Hi everyone! I'm so sorry this took long, my life took a complete 180 and I had to address that before getting this chapter completed. Thank you to everyone who reviewed, favorited, and followed! You are all amazing! :)
Death rang in the Force as Obi-Wan landed his speeder in the hangar. Horror steeped through his veins as he saw a Padawan get struck in the chest by a blaster bolt. He jumped out of the speeder, pulling his lightsaber off his belt as he landed on his feet and turned towards the shooter.
Cody.
Cody, holding a blaster that pointed right at him, with blank amber eyes.
"Cody, what are you doing?" Obi-Wan asked. He couldn't harm Cody, not now, not when he was under the influence of some Sith-created inhibitor chip. Cody wouldn't do this. He wouldn't kill unnecessarily.
"Good soldiers follow orders," his commander hissed, pulling the trigger on his blaster. Obi-Wan ignited his saber and blocked the bolt, letting it fly to the side.
"You're not acting like yourself, Cody," Obi-Wan continued, taking a few steps forward. "This isn't you."
Cody barked out a harsh laugh. "You never knew me," the clone spat, shooting again. Obi-Wan blocked it easily, then reached for his commlink. Then he remembered that Ventress had destroyed it earlier that day and he had no electronic means to contact anyone right now.
Oh. That was not good. He wondered distantly if all the clone's chips were activated; if that were the case, then…the Jedi were facing possible genocide. Possible extinction. He looked behind him, at the bodies of some Padawans and Knights that were caught off guard by Cody's blaster.
"Cody, please," he tried. Cody moved quickly, stealthily enough to know how to combat a Force-sensitive being.
Cody answered by shooting a flurry of bolts at him, and he blocked them all, sending them carefully to various points around the hangar. "I don't want to hurt you," Obi-Wan admitted.
Obi-Wan exhaled and reached into the Force for Master Yoda. Put the Temple in lockdown, he told the grandmaster before reaching for Anakin. The bond was still blocked. He sighed in frustration and turned his focus on Cody, who now held two blasters in his hand.
Cody shot a dozen bolts in a split-second, and he blocked a few of them before sending one right back to the blaster in Cody's right hand. The blaster sparked, and Cody dropped it with a hissed curse. "Kriffing Jedi," Cody grunted in a tone Obi-Wan had never heard him use.
Think. How could Obi-Wan stop Cody without harming him? Force suggestion?
Obi-Wan reached into the Force, and quickly pulled the second blaster out of Cody's hand before he could shoot again. He knew for a fact that Cody had even more weapons on him, but he could use this moment now to his advantage.
He reached into the Force, to Cody's mind, trying to find the inhibitor chip. It had to be there; there was no other explanation. Cody wouldn't do this on his own, not like this. But he couldn't find anything, and the effort was costing him time and energy, and the pain that was previously gnawing slightly at his temple exploded into raw agony. Obi-Wan shuddered, refusing to give in to the pain.
Even if he couldn't find the chip right now, there was still something he could do before Cody acted. "Sleep," he commanded, speaking both in Cody's mind and aloud, and the clone collapsed into full unconsciousness. Obi-Wan watched him for a moment, wavered, and then fell onto his knees with an exhausted sigh.
"Obi-Wan!"
Anakin was running up to him. Obi-Wan couldn't summon the energy to stand at the moment, so he waited for Anakin to kneel next to him, face white.
"What the kriff happened?" Anakin asked when he saw Cody crumpled on the floor across from him and all the dead bodies around the hangar.
Obi-Wan exhaled slowly. "The inhibitor chips were activated. Are there any other attacks happening in the Temple? Are there any clones inside right now?" he asked.
Anakin's eyes widened. "Not that I know of," he answered. "Are you okay?"
"Yes, I just…" He trailed off as the Force shuddered in agony, death shaking in its depths. "We must hurry." Obi-Wan pulled himself to his feet. There was no time to waste.
"Is he alright?" Obi-Wan asked, looking at Qui-Gon's still form.
