Chapter 2 – Revenge of the Sith
Author's Note: Ahem. So, this was supposed to be a one-shot. As you can now see, it's not anymore. :) I've added in four other one-shots (sort of; the last two are directly connected) to this universe. I hope y'all enjoy this continuation/prequel! :D
I'll admit that I never thought anything could be worse than what happened in ROTS. I was wrong. Dead wrong. This is worse. Like so much worse. So be prepared! :')
~ Amina Gila
"Obi-Wan was here. He was looking for you." Padme's words send a thrill of fear coursing through Anakin – Vader; he's Vader now, and he can't forget it – as the implications sink in. He's just returned from Mustafar, having executed the Separatist leaders at his new master's command.
"Some of the Jedi did survive, but don't worry, we'll find them," Anakin assures his wife, resting a hand on her shoulder. He spoke with the new Emperor upon his return, and Palpatine told him that Yoda had attempted to assassinate him, an attempt which failed. Most of the Jedi are now dead, and the survivors have scattered across the galaxy. It will take much work to hunt them down, so their treasonous ways don't spread, but it's something which Anakin is more than willing to do. All he's ever wanted is for the galaxy to be at peace.
He's not a fool. He knows that Palpatine only wants power and fame and glory. He knows that, for the galaxy to truly heal, Palpatine will have to be eliminated as well. It's not that he disagreed with the Jedi's actions, so much as he disagreed with how they went about doing it. Yes, Palpatine might need to die – he kept the war going for years – in order for there to be true peace, but illegally killing him is not the answer. It has to be done carefully and with cunning. Anakin imagines that he can succeed where the Jedi have failed, because after all, is it not his destiny? For so long he has born the title Chosen One, and there ought to be some benefits to being the most powerful Force-sensitive. He can't deny his bitterness at the thought. He's never wanted to be like this, to be different, to feel so much all the time, but such has been his fate.
Padme shakes her head, frowning up at him, even as she moves into his embrace. He holds her, relishing in the feel of her body against his. She's all he has left now, because he knows that Obi-Wan will never understand, just like he never has in the past. His former master would have preferred that Anakin let his wife and child die. He couldn't. If he could save them, why shouldn't he? All he had to do was pledge himself to Palpatine. He knows that he's turned his back on everything which he has been taught, but he was left without a choice. The Jedi betrayed him, betrayed the Republic. They had to be destroyed. He had no reason to side with them and their treachery, not when they committed treason so openly.
"I was worried about you," Padme whispers against his chest, pulling back to look up at him, fear and uncertainty in her brown eyes. She's afraid, and it hurts. She shouldn't have to live in fear, not anymore. "Obi-Wan told me terrible things."
His blood runs cold. Is this it then? Is this Obi-Wan's tactic? Turning Padme against him so that she'll leave him too? Was him leaving and betraying him not enough? Was losing Ahsoka not enough? Why is he fated to lose everyone he's ever loved? "What things?" he demands, tightening his grip on her as if that alone will be able to keep her with him. The fear that grips him is a welcome reprieve from the darkness and self-loathing that has become the crux of his new identity, but he only wishes that it wasn't so debilitating. His galactic nickname has never seemed like more of a mockery than it does now.
"He said you turned to the Dark Side," Padme tells him, "That you killed younglings."
Yes, he would, of course, emphasis how heinous a crime turning to the Dark Side is. It's not dangerous; it never was. It's like – it's like he's finally come home. I feel more like myself than I ever have, Ahsoka said on Mortis after the Son possessed her. It hadn't made sense then, but it does now. The Force is not as simple as the "Light" and "Dark" Sides. It is so much more, so much greater.
"He's trying to turn you against me," Anakin realizes, the words feeling like ash in his mouth. It hurts, even now, this knowledge, and he hates that. He hates that, after everything he's done, after who he's become, he can still crave Obi-Wan approval and acceptance and love so deeply.
"Ani, no…" Padme shakes her head, clearly in denial. He doesn't blame her; she respects Obi-Wan greatly as well she should, but her respect is blinding her to the truth. "He – he…" Her voice trails off, almost as if she realizes something. "He cares about you," she says finally.
