Spectre:So sorry for the delay everyone! I have to finish my freshman year in college, and I tell you it wasn't easy to begin with. I'm a little bit bummed out that my last chapter didn't receive much reviews since it's basically part two of Utapau and Mandalore. Now we're getting close to the tragedy at hand. Now let us begin.
Take note: I skipped some parts of both the novel and the movie, but I'll give the reactions in the next chapter.
The Council against the Senate, Part 1
"We should go back, sir. The Council and the others are waiting for us at this hour"
Staring at the open window, Anakin did not take heed at Rex's suggestion. With Padme and Ahsoka by his side as he tried to recover from the trauma at the revelation of him being the Sith Lord he had grown to hate.
Within, Anakin knew that he was often at odds with the Jedi and of their teachings, but the fact that he became a Sith Lord to destroy then never seemed right to begin with. Sure there are times that he resented the Council, especially on how they handled Ahsoka's trial and on how they even had Obi-Wan to fake his death, but could he actually destroy the very life that he had served for so long after all these years?
He couldn't...he just couldn't especially when had so many friends and acquaintances already within the Order. The likes of his fellow knights such as Ferus Olin, Jax Pavan, Serra Keto, and the Masters that he respected such as Shaak Ti, Kit Fisto and the list goes on.
He couldn't bare, or try to picture himself carrying a blue lightsaber over their dead bodies. He couldn't imagine what Obi-Wan had felt when his promise to Qui Gon became the very undoing of the Jedi Order. And now, their final meeting only ended with the Jedi Master's death at his hand...something that Anakin never thought that would happen. And Force, he could not imagine what he had done to Ahsoka back in the future.
It was very hard for her to tell the least from Anakin's perspective. Their last meeting as friends was at Mandalore, and they met again, but as enemies in a Sith Temple.
"I don't know if I could face them...", Anakin uttered, looking at his hands before they turned into fists. "It's..."
"Anakin, we know how you feel", Padmé assured him. "None of us wanted to believe it either. But for what is worth, we have to go back and try to figure out what went wrong"
Said Jedi Knight looked at her, unsure as to how he should respond to her words. Until Ahsoka added . "Anakin, Vader is you from another perspective. And only you can prevent Vader from coming into the present
"We'll be there, General", Rex assured him, offering a smile. "We will"
Feeling as as if a fire had reignited within him, he knew he is the only one capable of fighting his own demons. Only himself can prevent the future from happening and he wasn't going to let anyone suffer the same fate as they have in the future. Breathing out heavily, Anakin turned to the three. "Let's go"
Within the War Room, the Jedi consisting of Mace Windu, Anakin Skywalker, and the holographic forms of Aayla Secura and Ki Adi Mundi were in the middle of a discussion until Commander Cody's hologram chimed in between them. "Master Windu, may I interrupt? General Kenobi has eliminated with General Grievous, and we are consolidating our forces to retake the planet from the Separatists"
"With both Dooku and Grievous dead, that would only leave Nute Gunray in charge on what's left of the Confederate leadership", Luminara said in behalf of the Jedi.
"Unless we are going to count Sidious, Gunray won't last long. If he still has use for them, that is", Depa added. "And I doubt that would be happening soon"
Saesee held his chin. "With the war ending, the Chancellor should give up his emergency powers yes?"
Yoda shook his head. "With great control Palpatine has, unlikely he will. Use this to his next step, he will"
"Thank you, Commander", Windu replied before turning to the Jedi Knight next to him. "Anakin, deliver this report to the Chancellor. His reaction will give us a clue to his intentions"
The Jedi could see the hesitation within Anakin, especially if he had not yet known that he is a Sith Lord, but his friend. Yoda made a mental note to jot down what they need to do if they are going to stop him.
"Yes, Master", Anakin obliged and left the room, whereas Cody's hologram disappeared soon after.
"The dark side of the Force surrounds the Chancellor", the Korun master said with great suspicion. "I sense that he's a puppet being controlled from the shadows"
"Not a fact that I would support any longer. Now that we know who he is under that serene mask", Obi Wan said, his tone grim.
