Star Wars_ Rise And Fall Of Darth Vader Part 6

"Grievous," Anakin snarled as the holographic message ended. Count Dooku's most notorious lieutenant, the cyborg General Grievous commanded the Confederacy's droid armies. Grievous had been trained in lightsaber combat by Dooku himself, and had a penchant for killing Jedi and collecting their lightsabers. Although some Jedi wondered just how much Palpatine was trying to end the war, Anakin had come to consider the Republic's leader among his most trusted friends.

I won't let the Chancellor die! Anakin vowed to himself.

Stepping away from R2-D2 and Obi-Wan, Anakin addressed the armored clone troops in the Star Destroyer's hangar. "Battle stations. All crews to their fighters. Prepare to jump into hypers.p.a.ce. Move!"

Republic Star Destroyers and Confederacy guns.h.i.+ps were fully engaged in an explosive battle over the skies of Coruscant when Anakin and Obi-Wan returned from the Outer Rim. Antifighter flak flashed in bright bursts near every s.h.i.+p, and decimated vessels tumbled from orbit and smashed into the spires of the city-covered world below.

Flanked by a squadron of veteran clone aviators and with R2-D2 acting as Anakin's copilot, the two Jedi left their own Star Destroyer in a pair of starfighters and raced into the melee. Blasting droid s.h.i.+ps while evading missiles, Anakin and Obi-Wan courageously made their way through the deadly flow of enemy vessels until they infiltrated the Confederate flags.h.i.+p, Invisible Hand, on which Supreme Chancellor Palpatine was held hostage by General Grievous.

To increase speed and maneuverability, Jedi star-fighters were engineered without s.h.i.+eld generators. Although this led some opponents to believe that such starfighters were more vulnerable to attack, most Jedi pilots were adept at using the Force to antic.i.p.ate, evade, and attack their enemies. Anakin was considered among the top pilots in the Jedi order, but unlike other Jedi, he did not hesitate to rely upon technology to help achieve his goals. The way Anakin saw things, the Force had not been enough to save his own right arm or stop Dooku on Geonosis, and he doubted the war would be won by the Force alone either.

The Jedi moved stealthily through the s.h.i.+p until they reached the Invisible Hand's main communications and sensors pod, a lofty chamber with expansive windows that provided a 180-degree view of the surrounding s.p.a.ce battle. It was in this chamber that they found Supreme Chancellor Palpatine, who sat in a tall chair, his wrists pinned by energy binders to the chair's arms. Palpatine's face was pale, and he did not look relieved to see the Jedi.

"Are you all right?" Anakin asked as he and Obi-Wan approached the Chancellor's seated form.

Palpatine nervously looked past the two Jedi and said, "Count Dooku."

Anakin and Obi-Wan turned and looked up to see the impeccably attired Dooku and two super battle droids step onto an elevated balcony that hugged the aft wall of the chamber. Although Dooku was in his ninth decade, he moved with the grace of a jungle predator. Anakin's mind flashed back to his confrontation with Dooku on Geonosis, when he'd made the mistake of charging Dooku without Obi-Wan right at his side.

Keeping his eyes on Dooku as he addressed Anakin, Obi-Wan said, "This time we will do it together."

"I was about to say that," Anakin said.

Dooku stepped away from his droids, leapt over the balcony's railing, and executed a neat flip before landing a short distance from the Jedi. He reached to his side and drew his lightsaber.

"Get help," Palpatine said urgently from his seat. "You're no match for him. He's a Sith Lord."

Obi-Wan offered an a.s.suring smile. "Chancellor Palpatine, Sith Lords are our specialty." Obi-Wan and Anakin shed their Jedi robes, letting them fall to the floor as they drew their own lightsabers.

"Your swords, please," Dooku urged as he walked toward the Jedi. "We don't want to make a mess of things in front of the Chancellor."

"You won't get away this time, Dooku," Obi-Wan said. He and Obi-Wan ignited their blue-bladed light-sabers and advanced on Dooku, who ignited his own red-bladed weapon. The beams of their lightsabers hummed and clashed as they moved across the chamber. Dooku defended himself effortlessly.

On the level above, the two droids didn't budge, but watched silently as the figures came to a momentary standstill. While the three lightsabers continued to blaze, Dooku grinned at his opponents and said, "I've been looking forward to this."

Not intimidated by the elder swordsman, Anakin said, "My powers have doubled since the last time we met, Count."

"Good," Dooku said. "Twice the pride, double the fall."

The Jedi charged once again. Dooku backed up as he parried their blows, then used the Force to throw Obi-Wan to the floor. As Anakin continued his a.s.sault on Dooku, forcing him back up the steps to the upper level, Obi-Wan recovered himself and leapt up to rejoin the fight.

