Chapter 13
"You have failed me, Maul!" Darth Sidious hisses as another torrent of electricity blasts into his apprentice, crashing fully into him and forcing the Zabrak to scream in agony that echoes through the chambers, adding to the Dark Lord's pleasure.
"Please Master!" Darth Maul exclaims as the lightning courses through his body, his body sensitive due to the endless tortures he has endured endlessly and mercilessly since his arrival on Coruscant.
Sidious is beyond furious at his apprentice's failure, feeling as if he wasted his training with this animal who failed in not only separating the Jedi and disposing of them but also defying his orders and doing combat with the traitor of the Sith that he now knows goes by the name of Darth Vader. The Queen should be in the hands of the Trade Federation! He has built the Zabrak into being a hunter, including elements of stealth, but he has failed him in not evading Vader and sneaking to the transport of the Queen.
Sidious is reduced to roping his failure of an apprentice by entrapping him in a chamber and allowing turrets of lightning to crash brutally and completely into his body, frying him completely. Once he was done, the Sith Lord arranged for his special droid assassins to stretch his body to the point where bone started to show, leaving the Zabrak bloody and in much agony. After, he assured his apprentice receive endless beatings that would teach him the price of failure. After, he placed him in a Bacta Tank, allowing him to recover from his injuries, but also programming a technique that would allow pain to course through his nervous system.
This would only increase his hate and anger for everyone, including the Jedi and Darth Vader which would only increase his motivation toward the dark side, causing him to release his fury against Kenobi and Jinn, not daring to confront Vader again after what happened on Tatooine and the price of insubordination.
After the battle of Naboo where the Queen will be dealt with, he would have to ensure the disposal of his Sith Apprentice, for the animal has risked their plans greatly and confirmed the return of the Sith, given Vader collected the Zabrak's lightsaber and there is a high possibility that he will turn it into the Jedi Council - seeing that he is allying with Jedi now, meaning the Jedi would investigate into the return of the Sith and that means their plans would have a chance of being forfeited. Sidious only proclaimed Maul as an assassin is because to mask the secret of having an official Sith Apprentice because Sidious' has his own Master, though, for quite some time, he has thought about arranging a transformation into the leader of the Sith.
Now, Sidious can see that Maul is a brute and an animal, worthless of the title of Sith Lord, that being proven at failing even such a pity task in capturing a mere Queen who has no real guards that can stand a chance against a true Sith Lord and kill that foolish Jedi Master and arrogant young Padawan. His apprentice had the capability of evading this Darth Vader, could have used his security droids to distract the traitor while he could have killed the Jedi despite how they would fail and be cut down by Vader. But no, he chooses to be foolish despite the shockwave Vader sent through the Force and chooses to oppose him like an idiot instead of thinking strategically.
"Weak, pitiful," Sidious growls as he ends his electricity torture on the Zabrak, pacing the failure of a student with a deep scowl across his cold and cruel lips. "I have wasted my potential on you, Maul. Until you prove yourself to be worthy, you shall be stripped of the title of the Sith Apprentice and Assassin as you have disgraced the Sith name and disregarded my orders. Your body shall be rebuilt again and you shall go to Naboo. I will spare you and not claim your head, Assassin. Fail me again and I assure you the consequences will be dire."
Darth Sidious, the most powerful Sith in millennia, have a brutally low tolerance for failure. Maul's tutelage under Sidious is brutal and often painful. It is cold and unforgiving, wrathful, each failure ending in consequence.
The battered Zabrak's body is recovered as he is taken to a medical bay to be rebuilt. Sidious shall see to his rebuilding is slow and painful, filling him with agony and greater rage. It would motivate him not to fail him again and to exploit that rage against Kenobi and Jinn.
Now he has other issues concerning Vader...
If looks can kill, Vader is certain he would be vaporized into pieces by the piercing stares of the Jedi. He can sense the urges greater than ever to lash out and strike him down or to imprison him thus why he is keeping his awareness up at all times. He is in the home of the Jedi, his Force Presence hammering through their hold, and undoubtedly, they wish to destroy the darkness attach to him.
They believe him a Sith, and Vader is annoyed at the negative emotions illuminated by the Jedi Council. There is no changing their judgment and what they think of him. He knows this because these hypocrites are the same ones who expelled his Padawan unjustly for a corrupted Republic two decades and two years later ago in his time. Given that they are not yet completely blinded by the war, they appear to be lighter, but Vader can see through the deception; the dark side is slowly rising from underneath their Temple and within the Senate.
The Jedi Council of this period would always have a negative taste in his mouth. Cases like Ahsoka Tano and Barriss Offee occurred because the Council is too corrupt and arrogant, and while the corruption hasn't spiraled yet to the point it did in the Clone Wars, Vader would not hesitate to call them out for the faults of the past.
Vader is his kindest around Padmé and her handmaidens, strictly professional around Kenobi and Jinn, but he just abominates the Jedi Order besides a given few to no end. This is a variation of the same Council that has failed the galaxy, became warriors and soldiers, and believed themselves above the galaxy. They would receive no respect or gratitude from him.
Because to most of the galaxy, Dooku was simply a Jedi that went rogue, which made it simpler for Sidious to spread rumors that the Jedi had been the ones to start the war. That the Jedi had done it to gain control over the Republic.
Their secretive way of doing things also did not help. Many people in the galaxy spread the idea that the Jedi took children from their homes when in fact the children were taken because they were mistreated or the families themselves gave them away because they had no way to offer them a better future which is a truth and a lie. While they are those civilians who are too ashamed to admit what they had done and sold this false idea that the Jedi had simply come and taken their children away, Vader knows some good parents wanted their raise their children but got them taken away by the Jedi Order.
They knew that big, galaxy-shaking things were happening, but they let themselves continue to operate business-as-usual style, for the most part. Send some Jedi out as generals, and do a cursory investigation into this whole "Sith" thing, but otherwise nothing major. There's never a sense of all-hands-on-deck existential crisis, they just acted like the war was what Jedi were being assigned to these days instead of their usual roles via acting as mediators, scholars, meditating under waterfalls, or whatever.
The biggest part of that is their refusal to weigh in on the political situation. They spotted Palpatine amassing power well before he moved against them, but they didn't do anything about it because of the idea that Jedi do not directly meddle in the affairs of the Senate. While that's not an unreasonable stance to take; the Order didn't want to become the de facto rulers of the Republic, they took it too far.
Ultimately, they failed to recognize that extraordinary times call for extraordinary measures. They labored under rules they'd written for themselves for the good of everyone, and continued to obey those rules even when doing so became harmful. How different would things have gone if the Order opposed Palpatine's political power mongering? Not even with direct action - just making a public declaration that they were concerned about his actions and felt that his extensive emergency powers were inappropriate? The Jedi had a lot of political capital, even if they refused to wield it. Would the Republic have been so gung-ho about crowning him Emperor if the Jedi were public about their misgivings?
