Chapter 22 – Love and Greed
Coruscant
Having emerged from the prison ward on the lower levels of the Temple, Anakin and his three zabrak rescuers encountered minimal resistance as they made their way to the hangar. A few yellow-lightsaber-wielding Jedi Temple Guards and a smattering of lesser Knights attempted to stop them, but Maul and Ventress made quick work of them. The Temple was more or less empty on account to the battle currently ensuing in the upper atmosphere which Maul had told him about.
Reaching the elevator, Savage and Ventress held their red blades up high and kept a look out while Maul and Anakin waited for the elevator to arrive. Upon mashing the button with his left hand, however, Anakin suddenly screamed out in pain.
"Anakin, what's wrong?" Maul asked.
Anakin dropped his father's lightsaber in his right hand and fell to his knees in front of the elevator. His wrist felt as if it was on fire. He couldn't move his right hand, a terrible fear coursing through him and paralyzing him.
"Anakin!"
The doors to the elevator opened in front of him. Anakin whimpered as he looked up to see Maul and Savage grabbing him by the armpits and lifting him into the elevator. Ventress followed behind them, reaching down to take his father's lightsaber from off the ground.
"Go, go, go!"
Anakin's closed his eyes and bit down hard on his tongue in a desperate and ultimately fruitless attempt to relieve the terrible pain in his right hand. He felt Maul and Savage release him as they helped him back down to the floor.
"What's wrong? Are you hit?" he heard Maul ask.
"It hurts so much," Anakin groaned, burying his right hand in his armpit. "I… I think she's in pain."
"She?" Maul repeated. "What are you talking about?"
"Mom's in danger," Anakin said, fully confident of this all of a sudden. Opening his eyes, he met Maul's pale-yellow ones. "We have to help her," he said.
Maul shook his head at once. "We're not doing that, Anakin," he said.
"We have to! She could die!"
"We have our orders, Anakin."
"She's my mother! I have to help her!"
"No, you don't."
Pain subsiding a bit in the face of his incredulity, Anakin looked up at Savage and Ventress who were standing behind the kneeling Maul. "Why not?" Anakin asked.
"Elegius is a monster, Anakin," Maul said. "It's best if you leave her to her fate."
Anakin gaped at Maul silently for a few moments, sure he had misheard him. "You don't mean that," he said.
"I do," Maul said, nodding his head once. "Come with us. The four of us can overthrow Sidious by ourselves. We don't need Elegius to give us orders."
"You traitor!" Anakin exclaimed, struggling to his feet as he pressed his back against the elevator wall. "She trusted you!"
"She tortured me!" Maul shot back, getting to his feet as well. "She's no different than Sidious. It's for the best if he kills her."
"Take that back!"
"No, I won't," Maul said, holding up a preventative hand to Savage who had taken a step forward to defend his brother. "You know it's true, Anakin. I can sense your apprehension. You know Elegius is dangerous."
"So what if I do?" Anakin said, deciding not to deny this statement. "She's my mother. I'm going to help her."
Maul pursed his lips and lowered his hand. "Are you sure you want to do this?" he asked.
"Of course I am," Anakin said. "Are you going to stop me?"
Maul hesitated for a moment before shaking his head. "No," he said. "I won't stop you."
"Good," Anakin said as the elevator came to a stop at the hangar level. "Give me my lightsaber back."
"Ventress, do it," Maul ordered.
Ventress looked as if she wanted to object, but upon meeting Anakin's fiery gaze she acquiesced. Handing his father's hilt to him, Anakin swiped it from Ventress' outstretched hand.
"Thank you," he mumbled.
"Good luck, Anakin," Maul said candidly as the doors opened behind him. "But do know that my offer still stands. If you change your mind, you can still decide to join us."
Anakin shook his head. "I'm going to save her," Anakin said determinedly. "In more ways than one, I will save my mother."
"And if you can't?" Maul asked.
Anakin parted his lips, but no retort came. Hesitating for a moment longer, Anakin shut his mouth and pushed past Maul toward the hangar. He couldn't allow Maul's treasonous words to affect him. He needed to find a fighter to get him to the Senate. His mother was in terrible danger.
As Windu swung down at her, Shmi acted on instinct as she used her left hand to tear the Darksaber from off her belt and activate the blade. Purple met black directly above her throat, merely inches from her jugular. Lying on her back, Shmi had no leverage to keep Windu's blade at bay for long, however. Ignoring the debilitating pain in her mutilated right arm, Shmi twisted to her right and kicked upward with her left foot, eliciting a yelp of pain when she pressed her stump of an arm under her body weight as she did so.
Her boot made contact with Windu's right flank. Surprised, Windu stumbled back a step and their blades separated. Freeing her right arm from underneath her hip, Shmi's vision was blurred by tears of pain. Struggling to her knees, Shmi held her blade in front of her in a futile attempt to defend herself in case Windu tried to strike again.
