-AUTHOR'S NOTES-
**This story is AU, very AU, just a warning to all those who are looking for something else.**
As I've said before, this story has been on a hiatus for like... what four years? Now I'm finally coming back to it with a complete rewrite. Everything will be changed and different in terms of writing styles and even some major plot elements.
Prologue has officially been redone according to my own standards. It's been four years. Four years since we last updated, and now, updates will come much more frequently than before.
I'm removing all chapters posted, and starting off completely fresh since events that previously happened in later chapters are modified, or removed completely. If anybody wishes to see the original story, just let me know and I can post it, but that version of this story will not be completed.
Prologue:
Plans.
That's all everything ever was. The entire war, the Grand Army, the countless battles. All plans that escalated to a climax. Like a song, a grand composure, orchestrated carefully and executed with perfection.
Even now, the dull thumps of the several footsteps walking through the corridors toward his private office, the call of the Force and muffled screams of the red-clad senate guards were all part of this grand composure.
Subtly, the shadow fingered a recording device attached to the underside of his desk.
Audio only. After all, he'd need proof.
The doors to his private office opened with an angry hiss as Mace Windu led his band of Jedi Masters into the room.
The Shadow smiled, ever so warmly. "Master Windu. What a pleasant surprise."
The Korun Master's face was set in a scowl as the doors slid shut behind him. "Hardly a surprise, Chancellor, and I won't be pleasant for either of us."
The shadow's head tilted in slight confusion. "I'm sorry? Master Fisto, hello. Master Kolar, greetings. I trust you are well. Master Tinn-I see your horn has regrown. I'm glad." His smile was sincere as it had always been, a startling realization for all four Jedi Masters. "What brings you four Jedi Masters to my office at this hour?"
"We know what you are, who you are. We are here to take you into custody." Came the curt reply from Master Windu.
The shadow was taken aback. "I beg your pardon?" The shadow was obviously offended. "What I am? Last time I checked, I was Supreme Chancellor of the Republic you are sworn to serve." It's eyes narrowed threateningly. "I hope I misunderstand what you mean by custody, Master Windu. It smacks of treason."
Windu remained unfazed. "You are under arrest, Chancellor."
"Really, Master Windu, you cannot be serious. On what charge?"
"You're a Sith Lord!"
The shadow's eyebrow arched. "Am I? Even if that's true, it's hardly a crime. My philosophical outlook is a personal matter. In fact- last time I read the Constitution, anyway- we have very strict laws against this type of persecution." It glared challengingly up at the Jedi Masters. "So, I ask you again: What is my alleged crime? How do you expect to justify this to the Senate? Or do you plan to arrest them as well?"
"We're not here to argue with you." Windu came back, stern and unfazed as before.
"No. You're here to imprison me without trial. Without even the pretense of legality." The shadow accused, his eyes narrowed as he allowed his discontent to freely show in a pregnant pause as the pitter patter of rain slapped against the wide transparasteel window behind the shadow.
Thunder cracked loudly. "So this is the plan, at last: The Jedi are taking over the Republic."
"Come with us. Now." Windu met the shadow's discontent with equal vigor.
"I will do no such thing. If you intend to murder me, you can do so right here." The shadow placed both hands on the desk in front of him, glaring up angrily at the Jedi.
"Don't try and resist." Mace warned, reaching beneath his coat to finally grab the shiny cylinder that was his saber hilt, quickly mirrored by the three other Masters.
Colors splashed on the walls of the Chancellor's office, elongating the shadows of the archaic decor, stretching their darkness along the maroon carpet. The song of four Jedi lightsabers reached the shadow's ears, adding yet another instrument to his grand overture.
Jedi Philosophy was simple to interpret. A Jedi should never draw his weapon unless he or she was ready to take a life.
The shadow resisted the urge to smile at just how well his plans were going.
"Resist? How could I possibly resist? This is murder you Jedi traitors! How can I be any threat to you?" He shook his fist in protest, perfectly imitated a scared, frightened old man. The shadow's desperate gaze turned to Saesee Tinn. "Master Tinn- you're the telepath. What am I thinking right now?"
The Master's head tilted up slightly and he frowned as his blade dipped.
And all at once, the Force became a cold, malevolent obscurity.
A smear of crimson-flashing black across the very portrait of reality shot out from behind the desk.
Tinn's head bounced in a thud when it hit the floor.
"Saesee!"
Smoke coiled up from the headless corpse, dancing to the rhythm of the shadow's song. Still standing, Saesee Tinn twisted as his knees buckled.
Without missing a beat, Agen Kolar then swayed back and forth, a strange look of both concentration, and pain adorning his face. "It doesn't..." His blade died down, and the hilt tumbled to the floor from his loose fingers."hurt...?" Light shown through a small, neat hole in the middle of his head, still curling smoke as he fell face first into the ground.
