Deux: Cin Drallig, Whie Malreaux, Bene

Vader moved with silent stealth across the dark floor, contemptuous, simmering snger feeding his heart. He ignored the statues that glimmered with silent intensity, staring contemptuously at the Sith that would dare soil the confines of the Temple. But Vader was still distracted by himself. His thoughts were betraying him.

What about Obi-Wan? Anakin thought. You always held loyalty in the highest regard, now you've turned against him. What kind of friend are you?

He betrayed you, not the other way around, Vader replied, trying to un-ruffle his thoughts. He ordered to you to spy on Palpatine.

But he was right, wasn't he? Palpatine turned out to be the Sith Lord.

And Palpatine also turned out to be the one who can save Padme.

Padme.

And that was the end of the argument. For now.

Clones were quietly fanning out through the temple according to his orders; best to do this as quietly as possible for as long as the secrecy could be maintained. Vader wasn't entirely sure that if all the Jedi were alerted that his force could stand up to a full-fledged Jedi assault.

The doors to a sparring chamber loomed on his right. Within were the sounds of lightsabers hissing, shouts of instruction, and – as Vader stretched his perceptions into the room with the Force – a complete lack of attention for what was going on outside. Within the confines of his hood, he contemplated that, and it struck him that the Jedi had spent the last seventy years like this. Attending to 'Jedi business', ignoring the obvious signs around them of the rise of Darth Sidious.

And why should they? Vader thought. The Temple is a safe place. The Sith were supposedly extinguished. Ha.

Without a second's hesitation, Vader slipped silently into the room and stood, waiting. Within were Cin Drallig, Whie Malreaux, and Bene.

Bene and Whie were sparring in the midst of the room, two children in Vader's eyes, playing with toys the deadliness of which they knew little, if anything. Old Drallig stood to one side, giving either apprentice instructions as they clumsily parried and thrusted. Drallig glanced over and noticed Skywalker, gave him a nod of recognition and paid no more attention.

Vader smiled, amused by the Troll's reaction, his sheer lack of cognizance. He stood still for a moment, analyzing the techniques of the two duelists, letting himself indulge in this curious eccentricity. Bene is using a combination of Soresu and Shii-Cho. But she needs to tighten her stances. Whie is good. His simple Juyo is going to catch her off-guard in a minute…

Suddenly, Vader was aware of Drallig's eyes on him, a sudden awareness rippling through the Force… Vader grinned. This was his moment. Let it come. And he extended his thoughts, reached the old bladesbeing's mind, and hissed,

I am Darth Vader, Drallig.

And Cin knew. His double-bladed saber lurched into his hand, green beams flaring into bright existence as he threw himself toward the Padawans, fear in his voice: "Look out!" Fear. Vader fed on it. Anakin shrank from it. The Knight knew all too well where fear led.

Whie whirled, his blade coming up. Vader was there, dropping into Djem-So without any visible effort, and for a moment, Anakin Skywalker was totally forgotten as the Dark Lord of the Sith fed off of another life. Gracefully whirling, his blade sizzled through flesh as his blade cut off both of Whie's hands – the envied double cho mai. The boy screamed in agony, gaze fixed on the charred stumps of his hands, for a single instant regretted that he'd ever become a Jedi – just as Vader's blade clove him in two from head to crotch. Sai tok.

It was a game to Vader, scoring points with marks of contact. Ducking a frenzied and completely tactless swing from Drallig, his blade hissed again, catching Bene's leg, exposed by a poor Shii-Cho stance – cho mak -- and the Padawan was on the ground, tears filling her eyes, begging the Force for the answer: why would Anakin Skywalker murder Jedi?

Drallig was no idealist. He had firm ideas about the nature of right and wrong in the universe. But this was one thing thatcompletely blindsided him – Anakin Skywalker a Sith?

He never answered his own question. Vader's blade suddenly twirled in a graceful arc, slashing across the handle of Drallig's saber – sun djem -- then digging deep into the weapon master's shoulder. Shiak.

Bene writhed on the ground, trying to reach one of the many fallen sabers, tears flowing freely now, bestowing what she was sure were her last thoughts upon her friends, her Master… As the remorseless eyes of Darth Vader turned on her, she felt the Force twist in a horrible new way, as the tendrils she had once known as being warm and full of light, suddenly darkened and gripped her throat, tightening, tightening, tightening…

All too easy, Vader thought.