Star Wars: Heir of the Force
Episode 3: Chapter 5
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***HotF***
After a hastily thought up lie, informing the Kaminoans that the chancellor wanted them to make inspections of other facilities as well, the duo swiftly made their way back to the ship and took off. A second after they were outside of the planet's sensors Padme contacted Coruscant.
"Ah, found something you ha…"
"It's a trap!" Amidala exclaimed, interrupting the elder Jedi. "The entire war is a trap for the Jedi! Palpatine is going to activate a neural override chip in the clones, forcing them to execute any members of the order, it's going to be a massacre!"
Yoda paled, his worst fears were coming true, and if immediate action was not taken the Jedi would be destroyed, and Sidious could easily take control of the Republic.
Who would be left to stop him after all?
"A plan we need."
The former monarch bit her lip. This was far beyond anything she had ever even dreamed of. A galaxy wide purge? How in the hell were they supposed to prevent such a thing? "Is there a way to contact just the Jedi? A secret code or transmission that only they can receive?"
Shaking his head, the council leader struggled for a solution. Such a thing was never even considered necessary, until now that is.
Turning, the woman directed her attention towards the other individual on her ship, "Could you contact them somehow? Send out a message or a premonition maybe?"
Anakin frowned, "I could, but Palpatine would likely see it as well and activate the attack."
"Stop him then, I must. Prevent this tragedy and his rise to power I will. Order the temple to be evacuated I must, send out a transmission I will, to warn the others."
"Be careful" The Chosen one warned, "He isn't just powerful, but manipulative as well. He will likely be ready for a confrontation."
Yoda nodded, "May The Force be with you."
"And with you."
***HotF***
As he was making his way towards his transport the elderly being had one last epiphany, and glimmer of hope. There still was a chance that he would not be able to stop Sidious, but with additional help that might change.
Reaching a nearby transmitter, he contacted the only other Jedi that he trusted to be a threat to the dark lord.
"Master Windu, little time do we have, stop the Sith we must."
"The Sith are not the primary concern anymore." The grand master froze, what was the younger man talking about? As if sensing the confusion Windu continued, "The supreme chancellor has given me an important mission, something only he could trust me with. I am going to remake the Jedi order and stop the future war, first the fallen traitors will be disposed of, and then those who oppose the Republic will be dealt with in our own ranks."
Before he could ask further the transmission cut off, and as he reached out into The Force, he felt the man's departure from the planet. Where was he going? Where would Palpatine…
Fallen traitors
He was going after Jinn and the others!
There was no one who would be able to intervene in time, no one except Anakin and Padme. Reaching into The Force once more the elder pushed himself farther than he ever had before, reaching into the galaxy itself to find the luminous star that was the young prodigy.
Finding him he relayed the images, and a premonition of what was to come if they could not stop the man.
Anakin responded, and a confrontation that Yoda had always feared would come to pass was set into motion.
But that concern would need to wait, for now there was something that he could deal with. Preventing Order 66.
***HotF***
Mustafar
Fire as far as the eye could see. Fire and lava, smoke and soot. It was a planet nearly devoid of life, with a toxic atmosphere, temperatures anywhere from scorching to the point of melting metals, and fumes so thick it could become impossible to see more than a few feet during the massive storms that swept the surface.
If hell ever existed, this was it.
Yet, despite this there was a feeling of victory amongst those beside him, both the clones and the other Jedi. Grievous was here, the Separatist leadership was here. If they won, if they conquered just one more time then the war could be over.
The enemy was dug in on a world they had previously fortified, that was nearly designed for droids and other mechanical soldiers. Grievous had knowledge of the terrain, of the infrastructure, and potentially could continue rebuilding his forces if given time.
They had to push through and win before enemy reinforcements could appear, before attrition could set in, before the enemy could garrison any deeper than they already were.
'Victory no matter the cost' was a term that their previous commander had drilled into them for months, and though Kenobi disagreed with Windu he couldn't help but shake his head at the irony.
No matter what, the Republic had to win on this planet.
No matter the cost.
***HotF***
"Ah, master Yoda is there something I can do for you?"
The Jedi merely stared down his nemesis before a gesture closed the door behind him. "Speak with you about your new apprentice I wish to do… Darth Sidious."
