Thank you very much for the reviews! They make me very eager to post updates as soon as possible.
Here, the focus shifts from Anakin to Obi-Wan and Padme, as both of them have to wage their own battles, each influencing Anakin's Destiny, without knowing it.
Unfortunately, my computer is on the fritz again and I will have to take it to the manufacturer, for urgent repairs. I don't know how much it will take. I will try to use someone else's computer, if possible. If not, we'll see each other in one or two weeks, it depends. :(
Chapter VII - Visions of the Darkest Night
If a place in the Galaxy could illustrate the saying Sith Hell, the Outer-Rim world of Mustafar was definitely it. Its surface was covered with imposing volcanoes and bottomless ravines, from where incandescent lava bubbled its way up to the surface. Crimson rivers dotted the dark landscape, adding to the planet's sense of foreboding.
Mustafar had no natural fauna of its own. Its extreme climate, however, was found to be an advantage by the Separatists, who had constructed an entire power plant, using the lava flows as a source for raw electricity.
Near the planetary command center stood a landing platform, with a beautifully crafted space ship ground atop it. But it was not the craft which could attract the eyes of onlookers, but the drama that was taking place near it.
A small, pregnant woman lay unconscious on the hard, ferrocrete surface. Unbeknownst to her, she was placed in the center of a titanic struggle, between Light and Darkness themselves.
Two men were slowly circling each other, their eyes never straying from one another. They looked like two hunters, ready to leap for the kill.
"You turned her against me!" Anakin yelled, fiercely.
"You did that yourself!" Obi-Wan retorted.
"You will not take her from me!"
"It is too late. Your anger and lust for power have already done that!"
Slowly advancing, Obi-Wan continued his verbal attack.
"You have allowed this Dark Lord to twist your mind, until now you have become all that you have sworn to destroy!"
"Don't lecture me, Obi-Wan!" Anakin spat. "I see through the lies of the Jedi! I do not fear the Darkside as you do!"
Turning around, he continued his raging tirade:
"I have brought peace, justice, freedom and security to my new Empire!"
Obi-Wan placed a quivering hand on Padme's temple, checking her pulse. Rising, the Jedi Master asked, incredulous:
"Your new Empire!"
"Don't make me kill you" growled Anakin, gathering the Darkness around him like a cloak.
"Anakin, my allegiance is to the Republic, to democracy!" Obi-Wan yelled, the pain and anguish clearly distinguishable in his voice.
"If you're not with me, you're my enemy!"
"Only the Sith deal in absolutes" the older man, whispered, unhooking the lightsaber from his belt. "I will do what I must."
"You will try!" the young Sith snarled, gripping his own weapon.
And then they were at each other's throats, cutting and slashing with a speed never before thought possible.
Obi-Wan struggled to keep his ground in the face of Anakin's savage attacks. All around them, massive columns of lava were shooting skywards, but none of the two combatants paid them any attention.
Obi-Wan managed to land a solid kick in Anakin's solar plexus, knocking the younger man down, on the conference table. The Jedi Master swiftly brought his blade down, for the final strike, only to be intercepted by Anakin's lightsaber.
The two weapons cracked with energy, as both men pushed with all their might, each hoping for an advantage.
Obi-Wan's eyes met those of his former Padawan, but they were not how he remembered them. Gone was the beautiful, velvety, dark azure, replaced with a sickly yellow, burning with an inner, hellish fire.
Anakin, what has happened to you? He thought desperately, ignoring the pain in his arms. What has happened to my brother?
Obi-Wan kept hearing a low, buzzing sound in his ears, but he chose to ignore it. In that moment, taking advantage of his former friend's weariness, Anakin kicked him in the shins, throwing him off the table.
Obi-Wan landed on the floor with a thud and tried to regain his balance. However, it was not working. The buzzing was stronger and the entire room started to spin before his eyes.
He felt his skin being lashed with multiple sensations, from icy cold to searing heat.
Suddenly, a fireball seemed to blossom in front of his eyes, with a human being incased inside it. Horrified, Obi-Wan realized it was Anakin, burning alive!
"Anakin!"
Extending his hands, he tried to get past the wall of fire, only to have his palms scorched. Yelling, his pain matched Anakin's whose entire frame was now encased in flames.
"Anakin!"
With a start, Obi-Wan jumped up, only to whack his head on something hard.
"Ouww!" he grumbled, placing a hand on the top of his head. Remembering the flames, he instantly looked at his hands. But where he remembered to be blackened, burned tissue was only normal skin. The buzzing, however, remained.
Gazing around him, Obi-Wan saw that he was in a very narrow space, in front of a control pane. The cockpit of his starfighter!
Then he remembered! He was on his way to Utapau! It had only been a dream!
