Hey, everyone! I just watched Return of the Jedi and Revenge of the Sith again. They inspired me to comeup with some of the stuff in the chapter you're about to read. I love those films. The music's so awesome! Anyway, thank you (as usual) for reviewing, favorting the story, or adding the story to your story alert list. Thanks for reading, too! I hope you enjoy this chapter!


Anakin and Luke were riding in the same speeder to the Chancellor's Office to stand as back up for Mace and the other three Jedi. Halfway there, Luke started to have misgivings about going to help fight. After all, the last time he had fought with a Dark Lord, he had almost turned to the dark side and then almost been killed by Palpatine. There was also the fact that he had to block out all of those memories as well as every memory of anything from the future when fighting, lest Palpatine try to read his mind. The last time, all he had to hide was the fact that Leia existed!

"Something troubling you?" Anakin asked. "You seem to be a little troubled." Anakin revised what he said. "I mean, more troubled than I would have thought a Jedi who had already fought Sith would be."

Should I tell him? Luke wondered. No... I'll leave some parts out. "It has to do with the last time I fought the Sith. I knew that one of them wouldn't kill me. He was the one that I actually dueled with. I... won the battle and basically told the other that he could go to hell. I wouldn't fight. The second Sith then tried to kill me, but he died before he finished me off."

"It doesn't sound that bad. The first time I fought Dooku, he cut my arm off. That was the first time I'd fought a Sith Lord. True, he was the apprentice, but that doesn't mean that they aren't good at dueling."

"I shouldn't be this nervous," Luke admitted. "I guess it's just that..." He sighed. "It's different here. There are more Jedi, and I know that if I did die that someone else could come and close ranks. Back home... I'm---Let's just say I'm under a lot more pressure."

"I really screwed up the Prophecy, then?" Anakin asked. He only got a confused look in return. "You know, the Prophecy! Where they're be a 'Chosen One' who would bring balance to the Force? I, unfortunately, have the curse of being the Chosen One."

Luke smiled sadly. "No, you didn't screw it up. You fulfilled the prophecy."

He turned to Luke. "Look, I won't turn to the Dark Side, and I have you to thank for it. Who knows what would have happened if you hadn't been around. So no worries, okay?"

"I won't worry about that." No... but what if I turn?

Anakin smiled. "And don't worry about turning, either. It's a waste of time and energy. Trust me, there are better things to use both on."

Luke nodded, and by the time they had reached the building, he had regained his calm. Someone in the Senate really must have said something that really caused a riot... he thought, looking around at the chaos. However, despite the riot, Luke was surprised to find that the crowd parted for the Jedi. Maybe they knew why the Jedi were going to see Palpatine. Now why would they know that? Luke groaned. "I just had to think that, didn't I?"

Confused, Anakin asked, "What?"

"My friend, the Senator. I thought that the only way that this whole situation could get worse was if she showed up. I think she might have given her 'The Emperor Is a Murderer' speech."

"The Emperor?"

"Palpatine. He becomes Emperor---well, became Emperor. He probably won't anymore. My friend, she hates the Emperor more than anyone else in the entire universe." Except maybe Vader, Luke added silently.

In a couple minutes, they were at the door to Palpatine's office. Luckily, all of the guards had disappeared; the group of Jedi hadn't run into any. Mace turned to Anakin and Luke. "You two stay out here unless two of us fall. If two of the group die, then you can come in." He turned to Anakin. "Please, at least this time, try to follow orders." After Anakin promised that he would, the other four Jedi, lead by Mace, went into Palpatine's office.

Anakin turned to Luke. "How many minutes do you give them before they call for help, and we have to come in and save their skins?"

"We shouldn't be betting on this!" Luke replied. Anakin stared at him. "Ten at most."


Back on the Millennium Falcon, everyone had ended up playing sabacc since there had been nothing else to do but wait. To everyone's surprise, Obi-Wan was winning. How he was winning, nobody knew, but they all knew he was not cheating. Eventually, no one was really betting anything anyway, so the Rogues started talking about what would happen after Palpatine was deposed.

"Hey, Han. What are you going to do when this is all over?" Wedge asked. Everyone knew what Wedge was insinuating, but nobody said anything about it.