The peaceful smile immediately fell from the politician's face, a scowl replacing it as he slowly rose from his chair. "Does it anger you? The knowledge that I took your former apprentice and made him my own? Or perhaps it is the fact that I did so right in front of you? Or maybe… maybe it is how much more powerful Windu is as my pupil."
A lightsaber slid from his sleeve.
Yoda flipped back his own cloak, his blade levitating to his hand in an instant. "Faith, in your new apprentice misplaced may be."
***HotF***
The landing is rougher than they originally thought, atmospheric interference along with rising heat and lava spouts complicating the trip. Even worse was the departure onto the black sand and crystalline rock beneath their feet. The moment they are in the open blaster fire erupts from a dozen different directions.
Lightsabers ignite as the other Jedi begin desperately deflecting and defending not only themselves but the soldiers that they fight alongside. Kenobi knew that Grievous would not make this easy, but it became very apparent he would make them pay for every inch of territory.
A rocket explodes nearby, catching half a dozen in the blast.
Obi-Wan feels every single death through The Force and holds back the pain through sheer force of will. Years ago, he would have claimed that he could never truly hate anything or anyone. Now though? Now he was sure that he hated war and was never more glad that Ahsoka had left the order when she did. The thought of her having to endure such terrible things would likely have broken him.
"Push forward! We cannot be stuck in the open." The commander overhears someone shout, or is it his own voice? He isn't sure anymore, and every battle feels like a nightmare, one in which someone else takes over his body, makes the hard decisions, sends others to their deaths all to preserve 'peace and democracy'.
One of the clones manages to fire a portable missile before he is torn apart with laser fire. His sacrifice is not meaningless as it hits true, cutting a major powerline that disables nearly a quarter of the defenses.
Others cheer.
All he hears, all he feels is the emptiness where the man once was.
But they push onward, and with the drop in oncoming fire the Jedi manage to reach a reinforced door and slice through, allowing progress to be made into the facility itself.
One more step towards victory.
***HotF***
A bestial sound echoes through the office as Palpatine leaps forward, spinning through the air as he attempts to take his target by surprise. Yoda, however, is already in motion and leaps forward as well, nearly exchanging places with the man.
The Jedi's chosen spot, however, is higher and thus he lands first, slashing out with his emerald blade and burning through the control panel where the man had been seated. This would prevent the summoning of reinforcements and stop the man's attempted genocide for the time being.
Meanwhile, Sidious felt their shift in positions and saw an opportunity. Taking a risk at revealing his trump card early on, a second hilt slides to his free hand. He spins, igniting the blade and sweeping the desk with a crimson beam.
He had hoped for a connection, but the elderly Force wielder was far too quick and experienced for such an easy victory, and had already leapt over it, twirling himself to face his adversary just in time to parry a thrusted blade away from his torso.
Onto the offensive, the Sith went, alternating strikes between his two lightsabers, now no more than a blur to the untrained eye, as he sought to quickly overwhelm the Jedi that he saw as far inferior to himself.
But Yoda had not lived for so many centuries without learning the art of the blade along with The Force. Ataru serves him well, and he is constantly in motion, no longer appearing to take individual actions and alterations in strategy but rather to be in one fluid movement.
Green meets with red over and over as the two clashed, sometimes for less than an instant and others in which they lock blades, seeking to overwhelm the other with sheer strength and determination.
It is no longer a battle between two warriors, but between conflicting paths and ideologies. It is the embodiment of a conflict waged a millennium prior, and yet one that had never truly been extinguished.
***HotF***
"What's the status." Obi-Wan means it as a question, but it sounds more like a command in a tone that he doesn't quite recognize. He hates what the war is doing to him, making him colder and crueler as time goes on.
If it upsets the younger knight, they do not show it. "Sixty percent of our forces have landed. With the success of commando unit Theta, the exterior defenses are down to slowing diversions and barricades. Progress is slower than expected due to the few number of accessible hallways but over three breaches have been made and are being expanded."
"Casualties?"
He hated to ask, but it needed to be done. If a commander did not know his own strength how could he judge his enemy's?
"Thirty percent of those deployed." It was a testament of how truly awful war was at how easy the other Jedi relayed the information, without so much as a flinch of discomfort. Was this the future of the Order? Emotionless soldiers who cared little for how many died, so long as victory was achieved?
