We have some great chapters coming up: The confrontation in Palpatine's office in the next, the Jedi temple massacre and Order 66 in the one after (That chapter is long, long, long – nine pages in fact!), the birth of the empire, a betrayal…
A reference to a change that was made in Chapter 33 is in this chapter, so if you're confused by it, just go back and skim through that chapter.
Chapter 67 responses:
JainaZekk621: Thanks! Here's your update!
TnTornado: Thanks and here ya later!
G-Anakin 13: What made you cry? The information I gave you, or the chapter?
Sica Meni: The anticipation you have to read the chapters are the same anticipation I have to post them. I'd say we're at the point of where the story picks up more now. Have you already started school? I won't be starting till September 11.
Twisted Words (): Well, we're at twenty-three chapters into the episode. I couldn't hold out forever.
Booksaboutnothing: Here ya go!
Arsenal:
It's good to see you back! I'm glad you had fun on your vacation.
I just had one of my own and had a blast as well. Thanks for all
fifteen reviews! You rock man! Now for the questions you asked:
The
question in Chapter 54's review was answered in Chapter 56 with
Anakin having his own quarters and all.
I didn't
quite get Chapter 63's question. If you were asking about the end
of this episode, then we still have about twenty chapters to go.
Chapter
66's question is answered in this chapter.
And again, thanks so much for the reviews! They really
motivate me.
The Lure of the Dark Side: Chronicle 1-The Turning of an Era
Episode V: Revenge of the Sith
Chapter 23: Darkness Revealed
UTAPAU
Arica had been nothing short of shocked when Sidious entered her mind with the command to return to Coruscant immediately, with or without eliminating Kenobi. And what was even more shocking was that he didn't even give her a chance to tell him of her current position in the mission. As abruptly as he entered her mind, he exited it.
She was still speeding through the streets of Pau City on her speeder bike, racing for her escape ship, The Crystaliner – a military-enhanced star cruiser of luxury. It was docked on one of the highest levels of the sinkhole: a secret docking platform that had been built since the Confederacy's occupation of the planet for the General's use alone.
She was more then aware that Kenobi was trailing her; she heard the high-pitched cries of the varactyl lizard he was mounted on behind her over the hum of her speeder. The dragonmount had pursued her all throughout the city with its Jedi rider, using its clawed feet to climb the the sinkhole walls.
Arica's speeder bike was going at its maximum limit, being maneuvered this way and that through sharp turns and up steep hills. She didn't consider Kenobi's lizard to be much of a match against her speeder. She'd have plenty of enough time to reach her ship and be off. Or so she thought...
Suddenly, with a seemingly impossible burst of speed, Kenobi's lizard pulled up beside her speeder and the rider flashed her a grin.
Snarling, she ignited the electrostaff that was kept with the speeder and began to wield it out at the Jedi. He, however, swiftly grabbed a hold of it, starting a tug of war over the weapon. Next thing Arica knew, he was using it as a way to get onto the speeder behind her. She yanked at the staff in vain, but Kenobi successfully made it onto the bike and snatched the staff out of her hands with one of his own, grabbing onto her wrists with the other.
It was than that Arica realized they were approaching another private docking bay – this one belonging to Nute Gunray and housing his unused star fighter escape ship – and the cliff that led to the abyss of the sinkhole beneath. If she didn't stop the speeder, they'd both end up falling over it to their dooms. Arica struggled against Kenobi's grip on her wrists, but he only held tighter. Then an idea came to her. She stomped as hard as she could with her high heeled boots on one of Kenobi's own boot covered feet right next to hers. He groaned at the pain in response, loosening his grip on her wrists, and Arica took that sign of weakness to dart off the speeder just as it reached the docking bay and then went over the cliff.
Quickly getting up, she hoped to see Kenobi falling to his doom in the sinkhole's abyss below, but no such fortune. He'd also jumped off the speeder and landed several feet away from her. He was now getting up, electrostaff in hand, and ready to fight. Arica furiously ran at him, but he knocked her to the ground by slamming her hard across the face with the staff. Giving a yell of rage, she back flipped up and ran at him again. First kicking the electrostaff out of his hands, then punching and assaulting every part of his body she could reach. She took pleasure out of his yells and groans of pain, but being that he fought back, she had her own painful yells to deal with.
