Bonus non-canon scene:

You are so easily defeated, I don't even need to try.

"Now you are being stupid."

Not so. Anyone with the slightest intelligence can defeat you.

"Prove it."

Proceed down the tunnel.

Anakin growled and pressed forward. He watched the doors and hall carefully. His senses told him there was no threat, but-

His hands snapped up, and a moment later his body followed to the ceiling. Anakin blink and looked down. He was dangling from the ceiling.

"What?" He asked blankly. What was happening?

Obi-Wan stopped to look back, and smirked widely, "It would appear the dastardly Sith Lord has defeated you… with a magnet." Ahsoka snorted and covered her smile with a hand, but couldn't succeed in restraining a giggling fit.

Hahaha!

"Let me down!" Anakin yelled.

Episode 5 Part 3 - Hail to the King

"And that?"

Jedi Master Anakin Skywalker smiled. He answered, "That is a probe."

"And that?"

"That is also a probe."

"But they look different."

"That is because they are different kinds of probes."

Anakin patiently watched as the youngling climbed out of the chair, trotted over to the other side of the doctor's room, climbed onto another chair, and pointed at a chart on the wall. "And that?"

"That is a chart. It shows the degradation of... err... a horrible disease."

"Awful!" The boy exclaimed, though Anakin found it odd he said it with excitement rather than sympathy.

"It certainly is."

The return from the facility had been uneventful. The children were escorted to the brig, but efforts were made to make sure they didn't feel like the prisoners they were. The laser shields were left off and only the doors were shut. Clothing, food, a few toys or games, and such were provided mixed with the armed guard, so it looked more like a highly secure daycare for than anything else. The Vode clan of the Mandalorian clans, formerly the Republican clones, provided a wary recommendation for full medical checkups. The Vode had found they had been given triggers into their brains that would have forced them to obey certain orders once triggered, no matter the order, like an army of sleeping agents. It would make sense for Valkorian to do the same to the children.

With that recommendation in mind, the children were given medical checkups to look for irregularities. Most Vode escorted the children one by one, but Anakin found it in him to escort the children's leader. This one, this child who had stepped forward to question him back at the facility on behalf of the group, was clearly their unspoken leader. The kid had also grown highly attached to Anakin, not wanting to leave his side since they arrived, never stopped asking questions, and never stopped reminding Anakin of what he had missed in his own time as a father. For Anakin, it was a nice moment, even if he wasn't the kid's father. The innocence of the moment was certainly a striking constrast to what he had seen earlier.

Continuing his exploration, the three year old (approximately), climbed from the chair onto the doctors desk and pointed at something. "And that?"

"It is a datapad. The doctor uses it to reference information and to write."

"Ah." The kid nodded. Without thinking further he kicked it off the desk.

Anakin gasped, reached his hand out, and stopped the machine from reaching the floor with the Force. He sighed in relief a moment, only to gasp further as the kid had, somehow in that split moment, found something else fascinating and was busy looking into it: a needle.

"Nonononono. Let's not do that!" Anakin pulled the needle from his hand, picked the kid up, and put him on the floor.

"Why's your hand metal?" The kid continued to ask randomly, still held in his hands.

"I got it from a hospital. I had lost my real hand in battle to a Sith Lord."

"Awful!" He exclaimed with excitement. "Like us?"

"You are not a Sith Lord." Anakin chuckled. At least the kid wouldn't be, yet.

Unfettered, the kid changed subject again. "Where were you born? You from here?"

"No, I was born far away on a planet out in the middle of nowhere. It is called Tatooine and I've lived most of my life either on Coruscant, on Naboo, and on the move."

The kid paused, seemingly processing it. Anakin doubted the kid actually knew those places. Although, considering he had found the kids in a top-secret underground experimental labratory, there was no telling how much the kids did and didn't know. By all rights the kids shouldn't even have a functional language without the proper education; but the kid understood everything he was told as quickly as he was told. The kid, when they first met, acted like he would at least know who Anakin was in some way. Was the Emperor whispering into his mind? Was there an implant steadily downloading information into his easily digesting brain? Was the kid given some kind of education within that facility? There was no telling.

"Awful!" The kid smiled.

"Yeah... it was horrible." Anakin said slowly, confused.

The kid looked back confused as well. "What?"

"What?" Anakin questioned back. "Do you know what 'awful' means in Republic Basic?"

"Yes, to be full of awe."

