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"Commander, the time has come. Execute Order Sixty-Six."
Finn clutched her heart, which was racing erratically. The pain was excruciating. No, she thought to herself, it can't be. The Senatorial Guards were already marching away, to take their positions for the emergency session. The last of guards watched her curiously and worriedly. They had not yet established firm faith in the young woman, who had just received this important post almost miraculously. She waved an impatient hand at them, urging them to go. A pair of strong arms came from behind and steadied her. "Are you alright?" Anakin asked blandly, without any real concern.
"Did— did you feel that?" It was the most quaking disturbance in the Force that she had ever experienced.
"Yes," he stood tall as ever, as if he was completely masked by the effect.
"What does it mean?" Finn asked the dark young man standing in front of her. He was her twin, but not her brother. A twitched form at the corner of his mouth, usually an indication of a wickedly handsome smile. But no smile came. "We are bringing balance to the Force, little sister."
She shivered at the familial call. It felt… unnatural. His tone lacked the affection of a sibling. It was the call of duty from one warrior to another. "I have business to attend to," he continued, "and so do you." With that, he parted from her. Finn watched his dark silhouette disappearing into the darkness, unable to decipher what was happening.
"Captain?" a guard's voice called through her transmission.
"Yes?"
"All posts are in position."
"Excellent. I will inform the Chancellor. The meeting will begin as planned." Finn began surveying the grounds carefully. There was an armed guard at every pace. The entire security system of the Senate Building was in high alert. Anyone without her authorization would be denied access and killed on the spot. A group of senators, accompanied by guards, was moving steadily toward the meeting arena. They looked like a cluster of prisoners rather than guests, as they were huddled and prodded forward by the stern-faced soldiers. It was only for their own safety, or the convenience of their captors?
"Fina?" one of the senators called to her and attempted to push aside the guards. Of course, that was rewarded with having half of the blasters aimed toward the senator.
"It's quite alright," she gestured to her soldiers. "Senator Amidala, you wish to speak with me?"
"Oh, thank goodness, Fina. I'm so worried," she embraced her friend, who kept her rigid pose. "Terrible things are happening, and Anakin won't tell me what's going on." She realized the inertness of the Captain and asked, "what's wrong, Fina?"
"Nothing is wrong," she assured the senator, "you are quite safe here. The Jedi have made an attempt on the Chancellor's life. They will be brought under arrest."
"Imperial troops have stormed the Jedi Temple already! You could see the smoke from miles away. People are talking about horrible things, about fragmentation of the Republic, about civil war with the Jedi. Fina, I'm scared for the Republic." Her large brown eyes twinkled with fear.
"Do not worry, Padmé." Her features softened, "it's not good for the baby. Everything will be alright," she assured her friend in a whisper. If only she could give herself the same assurance. "The meeting is about to start. It's best if you go inside."
"An empire ruled by the majority… Ruled by a new constitution…" The newly declared emperor raised his hands far above his head. The Senate building trembled in the thunderous applauses. Finn stood a few paces behind her father in the center podium. Her eyes were cast down as she listened to his very inspirational and empty speech. At last, he had what he had wanted for so long— ultimate power within the Galaxy. One part of her spoke suspiciously that it remained to be seen if he would do any good with his new powers. She overlooked the thought. Things will be much clearer and easier without the Jedi.
"So this is how liberty dies, with thunderous applause…" Padmé half murmured to herself.
Her companion, Bail Organa was outraged, "We cannot let this happen." He started to stand up, meaning to call out an opposition to the new decision, but Padmé knew better. She held his arm and stopped him. "Not now! There will be a time." An open confrontation would only mean bloodshed within the Senate. The senatorial securities were much more hostile than anyone had expected. They were Palpatine's prisoners now. There were guards lined up, one-by-one, throughout the senate building, without a breach. This is madness, Padmé thought to herself, I have to speak to Finn.
As the senate adjourned and all the senators boarded their transports, Finn made orders into her transmission, guiding the security teams to finish their mission. "Finn?" Senator Amidala approached her for the second time that day.
