Disclaimer: I don't own Star Wars! It belongs to George Lucas not me!
A/N: My rough draft of my SW prequel AU, Fall of the Republic.
"For over a thousand generation, the Jedi Knights were the guardians of peace and justice in the Old Republic. Before the dark times. Before the Empire... A young Jedi named Darth Vader, who was a pupil of mine before he turned to evil, help the Empire hunt down and destroy the Jedi Knights."
- Obi-Wan Kenobi, Star Wars
A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away...
STAR WARS
Fall of the Republic
It is time of chaos. The recent breakthrough of cloning has caused star systems within the Galactic Republic to secede, declaring their own independent sovereignty. The Jedi Knights, the guardians of the Galactic Republic, find themselves caught within this debate as many Senators fear the possibility of cloned Jedi. Many planets have mobilized their own armies to fight, sparking the fires of the Clone Wars.
Planets from all over the galaxy have found themselves caught in the crossfire between the Republic and the independent star systems. The Jedi Order lend their assistance to aid the Republic, sending its best from the Jedi Temple on the capital of Corusant into the battlefield. However, the warriors of the Force find their numbers dwindle to only a few thousand.
Unknown to the Jedi or the Republic, corruption and greed fills the Senate of the Republic. Many Senators have become involved in multiple scandals, and have assisted illegal traders, using their political power for their own benefit. Among the Senators, one's ambitions rises above the others...
Far from the center of the galaxy and Republic's capital of Corusant, a Republic Venator-class Star Destroyer, the Halcyon, flew in orbit of the planet called Talga. It was a well-equipped battle cruiser, with multiple turbolasers placed upon its bow, so it could eliminate any oncoming star fighters or ships that dared attempted to destroy it. There were aircraft carriers and drop ships inside the Star Destroyer to allow any ground troops to land on a planet's surface and carry out the attack on said planet. Many ships within the Galactic Republic's ships were consisted of such star ships, to give the Republic an advantage in the war effort.
However, the Halcyon was not alone as a few more Star Destroyers of similar structure, flew beside it, in hopes of confronting the fleet that was mobilized by the Talgan government. The Talgan fleet did not have Star Destroyers, but rather five, arrow-shaped dreadnaughts that were medium-size, in comparison of the Republic's gigantic Star Destroyers. Around the two sides were the remains of other ships, both Talgan and Republic, that were simply nothing more than just husks filled with corpses. Between the two fleets were fire from their respective turbolasers with red lasers coming from the Republic's side, while blue came from the Talgan's.
On board the Halcyon, Viceroy Bail Organa of Alderaan stood in the center of the bridge, trying his best to keep his footing after a turbolaser had struck the Star Destroyer. The Viceroy of Alderaan was in his mid thirties with blue eyes and short brown hair that curled to the right as well as a goatee for facial hair. Unlike the rest of the crew on the bridge, he did not wear the standard gray uniform, for he wore white armaments on his arms and legs, over his blue shirt that had matching pants. "Status report!" Bail shouted as he regained his footing.
The bridge was filled with military personnel, mostly humans, who wore gray uniforms that consisted of a shirt and pants, along with black boots. One of the crew members, a human with brown hair and green eyes, was the first to answer. "The shields have gone done by fifteen percent and the turbolasers on the port bow have gone offline!" he answered. "If we keep this up, we won't get out of this alive!"
Bail snarled at that report, but his retained his calm composure and quickly thought up of a plan that he was sure would ensure victory. "Order all ships to get closer to the Talgan Fleet!" Bail ordered.
The same crew member who gave Bail the report, looked at Alderaan's Viceroy with surprise and confusion on his face. "Viceroy Organa, our ships won't withstand such an attack so close!" he argued.
Bail turned to the crew member and roared, "Just do it!"
Though hesitant, the crew member nodded and relayed the order to the other ships, who complied almost immediately as the Star Destroyers moved closer to the Talgan ships. The crew on each Star Destroyer did their best to manuveur their respective ship and avoid the turbolasers, while trying to get closer to their enemy. The Halcyon took quite a beating when it led the other Republic ships, but its crew remained persistent, maintaining to keep it intact.
The floor on the bridge shook again from the barrage of enemy, making Bail almost lose his footing once more. It was the same for the crew, but they, like Alderaan's viceroy, were able to recover and get back to work, wasting no time at all to ensure the Republic's victory over Talga. Bail's eyes peered ahead to see the Talgan ships were now closer, which meant that Bail could initiate the next phase of his plan.
"Have our ships on the right flank to fire on the flagship!" Bail ordered. "Tell the others to fire at the others to keep them busy!"
The crew members nodded, giving the other Star Destroyers their new Bail's orders, which they followed without any hesitation. From the bridge, Bail watched the Republic Star Destroyers on the right firing on the Talgan ships around the flagship that led them into battle. The plan was successful as some of the ships drew their fire towards the said Star Destroyers that were focusing their fire upon them, giving the Bail the opening his needed. His own Star Destroyer along with the others, turned their attention towards the lead Talgan ship, and they all fired their turbolaser cannons at it. By the time the soldiers of Talgan fleet realized Bail's plan, it was too late.
Within minutes, the turbolasers from the Republic's Star Destroyers struck the lead Talgan ship, eliminating it's deflector shields and soon destroying the ship itself. The lead enemy ship exploded into a blaze of fire and the other Talgan ships surrounding the destroyed ship now were left in confusion as they apparently stopped firing. Bail smiled at that success of his plan and it would continue as one of the crew members announced, "Viceroy Organa, the Talgan fleet has word they wish to surrender!"
Cheers from other members of the crew on board the bridge, went in an uproar at their victory, and Bail had the same joy his crew had, yet kept it restrained. "Very good. Order all ships to cease fire!" Bail ordered. "Inform them of the Talgan's surrender."
As the communications crew did what they were told, one of them received a transmission from the planet below. "Viceroy Organa, we're receiving a transmission from the surface. Both General Kenobi and Commander Skywalker are taking the frontal assault," the said crew member reported. "The report says they have already broken through the front line of the Talgan army. Should we assist them?"
When Bail heard the news, he could not help but smile. "No, it's not necessary," Bail answered, staring out into space. "If I know Obi-Wan, he's already taken the Talgan capital right now."
The planet of Talga was consisted of nothing, but rocky deserts that were filled with canyons that would stretch for miles and mountains reaching many stories high. It was once said that Talga had water, but something happened that caused to go away, leaving nothing more than simply streams or underground rivers. Though it would be somewhat inhospitable for those of other worlds, Talga had it's own humanoid natives, who survived through the harshness of their environment and eventually built civilization in the form of the planet's capital.
The capital of Talga was consisted tall skyscrapers, apartment complexes, and other buildings that assisted the societal structure of the planet. The city was once filled with the humans that made up the population, but now, it was abandoned as the citizens were now in underground bunkers for their own protection. Placed in the city were soldiers, who all had blaster rifles and wore a green uniform under black armor that was consisted of shoulder pads, chest plates, boots, gauntlets, and helmets. To protect the city from any invaders was a large wall surrounding it, yet it seemed to have sustained some damage recently.
As of now, the walls were under attack by the Republic's armed forces consisted of the white-armored Stormtroopers. The walls were being bombarded by blasts from turbolaser cannons as well as blaster rifles that the Stormtroopers carried with them. Most of them were slowly approaching the walls in hopes of besieging without being shot down the Talgan soldiers, while the rest manned the turbolaser cannons to destroy the wall that blocked their path of reaching the capital.
On the wall, the Talgan soldiers tried to keep the Republic forces from entering the walls as they fired their own blasters and cannons at their opponents. The soldiers of Talga were being ordered around by a single commander in his late fifties, who also tried to keep the Republic's Stormtroopers away from the city. "Keep it up men!" he shouted to bring up morale. "We don't want those Republic scum from entering our city!"
Unknown to them, the enemies of the Republic did not notice two shadowy, robed figures on the wall, and approaching them from behind. When they did, a couple of soldiers turned around and aimed their blaster rifles at the two robed figures, which they got a good look at. One was in his mid to late forties with brown hair and beard as well as blue eyes, while the other was in his early twenties with short blond hair and gray eyes. The Talgan soldiers realized who the two were when the noticed a familiar silver cylindrical hilts of lightsabers hanging from their respective belts. "Jedi!" one of them shouted.
The older man, now identified as a Jedi, looked at his younger Jedi compatriot. "So much for our cover," the elder Jedi said, only to receive a shrug from his younger friend.
Turning their heads towards the Talgans, the two Jedi drew their lightsabers from the belts and a blue blade came out of each hilt. The Talgan soldiers fired their blaster rifles at the pair, but the Jedi used the blades of their lightsabers to block the bolts as they charged at them. The soldiers tried to move away, but it was too late at they were struck down by the two Jedi's lightsaber blades.
The Jedi continued their assault on the city's soldiers that acted as it's only line of defense against the Republic's Stormtroopers, hacking their way through the ranks. The cries of Talgan soldiers filled the air as the two Jedi's lightsaber blades struck them down, sending some of them falling off of the battle mounts of the wall. "Come on!" the young Jedi encouraged his older friend as they headed towards their target: the commander of the Talgan troops.
The commander in charge of the the city's troops turned to see the two Jedi gaining their way towards him. "Jedi! Stop them!" he shouted.
As some the troops under his command turned their attention towards the two Jedi, the Talgan commander quickly drew his own blaster and fired red blaster bolts at the Jedi duo only for them to be deflected at the commander's own troops. Things became worse for the commander as the Jedi used their lightsaber to cut down any soldiers that stood in their path. It would only be a matter of time before the Jedi would reach the commander and kill him, or order him to surrender. Neither situation seemed to be good, in the commander's opinion.
Soon, the Jedi caught up with the commander of the Talgan forces, who raised to fire his blaster, but the young Jedi was faster than him as he sliced the commander's blaster in half. The commander stood there in shock at his blaster being sliced apart, but he did not have enough time to do so as he felt the heat of the young Jedi's blue lightsaber touching his neck. The Talgan commander moved his eyes into the young Jedi's own, which was filled with pride and strength.
"Tell your men to surrender!" the young Jedi ordered.
Afraid of the Jedi's lightsaber at his throat, the commander of the Talgan forces removed his comlink from his belt and brought it close to his mouth and said, "Men, we have lost the battle! Stand down and surrender!"
When the commander reattached his comlink to his belt, he noticed the young Jedi had a smirk on his face; one that was filled with arrogance. "Good then," the Jedi said as he kept his lightsaber at the commander's throat. "Now we'll just wait here, until the troops show up to take you away."
The commander scowled at the young Jedi's pride and arrogance over the Republic's victory on Talga, but he knew it would do no good. "Anakin, that's enough," the voice of the elder Jedi ordered.
The young Jedi, Anakin, turned his head over his shoulder to see the elder Jedi walking beside him, taking notice that the other Jedi's lightsaber was extinguished and hooked to his belt. With the elder Jedi were a squadron of Stormtroopers with blaster rifles in their hands. "Sorry, master," Anakin apologized.
With that, Anakin removed his lightsaber from the Talgan commander's throat and he stepped back to let the Stormtroopers to do their work. One of the Stormtroopers stepped forwards with binders in his hand and quickly cuffed the hand of the enemy commander. After the Stormtroopers cuffed the commander's hand, the elder Jedi ordered the Stormtroopers, "Take him away."
The leader of the Stormtrooper squadron nodded. "Yes, General Kenobi."
With that, the Stormtroopers took away the commander of the forces defending the capital and as they did, Anakin noticed the commander had a glare on his face. However, he ignored that as he deactivated his lightsaber and hook it to his belt before turning to the elder Jedi, named Obi-Wan Kenobi. "Good job, Anakin," Obi-Wan smiled as he patted his old student's shoulder.
Anakin grinned at the Jedi who was served as his mentor. "Thanks, master."
It was then, the two Jedi noticed another Stormtrooper approached Obi-Wan. "General Kenobi, what are your orders?" the Stormtroopers asked.
Turning towards the Stormtrooper, Obi-Wan ordered, "Inform Viceroy Organa that Talga is ours. The Republic has won another victory."
What Obi-Wan was said true, the Republic did indeed won another victory in the wretched Clone Wars. But at what cost?
Within the Core Worlds of the galaxy, lies the planet that served at the Galactic Republic's capital: Corusant.
The metropolitan planet was filled with large buildings that reached Corusant's skies as well as industrial complexes and factories were placed all over the planet. The city scape of the planet was so vast that it eliminated any sign of flora or fauna flourishing. This included the Senate Chamber, where Senators from all over the galaxy discussed and debated over issues that scoured the galaxy. In the center of all of this industrial life was a large dome-shaped building named the Senate Buidling, where senators and ambassadors of many worlds from all over the Galactic Republic came to join in session at the Senate Chamber, and discuss about the state of the galaxy.
Away from the political life of the Senate and the industrial life that the sentient beings lived, was a large monastery-like building that housed hundreds of the Republic's guardians, the Jedi Temple. After its foundation, the Jedi Order built the Temple on Corusant to be protect the Senate from any harm, and to establish itself as the protectors of the Galactic Republic. Beings from all over the galaxy arrive at the Temple to train as warriors of the Force, to protect and serve those of the Republic. The exterior of Jedi Temple was a gigantic ziggurat that sat upon a large empty plain with four spires on the corners of the the ziggurat structure and a center spire that held a chamber where the Jedi Council, Order's most wisest and powerful masters, would meet.