The shadow stood at the doorway, crimson death sprouting from a electrum hilt in his hand. The deep, baritone hum now the centerpiece of his concerto. The crescendo! The apex!
The end.
The door locked at his back. "Help! Help!" He held his hand to his mouth, crying like a man in desperate danger. "Security- someone! Please help! Murder! Treason!"
Then he smiled.
Holding one finger to his lips, he winked at Mace Windu and Kit Fisto, who could only angle their blades blankly, astonished, in defense.
The shadow swiftly stepped over the mess of bodies he'd created back toward his desk, reversed his blade, and with a precise, surgical stab, sunk it into his desk. "Now, that's enough of that."
He pulled the blade from his desk, twisted it, and held it in front of him, as if he were gazing at it's beauty, studying it as if to remember it's features. A simple tool to a Sith Lord, a means to achieve a goal.
This blade would reserve a special place in the shadow's heart of coal, the blood of Jedi was on it.
The Force gathered around him in a black cloud, shimmering with darkness as he inhaled deeply, contentedly. "If you only knew," He spoke softly, perhaps to himself, perhaps to the Jedi, perhaps, even to his lightsaber. "how long I've been waiting for this..."
Lightning flashed, thunder rolled.
As if nature itself was agreeing.
The Coruscanti sunset painted the walls of the Jedi Council Chambers with warm oranges, and fiery reds, dripping across the floor and sliding effortlessly through the chairs. Long shadows of the Jedi Masters themselves were cast along the floor, eerily foreboding of their own deaths. The Force was dark, darker than it had ever been, teasing, haunting and evil as it's source released it's own emotions and thoughts. Hatred and malice were the more powerful, their darkness shading what little light remained, the light that was dimming in their fear and anticipation, accompanied by his own fears.
Anakin's flesh and bone hand trembled as he clutched at the window sill, gazing out passed the traffic right at the Chancellor's office.
The dark brown cloak around his shoulders was suddenly hot, his tunic itching his skin, the electrodrivers in his right hand tugging painfully on his nerves, and his head pounded like a drum. Fear chilled his heart- his entire body, anticipating the absolute worst like he always did.
He begged Master Windu to take the Sith Lord alive... He needed the Sith alive.
"He could even save the ones he loved... from dying."
His jaw clenched almost painfully, and his mechanical hand whirred, the leather rubbing against itself as it clenched into a fist.
Chancellor Palpatine was that Sith Apprentice in that so called tragedy. Had he really been so naive?
Anakin Skywalker hushed his own thoughts, his hurt from the betrayal as he stared out of the Jedi High Council Chamber's window past the Senate Building, and right at his wife. His beautiful wife carrying his beautiful child.
His wife who would soon die if he couldn't stop it.
"Is it possible to learn this power?"
"Not from a Jedi..."
He ignored the tear that tickled his cheek as he pushed himself back from the window, and paced back and forth through the Council Chambers nervously.
He couldn't remember how long he'd been lost in thought, it was already sunset and the light from Coruscant's star was fading quickly. Much like the Force itself. Even from this distance, The sheer power that seemed to radiate off of the Dark Lord of the Sith. A nexus for the Dark Side, power Anakin himself had never felt in his whole life. It was a testament to Palpatine's strength, really. To be able to hide that much power from an Order who's specialty was to sense these sorts of things.
Perhaps... perhaps the Chancellor could save Padme.
"Only through me can you achieve a power greater than any Jedi!"
The cost was only his soul. It would become blacker than the shadows of the Undercity. The Jedi Order would need to be... dealt with to secure his wife's safety. Even his own safety.
Were their deaths worth Padme's life?
Anakin scoffed to himself. It was no contest, really.
Of course, she'd say no. Vehemently say no.
"What would she do if she were in your position?"
"She would do her duty..."
Was his duty to her and his family? Or was his duty to the Jedi Order?
His metal hand slammed into the wall, inwardly cursing morality.
But what could he do?! What should he do?
He shook his own head. He knew what he should do.
"...Only I have the power to save Padme."
The voice echoed in his head solemnly. It cared, and yet... it didn't. Like a cookie laced with poison.
A slave to his own emotions. He always had been, even as a young boy, his leather boots hot from the Tattooinean sand, silently resolving to not look back. But even then, he looked. He ran to her, even.
That's all he'd ever be. A slave to one thing or another. If it wasn't his own emotions, it was the Jedi, and if it wasn't them, it was the Sith.
NO! He resolved to himself. He would no longer be a slave! To anybody! It was time he made his own decisions!
Anakin Skywalker turned and raced as quickly as he could through the Temple. His own emotions so distorted and chaotic, he couldn't even tell what he was feeling.
But fear was foremost...
But it didn't matter! His decision would come once he reached the Chancellor.
Quickly, he jumped into the cockpit of a private shuttle, preparing the controls as quickly and expertly as he could.
