Chapter Sixty-One

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Execute Order 66

Vaders POV (Luke's time)
"He's a moron." Leia seethed, stomping down the corridor next to me.

"He's resourceful and smarter than you give him credit for. If anyone can find your brother, it's him," I stated confidently. My eyes traveled down to the lightsaber on her belt, it was there she had her mother's ribbon tied onto the handle, "You will be accompanying him and you can kill him when the job is done and our family is whole." I said low, "Or almost whole." I mumbled even lower.

"Gladly," She crossed her arms, continuing to glare at Han who was walking ten feet ahead of us with troopers on each side of him.

The lights in the hall reflected on their white armor. I could see my own reflection. It reminded me of the time I saw my eyes burning amber for the very first time.

Flashback

There was a time I didn't believe in love. Then I met her and fell to my knees, she made them weak, she made me weak. I adored everything about her... her laugh, her smile, her bravery, her beauty — I could go on forever. She was truly a ray from the brightest sun and she shined in every room she walked into. Her smile alone lit up the darkest corners of the galaxy. She made everything warm and brought me more happiness than I could ever think possible. It's amazing how one person can make a galaxy filled with death, blood, and war feel so homely.

But the moment I lost her, any speck of sunlight that shined over me was casted over with a haunting darkness. The warmth in me...gone. Now I was cold, numb. My soul left with her. I hardly saw a reason to continue in this life, I wanted to walk into the lava to burn. I would have too if there wasn't any part of her in this galaxy left, but there is.

So I need to live, for them.

"What is your next move, Lord Vader?" Sheev Palpatines raspy voice pierced my ears like nails scratching down on a chalkboard.

"You said—" I choked on a lump in my throat as I held back a sob, "You said at the opera that the Sith have the knowledge to save people from death. Do it." I demanded, lifting my gaze to meet his while I held (y/n)'s lifeless body in my arms. I felt like I had been here centuries, soaking in the pain, when really it had only been hours since Kenobi left.

That coward.

Sheev looked down at her, not a single ounce of sympathy in his eyes. He was looking at her like she was an inconvenience, and that's exactly what she was to him. I saw right through everything quickly with this man, but the promise of her being saved from what I saw in my nightmares clouded my judgement, "It pains me to see you this way Lord Vader. But I can't save her."

"Can't or won't." My words burned my throat as harshly as the fire in my veins. My sorrow being replaced by a deep anger.

"Both." He answered honestly. It was probably the first time he's ever been honest with me, "I do not have the power to, and even if I did, I wouldn't. I suggest you use this pain and suffering to aid you, it will only make you more powerful. She would have gotten in the way of your potential—" Finally, his voice was silenced. (Y/n)'s lightsaber that I removed from her belt was ignited in a split second before it was ultimately used to cut through his neck. His head fell from his shoulders and rolled to the lava below, creating more ash and a foul odor in the air.

"Then you are of no use to me." I spat, sheathing the blade and squeezing the handle tight. Rex and a few other troops took a few steps back in surprise, they had arrived with him. "Rex," I spoke, placing my eyes back down at her face once more, "Have someone take her body and keep it safe for the time being... please," I kissed her forehead a few times, before kissing her lips for a final time.

My (y/n), I love you. I wish she could hear me, I wish she could respond. I'd give anything to hear her voice in my head again.

"Anything else sir?" He asked, standing tall. Loyalty was my favorite thing about Rex, but even I know there are some lengths hein his right mind—will never go.

"Yes, actually," I slowly brought my gaze back up, seeing my own eyes in the reflection of his armor.

What I was about to do next was something I learned about by Sheev himself, he trusted me so much yet I didn't think I'd ever allow him to go through with this part. But here I am now holding the trigger with an itch — my morals have changed.

I warned Kenobi. I told him they would all die for this. That temple is going to burn and I will get my children back.

"Execute Order 66."

"Hello beautiful," Han spoke, stripping me away from my memories.

"Excuse me, but you will address me as—" Leia was cut off by Han pushing past her and tracing his fingertips along his ship I acquired, a true hunk of junk. She narrowed her eyes, "Don't get any ideas laser brain, this ship is mine."

Han looked at her from over his shoulder with a toothy smile, "I bet you've never even flown her Princess. This beauty requires a delicate touch, one you clearly do not have."

"Watch your tongue," She snapped, gripping the handle of her lightsaber.

I held my hand up to her, signaling her to keep that temper of hers in check, "Enough," I flicked my wrist and used the force to take her hand off of her weapon. I put my attention back on Han, "You know what I want, find Luke Skywalker and your freedom is yours. Fail and she gets to kill you," I nudged my head in my daughters direction, "And then I'll rip this ship apart and use its scraps."