He didn't, however. Instead, Windu stared back at her from a few feet away, his brown robes billowing behind him because of the roaring wind. "I failed you, Shmi," Windu yelled over the awesome noise. "I failed you."
Unable to use her hand to help herself get to her feet, Shmi struggled for a few moments to get up. Once she had done so, she tucked her right arm under her armpit and held the Darksaber in front of her with her wobbling left hand. She was in no condition to defend herself. She was utterly defenseless before her former master, much like he had been utterly defenseless before her on Geonosis three years ago when she had cut off his right hand.
"I know you did," Shmi said in a trembling voice. "But you don't have to fail me again. Help me, Master. Help me defeat Sidious."
"There is no Sidious!" Windu bellowed, shaking his head. "You created him!"
"He's right there!" Shmi protested, gesturing toward the enfeebled Sidious who was still lying against the window frame.
"This ends today," Windu said, raising his lightsaber with two hands. "I was a fool for ever trusting you, Shmi."
Shmi clenched her jaw, in part because of the pain surging from the cauterized wound up her arm and in part out of frustration for Windu's intransigence. "You're making a terrible mistake, Master," she pleaded. "Don't do this."
Windu didn't respond. Swinging his blade at her, Shmi acted on instinct once again. Ducking under the strike, Shmi let her wounded arm hang limply at her side as she leapt away from the window, swinging sloppily at Windu with the Darksaber on her way past. Windu parried the blow easily and pushed her away with a powerful thrust of his lightsaber. Caught off balance, Shmi lost her footing as she stumbled a bit. Windu resumed his offensive as she continued to stagger backward, her left arm held up high as she desperately attempted to absorb a flurry of overhead blows from Windu.
Resolving that sustained defense was impossible, Shmi backed away as Windu reared up for another overhead strike. The back of her knees hit the side of Sidious' desk and she fell to the ground. Deactivating the Darksaber, she threw it aside and raised her left hand just as Windu's blade precipitated down to her skull.
Windu was pushed backward toward the open window. Shmi wasn't strong enough to push him over the edge, however, and Windu soon regained his footing. To his left, Sidious was only now beginning to get to his feet, back pressed against the window sill as he took great care not to get blown off his feet by the wind.
"Kill her!" she heard Sidious yell. "Kill her now!"
"Don't listen to him!" Shmi cried as Windu took a few steps toward her, lightsaber held high over his shoulder.
"Destroy the Sith!"
Windu stopped a meter in front of her, his eyes narrowed as he stared down at her. Her right arm was sprawled out on the ground at her side, the stinging pain beginning to grow as her shock enervated. She was thoroughly defeated. How could she have been so stupid to let her guard down? How could she have not seen Windu enter the office? Evidently he had not seen the rest of their fight, otherwise he would have seen Sidious wielding a Sith blade.
"I loved you, Shmi," Windu proclaimed unexpectedly.
Shmi's eyes grew wide. "Y-you did?" she asked, lower lip trembling as her whole body began to convulse with anguish.
"You were like a daughter to me," Windu said, his eyes glistening with unshed tears. "I never thought you would betray me."
"I… I didn't," Shmi insisted weakly.
Windu shook his head as he raised his lightsaber higher to deliver the final blow. Shmi rested her head against the edge of Sidious' desk, watching the blade as she prepared for the end…
A horrible shout suddenly pierced the air, accompanied by a grunt. Eyes falling back down away from the purple blade, Shmi was shocked to see a red blade protruding from Windu's chest.
"No!" she shouted.
"Thank you, Master Windu," Sidious said gleefully as he rammed his blade farther into Windu's back. "You have been immensely helpfully to me."
"Y-you…" Windu managed to say.
Sidious pulled his lightsaber out of Windu's back and deactivated the weapon. Windu fell to his knees and looked up as Sidious walked around to look at Windu directly.
"You are Sidious," he said in a faint voice.
"And you are mine," Sidious said as he pocketed Windu's discarded lightsaber. Holding up both hands, Sidious unleashed a wave of lightning to the defenseless Windu.
"No!" Shmi shrieked once again as Windu was engulfed in blue electricity which pushed him off his knees and out the open window. Windu's blue-tinged body flew for a few meters before plummeting to the ground and out of sight. Mace Windu was dead.
"I hate you!" Shmi yelled as she raised her own trembling left hand.
Sidious spun around sharply and redirected the lightning to her, preventing her from unleashing her own wave at him. The pain was insignificant to her, however, as her whole body was enfolded in the crackling embrace of the lightning. She had become numb to the suffering by now. When everything hurt as much as it did right now, nothing hurt at all.
Sidious ceased the assault and he lowered his hands. Prowling before her, Sidious grinned devilishly at the pathetic sight before him. "You are defeated, Elegius," he said. "And now, the Jedi will be as well."
"What…what do you… mean?" Shmi asked haltingly, her brain feeling fried and fuzzy.
Sidious didn't respond to her. Walking away and out of sight, Shmi tried to crane her neck to follow him but found that she was too weak to do so. Her body was broken and crippled by agony. Sidious returned to her field of view, this time holding a comlink in hand.
