Destin had been tense all morning. Something was off, he didn't know what, but something wasn't right. He had checked on his Master who, while still comatose, was stable and in no apparent danger. Destin still couldn't shake this feeling that something was wrong. Maybe it was the war, maybe it was the imbalance created by the Sith Lord that the Council was looked for, Destin didn't know. He had done his cycle of lightsaber regimens three times already. Maybe he would spar with Oolin, the Ithorian knight always seemed to want to hone his lightsaber abilities, that was the one area that he was lacking in, which he had to improve upon to pass the Trials and become a full-fledged Jedi Knight.
Four hours later and Destin was still restless. Masters Mace Windu, Saesae Tinn, Eeth Koth, and Kit Fisto had left the Temple in a hurry and they hadn't come back yet. Master Adhuc was still comatose, lying there on the med cot, perfectly still save the slow rise and fall of his massive chest as he slowly breathed in and out. The Feeorin's massive lightsaber lay at his side, hilt almost as large as saber staff, and capable of producing a blade three meters in length. A powerful weapon for a powerful Jedi.
Speaking of powerful Jedi, Anakin had seemed particularly stressed lately. Destin wasn't sure why though, he had just recently been joined the Jedi Council, despite the fact that he was still a Knight. Apparently this had bothered Anakin for some reason. The jedi hadn't brushed Destin off when he had asked about it. Destin couldn't help but wonder why.
The tension he had been feeling kept gnawing at the boy's gut. Something was wrong, but what? When were the masters going to get back? He had felt a series of stabs in the Force earlier, almost as if the Masters had been in trouble, but he couldn't be sure, and anyway, they're all council members, they can handle themselves. Another stab, stronger than the other three, Destin winced. It didn't make sense that the four present council members would just disappear like that without telling anyone. Now that Destin's mind had gone to the masters, he noticed that he could not sense their presence. He didn't know why that worried him, they were not required to stay near the Temple. They weren't…no, they were far too powerful for that.
Wait a minute, Destin could sense a powerful presence approaching the Temple. The masters? No, that's not them, and there's only one of them anyway, Anakin? When did he leave the Temple? Destin moved to the window to get a better look. Down by the entrance, a cloaked figure, and a sea of white, of clones, approached the massive entrance to the Temple. Anakin was not in sight. What were they doing here? And why are they in battle formation?
Fear, pain and betrayal erupted in Destin's mind. Something was very wrong. He could feel fear, pain, betrayal and death emanating from the occupants of the Temple. The emergency intercom crackled to life, "The Temple is under attack, I repeat, clones are attacking the Temple. All masters and knights report to the ground floor to repel the invaders."
Destin didn't know what to do, he was scared. He drew the fear into himself, every last bit of it as Master Adhuc had taught him, accepted it for what it was and snuffed it out. He wanted to fight, he wanted to help. Even though he was only twelve; and he was going to stay twelve for another few weeks. He looked around the room, five Jedi Masters were unconscious in this room. If the clones got up here, they wouldn't be able to fight back, it'd be slaughter. All the best Jedi are going to be fighting the clones below, meaning he was the only one that would be able to defend them.
Of the five unconscious Masters in the room, there were three that Destin didn't recognize, his Master Adhuc, and Council Member Depa Billiba, the only person in the Order save her master Mace Windu to have been taught the legendary lightsaber form Vaapad, developed by Master Windu himself with the help of Master Sora Bulq. Destin badly wanted to learn that form of combat, but in order to use the style correctly one must master their own inner darkness and use it to turn their opponent's inner darkness against them. This was incredibly dangerous, so much so that Bulq had fallen to the dark side as a result of using the technique and there was a rumor that Master Billiba had too. Apparently she had been wounded on a mission to Kiffar that had gone terribly wrong and Master Windu had brought her back. While the padawan would never be allowed to be taught the form because of its inherent danger, he had been able to study it and what he had learned amazed him. He wasn't just protecting his Master, he was protecting one of two living beings that knew and could teach Vaapad to anyone, and if Mace and the other masters really were dead, then Depa Billiba was the only surviving master of Vaapad. While they might not be aware of it, these five masters were counting on him. He would not fail them. While the clones wouldn't know about this room, they would find it. He couldn't fight off a whole army, but he could keep the Masters hidden. He had to act fast though, he was small, and he would have to move all of them before the clones got up here. Even if they did find the room, they wouldn't know that anyone was supposed to be in here.
