Chapter 12
"How simple you make it. Light and Dark...as if there is one without the other."
As much as flawed as the Son on Mortis was in delving deep into the dark side, the One was correct, as it comes to full cycle. For the light to exist, there must be darkness. For darkness to exist, there must be light. Without one or the other, in the end, both the light and the dark side are nothing at all, having no purpose without one another.
Despite the responsibility and risks with both Orders fearing him since his intentions are inconclusive, Vader is prepared to accept each of the oppositions and challenges as he has nothing else to live for at this point.
He managed to raid the entire Jedi Temple and dealt with the secret disciples of his former Sith Master before so those who oppose him would not be able to pose a challenge against him despite being younger and possibly far more powerful.
He is laying low as events play out. He has been since he arrived in Coruscant, only going to the former version of his wife to the Senate Building to assure she is safe from those loyal to the Trade Federation such as Lott Dod.
"You can cease your attempts to hide from me. I have already detected your presence."
From behind the former Sith Lord, the makings of a being begin to animate, a crimson mist consisting of red and black beams disappearing as limbs of the creature begin to connect, forming into a tall and thin humanoid with an elongated bald head, wearing a dark cloak and a mechanical breathing apparatus that is similar to himself but contrast and less damaged, towering over the now 23-year-old Darth Vader. Had Vader not witnessed or experienced worse, he may have been sickened and disgusted at how this creature just emerged from behind him.
"Greetings, Vader."
Inside of the Jedi Council Chambers, Anakin Skywalker faces the Jedi Council, standing in the same place Qui-Gon Jinn stood some hours earlier. He was nervous at first, brought into the chamber by Qui-Gon, then left alone with the twelve members of the Council. Standing in the mosaic circle and ringed by the silent assemblage, awestruck and uncertain of what is expected of him, he feels vulnerable and exposed. The eyes of the Jedi are distant as they view him, but he senses they are looking not past him, but inside.
They begin to question him then, without preliminary introductions or explanations, without expending any effort at all to make him feel comfortable or welcome. He knows some of them by name, for Qui-Gon had described a few, and he is quick to put faces to names. They question him at great length, testing memory and knowledge, seeking insights at which he can only guess. They know of his existence as a slave. They know of his background on Tatooine, of his mother and his friends, of his Podracing, of Watto, of everything factual and past, of the order of his life.
Now Mace Windu is looking at a screen the boy cannot see, and Anakin is giving names to images that flashes across its liquid surface. Images appear in Anakin's mind with such speed he is reminded of the strange blur of desert and mountains whipping past his cockpit during a Podrace.
"A Bantha. A hyperdrive. A proton blaster." The images whiz through his mind as he named them off. "A Republic cruiser. A Rodian cup. A Hutt speeder."
The screen goes blank, and Mace looks up, at the boy.
"Good, good, young one," the wizened alien called Yoda praises. The sleepy eyes fix on him, the intent behind their lids. "How feel you?"
"Cold, sir," Anakin confesses.
"Afraid, are you?"
The boy shakes his head. "No, sir."
"Afraid to give up your life?" the dark one called Mace Windu asks, leaning forward slightly.
"I don't think so," he answers, then hesitates. Something doesn't feel right.
Yoda blinks and his long ears cocks forward. "See-through you, we can," he said quietly.
"Be mindful of your feelings," Mace Windu scolds.
The old one called Ki-Adi-Mundi strokes his beard. "Your thoughts dwell on your mother."
Anakin swallows, "We have never been on this planet before. I'm-" he didn't know how to describe it since to put it bluntly this feels like slavers choosing which slave, they want in the slave markets and it feels like they are testing him to see if he is a perfect slave that serves their purposes.
Yoda's sleepy eyes fix on him. "Everything. To the dark side, fear leads. To anger and to hate. To suffering."
"I am not afraid!" the boy snaps irritably, anxious to leave this discussion and move on.
Yoda does not seem to hear him. "The deepest commitment, a Jedi must have. The most serious mind. Much fear in you, I sense, young one."
Anakin takes a deep breath and lets it out slowly. When he spoke, his voice was calm again. "I am not afraid."
Yoda studies him for a moment. "Then continue, we will," he replies softly, and the examination resumes.
To think, at a younger age in the hope to save Padmé, he was so foolish to turn to Palpatine after hearing the tragedy of the man that undoubtedly is now standing in front of him.
Many vivid images of meeting Darth Plagueis and asking him about the knowledge he possessed was something he wished would happen in reality, and part of him in his younger days couldn't help but ponder what would be in the presence of such a being would be like, but as he is scanning the Master of his former Sith Master, he can feel a power that matches his own though of course much darker though that darkness is controlled.
Vader remembers Sidious describing to him how he killed Plagueis, and truthfully, he finds the display of how he disposed of Plagueis beyond pathetic. The fact that Palpatine killed Plagueis when he was weakened and in a drunken state show that in reality, Palpatine is just a weak and ignorant individual who thinks himself so powerful when he knows nothing of battle and can't fight one head-on without treachery.
Sidious tried to kill Plagueis, him first unleashing Sith Lightning on the sleeping Plagueis. Plagueis's eyes snapped open, and he simply gazed at Sidious. No counterattack. Sidious was preparing himself for a counterattack, but how it went down suggests that Plagueis simply gathered his midichlorians because he truly believed that he was immortal. So, he thought he would never die. And he failed to even put up a Force shield.
Even awake he would still do this, because of his belief, and die.
However, if he counterattacks, it's a tossup; the first thing Sidious would feel is his midichlorians dying because that was Plagueis's trademark move. So, any drawn-out combat would leave Sidious increasingly tired and ultimately dead as his connection to the Force weakens and dies.
Sidious has a better hand with a lightsaber, but it does not mean Plagueis is a pushover. Darth Tenebrous, an excellent fighter himself, pronounced Plagueis as a master. He could hold his ground against Sidious.
The one undeniable advantage Sidious has is his power with Telekinesis, though after the first few moments he would feel his power weakening as his midichlorians are killed.
Plagueis died more because of his hubris than his ability, and chances are that his hubris would always present an opportunity to kill him when he was defenseless… but, no, in a straight fight Plagueis would kill Sidious regardless, which is why he was killed in his vulnerable state.
Frankly, the greatness of Sidious was more in his brain and patience than his powers. He was so dangerous mostly because the Jedi of the time were no longer real warriors, and Sidious could virtually control what any other dark side user was able to do because he'd killed the last one with more knowledge than him.