"He has a minor concussion," answered Bant, looking up at Obi-Wan. "I know that…he will want to help, with the clones. And it might be necessary for him to do so. Just make sure he's careful, Obi," she sighed. Then she placed a gentle hand on his arm. "And you please be careful too," she murmured.
Obi-Wan exhaled. The Temple was now on lockdown, just barely holding back the clones that marched on its steps. The Force was keening in agony, and Anakin was…lost and confused. Everything was falling out of place; everything was going wrong now, and Obi-Wan barely had time to even think about or process what had just happened. Dooku's death, then Dex's not long after. Qui-Gon's injury. Anakin's slow withdrawal into himself, refusing to speak to Obi-Wan or even Ahsoka about what happened weeks ago on Dooku's ship.
It was too much.
There were only a few clones inside the Temple when the chips were activated, Cody included. They were all now sedated and gathered in a separate room in the Ward. Eventually the Council would have to decide what they were going to do with them, but for now…
"I have to meet with the Council to decide what we must do. We must see what Ventress can tell us about the Sith Master," he murmured. "Let me know when Qui-Gon wakes." He didn't move, however, just continued to watch Qui-Gon as he slept, face creased into a frown. Obi-Wan's arms were wrapped tightly around himself, his body almost completely rigid.
"You're in pain," she realized.
"I'm sorry," he responded, voice cracking slightly. A slight betrayal of his mask that showed her the truth. "I know I told Master Che I wouldn't let it get this far, but…this is an extraordinary circumstance, Bant. I can't just…stay here while all this is happening."
She sighed. She was sure, so sure that Obi-Wan would get better now, that everything was going to be fine, but now…? Now the Jedi were facing possible extinction, by the clones that fought alongside them once upon a time. By the Sith.
"Just…let me help right now, Obi," she said softly.
His eyes, watering slightly, softened before he sat down at the chair by Qui-Gon's bed. She watched as his eyes flickered shut for a moment and he breathed shakily before opening them again and looking up at her, almost expectantly. She felt his shields lower, one by one, until she felt the pain that raged in his mind at that moment, and she hissed softly.
"I'll get a hypospray," she said, turning towards the exit without waiting for Obi-Wan's response.
"Anakin?"
Anakin exhaled a sigh of relief at the sight of his wife's holographic form, staring up at him with no small amount of emotion in her eyes. He was able to comm her from his apartment once he arrived back to an empty apartment. "Padmé," he breathed, voice a trembling whisper. "I was so worried," he admitted. "I must see you."
She shook her head. "Something has happened, Ani," she said, her eyebrows twisted into a frown. "The Chancellor, he…he declared the Jedi as enemies of the Republic."
The cold feeling knotted in his stomach seemed to deepen and swallow him whole. He blinked in surprise. "What?" he breathed.
Padmé's eyes were wide with passion, with a determination to make things right. But if she got involved…the image of her dead body flickered in front of him, a constant reminder of what could happen, what will happen. Soon. "Why…?" he managed with a dry mouth.
She shook her head, image flickering slightly. "It's not clear…he claimed that the Jedi were responsible for the war. That the only reason the war happened was because of a vendetta the Separatist leaders had against the Jedi, not against the Republic. That the Jedi have been letting this war go on for so long for only their benefit," she answered, forehead creased into a frown. "I know that is not true, Ani, but—"
He shook his head. Where did the Chancellor get that idea? Anakin knew that the Chancellor wasn't exactly…happy with the Jedi of late, and Anakin did agree with that sentiment on some levels, but that didn't mean they were enemies of the Republic. "I must speak with him," he realized.
"But if you leave, the clones might…"
"Don't worry about that, Padmé," he responded. "I can escape the Temple undetected and speak to him. Stay where you are."
"Anakin, there is a lot of disagreement in the Senate and in the general public about this. It's disturbing, how some people feel about the Jedi now," she explained. "Be careful, Ani; I…I feel like something is about to go terribly wrong."
