Disclaimer: I don't own Evangelion or Star Wars. Just this story.
Authors note: Here it is. Order 66. Anakin's leading the attack on the Jedi Temple, with Shinji in tow.
P.S: This is the third Super-Chapter, so get comfortable. This is going to be a long read. This is not only order 66, but the entire end of Episode III as well. And if it seems a little bit confusing at times, then I've done my job right. What could be more confusing than attacking the Jedi? And if it seems rushy... My bad. And sorry about the wait, I've been busy with school and such.
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"What!?" exclaimed Shinji in horror, "That's impossible!" He had just been told what Order 66 was. And he was appalled.
Shinji, Alex, and Red had arrived on Coruscant just moments ago, and met up with Anakin. He already had many of the 501st with him, because Captain J0-5H had been on security detail for the planet. Anakin had just told him what the Order was.
"Anakin," said Shinji, "You can't expect me to believe that the Jedi are trying to take over."
"They are," answered Anakin. "I saw Master Windu try to kill Chancellor Palpatine with my own eyes. And my name isn't Anakin anymore... It's Darth Vader." Shinji looked at his friend in confusion and disbelief. Darth? That was supposed to be only a title that the Sith used. Did that mean..? No, it couldn't be. Anakin would never become a Sith. What was going on? "Why are you just standing there?" demanded Anakin, "Are you coming or not?" Shinji thought for a second. He suddenly remembered that Rei was still in the Temple! And he realized he had only one option if he was going to save her.
"Yes," he said, "Right away." He hurried and got into the lead column of troopers. They began to march, Anakin in the lead, with Shinji right behind. They marched right up the Temple stairs, and then into the Temple itself. Once they were inside, a jedi noticed them.
'This is odd,' thought the Jedi. He ran over to Anakin. "What's going on?" he asked. "Why do you have so many clones with you? Is there- Auugh!" Anakin cut him down. Shinji was horrified. He had never seen someone die like that right in front of him. It was different much than seeing one of the clones die, after all, they were wearing helmets. He had never seen the look of agony that passed across someone's face as they were killed... And he didn't like it. Not at all.
All of the jedi heard the fallen jedi's scream and looked to the oncoming clones and Anakin. Then they activated their lightsabers and attacked. They ran at the 501st, who began firing. Shinji didn't want to attack, but he knew he had to. He fired, taking a jedi out quickly.
'I really hope that this doesn't hurt them,' thought Shinji as he fought. He fought hard, taking down jedi at an incredible speed. Needless to say, his men were impressed. Most of them were having difficulty killing one jedi, but there was Shinji taking them down left and right. Guess that's why he was the General. They dropped like flies before Shinji. Unbeknownst to them however, Shinji had a secret to taking the jedi out. A secret that none of them could've guessed in a million years.
Shinji kept firing, cutting through the jedi ranks like a hot knife through butter. He fought fiercely, determined to get to as many jedi as possible before the rest of the 501st. The jedi saw Shinji's amazing battle prowess as a severe threat. This one soldier seemed like he could singlehandedly wipe out the Jedi Order. Ten jedi swarmed at him from all directions, causing the clones to create a defensive wall around him. Shinji tried to take out as many of the jedi as he could before they reached him. But, there were still three left. They cut down the clones around him and attempted to attack. Shinji fired at one, bringing her down. He rolled out of the way, just in time to avoid being sliced to pieces by the two remaining jedi. He shot them both.
All ten of their bodies littered the ground, not counting the others Shinji had dealt with. Anakin looked at Shinji in surprise. He had never seen his friend fight with such a drive before. He didn't know what was causing Shinji to do this but whatever it was, he liked it. Anakin went back to his own slaughter. Shinji looked at the ten jedi on the ground with... pride. He felt oddly proud of what he was doing. He went back to the attack fiercely. Shinji fired at the oncoming jedi.
To his men, and the jedi, he seemed to be everywhere at once. He took down the jedi one after another. Before they knew it, Shinji had successfully taken out thirty jedi. And the number was growing. He knew that if he didn't, someone else would. And that was the last thing that he wanted to happen. He was trying to save as many jedi as possible. Suddenly, a clone fired a rocket at one of the pillars. It came crashing down, sending rubble everywhere.
888
Rei was roughly awaken by a loud noise coming from somewhere outside of her room. 'What was that?' she thought as she walked to the door. 'It sounded like... an explosion. But how?' She looked outside and saw it. There were clones everywhere, and they were... attacking the jedi!? She couldn't believe what she was seeing. 'Why are the clones attacking?' she thought. She looked closely at the colors on their armor. 'Blue? Wait, that is the 501st's color! That means that Shinji... No, he would not be here attacking the jedi. Would he?' She watched the battle for a few more moments, before quickly shutting her door. She looked around her room. She knew the Jedi Temple very well by now. During her stay, she had been allowed to wander about as she wished and she had done just that. She now had an intimate knowledge of the Jedi Temple. She knew her way around all of the hallways, even the ones that the Jedi had kept secret.
