Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts, the Characters, or any Game, Movie, or TV Show content that are mentioned in this FanFiction story. They belong to their respective owners and I honor respect their great works.
It was a pyrrhic victory for the Republic in the aftermath following the Battle of Coruscant. The Galactic City had suffered extensive damage from the combination of Separatist bombing, vulture droid strikes, wrecked ships crashing, and the harsh urban warfare on the surface.
After a successful rescue mission, the Keyblade Wielder, Devon, and the two Jedi Knights, Anakin and Obi-Wan Kenobi board a Util-313 speeder bus and travel to the Republic Executive Building with Supreme Chancellor Palpatine to escort him home to the Republic. The transport touches down on the main docking level where several senators, politicians, and representatives of the Senate, including Jar Jar Binks, who was still a Gungan representative of Naboo, gathered to greet the heroes. Even C-3PO, who now had gold plating, awaited their arrival. Palpatine was the first to disembark from the speeder bus and was followed by Devon, Anakin, R2-D2, and T7-13, while Obi-Wan stayed onboard the repulsorcraft transport, leaning against the side at the top of the loading ramp with his left-arm.
"Are you coming, Master?" Anakin asks
"Oh, no. I'm not brave enough for politics. I have to report to the council. Besides, someone needs to be the postal boy." Obi-Wan says
"Hold on. This whole operation was your idea." Anakin says
"Let us not forget, Anakin, that you rescued me from the buzz droids. And you killed Count Dooku, and you rescued the Chancellor, carrying me unconscious on your back." Obi-Wan says
"All because of your training." Anakin says
"Anakin, let's be fair. Today, you were the hero, and you deserve your glorious day with the politicians." Obi-Wan says
"All right. But you owe me one, and not for saving your skin for the tenth time." Anakin says
"Ninth time. That business on Cato Neimoidia doesn't-doesn't count. I'll see you and Devon at the briefing." Obi-Wan says
"See you then, Obi-Wan." Devon says
Having said farewell, Obi-Wan takes his leave on the speeder bus, which departs from the docking area and heads for the Jedi Temple. With the senators following him, Palpatine approaches Jedi Master Mace Windu, who was also waiting for him.
"Chancellor Palpatine, are you all right? Windu asks
"Yes. Thanks to your two Jedi Knights. And our Keyblade Wielder friend, of course. They killed Count Dooku, but General Grievous has escaped once again." Palpatine says
"General Grievous will run and hide, as he always does. He's a coward." Windu says
"But with Count Dooku dead, he is the leader of the droid army. And I assure you, the senate will vote to continue the war as long as Grievous is alive." Palpatine says
"Then the Jedi Council will make finding Grievous our highest priority." Windu says
After having said that, the dark-skinned Jedi Master steps aside to the left and gestures his left-hand forward as he escorts the Chancellor through a cavernous, open-air, pillared atrium with red carpets that led deep into the Executive Building's labyrinthine interior with Devon, Anakin, and the senators following them. T7-13 followed the Keyblade Wielder closely while R2-D2 reunites with C-3PO, rolling alongside the protocol droid on his right, beeping as he told him about what happened onboard the Invisible Hand.
"Well, it couldn't possibly be as bad as all that." C-3PO says
R2 beeps again.
"Now there I agree with you. In fact, I could go for a tune-up myself." C-3PO says
Once more, R2 beeps in agreement. At the rear of the group, Devon and Anakin walked with Bail Organa, who congratulated the Keyblade Wielder and Jedi Knight for their heroics.
"The Republic cannot praise you both enough." Bail says
"Thank you, Senator Organa." Anakin says
"Yep. Of course. Always happy to serve the good people of the Republic. All in a day's work." Devon says nodding his head
Bail Organa looks at Devon as he walks alongside him on his right.
"You know, I have always believed in the Keyblade Wielders and what they stood for, and I cannot express what great pleasure it is to finally meet you, Devon. Your presence gives many people hope." Bail says
"I figure people could use some hope these days, especially with Count Dooku, General Grievous, and the Separatists putting pressure on everybody." Devon says
"But the fighting will continue until General Grievous is spare parts." Anakin says
"That, and we still have to find Nute Gunray of the Trade Federation and the other Separatist Leaders. Not to mention, Dooku's Master, Darth Sidious, the Sith Lord who's really behind this war. Until we find them, we can't truly guarantee peace for the Republic." Devon says
"Well, I will do everything I can in the senate." Bail says
Anakin looks off to the left and saw someone standing in the shadows behind one of the large pillars. It was his wife, Padmé Amidala, whose hair was now shortened with two rolled buns on both sides of her head, wearing dark blue dress robes.
"Excuse me." Anakin says
"Certaintly." Bail says nodding his head
Anakin runs back to meet with Padmé in secret while Devon stayed with Bail Organa, watching as they hugged, wrapping their arms around one another. He soon decides to go join his friends and leave the senator to his business, shaking his hand.
"Senator Organa. A pleasure speaking with you, sir." Devon says
"Likewise." Bail says
As the Alderaan senator continues walking through the atrium, Devon began making his way over to Anakin and Padmé as the pulled apart from their loving embrace.
"Oh, Anakin." Padmé says
"I missed you, Padmé." Anakin says
"There were whispers that you had been killed." Padmé says
"I'm alright. I had a pretty close call on Yerbana. But lucky for me and Obi-Wan, Devon showed up." Anakin says
Anakin turns around to his right and both he and Padmé look over at Devon as he walks up to them. The Keyblade Wielder places his right-hand over his chest and bows his head respectively to the senator.
"Milady." Devon greets
"Devon!" Padmé exclaims
With a happy smile on her face, Padmé wraps her arms around Devon, embracing him with a warm hug. The Keyblade Wielder smiles and wraps his arms around Padmé, returning the hug.
"It's so great to see you." Padmé says
"Thanks." Devon says
"How's your training been coming along? You seem like you're doing good for yourself." Padmé asks
"Oh, I've made a lot of progress." Devon says
"Well, that's good." Padmé says
"Yep. I'm well on my way to becoming a Keyblade Master. My Mark of Mastery is all but in the bag." Devon says
"Well, I say you more than deserve it." Anakin says
"Thanks, Anakin." Devon says
Knowing that the two lovers deserve some time alone with each other, Devon points the index finger of his hands at the Jedi Knight and the Naboo Senator.
"Uh... Don't let me ruin your moment together. You obviously need some catching up to do. I'll just be over here and let you two lovebirds be." Devon says pointing back over his left-shoulder with his left-hand
Backing away from Anakin and Padmé, the Keyblade Wielder turns and walks further into the atrium, only one pillar away from them, and leans his back against the polished white marble, crossing his arms and his left-leg, while the two lovers have their privacy, turning to face each other.
"It feels like we've been apart for a lifetime. And it might have been, if the Chancellor hadn't been kidnapped. I don't think they would have ever brought us back from the Outer Rim sieges." Anakin says
Anakin leans closer to Padmé to try and kiss her, but she stops him.
"Wait. Not here." Padmé says
"Yes, here. I'm-I'm tired of all this deception. I don't care if they know we're married." Anakin says
"Anakin, don't say things like that." Padmé says
Padmé hugs Anakin once more with a sigh. As he held his wife, the Jedi Knight felt the Senator trembling and looked at her with concern. Something was obviously on her mind. The question is: Was it something good or bad?
"Are you alright? You're trembling. What's going on?" Anakin asks
Padmé pulled away and looked up at Anakin with a happy smile on her face.
"Something wonderful has happened. Ani... I'm pregnant." Padmé says
The Jedi Knight stared at his wife in stunned surprise. Padmé was pregnant with their offspring, a child? He was overwhelmed by this news.
"That's-" Anakin says
Anakin sighs. Apparently, this was a big deal for him.
"Well, that's won-That's wonderful." Anakin says
The happiness that filled Padmé's face soon went away and was replaced with concern, wondering what might happen if anyone, the Jedi Council or the Senate, found out about their secret.
"What are we going to do?" Padmé asks
Anakin places his left-hand on Padmé's face, offering her comfort.
