Avenger of the Sith (Revenge of the Sith movie rewrite)

[aussiemuscle308]

Avenger of the Sith, A rewrite of 'Revenge of the Sith'. All characters, names and locations copyrights remain property of Lucasfilm Ltd. everything else copyright remains with the author.

This is my rewrite of the movie ROTS. rather than sit here and complain that George didn't get it right, i decided i should have a go at writing edit. Hey got to start somewhere. My aim was fix up areas that i thought let the movie down, rather than completely bin the story. I admit I'm not very good at dialog (worse than anything Mr Lucas did anyway), but i ramped up the change of Anakin and took out the "Clark Kent effect" of Palpatine/Sidious. I'm particularly interested in suggestions to fix up or change areas which i have altered, and general tips on writing in general. Most of this follows the same as the movie, so i haven't covered it in great detail, since you've most likely all seen it. With that in mind, i also skipped some sections i considered unnecessary, like Grievous' fight on the Bridge of 'the hand'. I also left out providing any back story to any of the characters.

Part One

Opening Crawl: War! The Republic is crumbling under attacks by the ruthless Sith Lord, Count Dooku. There are heroes on both sides. Evil is everywhere.
In a stunning move, the fiendish droid leader, General Grievous, has swept into the Republic capital and kidnapped Chancellor Palpatine, leader of the Galactic Senate.
As the Separatist Droid Army attempts to flee the besieged capital with their valuable hostage, two Jedi Knights lead a desperate mission to rescue the captive Chancellor...

1.
The huge Separatist capital ship 'Invisible Hand' of the Confederate of Independent Systems (CIS) known as the Separatists, cruised slowly through the near orbit space around Corusant. An explosion ripped from the hull as a missile detonated on impact. The ship continued lumbering on, unaffected from the first of a barrage of missiles and Turbolaser blasts that came flying in from the opposing Republic ships. Dozens of capital ships and hundreds of smaller craft all fighting over the skies of the planet Corusant, the capital of the Galactic Republic.

Nearby, a small group of Republic fighters zipped in and out of the chaos of the battle. The group was lead by Anakin Skywalker, Champion of the Republic. Along side him, Obi-Wan Kenobi, General of the Republic and Jedi Master. They flew with deft skill between ships, flak and explosions as they hunted for their prey.
"Sky1 to Wan1", he called over the radio. "There's an open hanger door on the 'Hand', i'm going in."
"I'm on your six", Obi-Wan replied.
"This is where the fun beings" Anakin smiled.

While many of the Republic ships were shot down on their way through the battle, the two Jedi appeared invincible, avoiding everything that could have killed them.

"Have you noticed? Their shields are still up!" Obi-Wan exclaimed.

"Sorry, Master", Anakin replied. He fired his ships weapons at a box near the shielded hanger door. With skilled accuracy, the box exploded, turning the shield off, letting air to escape from the big ship. To prevent loss of all the atmosphere, the ships hanger door started to rapidly close. Anakin hit the thrusters to full speed with Obi-Wan right behind him.

The two piloted their craft into the belly of the huge capital ship, entering through the shrinking gap as the hanger door closed. Upon landing they were greeted with armed robots called Droids and a menagerie of aliens affiliated with the CIS. They all drew weapons and stared firing blasters at the two intruders, but not a single shot landed on it's target, as the two men were Jedi Knights of the Republic. They used a mystical energy of the galaxy called the 'Force' to augment their actions and speed and were able to avoid all the incoming fire. When they could not avoid an incoming blast, they used their Jedi weapon to deflect the bolt away, often back at the creature or machine that had fired it. Anakin wielded his light saber with fluidity and speed, cutting down the attackers in a flurry of sparks and blocked blaster bolts.

With the last of the Seps dealt with, Anakin's ship, containing a Droid by the name of R2D2, or Artoo, as he was mostly called, came to life and hovered just above the smooth metal floor.
"Artoo, blast out those doors" Anakin ordered. The ship took aim and fired several blasts of red energy at the doors, vaporizing them. R2D2 then landed the ship and ejected himself. He rolled his stout body across the smooth, silver floor to the waiting Jedi. Artoo was a technician and computer hacker, a job suited to the robot.

"Artoo, track the Chancellor's signal" Anakin ordered the Droid to a nearby computer socket to access the onboard computer. Artoo displayed a hologram of the ship and a flashing dot where the Chancellor's signal was coming from.

"At the top of that spire, on that observation platform" Obi-Wan analyzed the readout.

"I sense Count Dooku" Anakin revealed.

"I sense a trap" Obi-Wan replied.

"Next move?"

"Spring the trap!" Obi-Wan smiled.

Artoo whistled as the two began to walk away.

"Artoo, stay here with the ship" Anakin ordered

"Yes", commented Obi-Wan. "He can contact us on channel 351" he said as he pulled out his communicator.

Meanwhile, on the bridge of 'The Hand', the Separatist General Grievous arrived and asked for an update from his captain.

"What is the situation, Captain?"

"Two Jedi have landed in the main hanger bay, we are tracking them now", the Neimodian Captain replied.

"Just as Count Dooku predicted" Grievous noted, pacing around the bridge, coughing quietly.

The two Jedi moved through the bowels of the ship, avoiding patrols of droids and crew that were no doubt looking for them. With Artoo's ability to control machinery, he was able to call an elevator for them that would take them to the top of the communications tower. At the top of the tower, they found the large suite empty of expected guards. A large chair on the far side of the room turned around to reveal a thin old man sitting there in handcuffs. He was Palpatine, the Supreme Chancellor of the Republic. He had been kidnapped earlier in the day, and this was his rescue.

"No welcoming committee" Obi-Wan announced.
They crossed the floor to the Chancellor but before they could release him, a voice boomed out from behind them.

"Welcome, Jedi" Dooku stood at the door with two Super Battle Droids that were dark metal and stood as tall as Dooku.

"This time, we do it together" Obi-Wan whispered to Anakin, referring to an earlier fight with Dooku, where Anakin had rushed in alone, in which Dooku cut off Anakins' hand and Anakin now had an artificial replacement.

"I was going to suggest the same thing" Anakin retorted.

"You don't want to take him on." Palpatine warned Obi-Wan. "He's a Sith Lord!"

"Chancellor Palpatine, Sith Lords are our specialty" Obi-Wan winked.

"Surrender now, Jedi. We don't want to make a mess in front of the Chancellor", Dooku taunted. Dooku jumped across the room with a move that would have been impossible for a young, fit man, but he defied his look of an elderly gentleman. Upon landing he ignited his red Light Saber, the weapon of a Jedi, now colored red, the traditional color that only a Sith would use. Obi-Wan and Anakin responded with their blue Light Sabers.

As they clashed weapons like swordsmen of old, Dooku taunted them.

"I can easily take you both on at the same time".

"My power has double since the last time we met" Anakin retorted.

"Good" Dooku replied. "Twice the Pride, Double the Fall"

They resumed parry with their sabers and the Jedi tried to push the Count into a corner. While the Count had to fall back to keep the two Jedi on the one side, he had little difficulty matching their moves and with a flurry to keep them off balance, he used the Force to push Obi-Wan back across the room. Anakin pressed the moment to push the Count up the stairs while he waited for Obi-Wan to regain his footing and rejoin the fight.

On his way back to the fight, Obi-Wan destroyed the Count's two droid bodyguards with ease, and rejoined the battle with Dooku.

Dooku was ready for him though. As he pushed Anakin across the room, he used the Force to grip Obi-Wan by the neck like an invisible hand. He then thrust Obi-Wan across the room, where he landed awkwardly on a railing and fell to the floor unconscious. Wanting to finish him off, Dooku reached out with the Force and pulled the railing down on top of Obi-Wan, crushing him with it's weight and pinning him in place.

The sight of his Master being thrown about like a ragdoll, Anakin felt the rage within him. It allowed him to tap into the Force deeper than he had before, and with renewed vigor, he launched a devastating attack on Dooku. With a trick move, Anakin outmaneuvered Dooku and slipped his Saber through Dooku's defensive moves and cut both his hands off. Dooku looked with horror at his burning stumps and collapsed to his knees in pain. Anakin grabbed Dooku's dropped Saber and ignited it next to Dooku's neck.

"Good, Good!" exclaimed the Chancellor, who had watched this battle with great interest and excitement. "Kill him, Anakin. Kill him now"

Dooku looked at the Chancellor with disbelief that the Chancellor would suggest such a thing. He wanted to beg for his life, but couldn't bring any words from his mouth. Anakin struggled with this. Dooku was a dangerous man, but it was not the Jedi way to arbitrarily execute a prisoner.

"I shouldn't" Anakin said to himself

"Do it!" ordered Palpatine.

With a breath, Anakin flashed the two Sabers together, severing the head of Count Dooku. His lifeless body dropped to the ground.

"You did well, Anakin" Palpatine reassured the young Jedi. "He was too dangerous to be kept alive".

"Yes, but he was an unarmed prisoner" Anakin said as he released Palpatine from his bindings. "I shouldn't have done it, it's not the Jedi way".

"It is only natural. He cut off your arm, you wanted revenge. Now we must leave, before more security droids arrive"

Anakin rushed to Obi-Wan's body. He was still alive, but unconscious.

"We must hurry, before it's too late" Palpatine insisted. He hated Obi-Wan, though he'd never admit it to Anakin. He knew because Anakin loved the Jedi Knight like a brother and would not leave his Master. Obi-Wan stood in the way of Palpatine's plans for Anakin.

"I think he'll be alright" Anakin pointed out as he lifted the unconscious body over his shoulder and carried him to the elevator.

Meanwhile, a Republic battle-cruiser had closed in on the escaping Hand CIS ship and opened fire on it.

"All batteries, return fire, Fire!" exclaimed the Captain of the Hand. The two ships now slugged each other like wooden sailing ships of old, firing weapons at point-blank range into each other's hull.

In the observation platform, Anakin pressed the call button on the elevator, but the control panel remain black. "Elevator is not working" he pointed out. He pulled his communicator and called Artoo to activate the elevator. The Droid responded with a few unintelligible beeps. The room then rocked violently as the ships weapons caused massive damage to each other and the Hand swerved hard as the engines misfired, send it spiraling out of control. As the ship's bridge crew tried to right its course to stop it hitting the atmosphere of Corusant, Anakin, Palpatine and the unconscious Obi-Wan made their way back to the hanger. Back in the hanger, they found their craft had been flipped over by the out of control ship and were now too damaged to fly.