"If he does not give up his emergency powers after the destruction of Grievous, then he should be removed from office", Mundi suggested.
"That could be a dangerous move. The Jedi Council would have to take control of the Senate in order to secure a peaceful transition."
"...and replace the Congress with Senators who are not filled with greed and corruption"
Depa, Obi-Wan and Luminara looked at the two Masters aghast. "Master, what you are suggesting is an illegal takeover of the Republic!", Depa spoke out against her Master, whose expression remained firm at his future declaration.
"Regardless whether or nor our future knew that Palpatine is a Sith Lord, the need to remove him from power is one way to save the Republic from the Sith", the Korun Master reasoned out to his Padawan.
"Before we are to form any more argument, we have to take note that despite the obvious breach of what the Senate decided for Palpatine, he has become a dictator with full powers for himself", Plo Koon intervened. "The Senate is all but powerless to stop whatever he pleased to the Republic and while I am inclined to agree with Master Bilaba that what we are planning is nothing short of a takeover that could harm the Jedi's reputation, the Chancellor has left us with no choice but to compel him to resign his powers and to return power to the people"
"If we did, wouldn't Palpatine possibly use his powers to accuse the Jedi on whatever crime he pleases and make sure they are out of their way as a Sith Lord to secure total power?", Luminara spoke out in concern.
Obi-Wan was about to speak then held his chin as he thought over for a moment. If the Jedi are accused of treason as the older Ahsoka had revealed, then it is likely that Palpatine used his powers in that scenario to get rid of them once and for all.
But that scenario is a bit unlikely, and he had to watch further for more answers.
"To a dark place this line of thought will carry us", Yoda professed. "Hmm. Great care we must take"
Meanwhile at Mandalore, Ahsoka and Rex entered the ship's briefing room where they found the after mentioned masters' discussion where the Korun Master turned to the former Jedi. "I understand your mission was a success."
"Yes, I have Maul in custody", Ahsoka said. "I will escort Commander Rex when he delivers him to Coruscant"
"A great service to the Republic, you have done.", Yoda warmly congratulated her.
"Wait...", Kit Fisto said, raising his hand slightly. "Remember what Maul said to Padawan Tano about Skywalker? Maybe she could tell the Council about it"
"That could be a problem, Master Fisto", Obi-Wan sighed, recalling her trial. "She already has trust issues with the Council fitsthand"
"I did my duty as a citizen", she replied.
"Not as a Jedi?"
"No. Not yet. Actually, I was hoping to speak with General Skywalker"
At this point, Skywalker, and Kenobi are the only Jedi she felt that she could trust, Plo Koon thought, though he mentally note that Ahsoka could still speak to him regarding the matter. And with Maul's information regarding Skywalker, she is hoping that she could help him about it.
"I sent him to inform the Chancellor that General Grievous has been eliminated at Utapau", Windu told her, to which Ahsoka appeared to be surprised at the matter.
Force, she could have told Anakin..., Obi-Wan mentally said, hiding his distress.
"Master Kenobi?"
"Defeated Grievous, he has. Finishing the battle, he is", Yoda answered her.
"Then the war could be over soon", Ahsoka said, her voice hopeful.
Everybody wanted to look pleased with this simple notion. But they had other matters to deal with...
"That depends on the Chancellor", Mace retorted,.
Suspicious, Ahsoka asked. "What do you mean?"
"I'm sorry, citizen", Mace said. "These matters are for the Council to discuss"
The other Council members looked at Mace, who was less than bothered in his expression. Even those who had worked with him had a look of disapproval to their part. Obi-Wan, Shaak Ti and Plo Koon all frowned at him for his retort to the Padawan that already had trust issues to begin with.
"She has all the more reasons not to trust us then?", Obi-Wan sarcastically said, crossing his arms.
"There is no reason as to why is there a need for her to know the Council's current mission at hand", Windu tried to justify his actions in screen. "It is also to safeguard Skywalker's current mission as well"
"You could have at least called her by her name!", the bearded master continued as he relaxed and went back to the screen.
