Shadows of the Sith
Disclaimer: Disney owns everything and I make no profit from this.
Chapter 1
Return to the Temple! Having faced off and single handedly annihilated the droid armies attacking Jabiim, Anakin Skywalker returns to the Jedi Temple, but when Master Yoda appears to give him a special mission concerning the Temple's safety, he finds himself exploring the structure's lower levels in hopes of finding the origin of a disturbance in the Force…
Warning: For those who have not read my story "A Messed Up Destiny: Before the Dark Times", it is needed for context of what's going on here and for the other side stories I plan to write that will take place in the same universe. So I suggest you go read it or you'll be completely lost here.
Note: Shadows of the Sith takes place right after "The Horrors of Jabiim" chronologically, but reading it isn't necessary to understand what happens here, due to having a completely different plotline. If someone does want to read these in order however, I will list it below.
"Horrors of Jabiim" is first in the timeline, taking place around four months after the finale of "A Messed Up Destiny Episode 1: Before the Dark Times". (It isn't out yet as of the time posting this, 14th of April 2021 to be exact).
"Shadows of the Sith" takes place directly after, dealing with the aftermath of the Battle resulting in Anakin being called back to the Jedi Temple.
"Raging Wars" is next, taking place six months after the finale of "A Messed Up Destiny Episode 1: Before the Dark Times".
"Calm between Storms" and "In the Grip of a Tyrant" both take place directly after, with a slight difference in hours that is basically meaningless since the two plotlines are entirely unrelated.
"Controlling the Fire" is the last in this series of stories and takes place after all of the above, at an unspecified amount of time after "Calm between Storms" and "In the Grip of a Tyrant", but it's safe to assume that not much time has passed, maybe a few weeks at most.
With that out of the way, let's jump straight into the story!
Coruscant, Jedi Temple, Anakin's point of view:
Even four entire months after travelling to the past, I had never thought that I'd be glad to see the Jedi Temple, much less consider the Council's order to return there a blessing. The Battle of Jabiim had been a mess, nearly ending in more carnage than the Temple Sieges had back when I was still Vader, but the consequences of my actions that day proved –or rather, reminded me- that being ordered back to the Temple for anything other than a new assignment was a bad thing, something I wish I had thought of before walking into their chambers to see frowns on everyone's faces, with Masters Fisto and Koon being the only exceptions other than Yoda and Obi Wan, who was not present.
The Council had wanted to 'discuss' the events of the battle, which entailed a three hour long session of having me go through what happened and asking the same meaningless questions at every turn, even going as far as to test me by trying to probe into my mental shields, which earned Windu a much-deserved wave of nightmarish images, mostly consisting of the aftermaths of several crusades during my time as the Empire's second-in-command.
Thankfully, Yoda had soon realized that they were getting nowhere, so he put an end to my suffering and 'recommended' –ordered, in the Council Members' eyes- me to go to my quarters and rest, saying that he needed to 'meditate' on what had occurred, providing me with an excuse to hightail it out of there and into the safety of my room, where I collapsed onto the bed, tired and –quite possibly- somewhat broken, maybe towards the ribcage, though I didn't quite care at the moment.
The Jedi Grandmaster had seen it fit to wait a few hours before waking me, tapping me on the shoulder with his gimmer stick until I groggily opened my eyes. I looked down on him, momentarily surprised by his presence, before asking what he wanted after stifling a yawn.
Yoda chuckled at whatever look I gave him, perhaps even my general appearance, and stood there, staring at me kindly, as if he was a grandfather looking at his grandkid. "More sleep, need you?", he asked in a soft tone, obviously doing his best to not disturb me much.
Taking a moment to acknowledge that this had been the best sleep I had gotten in a while, I waved him off, satisfied by my body's ability to wake up this fast when not under attack. "Nah, I'm fine.", I said casually. "What do you need?", I asked him.
