CHAPTER LII
Through the Fire
There had been so many times in his life when Obi-Wan had wanted to sink into the rage and hatred that aligned itself with the power of the dark side: the death of his master, Qui-Gon; the carnage brought on by the Clone Wars; the destruction of the Jedi Order. He had never let himself give in to it. But as he read the information supplied by this database, he could feel the hatred unfold within him – blinding wrath towards Darth Sidious, the man who had orchestrated the devastation that came to the Galaxy and would continue to haunt it for many years to come.
"Who could do this?" he said quietly, his voice lost in the silent rage that threatened to take over. "What kind of monster would be capable of doing this to another living being?"
R2-D2 whirred a forlorn note.
Over a period of six weeks since her admittance to the facility and the first administration of Delik-66, the Jedi Jaina Solo has undergone extensive changes of which have never been seen in any of the other test patients. As was standard procedure, a monitoring chip was placed in the subject's arm and within the first three days it was evident that the subject was reacting abnormally to the substance. In every other case, the test subject's midichlorians were affected in such a way that their count began to decrease until the subject was dead. In Solo's case, the opposite effect was achieved. The standard fluctuation of midichlorians induced by the effect of the body adjusting to the initial encounter with Delik-66 occurred over a three day period before the subject's midichlorians began to replicate at an increasingly faster rate each day. The subject's midichlorian count was recorded each day and the replication charted. Solo's midichlorian count at the time of the project's termination was 27,000 – the same midichlorian count belonging to Anakin Skywalker, the known "Chosen One" of prophecy and supposedly the most powerful Force-sensitive ever to exist.
There are several speculations as to why Solo's body reacted in such a way to the influence of Delik-66:
1) The subject is the first human to receive an injection of the substance. Perhaps it is the nature of the human body to have the opposite reaction to the substance than near-humans or alien species. This hypothesis, when compared to the notes of Delik-66's creator, Jarvlis Arkheenan, seems unlikely given the drastically different response of the near-humans in comparison to Solo's.
2) The subject's ancestry. Solo is of direct descent of Anakin Skywalker, whose own parentage is of questionable circumstances. The majority of evidence points towards midichlorians being influenced to create Skywalker inside his mother's womb. The Skywalker line is documented as the most powerful line of Force-sensitives in the history of the Galaxy. Arkheenan's notes points to genealogy as a major factor in the effects of Delik-66.
3) The subject has time traveled. Arkheenan hypothesized that the effects of traveling through the vortex from the future would have had put slight alterations on a time traveler's body not present in those who have not experienced such an event. Arkheenan notes that there is a kind of radiation absorbed by the travelers that will stay with them forever. Considering the evolution of Delik-66, it is most likely that this is the source of Solo's abnormal reaction as the substance was able to tap into that radiation and use it to target the midichlorians in such a fashion to cause them to replicate.
Delik-66 is imperfect as whether it increases or decreases the midichlorian count in a being, the ultimate result is fatal. Extrapolation of Solo's given data with reference to Arkheenan's notes has shown repeatedly that there will come a point where the subject's midichlorian count becomes too high and the subject will "dissolve" into the Force, ceasing to exist. There were hopes to use Solo's case to find a cure for this failure; however the Emperor has, as of now, annulled the experiment and we have declared the case a test malfunction.
Garin Marek, Lead Correspondent
Obi-Wan felt his blood run cold. "Artoo," he said, "can you download this?"
R2 beeped uncertainly. He rolled over and plugged himself into the computer, his lights blinking as he attempted to slip past the barriers that protected the information. Obi-Wan waited, his hand clenched around his lightsaber hilt. Even if they managed to survive and made it out alive, Jaina was still going to die. There would be no stopping it, no halting the process that they had induced here. Palpatine had made sure that if Jaina did not join him, he could still use her for his benefit and have a way of killing her in the end.
What kind of person would be capable of this? Even Sith Lords had principles that were obeyed at all times, but Sidious was acting without fear of consequence. This Delik-66, whatever it was, came from the future if that retrieval date was anything to go by. Only Sidious could have brought it here, to this present moment, for his experiments. The danger of such an act was almost incomprehensible – time was one of the untouchable forces of the universe. Obi-Wan could not pretend to be an expert on the subject, but he could still manage to put the clues together. To travel through it was one thing. To deliberately steal future technology and bring it back to the present time was another. Time had already been bent out of place with the appearance of Jaina and Kyp. Palpatine's act would only splinter the timeline further, of which the dangers were unfathomable. Was Sidious so confident in his vision for the future that he thought he could even bend time to his will?
The man was a psychopath.
R2 whirred and detached himself. His lights flashed and he continued to speak in a garble of electronic noises.
"Got it, Artoo?" Obi-Wan asked.
The droid beeped affirmative.
"Let's go."
He darted across the room, palmed the door open.
"Artoo, come on!" Obi-Wan called over his shoulder.
R2 whistled and started trundling towards the open door. Obi-Wan turned and walked out of the room – and stopped. Standing in front of him, surrounded by clones with their blasters pointed directly at him, was none other than the Emperor himself. Obi-Wan raised his hands and one of the clones approached, taking his lightsaber from him. Obi-Wan's eyes stayed on the Emperor – absolute fury and loathing for the man was rising up inside him. If he hadn't been surrounded by a void in the Force at this moment, he was sure that he would be duelling Sidious at this very moment.
Palpatine looked almost exactly the same as he had the last time Obi-Wan had seen him face-to-face. There was one crucial difference – gone was Sidious' need to hide his true identity from the Jedi he encountered. His expression was now one of malice and proud cruelty, fuelled by the knowledge that he held the upper hand against his enemies. The Emperor was in control, and he would let everyone know.
