A/N: Well here it is, the final confrontation between the Jedi and Sidious. Enjoy!

Chapter 8

Order 65

The mission was successful. Lt. Adams copied the Chancellor's personal files and returned to the Agamemnon. Anakin reconnected all the recording devices in the office and left as well. It took some time but Lt. Adams managed to decrypt the files. What she saw in them astonished her. She made out a full report and brought it to the Captain personally.

The Captain sighed when he read the report. "So my suspicions were correct. The Chancellor is in fact Darth Sidious and he's controlling both the Republic and the Confederacy. He plans to take over the galaxy one way or the other." he looked at Lt. Adams. "This is either the end of my career or the beginning of a great relationship with the Republic...contact the Jedi council, Captain Picard of the Enterprise and the Senate security council and invite them back up...Do it quietly."

"Yes sir." she replied

"Dismissed." said the Captain

Lt. Adams walked out onto the bridge and entered a turbolift. She entered the shuttlebay and took a shuttle down to Coruscant. Under the guise of giving the Jedi some tactical advice since they have no conventional military training but instead rely on the Force. She landed at the Jedi temple and was quickly admitted to the Council chambers. She strode in and stood in the middle, bowing respectively, then took out a tricorder. She scanned the area looking for listening devices and found none.

"Safe to speak it is, Lt. Adams. What news have you?"

"Master Yoda, my mission was successful. I'm here to request that you and the council come back up to the Agamemnon to see the results. I've also been asked to bring the Senate security council with me as well. It shouldn't arouse suspicion, we've extended an invitation to all Senators and Jedi who wish to come aboard our ships." she said

"Of course we will come and we will bring the Senators with us as well." said Windu

"I have a shuttle waiting to take us back. But I only have room for three Jedi in addition to the security council."

"Masters Windu and Mundi, accompany me you will. I sense time is of the essence. Go immediately we will." said Yoda.

"Lead the way Lt." said Windu and he, Mundi and Yoda stood."

Lt. Adams led the three Jedi back to the shuttle on the landing pad. She then flew it to the Senate building where she and the Jedi personally met with the six members of the Senate Security Council. They all agreed to go see what information she had uncovered. They all loaded into the shuttle. It was a tight fit but they all got in. On the way up, Lt. Adams sent a tight-beam communication to Captain Picard requesting that he beam over to the Agamemnon right away. An acknowledgement was sent back along the same tight-beam to prevent the Republic from catching it. A few minutes later the shuttle landed in the bay of the Agamemnon. The Jedi and Senators filed out and Lt. Adams led them to the conference room. Captains Picard and Keller were already there.

"Computer seal the room. Scan for listening devices passive or otherwise." ordered Keller

No listening devices detected. replied the Computer

"Good now that that's over with." Keller looked at the Senators and Jedi. "Senators, Master Jedi, we've uncovered undeniable evidence that points to Chancellor Palpatine and Darth Sidious as being one and the same. We've also concluded that he's running the war from both sides." He said passing a PADD to each Senator and Jedi with an overview of the evidence.

Senator Organa, leader of the Security Council spoke. "While we would normally take a vote in the Council chambers I feel it is necessary to take one now. All in favor of initiating Order 65, say 'Aye'."

All six senators agreed.

"There it is then. I as leader of the Security Council hereby take the office of the Chancellor until such time as elections can be held. Captain if I may use your comm system I must issue Order 65 to the GAR." said Organa

"Be in position to arrest the Chancellor we must before you send the Order. Wait ten minutes, gather we will the rest of the Council along with Master Kenobi and Knight Skywalker." said Yoda

"He's right." said Keller "If the Chancellor is Darth Sidious then the Force could warn him of what's happening and he would be forced to execute Order 66. When you issue Order 65, Chancellor, the Jedi must immediately act. I offer the services of my transporter room to beam the Jedi directly to the Chancellor's current location."

"A great fortune it is you have come Captain." said Yoda.

Keller nodded.

