What If...Mace Windu survived his fight with Palpatine? (Part 4)

Mace Windu survived his battle against Palpatine. Rather than falling to his death and dying from his injuries in the Coruscant under city, he escaped, and with the help of the spirit of Qui-Gon Jinn made his way to reunite with Obi-Wan Kenobi and Yoda. From there, he journeyed with the two Masters to Coruscant and then to pursue Anakin Skywalker, who had become the Sith Lord Darth Vader.

After a long and arduous battle, Mace managed to talk Anakin down by making the ultimate sacrifice play. Mace saw Anakin collapse under the weight of all he had done, and he and Obi-Wan were able to take the younger man into custody. Seeking to rehabilitate him, three Jedi Masters and the one Knight began to form a plan to stop Palpatine once and for all.

Will they succeed? Or will luck finally run out for the last of the Jedi? Let's find out.

It's a normal day on Coruscant. Sheev Palpatine, Emperor of the Known Galaxy, has just ended a session of the Imperial Senate and has retired to his offices beneath the Senate Chamber. The Sith Lord is confident in his position. The Sith now rule the galaxy unopposed, he has defeated and shamed the Jedi Master Yoda into exile, and his own apprentice killed the Separatists leaders. While he did feel a disturbance in the Force, particularly around that last event, he isn't worried. The job is done, all who could oppose the Sith are now dead or otherwise indisposed.

They have won this day, and the galaxy shall know peace.

That is, at least, his belief until he feels a presence, his apprentice. Yet, something has changed. Anakin seems different as he approaches, entering the Emperor's office and kneeling before his master. Palpatine questions him on why he has returned, Anakin reports that the Separatists are all dead. Palpatine declares that he knows this, but does not know why Anakin has returned. The Sith apprentice makes clear his intentions with two words:

"I've come to end you, Master."

Anakin goes immediate into Djem So, forcing Palpatine to give ground and barely giving him time to activate his own saber to block the next few strikes. Palpatine, a duelist who had been accomplished enough to take on no less than five Jedi Masters (and four of them at once, in fact), has been caught on the back foot. Battling four Jedi Masters in concert and the Grandmaster of the Order on his own trends to leave you a bit fatigued.

Palpatine reacts with Force Lightning, trying to kill Anakin quickly for his treachery, but Anakin deftly blocks it with his saber. Palpatine becomes even further disfigured by it, but is smart enough to shut it off before he is fried beyond view. He taps into the Dark Side, pressing his advantage and seeking to strike Anakin down. He becomes so focused upon this, Anakin barely able to defend against his an outrageous attack, that he doesn't notice  A yellow bar of light, a blue bar of light, and a green bar of light entering the fray...each one in the hand of a Jedi Master.

Yes, Obi-Wan, Mace, and Yoda have joined in, putting Palpatine very much on the backfoot. Unlike the previous battle, where he had the principle of Conservation of Ninjitsu working for him, Palpatine is up against the Chosen One and three of the greatest swordsmen the Jedi Order ever produced. He manages to hold them off for a time, but it becomes clear that he can't keep this up. More so when Mace slices off one of his hands while Yoda gets the other.

Palpatine gasps in pain and shock, falling to his knees before none other than the Chosen One himself. He looks up to Anakin and the Masters, eyes moving to each one of them. Then, to the surprise of the three Masters, he begins laughing. Though the three protest as they suddenly channel Admiral Ackabar, Anakin slices Palpatine's head clean off is a single swipe of his lightsaber. It falls with a clunk against the ground, rolling away much as Count Dooku's had on the Invisible Hand.

For a moment, everything seems fine...until a hologram flickers to life from within the nearby wall. The projected form of Palpatine announces that, after his battle with Master Yoda, he prepared for another assassination attempt.

The projection further explains that if he were in this office, the recording of such an event would be transmitted across the holonet. Indeed, the Masters and Anakin watch as the recording plays not only on a nearby screen in the office, but on every screen on Coruscant and even across the galaxy through the Holonet.

Emperor Palpatine, on his knees, getting his head cut off by Anakin Skywalker while Obi-Wan Kenobi, Mace Windu, and Yoda all look on. They realize that they played right into Palpatine's hands. What should have been a moment of triumph for the Light Side of the Force and the Jedi Order...might have just spelled their doom.

Palpatine's projection tells them that he had tagged Anakin before he left for the Jedi Temple, then the home of Senator Amidala, and then Mustafar...and then..and then...Anakin realizes with horror that Palpatine knew they were at Polis Massa. Fearing for his wife and his twin children, Anakin insists that they should leave immediately, and the Masters agree. Clone Troopers begin to swarm the facility, and it becomes clear that their only option is the fight their way out as they have it shouted at them that they are under arrest in the name of the Galactic Empire.

The fight is short, but brutal as the four Jedi carve a path out to their escape vessel, graciously given to them by Bail Organa. They manage to escape, but soon have a squadron of ARC-170's on their tail. Anakin uses his superior piloting skills and manages to evade or destroy the fighters, making their way off the planet with all the speed they can muster. Obi-Wan attempts to send a message to Polis Massa to warn them about the attack, but there's no guarantee that the message will reach them in time. Anakin, not taking any chances, makes the jump into hyperspace at the first opportunity and hopes that they aren't too late...

Meanwhile, the Polis Massa research facility's long-range sensors pick up a new ship on approach. It carries a Republic signature...and is sending out two entire wings of fighters and bombers with weapons charging straight for them...

...and that's where we're going to end it this time. It looks like the Jedi are in quite the pickle after Palpatine's execution. Will they reach Polis Massa in time to save the day? Will Padmé, the twins, and Senator Organa escape? Find out...but not next week. Next week, we'll have entered Horror Month 2020...and have a very different What If to look at, when it's time comes.

Until we return...may the Force be with you, always.

Star Wars belongs the Lucasfilm and Disney, unfortunately.

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