Destin wasn't quite sure how he did it, but he had gotten all five of the Masters to one of the roof maintenance areas successfully, even his giant Feeorin Master. On top of that he had managed to bring along all the medical equipment they were hooked up to. The place was perfect, there were no windows that would allow people to see them from the inside, and the area itself was dug out of the side of the Temple, so any ships would have to be on the same horizontal plane in order to see them. Even if he was found by the clones, unless they scaled the outer walls of the Temple spire itself, they would have to come through the narrow passageway through which Destin had gained access to the room. It was difficult to get all the Masters up there while keeping them away from the precarious edge, but the boy had succeeded in lining their cots abreast with slightly less than a meter from the edge of the Temple spire. As much as Destin couldn't stand sensing his fellow Jedi getting gunned down while he hid up here, Destin knew that what he was doing was far more important than any amount of help he would be able to give down there. But he was alone, he needed his Master. Shaking his Master's massive shoulder with his small hand, he whispered in a low voice, "Master, come on, wake up. I need you. I can't do this on my own. Come on, you've always shown me what to do and been there for me when I needed you, well I need you now. I'm scared and I don't know what to do." The only movement was the steady rising and falling of his Master's chest. He was on his own, no one was coming to help him and the Masters weren't going to be waking up any time soon. The lives of his Master, along with a Council Member and three other Masters, were in his hands and his hands alone. Nothing was going to happen to them, not while he was breathing.
The sound of plasteel plated steps prickled Destin's ears. Clones were here, and they were getting closer. How had they found this place? It didn't matter; he would have to kill them quickly and quietly enough that no other clones would find this place. The footsteps were getting closer, pulling out his lightsaber Destin remembered that it was a training saber, he could not kill these clones without a real lightsaber. The clones were getting closer, he had to use something, looking through the robes of the unconscious Jedi he realized that only one weapon was available, the weapon he had set at his master's side when he was moved to the healing chamber. His lightsaber. Destin seized the overly massive hilt with a fiery reverence. He had held it before, but never used it. The three meter blade was considered by most Jedi to be too big for even his towering, nearly two and a half meter Master, Destin wasn't even near a meter and a half. He would have to use it more like a pike than a lightsaber. The clones were almost there, he could hear them talking, and he sensed a familiar presence following the clones, Anakin. Good, together they could silently dispatch the clones without a problem. Anakin specialized in Djem So, and that combined with Destin's knowledge of Ataru, they could make mince-meat out of them if they did it right. He just hoped Anakin would know to attack at the same time he did.
The first two clones came into view and perfectly into reach. The silver blade exploded from the hilt with a powerful kickback and a deep, intimidating sound that Destin had heard a hundred times before. The clones' guns, arms, and chests separated as easily as if they had been made of warm butter as the massive blade cut through their bodies and scored the wall opposite them. Destin stepped out in front of the rest of the clones, driving the saber forward in a thrusting slice, dropping the next two and cutting into the walls of the narrow passage. He would have to adjust for that in the future. A follow up jab sent the silvery blade of plasma through the head of a clone, at the end of the great lightsaber's reach, and a sideways pivot moved the blade through the lifeless head and through the neck of the only remaining clone that Destin could see. Destin tried to stop the blade, but he couldn't keep it from scoring the wall. This saber sure was unwieldy, but the clones hadn't been able to fire a single shot. Destin knew that there were other clones that had not yet turned the corner their dead compatriots had moments ago, even if he couldn't see them. Why wasn't Anakin attacking? They were going to alert the other clones soon. Maybe he can't. Then I guess I've got to clear out enough of them for him to have an opening.
Destin rounded the corner and was met by a burst of blaster fire, which forced him to duck back around the corner to avoid getting hit. The clones had taken up a tightly knit firing position about six meters down the hall. He'd be hard pressed to get to them, but if he did, his Master's massive saber would make short work of them. He didn't have time to think or hesitate; the time to act was now. Maybe this was the destiny the Force had made him for. To give his life to save the Masters. I'll see you again someday Master. Jish-Kesh Fa'Laen.
Destin rounded the corner and was about to leap at the clones when he saw the same cloaked figure that had entered the temple with the clones earlier standing in the way, with the clones behind him showing a distinct lack of aggression. The boy deactivated the huge lightsaber, "Anakin? What's going on? Why aren't you attacking? If we move quickly we can take them out before they call for help."
Anakin lifted his chin in with an unfamiliar look in his eye and said, "There's been a change of plans Destin, the Jedi have betrayed the Republic. We are here to keep the peace."
