Star Wars: The Rogue Knight

Part 5

East Ball Room, Senate Building, Coruscant

Anakin did not flinch when the blaster bolt flew centimeters from his side and hit Senator Ben Iblis in the stomach. However he stiffened when a scared Padme shouted his name and engulfed him in a frantic embrace from behind. Her hand were busy roaming all over his front searching for injury before it dawned to her that he was not hurt and she compose herself.

Skywalker glared at the smirking cutthroat who had sheathed his blaster and was grinning at them. If eyes could kill, Bane would be a stream of scattered atoms by now.

The Jedi could feel his anger and fear bubbling in him, trying to gain control. The whispers of the Dark side which was out there, just waiting for him to reach for her was not doing anything good for his state of mind.

Before meeting Veil, Anakin would have tried to suppress his anger, put it in a small box and lock it away. To disregard the dragon which lived deep within his heart. There is no emotion only peace. Riiight...

'Try telling that to my anger.' he mentally snorted. His feeling were real. Not something that could be simply disregarded or discarded. All the wonderful ones. And those leading to a particular kind of madness and self-destruction.

For first time in his life, instead of trying to deal with his emotions the Jedi way, which had never worked for him (see the Wife who was embracing him from behind) or stumble in the dark grasping for a way to deal with his feelings he decided to do something different. Anakin followed an advice given to him by Delkatar and let the anger flow through him. Instead of fighting it all the way, Skywalker channeled his emotions. Used them with a purpose.

For a moment he saw red and was terrified. If it was not for Padme holding him and her presence acting as an anchor he probably would have lost it and went berserk just like that time on Tatooine. But she grounded him and give him the strength to rally himself so he won't be controlled by his anger which was about to turn into pure fury.

Just as fast it had come, the perceived lack of control was gone and he was in charge again. Ah. Yeah. Suddenly Anakin felt the need to bash his head into the nearest flat surface. Delkatar had warned him not to try this stunt for the first time without someone to monitor him because after a life when he was trying to suppress his feelings they might overwhelm him if he let his emotions run mostly free.

He let those thoughts go. This was not the place or time for self-blame. Padme was here and was in danger. That was the important thing.

Anakin looked around the ball room with new eyes. He could feel the Force rushing through him like an unchained river which until now had been barred by a damn which was no longer there. Its rejuvenating power coursed through his veins and he felt more powerful than ever before.

His eyes stopped at each of the charges and the laser emitters attached to them which created a crimson spider web around him and the Senators. His glanced at the two dozen commando droids surrounding them and the few bounty hunters lounging around Bane. How was he going to get his wife and preferably the senators too, from this mess?!

=RK=

Near the holding cells, Jedi Temple, Coruscant

Dooku and Kadrian separated, moving to flank the Jedi Master. That gave a clear firing lane to the bounty hunters and the remaining droids, two of which were Magna Guards—the only survivors of a group which had dealt with a bunch of Jedi who had tried to reinforce the prison guards. The remaining commando droids placed their blasters on clamps built in their backs and drew vibroblades. Both machines and bounty hunters waited for a sign to attack.

The Force users looked at each other for a moment then they exploded in action. Windu sent a wave of Force energy at the woman staggering her in the middle of her charge and turned to his left side where he met the former Jedi turned Sith Lord head on. Purple and crimson blades crashed with tremendous force and Dooku was forced to step back in an attempt to keep his balance. His missing arm not only halved the power with which he could swing his blade. It also disrupted the balance of his body and would take him time and training to become accustomed to it. Or to the changes a prosthetic would bring. What was worse in his opinion was the slightly diminished connection he had with the Force because of his lost limb.

So the first clash of blades was enough for the Count to conclude that he won't be able to win a one on one battle with Mace. It was fortunate that he did not have to face the Jedi Master alone. Windu was forced to jump back and to the left to avoid being attacked from behind by Kadrian, whose blade swept through the position where the black man stood.

Dooku sent a concentrated lance of telekinetic energy at his former comrade who was surging at Say's flank. Windu blocked the attack by creating a half dome of Force energy in front of him before the spear of invisible power slammed into him. A whoosh of displaced air could be heard. The clash of energies could be actually seen as attack and shield collided. Mace remained unharmed but his charge at the Zabrak woman was disrupted and she could recover from her failed attempt to slash him in the back.