"We're not going to worry about anything right now. All right? This is a happy moment. The happiest moment of my life." Anakin says smiling
Anakin and Padmé lean close to each other and kissed once more, embracing one another in their arms. Devon couldn't help but smile at the moment. He was soon joined by T7-13, who rolled up to the Keyblade Wielder, beeping and whistling softly as he turned his torodial head right and looked up at his master with his blue photoreceptor. Devon looked down at the astromech and rubs his left-hand along the droid's head, enjoying his company. Then, C-3PO and R2-D2 came along to meet him.
"Oh, Master Devon! It's so wonderful to see you! I must say, you're looking well and fully functional." C-3PO greets
"Hey, 3PO! Great to see you too!" Devon greets
The Keyblade Wielder walks over to the protocol droid and pats him twice on the left-shoulder with his right-hand. As he looked at him, Devon immediately noticed that C-3PO now had shiny gold plating on his metallic body.
"I see you got a new paint job. It's very nice." Devon says
"Oh, why thank you, Master Devon. I do fancy it myself. It was given to me by Mistress Padmé, and in the service of a senator, one must be presentable." C-3PO says
"Well, you definitely got the presentable part down, 3PO. You got a real shine going on. Heh heh heh." Devon chuckles
Devon glances back at Anakin and Padmé as they were still hugging and kissing. But as he stared at them, a look of concern formed on his face. Although he was happy that they were together again, he had a slight feeling that something was amiss. First, there was Anakin. Ever since he killed Count Dooku in their duel onboard the Invisible Hand, Devon could feel a change inside the Jedi Knight. A darkness that was slowly building up in his heart, the Dark Side of the Force. Then, there was Palpatine. When Anakin had Dooku at his mercy, Palpatine urged the Jedi Knight to kill him. And when Anakin hesitated, Devon felt an evil darkness emanating from the Chancellor. It was something that he had felt before during Qui-Gon Jinn's funeral. Something about Palpatine was very suspicious, clouded in mystery. It made him feel very uneasy, and there was a good chance the Jedi Council could sense it as well. A part of Devon wished that Dooku was taken alive. That way, he could've helped to discover the true identity of his master, Darth Sidious, the one who turned him over to the Dark Side of the Force. If they don't get to the bottom of this mystery behind Darth Sidious soon, the Republic, no, the Distant Galaxy would pay a huge price. C-3PO noticed how Devon was staring at Anakin and Padmé and he wondered in his circuits if everything was alright.
"Oh, um, is something troubling you, Master Devon?" C-3PO asks
The Keyblade Wielder turned back to the gold protocol droid and shook his head with a sigh.
"No, 3PO... Its nothing." Devon says
Devon, T7-13, C-3PO, and R2-D2 looked back at Anakin and Padmé as their heads touched, still in their embrace.
Elsewhere in the Distant Galaxy, a Sheathipede-class transport shuttle flies across the stars of space. Inside was General Grievous, now the military and political leader of the Separatists as successor to Count Dooku, after the failed assault on Coruscant. He was heading for the green-brown planet of Utapau in the Tarabba Sector of the Outer Rim Territories.
The surface of the planet was rocky with desert plains and covered with enormous sinkholes and chasms. It's native inhabitants, the Pa'auns and Utai lived within the chasms and sinkholes in underground cities whose architectural structure was made out of the bones of nearly all the planet's deceased fauna, while some were mined from caves.
The shuttle skims across the desert plains and descends down a deep, large sinkhole into the capital of Pau City towards a landing platform on the tenth level, where a modified Trade Federation core ship was stationed and planted into the side of the sinkhole, acting as a command center and stronghold for Trade Federation Viceroy Nute Gunray, Geonosian Industries owner Poggle the Lesser, Techno Union head of state, and others on the Separatist Council. Lord Drazor, the Dark Keyblade Wielder, awaited the Kaleesh cyborg on the platform with two IG-100 MagnaGuards at his sides, standing patiently with his eclectic breath as the shuttle turns and touches down with its extended landing gears. The rear of the shuttle slides open vertically upward and the ramp extends downward with Grievous stepping out to meet Lord Drazor.
"Grievous. Lord Thanatos and Lord Sidious demand our presence." Lord Drazor says
"Let's not keep them waiting. He he he ha ha ha ha ha." Grievous cackles
Walking together, the two villains move across the platform and enter a communication room escorted by two MagnaGuards. Once inside, Grievous activates the holoprojector and a hologram of Lord Thanatos and Darth Sidious appears before them. Grievous crosses his right-arm across his body and bows his head while Lord Drazor places his right-hand over his chest and bows his head.
"Yes, Lord Sidious?" Grievous greets
"Masters." Lord Drazor greets
"General Grievious... I suggest you move the Separatist leaders to Mustafar." Sidious says
"It will be done, my lord." Grievous says crossing his right-arm and bowing his head again
"The end of the war is near." Sidious says
"But the loss of Count Dooku-" Grevious says
"His death was a necessary loss. Soon, I will have a new apprentice, one far younger and more powerful." Sidious says
"YES. SOON THE HOUR WILL COME, WHEN THE JEDI ORDER AND THE REPUBLIC SHALL FINALLY FALL. AND BY HIS JOURNEY'S END, THE KEYBLADE WIELDER WILL MEET HIS DESTINY. HIS HEART AND SOUL WILL BELONG TO DARKNESS... JUST AS ALL THINGS WILL. NOTHING CAN PREVENT THIS. SO IT IS WRITTEN. SO SHALL IT BE. OUR 13TH VESSEL OF DARKNESS, THE KEYBLADE'S CHOSEN, WILL BE OURS." Lord Thanatos says
On Mandalore, in the undercity sewers of Sundari, Ahsoka Tano stood at an intersection in the tunnels with her lightsabers drawn, her shoto in her right-hand, the other held in reverse grip. She had fallen into a trap, surrounded by Mandalorian super commandos, each of their armor painted red and black to match Maul's color and horns adorning their helmets also to match Maul's head, wielding WESTAR-35 blaster pistols. And before her standing up at another tunnel entrance was the rogue Sith Lord himself, who had his hands behind his back, stepping out from the shadows.
"Ahsoka... Tano, was it? I can't say yours is a name familiar to me." Maul says
"Well, I know who you are." Ahsoka says
Maul steps down from the tunnel entrance and walks in circles around Ahsoka.
"Yes, I imagine we have several mutual friends." Maul says
"I wouldn't put it that way." Ahsoka says
"Of course not. But I'm afraid your way of thinking is behind the times." Maul says
While the rogue Sith wasn't looking, the female Togruta subtly activates a homing beacon on her right-gauntlet, alerting Rex and his squad, who were near the entrance to the undercity.
"I was certain that Kenobi would have come himself. Perhaps bring his loyal foal. Skywalker, is it? Of course, let us not forget the Keyblade Wielder. Devon, I believe his name was? I was hoping to meet him again and learn more about the weapon he wielded... The Keyblade. Such an incredibly powerful tool. Very fascinating." Maul says
"Master Kenobi and Devon had a more important engagement." Ahsoka says
"Indeed. I wonder..." Maul says
Soon, Maul stops and his eyes glanced upward, lost in thought for a moment.
"The moment may be upon us." Maul says
Turning his attention back to Ahsoka, Maul glances back over his right-shoulder at the female Togruta and continued to circle her.
"Why you? Why did Kenobi send you?" Maul asks
"Why don't you surrender, and then we can both go and ask him?" Ahsoka says
The rogue Sith Lord scoffs.
"My surrendering, well, that would be pointless. For if I am correct, soon the Jedi and the Republic will no longer be the controlling interest in the galaxy." Maul says
"And who will be? You?" Ahsoka asks
"No. Darth..." Maul says
The rogue Sith gasps with slight fear for a moment before he replies with the name of his former Master.
"...Sidious." Maul says
Ahsoka stares at Maul with a suspicious, yet slightly surprised expression, then the rogue Sith speaks again.
