Mustafar

Part VII – Luminous Beings We Are

Two more transport changes brought Anakin closer to his ultimate goal. He stayed to himself and no one seemed to care one way or the other – their agendas were their only concern. Senator Organa had kept his promise and delivered the counterfeit identification via couriers he trusted implicitly. Obviously, Anakin had never given the Senator of Alderaan enough credit, for his connections were noteworthy. Had he remained Darth Vader, the Senator would have made an admirable adversary. However, he preferred to call him his friend.

 

Anakin awoke from his meditation as the announcement filtered through the ship.

“On approach to Imperial City. Prepare for docking.”

He felt neither apprehension nor self-assurance. He had just emerged from the Living Force and his mentor’s words of encouragement and confidence. Qui-Gon assured the young Jedi that the forthcoming battle would not be easy and to take nothing for granted. His instruction also included to “feel the moment” and not let issues from the past or events of the future cloud his actions. Anakin had to accept what was and what would be.

Sequestered in the small quarters on board the transport he had managed to acquire, Anakin again closed his eyes, relaxed and put his mind at peace. He knew tranquility would be paramount to success. Darth Sidious would test all of the Jedi’s resolve to the limit, and wouldn’t hesitate to use manipulation of any form.

Within his mind, Anakin could see his wife and children. Their smiling faces embodied the love in their hearts and he could physically feel his lips curl upward. He pondered how he had let them down before, along with many others. It was time to set into motion the events that would shape the future.

Darth Vader had vanished. Anakin Skywalker had re-emerged. The Sith Lord had no apprentice. 

Anakin opened his eyes and sat up on the bed, recalling Qui-Gon’s last words to him, “No matter what the outcome of this battle is, the Force will be with you, always.”   

Anakin wasn’t completely sure what the Jedi Master meant, but he didn’t want to dwell on it either. He felt the Force flow through him, his arms and legs, his torso and up his spine. He felt exhilaration without the adrenaline rush. He was…the son of the Suns.

 

In spite of it being early evening on Coruscant, Anakin had donned his dark glasses and mingled with the crowd as they departed the transport. He didn’t want to stand out, but rather be like anyone else visiting the planet. He followed a small gathering of humanoids as they walked away from the open docking area and soon after disappeared into the shadows. Considering the ship had docked near the Industrial Area, Anakin found it all too easy to disappear.

 

It didn’t take the Jedi long to remember his way through the streets and he was soon walking through the underbelly of the city. The run down buildings and brash nightclubs attracted all manner of low-life aliens and humanoids, not to mention panhandling droids and oversized rodents. The scene brought back memories of a particular chase involving the Clawdite, Zam Wessel, after her failed assassination attempt on Padmé. Before long, he strolled past the Outlander Club and a light snicker escaped his lips. Had it really been that long ago since he and Obi-Wan had chased Zam into that club? No, it hadn’t but the memories were still fresh as if it had happened yesterday.

“Obi-Wan,” he said just above a whisper as he continued walking and then added, “You are missed, my old friend.” Anakin thought of Tatooine and his chance meeting with his old mentor. “That was no coincidence,” he said to himself and shook his head. “Is that what your intent was, Master Jinn? To let us know each other was alive? To show Obi-Wan that the monster had evolved?” There was no sarcasm, no rancor in his voice, only inquisitiveness.

“Perhaps…Perhaps a chance to let wounds heal,” a voice whispered in the Jedi’s ear.

Anakin stopped and bowed his head. “Maybe,” he muttered and then resumed walking through the bowels of Imperial City.

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Anakin had visited Palpatine often and he could find his way to the massive structure blindfolded. As daylight waned, he approached a particular section of wall of the senate building that remained obscured by shadows.  Maintaining his shielding through the Force, Anakin could only presume that Palpatine would still be within the superstructure. Recalling times past, the Jedi knew the Sith Lord spent much of his time within his chambers of this building. Anakin could have easily used the Force to detect his former mentor but he didn’t want the Sith Lord to have knowledge of his presence until he was ready. He also had no way of knowing if Palpatine was privy to Anakin’s return to the light side of the Force. If so, the Emperor would likely have troops in position for additional protection. He wouldn’t want a ‘traitor’ in his midst.

