A/N.: How long has it been since I updated? Far too long! I'm so sorry everyone, but real life is like this, it gets in the way of all the fun stuff. Just know that this story is not forgotten, it is not in hiatus and it will not be unfinished. I update when I can. Thank you to everyone who likes, comments and all that. You guys are awesome. This chapter was a b*** to write, you have no idea how many times I've started it over. But I decided to post it even though it's not perfect. I hope you enjoy! Thank you all and let me know your thoughts!

Things To Be Done

It was not often that Darth Sidious felt the need to alter his plans so very drastically; minor adjustments were certainly made along the way, but this, this had been something quite unexpected.

He could not, however, deny that it had been quite thrilling, even though the need for the deviation had caused him some grief and a sense of failure that he was not used to feeling and that he despised completely. In the end, he concluded, it was worth it.

The situation, certainly, was not ideal. Anakin was, in fact, the strongest of the Force users. But, Sidious thought, he could have picked worse.

Surely his new apprentice was no Chosen One, but very few among the Jedi Order could compare to him. Maybe only Yoda and Windu themselves, and of the latter he had some doubts, even though he was considered the best swordsman in the Jedi Order after late Dooku's departure from their ranks, seeing how easy it was for the clones to kill him on Utapau made Sidious feel that his reputation was perhaps slightly inflated.

What made it thrilling, however, was not the former Jedi Master's competence; but the fact that he was so annoyingly perfect!

To see that perfection crack was one of the most fulfilling moments in Sidious' life; he imagined what it would've been like to have young Skywalker bow at his feet and it would have been satisfactory, for sure. But to have Obi-Wan Kenobi doing his bidding, the poster boy of the Jedi Order, the Jedi Master, perfectly cool, collected, detached, youngest member ever to be appointed to the Jedi Council, was nothing more than an unprecedented triumph.

And it was so utterly unexpected.

Yes, it was a moment to be remembered for years to come; a triumph of incomparable measure and the personification of the fall of the Jedi Order itself and a great addition to the Sith line.

Sidious had been impressed with the Jedi Master. He had seen him fight before, but only when he faced him did he realize what an extraordinary adversary he was. Sidious had to sweat for that victory, which was more than he could say for most Jedi. Kenobi was precise, disciplined, deadly and, in that moment, as he grasped the desperation that raged within him, he was even more powerful. If he would to harvest his anger, his pain, there would be no stopping him.

Yes, Darth Sidious was quite satisfied with his new apprentice.

He had no time to waste anymore. It had taken time to break Kenobi, a man with such deep roots in the light needed to be carefully coaxed into giving in to his despair, and Sidious had been without a learner for far too long and there were things to be done, armies to be led, planets to be taken, traitors to be pursued, Jedi to be killed.

"Lord Menis!" Sidious exclaimed, as he opened the door and walked inside the small dwellings where he had left his Sith student the previous night, finding him awake and sat alone at a table, eating the meager food that the droid had brought him, "I am glad to see you are ready to begin your training."

He saw it, the slight wince, barely detectable and yet unmistakable. There was still much work to be done, but there was yet to be a man in the Galaxy that Darth Sidious could not break.

This was his life now.

Lord Menis was the name he was called, every day. But he did not know exactly how many days he had been there; he hardly cared anyway.

The dark side was nothing like he had imagined. Surely he had touched it before, in that fight so long ago with Maul. But he had shut it away and purged it from himself. But now, he opened himself to it, he let it flow through him, inundate him with its power and allure and he understood now, he understood why it was so easy to give in, he understood why there was no way out.

All the guilt, all the sorrow, the Dark Side pushed them away, freeing him from the shackles that had held him back for so long.

It was a path of freedom. He understood the Code, his Master had made him recite it over and over again, in the hopes of erasing the old one from his memory.

Peace is a lie. There is only Passion.

Through Passion I gain Strength.

Through Strength I gain Power.

Through Power I gain Victory.

Through Victory my chains are Broken.

The Force shall free me.

He said it again and again, aloud and in his own mind. He memorized it, interiorized it, made it his own. Because that was all he wanted, he wanted to be free, free from his pain and his remorse and his sorrow.

And he was, most of the time.

