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Finn drew out the blaster in her waist that she had luckily brought with her. She propped it up and aimed forward, with a deadly smile pasted on her face. Her training told her that she had to separate the three Jedi. The one standing in the middle evidently elevated himself as the leader. "Saesee Tiin," she pronounced his name with the singular purpose of singling him out.
"Aodhfin Palpatine," he spoke her name with equal gravity. He had known the girl during from his acquaintance with Qui Gon Jinn. He had always admired her flair and talent, and a streak of devil-may-care she inherited from her uncle. Nonetheless, a sith was a sith. He could not let the sith lord's accomplice live.
Finn took the initiative and began firing rapidly. The Jedi knight was able to block every single shot. However, her aim was accurate and her speed increased more and more. The other two Jedi looked on placidly. They were confident that their leader was able to take down a mere captain of the Republic. However, one shot blasted into Saesee's arm. There was a look of surprise in his eyes as he received the minor wound. His pace faltered a little by the shock. Almost too fast for the eyes to see, Finn caught the opportunity to Force ram into him and whacked her blaster into the side of his face. Saesee faltered and regained his balance. But Finn kicked his hand, causing his lightsaber to fall out. She used the Force to swiftly retrieve the saber. Her opponent and his companions all let out a little gasp. They had not expected the surety and skill she had displayed with the Force. She had hid her training well while she stayed at the Temple. A dangerous smile flashed on Finn's face, she lectured, "The first lesson of combat, Jedi, is to hold onto your weapon." With that, she ignited his lightsaber and cut the Jedi down.
She could sense the surprise and pain the other two Jedi felt through the Force. Yet, instead of drawing on their passion for strength, they had to waste concentration in order to suppress their feelings. Finn smiled. Now, she was armed with both a lightsaber and a blaster. The two Jedi now worked as one, learning from the mistake of separating themselves. They tackled her from both sides, circling and intimidating her. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see that Palpatine was engaging in full on combat with Mace Windu. The two were closely matched and both were quick and strong.
On one hand, Finn fought the Jedi knight with Saesee's lightsaber. On the other hand, she fired shots at his former Jedi padawan. He was only able to defend himself by deflecting off the shots, without actually able to attack the Republican Captain. His rage and suffering were hard to control as his hands turned his lightsaber rather clumsily for a Jedi master. He was in shock and she knew he was still mourning for the padawan he lost to Dooku's droids. Finn saw the weakness and broadcasted daunting remarks to him. It was not long before his concentration broke and he was hit squarely in the shoulder by the blaster. The other Jedi master, Kit Fisto, gave a sudden yelp of concern for his comrade and hesitated in his routine. Finn used the opportunity to drive Saesee's lightsaber directly into his chest and then finished off the other one.
Finn stopped abruptly. A heavy layer of perspiration had formed on her body. Her heart was racing madly from the deathly battle. Her anger did not subside, even after she had triumphed over her opponents. She had tasted blood and it was drawing out her killer instincts. Finn felt that if she did not continue her rampage, she would faint from stifling her emotions. She moved into the inner circle of the office and began pacing evenly toward the fighting figures of Windu and Palpatine.
"Anakin! I told you it would come to this. I was right. The Jedi are taking over." Palpatine yelled to an approaching figure after he fell to the ground. Mace Windu's purple lightsaber hovered coldly over the Sith lord's throat. She made a move toward them, and then checked herself. She had felt the uncertainty that vibrated throughout Anakin's being. He was stepping into the Dark Side. Finn knew that this was his final trial. It would determine the fate of the Galaxy. She held her breath as she watched the young man nervously but surely told Windu that the Sith lord deserved a trial.
"You Sith disease. I am going to end this once and for all." Master Windu ignored Anakin's pleas as he proceeded with the execution. It would have been too easy. Just too easy. If Windu killed Palpatine at that moment, the usurpation of the Jedi to Galactic supremacy would have been complete.
When Qui Gon Jinn had found him on Tatooine, Anakin was nothing but a romantic, ignorant little slave boy. He almost died of joy when he realized that his life-long dream of becoming a Jedi was fulfilled. However, what he had not expected was the lack of acceptance among the Jedi Order. Obi-Wan Kenobi was a good master, but only after the initial indifference had transferred into genuine friendship. However, Anakin was perpetually separated from the rest of the Jedi Order. The knights and masters looked onto him with curiosity, unable to decide if they should stand in awe or be wary of him. The other padawans his age segregated him, both because of his reputation as the Chosen One and his upbringing with his mother as a child. The Jedi Council had refused to let him be trained. Even later, Jedi masters like Mace Windu would look at him with distrust and distaste in his eyes, like he was the scum under his boots that was hard be to rid of.
Anakin had been disillusioned by what the Jedi had offered him. They never trusted him and admit him into their ranks. They constantly broke their own rules that they had imposed unjustly on him. Now, they were actually grasping for power by unlawful means. He hated them, he realized it now. He hated them for everything they had put him through. All the hoops he had to jump through and all the spurns he received. The Sith Lord, Palpatine, held the key to Padmé's life, he was sure. He would not let the Jedi take away the last thing that was precious to him.
