Jedi Insurgency 239

Whilst an intense battle was underway at the Imperial Palace, the Senate chambers had become fraught with tension. 

Thousands of hovering repulsorpods hung suspended around the vast rotunda, their occupants had long fled once the Sith Lord had begun to make his move. The debate between Emperor Palpatine and Revan had only just concluded, yet few citizens had been convinced to swap sides. Civil war was all but inevitable. The cameras continued to roll as most government representatives had chosen to flee the scene. 

What was supposed to be the trial to determine the fate of Mace Windu, and by proxy, the fate of the Jedi had devolved into an unseen power struggle. 

Darth Vader floated in the center of the Senate rotunda like a demigod. No repulsor lift or jetpack allowed him this ability. No, such scientific technologies paled in comparison to the might of the Darkside. 

Pieces of durasteel that had been stripped from various pods orbited the black armored figure in slow, menacing circles. Under his will they had become sharp spikes the size of a forearm. Entire chunks of shattered podiums hovered weightlessly around his body. Crimson lightning crackled across his black armor while the invisible grip of magnetism twisted the very structure of the chamber. Bent railings ripped themselves from the balconies. Loose blasters skidded violently across the floor toward him, joining the storm rotating around his body. 

Vader’s fury was only just beginning to manifest. 

The sound of this act of terror was horrific. Metal shrieked as it was bent into new shapes, bolts groaned as the load baring walls threatened to come undone. All this was punctuated by the steady mechanical breathing of him. Of Darth Vader. 

Even Palpatine remained silent now, his yellow eyes were glimmering with fascination as he observed his apprentice.

Corvus hated that he was allowing an enemy to prep their big attack, but he was confident that so long as he held Padmé in his grasp, Vader’s arrogance would buy him time. He sensed through his Force Bond that the ritual had begun. It would only be a matter of time before the Darkside Nexus was sealed. And when it did, that would be the moment. Either when he struck at the heart of the enemy, or made his daring escape. Looking to his side, he nodded at the feisty orange tangerine that was ignoring him. If anyone could help buy some time, it'd be her. 

Ahsoka Tano, standing on a pod next to Plo Koon stared up at Vader. Her white-and-blue lekku swayed in the air, and her twin lightsabers were already in hand. Beside her Plo Koon was solemn, and briefly acknowledged Corvus with a nod of his own. 

Ahsoka felt her breath hitch as she saw both masked men. When she trained under Revan or Anakin, they were constantly pushing her to her limits. Now, that phantom from the holocron was standing in front of her, substantially weaker than that distant memory. Don't ask how she could tell. 

Meanwhile, that all black armor, and wavy cloak was…

“Anakin…all black leather? Really? Why are you wearing something so lame? I may not be a Jedi anymore, but if being a Sith makes me wear something as ugly as that, you can count me out.” She sassed. 

The entire chamber seemed to pause, as if no one could believe such unserious words would be said in such a dangerous setting. 

The debris orbiting Vader slowed slightly, and he stared down at her, saying nothing. 

Emboldened by this change, Ahsoka floated the pod up higher, so that she could get a closer look at him. 

“Not even a pity laugh? This isn't the Anakin I know.” 

“Anakin Skywalker is dead. I destroyed him.” 

“Is that what your Master has told you? There's still good in you, Anakin. It isn't too late.” Ahsoka entreated. 

Vader looked down, past her at his wife, then at the nerf herder standing next to her. The maelstrom rose in tempo once more. 

“Come on Skyguy, don't do this.” Ahsoka said, her voice filled with hurt. 

“You are no longer a Jedi, but you are still my apprentice. Join me, and together we shall rid this galaxy of all those that they were too scared to face.” Vader slowly spoke, extending a counteroffer. 

“Ahsoka.” Plo said from her side in concern. 

She held up a hand to forestall any worry. 

“I may not be a Jedi…but I’ll never be the lackey to a Sith.” Ahsoka firmly declared, and hotly glared up towards the Emperor’s box, directly at Palpatine himself. 

“Then you will die.” Vader stated with finality. 

The pod Ahsoka and Plo Koon stood upon began to warp, and tried to smother the pair of Jedi whole. 