Several minutes into this hand-to-hand combat fight, Arica decided to end it. Somersaulting back a few feet, she then came back at the Jedi with a hard, vertical kick in the gut that was so powerful it threw him towards the cliffs' edge. To her delight, he fell over it, but managed to hang onto the dock's edge with his bare hands.
Arica collected the fallen electrostaff and proceeded towards Kenobi, spinning it around with the twirls of her body. She couldn't help but allow a small smirk light her face. It was the end for this Jedi fool. But Kenobi wasn't even looking at her. He was using the Force to call the long forgotten blaster that had fallen from her speeder bike before it went over the cliff. By the time he had it in hand, she was practically upon him, ready to decapitate his head from his body. However, she was suddenly thrown back at the bolt of blaster fire he shot into her chest and lost her grip on the electrostaff, causing it to fall to the ground. The Jedi took the opening presented to him, shooting three more bolts at her; one after the other and the impact was all too much for the girl, having her to fall to the ground as if dead.
Any normal person would've died at the assault of having four blaster bolts fired into their chest. But Arica was no normal person, and as such was not dead.
Upon returning to Coruscant for her rematch with Sidious at the end of the seven month tutelage she endured under Dooku during the war's first year, unknown to the Sith Apprentice, Sidious had her undergo numerous biological alterations to her body's defenses, giving her accelerated healing and a high pain threshold. With a mixture of that, plus the Force protected shield that was sustained around her at all times by her Sith master's extensive knowledge in the Dark Side, it was impossible for her to be killed.
If a lightsaber were to be pierced inside her chest or she was to get shot to death by a blaster, she wouldn't die because the Dark Side energy around her wouldn't allow it. According to Sidious, she was too powerful an asset to kill, even greater then his own daughter, and he would not allow her to die until he saw fit. This bit of information was something that no one except the two of them knew about. Arica was quite smug over this fact.
Another thing the Dark Side energy shield did was give the murderer who thought they'd killed the donor, the sense and illusion that they were successful in their goal. After the assault transpired, the Force presence of the person dimmed ever so slightly, making it seem that they were dying. Eventually, the presence would disappear altogether through a powerful Force energy cloak and the person would be knocked into a deep state of unconsciousness, making it appear they were dead. This is what happened to Arica.
Obi-Wan tiredly hoisted himself back over the ledge of the cliff he'd been holding onto for dear life after shooting Grievous to death with her lone blaster. Giving it a brief look of distaste, he said, "So uncivilized," to no one in particular, and tossed it aside.
Coming to a halt several paces later, he glanced down sadly at the now dead teenage general and sighed.
So young and capable of killing so many, he thought as he gazed down at the girls' delicate features, so like her sisters'. Oh why Arica? Why did you make me have to do this? You were such a nice girl. You had such a bright future ahead of you. And how am I supposed to tell your sister what I've done? She'll hate me for life. She loved you, despite what you did.
Giving one last mournful sigh, he left the deceased girl's side and went to find his dragonmount, Boga. His next task would be informing the Council of Grievous' diminish and helping his troops fight the battle that continued to rage on in Pau City.
CORUSCANT – THE AMIDALA MANSION
Baynetta had been slightly surprised, but pleased, when Sidious made his announcement. His hint from earlier that day began to ring clearer in her mind.
The end of the war maybe even sooner then you think.
Finally. After all these years, the Great Jedi Purge would at last come into being. The end of the old order; the start of the new. The extinction of the Jedi; the rise of the Sith.
It was a glorious day that had been long coming.
Baynetta smirked as she gazed out at the distant form of the Jedi Temple from her home's third level balcony. At last, the Sith would have their revenge.
CORUSCANT – EN ROUTE TO THE JEDI TEMPLE
Anakin felt betrayed. Chancellor Palpatine. The Sith Lord, Darth Sidious. It just didn't make any sense. He refused to believe it, but yet...knew it was true. He was racing to the Jedi Temple via his air speeder; bumping through traffic and making some of his fellow pilots crash in the process. But Anakin didn't care. All he continued to think about was telling the great and righteous Jedi Master Windu of this grave revelation and seeing the stern man react in shock.