"Do you know what this is?" he asked, his grotesque face alight with mirth.
Shmi blinked a few times, bemused by this question. "A… comlink?" she said.
"This, my admirable foe, is the great conclusion." With that, Sidious looked away from her as he activated the device. "Execute Order 66," he said.
"What… what's that?" Shmi asked faintly.
Sidious pocketed the device and when his hand reemerged, he was holding his lightsaber. Evidently he had had two of them, since the other one had fallen out the window just moments earlier. "This marks the end of the Jedi Order," he said. "With this command, the clones will turn their blasters on their former comrades. The Jedi will be defeated, and whatever stragglers remain will be hunted down by the legions of my new empire."
"No, no…"
"All thanks to you," Sidious continued. "Without you, the Jedi would have suspected me long ago."
Shmi shook her head as tears streamed down her cheeks. This couldn't be happening. Sidious had thoroughly outplayed her. How had she not seen this coming?
"I am grateful, truly," Sidious said as he twirled his still-deactivated lightsaber in his hand. "Because of that, I am willing to be merciful. Join me, Elegius. I will spare your son's life if you do."
"I'll never join you," Shmi spat.
"Together we will achieve a power greater than Plagueis could ever conceive of," Sidious continued, disregarding her emphatic rejection of his offer. "Under our dominion, the Sith will rule the galaxy for generations to come."
"I am not a Sith," Shmi said, her vision beginning to darken as she succumbed to her exhaustion. She just wanted it to be over. She wanted to sleep…
"Join me, and your son will be safe," Sidious said, extending his hand to her.
Sidious' form turned fuzzy as Shmi directed her focus to the hand in front of her face. She couldn't accept his offer! This was the hand of the man who had raped and tortured her. This was the man who had ordered her husband's death. This man was evil incarnate.
But he said her son would be safe. He had no reason to lie about that. By this point, Shmi didn't care about anything but Anakin. All she wanted was for him to be safe. All she wanted was for him to be happy.
Shmi's left hand twitched. Sidious' eyes darted down to watch as she raised her hand slowly to meet his…
The door to Sidious' office flew open abruptly. Shmi dropped her hand back to the ground as she swiveled her head to see what had happened. Rushing through the door was Anakin, his father's lightsaber gripped in his hand as he came to a stop at the top of the stairs.
"Ani," Shmi said weakly.
Anakin looked at her broken form and then up at Sidious whose hand was still outstretched. "Step away from her," Anakin demanded, activating his green lightsaber.
"No," Shmi tried to protest, but she was unable to any more.
"Skywalker," Sidious hissed. Retracting his outstretched hand from her, he raised it toward Anakin and unleashed a fresh wave of lightning, knocking Anakin off his feet and flinging him toward the front door. Shmi tried to shout, but found that she was unable. Her throat was raw and unresponsive. She couldn't do anything but watch as her son writhed in pain…
"Join me, and your son will be safe," Sidious roared over the deafening crackle of lightning.
"Don't listen to him!" Anakin managed to say, his back curling as his whole body was racked with convulsions.
"Join me, and you will neither of you will have to suffer ever again."
"Mom!"
A steely element coursed through her veins at the horrific sight before her, strengthening her previously unresponsive limbs. Pressing her back against the desk, Shmi trembled mightily as she expended every last ounce of energy to get to her feet. Legs wobbling, tears streaking, and right arm screaming with pain, Shmi finally stood fully upright. Sidious glanced away from Anakin momentarily to see her standing beside him, all the while maintaining the relentless wave of lightning.
Shmi felt lightheaded as she took a step toward Sidious. Her body was protesting, pleading for her to give up and give in. It would be so easy to fall back down and surrender, but she wouldn't allow herself to do that. Her son needed her. The galaxy needed her.
Even though her limbs felt heavier than lead and her mind was fuzzy and discombobulated, Shmi found herself taking step after laborious step toward Sidious until she was mere inches away from him. Finally, Sidious stopped electrocuting her son and attempted to turn his attention to her. He was too late, however. With one last colossal expenditure of energy, Shmi reached out and grabbed Sidious by his throat. Her vision was tinged with red and perforated by bright white spots, but Shmi persevered, lifting Sidious several feet off the air.
Sidious clawed at her hand, but her grip was unyielding. Stumbling forward, Shmi approached the open window with increasingly arduous steps. Unable to breath, Sidious made an undignified gurgling sound as his eyes began to roll up into his skull.
"You... will not…" Shmi swallowed hard, desperate to get the words out of her dry mouth. "You will not… hurt my son… ever again." Shmi's throat felt as if it was going to tear in two as she let out a violent scream. The darkness which she hadn't even realized she had been wielding flooded up her left arm and squeezed mercilessly on Sidious' throat. Her finger tips turned blue as the already mangled flesh on Sidious' throat was singed by the fricative force she had applied. After what felt like hours, Shmi felt Sidious' neck give out from beneath her grip, causing his head to loll forward.