The Darkness of the Sith Lord became blinding the closer he got to the Senate building, as if the entirety of the building had been shrouded in a black sheet, and filled with slimy, oozing evil. Skywalker could even swear that the district was even physically darker. Malice and hatred flooded the Force in waves of unadulterated, dazzling and startling blackness.
How could somebody this evil even care about anything but himself?
The thought quickly left Anakin's mind as he leapt from the shuttle, almost before it had even landed completely. Sprinting almost desperately to the office, and shutting the darkness out completely.
He entered the main corridors of the Chancellor's office, sprinting through the darkness. Flashes of fire and violet painted the office in fans and waves. Fear gripped his heart.
He was too late!
Stumbling over something, Anakin saw the bodies on the floor clothed in brown and tan, strewn carelessly about the once lavish, now horrifying, red carpet. He nearly gasped at the grisly scene in front of him... was this all Palpatine's doing? These were Jedi Masters!
His eyes squeezed shut as he forced the bile back down his throat. He'd never seen such... such brutality outside of a battlefield! Such careless slaughter!
Slowly, he gathered what resolve remained in him, stepped over the corpses, and continued his sprint. Clashing of energy was clearly heard as his pace hastened. It seemed that all too soon, it had stopped, right as he stood in the doorway of Chancellor Palpatine's office.
Fear weighed on him immensely. Images of Padme's death flashing in his mind like some sort of twisted HoloMovie.
Her beautiful face twisted in agony, calling his name, begging for him to save her!
Anakin stared in awe, in shock. Frozen in fear.
The Sith Lord on his back leaning against the railing of the massive window, beaten and defeated by the Order's greatest blade master Mace Windu. Beaten! He was about to be killed!
Anakin couldn't let that happen!
Palpatine immediately turned to him, a defeated, pleading look in his weary eyes. "Anakin! I knew it would come to this!" His voice matched his expression, perfectly mirroring a helpless, scared old man. "The Jedi are taking over!"
Windu gave Anakin a sparing glance, subtle movements with his free hand to tell the Jedi Knight to stay put. The Master's glare quickly found Palpatine, a cold, detached look in his eyes. "The oppression of the Sith will never return!" Windu declared. "You have lost!"
The Shadow that was the Sith Lord only stared at Skywalker helplessly, the Jedi Knight only able to stare in horror, in confusion. How had he become so lost!
"Anakin... help me..."
He forced himself to look away, down at his hands. Now, they both were trembling.
"Like all the Sith before you." Windu sneered at the embodiment of evil. "Defeated by your own fear."
The pale face in front of him twisted. "Fool!"
His eyes smoked with pure hatred.
"Fool!" Windu's eyes narrowed in anticipation. "You believe the fear you feel is mine?"
Lightning arced from the Sith Lord's fingertips, and lightning crashed in the distance.
Windu didn't even have the time to think about the shadow's question, forced to immerse himself back into Vapaad, angling his blade to catch the forks of pure, blinding hatred. The sheer power it exuded was enough for Anakin himself to even cover his face from the heat.
Through the struggle, Anakin felt the Dark Side brush against his mind. Palpatine was asking for help! And all he could do was stand and watched in stunned silence.
His friend? A mentor? The savior of his wife?
"He is a traitor!" Palpatine scorned over the crackles and sparks.
Anakin watched almost in befuddled horror as the forks of electricity bounced off of Windu's lightsaber, marring the Sith Lord's face as he spoke. It was as if the muscles were sliding beneath his leathery skin, and his skull was melting from the very heat the shade blasted. This.. this was a monster!
Windu's strained yell brought his attention to the Jedi. "He is the traitor!" The Master yelled.
That much was obvious to Anakin though. Of course the Sith was the one who orchestrated everything that had happened in the past few years...
Including the assassination attempts on his wife!
But... But he knew how to save her life now! Palpatine had always been there, he always understood. He kept all of Anakin's deepest, darkest secrets!
Anakin Skywalker could trust Palpatine more than he could trust Obi Wan Kenobi...
Palpatine's power began to fade through the Force. "I have the power to save the one you love!" The old man declared, his voice becoming desperate again, weakened as his skin wrinkled and melted further. "You must choose!"
"Don't listen to him Anakin!" Another strained yell of pain echoed through Anakin's ears. "Destroy him Anakin! Fulfill your destiny!"
"Destiny?" Anakin muttered to himself. He was the Chosen one... chosen to destroy the Sith...
And yet, he couldn't bring himself to do it. He couldn't kill his only chance at saving the love of his life.
The Sith Lord convulsed violently as the evil coursed through him uninhibited, sparking and burning everything around him.
"Don't let him kill me!" The old man pleaded helplessly. "I'- I'm too weak..." He added softly. "I can't... hold on any longer!" He stared at Anakin, his wrinkled, leathery face, burnt and deformed, his sickly yellow eyes staring desperately at Anakin as he shook and convulsed. "Anakin..." A pained look crossed the Sith's features. "Anakin help me!"
