Chapter 12: Duel of the Sith

As the Coruscant sun completed its rise, the capital area was bustling with activity. Every Senator was making their way to the Senate hall. A special session had been called, but few of them knew the true reason for it. Only a few of Palpatine's closest allies, as well as some of his biggest detractors, had been informed of the assassination attempt on his life by the Jedi and his rescue by his new enforcer, Darth Vadar.

While the information on the Jedi's attempted execution and their subsequent slaughter had been shared with just a small number of senators initially, the news was starting to spread among all the members of the legislative body. They were finding out about the Jedi attempt on the life of Palpatine and how he had been saved by a Jedi that had turned on his own Order. They were also finding out that in order to prevent the Jedi from finishing the job and seizing control of the Republic, they had to be eliminated.

The fact the Jedi were gone, eliminated in an instant, was something that was difficult for many of them to wrap their heads around. The Jedi had been the protectors of the Republic for generations. Everyone assumed they would always be around. It seemed impossible for them to just be gone. There were many who had questions about what Palpatine had done on his own, with no consultation with anyone else. Fortunately for Palpatine, the video he sent out of the Jedi's assassination attempt revealed to everyone his actions were justified.

What everyone saw in the video was unbelievable. The Jedi, led by Mace Windu, accused Palpatine of being a Sith Lord. It was outrageous, and Palpatine acted remarkably in remaining calm while trying to talk some sense into the Jedi. When they accused him of murdering his guards with a lightsaber, he calmly pointed out he had no such weapon. Windu was frustrated to be caught in a lie, but couldn't turn back. He continued with his insane accusations, finally telling Palpatine he was too dangerous to be allowed to live. Everyone watching the video knew if Palpatine had truly been a Sith Lord, he would have made a move to defend himself, but being just a normal person, he was powerless to fight the Jedi.

Windu raised his lightsaber to kill the chancellor. Once again, if Palpatine had possessed the power to save himself, he would have done so then, but he couldn't. He would have been slaughtered, but a rogue Jedi came to his defense. This Jedi killed his masters, saving not just Palpatine's life, but the Republic. Everyone understood the implications of what would have happened if the Jedi had been successful. With the Republic leaderless, they would have seized power under the claims the nation had been under the influence of a Sith Lord and their autocratic leadership would be needed to overcome that influence.

For centuries, the Jedi had been using the specter of the Sith to instill fear in the Republic and use that fear to maintain their own power and influence. They had been successful in their ruse, but their success had made them arrogant, and they had gone too far. Everyone recognized their attempt to seize control of the galaxy was a sign the entire order was dangerous. Palpatine had been justified in eliminating them.

As the senators filed into the legislative hall, their emotions were mixed. Many of them were weary because of the gravitas of the moment and the remarkable changes to the Republic that had taken place overnight. Others were elated the Jedi had been eliminated and were looking forward to using the situation to their advantage. With the Jedi gone, there was a power vacuum, and every ambitious senator was brainstorming how they might be able to occupy it.

At the foremost of everyone's thoughts was what new power arrangement would rise from the death of the Jedi. While all government authority had rested in the Senate, the Jedi had always been the great moral authority of the Republic. At one time, public opinion could be swayed from one direction to the next by the decisions of the Jedi Council. Over the years, that moral authority declined so much it was almost completely lost. With the loss of the Jedi's authority came a newfound skepticism of the Republic itself, and the authority its government wielded.

There were many who were hungry for a new order and looked forward to the installation of one. The problem was, no one seemed to know just what this new order should be. For that reason, they were all anxious to hear what Palpatine had to say. They were anticipating that he was going to present a new order for the nation.

...

In the office of the chancellor, Palpatine paced around and practiced his speech. Every holo-viewer in his office was showing an image of a different entrance to the senate hall. The entrances were full of senators filing in. The crowd looked to be greater than any senate gathering Palpatine could remember. Every senator appeared to be bringing along every aide they had. The sight of the crowd made Palpatine smile. It seemed that everyone understood something momentous was going to happen that day, and they all wanted to witness it.

