Chapter 4: The Cloak of the Sith

Star Wars viewing guide: Star Wars: The Clone Wars – S2:E1 "Holocron Heist"

Jedi Master Mace Windu took the call from Master Luminara Unduli in the tactical room in the Jedi Temple. "Master Unduli."

"Master Windu," replied the Mirialan Jedi with a bow. "I report that we have taken the high ground from the Separatists and are establishing a fortified position here. Between the high ground and the landing zone, our clone forces should have a solid foot hold on Felucia."

"Excellent work, Luminara."

"There was one complication," replied Luminara. "With my padawan."

"Padawan Offee had a complication?" asked Mace. Barriss Offee was one of the best padawans to emerge from the Jedi youngling program in recent memory. Studious, patience, and calm, she was a model Jedi student.

"Yes, I'm afraid that she is struggling with her feelings. Her strike team was all but eliminated in the last engagement. She completed the mission on her own, but gave briefly into the Dark Side to do it."

Mace nodded his head. So powerful was the temptation to the Dark Side during this war. Master Yoda claimed that the Dark Side was growing. For a Jedi of Barriss Offee's record to be tempted by the Dark Side was startling.

"I am sending her back to the Jedi Temple early. I believe she needs to be clear of the war for a time. I will return to aid her when I finish my work on Felucia."

"This is unfortunate," said Mace. "You've been insisting for some time that Padawan Offee was ready for the Trials. This will be a setback for her, and for us. At the risk of being pragmatic, we need more Jedi Knights."

"I do not believe that this will slow Barriss' journey to knighthood much," said Luminara. "In fact, I believe this is necessary for her to become a Jedi."

"I don't understand," said Mace.

"Barriss has been taught from a young age to avoid attachments. She learned this lesson perhaps too well, having gone her entire time as a youngling and most of her time as a padawan without forming any attachments. But attachments are inevitable in the life of most Jedi. Only the Temple Guards truly live in a way that attachment can be avoided. The rest of us interact with the galaxy in our roles as keepers of the peace. Barriss was bound to form an attachment at some point. So, I provided such an attachment."

"Meaning?" asked Mace.

"I gave her a clone strike team to command personally. I knew that she would grow attached to the clones."

"And you deliberately gave them difficult missions so that she would lose them?"

"No, I gave them difficult missions because I knew they were capable of completing them. However, I knew that some of them would die. I didn't expect it to be all at once. But that is the nature of war. People live and die. It is the natural course of things. War is merely an exaggeration of the natural process. I knew that Barriss would need to learn to let go of her attachments. Only then could she become a Jedi."

"So, you believe she will grow stronger through this experience."

"I believe this is her great trial. If she is able to learn from this experience, then she will be ready to become a Jedi Knight."

Mace Windu had his reservations, but Luminara Unduli was a wise Jedi Knight. In fact, Mace Windu predicted that she herself would serve on the Jedi Council one day, perhaps after Barriss had passed the Trials. He would trust Luminara's judgement.

The shuttle gently rocked in hyperspace. I sat alone in the passenger compartment. My destination was Coruscant. I was being sent back to the Jedi Temple for medical attention to the injury to my shoulder where I was hit by a blaster bolt. But I knew the real reason was because I had lost control. I had used my anger in battle. I had touched the Dark Side of the Force.

I shuddered at the thought. The Dark Side felt strange, cold. But there was a certain heat that came with the anger. I felt it when I used the Force to crush the supertactical droid which had been responsible for the death of my team. And it felt good. I shuddered again. How could I have fallen for that? I was the top of my youngling class. I was the apprentice to the great Master Luminara Unduli, a Jedi who excelled at Jedi meditation and calm. I was 'she who never let her emotions control her actions.'

I used to think that Master Unduli was one of the greatest amongst the Jedi, succeed only perhaps by a few, such as Master Yoda. Once when I was chaperoning Jedi younglings during the Gathering, one of the younglings asked me what it was like being Luminara's apprentice. I told him that Master Luminara was "a great Jedi Master, brave, compassionate, disciplined." Now I was reflecting on that statement. Master Luminara had always taught me that "compassion was essential to a Jedi's life." But where was that compassion when we were confronted by the Martez sisters? Was Luminara being compassionate when she downplayed their pain and loss?

Was Luminara being compassionate when she sent me back to the Temple. I had seen her face when she looked at me back in the Separatist command center. Yes, there was some compassion there. But I could see something else: disappointment. She tried to hide it, but it was there. I had disappointed my master. Sure, I had tapped into the Dark Side, and I should have never acted in revenge. But was I wrong to feel the pain of losing Lieutenant Shamrock and the others? Wasn't that a form of compassion, to feel the pain of loss?

