(Quick Announcement: The overflow of kind comments I received after my last update made me cry. The reason for my last message was the fact that I've had to spend more time blocking rude users from messaging me/commenting rude things on my first few books than I had to keep working on the rest of the series. It hurts when you're putting your time and effort into something you've been working on for years and the most common feedback you receive ends up being complaints and impatient grammar Nazis. But after all the kind comments I got telling me not to give up and to ignore the haters (I didn't delete them, just unpublished the chapter so I could save them for the next time I get down about the jerks of the world.), I decided to take some time to give you guys another new chapter.

I also think you guys have the right to know what my plans are for the rest of Book 4. Between Chapter 20 and Chapter 25, we're going to be skipping around 19 to 21 years in the future. That'll be the gap between the fall of the Republic and the Empire's rise. I've got some fun things in mind for Obi-Wan and Denali's kids, along with Anakin's offspring as well. 

Thanks again for the love and support, I was feeling really depressed about my work and feared that I'd have to treat this series like my Harry Potter series, but you guys made everything better. Thank you to everyone who left a comment, telling me that these stories are worth fighting for.

I love you guys. :)

Oh, and go check out @la-la-lara 's account. She's the person who has been making me my beautiful covers and totally deserves a shout-out! Thank you, friend! Now, on with the show!)

**********

The medical droid stepped into the patients' room after the flawless metal doors slid open, then closed with a hiss behind it. Bright, round, white lights hung from the ceiling, illuminating the small area with a ghostly glow. Though the patient lying on a bed of white sheets seemed capable of taking his own medication, the assistant machine fed him his pills, then handed him a clear glass of water to wash them down.

It was Mace's last day in the medical ward of the Temple. After months of internal injuries slowly healing , broken ribs and a cracked spine gradually mending, he would finally be free to return to his duties as a Jedi and help make the universe a safer place. It was difficult not to brush off the doctor's orders and jump back into his duties as a Jedi, especially when he believed he'd finally reached his limit of boredom. But he stayed put and made sure he was physically ready to take on whatever future barriers that would stand in the way of justice.

Because, according to the news on the holonet, an army's worth of trouble had risen for a fight.

Ever since the battle on Alderaan, the Senate had gone ballistic. Bail Organa's speech on the Rancor Slayers' innocence sent shock waves through the political air, leaving sympathetic planets in a frenzy of disgust towards the Republic and the Chancellor's decision to attack. Uprisings and riots plagued Alderaan's capitol, while the farming and fishing sectors of the planet had started hunger-strikes by sinking their boats and burning their crops. The planet's economy was plummeting farther and farther with each day that passed, and sent ripples throughout the galaxy.

Other planets were now being effected by the attack on Alderaan as well. Without the crops and meat to trade with neighboring systems, food prices were skyrocketing, causing poor families already starving to perish. The death tolls were escalating at an alarming rate while civilians were pleading with their leaders to leave the Republic.

The Separatists had a chance to take advantage over this loss, but their own bickering was becoming their downfall.

With the death of Count Dooku by Master Fisto's hand during an attempted kidnapping of the Chancellor, the Separatist Alliance needed a new leader, someone to rally behind and win over the nations that were now fed up with the Republic's association with the Jedi. But there was no order when the representatives of different systems began to declare they were the new face of the Separatist Alliance. As more and more planetary leaders became hungry for power, the pillars of diplomacy that once supported them began to crumble. It felt as if the universe was falling apart.

"Master Windu..."

The medical droid left the room just as a man entered it. Mace recognized him almost immediately. The armor he wore, the scared face and white hair pulled back in a bun, the lightsaber that hung from his side.

"I am relieved to see that you are feeling much better."

"Master Kota," The hospital patient began in his usual monotonous tone and folded his arms over his chest. "I would be lying if I said I was expecting you here. To what do I owe this visit?" Master Kota cleared his throat and stood at the foot of Mace's bed. The rough man at first glance appeared to be tired, with heavy bags resting beneath his eyes and his shoulders hanging almost hunched over, as if he was lacking the strength to stand up straight. Though Master Windu figured most Jedi at the Temple would be sporting the same appearance due to the hell rising against their organization. Master Kota cut to the chase.

