Chapter 8

BATTLE OF CORUSCANT, PART II

Invisible Hand, above Coruscant

Vagorum flipped backwards over Obi-Wan Kenobi, and slashed at his back. She missed, and Obi-Wan turns around to fight, but finds that she is rushing towards Anakin Skywalker, still engaged against Count Dooku. Obi-Wan sprints over to their location.

Anakin turns around, and winces as Dooku unleashes Force lightning at him while he is distracted. Anakin blocks the lightning with his saber, and kicks Vagorum back into the wall. Obi-Wan flips over Dooku and slashes at his arm, and soon there is a cut through his elbow. Dooku growls, and then flings Obi-Wan backwards into the railing. Vagorum stands up, only to fall back down again as a Republic ship crashes through the wall. Anakin manages to free the Chancellor, who proceeds to run in the direction of the exit. Every person in the room is flung backwards.

Anakin and Obi-Wan both stand up, and notice that there is a piece of metal lying on top of Vagorum. Dooku stands up and holds his side, where a small, sharp piece of glass is sticking up. With the Republic ship's sudden appearance, many things were flying out of the room, but eventually a shield blocked the oxygen from being sucked out. Anakin slowly moves the pile of metal of off Vagorum, and Obi-Wan hobbles over to her.

"Should we get her out of here?" Obi-Wan asks Anakin. Anakin is about to pick her up, when her leg suddenly moves and trips Obi-Wan backwards. Her eyes open, and she begins to stand up before Anakin grabs her arm.

"Ahsoka, don't." Anakin states. Vagorum sighs, before punching Anakin in the face and running towards the exit. Dooku hobbles behind her. Obi-Wan stands up, and both him and Anakin decide not to intervene. They walk over to the Chancellor, who is relatively unscathed, and help him to the exit, only to be met by General Grievous.

"Ahhh... Kenobi and Skywalker." Grievous coughed. Dooku and Vagorum were out of sight at this point. The Magna-Guards around Grievous put all three in cuffs. Obi-Wan sighed, and looked over to Anakin.

Jedi Temple

Yoda felt the disturbance above Coruscant, the ending of the battle. But now both Kenobi and Skywalker were captured, and the Chancellor still wasn't being saved just yet. Yoda awoke from his meditative state. This was getting bad. Yoda also could sense the inner conflict in Skywalker, and hoped he could fight it off long enough to live, and maybe save his former Padawan.

Yoda slowly walked out of the room, using his gimer stick as support. He knew what to do now.

Invisible Hand, above Coruscant

Grievous snatched both Jedi's lightsabers, as Dooku came into view, with a bandage wrapped around his side. He smiled as they were led to the bridge. Anakin glared at the Count. The Count did not respond, holding his side. The Chancellor smirked at the Count. The Count nodded when the Jedi couldn't see him. As the three of them neared the bridge, Count Dooku dissapeared, leaving Grievous to deal with them.

Obi-Wan and Anakin both looked at eachother. Out of nowhere, Anakin flipped up and kicked a droid in the head, while using the Force to grab his lightsaber from Grievous. Obi-Wan did the same. Anakin rushed to the Chancellor, destroyed the droids restraining him, and then un-cuffed him. Grievous laughs as four Magna-Guards appeared, and began to swing at Obi-Wan and Anakin. Anakin plows his lightsaber through one of them, before slicing the head off another. The one without a head does not stop, however, and begins to charge.

Obi-Wan slices one in half, before being electrified when one of the Magna-Guards hits his arm. He falls to the ground, but before the electrostaff can impale him, Anakin's blade cuts both the electostaff and the Magna-Guard holding it in half. Grievous splits his two arms into four, and ignites all of his lightsabers. He puts them in an attack position, and begins to twirl the bottom two arms around in a circle. The final Magna-Guard is easily slashed in two. Obi-Wan and Anakin both clash with Grievous.

Before any combatant can do anything after that, a CRASH can be heard, before the Invisible Hand begins to tumble towards the surface of Coruscant. Warning lights blare as from outside, the entire ship has broken in half.