Vader is about to release their flaws on them. Kriff their ego.
The Jedi Order's ultimate failure was in being too strict with a code that worshiped something that wasn't strict. The Jedi were unwilling to look past their own beliefs, beliefs they had arbitrarily created, to expand upon themselves and improve both as students of the Force and as protectors of the peace. This is why Jedi who frequently broke the rules and thought beyond the box the Jedi placed around themselves, like Qui-Gon Jinn and Luke Skywalker, were incredibly important. They look beyond what they were told, said "I don't think this is quite right", and found alternate solutions that worked better than what any 'normal' Jedi would have tried.
Their belief that attachments are tools of the Dark Side is incredibly untrue and incredibly harmful. It was Obi-Wan's attachment to Qui-Gon that gave him the strength to overcome Maul. It was Luke's attachment and belief that his father still had good that allowed him to come back from the Dark and become a true Jedi. The simple rigidness of the Jedi Order is its final failing.
In the end, as much as the Jedi are moral, they are beyond hypocritical. They claim there is no emotion, no ignorance, no passion, no chaos, no death; but how ironic that each Jedi were emotional and caring about the Republic and their precious Jedi Order, their ignorance blinding them to the identity of Palpatine, they seek a passion to destroy the Sith, no chaos yet chaos is echoing through the galaxy, and no death yet how many people are dying on Naboo and other planets ignored by the Jedi Order and the Republic?
He can see the Jedi stretch out in a defensive position, prepared to defend themselves at any moment's notice which irks him to no end despite remaining in their seats.
Vader has enough of them pointlessly probing him, attempting to discover who he is. Through the Force, he can sense they already have cast their own judgment on him. "Shall we cut to the chase, Jedi? You believe me a Sith and I sense there is no changing your minds."
"What is your name?" Master Mundi finally asks in the tense atmosphere, breaking the ice silence in the Council Chambers.
"Vader."
"Are you a Jedi or Sith?" Master Windu adds, wanting to get to the question of interest and earning a sharp look of - is that displeasure - from Master Yoda.
An angry snarl escapes Vader, unable to believe the Jedi Council is this horrendous to assume he is one or another. "You don't need to concern yourselves with who I am, where I have come from, or what I wish to do. What happened was the will of the Force."
"The will of the Force?" Mace asks skeptically before continuing to speak with a firm tone. "That is just an excuse. We would be justified to have you permanently confined should we believe if you are a Sith. Furthermore, we find it curious you just so happen to appear and transfer a shockwave through the Force the same day the occupation of Naboo began."
Much to everyone's surprise, Vader let out a loud snicker as he shakes his head, eyes flashing blue in what must be humor underneath the hood. He knows it is a childish gesture and should be beyond embarrassed but the Council's stupidity is beyond hideous to the point where it is laughable.
"We hardly find this case amusing," Eeth Koth says, eyes lingering on who many in the Temple believe is their ancient enemy, demonstrating such disrespect.
Vader rolls his eyes, not at all impressed by any of the Jedi among the Council before he speaks heatedly. He is prepared to release his verbal wrath completely on this whole Council of hypocrites who have failed the galaxy before.
"It is comprehensible that I am not siding against you, Jedi. I had possessed no such intention in killing your fellow Jedi when I had many chances to do just that and have gone far to save them from an uncontrolled animal. Additionally, I don't answer to this Council so don't you dare begin making commands of me, Jedi. Attacking the permanent Guard of the Queen of Naboo and hoping to constrain me is not a wise idea." It sounds like he is taunting them and that irks them - the fact that he is immune to them since he is freely able to go against the ways of the Order, to have one planet leader and the Republic at his side. "To have fallen so far and learned nothing, that is your failing. You still are failing yourselves and the galaxy, bringing total harm against those who you swear to protect, Jedi. You each dare to say you know knowledge when you know nothing and have been openly challenging the will of the Force."
Through the Force, he can sense the Jedi attempting to find out who he is, what he is, and why he harbors personal repugnance and abhorrence at the Order. Each of their results comes up empty.
Even Master Yoda attempting to probe him of his identity is proving to be a failure. He is a complete contradiction to all of their teachings, to all of who they thought any Sith is - but in spite of this, he is obviously not a Jedi. While he has his Force Aura under control and in check like a Jedi which admittedly stuns the Grandmaster of the Jedi Order for the first time in many years since he expects a brute who charges in and wishes to kill all who cross his path, he grasps the dark side as deeply as the Sith, calling off the dark side as deeply as the flames on Burnin Konn, an insidious root deeply implanted inside of him unlike the Grandmaster have ever felt before but it is under control without struggle astonishingly.
"I have been in many battles," Vader continues. "I can assure you that your organization would collapse. Most of those Knights and Masters can hardly even fight a bounty hunter."
"It is not the Jedi way to engage in conflict," Depa counters as neutrally as she can. "We are keepers of the peace, not warriors."
Vader's eyes lock on Master Windu, smirking underneath his mask, prepared to drop a bombshell. "Your Master of the Order is a warrior. I can sense the stain of warriors on him. He prefers a challenge instead of things being handed to him. As well as your incredible combat abilities, he also possesses a rare gift. He has a unique form of Force perception which allows him to see the shatterpoint in situations, beings, and circumstances. These shatterpoints reveal points upon which other things were reliant. Shatterpoints could form links between beings, creatures, planets, or other vessels, and if destroyed or utilized, these shatterpoints could hold the key to averting disaster, sealing fate, winning battles, and fulfilling the very will of the Force itself. In addition to being a legendary warrior and remarkably Force-sensitive, your Master of the Order possesses extensive knowledge of Jedi history and philosophy. You call yourselves nonwarriors but that statement can effortlessly fall flat, considering the Master of this Order has every trait to be one."
The Council is stunned that he knows that Master Windu is powerful in the Force and Vaapad, most of all the man himself, his mouth being opened slightly as he stares at Vader, causing a deep pleasure to burn up within Vader who remembers this particular Jedi Master dislike him. The... individual can sense the stench on the Korun Master.
Vader huffs. Now rethinking back to his time in the Jedi Order, being viewed as an outcast and being bullied and taunted by his fellow classmates for his past and merely his age, enduring their countless lectures about his problems when they were the ones creating the problems in his life, reprimanding him whenever he snapped at those who mistreated him.
A realization comes into thought; why did he stay in the Jedi Order in the previous timeline? Perhaps because Obi-Wan did not imagine his life without them.
