MOS ESPA, TATOOINE

A large entourage of people moved down the streets of Mos Espa, people on foot a some hitching a ride on two speeders belonging to the group of people. Everyone following in the wake of a large hovering platform that allowed the massive beast that was Gardulla the Hutt to move comfortably and without having to touch the irritating sandcovered ground. The people of the small town all made sure to not block Gardullas path, or that of his loyal bodyguards and servants. The hutt rested like a fat toad ontop of the platform, showing no signs of caring the slightest about the poor and hardworking townsfolk of Mos Espa as he moved on past them. His guards pushed some people to the side from time to time, most often without any provocation at all; it was a reminder of who was in charge.

A few creatures and droids did join Gardualla on the platform, among them his two favorite dancing girls; Shmi, and her daughter, Beru. Beru noticed a young man following Gardullas entourage down the street and she reckognized him clearly enough. As he winked, she could not help but smile, and quickly tried to hide it from her mother. Beru slowly made her way back to the rear end of the hutts platform, careful to not gain the attention of her mother. Sliding off, her feet touched ground and she joined the men and women employed by Gardulla who followed him on foot through the town. Cautiously, she made her way over to the edge of the hutts large group of followers.

"I didn't think you would be back for another week" Beru said, glancing out into the crowd of ordinary townsfolk that lined the streets as they made way for Gardulla.

The young man chuckled as he gently pushed his way through the crowd to keep up with Beru. "I got lucky" he said with a shrug of his shoulders. "The shipment ment for Bandomeer had been hijacked by pirates over at Tanaab, so I didn't have to make the trip."

"Lucky you then" Beru smiled.

"So look" the young man said, "I'm spending a couple of nights here in Mos Espa. Maybe we could, you know, find some time to hang out?"

Beru smiled and shook her head. "I don't know. I have things to do you know."

"Who doesn't?" the boy replied with a wide grin.

Beru laughed. "Allright" she said, "who knows, I might find the time."

"Not likely!" Shmi growled and grabbed hold of Beru's arm and dragged her with her.

At the same time, two of Gardullas thugs - an aqualish and a greenskinned nikto - pushed their way through the crowd until they could grab hold of the young man that had talked to Beru, and then shoved him up against the wall of a building. The nikto held a viscious knife against the boys throat and snarled in his face.

"Stay away, Lars. How many times must I tell you? Stay away!"

The knife was moved away, but instead the young man named Lars took several punches to the gut, forcing him to fold over and gasping for breath. Lars looked up as the two thugs walked away to catch up with the rest of Gardullas entourage. Coughing, he spat at the ground, mostly out of contempt for the vile criminals, before pushing his way back up on his feet.

Shmi dragged Beru with her until she could push her up against the rear of the hutts hovering platform. "Damn it, Beru!" Shmi spat. "What does this mean?!" she then asked demandingly, grabbing her daughter by the arm and twisting the skin to bring a mark into full view; a branding made with hot iron. "You are Gardullas property! Do you even understand what that means?"

"Yes, I do!" Beru replied and twisted her arm from her mothers grip, only to place her hand to cover the branded skin in shame. "He's just nice to me, mom. That's all."

"People aren't nice on Tatooine" Shmi said, eyes dark from experience. "What if he makes you with child?"

"Mom, come on" Beru sighed, uncomfortable about the turn the discussion had taken.

"I am serious, Beru." Shmi calmed down, letting her anger be replaced with a mothers concern for her daughter. "You don't want to know what I had to do to convince Watto not to sell you and your brother when you were young. What he made me do."

Beru knew her mother was serious. Shmi had never spoken about what she had gone through in order to be allowed to keep her two children. In truth, Beru did not want to know.

Shmi sighed and shook her head. "Please, Beru. You have to be careful. Tatooine is not a forgiving place, and Mos Espa especially. The only thing that matters is that we, as a family, survive."

"I know, mom" Beru nodded, fully aware that there was noone else to trust on this planet than the three of them; Shmi, Beru and Anakin.

Shmi and Beru were helped back up on the platform by some of Gardullas most trusted servants and went back to do their part in being beautiful decoration as the hutt travelled through town.