For a split second, a horrible thought crossed the man's mind, what if this type of behavior was adopted by the Jedi? He had always been taught that emotions were a path to the Dark Side, that attachment of any kind of was forbidden. Wasn't this the epiphany of such a mentality? Not mourning or even considering the lives lost so long as a goal was achieved? No attachment to any living creature?
Kenobi pushed the thought back to the deepest part of his mind, to be examined when there wasn't the threat of death looming over him.
"Sir, there is a message from Coruscant, it is marked as critical from grand master Yoda."
The more experienced man frowned, it wasn't like the elderly Jedi to send such a communication but at the same time it wasn't as if he would be able to do anything different than continue the current plan. Whatever it was would have to wait. "Remind me again when this is all over. Continue the advance, target the control centers, communication systems, and hangars. We need to make sure they cannot escape, or this will all be for nothing."
Orders are relayed, and in the distance Obi-Wan is forced to push aside the feeling of several more deaths. For a moment he wonders if the young man named Anakin felt such things even more intensely. According to his former master the boy had an even deeper connection to The Force than master Yoda did. If such a thing was true, then he understood why he would avoid the war as much as possible.
It must be agony for him.
***HotF***
"You never answered me Yoda." Palpatine noted, while swinging high and low at the same time, attempting to cut the smaller off as he attempted to leap over the blows. Instead, the Jedi struck forward, forcing a parry. "Your two greatest apprentices, both turned by me. Does it anger you? Fill you with hatred and an urge for vengeance?"
Yoda merely shook his head while flipping around another high swipe, "Disappointed I am, thinking of retirement I am, but angry I am not. Walk their own paths both needed to do. Agree with these, I do not, but understand them I do."
An ugly smirk formed on the chancellor's face. "Do you now? So, you finally acknowledge how powerful the Dark Side is hm? How superior it is?"
"Share your love for power, I do not. Overconfident you are your downfall it will be."
The two locked blades once more, but this time Yoda easily pushed back, forcing the Sith to leap backwards and avoid retaliation. As he landed Palpatine's grip loosened on his weapons, arms extending instantly as electricity crackled, then sprung forward like a snake striking an unexpected victim.
A victim, Yoda was not, and just as it reached him the Jedi dropped his saber, catching the blue energy in his palms.
Sidious pressed further, putting more and more power, and effort, into the barrage. His opponent, however, held firm despite the assault and the energy began to gather before him, his own strain obvious as he continued defending. Before his 'awakening' Yoda might have continued such a task, seeking to outlast the man. But he no longer feared this power as he had once done so.
Instead he saw it as Anakin did, merely an extension of The Force, and life along with it. Thus, he pushed back, and rather than detonating before him it contained and aimed. The shockwave that resulted tossed the Sith backwards, damaging the furniture, antiques, and other objects in the room before shattering the large window behind the man.
Skidding to a halt, his lightsabers burning two deep gouges into the floor, Palpatine growled and looked up, locking eyes with the determination burning in those of the older master.
"You have changed master Yoda…" he acknowledged, "You no longer hold onto the pathetic beliefs of the Jedi."
The discarded hilt returned to the smaller being's hand once more, "See The Force, more clearly I do now. Received training I have. A new apprentice you may have found, but a new teacher have I obtained as well."
***HotF***
General Grievous glared in contempt at the series of monitors covering the wall. The Republic had made far more progress than he originally anticipated they would, and at far fewer casualties than his 'generals' predicted.
What he originally thought might delay them days, even weeks, they had managed to push through in hours.
Curse the Jedi! If it weren't for them the war would have been won by the Confederacy by now, and he would be in control of entire systems, ruling them with an iron fist!
Instead he was held up in a fortified bunker with the pathetic cowards that made up the Separatist leadership.
Speaking of which, "Wha-what are we going to do now!?" Gunray exclaimed in the conference room his own was attached to. "The Republic… the Jedi can't be defeated! We are doomed, without Count Dooku we cannot hope to win and now we are trapped!"
The mechanical hand clenched into a tight fist, rather than around the whining man's throat as the cyborg so desired to do.