Palpatine long suspected the Jedi would eventually make a move against him. However he would have thought it would be near the end of the war instead of just after the start. Those Federationists broke into my office and stole my personal files! he thought. That's the only way they could have figured everything out. He had to move quickly however, before the Senate initiated Order 65 and the Jedi in conjunction with Clone troopers came to arrest him. He called in his personal guard. There was an entire platoon and Clone troopers assigned to his office under his personal command.

The Clone Commander walked in and stood at attention.

"Sir, CT-4289 reporting as ordered sir."

"Trooper, listen to me very carefully. I want you and your men to keep the Jedi from getting to me whatever the cost. Order 66 is in effect. But you're not to attack the Jedi Temple, understood?"

"Yes Chancellor." replied the Clone

"I will leave you to your preparations then. Dismissed." replied Palpatine

The Trooper turned smartly on his heels and headed out the door. As the door closed, Palpatine heard a whooshing noise. It sounded just like...A transporter! Palpatine quickly accessed his computer and began to erase certain files. From outside his office he heard blaster fire, the thrum of lightsabers, more blaster fire. Then, five columns of light appeared in his office. They resolved into Jedi Masters Yoda, Windu, Mundi, Fisto and Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker. All five ignited their lightsabers. "Ahh, Jedi Masters. Have you come with a report on the war?" he said, ignoring the lit lightsabers.

"In the name of the Galactic Senate and the Republic, you are under arrest." said Windu

"Anakin? what's the meaning of this?" he asked

"You have deceived me. You pretend to be my friend, but you were planning to lure me to the Dark Side, betray the Jedi, my friends. They have their faults. But I won't betray them."

"Not even to save your wife?"

"Wife?" asked Windu

"No, not even for her. I've talked with not only Master Yoda but Counsellor Troi of the Enterprise. She helped me realize that I can't be everywhere at once. But I can save who I'm close to. I realize after this is over I might have to leave the Jedi Order. But Troi suggested I join Starfleet. They serve the same purpose in much the same way as the Jedi."

Seeing he could no longer sway the young Jedi to his cause he pulled down a lightsaber from his sleeve. "It's treason then." he said

Then with a scream that would make a Klingon shudder, the former Chancellor lept and the Jedi. Swinging hard at Mundi who barely blocked the blow. Then the other four Jedi came at him. He swiftly blocked all four sabers but quickly realized that even for a Dark Lord of the Sith, five to one odds was little one-sided. He quickly moved the battle out of his office, hoping that his personal clone platoon could kill the Jedi while they were distracted. But his clones were all dead. They had been killed by other clones loyal to the Jedi. He snarled and stabbed Mundi who fell to the floor. Skywalker broke from the engagement and tapped a Federation combadge. "Skywalker to Agamemnon, Master Ki-Adi Mundi has been injured, beam him up."

"Acknowledged" said the ship

As Mundi disappeared in blue light Skywalker rejoined the assault. Sidious fought hard, deflecting lightsabers and the odd blaster bolt that came from any clones that had a clear shot. It was hard for them to get a shot because the Jedi were swirling around the Sith Lord. Kenobi joined the fight as well after leading a battalion of clones to march on the Chancellor's office. Eventually, Sidious still made it to a ship, he Force pushed the Jedi away from him, deflected half-a-dozen blaster bolts then took off.

A squadron of fighters rose with him, attempting to shoot him down. As he exited the atmosphere he saw the Agamemnon heading his way along with two more Federation ships. He quickly set a hyperspace course and sent off a coded message to the CIS using an experimental encryption. Luckily it wasn't in his personal files.

Then just before he engaged the hyperdrive, he saw a trio of crimson orbs coming at him. Photon torpedoes he thought to himself. He had no choice but to try to evade. He broke hard left from his original course then broke right almost immediately. The first two torpedoes missed. But the third impacted his aft shields and destroyed his sublight engines. He saw a Republic cruiser coming at him and screamed curses at the Jedi and the Federation.

Just before he was vaporized by a single turbolaser shot.