Chapter 147

---Coruscant, Evening---

Returning to his office after wrapping up a meeting with fellow senators, Supreme Chancellor Palpatine looked back at his aide and told him to call it a day. Transferring some credits to his account, Palpatine suggested he pick up some flowers and sweets on his way home for his wife. Immensely grateful to his employer for his generosity and kindness, the aide insisted on staying a bit longer to complete some work.

"There is a small mound of paperwork that needs to be gone through immediately. It should only take me about an hour or so to- ", the aide began.

"Go home, Charles. I have kept you well past your normal working hours; your wife is almost certainly at her wits end from caring for your newborn daughter.", Palpatine chuckled, with a warm smile, "Please give her an apology on my behalf. Hopefully we will not need to work so late again in the future."

"I… I suppose you are right, sir.", Charles relented, bowing his head, "Please allow me to handle the paperwork first thing tomorrow morning. You should get some much-deserved rest as well."

"Haha, very well then. Have a good evening, Charles.", Palpatine said, walking over to his desk.

"You as well, sir!", Charles replied, grabbing his hat and promptly leaving the room.

Taking a seat behind his desk, Palpatine waited for the door to close before letting out an exhausted sigh. Having just sat through another dreary two-hour meeting with disgruntled senators, it was clear that influence over the Senate was waning and his time as Supreme Chancellor would soon run out. Unable to enact Order 66, as it was simply too dangerous right now, Palpatine cursed the Imperium under his breath for ruining his plans. Swiveling his chair around to look out over the city lights, he began reflecting on the situation.

'Why did those imbeciles have to start a bloody crusade right as I was about to enact my plans!? I spent decades carrying on this charade to bolster our military power with expendable, obedient soldiers. Just as the Jedi, Starfleet, and Stargate Command were sufficiently packed with my pawns, they threw a damn wrench in my plans!', Palpatine thought as he closed his eyes and began rubbing the bridge of his nose. 'Between my sham war, the Imperium's crusade, and the recent sightings of a Tyranid Hive Fleet to our galactic south… enacting my plan now would destroy everything I intend to rule. I need to find another way to take control before I lose everything!'

Letting out another sigh, Palpatine opened his eyes and discovered he was not alone in the room. Staring at his reflection, a heavily mutated, hulking man with glowing purple eyes impatiently waited for Palpatine to speak. Turning his chair around, the Supreme Chancellor realized the man was neither a guard nor a senator. Wearing armor resembling the Imperium of Man's Space Marines, he was perplexed why one of them was on Coruscant.

"If you are here to speak about the defensive line, you will want to speak with the Jedi Masters at their temple. I can have one of the guards escort you over to see them.", Palpatine said, reaching toward the call button.

"No, I am here to speak with you, Sith Lord Darth Sidious.", the Marauder spoke, stepping forward. "My lord wishes to strike a deal with you that is mutually beneficial for you and him."

"I… I have no idea what you are talking about. My name is Sheev Palpatine, Supreme Chancellor of the Galactic Senate.", Palpatine insisted, mortified the Space Marine knew his true identity.

Grabbing hold of the desk, the Marauder flung it across the room like it was a paperweight. Annoyed that the weak human before him was feigning ignorance, he proceeded to grab Palpatine by the throat and hoisted him into the air.

"My time is precious, worm. Do not test my patience again.", the Marauder warned him before releasing him.

Falling to the floor, gasping for air, Palpatine glared at the marine with indignation. Using the Force to bring his lightsaber to him, the Sith Lord created some space between them and prepared to kill the Marauder.

"My lord wishes to offer you his assistance in seizing control of the Galactic Republic. In exchange for manpower and support, you must swear fealty to him and offer a regular tithe of ten million people a month.", the Marauder stated, "Of course, this region of space will fall under my lord's control, but you will be instated as its regent. Aside from ensuring the tithe is paid in full each month, you will be free to do as you please."

"Your lord is an ignoramus if he believes I would accept such a proposal! I have spent a lifetime blackmailing, bribing, cheating, killing, and subverting others to get where I am now.", Palpatine hissed, subconsciously loosening the suppress of his Sith power. "The Galactic Republic is mine and mine alone! Darth Sidious is no one's puppet!"

"So be it…", the Marauder said, drawing his Argent Battleaxe off his back, "Since you refuse to serve my lord, you will be deposed, and another more reasonable individual will take your place."