Sometimes he forgot it, sometimes he had nightmares of that fateful night, sometimes he closed his eyes and heard the screams of children, sometimes he felt like he was guilty, he felt that he would drown himself in his own pain.

But then he said it again and again and again. And the more pain he felt, the angrier he was. At himself, at his Master, at Anakin, at the Jedi, at everything.

And the angrier he felt the deeper he sunk into it, into the comfort of the Dark Side, into its coldness and unfeelingness; because if he felt nothing, he could not feel pain.

Everyday he trained with his Master, they had created a bond. It was nothing like the bond he had with Anakin; the technique was the same, surely, but it felt so very different; he was always there, his darkness pouring within him, fueling his own, drowning him with its raw power.

He could still recall his bond with Anakin, the one that was now irrevocably severed. It felt warm, comforting and often so very troubled and demanding and Anakin's presence was hot like a shining sun, capable of engulfing everything within its light. The bond with Sidious however, felt like a volcano, furious and explosive, with such incredible destructive power, but so so alluring, a beautiful view that he couldn't stop himself from looking at. It was a heavy presence, sometimes even overwhelming. But, at the same time, it was safe, certain. It transmitted him a path; a path he never thought he would be following, but that could only end in victory and strength.

They meditated together, deep in the Dark Side. That's when the power of the Dark Side felt more overwhelming, almost infinite. When it crept in the far reaches of his mind and allowed him to release all the anger he had within him, all the pain, all the doubt. Not into the Force, no, but outwardly, into the world, making them not disappear but transform into something greater.

Often he forgot about everything and he was just Lord Menis, his entire past deleted from his mind and his heart, and he could feel the rawness of the Dark Side without limitations.

Oh, Darth Menis understood that only through that power would he ever be free, free of everything and everyone, free even of himself, of the man he had been, of the Jedi, of Sidious.

Yes, even of Sidious. He had no love for his Master, what he was he had become because of him and, Lord Menis knew, he was nothing more than a scheming bastard who would do anything for the ultimate power.

But that power would be his one day and then he would take it and destroy him, and he would make the Galaxy what it should be and rule it in his own way. Then all of those he loved would finally be free, Anakin, Padmé, the children he knew she had given birth to the day he gave himself to the Sith.

In a perfect Galaxy, maybe Anakin would join him and rule with him, maybe he could become his apprentice again, like he had been so long ago. Maybe it could all be like it used to be, maybe they could be brothers again and his young apprentice would not have to hide his love for Padmé, or his children.

Yes, one day, Darth Menis would give his brother everything he ever wanted.

Meanwhile he would have to learn everything he could, he would have to do his Master's bidding and one day, he would be ready, ready to make the Galaxy a better place.

One day.

However, today, was a different day.

He looked in the mirror that morning. He realized how different he looked, without his beard he looked a decade younger, and the blue of his eyes had been replaced by yellow from sinking so deeply into the darkness.

This was who he was now. Darth Menis, Dark Lord of the Sith. And today was his last test.

He dressed that morning in the uniform that had been provided for him, it was dark and flamboyant, so much like Jedi robes and yet so different. He put the mask that had been provided for him by his Master, concealing his identity was paramount, after all.

No one wanted a Jedi traitor in charge of the imperial fleet.

His eyes could still be seen, but they were unrecognizable and the hood that was over his head engulfed most of his features into shadows.

Even his voice was different in the mask, not like a droid, but almost muffled and low, though it did nothing to hide his deep rooted Coruscanti accent.

For all intents and purposes, Obi-Wan Kenobi was dead. Nothing in the man that stood in front of that mirror was even reminiscent of the Jedi Master.

Lord Menis walked into the training room, almost in his final form. His Master awaited him, sat upon a throne.

He spoke no words, he needed none. Darth Menis bowed and knelt, laying his old Jedi lightsaber in front of him. He closed his eyes, allowing the darkness to drown him and all his thoughts. The lightsaber floated and disassembled in front of him, its crystal in the middle, spinning around violently.