A week ago – it feels like a lifetime ago now – he might have been willing to accept it, but not anymore. Obi-Wan asked him to spy on Palpatine, knowing that the penalty for treason is death. He staked Anakin's life on the Council's wishes, and he chose them, in the end. More than anything, Anakin wishes he could have Obi-Wan's affection the way Padme is saying, but she doesn't know him. She's never known Obi-Wan as well as he has, naturally. "No," Anakin whispers, shaking his head. He closes his eyes momentarily to stave off an onslaught of tears. "No, he doesn't." The not anymore, goes unsaid. Obi-Wan has always been a good Jedi, and he would never care for Anakin after everything which has happened.
"Anakin, please, you're a good person. Don't do this," pleads Padme. "We can leave. We can go somewhere, run away while we still can."
He's tempted, but there is nothing which Anakin Skywalker will run from, no obligation or duty which he'll shirk. "We can't leave, don't you see!" Anakin exclaims. Padme steps away from him, expression torn, and he immediately misses her touch. "I've become more powerful than any Jedi. We don't have to run away anymore. I have brought peace to the Republic. I am more powerful than the Chancellor. I can overthrow him, and together you and I can rule the galaxy. Make things the way we want them to be."
The more he speaks, the more he wants the future he's laid out. They can fix the Republic, the galaxy, and they can do it together. It was too late to save the Republic, but through the Empire, they can do what the Senate never could. They can free everyone, free all the slaves. They can stop all the criminal gangs which run the Outer Rim. The people will love them, worship them. And most importantly, they can do it all together. This is what he wants, what he's always wanted: his family at his side. Their child will be in want of nothing, and they can finally be happy. They can finally stop hiding.
Padme's eyes are wide, and he can feel her disbelief in the Force. "I don't believe what I'm hearing… Obi-Wan was right. You've changed." She says is bleakly, like it's a bad thing that he's no longer as simple and naïve as he used to be.
Anakin scowls. "No, I haven't changed," he argues. "I'm embraced the person I should always have been." He can keenly feel every ebb and flow in the Force now, not just what was visible to those who use the Light Side. "The Jedi turned against me, against the galaxy. Don't join them in their treachery."
A tear slips down Padme's cheek, and she buries her face in her hands. "I don't know you anymore," she murmurs, voice muffled. "Anakin, you're breaking my heart." She looks up at him again, her pain as obvious on her face as it is in the Force. "I can't follow you down the path you're on. Stop. Come back. I love you!"
He feels frustration overwhelm him. "Padme, you don't understand. If we leave, who will stop Palpatine? Who will help the galaxy?! This is what I was born to do! Even if want to, I can't just… leave all of my responsibilities and obligations behind." He can't give in, because his future is far greater than being on the run non-stop, trying to stay one step ahead of Palpatine with his wife and newborn child in tow. It doesn't help that he doesn't yet know how to save Padme's life with the Force; it's a secret that Palpatine has yet to share with him.
Even as he talks, he realizes that she isn't going to listen to him. She's been brainwashed by the Jedi and their ideologies. She's too idealistic, her desires and dreams not always rooted in reality. It's unrealistic to leave, to expect the galaxy to fix itself, to hope that Palpatine won't destroy everything in a bid to make himself all-powerful. He had no problem with doing what he did in the Clone Wars – whatever all that involved. He certainly won't have a problem with killing both of them and taking their child if Anakin goes against him.
Anakin doesn't give her a moment to argue with him, to call him out for having done what he's done. The guilt will forever haunt him, he knows that and he's willing to accept that. It doesn't mean that he wants anyone, least all Padme, to rub their disappointment in his face. "I had a choice," he continues, voice quiet and hard. "Palpatine gave me a choice: I could join him, or I could die. If I'd chosen death, who would have protected you? Or our child? Certainly not the Jedi. I sold my soul to keep you and our child safe, Angel. Don't throw that away."
Her face is pale, and it hurts to see so much pain in her eyes. "Anakin…" She whispers, the muted horror she's feeling – so obvious in the Force – slipping into her words.
