Star Wars. The fall of the Jedi

War! The Republic is shaken by the merciless Sith lord Count Dooku. Heroes fight under the banners of each side. The ring of evil closed.

General Grievous ' daring operation was crowned with success: breaking into the Republic's capital, the droids captured Chancellor Palpatine, the head of the Galactic Senate.

As the Confederate droid army attempts to retreat from the besieged capital with a priceless hostage, two Jedi knights make a desperate attempt to free the Chancellor from captivity...

From start to finish, they planned a successful operation and were able to calculate the location of the Chancellor – this was Grievous ' flagship, the Invisible Hand. Master Kenobi and his former apprentice, Anakin Skywalker, fought their way to the starship.

- You saved my life, Anakin, - Obi-Wan breathed.

-I've lost count of how many times I've done this, - Anakin joked cheerfully. His attire was different from that of his companion. Obi-Wan was dressed in the traditional white Jedi chlamydia, but Anakin had been wearing black for some time, as a Secret Police officer he was required to wear that color, and as a general he was also required to wear a black cape that fluttered behind his back. In recent years, the young Skywalker has made a career that many could only dream of. He joined the Secret Police almost immediately after the start of the Clone Wars. The chancellor noted his merits and skills in conducting sabotage operations and appointed him to serve immediately with the rank of captain. The Jedi didn't mind, since they were saboteurs and often served in the Secret Police themselves. It was not their style to fight in infantry or artillery, and there were few opportunities to use Force.

An ambush was already waiting for them on board the starship, but these were ordinary droids, which the experienced Jedi easily coped with, and then they were in the control center of the ship. There were only two things waiting for them here: the captive chancellor himself, sitting on a chair, and the traitorous former Jedi turned Sith – Count Dooku.

- Who would have thought it? - he said at the sight of the guests, - General Skywalker himself has come to see us.

- You owe me one, Dooku, - Anakin frowned, balling his artificial hand into a fist. Over the years, he'd grown used to his metal arm, especially since it had a very real skin, but still, he couldn't forgive himself for the terrible mistake he'd made once in a duel that had crippled him more than any lesser Jedi. Dooku drew his lightsaber.

- Anakin, he's provoking you, - Obi-Wan said, drawing his sabers.

- Don't worry, Obi-Wan, I'll take him down this time.

- Still as arrogant as ever, - Dooku smirked, - you remind me somewhat of Qui - Gon, my apprentice when I was young.

- Don't mention his name, - Obi-Wan snapped, - you betrayed Qui-Gon when you joined the Sith.

- Qui-Gon died at the hands of a Sith, - Dooku's face seemed to darken a little, - but who sent him to his death? Who deceived him for many years, and when he began to get closer to the truth, exposed him to disgrace? The Jedi.

- What are you talking about? I don't understand.

- I know he didn't share his discovery with you. He only revealed his secret to me, apparently he trusted me more than anyone else.

- Stop talking! - Anakin couldn't stand it, - We're not here for a showdown. Count Dooku, lay down your weapons and come with us. You're under arrest.

Dooku's face immediately changed, as if he had shaken off a haze of memories and said in a cold voice, " I don't know.

- I'll keep my weapon.

- So be it, - Anakin said, and charged.

Obi-Wan followed, trying to read his apprentice's movements so that he wouldn't get in the way. But it turned out exactly the opposite. Due to the fact that both rushed to attack, they began to interfere with each other and block each other's opportunities. Dooku easily took advantage of this and fended them off with his lightsaber.

- You're bothering me! - Anakin shouted to Obi-Wan, - I can handle him alone.

- Have you forgotten how it ended last time?

