Battle of the Heroes, Part II

Anakin made a b-line for Palpatine. Yoda and Obi-Wan joined him as momentary allies. Anakin made first contact. They clash violently, with Anakin forcing Palpatine to backpedal. Anakin was surprised at Palpatine's weakness. He expected more. He tried to bully him, corner him…Palpatine seemed to cower. Yoda and Obi-Wan joined the fight, but before Palpatine could be surrounded completely he hurled Anakin at the two Jedi. Anakin braced, but fell back into the others…He rolled mid air and landed on his feet. The others, tired and drained, took the full impact. Anakin sprinted back towards the fight. Palpatine delivered some lightning to Anakin, who caught it with his saber and swept it away. He leaped over him and began dueling once again. With both Jedi Masters temporarily out of action, Palpatine suddenly got stronger…He seemed to be holding back until now, but Anakin, in his rage and arrogance, did not seem to notice.

"You manipulated me!" Anakin screamed. "Made me a slave, just like everyone else!". Anakin was using his entire body to try and break Palpatine's defense. But power strike after power strike were answered in kind with block after block. He was so fast. He was getting faster. Palpatine was far more active than before, becoming more of a blur. He only appeared weak earlier. He wanted Anakin to pressure him and get careless. But it wasn't just Anakin. Every member of the trifecta had started to lose their self control. Even the great Master Yoda and Obi-Wan Kenobi no longer behaved like Jedi, but were reduced to desperate men whose souls were melting away before them. The two Jedi could barely keep up with the fighting, and were continuously delayed by Palpatine's force abilities. Anakin wasn't fighting with Yoda and Obi-Wan, they were just participants. Because of this, all three were frequently isolated and rarely fought synchronously. The ruins of the senate chamber provided a maze-like arena. What once was an open space, was littered with high debris that made it possible for the three heroes to lose sight of each other. The Sith Lord was a master of manipulating everything (and everyone) in his environment - divide and conquer was always his first - and only possible - gameplan.

Palpatine again faced the challenge of holding off all three of them. Yoda's speed, Anakin's aggression and Obi-Wan's impregnable defense made facing them head on suicide, even for him. Anakin hammered his saber down, a blow that would have sliced Palpatine through the eyes. Instead, Palpatine leaped into the air to escape, finding himself upon one of the last few senate pods mounted high up on the wall. He was merely a few inches from the ceiling and they could not risk jumping straight up, undefended to engage him. Dodging lightning throughout, the three heroes commandeered a senate pod, but its hover controls were no longer functioning. They had a plan however. Once all were aboard, Yoda pointed his hands downwards, lifting the platform and the trio up towards Palpatine's level. Obi-Wan and Anakin shielded Yoda from the lightning using their lightsabers. They were halfway, when Palpatine threw a curveball. He focused his attention on wrestling the control of the pod from Yoda. His lightning briefly stopped, as the pod stopped in its tracks - he would soon win this tug of war against Yoda, and then they would be at his mercy. Obi-Wan and Anakin both sheathed their sabers to help Yoda move their pod up again with the force. It was a distraction. As Obi-Wan did this, Palpatine released his grip from the pod and shot him with a full stream of lightning. He screamed in agony, unable to move. Obi-Wan tried to reach his saber, but it was as if all his energy was being drained. He dropped to one knee, a black tunnel around his vision formed. He was losing consciousness fast. He thought he was going to die, until the lightning suddenly stopped. Anakin moved in front of Obi-Wan, in front of the lightning stream, quickly being ensnared in a chain of white-blue light. Taking the pain for a few seconds, Anakin maneuvered both hands in front of him, palm outwards. The lightning retreated from his body, being pulled inwards into his hands. His palms began glowing brightly, as Yoda's did when he reflected Dooku's lightning away years ago. Anakin used a crude form of tutaminis. An ancient Jedi technique and the first sign of true mastery of the Force. Lightning began pinging off of Anakin's palms in all directions, and then, towards Palpatine, like focusing a beam of light back to its source. Palpatine's small, wrinkly eyes suddenly widened. Anakin reflected the lightning back towards Palpatine, who slipped out of the way of it by mere inches. It blew a smoldering hole in the ceiling that let in the light from outside. Anakin and Obi-Wan felt the pod's shudder during its ascent as Yoda, stunned at Anakin's new force abilities, lapsed for a split second. They were almost on Palpatine now, but not before more tricks. Palpatine hurled debris towards Yoda, who leaped out of the way in time, but fell back down to the ground below. It would take him a few moments to find a way back to them. Just as the platform began to fall, Obi-Wan and Anakin looked to one another, together, they thought.

They left the platform to fall all the way to the ground far down below, leaping to Palpatine's pod. The culmination of Anakin and Obi-Wan's training together laid ahead. They fought hard, migrating from the pod to the outer edge of the senate room, where officials could view the proceedings from their fixed seats high above. With nothing but a railing protecting them from falling, fighting was close quarters. The two former brothers' experience fighting side by side had paid off. Palpatine was losing.

"I killed thousands for you!" Anakin howled. "And for her!"

Anakin delivered some vicious blows which rocked Palpatine.

