When the Sun Sets

Chapter 19 - Sidious

Author's Note: Uh... warning for creepy possessiveness? xP

~ Amina Gila

Anakin Skywalker

Sidious's reaction is all I need to draw and ignite my own lightsaber, lunging at him. Aniya is right behind me, and our lightsabers clash with force. Sidious moves back, the Dark Side whirling around him in a violent storm. He fights far deadlier than I could have imagined. I guessed, after the fact, that he may have killed the other Jedi Masters who came with Master Windu, but... I still didn't anticipate this power, but what else could I expect? We knew he was dangerous. We can feel that he's capable of... a lot, but still.

I'm just thrown off, is all.

He's angry, but he's also enjoying this. I can feel it, and it angers me farther. He's deadly, but I know with a simple duel, we would win. I have no doubt about that. But this isn't only a simple duel, and he is far more skilled than us in every way, even if our power is greater than his.

We're moving across the landing platform, but not too far before Sidious flips away from both of us, unexpectedly unleashing a lightning attack on us. I raise my blade, blocking it, and Aniya does the same. The blinding bolts crackle across my plasma blade, all the way down to the hilt. Aniya is doing the same, radiating rage, her hair falling across her face.

Somehow, the force of the lightning is far stronger than his lightsaber. It's blinding enough that I have to turn away to shield my eyes from it, and the sudden light in the darkness of the planet hurts my eyes. I'm already exhausted, and I think he knows that. That's why he's doing it. He's trying to wear us out, or maybe...

My left hand is shaking, but my mechanical hand is tightly gripping the lightsaber.

He lets up the attack for a brief moment, and Aniya instantly lunges for him again. I join her as our blades clash.

I'm exhausted, but I throw everything I have left into the fight, cutting at him from every angle, aiming for the kill. We fight on the offensive as always. Sidious deflects our blades easily, fast and sharp. He's not nearly as exhausted as we are, but I'm beginning to think he's not that good with a lightsaber. Maybe. It's hard to tell when I'm trying to avoid being impaled.

Aniya throws him back, and I instantly move forwards to attack him again, before he recollect himself. He already has, though, spinning up his blade to block it. A Force-shove catches me, throwing us back.

I feel the Force suddenly tightening dangerously around my neck – which is bad. It's already hard to breathe in this air, and I gasp instinctively, lashing out as hard as I can. Aniya does in the same moment, hurling Sidious back.

I barely catch my breath, about to ignite my lightsaber again, but a blast of Force-lightning catches Aniya. Pain ripples sharply through our bond, and I stumble, for a moment too long. The Force-lightning hits me next, before I can block it, throwing me to the ground.

All I can do is writhe on the ground, blindly reaching for my lightsaber, as if it were able to stop this even while I'm lying here. It hurts so, so much. It's not that I'm not used to it, I just... pain never gets easier. I can only scream, furious at myself for being unable to do anything when I hear my sister's cries in the background, mingled with my own. It fuels my rage, but it's hard to focus on anything at all, except how it feels like I'm being torn apart, one molecule at a time, and that it reminds me of Tatooine. Of when nothing short of absolute submission was permitted.

I may have successfully pushed myself up if my limbs weren't spasming so much.

If I could do anything short of begging the Force to let it be over soon.