Anakin chuckled. The kid was scarily smart for a three year old, hinting that he was given an implant-forced education akin to an encyclopedia shoved in his little brain while he was in whatever test tube he was birth from, but it seemed Sith information was slightly incorrect. "No, no. That word is 'awesome'."

"Awesome means to only have some awe."

"One would think, wouldn't they? It would make sense if it did, but it does not."

The kid scrunched up his face. "You are weird. Master said awful is full of awe. You're just wrong."

"Yes... perhaps I am." Anakin conceded. He didn't want to press too hard and argue.

Master.

Has to be Valkorian.

A few minutes of endless questions about him and his life, ranging from his family to his adventures, the doctor entered and his assistant droid followed in. He took up a chair and said with a smile, "Well, kiddo. Looks like you are clean."

"I'm always clean!" The kid argued.

"So nothing to worry about?" Anakin asked. As he talked, the kid climbed onto the chair beside the doctor and looked at the datapad chart in his hands.

"The boy is amazing, but nothing I would worry about. There is no implant to control him, no tumor to hint at a genetic time-bomb waiting to go off and give him any orders. No hidden sets of chemicals waiting to go off. Every organ looks perfectly healthy. Even his DNA structure, based on a sub-human race, does not hint at genetic time-bomb."

"What's a D-N-A?" The kid asked. He pointed at the datapad, his little finger touching the screen. "What do all these numbers means?"

"DNA is the stuff that decides what your body is, young man. You might know when you are older." The doctor replied gently.

"Like a blue print." Anakin inserted.

"You really think a kid his age would understand what a blu-?"

"Oh, you mean what you call deoxyribonucleic acid?" The kid asked. Anakin and the doctor's eyes both grew equally wide. The kid looked between them, "Is that a yes? Awful!" With the two still stunned, the kid climbed down from the chair and departed, saying, "I'm going to go back to my friends! Nice talking to you doctor man." He closed the door behind him.

"What. The hell." The doctor murmured.

"He's smart." Anakin concluded.

"Smart? That kid scares me."

"I'm sure he will become someone we will be hearing a great deal of in the future. But you said he was amazing. What do you mean by that? Besides having a dictionary shoved in his skull, he seems normal to me."

"Y-yes..." The doctor continued to watch the door. He shook his thoughts away. "Yes, the youngling is amazing. What I mean is his DNA is unlike any I have ever seen. You see, people only have about ten-percent of their DNA active. This number varies slightly, and it lessens over time as we age. Because with each cellular reproduction, the coating around our DNA is damaged until, when we reach a certain point towards the end of our life, it is gone and the DNA itself becomes damaged with each cellular split, peels off, and our cells forget how to do basic things like breathing."

"Okay?"

"That kid... has fluctuating DNA. My first scan from two hours ago showed twenty-percent, my scan from an hour ago showed seventy-percent, and my scan from just now has him back down to twenty-percent. And no, its not like he is a mutated mess of cells unable to figure out what to do. Each scan was a complete scan, as in all of the cells in his body would shift DNA at the same time."

"That... makes no sense. Does it?" Anakin asked, uncertain. He wasn't a biologist. He was much more at home with machines than with tissue.

"It does make no sense. I thought at first there was something inside him changing his body constantly, while keeping the important ones, but there was no tumor or control I could find, as I said. So I thought, maybe there is damage. But the oligolysine coating is completely undamaged."

"The olig-what? Is that a good or bad thing?"

"Even a child within the womb shows at least a little damage to this coating. The damage starts from conception with each cellular split. But the kid has none."

"And this means... what?"

"His body may grow into an adult, but there is no timer in his cells. His cells may say how young he is but there is no marker to show how old. His body is at the same level of health as when he was freshly conceived and will stay this way for... I can't even begin to guess. Its an amazing thing to consider but he is..." The doctor struggled to find the appropriate word for it. "Ageless."

Ageless.

Immortal.

Was this boy the culmination of the facilties' work? Of that, Anakin had no doubt the answer was 'yes'. But to what end? A champion of the Sith in the Emperor's image? All of the other children looked the same, so the kid could be a perfect baseline he would want to clone from, and had already started doing. Or was this boy a vessel the Emperor wished to take over like a parasite to escape the need to consume lives to extend his life similarly to Nihilus?

And why was the boy's DNA fluctuating from time to time?