"Maybe we can find another way off this ship" Anakin suggested.

They headed to the bridge, where they found it... deserted. Outside the viewport, the planet loomed large. They were on a crash course into the planet. Anakin jumped into the pilot's seat.

"They've locked out the controls" He informed the others, "and all the escape pods have been jettisoned.

"So you can't pilot the ship" Obi-Wan pointed out

"I think at this point, the ability to pilot the ship is irrelevant. Prepare for crash landing! Artoo, see if you can unlock the controls. "

They all strapped themselves in and Anakin did his best to level their descent, however their speed and trajectory soon had the ship glowing white hot and the ship started to break apart as the atmosphere and gravity started to affect the ship. As it tore through the atmosphere, it left a trail of smoke and debris and eventually the ship crashed down in an industrial sector of Corusant. On the bridge, they were protected from the worst of the crash by the shields and the sheer size of the ship meant they were able to avoid being crushed as it slammed into the ground in a ball of fire. They were thrown about the bridge as the massive ship came to a grinding halt.

"Another happy landing!" Obi-Wan joked. Anakin wasn't in a laughing mood. He'd been impaled on a piece of broken metal. He pulled it out of his abdomen and winced in pain. Obi-Wan found Palpatine under some debris and Anakin recovered Artoo from his upside-down landing position.

...


2. Meanwhile, on Naboo, a picturesque and peaceful planet, Anakin's wife, Padme was being helped into an ambulance. She was having pains from the impending pregnancy and the doctor had convinced her that she should go into care. Medics pulled her out of the ambulance on the stretcher and was wheeled into the hospital. She was helped into a bed and her attendants ensured she was comfortable. The doctors had given her sedatives and told her it was too soon to give birth.

"Is there anything else you need, milady?" asked Yane, one of her personal aides.

"I only wish Anakin was here"

"He's fighting the Separatists. The Republic needs him"

"I know. It's just this war... every time he comes back, a little more of him has died and he's even more paranoid. Some days i don't even know who he is".

The Doctor came in.

"I have news about your pregnancy." He said. "You are carrying twins",

"Twins?" both Padme and her aide said together.

"Yes. Perhaps if you were having regular exams instead of gallivanting around the galaxy, you would have found out about the twins sooner. I'm also concerned about these pains you've been experiencing. I'm ordering you to stay here under care until you give birth and a moratorium on any unnecessary travel."

"Unnecessary travel? I have to go to Corusant. Not only to attend the Senate, but I also have to tell Anakin that he's having two children, not just one".

"You shouldn't travel in your condition". The Doctor advised. "Please, remain here where you can get 24 hour care."

The doctor left, expecting Padme to ignore his advise. He knew all too well that she was strong willed and stubborn. He stopped near Yane on his way past. "Keep her safe" was his only words.

As Yane returned to Padme's bedside, she knew what Padme intended to do.

"I presume you will be travelling to Corusant."

"No" Padme said. She saw the surprise on Yane's face. "I'm not going to risk my babies' lives. But you can contact Anakin through the Jedi Order. He must travel to Naboo immediately. Don't tell him about the twins. I want it to be a surprise."

...

3.
On the planet Utapau, General Grievous clambered out of his escape ship. Having not only abandoned his command starship, he had also lost his leader, Count Dooku. Dooku was not in charge, however, he report to a shadowy figure known as Darth Sidious. When ever he contacted Grievous, he hid his face under a cloak. Grievous didn't know what he actually looked like. He only knew he was a Sith Lord, and being Force aware, Grievous knew he was far more dangerous than himself or Dooku. He knew he had to contact this Sith Lord, and it was something he wasn't looking forward to. At the communications center, he pressed a few buttons on the Holoprojector.
"Lord Sidious, you commanded me to make contact with you" Grievous spoke with a strong robotic voice. Sidious' image appeared above the machine.

"General Grievous, I suggest you move the Separatist Leaders to Mustafar."

"It will be done, My Lord"

"The end of the war is near, General"

"but, the loss of Count Dooku..."

"His death was a necessary loss. Soon I will have a new apprentice. One far younger and more powerful."

Grievous was relieved that he wasn't blamed for the loss of 'The Hand' ship or Dooku. It was surprising, as he was usually Dooku's whipping boy when something didn't go to plan. He didn't know what to make of this claimed 'new apprentice'. If he was more powerful that Dooku, they certainly wanted him on board. Then again, Sidious claimed that his previous apprentice was unbeatable, but Darth Maul died on his first assignment.

...

4.
At the Chancellor's Office in the Senate Building, Anakin walked with Palpatine. After their usual greetings, Palpatine asked Anakin to walk with him while they discussed something.

"I hope you trust me, Anakin."

"Of course."

"I need your help, Son." Palpatine tried to look as friendly as possible.

"What do you mean?"

"I'm depending on you"

"For what? I don't understand"

"To be the eyes, ears and voice of the Republic. Anakin, I'm appointing you to be my personal representative on the Jedi Council"

"Me? A Master?" Anakin ran the idea through his mind. "I'm overwhelmed, Sir". Anakin moved in closer to Palpatine. "The Council elects it's own members. They'll never accept this".

"I think they will. They need you, more than you know".

...

Anakin traveled to the Jedi Temple to deliver this news to the Council. They all gathered in the Council Room where each sat in a chair arranged in a circle. Some of the Masters present were Yoda, Obi-Wan and Mace Windu. Those who were not present were represented by a holographic image of that person. When Anakin announced that the Chancellor wanted him on the Council there was a measured silence.

"Allow this appointment lightly, the Council does not" said Yoda, the Grand Master of the Jedi. "Disturbing, this move from Chancellor Palpatine".

"I understand", Anakin said, reservedly.

"You are on this Council", Windu announced. "But we do not grant you the rank of Master".

"What?" Anakin was shocked. "How can you do this? It is outrageous. It's not fair. How can you be on the Council and not be a Master?"

"Take a seat, young Skywalker", Windu motioned for Anakin to sit to his right. Anakin buried his anger, bowed and took his seat on the Council.

"Forgive me, Master Windu".

Obi-Wan shook his head at his pupil's outburst. He knew the others would disapprove of such emotions.

Ki-Adi-Mundi broke the silence by continuing his report. His holographic representation flickered. "We have surveyed all systems in the Republic without a sign of General Grievous."

"Hiding in the Outer Rim, Grievous is." Yoda surmised. "The outlying systems, you must sweep".

"We do not have many ships to spare." Obi-Wan pointed out.

"What about the Droid attack on the Wookies?" Ki-Adi-Mundi pointed out was also an issue.

"It's critical we send an attack group there now." Windu insisted.

"He's right." Obi-Wan agreed. "It's a system we cannot afford to lose".

"Go, I will." Yoda decided. "Good relations with the Wookies, I have."

"It's settled then", Windu decided. "Yoda will take a battalion of Clones to reinforce the Wookies on Kashykk. May the Force be with us all".

After the meeting had concluded, Obi-Wan and Anakin walked together down one of the connecting hallways of the Jedi Temple. Anakin was still fuming over his appointment to the Council, but not also receiving the expected Master rank and title.

"This is ridiculous! To put me on the Council, but not make me a Master. It's never been done in the history of the Jedi. It's insulting!"

"Oh, calm down, Anakin. You're acting infantile. You've been given a great honor. Stop talking rubbish!"

Anakin was incensed at Obi-Wan's comments, but he knew it was true.

"To be on the Council at your age, it's never happened before. That fact of the matter is you're too close to the Chancellor. The Council doesn't like it when he interferes with Jedi affairs."

"I swear to you, i didn't ask to be put on the Council"

"But it's what you wanted. Your friendship with Palpatine certainly has paid off."

"That had nothing to do with it"

"The only reason the Council approved your appointment is because the Chancellor trusts you."

"And?" Anakin stopped

"Anakin, i'm on your side. I didn't want to put you in this situation."

"What situation?"

Obi-Wan took the time to word this delicately, looking away from Anakin's gaze. "The Council wants you to report on all the Chancellor's dealings. They want to know what he's up to."

"They want me to spy on the Chancellor? That's treason!"

"We are at war, Anakin." Obi-Wan pointed out.

"Why didn't the Council give me this assignment while we were in session". Anakin knew the answer, but he wanted to ask it anyway, as if to confirm his own suspicions.

"This assignment is not to be on record."

"The Chancellor is not a bad man, Obi-Wan. He befriended me, watched out for me, ever since I arrived here."

"That is why you must help us. Anakin, our allegiance is to the Senate, not a leader who has stayed in office long after his term has expired.

"The Senate demanded that he stay longer"

"Search you feelings, Anakin. You know something is out of place".

"Your asking me to do something against the Jedi Code, against the Republic, against a mentor and a friend, that's what's out of place here. Why are you asking this of me?"

"The Council is asking you."

...

Later, Obi-Wan filled out the leaders of the Jedi Council, Mace Windu and Yoda, while they travelled to the Spaceport in a military craft. They were delivering Yoda to his transport to travel to the Wookie homeplanet of Kashykk.

"Anakin did not take his new assignment with much enthusiasm."

"It's very dangerous, putting them together", Windu warned. "I don't think the boy can handle it. I don't trust him."

"With all due respect, Master Windu. Is he not the Chosen One? Is he not to destroy the Sith and bring balance to the Force?"

"So the prophecy says," Windu pointed out.

Yoda pushed back his thin hair on the forehead. "A prophecy that misread, could have been".

"He will not let me down" Obi-Wan said assuredly. "He never has".

"I hope right, you are" Yoda stared Obi-Wan straight in the eye, as though he were searching for something.

Yoda's transmitter beeped and he turned it on. A hologram of Ki-Adi-Mundi appeared.

"I've just received a communiqué from one of our contacts in the Outer Rim. They say the General Grievous was spotted in the Utipah System."

"Act immediately on this, we must", Yoda replied. "The capture of General Grievous could end this war. Quickly and decisively, we should proceed."

