Insurrection

Revenge of the Sith - Chapter X

Daylight. Anakin was once again blistered by rays painfully waking him from peaceful slumber. He awoke feeling on edge - all was quiet; he was used to the sounds of speeders and ships tearing by, and the muffled voices that filled Coruscant's streets. Anakin pulled himself from his bed and grabbed his robe, and made his way to his balcony.

Not a vehicle in sight.

"Where is everybody?"

Anakin's comlink erupted, aggressively destroying the silence and making him attentive, prepared. He reached for the comlink, but paused for a moment before answering, taking the time to compose himself.

"This is Skywalker."

"Anakin, it's Obi-wan. You have to get to the Temple straight away, the republic depends on this!"

The comlink fell silent - the call ended and with it so did Anakin. His mind was quiet, Obi-wan's cryptic message made Anakin worry and he hadn't the  slightest clue what it could mean.

Anakin followed his usual routine; shower, drink, a moment to himself to think... then he would don his Jedi attire, equip his saber and report to the Temple.

"I hope Padme's alright"

Climbing into his small speeder, he made his way towards the Jedi Temple as fast as he could. As he travelled he was bewildered by the silence of the mega-city - only a few speeders travelled past him, no congestion, no aggressive language being hurled from cockpit to cockpit, just utter silence.

The Temple was in sight now, and Anakin made for a swift landing in the hanger bay, and was greeted by a very concerned looking Obi-wan.

"Anakin you couldn't have got here sooner, there isn't much time, the whole fleet is gathering and we're spearheading the assault."

"Assault? What assault master? I don't understand..."

"You haven't heard?" Obi-wan was responded to with a negative head nod from Anakin.

"Anakin, the CIS have managed to capture the Chancellor. Separatists forces are in orbit now are being engaged by part of the fleet. The entire planet has been put on lockdown."

Anakin's face immediately screwed with anger.

"The Chancellor was captured, and you thought to only tell me now?"

Obi-wan caught on to his tone, and replied bluntly,

"Anakin, the council is aware of your ties to the Chancellor. Letting you know sooner could have compromised more than you know. But we haven't got the time to debate this right now! We must meet with the commanders and co-ordinate our attack!"

Anakin knew Obi-wan was right, not only was the Chancellor one of his greatest friends, he also knew that time was not his friend right now, and a swift course of action was needed if he wished to get Palpatine back.

"Lead on, Master."

Obi-wan nodded in courtesy and led Anakin through the Temple, to the Holo-room. On approach, Anakin heard shouting and raises voices in debate, and as the door opened they multiplied in volume,

"How did we let the Chancellor of the Galactic Republic get captured so easily?"
"The CIS have a defense advantage!"
"Our fleet is divided!"

Upon Anakin's entry, the room fell silent.

"Now that General Skywalker is here, we can begin. The Separatists, as you know, are blockading the planet as we speak. Now if we wish to get the Chancellor back we must act swiftly - and we must send our best. Skywalker and Kenobi will take lead on this mission, and the rest of our fleet will cover them with an assault, assisting the fleet already at the planet's orbit."

The room became a series of mumbling and whispers, but everyone became quiet in agreement, everyone agreed with Master Windu's decision.

"Good, now, Anakin and Obi-wan, the fleet is waiting for you, make your preparations and report there. May the force be with us all." Mace dismissed himself and so did the rest of the room, leaving Anakin and Obi-wan to find their words.

"Well Master, there is no turning back now. Lets report to the fleet."

"Indeed you are right, my friend."

Anakin and Obi-wan reported to the fleet as soon as they could, giant Venator-Class Cruisers covered the terrain for as far as the eye can see. The pair found themselves in a hanger bay of one and were receiving a run-down of the operation from an officer, who ushered them to their fighters. But Obi-wan took a few moments to speak to Anakin, knowing that this battle could be their last.

"Anakin, wait. Before we go up there, i just wanted to say, Good Luck. You've been a great friend and a greater apprentice."

Anakin appreciated Obi-wan's gesture, but Obi-wan's intentions unsettled him.

"Don't talk like that Master. We'll get back. Besides, anything goes wrong, i'll save your skin for the ninth time." Anakin mused, trying to lift the mood.

"Eighth time, lets not talk about Cato..." Obi-wan retorted.

"May the force be with you Master..."
"May the force be with you, my Apprentice..."

Anakin and Obi-wan climbed into their fighters, and shared one last look, knowing they probably wont see each-other again. They knew the threats they were going to face, Grievous, Count Dooku. It would be a miracle if they survived.

The Venator's engines erupted, and the Cruiser made it's heavy ascension towards orbit, towards the Chancellor, towards the end of the war.

Towards the rise of Darth Vader.
Towards the rise of The Empire.
Towards the Revenge of the Sith.

Anakin's mind froze for a moment, glued to one thought and one thought only.

"I know i'll see you soon Padme. I promise."

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AUTHORS NOTE:

It is at this point that my story comes to an end. It was short and it took its while but after two years I'm happy to finally bring it to a close. I hope you all enjoyed it and furthermore i absolutely appreciated all of your support, i wouldn't have finished otherwise. I know this ending is abrupt, but it needed to be finished and this is how i envisioned it.

Good luck to you all, and i might write more stories, about Ancient Rome, or about Vader and the Empire.

May the force be with you all!