When entering the Jedi Temple and passing by the six, tall statues of hooded Jedi Masters, one would first find themselves inside the main hallway. The floor was covered in a white color with red patterns on it, and at the far end of the hall was a large staircase that led up the upper levels that held the training rooms and quarters for the Jedi. The upper floors were help up by tall, golden pillars that also held up the ceiling, and there was an elevator that led up to the Jedi Council Chamber.
On one of the upper levels of the Jedi Temple, a few young Jedi students learned in the ways of the Force in one the training rooms. The training room had a red, metallic floor, a window for people to look out into the metropolis of Corusant, and it had blue circular walls. On the edge of the room were young teenagers, each one from a different species and wearing the typical brown Jedi robes over their bodies. They all had their lightsabers out, a multitude of colorful blades filling the air of the training room, and each had enough space to train, so their lightsaber did not accidentally strike a fellow student.
Standing on the side was Padme Nabierre-Skywalker, who was also a member of the Jedi Order. The wife of Anakin Skywalker was in her late twenties with long, dark brown hair that had a few strands touch her fair skin, as well as blue eyes. She wore a green Jedi robe over over her gray tunic with her lightsaber hilt hanging from her brown belt.
At a young age, Padme was admitted into the Order and learned extensively in the ways of the Jedi Knights, until the Clone Wars had spread across the galaxy. There were times when she led the Republic's troop into battle, which was how she met her husband, but she tend to reserve herself back at the Temple to relax. Padme was well-known to be a kind-hearted and patient being, but did not back down from a fight when challenged.
Padme stood there attentively, watching the student attempt to improve their skills with the lightsabers until she thought that it was enough. "That's enough!" she called out to the students. The young teenagers immediately stopped swinging the lightsabers, deactivating and hooking them to their respective belts. When they stood in their respective spots, Padme requested, "Now, please recite the Jedi Code."
At first, the students were a little bewildered as to why they would need to recite something that they already knew, but they did as Padme asked. In unison, their voice recited the Code, in a somewhat melodious tone, with Padme listening:
"There is no emotion, there is peace.
There is no ignorance, there is knowledge.
There is no passion, there is serenity.
There is no chaos, there is harmony.
There is no death, there is the Force."
Once they were done reciting the Jedi Code, Padme commented, "Excellent! Now what does the first line of the Code mean?"
One of the students, a red skin Twi'lek girl, stepped forward to answer that question. "The Code teaches us that we should control ourselves, do not give into emotions," she answered. "To enforce this, the Jedi Code does not allow Jedi to have any attachments, including marriages."
"Correct," Padme complimented. "We're taught that attachment and emotions can lead to the Dark Side, which is why Jedi are not allow to marry."
One of the students, a young, male member of the carbon-breathing Kel-Dors, could only stare at the Jedi instructor with confusion. "But Master, aren't you married?" he brought up. "Doesn't that go against the Code?"
For a moment, Padme was a little startled at answering this question for it seemed personal to her, yet she mustered enough courage to answer it. "You do bring up a good point," Padme stated. "But there are exceptions where Jedi have married, if given permission by the Jedi Council."
What Padme said was true, there were many exceptions for Jedi to marry, despite it went against the Jedi the history of the Jedi Order, such masters, like Jedi Masters Nomi Sunrider and Bastilla Shan, were allowed to marry. The rule of no attachment became enforced by the Jedi Council within the past millennium, but with the high rate of Jedi losses in the Clone Wars, they were a little lax towards the rule. Yoda encouraged allowed for Jedi, so they could produce Force-sensitive children that could be trained as Jedi. Padme and Anakin being among the first to wed publicly, even though some Jedi resented this action.
"Would it, then, be possible for us to marry?" the same Kel-Dor questioned.
"We'll see," Padme answered with a smile before looking at the other students. "Alright, your lessons are over. You can head to your next class."
The students quickly gave Padme a bow before they all left the room to head towards their next class, leaving Padme alone in the room. Once they were gone, Padme's calm demeanor left her as she relaxed her body onto the wall, feeling a little stress for some reason. "That's the last time the Council ever lets me teach," Padme told herself.
"Knight Skywalker," a voice called out, making her turn her head to see a Rodian Jedi at the entrance of the training room. "You're required at the medical wing."
Nodding, Padme got her back off of the wall and walked towards the entrance. "I'll be there," she answered.
As she left the training room and entered the hall, Padme could have sworn she felt a strange feeling in her belly, but she ignored, and headed towards her new destination.
Inside the Senate chamber, the sentient beings inside that represented almost an entire galaxy debated amongst one another from their hovercrafts. Most of the debates first turned into arguments before it was twisted into simple shouts and name calling that seemed like it went on for hours. In the center of the Senate chambers was the Chancellor's podium where the head of the Galactic Republic would listen to the sides of an argument and present a resolution. Usually, one of the delegate would present a case and it would lead into a debate that would eventually be resolved with a vote from the Senate. However, this one first turned into arguments before it was twisted into simple shouts and name calling that seemed like it went on for hours.
Chancellor Valorum was a fair-skinned human with gray hair and blue eyes, wearing the usual blue and black ceremonial robes with a high collar around his neck. He was usually a patient man, who tried to keep be calm and tried to be the best leader he could. However, the events of the Clone Wars over the past few years have him more irritated and restless. He stood in his podium, listening to the arguments become uglier with every moment, so he looked at the Senate with a firm look. "Order! Order!" Valorum's voice bellowed across the entire Senate.
Valorum's voice tuned down the shouting as the delegates focused their attention from each other towards the Chancellor of the Republic. With the attention towards him, Valorum turned towards the hovercraft in front of him that carried one of the delegates on it. "Senator Palpatine would be please be kind as to explain why we should pass your bill?"
Palpatine was a man in his fifties with unnatural, sickly yellow eyes and gray hair that was becoming a little bald. He wore his typical dress that consisted of his brown robes under his black cloak that had a small collar around his neck. The sleeves were long, running down to his wrists, while the end of his robe went down to his feet, and over his head was a hood. He was a well-known member of the Senate of the Galactic Republic, powerful and manipulative. It was no secret he was involved with the corrupt dealings and manipulating other Senators, yet he always kept a good public appearance.
"Chancellor Valorum, if we pass this bill, the Republic will be stronger than ever to face the seceding planets!" Palpatine argued, his voice echoing throughout the Senate Chamber. "The Republic has become weaken with planets seceding from this Senate and forming their own sovereign systems! We can't allow this to carry on any longer! The bill will increase the Senate's rule over the star systems, preventing them from ever seceding again!"
Valorum heard some of the Senate's delegates murmur in agreement with Palpatine's argument, but he ignored them and focused on Palpatine. Before he could even have the chance to reply, Valorum and Palpatine saw another hovercraft approaching the podium with another delegate on it. This was one was a human woman with fair skin, blue eyes, and short, red hair, wearing a white robe in contrast to Palpatine's black one. "Senator Palpatine, this chair has already been given enough emergency powers to deal with the war effort!" the delegate argued. "If we pass your bill, not only will it cause this Senate to become corrupt, but it will also cause billions of sentient beings to lose their freedom!"
Palpatine snarled at the female delegate. "You were not called upon, Mon Mothma! Go back to your post!"
"That's enough!" Valorum bellowed, gaining the attention of Palpatine and the other delegate, Mon Mothma. Turning to Palpatine, Valorum answered, "Senator Palpatine, though you're argument is sound, I must side with Senator Mon Mothma on this. If given too much power, the Senate will become corrupt and many planets will suffer under this corruption. That is why I am vetoing your bill."
Though he could hear many of his supporters protesting at this outcome, Palpatine merely gave in to the Chancellor's orders. "Very well, Chancellor," Palpatine nodded and with that, Palpatine's hovercraft returned to its original post, as did Mon Mothma's.
When Palpatine's hovercraft connected with his post on the Senate Chamber, he left the hovercraft and was immediately greeted by a familiar face. "What do you have to report Tarkin?" Palpatine questioned as he walked towards the man.
Wilhuff Tarkin was a commander in the Republic fleet, who was well-known for his ruthless tactics against the seceding planetary systems during the Clone Wars. A supporter of Palpatine, Tarkin was also tied into the corrupt dealings within the Senate for Palpatine to gain more loyal followers within the Republic's government body. Tarkin was a man in his late thirties with a thin body that was covered by his gray naval uniform, and he had short, brown hair, and blue eyes.
"Senator Palpatine, we have reports that General Kenobi and Commander Skywalker have taken Talga," Tarkin reported.
When hearing that news, Palpatine's disappointment at losing another debate had left him and mind was now focused on the news of the two Jedi. "Really?" he said, with a hint of bemusement in his voice. "This is quite interesting. I'm assuming the young Skywalker was responsible for the Republic's victory."
Tarkin nodded. "Yes, according to the reports."
Palpatine's lip broke out into a grin. "Well, he will be important to us," he said as he walked past Tarkin and towards his chambers. His head was filled with plans that he had for the young Jedi. "Very important indeed."
Obi-Wan close to the landing platform right outside of the capital of Talga as he watched the Lambda-class shuttle carrying Viceroy Bail Organa soared through the atmosphere. The end of his Jedi robe flapped in the air from the rush of wind caused by the shuttle approaching the city, but it did not bother him in the slightest. Standing next to him was his former student, Anakin Skywalker, who recently became a Jedi Knight.
Of the duo, Obi-Wan was known to be more experienced Jedi Knight with his lightsaber skills and potential to use the Force, who took the young Anakin as his student after discovering him on Tatooine. As for Anakin, the young Jedi was powerful in the Force, which was the reason why Obi-Wan took him under his wing, but he was also headstrong, willing to rush into trouble to help anyone, which led to fights. Still, his good nature was one of the reasons why Anakin was a commander, while Obi-Wan's experience allowed him to serve as general underneath Bail Organa.
"Stay sharp, Anakin," Obi-Wan told the young Jedi. "We need to look good for the viceroy."
Anakin rolled his eyes playfully. "Yes, master," he said with a grin.
Obi-Wan's face broke into a grin as well. "You never change, my former pupil," he said.
"Can't say the same for the galaxy though," Anakin commented, this time his voice was somber. "So much has happened to the galaxy."
Obi-Wan could not help but agree with his former pupil as he carried the same tone that Anakin had. "Indeed. The galaxy truly has been in a time of change, especially the Jedi Order. Things haven't been the same since Master Yoda left the Order," Obi-Wan spoke as he placed a hand on Anakin's shoulder. "He was the one who allowed you and Padme to marry, after all."
The Jedi Master they were speaking of was the ancient, powerful Yoda, who always sought to entune himself in the Force. Though his origins were unknown, it did not matter as he excelled in his mastery of the Force to the point he no longer needed to carry a lightsaber. As a Jedi Master, Yoda acted as a consultant, giving advice to Jedi when he can, and was the one who encouraged Anakin and Padme to get married. However, ever since the beginning of the Clone Wars, he left Corusant to remain in seclusion within the Outer Rim. No one knew what his reasons were, save for the ancient Jedi Master himself.
Anakin simply nodded. "I know."
The two Jedi pushed away those thoughts of the past and watched the Lambda-class shuttle landed onto the shuttle right in front of them, steam jettisoning out of the bottom while the legs folded out and touched the platform. The shuttle's ramp lowered, revealing the Viceroy of Alderaan standing at the entrance to the shuttle. Bail Organa walked down the ramp of the shuttle, this time wearing a blue, Alderaanian robe that went down to his knees, fitting for a person who had such a status.
"Viceroy, is good to see you unharmed," Obi-Wan greeted as he and Anakin gave a small bow.
The Viceroy of Alderaan, Bail Organa, was a influential member of the Republic's Senate, using his political power to help the galaxy whatever he could. Usually, he did this by revealing corruption within the Senator and delegates, but since the Clone Wars, he rose to a prominent role in leading his men into the Mid Rims to bring back the seceding systems into the Republic.
"You too, Obi-Wan," Bail smiled as he walked up to the two Jedi. "The Republic is in debted to you-the both of you!"
"It was not just us, Viceroy," Anakin humbly stepped in. "You helped defeat the Talgan fleet."
"True," Bail smiled before turning to Obi-Wan. "What are the casualties?"
The good nature left Jedi's faces as Obi-Wan frowned at the fact he was the one to reply. "Over a hundred men died in the assault," was his response. "Two hundred more are severely wounded."
Like the two Jedi, Bail's joy over the victory left him as he bowed his head in respect for the dead. "More casualties in this endless war," Bail bitterly sighed before looking up at the two Jedi. "How many Talgans were captured?"
Anakin found himself answering that question. "Over three hundred have been captured. The rest have escaped the city."
Bail nodded at that report before looking at the two Jedi. "Can you bring me to our soldiers?" Bail asked.
Obi-Wan nodded as he and Anakin made way for their superior and the Viceroy of Alderann. "This way," Obi-Wan offered as he and Anakin led the way.
"I'm pregnant?"
Those were the two words that came out of Padme's mouth as she sat on one the beds in the medical wing of the Jedi Temple.
The Jedi Temple's medical wing was a long rectangular room that was filled with beds placed on either side of the wing. Many Jedi often came here to heal when they received small injuries, but with the escalated fighting of the Clone Wars, the medical wing was filled with wounded Jedi. There were some secluded rooms for some patients, but those were for special cases. Fortunately for Padme, she was one of them as she resided on of these room that was silver with a white bed, like the others in the medical wing.
