Coruscant - Corusca Sector

Day of 'The Incident'

It was a normal day on Coruscant. Everything was calm at the Jedi Temple; younglings were training with their masters, Temple Guards patrolled the corridors, and Padawans and their masters rested and meditated, some waiting to see what their next role in the war would be. Meanwhile, the Jedi High Council was in a meeting.

Master Yoda sat in his chair, listening intently to the holographic report from Obi-Wan about his most recent mission. Ki-Adi-Mundi, Plo Koon, Mace Windu, Shaak Ti, and Eeth Koth were the other masters present in the High Council chamber. The report was proceeding smoothly, with nothing unusual to note, but suddenly Yoda's ears began to buzz. Shortly after, Shaak Ti and Mace Windu also felt a strange sensation in their heads, and the hologram of Obi-Wan showed signs of discomfort, as he too raised a hand to his head.

Yoda quickly closed all the windows of the chamber to focus, while Mace Windu stood up. "Everyone, close your minds now!" he commanded, sensing something approaching, something like a wave. Moments later, a shockwave of pain hit their minds. The whiplash effect caused those more attuned to the Force to pass out immediately, with the exception of Master Yoda, who managed to concentrate just in time.

Obi-Wan was still visible in the hologram, but he appeared worried, shouting, "Anakin, what's wrong? ANAKIN?!" before running off-screen toward his apprentice. The hologram then flickered off. Mace Windu, Yoda, Ki-Adi-Mundi, and Eeth Koth were the only ones still conscious. Yoda looked around. "Check the Temple, we must," he said with a calm but urgent tone, heading toward the exit. Ki-Adi-Mundi stayed behind to tend to those who had passed out.

Mace Windu followed Yoda swiftly. "I felt the Dark Side being torn apart," he said resolutely, scanning the corridors.

The Temple Guards were scattered on the floor—some kneeling and beginning to rise, others still recovering their thoughts. Yoda passed by them, ensuring they were unharmed, though his voice remained troubled. "It feels as though... the Force itself has been torn... by something."

Master Windu nodded in agreement, but both were soon distracted by screams echoing from the younglings' training area. With lightning speed, they reached the temple gardens, where they found Master Luminara holding a youngling in the air, separating him from the others. The child's eyes glowed with a strange green hue, piercing through Luminara and causing the usually calm and stoic master to feel a deep sense of dread.

Mace was the first to speak. "What's happening here, Luminara?" His voice was calm, keeping his emotions in check as he observed the youngling, who appeared possessed by something sinister.

Luminara remained composed, levitating the youngling. "At first, it felt like a shockwave—an impact. But then, this youngling started acting strange. He grabbed his lightsaber and tried to stab another youngling. When I stopped him, I noticed... his eyes. It's as if he's being controlled," she explained.

Yoda watched the scene, puzzled but maintaining his composure. He attempted to sense the boy's presence in the Force, but what he felt was overwhelming. His cane dropped to the floor, and he clutched his chest as though struck by a great blow. "Such... evil..." he said, his voice strained.

Mace Windu helped Luminara restrain the boy as Temple Guards arrived to bind him with cuffs, immobilizing him. The two Jedi Masters released their hold, and the boy collapsed to his knees. Windu approached cautiously. "Who do you serve?" he asked.

The youngling twisted and writhed, gnawing at the cuffs in futility. They were made of metal, after all. Then, he looked up at Windu with a twisted grin. "We? We serve the Great-Enormous One, yes-yes!" His voice was eerie, as if two beings spoke in unison.

"We?" Luminara echoed, stepping closer.

"Yes-Yes!... We!" he cackled, his expression filled with malevolent intent. Windu could sense that the boy was lost to whatever had taken control of him.

Yoda, having regained his composure after his brief glimpse into the Force, approached. "Defiling the Force, you are," he proclaimed.

"Defiling?" the boy asked, laughing mockingly. "We don't defile, we violate! We consume it! Make it ours-ours!" The boy struggled on the floor, still grinning maniacally.

Mace and Luminara were taken aback by the intensity of the boy's words, but Yoda remained focused, already contemplating a solution. "Contain him in the vaults beneath the Temple, we must. Examine all the younglings, we shall. There is a risk for those unprepared in mind."

The Temple Guards, along with Mace Windu and Luminara, quickly spread the word. By the end of the morning ,thirteen younglings of various species and genders had been contained—all of them highly attuned to the Force. By the close of the morning, the Temple had been secured, and the unconscious Jedi began to awaken. Many adult Jedi who had a strong connection to the Force had also passed out during the incident.

