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Chapter 30
Anakin scanned the lava rivers carving through the blackened surface of Mustafar. He and troopers of the 501st soared over the scorched surface in a gunship. Several other gunships followed, bringing the rest of Anakin's men and two other companies now under his command.
They'd parted with Obi-Wan and a majority of the troops well beyond the atmosphere. Anakin would need a little more time in the tunnels before Obi-Wan led his strike. They had a lot of ground to cover. Anakin and his men had one task: find and destroy the weapon. Once the Jedi were freed from Sidious' influence, they would cooperate to take the Sith Lord together.
That was the plan, at least.
"There," Anakin said, and he pointed to where he thought the tunnel began.
Heaps of twisted rock covered the surface, so they had to land the gunship over a klick from the entrance. Two rivers of lava crisscrossed near the opening—that's how Anakin remembered the location. They traversed the obsidian ground, and his men went to work blasting away the surface rocks to reveal a clear tunnel underneath.
Strange. Anakin hadn't thought the entrance would be so close to the surface.
Once the path was open, the leadership of Anakin's team gathered. Anakin switched his comlink to reach everyone.
"Alright men, this is it," he said as he paced a line in front of them. "We go in, we strike hard, and we take down Sidious or die trying."
He softened his voice but kept a hard edge to it, a combination of strict leadership and understanding. He needed them to hear both.
"This mission is dangerous. This is the enemy's heart—their lifeblood. We're in their territory now. I have no doubt each and every one of you would march in there boldly and lay down your life for the Republic." Anakin scanned the faces of the men as he passed. Strength and conviction ignited in their eyes. "Yet I will not command you to do so. You are not a slave, and I am not your master. Our worth is the same. And so I give this allowance: if you are afraid, or if you have lost confidence in this war or in the Republic, if this is not worth your life… get back on the gunship and leave. I will not hold this against you. It is your life, so choose for yourself."
The commanders of the battalions glanced at each other, but otherwise, not a single trooper looked aside. Rather, the whole army at Anakin's command stood straighter and held their heads higher. Anakin had expected as much.
"Very well." Anakin resumed pacing. "You all have your orders and your roles. Know them well. But also know that you have minds, so use them. If circumstances change, change your tactics." He paused in the center of his line, faced his men, and folded his hands behind his back. "I expect you to fight like there's no tomorrow, but don't throw your lives away. Take risks, but don't be foolish. If you find yourselves in an impossible situation, get out. Try something else. You were not made to die, so do everything you can to live. Have I made myself clear?"
"Yes, sir!" said a chorus of troopers.
"Good." Anakin switched off his comlink and moved to the commanders of his three teams. "Bly, Wolffe, you know what to do. Cover this entrance at all costs. When I give the signal, follow us and cover the rear. Rex, you're with me."
"Understood, sir," Rex, Bly, and Wolffe said.
"Let's move!"
The three companies separated, and Rex and a bulk of the 501st followed Anakin into the tunnel.
Anakin drew and ignited his lightsaber for a source of light. The energy hummed and vibrated through his hand. Obi-Wan had returned the weapon to him, and Anakin had taken it with some trepidation. He would need it against Sidious, Anakin had no doubt, but it was a source of destruction and death. A source of suffering, yet it felt right in his hand. Anakin wasn't sure if that was a good or bad thing.
Troopers turned on their headlamps, and they proceeded together. Dead, dry air greeted them in the tunnel, along with the bitter fragrance of sulfur that stung Anakin's nose and crept all the way to his throat. He paused in the relative darkness of the tunnel and faced his men.
"We have a lot of distance to cover and not a lot of time. I'll lead and stay alert for trouble. The rest of you, keep my pace," Anakin said.
He sprinted through the darkness and used the Force to guide his feet and prevent him from stumbling over jagged rocks and twisted holes along the floor. The thundering footsteps of the men behind him echoed off the rock walls and rattled dust and slivers of stone from the low ceiling. Once or twice, Anakin had to duck to keep from smashing his head on low-hanging rocks. Once or twice, Anakin heard someone's helmet thump off the rocks he'd managed to evade, and he winced each time.
The deeper they got into the tunnel, the less the heat permeated. It almost felt a little too cool for Anakin's liking. An explosion echoed far above them, and the rock walls around them shuddered and spilled sooty dust on their heads. Anakin paused, and Rex drew up alongside him.
"Either Obi-Wan is having some fun up there or something's happening," Anakin said. He worried about the men he left behind, but he'd specifically brought along two experienced teams to cover their backs. They had to be able to focus.
"My hope is for something fun, sir," Rex said. "But forgive me for not being terribly optimistic."
"Let's stay vigilant."