"We need a Master with lots of experience to deal with this", added Windu. He looked at Obi-Wan.

"Agree, do I" injected Yoda.

"I would be honored." Obi-Wan answered. "However it may turn out to be just a wild Bantha chase.


...

Padme was in great discomfort. Her birthing was near and she still hadn't heard back from Anakin. Yane rushed in to assist Padme to get ready.

"Any word from Anakin?" she asked desperately, but Yane's shaking head dashed her hope that he would be on his way. She couldn't put off giving birth to her twins any longer. "Keep trying. He must be here for the birth of his children".

...
5.
Obi-Wan arrived at Utipau in his Starfighter. He pressed a few buttons and the Hyperdrive ring that had brought his craft here at unimaginable speed disconnected from the hull of his ship, and he sped away from it towards the surface. He flew towards an enormous hole in the ground, where inside the hole he found the spaceport, hidden away from view. He landed his craft with grace on the platform and hopped out to meet the Congressman of the facility. He was a tall alien, with a huge forehead and strange striped skin.

"Greetings, young Jedi. What brings you to our remote sanctuary?"

"Unfortunately, the War" Obi-Wan spoke with his most diplomatic tone.

"There's no war here, unless you brought it with you"

"With your kind permission i would like some fuel and to use your city as a base as I search nearby systems for General Grievous."

The Congressman turned to some nearby technicians and in his native tongue, ordered them to attend Obi-Wan's ship. He stepped close to Obi-Wan

"He's here" he whispered. "We are being held hostage. They are watching us".

"I understand" replied Obi-Wan.

"Tenth level" the alien hissed. "Thousands of Battle Droids".

Obi-Wan knew what had to be done. "Tell your people to take shelter. If you have warriors, now is the time."

The alien bowed and left. Obi-Wan returned to his ship and sat in the cockpit. He spoke to his Droid, a copper colored R2 unit, still nestled in the wing of his fighter.

"Take the fighter back to the ship. Tell Cody that I've made contact".

The Droid beeped in reply and Obi-Wan snuck out of his ship and watched it climb and disappear from view.

Several hours later, Obi-Wan had acquired some local transport, a giant lizard that he hoped would be fast enough to catch Grievous. The creature was a bit ungainly as it was unfamiliar to him, but he felt more at ease with this beak faced creature than with some cold uncomfortable speeder. He made his way towards the secret command structure, where he was sure he'd find Grievous.
Grievous was indeed in the Command Room. He was pacing back and forth while he address the gathering of Separatist Leaders. They were a strange group of aliens, ambassadors from their respective planet or League. Seated at the table among the dignitaries was Viceroy of the Trade Federation, whom Obi-Wan had run up against many years ago when the Trade Federation attacked Naboo. He'd obviously managed to escape any real justice.

"It won't be long before the armies of the Republic track us here. I am sending you to the Mustafar system in the outer rim." Grievous announced to the gathering. "It is a volcanic planet. You will be safe there".
The CIS leaders looked at each other, they were obviously distressed. Little did they know that Obi-Wan had already found them and was listening from above.
"Safe?" the Nemoidean jumped to his feet. "Chancellor Palpatine managed to escape your grip, General. Without Count Dooku, i have doubts about your ability to keep us safe."

Grievous was as usual quite quick to temper at this comment. "Be thankful, Viceroy, that you have not found yourself within my grip!" Grievous headed off. "Your ship is waiting", he announced dismissively as he ran out of the room followed by two Magna-Guards. Magna Guards were versatile Droids, able to match a Jedi with their preferred weapon, a Shock Staff with a glowing cap at each end that buzzed with energy, that would damage or injure any biological or mechanical attacker.

Obi-Wan mused at what he should do next and stroked his beard. He decided that a direct confrontation would be the simplest approach. He took off his cloak and jumped from his hiding spot directly behind the Droid General.

"Hello there", Obi-Wan announced.

Grievous wheeled around, as did his two body guards, and several battle droids.

"General Kenobi," Grievous greeted Obi-Wan. "You are a bold one." He chuckled. "Kill him!"

As several Battle Droids approached, and the two Magna-Guards, Obi-Wan prepared himself, by igniting his Light Saber and took a defensive posture. He knew the Magna-Guards were difficult to destroy, so he looked around for an advantage. He spotted a large structure hanging from the ceiling, which he reached out to with the Force and pulled it down, it fell, crushing the two Magna-Guards and one Battle Droid as well.

As the Droids prepared to attack, Grievous called them off. "Back away, i will deal with this Jedi slime, myself". Grievous raised himself to full height, standing almost a meter taller than Obi-Wan.

"Your move!" Obi-Wan was confident and cocky.

"You fool. I have been trained in your Jedi arts by Count Dooku". Grievous boasted as he removed his cloak, retrieved four Light Sabers from his holster and split his arms in two, giving him FOUR arms! "Attack, Kenobi"

Obi-Wan smiled. This would be a challenge, one he had been looking forward to for some time. Grievous, being mechanical, was able to spin the Light Sabers with speed that any Jedi could never hope to match. The General cackled like a villain as he moved menacingly toward Obi-Wan. Still, Obi-Wan had trained against four opponents and soon had cut off one of Grievous' metal hands. With deft skill he watched his mechanical opponent slash at him, which he parried and deflected the many Light Sabers being swung at him. He noticed that Grievous was always on the attack, and used a few moves he'd learned to account for overly aggressive opponents. He cut off another of Grievous' hands. This made the Droid Commander even more enraged. Grievous made a furious attack, moving in hard, he knocked Obi-Wan's Light Saber from his hand. Obi-Wan watched it bounce down through the levels below.

Then they heard Blasters firing, and saw Clone Troopers dropping from the rafters and pouring out of every entrance. The Republic Army had arrived. The droids turned to meet the new threat, but Grievous kept moving towards Obi-Wan.

"Army or not, you must realize you are DOOMED!" Grievous spoke with as much menace in his voice as he could manage with an artificial voice box.

"Oh, I don't think so". Obi-Wan replied as he used the force to hit Grievous in his chest, sending him toppling down to a lower level of the city. Grievous landed without damage and Obi-Wan jumped down after him, as the mechanical creature scuttled along to a nearby speeder which he used to drive out of the complex. Obi-Wan whistled for his Lizard creature and he jumped on it's back and chased after the fleeing Grievous.

...

6.
At the Jedi Council War Room, the Masters gathered for an update. A Hologram of Captain Cody appeared in his white Clone Trooper uniform. Anakin was outside the room, eavesdropping. He was hoping to overhear the whereabouts of Obi-Wan Kenobi. What he heard chilled him to the bone.

"Master Windu, General Kenobi has made contact with Grievous and we have begun our attack."

"Thank you, Commander", Windu replied as Cody's image vibrated and disappeared.

After a moment's silence, Windu started another topic.

"I sense a plot to destroy the Jedi", Windu confided in the other Masters. "The dark side of the Force surrounds the Chancellor."

"If he does not give up his emergency powers with the destruction of Grievous, then he should be removed from office" the hologram of Master Ki-Adi-Mundi said.

"The Jedi Council will have to take control of the Senate in order to ensure a peaceful transition." Windu added.

"To a dark place, this line of thought could carry us" warned Yoda, also represented by a hologram. "Great care, we must take".

Could it be true? Thought Anakin. Is the Jedi Council bent on taking over the Senate? Remove the Chancellor? Were they considering eliminating him? What was the dark Force around the Chancellor? It was something that needed to be investigated further.

...

Meanwhile, Padme having given birth to Luke and Leia, was now packing to go find Anakin. She still hadn't been able to contact him and tell him that he had a daughter. He already knew she was having a boy and he wanted to name him Luke, but he still didn't know about Leia. It was a hard time for Padme. She didn't want to leave her newborns, or travel so soon after giving birth, but the communications blackout forced her hand. Her aide, Yane was obviously concerned, but hadn't been able to change her mind. Her nanny would have to care for the babies for a few days while Padme traveled to Corusant.

...

7.
Anakin headed to see Palpatine. He of all people had a knack of putting things in perspective and perhaps he could figure out if the Council was right about the darkness surrounding him.

He found Palpatine in his office, sitting behind his desk as he usually did. He was viewing some data on a screen, which he turned off when Anakin walked in.

"Chancellor, We've received a report that Obi-Wan Kenobi has found Grievous, but they wouldn't tell me where he was."

"Then we can only hope that Master Kenobi is up the to challenge"

"The Council accepted my application to join the Council, but they refused to give me the rank of Master Jedi".

"It's upsetting to me that the Council doesn't seem to fully appreciate your talents. Don't you wonder why they won't make you a Jedi Master?"

"I wish i knew" Anakin pouted. "More and more i get the feeling I'm being excluded from the Jedi". Anakin paused. "I know there are things about the Force that they are not teaching me."

"They don't trust you, Anakin. They see your future. They know your power will be too strong to control. You must break though the fog of lies the Jedi have created around you. I think your path lies along one that does not include the Jedi Order."

"Leave the Jedi?"

"Why not?" Palpatine twisted the conversation to make his opinion seem plausible. "You'd finally be able to be with Padme, you'd be able to do the things you know need to be done and you'd be able to learn the full gamut that the Force has to offer you."

"But how would i learn about the Force without the Jedi Masters?"

"Let me help you know the subtleties of the Force".

"What do you know of the Force?" It was an pertinent question. What should a politician know about secret Jedi stuff?

"The truth is when i was young i was a talented natural Force user. I was able to convince others of my point of view not actually knowing I was tapping into the Force and I had other 'skills'. I soon caught the attention of a Jedi Knight, who wanted to take me to the Jedi Academy. I found their rules stifling and their minds closed. Something i'm sure you can identify with."
Anakin shifted at the uneasy truth. It was almost the same as his life experience and it was one that he could identify with. He'd confided in Palpatine his feelings that the Jedi were holding him back.

Palpatine continued, "Instead of joining the Jedi, I promised them I would not use my force skills and went to University on Naboo instead. Of course, I continued my training on my own and eventually found an old man, Plagueis, who helped me complete my training. After that, I went into politics back on Naboo."

Palpatine paused while he considered how to phrase the next topic. "I can help you. I can teach you all I have learned. You can still become the greatest Jedi of all time, but not with the Old Order holding you back. You've known this for a long time."