In the old Republic era, Sidious would have been unable to hack it - Force Lightning, an ability which Sidious relies upon heavily and is careful not to teach to any who could threaten him, was utilized by any Sith Inquisitor… Well, in the galaxy, including young acolytes who would die before becoming Sith at all. The Emperor's Wrath, a powerful Sith of the Old Republic time, was able to not only deflect lightning from a Sith master but survive direct blasts from it and kill his opponent. Darth Nox, a top Dark Council Inquisitor, was able to bind the ghosts of legendary Sith and Jedi and masterfully channel their power through his own body. The hero of Tython, a Jedi hero of the time, blocked force lightning from the Sith Emperor himself, a Sith so powerful that he killed Darth Revan, the Jedi Exile, and Darth Marr, all three of whom were likely more powerful than Sidious.
In short, Sidious is nothing special at all given the potential of the Force and only rises to power by being born in a really, really weak era. He would have been fried mercilessly or killed if the Jedi were still warriors and peacekeepers combined instead of the pure peacekeepers they are today.
"It is a pleasure to meet your acquaintance, Darth Vader, my name is Darth Plagueis," the Muun declares, approaching beside the hooded man, a smirk undoubtedly on his lips as he bows in either a sarcastic or genuine - Vader can't tell - greeting to the hooded man.
Outwardly, Vader remains calm but inwardly the Muun can sense him tensing noticeably for at least a second. Doubtlessly, Vader sensed his presence even in one of the refugees of the dark side that can dull one's sensitivity to the Force.
"Why are you here?" Vader replies, observing the Dark Lord of the Sith's aura and being met by such impressive darkness. "You are bold to approach me when the Jedi are keeping me at a high radar."
Plagueis chuckles. "Those foolish Jedi can't detect me through the Force. They haven't been able to detect the past Sith for many years. I have been walking in front of them in the guise of Darth Plagueis and they still aren't able to figure out that I'm a Sith Lord. Their senses are blinded to the Force itself."
"I detected you on Coruscant, having seen through the dark side itself as many Jedi should have, but instead of attempting to learn it or test it, they blind themselves to it," Vader replies before slowly turning to face him. "I am shocked that you aren't angry with me besting your apprentice's pet."
Plagueis chuckles. "He is merely a weapon, someone who is barely considered Sith material, who's potential I will never know why my apprentice would waste his training on. You however are a different manner. I had sense you through the Force. Your power is substantial. It has managed to throw the entire Jedi Temple off guard and it even astounded me when I detected it. Infuriated with your presence, my apprentice and his pet may be, but you have not hampered my plans."
"You are not my opponent, Plagueis," Vader admits. "Your apprentice is."
"Oh," the dark side rings in satisfaction. "May I ask why you appear to hold a personal grudge against my apprentice?"
"Your apprentice is unmistakably a traitor and a fool," he replies, "his own ambitions would only damage your goals. He is a threat that you should observe closely, Darth Plagueis."
Plagueis smirks. "I do not trust my apprentice blindly, Vader, however I do trust him and his motivations to align with my own in abolishing the pathetic rule of two that have damaged the Sith of old."
"Are you even positive this is possible? Your points have merits but your apprentice may not as view the Sith should be taken this direction." Vader responds.
" I am a scientist, Darth Vader, I have experienced many things and I believe this is a possible goal that could cause a new generation of the Sith to be far stronger and more powerful than the Sith of old."
Vader stops speaking for a moment before a thought crosses his mind.
"It was you, wasn't it? You were the one who created him?"
The Sith Muun pauses as well, appearing to be musing over Vader's words, before he replies, his eyes brightening in realization.
"Correct. He was meant to be the Chosen One of the Sith but the midi-chlorians betrayed me and I suspected he was destroyed. I hadn't expected this betrayal." Plagueis replies, anger evident in his tone. "I had my suspicions when his presence was announced on this planet but you have confirmed it. I now see the destruction of the Sith; however, I have decided to approach you, seeing the Jedi has taken him to their Temple."
Vader, for the first time, appears to backpedal and stops speaking, cerulean eyes widening as he finally learns the truth of... of how...
"The Grand Experiment..."
Plagueis confirms, "Yes. Utilizing Sith alchemy and the dark side of the Force, I intended to create the living embodiment of the Force. In order to do so, I tried to influence the midi-chlorians in his attempt to create life. But when my efforts bore no success, and instead wiped out my other experiments, I deemed the project a failure."
"Yet here you are," Vader replies sharply, eyeing the Muun Sith Lord not with his eyes but through the Force, his back still turned to the individual behind him.
"I believed it is possible to enhance one's natural born number of midichlorians but also force them to do what I want them to do. So, my main goal is primely eternal life and limitless power. Through the years, through use of the Force, and my attempts at influence midichlorians I have learned many things. That boy's power is thrilling and has the potential to overwhelm one as myself and even you, Darth Vader, and take the Force down a new direction." The Muun Sith replies, placing both hands behind his back.
"Enough words of the boy. Why do you approach me now? What do you wish of me other than my death if you're not here for that?" Vader responds, genuinely curious. Should the two engage in a fight, Vader knows it would be immensely close and be a battle to the death.
"Your potential is nearly as high as the boy. I cannot come to the conclusion of this but I can sense we seek the same, Darth Vader. We can rule the galaxy and be viewed as heroes all the while allowing that Order of stupid fools and idiots to collapse both by the public and by their beliefs. You can lead entire armies!" Plagueis replies strongly, golden eyes passionately brightening, a cackle making itself known, and chills immediately filling the chambers, chills that may have made his younger self shiver - and even now he feels a momentarily shiver in the deepest of his spine but he doesn't allow it to show.
A stronger part than expected part of Vader craves this exact thing, sensing the truth in the words of the Muun Sith Lord and that he is seeking to abolish the rule of two. He craves leading armies of soldiers and mowing down rivals and threats, to start a new Order anew not a Sith nor a Jedi Order but an Order that isn't of any. Perhaps it is the individual within him that wouldn't be a tool.
Darth Vader comprehends over the option that others would have considered a once in a lifetime, thinking about the difference between Darth Sidious and Darth Plagueis, both who has their similarities in seeking to overthrow the Republic but also wishing different ambitions. The former is nothing but a master of manipulation, extremely powerful, arguably the most powerful Sith in the galaxy, but blinded to the flaws of the old Sith. The latter, on the other hand, is an individual of action, someone who is well and whole-heartedly knows the risk of manipulation, and prefers to build projects, admitting the flaws of the old Sith and wishing to abolish those flaws.
