THIRTEEN

In the midst of the duel with the Count, Anakin stole glances of the dark lord drawing closer to his fallen master. Fear reared its head as flashes of Obi-Wan's death on Corellia assaulted him. His focus wavered and gave the Count the opportunity to change the course the fight. The young knight soon found himself fighting defensively, taking steps back. Seizing the moment, Dooku extended his hand and force pushed Anakin. With a loud thud, Anakin slammed against the wall.

With his remaining limb, General Grievous reached over and wrenched away a lightsaber from a severed limb lying nearby. He narrowed his eyes at Obi-Wan and moved menacingly toward him.

Obi-Wan's eyes darted back and forth between the cyborg general and Darth Sidious. There was nothing he could think of to escape what looked like an impossible situation. The sinistrous lord gave no impression of his intent to attack him again, however, the gleam of malice in his eyes betrayed him. Obi-Wan was in a hopeless predicament.

Anakin lifted his head, blinked his eyes and shook the stars from this vision. Count Dooku smiled venomously as a super battle droid approached and prepared to fire. With his beloved friend, brother and partner on his back and facing imminent death, the level of fear continued to rise and slowly morph into anger. There was no way he could defeat Dooku, stop Grievous, and destroy Sidious and the battle droid. He was about to lose Obi-Wan again and once again there was nothing he could do about it.

The dark lord turned his wretched head toward Anakin, sensing he was traveling too close to the border between the light and the dark.

'It wouldn't take more than a nudge to make him turn'. A shadow of a smile stretched across his disfigured visage.

Sensing the anxiety in his former padawan, Obi-Wan sent a calming tendril toward him through the force. 'Everything will be all right, Anakin. Keep your faith in the will of the force. The success of our mission is most important. Stay calm and in control of your emotions.'

Darth Sidious cackled in his delight, clasping his hands as he realized that Anakin would soon be his. His red-rimmed yellow eyes glowed against the dark that the hood provided as he turned his attention back to the fallen master. It greatly pleased him to finally see the end of the Jedi that stood between him and his prize. He sneered and extended his gnarled fingers toward Obi-Wan, releasing bolts of blue white force lightening.

With no time to react, Obi-Wan quickly raised his lightsaber and deflected the lightening toward General Grievous.

The crooked bolts of energy slammed into the cyborg's chest, igniting flames and burning the internal organs beneath his metallic coverings. Grievous trembled violently while he incurred small explosions and scintillations from his charring torso. Blackened and defeated, General Grievous crashed to the floor, dead.

Anakin took a deep breath and dispensed all the negative energy that was collecting the pockets of his mind and heart. When he stood up, the droid opened fire upon him. But the blaster fire bounced off what looked like an invisible barrier surrounding the knight. Continued fire couldn't penetrate the force bubble Anakin created around himself. In a moment of curiosity, the droid took a moment to check the settings on his blaster.

Anakin disengaged his shields and slashed through the droid in an upsweeping movement. He spun around and swung at the count, driving the momentum of the duel with renewed energy.

Obi-Wan moved his gaze toward Darth Sidious and quickly got up. He raised his weapon and prepared to strike, but Sidious casually lifted his hand and tossed Obi-Wan into one of the torture devices, knocking him unconscious. Sidious turned his back and watched Anakin's fight with great interest.

Anakin ducked and dodged each stroke of Dooku's blade with relative ease. The two duelists locked eyes. Anakin spun around the count, blocking and parrying every attempt with a speed his opponent couldn't match.

In his growing fatigue, Dooku's strokes became wider and more desperate as he gave way to Anakin's advances. In one last attempt, Dooku swung at Anakin's neck. Anakin quickly dodged with a solid punch in the mouth, knocking him to the floor. The saber was knocked out of the Count's hand. He quickly attempted to get up, but Anakin had already moved in and rested his blade at the base of his neck.

Sidious chuckled to himself disgustingly with glee, as his old apprentice had been bitterly defeated.

Dooku looked up at the young knight in astonishment. He was amazed by the speed, power and control the young man exhibited. There was a maturity and assurance far beyond the years of a knight his age. Dooku realized that Anakin would perhaps become the most powerful Sith of all time if he turned. He remained on his knees, agape and suddenly feeling every bit his age.

A seductive voice sailed out from beneath Darth Sidious's hood, "Kill him."

Dooku looked over at his master with surprise. He tried to speak but the shock of his master's betrayal snatched all sound from him.

"Kill him, Anakin." Darth Sidious stepped closer, "Join me and together we'll unlock the secrets of the darkside and discover unimaginable power."

Anakin heard these words before. It seemed like only a lifetime ago, when Sidious promised him a path to a better future and only gave him a life of bitter self-resentment.

