Chapter Sixteen - Storm
(Yoda): "Stubborn and hard is your head. Soften it we will."
(Luke): "I stood on my head to soften it?"
(Yoda): "Mysterious are the ways of the Force."
(Luke): "Did you just make me stand on my head for two hours because I was annoying you?"
(Yoda): "Very mysterious."
#
Master Windu walked briskly along the upper levels of the Temple when he nearly bowled over the one he sought. "Master Yoda, I received a mes-"
His announcement was cut off when Yoda raised a hand to quiet him, "A disturbance in the Force, I felt. Time I believe it is."
Mace merely nodded and began walking towards the hanger at a pace that had Yoda almost jogging to keep up. Using his gimer stick as his cane, it would have been an almost comical sight except for the circumstances. "Master Fisto is settled, then?"
Yoda nodded, "Carried a message to the Wookiees for me, he did. Well received he was, command the army on Kashyyyk well, he will."
"Then we should hurry, Serra Keto has a transport waiting for us."
There was a short silence before Mace asked, "Do you know the source of the disturbance?"
"Great pain I sense from Luke Skywalker. Something terrible has befallen his wife, I feel. Protecting Senator Amidala, they were."
Mace Windu nodded. "Come Master Yoda, we have a Sith Lord to vanquish. I'd wager Anakin is already there, and that Palpatine will use his wife against him if he can."
Yoda hummed an agreement. The two found Serra Keto waiting for them with an unobtrusive looking speeder.
The Jedi Knight greeted them before she said, "I just received word from Ahsoka Tano. She and a friend are at Senator Amidala's apartment. Luke, Mara, and Senator Amidala were there when it was attacked. Mara has been gravely injured and Padmé was kidnapped. Luke is moving to confront Palpatine now. The Chancellor was supposed to be meeting with Skywalker at the time, to get the Senator in a more vulnerable position, I imagine."
Mace Windu raised an eyebrow at the mention of Skywalker's former apprentice but said nothing. The two Masters seated themselves in the vehicle and exchanged a glance.
"It is as you said then," Mace said.
Master Yoda nodded before turning his attention to the younger member of the team, "Hurry we must."
"Yes, Master."
The three lapsed into silence as the speeder sped forth towards the Senate building.
With Anakin and Luke at the forefront of things, no other Jedi had been deemed necessary for the strike team. More would probably just have made combat and movement difficult, so every other Jedi on Coruscant was currently shoring up the defenses of the Temple or quietly establishing escape routes. A reinforced battalion of soldiers, all volunteers mostly from the various homeworlds of sympathetic senators, had taken up residence within the Jedi Temple. Along with its compliment of Jedi, there was now a contingent of Ghormanese contributed by Fang Zar, a large group from the Onderon rebels, and even some Alderranians now housed within the halls of the Temple. It wasn't obvious to the outside world, but it was certainly a startling sight to the those used to the serenity of Temple life. Should things go wrong, they wouldn't be able to hold out for long against the might of the Grand Army, but they should be able to hold out for long enough.
Master Windu closed his eyes and centered himself for whatever might lay ahead.
Luke's mind was blank, his eyes distant as he landed at the Senate building. He moved reflexively and did everything he could not to remember. If he remembered...if he remembered Mara's sad eyes and bloody wound, he would be of no help to Anakin or Padmé. His wife was gravely wounded, and it was his experience in the battlefield as well as the Force that told him she was not meant to survive for much longer.
Not too far from him, he could feel the growing disturbance caused by his father's growing emotional distress. Grim-faced, Luke noted the presence of his mother, possibly unconscious, and several other nearby presences that he couldn't identify. One of them, well cloaked, would be Palpatine. He remembered that presence from so many decades earlier. It was muted, as if hiding, but he knew what to look for, and he could feel what foulness lay within the innocent facade.
There was much yet to be accomplished, but he and Mara would accomplish what they had set out to do. There would be a legacy of life left in their wake, not one of failure. Luke pulled his lightsaber from his belt and carried it, unignited, in his hand.
Outside of the Chancellor's office, several Senate guards turned to challenge him. With a wave of his hand, he threw them out a nearby window. He took no pleasure in it, he had faced the Dark side before and had no fear of facing it again. But with little to lose, there was certainly no reason to pull his punches and he'd rather not leave potential enemies alive behind him.
Luke slowly entered the office and observed the scene before him.
