Traitors
chapter one
Title: Traitors Chapter One
Fandom: Star Wars
Pairing: Anakin/Obi-Wan (main) with hints of Anakin/Padme
Rating: R/NC-16
Summary: All Jedi are considered traitors to the Republic, save two - Skywalker and Kenobi. Following Skywalker's transformation into Darth Vader, a disastrous set of events take place from the ruination of the Republic to the destruction of the Jedi Order.
A/N: Just thought about posting this since I'll be spending the next few days studying. Thanks to all those who reviewed!
"With the fall of the Jedi Temple, every one of the Jedi teachings will be wiped out of existence. There will be no hope to resurrect the Jedi Order."
Despite Coruscant and thousands of other planets being hundreds of systems apart, orders could be given and carried out almost instantly. Such was Order Sixty-Six. Unknowing to many Jedi, such an order would be the end of their lives.
In Utapau, the battle raged on against the Separatists trying to flee the planet. Even though the attack had came as a surprise, it was still a difficult battle as the Clone Army, to begin with, had been greatly reduced by the war and the robots under the Separatists had grew in numbers as well as complexity. Even with General Grevious' death, the war still continued. There were still dozens of leaders around capable of continuing the war. Ending it as soon as possible was the thought in nearly everyone's minds.
"Er…you won't mention any of this to Anakin, would you?" asked Obi-Wan Kenobi who was gripping his lightsaber while looking rather sheepish and embarrassed.
"Is that an order, General?" Cody grinned.
Obi-Wan ran a hand through his hair, smiling tiredly.
"Ah, yes. Make it an order. We still have a battle to win, Cody."
"Yes, General."
He turned away when he felt a buzzing from a compartment in his suit. Obi-Wan was already walking towards Boga. He activated the comlink and a holoscan of a hooded figure appeared, flickering slightly.
"Carry out Order Sixty-Six."
Cody's mind went back to its' primary instinct – obey every order given by the commander in chief. He was already turning to the troopers around him to give his command to execute Order Sixty-Six. In his mind, the death of General Kenobi was a mission and had no bearing on any regret or emotion. It was, after all, what he was made for.
"Only General Kenobi shall be exempted from the Order," continued the holoscan.
He paused for a moment, listening for further instructions.
"Bring him to Coruscant immediately. Use any means necessary so long as he is not badly harmed."
The new instructions ran through Cody's brain, overriding his previous order in a way a computer would. He walked forward to face Obi-Wan with a neutral expression on his face.
"There is an urgent transmission for you from the Jedi Council," Cody lied easily.
Obi-Wan frowned and alighted from Boga.
"That's strange. Why would they be contacting me now?" he wondered.
"It is a transmission from Master Windu concerning the Sith Lord," Cody continued. "Apparently they have discovered who he is and requests your advice immediately."
"Well, that's a surprise. I guess Anakin must have discovered him. Continue the invasion into the Pau City."
Then Obi-Wan saw it out of the corner of his eye. Cody tilted his head, perhaps, a fraction of an inch in an unmistakable sign of a nod that was not directed at him. Just before he had time to even wonder about the strange behavior of his commander, he felt it.
A slight flicker in the Force – the barest sign of danger that could have easily been passed on for something else.
Obi-Wan did not have enough time to turn or even ignite his lightsaber. All he felt was a slight prick at the back of his neck then a wave of something icy cold running beneath his skin. He staggered, almost drunkenly, trying to get an even footing on a ground that seemed to be rocking in his vision.
"What? Cody?"
His muscles began to numb, seizing up almost seconds after the impact. In less than a minute, his arms were numb as his heart pumped the drug through his system. In a minute, he was collapsing to the ground, unable to carry his own weight. His vision spun before him and he could feel the darkness creeping at the edge of his mind.
"Cody, what did you…"
His head hit the ground hard as every feeling, even his connection to the ever present Force, ebbed away. As his mind faded into black, he could distantly hear Cody speak.
"Take Kenobi to Coruscant immediately. Ensure he is guarded at all times. The Sith Lord will want to speak with him."