Lunging at the Marauder, Sidious unleashed a flurry of devastating blows upon him. Blocking every attack with the haft of his battleaxe, the Marauder was less than impressed by the elderly Sith Lord's combat skills. Making his discontent known, the soldier rebuked Sidious, referring to him as an antiquated relic from a bygone era. His control and patience exhausted, Sidious removed his self-imposed limiter and released the full might of his Sith power. Staggering his opponent with the next strike, the Sith Lord discharged a highly volatile blast of Force Lightning as he began maniacally laughing.

"Not so arrogant now, are you, bastard!", Sidious cackled, "If you beg for mercy, I will end you quickly!"

"Haha, so this is the full power of a Sith Lord? I admit, you caught me off guard there for a moment. Too bad though, you are still far from being my equal.", the Marauder chuckled, cracking his neck. "Let me show you the difference in our power and strength!"

As the Marauder's eyes began to glow brightly, Darth Sidious' senses began screaming at him to flee. Seizing his desk with the Force, the Sith Lord threw it out the window and sprinted toward the exit. Grinning like a madman, his foe swung the battleaxe around and cleaved the entire frontside of the building away. Barely managing to avoid the corresponding energy slash that shot forth from the battleaxe, those who had been blissfully unaware of the fight below were suddenly crushed by debris or eviscerated by the slash.

Close by, in the Jedi Temple, Ahsoka, Anakin, and the Jedi Masters rushed to the window to see what was happening. Having already been halfway out the door when the ground began to tremble, they were desperate to know what was happening. Discovering that the front portion of the Senate building was gone, Anakin felt his blood run cold.

"We need to go down there and help now!", Anakin said, fearing for Padme's safety, "If Palpatine has gone mad, their bodyguards and the city guard will be unable to stop him!"

"A moment wait, wrong something is.", Yoda cautioned, noticing two different blurred figures in the plaza. "Fighting someone the Sith Lord is. A far more sinister presence they have."

Turning their attention toward the ongoing battle, everyone focused on the second blurred figure. Looking up at them for the briefest of moments, as the Marauder's eyes met theirs, the hair on the back of their necks stood on end. Sensing the immense power in his gaze, they immediately designated him as a far more dangerous threat than Palpatine. Scrambling for the elevator, the group began to rapidly descend toward the ground floor.

"I have summoned the city guard and all available soldiers in the vicinity to the plaza. They should begin arriving in a few minutes.", Koth informed his colleagues, taking a moment to steady his breathing. "How should we handle this situation?"

"My instincts are telling me the individual is not using the full extent of their strength yet; they are toying with Palpatine in some sort of sick game.", Ki-Adi-Mundi spoke, with a serious expression, "Our focus should be guiding survivors to safety and rescuing those trapped by the rubble. Master Windu, Master Yoda, I believe the three of us should join the fight and kite the two of them away from the public. Your thoughts?"

"If I may, I believe we should also call Victor.", Ahsoka suggested, looking at the Jedi Masters.

"While it would be reassuring to have him here, I believe we can handle this.", Piell said, wanting to avoid drawing him into their issues. "That said, in the event something does go awry, please call him immediately."

"A good plan these are.", Yoda agreed, giving approval to Ahsoka and Ki-Adi-Mundi.

As the elevator door began to open, a massive explosion rocked the building, sending dozens of lifeless bodies flying into the temple's lobby. Horrified by this gruesome sight, the Jedi rushed out of the temple to render assistance before more lives were lost. Leaping into the fray immediately, Ki-Adi-Mundi and Yoda fought the unknown individual while Windu engaged Sidious. Initially gaining an upper hand, they forced the two back several hundred feet before the Marauder had enough. Putting some force behind the next swing, the four men dove out of the way to avoid being cut in half.

"HEADS UP!", Windu shouted to the other Jedi.

Amidst guiding frightened civilians toward the temple, his colleagues glanced over their shoulders and spotted a massive energy slash heading their way. Tackling the civilians, using their own bodies as shields, the attack flew right over their heads, smashing into both the Senate building and Jedi Temple. Lifting their heads, as the unmistakable sound of concrete cracking echoed through the plaza, Anakin and Obi-Wan watched in horror as the Senate building began to slowly fall forward.

Several stories up, hundreds of senators and their staff were banging on a large, glass viewing window, pleading for the Jedi to save. Standing in the middle of the group, Duchess Satina and Padme looked at them with frightened expressions. Believing they were about to die; they both gave them a sorrowful smile.