Even as Obi-Wan spoke, a heavy object, guided by the Force, struck him on the head and knocked him to the floor. Anakin was left alone, his friend on the floor, unconscious. Now the fight turned into a duel between two masters: the master of light and the master of darkness. Skywalker was careful this time, he didn't allow himself to be too hasty like last time. The metal arm was even useful now, and the Jedi flung away an object that Dooku had hurled at him with the Force. Anakin fought back, which was a surprise to his opponent, and even more surprising was the swift attack that followed. A series of blows came down on the dark lord like lightning, and a moment later, he was disarmed, falling to his knees.

- Finish him off, Anakin, - said Chancellor Palpatine, who had been watching the duel in silence.

- Anakin, no, - Obi-Wan shouted, recovering, - we need to take him alive.

- Kill him, - Palpatine said more urgently.

Rage filled Skywalker's chest, and he heard no more, just raised his sabers and severed the hated enemy's head from his body.

- What have you done, - Obi-Wan leapt to his feet, clutching his bruised head, - he was unarmed, we had to bring him to trial.

- I had other instructions, -Anakin said, surprised at the coldness in his voice.

- What? Are you saying that the Secret Police now execute people without trial?

- Only in exceptional cases, now just such.

- And why am I only learning about this now?

- Otherwise you'd be interrupting me."

- But you can't do that, you're breaking the law, - Obi-Wan said to the Chancellor.

- I am the law, - Palpatine said imperiously, - and the Senate has entrusted me with emergency powers, and I have deemed it necessary not to let this criminal live.

- So that's how you got your general's cloak, Anakin, - Obi-Wan said, - violating everything the Republic is founded on. If you have chosen this path, then go on without me.

With that, he walked away.

- The Jedi have always been afraid of getting their hands dirty, - Palpatine said softly.

- Don't forget, Chancellor, that I'm a Jedi, too, - Anakin replied, switching off his lightsaber.

The Chancellor's hands were tied to the arms of the chair, and it took some time to free him. Anakin expected Obi-Wan to be waiting for him somewhere outside the door, along with secret police agents. It would have been highly unwise of him to break through on his own, since General Grievous was still on the ship with the Trade Federation officers. Still, Obi-Wan wasn't here.

- Agent Brandon, - Skywalker said, trying to imitate the businesslike tone of the police chiefs, - would you care to explain where Master Kenobi is?

- My General, - a pale, plump man of the most nondescript appearance stepped out of the group of agents, - Master Kenobi asked us not to detain him, R2D2 received attack signal. Master Kenobi went to the rescue of the droid.

- Okay, then there's nothing stopping us. The elevator isn't working, but if R2D2 can get it up and running, we'll get out of here fast.

However, Anakin's plans did not come to fruition. When Obi-Wan was around, he always took on various tactical issues. Skywalker was a good strategist, but he needed a good tactician around to work out the details. Even now, Anakin suggested that instead of holing up on the far lines of the front, they make a sortie to the republic's capital, which was suddenly attacked by a daring enemy. But the tactical details of the plan were Obi-Wan's own. As soon as he wasn't around, the young Skywalker made a mistake. As they marched down the corridor, a force field grew out of nowhere around him, the Chancellor, and the four agents accompanying them. There was no way to break through this wall.

- R2, we're trapped, - Anakin immediately said over the walkie-talkie, but all he got back was an indistinct wheeze. Apparently, the droid hadn't yet repelled the attack or was damaged. Skywalker was annoyed, but the chancellor didn't reprimand him or try to contain his complaints, which continued until they were surrounded by droids and disarmed.

- Here is the evening, - Grievous was saying in a hoarse voice, -for the second time in a month, I have captured the Chancellor of the republic himself. But now he has brought me more valuable prisoners. General Skywalker himself, as I see it. I thought you were older.

- General Grievous, I thought you were taller, - Anakin snapped at him.

- A Jedi brat, - the general said. Once it had been a fully capable warrior, a humanoid from some distant planet. Right now, it was impossible to even tell what race he belonged to. The explosion had damaged his body so much that it could only function inside the droid's body, like a clam inside a snail. However, it was rumored that Grievous ' race was a kind of clam that learned to speak and walk on two legs solely thanks to its technology. Races that were so heavily dependent on technology usually sided with the Trade Federation or remained neutral.