Mara dictated to Ahsoka while Ventress watched with wide eyes. Mara was clearly dying and her voice growing steadily weaker. Ventress was doing what she could for the redhead, but little could stop what fate now had in store for her. Her eyes had widened at the information Mara was giving Ahsoka, information about the future. First, Mara had said, that not everything she said might be true because she and Luke's presence had already and would continue to change the course of events. But one thing, she said, that would not change was the coming onslaught from an invasion of an entire extragalactic species.
Ventress couldn't believe some of what she was hearing, wouldn't have, in fact, if the speaker wasn't saying these things as the last act of her life. The Force seemed to be holding its breath as Mara spoke as if it waited for the story to be told before it would take Mara. Names and places and events, so many details that it would have been impossible to make up all at once.
If she and Ahsoka gave this information to the Jedi Council, no doubt that millions, perhaps billions, would survive where they had not once before. Perhaps in this act, she would be able to forgive herself for some of the many terrible things she had done while she had served the Dark.
So Asajj Ventress listened, listened and swore to herself that this woman's efforts would not be in vain. She had barely known Mara, but she had known enough to sense a kindred spirit. Mara had found redemption after a life serving the Dark, redemption and love. So, Asajj thought, perhaps I could as well.
Ahsoka tapped furiously at the datapad and Asajj listened so that this flame-haired woman would see her duty fulfilled.
"What will it be, young Skywalker?" the smooth voice of Darth Sidious echoed in Anakin's ears.
His name was well chosen, Anakin thought somewhat dumbly, insidious indeed. "I will not turn, Palpatine," he said resolutely.
"Will you allow your wife to die then? And what of your child? If you refuse me again, are you willing to risk my disappointment?"
Sweat beaded on Anakin's forehead. What do I do? His mind raced, searching for a way out of this nightmare. He would not allow his wife to die because of his refusal, but he saw the trap clearly now. And the fact that Padmé is here means Luke and Mara were attacked...where are they?
"Ani?" came a soft voice.
Anakin closed his eyes.
"Ah, look who decided to join us?" the Sith crooned.
Anakin opened his eyes to see his wife slowly stirring. Her eyes were open, but she was clearly disoriented.
"I want my answer, Anakin, are you ready to become my apprentice?"
Anakin opened his mouth to answer but nothing came out. He knew that Palpatine would only go to this much effort for him because of his strength in the Force, that and Palpatine would enjoy the perversity of turning the prophesied savior of the Jedi into the tool of their destruction. But if he acted to save his wife, he would end up losing her in the act. And what of his children?
He opened his mouth to say no. To say what he knew Padmé would want him to say. Again, nothing came out.
Palpatine sighed like a father disappointed in a misbehaving child. "Boba."
Boba Fett nodded and turned towards Padmé whose eyes had grown large as awareness had settled upon her.
Anakin was frozen. What do I do? What do I do?!
A green lightsaber burst through the Mandalorian armor, revealing a pale Luke Skywalker behind him. Anakin thought he heard Luke murmur 'Han would be thrilled' before he turned to the Chancellor.
Luke took hold of Padmé and placed himself in front of her. Luke looked at Anakin and said, "I've got her, Anakin. He's all yours."
Sheev Palpatine palmed a lightsaber, a red blade instantly casting it's crimson light on the room. His mouth was a snarl and his face was all rage and hate. Raising his other hand, Force lightning shot out towards Padmé, towards Luke.
Luke wasn't the young man who had thought himself able to challenge the Emperor from so many years ago. He had learned so much, experienced so much. In becoming a teacher of the new Jedi Order, he had become a far better student of the Force. Corran Horn's ability to absorb energy, for example, had allowed him the opportunity to study the skill. While not as proficient as the Coreillian, his strength in the Force meant he was more than merely competent. His own unoccupied hand raised, catching the lightning that struck him. Luke gritted his teeth but let the Force flow through him. The lightning gathered into his palm became a luminous ball of energy. Realizing his attack had failed, Palpatine finally stopped. Luke turned the ball in his hands and directed it inwards, absorbing the energy.
"You have dwelt in the shadows for far too long, Palpatine," Luke said. "I fear you have forgotten exactly how bright the Light can be."
"And you, little Jedi, have forgotten how light will always cast shadows." Palpatine pulled a comlink from his robe. Things seemed to slow down, time coming to a crawl. Anakin could feel what was coming. He leaped towards Palpatine but everything seemed to be moving so slow. Anakin could see Palpatine's mouth forming the words 'Execute Order 66' but he couldn't hear anything but static. Time had stilled as the universe shifted. And then time righted itself once again.
