Hello, everyone!
I know many of you have been eagerly awaiting this next update. Took me a good while to fix up some messy parts but I'm proud of the final product. If there's any confusion about the timeline of certain events, let me know. It will not be 100% linear but most of it is.
To one of my guest reviewers, I heavily appreciate your interest and your questions, though I cannot answer all of them. 1) Yoda is taking a team of Jedi to confront Sidious (minus Mace Windu for obvious reasons). 2) The matter of Luke's existence will be resolved in time. 3) TBB and Ahsoka can only block planet wide communications and hand held devices, which will be explained in further detail.
Anyway, enough jibber jabber from me.
"Speech is the voice of the heart."-Anna Quindlen
Chapter 43. End of the Clone Wars Part 4- Proclamation
"Jedi are such terrible planners," Maul groused.
The motley crew of Jedi, Sith, and clones had made their way through the eerily empty skies of Coruscant, the citizens blissfully unaware of just how much hinged on their mission. At the heart of the planet's vast, expansive omin-city lay the Senate building, the pillar and symbol of democracy in the galaxy for over a thousand years. A few klicks south was the Communication Center, sitting quietly and anonymously without anyone giving it much thought or concern.
Until now.
"Quit complaining. You want to do something useful for once? Start by helping us get past the guards."
They'd landed in a public garage atop a two story building, out of sight from prying eyes. The Bad Batch exited the offramp, gearing up, while Tech started plugging in various data into his internal systems located in the internal systems of his goggles.
"We'll need to scout just how many shock troopers are inside the complex."
"I would think security is going to be pretty light," Hunter said, sheathing his vibro knife.
"And under normal circumstances it would be. But the recent attack on Coruscant and the enforced curfew have changed that."
Wrecker kicked down the rusted backdoor to a support ladder which bordered adjacently to the side of the Communications center.
There wasn't much cover as they approached the building and remained in the shadows of a supply storage unit. Being a building of comparative low importance compared to the Chancellor's office, the electromagnetic fence surrounding it wasn't very high. Within, lay a relatively unremarkable steel split level complex, with a tower raised slightly above the rectangular shaped bottom floor. On top a Republic flag lay still, looking crumpled as though it knew the institution it represented was in peril.
Ahsoka realized that the names of these clones were unknown to her. Military brass talked about 'Clone Force 99' but only as a unit, not as individuals.
"Excuse me, but I'm not familiar with your names-"
"Hunter," he completed for her, but he gave a respectful salute. "At your service, ma'am. The one next to me is Tech-" the aforementioned goggled clone gave a nod. "The big one is Wrecker, and the tall marksman is Crosshair."
They set to work. Tech began scanning the area, analyzing the data while Hunter put a hand on the ground, listening intently.
"There's a ton of frequencies originating from the center," he said, playing close attention. "That's making it difficult for me to detect how many men are over that wall."
"Awww why are we doing stealth again?" Wrecker whined. "Couldn't we just rush them head on?"
"Ah, yes," Maul said, rolling his eyes. "A Jedi, an ex-Sith, and this concoction of clones attempting to stroll into one the largest communication centers in the galaxy."
Ahsoka wheeled around and jabbed a finger in his direction.
"Hey! Less talk, more reconnaissance."
"We won't be strolling into anything," Tech said, lowering the second layer of his goggled bi-focals. "There are multiple guards covering the first ten meters of the building. If we approach them directly, they will know. Beyond that, there is also an electromagnetic fence surrounding the building and the gate."
Tech swiped on his datapad. A blue holomap of the complex popped up.
"I've managed to download a holomap by hacking into the Coruscant private archives. From my experience, the only way to deactivate the fence is from the control panel on top of the wall."
"Why not just blow it up?" Wrecker asked.
"Well aside from the obvious- not alerting them to our presence- we do not have enough thermal charges to penetrate durasteel that thick. We'll have to scale it."
Hunter turned to his taller, lanky brother.
"Crosshair, check your scopes and see how many shock troops we're dealing with."
The marksman pulled out his rifle but switched its status to cool down mode. He zeroed in on the top wall.
"At least six. There are probably more."
Ahsoka confirmed as much as she looked through her own scopes. Two of the sentries stood directly atop of the structure, unmoving while the other four paced back and forth.
"Well lucky for you, you have two Force users who can get atop the wall without setting off the sensors," she said with a grin. She elbowed Maul, who only grunted in annoyance. "We'll scale it, take out any guards, and shut off the fence."
"Yes and I'm sure nothing will go wrong."
Ahsoka bit her lip, refraining from countering with an equally acidic quip. She had no love of Maul or anything he represented but in order to succeed in their plan, bickering would need to be set aside. The fate of the galaxy far outweighed any personal animosity.
Tech handed her a small disruptive charge, which she took.
"You'll need this to disrupt the fence. Give a signal as it will only be down for a minute and thirty seconds. We'll need to move quickly."
The group waited until one of the patrols turned the corner and quietly stepped out of the shadows. Both Jedi and Sith flipped over their hoods to avoid being identified. With a mighty leap, each jumped the electromagnetic fence, Ahsoka on the left and Maul on the right.
Upon landing, a crimson armored shock trooper immediately raised his blaster. Ahsoka normally preferred something a bit more stealth, but there were other ways of disabling an opponent without violence. Twisting away, she touched the clone's head and he fell to the floor in a snooze.
Remembering to hide her presence in the Force, delicate footsteps pitter-pattered into the night as she approached the next shock trooper, his back turned to the danger.
Without missing a beat, Ahsoka waved her hand in a fluid motion and he slumped over.
The last two guards saw her before she could reach them undetected, requiring a quick slash of the shoto to slice their blasters in half. One fell to a kick in the chest. Maul was less kind, impaling the second clone through the neck with his double sided blade. She pursed her lips in disapproval.
"You didn't have to kill them." Maul only grunted dismissively. Then she let out a huff of fatigue as the unpleasant prickling sensations on her skin returned.
"Don't go soft on us now, Lady Tano."
"Put a sock in it."
Ignoring the lingering effects of the poison, Ahsoka quickly found the control panel, a wide rectangular panel with various knobs and dials on it. It was built into a small metal box into the outer wall. She placed the charge on its side and within seconds, blue electricity short circuited the entire panel and the hum of the fence disappeared.
"You're clear," she said into the comlink.
Within moments, the Bad Batch darted forward, some faster than others. Wrecker noticeably lagged behind as he carried quite a lot of equipment, including a comically sized rocket launcher.
"Hurry up, Wrecker!" Crosshair hissed as grappling lines hooked into the wall above.
"I'm going as fast as I can!"
Hunter and Crosshair were the fastest to scale the wall, with Tech slowing down to check the big clone's progress.
"We have twenty seconds until the fence comes back online!"
"You should have left that stupid thing on the ship!" Crosshair snapped again.
"Shut up!" Wrecker shot back. "I'm…just not good with heights."
