A/N: Hey everyone! I am so sorry for the extended delay in getting this chapter up!! I started a new job in January and my writing time dropped to practically zero. And, well, for as good of an idea of how I wanted this chapter to go, it was a cast iron bitch getting it actually worded the way I wanted it. I think I wrote then deleted it four or five times before I was satisfied with it! Hopefully I'll be able to keep up a much more regular schedule from here on out. Thanks for sticking with the story and I hope you enjoy!
_
The five Jedi Starfighters that made up Anakin's flight were hurtling through the Imperial fleet. Their laser cannons spitting fire at Star Destroyers and fighters alike as they passed. Wreaking havoc among the Imperial ships, the Force guiding the Jedi the entire way. Gunnery officers on every ship were growing frantic as the Jedi evaded every shot sent their way. More and more turbolasers were pointed at them, seeming almost to make a solid wall of energy before them. But still the Jedi flew on. Again and again entire squadrons of starfighters were vectored in on the five Jedi. And again and again the results were the same, entire squadrons left as flaming wrecks with distress beacons pinging from pilots that had ejected from their disintegrating craft. Wave after wave of fighters, all trying to halt them, and still the Jedi came.
In his customized yellow Eta-2, Anakin was flying with a focus and determination that he had never felt before. The Force was flowing through him in a continuous stream, more powerful than he had ever experienced. Time seemed almost to slow, each brilliant green lance of energy from every turbolaser fired at him seemed to move in slow motion. His movements appeared to be almost casual, yet they were utterly precise. His fighter looked as if it was barely moving, yet it evaded every shot. His own laser and ion cannon firing with impeccable precision at targets that didn't even register on his fighter's targeting system, so rapidly did they appear and disappear. Yet every shot was true. Behind him, he left a trail of flaming wreckage. Ahead of him, gaped the open maw of the Star Destroyer's ventral hanger bay. With a final, precise shot from his ion cannon, the shields surrounding the bay flickered and went down, giving the Jedi the crucial few seconds they needed to fly into the hanger before the shields could be rerouted and restored.
It was enough. As one, all five Jedi Starfighters shot into the hanger bay. Sparks flew as they skidded to a halt inside the bay. The canopies on the fighters flew off as the five Jedi leapt out them, their lightsabers igniting almost as one. Batting aside blaster bolts from the Stormtroopers in the hanger with ease. Their blades flashing, the five Jedi moved steadily towards the exit and the turbolifts leading to the bridge. The assembled Stormtroopers desperately trying to stop them.
_
Grand Admiral Barton Coburn watched the scene in the hanger on the security holos. He was frankly amazed. He had always known the Jedi were good. But not this good. And this was just five Jedi. Imagine what the Order could accomplish if they could ever bring their full strength to bear. He was also gratified to see Master Koon down there. It seems that the Force did indeed answer his prayers. As he watched, the Jedi closed on the defending Stormtroopers and began to cut their way through them. At first, he regretted the loss of life he was causing. While casualties were nothing new to him, these deaths felt particularly pointless. All caused by one man's greed and lust for power. But as he continued to watch, he realized that most of the Stormtroopers weren't being killed. Instead, the Jedi primarily looked to be severing hands, arms and legs. Traumatic and disabling injuries to be sure. But nothing that couldn't be fixed with a few weeks in a bacta tank and a prosthetic.
Darth Aella glided silently up beside him and watched the holo as well. "Weak fools," she muttered under her breath as she shook her head. "The Jedi are too squeamish to even kill their enemies. No wonder they fell with such ease when Lord Sidious attacked them."
"With respect, My Lord," Coburn said, ever conscious of the game he must play to have even a prayer at surviving, "I've fought alongside the Jedi for many years. They are determined and fearless warriors when need be. I personally know four of those Jedi. Three of them are the finest duelists the Order has ever produced..."
Holding her hand up, Aella silenced the Admiral. "I'm well aware of just who is down there, Admiral. May I suggest you deploy every available man and woman on this ship to stop them from reaching the bridge?"
"My Lord, many of the crew have had almost no training in wielding blasters or fighting off borders. It would be like sending grazers to the slaughter."
"I care not for their lives, Admiral. Do you honestly think, for one moment, they have any chance at all of stopping the Jedi?" Laughing quietly, Aella continued, "At best, they'll slow the Jedi down. Distract them. Tire them out. Maybe wound them. That is all I'm counting on."
"As you command, Lord Aella." Giving the order to his Security Officer, he mentally begged forgiveness for the pain and suffering that order would cause.