"But that's not all. There is also another player on the board. A much greater, more powerful force. The ultimate being in the galaxy... No... The entire Universe. He is the living embodiment of darkness in which all life dies. And if I am correct, Sidious, my former Master, is in league with this... Dark Lord of the Shadows." Maul says
"What's his name?" Ahsoka asks
Maul closed his eyes and shuddered under his breath, uttering another fearful gasp. He was almost afraid to even speak his name, but he soon mustered up the courage and opened his crimson eyes, giving Ahsoka the name of the most powerful evil being in the Universe.
"Teridax." Maul says
Again, Ahsoka stares at Maul and she could see fear in his face, real genuine fear. In fact, she heard the name herself from before, from Devon. From what she recalled, Teridax was an ancient, evil entity of terrifying power, who was hellbent on conquering the Universe, every world and every living soul therein.
Footsteps are soon heard coming from the tunnel behind Ahsoka, causing Maul to look up. Rex and his men arrive on the scene and gun down two Mandalorian commandos, causing a brief firefight to erupt in the area. While the clone troopers and Mandalorian commandos engage each other, Maul ignites his double-bladed red lightsaber and attacks Ahsoka, who held her blue lightsabers vertically to defend against the blow. Shoving the red plasma blade away, she strikes back with a downward slash from her offhand lightsaber. Maul parries the blow and counters with a low slash at Ahsoka's legs, but she parries the strike and follows up with a left slash using the same lightsaber, only to be knocked aside. Maul swings his lightsaber down at Ahsoka, who catches the strike with her shoto lightsaber, holding it horizontally, putting them both in a blade lock.
"Not yet." Maul says
Maul shoves Ahsoka back, breaking off from the blade lock and stretches his left-hand toward Rex, lifting him up by his throat through the Force. He then throws the clone commander into Ahsoka, hurling them both into the wall, and turns to make his escape into the tunnels with his surviving men.
"Come on!" Ahsoka says
Ahsoka and Rex quickly get back onto their feet and pursue Maul and his Mandalorian commandos into the tunnels. They soon came upon two-way intersection, leading off in two different directions. Ahsoka and Rex split up with their own squad of clone troopers with Ahsoka going down the left tunnel and Rex down the right. Both sides run as fast as they could to catch up with the rogue Sith, but eventually run into each other at an intersection, lowering their weapons.
"We lost him." Ahsoka says
Back on Coruscant, it was a peaceful night as the Galactic City was all lit up with the lights of the towering skyscrapers and the airspeeders, shuttle buses, and transports that filled the air with the sounds of their futuristic engines.
In the Senate Apartment Complex, Padmé stood out on the small, open-air balcony of her apartment, brushing her hair with a silver hairbrush while Anakin watched from the transparisteel door, leaning against it on his left-side. Devon was also with them, having been offered to stay by Padmé. He was sitting on the cream-colored sofa facing Anakin and Padmé with his arms resting along the back and his right-leg crossed over his other leg.
"Ani, I want to have our baby back home on Naboo. We can go to the lake country where no one will know, where we can be safe. I can go early and fix up the baby's room. I know the perfect spot. Right by the gardens." Padmé says
The Jedi Knight stared at his wife, admiring her slender figure and her gorgeous looks. She looked absolutely stunning in her pale blue dress.
"You're so... beautiful." Anakin says
Padmé looks back at Anakin on her right and smiles.
"It's only because I'm so in love." Padmé says
"No. No, it's because I'm so in love with you." Anakin chuckles
"So love has blinded you?" Padmé asks
Anakin chuckles
"Well, that's not exactly what I meant." Anakin says
"But it's probably true." Padmé says smiling
Anakin and Padmé both laughed. From where he was, Devon watched them for a moment, then looked down at his Kingdom Hearts necklace, his eyes glancing down at the blue crystal heart as he held it in his right-hand. The Keyblade Wielder soon let out a sigh and glanced off to the right as his mind drifted off elsewhere. He wondered how Ahsoka was doing with her mission and often thought about calling her with his holocommunicator, but he didn't want to disturb her if she was busy. Then, he thought about what would happen after he, Sora, and Riku finished with their Mark of Mastery Exam. Where would they go from there? What would their next course of action be? Devon leaned back against the sofa as he tried to relax and enjoy the moment of calm before the storm.
Later that night, Anakin slept with Padmé in her bedroom, enjoying the soothing warmth of her body next to his, until he began experiencing nightmares, similar to the ones he had about his mother, Shmi Skywalker. At first, everything was black as he saw nothing. A baby's cry soon broke the empty silence, echoing around him with its horrid sound, the sound of his child. Then, Anakin saw a clear, yet cloudy, distorted vision of his wife, Padmé, who appeared to be very distressed and in pain, groaning and sobbing as she called out for her lover to help her.
"Anakin! Anakin, help me!" Padmé cries out
Anakin's vision fades and shrinks with Padmé letting out a painful scream until everything was black. Both her and the baby's crying faded into silence.
The Jedi Knight sat up in the bed, breathing heavily with his body covered in sweat. He looked to his right at Padmé, who was still sound asleep. Pulling the blankets off him, Anakin sat on the left-side of the bed and placed his hands on his head before getting up, grabbing his robes on his right and slipping them on as he walked towards the door of the bedroom. Padmé awoke and sat up, noticing the lacking presence of her husband. She soon saw Anakin descending down a staircase that led to the veranda of the suite. A look of concern filled Padmé's face.
Downstairs, the veranda was beautiful. It was a large pillared area with white columns, white marble flooring, a sitting area with two white sofas and a bubbling fountain. The room was illuminated by disk-shaped lamps, as well as a small illuminator. A wish globe sat situated in a corner, while several handing orbs and vases dotted the darker corners of the room. At the mouth of the veranda was a small docking area for personal airspeeders. Flanked by two bronzium statues of Shiraya, the moon goddess of Naboo, the veranda's mouth was constantly guarded by a particle and energy shield, which prevented attacks or accidental falls over the railing-less area. And the space between the simple columns was filled with plain white drapes that stretched from floor to ceiling.
Here, Devon was sleeping on the right sofa on his back with a black blanket covering the full-length of his body and a soft white pillow behind his head. But he wasn't resting comfortably in his sleep. Like Anakin, he too was being plagued by horrible nightmares. The Keyblade Wielder tossed and turned on the sofa, panting and grunting in pain as a deep, dark, demonic voice spoke in his mind.
"DeVoN... ThE pRoDiGaL sOn. ChAmPiOn Of LiGhT. MuCh FeAr LiEs WiThIn YoU. SuCh SoRrOw. SuCh PaIn. SuCh A bRoKeN mInD. YoUr SuFfErInG gIvEs Me GrEaT pLeAsUrE. TrUlY, yOu ArE aN eXtRaOrDiNaRy SpEcImEn. I wiLl EnJoY bReAkInG yOu." The evil voice says
Devon's eyes snapped open as he awakened within his nightmare, finding himself laid out on his back in a dark, barren, rocky wasteland underneath a black and red sky. The Keyblade Wielder sits upright and rises onto his feet, gazing around at his new, sinister surroundings. The dark blue lightning strikes that illuminated the sky with their ominous light, followed by the crashing sounds of thunder. The air heavy with death and decay. The black-charcoal earth that crunched beneath his feet. Everything was silent, except for the wind that blew in the air. Soon, Devon looked ahead of him and his eyes widened, letting out a gasp as he was met with a truly horrifying sight.
Before him were all the friends he made throughout his journey, littering the flat, endless desert field with their weakened bodies. Sora, Riku, Kairi, Draxon, Roxas, Lea, Xion, Ventus, Terra, Aqua, Mickey, Donald, Goofy, Hayner, Pence, Olette, Spyro, Cynder, Hiccup, Toothless, Astrid, the other Viking Teens and their dragons, Ash, Pikachu, Mew, Mewtwo, Simba, Nala, to name but many. Even the new friends he had made from the new worlds he visited like Balto, Jenna, Harry, Ron, Hermione, Alura LightHeart and her Unicorn Sisters, Eragon Shadeslayer, Saphira, Murtagh, Orik, again the few to many of Devon's friends. Each of them were badly injured and near death after intense, heavy fighting with bruises, cuts, and scrapes covering their bodies.