He continued to climb the wall but was still not quite halfway.
"The fence will set off the alarm if anything falls into it!" Tech called. "You must keep moving! That, and you'll assuredly die."
It only seemed to shake Wrecker's confidence further, as a badly placed boot slipped.
"Whoa!"
Ahsoka, moving quickly and instinctively (something almost always went wrong when on a mission with Anakin) using the Force to lift him in the air in the nick of time. The fence reactivated, just missing the top of Wrecker's head. There was a collective sigh of relief.
"See? First part of the mission was easy. No bloodshed."
Unfortunately their good fortune did not last. As Wrecker floated upside down in the air, a small item slipped from his backpack- ration bars. The alarm went off as soon as it hit the fence. Below, a squad of Coruscant guardsmen greeted them, DC-15 blaster rifles primed and loaded.
"You were saying?" Maul snarked.
Ahsoka, remembering her cold, cruel treatment at the hands of these men nevertheless did not desire to hurt them.
"Men, stand down," she ordered. "We need access to the center in the fight against the Sith. Please, let us pass."
But the response from Sergeant Hunt, the leader of the group, was as chilling as it was predictable.
"Good soldiers follow orders," he answered robotically, aiming his DC-15 at her.
Oh kriff.
"Blast them!"
Several shots rang out at once.
Access to Padme Amidala proved to be a more laborious task than Shaak Ti could have imagined hours prior. She had the power to easily bypass the Coruscant Guard but lethal force would do nothing to help her case.
"I won't say it again, General Shaak Ti. You're being asked to vacate this facility at once."
"By whose authority?" she asked carefully.
"We have orders from the top," the clone answered vaguely and anonymously.
"I'm sorry trooper, but I will not be leaving anytime soon. Given the timing and circumstances, I must ensure the health and safety of the Senator. Surely you can understand that."
But the appeal to decency failed.
"Step aside," came the cold monotonous order.
"I will not," Shaak Ti said, defying them. She made no move to grab her lightsaber but kept her eyes on the deadly DC-15s all the same. The nurses were also visibly nervous as the tension seemed on the verge of exploding.
The clone suddenly pressed two fingers against his helmet as the buzzing of a message could be heard: soft, barely audible but the Jedi managed to decipher it all the same.
'Execute Order 66.'
The room erupted into a torrent of blaster fire, lightsabers, and smoke. She was able to sense their intent in time, but the Temple Guards were not so fortunate. They fell to superior numbers of shock troopers. With two swings, Shaak Ti had disabled both of their weapons and used the Force to slam their heads against the ceiling, knocking them out cold.
A few errant shots nearly put a hole in one of the medical droids and the medical staff ducked out of fright, terribly confused. Some of them screamed. The Jedi shared their sentiments. Shock troopers may be rough, but to attempt an assassination of a commanding officer for no apparent reason?
"Stay down and don't move!"
The other clones in the hallway turned their weapons aiming to overwhelm her. In a tight space she was forced to retreat into one of the adjacent medical wings.
"Pursue! Take her out!"
"Yes, sir!"
Shaak Ti sealed the door and glanced around. This ward was dark and empty. A bed lay unoccupied, its unused medical equipment scattered. There was a small curtain in front of the cot for privacy and a small overhead light which had been switched off.
She took a breath and her fear melted into the Force. Survival hinged on the ability to think clearly and rationally.
Backed into a corner, the Togruta clipped her lightsaber and followed what instinct dictated. The clones were already working to override the door control. When they entered, a puzzling sight greeted them.
"Scan the room! She's got to be in here somewhere."
Minutes of fruitless searching and rough treatment of equipment yielded nothing. Then the head of the squad heard a noise near the bed curtain, a soft crack that drew his attention away. The Sergeant suddenly slammed against the wall in a heap.
The door opened but no one was there. One of the clones fired at an invisible enemy. He switched on his helmet light and looked up at the ceiling but saw nothing. Not even a hint of an organic being.
"Where are you?!"
Swirling his head around, the hapless corporal never saw the hilt of the lightsaber crash against his helmet. With a swift crack, he fell to the floor in a heap. Erratic and fearful, the others didn't stand a chance. In a matter of seconds, five gashes seared across their chest plates.
Breathing heavily and on high alert, her pocket holo transmitter went off and she recognized the Council's signal. Master Yoda appeared upon activation.
"Shaak Ti. Safe are you?"
"Master. The Coruscant Guard just tried to kill me."
"Disturbing, but unsurprising," came the reply which would have shocked the adult Togruta had she not heard the order herself.
"Then the clones are under the control of the Chancellor via these chips?"
"They are."
She pressed her dark orange lips together as her worst fears had come to pass.
Obi-Wan was right all along. About everything.
"But more pressing concerns, we have," the old master continued. "Heard of Senator Amidala's illness, have you?"
Shaak Ti hardly thought that anything could be more important than the possible genocide of the Jedi but nevertheless she continued to listen.
"I have. Obi-Wan advised me to stay and stand guard by her room."
"Poisoned she is, by Darth Sidious. No one is allowed to enter the building as a result of curfew. Sealed off it is, by the Chancellor."
Her mouth dropped open in shock before she closed it once more.
"That explains why they were trying to force me to leave," she surmised. "But the Senator...she's truly dying?"
"Yes. Stave off her illness, you must."
Fully realizing the gravity of the situation, the Togruta already began turning her mind over for ideas, doing her best not to let the situation become too overwhelming. Senator Amidala was a beloved public figure and a friend to many amongst the Jedi. Her importance could not be understated.
"Master, I don't know what I could do. As I explained to Obi-Wan, I'm not proficient in the ways of healing. Master Vokara would never approve."
"No healers can we send. Find a way you must, Master Shaak Ti."
"And where are you, Master?"
"On our way to confront the Chancellor."
Shaak Ti's mouth opened for a second time as the gruesome pieces of the puzzle fit together in her mind.
"The Senator's death will enable him to stay in power...and wipe us out," she correctly ascertained. Yoda did not elaborate further as he bowed a solemn head.
"Attend to the Senator. Discover what ails her. Save her life at whatever cost."
"Understood."
She exited the empty room and into the blinding white hallways. By now, the rest of the medical staff had been alerted and looked thoroughly terrified and confused, heads of various species poking out while others had taken cover. These people saw dead bodies every day, but not ones belonging to fallen soldiers.
"Take me to the wing of Senator Amidala," she said with firm authority.
No one spoke up, all eyes set on her illuminated azure blade. She quickly switched it off and gestured peacefully with her hands.
"I did not come to harm you or the Senator. I'm aware she's dying and in need of medical care. Now, please...take me to her."
At first, no one responded but then one of the male doctors, a dark skinned middle aged man with a goatee, reluctantly stepped forward and pointed inside the room to his left.
"In there."