"Don't worry about me. I'll be fine," Anakin reassures her. It feels like a lie. He doesn't think he'll ever be alright again, not after everything which has happened, everything which he has done, everything which he has become. He's sworn himself to Palpatine, and he has no choice but to obey his new master, at least until he knows enough of the Dark Side to kill him. Until then, he'll have to pretend to be obedient, biding his time until the moment comes.
He steps towards Padme, and she doesn't resist when he pulls her into his arms, holding her comfortingly and murmuring reassurances into her hair as she cries. They're together now, and it will have to be enough. They'll figure out what to do from here.
**w**
Anakin stands on the landing platform, a breeze blowing his cape as he looks at the abandoned Separatist base. He shouldn't be surprised that some of the surviving Jedi thought they could build their own fortress to hold out against the Empire. Whichever Jedi are here must be masking themselves because he can barely sense their presences.
"Move in. Sweep the base," Anakin orders his men. Many of the clones in the 501st Legion were killed during the march on the Temple, so he was given clones from other battalions, including from the 212th.
The clones obediently move ahead, setting charges to blast open the door. Anakin doesn't move, even as the ensuing explosion sends shrapnel flying from the doorway. As the smoke clears, he stalks forwards, leading his men into the base. He doesn't remember the name of the planet, and nor does he care. His mission here is simple: destroy the Jedi. Once they're dead, he can return to Padme. She'll be giving birth before long, and he cannot afford to be away.
The snap-hiss of lightsabers brings him to a stop, three green blades piercing the darkness up ahead. Anakin moves only to ignite his own lightsaber, the red blade humming ominously. He bled it shortly after his return from Mustafar, his self-hatred and loathing allowing him a deep enough access in the Dark Side to turn the blue to red.
"I will handle them myself," Anakin informs his clones. "Circle around. Do not let them escape. Set charges in the power generator. I want this place burned to the ground."
They step back, giving him room to fight the Jedi and leaving to fulfill his orders. The three Jedi Masters recognize him, of course, just as Anakin had known they would. He can feel their shock, their resignation, their horror. It doesn't matter to him, fueling him instead. Much as he might like to spare them, he cannot afford to. Palpatine would know, and Anakin would deserve whatever punishment his new master would have in store for him.
He leaps towards them, not waiting for them to speak whether to plead or goad. Anakin drops his shields, falling into the Force the way he always has, except this time, he's drawing on the Dark Side as well. Their blades crash, Anakin's every blow meant to kill, even if they block him well. He knows them – knew them. Oppo Rancisis. Coleman Kcaj. They were both on the Jedi Council. Luminara Unduli, the master of Barriss Offee. In his time as a Padawan and even later, Anakin had been on missions with both of them.
"How could you do this, Skywalker?" Luminara demands, as Anakin's lightsaber crashes into her own, sending her reeling backwards in an attempt to recover. He shoves Rancisis backwards into the durasteel wall, blocking Coleman's downwards stroke single handedly.
"The Jedi betrayed everyone, and your Order will die with you," Anakin sneers, twisting to avoid Luminara's next attack. When Rancisis comes back at him, he's ready, stabbing his blade through the Jedi Master's chest and letting his body slump to the floor.
Luminara cries out in shock, and he uses her momentary distraction to his advantage, tossing Coleman backwards and spinning his red blade around, severing the Mirialan Jedi's arm. It might have been easier for him to defeat them in the past, but he's a Sith now, no longer constrained by the Jedi.
"Did you really think it would be so easy to defeat me?" Anakin taunts as he clenches his hand, wrapping the Force around Coleman's throat and lifting him into a Force choke. The Jedi Master struggles, trying to break Anakin's grip, but he's not strong enough.
"We didn't," Luminara breathes out as she staggers back to her feet, lightsaber hilt in her left hand as she prepares to keep fighting. "It was a trap, and you walked right into it."
Danger ripples through the Force, and Anakin suddenly realizes how foolish he was being. He'd assumed that these three Jedi were the only ones here, that the survivors would want to confront him here together instead of splitting up. He was wrong. The structure beneath him trembles as an explosion goes off somewhere deep within it. Clever. They mean to bring the whole thing down on him and given how far inside he is – somewhere in the middle right now – escaping won't be easy. But the Force is his ally, and it's not telling him to run.