The Keyblade Wielder slowly walked amongst his fallen friends, looking left and right at their weakened forms as he passes them, staring in shock and disbelief. Soon, he stops and gazes upon the friends who were most significant to him.
On his left was Terra, Ventus, and Aqua on their backs, Spyro and Cynder, who laid on their sides facing each other, Mickey and Goofy, who were on their backs, and Donald, who laid flat out on his stomach.
"Spyro... Cynder... Terra... Ven... Aqua... Mickey... Donald... Goofy..." Devon says
To his right was Draxon, Roxas, Xion, and Lea on his right, who laid on their sides, Hiccup and Toothless sprawled over one another, Astrid and the other Vikings Teens, who laid over and alongside their dragons, Sora and Riku, who were on their backs, and Kairi, whose body was curled on her left-side next to Sora's right.
"Hiccup... Toothless... Astrid... Draxon... Roxas... Sora... Riku... Kairi..." Devon says
Finally, Devon looked ahead of him and his eyes widened with a gasp. There, in the center of everyone was his beloved Night Fury dragoness, Luna, who laid curled on her left-side with cuts and scrapes all along her sleek, jet black body. Three deep claw marks tore along her side and her wings and tail fins were sliced and shredded.
"No..." Devon gasps
The Keyblade Wielder slowly walked over to his dragoness and fell down to his knees. He holds the Night Fury's head with his right-hand and runs his other hand along her weakened body, soaking it red with her blood.
"Luna..." Devon says
The female Night Fury gave out a weak groan and her light blue right-eye opened up slowly and slightly, looking up at his.
"Mmm... Uh... Devon... I'm sorry..." Luna says in a weak voice
Luna gasps and hisses from her wounds before speaking again.
"I failed... I'm not strong like you. I never was... I... I love you..." Luna says weakly
Succumbing to her wounds, Luna's blue eye slowly closes, letting a single tear drop down her face, and the dragoness lets out a sigh as she draws her last breath. Devon's eyes widened as he stared down at his Night Fury.
"Luna?" Devon says
Devon nudges his dragon slightly, praying he would get a response, but recieved none.
"Luna!" Devon says
Putting his left-ear to her side, Devon listens for a heartbeat... Nothing... Immense pain filled Devon's heart, as if a knife had stabbed him. The Keyblade Wielder started to whimper, his blood-soaked hand stroking the side of Luna's head, leaving smears along her smooth scales. Devastated and overcome with sadness, Devon cradled his dragon's head in his arms, his head resting on hers as he sobbed and rocked back and forth with small rivers of tears streaming down his face. The sad moment was soon interrupted when the same dark voice spoke to Devon again.
"PiTiFuL..." The evil voice says
Devon stopped his crying and gasped as he heard the voice, lifting his head up and looking around as the dark voice continued to speak, echoing all around him.
"YoU cArEd DeEpLy FoR yOuR fRiEnDs. YoUr FeElInGs FoR tHeM wErE sTrOnG, BuT yOu CaNnOt SaVe ThEm. ThEy ToO wIlL dRoWn BeNeAtH tHe DePtHs AnD pErIsH iN tHe VoiD. AlL tHaT iS bOrN eVeNtUaLlY dIeS... EvEn YoU..." The evil voice says
In a flash of dark lightning and a loud thundercrash, a 8ft tall humanoid figure instantly appears behind Devon, wearing a black cloak of darkness. It was Teridax, the Dark Lord of the Shadows, looming over the young teen with only his flaming, glowing red eyes visible underneath the hood of his cloak, and his black, five-digit, bony clawed hands visible through the sleeves. The Keyblade Wielder quickly rose up and turns around to his right, facing the evil god-like entity as he towered over him, his dreadful presence exuding an incredible aura of malevolence, and the dark lightning strikes illuminating his cloaked form. Finally, after many years, Devon met his true enemy.
"You... You're Teridax." Devon says
Teridax stared at Devon with his sinister gaze, narrowing his flaming eyes, then spreads his bony hands out, gesturing to all of Devon's friends.
"LoOk UpOn ThEm. YoUr FrIeNdS, YoUr AlLiEs, YoUr ClOsEsT, mOsT tRuStEd CoMpAnIoNs. ToRtUrEd, CrUsHeD, BrOkEn. BaReLy ClInGiNg To LiFe. To SaNiTy." Teridax says
Devon looks around at his fallen friends as the Dark Lord continued speaking.
"EaCh Of ThEm FoLlOwEd YoU bEyOnD aLl ReAsOn. PlAcEd ThEiR fAiTh In YoU. FoR wHaT, I wOnDeR? FoR pEaCe? JuStIcE? FrEeDoM? YoU pOiSoN hEaRtS wItH hOpE, a FaLsE fLeEtInG bELiEf In A bEtTeR fUtUrE, bUt In ThE eNd, ThErE aRe NoNe. ThE pOoR, tHe DeSpErAtE, tHe DeLuDeD. YoU lEd ThEm HeRe To ThEiR dEaThS, To An EtErNiTy Of EnDlEsS pAiN, EnDlEsS mIsErY, EnDlEsS sUfFeRiNg. WhAt BeCoMeS oF sOlDiErS wItHoUt ThEiR lEaDeR? WiThOuT yOu, ThEy ArE nOtHiNg." Teridax says
Devon stares at all his friends until his gaze falls back to Luna, his Night Fury. Was this really all his fault? Even after everything they've been through together, is this how it is all destined to end? Right away, Devon denied what he saw before him, clenching his hands even tighter as he turned to left to face the Dark Lord of the Shadows.
"No. You're just trying to poison my mind with lies and deceit. My friends are stronger than you think. Even if you kill them, they're still with me..." Devon says
The Keyblade Wielder places his right-hand over his chest.
"...in my heart. My friends and I, we are all connected to each other!" Devon says
Teridax stood silent, his eyes fixed on the Keyblade Wielder. Soon, he lifts up his hands, holding them under, and a black-red aura envelopes them along with his entire being.
"LeT uS sEe WhAt WoRdS tHeY hAvE tO sAy AbOuT tHeIr FrIeNd... ThEiR sAvIoR." Teridax says
Multiple streams of darkness fly out of the Dark Lord's hands, spreading out far across the wasteland and branching off in different directions. Finding their own individual victims, they swirl around the bodies of Devon's friends, slowly lifting them up from the ground as dark voices surrounded the air around them. Luna was the last to be lifted up while her rider watched in horror. The female Night Fury hovered in mid-air for a ten seconds as streams of darkness swirled around her and the rest of Devon's friends until they were all set down gently back on the black earth. Everything fell silent again. Then, Luna's eyes snapped open with a cold emotionless expression, revealing them to be glowing with a red sclera, orange-yellow irises, and black, soulless, thin-slit pupils. Her veins glowed red and constantly pulsed, lacing around her dark, pale, cracked body. The rest of Devon's friends all opened their eyes, each sharing the same cold expression, dark pale bodies, glowing veins, cracks, and eyes. All of them had been corrupted and infused with the Dark Lord's evil. They were now slaves to his dark power. Devon gasped once more in horror as each of his former friends now spoke in hatred towards him with some slight distortion in their voices.
"Look, Devon. Look at us. Look what you did to us." Dark Hiccup says
"This is all your fault!" Dark Sora yells
"You brought this upon us, Devon! You led us to our doom!" Dark Riku yells
"You saved me, Devon, only for me to fall back into darkness in the end! What kind of hero are you?!" Dark Cynder yells
"You're no hero! A real hero would have saved us!" Dark Spyro yells
"We were better off without you!" Dark Astrid yells
"Happier without you." Dark Hiccup says
"We believed in you and yet you still failed! I wish you were never born!" Dark Kairi yells
"How could I ever fall in love with the so-called Chosen One?" Dark Luna says
"Even I would've made a better Keyblade Master. I should've been the Chosen One." Dark Sora says
"We never should have trusted you!" Dark Astrid yells
"Our blood lies on your hands!" Dark Cynder yells
"Your weakness, your failure cost us our lives! My life! You are nothing to me! Nothing! I hate you!" Dark Luna yells
Devon backed away fearfully from his friends, panting and shaking his head as they slowly advanced toward him.