The healers within the medical wing wore the typical brown Jedi robes over their body. One of them, a female member of the cat-like species called the Cathars, was attending to Padme. She was the same healer who Padme came to two days ago, when the wife of Anakin Skywalker felt ill for some strange reason. "Yes," the Cathar healer nodded. "I have studied the samples you gave me and the results say you have been pregnant for a few weeks. I would suggest you refrain from going out on missions or participating in the war effort."
Padme's face was filled with shock and surprise as she felt her legs weaken from depth of the news she just heard. She unknowingly placed a hand on her belly and the leader saw Padme's face became filled with concern for her unborn child. "Does that mean my child will be trained as a Jedi?" she asked.
Again the healer nodded. "If strong in the Force, the Order does require the child to be trained as Jedi at a young age."
Silence overcame the young woman for many minutes until she looked up at the healer, and asked, "Can I have some time alone to think about this?"
"Yes, of coarse," the healer replied.
The healer turned around and the doors slid open for her to leave the room for Padme to be left alone. After the doors slid behind the Cathar Jedi healer, Padme found herself staring at the silver walls of the room she was in. Many thoughts filled the mind of young Padme Nabierre-Skywalker, most of them concerned with the future of her child as well as how her husband would take the news.
Palpatine sat within his office that was given to him by the Senate when he was elected as the delegate of his own planet. The room was vast, even for a senator's office, with red carpets that had black patterns all over, and golden statues of arcane robed figures placed against the gray walls. There was a light coming from the ceiling which shone on the Senator, leaving the corners of the room in darkness. On the edge of the room and near the window was his desk that was made of refined, silver durasteel, where he saw on his chair with Tarkin standing across from him.
"... and so, we have been able to secure relations with the Mid-Rim Trade Barons," Tarkin ended his report. "They have agreed to make trade with us and give the necessary arms we will need in the future."
After hearing the report, Palpatine placed the datapad he was quickly inspecting, onto his desk, and asked, "What of the Hutts?"
"They have decided to only give financial support," was Tarkin's response. "We have tried to further negotiations with them, but it was a failure."
"It should be enough for now," Palpatine stated before handing a datapad to Tarkin. "Take this. It has more instructions for a special project I'm funding. I hope it will be good under your care."
When Tarkin took the datapad, he quickly inspected the datapad to see the designs of a space stations before looking up at Palpatine. "It will be, sir," Tarkin assured.
"Good," Palpatine smiled. "You're dismissed."
"At once," Tarkin said clicked the heels of his boots together, like any soldier would, before he turned around to exit the room.
When the doors slid shut behind Tarkin, Palpatine noticed four black, robed figures stepping out of the shadows in the corner of his office. Each of the robed figures had their black robed covering their entire bodies, save for the black shirt and pants with a silver belt around their wastes. They each had a hood over their heads, concealing their identities from the public. What was even more surprising, they all had silver lightsabers hilts hanging from their belts.
Palpatine's gaze turned towards the robed figures who now approached his desk. "My Dark Jedi, what do you have to report?"
"Preparations for young Skywalker are complete, master," the center robed figure, identified as a Dark Jedi, replied as he gave a slight bow. "His new lightsaber is ready."
"And what of the bounty hunter?" the Senator asked another Dark Jedi.
"He has been paid and given his orders as you have instructed, master," the Dark Jedi standing on the center one's left replied.
The arcane senator could not help but grin at that news as he stared at the four robed Dark Jedi. "Excellent," Palpatine commented. "See that the bounty hunter completes his task."
"Yes, master," the one on the far right said.
With that, all the hooded Dark Jedi bowed to the one they called "master" before the retreated back to the shadows of the room, fading away from any visible eyes that could see them. Palpatine was left alone in the room, swirling his chair around towards the window and found himself staring out into the metropolis of Corusant. He stood up from his seat to look at the streets and saw the multitude of sentient beings walking to their respective destinations, unaware of what was happening around them.
"Soon, it will be all mine," Palpatine grinned.
Meanwhile, Chancellor Valorum of the Galactic Republic walked through the halls of the Senate building with Senator Mon Mothma by his side. The halls of the Senate building had the same blue color that the Senate chambers had with dark blue carpet for the delegates of other systems to walk upon. Filling up the halls were sentient beings from all across the galaxy, consisted mostly of delegates while the rest were reporters.
"Senator Mon Mothma, I don't want to hear any more of this!" Valorum told her as he walked through the halls. "Senator Palpatine has already done enough as it is for the war effort! I don't want to hear you tell me anymore rumors!"
"But Chancellor, these are not rumors!" Mon Mothma tried to reason, while trying to keep up with the Chancellor. "Palpatine has been gaining power with the other Senators! Can't you see Palpatine wishes to take your place as Chancellor?"
"I am not blind, Senator Mothma," Valorum retorted, "but this is a not a totalitarian government! We shall abide by the rules of the constitution and let democracy play its hand."
Mon Mothma rolled her eyes at the stubbornness of Galactic Republic's Chancellor before she continued to press her argument. "But how long will democracy last? Palpatine already has his hands in the Trandoshan slavers, and I've been hearing he's been making deals with the Trade Barons! If he continues, then democracy will die!"
"That will not happen," Valorum assured. "Palpatine can be dealt with."
"Then, why not do it now?" Mon Mothma questioned. "The more we let him become involved in the Senate, the more capable he's of controlling it!"
"When that happens, I shall take care of him," he told the Senator. "Until then, there is nothing I can do."
By the time Valorum spoke those words, the head of the Galactic Republic and the senator arrived at the door that led to his office. Turning his head towards Mon Mothma, Valorum told her as entrance to his office slid open, "I suggest you present your arguments to the Senate during its next session. If you have proof of what you say, then I'll consider listening."
Mon Mothma found herself standing alone in the halls of the Senate building as the Chancellor entered his office and the door slid shut behind him. Defeated, she could only sigh as she turned around to leave and return to her quarters. However, by the time she was some feet away from the Chancellor's office, she immediately heard something.
"What is going on?" Mon Mothma heard, making her stop in her tracks. "As Chancellor of the Galactic Republic, I demand you reveal yourself!"
The noise caught Mon Mothma's attention as well as the attention of the other sentient beings passing by as she turned around and rushed towards the Chancellor's office. By the time she reached it, everyone outside in the hallyway heard the sound of a blaster being fired, which caused everyone to panic. Most sentient beings, Mon Mothma included in the group, gathered at the entrance, while the rest tried to contact security.
The door slid open, and Mon Mothma was the first to enter the Chancellor's office that was above the chamber. The ceilings had dimmed lights to illuminate the office, allowing everyone to see the fallen body of Chancellor Valorum on the red carpet that covered the floor. He lying there motionlessly almost close to his desk that was placed near the large window that showed Corusant.
"Chancellor!" Mon Mothma cried out as she ran towards the Chancellor.
Kneeling down to Valorum's body, Mon Mothma inspected Valorum's body to see there was a scorch mark of a blaster bolt on this chest that seared through the texture of his robes and passed into his skin. His face was filled with shock and fear as his dead eyes stared out into the empty space of his office. Mon Mothma's eyes widen in shock to see the Chancellor of the Galactic Republic was no longer a part of the living.
Turning her head towards the crowd gathering at the entrance, Mon Mothma cried out, "The Chancellor's dead!"
Those four words caused panic in everyone, making most faint, while other just stood there in shock at this sudden turn of events. No one paid mind to the Stormtroopers trying to push their way through the gathering crowd, making them push sentient beings to the side for them to enter. "Make way!" one of them shouted as he was the first to come out of the crowd.
Mon Mothma turned her head to see a squadron of Stormtroopers entering the Chancellor's office and approaching the body, so she backed away for the Stormtroopers to do their work. "What happened?"
"I don't know," the Senator admitted. "When I was leaving the Chancellor in his office, someone must have shot got in and shot him! I don't know how though, since there were no break ins."
The Stormtrooper nodded before turning to his subordinate troopers and ordered, "Search the office! The killer couldn't have gotten far!"
That Stormtrooper's words were no farther from the truth as Mon Mothma spot a blur of a man running out of the shadows of the office and trying to make an escape. "There!" she shouted, pointing to the shadowy figure.
Immediately, two of the Stormtroopers closest to the figure jumped at him, tackling the stranger to the ground, and doing their best to restrain him. The mysterious man tried to break free of the two Stormtroopers' grasp, but stopped when he felt the barrel of a Stormtroopers' blaster rifle, pressing against his head. "Don't move," the Stormtrooper, who owned the blaster rifle, ordered.
The Stormtrooper removed his rifle from the stranger's head, but kept it aimed onto him as the two Stormtroopers who tackled him, grabbed the man by the arms and brought him out for everyone to see. It was a human with fair skin, red hair and green eyes, who wore a black uniform that seemed to be perfect for a janitor. "Alright, take him away," the Stormtrooper with the blaster rifle aimed at the man, ordered.
As the half of the squadron surrounded their prisoner and escorted out of the office, the other half remained to inspect the body of the Chancellor's lifeless body. Mon Mothma simply turned the other way, and planned to leave the office and have the Stormtroopers investigate the scene of the crime.
When she walked out into the hall, Mon Mothma was first greeted by one of her servants, a young, fair-skinned human woman in her mid twenties with brown hair and blue eyes. She wore similar robes to Mon Mothma, but they were as extravagant with its simple, yellow color. "Senator, are you alright?" she asked.
Instead of giving a straight reply to the question, Mon Mothma whipped her head around to her servant and ordered, "Contact Bail Organa! I want to have a secret channel with him!"
The servant nodded. "At once!" she said as she left the Senator.
Mon Mothma continued to head towards her office, so she could inform Alderaan's viceroy of the recent turn of events. She was not a Jedi, but Mon Mothma did not need the Force to tell her that this was just the beginning, so she needed to be prepared for the worst.
Speaking of viceroy, Bail Organa walked through the streets of Talga's capital with Obi-Wan guiding him, while Anakin guarded him from behind. The trio could see dead bodies of both Republic and Talgan soldiers being piled upon one another by the remaining Talgan soldiers that surrendered with Stormtroopers watching over them. Stormtroopers that were wounded were being placed upon stretchers before dragged to the nearest shuttle that could take them to the Star Destroyers orbiting the planet. Whenever a Stormtrooper saw Viceroy Organa, they stopped what they were doing to stand to attention, yet every time, Bail would simply tell them "at ease," allowing them to resume their work.
As Bail walked through the streets, he could only stare at the dead bodies with grief. "This war has taken so many lives," Bail mourned as he shook his head.
Obi-Wan shared the viceroy's grief as he stood next to Bail. "I know," he said, his tone matching Bail's. "but it was necessary for us to win the battle. Soon, this war will be over."
"We can only hope," Bail sighed as he continued walking.
Anakin was behind the two, listening to every word they spoke attentively, and using the Force to sense the emotions between the Jedi General and the Viceroy of Alderaan. As he listened, Anakin felt a warning in the Force as he whipped his head around to see what the source of the warning was. "Watch out!" Anakin shouted as he rushed to Bail.
Both Obi-Wan and Bail turned to look at Anakin in confusion as to what he was shouting about, but they soon realized it when they saw blaster bolts coming towards him from the side. Anakin used the Force to fasten his pace, quickly grabbing his lightsaber and igniting its blue blade in time to block the blaster bolts in one swing, sending them hitting the ground in front of his feet. "Master, stay with the Viceroy!" Anakin shouted to his former mentor.
As Obi-Wan activated his blue lightsaber blade and stood in front of Bail Organa to protect him, his old student rushed off to the source of the blaster bolts. As for Anakin, he used the Force to sense more blaster bolts coming towards him, so he used his lightsaber to block and deflect them as best as he could. The blaster bolts went flying into the air, striking some of the buildings, while Anakin continued to head towards the shooter. The buildings became a blur to Anakin as he passed by the them along with the other Stormtroopers, heading towards what happened to be a pile of durasteel plating that came from the siege on the capital.
When Anakin arrived at the source of the blaster bolts, he found that it turned out to be a male Talgan soldier with a sniper blaster rifle in his hand, hiding behind the durasteel pile. The Talgan soldier, seeing Anakin, immediately raised his blaster at the young Jedi only for him to slice the barrel off before the Talgan soldier found the tip of Anakin's lightsaber at his throat. The Talgan soldier's eyes moved from the lightsaber and met with Anakin's own that were glaring at him. "I should end you right here," Anakin growled.
The Talgan soldier sneered at Anakin, tempting him with, "Then why don't you, Jedi scum?"
The young Jedi was glad to comply with the Talgan soldier's words, but he saw Obi-Wan running towards him, using the Force to quicken his pace. "Anakin don't!" Obi-Wan shouted.
Anakin turned to look at his former mentor in a mixture confusion and rage. "But master, this man tried to kill Viceroy Organa!" Anakin argued. "If we let him live, it will only cause more resistance!"
"Anakin, it is not the Jedi way to kill prisoners," Obi-Wan said as he placed a hand on his former student's shoulder. "Let go of your hate."
Giving in to Obi-Wan's words, Anakin closed his eyes and exhaled deeply, allowing the anger of him to be release, before focusing his attention on the Talgan soldier. By that time, a few Stormtroopers approached the area, and turning to them, Obi-Wan ordered, "Take this man away."