"I dunno." Han sighed. "You know, what happens if, when we do go back to our time, we don't go back to our reality as well? Would we still all know each other? I mean, a lot of my life would have been different if the Empire hadn't existed, and I can't say I know where I would be. Maybe I would never have been a smuggler. Maybe I would have been a officer in the Republic's navy. I just don't know how we decided to take this chance."

"That was a little too deep for this conversation," Lando pointed out. "But you are right, Han. I wouldn't have known you if you hadn't been a smuggler living on Nar Shaada."

"If you hadn't been a smuggler, you wouldn't have met Luke, and therefore Leia either," Wedge added. "Heck, that brings up another whole slew of questions."

"No Rebellion means we would probably never meet," Corran murmured. "Well, I should amend that. I'd probably still know Luke, but that's it."

"Alderaan would be a planet still," Tycho mentioned. "I'd be happy, as would everyone else who was off Alderaan at the time of it's destruction."

"Yeah. That's one of the best reasons for changing the past. All the planets that were destroyed..." Han admitted. "I'll miss everyone, but this is probably a change for the better." All the Rebels agreed.

"Of course, if you go back to where you're from, thank you for changing this reality," Obi-Wan said. "I have a feeling this place will turn out better thanks to all of you."

Han shook his head. "Not us. We're just the ones that blow stuff up and help the danger-magnets. Leia's the politician who has made the Senate ready to accept that Palpatine has to be deposed, and Luke's a Jedi. He probably did something once he decided not to sit around and do nothing."

"Oh, the Council assigned Luke to follow Anakin around. I think he talked some sense into Anakin," Obi-Wan mentioned.

"They're both crazy, regardless," Han remarked.

Wedge concentrated on something that had been bothering him since he had watched the news. "Obi-Wan, as a reward for (for lack of a better term) contributing in the salvation of the galaxy, we'd like to have a private chat with Palpatine after he's captured."

"Oh, God, no," Corran murmured, knowing exactly what Wedge was thinking about.

"Why?" Obi-Wan asked.

"To... 'discuss' certain things," Wedge replied with a huge grin plastered on his face.

Han started laughing. "Please say you mean the legendary Rogue Squadron initiation ceremony!" he managed to remark in between laughing.

"Do I even want to know?" Obi-Wan asked. Corran shook his head. Obi-Wan turned to Wedge. "Sure. Why not? You can ask permission from whoever are the ones containing Palpatine." Obi-Wan revised his statement. "Excluding Anakin. He'd probably demand to take part in whatever antic you plan to do."


By the time all of the lightsabers had turned on, Mace sensed the two Skywalkers coming. They hadn't even waited five minutes. Palpatine lunged at Saesee Tiin, and Saesee fell. Kit Fisto fell next. Agen was about to be impaled when Anakin and Luke rushed into the room. Palpatine jumped back, surprised that there were backups and that one of them was Anakin. "You can still surrender, Palpatine!" Mace declared. "Although the Senate would be more likely to convict now that you've killed Jedi."

"Palpatine's recording the conversation," Luke noted. "It would have been evidence to show how rebellious the Jedi were or some nonsense like that."

Palpatine glared at Luke. "You! You're the one! The Destroyer in my visions!"

Luke smiled spitefully. "You mean the only one that could destroy you?"

"No. You would turn to the Dark Side by striking down Skywalker and becoming my apprentice, thus setting you on the path to become the most powerful Sith to have ever lived!" Palpatine cackled

Anakin didn't even flinch throughout what Palpatine said. "I should have expected you to betray me. It's the Sith way."

Luke shook his head. "No. I've already faced both you and Lord Vader. Anakin won and saved my life. You lost, Palpatine."

Anakin reiterated, "Again, in the name of the Galactic Republic, the Jedi Order---"

"And the Rebel Alliance, you are under arrest, Emperor Palpatine," Luke finished.

"You really expect me to surrender?" Palpatine asked. "Where have Masters Windu and Kolar gone?" Anakin turned back to see that they were, in fact, missing, and that's when Palpatine struck. Luke activated his lightsaber and parried the attack, but he was driven backward by the force of the blow.

