Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters or anything Star Wars related.
CH. 11
"END OF A LEGACY"
Bail Organa grabbed the sidearm from one of the nearby clone soldiers and turned back to the younger Senator.
"Fine," he said in resignation. "But if you're going back up there, I'm going with you."
"No, you have to make sure everybody gets out of here," Padme retorted. "We can't afford for the Separatists to get a hold of them again."
"They have an entire squad of troopers to protect them," he argued as he waved towards the soldiers gathered around them.
"And they need a leader," Padme replied, eyes smoldering with impatience. "We don't have time for this, Bail. I'll be fine – just get them someplace safe."
Senator Organa appeared to be contemplating what to do for a long time before he finally let out a concerned sigh. "I do not approve of this."
"I wouldn't have thought so," Padme commented, her expression slightly softening. "Now go."
"I'll be back as soon as I can," Bail assured her, signaling for the clone soldiers and the newly freed politicians to follow him. "Be careful."
Padme dashed back into the building she had just left while they retreated. I have to help Obi-Wan, she told herself. Grievous is too dangerous – even for a seasoned Jedi.
Stepping into a lift once she got inside, Padme pressed the button for the floor Obi-Wan and the General had been left on…she prayed she still had time.
Anakin soared through the sky towards Obi-Wan's Force signature. Now that he was closer, he knew that his former Master and Padme were in the same proximity and he needed to reach them. Swooping the speeder he had 'borrowed' down at the building just below him, he could feel Obi-Wan's presence grow stronger and knew that he was at the right place.
Expertly landing the speeder on the rooftop, he quickly leapt out of the drivers seat and started for the doors that led into the tall building.
This is it, I'm positive, he thought. Or more, he felt. His Master's energy practically radiated from the establishment.
Within a matter of mere minutes he had found the floor Obi-Wan was on and rushed down the long hallways, tracking down his familiar signature until he could feel the distance between them close. As he neared the room he knew he was in, he could hear the hum of lightsabers – more than one by the sound of it. Then he heard them clashing with each other…
Obi-Wan!
Not wasting any time, Anakin burst through the door and charged into the room.
This seems familiar, he thought bitterly. If only I had finished him off before.
He glared at General Grievous as he thrust his glowing blades forward, attempting to penetrate Obi-Wan's defenses and failing.
He instinctively moved his hand to unclip his own lightsaber from his belt, but once again realized he was without it. His eyes darted around the area – eventually settling on the lifeless body of a bodyguard droid and the electrostaff on the ground beside it. A grin played across his face and he used the Force to retrieve the weapon, calling it to his awaiting palm.
Obi-Wan and Grievous both glanced over when they saw it fly through the air – neither of them noticing his arrival until now.
"Anakin?" Obi-Wan raised a puzzled eyebrow, watching his old padawan in disbelief.
"I thought you could use a hand, Master," Anakin answered his unasked question. "It looks like I was right."
"Indeed you were," Obi-Wan agreed with a relieved smile.
"You will not be so fortunate this time, Jedi," Grievous growled.
Anakin slowly and cautiously made his way across the room, never taking his eyes off of the General. He held the electrostaff in a defensive position and moved closer to Obi-Wan.
Grievous howled in anger and lunged forward, his two opponents diving to either side of him and easily dodging his swipes. They quickly rolled to their feet and returned his advances – Master and Apprentice delivering blow after blow and forcing him to take several steps back. The bionic tyrant was nearly pinned against the wall behind him when he finally gained enough leverage to retaliate, almost knocking Anakin's weapon out of his hands when he struck.
Obi-Wan ceased the opportunity presented to him and with a swift upward motion, swung and sliced through one of Grievous' wrists. His severed hand clattered to the floor, but it didn't slow him down…he was determined to win this battle.
He mercilessly pressed on and forced the Jedi Knight back while Anakin called the lightsaber from the ground and tossed the electrostaff aside.
This is more like it, he thought, satisfied to have acquired possession of his weapon of choice.
He immediately ignited the lightsaber and proceeded to fight Grievous alongside the man he once knew as his mentor.