Palpatine looked up from his podium at the thousands of so-called representatives from the different planets in the Republic. They hung on to his every word, believing everything he told them.
Fools.
"The Jedi have become traitors to the Republic! They have attempted to rob me of my rightful position in the Senate! They may have deformed me but they will never be able to take me away from my mission! These traitors shall be hunted out, chased from our midst and will rightfully be punished! They and all those who harbor them shall be dealt with for they oppose the very existence of this Senate – for they oppose the right of democracy!"
There were roars of approval, cheers from those who were too blind to really know what was happening. Those who remained silent and solemn were those who had seen what had been happening. They had seen how the entire Senate would come crashing down upon them and they were too late to stop it.
"We shall prevail against the Separatists who try to destroy us! They will be destroyed! Justice will be handed out! The Republic will stand united – away from such revolutions and away from the Jedi Rebellion! We have shown ourselves to be stronger than all those who try to conquer us! We shall face the universe with a new beginning!"
The roars never stopped.
"We shall be united! We shall never have planets turning against other planets! We shall retain peace! We shall have harmony! We shall be one!"
Hundreds of representatives were clapping for him.
"We will stand together against anything and everything that opposes us! We will grow stronger and stronger and to do so we must change! We must become a single fist capable of crushing any obstacle on our path! We must become an Empire – we are an Empire! We are the first and only Galactic Empire!"
He saw from the corner of his eye the pale look on Padmé Amidala's face and the look of complete shock and bewilderment on Bail Organa's face. He smirked inwardly.
"We are an Empire that shall be ruled by this impressive and capable body! We shall never retain the old system or ever face corruption that has prevented us from fully controlling the universe! We shall be controlled by a single sovereign chosen forever!"
"We are ruled by the choice of the people! We are an Empire of a new Constitution! We shall be an Empire controlled by laws, not by politicians! We shall prevail for a just and safe society that only we can deliver! We will ensure that this Empire shall last for all of eternity!"
"Today is the day that marks the beginning of the Empire! We shall do this to give our children what they rightfully deserve! They will know safety! They will know justice! They will know peace! They will live in a society free from corruption!"
The chant began to call out for votes for him. It was nearly unanimous and those that did not vote for him…
Well, he will deal with them as he would traitors.
He watched as his plan worked.
He watched as the Galactic Senate came crashing down around him with cheers and roars of approval.
Padmé Amidala burst out of the Senate pod looking as if she was sick. Technically, she was sick and deadly so. On her face was a look of disbelief for everything that had happened and everything that would happen. She had watched, almost numbly, as Palpatine gave evidence upon evidence about the attempts made by the Jedi to take over the Senate. She had watched as Palpatine names only two Jedi free from treason – Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi. She had watched as the Galactic Senate ended its' thousands years of service without a single fight. Instead, the majority of the senate had egged on the entire process.
'What's happening? How could we be so blind? How could I be so blind? Oh, Anakin…Anakin, what happened? What went wrong?'
When she heard Anakin's name being mentioned, she had been torn apart. To know that Anakin would not be hunted down like a fugitive had been a relief yet in another way, it would sound as if Anakin had allied himself with Palpatine. She could not bear thinking about it if Anakin had aided Palpatine in the destruction of the Republic.
She could not believe that Anakin would do such a thing – would not believe he could do such a thing.
Doing so would be like admitting that Obi-Wan Kenobi was a Sith Lord.
However, she had no idea what to think – what to believe in. All she believed in fell apart right before her eyes. Even now, she was questioning Anakin's loyalty in a way she never did before.
'Anakin, what have you done? How could they tear us apart like that? Anakin…Anakin, I'm so sorry...'
"Senator Amidala," someone called out.
Padmé was startled from her pondering by a clone trooper who was accompanied by an entire squad. She immediately tensed at the sight of them, wondering if, perhaps, Palpatine had ordered them to capture her immediately.
"Yes?"
"You are to come with us immediately, Senator," said the clone trooper, fingering his blaster in a way that made Padmé uncomfortable.
"Where will you be taking me?" Padmé asked, already wishing that Anakin was there.
'Anakin, where are you? I need you. Anakin!'