Shaak Ti wasted no time in striding forward, the doctor in tow. Upon entry she could see why the staff were so afraid. Senator Amidala's condition could only be described as dire. Sweat poured down from a fever that burned in the hundreds, her face was pallid, hands equally as clammy, and she'd already been hooked up to an oxygen mask.
A random astromech droid lightly bumped into her leg. It whirled and beeped in a frantic manner. Its blue markings and R2 designation stood out.
"You're Anakin Skywalker's personal droid, aren't you?"
R2 cooed in confirmation. She didn't speak perfect binary but his meaning was clear- [I want to help].
She nodded, pointed back to the same doctor and an accompanying nurse, a round woman with blond hair, dressed in all white.
"I will need your assistance."
Neither one questioned the order, but the doctor, haggard and heavy bags underneath his eyes, appeared to have already lost faith.
"We've run every test-"
"I know," she cut him off having heard that speech already. "Tests can be wrong. Especially when it comes to poison."
"All due respect Master Jedi, if she were being poisoned all of our original scans would have caught a foreign substance. This facility has expert knowledge of the human body and all toxins that affect it," the doctor said, trying to keep his composure straight and professional.
R2 flashed an angry beep.
"All due respect, doctor, the droid is right. This is no time for negative thinking. Now, will you help me?"
The tone was commanding. Not overly harsh but there was urgency and a clear indication that now was not the time to get bogged down in a petty dispute.
"I am at your service."
"Good. Now let's get moving. I will leave most of the operations to you doctor but the Force shall be our guide in finding out what's wrong with her."
As the medical staff began preparing various equipment and procedures, Shaak Ti knelt down and placed on top of the Senator's forehead. It was incredibly cold, as though it were comprised of ice. Not a good sign. She took her hand in hers.
"Stay with us, Padme Amidala," the Togruta whispered. "The Force is with you."
The second Rex was dropped off at barracks, Jesse, Echo, Fives, and Hardcase peppered him with questions. He waved them off.
He gazed up at the towering complex, a mecha of gray steel, engineering, and war. Specs of light illuminated a small portion of the entrance, which shone brighter as night conquered the day. Troops filtered in and out, keeping tight formations. Star Destroyers hovered up above. Rex never considered such firepower might be used against them but survival necessitated he take everything into account.
Including what he was about to do.
"Cap, what are we doing?" Jesse continued to press.
"I'm still a fugitive," Fives reminded him, glancing warily at the formations marching past. "What if someone tries to arrest me?"
"No one's arresting anyone."
He pressed a finger into his comlink and dialed a sequence. In seconds, it was answered.
"Rex?" came the voice of Commander Cody.
"Cody, are you out of the infirmary?"
"They discharged me twelve hours ago. Been trying to organize all the chaos since then. Martial law. Can you believe it?"
Rex winced before responding.
"There's something you should know, Cody."
"You sound serious, Rex. Everything alright?"
"I'll explain in person. Can we meet in your office?"
"Copy that. See you in t-minus five."
He turned and quickly explained to the rest of his brothers.
"We need Cody on our side. He's a Marshal Commander and the top man in the GAR besides the Jedi."
Echo wavered a bit.
"You know he's a stickler for rules. What if he knows about Fives? What if he doesn't believe us?"
"I've known him almost my entire life. He will."
Truth to be told, Rex wasn't one hundred percent sure either. Cody never wavered on policy or procedure, developing a reputation as the GAR's logistics master. A juggernaut of punctuality and someone who rarely questioned orders. Would he arrest Fives? Even shoot down General Kenobi in cold blood if asked?
Taking a breath of faith he and his men entered the complex. Many others from the 501st attempted to ask questions of their own but he had to deflect them and say that a superior had requested his presence. Fives, still stuck inside a shock trooper's uniform, made himself small, donning the helmet to avoid being seen.
True to form, Cody was waiting outside the door once they reached Rex's office. He sported a small bacta patch over the wound suffered on Kamino but otherwise appeared as right as rain. Predictably, he looked surprised at seeing the wanted ARC Trooper, who took off his helmet.
"Fives?" he asked, shocked. "What are you doing here?"
"He's with me," Rex told him, desiring no conflict or scuffle at the moment.
"Rex, he tried to assassinate the Chancellor!" Cody argued.
Okay, so he has been told.
"Other way around, sir," Fives told him without hesitation or fear.
The Marshal Commander gave a face as if he didn't know what was up or what was down. But the rest of the 501st remained in lockstep loyalty behind their Captain. Not a single one of them made any move to subdue the ARC Trooper.
"Fives is not a criminal, I promise you."
Cody pressed a gloved hand against his forehead.
"Rex, I'm dealing with several things right now. Not the least of which is a rumor of a Sith conspiracy linked to some biochip. I had to order the medical staff of the 7th Sky Corps to get at least three hours worth of sleep before performing another operation. Now you want me to assist a wanted man?"
"Brother, we go way back. A lot's happening but if our friendship counts for anything, give me ten minutes to explain."
Cody's intense frown receded just enough to signal his relention and he gestured for them to go inside the office. When they all gathered around the desk and the privacy settings enabled around the auto lock, the interrogation began.
"What's going on, Captain?"
He crossed his arms in such a way that Hardcase voiced the obvious tension in the room.
"Are you about to arrest us, sir?"
"Hold on, no one's getting arrested..at least not yet," Rex said, who put a hand out and glanced at Fives, who nodded back. It was time.
"Look, I'm going to preface this a bit: a lot of what I'm about to say will sound impossible. But it's all true and we have the evidence for it."
"It better be indisputable, Rex," Cody told him a bit sternly but also with a note of anxiety. "Aiding a fugitive is treasonous. We could be shot."
"That's the least of our problems," Fives countered. "We've discovered something a hundred times worse."
"Does it have to do with this crazy conspiracy?"
Not a good sign. But then again, Cody didn't have all the facts. Rex dove straight in. Everything was at stake. His reputation, livelihood, the very freedom he once thought the Grand Army of the Republic fought for. He didn't fear death as much as the fate of his brothers who didn't know what they were up against.
"It's not crazy. Fives is innocent of the charges against him and I can back that up. It goes deeper than any of us knew."
He told Cody everything. About how Tup almost killed Luke, the battle of Kashyyyk and Tarkin's betrayal, how he and Fives removed theirs, that the Chancellor somehow found out and put a bounty on the ARC Trooper, the duel between Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker...and the true nature of Darth Sidious and Order 66 (he did not bother to mention Luke Ahch-To's true lineage).
With each word and sentence, the more horrified the 212th commander became. Even Fives, fully aware of the conspiracy, could barely look him in the eye. When he finally finished, the mix of reactions was so palpable among the room, the emotional power alone could have incinerated the entirety of the Felucian jungle.
Rex noted the expressions of each of the men; Echo, Jesse, and Hardcase had heard the truth and uncomfortably digested it. They were grim, but stoic. For Cody, his face could only be described as one of pure white faced shock.