Conceding, Ahsoka replied "I understand", and Aayla, Ki-Adi-Mundi, and Mace's holograms disappeared, with Yoda remaining.
"Ahsoka. More to say, have you? A message for Skywalker, perhaps?", Yoda offered her.
At least Master Yoda is willing to make it up to her, Obi-Wan thought, before glancing at the Grandmaster with a thankful nod.
For a moment, Ahsoka was silent, thinking her next move carefully. "No, master. Thank you. I'll tell him myself when I see him", she finally answered.
Yoda looked at her for a moment, if not disheartened before he replied. "May the Force be with you, Padawan"
If the Council had not yet known the details, then perhaps they would want to berate her for not telling them what Maul said about Anakin. Since this could have helped them on stopping Palpatine and his plans.
However, they remembered the trial that ultimately swayed her from coming back to the Order. One of the many blunders they had committed in accordance to their allegiance with the Senate. On how they wanted to preserve the pride of their order in front of the people.
"She does not trust the Council", Shaak Ti disheartenedly said, sympathizing with her fellow Togruta. "She could have told what she knew from Maul, but she couldn't at the same time"
"You didn't tell them what Maul said about General Skywalker", Rex said to Ahsoka, who sighed.
"No, I didn't"
The Supreme Chancellor of the Republic sat at the small desk in his private office, staring distractedly at an abstract twist of neuranium that Anakin had always assumed was supposed to be some kind of sculpture, and merely sighed, as though he had matters of much greater importance on his mind.
"I'm sorry, sir," Anakin said, shifting his weight in front of Palpatine's desk. Chancellor, we have just received a report from Master Kenobi. We can confirm that General Grievous has been eliminated, and Master Kenobi and his forces are currently clearing out Separatist forces at Utapau"
"I must say, that is quite impressive, given his own experiences at the entire course of the war".
"I should be there with him"
"Yes, yes, of course, Anakin. Yes, quite." Palpatine still looked as if he was barely paying attention. "I entirely understand your concern for your friend. Let us hope he is up to the task"
"He already has, Chancellor.", Master Fisto said, adding hostility to the title. "Maul, Savage and Viszla could attest to that",
"It's not just concern for Obi-Wan, sir; taking General Grievous is the final victory for the Republic—!"
"Will it?" He turned to Anakin, and a distinctly troubled frown chased the distraction from his face. "I'm afraid, my boy, that our situation is a great deal more grave than even I had feared. Perhaps you should sit down." Anakin didn't move
"What do you mean?"
"Grievous is not the real enemy. Even the Clone Wars themselves are now only... a distraction."
"Is he...giving a clue as to who he is to Master Skywalker?", Caleb observed, seeing the Chancellor to be giving away an idea for him.
"Remember, Anakin has always been close to the Chancellor for years in the process of turning him into his apprentice", Mundi reminded his fellow Jedi. "Under the visage of a charismatic, yet deceiving, politician"
"What?"
"The Council is about to make its move," Palpatine said, grim and certain. "If we don't stop them, by this time tomorrow the Jedi may very well have taken over the Republic."
Anakin burst into astonished laughter. "But sir—please, you can't possibly believe that—"
"Anakin, I know. I will be the first to be arrested—the first to be executed—but I will be far from the last."
The Jedi were now uneasy. It looked like as if Palpatine knew how the Jedi would act and how he could use this to his advantage.
"Given Skywalker's friendship to Sidious, albeit unknowingly, the Sith Lord is planting him the seeds of doubt regarding the Order. And the process of turning him to the dark side", Windu observed.
"At the same time, turned him away from the light, we have", Yoda reluctantly admitted, a feeling shared with Obi-Wan.
Anakin could only shake his head in disbelief. "Sir, I know that the Council and you have... disagreements, but—"
"This is far beyond any personal dispute between me and the members of the Council. This is a plot generations in the making—a plot to take over the Republic itself. Anakin, think you know they don't trust you. They never have. You know they have been keeping things from you. You know they have made plans behind your back—you know that even your great friend Obi-Wan has not told you what their true intentions are... It's because you're not like them, Anakin—you're a man, not just a Jedi."