"None of this is real. It can't be." Devon says
"PaSsIoN fAdEs. HoW iRoNiC. In SpItE oF eVeRyThInG yOu HaVe DoNe FoR tHeM, yOuR fRiEnDs ReJeCt YoU, lOaThE yOu, cUrSe YoU. LoVe WiThErS wHeN rEjEcTeD. ThErE iS nO hOnOr In FiGhTiNg FoR a LoSt CaUsE. WhAtEvEr YoU hOpEd To AcHiEvE, YoU kNoW dEeP iNsIdE tHaT yOu CaNnOt SuCcEeD. TiMe Is AlL yOu HaVe AnD iT iS rUnNiNg OuT. ThIs Is A sOlDiEr'S fAtE. YoU cAn JoIn ThEm... Or ChOoSe A bEtTeR dEsTiNy... As My ApPrEnTiCe." Teridax says
Turning around to his right, Devon faces the Dark Lord, refusing his offer to join his evil empire and refusing to embrace the darkness within him.
"No! I'll never join you! I won't let it end like this!" Devon says
Devon summons his Keyblade: Soul Calibur into his right-hand and attacks the Dark Lord, raising the crystalline Keyblade over his right-shoulder with both hands and swinging it at Teridax, screaming at the top of his lungs with all his might.
"Aaaaaaaaaargh!" Devon yells
Just as it seemed like it would hit him, Soul Calibur stops only an inch away from Teridax' face with the Dark Lord's red eyes staring at the crystal Keyblade and a black-red aura surrounding it as he halts the attack with his dark powers.
"Hm Hm Hm Hm Hm..." Teridax chuckles
Devon tries to pull his Keyblade back with all his strength, but it wouldn't budge.
"Ngh! Hmph! Rngh!" Devon grunts
Teridax watched for a few moments in amusement as the young teen struggled to free Soul Calibur from his grip, then his flaming eyes glowed brightly. The blue color of Soul Calibur begins to fade and turn black and glowing white cracks started to form along the crystal Keyblade, appearing from the head stretching down the length of the blade. The glowing disembodied orb of light turned black and cracks formed on it as well. Soon, Soul Calibur shatters into billions of crystal pieces in a flash of light, sending Devon staggering backwards in four steps. His eyes widened in absolute horror and panted with shuddering breaths as the realization and hopelessness finally struck him. His Keyblade: Soul Calibur, was gone, completely destroyed. He was now virtually powerless, reduced to an ordinary human being.
"No... No, no, no, no. No!" Devon says
Having broken the former Keyblade Wielder, Teridax thrusts both his hands forward at Devon and hits him with a incredibly powerful blast of dark blue lightning that knocked him down to the ground. As Devon collapses onto his back, Teridax assaults him with an even stronger electrical barrage. The power of the attack was so intense that Devon's entire skeletal system glowed underneath his skin. The young teen screamed out in agonizing pain as he was violently electrocuted by the discharge, his body jerking upwards.
"Aaaaah!" Devon screams
Looking behind him, Devon made one last ditch effort to get through to his friends, stretching out his right-hand and crying out to them through the pain, begging for their help.
"Luna! Guys! Please!" Devon screams
The female Night Fury and the others simply stood where they were and watched, doing absolutely nothing to help their former friend. They actually enjoyed Devon's suffering under the electrical barrage. Teridax increased the power of his dark lightning even more, causing the young teen to scream in agonizing pain and sob. Eventually, the Dark Lord ceases his attack, lowering his hands as he allowed the pathetic boy to catch his breath. Devon's whole body sizzled with smoke and felt like it was on fire, only the severe pain was a thousand times worse.
"It Is OvEr, BoY. ThE ReAlM oF LiGhT hAs FaLlEn. ThE sOuLs Of YoUr FrIeNdS nOw BeLoNg To Me. HeRe, yOu StAnD aLoNe, sTrIpPeD oF yOuR pOwEr, AnD yEt EvEn NoW yOu ReSiSt ThE iNeViTaBlE. It Is TiMe YoU fAcEd ReALiTy. If YoU wIsH tO sUrViVe, YoU mUsT eMbRaCe YoUr PoWeR. EmBrAcE yOuR dEsTiNy. It Is ThE oNlY wAy." Teridax says
"Never..." Devon groans
The flaming red eyes of the Dark Lord narrowed when he heard this.
"So Be It." Teridax says
Stretching his right-hand over Devon, Teridax lifts him up and holds him suspended in the air flat across his back.
"YoU hAvE cHoSeN yOuR fAtE. NoW sUfFeR fOr It!" Teridax says
Stretching both hands out to his sides, the Dark Lord of the Shadows begins sucking the life out of the young teen with black-red streams stemming from Devon's chest as his body jerked upwards, whirling into the palms of his black bony hands. Devon gasped with his dying breath as his life force was drained from his body, feeling weaker and weaker by the second.
"DeStInY, SpAcE, aNd TiMe ArE nOw MiNe To CoMmAnD. KiNgDoM HeArTs AnD tHe X-bLaDe ArE mInE. EvErY wOrLd, EvErY rEaLm, EvErY PlAnE oF eXiStEnCe..." Teridax says
The Dark Lord's red eyes glance up at Devon's former friends as he gazes upon the newest additions to the Dark Order, his eternal empire.
"EvErY LiViNg SoUl WiLl BeNd To My WiLl." Teridax says
Shifting his gaze, Teridax glances back down at the former Keyblade Wielder.
"WhiLe YoU, dEaR bOy, YoU wiLl Be TrApPeD iN a TeRrIbLe ExIsTeNcE. YoUr EsSeNcE FoReVeR fEeDiNg Me As I cOnQuEr ThE UnIvErSe AnD tHe StArS! BrEaThE dEeP iN yOuR fInAl MoMeNtS, ChOsEn OnE. FoR hErE iN tHiS rEaLm Of DaRkNeSs AnD HeLl, YoUr ExIsTeNcE eNdS iN sHaMe AnD dEsPaIr. AlL tHe PoWeR tHaT wAs OnCe YoUrS nOw BeLoNgS tO mE. YoUr LiFe, YoUr FrIeNdS, aNd YoUr SoUl ArE mInE..." Teridax says
The Dark Lord's red eyes narrowed thinly and blazed brightly.
"...FoReVEr." Teridax says
Devon groaned, gagged, and choked as his skin began to pale and dark grey, his blood sucked dry, his body becoming thinner and thinner until he was nothing but decayed, shriveled flesh and bone, and his eyes blackened out completely as the last bits of his soul was sucked out all. Once he was finished draining his life force, Teridax releases his grip and drops Devon onto the ground, now as a completely withered corpse, who groaned and croaked with his dying breath. The Dark Lord's power multiplied over trillion-fold and he gripped his bony hands into fists as cascades of dark blue lightning crackled and danced all around him, feeling the immense, unlimited power surging through his eternal body. Then, he looks at his new legion of followers, his eyes gazing down at the corrupted female Night Fury specifically as she addressed the Dark Lord.
"Master." Dark Luna says
Luna bows her head low to her new master, then Spyro and Cynder, followed by Toothless and the other dragons. Sora, Riku, Kairi, and the other former Guardians of Light followed their example and kneeled before the Dark Lord of the Shadows, bowing their heads. All the former denizens of Light kneeled and bowed to the Dark God-King while he laughed maniacally in triumphant victory.
"He He He He He He... Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha... Ah Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha!" Teridax laughs
The horrifying nightmare ends with the Dark Lord's evil laughter echoing loudly while Devon screamed in denial, his own voice echoing in his mind.
"No... No... Nooooooooo!" Devon screams
Returning back into reality, Devon instantly sits upright with his upper body jolting upwards as he finally awakens from his nightmare, exclaiming loudly with panic in his voice.
