A/N I don't own Star Wars.
This series is a continuation of the universe conceived in the one-shot 'Expulsion', carried on in 'Galactic Vigilante' and in 'The Test Ship.'
Death to the Empire 1.
By TimeTraveller-1900.
Shanna was dead.
Anakin couldn't believe it. He had hoped for so long to have a family whom he could love and who would love back in turn; he still could not believe that he had actually been attracted to somebody like Padme, and he hoped the bitch died lonely, in pain and old, her former youthful beauty melted off, like the wax of a melted candle.
But while he still remembered his promise to end the Empire and get rid of Palpatine and Darth Vader, Anakin travelled the galaxy, lost and despondent. Deep down he knew that he should get his act together and that he should get focused on bringing down the Empire, and he didn't even give a thought, not a single thought, about how it was easier said than done since he didn't have his Force powers anymore after the Jedi Council stripped them from him after that disaster on Naboo.
But Anakin Skywalker was not a man who gave up easily, and he had a few ideas of how he should go about bringing down the Empire. At the same time, Anakin wondered if he should do the same thing to the Jedi Order. For a moment he was amused at the thought of seeing the likes of Windu, Yoda, and whichever Jedi Masters who had survived the Purge lying on the ground, dead and finished next to Palpatine and Vader.
For a long time, everyone in the Jedi had hated and derided him, terrified and amazed by his sheer power and his talents in the Force, so it was something great for them whenever they found something they could use against him like his past. Anakin had often asked himself if the Jedi, once they heard about him losing his powers, had cheered since it meant they were no longer inadequate.
He didn't care.
He didn't give a damn about the Prophecy.
He didn't even care if it even applied to him anymore.
But at the same time, he realised that he wondered why the Jedi had been so desperate to find him on Jedha. But it made no difference now; thanks to Padme's actions on Corellia, whatever kind of tentative relationship between himself and the remaining Jedi was dead and gone.
While he was travelling, Anakin felt something strange before he heard the Will of the Force.
How was this possible?
The Jedi had severed his connection to the Force years ago, in the early days of the Clone Wars. He should not be hearing or sensing anything, so why was he suddenly able to hear the Will of the Force?
Fascinated and worried, Anakin set the navigational computer and once the calculation was made, the Shmi jumped into hyperspace. When the ship exited the hyperspace vortex, at last, Anakin quickly checked the ship's charts. The Shmi was in a very remote corner of the galaxy. It had been surveyed, and explored, but never exploited. No mining conglomerate had touched the place, no colonist ship had made the touch down to set up a colony or an outpost, and there was nothing really special for any scientific institute to set up some kind of research laboratory here.
And yet…. Anakin could feel something. It was like a leftover shadow of his former Force ability which was still within him and his soul was telling him there was something about this place which was extremely important.
It should have been impossible for him to hear the Will of the Force, never mind sense there was something unnatural about this planet, but it was happening.
Anakin sighed and obeyed the Will of the Force, and he directed the Shmi on a gentle glide through the planet's atmosphere before he made the touchdown. The planet was lush with vegetation, and once he had conducted some basic environment checks, he made sure his blaster was at hand when he opened the ramp.
Come to me.
The whisper in his ear made Anakin follow, as much as he wished it didn't have such an effect on his mind and willpower. While he didn't have a strong connection to the Force like he had done in the past, Anakin could tell this planet was rich in the Force. The Jedi had taught him that the Force could be visually understood if you stood outside on a planet like this, and watched as the sun began to set, casting shadows over all.
Anakin found himself in a vast tavern which was both natural and yet there were signs someone had moved in and enlarged it. He found himself in what could be both thoughts of a thrown room and a cathedral rolled into one. There was something strongly spiritual in this place.
In front of him were three people.
There was a young woman, who seemed to be glowing with a gentle yellow light, an older man with a long silver white beard, and a younger, bald man who instantly put Anakin on the alert. Everything about this individual reminded him of the Sith Lords of legend that he had studied back in the Temple.
"Welcome, Anakin Skywalker," the old man spoke in a voice that echoed through the air.
"Who are you?" Anakin was surprised by how….neutral he sounded; he knew if he still had his Force powers, he would have had the arrogance to make demands but he was too shattered by what had happened to Shanna that he no longer truly cared.
"I am the Father," the old man introduced himself.
"And I am the Daughter," the young woman said.
"And I am the Son," the younger man said.
"We are…what many would consider, Gods. But we are embodiments of the Force. The light," he gestured to the young woman, "and the dark," he added as he gestured to the man. "I am what keeps them in Balance. And I have been hoping to meet you for some time."
Anakin stared at them for a moment. He knew they were telling the truth. He could tell through whatever leftover remnant of the Force there was.
"Why? Why did you want to see me?" Anakin asked.
"When we learnt the Chosen One had been found by the Jedi, we were amazed, but we were furious when the Jedi took your powers out of fears based on your influenced actions," the Father explained.