Anakin took in his surroundings as he merged into the shadow that hid the secret entrance Palpatine had shown him. He was alone, just as he wanted it to be.

Home at last, a satisfied voice commented in the Jedi’s mind.

Anakin took a deep breath as he looked up and at the duracrete wall. “You never had a home,” he remarked with conviction.

Oh yes…I have, the voice responded, sounding akin to a hiss.

“Your power is gone. You have no hold over me.”

Lord Sidious will teach you your place, young one. You will see.

Closing his eyes, the Jedi sought the tranquility of the Force and freed himself from the grip Darth Vader was desperately trying to seize.

Anakin Skywalker knew his destiny awaited.

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Alone in his office, Emperor Palpatine suddenly sensed a very familiar presence, which caused him to casually look up from the datapad he had been perusing.

“The wayward apprentice returns…but not as he once was.”

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Anakin could feel the tendrils of darkness that flowed from the brief touch he encountered with the Sith Lord and it almost made him shudder. The thought of blending in with the Dark Side with such an archfiend made him recoil. He recalled his past desperation and the option of more power – the power to save Padmé – through Palpatine’s machinations. All he had to do was embrace the Dark Side and lose his soul in the process.

“Thank you, Padmé, he whispered. “You proved how wrong I was. I should never have forsaken our love for power. I understand that now.”  

Activating the hidden entrance, Anakin removed his dark glasses, tossed them aside and then stepped forward and into the darkness.

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Utilizing the secret passageways known only to the Emperor and his inner circle, Anakin quickly made his way toward his destination. Before long, he walked unimpeded among the burgundy walls that marked the office of the Emperor, a man the Jedi once considered a friend. There were no troops to stop him, not even Palpatine’s private red guards stood by.

The element of surprise no longer an advantage, there was no doubt that the Sith Lord was expecting him.

 

As Anakin approached the door to Papatine’s private office, it opened of its own accord. Undisturbed, the Jedi strode forward through the open doorway. He could feel the Force flow through him, energizing his senses and enforcing his convictions. The only part of him that remained shielded was where his family dwelled within his mind. Sidious didn’t deserve such precious information to try to use against him.

As he felt the cold darkness that permeated from the chamber, Anakin felt a combination of remorse and sadness. All that Palpatine could have accomplished for the failing Republic were wasted words upon the wind. His lust for power and revenge irrevocably devoured his soul and now his grand scheme would fail, his life forfeit. Anakin knew his own fate but the Sith Lord’s ravaging of the galaxy must end and its only hope lie with the Chosen One. 

 

“Darth Sidious,” Anakin cordially said.

“Darth Vader,” the Emperor replied, quite inhospitably. “I see your time away has changed more than just your appearance.”

“That name no longer has any meaning for me,” Anakin snapped forcefully.

“It is the name of your true self,” the Emperor gleefully retorted. “You’ve only just forgotten.”

“No, it is the name of a monster you created through manipulation.”

The Emperor’s eyes gleamed manically. “I only brought forth your true nature, my boy,” he mockingly replied.

Anakin looked at the withered man before him, the sunken eyes and deformed alabaster skin. It was difficult to imagine that he was the same person the Jedi once looked up to and trusted. “Evil resides in the best of us, but it is the ability to control and learn from it that separates us from the paths of good and evil.”

Palpatine leaned back in his chair and sneered. “The sanctimonious Jedi. I thought you’d learned that they were ignorant fools!”

“The Jedi have their faults, but theirs is the path to enlightenment, not entrapment. The Sith deal only in absolutes, which I cannot abide by.”

“Bold words, my apprentice.”

“Refer to me what you will; I know who I truly am.”

The Sith Lord scoffed, “You know nothing!”

Anakin scoffed, “Oh, I wouldn’t say that.”

“You are mine, Anakin Skywalker. You are Darth Vader!” Suddenly tendrils of blue Force lightning sprang forth from the Emperor’s fingertips. He would do whatever it took to allow Darth Vader to take hold and crush the impudent Jedi. One sure path to that goal was the release of Anakin’s anger.

 

The battle had begun.

 

Anakin dove out of the way, into a roll and back onto his feet, evading the dark lightning that came with increasing intensity at him. For a moment, the combatants stared at one another but it was the mischievous glint in the Jedi’s eyes that further fueled the Sith Lord’s wrath.