Destin must have misheard him, "What? What are you talking about? You're…you're with the clones?" The air became thick and menacing as Destin uttered those words. Everything was spinning. No, there was something Destin was missing here, he wasn't seeing the whole picture, Anakin wasn't with the clones, it was a cover or something. But that wouldn't make sense. Even if he was under cover he wouldn't let the clones kill Jedi.
"The Jedi Council tried to assassinate the Chancellor. There is corruption within these walls and I am here to cleanse them, starting with the Masters that you're protecting."
This wasn't happening, but he seemed serious, and it looked like he was acting of his own accord. No, the Anakin he knew would never do this; he would fight the clones with his bare hands if he had to. Whoever this was that stood before him, it wasn't Anakin. "Anakin, stop. You're a Jedi, you know that we would never do something like that. And even if they did, this is not the way to respond. Most of the Jedi here have no idea what the Council does; assuming that what you're saying is true, the people these clones are killing aren't responsible."
"Anakin is gone. I am Darth Vader, and I will deal justice upon these arrogant swine." Darth? A Sith title? Anakin wasn't…no. Destin could feel hot tears irritating his eyes. No, this wasn't happening. Anakin smirked and continued, "However, on behalf of our past friendship I am willing to give you a second chance. Join me now and you may serve the Master as I am, but if you stay in my way I will kill you."
No. No, no, no, no, no. Destin staggered back, his mind was reeling. He looked to his role model; Anakin wouldn't do something like this without a reason. Maybe he was right? Maybe the Jedi were corrupt? But assaulting the whole Temple because of the corruption of a few? And the Masters. The unconscious Masters the boy was protecting surely weren't corrupt. Even if they were, this was not the right way to do things. This wasn't justice, it was murder. The strong attacking the innocent, the weak. The Masters could not defend themselves, and let his spirit be taken by the Dark Side if he was going to let anyone hurt them. But Anakin still stood before him. His role model, his idol, the definition of strength and light, telling him to turn on the people closest to him or be killed? The tears couldn't be stopped now, "Anakin, please. Stop."
With a look of disappointment on his face, Anakin drew his lightsaber, "I told you, Anakin is dead. I am Darth Vader." The silver spear exploded from the lightsaber of the man whom Destin had grown to know and love as a father in response to the cold blue one that threatened to destroy all he cared about. Anger attempted to flare up within the young boy, but he knew the end of that path. All of his focus, all of his self-control and skill would be needed to defeat this enemy.
The clones did not interfere. The sith leapt toward the weeping boy, slashing and hacking with blinding speed, as he tried to get within reach of the jedi. Destin's skill with a lightsaber was legendary for his age, but the sith was a master of Djem So, and possessed a startling grasp of Juyo. Not to mention his overwhelming power in the Force, which amplified the power and speed of each swing. Eyes stinging with tears of betrayal, Destin realized the absolute impossibility of the situation. The sith was more than his match. Destin had one advantage though, the blade on his Master's saber was three meters long. This made it unwieldy to be sure, but it meant that he could keep the sith outside of striking range. The sith was not used to fighting with such a tactical disadvantage, and while Destin wasn't used to the weapon either, he had seen and studied his Master's use of the weapon for years.
Destin didn't know how it was possible, and he didn't care, but somehow he was managing to actually fight the sith. Destin was shocked, but not nearly as shocked as the sith. While Destin was horribly outmatched, he had not just one, but numerous advantages that neither he, nor the sith had foreseen. Destin had almost completely mastered Ataru, which specialized in fighting a single opponent, and while the sith's combination of Djem So and Juyo in and of itself was a brutal combination, both forms focus on getting in your opponents face and overwhelming them with sheer force. Unfortunately for the sith, the young Jedi was using a weapon that enabled him to keep the sith far enough away that the very strengths of his style of combat were turned into weaknesses in this odd situation, and because they were fighting in a narrow hallway, the boy did not have to worry about maneuvering the huge weapon.
The longer they fought and the more enraged the sith became at the fact that he was being tried against a mere padawan, the angrier he got. The sith's swings became more powerful, now fueled not just by his naturally prodigious force abilities, but also the full power of the dark side. Destin could not hope to directly block the sith's frenzied strikes, but thankfully, he didn't have to. While the sith's anger made him more powerful, it also made his attacks less precise; unpredictable, but wide and wild. The sith had lost his cool. The dark side, his own source of power, was his weakness.