And as much as Anakin agreed with her, he shook his head and smiled instead. "I'll be fine, Padmé," he said with a smile. After saying goodbye, he shut off the comm and quickly gathered his belongings before leaving the apartment, not once noticing the teenage Togruta that stood in the shadows, well out of his line of vision, having heard every single word of the conversation.
Asajj Ventress blinked harshly at the sudden influx of sunlight as Obi-Wan entered the cell with Mace Windu. The Sith acolyte sat up, appearing much calmer than she was earlier, when she attacked Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon. The binders encircling her wrists prevented her from accessing the Force, thankfully.
"What do you want?" she hissed. Even without the Force, Ventress was dangerous, but there was little time to prepare. Eventually, the clones would either break through the Temple's defenses or the Jedi would have to confront the Sith and find a way to deactivate the chips. There was little choice now.
"We need to know if you know anything about the Sith Master's identity," Mace said. His face was as stern as usual, but there were a few more lines on his forehead, and Obi-Wan could tell that the older Master had very little patience for anything right now. Obi-Wan would comment on the irony of that, but now was hardly the time or place for that. There were many more pressing matters.
Ventress barked out a laugh. "What makes you that if I knew anything, I would tell you? My master is dead because of you!" she cried. "The Jedi failed him when he needed them the most, and you and your precious Council never even realized it." Ventress' voice was dripping with cold anger, with pure passion.
"I am sorry about Dooku's death, Ventress," Obi-Wan responded, "but he was helping us in the end, as I told you before. He discovered that the Sith Master was only using him for his own benefit. I wouldn't say that he turned back to the Light, but…he wanted to help us defeat the Sith Master before it was too late."
"Our clones are marching on this Temple," Mace said. "They are being controlled by inhibitor chips that were placed by the Sith.
"Good," Ventress spat, eyes bright. "The Jedi have taken everything away from me. You deserve this."
"It may be time for the Jedi to change," Obi-Wan responded, ignoring the surprised look that Mace was now giving him. "And you can help us with that, Ventress. But we need to find a way to defeat the Sith Master now, before he strikes again and it's too late," he pressed.
The Sith acolyte sighed and leaned back against the wall, crossing her arms as much as she could with the binders restricting her movement. "What do you need to know, Kenobi?" she asked.
"I'm glad to see you're okay, Master," Ahsoka said, sitting down at Qui-Gon's bedside. The Jedi Master simply raised an eyebrow in response. "A lot has happened in the past few hours, but Master Kenobi said he'll be here soon to talk to you," she said.
"What exactly happened?" Master Qui-Gon asked. There was a bacta patch on the side of his head, held in place by a bandage wrapped neatly around his head. Luckily his concussion was not too major; Master Che simply wanted to check in on him before he was discharged.
"You were attacked by Dooku's apprentice, Asajj Ventress," Ahsoka answered. At Master Qui-Gon's confused look, she continued talking. "Dooku had a Sith assassin as an apprentice," she explained. "I'm guessing he never told you this? When you were with him?"
"We didn't exactly have time to chat about our daily lives," he muttered, and Ahsoka suppressed a snort. She could see where Master Kenobi got his dry sense of humor from. The similarity was almost astounding at times.
"There's something else, Master," she continued. Her fingers were tangled in her lap, and she kept thinking back to what she overheard in the apartment. She didn't mean to overhear Anakin's conversation with Senator Amidala; it just happened, and by the time it was over, the deed was done. How was she supposed to know what would happen?
Qui-Gon was studying her carefully now. "I can sense your anxiety, young one," he said, frowning slightly.
"It's just…I overheard Master Skywalker talking to Senator Amidala, and…they're married," she blurted out, and then looked down, away from Master Qui-Gon's piercing gaze. She couldn't bear the idea of overhearing such a personal conversation, but the deed was already done.
Qui-Gon chuckled, and she looked up at him. "I already know, Ahsoka. He told me," he said.