Palpatine had never been one to get emotional over anything, but this moment was an exception. Today was to mark the culmination of a plan put into place by Darth Bane over a thousand years ago. The seizing of power Sidious was about to make would give the Sith the rulership they had been building towards ever since the rule of two was initiated.

There was only one thing that could derail the plan to any degree, the failure of his new apprentice to defeat his old master, Darth Plagueis. He needed to be able to declare the war over and the Separatist movement dead in order to win the support of the both the Senate and the citizenry. The glory of such a victory would earn him the adoration and the trust of both the politicians and the people, and he was hoping the momentum would lead to his acceptance as the emperor of the new order. Besides that, Plagueis remaining alive would mean a divided galaxy. Sidious had no desire to rule only part of the nation, he wanted it all.

...

The moment Vadar's ship came out of hyperspace, he was hailed by Thrawn himself. The grand admiral wasted no time in filling him in on the situation.

"Greetings, Lord Vadar. I am pleased to be the first official of the Republic to have the pleasure of working with you. Chancellor Palpatine sent me a message informing me of your exploits in saving his life from an assassination attempt by the Jedi. Ever since I came to this region of the galaxy, I knew the Jedi were untrustworthy and dangerous. Their attempt on the life of the chancellor did not surprise me in the least. The galaxy owes you an enormous amount of gratitude for turning against your Order and saving the life of the chancellor."

"Your accolades are acknowledged, but unnecessary," Vadar said to him. He couldn't help but wonder if Thrawn already knew his real identity. He didn't see why Palpatine would have kept that information from him. They would meet face to face soon enough and he would know the truth. It appeared that Thrawn was putting on a show for the rest of the fleet in order to keep the secret of who he had once been. Palpatine had meant it when he told him Vadar was to operate in secrecy, with no one knowing who he had truly been before he saved the life of the chancellor. While Vadar had at first been disappointed that operating in secrecy would fail to give him the notoriety he desired, he was beginning to see the benefit in Palpatine's plan. As Vadar, he had a chance to make a fresh start. If people knew too much about his past as a Jedi and as Anakin Skywalker, they might fail to understand he was now a Sith who followed a much different set of rules and would not hesitate to kill in order to impose his will. He had a better chance of being feared the less they knew about his past.

"If Palpatine warned you I was coming, then he must have informed you why I was coming. I am here to eliminate Hego Damask. I simply need to know his location, if you have it."

"We have been in control of the skies of the planet ever since the attack and have been monitoring the mountain where the summit had been held. No transports have left, meaning that Damask is still most likely there. We can provide you with an escort to the surface if you are afraid he might try and shoot you out of the sky."

"I do not require an escort," Vadar replied. "I can handle anything he might try and throw at me." As he replied, he was going over in his mind what Thrawn had said to him. He made reference to some kind of attack that had occurred. He wondered what it was. There was something in the tone of his voice that seemed out of place, especially for the grand admiral. He sounded apprehensive, when Vadar had never known him to be anything other than supremely confident.

"I am not aware of this attack that you are referring to. Can you inform me of what occurred?"

"We had received a message that the entire delegation sought to leave the summit. We sent down the perquisite three shuttles along with a fighter escort. Everything went okay after the shuttle landed, as the delegation boarded without incident. However, after they took off and attempted to return to the ship, they were attacked by a swarm of ships that made their way up from the surface. They overwhelmed the fighter escort and destroyed two of the shuttles before reinforcements were able to arrive. The one shuttle that made it through carried no passengers. The entire delegation was wiped out, including Secretary Amidala.

To the surprise of Vadar, he felt no emotion over hearing about the death of his wife. When he turned to the dark side, he had done so with the expectation his wife would no longer want to have anything to do with him, and he was okay with that. With her gone, he found himself free. Trying to hold on to her would have only prevented him from becoming the Sith the galaxy needed him to be.

"Thank you for informing me of the situation," Vadar said. "If they try something like that with me, I will radio you for back-up, but I am fairly certain I will not require it. Once Damask is dead, I will request a force to assist me in taking over the planet. Have a surface invasion force at the ready. They will be under my command. I assume that is not a problem.

"No, it is not," Thrawn replied.

