A/N: This chapter is going to be centered around the Jedi as well as Padmé as they experience and witness the carnage of Palpatine's contingency plan— Operation: Armageddon. So, sit back, relax, and enjoy!

(Coruscant)

It was now nightfall in the Republic capital, however, this night would be a night that the galaxy would forever remember; this was a night that would change everything and would be the beginning of the end for Jedi and the Republic.

Within the Senate Building, Chancellor Padmé was inside her office along with many of her allies, they were discussing the possibility of extending a true, genuine offer of peace to the Separatist Senate. The last time that this happened, the Separatists had launched a surprise attack on Coruscant's power grid, and this only caused the Senate to vote for deregulation of the banks to purchase additional clones. Palpatine, for whatever reason seemed hellbent to deny peace from the Separatists, resulting in the longevity of the war. But now, Padmé and her allies saw an opportunity for true change to occur, and they needed to be brave and seize this opportunity for the good of the Republic and the galaxy as a whole.

Unfortunately, Padmé, her allies, and all the senators that made up the Galactic Senate were unprepared for what happened next. The Coruscant Guard stormed the Senate Building, and entered the office of Padmé, accusing her that she was unfit to rule the Republic and that she was to step down as Chancellor of the Republic or suffer a traitor's death. Outraged by the audacity of the clones, several of Padmé's allies tried to defuse the already tense situation, but they were gunned down by the Coruscant Guard, causing the respective bodyguards of each senator to return fire on the clones, killing them. Alarms in the Senate Building began to go off, Senate Guards soon entered Padmé's office, escorting her and her allies to the landing pad where their transport ships were waiting.

While following the company of Senate Guards, Padmé tried contacting her husband, Anakin, but judging by the harsh static she was receiving, the clones were jamming comms. "Sabé, you and the other handmaidens go ahead and make sure there are no clones heading in our direction!"

"My lady,"

Sabé acknowledged before taking the Haidmaidens of Amidala with her, armed with ELG-3A blaster pistols, the group of capable women scouted ahead to make sure that the clones weren't heading in their direction. The clones were going door to door, dragging out defying senators, and executing them before moving on to the next. When a group of clones had their backs turned and were moving on, Sabé beckoned Padmé and her allies to come. Moving swiftly to avoid detection, the sounds of alarms, blaster fire, blood-curdling cries of senators dying, and clones barking out orders were deafening, yet Padmé knew that now was not the time for fear, now was the time to stay calm and make it out of here alive.

Upon reaching the landing pad, several clones were standing guard, and upon seeing the chancellor from Naboo, her handmaidens, and her allies, they began to open fire, forcing the senators to take cover. Padmé pulled out her blaster pistol to return fire while Sabé and Handmaidens of Amidala along with the Senate Guard cleared a path for the senators to make it to their transports. One by one, each senator was able to reach their ships, and their bodyguards laid down cover fire so that their assigned senators could make it unscathed by this act of betrayal.

"Don't let the traitors get away!" One of the clone officers barked out to his men. "Call in the gunships to shoot those ships down!"

Padmé made a break for her J-type diplomatic barge while her bodyguards covered her. As blaster fire was exchanged, Padmé could hear clone gunships in the distance, and if those gunships were allowed to destroy her transport, then she would be trapped and at the mercy of the clones that were hellbent on killing her and the senators of the Republic. Senate Guards, armed with rocket launchers soon arrived and they took up positions as they raised their launchers to the sky as clone gunships loomed over the senator's transports, ready to destroy them. Volley after volley of rockets screeched through the sky, landing fatal hits to the gunships, causing them to spiral out of control and crash into the city or nearby buildings.

Now clear, Padmé and her trusted cabinet boarded her transport while the Senate Guards stayed behind to fend off the clones that were now pouring into the landing pad. Once in the sky, Padmé quickly tried to contact Anakin, concerned that this betrayal would affect the Jedi as well. But before she could contact her husband, several clone starfighters began to open fire on her transport.

Captain Typho, who was flying the ship, looked over his shoulder and barked at Padmé. "My lady, please, take your seat and strap yourself in!" Not bothering to argue with her faithful servant, Padmé did what she was told and prayed to the Maker that Anakin was right.

Within the Jedi Temple, the Jedi Council was in session, discussing a means to end this war by going for the head of the Separatist movement— Count Dooku. The number of lives lost in this galactic conflict was unimaginable and it was all because of the Sith and their schemes for galactic conquest. Now on the topic of the Sith, Obi-Wan spoke up.