Breathing heavily, Obi-Wan leaned back in his seat, calming himself down.
It was just a dream, nothing more. Just a dream with no meaning . . .
But what if it wasn't? What if it was a premonition? A sighting of the future?
Dreams pass in time.
He had said that to Anakin three years ago, but now he wasn't so sure anymore. A dark, foreboding feeling kept lingering somewhere in the back of his mind. Something monumental was going to happen . . . soon.
The buzzing started again, louder this time.
"What in the blazes?" Obi-Wan grumbled. A signal was blinking on his control panel. When he leaned in to inspect it, he discovered it was the arrival signal. Pulling a lever, he watched as the white streaks outside the glass canopy turned to stars once more, as the craft dropped from hyperspace.
In front of him lay a large mottled green-brown sphere. Utapau. For a few seconds, the entire Universe seemed to stand still, as if the world were drawing its breath before the plunge to the depths.
The stillness was broken, when, with low rumbles, the Battlecruisers of the Sixth Army materialized around Obi-Wan, blossoming into real space like a beautiful, but deadly flower.
Not wasting any time, Obi-Wan quickly opened a communication channel with the flag ship, The Invictus.
"What is it, Obi-Wan?" came Commander Cody's surprised question. After leaving Coruscant, they had agreed that Obi-Wan would land on planet and engage General Grievous, while the Army awaited an opportune moment to strike.
"There has been a change in plans, Cody" Obi-Wan said, seriously. "Gather the lieutenants in the conference hall. We're changing our strategy."
"Will do, General." Cody wanted to ask the Jedi Master just what prompted this sudden shift in tactics, but he knew his friend enough to know that he probably had a very important reason.
Setting his fighter on a course for The Invictus' hangar bay, Obi-Wan pondered if it was the right thing to do. Pushing his doubts into the back of his mind, he focused on his only certainty: all of his senses were screaming at him full blast that he had to return to Coruscant as fast as possible, in order to avoid an impending disaster.
x x x
Coruscant seemed to have regained some of its peace after the sudden attack of the Separatists only days ago. There were still many scars left, that showed the ferocity of battle, but, in time, they would heal.
In his office, Supreme Chancellor Palpatine watched the repair crews making short work of the craters left by the falling artillery.
"You requested to see me, your Excellency?" asked Mass Amedda, with a deep bow.
"Yes, I have, Chairman" answered Palpatine, not turning from the window. "I wish to know if you have any new information regarding the members of the Loyalist Committee."
"No, your Excellency. They have been very, shall we say, prudent since the regional governors have taken up their duties."
"I see" Palpatine nodded. "But they will come out, sooner or later."
"I do not understand" said Amedda, with a puzzled expression on his blue face.
"It is quite simple, Chairman. They are preparing a Petition, formally asking me to renounce my emergency powers."
Mass Amedda looked very surprised at this, to say the least. Palpatine couldn't hide his smirk at the Chairman's surprise.
"I know almost everything that takes place in the Senate, Amedda" he said, on a tone that made the Chagrin representative feel a cold shiver run up his spine. "The only thing that I do not know is how many of them there are and who is their leader. But it will all reveal itself in time."
Amedda could only nod, wondering from the thousandth time why he had the suspicion that the Chancellor could see inside people's minds.
Picking up on his thoughts, Palpatine chuckled quietly. If you only knew, you fool . . .
Finally turning towards the Chairman, he spoke:
"Continue to keep the suspicious Senators under surveillance. I do not wish any unexpected surprises ruining the rebirth of this Galaxy."
There was a slight edge in his voice that made Amedda realize that he would lose more than his social position if he failed.
"It will be done, Milord" he said, exiting the room with another deep bow.
Palpatine resumed gazing out the window, with a satisfied smile cracking his thin lips. Indeed, all was going according to his design. Reaching out into the Force, he sought out a particularly bright presence. His smile grew even wider when he saw a frustrated young man, pacing about in the corridors of the Jedi Temple like a caged lion.
Yes, it was only a matter of time before the Galaxy and young Anakin Skywalker were his.
x x x
Unbeknownst to the plotting Chancellor, the leaders of the Loyalist Committee were holding a secret session at the very same time, inside Padme Amidala's apartment.
"His intentions" spoke Bail Organa, "have become clear when he assigned the law stating that the Galaxy would be split up in sectors, run by regional governors!"
"But he did specify it was a measure to be used only until the end of the war" said Chi Eekway, Senator of Wroonia.
Smiling sadly at Chi's naïveté, Senator Terr Tanel of Neelanon spoke softly:
"He is only saying that to appease us. Imagine what uprising would have taken place in the Senate if he had been blunt and said that he was practically taking everything left from us and turning the Chancellorship into a Dictatorship!"
Although her tone had been soft, Tanel's words made themselves heard to everyone in the small group.