"To somewhere safe, Senator," answered the clone trooper. "Commander Skywalker requested that you be transported away for your own safety. Chancellor Palpatine agreed that you may be in danger from the Jedi traitors."
'He will not be chancellor for much longer,' thought Padmé as she heard a resounding roar of approval from the Senate.
"I wish to see Commander Skywalker immediately," she demanded.
"That is not possible, Senator. Commander Skywalker is preoccupied with other matters that require his urgent attention."
"That is fine. I will meet him and I believe he will agree to it."
"I do not think so, Senator," the clone trooper said. "We are under orders to transport you elsewhere immediately after the Senate meeting."
"I will not go anywhere until I meet Commander Skywalker!" she demanded angrily.
'If only to see you again, love. I know that you will tell me that everything is actually all right. I know you will tell me that I've been reading things too deep and that the Republic isn't falling apart around us.'
"I am sorry, Senator, that is not possible."
"Then I will search for him myself."
She spun around, determined to seek Anakin out simply to get proper answers. However, before she could go so far as a step, something hard hit her on the back of her neck and she stumbled to the ground, falling heavily.
"Anakin –" she choked on the word as she fell.
She did not have time to cry out or even ask for help. The ground collided with her head. There was a blinding flash of pain, a moment of panic when she feared the baby she was carrying might be hurt then simply unconsciousness.
"Get her off the planet immediately and to the stronghold. She is not to be hurt – no danger must come to the child. I will not see the child hurt."
"What then, my lord?"
"When the child is born, bring it to me. Then, kill her."
"Understood, my lord."
Darth Sidious switched off the comlink, smiling to himself in a satisfied sort of way. Everything that he had worked for years was starting to pay off. The child of Skywalker would undoubtedly be one strong in the Force and therefore an asset to the dark side. One child raised by Sith teachings and taught to hate everything from the light side would be more useful than Anakin Skywalker himself – the Chosen One.
Until the child would be born and old enough to replace Anakin Skywalker, the Chosen One would do. He watched from the holocams he had placed, of Skywalker, the new Lord Vader; leading an entire battalion of clone troopers into the Jedi Temple. Thousands of clone troopers against the heart of the Jedi empty of their finest warriors with nothing left except blinded, old school teachers and incompetent, irritating little Jedi younglings and Padawans.
The Jedi Temple was nothing more than an unguarded building – the homes of hundreds of Jedi. But, it was something of the Jedi and everything of the Jedi had to be wiped out.
Everything must be wiped out - even the smallest of the Jedi.
Anakin Skywalker watched without really seeing as thousands of clone troopers marched at his heels towards the Jedi Temple. Palpatine's order had been given without any contest knowing that challenging Palpatine was a futile if not worse than useless attempt. Anakin had hesitated for a moment when he heard that he would lead the invasion of the Jedi Temple. It would be like a test of his true loyalty – a challenge to whether or not he would defy Palpatine and lose everything he had made the choice for.
Naturally, he had obeyed although guilt ate away his conscience.
He pushed away his guilt, concentrating on the anger like Palpatine had told to. The anger would wash away the feelings of guilt, sadness and remorse, making him nothing except a walking, breathing weapon capable of delivering one destruction after another.
He allowed the buried feelings of resentment towards the Jedi surface and masks his face. He allowed his feelings of anger of being pushed around by the Jedi Council, of his opinions never being heard, of never feeling belonged to the Jedi since he was nine, of being told he was never good enough when he made a slight slip…until there was only anger and Lord Vader.
Part of Anakin Skywalker surfaced. He could see Padmé in his mind, pale and dying at child birth – calling out his name. In him, a fire burned with determination to stop that from ever happening. Padmé would be safe and their child would be safe. She would live – he will make sure of it.
Then the face of Obi-Wan came into view and he hesitated for a while but Vader called out to him. It was only as Lord Vader would Obi-Wan be safe from any form of harm. When Anakin Skywalker becomes Lord Vader, no one would dare harm Obi-Wan. Obi-Wan would understand it eventually because Obi-Wan always understood him even though he never agreed to everything he did. At least Obi-Wan believed in him, trusted him more than all the Jedi put together. His mind wandered to the thought that Obi-Wan would most probably already be on his way to Coruscant and he knew Sidious will not harm him yet because harming Obi-Wan would be like harming Anakin Skywalker himself.
