Jedi Temple - Coruscant

3rd person POV...

The six younglings looked around at each other with varying levels of emotion, the most evident being totally innocent curiosity. For Jarik, the only thing he could think of is that many of them looked almost as weird as some of the masters in the Jedi Council. One of the boys—at least he believe it was a boy—looked like a strange fish, while the other looked like a walking, talking pancake. He didn't dare voice his thoughts though, since he was taught at the orphanage to never say anything to another person if it might be rude or offensive.

To Jarik's relief, the other two girls—for they clearly were girls—looked much more normal and human-like, although one had purple skin and those strange head-thingies like Ahsoka had, while the other had yellow skin and purple hair; her eyes were strange too, because the sclera was completely black instead of white. She also seemed to be the more grumpy of the group, whereas the purple-skinned girl was very joyful; the other two were just crazy. Still feeling a bit timid, Jarik and Ahsoka stuck closer to each other as they investigated this strange new group they found themselves to be a part of.

"I'm Rylla!" the purple-skinned girl chirps at them. "Who are you?"

"I'm Ahsoka," the young togruta replies first, being a bit more bold. "That's Jarik."

"Hello," he says, waving a hand.

"Cool names!" Rylla says with a giggle.

"Just names," the yellow-skinned girl says matter-of-factly.

"Watch out Jarik!" fish-boy cries out. "They have cooties!"

"Cooties?" Jarik asks, confused.

"Yup! Spelled C-O-T-Y-S!" pancake-face adds. "All girls have them!"

"No we don't," the yellow-skinned girl frowns.

Ahsoka didn't know what cooties were, but she knew that she certainly didn't have them.

"Yeah, we don't!" she defends herself.

"Boys rule!" fish-boy says, he and pancake-face laughing with each other.

Jarik didn't know what to make of the other two boys in the group, but he has heard talk of cooties before from some of the older kids at the orphanage. Surely that means they must be on to something, right?

"What are cooties?" he asks Ahsoka curiously.

"They're..." she tries to answer, frowning at her lack of an answer. "I don't know."

"Girl sickness!" pancake-face states firmly.

"That's not real," Jarik frowns skeptically.

"Yes it is," fish-boy advises.

"You're silly," Rylla tells them.

"No! We're cool!" pancake-face says proudly. "We don't have cooties!"

Just then, the door to their room opens, and the younglings all turn around to see Master Xudi Irris walking inside. She looks at them all with a motherly smile, the door closing behind her.

At the sight of Master Irris, Jarik lets out a quiet gasp of fear and stares wide-eyed at her. Ahsoka takes notice with confusion.

"What's wrong?" she asks.

"Horns..." Jarik whimpers.

"So? I have horns," she points out.

Jarik looks away for a brief second to see Ahsoka point out her own horns. He frowns, realizing that's true, and looks back up at Master Irris, who had started to greet everyone else already. Now he can see her warm, motherly, smile that reminds him so much of his own mom...

Yeah, they're just horns, what's the big deal?

"...you're all getting along with each other?" Master Irris was saying.

"They're rude," the yellow-skinned girl says, pointing accusingly at the culprits.

"What?" fish-boy exclaims.

"Hey!" pancake-face protests.

"Rude?" Master Irris asks with a frown.

"They said we had cooties!" Ahsoka explains.

"Did they now?" Master Irris sighs, raising an eyebrow at the two. "Kurhran, Weron, is that true?"

The two younglings sit silently for a moment, debating whether to say anything before eventually nodding their heads with guilty expressions on their faces.

"Hah!" the yellow-skinned girl exclaims.

"Vifi!" Master Irris admonishes with a disapproving stare, and she falls silent as well. "That's no way to act either young lady."

"Sorry," she apologizes, prompting a grin from Kurhran and Weron.

"Now you two, what should you say to your clan mates?" Master Irris advises.

"Sorry for saying you have cooties," Weron apologizes.

"Yeah, sorry," Kurhran adds.

"That's better," she nods with a smile. "If the three of you had the same attitude as Rylla you'd all be friends in no time!"

Rylla looks down, holding her hands together with a sheepish smile while Kurhran stares blankly at Master Irris.

"That's not fun!" he states.

Master Irris laughs lightly at his comment, shaking her head.

"I sense you two will be the source of a lot of trouble for me," she remarks in amusement. "Now, I hope you're all familiar with each other, right? Has everybody introduced themselves?"

"It's hard," Rylla frowns in disappointment.

"Well, let's make it easy then," Master Irris suggests, walking towards the circular carpet in the middle of the room. "Gather around the carpet younglings, find a place to sit."

