Chapter 27 - A New Era
Author's Note: I can't believe we're almost done with this fic. Lol. I know this is not what some people wanted or liked, but really? I think it's the most realistic outcome. xP
To Guest: That's fine. Not to be rude, but I didn't ask you to read the fic or like it. But thanks for not being rude about it!
~ Amina Gila
Leia still feels numb with shock the next morning when she hears about an urgent appointment in the Senate. Luke is... she doesn't know what to think of what he said happened. And it's hard to believe that the Jedi were actually going to kill her grandfather.
Was what Anakin told them before leaving for Utapau really true, then? But even if the Jedi were planning to kill him, destroying all of them seems like a slight overreaction. Everyone couldn't have been involved. Right?
She saw how... Dark Luke was, and she didn't like it. He was hurting, but it's reminding her more and more of what happened on Mortis.
They were supposed to stay together, and everything would be fine. They didn't, and now... she has no idea what this has done to her brother, what this will mean for their future.
Palpatine is giving a speech to the Senate about the Jedi's attempt to overthrow him, and she just... can't believe the Jedi would do this. The betrayal is still sharp and cutting, and yet she doesn't know that she can accept that they all needed to be destroyed for that, even if that might be what the law says. Or at least, it's what Palpatine's been given power to do throughout the war.
Bail Organa and Kier show up not long later, joining them in the same pod.
"What's going on?" Kier asks, sliding into the seat next to Leia.
She can't even manage a smile right now, but she's glad he's here.
"The Chancellor has been elaborating on a plot by the Jedi, to overthrow the Senate," Padme replies.
"That's not true!" Bail answers, aghast.
Leia twists around to look at him. "Do you know that?" she asks, honestly.
Surprise flits across his face. "You believe they would do that?"
"Luke told me. He was there. They were going to kill him." She still feels sick hearing about it. She can't believe the Jedi would do that, no matter how much she's always harbored a certain resentment against them.
Kier looks appalled. "Why?"
"We have... picked up a few survivors," Bail answers, slowly, and she can't deny that her heart leaps at the words. Some of them are still alive. Would that make them more of a threat? But... it also means there might be a chance Ahsoka and Obi-Wan are okay. She probably shouldn't ask for any more details here, though. "None of them indicated any knowledge of such a thing. All they mentioned was that the Emperor is a Sith."
"He is, I think," Leia admits.
"Doesn't that make him who the Jedi always said was behind the war?" Kier asks, frowning.
"We don't know that," she points out, "Being a Sith isn't illegal. That doesn't give them any right to take action against him. If they had evidence, why didn't they come to the Senate?"
"That... is a good point," Kier admits.
"The Senate is ineffective as of late," Bail points out, still unhappy.
"I know but I just... I don't know what to think," she confesses.
"The remaining Jedi will be hunted down and defeated," Palpatine's speech goes on, drawing eyes to the front of the room again, "Any collaborators will suffer the same fate. These have been trying times, but we have passed the test and I assure you my resolve has never been stronger."
Applause rings through the room again.
Leia doesn't really know how to feel.
"The war is over," he continues, "The Separatists have been defeated and the Jedi rebellion has been foiled. We stand on the threshold of a new beginning."
"Well, this is the moment we discover if he intends to return the Republic to a democracy," Padme murmurs.
Leia can't imagine why he wouldn't but –
"In order to ensure our security and continuing stability, the Republic will be reorganized into the first Galactic Empire, for a safe and secure society which I assure you will last for ten thousand years." The Senate breaks into wild cheers. "An Empire that will continue to be ruled by this august body, and a sovereign ruler chosen for life."
An Empire?
It leaves her momentarily in shock, even if she can somewhat understand. The Republic was falling. Trying to turn it back now, especially with the Jedi gone and possible survivors still attempting a cue, there's no way it would work.
"An Empire?" Kier echoes finally, incredulously.
"We cannot let this happen," Bail asserts, firmly.
"Wait," Leia objects, "I know this is against what we've always known, but I – I don't know how else the galaxy would stay together right now. The Senate will still be here. We can still... take action if it's necessary." She roughly shoves away the traitorous voice in her mind, remembering what the other Senators were saying about Palpatine using this to get more and more power. And now, he'll lead the galaxy for life. And she knows that kind of power is... hard to be in control of, only for one planet.
"Leia, you know what this could turn into!" Padme exclaims. "You've always seen what he's been doing even when it was still the Republic."
"I know. I'm not saying I'm happy about it either." Which she's not, but she can still understand the reasoning. "But the galaxy is about to shatter. If something about this goes... badly, we can take action then. I don't think we should act merely on the concept of an Empire."