Anakin was deep in thought. He new what Palpatine was saying was true, but it was a huge step and he couldn't foresee how they would react if he told them he was leaving the Order. Perhaps this was the darkness the Jedi was referring to, but Anakin couldn't tell if it was because of Palpatine or the Jedi. Finally he made his decision. He would leave the Jedi!

...


8.
Padme arrived back in Corusant. Despite leaving notice with the Jedi that she was landing, hoping they'd send Anakin to meet her at the Space Port, however the only one to greet her was the mechanic Protocol Droid, C3PO, or Threepio, as she called him. He was certainly happy to see her, ending his last few weeks of standing around doing nothing while Padme had been away. He helped her with her bags to the waiting private taxi that took them home.

Back in her apartment, it was cold, not having been lived in while she was away. She sighed as she knew Anakin wasn't waiting for her here either. At some point she would catch up with Anakin to tell him the good news.

...

Grievous flew his speeder at full throttle through a crowd of fighting Republic and CIS forces, knocking them out of the way with little regard. Obi-Wan behind him, dodging the flying debris from the back of his giant lizard creature.

Obi-Wan pulled along side Grievous, who snatched a Electrostaff from a Magna-Guard that he past. He flung it wildly at Obi-Wan, who dodged the staff as best he could. Then Obi-Wan was able to grab the staff, and fought Grievous for the weapon. Obi-Wan wrenched it from Grievous' grip and used it to hit the speeder, hoping to disable it. One swing went too close to Grievous and the cyborg was able to grab it. He pulled Obi-Wan from his ride and Obi-Wan had to mount the speeder behind Grievous. While they struggled for control of the staff, Grievous remembered there was a blaster mounted in a hatch hidden on the speeder. He pulled it out and aimed at Obi-Wan. Before he could get a shot off, they hit a sharp bump and the both were thrown from the speeder, which crashed into a deep crevasse. The two warriors jumped to a defensive posture and Obi-Wan secured the staff, while Grievous grabbed the Blaster. Grievous tried to fire, but Obi-Wan had covered the distance between them and used the staff to knock the Blaster from his hand. With Grievous unarmed, Obi-Wan took the advantage and bashed the staff into him, zapping him with the electrodes in the ends of the staff. Grievous was able to kick Obi-Wan to the ground and now they were both unarmed. Grievous' powerful swings eventually connected with Obi-Wan, knocking him across the room into the side of a waiting fighter. Grievous picked him up with one hand and tried to punch Obi-Wan, but he missed and punched a hole in the side of the fighter. In the ruckus, Obi-Wan pulled Grievous' chest panels open, revealing his biological heart. Grievous was able to land a punch and Obi-Wan was knocked flying again. Before he could get back on his feet, Grievous was over him, trying to stomp him with his huge mechanical feet. Obi-Wan evaded the crashing feet and swung his foot to try and kick Grievous' leg from under him, but this was a mistake. Obi-Wan felt a rush of pain shoot up his leg and he let out a scream. The leg was too hard to kick with a fleshy leg. Grievous picked up Obi-Wan and threw him as hard as he could. Obi-Wan was lucky enough to grab the edge of the crevasse to stop himself from falling. He watched Grievous pick up the Electrostaff and walk towards him. Then he saw the Blaster was close. Using the Force to pull the Blaster to him, he raised it and fired, directly into Grievous' chest, the cyborg's chest panels were still open and his heart took the full blast of energy from Obi-Wan's shot. However, he did not fall, and Obi-Wan fired several more shots to finish off General Grievous. He threw away the Blaster.

"How uncivilized" He complained about the Blaster. He much preferred his Light Saber, but the monster was dead.

...


9.
Anakin sat on the couch in Padme's apartment while he waited for her to get out of the shower. He'd arrived without her knowledge and would surprise her. He recalled a dream he had last night, about Padme and Obi-Wan. He still couldn't decipher what it meant, but he was sure Obi-Wan would be involved in Padme's death. He could feel it. Padme came back into the room.

"Oh, my god, Anakin!" She exclaimed as she ran into his arms. "When did you get back?"

"I have some important news" Anakin said

"I have some important news, too" Padme replied.

"I'm leaving the Jedi Order!"

"What? But being a Jedi is your destiny. You said so yourself"

"It's been too hard being away from you, and with the baby, staying with the Jedi will be impossible"

"I see". Padme was worried how the Order would react. "Have you discussed this with Obi-Wan?"

"Obi-Wan was here, wasn't he."

"I haven't seen him since I got back. He called a couple of hours ago." Padme replied

"What did he want?"

"He's worried about you. He says you've been under a lot of stress". She said as she folded her clothes.

"I feel.. lost"

"Lost?" Padme looked back at Anakin, who stood leaning against the doorway. "What do you mean?"

"Obi-Wan and the Council don't trust me".

"They trust you with their lives."

"Something is happening. I don't know what they're up to."

"You don't trust the Jedi Council?"

"The Jedi Council wants me to spy on the Chancellor. It's pathetic. They know it's wrong. It's illegal and it's treason. They don't seem to care about the laws of the Republic anymore." Anakin took a breath. "Sometimes I wonder what's happened to the Jedi Order. I think this war is destroying the principles of the Republic".

Padme shifted uneasily. She wanted to ask something of Anakin that she'd been considering for some time, but she was unsure how he'd react.

"Have you ever considered we might be on the wrong side?"

"What do you mean?"

"What if the democracy we thought we were serving no longer exists? And the Republic has become the very evil we seek to destroy?

"I don't believe that" Anakin replied with conviction. "and you're sounding like a Separatist!"

"This war represents a failure to listen." Padme argued. "You're closer to the Chancellor than anyone, please ask him to stop the fighting and let diplomacy resume".

"You're asking me to do the same thing that the Council is. You're just as bad. How dare you ask me to do that!"

"I'm asking you to save the Republic!"

"What do you think I've been doing out there all this time?" Anakin could feel the hate swelling within him.

"Making war!" Padme retorted. She regretted the words immediately.

"You don't know what it's like. Sitting here in your safe, comfortable house while I'm out there watching people dying!"

"That's not what I meant"

"Doesn't it matter? How can you say that?" Anakin was agitated.

"Anakin, I didn't mean it."

"Nothing I do matters to you!" He ranted.

"That's not true. I just don't believe war is the answer"

"You don't know what it's like! The Jedi turned against me, don't you turn against me too"

"I don't know you anymore", Padme cried "and it's breaking my heart".

"I've done all of this for you"

"You only think of YOURSELF!"

Anakin slapped Padme for her insult. Her eyes quivered and she ran off, crying. Anakin needed to get out of here, so he left to go for a walk to clear his head.
...


10.
A while later Anakin needed to see someone he knew he could confide in, so he headed to the Chancellor's residence.

Anakin sat beside Palpatine. The room was somewhat darker than normal. It seemed to match the somber mood of the afternoon. He explained his fight with Padme and how he was feeling pressured on all sides.

Palpatine spoke in a soft voice. "Anakin, you know I'm not able to rely on the Jedi Council. If they haven't included you in their plot, they soon will."

"I'm not sure I understand"

"You must sense what I have come to suspect. The Jedi Council want control of the Republic. They are planning to betray me."

"I don't think.."

"Anakin", Palpatine interrupted. "Search your feelings. You know, don't you."

"I know they don't trust you."

"Hmm... or the Senate, or the Republic, or democracy for that matter."

"I have to admit, my trust in them has been shaken" Anakin admitted.

"Why?" Palpatine looked at Anakin, who did not return his gaze. "They asked you to do something you think is dishonest, didn't they? They asked you to spy on me, didn't they?"

"I don't, ah," Anakin shifted in his seat. "I overheard them scheming..."

"Remember back to your early teachings. 'All who gain power are afraid to loose it'. Even the Jedi".

"The Jedi use their power for good" Anakin recited the words.

" 'Good' is a point of view, Anakin. What do you think would happen to someone who could use the Force, but did not want to join the Jedi?"

"I'm not certain". Anakin mused why Palpatine should broach this subject again.

"Have you ever met anyone who was powerful with the Force, but not a Jedi?"

"Only Sith, like Dooku and his dark minions"

"And who trained Dooku to be a Sith Lord?"

"It was Yoda who taught him to be a Jedi Knight"

"... and when he turned his back on the Jedi, he became a Sith?"

"Yes"

"anyone who turns their back on the Jedi are so labeled". Palpatine thought he had made his point.

...

Anakin traveled to the Jedi Temple. He ran his speech around in his head as he tried to formulate the best way to convey his resignation. He waited for the Council to gather and made his announcement.

"Masters, I've come to a decision regarding my place in the Jedi Order." He took a deep breath. "I've come to realize that my position in this organization is holding me back and that I have no future within it's walls. I therefore tender my resignation effective immediately".

The final part of his speech was drown out by gasps and objections from the Masters. Only Yoda remained quiet.

"You can't quit the Jedi Order!" insisted Windu.

"Why not?"

"You made a commitment to the Jedi Order", answered Ki-Adi-Mundi. Some of the others voiced their agreement.

"Never the less. I have made my decision."

The Councilors weren't about to let this rest, with many raising their voices to be heard. All Anakin could here was a bunch of old men, desperate to hold onto their power that he brought to the Order.

"We can't allow you to leave, Skywalker. Not like this." Windu announced. "Master Yoda, what is to happen here?"

The din quieted down, and eventually Yoda spoke.

"If leave you must, but everything you believe in, all will be lost."

Windu was surprised at Yoda's attitude. Surely he wasn't going to let Skywalker leave the order.

"and what of your commitment to the Jedi?" he asked Anakin.

"I've learned all I can from the Order. I must seek my own path". Anakin left the Council chamber and felt a huge weight lift off his shoulders. He knew this was the right decision. As he made his way towards the exit, Windu pulled him up.

"This won't end like this, Skywalker. You owe far to much to the Jedi to walk away."

"What do you intend to do about it, Master Windu?"

"I can only sense, you will come to regret this day." Windu left with one last menacing look.

...