"Although Dooku and this... Darth Sidious evades us, we can deal with Maul and his brother. The brothers, albeit may not yet pose a threat on the scale of the Separatist are still a threat, nonetheless; they have killed countless Jedi, members of this very council might I add, and they have gathered some of the galaxy's most feared crime families and are backed by the Mandalorians who were once part of Death Watch."

"And such news is unfortunate, Master Kenobi. But we have bigger issues at hand," Mace Windu stated, "the Clone Wars rages on and we must ensure that we aid the Republic in ending it."

"It's because the Jedi joined this war in the first that we were unable to prevent Maul from reaching out to the crime families of the galaxy to help him take over Mandalore!" Obi-Wan said in a firm tone that caused many Council members to look at each other in surprise at Kenobi's uncharacteristically fierce tone. "You've said so yourself numerous times before, Master Windu, we Jedi are keepers of the peace, not soldiers," he then continued, "and as peacekeepers, we should've been on Mandalore to prevent Satine's death and allowing a Sith Lord to take command of the galaxy's most powerful warrior race that has waged war with the Jedi for centuries."

The tension was rising within the Council chambers and Yoda quickly intervened before the situation could escalate. "Understand your feelings I do Master Kenobi," the Grand Master said, "but agree with Master Windu I do, we must conclude this war before more lives are lost."

But before Obi-Wan could speak up, Anakin Skywalker entered the Council chambers along with his Padawan, Ahsoka Tano, both Jedi bowed their heads in greetings to their superiors and the young Jedi Knight spoke up. "Apologies for disrupting masters, but this message just now appeared on the HoloNet all across the galaxy," Anakin's features then turned grim. "The message is from Darth Maul." The Jedi Council murmured amongst themselves, wondering why Maul would make such a bold move, but Yoda silenced them by raising his hand and turned to Anakin and nodded at him; permitting him to show them the message. Soon enough, the image of Darth Maul stood in the center of the Council chambers, the red-skinned Zabrak then spoke.

"People of the galaxy, I am Darth Maul, Dark Lord of the Sith. You have all been deceived. In the Clone Wars, all the death and suffering you have seen and endured was caused by one man who has been in control of everything. To the Confederacy, that man was Lord Sidious. To the Republic, that man is Sheev Palpatine..." presenting the severed head of his former master's head, the new Dark Lord bore his teeth, "...all of this needless slaughter and death has been because of this one man who has played you all for fools. Sheev Palpatine, formerly Darth Sidious, Dark Lord of the Sith, has started this war so that he could ultimately rule the galaxy unchallenged and unrivaled." The noted Savage Opress and another Zabrak warrior by the hulking yellow-skinned warrior's side. They both presented Count Dooku's and General Grievous's heads, causing the Jedi Council to gasp in both horror and shock. "We have done what the Jedi Order and the Republic was too weak to do. With their deaths, the Separatist Alliance has suffered a fatal blow, and without Sidious manipulating both sides of this war as Chancellor of the Republic, the fools of Coruscant will squabble and eat each other alive to elect a strong leader to lead them out of the dark." Tossing his old master's head aside, Maul addressed the galaxy. "I welcome all who long for conquest, freedom from inhibition, and the right to follow their passions— warriors, bounty hunters, and even Jedi who believe your "righteous" order has lost its way. Darth Sidious is gone, his power and resources are mine. We will conquer the galaxy while our enemies drown in rivers of their blood."

As the transmission ended, the Jedi Council began to speak over each other, causing disorder. Eventually, Yoda stood from his seat and tapped his cane against the floor, silencing the uproar. "Order there will be in these chambers," the Grand Master said firmly to his fellow Jedi Masters, "act quickly we must, to destroy the Sith. Unable to act if we at odds we are." Before another word was spoken, however, Yoda felt a violent disturbance in the Force, the Jedi could all sense it. It was as if millions of lives were now being snuffed out across the galaxy, and among these countless lives that were now extinguished were Jedi.

The Jedi Council could suddenly hear the faint thunder of marching outside. Looking outside, they could see tens of thousands of clones which consisted of the 501st Legion, led by Captain Rex, and the 212th Attack Battalion, led by Commander Cody in a joint operation to eliminate the Jedi on Coruscant. All the while, the Coruscant Guard, led by Commander Fox had his men surround the temple to ensure no escape for the Jedi.

"What is this?"

"The clones. They're... marching on the Temple?"

"Why would they do this?"

Turning to the confused Jedi Masters, Mace Windu spoke up. "Regardless of why the clones are marching against us, we must act quickly to ensure the Jedi Order survives."