Windu faced the two Sith who moved in tandem leaving enough distance between themselves so they did not get in the way of each other – a typical mistake of people who had not trained to fight as a team.

On the Jedi's left, Dooku was advancing behind his stabbing lightsaber which he used as a rapier. In his current condition the old man had no intention to enter a contest of strength with his younger and hale adversary. On the right, Mace was confronted by the powerful strikes and slashed which were emblematic for the Djem So form.

For all his skill with lightsaber, Windu was hard pressed to defend himself when confronted by this two radically different styles at the same time. In order to counter the woman he had to place significant strength behind his parries and strikes which slowed him down a bit. Dooku's insistent attempts to skewer him required different approach... unless he could concentrate only on the traitor. The matter was not made easier by the inherently offensive nature of his own Vaapad style. Windu could not cut loose against those two. Not when he had to keep them between himself and their kriffing droids or risk to either be shot/stabbed or bludgeoned and shocked.

He glanced at the bounty hunters. At least two of those had flamethrowers mounted on their arm-guards. Or fired. Where were the other the Jedi? He was definitely not above asking for help when he needed it. When all was said and done, neither the Order nor the Republic had much use for dead heroes. Not that he saw himself as such. Windu had always done what he believed right for the people he was responsible for. As a Jedi Master that included most if not all other Jedi and the Republic as a whole. That's why he had to stop Dooku from escaping. He was a former Jedi who was a living proof that letting people leave the Order and go on their own was a monumental mistake for which everyone was paying even before the end of the war.

The only thing he felt towards a man he once saw as a kind of a mentor was pity. And determination to stop him at all costs.

The Jedi Master's thoughts ran in similar way as far as that other Sith was concerned. Windu did not know what games Veil was playing but that man had to be stopped. He felt it in his bones. If Veil was left to his own devices the Order as it was now would cease to exist replaced by some kind of abomination molded by the ideals of that monster. He had seen the records from the Great War all those eons ago. The murdered and tortured Jedi. Shattered Republic fleets. Whole worlds burned from order by that man's command. Mace shuddered to think what would have happened if Veil was not catapulted to the future. That Sith was a special kind of monster. Even worse than most common animals with who he shared name. Veil and Dooku were the greatest danger the Jedi and the Republic faced in millennia. It was not only their skills as battlefield commanders. Far from it. Their ability to use honeyed words to corrupt their enemies as well as their patience – that was the true threat that they represented.

It was a danger that the Republic and unfortunately a lot of young Jedi, both Padawan and Knights were not ready to face. Left unchecked those two could shatter the integrity of the Order and the Republic it had to protect without firing a shot. Their words were poison which would find all too many receptive ears.

Indeed, who would balk when one of those two offered a much easier and faster path to master the Force? It will be a lie but the Dark side is insidious. It confuses the mind and blinds. The power it confers in the short term is a mere hook, a tool which uses to twist a person until no one could recognize him anymore.

He was present for Tano's report and immediately saw the danger. The poor girl was unwittingly walking towards a path that will destroy her. Damn that man! He was openly corrupting young Jedi and right now was untouchable! Those blind fools who had never brushed with the dark side – both the Senators and the countless masses could never understand why a Jedi needed to cast off his feelings! Emotion was the greatest enemy to a Force s.e.n.s.i.t.i.v.e! It left you open to the predations of the Dark side!

But those who did not know the Force simply could not see it that way. For them feeling emotions was the natural thing. So in the court of public opinion Veil would be a winner as long as he was careful and did not show his true face.

Windu ducked under a swipe from the woman that nearly took off the top of his head and deflected to the side a stab from Dooku. Getting distracted in the middle of combat almost got him killed!

Mace was still kneeling when he staggered under a powerful downwards strike from the woman. Dooku was moving to attack him again and he was in a bad position. Windu twisted his wrists to change the angle in which his and Kadrian sabers were locked and rolled to the right. His left leg snapped along the ground and he kicked the woman's feet from under her.

The Jedi Master was barely able to stand up when Dooku jumped over the prone form of Say and slashed at Mace. Windu parried and went on the offensive seeing probably the only opening he was going to get in this battle.

He surged forward with his purple blade dancing in an unpredictable manner. With every strike he was battering at the unsteady guard of Dooku and forcing the old man to retreat. The Vaapad master saw his opportunity and unleashed his deadly style. He let the Force fly through him and siphoned the dark side derived energies surrounding his opponents like cloaks.

