The shining light of Coruscant's blue, sole sun bore down upon the emancupolis, bathing half of the planet in the light that gave it the reputation of the true city that never sleeps - because if half of the planet is in light at any given time, of course, then it can't be said the city ever went to sleep.

In one of the highest regions on the planet, that light was shining into a room standing at the top of a massive temple-a lone, circular chamber at the tip of a tower, with no more than thirteen seats arranged in a circle around the borders, facing inward, with all the beings seated upon them hailing from different worlds and species, though all wearing Jedi robes.

This was the Jedi Council… Albeit, a version of the Jedi Council most would be unfamiliar with, due to the presence of an extra member. Most incarnations of the Jedi Council throughout time had been host to twelve members, not thirteen. That will be elaborated in a moment, for now, the Council was in session, looking gravely at two Jedi in the center of the room, Qui-Gon Jinn and his Padawan, Obi-Wan Kenobi.

"He was trained in the Jedi arts," Qui-Gon stood seriously, looking to the heads of the Order, Mace Windu and Yoda, "My only conclusion can be that it was a Sith Lord."

"Impossible." Ki-Adi Mundi scoffed, shaking his tall cranium. "The Sith have been extinct for over a millennium."

"I…" Mace began slowly. "Do not believe the Sith could have returned without us becoming aware of it."

"Ah," Yoda spoke, his voice high. "Hard to see, the Dark Side is."

Mace nodded, looking to Qui-Gon. "We will use all our resources to unravel this mystery. We will discover the identity of your attacker. May the Force be with you."

Obi-Wan bowed, beginning to walk away, only to realize that Qui-Gon hadn't moved.

"Master Qui-Gon," Yoda began, "More to say, have you, hmm?"

"With your permission, Master…" Qui-Gon glanced to his side as he crossed his arms, "I have encountered a vergence in the Force."

Yoda leaned forward with piqued interest. "A vergence, you say?"

"Located around…" Mace searched Qui-Gon's presence. "A person?"

"A boy," Qui-Gon nodded and he began to elaborate, "His cells have the highest concentration of midichlorians I've seen in a lifeform. It's possible he was conceived by the Force."

Mace straightened up as the rest of the Council, save the Thirteenth, glanced at each other with slight exasperation. "You refer to the prophecy of the one who will bring balance to the Force. You believe it's this… boy?"

"I don't presume to-"

"But you do!" Yoda cut Qui-Gon off with an accusatory point. "Revealed, your opinion is!"

"I request the boy be tested, Master." Qui-Gon Looked at Yoda pointedly.

"Trained as a Jedi, you wish for him to be."

"…finding him was the will of the Force - I am sure of it."

Mace sighed, shaking his head, before looking to Qui-Gon. "Bring him before us, then."

Qui-Gon nodded, exiting the chamber.

Not even an hour later, the sun began to set, plunging Coruscant's blue sky into a warm orange glow, and the child, Anakin Skywalker, was being administered the test.

Mace held a datapad, his mental defenses purposefully lowered so Anakin might gleam his surface thoughts, and recite the images the Jedi Master was perceiving. Anakin recited the images perfectly, even with the back of the tablet turned to him.

Yoda appraised Anakin… and correctly challenged the boy's fearlessness.

Then, as night fell over the Jedi Temple, Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan were called back in.

"The Force is strong with him." Ki-Adi began, looking at the trio in the center.

"He is to be trained, then?" Qui-Gon presumed.

Mace sat comfortably in his seat, shaking his head imperceptibly. "No. He will not be trained."

Anakin's face dropped, as he looked like his hopes and dreams were ripped away from him.

"No?" Qui-Gon incredulously repeated.

"He's too old." Mace said by way of elaboration.

"He is the Chosen One!" Qui-Gon insisted, looking to each Councilor, hoping to drive his point home. "You must see it."

"Hmm…" Yoda rumbled with closed eyes. "Clouded, this boy's future is."

"I will train him then." Qui-Gon quickly decided, Obi-Wan's head snapping toward him in surprise. "I take Anakin as my Padawan learner."

"An Apprentice you have, Qui-Gon." Yoda chuckled, sounding quite amused at the Jedi's audacity. "Impossible to take on a second."

"The Code forbids it." Mace agreed with a nod.

"I am ready to face the Trials." Obi-Wan took a step to join Qui-Gon.

"Our own counsel, we will keep on who to allow to take the trials." Yoda replied, thoroughly chastising Obi-Wan.

"No." The soft-spoken word in sotto voice thunderously bounced off the walls of the Council chamber, silencing every other Jedi in the room with the mere act of being spoken. All heads turned to the Thirteenth council member, and Anakin shivered at the soft-faced, sharp-chinned, unassuming young woman in the seat under one of the windows.

Looking at her… it hurt.

"Qui-Gon Jinn, you will not take Anakin as your Padawan." The woman decreed, the other Councilors nodding in agreement.

Obi-Wan's Jedi Master blinked in shock, uncrossing his arms. "Master Surik, surely you understand the importance of such strength in the Force requiring proper training."

"I do." Surik nodded in agreement with him. "That's why I will be training him."

Qui-Gon blinked again, before a small smile crossed his features, and he steeled his expression, as the other Councilors erupted.

"That is outrageous!" Ki-Adi declared, throwing up his arms.

"He is right," Mace, looking much more calm, but still displeased, agreed with a pointed glare at Surik, which she met, "It goes against our entire system of doing things."

Surik shook her head, looking to Qui-Gon. "The three of you can go." She gestured to them. "I'll need to have a talk with the others, then I'll meet with Anakin, one-on-one."

Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan nodded, bowing slightly. "May the Force be with you."