He could almost hear Palpatine speak in his mind, wearing a sneer on his face.
"Maybe it is your old Master you are more concerned of."
Vader pushed Palpatine's voice from his mind. Vader would do it to show his loyalty to the Sith. Anakin would do it for Padmé and Obi-Wan.
Padmé and Obi-Wan.
Padmé and Obi-Wan.
It was for Padmé and Obi-Wan.
The invasion of the Jedi Temple had happened quickly and cleanly. The first to fall had been Gate Master Jurokk – he had died by Vader's own hand. Then everything became a blur of screams and cries of fear from so-called Jedi – even the word sounded like a curse in his mind. A few blaster bolts were deflected and a few of the clone troopers fell. Most of the shots found their targets and many of the younglings and Padawans fell.
Vader had walked over the corpses littering the walkway with a cool and cold demeanor unlikely of the old Anakin Skywalker. Anakin Skywalker was still there but buried away so as not to be affected by their deaths.
Along the way, the more trained Jedi had fallen – Cin Drallig had been easily disposed of and Shaak Ti had been killed during meditation. The lack of Jedi Knights and Jedi Masters had made it easier than piloting a speeder for a hundred meter stretch. Vader had watched with almost amusement to see younglings and Padawans fall one by one even as the older ones – no more than ten standard years of age – fought to keep the advancing troops back and failed.
The one that almost torn him apart was when he saw a youngling whom Anakin had befriended years ago fighting desperately against the troopers in a brave attempt to allow other children to make an escape. The youngling had placed Anakin as his idol – as many others had – and had truly believed in him.
"Master Skywalker?" the youngling had gasped in surprise, confusion in his eyes at the thought of seeing Anakin leading a battalion against the Jedi.
Anakin had screamed at Vader to stop - to simply have mercy on the child.
Vader did have mercy.
He plunged his lightsaber into the child's heart, ensuring a quick and hopefully painless death.
The Jedi Temple had been wiped clean by the clone troopers. Corpses and dismembered body parts littered the temple's floor. There was an unmistakable stench of burnt flesh in the air. Anakin Skywalker stood in the middle of the hall, his anger having worn away his strength so much so that he could no longer shield himself from his full connection to the Force.
He screwed his eyes shut in an attempt to get rid of the feeling of death that surrounded him. There were echoes of the pain of sudden death. There were the feelings of betrayals…of loss. There were still traces of dead voices screaming in his ear. Yet there were no Jedi around – alive – to be doing so. The Temple was dead. The building would not survive any longer.
There was an unmistakable feeling of loss – of something being ripped apart unexpectedly. The death of a Jedi was a sad passing but the death of hundreds within such a close space of time was worse than a tragedy. It was like getting the breath knocked out of him then realizing that there was no air left. He struggled to think among the voices of the dead Jedi that were screaming at him.
There were no more Jedi. The Temple was silent save for the clone trooper right in front of him.
"Sir?" the clone trooper asked slowly as Anakin finally managed to ignore the feeling of loss. "Almost all of the Jedi Temple is secured."
"Good, secure the archives. My Master wants every copy of information kept in there – even those that are restricted. The copies have to be whole…" for Padmé's sake. "Then destroy it completely."
"Yes, sir and sir…"
"Yes?" asked Anakin who already had his mind on going somewhere and was annoyed to be held back.
"Some of the younglings have not been killed yet and we don't know where they are."
Anakin looked thoughtful for a moment before whirling around, changing his direction.
"I know where they are and I'm going to deal with them alone."
The Jedi Council Room was the heart of the Jedi Temple. It was the place where the most important of all Jedi – skilled in their own way – gathered to make important decisions, overlook the workings of the Senate and to ponder over the mysterious powers of the Force.
Anakin's appointment to the Jedi Council had been more of a joke than an actual serious matter. To anyone outside the Jedi Council, it would seem as if all of Anakin's hard work had paid off and the Council had recognized Anakin's true worth. The truth was, everything had been, more or less, a ploy to spy on Palpatine. There had been no consideration of Anakin's feelings on the matter. They had blatantly used him like a tool.
