FORBIDDEN ATTACHMENTS ─ star wars

LXIV. The Rise Of The Sith

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.