Unable to hold on any longer, Shmi released Sidious' carcass and fell backward. Sidious' feet hit the window sill and his body fell away out the open window, plummeting down into the bright lights of the city below. Shmi continued to fall backward as if in slow motion as she watched Sidious descend away from her and out of sight. She barely had time to register triumph when the back of her skull thudded against the floor and her vision turned black.
"Awake, my child."
Shmi's eyes fluttered and finally opened. She was lying supine on the floor of a white, featureless room. Blinking rapidly, she tilted her chin and saw that she was dressed in a silken white dress which molded perfectly to her body. Propping herself upward, Shmi realized with a start that she was whole again. Her right hand had returned and the unbearable pain had faded. She felt nothing but the cool of the silk against her skin and a warm, contented feeling deep within her core.
"You have done well."
Shmi looked up to see him standing a few meters away from her: Darth Plagueis, her father and mentor. He too had been restored, no longer wearing the breathing apparatus around his chest.
"Father?" she said in a small voice.
Plagueis smiled as he took a step toward her. "Rise, my dear," he said.
Without hesitation, Shmi got to her feet, her limbs acting without her hardly even having to think. She felt so very light and free, nothing like how she had felt in Sidious' office.
"Where am I?" she asked. "Am I… am I dead?"
Plagueis chuckled and shook his narrow head. "No, you aren't dead," he said. "You are merely… in limbo."
"Limbo?" Shmi repeated.
"The fate of the galaxy hangs on a thread," Plagueis told her, reaching out and grabbing her much smaller hand. "It rests on your shoulders. You must choose what its fate shall be."
"I… I don't know," Shmi stammered, feeling overwhelmed all of a sudden. "I just… where's Anakin?"
"He is safe," Plagueis assured, giving her hand a squeeze. "But he should not be the object of your concern. He can look after himself."
"But Sidious –"
"Is now dead," Plagueis said as he released her healthy right hand. "He cannot threaten you or your son ever again. What you must do now, however, is ensure that he never returns."
"How would he return?" Shmi asked, eyes wide with fear.
"You must restore order to the galaxy," Plagueis said, not answering her question. "Restore the balance which you were meant to restore. Only then will Sidious' demise be truly permanent."
"But… but how do I do that?" Shmi asked, feeling very small and powerless once more.
"The Jedi and the Sith have been destroyed," Plagueis said as he began to back away from her. "It is time for a new order to rise."
"A new order?"
"Remember my teachings, child," Plagueis said, his form beginning to fade as it was subsumed by a bright white light in the distance. "Bring balance to the Force by bringing harmony to both the light and the dark. Do not be led astray by either path. Stay true and stay strong."
"I don't know what to do! What should I do?"
"You will find a way," Plagueis assured. "For you are the Chosen One. You will make me proud."
"Father! Father, I need your help! Father!"
"Return home, and you may find the answers you seek."
"Home?" Shmi asked. "What home?"
Plagueis didn't respond as his form faded entirely into the luminous distance. Shmi raised her hand to her eyes, fighting off the brilliant light. Gradually, the intensity of the light dulled and Shmi felt herself falling back down. Soon she was consumed in darkness once more as she descended into the abyss…
"Mom! Mom, can you hear me? Mom!"
Shmi inhaled sharply and instantly winced as the pain returned in one fell swoop. Her right arm flared up in agony as she was reminded once more that her hand was gone, sliced away by the very man whom she had dismembered just three years prior.
"Mom?"
"Ani?"
"I'm here, Mom. I've got you."
Shmi felt soft hands cradling her back as her torso was lifted up off the floor. Looking up, she saw her soon kneeling beside her, his eyes wide and wet with unshed tears.
"Oh, Ani," she said, smiling in spite of the excruciating pain. "You're safe."
"You're safe too, Mom," Anakin said. "You're going to be alright."
Shmi reached up and placed her left hand on Anakin's cheek. "I'm so proud of you," she said in a faint voice. "You saved me."
"And you saved me," Anakin said, a tentative smile emerging on the corners of his cracked lips. "I need to get you out of here," he added urgently.
"No," Shmi said at once, removing her hand from Anakin's cheek as she attempted to get up on her own.
"Mom, you're seriously injured," Anakin protested.
"I'm fine," she insisted, waving him off as he tried to help her up. Using her left hand, Shmi was able to struggle to her feet, instantly feeling light-headed as she did so.
"Mom, your hand –"
"I'll be fine," she dismissed. "I need to… we need to…"
"Do what?" Anakin asked when she trailed off.
Shmi didn't answer him as she limped toward Sidious' desk. Pressing her left hand against the surface, she shuffled forward a few feet as she looked off into the distance. On the horizon, she could see billowing smoke emerging from the Jedi Temple. The clones must have attacked the Temple after Sidious gave the order.
"Mom? What do we have to do?"
"Restore order," she said, thinking about what Plagueis had told her. "And balance."