After ending the transmission with the admiral, Vadar smiled to himself. He wondered if Plagueis realized it was futile to try and attack him before he landed. He had always been the best pilot in the galaxy, and with the power of the dark side at his disposal, it would be impossible to shoot him down. Plagueis would have only been sacrificing his fighters and the lives of his pilots.

When he reached the atmosphere of the planet, Vadar could feel someone touching his mind through the Force. It was Plagueis, sending him instructions on just where he could be found. He sent him an image of a droid factory, with the Muun standing and waiting on the catwalks that contained the main controls for it.

Vadar was glad Plagueis wanted to face him one on one. He wondered if it was because the Sith wanted the pleasure of fighting him by himself, or because he was looking to try and convince him to leave Palpatine and partner with him. Vadar only wanted one thing, to kill Plagueis and unite the galaxy.

Flying over the red landscape of Geonosis, Vadar had the thought it was very similar to his former homeworld of Tatooine. The planet looked bleak and desolate, although not nearly as flat as the topology of the deserts of Tatooine. He thought it was fitting that this world would be the place of his coming out as Vadar.

Vadar circled around the mountain before landing. As he circled, he reached out with the Force to feel that they were the only two beings in the area. Everyone else had either fled or been killed. The two of them had privacy, something that seemed fitting to him.

Landing the plane at the base of the mountain, Vadar found a door that had been cut into the side and walked through it. Once inside, he paused to try and sense if Plagueis had any surprises waiting for him. When it seemed like the coast was clear, he continued walking, keeping his Force senses tuned for any hint of a preliminary attack.

The hallway Vadar walked down led to the hollow center of the mountain, which held the massive battle droid factory. When he reached it, he looked out and could both feel and see Plagueis standing on the opposite side, on top of a platform. The Muun's height made him easy to see. He was completely motionless with his hands behind his back, making it appear he was nothing more than a statue.

While Vadar could have simply walked across the factory floor, it would have taken longer than he would have liked. In a single leap he made it across the vast factory, landing at the foot of the stairs that led up to the platform Plagueis was standing on.

"Did you expect me to find that impressive?" Plagueis yelled down to him with a tone of disgust. "Any Jedi youngling could have made that jump."

As Vadar ascended the stairs, he pulled out his lightsaber and activated it, holding it out straight and away from his body. "I did not do that to impress you, and I am insulted you would think I would believe that would impress you. I hope you understand just how powerful I am. When I kill you, I don't want it to be because you underestimated me. I want to beat you at your best, and not merely because you let your guard down. I am a Sith on the same level as you, I hope you realize that."

"You are powerful in the dark side Skywalker, but you are no Sith."

When Vadar reached the platform, he pulled in his lightsaber and held it with both hands in front of himself. Plagueis pulled out his and did the same thing. The fiery red light of Plagueis's saber contrasted with the calm blue of Vadar's. As Vadar stared at his opponent, he couldn't help but become furious over Plagueis's words that he was no Sith.

"You are gravely mistaken that I am not a Sith. I have been utilizing the dark side my entire life, with no training from anyone. My new master understands my power and has inducted me as a full Sith."

"As the real Sith master in this galaxy, I will follow my own council on who is and is not a Sith. If you think raw power in the dark side makes you a Sith, then you do not understand what our order is, and are just proving you are not a Sith."

"It looks like we have an opportunity with this duel to see just how is the true Sith," Anakin said.

"I hope you are not acting under the mistaken belief that killing me will make you a Sith. That kind of barbarism is a Sith heresy that was squelched by the immediate successors of Darth Bane, who established that the pathway to becoming a Sith does not come from anything as banal as fighting skill, but from the resourcefulness shown in acquiring power and advancing his own interests. I am aware you have utilized the Dark Side before, but despite that, you have not shown any of the traits that I would expect a Sith to possess."

"Perhaps you haven't heard enough about my exploits." Vadar was fearful and doing his best to keep it from coming through. He had to fight to keep his lightsaber steady in his hands. "Years ago, when I was just a teen, I single handidly freed myself and my friends from a lifetime of slavery."