"Agree I do, Master Windu. Divide and conquer we will," Yoda continued, "Masters Kenobi and Ti, aid in the evacuation of younglings and Padawans to the transport ships you will. Masters Mundi and Kolar aid Madam Jocasta in preserving as much knowledge you will. Masters Billaba and Koth go to the secret entrances into the temple you will, and ensure the clones have not cut off an alternative means of escape. Master Windu, aid Master Drallig and the Temple Guard we will." With that said, the Jedi all sprung into action.

Obi-Wan, who was flanked by both Anakin and Ahsoka looked to the younger Jedi. "Take Master Ti's apprentice, Maris Brood with you to aid in the evacuation of the younglings and make sure the clones don't land gunships in the hangar bay, lest they destroy our transport ships!"

"Got it, Master!" Anakin looked to Ahsoka and gave her a firm nod. "Let's go, Snips!"

"Right behind you, SkyGuy!"

The temple began to rumble as the clones in starfighters and gunships began to shoot down the temple. Obi-Wan and Shaak Ti ignited their lightsabers to deflect the fire from the clone ships tearing through the temple walls but they didn't allow this to deter them as they rushed to the section of the temple where the younglings and Padawans were located. Once there, the two masters could see several Temple Guards aiding them.

"Masters Kenobi and Ti," one of the guards approached them, removing their helmet and revealing a Pau'an male. He then gestured to the great number of young Jedi, "I cannot scrounge any more guards to aid us in seeing these younglings and Padawans to the transport ships. And the clones attacking us are far too many for us to deal with alone."

Placing a hand on the Pau'an's shoulder, Obi-Wan spoke firmly. "We will defend these children even at the expense of our own lives. They are the future of our order, and if they fall, the Jedi are lost." The temple shook violently, causing the children to cry out in fear as they huddled close together.

"Now is not the time for fear, young Jedi. You must be brave," Shaak Ti's encouraging words caused the whimpering children to look up at the beautiful Togruta as she continued. "I need all of you to remember your training; stay calm and stay very close to us. Do you understand?"

"Yes, Master Shaak Ti."

The collective group of younglings and Padawans said in understanding. Smiling, the Togruta turned to Obi-Wan and gave him a firm nod. "We must hurry and get to the hangar."

Not needing to be told twice, Obi-Wan led the way while Shaak Ti trailed behind him and the Temple Guards flanked the group of young Jedi, to ensure they were protected from the clones breaching the temple in waves. Despite the Jedi's best efforts to hold off the clones, their numbers were far too great, and the Jedi were quickly being overrun. It pained the Jedi to cut down such valiant soldiers, but in this moment, it was kill or be killed, and if the Jedi fell, the Sith would devour the galaxy unopposed and unchallenged, and that was not an option.

Blaster fire, lightsabers humming, explosions, and cries filled the air and it was deafening and enough to petrify anyone, however, now was not the time for fear, now was the time for focus and decisive action.

Upon reaching the hangar bay, Obi-Wan and Shaak Ti were met by more Temple Guards who were helping countless Jedi and their younger students onboard transport ships. Helping these guards were Anakin, Ahsoka, and Maris Brood.

"Alright everyone, get into the transport ships, quickly!"

As younglings and Padawans made their way into the transport ships, clone gunships hovered outside the hangar bay doors and began shooting. The Jedi deflected as much of the gunship fire as they could, but one of the gunships was destroyed, killing countless children and seasoned Jedi.

"Anakin! Man, those turrets!"

Nodding, Anakin rushed to one of the temple turrets and climbed on, steering it in the direction of the gunships shooting at his fellow Jedi. Shooting down one of the gunships, it fell in a ball of fire and smoke. The other gunship steered away from the hangar bay doors and was about to fire a salvo of missiles, but Anakin was quicker and shot down the second gunship.

"Quickly, young Jedi, move along!" Master Shaak Ti said urgently.

Ahsoka and Maris helped load the last of the young Jedi they had gathered into the last of the transport ships in this hangar and once the ships zoomed off into the night sky, the two Jedi apprentices gave each other a nod. They had never had the privilege of working alongside each other, however, in circumstances such as this, that privilege was now bound to happen.

"Sooner or later, the clones will bombard the temple from orbit," Maris stated after deactivating her dual lightsabers and turning to her master. "Does Master Yoda have a destination for the Jedi we save to rally at, master?"