Yoda managed to sneak aboard the Invisible Hand right before it broke in half, and began to assault a fleeing Count Dooku. Vagorum was already on the ship, and began to motion for her master to hurry up, until she noticed Yoda. Yoda did not even need encouragement as he began to jump around Dooku, clashing with his blade at what seemed like lightspeed.

The ship jolted to the side, and Dooku's ship, with Vagorum on board, smashed into the wall. Vagorum was sent flying out of the entrance. Yoda looked over to her, then back at Dooku.

"My old master, you made a mistake coming up here." Dooku taunted, before unleashing powerful Force Lightning at the Grand Master, who caught it with his saber. Dooku intesified the lightning, and moved forward.

Anakin's blade sliced off one of Grievous' arms, and the General growled. The Chancellor, now watching this whole thing unfold, not in a chair, but next to a pile of droid scrap. Anakin turned around after a moment of fighting Grievous, and saw that Artoo had managed to make his way up to the bridge. Another crash was heard, and the ship once again was sent tumbling. Grievous smashed through a window, but at this time they were in the atmosphere and he was sent hurtling towards Coruscant. At the last moment, he grabbed onto the ship.

Obi-Wan rolled his eyes as Grievous attempted to climb back in. Anakin was now attempting to pilot the ship, and the Chancellor had sat down near him. Grievous couldn't hold on any longer, and fell back down onto Coruscant, but not before being smashed in the side by a piece of the Invisible Hand. Obi-Wan sighed in relief, as the General was now dead. No information would come out of him, but that wouldn't happen even if they had captured him.

Dooku's lightning ceased, when Yoda attempted to slash at his already wounded side. Yoda used the Force to force the bandages off, and Dooku winced.

"Failed, you have, my old Padawan." Yoda stated. Dooku looked over to where Vagorum should have been, and she was not there.

"I'm afraid it is you who has lost, Master Yoda." Dooku replied. Vagorum was about to bring down a lightsaber on Yoda, but was blocked. Yoda began to engage her at this point, and Dooku began to pummel him with Force lightning once again. A large creak was heard once the Invisible Hand crashed onto the surface of Coruscant. Dooku stopped, and so did Vagorum.

Yoda spun back around Vagorum, when she blocked him from unleashing his lightsaber against her leg. Dooku pulled his ship back towards him, when Vagorum unleashed a Force push against Yoda, who was sent backwards. Vagorum rushed over to Dooku's ship and they both escaped, and Dooku was extremely worn out.

Yoda sighed, and placed his lightsaber back onto his belt. He walked over to where the bridge elevator was, where Obi-Wan, Anakin, Chancellor Palpatine and R2-D2 came out.

"Master Yoda? We were unaware that you were on board." Obi-Wan asked, surprised at the little green dwarf's sudden appearance.

"Attempted to block Dooku and his apprentice's escape, I did." Yoda responded. "Failed, I have."

"That will have to be dealt with later, Master Jedi. Grievous fell out of the ship, and is dead." the Chancellor responded. He was still a bit annoyed at the General's death, but knew that eventually Skywalker and Dooku would meet again, and that time, Anakin would kill both him and his former Padawan.

The Battle of Coruscant was not over after this, however. There were still many Separatist ships orbiting the planet, but all of them were called back after Dooku and Vagorum fled, and Grievous died. The Republic had gained momentum, but this would ultimately lead to Palpatine's plot. Nobody would suspect him. As the three Jedi and the Chancellor returned back to the Senate building and the Jedi Temple, there was still someone else, both Sidious and the Jedi were unaware of.

He watched from a secret room on Coruscant, and kept a close eye on everything. When the news reached that the Battle of Coruscant had ended, he smiled. And then, he contacted someone.

Dathomir

Maul, the great Darth Maul, was broken. After his brother died, all he had left was Mother Talzin and hatred towards Kenobi... and Sidious now. The Zabrak walked onto the red planet of Dathomir, and awaiting him was Mother Talzin.