The battle continued to rage on for what seemed like hours. Neither side seemed to be tiring or weakening and it appeared as though the fighting would never end. Then, suddenly and precisely, it was over…
Anakin crouched low to the ground while he whipped around, skillfully cutting Grievous down at the knees.
"Aah!" Grievous cried out in anguish and shock the instant Anakin's blade made contact. His three remaining hands lost their grasp on the lightsabers he held as he toppled over, the lower halves of his legs separated from the upper.
"This time you won't get away," Anakin threatened, stepping over to the defeated General.
Grievous began to crawl away, but stopped the moment he found a glowing blade hovering inches from his neck. He cowered in fear as Anakin stared down at him – clearly intent on ending his life.
"Anakin, don't do it," he heard Obi-Wan speak up from behind them.
"Why not?" Anakin growled. "I listened to you once and look what happened."
"You are not beyond redemption," Obi-Wan replied. "If you kill him you will be giving into the dark side again."
"He deserves to die!"
"Do you really feel that it is your decision to make?" Obi-Wan questioned, deactivating his lightsaber while he attempted to reason with his apprentice. "Killing in the heat of battle is one thing, Anakin…taking a life in cold blood is another."
Anakin clenched his jaw and tightly closed his eyes, struggling to take control of his burning emotions. Hatred. The need for revenge. The desire to kill the treacherous General was too great, too overwhelming. He could bring his lightsaber down and quench the thirst for power that devoured him…the power he felt fighting to escape him.
But at what cost? Is it worth my soul? he silently asked himself. I have already paid that price. I told myself I would never allow it to consume me again, but how can I deny this? Grievous has to die!
"Please, Ani…"
He started at the sound of her voice. Padme?
He quickly spun around and spotted her standing in the doorway to the room. Obi-Wan looked just as surprised to see her as he was – obviously she had just arrived.
"Padme, what are you doing here?" was all he could manage to get out.
"Ani, don't leave us again," she begged, her eyes pleading and glistening with unshed tears. "Please, don't."
He returned his gaze to Grievous.
"There is no other way. I have to," he replied, sounding as if he were trying to convince himself as much as he was trying to convince them. "The war will end with his death. His reign has to stop here and now before he can cause anymore damage."
"Are you really doing this to end the war?" Obi-Wan asked, crossing his arms in front of him. "Or is it that ending the war is an acceptable excuse for killing him? Don't give into the temptation, my padawan…you can vanquish the darkness."
"What if I don't want to vanquish the darkness?"
"Then you will be lost," Obi-Wan answered without hesitation. "You will be Darth Vader, dark lord of the Sith. You will no longer be the Anakin Skywalker we all love and you will have lost everything you once held dear."
"I love you, Anakin, stay with me," Padme said in desperation as she slowly approached his menacing position, tears now rolling down her cheeks. "Stay with us."
Padme knew this was her only hope of getting the man she loved back…his second chance. Ani, please don't push us away again. You have to come back to us.
A long moment of silence ensued while he glared down at a fearful General Grievous.
Finally, he reluctantly switched off his lightsaber and relaxed his stance. "It is more than he deserves."
Carelessly dropping the small device where he stood, he turned around to face his Master and his beloved wife. Fresh tears stained his own cheeks as he realized he had almost lost them again, almost let his hatred blind him a second time.
"I don't – "
Before the words even left Anakin's lips, Obi-Wan saw Grievous pull the blaster out. "Anakin, behind you!"
It was already too late. Grievous took aim with the blaster that had been concealed in his cloak and fired. The shot hit Anakin square in his chest just as he turned back around, taking the breath out of him on impact.
"Anakin!" Padme exclaimed as she ran towards him, his body hitting the floor with a sickening thud.
Obi-Wan instinctively called upon the Force, hurling the slain figure of Grievous' bodyguard droid towards the unsuspecting General. Their bodies collided and smashed through the ledge beneath the window -- the Separatist leader meeting the same fate as his other bodyguard as he fell the distance from the room to the streets of Coruscant far below.
Obi-Wan quickly ran over to Anakin and knelt down beside him. Padme was already there, tears freely flowing down her already wet cheeks as she cupped her husbands face in her trembling hand.
"Help him, Obi-Wan!" Padme was frantic, on the verge of losing control and breaking down into sobs.