"You wouldn't admit it when you are wrong. I must admit I am grateful I have been trained by another or else I would have to rely on this Council of hypocrites. One of your biggest mistakes is taking the flip side of the Sith's mistake. Both belief in altruism as a moral code. The Sith simply turns it around and demands self-sacrifice from everyone else. Because they use aggression and other uncontrollable emotions to augment their power, rather than acting in their own self-interest, they in fact lose themselves. The Jedi make the same mistake, but take it in the opposite direction. You dedicate yourselves to selfless service while denying yourselves, your own desires and needs, including ones of friendship and love. Both rejects, or lose, their selves, instead of seeking self-knowledge which would help you tune into the Force without falling to the dark side. I believe that such a force user, who find such self-knowledge and an understanding of rational selfishness, combined with the empathy of understanding other people's self-interest, would be a more powerful, or at least more effective, Force user."
Yoda who has been sitting quietly in his seat had been watching Vader closely through the force. What he is sensing is disturbing him tremendously as what he could sense thwarted everything that he'd ever been trained. Both the light and the dark side of the Force surround the individual but there is no conflict between the two warring sides. Everything that he'd ever learned about the force told him that the light and dark sides could not coexist, most who touched the darkness succumbed to it, but this Darth Vader appears to defy all those teachings that are spread through the Order.
"What game are you playing? Are you behind this?" Master Windu demands forcibly, giving who he believes is a Sith the sharpest of a glare, knowing that Vader is correct as much as he loathes to admit it. "Are you playing the Queen for a fool and suspecting the Order wouldn't react to your presence?"
Vader can't resist the urge to snort underneath his hood, replying. "Don't be ridiculous, Jedi, many times did opportunities present themselves for me to capture and bring her to Naboo to sign the treaty of the Trade Federation. There are many other Orders out in the galaxy, Jedi, besides yours that bring peace to the galaxy though these other Orders are deep in hiding at risk of their lives being forfeited by the Jedi." Shock registers on the faces of the Jedi. "Yes, Jedi, although most have been driven into exile or are in their twilight years, there are other albeit dying Orders beyond the galaxy who teach far more than you can imagine."
He halts and begins to think about examples from his own timeline. The Jedi are certainly not evil, as some seem to think and although some of their actions and tenets are questionable, they are certainly nowhere near the Sith. Only in the Imperial Age, Palpatine was responsible for the murder of billions of innocents, simply as a means to enforce his will on the galaxy.
On his way to the top, Palpatine engineered a galaxy-wide conflict with an unknown death toll and once his pawns were no longer of use to him, he destroyed them all. It is ridiculous to compare the Jedi and the Sith in that sense. If the Jedi are hypocrites and child-stealers, the Sith are tyrants and mass murderers on a galactic scale.
The problem with the Jedi is that they grew complacent in their power, and then arrogant. Their philosophy, however, has sound foundations even if it seems odd and inhuman to some.
Their idea to forego human emotion is utterly odd until you consider that the Force can be wielded as a weapon, as the Sith are quick to demonstrate. This means that effectively, as a Jedi, one is walking around with a gun in their hands at all times in all cases.
It should come as no surprise, then, that Jedi forbid intimate relationships. Consider how easy it would be to lose control and commit a crime of passion or even lash out in anger during a family quarrel and end up killing a loved one?
Having said those few examples, the Jedi walked right into Sidious's trap. He had studied his enemy well and knew exactly how to subvert them, use their own arrogance against them and, finally, destroy them.
It's time Vader brings not the future but the mistakes the Jedi have already made could be bright in the brighter light. They have made so many mistakes for the past thousands of years, arguably since the era of Revan where the corruption and ineffectiveness that fills their ranks of the time swell out of control. It is despicable how much the Jedi lie and deceive, and claim to be "the guardians of peace and justice." They haven't made any progress since Atris and the Exile over 5000 years ago.
"Above all the Jedi that have in their code "There is no fear, there's only knowledge" you fear the dark side. You completely avoid it. And thus, you know very little about the dark side itself. In turn that makes you vulnerable to the dark side. That's why you begin losing their ability to foresee events in years' time. The dark side feeds on the very events that were happening and also the emotional state of people. And the planet where you have set up their temple is the galactic center of corruption. So, you are surrounded by the dark side from all sides. If the Jedi hadn't neglected their knowledge of the Dark Side, and actually had tried to understand it even if they didn't use it, they would have least sensed something as soon as things began to be set in place to take them out. As it was you willingly blinded yourself to such a degree you can't even sense a Sith that has been right in front of you for years."
He pauses.
"Let's take an example, Jedi, why I believe your code completely makes no sense. Have you ever been extremely angry as to imagine killing someone? Well, a Force user can cover the distance of thought to deed in an instant. In fact, thinking about it is all they have to do to make it happen. You said so yourself many times that a "Jedi must have the deepest commitment, the most serious mind." A Force user is, in effect, a living weapon. And that is why Force-sensitive children were separated from their parents, to be trained in a safe environment where they would pose no danger to themselves and others. Latent Force powers could be even more dangerous in the hands of children, where they might be triggered unwittingly and cause great harm. Did this have unwanted side effects? Did it traumatize children? Quite so, but there was a reasoning behind this and it was not as crazy as it sounds once you consider the implications of ordinary people with a form of superpower."
Admittedly, that staggers the Council as that is true. There have been times where younglings would lash out and the consequences being far direr. The youngling would grow to resent him or herself in spite of endless Jedi training that teaches harmony, echoed by the fact that they have killed an individual at a young inexperienced, and uncontrolled age, the remembrance of their horrible deeds going with them for their entire life.
"We have heard this before. These are biased views! But we train them!" Eeth Koth snaps. "We don't exploit them to the galaxy early!"
"You speak of exploit as if they are weapons and tools for you to utilize," Vader retorts coldly, sensing the Jedi Masters' dislike of him.
"You had saved the Queen of Naboo," Kit Fisto decides to change the subject, for a rare time, frowning which is unnormal, given his frequent cherry disposition if memory serves the former Sith correctly. "The Council finds this odd."
"Odd because I am presumed as a Sith and I managed to waver your Order?" Vader declares in what they say would be authoritative; obviously, this Sith is used to giving orders and them being carried out thoroughly. "This is precisely why I despise the Jedi Order to no end. You believe yourselves the figureheads of the galaxy; you believe you can cleanse the darkness from all who use it; you fail to recognize that there are others who seek different sides of the Force. Evidently, even if I did call myself Sith, I am obviously not an enemy to the Jedi. I had a chance to kill two members of the Jedi Order and were given the opportunity to force the Queen to sign the treaty of the Trade Federation so don't sit in those fancy chairs, presuming you know everything about me when my appearance is ambiguous."
