Chapter Text
The city was on fire.
Smoke filled the lungs of the people caught in the fighting, blinding them as they stumbled through the war-torn streets. Everywhere, the screams of the dying filled the souls unlucky enough to be running from the clone soldiers, as they were reminded of their own fates soon to come. Blood was slick on the stone lining the poorer districts beneath the feet of those soldiers as they opened fire. And when the clones fired, many fell, knowing it was impossible to escape from their own fates.
Ever since the people had seen the clones in their scratched and dented armor from recent bloodshed land in the city from the many republic cruisers in orbit high above, they knew their own fates were sealed. The weapons that used to kill hundreds of battle droids were now locked onto the helpless citizens that they had pledged to protect. And what did they do? They fired, and the survivors ran, seeking cover from their own futures.
Nowhere was safe, not anymore.
The lucky ones soon became the unlucky as they realized their fate would be the same as their own neighbors only moments ago. The planet used to be peaceful, had been that way for generations, untouched by the repercussions of the Clone Wars. Their leaders had kept them safe, knowing that peace could not be fought for and end that way. There would always be effects, ones that didn't seem to dawn on the civilians until that moment.
And as the remaining Jedi, the protectors of that peace which they had fought so hard for, watched as their own city burned around them, just like the many in the galaxy, and the Sith, after thousands of years, finally took control, they understood. And watched as all they held dear, was taken from them. Then their own lives at the blood covered hands of the chancellor himself, Darth Sideous. The Jedi order fell, and in its place rose the empire which the leader had striven for all of those years. The time was finally upon them all. And they had all failed. No one could stop the return of the Sith. The fate of the galaxy had already been determined long ago. The Sith would rein supreme once again, unchallenged by the light that had infested the galaxy for so long.
No more. The light was fading, and soon there would be none left that resided in those few survivors. To rebel would be pointless. To fight would be death. Darkness would prevail for years to come, unchallenged by those few souls. And later, when the master finally took control of the galaxy once and for all, there would be peace. All it would take was a young man to succumb to his darkest thoughts and become the dark lord he was prophesied to be.
That future was coming, and it was only a matter of time.
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In this office in the senate building, staring down at the city lit up under the afternoon light, Darth Sideous knew that future to be true. it was only a matter of time till the Jedi order would fall, and his new, dark apprentice would be by his side. Nothing could stop it. He had been planning this future for the years, confident that every action was perfect to guarantee its success.
The dark lord sighed, and turned away from the blinding light. He had always thrived in darkness, and he hated when he was reminded that he wasn't at any given time. Soon, that wouldn't be the case. Soon, the galaxy would fall, and he would be in control. But Sideous had to bide his time for a while longer. Skywalker was not ready yet, and all of his plans were not finished. He frowned in frustration as he remembered the boy's last encounter with his own apprentice, Count Dooku. He needed more time to put his plans in motion, and for Skywalker to fall deeper into his trap.
Reaching out, the force swirling around him, he felt his future apprentices essence, which was slowly becoming darker as the war dragged on. When first planning to take over the galaxy, which was no easy feat, the dark lord had needed a way to destroy the Jedi from within. From their actions, from themselves. And what better way than to force them into a war where they fought for peace? A great illusion that the order followed blindly, even to this day. Every person in the galaxy had a weakness that could be used against them. For the Jedi order, it was their own code. For his former master, it had been the lust for more power. And for Skywalker, it was many things.
The boy had fallen directly into his trap long ago, his feelings the cause of it all. Sideous had been patient for many years, biding his time until he could emerge victorious. But not yet. There was still much to do before peace could be restored.
And so the Chancellor of the Grand Republic, Sheev Palpatine, sat down at his lavish desk and continued to put his plans in motion, a sinister smirk playing on his features. And for just a moment, his bright eyes, which to the people around him saw, became sinister and dark before they immediately turned to their hidden shade once again.