"Darth Sidious."
"Master Kenobi."
This illusion of a cordial greeting was edged with ice.
"I am not who you were expecting to see, I gather," Obi-Wan said coldly. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw R2 slink back into the shadows just behind the door.
"Not quite," Palpatine said. Without taking his eyes off of Obi-Wan, he addressed the clones. "Bring the droid before it causes us undue trouble. I am sure Master Kenobi will not need its assistance any longer."
A few of the clones took the order and hurried into the room. R2 squealed and zipped out of the open door with such force and speed that he collided with the opposite wall.
"Somehow I am not so surprised that you are the one prying for classified information," Palpatine said. There was a flicker of annoyance in his voice that did not quite connect with his words.
Obi-Wan immediately understood. "You thought I was Anakin," he said. "You were able to track Artoo's movements through the central computer system as it recognized Artoo as a foreign intruder. That way you knew which doors we went through, what information we tapped into – leading you to here." He smiled slightly. "You automatically assumed that Anakin would be with Artoo."
Palpatine's expression hardened. "No matter," he replied coldly, "it will not be long before we detain Skywalker and Durron as well." He paused. "I assume that you have fully read the information your droid downloaded."
Obi-Wan's eyes narrowed. "Yes."
"Then you are faced with the knowledge that you have failed," Palpatine said. His tone was deceptively calm – there was a triumphant gleam in his eyes. "Even if you manage to rescue Solo and escape from Kuduran alive, you know that she will die. There is nothing in your humble, modest abilities that can possibly cure her—"
It was as if Obi-Wan had no control over his own body. Palpatine's words ignited the growing mixture of fear and hatred and he launched himself at the Emperor, disarmed though he was. However, he had only moved several steps forward when he was knocked to the ground by a stun blast. The blast was not particularly strong, but it knocked the air from his lungs and he couldn't feel his arms or legs.
"Well now," Palpatine said mirthlessly. "This is a sight rarely seen. The great Jedi Master has fallen. This certainly does not live up to your image created by the Clone Wars. How disappointing. I thought someone who had previously been a general would have stood a better chance."
"I do what I can, when I can," Obi-Wan grunted.
Palpatine smiled coldly. "Which, it appears, is very little. I designed this complex myself to make it inescapable for a Jedi. Penetrable? Yes. Escapable? Never. It is the perfect trap, you see? One that you and your friends fell for so nicely."
"Inescapable for a Jedi, eh?" Obi-Wan chuckled sarcastically. "Do you not see the flaw in your plan, then?"
Palpatine's eyes narrowed. "Continue."
"You've created a void here in the Force," Obi-Wan said. He spoke quickly, the feeling in his arms and legs coming back. He would be able to move soon. "It makes us vulnerable, yes, but what of yourself? I have no doubt that you cannot feel the Force here anymore than I can. How do you mean to defend yourself if you can't manipulate the Force? Here in the emptiness, you are nothing more than an old, weak man."
For a brief moment, Obi-Wan thought he saw Palpatine's eyes flash red as a look of unfathomable anger flickered across his expression. A moment later, he was reeling in pain as a clone trooper boot connected with his chin. Ignoring the pain, he turned his attention back to Palpatine, his eyes meeting the Sith Lord's.
"One more thing," Obi-Wan said. "Take note. You don't have to be a Jedi to escape from this place alive."
As Obi-Wan leapt to his feet, R2-D2 exploded in a series of flashes, all of his arms extended as he released several electrical pulses before igniting his arm-rockets and blasting off towards the ceiling, releasing a great amount of smoke as he went. In the time it took for Palpatine's body guards to pull their attention away from the droid, Obi-Wan had already wrestled his lightsaber away from the clone who had taken it and sprinted down the hall, his escape covered by R2's smoke. The droid landed on the floor several near the end of the hall and rolled after Obi-Wan.
"Find him!" Palpatine's voice shouted through the smoke. "Do not let him escape, if you value your lives!"
As they ran down the corridor, R2 made several garbled, electronic noises that sounded almost like laughter. Obi-Wan shot him a disapproving look.
"No loose wire jokes, Artoo," he said. "We need to find Anakin before Palpatine does – even though there's no Force, I have a feeling Palpatine will do something about that before he goes up against Anakin."
R2 whirred.
"Well, where else would he be going? He's not coming after us."
R2 beeped.
"Yes. Trouble is right."
The lift was so completely damaged from the earlier incident that they could not use it to return to the main level of the complex. Anakin limped down the corridor, trying to ignore the stabbing pain in his side as he supported part of Jaina's weight. After leaving the cell-block, they had not encountered any guards but it was not a comforting thought. If they weren't here now, they would be soon and Anakin wasn't sure if he had the strength to go up against dozens of them.
Freeing Jaina had been the easy part of the mission. Escape was going to be much more difficult.
"Anakin, stop walking."
Kyp's sharp voice brought him back to the present. Anakin halted and glanced at his friend, who was staring intently at Jaina's face.
"She's waking up," Kyp murmured.
Together, they slowly lowered Jaina to the floor, Kyp supporting her gently. Anakin knelt on the floor next to them, glancing back to Jaina worriedly as he watched for any signs of approaching guards. His hand tightened around the hilt of his lightsaber.
Jaina groaned, her eyes fluttering open. "Kyp?" she rasped. Her voice was very hoarse, as if she hadn't had anything to drink in several days. "Anakin?"
"I'm here," Kyp said quietly. "We're both here."
"Where…" She fell silent and closed her eyes again. She made a few more incoherent sounds as she struggled to speak and then managed to whisper, "Where… are…we?"
"Still in the prison," Anakin replied, "not too far away from your cell-block. We're trying to find an alternative way out."
