Within a dimly lit operating room the whir of drills, saws, and other instruments dug into the flesh of a badly burnt young man.
His skin had melted into itself, and had blackened, like a malignant growth.
"Augh. Aughhh!" Anakin cried out.
A nearby robot was crushed due to the telekinetic waves he unleashed in fury.
Clad in a black robe, Palpatine looked down in disgust. Although he didn't show it on his face, he was disappointed in his newest apprentice.
Groomed from a young age, Anakin had been tested by Ventress, Grievous, and Dooku. Sent on suicidal missions, given the most difficult tasks.
Headstrong. Opinionated. Power hungry.
He was perfect.
The perfect tool to sharpen against his enemies.
Palpatine deliberately dragged the war on to grow the boy's fame. When he could have been done with the Jedi a year ago, Palpatine chose patience.
Patience which would reward him with a powerful, and willing executor.
His plan, THE plan, had been carefully laid out ever since he had learnt that his master had created this life form. Over 15 years were spent developing the perfect weapon against his post-war enemies.
Lord Vader was raised to become the charismatic face of his new Empire, leaving Palpatine time to research immortality.
"Auugh, aughhh!"
All that effort now wasted by a foolish boy's arrogance.
As he stared at his once perfect creation, Palpatine felt a thrum of ice in his veins. It was tempting to start all over again, but Vader had his uses yet.
Power greater than any save for himself or Yoda still coursed through the boy, that much was certain.
Yes. Vader would remain his tool until he had no further use to him. Battered and scuffed he may be, this version of Vader would serve his purpose.
As the procedure came to a close, and Vader rose from the operating table, Vader stared at him.
"Lord Vader, can you hear me?" Palpatine asked.
"Yes, My Master."
Palpatine slightly nodded. Vader knew his place.
"Where is Padme? Is she safe, is she all right?" Vader desperately asked, looking around the operating room as if that wretched girl was still around.
Palpatine felt dissatisfaction at this response, yet also felt satisfied knowing what he would say next.
"It seems in your anger, you killed her." Palpatine said, hiding a grin within his hood.
"I…I couldn't have! I felt her! She was alive!" Vader screamed, breaking his bonds, and crushing the droids around him with the Force.
Palpatine looked on in glee as Vader's sorrow consumed him. All the pain Palpatine suffered raising this boy, all the long hours of listening to Anakin crush over that hated girl, the annoyance Palpatine endured when he complained about his mother, it had culminated into this exact moment.
"NOOOOOOOO!!!"
It was quite cathartic.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Leaving Vader to wallow in his despair, Palpatine returned to his office.
The window had been repaired, and the Jedi corpses had been disposed of. Everything was clean and tidy the way he liked it.
Waiting for him inside was his majordomo, Mas Amedda.
As soon as he entered the room, he sensed the burning dread wafting off Amedda like a sweet perfume.
Sly Moore-his personal secretary-was noticeably absent, and the contents of his office had obviously been altered.
"You may speak, Amedda." Palpatine softly commanded.
"My Lord, it is dire news, please forgive me!" Amedda got down on one knee, and bowed his head.
While Palpatine enjoyed acts of supplication, now was not the time to bask in sycophantry.
"What has transpired in my absence, that you feel the need to beg, Amedda?"
Amedda gulped, and pressed a few buttons on his holopad, sending a message to Palpatine's console.
Glancing at the screen, Palpatine caught a glimpse of the Galactic Stock Market.
Everything was down, and numbers were constantly shifting negative.
As a born and raised noble who never once had to care about earning money, the information presented to him did not matter much. He controlled the courts, and the army, there was nothing to be frightened about, but this was cause for concern.
"You worry too much, my friend. I had anticipated that the economy would suffer due to the war, and we passed legislation forgiving all war debts, passing them on to the Republic."
Amedda kept his face to the ground, refusing to raise it. Sweat was pouring buckets onto the fine carpeted floor in front of him. At this rate, Palpatine was more likely to punish Amedda for stinking up his office than for any perceived failure.