While Palpatine was executing a flurry of attacks against Luke, who was barely able to block all of them, Anakin ignited his lightsaber and swung at Palpatine. The Sith Lord parried, but by the time Luke had recovered and waged an attack of his own, Palpatine was ready to block that attack, too. Gradually, the fight moved out of the inner office and into the corridor that connected the outer and inner offices. Reflecting that it was starting to get annoying to have the two Jedi continue their onslaught, Palpatine used the Force to throw Luke through the hallway and into the window of the outer office, causing the glass to shatter.

Anakin was about to disengage to go help Luke, but Palpatine began fighting more fiercely since there were half the Jedi to concentrate on. Nevertheless, Anakin was still able to move the fight into the outer office, where Mace and Agen had been waiting to strike.

The two Jedi Masters then ambushed Palpatine from both sides. Palpatine used the Force to take Saesee Tiin's lightsaber and used that blade to block the two Masters. Anakin was proving to be harder to defeat than both combined, so Palpatine blocked the other two when he needed, but concentrated on his fight with Anakin. After deciding that it would be worth the distraction to get rid of the Masters, Palpatine impaled Kolar with Tiin's lightsaber, then blocked one of Mace's attacks, and blasted the Force at Anakin, who flew into the wall and was knocked unconscious as Luke had been.

"You will not win, Palpatine!" Mace exclaimed and pressed his attack. The purple and red blades sparked every time they met; both combatants attacked but their opponent then parried perfectly. Palpatine would sidestep an attack, Mace would move so that his blade would strike, but Palpatine still was able to parry. The stalemate between the Sith and the Jedi continued.


Anakin was walking through the dark hallways of his dream, not quite sure where he was traveling. Finally, he reached a turbolift. It had just been in use. Not knowing what else to do, he pushed the button that had been pushed before hand. When the lift's doors opened, he saw a battle raging between what he then knew to be the last of the Jedi and the last of the Sith. Well, the second to last of the Sith. Palpatine was watching the battle.

Both combatants were dressed in black, but in the Force, one was a bright light while the other was a black maw. The latter was in black armor, but Anakin couldn't tell what the other looked like. The level of lighting definitely left things to be desired for. What kind of idiot builds a battle station without proper lighting? Anakin halted his thinking. How had he known that this was a battle station? His gaze drifted to the windows behind Palpatine, who was obviously enjoying the show inside. There was a great battle going on out in space, but it appeared to Anakin that the ones fighting against Palpatine's forces were losing.

Anakin stalked towards Palpatine, lightsaber activated. He swung down at the ghastly Emperor, but the blade went right through the Sith. Palpatine hadn't even noticed Anakin, let alone the saber. "Am I a ghost?" Anakin wondered out loud. No one noticed. Anakin turned his attention back to the battle between the other Sith and the last Jedi. All he could really see was a green blur against a red blur, neither really winning. Then the Jedi jumped up onto the gantry overhead of the platform he and the Sith had been fighting on. "I will not fight you, Father!" said the Jedi.

Anakin froze. He knew that voice. Luke had fought his own father? Anakin could only watch the rest of the fight in shock. He couldn't hear anything else but that one sentence repeating over and over. Luke had said he had won. Did he kill his father? Anakin's strain of thought broke when he heard Luke yell, "Never!" in response to something his father, the Sith, had said. The battle then rapidly escalated, and less than a minute later, the Sith was on the floor with Luke's lightsaber at his throat. Anakin noted that the Sith's right hand had been cut off. The cross-section was what disturbed him, though. Like Anakin, the Sith's hand was mechanical.

Anakin walked over, knowing what had to come next, but what he expected didn't happen. Luke looked at his own hand, then turned his lightsaber off and threw it away from him. "I will not turn. I am a Jedi, like my father before me," Luke said to Palpatine. Anakin felt like cheering.

Palpatine, however, didn't take it as well and frowned. "So be it, Jedi," Palpatine said, saying the last word with particular malice.


When Anakin awoke, Luke was still unconscious on the floor, and Mace was still battling Palpatine, and they were still stalemated. Anakin somehow knew that Palpatine could only be stopped by one person: himself. He wasn't sure if it had to do with the vision, but he knew it was true. Anakin picked up his lightsaber and stalked over to Palpatine. "I saw the vision of the future you were talking about, but it was incomplete. Luke doesn't turn. He wouldn't kill the apprentice you had fight him."