"…why?"
"Kyp broke the lift."
Jaina lay still for a moment and then made a sound that resembled a laugh. "Should be… more careful." Her hand brushed Kyp's. "Where… where are Obi-Wan and Artoo?"
"We don't know," Kyp said gravely. "We got separated."
"Not… good."
Anakin got to his feet. Though he couldn't feel the Force, his instincts were still the same and they were telling him one thing – run. Someone was coming and they needed to get Jaina out of here before she was hurt even more severely than she already was.
"Can you stand?" Kyp asked her.
"Yes." She winced as she slowly got to her feet. She stood still for a moment and then tumbled sideways into Kyp, who caught her.
"Are you—"
"I'm fine," she insisted, brushing away his assistance. She slowly took a step forward and then another. "I'll be fine."
Anakin froze. His senses were tingling – it was almost as if the Force was there, but it clearly was not. In any case, there was no denying the fact – something dangerous was headed straight for them.
"Kyp, get Jaina out of here," Anakin said quickly, now alert to any signs of movement. He ignited his lightsaber and turned to face his friends. "Now!" he ordered.
"Palpatine's coming," Jaina whispered.
"Anakin, I am not going to leave you down here," Kyp said angrily.
"Yes, you are!" Anakin countered vehemently. "She's what's important," he added, jerking his head in Jaina's direction. "She's what matters now. Get her out of here. I'll be fine." He turned away and stared down the corridor. "I know what I'm doing. I have to do this."
"We'll come back and get you," Kyp said. "We'll find Obi-Wan and then we'll come for you."
"Go!" Anakin shouted.
Jaina stepped towards him and laid a hand on his shoulder. He looked at her, meeting her eyes – Padmé's eyes. Leia's eyes. Anakin swallowed hard – he had never been so grateful to see anyone as much as Jaina in this moment. After everything that she had been through since her capture – only a part of which was visible on her skin – she would leave this place alive, no matter what happened to him. He was going to make the Sith Lord responsible for this pay.
"He's nothing that he seems to be," Jaina said quietly.
Anakin nodded. "I know," he said, turning away.
Jaina was about to add something when Kyp took her arm.
"Come on Jaina," he said. "Let's keep moving. You've been through too much. Anakin needs to do this alone."
"Not alone."
Anakin still had his back turned to her, so he couldn't see her expression, but her voice told him everything he needed to know. She sounded as if she was about to cry.
"Never alone."
Anakin turned around once again and caught Jaina's eye. She smiled tightly before grasping Kyp's hand and letting him lead her down the hall, partially supporting her shaking weight. Anakin watched until they turned the corner and disappeared from view.
He waited in the silent hall, knowing what was coming. Uncontrollable fury was building up in him, growing with his anticipation to come face-to-face with the man who had brought unimaginable pain and suffering to him, to his family and to the Galaxy. Anakin longed to feel the Force again, sense its power – being this blind before a battle with his greatest nemesis was becoming more than he could bare.
He took a deep breath. Then another. And another.
Still no Palpatine.
Where are you? Anakin thought savagely.
Obi-Wan darted through an open door and ran down the staircase located behind it. The halls and corridors were flooded with officers and clone troopers searching for him and his companions. The alarms were still blaring, even though it looked very much like everyone in the prison knew what had happened. Obi-Wan was surprised that he had managed to make it this far without being stopped, but he found that if he kept to the darkened corridors and walked at the same pace as any officers he encountered, the dark lighting would trick them into assuming at first glance that he was one of them. By the time they tried a second look, he would be gone.
Every lift in the complex was working to transport as many guards and officers throughout the prison as possible. Obi-Wan was not going to even attempt to sneak on to one unnoticed. As Anakin and the others were most likely either still on level nine, the stairs were his only way down. They also had the luck of currently being empty.
"Come on, Artoo!" he called over his shoulder as he reached the level three landing. R2-D2 beeped, teetering at the edge of the stairs.
"Artoo, we don't have time for this!" Obi-Wan said. "Improvise, if you must!"
R2 let loose an angry string of electronic noises before blasting off with his arm-rockets straight down the stairwell. Obi-Wan grabbed the railing and looked down into the darkness into which the droid had disappeared.
"Well, that seemed to have worked," he muttered to himself. He continued to run, leaping down the stairs three at a time, passing several landings. R2 had disappeared altogether – he was most likely at the very bottom of the stairs by now. Obi-Wan was charging down the stairs when he glanced through the dim light and skidding to a halt, grabbing the rail for support before he went tumbling down the steps from the force of stopping so suddenly. He paused for a moment, looking out over the edge of the stairwell to the next landing.
There were at least a dozen guards gathered there – and they were on their way up.
Swearing under his breath, Obi-Wan turned around and flew across the landing into the main corridor of level seven. As with the majority of the halls in the prison, this one gleamed a bright white that was slightly painful to the eyes after the dimness of the stairwell. Obi-Wan looked around for a moment to find a place to hide in case the guards came through here. There was a door opposite him. It was closed and locked. Obi-Wan paused, thinking of what to do next – if he opened it with his lightsaber, the guards would be bound to notice the damage done to the door – when he came across the identicard he had previous stolen when they had first arrived at Kuduran. Praying that it would work, he held the card up for identification and the door slid open. Obi-Wan disappeared through it, closing the door behind him, just as the guards passed through on to the level.
He stood behind the door, listening to the guards as they received orders to fan out and check the corridors of this level. Minutes passed – and they left. Turning around to see where he had ended up this time, he found that he was in a small storage room, but there was something very peculiar about it.
The walls were lined with containers made of transparisteel. In each one was a lightsaber.