11.
Padme rested on the sofa in her apartment. She was trying to take it easy, as her doctor had instructed, but it was hard to remain still when she had so much on her mind. On top of that, with their fight, and Anakin striking her, she struggled to remain quiet. The door chime rang out. Padme had sent off all her aides and hangers-on, so she had to answer the door herself. She wasn't surprised that it was Palpatine, no doubt here to offer Anakin's apologies and his own kind words. Palpatine had been a friend for a long time, before he was Chancellor, he was a Representative of Naboo, her home planet.

"Come in". Padme guided the Chancellor in to the sofa. "I presume you heard about what happened with Anakin?"

"Yes, he came to see me. He was very upset at what you said. I'm certain once he calms down, he will apologize."

"It's so frustrating. Did he tell you his plans for the Jedi Order?"

"It was I who suggested he leave the Order"

"You? But I thought you were a supporter of the Jedi?"

"Things have changed, my dear. Anakin needs to find his own path".

"Things are falling apart. I feel like I don't know Anakin anymore."

"I'm sure things will come out as I have foreseen." Palpatine said, letting it slip that he could see future events. He turned his back on her, preparing to take the next step in his plans. "I want Anakin to become my new apprentice, but people are holding him back. He needs to let go if he is to become truly powerful".

"What people?" Padme was unsure what he was talking about.

Palpatine pulled up his cloak over his head. He was now Sidious. He drew his Light Saber and turned back to Padme.

"People like you" he told her as he ignited his red Light Saber. He felt the fear shoot through Padme and he struck her down with his weapon. One slash and she dropped to the floor, dead. Sidious looked over her for a moment, before moving over to the security console. He deleted the footage of him killing Padme and inserted some new faked footage that he had prepared earlier. With that, he slipped out, no one knowing he had been there.

...


12.
Anakin returned to the apartment with his apology ready to go. He'd also picked up some flowers that he hoped would help smooth over their argument. When he arrived, the place was abuzz with activity, with emergency vehicles and troops running about. He instinctively knew there was something wrong with Padme and rushed up the stairs at a blinding speed.

He found several people gathered in the middle of the room, as he parted them he saw her lying on the floor.

"Padme, No!" he tried to scream it loudly, but it barely made it out of his mouth. He knelt beside her and pulled her body close to his. She was cold, lifeless. The only sound was the flash from the crime scene investigators' camera, making a record of the scene.

"What happened here?" Anakin wanted to know.

Captain Gregar Typho stood next to Anakin as he let Padme lay back down on the floor.

"I was first on the scene. She was just laying there. Her wounds..." He swallowed at the thought, "...were caused by a Light Saber".

"Who could do such a thing?" interjected Yana.

"Only one way to find out. Check the security logs". Said Typho.

Typho opened the security panel and found the footage of the event had been deleted. He announced the problem and started looking for one of the many data backups that most systems created. Most had been corrupted, but he finally found a remote backup to play.

They watched in horror as they watched Obi-Wan cut down Padme with his Light Saber and leaving her dead. Anakin held his skull, thinking it was going to explode. 'This can't be happening', he thought. He let out an almighty scream and pulled at the Force, smashing much of the glass around the apartment. He made for the door, and Typho tried to stop him, but the others told him to let him go.

Anakin stormed out into the street and punched a recycling box with his fist and the Force and the damage buckled the little metal box. He sat down in the gutter and wept into his hands.
13.
Anakin walked away from Padme's apartment. He wandered for hours, running what had happened through his mind. Eventually he decided to go see Palpatine, but he wasn't sure where he actually was. He drifted through the crowds of people milling about in the dazzling strip lights. He came across a pair of Troopers dutifully guarding a doorway. He asked them to arrange transport for him back to the Chancellor's building. He felt he could always rely on the Troopers.

Back at Palpatine's private suite, he found the old man was expecting him.

"I was shocked at the news, Anakin. Padme was like a daughter to me. Oh, it's so horrible, I can scarcely believe it's possible." Palpatine guided Anakin to sit down and handed him a glass of water. "Was there any hint of who is responsible for this?"

"Oh.." Anakin stuttered. "Obi-Wan"

"Master Kenobi? What is his involvement?"

"I think he's responsible. I think he killed Padme!"

"Oh, I never thought they'd go this far."

"What do you mean?"

"I knew the Jedi would do everything in their power to stop you leaving, but I never considered they'd hurt your family."

"You think the Jedi ordered Padme's death, as a hit?"

"I certainly do. The Jedi won't let you go without a fight. Your alliance with the Force may be the only thing that enables them to survive." Palpatine's argument seemed to be plausible to Anakin, but one question needed answering.

"But Obi-Wan?"

"Kenobi is a soldier. He may not have liked it, but he follows the mantra of the Jedi, where ever his destiny may take him." Palpatine moved close. "That... is his undoing".

"Obi-Wan will die for this, but I will need your help."

"I could teach you that which the Jedi have not. I can teach you the Dark Side of the Force".
...

[aussiemuscle308]

Part Two

14.
"You're a Sith!" Anakin exclaimed
"Nonsense. The Sith are a myth" Palpatine waived his hand dismissively. "Any force user who doesn't join the Jedi Order are called Sith. I studied both the 'light' and the 'dark' side of the force. How else does one achieve balance?"

His answer made sense to Anakin. The Jedi refused to even talk about the Dark side, save for warning against it's use and describing it as a path that cannot be changed once started. It seemed to him that if one could use a combination of power and respect, then a sort of Zen would be achievable. He recalled the prophecy that Windu had told him about, that he would bring balance to the Force. Perhaps that is what the prophecy meant?

Palpatine started ranting. "Don't deny your true emotions, anger, calm, hate, love. These are all natural feelings. To deny them is to make you something other than human. How can you not feel love for Padme or hatred for Grievous? The Jedi fear these emotions because they don't know how to control the Force through them. If you embrace these emotions, good or bad, they make you more powerful.

Anakin nodded. It was true that he felt the Order was holding him back, he thought they were afraid he may become more powerful than any of them.

"I need to get out of the Order", he stated.

"Yes" this was just what Palpatine wanted to hear. "You do need to get out of the Order, but they won't let you just leave. That is why they strike at your family".

"They won't be able to stop me!" Anakin pointed out. "I can't continue with them, knowing they are behind it".

"But they will try. We have only one choice. The Jedi must be disbanded."

"Is that possible?"

"Certainly, Young Skywalker. As Supreme Chancellor I have that power. What I do not possess is the skills to take on the Jedi Council. I will sign a Superior Order to disband the Jedi. In the meantime, I want you to go to the Jedi Temple, make them to hand over the murderer, Obi-Wan Kenobi. If they will not, we will eliminate them. I'm sure with your elite Clone Troopers you should be able to convince them to hand him over."

Palpatine signed a letter demanding that the Jedi Council hand over Obi-Wan, and handed it to Anakin.
"This is an official Chancellor's order that the Council hand over Kenobi. If they do not comply, they will be in contempt of this Office and we have justification to shut them down."
As Anakin added the note to his pocket, Palpatine showed him the door. "The Senate have been wary of the Jedi Council's continued grab for power. They have already indicated their support for this action", He reassured the young man.
Anakin's arrival at the Jedi Temple was met without fanfare. He sought out the Jedi Council, finding only Mace Windu was available. He walked up to his desk and placed the letter in front of him.

"What is this?" Windu queried Anakin.

"It is an order from the Chancellor. I am to arrest Obi-Wan Kenobi"

"On what charge?"

"Murder"

"Senator Amidala? That is ridiculous. Kenobi hasn't been on Corusant for days." Windu pointed out.

"Never the less, if you do not hand him over, you will be in contempt of a Senatorial Order."

"Kenobi is on assignment in the Outer Rim. He will not be back for some time. When he gets back, he will answer the charges."

"Then tell me where his is. I will bring him back to Corusant myself."

"You are no longer in the Jedi Order. We deal with our own. We will bring him back."

"That is not acceptable. The Chancellor will hear about this".
...

15.
Anakin's accusation that Kenobi was behind Padme's death was more than a little concerning to Windu. It was also far too coincidental. Not believing in coincidence or luck, Windu decided to start investigating this immediately.

Having spoken with the witnesses, he headed to the Senate to get permission from the Judiciary to gain access to the relevant material. He would act as Obi-Wan's defense advocate in order to protect a member of the Jedi Council. He took the documentation to the Jedi Archives, and searched over everything, looking for any inconsistencies. There wasn't much, but he had concerns over the footage of Obi-Wan. He sent it to Master Varied, who he thought might have enough video forensic knowledge to find out if it was fake.

"I've looked over this footage a thousand times, Master Windu". Varied told him. "I thought it was perfect, but then I found one, tiny error."

"That's what I expected. There was no way Kenobi could have been on Corusant to have killed Senator Amidala."

"It could be just corruption of the data, but if you look at the reflection of the event in this vase", he zoomed in the image. "It shows Kenobi's Light Saber with a blue blade".

"Kenobi uses a blue blade."

"Yes, but the very last frame of the sequence, it flashes red".

"You are saying...?" Windu waited for the full explanation.

"It could be just corruption, as i said, or it could be the original footage was altered. Do you know anyone who uses a red Light Saber".

"Only Sith use red. At least, traditionally. If this is a Sith plot, it's certainly effective. See if you can find anymore 'original' footage. It may help Kenobi's defense".

"I was saving the best for last. The reflection in the last frame also shows the attacker also wore a grey cloak, not Kenobi's brown one. It could be argued it's just data corruption, but I figure it is sufficient doubt for you to continue your investigation."

"Can we ascertain the Chancellor's whereabouts at the time of the murder?" Windu asked, following his Force foresight.

"Not legally." Varied told him. "If we get caught, it's treason".

"At this point, I think if my suspicions pan out, data access will be the least of the Chancellor's concerns. Hack his account."

...

Anakin had left the Chancellor's office having reporting that Windu wouldn't divulge the location of Obi-Wan. He felt powerless at this point, as he had little he could do at this point. He sat in his speeder, and traveled to Padme's apartment, forgetting it was now empty. He didn't go in, instead he just sat there. As often happened, he had a flash of the future, Palpatine and Windu in armed combat. He fired up the Speeder and headed back to the Chancellor's office.

