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| - When they arrived at the Chancellor’s office, it suddenly occurred to Padmé that they should have brought someone else along. Perhaps if they had looked for Master Windu, or even urged Master Yoda to come with them. But such thoughts were immaterial now, and after all, was Anakin not the Chosen One? Padmé glanced at him briefly. Can he be depended on? “Anakin,” she said uncertainly, “we may have to kill him.” Anakin glowered at her. “No, I’m serious,” she told him. “Nju and Dooku are in the Temple on his orders, you saw what they were doing.” “He may have reasons,” Anakin defended. “Anakin! He’s murdering Jedi!” Padmé reminded him. “He murdered millions of innocent beings during this war, and he murdered…” She stared at him a single tear tracing down her face. “He murdered my old Master, Shakya Devi.” “But Padmé…” “And Qui-Gon!” Anakin stopped for a moment. Padmé used this hesitation to its fullest extent. “I'm not sure what we have to do,” Padmé explained. “But what I do know is that he trusts you.” “He’s my friend, Padmé.” Anakin argued. “No he’s not!” she snapped. And without waiting for him to argue she pushed open the door. When Anakin emerged into his office alone, Palpatine could not help but smile. Perhaps he had underestimated the young man, it was clear he had not told anyone and would… The smile disappeared as Padmé walked into the room. She stared at him, her face offering a challenge. Yet Palpatine could be accommodating, he looked at them both as if surprised to see them there. “Padmé, Anakin, quite a surprise,” he said with a chuckle. “What could bring you both here at such a late hour?” “You may dispense with the pleasantries, Chancellor,” Padmé said. “Or perhaps we should say…Darth Sidious.” Palpatine was sitting somewhat below Anakin and Padmé, in a chair surrounded by computer access panels. He smiled blandly at Padmé, not the least perturbed by her remarks. “That is not a crime, Padmé, in itself,” Palpatine remarked mildly, “if I last checked the constitution, I believe it said that religious beliefs were a personal matter.” Padmé stood before him, her hands by her sides. “It is a crime if you have controlled both sides of the war from start to finish.” “And how could you know that?” Palpatine asked her, all of the colour going out of his voice. “It is enough that we know,” Padmé replied icily. “And not just the Jedi, the Senate will soon know what you have done too.” “I am the Senate!” Palpatine spat, glowering at Padmé. Yet his next words were addressed to Anakin. “You see what I have to put up with, Anakin? And she’s only one Jedi, how many others will I have blundering into my office this evening?” “Don’t listen to him, Anakin,” Padmé pleaded, but Palpatine flashed her such a look that she was silenced. “So what are you going to do, Anakin?” Palpatine asked him. “Have you explained to her that I’m the only one who can let you be with the woman that you love?” “Anakin, he’s lying!” Padmé shouted, but Anakin did not seem to hear her. “The Jedi Order will soon no longer exist,” Palpatine told him. “My apprentices will see to that. There is no need for you to ally yourself with those who wish to do you harm.” “But I don’t like what you’ve done,” Anakin said at last. “The war, the killings, that’s not right.” He narrowed his eyes at the Sith Lord. “That’s evil.” “Sometimes these things are necessary, Anakin,” Palpatine explained. “But I am giving you the choice. It’s them or me.” Anakin didn’t answer. “Perhaps I should put it more accurately,” Palpatine continued. “It’s them or Padmé.” At the flash in Anakin’s eyes Padmé knew that Palpatine had him. Yet before she could do anything else he made a subtle gesture and the heavy door at the end of the room was closed and bolted. They were now locked in a room with a Sith Lord, what was going to happen now? As the lightsaber fight between Mace Windu and Count Dooku neared them, Threepio knew they would have to find a new hiding place. He suggested it to Artoo. Artoo chirped and rotated his dome. “You know a good place?” the protocol droid asked, for once he decided not to dispute the matter with Artoo. “Show me.” They were several corridors down from the fight when they heard the sound of someone crying. At Artoo’s suggestion and