Saying his goodbyes to the doctor, Anakin left and found the Sith kid asking questions of everyone to pass by. Seeing his wide-eyed innocent face brought a smile to the Jedi, and amazement that someone like this could be found in the cracks of Sith society. Perhaps it was a bit crazy, but Anakin found he quite liked the kid.

"Hey, little man. You ready to head back?" Anakin asked.

"Not really. Do we have to?" The kid put his head down sadly.

"Yeah, it is probably for the best we dont get you in trouble with the big guy."

"... Can you walk with me?" The kid whispered.

Anakin's heart may have skipped a beat. He was so sad and lonely, it just wasn't right. "I-I... sure. Come on." Anakin put his hand down for the child to take and escorted him back to the den with the rest of his brothers. He was already going to take the kid back, but letting the kid hold his hand was a little extra the kid seemed to need. He seemed so... broken. It also made Anakin angrier on their behalf. He doubted he could despise the Emperor much more after what he saw, but it seemed there was always another layer to the Emperor he would despise.

Anakin brought the kid back, the other children welcomed their big brother, and Anakin left. The door shut behind him.

"Be careful about getting attached." A voice said.

Anakin looked over to see Boba Fett looking at the kids through the window. Anakin rolled his eyes and walked up to join him.

"They're kids." Anakin replied. He stood by the Mandalorian and looked in the window. Amongst the children, the big brother looked up at the glass. It was a one-way reflection so he shouldn't be able to see them.

Boba roped his arms together. "I was a kid once, too. I'm sure you have read the reports about what I did. They may be children, but they are Sith children. It wouldn't surprise me if they were programmed in some way we can't detect. Esspecially the one you are overly attached to, he is bright even for them. I don't trust 'em."

"And that is fair, under the circumstances. Its your job. But I have sensed no malcontent from them. Only curiosity."

"If your senses only detect emotions and motives, then that is easily influenced." Boba rebutted. "They are curious, and that may be true and is what you sense. But how long before that curiosity warrants them the information they are searching for and then suddenly-" He snapped his fingers. "That curiosity turns to hostility."

"They're three..." Anakin countered flatly. "When you had your rebellious streak you were what? Ten? Twelve?"

Boba cocked his helmet to the side. He sighed. "Fair point."

"I'm not going to deny the possibility, by any means. They were there in the Emperor's clutches for a reason. They are pawns, or were pawns in the making. That possibility is why you and the other guards are standing by and why we are doing these tests. But it doesn't sit right with me... this is too close to becoming a rights issue and a political nightmare. And that bastard put it right in our lap. If the media caught wind of this, they would no doubt spin it to make us look like a bunch of bantha poodoo."

"Let them talk. That's all they are good for anyway." Boba grumbled.

Anakin didn't completely agree with his skepticism, but he didn't argue it. It wasn't worth arguing about. They had completed their mission and the next one would be soon.

"Stay safe, Mando'a. I'll go collect my team." Anakin turned and left with a wave.

"Stay safe, Jedi." Boba returned.

Anakin sighed. This was it. Mandalore expected him on the front lines soon, and Anakin wasn't in the mood to disappoint him. He wanted a shot at the Emperoer. Anakin reached out through the Force and tapped his siblings on the shoulder.

What is it? Brother breathed, seemingly aggravated at being disturbed.

Brother, be nice.

'Brother, be nice.' Brother mocked in a high pitched voice. I was napping!

You want in on meeting our mutual brother or not? Anakin asked.

There was silence for a few seconds before Brother said, I'm listening.

Anakin explained the details, his demi-god brother confirmed he would come. It didn't take much effort to get Sister going either, she was listening in on the conversation like a nosy little sister. Anakin sent messages to Obi-Wan that he was almost ready to move out, sent a message to Nihilus to get his ass ready to move out, and called up Ahsoka.

"Hey, Skyguy! What's up?" Another girl picked up.

Anakin blinked in surprise. He shook his head with a smile. Of course Ahsoka had gotten Varus' niece in on his nickname from her. "Hello, Squirt. Is Ahsoka there?"

"Yeah, one moment."

Anakin waited as he walked. A few moments later Ahsoka picked up. They exchanged greetings. "Ahsoka, just wanted to give you a heads up. I'm done escorting a Sith kid to the doctors and back. Going to pick up the 'dream team', along with our mutual arch enemy, and head out to check out the fortress." Anakin entered an elevator, nodded respectfully to the soldiers also present within, and requested the floor he wanted.