"Influenced actions?"
"The Sith Master you call Darth Sidious, or Palpatine, spent many years influencing you and your actions," the Daughter said in her ethereal voice.
"He wanted you to become the next Sith apprentice, and he spent many years laying down the groundwork," the Son added.
"The Sith must be stopped," the Father added.
"What do you mean?" Anakin asked, already feeling a sinking feeling in his heart.
He didn't need this.
With Shanna and their unborn child dead, Anakin wanted to focus on how to deal with the Empire. He hadn't expected a group of Force sensitives to bring him here and force him to do their bidding.
"You are not here to do our bidding," the Father said.
Anakin flinched, already growing angry at how these three brought him here, but now they could read his mind. But he wasn't going to stand for it. "Don't go in my mind! Stay out!" He snapped.
The Son sighed. "You see, Father, it is not going to work."
"It will," there was an edge to the Father's voice, and he stared Anakin down. "I apologise, Anakin Skywalker, however, you are needed."
"I'm not the Chosen One. I don't care. The Jedi proved it when they tore my powers from me," Anakin didn't even bother trying to mask his bitterness at the proof of how the Jedi Council and the rest of the thrice-damned Order were frightened of him. "The Chosen One is a myth, plain and simple."
"No, you're not a myth," the Daughter interrupted. "The Chosen One is as real a being as a star provides warmth and light to a world. In fact, the Force cannot exist without the Chosen One."
"What do you mean?" Anakin was surprised by how this was shaping up.
"The Chosen One is the one who will balance out the light and the dark. Have you never wondered why you seemed to have both an affinity for the Light and the Dark side?" The Father asked.
Anakin nodded. "Many times," he replied.
He had always known that he seemed to have an affinity for the Dark Side due to Palpatine's interest in him, and he imagined the Dark side within himself was simply down to the events in his life. But something told him there was more to it than that.
"That is because you were born to maintain the balance in the Force, how couldn't you do that if you were equally proficient with both the Light and the Dark?" The Son said.
Anakin nodded as he began to understand, but he saw a flaw in the reasoning. "But there are dozens of Force sensitives with the same affinity for both, surely?"
"Oh yes, but they are either not discovered, or they fall one way or another to one side over the other. It is true some Jedi and even some Sith have affinities for the Dark or the Light, but they usually rely on one side. However you are unique because you can use both sides so if you fell to the Dark Side, it would still contain your real personality," the Daughter said.
Anakin wasn't sure what to say about any of this. The Jedi had always been frightened and intimidated by him because of his Force potential, but also because they had sensed the Darkness within him, a darkness which came from the pain and the torment he had endured as a child, to say nothing of his loneliness and his desire for things that were taken from him, like his mother's love.
"The Jedi have always felt the Chosen One will bring balance to the Force by destroying the Sith," Anakin pointed out.
The Son snorted. "Well, that shows what they know. The Jedi stand for the Light side above everything else. No passion, no attachment. Just placidity, detachment. They learnt of the prophecy and interpreted it the way they felt suited their worldview."
The Daughter nodded in agreement. "The Chosen One was meant to balance the whole of the Force. If you simply killed the Sith, the Force's balance would only be restored for a short time. I believe you are aware of the scientific law of nature abhorring a vacuum. If you killed the Sith, how long would it be before another Order arose from the ashes to fill the void left by the Sith, or if another sect of Sith emerged from the darkness?"
As he followed their reasoning, Anakin followed their argument to the logical conclusion.
"So the Jedi were wrong the whole time?" Anakin shook his head, and he could not help himself. He laughed for a moment, remembering the cold way Windu had simply said they would find another Chosen One, and by that Anakin had known they would find another powerful Force sensitive and have him raised the way of the Jedi, an upbringing Anakin hadn't had.
"They were. The Jedi originally brought balance to the Force long ago."
"How do you mean?"
"Are you familiar with the stories of the Prime Jedi?"
"The founder of the Jedi Order? Of course-," Anakin replied, but the Father interrupted him, "Like yourself, the Prime Jedi was once a former slave, who nursed a lot of anger within himself, and he also showed a lot of goodness. Once he escaped that life, the Prime Jedi realised that he could balance himself between the Light and the Dark; he could channel the Dark side for a good cause or reason, or a purpose. He tried to pass that to the later Jedi he formed, but alas, they eventually turned their back on his teachings, and the balance was thrown out. That led to the creation of the Sith, who were once a group of Jedi. You are similar and yet different. You were born due to the Sith's meddling in the creation of life and death, and in response, the Force retaliated by creating you."
"What do you mean, the Sith meddled in the creation of life and death?" Anakin demanded, momentarily wondering if there was a glimmer of truth to what the Jedi had said about him, but he dismissed that instantly.
The Father sighed, and Anakin found himself in a ghostly laboratory surrounded by many creatures, some he recognised and others he didn't. Everything was so cold, and Anakin saw the images of two Sith Lords. One of them lifted their head, and Anakin recognised a younger version of Palpatine.
