Star Wars: Balance of the Force (Anakin Skywalker Redemption)

The Beginning of the End (Part 3)

Not her not them not her not them not her not them not her not them...

The world was falling apart and Anakin could feel every second of it. Pain emanated from beings all around him, their devastation becoming anger or fear or hatred and it was blinding.

He ran and ran and ran and did not stop as he saw the decorations from the celebrations mingling with the carnage of the Senate building.

Fallen guards and Senators lay in heaps on the ground, their bodies still smoking from the barrage of blaster fire and lightsaber attacks.

The Jedi had marched on the Senate.

Anakin could scarcely believe it, but he had seen the footage, and even now he saw the damage around him.

Not her not them not her not them not her not them not her not them...

The distress signal had come from the Chancellor as the attack began. Anakin had been a fool. The visit to Rex and the others in the 501st was meant to be a joyful one, where he could see the men he had served with and congratulate them on finishing the war.

He'd been living on Naboo for the last six months with Padmé and Ahsoka while the babies grew up. It had been Obi-Wan's idea, to get away for a while. The war was mostly over, the Separatist government failing by the day.

They had returned to Coruscant to celebrate an official end to the war, following the Separatist surrender. It was meant to be a time of joyful celebration, not death and destruction.

As Anakin passed Padmé's old office, and then the Chancellor's he wondered how it had all gone so wrong. The Jedi turned on the Senate. Why? He wanted to scream. Why do something like this?

He knew they had never trusted the Chancellor, and that they had pushed hard for a new election soon, but Palpatine had agreed! The Chancellor was going to step down and someone else would be elected! It would all work out, so why had they done this?

Desperately, he tried his comm, hoping Ahsoka or Obi-Wan would pick up. Did Obi-Wan know about this attack? Worse, had he been behind it?

No, Anakin was sure he wasn't. They didn't keep secrets from each other. Not now.

The distress signal from Palpatine had said that he was hiding in a secret Naboo bunker within the Senate building. He had also insinuated that Padmé would know about it and head there too. Palpatine had given him directions for it, but he reached out with the Force too, searching for Padmé and their precious children.

Not her not them not her not them not her not them not her not them...

Anakin finally seemed to locate the Chancellor, but the Force was clouded. To his utter dismay, he could not sense Padmé, nor Luke and Leia. He expanded his range, reaching out further and further with the Force to the streets around them, the planet's surface, the upper atmosphere, further and further than a Jedi should be able to reach. Yet, the pride he would have once felt was gone, replaced by the emptiness that his search yielded.

Not her not them not her not them not her not them not her not them...

They couldn't be gone...he choked back a desperate sob as he reached the bunker doors, and saw them already opened. The hole in the thick metal had been cut by a lightsaber, of that Anakin was sure.

Climbing inside, Anakin wished he hadn't.

'No,' he breathed, stumbling forwards as he saw them.

'No!' he screamed, rushing to Padmé as she lay on the ground, her navy ceremonial gown in burned tatters, the blaster fire having almost torn her apart.

He had seen so many horrid things in his time as a General, but nothing compared to this. As he stopped beside her, he squeezed his eyes shut, barely able to look at the ruined mess of her face and body. Who had done this?

Barely a metre away lay the overturned hovering pram had its base to him. After seeing what they had done to Padmé, Anakin wasn't sure he would survive it if they had... If he found his children...

Even so, he forced himself to his feet, his legs leaden. He'd barely taken a step when he saw a tiny white sleeve charred with black and Anakin collapsed.

Shoving the pram aside with the Force it flattened against the wall, sparking as the mechanics exploded.

Their little bodies, lay discarded on the floor. Blaster fire had all but torn them apart.

Distantly, Anakin registered someone screaming.

Furniture around the room blasted apart, and the bunker doors squealed as they were bent away and then wrenched from the wall.

Anakin reached a shaky hand for his son but could not touch him. He tried again with Leia but could not. Sobs wracked his chest as he heard the screaming again and finally realised it was him.

Rage burned in him, hotter and darker than it had ever burned before. Even losing his mother had not hurt nearly as much as losing Padmé and the...

After what felt like a lifetime, a hand appeared on his shoulder and Anakin had his blade at the person's throat before they could draw another breath.

'It's me,' Palpatine choked, looking worse than Anakin had ever seen him. His eyes dropped to the bodies behind Anakin, and the ruined room...though it wasn't really a room anymore. Neither was the roof or the floor. Everything was just...gone. Disintegrated in Anakin's rage.

'Oh Anakin...'

Perhaps he should have been furious and demanded where the Chancellor had been. Perhaps Anakin should have killed him simply because he wanted everyone in the galaxy to now know his pain.

Instead, Anakin broke down, his knees buckling before Palpatine.

Palpatine kept a steady hand on his shoulder, 'I sense your pain. Your suffering.'

Anakin looked up, what was the Chancellor talking about?

'Use them,' Palpatine implored. 'Join me, Anakin. You are already more powerful than any Jedi. You do not need them, not anymore. I will help you, as I always have. You will be the most powerful Sith to ever exist.'

Slowly, the cloud around Palpatine began to dissipate, and Anakin watched as darkness spread from him, his eyes fading to yellow. 'The Force is strong with you, Anakin. You're fulfilling your destiny. Become my apprentice, learn to use the dark side of the Force. Perhaps...'

'What?' Anakin ground out, the possibilities spreading out before him. Revenge on everyone who had been a part of this attack. Revenge on those who had killed his family.

'Perhaps, with the right training,' Palpatine said. 'You may be able to bring them back...'

To bring them back. To have his family back.

Kneeling before Palpatine, he bowed his head, 'Then I will do whatever you ask.'

Palpatine smiled, the effect on his now-deformed face ghoulish, 'You are now one with the Order of the Dark Lords of the Sith. From this day forward, I, Darth Sidious, name you, my apprentice, now and forevermore, Darth Vader.'

Eyes turning yellow as the Force around him darkened, Darth Vader stood.

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Yuhhhh okay so that is the end of the three sort of 'context' parts, now we get into the 'present day' stuff!!!

As always, if you liked it please vote and stay tuned for the upcoming story.

I'd love to know as well (because you obviously like DV redemption stories if you clicked on this one), what are some things you'd like to see from the characters during and after reuniting?

Love always,

Miss Birdie