Destin had once asked Master Windu to sum up Vaapad for him, since he wasn't allowed to learn the lightsaber form, he might as well know why. He could still remember it like it was yesterday, The Jedi Master had thought about this for a moment, then answered, " Vaapad is based around turning your opponent's, and even your own inner darkness against them. The reason so few Jedi are allowed to learn it, and even fewer try it, is because in turning your own, or someone else's inner darkness against another person, you walk dangerously close to the line between the Light and Dark Sides of the Force. To do this without crossing over into darkness is difficult enough, but in the heat of combat, it is even harder. Many Jedi could learn to do it safely given enough time, but most do not trust themselves enough to get that close, and they are wise to do so. One mistake is all it takes."
"So you study the weaknesses of their darkness? That seems awfully similar to Shatterpoint."
The Master let the slightest sign of a smile creep through, "You would be wise to contemplate that similarity."
"Will I ever be strong enough to do use Vaapad, Master Windu?"
Another, weaker smile cracked at the sides of the Jedi Master's mouth, then his face became grave, "It is not a matter of strength young Aitus. The question is, do you know yourself well enough to know why you are fighting? Do you know yourself well enough to know your limits? You cannot know your opponent until you know yourself. But if you know yourself, then you become something else entirely."
"What's that Master Windu?"
"It's up to you."
The sith was getting driven back. First one step, then another. Destin's feelings of pain and betrayal were slowly fading. This was how it was. Destin could see the sith's darkness, he knew exactly how to use it against him. The billowing blackness was crushing all opposing light inside the sith, leaving nothing left but desolation. This was what Master Windu meant, this was Vaapad. Destin could see into the very depths of the sith's darkness and beyond. Inside the mire Destin could see a shatterpoint, a single point inside the sith, that if pressed in the right way, at the right moment in time, would cause the sith to shatter. Destin was slightly distracted by this and had to take a step back to stay out of the sith's reach. Deeper Destin peered into his opponent's darkness, until he saw the form and result of the shatterpoint. He could see it plain as day. He didn't know when or if it would occur, but years from now, there would be a kairos moment in the Force when this sith that he now fought could shatter and give birth to….redemption? Destin was perplexed, and in that split second that his guard was down, Anakin lifted his hand and threw the boy back with a blast of telekinetic energy.
Destin's head was reeling, he was on his back and he could see Anakin lunging toward him, eyes full of fury. The boy flipped backward and to his feet, while moving to the side and out of the way of Anakin's saber, which slashed a one meter cut in the floor. In the same motion, Anakin was again dashing towards him. Reigniting his lightsaber, Destin managed to deflect the blow into the floor, but it didn't matter. With his free hand, Anakin caught the boy with the Force and hurled him against the far wall.
The back of Destin's head felt wet. Blood. Possibly a concussion. His hands didn't detect the weight of his lightsaber. Fingers groped slowly across the durasteel floor for the only thing that could possibly save the lives of the Masters. Clones were entering the area. He could see his lightsaber, lying inactive half a meter away. Anakin was leaving the room. A clone aimed his weapon at Destin while another was aimed at each of the Masters. No. Reaching out with the Force Destin called the inactive saber to his hand. Igniting the blade straight through the clone standing over him and into the ceiling, he leapt to his feet and cut the heads from the clones about to shoot his Master and Master Billiba. The remaining clones were surprised, but quickly turned back to the Jedi. Before they could discharge their weapons, Destin brought the saber about in a full sweep and dismembered the three remaining clones, one at the head, another at the shoulders, and the last one at the chest.
Anakin turned back towards Destin with a cry of hate and lifted his hand, crushing the boy's throat and lifting him into the air. The padawan was unable to move. Barely able to breathe, Destin gasped out, "Anakin…this isn't you…. Turn away from it…I know there's still good in you…. You're a Jedi…fight it."
Still holding the boy immobilized, Anakin approached Destin's Master. "I told you, I am Darth Vader. Anakin is dead." With that the sith cut off the head of Destin's father.
Destin cried out with all his might, all his sorrow and pain backing it. "Noooo!"
Raising his lightsaber to the boy's throat, the sith said, "Anakin is dead."
Remembering the shatterpoint he had glimpsed in the sith, Destin met his gaze, voice full of painful rebellion, as the he coolly replied, "Tell that to your son."
The sith's eyes blazed with dark wrath. Summoning all the darkness he could muster, the fallen jedi hurled Destin from the Jedi Temple with a feral cry.