“Ani!” Padmé shouted out in grief. 

Vader’s mechanical breathing paused, his attack stalling for just a fraction of a second.

“You taught me to be better than this. You taught me to protect people. To fight for them. Are you sure about this path? Will you throw away your principles for power?!” Ahsoka tried one last time with an impassioned plea. 

A dozen loose blasters around Vader suddenly rose into the air.

“You told me the Jedi were supposed to care.”

His breathing became harsher.

“You were my master.” Ahsoka continued, emotion bleeding into her voice as tears streaked down her cheeks. “You were my family.”

For one terrible second, the chamber trembled. The Senate pods shook violently as Vader’s control slipped. And behind that mask, Anakin Skywalker faltered.

Memories flashed through him like knives.

Ahsoka laughing during training. Rex saluting him before battle. Padmé smiling on Naboo beneath the moonlight, her warm embrace, the numerous times they made love. The warmth of sunlight. The smell of oil as he washed R2. Of the wind blowing through his hair.

As he was struggling with himself, the fragment of the Infinite Engine, this gear that fed upon souls, and possessed a nascent will of its own suddenly cranked itself to the right. All the pain of Vader’s suit suddenly poured into every nerve at once, awakening him to the truth. Malefic visions of the future, and false memories of the past warped through his mind. Every smile became a sneer, each word of praise transformed into a passive-aggressive insult. Ahsoka's snippy attitude became disrespect towards his authority. 

Then another memory drowned them all.

Revan.

Standing over him on Eriadu.

Revan’s mocking voice as the shield generator exploded came to the forefront of his mind. Vader had almost died in the depths of that mega city, and was dragged out, barely surviving by the skin of his teeth. 

Revulsion. Rage. Humiliation. 

Each one of these emotional states bogged down his psyche. As a byproduct, the Darkside feasted upon this abnormal level of control, creating a feedback loop of negativity. Pain, overwhelming, inhuman pain struck his soul once more, providing a clarity that not even Palpatine’s honeyed words could provide. 

Revan had stolen his wife. Revan had hidden his children. Revan had out dueled him in space. Revan had tricked him into an explosion. Revan had waltzed his way out of Nar Shaddaa as if it were nothing. Revan this very moment was smugly standing still, drinking HIS suffering in as if it were a play! 

The Infinite Engine whispered inside Vader’s mind like a living parasite, driving him to new heights of clarity. 

Weakness. Attachment. Pain.

These could all go away if only he surrendered himself to the power of the Infinite Engine! 

Hatred was his strength. Violence his litany. 

“THROUGH VICTORY, MY CHAINS ARE BROKEN

THE FORCE SHALL SET ME FREE.”

The debris around Vader began spinning faster. A cyclone of metal erupted around him.

“I destroyed Anakin Skywalker.” Vader said with finality. His voice echoed through the chamber like a funeral bell.

Padmé broke down into tears, and she ran to the controls of the pod to raise it higher, but was held back by Corvus. 

“No! No, you didn’t! Please!!!” 

Every eye turned toward her as she stepped forward desperately onto the balcony edge.

“Ani, please! Look at me!”

Vader’s mask tilted upward.

For the first time since Mustafar, husband and wife looked upon one another.

“We can still fix this. Whatever Palpatine did to you, we can help you.” She desperately pleaded. Like a wife madly in love meeting a cold husband, she tried her best to win him over…it wasn't enough. 

Palpatine’s smile faded slightly, his expression became impossible to read as it became covered by his hood. Bane's heir hooked his finger, and waited. Once the chaos of battle began…he would secure Vader’s fall once and for all. 

Vader descended slowly toward the Senate floor, black cape billowing behind him as magnetized fragments orbited like moons around a dead world.

“There is nothing left to save.” 

Ahsoka ignited her second blade.

“I don’t believe that.” The orange Togruta girl defiantly rebuked. 

The metal cyclone exploded outward, and several armored clone troopers were hurled screaming through the air as magnetic force slammed them into walls hard enough to shatter bone. Rifles twisted apart midair. Entire support beams shrieked as they bent inward toward Vader’s outstretched hand.