The lightning ceased at that moment. Windu quickly recovered, shaking the pain from the lightning and his overworked muscles off quickly. His violet blade hummed violently as it came down and angled at Palpatine's chest.
A feeling of fear surged through Anakin, helplessness encompassed the Sith Lord as he stared pleadingly through his sickening eyes. The Jedi had done that to him..
Or, had he done it to himself?
"I am going to end this once and for all!"
At that moment, Anakin only saw his mentor, his friend that had been there for him all his life. This man knew his darkest secrets... And he could sense clearly Palpatine's defeat. He shook his head.
"You can't!" He stared toward Windu, his own voice becoming a bit desperate. "He must stand trial!"
The Korun Master glared at Skywalker for a brief moment. "He has control of the Senate, and the Courts!" Windu declared. It was almost as if he was convincing himself... "He's too dangerous to be left alive!"
Anakin shook his head once more, the image of Padme dying flooding his minds eye! No! He couldn't let that happen! He couldn't! "It's not the Jedi way!" He pleaded with Mace.
Windu's jaw clenched at Anakin's words, the conflict rising within the Jedi. He lightly shook his head, and rose his saber. Images flashed through Anakin's mind, Padme's death was becoming more and more vivid. He could feel her pain, his heart clenching in near anguish as he saw her take her last breath in his mind...
No... He couldn't let her die!
He couldn't let the Sith die!
"I need him!" Anakin plead.
Windu's blade came down in a wide arc as Anakin's eyes shot wide open. "Noo!" He leapt quickly, his blade finding his hand. A lance of blue energy sprung forth as he swung upward.
Violet and cerulean collided in magnificent clash right before Palpatine's face.
Windu eyed Skywalker in stunned silence, and the Sith Lord's face morphed into a malicious, gleeful smile. Anakin felt the pulsation in the Force before he even felt the warning from the Force. "Power!" Palpatine's hands shot upward, and a spew of blue and purple lightning forked off of his fingertips.
Anakin's eyes widened in fearful realization.
In a mere instant, Anakin and Windu's blades were both up in defense, however, only Windu was at the end of the shadow's hate, the lightning spearing into his violet blade, arcing off of it and onto his chest. Anakin only stood beside the Master, again shielding his face from the sheer intensity of the blasts of Sith Lightning.
"Unlimited POWER!" Darth Sidious cackled madly!
Mace Windu forced the power back, toiled through the pain of hatred licking his skin, coursing through him.
"Finish him, Skywalker!" The old man declared in a voice of grandeur victory.
Anakin's brows furrowed at the order. From behind his arm, he looked over at Palpatine, his deformed face plastered in a sick, twisted smile. Ice flowed from his very pores, almost as if he were containing death's cold embrace within his wrinkled old frame.
This... this wasn't love! This kind of evil and power shouldn't be allowed to exist! Sidious had no intentions of saving anybody but himself, and Anakin was merely a source of power to him.
A means to an end...
It all seemed so clear at that moment... the Dark Lord's twisted glee mixed with his evil, dark intentions as the Dark Side poured out of his fingertips in an attempt to eradicate Mace Windu. Palpatine cared nothing for Anakin, nor for Padme... It was all so clear now, as if the Force itself had whispered it into his ear.
And the Jedi Knight would have been foolish to think otherwise. This man's evil intent would not go near his wife and child!
Anakin's jaw clenched. He poised his blade once more, stabbing it directly into Palpatine's stream of power, cutting it off from Master Windu's blade and body. Anakin's hands jerked wildly at the lightning that threatened to rip his saber right out of his hands. But he was stronger than this! He knew it! With a howl of determination, he angled his blade right at Palpatine's chest, ignoring the arcs of energy that licked at his own body. Palpatine's face was no longer twisted in glee, instead glowing shock and betrayal right at Anakin.
With one final push, Anakin's blade was going to sink into the Sith Lord's chest.
But a shattering pulse of the Force sent both Anakin and Mace backward in a blur of motion. Mace slammed against the opposite window sill, and Anakin collided with Palpatine's desk, blowing through it almost as if it were made of cardboard, sliding across the carpet until he finally hit the stairs and came to a stop.
Glass and wood hit the floor as Anakin was vaguely aware of his surroundings. His ears were ringing as if he'd just survived an explosion, he was aware of his head pounding in protest, the sick feeling of his own blood running down the back of his neck. His vision was doubled as his eyes opened, viewing the distorted figure of Sidious dressed in his red robes walking slowly toward him.
The young Jedi Knight shook his head, softly scanning the area around him for his lightsaber as a feeling of dread crawled up his spine, the icy feeling of this Sith Lord was nearly freezing the room. Palpatine got closer and closer, and Anakin could vaguely hear him speaking. He couldn't hear what was said, only adding to his own fear. He needed his lightsaber! He needed it to defend himself against this... this.. evil!