The High Council began to meditate on the situation, trying to locate the source. What they found was a small planet in the Mid Rim, within Republic space, but the Force surrounding the planet was corrupted. As the Jedi Masters gazed upon it through the Force, they realized it was staring back. This was no mere wound in the Force, no absence of it, no mere shadow of the Dark Side. It was the pure manifestation of evil itself. Staring at it for too long caused even the strongest of heart to see themselves committing unspeakable acts in their minds. However, Mace Windu, who had resisted the Dark Side many times, and Yoda, who had faced countless challenges in the Force, held their ground and ventured deeper into the vision. What they found was terror. Even the Dark Side was screaming. The Force itself was crying out as it was touched and corrupted by this entity, whose many green tendrils spread across the galaxy.

Mace Windu broke his meditation, shaking his head in frustration at his inability to observe further. Yoda quickly followed, both of them noticing the shame, pain, and fear in the eyes of the other meditating Jedi. They had been forced to confront their darkest desires during the brief glimpse of the entity's power. But this went beyond desires—it was a primal evil rooted in all living beings.

Mace Windu began to speak. "I believe that, after what we've just witnessed, the Clone Wars have become a far smaller issue. I think we can all agree that we need to redirect our forces, from the war-torn planets to the ones where this entity's influence is spreading. We must suffocate it before it can grow further."

"And after?" Luminara asked, placing a hand over her face, shielding her eyes. Though she remained calm, she couldn't shake the horror of what she had seen in her mind while staring at that malevolent force.

Yoda interjected, providing the final word. "For now, we focus on the present. The future... will come later."

With Yoda's words, Jedi across the galaxy were redirected, accompanied by clone squads, to the planets where Mace Windu and Yoda had seen the tendrils of corruption spreading. They had expected the Chancellor, Palpatine, to intervene or question the sudden shift in strategy, but as night fell, no objection came—an unusual silence from the High Council's frequent critic.

Hours Earlier*

Chancellor Palpatine sat at his desk, recently concluding a conversation with Count Dooku about the latest developments. But as the conversation ended, he sensed something unusual. It was as if he was being watched by the shadows in his room. The red-painted walls seemed to close in around him as he paced, each step growing quieter—like a predator stalking its prey.

Then, a single sound pierced through the silence in his mind: a bell ringing—a hellish, deafening toll that felt as though it was splitting his skull open. In the Force, he saw a strange green light approaching, yet at the same time, he could feel the dark side clinging to him, as though it was protecting him from something trying to steal its possession. Palpatine clutched his head and instinctively projected lightning in front of him, causing the vision to dissipate. He glanced at the destroyed decoration he'd hit, but there was no time for such concerns.

Moving swiftly to his holoprojector, Palpatine attempted to reach Count Dooku once more. What he saw chilled even him. The Count's eyes glowed with an unnatural light, and Palpatine could see from his mannerisms that Dooku had become something far worse than the dark lord he once was.

"What are you?" Palpatine demanded, staring at the possessed Count in the hologram.

"We? We are your demise... We shall see you soon..." Dooku replied, grinning maniacally. Palpatine watched in horror as Dooku took his lightsaber and began carving strange runes into his own flesh. Without hesitation, Palpatine shut off the projector. He knew this was no longer a time for petty games of conquest. He needed to act.

Quickly, he contacted General Grievous, who appeared in the hologram, kneeling before his dark master, seemingly unaffected by whatever had consumed Dooku.

"There's no time to explain," Palpatine began curtly. "It appears Count Dooku has been... compromised. Do not follow any more of his orders. If you see his ship, destroy it."

"But, Master, Count Dooku is the main representative of the C-" Grievous tried to protest, but Palpatine cut him off.

"Obey me!" Palpatine snapped. "Spread the word through the entire CIS—Dooku has been compromised. After that, proceed to the coordinates I'm sending you. Come alone."

There was no room for politics now, not as Palpatine could feel tears pricking at the corners of his eyes. The dark side—no, the Force itself—was screaming in pain, and he could feel it deeply. But instead of empowering him, the agony was weakening him.

After sending General Grievous the coordinates to Moraband, Palpatine swiftly left his office, taking his lightsabers with him, hidden on his clothes. He informed the other politicians that he had urgent business to attend to and that Padmé Amidala would have full authority in his absence.

At the very least, with Padmé in charge, he hoped to return to a functioning Republic, rather than one reduced to rubble by the time this crisis was over. And he was determined to see it through.