"Sounds like fun!" Snips exclaimed. Anakin couldn't tell if she was being sarcastic or not. That was a tiny bit worrying. He hoped Varus' sense of danger wasn't rubbing off on her too much. She was already prone to danger on her own, and Anakin had only made it worse in his teaching.

"Yep, totally looking forward to it." Anakin replied with clear sarcasm. "This is totally going to be the highlight of my day. Speaking of which, you got anything planned with Snips while I'm gone?"

"Yes, I do, actually. Want her to meet Scourge."

"Uh... Are you sure that is a good idea?"

Ahsoka sighed. "Skyguy, she was raised by a Ghorfa terrorist and a Sith assassin. I don't think meeting with a true-blood Sith will be all that damaging. In fact I think it will be a good teaching moment in tackling racism and cultural differences."

Anakin nodded. He sensed he may have aggravated her slightly and overstepped himself. He reminded himself he wasn't technically her teacher anymore. "You have made your point very clear. I concede. You clearly know what you are doing. I do think it is dangerous, but I have full confidence in your abilities."

"Aww, thanks! Hey, thanks for... talking with him." Her voice hesitated. Anakin knew she was talking about Varus. Varus had conceded enough to Anakin's wishes to tell her he was alive and well, though prowling from a distance.

"You're welcome. this may be me being nosy, but did you pass your plan up with Koj first? I may have no say in the matter, but he does. I don't want you two at odds with one another."

"Yeah, its a bit nosy. Feeling lonely are we?" Ahsoka laughed, "Don't worry, I did. He doesn't like it, but is willing to allow it this time. He is concerned about the prisoner trying to attack his little girl, understandably, but thinks she is good hands, like you. If anything he is concerned about Varus right now."

"We all are." Anakin agreed. The elevator opened on his floor. "Look, Snips. I'm at the hanger. I need to go now."

"Alright. Stay safe, Skyguy."

"You too, Snips."

Anakin hung up, put his datapad in his pocket, and searched the hanger for his designated transport. His was special for there being no other soldiers entering it. Anakin figured it would be best to not mix up random soldiers with a ship loading four Force demi-gods (two depending on whether Anakin and Nihilus technically didn't count) and a Jedi Master. In hindsight it would also provide a funny hindsight, as Obi-Wan commented on how he felt like a third-wheel in the room with the four of them.

The ride to the front line was quiet. None of them made a sound as they sat. Anakin sensed Brother was annoyed by the transport, but he didn't voice it. Nihilus' breathing was timed, rhythmic, calm. Obi-Wan adjusted the straps to the armor under his robes, checked his belt twice over. Anakin popped some kinks in his neck and flexed his robotic hands to their extreme limit. In his mind, he saw the Cartel War, the Mandalorian War, the Clone War, the Sith war, all as a culmination of this man's schemes to keep the galaxy suitably weakened. Anakin reminded himself of this man's monstrosities... and knew what he needed to do. He needed to tear the beating heart of the Sith Empire out to save it and create a chance for peace. So long as the heart pumped hatred and corruption, it poisoned the body.

They didn't say a word. All of their thoughts and focus were on the battle ahead.

"The drop off point is in five minutes. Get ready!" The pilot alerted them.

"Take your time." Anakin replied, deceivingly calm. Inside he was seething. "We've already waited a while. What's five minutes?"

Boba Fett watched the kids play below. He didn't mind them. He hoped for the best, but knew to be prepared for the worst. He knew to, even from kids like them, because he saw himself in them. He didn't like that. They were so... innocent, but then so was he. He knew everyone was skeptical of his skepticism. He accepted that. They could think they were just kids all they wanted. Someone had to be prepared.

The kids ran around like you would expect from a room full of three year old boys. They played games like tag, hide and seek, even stuff like 'the floor is lava'. Then they all gathered around together for something reminisant of a dancing, singing game. It wasn't a little game Boba hadn't seen already dozens upon dozens of times. It wasn't the same rhyme or dance, but it was similar enough.

He had to admit, though, something about the song reminded him of dead people. He recognized some of the words they spoke. It was some kind of song that spoke of a plague or at least something that ended in a lot of dead people. The song's story told of a planet where all life vanished. Boba had seen dead in his time. In fact he could almost see some in his mind. The dead looked back at him, reminding him of what he had done. Boba blinked and the dead were gone. They disappeared to where they belonged.

They sang some rhyme and jumped around in some dance. The dance ended with them all falling on their back.