Anakin was silent as she felt his concerned eyes on her. Tearing her eyes away from the Jedi Temple, Shmi turned back to face him. "It's time to let old things die," she said. "The Sith, the Jedi. The Republic, the Confederacy. Let it all burn."
"Mom –"
"I need your help, Ani," Shmi continued. "And Maul's. Where is he?"
Anakin cringed, looking supremely uncomfortable all of a sudden. "He… left," he said.
"Left?" Shmi repeated.
"He asked me to come with him. He wanted me to leave you behind and let Sidious kill you."
Shmi blinked once as she processed this information. "I see," she said, unsurprised yet hurt nonetheless by Maul's betrayal. "We must now consider him as our enemy."
"We don't have to," Anakin said at once.
"No?" Shmi asked.
"He's just afraid, that's all," Anakin said. "He was afraid that you were going to turn into Sidious."
"I am nothing like that monster!" Shmi bellowed, pointing out the window with her stump of an arm.
"I know! I know!" Anakin said, raising his hands in surrender. "But why don't you prove it?"
Shmi narrowed her eyes and lowered her mangled arm slowly to her side. "What do you mean?" she asked.
"Restore power to the Republic," Anakin said. "Don't seize power like Sidious would have. Surrender it and let there be peace for once."
Shmi frowned as she considered Anakin's earnest expression. She knew at once that she couldn't do that. Plagueis would not have wanted her to do such a thing. He wanted her to forge a new order, not return to the old. The Republic was a broken derelict of a past era. It was time to move on.
But Anakin didn't understand that. He didn't know what she was trying to do and he certainly wouldn't be willing to help her if she told him that she had no interest in restoring the Republic. She needed him by her side, however. If the duel with Sidious had proved anything, it had proved that she was powerless without Anakin. Her powers were derived from him, and without him she was nothing.
"Very well," she said therefore. "But we can't do that right away. We need to defeat the Separatists first."
Anakin grinned broadly, clearly thrilled by her false acquiescence. "Okay, how do we do that?" he asked.
"Go to Mustafar," Shmi ordered, leaning heavily on Sidious' desk as she pressed her left hand against her forehead. "Do what has to be done."
Anakin's face fell as he realized what she was asking of him. "I can't do that –"
"Yes, you can," Shmi growled. "Think of Padmé. She is in terrible danger there. When the Separatists find out what happened here, they will kill her or worse. You must do this, Anakin."
Anakin's eyes widened as a flicker of fear passed his eyes. "Okay," he said, nodding his head vigorously. "I'll… I'll do it."
"Good," Shmi said, lowering her hand and drooping her aching neck. "I will deal with things on Coruscant. I will need to assume control of the Senate for the time being."
"And once the Separatists are defeated? Will you relinquish power?"
"Of course," she lied without hesitation. "All will be set right soon."
One day later
Mustafar
Obi-Wan was twiddling his thumbs as he reclined in his chair, legs draped across the conference table in front of him when his comlink vibrated. Thrilled to have something to do, Obi-Wan kicked his legs off the table and produced the device from his pocket.
"Yes?" he said into the device eagerly.
"Obi-Wan?"
Obi-Wan sighed. It was just Padmé. "What is it?" he asked, trying not to let his disappointment seep into his voice. He had been waiting for hours on end for some shred of information. Shmi and Maul had left well over a day ago, and Obi-Wan was terribly worried that he hadn't heard anything from them since. What had happened to Anakin? Had Shmi been able to rescue him, or had things not gone to plan? If the latter was true, Obi-Wan shuddered to think of what might happen because of it.
"Can you come to my room please?" Padmé's voice said over the comlink. "Now?"
"Of course," Obi-Wan said, perturbed by the anxiety in her tone. "I'll be right there."
"Thank you," Padmé said.
Pushing aside his frustration, Obi-Wan pocketed the comlink and stood up from his chair. Striding out of the conference room, Obi-Wan made his way down the bleak metal hallways of the facility toward the room Maul had provided for Padmé. Heavy footsteps echoing loudly, Obi-Wan couldn't help but feel somewhat irked. He was a Jedi Master, but despite that he had been relegated to handmaiden status. For Anakin's sake, however, he would look after Padmé without complaint. Besides, Padmé was a friend of his. He may not take great pleasure in being tasked with protecting her, but that didn't mean he wasn't willing to defend her. He respected and admired the ex-queen immensely and he was honored to serve her even in this humble capacity.
Reaching her room, Obi-Wan knocked briskly before opening the door with a wave of his hand. The room was dark except for a cold, fluorescent night light on a metal end table by the bedside. Padmé was seated on the edge of the bed by the light, breathing through her mouth and pressing her hands to her belly.
"Padmé?" Obi-Wan asked nervously. "What's wrong?"
Padmé looked up to see him standing at the foot of the bed. "Oh good, you're here," she said. "I, um, I think we have to go."
"Go?" Obi-Wan repeated incredulously. "What are you talking about?"
