The children were silent as the three individuals crawled their way through the Jedi Temple, too scared by the sound of blaster fire and screams of death erupting from the rooms and corridors beneath them. It was only when the group of three came upon a grate looking down from the ceiling that Maris finally spoke in a low whisper.

"Master," She gestured for Master Yoda to came towards the grate. He did as he was told and peered down through the thin gaps in the metal. Immediately, Yoda knew where they were in the Temple and a small ray of hope began to shine in his heart. Beneath them was the Council room, with its round seats set in a circle around the center of the chamber. And seated in the middle of the floor, surrounded by dead clone bodies with holes in their chests still smoking from where they'd been stabbed, was Jedi Masters Shaak Ti and Aayla Secura holding the dead body of Quinlan Voss. 

"Master Ti! Master Secura!" The two grieving women were pulled from their sadness and looked up in the direction of the voice. Master Yoda pushed the grate out of place, sending it clattering against the smooth floor, and jumped down at the two women's side. They gasped and their eyes became big as saucers, but the sight of the grand master alive seemed to ease their pain and fear. 

"Master Yoda! You live!" The blue Twi-lek woman exclaimed, then watched as two children followed him down, landing on their feet next to the small green alien. "And you've manged to rescue younglings, thank the force."

"In class, we were," He started, but couldn't continue. His silence gave the two women a good enough idea of what had happened to the rest of his pupils, so they didn't ask any questions on the matter. "A horrible loss, this is. Escape the Jedi Temple, we must." Shaak Ti nodded in agreement and the Togrutan jedi set the man down on the floor before taking his lightsaber and attaching it to her belt next to her own.

"The clones have the building surrounded," Aayla spoke once more. "The hanger is on lock-down and the rest of the temple is practically overflowing with soldiers. We can't even step foot outside this room without risking our lives. We're trapped here." She folded her arms over her chest and began to pace back and forth, her eyes glued to the floor with an angry glare.

"What about the catacombs?"

Everyone turned their attention to the little human boy, his blond hair drenched with nervous sweat and his face red from the sudden stares of the other jedi in the room. It was clear that this youngling was shy, Master Yoda had hardly heard him say anything during their lessons. This boy was the kind who sat alone during their breaks, or would've rather gone to the solace of his chambers rather than out to play with the other kids in the courtyard. But for the first time ever, he was finally coming out of his shell. Maris put a gentle hand on his shoulder for moral support and some of the fear seemed to fall from his expression.

"What do you mean, Tharen?"

He took a deep breath before continuing.

"A few days ago, I overheard some of the other younglings talking about a secret tunnel they found near the library before our lessons. They said that they didn't have much time to explore it, but there was a passageway that led out of the Temple."

"The library isn't far from here," Shaak Ti spoke up with a little more energy in her voice, now that the group was actually forming a plan. Maybe all hope wasn't lost just yet, maybe a few jedi would survive this massacre after all. "We could make it if we're quick, we just need to keep an eye out for-"

"But we don't even know where the entrance to these 'catacombs' is. We'll be sitting out in the open, looking for something we don't even know how to find," Aayla told her with a frustrated huff. "If this ancient passage way has just recently been found by a bunch of younglings after thousands of years, how are we going to possibly discover it?"

"That's the thing," the little boy piped up once again, although it seemed he was gaining confidence the longer the conversation lasted. "The only reason no one has found it before was because no one was looking for it. Has anyone ever looked for the secret passages in the temple before now?"

No one said anything.

"I didn't think so. Don't worry, it'll be really obvious once we get there. The only thing we should be concerned with are the clone troopers between us and our way out of here."

**********

Moments of peace during times of war are almost nonexistent. On the battle field, the chance of death is constantly knocking at your door, hoping you'll lose attention at what's in front of you for just a split second. In war, it is always do or die.

So Padme was surprised when she sat down in her ship's cargo hold for a moment to be by herself, to think about what was happening and fully process such a cataclysmic day on her own. Maybe it was the fact that Anakin came back for her and their child, that he knew they were in danger and did the first thing he thought would be the best move in order to keep them safe.

And all these years, she'd thought he only married her to keep his mind off of Denali.

The cargo hold was a nice place to rest. Sure, there weren't any chairs or beds to relax in, but with her back sitting against the wall, the darkness and cool air did something to her that she just couldn't explain. It was as if she'd stepped outside for a breath of fresh air, and yet she'd never even left her ship. It was here, even as she was queen of Naboo, that she found her sacred moments of temporary peace to calm her nerves and keep her heart rate at a moderate pace.

At first, she thought she was alone, with only her unborn baby to keep her company. But that thought was changed when the sound of metal hitting metal and wires snapping brought the cargo hold to life. Padme stumbled to her feet and pulled out the blaster Bail had given her less than an hour prior.

"Who's there?"

"M-m-mast-t-t-er-r..."

Like a disfigured mutant, the injured droid climbed out from behind the luggage and spare parts piled throughout the hold. Wires stuck out from the sides of its body and sparked, sending nightmarish shadows flashing against the walls. Padme recognized the voice, but couldn't pinpoint who this person actually was, since its face and body would change every time Padme would blink. First it was Boba, small but strong back when she and Denali were staying with the Rancor Slayers, then it was Danik, with his muscles bulging and a secretive twinkle in his eye, and then it changed to Bail, dressed in his Senate clothes and holding an empty wine bottle in his hand.

"M-m-m-ma-a-ster-r-r-r..."

Padme stepped back and gasped as the damaged droid began to merge the images it was changing into. It was Obi-Wan with Anakin's eyes, Chewbacca with Sekhmi's arms and striped head-tails, Danik with Boba's small body, Denali dressed in her jedi robes but with Padme's pregnant stomach. Like a living nightmare, the shape-shifting being made its way across the room towards the woman, like a dying animal crawling towards its only hope of survival.

"M-m-ast-t-t-er-r-r..."

Padme ran out of the cargo hold and locked the door behind her.