The moments ticked by and all the kids continued to lay on the ground. For kids with as much energy as they had, they must be tired. He smiled warmly despite himself. He couldn't blame them. It was a big galaxy they were being exposed to.

Several moments passed into a full minute.

"Hey," Boba spoke into the private channel. "Someone check on the kids."

"Looks to me like they wore themselves out, but sure."

"That's what I'm thinking." Boba agreed. "Time to put the brats for a nap."

"Make sure to tuck him in nice and good, Fresher." Another one added. 'Fresher' was the name of the guard. Boba felt a little sorry for him. Fresher thought it was a cool nickname, but people still used it to make fun of him since it was just another word for a toilet room.

The door opened, and Fresher entered in. He left his gun outside the door but left a weak pistol on his hip turned to the lowest stun setting possible. He stooped down by a kid and nudged him gently. He picked him up, but then paused. Boba leaned forward, suddenly worried. Fresher didn't say anything, no one did, but the way Fresher tensed worried him.

Fresher put the kid back down and checked his pulse.

"Shit." Fresher whispered.

"What?! He sick?" Boba asked, hoping that was only the case.

"Kid's dead!"

Boba's eyes widened. He slammed the palm of her hand on various buttons. Alarms went off. "Seal the outer doors and vacuum seal this ship module! No one is leaving! There may be a plague! Everyone already here, check the kids! Do not make physical contact, use gloves! Check around the room for anything dangerous!"

Since Boba was just outside the room, but wasn't outside the outer doors either, he knew he was sealing himself there as well, but he had to do what he had to do. The outer doors sealed magnetically and he ran into the room with the kids as well as the other guards did. Guns were pointed in every direction, checking for anything out of the ordinary. Guards checked every child, looked for an injury, looked for any sign of what might have hurt them. More importantly, they checked for a survivor... to which was there was none. Something in the back of his mind was screaming all kind of red flags, but he couldn't put his finger on it.

"Is there a doctor here?" A guard asked.

"He is on standby." Boba confirmed. "First we need this place scanned. Command, are you reading?"

"Confirmed, we copy." An officer replied on the comm. "We have the ship on alert. Life support is being temporarily suspended for a quick checkup and your module is sealed for now while it is scanned. Stand by... Yes, Boba, I have confirmed medics are standing by, and reinforcements are outside the door if need be. We are returning the ship to a resting position on the planet, non-crucial systems will shut down, and all prisoners being allowed on the observation deck are being returned to their cells. Keep us aprised of your progress."

"Copy that, thank you command." Boba answered. He looked to the guards. One was looking around more than the others. "You see something, soldier?"

"Just checking something, sir." The soldier replied. "There are supposed to be thirty kids right?"

"Thirty-one." Boba answered. The red-flag in his mind screamed louder. "How many do you count?"

"Thirty."

"Shit!" Boba hissed. "I need a headcount! Command, do you read?"

"Confirmed, Boba. Checking records now and running it through face recognition." Boba half listened as the soldiers confirmed there were thirty dead children, and the thirty-first was missing. He waited with dread as the seconds passed.

"All men on alert! We have a breach! We have an escaped prisoner on the loose! Engage with care, his intentions are unknown and the subject is identified as a male, three years old but may be a sleeping agent." Command blared through the speakers.

"Command, what is happening!?" Boba did his best to keep his voice level.

"Boba, this is Command. One of your kids walked through the wall while the kids were falling. We are trying to find him!... Negate that, we found him on the decks above you! Command to all stations! Be on high alert! We have four confirmed dead on deck seven. Suspect sleeping agent child shows lethal force and hostile intent."

Boba could only sit in a sealed room full of dead kids and a pounding headache as what he dreaded came to be reality. The whole ship shook for a moment and more alarms went off.

"Command to all decks! We have confirmed damage to the outer hell on decks eight and nine!"

"Command?" Boba asked.

"Command to Boba... long story short. That is a scary kid. Surveillance shows he summoned a sword out of damn nothing. Thing looks like it has a damn mind of its own! Then he blasted a hole... Now he is flying!"

"Since when can three year olds fly!?" Boba exclaimed.

"Since apparently kids can do freaky psychic bullshit!"

Anakin's team split up. Daughter and Brother flew into the air to harass the Sith from above, while Anakin, Nihilus, and Kenobi approached the fortress from the front. The shield had fallen already and the invasion has been an ongoing process for some time.

"What's the situation?" Obi-Wan asked.

