Coruscant, Imperial Palace, Formerly the Jedi Temple
Emperor Palpatine sat in his throne, overlooking the gleaming planet. Taking the Jedi Temple had been one of his most prideful accomplishments. He had always found it amusing when he entered the Temple, pretending to be a simple Chancellor. All sorts of Jedi, from Masters to Knights, even the great Master Yoda, all bowed their heads and greeted the powerful figure. What a delight it was, Jedi bowing to a Sith Lord. If they only knew. Alas, they found out too late. The shock on Master Ti's face as he cut her down was one that he relished.
Palpatine's thoughts drifted to that glorious night. While his plan didn't work out the way he thought, it was still effective and he still ended up as Emperor of the galaxy and the Jedi Order was crushed. Despite all of his careful planning, Anakin didn't turn as he expected. The nightmares didn't have any more effect on him. Rather, Anakin's resolve strengthened. Everything played out like he planned though. Obi-wan and Yoda were sent off-planet. Anakin was not made a master. He revealed himself to Anakin and he contacted Mace Windu, who brought his lackeys to arrest Palpatine. However, Anakin showed up sooner than expected. Apparently, the Jedi Knight had followed Windu, arriving seconds after Palpatine had cut down Masters Tinn, Fisto, and Kolar. Palpatine had to somehow balance fighting Mace, while continuing to convince Anakin to help him. That he held the power to save the one he loved. That the Dark Side was his destiny.
To Palpatine's shock, Anakin rebuked him. Without a second thought. He assisted Mace in the battle. For a second, Palpatine felt fear. But that fear turned into anger. Anger at Skywalker for wasting the opportunity. Power swelled within the Sith Lord and he redirected the fight to his office window. He managed to weave his way between them and cornered them against the window. By the time the two Jedi realized where they were standing, it was too late. Palpatine was too fast. He released a torrent of force lightning at the two Jedi. They deflected it, but the onslaught was relentless and their guard broke. The lightning coiled and snaked its way around their bodies. With one final push, Palpatine sent his opponents hurling into the night. The fight had drained Palpatine extensively, but he knew that he could not stop.
Sending Order 66 out on a mass frequency, he summoned Commanders Appo and Fox. The Coruscant Guard and the 501st stormed the Jedi temple. The clones slaughtered the Jedi, with none left standing. The clone assassins cut down several Jedi Knights and even a few masters. The Jedi sorely overestimated themselves. Yes, a Jedi Master could strike down six or seven clones. But could they withstand a volley of blaster bolts from 30 clones? The holes that riddled their bodies said no. The surviving Jedi that escaped were still being hunted down by Darth Chasm, the Inquisitors, and the Purge Troopers.
Exactly as he planned, the Senate roared in applause at his announcement. Cheers echoed throughout the chambers, no, the planet as the Republic was dissolved and he was announced as Emperor. He could feel the dissent in some Senators, but he could also feel their overwhelming horror. And that was good enough for now. He sent clones after those rogue Senators, having them stage a Jedi attack.
Much to his disappointment, Master Yoda survived Order 66. Master Kenobi as well. Both of them ambushed him in his office. Palpatine found it ironic that he would have another duel in another office. No matter. It was fierce and Sidious found himself calling upon the Dark Side more than he ever had. But eventually, he won. The Master of Soresu's unbreakable defenses were broken. And the Grandmaster was disarmed, his lightsaber skittering down the chambers. When Sidious pulled himself back up into his pod and looked down, the bodies of the two Jedi were nowhere to be seen. They still lived. But their spirits were broken. This would have to do. They would die of old age or the Empire would hunt them down.
The doors hissed open and a dark presence entered the room. Turning his chair around to face the figure, a smile crept upon the Sith Emperor. Darth Chasm had returned home. She knelt before her master, the armor clunking against the floor.
"Lady Chasm, welcome home."
"Thank you, master," Lady Chasm said, her voice mechanized through the sleek black helmet. "The Inquisitors were resourceful. They are performing significantly better than I expected."
"Is that so?" Palpatine said, getting up from his seat and slowly walking to Chasm. "That is good news, indeed. If you were to fall, then I would have no trouble finding a suitable replacement."
