The story takes place TWO MONTHS before the events of Star Wars Episode III Revenge of The Sith unfold, Star Wars belongs to Lucasfilm.


A galaxy in chaos! For three years, the Jedi and the Republic have been fighting the forces of Count Dooku and the Confederacy of Independent Systems in a long, costly war.

In the shadows, behind the scenes, the Sith Lord Darth Sidious prepares for the final phase of his plan that will see the war end with the beginning of a new era.

As the Clone War enters its final months, Anakin Skywalker heads to the planet of Skoros to investigate rumors regarding a Separatist base and a lead connected to Darth Sidious...

The gray-yellow Jedi Starfighter dropped out of light speed, detaching from the hyperspace ring. Just ahead, the planet of Skoros sat in wait. It was the size of a moon, but at least it looked like a habitable system where people could live or set up a base there.

In his compartment, R2-D2 beeped almost nervously. For him, the planet didn't look very safe. "Take it easy, buddy." Anakin Skywalker said, "I haven't found any signs of enemy forces yet. We'll be out of there soon, I promise."

Anakin flipped some switches and steered the ship towards the planet, breaking through brown-white clouds and catching a glimpse of the surface. It didn't look much, but the young Jedi could see a few settlements and ruins. So far, there seemed to be no sign of anything important.

"It's no Tatooine or Melvan." Anakin remarked, "So, why would the Separatists set up shop on this backwater planet in the Outer Rim?" He frowned, "Why do I feel so cold? There's something not right here, I can sense a disturbance in the Force."

He activated the landing gears and gently set the ship down next to a village, Anakin disembarked and pat R2 on his domed head, instructing him to look after the ship until he got back. In response, the little droid beeped as he told his master he would be fine.

Thanking R2, Anakin walked towards the nearby village, hoping to find information from the locals. After all, there were rumors that needed to be looked into. If there was a Separatist presence here, Anakin would make sure that was taken care of.

Before his departure, he'd been instructed that he was only here on a small-scale reconnaissance mission, if Anakin discovered Separatist activity, he was to summon the fleet and the 501st. However, that was going to be a bit challenging due to the disturbance in the Force.

Something in the Force told Anakin that a dark shadow was here, he couldn't figure out what it was, but whatever he was sensing, the shadow was doing a good job trying to mask its presence. Anakin entered the settlement and noticed that it looked very ancient.

The locals, mostly humans, Zabraks and Twi'leks, didn't seem to be completely surprised by the presence of a Jedi in the region when they saw Anakin. One particular individual, a Twi'lek man in robes, approached him.

"Welcome, Jedi visitor." The Twi'lek asked, "I am Klu'ra Ukoy'ro, the leader in this town. What brings you here?"

"I am Jedi General Anakin Skywalker, I'm here on important business." Anakin replied, "This may sound disturbing, but it involves the war."

"We have heard about the war, but it is not here unless you brought it with you. For years, we have lived in peace ever since the Jedi drove the Sith off of this world during the ancient wars."

"Let's just say we've heard rumors of the Separatists setting up a base in the region and we are in the midst of searching for a mysterious Sith Lord known as Darth Sidious."

"Darth Sidious?" Klu'ra asked.

"According to info we gathered a few years back, Darth Sidious is the mysterious Sith Lord masterminding everything and has played both sides of the entire war. We also heard there might be a Dark Side-related lead connected to him, plus, I can sense the Dark Side resonates here."

Klu'ra moved closer and whispered in Anakin's ear, "If you can sense the power of the Dark Side resonating from this planet, it means you sense the cave and the ruins. Centuries ago, we were ruled by the Sith before the Jedi saved us.

"I too can sense the Force, General Skywalker. While we were being ruled by the Sith, a temple was built atop the mountain near here. It has since fallen into ruin, but many can still sense darkness still lurking in the area and there is a cave beneath the shrine.

"Be careful of that cave, Skywalker. A Sith Lord ventured into the cave and tainted it with his dark powers so much that, all these years later, the Dark Side still taints the cave. You might find the answers there, but I must warn you, the darkness within is dangerously strong."

Thanking the elder for his warning, Anakin headed for the mountains that weren't very far from the village, noticing the ancient ruins that sat atop the hill. After talking with Klu'ra, Anakin knew those ruins were those of an ancient and abandoned Sith Temple.