_
Djinn Altis stood and watched as his ship, the Chu'unthor, lifted off without him. He was proud of his Jedi. They had managed to fit nearly seven thousand Caamasi into his old ship. And every last one of them had volunteered to stay behind so they could fit just one more on board. They were true Jedi all. Knowing them was his life's honor. He felt sure that each and every one of them would write their names into the annals of the Jedi Order. He had already commed Master Yoda, told him what he was doing. Yoda had looked on him sadly, knowing they would never speak again. But he had assured him that his sacrifice would never be forgotten, and his pupils would always be welcomed in the Jedi Order. At the end of the conversation, Yoda had simply told him, "May the Force be with you, Master Altis." A simple phrase, one that had become the standard farewell of the Order over the millennia. But now, hearing it at the end, Djinn fully realized the enormous import of that one simple phrase. It warmed his heart and eased his spirit as he prepared to meet his end alongside those he had sworn to protect.
Turning to the thousands of Caamasi left before him, he slowly made his way through the crowd, pausing to offer comfort and hope to those left behind. He was gratified to see that not a single child was left in the crowd. His apprentices had gone through the crowds and made sure to rescue every child they could find. Touching an arm here, a shoulder there, Djinn Altis whispered comfortingly to those with him. Everyone there knew there was no hope. Not for them. Even if the Jedi had more ships to send, they would never reach them in time. Already they could see the firestorm approaching. The superheated plasma of the Imperial turbolasers lancing down through the atmosphere to strike the ground they stood on.
As they watched, a shadow passed above their heads. As Djinn turned to look, he saw the dagger shape of an Imperial Star Destroyer pass over head. Closing his eyes, Djinn muttered to himself, "I am one with the Force." Opening his eyes for the last time, he watched as a turbolaser shot straight towards him. Before he, or anyone else, could react, it struck. Master Altis was a Jedi to the end.
_
Zett was letting out a string of curses so profane and eloquent that even Anakin, who could curse fluently in nearly every language of the Republic, was impressed. The occasion for said cursing was a blaster bolt that had slipped through Zett's defenses and come close enough to his head to sever his Padawan Braid and leave a heat blister behind as proof of it's passing. On the plus side, the close call seemed to serve as a wakeup call to the young man about just how important keeping his form tight was. Since his braid had been unceremoniously cut, Zett's lightsaber work had tightened up considerably. For Obi-wan, he was just grateful that Zett had learned the lesson relatively painlessly.
The volume of blaster fire pouring at the five Jedi was like nothing Anakin or Obi-wan had seen since the fall of the Temple. Whoever was on the bridge of the Star Destroyer, they were no fool. They were sending every man, woman and soldier that could carry a blaster to stop them. They wouldn't, of course. Well, they wouldn't as long as they didn't get careless. Anakin, Obi-wan and Plo stayed in front, blocking nearly every shot that flew at them. The few that did manage to leak past were handled, mostly, by Ahsoka and Zett. Anakin knew Ahsoka was serious about this, she had both lightsabers out and lit. Unlike Zett who was openly cursing, and would likely get a stern talking to about his language from Obi-wan later, assuming they all survived of course, Ahsoka was muttering some particularly vile Huttese curses under her breath. Anakin was simultaneously both proud and ashamed that his old Padawan had taken after him so much.
Finally, they reached the bank of lifts at the base of the neck. Unlike on the Invisible Hand, they had all been disabled. Giving Obi-wan a sly grin, Anakin said, "Well, we couldn't expect them to make things too easy, could we?" Reaching for his com-link, Anakin called R2. "Artoo, I need you to override lift number 22576." Artoo's response was not long in coming.
"Seriously? You guys would never get anywhere without me. I need a raise," Artoo responded.
"A raise?! Artoo, none of us even get paid! Please just tell me you're overriding the lift."
"That's my point! I don't get paid enough to continually bail you guys out like this. And yes, I'm overriding the lift. What did you think I was doing? Chatting with the nice Mouse Droids?"
"You and I really need to have a talk about your attitude when we get home Artoo."
"Whatever, the lift should be there in five seconds."
"Thank you."
"Are you sure he doesn't need a memory wipe, Anakin?" Asked Obi-wan.
"Depends on what you mean by 'need.' Besides, I think it would just be cruel to do that to him. He's been through so much, he's practically a rolling encyclopedia of the Jedi Order."
"If he had the capacity to, I'd be seriously worried about him developing a drinking problem."