"Oh?" Palpatine said, inviting Amedda to speak.
At the same time, he rested his chin on his knuckles, and leaned back in his chair.
"The economy…" Amedda paused to lick his lips. "The economy is failing after the legislation has passed."
"What is the cause of this outrage? We had safeguards in place, threats issued, people paid off. I want names." Palpatine coldly demanded.
The pressure in the room squeezed upon Mas Amedda like an elephant stomping on his chest. He could barely breathe or move, yet all Palpatine had done was let his displeasure be known.
"G-Galactic Bank." Amedda choked out.
"The Anzat has grown so bold? Very well, my new apprentice, Darth Vader shall handle this issue."
"...the monetary situation is r-rather serious, my Lord." Amedda fearfully voiced his disapproval of sending Vader. "Hyperinflation is rocking the market, bad debt has accumulated, and all transactions over 10,000 credits are being denied. My Lord, there is a protest numbering in the millions at the Senate building as we speak."
"Coruscant is a planet of trillions, a few million are a trifle, nothing the clones cannot put to rest. Lord Vader will handle the bank, but your advice has been noted. After this meeting is over, we shall hold an emergency session to resolve this issue." Palpatine ordered.
Through the Force, Palpatine could tell that Amedda remained highly distraught regarding the economic disaster, however, Palpatine had a plan.
During his career as a politician, he had learned that the most important thing besides always maintaining composure, was to appear as if he was busy trying to solve the people's woes. All he had to do was say a few words to put the people's fears to rest, and then let his economic advisers handle the rest.
Besides, Amedda, for all his long years of servitude, knew next to nothing of the Force. Once the Anzat fell, Galactic Bank would fold, and fall directly into Palpatine's hands.
A hiccup in the economy was expected in a post war scenario, he would make sure the people saw it that way.
Speaking of advisors, Palpatine was rather quite wroth at the disappearance of one of his pawns. Few individuals were aware of his true abilities, and Sly Moore-with her penchant for telepathy-was an effective tool.
"Now explain to me why my office has been violated. What has happened to my secretary?"
"Th-that is the second half of my report. It is believed that a Dark Acolyte, one that learnt under the hands of Count Dooku had infiltrated the Imperial Inspectorat."
Palpatine silently stared at Amedda as if to say 'what does this have to do with anything?'
"Ahem, a meeting was being held to discuss the future of the Empire. Naturally, Moore was present to act as your eyes and ears. It was during this meeting that the acolyte butchered her, and several others. For reasons I am not privy to, the intelligence community suspected the darksider intended to plant a bomb, or set a trap within your office." Amedda explained.
Palpatine searched his memory, and the only two names that were capable of pulling such a daring act off were Maul and Ventress.
Closing his eyes, Palpatine pulled upon the Force, feeling as if there was something more to this.
"The assailant what did they look like?" Palpatine questioned.
"A clone trooper reported him as masked, robed, and wielding twin blue lightsabers. Unfortunately, all we had was a composite sketch, as all the footage from the security cameras had been erased." Amedda replied, then reached into his coat, and handed over a parchment.
Revan.
Palpatine let go of the paper as if he had been shocked. The parchment fluttered harmlessly onto the desk, yet Palpatine couldn't take his eyes off the drawing.
"My Lord?" Amedda asked in concern.
"Leave me." Palpatine ordered.
"The special senate session regarding the economy, should I-?" Amedda began to ask, thought better of it, then left the office.
Palpatine hardly noticed the blue alien leave, as his focus was engrossed on the drawing.
Economic collapse? Explosives in his office? The death of his pawn, and disruption of the Empire's future plans?
These were no coincidence.
His instincts, the Force, it all pointed to this man.
When he had arrived back on Coruscant, he had thought he sensed another presence flying past him in another ship, but it was so faint, that he had ignored it in favor of organizing Vader's surgery, and preparing his armor.
He now understood what had transpired.
As a consummate Sith, Palpatine had studied holocrons, and the writings of his predecessors. In one of those ancient scriptures was the legend of Revan.
