Episode 3 Chapter 9

Fall of the Jedi (Part 1)

Utapau

Buffy and Obi-Wan stood with Commander Cody and several ARC troopers surveying the plans to the sink-hole city.

"We should split up," Buffy was saying, looking over the hologram critically. "I'll take some troops down to the lower levels to mop up, while you and Cody take the rest to the upper levels and begin clearing them out."

"Without leadership, the droid resistance will fall apart quickly," Cody added. Obi-Wan nodded his ascent.

"Alright then, let's get to work. And Buffy," he said, looking at his fellow Jedi, "be careful."

Buffy smirked, but inside she really appreciated the gesture. "Hey, it's me!" she exclaimed. Turning around, she motioned for the ARC troopers to follow her. Obi-Wan just rolled his eyes and then turned and headed up to the upper levels with the rest of the clones.

Jedi Temple, Coruscant

Anakin hurried through the main hanger to where Mace Windu waited with fellow Masters Kit Fisto, Agen Kolar, and Saesee Tiin by a Republic Gunship.

"Master Windu, I must talk to you," Anakin said urgently. Mace looked at him inquisitively.

"What is it, Skywalker? We are on our way to make sure the Chancellor returns emergency powers back to the Senate."

"He won't give up his power," Anakin replied in a low voice. "I've just learned a terrible truth. I think Chancellor Palpatine is a Sith Lord."

Mace was stunned. "A Sith Lord?"

Anakin nodded. "Yes. The one we have been looking for."

"How do you know this?"

"He knows the ways of the Force," the younger Jedi replied. "He has been trained to use the dark side."

"Are you sure?"

"Absolutely."

Mace sighed. "Then our worst fears have been realized. We must move quickly if the Jedi Order is to survive."

"Master, the Chancellor is very powerful. You will need my help if you are going to arrest him."

Mace put a hand on Anakin's shoulder. "He may be powerful, Anakin, but I need you to remain here to look after the others. He has been your friend for many years and I sense some confusion in you as a result. Anakin, you have gained my trust these past few days, but I don't want to put you in the situation of possibly having to fight your friend. Do you understand?"

Anakin sighed, but bowed his head in compliance. "I do, Master. I may not be fond of your decision, but I understand the reason behind it."

"While we are gone, I want you to secure the Temple," Mace continued. "And prepare the younglings for evacuation just in case Traya decides to pay another visit. After that, wait for us in the Council Chamber until we return."

"Yes, Master," Anakin replied in resignation. "Good luck and may the Force be with you."

Utapau

Buffy silently led her troops down through the lower levels of the sink-hole city, quietly hunting the droids that remained. The ARC troopers kept their guns in a ready position, while Buffy held a lightsaber in each hand, deactivated but ready to go at a moment's notice.

"Commander," one of the troops said to Buffy, "I'm reading a large group of droids ahead. What are your orders?"

"Initiate Order 66."

Images flashed rapidly in Buffy's mind - Master Secura, shot in the back repeatedly on Felucia;

Ki-Adi-Mundi, leading a charge before his clones turned on him and shot him down;

Plo Koon being shot down over Cato Neimoidia by his own troops;

Stass Allie being killed while riding ehr speeder bike with the Clones on Saleucami;

Anakin kneeling before a scared and deformed Palpatine with Darth Traya standing behind him…

"Now, go to the Jedi Temple. We will catch them off balance. Do what must be done, Lord Vader. Do not hesitate. Show no mercy."

Hundreds of Clone Troopers marched up the steps to the Jedi Temple led by a sinister looking Anakin and Darth Traya - both of whom had onyx-black eyes.

"It's so good to be back," Traya snarled as her lightsaber flashed, taking off the head of youngling…

Anakin entered the Council chambers and a group of younglings came out of hiding from behind the chairs.

"Master Skywalker, there are too many of them. What are we going to do?"

There was a flash of a lightsaber activating as Anakin looked up with those cold, empty eyes…

And then she was back.

"Sir? What are your orders?" the Clone Trooper asked again. Her Clone Troopers. Her loyal Clone Trooper.

But loyal to whom?

"Take your squad ahead, Trooper," Buffy replied finally, shaking herself from her reverie. "I'm going to take this corridor around to see if I can outflank them."

The Clone nodded and then turned back to his troops. "Alright boys, let's take 'em out." The Clone Troopers all voiced their readiness, then positioned themselves into a standard two-by-two formation and moved in. Buffy watched them engage the droids and then silently, swiftly, moved back into the shadows of an access tunnel she had spotted across from the corridor. Away from the Clones, away from the battle - and away from certain death.

Now she just had to make sure that others would do the same.