"Hey. Knock it off. He's saved our butts more times than either of us can count."
Ahsoka was just standing there shaking her head at the two of them. No matter how often she had seen them do it, the fact that they could carry on a seemingly normal conversation in the middle of a battle still impressed her. As the lift doors opened behind her, first Zett, then herself, then Master Koon and finally Obi-wan and Skyguy backed into it. Only when the doors shut and they were safely on their way towards the bridge did they deactivate their lightsabers and take a moment to collect themselves. Obi-wan and Plo chose to briefly meditate, Zett followed his Master's lead, Anakin took the time to send his love to Padme and his children through the Force and Ahsoka spent it checking her lightsabers to make sure they were still in top condition.
_
As Darth Aella watched the Jedi make their way through the ship, she had to admit a grudging admiration for their single minded determination to reach her. Dismissing them as a threat merely because they were Jedi would be a fatal mistake. While the arrogant and self assured part of her believed she could defeat all of them, the realist in her knew that if she stayed, she'd die. Her Master had shown her the holo he had secretly made of Skywalker dueling Tyranus. Though Lord Sidious had intended for the holo to be a very different kind of lesson, Aella had learned that she was no match for Skywalker one on one. Let alone when he was supported by the additional Jedi with him. She had to cut down the odds. And she had a pretty good idea on how to do it.
Gathering the Dark Side to herself, she used the pain and suffering emanating from the planet below to enhance her power and abilities. Darth Aella wore the Dark Side like a cloak. To any who cared to look, she appeared as nothing more than a shadow. On the surface of the Force, she would appear as nothing at all. But deep within it's depths, she was a wound. An open sore in the very fabric of the Force. Her Master had told her of Darth Nihilus, how he could suck the life out of anyone through the Force. Aella was now trying the same. To drain those around her of their Force Potential and thus increase her own power. Easing herself into the recesses of the bridge, she awaited the Jedi's arrival. They would not be long in coming.
Darth Aella could feel the repulsive touch of the Light as the lift they were in drew ever closer. It revolted her. Not just the Light Side, but the way the Jedi themselves felt. Arrogant, self-righteous, restrained. It sickened her to think that any being would chose to live their life with such restrictions placed upon them. The Jedi utterly failed to grasp the true nature of the Force. The Force was power. And no Jedi would take that from her. As her eyes glowed a sickening shade of yellow, Darth Aella sank deeper into the void in the Force she had created. While the Jedi would no doubt sense her dark presence surrounding the ship, they would not sense her. Grasping her intricately carved lightsaber hilt tightly in one hand, she watched as the doors to the lift opened.
_
As the lift rose towards the Bridge, Anakin stretched out with the Force, feeling for the Sith they were sure would be there. To his surprise, he felt nothing but a vague darkness surrounding the entire ship. Judging by how concerned Obi-wan and Plo looked and felt, neither had they. Taking a deep breath, Anakin plunged into the Force. The warmth of the Light enveloped him as he sank deeper and deeper into it, following the paths Master Yoda had showed him all those months ago in the Jedi Temple on the day their world as they had known it had ended. As Anakin dove further into the Force, he felt it's currents pulling him towards a dark shadow. "The Sith," he thought. "You cannot hide from me, Sith. The beginning of the end of your Order is near."
Rising from the depths of the Force, Anakin turned to Obi-wan, "The Sith is on the Bridge. Cloaked in Darkness. She's buried herself so deeply in the Dark Side that searching on the surface of the Force won't find her."
Before Obi-wan or Plo could confirm that, the lift glided to a stop. As the lift doors began to open, all six of the Jedi's lightsabers snapped to life. Before the doors could even be opened all the way blaster fire from the Clones stationed on the bridge began to pour through the doors. Anakin and Obi-wan sent every shot back through them, hitting the very clones that had fired them. The confined space and the sheer volume of fire coming at them didn't allow the Jedi to harmlessly redirect the Clones shots this time. And for Anakin, he felt the death of each and every clone keenly. These were men he had come to respect and admire. And taking their lives hurt. "The Sith would pay for these deaths," he thought darkly.
As they began to advance out of the lift, the three Jedi Masters began to scan for the Sith. Both with their eyes and the Force. Suddenly, and without so much as a warning flicker from the Force, blue Force Lightning shot from out of the corner of the Bridge, catching Zett squarely in the chest and flinging him back, his robes smoking. The suddenness and violence of the attack momentarily distracted the Jedi. And a moment was all that was needed. A bolt slipped through Plo Koon's guard and caught him on the shoulder. Another burned a hole through Obi-wan's robes, missing him by millimeters, raising a heat welt on his skin.