Aligning with the Muun Sith Lord is an interesting offer, however, under no circumstances would he ever work with the man who ruined his life even if he agrees to this offer. He would kill him sooner instead of ever allowing such a man to roam the galaxy and spread his influence.
"And you willing to work alongside with me even though I touch the light side as much as I embrace the dark?" Vader inquires, arching one eyebrow at the Muun with a slight head tilt.
Plagueis's mood didn't dampened surprisingly, "Not when I sense the light side give you strength as much as the dark side give you power. Balance will only be attainable with the death of the Jedi, the Sith of old, not the light nor dark. I am willing to allow the light to continue throughout the galaxy, but only through your teachings and your visibility. You have seen what I have experienced, Darth Vader, that the Jedi and Sith of old must be destroyed for a new age to begin. The light side is not the Jedi as much as the dark side is not the Sith. You will be free to do what you wish and I will not oppose it as long as it doesn't harm our Empire of course."
For the first time in a long time, Darth Vader is shocked and silent. Each word the Muun is speaking is truthful. He can sense it through the Force. He is willing to allow the light to plague the galaxy along with the dark, willing to allow Vader to teach others in both sides of the Force, though there is a slight twist from Vader's original plan since in return the Muun wishes to make the galaxy stronger and rule indefinitely with no one being able to oppose them.
In a way, joining with Plagueis would save the galaxy but cause a new though albeit perhaps a better Empire to rise. Truth be spoken, he would need allies to stop Palpatine, and perhaps Palpatine's own Sith Master can be an ally in which Vader can return the favor since there would be repercussions of Palpatine's death. Not to mention, Vader would need allies of both sides, meaning both Jedi and Sith.
"I will consider your offer..."
Vader frowns. Yet, there is one minor obstacle to why he just doesn't ally with the Muun.
"But I have a warning, Darth Plagueis..."
The chamber has the look of an arena, circular and massive, with doors opening off exterior rampways at various levels above the main floor. At the center of the chamber a tall, slender column supports the Supreme Chancellor's platform, a broad, semi-enclosed area that allows Valorum, who is already present, to sit or stand as he chose in the company of his vice-chair and staff. All around the smooth interior walls of the arena, Senate boxes jut from hangar bays off entry doors, some fixed in place while their senators confer with staff and visitors, others floating just off their moorings. When a senator requests permission to speak and is recognized by the chair, his box will float to the center of the arena, close to the Supreme Chancellor's podium, where it remained until the speech was concluded.
Anakin picks up on all this in a matter of seconds, trailing the Queen and Palpatine to the entry doors opening onto the Naboo Senate box, which sits waiting at its docking. Banners and curtains hang from the rounded ceiling in brilliant streamers, and indirect lighting glows softly from every corner, brightening the rotunda's cavernous interior. Droids bustle along the exterior rampways, carrying messages from one delegation to the next, the movement of their metal bodies giving the chamber the look of a complex piece of machinery.
As for Vader, this feels like those times when he has to sit in these useless Senate meetings with his former Master. Thousands are being enslaved and killed, and they are debating this. Why not just send a blasted strike team and end the occupation? Or why not form their patrol forces and dispatch them to Naboo? There are so many bloody options.
"If the Federation moves to defer the motion, Your Majesty," Senator Palpatine is saying to the Queen, his head bent close, his voice low and insistent, "I beg of you to ask for a resolution to end this session and call for the election of a new supreme chancellor."
Amidala did not look at him, continuing to advance toward the Naboo box. "I wish I had your confidence in this proposal, Senator," she replies quickly.
"You must force a new election for supreme chancellor," Palpatine presses. "I promise you there are many who will support us. It is our best chance." He glances toward the podium and Valorum. "Our only chance."
A murmur rises from the assembled as they catch sight of Amidala standing at the entry to the Naboo box, robes of office flowing out behind her, head erect, face calm. If she hears the change in the tenor of the level of conversation around her, she gives no sign. Her eyes shift momentarily to Palpatine.
"You truly believe Chancellor Valorum will not bring our motion to a vote?" she asks quietly.
Palpatine shakes his head, his high brow furrowing. "He is distracted. He is afraid. He will be of no help."
Vader sneers at him, feeling the urge, even after all of these years, to obliterate his neck. His victory is adding salt to the wound, but he knows that it is impossible to prevent it; in the end, when Vader or the Anakin Skywalker of this time obliterates his throat, it would be worth it.
Rabé hands a small metal viewscreen to Anakin and Jar Jar and wants to give one to Shmi but she politely turns it down and the handmaiden motions for them to wait where they were. Stepping into the Senate box with Palpatine, Amidala is joined by her handmaidens and Panaka. Anakin is disappointed at not being included, but grateful when he discovers that the viewscreen Rabé provides allows him to see and hear what is happening in the Naboo box.
"She's going to ask the Senate for help, Jar Jar," he whispers, leaning over excitedly. "What do you think?"
The Gungan wrinkles up his billed mouth and shakes his floppy-eared head. "Me think dis bombad, Annie. Too many peoples to be agreeing on da one thing."
The Naboo box detaches from its docking and floats a short distance toward the supreme chancellor's podium, waiting for permission to advance all the way. Palpatine, Vader, Amidala, and the rest of the occupants are seated now, facing forward.
Valorum nods his short-cropped white head in the direction of Palpatine. "The chair recognizes the Senator from the sovereign system of Naboo."
The Naboo box glides to the center of the arena, and Palpatine rises to his feet, taking in the assemblage with a slow sweeping gaze that draws all eyes toward him.
"Supreme Chancellor, delegates of the Senate," his voice booms, quieting the chamber. "A tragedy has occurred on my homeworld of Naboo. We have become caught up in a dispute, one of which you are all well aware. It began with a taxation of trade routes and has evolved into an oppressive and lawless occupation of a peaceful world. The Trade Federation bears responsibility for this injustice and must be made to answer..."
A second box is rushing forward by now, this one bearing the markings of the Trade Federation and occupied by the Federation's senator, Lott Dod, and a handful of trade barons in attendance.
"This is outrageous!" the Trade Federation senator thunders, gesturing toward the podium and Valorum. A lean, wizened Neimoidian, looms out of the low-railed box like a willowy tree. "I object to Senator Palpatine's ridiculous assertions and ask that he be silenced at once!"