The two droids fired at Obi-Wan, but he batted their fired energy bolts back at them and cut them down as he moved fast for Dooku. Unfortunately, Dooku moved faster, extending his left hand toward Obi-Wan as he used the Force to lift the Jedi off his feet while at the same time constricting his throat. As Obi-Wan gasped, Anakin swung at Dooku from behind, but Dooku kicked Anakin's stomach with his left foot, smas.h.i.+ng the young Jedi against a nearby wall.

Obi-Wan was still suspended in the air when Dooku gestured again with his hand to send his choking victim sailing across the chamber. Obi-Wan crashed against the railing of an extended balcony, then collapsed like a broken doll to the floor. With another gesture, Dooku used the Force to tear a section of the balcony away from its braces and pin Obi-Wan's unconscious form to the floor. Master!

Anakin threw himself at Dooku, knocking him from the balcony to the floor below. Leaping down after his quarry, Anakin struck again and again at Dooku until both of their blades were practically locked onto each other.

"I sense great fear in you, Skywalker," Dooku said. "You have hate. You have anger. But you don't use them."

Anakin grimaced, angrier than before, the blades unlocked, and the duel resumed. Trading blows across the chamber, they came to a stop near the hostage Palpatine. Dooku was using both hands to grip his lightsaber, putting more of his strength into each deadly swing, when Anakin reached out fast with his left hand to catch Dooku's wrists. In the moment that Dooku was temporarily pinned, Anakin's right hand twisted sharply to swing his lightsaber between him and the startled Dooku.

Dooku's lightsaber automatically deactivated as it flew out of his severed hands, which fell to the floor with an ugly flopping sound. His knees buckled, and he dropped to kneel beside his hands. Anakin s.n.a.t.c.hed Dooku's lightsaber from the air, then activated the red blade and crossed it with the blade of his own weapon, angling the blades to either side of his opponent's head. Dooku's eyes were wide and his mouth agape as he stared at the maimed ends of his arms. Because light-sabers cauterize as fast as they cleave through flesh, there was surprisingly little blood.

I got you, Anakin thought, keeping the lightsaber blades close to Dooku's neck.

"Good, Anakin," Palpatine said from his seat. "Good." Unexpectedly, he chuckled.

He almost sounds cheerful. He must be in shock.

Then Palpatine said, "Kill him."

What ? Anakin kept his eyes on Dooku, who s.h.i.+fted his trembling gaze to Palpatine.

"Kill him now," Palpatine said.

Dooku looked up at Anakin, who now saw genuine fear in the old, maimed man's eyes. Anakin said, "I shouldn't." His words seemed to give some relief to Dooku, whose panicked expression relaxed slightly as he continued to tremble. I can be merciful, Anakin thought as he held Dooku's gaze. I'm a better Jedi than you ever were.

"Do it," Palpatine said, practically spitting the words out.

Fear flickered again in Dooku's eyes, as he suddenly sensed what was coming.

Anakin rapidly uncrossed the blades, cleaving through Dooku's neck. Dooku's body collapsed alongside his hands, while his head rolled and thudded across the floor like an ill-shaped ball. Anakin felt his own heart pounding in his chest as he deactivated the lightsabers, and almost immediately thought, What have I done?

"You did well, Anakin," Palpatine said calmly. "He was too dangerous to be kept alive."

"Yes, but he was an unarmed prisoner," Anakin said as he released Palpatine's energy binders. "I shouldn't have done that. It's not the Jedi way."

Rising from the tall seat, Palpatine said, "It is only natural. He cut off your arm, and you wanted revenge. It wasn't the first time, Anakin. Remember what you told me about your mother and the Sand People?"

In the three years since his mother's death, Anakin had convinced himself that he had temporarily lost his mind that night at the Tusken camp. It remained his darkest secret, something he'd never even told Obi-Wan because he knew he would be banished from the Jedi order, and yet he'd felt compelled to take Palpatine into his confidence. Anakin grimaced at the memory of the slaughtered Tuskens. The desire to kill them had been beyond his control. Killing Dooku wasn't the same. I knew it was wrong, but I did it anyway.

Palpatine said, "Now we must leave before more security droids arrive."

Anakin ran to Obi-Wan, who remained pinned under the broken section of the balcony. Outside the chamber's large windows a ripple of fiery bursts indicated the s.p.a.ce battle had intensified.

"Anakin, there's no time," Palpatine said as Anakin pulled his Master free from the wreckage. "We must get off this s.h.i.+p before it's too late." The Invisible Hand shuddered violently as it was wracked by a series of explosions.

Checking Obi-Wan's vital signs, Anakin said, "He seems to be all right."

"Leave him," Palpatine commanded, "or we'll never make it."

"His fate will be the same as ours," Anakin said, for once refusing to obey the Chancellor. He lifted and slung Obi-Wan's body over his shoulders and ran with Palpatine to the lift tube.

Anakin and Palpatine were still aboard the Invisible Hand when Obi-Wan recovered. Along with R2-D2, they were briefly apprehended by General Grievous but managed to evade his metallic clutches. Unfortunately, Grievous launched all the escape pods and fled into s.p.a.ce as the battle-damaged Invisible Hand began to tumble through Coruscant' s upper atmosphere. Although the crash landing was bone-jarring for Palpatine and the Jedi, Anakin's incredible piloting skills delivered them, and what little remained of the Confederate flags.h.i.+p, to a landing strip.