She grabbed her bear and was about to leave, when she remembered something. The children! There were several rooms near hers that belonged to younglings. She could not leave them behind. She quietly slipped out of her room, and made her way down the hallway. The hallway, save for the one entrance that was right across from her door, was completely hidden from where the clones were attacking. As she passed by their rooms, she went inside and woke the sleeping younglings. There were five rooms in the hallway, not counting hers. She entered the first room, a girl's and woke her up.
"Miss Rei?" the girl asked, rubbing the sleep from her eyes."What's going on?" She heard the noise coming from outside. "What are all of those noises?"
"Something bad is happening," said Rei. "Just come with me. I am going to get you and the others to safety." The girl grabbed her training saber and followed Rei to the other rooms. Once she had gotten all five children, they made their way down the hallway. After a ways, Rei stopped. She began feeling the wall. It was around here somewhere... Aha. Click. The secret door panel opened, and Rei beckoned the younglings inside. She closed the panel behind her, and began leading the children through the secret hallway.
As they went along, Rei looked back at the children. 'Poor things,' she thought, 'They're terrified." They came to another wall, and Rei started feeling around for the secret door. Suddenly there was another explosion, this time very close, and very loud. The youngest girl in the group began to cry. "Oh," asked Rei, "What's wrong?"
"I'm scared," answered the little girl.
"Come here," said Rei. She took the girl in her arms. "Don't worry," she said. "Don't cry. I will not let anything happen to you. Any of you." The girl sniffled a little. "Here," said Rei, handing her the bear. "I hold onto this when I feel scared."
"You mean you get scared too?" asked a little boy in the group.
"Yes," said Rei. "It is natural to feel fear sometimes."
"Well don't worry," said the little boy, puffing out his chest and trying to look tough. "I'm here! And I'm not going to let nothin' bad happen to nobody!" Rei gave a small smile, admiring the child's bravery. She went back to finding the secret door. She found it, and they continued making their way through the passageways.
888
Shinji had never expected to find Hell in the Jedi Temple. And that's what he saw now. Hell.
There were fires everywhere. Several pillars had been toppled, adding to the large amount of debris on the ground. Dead bodies littered the ground, of both clones and jedi. Chaos seemed to rule the scene. Shinji did what he could. He kept track of each jedi that he shot. He was getting close to fifty. He kept firing. The jedi were growing less and less, but they were still a very formidable force. Unfortunately, as much as he wished he could, Shinji wasn't able to get all of them. His men beat him to many of the jedi.
'Still,' thought Shinji, 'Fifty saved is better than none at all.' He kept firing. He hated to fight the jedi, but he knew that he had to. There was one thing he liked about fighting them though. They never tried to attack from behind. The jedi had too much honor to employ such an underhanded tactic. As he was fighting, he kept a sharp lookout for Rei. She could be anywhere around here. He just hoped that wherever she was, she was safe.
Just then, he got a call over his communicator. "General," said the clone voice, "We need your help. The Supreme Chancellor has requested that we keep the Jedi Library intact. But the jedi are-auugh!" Shinji saw the clone get cut in half by a lightsaber. Suddenly, the jedi was shot down, and another clone picked up the communicator.
"This is Red," said the clone, "We need you to help us defend these holobooks."
"On my way," said Shinji. He ran towards the library. Once inside, he saw the jedi attacking not only the clones, but the bookcases as well. It was odd though, to see anyone attacking the Library. He could remember many times when he was younger, having come in here. He had always been able to find something interesting to read. The thought of anyone attacking the books was absurd. Shinji began firing, taking a jedi out almost instantly. Some of the jedi turned their attention on this new and dangerous intruder, and began to attack. Shinji kept firing. His aim was impeccable. Of course, closer inspection would have revealed that he didn't usually aim for the head or chest.
Several jedi attempted to take him down, but none could even get close. Those that even got close to getting close were gunned down by either Shinji or one of the nearby clones. Shinji looked around to see about eight full bookcases left.
'Okay,' he thought, 'If I can keep these defended for a few minutes, the jedi may leave.' He began setting up a hasty defense plan. He put up about ten clones near each bookcase. He and a team of sixteen stood in the middle of all of the books to provide some support. Jedi began dropping down from the upper floor of the library. Shinji and the clones began firing. They took down as many as they could, but some still slipped by. One of the bookcases exploded.
'Seven left,' thought Shinji as he continued to fire. Then there was another explosion. 'Six.' Thankfully, the number of jedi were waning. And soon, they weren't coming at all.
Suddenly, he saw Anakin heading in the direction of the Council Chamber. He began to follow him. He still had to make his way through the attacking jedi, and they weren't making it easy for him. Suddenly, a jedi rushed at Shinji. It was Shaak Ti. He rolled out of the way and tried to fire, but his gun jammed! She slashed at him, but he moved out of the way. He pulled out his lightsaber, knowing that it was the only way to defend himself from the attacking jedi.