It told a tale of a man, the tale of a monster.
The story had enthralled Palpatine, and he had taken Revan's story as a lesson. That so long as one Jedi survived, there was an opportunity for them to proliferate.
Now, millenia later, a Jedi was evoking the ghost of Revan.
This was no coincidence.
It was a threat.
An invitation of war.
"Ha." Palpatine drily chuckled at the absurdity of it all.
Palpatine viewed such a challenge as nothing more than the childish mewlings of a defeated vagabond. One desperate to revive the trappings of the past, and clinging to old legends.
How pathetic.
Once Vader had collected himself, and dealt with the Anzat, he would sicc his black clad failure of an apprentice on this character masquerading as Revan.
And if Vader should happen to fall, then perhaps Palpatine would find himself in possession of a new tool.
Reveling at the thought of ending the Jedi, Palpatine sent a message to Amedda, to schedule an emergency senate session later in the day.
As soon as the message was received, a hologram appeared on his desk, flashed some words across the screen for a second, and then blared an annoying noise.
[Emergency Broadcast! Emergency Broadcast! Emergency Broadcast!]
A moment later, a short recording of Anakin Skywalker brutally slaughtering younglings played, it looped twice, and then cut to a masked man.
"Greetings, I am Revan, a Jedi Knight. What you just witnessed was but a slice of the destruction of the Jedi Order.
You have heard Sheev Palpatine's version of events, now listen to ours."
As the hologram spoke, Palpatine sat back, and eagerly awaited his foe's words. Whenever the pretender spat truth, he would spin it into toxicity. Wherever Revan lied, he would bring it to light.
This was going to be a bloodbath.
"Firstly, this is a before and after image of the Chancellor, and the Emperor. The man in the black hood speaks differently, and looks completely different. Can anyone honestly say they are the same person? Speak to any senator, or high ranking military official, and they will tell you that Chancellor Palpatine appeared healthy the night before his announcement."
Palpatine raised a brow. Character assasination from a Jedi, how refreshing. It was amusing to see that they had finally learned a thing or two, but it was much too late.
"In his speech for founding the Empire, he claimed that the Jedi had left him scarred and deformed. With what device? Where did it take place? How did it happen? Does Palpatine have security footage of the Jedi perpetrating these acts? One can only conclude that this hooded figure is a fraud, he cannot be Palpatine. From now on, I'll refer to him as a pseudonym, so that there is no confusion. He is Syphilis."
Palpatine shook his head. Truly a child. If Revan thought this tactic would work, he was too naive. The senators had all worked with the Jedi first hand, and were well aware of their supernatural abilities. None would be swayed by such flimsy reasoning. And Syphilis? What a weak willed insult.
"Syphilis-like the rash he is-has conned the galaxy into dancing to his tune. Every clone is under his command, and are programmed with a chip inside their heads. If a clone unit is stationed on your planet, ask them who their Lord is. The answer may surprise you.
As for you, Syphilis, since I know you are listening, I am afraid that the droid shut down codes are quite inoperable at the moment.
By the way, all those holocrons and ancient repositories of knowledge you intended to loot from the Jedi Temple? They're gone.
To you, loyal citizens of the Republic, the Jedi will always fight for you.
This is Revan, signing off."
The video ended by playing a recording of Palpatine speaking with Vader, telling him to 'bring peace to the Empire' then looped into Vader killing younglings one last time, and cut to black.
Hairline fractures began to travel up the wide window pane behind Palpatine, until it shattered.
Sharply breathing in a breath of cold air, Palpatine let loose with a low, menacing chuckle that reverberated throughout all of Coruscant as he let the hate flow through him.
Ascending to the role of Emperor of the first Galactic Empire, starting the largest war in a millenia, initiating Order 66, turning Anakin to the darkside, they had all been the highest highs of his life.
Now, however, his reputation had taken a substantial hit, the war he had engineered had escaped his grasp, Vader was a shell of a man, there were apparently more Jedi surviving than Yoda & Obi-Wan, and his holocrons were missing.