Anakin moved forward, winding through tunnels that grew wider. Three or four troopers in full armor could walk abreast. It definitely hadn't been this open when he'd discovered these tunnels as Vader.
"Something isn't right," Anakin said, slowing his sprint to a cautious walk. "Someone's been down here."
"Look, sir." Rex aimed his light at one of the walls and pointed at a smear of black on already dark stone. Something had cut away the rock with expert precision, leaving charred remnants.
Metal knocked against stone ahead of them and echoed through the tunnel. Anakin held his hand up to silence his men, but most had already stopped at the sound. Lights erupted around a bend in the tunnel. A battle droid appeared with a brilliant white lamp, and several other droids strutted behind it.
"Hey," said the droid with a start, and it stuck up a hand at them. "You aren't supposed to be here!"
Anakin lunged forward and cut the droids apart before they could alert anyone else of their presence. Unfortunately, a small army of droids waited on the other side of the bend. Several of the droids gave a shout of surprise. Anakin dove through them, hacking and slashing them apart. Some he lifted and flung into the walls with the Force. Others he crushed. One he yanked towards himself and kicked into the rock wall. More and more appeared.
Blasters fired from behind Anakin and took down several droids, but the droids were endless. Destroyers rolled around another bend and threw up their shields. A hand grabbed Anakin's arm and ripped him backwards and out of the droids' line of fire. A wave of troopers stepped forward and took his place.
"Rex, I have to—" Anakin shook Rex's hand off his arm and moved to rejoin the fight, but Rex grabbed his other arm and dragged him back.
"Permission to speak freely, sir?"
"Of course, Rex. You know you can."
"Then blast it, General, get out of the way."
Anakin blinked. And then blinked again.
"It's difficult to shoot around you. We're hindered back here," Rex said. "And your priority is Sidious. If you waste all your energy here fighting a bunch of clankers, you won't be at your best facing him."
"But…" Anakin sank. Rex spoke truth, but that didn't make it any easier to hear. He was used to leading the charge. That was his job.
"You asked me to trust you, sir, and I do." Rex let go of Anakin's arm. "But now I need you to trust us."
"I do trust you," Anakin said. He trusted Rex and all of the 501st with his life.
"Good. Now get behind us and let us do our job. You can count on us to get you to Sidious." Rex nodded and rose.
"Rex," Anakin said, halting him. "Don't get yourselves killed."
"Wasn't planning on it, sir." Rex stepped forward and waved his hand in the air to the men behind him. "Let's go, boys! We have some clankers to clear out! Stomp 'em!"
A shout of sheer pleasure emanated from the troopers behind, and they rushed after Rex. Blaster fire illuminated the tunnel on and off in sporadic bursts. Sparks and embers shot into the air as droid heads and limbs flew and ricocheted off stone walls. Several troopers rolled EMP grenades into the shields of the destroyers and zapped them. Troopers blew them apart.
Without Anakin in the way, the troopers moved fast. They made quick work of the droids and left a graveyard of parts in their wake. A voice broke over Anakin's comlink as he followed the destroying force of the 501st.
"Sir, we've been found out. We have an army of droids closing in on us from every side. Not just small fry, either," Wolffe said.
Sidious knew about the cave, so of course he'd investigated the tunnels as well. Maybe they hadn't been set up, precisely, but Obi-Wan's distraction clearly didn't cover three companies flying in on several gunships. If the droids broke through into the tunnel, they'd be trapped from both sides.
"Fight if you can and cover that opening," Anakin said. "But if things look bad, bury the tunnel with whatever you have and get out of there."
"Bury it, sir? You're inside."
"We'll find a way out. Don't worry."
"But sir—"
"That's an order, Wolffe!"
"Yes, General." Wolffe's voice cut out under an explosion.
Anakin worried for them, but he pushed his fears aside. They had orders to escape if they needed. He told them to leave if the situation looked bleak. He had to trust, to hope, they would make those tough decisions to protect their own lives. He had to hope they believed they were worth it.
Either way, they wouldn't be getting any backup.
Rex and the troops pushed through wave after wave of droids. The blaster fire finally died after a long journey through the tunnel. Explosions rattled the rock ceiling over their heads, but far away—they were deep underground. The troopers split up and lined the walls to allow Anakin to pass ahead of them. Rex stood at what appeared to be a doorway. Anakin didn't remember any of this.
"You'll want to see this, General," Rex said.
Anakin passed him and stepped through a cleanly hewn doorway into the vast cave illuminated by lava. It had the feel of the original cave—this was definitely it—but it was much deeper than before. Several doorways had been carved into the walls and gave way to various passageways. Nothing like Anakin had seen in the future. A structure like a tall tower stood in the center of the chamber. Various lights blinked on computers affixed to the structure's base. Several larger lights illuminated the chamber, though shadows still lurked along the rock walls.