The girl in question got angrier at seeing the lightsaber. This clone must've taken it off of a dead jedi. She attacked with vigor, hoping to cut her opponent down and avenge the wrongful death of whoever the saber belonged to. She figured that it wouldn't be a problem, as the clone wouldn't have any training with the weapon.
She brought the blade down, which he attempted to block, but suddenly she shifted and tried from the side. 'I've got him now,' thought Shaak Ti. Suddenly, to her horror, the opponent successfully blocked. She kept attacking, but he kept blocking. She noticed that as they were fighting, her opponent had gotten several opportunities to attack. But he fought with a defensive style that reminded her of her lessons with Yoda. In fact, this reminded her of a training duel that she'd had with that boy who used to hang around the temple. She had been called in that day to give a demonstration. The boy had fought with a style almost identical to this one. That boy who had become part of... the 501st!?
"Shinji?" she said.
"Yes?" asked the person in the clone armor. She was horrified.
"How could you?" Shinji hung his head.
"I'm sorry," he said, "But this is for your own good." Before she could react (due to the shock at fighting Shinji) he pulled out his pistol and fired. Shaak Ti looked down at where he'd hit her.
'In the leg?' she thought, her thoughts becoming cloudy, 'Why there?' she collapsed to the ground. Shinji looked at her. Then he started un-jamming his rifle.
"Thank the Force for guns like this," he thought as he worked. He quickly fixed the problem and went back to trying to get to the Council Chamber. Anakin going there could only mean one thing: jedi. He took off running towards the chambers, hoping that he could get there soon enough to save some, if not all, of Anakin's potential targets. He ran down the hallway towards the stairs. He climbed the stairs and saw Anakin moving through the Chamber doors. He ran to catch up. He arrived just in time.
"Master Skywalker," said the little blonde boy, "There are too many of them. What are we going to do?" Anakin activated his lightsaber. He raised it. He tried to bring it down, but couldn't.
'What?' Anakin thought. He looked up to see his lightsaber being blocked by another lightsaber, one that was being held by... an armored hand? He looked next to him and saw Shinji, helmet on the ground and with a determined look on his face. "What are you doing?" asked Anakin angrily.
"What I need to do," answered Shinji. He swiftly moved in front of the children, keeping his lightsaber trained towards Anakin.
"What is the meaning of this?" asked Anakin.
"I'm not about to let you harm these kids," said Shinji. "What do these kids have to do with anything? Look at them!" Anakin looked at them, seeing five scared and confused faces. "Do they look like enemies to you?"
"...Yes!" said Anakin. He attacked! He brought his blade crashing down at Shinji, who blocked just in time. Anakin kept applying his strength. Shinji was forced to his knees. He pushed back, but Anakin seemed to be prevailing. Shinji suddenly rolled to the side, catching Anakin off guard. He slashed at his side, but Anakin blocked. Shinji jumped back and kept up his defensive position. Anakin struck at him. Shinji parried and struck back. Their lightsabers met again and again. Shinji quickly aimed a sweeping kick at Anakin. Anakin jumped up over Shinji and attempted to hit him from the back. Shinji blocked and then rolled forward. He got up and spun around. Unfortunately, Anakin was no longer paying attention to him.
His back was turned to Shinji, and he was heading towards the children! Shinji took one look at their frightened faces, and knew what he had to do. He rushed at Anakin, and prepared to strike at his unprotected back. But Anakin sensed him at the last second and spun around to block. Shinji struck out and Anakin parried. Shinji blocked Anakin's attack and tried to counter. Shinji spun around, attacking as he did. He was very hard to hit now, spinning and blocking every few seconds. Shinji struck once more, and then jumped back. He was panting now, as was Anakin. Shinji was now in front of the children again. Anakin was next to the door. He looked down to see Shinji's discarded helmet.
"Kids," said Shinji, "Stay behind me and the chairs." Anakin suddenly threw his lightsaber at Shinji. Shinji blocked it. Suddenly, his helmet came flying at him! It smacked him right in the face, causing him to fall over. He got up and brushed his hand across his now bleeding lip.
"So that's how it has to be then?" asked Shinji as Anakin's lightsaber returned to him.
"I'm afraid so," said Anakin. He rushed at Shinji, preparing for to take a slash at Shinji' left. Shinji moved to block, but Anakin changed it to an attack from the top at the last second. Shinji still managed to block. But, with Shinji blocking from the top, that made his stomach a weak spot. Anakin kicked him in the stomach, sending him crashing backwards into one of the chairs. Anakin raised his lightsaber an brought it down. Shinji blocked, and kicked Anakin's feet out from under him. Shinji leapt up and caught Anakin before he fell. And, as much as he hated to, he delivered his knee into Anakin's stomach. He pushed Anakin away from him, and went back to his defensive position. Anakin caught his breath and looked at Shinji angrily.