The rest of the shuttle ride was filled with more such thoughts. Finally, the shuttle dropped out of hyperspace. I couldn't see outside the passenger compartment, but I could feel the increased turbulence as we descended into the atmosphere. The regulated flying told me that we were in a traffic pattern. Soon I felt the shuttle deviate from the traffic. Then I felt us slow and hover in position. Lastly, I felt the thud of the landing. A sensation of familiarity washed over me in the Force. I was back at the Temple.

As I exited the shuttle, I found myself in one of the Temple's hangers. There were a few Jedi around, but mostly it was filled with clones and Temple workers. As I walked by, I briefly wondered what they thought of all this: the Jedi, the War. I knew what the clones thought, but the workers were a different matter. I had never even had a conversation with one of the workers before. Come to think of it, I don't recall ever seeing a worker and a Jedi speaking, except for some of the foremen. I watched them as I walked by. Some looked with wonder at me. Were the Jedi so distant from the common person? Was this compassion?

First, I reported to Master Windu about the battle on Felucia. All his questions were about the battle and the tactical situation. He asked nothing of my struggle, at least not with his words. But his eyes were full of questions. Master Windu was always a bit intimidating, but today I had to resist the urge to squirm under his gaze.

Master Windu released me without asking questions about my struggle. I stopped by the medical wing before I returned to my quarters. The bacta treatment I received on the Republic cruiser had all but healed my shoulder wound. All Jedi Doctor Rig Nema did for me was a simple Jedi healing technique to relax the wounded muscle tissue. Then she gave me a rehab regimen and sent me on my way.

I finally returned to my quarters. I wasted little time before I attempted to meditate. However, I hadn't been able to meditate since meeting the Martez sisters. With meditation failing me, what was I to do?

Normally, a struggling Jedi padawan in such a situation would seek the council of a Master. But I was becoming more and more convinced that Master Luminara would not be able to help me with this particular struggle. It was her philosophy that had me trapped in this condition. I needed another perspective.

Maybe Master Yoda. But his philosophy was similar to Master Luminara's. I remember him telling me as a youngling that attachment leads to jealousy, and that I should not mourn or miss those who through death are transformed into the Force. While I appreciated the need to move on from death, I still couldn't understand how I could be compassionate and detached at the same time. No, Master Yoda would be of no help to me. Besides he was away from the Temple attending to the war.

What about Master Windu? He clearly wanted to ask me about my difficulties. Perhaps he was just respecting Master Luminara's position as my master and didn't want to interfere with another master's apprentice. But if I asked him, maybe he would have some useful advice.

But Master Windu was a member of the Jedi Council, and a critical one at that. The Council was the group that determined which padawans were ready to be knighted. If Master Windu became aware of my struggles, then my journey towards becoming a Jedi might be hindered, maybe even derailed!

I had never considered that possibility before. I have always been a top-level student. Everyone predicted that I would be a great and wise Jedi Knight. Would this setback prevent me from becoming a Jedi? With my vulnerabilities nearing exposure I was feeling a new emotion that was relatively new to me: fear!

Even as I sat in my room, I felt my heart race a bit. The fear was real. My whole life I had trained to be a Jedi. I couldn't let this hiccup in my training be the end of me!

I forced myself to calm down. There was no need to have such great fears. And there was no need to go before the Council with my problems. Not yet anyway.

I continued through my list of masters. Ahsoka always spoke well of Plo Koon. But like Masters Yoda and Windu, he was on the Council.

What about Anakin Skywalker? He had a different perspective. Maybe he had a few helpful ideas. But Skywalker was young. He had only been elevated to the rank of Knight at the beginning of the War.

If not Skywalker, what about Obi-Wan Kenobi? Yes, Kenobi would be a good master to ask. But Kenobi too was on the Council.

Not able to find my answers from a master, I did what I always did when I was searching for answers. I left my room and began walking to the Jedi Archives.

On my way to the archives, in one of the Temple hallways, I crossed paths with a friend. "Ahsoka!" I called out to the Togruta padawan.

"Barriss," replied Ahsoka, and I felt my heart lift at her cheerful voice.

"It is good to see you, Ahsoka," I said, hiding the excitement from my voice. If there was ever a time I needed a friend it was now. As I looked at her, I noticed a few things had changed about Ahsoka. For one, she was wearing much more reasonable combat clothing that covered her upper half better than her previous top, although her back was still exposed. For some reason beyond my understanding Ahsoka liked her skin exposed. Her leggings and upper arm coverings had diamond shaped cutouts that resembled Ahsoka's unique white markings on her forehead. She also had a double strapped belt around her waist. Strapped to her lower belt, hung for quick retrieval, was her lightsaber…no, her two lightsabers.

"How was your meditative retreat?" I asked Ahsoka. For some reason I didn't want to ask about her new lightsaber.

"It was great!" said Ahsoka. "I walked away from it with new insight and…with this." Ahsoka removed the shorter lightsaber and ignited its blade.

