Author's Notes:
Greetings! I am Garrett, AKA Lone Wolf8; if you're reading this, you're probably one of my readers from the Diaries of Shaak Ti, if you're not one of my readers and you enjoy this story then you may want to go and read those!

On to the point, many people by now have seen Episode III on DVD and the deleted scene entitled "The Cruel Fate of Shaak Ti"; this is NOT her canon death. In fact, it is a what if scenario; the same is true of the Episode III novel's version of her death which Lucas himself considered putting in the movie but decided to avoid ― for good reason, he asked this question of himself when thinking about the scene.

Why?
WHY would a Jedi Master, who senses the world around her not just through the force but through her species innate abilities, still be deep in meditation while hundreds of Clone Troopers storm and slaughter dozens of her fellow brothers and sisters of the Order?
Why would she not sense Anakin Skywalker coming up behind her to behead her?
The only way he could REALLY come up and do that was if he told the Clones to just sit outside and wait while he went all the way up to her chambers to kill her before coming down to get them and lead them inside; it just didn't make sense.
This all was described in a recent issue of StarWars Insider. Thus the result? According to character databanks Shaak Ti is to have "presumed to have died in the raid on the Jedi Temple during Order 66"
No one can say for certain what truly happened to her, and I'm sure most Shaak Ti fans like myself find it difficult to believe she'd go down very easy.
With that all said and done; this is my take on Shaak Ti's actions during Order 66, and her escape from the fighting 501st and Lord Vader.

StarWars
Escape from the Temple

It is a terrible time for the Jedi Order, General Grievous is dead and the Clone Wars have come to a close; with it is the rise of the great and terrible Galactic Empire. The devious Supreme Chancellor Palpatine has claimed the title as Emperor of the galaxy and has declared every single Jedi an enemy of the Republic. His new apprentice, Anakin Skywalker, now known as Darth Vader has been dispatched with the hardened clone troopers of the fighting 501st, soon to be known through out the galaxy as Vader's Fist, to bring order to the new Empire and crush the Jedi in a single strike against the ancient and revered Jedi Temple on Coruscant

When the Order was put through, the Clones obeyed. The Jedi had been their leaders, their protectors, their Generals and they felt guilt, but they were programmed to follow all commands from the highest authority of the Grand Army of the Republic, Supreme Chancellor Palpatine. The Advanced Recon Commando's, first activated during the CIS strike against the cloning facilities on Kamino like to consider themselves to be a bit more than simple clones. Unlike the generic troopers, and even the clone commando's the ARC troopers were given completely free will, with none of the 'follow command' programming the other clones were given. Their loyalty was bred into them, not by genetic manipulation, but through training by one man, a man of loose ethics but strong moral code and honor. Jango Fett.

Fett however, was not the one who freed them from their holding status in the Kamino clone tanks. When the War began, they were still in holding after their training, not to be released without the specific consent of the Jedi Generals.

When Jedi General Shaak Ti began to organize the defense of Kamino from a Seperatist invasion, President Lama Su brought before her the request for activation of the ARC troopers. By default, this placed her as the highest ranking officer to have control them, the one who gave them their lives and freed them from holding status. When the three ARC Trooper's brought into the 501st learned of their orders to kill all Jedi, they didn't just have a little nagging voice telling them the order was wrong, they had the commanding and authoritative voice of Jango Fett telling them to act on instinct, to always follow command, but to most importantly, always keep loyalty and honor above all other actions. They followed Lord Vader and the rest of their brother's into the temple, and the moment they had a clear shot they bolted away from their battalion, charging into the shadow confines of a darkened hall.

"We have to get to the General!" Tholme graveled through his private comm line within his helmet.

"Patience." Veta countered, holding a hand up to silence his two comrades, of the three he had always been the leader, neither Tholme nor Zasz had ever questioned that, he was trained in the leadership capabilities that they were not. Clad in perfectly kept and shined ARC armor trimmed in emerald green with a dark green war kama around the backs of his thighs Veta had always been a sight to behold. "First things first, we have to warn everyone we can while we move, we can't let them be caught by surprise if we can help it, but we can't blow our own cover either."