"Hold on," she raised a finger, "Unit T-4 to Area 17. Commanding post, come in."
"Yes, Captain."
"Make sure all have exited Areas 16 to 20. Report all irregularities to me personally."
"Yes, Ma'am."
"What is it, Padmé?" she cautiously watched the lady's posture.
"Finn, don't tell me that you are supporting this."
Her eyes narrowed, "what do you mean?"
"Your father has just turned the Republic into a dictatorship!"
"Padmé, be reasonable. The Republic was weak. Now we have the strength of a strong empire."
Padmé's eyes widened. This was not the same girl who served her when she was queen of Naboo. The girl who would rather die than to have her natural rights infringed.
"No, I am not the same girl." She read Padmé's thoughts, "Now, I am the Captain of the Emperor's Hand, his highest commanding office. I have my duties to safeguard the Galaxy, I have to be practical, Padmé." She placed her hands on Padmé's shoulders, "you must be tired, and you've had a long day. We will talk about this later, all right? Go home and rest now," she guided her outside. "And don't do anything foolish," she warned her at last. The warning was a stab to Amidala's heart. It was not the gentle counsel of a dear friend. It was the strict order of an imperial officer. She watched in shock as Finn strutted back to the Senate building to resume her post.
When Finn was sure that Amidala was actually out of sight, she hastily entered into the docking platform. She hopped onto a speeder and disappeared into the streaming crowds of vehicles. The motor roared as the high towers of the Jedi Tower reflected in her windshield.
Obi-Wan Kenobi's head was in a muddle, which was rare. The clone troops he had commanded had turned on him, as did all other troops on the Jedi. His life was in terrible danger, but that was the least of his worries. The Jedi Temple was completely destroyed; masters, knights, padawans, and younglings alike were brutally slaughtered. His former apprentice and dear friend was behind all this. He feared the road he was traveling now. The Sith must be destroyed. Master Yoda said so. But could he kill Anakin? Whom he had raised as a boy and looked on as a brother? Perhaps he could convince Anakin of his error. Nevertheless, he had to find him first. If he was still on Coruscant, he must still be near the Jedi Temple, preying on any stray Jedi that had returned. He bid goodbye to Master Yoda, who was going for the Sith Lord. It felt like the last time they would ever beheld one another again.
The world as Obi-Wan knew it, no longer existed. It was strange that one man's ambition, armed with the powers of another, could turn the entire Galaxy upside down. He walked down the long familiar corridors haunted by unfamiliar shadows. His anxiety grew, as he could not sense anyone or anything there. Suddenly, a ripple in the Force warned him of another Force sensitive being nearby. It was not Anakin, but oddly familiar. Perhaps a youngling who had luckily escaped by hiding? Obi-Wan walked toward that direction, but not without igniting his lightsaber. He pressed the switch, paused before he entered. There was no one in the room.
He almost hit the ceiling when a hologram flashed on in the middle of the room. It was a darkly cloaked figure. He drew his hood back to get a better look. "I'm surprised to see you here, Master Kenobi." The Emperor's voice was raised high. Then he cackled.
"The Sith Lord! You will die for what you have done." Anger began to rise in Obi-Wan. All these deaths, betrayals, and lies were the tactics of this dangerous sith.
"Don't be so sure, Obi-Wan." The figure blinked and cracked over the bad transmission. "I have known you a long time, my boy. You have always been just and wise." The praises did not move Obi-Wan, as he stood guard. "Although I was surprised when you disregarded your Jedi teachings for a certain someone we both know."
He was fearful now, "what have you done with Finn?"
Sidious cackled again, "nothing, nothing. She will be fine. You care for her, don't you? You love her, don't you? You want her, don't you?" he paused, "You can have her if you join me, you know. Nothing and no one can stop you two now. The Jedi are gone. I will not stop you if you join me. You will be able to have a lifetime of happiness. Your children will grow in the opulence of royalties. You, my boy, will finally have everything you've ever desired. Don't you want that? Don't you want it all?"
Obi-Wan felt sick in the stomach. The lies he told. "Never!" he shouted, "I will never join the Dark Side!"