Most of the members of the Jedi Council glares at him, but Vader didn't care. What he finds alluring and laughable is that thousands of generations are also glaring at him for his words, for all of their knowledge for many decades have just been spat on by him. Many past Jedi who has yet to learn the living Force may be walking around in this Temple as if it is still their time. And each of them was flawed and beyond corrupt in their own way.
"We of the Jedi believe the dark side is dangerous," Plo Koon, speaking for the first time, scowls behind his mask as he scans this mysterious being. "Many of our ancestors have been corrupted to the dark side and have created galaxy-long conflicts. The darkness must be cleansed from the face of the galaxy in order for balance to be restored."
"The Jedi philosophy as it exists during the Old Republic and as it exists now is an embodiment of an ideal which every individual member cannot hope to adhere to perfectly, and in their rigidity, the Jedi fail their students. Without experiencing the contrast, as many who experience this might say, and experiencing the dark side in order to understand it and comprehend why it must be avoided, what you end up with are students who are trained in dogma, only ever knowing the light. These are individuals for whom knowledge itself is seen as a threat, for fear that simple learning could result in dissatisfaction with the Jedi, as one can see this same Council and their descendants withholds the archives from you. Not exactly convincing, is it? If a philosophy needs to hide things from its adherents to maintain their loyalty, then, it's inherently flawed.
But it goes beyond that. These same brainwashed youths eventually become Masters, having dedicated their entire lives to the Order. With so much of their life in service to the Jedi, they become even more invested in maintaining the perception that the Order is all right and proper, and they have not been involved in the perpetuation of a flawed system. This is the sort of corruption and hand-waving each of you can see in ancient history with the Masters, who are so terrified of having been the cause of the death of the Order that, in the end, they abandon its tenets entirely in the name of self-preservation, and in the ultimate end even turn on one, trying to blame one for the fall of the Order and keep the guilt away from themselves. Because if they were guilty the Jedi were guilty, and if the Jedi were guilty the Jedi Civil War would have been their fault, and the Jedi would have done much, much more harm than good to this galaxy. That is a reality that you, Jedi of the Order, cannot accept, and this goes back to the failure of their teachings-brainwashing, blind dogma, and a black-and-white worldview. They are taught not to question, and thus when they finally reach an age where they must they reach what are, to them, either unacceptable or baffling conclusions."
"Enough of this; we believe it is right that we know who you are. You are obviously not a Jedi. That means you are a Sith." Ki-Adi-Mundi replies, his voice on thin ice, prepare to defend the Order even if it means he has to lose his life in the process.
"Sophisticated," Vader replies, crossing both hands behind his back.
"We need a better answer than that," the Cerean presses sharply.
Vader sneers underneath his mask, having a personal anger for the Cerean Jedi as he is precisely one major flaw of this Order. Many of the Galactic Marines - rightfully - and himself have a personal grudge against this Cerean Jedi Master, but let's forget about that. Forget about how he flat-out refuses to believe that Count Dooku could be a murderer. Forget about how he definitely voted against Ahsoka Tano in her trial. And forget about how he generally struts around, believing that he is capable of making smart decisions when in reality Mundi is another being problematic with the old Jedi Order. He's argumentatively the worst on the Council and because of his arrogance in not believing reality when the face and cases are right in front of him. Not even one has to be Force Sensitive to see the things Mundi has seen. Windu and Kenobi jump on this quickly, but Mundi is the mandi who brought it up. The resulting conversation leads to Yoda going to Kashyyyk, which means that he is not present when Anakin finds out that Palpatine is a Sith. If Yoda had been on Coruscant and Anakin had been able to confide in him instead of Windu? Everything would have shaken out very differently. It was not to be, however. What about the droid attack on the Wookiees indeed, and what about getting shot in the back on Mygeeto? This Cerean bastard has had it coming since day one, with his smug attitude and smug voice that makes him precisely like a member of the smug Tarkin family. Anakin may have been the shatter point through which the Jedi almost crumbled into dust, but Ki-Adi Mundi threw the rock into the cockpit further than Windu ever did.
Vader sighs in irritation, but the noise he makes comes out as if he is far more exhausted.
"Jedi, I walk both paths. At one point in my long and tiresome life, I walked down the path of the light, though it never suited me best because my life was never full of peace. Once, I have walked down the path of the dark side for many years," which causes members to tense up more - if that is even possible, "but I have returned from the darkness because I realize the errors of my ways."
This didn't exactly please the Jedi Council; some of the Members' hands are inching towards their lightsabers while others like Koon and Fisto watch on and observes. Their motivation in lashing out is powerful, and he can sense them at impatience of ticking time bombs.
"Don't even think about it, Jedi," Vader warns, detecting the threat, "I am here on the terms that I will not attack any of you nor will you attack me, but I also would self-defend myself. If you try to kill me, the possibility of me claiming some of your members' lives are high. In addition, I can't envision the Queen of Naboo, others who survived, and the Galactic Republic would be exactly pleased should you attempt a coup against me, Jedi."
The Masters give him the hardest of glares, knowing that he is right and knowing that they cannot detain him as he has not yet knowingly killed Jedi among their Order like many of the Dark Jedi do.
"Impossible what you say is," Yoda finally speaks, pointing at him with his cane as if he is a student receiving a lecture. "Once you walk down the dark path, forever it will dominate your destiny."
Unimpressed, Vader crosses his arms across his chest, wishing the green toad can see through the arrogance of the Order.
"Really, Grandmaster of the Order?" He refutes hotly, scoffing and arcing his right eyebrow. "As one so attuned to the living Force and having 900 years of training behind his back, I expect you would have seen through your own nativity of yourselves and this Order. Revan, Bastila Shan, and many others have fallen and turned away from the dark side. You believe you know everything about the Jedi and Sith, but unlike you, who all shun the dark side and refuse to read into the arts, I do. You're all so wrapped up in yourselves that you can't see past your own condescension. You preach that only the Sith deal in absolutes, but you each view things in black and white without spotting the bigger picture with the lot of you. Spare me your lectures; I have my own ambitions and goals. I don't listen to this Council who are beyond wrong about the Force and entrap in their own ways to follow a modern stand-view. Spare your lectures for those younglings who you have claimed from their parents, not on me."
The Jedi Council's eyes become razor-sharp. Vader is pointing out their flaws without hesitation and the things they have done in the past, but what is surprising to some is that Vader has verbally cut down Grandmaster Yoda with cold logic.
"Now let's talk about your view on fear, shall we, Jedi?"
"Fear is the path to the dark side," Master Windu replies, giving him a pointed stare.
"Fear is the path to the dark side," Vader repeats, admitting to the fact which stuns the Council. "But fear is a normal sentient trait installed with every sentient. It involves a universal biochemical response as well as a high individual emotional response. Fear alerts us to the presence of danger or the threat of harm, whether that danger is physical or psychological. Without fear within sentients, virtually more than half of the galaxy would be dead."
