Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters I am simply using them for entertainment purposes only. Not profit is being made off of this.
Enjoy!
Chapter One
The dark forboding sky over Coruscant trembled from the great, terrible might of the lightning and thunder that tore through the atmosphere of the planet that never slept. On this night the sky almost seemed clairvoyant. For the sky showed the battle that would be taking place that night, but it was not a battle of corpreal beings, but a battle that would take place in the mindscape of the one who was destined to bring balance to the Force.
As the storm raged on outside of the great temple that the Jedi called home one solitary Jedi felt something that was wrong, the Force was in extreme turmoil. The Jedi was in such a state of shock about the extreme turmoil that she was forced out of her deep meditation. Then she heard a strange rhythm, one that she had only heard a few times in her life. It was the sound of clones marching. In panic Shaak-Ti scrambled to alert the temple guards, as well as all Jedi Knights currently residing in the temple at the time, of the immediate danger. The Sith Lord that was approaching, but even as she issued out orders Shaak-Ti swore that she felt something familiar about the Sith Lord. She brushed it off as merely the Sith's feeble attempt to mask it's presence. With resolve in her mind she marched to the entrance of the temple to confront the Sith Lord and his clones, in hopes of holding them off long enough for the others to escape.
Anakin, now the newly dubbed Darth Vader, silently marched toward the temple he had once called home. Anakin had once held the Temple in a perspective of awe, but now all he felt was a vicious hatred for it, for it stood as a symbol of oppression and danger for his new Master, the only one who had the power to save his Padme. As Anakin began to reach the peak of the steps leading to the grand entrance of the temple he had once called home and while Anakin had friends and many precious memories in the temple and its inhabitants, but as his resolve started to waver he reminded himself, it was all for Padme. With this thought set firmly in his mind as he reached the pinnacle of the Temple steps he believed himself to be ready for anything, but he was unprepared for what he found waiting for him. The glow of a blue lightsaber ready for battle. The figure who clutched her lightsaber in her hands was none other than his mother figure, the one who had been there to console him after his actual mother's death. It was Shaak-Ti.
As Shaak-Ti hurried out the main gate to the Temple the rhythmic thumping noise of the clone trooper's boots on the solid duracrete that made up the Temple's steps intensified till it became a bone jarring thud. Shaak-Ti brandished her saber in preparation of the battle that was certain to come. As the Sith Lord reached the top of the steps she ignited her saber and spoke, "Name yourself and identify as a friend or you will meet your fate upon these hallowed halls of the Jedi"
The figure let out a dark laugh that chill Shaak-Ti to her bones and responded with a simple, "No."
"Then you will die!" Responded the Jedi Master, who was adamant in giving her life, if necessary, to let the Younglings and Padawans escape.
The figure simply ignited his lightsaber and rushed to meet the Jedi's blade with his own crimson one. As the combatants clashed blades beautiful bursts of light appeared between the blades. To any spectator the duel would have looked like a beautiful dance, but to those who were engaged in the battle it was a struggle to stay alive. It took both the dueler's full concentration to avoid and block their opponents blades from cleaving limb from limb. As the Sith and Jedi became more entwined in their duel Shaak-Ti began to see a familiar pattern in her opponents style, it almost reminded her of Ana-. The Jedi was suddenly jerked out of her thoughts as she saw, out of the corner of her eye, that a crimson blade was coming at her head. Time seemed to slow down as the crimson blade neared her head. Out of a sudden burst of survival instinct she let out a massive Force wave that sent the Sith flying in to one of the numerous pillars that lined the walk-way to the grand entrance of the Jedi Temple.
The sudden lapse in the brutal fight she had been in let her focus on her surroundings. For a few seconds she was able to see the the carnage that surrounded her. Many bodies of Jedi Knights, young and old, lay amongst the rubble of the once great pillars of the Temple, but many more clone trooper corpses lay along side them.
As Vader regained consciousness he saw the exposed back of his moth... the Jedi that he had been in a duel with. Vader used the Force to propel his body toward the unprotected back of his Jedi opponent whil simultaneously calling his lightsaber to his hand and igniting it in preparation for the death blow he was about to deliver.
Being a Jedi Master Shaak-Ti was finely attuned to the Force so when Anakin lept towards her she was ready. Pulling her saber from her belt she ignited it and met the screaming crimson blade as it howled through the air toward her. As the combatants blades met the deadly dance of life or death was continued once more. This time Shaak-Ti had time to finish her earlier thought. It was Anakin that she was fighting. She let out a strangled sob as she realized that Anakin had been seduced by the Dark Side, by the Sith. With all these thoughts racing through her head at once she barely had time to process the fact that a crimson blade was descending toward her unprotected forearm. With a primal scream that spoke of pure agony and pain Shaak-Ti's arm fell to the ground with her lightsaber still in her severed hands grip.
"Anakin you have to stop this!" Shaak-Ti screamed
"You don't understand" he screamed back
"Then let me understand, please" she said imploringly
"Padme, the senator, she is my wife." Shaak-Ti remained silent "She's pregnant, and I" Anakin faltered then continued "I've been getting visions of her dying in childbirth, and Palpatine said he could save her if I became his apprentice."
"Palpatine is the Sith Lord we have been looking for all this time." Shaak-Ti said as she cursed under her breath. "Anakin, may I look at your visions" she asked.
Anakin nodded and opened his mind to hers. When Shaak-Ti entered Anakin's mind she felt many different emotions at once. There were so many feelings ranging from fear to love to shame. Despite the pain Shaak-Ti pushed deeper into Anakin's mind and found the vision. As she examined it she realized that it was fake, sent to him by Palpatine. When she exited Anakin's mind she found his face was streaked with tears. She draped her uninjured arm comfortingly around Anakin's shoulder. He let out a strangled sob and then rose to his feet.
"I command all clones to execute Order-65. Now!"
After hearing this all clones stopped their attack and began to help the Jedi survivors up. Anakin helped Shaak-Ti up and said,"I have some work to do."
As he walked away
LINEBREAK
Sidious, the newly elected Emperor Palpatine, sat in his office watching the Jedi Temple go up in flames. He let out a sigh of ecstasy. Finally after a thousand years the vendetta, first put in place by Darth Bane, was almost complete. Eager to see his coming success Sidious probed the Temple with the Force and what he saw delighted him. The dead and dying bodies of Jedi littered the Temple steps, but so did many more clones.
As Sidious' probe went further he saw his new apprentice fighting a lone Jedi Master, Shaak-Ti. Sidious was amazed at his apprentices abilities, he was beating back one of the most powerful members of the Jedi Order. Confident of his new apprentice's victory he turned his scrying eye inward and started to meditate when he was interrupted by his most trusted advisor, Mas Amedda.
"My Lord, the Jedi across the system have been killed. There are no reports of any escapees or survivors." Reported Mas.
"Good, good, very good my friend. Soon the galaxy will bend at my will, and you will be rewarded for all of your years of excellent service."
"I live the serve my Lord."
"You may leave now Mas."
After Mas left Sidious, once again turned his Force probe inward and began to meditate. As Sidious delved deeper into the Force he began to feel uneasy, but still experiencing the high of victory he dismissed the feeling, which would prove to be a fatal mistake later.
End.