A/N: A huge shoutout to CapCanuckGirl, who read the whole fic in 12 days and then beta'd the last nine chapters in one day! Amazing work! (My usual betas have been too busy with RL to give this fic a final look.)
And now: All aboard the cliffhanger train!
Chapter 47
Something Wicked This Way Comes
It was midday when the engines roared overhead. The three friends eased out of their joint meditation and rose from the floor of the hut's tiny living quarters. Obi-Wan took a final sip of water. Ahsoka, who had left one of her lightsabers with Leia, grabbed her remaining weapon and clipped it to her belt. Anakin wrapped a turban around his head to protect his scalp.
"Are you sure?" he said to Obi-Wan. "Tactically, it would be better to hold you in reserve too. I wish I could convince—"
"Anakin, please. Don't push me away." Obi-Wan's voice was quiet—almost too quiet to be heard. "We've been over this. The Emperor probably knows I'm working with you, but even if he doesn't…" His eyes skittered away from Anakin's. "This isn't all about you, you know." He swallowed—wet his lips—looked back. "Some things—" He broke off and did not continue.
Anakin studied the shadows that lurked in Obi-Wan's eyes. Maybe he needed to lay some ghosts to rest, too. "All right. We'll stand together." Anakin set down his water bulb and picked up his cloak. "We'd better go."
They stepped outside, Artoo in their wake. Anakin hadn't wasted breath attempting to persuade the droid to remain in the hut. Mechanical or biological, his friends were stubborn.
He did not deserve their steadfastness. But how grateful he was for it.
The shuttle had descended low enough that its repulsors began to kick up sand. Both men pulled scarves up around their noses and hung back in the shelter of the hut, mouths already parched with the dry taste of dust. TIE fighters screamed overhead. How many times had he stood in just such a position, waiting for his master's shuttle land? Déjà vu swept over him.
Obi-Wan nudged him and the phantoms retreated. This was the last time. The very last time he would ever wait to greet Palpatine.
The shuttle settled to earth like some misshapen bird of prey pouncing on its helpless victims. Only they weren't helpless. His stomach flipped and he tasted bile. At least, he hoped they weren't. Shielding heavily, he refrained from attempting to read Sidious with the Force. He knew from long experience it would be a fruitless exercise and would merely give the Emperor an opening to read him in return. Oily tendrils of Darkness spread from the black nexus in the ship, seeking for a vulnerability to latch onto. Sensing his fear, the tentacles twitched toward him. He drew a long, deep breath and sank into the Force. Their one chance lay in keeping themselves grounded. Whatever opening might come—if it ever did—would be small. The tendrils withdrew, although he knew from experience the retreat was temporary.
The ramp lowered with a hiss, the customary jets of steam billowing dramatically, only to dissipate almost instantaneously in the arid heat. Two pairs of Royal Guards descended and took up their stations to either side of the ramp. A scornful chuckle rose to Anakin's lips as Palpatine hesitated for a moment at the top of the ramp. The pose was much less effective without the screen of fog. Apparently realizing this, Palpatine hobbled forward, cane tapping heavily.
Why was he bothering with the act? Surely he knew Anakin saw through it. He halted again once he reached the foot of the ramp, eyes narrowed against the glare. Good—he was in the full light of the suns. Now, to draw this out as long as possible…
"Lord Vader," the Emperor said in faux concern, "it has been a long time, my friend. I confess I was deeply concerned by your unheralded departure. You have caused me quite a bit of anxiety this past year."
"No doubt," Anakin said, lowering the scarf from his mouth.
"I was prepared to forgive your dereliction of your duty—to restore our friendship. I am most disappointed to discover you have taken up with the Jedi again. I quite thought I had freed you from their lies. It grieves me to see that you have fallen among them again."
Anakin made no answer until it was clear Palpatine had nothing further to say. "If you wish to continue playing the role of kindly old benefactor, you may do so, of course. But I know the truth."
"The—truth?" Palpatine asked, tone betraying nothing more than mild curiosity. "I fear I do not follow your meaning, Lord Vader. Please do enlighten me."
"If you wish. You killed my wife."
