Chapter Sixty-Eight
Aiden

The senate has never been more restless, more anxious. Nobody knows what's going on, everyone is shouting and screaming at one another, demanding to know what has transpired today.

Padmé and I are silent as we watch the chaos ensue. I insisted on having her stay in my pod instead of hers, I don't want her to be alone right now. She's sitting down, her shoulders slouched, her face fallen and darkened. It breaks my heart seeing her like this. Genevieve was my queen and my friend, and I loved her very much, but not as much as Padmé did. They had been best friends since they were kids. I may have lost my friend today, but Padmé lost her sister. And I wish there was something I could do to comfort her, but I know I can't. We just have to bear it one day at a time.

The Chancellor makes his appearance in the senate, his body cloaked, his face hidden from the light. But even with his attempt, I can still see the deformity he is trying so hard to hide. His skin looks melted, his eyes glowing yellow, like how General Grevious's eyes used to be. I remember Obi Wan said that he suspects Palpatine is the dark lord of the Sith that the Jedi have heard about for so long. I think he might be right.

Even his voice sounds different, guttural and scratchy as he announces to the senators of the republic; "The Jedi have made an attempt on my life, trying to take over the senate and rule the galaxy in my place. But their feeble plot has been foiled," He tells us, his voice turning triumphant. "The remaining Jedi will be hunted down and defeated!"

This makes the senators applaud, cheering for the destruction of the democracy that we had fought so hard to keep intact. These senators had defended the Jedi, worked alongside them, believed in them. But with one account of an event, the senators all turn on the Jedi. It makes me sick. I refuse to clap, so does Padmé.

Now Palpatine's voice grows darker, his facial expression filled with deception and lies, playing the victim as he confesses; "The attempt on my life has left me deformed, scarred physically and emotionally. But I assure you my resolve has never been stronger! In order to ensure the stability and peace throughout the galaxy, the republic will be reformed to become the first Galactic Empire, for a safe and secure society!"

Palpatine smiles at the senators around the room, raising his hands as if he's soaking in the blind loyalty they are giving him. The senators cheer even louder, welcoming the formation of a tyrannical reign that will bring only destruction, not peace.

I shake my head, sitting down next to my wife, finding her looking as angry as I do. "So this is how liberty dies; with thunderous applause."

I slip my hand into hers, brushing my thumb over her fingers. "What will Obi Wan and Anakin do? Where will they go? What kind of life will they live now?"

Padmé shakes her head, her voice barely above a whisper as she adds on; "And Jayce. He's the rightful king, but with Genevieve gone, Palpatine will put someone else on the throne, someone he can control."

I look back up at the senators, growing angrier as their applause persists. "Part of me is glad Genevieve is gone, because it would have killed her to see the republic become this."

Padmé leans her head against my shoulder, squeezing my hand. "So am I," She murmurs, moving her gaze over to Palpatine, who is still soaking up all the praise. "If he really is a Sith Lord, then all the effort we put in to saving Taris will be undone. I can't imagine he will leave Taris's resources untouched. I'm glad she doesn't have to see her planet fall apart, but I'm devastated that you do."

I kiss the top of her head, trying not to think about what Palpatine might do to Taris. If he's the Sith Lord, that means he's been behind the whole war, it means he was pulling the strings and wanted Count Dooku to attack us, to force us into his clutches. These past few years will be undone, just as Padmé said. But I have to hope that Taris will survive whatever Palpatine or the new Galactic Empire has to throw at it. I have to.

I tell Padmé as much; "Taris is stronger than him, it's stronger than the dark side. I believe that it will make it through this."

Padmé kisses my shoulder, lifting her head up to look at me fully. "I guess I have to believe that, too."

-

Obi Wan

Seeing the temple has made me at a loss for words. The air is filled with ash left over from the fires the clones caused, rubble and dust litter the floor, black marks from blaster fire cover the walls. It feels like I'm walking through a tomb, encasing the death and destruction of the Jedi in what used to be our sanctuary.

Bodies of fallen Jedi and clones are what I notice most as we walk through the temple. I stare down at each of the fallen Jedi, seeing blaster marks on various parts of their bodies, their faces frozen in shock and disbelief, their lightsaber scattered across the floor. Every level of the temple looks the same, there is not one part of the once great staple of the Jedi that is untouched. It's all gone. Within a single day, everything I once knew has been stripped away and blown to bits like the temple around me has.

Not only do I have to mourn my wife, but I have to mourn my fellow Jedi, mourn the life I had, because all of it is gone now.