Valorum's white head swivels briefly in Lott Dod's direction and one hand lifts. "The chair does not recognize the senator from the Trade Federation at this time." The Supreme Chancellor's voice is soft but steady. "Return to your station."
Lott Dod looks as if he might say something more, but then he lowers himself back into his seat as his box slowly retreats.
"To state our allegations in full," Palpatine continues, "I present Queen Amidala, the recently elected ruler of the Naboo, to speak on our behalf."
He steps aside, and Amidala rises to a light scattering of applause. Moving to the front of the box, she faces Valorum. "Honorable representatives of the Republic, distinguished delegates, and Supreme Chancellor Valorum. I come to you under the gravest of circumstances. In repudiation and violation of the laws of the Republic, the Naboo have been invaded and subjugated by force by droid armies of the Trade Federation-"
Lott Dod is on his feet again, voice raised angrily. "I object! This is nonsense! Where is the proof?" He did not wait for recognition as he turned to the chamber at large. "I recommend a commission be sent to Naboo to ascertain the truth of these allegations."
Valorum shakes his head. "Overruled."
Lott Dod sighs heavily and throws up his hands as if with that single word his life becomes hopeless. "Your Honor, you cannot allow us to be condemned without granting our request for an impartial observation. It is against all the rules of the procedure! "
He scans the chamber for help, and there is a murmur of agreement from the delegates. A third box glides forward to join those of Naboo and the Trade Federation. The chair recognizes Aks Moe, the Senator from the planet of Malastare.
Stocky and slow-moving, his three eyestalks waving gently, Aks Moe put the thick, heavy pads of his hands on his hips. "The senator from Malastare concurs with the honorable delegate from the Trade Federation." His voice is thick and gnarly. "A commission, once requested, must be appointed, where there is a dispute of the sort we have encountered here. It is the law."
Valorum hesitates. "The point is..."
He trails off uncertainly, leaves the sentence unfinished, and turns to confer with his vice-chair, identifying on the printed register as Mas Amedda. Amedda is of a species Anakin never encountered before, human in form, but with a head swollen by a pillow of cushioning tissue narrowing into a pair of tentacles that droops over either shoulder and feelers that juts from above the forehead. Together with their aides, the chair and vice-chair engage in a hurried discussion. Anakin, Shmi, and Jar Jar exchange worried glances as Palpatine's voice reaches them through the handheld viewscreen's tiny speaker.
"Enter the bureaucrats, the true rulers of the Republic, and on the payroll of the Trade Federation, I might add," he whispers to the Queen. Anakin sees their heads bending close. Palpatine's tone is heavy. "This is where Chancellor Valorum's strength will disappear."
Valorum moves back to the podium, a worn look on his face. "The point is conceded. Section 523A takes precedence here." He nods in the direction of the Naboo box. "Queen Amidala of the Naboo, will you defer your motion in order to allow a Senate commission to explore the validity of your accusations?"
Anakin can see the Queen stiffen in surprise, and when she speaks, her voice is edge with anger and determination. "I will not defer," she declares, eyes lock on Valorum. "I have come before you to resolve this attack on Naboo sovereignty now. I was not elected Queen to watch my people suffer and die while you discuss this invasion in committee. If the chancellor is not capable of action, I suggest new leadership is needed." She pauses. "I move for a vote of no confidence in the Supreme Chancellor."
Voices rise immediately in response, some in support, some in protest. Senators and spectators alike come to their feet, loud mutterings quickly building to shouts that echo through the cavernous chamber. Valorum stands speechless at the podium, stunned and disbelieving. He stares at Amidala, his face etched in sudden shock as the impact of her words registers. Amidala faces him boldly, waiting.
There is no sympathy nor pity for the man but a deep understanding for the Chancellor; he knows that Valorum is horribly being manipulated by Sidious. Sidious draws Valorum into a corner and, either way, Valorum will be walking into his executioner. There is no way no one will trust him after apparently not doing anything on this invasion.
Vader is not above giving it to Palpatine that his plan is impressively crafted and that the man is a genius. He manipulated one of the strongest people in the galaxy, Padmé. He manipulated this entire band of Senators. He manipulated everyone he had ever known, including an intelligent Jedi such as Dooku.
Mas Amedda moves in front of Valorum, taking charge of the podium. "Order!" he bellows, his strange head swelling. "We shall have order!"
The assembly quiets then, and the delegates reseat themselves, responding to Amedda's command. Anakin notes that the Trade Federation box maneuvers into position close beside the Naboo box. Lott Dod exchanges a quick glance with Palpatine, but neither speaks.
A new box floats to the center of the chamber, and the vice-chair recognizes Edcel Bar Gan, the Senator from Roona. "Roona seconds the motion for a vote of no confidence in Chancellor Valorum," Bar Gan intones in a sibilant. voice.
Mas Amedda did not look pleased. "The motion has been seconded."
He turns now to Valorum, speaking quickly to him, keeping his voice low and his words hidden behind his hand. Valorum looks at him uncomprehendingly, eyes distant and lost.
"There must be no delays," Aks Moe of Malastare declares in a loud voice, drawing Mas Amedda's attention back to him. "The motion is on the floor and must be voted on at once."
Lott Dod is back on his feet. "I move the motion be sent to the procedures committee for further study-"
The Republic Senate erupts anew, chanting loudly, "Vote now! Vote now!" Mas Amedda is deep in discussion with Supreme Chancellor Valorum, hands on his shoulders as if to bring him back from wherever he'd gone by sheer force of determination.
"You see, Your Majesty, the tide is with us," Anakin and Vader hear Palpatine announce quietly to the Queen. The boy's eyes drop to the viewscreen while Vader glares at Palpatine, his golden-orange eyes piercing through him. "Valorum will be voted out, I assure you, and they will elect a new chancellor, a strong chancellor, one who will not let our tragedy be ignored..."
Mas Amedda is back at the podium, addressing the chamber. "The supreme chancellor requests a recess."
Shouts rise from the delegates, echoing across the chamber in waves as Valorum stares at Senator Palpatine and Queen Amidala, and even from where he stands watching now at the entry doors to the Naboo box, Anakin Skywalker and Vader can discern the look of betrayal registers on the Supreme Chancellor's anguished face.
Less than an hour later, Anakin bursts through the open doors of the Queen's antechamber in search of Padmé and finds himself face-to-face with Vader instead.
Anakin isn't certain what to make of Darth Vader. Something about the man is so wizard. He feels a strange amount of safety in his presence, no matter how everyone tenses up at Vader's mere arrival.
