Chapter Twelve – Destiny

TARKIN?!

Anakin could not believe it, of all the people to have caused this. Once upon a time he would not have believed that Admiral Tarkin would do something like this. But in reality he was not at all surprised. Ever since the Admiral had coldly accused Ahsoka of murder and ordered her expulsion from the Jedi order, Anakin had lost any shard of admiration he'd ever had towards the man. Now he felt fury and hatred towards Tarkin for this utter betrayal to the Republic and setting Darth Sidious loose into the city.

"Ani?"

He turned to see Padme get to her feet, her eyes were filled with terrified fear, her hands held her stomach protectively. The moment his eyes met hers, he glanced down at her stomach then went to her. He pressed his lips to her forehead quickly and put his arm round her shoulders. Now Palpatine was loose again they were all in very grave danger. Force knew what he would do next. Kill all innocents in his path, flee the planet or worse carry out this wicked plan to do with the clones. Whichever it was, Anakin knew that he could not just sit here and wait for any of that to happen.

"Stay here and keep safe, both of you," he whispered, rubbing her stomach.

She shook her head. "Ani, you can't go after him, he'll kill you," she protested.

Anakin wanted so badly to remain at her side and the baby's to protect them. But time was running out and there was no telling how far away Palpatine was getting. He kissed her again and whispered with all the love he could muster amongst his current fear and fury.

"I love you, Padme."

Without another word, he turned and sprinted away following the path of destruction Palpatine had left behind him. Coming round a corner he froze as he caught sight of a large blasted hole in the wall.

"Anakin, where are you?" Obi-Wan's voice asked from the comlink.

"I'm going after him," was Anakin's brief reply.

"Master Windu is already pursuing…"

"He can't stop him alone and none of you will make it in time Master!" Anakin interrupted. "There isn't any time, I can feel his presence getting ever further away. Just keep Padme safe."

"Wait, Anak…" Whatever it was Obi-Wan was going to say was cut off when Anakin switched the comlink off, removed it from his wrist and dropped it on the floor.

Without a thought, he leapt through the hole and tapped into the Force, following the dark presence which he was sure was Palpatine. He sped through the crowded streets, but his pace was slowed by the small band of reporters and general public whom he'd encountered earlier that seemed to be trying to follow him. He grew tired of leaping and dodging the masses of beings and took to the rooftops to help pick up his pace and avoid any more possible distractions.

Within the Force, Anakin could sense that a number of citizens surrounding the area were confused and troubled by something. He guessed that they might have seen Palpatine and Windu. He could only imagine how it must have looked to see the Chancellor running through the streets and pursued by a Jedi.

From roof to roof Anakin leaped, the wind blowing his hair, never slowing down until he came to a stop as he saw where the dark presence had gone, the Senate building. Despite having found where Sidious had fled to, Anakin had no idea what he was going to do when he found him. He had sworn to never speak or lay eyes on the man again, but this was a matter of life and death to millions and too vital to avoid. With a deep breath, he sped straight towards the massive building.

Upon entering, he raced across the entrance hall, up the stairs and through the familiar corridors and past various Senators who were all speaking with dumbfounded confusion and stared at him as he flew past. He ignored a few who called his name inquiringly, not wanting to waste any time. Soon he was fast approaching Palpatine's office and along with the dark presence of Sidious, he also felt Mace Windu's presence within.

A part of him wished that it was Obi-Wan who would face the Sith Lord with him and not Master Windu. However another part of him was grateful that Obi-Wan was still safely far away with Padme and Ahsoka and that none of them were within harm's way of Darth Sidious.

Anakin charged into the Chancellor's office to find that it was a scene of total destruction. Broken artifacts were lying all over the floor, the big circular communication's system had been slashed to a smoking mess, the desk had been upturned and the massive viewport was all smashed and small fires and debris were scattered everywhere. He spotted Palpatine who was backed into a wall with hands raised in front of him, facing Mace Windu who had his purple saber pointed right at him.

"Don't try to move," Windu warned as he stepped closer to the older man. Anakin walked further into the room and Palpatine was the first to notice his approach.

"Anakin! I told you it would come to this. I was right. The Jedi are taking over!" Palpatine bellowed.

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

Palpatine faced Windu, his eyes filled with hate and the voice which came from Palpatine's lips was not the gentle tone Anakin had come to know so well, it was deeper, croaky, and evil.

"No! No! You will die!" He raised his hands higher and purple bolts of lightning shot out of his palms towards the Jedi master who blocked the bolts with his saber.

The sight of the purple lightning made Anakin's heart lurch in shock and made him instantly recall when Dooku had briefly electrocuted him with the same lighting and shuddered. To see that same lightning again, but this time coming from Palpatine's hands was terrifying. And seeing Mace Windu looking like this, so deadly with his eyes burning with a dark fire of fury as he fought back. The whole thing was almost too scary to watch. When they now spoke, their voices were heavy with the strain.

"The Jedi are traitors, Anakin!" Palpatine shouted over the crashing bolts. "You must see it."

"He's the traitor, you know this Skywalker! Stop him!" Windu persisted.

But Anakin couldn't move he just watched with horror, the lighting, which cracked against Windu's saber blade, was returning back to Palpatine's face and was disfiguring him in a grotesque way.

"Come to your senses, boy. The Jedi are in revolt. They will betray you, just as they've betrayed me. You are not one of them, Anakin. Don't let him kill me," Palpatine begged, his face turning pale and more unrecognizable. "I am your pathway to power. I have the power to save the one you love. You must choose. You must stop him."