Obi-Wan approached the first one. There was a name and the date of which the lightsaber was taken from the Jedi stamped on it. Obi-Wan vaguely recalled the name he was reading, but couldn't quite place a visual of the Jedi who had made the lightsaber. He continued along, reading each of the names and the dates, finding most of the lightsabers who had belonged to his now deceased comrades and friends. The weapons of the entire Jedi Council, minus Yoda's and his own, were also present here.
The room had gained the impression of a mass grave.
I can't look at it anymore.
Turning away, Obi-Wan's eyes caught sight of one compartment across the room from him. He stared at it, walking across the chamber to inspect the name stamped on it.
Jaina Solo.
Obi-Wan ignited his own lightsaber and swiped it across the transparisteel, breaking the box. He reached in and pulled out Jaina's lightsaber. Clipping it to his belt, Obi-Wan crossed the room, pausing in the centre. Suddenly, he shouted and swung the tip of his lightsaber across an entire row of the compartments. Broken shards of transparisteel crashed to the floor. Obi-Wan stepped forwards, the pieces crunching under his boots, and he retrieved several of the lightsabers that had belonged to his friends.
"I will remember what you have done," he murmured, looking at the rest before passing through the door and back out into the corridor.
He was not alone.
A single guard, his expression one of surprise, stared at him as Obi-Wan walked back out into the hall. The guard paused for a moment and then reached for his blaster, but Obi-Wan quickly crossed the space between them and seized the weapon before the guard could do anything.
"I'll take that," he said, adding the blaster to his growing collection of weapons. As the guard tried to reach for his comm, Obi-Wan intervened and took it too, throwing it on the ground and crushing it under his heel. Not wanting to be held up any longer, Obi-Wan released the guard and returned to the landing, rushing down the stairs.
He would make it in time. He had to.
Jaina had not spoken a word since they left Anakin. She stumbled her way through the halls, refusing Kyp's help, clawing at the wall for support when her body threatened to collapse. She kept glancing behind her, as if she was afraid something was going to sneak up on them. Every time Kyp offered support, she would meander away and continue her hobbling version of a run.
He had never seen her like this. Whatever had happened to her inside these walls, he feared that it had played one too many games with her mind. If the marks covering her body weren't enough, this was one straw too far. If it had been within his power, Kyp would have stayed with Anakin and helped him destroy the sithspawned son of a Hutt the man who did this to her really was.
Jaina paused at a doorway, leaning against it for support. She closed her eyes, her breathing shallow and rapid.
"Kyp," she whispered. "Kyp."
"I'm here," he murmured, closing the gap between them and enfolding her in his arms. She pressed her face into his chest, her entire body trembling, tears catching on her eyelids before streaking down her cheeks. He rubbed her back, holding her tight.
"What the hell did they do to you, Jaina?" he asked himself under his breath.
As if in answer, she clasped his hand with her good one. "Stay with me?" It ended in a question.
"Always."
They stood still, holding each other even though they both knew that they could not stay for long. Sooner or later, the guards hunting them down would appear. They could not stand and fight them all – they would have to run once more.
There was a beeping sound that came out of the darkness behind the doorway. Jaina looked up and turned her head, trying to see what it was.
"Artoo?" Kyp called.
R2-D2 beeped and trundled out of the dark. A slight smile touched Jaina's lips when she saw the droid. Immediately, he unleashed a string of electronic noises that were so garbled it was almost impossible to tell what meant what. R2 then swung around and rolled back into the dark. Jaina glanced at Kyp and slowly detached herself from him, though her hand still remained clasped in his. Together, they walked into the dark behind the archway.
"Stairs," Jaina said.
"And more than that," Kyp said, grinning.
Obi-Wan was leaping down the stairs three at a time. For whatever reason, he had an abnormal amount of lightsabers with him and he was carrying a blaster. He arrived at the bottom of the stairs slightly winded and caught sight of Kyp and Jaina. Relief washed over his expression.
"Jaina," he breathed.
"Hi," she said quietly.
Obi-Wan's eyes widened slightly at the metal prosthesis that was her right arm as he took in the scars and the lacerations that covered her skin. "I won't be asking if you are all right, I think I know the answer," he said quietly. "I do have something for you." He unclipped one of the lightsabers from his belt and crossed the space between them, handing the weapon over to her.
Jaina took it, a strange look in her eyes. Holding it with her metal hand, she ran her left hand's fingers over the hilt and then transferred it to that hand. Gripping it tightly, she activated the lightsaber. The violet blade hissed out, casting a glow throughout the stairwell. After a moment, she deactivated it again and lowered her hand.
"Thank you," she whispered.
"You're welcome," he answered solemnly. "Where's Anakin?"
"He sent us on ahead," Kyp said quickly. "Didn't want either of us getting involved."
"The idiot," Obi-Wan breathed. "Where did you leave him?"
"Back that way."
"Come on, then," Obi-Wan said, "before he gets himself killed."
Anakin stood, waiting, his heart pounding as he heard the approaching steps of someone coming up the hall. The pain in his side had not subsided, but he ignored it. He would not be slowed down by a little pain. This was it, this was the moment – his instincts were telling him so. He wanted to sprint down that corridor and fly into battle, but there was one element which he did not have control over that was dangerous for him. This prison was of Palpatine's design. Palpatine knew exactly where the ysalamiri were hidden. If he ran down that corridor right now, Palpatine could be within the Force at this very moment while Anakin was not.
You will stand your ground, he told himself firmly.
He took another breath and stood still. The lights flickered, casting dark webs of shadow across the floor and walls. When they stabilized, Darth Sidious was standing at the end of the corridor.