"Aaah!" Devon exclaims
The Keyblade Wielder quickly looked left and right around the veranda, panting heavily for breath and felt himself with his hands, but he soon calmed down with a sigh. Devon placed his right-hand over his heart and he could literally feeling it beating out against his chest. His hands were shaking, trembling from the traumatizing experience. Pulling the blankets off him, Devon sits upright on the sofa and stretches his right-hand out infront of him. Soul Calibur appeared in a flash of blue light, which was an immense relief to the young teen. De-summoning his crystal Keyblade, Devon rises up from the sofa, walks over to the nearby fountain, takes a couple handfuls of cool water and splashes his face three times. Around that time, Anakin descends down the staircase into the veranda and the Jedi Knight noticed the Keyblade Wielder as he was awake.
"Devon?" Anakin says
The young teen glances over at his left as he heard his name called and relaxed when he saw it was Anakin.
"Oh... Anakin." Devon says
Devon walks back over to his sofa and sits down while Anakin leans his left-side against the other one, staring out at the Galactic City.
"You couldn't sleep?" Devon asks
Anakin nods his head and looks over his right-shoulder at Devon.
"And you?" Anakin asks
"Same." Devon says
The two heroes sat and stood quietly at their respective sides. Neither one of them felt like talking. Soon, they were joined by Padmé as she came down into the veranda, the disk lamps lighting up faintly. Padmé looks over at Devon, who smiles slightly and waves his left-hand to her. Focusing on Anakin, Padmé walks up to her lover and places her left-hand on his right-arm, feeling deeply concerned for him.
"What's bothering you?" Padmé asks
Anakin sighs and turns his head to Padmé.
"Nothing." Anakin says
Anakin looked down at the Japor snippet necklace he gave Padmé back when he was a boy during the Naboo crisis.
"I remember when I gave this to you." Anakin says
"How long is it gonna take for us to be honest with each other?" Padmé asks
Anakin looks over at Devon, who stares back at him, before telling Padmé what he had experienced.
"It was a dream." Anakin says
"Bad?" Padmé asks
"Like the ones I used to have about my mother, just before she died." Anakin says
"And?" Padmé asks
"And it was about you." Anakin says looking back at Padmé
"Tell me." Padmé says
"It was only a dream." Anakin says
Anakin gets up and took a few steps away from his wife. He stood in silence for at least seven seconds, but soon turned back to his right to face Padmé, telling her the truth about his dream.
"You die in child birth." Anakin says
"And the baby?" Padmé asks
"I don't know." Anakin says
Padmé steps closer to her husband.
"It was only a dream." Padmé says
"I won't let this one become real." Anakin says
"This baby will change our lives. I doubt the queen will continue to allow me to serve in the senate. And if the council discovers you're the father, you'll be expelled-" Padmé says
"I-I know. I know." Anakin says
"Do you think Obi-Wan might be able to help us? Or perhaps Devon?" Padmé asks
Anakin looks over at Devon on his left, who had slight concern in his face, staring at him once more for a moment before looking back at Padmé.
"I know Devon will help us, but we don't need Obi-Wan. Our baby is a blessing." Anakin says
Anakin and Padmé smile and hug each other. Devon smiled himself, but it soon faded when his thoughts drifted back towards his own nightmare with his eyes glancing off to the right. The dream he had felt so real. Was it a vision of some horrible future? Was it a warning of what might happen should he fail to defeat the Dark Lord of the Shadows? Or was it a trick of the mind designed to torture him? Devon lets out a sigh, which draws Padmé's attention as she pulls away from her hug with Anakin, turning around to her right. She noticed the troubled expression on his face and immediately felt concerned for the Keyblade Wielder. She walks over and sits down next to him on his left, placing her right-hand on his left-shoulder.
"Devon? Are you alright?" Padmé asks
Devon turns his head and looks back at Padmé on his left.
"It's nothing, Padmé. It's... just a bad dream." Devon says
"Do you want to talk about it?" Padmé asks
Devon looks away with his eyes glancing down at the white marble floor and shook his head, not wanting to share the gruesome details of his nightmare.
"No. I can't. It's... It's too horrible. I... I-I-I'm sorry." Devon says
Devon rose up from the sofa and went back over to the fountain to splash his face with more water four times until he stops and took a deep breath to calm himself down. Padmé stared at Devon, feeling even more worried about him. Anakin stared at the Keyblade Wielder as well, also in concern. He must've had a bad dream too. But was it the same dream he had, or something far worse. Judging by the look of distress in Devon's face, whatever it was he saw in his nightmare must've really shook him deep to the core.
The next day, Anakin sought counsel with Master Yoda in his personal quarters at the Jedi Temple. Devon was also with them in attendance, sitting cross-legged on his tuffet meditation pad next to Anakin on his left. He felt he needed to be part of this as well, especially after what he had just experienced in his nightmare.
"Premonitions? Premonitions. Hmm. These visions you have-" Yoda says
"They're of pain, suffering. Death." Anakin says
"Same." Devon says nodding his head
"Yourselves you speak of, or someone you know?" Yoda asks
"Someone." Devon and Anakin say in unison
"Close to you?" Yoda asks
"Yes." Devon and Anakin say in unison
"Careful you must be when sensing the future, young ones. The fear of loss is a path to the Dark Side." Yoda says
"I understand, Master." Devon says
"I won't let these visions come true, Master Yoda." Anakin says
"Death is a natrual part of life. Rejoice for those around you who transform into the Force. Mourn them, do not. Miss them, do not. Attachment leads to jealousy. The shadow of greed that is." Yoda says pointing to Anakin with his left-finger on the last part
"What must I do, Master Yoda?" Anakin asks
"Train yourself to let go... of everything you fear to lose." Yoda says
Anakin and Devon both sat in silence as they took in Yoda's advice.
After their meeting with Yoda, Devon and Anakin walk through the halls of the Communications Center, a complex of chambers within the Jedi Temple to meet up with Obi-Wan. They walk into a doorway on their left and enter a small, sunken, two-level chamber which had four rows of seats, holoscreens on the walls, and a large holotable, where Obi-Wan was looking over the hologram of a few planetary system as they orbit one another around the Chamber. The Jedi Master switches off the holotable as the Keyblade Wielder and Jedi Knight enter the room, descending down the small flight of stairs.
"You've missed the report on the Outer Rim sieges." Obi-Wan says
"I'm sorry. We were held up." Anakin says
"So, how are things in the Outer Rim?" Devon asks
"In short, they are going very well. Saleucami has fallen and Master Vos has moved his troops to Boz Pity." Obi-Wan says
"What's wrong then?" Anakin asks
"The senate is expected to vote more executive powers to the Chancellor today." Obi-Wan says
"Well, that can only mean less deliberating and more action. Is that bad? It'll make it easier for us to end this war." Anakin says
Obi-Wan stares at Anakin for a moment, then starts to walk up the stairs, but not before issuing him a small warning.
"Be careful of your friend, Palpatine." Obi-Wan says
"Be careful of what?" Anakin asks turning around to his right
Devon and Anakin follow Obi-Wan up the stairs as he continued speaking.
"He has requested your presence." Obi-Wan says
"What for?" Anakin asks
"He would not say." Obi-Wan says
"He didn't inform the Council?" Devon asks
"That's unusual, isn't it?" Anakin asks
"All of this is unusual. And it's making me feel uneasy." Obi-Wan says
The three heroes leave the briefing room and walk out into the halls of the Jedi Temple.
Later that day, Anakin meets with Chancellor Palpatine in his office, holding a private meeting as the two of them walk together around the right-side of the room. Palpatine soon stops for a moment and turns to face the Jedi Knight on his right.
"I hope you trust me, Anakin." Palpatine says
"Of course." Anakin says
"I need your help, son." Palpatine says
"What do you mean?" Anakin asks
The Jedi Knight and the Supreme Chancellor continued their walk as Palpatine speaks.
"I'm depending on you." Palpatine says
"For what? I don't understand." Anakin asks
"To be the eyes, ears, and voice of the Republic. Anakin, I'm appointing you to be my personal representative on the Jedi Council." Palpatine says
Anakin stops in his tracks and stares at Palpatine in surprise.
"Me? A Master? I'm overwhelmed, sir." Anakin says
The Jedi Knight continues walking alongside the Chancellor as they head out the connecting anteroom.