The Jedi Council cannot find any retort to that statement.
"Let's discuss the anger part of your code. Anger is a natural, though sometimes unwanted or irrational, emotion that everybody experiences from time to time. Anger experts describe the emotion as a primary, natural emotion which has evolved as a way of surviving and protecting yourself from what is considered a wrong-doing."
Again, silence.
"Hate is also a normal emotion. As an emotion, hatred can be short-lived or long-lasting. It can be of low intensity or high intensity. In some cases, hatred can be a learned response from external influences, such as from being abused, mislead, or manipulated, but at the same time, it can be tamed. Thus, your description of the dark side falls flat."
Another silence.
"Suffering can make us more resilient, better able to endure hardships. Just as a muscle, in order to build up, must endure some pain, so our emotions must endure pain in order to strengthen. One of the most significant benefits of suffering is that it breeds deep respect for reality, for what is."
Another silence and Vader smirks. He just tore their beliefs about the dark side completely apart. The Jedi Council in the history of the Jedi rarely found themselves stammering and unable to offer a proper response.
"Only a Sith deals with absolutes," Ki-Adi-Mundi retorts pointedly, deciding to use that instead of admitting the merits. They are far too stuck up to admit the truth.
Vader sighs. "Have we already discussed this, Jedi? Allow me to tell you a truth, that saying only a Sith deal with absolutes is an absolute itself. The thing is, Jedi, that if such a statement was true, you would have all been Sith. It is heavily hypocritical to criticize one and assuming it is not a fact. This shows how the Jedi and Sith in some ways have become very similar, without you taking notice for many years. This is why people are losing faith in your Order each passing day."
Another silence passes, but now Vader waits for their responses, crossing his arms across his chest, waiting for them to respond, pretending to be expected, though they didn't offer a reply so Vader grows fatigued.
"Allow me to give a few examples in your Order's past of your compliancy," Vader replies coldly, not at all amused at the beliefs of the Jedi Council. For a moment, he wanted to slam each Master in the Council Chambers down, to make them realize their arrogance.
"The Jedi for thousands of years are the guardians of the Republic and the Sith were their enemy ergo the Sith were usually enemies of the Republic but that doesn't mean that it is illegal to be a Sith. I'm not defending the actions of the Sith, but I'm saying that this Order should also stand trial if they are going to attempt to act on people who hadn't shown any evidence of the Sith. Remember, the Jedi have done horrible things in the past. During the Great Hyperspace War, the newly formed Sith Empire had waged a military campaign against the Galactic Republic and the Jedi Order in hopes of wiping both of them out. Despite putting up a good fight, the Sith Empire was ultimately defeated and collapsed after the war's end. Supreme Chancellor Pultimo however, was unsatisfied with the results and noticed that there were still surviving remnants of the Sith Empire. The Sith were no longer a threat as their empire lied in ruins and the small fragments had planned no further conflict with the Republic nor the Jedi, but the Chancellor was not willing to let them live and as a result, he deployed the Republic military to Korriban, Ziost, and other Sith Worlds where they systematically slaughtered the remnants of the Sith Empire and the Sith civilization. Without hesitation, the Republic forces went in and slaughtered all of the remaining Sith forces. Many Sith warriors had done suicide attacks to stall off the Republic forces but they only delayed the inevitable as the Republic won, Sith civilization lied in ruins, and the last of the Sith Empire had dissolved as well. Following the Sith Holocaust, the Sith were now too weak to be considered a threat by Pultimo and he was satisfied. All of the Sith worlds were eventually absorbed and annexed into the Galactic Republic and helped grow the galactic government. The wiping out of the pureblood Sith was wrong in every sense. Even though others had threatened the Republic, following Sith pureblood shouldn't have been murdered in such a way and either just stand trial or been left alone."
"It was a necessity that we bring peace to the galaxy," Oppo Rancisis replies with a scowl.
"Our ancestors had to bring an end to the threat of the Republic," Coleman Kcaj replies.
"At the cost of millions of lives, Jedi," Vader replies. "Your ancestors allowed the manslaughter of people and children, Jedi, on the orders of a corrupted Chancellor who seems to have his own ambitions. Some of those who your ancient Order slaughtered weren't Force-sensitive or didn't have a slim connection to the Force."
As much as they wouldn't admit it, he is correct.
"And what about the Padawan Massacre? The Jedi Masters of the planet Taris' Jedi Tower killed their Padawans at a false Knighting ceremony that became known as the Padawan Massacre. The Masters were all members of the Jedi Covenant, a secret faction within the Jedi Order dedicated to keeping watch for and preventing the return of the Sith, and the five comprised the Covenant's First WatchCircle. During the Padawans' final trial, a blind traverse of Taris' hazardous rogue moon, the Masters had shared traumatic and violent Force visions depicting not only their deaths but the destruction of the Jedi Order and the Galactic Republic. Believing that one of their Padawans would be the one to bring about this doom, the Masters made plans to slay them all in a preemptive strike. After the Padawans completed their test and returned to Taris, the Masters scheduled a banquet and a Knighting ceremony—after the banquet, the group retired to the Masters' chambers, supposedly for the Padawans to discover which of them would be Knighted. There, the inquiries of Padawan Shad Jelavan, who felt that something was amiss, forced the Masters to strike quicker than they anticipated. Four of the five Padawans were slain, but the fifth, Zayne Carrick, was able to escape because he arrived late. Framed for the murders, the fugitive Carrick eventually learned the truth of the Padawan Massacre and set out to clear his name. Now one of the most wanted men in the Republic, Carrick investigated the murders, discovering more and more about the Jedi Covenant and its secret operations. Along the way, he encountered the five members of the WatchCircle, and events were put in motion that led to the Masters meeting their ultimate fate. Raana Tey was killed on Taris in the midst of a Mandalorian invasion of the planet—an offensive that was prompted by the Padawan Massacre—and the Feeorin Master Feln was slain by his own tribesmen on his homeworld of Odryn after a violent encounter with Carrick. Their deaths led the Khil seer Xamar to confess the Covenant's secret activities to the Jedi High Council and clear Carrick's name. Both Xamar and the Miraluka Q'Anilia died soon afterward, however, during an insurrection against the Council led by the failed Padawan Haazen. After Haazen was defeated, Lucien Draay, the only survivor of the First WatchCircle, dropped out of sight, and Carrick refused an offer to rejoin the Jedi Order in favor of entering into business with his "accomplice," Marn Hierogryph. So, tell me, Masters, would we wipe out innocent people because of either a vision or for their beliefs?" He concludes.