Palpatine looked the same as ever. His hands were clasped in front of him, his expression neutral. A calm stance for someone who was about to enter a duel. Anakin's grasp on his lightsaber tightened.
"Palpatine."
"Come now, Anakin," the Emperor replied. "I think we know each other well enough that we don't need to introduce ourselves."
"Everything I learned from you is a lie, Sidious," Anakin said clenched teeth.
"Not a lie, Anakin," Palpatine answered calmly. "A hidden truth. I never shielded you from anything."
"The man I thought you were was nothing more than an illusion!" Anakin shouted. "An illusion that I fell for, that the Jedi fell for! All this time, I never knew who – and what – you truly were." He wasn't sure what made him more furious – the fact that he was finally facing his enemy or the fact that Palpatine was being so calm about the whole incident.
"Am I that terrible of an instructor?" Palpatine's tone was patronizing. "For whatever you think of me now, Anakin, I did teach you. There will always be something of me with you for the rest of your life."
"No, there won't!" Anakin bellowed. "There was nothing of value that you taught me – ever!"
"Even now, you are as stubborn as you are foolish," Palpatine said coldly, his eyes glittering. "Do what you will – throw the knowledge I gave you to the wind. I suppose it means nothing to you if you can read your enemy or not. What were you planning on doing, Anakin? Charging me down, right here and now?"
Anakin took a step forwards. "And why not? There is no Force here. We are in a void. I could take you down at any moment. You are weak. Without the Force, what are you?"
"What are you without the Force, Anakin? Have you asked yourself that?"
"I am not going to play your games!" Anakin yelled. He was pacing back and forth between the two sides of the corridor now, slowly making his way down the hall towards his enemy. Palpatine continued to stand still, his eyes following Anakin's every move.
"You are the Chosen One," Palpatine said calmly. "What is the Chosen One without the Force? Can you control the balance between dark and light without it? You are still conflicted, Anakin. I do not need the Force to tell me that your own inner demons are battling amongst themselves."
"I do not need your advice, Sidious," Anakin snapped. "You do not have the right to govern me anymore."
"No, my boy," Palpatine answered softly. "You gave up your chance to listen and understand."
"You're a Sith Lord!"
"Will you descend now into squabbling accusations that have no meaning here?" Palpatine said. "There is no Force. In this moment, there is no Jedi, no Sith. There is only us, as human beings, struggling with our natural inclinations as any human being does."
"There is nothing natural about the two of us," Anakin growled. "You're a time traveler! None of this would be happening if you didn't have the ability to manipulate something that shouldn't be toyed with!"
Palpatine sighed. "Accusations, again, Anakin. Perhaps they are true, perhaps they are, but they have no true meaning here."
"Fine," Anakin snarled. "You kidnapped Jaina. You held her captive and your tortured her. I suppose it was your 'natural inclination' to that? Well?"
Palpatine stared passively at him, his face completely void of any expression. Anakin paced back and forth, his lightsaber humming and casting a blue glow around him. Fury unlike anything he had known before was threatening to break loose.
"Why won't you answer?!" Anakin roared.
For just one moment, Palpatine's carefully structured calmness gave way to the anger seething behind the illusion. "I did what I did," he barked, "for the benefit of the future! A single person's life shall not stand in the way of humanity's triumph. There is so much we can learn through sacrifice, Anakin, so much that we cannot learn if we do not give something up."
"THEN GIVE UP YOUR OWN LIFE!" Anakin bellowed. "Don't prey on the innocent!"
"That girl is far from innocent," Palpatine snapped. "There is no such thing as innocence."
"She's my family," Anakin hissed.
"As was I at one point in your life," Palpatine countered.
Anakin pointed his lightsaber at him. "You betrayed my trust when you destroyed the Jedi Order."
"The Jedi Order was stagnant," Palpatine said coldly. "For the greater good, they had to be destroyed."
"Just as Jaina had to be tortured?!" Anakin shouted.
"Do not be so ignorant, Anakin," Palpatine snapped. "Take a cold, hard look at your own philosophies. You came here to kill me – for the greater good – as it is something that you believe needs to be done. You see now? You and I are very much alike, one and the same—"
"We are not the same!" Anakin exclaimed hotly. "We aren't—" He stopped. He wasn't sure what he felt more enraged at – that Palpatine had compared the two of them, or that Anakin himself felt that there was truth to Palpatine's words. Yes, he had come here to kill Palpatine for the greater good. He had promised to do whatever it took to destroy him.
Wasn't that what Palpatine was speaking of? Doing whatever it took for the greater good?
"Do you see it now?"
Anakin's eyes were closed. He concentrated on his breath, trying to blot out the Sith Lord's words.
We are not the same, he thought furiously. We are not the same. We are not the same. His vision is warped and evil. Mine is not. We are not the same.
"There was a time, Anakin, when I thought you would be the one to inherit my vision for the future. That you would be the one to save the Galaxy from the darkness that threatens to destroy it. But then you betrayed me, just as you believe I betrayed you. There was that… unfortunate… moment on Coruscant and then you were gone forever. You were like a son to me, Anakin. I still believe in you. I do not want to fight. Come back and take up this battle for me. I saw it in you once. I can see it in you again. Join me, for the greater good. For the benefit of the Galaxy."
There was a soft, lilting quality to his voice. It reminded Anakin of the days when Palpatine had been like a father to him. Suddenly, the fact that Palpatine was a Sith Lord seemed to dull in his mind. There were no Jedi, there were no Sith. There was only them – two men with the fate of the Galaxy resting on their shoulders, the lives of trillions counting on their decisions, on their actions. If they worked together, they could save them… save them from the darkness… leads them away from shadows and dust and ashes—
"No."
"What?" There was a snarl hidden in Palpatine's voice.