So when he bumps into the man, Anakin again feels slightly awkward, saying with childhood innocence. "Mr. Vader."
"Skywalker, why are you not with your mother?" Vader questions, though nothing about his tone sounds reprimanding.
"The Jedi Council summoned my presence," Anakin replies before jumping up and down eagerly. "Can't you believe it, Mr. Vader?! I'm going to be a Jedi!
"Are you?" Vader questions rhetorically, and Anakin, for some strange reason feels as if the older man is amused, though his gaze does suggest otherwise.
"I came here to see Padmé," Anakin says, his expression softening upon Vader's stern gaze, "I want to tell her how I'm going to become a Jedi and that I want to say goodbye."
Vader plants his hand on his shoulder, replying. "I would see that she receives your message, Skywalker. It is only right."
Anakin smiles. "Thank you!" The urge in his stomach to leap toward Vader and wrap his arms around him is too much to resist, wrapping his arms around his legs before sprinting himself out.
Behind him, Vader stiffens. Didn't he just allow a younger version of himself, someone who he considers a different person from himself, to embrace him?
'How could the galaxy have been turned upside down like this?'
Suffice to say, Padmé feels as if hope is plummeting for Naboo. The Republic appears not to care for her planet, and she feels as if hope for Naboo to survive is going to plummet.
"Your Highness," Captain Panaka greets, barely able to contain his excitement as both men bow quickly and straighten. "Senator Palpatine has been nominated to succeed Valorum as supreme chancellor!"
Palpatine's smile is contained and deferential, and his voice carefully modulated as he speaks. "A surprise to be sure but a welcome one. I promise, Your Majesty if I am elected, I will restore democracy to the Republic. I will put an end to the corruption that has plagued the Senate. The Trade Federation will lose its influence over the bureaucrats, and our people will be freed from the tyranny of this unlawful and onerous invasion-"
"Who else has been nominated?" Amidala asks abruptly, cutting him short.
"Bail Antilles of Alderaan and Aks Moe of Malastare," Panaka tells her, avoiding Palpatine's eyes.
The senator is quick to recover from the unexpected interruption of his speech. "Your Majesty, I feel confident that our situation will generate strong support for us when the voting takes place tomorrow." He pauses meaningfully. "I will be chancellor, I promise you."
The Queen did not look impressed. She moves past Jar Jar to the window and stares out at the lights of the city as they brighten with the fading of the sunset. "I fear by the time you have taken control of the bureaucrats, Senator, there will be nothing left of our cities, our people, or our way of life to salvage."
Palpatine looks taken aback. "I understand your concern, Your Majesty. Unfortunately, the Federation has seized possession of our planet. It will be nearly impossible to immediately dislodge them."
"Perhaps." Amidala turns from the window to face him; her eyes are bright with anger and determination. "With the Senate in transition, there is nothing more I can do here." She walks to where he stands with Panaka. "Senator, this is your arena. I must return now to mine. I have decided to go back to Naboo. My place is with my people."
"Go back!" Palpatine is aghast, his pale face stricken. Panaka looks quickly from one to the other. "But, Your Majesty, be realistic! You will be in great danger! They will force you to sign the treaty!"
The Queen is calm and composed. "I will sign no treaty. My fate will be no different from that of my people." She turns to Panaka. "Captain!"
Panaka snaps to attention. "Yes, Your Highness?"
"Ready my ship."
Palpatine steps forward quickly to intercept her. "Please, Your Majesty. Stay here, where it is safe."
Amidala's voice is edged with iron. "No place is safe, if the Senate doesn't condemn this invasion. It is clear to me now that the Republic no longer functions." Her eyes lock on his. "If you win the election, Senator, I know you will do everything possible to stop the Federation. I pray you will find a way to restore sanity and compassion to the Republic. If this Republic will not help me, I know one person that shall."
She moves past him in a smooth, gliding motion and was out the door, her handmaidens and Panaka at her heels. Jar Jar Binks follow, shuffling after as unobtrusively as he could manage, glancing just once at Palpatine in passing.
He is surprised to catch the barest glimpse of a smile on the senator's shrewd face.
In the Temple of the Jedi, Qui-Gon Jinn, Obi-Wan Kenobi, and Anakin Skywalker stand before the Council of twelve. Cluster together at the center of the speaker's platform, they face the circle of chairs in which the members of the Council are seated and awaits their decision on the boy. Outside, the light is pale and wan as twilight replaces sunset, and night begins its slow descent across the city.
"Finished, we are, with our examination of the boy," Yoda advises in his guttural, whispery voice. His eyes are lidded and sleepy, his pointed ears pricked forward. "Correct, you were, Qui-Gon."
Mace Windu nods his concurrence, his dark, smooth face expressionless in the dim light. "His cells contain a very high concentration of midi-chlorians." There is an emphasis on the word very as he spoke.
"The Force is strong in him," Ki-Adi-Mundi agrees.
Qui-Gon feels a rush of satisfaction on hearing the words, a vindication of his insistence on freeing the boy from his life on Tatooine and bringing him here. "He is to be trained, then," he declares in triumph.
There is an uncomfortable silence as the Council members looked from one to the other.
"No," Mace Windu denies quietly. "He will not be trained."
"No?" the Jedi Master repeats in disbelief, shocked almost speechless. He tries hard to ignore the I-told-you-so look on Obi-Wan's young face.
Mace Windu nods, dark eyes steady. "He is too old. There is already too much anger in him. There is also the Sith whose power is nearly as strong as him. He is linked to this Darth Vader."
Qui-Gon is incensed, but he holds himself in check. This decision made no sense. It could not be allowed to stand. "He is the chosen one," he insists vehemently. "You must see it!"
Yoda cocks his round head contemplatively. "Clouded, this boy's future is. Masked by his youth."
Qui-Gon searches the faces of the other members of the Jedi Council, but finds no help, not even from his oldest friends among them. He straightens and nods his acceptance of their decision. "Very well. I will train him then. I take Anakin Skywalker as my Padawan apprentice."
Out of the corner of his eye, he sees Obi-Wan stiffen in shock. He sees, as well, the sudden flicker of hope that crosses Anakin's face. He did not respond to either, keeping his gaze direct toward the Council.
"An apprentice, you already have, Qui-Gon," Yoda points out sharply. "Impossible, to take on a second."
"We forbid it," Mace Windu advises darkly.
"Obi-Wan is ready," Qui-Gon declares.