"The problem with the Jedi Order is not that you individually sight power or influence - that being proven by the two incidents I allocated, but that you did otherwise barbaric things in the name of preventing people from forming attachments. As you pass judgment on me, I am here to pass judgment on you all. You kidnap children to keep your precious Order going and have been for thousands of years. You don't call it that and will be offended if one called it that, but you certainly do something similar. If you find a child with authentic Force potential on some planet, you wouldn't leave without them. You will use whatever tactic - negotiation, coercion, bribery, mind-tricks to get them the child. You call yourselves the keepers of the peace, I call you arrogant fools who are incapable of listening to the Force around you. The Jedi are powerful politically, and powerful people have many ways of getting what they want, and they wanted Force-sensitive children. You need Force-sensitive children. To put it bluntly, Jedi, if the Republic needed a law to make all Force-sensitive children their property, you would have allowed such a law, since the Republic allowed slavery, I doubt if they would argue about a few dozen kids a year being taken by the Jedi. Then you make a cutthroat learning environment where you continuously classified students into successes or failures and at the end of the youngling training Jedi Masters could pass them over either to become Jedi or be stripped of the Force."
"We don't make these choices lightly. Our code, for what you believe is our faults, has served the Jedi for thousands of years." Evan Piell argues, small arms crossed across his chest, his eyes glaring over who they presume as the Sith.
"Don't even attempt to deny it, Jedi. If a Jedi just so happens to conceive a baby, you take them, casting judgment on the parent, and train the baby. It is a cycle constant and repeated." Vader finishes that particular argument, the Force channeling around him.
"The parents know the risk and they choose to give into their attachments," Ki-Adi-Mundi argues, narrowing his eyes. "They have been bred to severe their attachments and control them. There are consequences."
Suddenly, the room around them goes cold, and they can sense Vader is at fault for this. Mundi is the perfect example of how the Jedi had lost their way along with Windu. Every decision such as not believing Dooku could have been behind the assassination attempts onto suggesting the droid attacks on the Wookies which drawn Yoda away from Coruscant is due to this Jedi Master.
"Incompetent Jedi, it's not feasible to do what you just claimed which nurtures another problem I have with your Order that I will address momentarily," Vader replies, shocking the Council as he glares at Ki-Adi-Mundi verbally cutting her down. "You are under no condition to speak of attachment to me when you know little, Ki-Adi-Mundi."
There is a tense silence for a moment until Vader breaks the ice, his voice somehow appearing much darker, drawing more of the dark side around his being in order to add extra weight to what he's about to say next.
"That boy... I know he is the Chosen One," he receives instantaneous shock looks from the Council as he converts his attention away from the Mirialan Jedi Master, "listen here, Jedi, I care little for your prophecies or what happens to the Jedi or Sith; both are dying breeds of Orders that have failed themselves long ago, but here's a warning; if you don't train him, I will, and unless you want a powerful being who clashes against the beliefs of your Order, you better alter your judgment of him."
He is not deceiving them nor giving a pity threat. Anakin Skywalker would not remain a mere slave on the planet of Tatooine or an orphan on this planet where Palpatine can get his slippery fingers on him. Unquestionably, he would have to change the forming plan to stop Palpatine which might be slightly more difficult with Anakin Skywalker as an apprentice since he wants Kenobi and Skywalker to form a bond, but he is ready to see events out in different ways. Perhaps Qui-Gon would join him as well. Both know Anakin Skywalker is the Chosen One and both have fair amounts of respect for each other. He wouldn't be judged for his emotions and his faults would become talents.
"He is too old for Jedi training," Windu counters angrily, leaning forward in his seat, "and we don't have to allow you to leave if we believe you are a threat to the public and to this Order. It is the Jedi Order's duty to keep the Republic protected from those who touch the violent natures of the dark side."
Vader glares at the Korun Master, his eyes flashing darkly, allowing the darkness that surrounded him on Mustafar to surround him once more.
"You said so yourself, Master of the Order, it is not the Jedi way to attack a defenseless person," Vader taunts. Oh, how the galaxy relies on this feeble group or organization that calls themselves Jedi is beyond him. "The Jedi are supposedly the "Keepers of Peace" but most importantly, you are supposed to be neutral regardless if one clashes with your Order. The reality is much different though, the Jedi are tyrants, you must bow to the Republic and Jedi or be hunted down, you must act and believe what they tell you or be hunted down. The Jedi Order and the Sith are relatively the same. Some Jedi realized this and reclused themselves from the Order or followed their own Jedi way." Vader's voice is still sharp as stone. "While you all have good intentions, and I understand you fear the dark side given it what has happened to your brethren centuries ago, you believe yourselves without mistakes. Again, try to hold me and I will defend myself. Don't force my hand, Jedi."
The Council stirs at that, looking at one another. Some believe they should make an arrest; however, they have no charge to make to the Senate so naturally, that falls flat. Others believe they should charge him right then and there because certainly, one such as him can't stand against 12 of the most powerful members in the Order. Three or four, much to their disturbance, finds themselves agreeing with him.
"Harbor personal anger to our Order, you do," Yoda notes pointedly, staring at him with sharp eyes that can cut through daggers. "Explain this, you should."
Vader scowls. He respected Master Yoda in death, but unlike Kenobi, he was unable to ever forget/forgive how Master Yoda coldly dismissed his claims about his struggles and conflicts, telling him to let go of his attachments when he knew very well it was virtually and completely impossible. Master Yoda was as arrogant as the rest of the Order though he didn't show it as much as Master Windu.
Granted, Anakin was more openly arrogant, always complaining that he is not getting what he deserves, openly defying the Council, taunting his enemies, trying to take Obi-Wan when he had the high ground, and many more examples. So, his place in the most prideful Jedi is deserved. Vader has outgrown this trait, became far more of a controlled wall, and matured, though there is still that arrogant side of him it doesn't reveal itself much.
Yoda on the other hand is more subtly arrogant, he believes so strongly that he is righteous and good that he ignores the outcry from the general populace when they blame the Jedi for the elongation of the war. He takes pride in his humbleness blind to his own arrogance, as shown when he says that arrogance is something a lot of Jedi are guilty of in response to Mace's comment about Anakin being too arrogant.
It may have taken time for him to forgive Kenobi, but at least the man has come to him in his time of darkness, comforting him and not revealing his marriage to the Order that would have led to his banishment. Two decades of anger and abandonment issues could not be unlearned but eventually, time passed and Vader allowed himself to forgive Obi-Wan, forming the bond that has always been there, perhaps even in the Jedi Master's death.