Anakin forgot Luke, forgot Padmé, forgot everything but Palpatine. Anakin charged him, swinging his lightsaber with precision and with none of his normal swagger. He had grown up since he had fought Dooku; no more witty repertoire, no more unnecessary flashy acrobatics.
"Give up, Anakin. It won't be long now till the Jedi are no more. Do not waste your talent by joining them in death!"
Anakin ducked a slash and caught a burst of Force lightning with his blade. He parried an overhead swing and brought his saber against Palpatine's with a loud buzz. He shoved Palpatine away from him with the Force and prepared to engage him again. "Never. You've failed, Darth Sidious. I am a Jedi, like my son after me." With a nod towards Luke, he advanced towards Palpatine.
Palpatine's face scrunched in confusion before realization crossed his face. His eyes were a sickly yellow and nothing remained of the genteel friend Anakin had believed him to be. "So be it, Jedi," he snarled.
#
"You feel it, Masters?" Keto asked.
Master Yoda nodded and Mace Windu said, "Yes."
"What is it?" the young Knight asked.
"Chosen, Skywalker has," Yoda said with a smile.
"Yes, and chosen rightly. Let's go, Keto, Chosen One or not, he could use backup."
And then pain hit the three Jedi. They knew exactly what had happened, what would continue to happen until Sidious was stopped. But concentrating was hard, feeling lights around the galaxy fade as the forces of the Galactic Republic turned on their commanders. Dozens of Jedi were already dead, and more continued to die at an alarming rate.
"Hurry, we must."
#
Luke saw his father duel Darth Sidious and felt pride in the man. He wished dearly that Leia could have seen him now, could have known him. But she will, he thought fiercely, she will know him and love him as our father. He knew that after Order 66 was issued that things would change. Jedi were dying, he could feel it, probably dying in such numbers that hadn't been since the last Sith War. Something in the Force told him that it was necessary. A tragedy, but one needed to spur the Jedi Order, to spur the Republic; a harsh kick in the pants to get things back on track. People often forgot that the Force wasn't a benevolent deity, that it wasn't a cosmic Force for good. It was a fact, a sad fact, but a fact nonetheless that sometimes things had to be burned to the ground in order for something greater to grow in its stead.
He knew now how this was to end. How it would end for Mara, for himself, and for the galaxy. He knew that his appearance in this time period had been more than enough to set things right, to set his father straight. The Force had shown him this while he protected his mother, and knew that his life and all of its trials and tribulations had been one well lived. Perhaps he and Mara would reunite in the Force, perhaps his younger self would meet the redhead in his own way on this plane, but he knew that one day he would be with Mara again.
Standing there, even as he felt Jedi slowly dying across the galaxy, he felt the light of the one he loved most finally fade. He took a deep breath and watched his father battle the most evil creature he'd ever encountered. He watched his father, a Jedi, stay true to himself. And despite everything, he smiled.
"Luke," came a harsh whisper from behind him. Looking behind him, he saw Padmé watching Anakin with wide eyes before she turned towards him again. "My water just broke."
Luke's smile disappeared. "Shit."
There was a crash from the window and he saw two robed figures ignite lightsabers. No, not two, three figures. Luke saw his former Master ignite a shoto. For the first time in his life, he saw Yoda fight. Anakin worked will with Yoda alternating slash and jab while protecting each other's back. Hearing the multitude steps coming from down the corridor, Luke half-escorted, half-carried Padmé towards a relatively safe corner of the room, while Master Windu and a female Jedi he wasn't familiar with begin to deflect blaster bolts. Having only to guard a fairly small doorway, Luke figured they could probably hold it forever.
Meanwhile, Luke saw Yoda shout a battlecry before engaging in a furious aerial spin complete with slashing lightsaber. But Darth Sidious was a Dark Lord of the Sith and was able to distract Yoda with a flying piece of furniture and simultaneously blocking a thrust of Anakin's lightsaber and blasting Force lightning at the tiny Grand Master. Yoda went flying across the room where he struct the wall. He was stunned, not dead, Luke realized after a moment. He now saw Anakin battling Sidious one on one, struggling as Sidioius cackled at the results of his handiwork.
#
Shavit, Anakin cursed. Dooku was a skilled duelist and quite strong in the Force. But Sidious... he should have realized that with Dooku as the apprentice, the master would have been far more dangerous. But nothing, nothing, could have prepared him for the power-drunk Sith in front of him. He could still feel Jedi dying and knew that every moment was crucial for the survival of the Order. The senate had to regain control soon or no matter how prepared the Jedi had been, even more would die.
A blast of Force lightning caught him by surprise and he struggled to keep himself upright. He barely evaded a powerful slash that would have taken a leg. He danced back before lunging forward again.