"I don't believe it. I can't believe it," the Commander said in a repeat of Fives's denial hours earlier. "How...how could this happen?"
He began pacing frantically as everything had gone topsy turvy for the straight laced, no nonsense clone.
"Are you telling me that these chips inside of our heads will basically enslave us? That we'll have no choice?" Cody asked, the tone practically begging that what he just heard wasn't true. But Rex couldn't spare his brother that pain in favor of a comforting lie.
"I'm afraid so. We've been duped. Everyone. Us, the Jedi, the whole galaxy."
"These devices...do you have them?" the commander asked quietly, desiring proof.
Rex pulled out the chip, still encased in glass, and held it up for him to see.
"And that's inside me? That could make me do anything the Sith wanted?"
The Captain felt a burning sensation in his throat as he answered.
"Yes."
Something broke within Cody as his helmet dropped to the floor with a clatter, head bowed to hide the tears that began dripping down. They stained the yellow and white armor he'd worn proudly for so long.
"Rex…"
"It's alright, Cody."
"No, it isn't," the Marshal heaved in between quiet sobs. "The idea of being forced to order my men to kill General Kenobi...I...I…"
When words failed, Rex reached out and pulled Cody's forehead against his, an affectionate gesture long used by the Mandalorians later adopted by many clones as a nod to their heritage. He soon found himself crying alongside his brother, but there was no shame, no one in the room too proud to shed tears. For all their prowess as warriors- tough, hardened men that showed no fear in the face of death every single day- they were still human beings. The thought of that humanity being ripped away in a single instant was enough to shatter the most upright, by the book man in the Grand Army of the Republic.
It shattered them all.
"Was this all an illusion? Freedom, free will, the idea we ever had a choice."
Cody's questioning everything he'd ever known was perhaps the most poignant sentiment of all. He punctuated the last word so harshly, his mouth turned into an ugly snarl. Not for the first time, the scars of Umbara flared in Rex's mind.
We're not droids. You have to learn to make your own decisions.
That statement certainly seemed quite empty now. What an irony it was that the soldier once so obsessed with following orders now found himself completely mired in apathy towards them.
Thankfully, Fives, always quick on his feet, intervened.
"That's not true, sir. We're not programmed, we're men. Living beings. And we do have a purpose."
"No offense, Fives but you heard the Captain. You were there. We were specifically created to kill the people we serve under. If that isn't programmed, I don't know what is," Jesse said, a clear hint of bitterness in his voice.
"Maybe what we originally believed wasn't true, but that doesn't mean our creation has no meaning."
He stood up and brought himself to full height, fiery determination brimming in his eyes.
"General Skywalker and General Luke have both told me that nothing happens by accident. It's the will of the Force. I don't always pretend to know what that means, but I do know this: we're more than just soldiers. We're here for a reason. There is a choice. And I say instead of doing what the Sith made us to do…"
He cocked a blaster rifle with a snarl.
"We get rid of them once and for all."
Rex couldn't have been more proud. It was hard to believe Fives had ever been a shiny but then again, they'd all come a long way since the start of the war.
"Fives." Cody said the word so quietly it was hard to believe he ever considered arresting the ARC Trooper. "We're living weapons. If what you say is true, all Palpatine has to do is speak two words."
"We have a plan," Rex reassured him. "The Jedi are going to arrest Sidious in his office and inform the Senate of his treachery. We've removed almost half the chips from the 501st and 212th, and we're going to keep removing them until everyone is free.
In the meantime, Ahsoka Tano is heading to the city's communication center. With any luck, she'll be able to shut down Coruscant's holo network. Palpatine won't be able to send out the order."
It was Cody's turn to think of logistics as he wiped the tears from his eyes.
"What if it doesn't work? If the Jedi lose and the Sith send out Order 66, it'll be a massacre," Cody said with a nod towards Fives. "You have to leave here."
"We're not running," Rex insisted firmly. "This is our fight too. And we're going to see it through."
"So what do we do in the meantime?" Jesse asked.
"And what about General Skywalker?" Hardcase added, all manner of swag and bravado completely gone. "Would he really turn on us? Against the Jedi?"
To save his wife apparently he would, the Captain thought to himself. But there was no time to go down that wormhole.
"General Skywalker is being manipulated by Sidious. If all goes well, General Luke will be able to talk him out of it. But right now, we have to focus on ourselves. Inform the rest of the men. We need to prepare."
"Prepare for what?" Echo asked.
"To march on the Chancellor's Quarters." He allowed the implication to sink in for only a parsecond before going into overdrive. "Cody, can you brief your best men in 212th and bring them to the mess hall?"
"I'll do my best," Cody said with a small nod.
"We have to isolate," Jesse said. "Those who haven't been de-chipped will have to stay here at barracks. In case things go wrong."
"I'll keep open all links to the Jedi Temple and screen out anything coming from the Chancellor's Office on the comm channel," Echo added. "So the chips don't activate."
"Are you sure the rest of the men will believe us? That the Chancellor is a Sith?"
Hardcase's question was an important one. Even one man among them could snitch if not properly convinced.
"They will," Fives assured them. "Especially if Commander Cody and Captain Rex are the ones doing the talking. And…" he gave a nod towards the encased inhibitor chip. "We have evidence."
"After I brief the 212th, we'll coordinate a plan to surround and occupy the Executive Building. Once we receive clearance of course," Cody said, regaining some of his usual cool and collected demeanor, a welcome sight to all.
"Let's get to it then," Rex said with a touch of finality. "The rest of the 501st, with me."
Everyone began grabbing their gear and assembling weapons, but not without one last word from Jesse.
"Rex...this is bigger than all of us. Isn't it?"
The gravity of the situation and their role had finally sunk in, even if emotions still ran high. But the Captain, a veteran of countless battles, a first generation trooper, with an unflappable sense of morality knew as always they'd get the job done.
"It is, Jesse. That's why we're going to do the right thing and play our part."
Then he noticed Cody, who hadn't moved, his gaze affixed towards the floor.
"Cody?"
"I want it out." He snapped to, golden brown eyes becoming sharp as talons. "I want that damn chip out of me ASAP."
Rex nodded even as his heart broke for his longtime comrade. It would take a long time for Cody to move past this.
"Of course. I'll get Kix on it right away."
Giving a deep breath and ensuring no hair was out of place for about the tenth time, Senator Bail Organa prepared to put forth the most important bureaucratic motion he'd ever make.
Of course, the Senate had to settle down first, its constant heckling and grousing on full display as usual. But there also existed a palpable state of anxiety. Every member of the esteemed body believed that an attack had been made on one of their own. News of Senator Amidala's ill health spread like wildfire, aided and abetted by the Chancellor's proclamations of an attack by Count Dooku.
A part of the Alderaanian still marveled Palpatine was in secret, a diabolical, conniving Sith Lord hellbent on galactic domination. But the initial shock had worn off long ago. Now was the time to put the talents of a diplomat, a real diplomat, to good use.