Palpatine felt the rage grow in Chasm. Good. He could not allow Chasm to grow complacent. She was not his first pick. Skywalker was gone. She was not even his second pick. Maul was also missing. Despite having been picked as a temporary apprentice, Chasm excelled in mastering the Dark Side. Her saber skills were what set her apart. And her force aptitude was growing. Time would tell though.
"But I digress. I am very pleased with how you have grown in these five years, Lady Chasm. You are an excellent Sith and an even better pupil. You have become my enforcer, my sword. I am pleased. You shed your past and embraced the darkness within you, striking down your old self. Far greater than those that have stood in your place."
Pride swelled within Chasm. Palpatine grinned, knowing that he had the Sith Lord wrapped around his finger like a rope.
"And you will have your chance to bring your power down upon our enemies. I have foreseen it. They are plotting against us, Lady Chasm. Dissenters, traitors. Rebels. They seek to kill us. Even some of the Jedi that have eluded our hunt. It is no longer in our interests to keep the Inquisitors still on Coruscant. They must remain hidden from the public. We will move them to the moon Nur of the Mustafar system. A fortress will be built there. You and the Grand Inquisitor will not only oversee the continuation of their training, but you will also interrogate prisoners brought to them. You will break them. Take all the information you need from them. Then do with them as you please. Kill or recruit, it matters not.
"They will join us or perish, Master. There is no other way."
Darth Chasm entered her chambers, the doors opening with a quick hiss, closing quickly behind her. She took her helmet off and held it in her hands. It stared back at her, mocking her. It bore chinks and cuts from her years of servitude to the Empire. Scratches and marks. The longer she looked at it, the more memories flooded back to her.
The Jedi she had struck down. Some were personal. Some weren't.
Walking to her terminal, she pressed a button and the desk displayed a list of all Jedi. She watched as the list scrolled down slowly. So many faces were crossed out. She continued to watch, unfazed.
Eeth Koth. Coleman Kcaj. Pablo-Jill. K'Kruhk. And many more. Masters and Knights that died to her blade. Before Sidious had found her, she was nothing but a pawn in their games. Held back for her emotions. Unbalanced, they called her. Too passionate. Too attached. But now she was free of their chains, of their rules. They feared her potential.
She watched as the picture for Ferren Barr crossed out with a red "X" and the image greyed out. Ferren had been an interesting opponent. Not by his lightsaber skills, no. But rather his ingenuity and planning. The Jedi had been willing to sacrifice nearly a whole planet for his "vision" of the Empire falling. Mon Cala now hated the Jedi with a passion. The one-horned fool's plan backfired. He had acted like a Sith. Yes, ships had managed to escape, but it was no worry for the Imperial Navy. Chasm would hunt them down.
Sitting down, Chasm began to meditate. Flashes of the past darted to her as she began. The look on Eeth Koth's face as he realized his child was in the hands of the Empire. The pained expression on K'Kruhk as he watched his makeshift temple explode from canon fire. Jocasta Nun's head rolled down the steps of the Jedi Temple. The day she rose from acolyte to Sith Apprentice. To Dark Lord. And then her mind entered somewhere else. Her past. Who she was before Darth Chasm. When she was a Jedi.
Her friends all moved forward to Master's until she was the last one to be selected. The runt of her group.
A love not returned, leaving her all alone.
A Council that feared her strength and power, chiding her for every mistake she made.
A red blade that tore through her Master's chest and brought her to her knees.
The rage and hate boiled within Chasm and she clenched her fists in rage. Her saber whipped through the air like a violent hurricane and into her hand. She stormed off to the Inquisitors' building. It was time to teach them another lesson.
A few months later
Anakin raced through the Temple, trying to help in any way that he could. It was chaos. Screams were everywhere. Flashes of blue, green, and yellow danced across the Temple corridors as clones and Jedi fell to the floor. Two 501st clones appeared in front of Anakin, their blasters raised. Anakin sensed their hesitation. It was their undoing. And he didn't have time to stop. Anakin cut the clones in half in one stroke. It hurt him to do so. He had fought with these men on countless occasions. And now he was forced to kill them.
A child screamed and Anakin looked up above him. On the corridors, a Jedi Master tried to protect her class of younglings. Anakin saw a bolt go through her stomach and her knees buckled. Almost on instinct, he leaped up, his cloak billowing behind him like a shadow. Before his feet touched the group, he beheaded one clone and kicked another in the face, stunning him. The other Jedi Master, with all of her remaining might, used the Force to throw the stunned clone into the group of oncoming clones, slamming them into the wall and knocking them out.