"You're right," Kier admits, grudgingly, "The galaxy needs stability right now."
The others don't outright agree, but they don't argue the point, either. Leia can only hope that this is... the right choice, because she feels like she doesn't know anything anymore.
**w**
The Force is so full of death and darkness when Anakin gets back to Coruscant with Obi-Wan and Ahsoka, and they sneak into the still smoking Temple. This is the place that was once his home, and now it's destroyed.
Bodies litter the halls – clones and Jedi – and the walls are covered with damage from the fight. He can't believe the Jedi are just gone. This is all he's known for years, and it's...
Nor does he know what to think of how Palpatine was the one responsible for it. How could he be the Sith, the one to do this? Yes, if the Jedi were trying to kill him, he'd have the legal right, but this... If he's really Sidious, he's speculated to have been behind the war and everything, and Anakin has no idea how he couldn't've seen it. He's known him for years, and he's never been anything but caring to Anakin and the twins. It doesn't make sense.
"There's not just blaster marks here," Ahsoka observes suddenly, stilling.
Anakin pauses next to, glancing down at the Knight on the floor. He was stabbed. With a lightsaber.
Sidious?
Somehow, he... doesn't think so. Someone else was here.
"We can check the recordings once we send out the signal," Obi-Wan replies, voice strained.
Anakin can't say why he has the sinking feeling that he doesn't want the answer to who it was, as they sneak to the Archives unnoticed by the clone patrols.
He's resetting it when Obi-Wan moves to pull up the recordings. "Are you certain you want to see?" Anakin asks, warily.
Even if it's not someone they know, that won't make watching the destruction live any easier for them.
"I have to know," Ahsoka replies, stubbornly.
The first hologram that comes up is somewhere in the halls, somewhere in the halls, Master Yoda fighting off the clone troopers. He's just killing them, and Anakin feels numb with horror watching, even if Yoda is just trying to defend himself and probably cover for others escaping.
But he's old, and he hasn't fought in a long time, and... a shot hits him. Anakin can only stare as the former Grandmaster goes down several more shots later. Yoda is... dead. Yesterday, everything was normal, and now, the one Jedi Master who's led the Order for centuries, even from the side, is dead, gone. The same Jedi Master who Anakin spent a lot of time with when he was young, other than Obi-Wan. Yoda trained him when Obi-Wan was on missions, but he's gone now.
Just like the entire Jedi Order.
The others look ashen, and Obi-Wan jumps further through the holograms, freezing entirely when... something else comes on-screen.
There's a group of Knights fighting off the clones somewhere, and then Luke steps into view. He has his hood pulled up over his head, but the orange lightsaber and the familiar moves makes his identity obvious as he... attacks the Jedi?
He –
What.
This can't be happening. It's not possible. It's not – Why would Luke ever do this? He wouldn't. But – but Anakin can't deny what he's seeing either, even if he has to watch long enough to make sure that it's Luke who's attacking the Jedi, not the other way around. And it's... true.
"What," Ahsoka breathes finally, shakily.
"I – This..." he has no idea what to say. An icy cold horror and denial is settling over him, and – This doesn't make sense. Luke would never stand against the Jedi unless there was a good reason though, of that he's certain. That doesn't make it any easier to see his son doing something like this. He knew he was getting darker but this?
"How could he do that?" Obi-Wan asks finally, first to find his voice.
"There has to be... something else going on," Anakin objects, faintly. He can't believe otherwise. He needs to know what happened from Luke's side.
"He's close with the Chancellor. He's probably been manipulating him," Ahsoka points out.
"We have to stop the Sith," Obi-Wan asserts. Through his shock, there's a furious desire for vengeance burning in his eyes. Anakin's seen that before when he's confronting Maul, but it's far fiercer now, and he's afraid of where it's going to take his former master.
"Attacking him now is only going to make the Jedi look worse to the public," he argues, "It's... going to destroy the galaxy completely. Maybe we need to take action, but I don't believe now is the right time."
"Anakin, Palpatine is a Sith. He destroyed the Jedi. We can't wait," Obi-Wan argues, "I know you care for him, but –"
"It's not that," he interrupts, shaking his head. Well, in part it's because he wants to hear his side of this, but nothing could actually make this right. "This is for the galaxy too, Master. Besides, there'll be many clones there. I don't know what's wrong with them, but we can't kill them senselessly. It'll be safer for both of you if you go into hiding."