The younglings rush to do so, scrambling to find a seat on the carpet around Master Irris, who sits down herself. Weron and Kurhran fight for a spot, the former soon being triumphant. Rylla sits with her legs crossed in the middle of the group with plenty of enthusiasm, beaming up at Master Irris, while Vifi plops down towards the edge, looking around the room curiously. Jarik and Ahsoka both sat down beside each other, taking the empty spot between Rylla and Vifi.

"Would you like to go first, Rylla?" Master Irris asks.

Rylla's eyes light up eagerly before she frowns in confusion and uncertainty.

"What should I say?" she asks.

"Say your name and then tell us something nice about yourself," Master Irris tells her.

"Ok!" she nods readily. "Hi, I'm Rylla Tann. I love making friends!"

"R-ee-la?" Kurhran asks, frowning.

"R-y-lla," she corrects him. "Spelled with a Y."

"Why?" Weron asks.

Rylla gives them a confused stare while they snicker at each other. Vifi has is giggling lightly to herself, though she looks away innocently when Ahsoka glances curiously at her.

"Well done, Rylla," Master Irris says, and she smiles again. "Would either of you two like the go next?"

"Me!" Weron and Kurhran both exclaim in unison.

They freeze up and look at each other with frowns on their faces, both wanting to be the one to go.

"Can I-" Weron starts.

"No, me first!" Kurhran interrupts.

"Very well," Master Irris says before Weron could argue.

"They're silly!" Ahsoka whispers to Jarik.

"Yeah!" he whispers back in agreement.

"I'm Kurhran Govan! I am so cool! Master of fun!" he declares proudly.

"Master of fun? Puh-leeease!" Weron scoffs. "That's me, Weron Webb!"

"You're both masters of weird," Vifi chirps.

Jarik, Ahsoka, and even Rylla giggle in amusement while the two let out indignant cries of 'Hey!' at Vifi.

"Vifi..." Master Irris warns her with a disapproving look.

"Sorry, Master," she apologizes.

"Well, thank you for your introductions, Kurhran and Weron," she continues, looking over at Vifi. "Would you like to go next?"

"Ok," Vifi replies. "I'm Vifi Hethna. I like reading."

"Boring," Kurhran says.

"Everybody has something they like, Kurhran," Master Irris states firmly. "We're all different people after all."

"Do we read a lot?" Jarik asks. "Masters said training is hard."

"Master Plo said that too!" Ahsoka chirps in agreement.

"There will be plenty of reading for you all, as there is much to learn," Master Irris says, prompting a groan from Kurhran. "Who would like to go next? Jarik? Ahsoka?"

"I'll go!" Ahsoka says, sitting up straight with a proud expression. "I'm Ahsoka Tano! I like to play games, be cool, and win!"

"That sounds fun," Rylla says with a smile. "Want to be friends?"

"Sure!" she replies cheerfully, before poking Jarik's arm. "Can he be friends with us to?"

"I can talk!" Jarik frowns at her, pushing her hand away before smiling at Rylla. "I wanna be friends."

"Cool!" Rylla says cheerfully.

"That's very nice to hear," Master Irris smiles. "Jarik? Your turn."

"Oh, ok," he says, twiddling with his hands a moment before continuing. "I'm Jarik Shan. I want to be a Jedi!"

"That's why we're here?" Vifi asks, confused.

"Duh!" Weron says, and she blows a raspberry back at him.

"I'm sure you will, Jarik," Master Irris tells him with a smile, and he grins eagerly in response.


THE NEXT DAY...


Since bringing young Jarik to the Jedi Temple, Qui-Gon has found himself fairly satisfied with how Jarik has been settling into the daily routine with his clan. Master Irris has been giving out fairly positive reports with the younglings, getting a sense of their different personalities. Thankfully it seems that they're all getting along well with each other, all six of them. Jarik and Ahsoka have especially become close to one another, which both he and Plo have discussed with eager, although subdued, enthusiasm.

However there's also something that has been bugging Qui-Gon recently, ever since he first set out to find the boy in the first place. He thought the feeling would've disappeared since bringing him to the Temple, but instead its been nagging on him even more now, something which he can't understand. No matter how hard he tried prodding into the Force, he's been unable to find an answer, so after a few days he decided to put it into the back of his mind. Surely the answer would be revealed through the Force in time.

