Chapter 8: A New Pawn

Darth Sidious grins; ever since the death of Offee, he had known that the Jedi Council would only find it mandatory than ever to capture Skywalker and to bring him to face their judgment.

Yes, ultimately, leaving Skywalker to be on his own after he had left the Order have proven to more beneficial than ever.

Part of him wanted to recruit Skywalker after his departure of the Order, but the dark side itself permitted him from doing so, meaning that the dark side had been awaiting this moment.

Sidious makes a mental reminder to never doubt the dark side again.

Although Sidious had plans to turn him hours before the end of the Clone Wars in one night, Skywalker turning sooner is having better results than his plan.

Were it anyone else, they would almost certainly be captured by the Jedi already and brought before the Jedi Council. They would have been handed over to the Republic for whatever crimes they may have committed after their turn.

However, Anakin didn't yet commit any crimes that involves the Republic. The only difference from before being of course Anakin didn't actually turn before but was framed by another padawan.

Now Skywalker has disappeared once more, and Sidious feels recruiting him would be far more easier; all he has to do is make it appear the Jedi is threatening Naberrie.

Once on Coruscant, worrying about that whore, Sidious would pull off his manipulations and bring Anakin to his side. Skywalker slipping down the dark side without return would be among satisfying. Kenobi and Tano would be unable to stop him as he had already slipped down the dark path.

Anakin doesn't trust Kenobi, but the issue with Tano creates amount of problems.

Anakin has been extremely isolated for the last two years and do not trust the Council in the slightest. The factor is that Anakin's main fear has always been about Padmé, something Tano's presence would not prevent. That was probably the single feeling most responsible for his fall, with mistrust of the Council coming in second. Tano's presence changes neither of those.

If she somehow can be enough to keep him from turning to the dark side, Palpatine shall see to it she is out of the way so that didn't happen. Palpatine uses some textbook emotional abuse tactics, isolating and encouraging Anakin to self-isolate from his support network so that Palpatine will be the only one Anakin has to rely on. Palpatine shall not act until he is certain that Anakin was isolated enough to be turned.

And, of course, Tano can't fix Anakin's fundamental issues, namely his fear of loss and his selfishness. That's present regardless of who's around him. He wonders when the time comes, would Anakin murder Tano just as he had murdered her former friend several days ago?

Regardless, he would ensure she is out of the equation. He is not foolish enough to put his trust into mere hope and likelihood.

Lightning thunders outside, and Sidious walks over to the window, unaffected.

He can imagine the day when it is time to execute the order. The holo-communicating device is awaiting him, but Yoda, Kenobi, and Windu are still at the Temple, and despite the 501st being the best legion in the army, they would rally up the Jedi and defeat the clones, an outcome he wishes to avoid at all costs.

Even if Anakin was kneeling at him now, even if Anakin was his apprentice, Sidious would not attempt a foolish choice; if multiple members of the Council attacked at once then they'll dogpile Anakin. If Yoda is around then Anakin dies. If it's just other Council members and Anakin faces them one on one then he'll beat them individually. The only person at the time among the Jedi that can defeat and unhinder Anakin is Windu and Yoda. Though more Jedi may escape with more Council members as a distraction. And if his future apprentice dies then lots more Jedi escapes.

So technically they would still succeed but they would lose lots more clones and possibly Anakin. But they aren't going to be defeating the fleet of ships overhead and in all honesty, if the circumstances weren't perfect then Sidious may have to help and perform his political talk later.

Skywalker may be the Chosen One but sending him off to the Temple full of trained and experienced Knights such as Kenobi, Windu, and Yoda would ultimately not end well. Despite him capable of calling all clone units back to Coruscant, the plan has its risks.

Once Skywalker is his, he has to ensure Windu, Yoda, and especially Kenobi are far away from Coruscant or dead. He can easily plunge his lightsaber through a not suspecting Kenobi but that would probably lead to the Council to him, and not to mention, Skywalker would be angry with him. No, if Kenobi dies, it should be by too invested in the dark side Skywalker's hands.

'Remember, the first and only reality of the Sith there could only be two. And you have been replaced.'

Shouts echoes. Lightsabers activate. Screams and yells are simultaneously cut down.

'You all going to burn! We're all going to die!'

'There is no other way!'

'No! No!'

'What have I done?!'

'Good soldiers follow orders. Good soldiers follow orders. Good soldiers follow orders.'

'Find him! Find him! Fives! Find him! Fives!'

'He is the key to everything.'

'Anakin please!'

'You were my brother, Anakin!'

Through the fog, a hooded man emerges, blue lightsaber activated. Each who attempts to fight the hooded man is simultaneously cut down mercilessly.

The fire is heard not that far behind him, follow shortly by screams and cries of fear, agony, and pain.

What's startling is that the cloaked man is surrounded by the dark side, the death of many sensed on his cerulean lightsaber. Blood caresses across his robe.

'Anakin! Anakin! No!'

'From my point of view, the Jedi are evil!'

Golden eyes flash.

Black and red tattoos covering his head and face, a crown of small horns.

He had seen what the Jedi could not. The Jedi are going to fall, his former Master who had wrongly betrayed him and used him as a weapon is going to create a new institution and have stronger apprentices.

No, he cannot allow this.

While the Jedi's abilities in seeing visions are being clouded by the growing powers of the dark side, dark siders can see visions far more clearly. Not just the Dark Lord of the Sith himself. He is no exception. He is a very powerful dark sider after all and the galaxy is rife full of negative emotions all over the place thanks to the Clone Wars. He just doesn't have any sheer raw hatred and martial prowess.

Skywalker is extremely powerful, but a problem presents itself. After the Jedi Temple bombing, he was set free and he had left the Order. Perhaps if he was in a cell defenseless and weak and broken, the dark sider could kill him and strip his former Master of his prized pupil.

Where is Anakin Skywalker?

He would search far and wide across this galaxy.

Anakin Skywalker must die.