One of the nodded. "Yes sir."
The other two Stormtroopers approached the Talgan soldier, grabbing his by his arms and dragging him away to other Talgan troops that were being detained. Anakin noticed the Talgan soldier gave him one last glare before the Stormtroopers dragged him away, out of the side of the two Jedi and their superior. However, Obi-Wan and Bail noticed another Stormtrooper approaching them as fast as he could.
"What is it, trooper?" Obi-Wan questioned, curious as to the urgency in the Stormtrooper.
"A private transmission coming from Senator Mon Mothma," the Stormtrooper answered, turning to Bail as he produced a small circular disk that acted as communictor. "It's for your ears only, Viceroy."
Nodding, Bail took the device from the Stormtroopers. "Very well. Thank you, trooper."
The Stormtrooper nodded before he turned around to leave Bail with the two Jedi, and returning to fulfill his other duties. When the Stormtrooper was gone, Bail looked at the device and activated it, allowing a miniature, holographic image of Mon Mothma to appear before Bail. "Mon Mothma, it is good to see you," he smiled at his old friend.
Mon Mothma did not carry the same emotion as did Bail, for it was replaced with a frown. "I'm sorry I can't say the same," she said bitterly.
Bail took notice of Mon Mothma's tone and facial expression, and quickly asked, "Why? What has happened?"
Looking at Bail, Mon Mothma spoke the words she never thought she would tell in a million years, "Someone has broken into the Senate and has assassinated the Chancellor!"
In the center spire on top of the Jedi Temple was a large circular chamber with six seats on the edge. Inside, a council of the six wisest Jedi Masters in the entire Order would meet to discuss the status of the Jedi Order and the Republic. Now, was such a time as the six Jedi Masters sat in their respective chairs in the chamber, discussing the recent assassination of Chancellor Valorum.
The council of Jedi were comprised of two humans, one Kel-Dor, and two Twi'lek. Each one of these masters wore the typical uniform of Jedi, which consisted of a brown robe and white tunic with their lightsabers hanging from their brown belts. Though they were of different species, these masters were powerful in the Force and met in the chamber to discuss something of great importance.
"This news of the Chancellor's death is troubling," said the Kel-Dor male named Plo Koon. "What motives did this assassin have to assassinte the Chancellor?"
"For money what else," a red-skinned male Twi'lek named Braka sneered. "All bounty hunters are the same-give some money and their willing to throw their lives away for it."
One Jedi Master, a dark-skinned human male named Mace Windu simply shook his bald head and stared his blue eyes at the other members. "No, there's something more than that," Mace stated with some urgency in his voice. "I sense the Dark Side is involved. Surely you have not sensed it as well?"
Some of the other Masters nodded at that, agreeing that they all sensed a small hint of the Dark Side, surrounding this event, but they had nothing to prove it. However, the fair-skinned human woman with brown hair and green eyes simply shook off the moment of silence and stepped into the conversation. "What ever the case may be, we must not interfere in this," the woman said, gaining the attention . "The Jedi Order has suffered enough for the Republic as it, during these bloody conflicts."
"What do you propose we should do, Master Sakara?" a green-skinned, female Twi'lek named Alya asked.
Sakara's eyes shifted from one Master to another within the council chamber, wondering what reaction her next words were going to cause. Sighing, she finally answered, "If the Republic can no longer sustain itself, then we shall must take it in our own hands to do so."
The other Jedi Masters on the council whipped their heads towards Sakara with shocked and outraged looks on their faces at her suggestion. Plo Koon was the first to do so, as he stood up from his chair and pointed towards the female human Jedi Master. "Master Sakara, what you just said goes against who we are!" Plo Koon objected. "We are to serve the Republic, not govern it!"
"Sit down, Plo Koon!" Braka sternly shouted. Plo Koon gave the red-skinned Twi'lek a small glance before giving and sitting down in his seat. When the Kel-Dor Jedi did, Braka turned to Sakara and questioned, "Why do you propose such a thing? We do not have enough Jedi to protect Corusant, let alone govern an entire galaxy."
"It is the only way ensure the survival of this Order," she argued. "Can't you see that this may cause the death of the Jedi Order?"
There was a moment of silence as the other council members tried to take in Sakara's words and process them through their minds. After many moments, the silenced was broken. "I can not argue there, Sakara," came from Mace Windu, gaining the others' attentions. "But I suggest we use caution, for now. We can not do anything until the Senate has become incapable of governing the star systems. When that happens, we shall step in."
"Very well," Braka nodded.
The other Master nodded in agreement, Sakara somewhat hesitantly, for she was not sure how Mace Windu's suggestion may turn out. For, the Masters would have to keep a close eye on the Senate to see if it was falling a part and if it was, then the Jedi would move in to fix the problem. However, they were all unaware of the dark forces that surrounded the Senate and of what destruction they may bring...
To say the news came hard onto everyone was an understatement. The Republic's Stormtroopers, the two Jedi, and the Viceroy of Alderaan were all appalled hearing the news that Chancellor Valorum, the man who lead the Galactic Republic through the horrors of the Clone Wars, was assassinated. The news brought down the morale of the Stormtroopers, but they did not try to show it as they carried on with their duties. Still, the news of the death of the man who was admired throughout the entire Republic brought a shock to them.
The Viceroy of Alderaan was on the bridge on the Halcyon, standing near the holographic communication, or holocomm, console with his two Jedi subordinates, watching the news. The image of a young Twi'lek woman, wearing the typical brown uniform of a journalist, appeared, recalling the events that the three already knew of.
"A standard week ago, Chancellor Finis Valorum of the Galactic Republic was assassinated while in his office, after attending a recent session with the Galactic Senate," the holographic image reported. "The suspect tried to flee the scene, but was apprehended by Stormtroopers before taken away to the most secure prison available. Security informed the public that the man was a lowly bounty hunter, whose name remains a mystery. As for those who paid him, the bounty hunter refuses to give any information regarding his client. It is unknown as to what the perpetrator's motives were, and the investigation still continues."
"I can't believe this is happening," Bail shook his head in disbelief as the report continued.
"For four days after the assassination, a successor to Chancellor Valorum has of yet to be elected as many try to take his place. Among them was Senator Palpatine, who has been responsible for giving the Senate emergency powers at the beginning war. He has gained many supporters within the Galactic Senate. As elections carried out, Palpatine received the most votes from the Senate and thus, has been elected as the next chancellor of the Galactic Republic!"
Bail's eyes widen in outrage at the news of Palpatine being chancellor of the Galactic Republic. "They can't be serious!" Bail's voice roared, causing some of the crew members to look at him. "How can they have that man become a candidate?"
Anakin could only stare at the Viceroy of Alderaan with confusion as he asked, "But isn't Palpatine a good man? He has helped out in the war, many times. Without him, we wouldn't have enough weapons nor men to fight for the Republic."
The young Jedi found Bail's angered face whirling around towards his own as the Viceroy argued, "Anakin, you don't understand! Palpatine has only done it to gain power! He's..."
Before Bail had the chance to finish that remark, Obi-Wan stepped in, halting Bail with a cry of, "Hold on! It's not done yet."
That made Anakin and Bail turn away from each and at the holographic image of the reporter that was on the console, listening to what else she had to report. "... As for the Jedi Order, it's council refuses to become directly involved the investigation of Chancellor Valorum's assassination," the reporter continued."Instead they have demanded that the Jedi Knights be recalled from the war and head for the Jedi Temple. Many Senators have found this as a denial of their duties as guardians of the Republic and seeking to increase their own power."
This time it was Anakin's turned to be outraged as he slammed a fist onto the console. "What?" Anakin shouted, his anger coming off of him in waves. "How could they do this?"
Obi-Wan stared at his former pupil and could sense the anger pouring out of Anakin. "Anakin, calm down!" he exclaimed.
Turning to his former mentor, Anakin shouted back, "No I won't calm down! The Jedi are supposed to protect the Republic, but when the Chancellor-it's leader-is killed, they decide to do nothing?"
The elder Jedi noticed that many of the crew on board were now staring at the arguing pair, so he tried to suppress his anger and present a calm attitude. "Anakin, I know it may seem strange, but there has to be a reason," Obi-Wan stated in a calm voice. "Maybe it would be wise for us to wait and see how it turns out."
Anakin's mouth turned into a snarl. "I'm tired of waiting!" Anakin growled. "The Republic has been suffering for years and all we've done is waiting! We need to take action now!"
"Anakin that's enough!" Obi-Wan's voice boomed over Anakin's, making the young Jedi silent. "I don't want to hear anymore of this! Head down to the planet and inspect our troops below!"
The young Jedi would have argued, but realized that it would not bring him anywhere. "Yes, master," he begrudgingly said, trying to keep his tone to a bare minimum.
With that, Anakin turned around and the end of his cloak flapped behind him as he stomped out of the bridge, shoving some of its crew to the side. Obi-Wan could only stare at his former student with worry as to what may happen to him in the future. However, he quickly ignored it and turned his attention back to Bail, hoping that Anakin would be safe.
The capital of Corusant was filled with grief as the planet held the funeral of the late Chancellor Valorum, which was attended by hundreds of sentient beings that came from all across the galaxy. The rain poured from the cloudy skies of Corusant and onto those attending the funeral, but it did not matter to them, for a man, who helped the Republic through troubling times, was now gone. Many were crying for the Chancellor's death, while others were afraid of the state of the Galactic Republic without Valorum keeping it together.
The funeral occurred right outside of the Senate Building that he usually worked at, with a silver stand in the center, where a black, rectangular casket was placed. Inside the casket was the body of the late Finis Valorum, his hands placed on top one another on his chest, while his eyes were left closed. The fatal wound that ended the chancellor's life was hidden by the elegant white robe he wore over his body, and around his neck was a golden medallion that had his name etched into the center, as was tradition for previous chancellors who left this world.
Standing on side of the late chancellor's body were the red armored guards of the new chancellor that carried their silver, metallic pikes in their hands, while Palpatine stood on the other side, where the podium was placed. He no longer wore his usual black robes, for those were replaced with a ceremonial red robe with golden threads on it. Though he did have not any mourning for the late chancellor, Palpatine did his best to show that he did to fool those in front of him.
The crowd before him was consisted of thousands of Senators and delegates, as well as journalists, constituents, and others who knew Valorum. Everyone could not help but weep for the loss of the man, who they though would bring them out of the horrors of war and into the Republic's golden age. The journalists were among those mourned as well, but tried to keep a calm demeanor as they reported the funeral to the galaxy. Even the Jedi were present among the crowd with the Council at the front row, trying their best to maintain a good image.
Staring out into the crowd, Palpatine began, "Dear friends, today is a day of sorrow. We are joined here to witness the farewell of a great leader and a dear friend to the Republic. He will always be remembered for his courage and his love for the Republic that he worked so hard to keep together!"
Palpatine could heard more people in the crowd sob loudly for Chancellor Valorum, but he carried on anyway. "Though I am suddenly thrust into his position at such, short notice, I will carry on his work, in his memory!" his voice boomed, this time more passionate. "I will do my best to keep the galaxy from falling a part and I will do it by any means necessary! I will bring whoever's responsible for this atrocity to justice! That I guarantee you! Chancellor Valorum's death with not be in vain!"
Turning towards to the casket that carried Valorum's lifeless body, Palpatine said, "You will be missed, Chancellor Valorum. By your supporters on Corusant, your friends, your family, and even your enemies. May you find peace."
With that, Palpatine turned around to look at those who attended, unaware of an enraged Mon Mothma trying to keep her calm as best as she could. She saw through Palpatine's act and knew he was the one behind the assassination of the late chancellor, for she knew Palpatine's corrupts ways, all too well. Out of all the members of the Senate Mon Mothma knew, Palpatine was the one with whose ego and lust for power outweighed the entire Galactic Republic. Only Palpatine could pull something like this, so he could become the next chancellor.
However, all Mon Mothma could do was just sit the crowd, watching the funeral take place as Palpatine took a torch from one of the guards standing nearby and used it to Valorum's body on fire. By this time, the rain had stopped, allowing the lonely pyre to burn brightly amongst the cloudy skies of Corusant. As she watched the pyre burn, Mon Mothma could tell for some reason that it meant a bad omen for the future, and she knew it had something to do with Palpatine. Whatever it was, Mon Mothma was not willing to let it happen. "This isn't over Palpatine," she swore in a lower whisper. "Not by a long shot."
Not longer after Palpatine's speech, the crowd soon stood up and left the funeral of Chancellor Valorum to carry on with their daily lives, even though they knew it would never be the same. As Palpatine stood there, he felt a small chill running down his spine, despite all of the dark thoughts and plans he had running in his mind. There was something-no, someone-here that gave off a powerful aura that frightened the new chancellor, and he immediately scanned his eyes over the crowd to see what it was, passing over the pregnant Padme Nabierre-Skywalker, who was walking with her Jedi associates.
Whatever the feeling was, it soon passed, allowing Palpatine to relax, but he knew that there was a possibility of that source of power becoming a threat to his plans. He would have to deal with it later as he wondered about a certain young Jedi half-way across the galaxy.
Anakin Skywalker tried his best to suppress his outrage as he walked through the capital of Talga to keep an eye on the Stormtroopers on the surface. The Stormtroopers carried out with their work of capturing and imprisoning new enemy soldiers, few paying attention to the young Jedi stomping through the city ruined streets. Some of those that did notice could only wonder what the young Jedi Knight was thinking at the moment, while other did not bother. They just simply returned to their tasks of watching over the Talgan soldiers that were captured from the siege.