"And you killed her!" Despite Palpatine's difficult position, Anakin knew a part of Palpatine enjoyed the challenge his apprentice offered him…He enjoyed watching him morph irresistibly into the creature he made him. But just when they thought they had him cornered and finished, Palpatine's saber seemed to appear out of nowhere…One moment Anakin and Obi-Wan had his saber pinned, the next, they were struck by a flash riposte. A sideways strike had defeated Obi-Wan and wounded Anakin. Obi-Wan fell to the floor with a thump. One of his legs had sustained a cut. The bottom of his thigh glowed, a red-yellow stump was left. His right leg was gone. Anakin's own thigh took the same wide slash. Luckily, Anakin had the energy to move, and the wound was only superficial. It still hurt, it still angered him. But what angered him more was seeing Obi-Wan maimed, someone who up until this point he thought of as an adversary, or at least a pest. Through the conflict and the hate, Anakin still cared for his old friend. He had promised Padme he would take care of Obi-Wan. He had already broken too many promises to his dead wife, but not this time. Anakin's concerned face turned from Obi-Wan back to Palpatine, who had used this moment to assault him viciously. Anakin was now on the backfoot for the first time since he joined the battle. Anakin wasn't comfortable in this position, but impressed the others with his adaptability. He needed some backup so he caught Obi-Wan's fallen saber with a force pull. He now wielded dual bright blue sabers. He tried to push forward again, hoping two blades would provide more of a challenge for his opponent. He moved past Obi-Wan's writhing body. Seeing this reminded him of Padme on that medical bed, of his mother tied up on the rack, all helpless…All depended on him.

"You're right about one thing, my Lord. Pain has made me strong. You could never beat me because you haven't suffered like I have. But I assure you, you will…" Anakin fights on like a mad dog, using every second to push Palpatine back. Every block was a counter. Every feint was an opportunity. Every force attack was an explosion. Every move by Anakin, offensive or defensive was followed up with killshot.

They had almost made a full lap of the senate building's upper viewing area, being toe to toe all the way through. Yoda was still nowhere to be seen. Perhaps he had run, Anakin thought. But Palpatine knew better, always en garde. The fighting continued until he finally felt Palpatine's strength in the bind, and with it, his evil mind. He finally saw into his nature without conflict or deception. His mere presence drained focus. For such a frail being, his strength was unfathomable. The power of his force abilities were limitless. Even his force push could strip the skin away on a lesser being. A few tendrils of lightning passed his crossed sabers, but even those felt like hot fangs piercing at his skin. Despite this, despite the pain, Anakin's anger was unmatched. He matched speed with speed, power with power. Anakin's only fear was losing.

"Don't you see? I have already won, Darth Vader." Palpatine taunted, leaning down on Anakin, who was almost forced to a knee. With the last of his strength, Anakin launched his leg up and kicked Palpatine's midsection. He immediately recoiled backwards, tumbling over the railing, falling hundreds of feet to the ruined ground below. He should have been killed by that, but Anakin wasn't leaving it to chance. Instead of making his way down carefully, he merely jumped off of the catwalk, feet first until he hit the ground. A shockwave of air erupted as he landed. There, he saw Obi-Wan, Yoda, and Palpatine. Yoda had moved Obi-Wan to the ground safely as their duel raged on. Palpatine squirmed on the floor, trying to get up. His own Sith saber, sporting a short, elegant hilt, rolled to Anakin's feet. Palpatine's yellow eyes locked onto his saber. Anakin kicked it to him. Palpatine picked it up, slowly, seemingly accepting the final challenge. He ignited its angry crimson blade. As Anakin moved towards him, Palpatine instead throws his lit saber towards Obi-Wan, who lay, barely conscious and aware. Yoda, next to him, stops it mid-air with the force. It shakes uncontrollably, jittering backwards and forwards, inches from Obi-Wan. With it, Palpatine releases a last hail of lightning. One handful towards Yoda and Obi-Wan, and another to Anakin. One of Anakin's sabers is flung backwards out of his hand, and he is forced to defend with one. Yoda is electrocuted, convulsing violently. He won't be able to hold Palpatine's saber in place for more than a few seconds before he succumbs to his injuries.

The senate room lights up as if exposed to direct sunlight. Palpatine's lightsaber begins to crack under the invisible tug of war that rages on, kyber crystal on the verge of exploding.

Force energy saturates the area. Everything is bright, in slow motion now. Palpatine's eyes glow bright, as does Anakin's. Palpatine shakes with the last vestiges of his power. Anakin's grip on his saber begins to fail him; lightning begins touching his skin. There's no time. He does the unthinkable.