"But the council elects it's own members. They'll never accept this." Anakin says
"I think they will. They need you. More than you know." Palpatine says
Returning to the Jedi Temple after his visit with the Chancellor, Anakin meets with Obi-Wan and the Jedi Council in the High Council Tower and relayed what Palpatine had told him. Obi-Wan, Yoda, Mace Windu, Kit Fisto, Saesee Tiin, and Shaak Ti were in attendance for the meeting, but there was also its newest members: Agen Kolar, a dark-skinned Iridonian Zabrak who succeeded Eeth Koth, Coleman Kcaj, a male Ongree who succeeded Even Piell, and Stass Allie, a female Tholothian who succeeded Adi Gallia. Ki-Adi-Mundi and Plo Koon were present at the meeting only through their holograms, which sat in their chairs as they were currently off world with Ki-Adi-Mundi stationed at Mygeeto and Plo Koon stationed on Cato Nemoidia. Devon stood in-between Obi-Wan and Mundi's hologram as part of the meeting.
"Allow this appointment lightly the council does not. Disturbing is this move by Chancellor Palpatine." Yoda says
"I understand." Anakin says
"You are on the council, but we do not grant you the rank of Master." Windu says
Anakin looks at Windu in shock and surprise.
"What?" Anakin says
The Jedi Knight looks around at the Council Members in the room, angered by the restriction.
"How can you do this? This is outrageous. It's unfair." Anakin says
Anakin redirects his gaze back toward Windu.
"How can you be on the council and not be a master?" Anakin asks
"Take a seat, young Skywalker." Windu says gesturing to the empty seat with his right-hand with a stern expression
Regaining his composure, Anakin bows his head to the dark-skinned Jedi Master, apologizing for his outburst.
"Forgive me, Master." Anakin apologizes
Anakin turns around to his left and takes his seat, where Oppo Rancisis used to sit on the Council. Obi-Wan looked at his Padawan and shook his head slightly. As soon as Anakin sits back down, the meeting resumes with Ki-Adi-Mundi speaking next.
"We have surveyed all systems in the Republic, but have found no sign of General Grievous." Ki-Adi Mundi says
"Hiding in the Outer Rim Grievous is. The outlying systems you must sweep." Yoda says
"We do not have many ships to spare." Obi-Wan says
"What about the droid attack on the Wookiees?" Ki-Adi-Mundi asks
"It's critical we send an attack group there immediately." Windu says
"He's right. It's a system we cannot afford to lose." Obi-Wan says
After a brief moment of silence, Yoda spoke first, volunteering himself for the task.
"Go I will. Good relations with the Wookiees I have." Yoda says
Windu nods his head in agreement.
"It's settled then. Yoda will take a battalion of clones to reinforce the Wookiees on Kashyyyk. May the Force be with us all." Windu says
Later that evening, the sun was now beginning to set on Coruscant with the sky now orange, casting its glow over the Galactic City. Devon, Anakin, and Obi-Wan walk together through the halls of the Jedi Temple after the meeting with the Jedi Council was adjourned. Anakin walked with Devon on his left and Obi-Wan on his right down a flight of stairs and through a long hallway in the Jedi Temple, still fuming over the council's of denying him the rank of Jedi Master.
"What kind of nonsense is this? Put me on the council and not make me a Master? It's never been done before in the history of the Jedi. It's insulting." Anakin says
"Hey, try to relax, Anakin. Just think of it this way: You're finally a member of the Jedi Council. Isn't that what you wanted?" Devon says patting Anakin's left-shoulder twice with his right-hand
"Devon's right, Anakin. You have been given a great honor. To be on the council at your age, it's never happened before." Obi-Wan says
The trio stop for a moment with Obi-Wan turning to Anakin and crossing his arms.
"The fact of the matter is you are too close to the Chancellor. The council doesn't like it when he interferes in Jedi affairs." Obi-Wan says
"I swear to you, I didn't ask to be put on the council." Anakin says
"But it's what you wanted." Obi-Wan says
The Keyblade Wielder and the two Jedi continue their walk further down the hallway.
"Your friendship with Chancellor Palpatine seems to have paid off." Obi-Wan says
"That has nothing to do with this." Anakin says
"The only reason the council has approved your appointment is because the Chancellor trusts you." Obi-Wan says
"And?" Anakin asks
"Anakin, I'm on your side. I didn't want to put you in this situation." Obi-Wan says
"What situation?" Anakin asks
Once more, the trio stop in the hallway with Obi-Wan turning left to face Anakin. He paused and remained silent for a moment with his head glancing down before responding to Anakin.
"The council wants you to report on all the Chancellor's dealings. They want to know what he's up to." Obi-Wan says
Anakin stared at his Master in surprise and disbelief, but he and Devon followed him to the nearby tall window.
"They want me to spy on the Chancellor? But that's treason." Anakin says
"We are at war, Anakin." Obi-Wan says
"Why didn't the council give me this assignment when we were in session?" Anakin asks
"This assignment is not to be on record." Obi-Wan says
"The Chancellor is not a bad man. He befriended me. He's watched out for me ever since I arrived here." Anakin says
"Let me ask you something, Anakin. If the Chancellor is as good of a friend as you say, then why all the secrecy, why all the privacy? He doesn't inform the council of your meeting with him, he doesn't share any of the details of said meeting, and his only interest seems to be you. Don't you find any of that the least bit suspicious?" Devon asks
"That is why you must help us. Anakin, our allegiance is to the senate, not to it's leader, who has managed to stay in office long after his term has expired." Obi-Wan says
"The senate demanded that he stay longer." Anakin says
"Yes, but use your feelings, Anakin. Something is out of place." Obi-Wan says
"You're asking me to do something against the Jedi Code, against the Republic, against a mentor, and a friend. That's what's out of place here." Anakin says
"Anakin, we know this goes against everything you've been taught as a Jedi, but we really need your help to get to the bottom of this. The sooner we solve this mystery, the sooner it will be for us to put an end this war." Devon says
"Why are you asking this of me?" Anakin asks
"The council is asking you." Obi-Wan says
The Jedi Knight sighs and glances off to the side, gazing out at the window on his left. He was confused, upset, and conflicted, feeling torn between his friends and his loyalties.
"Come on, Anakin. You know us. We're your friends. You can trust us." Devon says
The Keyblade Wielder places his left-hand over his chest.
"Trust me." Devon says
Devon places his right-hand on Anakin's left-arm, drawing his attention.
"Please. Do it for us?" Devon says
Anakin stares at Devon and his eyes glance down for a moment before he looks back up and nods his head in acknowledgment, accepting the task.
Afterwards, Devon, Obi-Wan and Windu ride an LAAT gunship with Master Yoda and a few clone troopers, flying across the Galactic City through airspeeder traffic lanes to send the small green Jedi Grand Master on his way to Kashyyyk. Obi-Wan and Windu sat together on a silver supply container at the rear of the gunship while Devon and Yoda sat on another one across from them on the other half.
"Anakin did not take to his new assignment with much enthusiasm." Obi-Wan says
"It's very dangerous, putting them together. I don't think the boy can handle it. I don't trust him." Windu says
"With all due respect, Master, is he not the Chosen One? Is he not to destroy the Sith and bring balance to the Force?" Obi-Wan asks looking at Windu on his right
"So the prophecy says." Windu says
"A prophecy that misread could have been." Yoda says
Devon glances down at Yoda on his left, staring at him in shock and surprise. He could not believe what he just heard.
"He will not let us down. He never has." Obi-Wan says
"I hope you right you are." Yoda says
The LAAT gunship soon veers right towards the Republic Center for Military Operations and descends down into the Cruiser Staging Area, where some Venator-class Star Destroyers were docked and stationed, making preparations for the journey to Kashyyyk. Touching down, the gunship's ramp extends out to the ground and Yoda slowly walks down to a squad of clone troopers and a dark brown Wookie, who had been waiting for his arrival.
"Master Yoda." Devon calls
Yoda turns to his right and looks back at Devon as he descends down the ramp of the gunship and approaches him. The younger teen kneels down to the short alien on his left-knee and places his right-hand on his left-shoulder, wishing him luck on his mission.
"Good luck on Kashyyyk. May the Force be with you." Devon says
The green Jedi Master smiles and offers the Keyblade Wielder the same sentiment.