Well…everyone except Obi-Wan and he was the only one Anakin was sure was alive. Nearly all on the Jedi Council had died.
Anakin stepped out of the lift and the Council doors slid open soundlessly when he keyed in the code to deactivate the doors. Only those who sat on the Council knew the code. Vader sat on the Council.
The room was dark and gave a splendid view of the sprawling city below. He could see the Senate in the distance and even the senatorial apartment where Padmé used to live.
Padmé.
Padmé and Obi-Wan.
A boy ran up, strangely calm. Vader would have sneered at his ignorance of the total weight of the situation. Anakin, however, was calm and rather sad.
"Master Skywalker, what's happening?" he asked.
Anakin said nothing and simply ignited his lightsaber. The blue energy blade hummed in the Council Room and revealed every face hidden behind the chairs. It would be like murder – murders of countless of defenseless children.
He had done it before – numerous times. It started with Count Dooku on that blasted ship, Invisible Hand and that seemed like decades ago.
Padmé and Obi-Wan…
Padmé and Obi-Wan…
Padmé and Obi-Wan…
"Vader," his comlink said.
Anakin paused to answer it.
"Yes, Master?"
The younglings looked too shocked or stunned to do anything except stand and listen.
"What is your current situation?" Sidious inquired.
Anakin paused to look at the fearful children.
"All of the Jedi Temple is almost secured," he answered. "The archives are being copied right now. I am in the Council Room with other younglings."
There was a pause whereby he waited for his Master to say something.
"Do not kill the younglings," his Master finally said. "Take them as prisoners. Do not let anyone of them escape. They would be useful as a means of persuasion when it comes to Kenobi."
Anakin immediately felt a chill creeping up his spine.
Obi-Wan…
"Yes, Master, it shall be done."
Anakin turned to look at the younglings, not sure if taking them as prisoners was such a good thing at all. He knew, however, that whatever fate Sidious decided for them, could not possibly be good.
And Obi-Wan…Obi-Wan would be appalled. But…but it was for the best.
Padmé and Obi-Wan…
Anakin nearly collapsed into the room from sheer exhaustion of blocking out the screams from the dead Jedi. It was driving him crazy. He had stumbled as he ran from the Jedi Council blinded by his imagination that blood had covered his hands and robes even though he knew that a lightsaber cuts were technically clean and hardly bled.
He had ran and ran until he found the quarters he used to share with Obi-Wan before he started spending more time with Padmé. He ran inside and hid in Obi-Wan's room, simply glad when the voices of the Jedi seemed to fade away. There was a calming presence in the room and he breathed a serene sigh of relief.
Everything was the way it was since Obi-Wan left. Anakin had dropped in for a while to grab his datapad he had left behind. The bed had been untouched and thus was ever so neat. Anakin never had the impulse to clean things up despite the hundreds of lectures Obi-Wan had given him about how keeping his room clean was a form of Jedi discipline.
He wished that Obi-Wan was here again even if it was to lecture about keeping his room clean and his boots washed. He laughed bitterly at the mere thought and then sobbed.
That was if Obi-Wan would ever speak to him again after all he had done. Obi-Wan might never speak to him again. He might be disgusted by Anakin. Anakin was disgusted by himself.
He crawled onto the bed, vaguely hearing Obi-Wan scold him for messing up the sheets again. He smiled ruefully as he closed his eyes and buried his face in the pillow. It still echoed of Obi-Wan signature and it was…calming. He knew that in here he was safe.
Except Obi-Wan was not – not yet anyway. Obi-Wan would not be safe until he returns to him and then only if he accepts the decision Anakin had to make.
Anakin prayed that Obi-Wan would.
If…if Anakin somehow failed in the attempt to save Padmé, Obi-Wan would be all that he had left. Losing Obi-Wan might as well as be losing his soul. They were a team – they were one. They had to be. They made the promise years ago.
Anakin simply hoped that Obi-Wan would not think too badly of him.