Anakin opened his eyes and raised his head. "I said no. The difference between you and me, Emperor, is that I can see the truth of the matter here. You believe very much that what you are doing will save the Galaxy. But you're wrong." Anakin paused, his eyes connecting with Palpatine's. Behind the calm composure there was a fire stirring – the anger of a Sith Lord. "You'll destroy it from the inside," Anakin continued. "Your people who love you so dearly today will begin to hate and fear you and it will grow until you are left alone in your Imperial Palace, defending yourself as the people you once set out to save turn against you."
"And where do these wondrous words of wisdom come from?" Palpatine hissed.
"Force or not," Anakin said calmly, feeling strengthened by his own words, "I am the Chosen One. I am destined to bring balance between light and dark – and I will do just that. I make my own choices – no one can makes them for me."
Palpatine stared at him, his eyes burning with anger. Then he broke into cold laughter. Anakin watched and listened, his small moment of strength and composure rapidly descending into nothingness.
"Pitiful, Skywalker," Palpatine snapped. "Pitiful. You are only the so-called 'Chosen One' because a few superstitious Jedi Masters decided you were. There only exists the idea of the Chosen One because of a prophecy that says that there will be a Chosen One who will bring balance to the Force. If you are the so-called Chosen One, Anakin, then you do not make your own choices. They have been pre-determined for you by destiny."
"Everyone has a choice," Anakin said hotly.
"Yes, of course," Palpatine replied. There was a mirthless smile on his face. "Everyone except you."
"Why me?" Anakin asked darkly.
"I know a secret, Anakin," Palpatine said. "A secret so devastating that it would break your heart to know. The powers of time are difficult to sway, but once you do have their trust, then – well, then you can do anything you desire. I know the Jedi's special prophecy of the Chosen One, thought to be lost for eternity. I know it's words. I know what it foretells. And you—" His eyes gleamed maliciously— "you would be better off to never hear it."
"What is it?" Anakin growled.
"I cannot say," Palpatine said. "To know the real truth would be a terrible thing indeed."
"What is it?!" Anakin roared.
"Your destiny," Palpatine hissed.
Suddenly, power surged through the corridor as the Force returned. Anakin felt it course through him. He let it take hold and leapt into the air just as a red lightsaber plunged through the space he had been standing in moments before. Anakin flipped and landed on his feet, raising his saber just in time to parry Sidious' blade. The lightsabers cracked and sparks flew in every direction.
"I am not so weak now, Anakin!" Sidious snarled.
Anakin pushed forwards with the Force, throwing Sidious backwards. The Sith Lord stumbled, but brought his blade up as Anakin ran forwards to follow up the attack. He caught the red blade on an angle and the power of his movement caused him to slide forwards and around Palpatine. He flipped his blade upwards, blocked one of his enemy's blows and then turned around to parry again. Through the blaze of red and blue light, he saw Sidious' furious, wild eyes glare into his before the Sith Lord advanced on him again, pushing Anakin backwards down the hall.
Their blades were moving with lightning speed and without care for the structure around them. Their blades scorred the walls, sparks flying in every which direction as they made their way down the corridor. Anakin flipped over Sidious' head, barely missing being caught by the red lightsaber as it flew up in the opposite direction. He landed lightly on his feet and, before Sidious could turn around, swiped his lightsaber across his opponent's back. However, Anakin was at such a distance that the blade did not go deep enough to cause any damage to Sidious' skin. Instead, the Sith Lord's heavy cloak caught on fire. Sidious hissed in pain and in one swift moment, flung the cloak aside. Anakin dodged the burning heap of material and followed up his assault. The sabers crackled as they smashed together once again.
"I always thought that your ceremonial wardrobe would one day get in your way," Anakin taunted. "I mean, wouldn't be nice to be unrestricted by dress for once?"
"Perhaps one day you will learn that fighting is not all about jumping through the air," Palpatine hissed.
Anakin grunted as he was knocked aside by a Force-push. Quickly clearing his head, he ducked Palpatine's blow, flung himself to the other side of the hall, kicking his opponent in the back on his way over. Sidious grunted with pain as he flew towards the wall. He brought himself to a stop with the Force and turned around to face Anakin, who had already aimed a blow at him. The blue blade glanced off the red; Anakin twirled to avoid being struck and flew several paces backwards, bringing his blade in front of him.
Behind them, Palpatine's discarded cloak was still flaming and the thick smoke wafting off of it began to fill the hall.
Anakin ran forwards, his saber colliding briefly with Sidious' before he slid past him and turned around to attack again.
"You are reckless," Palpatine said softly as he parried another blow. "Your anger is consuming you."
"My anger for you," Anakin spat.
"You let your rage fuel you," Palpatine continued.
Anakin growled, raising his blade and bringing it down towards his enemy.
"Just like the incident with your mother," Palpatine finished.
Their sabers connected, crackling and sparking from the intensity. The Sith Lord's eyes bored into Anakin's as they held their blades together. Suddenly, Anakin felt himself flying backwards as he was caught off guard. He hit a closed door in the wall and his lightsaber plunged through the small device that opened it. The door spontaneously opened as its activator's circuitry fried and Anakin fell backwards through the archway, dragging his lightsaber with him. It slid through the wall, leaving a scorched slice in the durasteel.
Anakin had landed on a walkway that extended far into the chamber beyond. He scrambled to his feet as Sidious followed up his attack. The blue blade sprang into place, blocking Sidious' lightsaber at eye level. Anakin was forced backwards as he parried another blow. He spared a look behind him to get a look at the new environment; the fleeting glance caused him to have to throw himself to one side, landing at the edge of the walkway, as Sidious' lightsaber came crashing down on the place he had previously been. Anakin parried another blow and leapt to his feet, backing down the walkway, keeping Sidious' attacks at bay.