- The Jadeite saber, - Grievous was holding Skywalker's saber in his metal hand, - is a great addition to my collection.

As he spoke, he pushed back the cloak that hung from his back and stuffed the saber into an inner pocket, which also contained various other trophies. Anakin looked carefully at the room they were in. It was the starship's control center, crowded with computers and green-skinned Trade Federation officers. There were also two heavy droids.

- Where's the other one? - Grievous said to the officer, - Master Kenobi. You said they went in together.

- Yes, but then they split up. The second Jedi has disappeared from our radar.

- Where did you last see him?

In the next instant, several things happened at once. The Trade Federation officer started to click on the keyboard to show the general the video, but one of the heavy droids suddenly jammed and began to move without orders towards the other officer. The officer was backing away, and the Chancellor and the secret police agents were pressed against the wall to avoid accidental shots from the jammed droid. Anakin understood at the last moment, as if he felt some unspoken call in his head, and he jumped, and then his handcuffs were sliced open by a lightsaber. Obi-Wan now stood in the room next to them, apparently having just used his saber to cut a hole in the floor right under the computer desk. The second droid tried to attack them, but Anakin summoned his saber from Grievous ' pocket blocked the attacks. A moment later, the droid was destroyed. Obi-wan, on the other hand, blew off the head of the jammed droid and headed for Grievous.

- Here's the second one, - the general growled, - fine, you'll all be gone together. Dooku had seen this coming.

With those words, he whipped out a metal staff and slammed it right into the glass window. The impact was strong enough to shatter the window. Grievous was immediately swept out into outer vacuum, by the rush of air, and those inside followed him. Anakin rushed to save the chancellor, grabbing him and grabbing something hard himself. Obi-Wan was no less adept, but the secret police agents, being ordinary people, were in a difficult situation, and one of them could not resist and fell into outer vacuum. After that, metal blinders descended on the windows, once again separating the room from outer vacuum. Before everyone knew it, an emergency signal was heard: the starship was crashing, and all the rescue pods had been used.

- Can you handle a ship like this? - Obi-wan asked Anakin, who was sitting down at the dashboard.

- I don't think it's too complicated, - Skywalker said, - but what do you think Qui-Gon might be telling Dooku about?

- Now we'll never know, because you killed him.

- Dooku was a Jedi, - Anakin pretended not to hear the last words. At what point did he turn to the dark side of the Force, and why didn't the Jedi council notice?

- That's a very good question, - Chancellor Palpatine said.

- But not timely, - Obi-Wan cut him off, - since we're falling.

Obi-Wan said these words just as the ship's space tilted, and everyone present now had to work hard to stay in their seats. The starship was burning up in Coruscant's atmosphere, and pieces of it were falling off along the way. It was hard to imagine what was happening in the republic capital now, after more than a day of fighting between the clone army and the droids of the Trade Federation. But there was no time to think about it now: the starship was rapidly approaching earth. The situation was partially saved by fire planes, which began to extinguish the burning hull of the ship right on the fly. But they couldn't help landing the ship, only the pilot could.

- Let's say we saved each other once, Obi-Wan, - Anakin tried to joke the noise of the engines, - but if we land this boat, you still owe me.

- What do you mean, «if»?

- This means that you don't expect a soft landing.

Actually, the landing was very difficult, Anakin almost blindly hit the runway, but there was no way to seriously slow down, so for about a minute in the cockpit, everyone was thrown in their seats in the most unnatural poses. When the starship stopped, everyone looked at themselves to make sure they weren't injured. This time they were all safe, except for Agent Brandon and two other secret police officers who had vomited on landing. The Chancellor was back on his planet, and the danger was over. The landing strip was controlled by Republic forces, which meant that the droids had already been dislodged from their main positions in the city, and the Trade Federation's daring sortie had turned out to be a failure.