Frigid winter stirred in his veins, and the darkside found him irresistible, like a thousand irons clinging to a magnet.
This sudden downturn filled Palpatine with malice so potent, that every life form within a 10 mile radius wilted joy, and radiated depression.
Palpatine found himself absolutely brimming with energy as he embraced the darkside of the Force like a true Sith.
Closing his eyes, imagining that mask, Palpatine fed that furnace of hatred deep within his soul his coals of despair, and brought the flames of animosity to new heights.
In short, this event may have damaged Palpatine publicly, but it only served to fuel himself further. Palpatine at this point in time had crossed a bottleneck that had been holding him back for decades. If he were to duel Yoda again at this instant, he was confident in his abilities, that he would destroy his little green friend should they have a rematch.
"Good, gooood. I cannot wait to thank this Revan character enough! In due time, he shall beg for the sweet embrace of death." Palpatine laughed aloud to himself as a Force Storm of epic magnitudes was birthed due to his temporarily enhanced state.
Electrical arcs of pure plasma moved at an ever expanding pace, and rained havoc across the entire Outer Rim.
Random hyperlanes suddenly lost their curvature, careening ships into unknown reaches of space. Entire cities were razed on random worlds as this wormhole of pure energy traversed space at impossible speeds.
In the case of Geonosis-the place where the Clone War began-it received the brunt of this attack, as it was Palpatine's primary target.
Any lifeform unlucky enough to be on the surface of the planetoid was eliminated, and the circuitry inside every droid factory was fried.
Who needed something as mundane as a droid shutdown code when one possessed unlimited power.
Within the hidden hospital upon the asteroid-like planetoid of Polis Massa, Obi-Wan sat at a conference table alone.
Padme laid dead a room away, and her children, Anakin's children were being cared for by a droid, and were under both Master Yoda and Bail Organa's scrutiny.
In his hand-crumpled up into a ball-was a handwritten letter delivered by Bail Organa. The words ate at him.
As a man who always strives to live by the tenants of the Order, he found that as he aged, he began to question the ideals he was raised on.
Master Qui-Gon had always instructed him to think beyond what the council wanted, and to act on what he thought was right.
…Obi-Wan had ignored such counsel when it came to Duchess Satine, and he blamed her death at his own hands. Then, when he had finally tried to act in the interests of his student, and best friend, to finally open himself up to his emotions, he was scalded with the heat of betrayal.
It was only thanks to his devotion to the Order that he gathered the courage to face Anakin, to face Vader.
Now, less than a few days had passed since that tragic duel, and Obi-Wan learned that his brother in all but blood had lived.
Bitter feelings mixed with hope, self loathing, and resentment. He hated himself, that he could not bring to celebrate the most vile traitor in the Order's history. That some small part of him yet hoped that Anakin was still somewhere inside, that Vader was nothing more than a contraption under the control of Darth Sidious.
Such fantasies were unhelpful, but with the destruction of his home, and all the people he cared for, they were the only straws Obi-Wan had left to cling to.
Exhaling slowly, Obi-Wan recognized that he was beginning to slip, and silently recited the Jedi Code to center himself in the Force.
'There is no emotion; there is peace. There is no ignorance; there is knowledge. There is no passion; there is serenity. There is no chaos; there is harmony.'
Feeling a small sense of revitalization, Obi-Wan wondered at the note's mention of his master. Master Yoda had even mentioned something about communing with Qui-Gon as well.
Was this Revan character perhaps in contact with his Master all along?
Obi-Wan frowned, and stroked his beard at the thought.
'I must meditate on this.' Obi-Wan thought to himself.
As Obi-Wan had this thought, the door to the meeting room hissed open. Both Yoda and Bail stepped in, and took a seat.
"Trouble you, this Revan does, Master Kenobi?" Yoda calmly asked.