The galaxy deserves better.
In times such as these, members of his inner circle and the Liberal Caucus at large looked to him for leadership. It was a role he'd embraced for quite some time and his membership in Alderaan's Royal Family ensured the proper training and grace for such a task. But his heart ached for Senator Amidala, for Padme. Her unfailing integrity and compassion for everyone, including those without a voice or ability to defend themselves, was a shining beacon in the otherwise constant stream of darkness that surrounded the galaxy.
He could only pray that the fates would spare her, that the powers of the Jedi could heal in a way standard medicine failed thus far.
She should be the one giving this speech at the moment, not me.
That couldn't be helped now. For it was Padme Amidala's marriage to Anakin Skywalker that made her a constant target. Whether Dooku, Maul, and now Sidious, they'd all tried to exterminate the one person who never failed to make the universe a better place. And now it appeared that evil may succeed.
"Senator, are you alright?"
Satine Kryze, the freshman Senator in training representing Mandalore, had been placed under his wing and would occupy a space in his pod for observation. The answer to the question of course was 'no' but Bail Organa had long been trained in the art of concealing your true intentions and emotions. Politics dictated as much.
Taking another deep breath, he calmed himself to the best of his ability.
Stay on course. This is for the Republic and everyone you care about.
"Yes, thank you, Satine. Just waiting for the proceedings to start."
Mon Mothma, Lux Bonteri, etc., they would all look to him to reveal the truth in all of its ugliness. Thankfully, no one had to wait long. For once Bail thanked Mas Amedda's booming voice, the only instrument in the entire universe capable of corralling such a squabbling, corrupt crowd of politicians.
He entered through the doorway and into his designated pod. The bright lights of the Senate chamber illuminated the massive space in front of them.
"Order in the chamber!" he thundered. "An emergency session of this Senate has now been convened."
Slowly, the contingent settled into their seats and all became quiet save for the Chagrian in the center pod. Palpatine was conspicuously absent. Bail wondered if the Jedi had already managed to arrest or kill him. Not one to support unnecessary violence, he nevertheless hoped it was the latter.
"We are gathered by the request of Chancellor Palpatine. A cowardly attack has been made on one of our own esteemed members, Senator Padme Amidala of Naboo. The motion at hand is a simple one: by the authority and approval of the Galactic Senate, further emergency powers will be granted to the Supreme Chancellor in response to the Separatist threat.
"Where is the Chancellor?" called out a voice.
"He has recused himself from these proceedings due to conflict of interest. The Senate should make a decision free from outside influence."
Bail snorted at the irony, but held his tongue. Amedda continued the proceedings.
"The Majority has the floor, represented by Senator Aak Ask of Malastare."
Organa groaned as he forced himself to listen to five minutes of grunting, wheezing jargon from his colleague. A loyal being to the Republic, too loyal in Bail's opinion, a major reason why he was chosen to be on the Loyalist Committee, which he recognized now as nothing more than a ploy by Palpatine.
"...there have been three separate attacks on Coruscant within the last forty eight hours. A Senator is critically ill. With the Separatists refusing to surrender or meet our demands, there is no choice but to grant Supreme Chancellor Palpatine the authority to win this war."
A loud round of applause followed. A sizable majority. Satine stayed dignified but failed to hide the apprehension in her eyes.
"Very well then. There is a motion on the floor. Do I hear a second?"
"Seconded!" yelled out a Senator from Carida.
"The motion to grant the Chancellor more emergency powers via bill SB 1139 is now on the floor. As per Senate procedure we will allow a voice from the opposition. Who will stand?"
Bail did so without flag or failure.
"I will, Chairman Amedda."
"The floor recognizes Senator Bail Organa of Alderaan from the Liberal Caucus. You will be allotted five minutes."
He took a breath and gazed around him…at all the beings so willing to give up their freedom for the sake of one man who desired nothing less than total ability to twist the galaxy into what he wanted: an loveless, harsh, autocratic state devoid of any dignity or liberty. They still thought Palpatine to be a good man, their savior. It gave him no pleasure to prove them wrong.
"Chairman, as leader of the opposition, I have no argument. Instead I propose this: to table the motion and issue Contingency Order 65."
He could have predicted the uproar. Pandemonium ensued as Amedda was forced to restore calm once more.
"Senators, you will cease! Senator Organa, what you charge must be seconded and approved by a two thirds majority."
"It is a waste of time!" Orn Free Ta complained. "There is no evidence that the Chancellor is not of sound mind or a traitor. This entire motion is an outrage! It does not pertain to the matter at hand!"
"I have proof," the Alderaniaan stated firmly. "Undeniable proof that I wish to be submitted."
"Your proof will have to wait," Amedda replied with a hint of smugness in that normally expressionless, blue face. "It is against the rules of the Senate to debate more than two motions at a time. One must be addressed before the other. Your proposition is invalid."
Palpatine's majority tried to shout him down, but thankfully Bail had come prepared for this kind of scenario.
"I invoke article eighteen section six of the constitution, suspending all further motions until said proof is presented before this body," Mon Mothma declared.
"Onderon seconds invoking article eighteen section six," Lux declared.
It was what they needed. And Bail thanked the Force that he and Mon were so well versed in constitutional procedure. The article in question was an old one, created thousands of years ago when the Republic was still largely limited to the Core Worlds and some pockets of the Middle Rim. Any of the original twenty homeworlds that made up the Old Republic could suspend the passage of a bill indefinitely unless overridden by half of those twenty worlds. A fancy way of invoking a filibuster. Chandrila fit that bill.
Bail's normally easy brown eyes took on a rare hardened glower as he stared down Mas Amedda. The Chagrain was little more than a lackey for Palpatine. He wondered if he knew the true nature of the Chancellor's true identity. Not that it mattered. Their knowledge of the law had outmaneuvered the Vice Chair or the ability to delegate to the Supreme Court. In other words, the final battle for the soul of the galaxy began and stopped here; in the very building that represented democracy itself.
Of course, the Middle and Outer Rim worlds did not see it that way. Many of them had suffered the most during the war and wanted a quick end to the conflict.
"Order!" Amedda boomed. "Senator Mothma, as Vice Chair of the Senate, I must remind you that your motion can be tabled by a simple majority out of the twenty worlds. Do you wish to stall these proceedings all for the sake of promoting baseless accusations?"
"They are not baseless," the Chandrilan struck back. "And yes, to save the Republic, I will stall these proceedings until Senator Organa is allowed to present his findings."
Amedda could delay a Senate session, he could not outright overrule Senatorial powers.
"Very well," he acquiesced. "Let us take a vote beginning with Hosnian Prime."
It was a nerve wracking five minutes. The Core Worlds had a more mixed reception of Palpatine but rarely did anything to jeopardize their own power. Some wanted to be rid of the Chancellor, some wanted a return of the peace that brought them so much wealth.