Anakin's head drew down toward his shoulders as though he found himself under enemy fire. "I don't—they wouldn't—"
"Ask yourself: why did they send you to me with this news? Why? Why not simply notify me through normal channels?"
And take careful note of his reaction. We will need a full account.
"Sir, I—ah—"
"No need to fumble for an explanation," he said gently.
"You've already as much as admitted they've ordered you to spy upon me. Don't you understand that anything you tell them tonight—whatever it may be—will be used as an excuse to order my execution?"
"By this time, we never had intention to harm the Chancellor. Only to compel him to give back his emergency powers", Saesee Tiin said.
"Unless he acted first, we could not know the full extent of his plan at that matter", Mundi added. "Given his intelligence, he knows when and where to put any disadvantage to his advantage"
"That's impossible—" Anakin sought desperately for an argument. "The Senate—the Senate would never allow it—"
"The Senate will be powerless to stop it. I told you this is bigger than any personal dislike between the Council and myself. Iam only one man, Anakin. My authority is granted by the Senate; it is the Senate that is the true government of the Republic. Killing me is nothing; to control the Republic, the Jedi will have to take over the Senate first."
Kriff it! Just what are you trying to poison him with, Palpatine?!, Obi-Wan fumed, wishing that he remained in Coruscant to help Anakin.
"But the Jedi—the Jedi serve the Senate—!" "Do they?" Palpatine asked mildly. "Or do they serve certain Senators?"
"This is all—I'm sorry, Chancellor, please, you have to understand how this sounds..."
"Here—" The Chancellor rummaged around within his desk for a moment, then brought forth a document reader. "Do you know what this is?"
Anakin recognized the seal Padme had placed on it. "Yes,sir—that's the Petition of the Two Thousand—"
"No, Anakin! No!" Palpatine slammed the document reader on his desktop hard enough to make Anakin jump. "It is a roll of traitors."
Anakin went absolutely still. "What?"
"There are, now, only two kinds of Senators in our government, Anakin. Those whose names are on this so-called petition," Palpatine said, "and those whom the Jedi are about to arrest."
"What?!", exclaimed just about any Jedi in the chamber.
Anakin could only stare.
He couldn't argue. He couldn't even make himself disbelieve.
He had only one thought.
Padme... ?
How much trouble was she in?
"Didn't I warn you, Anakin? Didn't I tell ylou what Obi-Wan was up to? Why do you think he was meeting with the leaders of this... delegation... behind your back?"
"But—but, sir, please, surely, all they asked for is an end to the war. It's what the Jedi want, too. I mean, it's what we all want, isn't it? Isn't it?"
"Perhaps. Though how that end comes about may be the single most important thing about the war. More important, even, than who wins."
Oh, Padme, Anakin moaned inside his head. Padme, what have you gotten yourself into?
"Their... sincerity... may be much to be admired," Palpatine said. "Or it would be, were it not that there was much more to that meeting than met the eye."
Anakin frowned. "What do you mean?"
"Their... petition... was nothing of the sort. It was, in fact a not-so-veiled threat." Palpatine sighed regretfully. "It was a show of force, Anakin. A demonstration of the political power the Jedi will be able to muster in support of their rebellion."
Anakin blinked. "But—but surely—" he stammered, rounding Palpatine's desk, "surely Senator Amidala, at least, can be trusted..."
"I understand how badly you need to believe that," the Chancellor said. "But Senator Amidala is hiding something. Surely you sensed it."
The Jedi were becoming agitated. They could see Palpatine trying to tell Anakin that what the Jedi intended is a forceful (no pun intended) takeover of the Republic and the arrest of many of Palpatine's supporters who were Senators. However, as protectors of the Republic, they are to make sure that power is bestowed to the people, and that there is a need to remove Palpatine to save the Republic from becoming a dictatorship and eventually the Empire as they knew it.