The young Jedi's mind was filled with rage towards the Jedi Council for recalling the other Jedi from the war effort instead of trying to figure out the assassination of Valorum. He could only wonder why the Jedi Council would ever make such a decision during these troubled times, for it was the duty of the Jedi to be the guardians of the Republic. Instead, the Jedi were ignoring their duties, and focusing on themselves than the state of the galaxy. It did not help that Obi-Wan ordered Anakin to return to Talga's surface and check up on the Stormtroopers.
"Great! Just great!" he grumbled to himself. "The Jedi are just sitting around, letting the galaxy go into chaos, and when I speak my mind, Obi-Wan tells me to stay on the surface to babysit!"
His thoughts were suddenly interrupted when he felt something in the Force, almost like an echo, that made him stop and whip his head around to see where the source was originating from. Anakin's attention was focused to the source of the strange 'echo' as he was tempted to leave his troops and find the source. One of the higher-ranking Stormtroopers approached the young Jedi, noticing the look on his face. "Sir, are you alright?" he asked.
Turning towards the nearest Stormtrooper, Anakin told, "I'm fine." However, the look of curiosity never left his face as he told the Stormtrooper, "Trooper, you're in charge for now. I want to take a look at something."
"Yes sir," the Stormtrooper complied without hesitation.
With the Republic's soldiers under a watchful eye of the said Stormtrooper, Anakin could now focus on the source of the Force 'echo' he could sense. He rushed towards through the streets of Talga's capital, using the Force to quicken his pace and allowing his surroundings to become a bit of a blur. The more Anakin sped through the streets, the less populated it was with Talgans or Stormtroopers, with the buildings being left with nothing but empty husks that were ruined from the Republic's siege. However, he did not care for the surroundings with the 'echo' calling out to him.
Soon, Anakin stopped where he was, using the Force to sense that he finally reached his destination, before looking around to see it was nothing more than a bunch of desolated, tall buildings. The a gust of wind came over Anakin, making the end of his Jedi robes to flap in the air for moment as he around the area. The shadows of the buildings did well to cover the alleys that were placed in between the tall building. If one used one's eyes, one would not see a thing in site and would assume that this part of the city was nothing more than a ghost town. Then again, Anakin was a Jedi who had the Force to tell him that there was a presence in this area-four of them, to be precise, each coming from an alley.
Grabbing the hilt of his lightsaber, Anakin removed it from his belt and ignited its blue blade as he eyes eyes shifted towards one of shadowed alleys. "I know you're there!" the young Jedi called out to the presences he sensed within the alley. "Show yourself!"
Then, four hooded Dark Jedi of Palpatine stepped forward from the shadowed alley, revealing their black-robed forms to Anakin. At first, he suspected the four Dark Jedi were were Jedi when he took notice of their lightsabers hanging from their belts, but doubted that when he sensed the dark auras emanating from them. "Who are you?" Anakin demanded as he pointed his lightsaber at them. "You have lightsaber, but you're not Jedi!"
"No," the hooded Dark Jedi on the far right answered. "We are not."
The Dark Jedi in the center, presumably the leader, stepped forward. "We are the servant of a master of the Dark Side. For centuries, we have served our masters, who have fought against the Jedi, rivaling their powers of the Force, and have brought them to their knees many times."
Now, Anakin's eyes changed from suspicion to horror as he realized what these four robed Dark Jedi really were: "Sith," he said, shocked at this revelation. "But I thought the Sith were destroyed a millennium ago!"
"Wrong!" the Dark Jedi on the far left proclaimed. "For centuries, the Sith have remained in the shadows, waiting for the chance to appear once again."
Though shocked at the sudden realization, Anakin tried to remain as calm as he could, keeping his blue blade focused on the Dark Jedi. "What are you doing here? What do you want?"
"What we Dark Jedi want isn't important. What is our master wants, on the other hand, is," the hooded Dark Jedi on the center one's right answered as he gestured to young Skywalker. "And that is you."
That answer took the young Jedi by surprise and he failed to prevent it from appearing on his face before it was replaced with more suspicion. "And who is your master?" Anakin questioned, his voice on edge. "Why does he want me?"
This time the one on the far right answered again. "Our master offers you a chance of a lifetime, Anakin Skywalker: To join the Sith."
"Why would I want to join you?" he questioned the Dark Jedi, tension building up in his voice.
"You wish to stop this conflict, do you not?" the Dark Jedi in the center inquired. When Anakin gave a hesitant nod, the Dark Jedi continued, "Well so do we. This war has caused the galaxy to fall into chaos, and only we can fix that."
"And like I would take that from the same Sith who tried to take over the Republic!" Anakin retorted. "You've enslaved countless world under your rule! Why would you want to bring peace? You're evil!"
"Maybe we are evil, but what of the officials in the Senate?" the Dark Jedi on the left stated. "They're corrupt, decadent, and they've done absolutely nothing to end this war. The Jedi have been as equally useless in their attempts to stop this dreaded conflict, and all because of their ideals. But if you turn to us, we promise that we will end the Clone Wars. We maybe evil, but we are a necessary evil."
The Dark Jedi's argument was sound, but Anakin was still skeptical about them. "I still doubt that," Anakin said as he deactivated his lightsaber and hooked it to his belt. "But you are right about one thing; the Senate and the Jedi have done nothing about this war. I'll at least consider." It was a lie, but one the Sith seemed to take at face value.
"That's all we ask," the Dark Jedi on the right said.
The center hooded Dark Jedi reached down into his black robe and pulled out what appeared to be a black lightsaber hilt, which looked surprisingly a lot like the one that Anakin held in his hand. With the Dark Jedi using the Force, the lightsaber hilt floated out of his hand and towards the young Jedi, who caught it with a free hand. "Here, take this," the center Dark Jedi stated. "We will be waiting on Corusant for your answer."
With that, the hooded Dark Jedi turned around and entered the shadows of the ruined buildings, allowing their robed forms to be concealed. Anakin tried to run after them, but stopped when their forms were completely gone from any visible sight. He tried to use the Force to sense them, but he could feel the Dark Jedi' presences slowly fading away, almost as if to hide them.
Though he could no longer sense any of the their presences, Anakin could hear one of the Dark Jedi give one last word of advice:
"Remember, you can save the galaxy. Think about it."
And so, Anakin finally found himself alone in the streets of Talga's capital, thinking carefully about the offer the four hooded Dark Jedi gave him. As he did, the young Jedi remembered the new lightsaber that was he given and he down at it, inspecting its black hilt. The offer was tempting, but it conflicted with the teaching's of the Jedi that his former mentor taught him.
For now, Anakin needed to get back to the Stormtroopers, or else they would suspect something went wrong and inform Obi-Wan of the situation. As he returned to his post, the offer lurked in the back Anakin's mind, almost feeding off of it. Though he lied, there was some part of Anakin's mind that wondered if the Dark Jedi were right.
Palpatine sat at the desk in his new office, contemplating over the recent turn of events that unexpectedly transpired. The man who was once a Senator achieved his goal of becoming the Chancellor of the Galactic Republic, allowing him to have control over most of the known galaxy. However, Palpatine remembered the presence he sensed back at Valorum's funeral and knew that it would become a threat to him. It needed to be dealt with immediately, or else all he worked for would be gone instantly.
Palpatine's mind was brought back to reality as he heard the familiar ring of his communicator echoing throughout his office. Answering it, Palpatine saw the holographic image of an officer of the military standing before him and he recognized the man as Tarkin. "What news do you have, Commander Tarkin?" Palpatine questioned.
"Chancellor, I bring word that the project is going smoothly as you requested," Tarkin answered. "However, we require more credits to fund for such an operation."
"We shall deal with that when the time comes commander," was Palpatine's response to that. Narrowing his eyes at Tarkin, Palpatine questioned, "How goes the construction?"
Tarkin's reply was, "It will take years to build such a vast station, but we will get it done."
Though Palpatine was at ease hearing that, there was still a concern that needed to be resolved. "Are the plans secure?"
"Yes, chancellor," Tarkin affirmed. "I have already sent them to you for you to examine."
Pleased with the news, Palpatine complimented, "You have done well, Commander Tarkin."
"Thank you," Tarkin bowed.
After bowing, Tarkin's holographic form disappeared from Palpatine's holocommunicator, leaving the emperor alone in his office. Palpatine pressed another button on his desk and another image of appeared from the holocommunicator where Tarkin's holographic image was placed. The image was that of a spherical space station whose purpose was only known to Palpatine a few others. Underneath the holographic projection of the spherical space station were two words DEATH STAR.
"Soon, it will be ready," Palpatine grinned. "And when it is, nothing will stop me."
On board the Halcyon, Anakin was inside his personal quarters, his mind dwelling on the offer the Sith Dark Jedi gave him while he was on the surface. His quarters had gray walls all over with a bed, a gray deck that had a circular holoprojector, and two doors; one for the refresher, while the other was the entrance. The young Jedi sat on his bed, his eyes looking at the design of the black lightsaber hilt that was placed right in his hands. As he did, the four Dark Jedi' words echoed in his mind.
"This war has caused the galaxy to fall into chaos, and only we can fix that."
"Maybe we are evil, but what of the officials in the Senate? They're corrupt, decadent, and they've done absolutely nothing to end this war. The Jedi have been as equally useless in their attempts to stop this dreaded conflict, and all because of their ideals. But if you turn to us, we promise that we will end the Clone Wars. We maybe evil, but we are a necessary evil."
"RAH!" Anakin roared in frustration.
With all of his might, the young Jedi stood up and threw the black lightsaber hilt, hitting the against the wall with a clang before it fell and clattered onto the durasteel floor. Anakin stared at the lightsaber hilt on the floor with confusion and frustration in eyes, the teaching of the of the Jedi and the offer of the Sith Dark Jedi conflicting with one another in his mind. As a Jedi, Anakin helped the galaxy as best as he could, but he knew that there was some limit he could do as a Jedi. If he wanted to help the galaxy, he needed more power and these Dark Jedi offered him that chance, but it went against everything Obi-Wan taught him as a Jedi.
Anakin's thoughts were interrupted when he heard a high-pitched series of beeps coming from the holoprojector on his desk, making him turned his head around. Approaching the desk, Anakin pressed a button on the holoprojector and the beeping stopped as the small holographic image of Padme emerged. Upon seeing his wife, Anakin's frustration and confusion was replaced with surprise and care. "Padme?" said Anakin.
"Hello Anakin," the holographic image Padme smiled at her husband.
Immediately, worry and concern for his wife overcame the young Jedi as he bombared Padme with questions. "Padme, is everything alright? Did something go wrong at the Temple, again?"
Padme just shook her head as she let out soft chuckle. "No, everything's fine. I just wanted to see how you were," she answered. "It has been a while since the last time we talked."
Anakin let out a sigh of relief as his worry was washed away by his wife's words of comfort. "Thank the Force," Anakin said. "I was worried."
"I didn't need the Force to tell me that," Padme said, jokingly. "I called because I was worried about you."
Her husband soon smiled back at Padme. "I'm fine Padme. You know I'm too stubborn die."
Padme let out a heartily laugh. "That's good to hear," she said.
Suddenly, Anakin noticed Padme stopped laughing when she grasped her stomach in pain and keeled over a bit. Once again, fear came over Anakin as he asked with concern in his voice, "Padme, are you alright?"
As soon as Anakin asked that, he saw the pain was gone from his wife as she stood up straight. "I'm fine," Padme panted a little as she put a hand on her belly. "It's a little hard trying to cope the with the baby."
Hearing that last word, Anakin's eyes widen. "Baby?" he repeated. "You mean..."
Padme nodded before the young Jedi could finish that statement. "I'm pregnant, Anakin. I found out about it two weeks ago."
Anakin could only just stare at his wife in amazement and joy on his face as he found his mouth was open in awe at the news. When he finally closed it, Anakin could not help, but grin. "This is wonderful!"
Though the news was great, Padme's face did not share Anakin's enthusiasm as it was covered in a mask of uncertainty. "I'm not sure," stated Padme, which made her husband look at him with confusion. "Having a child is great, but not like this. Not when the Republic is falling apart. I just want this war to end, so we can raise a family. I want our child to be raised in a galaxy of peace."
The young Jedi stared at his wife with eyes filled with the same fear of uncertainty, trying his best to suppress the memory of the offer. "So do I Padme," he said in somber tone. "So do I."
There was an awkward silence between the two married couple as they wondered about the future of their unborn child. The silence was finally broken by Padme as she looked up at her husband. "I should go," she spoke as she looked at Anakin with a loving face. "Please, come back soon."
Anakin's gaze matched with his wife's. "I will," he answered. "I promise."
With that, the connection between the two married Jedi was over, and Anakin found himself alone in his quarters. His eyes never left the holoprojector where the image of his wife wife as his mind recalled the conversation that was spoken between the two of them. Anakin was surprised by the news of him having a child, but he wondered what would happen if the war continued on after the child was born. Wars can shape children in the worst of beings, and Anakin did not want that to happen.
"Remember, you can save the galaxy."
The words still were prominent in Anakin's mind, and it was because of those words that he looked at the black lightsaber hilt on the durasteel floor. This time, his eyes held no confusion, nor frustration, only resolve and unwavering judgment. Anakin did not see a burden, but an opportunity.