Despite my threat, he looked unfazed — almost amused, "Why are you so confident I can find him?" He crossed his arms and leaned against the millennium falcon, "I don't even know what the kid looks like."

I held my hand out and a hologram of Luke appeared, "You spent quite some time working as a bounty hunter for Jabba to pay off your debts, did you not?" I raised a brow with a sly smirk, "I hear you were the best he had before your unfortunate disappearance. So find me this man and not only will you have your freedom, but I'll make sure those debts are cleared."

Little does he know they've already been cleared, Jabba the Hutt is no more.

He eyed the hologram of my son before giving me a single nod, "Deal, but the girl doesn't come. I prefer working alone."

I closed my hand and the hologram image disappeared, "Shes going, that part is non-negotiable. We can't have you trying to run off on me, now can we?"

He appeared annoyed, but was smart enough to not argue with me, "As you wish." He bowed.

I'm coming for you Luke.

(Y/n)'s POV
"Thank you so much for letting me borrow a dress Padmè," I followed her into her walk-in closet, "I hardly had any time to go find my own. You're saving me from wearing my Jedi robes."

Padmè made a face of disgust, "That would be a travesty. Please tell me Anakin isn't going in his robes, I specifically told him and Obi-Wan not to."

I shrugged, "He hasn't spoken to me about the ball much so I'm not sure, but he does know that I'm here and he told me to make it quick." I mocked him with an eye roll.

She scoffed as she shifted through a rack of dresses, "We will take as much time as we need." She pulled out a green dress that was beautiful, but not what I was looking for, "And don't worry about the size, the ball isn't until tomorrow so we can make sure it's altered to fit you perfectly." She beamed excitedly, "Do you have anything in mind?"

I scanned over the many, many dresses she owned and a few caught my eye. They were different in styles, but each shared a similar quality, "Yes actually, I was hoping to wear something lavender."

She immediately began grabbing every dress in her closet that resembled what I had asked for as she spoke a mile a minute. I hardly knew what she was saying but I could tell she was more excited about this than I was, "—those damn robes don't do any of you women Jedi justice. Especially you," She turned and held up multiple dresses with arms that shook from the weight of the fabrics, "When I'm done with you, you're going to look phenomenal."

Anakin's POV
"Do you want Padmè to strangle you?" Obi-Wan asked with a sigh as he dragged me into a shop.

Luke followed behind us quietly, he went almost unnoticed, "Shes not going to do anything, I can wear my robes if I want to," I adjusted my tunic and fanned out a wrinkle that formed from his grip, "They're comfortable."

"You're wearing a tux," He said it more as a demand than anything as he pulled a tux from a rack and held it up in front of me, "It will be better than the robes, especially if we get any separatist party crashes. They won't know who is Jedi and who is not."

"Element of surprise," Luke mumbled, walking past us to begin looking for himself.

My eyes followed him before I looked back at my former mentor, "You think there will be an attack?"

He shrugged, shifting through the different tuxes, "If I was told the separatists were having a ball where many of their leaders would be. I know I would want to attend and see what conversations I could eavesdrop on."

"It's also a perfect time for an assassination," Luke added not far from us, his attention on a tux he was holding up, "Everyone's guard will be down, thus making everyone vulnerable."

"I don't remember asking you for your input—" He cut me off throwing a tux in my direction, which I caught, "What is this?"

"Obviously a tux," He responded. I narrowed my eyes in his direction, "I think it would be a nice choice for you, the gray compliments the color of the bow tie and it's your size."

I eyed the bow with uncertainty, "It's purple."

"It's lavender." He corrected, "Trust me on this."

What the hell, it's just a tux. Besides maybe straying away from black for a night will be good. It'll show that I do in fact look good in anything.

I sighed and searched for the tag, "What's the price? I'm not trying to spend a fortune on a tux I'm only going to wear once."

"Twice." He mumbled.

"What?" I snapped my head up.

"I didn't say anything," He shrugged with a suspicious smile, "So are you going to get it or not?"

I found the price and it wasn't nearly as much as I thought it would be, "Yeah, but only because I'm too lazy to look for another." And because the material is incredibly soft. It's going to feel like I'm in pajamas all night which is exactly what I wanted, comfort.

"Wonderful," Obi-Wan smiled as he patted my shoulder, "Now Luke and I need to find—"

He was cut off the same way I was, a tux being thrown in his direction, "Black and a champagne colored bow seems like it would fit you well Master Kenobi." He smiled like he was up to something, but it was impossible to know what.

"Saves me time," Obi-Wan was happy to accept his suggestion as he too looked for a tag, "I love this place, so affordable."

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