As it so happens, Qui-Gon one day found himself at one of the computers in the Jedi Archives, searching through a few files. He's working to prepare another lesson for his own Padawan, Obi-Wan, about negotiation tactics. It's not something he particularly enjoys himself, but it's something that is absolutely necessary to know as a Jedi. Browsing through the archives for some more data, he stumbles upon a file placed in a section labeled as "Lore/History." Normally he would've brushed past it without a care, but that nagging feeling he's been feeling suddenly flared up once more.

"Interesting..." he murmurs to himself, surprised at the sudden burst of the feeling.

Frowning curiously, he scrolls back to the file and notices it to be stored right next to the Chosen One prophecy. Looking at the label, he reads it as the "Sun and Moon" prophecy. Now Qui-Gon is even more confused, as Jedi scholars have labeled this prophecy as a failed interpretation from the early days of the Jedi Order. The Chosen One is still a prophecy that he believes will be brought forth in time, but like all other Jedi he's never given the Sun and Moon prophecy a second glance. Curious, he opens up the prophecy file and reads through it.

'A powerful warrior, born from legends.

A compassionate soul, filled with Light.

As the Sun and the Moon, together they rise.

One to provide strength and courage, the other compassion and love.

An Emperor shall rise from the shadow of war, and the galaxy will come to fear him.

The Sun and Moon will forge strong bonds, they will stumble, they will fall.

A host of evil shall they face.

The Phantom Menace. The Dark One. The Mad Titan. The Taken King.

And in time they shall rise above, standing tall and proud.

For when they stand together, nothing is stronger.

The Sun and Moon will serve the Force.

The Sun and Moon will protect all.

The Sun and Moon will find their destiny.'

Leaning back in his chair, Qui-Gon brings a hand to his chin with a thoughtful expression on his face. He's never gone too in-depth on it before, but now that he received that nagging feeling he can't help but think about it. Interpreting a prophecy isn't something he thinks anyone can do correctly, even in the case of the Chosen One, so he's not entirely sure what to think about it. But why would the Force direct him to read something that is supposed to be proven false? What does it mean exactly?

In regards to mentions of 'the Dark One,' he's a little suspicious about the identity of who that could be based on past experiences. A wielder of the dark side, perhaps? Such as a certain individual out there who seeks power through the dark side, but is something else entirely beyond the Sith? He's discussed this with Master Yoda and one of his old mentors, Master Xanye, in private before. But still, he's not fully sure what it could mean.

"Master Qui-Gon, are you there?" a voice suddenly cuts through his thoughts

Qui-Gon pulls out his comlink and responds to the voice of his apprentice.

"I'm here, Obi-Wan," he says calmly. "Is there something you need?"

"The Jedi Council is requesting our presence, master," Obi-Wan informs him. "I think we're to be given another assignment."

"Very well then. I'll meet you at the Council Chambers," he replies in acknowledgement.

"Yes, master," Obi-Wan says, ending the transmission.

Qui-Gon puts his comlink away back into the pouch on his belt, and gives the prophecy another thoughtful stare. After a few moments he closes out of it and shuts the computer off before standing up from his chair, making his way out of the archives in the direction of the Council Chambers.


Senate Office Building - Coruscant

3rd person POV...

Senator Palpatine sat at his desk within his office in the Senate Building, reviewing a few documents set out before him. The documents in question related to his 'negotiations' with Viceroy Nute Gunray of the Trade Federation. The greedy neimodian looked for anything that would grant him greater wealth and power, which only became more apparent with the taxation laws the Senate put into affect recently.

Palpatine made a face, but didn't let his personal dislike of the self-serving Viceory get in the way of his great value for his plans. He was distracted however by a buzz from his computer.

"Senator Palpatine speaking," he says politely, answering the call.

"Senator Hego Damask is here to see you, senator," the guard informs him.

Palpatine frowns in response, slight irritation evident in his face, but he easily masks his true feelings without another thought.

"Ah, I see. Send him in," he responds, ending the call.

Palpatine puts aside his work relating to the Trade Federation and places his hands together on top of his desk. The door to his office opens to let in the familiar face of the muun Senator, and Palpatine gets up from his chair to step around the desk with a friendly smile in order to welcome his visitor.

"Hego, my friend, it is good to see you again," he greets warmly.

The two Senators shake hands, with Damask returning the smile.

"And to you as well, Sheev," the old muun says kindly. "I hope I'm not intruding?"

"Of course not. I was just reviewing some documents about the Trade Federation," he says, sighing sadly for a moment. "It seems Viceroy Gunray is developing an interest in my homeworld."

"I'm so sorry to hear that. Are you sure I'm not being a bother then?" Damask questions. "I imagine that must have you worried."