"Darth Maul, welcome home." the witch stated.

"Sidious killed Savage." Maul responded, stating something that Talzin already knew. Talzin was now having to deal with Maul, and still Ventress who had just become a bounty hunter.

"I know that, Maul. However, there is something I must tell you." Talzin replied. Maul looked at her suspiciously.

"What is it?" Maul asked.

"The Nightsisters have been destroyed. I have been having to deal with my rival Sidious for a while, and Dathomir is falling." Talzin replied. For once, she seemed worried. She had controlled Dathomir for a long time, and now it was crumbling with the Nightbrothers losing power after the Shadow Collective was destroyed, and the Nighsisters might as well not exist.

"But there is something I must show you." Talzin continued. Talzin lead Maul into her hideout, which was filled with relics from the Nighsisters.

Talzin picked up some sort of green liquid, and poured it into a large basin. A screen of Coruscant appeared. There was the Chancellor, sitting in his office.

"The Chancellor?" Maul questioned. "What about him?"

"Chancellor Palpatine is not his true identity, Maul. He is Darth Sidious, your old master." Talzin responded. Maul's rage piled up inside of him. "He has been controlling the Separatists in secret, and has been controlling the Republic."

"I will kill him!" Maul screamed.

"It will not be an easy task, Maul. However," the witch stated, "if you kill him, the Separatists will not change. Dooku will only take over, but the Republic will fall. Dooku and his apprentice will become the two sith."

"Apprentice?" Maul asked.

"Dooku has taken on an apprentice, one who used to be the padawan of Anakin Skywalker." Talzin explained.

"Skywalker! Kenobi's former pet." Maul said. He was seething with anger now. Talzin smirked at this. Maul then had an idea. "She could be a valuable asset in drawing Kenobi out. If Skywalker comes, Kenobi will follow." Maul smiled. A perfect plan.

Serenno

Darth Sidious' holographic image appeared on Dooku's desk.

"Master... what is your bidding?" Dooku asked.

"Lord Tyranus, young Skywalker and Kenobi are going to eventually find you." Sidious replied. "You and your apprentice will kill them. I have foreseen it." Dooku smiled. "But first, I have an important matter to deal with.

"What is it, Master?"

"Mother Talzin has become a great threat with her conjunction with my former apprentice Darth Maul. Come to Dathomir with me, and we will kill them. Do not bring your apprentice, she is not yet ready."

"It will be done, Master." Dooku replied, before the hologram fizzled out, and he walked to his shuttle.

"You will be staying here, Vagorum." Dooku said to his apprentice, who nodded. He walked aboard his shuttle and set course for Dathomir.

Jedi Temple, Coruscant

"You didn't tell me that Ahsoka was a Sith?" Anakin exclaimed at Obi-Wan.

"Anakin, I didn't want you to be hurt." Obi-Wan calmly replied.

"I don't want any of that, Obi-Wan. You lied to me. You kept the truth from me. First it was your faked death, now this?" Anakin angrily spat. Obi-Wan sighed. Their argument was interrupted by Yoda walking in.

"Consumed by the Dark Side, your former Padawan has been." Yoda stated. Anakin tried his best to stay calm.

"So what?" Anakin blurted out.

"Anakin, she's gone. Ahsoka is gone." Obi-Wan answered. Anakin tried to speak, but nothing came out.

"No... no... she's in there... Ahsoka's in there, she's still the padawan I had." Anakin finally whispered, and Obi-Wan put a hand on his shoulder. Anakin took deep breaths. "She can't be gone, Obi-Wan... she's..." Anakin couldn't finish.

"If once you start down the dark path, forever dominate your destiny it will." Yoda stated in his wise grand-master tone, before walking out of the room. Anakin flopped onto a chair and sat in silence. Obi-Wan didn't talk at all.

"I have to save her." Anakin announced. "I have to."

That concludes the Battle of Coruscant. Next chapter, Dooku and Sidious go to Dathomir to kill Mother Talzin, and Anakin goes to Padmé.