Sidious continued, "Its only natural. He took your arm. You should avenge your defeat on Geonosis."

Anakin glared at the Sith with much disgust, angered by his obvious attempt to turn him. A simple trick of words to distort his view of things wouldn't be enough. Anakin kept his ice blue gaze on the Sith.

Sensing that this was not working, Sidious tried something different. He recognized Anakin's renewed faith in the light side of the force, and that he was attempting to push aside the anger and swallow the hate. Sidious paused momentarily searching Anakin's mind for something that he could use to manipulate him into turning, but Anakin's shields were too strong for penetration. Instead the dark lord recalled something Anakin told him years ago.

"You miss her don't you? The last time you saw her was a tragedy and the source of great pain. I can sense it, you know."

The hairs on Anakin's neck rose. The fear swelled in him once again, that perhaps Sidious had discovered his feelings for Padme. Silently he prayed that this wasn't so, as it would mean that the sacrifice he made on Varykino was for naught.

But Sidious continued speaking, "Your mother's death was a source of great anger and hatred that you once struggled with. Through the darkside, you can liberate yourself from the struggle of unnecessarily restraining yourself and being restricted by some dogmatic code. You can possess a power greater than you can possibly imagine, a power great enough to bring your beloved mother back to you." He finished with a smile.

Anakin blinked and his lips parted. He never once considered using the stone to save his mother. He wondered if he had used it to save her what would have been the outcome. He missed his mother dearly and always felt that her death was much too brutal for someone as loving and compassionate as she was. Anakin dropped his gaze. He always wondered if she'd be proud of him and how different his life would have been had she lived. During his time as a slave, she always reminded him of the good things he had despite the turmoil. There was always a light that surrounded her and anyone in her presence could feel the goodness of it. Her light was brighter than the suns of Tattooine, and he spent the years of his adolescence and adulthood missing her and the ray of light she possessed. The only other person that brought that much joy in his life was Padme. However, she was now a part of his past.

Sidious nodded, "Yes. I can sense you deeply desire to see her again. Though her body is dead, her spirit lives on in the force. I could teach you how to recall her spirit from the netherworld of the force."

Anakin's hand trembled slightly as he squeezed the hilt of lightsaber. The thought of being reunited with his mother for whatever span of time warmed his heart. For so long there were things he longed to say and ask her. He couldn't deny that he missed her, and the past realities he had endured increased his wishes to be with her again. The offer was so inviting.

A soft voice broke through the debate in his mind. 'I destroyed the power to bring her back. But perhaps--perhaps I could use him to…'

"You would have been able to save her, had the Jedi not held you back. You could have prevented her kidnapping and ultimately her death if you weren't kept from her. The fault lies at the feet of the Jedi. Not yours. They fear and hate your power. That's why you are not seated amongst them on the council. That's why they use you and deceive you. They did not tell you that this could be done."

"Kill him and free yourself from under the boot of the Jedi."

It would've been so easy for Anakin to fall back into the darkness, but something was different this time around. The anger and the hate that plagued him throughout his adolescence had been purged. The darkness had released its hold on his soul.

'Bringing back the dead was a thing that can not be done; no matter how powerful one was with the force'.

Dooku looked up at Anakin and shook his head fearfully begging for mercy. Anakin was reminded of the many moments spent in the solitude of the metabolic chamber and the efforts he made not to see his reflection. For in it he'd see the all years of pain and torment. He would see the tiny speck of his true self that Darth Vader neglected to consume. He would see the reminder of how it all began. Underneath the helmet and behind the mask, his eyes were remarkably similar to the eyes of the older man kneeling before him now.

"Do it!" Sidious barked in a gravelly sadistic voice.

Anakin did not move. He remembered all the things he lost when he was Darth Vader, the lies he believed and of all the things that he discovered. He considered all the heartache and pain that not only befell him but his loved ones as a result of following the quick and easy path.

Anakin remember the faces of his wife and children throughout all the realities he survived and changed. He remembered seeing Padme trying desperately to convince him to turn from the darkness and return to her. He remembered sensing Palpatine's elation after announcing her death. The Sith took away everything that meant anything to him and tricked him into servitude.

Anakin slowly moved his blade away from Dooku and glared at the dark figure. 'I will not become his slave.'

"What are you doing? Kill him!!" Sidious took a step back as his eyes widened.

"You will not turn me, and I will not kill him." He turned toward Sidious, "The only one that is going to die tonight is you, my Lord!"

"You fool! You'd turn your back on greatness?! On fulfilling your destiny?! Sidious straightened and snarled. He grew angry as he accepted that Anakin would never become his apprentice. "So be it, Jedi." He looked at Dooku and narrowed his eyes.