Anakin moves his saber down by his side, forgoing protection. He is struck by a wave of lightning that envelopes him. Yoda's eyes, red with cracked vessels, flicks to Anakin, wide with confusion, fear and pain. Palpatine's hovering saber touches Obi-Wan's cheek. It burns him, still trying to force its way into his face. Yoda is seconds from coma and death. Anakin's own body burns with pain, like thousands of hot needles piercing his skin, hijacking his nerves. He raises his hand, but unlike before, he doesn't merely redirect Palpatine's lightning. Using the energy and the pain bestowed upon him by his dark Master, he conjures up his own lightning. What started as a spark between his fingers erupts into a volcano of purple-blue plasma. It seeks Palpatine out, firing into his body. Anakin screams. He feels every second of the moment. The pain. The pressure. The sadness. The anger. The power. His amethyst force lightning, like a lance, hits Palpatine and bursts out the other side. Sparks and loose bolts of lightning hang in the air, as if suspended around the Sith Lord. Palpatine's robes heat up, catching fire. Palpatine uses all of his energies to finish Yoda and Obi-Wan off, unable to move from his position. Palpatine screams in wrath, flames from Anakin's lightning reaching his skin. Anakin is almost free from Palpatine's grasp. He throws his saber at Palpatine with his free hand. It glides through the air all the way into the middle of his chest. Palpatine gasps, falling to his knees. His saber deactivates, dropping harmlessly onto Obi-Wan. Yoda, also on his knees, watches on in disbelief. He feels like a padawan all over again.

"Lord Vader" Papatine's voice, now smaller than before, croaks.

"That's not who I am. Say my name." Anakin creeps forward, unleashing torrent after torrent of force lightning upon the impaled Sith.

"You have done very, very…well…" Palpatine accepts his fate, taking the punishment without challenge. The rule of Two comes full circle.

"Say my name. Say it!" Anakin screams, bloodlusted. He fires down more lightning, killing him slowly. Palpatine is engulfed in flames. Smoke rises from the defeated Sith Lord.

"I'm going to give you the chance you never gave my wife and child. You're going to beg for mercy!"

Palpatine looked up to the collapsed ceiling, sunlight finally beaming down on him. He seemed to feel no more pain of fear, for his nerves were already burned off of him. He laughed and laughed, and laughed, all the way till the end in a horrific display of sadomasochism.

"I'm all that's left…because of them, and because of you!...Just me! So say my name!"

"Anakin-" Anakin is cut off.

"Skywalker." Yoda says. Palpatine falls to his side, beheaded by a merciful saber throw from Yoda. The fire stops on command, as Anakin ceases his onslaught. What's left is the charred remains of a man that once resembled Chancellor Sheev Palpatine, laying upon scorched grounds. Smoke rises from the silent and still corpse. It's an eerie silence. But it's over. No more cackling. No more thunder. No more noise. But for Anakin Skywalker, the pain had only just begun.

Anakin turned to Yoda aggressively. "That wasn't your call to make."

"Answer to you, I do not." Yoda replies.

"That was unwise of you Master Yoda. You've crossed me again." Anakin's stance widened, readying himself for trouble. "But stand aside now, and you'll come to no harm."

Yoda ignites his green saber. "Perhaps it is you, who should stand aside. Answer for your crimes, you must."

"I could say the same for you." Anakin ignites his own saber. He continues. "I'm going to establish a new order. As the rightful heir to this Empire, I'm going to make sure all under me don't make the same mistakes the Jedi did."

"Dictated by the dark side? Hmm? Still, you have not learned the costs of these actions."

"Don't talk to me about costs. I gave everything to the Order. And the council still never had my back! You'd rather play politics and fight the Republic's little war whilst I, alone, had to try to save Padme. Your Jedi code. Your hypocrisy. It disgusts me!" Anakin shouted, clenching his fist.

"Helped you, we tried. Listen, you did not. Trust Darth Sidious, over us, you did.

Yourself, there is only to blame."

This ignited Anakin, who rushes to Yoda, his original blue saber in hand. They clash. Anakin may not have been a match against Yoda at full strength, but this new version of 'Darth Skywalker' stood a good chance against him now, especially given the old Master's battle fatigue. Perhaps, if Obi-Wan was mobile, it would be a more even fight. Yoda is slower than he was, but still challenges Anakin. Anakin, more crazed than angry, makes any and all attempts to overpower Yoda. Yoda jumps towards Anakin, twirling his saber into his shoulder. Its a small nick. "You're not going to give up. I'm going to have to kill you too, aren't I?" Anakin growls, feeling the pressure. He picks up the slack, adapting to Yoda's style. "The Jedi. The Sith. After this, I'm going to burn it all down!" He puts the pressure on Yoda now, who fights as a shadow of his former self. Just as a winner is sure to be decided, a familiar voice cries out.

"Anakin…" Obi-Wan mumbles, coming to.

"Stay out of this Obi-Wan!" Anakin warns him, losing his focus.

"Anakin…"

He hears his name again, but this time, it wasn't Obi-Wan's. It was Obi-Wan's master. Anakin feels a sudden panic…He must be going insane. Was it the guilt? Was it a Jedi trick? No, he knew all the tricks! Was it Qui-Gon? Impossible! He had to look. Anakin took his eyes off Yoda for one second to check the room.

"Anakin! Stop!"

He hears it again, but he is unable to see the origin point. By the time he sees the blue glow of a force ghost standing beside Obi-Wan, he is airborne, heading straight into a wall. His head smacks against it, hard. He tries once more to look at that ghostly figure, but only sees Yoda with his hand outstretched, and Obi-Wan joining him in unconsciousness.