Only the Count's excellent footwork and decades of experience permitted him to remain millimeters away from the purple blade seeking a piece of his flesh. Kadrian's attempts to counterattack and break up the Jedi's momentum turned out to be unsuccessful. Windu moved like a storm front, keeping the Sith between himself and the droids, and bounty hunters. Every time when Say tried to flank him he maneuvered in such a way as to mitigate any advantage she would have gained or used brute Force attacks to keep her close to Dooku. Ironically enough, despite being the least experienced of the three combatants, thanks to her preferred style, Kadrian was the one better suited to face Mace's powerful attacks. But considering that Windu resembled more a whirlwind of purple blades than a man at that time it was largely irrelevant.

"Enemy reinforcements just entered the Temple. Veil is on one of the LAAT's!" the comms worn by the bounty hunters came to life with the voice of one of the scouts watching for the Republic's response.

Dooku swore and nodded at the mercenaries and the droids. It was time to leave.

The Sith wasted a moment pondering the look of anger that flashed over Windu's face when he heard about Veil's arrival. So at least the good Jedi Master was not on good terms with the Republic's rising star. That was a useful information to have.

Dooku's lightsaber was battered away leaving him open for attack but before the purple blade could cut into his side, Kadrian's weapon intercepted the attack. Then the two Magna Guards were upon Windu followed by the commandos.

The old man breathed a sigh of relief. He summoned his lightsaber from the ground and followed the bounty hunters who waved him to hurry up.

Windu used a massive wave of Force to throw the droids out of his way and jumped after the running Sith only to have to scramble back when four flamethrowers bathed his way with hellfire. Before the bounty hunters stopped feeding the wall of fire the droids were back on their feet and fell on Mace like a pack of starving dogs. The Jedi Master raised his blade over his head and charged the machines.

=RK=

Great Hall, Jedi Temple, Coruscant

Yoda glared at the Dark Jedi who had three of his people on their "mercy". A concept that those fallen to the Dark side lacked. Two of the Acolytes were blocking his way. He could easily blow through them but not in tame to save young Ahsoka. Or his other two Jedi.

The lull in the battle gave an opportunity to most people present in the hall to watch the unfolding tragedy. The Grandmaster fought the urge to look away. Ahsoka was another child he had failed. Just like all other Jedi lying dead in the hall. This was the one building in the galaxy where his people should have been safe!

The ancient being's eyes widened. He could see it through the Force moment before it happen. So he acted.

The two Dark Jedi facing him were blown away like a twigs on the way of a hurricane as well as the droids who were nearby and could stop him.

Nahdar used the Force to reinforce his body to the breaking point and beyond. He knew that any direct attack would be sensed and stopped before it could do anything so he went another way. He moved like a blur and was over Ahsoka before the crimson lightsaber was halfway down. The attempt of Ventress to throw him out of his way with the telekinesis splashed over the energy surrounding his body.

He was in front of the swinging lightsaber and made a pushing motion with his arms discharging the Force he had gathered. He could feel the power racing to his hands and smiled.

The Mon Calamari blinked in confusion when he felt the Force dissipating with only a fraction of it pushing the Dark Jedi stumbling a couple of steps back. Something caught his attention and he looked to the right. The masked woman had her saber arm outstretched and her weapon was not in sight.

Nahdar looked down and his smile became sad. There was a still active lightsaber sticking to his right side. Vebb had a moment to wonder why it did not hurt before slowly toppling to the ground like a centuries old tree.

Asoka's sight cleared and in front of her horrified gaze the spark of life departed Nahdar's eyes. She was oblivious to the man who had tried to execute her actions.

He snarled and jumped forward ready to impale her on his blade. The shocked Padawan felt a tug and was hastily pulled away from the descending blade which stabbed the marble floor.

That was the last help Yoda could give her because he was attacked by a mixed group of Magna Guards and commando droids. One of the Dark Jedi he had thrown away had recovered enough to join the fun.

"You should have stood down, Jedi." muttered the masked woman. She made an intricate motion with her left hand and Ahsoka froze where she stood. She could feel a cocoon of Force which felt sickly sweet, twisted around her body preventing her from moving.

The masked man stood up and walker towards her.

"Third time is the charm, little Jedi. You are out of luck."

Ahsoka frantically grabbed at the Force with all her will. She was desperately trying to either free herself form this captivity or somehow stop the Dark Jedi.

