Chapter Sixty-Four
Anakin

I don't think I have ever ran faster in my life. As soon as my ship hit the ground outside the senate building, I jumped out of my seat and sprinted towards the Chancellor's office. I pass by several senators as I run through the halls of the building, all of whom stare at me in confusion and wonder. Some of them look concerned, because of course it can't be a good thing that a Jedi is sprinting through the halls like this. They must have already seen Master Windu and the other Jedi come in, it must make them feel on edge.

Part of me wonders where Padmé and Aiden are, if they are in their offices right now. I hope when whatever happens happens, those two will be alright. I would warn them, but I don't have any time to loose. I may be already too late.

The ride in the elevator is excruciatingly slow, I'm practically fuming from annoyance as the doors finally slide open, allowing me to enter into the Chancellor's office. As soon as I step out of the elevator, I sense a great disturbance in the force. I sense death, destruction, anger. I sense the dark side. And perhaps for the first time in my life, when I sense the dark side, I don't fear it or turn away from it, I instead walk further into the Chancellor's office, greeting the darkness like an old friend. In many ways it feels like it is.

What I find inside Palpatine's main office is not what I had expected. The Chancellor is laying on the floor, his body heaving for breath, completely unarmed and at the mercy of Mace Windu standing above him, his purple lightsaber pointing at his face.

"Anakin, what did I tell you? The Jedi are taking over!"

Master Windu shakes his head, looking down disgusted at the Chancellor. "The oppression and corruption of the Sith will never return. You have lost, my lord."

A smile comes across Palpatine's face, despite his obvious disadvantage. But looks can be deceiving, because Palpatine lifts his hands up and points them at Windu, revealing a different kind of weapon to use against him. Lightning bolts fly out of his finger tips, connecting with Windu's lightsaber, the clash of the two so bright that I can hardly look.

"He's a traitor!" Palpatine yells over the crackling sounds of the lightning.

"He's the traitor!" Windu grunts out, his teeth gritted in concentration as he pushes against the force lightning.

Some of the lightning begins to bounce off of the lightsaber and back towards the Chancellor, weakening him further and frying his skin as he sits there whimpering for me to help him.

"I can save the one you love!" Palpatine whimpers out.

"Don't listen to him, Anakin!" Windu yells, his face filling with determination as it becomes clear who will be winning this fight. We all know the Chancellor can't hold on for much longer. Even he begins to say so, whimpering out that his power is draining, that he can't hold off Windu forever. He's going to die.

Windu seems more than happy to make the final blow. "I'm going to end this!" He says, his voice oozing with anger and lust for vengeance.

If Palpatine dies, Fallon dies. I look frantically at Windu. "No! He must stand trial!"

"He has control of the senate and the courts! He's too dangerous to be kept alive!" Windu tells me, not taking his eyes off Palpatine for a second.

"Don't kill me! Please, please!" Palpatine begs, his head rolling to the side to look at me, his eyes filled with dread, with fear.

I make my voice louder, clearer as I say again; "He must live! This is not the Jedi way! I need him!"

Windu doesn't care, he's too filled with rage, too clouded to even listen to what I'm saying. He swings his lightsaber, ignoring my pleas and Palpatine's. Just as he brings his lightsaber down, I let out a screeching yell, igniting my own lightsaber and swinging it towards him, severing his hand in one swift motion.

I feel myself stumble backwards, falling down against the Chancellor's desk. I watch Windu scream in agony, clutching his missing arm, not paying attention to Palpatine sitting up behind him. Palpatine brings his hands up again and shoots more lightning, colliding with Windu's chest now that he has no weapon to deflect it. I watch as the light quickly drains from Windu's eyes, his body growing limp, only being kept up by the electrical waves flowing through him. Palpatine shoots his body out the broken window, out towards the passing ships outside, with nothing but Palpatine's cackle to fill the Jedi's last moments.

I sink to the floor, staring down in shock at my hands, at the window, at Palpatine. I feel my heart racing, my eyes flooding with tears, my voice shaking as I whisper; "What have I done?"

I know what I did. I chose my side. Earlier I didn't know if I believed in the Jedi or the Sith more, but it doesn't matter now. I've chosen the Sith. Whether I meant to or not, it's happened. I have chosen the dark side, chosen the path I had fought so hard to stay off of, chosen the very thing I swore to destroy. And I've done it all for Fallon.

You're fulfilling your destiny," Palpatine replies, getting himself off the floor, collecting himself and once more looking like the definition of calm. "Become my apprentice, learn to use the dark side of the force."

I bow my head, slowly beginning to nod it. "I will do whatever you ask. Just save Fallon's life...I-I can't live without her."

"To stop death, is a power only one has achieved, but if we work together, we can discover the secret."

"Then I pledge myself to your teachings." I tell him, a tear slowly slipping down my cheek.

Palpatine closes his eyes, humming, almost cooing as he says; "A powerful Sith, you will become. From this day on, you shall be known as Darth...Vader."

"Thank you...Master."

"Rise," He tells me, making his way over towards his desk, picking up a cloak draped over the chair, slipping it on to cover his deformity. "Since the council didn't trust you, my apprentice, you are the only one who knows of this plot. If the other Jedi were to find out, they would kill us and all the senators."

I nod, getting off of the ground, wiping a straggling tear on my chin. "I agree."

"Every Jedi is now a traitor to the republic. We must move quickly. The Jedi will not stop until they gain ultimate power, this civil war will never end while they are still alive," He tells me, his eyes glowing neon yellow, his sickly smile widening as he orders me; "Go to the temple, show them no mercy, do what must be done, Lord Vader."

"What about the other Jedi spread across the galaxy?"

"They will be dealt with. Your task is at the temple, once you are done there, go to the Mustafar system and wipe out the separatist leaders, only then will you be strong enough to save Fallon."

"Yes, Master."

"Once more the Sith shall rule the galaxy, and finally, we shall have peace once more." Palpatine says, his smile softening, but his malice and determination becoming stronger than ever.

-

Obi Wan

I stare down at Grevious dead body, letting out a sigh of relief. Finally this horrid war is coming to a real end, finally this monster has been put to justice.

I can't afford to spend anymore time focusing on Grevious, not with a battle still raging in the cities of Utapau. Leaving the chard remains of General Grevious behind, I run up towards a Boga, the mount of Utapau warriors. It roars in excitement as I climb onto its back, scurrying off in high speeds as I pull on it's reigns, directing it up towards the upper levels of the city, where gunships and battle droids await their destruction.

As the Boga makes the climb up the platforms though, my eagerness and anticipation begins to die rapidly, a horrible feeling coming over me. I sense something has happened, but I don't know what. I look around, wondering if something has happened in the battle, if the separatists have managed to get the upper hand, but I don't see anything unusual or serious.

I look around for Commander Cody, spotting him several platforms below me. I squint my eyes, trying to see him more clearly, watching several clones begin to clutter around him, including a clone with a canon launcher.

Time itself seems to slow down as the canon launched is directed towards me, hitting the back of the Boga before I even have time to react. The animal looses it's grip and drops down through the levels of the city, with me losing my own grip on it's reigns, cascading down alongside it. Below the city is a large lake, so peaceful from up above, but violent and deadly as I grow closer to it. I brace myself for impact as the fallen Boga and I hit the crashing water, with nothing but the sound of the Boga's dying yelps to fill my head as my eyes flutter shut beneath the water.