Master Windu warned Anakin, "He has too much control of the Senate and the Courts. He is too dangerous to be kept alive."
"It is not the Jedi way…" Anakin tried one last time.
Finn felt as if she was in a different dimension, watching the whole scenario from the outside. She understood the Jedi master's pressing urgency to kill the Sith. After all, Jedi and Sith were opposite sides of the same coin. One cannot be facing up without the other facing down. Mace Windu was fighting for his survival and the survival of his Order. Nevertheless, as a Jedi master, he lacked the tact and foresight of a politician. He could not realize what a repercussion his act may have on the political atmosphere in Coruscant, anymore than he could realize Anakin's need for Palpatine's power to save Padmé. Finn smiled sadly as Anakin cut off Windu's saber-holding arm. All the pieces are falling into place. Anakin was theirs. It was at the point of no return, Finn realized with a slight pang of dread.
Anakin's shoulder slumped as he realized his position, "I will do whatever you ask."
"Good."
"Just help me save Padme's life. I can't live without her. I won't let her die. I want the power to stop death."
"To cheat death is a power only one has achieved, but if we work together, I know we can discover the secret."
Anakin kneeled down in front of Palpatine and bent his head down in submission, "I pledge myself to your teachings. To the ways of the Sith."
"Good. Good. The Force is strong with you. A powerful Sith you will become. Henceforth, you shall be known as Darth . . . Vader."
"Thank you. My Master."
"Rise, Darth Vader."
Anakin was surprised to see Finn standing behind him. He had not seen or sensed her this entire time, until she shifted in her place. Her hair was tousled from combat and specks of blood remained on her uniform. She still held Saesee's lightsaber in her hand. He had never seen that hardened look on her face. He was also surprised not being able to sense her. They had an unusually strong bond through the Force. Yet, right now, it was as if he was trying to sense a stonewall. The Jedi saber hummed sorrowfully in the roomful of siths. She turned it off with a cold metallic click, watching the disfigured face of her father.
"Have you met Count Dooku's former apprentice?" he opened his bloody mouth, "my right hand, Darth Chasse?"
Finn stepped forward, her boots made the office hall echo metallically. It was not the first time they had regarded each other closely, but they had never seen one another under their new identities. They were fighting for the same cause. Nonetheless, they did not trust one another. All three of them in that room were propelled by their own personal ambitions and desires, Finn knew. She stayed a respectful distance away and acknowledged the new sith. "My brother," her voice was cool and crisp.
"Finally!" Darth Sidious clasped their shoulders. His two most perfect creations. The two most powerful weapon in the Galaxy. "Our circle is complete. Our victory shall be imminent." He put on his black cloak, which masked his deformity, and turned to Anakin. "Because the Council did not trust you, my young apprentice, I believe you are the only Jedi with no knowledge of this plot. When the Jedi learn what has transpired here, they will kill us, along with all the Senators."
"I agree. The Jedi's next move will be against the Senate."
"Darth Chasse," he called his daughter, "ready the Senatorial Security teams and protect the Senate at all costs."
Finn shuddered as he called her by that name for the first time. Count Dooku had given her that name, shortly before she left him. It was the final recognition of her Sith heritage.
"What will happen to the Jedi now?" she asked.
"They will be chastised, no doubt. The knights who come to our side in time will be forgiven, so will the young ones. But we will fight the decrepitude and corrupt Jedi Council to the last man."
"What will happen to Obi-Wan?" Finn knew better than to add in personal matters to their important mission, but she was gravely worried. Master Obi-Wan Kenobi was a staunch supporter and member of the Jedi Council. From the corner of her eye, she saw Anakin's head turn slightly at the mention of his former master and friend. His concern was equal to her own.
"Do not worry, young one." Palpatine folded his hands, "we will not harm General Kenobi at all costs. He is valuable to all of us. Now, go. Protect the senators."
She did not reply, but clicked her heels together and saluted. There is much to do, she reflected to herself. She carried herself professionally as she readied to address her men for the first time.
After Captain Palpatine left the room and the double doors slid shut, Palpatine turned to Anakin slowly. His icy blue eyes were now a dangerous shade of orange and red, "Every single Jedi, including your friend Obi-Wan Kenobi, is now an enemy of the Republic. You understand that, don't you?"
Anakin shifted slightly, "I understand, Master." He would do any to save Padmé and their unborn child. Anything.
"We must move quickly. The Jedi are relentless; if they are not all destroyed, it will be civil war without end. First, I want you to go to the Jedi Temple. We will catch them off balance. Do what must be done, Lord Vader. Do not hesitate. Show no mercy. Only then will you be strong enough with the dark side to save Padmé."
"What about the other Jedi spread across the galaxy?"
"Their betrayal will be dealt with. After you have killed all the Jedi in the Temple, go to the Mustafar system. Wipe out Viceroy Gunray and the other Separatist leaders. Once more, the Sith will rule the galaxy, and we shall have peace."
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