"If you're going to get in my way," he said, raising his left hand, "Then you're my enemy." Shinji suddenly felt himself choking. He dropped his lightsaber and grabbed at his neck, gasping for air.
888
Rei lead her five small charges through the secret passageways of the besieged Jedi Temple. She was keeping them calm, telling them that everything would be alright. She knew that she couldn't bring them outside, as there would undoubtably be troopers guarding the exits. She was moving them to a place that she felt would be safe. The Jedi Council Chamber. Why would the clones come looking in there? After all, any Jedi Master at the Temple would be out in the hallways right now, trying to beat back the clones. She led them through the final passage, and into the Chamber.
"Alright," Rei said to the younglings, "You will be safe here. Stay here until help arrives."
"Where are you going Miss Rei?" asked one of the children.
"I'm going to try and find more younglings and lead them here," answered Rei. She walked back into the passage and began to close the wall. It was almost completely closed, when she suddenly heard a voice.
"Master Skywalker," said one of the younglings. Rei looked back. Through the crack that was left open She saw Anakin standing there. "There are too many of them. What are we going to do?" She saw Anakin activate his lightsaber. Suddenly, as she was about to move and protect the younglings, She saw Shinji walk in, full armor except for his helmet, and activate his lightsaber. She watched the fight that ensued, marveling at Shinji's amazing grasp of lightsaber combat. She watched right up until Shinji kneed Anakin in the gut.
"If you're going to get in my way," she heard Anakin say, "Then you're my enemy." She saw him raise his left hand, and saw Shinji drop his lightsaber and start choking. She ran out of the passageway and kicked Anakin in the back. Anakin immediately let go of Shinji and started gasping in pain. Rei could deliver quite a kick! However, the pain only stopped him for a few seconds. He turned to his attacker, and was surprised to see her. But only for a second.
"Ahh, Senator Ayanami," he said, "How nice of you to join us. You can join the other traitors!" He began chocking her as well.
"Let go of her you monster!" cried Shinji. He had recovered just enough. He rushed at Anakin with almost inhuman speed. He elbowed him in the side, causing him to once again lose control of his Death Pinch. While he was distracted, Shinji quickly grabbed Rei, who was coughing terribly because of the Pinch, and ran her over to where the kids were hiding behind the chairs. He put her down and grabbed his lightsaber. He ran back at Anakin. Anakin raised his lightsaber and blocked. Shinji started hammering down at Anakin, the most aggressive attack Anakin had ever faced. "No one-!" Bzzt! "Does that-!" Bzzt! "To-!" Bzzt! "Rei!" Bzzt! He kept hammering down on Anakin. Anakin Force-Pushed him away, sending him flying a few feet into the air. Shinji hit the floor hard, but was back on his feet in seconds.
Shinji rushed at Anakin, ready to strike. Anakin blocked, and their lightsabers clashed. They both pushed hard, but niether blade moved. Shinji kicked out at Anakin, who jumped back. Anakin tried Pinching Shinji again. But this time, Shinji was ready.
As soon as he felt his airways start to close, he sucked in as much air as he could, forcing it down his throat. Anakin kept his hold on Shinji, who just stood their, minimalizing his oxygen use.
"Think about what you're doing," said Shinji in a raspy voice. "Anakin, please." Even though he was holding his breath, Shinji could feel his strength ebbing away. He fell to his knees. "Anakin please," he said, beginning to grab at his neck. "It's me, Shinji. I'm your friend." Shinji grabbed at his throat, things starting to get dark.
Friend. The word echoed through Anakin's mind. Shinji. That too found its way into Anakin's mind. 'What am I doing?!' Anakin released Shinji instantly, and rushed over to him. Shinji had collapsed to the floor completely because of the lack of air. "Shinji?" said Anakin as he reached him. He picked Shinji up and shook his shoulders. "Shinji?" No response. "Shinji!?" he shook his shoulders again. "Oh no," said Anakin. "What have I done?" He began to weep over his friends body. Suddenly, Shinji started coughing. "Shinji? Oh thank the Force!" Shinji opened his eyes. "Oh Shinji," said Anakin remorsely, "I'm so sorry. I-I wasn't thinking."
"I'll say you weren't," said Shinji, rubbing his neck. "Anakin, I don't know exactly what's going on. But these kids," he pointed to the younglings, who were now crowding around Rei for comfort (seeing someone being choked was not a pleasant experience). "These kids aren't part of this. If you have to attack the Jedi, then do it." Shinji got up. "But these kids aren't jedi."
"But I have to," said Anakin, "It's the only way to save Padme."
"What's wrong with Padme?" asked Rei.
"She's going to die," said Anakin, "Unless I can use the Dark Side. And I have to defeat the jedi to do it. All of them. It's what my Master said."
"Well I don't know who your Master is," said Shinji, "But if you don't tell him, we won't. As long as he thinks they're dead, he won't care."
"Alright," said Anakin, lifting his hood back onto his head. "We all forget what transpired here. Agreed?" Everyone, including the younglings, shook their heads. Anakin walked out of the room, and back into his slaughter. Once he was gone, Rei ran over to Shinji.
