Chapter fifteen:
The death of Empire Palpatine was the decisive turning point in the Battle of Coruscant.
My theory was that he'd been doing some sort of Sith battle meditation, enforcing his troops, sapping their will, feeding their anger. That kind of distraction helped explain how I'd actually been able to beat him. The Stormtroopers didn't lose all mobility when I killed their master, nothing dumb like that, but they did seem far more interested than before in putting down their weapons and living, rather than continuing to fight till the last man fell.
The Rebel's take the perimeter of the clinic before long. Zanna disappears, off to help them take search the area for survivors. I don't join them. My part of this fight is finished. Instead, I take a seat in a nearby lounge. A young Rebel manages to find me a fresh uniform, a sandwich and a stiff drink. I use all three. My new lightsaber hangs from my new belt.
"Hello Zanna," I say, recognizing her without looking up as she comes into the room.
"Hey," She flops down, sprawled across the couch in front of me.
"I got word from Primith," says Zanna. "She's as busy as could be, all sorts of casualties, but she's doing fine."
"Ah," I nod.
"Looks like we did it," says Zanna. "Or rather, you did it. I managed to spread the word. Everyone knows what you did. Somebody's a cease fire. Turns out President Coy survived, she's at the Tribute academy, about to accept the Empire's unconditional surrender."
"With Palpatine gone, who is there to speak for the Empire?" I ask.
"Trentiss," Zanna says. "Her family's over their now."
"Her family?"
"Yeah."
Osca.
"This is history in the making," I say, standing, "I'm going to get over there before I can miss anything."
"I'll be along," says Zanna drowsily, giving no sign of movement. "In a few moments. Yeah. You go on ahead."
…
I get a ride over to the Tribute Academy from a Rebel troop transport. I sit alone in its belly, the only passenger. It's not hard to convince the pilot the give me a ride. I'm kind of a big deal at the moment.
The transport comes in for a landing, and I hop out onto the main plaza. The towers of the Tribute Academy, styled upon the late Jedi academy, stretch up into the sky above me. Soldiers ill the plaza, rebels and Imperials both.
I make my way straight to Coy's side. She stands before the crowd with a few of her generals. Grand Moff Trentiss holds her head high, she faces Coy's group, joined by a handful of Imperial officials.
"Kara?" Osca peers at me from between the broad-shouldered officers that form the rest of Trentiss's group. Her eyes are red as if she's been crying, but she breaks into a smile as soon as she sees me. I feel an unfamiliar twinge deep inside my chest. I want to walk up to her and fuck her right here, right now. I just wave at her instead.
"Ah, the girl of the hour," President Coy looks pleased to see me. "You have performed far better than I ever hoped. This is as much your victory as mine. As the Rebellion's."
"Congratulations to you and all that," says Trentiss, approaching us, a datapad in her hand, ready for Coy to sign with a fingerprint. "This is our official statement of surrender, signed and compiled by myself, official commander and chief of the Empire until further leadership is organized. It's only condition is the ensured safety of myself and my men. That shouldn't be hard for you to make good on."
"Oh it will be," says Coy.
"Excuse me," Trentiss raises an eyebrow.
Coy shows her teeth. "I won't suffer evil to live. You all have tried to exterminate us. You've failed. You've given up any final right or respect you ever deserved. We're going to kill every single one of you. Starting with the ones you love, Trentiss."
Coy's arm is up before I can react, the small blaster in her hand fires. Osca gasps as she's thrown back of her feet, a hole right through her heart. She's dead before she hits the ground.
Coy turns the blaster on Trentiss, but she never gets the chance to fire.
A wave a negative emotion washes over me. Everything I remember from Palpatine. I feel all that hate and anger. Pain too. My lightsaber flies into my head and I'm already swinging it as it activates. The blade shears through Coy's long neck without resistance. The President's lifeless body and detached head fall at my feet.
"Oh my-" Trentiss gasps and then begins to gag. Her toes lift of the ground and she claws at her throat. Nothing visible holds her up, but I'm choking the life from her nevertheless.
Osca and Coy lay dead at my feet. The dark side destroys. What a waste.
In an instant I see it all. I understand the prophecy. Two forces. Two attitudes. Two medicines. Light and dark do battle for all time. But they don't exist. They don't matter. I've figured this out before. But there can still be a balance in the force. It's only beyond the ideas, beyond the masks, in that infinite calm and emptiness of sheer existence that balance resides. No one else can see it, not that I know of. I don't even think it can be taught.
I know now what I must do. My sacrifice, my triumph. My choice.
Trentiss falls to her knees. She coughs into her hands, rubs her throat, retches a little. I point the blade of my lightsaber at her face.
"Coy would kill you right now," I say. I say it loudly, for the audience's benefit.
"Apparently so," says Trentiss.
"Palpatine would kill you right now."
"I have no doubt of that."
"Well, I won't," I say, and I deactivate my lightsaber and put it on my belt. "It'd be pointless. Just a waste. Despite all the hurt and damage you've caused these people, you'll be living out your days in a cell. I'll even give you a trial."
There are cheers from the audience. I'm almost surprised. I wave to them. Speak to them.
"You know what I am," I say, "You've seen what I can do. In the end, there wasn't any difference between Coy and the Emperor she fought. You deserve better. You deserve a new hope, a bold new dawn. And all you have to do is kneel."
Within a moment I'm the only one standing.