Palpatine drew back in mock offense. "I killed Padmé? But, my dear friend, I am afraid you have quite misremembered events." He glanced around with distaste. "Perhaps the rigors of this environment have had an adverse effect on you." His expression softened into a parody of paternal compassion. "I regret to cause you pain, but I must remind you that it was you who choked her. I was, as you may recall, on Imperial Center at the time. While I understand the truth is very painful for you, it ill becomes you to transfer the blame to me."
Anakin did not shift his gaze from Palpatine's shriveled face. "You can save your breath, Sheev. I have spoken with the holocron, and I know."
A muscle in Palpatine's cheek twitched convulsively and was ruthlessly suppressed. "Lord Vader, it is not fitting for an Apprentice to call his Master by his name. Apologize. Immediately. On your knees, as is only right."
"I will not bow. Nor apologize. I renounce my title."
"Fool." Darth Sidious nearly hissed the word. "You cannot relinquish your title. You made a vow, Lord Vader. You may not retract it at your whim. You will bow to me, both as your master and as your emperor."
A great weight pressed down on Anakin's shoulders and around his knees, driving him toward the ground. He staggered before locking his joints. The gyros in his legs rocked a bit, but his knees did not bend. He spread his senses out toward the ground beneath his feet, the hut beside him, the sky above. The strength of the earth flowed through him, and he pressed outward in the Force. After a moment, his back straightened and the pressure on his knees dissipated. The more Palpatine pressed upon him, the more firmly Anakin grounded himself in his connection to the desert and through it to the Force. Power hummed through his body. Another moment and Sidious released his attack, frowning.
"As I said, Sheev, I will not bow. An oath made under duress is not valid. I owe you nothing."
"That is not how the Dark Side works, Vader." The Emperor's nostrils were as pinched as his tone. "The oath, once given, cannot be renounced. It supersedes all others. It is impossible to resume your Jedi vows simply because you regret the price you have paid."
Lifting his chin, Anakin straightened to his full height. "I reject your terms. No, I cannot return to my Jedi vows. I have taken a different Oath. But I do repudiate the Dark Side and all it stands for." He reached for the formal language he remembered from his mother's stories. "I renounce you, Sheev Palpatine, Darth Sidious, who calls himself Emperor, and all power you once claimed over me. I shall bear my own name now, for good or ill, until I die."
Palpatine eyed him in consideration for a long moment. The pause pulled unbearably on Anakin's already taut nerves before he said, his tone reasonable, "Very well. If you insist. But before I can release you, you must provide me with a replacement. Sadly, Master Kenobi here would never do."
His avuncular smile sent a chill down Anakin's spine.
"How fortunate it is that you have given me a choice of two apprentices. And such powerful apprentices they will be. I quite think I may have to consider amending the Rule of Two—if they can learn to work together. Or perhaps I will test them against each other and take the stronger. Do you have an opinion in the matter, Anakin?"
Obi-Wan clutched Anakin's elbow convulsively.
"I don't know what you're talking about." Anakin's confident tone was pure bluff. He knew what—who—Palpatine must have found. Desperately he shoved the memory of his dream away. Obi-Wan still gripped his elbow, and he drew comfort from the contact, although he could feel the hand trembling with Obi-Wan's fear for the twins.
A triumphant grin split Palpatine's face. "Then I shall have to show you. Bring them," he said sharply over his shoulder.
Anakin's breath caught on the lump in his throat as two more guards appeared behind Palpatine, grasping Luke and Leia's arms cruelly.
Obi-Wan choked out a stricken gasp. "No…" His voice cracked. He took a step forward, skin sickly and eyes truly haunted now.
"You see, Lord Vader," Palpatine gave the title a mocking twist, "since you refuse to bow, one of your children must. Which one shall I choose? Your son? He is powerful." His voice was full of a sick, gloating desire. "I don't know that even you ever gave such open promise of power. Oh, I grant you, he is full of Light. But I wonder how long that would last if he were forced to watch his sister tortured. Then again, perhaps the girl would be the better choice. She is fiery. I might even say hot-tempered. Much like you were at that age—though perhaps less self-absorbed. What symmetry there would be in taking her as my apprentice. Her mother first brought me to power; she could be the instrument to help me keep it."