"Wow, that's amazing, Ahsoka. Not many Jedi receive a second lightsaber crystal." I took a closer look at the blade. Like its hilt, the blade was smaller. "You choose to make your second blade in the shoto style. I see it's the same color as your first."

"Actually, it's not." Ahsoka activated her original lightsaber and crossed their blades. As I looked closer, I noticed a more yellowish hint to the second lightsaber.

"That is unusual, for a Jedi to had two different colored blades."

"Maybe, I'm just an unusual Jedi," replied Ahsoka with a laugh.

"That you are," I replied with a slight chuckle. It felt good to laugh. It almost made me forget my struggles…almost.

My facial expression must have changed, because Ahsoka asked, "Barriss, are you alright?"

I turned and sat on a bench near the hallway's wall. Ahsoka followed and sat next to me. "No, Ahsoka, I am not okay." I paused, and Ahsoka patiently waited. "My strike team and I were ambushed on Felucia. Almost every clone on my team was killed, and one of them died saving my life. I am having a hard time dealing with it."

Ahsoka gave me a kind smile. "I know what it is like losing soldiers. I've become friends with many of the clones. It's always hard to see them die."

"Some would say that we shouldn't feel pain at their loss. They are soldiers, and this is war."

Ahsoka frowned a bit. "Yeah, they say that. But it's a lot harder in practice."

"Yes, it is," I agreed.

"I'm sorry, Barriss. I don't have the answers," said Ahsoka. "Just as you once said to me, I'm just a learner like you."

"That's okay," I said. And I meant it. Ahsoka may not have had the answers, but her presence was calming. Was this compassion? What if Master Luminara had treated the Martez sisters with the same compassion?

"I have to get going," said Ahsoka. "Master Skywalker is waiting for me. He wants me to train with my new lightsaber. He can be late if he wants, but I better be on time."

"Go. I'll be alright." I'm not sure if that was a lie or not. I truthfully didn't know if I would be alright. But I had to work on it. Ahsoka didn't have the knowledge I needed. Perhaps the Archives would.

After Ahsoka left, I continued to the Jedi Archives. Two large floors of precious material. Most of the information was in Archives' databanks, other information was in holobooks. The most valuable information was recorded in the most sacred Jedi holocrons locked away in the holocron vault. But there was still some information that remained in original manuscripts and printed books. There was more knowledge here than here than anywhere else in the galaxy. My answers must be here.

I approached the central rotunda. There I met Master Jedi Jocasta Nu. "Ah, Padawan Offee. Here for more study, are you?"

"Yes, Master," I said.

"Is there anything I can help you find?"

"No, Master. I am quite familiar with the Archives. But I will ask for your help if I find need."

"Of course," replied Master Jocasta. Jocasta Nu tended to judge other Jedi based on how much time they spent in the Archives. Given the hours I logged in this library, I had earned a lot of credit in the eyes of the studious Jedi Master.

I took a seat at one of the data terminals and began my search. I didn't know at first what I was looking for. I started with meditation techniques, particularly those that might help me with my overburdened emotions. I found some interesting things in that search, but they were only variants on techniques I already knew.

Then I look for stories of Jedi who had overcome their attachments and emotions. The story of Nomi Sunrider was right at the top of the list. A Jedi Master from before the Order was centered on Coruscant, Nomi was married to a Jedi Knight. Her husband had been murdered in front of her. In anger she killed two of his attackers. But eventually she came to terms with her husband's death and became a great Jedi Master.

Of course, I had heard this story several times as a youngling. And like every youngling I asked the question of how a Jedi could be married if it was forbidden. The answer was always simply that this old story was from another time, and if Nomi Sunrider had not been married and thus not attached to her husband, she would have had an easier time as a Jedi.

Would Nomi have been better off if she hadn't married and then lost her husband? Would she have been a better Jedi or worse? I continued to read more. But it was frustrating, because most of the stories of Nomi Sunrider and others of her era were oral traditions only recorded in later generations. And they all had modern Jedi commentaries.

I kept searching the old stories. Time and time again, I found stories about the dangers of attachment and about Jedi who had fallen to the Dark Side due to their emotions and fear. It was in one of these stories that I stumbled into something interesting.

It was the story of a young Jedi-hopeful. He met his doom when he aided his cousin who was an enemy of the Jedi. It was another Jedi cautionary tale. His attachment to his cousin led to his doom. But as I read further, I discovered that this cousin wasn't just an enemy of the Jedi, she was a Sith lord! Darth Zannah, apprentice to Darth Bane! And she had infiltrated the Jedi Temple to steal information from these very Archives. I immediately ignored the cautionary story about the Jedi-hopeful and looked into this Sith lord. How could a dark lord of the Sith hide herself in a temple filled with Jedi? The story only referenced that she had cloaked her aura from the Jedi so they could not sense her.