"Not yet, padawan. But rest assured, we will have a rally point. For now, we must focus on saving as many of our fellow Jedi as we can." Shaak Ti then turned to Obi-Wan. "Do you think your Mandalorian friend could lend a hand in evacuating our fellow Jedi?"

Pursing his lips, Obi-Wan nodded. "Thankfully, Bo-Katan is here on Coruscant in the lower levels following a lead on Maul's dealings in the criminal underworld. I will contact her and ask for her assistance," reaching for his communicator, the Jedi Master spoke up. "Bo? Bo, come in!"

"Master Kenobi?"

"I need you and what ships you have at your disposal to come to the Jedi Temple immediately, we have been betrayed by our troops."

"What!? Why would the clones—?"

"That is a question that we unfortunately cannot answer at this time because we do not have the answers. Please, we need your help."

"I'm on my way."

Clipping his communicator to his wrist, Obi-Wan nodded at his fellow Jedi. "We need to hold out for as long as we can. Bo-Katan and her Mandalorian loyalists are en route to aid in our departure." Before the Jedi could move on, they saw Anakin looking in the direction of the Senate Building. Confused, Obi-Wan cocked his head. "Anakin?"

"What's going on, the Jedi aren't the only ones that are under attack. So is the Senate!"

Looking in the direction of the Senate Building, the Jedi could see thick clouds of smoke billowing from the building. Obi-Wan, sensing his friend's concern for Padmé placed a firm hand on his shoulder, silently reassuring him that she'd be fine and that right now they had a job to do. Nodding at his master, Anakin regained his focus and followed Obi-Wan and Shaak Ti out of the hangar as they moved on to continue helping their fellow Jedi flee from the clones' betrayal.

Elsewhere in the temple, Yoda and Mace Windu were aiding Cin Drallig, his Padawan, Serra Keto, and the Temple Guards to hold off as many of the clones as they could. However, they as well as countless other Jedi who were buying their brothers and sisters the time they needed to escape this betrayal, were facing the full brunt of two of the finest clone battalions in the Grand Army of the Republic. The 501st, led by Captain Rex and ARC Troopers Fives and Jesse led the charge while the 212th Attack Battalion, led by Commander Cody and ARC Troopers Boil and Nova trailed behind as they too were gunning down countless Jedi.

"Betray us willingly, the clones would not," Yoda grunted as he deflected several laser bolts, "machinations of Palpatine, this is."

"Agreed. But if we cannot reason with the clones--"

"Kill them, we must not," Yoda said sternly. Reaching out with the Force, he ripped away Captain Rex's blaster pistols and cast them aside before turning to his fellow Jedi. "Disarm them!" Heeding the words of the Grand Master, the Jedi began disarming the clones either with Force or using their lightsabers to destroy their blasters before throwing them back and retreating.

Captain Rex, who regained his blaster pistols was aiming for Master Yoda, but before he could pull the trigger, he was being hailed by one of the Venators orbiting the Jedi Temple. After being informed that the Jedi were launching transports, he received another report that Mandalorians were now entering the fray and were aiding in the Jedi's escape.

"You getting this, Cody?"

"Loud and clear, Rex," the commander of the 212th then grunted. "Mandalorians will hamper our progress in eliminating these traitors. But if we withdraw our troops and order a bombardment of the temple, we'll be able to kill off all the high-ranking Jedi and then go hunt for the lesser Jedi who escaped."

"Alright, I'll give the order to withdraw our men, you give the order to Venator to blow this place to hell."

Nodding, Cody contacted the Venator above them, requesting a danger close bombardment on the Jedi Temple while Rex ordered his men as well as the 212th within the temple to withdraw or die alongside the Jedi traitors. With their incredible discipline and regard for following their orders, the clones of each battalion withdrew from the Jedi Temple on gunships, the Coruscant Guard withdrew as well to ensure their numbers weren't decimated by the bombardment.

"Sir, the Venator is in position."

Cody, shared a look with Rex before contacting the Venator, giving them the green light to commence their bombardment. "Open fire," hellfire soon rained down on the Jedi Temple, reducing it to rubble and ash. The Jedi within would be obliterated, and those who were lucky to survive would be killed off when the clones would return to finish the job.

"Good soldiers follow orders," Rex said.

Looking at his friend and comrade, Cody grunted in agreement. "Good soldiers follow orders."