Sloppily parking his speeder in two docking spaces in the temple's hanger bay, Anakin quickly jumped out of it, but stopped at the sight of Windu himself accompanied by fellow masters Kit Fisto, Agen Kolar and Saesee Tinn and knights Olana Chion – a black haired, brown eyed woman in her mid-twenties who found Anakin to be untrustworthy, Serra Keto – a black haired, blue eyed woman of twenty and excellent swordsman, and four others – all males – that Anakin recognized by face only. The Jedi group was headed towards a nearby Republic transport ship, obviously on their way out. Anakin hastily ran to catch up to them, practically out of breath.
"Master Windu?" he called. "I need to talk to you."
The Korun Master stopped briefly at Anakin's voice and turned to face him, as did some of the others. "Skywalker," he acknowledged and continued on his way, talking as he walked. "We've just received word that Obi-Wan has killed General Grievous. We're on our way to make sure Palpatine returns his power back to the Senate."
Anakin sighed heavily, for the moment totally forgetting about Arica. "He won't give up his power." His tone was filled with distraught. "I've just learned a terrible truth. Chancellor Palpatine is the Sith Lord, Darth Sidious."
Windu and the other Jedi stopped dead in shock. "The Sith Lord, Darth Sidious?" Windu repeated, obviously thinking he'd misheard the young Knight.
"Yes," Anakin confirmed.
Despite himself, Mace was suddenly a little suspicious. "How do you know this."
"He knows the ways of the Force," Anakin explained. "He's been trained to use the dark side. And he just as much told me his identity during the Opera performance we attended yesterday."
Anakin gave a brief description of the conversation that'd taken place the previous night, minus the obvious parts he choose to leave out. The Jedi group did not interrupt him during his speech, merely listened thoughtfully and attentively.
Master Windu looked grave at the end of the explanation. "Our worse fears have been realized." He resumed his stride as he spoke next. "We must move quickly if the Jedi Order is to survive."
"Master, the Chancellor is very powerful," Anakin cautioned. "You'll need my help if you plan to arrest him."
Mace gave him a brief stare. "For your own good stay out of this affair. I sense a great deal of confusion in you, young Skywalker. There is much fear that clouds your judgment."
"I must go Master," Anakin pressed.
"No," Windu said firmly. Than in a mildly gentler tone of voice, he continued. "If what you've told me is true, you'll have gained my trust. But for now remain here." Anakin nodded. "Wait in the Council Chambers until we return."
Anakin lowered his head in defeat. "Yes master."
But as the young man watched the ship go, he couldn't help but somehow know that none of them would be returning.
As requested, Anakin went to the highest central tower of the temple and went inside the High Council Chambers to wait. Sitting down in the chair that he'd claimed his own since becoming a member on the Council, Anakin began to think.
He thought about Arica's death, the Chancellor being a Sith Lord and Padme's possible death. Despite Arica being a murderer, Anakin found it to be a pity that Obi-Wan had succeeded in killing her. But at the same time, there was a small part of him that knew she was still alive somehow.
Than there was the matter of the Chancellor. His mentor and friend. He was evil, but yet he was also a friend who wanted to help him save Padme's life. How the Chancellor knew that he and Padme were married was beyond Anakin, but it didn't matter now. All that mattered was that Padme stayed alive.
But he was a Sith Lord, the other part of his brain argued, he needs to be destroyed.
But what about Padme? The other part asked. If he's destroyed, she could die.
As if on cue, Anakin heard Sidious speak inside his mind.
"You do know that if the Jedi destroy me, any chance of saving her will be lost."
Anakin sighed in confusion, not knowing what to do. He took that moment to get up and look out the circular window to Padme's mansion in the far distance. He wondered what she was doing right at that moment. He wondered if she was thinking of him.
As he continued to go over all of what Sidious had told him in his mind, along with the two visions of Padme dying, silent tears ran down his face and he knew what he had to do. If the Jedi wanted to arrest Palpatine then fine, but Anakin would learn the secret to sustaining life from him first. After which, the Jedi could do whatever they wanted to the Chancellor. He didn't care. All that mattered was Padme.
And it was on this thought that he disobeyed Windu's orders and left the Council Chambers, running back down to the hanger bay, boarding his speeder, headed for the Senate Building.