Mace Windu, Senator Bail Organa of Alderaan, and C-3PO were among the dignitaries who greeted Palpatine and Anakin at the Chancellor's private landing platform at the Senate Offices while Obi-Wan returned to the Jedi Temple. After speaking briefly with Bail Organa as they entered the office building, Anakin found Padme discreetly waiting for him in the shadows of a tall column. He hadn't seen her in months.

Although Anakin was concerned that General Grievous was still at large and had a.s.sumed leaders.h.i.+p of the Confederacy, he forgot his troubles as he embraced Padme.

But she seemed different; she had something very important to tell him.

CHAPTER 11.

"Ani, I'm pregnant."

Still in the shadows of the Senate Offices hallway, Anakin suddenly felt light-headed. Padme stared into his eyes, waiting for him to say something. "That's..." he began, then sighed and looked away. With the sudden realization that their marriage could not be a secret much longer, his first thoughts were of how this development would impact on their lives. Padme might be recalled to Naboo, and I'll be cast out in disgrace from the Jedi order. It will be a scandal. . . .

Then his gaze met Padme's again, and he saw how frightened she was.

"Well," he said, "that's won- - that's wonderful!" He smiled.

Less than a.s.sured, Padme said, "What are we going to do?"

"We're not going to worry about anything right now," Anakin said, holding her tight. "All right? This is a happy moment. The happiest moment of my life."

Later that night, in Padme's apartment in Galactic City, Anakin had a nightmare so terrible that he nearly shouted when he awoke. He tried to ease himself out of bed quietly so Padme would not be aware of his absence, but she woke up too and found him standing on the terrace, watching the air traffic glide past her apartment windows.

"What's bothering you?" Padme asked.

"Nothing," he said. Padme was wearing the good-luck charm that Anakin had carved for her shortly after they'd met. He reached out to touch the charm and said, "I remember when I gave this to you."

Padme gave him a hard stare and said, "How long is it going to take us to be honest with each other?"

Anakin took a deep breath. "It was a dream," he admitted.

"Bad?"

"Like the ones I used to have about my mother ... just before she died."

"And?"

"And it was about you."

Padme moved closer to Anakin and said, "Tell me."

Anakin moved a short distance away. "It was only a dream," he said, but as soon as the words had been uttered, he felt them to be untrue.

It wasn't just a dream. It was real, and it's going to happen.

He turned to face Padme and said, "You die in childbirth."

Padme tried not to cringe. "And the baby?"

"I don't know."

Padme moved again to Anakin's side. "It was only a dream," she said, now trying to convince herself as well as placate Anakin.

"I won't let this one become real," Anakin vowed.

"This baby will change our lives," Padme said. "I doubt the queen will continue to allow me to serve in the Senate. And if the Council discovers you're the father, you'll be expelled."

"I - I know," Anakin stammered, trying to push away those realities. "I know."

"Do you think Obi-Wan might be able to help us?"

"We don't need his help," Anakin said, and glowered as he imagined his Master's reprimands. When he noticed that Padme looked frightened by his expression, Anakin s.h.i.+fted his features into a gentle smile and said, "Our baby is a blessing."

Anakin thought about the dream again, hoping that it wasn't an accurate depiction of things to come, but somehow knowing in his heart that it was. Fortunately, he knew someone who was something of an expert on premonitions.

"Premonitions?" Master Yoda said. "Premonitions. Hmm."

It was the morning after his nightmare about Padme, and Anakin was in Yoda's quarters in the Jedi Temple. They were seated across from each other, and shafts of bright sunlight sifted through the blinds that lined the windows of the spa.r.s.ely furnished room. Yoda said, "These visions you have..."

"They're of pain, suffering. Death."

"Yourself you speak of, or someone you know?" Anakin was reluctant to offer too many details, but admitted, "Someone."

"Close to you?"

Anakin lowered his gaze, and felt almost ashamed as he answered, "Yes."

Raising a cautionary finger, Yoda fixed Anakin with a penetrating gaze and said, "Careful you must be when sensing the future, Anakin. The fear of loss is a path to the dark side."

Anakin recalled the dreams that had preceded his mother's death, and then of his failure to save her. Returning Yoda's gaze, he said flatly, "I won't let these visions come true, Master Yoda."

"Death is a natural part of life," Yoda explained. "Rejoice for those around you who transform into the Force. Mourn them, do not. Miss them, do not. Attachment leads to jealousy. The shadow of greed that is."

Hoping to stay on the right path this time, Anakin said, "What must I do, Master Yoda?"

"Train yourself to let go of everything you fear to lose."

I might be able to let go of being a Jedi, Anakin thought, but I can't let go of Padme. I just can't. I love her too much.