Star Wars 2.0

Episode 6: Vengeance of the Sith

Chapter 10

The Purge of the Jedi was complete. Though a few escaped into hiding, the order was annihilated, and their tower was turned into Emperor Palpatine's personal palace. He began his rule over the galaxy with the promise of keeping it safe from future dangers, like those caused by the Jedi and the Separatists. His propaganda machine produced fabricated evidence of the connection between these two organizations. Using holographic recordings of conversations Palpatine had had with Separatist leaders and replacing himself with Jedi he had secretly recorded in his office, he was able to make it appear that the Jedi had been playing both sides. The lie spread throughout the civilized galaxy.

Governments and civilizations paid their allegiance to the new Empire. Though it took away many of their freedoms, it provided safety, which was all they wanted after the destruction of the Clone Wars. They also retained a modicum of representation as the Senate remained, though mostly in an advisory role. They did not go in session, however, for a couple years as the Senate chamber had to be rebuilt; (something else Emperor Palpatine blamed on the Jedi as he showed holograms of Yoda destroying the platforms in a strange act of vandalism.) Within that time, Palpatine was able to gain control over every sector; and the first meeting of the Senate was more of a list of demands he sent to its members, which they were too afraid to refuse.

There were mumbles of dissent. Those which came from less connected sources were dealt with by making them disappear. But when more prominent members complained, Palpatine and his retinue had to deal with it in a more diplomatic fashion. In each case they would fabricate a disaster that would frighten those who supported the dissenter, and the trouble would disappear.

But fighting each fire individually would only work for so long. At some point the various governments would recognize patterns and realize how much Palpatine was playing both sides. Even if they didn't, the amount of time it took to deal with each of them was distracting him from ruling. He needed one symbol of fear that would keep every sector in line. It was already under construction.

Palpatine traveled with his top associate, Darth Vader. As he had promised Anakin, the suit would increase his powers, but he would need to get used to it. He could train in it along with his new hand and lightsaber, one that was bright red, like the Sith Warriors of old.

Anakin now had two reasons to hate his former colleague, Obi-wan Kenobi, and he could not wait to find him again to strike him down. It would fuel his mission to hunt down Jedi survivors and destroy each one he found. One day, Obi-wan would be at the other end of that saber; and this time he would not prevail.

They reached the station around the orbit of Melas where Palpatine's special project was being constructed. It had been delayed because of a recent sabotage attack, but it was back on track. The sheer size of it made it clear that it would take years to complete. But it would be worth it. Once finished, no one would dare challenge the might of the Empire. There would never be a dissenting voice again.

Padme Amidalla gave birth to twins; a boy and a girl. Yoda and Obi-wan had discussed in private what they thought should happen with them. Being the children of a powerful Jedi, both would be targets of the Emperor. They may also possess some of those qualities, and would be important assets to the revival of the Order. Of course the choice ultimately would come down to Padme.

They had at last suggested that she send one away with Owen and Baroo while she hold onto the other there on Coruscant. That way one would be protected if the other was discovered. Padme would not hear of it. She would find a way to keep them safe, no matter what happened.

She knew that she could never return to Naboo. Palpatine had already had her replaced before she had arrived on Alderaan, which was enough to tell her that he had intended her to be dead. She tried to think of ways to retake her homeland, but Obi-wan advised against that. "Even if you somehow win, the Emperor will make you out to be a war criminal and will send the might of the Empire against you," he said.

"We can't just leave things the way they are," she protested.

"Patience will win the day, milady," Obi-wan said. "I want to destroy that monster who murdered Anakin, but we must make certain our moves are precise and effective. For every loss we suffer now is devastating."

Padme slowly resigned herself to the role of hiding, and manipulating political matters from the shadows. She found a certain freedom in advising Bail Organa and his wife and others of their diplomatic core without the burden of having to give the speeches or attend the caucuses herself. Her help was invaluable, and Alderan found itself in a strong position politically, neither at the Emperor's heel, nor siding with any of his opposition.

At last she had her children; one boy and one girl. Although Alderan had some of the best in medical technology, she had a difficult birth. So much of her energy was drained from it that she was never the same again. Obi-wan and Yoda knew why. They detected a stronger sense of the Force from both children than they had ever imagined; more than in Anakin, or Owen, or Tosho Shiro, or even Yoda himself. It was unnerving, but a potential asset.

Over the coming weeks, Padme had to come to terms with the fact that she was not regaining her strength, and would not have enough to raise her children. She admitted as much to Obi-wan, acknowledging that their protection under others would be safer for them, and might do some good in the long run.

Yoda was leaving for a world he knew where his powers would be hidden from the eyes of the Emperor. He had felt his presence recently, as if the Sith Lord was searching for him. He hoped that such a move would distract the Emperor from searching for the others.

Owen and Baroo were also heading to an isolated planet, one that was as far from the intrigues and politics of Coruscant as they could get. They had chosen Tatooine, a desert world known primarily to smugglers and criminals who were trying to remain out of sight. They had waited for Padme to give birth, and they knew that they might be asked to take one of the children with them, but they had one important caveat if they were asked. The child would not become a Jedi.

When Obi-wan at last brought up the issue and asked them to take the boy, he assured them that he would come with them to watch over their progress.

"No," Owen said. "He is not to be 1 pawn in your game of Sith versus the Jedi."

"He is far more than a pawn…" Obi-wan began to say.

But he was interrupted by Owen, "He is not to be any piece in your game! He is a child. A child we will raise to live a normal life." Owen looked over at Baroo and said, "There has been enough slavery in this galaxy. People like Baroo and her family… and the clones. What choice did they have in life but to do the bidding of their masters? Their betrayal was a form of karma to the galaxy."

"And what if fate comes calling?" Obi-wan asked.

"Fate is just another word for slavery," Owen responded.

Obi-wan wanted to argue with him, but he understood why Owen felt the way he did. He also did not want to anger Owen to the point that he did not take the boy, who had now been named Luke. Tatooine was the perfect place to hide a child as he grew up, far from the eyes of the Emperor. The girl would be raised under opposite circumstances, right under the Emperor's nose on Alderan. The odds were that at least one would survive to adulthood, and hopefully they would revive a new hope for the resistance to the Empire.

Obi-wan agreed to Owen's demands, and the couple took the boy with them. The aging Jedi would seek out other survivors, or new people who had a connection to the Force, and send them to Yoda for training in secret. He would drop in on the twins from time to time, watching one from a distance on Tatooine, and the other closer up on Alderan.

He assured Padme that everything would be fine. She needed that promise. Her energy faded slowly but surely. After a couple years, while Obi-wan was out searching for Jedi, she passed away. Though he was not with her, he felt her loss, and it brought him to tears.

Obi-wan stopped his ship in deep space and allowed himself some time to mourn; to think over all that had passed. What had been his normal life now seemed so distant, like a dream. Now there was an entirely new reality which had come like a flash, yet it had slowly crept in like an uncurling snake. He looked out the window at the flurry of stars across an unending galaxy. It was ever-evolving, yet he would still require patience. All would be revealed in time. That was the way of things; the way of the Force.

The End