It took many hours for a room full of Jedi experts to hack Palpatine's accounts. Everything looked in order, but they found something that would spur Windu into action. They found a video message where someone uses the name 'Sidious' when referring to the Chancellor. They cross checked this name and out popped 'Darth Sidious'. Windu finally knew the awful truth, that a Sith Lord was at the head of the Senate.

...





16.
Windu and four other Jedi Masters walked into Palpatine's office.

"Master Windu. I presume General Grievous has been destroyed, then? I must say you are here sooner than expected."

"In the name of the Galactic Senate of the Republic," Windu drew his Light Saber, "you are under arrest, Chancellor." Windu ignited his Light Saber and filled the room with a purple glow from his weapon. The following Jedi also ignited theirs.

"Are you threatening me, Master Jedi?"

"The Senate will decide your fate"

"I am the Senate".

"Not yet" Windu pointed out.

Palpatine stood slowly and drew a Light Saber from his sleeve. He then turned into Sidious. "It's treason, then". He ignited his red Saber and leaped from behind his desk into the waiting posse of Jedi. With skill and speed Windu had rarely seen, Sidious flashed his weapon at the other Masters, cutting them down like Padawans. Their defense weak in the fury of a Sith Master. Windu launched his own attack, giving time for one of the Jedi to regain his footing. Sidious parried with Windu and the other, eventually dispatching his last remaining sidekick. Now the two Masters of the Force squared off against each other in a battle of skill. Windu recognized Sidious' style, he'd seen it before. Using this knowledge, he was able to match the pattern of attacks, enhanced by his Force ability of Precognition.

Sidious kept up his fury, but could not find a hole in Windu's defenses. Windu fell back to allow Sidious to over-reach, using his defensive blows to push Sidious off balance.

Anakin arrived at the Chancellor's building, surprised to find nothing out of order. He felt another disturbance in the Force. Something was definitely up.

Windu and Sidious continued their fight. Windu expected the Sith Lord to be good, but he was still amazed at his ability to fling his body and weapon around with such speed. However Windu recognized his energy was dropping, and he went on the offensive, pushing Sidious back to the large window that backed the office. Sidious hit back, and Windu accidently hit the window with his Saber, causing the glass to shatter, letting in a stiff breeze caused by their height. Sidious seemed to be enjoying this fight and Windu had to dig deep to keep his defenses up to keep Sidious' red Saber away from his body.

Windu called harder of the Force to counter his tiring body, and with a spectacular moment of clarity, he side-stepped Sidious' next attack, causing the Sith to step too close to the window ledge, putting him off balance. Windu pressed the opportunity and Force-Blasted the Dark Lord, pitching him out the window, where he grabbed the ledge. Windu held his place to stop Sidious from re-entering the building. Anakin came running into the room, and found Windu standing at the window, the Chancellor's hands, clinging to the window ledge.

"Stay back, Skywalker", Windu called, not looking up from his quarry.

"Help me, Anakin" Palpatine called from ledge.

Anakin stepped forward, but Windu blocked him.

"This ends now", Windu announced. "He must die"

Thinking Windu might cut the Chancellor from the ledge, Anakin ignited his Saber and dived at Windu.

Windu spun across to avoid the attack, but it gave Sidious the opportunity he needed to hit the Jedi with a lightning attack. The lightning struck Windu in the back and he froze from the energy coursing through his body. The lightning flashed and Palpatine, using so much Force energy, his face started to change to a ragged old man. His skin wrinkled and deformed, his eyes turned yellow and a red aura surrounded his body. He also used the Force to raise himself up, floating just outside the window. Windu made one last desperate attempt to save his own life, slashing his Light Saber at Anakin, who deflected his blade and cut off his hand, severing him from his Light Saber. With the last of his life-force waning, he fell backwards from the window ledge and disappeared into the traffic below.

Sidious moved himself with the Force back into his office.

"Now you see the true power of the Force" he boasted at Anakin, who staggered back from the window to sit on a nearby chair.

"What have I done?" he asked himself.

"You have saved the Supreme Chancellor of the Republic, and your friend".

"What am I going to do?"

"Become my apprentice, Anakin. Learn the true ways of the Force. I can teach you the Dark Side, as well as the Light." Sidous asked, happy to finally reveal his true self.

"I will do it. I will become your apprentice, but I must avenge Padme's death. I must kill Obi-Wan Kenobi".

"Yes. But first, you must cleanse yourself of the Jedi. Anakin Skywalker is a Jedi. Anakin Skywalker is dead. From now on, you are Darth Vader.
...

17.
Obi-Wan arrived back at the space port on Utipah, riding on his giant lizard creature. The battle was in full swing as the Clone Troopers fought with the Separatist Droids. There he found Commander Cody in his white and orange Clone Trooper Armor.

"Commander, contact your troops", Obi-Wan said as he tried to control the lizard. "Tell them to move to the upper levels."

"Very good, sir", he replied. "Oh, and I think you'll be needing this". Cody presented Obi-Wan with his Light Saber that had been dropped in his earlier battle with Grievous. Obi-Wan thanked Cody and headed off into the battle.

With Anakin heading out to the Jedi Temple, Palpatine was alone. He turned to the communications terminal in his office and contacted the Clone Trooper Commanders through a special channel. Each Commander in the Clone Army would receive the same message. Cody's communicator beeped. When he pressed it, a small hologram of the Chancellor appeared.

"Commander, the time has come. Execute order sixty-six". Palpatine ordered.

"Yes, my Lord" Cody replied.

Cody spoke with several other Troopers and he then called the nearby tank to fire at Obi-Wan. It fired at Obi-Wan, the explosion throwing him from his lizard, which ran off. At first Obi-Wan didn't think much of this, it may have been a blast from the Droid army or accidental friendly fire, but he then saw it was no accident as several Republic tanks fired more shells at him. The platform he was on buckled and collapsed and down into the chasm of the space port. Obi-Wan used the Force to soften his landing in a pool of water at the bottom of the chasm.

Meanwhile, on other planets, at other battles, the Clone Troopers received Order 66 from Palpatine and turned their weapons on their Jedi allies. All across the galaxy, Jedi Knights were being killed. Yoda could feel the disturbance in the force, with so many Force sensitives dying, he gripped at his chest. He instinctively grabbed his Light Saber ready. As the Troopers behind him aimed their guns at him, he jumped, ignited his Saber and chopped both their heads off. The Wookies by his side, growled in confusion. He quickly explained what was happening to them and they whisked him away to safety.

Vader arrived at the Jedi Temple, finding a whole battalion of Troopers waiting for him. They formed into a column behind him as he walked up to the main entrance. They didn't meet any resistance until they entered the Main Hall, there the Troopers opened fire on the waiting Jedi, with Vader watching from behind. He only moved into the battle to strike down those Jedi who put up more resistance than the Troopers could handle.

The Troopers moved on to battles further down the corridor, but Vader could sense they had missed some lifeforms hiding in a nearby room. He used the Force to unlock and open the door and stepped into the darkened room. At first it appeared empty, but soon a youngling, a boy too young to be a Padawan learner, creped out from the shadows, followed by several other younglings.

"Master Skywalker, there's too many of them. What are we going to do?" the boy asked.

Vader answered the question by igniting his Light Saber, the sudden noise startling the boy. The Light Saber cut down the children without any screams or running. It was easier than the thought it would be. It might have cut Anakin's soul to the core, but Vader just did what needed to be done.


18.
Obi-Wan swam through the water tunnels to a safe area using his Rebreather that he always carried on him. Upon pulling himself out of the water, he reflected on what just happened. Sneaking around, he eventually overheard some Troopers talking about finding the last few Jedi that they'd yet to eliminate, and they hadn't found Obi-Wan's body, but suspected he was dead due to the height of the fall. Obi-Wan decided he needed another way out. He retraced his steps back to where he'd killed Grievous, who's ship was still hidden away on the platform where they'd finished their fight. He climbed aboard and took a path that covered his vector from the Republic warships in orbit. Once clear he tried several secure channels, not getting any contact from any Jedi. He tried a high level security channel and picked up a signal from Senator Organa's ship

"Senator Organa, do you read me?"

"bgohaisoereaedsfe" was the reply

"Please repeat"

"Master Kenobi, we are receiving your signal".

"Senator Organa, my Clone Troopers turned on me. I need help."

"We've just rescued Master Yoda. It appears this catastrophe has happened everywhere. I'm sending you our coordinates.

Having secured the Jedi Temple, Vader turned on his communicator and sat it on the floor. A hologram of Sidious was projected from it and he knelt before him.

"I have secured the Jedi Temple. There were no survivors." Vader reported

"You have done well, my new apprentice", Sidious said. "Now, Lord Vader, go to the Mustafar system and destroy the Separatist leaders and bring peace to the Empire".

"Yes, My Lord."

...
19.
Vader stepped into his fighter and punched in the coordinates for Mustafar, the off-world headquarters for the Separatist leaders.
Obi-Wan arrived at Organa's ship, and was pleased to see Yoda had survive the purge.

"How many survivors?"

"Heard from no one, we have." Yoda sounded worried. "None have we found"

"I saw hundreds of Troopers attacking the Jedi Temple. That is why i went looking for Master Yoda", Organa told Obi-Wan.

"Have you had any contact from the Temple?" Obi-Wan tried to relax to not let his emotions over take his mind.

"Received a coded retreat message we have." Said Yoda

"It instructs all Jedi to return to the Temple." Organa added. "It says the war is over".

"Well then, we must go back. This cannot be left alone. If there are any stragglers, they will surely fall into the trap and be killed." Obi-Wan pointed out.

"Dismantling of this message, suggest, do you? Yoda asked him.

"Yes Master, there is too much at stake".

"I agree. And a little knowledge may light our way" Yoda concluded.

...

Meanwhile on the volcanic planet of Mustafar, Droids continued collecting molten rock for the machines of the production facility.

In the Control Tower, Sidious, represented by his hologram, addressed the assembled leaders.

"As i have forseen, things are progressing well."

"The plan has gone as you promised, my Lord", the Viceroy addressed him

"You have done well, Viceroy." Sidious congratulated him "When my new apprentice arrives, he will take care of you."

Sidious' hologram disappeared, and the Leaders resume their war planning.

...