And from out of the shadows, the Sith hurtled at them. Darth Aella's lightsaber glowing blood red and held out in front of her as her body twisted and flew through the air. Flying like a lance straight at Ahsoka. Behind him, Anakin could hear his old Padawan fighting for her life, her twin lightsabers clashing against the Sith's. But he could do nothing to help her. Not yet. There was still too much blaster fire coming from the remaining Clones. And with both Zett and Master Koon down, it fell to him and Obi-wan to fend it off. Until they were neutralized, he was helpless.
_
The attacking Sith had almost caught her by surprise. But Ahsoka hadn't spent years being trained by Anakin to be caught quite that unaware. With her lightsabers flashing, she dueled the Sith, determined to bring her down. Striking high and low nearly simultaneously, she began to press the Sith back, slowly gaining the upper hand. As Ahsoka whipped her left handed blade through the air toward the Sith's neck, the Sith dropped at the last millisecond, cutting her timing so close that the smell of singed hair soon filled Ahsoka's nostrils. As the Sith dropped, she lashed out with a booted foot, forcing Ahsoka to leap and flip back, surrendering the ground she had gained, cursing all the while.
Rushing back into the fight, Ahsoka pushed herself harder and faster than she ever had before. Her blades moving so fast they were nothing but a blur. The Sith responding in kind, her single red blade seemingly always there to intercept her own blue ones. And then, just when Ahsoka thought she had the fight won as a hole slipped open in the Sith's defenses, Darth Aella unleashed hell.
_
So far, Aella was pleased. The Jedi had been caught almost completely unawares. The Padawan was nothing but a smoking pile of meat and the Kel Dor was seriously wounded by blaster fire. Of course that still left Kenobi, Skywalker and Skywalker's Padawan. But the odds were better than they had been a minute ago. And she was confident she could take out the Togruta. Skywalker and Kenobi were another mater. Hopefully the Clones would keep them occupied enough for her to kill them. And if not, well, that didn't bear thinking about.
The Togruta she was currently facing was very good. Fast and aggressive. She liked that. It made it easier for her to lure her into her trap. As their blades flashed against one another, Aella began to gather the Dark Side to herself once more. All the pain and suffering around her was feeding her like nothing ever had before. If it wasn't for having to kill the Jedi, she would be in a near trance-like state. The fact that she couldn't fully enjoy it was fueling her anger. Which in turn fed her hate. And her hate made her powerful. Just as the Sith Code said it would. As the Dark Side swirled around her, she found herself starting to grin. The sheer exhilaration of reveling in the Dark Side was incomparable. As the Jedi before her were about to find out.
Slowly giving ground to the Jedi, she called upon the Dark Side and began to compress it within her, packing more and more Force energy within her cells. Shaping and molding it into a ball of power until she could hold no more. Then, for the first time since the Jedi had appeared on the Bridge, she spoke. Her voice, when it came, sounded as if it was coming from a great distance, from the very depths of the Force itself. "And now, Jedi, you die," she said.
Saying that, Darth Aella released the full power of the Dark Side within her, the Force exploding out of her in a storm of such violence that it began to rip the Bridge apart, consoles and view screens exploded and shattered, Force Lighting flew from her body in every direction, as the transparisteel of the bridge windows exploded outwards, the bridge crew and the Clones on the bridge were blown out into the vacuum of space. Only a few lucky ones with the presence of mind to grab something solid were spared. With satisfaction, she watched as the Jedi were flung against arcing equipment and into walls. The Togruta who had been dueling her crumpled as the full fury of the Force Storm struck her and threw her into a crew pit, knocking her unconscious. As the emergency blast shutters slammed shut over the Bridge windows, she surveyed her surroundings. Cursing to herself, she saw Skywalker and Kenobi still on the Bridge, shaken but alive. And Skywalker was turning to face her.
As she held her lightsaber in front of her, she felt her limbs shaking. Not out of fear, but out of exhaustion. Darth Sidious had warned her that too rapid and powerful use of the Force could leave her drained. And so it had this time. She knew she couldn't beat Skywalker at her best, let alone in this state. As she desperately tried to fan the flames of the Dark Side within her, her mind was racing to come up with a solution. Her best, and really only, option was one she despised. But she didn't have a choice when it came right down to it. Using the few brief seconds she had remaining until Skywalker recovered enough to kill her, she turned to flee through the Bridge doors. Though before she fled, she had one last thing to do. Spying Admiral Coburn shakily getting to his feet she thought, "Oh good, he's still alive," and called out, "Oh, Admiral, thank you for your service." And with that, she crushed his mind with the Force, setting all his demons free to torture and torment him for the rest of his days.