Neither of them looks happy. He certainly isn't, either. He can't believe this is about to happen. They're going to have to go separate ways, and he has no idea when he'll see them in person again. Not that they've been together nearly as much recently as he often wished, but in some ways that only makes it worse.
"What about you?" Ahsoka asks, finally.
"I need to find Luke, and determine what's happening. I will... call you with an update when it's safe. But I do not think you should stay here."
For a long moment, they just stand looking at each other. They all know this is goodbye, even if no one wants to say it first.
"I don't know where to go," Ahsoka admits, finally.
"Somewhere you can lay low. There's... many planets with war refugees," he points out, "So long as you don't attract any attention to yourselves. I do have family on Tatooine who I imagine would help you if you asked, but that may endanger them." He only met the Lars once, but he knows they could never forget him anymore than he could them. They were both Shmi's family.
"We'll see," Obi-Wan decides, gaze lingering on him, "Be careful, Anakin."
"You too," he replies, quietly, "We can stay in contact. You can still call me if it's untraceable."
Ahsoka nods. "I suppose it may help us, too, to have someone inside the Empire."
Though Anakin hopes the Empire won't have to be something that has to be torn down, despite how it was formed. Maybe he can still do something about the Jedi being declared traitors, find some way for that to change. With how the Republic was, it was bound to fall eventually, and he hopes he can help rebuild it to something better.
"May the Force be with you," he manages finally. It isn't much, but he doesn't know what else to say. This is goodbye, and he doesn't know when he'll see them again. Just like what he sensed before they parted ways.
Ahsoka tackles him in a hug again, and Anakin catches her, holding her tightly. It hurts more than he could ever say, but they'll... manage. Somehow. "I'll miss you," he murmurs, finally.
"I'll miss you too, Skyguy," she mumbles into his shoulder.
He can't say how strongly he seconds that – they have no way of knowing when they'll be together again. This feels so much like when he was forced to walk away from Padme years ago, and he hates it.
"We'll see each other again. I promise," he says, finally, because he can feel that, even if he has no idea how it'll happen.
"I know."
She pulls back reluctantly after a few more moments, and Anakin turns to Obi-Wan. "Don't do anything stupid," Obi-Wan says, flatly.
"I won't," he promises, trying to smile, but it probably doesn't look like one. "Be careful, Master." I can't lose you, too, he wants to say. And he is terrified of what will happen to Obi-Wan now that they're parting ways, because he can only imagine how hard Obi-Wan will take this. He'll see the Order's loss as a personal failure, and it isn't something he'll get through alone.
"You're the one staying in the Capital."
"Don't blame yourself for this, Master," Anakin says, because he at least has to try, even if he doesn't know how much it'll help, "None of us could have seen this coming."
Obi-Wan nods, expression tight. Only time will tell how this is going to affect all of them and the galaxy, though.
Anakin can't shake the overwhelming, aching loss tearing him apart as they sneak back out of the Temple, only to part ways once they reach the outside. The other two will hopefully lay low, and now it's time for him to find the rest of his family.
**w**
Anakin can feel traces of Luke's lingering dark presence when he shows up at Padme's apartment. Leia is first to the door, though, and flies into his arms almost literally. She looks shaken and like she's been crying recently which is... very rare when it comes to Leia.
She's always so sure of herself, even if Anakin knows she's changed a lot over the war. None of it's been easy on her either.
"Are you alright?" Anakin asks, even if it's a foolish question. None of them are alright.
She shakes her head, still pressing her face against his shoulder. "Are you?"
He wants to say that he is, but he can't lie to her so blatantly either. "No."
Palpatine is a Sith, and that shouldn't even be possible. He spent so much time with Luke and Leia, and Anakin never stopped it. Why would he? The Chancellor was a friend. He meant so much to all of them. How could he have done this? There are no words to describe the hurt and betrayal and despair gnawing at him.
"I... didn't know what happened to you," Leia says, an obvious hint of fear in her eyes, "Luke said you'd be fine, but I –"
"Luke?" Anakin asks, perking up, "He's been here?"
"He stopped by last night. He told us that the Jedi were going to kill Palpatine. In... front of him, and he stopped them."
What?!
That – Anakin shouldn't really be surprised because he's a Sith so of course the Jedi would do whatever they had to stop him, even if it's practically breaking the Jedi Code. They have lost their way, blinded by their desperation to destroy the Sith.
But he can't imagine how Luke would've felt seeing that, knowing how attached his children are to Palpatine. Anakin can't imagine how he would've felt, had he been in Luke's spot in that moment.