A familiar Parwan tapped away at one of the consoles with his back turned to them.
"You," Anakin said, and the word dripped off his tongue with scathing animosity. He marched to the computer with troopers flanking him.
Gubacher jumped at the noise and swiveled on his tentacles. He let out a shriek and reached for a blaster on the console. Anakin grabbed him with the Force and hoisted him into the air.
"S-Skywalker," Gubacher said with a skittish laugh. His tentacles flailed. "Have you come to kill me? I heard you gave that up."
"You're lucky I have or you'd already be dead." Anakin flung the Parwan to the floor at the feet of the troopers. "Arrest him."
"You're too late!" Gubacher laughed again, though this time with greater strength, with confidence. "You can't stop it now."
Two troopers hauled Gubacher aside and restrained his arms. The Parwan cackled anyway. Rex stood alongside Anakin.
"Is this the weapon?" he asked.
"I think so."
Anakin scanned the tower. Lights flickered at various intervals across its surface, with wires running from the consoles on the ground floor all the way to the peak. More wires ran from the top of the tower to the ceiling, where they vanished. Something glowed red at the top. The holocron.
"At last, the final piece of the puzzle has arrived," said the voice of Sidious.
He appeared through a hole in the wall at the top of the cavern and stood on a narrow shelf of rock. He jumped to the tower. Several troopers opened fire before he landed, but Sidious swept his lightsaber from his shroud and activated it while still in the air. He swung the blazing red blade and deflected the blaster bolts. When he landed, he waved his free hand upwards and hoisted all the troopers off their feet.
Anakin pushed at Sidious with the Force and managed to break his hold on the troopers, but not before Sidious threw them all backwards into the wall. Their armor clattered first on the wall and then on the floor as they dropped. Gubacher cowered in the corner with his cuff-bound arms over his head.
"I was hoping you would show up eventually, my boy." Sidious grinned at Anakin. He grabbed the holocron in his free hand and zapped it with Force lightning. The artifact blinked out, and Sidious removed it from its place. It slipped from his fingers, clattered down the tower, and shattered on the ground. "I would have been disappointed if you were not here for this."
"Destroy the tower," Anakin said to the troopers scrambling back to their feet. "Whatever it takes—destroy it and kill him."
Anakin jumped along the walls to ascend the tower, and Sidious lashed at him with Force lightning. Grenades exploded at the base of the tower, and blaster bolts fired at Sidious. The Sith Lord fired lightning with one hand and flicked his lightsaber back and forth with the other to deflect the shots. Anakin landed on a narrow shelf of wall across from Sidious and froze as Sidious slammed him with a fierce push from the Force.
Anakin pushed back with all his might. Sidious slid backwards, and his smile diminished. Briefly. Sidious hoisted up a handful of troopers and strangled them, forcing Anakin to divert some of his focus to break Sidious' grip on them. All the troopers dropped to the floor, but Sidious used Anakin's temporary distraction to whip Anakin's ledge with Force lightning. The ledge fell out from under Anakin's feet. He jumped towards a different ledge, but Sidious fired a web of Force lightning at him. Anakin spun his lightsaber and deflected the blasts, but he dropped to the ground floor in the process.
Sidious spun with a wide flourish of his cloak. He drew another holocron from under his heavy shroud, slammed the artifact into the peak of the tower, and sealed it with a jolt of Force Lightning. The holocron flared a brilliant red, and a wave of red light ran over the full length of the tower. The same red light overflowed from the tower and spread across the floor and up the walls. It struck Anakin with the force of a raging bantha, and he stumbled backwards and hit the ground.
Waves of pain radiated through him, and flashes of his nightmares clawed back into his mind. A strange sense of numbness crept through his muscles and bones and through his mind.
"Now then," Sidious said, and he disengaged his lightsaber and tucked it in his cloak before he lifted both hands into the air. "It is time for me to claim my new power."
Strangely weak, Anakin climbed to his feet. The instant he stood, the ground rocked beneath him. The floor ripped from the walls, and fissures spread from one end of the room to the other. Parts of the floor fell away into an endless abyss from which an eerie red light shone. Sidious ripped his weapon out of the floor and raised it, and the ceiling broke over them.
Troopers tottered and dropped into the abyss. Anakin caught them with the Force and yanked them up, and he dragged all of them to the side of the tower, to the small ridge of floor that remained around Sidious' weapon. One of the troopers was kind enough not to fling Gubacher into the abyss.
"Hang on!" Anakin shouted. He grappled the ridge of stone under their feet and held it in place with the Force.
Anakin, his men, and the tower on which Sidious stood rose through crumbling layers of rock into the suffocating, sweltering air of Mustafar's surface.