As she ran to the escape pods, she felt a curious mix of satisfaction and disgust. She had defeated three Jedi simultaneously. But still had to run in defeat. Next time, she promised herself, there would be no retreat. Reaching the escape pods, she practically flung herself into one, feeling Skywalker coming up fast behind her, his huge reserves of Force Power propelling him after her. Slamming her fist down on the launch button, she felt the pod fire out into space less than a second before Skywalker's lightsaber burned through the interlock door on the Destroyer. Steering her pod towards the Dominator, she commed that ship's Captain and told him to prepare for her arrival. This day's work was far from over.
_
Anakin had just batted the last bolt from the Clones aside and was about to turn and help Snips when the Force itself seemed to erupt around him. He was battered and slammed from every angle while lightning danced across his vision. Sensing the bulkhead rushing up to meet him as he was flung back, Anakin threw a shield up around himself at the last second, somewhat cushioning his impact. Though the bells ringing in his ears and the stars in his eyes told him he still hit pretty hard. As the transparisteel of the Bridge windows shattered, he anchored himself with the Force. Looking around through squinted eyes as the Force Storm raged around him and the atmosphere rushed out into the cold, dark void of space, he saw Ahsoka, unconscious and as limp as a rag doll, flying towards the gaping maw of the destroyed bridge. Grabbing her with the Force, he pulled her to him just seconds before she would have been lost forever.
As the Storm around him eased and the Bridge emergency shutters slammed down over the shattered transparisteel, Anakin gently lowered Ahsoka to the deck. Breathing a sigh of relief that his bond with his old Padawan was still intact, he checked her briefly for injuries. Finding nothing more than what he expected, a bruised skull and maybe a couple of broken ribs, he stood and snapped his lightsaber back into existence. Turning to glare at the Sith, he was just in time to watch her crush the mind of one of the officers on the Bridge and take off running. Yelling to Obi-wan that he was going after her, Anakin tore after the retreating Sith, the Force speeding his passage, the walls blurring as he ran.
"You will pay for this Sith. You harmed my family. There is no escape for you now, Dark One. You. Are. Mine," Anakin though as he ran the Sith down. Seeing her diving into an Escape Pod, he lunged after her. His only thought being, "Kriff! Why didn't I have Artoo lock down the Escape Pods? Stupid! Stupid! Stupid!" As Anakin watched, the doors to the Pod closed and it prepared to fire. Making one last supreme effort, Anakin flung his lightsaber straight at the door, but just as the tip of the blade touched the door, the Pod fired. Skidding to a halt, he peered through the small hole his blade had torched through the door as the atmosphere alarms blared around him. He didn't have long before the section depressurized, but what he saw was enough. The kriffing Sith was headed straight to one of the other Imperial-class Destroyers.
Hurrying back to what was left of the Bridge, Anakin was shocked at the amount of damage that had been done. There was not a single functioning console left. Some had merely shorted out due to the Sith's lightning, others had been almost literally blasted to fragments. Looking around, he saw Obi-wan administering emergency first aid to Master Koon, his Padawan and Ahsoka. Master Koon had literally thrown himself over Zett when the Sith had unleashed her Force Storm. And he had suffered for it. His breathing mask was on the verge of failure and several sharp pieces of metal seemed to be embedded in his back from when a console near him had exploded. It was a miracle that he was able to stay conscious long enough to anchor himself with the Force when the Bridge windows shattered.
Spotting a few officers that were still alive, one of which appeared to be the ship's Captain, Anakin walked over to them. They appeared to be trying to calm down a deranged human wearing an Admiral's uniform. At least he thought it was. The uniform was white and had rank insignia he hadn't seen before. Walking towards the man, Anakin held up his hand and sent soothing waves of Force Energy towards the man. As the man calmed slightly, Anakin told him, "Sleep." Almost instantly, the man was asleep. Turning back towards the officers, he put his hands on his hips and glowered at them slightly.
