The Empty Grave
Part 3:- The Mausoleum
Chapter 1
Behind him the 501st Clone battalion marched in perfect formation, before him stood the helpless Jedi younglings. Transports carrying reinforcements and the rest of the 501st were landing all around the temple, surrounding it with tens of thousands of identical troops. There was no escape and no hope for the few hundred Padawans and younglings inside. What few teachers left behind wouldn't stand any longer than their charges.
Once he was Anakin Skywalker. Now his new master had christened him Darth Vader, Lord of the Sith. The power to save Padme was so close now he could feel it, no more weak old men hiding at the top of the world, soon the Jedi and all their line would be wiped out. Even now what was left of the Knights were being slaughtered across the galaxy.
That didn't matter, the only thing he cared about was Padme's safety and their child. He couldn't waver now. Not if they were to live. Somewhere deep inside his heart Anakin knew if he went through with this he couldn't turn back. He wouldn't be able to face what he must do and whoever Anakin Skywalker once was would die inside him.
As he walked up the steps to his destiny a dark shape stepped out of the long shadows Through the Force Anakin felt something like a massive tension twitch his way; 'Stop.' The shade's whispered command physically pushing against him. Anak... Darth Vader had never felt or heard anything like it. The whisper shook the very rocks like the loudest shout. The tension, like a crushing weight just waiting to be released hovered behind it.
'Stand aside Jedi. Surrender and I will be quick.'
'Ahh Anakin. What a wonderful combination of arrogance and ignorance. I am almost touched by it, unfortunately for you such moments pass quickly.' Without a breath he flung a bolt of Force lightning, obliterating a cluster of white armoured clones. 'Hear me:- I guard this temple and all within. My voice is the thunder, my will the wind. With it I will carve the your minions from these steps...'
The new Lord of the Sith gripped his lightsabre before interrupting; 'Kill him.' he growled.
The 501st opened up, blaster bolts mercilessly shattering marble columns. The shear amount of firepower used was blinding. Were this strange Jedi to miss deflecting one shot he wouldn't last long enough to regret it. High above them storm clouds grew.
Eventually the clone troopers stopped firing and they all looked up into the sky. Courscant flash storms were common place on the city planet, though no one had seen one this big form so quickly. Lord Vader tore his eyes from the storm back to the stranger. Somehow he had survived. The black armoured Jedi roared, an animal sound that echoed throughout the Force as it did in life. Drowning out the lightning and thunder that scarred the sky. Crimson forks lanced from his outstretched hands, smiting the storm itself. The sky flinched. The howl continued, not in pain but shear unleashed rage.
A few Clone troupers stated firing again, the scattered bright red bolts simply stopped, hanging between the army and temple gates. The backwards lightning danced from the terrible wraith's out stretched hand. Sucked up like insects in the wind blaster bolts shifted through the spectrum into a vivid green before hitting the gathering clouds and being swallowed.
The sky was now covered in the vast Force created storm, centred from this solitary figure. Tornados made of pure hate streamed down, catching and scattering the Clones like dust from an engine wash. With very little option Anakin lighted his lightsabre and dodged between thunder bolts.
The storm had a life of its own now. Like the spark that ignited a forest fire that task was done. Vader was not ever phased, a lifetime of hate and anger fuelled his rage. The idea that those most responsible for his loves death were finally within his grasp was overwhelming.
His past self pushed though the descending wall of energy and swung with his weapon. Vader moved like the storm, snatching the energy sword from Anakin's hand with a single move and ramming an elbow into the boy's face. 'Crude Anakin.' Vader admonished. 'You call yourself a Sith? You failed as a Jedi, what makes you think you can play with the Dark Side.'
The Force user threw the extinguished blade at the boy's feet.
'I didn't fail!' the young man screeched, clawing himself up, grabbing for his lightsabre. 'They couldn't teach me what I needed to know. I'm too powerful for them and they are afraid of me.' With the simple Force tricks he could perform Anakin flipped up and over Vader's head and Force pushed him off balance. With his sabre back in his hand he swung, trying to take advantage of the supposedly skilful move.
Vader had braced himself, using the momentum to spin he countered with his own laser sword. The two blades clashed, it was all down to their individual skills now.
The Force user's advantage was his experience. Above all Anakin's sword form was to dazzle. The blows coming from unanticipated angles, making his opponent to leave gaps in his defence. Gaps that were then exploited. It also forced the opponent to fight and concentrate, keeping them from using Force powers for anything other than reactions.