He can arrange for Kenobi to be swayed from the Order because he knows he saw the reality of the foolishness in the Order during his solidarity on Tatooine and mentoring and training Luke to be a better person than Anakin would ever be when the time came so there is a greater opportunity to influence him from the hypocrisy of the Order earlier, but Yoda's fate is something Vader can't resolve because he is one of the prime reasons why the Order of old collapsed. To bring a stronger system, Vader is determined not to allow the Jedi Order to intervene, the green toad included. That is up to interpretation to give him time to see if this is the same hypocrite who gave him abhorrent advice and sent someone so close to dispatch him against both of their wills, planting two brothers through the Force into positions neither wanted to be in. However, a thought reminds him, that Yoda is dead, this one may walk down a diverging path.
"I harbor anger to your Order because you each have failed the galaxy. Your resolve has become gullible. The Jedi when they began was able to gather their strength, operating their relationships for support, and bring one who breaks the law to justice. One would expect you would be able to adapt, but you lack change. This is one reason why the Sith are proving victorious even after their disappearance for 1000 years. They don't hide who they are and accept the living and nonliving for what they are. Emotions that you frown at are natural and the Sith knows this. Asking people to repudiate their emotions is asking those to repudiate what makes us alive. While emotions naturally do blind our judgment, these emotions give us power and bring about a deeper connection to the Force."
"What you are speaking of is proposing we," Coleman Kcaj begins to say, "allow our emotions to blind us like the Sith do."
Vader scoffs, losing the patience he had when he walked into the room.
"I'm futile of discussing this when they are no persuading you of your arrogance and flaws. It is evident we are of different beliefs. I can ensure you, Jedi, that I am not a threat to your Order unless you morph me into being one." Vader replies, earning scowls from most of the members within the Council Chambers but they didn't intimidate him. He has fought some of the Masters in this room himself.
"The dark side surrounds you," Oppo Rancisis insists firmly. "We must remove it as all implements dark."
"Remove it?" Vader taunts, grasping his leather hand up into a fist, allowing the dark side to flow through the chambers. "You forget, Master Jedi, I am not among your Order."
The chills in the room increase, almost as if the former Sith is sucking the air full of hisses and wheezes.
"No," Windu retorts angrily. "But as explained before, it is in our mandate to neutralize those who potentially can act against the laws of the Republic. If there is evidence of you posing a threat, we can legally apprehend you and bring you in to face justice. As you are not a Jedi, you are able to be prosecuted like everybody else."
"I dare you to attempt to arrest me. Warning, Jedi, it would only result in a humiliating defeat. You Jedi haven't fought in battles for thousands of years. I have encountered many, growing stronger and far more powerful with each kill. My dueling abilities are beyond yours; I am confident. Since I feel horrible for where this Council and Order of imbeciles' paths are leading, I shall tell you what I distaste about your Order. The nerve of you all claiming you know about what attachments can do."
"Attachments lead to the dark side," Ki-Adi-Mundi says, a frown on his lips that shows Vader he is less than pleased with the bashing of the Code that he finds to be his life.
"There is no emotion only peace: we're not saying that people don't have emotions, of course, they do. The universe does not care one bit how badly you don't want the sun to rise, it'll rise the next day all the same. This is about letting go of things you can't change and learning to accept them the way they are. Once you let go of your feelings, stuff you cannot alter stops controlling you. There is no ignorance; There is only knowledge: A Jedi seeks to understand, not control. There are principles, both natural principles like the laws of physics, and Metaphysical principles such as how the Force works, that exist whether or not one is aware of them. One cannot change them, and they exist whether or not one understands them. There is no passion; there is serenity: Passion isn't real, it's something humans experience. One shouldn't let their passion blind them. There is no death; there is the Force: The Force is this mysterious energy field guiding all life, and the Jedi seek to understand what it is and how to best be in line with it. We're not out for our own gain, we don't try to change the impossible, we leave it up to the will of the Force. The Jedi code is all about accepting things the way they are. We can't hope to control reality. You can't make fire cold; you can't make water run upwards, you can't make the world obey you, and life isn't so great when you try." Yarael Poof asserts, rubbing his right hand over his chin in deep thought.
Although Vader can't remember him during his time as Anakin Skywalker never interacting with the man, he finds himself slightly respecting Yarael Poof, which is saying much since most of these Council Members contributed to the downfall of the Jedi Order.
"Admittedly, there are some merits to that assessment such as the passion part especially, Jedi, but the others I find is disturbing. There is a major flaw in your code. 'There is no Emotion; there is Peace.' That. That is the core of your stupidity. The entire Jedi defense against this recognized route toward corruption is to embrace an outright lie in the very first rule of their dogma: "there is no emotion". Now all of you would argue, rightly, that this was not intended as a statement of fact but rather as a goal to strive for. That is true as far as it goes. But it is still an act of denial. It is based on striving to deny a core facet of almost all sapient races: they are emotional beings, no matter how much they try not to be. The result of this denial approach was that the entire Jedi defense against emotional corruption rested on trying to forbid emotional attachments in others and trying to purge them from oneself. Both of those are doomed to fail in too many cases. As the question rightly points out, attachments will be formed by some no matter how anathema. And no matter how people may attempt to purge their emotional nature, they will frequently fail. Result: one less Jedi and one more Dark Jedi or Sith nearly every time it occurs. Worse still, by denying emotion, trying to suppress it, forbid it, contain it, and avoid it, you are actively making your students even more vulnerable to this source of potential corruption. Denial, avoidance, suppression - these teach one how to try to avoid a trap, perhaps. But you also close off any opportunity to teach one how to escape that trap if they should end up confronting it anyway. The Jedi should not have been teaching emotional suppression and avoidance. You should be teaching emotional maturity instead of how bad they are.
Riddle me this, Jedi, which of these two Padawans would be better equipped to handle an emotional trauma without lashing out violently in a sudden embrace of the Dark Side on seeing their beloved Master brutally murdered? A Padawan who becomes emotionally attached to his Master but has been raised to suppress strong emotions and avoid all emotional ties, and so has no experience of past guidance on how to deal with powerful emotional impulses. A Padawan who similarly becomes attached to a Master who taught them that emotional ties were inevitable, but who also taught them how to see them in a more mature context, accepting from the beginning the fact that bad things do happen, but that honoring loved ones, in life and in death, is more about upholding their faith in you and their hopes for you than about lashing out in revenge when bad things befall them. The first example has a high chance of leading to a fall. The second has a much lower chance. Maturity and acceptance of truth are always a better course than denial and suppression of unwelcome realities. What the Jedi should have been doing was allowing emotional attachments to form as they would, taking note of them but not interfering, all while helping their Padawans to learn mature ways to deal with powerful emotions. Then as in the first part of the Trials, each prospective Knight should have been secretly and deliberately exposed to a very serious but feigned emotional crisis. This would either establish that the Jedi had matured enough to face the rest of the Trials and perhaps advance to Knighthood, or that they had not and needed more time to mature under the supervision of a Master until ready for another Trial. Preparation is always better than mere avoidance. The Jedi are fools never to recognize this. And in the end, you shall pay the ultimate price for it. Despite all of your flaws, your attachment rules among many others are ultimately why I despise this Order. I should amend this in a few years."