XXX XXX

As Gardulla and his troupe of guards and servants had moved on, life went back to usual and the street came to life with people and vehicles in motion, going places to conduct business and duties. Owen Lars rubbed his stomach, still aching from the beating, as he studied the hutt and his staff from a distance as they went further down the street. He straightened his back to relieve himself of some of the ache and sighed.

"It's not Gardullas guards you should worry about."

Owen Lars turned as he realized he was spoken to, and found a young teenager standing a few yards from him.

"It's my mom" the boy then said. "She will kill you one day."

"Always such a charming boy, aren't you, Anakin" Owen Lars said with a mock smile on his face.

"I got more charm than you, spice-freighter" Anakin replied and spat on the ground right infront of Lars's feet.

"You looking for a beating, kid?" Owen asked, halfway ready to backhand the seven years younger teenager.

"First off" Anakin said, "if you hit me, mom will kill you. Secondly, Watto will ask you to compensate him for damaging his property."

Owen could barely stand the cocky little boy. "First off" he replied, "if I hit you, your mom can do nothing about it, because she's a slave. Property. Just like you, kid." Owen could tell his remark struck a deep wound in the boys pride. "Secondly" he continued, "I don't mind compensating Watto, if it means I get one good punch across your smug face."

"Yeah?" Anakin said. "Gotta catch me first" the young teenager said and then landed a gob of spit right between Owen Lars's eyes.

"Why you little..!"

And the chase was on. But the freighter-pilot was not as agile or as knowledgeable about Mos Espa to be able to keep up with the young slave; it did not take very long for Anakin to manage to lose his would be assailant. Owen Lars cursed as he tried to spot Beru's younger brother, but the boy was nowhere to be seen. Anakin, hiding behind garbage in an alley, shook his head.

"Scumbag" Anakin said with a frown as he studied Lars giving up the chase.

HEDNA, REPUBLIC PRISON-WORLD

The doorway parted and allowed the naboo senator to enter a dark room, the only light provided came from odd active screen or display and various indicators along the walls. In the middle of the room was a chair, more akin to a throne than anything else, and he headed for it; coming to a halt a few steps away. Medical-droid T4-Q9 and its counterpart, butler-droid K7-M31, walked up to their master; Baron Palpatine.

"Master, we have a secure link" K7 said. "We are ready to assist you, on your command."

"Proceed" Palpatine replied, almost with a sigh, and held out his arms.

The two droids aided each other in undressing the man, neatly folding his clothes and placing them on a table nearby. Standing naked, Baron Palpatine was revealed of wearing a harness strapped to his torso underneath his clothes; a sinister and cruel looking suit of armor. It was secured in place directly onto his skin with hooks and barbs, and only years of use had made him overcome the severe discomfort.

T4 adjusted chemical-injectors fastened to the harness rear, while K7 slowly turned dials located on the chest of the device. One indicator after the other turned black and eventually the droids were satisfied. They then proceeded to remove a chest-piece, along with the harness shoulder-pads, the hooks pulling on the mans skin as the pieces were disconnected.

Infected flesh was revealed where the pieces had been attached to the skin, pinkish and covered in puss with black and deceased veins visible in the unhealthy flesh. Palpatine groaned from pain and concentrated to overcome it, chaneling the agony into oblivion by focusing on his breathing. Opening his eyes once more, they had turned from blue, into yellow. T4 applied bacta-gel to the exposed areas before the medical-droid assisted K7 in dressing the man in black tunics and a pitch-black robe.

"The nullgraft was not intended for such prolonged use, master" T4 said as the two droids aided the naboo noble with his black attire. "Your body is deteriorating by this constant removal and re-application."

"Your insight is noted, doctor" Palpatine replied. "But continued use is a necessity."

"May I suggest a prolonged vaccation away from Coruscant?" T4 then inquired as the final robe was applied to Palpatines body over the layers of cloth and leather that made up his new appearance.

"My presence on Coruscant is a necessity, I'm afraid." Palpatine sat down in the thronelike chair located in the middle of the dark room. "And without the nullgraft, the Jedi would discover my presence instantly."

"But the ancient Sith used this device for torture, master" T4 pointed out. "Not to hide from the Jedi."