Coruscant

Mace and his three fellow Masters walked through the Chancellor's abandoned office towards the antechamber where Mace had sensed the Chancellor presence.

"Master Windu!" the Chancellor exclaimed good-naturedly as the four Jedi entered the office. "I must say that you are here sooner than expected."

The four Jedi drew their lightsabers and ignited their blades. "In the name of the Galactic Senate of the Republic, I am placing you under arrest, Chancellor."

"Are you threatening me, Mater Jedi?" Palpatine responded coldly. Mace's eyes narrowed.

"The Senate will decide your fate."

"I am the Senate!"

"Not yet!"

Palpatine slowly stood up, his elegantly designed lightsaber snapping to his hand from under his sleeve. He smiled wickedly at the Jedi. "It's treason, then…"

Palpatine lunged over his desk, the crimson blade of his lightsaber spinning wildly as he attacked the Jedi. His first thrust impaled Saesee Tiin, killing him instantly. Sidious quickly extracted his saber and swung it around, slicing cleanly through Agen Kolar and impacting on Kit Fisto's green blade. The three exchanged a fierce volley of blows until finally Sidious slipped past Kit's defenses and struck him, killing him instantly.

And then there were two.

"Zett!"

"Yes, Master Skywalker?"

Anakin hurriedly strode up to the young Jedi Padawan. "Zett, gather as many of the younglings and as many of the able Padawans as you can find and take them to a safe place. One friendly to Jedi."

"A place safer than the temple?" Zett asked incredulously. Anakin placed a hand on the young Padawan's shoulder.

"The Masters have found the Dark Lord of the Sith, Zett. And it's the Chancellor. If they fail to bring him to justice, this temple will not be safe. Do you understand?"

Zett swallowed nervously, the enormity of what Anakin had just told him settling down in the pit of his stomach. "I understand."

"And what will you be doing, Skywalker?" Halcyon said as he approached. "I though Master Windu put you in charge of this operation."

"You and Zett can gather the younglings, Hal," Anakin replied. "But whether he admits it or not, Master Windu needs me there tonight."

"You're going to have to explain to the Council why you disobeyed your orders, though. Think about that."

"I'm already going to have to explain why I got married, Hal. So I hardly think that disobeying orders is going to be a problem."

The stunned silence in the hall let Anakin know that everyone had heard what he had said. Halcyon looked at Anakin in disbelief, before resignation sunk in. "You know what you have just done, right?"

Anakin raised his chin in defiance. "I did exactly what I was going to do at the end of this war, Master. I'll accept my punishment when I return. For now, though, Master Windu needs me." And with that, Anakin turned and walked out of the temple.

Mace Windu was perturbed.

His fight against Palpatine was going well. Too well, in his opinion. Because for a Sith who had easily dispatched three of the most powerful Jedi Masters in less than a minute, he sure was having a hard time beating Mace. Part of Mace felt that because his own fighting style bordered so closely to the Dark Side, it gave him the edge he needed to defeat the Dark Lord. But another part was wondering…

Where was Darth Traya?

The two fought their way up to the grand window behind the Chancellor's desk that overlooked Coruscant, and soon their blades shattered that window. Thw howling wind drowned out almost all sound as their blades crashed together, again and again. Mace forced Sidious' blade up, then kicked up hard with his left foot, catching the Sith under the jaw. The slow sent him sprawling to the ground as he lost his grip on his lightsaber, which hurtled out of the window. Sidious scrambled back on the ledge until he reached the end of the window, his back pressed against the wall as Mace's purple blade pointed at his throat.

"You are under arrest, My Lord," Mace spat at Sidious. The Sith looked over to the door and Saw Anakin standing there having arrived in time to see the end of the fight. Sidious desperately tried one last time to tempt Anakin. "Anakin! I told you it would come to this. I was right. The Jedi are taking over!"

"You old fool. The oppression of the Sith will never return. Your plot to regain control of the Republic is over . . . you have lost!"

Palpatine shook his head. "No! No! You have lost!" he screamed as he stretched out his hands. Blue Force lightening lashes out from his fingertips at Mace, who managed to block it with the blade of his lightsaber. Mace struggled to position his blade to reflect the energy back at the Sith Lord, which he finally did. The lightening struck Palpatine's face, warping and scarring it.

"You must help me, Anakin!" he screamed. You must stop this treason!"

Anakin looked at the man who had been his friend for so many years sadly. "This isn't treason, your Excellency. This is justice."

"Really, Anakin. Justice is overrated."