"May the Force be with you, young Devon, Guardian of Light." Yoda says
And having said that, Yoda walks along with the Wookie towards the Venator-class Star Destroyer as they begin with their departure for Kashyyyk while Devon rises up onto his feet and walks back up the ramp to board the LAAT gunship and leave with Obi-Wan and Windu.
Over at the senate apartment complex, Anakin met with Padmé in her suite, sitting down on the right-side sofa with her in the veranda. Devon was also in the veranda with them, though he was sitting away on the landing pad with his left-leg stretched out and right-leg bent with his right-arm resting on his right-knee. Anakin sighs and looks at his wife on his left.
"Sometimes I wonder what's happening to the Jedi Order. I think this war is destroying the principles of the Republic." Anakin says
"Have you ever considered that we may be on the wrong side?" Padmé asks
"What do you mean?" Anakin asks
"What if the democracy we thought we were serving no longer exists and the Republic has become the very evil we've been fighting to destroy?" Padmé asks
"I don't believe that. And you're sounding like a Seperatist." Anakin says
"This war represents a failure to listen. Now you're closer to the Chancellor than anyone. Please, ask him to stop the fighting and let diplomacy resume." Padmé says
"Don't ask me to do that." Anakin says
The Jedi Knight rises up from the sofa and takes a few steps away before glancing back at the Naboo Senator.
"Make a motion to the senate where that kind of a request belongs." Anakin says pointing at Padmé with his right-hand
"What is it?" Padmé asks
"Nothing." Anakin says looking away
Padmé rises up from the sofa and walks up to her husband, placing her left-hand on his right-arm.
"Don't do this. Don't shut me out. Let me help you." Padmé says
With a smile forming on her face, Padmé places her hands on Anakin's chest.
"Hold me. Like you did when we were on the lake on Naboo. So long ago, when there was nothing, but our love." Padmé says
Leaning against his chest, Padmé wraps her arms around her lover, embracing him in a gentle hug.
"No politics, no plotting, no war." Padmé says
Anakin stood silent for a brief moment, but he soon wraps his arms around Padmé, returning the hug. Devon glances back over his left-shoulder at the Jedi Knight and the Naboo Senator, then gazes out at Jedi Temple on his right as it stood out in the distance, admiring the view.
Night has finally fallen over the Galactic City as Anakin was summoned by Chancellor Palpatine to the Galaxies Opera House in the upper levels of the Uscru District. The Jedi Knight arrives at the entertainment building in his DC0052 airspeeder, which was a cheap, short-range craft utilized by the Jedi Order. He docked his ship infront of the opera house, steps out and proceeds through one of the two large arching entrances, walking across the red carpeting that made up the floor and ascending the tall steps, passing the many patrons that wore luxurious cloaks, elaborate headdresses, bold prints, and form-fitting dresses. Anakin walks through the inside corridors, which wrapped around the main theater performance arena that was circular with seating areas on all sides and enters the Chancellor's private viewing box, where Palpatine sat in his seat and watched the Mon Calamari Ballet performing Squid Lake as they swam through a giant anti-gravity water ball to several smaller ones that floated about in the theater. With him was his staff officials Vice Chair Mas Amedda who sat behind the Chancellor in another seat, Senior Administrative Aide Sly Moore one seat away on his left, a bald, pale-skinned, white-eyed female Umbaran who wore an Umbaran shadow cloak and a high collar, and a male Vruk senator named Sweitt Concorkill, also on his left two seats away in the back row. Anakin walks over to Palpatine and kneels down to him on his right.
"You wanted to see me, Chancellor?" Anakin asks
"Yes, Anakin. Come closer. I have good news. Our clone intelligence units have discovered the location of General Grievous. He's hiding in the Utapau system." Palpatine says
Anakin smiles upon hearing that. They finally knew where to find General Grievous.
"At last. We'll be able to capture that monster and end this war." Anakin says
"I would worry more about the collective wisdom of the council if it didn't select you for this assignment. You're the best choice, by far. Hmm. Sit down." Palpatine says
Palpatine looks toward his officials and dismisses them.
"Leave us." Palpatine says
Mas Amedda, Sly Moore, Sweitt Concorkill rise up from their seats and leave the viewing box while Anakin took his seat next to Palpatine's left.
"Anakin, you know I'm not able to rely on the Jedi Council. If they haven't included you in their plot, they soon will." Palpatine says
"I'm not sure I understand." Anakin says
"You must sense what I've come to suspect. The Jedi Council want control of the Republic. They're planning to betray me." Palpatine says
"I don't think-" Anakin says
"Anakin. Search your feelings. You know, don't you?" Palpatine says looking left at the Jedi Knight
"I know they don't trust you." Anakin says
"Hmm. Or the Senate. Or the Republic, or democracy, for that matter." Palpatine says turning back to the ballet performance
"I have to admit, my trust in them has been shaken." Anakin says
"Why? They asked you to do something that made you feel dishonest, didn't they? They asked you to spy on me, didn't they?" Palpatine asks looking back at Anakin
"I don't-I don't know what to say." Anakin says
"Remember back to your early teachings. All who gain power are afraid to lose it. The Jedi, and even the Keyblade Wielders like your friend, Devon. He is quite a remarkable child. To be chosen to wield such a magnificent weapon like the Keyblade. A truly fine gift." Palpatine says
"The Jedi and the Keyblade Wielders use their power for good." Anakin says
"Good is a point of view, Anakin. The Sith, the Jedi, and the Keyblade Wielders, are similar in almost every way, including their quest for greater power." Palpatine says
"The Sith rely on their passion for their strength. They think inwards, only about themselves." Anakin says
"And the Jedi and Keyblade Wielders don't?" Palpatine asks looking at Anakin
"The Jedi and the Keyblade Wielders are selfless. They only care about others." Anakin says
Anakin and Palpatine returned to watching the ballet performance, turning their heads and sitting in a brief moment of silence. After ten seconds, the Chancellor soon spoke up, offering a story to tell to the Jedi Knight.
"Did you ever hear the tragedy of Darth Plagueis the Wise?" Palpatine asks
"No." Anakin says
"I thought not. It's not a story the Jedi would tell you. It's a Sith legend. Darth Plagueis was a Dark Lord of the Sith so powerful and so wise, he could use the Force to influence the Midi-Chlorians to create... life. He had such knowledge of the Dark Side, he could even keep the ones he cared about... from dying." Palpatine says
The Jedi Knight turns his head right at the Chancellor, intrigued by this incredible power that he was describing to him.
"He could actually... save people from death?" Anakin asks
"The Dark Side of the Force is a pathway to many abilities some consider to be unnatural." Palpatine says
"Wh-what happened to him?" Anakin asks
"He became so powerful, the only thing that he was afraid of was... losing his power. Which eventually, of course, he did. Unfortunately, he taught his apprentice everything he knew. Then his apprentice killed him in his sleep. It's ironic. He could save others from death, but not himself." Palpatine says
Anakin sat in his seat, pondering much over what he just heard. If he could learn to achieve this power, he can keep Padmé safe. His nightmares would be over.
"Is it possible to learn this power?" Anakin asks turning his head right at Palpatine
Palpatine slowly turned his head toward Anakin and told him his answer.
"Not from a Jedi." Palpatine says
Author's Note: Dread lies heavy in the air... Anakin has nightmares about Padmé, and Devon with his friends and family. Devon and the Jedi Council are now beginning to feel suspicious about Palpatine's involvement in their affairs. Not a real mystery since we all know who Palpatine really is. Ahsoka encounters Maul on Mandalore and he reveals some slight details regarding the end of the Jedi Order and the Republic, even mentions two names: Sidious and Teridax. Now Yoda is sent to Kashyyyk to help aid the Wookies in their plight, Grievous has been located on Utapau, and Anakin is drawn ever closer to the Dark Side. Darkness is closing in. Soon, the Sith will have their revenge on the Jedi and rule the Distant Galaxy! Up next, the hunt for General Grievous begins and the reveal of Darth Sidious. Let me know what you guys think. No flames please. Hope you guys like and don't forget to review!