Palpatine was well aware of the harness history; the ancient Sith lords had used the nullgraft, as the device was known, to keep captured jedi prisoners. The nullgraft had the ability to cut a wearer off from the Force, effectively severing the connection between the Force and anyone able to tap into its mystical powers. A most useful tool during the years when the Sith and the Jedi were at war. Only one such powerful device had survived over the centuries since then. And now, it was in the possession of Baron Sheev Palpatine, the senator of Naboo.

T4 tried one last time to persuade his lord and master. "No jedi was ever made to wear a nullgraft for such an extended period of time, master."

"True" Palpatine admitted. "The interrogators had them killed long before."

At this time, the butler-droid, K7-M31, walked up to the droids master and applied the final touch to complete the senators transformation from senator into a figure of mystery. Satisfied that the last detail had been properly attached and secured in place, a metallic mask with two small slits for the eyes to peer out through, Palpatine pulled up the hood of his robes over his head. Satisfied, he pressed a series of keys on his armrest and turned a dial on the other. The two droids withdrew and within seconds, the room was lit up by a soft blue shimmer, eminating from two holographic projection taking shape.

"Master" an old man said as he fell to his knees, his gray beard well trimmed, head lowered in submission.

"My lord" the other projection spoke, the falleen placing a hand over his heart as he bowed deeply out of respect and prudence; the reptilians thick braid of hair falling down over his shoulder.

"Darth Ahranus" Palpatine said, hidden behind hood and mask, his voice now cruel and intimidating. "Senator Xizor" he continued. "The time has come for us to set our plan in motion. Inform the Federation to proceed as planned."

"As you wish, master" Dooku Serenno said, ever kneeling before his one true lord; Darth Sidious.

"Senator" Darth Sidious then adressed the falleen directly, "I have information for you concerning the senator of Ryloth. You will use this information to persuade him to join our cause. With the Ryloth senator as an ally, we will gain all of his corruptable friends as well."

Senator Xizor, a proud aristocrat from Falleen and heir to the Falleen throne, showed no sign other than that of dignity and proper breeding as he straightened his back and took the stance of true nobility. "The fat twi'lek will be brought into the fold, I'm sure" the reptilian replied with arrogance oozing from his words.

"The stage is set" Sidious remarked with confidence as he studied the two holographic transmissions joining him in the room. "The galaxy trembles as it senses all that we are about to accomplish. We will carve our fortune out of the carcass of the Republic."

"At last" Dooku said, lifting his eyes to into the dark slits of Sidious mask. "At last we shall have our revenge."

"Patience, my apprentice" Darth Sidious cautioned. "Soon enough we will reveal ourselves to the Jedi. And when we do... They will be destroyed."

Dooku and Xizor lowered their heads once more to honor their common lord and master, as Darth Sidious burst out into a sinister and evil laughter as he thought upon the events that would unfold.

FOURTH MOON OF YAVIN

Temple Master Mace Windu woke up from his meditation as one might wake up from a nightmare. Indeed, it was hard not to call his vision anything but just that; a proper nightmare.

XXX XXX

Jedi Master Pong Krell, the four-armed besalisk of the Magister disciplin, followed Mace Windu across the large hangar of the Jedi temple as the Temple Master pulled his brown robes over his shoulders onto his body.

"Your ship is fueled and ready" Krell said as they approached the light corvette of the Defender-class the Jedi Order favoured. "And your astromech-droid is onboard along with your crew."

"Good. You are in charge until I return, old friend" Windu said. "I will try and be back as soon as possible."

"It must be severe if you can not inform the High Council using a hologram" Krell said as they stopped by the extended ramp of the corvette.

Windu sighed and gave it some thought, even if he had aleady made his decision. "I do not trust that our communications are secure. I would feel more comfortable if I brought this matter before the High Council in person."

Krell simply nodded. "Very well then. May the Force be with you."

Mace Windu boarded the Defender-class corvette and found its pilot and co-pilot in the cock-pit, along with a red and white painted astromech-droid. "Fire up the hyperdrive, R8" Windu said as the pilot began the ignition-sequence to start up the ship. "As soon as we leave orbit I want to make the jump to hyperspace." The little droid chirped and beeped and a display in the cockpit translated what the droid wanted to convey. "Calculate a jump to Coruscant" Windu explained and then found his own seat in the cock-pit.

The pilot checked his dials and displays. "Taking off, sir" he informed moments before he made the corvette leave the Jedi temple and head for space.