"Sir, the Sith continue to reinforce their line. More and more Sith come through the portal each minute."

"You would think they didn't get the memo that this planet isn't really theirs anymore."

"We should fix that." Anakin suggested, helpfully.

"What do you have in mind?"

"I don't know. How about we shower them in stick-it notes informing them this isn't theirs no more? Except my Sith is a bit rusty. Think you can write a million stick-it notes?" Anakin looked to Nihilus.

Nihilus looked solidly, at Anakin. His empty gaze full of judgement. Seeing this, Obi-Wan smirked. "He doesn't approve, so you know it has my vote."

Nihilus sighed, "If you two are done-"

"Never!" Anakin protested.

"Then we can get down to doing this. Properly!" He added. Nihilus looked to the commander in charge of this battalion. The commander looked back, hesitantly fearful. He didn't know who Nihilus was, but he did see the body start to decay and it is naturally off-putting. "If you will focus your bombardment, then we will handle the rest."

"Uh, what do you mean 'we'?" Anakin stopped him.

"Jedi, mouthing off and stealing apprentices may be your specialty, but mine happens to be more useful to our objective. I specialize in planetary invasions and fortresses."

"As well as gorging himself." Obi-Wan added.

"Actually, now that I think about it… I've never really seen him eat." Anakin mused. "Like… actual food."

Nihilus sighed.

Obi-Wan carried on with it, "You would think the great 'Lord of Hunger' would win a few hot-dog eating contests, or get the free meals from steak contests, or get thrown out of buffets. But no, he has to be all dramatic."

Nihilus stared at them. Anakin smiled widely. "Now I'm done. So you were saying?"

"Us. Attacking. Fortress." Nihilus pointed to said fortress.

"Right. Let's. Do that." Anakin also pointed to the fortress.

Nihilus stared longer, growled, stood, and ran into the front lines. Obi-Wan chuckled. "Think you ticked him off."

"Yeah. Now you get why Starkiller ended up so mouthy. It's the only way to deal with this guy." Anakin replied. "Best not let him get too far. I'll follow him in."

"Right. I'll stay back and help coordinate. I'll see you in."

They gave crappy salutes and Anakin chased after Nihilus. As they were at the backline, the first mile or so was peaceful until they reached the front lines where the men were hidden behind rocks trying to get shots in. Nihilus snagged a number of grenades, without even bothering to ask, jumped over the rocks, and ran at the fortress. Anakin was not far behind him. He ignited his lightsaber and found himself at the head of a charge, as the majority of the Sith projectiles focused in on Nihilus.

Anakin winced as the maelstrom of plasma bolts hit the Sith Lord, or near him. He had no sympathy for the man, but if the man could feel pain, it probably would hurt like hell. A number of plasma bolts turned his way and Anakin had to stop and focus to block them.

Nihilus reached the fortress walls. The outside of it was layered in thick coating designed to absorb plasma heat and laser light and prevent it from reaching the hardened metal wall, but direct contact with a kamikazi Sith Lord strapping dozens of fragmentation grenades to his chest was not what it was designed for. Anakin's eyes widened as the explosion lit up, the sheer scale of it nearly reaching him and forcing him to hide behind cover lest he be pummeled with fragments. The Sith on the walls were unhurt, though had to hide as well. The wall, and the Sith Lord, were not so lucky. The wall crumbled, leaving a hole, and the Sith Lord… no longer had a body. In the smoke, Anakin could senses as well as see that he quickly shed what was left of his skin, formed into a spirit, and swept into the fortress.

"Best we stay out of that for now." Anakin decided. The last thing he needed was for his brothers-in-arms to get in there while Nihilus was flooding it. "Everyone! Stay back! We need to create blanket fire, we don't know what is in there! Group up and take the outer wall!"

"Sir, we can go in and secure it." A soldier suggested.

"Yeah… trust me. You don't want none of what is in there right now." Anakin answered.

He didn't hear it, but he could sense the life being extinguished inside the fortress. It was moments like this that reminded him of what Nihilus was capable of when he applied himself. At the same time the amount of anti-air lessened, so the Mandalorian's air superiority was secured and Anakin sensed his siblings fly into the fortress to fight more directly.

Obi-Wan caught up and ran to his side before perching behind cover with him. "Ani, I suggest we get moving! Reports say that Mandalore is moving in from the other side!"

"Right." Anakin nodded. He reached out briefly with his senses. Nihilus had stopped what he was doing and found a new body. Anakin breathed out in relief. "We have this point. Let's go!"