"A few hours ago, I was requested to give Master Yoda aid in youngling training while Master Skywalker is tending to his own affairs," The rugged old man began. "Unfortunately, Master Fisto has asked me to go to Kamino to help him with relations between the Jedi and the Kaminoans. Due to recent events, he believes our ties with them are at possible risk of being cut short. I explained this to Master Yoda and he suggested I ask you to take my place in aiding the younglings."

Mace clenched his teeth. Of course, the first day he'd be free from the hospital he'd be sent to train younglings. Was Master Yoda still upset after everything that had transpired between himself and Denali? From the way Windu saw it, the fight had been inevitable. The downfall of the Rancor Slayers was a necessity in order to maintain peace and balance in the galaxy. To have such a strong threat be tied to one of their strongest outcasts would have ended in more blood than before. The bounty hunters would have just gotten stronger and stronger, both in number and in influence. It was  smart to get rid of them before it was too late.

"What about Master Luminara?" He questioned. "Or Master Shaak Ti? I haven't heard of them being off on missions at the moment. Surely, they'd be more suited for this task than I. I haven't had a padawan in years-"

"Master Yoda specifically requested you," Rahm interrupted with a shake of his head. "Under the circumstances, I believe it would be wise if you obeyed his orders instead of questioning them." The slight glare in Rahm's eyes was enough to give Mace the hint. Rahm had been friends with Denali when they trained together, and he'd been at her funeral when she died. Mace wouldn't have been surprised if Rahm suggested he take his place to Yoda instead of the other way around.

Master Windu wasn't one to back down from a fight, but accepting this role would make this turn of events run much smoother than if he fought it.

"Alright, then," He inwardly sighed, but remained stoic to mask his frustration. "When does Master Yoda expect me?"

"Tomorrow. I believe he's sent a schedule to your comm," He gestured to the pile of robes and armor resting on a table to Master Windu's side, where his comm-link sat, glowing. "Thank you for accepting this task, I sincerely appreciate it."

Before Mace could scowl in distaste, Master Kota left the room and didn't look back. 

**********

"Where did these things come from?" Anakin grunted as he and Obi-Wan tried to hold the door shut to their little room. They couldn't run from the clones for long, not with Denali being in the condition that she was in. Having to carry her would've only slowed them down, so they did the next best thing- they looked for a place to hide. "And why do they hate us?"

"Don't know," Denali replied after she'd climbed up onto a counter top and began to pull at one of the vents in the ceiling. "But I have a strange suspicion Kit Fisto would have an idea."

"What do you mea-" Obi-Wan began to ask, but was cut short when a burst of force erupted from the opposite side of the door, causing him to jolt forward and scramble back to keep the barrier from fully opening. The clones were strong, and although the two force-users were doing their best to keep the slab of metal strong between them and their threat, their strength was slowly beginning to fail them.

"Kit Fisto knew I was taken here after the battle of Alderaan," The vent's grate fell from the ceiling and clattered to the floor, exposing a two-foot by two-foot hole above Denali's head. "I wouldn't be surprised if he'd brought me here himself. And our kids." Obi-Wan's eyes widened.

"Our...our...kids?" It only took a moment for the ex-jedi to get distracted, and a moment was all the clones needed. Anakin ignited his lightsaber just as the first clone barreled in, followed by the wave of bodies behind it. 

"Hurry!" Anakin shouted as he struck down each monster one by one. Obi-Wan boosted Denali up into the vent, then hopped on the counter top and climbed up after her. As the bodies piled up in front of the door, they created a barricade between Anakin and the rest, buying him the two seconds he required to sprint to the vent and jump up inside. 

"We had kids!" Obi-Wan shouted as the three clamored through the air ducts, the two armies still in hot pursuit behind them. "I didn't even know you were pregnant!" Denali couldn't tell if he was happy about it or not, the shock of the information still hadn't quite worn off yet. But she figured once it all set in, he'd be excited over it.

"It won't matter if we all die here!" Anakin yelled from behind him. The metal vents shook with every move they made and as the clones behind them began to worm their way into the ducts as well, the amount of weight was starting to take its toll on the infrastructure. In seconds, the metal began to groan, and collapsed onto the ground with the trio still inside.