Vader had, in the following years, researched the older sword fighting styles of the Sith. They had relied on short, brutal, attacks that cut through defensive strokes and parries. Letting others open themselves up to counter strokes, getting behind fancy blows and strikes with cruel efficiency. Anakin's skills were born of the corrupted and lazy Jedi order of today. All flash and no substance.
At heart that was the problem. It had been so long since the Jedi had faced an opponent as powerful as Palpatine. To much time had passed, the Order had become soft and Palpatine used that. This time things would be different.
Anakin spun his blue bladed lightsabre between his fingers and went for his opponents legs. The black armoured whatever stood there and blocked so slowly he could hardly be moving, but some how it was there in time. Anakin's blade bounced off the parry like the rain water was bouncing from the stone steps at his feet.
Again and again Anakin struck, ever faster but his blows bounced off that slow and ever present red lightsabre. Whoever this person was he was impossibly good. The lightsabre was confusing. Only Sith Lords used blood red blades, something he would see too one day. There was only one way this warrior could have a red blade and stand between him and the temple doors. This man was once a Sith Lord and had turned from the Dark Side. What path did he follow now? Didn't Master Yoda say you could never turn back on the Dark Side, How did he do it?
Just then the stranger struck out, a single back handed blow with his free fist. Before Anakin could react he had bounced from fist to column and back. A sharp blow to the bade and his lightsabre fell from his stunned grip. Another backhand, this one from the fist holding the sabre.
Both blows were like concussive blast waves. Sliding down the opposite column the young Sith didn't have the strength to stand. The Jedi could have killed him at any time, he had the skill, the speed and the ability. He realised this man wanted him alive. Anakin wasn't going to give him the satisfaction. He shouted for his surviving clones to shoot and rolled behind the questionable cover of the column.
They had reloaded, the rifles cooled during Anakin's brief bout. In the fury of energy bolts the stranger just stood there. 'Anakin. That didn't work the first time. Do you want to see why?' Grabbing his leg he lifted Anakin like a rag doll and held him upside down. What the young Sith saw was impossible. 'This is a Force shield I have created. It was first powered by me, now its by their own blaster bolts.' The scattered clones dropped their spent blaster rifles and drew their pistols. The occasional scarlet lightning bolt reducing another clone to a pile of ash. 'Do you still believe yourself an equal to a Sith? That they are the pinnacle of the Force users? Boy, you have yet to learn the true grace of your powers.' Dropping him the Jedi flung himself at Anakin's Clone troops. Blue sabre in one hand and red in the other.
Even worse than the Force storm this black cloaked figure slipped between clones. Limbs, heads and whole torsos flew in every direction. With painful speed it was all over and the foot of the Jedi Temple was washed with blood and carbon scoring.
Padme Amidalia looked out of her window, over the curving city world all the way to the Jedi Temple. Rain lashed against the glass and beneath her heart her children tossed restlessly. She didn't know how but she knew she carried two children. She couldn't hide her swollen abdomen with flowing robes anymore, laying a hand over her rounding stomach she cooed; 'Be still, I will protect you.'
'Mistress Padme?' the gold plated 3-PO unit asked.
She smiled at him. 'Nothing Three-PO.' but outside the storm continued and inside the children still cried. Wiping a tear from her eye she tried to make sense of what she was feeling. Out there her husband was confused. Maybe it was a side effect of carrying the children, perhaps more but she could feel Anakin's confusion. He might deny it but he was scared, angry, hurt and something else.
Some sort of horrid, implacable, drive. A hatred and passion he had almost lost over the years of terrible war. It was like he was two different people; one hurt and confused, the other unstoppable.
'Mistress Padme, look.' Three-PO got her attention and pointed to the balcony bay. A small ship pulled up and a tallish man jumped out, running for the shelter. 'Senator.' he smiled politely. It was Bail Organa, the Senator from Alderaan
'Senator Organa, What brings you here? Other than your vehicle of course.'
'A joke? How do you find the energy? Especially today of all days. Don't you know what has happened?'
'At the Temple? Only what I can see from here. The storm's wreaking havoc on the news net.'
That's not all that's happening. A Clone army was sent to destroy the Temple, I saw them with my own eyes.'
'No!'
'Something stopped them, The storm's centred over there, holding the Republic soldiers off. I thought if anyone I trusted knew what was happening you would.'