"My apologies, master, but have you ever heard of a Jedi in the Order that goes by that name? From the sound of things, he almost appears to be a Jedi Shadow, but that is impossible, that subsect has been erased since the Ruusan Accords." Obi-Wan said, and shook his head in confusion.
"Hrm." Yoda briefly closed his eyes as he looked to the side in thought. "Many temples there are unaccounted for. From one of them he likely originates."
"Sorry to interrupt, masters, but from our talk, Revan said he had returned to the Temple from another Galaxy. Is it possible he is a Jedi older than the Ruusan Reformation?" Bail spoke up, and added on to the conversation.
"That is a possibility I had not thought of, except the odds of a lifeform exceeding a millennia are extremely rare." Obi-Wan rebutted.
"But not impossible." Yoda added.
"I researched the name Revan in my family archives. There wasn't much, but from what I learned, sometime 3,950 years ago or so, the Jedi Order was on the verge of collapse. A man named Revan waged war against the Republic, and the Jedi. The text is unclear, but my ancestor seems to imply that he had resurrected the Jedi Order, and prepared the Republic against the Sith Empire, before disappearing from history. Is it possible that the Revan from this story is the same one we are dealing with now?" Bail explained what he knew, and questioned.
"Troubling news if the case this is. Dangerous, Revan is, a threat to the galaxy he could be no less than that of Sidious." Yoda cautioned.
"But Master Yoda, this could be a pretender attempting to rebirth the Order for all we know. His actions so far have only proven his commitment against the Sith." Obi-Wan argued in favor of Revan's exploits.
"I must speak in favor of Revan as well. Although his methods to seek my attention were…questionable, he is a man of ambition, one who can achieve results. No offense, Master Yoda, but swift action and Jedi are not two phrases that exactly go hand in hand." Bail said with a smidgen of hostility.
Obi-Wan withheld a sigh. He was, of course, aware of the Organa's trouble with children, as it had been a galactic scandal for the last five years that Alderaan would go without an heir.
To learn that Bail's wife had her child healed, and brought back to life certainly spoke volumes of both Revan's skill and his character.
Not just any Jedi could accomplish a feat as great as this. In fact, possessing such an impressive ability only gave credence to the theory that this man was the same Revan who had disappeared millenia ago.
Obi-Wan could only surmise that Master Yoda had come to a similar conclusion, otherwise he would not be so openly opposed to Revan. He also wondered at the contents of the personal message left to Yoda. What had Revan revealed that had the venerable Grandmaster so weary?
If he was being honest with himself, Revan seemed to exude the type of arrogance and direct approach to things that Anakin possessed. It was a bitter realization, but because of this awareness, he found himself more inclined to support Revan.
He had seen what the inaction of the council had led to. What his inaction had led to.
"No offense taken, Senator. Concerned with history, I am. Worry, you need not." Yoda patiently nodded at Bail's slight barb, and didn't take it personally.
"Whether Revan is a copycat, or if he is trustworthy can be determined at a later date. For now, we must plan what to do regarding his actions, and our future." Obi-Wan suggested, changing the topic away from old hurts, and shifting focus towards the future.
"I've organized a meeting between some like-minded senators, as well as with a few Separatists. It will be challenging to hash anything out, but the first step to peace begins with dialogue. I intend to invite Revan to this summit, and would be honored if you two Masters would attend as well." Bail offered.
"To ally with the CIS rubs me the wrong way. After the genocidal campaign Grievous conducted against the Nightsisters, and the bloody actions he undertook during the battle of Coruscant, one can only imagine that he only engaged in these daring assaults after receiving the blessing of the Separatist ruling council." Obi-Wan voiced his concern.
"I share your misgivings, my friend. However, the clone army is too formidable for the Delegation of 2,000 to wage war against. We make up less than 15% of the Republic's Systems. The people are war fatigued, and even of those who share Republic sympathies, it is not guaranteed that they will ally with us. The CIS are an unfortunate-necessary-component to any resistance against the Empire." Bail smoothly rebutted.