"If they get to her first they'll ki-"

"I KNOW!" Veta snapped silencing Zasz. "General Ti would be even more disappointed in us if we put her life before that of other Jedi. Our loyalty lies to the Jedi and the Republic, not to Palpatine or this new Empire of his. Our primary objective is to get to General Ti and get her and anyone with her out of here as fast as possible, we'll warn every Jedi we come across enroot but if we actively go around tipping them off we'll blow our cover, and we don't have time for a door to door alarm."

Veta now lifted the chain gun that hung from his shoulder by a leather strap, steadying it in his hands. "They may be brothers through blood, but tonight, any trooper is our enemy… If they oppose us, they go down, no hesitation, no mercy."

Tholme in his own Sapphire trimmed armor and Zasz in his ruby red, nodded in understanding. Tholme checked the power pack on his DC-17 Commando rifle and then stood at the ready, Zasz checked the charge in his spread shot blaster carbine and nodded to Veta.

"All right boys, lets do it." Veta growled, plunging away down the darkened halls of the temple.

- - -
Meanwhile, in the halls of the Jedi Archives
- - -

"Master Skywalker, is there something the matter?" Jocasta Nu, director of the Archives asked, stepping down the hall as Anakin Skywalker entered, followed by six armed Clone Troopers in the blue and white guardian armor of Coruscant's elite legion.

"I need access to the Archive's master database." Anakin answered, not so much a reply, as an order.

Jocasta was elderly, in beautiful flowing robes, she had long sense retired from active duty, but she was no less weak for doing so. Her hand slid casually to the hilt of her saber as she returned his demanding gaze with a look of stern defiance so often used upon the young and hotheaded Jedi of this modern age of the Order. "I'm afraid no one can access those files without the direct permission of the senior members of the Jedi Council,' she stated, her eyes for the briefest moment passing over his shoulder to look at the troopers, 'I'll have to ask you to leave now, Master Skywalker."

Wit ha roar of anger Lord Vader's saber blazed to life, but even as he moved to strike the old woman down her own saber clashed against his and knocked him back. 80 years of training and power flared to life in her eyes as their sabers crackled together.

"If you will not give me access then I will go in myself!" Vader snarled, pressing his strength advantage.

In unison over a dozen more saber blades hissed to life, but even as the padawans and knights in the hall started running towards Jocasta's aid the blast of DC-17 assault rifles filled the air, blue bolts of plasma energy racing out. These were no mere clone troopers, these were the fighting men of the 501st, and they did their job well. Two jedi were down before they could even react, stunned at the sight of the clones who'd served so loyally turning on them.

Shocked by the sudden feeling of pain she felt by the loss of the first two padawans, Jocasta's elderly body just wasn't quick enough to defend as Vader suddenly stepped back and then lunged forward, embedding his saber in the old master's torso. Jocasta's shocked look was the first of many that would be forever embedded in the darkest of Darth Vader's memories.

- - -
Eastern Residential Corridor
- - -

The halls of the sleeping quarters in the East wing of the temple were dark and deserted, it was late, and most Jedi were scattered across the galaxy, or worse, dead from battles in the Clone Wars. Three pairs of feet thudded against the marble floor in unison, left, right, left, right, left right.

"CLONE!" Zasz shouted suddenly.

Veta and Tholme both dove to opposite sides of the hall as Zasz fired two charges from his spread blaster, dropping all three clone troopers who'd just emerged from a jedi's quarters all at once.

As soon as all three troopers had hit the floor the trio of ARCs sprinted off again, heading for the Jedi Fountain chamber at the center of the main floor of the temple, from their they could reach the stairs that led to the main tower of the temple where all the council members private quarter's were.

Many people of the Republic believed the clones were soulless, little more than sentient droids; but soulless or not, Veta was preying. He preyed they reached General Ti in time, and he preyed that the other ARCs; scattered as they were across the galaxy would remember their oath of honor and loyalty, and not turn upon the General's they'd served for over three years now.

The three ARCs paused at the corner of corridor that would turn into one of the main halls leading to the Jedi Fountain chamber. As Tholme checked around the corner Veta checked his watch.

"Clear." Tholme graveled in a hushed tone, whipping around the corner with his rifle raised lest they run into opposition.

