DOWNFALL of the CHOSEN ONE

A large setting sun cast a red glow on the cityscape of the central galactic world of Coruscant.

Within the Chancellor’s office, Palpatine was sitting alone, dwelling on the battle of Naboo and the fall of his onetime apprentice Darth Maul, whom he sensed was still alive, but only just.

That was no concern of Palpatine, who had a new victim in mind to bleed dry – Anakin Skywalker.

The Sith Lord knew instantly that Skywalker would make a worthy apprentice one day.

Anakin was young, innocent, not yet trained in the ways of the Force, which he knew next to nothing about, yet there was a rare flare of impatience, anger hatred, fear and aggression within him – qualities that would lead him straight to the dark side.

Indeed a worthy apprentice to be for the Sith Lord.

The Sith Lord learned that Anakin was the Chosen One, destined to destroy the Sith and bring balance to the Force, soon after he joined the Jedi Order, but it didn’t concern him, because Anakin knew very little about the Sith.

Easy it was going to be for Palpatine to manipulate him.

So he took on the role of a false father figure to Anakin, hiding his true identity completely, in order to gain the boys confidence.

That was easily done.

When Palpatine had gained Skywalker’s full confidence, he began to put his plans into action.

He taught the boy things, which were not the ways of the Jedi – things like using fear, anger and hatred, in order to become powerful, or not needing guidance, that kind of thing – in other words, the ways of the Sith.

Unlike Skywalker, the Jedi Council knew that something was amiss – Yoda especially. They sensed a lot of turmoil within the boy – missing his mother, fear of losing her, but most of all his raw anger towards the slavers of his home world.

The Council knew that Skywalker was going to be a difficult pupil to train, even though he was the Chosen One, but they had no suspicion that Darth Sidious was starting to influence him.

As his training began to take its course, Anakin began to make progress – slowly that is and the Council began to have more and more faith in the boy, in spite of his arrogant and defiant ways.

However, they were becoming more and more concerned about his friendship with the Chancellor, whom they knew not the true identity of.

Not only was Skywalker progressing with his training, he was progressing out in the field of battle too, although he was a right boastful show off – making awkward moves and cocky comments from time to time, both of which totally irked Obi-Wan.

As for Palpatine, he went into meditation often, in order to see and feel Anakin gradually leaning towards the dark side subconsciously, which was taking quite some while. That concerned him not, for he didn’t expect Skywalker to turn immediately during his training.

Then there came the day when Anakin met Padme again – a dream come true. From that moment, he never wanted to part from her again – another non-Jedi way. He made his feelings perfectly clear on Naboo.

Palpatine sensed Anakin’s further progress towards the dark side while meditating.

Then there came the recurring nightmare, which Skywalker had, about his mother suffering.

When Anakin watched his mother die, his darker side got the upper hand – resulting in a most tragic catastrophe.

In one tremendous fit of extreme rage, he forgot the Jedi ways and slaughtered all the Tusken Raiders, as if hypnotized.

A disturbance in the Force that was for Yoda, but a moment of glory for Palpatine, who saw what was taking place while meditating.

However, Anakin knew all too well that he had to let the passing of his mother go, in order to keep to the Jedi way, but it was certainly going to be far from easy.

His thoughts were soon distracted when he received Obi-Wan’s message and went off with Padme to fight on Geonosis at the beginning of the Clone wars.

While on Geonosis, Anakin cast aside his thoughts of his mother and got engaged in the battle, but his emotions were put to the test when Padme fell onto the desert.

Another moment of glory for Palpatine, who was meditating at the time.

Then came the moment when Anakin and Obi-Wan went into battle against Count Dooku.

Once again, the non-Jedi ways got the upper hand of Skywalker – resulting in him being struck by Sith lightning and losing an arm.

By then, Palpatine was ready to carry out the next stage of his plan. He was going to further manipulate Skywalker and put him to the test during the Clone Wars.

As the Clone Wars raged throughout the galaxy, Anakin strengthened and matured more in person, in spite of his inner conflict and boastfulness on the battlefield.

At one point his childhood dream was finally realized. He became a Jedi knight.

When Palpatine learned of it, he started getting involved in Jedi matters, in order to try and stir things up between Skywalker and the Council.

At times, he saw to it that the Council sent Anakin on missions to areas of the galaxy, where he would be tested, where he would be forced to unleash his inner conflict full force, like he did against the Tusken Raiders.

Through his meditations, Palpatine monitored Skywalker’s gradual progress towards the dark.

Then there was Skywalker’s secret marriage with Padme. At times he felt torn between giving everything up for Padme, or staying with Jedi Order, which on more than one occasion, he wanted to abandon – another non-Jedi trait.

Palpatine was very well aware of Anakin’s feelings.

Then came the time when Palpatine was kidnapped by General Grievous – a perfect moment for Count Dooku to be eliminated by Skywalker and with great success.

When Obi-Wan was knocked unconscious while on the rescue mission to save the Chancellor, Skywalker fought wildly against Dooku, who began to feel overpowered – resulting in his hands being sliced off by Anakin’s blade.