Qui-Gon had directed Anakin to sit in the room of a thousand fountains in wait for his new Jedi Master, and the young boy could only listen, wishing he wasn't alone on the edge of the pool of water.

Before long, he could feel that… headache growing, as shoes clacked against the polished stone floors, and Anakin turned around to see Surik approached.

"Master Surik-" Anakin began to bow.

"Oh, don't worry about that." She waved away. "Qui-Gon told me about your upbringing. I think the suspension of decorum is warranted, given your unique circumstances."

Anakin felt a grateful blush on his cheeks, as he nodded. "Thank you."

"You're welcome." She smiled gently at him, sitting down next to him. "I'm sorry about my friends back there. They mean well, but they're not used to dealing with normal people."

"Oh." Anakin blinked, supposing that made sense. "What's wrong with them?"

She chuckled slightly at that. "Nothing. They're worried about the group, rather than the one, but they maybe should have had a better plan than 'Refuse him, and just let him run loose on his own'. But don't worry about them," She crossed an arm over the other, looking at him patiently. "How are you feeling?"

"Fine," Anakin shrugged, "I guess."

"You're still scared, aren't you?" Surik inquired.

"So what?" Anakin defensively snapped back.

"Well," Surik began, licking her lips slightly sardonically, "You were meeting with a group of total strangers, who had the power to make or break your future, so you know what I think?"

Anakin shook his head.

She smiled, leaning in slightly. "I think if you weren't scared, you'd be a very stupid little boy."

Anakin recoiled at that, finding himself oddly comforted by that, but still… confused. "But Master Yoda said fear was a path to suffering."

"A possible path," Surik elaborated, with what was a little frustrated sigh, "Yoda means well, but often times he forgets he isn't all-wise. Really, all of the Council does. Makes my life a living hell sometimes, honestly…"

"But… you can make them listen to you." Anakin blinked in confusion.

"I'm Grand Master of the Order," She began in reply, almost conspiratorially, "But the Council are sapient beings. They don't always agree with me."

"Grand Master?" Anakin repeated curiously.

Surik nodded. "Mace leads things now, but I founded the Order."

Anakin's confusion grew, causing him to tilt his head, puzzled. "But… there're legends about the Jedi all over. They can't be that new."

"Oh, we aren't." Surik confirmed. "This latest version of the Order is about four-thousand years old, give or take."

"But… you said you founded it."

The woman's eyes twinkled. "I'm a lot older than I look, but you mustn't tell anyone."

Anakin looked at her, intrigued and amazed. "How old?"

"Four-thousand and something, I think." Surik replied. "Or thirty-something." She glanced at him. "I can't remember-that's how old I am."

"But you look young."

The corners of her mouth twitched up. "I do, don't I?"

Anakin's lips parted in awe. "How?"

"Maybe a story for another time." Surik shrugged not unkindly.

"…if you're not going to tell me that, why tell me you're that old in the first place?" Anakin pestered, though truthfully, he wasn't that bothered. There were plenty of near-humans that could live to be far older than most humans, she was probably one.

"Because it's a decent icebreaker and you looked like you could use something to ease the tension." She shook her head. "Though you wouldn't need it if the Council could have remembered they were dealing with a child and not an adult."

"I don't understand." Anakin frowned. "I didn't do anything, why didn't they like me?"

"It's not-" She began, sighing. "You're strong in the Force, Anakin." She began to explain, looking at him patiently. "One of the strongest we've seen in some time. Which, nowadays, means more than it used to."

Anakin tilted his head, and Surik sighed again.

"It used to be Jedi were allowed to have relationships with one another." Surik explained, "Those children would be even stronger in the Force, capable of things most Jedi now wouldn't imagine were possible. But a few thousand years ago, we started barring strong relationships, the kind that led to children being conceived. Without Jedi children being born to our own members, we had to rely on kind parents allowing us to take in their children to continue our lineage. Which has weakened our Force powers over the years."

"But… how does that mean I'm different?"

"Because you're a Force-sensitive born to a non-sensitive," Surik replied, "And you have the potential strength comparable to a Jedi of the Old Republic. A Jedi like me." Her lips twitched again in a solemn smile. "You might even be stronger."

"Is that why you wanted to train me?" Anakin inquired, slightly fearful.

"That," She granted, "And… you remind me of an old friend of mine. There's great potential in you, Anakin, and I think it'd be a disservice to you and to him if I allowed the Order to turn you away because of a might. Nothing good ever happened by acting rashly in response to fear." Surik kindly brushed a lock of hair out of his eyes. "Force willing, I will see you become a Jedi."

"What about Qui-Gon, and Obi-Wan?" Anakin asked. "It looked like Obi-Wan was a little angry with him when Qui-Gon said he could train me."

Surik let out a quiet chuckle. "Obi-Wan was just surprised that Qui-Gon would be so quick to jump to training you when he's not even past his trials yet. They'll make up this time as well, I'm sure of it, you don't need to worry."

Boots clacking against the floor echoed throughout the room again, and both turned to see Mace Windu approaching.

"Master Surik." Mace respectfully crooned, bowing his head minutely, "Young Skywalker." He politely directed to the boy, before looking at the Grand Master of the Order. "I was hoping for a moment of your time."

"No need to dance around it, Mace." Surik turned her head up slightly, meeting his grave disposition with one of his own. "I think we both know why you're here. The return of the Sith has you troubled."

"Yes." Windu nodded with what might have been a worried sigh, had he not possessed such a fine degree of control over his emotions. "I do not believe they could have returned without us knowing, but I also suspect Master Yoda is right. The Dark Side is shrouding our abilities."

"And you wish to know what I think." Surik guessed.

Windu simply looked at her, the silence his answer.