I sought for more information on this Sith lord but only found that she was one of the last known Sith lords at the time of their extinction…or supposed extinction. The fact that the Sith had returned to once again bring war to the galaxy was evidence that they were still very good when it came to hiding themselves from the Jedi.

I continued to search and search for more information on this technique of hiding oneself in the Force, but I found only a few vague references. Apparently, no Jedi had ever considered taking up the study of such a technique. Everywhere I looked, I found nothing.

I sighed as I returned a holobook to its shelf. As I turned, my eyes drifted upward to the library's second floor. There was a section with no lights on. The book stacks were not even open to the clear story corridor.

The Forbidden Archive!

In there was kept information on the Dark Side. A padawan such as myself was barred from even walking into that section. Even your typical Jedi Knight was not allowed. Jedi Masters had to seek permission from the Jedi Council to gain access. And even Council members were required to inform their fellow Council members if they were to access the Forbidden Archive.

In there was the answer to my question. In there I could learn how to mask my fears and angers from the Jedi.

I shook my head. What was I thinking? Trying to learn a Dark Side technique to solve my problem! I couldn't do that!

I tore my eyes away from the Forbidden Archives and continued my search. But now, I had lost all interest. My eyes only glazed over the material. After consulting two more holobooks, I finally gave up and returned to my quarters. That night I tossed and turned on my bed. I couldn't get the idea out of my mind.

I was standing before the Jedi Council. The Masters were all around me. Master Windu spoke to me, "Padawan Offee, your inability to control your anger is incompatible with knighthood in the Jedi Order."

"A danger to the Jedi you are," said Master Yoda.

"This behavior is unacceptable," said Master Kenobi.

"You are hereby dismissed from the Jedi Order," said Master Windu.

"No, please. Give me more time. I can figure this out," I begged.

"Your time is up," said Master Luminara from behind me. "You have failed. I am very disappointed in you, Barriss."

"Master please! I don't know how to do this. I need your help." I begged. But the Council and Master Luminara seemed to fade into the distance.

I turned away and saw Ahsoka. "Ahsoka, help me."

"I…I can't," she replied.

Master Skywalker appeared behind her. He put his hand on her shoulder, "Come on, Ahsoka. Leave Barriss to herself."

Skywalker and Ahsoka left me. I was all alone, with no one to help me. I was scared. "Anyone, please anyone help me."

"Well, isn't this ironic," said a female voice behind me. I turned and saw two girls, the Martez sisters.

"Rafa, Trace!" I called out to them. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry for your parents. I couldn't save them."

"You couldn't save me either, Commander," came a clone's voice.

"Shamrock!" I replied to my dead teammate.

"Tell me, Commander, did you feel anything when I died, anything at all?"

"I felt anger, hated, and sadness."

"Nah. You're a Jedi. You felt nothing," replied Shamrock. "How many of my brothers have died, and you've felt nothing." Behind Shamrock appeared countless other clones.

"You don't really care, do you?" asked the younger sister, Trace. "You don't care about my parents, about my sister, about me."

"I do care," I replied. I turned to Shamrock. "I care about you and all your brothers."

"You keep telling yourself that, Commander. Keep telling yourself that you're a compassionate Jedi. We all know the truth."

"I don't know how to be compassionate. I don't know how."

"It's too late, Jedi," said Rafa Martez. She laughed and then said, "Your reckoning has come!"

I awoke with a start. I was breathing heavily, and my heart was racing. I hadn't had a nightmare in years. What did it mean?! My master would tell me that it was just my anxieties, and that while Jedi can have prophet dreams, they are rarely clear. And in my emotional condition clarity was impossible. I couldn't focus, I couldn't meditate. I was afraid.

I couldn't go on this way!

The next day I went back to the Archives. I checked out a few holobooks on meditation. But I didn't actually read from them. Instead, I was trying to figure out how I could get into the Forbidden Archives.

It wasn't like I wanted to turn to the Dark Side. The opposite, in fact. I just needed more time to figure this all out. But with the constant fear of being exposed, I couldn't think straight. If I could simply hide my fears from the Jedi Council and Master Luminara, I could relax a bit. And I could take the time I needed to figure out how to control my emotions, my anger.

The Forbidden Archives were separated off from the rest of the Archives by a sealed door. The door had an alarm feature that would alert Jedi Security and the members of the Jedi Council. It had a standard Jedi locking mechanism, which was simply a very elaborate combination lock. The mechanisms could only be moved by the Force, and only Council members knew the precise combination of twists and turns to open the door. There was no way I would be able to open that door. It was nearly as secure as the holocron vault.

The holocron vault? Yes, that was it. A little over a year ago the bounty hunter Cad Bane broke into the vault and stole a holocron. It was supposedly an impossible task. But he had done it. Bane had snuck into the Temple via the central ventilation shafts.