Anakin stared at the twins, cold dread writhing in his gut. So much for all his confident plans. They were in Palpatine's power and he was helpless to act, just as he had feared. He tried to wet his lips and was dismayed to find his mouth dry. The clutching tentacles were prowling toward him once more, promising to turn fear into power.
I will do what is right, even when it costs what is most dear.
He clenched his fists and reached desperately for the steady strength of the desert all around him. Snapping like maddened massiffs, the tendrils drew back to crouch at their master's feet.
"Dad. Uncle Ben," called Leia in a shaky voice.
"Leia," Anakin replied, as steadily as he could he manage, "are you all right? And you, Luke?"
"We're fine," she said. "Guards broke into the Banais' house. They stunned us before we could run. I'm sorry. I know you didn't want us here."
"I didn't, but whatever happens—I want you to know I love you."
Obi-Wan had been standing in frozen silence, but now he roused. "Leia. Luke…Hold to the Light. Don't let go. No matter what."
"We will," said Luke. The twins clasped each other's hands.
"How touching." Palpatine's sneer was audible. "Such noble sentiments. I look forward to seeing for myself how long they last. Now, Lord Vader, since you refuse to bow and you insist upon renouncing your position as my apprentice, you must die."
"If that's what is required to stop you. You will never corrupt my children as you did me." Anakin dropped his cloak and pulled his lightsaber off his belt. In their old ritual, Obi-Wan mirrored him.
"How charmingly nostalgic." Palpatine's derision burned like acid. "Kenobi and Skywalker together again. I would have thought betrayal, dismemberment, and immolation would have permanently destroyed your partnership."
"You never did understand brotherhood, Darth," Obi-Wan said. "Nor family."
"I thought your precious Code forbade family, Master Kenobi. Are you acknowledging you broke the Code? How very unfair that must seem to your apprentice, who paid so dearly for his own transgressions."
"It's not going to work, Sheev," Anakin retorted. "My failures were my own, not Obi-Wan's. I deserved what I got."
"And we will not let you take the twins."
"Fools. I already have. They will be mine, exactly as you have been, body and soul. I have foreseen it."
"I believe you did not foresee Anakin's bolt for freedom, Your Majesty. You aren't omniscient, let alone omnipotent," Obi-Wan taunted.
The Emperor ignored him. Lip curled, he gestured to the guards. "Return them to the ship. Keep them secure until I have dealt with these Jedi." He regarded Anakin disdainfully. "If you wish to rescue your children, Vader, you'll have to go through me."
"I have no objection." Anakin caressed the activation plate of his lightsaber.
"I know he's a politician and words are his stock in trade," said Obi-Wan with a fair imitation of his accustomed pre-fight banter, "but does he always talk this much?"
Anakin's lips were stiff as he grinned, but it would do. "Oh, always. He loves the sound of his own voice. However, I believe he may be stalling. He's waiting for his legion to arrive. I spotted troop carriers to the south a little earlier. How long would you say it should take stormtroopers to march up this ravine?
"I suppose about ten minutes or so." Obi-Wan scanned the landscape superciliously. "They aren't here. What do you think happened?"
"I have no idea. The desert is a very hostile environment. Any number of things could have delayed them." Anakin ostentatiously surveyed Palpatine. The skin around the Emperor's eyes and mouth was taut. Better yet, he was flushed, his skin glistening. His tongue darted out to wet his lips.
Anakin couldn't prevent the smirk that flitted across his face. Their own stalling tactics were working—Palpatine must be broiling alive in his black cloak. Anakin and Obi-Wan, in their sensible desert attire, were hot, but they also knew how to mitigate the effects of the punishing temperatures. Pampered and wealthy, Palpatine had never had to cope with an environment like this. "I believe you will have to face us on your own, my Master. As has always been the way of the Sith."
"Very well, my Apprentice, I shall indulge you in one last duel, just to prove I am the Master." Palpatine pressed the catch on his cane and the wood casing dropped away, though he left the lightsaber unignited. "But I must insist that Master Kenobi remain on the sidelines. A Jedi has no place in this."
"Do you really think you can keep Obi-Wan out of this if he wants to fight?"
"Oh, no, Darth," Obi-Wan said, "I've waited eighteen years for revenge. I'm not stepping aside now."