"ETA of five minutes before the primary battalion breaches the fountain chamber, we don't want to be there when the Jedi arrive to defend the temple; we have to get across fast." Veta said in mid run as they hurried down the hall. Soon their audio receptors in their helmets allowed them to hear the tranquil fall of the fountain waters. A pang of sadness hit Veta as he thought of how soon that tranquility would be shattered by the thunderous roar of blaster rifles.

- - -
The Jedi Fountain Chambers
- - -

L'lara Wu'loon was the only jedi in the chamber at the moment. A padawan of 18, she had been in the Temple for some time now, her master had died on Ryloth and with how chaotic the wars had been the council deemed it better if she simply remained in the temple till such time as it was safe to reassign her. She knew just the Master she wanted, but doubted she'd ever get that wish granted. When she was only 5 years old and in Master Yoda's bear clan Shaak Ti has acted as his replacement for a day; the Togruta had inspired L'lara greatly in that single day of tutelage, and L'lara preyed to the force that maybe, just maybe, Shaak Ti would see fit to take her as an apprentice. But Master Ti had not taken a padawan since her second apprentice's death at the hands of an assassin and L'lara knew her chances of being Master Ti's third were nigh inconceivable.

It was this very thought that was plaguing her as her meditation upon one of the sitting stones in the waters of the primary fountain was shattered by the sound of running feet. She opened her eyes and gasped to see three clone troopers charging down the hall. The shoulder pauldrons, the kamas, the advanced weaponry, these were ARC troopers, the men Shaak Ti herself had taken command of at the defense of Kamino, but what were they doing in the temple?

"Trooper!" L'lara called, leaping up from her meditation stone and over the water to land on solid ground. "What's going on here?"

"There's been a rebellion ma'am." The emerald trimmed ARC responded in an urgent and hurried tone.

"Rebellion, what! Wait and minute, who's rebelling?"

"Other clones ma'am! There's no time to explain, Chancellor Palpatine has turned on the jedi, he's dispatched the 501st to lay siege to the temple, we have to get out of here.

"What! No wait! This is to fast I need more informa-" L'lara squeaked as the red trimmed ARC suddenly lifted her right off the ground and tossed her over his shoulder.

"Forgive me master jedi, but as Commander Veta said, there's no time!" The red clad trooper graveled.

As he spoke the green ARC turned his head, Veta; as L'lara now had discovered his call sign was, had heard something. On the other side of the door was the menacing tramp of marching feet.

"They're coming! MOVE IT!" He ordered, pointing to the stairs down a shorter hall the led from the back of the massive fountain chamber.

L'lara felt like they were moving fast than she ever had with force speed, still thrown over the red trooper's shoulder as he and the blue one both charged towards that hall leading to the main tower stair well and Veta pulled a Det-Pack from the cargo pack hanging around his chest; the ARC Commander threw the detonator against the sealed main door that led into the chamber and then bolted after his comrades and L'lara.

The young twi'lek was still trying to grasp the concept of any clones turning traitor, and why these ones had not, as the red trooper carried her up the stairs. Below them she could see Veta stop at the stairs and look back, holding the trigger button for the Det-pack. A flash of orange the roar of an explosion followed as he hit the trigger and then hurried up the stairs after them.

- - -
The Central Tower, Jedi Master Shaak Ti's quarters.
- - -

If Darth Vader had hoped to catch Master Ti unprepared, he would be in for a great surprise. The Jedi Master had been in meditation when Anakin and the Trooper's began their assault. The moment Jocasta Nu's essence fled her body the horrible occurrence in the Library filled Shaak Ti's mind, in vivid detail her mind's eye watched as Anakin Skywalker led a battalion of Clone Troopers, clad in the blue and white armor of Coruscant's elite security troopers of the 501st; decimating the jedi with in the temple. As soon as the vision faded she snapped awake, her lightsaber flaring to life in time with a thunderous rumble from below in the central confines of the temple. It sounded as if it came from the Fountain Chambers.

The hiss of Shaak Ti's main chamber door caused her to snap around, her saber humming through the air to stop inches from Jedi Master Cin Drallig's neck, his own emerald blade snapped to life to parry of Shaak's saber but never actually having to come in contact with it as the Togruta realized who it was and halted her advancing stroke.

"Master Drallig, what's going on?" She asked in a hushed and urgent tone, for some reason sensing that to speak any louder would be folly.