"PADME!!", Anakin screamed, staggering to his feet and grabbing hold of the building with the Force. "AHSOKA, CALL VICTOR NOW!!"

"YES, DO IT NOW!!", Obi-Wan demanded; he and the other Masters helped Anakin.

Pulling her tablet out of her hip pouch, Ahsoka quickly dialed Victor's number, hoping he would answer. Hearing the call begin to ring, the Jedi let out pained groans as their strength began to rapidly wane. Picking up on the third ring, Victor started to warmly greet her, but Ahsoka cut him off.

"Victor, we need your assistance at the Senate building on Coruscant immediately! It is falling forward, and we cannot stop it!", Ahsoka informed him, "Please come here immediately!"

"Understood, heading there now.", Victor acknowledged. "Sorry, guys, I will be right back!"

Ending the call, Victor teleported to Ahsoka's location instantly. Lending a hand immediately, the Primarch used the Force to seize the building and its occupants. Feeling the weight suddenly fall away, many of the Masters collapsed to their knees while Anakin and Obi-Wan remained standing, albeit wobbling on their legs.

"Will the floor of this level be able to carry the weight if I set it down gently?" Victor asked them.

"It… should…", Rancisis panted, turning to Victor, "Thank you for coming so… quickly… Wait, who are you?"

Turning back to see what Rancisis was talking about, Ahsoka, Anakin, and the other Jedi Masters were startled by what they saw. Having left them in the dark about his recent physical changes, Victor gave them a big grin.

"How can you not tell it is me?", Victor asked, pretending to take offense to his words.

"I… I would ask what workout routine you have been using, but this goes well beyond that.", Anakin gulped.

"As it turns out, one of my ancestors was a Primarch from the Imperium of Man. They named me his heir, and so I… I had to undertake some physical changes to fit the part.", Victor chuckled, noticing Ahsoka was staring at him far more intently than the others, "Everything alright?"

"Of course… you hunk…", Ahsoka muttered, before realizing what she said, "I mean yes, everything is fine, Victor!"

'So she is into bulky, muscular men, huh? Interesting.', Victor thought, as he set the building down. "So where is the idiot that brought the building down? Disgruntled citizen or maybe a Separatist?"

"No, that Space Marine over there.", Obi-Wan answered, pointing behind him.

Looking at where Obi-Wan was pointing, Victor locked eyes with the Marauder; he abruptly stopped mid-swing. Staring at him like he was seeing a ghost, the Marauder took several wary steps back.

"Lord Aremus!?", the Marauder stammered.

"So… Zephrim is responsible for this mess.", Victor sighed with annoyance. "Why are you in a foreign land wreaking havoc on its people? Your grudge is with the Imperium of Man, not the Galactic Republic."

Refusing to answer his question, the Marauder instead whipped his battleaxe around and lopped off the Sith Lord's head. Opening a portal behind himself, he attempted to flee the scene only to have Victor's hand wrapped around his throat. Wasting no time, Victor forcibly broke into his mind in search of answers. Capturing thousands of fragmented memories, his mind quickly turned to mush before his body faded into nothingness. Mostly the snippets of the same things he learned previously; the only recent memories I grabbed were of his talk with Palpatine and their duel.

'Why was Zephrim trying to make a deal with Palpatine? Is there something he is after, besides people?', Victor thought, pondering the question as he glanced at Palpatine. 'Good riddance to bad garbage.'

"We got lucky; good old Palpatine was too pissed off to even think about using transference.", Windu said, with a big smile, "Thanks for coming so quickly; we would have lost a lot of lives without your help."

"Even if he had started it, the energy contained within the blade would have still destroyed his soul.", Victor commented, stowing the armor and weapon away. "Do you need me to stick around to help, or do you guys have it from here?"

"Leave you can. A lot to discuss internally we have.", Yoda remarked, looking over at Anakin and Obi-Wan holding the women they loved tightly.

"For what it's worth, the Jedi Order would greatly benefit from abolishing that old rule. Love is a double-edged sword; it can be used to sow chaos and violence, or it can move mountains and change even the hardest of hearts.", Victor spoke, observing the couples closely. "Ahsoka, Anakin, Obi-Wan, I will call you guys later. I need restaurant recommendations for here on Coruscant!"

Waving to them as he left the planet, Windu and Yoda began discussing where to go from here.