Padmé winced a bit and she looked back down at her belly sharply. "Don't freak out," she prefaced. "But I think I'm going into labor."
Despite Padmé's request, Obi-Wan felt his eyes bulge out of their sockets. "What!?" he exclaimed.
"I told you not to freak out," Padmé said sternly.
"How can I not?" Obi-Wan asked in a panicky, high voice.
"Everything is going to be okay," Padmé said, holding up a hand to him. "We just need to stay calm."
"Calm? Padmé, I can't stay calm! We have to get you off planet!"
"There's no medical facility here?"
"On the lava planet of death and misery?" Obi-Wan snapped.
"I see your point," Padmé said, frowning as she lowered her hand. "Well we have time. My water hasn't broken yet. My contractions are getting more regular, that's all. We could have days, actually."
Obi-Wan cringed, instinctively feeling squeamish at the notion of childbirth. Oh, why did this have to be happening now? Of all times, why did she have to go into labor now? "I thought you weren't due for a month," Obi-Wan said.
"Well, he's going to be a bit early, isn't he?" Padmé said tartly.
"He?" Obi-Wan asked.
"Just a guess," Padmé said with a nervous chuckle.
Just then, Obi-Wan's comlink vibrated once again, causing his heart to skip a beat. Fumbling with his robes, Obi-Wan struggled to locate the device with shaking hands. "This is Obi-Wan," he said when he finally located the comlink and activated it.
"Master Kenobi?" an unfamiliar voice asked. "Are you safe?"
"Bail?" Padmé said incredulously.
"Who?" Obi-Wan asked.
"That's Bail Organa's voice," Padmé said before wincing once again. "I'd recognize it anywhere."
"Senator Organa?" Obi-Wan asked into the device. "Why wouldn't I be safe?"
"There has been a coup in the capital," Organa's voice said. "The Chancellor has been assassinated."
"He has?" Obi-Wan asked. "That's… terrible," he managed to say, yet internally he was whooping in triumph. She had done it! Shmi must have killed Sidious! Did that mean Anakin was safe? Was it all over?
"I'm afraid it gets worse," Organa continued. "The clones turned against the Jedi. I'm with Master Yoda now, but we haven't been able to make contact with any of the other Jedi."
Obi-Wan's elation faded in an instant. The clones had turned against the Jedi? But why would they do that? Had they been ordered to do so…?
"Elegius," Obi-Wan said out loud. "She must have done this."
"It looks like it," Organa said. "She called an emergency session of Senate and assumed control over the Republic. She claims to have control over the clone armies."
"I can't believe this," Obi-Wan said, pressing his left hand against his forehead. Shmi had finally lost it. Upon defeating Sidious, she must have decided to seize power while she had the opportunity. Why had she done that? And why hadn't Anakin been able to stop her? Did that mean Anakin hadn't been there to stop her? Was it possible he was dead?
"Master Yoda and I have established a rendezvous point for any of the remaining Jedi that are still out there. You must join us as soon as you are able for your own safety."
Obi-Wan glanced at Padmé's whose eyes were wide with fear much like his own. "Of course," he said. "Where are you?"
"On an asteroid field called Polis Massa," Organa informed him.
"Is there a medical facility there?" Obi-Wan asked.
"A medical facility? Why do you ask?"
"Is there one?"
"I believe so, yes."
"Great," Obi-Wan said, relieved. "We'll be there as soon as we can."
"We?" Organa asked.
Obi-Wan didn't answer the senator, electing instead to deactivate the device and return it to his pocket. "Come on," he said to Padmé. "Let's get going."
Padmé nodded and attempted to get up off the bed. Obi-Wan stopped her, however, holding up his hand as he walked over to the corner of the room. Unfolding the collapsible wheelchair Maul had been so generous to provide, he wheeled it over to Padmé and gestured for her to sit down. Padmé complied without objection, a sheen of sweat glistening on her forehead as she struggled into the chair.
Upon picking up the mercifully light bag Padmé had packed for herself, Obi-Wan swung it around his shoulder and pushed Padmé out of the room. "You just keep breathing," Obi-Wan said as they emerged in the hallway.
"I know to keep breathing, Obi-Wan," Padmé said irritably. "You're the one panicking right now, not me."
"Well I'm not the one about to give birth," Obi-Wan countered as they made a turn toward the conference room.
Padmé grumbled something in response which Obi-Wan didn't register. Reaching the conference room, Obi-Wan stopped abruptly when their path was blocked by a contingent of battle droids.
"Where are you taking this woman?" the droid commander asked, blaster in hand.
Obi-Wan released the handles to the wheelchair and stood upright "She requires immediate medical attention," Obi-Wan said, his fingers itching toward his lightsaber on his belt.
"She is not allowed to leave the base," the battle droid said flatly.
"She's in labor!" Obi-Wan protested.