But since Bane's infiltration, security in the ventilation shafts had been increased. Besides, the holocron vault was next to the communications center. The equipment there required cooling from the main ventilation system. The Archives, however, did not have the same requirements, thus a smaller ventilation system.

Smaller, but no less elaborate! Now, I was on to something! Most of the records in the Archives were stored in the databank or in holobooks. But some of the older records were still stored in their original hard copy form. Books, star charts, art pieces, they were all persevered in a special wing of the Archives, the Ancient Collections. And that wing had strict environmental control system to best preserve these priceless Jedi artifacts.

It would only make sense that the Forbidden Archives would have a similar system. I imagined that many of the records there were ancient, especially if they were on the ancient Sith. Additionally, the Jedi would never allow access to forbidden information to outside experts for the conversion of the data into holobooks or datatapes. They likely wouldn't even let other Jedi with computer skills see that data. Thus, much of the information was likely in its original form. And if it was in its original form, then it too would need an environmental control system.

So, I began my research. Having a task to work on distracted me from my fears and anxieties. I walked through the Ancient Collection, pretending to look at some of the thousand-year-old Jedi art. But I was in reality looking at the ventilation system. I also did some research on the Jedi security and Archive's environmental systems.

After leaving the Archive's I asked for the maintenance directory and schematics. I made a copy for my own studying. I returned to my quarters. Most who knew my habits would assume that I was meditating. But instead, I was pouring over maps, schematics, and equipment plans. As always, I studied the material so thoroughly that I had it memorized. Learning the Temple's entire ventilation system wasn't nearly as difficult as memorizing the Geonosian catacombs. I also memorized the inner workings of the ancient collection environmentally control equipment.

It was there that I found a potential security flaw. The security system wasn't designed to interact with the environmental equipment. With the two systems not in synchronization, a person might be able to slip past the security.

I went to bed early that night, and surprisingly I slept with no problem until my soft alarm woke me in the middle of the night.

The hallways of the Jedi Temple were very quiet at night. That didn't mean they were deserted. There were Jedi on security, including the mysterious Temple Guards. Some species within the Jedi Order were more nocturnal than others. And some Jedi preferred the peace and quiet of night. I, at times, was part of the final group. If anyone saw me moving about the Temple at this hour, that is likely what they would think. However, I didn't want to attract too much attention.

I found the access hatch that I had been searching for. It was up on the ceiling about twenty meters above me. Using the Force, I dislodged the grate and slid it into the vent. Then I looked both ways down the hallway. This was part that I couldn't let anyone see. As soon as I was certain no one was around, I leapt up to the vent opening. I grabbed the edge of the rectangular opening and pulled myself up. It was just big enough for me to fit my shoulders through. I replaced the vent grate and began my crawl to the Jedi Archives.

The inside of the ventilation ductwork was slightly more spacious. I took my time, so as not to make noise. I came to the Archives. I paused to look out through a grate. There were a few Jedi studying, but otherwise the Archives were quiet.

Finally, I made it to the Forbidden Archives. And behold, I was right. There was an environmental control system between me and the duct going into the Forbidden Archives. And even though I had never seen such equipment, due to my study and research, it was entirely familiar to me.

After observing the environmental unit for a patient few minutes, I was confident that I could proceed. I pulled off one of two small canisters I had on my belt and got ready.

Doubts suddenly plagued me. What was I doing? Breaking into the Forbidden Archives to research a Dark Side technique! I couldn't do this! I was an obedient Jedi. This was contrary to everything I had ever been taught, everything I had ever worked for. If I was caught, they would expel me from the Jedi Order. And even if I wasn't caught, toying with the Dark Side was not an option.

I replaced the canister on my belt and began to shimmy my way backwards. I would simply return to my room and forget that this ever happened. I could solve my problems another way.

What other way? I had no other ideas and no Jedi Master to turn to. Besides, it wasn't like I was committing to using the Dark Side. I just wanted to learn about the technique. Maybe there was even a light side version of it. Maybe I could develop it. I couldn't do any harm by just reading.

I crawled back up to the environmental unit and pulled out my canister. I pulled off the vent plate and looked through the unit. On the other side was another vent plate and access to the Forbidden Archive ventilation system. Uising the Force I removed that plate. I had to get through as quickly as possible before the security was alerted. I took a deep breath.

I pushed myself through the opening and into the unit. At the same time I opened the canister and started spraying water vapor. The environmental unit activated. I scrambled out of the unit before the sealed door closed behind me. It nearly trapped me. For the next couple of minutes the unit would process the excess moisture then reopen. The security sensors would only register the spike in humidity, and not the presence of an intruder.

I had done it! I had snuck into the Forbidden Archives!

I crawled through the air duct until I found a vent. I crawled out, and, out of an abundance of caution, I replaced the vent grate. Then I climbed down the library shelf onto the floor. I now stood in the stacks of the Forbidden Archives.