Walking over to the black lightsaber hilt, Anakin picked it up from floor with his right hand and looked at it again, this time, without the confliction. He pressed the button on the hilt and a red blade of energy sprang to life, its glow reflecting off of Anakin's face.
He made his choice.
The uproar over the death of the late Chancellor Valorum was still active and caused amount of rage as did the destruction of the Clone Wars. Corusant, being the center of it all, had its streets filled with the citizens of the Galactic Republic protested outside of the Senate Building, demanding their government to find the reason why Valorum was killed. They were usually pushed away by the Stormtroopers, but the protesters would keep on coming on back.
Away from the Senate Building and in the upper levels of Corusant was the apartment complexes that held the representatives and rulers of the planets within the Republic. One of the apartments was Mon Mothma's, which was covered in white walls with a balcony to look out into the city. The floors can blue carpets that spread across the one-floor apartment and the living room was filled with fix, white chairs surrounding a simple, round coffee table. Within one of these chairs was Senator Mon Mothma and sitting next to her was a life-size holographic image of Bail Organa that was made by a holoprojector. They were not alone for they were joined by as two others. One was the Mon Calamari captain known as Ackbar, while the other was a human named Jan Dodonna.
Ackbar was a well-known captain in the Republic military, who carried out many campaigns against the seceding star systems. As the war progressed, Ackbar gained recognition by most Republic military officer for his tactics and strategies, but he was also well known for his concern of the Republic's fragile state. As he was a member of the fish-like species of the Mon Calamari, he wore a white shirt with matching pants that was fitting for the fishy scales that comprised his skin.
Dodonna, like Ackbar, was captain within the Republic's military, who gained some recognition throughout the war as well, even though it was not as much as Ackbar. He was well-known among the Senators and delegates representing the Core Worlds with his thoughts dwelling on the state of corruption within the Senate. It was that which brought him the attention of Mon Mothma and Bail Organa. He was in his late forties with fair skin with blue eyes and brown hair that came with a combed beard. His attire was the usual gray uniform that members of the Republic military wore.
"Now that Palpatine is chancellor, he has been building up his power," Bail told the other two. "From what Mon Mothma has told me, Palpatine has just passed a bill that will increase the emergency powers of the chancellor, almost to the point where he can declare martial law."
"We can't let this continue," Mon Mothma continued. "There is no doubt that Palpatine will want to use this position to increase his power. When he does, the Republic will vanish."
After saying her piece, Mon Mothma allowed Bail to continue. "That is why we've gathered here. Ever since Palpatine was elected, Senator Mon Mothma and I have been making 'connections' with certain people that sympathizes with us."
Ackbar's eyes were filled with curiosity. "And what are these 'connections?'" Ackbar inquired.
"Soldiers, traders, government officials, anyone who is still loyal for what the Republic stands for," Mon Mothma listed. "With this network, we can still find a way to stop Palpatine from obstructing the constitution."
"Are they reliable?" Dodonna asked.
"They are," Bail answered. "They would have given away our position by now if they were still loyal to Palpatine."
Both Dodonna and Ackbar nodded their heads, impressed by this. "So, what should we do now?" Dodonna questioned, looking at Alderaan's viceroy and the Senator.
"For now we wait," answered Bail. "Palpatine will make his move and when he does, we'll be ready."
"Let's hope that won't happen soon," Mon Mothma sighed. "The protests on Corusant over Valorum's death have made the Senate become restless. The protesters demand to execute the man who killed him."
"I have heard," Ackbar nodded. "What have they done with him?"
"According to the reports, he's being questioned as to who hired him," Mon Mothma said.
Corusant carried many prisons across the planet to deal with criminals, ranging from simple pickpockets to gangsters to criminal masterminds. Among one of the many prisons was a single place that remained isolated from the rest of the metropolitan settings of the Republic's capital. It was famous among criminals, government officials, and citizens alike for being one of the most high-security prisons on the planet: the Republic Judiciary Central Detention Center.
The Republic Judiciary Central Detention Center, or the RJC Detention, was a large place with a center cylindrical tower that was surrounded by four smaller towers. Each of the smaller towers held thousands of the worst criminals on the Republic's capital planet, and the prisons were filled with tons of criminals that Republic troopers keeping an eye on them. The inside was hollow with a cylindrical pillar in the center, which went up to the roof, while the cells were placed on the inside of the wall and had an orange force field to contain the prisoner.
Among one of the inmates was the man who assassinated Valorum. When the others immediately saw him, they were fortunate they were not in his position for they knew for he was receiving "special" treatment. That kind of treatment was something the security guards, who were the basic Stormtroopers, love to give to prisoners.
The assassin's cries and pleas echoed across the entire tower as he felt the pain from his interrogation. His arms and legs were chained to the wall of his cell, and his head was hung low from exhaustion with sweat dripping down onto the orange uniform that the inmates wore. The sleeve on his right arm was rolled up to his elbow, revealing a small hole that was left by a needle.
In the center of the cell was the interrogator, who wore a black uniform, consisting of a black shirt and pants that matched with the gloves and boots. The interrogator was a middle-aged human with fair, blue eyes and short, brown hair. Standing next to him was a black, round IT-O Interrogator droid with its needle sticking out of its side.
After the assassin let out a few gasps of air, he felt pain coursing through his entire body as the drug continued its work. "GAH!" the assassin cried out in pain. "MAKE IT STOP! MAKE IT STOP!"
The interrogator just stood there, ignoring the assassin's cries for help, and just stated, "If you'll talk, I might do something about it."
Hearing that, the assassin shouted, "I'LL TALK! I'LL TALK!"
Grinning, the interrogator walked up to Valorm's assassin and questioned, "Well then, I'll ask this simple question: who hired you?"
Without any hesitation, the assassin gave his answer: "THE JEDI!"
That answer caused the interrogator's eyes to widen in surprise. "What?"
"It was the Jedi!" the assassin confessed, this time the drug wearing off. "They came up to me and told me they would pay me if I killed the Chancellor!"
The interrogator was skeptical of the assassin's confession, so he questioned, "You sure it was a Jedi?"
Raising his head to look at his interrogator, the assassin's eyes were filled with rage at that. "The guy had a lightsaber and used the Force!" the assassin shouted, trying his best to rid of the pain from his body. "Of coarse it was a Jedi! You can check my comlink-it has my conversation with the Jedi!"
Turning around, the interrogator walked away from the chained assassin and walked the hovercraft that was right outside the cell. The IT-O Interrogator droid followed its master towards the hovercraft that soon carried the two towards the central pillar, where two Stormtroopers were waiting. When the hovercraft connected with the ramp on the pillar, the interrogator and his droid companion headed towards the two Stormtroopers.
A small datacard popped out of the IT-O Interrogator droid that recorded the assassin's confesion, which the interrogtor took before handing it to one of the Stormtroopers. "Bring this information to Chancellor Palpatine," he told them. "He and the Senate need to know about this treachery."
Both Stormtroopers nodded as they left their posts and went to deliver this information to the Senate and the new Chancellor.
The hangar bay of the Halcyon was filled with Aggressive ReConnaissance-170, ARC-170 for short, starfighters as well as Republic Attack LAAT gunships that carried the Stormtroopers down to the planet. Some of the starfighters and gunships passed through the force field and left the Halcyon, while others were returning from their shift on the surface. The only things that stood out were the two Jedi starfighters built by the best of the Republic's construction yards.
Within the hangar bay was Obi-Wan inspecting the status of the starfighters and the troopers returning from Talga. For the past hour so or, the elder Jedi dealt with Stormtroopers coming in and out of the Halycon's hangar, and had the misfortune to witness those who came back with major wounds. He did his best to keep a calm demeanor and remain focus on his task at the moment.
However, Obi-Wan's attention was diverted from the inspection as he sensed a familiar presence within the hangar bay. Turning his head around, Obi-Wan saw a familiar figure walking towards one of the Jedi starfighters. "Anakin?" he thought aloud.
It was indeed his former student walking through the floor of the hangar bay and towards his respective Jedi starfighter, which made Obi-Wan curious. For a moment, Obi-Wan thought he sensed a faint of darkness emitting from Anakin, but he ignored it as he tried to get Anakin's attention. "Anakin!" Obi-Wan called out to the young Jedi.
This time, Obi-Wan succeeded in getting Anakin's attention as the young Jedi turned around to face his old mentor. When Obi-Wan walked up to him, he could not help but notice a dark look in his eyes. "Anakin, where are you going?" he inquired
"To Corusant," was the young Jedi's reply, his voice a little on edge.
Obi-Wan raised a curious eyebrow at his former student. "What for?"
Anakin just snarled in irritation at Obi-Wan's insistence. "That's none of your concern!"
Anakin turned around to leave, but stopped when Obi-Wan outstretched his hand and placed it on his old student's shoulder. Looking over his shoulder at Obi-Wan, Anakin could see his face was filled with concern. "Anakin, something's wrong with you. I can sense it," Obi-Wan spoke. "I can't let you go. Not like this."
"Then you're in my way!" Anakin exclamed.
Obi-Wan was taken by surprise when Anakin used the Force to fire a telekinetic blast that sent him flying across the floor. The elder Jedi was able to stopped himself by stomping his feet onto the durasteel floor, allowing him to regain his footing. The sound of a lightsaber activating caused Obi-Wan to look up at Anakin and his eyes widen in shock at the sight of a red blade springing to life from Anakin's new lightsaber hilt. "Where did you get that lightsaber?" he questioned.
Anakin gripped his new lightsaber in both hands. "Like I said, that's none of your concern."
Before Obi-Wan had the chance to ask anymore questions, Anakin charged at his old mentor and swung his red lightsaber blade at him, but Obi-Wan was quick enough to grab his own lightsaber and activate its blue blade in time to block it. However, Anakin wasn't done as he swung his lightsaber at Obi-Wan's feet. Fortunately for him, Obi-Wan brought him lightsaber down in time to block the slash and raised his lightsaber to block another slash. When Anakin swung his lightsaber at his mentor's side, Obi-Wan was able to block again, this time their blades locked with one another.
The duel between the two Force Users caused enough commotion to attract the attention of the Stormtroopers and other personnel in the hangar bay. Most of them stopped what they were doing to see what was going on as they surrounded the two Jedi. Some of them decided to stay back and watch, while others left to inform Viceroy Organa of the situation.
As their blades were locked with one another, the elder Jedi looked into Anakin's eyes and noticed the hatred within them. Wondering what the problem was, Obi-Wan used the Force and he was shocked to sense small wisps of the Dark Side surrounding Anakin. "It can't be," he thought aloud.
Anakin took notice of Obi-Wan's shock and used it to his advantage as he lashed out with a kick to Obi-Wan's stomach that forced him back. Obi-Wan quickly recovered from the kick. "Anakin you've been corrupted by the Dark Side!" Obi-Wan shouted. "Just look at yourself!"
The young Jedi just stared at his former mentor and spoke, "Maybe, but it's for the good of the galaxy!"
That response made Obi-Wan stared at Anakin with confusion. "What are you talking about?"
"The Jedi are weak to do anything!" Anakin shouted back. "They let the galaxy suffer around them! Only I can rectify their mistakes and do so by embracing the Dark Side!"
For many moments, Obi-Wan stared at Anakin in shock at what he just said, trying to take in his words, before he closed his eyes and exhaled. Obi-Wan allowed his confusion and shock to flow out of him as he deactivated his lightsaber and hooked it to his belt. Spreading his arms wide out, Obi-Wan told Anakin, "If you really think that Anakin, then strike me down."
At first, Anakin was taken by surprise at Obi-Wan, but he shook it off as he charged at his former mentor and swung down his red lightsaber blade. Everyone surrounding surrounding the two thought the Jedi General would avoid the slash, but Obi-Wan did not need to as Anakin's red blade stopped a few centimeters away from his face.
Obi-Wan's eyes bore in the eyes of Anakin, who just stood there, almost as if he was paralyzed. "You can't do it," Obi-Wan said, "and you won't Anakin."
Anakin's hands trembled, but he tried to remain vigilant. "Shut up!" he growled.
"The Dark Side does not fully control you. You can still turn back from this," Obi-Wan told him.
"SHUT UP!" Anakin roared.
Anakin lashed out with the Force, forcing Obi-Wan back with a telekinetic wave, before he turned around to head towards his Jedi starfighter. As he stood up, Obi-Wan saw his former student fire up the engines on his starfighter before leaving the hangar bay. He happened to noticed a familiar cylindrical hilt lying on the floor and Obi-Wan realized it was Anakin's old lightsaber. Grabbing hold of it, Obi-Wan looked out into the spacial void to see Anakin's Jedi starfighter entering hyperspace. He stared down at his student's lightsaber and could only hope that Anakin would realize the error of his ways.
The once lively plazas of Corusant were filled with a deadly silence as many sentient beings walked through the streets, yet cast suspicious stares upon one another. The death of Valorum caused people's opinions over the assassin's employer to be divided, giving birth to this sort of attitude. As she walked through the streets of the Republic's capital, Padme was among the those who did not carry any suspicious, yet she found herself among those that received glares from others.
Instead of her regular Jedi robes, Padme wore a blue cloak over her body, which hid her lightsaber, with the hood over her head. With the commotion over Valorum's death carrying itself into the Jedi Temple, the married Jedi thought it would be a good idea to take a walk, so she could clear her head. It was already hard enough already with the baby inside of her belly, and news of the late Chancellor did not make anything better.