Palpatine is also Sidious, though, so he's not innocent even if Anakin has no idea how far this goes or... anything.
"Palpatine is Sidious," Anakin tells her, because he has to, "I don't understand how, or... how none of us could have seen it."
"What?" she demands, "But that's – Don't the Jedi believe he's the one behind the war?"
"Yes. How far that goes, I don't know."
"I don't understand. That doesn't..." She trails off, helplessly.
"It does not make sense to me either," he admits, "But I need to find Luke. Do you know where he is now?"
"He said Palpatine was sending him to end the war, to deal with the Separatist leaders on Mustafar."
The uneasy knot inside of Anakin only grows. He's trying to make Luke his apprentice, isn't he? "We have to find him, Leia. This is worse than you've seen."
She bites her lip, eyeing him fearfully. "What do you mean?"
"I saw the recordings at the Temple, of what happened there." He doesn't think it'll ever stop haunting him. "Luke was... there. He was fighting the Jedi."
Leia stills completely, staring at him. "He – he wouldn't do that. I know he believed the Jedi committed treason, but that's..."
"I know," Anakin replies, squeezing her shoulder comfortingly.
"I thought something was wrong, but I didn't... We have to go find him. Now."
"Let's go," he says, heading for the landing platform, "And so you are aware, Obi-Wan and Ahsoka are alright."
"They are?" Leia asks, visibly sagging in relief.
He nods. "I told them to go into hiding for now, until we can figure this out." If such a thing is even possible.
Right now, they need to start with finding Luke.
**w**
The room is suddenly too quiet as Luke lowers his lightsaber. All the Separatist leaders here are dead. And that is one thing he doesn't feel any remorse about, even if he probably should for how it happened.
The Dark Side is smothering him in a way it never was before now, his guilt and anger too overwhelming to fight off anymore. It's all he can feel, and it feels like it's drowning him.
Luke slowly moves outside to the walkway, leaning against the railing to watch the flowing rivers of lava far below. Even the heat isn't as suffocating as his own mind right now. It's felt far worse since coming to Mustafar, maybe both because of what he just did and because it feels like a Dark Side planet.
But the war is over. All the droids are shut down. Maybe he should feel... something, relief probably, but he just... doesn't.
And that's when he suddenly senses something else. Anakin and Leia. They're here.
What are they doing here? Turning, he sees a Nubian ship flying in to land. He doesn't know why they're here, but Anakin must've gotten back and come to find him. And suddenly, he doesn't think he's ready to face him. He did this for Anakin as much as Palpatine, and everyone else in his family, but it's still the people who raised Anakin that he destroyed. And he has no idea how his father will feel about that. Or about the fact that... Luke was willing to do any of this in the first place, regardless of the reason.
He can't stay out here by the railing and hide, though. Slowly, Luke heads back for the landing platform. He's waiting when the ramp descends and the two of them step off.
"Father," Luke breathes, relief hitting him first the moment he sees them. At least Anakin is okay, physically anyway. Palpatine said he would be, but with everything falling, it's still different to see.
"Luke," Anakin replies, pausing a few paces from him, something weighted and heavy in his eyes, though he's still visibly relieved.
It only twists the knife in his heart sharper. "Why did you come here?" Luke asks, gaze flicking from him to Leia.
There's no question Anakin knows what happened now, and he – What he did seemed most reasonable at the time, but now he doesn't know. Not that he knew then either, but...
"Leia told me you were here. I came to find you."
"Are you okay?" Luke blurts. He feels like they're all dancing around whatever they really have to say. Especially because that's such a stupid question. Of course, Anakin isn't alright right now. "I mean... I –"
"I know you did what you did for a reason," Anakin replies, though his voice has the slightest strain, "I just want to understand why, from you."
Luke swallows hard. He knew his father would react much like this, but seeing how much it's quietly hurting him is... worse, somehow. "The Jedi were going to kill Palpatine. I – just went in to talk to him, and they were fighting. I tried to stop them, but Luminara defeated him, and she was going to kill him."
"Even though he was already defenseless?" Anakin asks.
Luke nods, a renewed rush of anger flooding him. "Yes. I told her to stop, and she said it was for the greater good. I... attacked her, and I – won. Palpatine told me that the Jedi were rebelling and that it had to be put down no matter what the cost, or there would be constant civil war. He asked me to – to lead the clones to the Temple, because there was no one else he could trust do it, since you weren't there."
There's a long pause of silence. "Legally, the Jedi did commit treason," Anakin points out, slowly.
"I don't see why he would've asked you to do it!" Leia burst out. Yes, she's definitely upset, even if it's not really at him.