Her blue eyes widened in fright when his blade arched towards her head for the third time.

=RK=

LAAT gunship, Jedi Temple, Coruscant

I could kiss both that brave boy who sacrificed himself to protect Ahsoka and the little green troll who was dealing havoc upon the CIS forces in the temple.

That thought flashed over the rage I was feeling. With every close call Ahsoka had while I was helpless to help her fed my fury. If I had a mirror I bet that my eyes right then would have been sickly yellow.

The LAAT flew through the smoking remains of the main temple gates. Moments later I used the Force to propel myself forward. I threw my lightsaber and used my mind to guide its flight. It ignited in midair with its crimson blade emanating the blood-thirst I felt towards those who dared to hurt Ahsoka.

I am not really sure how or when it happened, but there was a part of my mind that saw in her something of the person my unborn daughter could become. I had not thought about the way I felt about her. The only way I could describe it at the time was a strong affection and over-protectiveness akin to something you could feel towards a younger sibling. The fledgling Force connection only made those dormant feelings stronger.

It was an excellent food for my fury.

After I jumped from the LAAT the world moved in slow motion. I could see my lightsaber spinning lazily in the air, Ventress who was oh so slowly moving towards a female Jedi laying on the ground and a masked woman who was turning towards the gunsh.i.p.s.

I twisted midflight so I could land on my feet while I gathered Force fueled lightning in my left palm. My lightsaber hit the blade of the man trying to cut down Ahsoka mid-swing with enough force to push back his weapon and make him stumble a step back.

My armored boots hit the ground hard and sent a pulse of force energy which collided with the two female Dark Jedi. They were thrown off their feet but managed to use their powers to land safely few meters away. The man was not so lucky. I sent a torrent of lightning at the bastard trying his best to kill Ahsoka. A part of my brain noted that she was kept in Force induced stasis and filed that tidbit of information for later digestion. I was too busy frying an idiot who wanted to be Sith without knowing what that truly was and guiding my lightsaber back to my outstretched right hand. The screams of the masked man was music to my ears.

If it was not for the bloody single-mindedness of the droids all combat in the great hall would have stopped. I could feel the shock of both the Jedi and their darker brethren at what they felt from me. I was drinking deeply from the Dark side and channeling it in a way only a True Sith could. From my position its icy tendrils were spreading through the Great Hall. And the screams of the man under my lightning assault were rising high over the din of battle. What I used on him was not my battle version. Oh, not at all. I was not feeling particularly merciful. It was the standard Sith lightning attack that was made for torture.

The man was suspended in the air with dark blue bolts of electricity arching through his body and grounding in the floor. I pushed more juice through my attack and he was pushed backwards. The Dark Jedi slammed hard in a column pockmarked by blaster fire and his smoking body lay still when it hit the ground.

I gave a slight nod to Ahsoka who was still paralyzed and walked towards her until I was between the young Togruta and the two females who probably thought they were Sith. Heh. What a joke.

"Ventress." I my voice hissed in a tone I did not immediately recognize. "It was foolish of you to participate in this... mistake." I muttered. Now it clicked. It was I've heard only in my memories. That of Darth Vael.

I fixed Asajj with an icy glare.

"Foolish children bumping in the night. I can see it in your stance. The way you move. And in your eyes. "I smirked. "You do not even comprehend what you are trying to emulate."

She glared fiercely at me.

"I am Sith!" she shouted but made no move to attack. I could see it plainly. The strong aura of darkness that I had shrouded around myself like a common cloak was terrifying her as well as drawing her in. And she did not know how to react.

"Nonsense." I snorted in response. "Girl, you barely qualify as a Dark Jedi." I pointed my ignited lightsaber at her. "You do not know the full power of the Force. All I've seen you do is surrender to the Dark side like a common thug. Where is your pride, woman? All I see are ignorant children who thing that being slaves to the Dark side is what mean to be a Sith! You are a bunch of blind fools!" My voice was gaining strength with each word until it was a dull roar echoing throughout the Great Hall.

I glared at the women.

"You want to a be Sith? I will educate you! It's time to learn what means to face a True Sith. It will hurt. A lot." A sinister smile stretched my lips.

I gathered upon myself the Dark side energies I was letting loose around me like a mantle and surged forward. Living shadows clung around me like a cloak which chilled the blood of everyone looking at me.