"I rebuilt the Order four-thousand years ago with just this temple, the holocrons, and whatever Force Sensitives were willing to come back after the devastation of the Purges." Surik reminded him. "It's not out of the question that something similar could have occurred with the Sith. In fact… I'd stake my life on it. They've always been… persistent about clinging to life."

Windu slowly absorbed her words. "And you really believe the assassin is a Sith? Truly?"

"I've killed more than my fair share of Sith, Mace." Surik crossed her arms. "Hundreds of them, all across the galaxy. Everything Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan described told me he was a Sith Assassin. A very skilled one, but likely not an isolated Dark Lord."

"…then that settles it," Mace inhaled, "Master Surik, I hate to ask this of you, but…"

"You wish for me to go to Naboo." Surik correctly read, "And kill the Sith."

Mace nodded. "As you've said, you have more experience with the Sith than any of us."

"Don't worry, Mace," Surik smiled, "I would be happy for an excuse to leave the temple."

The Jedi Master looked eased, nodding slightly. "Queen Amidala's ship is scheduled to leave-"

"You know how I feel about flying in other ships." Surik waved away. "Besides… This might be a good opportunity to get Anakin acquainted with his new home."

The child looked up at his new Jedi trainer, curious. "What?"

Surik smiled slightly. "Tell me, Anakin… do you like starships?"

The boy nodded.

"What about retro ones?"

He nodded again, more insistent, as Surik's smile grew.

"Then have I got the perfect treat for you."

"That's where you live!?" Anakin pointed at the ancient Dynamic-class freighter in front of them. There were only a handful of those ships known to exist, and all were in museums of some sort.

"Hey!" Surik defensively crossed her arms. "She may be old, but she's still got it where it counts!"

"I'm just… it's amazing how you could keep finding the parts for it." Anakin dodged, as they walked toward the ship, up the ramp.

"You mean surprising," Surik knowingly returned, glancing at him with an unoffended grin, "Well, when you get to be four-thousand years old, you learn a thing or two about spaceship parts. Including how to make replacements for outdated ones. She hasn't gotten out since the end of the last Sith War," She patted the metal of the walls, almost… lovingly, "But I do my best to keep her in running order. Well, I and-"

At that moment, whatever Surik was about to say was cut off as a short, blocky astromech came charging around the corner, screaming.

"Oh for the love of…" Surik sighed, rubbing her face as the droid nervously chittered at her, "What in the hell are you two arguing about now?"

"Defensive statement:" Anakin jumped behind Surik as a bipedal droid that was all sharp and sleek angles, and colored a deep rust brown red (the color of dried blood) emerged from around the corner, "I did not start anything, Master. Elaboration: I was only trying to give the little pile of circuits an oil bath."

The astromech hissed, causing Surik to raise an eyebrow.

"With his internals completely exposed?" The Jedi shifted her balance, shaking her head. "Never mind-the two of you haven't gotten along for the past few millennia, why would you start now?" She grumbled, looking to Anakin. "Anakin, this is T3-M4 and HK-47."

"Pained realization: Master, do not tell me you mean to bring another meatbag aboard the ship." HK practically begged. "Especially not one so young."

"I do," Surik nodded with a grin, "And guess what? You get to be the one to act as his bodyguard in case we get separated." She turned to the child. "Come along. We'll get starside and then I'll show you around."

Anakin nodded, following the Jedi Master into the cockpit, watching as she sat down in the pilot's seat. He got into the co-pilot's seat after a moment of being unsure, before she began to launch the ship. Through all of the procedures, he caught the name of the ship, Ebon Hawk.

Before long, the ground underneath was floating away, as the ship blasted away from the Temple hangar, and suddenly, Anakin felt very self-conscious, going along with everything.

"The Hawk's hyperdrive is a class one," Surik spoke up, unprompted as she lay in the course for Naboo. "In all likelihood, we'll end up getting there before the Queen. Hopefully, if that Sith Assassin is there as Mace seems to think - which he should be given that he's going after the Queen and she's going back to Naboo - I'll be able to dispatch him before he has the chance to kill the Queen."

Anakin frowned. "What is a Sith? Are they like… bad Jedi?"

"In a way, I suppose." Surik replied slowly, as the sky faded into the black of space, and she engaged the hyperdrive. "They're Force-users, like us. But the Jedi seek to use our powers to help others-the Sith seek to use theirs to dominate and enslave."

Anakin frowned. He didn't like the sound of that at all. "But if the Jedi got rid of them, how are they coming back?"

"Sith aren't a species, at least, not anymore." Surik replied. "After our last war with them, the Jedi pulled ourselves back to Coruscant, and started taking in young children in the hopes that a natural-born Force sensitive wouldn't stumble across a Sith artifact and use it to begin rebuilding their empire." She looked downcast for a moment. "It wouldn't be the first time it's happened." She looked haunted for a moment, lost in memory, before the look evaporated and she forced herself to brighten up. "But, let's not worry about that for now. Sith are dealt with easily enough, for now, I would like to start your training."

"What, for real?" Anakin hopefully asked.

Surik smiled, and gently nodded. "Nothing too advanced so far, just the basics, but yes. I told you you would be a Jedi, and I meant it."

"Thanks Master Surik!" Anakin positively shined after the rejection he'd gotten from the Council was overturned.

"Please, Anakin, call me Meetra." She requested, and they were off to Naboo.

Before long, the Ebon Hawk had broken past the Trade Federation blockade, landing well outside any of Naboo's cities. Midway through the journey, Qui-Gon had reached out to her. The Council were sending him and Obi-Wanas well to continue defending the Queen, allowing Meetra to focus on finding and dispatching the Sith Assassin.