They had entered Kuduran's power generator pit. The chamber was huge, with bridges criss-crossing the entire system at various levels. As Anakin parried another attack, still walking backwards with his eyes on the Sidious' lightsaber, his mind had fast-tracked through several plans. This battle had opened several options that he had not considered before. If he could lead Sidious to the melting pit, he would be able to disable the entire complex while fighting the Sith Lord. If there was one thing he wanted along with Sidious' death, it would be the destruction of this place.
Anakin glanced over his shoulder and saw the entrance to the melting pit several levels up. Anakin ducked as the red lightsaber flew over his head and he continued to back down the walkway.
"You seem distracted, Anakin," Palpatine hissed. "Reconsidering my offer already?"
"Never," Anakin spat.
Their lightsabers clashed, sparks showering Anakin's face. He cried out in pain as they flew into his eyes. Breathing deeply, he centered his thoughts, ignoring the pain and sinking deeper into the Force. His weapon collided with Palpatine's and they momentarily exchanged places on the catwalk, spinning around each other, surrounded by a flurry of colour and sparks. Anakin attacked again, propelling himself up in the air, flipping over Palpatine's head.
Pain shot through him and his vision was blinded with a collage of blue and white. Anakin felt himself falling as electricity crackled in his ears. Air streaked past him as he tumbled down, down, down – and landed with a thud on the edge of a lower walkway. Winded, Anakin was momentarily stunned and began slipping off the edge. Gasping for breath, he caught himself and clambered back up on to the walkway before lying there, prone, trying to regain strength while his vision blurred.
"Poor Anakin Skywalker." Sidious' voice drifted to him from high above. Anakin coughed and blinked, trying to clear his vision. "So lost, so confused as to his place in life. You will never beat me, Anakin, as long as you continue to be the frustrated Jedi Knight."
Anakin slowly rose to his feet and looked up at Sidious' distant form. "You're wrong," he said loudly. "I will defeat you. I have powers that you can't even begin to imagine."
"Really?" There was mock surprise in his voice.
Anakin didn't bother with a reply. Taking control of his breath, he concentrated as he began to sprint up the walkway he was on. Leaping into the air, he landed on the walkway that criss-crossed his a level up without even breaking stride. Continuing on his way, Anakin leapt up to the next level, coming to rest several paces away from Sidious.
"Most impressive," he said coldly. "Your endurance is quite remarkable." There was no mistaking the sarcastic tone.
"Those weren't the powers," Anakin snapped, igniting his lightsaber and taking a step forward.
"Tell me, Anakin," Sidious said, "have you ever heard of the prophecy of the Sith'ari?"
"I don't think now is the time for stories," Anakin snarled, lunging forwards. Sidious parried his attack and Anakin found himself switching places on the catwalk. He was walking backwards again, but all the while getting nearer to the corridor that led to the melting pit at the centre of the power generator.
"One can never stop learning," Palpatine countered as he parried a blow Anakin aimed at him. He watched as Anakin recoiled backwards from the power of the parry, teetering at the edge of the walkway. Anakin hissed under his breath and attacked again.
"I don't need to learn anything else from you," he said, spitting in his enemy's face as their lightsabers clashed together. He jerked his lightsaber back and then aimed another blow at Palpatine, but he was blocked. Anakin didn't want to mention it to himself, so he kept the thought at the very back of his mind, but he was rapidly becoming tired. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't get through Sidious' defences.
Anakin stepped backwards, preparing for his next assault, but Palpatine pushed him backwards with the Force. Anakin attempted to control it, but he felt himself sliding back. The bottom of his boots screeched on the floor and he was thrown into the narrow corridor that led to the melting pit. He tumbled over, but leapt back up as Palpatine followed him.
The corridor was dim. There would not be enough room for a proper fight in here. Anakin continuing walking backwards as his enemy approached.
"You see, Anakin," Palpatine said, his lightsaber casting a bloody glow on the walls, "you may be the Chosen One, but I have powers that you can never fully understand. There is a time when a being so powerful, completely free of any restrictions, will rise – the ultimate Sith. According to legend, he will lead the Sith into battle, destroy them, but through their destruction they will be stronger than ever."
"The prophecy of the Sith'ari, I take it?" Anakin said.
"Quite right," Palpatine answered, his eyes glittering with malice.
Anakin raised an eyebrow. "And you think it's you?" Mad laughter escaped him as he stumbled backwards out into the melting pit. There was a wide, circular shaft in the centre of the room. Anakin glanced at it as he slowly made his way over to the controls.
Palpatine regarded him with a dark, dangerous look but Anakin interrupted him before he could speak.
"You know the thing I find strangest?" he said. "After everything – all the prophecies of doom and dread and how much you keep telling me that you're going to take over the entire universe – at the end of the day there is one little flaw that I can't help notice."
"What?" Sidious snarled.
"Jaina," Anakin replied coolly. "She's still here. That's how I know that my daughter will live on. And if part of my family is alive – no matter what happens to me, I know that they will continue to fight on. The Galaxy will be saved from you, one way or another."
"Foolish boy, do not speak of things you don't understand," Palpatine snapped. "Time is far more complex than you could possibly understand." He strode towards Anakin, one hand raised as if he was about to shoot more lighting from his fingertips.
"Stop," Anakin ordered, raising his blade. "Take one more step and everything will go boom."
Palpatine stopped moving. "What is this?"
"If I can take out an entire Federation battleship on my own at the age of nine, I can certainly take out this."
"Don't be ridiculous!" Palpatine snapped.