Anakin crushes Coleman's neck with the Force, dropping the lifeless body to the ground as he moves towards Luminara again. "Did I?" he hums, amused. "You won't kill me. You'll lose. The galaxy will come to see the futility of aiding traitors to the Empire."
"You betrayed us," she hisses as their blades crash again. Anakin pushes her backwards with a series of merciless thrusts, realizing that she's leading him… somewhere. He's willing to play along for now, pretending that he's taken the bait, even while his every sense is attuned to the Force, seeking out the most minute disturbances.
"No, the Jedi betrayed me," Anakin replies coldly. She springs backwards, hitting a button to open the door behind her before backing inside. Someone else is in there, though he's unsure who. The presence seems familiar… The entire base jolts again as another series of explosions rock the structure. He can almost feel the flames beginning to burn everything in their path, the collapsing supports giving out one by one as the building begins to implode on itself. But not yet. He still has time.
"You betrayed the Republic, and you will be destroyed." His voice is dark, and Luminara falters momentarily, and Anakin seizes the chance, swinging his lightsaber through her. Her body collapses to the ground. The Force screams, and Anakin whirls, blocking a downwards strike which caught him completely off-guard. Through the glow of the red and blue blades is Obi-Wan. Anakin knew, of course, that he survived, but somehow, he didn't expect to encounter him, not here and certainly not now.
"Obi-Wan," he says, unable to hide his surprise. Pain follows on its heels as he realizes that it was likely Obi-Wan who masterminded the trap. He knows Anakin's weaknesses too well. "You shouldn't be here."
His former master pulls back, expression angered. Beneath that anger, lies disappointment, Anakin knows. He doesn't think he has the strength to face it. "You have allowed this Dark Lord to twist your mind until now… you have become the very thing you swore to destroy," Obi-Wan accuses.
Vader – Anakin, because he doesn't think he can still be Vader while facing the one person he would still do anything for, well almost anything that is, because he won't let his family die if Obi-Wan tells him to – pulls back, keeping his lightsaber ignited, positioned defensively, though he makes no move to actually attack the man who raised him. He doesn't want to. He doesn't want this. "Don't lecture me, Obi-Wan. I see through the lies of the Jedi. I do not fear the Dark Side as you do. I have brought peace, justice, freedom, and security to my new Empire," he throws back, extinguishing the blade as he takes a few more steps backwards.
"Your new Empire?" Obi-Wan echoes incredulously.
There is no pain in his eyes, Anakin notes distantly, not like there was in Padme's. He might be hurt, but he's not doing this out of pain, is he? No, he's doing this because he thinks it's his duty, and that hurts. It hurts as much as it did when Anakin first thought his master dead by the hands of a bounty hunter all those months ago. It's never anything personal; it's always about the duty. How can Obi-Wan be so uncaring of those he hurts?
"Don't make me kill you," Anakin warns lowly, tightening his grip on his lightsaber. "Leave. Go away. No one has to know that you were here. Stay out of sight. No one will harm you; I swear it." He means every word. If he can, he will risk everything to keep Obi-Wan safe. His former master will never understand, not like Padme does, but if he does, by some chance, then Anakin's deepest desires will be answered. If he has Obi-Wan at his side, then they can kill Palpatine right now. They have no reason to wait. Together, they'll be invincible.
"Anakin, my allegiance is to the Republic, to democracy!" exclaims Obi-Wan. "I will not walk away as if everything is alright. Don't you see what you have done?"
"I?" Anakin demands bitterly, shaking his head. "I did nothing. This was all on you, on the Jedi. You betrayed the Republic when you flaunted the laws so casually."
Obi-Wan ignores Anakin's silent, unspoken pleas, if indeed he ever heard them, stepping towards, lightsaber raised. Anakin ignites his own blade in preparation as their lightsabers crash together. Can he bring himself to hurt him, to kill him? It's not a question he even needs to ask himself. He already knows the answer. The beginning of their duel is fast and furious, neither of them able to outmaneuver the other, so well do they know each other. They've fought together side-by-side for years, and now… Obi-Wan is throwing it all away. Anakin was willing to disobey Palpatine, to let Obi-Wan walk away in peace, but he refused the opportunity, choosing instead to fight.