"Oh," Ahsoka answered. The anxiety that seemed to consume her began to dissipate, though she had to ask— "You didn't tell the Council, though?"
"I'm sure you're aware that I don't have the best relationship with the Council," the Jedi Master answered with another laugh. "Anakin asked me to not tell them, and I've promised him that I won't."
Ahsoka nodded. She would do the same, in a heartbeat. "But…does Master Kenobi know?" she asked.
Qui-Gon frowned, as though he was trying to remember something. "I don't think he does," he said finally, voice quieter now. "I told Anakin to tell Obi-Wan as soon as he told me…But you know that things are strained right now, between Anakin and Obi-Wan."
Because of me, she wanted to say. But she simply nodded.
"Now tell me why the Force feels so wrong, Ahsoka," Master Qui-Gon pressed. His features were completely serious again, though a lot of it was off-set by the bandages wrapped around his head.
Ahsoka paused. She didn't want to be the one to tell Master Qui-Gon what happened. That Dex was dead, that the chips were activated, that things were very quickly falling apart and the Order may cease to exist within the next few hours. There was a lot depending on what the Council would decide to do next.
"The chips were activated," she said finally.
Qui-Gon released a sigh. "Just as we thought," he answered. His shoulders were slightly slumped now. "What of Dex?" he asked, eyes tinged with hope.
Ahsoka stared at him for a long time before slowly shaking her head. "I'm sorry, Master," she said finally. "The diner was burned to the ground. There was nothing left."
The door slid open, and Obi-Wan walked in. He looked at Qui-Gon, relief shining in his eyes before he spoke. "We have a lot to talk about," he announced.
Anakin took a deep breath and glanced around his surroundings before he knocked on the Chancellor's door. There were usually a lot of clones in the Senate building, but they must have all been sent to the Temple, because he didn't run into any here.
Sneaking out of the Temple was infinitely more difficult than usual. All of his usual exits were blocked by clones. He would have been fine with fighting his way through the clones to get out of the Temple, but that would attract too much attention from the Jedi, and that…that wouldn't do.
He was lucky enough to find an empty exit and quickly left the Temple on a speeder before being spotted by the clones or the Jedi. As he drove through Coruscant's night sky, he saw that there was chaos throughout the city-planet. Sirens were wailing, there was smoke filling the air, originating from multiple areas. By the time he arrived at the Senate Building, he realized that this, whatever is happening right now, was way worse than he imagined.
The Senate was not in session, but there were Senators milling about the building, but Anakin was easily able to sense them as he made his way to the Chancellor's office.
Which lead him here, waiting for a response after knocking on the Chancellor's door. He hoped Palpatine was alright. That there would be a simple explanation for him declaring the Jedi to be enemies of the Republic. This was probably a big misunderstanding, that's all.
The door slid open, and Palpatine was standing in the doorway, flanked by two Red Guards. "Anakin!" Palpatine exclaimed. He moved out of the doorway, allowing Anakin to walk in. "Do come in, my boy. I didn't think I would be seeing you today!" he exclaimed.
"I apologize for barging in on you like this, Chancellor," Anakin began, "but, as I'm sure you know, a lot has happened, and I wanted to clarify some things." He followed Palpatine to his desk and sat down across from him as Palpatine settled into his larger chair.
"Of course, Anakin," Palpatine responded, voice somber now. "I realize this must be all sudden for you, but I must first assure you that you are an exception to the clones' command, if you have not yet realized it."
Anakin blinked. "What do you mean?" he asked. An exception?
Palpatine exhaled slowly. Anakin suddenly realized the man must have been exhausted, after everything that happened today. The Republic, despite having won the war, was falling. And it was falling fast. What was going to happen to the Chancellor after all this was over?
"I know you are not an enemy of the Republic, Anakin," Palpatine explained. "I know what you have done for the Republic and for me, so I modified the order given to the clones. They won't hurt you, Anakin. I've made sure of that."
"But Chancellor," Anakin protested. "Why would you do all of this in the first place?"