Good. Sith could be slippery bastards, at best. Any sliver of her attention focused elsewhere, and the Sith would likely exploit it, and use it to get away.

So now, Meetra was waiting for the slightly slower Nubian ship to arrive, but that wasn't to say she was just sitting there.

Out in the jungles, Meetra directed Anakin to sit on a tree stump, the child confusedly obeying, slowly.

"Close your eyes," The Jedi Master directed gently, speaking softly to the extent it seemed like her voice was blending into the sounds of nature around them, "Open your mind to the universe."

"Okay, um… how?" Anakin questioned slowly.

"The Force exists everywhere, in all things." She patiently explained. "But it is stronger in places like this." She gestured around, "The Force touches life, and in turn, is fueled by it. We generate the Force and add to it. Our experiences, our emotions-they give the Force more power, sweetening the universe, giving it meaning beyond randomness and chance. Try to feel it flowing in and out around here."

Anakin looked don, shame-filled. "I still don't quite understand. I'm sorry-"

"Don't be," She tapped his shoulder, "Some Jedi train from birth and still have trouble learning how to feel and listen to the Force." She went silent for a moment, thinking how to best explain it. "We are symbiotically linked to the Force. You know… trees?"

"Like these ones?"

The Jedi Master nodded. "Yes. Organisms like you and me, we breathe in oxygen, and breathe out carbon dioxide. Those trees then breathe in that carbon, and breathe out oxygen for us to breathe. It's a circle-we support them, and they, in turn, give us what we need to continue living. It's something similar with the Force. It creates life where it touches, and in turn, life creates it. Try to focus on how this place feels different to the Ebon Hawk. There will be one difference that you won't be able to put into words, at first. It won't feel hot, or cold, but you will feel it in your very spirit-that difference, that is life itself, and through it, you will learn how to feel the Force."

"Oh, I see!" Anakin suddenly excitedly jumped up. "It's like water!"

Meetra, although puzzled, tilted her head with a curious, indulgent smile. "Water?"

"Yeah, on Tat-" He stuttered for a moment, a little bit of the wind taken out of his sails, before he continued. "On Tatooine, water, even the really nasty stuff, usually had this… hum around it, I guess. Nobody else could feel it, but it usually went away after it was purified."

"What you were feeling were probably the micro-organisms floating around inside the water." Meetra explained. "Try to remember what that hum felt like, and see if you can feel it all around us now."

Anakin nodded, closing his eyes once more, as his breathing tightened. "I can feel it." He spoke after a moment. "It's like… everything's vibrating. They're… connected."

Meetra nodded in satisfaction. Qui-Gon had been right, the boy was powerful. "What else do you feel?"

"I can… I can feel the birds, migrating." Anakin explained. "The dirt feels like it's… moving with everything inside it." The child's face dropped. "There's a… a dead spot. It's not humming like everything else."

Meetra's features locked into stone, as she stood, still and inscrutable. "Yes… and what does the dead spot feel like?"

"It's… empty." Anakin shivered. "And cold… And-" He popped his eyes open, looking at her in surprise. "It's you. Why do you feel like that?"

Meetra sat down next to Anakin, noticing how he recoiled away from her somewhat. It was only fair-she just opened him to a new way of seeing the universe, and in that he'd discovered that she was wrong.

She thought about it for some time, before at last just shaking her head. "I'm different." She shrugged simplistically, looking at him. "Even compared to other Jedi and Sith."

"…does it have to do with you being four-thousand years old?" Anakin asked.

Meetra nodded gently. "It's a long story… and not all of it is suitable for a child."

"Oh." Anakin didn't seem hurt by her dodging of it. He likely knew better than to pry, given his upbringing. "Meetra, I've been wondering… Everyone in the Council room were talking about Midichlorians. What are they?"

Meetra chuckled, seeing Anakin's attempt to change the subject for what it was, and in fact, welcoming it. "Well, simply put, they're what connects us to the greater Force. It's through them that Force sensitives can control the Force, and it's through them that the Force can commune its will to us. Remember what I said about symbionts?"

"About us and the trees?" Anakin recalled.

The Jedi Master nodded. "Yes, like that. The Midichlorians are the physical manifestations of the Force's symbiotic relationship with living things. They bolster our immune systems, allow us to do physical feats normal beings could not accomplish, and allow us to use the Force. In return, we use them to release our emotions and passions into the Force, and use them to listen to its will and intent for us, and obey it."

Anakin paled slightly, "They can… control me?"

"Oh no, not at all." Meetra gently placed her hands on his shoulders, steadying him. "Jedi follow the Will of the Force because we believe it is right, not because we're being forced to. When I say we listen to the Force's will and intent for us, I mean we can use it to… feel what it has in mind for us. Like… have you ever followed your gut without precisely knowing why it is a good idea, only you just know it is, and good things happened because you did? It's like that. Gut feelings."

Anakin nodded in understanding, before a silvery Nubian ship blew past overhead, settling down several meters away.

"Like recently," Meetra's lips twitched, "Like when my gut told me it would be a good idea to come to this forest to meet back up with the Queen's forces."

"Wizard." Anakin breathed.

Meetra got to her feet, watching as two figures emerged from beyond the trees, Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan.

"Master Surik." Obi-Wan addressed in surprise, "What are you doing here?" He questioned, before Qui-Gon shot him a look for his impropriety.

"The same reasons as you are, I suspect." Meetra sagely crossed her arms, standing unflappably. "Defense of the Queen, and dispatching of the Sith Assassin, should he return."

"Ani!?" A young girl breathed in surprise as she came through the trees. "I thought you had stayed-" Anakin rushed over to her side, as Meetra kept her focus on Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan.

"I trust the two of you have a plan, then?" The ancient Exile asked of her two youngers.

