Revenge of the Sith Chapter 2
Darth Vader at the Jedi Temple
The darkness of the Coruscant night turns the white of the soldier's uniforms to grey. Darth Vader surveys the ranks standing outside the Jedi Temple. It amazes him that the numbers have not drawn the attention of a single Jedi knight or scholar. He gazes upon the grand pillars that frame the doors to the temple; they seemed indestructible when he first saw them as an eight-year-old. Tonight, those supports will topple.
The Sith lord Force-pulls the doors open and strides into his former home, hundreds of clone soldiers at his back.
Palpatine moves away from Darth Vader to sit behind the late Chancellor's desk. "Go to the Jedi Temple with the clones, my apprentice. Vanquish the ones you once knew and surely, your power will grow. Know not Mercy nor Compassion, for only then will you grow in the Dark Side and possesses the strength to save Padme."
Without hesitation, Anakin answer, "Yes, Master."
The older man raises an eyebrow. "Have you no qualms nor questions?" Sidious asks.
"No, my lord. I will do whatever it takes," Darth Vader replies.
Sidious smiles, and the sinister expression almost looks out of place on his child-like face.
"Once, you have dealt with the Jedi, you must go to the Mustafar System and remove the scourge that is Viceroy Gunray and the Separatists." He pauses to deepen the grin, revealing two rows of perfectly white teeth. "Then, the two of us, you and I, will bring order to the galaxy."
They're here; the Jedi barracks. The gray doors bring a bittersweet sense of nostalgia. He laid his head here to sleep for over a decade but, it was also here he learned the meaning of isolation within a crowd. A Padawan stands outside, keeping guard. The role is supposed to teach responsibility and discipline; however, the Temple is considered impervious to attacks so it rather the task becomes a lesson on sleeping whilst standing upright. Unfortunately, the Padawan currently on duty is wide awake, though she has not seen him nor his soldiers. Darth Vader waves a finger, signaling for the clone troops to continue onto their rampage, leaving him alone with the Padawan.
She looks up as he approaches, and when her eyes light up in a smile, he recognizes her. "Anakin!"
Vader returns her greeting, "Hello, Ahsoka." If he were more of Jedi, he would not even entertain this conversation; after all, arrogance is not a trait the Jedi should have. But, he wants to experiment with his new moral freedom.
"What are you doing here? I thought you chose to rest somewhere else within the city." Her head tails bobble with excitement.
Vader smirks as he deflects her question. "Ahsoka, do I seem any different?"
Her brow furrows in confusion. "No, not at all. What do you mean, Master Skywalker?"
At the sound of the title, Vader does not bother to hide his expression and his face contorts into a scowl. "I am not a Master." Your teacher has failed you.
Ahsoka stutters her response. "But, how can you be on the Council and not be M-" His lightsaber ends the sentence for her. She only gives a soft gasp as he pulls the saber from her belly. Sidious had been truthful; already, power surges through this body as the restraints come undone. His whole being vibrates with energy. He raises a hand and the gray doors fly off their hangers, literally. They make a loud "Bang" when they land on the floor 200 meters behind him, drawing the attention of the room's occupants.
Instantly, the sight of the never-ending rows of triple-bunks brings bile to his mouth, far more bitter than sweet. They are unsure; he can see tell. He can see the confusion across their faces when he walks in, saber drawn, the blue illuminating their perplexed expressions. So, he grants them certainty with the first swing at the nearest bunk. The structure collapses, pinning and killing two Jedi Padawan under the cumbersome metal. He grants the occupants instancy with his second swing, which goes through the Jedi who sat on the top bunk.
The silence ends right away, Vader can see who has been paying attention in lessons, who is brave, who thinks too much for their own good. The screams ring in his ear and he smiles. An intrepid Padawan sprints towards him, green lightsaber in hand. His courage will do him no good. Two small strokes and the youngling transforms to a corpse.
More come, some try to run, but it does them all no good. Most of the older Jedi opt out of living in the barracks, so most who burn on his saber are younglings who offer no challenge at all. Soon their faces and death all blur into one, and with each fallen body, Vader feels his strength growing. He doesn't even use his lightsaber for the last one.
"I know you're not dead," he calls out to the bodies. Instantly, a Padawan shoots up from the corpses on the floor and sprints to the exit. Vader chuckles, unamused; in three strides, his hands wrap around the back of the young learner's robes. The youngling turns around, and Vader almost laughs when he recognizes the face.
"Master Skywalker! Please, I didn't do anything!" Zaver sobs. His face is colored with a mix of tears, soot and the blood of his comrades.
Vader drops the amused expression and wraps his other hand around Zaver's jaw and cheekbone. He lowers his head until his blue eyes overwhelm the youngling's vision.
"I. am. Not. A. Master." With those words, Darth Vader squeezes with all his strength. Before turning to the Dark Side, this feat would have been unfathomable. Yet, when he reaches to his fear and embraces his anger, it becomes effortless to press his fingers into the younglings's skull until the cracking sound and the screams harmonize. He releases his grip when the screaming stops.
The boy is no longer recognizable.
AN: I know Star Wars has always been PG but I think the scene of Darth Vader killing the Jedi would be an amazing addition and Lucasfilm made a misstep not including it in Revenge of the Sith. The next scene will be Padme and Anakin's conversation in Coruscant before he goes to Mustafar. Feel free to leave me any constructive criticism.