The time had come.
For years, Sheev Palpatine reborn soul of another world, shadow of galaxies past had played the long game. He had positioned pawns, corrupted knights, and crippled orders bound by outdated codes. Now, all that remained was one final push.
The fall of the Jedi.The rise of the Sith.
And the soul of Anakin Skywalker.
Suspicion and Seeds
The Jedi Council convened in grim silence. The war had cost them much, and something darker still loomed over Coruscant.
"Palpatine has refused to give up his emergency powers," Mace Windu said."He is not the man he once was," added Yoda, eyes shadowed with centuries of intuition.Obi-Wan frowned. "We should monitor him closely. From the inside."
Anakin had been summoned soon after.
"You will report to the Chancellor," Windu instructed, "but your true loyalty must remain here with the Jedi."
Anakin's jaw tightened. To spy on the man he admired… even loved… felt like betrayal.But he agreed. He had to.
He still believed in the Jedi.Or so he told himself.
The Opera
That night, in the velvet shadows of the Galaxies Opera House, Anakin sat beside Chancellor Palpatine as the Mon Calamari performance spun a haunting melody.
"Have you ever heard the tragedy of Darth Plagueis the Wise?" Palpatine asked.
Anakin's eyes narrowed.
"It's not a story the Jedi would tell you. Darth Plagueis was a Dark Lord of the Sith… so powerful and so wise he could use the Force to influence the midi-chlorians to create life. To prevent death."
Anakin's heart skipped.
"He taught his apprentice everything he knew," Palpatine continued softly, "then his apprentice killed him in his sleep."
A long pause.
"He could even save the ones he loved… from dying."
Anakin said nothing. But the seed had sprouted.
The Betrayal
Days passed. The war intensified. And Anakin's visions grew worse.
Padmé… dying in childbirth. Screaming. Fading.He woke with clenched fists and sweat-drenched sheets.
It was in this fractured state that Palpatine revealed his final truth.
"I know your fear, Anakin," he whispered in a private chamber. "I can help you."
Anakin turned slowly.
"You're the Sith Lord."
Palpatine didn't deny it.
"I am the only one who understands you."
Anakin ignited his lightsaber. "I should kill you."
"You won't," Palpatine said, voice steady. "You need me. The Jedi betrayed the Republic. They plot to take control. They would let Padmé die."
Anakin left, torn, his destiny unraveling.
The Confrontation
Anakin went to the Jedi Council. Told them everything.
Mace Windu's eyes burned. "Stay here, Skywalker. If what you say is true, you will have earned our trust."
But Palpatine had expected this.
He knew Anakin would not wait. Knew fear would override orders.
When Windu and three Jedi Masters entered the Chancellor's office, Palpatine rose slowly from his chair.
"Are you threatening me, Master Jedi?"
"The Senate will decide your fate," Windu said.
"I am the Senate."
And with a scream, Darth Sidious attacked.
Blades clashed. Lightning flew. The Masters fell one by one.
Only Mace Windu remained, his form precise, devastating. He disarmed Palpatine and raised his lightsaber for the final blow.
Then Anakin burst through the door.
"He must stand trial!"
"He's too dangerous to be left alive!" Windu roared.
Anakin's breath came in gasps. Palpatine groaned, weak, broken. "I can't hold on… I… I'm too weak…"
Anakin's mind shattered. He struck.
Mace Windu died screaming, thrown from the tower into the abyss.
Palpatine rose, face disfigured, voice crackling with raw power.
"You are now... Darth Vader."
Order 66
In the silence that followed, Palpatine activated a hidden comm line.
Across the galaxy, clone commanders received the signal:
"Execute Order 66."
And the Jedi died.
Masters gunned down on distant worlds. Padawans betrayed by the soldiers they called brothers. Temples burned. Lightsabers fell silent.
Even Yoda felt it a great shudder in the Force. He barely survived an attempt on his life by Commander Gree.
The Jedi Temple
Darth Vader Anakin no more led the 501st Legion into the Jedi Temple.
He struck down the Temple guards. Entered the sacred halls. Faced frightened younglings.
"There are too many of them. What are we going to do?"
He ignited his saber.
Blue light turned red in their wide, innocent eyes.
A New Order
The next morning, Palpatine addressed the Senate.
"The attempt on my life has left me scarred and deformed…"
"But I assure you," he growled, "my resolve has never been stronger."
He raised his arms.
"In order to ensure our security and continuing stability, the Republic will be reorganized into the first Galactic Empire, for a safe and secure society!"
The Senate roared in approval.
And in the shadows, Palpatine no longer pretending breathed deeply. The Jedi were gone. The Republic was his. Anakin Skywalker had fallen.
But his plans went deeper still.
He would not simply rule this galaxy.He would own the Force itself.