"Anakin..." He heard Palpatine clearly this time. The man stood in front of him, crouching down to rest his wrinkly old hand on his forehead. Anakin felt the Dark Side sweep through him, vomit crawled up his throat. "Anakin, are you alright, my boy?" Palpatine's ugly, scarred face was etched in fake worry as he looked into Skywalker's eyes with his own disgusting sulfur ones.
Anakin groaned, planting his palms against the floor to push himself up. "Get away..." He muttered to the Sith.
"Anakin, you're hurt." Skywalker could hear the sincerity in his voice, sensing it all the while. But it was so... plastic. "Stay down, I'll call for help." Sidious stood up.
"No!" Anakin yelled at the Sith Lord, wobbling unsteadily to his feet. He took two steps toward the Sith, falling to his hands and knees. The floor beneath him was zooming in and out of focus.
Just like Obi Wan had taught him, he did not panic. He closed his eyes steadily, and breathed two deep breaths, feeling the fleeting connection to the Light Side come back to him. Such a dim light... shadowed by Palpatine's very presence. The Force flooded Anakin with a warmth that steadied him and his bruised skull. His vision was no longer blurred, and he was fully aware now.
He stood up, this time without missing a step. Palpatine seemed to be standing beside his broken desk, eyeing Anakin curiously behind his facade of worry. "Anakin, are you sure you should be-"
"Don't!" Anakin warned. "Don't pretend that you care."
The Dark Lord looked visibly hurt. "Anakin... I'm on your side." He defended lightly.
"You're on your own side." Skywalker corrected in a hard tone.
Palpatine's eyes narrowed slightly, and Skywalker felt the slight spike of anger. "Anakin!" He reprimanded in a more commanding tone. "I am willing, and able to protect your wife from death. Who else of all these Jedi can guarantee this?" He asked, wrinkled hand motioning to the Jedi Temple.
"Then show me." Anakin demanded harshly. "If you truly care, then show me how to do it!"
Lightning flashed in the darkness, deep crevices of the shadow's distorted figures retaining the dark shade the Sith exuded, eyes glowing eerily.
"Only through the power of the Dark Side can this be achieved." The Chancellor's voice was low, raspy. Hollow. "Join me, learn the ways of the Sith, and you will have the power to save Padme."
Anakin nearly growled at the Sith's short monologue. "I can't join the Sith!" Anakin yelled angrily. "I'm a Jedi! I took an oath to defend the Galaxy from people like you!" He pointed threateningly at the Sith.
"Anakin, I am not evil!" The old man protested. "Everything I've told you has come to pass. The Jedi have betrayed me."
"You've been masquerading as a Sith Lord!" Anakin yelled back incredulously. "You're the puppet master behind the entire war!"
The old man's eye twitched ever so slightly.
Anakin shook his head, almost delirious with how he, how they could've been so blind. "I'm nothing but a slave to you! You don't care about me! Only the prophecy and only my power!"
"Your power is stunted by the Jedi, surely you see this, Anakin." Palpatine pleaded, almost sounding desperate. As if his plans were falling apart in front of his eyes. "Only with my knowledge can you achieve your true potential and save the one you love!"
"By filling her with evil?" Anakin challenged. "I can sense your intentions, I can feel your evil! How can you sit here and expect me to believe that you'd help me without any stipulations! How can you think that your darkness will save a life?! You're responsible for more death and destruction... you don't have the will to save!" He accused angrily.
Palpatine's face distorted angrily. "I will not apologize for those I have sacrificed." He stated firmly as his face was illuminated by the flashing storm. "You must see past the dogma of the Jedi! Look at the forest, not one single tree! I have the power to create peace, and enforce justice!" He proclaimed almost dramatically.
"There is nothing peaceful, or justified about what you've done!" Anakin challenged. "You used the Republic!"
"I did what I knew was necessary." Palpatine snapped back. "With you by my side, nothing will be impossible for us to achieve! Anakin, I am offering you the Galaxy on a silver plate! Don't be foolish!"
Anakin shook his head. "I don't want the Galaxy." He corrected the old man. "I am a Jedi!"
Palpatine's anger spiked wildly through the Force.
Light from the storm flashed once more, and the shadows wrapped firmly around their master. A chill from the wind trickled through the tightly woven fabric of Anakin's coat, tickling his skin ever so lightly.
But his core remained ice cold at the Dark Side's presence, now focusing it's killing intent on him. The Chancellor was no longer human anymore. No human could contain that much malice.
"So be it..."
Disfigured leathery skin stiffly moved as the shadow's frown deepened. Tension filled the office. The Dark Side filled the office. It blackened Anakin's senses. All at once, like the primer of a bomb ,the tension snapped.
"Jedi."
The shadow was a blur of motion, a flame colored spear leading it's charge as darkness trailed behind it struggling to catch up to their master.
