Now What?
By Kudzu
"Why do we even have that lever?"
Yzma, The Emperor's New Groove
The Supreme Chancellor cackled maniacally. His plans had been ultimately successful. He'd been worried for a minute when Mace Windu had proved more powerful than he'd anticipated and in his one moment of true helplessness, young Skywalker had wavered for a moment.
But no matter. The boy had fallen to the dark side, just as Palpatine had hoped he would. Now Windu and his cronies were dead, and his new apprentice - Vader - was preparing to attack the Jedi Temple and destroy this menace of the Sith once and for all. Then there would be peace and order under Palpatine's rule for a thousand years. Once the boy outlived his usefulness, his master would kill him and take a new learner. Perhaps he'd create an entire cadre of followers. Perhaps he could make the entire galaxy into a power source for himself and his dark side elite.
Yes! Yes! It was a fantastic idea! Dark Side Elite faithfully serving him as he used his Force powers to enslave each and every one of his lesser citizens and used their life force to make them all impossibly strong, but he more than all the rest…the strongest Dark Lord of the Sith in history.
Lazily, he turned on the comm unit and the hologram image of Commander Cody appeared. He smiled. Kenobi would, of course, be the first of those pestilent Jedi to go. Then he'd broadcast the message to the rest of the clones, naturally - but he wanted to deliver Cody's new commands personally.
"Commander Cody," he hissed. "Execute Order Sixty -"
He paused. Hadn't it been sixty-something? Maybe it was just Order Sixty. Yes, that was it.
"Execute Order Sixty."
Cody saluted. "Yes, sir."
Palpatine scowled. The clone commander was supposed to have responded, "It will be done, my lord." No matter. The Jedi would be crushed nonetheless.
He opened a channel to relay to all clone units across the galaxy and said, "Execute Order Sixty."
There was a chorus of affirmatives after the few seconds it took for the transmissions to travel across the military HoloNet, and the Chancellor grinned and propped his feet up on his desk. Yes, it was all coming together now. The Jedi were doomed. A new Empire would rise, and he would be at its head…
The door opened, and several squads of clone security troopers ran in. Furious and bewildered, the Dark Lord made to rise from his seat, but the lead clone ordered, "Freeze! Don't move, Chancellor."
"What is the meaning of this?" the surprised Sith demanded.
"Order Sixty," the captain said emotionlessly as more troops poured in behind him, including what looked to be the 501st Legion that Vader was supposed to be commanding and several clone commanders. "The Supreme Chancellor is now an enemy of the Republic. No authority shall henceforth be shown him, and he is considered a dangerous enemy."
The clones all aimed their rifles.
"My apologies, Chancellor. The order calls for you to be eliminated at once."
"How can this be possible?" he spluttered.
There was a pause.
"Don't know, don't care, sir," the clone captain replied. "Fire at will."
Blue blasts began raining down upon the horrified Palpatine, and he ducked behind his desk and wished that he had his spare lightsaber with him.
"Stop!" he screamed hoarsely as electronic components in the desk began to spark and explode. Chunks of it were blown clear away. "Stop! Stop, stop, stop!" He coughed violently, then yelled again, "Don't kill me! Stop! I…am…the…Supreme…Chancell - AAAARGH!" The desk had finally just exploded, sending him flying across the room and dangerously close to the shattered window he'd sent Windu out of.
He held up his wrinkled, gnarled hands to deflect the blaster bolts flying at him, screeching with impotent rage, then nearly hacking up a lung from exertion. Several blasts struck him and he fell, white-hot pain searing through his fragile body, still shrieking.
The Chancellor of the Republic was coughing up blood when he saw an Advance Recon Commando step over him, emotionless visor staring straight down at him with an air of dispassion.
"Why, Chancellor," said the clone, "I do believe you have a sore throat."
The enraged rasps of the dying Palpatine could be heard in his rather surprised apprentice's ears even kilometers away. Anakin Skywalker shook his head and scowled.
"Now what?"