"Palpatine knew when to act and how to hypothesize scenarios given on how he had dragged the Clone Wars this far", Mundi spoke with reluctance. " A genius. A diabolical one. But a genius nonetheless"
"If she is—" Anakin swayed; the floor seemed to be tilting under his feet like the deck of Invisible Hand. "Even if she is," he said, his voice flat, overcontrolled, "it doesn't mean that what she is hiding is treason."
Palpatine's brows drew together. "I'm surprised your Jedi insights are not more sensitive to such things."
"I simply don't sense betrayal in Senator Amidala," Anakin insisted.
Palpatine leaned back in his chair, steepling his fingers, studying Anakin skeptically. "Yes, you do," he said after a moment. "Though you don't want to admit it. Perhaps it is because neither you nor she yet understands that by betraying me, she is also betraying you.''
"She couldn't—" Anakin pressed a hand to his forehead; his dizziness was getting worse. When had he last eaten? He couldn't remember. It might have been before the last time he'd slept. "She could never..."
"Of course she could," Palpatine said. "That is the nature of politics, my boy. Don't take it too personally. It doesn't mean the two of you can't be happy together."
"What—?" The room seemed to darken around him. "What do you mean?"
"Please, Anakin. Are we not past the point of playing childish games with one another? I know, do you understand? I have always known. I have pretended ignorance only to spare you discomfort."
Anakin had to lean on the desk. "What—what do you know?"
"Anakin, Padme was my Queen; I was her ambassador to the Senate. Naboo is my home. You of all people know how I value loyalty and friendship; do you think I have no friends among the civil clergy in Theed? Your secret ceremony has never been secret. Not from me, at any rate. I have always been very happy for you both."
"Senator Amidala comes to play in Palpatine's hand...", Shaak Ti observed with a frown. "What kind of game Palpatine is playing this time..."
"You—" Words whirled through Anakin's mind, and none of them made sense. "But if she's going to betray us—"That, my boy," Palpatine said, "is entirely up to you." The fog inside Anakin's head seemed to solidify into a long, dark tunnel.
The point of light at the end was Palpatine's face. "I don't—I don't understand..."
"Oh yes, that's very clear." The Chancellor's voice seemed to be coming from very far away. "Please sit, my boy. You're looking rather unwell. May I offer you something to drink?"
"I—no. No, I'm all right." Anakin sank gratefully into a dangerously comfortable chair. "I'm just—a little tired, that's all."
"Not sleeping well?"
"No."
Anakin offered an exhausted chuckle. "I haven't been sleeping well for a few years, now."
"I quite understand, my boy. Quite." Palpatine rose and rounded his desk, sitting casually on its front edge. "Anakin, we must stop pretending. The final crisis is approaching, and our only hope to survive it is to be completely, absolutely, ruthlessly honest with each other. And with ourselves. You must understand that what is at stake here is nothing less than the fate of the galaxy."
"I don't know—"
"Don't be afraid, Anakin. What is said between us here need never pass beyond these walls. Anakin, think: think how hard it has been to hold all your secrets inside. Have you ever needed to keep a secret from me?"
He ticked his fingers one by one. "I have kept the secret of your marriage all these years. The slaughter at the Tusken camp, you shared with me. I was there when you executed Count Dooku. Have never needed to pretend with me, the way you must with your Jedi comrades. Do you understand that you need never hide anything from me? That I accept you exactly as you are?"
"He has every leverage he needed against Skywalker...", Kit Fisto said, his voice hollow. "This is not good for him..."
"His emotional attachments became the Shatterpoint that Palpatine managed to strike perfectly", Mace Windu professed.
Obi-Wan wanted to defend or argue Anakin's attachments but he could see the Korun Master's point.
He spread his hands as though offering a hug. "Share with me the truth. Your absolute truth. Let yourself out, Anakin."
"I—" Anakin shook his head. How many times had he dreamed of not having to pretend to be the perfect Jedi? But what else could he be? "I wouldn't even know how to begin."
"It's quite simple, in the end: tell me what you want."
Anakin squinted up at him. "I don't understand."