Anakin's saber slapped his palm, gripping the blade with both hands he slammed it down on the shadow's blood red lightsaber. The shadow lurched forward- to Anakin's right- and the javelin of red speared at the Jedi's side. Anakin pivoted quickly, redirecting his weight to his back foot and slicing his blade upward, deflecting the shadow's blade with one smooth motion.
The shadow seemed to blur in and out of existence, his form becoming encompassed by a ball of crimson striking at Anakin from seemingly everywhere at once. For all he was worth, Anakin met the speed, finding himself falling into his Master's age old ritual of Form III. The hums deafened Anakin, the clashing of sabers like a concussive drum to his ear. He would ignore it. He would ignore any pain he would suffer, if only to keep this creature away from his wife and child. He was no longer fighting to defend himself, no longer using his own anger for fuel. Each time the wild shadow struck at Anakin, he defended his ideal! His dignity! His honor! His family! He vowed not to lose here. Not to lose ever!
The dance of death saw the Jedi and the shadow in the corridors of the Chancellor's office. Decor as expensive as starships flashed blue, then red. Smell of burnt flesh from the bodies assaulted their noses. Walls reverberating the crash of the two forces. They were no longer two combatants fighting with dazzling laser swords. They had become fated enemies, fulfilling prophecy, two warriors filled with power, one with their respective sides of the Force.
The shadow's blade came down hard on Skywalker's defense. His muscles tightened and tensed with the sheer force of the blow, pushing back with all his might. The heat of the sabers warmed his face, but the shadow's cackles of enmity chilled his very core. The shadow was enjoying himself!
"Your powers are weak, Skywalker!" It exclaimed almost gleefully. "What happened to your arrogance?!"
Anakin winced against the shadow's surprising strength, powers of the Dark Side suffocating him, and the shadow knew it. It cackled in hateful delight, cold darkness shooting from it like sheets of rain ramming against Anakin. The blades inched closer and closer to his face, and his own defeat began to creep slowly.
Fear gripped him. With everything at stake, he couldn't lose! For the sake of his wife... his child!
A deafening, resolute yell sprang forth from the Jedi, power filled him and he pushed back against the fountain of evil that was the shadow. The Force erupted around Anakin, an epicenter of peace surrounded by destruction. The shadow flew through it's own opulent decor, slamming into the maroon walls with a powerful thud.
Anakin's coarse breath was accompanied by the humming of his blade, and the shadow's, glaring tenaciously at it.
The shadow was not down for long at all, the power around it only seemed to tighten as it's rage became more focused It's sulfur eyes bored through the Jedi, settling right on his soul.
"I may have underestimated you, Skywalker." It spoke, the oily voice making Anakin's stomach restless.
It circled him, like a vornskyr ready to pounce on it's dinner. Anakin stood steadfast, meeting the hateful glare with steadfast eyes. It's lips twisted up in an attempt at smiling.
"I can sense your determination to win." It taunted. "Tell me, boy. What is it you fear losing so much? Tell me so that I may take it from you."
The Jedi didn't dignify a response.
Thunder cracked loudly, rumbling Anakin's chest in deep baritone. The vibrant light showed the entirety of Anakin's destructive powers.
"You feelings betray you, Jedi." The shadow sneered. "The Senator... she isn't the only one on your mind..." It stopped, and a sudden realization dawned on it's malformed face. "Ahh... I see." It's chuckle chilled Anakin's bones. "A child."
Anger swept across the Jedi's features, the hum of his weapon breaking the short silence as he readied himself to attack.
"Perhaps after we are.. finished, I may just pay the beautiful Senator a visit." It's smile widened maliciously. "After all, the child of Anakin Skywalker would make a fine Apprentice."
Hot rage boiled in Anakin's stomach, launching himself right at the shadow in blur of motion as the shadow cackled. Skywalker was a whirlwind of blue and brown, a maelstrom of pure power, circling him, wrapping around him tightly. The darkness only illuminated by the flashes of azure and crimson like a strobe. Darkness and light clashed against each other, power carelessly thrown in every which direction.
The shadow defended itself with expert poise, it's weapon with near surgical precision attained by years and years of practiced patience. Unlike most who faced the Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker in his enraged state, the shadow was not overwhelmed, he was not fearful for his own life.
No, he was satisfied. Anakin Skywalker would become a force to be reckoned with.
No- a force of nature. Of the very Dark Side. Even the shadow with all of his knowledge, and his practice was pushed to his limits with the strength and speed that Skywalker demonstrated. If only he fully gave himself to the Dark Side... then... then maybe the shadow would be overwhelmed.
The two weapons connected for only an instant before Skywalker threw his arms to his right, forcing the shadow's defenses wide open. His booted heel slammed into it's chest with all the power of the Force. It sailed backward, further launched back by a mighty wave of concussive energy.
The shadow slid across the floor on it's feet across the red carpeting, right back where this had all begun. Anger distorted it's already grotesque face as it watched Skywalker casually, calmly and authoritatively stride back into the office.