Palpatine leaned back in his chair slightly and took another deep breath. "Anakin, I've seen for a while that the Jedi don't truly care about the Republic. They just want the power for themselves," the Chancellor explained.
"Wait, I know the Jedi have done some questionable things, but that doesn't mean—"
"Anakin," Palpatine cut him off, voice severe. "Thank about everything that has happened recently. Your own master and your padawan went behind your back on a mission, and that had disastrous consequences, as you have told me before," he explained.
"Yeah, but—"
"Listen to me, Anakin," Palpatine continued. He was sitting upright again and his eyes were bright. "Have you forgotten what happened to your mother? The Jedi allowed her life to slip away from you, with no regard for how you felt about that. You knew it was coming, but they chose to ignore that. They don't see your importance." Anakin blinked. He hadn't forgotten about his mother's death, no, but a lot has happened since…
"And just recently, Anakin, Master Kenobi still refuses to tell you what happened on Zigoola. You told me that it made you feel unappreciated, unwelcome," Palpatine continued.
"But…" Anakin's voice trailed off. "Chancellor, these are personal things for me. This doesn't mean that they deserve to die," he managed, voice slightly strangled.
Palpatine gave him a sardonic smile. "You're right. For what they've done to you, they don't deserve it, though it does cast them in a negative light in my eyes," he answered. "But the Jedi have gone against the Senate's wishes multiple times, especially throughout the course of this war. I am fully aware of the fact that the Council doesn't trust me, and that if I hadn't made this declaration, that the Council would have attacked me first."
Anakin frowned. This was too confusing.
"You are powerful, Anakin," Palpatine emphasized. "You don't need to be held back by the Jedi. Let me help you, and you'll have the power to save your wife."
Anakin's mouth went dry, and he swallowed, suddenly feeling very cold. "What?" he whispered. "What do you mean?"
"The Jedi are limited, Anakin. They don't look at all aspects of the Force. They refuse to consider the Dark Side at all. And the Dark Side is powerful; it can give you even more power than you already have, Anakin. You can save Senator Amidala from her fate," Palpatine explained, eyes even brighter now.
Anakin stared at Palpatine, heart pounding so hard that he felt as though it might burst out of his chest. His body felt cold and he felt goosebumps forming on his arms. The Force was keening at him; he couldn't make sense of it at all, and Palpatine was just staring at him calmly, waiting for him to react. "You…Chancellor Palpatine," he stuttered. "Are you saying that you're a Sith Lord?"
"Are you saying that Chancellor Palpatine was the one who activated the inhibitor chips?" Obi-Wan asked, completely aghast. Both he and Ahsoka sat on chairs next to Qui-Gon's bed, and Qui-Gon was sitting up in his bed, feeling a lot better than he did after waking up in the Healer's Ward.
"It seems that way, Master," Ahsoka answered. Her voice was quiet. "But doesn't that mean that he's working with the Sith?" she asked.
"That might make sense," Obi-Wan commented. He was frowning deeply, fingers stroking his beard as he thought. There were already shadows under his eyes—not as much as when Qui-Gon arrived to this time, but they were still very present. He could feel pain running along the length of their bond, but it was hard for him to tell if it was the pain from his own concussion or from a migraine that Obi-Wan might be keeping from him right now. "I was speaking to Ventress just now—she was saying that the Sith Master has access to a great amount of power, and, well…Chancellor Palpatine is no stranger to power," he acknowledged.
"The Chancellor could be controlled by the Sith," Qui-Gon concluded.
"But how?" Ahsoka asked. "Is that even possible?"
The question gave way in a silence that lasted a few moments before Obi-Wan's eyes widened. Qui-Gon turned to him, feeling sudden emotion emanating from his Force presence, though none of it leaked into his expression.
"Master," Obi-Wan whispered. "Dooku said…Dooku said that the Sith Lord is in control of the Senate. What if…" He frowned and paused, as though he was thinking about something.