"I'm not sure… The security cameras have shown clones, attacking the Jedi. I rushed here to rouse you but I see you're a step ahead of me as usual." The white haired human replied, smiling faintly.

Shaak Ti's pale lips curled into a faint smile. "I would want no other at my side right now Cin Drallig… Come, we must rouse all we can, I saw them in a vision, there are too many for us to try and fight."

"Serra's already gone to retrieve the younglings, I told her to meet us in the eastern hangar bay." Cin Drallig replied, speaking of his padawan Serra Keto.

"Good, come then, we must find out more about what's going on…" Shaak stated, frowning faintly as she swept past him out into the hall way.

- - -
Central Council Tower Corridors
- - -

"It's quiet…" Tholme whispered, turning his head back and fourth looking around warily with his blaster raised.

"Stay sharp… Something's coming." Veta graveled, lifting the chain gun into a ready position braced on his hip.

"I don't sense anything." L'lara replied.

"You wouldn't... They're not hostile, they're just doing their job, the clones don't really know what they're doing is wrong." Zasz explained to the confused young Twi'lek as she spun her lightsaber nervously in her hand. "They're simply following or-"

"JET TROOPERS!" Veta roared loudly, yanking the chain gun around and tearing apart the large bay window as a wave of blue blaster bolts from Clone Jet Trooper canons plowed in the wall.

"Get down!" Zasz shouted, but before he could yank L'lara down she was moving.

The Jet Troopers that didn't meet their fate at the onslaught of projectile fire from Veta's chain gun found themselves unprepared as the lithe young twi'lek came racing forward from the darkness, her cyan hued saber perfectly matching her sea green skin tone as she danced through the crowd of landing jet troopers dicing them to ribbons with expertly timed strokes.

"Well… I'll say this for her, she sure can fight." Tholme said with a chuckle as L'lara deactivated her saber, standing amidst a ring of fallen clones.

"Keep moving, more will come, we can't be caught here." Veta snapped authoritivly, charging down the hall once more with the other two ARCs and the padawan close behind.

As they ran around the corner Zasz suddenly hurled himself forward, knocking L'lara to the ground.

"JEDI! BLAST 'ER!" A Jet Trooper shouted, whirling on the young Padawan. "HOLD YOUR FIRE!" Veta shouted, stopping the group of Jet Troopers.

"Commander Veta!" One of the troopers exclaimed in confusion. "What're you doing with this traitor?"

Veta was silent for a moment, looking at the six silver armored jet troopers, his remorse hidden behind his helmet. "The right thing, my brother."

The roar of Veta's chain gun filled the hall once more as he tore apart the six Jet Trooper's dropping them in chunks of shattered flesh and armor. L'lara closed her eyes, grimacing at the scene playing out before her as Veta eliminated the clones, opening them as she once more heard his voice saying to keep moving.

"This is it, General Ti's quarters should be just ahead..." he trailed off suddenly, staring at the smoking hole in the wall where a det-pack had destroyed Shaak Ti's chamber door, strewn across the hall way were the fallen bodies of a dozen clones, some of them in multiple pieces.

In unison all three ARC's charged for the door, L'lara following them more slowly, looking at the bodies, precise wounds, perfect in every way single hit killing blows, several of the trooper's were decapitated, one had been severed clear in half. Almost all of them had lost both hands. She knew this sort of work, Shaak Ti's, disarming and ending her confrontations as quick and painlessly as possible for both sides of the engagement. She was marveling at the Jedi's work when she heard two lightsabers suddenly activate.

"Master Ti don't!" She shouted suddenly, staying Shaak Ti's hand just before she plunged her saber through Zasz's back.

The Togruta had been hiding behind a large statue of one of the Order's fallen jedi, alongside a white haired human man L'lara recognized as Master Cin Drallig, one of the order's most revered instructor's in saber combat.

"We're on your side general…" Veta said, turning to face her, dropping his weapon so that it hung from his shoulder limply by the leather strap.

Shaak Ti's large black eyes swept over the three ARC Troopers. Cin Drallig was watching her out of the corner of his own eye waiting for her lead. As she deactivated her saber he deactivated his as well. Shaak Ti straightened from her combat stance, smiling faintly.