"Don't listen to him, Anakin," Windu groaned through his clenched teeth, his face damp with sweat.

Anakin's was still frozen where he stood, unable to move his legs or arms. Or even reach for his lightsaber on his belt. It was as though he no longer recognized these two men who had been advisers to him for so long now. And that the whole galaxy had turned upside down and no longer made sense.

"Help me! Don't let him kill me. I can't hold on any longer." For a second Palpatine sounded like a helpless child. The lightning stopped altogether and Palpatine fell back against the wall and slid down to the ground. The now monstrous face gasped for breath. He looked to Anakin with the sickly yellow eyes of the Sith. "I can't ... I give up. Help me. I am weak ... I am too weak. Don't kill me. I give up. I'm dying. I can't hold on any longer."

"You Sith disease. I am going to end this once and for all," Windu proclaimed. "Give up your act!"

"I'm too weak. Don't kill me. Please," Palpatine continued pleading, but still not taking his eyes off Anakin.

"You are too dangerous to be kept alive. You are an abomination to the galaxy. It ends here!"

But Palpatine made no response to Windu and held his pale gnarled hand out to Anakin.

"Anakin…! Help me…please! Be who you were… truly meant…to be."

There it was! Anakin could now see it, the lies surrounding Palpatine's pleading words. The act the old man was putting on to fool him.

Unexpectedly, Windu turned his speculating face to look at Anakin who met his dark gaze with his shocked eyes. But before either of them could speak or do anything, Palpatine leapt to his feet with a swift speed Anakin would not have suspected in such an aged and frail body. And with a roar of rage, the Sith lightning exploded from Palpatine's fingers once again and engulfed Mace Windu's body completely. Anakin recoiled back in alarm and fell back against the shattered communication system so hard that it knocked the breath out of him and the pain in his back hurt so much he was surely going to be badly bruised.

Gasping for breath, he saw Mace Windu fall to the ground and writhe with loud cries of pain as Palpatine cackled loudly like and insane lunatic as he slowly advanced on the fallen Jedi Master.

"POWER! UNLIMITED POWER!" He roared in an echoing shout that combined with the piercing lightning made Anakin's ears ring.

Anakin Skywalker was at a loss who to obey and who to fight. Windu was bent on expelling him from the Jedi order and extinguishing his defenses to save Padme. Palpatine wanted him to turn against those he cared for and fought alongside with and turn him to darkness. All for the sake of gaining the power Anakin needed to protect his wife and unborn child. Which fate was worse? If he let Windu die and joined Palpatine he would be giving in to the temptation of the Dark Side and the thirst for power. If he stopped Palpatine and saved Windu, then he would be right back to where he started and face an uncertain future as a traitor to the Jedi. What could he do? Which was the right choice?

His turbulent thoughts turned to Padme. She always made the right choices and knew many reasonable solutions. What would she do? What would Ahsoka do? What would his mother do? He raised his head and he finally thought of his unborn child. And there it was, that was all he needed to help make his decision.

The Force surged around him and seemed to enter his body and run through his veins. The next instinct, he felt his strength return to his limbs. He forced himself to his feet ignoring the pain in his back, his feet moved forward with a sense of some kind of destiny. He felt stronger than he ever had before and more powerful. The Force and he were one. It glowed inside him like a light guiding him through darkness.

With a deep breath, he surged forward with a loud cry of, "NOOOOOO!"

He seized Palpatine roughly from behind and hoisted him up off his feet and over his head as he continued his long scream of defiance against the darkness. Palpatine roared in anger above him and as Anakin forced himself to walk towards the smashed open viewport. His whole body was suddenly engulfed in purple light and screamed pain as the Force lighting now struck him. He almost dropped Palpatine in the shock of the intense pain, but forced himself to stay up. Using all of what remained of his energy, he summoned the Force to help him keep walking, holding the Sith Lord above him and protecting his body against the lightning. He was sure he heard a rib break under his artificial hand as he gripped the man tighter. He could also feel himself fading out like a light losing its power, but he would not give up, this had to be done, for Padme and for his child.

The moment he reached the edge of the viewport he hurled Darth Sidious's body out of the window and at the same time, all his strength left him and he collapsed onto the edge of the frame where the glass had once been. Slicing pain cut through his chest and his remaining flesh hand when he landed on the shards of glass, which still stuck to the frame.

Ignoring the stinging pain and his aching body, he watched as Palpatine hurtled downwards, the man's screams still filling his ears, the lightning still coming from his hands and yelling loudly. His body struck a balcony's edge then continued falling until the lightning was a small dot. A few seconds later, the screams stopped and an explosion of bluish-purple energy rose up into the air with a gust of wind which blew Anakin's hair, and then it descended back down to the ground.

Anakin could now feel the darkness and coldness slowly fading along with his own consciousness. Letting go of the Force, he looked up and the Jedi Temple came into his blurred view. His eyes were getting heavier every second. His whole body hurt to the point that even breathing was agony. He knew it was all over and this was the end.

"Pad…me, I love…you," he whispered.

And with that he fell into unconsciousness with his head and arm dangling over the edge of the viewport of the Chancellor's office.

Author's Notes
Hello There my Readers! Hope you're all well.
Thank you for your continued support and I hope you enjoyed this new chapter. I know it was a bit shorter than probably expected but I wanted to keep this confrontation within one chapter. I expect it was the confrontation you've all been waiting for. Anyway I hope you like it. Let me know what you think in your reviews.

Thank you Carrie2sky for your impressive Beta reading.

May the Force be with you all
LouisaJane007