Star Wars Episode IIIAU: Sith Rising (Star Wars AU Series #1)

Will's Pep Talk

Author's Note: Ever since Order 66, the galaxy hasn't been the same. I think we can all agree on that. For starters, Mia's been caught by Palpatine himself. The long awaited new apprentice of the Sith has made their appearance at last! But who is it?

And where has Anakin gone? What will it take to get him back into the fight? Most of all, can the galaxy be freed from Palpatine and his vicious Empire? Mosey on down to the climactic conclusion of Star Wars: Sith Rising, and may the Force be with you.

This section begins Part VIII, the climactic conclusion of Star Wars: Sith Rising. The fate of the entire galaxy lies in the outcome of one major battle and one particular lightsaber duel. Are you guys hyped? Are you ready for this? This is where the fun begins!

"Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear, not absence of fear." ~Mark Twain

---

Anakin's POV

TWO MONTHS LATER

"Where is Anakin Skywalker?" A red Mando questioned. I felt my heart pitter-pattering once every 10 seconds. "WHERE IS HE?!" I put my hood back on and tried to act casual.

"If none of you lot knows where Skywalker is, I'm gonna have to start killing a family a day until he is found!" Another Mando hollered. A crowd of people huddled close to each other, their knees shaking as though they were about to break.

"You! Do you know where Skywalker is?" The first Mando grabbed a random citizen out of the crowd, forced him onto his knees, and held a gun against his forehead.

"N-No, sir!" The man stumbled.

"You say, 'No, sir!'?! I know he's here! Now tell me!" The Mando shouted so loud that the man cowered back.

"I-I don't k-know, s-sir! I-I haven't s-seen a-any S-Skywalker around here...unless you mean Shmi Skywalker."

"Not Shmi, dumbass! Her son, Anakin Skywalker! I know he's here, my tracker says so! Now, I'm giving you one last chance. Where is Anakin Skywalker?"

"I'm t-telling you, I-I don't k-know!"

"Is that how it's gonna be? Alright, then. Bring the family over." The Mando ordered two Mandos to drag a screaming woman and a crying boy over to where the man was.

Maybe I should turn myself in, just so this will all end. But for some reason, I didn't. Maybe Windu was right. Maybe I'm not the Chosen One. Yoda once said that fear was the path to the dark side. After Order 66, fear took up every single inch of my body, mind, and soul. Maybe I was meant to help Palpatine with his new Empire, even if it was morally wrong.

If there's one thing right about me, it's the fact that I exhibited qualities of both Jedi and Sith. I had married Padme in secret at the beginning of the Clone Wars, which was totally against the Code. On the other hand, sometimes, I was driven by anger and hate, like that time I killed a whole village of Tusken Raiders right after my mom died.

"On my command!" The Mando shouted. Before things could get worse, I left the scene immediately and started running. I didn't stop until---.

"Ouch!" Will fell on his back against the tan sand.

"Will? What are you doing here?" I asked.

"Oh, hey, Ani! I finally tracked you down using some techno mumbo jumbo."

"How's everything on Coruscant? I haven't heard anything."

"Horrible."

"How so?"

"I can't even begin to describe it. I'll just say that we lost Padme, Barriss, and Mia about a month and a half ago, and Coruscant has been much gloomier lately. Um, can we talk...somewhere where no one can see us? And jeez, Ani. You look terrible."

"Really? How so?"

---

"Why are we in the Mircada homestead?" I asked. The Mircada homestead was neat and untouched, as usual.

"I don't think Mia would care. She's rarely home, anyway. Okay, Ani---lemme just start talking by saying this: WE NEED YOU." Will emphasied the last three words.

"Need me? To do what?"

"Duh! Destroy the Sith! Life's been horrible on Coruscant. The survivors of Order 66 have been forced to hide in secret rooms in the bowels of the Jedi Temple...or rather, what remained of it. The Empire has put bounties on all of us, especially on you. You're the Emperor's Most Wanted, Anakin."

"Why?"

"Palpatine wants to make sure that there are no opponents of his in the galaxy, so he's been requiring civilians to speak up if they see any of us. Some people refused and get taken hostage."

"That sounds horrible!"

"Yeah, and it doesn't stop there. Mia and her friend, Kihara, have discovered labor camps on Mustafar, where Palpatine's opponents go to suffer and die. They've been forced to build things that will be beneficial to the Empire. Oh, and don't forget the huge statue of Palpatine some prisoners have been forced to make."

"You're kidding."

"No, I'm not. Ever since Order 66, Palpatine has been gaining more and more power, and no one except you can stop him. Remember the Prophecy? It says, in time, a Jedi will come to destroy the Sith and bring balance to the Force. That 'Jedi' is you, Anakin."

"You don't understand, Will. That prophecy is just pure fairy tale rubbish. It's been made thousands of years ago. Surely, it doesn't matter now! I've seen what Palpatine has done with my own eyes! No one can stand up to the Empire now! We're toast!"

"But, Anakin! What about your kids? Don't you want them to have a better childhood than you? Do you want them to be slaves? Cuz that will happen if Palpatine isn't stopped. The prisoners in the death camps will just be working their butts off for a cause they don't give a shit about!"

"Well, yeah."

"Anakin, listen to me for one second, please! I know you don't want to embrace the role of the Chosen One, but unfortunately, you have to, because it's the will of the Force."

"How do you know so much about the Force? You're not even from here!"

"Remember when I told you that we were going to see Maz Kanata? She's no Jedi, but she knows all about the Force, Jedi, and Sith. Her wisdom rivals that of Master Yoda."

"So what?"

"I'm telling you, Anakin. The galaxy needs you. Please, if you're not gonna do it for yourself, do it for your children and the next generation. We're begging you."

I took a moment to register what Will had just told me. How could I have been so scared, as to not stand up to Palpatine when the galaxy was in its darkest hours? How could I let that man and his family get killed for not revealing my whereabouts? And most of all, how could I leave my friends when they needed me most? I mentally slapped myself for being so stupid.

"Anakin...please, tell me you're in this fight with us. We need a leader, and we want you to lead us." Will concluded.

Me, a leader? But why? I'm vulnerable. I don't follow rules. Most of all, I'm not powerful enough. I know I'm the Chosen One and I have to fulfill the prophecy but...seriously, why me? Why can't it be Obi Wan, who's wiser than his years, or Yoda, the Grand Master of the Jedi Council?

"A leader? But Will, I screwed up countless times. I let Palpatine escape right under my nose. I abandoned you when you needed me the most. I married Padme in secret. I have no right to be a leader!"

"We've all made mistakes in our lives, Anakin. I was just like you. I submitted myself to the orders of my old master, where I was used as a tool for 2 long years. And you came along. We didn't get along at first, but thanks to you, I realized what I've been doing was wrong and disillusioned myself with my old master. And now, I'm helping the survivors of Order 66 in the fight against Palpatine and his Empire. They don't care about what I've done in the past. And your past mistakes won't matter once you've made a name for yourself."

At that very instant, I realized that Will was right. All this time, I've been drowning in guilt over my mistakes, which resulted in me becoming very pessimistic and unproductive. A few moments after reflecting, I looked up at Will and said---.

"What's the plan?"