Anakin's eyes widened as Darth Traya's voice sounded from behind him. In an instant, he had drawn his lightsaber and spun around, igniting the blade…

But Traya caught his saber hand in a steely grip, forcing the blade away from her. "Vengeance, on the other hand…" She suddenly reached up and put her other hand on Anakin's face and purple energy seemed to pour out of her fingers and into the Jedi's head. Anakin screamed, the pain he was feeling was almost nothing compared to the feeling of his will being beaten down, subjugated and buried under the dark magics the witch was pouring into him.

Palpatine snarled and suddenly let loose with the full power of the dark side, effortlessly beating away Mace's blade and sending the lightsaber flying from his hands to the far corner of his office. The dark energy enveloped the Master, sending him into convulsions as he slowly burned to death from the inside out…

And as Traya finished her spell on Anakin, sending the younger man to his knees, Palpatine gave one last push with his Force lightening and sent Mace Windu, one of the greatest Jedi's and a Master on the Jedi Council, out the window and to his death.

Buffy silently made her way through the catacombs of the city. Arriving in a darkened room, Buffy sat down on the floor and reached out through the Force, looking for her friends.

She felt Nejaa Halcyon, worried and anxious about something…

She felt Zett Jukassa, worried but determined…

She felt Aayla Secura, cautious but calm…

She felt Master Yoda, anxious…

She felt Obi-Wan, determined...

She tried to reach out to Master Windu… but all she felt was an absence in the Force and in an instant she knew he was dead. She tried to reach her brother - but felt a hole in the Force. Not the same as with Mace but something that had seemingly removed his presence from the Force and replaced it with something else. Reaching out around the hole, she felt another familiar presence - Darth Traya. Buffy sighed… her worst vision was coming true.

Knowing time was of the essence, she concentrated on her friends, urgently sending a warning to her friends through the Force telling them to get away from the clones and proceed to the sanctuary. After a few moments, she rose and pulled out her communicator.

"Arfour, initiate Cooper…"

In orbit around Utapau, a single ARC-170 fighter sat idle between two large Victory-class star destroyers, manned by a lone arfour unit. When the com unit suddenly came to life and transmitted the code 'Cooper', though, Arfour powered the vessel and stated evasive maneuvers. The clone troopers on the assault ships looked on in confusion as the starfighter suddenly dived into the atmosphere…

And then disappeared.

With a triumphant roar, Willow pulled her hands from Anakin's head and stepped backwards, a sated look on her face. "That felt good," she breathed, "almost better than sex even." The wicked grin turned to astonishment as she took in Palpatine's new appearance. "My Lord, are you alright?"

"And so the mask becomes the man," he sighed with a hint of philosophical melancholy. "I shall miss the face of Palpatine, I think. But for our purpose, the face of Sidious will serve. Yes, it will serve."

"I guess galactic domination doesn't require a pretty face," Traya said fairly and then smirked. "But it helps. Right, Ani?"

Anakin looked up at Traya - with jet-black eyes. "Yes, my Master."

Sidious looked over Anakin critically as he got to his feet, striding closer to Traya's newest creation. "Did it work? Is he loyal?"

Traya let out a sharp laugh. "Oh, he is completely loyal," Traya replied, amused. "To the Sith. And the best part is, the longer he is under my spell, the less it will be needed. He needs only to be immersed in the Dark Side for a short time before he won't want to live without it."

"Excellent!" Sidious exclaimed, looking down at the young Jedi. "Well, now we must give you a name worthy of the Sith you will become. From this day forth, you will be know as Darth…Vader."

"Yes, my Lord," Vader responded tonelessly.

"Rise."

Darth Vader Rose and joined Darth Traya in front of the Chancellor's desk. Sidious sat down behind the desk and casually crossed his legs.

"Everything is proceeding as planned. Next, we must fully indoctrinate our new Lord Vader into the world of the Sith." Sidious turned to Vader. "Now, go to the Jedi Temple. We will catch them off balance. Do what must be done, Lord Vader. Do not hesitate. Show no mercy."

"Yes, my Master," Vader replied.

"What of the Jedi scattered across the galaxy, my Lord?" Traya asked. "How will you deal with them?"

Sidious grinned evilly. "Have no fear, Lord Traya. I have plans in place for them as well. Now go, and wipe them out." His eyes narrowed at his two apprentices. "All of them." The two bowed in subservience. "Oh, and Darth Traya?" Palpatine added, gesturing to the far side of the room and calling Mace's lightsaber from where it hgad been thrown to him. He then handed it over to his apprentice. "Do see that you put this to good use, will you?"

Traya smiled wickedly. "Yes, My Lord." she replied, then turned and walked out of the room with Darth Vader right behind her. Sidious waited a moment and then activated his com unit.

"Commander Cody?"

"Yes, my Lord?" the Clone Commander on the other end responded.

"Execute Order 66…"

TBC