Qui-Gon nodded once. "Indeed. We can fill you in along the way."

"Good." Meetra nodded, before turning back to the direction the Ebon Hawk was in. "Let me grab something, and we can be on our way."

That "something" was, what else, HK-47. After a few centuries of being cooped up, with only the occasional field trip to dispense of a target Surik decreed a threat, the assassin droid was more than happy to get out and about again with his blaster rifle.

Jar Jar came up from one of Naboo's many lakes, having searched for the Gungan army, shrugging. "Meesa no thinkin dey be there!"

Surik blinked, taken aback slightly. Four-thousand years, and the galaxy still found curveballs to throw at her. However, a thick-accented, childish sounding frog man was a welcome change to the kind of curveballs she expected usually. "Er… what?"

"Translation:" HK began, clutching the stock of his blaster rifle tightly, and though he was a droid, everyone present could feel the disgust radiating off him at the sight of Jar Jar Binks. "Master, what I believe the verbally-challenged meatbag is trying to say is that the Gungan city is deserted. Observation: If the Gungan army could be bested by such… inferior droid models as the B-1 Battle Droid, their army would likely not be very useful in repelling a ground invasion of Naboo. Why, it is probable I could best the army on my own. Request: Oh, Master, please let me show those scrap-built units a proper fight."

"Not now, HK." Meetra silenced him, as Obi-Wan chewed his lip thoughtfully. Anakin, though he'd let go of her, was staying rather close to one of the Queen's Handmaidens, the girl who'd rushed to meet him, Padmé.

"Do you think they could have been taken to the camps?" Obi-Wan suggested, looking to Qui-Gon for the answer.

"They probably were wiped out." The Queen's Guard Captain, Panaka, shook his head.

"Meesa no tink so." Jar Jar retorted, shaking his head.

"Jar Jar," Meetra, as usual when she talked to people and sensing there was more to be explored, grabbed the thread of the topic and pulled, "Did you see anything down there? Dead bodies, blaster scoring, things like that?"

"Oh, no, that would be muy bombad!" Jar Jar replied. "Wesa like keepin our home clean and sparkly shiny."

"So, it was still pristine when you went down to it." Qui-Gon, picking up on what Meetra was asking and what Jar Jar was saying, entered in. He looked to the Jedi Master, raising an eyebrow. "A retreat?"

"Retreat implies they were forced to flee because the enemy was overwhelming them." Meetra returned, crossing her arms. "If the droids had slaughtered the Gungans, or forced a retreat, there'd be evidence. My instincts tell me the city was abandoned without the droid army advancing on it."

"But why?" Padmé butted in with a frown.

Meetra turned to her, age and wisdom radiating off her deceptively young features. "You know, in the Mandalorian Wars, the Mandalorians used to boobytrap their cities and desert them. When we advanced on them, we'd find an empty town, no evidence where they went to, and before we could begin picking it all apart, they'd blow up and kill everyone."

Padmé looked aghast at the idea, before Obi-Wan spoke up.

"A trap, then?" The young Jedi suggested. "Lure in the droid army to what looks like easy pickings, then blow it all up? Would the Gungans really destroy their own homes like that for victory over the droids?"

"I don't know," Meetra turned back to Jar Jar, "They're your people, Jar Jar. Is that something they would do?"

"Meesa gots no clue." The Gungan man admitted. "But theresa bein a lot of Gungans all over. De boss probably be callsing the others for help."

"Rallying different groups of Gungans?" Qui-Gon supposed. "Then the question becomes: Where?" He looked pointedly at Jar Jar. "Where would Boss Nass go to rally the Gungans, Jar Jar?"

"Oooh, the Sacred Place! Very old place, all Gungan tribes born there they say! Itsa not too far, methinks." He waved them to follow. "Thisa way!"

"Objection:" HK looked to Meetra. "Master, I must insist we do not follow such a… primitive fool. If I have to hear his butchering of the Basic language for much longer, I will be forced to rip out his tongue myself and feed it to a Gizka."

They, mostly the younger members of the group, looked at HK in shock, while Meetra just waved her hand flippantly.

"Not yet, HK." Meetra shook her head, as she took the first steps to follow Jar Jar.

The others in the group looked at each other, sufferingly, before they followed Jar Jar's lead.

It didn't take long for them to start seeing the first traces of the Gungan army, before seeing them all gather in ancient ruins deep in the woods. It was a tense conversation as the Queen and Boss Nass sparred with their words, deciding the fate of the planet, before everyone except Panaka and the Handmaidens got a shock as Padmé revealed herself to be the real Queen Amidala, which the decoy Queen confirmed, and knelt in front of the Boss, asking for help.

After the informal declaration to assist, they were all preparing for their tasks, formulating the plan to retake Theed city, the capital of Naboo.

"Meetra?" Anakin rushed up to her as the final preparations began in earnest. Panaka was just finishing summarizing the situation-the droid army was much larger than first anticipated, and the resistance in Theed wasn't proceeding as well as they hoped.

"In a moment, Ani." Meetra politely replied, looking to Padmé. "Now, Your Highness, Captain Panaka's right," She pointed to the man, who nodded, looking vindicated by the Jedi Master's agreement, "The Gungans will be slaughtered trying to fight the droid army head on." She looked at the Queen pointedly. She held up a hand before Padmé could open her mouth. "Now, we can take Theed, but as soon as Gunray realizes we're going after him, he can divert his forces back into the city, and with the token force we'll need to send to minimize detection, we'll be the ones in trouble. Even if he doesn't realize we're there until its too late, he can hold off on signing a treaty long enough to make it sting-we need to take his army out of the picture, quickly."

Qui-Gon nodded in agreement. "Many Gungans could lose their lives in this diversion."