"I am!" his protege agrees heatedly, trying unsuccessfully to mask his surprise and disappointment in his mentor's unexpected decision. "I am ready to face the trials!"
Yoda's sleepy eyes shift. "Ready so early, are you? What know you of ready?"
Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan exchange quick, hard looks, and the measure of their newfound antagonism is palpable. The breach in their relationship is widening so quickly it can no longer be mapped.
Qui-Gon takes a deep breath and turns back to the Council. "Obi-Wan is headstrong, and he has much to learn still about the living Force, but he is capable. There is little more he will learn from me."
Yoda shakes his wizened face. "Our own counsel we will keep on who is ready, Qui-Gon. More to learn, he has."
"Now is not the time for this," Mace Windu states with finality. "The Senate will vote tomorrow for a new supreme chancellor. Queen Amidala returns home, we are advised, which will put pressure on the Federation and could widen the confrontation. Those responsible will be quick to act on these new events."
"Drawn out of hiding, her attackers will be," Yoda whispers.
"Events are moving too fast for distractions such as this," Ki-Adi-Mundi adds.
Mace Windu takes a quick look at the others sitting on the Council, then turns once more to Qui-Gon. "Go with the Queen to Naboo. That is the clue we need to unravel this mystery."
Yoda's nod is slow and brooked no argument. "Decided later, young Skywalker's fate will be."
Qui-Gon takes a deep breath, filled with frustration and disappointment at the unexpecting turn of events. Anakin will not be trained, even though he just offers to take the boy as his Padawan. Worse, he offends Obi-Wan, not intentionally perhaps, but deeply nevertheless. The rift is not permanent, but it will take time for the younger man's pride to heal-time they could not afford.
He bows his acquiescence to the Council. "I brought Anakin here; he must stay in my charge. He has nowhere else to go."
Mace Windu nods. "He is your ward, Qui-Gon. We do not dispute that."
"But train him not!" Yoda admonishes sharply. "Take him with you, but train him not!"
The words sting, the force behind them unmistakable. Qui-Gon flinches inwardly but says nothing.
"Protect the Queen," Mace Windu adds. "But do not intercede if it comes to war until we have the Senate's approval. We have concerning issues with the Sith and we must act quickly."
Vader is a warrior at heart, a warrior who the Queen may have exploited ideas to help her planet. If the Jedi attempt to neutralize him, they may face another sacking of Coruscant because he can sense through the Force that Darth Vader is a one-man army.
There is a long silence as the members of the Council regard Qui-Gon Jinn gravely. He stands there, trying to think of something more to say, some other argument to offer. Outside, the last of the twilight fades into darkness, and the lights of the city begin to blink on like watchful eyes.
"May the Force be with you," Yoda decides finally, signaling to the Jedi Master that the audience was over. "More concerns have we. The one who refers to himself as Vader walks among us."
His words ring through the Temple, echoing off the walls, down the corridors, and even on top of the Jedi Temple in each of its spires. The Masters and Knights feel their hands reaching down for their lightsabers in caution, suspecting to prepare to fight a rival who must be terminated for peace. The Padawans feel themselves trembling nervously and staring at the Temple's entrance where the Jedi's enemy would be walking up.
Down, at the entrance of the Jedi Temple, Darth Vader reaches the first stair, recalling when he had marched here so many years ago, in a different time. The only difference is that he is now clouded in armor and there are not thousands of men at his back, preparing to slaughter the Jedi. This time, Vader is left alone with only his lightsaber, but the thing is that Vader can defend himself without hesitation. He could dispatch all of the Jedi if he craves to and is ready to defend himself. Casualties would come if a battle comes, but he will not allow the Jedi to execute him as they have done with the pureblood Sith Lord.
Part of him relishes in that; part of him hopes the Jedi would attack him, giving him a reason to defend himself in the eyes of the public. Certainly, he wouldn't slaughter children but there are a few named Jedi who proved to be nuisances in his later life. Despite this slight addiction, Vader will not bait the Jedi. He snorts, to think he has been one with the Force for years and there is still a veteran and a huge Dark Lord of the Sith's side of him.
Given that the Jedi was destroyed and purged four times altogether by the Sith who is among his lineage, they may be less than welcoming to his presence and herd their Order after him. However, Vader shall be prepared; he would take arms and combat the entirety of the Jedi Order to self-defense himself. In the waning hours of the Clone Wars, Windu and three others attempted to arrest or assassinate the Chancellor for being a Sith Lord, and despite him despising that manipulator to no end, he is ready to defend himself should they attempt the same to him.
Vader's emotions are undomesticated. The last time he has been in this place was when he had led the attack against the Jedi Temple, slaughtering the innocent Jedi that were safe in the Temple. It was when he'd led the 501st Legion into this palace. When he had started the Jedi Purge. When he had led Operation Knightfall...
Yet now, Vader feels foreboding and slight pain coming from them since his power was experienced and sending shockwaves. However, the Jedi around him did not catch Vader's sight; instead, it is how the Temple was still intact and beautiful, not carrying the burden of long-dead Jedi and the echoes of his lightsaber among many others slaying them and the blaster fire by the clones.
The Jedi Temple wasn't destroyed after his assault on the Temple at least not permanently; it was just... different, it echoes fully of the dead who'd died to their trusted companions and him. Sidious was gleeful at the echoes, accepting them and nearly mocking them, but Darth Vader felt like a fool for trusting the Sith Emperor easily and not thinking through his actions.
It is a question that always lingered within his mind even after he more or less came to terms with his turn to the dark side: Why would a Sith who threatened the same woman who he loves so much would want to save her?
Thoughts of Padmé quickly evaporated. Five years after the Raid on the Jedi Temple, the Temple had been rebuilt into the Imperial Palace, the place where the Emperor would spend the majority of his time. The only thing left of the temple was the exterior, the courtyard outside large enough to house Victory or Venator class ships. This thing was massive and was thought to be one of the largest buildings on the entire clusterfuck that was Coruscant.
The interior had everything that even remotely resembled the old Jedi Order taken away, the ornery that had decorated large parts of the temple taken down and the walls left bare save for Imperial flags and banners, a common theme throughout the Empire.
The central spire, at one time the meeting place of the Jedi Council, in the future was the Emperor's main hub. It was from here that he would conduct the day-to-day business of running the Empire as well as receive important people summoned by the Emperor and granted an audience.
The four other spires were left as they were to serve the Empire, each displaying holographic maps of different areas of the galaxy for the Emperor to monitor issues plaguing the Empire.