"Master, please I beg mercy of you." Dooku pleaded for his life as he felt a sudden pressure against his beating heart. He realized the manner of death chosen for him and continued, "Have I not served you well? I have fulfilled your every command. I've never betrayed you or your iden-"

He coughed several times and clutched his chest, as blood trickled from the corners of his mouth. He gasped, grimaced and blinked his eyes. His face suddenly flushed and his eyes began to bulge.

Anakin looked away from the suffering Count and locked eyes on Sidious. He had a degree of difficulty speaking as he desperately crawled toward his master. Darth Sidious looked upon his failed apprentice in utter repulsion and increased his force choke around the Count's heart.

Anakin was sickened by the torture inflicted upon the Count. As Darth Vader, Anakin had seen this happen many of times and even committed it himself several times. But now as a changed man, he was sickened by it and there was nothing he could do to stop it from happening. The count crumpled to the floor, dead.

Darth Sidious smiled as the final act was done and the Count's heart was a crushed mass of tissue. He turned his red-rimmed yellow eyes on Anakin and moved closer toward him. "I will enjoy dismantling the republic, destroying the Jedi and most importantly, and defeating you. It is inevitable, you will die." He finished with a smile.

"You are sadly mistaken." Anakin raised his weapon and prepared for another fight. "Its time this all came to an end."

Sidious's right hand jerked suddenly and wrapped his fingers around the hilt of a lightsaber that appeared from his sleeve. He stepped closer and ignited his crimson blade. His mouth twisted into a frown and he leapt toward Anakin. Moving his weapon in wide swings, the dark lord moved at an incredible speed.

Anakin found great difficulty in fighting off Sidious's advances, often retreating and changing position to find a point of relief.

Both duelists ducked, pivoted, parried, somersaulted and lunged in their fight to defeat the other. Finally Anakin leaped over Sidious and landed on the other side of him.

Both Anakin and Sidious held their weapons high above their heads and slowly circled each other like two scorpions poised to strike. The air was charged with positive and negative energy and at any moment either one would meet their end.

Sidious realized that destroying Anakin would not be as simple as he thought. It was apparent that Anakin was having difficulty; however Sidious's victory over Anakin proved to be prolonged for some reason. There was something off about this young knight. He couldn't quite tell what it was. He looked into his eyes and saw another dimension to him that seemed to have appeared out of nowhere. Anakin was clearly not the same young man who used to visit him and talk to him about his problems. He sensed a great power emanating from Anakin and it seemed to increase by the minute. As much as he hated to admit it, he had to kill him quickly before it got any more difficult. More strategy was necessary.

"You will not win, young one. You will soon suffer the consequences for your lack of vision." He chuckled, "Chosen one you may be but the prophecy will never come to pass."

Sidious used the force and tossed torture machine parts toward him. Anakin dodged one and sliced through another just in time to block Sidious' deadly blow.

Sidious smirked and sent psychic daggers into Anakin's mind. Anakin clutched his head and his knees buckled under the pure white-hot pain. It was more intense than the headaches he used to get with the Farfalla stone. In his agony, Anakin was totally defenseless. He couldn't keep a thought while these daggers of psychic energy repeatedly pierced him. He groaned and gritted his teeth. His eyes were tightly shut and his nose began to bleed profusely. His lightsaber deactivated as he trembled violently under the attack.

Sidious used the force and sent a shadow strike, knocking Anakin to the ground. He extended his hands and released bolts of force lightening. Anakin twisted and writhed throughout this assault.

If this abuse continued, Anakin would indeed fail his assignment and his life's mission to take down the dark lord. Something had to be done. Too much had happened at the hands of Sidious and there was no way Anakin could let this go without him paying for it.

Anakin quickly ignited his lightsaber and used it to absorb the blue white bolts of lightning. Once he gained a good breath, Anakin stood up and discovered he was badly cut on his leg. The pain was intense but he couldn't allow that to stop him. He cleared his mind of all things and began to gather as much of the force. The pain of his leg seemed dull into insignificant throbbing and the pain in his mind dimmed as well.

Sidious's smirked twisted to a sneer and once again he lunged forward. Anakin parried the effort and performed a shadow strike, drawing blood from Sidious' mouth. The dark lord stumbled backward a few steps and touched his mouth. Seeing the blood on his fingertips he glared at Anakin. He sensed Anakin's power had now spiked to an unexpected potential.

The battle was fierce and unquestionably brutal as blows was exchanged. Sidious soon discovered himself on the retreating end as Anakin began driving the duel, pushing against him.

But Sidious had one more trick up his sleeve. He back flipped further away from Anakin to create a little distance and began another attack of psychic daggers to weaken him.