For a moment he stared into the face of the man who had once been a mentor and a friend before he realised the truth, but he turned his attention to the second Sith Lord, and he realised this Sith must have been Palpatine's own Sith Master. He was a Muun, and Anakin watched the two conduct an experiment, pouring their power into the Force as part of an experiment over life and death. The ghostly image changed and he found himself looking down at his mother, who was asleep in her cot in the slave quarters of Gardualla's palace, and he knew within that moment the Force had impregnated her.
Anakin was brought out of the vision and he took a deep breath. But when he woke up, he noticed he was alone in the cavern. The Father, the Son, and the Daughter were gone. But that was not all.
He felt…
He…
He had his Force connection back.
"The Jedi tore your connection to the Force, Anakin," the Father's voice echoed in his mind, as he experimented and felt long disused and lethargic abilities brought back from oblivion, "however they did a terrible job. They have been restored to you, and the damage has been healed. But there is much to do."
"What do you mean?" Now he had his powers back, all Anakin wanted to do was to go after Palpatine and Vader. But the Father saw into his intentions.
"There is more for you to learn, Anakin. New powers and new ideas," the Father said, and Anakin suddenly felt extremely sleepy, as if he had just ingested a bottle of sleeping tablets. Everything went dark.
X
The Jedi Council were in session when they felt it. They had been speaking of the disastrous reunion with Anakin and the worrying murder committed by Amidala. What made it worse was the whole thing had been transmitted to the Holonet. It clearly showed Amidala shooting an innocent young woman who was fighting stormtroopers and yet turning her attention over to her.
The Imperial Propaganda machine was having a field day; it was a well-known fact Amidala was a member of the Rebel Alliance, and the Empire had spent years putting up the myth the Rebel Alliance were the evil in the galaxy.
Amidala had proven them right.
But as they had been discussing the matter and many other things, the Jedi stopped and nearly collapsed when they felt a wave in the Force. Obi-Wan gasped in shock when he felt the signature of someone he knew only too well. Anakin.
"Anakin?" Obi-Wan breathed in shock.
"Skywalker?" Adi whispered.
"But how…how did he do it?" Windu demanded worriedly, remembering Anakin's mental state from Corellia.
Yoda was about to speak, but before he could every Jedi heard Skywalker's voice in the Force. It was being broadcast so openly that the Sith, the Inquisitors and the Nightsisters would hear it.
"To the Sith and to the Jedi; you were wrong about the Chosen One Prophecy. Yes, my connection to the Force has been restored, and I am not happy. I know what bringing balance means. It's not what you think; you have both misinterpreted it. Bad move. You have both knocked the Force out of alignment, out of balance, with your actions, and your hubris. In case you have both forgotten, you both have to follow the Will of the Force, and you have to follow those rules. You are not the one to decide what creates the balance. I am the one. To the Jedi, you tried to break me from the Force out of fear. And you will regret it. You took something from me… something I have wanted my entire life. A family. A wife. Children. You took that bitch to Corellia, and my fiancé paid the price. To the Sith, you have damaged the balance. You will answer for it. I am coming. Be ready, for you will pay the price."
Obi-Wan was chilled to the bone. For the first time in a while, he was truly frightened, and now there was potentially an unstable individual out there.
X
The Sith had indeed heard Anakin's promise and threat in the Force. And they had felt the Force wave as Anakin's Force potential returned. Palpatine had been in meditation deep inside the Jedi Temple, which had been converted into the Imperial Palace when he had felt it and heard the threat. Ever since Darth Vader slaughtered the Jedi in the Temple, the Force had become darkened within the once hallowed bastion of the Light Side, and so it had become easier for Darth Sidious to meditate.
When he heard Anakin's voice and realised his former protege had his Force powers back, Palpatine was knocked for six by the threat. His scheming mind knew there was no way Anakin would listen to him, or listen to promises about getting revenge on the Jedi, or on Amidala who had murdered someone really close to him. Palpatine had seen Anakin in the recording, and while it was interesting to see how it developed, it only helped the Imperial cause.
But now he was concerned about his power base. Anakin Skywalker had always been powerful. It was one of the reasons why the Sith Master had groomed him and several other Jedi, but the power radiating in the voice had scared the old Sith Lord greatly since the amount of raw power which would usually please a Master of the Force exceeded Sidious's own power and he knew that Anakin would not be susceptible to any suggestions. It was a pity, and disheartening. But the Order of the Sith Lords founded by Darth Bane had spent the last 1,000 years evolving and growing stronger. They had endured similar problems in the past with promising apprentices either being proven to be not Sith material or they had been spirited away by the Jedi.
But this was a true threat to the Sith.
Palpatine and Darth Vader would have to work together to defeat Anakin, or else everything their order had worked for would be undone in moments.
Darth Sidious prepared to make the call to Vader. They would need to plan this out carefully if they were going to prevail and survive.