The Sith apprentice delved deeper into the Dark Side, in his mind he created a bridge between it and the crystal, and he poured all his pain, all his sorrow, all his anger and frustration into the Force. He made the crystal feel all his guilt and all the death that had followed him all his life, he made it feel the pain of almost being dejected from the Jedi Order, the loss of Qui-Gon, the loss of the Order, the loss of Anakin, the pain in Padmé's voice, the death of those children, by his hand and of all the others that had come after, during his excruciating training, all of the Jedi he was made to execute, prisoners he killed while almost in a daze. He showed the crystal the death of Satine, his beloved, the greatest of sorrows that had been buried deep within him for so long, pent up over months and months, like a good Jedi should do. And the more he broadcasted these feelings into the Force, the more the crystal spun, the more it cried, the more it bled, and suddenly, even though his eyes were closed, he knew it shone bright red.

The lightsaber parts assembled and he called it to his hand, standing he ignited it, it's scarlet light invaded the room.

Darth Sidious stood and smiled. "Very well, my young apprentice. Now, you are a true Sith."

That day Lord Menis finally left his cage, he was honored by the Galaxy as millions of reporters, senators and citizens gathered around their Emperor as he introduced them to his new right hand, the new Supreme Commander of the Imperial Fleet.

The next day he visited Padmé, before finally taking control of his fleet. There was no time to lose, there were things to be done, armies to be led, planets to be taken, traitors to be pursued, Jedi to be killed.

Power to be gained.

The sound was absolutely and utterly amazing. The engines roaring through the skies, the ship that floated above their heads into the atmosphere was the most welcome sight he had in months.

They all jolted upwards at the sight of that beautiful thing. It was their only hope of getting off that Force-forsaken rock.

They ignored the cuts and bruises the wild plant life of the planet gave them as they trekked in full speed towards the ship that could be their only ticket off their current predicament.

It took them almost the entire day to reach it, it had landed quite far from their position. But they went restlessly, knowing that there was nothing of interest to keep anyone in that planet for too long.

Anakin knew he should be wary, he was probably a wanted man, and so were Rex and Ahsoka. But the Force told him to go, told him to run towards it, guiding him towards his path.

It was curious how, after letting go of all his anger, the Force felt so much clearer, as if a veil had lifted from it. Surely the shroud of the dark side remained, but his connection with the Force had altered, it had become unblemished, harmonious. A constant guide in a place filled with darkness.

The time he had spent there was something he never knew he needed, but loneliness and time had allowed him to let go, not of the people he loved or his attachments like the Jedi Order had always told him to do, but of his own fear, of his own selfish needs for them.

He realized that, all those years, he cared more about how he would feel if he lost those whom he loved than he cared about them.

And that was not love, not really. Love was to let go when the time came and to hold on when was needed.

Surely, the pain of losing Padmé, their child and Obi-Wan was almost unbearable for him, almost crippling. But the Force showed him that the worst thing he could do to them was not honor their legacies and teachings; and their legacies were nothing but strength, kindness, generosity, freedom.

So that was what he would do, he would honor them and their fight, he would practice every lesson, he would do whatever they would do. Through him, they would leave their marks on the Galaxy, through him, his unborn child would live on, Padmé's ideals would spread to every corner, and Obi-Wan's Jedi teachings would revive the Jedi Order.

For them to be remembered as they should be Anakin would do everything. So would Ahsoka, so would Rex: the only family he had left.

So Anakin ran towards that ship, so he could do everything they would want him to do, and, like that day on Tatooine, he never looked back.

The ship was quite familiar, as was the presence he sensed within the Force. He knew that person, he was not sure if he should be happy about that particular surprise visitor, but certainly he was content that, somehow, they would be able to leave.

The bushes and the night sky hid their presences as the trio watched the band of pirates perform repairs on the Corona-class armed frigate. Hondo Ohnaka sat on top of a speeder, drinking and spitting orders at his men, who seemed less than pleased about following them.

"Master," he heard Ahsoka's voice, "this guy is bad news."

"I agree, Sir." Rex offered.

Well, Anakin agreed as well, but there was no one else around, so they had little choice in the matter. "He might be bad news, but he's the only ride out of here. Besides, we can't take too long. Maul probably sighted the ship as well, I don't think it'll take him too long to cut down all these folks and run out with it."

He heard Ahsoka sigh beside him and sensed her wariness through the Force. "So, what's the plan?" She asked.

What was the plan? He didn't have one. He had hoped the mysterious travelers would be strangers and that they could pass off as random people who had accidentally crashed. But they had no such luck. However, despite knowing that Hondo was a backstabbing, greedy criminal, he had to recognize that he had respect for the Jedi.