A twinge of fear jolted through the shadow...
He had awoken the beast.
The lance of energy pointed right at the shadow, the Jedi holding it was now devoid of fear. All fear. The shadow could see it in his very posture.
He had become the Hero with No Fear, truly. "You will not touch my child." It was an eerily calm tone that sent a light chill down the shadow's back.
The Force began to whisper all around them.
The shadow's pale, decrepit hand gripped the saber at his side ever so tightly.
"The end." It spoke coldly. "It's coming, my dear boy. Do not force me to kill you."
"Your fate is sealed." The Force swirled around the Jedi, bright like a floodlight, warm like a fire on Illum.
Determined like a father.
Darth Sidious, Dark Lord of the Sith felt his own impending doom shining clearly from the Jedi standing across from him.
It terrified him. "If I die, my knowledge dies with me." He took a tentative sideways, steadying himself for the onslaught he knew would come.
With all of his years as a Sith Lord, his accomplishments, the work he'd put in to finally come to this breaking point, Sidious with all of his knowledge of the Force, his powerful gift of precognition knew it was futile. His own shatterpoint was standing just meters away from him. His end was near, and the Force whispered it like an imp. Like it was teasing him! Mocking the Great Darth Sidious! His yellow, rotted teeth ground together, hatred and rage burning dark and cold. Was he his own undoing?
Was his Master right when he said that Anakin was the downfall of the Sith?
Had they really undone themselves?
"Your knowledge is stained with blood, Sidious." The Chosen One spoke darkly, as dark as the room, dark as the Sith Lord himself. It was strange, simply because he was surrounded by a blinding light... "I won't. touch it" Voice as firm as the grip on his lightsaber, Anakin Skywalker boldly stepped forward.
Sidious stepped backward.
The Jedi's anger was palpable. His power was...
It was overwhelming. "I feel your anger, boy! Don't deny it! Embrace it!" Sidious shouted. This was it, his last stand!
Anakin sneered at the evil in front of him.
Without warning, he shot forward, cleaving down on the Sith with such force!
The Dark Lord's weapon flew out of his grasp, sailing right out the window. His twisted eyes widened in fear, his own fear! Anakin's blue flame came down once more, and the Dark Lord raised his disgusting hands, bolts of darkness, of evil, of pure fear clawed at Skywalker's saber, stopping it right in time.
Anakin Skywalker ignored the pain! He ignored his anger! He ignored everything, everything but his want- no, his need to defeat this monster in front of him. The bolts licked his hands, climbing up his arm through his very bone, cascading wildly through his entire body. He was no longer shocked at the power, or the heat, or even the malice it carried through him. Instead, the images of his friends, his wife all came up. He'd lose them all if Sidious was aloud to win here!
Determination flooded him, and with it, the power of the Force! The power of the Light Side, pushing the tendrils of evil energy straight out of his body. The Jedi Knight howled loudly, pushing with all of his might, and his determination against the Sith's power. And he was winning!
Sidious' eyes were wide, fear filled, completely overshadowing the darkness and the evil they once held.
"No!" He screamed. "I will not die to a Jedi!"
Like all the Sith before you, destroyed by your own fear...
The voice echoed in his head, ringing like an alarm clock that wouldn't shut up. Sidious shook his head as Skywalker's blade inched closer...
...and closer.
With one final heave, one final push of the Force, the Light Side overpowered the Dark, and Anakin's lightsaber-
The formal weapon of a Jedi Knight. An elegant weapon, a symbol of those guardians of peace and justice in the Galaxy
Sliced through the Dark Lord's chest, searing and easily burning through the thick robes, the leathery skin, and the black heart.
Sidious released a sigh of pain, staring right into his killer's eyes. "How..."
He fell to his back.
Dead.
"Breaking News from the Capitol! Since the former Chancellor Palpatine's vile and treasonous acts had been revealed to the public, it seems as though the armistice of the Clone Wars was only temporary. The former Chancellor's top advisor, Sate Pestage, has officially declared war against the Republic, joined by a group of loyal Senators, Pestage has officially taken leadership of the Confederate Army, declaring it an independent body of Government. As of now, we have no official statement from the Senate, or the Jedi Order who has since recalled most of the Jedi from the battlefield to discuss a major change in the way they operate.
"Sources tell us that after Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker saved Master Mace Windu from death at the former Supreme Chancellor's hand, the Council has decided to regroup, and reorganize so something like this never happens again. Sources speculate that their Jedi Code, the rules that every Jedi in the Order follows as doctrine, will be changed to give them better clarity.
"After the shocking news of Anakin Skywalker's marriage to Senator Padme Amidala, and the birth of their two twins, it only seems right that the Council allows this Sanctioned Marriage. Skywalker is the Republic's hero!
"More news as this development continues. Back to you-"
His attention peeled away from the HoloNet broadcast, a definitive sneer as his hooded features turned forward.