"It's been awhile Veta…" Beneath his helmet the emerald clad ARC made no effort to hide the proud smile, pleased simply to see she'd remembered his name. "Tholme, Zasz; good to see you both again."

The other two trooper's straightened slightly, just as pleased as their leader. "Sorry we're late ma'am, but we had to go through hostiles to get here; and picked up an acquisition we'd not counted on." Veta explained, gesturing to L'lara.

Cin Drallig looked toward the young twi'lek, who was suddenly blushing under the scrutinizing gaze of the two jedi masters. "I know you… L'lara Wu'loon correct?"

"Y-yes sir! I was in the fountain chamber sir." She explained quickly. She remembered Cin Drallig all to well, an excellent teacher, but he expected promptness, honesty, and above all courage from all his students and she still was intent on following through on all his expectations.

Shaak Ti moved past Master Drallig now, peering at L'lara with her inquisitive black eyes, and then smiling the widest smile she'd given all night. "Well hello there little one…"

L'lara's sea green skin turned dark with the hue of her blushing cheeks. "You… Remember me?"

Shaak Ti grinned now, her eyes sparkling as she clipped her saber to her belt once more. "You'd be surprised how well little one. Are you all right?"

"Y- yes ma'am." The young padawan responded, thinking for a moment that she was going to faint; her heart pounding in her chest, for a change tonight not from fear but from excitement. "I'm okay."

"Good, we'd better get moving then, it won't be long before more come." Shaak said, beckoning to the Twi'lek.

"I think they're coming sooner than you might think…" Cin Drallig growled, his saber flaring to life and pointing towards one of the larger windows bordered by statues on either side.

Shaak Ti's eyes widened as she looked towards the window, it wasn't troopers repelling on grapple lines, it wasn't jet troopers, but one huge craft outlined on the night sky by the flames roaring in the lower section of the temple.

"GUN SHIP!" Tholme roared, yanking his commando rifle up and quickly dismantling its blaster barrel, loading in the rocket clip.

Instantly Shaak Ti recalled weeks of Fighting on Kamino along side the ARC's to defend the cloning centers. She lifted a hand and gave her fingers a single flex, shattering the glass – as it shattered, rather than letting it fall she seized the shards through the force, sending them hurtling like shrapnel towards the gunship. Tholme dropped to one knee beside her while Zasz took a position to brace him. With a roar he fired all four of the rockets from the launcher clip, sending the compound explosives racing through the air trailing clouds of smoke spiraling towards there target.

With a flash of light and a deafening bang the first rocket hit the right wing of the gunship directly on the mount turret sphere, shattering it, the wing and the trooper who was in the sphere in a blaze of fire. The second rocket veered away and then back toward the ship, hitting it from an angle against the side of the transports hull. By the time the third rocket clipped the port-side proton torpedo launcher on the ship the pilot had begun firing upon them with the heavy chin turret.

Shaak Ti dove to the side as massive bolts of green plasma slammed into the wall behind her shattering it to rubble. Cin Drallig snatched L'lara up out of the line of fire as Tholme and Zasz dove for cover. Shaak Ti shouted something but her words were droned out as the overwhelming rattle of Veta's chain gun now filled the air. At 166 rounds per second the Merr-Sonn Z-6 Rotary Blaster Cannon was one of the most powerful weapons of the CloneWars. Even now at the end of the war, it was still a rare sight on the battlefield, used only by the most elite of command units who had the strength and endurance the lug the cumbersome weapons and generally only on special assignments. The blaster-resistant cockpit didn't cave to the actual blasters from the gun, but rather the sheer amount of preside put onto it by the consistent rate of fire. The Glass buckled and shattered inward, showering the pilot at the same time as he was lit up by 77 rounds from the gun before he slumped against the controls of the gunship.

Shaak Ti's eyes went wide. " MOVE!" She yelled as the ARC's chain-gun fell quiet once more. She bolted down the hall, pushing the others as fast as she could as the pilot-less gunship now lurched forward, smashing against the tower and plowing through the broken window, wedge for only a moment before with a lurch it, and the clones being transported inside it all plummeted down to the rooftop of the main temple below, crashing in a wash of torn metal and exploding ship's innards.

- - -
AN: Proceed to Part II