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There Are Alternatives To Fighting
Turmoil burned so intensely within the Chosen One that Anakin felt like he could transform durasteel into vapor just by swallowing it. Mace Windu refused his offer to help apprehend Chancellor Palpatine, whom he suspected of being the Sith Lord Darth Sidious. Palpatine was a good friend to Anakin and offered him a path to save his wife. But the choice conflicted with every teaching the Jedi idealized.
It was that confusion Mace sensed in Anakin and it was why the Chosen One remained in the Jedi Council chamber, meditating alone. If Palpatine were to die by the hand of the Jedi, Anakin knew the man's knowledge would go with him to the grave. But something else nagged at his conscience.
Anakin knew from Obi-Wan's report that Count Dooku accused Darth Sidious of masterminding the Trade Federation's blockade of Naboo. The Sith were involved heavily in the Separatist plot, guiding the opposing side of the Clone Wars. If Palpatine truly was the Sith Lord, Anakin had a reason to feel furious.
"How could he offer to save her if he had agents trying to kill her?" Anakin mused before walking to a window. He stared across the cityscape, spotting Padmé's apartment. He could sense his wife across the great distance. "No one offers us anything but lies."
Anakin did have reservations for the Jedi Council's judgment, but Palpatine's duality frightened him. Anakin witnessed comrades in arms fall due to the harsh realities of war. The Chosen One's anger grew, but it was not directed at the Jedi Order. It was focused on the Sith.
Anakin left the council chamber, knowing what he had to do.
Mace Windu fought for his life, diving deeper into Vaapad as he concentrated on defending against the Sith Lord's onslaught. Anakin was correct in his suspicions. Chancellor Palpatine was Darth Sidious. There were no doubts in his mind as to Palpatine's power, for the Sith Lord vanquished Kit Fisto, Agen Kolar and Saesee Tiin, all powerful Jedi Masters in their own right, with relative ease thanks to his potent, rapid lightsaber combat form.
But Mace was up to the task, striking at openings with his purple energy blade, matching Palpatine's ferocity and speed with the power and strength of Vaapad. The form was so deadly that it bordered on falling to the Dark Side, but only Mace had the proper discipline to use it for justice. He pushed Palpatine back towards the window.
Mace's purple energy blade crashed through transparisteel as he missed his horizontal slash, but he recovered quickly, pressing his advantage. Palpatine's attempt at an underhanded strike was swiftly reversed and Mace brought his purple sword under Palpatine's red blade. With a quick push, the Sith lightsaber flew out the window.
Palpatine cowered, crawling along the windowsill as Mace angled his lightsaber towards his throat.
The scene that greeted Anakin Skywalker found Darth Sidious obviously defeated. He stepped into Palpatine's office cautiously, preparing himself in case the Sith Lord still held more tricks up his sleeve.
"You are under arrest, my lord," Mace spat, his brown eyes focused on Palpatine.
"Do you see, Anakin?" Palpatine asked. "I told you the Jedi would betray me."
"The Sith will never regain control of the Republic," Mace said, ignoring the Chosen One. "It's over. You've lost."
"Oh no," Palpatine said before lighting burst from his hands.
Mace reacted quickly, angling his blade to intercept the Force lightning. The burst of power nearly pushed the Jedi Master back, but he stood firm. Anakin knew he wouldn't be able to hold forever.
Anakin held out his droid arm and drew upon the Force. He knew he had the talent to absorb energy, but he seldom employed it. At this moment, all his training mattered. He had to draw the Dark Side attack away from Mace Windu. "I'm sorry, Padmé," Anakin said before he pulled.
Lighting arced away from the purple energy blade and into Anakin's gloved right hand. Darth Sidious turned to face the young man he believed would before his apprentice.
"You betray me too, Anakin?" Sidious asked, his voice deepening as his face morphed to a grotesque parody of human life.
"It is you who is the traitor, Sidious!" Anakin growled as the Sith Lord poured more power into his attack, holding both Master and Knight at bay. "How could I trust a man who would betray his own apprentice?"
"You would have been greater than Lord Tyranus," Sidious said. "You would have been the greatest Sith Lord. But now all you are is another foolish Jedi."
"Anakin!" Mace shouted as he struggled to hold the lightning on his end. "Do something! This is your chance to fulfill your destiny as the Chosen One!"