They ran in, and the soldiers stopped briefly to gape at what they saw. Hundreds of dead Sith filled every passageway. Anakin would have stopped to be surprised as well, but he kind of expected as much at this point. He had other concerns in mind, namely catching up.

Anakin ran down the empty halls until he found Nihilus.

"It would be nice if you would carry your own weight for a change, instead of expecting me to do it all for you." Nihilus suggested. He leaned against a wall, a new body freshly adorning his face. He put on his Mandalorian armor and found it to be a tight fit this time.

"I would love to. Unfortunately for me, you are a convenient weapon. Let's go take the portal. Come." Anakin waved him forward as he walked past.

"I think we have bigger concerns now." Nihilus murmured.

Anakin stopped to look back at him. Nihilus was gazing distantly at the courtyard of the fortress. In the back was a building reminisant of a main hall. The doors were closed, Mandalore and a number of Mandalorians were inspecting the courtyard, and dead Sith were everywhere-

Except one.

Anakin felt the hair on his neck rise as he felt him inside the hall. His mouth dried and his nerves seized. He heard his heartbeat in his ears and felt his blood churn in his veins.

Brother. Sister. We found 'him'. Anakin informed his siblings.

We are on our way.

"Is that… him?" Obi-Wan gulped. Anakin didn't like seeing the sudden fear in his old master's eyes. Now that their attention was drawn there, it was hard not to notice.

"Let's go." Anakin said, fully serious now. Nihilus nodded.

Anakin wasted no time, jumping from the window he was looking in from and landing on his feet several floors below. He used the Force to slow and cushion his fall. Nihilus didn't bother and Anakin heard a great crack as he broke something. Obi-Wan grumbled and ran to take the stairs nearby.

"Mandalore, be careful. He is in there." Anakin pointed to the building just before them. Mandalore looked up as they approached, then side ways to the building. A number of soldiers were busy working to secure it but hadn't managed to get the door open.

"By 'he', he means the big 'he'. The Emperor." Obi-Wan explained.

"That is right."

Mandalore nodded. Flexed his shoulders, popped his neck, secured his gun-arm, and stomped forward. Anakin pulled out his lightsaber. Nihilus followed. A moment later, Brother and Sister dropped in and perched themselves ontop the arch of the door.

They stood in front of the door. "Get it open." Mandalore ordered.

"Sir, it… it won't open. I don't know why. It's a plain door. There is no electrical equipment to it. Its very simple. However, any effort we make is… pointless. Ramming gear, explosives, nothing budges it."

A thought struck Anakin. He said, "I think I know why. He doesn't want us entering in, yet."

"You think he is keeping us out with his power alone?" Mandalore asked.

"Wouldn't surprise me." Anakin whispered. "So let's see if this works."

Anakin stepped forward so he was just in front of the door. He looked at it's seams, its make and model. It was a simple, plain, solid steel door. He saw no locks, whether modern or ancient.

Anakin breathed in, closed his eyes, and spoke into the Force, I am here.

The doors flew open.

Soldiers ran in on opposite sides and aimed in every direction, calling out their moves and what was secure. Anakin, Mandalore, and the rest walked in, prepared for anything. The hall was long.

At the opposite end of the empty dark hall was a throne turned away. The throne rested at the top of a short flight of stairs overlooking a banquet hall with a long rug stretched across. On either side were flags of the Sith and Infinite Empire and many large statues of Sith 'heros' and champions. Soldiers continued to enter the room and surround everything along both sides until both walls were lined in soldiers. They pointed their guns at the sole living thing in the room.

Anakin stopped, seeing what they pointed their guns at. At the top of the steps leading up to the throne was a child. The child he knew from before. He sat before the throne, but not on it, as if he rejected the seat in some way.

"Kid, what are you-" Anakin stepped forward to ask, but Mandalore shoved his hand out and stopped him half-way into his first step.

The kid looked up at them, Anakin's eyes widened, his heart fell painfully hard, and in its place was a pit of horror and anger. The innocence in the child's eyes were gone. In its place was cold contempt. The child's Force signature, once hidden, now was openly revealed and Anakin had to struggle not to step back, or cower, or vomit at the sheer weight, depth, and complexity of it. It wasn't so much looking into darkness, so much as looking into the galaxies biggest static screen. So many individuals, so many lives, made up the collective might and consciousness that was Valkorian that when piled together they were impossible to individualize or separate.

