Aarcol and his padawan Doncol sat by the river after a hard-fought battle. The republic sent the two Jedi with an army of clone troopers to destroy a trade outpost for the Trade Federation on the outer rim planet of Trullu. After the fierce fighting, the Republic forces wiped out the battle droids in the area and secured the outpost, dodging and deflecting blaster bolts.

Aarcol and Doncol sat reflecting on what they had to do to complete their mission and how much more it would take for the war to end.

Doncol looked at his master and said, "I feel like we are nearing peace, peace that will last thousands of years like the last one. We can grow closer to The Force during this peace and harmonize with this galaxy. What do you think?"

Aarcol looked at his padawan and responded, "We may seem close to victory now, but the biggest mistake we can make would be to fall into decadence. Complacency allowed the Sith to challenge us with this war; if we allow them to grow in power again, we may not be as lucky next time."

Doncol replied, "That will be in the long future, and we will have time to prepare. We do not need paranoia about a defeated dark side of the force. Besides, we have the clone troopers."

Aarcol looked at the armored clones behind him. He saw them walking around, patrolling the area for threats.

Then, he said, "The Republic does not like having an active military. They will pass on the opportunity to keep them. We must make up for their weakness by staying strong. The Jedi cannot fall into decadence with the government."

Doncol sighed, "I guess you are right. I just heard that the Jedi are not supposed to be a war-like people. I thought our main responsibility was finding peace with The Force."

Aarcol replied, "That is our primary responsibility, but the situation we are in is the situation we are in. We cannot ignore a war against a threat that directly impacts us, like the Sith. Part of finding harmony with the force means destroying all that creates disorder. Count Dooku and his master cultivated chaos in the galaxy, and if they got what they wanted, darkness would cover the force. I wish we could find harmony with the galaxy without fighting, but as long as we have people who want to stop us, we must stop them from destroying us."

Doncol responded, "You're probably right. I just cannot shake the desire for peace deep in my soul. Jedi should not be responsible for the deaths of others, not even evil forces."

Aarcol interrupted, "We are lucky that our enemies use droids."

Doncol chuckled and replied, "We are not killing many people, but the use of violence seems to be against our code."

Aarcol responded, "We are using violence to protect ourselves; that is not against the code. We must stay just in our use of violence and not attack unprovoked."

Doncol nodded, "That sounds good. Now, what more must we do before we can leave?"

Aarcol replied, "We are fine to go now. The battle is over."

The two Jedi stood up from their seats near the river and looked at the clone troopers patrolling in the area. Then, they walked toward their ship and alerted their troops to leave. As the men walked past the soldier, they heard a hologram from the chancellor playing on one of the clone commander's holoprojectors. Then, they heard blaster bolts fired directly at them.

Aarcol and Doncol quickly turned their head and grabbed their lightsabers, deflecting any blasts fired at them. The bolts hit their sabers, and many hit the clones that fired them, killing them. Then, the Jedi hastily backed up toward their ship, facing their former allies to deflect the blasts.

The betrayal shocked the Jedi as they did not know their loyal soldiers could do this.

Aarcol thought, "The clones were born to be soldiers. Why are they rebelling against their commanders?"

Doncol thought, "We need to get out of here." and quickened his pace toward the ship.

Aarcol followed his padawan toward the ship. Then, the Jedi master opened the and ran up the ramp, quickly closing the entrance behind them. Aarcol ran toward the pilot seat and started the engines as bolts hit the exterior. Then, he launched the ship before any extreme damage could affect them. In a few seconds, the vehicle entered space where no one could hurt them.

Doncol asked with a hurried tone, "What was that? Why did the clones attack us? Where are we going?"

Aarcol answered, "I have no idea what happened there, but we must go into hiding. If our clones went after us, I would assume every clone would want us dead. I heard the chancellor's voice on one of the trooper's holoprojectors, so he might have something to do with this. I do not know what is happening, but we have many enemies now."

Doncol asked again, "Where will we hide?"

Aarcol answered, "There is a nearby planet called Andront with a strong presence in the force. The ancient Jedi used this planet for meditation and set up a temple there. We can grow closer to the force and defend ourselves if someone finds us there."

Doncol replied, "That sounds like a plan. Do you think we will ever get out of hiding?"

Aarcol responded, "If the Sith usurped us and are taking control now, they will oppress their people and make quick enemies. Rebels will emerge and overthrow their system. Ruling a galaxy is much harder than the Sith think."

Doncol said, "Good, we can return when the storm ends."

Aarcol replied, "Certainly, we just need to endure."

The ship landed on the foggy surface of Andront and stepped onto the grassy ground. Then, they looked at the large Jedi temple on the planet and walked toward it. Once they entered, the men looked around at the ancient symbols in the stone walls, long forgotten by many in the galaxy. The Jedi felt a powerful essence around them, bringing them peace in this time of turmoil.

They saw two large circles on the floor, likely used to designate where a Jedi must meditate. Then, they sat in them and closed their eyes.

The Jedi felt the strength of the force engulf them as they became one with that power. Then, they felt the pain of many others in the galaxy. They saw clone troopers mutinying against their Jedi commanders and killing them. Few Jedi remained to protect the galaxy, so Aarcol and Doncol knew that darkness would replace them. Then, the two men felt the growing presence of the dark side of the force. It poisoned the well and tainted the goodness of the galaxy, which the Republic strived to protect. Now, darkness shrouded the Republic and replaced it with an unrecognizable force.

The two Jedi saw the vision of a shadowy, robed figure addressing the Galactic Senate. Everyone seemed surprised by recent events but respected the man speaking to them. The figure declared the replacement of the Republic with the Galactic Empire as everyone cheered at their enslavement. The scene disgusted the Jedi as they returned to their reality.

Doncol opened his eyes and asked, "Will this evil ever end?"

Aarcol opened his eyes and replied, "In time."