Sidious roared as he pushed harder. Mace Windu flew and Anakin barely managed to hold his ground. But the Dark Lord of the Sith made a grave mistake in underestimating Anakin's power. Anakin grabbed Mace with the Force and hurled him back into Palpatine's office.
Mace Windu landed on his feet, showing obvious signs of tiring. The Jedi Master glanced at Anakin. "You now have my trust, Anakin," he told the Chosen One.
Sidious ceased his lightning assault and stood once again. There was no more Palpatine in the Chancellor's face. His kind eyes were replaced by intense sulfur yellow orbs of hatred and his face barely resembled something that was once human. "Now you will never know how to save your wife, Anakin," the Dark Lord said ominously.
Anakin ignored Mace's glance before calling his lightsaber to his hand. He activated the blue energy blade. "Just like you never succeeded in having her murdered," he retorted venomously.
Sidious flicked his wrist, revealing a spare lightsaber. The Dark Lord ignited his blood red sword. "I shall enjoy ending your pathetic life, Skywalker," he said.
Jedi and Sith moved against each other for the final confrontation. Mace dove quickly into Vaapad while Anakin shifted into Djem So. Sidious was still fresh despite his last display of dark side powers. He moved swiftly as blue and purple blades flew one after the other to strike at Sidious.
But the Dark Lord was still faster than them, using his swift underhanded cuts to gain the offensive. Mace tried to negate Sidious's advantage with Vaapad while Anakin relied on the offensive/defensive power of Djem So to slow the Sith Lord's advance.
The Jedi pushed Sidious back towards the window, striking at every possible opening, but gaining not a single hit. Sidious still possessed a bag of tricks.
With a Force push, Mace Windu was thrown into the wall. The tired Jedi Master dropped his lightsaber and slumped to the floor. It was just Chosen One against Dark Lord.
Anakin did not pause, striking for the Sith's unguarded left. Sidious parried rapidly, forcing Anakin to compensate. But despite the Dark Lord's efforts, he could not pierce Anakin's defenses.
Anakin focused on the battle. Gone were the memories of loss and vengeance. The confrontation was personal, but something was different. For once in his life, the Chosen One knew the truth. And the truth drove Anakin's determination as precise as a blaster bolt. He could not even hear the frequent collision of lightsaber blades in the office. Only one thing mattered as their sabers locked.
"Why do you fight us, Sidious?" Anakin asked, starring across the locked energy blades. "I remember what you told me."
"And does it answer your question?" Sidious asked.
"All who gain power fear losing it," Anakin replied. "I sense your fear, Sidious. It will be your undoing."
"I'm not afraid of you!" Sidious growled as he violently broke the saber lock. The Dark Lord struck again, resuming the confrontation.
Anakin defended himself repeatedly, relying on all his training. Obi-Wan once told him that there were alternatives to fighting. Anakin knew Sidious outclassed him in terms of swordsmanship.
But the Chosen One had already discovered the Dark Lord's weakness.
Anakin dove so deeply into the Force that he could no longer see his enemy's flesh. Sidious was nothing more than a black vortex, swallowing all light. The Dark Lord was purely focused on the outside, but Anakin could see the imperfection as they dueled.
Fear burned red within Palpatine, pulsing brightly and causing fluctuations in the black vortex. Anakin allowed Palpatine to see what he truly was. The Chosen One's luminous center burned brighter than a thousand suns. A flare erupted within Anakin's very being, striking the Sith Lord's center of fear.
At that moment, Sidious struck for the brightness, hoping to snuff it out.
But Anakin's blue blade knocked the crimson saber away and to the Sith Lord's left. Before Sidious could recover, Anakin plunged his lightsaber into the black vortex.
The massive collision in the Force drew Mace Windu back to consciousness. He gasped as Anakin's blue blade pierced the Sith Lord's chest. Anakin's body glowed intensely as Sidious erupted into blue-white fire.
Reacting quickly, Mace gripped Anakin with the Force and jerked him away from Darth Sidious. Anakin landed next to the Jedi Master as the Sith Lord's screams echoed through the Force. After the flames subsided, Darth Sidious was no more.
"Anakin!" Mace exclaimed as Anakin dropped out of consciousness.
Anakin Skywalker opened his eyes to see a great void, but he immediately noted the disembodied feeling. "Am I dead?" the Chosen One asked.