"Of course you don't." The last of the sunset haloed his ice-white hair and threw his face into shadow. "You've been trained to never think about that. The Jedi never ask what you want. They simply tell you what you're supposed to want. They never give you a choice at all. That's why they take their students— their victims—at an age so young that choice is meaningless. By the time a Padawan is old enough to choose, he has been so indoctrinated—so brainwashed—that he is incapable of even considering the question. But you're different, Anakin. You had a real life, outside the Jedi Temple. You can break through the fog of lies the Jedi have pumped into your brain"
They couldn't believe what they're hearing. Palpatine was basically telling him that there is more freedom than being a Jedi, on how their code and doctrines have undermined him. Given his independence and sometimes arrogant mannerisms, Palpatine is feeding him what Anakin wanted to hear than to what the Jedi would tell him.
"I still don't understand."
"Anakin, if one is to understand the great mystery, one must study all its aspects, not just the dogmatic, narrow view of the Jedi. If you wish to become a complete and wise leader, you must embrace a larger view of the Force. Be careful of the Jedi, Anakin. They fear you. In time they will destroy you. Let me train you."
"And in exchange?" he asked, finally. "What do I have to do?"
"You have to do what you want."
"What I want?"
"Yes, Anakin. Yes. Exactly that. Only that. Do the one thing that the Jedi fear most: make up your own mind. Follow your own conscience. Do what you think is right. I know that you have been longing for a life greater than that of an ordinary Jedi. Commit to that life. I know you burn for greater power than any Jedi can wield; give yourself permission to gain that power, and allow yourself license to use it. You have dreamed of leaving the Jedi Order, having a family of your own—one that is based on love, not on enforced rules of self-denial."
"I—can't. . . I can't just... leave..."
"But you can."
Anakin couldn't breathe.
He couldn't blink.
He sat frozen. Even thought was impossible. "You can have every one of your dreams. Turn aside from the lies of the Jedi, and follow the truth of yourself. Leave them. Join me on the path of true power. Be my friend, Anakin. Be my student. My apprentice."
"Here we go...", Mundi said in anticipation.
Anakin's vision tunneled again, but this time there was no light at the far end. He pulled back his hand, and it was shaking as he brought it up to support his face.
"I'm sorry," he said. "I'm sorry, but—but as much as I want those things—as much as I care for you, sir—I can't. I just can't. Not yet. Because there's only one thing I really want, right now. Everything else will just have to wait."
"I know what you truly want," the shadow said. "I have only been waiting for you to admit it to yourself." A hand—a human hand, warm with compassion—settled onto his shoulder. "Listen to me: I can help you save her''
"You—"
Anakin blinked blindly.
"How can you help?"
"Do you remember that myth I told you of, The Tragedy of Darth Plagueis the Wise?" the shadow whispered. The myth—... directly influence the midi-chlorians to create life; with such knowledge, to maintain life in someone already living would seem a small matter...
"Yes," Anakin said. "Yes, I remember."
The shadow leaned so close that it seemed to fill the world.
"Anakin, it's no mere myth."
Anakin swallowed.
"Darth Plagueis was real."
Anakin could force out only a strangled whisper. "Real... ?"
"Darth Plagueis was my Master. He taught me the key to his power," the shadow said, dryly matter-of-fact, "before I killed him."
Without understanding how he had moved, without even in- tending to move, without any transition of realization or dawning understanding, Anakin found himself on his feet. A blue bar of sizzling energy terminated a centimeter from Palpatine's chin itsglow casting red-edged shadows up his face and across the ceiling.
Only gradually did Anakin come to understand that this was his lightsaber, and that it was in his hand.
"You," he said. Suddenly he was neither dizzy nor tired.
Suddenly everything made sense.
"It's you. It's been you all along!" In the clean blue light of his blade he stared into the face of a man whose features were as familiar to him as his own, but now seemed as alien as an extragalactic comet—because now he finally understood that those familiar features were only a mask.
He had never seen this man's real face.
"I should kill you," he said. "I will kill you!"
"Restrain your anger, Skywalker", Plo Koon said out loud. "Sidious could use it against you"
"The Sith Lord that we all thought was the one controlling the Chancellor as his puppet, turned out to be him all along", Saesee Tiin said.