“Insolent fool!” Sidious shouted in a guttural voice as he quickly unleashed more of the deadly strands.

Moving swiftly, Anakin dodged the blasts by diving across the floor and then tucked his body and rolled before jumping to his feet.

“You can’t keep escaping me, Lord Vader,” Sidious taunted. *Arise, Lord Vader!* the Dark Lord ordered, trying to pry into the Jedi’s mind.

“Do you really think that name means anything to me?” Anakin asked even as he shrugged off the mental order.

Inwardly, Sidious seethed at the mental block. He had never had difficulty invading Anakin’s mind, for he had done so in times past, but the wall the Jedi had erected was impenetrable. The sense of power flowing through the man before him was both impressive and alarming. It was also the reason Darth Sidious had corrupted Anakin to become his apprentice all those years ago. Of all the Jedi, even Master Yoda, Anakin Skywalker was the only one who possessed more power than the Dark Lord himself – the one who could ultimately kill him.

The Emperor bared his clenched teeth. “If you will not join me, you will die!”

Anakin flashed an amused grin as he sidestepped another onslaught of lightning. “As you can see, the Force is my ally – not you.”

“You underestimate the power of the Dark Side!” Sidious spat, his frustration reaching new levels.

“No – I don’t,” Anakin serenely replied.

Newborn fury coalesced with the vast dark power, scorching walls, tables, furniture, and anything else that happened to be in its path – except the intended mark. Smoke floated throughout the chamber and the smell of fire was everywhere. However, the destruction was irrelevant, it was how the Jedi eluded the blasts so easily that energized the Sith’s anger. It seemed as if Anakin moved like a ghost, impervious to his attacks.

Catching movement out of the corner of his eye, Sidious abruptly turned and unleashed his vicious streams on his enemy. What he wasn’t prepared for was the counter attack, reminiscent of his duel with Yoda many months before.

Stretching his arms out in front of him, Anakin blocked the strike aimed directly for him. As a diminutive Master Jedi had once done, Anakin Skywalker now applied the same technique by absorbing the rampant power into his hands and then propelling the deadly bolts back at the Sith Lord. Caught off guard, Sidious flew over his ornate desk and crashed into the transparisteel wall behind him. The force of the impact cracked the massive window in several places, but, surprisingly, it remained intact.

Momentarily stunned, the Sith Lord slowly shifted his body and then got to his feet. “Your power is impressive but I sense your anger. Strike me down and become one with the Dark Side!”

The taunt is empty. If Anakin feels anything, it is pity for his former mentor. He knows Palpatine simply wants Darth Vader set free and will do or say anything to achieve that goal.

A fruitless gesture as far as the Jedi is concerned. The difference between his reactions months before to now is incomparable.

His eyes never leaving his enemy, Anakin’s hand moved over to his lightsaber and freed it from the clip on his belt. As he ignites the blade, its cerulean color brightening the blood infused chamber, a memory of Obi-Wan comes to his mind and he asks, “Shall we settle this in a more civilized manner?”

Pausing, the Emperor re-evaluated his enemy. Even he can’t deny the power emanating from Anakin is astonishing. “Your power is complete. Join me and together we can rule the galaxy. We can continue to bring order from chaos.”

“Through coercion and corruption? It’s not democracy you crave – but dictatorship,” Anakin coolly replied.

“And where did democracy get the Republic?” Palpatine demanded. “It was doomed long ago! I have brought prosperity back into the fold.”

“You have made greed a virtue and corruption acceptable. Those without influence or wealth suffer at your ‘Empires’ hands. The Republic had its problems, but what you’ve created goes well beyond that.”

Palpatine looked into the eyes of his former apprentice, a man he had so easily tainted for years, and knew his persuasion was past. He couldn’t break through the barriers any longer.

“So be it, Jedi,” Sidious snarled contemptuously. A moment later, his lightsaber was in his hand. With a snap-hiss, the crimson blade burst to life.

Anakin heard a guttural shout as the Emperor spun through the air and hurled himself at the Jedi – the same maneuver the Sith Lord had used against Master Windu.