When he spoke, his voice was almost unnaturally calm, especially considering how he was feeling at the moment, his Sister was laying on the deck hurt and unconscious, a young Padawan was hurt and Master Koon had been severely injured. For just a moment, Anakin had seen red and felt the elusive call of the Dark Side, seeing his friends hurt like that. That he was able to resist even slightly tapping into his anger had surprised and pleased him. Of course, that didn't change the fact that he was still really angry.
"Are you the Commanding Officer of this ship?" Anakin asked.
"I am, Sir. Captain Nico Medina, Imperial Navy."
"You know who I am?"
"I do, General Skywalker."
"Good. Will you obey my orders, Captain? Or must we place you under arrest?"
Captain Medina had never faced a more difficult decision than the one he faced right now. He had served the Republic for most of his life. Was even one of the few to have commanded a Republic Cruiser before the outbreak of the war. And as such, he had had more contact with the Jedi than most. But the Navy was his life. Was he really willing to throw it all away? This was a decision that needed deep thought. Unfortunately, he didn't think General Skywalker would give him that time.
"I...I...I...I, I will, General."
Giving the Captain one of his trademark grins Anakin told him, "Good! The Sith that was here, she took an escape pod, headed towards the Destroyer off our starboard beam. I have no doubt in my mind she'll be targeting us as soon as she reaches it. So we need to get out of here."
Turning to his few remaining officers, Captain Medina told them, "Back to your stations. Now! See what still works. Make sure we're still in control of the ship. If not, be prepared to take over at secondary control. You, Lieutenant!" he said, pointing at a junior officer. "Ensure the shields are still up. If they're not, get them up. Anyway you have to!"
As the remaining officers rushed around the Bridge, trying to salvage whatever they could, Anakin walked over to Snips. Kneeling down next to her, he gently touched her forehead, then her cheek. Seeing her so pale and still unnerved him. Thinking back, he remembered when she had first arrived on Christophsis and blithely announced that she was to be his new Padawan Learner. She was such a ball of energy. She had to get better. Closing his eyes, Anakin reached for the bond with his old Padawan and told her through it, "Get better soon, Snips. We need you out here. I need you out here. Your family is here for you. Always."
Looking at Obi-wan, Anakin asked, "How are they?"
"Touch and go. Ahsoka should be fine. I've got her ribs stabilized and I injected her with a mild sedative to keep her from moving around too much. Zett took a full charge of Force Lighting straight to the chest. Far worse than Dooku gave to you on Geonosis." Obi-wan gave a quick grin to Anakin at that seeing his brother's grimace at the reminder of the duel where he had lost his arm. "But Plo, he's not doing well, Anakin. His breather was damaged in the Force Storm. And then these shards of metal in his back. I don't know a thing about Kel Dor anatomy. So I don't know if they're mostly harmless and we can pull them out or if we do pull them, if it will kill him. We need to get all three of them to Master Che as soon as possible."
Nodding in agreement, Anakin told him, "I'll do my best Master."
Standing up, Anakin walked over to where Captain Medina was standing and asked, "Status, Captain?"
"Sir, almost every console and station on the Bridge is destroyed. The only thing that is working is the announcing system and one engine status display for a secondary engine. Everything else is down."
"I thought as much. Prepare your men to take command at secondary control."
"Aye, Sir."
Looking at the comm panel Anakin though, "Eh, why not?" and keyed it up. Speaking into it he said, "Attention all hands. This General Anakin Skywalker of the Grand Army of the Republic. As some of you may know, Chancellor Palpatine, a man I once considered a dear friend and mentor, has betrayed the very Republic he swore to defend. Chancellor Palpatine, as he has openly admitted, is in fact a Sith Lord. I am asking you, here and now, to uphold the ideals of the Republic that you fought so hard for. Join with us. Help us to restore the Republic. Don't let your loved ones live in fear. Don't let the tyranny of the Sith destroy the Republic we all knew and loved." Pausing briefly, and realizing that more than empty platitudes were needed, Anakin let real emotion into his voice as he said, "Please. We need your help. We can't win this fight without you."
Amazingly, Anakin's wild idea actually worked. Out of the sixteen-thousand crew on board, almost all of them joined with them. Those that refused, were seized and either placed in the brig, or shoved into escape pods and jettisoned from the vessel. They had seen first hand what the Sith were like. Almost to a man, they had been sickened by the destruction they had been ordered to unleash on the planet below. Most of them were Veterans. And all had heard of the Hero With No Fear. While they may not quite trust the Jedi, they were infinitely better than the Sith.
Turning once again to Captain Medina, Anakin simply said, "Let's go, Captain. We've got work to do."