Part of him couldn't help a smirk as the words shake the Council to the core. They are even more shocked that they are merriment in his words. This is the same Council who had cast judgment on himself, Dooku, Ventress, Ahsoka, and many others.
"Are you... threatening us?" Coleman Kcaj asks in a cold-clipped tone, eyes narrow.
"Warning you," Vader replies, as if correcting a student, "of course none of you will take my warning into consideration and view me as a threat and my warning as means of intimidation so don't bother to drain yourselves into a debate. The Galaxy would be absolutely unrecognizable without the Jedi. People in this galaxy who don't like the Jedi are usually people who never really met one, encountered one in a very specific context where it appears like the Jedi is doing something malicious, or they met another force user who did something wrong and just assume it is a Jedi." He is not biased nor above admitting the Jedi maintain the safety of the galaxy but they have failed the galaxy.
"We are under every authority that we will be obliged to detain you if we believe you are a threat to the Order and especially the Republic." Master Windu replies coldly.
"And risk public outlash should the Queen choose to call religious persecution on my behalf against the Jedi Order. I am adamant the Queen would agree with the one who save them before the Chancellor's own ambassadors arrive." Vader replies categorically, grinning underneath his mask at these hypocrites.
"Survive, the Jedi Order can," Yoda replies, though there is a faint uncertainty in his voice.
"Grandmaster, many people in the Outer Rim absolutely loathes the Jedi and the Republic. You are only adding flames to the fire the further you continue to act with ineffectuality and make rash decisions." Vader replies in a clipped tone. "I have come here on terms that you would not attempt to kill me but I have already been threatened by your Order multiple times. At this point, in court, the courts would only see it statutory that the Jedi Order is as worse as the slavers on Nar Shaddaa."
Yoda nor the other Masters offer no reply to that, the former bowing his head down in deep thought while the Masters either glare at him or loathe their defeat in silence, knowing that their Order would face endless confrontations and encounters should they attack someone who has been helpful to a monarch for so long.
What makes matters worse for the Masters is that legally they cannot stop him. He has the protection of the Queen of Naboo and she can legally bring up charges against the Jedi Council let alone the Jedi Order should they attempt to stop him which can cause their Order's view to be viewed negatively. What's more is that if they allow him to leave, they are allowing a powerful threat and potential Sith Lord to openly be alongside the Republic, be aside from the Queen of Naboo, and be viewed as more of a savior instead of as a Jedi.
Vader pulls out a lightsaber hilt, ignoring them tensing as he brings out the ancient weapon, ready to ignite their lightsaber at a moment's notice, but that proves to be a fear unwarranted as Vader propels the lightsaber towards Master Windu; Darth Maul's lightsaber hilt.
Instinctively, the Master of the Order catches it, grasping the cylinder hilt with an uncertain stare, rotating the hilt in his hand, and examining it with wide eyes, never seeing such a design before placing it inside of his robes.
"That is the weapon that belongs to the Sith Assassin," Vader answers the wordless question, crossing his arms across his chest as his eyes linger on the Jedi Council Members, who are beyond confused. "Undoubtedly, the Sith would have killed your ambassadors had I not involved myself. I have done your work for you. The Sith have returned but it isn't me you should concern yourself with," Vader continues, turning and beginning to walk out, cape billowing behind him in his walk as he approaches the doors to the Council Chambers. "When you all learn to grow up and act like adults, we shall have another meeting, but for now, my presence is required at the ship."
Unconcerned by the Jedi's presence, Vader turns and begins walking out of the room, a calm and cool stare now across his expression. They each only feared his presence because of his power and the danger he could pose to them, treating him differently as if he is garbage, and adding to his insecurities. He cannot find it in himself to treat them with any respect verbally. He respects some of their skills but that is it. when Anakin needed the Jedi the most, they weren't there for him. Another strong figure stepped in at the best—and worst—time to fully take control of Anakin's well-being, giving him all the things, he could have wanted in his lifetime. While he blames himself and accepts the reality that he is the one mostly at blame, the Jedi Council contributed to ruining his life.
Some Council Members stand, drawing their lightsabers but not activating them, whereas others remain in their seats. Slowly, he turns to face them, outstretching his hands and blasting each of the Council Members into their seats, the wind flying from his hand sending those who remain seated further back. Windu's eyes went wide and even Master Yoda struggled in blocking such power. Some members claw their seats in the hope to put up resistance but resistance has proven soon to be futile as they too are forced back. The Jedi attempts to block this power but the being proves to be far stronger in the ways of the Force.
Through the Temple, the Force crashes down upon them, making each inside the Temple clutch their heads and collapse onto their knees - the dark side and even the light side itself crashing fully on them. Never would many Jedi in the Temple would think the power they draw on would cause them to feel so many clashes and shockwaves by said power.
It almost appears the Sith is going to push their chairs outside of the window when, suddenly, everything is calm; he didn't pull through by forcing them out of the window. Now, the Jedi Masters are slumped in their seats, breathing heavily at this power that many of them just encountered that rivals even the likes of Master Yoda in the Force. Never before in ancient history, a Sith couldn't have combated each member of the Jedi Council with the Force and managed to be successful. Certainly, they were those who attempted to, but they were swiftly outnumbered in terms of the Force by those members of the Jedi Council.
This Vader is a different being entirely in terms of the Force. He can manipulate the living and nonliving in better terms than most of the Jedi could do in a lifetime. He can bring the Jedi down to their knees and make it appear that they are kneeling before him in quite a humiliating position.
Still, in front of them, the cause of what just occurred opens the turbolift calmly, back turn to them as if nothing just happen - as if he hadn't just assaulted the entirety of the Jedi Council.
Master Windu calls out. "We are not finished."
Without even turning to face him, Vader speaks curtly, though there is a small smirk on his lips at his display. He has allowed the power that he felt on Mortis to course through him again and used it against the Jedi Council. In the previous timeline, he was stronger after that experience and far more powerful in the Force, attuning himself to the point where the Separatists Generals and Admirals fear to even be placed against Anakin Skywalker.
"Yes, I'm afraid we are. I have broken no law, and me wielding the weapon of your ancient enemy is ludicrous should you attempt to charge me with such evidence. I am protected by the Queen. I have spent time with her handmaidens and they can vouch for me if I've indeed committed a crime or appear manipulative as they are trained to resist such things by their mentors. Grandmaster, Master of the Order, I must admit; I am disappointed, your Council acts irrationally and like a bunch of bands of children. Hopefully, this error is corrected. Good day, Masters."
And the dark figure is gone, allowing a breath to enter the room.