As Padme walked through the streets, she thought she heard the engines of a starfighter, which made her look up to see a Jedi starfighter flying overhead. Curious as to who was inside, Padme used the Force to sense the starfighter's pilot and she was surprised to find out it was her husband. "Anakin?" Padme recognized.
Seeing her husband at Corusant made Padme wonder what he was doing here, so she immediately walked through the crowd and towards the destination Anakin was heading.
Upon entering the atmosphere of Corusant, Anakin could hear a voice calling out to him through the Force, beckoning him to follow. The voice was dark, yet it resonated power... power that Anakin wanted so badly to obtain now. The voice repeated its call over and over again, with only three words being spoken. "Come to me."
Anakin did not bother to resist as he piloted his Jedi starfighter above the streets of Corusant and towards the source of the mysterious voice. The starfighter first flew over the Jedi Temple before it passed by the Senate Building. Anakin left the crowded areas of Corusant and headed towards what appeared to be the more industrial factories that were manned by machines. The air was covered by smoke from the factories which allowed Anakin's starfighter to use as cover from the eyes of the public.
The voice's call still echoed inside of Anakin's mind, telling him to approach what appeared to be a factor that seemed to be out of commission for some time now. Anakin did not pay attention to the ruined state of the old factory as he lowered his Jedi starfighter onto the circular, landing platform. Steam came out of the bottom of the starfighter as its legs touched the durasteel platform.
The window of the cockpit raised itself, allowing Anakin to see the four robed Dark Jedi standing at the entrance of the abandoned factory. Leaping out of his starfighter, Anakin's feet touched the platform before he began approaching them. Though their faces were obscured by the shadows of their hood, the Dark Jedi stared at the young man with satisfaction. "So, you have made your choice," observed the center Dark Jedi. "You wish to become Sith."
Nodding, Anakin replied, "I do."
The Dark Jedi turned their hooded heads towards one another, the black voids that covered their faces staring at each other, before looking at Anakin. "Come with us," the one on the far right stated.
Anakin watched at the four Dark Jedi turned around as the entrance to the factory slid open, and they entered the factory. He followed them inside to first see a long hallway that had silver walls and seemed to have no exits, save for the black door placed at the end of the hall. There were white lights that illuminated the halls with an eerie glow, and contrasted with the Dark Jedi' black robes.
As he followed the Dark Jedi, Anakin curiously looked at his surroundings, wondering who had the time and money to had this place refurbish. It did not seem to matter, though, as Anakin pushed away those thoughts in time to see he and the Dark Jedi approaching the black door.
The door slid open, revealing a cavernous, black chamber that was almost shrouded in shadows with only a row of torches on the side to reveal the inside. Stepping inside, Anakin saw the torches flickered now and again, providing enough light to see a rock wall on one side that had strange carvings on it. On the other side was a series of stairs that led to a high dais with a black throne.
The four Dark Jedi entered the room and took their respective positions in front of the dais, facing the young fallen Jedi. Anakin entered the chamber and strode towards the Dark Jedi, but stopped when he heard metal banging against one another. That made him glance over his shoulder to see the door to the chamber was shut, before Anakin returned his attention back to the four in front of him.
"Welcome, young Skywalker," a voice echoed throughout the entire chamber.
The voice made Anakin jump a bit, but he was able to regain his composure as he saw another figure walking on the dais. Upon seeing the figure, Anakin's eyes widen in shock to see the person was none other than the current chancellor of the Galactic Republic. "Chancellor Palpatine?" Anakin recognized as disbelief and shock overcame him "You're a Sith?"
The hooded chancellor grinned as he took a seat on the black throne. "I am," he answered. "And you, my friend, will become my apprentice. I have foreseen this."
If Anakin had not known of Palpatine was the Sith Lord, he would have gladly accepted the offer, but now, it was different. The young man felt confused as to why the chancellor of the Republic was a Sith, but then it finally dawned upon him. Looking at Palpatine, Anakin accused, "You deceived the Republic! You gained your through the Senate so you could take over the Republic!"
Palpatine was not surprise by this-in fact, he looked amused as he smiled at Anakin. "And what if I did?" Palpatine inquired. "There is nothing you can do that can change the past. From this moment on, you will serve me without question."
"No!" Anakin shook his head. "That won't happen!"
Anakin turned around to leave, but stopped seeing the four hooded Dark Jedi of Palpatine surrounding him. He glanced over his shoulder towards Palpatine, who simply stared back at him. "Do you really think you can leave now?" Palpatine questioned. "You just left your master, and the Jedi won't accept you for you falling to the Dark Side! There is no where else for you to go!"
"I disagree," was Anakin's response as he took out the black lightsaber hilt. "The Jedi will be after your head when I tell them who you really are!"
The chancellor and Sith lord stared Anakin with disappointment on his face. "I see," he said. "Well, I'm sorry to hear that. I guess there's no reason to let you live any longer."
Upon hearing those words, Palpatine's Dark Jedi removed their silver lightsaber hilts from their belts and Anakin saw a red blade coming to life for each Dark Jedi. The four Dark Jedi charge at Anakin with their lightsabers over their heads. Anakin activated his red lightsaber blade in time to block a slash from two of the Dark Jedi before using his free right hand to unleash a telekinetic wave on another one, sending him into the rock wall. However, he did not see the fourth Dark Jedi, who swung his red lightsaber down onto Anakin's outstretched arm. The blade dug into the skin of his forearm, before removing it from the rest of his arm. "GAH!" Anakin cried out in pain.
Anakin found himself on his knees due to the excruciating pain he felt from his several arm, letting down his guard as his other arm that held his red lightsaber lowered. The three Dark Jedi took advantage of Anakin's situation as they lunged at him, hoping to finish him off. Yet, Anakin unknowingly tapped into his anger and let out a roar as he used the Force to unleash a powerful wave that sent the Dark Jedi flying across the chamber. The only Dark Jedi standing was the one who Anakin tossed to the side earlier with the Force.
Whipping his head around to the said Dark Jedi, an enraged Anakin lunged at him and stabbed his lightsaber at the Dark Jedi who parried it. When the Dark Jedi swung his own red blade at Anakin, the fallen Jedi retaliated with a block before unleashing a flurry of slashes that the Dark Jedi blocked, just barely. Unfortunately, the Dark Jedi was not quick enough when Anakin proceeded to stab his lightsaber right through the Dark Jedi's chest. The Dark Jedi let out a gasp as Anakin's red blade pierced through his body before it went limp.
With that Dark Jedi finished, Anakin removed his lightsaber from his body before turning towards the other three, who were standing there in shock. Anakin's eyes were filled with rage that demanded the deaths of the Dark Jedi, and he was willing to give into it. "RAH!" Anakin roared as he charged at the remaining Dark Jedi with Force increasing his speed.
The Dark Jedi were able to raise their lightsabers in time to block Anakin's blow, but they found they had no chance to take the offensive. Anakin swung his lightsaber at the Dark Jedi like a wild animal, forgetting his Jedi training from his days as Obi-Wan's student. Each blow Anakin swung was powered by anger with every swing becoming more powerful than the last one.
As the duel between the remaining Dark Jedi and Anakin continued, Palpatine sat back in his throne with satisfaction on his face as he sensed the Dark Side entering the fallen Jedi. Any common sense left Anakin and was blocked by a shield of anger that also allowed him to ignore his pain. The more Anakin began to lose control, the more closer he was to falling to the Dark Side and becoming Palpatine's apprentice.
It seemed that Anakin was winning, but when he swung his red lightsaber blade down and it hit the floor, the Dark Jedi found their chance. They swung their own lightsabers at Anakin, who attempted to dodge the Dark Jedi' slashes, but was too late as their blades touches his skin. One Dark Jedi's blade left a burn on his chest that covered his right lung, while another's singed his back. More scars were placed all over his body as the Dark Jedi delivered multiple slashes, exposing some bits of burnt skin to the fresh air of the chamber. The most painful scar came from the third Dark Jedi, who brought his blade on Anakin's scalp, leaving a deadly scar. It was the last strike that pulled the final straw.
Giving fully into his anger, Anakin swung his lightsaber blade into one arc in hopes of striking the Dark Jedi, who jumped away from him. Anakin stared at the three with an inhuman look that was full of so much rage that it sent shivers down their spines.
Anakin leaped into the air with his lightsaber over his head and as he landed in front of his victim, he swung it down vertically, its red blade leaving a slash on the Dark Jedi's chest. The Dark Jedi's lightsaber blade was extinguished as it fell onto the floor before it was joined by the fallen Dark Jedi's body.
One of the two remaining Dark Jedi attacked from behind, swinging his lightsaber blade at Anakin's head to sever it from his body. Anakin heard the blade, though, so he ducked before proceeding to turn around and slashed his lightsaber horizontally across the Dark Jedi's chest. After that Dark Jedi's lifeless body fell, Anakin turned his attention to the final one standing. Seeing Anakin's scarred body standing over his fallen comrade, the lone Dark Jedi turned around to escape, but it was too late.
Raising his stump of an arm, Anakin reach out into the Force to grab hold of the final Dark Jedi by his throat before raising him off of his feet. The Dark Jedi released his grip on his lightsaber, allowing to fall onto the floor, as he tried to remove the invisible grasp from his throat. It did not work as Anakin used the Force to close the invisible grip around the Dark Jedi's throat, ending his life.
As releasing the last Dark Jedi's lifeless body, Anakin exerted his anger out of his body and allow his body to feel the extent of his injuries. The pain would be too unbearable for any being, and it was same for Anakin as he immediately fell on his stomach, his hand still grasping the now-extinguished lightsaber. Anakin raised his head a little to see Palpatine standing over him with a grin on the chancellor's face.
Before the darkness overcame him, the last words that Anakin heard came Palpatine were, "You have done well... my apprentice."
Lightyears away from Corusant, Obi-Wan stood on board the bridge of the the Halcyon that remained in orbit of the planet Talga along with the other Republic ships. As he stared off into space, Obi-Wan's thoughts were focused on the well-being of his former apprentice, Anakin. At the back was Bail, receiving reports of the troops eliminating any remaining form of resistance and ready to exit the planet's atmosphere.
Obi-Wan's thoughts were interrupted when he felt a wave of pain and anguish overcame his mind, making the Jedi Knight grasp his head wit both hands. Many of the Republic officers noticed this, yet none were willing to help the Jedi general until Bail heard Obi-Wan shout, "NO!"
Bail's eyes widen in fear as to what may have happened to the Jedi general under him as he ran over to Obi-Wan. "Obi-Wan are you alright?" Bail called out as he ran to the Jedi.
The wave of pain that Obi-Wan sensed soon left and Bail noticed sweat ran down the Jedi's face as he looked up at the viceroy of Alderaan. Nodding slightly, Obi-Wan said, "I'll be fine."
"What happened?" Bail questioned.
When he heard that question, Obi-Wan's face paled a little as he realized what he had sensed. Turning to Bail, Obi-Wan answered, "It's Anakin! He's gone!"
Obi-Wan was not the only one who sensed it for Padme could sense it as well as she ran through the ran streets of Corusant. When she sensed it, Padme stopped her pacing to place a hand on her hooded head and clamped her eyes shut in pain. Though not proficient in the Force as Obi-Wan, she could still sense it as well, since she was on the same planet as her husband.
When the feeling had passed, Padme's eyes widen in horror, for she recognized the source of distress was her husband. "Anakin," Padme gasped.
Immediately, Padme began picking up her pace, pushing through the large crowd that she only saw as an obstacle. She continued to find her way through the crowd until she came across a squadron of Stormtroopers that surrounded the plaza, almost as if they were herding everyone to a specific place. It did not mean anything to Padme, though, as she continued until two Stormtroopers stood in her way. "Halt!" one of the Stormtroopers told her. "I'm afraid you will have to remain here."
Padme rolled her eyes in irritation. "I don't have time for this!" Padme nearly shouted, catching the attention from some of the nearby sentient beings.
The other Stormtrooper simply replied, "I'm sorry ma'am, but Chancellor Palpatine has ordered for all to watch the Senate meeting."
Hearing that, Padme's raised a curious eyebrow as to why Palpatine would do such a thing, but Padme realized it when she heard shouting. Turning her head, Padme's gaze turned towards everyone else, who were looking at the large viewscreen placed upon one of the buildings. Curious, Padme looked up to see that on the screen was the inside of the Senate building with the camera focusing on Palpatine who stood in the Chancellor's podium. Though she could not see it, Padme and everyone else around could hear Senators, ambassadors, and other members of the Senate arguing with each other, their voices risen to a shouting level. "By the Force, what is going on?" Padme gasped.
When the delegates of the Senate met, they believed the meeting would be like any other, discussing how to deal with the state of the galaxy. However, things turned ugly when they heard the news of the Jedi behind the assassination of Chancellor Valorum. Many delegates, especially those who supported Valorum during his career, were outraged by this, and found themselves screaming. Those that tried to defend the Jedi were drowned by the majority, who soon began to shout at the top of their lungs.
Palpatine stood in his podium, tired of the heated arguments echoing across the Senate chamner, so he looked at the Senate with a firm look. "SILENCE!" Palpatine's voice bellowed across the entire Senate.