"How-" Anakin gasped in horror. "How many people?!"

"Enough." The child answered. He closed his eyes.

"Surrender." Mandalore demanded. He raised his cannon arm and pointed it at the Sith Emperor. All around the room the soldiers did the same. Rifles were aimed, grenades were poised, and fingers were set. Every available weapon was poised and hot. "You are surrounded, and outnumbered. In the name of the Galactic Republic, the United Systems Alliance, and the Mandalorian Clans, you are under arrest for war crimes against the galaxy."

Valkorian opened his eyes. They were simple eyes, but there was a casualness in which he gazed against his adversaries so unwaveringly that it made Anakin wonder. Truly, the Sith was intelligent. He knew what he was looking at. To him, it was like looking at insects playing in the dirt.

Valkorian's gaze trailed over each one before him before locking on Anakin.

"I am sorry our time together was short lived… I had hoped to get to know you better before meeting you under these circumstancecs. You… interest me. You are Plageus' Chosen One. At first I thought you a joke, but you proved yourself against my Priors." The firstborn of Plagues murmured. "The fourth child of Plagues. Tell me, how is my old friend? Does he still hold himself back by sentiment? No… I would hardly say he is, as he saught to kill me by creating you. Well, then I guess he is just a hypocrite."

"Don't you dare!" Son barked.

Valkorian's eyes snapped onto Son with an icy glare, and for a being who was all but a demi-god to be gazed at as inferior, it only showed how much greater Son recognized Valkorian if Son stopped his tongue and gulped. "You must be the second one, a middle child with no place seeking to create his own."

"You know nothing of us." Daughter defended.

"Oh, but I do." Valkorian smirked, his gaze sliding smoothly towards her. "You are clearly the third one, created for no other purpose than to restrain him on a leash. To speak for him. I know what that is like. Plagues tried to do the same for me… in a life I once held. You know what he figured out? He learned that I will not be restrained by any boundary set by mere mortals."

"As much as I hate to break up such a touching family reunion, you are under arrest!" Mandalore barked. "Ignore me a second time, and I will force you into submission personally!"

"Oh, I didn't ignore you…" He allowed the soldier a roll of the eyes. "I just didn't care."

Valkorian stood and descended the steps. With each step, he aged. Five years, ten years, fifteen. His clothes shifted. His voice cracked with puberty and just as quickly deepened as he reached adult-hood. "You bring at me starships, mere metal tubes of air designed to submarine men through spacial waters that can be destroyed as easily as one can crush a can. You bring at me weapons of hard plastics and crystal with man-made technology… and man-made flaws. You bring at me lives willing to sacrifice at the altar by beating their heads into the steel wall on nothing more than your word, for the purpose no greater than recognition and security in a creation spiraling out of control. You think yourself worth my notice? I consider you merely insects… I can't even be bothered to consider you fools, you are so far beneath my notice. You are doing nothing more than acting by your very nature. Dogs will be dogs. Ants will be ants."

Valkorian stood before Mandalore a grown man in his forties, yet as well built as a man in prime. His clothes were practically of royalty and pure white. His hair aged white a bit early for his physical appearance, and his light-shaven beard, goatee, and mustache made him look very well groomed. He had the presence of a king, yet, at the same time, in his eyes were madness.

Despite how many weapons were on the Sith Emperor, it felt as though Valkorian was the one in control. He was the one in their target sights, yet Anakin felt they were the ones at the end of the gun. He walked, he descended the stairs with such confidence, betting that they wouldn't fire, and they didn't. The Mandalorians had hesitated. Even standing no more than ten feet away from Mandalore, with his arm-cannon aimed at his chest, Valkorian did not hesitate or show weakness. Instead it was a dare for them to do it, and they hadn't. In one move, Anakin felt they were the ones on the defensive.

This wasn't just the power of a Sith. This was the power of a king.

Valkorian spoke with a voice that echoed a thousand times with a thousand voices from his mouth. Anakin heard woman, children, and men of all ages come from his mouth with one voice and speak as one. "You say I am surrounded? I am surrounded by fear! You say I am outnumbered?" Valkorian chuckled. "Can the living ever outnumber the dead?"

Valkorian thrust out his hand and what Anakin saw filled him with terror.

Ghosts filled the room. Ghosts with swords and spears. The statues around the room shifted, cracked their cages, broke free of the wall to collapse on their knees, and rose with burning eyes.