"Talked more after you left, the Council did. Master Windu, disturbed by the images he saw in your mind, was. Accused you of doing it on purpose, he did, but believe him, the others did not.", Yoda said, silently conveying that he had been the one to defend me, though he wasn't prideful, nor did he expect a 'thank you' for his actions.
"Did you really have to wake me up so you could tell me that?", I inquired absentmindedly, knowing that he wouldn't have disturbed me if something wasn't seriously wrong.
Yoda shook his head 'no'. "A disturbance in the Force, I have felt. Throughout the Temple, it could be sensed. From below, it seemed to come. Ask you, I do, to investigate. An order, it is not. Asking for help, I am.", the Grandmaster said, his tone slightly desperate, as if he truly thought that only I could undertake this mission, in stark contrast to his behavior the last time I had seen him, an entire four months ago.
I shot him a questioning glance. "So now, when you need my help, you decide to trust me and treat me like a friend instead of arguing with me?", I inquired, doing my best to sound angry, expecting Yoda to take the bait and explain himself, since I knew he would avoid the topic if I asked directly.
"Hmm…", Yoda hummed, as if considering how to respond. "Admit, I do, that wrong about you I was, young Skywalker. Know what my future self, told you I do not, but sure I am, that wrong I was. Only a few months you have been here, and proved to me that a hero you really are.", he said with a tone of decisiveness I had never really heard from him, as if nothing could convince him otherwise about this.
I had tried to come up with a response to the Grandmaster's words, but Yoda stopped me by raising a finger, indicating he had more to say. "When Obi Wan told me that I good man you were, no doubts I had. Though, doubt I did, that returned from the Dark Side, you truly had. Spoke to me he did of your accomplishments in the War, about the times where helped the Republic and saved us, you had. Believed him, I had not. Seen you as someone to be wary of, I had. Have faith, I did not. But, seen now I have, all Obi Wan spoke of." Yoda's words were more encouraging than I had thought they would be, and I could sense he was being honest, explaining himself and how he had understood his initial mistake.
"Looking back, clear it had always been. Saved lives, both Jedi and Clone, on Geonosis you did. Hated the Jedi, you had at the time, yet advised Master Windu on strategy you did. Defended Obi Wan from Count Dooku, you did. Warn us of General Grievous, you did. Fought valiantly in battle and offered guidance and help to those in need after it, you did, time and time again. Care for your men, your brother, your family, you do. A good man you may have once been, but an even greater one you are now. Truly believe in your capabilities I do, young Skywalker. Fail me, you never could, because expectations from you, I no longer have. More than proven yourself an ally and friend you did, so treat you like one I shall, Anakin."
I felt a single tear fall out of my eye, and nearly cried out in joy at the Jedi Master's words. I had felt that Yoda trusted me more than before the second I stepped foot in the Temple again, but I had not known the true extent of his faith. Staring at the little green troll I tried to thank him for his words, and above of, his complete honesty, but he shook his head, conveying that it wasn't necessary. Still, I was more than pleased to see a Jedi finally acknowledge all I had done for the Order, even though I didn't feel like they owed it to me for any reason, especially after my actions during Operation Knightfall. I owed it to them after all, to save as many as I had slaughtered that day.
Clearing my throat to fill the silence, I looked Yoda in the eye, adopting what I hoped was a serious but satisfied glance. "What's the mission?", I inquired, patiently waiting for him to answer.
"Believe I do that a strong presence of the Dark Side in the Temple is. A Sith Lord it could not be, since Dooku on the planet is not and Lord Sidious in the Senate is. Fear, I do, that 'Sith business', this may be, so let you handle it, I will."
I sighed, unable to believe what I was hearing. "I tell Qui Gon that one time…I swear I should've just told him to piss off instead. Not like he can just show up when I want to go to the fresher…", I mumbled to myself, clasping a hand over my mouth when I realized that Yoda had heard it.
He laughed at me, which was well within his rights given the situation, and I decided to walk out of the room and save myself the embarrassment, retaining what little dignity I still felt I had.