"Senator Tanel" is right, acknowledged Mon Mothma. "Regardless of what we may feel inside ourselves, we must face the reality! We can't just keep hiding behind beautiful lies!"
Her voice was surprisingly harsh, as her eyes scanned everyone in the room, resting on Padme Amidala.
"The fact of the matter is, whether we like it or not, that, from a practical point of view, the Senate no longer exists!"
The silence after her hard words lasted a few minutes.
"What do you propose we do, Lady Mothma?" asked Senator Nee Alavar of Lorrd.
"A petition has been written be myself and Senator Organa. In it, we specify that many of the Chancellor's current attributes are a direct violation of many laws of the Republic. Through it, we wish to formally ask the Chancellor to relinquish his emergency powers and abolish the regional governors."
"Unfortunately, we do not have that many signatures" said Bail, dismayed. Many members of the Senate are much too loyal to Palpatine, while others fear for the safety of themselves, or their homeworlds. It truly is a sad sight to see the Senate ruled by fear."
A chorus of murmurs of approval sounded in the room.
"The second point of discussion on the agenda" continued Mon Mothma "is naming a representative, who will present the Petition to the Chancellor. We have already reached a decision. Therefore, I nominate Senator Padme Amidala of Naboo to be our official representative."
Everyone turned towards Padme, who had been silent, listening to what the others had to say. A flicker of surprise showed on her face, only to be hidden with the skill of an experienced diplomat.
"I am honored by this nomination, Senator Mothma. But do you truly believe that I am the best option?"
"By far" answered Bail Organa, with a reassuring smile. "Very few of us here can match you when it comes to persuasion."
"And the fact that you and Palpatine have shared such a close friendship is another advantage" added Senator Giddean Danu of Kuat. I anyone can persuade him to give up this mad quest for power, it is you, Senator Amidala. Everyone else has failed, including the members of the Jedi Council."
Padme stood silent for a few minutes, deep in thought, but when she looked at the others again, they could read the determination in her eyes.
"I formally accept the position of official representative" she said, on her most dignified tone. In moments like these, it could be clearly seen that she had been a Queen.
Bail Organa came forward, placing a datapad containing the Petition in Padme's hands. Picking up her stylus, the woman signed her name, adding it to the list of hundreds of others. Somehow, she felt, in the depths of her being, that she was writing a page of history, that she was giving a new chance to the future.
"What if Palpatine does not wish to give up all that he has gained?" she asked, setting the datapad on the table.
"Then" sighed Mon Mothma, wearily "we will have to use force. There won't be another way."
"We will form a fleet out of what our allied planets can give us" Bail said. "And it shall be known as The Alliance to Restore the Republic."
"The Rebel Alliance, in short" said Fang Zar of Sern Prime, with a quirky smile.
"These are dark times indeed, if we are to be considered as rebels and traitors by the very institution that we have sworn to serve" spoke Mon Mothma, grimly.
The room fell silent once more, as the Senators pondered their next move.
x x x
On the command deck of the Republican Battlecruiser The Invictus, General Obi-Wan Kenobi was explaining the next course of action to the clone Commander.
"We have to get Grievous out of the hole in which he is hiding" Obi-Wan said, on his clipped, Coruscanti accent. "The sooner we complete this mission, the better."
"But I don't understand" Cody spoke, genuinely perplexed. "What's the rush?"
"I had a vision" Obi-Wan explained, quietly. Things will turn out for the worse. Soon."
"Ahh, more Jedi mumbo-jumbo" laughed Cody, but instantly stopped when he saw the expression on his friend's face. "You're serious, aren't you?"
"As serious as I'll ever be" Obi-Wan answered somberly.
"Then I trust you completely. If I have learned something in this war, it is that, when you have a Jedi with you, especially if said Jedi is called Obi-Wan Kenobi, you had better listen to him!"
The two men smiled slightly, remembering all of their battles together.
"Well, boss, what's the plan?"
"We will have to give up all subtlety" Obi-Wan answered. "No more tricks and schemes. We hit them hard, with all our force, in order to rut them out of hiding."
"And then? What if they try to flee in hyperspace?"
"The cruisers will await the in orbit, laser canons at the ready."
"And Grievous?"
"I will take care of him" Obi-Wan said, grimly.
Obeying the General's commands, Cody quickly set about mobilizing the entire Sixth Army for the attack. In a few minutes, entire formations were streaming out of the cruisers' hangar bays and heading towards Utapau at top speed.
From the bridge of the flag ship, Obi-Wan watched the impressive display of military power, but his mind was wondering elsewhere . . . towards his brother, whose footsteps seemed to be clouded in Shadows
Hold on, Anakin, he sent through the Force. I'm coming."
No answer came.