Already in a defensive stance, Anakin parried the slashing motion of the crimson blade as it came down hard upon him, hoping to crush him with a single blow. However, before he can take another breath, Sidious is again upon him, attacking viciously. The blood-red blade whips past Anakin’s face and locks with his own saber as the combatants stare into each other's eyes. The darkness radiates off Palpatine and their close proximity allows Anakin to smell the hideous odor of decay secreting from the Dark Lord’s mouth.

Pushing the vile body away, Anakin resumed his defensive posture and readied himself for the next strike.

Grinning maliciously, Palpatine exposed his grotesque teeth and snarled, “It’s not too late, my friend. Remain my apprentice and stand at my side!”

Anakin’s steely gaze affirmed his resolve.

Suddenly Palpatine lunged and the lightsabers crashed together, crackling and sizzling through the effort of their wielders. The Dark Lord quickly became a flash of crimson as he breaks away and his saber arcs through the air. However, once more Anakin is there to deflect the assault.

Within seconds and reacting on instinct, the Jedi reverses the direction of the swing and sends it back toward the Sith Lord with such force that Palpatine stumbled backward.

He’s barely extending himself. The Force is one with him! How effortless and fluid are his movements. A more worthy adversary that Yoda himself, Sidious silently mused.

The constant movements of the energy blades make their colors blend in harmony. As Anakin thwarts each attack with his cerulean blade, Sidious has another to take its place.

The intensity contained in the chamber is enthralling yet deadly as Jedi and Sith traverse the capacious space, the crashing of lightsabers unmistakable to anyone who would hear them. They battled without pause – neither giving quarter to the other.

As they separate again, Sidious takes advantage of the brief unguarded moment and initiates a powerful Force-push that sends Anakin flying through the air and crashing hard into a wall. Dazed, the Jedi shakes his head and opens his eyes in time to see blue lightning heading straight for him and the Emperor’s ruthless cackle of laughter resounding in his ears.

It is too late to react, even for the Chosen One, as the Sith lightning pierces Anakin’s body, causing it to convulse wildly.

The Living Force.

The three words echo in Anakin’s mind. In spite of the excruciating agony the Emperor is gleefully rendering him, the Jedi has no choice but to endure the enormous pain as it navigates every inch of his body. Harnessing what strength he can, Anakin withdraws into himself as Qui-Gon’s words reverberate in his mind and pound in his blood.

Yes, Master, I remember. The unspoken words form in his mind. In his next ragged breath, Anakin gives himself to the Force. There is no thought, no pain tightening around his heart, no currents ravaging his nerves trying to pummel his body into submission.  Anakin knows what his mentor means and channels the power of the triad of the Force – the Physical, Living, and Unifying – and does the impossible.

Slowly, painstakingly, the Chosen One stands even as the blue strands of lightning engulf his entire being, searing him with its evil, tortuous streams. Right before the Emperor’s astonished eyes, the Jedi’s body began to shimmer, slowly becoming iridescent and bathed in a brilliance unknown and unseen to the eyes of any living being.

“Luminous beings we are…” Anakin stated matter-of-factly. It is a simple declaration but its conviction is hard to deny. He then adds, “The will of the Force.”  

The Force as his ally, Anakin fights against the effects of Palpatine’s attack. Steadily, the convulsing of his body is reduced to slight tremors as he spreads his arms wide and commands the lightning encasing his body to unite within his hands. The glow that is Anakin shines brighter as the energy transforms into large orbs. His hands engulfed all in blue, the Jedi moves his arms slightly forward and casts the metamorphosed lightning directly at the transfixed Dark Lord.

It is more than just the Sith’s lightning that envelopes him, but more power than Sidious ever considered, even from Anakin Skywalker. It is too much and now it is Palpatine’s body that convulses, even more than his former apprentice had mere moments before. Crashing to the floor, he writhes and cries out.

“An…a…kin…save…me,” he pleaded.

However, Anakin’s body had mutated even more – it was now effervescent translucent in appearance…and slowly fading from view.

As the Jedi vanished and became one with the Force, the Dark Lord of the Sith could withstand no more. Emperor Palaptine’s private chamber exploded, taking the Dark Lord as its prisoner.

Death was their final decree.

Anakin Skywalker, Jedi Knight, had fulfilled the prophecy.

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Epilogue