"Shinji," she asked, running into his arms, "What's going on? Why are the clones attacking?"
"I don't know," answered Shinji. "Anakin said that Mace Windu tried to kill Palpatine. But I need to get all of you out of here." He was about to ask how they had gotten in the Chamber, when suddenly a jedi rushed into the room. Unfortunately, all he saw was Shinji's armor and the younglings, who still had frightened looks on their faces.
"You leave those kids alone!" shouted the jedi. He ran towards Shinji with his lightsaber raised. Then on pure reflex, Shinji whipped out his pistol and fired. The jedi dropped to the ground. Everyone in the room just stared at the jedi's body, lying unmoving on the cold Chamber floor. One of the younglings began crying.
"You killed him!" the child cried. The rest started crying too.
"Shinji," said Rei in her monotone voice. Shinji turned to face her.
SLAP! "How could you?" Shinji reeled from the blow. It wasn't so much the slap, but the fact that Rei had been the one to do it.
"Ouch!" said Shinji, rubbing his cheek As if his head didn't hurt enough from the helmet. "What was that for?"
"That!" said Rei, pointing at the fallen jedi.
"Rei," said Shinji, a look of hurt in his eyes.
"What?"
"Look," said Shinji. He walked over to where the jedi lay, and turned him over. He pulled a very small dart out of his chest. "This is a tranquilizer," said Shinji, showing them the dart. "He's not dead. He's just asleep." He rubbed his cheek, which now had a red hand-shaped mark on it. He picked the jedi up and slung him over his shoulder.
"Oh Shinji," said Rei, instantly regretting striking him, "I-I'm sorry, I didn't know..."
"That's okay Rei," said Shinji. "I might've done the same thing if I had been you. It's my fault, I should have explained. But he came too fast, and I didn't have any other choice." The younglings had calmed down by now. "So how did you all get in here without being noticed?"
"This way," said Rei, opening up the hidden passage. Shinji put on his helmet, and walked into the passageway. Rei led them through the various passages, until they came to one that would pass through the security room.
"Wait," said Shinji as he walked over to the computer. He began searching through the records. "Aha!" he said as he found the security holocron for the Council Chamber. He removed the holocron and attached it to his belt. This way, no one would know what had happened.
Rei continued to lead them through the hallways They were doing well. No one had seen them yet. However, they did have a couple of close calls. At one point, they had just closed the passage door, when they heard several troopers run by. This was getting dangerous. Eventually, they came to a point where the secret passageways ended. They were close to the outside now.
"What do we do now?" asked Rei. "There's no way out beyond here, there's just a balcony." Shinji thought for a second. Then he got an idea. He used the control on his wrist to activate the auto-pilot on his LAAT. In minutes it had arrived, and was waiting outside near the balcony.
"Alright," said Shinji, "I have an LAAT waiting for us outside. All we have to do now is sneak out quietly." They went quickly and quietly, and reached the balcony. Shinji helped everyone inside, and then deposited the unconscious jedi inside. Once they were inside, Rei saw the EVA.
'What is that?' thought Rei. 'It looks... familiar.' The younglings had seen it too. And Shinji noticed this.
"Now kids," said Shinji, "Please don't touch that." He pointed to the EVA that was waiting inside. "You could get hurt. Promise me you won't touch it?"
"Okay Mister Shinji!" said the kids. Shinji smiled underneath his helmet.
"And Rei?" he said, "Keep an eye on that jedi. Let me know right away if he wakes up. I have no idea how long the tranquilizer will last."
"Alright," said Rei. Shinji started to close the door.
"Hey!" said a clone voice suddenly. Shinji had almost completely closed the LAAT. Shinji spun around to see Alex coming out of the temple. "Where are you going Shinji?"
"Uh, uh," said Shinji, trying to come up with something. Suddenly, they heard a commotion coming from somewhere south of their position. Shinji turned to see a red speeder zooming away, with Senator Bail Organa at the wheel. Shinji knew that Senator Organa was sympathetic with the jedi, and would most certainly help him. He turned back to Alex.
"I saw some jedi try to get away on a speeder," Shinji lied. " They kidnaped Senator Ayanami as well. I'm off to go catch them."
"Oh!" said Alex, "Well then I'll come with you! You'll need backup."
"No!" exclaimed Shinji. Alex was confused. "You, uh, you should stay here. The clones are going to need your help here. Besides, I should only be a few minutes."
"Alright," said Alex.
"Oh," said Shinji, "And, don't tell anyone that we had this conversation. That's an order." At the word 'order', Alex's obedience gene instantly took over.
"Yes sir," said Alex. He went back into the temple. Shinji quickly shut the door of the LAAT and jumped into the cockpit. He hated lying, especially to Alex. But it had to be done. He took off and sped after Organa. He caught up to him in minutes.