Unbeknownst to him, his movements were being watched by a dark cloaked figure. Silent and undetected, the figure stood on the highest hill overlooking most of the area. Beneath the shadow of the hood, his yellow eyes gleamed and his mouth was curled into a shrewd smile.

'Jedi fool.' The Sith Lord Darth Sidious thought, 'If only you knew your greatest test is coming, my new forthcoming apprentice. Soon you will be mine, young Skywalker. And once the Jedi have been disposed of, the future of the galaxy will change... forever.'

Anakin neared the base of the mountain and noticed the dark hole in the side of it, the Force told him this was the cave. He was feeling more colder than ever now, there was something about that dark cave which made Anakin feel uneasy.

Drawing his lightsaber from his belt, the fearless Jedi approached the cave entrance and entered the rocky cavern. Anakin ignited his lightsaber, the blue blade piercing the dark and bringing light to the cave despite the glimmer of sunlight coming through.

He walked deeper into the cave, the sounds of his boots walking echoed on the walls and accompanied the occasional drips of water. A few lizards crawled out of a couple nearby holes, scurrying away to parts unknown.

THUD! The noise made Anakin turn to see that a rock had fallen and the entrance seemed to have gotten smaller, he turned his attention away and moved further into the mysterious cavern. Anakin could feel his skin crawl, the Force was trying to warn him of the darkness beyond...

It was the power of the Dark Side; he knew it had to be. Bright lights in the cave started shimmering, probably an illusion. Then, Anakin started hearing whispers in the darkness, many voices speaking at once, saying things in either Basic or an unrecognizable ancient dialect.

Before long, the whispers changed. 'Only through me can you achieve a power greater than any Jedi.' A familiar voice said, Anakin was confused. Then a deep and unfamiliar voice spoke, 'Show me again, the power of the darkness...'

More voices, 'Obi Wan has taught you well.'

'Use your aggressive feelings, boy! Let the hate flow through you!'

'At last, we will reveal ourselves to the Jedi. At last, we will have revenge.'

'You have been well trained, my young apprentice.'

'It was said you would destroy the Sith, not join them.'

'The time has come, execute Order 66!'

'Everything is going as planned.'

'The Republic will be reorganized into the first Galactic Empire...'

'That name no longer has any meaning for me.'

'I HATE YOU!'

'It was foretold you would be here; our long-awaited meeting has come at last.'

'Long have I waited.'

'The son of Skywalker must not become a Jedi.'

'Anakin Skywalker was weak, I destroyed him.'

'I see the saber turning to strike true, and now, foolish child, he ignites it and kills his true enemy!'

Anakin didn't understand what was going on, it sounded like he was hearing echoes of the past and the future all at once. Wind blew through the cave and a voice hissed his name, 'Skywalker.' The Jedi closed his eyes, it had to be the Dark Side trying to mess with his mind.

Then, when he moved further and opened his eyes, Anakin was a bit unnerved at what he saw; He was no longer in the cave, but somewhere else. He stood on black, charred and rocky ground under an ash-filled sky, Anakin could see pools of lava and volcanoes in the distance.

'Mustafar.' He thought. Anakin remembered this place; He'd been here before early on in the war on a mission to rescue Force-sensitive infants, infants who'd been captured by a bounty hunter hired by a mysterious Sith Lord as part of some sort of diabolical plot.

His neck hairs stood on end, and yet, he knew this had to be some sort of illusion. Why was he on Mustafar and what did the Dark Side want from him? Anakin heard breathing... Slow, chilling and fear-invoking mechanical breathing, it was nothing like he'd ever heard before.

Anakin turned around and saw a tall, imposing dark figure coming down a hillside towards him, wearing a cape and armor as well as a helmet and an apparatus on the torso. Who was that?

The being approached and Anakin stared at the mysterious dark warrior standing before him, the fearless Jedi raised his lightsaber, prepared for the coming fight. Anakin's mysterious foe drew a lightsaber as well, a red blade ignited and the young Jedi saw it.

Looking at the lightsaber, Anakin noticed that it looked just like a modified version of his first lightsaber, which he'd lost after it was destroyed in the droid factory while on Geonosis a few years prior. "What are you?" Anakin asked the mysterious Dark-Sider.

"The darkness within, the dragon that has long slept beneath the surface..." The mysterious Sith replied, "But, soon, I will consume you. You are vulnerable and weak... I am inevitable. It is Anakin Skywalker's destiny to fall and pave the way for the ascension... of Darth Vader."