"Yes, I heard about that. Your actions were nothing more than those of a scared little boy going up against weak, small-time slaveholders on a backwater-"

Vadar had to move quickly to block the attack of Plagueis as he charged right at him. He had been expecting the Muun to attack while he believed he was distracted. Believing he had time, Plagueis swung wide at Vadar, but Vadar brought up his lightsaber just in the nick of time to blunt Plagueis's thrust. Plagueis did his best to push against Vadar's saber, calling on the dark side to summon all the strength he could muster. Vadar held his saber steady using his own strength. He had no need to call on the Force to aid him. Instead, he channeled the Force to push back his opponent. The Force push didn't do a lot, but it was just enough to throw Plagueis off his balance. Vadar pressed his advantage and made several thrusts at Plagueis. He blocked each of Vadar's attacks but had to take a step back with each one. For the moment, Vadar was getting the better of Plagueis, but it was a situation that would not last long.

...

As the podium ascended from the floor of the Senate Hall, Palpatine looked around at all the pods surrounding him. They were holding three times as many beings as they normally did. The crowd was expecting a momentous speech, and Palpatine was ready to deliver it. They had come knowing that this moment would be legendary and mythic in the foreseeable future, and they didn't want to miss it.

Palpatine had to remind himself that his ascension to emperor was far from a done deal. He still needed to be able to declare complete victory in the war in order to win over any skeptics he might have. He needed his new apprentice to come through for him. He took a moment to reach out with the Force and was able to sense the fight between his old master and his new apprentice had begun.

The Senate hall was still raucous with the voices of the huge crowd talking amongst themselves. While he waited for them to silence themselves, he rotated his pod around, looking for the right group to focus on when he began his speech. When he found a cluster of human senators, he stopped the pod's rotation and waited to begin.

...

As the two Sith parried, Vadar pushed Plagueis back against the rocky wall that marked the end of the factory. Vadar thought he had an opening to finish off his opponent and took a swing with his saber. Plagueis avoided the killing blow by ducking and rolling around Vadar. He had not thought the tall Munn would be able to get as low to the ground as he did, and his blade swung over the Sith's body.

In the middle of Plagueis's roll, Vadar realized he had made a grave mistake. His momentum left him vulnerable to an attack from behind. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Plagueis get to his feet and jab his lightsaber in the direction of Vadar's back. Knowing he couldn't bring his lightsaber around to block, he avoided it the only way he could. He ran straight to the wall, and with the aid of the Force walked up it before flipping around. He flipped in the direction towards Plagueis, who tried to take a swing at him in the air. Vadar blocked it with his saber before landing. Plagueis took another swing, trying to hit him right as he landed. Vadar managed to block this attack as well, and for the moment, the two Sith stared at each other as they pushed their saber's together.

"You are a skilled fighter, that is without question." The voice of Plagueis was calm and steady despite the physical exertion. "You are definitely the best Sidious has sent after me." From the look on Vadar's face, Plagueis could tell he had no idea what he was talking about.

"Perhaps I should explain what I am referring to. When Sidious turned against me, he knew he would never be able to kill me himself. Because of that, he sent other fighters after me." From the expression that appeared on Vadar's face, Plagueis could tell the man was unable to believe what he was hearing.

"Do you really think that you are the first Sidious sent after me?" In his anger, Vadar tried to attack Plagueis once again. Plagueis calmly blocked each attack. As the two parried, Plagueis continued to talk.

"The first one Sidious sent was a Zabrak from Dathomir he had been training for a while. I had known about this man for years, having agreed to let Sidious train him as a Sith assassin. He was never meant to be anything other than a fighter, but after our falling out, Sidious convinced him he could be a true Sith, despite having no Force skills other than fighting. When he came after me, I saw his martial skills were second to none, but his failings in utilizing the Force made him easy pickings.

The two fighters paused for a moment. Plagueis expected Vadar to ask a question or two. When he didn't, Plagueis continued the fight. The two lightsabers clashed again and again as he explained to Vadar the second Sith trainee who had been sent to dispose of him.

"After the Zabrak, Sidious learned his lesson, and sent after me someone much more attuned to the Force. You might have heard of him, as he left the Jedi order right as you joined." Plagueis stayed silent for a moment to see Vadar's reaction, and the puzzled expression told him he couldn't quite think of who he was talking about.