"You are not telling me anything I don't already know." Padmé replied. "But we do have a plan that should immobilize the droid army." She brought up her hand, allowing a small holoprojector to display the image of a Lucrehulk-class vessel. "This ship is projecting a control signal for the droid army. When we get into the palace, our pilots can make their way to their starfighters, and destroy the droid control ship in orbit."

Obi-Wan frowned. "That will never work, surely? Even without a control signal, the droids should still be able to fight?"

"Information:" HK began to refute, "The particular models being used during this invasion are cheaply-manufactured, mass-produced models, designed for affordability over all other factors. They don't even possess on-board brains of their own. Observation: That is why the control ship is required. It is not merely sending a signal to order the army around-rather, the computer aboard the vessel is the brain for every unit in the army."

"It's cheaper to put radios in their heads and keep the big, expensive brain off the battlefield, rather than spend money on costly, complex personality cores for each individual unit." Meetra hummed thoughtfully. "They're dumb as rocks… but it just means they're all the quicker to crank out."

"Observation:" The assassin droid continued. "Once the ship is destroyed, all units will shut down due to lack of processing capability. Why, even an untrained meatbag would find them easy to clean up afterward."

"A sound plan, in theory." Qui-Gon rumbled. "But Your Highness, the weapons on your starfighters may not penetrate the shields. And if the Viceroy escapes, he will return with another army."

"Qui-Gon," Meetra snapped her fingers, pointing, "That's why you will go with her. The Viceroy will still need her alive to force the treaty to be signed, that should make him easier to capture."

"I understand." Qui-Gon nodded in agreement. "What of Obi-Wan?"

"I'll need him to come with me."

Qui-Gon uncrossed his arms, looking at her up and down in disbelief. "To kill the Sith?"

"You said it yourself, he is ready for his Trials." Meetra replied, staring pointedly at him. "Besides, fighting a Sith is no easy task. I'll need someone to come with me, and while I trust your experience, Qui-Gon, I would rather that experience be used to protect the person that will make or break this whole situation." She glanced in Padmé's direction, driving her point home.

Qui-Gon looked like he wanted to argue with that, but he held his tongue, and nodded. "I understand." It was clear he didn't want Obi-Wan going to fight a Sith, with a Grand Master or not, but he had to defer to her judgement in that matter.

"Not to worry," Meetra comfortingly intoned, "I will lay down my life for his, if I must." She looked around, to everyone. "Now, if that's all we need to sort out, we shouldn't waste any more time."

"Agreed." Padmé replied, shooting a look to Panaka, and the man went off to give the order to assemble the armies, as the group dispersed.

Meetra sighed, finally turning back to look at Anakin. "Now," She got on his level, "What was it you wanted to ask?"

"I noticed it just now, but…" Anakin frowned. "Qui-Gon likes to argue a lot when people tell him what to do, but he always listens to you. How come?"

"I told you," She flashed a smile, "Grand Master of the Order, four-thousand years old- while I don't lead the Order as an organization anymore, the people in it do still listen to me, on a lot of things."

"Oh, okay." Anakin nodded slowly. "Um… do you think, after this is done… do you think you could tell them to go back to Tatooine to get my mom?"

"Oh, Anakin…" Meetra brushed his hair aside, "I can't do that." She began, and his face started to drop with what looked like horror, before she quickly continued, "I think, if anyone frees your mom, it should be you. I could go too, but I think it'd be all the better if you walked in there, ready to get her out and take her with you."

Anakin did look comforted by her elaboration, nodding. "All right."

"Now," Meetra stood up, before tossing him a small commlink, "Get back to the Hawk, keep that tuned to frequency seven-four-two, and tell Teethree to prepare the ship for a quick take-off, just in case."

"Okay." Anakin shoved the comm unit into his pocket, and he turned around, running off to the ship in the distance.

Meetra inhaled, and turned to rejoin the group that was just beginning to set out.

Not that she was anxious.

No, she greatly liked her odds.

The group quietly skulked across Theed city, dodging the droids patrolling the streets, hiding around corners, and sneaking down alleys.

They reached the outside of the palace, and then, all hell broke loose. The attack began with a Nubian-driven tank opening fire on the droids, sending scrap and parts flying everywhere.

Qui-Gon, Obi-Wan, and Meetra ignited their lightsabers, the ancient Jedi Master's saberstaff blade glowing green similarly to Qui-Gon's, while Obi-Wan's held at a steady blue.

The trio of Jedi led the way into the palace, slicing through the droid defenses as they made their way to the central hangar. The four thousand year-old Jedi grabbed onto a thread of the Force, and thrust her arm up, a bolt of lightning springing up from her hand into a miniature storm, the web of crackling electricity arcing through the air, directed at all the droids present, causing them to explode into smoldering piles of slag.

"That was a Dark Side technique!" Obi-Wan recognized with a gasp.

"Yes it was!" Meetra returned, deflecting blaster bolts back at the droids that were still standing and firing on them.

"You just used the Dark Side!"

"Yes, I did!" Meetra's arm shot out again, as she sent a destroyer droid flying into the wall. "We can talk about the particulars of using the Dark Side later, preferably when we're not fighting!"

"Get to your ships!" Padmé ordered the pilots, the brave Nubian men and women jumping into the yellow, sleek and pointed fighters, taking off as the droids were kept from firing on the spacecraft. As the last droid fell, she turned to Panaka. "My guess is the Viceroy's in the throne room."

Panaka nodded in agreement, "Red group, blue group, this way!" He directed, beginning to lead the march to a large double-door on the back wall.