"Far from it, Anakin," Qui-Gon Jinn said as he approached Anakin.
"Qui-Gon!" Anakin exclaimed happily, excited to see the deceased Jedi.
"You've fulfilled your destiny," Qui-Gon continued. "The next decision is yours."
Confused, Anakin arched an eyebrow and asked, "What do you mean?"
"You have done what few Jedi could ever achieve. You have seen the Force. Only through death can a Jedi truly comprehend the nature of the Force."
"And this means what?" Anakin asked, still unsatisfied by Qui-Gon's explanation.
"You can either return to the Force or remain in your body," Qui-Gon offered. "But I already know what you will choose."
"I have to save my wife," Anakin said, casting his gaze downward into the void. "I saw her die in my dreams."
"Anakin, be mindful," Qui-Gon lectured. "You must maintain a focus on the Living Force. The future is uncharted territory and drives your fear. You must keep your concentration on the moment where it belongs."
Anakin raised his face and looked into Qui-Gon's eyes. "And if she dies?"
"She will die, Anakin," Qui-Gon replied. "But it won't be in childbirth."
Suddenly, Anakin felt the weight of the galaxy slipping from his shoulders. The Chosen One sighed with relief. "Well, I can't worry her, can I?"
"Anakin," Obi-Wan Kenobi said.
Anakin's eyelids fluttered. He immediately recognized the medical ward of the Jedi Temple. As a young Padawan, the healers attended Anakin many times.
"How long was I out?" Anakin asked groggily before he found Obi-Wan's gaze.
"Two weeks," Obi-Wan said. "Even Master Yoda was beginning to have doubts about your survival."
Anakin paused before a light chuckle emerged. "Next time, I'll be sure to be out for three weeks."
"And it will be because Padmé put you there," Obi-Wan returned.
"Oh yeah, she must have been…" Anakin began before glaring at his former master. "Wait a minute. What did you say?"
"The Council wants to address you about this issue, Anakin," Obi-Wan said before patting his former Padawan on the right shoulder. "She came to us for help."
"I've got a bad feeling about this," Anakin groaned.
+
Two days later, the healers granted Anakin clearance to leave the infirmary. The Jedi Knight stood composed at the center of the Jedi Council chamber. If he were to be expelled, he at least wanted to appear dignified.
"Anakin Skywalker," Mace Windu said. "You have successfully exposed the Sith plot to overthrow the Republic. Investigations into Palpatine's dealings reveal his involvement with the Confederacy of Independent Systems, incriminating him as a traitor to democracy. Furthermore, you destroyed Darth Sidious, ending his threat to the galaxy."
"However, your flagrant violation of the Jedi Code is evident by your marriage," Mace continued. "Your wife even gave birth to her twins during your coma. You have taken on forbidden attachments and violated your vow to the Jedi Order."
"Made lightly, this decision was not," Yoda said.
Anakin braced himself for imminent expulsion from the Jedi Order.
"Promoted to the rank of Jedi Master, you have been," stated Yoda.
"What?" Anakin gasped. "You mean you aren't expelling me?"
"The dawn of a new era this is," Yoda told him. "Let your attachments consume you, you have not. Survived the crucible of fire, you have. I ask you to take your seat, Master Skywalker."
Anakin beamed before and after taking his seat. The Jedi Council meeting commenced, the new business being the negotiations to end the Clone Wars.
Padmé Skywalker cradled her daughter in her arms as she rested on her couch. She glanced towards the entrance of her apartment as Anakin stepped inside for the first time in two weeks. She made a motion for her husband to speak quietly as he entered.
Anakin sat beside his wife, noticing another baby resting in the den. "Twins," he said softly as he observed the faces of his children. "Their names?"
"Luke and Leia," Padmé said. "They're ours, Ani."
Anakin smiled brightly before asking, "May I hold Leia?"
Padmé passed her sleeping daughter to her husband. "The Temple allowed me to keep them until you emerged from your coma," she said sadly. "They'll take them tomorrow."
"Then I'll just have to watch over them for you," Anakin said as he marveled at the miracle in his arms. "I got promoted."
"You're a Master?" Padmé questioned. "I thought they would have expelled you."
"You're not the only one," Anakin admitted. He focused on his wife. "But let's not worry about that for now. Let's be a family tonight."
Padmé leaned forward and kissed Anakin lightly on the lips. "I'd like that," she said.
FIN