Vader loathes the ancient Temple because it is another reminder of his deepest regrets of ever joining that man and allowing him to turn into the Emperor while the Sith Lord had nothing at the end; the little of his loved ones were gone, his mother was dead, and Vader thought he had killed his wife and children in strangling her on Mustafar.
Originally, Vader wanted to seize his power, assume control, and destroy anyone who had gotten in his way and find his former Master to destroy him, however, the Darth Vader he was before... in the suit, was dead, and a new Darth Vader has taken his place. He'll accept both sides and not allow a foundation of corruption and foolishness to make an impact on his choices and directions.
Not too surprisingly, there are two Temple Guards are standing in front of him, obviously ready if he attacks, and their weapons at arms' length. Vader finds this unnecessary force pathetic for two reasons; as if they could fight him even alone, and the fact that they are utilizing unnecessary force.
Vader didn't acknowledge them and simply walks in. He can sense all in the Temple, including them, have already made their own judgment of him so he rather not converses with them, for it will only end in hostilities. He knows the Jedi can't legally do anything against him because he has the Queen of Naboo's protection.
Many of the people who are walking these halls were the ones who Vader or the clones slaughtered, each of them being under the control of Palpatine. However, Vader can't help but feel that their destruction was partly the Jedi Council's fault for their arrogance and ignorance in not seeing Palpatine as gaining too much power. It isn't what they did to him but what they allowed themselves to become; emotionless warriors trapped by codes and rules, losing sight of their original goal.
Long ago, the Temple was home to him, almost being a source of comfort and giving him hope for a brighter horizon. Yet, Vader now feels like he'd never belonged here, that his destiny was shaped elsewhere. Even if it was calmer and full of life instead of the bloodshed that came with the Clone Wars, the former Sith Lord still feels like his destiny is not morphed here. The Jedi Council had contributed to his fall, which causes slight harsh feelings between him and the Jedi. Though, in the end, Vader knows he is the only person to blame for his actions; he was the one who chose to fall.
Vader wonders if the Jedi ever stop and think about the possibility of their children falling into the violent nature of the dark side without even attempting to understand it.
Shame, he muses. The galaxy relies on these beings who only involve themselves if the dark side of the Force dares to make itself known in the hope to destroy it as if it is a poison that cannot be controlled.
These cold peacekeepers claim to love the Republic, but it is against their code to love. Jedi isn't allowed to love. Thinking about it, how can the Jedi claim to keep the peace, claim they are compassionate without any love in their hearts?
They are utter hypocrites. He knows that in his time as Anakin Skywalker, but he was too invested in their Code to leave like his former Padawan, someone who is stronger than him in terms of free will.
But now, he is free from their codes and protocols; free from the chains of the Jedi and Sith, and a greater person than he was before.
Thoughts of words long ago echo in his head, 'Death is a natural part of life. Rejoice for those around you who transform into the Force. Mourn them, do not. Miss them, do not. Attachment leads to jealousy. The shadow of greed, that is.'
Part of Vader can't help but scowl at those words that the Grandmaster of the Jedi Order dares to call advice. How can someone suspect saying such things to a fearful young man who just doesn't want to lose a loved one and tell him to let go? How can he claim that he is the wise Master among the Order when he tells someone who's struggling with the dark side to just let go when there have been multiple chances where his younger self struggled and was beyond paranoid?
Even Padmé is used to those feelings. Same for Sabé, Rabé, Eirtaé, Yané, Saché. The Queen of Naboo and her handmaidens are better people than he'll ever hope to be. In most of these thoughts, the same is for most of the Jedi within the Temple.
As much as Vader preserves ambitions to bash the Jedi Council and code, berating them and their ways in every way possible, he will not. That disgusting manipulator made him want to obliterate his neck and yet if he does the arrogant members of the Jedi will assume he's the enemy.
As he marches through the halls of the Jedi Temple, he sees the doors of the Council Chambers nearing, immediately remembering when he had walked in here during Operational Knightfall. When he had killed all of those younglings...
Force, they've trusted him and he had slaughtered them all without hesitation! Perhaps he should have died on Mustafar! He had been threatened with things that should have been his death long ago! No, the Jedi nor the Sith can kill him! Not even the Force itself can kill him! Vader just cannot die!
He catches the sight of the Jedi Padawans and Knights eyeing him oddly, tension evident in many of the older ones, the Masters sending him disapproving or confusing scowls.
Younglings stare up nervously at Vader and give him space, afraid to engage with an individual such as his magnitude as all of the Sith have been purged from the face of the galaxy by their ancient brothers and sisters. But here one is, walking down the corridors of the Jedi Temple to hopefully be neutralized by the Jedi Council who would cast their own judgment and be able to stop this being.
Teachers who are still inside of the Temple stop lecturing their classes as more Jedi of all ages come out to see the ancient presence for themselves, to see who was the one who had single-handedly caught the Jedi Order off-guard, only to see a man who is wearing a hood that conceals his face and his lightsaber-still clip to his belt. They suspect a Sith walking, lightsaber activated, and slaughtering through all to make his way to the Council. They suspect one adorning the robes of the Sith due to their history lessons, charging up to them and persuading who would run. Some of those who have more of an image even suspect an army standing behind him with either blasters or lightsabers consisting of crimsons and mowing down Jedi.
Instead, this man is alone, boldly striding through the Jedi Temple without an ounce of fear, despite hundreds no thousands of Jedi residing within the Jedi Temple, lightsabers on their belts. Is this Sith immensely powerful to slaughter them all single-handedly or is he outright just stupid to oppose the Jedi?
The babies within the Temple, ones who are strong with the Force and taken have a mixture of emotions; some are sobbing at the overwhelming darkness, and others are cooing at the light.
The Jedi begins reaching deep into the Force to see who he is, only to come back with someone who perfectly co-exists in the Force, alignment is still unknown, even inside of their ancient home.
The darkness within him is controlled and the light within him surprisingly is swelling around his being. Never before did all of the Jedi in the Temple heard about their enemies using the light in their ancient religion except a few that had been purged from the known galaxy. The archives within the Jedi Temple have claimed they had known about the Sith, known that they were butchers and murderers who care about nothing but their own ambition and the luring calls of the dark side.