After eighteen votes, the counting was tied at nine for and nine against. Chandrila could not vote as Mon had been the one to invoke the article. The last planet to vote was Corellia and Bail held his breath as a handsome, graying, older man in his fifties arose.
"Corellia votes no," Garm Bel Ilbis declared.
That had been a surprise. Corellians were fiercely libertarian in most things, but they had supported the war wholeheartedly as they were responsible for manufacturing many of the parts needed for Venator Class Star Destroyers. They'd canvassed the charismatic man for weeks and received no formal commitment.
"Very well," Amedda conceded, the massive Chagrian rapidly grinding his jaw. "Article eighteen section six is sustained. No bill can be passed until the deadlock is broken."
A wave of outrage hit the Senate chamber and several foul epithets in various alien tongues reached Bail's ears. He pressed the button on his pod anyway, inching it forward to the center.
"The floor recognizes Senator Bail Organa of Alderaan."
He resisted a smirk, knowing there was nothing Amedda could do to stop him.
"Esteemed colleagues, to deliver the final vestiges of our authority to the Chancellor would not only be a grave mistake of politics, but the death of the Republic itself. For we have been misled and hoodwinked by our own Commander in Chief. Sheev Palpatine is none other than Darth Sidious, the Sith Lord the Jedi have been searching for."
More outrage, more shouting, more pandemonium. It was so loud, he wondered if he'd actually be able to present his evidence.
"This is ludicrous!" Orn Free Ta dismissed with a fat jiggle of his jowls. "What evidence could you possibly have? Chairman, I move to dismiss this resolution with prejudice."
"Wrong, Senator."
The crisp, well mannered voice of Satine Kryze cut in. She stood up and held nothing back.
"I've been inside this institution for less than two days and yet you would ignore your own Constitution? Outrageous!" she stated firmly. "I have it on good authority that my sister, the Duchess of Mandalore intends to break our agreement with the Republic and take a good many systems with us should these accusations not be addressed."
It was a pretty good trump card and it wasn't untrue. Bo-Katan Kryze did not intend to stay in a government consolidated under one man. A Sith Lord? Even less so. A warning from Mandalore could not merely be taken lightly, but as a promise. Bail felt a bit of admiration go through him, this woman did not need much training to navigate the perilous minefield of politics.
"The Senator of Mandalore will cease her threats at once!" Senator Burtoni from Kamino hissed. "She is not authorized nor has she completed orientation."
"I am an appointed Senator of the Galactic Republic, orientation or not," Satine hit back. "And I do not speak of threats, but a guarantee."
This certainly threw an extra wrench into the proceedings. The threat of further secession so close to defeating the Separatists was something no one wanted to touch with a ten foot pole. Mandalore's importance and reputation certainly ensured further bloodshed should such a thing occur.
Bail took the initiative, not wanting Amedda to think of some other procedural loophole to discredit or disrupt the process. Satine's timely intervention had ensured at least half of the elected body wanted to hear more. He cut through the din of politics.
"Senators! We cannot risk a second civil war against neutral systems. Nor can we allow the threat of evil to continue as it has unabated for far too long. This is all a ruse, a plot designed by Palpatine years in the making."
"Lies!"
"Blasphemy!"
"Order! We shall have order!"
For once Amedda was forced to quell the very faction in support of his master as it threatened to send the chamber into a frenzy.
"As for the evidence, I have plenty. Recordings of the Chancellor making secret backdoor deals and war profiteering."
"Planting a listening device in the Chancellor's Office is a criminal act!" a sputtering member of the Hawk System cried out. "I motion that his evidence cannot be submitted due to its questionable legality."
"This entire war is illegal!" Lux Bonteri argued passionately. "Did my people on Onderon fight for freedom against the oppressive Separatists only to join something equally as oppressive? Was there ever a choice?"
Bail knew the answer to that. No, there hadn't been. The strings were pulling them all one way or another to further the imperialistic ambitions of a single man. A majority of the chamber still didn't understand that.
"That is not all," he continued. "We now have further evidence of treachery originating from Kamino."
Halle Burtoni moved her own pod forward now, pointing a long, spindly finger at him.
"That is an outrageous slander! We cannot allow these kinds of lies to go unpunished in the Senate building of all places!"
Bail allowed himself a moment to use a sharp tone very uncharacteristic of his demeanor. But desperate times called for desperate measures. Even a full on recording of the Chancellor admitting to avarice would not sway this body. The only thing Senators cared about was their own security and power.
"Senators!" he shouted again, cutting across the petty squabbling. "As a reminder, I still have the floor and as such, I will not be interrupted again. My claims are not slander. The Jedi have personally discovered that every clone within the Grand Army of the Republic has been implanted with an inhibitor chip designed to control them in a manner that can only be described as slavery."
"Senator Organa!" Bail could see the panic, the fluster, in Amedda's eyes. That impulse to impose what degree of control he could over a rapidly uncontrollable situation. "There is decorum to follow in these halls. You are currently violating them. Unless you have evidence that Sheev Palpatine is this mysterious Sith Lord, I will hold you in contempt of this session and have you removed from the Senate."
"Removal!" cried several.
"There is no evidence!" Ask Aak said to the chamber in a bumptious, disdainful manner. "He has none!"
Mon Mothma stared at him from across the room in a silent command: do it now.
"What I'm about to present, tells a different story."
He plugged in his datapad and selected a copy of the schematics. A giant diagram listing its contingencies began circling the Rotunda. Outrage of a different sort began to rumble. Galactic Basic text flashed at a rapid pace in front of every Senator.
"This…this cannot be," Orn Free Ta almost sobbed into his pudgy hands.
"We've been marked for assassination!" came a cry.
"Order!" Mas Amedda thundered, quieting the crowd. Real irritation and panic could be seen in the wrinkles near his horns. "Senator Organa, these chips are indeed disturbing, but you have not proven any criminal culpability by the Chancellor or his supposed status as Sith Lord. If there is nothing else-"
"There is." Wasting no time, he tapped the full recording of Count Dooku. "A confession from the Separatist leader himself."
He removed the harddrive from his own datapad and attached it to the central computer inside the pod connecting to the Senate holoprojector.
The message from Dooku played and the Senate chamber became so quiet, one could hear a pin drop all the way to the bottom of the floor. No one said anything, not even the staunchest loyalist or craven gifter. Bail knew right then he had them.
"It-It's a lie. Senator Organa is trying to divide us," came the voice of a female Rodian Senator. It did not sound self assured or confident. Time to hammer that point home.
"It's true that beings lie. Numbers do not."
Bail signaled to Lux Bonteri, watching intently from his own pod. With just one click of the button and a small swipe to the left, he sent every single Senator a copy of the dark documents- fraud, embezzlement, slavery, backdoor payments, corruption, bribery, murder contracts- all committed by Palpatine tying a neat bow around their case. All stamped with the Chancellor's insignia.