Anakin clutched his head again and groaned. Sidious, full of confidence, moved closer to the ailing knight. He pulled back his opened hand and quickly extended his arm toward Anakin, launching a menacing ball of energy. With his close proximity to the young knight and the rare use of this attack, Sidious was certain that Anakin would not survive it.

However, he was wrong.

Anakin quickly dropped his hand from his head and pushed the energy ball back to the originator. Sidious realized in that split second that Anakin was faking the second mind attack. Sidious crossed his hands as the ball impacted on his chest. He couldn't understand how this was possible. But then it came to him, Anakin drew on the force and tripled his strength. He was able to repel any attack.

Anakin straightened and watched the Sith lord yell in agony and tremble as the ball melted into small random bolts of blue white lightening consuming his body and slowly turning it into ash. On his knees, Sidious had just enough strength to call Dooku's lightsaber to him. He hoped that the lightsaber could spin in the air and severe Anakin at the waist.

But Anakin sensed what was happening and moved out of the way just in time. The spinning blade missed Anakin and instead severed Sidious's head.

Bursting out of the headless body of the dark lord was blue white energy, exploded into the air. All that remained of the body were charred bits of clothing. Anakin stood over the remains and gazed down upon it.

As seductive and arousing as Sidious' words were, the hatred and resentment that he held against the Jedi years ago could not invoked. Things had changed. As painful as it was, Shmi's death had a purpose. Anakin realized that Shmi's death was the catalyst for his fall to the darkside and that fall was necessary.

He would have never been able to destroy Sidious as a pure knight, but as a born again knight with the knowledge of Sidious's potential, he had the one thing no other Jedi possessed--The ability to stop the Sith. The prophecy had finally come to pass. Anakin, chosen one, Jedi knight, and former Sith, fulfilled his destiny.

A MONTH LATER…

"The senate has finally agreed to gather the clones and send them back to Kamino for deprogramming. It seems they believe they are still of use." Obi-Wan looked at his former padawan as they walked together along the corridor toward the sparring room.

Only nodding his head, Anakin remained silent.

Obi-Wan noticed that he was pensive, rarely saying more than a word or two. Although he didn't like to push and preferred Anakin discuss it when he was ready, he had endured several days of Anakin's silence and loss of appetite. This was most unusual behavior.

"You haven't breathed a word all morning or all week for that matter," Obi- Wan glanced at him. "Don't think I haven't noticed. You haven't been yourself lately. What is it?"

Anakin kept his eyes forward. "Its nothing, Obi-Wan."

Obi-Wan stopped just before the sparring room door and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Wait a minute. You have single-handedly destroyed a Sith lord. You have been brooding about something all week. And now you think I am going in there with you like this?"

Anakin looked away from Obi-Wan and furled his brow. He wanted to tell Obi wan the trouble but it hurt too much to give his pain a voice. Instead he clenched his teeth and hoped Obi-Wan would drop it.

But Obi-Wan knew better. He looked at Anakin and finally it dawned on him.

"Ahhh, I think I know trouble." Obi-Wan sighed. "It's Padme's wedding. Isn't it?"

Anakin nodded, "She—ah." He sighed, "Sent me an invitation." He folded his arms and looked through the window of the sparring room door.

"Yes, yes, I received mine as well. Padme has made her choice. You must consider that perhaps it's for the best."

"For the best?" Anakin, annoyed, glanced at him. "I still love her, Obi wan."

"And you've loved her since you were nine."

"Then you'll understand if I am a little upset."

"Anakin—"

"You don't know how this feels! My heart aches for her! It's killing me! Not a day passes when I don't think of her. She's everything to me."

"I know you love her deeply. I can't imagine your pain, but Anakin you must let her go. A Jedi cannot allow himself such profound attachment. It leads only to selfishness and greed." Obi-Wan placed a hand on his shoulder, "Let her go."

Anakin sighed dejectedly, "But I have---so many times. I have done all the right things and still I must let her go. I have wished her joy from the moment I first met her. I even wish it on her wedding day. It hurts so much more now than before. The week after the code forbidding love has been reversed; she sends me a wedding invitation. This all feels like a cruel trick played on me by the force."

Anakin turned his back, "It's ironic. The one thing that kept us apart is finally gone and now she's marrying someone else."

"Anakin, did she ever return your feelings?"

"Yes, while we were on Naboo. But that was seven years ago. I doubt if the feelings are still there." Anakin turned around again, "I guess she and I weren't meant to be."

"Anakin, love will find you when you least expect it."

Anakin couldn't image any woman other than Padme filling the hole in his heart. He smiled sadly. "Then you are long overdue, my friend."

THE LAST CHAPTER:

FOURTEEN-- ITS ALL A DISTANT MEMORY