If it hadn’t been for Master Unduli’s warning, Darach would not have believed it; having had no clones on his orbital outpost and no longer officially affiliated with the Jedi Order, it had seemed that he had slipped by the attack unnoticed. That being the case, he had rushed back to Coruscant from Korriban in the hopes of giving aid to any survivors; he may no longer agree with their ideals, but they had been his family for over two decades.
Even if he was no longer a Jedi, he could not simply ignore the screams of the dead and dying as they tore through the silence, through his still strong connection to the Force. Landing in the hangar of the Jedi Temple, his blood froze in his veins. Where he had expected to be attacked on sight by a battalion of clone troopers, instead he was met with the sight of countless bodies strewn about, most killed by blaster fire…some by lightsaber.
Still, he pressed forward, following the trail of bodies and ducking into various rooms, seeking out signs of life. He could sense…something. But it was unsettling. Ominous and cold but burning hot like fire…yet still familiar.
The corridors were dark, silent save the crackling of flames from the main hall in the distance. His hearts tightened in his chest as he reached the room where Master Yoda would instruct younglings; though part of him knew what he would see, it still couldn’t prepare him for the sight that unfolded as the shadows lifted.
“Anakin…wh…what have you done?”
Anakin smiled, the sick serene calm never once leaving him. “All I did was what needed to be done, Master Darach. Surely you sensed that the Jedi had to be stopped. They were too dangerous. Too corrupted. But you need not fear, my master has shown me a way out.”
The former Jedi rose, swaying slightly, eyes glassy and trance-like as he looked on the Zabrak. He strode between the tiny huddled forms, seeming to neither notice, nor care that they were there. “You have always been a wise man, Darach. I’m certain you understand, and if not... Well...” With a flick of hjis wrist, his lightsaber appeared in his hand, the blade casting a cold blue glow about the room. “There are always alternative methods of learning.”
The smile warped to a manic, maddened grin. It seemed plain what had happened to him, and just how far he’d fallen. The man paced about the room, circling the outer edges as he spoke. “Your people are natural hunters, Master Darach, surely you can understand. The weak old ways, sickened by corruption must be culled so that the galaxy can thrive and flourish once more.”
But the words seemed less his own than dogmatic repetition of some devout and brainwashed follower.