's life force weaken through the Force. His Mind Shadow has worked. It will keep Taerht down until the Sith Lord reaches Alderaan in a few hours.
Taerht and his new friends will die soon.
Very soon.