Several Senators gasped, some fainted, and others dropped their equipment to the ground, but like a fading white dwarf, the last vestiges of support for Palpatine rapidly dwindled into nothing. But not one of them denied what they saw. Sheev Palpatine's misdeeds and shameless evil were now for the whole galaxy to see.
"My friends, I realize this is unwelcome news. I truly wish it were not so. But our decision today in regards to Darth Sidious spells the fate for billions upon billions of lives. Not just those alive today, but those unborn yet to come. Posterity will show that this elected body took the steps necessary to depose a would-be tyrant, or that we allowed a tyrant to trample us."
He emphasized that fact one last time. They all needed to hear it.
"This is why democracy matters. We owe our privileged positions to the people, not the other way around. That's what Senator Padme Amidala stood for. It's what she would want if she were with us."
Hope surged like lightning in his chest as many began to nod and murmur in agreement at the mention of the much beloved Senator from Naboo currently fighting for her life.
He slapped a hand to the podium in a show of defiance against Palpatine and everything the man stood for. It echoed across the rotunda.
"Senators of the Republic, colleagues of all beings and races, remove this stain from our Republic for good. By right of the Senate and in accordance with the Emergency Authorization invested in us…I invoke Order 65," he repeated once more.
Mon Mothma quickly seconded.
There would be no delay on the vote this time. By the rules of the Constitution and the specific procedure used, Amedda could not table or dismiss it. The fate of liberty had finally come: it would live on or die in thunderous applause. Even if the Jedi killed Palpatine by force, it remained an absolute necessity that he be removed legitimately by constitutional provision. It was the only way history would judge them to have done the right thing.
"The motion to invoke Order 65, removing the Chancellor from office, is now under consideration," Amedda said quietly, his normally commanding noticeably subdued. As was custom, two blinking buttons arose from the front panel in their pods. One green indicating yay, the other red for nay.
Bail Organa held his breath as he pressed the green button. But how many others would follow suit? His own caucus was only about a third of the electorate. Two thirds were needed to approve Palpatine's removal and arrest.
"The tally is complete," Amedda announced as Sly Moore handed him the data pad showing the results. "The motion to issue Emergency Protocol Order 65: 1895 in favor. 83 against with twenty two abstentions."
He let out the breath. They'd done it. Against all odds they'd done it. He could see the shining relief in Mon's eyes, the sparkling optimism of Bonteri, the pride in Bel Ilbis. A miracle had occurred.
"Sheev Palpatine is hereby removed from the Office of Supreme Chancellor," he declared and Organa took some measure of satisfaction that he'd never seen the Vice Chair so deflated before. "Furthermore, Mas Amedda is also to be removed from office for conflict of interest as he has served under the personal direction of the now former Chancellor for over a decade. He shall be detained and questioned."
Fresh shouts ensued as Amedda tried to escape, lowering the Chancellor's podium thirty meters into the Chancellor's personal Senate quarters. Blue robed Senate guards were already in motion to try and stop him but the Chagrian was already powerless and insignificant. He wouldn't get far.
The real danger sat in the Executive Building not even five hundred meters away, and it fell upon the Jedi to bring Sidious to heel. Organa could only pray to the Force that they succeeded in that effort. He thought of many in the Order as his personal friends by now. This war had already taken too many lives. He moved his pod to the center of the Rotunda.
"Issue a directive to all military personnel, Jedi Generals and clone troopers. Order 65 is in full effect. The former Chancellor is to be arrested and tried for his numerous crimes."
Satine beamed at him as he stepped away from the podium and turned off his mic.
"Well done, Senator."
"It's not over yet. Not until Palpatine is either in custody or six feet under. And the Senate will need to appoint an interim leader."
The Mandalorian gave him an innocent look that sparkled with mischief. He wasn't sure he liked it.
"What?"
Luke Skywalker had fought in many lightsaber duels, including against his own father on multiple occasions. But the man in front of him, the fearful, frightened, desperate Jedi who was willing to do anything to save his wife was a whole other animal.
Darth Vader was a cyborg. Powerful, skilled, violent, and overwhelming. Anakin Skywalker was all of those things minus the mechanics and with the power of youth on his side. Grace, fluidity, precision, and speed gave him an advantage that Vader in his clunky, limited suit did not. At age forty-eight, the age gap was quite apparent.
But similarly to the second Death Star, Luke was not overly concerned with winning this duel. In a classic case of deja vu, the son would have to bring the father back to the light. The only saving grace was that Anakin had not fully turned nor pledged himself to the Sith; it was the one advantage the Last Jedi had.
That didn't make fighting against him any easier.
Luke blocked an oncoming strike, ducked underneath and switched positions before repeating the same pattern. He couldn't quite match Anakin in terms of athleticism. But he was just as fast. Utilizing experience and footwork, something the youth often neglected, his power equaled a man half his physical age.
But none of that would pay off if he couldn't get his father to listen.
"Father, stop!"
Anakin responded with a growl and a mighty swing, hammering away with a combination of precision and speed the likes of which could only be countered by someone of his own blood. His son's lightsaber became a shield of jade against a flurry of azure.
Their blades interlocked and Luke heard Sidious laughing above the hissing and spitting lightsabers. Any time a pause in the action occurred, the man would begin to taunt and hiss, preventing any sort of meaningful dialogue.
"Good, good," the Sith Lord crooned, moving in behind their duel but keeping a safe distance. "Use your aggression, Anakin. This imposter cannot hold back your power indefinitely."
Luke broke the interlock and took a step back, assessing the odds in front of him. Listening closely to the Force, he sensed several powerful presences moving closer and closer to the Executive Building. One of them called out to him.
'We're coming, Luke. Hang on.'
Obi-Wan would be arriving with reinforcements. But until then, he had to fend off the most powerful warrior in the galaxy, who dangled at the end of Sidious's marionette. A puppet firmly under the control of his master.
Luke's anger throbbed in irritation. Anakin wouldn't listen to reason with Sidious feeding his worst impulses. Each word was a toxic drop poisoning the well of his good heart.
So he did something quite reckless. Even by Skywalker standards.
He switched off his lightsaber and closed his eyes, adopting a meditative state. He felt Anakin's confusion and Palpatine's wicked eagerness to see his life extinguished.
"What are you waiting for?! Do it!"
Sidious was not so easily fooled. But Luke had sensed that level of surprise coming from the Sith Lord only once before…when Vader threw him down an exhaust shaft.
Anakin took a step and raised his blade. The second it came down, Luke opened his eyes, twisted around the strike and flung Sidious backwards with two hands. In seconds he smashed violently into the wall and did not get up.
Knowing he had a short window, Luke opened his heart and found the bond between him and Anakin, which had splintered considerably. His father's Force signature, normally a blazing sun in the Force, had become clouded, grayed by the partial embrace of the dark side. But the light remained and always had, even as Vader. The corruption from twenty years in the service of the Sith did not exist. There was still yet time.