Plo Koon planted himself protectively before several fleeing senators, absorbing flying debris with the Force.

“Control yourself, Skywalker!” Plo thundered.

Vader’s head snapped toward him instantly.

For just a moment, rage eclipsed everything else.

“You.” Vader hissed.

The air detonated.

Plo Koon crossed his arms as an invisible magnetic shockwave smashed into him like a freight train, sending him skidding backward across the polished floor.

Ahsoka lunged forward immediately.

Blue-white blades spun toward Vader in a furious Ataru assault, fast and relentless.

Vader met her with a single crimson saber.

The impact shook the chamber.

“Ahsoka.” Vader said her name as if it were synonymous with death. 

“I won't give up on you, Anakin.” 

Their blades crashed again and again in blinding arcs of light.

Ahsoka fought with desperation and grief, while Vader fought like a man trying to murder his painfilled past. Every strike carried unbelievable strength behind it. The pair of combatants knew each other best. Despite Vader’s advantages, Ahsoka-after her training with the holocron-was barely able to keep up. However, at this rate, it appeared that she would perish within the next few minutes. 

Vader wasn't even giving Ahsoka his full attention either. Confident in his power, he was constantly peppering Plo Koon with senate pods, or the thousands of forearm-sized metal spears he had formed earlier. Padmé watched in horror as twisted metal rained across the Senate floor. 

Corvus observed silently from below his mask, awaiting his most opportune time. At this moment, he could not make a move. Although he had fled during Order 66, and during the attack on Nar Shaddaa, he had never fully revealed just how strong he was. As far as Vader & Palpatine were aware, they didn't know his true power level. And so long as Palpatine sat there, Corvus would also remain still. Until the Darkside Nexus was plugged, he could not afford to reveal how weak-in comparison to Legends Palpatine-he truly was. 

Meanwhile, Vader drove Ahsoka backward with overwhelming strength before suddenly halting mid-strike. His blade trembled inches from her face.

Ahsoka stared at him.

“I know you’re still in there.” She whispered.

The chamber fell silent again.

Then Vader looked past her, and stared directly at Revan.

Hatred flooded the Force so intensely that the roof of the Senate chamber couldn't withstand the pressure anymore, and began to crumble. Giant pieces of durasteel seemed to collapse in slow motion as the two of them stared each other down. 

Then, without another word, the Dark Lord rammed his crimson lightsaber into Ahsoka's chest. Almost at the same time that the light of life left her eyes, the Darkside Nexus was plugged. 

Vader shuddered as the malevolent air that poisoned the skies suddenly disappeared. He took one haggard step forward, and felt his skin shrivel, like a man who was dying of water, and sat buck naked at the beach all day. The sudden cutoff in the Force was like the flip of a switch, his blessed clarity had become dull, and for the next few minutes, his body would become weak as it readjusted to Coruscant as it had been when the Jedi were in charge. 

Blinking once, Vader saw that Revan was no longer standing next to his wife. Reacting on instinct, he swiped his weapon backwards in a titanic flourish. His speed may have been decreased, but it was potent all the same. Yet this crimson arc flashed over nothing but open air. 

“Urahg!” Vader howled in pain. 

Emerging from underneath his feet, Revan slashed his twin lightsabers up Vader’s crotch in a move to bisect him! 

Vader barely floated himself up in time, evading a fatal strike. Feeling his organs burning where the blades had landed a blow, he worked his understanding of mechu deru to insert pipes where once there were veins. The piece of the Infinite Engine supplied the energy, and he breathed deeply as he stared down at Revan. 

Clad in shadows from head to toe, the masked man lifted his right hand, and then his left. Lightning poured out of one side, overloading the restraints containing Mace Windu. Whilst the other glowed green. 

Ahsoka gasped out a breath, opening her eyes. Mace Windu's arm grew back, and his white eye became sharp & focused. 

“What. Are. You.” Vader bit out between pained breaths. 

The masked man said nothing, and simply looked up at him, his twin lightsabers humming, and the sunrays peeking in from the broken Senate ceiling shown down upon him. He didn't need to say anything, as the Force answered for him. Any who looked upon him-even Palpatine-would think of one name: 

Revan.