Organa saw the LAAT on his tail, and thought immediately that the clones had come after him. 'Oh no,' thought Organa as he drove. He sped up, trying to get away. Shinji noticed his change of speed and sped up as well. Soon, he was right next to the Senator's speeder. Shinji was about to open his cockpit to talk to him, when suddenly the Senator pulled a blaster and started firing. Shinji opened his cockpit anyway.
"Hey!" he yelled to Organa. "Stop!" He ducked as a blast flew over him.
"Not on your life!" said Organa.
"Please!" said Shinji, "Let me explain!" Organa tried going faster. "I have a whole cargo of jedi apprentices with me, along with Senator Ayanami!"
"What!?"
"I need your help!" yelled Shinji over the wind, "I need to get them somewhere safe!" Organa was very confused.
"Aren't you a clone trooper?" he asked.
"No," said Shinji, removing his helmet. "I need your help. I have five younglings, a possibly wanted Senator, and an unconscious Jedi Knight in the back. Can you help?" Organa thought for a moment.
"Alright," he said, "Follow me." Shinji followed his speeder, glad that he was going to help.
888
They were all onboard the Tantive IV. Even the EVA. Getting it onboard hadn't been easy. In fact, Shinji still wasn't quite sure how they'd done it. But there it was, right in front of him. Shinji was sitting down with Rei, entertaining the younglings. The jedi still hadn't woken up.
The children asked Shinji all sorts of questions about his adventures. They had heard a lot about him at the Temple from Jedi Masters that had worked with him. "Mister Shinji," asked one of the kids, "Did you really fight a monster?"
"Yes," said Shinji. "It was on Felucia."
"What kind of monster?" asked a girl.
"The scary kind," answered Shinji. Rei admired the way Shinji handled the kids. He answered all of their thousands of questions in just the right way. They loved hearing his stories too. Right now, he was telling them about his fight on Felucia.
"How did you beat it?" Shinji told them all about the fight. He got up to the point where the Acklay had pinned him down.
"And then," said Shinji, "It pulled its claw up... And got me! Right there!" He pointed to his chest.
"But you were in the EVA thingy right?" asked one of the younger padawans, "How'd it get you?"
"It cut through the EVA," explained Shinji. "My armor too." One of the older boys looked at him skeptically.
"Yeah right," said the boy, "How come you're still okay then? I heard that Acklay are really strong. If one had hit you, you'd probably be dead. I think you're making stuff up!"
"No I'm not," said Shinji with mock offense.
"Then prove it!" said the boy.
"I have a scar right here," said Shinji, tracing the spot on his chest with his finger.
"Can we see it then?" asked the boy
"Well," said Shinji, "Alright. Just to show you I'm not lying." He took off his upper armor. He hadn't had a chance to change into anything else since getting on the Tantive. He removed the armor and showed them the scar. "See? Right there." While thin, the scar was still very noticeable. It was a little bit less then an inch wide, about the width of his index finger.
"Whoa," said the boy. Rei was impressed too. Not by the scar exactly, but more by Shinji's muscles. Because of all of the strenuous physical activity Shinji had gotten into very good shape. His body was still lithe and athletic but it now had more muscle to it, adding strength to agility. Rei couldn't help but stare. Luckily, she caught herself before Shinji did this time.
"Did it hurt?"
"Yes," said Shinji. "Very yes. Never get into a fight with an Acklay." He put his armor back on. Rei found herself a bit disappointed.
'Wait,' she thought. 'What am I thinking?' Shinji began telling them of more of his adventures. The children listened with interest, especially to his adventure on Kashyyyk. They loved his descriptions of the wookies. He told the stories, leaving almost nothing out. He kept the parts that had to do with his lightsaber a secret, though, as well as the more gory details. Suddenly, Yoda walked in.
"Yoda?" said Shinji.
"Master Yoda!" exclaimed the children. They ran over to greet him. Shinji and Rei did too.
"Makes my heart glad it does," said Yoda, "To see that safe you children are." He turned to look at Shinji. "Shinji," he said, "What happened?" Shinji explained the best that he could. He told Yoda almost everything. He told about the clones attacking and his use of the tranquilizer guns. But, he didn't tell him that they had been led by Anakin. Shinji didn't say it because he still couldn't believe it. Yoda sensed that Shinji was holding back information, but couldn't bring himself to question the boy further. It would cause too much pain to reveal whatever secret he was guarding, and Yoda knew it.
"Master Yoda," asked one of the children, tugging at his cloak, "What's gonna happen now?" Yoda looked at the child.
"Worry not young one," said Yoda. "Take care of everything, I will." The youngling beamed at Yoda. Yoda was going to make everything better, so the child had no more worries. The children all went back to Shinji, asking to hear more about his adventures. Yoda stayed by to listen for a little while. He liked hearing a good story too.
888
"The Supreme Chancellor requests your presence at a special session of Congress," said the blue-skinned alien on the screen.
"I will be there," said Organa.
"He'll be expecting you." The screen turned off.
"Could be a trap," said Organa.