"But, Palpatine isn't using his lightsaber or any of his abilities", Shaak Ti pointed out. "He is placing his hopes at open dialogue if Anakin is to be his apprentice"
"Only a single swipe of a lightsaber and it would all be over", Mundi added.
Palpatine gave him that wise, kindly-uncle smile Anakin had been seeing since the age of nine. "For what?"
"You're a Sith Lord!"
"I am," he said simply. "I am also your friend."
"We could add that for further reference", Depa sighed.
The blue bar of energy wavered, just a bit.
"I am also the man who has always been here for you. I am the man you have never needed to lie to. I am the man who wants nothing from you but that you follow your conscience. If that conscience requires you to commit murder, simply over a... philosophical difference... I will not resist."
His hands opened, still at his sides. "Anakin, when I told you that you can have anything you want, did you think I was excluding my life?"
The floor seemed to soften beneath Anakin's feet, and the room started to swirl darkness and ooze confusion. "You—you won't even fight— ?"
"Fight you?" In the blue glow that cast shadows up from Palpatine's chin, the Chancellor looked astonished that he would suggest such a thing. "But what will happen when you kill me? What will happen to the Republic?" His tone was gently reasonable.
"Should Anakin attack Palpatine here, then it would only serve him as his reason as to why the Jedi are to be branded for treason", Plo Koon said, carefully observing possible scenarios on what would happen.
"And what? That Palpatine would capture and torture Anakin into submission in destroying the Jedi as well as using his wife as leverage?", Kit Fisto also added in the latter.
"What will happen to Padme?"
"Padme..."
Her name was a gasp of anguish. "When I die," Palpatine said with the air of a man reminding a child of something he ought to already know, "my knowledge dies with me."
The sizzling blade trembled.
"Unless, that is, I have the opportunity to teach it... to my apprentice..."
His vision swam.
"I..." A whisper of naked pain, and despair. "I don't know what to do..."
Palpatine gazed upon him, loving and gentle as he had ever been, though only a whisker shy of a lightsaber's terminal curve. And what if this face was not a mask? What if the true face of the Sith was exactly what he saw before him: a man who had cared for him, had helped him, had been his loyal friend when he'd thought he had no other? What then?"
"I know what has been troubling you . . .", he professed. "Listen to me. Don't continue to be a pawn of the Jedi Council! Ever since I've known you, you've been searching for a life greater than that of an ordinary Jedi . . . a life of significance, of conscience"
"Much conflict, I see in young Skywalker", Yoda said, observing the current aura that the Jedi Knight possessed. "Forced to choose on what is right or wrong"
"You're wrong!", Anakin snapped.
Not facing the Jedi Knight as Anakin circled behind him. "Are you going to kill me?"
Gaining his courage, he responded. "I would certainly like to"
"I know you would", Palpatine taunted him. ''I can feel your anger. It gives you focus, makes you stronger."
For a moment, the memory of Darth Vader slaughtering through helpless rebel soldiers flashed befored them. And they could not imagine Anakin's rage taking over him completely.
For Obi-Wan, he was desperately hoping that Anakin could still resist Sidious. But as they watched further into the holotape, it was going unlikely as time passed.
Pausing for a moment, Anakin turned off his lightsaber. "I am going to turn you over to the Jedi Council"
"Of course. You should. But you're not sure of their intentions, are you?", Palpatine said, now facing Anakin who scowled at him.
"I will quickly discover the truth of all this."
"You have great wisdom, Anakin. Know the power of the dark side. Power to save Padme"
"At this point, Palpatine knows that he had Skywalker by his thumb", Mundi gravely mused.
"What I am concerned with is, why Skywalker would be very cautious on what could happen to Senator Amidala? It was only a dream to begin with", Shaak Ti asked, not helping as to why would dreams be his pretense.