Not that he could really blame her. He's angry with himself too, and a part of him is hating everything all of a sudden. "I don't know," he says frustratedly, "But he said they'd move against the Senate and anyone who wouldn't let them overthrow the Republic, and I didn't know what to do."
Anakin steps closer, gently laying a hand on his shoulder. "It wasn't a good situation, Luke. I know this isn't what you... wanted to do."
He feels suddenly choked with emotion and Luke leans forwards, wrapping his arms tightly around Anakin. Anakin's arms slip around him, holding him tightly, and he buries his face against his chest. He feels protected like he once did for a fleeting moment, instead of lost with no idea what to do, and something inside him shatters entirely. He's not quite expecting the tears when they come, but he doesn't bother trying to hold them back.
Leia steps closer, too, and Anakin pulls her into the hug next to him.
He snuggles up tightly against both of them, and just stays there, not bothering to stop the falling tera. He thinks Leia's close to crying again, too, and it only makes him hate himself more – his sister very rarely gets this upset about things. They're not mad at him, though.
"I didn't want to," Luke whispers, finally, "But they – they were betraying everything I thought they believed in, and I think they were going to overthrow the Republic, and I know how much they've hurt you in the past, and I –"
"It's alright, Luke," Anakin tells him softly, still holding him tightly, cheek pressed against his hair, "It... was not your fault."
Luke twists back enough to look up at him. "But I..."
"I cannot say under the circumstances that there were any right choices," Anakin replies, sighing quietly, "But there is something you should know."
He doesn't like the sound of that. Please tell him it's not about Obi-Wan or Ahsoka – "What?"
"I doubt Palpatine told you, but he is Sidious. Merrin told the Council. That's why they were going after him."
Luke still completely. "What? But that's not – That doesn't make sense. How could he –" How could his grandfather, who's always been so caring, ever be the Sith the Jedi claim is behind everything? That can't... He doesn't want to believe it, but Anakin wouldn't tell him that if he didn't know it. And that means... He doesn't want to think about what it could mean.
It can't possibly mean that everything he did was for nothing. Well, it wasn't because the Jedi were still violating all their principles, but that means...
It means Palpatine is hardly innocent, either.
"I haven't asked him about it yet," Anakin says, "But I will when we get back."
"I... I don't know what to do now," Luke admits.
"We'll figure it out," he promises, "I... was with Obi-Wan and Ahsoka at the Temple. I told them to... go into hiding, instead of taking action to destroy the Empire. I believe we should stay and try to help the galaxy, however we can."
Something twists sharply inside of him at the thought of – of his father having gone there. Of course he did. But that means he probably actually saw everything, and... So did Luke's aunt and uncle. He doesn't know how he'll ever face them again. They probably don't want to see him again. And he knows Anakin couldn't not be disappointed, even if he hasn't shown it. Not that he wants to deal with that at all right now.
"We should get out of this place," Leia says, twisting around in Anakin's arms to glance around, "It's so dark here."
Luke reluctantly pulls back, taking his father's flesh hand as they head back for the ship. He feels suddenly exhausted, and he's not looking forward to going back to Coruscant to confront... everything.
Anakin takes off, and Luke sinks onto the seat in the hold alone, staring blankly at the wall in front of him. Leia drops down on his other side, seeming no more inclined to speaking than he is, but he takes silent comfort in the fact that she's here, at least.
Anakin comes to join them once they've made the jump to hyperspace, sitting on Luke's other side.
"You're Fallen," Leia observes finally, quietly.
"Yeah," he mutters, head resting against his palm, "I... I couldn't stop it."
"With what happened, I... understand why," Anakin says, quietly, "Now may not be the best time to... discuss it, unless you want to."
Luke leans back in his seat, leaning against Anakin's shoulder, and reaching out to take Leia's hand with his other. "I don't. But I – I'm sorry. I know that was your home. You –" How does he even begin to talk about that?
And he's the one who destroyed it all.
"I knew something was coming," Anakin replies, "None of us imagined what. I never expected that you would be trapped in the middle of it, Luke. If anyone should've seen something wrong sooner, it was me."
"What?" Luke squeaks. Why is he –
"This is not your fault, Father," Leia argues, fiercely.
"I'm the one who did this," Luke agrees, glumly.
Leia squeezes his hand. "That wasn't what I meant, either."
"I know." And he does, but that doesn't make the crushing guilt go away. He feels lost, and for once, he doesn't know if there's anyone who can pull him back. They're together though, and that... it's something. Certainly more than what most people have now.
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