Mace ignored what Anakin was saying but was grateful for the opportunity it had presented him: Palpatine was distracted. Mace didn't hear what Palpatine said in reply, but instead mounted another attack. Palpatine's lightsaber was batted away and fell off the ledge through the shattered window. Palpatine was shocked to find that his lightsaber had been disposed of. He backed up against the wall. Mace lifted the saber to Palpatine's throat. "You are under arrest."

Anakin saw the irony that something similar was supposed to happen in the future, but knew that Palpatine was beyond saving from the Dark Side. As much as he regretted it, Palpatine was to stand trial. He had to stand trial. The Constitution would have to be changed back to what it had been. The most trustworthy of the Senators would be the jury. Surely no one would argue against that?

Strangely enough, even though he was cornered, Palpatine smiled wickedly. Anakin knew what would come next. Palpatine then started shooting Force Lightning at Mace, who was using his sword style, Vaapad, to channel it through him and back at Palpatine. Anakin could only watch in horror as Palpatine was hit with the full force of the shock at point blank range, causing the skin on Palpatine's face to melt like wax in a fire.

Out of the corner of his eye, Anakin saw Luke stand up and walk over. "Finished resisting yet?" Luke asked Palpatine. The comment only caused Palpatine to divert some of the lightning at Luke, who tried to block it but couldn't. Luke crumpled under the energy barrage and fell on to the floor. Anakin, who couldn't bare to watch, stepped in front of Palpatine and blocked the lightning with the Force. "That was stupid of me," Luke said weakly. "Thanks again."

Anakin nodded in reply, then focused on blocking the lightning. The captive energy built up in a sphere where he had his hands up. Once he felt Mace starting to give out, Anakin threw the energy blast back at Palpatine. At that point, Palpatine stopped generating the lightning and started begging for mercy. "I give up! Please Master Jedi! I surrender! Don't kill me!"

Anakin saw through the lies. "He's not finished yet," he told Mace. "Watch out."

"He's too dangerous to be left alive," Mace replied.

Anakin shook his head. "No. He must stand trial. The jury can decide how severe his punishment will be."

"He controls the courts!" Mace retorted. "He controls the Senate!"

"Nothing controls the Senate but itself," a woman whom Anakin didn't know said. She walked in and picked up Luke's lightsaber. "Yet they aren't controlling themselves very well today," she continued, gesturing to the rioting outside. "I agree with Master Windu, by the way. Palpatine should die."

"He should stand trial," Luke said, slowly standing up. Anakin paid more attention to Palpatine now that there was an argument brewing.

"And be tried by whom? The Rogues?" she asked with a laugh.

"That would be amusing, but I was thinking more of Mon Mothma and Senator Organa. Maybe Senator Amidala and the other Organa as well," Luke replied. "Why not add Yoda, Master Windu, and Obi-Wan as well? Maybe even some of the Rogues!"

"Fine. Have it your way, Luke." The woman glared at Palpatine and handed Luke back his lightsaber. He was weak and shaky from being shocked by the lightning, but he could still fight. She drew a blaster and leveled it at Palpatine. "So, the choice is yours, Palpatine: surrender or die."

"You! You're the one that caused the riot in the Senate!" Palpatine shouted, ignoring the fact that Mace, Anakin, and now Luke had their lightsabers at his throat and that the woman was pointing a blaster at his head.

"Yes. My family just hates you, doesn't it?" she stated with a smile as Padmé entered the room with a furry, snakelike creature. Neither Anakin nor Mace noticed her enter. Luke only knew because he turned around. "The ysalamir is here only to ensure that you won't be able to escape once you are arrested. You do know what a ysalamir is, right? It's the reason that the Jedi avoid the planet they're from. The Zoo was more than willing to let us borrow it once we explained how a certain Sith was trying to take over the galaxy."

As she spoke, about thirty troopers came in to oversee the arrest along with the Senators from which they had been borrowed: Bail Organa, Garm Bel Ibis, and Mon Mothma. The last group of people to walk in included Obi-Wan and was lead by yet another person Anakin didn't know who was blatantly Corellian and swinging a pair of handcuffs on his index finger. The unnamed woman rolled her eyes and murmured, "Late, as usual," as the Corellian spoke to Luke. "Hey, Kid. How're things?"

Luke grinned and replied, "Same as always."

Also grinning, the Corellian replied, "That bad, huh?"