Anakin pointed to the complex system of controls that lined the wall of the melting pit. "You see this?" he said. "If this gets sliced open, we're all in trouble. You and me, mostly, as I'm sure this has a lockdown on it, but that will only seal us in for when flames come shooting up that shaft." He glanced at it and raised an eyebrow to emphasize his point.
Palpatine snarled. The next moment, Anakin barely knew what was happening. Blue and red light flashed before his eyes and he found himself being pushed backwards as Sidious attacked him furiously. Anakin flew backwards into the wall, his lightsaber slicing through something on his right, and then the wind was knocked right of out him. He saw the red lightsaber flash in front of him and suddenly he fell to the floor, completely disoriented, as the red blade was knocked out of the way by another blue blade.
Anakin looked up and saw Obi-Wan, his expression grim, forcing Palpatine backwards. He struggled to his feet, glancing at the controls on the wall – they were sparking. The floor was shaking violently.
"This isn't good," he murmured.
"Anakin – run!" Obi-Wan shouted, turning from the duel with the Sith Lord and sprinting towards them.
The Jedi ran down the narrow corridor, almost losing their balance as the floor shook. They came out on one of the walkways. Anakin turned around to see a bright red shield seal off the corridor. Behind it stood Palpatine, his lightsaber still in his hand, an expression of pure malice on his face. Anakin glared back at him before turning to his friend and running after him.
The bridges that spanned the chamber were trembling as they ran across them. Anakin reached out to the Force to steady himself.
"Where's Jaina?" he asked.
"Kyp's with her. She and Artoo are outside," Obi-Wan answered, breathing shallowly as he ran. "Didn't want to endanger her by bringing her in here."
"Well, everyone in this place is going to be endangered if those shields don't hold!" Anakin shouted.
The lights began to flicker, plunging them in and out of darkness. There was a loud screeching noise, followed by a rumbling and then something snapped. Anakin looked behind him just in time to see one of the walkways break in half.
"Keep going!"
Panting and gasping for air, the Jedi reached the other side and cantered down a hallway. Skidding to a stop, they turned a corner and flew down the next corridor.
R2-D2 was beeping wildly at them as they arrived. Jaina was sitting on the floor between the droid and Kyp, her metal hand gripping the hilt of her lightsaber and her human hand clasped in Kyp's. She slowly got to her feet, leaning on Kyp for support.
"What did you do?" she demanded, her voice still raspy.
"Destroyed the power generator," Anakin said. "We need to get out of here, the whole place will go fast if they can't control it."
"And my guess is that they can't control it," Kyp said, glancing at the flickering lights.
There was a loud rumbling sound.
"Agreed," Anakin said.
They started running again. They returned to the stairwell and began climbing the stairs. By now it didn't seem to matter who they ran into. Guards, officers, personnel of all kind were flooding the prison, running in every direction. From the conversations they caught as they passed, no one seemed to know what was going on.
"How did you know where I was?" Anakin panted as they continued up the stairs. Jaina was falling behind, physically unable to keep up with the others. Kyp stopped to help her.
"The burning cloak and the gashes in the wall were very good indicators," Obi-Wan said. "But once the Force returned, it was pretty evident where you were."
Kyp picked up Jaina, who looked as though she was about to pass out from exhaustion, and darted up the stairs towards them. The lights flickered once and then went out, leaving them in absolute blackness.
Moments later, Anakin and Obi-Wan ignited their lightsabers, casting blue glows throughout the stairwell. They continued to run up the stairs, their breath now coming in gasps. Finally, they managed to reach the top.
The main level had descended into chaos. As the building shook, no one paid attention to the Jedi as they ran. Alarms were blaring, but this time they were different than the ones that had gone off when Anakin and his companions had first been detected. These were of a higher-pitch and were accompanied by a voice over the comm system. In the din it was impossible to hear what the voice was saying.
They made it to the docking bay where there was a flurry of activity as everyone was trying to escape. The Jedi ran for their ship, R2 beeping urgently as his rolled after them. Anakin was the first to the ship – he activated the ramp and was already running up it before it had completely descended. Kyp, still carrying Jaina, followed and Obi-Wan came last with R2.
Anakin flew into the cockpit, flinging himself into the pilot's chair. "Strap in quickly, this is going to be a rough ride!" he shouted over his shoulder. There was no need to tell the others.
The docking bay floor began to shudder as Anakin activated the engines.
Come on, come on, he thought. Faster! We need to get out of here!
He pulled sharply on the yoke and they were flung into the air and zoomed out of docking bay. The energy shields that protected the base had fallen. Asteroids were now free to pound the place to pieces, which would be the cause of most of the damage. As they rocketed away from the prison, there was an explosion.
Anakin found it rather satisfying.
"Anakin," Obi-Wan said, "we're being followed."
"Well, they're not following us anywhere," Anakin snapped.
An asteroid hurtled towards them. Anakin veered away at the last possible moment. Diving to the left, he swerved around a second one that came crashing towards them. There was an explosion of light as the ship that had been tailing them was hit.
He had thrown caution to the wind, relying entirely on the Force to guide him. Closing his eyes, he focused, slowing his breath. He adjusted his grip on the yoke. The ship almost somersaulted to avoid a cluster of the chunks of rock. For a moment, he almost felt like he was podracing again. He could sense where all of the hazards were. They would be safe, if a bit bruised from the ferocity of the flight.
The ship spiralled to the right, veered down and came back up again. Anakin concentrated, trying to sense where the next asteroid was coming from.
Nothing.
Anakin opened his eyes. There were no more asteroids. They were out.
"That's it!" he shouted and threw the ship into hyperspace. The stars gleamed blue and blurred for a moment and then they were away.