"Father, I will not fight you."
"You have a lot of nerve calling me that," Anakin bristled, his azure blade at the ready. "Or you're just crazy. Either way, I don't care."
"That's not true," Luke countered back. "You do care. You care more than any Jedi alive about the people you love. But the path Sidious offers won't save them."
"What would you know? All the Jedi have ever done is lie to me. Including you."
"Never," Luke denied. He swallowed knowing full well that wasn't precisely true. He had hidden the truth about his own identity since the beginning. But that did not equate to outright betrayal.
"Anakin," he said slowly, resisting the temptation to switch his own lightsaber back on. "You're scared. Scared of losing the one person in this world you care about most."
"Don't pretend to understand my situation," his father seethed dangerously. "You don't have a wife or a family. You don't know loss."
At once Luke recognized he was not merely speaking of Padme Amidala but his mother, his grandmother, Shmi Skywalker. The first among many he could not save.
"You're wrong," he responded quietly. He put as much empathy and passion in his next words. "I do know the pain of losing someone close to you. I've lost mentors, masters, friends, my nephew, my sister, my mother...my father."
"I am not your father!" Anakin screamed.
"Search your feelings, you know it to be true!"
The proclamation was enough to send a silent shockwave between them as Anakin absorbed the plea.
"Think of Padme," Luke said softly. "She would not want this for you. Think, father. Giving up everything in order to become what you once swore to destroy?"
"She's dying because of you!"
The blond stepped forward even as the words cut like a knife on skin. In the absence of that horrid black mask, the pain and conflict that had always existed in Anakin Skywalker was quite evident in those stormy blue eyes.
He's teetering between the light and dark…split apart at the seams.
"I faced a Sith once. A person everyone believed to be consumed by evil. But I knew there was good in him...I knew there was good in my father….there is good in you. Please, let go of your anger. Let go of your fear...it is not too late."
Luke saw Anakin waver. He felt the darkness recede and slowly give way to the light of hope. Then the darkness returned with blood red vengeance as the world erupted in a flash of blue and white lightning.
"YOU!"
Sidious had returned, the depth of his hatred unleashed in a storm of power designed to kill without mercy. Luke brought up his lightsaber only just in time. But the lightning pushed him towards the open window.
"You are nothing!" Sidious spat, his eyes flush with yellow, his skin beginning to sallow from the pure concentrated dark energy coursing through him. "A false prophet who would seek to hold Anakin back."
Luke could feel the wind whipping at his hair as barrage after barrage smashed against a thin shield of emerald. Anakin followed, prowling the edges of his vision like an animal deciding on whether or not to go for the kill.
"Your suffering has just begun, Luke Ahch-To!"
Sidious's rage overwhelmed the room. Few dared to strike against the Sith Master using the Force. He'd done it twice in a half hour span and the indignation created a firestorm. A firestorm he could not hold back forever. The blond's knees began to sink as he bumped into the ledge. The lightning stung his vision and smoldered his clothes, such was the power used against him.
Gritting his teeth, the attack ended as Luke's ability to hold on gave out. He stared up at the red and black robed Chancellor, who's thin, pale lips spread into a patronizing smile. Anakin stood silently, watching as though he were a mere spectator. But Luke sensed his conflict and reached out.
'Father, please…'
Sidious heard his plea through the Force and gave a short, ugly laugh.
"Pathetic. Do you really believe he is your father? And even if he was, that it would make a difference?"
He used the Force to raise Luke in the air and roughly toss him back in the middle of the room. The Last Jedi resisted giving the Sith any pleasure from his pain. Instead, he fixated on the light with every ounce of strength available…including four powerful sources moving towards them.
"Fool. Did you think you could beat me? Us?"
"I'm not trying to beat you. I'm trying to stall you."
Sidious sensed Luke Skywalker was not the only Jedi who'd come to visit him. Snarling, he looked to Anakin, who sensed the same thing. A fresh wave of betrayal reignited his anger towards the man laying on the ground.
Good. His loyalty remains intact.
"Finish him off, I will handle the rest of our enemies."
"Yes, your Excellency."
The blond moved out of the way just in time and returned to his feet, Emerald and azure clashed against each other and the duel moved towards the adjoining hallway. He felt confident that the lethality of Anakin's youth and power would prevail soon enough over the imposter.
And besides, there was new company to entertain.
"Saesee Tiin, Ki-Adi Mundi, Obi-Wan Kenobi, and Master Yoda. This is a most inopportune time to declare yourselves traitors."
The four Jedi entered the room and wasted no time in switching on their own blades.
"Bad news, Chancellor," came the dry wit of Obi-Wan Kenobi. "Your term has officially expired."
"Your little witticisms won't do you much good here," Sidious cruelly dismissed as he circled back towards the entrance. But they moved to cut off any escape. Rational thought feared the Grandmaster, the one being with enough power to best him. Yet the desire to murder every last Jedi clashed with extreme self preservation.
"We give you one chance to come quietly," Ki-Adi Mundi declared, knowing full well what the answer would be.
"Empty threats are unbecoming of you Master Jedi," the Chancellor sneered. "For I have already won. Skywalker serves me and so does everyone else."
"Know of your treachery, the Senate does," Yoda told him bluntly. "Exposed you are."
Sidious gave another cruel laugh.
"The Senate? I am the Senate. I am the Republic. Unfortunately, neither has a place for you."
The Sith whipped out two lightsabers seemingly out of nowhere and crimson ignited forth. He breathed in and out as though he were a dragon exhaling fire, preparing to unleash it on his enemies. His hatred was an indestructible sword, his power an unstoppable derecho. He was the dark side and every molecule of malice it possessed.
These soon to be dead men would know that before the end.
"Treason comes with a steep price," he taunted softly.
"Intimidated, we will not be. At an end your rule is," Yoda said defiantly.
In a twisting, red blur the Sith Lord gave an almighty screech in the effort to finally kill his longtime adversaries.
The battle a thousand years in the making had begun.
A/N#1: There's not a ton to go off in terms of specific procedure and Consitutional provisions in the SW universe but I know enough about democratic institutions and my own country's constitution to piece something halfway believable together.
A/N#2: I have something really cool planned for Cody (the poor boi).
A/N#3: Some have you have debated about whether Anakin has fallen. My stance is that in this instance he has not fully embraced the dark side, seeing as he's not killed innocents or declared official allegiance to Palpatine. But he's flirting with it and is squarely in the desperate stage he was towards the end of ROTS when he thought Padme would die.
In any case, status updates on my next two chapters are on my profile in case anyone wants them out. But the last two parts are basically done and just need some edits from my beta reader. Also my instagram is 'thewaspwrites' if anyone wants a sneak preview of my upcoming chapters:) it would mean a lot!
We're almost there guys. I'd like to update within the first two weeks of July, but don't hold me to it. Because the next one is insane in terms of length and action.
Rock on!
~The Wasp