Meetra followed, frowning as she felt a tingling in the back of her mind, and oily shadows creeping in the corners of her vision. As they reached the metal doors, they slid open, revealing a figure shrouded in black, leathery robes on the other side with the hood up, and everybody stopped.

The being looked up, revealing himself to be a Zabrak male with red and black skin, and diseased yellow eyes brought on by the taint of the Dark Side.

"We'll take the long way." Padmé wasn't thrown off-balance for even a second by the Sith Assassin, leading her people to a door on the adjacent wall.

"Qui-Gon, go with Her Highness." Meetra ordered, lifting her saberstaff and spinning it. "Obi-Wan and I will handle this."

"May the Force be with you." He wished, walking away as the Sith Assassin lifted his hood, freeing his horns.

Obi-Wan lifted his lightsaber, shrugging off his robes as Meetra, already prepared and ready to fight, stood standing still.

The Sith Assassin shrugged off his cloak, and activated his own, crimson-bladed saberstaff.

Obi-Wan leapt over the Sith, as Meetra tried to stun the Assassin using the Force, only for the Zabrak to seemingly shrug it off, bringing up the ends of his saberstaff to block the strikes as he pulled the Dark Side into himself, enhancing his speed, reflexes, and raw strength. The Assassin jumped, kicking Meetra away as he backpedaled, throwing something to force the door behind him open, as he headed into the power chamber, Obi-Wan giving chase.

Meetra called upon the Force yet again, and she jumped, using it to propel herself at blinding speed across the hangar, rejoining the combatants. The Zabrak stopped, poised ready to block the two, and Meetra glanced at Obi-Wan.

The Padawan feigned a strike, allowing Meetra to have an opening at the Assassin's side, and she took it. The Assassin brought up his saber to block, but it was clear he was squarely on the defensive, even as he reacted to the Jedi Master's movements.

Meetra grinned, spinning her saberstaff in response.

One Sith after a thousand years?

This was going to be easy.

Anakin sat in the co-pilot seat of the Ebon Hawk, fiddling around with the comm link.

He switched through all the frequencies, before he heard something.

"We can't-" The voice was heavily distorted by static, flickering in and out. "Shields too strong-"

"That's the Royal Pilots!" Anakin realized, jumping up. "T3, we've gotta help them!"

The little droid bleeped back something that might be construed as 'oh, hell no.'

"Come on!" Anakin begged. "The guns on this thing have to be pretty strong, and they could use the help! Please! If we don't, that droid army's going to be able to get to Theed!"

T3 stared up silently at the boy, before wheeling over to the navcomputer, plugging in.

"Whoa!" Anakin gasped, buckling in as the Ebon Hawk suddenly took off, blasting into space at top speed, and he just barely had the time to buckle in properly, taking the flight stick. The ship continued to shake and rattle, as the droid control ship got closer into view, firing on the freighter. "This is tense!" He gasped, shoving the stick to the side, and causing the ship to lurch to port, out of the way of a starfighter erupting into flame. "What kind of guns do we have!?"

T3 made a screeching series of bleeps, a screen on Anakin's console translating them into galactic standard. "Put the ship back on auto you little booger! You're gonna get us both killed!"

"No way!" Anakin refuted. "Now, are these the-" He squeezed two triggers on the flight stick, red bolts of turbolaser fire streaming out from the guns mounted on the ship, blasting apart something outside. "Uh oh, what'd I do!?" He hollered in terror, believing for a moment he'd just shot one of the good guys.

"Killed a droid," T3 hurriedly replied, "Now switch us back to auto! If we die up here, Meetra will bring both of us back so she can kill us again!"

"I'll try spinning!" Anakin declared, outright ignoring T3 at this point, "That's a good trick!" He jerked the sticks to the side again sending the freighter barreling to port

"Anakin, they are shooting at us!"

"Well, shoot back!" Anakin ordered, "There have got to be guns on this thing you can shoot!"

T3 screeched as he took control of the guns, shooting at the droid fighters outside.

"Woohoo!" Anakin whooped as the dreadnought-level quadlasers mounted on the outside of the freighter opened fire.

Back on the surface, in the vast chamber composed of many catwalks linked together over an enormous pit, Meetra Surik and Obi-Wan Kenobi continued their battle against the Sith Lord.

The duo pushed the Sith back towards one stream of glowing violet plasma coursing through a glass tube, the darksider meeting every one of their strikes with his own.

Meetra took a breath, her teeth clenched. This was, simply put, bad news. The way he was fighting… he wasn't just some Force user who found a Sith Holocron and fell to its temptation - the Zabrak was trained, keeping up with them, and in some ways, surpassing them. While four-thousand years of expertise did give Meetra the upper hand, it was clear that Obi-Wan just could not keep up.

That, unfortunately, was proven well and true as the Assassin kicked Obi-Wan in the gut, sending the Padawan flying over the edge down to one of the lower levels.

Meetra grimaced in frustration, but was still aware of Obi-Wan's presence in the Force. He was alive, just separated from her.

The Assassin tried bringing the blade of his saber down towards Meetra's center, but she jumped back, quickly twisting the hilt of her saberstaff and pulling it apart into two separate lightsabers, keeping the Zabrak from landing any strike, even on her weapon.

With a twirl of the two sabers, Meetra brought one of them down at an angle that forced the Assassin to block, leaving his other side open to her other saber. She singed his flesh, and he jumped back, off the catwalk to one of the lower ones. A moment later, she jumped down afterward, keeping close pursuit to him.

However, as the Dark Side pulsed in the room, the pain caused by the sizzling, grazing blow only seemed to strengthen the Sith, as his strikes only grew in speed and strength.

The Sith Assassin continued moving back towards the laser gates keeping the generator complex's core sealed off from the rest of the facility. The barriers fell as they approached, a lightsaber igniting from behind as Obi-Wan tried to catch up, before the laser walls reactivated, sealing them all in different pockets, cutting them off from each other.

