Star Wars: The Hero's Descent

Chapter 20: Battle of Heroes

Anakin's starfighter, retrieved from the Jedi Temple hangar bay, was waiting exactly where he left it, on the landing deck halfway up the tower. For once, Anakin ran from the blaster beams streaking to him on every side, deflecting bolts with a casual disregard, so focused on his course he didn't even look back, letting the Force guide his lightsaber blade without any conscious interference. As much as the sight of them fueled a fury so powerful it frightened him, he had already killed too many clones today. If any more fell by his hand as he escaped, he didn't want to see it happen.

He and R2 reached the starfighter at the same time and Anakin didn't even need to say anything for the droid to plug in so they could take off, dodging blaster fire as they soared into the Coruscanti night, towards the Senate building, Obi-Wan and the Emperor.

The window of the Chancellor's office was shattered, leaving a gaping hole open to the unforgiving winds of Coruscant's upper atmosphere. The Force stank of the Dark Side here, the echoes of light and dark still ringing through the space like a grim after image Obi-Wan couldn't rub from behind his eyes. Anakin's hunch had been right. Jedi had been killed here. Powerful masters of the Order. Obi-Wan could feel the ghosts of their presences in the Force. Master Kit Fisto... Master Agen Kolar... Master Saesee Tiin... Some of the finest warriors Obi-Wan had ever known.

Gone.

Returned to the Force.

Obi-Wan stepped through the room and out into the corridor. He could sense Master Yoda nearby and... Nothing. Even when he knew what he was looking for, knew Palpatine personally, it was difficult to sense the presence of the Dark Side when it was hidden so expertly.

Yet not impossible. Next to Master Yoda's light, a shadow stood, too dark against the brightness to be natural.

Palpatine.

No - Sidious.

He crept along the corridor, trying to make his presence as insignificant as possible, to let Yoda's fountain of Light disguise Obi-Wan's own distinct signature. It dulled his senses a little, but not enough that he couldn't determine everything going on in the room below the Grand Convocation Chamber of the Senate.

Yoda and Sidious were talking, as far as he could tell. Then, energy crackled between them and Yoda's Light dimmed a fraction before brightening again. Obi-Wan readied himself to come to the Grandmaster's aid when he felt Yoda's presence nudge him subtly through the Force. The message was clear: wait.

Obi-Wan obeyed as he felt another surge in the Force, then another and another as Yoda and the void that was Sidious moved swiftly from the centre of the room to the threshold, close enough Obi-Wan could hear the distinctive sound of a lightsaber unsheathing. The faint green glow reflected off the walls of the corridor told him it was Yoda's.

'If so powerful you are, why leave?' Yoda said from just around the corner.

'You cannot stop me,' the Emperor drawled. 'The Dark side always prevails.'

Yoda: 'Faith in the Dark side of the Force, misplaced, it may be.'

In reply, another lightsaber hissed into life, washing the corridor with red flames.

Yoda was no longer sending him the message to hold back.

Taking the hint, Obi-Wan surged forward in a Force-assisted leap that would have made Anakin proud had the younger man been there. His lightsaber slashed into existence as he soared and landed between Yoda and Sidious, just as Sidious' raised blade came crashing down onto his head.

Fighting with Yoda was nothing like fighting with Anakin. Obi-Wan had known Yoda his entire life, the little green alien had been his first instructor when he was just a child, but they weren't two halves of a single warrior like Obi-Wan and Anakin were. He and Yoda rarely fought side-by-side, and even less so against a single foe.