Ignoring Yoda's near cackling, I called out to Revan through the Force, alerting him that we had a new assignment. He quickly responded, but didn't risk appearing next to me, since it would be quite hard to explain it away and I didn't know it if I was strong enough to Mind-Trick a Jedi.
"Lord Vader.", he greeted politely, taunting me with my old name as a joke, though it was good natured and held none of the pure malice that used to drip out of the Emperor's voice when he addressed me, so I was never bothered by it.
"Lord Revan.", I teased him in the same tone, earning an annoyed mumble of something incoherent, which made me laugh. "Not so fun when I'm doing it to you is it?", I asked him, but he only responded by sending the mental image of an innocent shrug my way.
"Did you need something, or are we going to the Archives like you said we would?", he inquired, reminding me of a promise I had made not long before the opening days of the Battle of Jabiim.
"We have a new assignment. Yoda says he sensed a powerful Dark Side presence below the Jedi Temple and tasked me with investigating this disturbance.", I explained to him in the same tone I used to issue out orders or brief the men before a mission. "You'll be joining me, I assume?", I asked, already knowing that Revan wouldn't miss something 'more interesting than some 'random battle' for the world.
Even though I couldn't see his face –or any of him, really- I knew that he was excited at the prospect of the mission. "Finally.", he said with satisfaction in his tone. "I've been wanting to explore that Sith shrine for ages.", Revan added absentmindedly, almost as if he forgot I was listening to him.
I couldn't hide my surprise at the words 'Sith shrine' and practically jumped to ceiling when I heard that, earning a few glares from passing Jedi, who –thankfully- were mostly just amused Padawans that thought they managed to scare me if the emotions they were projecting were any indication.
Annoyed, I shot them a pointed glance, effectively shutting them up, since most of them had quickly learned not to annoy me after a particularly tiring mission, curtesy of Ferus Olin, who I had almost Force Choked to death when he tried to scare me awake that one time, though he did end up being helpful since had he not been there, the Council's emergency meeting wouldn't have been interrupted by me practically breaking down the door and screaming at Windu and the others to avoid General Grievous at all costs. Unfortunately, all I got out of that was an opportunity to say 'I told you so' to Windu, not that I'd ever say such a thing to the man, especially when it concerned something truly serious.
The younger Padawans that were roaming nearby quickly caught wind of my presence in the Temple and tried to flock around me, asking all kinds of questions and praising me for being a hero of the Republic. Had these not been many of the same children that had died by mine and 501st's hands during Operation Knightfall, I might have actually taken a moment to answer their questions and maybe even joke around with them, but I still didn't like spending much time in the Temple, and especially around Younglings for…obvious…reasons.
The disappointed frowns on their faces that appeared when I told them I couldn't stay were almost enough to make me reconsider, but the mission was far too important. If whatever was down in that shrine found a way inside the Jedi Temple's upper levels, then all of those younglings would be in danger, and it would –once again- be my fault for having failed them, again.
"Anakin. Your presence is radiating anger and bordering on self-hatred. The children can't feel it, but anyone who isn't at the age of five will certainly mistake you for a Sith Lord if you keep that up.", Revan warned good naturedly, never actuallychastising me for my –rather foolish- mistake of not masking my presence near the other Jedi.
"Sure, sure. Now, do you mind telling me how to get to this shrine you mentioned?", I asked him impatiently. "I'd rather not have anyone else see whatever is down there.", I added, putting an emphasis on the secrecy this mission would surely require.
Revan let out a loud laugh. "You? Managing to keep a secret?", he teased mockingly. "That's as likely as Darth Vader showing his face again!", he added, but quickly apologized once he realized I hadn't appreciated that comment very much.
One half-hearted acceptance of that apology later, Revan began guiding me all around the Temple in an attempt to locate the entrance to the shrine, which took us to the lowest possible level that I had access to. Of course, the ones below had been forgotten by the Jedi centuries or even millennia ago, so it was no surprise that the Council forbade people –mostly younglings and Padawans- from going down there for whatever reason.