Sith knowledge is forbidden by the Jedi. The Sith are monsters and that is why each of the Sith Holocrons collected by the Jedi has been destroyed entirely and the few that remained are deep in their Vault within the Jedi Temple and accessible to only Jedi Council Masters. If a Padawan is to question the Anti-Sith teachings, they would find themselves undergoing re-education endlessly until they have fallen into line and sees the way many of their fellow Jedi do.
Even despite all of this, there are many of those who are interested in learning more about the Sith and the dark side, something that is frowned upon by the members of the Jedi Council and the other Masters within the Temple. Still, those curious Knights and Padawans attempt to make a signature of who many believe is their ancient enemy, only to meet with the Force itself swelling around his being, causing them to rethink all they have been taught about the dark side and part of them wonder if there is a way where they can learn this balance.
The tainted presence of what many had felt caused Padawans and even Knights and Masters unasked questions to be asked. What is this? How does the Sith touch the light? Why shouldn't they attack the Sith? Are they more? What would happen to this Sith? No one would ask the questions they have for him.
Bold younglings share glimpses at each other about Vader and begin whispering among themselves in fear while the younger and fearful ones begin to crowd themselves behind their Master's robes, feeling protected by their mentors and teachers. None dares to follow him though. A few Masters ensure they return to classes while the others stare intensely at his back and front, assuring Vader doesn't get any ideas but he still refuses to acknowledge them as he turns down another corridor.
Honestly, it makes him more amused than anything. Vader can defeat all of the Jedi because a large proportion of this is Jedi who he slew himself during the raid on the Jedi Temple or after Order 66; he knows that, but right now, he has plans to save Naboo from the forces of the Trade Federation and conceive of methods to stop his former Sith Master once and for all.
Not to mention, he has years of training and battle at his back, knowing every lightsaber form. The only ones he would have to be careful of are Master Windu and Master Yoda.
He doesn't have time for these people thinking they know everything when they had failed the galaxy before. Attempts to destroy the darkness within him would be fatigued.
The Temple Guards stand in front of him at the Council Chambers, not aiming their lightsabers threateningly, but watching him closely. There is no catching the glares and untrusted looks of the Jedi who had walked by. Vader didn't respond to them. He rose above pitiful bantering and insults. All he did is cross his arms across his chest and scowl, unimpressed... he isn't abiding to listen to their mistreatment of him anymore.
To believe, he once listened to this Council, the same Council who had allowed their arrogance to blind them from reality, especially later in the war. But he can see how flawed the Jedi is before the war. Part of Vader wonders why he is willing to go before the Council who may attempt to arrest him for who they believe his status is, but he is full of boldness; he will not coward behind a transmission of any type or avoid his confrontation with the Jedi Council when it is bound to occur anyway.
Unbeknownst to the Jedi, he begins reaching out with the Force, hearing the sounds of walking through the Temple, hearing the sounds of Jedi's reactions allowing him in the Temple, hearing the sounds of thousands of years of teachings, the walls themselves presenting the Jedi's fallen brethren.
And finally, he manages to reach the conversation within the Council Chambers.
Sometimes, the man himself doesn't know why he meditates frequently.
Passion can be any emotion, from anger, to hate, to love, to want, to your own ambitions, and your own furthering of your goals.
Darth Bane, the Sith Lord who implemented the Rule of Two, drew inwardly on not only his own pain, or his own rage, but from a sort of inner fire, or drive to be better than others. To become the most powerful. One may see that it is expressed as anger toward others, or hatred for those individuals. Whoever one sees that they are using their emotions in general.
Darth Vader, when he fought, focused the Force inward and fought as a cold, calculating machine. Using the Force to bolster his strength and focus. Revan was a conduit for both the dark and the light and had the energy flow within him. Even while imprisoned, he still focused on the aspects of the Force, and how it is an energy. Emotions are a source of energy that the Sith can harness, whereas the Jedi focus on control over their emotions, because of the overwhelming nature that emotion brings to reason.
When Sith meditate, they are focusing their emotions. Bringing them to a boil, gathering them to be able to unleash them, or harnessing them to enhance themselves. The Sith gathers the Force just like a Jedi does. It is just a different aspect of the Force.
This is a new form of meditation; he calls off both the light and darkness. Right now, he wishes he had his meditation chambers as he doesn't trust the Jedi. He won't be surprised if they impale him in the back - or attempt to.
"The Council will see you now," one of the Temple Guards declares just as the boy, his Master from another time, and the Jedi Master walk out, cutting his thoughts short and causing him to stand up, him locking eyes with Jinn who has a hard edge to his countenance, Kenobi whose outrage at his Master evident, and Skywalker whose evidently depressed. He tilts his head in the boy's direction as the former slave stares up at him, sending calming energies to him through the Force that causes the boy to crack a smile. They must have been urged to confront him before he had been able to escape.
Vader walks in front of the Jedi Council, flanked by two Temple Guards. He is not in binders, but he certainly feels like he is. He knows the Jedi Council cannot hold him because utterly he has committed no crime or he would be in shambles which is why he is not cuffed. This still reminds him of another time-another place where his former Padawan is standing trial before the Council and them cruelly expelling her for the Republic and a biased court.
The thing is unlike what the Order had thought his former apprentice did, he has broken no law. The original Sith bill was crafted to outlaw the Sith Order, and the approval of the legislation resulted in the Galactic Republic's banning of the Sith religion, its teachings, and all affiliated organizations from the galaxy is gone at this point because the Sith has been... purged for a millennium so that sentiment falls to flat. There is also little evidence of him being a Sith and anyone can acquire a crimson lightsaber on the black market from ancient Sith history.
Besides, would the Republic even care about his presence? He had rescued key people in a world that is suffering instead of siding with the Trade Federation and capturing them or allowing them to die.
Standing in front of the Council, Vader stares at them with bold cerulean eyes, looks they return as they scan Darth Vader, expecting to find someone who bore the Sith armor that many Sith infamously wore, but instead, he is wearing strange armor, the light and darkness surrounding him.
He is not intimidated by their outright attempted oppression of him. Undoubtedly, they believe they can take him if either side begins a confrontation.
The Council stares up at who most if not all of them believe is the enemy of the Jedi, their piercing stares boring into him, and this immediately places Vader's senses on high alert. He would analyze closely and assure they do not attempt to eliminate him, keeping his foresight on Master Windu and Master Yoda, the highest treats.
He glares at the Temple Guards, and Master Windu nods, dismissing the Temple Guards as part of the deal.
It is time for the Jedi to learn a lesson, not a lesson physically but verbally.
"Let's have a talk, Jedi."
One can faintly hear a pen drop.