Organa's ship arrived in orbit of Corusant, carrying the two last Jedi Masters. Sneaking in wasn't going to be easy, but at least being a Senator, he might not have to submit to any sort of search.

He sat behind the commander waiting for landing approval to come through. When they did reply, they were told they were going to receive a message from the Supreme Chancellor's office. The waited even longer. Though it was only a few minutes, it felt like hours due to the tension. Finally the call came through. It was Chancellor's Aide Mas Amedda, a horned, blue alien.

"The Chancellor has called a special session of Congress. Your presence is required".

"I shall be happy to attend", he replied as the transmission ended. "Well, we're in. I'll attend this special session and meet you afterwards for extraction."

"If a special session of congress, there is, easier to sneek in, for us it will be" Yoda noted.

...

It was some time later when Vader finally pulled out of Hyperspace at Mustafar. He guided his ship over the vast fields of glowing hot lava to a command structure nestled into the wall of a chasm, which stood over a river of lava. It's heat extractors position precariously over the hot rock to pickup it's heat and convert it to energy. Vader landed on the platform and immediately headed to the Control Bunker. Artoo was with him, who didn't seem to recognize the change in his Master.

"Artoo, stay with the ship"

In the air conditioned control room, he found a buzz of activity, as the war planning and resource management was at full swing. He noted as he passed several alien guards and the location of everyone else in the room.

"Welcome, Lord Vader." Announced Viceroy. "We've been expecting you".

He wasn't expecting Vader's move, which was to use the Force to close off all the windows and doors. He drew his Light Saber, now red, and started killing the Separatist Leaders, their Guards and the Droids. Some tried to flee, but found the doors would not open and soon met their destiny. Vader now turned his yellow eyes to the last remnants of the facility and viewed the destruction he had caused, and he felt the power of the Dark Side of the Force.

...

At the Jedi Temple, a battle quickly erupted when Obi-Wan and Yoda made an appearance, but two Jedi Masters easily dispatched the few remaining Troopers.

They infiltrated the destroyed ruins of the Temple and came across the bodies of some younglings lying dead on the floor.

"Not even the Younglings survived." Obi-Wan mourned.

"Not killed by Clones, these Padawan." Yoda noted. "by a Light Saber, he was".

The stopped for a moment of silence.

"I have recoded the message, warning all Jedi to stay away". Obi-Wan informed Yoda.

"A long time, it will take the Clones to realize, that the code has been recalibrated".

Obi-Wan wanted to know who had done this, so he immediately stepped over to a nearby console. No one had bothered to secure the databank, so he was able to access the footage from the security cameras.

"If into the security recordings you go, only pain will you find" Yoda warned.

"I must know. I must know the truth, Master."

He began the replay and saw a Jedi Knight killing the others. His eyes widened with horror as he realized he was looking at Anakin killing with cold ruthlessness.

"It can't be!" Then Obi-Wan saw something that was even harder to believe. Anakin on his knees in front of a cloaked man.

"You have done well, my new apprentice", the figure said. "Now Lord Vader, go to the Mustafar system and destroy the Separatist leaders and bring peace to the Empire".

"I can't watch anymore. I can scarcely believe my eyes." Obi-Wan switched off the hologram.

"Destroy the Sith, we must". Yoda pleaded.

"Send me to kill the Emperor. I will not kill Anakin"

"To fight Lord Sidious, strong enough, you are not"

"He is like my brother. I cannot do it"

"Twisted by the Dark Side, young Skywalker has become". Yoda moved to the door. "The boy you trained, gone his is. Killed by Darth Vader, you must consider him. Go to the Mustafar system, you must. Destroy Vader before his evil spreads."

"How could this have happened, right under our noses? How can I kill a Brother Jedi as close to me as Anakin?"

"Search your feelings, and find him you will, Obi-Wan" Yoda left the control room, with Obi-Wan's face pleading him to change his mind. Obi-Wan had to accept that not only was there no one else to do this task, but it should be him to end the terror that he had unleashed upon the Galaxy.

...

Yoda crawled along the duct. He'd gained access to the Chancellor's building by accessing the ducted heating system from the roof. His small size made it easy for him to navigate the tiny duct. He was looking for the Sith Lord that he could feel was definitely in this place. He looked down through a grate and saw the Dark Side creature below him.

"The Separatists On Mustafar have been dealt with, my Master." Darth Vader's Hologram said.

"It is finished, then". Sidious concluded. "You have restored peace and justice to the Galaxy. Send a message to the Trade Federation. All Droids must shut down, immediately. Remain on Mustafar and eliminate Mar Tuuk when he arrives."

"Very good my Lord". Vader replied.

Yoda sighed from his vantage point. He meditated for a few minutes to clear his mind in preparation for the battle about to begin.

...

Obi-Wan snuck off Corusant with Organa's help, and headed for the Mustafar system to meet his destiny. With his Hyperdrive strained to maximum speed, he arrived in only a few hours.


...


The special session of the Senate of the Galactic Republic came to order and Palpatine described the events of the last few hours. The Senators were aghast that the Jedi had attempted a coup that involved assassination of the Supreme Chancellor.

Senator Organa arrived fashionably late, and sat next to his ally, Senator Mon Motha.

"What is happening?"

"The Chancellor has been elaborating on a plot by the Jedi to overthrow the Republic."

"....and the remaining traitors will be hunted down and eliminated." The Chancellor's voice boomed across the Senate Chamber. "The attempt on my life, has left me scarred, and deformed. But I assure you, my resolve has never been stronger!

"In order to preserve the security and continuing prosperity, the Republic will be reorganized into the FIRST... GALACTIC.. EMPIRE for a safe and secure society."

The Senate's applause echoed across the chamber.

"So this is how liberty dies." Organa whispered to Mon Motha. "With thunderous applause".

...

Darth Vader had remained on Mustafar for an incoming transport that was supposed to rendezvous with the Separatists. He approved the transport's request to land and waited patiently to destroy the last remnants of the Separatists.

As the transmission to the transport ended, he heard a beeping alert. An unidentified craft was approaching. Vader looked at the configuration and confirmed it with the Force. Obi-Wan Kenobi was here.

...

Having completed his meditation, Yoda climbed down from the vent into a nearby corridor and walked straight in the front door of the Emperor's office. The guards at the door fell backwards as Yoda pushed them with the Force. Mas Amedda, the Chancellor's aide stood his ground behind Sidious.

"I hear a new apprentice you have, Emperor. Or should I call you 'Darth Sidious?"

"Master Yoda. You survived. How unfortunate!"

"Surprised?"

"Your arrogance blinds you, Master Yoda. Now you will feel the full power of the Dark Side."

Sidious fired a Force Energy bolt of electricity at Yoda, who took it on the chest and was flung across the room.


20.
Obi-Wan jumped out of his ship to find Vader waiting for him. The ground started to shake from the volcanic activity bursting around them and the deep red hue made Vader all the more menacing.

"You've come here to kill me, Obi-Wan?"

"I've got to stop you from going down this path."

"I've chosen my destiny... and I've chosen yours, Jedi". Vader said.

"I don't understand what's happened to you."

"Everything that's happened is your fault" Vader accused him.

"But you're going down the path to the Dark Side!"

"If the Dark Side opens up the universe and gives me more power, who are you to question it?"

"It's not our way", Obi-Wan couldn't hide the desperation in his voice.

"It's not YOUR way. I am no longer a Jedi. My mind is not closed anymore".

"A dark lord has twisted your mind and now you have become the very thing you swore to destroy".

"Don't lecture me, Obi-Wan. I see through the lies of the Jedi. I do not fear the Dark Side as you do. I've done what you couldn't. I've brought peace, justice and security to my new Empire."

"Your new Empire?"

"Yes, but you won't be around to see it"

"Anakin, my allegiance is to the Republic, to democracy"

"If you're not with me, then you are my enemy"

"Only a Sith deals in absolutes." Obi-Wan came to the realization that Anakin really was gone. "I will do what I must do".

"You will fail"

Obi-Wan and Vader ignited their Light Sabers and while Obi-Wan moved towards Vader, Vader jumped high in the air, landing behind Obi-Wan. Vader's attacks were not only fast but precise and Obi-Wan had to dig deep into his repertoire to keep him from taking advantage. Vader backed Obi-Wan to the edge and he had to dive to keep from being trapped. Still Vader kept coming. Obi-Wan reminded himself this was always going to be a difficult battle to win.

Their Sabers clashed as Obi-Wan backed across the gangway into the command building. He had little answer to Vader's attack other than to defend every swing and back off to give himself space. Even some of his best moves did little to unbalance Vader.

...

Yoda's body laid on the other side of the office, unmoving. Sidious approached him while his aide Mas Amedda make a quick exit.

"I have waited for this for a long time, my little green friend." Sidious said as he crossed the room. "At last the Jedi are no more".

Yoda was alive, but not moving. Eventually he pulled himself to his feet.

"Not if anything to say about it, I have" He said as he used a Force Push to send Sidious flying back across the room. He hit his desk and landed awkwardly on his seat.

"At an end, your rule is. And not short enough, it was". Yoda told him.

Sidious jumped his desk at to make his escape, but Yoda also took to the air landing in his way in front of the door.

"If so powerful you are, why leave?" Yoda asked as he drew and ignited his Light Saber.

"You will not stop me. Darth Vader will become more powerful than either of us". Sidious drew his own Light Saber, it's red blade contrasting Yoda's green.

"Faith in your new apprentice, misplaced it is. As is your faith in the Dark Side of the Force." Yoda dived towards the Sith Lord, with more grace and skill of any Master. His small stature and old age was no barrier to him throwing himself around with colossal leaps and spins, all intended to keep his opponent off balance. While Yoda was serious with intent, Sidious laughed and cackled wildly. He was enjoying this.

...

Things were not so bad for Obi-Wan as he battled to keep on top of Vader's aggressive attacks. As they pushed Sabers together, Vader used his spare hand to grab Obi-Wan by the neck, using his mechanic prosthetic to choke Obi-Wan with his strong mechanical grip. Vader pushed him over towards the floor, ever closer to his Light Saber. Finally Obi-Wan's weight transferred far enough that he could kick Vader away. As soon as Obi-Wan got back to his feet he saw Vader coming at him. With a massive kick, Vader sent him falling back, loosing his grip on his Saber. Vader stepped aside which gave Obi-Wan the space to regain his Saber and launched a successful counter-attack with his boot to Vader's abdomen. They came together again, Sabers crackling like angry lightning.