"Skywalker," The Jedi wheezed out, collapsing to the ground. Anakin caught her before she fell on her back. She looked at him, struggling to hold on to life. She was unable to speak, but her eyes said it all. Protect the younglings.
"They will be safe. I promise you," Anakin said. Nodding, the Jedi Master let go and Anakin watched as her eyes glazed over and death took her. He turned to the children.
"Is anyone one hurt?" He asked. They shook their heads. Anakin knelt down, putting himself on their eye level. "I need you guys to stay close. I'm going to get you out of here. But you need to do exactly what I say, got it?"
They all nodded in acknowledgment.
"Great. Alright, follow me. Stay close!" Anakin said as he ignited his lightsaber and began leading the children towards a passageway that would get them to safety. As he guided them through the Temple, he was able to protect them physically. But mentally, he could not. He could not stop them from watching their classmates, teachers, and mentors get cut down in front of them. He couldn't stop them from seeing the horrific imagery of the Temple burning and exploding.
Reaching a vent system, Anakin used the Force to pull the grate out. Blaster bolts zoomed over their heads and the children screamed in terror, ducking and getting behind the Jedi Knight for safety. He blade spun like water and deflected the blue bolts into the hearts of attacking clone troopers. Another clone wheeled around the corridor, only to have a blue lightsaber fly right through his chest and impale him into the water. Anakin called his saber to his hand and turned to the children.
"Okay, everyone, ditch the helmets. Now!"
Quickly, the younglings threw their large domed helmets to the ground, surprised as to why Anakin would make them do so. Anakin gave a small smile. "Who's the oldest?"
A small child raised her hand.
"Me, Master Skywalker. I'm Reva."
Anakin focused his eyes on Reva. "Okay everyone, Reva is in charge here. Listen to her like you were listening to me, got it?"
The younglings nodded and Anakin motioned for them to get into the vents. He knelt down to Reva and put his hands on her shoulder. "Reva, follow these vents outside. It will lead you to an alleyway. Follow the signs to CoCo Town, got it? When you reach CoCo town, look for Dex's Diner. Find the big Besalisk named Dexter. Tell him I sent you, okay? You can trust him."
Reva nodded shakingly, panic rising in her as she heard another explosion. Sensing something wrong, she looked to her left and saw three clones with long blades on both of their arms move at inhuman speed towards them. She screamed, altering Anakin. He turned and saw the incoming clones.
"Go!" Anakin ordered, using the Force to throw her into the vent and putting the grate back on it. He fused the grate to the wall with his lightsaber, sloppily, with barely enough time to dodge a decapitating swing from the clones. Anakin felt blood trickle down his face. Entering his Djem So stance, Anakin-
He woke up. Grimacing in pain, he rubbed his forehead and sat up in bed. Padme was still asleep. The children were sleeping in the room next door. Anakin's natural body clock had awoken him as the sun rose. He threw his boots on and his poncho, then attached his arm to his body. He hissed as the clamps dug into his skin and the neural link activated.
A Sandcrawler was going to stop by today. Owen wanted Anakin to help him pick out a labor droid to help out around the place. A farm meant for two people now housed six, and while the Skywalker-Lars family was glad to be together, it had not come without great financial cost to the farmstead. Anakin helped out as much as he could, but he and Owen were only two men. The four adults did their best to rotate teaching and raising the children, but it would happen at the cost of the farm.
The family went about their chores and tasks throughout the day as they normally would. By the time the Sandcrawler rolled around, the twins had run off to play in the barn for the rest of the day. Beru and Padme decided to cut their lessons short for the day. The twins were still infatuated with Dewy, their lovable dewback.
Anakin and Owen stood out at the outskirts of the farm as the Sandcrawler groaned to a halt. A handful of Jawas came running out, babbling as the hooks lowered the droids out and the Jawas pulled several carts out to the farmers, scraps, and bits of droids in them.
Owen sighed and threw his hands in the air. "How many times do I need to tell you, Nebit?! I only need droids, not all this other crap."
Chief Nebit snorted and responded in kind, leading the rest of the Jawa Clan to chuckle. It stopped when they reached Owen's glare.