Sidious was angry now that his allurements were spurned so blatantly by a mere Jedi. "Then you will experience the full wrath of the Sith, Jedi!" Obi-Wan sensed motion behind him and ignited his lightsaber. It collided with a bright red saber and the two crackled.
"Finn!" he gasped as he saw the cold face with furrowed brows under the black hood. She wore a tight uniform under her robes, causing the oversized robes to sway fluidly with her every move. He had only seen a red lightsaber in one situation. A sith lord.
"Have you met my Captain of the Emperor's Hand, Master Kenobi? My former apprentice, Count Dooku, had given her the name of… Darth Chasse," Sidious spoke with sinister pleasure. "Capture him, my huntress!"
"You look surprised, Jedi master." Her voice was aloof and calculated. Obi-Wan was only able to block her moves as she charged forcefully at him. She moved with more expertise and assurance than he had ever seen. "We both knew this is where our fate would lead us."
"This is not you, Finn! You're not a sith!" he tried to reach her mind through the Force, only to find himself blocked at every turn. It was as if he was trying to reach through a stonewall.
Palpatine's voice continued from the hologram, "she had pledged herself to the Sith Order ever since she realized the nonsense garbage Qui Gon Jinn and the rest of you damned Jedi had been feeding her." He cackled as he watched the Jedi master stumbled and tried to recover, "She's much more powerful than she let you know!"
"You may have learned from the best swordsman in the Galaxy, Kenobi," she swung her saber with deadly confidence, "but I was trained by his master himself." She raised her saber and struck down, missing Obi-Wan's head by a breadth as he hopped away.
"Show no mercy, Chasse," her father ordered. "He may have professed to be your friend, but he is the one who murder your brother!"
"You're lying!" Obi-Wan yelled as he tried to block Finn's further attacks. He could not bring himself to attack her openly, only to block defensively to protect himself. The shock of finding her here and her subsequent strikes had clouded his judgment.
Tears appeared in her eyes, her body trembled with rage and anguish. He saw that look on her face and wanted badly to embrace her to take the pain away. Nonetheless, she continued to attack him, leaving him no choice but to fight back. A flash of mental image appeared in Obi-Wan's mind as their lightsabers collided again and they pressed their full weights on each other. They were eye-to-eye now. It was the image of a man's face, in bold colors of black and red, light glistened over the horns on his head. "Darth Maul," he whispered the name. "Darth Maul? Kyler was Darth Maul?"
"Yes, and you killed him. He was just a boy!"
Obi-Wan did not know what to say. He knew the sufferings her brother's death had brought her. He felt guilty. But Kyler was a sith, he was not the golden-hair boy that had always held Finn protectively. "But he killed Qui Gon!" he shot back an equally painful truth.
Finn did not reply. She Force jumped high into the air and kicked him squarely in the chest. She landed and regained her balance. Her face was pale with pain, but she still managed to knock Obi-Wan's saber out of his hand. With a single hand gesture, she used the Force to call forth a pair of Force shackles to securely bind Obi-Wan's hands together.
"Bravo, my child. I will leave you two kids alone now." Sidious smiled cruelly, "Master Yoda has decided to drop by."
Obi-Wan found himself shoved forcefully forward, with a red lightsaber hissing threateningly near his neck. He turned his head slightly to look at Finn. He could not believe that she would turn. He could not believe that she had been lying to him all this time. Her soft rosy mouth, which he loved so much, was pressed thinly together to mirror her ruthlessness. Her features were rigid and uncompromising. Obi-Wan struggled against the shackles in vain as he quickly thought of ways to escape.
Unexpectedly, he felt the absence of her push on his back and turned around. They were standing alone in the Jedi Temple's main cruiser dock. "It's time to end all this, Kenobi," she sentenced. Her hands raised above her hand, holding firmly onto her lightsaber. Obi-Wan's eyes widened as he watched the rod of light aiming fatally toward his head.
Don't you just love cliffhangers? (Evil laugh)
(Clear throat) sorry… Please REVIEW!