The pain turns to resentment and anger, as years of buried hurts come to the surface, fueling Anakin's rage. The Dark Side bleeds his eyes yellow, but he doesn't care, too furious at this second betrayal to maintain even a semblance of calm. "Don't make me destroy you!" Anakin yells, pleads really, as their duel carries them across the main control room. It probably won't be much longer before the entire base starts to collapse, but apparently, that doesn't concern Obi-Wan. Perhaps he doesn't mind if he dies. Anakin certainly cares. He doesn't know if he can bear to see his former master die. Not again.
"You are no match for the Dark Side, Master" Anakin adds, warningly, because he knows. He forced the Son and Daughter to kneel to him on Mortis. He might not like it, but perhaps he is the Chosen One. Perhaps he, and he alone, is capable of wielding both sides of the Force in unison. If he can tap into the Force in its entirety, he knows that Obi-Wan will never succeed.
Obi-Wan only narrows his eyes, a familiar expression of determination on his face. It shouldn't have hurt so much when he slipped, calling the elder man Master, because it was his choice to bow to Palpatine. Still, the title has always had a special meaning to Anakin; he might not have been able to openly confess to his feelings, but over time, he began to use the title in lieu of the word father. Obi-Wan raised him, trained him, and he'll never forget that. The bond between them was unshakable – or so he'd thought – but his affection for him will never fade, regardless of the results of this duel.
Blue and red crash together repeatedly as all of their skills are brought to the forefront. There is no move which Anakin can make that Obi-Wan won't anticipate and vice versa. They know how the other fights so well that for one of them to prevail, it would require sheer luck… or maybe stupidity on someone's part. Anakin tries to Force throw Obi-Wan backwards, well aware of the imminent, approaching danger. Obi-Wan counters his throw, and both of them are sent flying backwards. Anakin springs to his feet again, lightsaber poised for another assault.
"I should have known the Jedi were plotting to take over," he hisses as Obi-Wan lunges at him. He meets him blow for blow, his anger rippling outwards as he struggles to get the upper hand, struggles to prove himself yet again to his old master.
"From the Sith? Chancellor Palpatine is evil!" yells Obi-Wan.
"From the Jedi point of view!" Anakin snaps. "From my point of view, the Jedi are evil." He was there, in the Chancellor's office. He saw how Palpatine was agreeing to surrender, and how Windu was planning to go ahead and kill him anyways. Doing so would have been completely against everything the Jedi have ever taught. To think that all of this could have been avoided if the Jedi had actually followed the proper procedures and laws. Arresting Palpatine might have been dangerous for them, but at least it would have shown to the Senate that they weren't really plotting a coup… even if they still were.
"Then you are lost!" Obi-Wan screams at him, as he attacks him again. But the Force is with Anakin, and as much as this fight hurts, as much as he wants nothing more than for Obi-Wan to accept him, he'll defend himself to his last breath. He won't let Obi-Wan kill him.
"It doesn't have to be like this!" cries Anakin, stumbling back at a particularly nasty blow. The floor shakes under his feet and he knows they don't have long before everything comes down on top of them. He never thought Obi-Wan could be so suicidal, because if they don't flee soon, they'll die here together.
"There is no other way it can be!" Obi-Wan shouts at him, expression furious. "You are not Anakin. You are not the child I raised. He's dead, gone, like everyone else." His voice is nearly shaking at the end, and it's like a knife to the heart, because… what? Anakin had never really given thought to what might happen when he met Obi-Wan next, but this scenario was never one of them. He never imagined being denounced in such a manner, and it – it's worse than when Obi-Wan died supposedly, because at least then, he'd known that they had had something, even if it wasn't what Anakin had wanted.
Now… there's nothing. Whatever they had is broken, shattered… and for Obi-Wan, it no longer matters. Anakin can't even remember the last time he felt so insignificant, so worthless. It he doesn't even matter to the one person who has always meant the world to him, what does that say for everyone else? How long will it be before Padme decides to leave, preferring solitude over his company? And Ahsoka. She must have gone into hiding, because he doesn't know why the clones would have turned on her – she wasn't a Jedi, if she sees him now, will she too turn her back on him?