"Step away from the wheelchair," the droid said, raising its blaster to him. Obi-Wan froze, realizing that he couldn't fight the battle droids without endangering Padmé who was positioned directly in between them. Raising his hands, Obi-Wan took a cautious step away from the wheelchair…
"What's going on here? Step aside, Commander."
Obi-Wan looked beyond the battle droids and felt a great surge of relief. Striding toward them was Darth Maul himself.
"Maul!" Obi-Wan exclaimed. "Thank the Force you're here."
"My lord, this woman was attempting to leave the base without authorization," the droid informed Maul when he walked into the conference room.
"Get out of my way," Maul dismissed with an agitated wave of his hand. The droids looked at each other as they processed this contradictory order.
"Roger, roger," they compromised, walking away in uniform and leaving them alone in the conference room.
"Maul, she's going into labor," Obi-Wan told their savior. "We need to get her off planet."
Maul narrowed his eyes and glanced down at Padmé. "I assume you heard what happened?" he asked.
"We heard Shmi took control of the Senate," Obi-Wan said.
"And her son joined her," Maul said, still looking at Padmé. "I gave him a choice to come with me, but he refused. They must have conspired to destroy both the Jedi and the Confederacy."
"Anakin wouldn't!" Padmé insisted.
"The fleet is lost and Grievous is missing," Maul said to himself, turning his back on them as he ran a hand over his bald head. "Elegius will probably send her son here to destroy the last remnants of the Confederacy." Obi-Wan and Padmé watched Maul nervously as he slowly turned back to face them, his pale-yellow eyes narrowed with contempt. "I told her time and time again not to do it, not to do what Sidious would have done, but she went ahead and did it anyway."
"Maul, we need to get Padmé off planet," Obi-Wan said urgently.
"I can't let you do that," Maul said ominously.
"Why not?" Obi-Wan asked, instantly on guard.
"She is my bargaining chip," Maul said, gesturing to Padmé with his head. "Skywalker won't try anything if I have her."
"Maul, don't do this."
"I'm sorry, Kenobi," Maul said, finally looking up from Padmé to him. "I have no other choice."
"I won't let you," Obi-Wan said, producing his lightsaber from his belt.
"Neither will I."
A sudden blast pierced the room, shocking Obi-Wan so much that he leapt backward and nearly dropped his lightsaber. Reorienting himself, Obi-Wan saw Maul clutching his chest, his eyes wide in disbelief.
"You –"
"I will not be your bargaining chip," Padmé said viciously.
Maul fell to his knees and dropped his hands, revealing a smoldering hole directly above his heart. "Maul!" Obi-Wan yelled, dropping his lightsaber as he ran to his erstwhile friend and caught him just as he was about to fall on his face before Padmé's feet.
"Don't let her… win," Maul managed to say when Obi-Wan flipped him over and laid him down on his back. "Don't let her become… Sidious."
"Maul, I –"
"Promise me."
Obi-Wan nodded his head, stunned by this turn of events. "I promise," he said faintly.
Maul sighed and closed his eyes, never to open them again. Obi-Wan stared down at the dead Sith for a few moments longer before looking up at Padmé in shock. She was still holding a small blaster in her right hand, a fiery expression in her eyes.
"You killed him!" Obi-Wan said.
"You know I had to," Padmé said as she lowered the blaster. Obi-Wan noticed that despite her cool demeanor, her hand was shaking visibly.
"Where did you even get that blaster?" Obi-Wan asked once he had pushed Maul's body aside.
"I always carry a weapon," Padmé said, her voice laden with steel. "It would be stupid not to after everything I've been through."
"That's fair," Obi-Wan said weakly as he looked back at Maul's body which he had unceremoniously pressed against the side of the wall. He must have been completely caught off guard by Padmé, because it wasn't easy to defeat a warrior as formidable as Maul. To be fair to Maul, it was perfectly reasonable to assume that a pregnant woman wouldn't pose much of a threat in most circumstances, but Padmé was not like most women and this was not like most circumstances.
"Come on," Padmé said, shaking him from his thoughts. "We need to get out of here."
Obi-Wan nodded and exhaled loudly. He was still shaking from the encounter, but he forced himself to regain his calm as he walked past Maul's body and behind Padmé's chair to resume wheeling her out of the complex.
One hour later
When Anakin arrived on the landing platform on Mustafar, he saw a familiar figure waiting for him directly in front of his Jedi Fighter. Alighting from his vessel, he donned his hood and produced his lightsaber. "Stay with the ship, R2," he ordered the eager astromech droid which had made to follow him.
"Anakin," the zabrak greeted, his own red blade humming by his side.
"Savage," Anakin said, reciprocating the greeting with equal frigidity. "Where is your brother?"
Savage's face twitched. "He's dead," he said in a thick voice.
Anakin blinked in surprise. "Dead?" he repeated. "How?"
"I don't know," Savage said. "I think Ventress might be responsible. I don't know where she is."
Anakin narrowed his eyes and looked away, having not expected this turn of events. Maul's death didn't change anything, however. He was here to save Padmé and destroy the Confederacy, not to confront Maul. "Where is my wife?" Anakin asked. "Where is Padmé?"