"There are not many Jedi who have left the Order. Even you should have known I was referring to Master Dooku, who after leaving the Order reclaimed his noble birthright and became Count Dooku. It was the death of his former padawan Qui-Gon that served as the trigger to push him over the edge and convince him the Jedi were near collapse. He left to try and find an alternative path for bringing order to the galaxy. His journey led him to the discovery of Palpatine's Sith identity, and he confronted him about his role in the death of Qui-Gon. To the credit of my one-time apprentice, Sidious turned him, winning him over to his cause. He made a Sith out of him. While he became a follower of the dark side, his instincts were still those of a Jedi. When he desperately needed to call on the power of the dark side, the mental blocks the Jedi had instilled in him held, and he fell by my hand."

The fury of their parrying reached a crescendo. Plagueis could sense the turmoil in Vadar's mind. He thought he had succeeded in distracting the man. He thought his mind was occupied with questions about Sidious and what he really meant to his new master. He thought he had an opening to take a kill shot and end it, but Vadar managed to recover and block it, as his mind proved not to be as clouded as Plagueis had believed.

Switching strategies, Plagueis attempted flattery. "I have to admit; you have proven that Sidious learned the lessons of his previous two failures. He corrected his mistakes with you, as you are certainly the best combination of the other two men who were sent to kill me. You have all the martial skill of the Zabrak, as well as a control of the Force that is at least the equal of Dooku. Unlike the two of them, I can feel that you have a control of the dark side they didn't. You are fighting on instincts, and your natural ability to channel the dark side is coming through and allowing you to equal my Force power. If you were my apprentice, I would be quite proud of you."

Vadar had been channeling the dark side through the fear he was feeling. The words of assurance Plagueis gave him dissipated his fear for a moment, decreasing his ability to call on the dark side. Plagueis felt this and used the opportunity to rush right at Vadar. Vadar blocked the attack he made with his lightsaber, but that was not Plagueis's intent with the charge. He wanted to get right next to Vadar, and when he was, he gave him a Force-aided kick that stunned Vadar and sent him flying up in the air.

As Vadar flew away, Plagueis reached out with the Force and called Vadar's lightsaber to him. With Vadar still stunned by the blow, his saber flew into Plagueis's hand with no resistance. Vadar himself flew until he landed in the center of the factory floor. Plagueis was right on his tail, making the leap to land in the same place he had seen Vadar land. The man was nowhere to be found. Plagueis looked around as he smiled. He had not been expecting him to run and hide like that. It made him wonder if the man was quite what he had believed him to be.

...

When the Senate hall finally reached complete silence, Palpatine began his speech. "I know the protocol of this great legislative body should require me to begin with a long line of bland pleasantries, but given the seriousness of this special session I hope none of you will mind if I just cut right to the chase and begin with the business of this meeting. I know some of you have already been told by my office what occurred last night. I am sure all of you have at least heard the rumors of what transpired. I am here to tell you, that last night, the Jedi tried to assassinate me. As many of you know, I have always kept an open office during this time of turmoil and war. I wanted to convey calm. I wanted to show that despite the war, the home front was stable, that we had nothing to worry about going about our normal day. I was never blind to the possibility that someone seeking to do me harm could just walk in and do so, but it was a chance I was willing to take in order to send the right message of fortitude to the citizenry. Never, in my wildest dreams, would I ever believe the Jedi Order, who I had always believed sought nothing other than to protect its citizens, would be the ones who would come to do me harm."

For a moment, Palpatine paused as he bit his lip in order to look pained by the betrayal he suffered at the hands of the Jedi. "I am very fortunate to still be alive. The only reason I survived was because one brave Jedi stood against his Order and saved my life. As some of you have seen in the video I released to you, this Jedi had to kill the assassin squad in my office. I would be doing this brave Jedi-" Palpatine made a planned pause to snicker to himself, acting like he had caught himself in an authentic mistake. "This man is no Jedi. The Jedi are nothing more than the enemies of the Republic now, and this man is no enemy and should not be referred to as one. He should be referred to by the new name he took after renouncing the Jedi, Darth Vadar." Palpatine paused once again to let the name linger in the minds of the audience. "No matter what happens from here on out, let it be known that Darth Vadar is a hero that deserves to be remembered for what he has done. He has displayed a level of bravery that should be honored and emulated."