"We wait. He's drunk already, soon the rest of them will be too. We need a word with Hondo alone."

And wait they did and, as predicted, soon enough the party begun and the remainder of the crew began downing cheap brandy and singing their way into a drunken stupor. It was not long before they started falling asleep in random positions, some of them next to their own vomit. It certainly was not a pleasant sight to be seen.

They silently made their way out of the bushes and towards the speeder where Hondo Ohnaka had passed out in, hugging his empty bottle and with his feet propped over the dashboard.

It was in the dead of silence that Rex put his hand over Hondo's mouth and dragged him from the speeder and into the vegetation where they had been hiding during the last few hours. Of course, their new prisoner awoke immediately but, as Anakin knelt before him and gestured him to stay silent, the recognition on his features was quick and he nodded in compliance. Rex removed his hand and the shock in the pirate's face became even more prominent.

"You are alive?" He asked. The fact that it was actually a question made Anakin's heart sink.

"I am, and we need your help." Anakin replied, and Hondo's surprised expression vanished, his usual air of arrogance returned and he stood, patting the leaves and branches off his clothes.

"My friend," he said, "colluding with Jedi, in this day in age, is hardly a profitable endeavor. One might say it can actually cost you your head."

"I understand that. I'm sure the Chancellor…" His words were interrupted by the pirate's most earnest laughter.

"Chancellor?" He said in between giggles. "He is Emperor now. The Republic is gone, my friend. The Jedi are all dead and you will probably soon follow. Why should I help you? As you know, I am very cautious with my own life."

A silence settled between the group. Emperor? He had actually proclaimed himself Emperor? How much more had changed since that dreadful day? What Galaxy were they living on?

"I see you did not know. Well, my very dear Jedi, you might very well be the last of your kind and, I assure you, neither of you will probably last very long."

"Listen here you scumbag…" the young Togruta began.

"Ahsoka, that's enough!" The Padawan's voice was silenced at once. "Hondo, I know we have had our disagreements. But I also know that, deep within, there is an honorable man, a man who respected the Jedi, even if we were considered enemies. I ask you to please aid us now. I will forever be in your debt."

Hondo sighed and hesitated. Finally he made one of his characteristic flamboyant gestures and smiled. "Well, I can't say I like this new Empire. I feel that it will ruin my business. Perhaps we can come to an understanding. I give you a place in my ship and take you away from this rock and, when I need you, you will come and rescue me from the imperials."

"You have my word."

"Very well, let us not waste time." Silently the pirate led them into the ship and placed them in his quarters, away from the sight of the rest of the crew, who would be happy to give them in to the Empire for the bounties that would probably make them rich.

The stowaways heard as Hondo barked at his men to stand up and get moving. It was not long before they were flying into space and Ohnaka came in with a long rage communication device.

The three sat around it, wondering who and where to call. They had to have some allies out there, somewhere. They tried Jedi frequencies, to no avail, as suspected. Military frequencies resulted in nothing but some imperial chatter. Most of them didn't work anyway, they had probably changed all communications codes.

"Sir?" Rex said, after hours of attempts, often interrupted by Hondo who was less than confortable about having two Jedi in his ship. "What about the randomized emergency frequencies? Maybe we could try that."

It was an old system or random frequencies that changed often according to an algorithm. It hadn't been used during the war at all, but Anakin knew it from his studies in the Temple, and apparently the Kaminoans had made sure to teach them to the clones.

Carefully Anakin programed the device and the random frequencies began operating, one by one. There was nothing, but they persisted. It was a long shot, but worth trying. If they could find no one they would just have to decide where to go randomly.

"This is useless!" Ahsoka sighed, frustrated.

"Patience Snips." Anakin said, despite being, himself, running out of hope.

Suddenly an unfamiliar voice rose from the comm, it was a synthesized voice, altered to be unrecognizable in case the wrong people heard it.

"Unfortunately the Republic has fallen, but there are those of us who have not lost hope. If any Jedi survived this tragedy, please make contact over the current frequency."

"This is Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker. Please, we need help."

No one on the other side answered, all they received were coordinates and in the Force Anakin felt relief.