Afraid of my presence being noticed, I opted not to turn on the lights. Instead, I use a glowrod to navigate the dark stacks. I found a large cabinet with small drawers. It was a type of hardcopy catalogue system. I began opening drawers, and it took me several minutes to figure out how the system worked. But once I did it became easy to find materials.

At first, I looked up information on Darth Zannah. There wasn't much, but what I did find was disturbing. Apparently, she wasn't just a Sith, she was a practitioner of dark magic, a magic not unlike that of the Nightsisters of Dathomir. I shuddered at the thought. It was partly through this magic that she was able to sneak into the Jedi Temple.

But as I read more, I found reference to something else. A technique to mask oneself in the Force. Something called the "Cloak of the Sith." Going back to the catalogue, I looked up this Cloak of the Sith. I found the section that contained information, and I began reading.

I found it surprisingly interesting. Using the Cloak of the Sith a Force wielder could hide their aura in the Force either in part or entirely. They could hide their anger or fears. They could hide their curiosities or their interests. They could hide their malicious intent. Or they could completely hide themselves, making it impossible for even the most powerful and preceptive Force wielders to sense them.

It took me a while, but I found a book that explained the technique. It was written by a Sith lord. I shivered at the thought of reading a Sith's own words. Now, I understood why this archive was forbidden. But I read it anyway.

The Sith Lord wrote, "The Cloak of the Sith has been utilized by many in part, but only by a few in whole. True mastery of the technique is rare. Those who fall short, reduce this venerable skill to a simple trick aimed at deceiving the Jedi or more likely their fellow Sith. Many apprentices have tried to hide their deceitful purposes from their masters. But true Sith lords see through this pitiful attempt to hide from the Dark Side. Those who tried to deceive these lords have met their fate.

"But there are those who have fully embraced the Cloak of the Sith. To become one of these rare few requires not just strength in the Force but immense self-knowledge and control. They must know themselves, know their fears, and know their anger and their hatreds. Their anger must be their ally, their hatred their strength."

I read further. "To truly master this technique, a Sith will need to summon all his angers and hatreds to the surface, to let them blaze in front of him, to experience them to the full. Not just the surface angers that fuel a Sith's momentary wrath, but the deepest held hatreds that burn in the very depths of his soul. Any that are forgotten will expose the Sith to the senses of his enemies. Only once they are all brought to bear will the Sith be able to cast around himself the Cloak of the Sith."

I shivered again. Was I even capable of such hatred? Sure, I was struggling with anger. But I didn't possess that level of hatred. I put the book back on the shelf. This was wrong. I shouldn't be here. If I learned anything from this trip to the Forbidden Archives, it was that my answers were not here. I decided right then that I should leave this place and go back to my room. In the morning I would return to my meditation routine, then I would seek out a master to help me. If it delayed my path to knighthood, so be it. I would face this trial as a Jedi should, with patience and guidance from millennia of Jedi learning, not some quick fix from the Sith.

I was just about to head back to the vent, when I heard a noise. The locking mechanism to the Forbidden Archives was activating. Then the hermetic seal on the door hissed. Someone was entering the Forbidden Archives! So few people were allowed in here that the odds of someone coming in at this time of night were almost negligible. Unless, I had tripped the alarm. No, if that were the case, Temple guards would have arrived over an hour ago.

I deactivated my glowrod and leapt up on top of one of the library stacks just as the light of another glowrod started to explore the Archives. Fortunately, I was able to hide behind the books in a very small space on the top shelf of the book rack. But it wouldn't hide me from a careful eye. And it wouldn't hide me from a perceptive Force wielder.

I couldn't get caught in here! I couldn't face expulsion!

I could hear the steps of the newcomer. Maybe whoever it was had just heard something and would leave after only a quick check. But that hope was destroyed when I spied who it was through the books.

Master Jocasta Nu!

The chief librarian prided herself on helping those who came into the Archives. She could sense whenever a youngling, padawan, knight, or even a master was struggling to find what they were looking for. Many times, she had appeared to help me even before I asked. There was no way she would not be able to sense me hiding in these Forbidden Archives.

Unless…

No, it was better to get caught than to deliberately use the Dark Side. But if I did get caught… Panic set in, which would only alert Master Jocasta the more.

I focused. I calmed my mind. Then I made my decision. I summoned my anger, and I sought out my hatreds.

Who did I hate? The supertactical droid that killed my strike team? But he was just a droid. After I crushed him, I felt nothing for him. The Separatists? Most of them were just faces on a wanted poster for me. Count Dooku? Yes, I was there on Geonosis. I fought in that battle. So many Jedi were killed that day. I remember seeing Count Dooku standing on a royal balcony with his hand raised, staying his battle droids, and feigning mercy, only to order the droids to kill us all. If it hadn't been for the clones, I would have died that day at the hands of Dooku's droids. Yes, I hated Dooku.