...

Standing in the last spot he had seen Vadar, Plagueis took a cursory look around to see if he could spot his opponent. When he was certain he was safe for a moment, Plagueis concentrated as he called on the dark side of the Force. It only took him a second to locate the concentration of dark side energy that was Vadar. He started walking towards the Force beacon, simultaneously smiling and sighing. He was happy the fight would soon be over but sighing it would end like this. Vadar failing to realize he could be tracked with the Force was not the kind of mistake a Sith should make. He was disappointed Sidious had ever believed this man had the attributes to be a Sith.

Quietly, Plagueis walked slowly as he neared the spot where he felt Vadar's Force presence. He was apparently hiding against a large piece of machinery. He hadn't moved for a while. Plagueis wondered what he was waiting for, but it didn't matter, he would soon be dead.

While he could have peaked around the corner to get a glimpse of Vadar, he refrained as he was afraid that was the one thing that might give away his presence. Instead he charged around the corner right as he activated his lightsaber. He was moving so fast he had completed his attack before he realized Vadar was not there at all. His eyes grew wide as he stared at the empty space, realizing what had happened. It was almost impossible, but Vadar had projected a Force presence elsewhere. Plagueis laughed as he marveled at the affinity for the dark side Vadar was displaying. Perhaps he was a worthier opponent then he had previously believed.

With all the thoughts going through his mind, Plagueis failed to consider Vadar was nearby and would attack him. Vadar slammed right into Plagueis, pressing him against the large machine. He grabbed his lightsaber back from where it was hanging on Plagueis's belt before jumping away again. Plagueis had to shake his head that the man had failed to take full advantage of the surprise he had. He could have ended everything right there but didn't realize how much he had stunned Plagueis. Despite that, he should have been bold and taken the chance. It was remarkable Vadar would make an amateurish mistake. He seemed to still be following his Jedi instincts, which would have forbidden such a kill as that.

Recovering quickly, Plaguies was able to run out to see Vadar flying through the air and landing on the same platform where their fight had started. With no reason to hurry, he walked towards the platform, knowing his opponent would wait for him.

...

"After the attempt on my life had been thwarted, I knew a move against the Jedi had to be made. Once they found out their assassination attempt had failed, they would have to instigate a full-scale resurrection against this government. They would have to seize the reins of power just to save their Order. Lucky for us, my clone troopers were embedded with the Jedi everywhere, not just out in the field where they were under their command, but in the temple, where they had been providing security.

I wasted no time in calling all the clone commanders and informing them they would have to arrest the Jedi. It was a painful order to give, as I knew there would not be a single Jedi who would permit themselves to be arrested. I know many of you think of the clones as little more than biological droids, but to me, they were the same as any other sentient. It caused me great pain to think I was giving them an order that would very well lead to their elimination. To my great surprise, the clones proved to be more able than even I could have dreamed. Every single Jedi resisted their arrest, and every single one met their end at the hands of a clone. I know many of you have heavy hearts over such a great loss of life, especially one that led to the elimination of an entire group of people. I must remind you, that with the great loss of life we have seen in this war, the number of Jedi killed adds just a fraction to the overall total. The fact that you feel so much sorrow for them, but not all the other millions killed, just shows the overinflated stature the Jedi enjoyed in this universe. They were never anything more than private citizens, and it was always a failure of this democracy they were given the role they were in directing the actions of this government. If that hasn't alleviated your sorrow, might I also remind you the Jedi could have easily allowed themselves to be arrested, and face a trial where they could present their side to explicate themselves. They chose not to face the courts, as they knew they would lose. They all chose their fates.