As Yoda and I walk towards the communications center of the temple, we find something we both had been dreading to find. The younglings, the future of the Jedi order, they all lie on the floor, massacred just like the rest of the Jedi. But these younglings look different than the others, blaster marks aren't covering their small frail bodies, clones were not the reason for their demise. Lightsaber wounds are what killed these younglings. I look down at Master Yoda, finding his eyes closed, his face filled with sorrow and mourning just as mine is.

I can't bring myself to look at the children any longer, so I press on, thankful that the communications center is just ahead.

Master Yoda walks into the center first, approaching the catalogue of data sets and communicators. He makes his way over towards one of the slots, opening it up and beginning to adjust the switches and controls, trying to recalibrate the coded message.

As he does that, I go over towards the catalogue of security footage. There is a data base for it here, allowing us to see any part of the temple at any time. It also allows access to footage in the senate building, so if I access it now, it will allow us to see who was really behind all this.

As I begin to rewind the footage, I hear Master Yoda'z voice say; "If into the security footage you look, only pain you will find." He warns.

I shake my head, continuing to rewind the footage to a few hours ago. "I must know." I tell him, meaning it no matter what I find.

But what I find in the footage, no amount of training or time could ever prepare me for. I see Anakin, my former padawan, my best friend, his lightsaber ignited, his face contorted in anger, slaughtering the younglings. He cuts through them like they are nothing, like they are battle droids and not living beings. I skip more through the footage, seeing him leading an army of clones into the temple, his cloak covering his body in darkness, his face impassive as he begins fighting the other Jedi.

I rewind the footage more, transferring over to the footage from the senate building, going off of a hunch and finding the footage from the Chancellor's office.

"From this day on, you shall be known as Darth...Vader." Chancellor Palpatine says, his face now deformed and grotesque, his voice sickly and deep.

"Thank you...Master." Anakin says, kneeling down before the Chancellor, his face hidden beneath his brown hair.

I turn off the footage, feeling like all air has been sucked from my lungs, like my limbs can no longer function. I just stand there and stare down at the frozen picture of Anakin kneeling to the dark lord of the Sith, feeling like my heart has stopped beating.

"Destroy the Sith, we must." Yoda says gravely. I know what he's implying, I know what he's asking of me, and I shake my head.

"Send me after the Emporer, send me anywhere...but not to Anakin."

"Powerful enough to defeat the dark lord, you are not."

I have never rejected an order from Yoda before, or any of the Jedi council. I have done things that I didn't agree with, I have done things I didn't like, but this, this I cannot fathom doing. I thought that Genevieve would be the reason why I would disobey the council, let my feelings get in the way of my duties. But she wasn't. No, the first time I ever let my feelings cloud my judgment is right now, when I am faced with killing Anakin.

I shake my head again, feeling tears brim my eyes, my voice growing thick. "He's like my brother, I can't do it. I can't loose them both in one day...I can't, I just can't."

"They boy you trained, gone he is. Twisted by the dark side, young Skywalker has become. Consumed by Darth Vader, he has."

Master Yoda begins to make his way towards the exit of the communications center, and I stare after him, my voice right as I say; "I don't know where the Emperor has sent him. I don't know where to find him."

Yoda turns around, his voice matter of fact as he tells me; "The answer, not far it is. The only one to break his oath, you are not. With Fallon Priya, with his wife, you will find his location."

-

Fallon

Jayce sleeps peacefully Aiden's arms as we sit on his and Padmé's couch. He and Padmé returned to their apartment a little while ago, and Aiden offered to watch Jayce to allow Padmé and I to get some rest. But it's impossible.

I can't stop worrying about Obi Wan, hoping that I don't loose another friend today. I worry about Anakin as well, not entirely convinced he's safe from Palpatine's wrath. But above all, I can't rest because Genevieve's body is in the guest room, and every time I think about it I have to fight off tears.

The elevator leading to Padmé and Aiden's apartment dings, letting us know someone has arrived. We all tense up as we wait for whoever it is to come around the corner, and simultaneously let out a relived sigh as we see it's Obi Wan, completely unscathed.

Padmé and I shoot up from the couch, rushing over to him and embrace him. Obi Wan returns our hugs, holding onto both of us tightly, his face as numb as it was when he left. As we pull back from him, his eyes go to Aiden and Jayce, a smile spreading on his face. He gravitates towards his son, taking him out of Aiden's arms and hugging his son tightly to his chest. The little light that's left in Obi Wan seeps out whenever he looks at Jayce, and it gives me comfort that even with Genevieve gone, Obi Wan won't be alone.