But even that hatred wasn't powerful enough. Dooku was just many of the injustices in the Galaxy. Sure, he was a Sith lord, but it wasn't enough for me. It wasn't personal enough.

Then I remembered the Martez sisters. Their parents died because of the actions of an escaped prisoner and the bounty hunters who sprung him. Yes, I focused on them next. My hatred rose as I thought of Ziro the Hutt, of Aura Sing, and especially Cad Bane. They murdered those girls' parents just to throw off the Jedi pursuit.

I felt the hatred boil inside of me. So, I tried to activate the Cloak of the Sith. I felt the strange sensation fall over top of me. But even as I did so, I knew it wasn't working. I had spent the past hour studying the technique. I was doing it right. But I must not be in touch with my deepest angers, my most powerful hatreds.

Jocasta Nu was drawing closer. Perhaps she could already sense me. If I was going to do this, I had to do it now!

But who else was there to hate? I had named all my enemies. All that was left were the Jedi, my friends.

The Jedi?

Of course! Was it not the Jedi that I was angry with? Was it not their zero-attachment policy that was causing me to struggle? Was it not their ambiguity when it came to compassion that confused me?

So, I focused on the Jedi. I started with Master Windu and his looking down on me after I had struggled with the Dark Side. Then it was Master Yoda and his teachings from the time I was a child. Had he not led me astray even back in my youngling days? Then it was all the Council members. Then it was the Jedi in general, fighting in this galaxy-devastating war! And before me was Master Jocasta Nu and how she arrogantly presided over these archives. Even for a moment Ahsoka came to mind. She was my friend, true. But she exposed me to a different way of thinking that led me down this path.

Yes, my hatred of the Jedi was deep. I felt it burn within me. But as I tried again to activate the Cloak of the Sith, it still wasn't enough. Who else was there? Who else deserved my hatred? Then it hit me in one sudden moment.

Luminara Unduli!

My own master held the deepest spot among my hatreds! I loved her almost like a mother. I feared my whole padawan career of disappointing her. But it was she who was disappointing me. She had failed to teach me compassion. She had failed to teach me how to deal with my emotions and my attachments. She had taught me to ignore or suppress them. It was because of her that I was falling apart.

She didn't know compassion. She didn't have attachments. Even I was nothing to her. When Ahsoka and I were trapped in that tank on Geonosis, she would have left us to die in there. If it wasn't for Ahsoka and Skywalker, I would be dead now; and Master Unduli would have just taken another apprentice and moved on.

And she had killed the Martez parents! It was not the criminals who pushed that transport into the portal wall. It was Master Unduli. Worse, she had convinced me and two other Jedi to help her do it. Then, when she was confronted by the orphan girls, she offered them nothing. She killed their parents and gave them only empty words.

This hatred was like nothing I had felt before. It burned deep inside. It exploded like a long dormant volcano. But I knew I needed to reign it in. I activated the Cloak of the Sith. The heat of my anger and my hatred was enveloped by a deep cold. I actually shivered as it happened, nearly knocking over a set of books. My hatred burned deep within me, but it didn't radiate out. It stayed with me.

Jocasta Nu came around the corner and into my aisle. I held my breath and froze in place. I was afraid to make the slightest noise. Peering between the books, I could see Master Jocasta. And if she angled her glowrod just right she would undoubtably see me too. She did a quick sweep with her light. It briefly passed over me, but I didn't think she saw me.

Then she took a breath and closed her eyes. She was reaching out with the Force. This was it. This was when she would find me. I felt her senses search the room. They came over me and…

And they passed right over me. She didn't sense me! She couldn't sense me! I was cloaked in the Force. It had worked! It had really worked!

Soon Master Jocasta lowered her light, turned and left the Forbidden Archives, all without detecting me. I waited for about ten minutes, before I returned to the vent and exited the way I had come in. I returned to my room, but I was too excited to sleep.

The Cloak of the Sith had worked! I had just hidden myself from a Jedi Master!

Chancellor Palpatine was finishing up his work for the day. He was sitting at his desk in his office. Vice Chair of the Senate Mas Amedda approached him. "Late night, Chancellor?"

"Yes. One that is now finished," replied Palpatine, as he set aside his last datapad. "I think I will remain here for a while before calling it a night."

"Of course, Chancellor. I will be here first thing in the morning."

"As will I," said Palpatine. The blue skinned Chagrian politician left Palpatine's officer. The chancellor turned his chair to the window and closed his eyes.

To the regular person it would just look like a weary public servant resting his eyes after a long day. But in reality, this was a dark form of meditation from the Dark Lord of the Sith.