"Masters if I may, I have the explanation as to why"
The Council turned to Obi Wan, who rubbed his temples before clearing his throat. "About three years ago before the first Battle of Geonosis and Anakin's first solo assignment as Senator Amidala's protector, he confined with me regarding dreams that showed his mother's death. As I have not known, it was simply dismissed as a dream until Anakin went to find Shmi who was captured by Tusken Raiders"
The Jedi didn't like where Obi-Wan is heading and they continued listening. "And by his arms, his mother had passed from the wounds she sustained. And this filled Anakin's anger to slaughter an entire village of Tuskens as a result, that may have sown the seeds of his use of the dark side"
The Jedi, sans Windu and Yoda, were shocked "Are you suggesting that the dreams of his mother could have possibly been a warning that he had failed to heed?", Depa asked.
Obi-Wan nodded in dejection. "Possibly and it is partly my fault, and Anakin is likewise eager to prevent that from happening with Senator Amidala in this case. Which is possibly a reason why he was so eager in becoming a Master himself"
"But his fear in losing Senator Amidala would only draw him further to Sidious", Mundi said, unsure of what to do firsthand.
"Could be true, but we can only see for ourselves what could happen to him as time passed", Windu said, their attention turning back to the screen.
Entering the Chancellor's office, Mace Windu, Agen Kollar, Saesee Tiin and Kit Fisto entered as the headed towards the Chancellor himself, with the intent of arresting and removing him from power.
"Now I can see why Master Yoda had told us to stand down...", Mundi grimly said out loud.
"Unprepared against Sidious we are", Yoda reasoned out. "Know what he as for us, we do not"
"Rushing in towards Sidious without any legal reasons or jurisdiction will only cause jeopardy into the order", Obi-Wan said, not approving the Master's move for one moment. "Especially if being a Sith is no longer a crime within the Republic"
"In addition, we do not have any evidence convict Palpatine until now", Kit Fisto admitted. "We are walking in a trap laid by him"
"However, bringing in Skywalker could help convince him that Palpatine isn't who he is", Depa said on behalf of the others.
"If he does, the conflict within him would only get in the way that Palpatine could exploit at any moment", Plo Koon observed. "But at the same time, it could consume him out of his conscience and guilt"
Turning back from his chair, Palpatine greeted the four Jedi Masters with a pleased expression. "Master Windu! I take it General Grievous has been destroyed", he professed but his tone later became unsure. "You have come than I expected-"
Not taking any of it, Mace Windu proclaimed. "In the name of the Galactic Senate and the Republic", they pulled out their lighsabers, simultaneously igniting them. " You are under arrest Chancellor"
Mace sighed to himself, realizing the error of his judgement, to which Yoda and a few Masters saw through it and mentally reminded him that they will work with one another.
"We are bout to face against the Lord of the Sith himself", Kit Fisto said, now unsure if he could face him himself upon witnessing himself in this future.
"If we are to fall to his blade, let it be a glorious one at that", Saesee added, now feeling dread as to what Palpatine had in mind.
Palpatine's smile faded. "Are you threatening me, Master Jedi?", he asked in a dangerous tone.
Now everyone knew that this was no longer the Chancellor. They are now looking at Darth Sidious himself.
"The Senate will decide your fate", Windu declared, unfazed at the Chancellor's change of aura as the latter continued to glare at him.
"I am the Senate!"
Everyone thought over for a moment. With the Senate no longer having any power as to what Palpatine would do as he pleased after they transferred it to him, it made sense as to why he is the Senate, in form of a dictator at that.
"Not. Yet.", Windu defiantly replied, his guard not faltering as the Chancellor finally stood up.
At the same time, the Council Chamber opened, and it revealed to be Anakin, Padmé, Rex and Ahsoka. "Apologies if we took too long, did we-"
Ahsoka never finished as her eyes became glued at the screen, as did Padmé and Rex. Anakin's eyes widened as he bear witness the Council's confrontation against Darth Sidious, the same man that he had grown to hate after all that he had done in thr future.
A small metal tube slid down Palpatine's sleeve, where its hilt ignited a Crimson-colored blade.
"It's treason then"
Spectre: I'll have to apologize for skipping Anakin telling Windu, but it does show to them off-screen. Now, we are getting close to the Tragedy of both the Clones and the Jedi.