With the fight continuing into the next room, they now had room to make flashy moves to really show their ability with the Force. Obi-Wan knew he had to change tactics, so he tried a Force Push, only for Vader to perform the exact same move, cancelling it out. Obi-Wan kept pushing harder and harder, feeling Vader was starting to give a little, but he could maintain it no longer and when they both stopped, the power blasted them both across the room.

...

Yoda jumped onto the plinth elevator that the Chancellor would use to get to the Senate floor. Sidious joined him striking with his Saber. He hit the switch to raise the plinth and they were raised up through the opening ceiling into the main Senate Hall. It was empty of Senators now, but the hundreds of Repulsorpods were still in place ready for the next sitting.

Sidious struggled to end the fight, no matter where he struck, Yoda had already moved and he only struck the green Saber. This little green creature was unbelievably very powerful with the Force.

Sidious needed to change tactics, so he jumped away from Yoda on the Plinth and landed high up among the Repulsorpods. He used the force to throw one of the Repulsorpods directly at Yoda, who jumped clear of the incoming machine, leaving it to crash down into the Repulsorpods below. More and more Repulsorpods came raining down as Sidious tried to hit the little green fellow. Yoda grew tired of this and when Sidious sent the next one down, he used the Force to grab it and tried to fire it back at Sidious. It hung in the air with two opposing Force user trying to move it. With deep concentration, Yoda sent the Repulsorpod back at Sidious with some velocity. Somewhat surprised that Yoda had turned it against him he dived off the Repulsorpod where he was standing and used the Force to cushion his fall as he landed several hundred feet below. He looked around for Yoda, who wasn't to be seen, then he heard a Light Saber behind him, Yoda stood ready to attack. Sidious reached out with his hand and used Force Lightning to counter Yoda's impending attack. Yoda, momentarily off balance, lost his grip on his Light Saber and it fell to the bottom of the Senate floor. Yoda could not retrieve it, as he was defending himself against Sidious' lightning attack. By holding his hands and concentrating, he was able to join himself into the electrical circuit created by the metallic Repulsorpod and Sidious. It hurt, but Sidious could not use this attack to kill him, and Yoda knew a defense to this attack. He started pulling more and more power until Sidious started to feel the drain, and when Sidious broke the circuit, the excess energy blasted him and Yoda off the Repulsorpod.

Sidious landed on a nearby Repulsorpod and used the Force to cushion his landing, but he rolled too far and clung to the machine by a grab rail. Yoda though fell all the way to the Senate floor, landing heavily. He struggled to his feet.

Yoda decided he needed to retreat. He crawled into a nearby duct and made his escape. He called Senator Organa to come and rescue him.

...

The Clone Troopers reported to Sidious that they could not find Yoda.

"Then he is not dead. Double your search" He commanded.

"Yes, Lord". The Troopers left.

"Have the Captain prepare my shuttle for immediate departure." Sidous told his aide, Mas Amedda. "I sense Lord Vader is in grave danger."

Yoda arrived at a vent to the outside world. He opened it and looked down, happy when a speeder arrived underneath. Senator Organa waited while Yoda jumped down into the seat next to him and they took off at high speed.

"Into exile, i must go" Yoda told the Senator. "Failed, I have".


...

As Obi-Wan pulled himself to his feet, Vader was powering across the room. Obi-Wan had to dive out of the way of his incoming strike, which instead went through a control panel. Computers started wailing and alert sirens sounded. Vader had disabled the station's shields that protected it from the hot lava. Obi-Wan pushed back, but he had to retreat to keep his distance and save his energy. He hoped that if Vader kept pushing, he would run out of energy first. They fought out the door and along the gangway over the lava pit and onto the heat transfer unit, a huge metal panel that hung out over the incredible heat of the lava, converting it to energy.

Obi-Wan jumped down onto the control arm of the heat unit with Vader striking at him, he backed off along the device, but the metallic surface wasn't ideal for grip or balance, as it was greasy and it wobbled, ike walking a tightrope. Obi-Wan backed off and Vader followed. When Vader attacked, neither could keep their balance and Obi-Wan jumped to a nearby walkway. Vader, frustrated, kept after him. They clashed again as the Lava blasted up past them. With the shields down, the plant was taking damage and was falling apart.

As Obi-Wan and Vader fought along the walkway, the lava spewed up from below and washed across the walkway. Not only was their way off this device now cut off, the lava was damaging the support cables. Obi-Wan retreated further out to the end of the machine with Vader hot on his heels. They exchanged Saber blows while avoiding raining lava stones about the size of baseballs. They had to take cover in the edges of the machine's main prongs to avoid being burned by the hot rocks. The support cables continued to break and the weight shifted to the main shaft, which weakened from the intense heat from the lava that was pouring over it. Obi-Wan and Vader had to hang on as the structure began to fall. They ran as far as they could, clinging to the main shaft as the end of the machine splashed into the river of lava.

Obi-Wan could scarcely believe it, but even while hanging precariously over boiling lava on a structure that was sinking and melting, Vader still wanted to fight on. He slashed at Obi-Wan's feet, forcing him to defend himself while hanging on with one hand. With this crazy fight going on, the lava river came to a cliff, where the lava cascaded over like an orange waterfall down hundreds of feet into a lava lake. Obi-Wan dived across and grabbed one of the broken support cables to swing to safety. He let go of the cable and landed himself onto a platform being operated by a Droid that had been collecting lava samples. As the machine drifted over the fall, Vader ran it's length and fired himself towards Obi-Wan, landing near him on a Droid that was working next to Obi-Wan's platform. The Droid struggled with the weight of a person on it and dropped it's bucket, loosing enough weight to get out of the lava. Obi-Wan used the time it took for Vader to reach him on the back of the Droid by using the Force to cool himself down. The air was thick and hard to breath, but still, Vader wanted to continue the fight. They clashed again until separated by the Droid slowing down. Obi-Wan rested his mind while Vader used the Force to push the Droid towards Obi-Wan's platform.

"I have failed you, Anakin. I have failed you." Obi-Wan shouted over the roar of the lava.

"I should have known the Jedi wouldn't let me leave. I should have known they'd send you to kill Padme"

"You think I'm responsible for that? I was in the Outer Core when I heard"

"LIAR! I will kill you!"

They were near enough to the bank that Obi-Wan could jump ashore. He could see Vader intended coming after him.

"No, Anakin. I have the high ground".

Vader jumped from the Droid with a spin and Obi-Wan slashed at him, completely cutting off both his legs and his last remaining arm. Vader screamed in pain as he slid down the bank towards the lava river. He grabbed at the ground with his remaining prosthetic arm, trying to stop his decent, but he was too close and his clothes caught fire. Obi-Wan watched in horror as his friend writhed in agony, but at least he wouldn't have to kill him, the lava would do that for him. He turned off his Light Saber and headed for back to his ship. He could hear the last of the curses from Vader, and then silence. 'It was done then', he thought.

Obi-Wan returned to his ship and called Artoo to go with him. As he lifted off, he did not see the shadowy figure emerge to watch him go.

Sidious had arrived and summoned the Troopers and bodyguard to find Vader. He would save him if he still lived.

Vader had managed to pull himself further up the bank when the Troopers found him. His body burned and his limbs cut off, but he was still alive. The medics rushed to his side. They loaded Vader into a medical capsule and transported him to a nearby Republic Cruiser which had the facilities to treat him. They immersed him in life giving Bacta, a liquid that enhanced healing. Vader would live.

Sidious had the medical technicians build him a life suit, which would help with his breathing, administer pain suppressants and replace his severed limbs. He also needed a voice box to assist his damaged vocal chords.

Vader eventually regained consciousness.

"Arise, Lord Vader" Sidious commanded him.

"I am alive?" Vader asked, but his voice now deep and menacing.

"You will never be able to take this suit off, except for maintenance." The medic informed him. "but you will live."

"Lord Vader. You are strong with the Force. You will recover, and together, we will rule the Galaxy!"

...

Bail Organa's ship arrived at Naboo. This would be a safe harbor for them to refuel and resupply, as Organa had a long relationship with the Royals on Naboo. They landed in a secure hanger in the picturesque capital.

Yoda had another matter to attend at Naboo, which Obi-Wan had not considered.

"Safe, the children must be kept". Yoda discussed with Obi-Wan and Bail Organa. "Living under the Emperor, they cannot be kept."

"We need to hide them where the Sith cannot sense their presence" Obi-Wan added.

"Suggestion, you have, Bail?"

"My wife and I can take the girl. It was already announced that we were to have a daughter, but my wife miscarried. If we took Leia, she could be the daughter we were intended to have. She will be loved."

"and what of the boy?" Obi-Wan asked.

"On Tatooine, To his family he should go". Yoda insisted.

"I will take the child and watch over him". Obi-Wan said, his thoughts deep in the last few days.

"Until time is right, disappear we must". Yoda concluded. Organa walked out to organize things, but Yoda stopped Obi-Wan.

Senator Organa approached a couple of men talking in the corridor.

"Captain Antilles, I'm placing these Droids in your care. Clean them up. Have the Protocol Droid delivered to my wife.


"Obi-Wan, a word. In your solitude on Tatooine, training I have for you." Yoda explained.

"Training?"

"A path of an old friend, to immortality. With this power, one can return from the netherworld of the Force. Was your old Master, it was"

"Qui-Gon Jinn?"

"How to commune with him, I will teach you."

...

So Leia was delivered to a loving mother on Alderaan, and Luke to his Aunt Beru on Tatooine. Obi-Wan watched Beru take the baby and worried about the future. How would he explain to this child how he had been good friends with his father? Would he seek him out if he found out?

...

Several days later, Darth Vader walked onto the bridge of his new Command ship. There he stood beside the Emperor and stared out the viewport at their new weapon that would ensure loyalty to the Emperor. The Death Star.

The end

Draft 1: Avenger of the Sith by Kevin Wolfe (rewrite of Revenge of the Sith by George Lucas). 29/12/2012.