"Gone," Savage said. "Kenobi took her."
"What?" Anakin asked incredulously, fury flaring up within him.
"They're gone."
"Where did they go?" Anakin asked, his voice shaking with anger. Obi-Wan had promised to keep her here! He had promised to keep her safe! Did this have something to do with Maul somehow?
"I don't know," Savage said.
Furious, Anakin activated his green lightsaber and slashed it in front of him. "Step aside, Savage," he ordered. "There's no need for you to get hurt as well."
"Don't do this, Skywalker," Savage enjoined him.
"The Confederacy ends today," Anakin said, taking a step toward Savage who took a synchronous step back. "After today, my mother and I will have restored order to the galaxy."
"Do you really believe that?" Savage asked, taking another step back.
"Lower your weapon, Savage," Anakin demanded. "You can't control the Confederacy without your brother. It's hopeless to resist."
"I won't let you win," Savage said. "Maul knew the threat Elegius posed to the galaxy. I will do everything in my power to stop her, including killing you."
"You will try," Anakin said with a sinister grin. Savage didn't stand a chance against him and they both knew it.
Yet Savage attacked anyway. Red lightsaber held high, the mammoth zabrak barreled toward him with frightening speed. Anakin slashed upward, parrying Savage's brutal overhead with ease. Twisting away from Savage, Anakin swung toward the zabrak's exposed flank. Absorbing the counterattack, Savage attempted to regain the initiative, but Anakin was too swift. Pushing Savage away toward the edge of the platform, Anakin unleashed a flurry of precise strikes toward his cumbersome opponent.
Savage was not an expert duelist like Maul had been. He relied predominantly on brute force to overwhelm his enemies, but that wasn't going to work against an opponent as skilled as Anakin. Incensed by Obi-Wan's betrayal, Anakin's already superior skills were enhanced further still. His mother had taught him about the ways of the dark side, but never had he truly tapped into them before. He had always been reluctant to give into his anger, but he had never before had a reason to do so. Now he did, and now he understood what true power was.
Savage was unable to keep up, and soon his brawny arms were covered in minor cuts and bruises from Anakin's incessant assault. "Give up, Savage!" Anakin bellowed as his foe backed away from him until his heels were on the edge of the landing platform, nothing but the coursing river of lava below. "Don't make me kill you."
"My brother will not die in vain!"
Anakin shook his head and twirled his lightsaber in his right hand. "So be it," he said. Jumping toward Savage with one knee extended, Anakin swung down at the zabrak's neck. Unable to back up any farther, Savage attempted as best he could to absorb the blow. Nicking his neck on the way by, Anakin yanked the blade back and slashed down toward his opponent's midsection. The green blade passed straight through Savage's abdomen, practically slicing him in two. With one last Force push, Savage's body went plummeting off the platform and down into the lava below.
Anakin watched impassively for a few moments before turning away and marching toward the base. Rage had empowered him so thoroughly that he was entirely unfazed by the ease at which he had disposed of Savage. Anakin knew now that nobody spare his mother was more powerful than him. Together, they would be unstoppable. Together they would bring peace to the galaxy once and for all!
Reaching the entrance of the facility, Anakin waved his hand causing the blast doors to open. Striding forth, he marched down the hallway toward the command room where his mother had told him he would find the Separatist leadership. His qualms about eliminating them had entirely disappeared. He was going to do what had to be done, and that was all there was to it. No longer was he going to be debilitated by indecision. Obi-Wan and Maul's respective betrayals had made it clear to him that decisive action was required henceforth.
A black mouse droid scurried away from him as he stormed down the hallway. Following the terrified droid, Anakin found himself being led toward the command room. Upon arriving, he found the entire leadership of the Confederacy sans Maul and Grievous. Looking up from a holographic panel, the Neimoidian Viceroy Nute Gunray saw him standing in the doorway.
"Lord Maul?" he asked cautiously.
Anakin smirked and shook his head. Raising his hand, he shut all the doors leading to the octagonal room, trapping the Separatists in the command room with him.
"Who are you?" Gunray asked, his voice trembling with fear as he stumbled away from him.
"I am your death," Anakin said, activating his father's lightsaber.
The war was over. The Confederacy was no more.
Author's Note: The end is near! I'm going to see TROS tomorrow night and I couldn't be any more stoked! All that stands in my way now is a dreaded calculus final. Will the great matriarch herself Shmi Skywalker be mentioned in the conclusion of Skywalker Saga? Probably not, but a man can dream. Justice for Shmi!
With regards to this story, the end is also nigh! I have more or less finished writing, I just have one last section to complete in the epilogue. Much to my surprise, this story ended up being exactly thirty chapters as well. I honestly have no idea why this seems to happen in all my stories. Thirty is just such a good number, you know? Hope you're all enjoying the story to this point. I can't wait for you to read the upcoming chapter as it will feature a big twist which I doubt any of you will see coming!