"We need to contact Sidious. He will know what to do, he will not leave us trapped like rats." Another 'leader' speaks in agreement.
Useless weaklings, whoever thought that business owners and bureaucrats should oversee military forces should have been hanged. The general is just about to go inform them of their place in this army when he spies something on one of the screens. It is a Jedi, one who appears to be reporting to another. One he knows by the name of 'Kenobi'. They are far back from the fighting, far enough to be separated from any forces for at least several minutes.
This was the information he had been waiting for. Attempting to pick off Jedi one by one in the middle of combat would be a dangerous task, especially without a clear target, but going after just one was very doable.
Especially if killing just this one man could easily turn the tide of the battle in his favor.
Grievous threw back his chair, standing as he did so and causing enough of a ruckus that the other room fell silent, fearful of his well-known anger. Good, at least he found a way to shut them up.
Stalking from the control center he made his way to the nearby door of the meeting room, only to be called out by one of the Neimoidians, "W-wait! Where are you going!?"
"To fight a war!"
"B-but Lord Sidious… he ordered you to…"
The mechanical menace spun in place, growling as he stared down the shivering man. "Then contact him, I am sure he will personally come and save you." His cybernetic laughter filled the air as he turned once more and stalked out the room, leaving the frightened group to whisper amongst themselves.
***HotF***
As always it was The Force that warned him of the impending danger before any of his other senses had time to catch up. A trap door slid open in the wall next to them, the glow of several sabers flashing on.
It was only due to the war that Kenobi not only ducked under the attack aimed towards him, but also managed to save the Jedi and clone next to him as well. A burst of power sent them sprawling backwards, and out of harm's way, while his own blue lightsaber hummed into existence, parrying a follow-up slash.
"General Kenobi" The cyborg almost purred, barely humanoid eyes staring back into his own. "You are a bold one, so far from your own forces, so far from backup."
To his surprise, however, Obi-Wan merely smiled. "When an enemy sets an obvious trap, the best option is to… spring the trap."
The man had been bait Grievous realized, all too late. In his shock he failed to notice a slight shifting of his enemy, and one of his hands, along with the hilt it clutched was sliced in two.
Growling, the general activated his two spares, bringing his total count to three. No matter, he would still remove this menace and claim his blade for his collection. The confidence in the Jedi's eyes, however, never dimmed despite the change. If anything, it appeared to grow.
Another lunge forward, three blades attempting to overwhelm the lone defender. Yet he did not fight as others had, did not attempt to hold his ground indefinitely, did not attempt to attack back. Instead the Jedi moved to the side where only one lightsaber remained, blocking as he did so and preventing any further attack.
A second flash of blue, a second hand, and weapon, fell to the floor.
This time the Separatist did react, a howl of anger and pain, this time lashing out rather than thinking things through as Dooku had attempted to drill into his head. He was guided by anger and hatred now, a deep burning to destroy this man.
Instead he lost an arm to a simple twisting of Kenobi's wrists.
"You will die Jedi scum!"
There was no response, at least not a verbal one, and as his intended victim spun underneath a blow meant to decapitate Grievous realized his error.
A hollow thud of metal upon metal filled the hallway, followed by a gasp of the Jedi who had been thrown at the beginning of the fight. It had been his entire arm this time, to be taken by his nemesis.
There is no time to respond, as a fiery beam cuts through him again and again, in the blink of an eye he is reduced to mere pieces of his former glory.
Above the wreckage stands Kenobi, looking down at the menace he had destroyed without a second thought, staring at the hand that clenched and unclenched.
Horrified at how easily he had just taken a life.
***HotF***
Palpatine wearily eyed his adversary, forcing back any signs of fatigue that might be struggling to slip through. How had the Jedi master become so powerful in such a short amount of time? True, he knew that Yoda would undoubtedly be his greatest opponent, both in terms of lightsaber skill and power over The Force, but the diminutive creature had thus far surpassed him in both.
It shouldn't have been possible.
The Sith lord had accepted that he might not be able to defeat the aged warrior in terms of swordsmanship, he was outclassed by centuries of experience after all, but his own power in the Dark Side should have given him a definitive edge.