The Republic was fortunate to have the clones embedded with the Jedi. Their programmed obedience to the government, rather than the Jedi, allowed them to carry out a task that any other being, who had been raised to revere the Jedi, would not have been able to do. Despite the events of last night, there are still many Jedi out there. Not all of them were embedded with clone troopers. Many of them were out on normal missions. These Jedi are now enemies of the Republic, and will have to be hunted down and arrested, although I doubt any will come willingly. Darth Vadar has pledged to lead the effort against these wayward Jedi, once he has finished with the immediate task at hand. The Jedi attempt on my life was not the only fire that flared up last night. The peace summit broke out in chaos. With the slaughter of the Jedi, it has gone almost unnoticed that Secretary Amidala and her entire diplomatic party was slaughtered by the forces of the Separatists last night."

Palpatine's revelation was truly news to the Senate. The hall became loud and raucous as everyone started howling over the loss of the beloved politician. Palpatine had to pause and wait for everyone to quiet down once again.

...

As Plagueis walked up the stairs to the platform, he took note of how their positions were reversed from earlier. Anakin was on the platform, looking down at Plagueis as he ascended the stairs with his lightsaber drawn. Just as before, though, Plagueis did all the talking.

"You have some remarkable skill in the Force. That is without question. However, there is a tentativeness to you. You follow the moral order of the Jedi still. You will never be a Sith until you abandon that. I believe it is so instilled in you though, that you will never overcome it."

The words of Plagueis had the desired effect. Vadar was angered. Instead of waiting for Plagueis to come to him, he charged down the steps. He attacked with the Force, but wildly and with no strategy. Plagueis easily blocked his initial attacks before winning the upper hand and putting him on the defensive. Vadar fled by leaping from the stairs to a nearby conveyor belt.

Following Vadar, Plagueis jumped up on to the wide conveyor belt and pressed his attack. The two lightsabers clashed against each other as their wielders wove around the droids sitting on the stopped conveyor. Trying to get an advantage, Vadar cut apart several of the droids and used the Force to toss the pieces at Plagueis, hoping to distract him. The strategy failed as Plagueis was able to use his lightsaber to cut apart the droid pieces while still pressing his attack against him.

Unbeknownst to Plagueis, Vadar was in complete control of the situation. He was letting Plagueis take the initiative and push him back. He was hoping he could lead the Sith into an advantageous position. He figured if the Sith believed he was winning; he would make a careless move that would leave him open to a fatal blow.

After leading him down the conveyor belt for a good distance, Vadar pledged to make his move. There was a catwalk that ran parallel to the conveyor belt. Vadar figured if he could jump up on that, Plagueis would follow him and jump up on the catwalk as well. To Plagueis's surprise, Vadar would be ready for it, and take a kill shot at the Sith while he was still in the air.

After Vadar made the short leap, he readied himself to make the finishing attack. What he had failed to realize was Plagueis, with his immense height and long legs, would not have to jump over to the catwalk to reach him. He was simply able to step from the conveyor to the catwalk, straddling the area between them with one foot still on the conveyor while the other was on the catwalk. He swung his saber at Vadar with fury. This time he had the real advantage, and Vadar was in trouble. He could barely move fast enough to block each attack. After blocking a few attacks, he failed to block one. Plagueis's saber sliced through Vadar's right arm, sending it, with Vadar's lightsaber still clutched in its hand, falling to the ground below.

Defenseless and in tremendous pain, Vadar could do nothing other than lie back and wait for Plagueis to finish him. Instead of doing so, Plagueis simply held his lightsaber against Vadar's chest.

...

Once Palpatine had silence again, he continued with his speech. "Darth Vadar was recently dispatched to Geonosis to handle the situation there. The warlords' assassination of Secretary Amidala has shown that not only do they have no desire for peace, but they would spur the galaxy to descend into violent barbarism if they were not eliminated. Vadar was sent to not just avenge the death of Amidala, but to slice off the heads of the Separatist movement. With the death of the warlords, their movement will be extinguished, and the galaxy will be united once again.

Palpatine took another pause as he reached out to feel what was happening on Geonosis. He could feel the presence of two beings strong in the dark side, indicating that Plagueis was still alive. He concentrated further on the two, focusing on Vadar, and feeling the pain and dread coursing through him. He couldn't gauge the exact situation, but it was apparent Plagueis had bested Vadar. It appeared he was not going to be able to announce the grand victory he was hoping to in order to win the support he needed. Even if he did get the support he needed, he was going to have to split the galaxy with his former master.