Star Wars: The Hero's Descent

Chapter 12: The Sith Lord

Inside the grand hall of the Jedi Temple, two blades clashed in flashes of blue and purple. The Sith Lord's style was acrobatic, like a snake, darting forward to jab and then leaping out of the way of Anakin's parry, dancing around him until all he could see was red. The battle was much more even this time. The Sith Lord no longer had the advantage of surprise and he had made Anakin angry.

Anakin found he did not feel the need to pull back when he was angry. Anakin also found that he jumped further when he was angry.

With every move the Sith Lord made, Anakin was right there. With every one of Anakin's thrusts, the Sith Lord parried. With every one of the Sith Lord's parries, a counterattack followed close behind, all one fluid movement.

The Sith was fast. Faster than anything Anakin had ever fought before. He slashed at Anakin's chest in wide arcs, forcing him back a step before Anakin surged forward again, not to be outdone. The Sith Lord also seemed to be deliberately putting distance between them. The worrying thing was, it was impossible to tell whether it was because he was afraid Anakin could hurt him, or he was afraid he could hurt Anakin.

The Sith leaped out of the way of Anakin's forward swing and propelled himself off a nearby pillar, raining down on Anakin from above. Anakin raised his lightsaber to deflect the blow, but the force of the Sith landing on top of him sent him crashing to the polished stone floor.

Suddenly, it felt like they were fighting in close quarters for the first time. Lit by the intense light of their 'sabers, Anakin was almost blinded, but he could also almost see underneath the Sith's hood. His muscles in his back, arms and shoulders strained to keep his own lightsaber from being forced into his own neck, the intense heat of the clash searing his skin more effectively than the hottest days on Tatooine. They came to a stalemate of sorts, the Sith bearing down on him, a solid weight on his chest, and him pushing back up in response, mouth pressed so tightly into a thin line that his lips went white. He tried to take a deep breath and closed his eyes. As quickly as he could muster, he called upon the Force, allowing it to surge through him and out again, directed towards the Sith Lord. The stranger flew backwards, making it halfway to the vaulted ceiling before he began falling straight back down again - but not before Anakin had rolled out of the way.

He was on his feet by the time the Sith hit the floor. With a guttural scream, he lunged forward, lightsaber raised for a killing blow to the Sith's darkly clad prone back before bringing it down again...

Only for it to be met by a purple blade and an unhooded face.

Chancellor Palpatine stared up at him. Deformed to the point of repulsion, he smiled a rictus grin up through yellowed teeth and even yellower eyes.

His dream of Padmé's death felt like a lifetime ago, though the hurt was no less. The connection with the Chancellor, Anakin's friend, his mentor, his only real father figure besides Obi-Wan, his most fierce advocate, brought it back afresh, a pain so sudden and blinding Anakin struggled to remain upright. He had to look down to make sure Palpatine hadn't run him through with the stolen lightsaber.

Surprisingly, he hadn't.

'No,' Anakin moaned as his stomach twisted unbearably. His body was going slack, losing the will to fight, but his soul raged at the injustice, the betrayal.

The Dark Side of the Force is a pathway to many abilities some consider to be unnatural.

This is how he had known. The tale of Darth Plagueis, the secret to stopping death, this was how he knew it all.

I have the power to save the ones you love.

Not for the first time, it took a moment for Anakin to realise the Chancellor had spoken aloud. He hadn't risen from his prone position on the floor, like he knew that Anakin wasn't going to attack him again. Not yet, at ah achieve a power greater than any Jedi. Learn to use the Dark Side of the Force and you will be able to save your wife from certain death.'