Darth Sidious focused on his angers and hatreds. This was what was necessary to maintain the Cloak of the Sith. An ancient Sith technique, Darth Sidious used it to mask himself in the Force. It allowed his yellow Sith eyes to appear a normal human blue. It allowed him to pose as a simple politician in view of the whole galaxy and the entire Jedi Order. Even the Jedi Council could not sense his true identity. He once, just before the outbreak of the Clone War, had invited Master Yoda to search the Force in his presence. And yet, the venerable Master Jedi had no idea who he was.

Sidious had not only learned how to use this technique to cloak himself. He had learned how to cast the cloak over the whole galaxy. He had clouded the vision of the whole Jedi order! Other Sith may have used the Cloak of the Sith effectively, but only Sidious was the true master of the technique.

One by one Sidious called to mind his major hatreds. He started with the senators. Some were under his control. Others were easy to manipulate. But some opposed him at every turn. Bail Organa of Alderaan and Mon Mothma of Chandrila were among them. But most of all was Padmé Amidala. Sure, when she was Queen of Naboo she had put him in power. But since then, she had been a thorn in his side. He would like to get rid of her, but she was too close to Anakin Skywalker. He needed to tread carefully with her. She could still be used to his advantage.

Then there were the Separatists leaders. Controlling both sides of a war was not easy. But greedy men like Nute Gunray were easy to control, even as Sidious deeply despised the man. Sidious could not let either the Separatists nor the Republic win this war, not yet anyway. His plan was not ready yet. But when it was, he would take pleasure in ordering Nute Gunray's death.

Then there was Darth Tyrannus, Sidious' apprentice. It was normal for a Sith Lord to hate his apprentice, and even more so for the apprentice to hate his master. But Darth Tyrannus, or Count Dooku as all others knew him, had earned Sidious' particular hatred. Dooku had been an expedient choice of apprentice after the unexpected death of Darth Maul. But Dooku was too old! He was about the same age as Sidious himself. As such, he was already planning to follow the Rule of Two and position himself to kill his own master. Sidious had no intention of allowing that. Tyrannus had already attempted to train two apprentices to use against Sidious. The first was Asajj Ventress. Sidious had forced Tyrannus to kill her, which apparently, he failed to do. Then he aligned himself with the witch Mother Talzin to gain the nightbrother Savage Opress as his new apprentice. That also failed him.

Yes, Sidious would have to ride himself of Darth Tyrannus soon. But not yet. He would wait till the moment was right.

Sidious opened his eyes just a bit to gaze upon the Jedi Temple. Yes, the Jedi were his primary hatred. Soon they would all be dead. But until then, they were a source of hatred for Sidious. Especially Master Yoda, the arrogant ancient Jedi who was blind to the changing of times. Then there was Mace Windu, arrogant in his own way with desires to destroy the Sith. Obi-Wan Kenobi ranked high on Sidious' hatred list. Not only did he kill Sidious' previous apprentice Darth Maul, but he also was the primary attachment to the Jedi Order of his future apprentice Anakin Skywalker. Along with Kenobi was Skywalker's infuriating padawan Ahsoka Tano.

Then there was Skywalker himself. Just because Sidious sought him as his new apprentice didn't exonerate him from the Sith's hatred. Skywalker had anger, he had hate. But he also had this sense of goodness, the desire to do what is right. Sidious would have to break him of that. But it was infuriating.

Sidious held all his anger and hatred of the Jedi together as he renewed his Cloak of the Sith. His dark meditations almost complete, he prepared to stand from his chair.

But then he sensed something. A spike in anger and hatred. It was coming from the Jedi Temple! Who could it be? But then, as soon as it arose it vanished, as if it never existed. No, as if it were perfectly cloaked. Someone in the Jedi Temple was using the Cloak of the Sith!

Despite himself, Sidious was impressed. It was not an easy technique to master. Who could it be? Pong Krell? The four armed, Besalisk Jedi was already starting to tap into the dark side. Sidious had no plans for the corrupt Jedi except to let him do whatever damage he was going to do. But Krell could not have learned such a Sith technique.

Could it be Darth Tyrannus? Sidious had taught a lesser version of the technique to his apprentice so he could organize the Separatist movement without too much attention from the Jedi. But Sidious knew where Count Dooku's present location was, and it wasn't here on Coruscant.

What about Tyrannus' apprentice he had failed to kill, Asajj Ventress? Had he taught the technique to her? Not likely. She was more of an assassin than a Sith meditation master.

Could it be Skywalker? Again, Skywalker had anger and hatred. But he hadn't begun to really use them. He certainly wouldn't be seeking out Sith techniques. Not yet. When the time was right, Sidious would invite Skywalker down that path. But not yet.

That just left a Jedi, one who was engaging in Sith techniques. It was an interesting development. Sidious had no interest in taking on a new Sith practitioner, and this rogue Jedi wouldn't make any great changes to Sidious' plans.

But like all things, Sidious would make this work to his advantage.