"Sebast and I are looking for some droids to help out with maintenance and labor on the farm. It gets difficult with the little ones and all.
The twins sat in the barn, relaxing with Dewy. Leia giggled as she fed the large creature food and it let out its signature cry. Luke fiddled with his hat and kicked the sand aimlessly. Leia could tell something was wrong, so she sat down next to her twin.
"What's wrong, Lukey?" Leia asked, staring at her twin.
Luke bit his lip, before answering his sister. "Does Daddy seem sad?"
Leia cocked her head, surprised that Luke would say something like that. "Daddy's not sad. Daddy is Daddy. He's tired cause he's out workin with Uncle Owen!"
"But he says that all the time. And his face seems funny."
"How could Daddy be sad if his face was funny? That don't make sense!" Leia retorted haughtily. Her twin could be so foolish at times.
Luke pouted. "No, not like that."
"Daddy has face hair like Uncle Owen. Is Uncle Owen sad too?"
"No. I don't know how to tell you, but I feel it. I feel like Daddy is sad. Sometimes at night when he puts us to bed, I feel so heavy. It's weird."
"You're weird Lukey," Leia said in a matter-of-fact tone, getting up and going back to pet Dewy. The creature let out a soft sound of happiness.
Luke sat up and stomped his foot. "I'm not weird! I'm going to cheer up Daddy."
"Daddy is not sad!"
"Yes, he is! And I'm gonna surprise him!" And with that, Luke stormed out of the barn, leaving Leia alone with the dewback.
Standing outside, Luke saw Sandcrawler parked out. His father and Uncle discussed with the Jawas as they looked at droids. He saw that the ramp was lowered. The stories that Daddy would tell him and Leia at night came running back. Luke's father loved droids and machinery. He loved droids so much that he's got a droid arm! If there was anything to cheer up his father, it would be in the Sandcrawler.
With a huff, Luke marched up the Sandcrawler's ramp and entered the doors, determined to find something for his dad. He wouldn't let anyone stop him.
"No, no, no! Battle droids are not what I need. They swallow energy like a mynock. And their frames are too flimsy. Hell, isn't it illegal for you to have these droid models?"
Nebit rolled his yellow eyes. This was Tatooine. Anything was legal.
Anakin sifted through one of the crates until he found what he was looking for. A pit droid. He dusted it off a bit before he whacked the nose of it, activating the pit droid. It chirped and make noises, excited to be activated.
"Hey Owen, what do you think?"
The pit droid, realizing it was being observed, stood at attention, as the two men looked at the droid.
Owen sighed. "Do you have any more pit droids?"
Chief Nebit turned to his clan, repeating the question. The Jawas pulled out two more pit droid models, activating both of them. They ran over to Anakin and Owen, eager to be bought and saved from the Jawa clan.
"Well?"
"It'll take a lot of time for me to give them repairs. which I plan to do today. This guy right here has a bust motivator and the other is leaking oil. But pit droids are great. They can carry a lot of weight and can find issues in machinery. I could even modify them to fix the vaporators."
"Sounds like a plan," Owen said as he turned to Nebit and negotiated a price. It didn't take too long. Despite the gruff way the two men spoke to each other, they got along and considered each other good business partners. Deactivating the pit droids so they didn't blow anything on the way to his garage, Anakin carried the three droids and began tinkering on them. They were in some rough shape, but it was nothing he couldn't handle. It took almost all day, but Anakin was able to repair and touch up all three of the pit droids. They would be ready for work in the morning. He thought about adding a basic unit into them so that Owen would have an easier time communicating with them, instead of relying on Threepio.
He heard footsteps enter the room and turned to see who it was. Beru stood there, intrigued by the progress Anakin made. "You and Luke should come eat now. We're all waiting on you."
Anakin looked up at Beru with a puzzled look. "Luke's not with me. I thought he was with Leia, who was with you and Threepio."
"Leia said that Luke went off to see you. We thought he was with you," Beru said alarmed.
Panic rose into Anakin. He ran out of the garage, calling out Luke's name, screaming it. Fear began to creep into him. There was no reply to Anakin's desperate calling. Owen ran out of the main hovel, holding Leia, wondering what the issue was. Anakin was a wreck, frantically screaming for Luke. He was gone. Missing.