to Threepio’s distress they followed the sound. They finally came to a group of about five younglings, looking very scared and lost. A Togruta child looked at Threepio hopefully. “Have you seen Master Yoda?” the youngling asked in a small voice. “No, I'm sorry but I am afraid I haven’t,” Threepio replied gently. “I'm scared,” said a dark-eyed girl. “Can you take us where it’s safe?” Threepio looked at Artoo, the little droid chirped affirmatively. “Artoo says he knows somewhere where we can go,” Threepio translated. “He will lead us there.” Shakily, the younglings got to their feet and followed R2-D2. One of them tapped the droid curiously and in response Artoo spun his dome and chirped wildly. “You’re funny!” The child said giggling. But Threepio was not impressed. “Really Artoo,” he admonished. “This is not the time to be playing games!” Mace Windu whirled his blade around in a deadly arc, curving it low as it he moved with it. Then he attacked quickly, little blows here and there before coming to end with a devastating lunge. Yet as always, their blades crossed and the fight seemed won by neither one. For a moment the Jedi stood his ground, his blade a purple whir with all the fury of Vaapad. Dooku clashed against him but even the former Jedi’s more classical style of combat could not penetrate Mace’s defence. The two collided again, Mace spinning out from the clash and giving ground to the Sith Lord, yet closing in on him with a pace that was almost blinding. Windu attacked. Vicious, strong strokes that Dooku had not seen the like of for a long time. Left, right, then left again and following that a low lunge that forced Dooku to jump so it missed severing his ankles. Yet always he was ready for a counterattack, always the red blade was ready to parry the purple one. But Mace could see that Dooku was tiring, the former Jedi had obviously been out of training while in his cell and it was starting to show. And there was the fact that this was one of the effects of the dark side, it depended on the emotions of the self and those could be exhausted without much difficulty. A Jedi, on the other hand, merely stepped into the Force as one might step into a river and let the flow and current dictate their movements. Until they were a mere instrument of the Force. “Are you proud of what you’ve done?” Mace demanded. “Of all the innocents you killed? Of all the worlds you’ve left dead?” “And the Jedi have done nothing less?” Dooku taunted. “Your hands, I believe, are as dirty as mine.” With a flash Mace remembered Haruun Kal and Depa. This was only a moment, but it was all the time Dooku needed to attack. He lunged forward, twisting his lightsaber quickly and forcing Mace to retreat. Yet Mace was not one to be on the defensive for very long. He followed through with his parry with a counter-attack, gaining ground on Dooku and forcing him against a wall. He then pressed the Sith against the wall his knee and pushed the purple blade close to his neck. “The Sith will never rule,” he said, drawing his arm back so he could slice off Dooku’s head. “We shall see,” said a voice next to his ear. And before Mace realised it a lightsaber blade was thrust through his chest. He gasped, surely there was not another Sith in the Temple? Could it be Sidious? Then he looked down at the blade protruding from his body. It was blue. He turned his head to see the smiling face of Renust Nju. “You…too…Nju?” Mace gasped, the breath fading from his lungs. “Yes,” Nju replied triumphantly. “I have long looked forward to this, friend.” And with the last word he drew the lightsaber out. It took the sound of a lightsaber igniting for Dooku and Nju to realise they were not alone. Behind them, his face hit up by the green blade of his lightsaber, was Yoda and he was not alone either. Clustered in a groups around the Jedi Master, Nju and Dooku began to recognise faces. Shaak Ti… Agen Kolar…Kit Fisto…Saesee Tiin…Quickly there were flashes in the darkness of blue and green as one Jedi after another revealed themselves. Slowly, silently they gathered around, faces shaded by their hoods. In the middle of the line stood Yoda, his eyes set, his lightsaber held at ready. He gave a nod and the Jedi moved, bringing their weapons upon the Sith Lords.
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