"Hold still, Anakin, let me have a look," Obi-Wan spoke in a soothing tone as he peeled the front of his singed tunic back, carefully inspecting the injury.
Obi-Wan could tell he was straining to get air -- his breaths coming out ragged and shallow. He wheezed heavily between gasps, fighting to fill his lungs, and Obi-Wan grimaced at the severity of the gash inflicted in his chest.
"We need to get him medical attention immediately," he said after he had finished looking the wound over. "We will need help if we want to move him. Stay here, I'll be back shortly."
"No."
Padme and Obi-Wan stared down at Anakin as he choked out the single word.
"Ani, you need help," Padme said, doing her best to hold back her grief.
"No," he repeated. "Let me go."
"You are out of your mind if you think we're just going to sit here and do nothing," she replied defiantly. "Obi-Wan, go!"
"Master, my time has come," Anakin interjected before the older Jedi had a chance to rise from his place beside him. "I'm glad it has…it's the will of the Force."
Anger rose in Padme. "I don't care about the will of the Force! I don't care what that ridiculous prophecy says, I won't let you go!"
"I was supposed to destroy the Sith," Anakin offered a weak smile.
"You already have," she retorted, peering deep into his distant blue eyes. "You stopped Palpatine, Anakin…you saved us all. You did destroy the Sith."
"Not all of them," he said between coughs. His condition was clearly growing worse and he was gradually slipping…
"What are you talking about, Anakin?" Obi-Wan asked with sincere curiosity. "Sidious was the last of the Sith Lord's. You have fulfilled your destiny."
"There is one more…Vader."
Padme leaned back as if she had been slapped, his words hurting her more than any physical pain possibly could have. He was really giving up. He was really going to let himself die. No, I won't let him!
"Anakin, allowing yourself to die will solve nothing. It is your choice whether or not you are Vader," Obi-Wan replied before she got the chance to speak herself. "You don't have to sacrifice yourself. It is not necessary to deny yourself a future because of your past mistakes."
Closing his eyes, Anakin's breathing pattern became drastically slower and he seemed to pay Obi-Wan's reasoning no mind. "I'm sorry, Padme."
"Ani, open your eyes," she pleaded with him, hoping to get a response.
Her words were not answered and he remained still.
She buried her face in his chest when his intake of air stopped completely, not able to contain the pure agony she felt…he was gone. She felt like half a person without him – a lost and empty feeling enveloping her at the realization that she would never spend another day with him…never hear him say her name again. Never feel the warmth of his embrace or hear his voice. Only seconds had passed, but his robes were already soaked with her flowing tears.
Obi-Wan slowly stood up, his emotions swirling around him. His friend. His apprentice. His friend…his brother. He was now one with the Force. He could feel the moisture form in his own eyes and took a step back to give his padawan and his widow the space he felt they needed.
"Take care of her for me, Obi-Wan."
Obi-Wan was startled out of his concentration when he heard the voice speak up behind him. Spinning around to face it, his eyes widened in utter disbelief. There he stood; the same man that was sprawled out on the floor only a few feet away. It only took a brief moment before Obi-Wan's shock faded and was soon replaced by understanding.
Anakin Skywalker's glowing body shimmered as he gave his Master a sorrowful smile. Obi-Wan returned the smile and nodded…he had truly crossed over.
He returned his attention to Padme and watched while she softly whispered into Anakin's ear.
"You can't do this to me," she cried. "You can't. Do you hear me?"
Leaning closer to his face, she gently pressed her lips against his and tenderly kissed him. Obi-Wan's heart went out to her as he witnessed her display of helpless desperation. She wouldn't accept his passing, but he knew that he had definitely gone.
Then it happened. He never could have prepared himself for what happened next…Padme's trembling frame tensed as Anakin coughed.
Obi-Wan was completely baffled, turning back around to look at the apparition he had seen only seconds before. It was no longer there.
"How is this possible?" he asked aloud, more to himself than anyone else.
Padme couldn't help but laugh – her tears of despair changing to tears of joy.
"Obi-Wan, he's alive! He's alright!"
Obi-Wan didn't move for a long while.
"I will get some help," he said at last, his voice cracking.
The Senator didn't even hear him leave the room.