"What did you see at the temple?" Padmé asks, walking back over towards the couch and sitting next to her husband. I stand next to them, unable to sit still for another moment.

Obi Wan is rubbing Jayce's back, leaning his head against his. His voice is quiet, deathly quiet as he replies; "It's gone. The Jedi are all gone. We fixed the coded message...but I don't think anyone survived."

"So Palpatine is the Sith Lord?" I ask, watching his eyes dart to me and then instantly dart away. "He was behind all this?"

Obi Wan nods solemnly. "The Jedi, the temple, Genevieve, the war...he was behind it all."

"He's turned the senators to his side," Aiden tells Obi Wan, his face contorting in anger and betrayal. "He's claimed all Jedi are traitors and will be hunted down. He's turning the republic into a Galactic Empire."

"Did he say anything about Taris?" Obi Wan asks, looking at Jayce, looking at the lost prince in his arms.

Padmé shakes her head, resting her hand on Aiden's shoulder. "No. But since he was behind the war and wanted Taris for the separatists, I can only imagine what he will do to Taris now."

I shake my head, feeling my heart break bit by bit with every passing breath. This whole day is too much to handle, to painful to bear. The four of us have endured enough pain for a lifetime. Everything we worked for the past few years, all that effort to save Taris was for nothing. Taris has now lost its queen and its freedom. I don't know how it will survive what Palpatine will do to it. I can only hope it will.

Obi Wan lets out a sigh, walking over towards Padmé and handing his son over to her. The three of us watch him begin to pace back and forth in the apartment, rubbing a hand over his beard in concentration.

"I saw something while I was at the temple, something in the security hologram footage." He begins, looking directly at me.

I feel my heart rate pick up, my voice low as I dare to ask, taking a step forward; "What did you see?"

He closes his eyes, letting out a shaky breath as he takes a step towards me, grabbing onto my hands, holding them between us. "Anakin was there at the temple, Fallon. He was the one that killed the Jedi there, everyone, even the younglings."

I rip my hands out of his grip, feeling my mouth gape open in shock, feeling my breaths grow shallower with each attempt to force air into my lungs. I can't even hear myself as I say breathlessly; "I don't believe you. How-how can you say that? It's Anakin he-he could never—"

"I saw him bowing before Palpatine. I saw him call Palpatine his master, adopt the name Darth Vader. I know it's hard to believe, but I saw it. Anakin has turned to the dark side."

I keep shaking my head, feeling like I might pass out. I don't want to believe it's true, I want to keep denying it, but as seconds turn into minutes, as I let myself process this information, I start to question things. I've always known there's a darkness in Anakin, I saw it from the moment his mother died. When he cried in front of me and told me that he massacred an entire tribe of Tusken Raiders in revenge, that darkness was there. When he saw that Mandalore was in danger and the council wouldn't help, darkness was there. When Pre Vizsla killed Ashoka and Satine and he decapitated him, the darkness was there. And ever since I got pregnant, and he has been plagued with nightmares of my death, I have seen the darkness fester and grow more and more. And just like with the war, Palpatine has been behind it all. He has been twisting Anakin's mind and manipulating him to think this is the right thing to do. That has to be why.

I place my hand over my stomach, feeling a rush of determination flow through me as I march into Padmé's room and steal one of her jackets, returning to the living room moments later, getting raised eyebrows from all three of them.

I give them an obvious look. "I'm going after him. If he's really turned to the dark side, then I'm going to bring him back to the light, knock some sense into him."

Obi Wan shakes his head. "He's too dangerous, you didn't see what he did at the temple."

"I'm not ready to give up on him," I say defensively. "Are you? He's like a brother to you, don't you want to bring him back?"

"Of course I do, but—"

"And you think you can bring him back without me? If anyone can get through to him, it's me. I've already lost my queen and I'm going to witness my planet go to ruins. I refuse to lose my husband because some all powerful melted candle thinks he can take what he wants."

Obi Wan lets out a sigh, reluctantly nodding his head. "Alright...alright. We'll go together. Where is he?"

"Mustafar," I say, already walking towards the elevator. "Come on, lets get going."

Obi Wan walks over towards the couch, leaning down to kiss Jayce on the head, glancing between Aiden and Padmé. "You'll watch him?"

They both nod, with Padmé replying; "Of course. Just be careful."

He nods, smiling at both of them before walking over towards me, his voice softened as we walk into the elevator, not sugar coating anything as he says; "If he refuses to come back, if he won't turn his back on Palpatine, then I will have no choice, Fallon."

I nod to him firmly, not holding back either as I tell him; "I know. Which is why we aren't going to fail."