"Not very Jedi-like of you, Master Kenobi," jeered Palpatine, red blade sprouting from his hilt.
Anakin and Obi-Wan lit their lightsabers in response. "True," Obi-Wan conceded. "But then, you made sure there was no Order to restrain me. I don't see that you have any cause for complaint."
"I'm hardly concerned. I defeated Yoda. I can defeat you."
Obi-Wan smiled, a slight tilting of his lips. "Your overconfidence is your weakness."
"Your faith in yourself is yours."
"Oh, I have faith in a few other things. No doubt that will balance the scales."
Ahsoka crouched beside the dome on the hut's roof. Grasslands of Shili, it was hot. After so many years in space, she had forgotten the way the desert sucked the moisture right out of a body. The reflective stucco was not helping matters. When Anakin and Obi-Wan had left the hut by the main door, she had exited by the kitchen entrance and climbed the ladder.
She wiped her hand across her forehead. She could only hope the environment was affecting Palpatine as well, although at the moment she could see no evidence of it.
She had nearly jumped into the fray when Palpatine brought the twins out of the shuttle, restraining herself at the last moment. Now with the snap-hiss of lightsabers igniting, she risked a glance over the edge of the roof. The angle was wrong for a full reconnaissance, but at least two of the Royal Guards stood sentinel at the end of the ramp. Judging from their positions, she thought an equal number must be on the other side. She crept around the perimeter of the roof and looked down on the east edge of the plateau. Artoo lurked there, as she had thought he might do, observing the fight.
She hurried back to the ladder. In short order, she was crouching beside him in the narrow band of shadow thrown by the wall of the hut. "Shh," she cautioned when he started to beep in reply. She peered around the corner. Anakin and Obi-Wan had held their own for the first minutes of the duel, but the swordplay was viciously fast. "Want to rescue SkyKid and Spitfire?"
Artoo spun his dome once, mercifully without the usual flurry of electronic chatter.
"Come with me," she said.
Anakin had very little experience facing his former master across crossed sabers. The Emperor had offered Vader minimal lightsaber training during the latter's apprenticeship and, when he had consented to spar, had generally defended himself with Sith lightning rather than a blade. Over the years, in preparation for their inevitable duel, Vader had watched the recordings of his master's confrontation with Mace Windu and the other Jedi until he had memorized the battle. Though the Emperor was somewhat slower now, advancing age had not reduced his skill noticeably. Desperate to drag this encounter out as long as possible, Anakin milked every scrap of knowledge he had acquired about Palpatine's dueling style.
It was a surprise—and no surprise at all—that he and Obi-Wan fell back into their old partnership almost immediately. Their swordplay was less dazzling, their footwork less agile, yet even now they could anticipate each other's moves and protect one another's backs.
Unfortunately, Palpatine still outclassed them.
It was not long before all three were dripping with sweat and breathing hard. Anakin was grateful for the cool air pumping into his lungs and wondered how well Obi-Wan was dealing with the heat. The long moments passed in a blur, strikes jolting up his arms, breath coming quickly, sweat running into his eyes.
An ascending shriek and the rumble of booster rockets broke his concentration briefly. Palpatine and Obi-Wan faltered too, looking up to see a blue and silver astromech hovering near the shuttle, spraying fire suppressant toward the guards. What was the incorrigible droid doing now?
Fractional though the moment of distraction had been, Anakin's lack of attention nearly cost Obi-Wan his right arm. He lunged forward, but barely intercepted Palpatine's blade in a desperate parry.
Sidious scowled. "You always did take ridiculous risks to protect him. What a pity you never could overcome the weakness."
"Then again, he watches my back—I watch his. Who watches yours?" Anakin retorted breathlessly.
They lapsed back into silence, the pace of the duel too fast to allow for conversation. Repeatedly, Anakin and Obi-Wan attempted to catch Palpatine in a pincer. Over and over, he evaded their traps. But Anakin could feel his opponent's blows becoming slightly less powerful, his footwork just a hair slower. It was working. This would be a battle of attrition, and the loser would be the first to succumb to the heat and the parched air. He didn't know how long they had been fighting, but his own strength was beginning to wane. He sank more deeply into the Force, into his trust in the desert's help and the power of his Oath.