"I don't think so," said Obi-wan. They were all in the ships cockpit. "The Chancellor won't be able to control the thousands of star systems without keeping the Senate intact."
"If a special session of Congress there is," said Yoda thoughtfully, "Easier for us to enter the Jedi Temple it will be."
"Alright," said Organa, "Rei and I will go to the session, while you two sneak into the Temple. Shinji, what are you going to do?"
"I'm going to stay here with the younglings," said Shinji. "I also need to keep an eye on that jedi to see when he wakes up. That way I will be able to see how long the tranquilizer lasts."
"Alright," said Obi-Wan. He and Yoda departed for the Temple, while Senator Organa and Rei went to the Senate building. They arrived during Palpatine's speech.
"And the Jedi Rebellion has been foiled," said Palpatine as they walked in. They sat down next to Padme.
"What's happened?" asked Organa.
"The Chancellor's been elaborating on a plot by the jedi to overthrow the Senate," answered Padme.
"The remaining jedi will be hunted downm" said Palpatine, "And defeated!" Everyone in the room began to applaud.
"They don't even know what they are clapping for," said Rei with mild disgust.
"Hmm?" said Padme.
"I was at the Jedi Temple," answered Rei. "If these Senators had seen what went on in that Temple, they would not be applauding as they do now."
"Why?" asked Padme.
"Is killing children a cause for cheering?" asked Rei. Padme was shocked. The applause died down, and Palpatine began to speak again.
"The attempt on my life," he said, "Has left me scarred, and deformed. But I assure you. My resolve has never been stronger!" More applause.
"In order to ensure the security, and continuing stability," continued Palpatine, "The Republic will be reorganized into the first, Galactic Empire!" The applause started up again, "For a safe, and secure, society!" The applause became almost deafening.
"So this is how Democracy dies," said Padme. "With thunderous applause." She looked at Rei. "You said you were in the Temple?"
"Yes," said Rei.
"What happened?" asked Padme. Rei began explaining. She started from the time she woke up right up until the fight between Shinji and Anakin. But, she could not bring herself to tell Padme that her husband had turned to the Dark Side.
"That's awful!" said Padme, "How did you escape?"
"Shinji came," said Rei. "He got us out of the Temple in time."
"Where is he now?"
"He is staying with the children," said Rei.
"Oh," said Padme. "But he was at the Temple?"
"Yes."
"Did he see Anakin there?"
"..."
"Rei?"
"He... Didn't say," said Rei. They were silent for a while. Padme headed back to her apartment, and Rei started back for the Tantive IV
888
The Jedi Knight woke up. He looked around, very confused. What had happened? One minute he had been charging at that trooper, the next he was here. He was in a medical bay of some sort. He searched for his lightsaber, but couldn't find it. Suddenly, he heard voices. He followed them until he came to a door. He opened it up... And saw a clone trooper!
"Wha-?" said the trooper. The Jedi Force-Pushed him against the wall and held him there. "What the-What are you doing?"
"Where am I?" demanded the Jedi. "Where's my lightsaber? What did you do to those children?" Shinji just looked at him for a second.
"Well good morning to you too," said Shinji. "Your saber's right here on my belt. Right now you're on board the Tantive IV. I brought you here after I tranquilized you."
"What?" said the Jedi, confused. He walked over to Shinji and, sure enough, found his lightsaber on his belt. "Now," said the Jedi, still not trusting Shinji. After all, the man had seen thousands of clone troopers attacking the Temple. He activated the lightsaber, and held the green blade up to Shinji's neck. "What did you do to those children?"
"I didn't do anything," said Shinji.
"Then where are they?"
"I don't know," answered Shinji. " I'm not supposed to know. We're playing hide-and-seek."
"What?"asked the Jedi, confused as anything. He let Shinji drop to the floor and turned his lightsaber off. Shinji got up, and actually smiled at the Jedi!
"Well I'm glad to see that you're okay," said Shinji. This only added to the Jedi's confusion. "I didn't know how long the tranquilizer would last. You've been out for over... Twelve hours I think."
"Twelve hours!?"
"Yes," said Shinji. "And I'm glad you got up too. I need help finding these five. They are really good at this game!" The Jedi was taken aback at the young man's attitude. Even though he'd attacked him, he was actually glad?
"But," said the Jedi, "I need to get back to the Temple! They need me there."
"No they don't," said Shinji. "The clones already left the Temple. There isn't anything that you could do back there. But, I should call Masters Yoda and Kenobi. If you've woken up, then the others could be up any minute."
888
Rei got back onboard the Tantive, and found Shinji and the Jedi entertaining the younglings. Shinji saw Rei walk in.
"So what was the Session about?" asked Shinji.
"The Emperor told the Senate that the Jedi had tried to rebel, and that-"
"Wait, wait, hold on," interrupted Shinji, "Emperor?"