The Jedi within their home felt the violent rumbling and could feel it collapse in on itself as the Venator above them was obliterating them. Those who couldn't escape through the hangar bays were able to flee through secret exits throughout the temple and those who couldn't escape at all were buried alive under thousands of tons of rubble, being squashed like insects. Within the main hangar bay of the temple, Mace and Yoda were getting the last of their numbers on board the transport ships-- Jocasta Nu, Ki-Adi-Mundi, and countless other Jedi. Those among the Jedi who were invaluable as pilots boarded their starfighters and would provide cover to the transports carrying their fellow Jedi. Leading them would be Anakin Skywalker, as the best pilot in the Jedi Order, his skills would be needed if they were to escape Coruscant alive.

Bo-Katan and a sizeable number of her Mandalorian loyalists were aboard a newly constructed Mandalorian cruiser, the head of Bo-Katan's growing fleet— The Duchess, in honor of her late sister, Satine. Although the Mandalorians under Bo's command were able to save countless Jedi, the barrage from the Venator was too much for the Mandalorian cruiser to take, and they had to withdraw before they were obliterated. The same was said for the Jedi within the temple as they flew their transport ships and starfighters out of the temple in waves just as the Venator above ceased fire to then use its super laser to land the killing blow to the Jedi Temple, causing the ancient home of the Jedi on Coruscant to crumble and fall in a ball of fire and ash.

The Jedi couldn't get a moment of respite, unfortunately. Clone ARC-170 Starfighters poured out of the Venator with gunship support to shoot down the Jedi transports and the Mandalorians aiding them.

Anakin, who was in his starfighter could see the swarm of clone air support hot on their tail. Looking over his shoulder, Anakin gave her fellow Jedi in their starfighters the go-ahead to engage. "Alright everyone, break off and prevent the clones from shooting down the transport ships!" It pained Anakin a great deal to shoot down the clones, but he knew that now was not the time to allow his feelings to cloud his judgment, in many cases that was easier said than done, but at this moment, Anakin was focused on his duty as a Jedi. A squad of clone fighters was now on Anakin's trail, firing at him, but the young Jedi evaded the incoming fire with ease until he used his superior piloting skills to his advantage. Pulling up on the throttle, he found himself behind the clones who couldn't react in time until it was too late, Anakin shot them all down.

"A-Ani? Are you there?"

Anakin felt his breath hitch when he was being hailed by his lovely wife, Padmé. She was using their private communicator, and Anakin didn't hesitate to respond to his wife. "Padmé! Are you alright?"

"I'm fine. But... there are so many who died. Why would the clones do this, Ani?"

"I... don't know, Angel. But I'm going to find out, I promise." Anakin then received instructions from Master Yoda, that the Jedi were to meet on the ancient homeworld of the Jedi Order— Tython. "I just received word from Master Yoda, that the remnants of the Jedi are regrouping on the ancient homeworld of the Jedi. Will you join us?"

"Yes. I'll send word to my allies in the Senate and inform them that we'll join you."

"Alright. Please, stay safe."

"You too, Ani."

As the Jedi ships reached orbit, the ring of Venatos surrounding the Republic's capital opened their bay doors to unleash swarm after swarm of clones who were in their fighters, ready to overwhelm the Republic and their allies, Mandalorian and those from the Senate. Bo-Katan had her Mandalorian cruiser provide cover fire so that Chancellor Padmé and her allies in the Senate could jump to hyperspace safely. The Jedi who were in their starfighters quickly boarded their hyperspace rings while countless of their number gave their lives to their fellow Jedi in the transport ships the time they needed to escape the overwhelming number of clone fighters. Anakin was the last to board his hyperspace ring since he had been providing cover for Padmé's transport, once his wife was out of harm's way, it was time to leave.

"Alright, R2, let's get out of here!"

Beeping in agreement with his human companion, R2 was able to power the hyperspace ring once Anakin docked with it. And after entering the hyperspace coordinates for Tython, the Chosen One made the jump.

Unknown to the Jedi, their allies, and the clones orbiting the Republic capital, a cloaked ship had witnessed the attack on the Senate and the Jedi Temple thanks to probe droid footage. The leaders onboard the cloaked vessel shared a look before one of them gave orders to the officers on their bridge.

"We have seen enough. Let us seek out this... Darth Maul and broach the topic of an alliance with him and the Ascendancy."

The cloaked ship soon made the jump to hyperspace in search of the new Dark Lord of the Sith and his rising empire. A threat that would soon announce itself to the entire galaxy.

A/N: Sorry for the wait, but life happens. Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed the chapter, and if you have suggestions, don't be shy to leave them in the comment section and maybe I'll consider adding them to this story! Thanks for tuning in, and I'll catch you in the next update!