"Obi-Wan?" Qui-Gon asked. Obi-Wan was unusually perceptive at times, so whatever he was thinking had a very good chance of being true. But the dread that Qui-Gon could sense from Obi-Wan was concerning. What was he thinking?
"What if the Chancellor is the Sith Lord?" Obi-Wan said finally. His face was completely white now. "And I…I let Anakin visit him for all these years, since he was a boy and I allowed this to happen and now he's…" Obi-Wan was suddenly very quickly working himself into a panicked state. Qui-Gon glanced at Ahsoka, whose eyes were wide and teary, before pulling himself forward and placing a hand on Obi-Wan's shoulder.
"Breathe, Obi-Wan," he murmured, feeling Obi-Wan's shoulder rise under his palm as he took slow, shuddering breaths. "You're working yourself into a state. Focus on the present," he soothed. He knew it had been a while since Obi-Wan had been so overwhelmed by anxiety, so to see it now was certainly a surprise.
The panic bled quickly away into the Force, leaving Obi-Wan pale-faced, but calm. He took a deep breath before speaking again. "Whenever Anakin would visit the Chancellor, he would always return with his emotions more on edge than usual. He would be very upset at times, though anytime I asked him about it, he would deny it completely," he explained.
"He hasn't been happy about what happened on Dooku's ship. Or about us leaving without him," Ahsoka mentioned, rubbing at her eyes now. "Anytime I tried to talk to him about it, he would just refuse to say anything."
Obi-Wan shook his head. "We need to get to the Chancellor's office now," he stated. "Anakin most likely is there right now, and the Chancellor might…" He trailed off, unable to speak what was on his mind.
"He could make him Turn," Qui-Gon murmured. He found himself thinking of Xanatos, of the startling parallels between Anakin and Xanatos, and what ended up happening to him in the end. No. Anakin was not destined to that fate.
"Ideally, I would like to speak to the Council before going there, but…" Obi-Wan bit his lip and thought quickly. "Ahsoka, I need you to tell the Council what's happening. Qui-Gon and I are going to meet with the Chancellor," he decided.
Ahsoka's eyes widened. "No, I can help!" she exclaimed.
"You can, Ahsoka," Obi-Wan replied. "But you are Anakin's padawan, and he would never forgive me if I let something happen to you. And the Council needs to know about the Chancellor. Stay here and guard this Temple. Tell the Council everything."
Ahsoka stared at him for a few moments and then turned to Qui-Gon before she nodded. Something in her eyes triggered a memory in Qui-Gon, and he blinked in surprise. Of course. "Ahsoka," he said softly. The Togruta padawan looked up at him, eyes shining with more complex emotion than he could understand right now. "A few weeks before…well, Naboo, Master Koon took me to the crèche to meet a young Togruta girl he had found and brought to the Temple," Qui-Gon began.
Ahsoka nodded. "I remember, Master. I didn't realize that it was you until you came here, but you didn't say anything, so I wasn't sure," she responded.
Why did it feel like he was saying goodbye? Qui-Gon shook his head slightly. No, this wasn't goodbye; it can't be. "We'll be back soon. With Anakin, hopefully," he responded. He stood slowly, pleased to feel no dizziness or pain from the movement.
The time has come.
"The time has come, Anakin," the Sith Lord uttered. "Take your place by my side as my apprentice, and we can rule this galaxy together and save your wife." Palpatine's voice was harsh and grating but cold.
Anakin stared at him. The Force was silent. Hell, everything was silent now. The world seemed to hold its breath in anticipation. But Anakin didn't know. He didn't even know what to think anymore.
"Well?" Palpatine arched an eyebrow. "What will it be, Anakin?"
He felt frozen, rooted to the ground. "I…" he trailed off, utterly confused. The Force whispered to him, so quietly that he couldn't hear anything. This was up to him entirely. He should call the Council, or go back to the Temple, or at least to Padmé.
Padmé. He couldn't and wouldn't live without her. It was not an option.
"Okay."