Finally with his own blade in one hand and a Sith blade in the other, Anakin’s hesitatingly cut off Dooku’s head in another non-Jedi way.

A most victorious moment for Palpatine – a moment, which he certainly did not want Obi-Wan to witness.

Palpatine’s next move was now set, well so he thought.

He along with Skywalker and Obi-Wan, who gained consciousness, got caught in a ray shield while trying to leave Grievous’s ship, then taken to the General himself, whom Skywalker had never set eyes on.

Even Palpatine hadn’t expected that.

After fighting Grievous, Skywalker and Obi-Wan, along with Palpatine were almost sucked into space when their opponent got away.

They only just managed to land on the surface of Coruscant, even after the ship broke in half.

Now that Palpatine was safely on the ground, there was nothing to prevent him from making his next move.

Anakin felt most triumphant after all he had achieved and to add to it, he learned that he was going to be a father.

However, things began to turn upside down when he dreamt about Padme dying in childbirth. Then came his traumatic premonitions.

Another moment of triumph for Palpatine.

But that was only just the beginning of it, oh yes. Skywalker’s troubles were going to go from bad to worse – worse by a very long way.

Everyone in the Council, except for Yoda, whom Skywalker opened up to, suspected nothing of Skywalker’s troubles. However, none of them, including Yoda were at ease about his friendship with the Chancellor, which was very close – too close in fact.

Why all those secret meetings with the Chancellor in his office? What was said between them out of ear shot? Why at times did Palpatine suggest that Anakin should go on certain missions? Was Palpatine trying to manipulate him?

Even non-Council members were feeling uneasy about the matter.

Then there came the moment Palpatine made Skywalker his representative on the Council, which was permitted. But when he was denied the position of Master, Anakin felt betrayed completely by the Council. He felt even more betrayed when the Council used him to spy on the Chancellor – in other words, non-Jedi ways.

A move that worked to Palpatine’s advantage.

It was then that the Chancellor told Skywalker about Darth Plaguis, untruths about the Jedi and using the dark side to create life and stop death, which was all a complete lie to deceive him.

From that moment, Anakin started to turn right away from the Jedi.

His thoughts were drawn to Padme. Not only did the thought of losing her torment him, but also the thought of not being a father did too.

He tried to wrestle with his thoughts, but to no avail. The dark side had him ensnared and was consuming him more and more.

Palpatine sensed it in his meditation. Any moment now he would be able to make his final move.

Then came the moment when the Council denied Anakin the permission to go off and defeat Grievous – a big mistake.

Obi-Wan went off to fight Grievous and Yoda went off to fight alongside the Wookies, leaving Anakin to fall right into the grip of Palpatine, who’s secret identity as Darth Sidious was not yet known to a single Jedi.

When Anakin met Palpatine next, his mind was turned even more away from the Jedi, until there came a point when he suspected that his life-long, so-called friend was Sidious himself. However, he had no proof.

Instead of giving into Palpatine, Anakin revealed what he suspected to Mace Windu, who took control immediately – a big mistake.

Anakin remained in the Jedi temple, while Windu and three other Jedi went off to confront the Chancellor.

While in the Council Chamber, Skywalker wrestled again with his thoughts.

What was he going to do? Was he going to try and make peace with the Jedi again? Was he going to try and save his so-called friend Palpatine, who he half suspected was Darth Sidious? Or was he going to learn the ways of the dark side, which he believed would save Padme and make him the father he wanted to be?

In the end he decided not to make peace with the Jedi, whom he felt had betrayed him over and over again, except for Obi-Wan.

He was going to try and save Palpatine, for two reasons – one because he wanted to save Padme and become a father and two, because he had betrayed the Chancellor to the Jedi, which he felt exceptionally guilty about.

As he made his way to Palpatine’s quarters, Anakin knew not that the Sith Lord had slain three Jedi and was at that moment fighting Windu.

When Skywalker reached the Chancellor’s quarters, his eyes were drawn first to the three slain Jedi and then to Windu, who was pointing his lightsaber directly at the Chancellor.

What happened next totally horrified Anakin.

Palpatine emitted from his fingers, Sith lightning, which Windu blocked with his lightsaber. The lightning backfired and transformed Palpatine’s face into a hideous mask.

Once again Skywalker was torn between sides.

When Windu regained control, he went for the final kill, only to have his hand sliced off by Skywalker.

Then Palpatine struck a now defenceless Windu with more powerful Sith lightning and sent him flying out of his quarters.

After that, Skywalker was so far gone that he gave in. He no longer cared what would happen to him. He no longer cared that Palpatine was Darth Sidious. He no longer saw the Sith as the enemy. All he wanted was to save Padme and become a father.

So he cracked, gave right in to the dark side and became the apprentice of Darth Sidious.

Finally, Sidious made his last move.

After years of consuming him, the Sith Lord destroyed Anakin Skywalker and transformed him into Darth Vader.

Author Notes: I might write a fair few pieces based on Star Wars, including spin offs.

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