Instead of his own offense being met with defense, and giving him an advantage, it was met with nearly as much strength as his own. Yoda should not have been able to conjure such a deep well of the Dark Side without falling into the deep well of anger and hatred that it originated from, to say nothing of needing a means of learning it quickly.
"You've found yourself a master, haven't you?" It wasn't a question, and the smile on the elder's lips gave Sidious all the answer he needed. He knew of no Dark Side user who could have taught him so quickly without him knowing, which only meant one thing. "The boy…"
"Stopping your plans, already we are doing. Intercept master Windu, he will. Stop needless deaths, he can."
The chancellor found himself grinding his teeth in aggravation, his hands squeezing the two hilts just a bit tighter than before. Windu was powerful, but strong enough to take on someone who had defeated Dooku so many years prior? He wasn't quite sure what the outcome of such a duel would be.
But still, did it matter? His own schemes were in motion and had been for some time now. Soon the Jedi would be purged, and the young man would have no option but to turn towards standing next to him.
First, however, the nuisance standing before him must be removed.
Reaching deep in the vastness of The Force, Palpatine summoned his anger, his rage, and his hatred. A torrent of electricity ripped through the room, utterly devastating any object that had somehow remain unscathed throughout the duel.
Even the walls became scorched from the raw power.
Yoda, once more, dropped his saber to focus on surviving the assault, a smart move considering how much power currently roared from the leader of the Republic.
The Jedi held, and the Sith put more power into the attack, illuminating the room even from outside of the building.
Yet he held, and minutes later Palpatine collapsed forward, out of breath and snarling at the sight before him, Yoda standing tall determination filling his eyes. The saber flew to his hand, igniting and casting a green glow over the fallen dark lord.
"At an end, your rule is… and not short enough it was." The blade was raised, but in that moment, when everything was on the line… Yoda hesitated. Before his awakening he could have struck the man before him down in an instance. He would destroy the Sith without a second thought, because they were evil incarnate, and corruption made manifest.
Now though… now he saw all life as precious, not just the lives that conformed to his point of view.
That single second was more than Sidious needed, and with a burst of whatever reserves he had left sent a blast of power that struck his target center mass. The green figure was completely caught off guard and launched out of the window and into the city surrounding them.
A minute later his crimson guards arrived on the scene with a detachment of clone soldiers.
***HotF***
Mace Windu strode forward through the jungle, the specialized unit of clone soldiers perfectly in step behind him, like the good soldiers they were. Soon, the war would be over, and the next stage of the Republic could begin.
Best of all, he would be a key part of bringing in the new regime and would guide the Jedi order into heights it had never dreamed about. First, though, he would need to burn away the old to make way for the new.
Starting with the traitorous order started by Qui-Gon Jinn.
They reached the clearing, and for a moment the man gazed upon the massive stone temple before him. It was old, ancient even, and had seen its fair share of Force wielders. But it had never seen one as skilled as him, nor would it ever again.
There was no one like him.
With a nod he continued forward, guiding the soldiers into the main entrance, a bit puzzled at the lack of sentient life. There were no Jedi practicing, no one teaching or learning, no plans being hatched to destabilize the Republic.
Just a seemingly abandoned temple in the middle of the jungle.
The interior of the temple was just as silent as the outside, and with a scowl Windu shifted his head to address those behind him. "Spread out, search every inch of the temple. Arrest everyone."
"And those who resist sir?"
It was a question that hadn't needed to be asked, but they were just soldiers after all, and they needed orders. "Everyone in this temple is to be considered a traitor to the republic."
'Traitor' meant one of two fates. Trial or execution.
Mace himself, however, felt a faint presence in The Force. Not weak by any means, but more blended. As if it was hard to see.
Like the Dark Side.
His gaze narrowing, the master made his way towards the signature, keeping his comm unit on to monitor the progress of the others. As he reached the doors none of the clones had yet to uncover a single living thing.
At least one would be brought to justice, and with a slight wave the stone barricade slid open, revealing a single older man sitting cross legged on the floor in an empty room.
"I was wondering when you would show up, master Windu." Qui-Gon calmly greeted the man, who promptly drew his lightsaber.
***HotF***
A/N: Okay so it probably would have made sense for Yoda to strike the final blow but I'm pretty sure everyone wants a final Anakin vs Palpatine right?