The name and that last sentence tore at Anakin, burning into him as he realized the truth, this wasn't just an illusion or a trick of the Force; Anakin was facing the monster within. No, forget that... HE was the monster; Anakin WAS Darth Vader and he was looking at his own future.

For years, he'd tried to stay on the light, but it had been challenged by his own emotions and Obi-Wan holding him back. Anakin thought he was supposed to be a Jedi, but this was what the Clone Wars was bringing out of him. Every day, he was slowly drifting towards the Dark Side.

One day, very soon, Anakin would lose the battle between himself and the darkness within. On that day, he would become the monster he was facing and maybe the galaxy would never be the same again. Anakin could not believe he was always destined to become... this!

'NO!' Anakin screamed internally as the Dark Lord moved in with his red lightsaber raised, he was not going to become that monster standing in front of him and harm those he cared about. 'Padme, Obi Wan.' Anakin was not going to let Vader emerge and hurt them.

He steadied his lightsaber and raised it in a defensive position as Vader attacked first, sparks flew as the blades made contact. Anakin swung his lightsaber and launched his attack, the vicious duel between the two had begun, a battle between a Jedi and his dark future.

Around them, rocks crumbled, volcanoes exploded and lava bubbled nearby. Anakin started to feel hot, now he knew why he was seeing Mustafar; This was where he would go when he became Vader, his final transformation would unfold on this fiery nightmare of a planet.

Visions flashed before the Jedi's eyes as he fought Vader: He could see himself with the 50st raiding the Jedi Temple, choking Padme with the Force, fighting Obi Wan on platforms over lava on this planet, Anakin saw himself defeated and burning alive on the volcanic shores.

The medical facility on Coruscant appeared, droids were operating on him and attaching new robotic limbs to his body. Then, Anakin saw himself in the dark armor Vader was wearing, the helmet slowly descended upon his burnt face, then he rose from the table.

More visions, Anakin saw Darth Sidious in the senate, declaring the rise of an Empire. He saw Jedi being wiped out, gunned down by Clones. Survivors hunted down and killed by Vader, the whole galaxy under the rule of the Sith and its citizens bowing down in fear or obedience.

'I WILL NOT LET THIS HAPPEN!' Anakin's mind screamed, tears almost stung his eyes, fear and determination consumed and empowered him at the same time. The Force flowed through him, Anakin's strength doubled and he channeled all of it into his fight!

"The Force is strong with you, Skywalker!" Vader mused, he could sense what was happening as Anakin pressed hard with his attack, "But resistance is futile, you cannot escape your destiny and keep me at bay forever for you are only delaying the inevitable."

Blades locked, Anakin and Vader struggled against each other as one tried to gain the high ground over the other. With all of his strength, Anakin pushed back against Vader and attacked faster than ever until he had Vader on the edge near the lava and on his knees.

"RRGH!" Anakin grunted as he banged away at Vader's defenses until he cut off his hands with one swift slice. Before he knew it, Anakin was holding the Sith's lightsaber in his other hand. In fact, it felt like he was holding both his old and new lightsabers all at the same time.

"Do it, Anakin!" Vader said tauntingly, "Strike me down! You want to end this, but it won't make a difference in the end either way." Anakin had both blades crossed near the monster's neck, even as a vision of him in a situation like this with Count Dooku flashed before his eyes.

Not hesitating in the slightest, Anakin's hands moved and he watched the helmeted head of Darth Vader fall. The rest of his body went down too and Vader's head fell beneath the lava magma, so too did his hands and what remained of him vanished beneath the orange-red magma.

Backing away from the edge of the molten bank, Anakin felt Vader's lightsaber leave his hand and he held his head, feeling a sense of confusion. He collapsed to the ground and darkness overcame him, even as flames began to engulf his body...

"Unh!" Anakin woke up, finding himself outside the cave and right by his starfighter. R2-D2 stood over him, beeping curiously with concern. "Oh. Hey, R2." Anakin was relieved to see his droid, "Yeah, I went into this cave and I don't clearly remember what happened."

He rubbed his head, remembering vague memories of himself facing a dark figure. Anakin felt warm, it was as if the disturbance in the Force was gone. "Well." He said, patting R2 on the head, "We better get back to Coruscant, Obi-Wan will be wanting to hear a report."

Climbing back into his ship, the Jedi took one last look at the planet, wondering what he might be forgetting until the young Jedi decided that he wasn't worried about anything, Anakin took off, heading out into space and journeying back to Coruscant to make his report...

The End