The Dreamers – Chapter 4
Soon after learning that the one way to get what I needed was to turn to the Dark Side, I went to 500 Republica to see what I could discover on Palpatine's – Sidious's own turf. There was no time to waste as the Council was getting close to learning Sidious' identity, which from what I'd heard was likely to be soon. Not to mention what I'd seen in the dream couldn't have been far into the future, and I was trying hard not to think about that coming true. When I entered, I was surprised that there was nobody there. Not even a droid.
What I did notice was that my boots made an echo on the floor like there was a room underneath, even though there are few basements in that part of Coruscant. Curiosity got the better of me and I looked around, but there was nothing leading down. Then I looked closely at the ground and kicked the rug to see if there was any sign of a trapdoor. I saw a small black handle that had been hidden underneath the rug. Pulling it, there were steps going down.
Suddenly, there came over me a sensation that I hadn't felt before. I couldn't sense anyone or anything; there was nothingness or emptiness. Going down the steps, I found a small, dark room with what appeared to be cages all around. It appeared to be empty at first. But there was a sudden hiss from the top of one of the cages. I looked up just as the hiss was answered by another. From what I could see, there were two creatures on top that were slithering across the top of the cage with their mouth open to reveal their long fangs.
At this point, I heard what sounded like glass breaking onto the street, which was now above me. I ran up the stairs and slammed the trapdoor shut. Suddenly, I could sense again, and I could sense furious activity nearby. Following the familiar whir of a lightsaber into Palpatine's office, I found him dueling with Mace Windu. What had crashed to the ground became obvious as the window was broken.
So he's been found out. I couldn't decide whether to be relieved or panicked.
After a beat, Master Windu had Sidious on the ground and looked about to swing his lightsaber towards Sidious's head. As I started to panic, I couldn't just watch anymore. I came rushing in and screamed out, "Master, no!"
He looked surprised to see me there. "Anakin, he's a Sith. He's been responsible for this war."
"I know, bring him to trial then," I said.
"A trial would be a joke," Master Windu replied, the edge of his lightsaber still almost touching Sidious' neck. "He controls the courts. He controls the Senate."
"But I need him to save Padme," I cried.
Master Windu turned towards me in surprise, his lightsaber moving away from Sidious. "What are you talking about!"
While Master Windu's back was turned, Sidious quickly got to his feet and Force lightning came out of his hands. Master Windu went to the ground, screaming. As I watched and was filled with the Dark Side more strongly than I ever had before, Sidious coolly picked him up and threw him out the window.