Padme looked back, he was right the storm was hovering over there. One of the advantages of being married to a Jedi, even secretly, was you could pick up a few things, over the years she had. Closing her eyes she focused on her children and what they were feeling.
'Rage. Hate. Someone is very angry They've carved it into a hammer of anger and smote the sky. By the Force, he's so angry. So sad... Anakin!' Stumbling back her eyes flew open but fresh tears clouded them. Bail caught her and some how got her to a seat.
'Senator? What happened?' he asked but she couldn't stop crying
Between sobs she tried to explain. 'Someone's trying to destroy the Jedi Order. He's killed them. So many of them. Only a few left.' She knew what she had to do. 'Bail, You have a ship in the docks. We're going to need it, some Jedi survived out there. We need them.'
Leila Manntare watched from hiding as the strange man walked back into the temple. Teachers and students were scattered in hiding and the stranger walked to the centre of the entrance hall. 'I defeated them. My power will hold them back as long as I want it to. Come out.'
One of the teachers; Meltos Thimble, a human who taught lightsabre technique had his weapon out. 'Who are you?'
He paused for a moment before answering 'I am a metaphor. A reminder that even in brightest day a shadow must fall. That at night a light shines somewhere in all of us.'
'But are you Jedi or Sith.' the teacher pressed. The question hung there.
'Both and neither. I have followed the paths and learnt that they are both incomplete without one another.'
'Don't.' It was Master Skywalker. He came form the doorway and something felt wrong. The Jedi councillor looked tired and felt wrong in the Force. Strangely the man in black didn't. 'You know me Meltos, I'm better than you. He bashed me aside like a low level thug with a vibro-blade.'
The stranger stepped to one side making a triangle. 'Skywalker? What happened, the Sith Lord?' Meltos asked.
Master Skywalker hung his head. 'We failed and I fell. I am not worthy to be a Jedi but I won't let you sacrifice your self needlessly. He's not Sith, he's more than a Jedi. Beyond the Sith and I doubt there is anyone in the universe that can stop him.'
As the adults argued Leila found herself walking to the staff embedded in the stone floor. More younglings were doing the same. All standing in a circle around the crack, all was quiet in the Force. Even the Storm high above sounded distant and almost comforting. Two adults were with them, the teachers of healing in the Force.
'What the? Something... Somethings down there.' the man said. Leila wasn't' old enough to take the lessons yet and didn't know his name. Who ever he was was right. she could feel it too. Deep, deep down something was singing in the Force. A single sweet note longing for some long ancient pain.
'I can hear it.' she whispered. 'It's lost, alone. All its friends have gone and it's very unhappy.'
'No don't go!' Tam called. he was right it was fading, like it was falling back down. He looked at her and he knew what he was asking. Looking around all the younglings did.
As one they echoed the note. The long sad sound, like a lone instrument in an orchestra and the something pulsed.
'What are you doing? the Healer asked.
The stranger answered for them. Even if they knew the words they couldn't explain them She was an instrument of the Force. 'Accessing the Force my old friend. Life and growth throughout the planet. This world is screaming for something very important. They are giving it.' She understood him, he was right. The Force was life, this world must live again.
She sung louder. The others followed and the lone note soared, the small crack grew wide and a miracle happened. A single shoot nervously rose through the great gap in the temple floor and opened. It opened into a glorious purple flower. Only a instant later it was joined by friends, spilling forth like a cascade of summer.
The note was so loud now it was deafening. The Force sung in words stronger than steel and concrete and stone. The Temple shook with the music of a single voice. The voice of the younglings joined as one.
High above the storm grew even wider and its eye opened, bathing the building of stone and concrete in moon light.
The seed had been sown from its heart. This world would live again.
End chapter one
Authors note:-
That enough for you? I thought I'd let you know why I did that little Gia moment. The Jedi Order is based on using the energy of life AKA the Force. Cool, so will someone explain to me why the only plants in the Temple are of the potted kind? Plant life is the most important part of a planet's ecosystem.
A city world that has to import all its food and export its waste? With almost a third devoted to heavy industry and nothing but massive multi story buildings where most people live a hundred feet or more from bed rock? That's not a planet full of life suitable for a religious order devoted to life. It's a dead world!
That's not the only little ram raid I'm doing on the Jedi Order's practices. Before this ends you'll wonder why someone hadn't obliterated the whole bunch years before! I know I do.
Oh by the way, I know its a pointless but you really do have to see Family Guy Presents Blue Harvest. I saw it and my spleen still hurts...