The Sith Assassin snarled, hitting the wall with his lightsaber, as Surik flashed him a cocky grin, twirling her two lightsabers.

T3 let out a shriek as the Ebon Hawk twirled yet again, sending his alignment gyroscopes all out of whack as the freighter was put through maneuvers a starfighter was better equipped to handle.

"We're hit!" Anakin shouted as they went blasting into the hangar bay on the control ship. The only saving grace was, since the vessel was as big as it was, they didn't immediately crash as they went barreling inside.

"Anakin, stop!" T3 begged as he watched their approaching doom come from the flat wall at the other end of the hangar. "FOR THE LOVE OF ALL THE CORELLIAN GODS, STOP!"

"I'm trying!" Anakin snapped back, finding the button to extend the landing gear, before the ship slammed into the deck of the hangar, sliding across, before sliding to a stop. "…well, we're stopped!"

"Joy."

Meetra stood, her body still tensed and prepared against the Zabrak standing across from her. The laser gate fell, and she instantly shot forward, the Force coursing through her muscles, allowing her to move with incredible speed, in the hopes of catching the Sith off-guard.

They made their way away from the laser gates as they came back online, trapping Obi-Wan away from the action. The Assassin jumped, kicking away one of her lightsabers right out of her hand.

Meetra clenched her jaw as the blade plunged into the pit. Darkness crept in the corners of her vision, clouding her decisions and reactions. She became sluggish, less precise, as the Assassin swung at her side. She blocked the easily-telegraphed strike, but it seemed the Assassin was actually banking on it, as he moved his saberstaff's blade with Meetra's swing. Since, naturally, she had been expecting him to resist her pushing, it her to overextend herself, bringing her head down…

…into a position where he was easily able to jump and swipe the blade into her neck, cleaving her head right off.

As the world went black, Meetra could hear Obi-Wan's scream, before she knew no more.

Anakin chewed his fingernails nervously, before he decided to just begin going wild with the guns. The lasers blasted right throughout the hangar bay, bouncing off the walls and taking out everything they hit. One impacted an arrangement of machines in the back, before erupting into an even more powerful explosion.

"Whoops!" Anakin sarcastically laughed.

"Okay, kid, you did it, you saved the world, can we please go back now!?" T3 begged as the reactor module for the Federation ship began to explode.

"Whoo!" Anakin whooped as he turned the ship to the side, narrowly making it through the closing hangar doors of the exploding vessel. "Now this is podracing!"

The laser gate in the generator's central chamber fell, allowing Obi-Wan to jump in, wildly swinging his lightsaber at the Sith in the room. The Dark Side was coursing through the Padawan now, fueling his attacks with his rage.

He didn't care. His only thought was that the Sith would die for taking the life of a Jedi Master. The Jedi Master, really. She'd rebuilt the Order from almost nothing, had led it through the most difficult times of the past four millennia, was an expert when it came to killing Sith, and she'd fallen to in combat to the first Sith encountered after a thousand years?

Obi-Wan couldn't stand for that. The Padawan jumped, bringing his lightsaber down on the Apprentice's head, before, in his rage, he reached out into the Force, activating Meetra's lightsaber on the ground, sending it flying toward the Sith.

The Sith turned, smacking it away, before kicking Obi-Wan into the pit, along with his lightsaber.

Obi-Wan fell, grabbing onto one of the light fixtures as his lightsaber fell to join the one half of Meetra's, leaving just one up there.

One chance to get rid of the Sith.

Obi-Wan closed his eyes, taking a deep, calming breath, forcing the alluring whispers of the Dark away. He'd have the chance to be mortified with himself later, but if he lost focus now and slipped up, that would be it. Obi-Wan reached into the Force, feeling the swirling of energy around Meetra's other saber, and the absence of life around the corpse of the fallen Jedi Master.

Obi-Wan yanked it toward him, and yanked himself into the air, somersaulting over the Sith with the ignited lightsaber. The Assassin brought the saber up to block the strike he was sure was coming from overhead, only for Obi-Wan to go lower, slicing through the Sith right at the waist.

The Assassin's face twisted in shocked agony, before his legs collapsed, and he went tumbling back, into the pit.

Obi-Wan stood, watching, before his focus gravitated toward the decapitated Jedi Master nearby, and he gulped, walking over.

He got on his knees next to Meetra, solemnly closing his eyes, shaking his head. Qui-Gon would've said something, he was sure, but… he just didn't have the words.

Obi-Wan sat there quietly for a few seconds, before he felt… something. A tremor, in the Force. No… not a tremor, a spasm, like the entire universe twitched in revulsion for just a second. At the same time, Obi-Wan could feel something like a wound, or a void, being torn open in front of him, accompanied by a deep, struggling gulp of air.

Obi-Wan's eyes popped open, and he looked down in shock, jumping away from the very much intact, very much alive, Exile-turned-Grand Master.

Meetra gasped for a few moments, like someone who'd just come up for air after holding their breath underwater for too long, hyperventilating rapidly. Slowly, her breaths calmed, as her eyes darted around, before focusing on Obi-Wan.

Obi-Wan jumped to his feet, and away from her in terror. "Master Surik, but you-"

"I died." She cut him off, guessing… or rather, knowing correctly. "Yes, I'm well-acquainted with it." She struggled to look up at him, "The Sith?"

"…dead." Obi-Wan answered after a moment, stamping down the urge to run from the thing that the Force was screaming at him was just plain wrong.

Meetra nodded, allowing herself to relax and fall back, steadying her breathing. "Good work, Obi-Wan… you did good."