He can't even formulate words, so deep is the hurt. He doesn't even know what he could say, how he could defend himself. In a sense, it doesn't even really sink in that Obi-Wan really said that, because his former master has always been good with words, but to have that used against him in so cruel a manner… Was it intentional, he wonders? Did Obi-Wan know how to hurt him, where to hurt him?
All that comes out is a scream, equal parts rage and pain as he gathers the Force, throwing Obi-Wan backwards. It was too sudden, too unexpected, and the Jedi Master is sent flying backwards, slamming into the wall opposite them. The Dark Side howls around him, ripping apart everything as his emotions pour out. The floor buckles under him, and he's falling. Anakin manages to catch himself on something, feeling the heat on his body, looking down to see flames licking at the walls and floor below. This is it. The building is coming down, and there's likely no escape for either of them.
Obi-Wan is still above him, clinging onto a flimsy handhold, staring down, his expression oddly blank. Anakin wonders what he must look like, if he looks as destroyed as he feels. For a moment, he's tempted to let go entirely, to let himself fall into the flames and die, because he can't conceive going back to live his life, knowing that Obi-Wan hates him. It's – it's all too much for him. Another explosion rips through an area right nearby them, something must have denotated, and Anakin is thrown backwards. He manages to swing to a slightly safer location, looking up in time to see Obi-Wan falling down into the flames below.
"Obi-Wan!"
The scream goes unanswered, and Anakin feels a flare of sharp pain before their bond goes blank. For a few seconds, he remains frozen in place, staring at the place where his former master just was, tears pricking at his eyes. It's wrong. It wasn't supposed to be like this. Obi-Wan wasn't supposed to die – because he's definitely dead; there's no way he could have survived something like that. If he did, he would have come back to finish what he started. Anakin is tempted to stay, to let the flames consume him, but he can't. Even if he wants to, he knows that Padme is waiting for him. He's not so desperate for death that he's willing to abandon his wife and child when they need him most.
Slowly, shakily, Anakin pulls himself to a more secure place, clipping his lightsaber to his belt before he bolts. The building is collapsing all around him, but he scarcely notices the flaming debris which he dodges. He barely makes it to the entrance before the fuel storage is hit by the fire. The shockwave hurls him through the opening, knocking him to the ground as the entire base goes up in flames. Slowly and painfully, ignoring his many injuries, Anakin pulls himself to his feet, turning back to look at the inferno.
He's dead. He's really dead. No one could have survived that, even someone as skilled as Obi-Wan. For the second time, it feels as if Anakin's entire world has come crashing down around him. There won't be any second chances this time. This is where it all will end, where their relationship has ceased to be, and it hurts. He doesn't even realize he's crying until he chokes back a sob. This is the place that Anakin Skywalker died.
When the flames begin to die down, he turns to leave. Now, only Darth Vader is left. It will have to be enough. This isn't something he can heal from, not when a part of him is forever gone.
**w**
Vader returns to Coruscant amid shattered dreams and with a broken heart. Upon his return, Palpatine tells him the news. Padme went into labor mere hours after he had left. Though the Emperor had done everything he could, it wasn't enough. She died, and their child with her.
Whatever hope might have been left in Vader's heart evaporates. He doesn't rage or scream or cry. He shuts down, totally numb, unable to process the events of the past day. He lost Obi-Wan. He lost Padme. He lost their child. It doesn't seem real, but it is. He could have saved them all. He should have saved them all, but he failed. In the end, he wasn't enough. He never has been. He ought to have realized from the beginning, that he'll never have anything good, that he'll never be able to keep anything good, because there's something wrong with him. He's – he's broken or defective or something. It's the only explanation.
A broken man kneels to his Emperor, eternally pledging himself to his service. After all, what else does Vader have if he doesn't serve his Emperor? He's in chains again, chains of his own making – true – but chains, nevertheless. At the end of the day, this is where he'll always end up it seems: as a slave.
Vader doesn't weep, not that day. He doesn't even know if he can cry anymore over all that he has lost. Maybe he can't. Maybe he's past the point of being able to express his grief lest he shatter entirely. Besides, slaves don't cry.
**w**
On the other side of the galaxy, a covert meeting is occurring between a handmaiden, a Senator, and two Jedi Masters…
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