It didn't take us long to figure out that the door to the hidden shrine could only be opened by using the Dark Side of the Force and that it would allow access to only the most powerful of Sith Lords, but that qualification would pose no problem since Darths Revan and Vader had once been the two most powerful Sith Lords in history, excusing Vader's…skin condition, if I were to quote Revan from that one time where he and Obi Wan had decided to relentlessly tease me about the suit sounding like a broken cooling unit.
Focusing on the anger and hatred I felt towards Sidious, like I had done daily when I was still his apprentice, I forced the door to open. The wall in front of me emitted a loud click, and I saw Revan beside me, mimicking my action. The door was then seemingly sucked into the wall and the two of us entered before it closed behind me, leaving us in complete darkness.
And…scene! There you have it everyone, chapter 1 of Shadows of the Sith, a story a know many of you have been waiting for with much excitement. While there wasn't any action in this chapter, this will be a multi-chapter fic as stated by the words "Chapter 1" which are in bold at the beginning of this chapter, so there will be plenty more chances for action inside a Sith shrine, especially when Anakin and Revan are both involved.
Now…I'll briefly talk about some things I either think need clarification or want to comment on and the summary of chapter 2 will be below said comments.
The Battle of Jabiim, while mentioned in this chapter, has nothing to do with the plot of the story, as stated in the prologue, though the events that occurred during said battle are the reason Anakin was recalled from the field after the Republic's victory there.
The Council is being annoying as always, but that may begin to change if they begin to realize that they don't want to be on Anakin's bad side. Also, there is a reason Obi Wan is not present, but that has been left undisclosed as to not limit myself when it comes to writing the story of what occurred on Jabiim in this timeline.
Yoda has certainly learned from his past (or in this case future) mistakes and realizes he was wrong about Anakin. His decision to tell the Chosen One his thoughts is an excellent one, since Anakin really needs to receive positive reinforcement from people outside the established group (Padme, Qui Gon, Obi Wan, Rex, Revan, etc.) if he is to trust the Jedi again, because at this point in time, Anakin doesn't actually trust the Council, only tolerating them for the sake of not getting in trouble and keeping up appearances, though this will change by the time "Raging Wars" takes place, if only by a little.
Qui Gon and Yoda talking off screen happens all the time, since the Grandmaster needs to stay informed of upcoming events to be able to plan accordingly and save as many lives as possible in each situation, so it would be inevitable that Qui Gon didn't let something slip about an incident he found funny, and it's within Yoda's character (in the Clone Wars) to tease Anakin with that information.
I think the Padawans at the Temple still like to try and play pranks on Anakin (since I can imagine they did that to him as a kid, him having been a social outcast as a child in cannon), though they are only successful when it comes to irritating him, which isn't a very good thing if Obi Wan, Qui Gon or Padme aren't around to keep him calm. Revan can try, but he isn't as successful as the others in this regard.
The younglings at the Temple seeing Anakin as a hero is pretty realistic –and very, very ironic given the Order 66 thing-, but he doesn't think he deserves the praise and decides to avoid them and spare himself the reminders of Operation Knightfall.
Banter between Revan and Anakin will never not be filled with the two taking subtle jabs at each other's experiences as Sith Lords, though they know where to stop or apologize if a line is accidentally crossed during said banter, something Revan does as soon as he realizes that Anakin was disturbed by his comment on Darth Vader.
Lastly, Revan and Vader being the two most powerful Sith is basically canon because Vader would have been able to easily kill Palpatine if he had a better suit, hence Sidious making his suit extremely vulnerable to Force Lightning, which is his primary power. Revan is obvious enough, simply by being him. If you've played KOTOR, his powers need no explanation.
Next time: Anakin and Revan explore the forgotten Sith shrine and encounter Dark Lords from a bygone era, as well as discover something very concerning regarding Sidious' abilities. Anakin learns a new power and Revan meets encounters an old friend.
That's all for now everyone! I'll see you next chapter, but until then, May the Force be with you!