Palpatine laughs dismissively.

"Oh nonsense, Hego, Gunray is nothing more than a greedy businessman. This is only fleeting issue at most," he chuckles. "I have more than enough time to spare for you, my friend. There is... no bother."

Translation: they are now free from any prying eyes.

Within mere moments, the friendly persona of Hego Damask II fades into the deadly shadow of Darth Plagueis. An evil yellow color filters into his eyes, and the wrinkles of his face drop as his smile fades into a deep frown, obscured by the transpirator he wore as a result of injuries he sustained from the Maladian assassins. Darth Plagueis begins to pace around the room, slowly, like a predator, stepping up to the window with his hands behind his back, looking out at the skyline of Coruscant.

"You've disappointed me, my apprentice," Plagueis states.

Similarly, Palpatine's friendly persona also disappears to be replaced by Darth Sidious, an irritated scowl forming on his face as his eyes also glow a sickly yellow.

"In what way, Lord Plagueis?" he asks.

"The boy you sent your 'pet' to capture: Jarik Shan," Plagueis says, and Palpatine waits for him to continue. "...he has been taken to the Jedi Temple."

Sidious widens his eyes briefly in surprise, which quickly grows into frustration and disbelief.

"What?" he growls questioningly.

"He arrived six days ago, and was inducted into the Order," Plagueis replies, turning his head slightly to glance at Sidious. "I told you not to seek Shan as an asset. You were supposed to finish what Bane started."

Sidious scowls with indignant frustration and anger, glaring at the back of his Sith master. He wants nothing more than to show this old fool who the true master of the dark side is once and for all: Plagueis is not the Sith he used to be, and is no longer fit to be the true lord of the Sith like he himself should. But Sidious holds his tongue, knowing that now is not the time. Plagueis may be old, but that does not mean he still isn't deadly. His time will come soon enough...

"You blame me for this, master?" Sidious angrily demands. "I am not the one who failed this simple task. My assassin already suffered his punishment."

"Punishment for a task that should not have been given," he retorts coldly.

"I only sought for the great potential that Lord Revan's bloodline offers, master!" Sidious protests defensively.

"And in so doing, you ignored the true story of Darth Revan," Plagueis snaps in dismissive anger, turning around to face him. "You forget that Darth Revan turned back from the darkness, and became a Jedi once more. Even in captivity, with his mind split under torture from the Sith Emperor, the Prodigal Knight's will remained strong. In the end, Revan died as a hero to the light."

Sidious remains silent as Plagueis stalks closer to him, two pairs of yellow eyes glaring at the other.

"The bloodline of Revan is littered with great warriors of the Jedi... heroes of the Republic... conquerors, yes, but saviors also," Plagueis hisses in distaste. "If Jarik Shan is allowed to grow in strength, he will be the same. He could even be our undoing."

"Our undoing?" Sidious asks, scoffing incredulously as Plagueis moves off. "Master Plagueis, the Shan's were decimated by Darth Bane a millennium ago. And if the boy is now among the Jedi, what difference does it make? They will raise him to be just as foolish and arrogant as they are."

"The difference, my apprentice, is the sense for power," Plagueis responds, turning to face him.

All of a sudden, Sidious goes stiff as his body is suddenly racked by intense agony, as if his very veins were being filled with acid. A terrible hiss of pain escapes from between clenched teeth as he hunches over, glaring hatefully at Plagueis; his master was holding an arm out, using the Force in a way that only he himself could: influencing the midi-chlorians. And he was using them to inflict tremendous pain on Sidious, down to the very microscopic life form all living beings possess.

"All the great warriors hailing from Revan's bloodline have opposed the dark side, even the Sith Emperor himself," Plagueis continues to say. "And I sense young Jarik carries a great deal of similar power in his future."

Plagueis lowers his hand, and Sidious collapses to one knee in order to recuperate, breathing heavily.

"Not everything in the galaxy can be controlled, despite what you may believe my apprentice. The Force? It's knowledge can be grasped, and exploited. But if something does not bend to your will, then it must be eradicated. This is why ending the Shan's is a necessity, something which Lord Bane knew. You however, do not yet understand that."

With his message given, Darth Plagueis makes his way towards the door of the office, leaving his apprentice to his own festering. However, as Darth Sidious got back to his feet, having recovered from the pain inflicted on him, he chuckled darkly to himself.

"Oh I understand perfectly, my master," he murmurs sinisterly to himself, watching Plagueis depart. "It is why you will fall next."