His heavy, black cloak swirled behind him as he walked the dense, crowded streets of New Vertica, inconspicuous as a shadow, ignored by the drunk populace that surrounded him. Nar Shaddaa, quite the unforgiving planet. Low life's planted the seeds of corruption and malice here. Smugglers delivered crates of spice to their Crime Bosses, Bounty Hunters killed the rivals. No law enforcement was present on this planet, no simple law enforcement could stop what the Black Sun and the Hutts started here. It would take the entire Grand Army of the Republic to do that.
He continued to move unnoticed with the flow of the crowd, speeders scorched passed the walkway, their bright lights reminding him much of Coruscant. Except, Coruscant wasn't consistently drunk all the time.
Alcohol permeated the air mingled with both the sweet, and bitter of various spices. These creatures that walked all around him smelled of one or the other. If not, then it was of blood and smoke, or expensive colognes and perfumes. There was also the smell of burning exhaust fumes and oil that would once and a while overpower the drugs and liquor.
He hated this place. In fact, he'd go as far as to say Nar Shaddaa was the worst planet in the expansive Galaxy. The Force was filled with ignorance, grandeur's of riches and power, sorrow, death, greed... it all seemed to scream at him! Weak minded fools! He'd have to cleanse this planet once the Galaxy was his.
Jedi, protectors of the peace. He scoffed to himself. The lie presented itself all around him. Poverty, violence and drugs. There was no peace here, no justice existed! Only the whims of the Black Sun and the Hutts.
He was disgusted with this place. Disgusted with the Republic and the Jedi for even allowing a place like this to exist in their oh so perfect utopia of a government. It was just like his Master always told him:
"The Jedi are not protectors of the Galaxy. They are not enforcers of Justice.
"They only fear losing their own power. This is why they fight, this is why they hope. We must drive that hope from them forever."
This was the prime example of Jedi lies.
The very thought made his blood boil. He wanted to take hold of his saber, and kill every last being on this pathetic excuse of a world!
But that wouldn't do him any good. At least, not yet. He was here for a reason, his target, the son of a high ranking, wealthy member of the Black Sun.
He was told that he'd sense the child once he landed on the planet. And, of course, he did, but the powerful Force sensitive was rather overshadowed by this meaningless, corrupt form of the Dark Side. There was no rage or hatred, only greed and jealousy. Disgusting creatures.
Everybody has their own illusion of power. He mused to himself. An ironic huff escaped his lips. Even us.
His thoughts were jolted to reality as somebody bumped roughly into his shoulder.
He did not stumble, it would be unbecoming of him, and that only seemed to make this drunken fool angry as he stared up at the fool, disgust apparent in his eyes. "Wuchu lookin' at? Huh, boy?" The man stumbled right and left, bottle of some sort of ale spilling to the ground.
He looked away with a silent sigh of disgust.
"Heh, thas' right! Walk way boy!" The fool called after him.
Did he want to die? Was that it? Did this idiot know who he was taunting?
"Kriffin' wannabe Jedi." A crowd began to part around them.
That's what it was. Attention. He could sense this man's insecurities, his fears as if he'd heard it from the drunk's mouth.
"Weak little boy! Y'ain't strawng!" He continued. "Y'ain't pow'rful!" He chuckled to himself at the cloaked figure's lack of response, taking a wobbly gulp of his liquor.
He thought about showing restraint, keeping a low profile...
But, then again, what would it hurt to disembowel this one fool? If only for the attention.
He slowly turned to face the drunk mess of a man, features shrouded by black shadows of his hood. The man huffed, tossing his bottle to the floor in a crash, a pathetic show of arrogance. He raised his arms, taunting the cloaked figure. The shadowed person sensed this man's thoughts. He suspected that he was young, given by his height, and even the smoothness of the skin on his chin and lips. This drunk idiot thought he was going to actually beat him up! The arrogance!
"Careful now." He spoke playfully, his voice untempered. That smooth voice made the drunk's arrogant smirk narrow in angered confusion. "It is dangerous to speak such big words."
The figure allowed a grin of his own to show on his thin lips. The drunken fool suddenly found that he lacked the breath to yell at him and fell to the floor, eyes wide in terror as he clawed at the invisible force wrapped around his neck.
Gasps of horror were heard from the surrounding crowd as they gathered around the spasming individual, and the shadow's grin only widened as he continued walking away from this mess of a being.
"You just might choke on them..."
The dolt squirmed effortlessly until he fell limp in the middle of the street.
The shade continued his stroll, ignoring the bewildered gazes as the onlookers made way for him to pass through on their way to the unfortunate drunk.
All the better, he had much to do here.
And even much, much more to do with this Sate Pestage.
-AN-
I'd appreciate your reviews, it'd mean a whole lot to me.
Flames will be ignored.
Again, I apologize to those few people who actually read and reviewed for not keeping up with it. I was simply not happy with what it was before.