"Yes," said Rei. "Palpatine has turned the Republic into an Empire, and he is now the Emperor." Shinji's mind stopped. It just stopped. This was too much information all at once. And such strange information as well. Shinji couldn't think clearly. This was all too strange.
"Emperor?" he said again. "My head hurts."
"Perhaps you should try to get some sleep," said Rei.
"You're right," said Shinji. "I've been up for almost 24 hours straight now. But what about you? You couldn't have gotten much sleep either. What with the attack and all."
"You both need to get some sleep," said the Jedi. "I'll watch the younglings. Now you both go and get some rest. You especially," he said pointing to Shinji. "You look awful."
"Thanks," said Shinji wryly. But he knew that the Jedi was right. He made his way to one of the extra sleeping quarters on the Tantive. 'What a day,' he thought as he removed his armor. He didn't take off his leg armor, just his upper armor. He tossed it on the ground, as well as his weapons. Then, he fell on top of the bed. He was exhausted. He'd been up for hours and hours on end, fighting half of the time as well. He lied there, and tried to get some sleep. But he couldn't. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't seem to get comfortable. He lied there for about half an hour.
Suddenly, he felt an arm on his chest. He opened his eyes and saw a pair of crimson orbs staring back at him.
"Rei?" asked Shinji, "What are you doing here?"
"Trying to get some sleep," she answered. She cuddled up close to Shinji. Needless to say, Shinji's confusion only grew.
"Huh?"
"I could not get to sleep," said Rei. "This Empire... It has disturbed me."
"Me too," said Shinji. "This whole day's been horrible." They were silent for a while.
"...Shinji?"
"Yes Rei?"
"I am sorry that I slapped you earlier," said Rei. "I shouldn't have jumped to conclusions. I-"
"Rei," said Shinji, "I should be the one apologizing. It was my fault. I should have explained about the gun right away." As always, Shinji could only find fault with himself.
"..." Rei said nothing. She traced his scar with her finger. "Shinji..."
"Yes Rei?"
"What will you do," asked Rei, "Now that the Republic is an Empire? Are you going to stay in the army?"
"... I... I don't know," said Shinji. "I really don't know."
888
Rei and Shinji had managed to get about two hours of sleep before the Tantive IV landed on Polis Massa. One of the crew members had come in to tell him that he could move into one of the complex's rooms. Shinji had carried Rei, who was still asleep, into one of the extra rooms on Polis Massa. Shinji managed to get a few more hours of sleep, when he was suddenly jerked awake by a sharp pain in his head.
"Ah!" he exclaimed as he shot up in bed. He grabbed his head.
"Shinji?" said Rei, who had been rudely awaken by Shinji's sudden movement. "What is wrong?"
"I don't know," said Shinji grabbing the side of his head. "I've got some kind of headache. It's going away now though." He looked out the window of the room and saw a silver Nabooan ship coming in to land. He got a weird feeling from it. "I think we should head down to the landing area," he said. He and Rei made their way down to the landing bay, just in time to see Obi-Wan come out of the ship, carrying an unconscious Padme in his arms.
"What happened?" asked Rei.
"A lot of things," said Obi-Wan, "But we need to get her to the medical bay quickly. They rushed her to the medical bay, where the droid doctor informed them that she was carrying twins. They began operating immediately. Rei looked at her friend with worry. She had a horrible feeling that her friend was going to die.
'No,' she thought, 'What am I thinking? She will be fine.' Rei kept telling herself that as she stood by Padme's side as she was giving birth.
"Luke," said Padme as Obi-Wan showed her the first child. She let out a pained cry, and the operator droid handed the second child to Obi-Wan.
"It's a girl," he said.
"Leia," gasped Padme. She was gasping for air by now, right on Death's Door. "Obi-Wan?" she said. "There's good in him. I know. I know there's still good in him. Rei?"
"Yes Padme?" said Rei, beginning to tear up as she grasped her friends hand one last time.
"Take care," said Padme, "Take care of Shinji. He, he loves..." Padme died before she could finish her sentence. Rei's head dropped on Padme's chest and she began to sob uncontrollably. Shinji just looked on. He couldn't react. It was all too much for him. Padme dead, Anakin a Sith, the Republic an Empire, Rei crying.
Shinji took the mourning Rei to bed. She cried into his chest for a long time, until she finally cried herself to sleep. Shinji looked pityingly at her. She had never cried this much in all the time he'd known her, and this was only the second time he'd even seen the blue-haired girl cry at all. He wanted to cry over the death of Padme too, but couldn't. Too many things had gone wrong today. He might cry about it when his head cleared. But there was only one thing clear in his mind now. He knew what he had to do.
No matter how hard making the choice would be.
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Before anyone, especially you hardcore Star Wars fans, try to jump on my back about this, Shaak Ti never officially died. And yes, that was Anakin getting OOC for a moment. But I figure that he wasn't completely corrupted at that point (note the lack of Sith Eyes in the movie at that point) and could have snapped back to himself for a moment or two.
Next chapter may take a while, but I'll try to get it out ASAP.