Palpatine's roar tuned down the shouting as the delegates focused their attention from each other towards the Chancellor of the Republic. "I have called this emergency meeting on a matter of importance!" Palpatine announced. "As I have told you, I have learned that the Jedi were behind the assassination of the late Chancellor Valorum!"
When those words reached the Senators, Palpatine found himself interrupted by the shouting delegates. After the first wave of shouts erupted within the Senate chamber, one human Senator stood up and shouted, "I knew this would happen! It would only be a matter a time before the Jedi tried to betray the Republic!"
Many of the other delegates of the Senate shouted in agreement with the human Senator's statement. However, there at least one person who did not agree with this accusation and that was Mon Montha. Her hovercraft left its respective stationary position and approached Palpatine's podium. "No! I won't believe it!" Mon Mothma shouted. "The Jedi have always been there to protect the Republic!"
Turning his head towards the Senator, Palpatine stated, "I once thought the same Senator Mon Mothma, but it seems that is the truth. The assassin even confessed himself that the Jedi hired him!"
Mon Mothma could only shake his head in disbelief. "But Chancellor, what would the Jedi gain from assassinating Valorum?" she questioned.
"What the Jedi would gain is control over the Republic!" a voice shouted.
Everyone's attention turned away from the Chancellor's podium to another hovercraft that floated nearby the hovercraft of Mon Mothma and the Chancellor's podium. The owner of the voice was a Nemodian Senator who represented the Trade Federation. "What do you mean, Senator Gunray?" Mon Mothma demanded.
"Ever since the Clone Wars, the Jedi have become more militarized and have been gaining more power!" Gunray exclaimed. "Everyone in this Senate knows how much power the Jedi were given to lead our troops into battle! Has anyone ever consider that the Jedi would become corrupt? The Clone Wars has gave the late Chancellor Valorum emergency powers to deal with the war effort, but if he was dead, it would leave a great void for anyone to take! The Jedi would gladly take that chance!"
Murmurs of agreements could be heard from across the Senate chamber, and Gunray continued, "For centuries, the Republic has depended on the Jedi to solve its matters and look what it has led us! Many of worlds, including here on Corusant, have been devastated by war! If we are to have order, then perhaps its time for a government without any Jedi."
As the murmurs became louder and echoed throughout the Senate, Palpatine's eyes turned towards the Senator representing the Trade Federation. "What are you suggesting?" Palpatine questioned Gunray.
"To bring order, the Republic must be reformed into a strong government that can protect its citizens!" Gunray declared. "Therefore, we should become an empire with Palpatine as our emperor!"
"I agree with this decision!" a Rodian Senator loudly agreed as she stood up. "Palpatine has shown strong leadership skill during these troubled times! All of those for it, please raise you hands to show your support!"
Immediately, waves of hands rose from almost every single hovercraft that carried a representative from all over the galaxy. Bail, who was not among those that rose their hands, just stared in shock as the entire Senate were willing to replace the Republic with an empire. "It seems the Senate has agreed with Senator Gunray's proposal," Palpatine spoke to Mon Mothma, who turned towards he Chancellor. "What do you say, Senator Mon Mothma?"
The lone Senator stood there, gripping the handle on her hovercraft as she tried to find a decision. Though she was against it, Mon Mothma could not argue against the devastation the Clone Wars caused and knew that even if she argued, the Senator would be overruled by the rest of the Senate. Gulping in a small amount of air, Mon Mothma finally came to his answer. "I..." she hesitated, "...agree with your decision. As long it brings order to the galaxy."
"Very well," Palpatine nodded before turning towards the rest of the Senate. "It has been decided then! Though it burden me with a heavy heart to let go of the Republic, it is a necessary sacrifice! I will accept the power that the Senate has bestowed upon me! So begins a new government-the first Galactic Empire!"
Many Senators applauded Palpatine's announcement as Mon Mothma's hovercraft returned back to its post in the Senate chambers. The Senator let out a defeated sigh as she looked at the applauding Senate. "This has all gone wrong," she told herself as she took a seat.
Within the chambers of the Jedi Council, the five Masters sat in their respective seats, watching the holonet news for the day. In the center of the council chamber was the image of a human reporter, wearing the usual uniform meant for people working in the news. Though they did not show it, each of the Jedi Masters within the chamber was nervous.
Like the rest of the galaxy, they heard the news of the assassin confessing that it was the Jedi who paid him, and they were shocked at this sudden revelation. They immediately assumed that this was an assault on the Order and denied the charges being pressed against them by the people. Soon, the Republic was replaced with an empire within minutes, shocking the Jedi Masters to the core at what just happened.
The screen was focused once more on Palpatine as he announced, "As my first act as emperor, I will order the Jedi Order to disband immediately! The Jedi will return to the Temple on Corusant to be removed of their rank in the military and in the new Empire! Armed forces will be deployed to Jedi Temple to enforce this! Those that do not comply will be eliminated!"
That decision made the five Jedi Masters stare at the holographic projection with outrage. "This is an outrage!" Braka pounded his fist against the armrest of his seat. "How dare they suggest such a thing?"
"That's enough, Master Braka!" Ayla shouted.
Braka allowed anger to flow out of him and he watched the holonet news with the other masters as image of Palpatine faded away, leaving the five alone to their thoughts. Silence first overcame them as each of council member tried to take this new information before they all looked at each other. "No one within this order would dare order the assassination of a chancellor," Plo Koon spoke. "It is not the Jedi way for us to kill the man in charge of the Republic we are sworn to protect!"
"Master Plo Koon is correct," Alya agreed. "I sense the Dark Side is involved in this."
"We all do," Sakara interjected, "and its stronger than ever."
"But what can we do about it?" Braka questioned. "If we go to the Senate, they would simply believe we are trying to usurp power!"
"I agree with Master Braka on that," Mace Windu stated. "For now, we must prepare ourselves for what is to come. We have to make sure the Jedi Order survives this ordeal."
The others nodded nodded their heads in agreement, knowing the ferocity of the oncoming storm. No matter the cost, they all knew the Jedi Order had to survive.
Obi-Wan stood on the bridge of the Halcyon, watching over the return of the Republic Stormtroopers into the Republic starships. Unconsciously, he placed his hand on Anakin's lightsaber hilt that hung from his belt, right next to his own. "Anakin," Obi-Wan whispered.
The Jedi's thoughts dwelled over the 'death' of Anakin he felt through the Force and he could never take his mind off of it. The Jedi Knight let his old student leave without any attempt to chase after him, believing Anakin would make the right choice, but Obi-Wan regretted that decision.
However, Obi-Wan's thoughts were interrupted when he heard the sound of footsteps along with the cocking of blaster from behind him. Turning around, the Jedi saw Bail standing in front of a couple of Stormtroopers, whose blasters were aimed at Obi-Wan. "What is the meaning of this?" Obi-Wan demanded as he placed a hand on his lightsaber hilt.
Bail just stared at his Jedi General with regret in his eyes. "I'm sorry Obi-Wan, but Palpatine has ordered for the Jedi to be brought to Corusant for trial," Bail answered.
The Jedi raised an eyebrow at that, questioning, "On what charges?"
"The assassination of Chancellor Valorum," was Bail's response.
That answer alone made Obi-Wan's eyes wide open. "What?" he exclaimed.
"I'm sorry Obi-Wan, but it's true," Bail spoke. "You must come with us. Emperor Palpatine has ordered it."
"Emperor?" Obi-Wan repeated, making him shake his head. "So the Republic is truly dead."
The two Stormtroopers kept their blasters aimed at Obi-Wan, cautious of what the Jedi would do, while the rest of the crew kept their eyes on the four. They all could feel the tension between the Jedi, and the Viceroy and the two Stormtroopers. Seeing he could not escape like this, Obi-Wan removed his hand from his lightsaber and sighed in defeat. "Very well," he nodded. "I will come with you."
Bail could hear some of the crew members let out a sigh of relief, but ignored it, turning his attention to Obi-Wan, who just stood there. The two Stormtroopers stepped in front of Bail and approached the Jedi, both unsure of what Obi-Wan would do if they came too close. One of them carried binders, while the other simply reached out a wary hand to grab the lightsabers on Obi-Wan's belt.
The two lightsabers were removed from Obi-Wan's belt as the other Stormtrooper placed the binders on the Jedi's wrists. The two Stormtroopers flanked Obi-Wan's sides to make sure he did not attempt to escape before looking at the Viceroy of Alderaan. Looking at Obi-Wan, Bail said, "There's a shuttle that will take you to Corusant. From there, you will be taken to a prison and be tried."
"I know," Obi-Wan said.
The two Stormtroopers grabbed Obi-Wan by his arms before they proceeded to take him to towards the exit of the bridge with Bail leading them. Everyone watched as they Jedi that lead them through countless battles, was being taken to what they thought was to be his death.
The hangar bay carried the same deathly silence that the bridge had as everyone saw Bail entering with the two Stormtroopers guarding a cuffed Obi-Wan. They all had heard of the Jedi Order's 'betrayal' to the Republic, but some questioned if what they heard was really true. Still, they knew that no amount of resistance would get Obi-Wan out his state, so they just stood there and watch what was unfolding before them.
Obi-Wan saw Bail lead him and his Stormtrooper guards towards what appeared to be a gray Lambda-class T-4a shuttle with the ramp lowered onto the floor. When the viceroy stopped, he faced Obi-Wan and gestured towards the ramp of the shuttle. "This way," Bail spoke, the same tone of regret never leaving his voice, but his Jedi general did not say anything as his Stormtroopers continued to escort him towards the shuttle.
What came next was something that no one expected as the two lightsabers hanging flew from one of the Stormtroopers' belt, and into Obi-Wan's hands. Activating both hilts, two blade of blue plasma shot out from the hilts, his cutting off the binders, while Anakin's went swinging around to strike the Stormtrooper on Obi-Wan's right. The other Stormtrooper raised his blaster, in hopes of stopping the Jedi, but Obi-Wan swung his blade to slice off the barrel before the other one slice the Stormtrooper across the chest.
The other personnel immediately drew whatever they had on them and ran towards the Jedi, but stopped when Obi-Wan got behind a shocked Bail Organa and raised his lightsaber blade up to Bail's throat. "Don't move!" Obi-Wan ordered, his voice reaching the ears of the officers and soldiers in the hangar bay. Seeing the approaching Stormtroopers and other personnel froze where they were, Obi-Wan shouted "Drop your weapons!"
At first Bail's men were hesitant, but they eventually gave into the Jedi's orders as they dropped their weapons. Though, it did not stop Obi-Wan as he walked backwards with Bail as his hostage, both of them walking up the ramp and entering the shuttle. Once they entered the shuttle and out of the sight of the Halcyon's crew, Obi-Wan removed his lightsabers from Alderaan's viceroy, allowing Bail to stepped forward and placed a hand near his neck. "Sorry about that, viceroy," Obi-Wan said as he hooked the lightsabers to his belt.
Turning to Obi-Wan, Bail gave the Jedi an assured smile. "No need to apologize," Bail said. "Now go! You need to get out of here!"
Obi-Wan nodded as he turned his attention towards the controls of the shuttle, while Bail rushed down the ramp to find himself in the company of his soldiers. Turning around, Bail and the others in the hangar witnessed the thrusters come to life as the ramp rose and shut, before the shuttle left the durasteel floor. The Stormtroopers fired their blasters at the escaping shuttle, but proved to be futile as it left the hangar and soon entered hyperspace.
Bail inwardly smiled at Obi-Wan's escape, but did not show any emotion on his face, in hopes of trying to keep his image to his soldiers. One of the Stormtroopers approached Bail and asked, "Sir, shall we go after him?"
"Negative, we can't use anymore of our forces at the moment," Bail replied. "Tell the troops to return back to the ships. We'll head to Corusant as soon as possible!"
"Yes sir!" the Stormtrooper saluted before he turned around to leave.
When the Stormtrooper left the viceroy, everyone else went away as well as Bail just stood there and looked at the space where Obi-Wan's shuttle entered hyperspace. "Good luck, Obi-Wan," Bail hoped.
PLOT: Padme heads to the Temple to see the Stormtroopers preparing for an assault, and is soon captured. Palpatine goes to a wounded Anakin, who's given the Darth Vader suit. Vader first attacks Palpatine, but it fails as Palpatine uses the Force to make Vader submit to him and to ensure Vader works for him, Palpatine presents a captured Padme. Vader attacks the Temple and destroys the with the help of the Stormtroopers.
Meanwhile, Obi-Wan senses the death of the Jedi and heads to Dagobah, where he meets Yoda and explains what happened. Yoda states he foresaw this, but the council and the rest of the Order ignored his warnings, and he left. Yoda tells Obi-Wan to protect Padme, for he foresaw the birth of Anakin's kids.
Obi-Wan leaves Dagobah and heads to Corusant to rescue to Padme. They first evade the Empire, and Obi-Wan leaves Padme with Mon Mothma and Bail on Alderaan, while Vader follows Obi-Wan to Mustafar. There, the two fight each other until Vader is injured, but Obi-Wan lets him live because of their old friendship.
Obi-Wan lays low and returns to Alderaan to find Luke and Leia are born and agrees with Padme to separate them. Luke is taken to Tatooine, while Leia is kept on Alderaan.
AN (10/30/2017): Yet another of my failed fanfics (not hard to see why). I'd like to thank Onimiman for being patient with me and for beta-reading this disaster piece.
Raika out.