Anakin landed his speeder, his heart going a mile a minute as he sprinted into the Senate building, and down the long corridor that led to the Chancellor's office.
Just as he arrived, he noticed three bodies on the ground, Jedi Masters who had accompanied Master Windu after Anakin had told them of Palpatine's true identity.
But as he looked up, he saw Mace on the ledge of a broken window, which was 20 stories up in the air, a fatal drop. The Jedi Master was locked in a deadly duel with the Sith Lord and managed to best him with his personal lightsaber form, Vaapad.
Palpatine slid to the edge of the window, dropping his saber and cowering for mercy.
"You are under arrest, My Lord." Mace spat the title with obvious distaste.
"Anakin! I told you it would come to this. I was right. The Jedi are taking over." Palpatine pleaded with the young man. Anakin felt himself pause...
"You old fool. The oppression of the Sith will never return. Your plot to regain control of the Republic is over . . . you have lost . . ." Mace snarled.
"No! No! You will die!" Palpatine cried before releasing deadly bolts of lightning from his fingertips. Mace blocked them with his lavender-colored saber, pushing the Sith back against the window sill.
"He is a traitor, Anakin." Palpatine tried again.
"He's the traitor. Stop him!" Mace called back, confused and angered as to why Anakin was even contemplating helping a Sith Lord.
"Come to your senses, boy. The Jedi are in revolt. They will betray you, just as they betrayed me." Palpatine said.
Anakin thought it over...every word the Chancellor had spoken to him embedded in his mind. And his nightmare about Padmé...this man may be able to help him save her...but if the Jedi killed him...what use would he be?
"You are not one of them, Anakin. Don't let him kill me." Palpatine said again, placing even more doubt into the boy.
Anakin began to tremble. It was not the Jedi way to kill an unarmed man...maybe Master Windu was a traitor.
"I am your pathway to power. I have the power to save the one you love. You must choose. You must stop him." Palpatine pressed once more, knowing he was breaking through.
"Don't listen to him, Anakin." Mace grunted with effort, still holding off the Sith lightning.
"Help me! Don't let him kill me. I can't hold on any longer. Ahhhhhhh . . . ahhhhhhh . . . ahhhhhhh . . ." Palpatine pleaded as Mace pushed him out to the ledge. Mace's lightsaber reflected the lightning back at Palpatine, distorting his face into an ugly mask, his eyes turning yellow and his powers struggling to intensify.
"I can't ... I give up. Help me. I am weak ... I am too weak. Don't kill me. I give up. I'm dying. I can't hold on any longer." Palpatine whimpered.
"You Sith disease. I am going to end this once and for all." Mace snarled, raising his saber.
Anakin panicked. "You can't kill him, Master! He must stand trial."
"He has too much control of the Senate and the Courts. He is too dangerous to be kept alive." Mace rebutted.
"I'm too weak. Don't kill me. Please." Palpatine begged.
"It is not the Jedi way . . ." Anakin trailed off, turmoil burning within him.
The saber continued to raise, preparing to arc downwards to end the Sith's life forever.
YOU ARE READING
Sacrifice - A Star Wars Fanfic
Fanfiction"I know you were once Anakin Skywalker, my father..." "That name no longer has any meaning to me." Anakin Skywalker is in for an eye-opening experience when he is thrown 23 years into the future to witness what his deeds will do to the galaxy... Now...
