My Unfortunate Fate

chapter 96

To fear endings is to neglect possible beginnings. 

I approach the Council doors as they crack open, revealing the large, barren chambers. I look around; surely, I must be mistaken. As the room's emptiness sinks in, I fall to my knees. I barely prevent injury before sliding onto the cold, hard floor, devastated. 

It is over. 

I came here because I felt Anakin's presence, just a few moments ago, but he's missing. Only his monotone voice remains in my mind in two haunting words: I know. I have only five questions. Who told him Palpatine is Darth Sidious? What tipped him off to that fact? When did he find out? Where did he realize this? And finally, why did he tell me? I feel hopeless and anxious and, above all else, confused. I have no clue what's going on, but I know Anakin is involved, and I know it's bad. 

Where are you? I ask him. 

I stare out the window, at the approaching twilight and lingering sunset. 

Then, he answers: I'm on my way to the Chancellor's office. 

Nothing could be worse than that, but he won't listen if I tell him. He trusts Palpatine too much. 

I hone in on his presence and find him in the Jedi Temple, although I cannot pinpoint his exact location. Given that he's on his way to the Senate building, I assume he's near the hangar. I have to hurry if I'm going to stop him, so I push off the floor and sprint to the elevator, narrowly squeezing through its closing doors. Fortunately, the High Council spire offers express lift access to the main hangar. Unfortunately, Anakin must have used it, as well. Once the lift arrives at the hangar floor, it must traverse the floor laterally until it reaches the hangar itself. Since its tracks are located between two levels, nothing obstructs the lift, but it still takes just over a minute. 

The car comes to a halt and I stand impatiently at the exit, watching the doors slowly pry open until I know I can fit, then head into the hangar itself. I see a gunship to my right, a Corellian freighter to my left, and up ahead, distantly lifting off a jutting platform, is a red and white Jedi shuttle. Somehow, without seeing or feeling him, I know Anakin is in there. 

I'm still too far away for him to see me, too far away to do anything, give any signal, to ask him to turn around. I scour my mind for a last resort, watching the shuttle approach a fast traffic lane, and then it hits me. 

I run, holding my arms out like a maniac, and pull with all my might. I hope—I pray—that the Force is with me. I summon it as strongly as I can, promising to do anything for this maneuvre to work, even give up the Force altogether. If this is my last effort, the last time I feel like a Jedi, then so be it. 

"Turn the ship around," I mutter trough grinding teeth. 

I think, to the Force, activate my comm. Suddenly, it chimes and emits a static noise. I'm plugged in to Anakin's comlink, the one on his wrist. All he has to do is accept my call. 

Hands in the air, in the waves of the Force, I ignore my raging heart. I ignore the awful paranoia for a moment and feel the world around me. I've immobilized the shuttle, yet for all my effort, I cannot pull it into the hangar. Anakin must make that decision, and I fear he won't. 

My comm remains static. My thoughts can't get through to him; they manifest in commands to the Force itself. Bring the ship in, I think, but the shuttle merely rocks and lets out a shrill creak. This isn't going to work. 

Tears line my eyes, slowly shutting to accord more energy to focusing, and less to seeing. 

"Anakin," I say hopelessly. "I have nothing left. I can't reach you and I know...I have to. You have to turn the ship around. Otherwise, you'll be making a huge mistake and something awful will happen..." I watch the ship inching away as tears roll down my cheeks. "If you can somehow hear me, by any means, reel the ship in," I sob.