The old man twirled quickly and used the Force to yank Anakin towards him. If his move had been completed, he would have impaled the Jedi with his lightsaber, but it wasn't.
A body hurled itself and knocked him out of the way.
Luke.
Anakin could only watch as the red blade sank into his child's back until the blade emerged from his front.
"No!" shouted Anakin, the cry making the Sith smile malevolently.
"Anakin! Now!"
Yoda's cry snapped him from his despair as he saw the Jedi Master hurl himself towards the Sith. Luke collapsed as the Sith had to withdraw hurriedly to defend himself against the small sabermaster.
Anakin ran towards the fight and worked in tandem with Yoda. Again, Palpatine was able to defend himself against the two. However, while Anakin might have called himself a slow learner in the past, he had been anything but when he saw Luke absorb Palpatine's Force lightning. When Palpatine tried to catch him by surprise with another blast of blue lightning, he able to catch it. This time he caught it and instead of absorbing it as Luke had, allowed it to flow back towards the Sith. Instead of the dark blue of Palpatine's lightning, it was instead a brilliant emerald flash of energy. It caught Palpatine by surprise and slammed him into the wall. A second later, even as Palpatine struggled to his feet, Anakin's thrown blade caught him in the chest.
Windu, feeling the Dark side recede from his senses, turned to see Palpatine's body nearly explode in a maelstrom of Dark side energy. Knowing the Sith was doomed, he indicated for Keto to cover his absence and pulled his comlink out of his utility belt.
"Senator Organa, the Chancellor is dead, but Order 66 was issued."
"The special session has already started, Master Windu. I'm sorry we can't move faster, but a temporary Chancellor should be elected within the next couple of hours."
"We understand, Senator. Do everything you can." Mace ended the call and tapped another contact.
"Master Drallig? Anything to report?"
There was the faint sounds of a firefight in the background along with the humming of lightsabers. "The Temple is under attack, Master Windu. So far nothing we can't handle, but we are suffering causalities."
"Things will settle soon enough, just hold on."
The call ended and he breathed deeply before he began guarding the doorway with young Keto once again.
#
"Luke?"
Anakin watched his boy's eyes struggle to focus on him.
"Got him?" Luke asked weakly.
"Got him," Anakin affirmed with a forced smile, "Thanks to you."
"Your wife's in labor," Luke said dryly.
"Stang!" Anakin cursed, looking frantically around before he saw his wife in the care of Master Yoda. There were tears in her eyes as she watched Luke. "Stay with him, Ani, he needs you more than I do right now."
Anakin nodded before looking at his son. "Thank you, Luke."
"You sacrificed your life for me, Father. It was the least I could do to return the favor," Luke said, breathing harshly. "I forgot how much lightsabers hurt so kriffing much."
Anakin smiled a bit before sobering, "You're not sacrificing your life for me, Luke, you're going to be just fine."
Luke smiled indulgently, a look that Anakin did not like on his much too pale face. "Mara's already dead, Anakin. I'll be with her again, one way or another."
Luke closed his eyes and his breathing began to slow.
"Luke!" Anakin shouted, shaking his shoulders. "Come on Luke, I need you here!"
"No you don't, Father," Luke said softly. "You have Padmé, you have Master Yoda, you have Obi-Wan...and soon enough Father, you'll have Leia and I again."
Luke fell silent and Anakin watched his son's body relax as his breathing stilled, then watched awestruck as his body began to fade away until the clothes that he had been wearing fell limply to the ground.
Anakin heard Padmé cry softly and got up to join her. She grunted when a contraction hit her and he put his hand in hers for her to squeeze.
"One with the Force, Luke Skywalker is," Master Yoda said sadly.
Anakin nodded and was startled when a small green finger wiped his cheek of tears, "But not for long, let go, young Skywalker."
Anakin didn't scoff, didn't argue or ignore Master Yoda as he had done in the past, instead he let go and kissed his wife on the forehead. Yes, I'll see you again, Luke Skywalker. You and your sister.
Author's Note: I anticipate there only being another two chapters left in the story. Thank you all for following and reviewing the story. My other story is also well on its way to being finished. I don't currently have any other stories in progress or planned, but only because I haven't come up with the right idea yet.
Anakin did use 'electric judgment' aka Force lightning of the Light side. (In canon, both Luke, Plo Koon, Jacen Solo, and possibly Anakin Solo were able to do this. Perhaps more, but they don't come to mind)
Lady of Imladris: Some impressive guesses there.