Both men were slightly hot under the collar as they stared each other down, as this was an incredibly touchy subject. However, as Obi-Wan was a seasoned diplomat, and Bail a multigenerational politician, both men knew when to step back, and let cooler heads prevail.
"...Well, they do call me the Negotiator. I suppose I'll tag along." Obi-Wan sarcastically remarked.
"I'll be happy to host both of you until such a time passes." Bail smiled.
"Unnecessary this is. On Ruusan, I shall wait." Yoda quietly answered with his eyes closed.
Bail shook his head with a smile. "Obi-Wan?"
"...the children deserve to be with a caretaker, and these Taozin Amulets you delivered work remarkably well…if I am to continue the war, I cannot devote time to looking after them. Very well, Bail, I will be in your care." Obi-Wan lightly bowed.
Initially, Obi-Wan wanted to exile himself to the far reaches of the galaxy. Watching over the twins would be the excuse he needed to go into hiding. However, Revan's note had instilled guilt in his heart, and he felt that he still had more to give the Order. That so long as one other Jedi drew breath, there was still hope for a comeback.
"Excellent, when we find the surviving Jedi, yours will be a welcome face, and make my job of rescuing them easier. Now unless there is something else, I'll leave you two to speak alone. Master Yoda, Obi-Wan." Bail inclined his head, and then left to speak with the nursing droid.
As soon as Bail left, and the door to the meeting room slammed shut, a silence that stretched more than 30 minutes passed as both Yoda and Obi-Wan meditated on the Force.
Yet for all the meditation, Obi-Wan still had his doubts gnawing at his heart.
"Worried that Vader discover the children, he will? Turn them to the darkside for his own ends, hrm?"
"They are hardly a few hours old, and yet they are like stars within the Force, ones no less dim than their father…these Taozin Amulets must never leave their sides so long as the Sith control the galaxy." Obi-Wan said in concern.
"Worry not, Obi-Wan. The Force has not abandoned us yet." Yoda comforted.
Obi-Wan looked away, it certainly felt like it.
"What of the other survivors, will you broadcast an announcement? If they heeded Revan's warning, they would only listen to your word." Obi-Wan questioned.
"Remain in the limelight, I will not. My post as Grandmaster, resign I have." Yoda said.
For the first time since Obi-Wan knew him, Yoda well and truly looked his age. Tired, hunched, weak, it was a sight that almost broke Obi-Wan. That if even the greatest Jedi to have ever lived was defeated, what chance was there to triumph over the Sith?!
"But you can't do that! If the Order is to survive, the Jedi will need you." Obi-Wan rushed to say. 'I need you' went left unsaid.
Yoda glanced at him, and smiled.
Obi-Wan ducked his head, as if he were an initiate being scolded by the venerable Master Yoda for the first time.
"Need me, you do not. Before me, the Order existed, after me, the Order shall exist. Fear not, Obi-Wan, alone, you never are." Yoda then hopped off his chair, patted Obi-Wan on the leg, and then hobbled out of the room.
Obi-Wan also left the room, and went to stare out a window into the vast emptiness of space.
Despite Yoda's comforting words, Obi-Wan felt lost.
Loneliness gripped at his psyche, and he placed a hand on the cold window.
"Master…Qui-Gon. I need your counsel. Now, more than ever." Obi-Wan muttered to himself.
"Oh Obi, you only needed to ask." A sad, calm voice said from behind.
"Master?!" Obi-Wan turned around, but there was nothing there.
Slumping his shoulders, Obi-Wan turned back to the window, but what he saw surprised him.
Hovering just outside was a blue apparition of his master.
"It has been too long, Obi, I've watched you grow into a fine man. I am proud of you."
"Master, it really is you!" Obi-Wan took a knee, relief hit him as he sensed fatherly love coming from the ghost.
"No need for that now. Let's go on a stroll, we have much to discuss." Qui-Gon phased into the building, and walked besides Obi-Wan.
Wiping away a tear, Obi-Wan found himself smiling for the first time since he survived Order 66.
Perhaps there was hope yet.