Hero of Naboo Chapter 26 Preview

Vader's physical, mundane senses were dulled. Being burning alive and in a suit like his had that effect. His skin was entirely encased and covered, and always in pain. His eardrums had been melted beyond saving and replaced with implants. His helmet filtered out most light and the lenses tented his vision red.

But there was one thing he still had. He could still smell. In fact, his mask actually enhanced his sense of smell. A little known detail he never deign to share with anyone, already having enough to reasons to be called Sidious's attack dog.

And thus, in this moment, Vader knew something was wrong not from his power in the force, but because he could smell it.

It, being ozone. Too much, even for forcelighting. And he only recalled smelling this from Sidious on one kind of occassion.

"Jedi!" Vader barked out as he stopped in his charge, seeing Sidious's smirk. A content smirk with his arms held right infront of him, his fingers almost pointing to himself.

Mace Windu felt true dread at the strangest, most twisted, and somehow....deepest shatterpoint he had ever laid eyes on. It was like....like a bomb in the Force itself.

Plagueis's eyes widden as he turned around in disbelief, feeling the twisting forming within the Force as the air grew heavy.

"Get Back!" Vader warned as he retreated, pulling Dooku and Qui-Gon back with the force. The two gritted their teeth in surprise, but instantly recovered and followed Vader's retreat.

Mace Windu, with reluctant, followed suit, while Yoda frowned, putting up a sheild to try and contain whatever the Sith was doi-

"HAHAHA!" Sidious cackled as he appeared to tear open a hole in the air itself.

Yoda's eyes widen as Sidious was all but obscured by a literal maelstrom of forcelightning slammed agianst his sheilds, bulking and straining them. The mere shockwave of it colliding with the barrier would have knocked the avaerage humanoid of their feet. 

"What now?!" Eeth Koth seethed from behind Yoda, clutching his head in pain. "By the temple, it feels like the Force itslef is screaming."

It did, Yoda admitted, it truly felt like the Force itslef was in pain now from....whatever was happening.

"Know, I do not. Retreat, you must!" Yoda ordered, trying to understand just what he was fighting against now.

This wasn't Sidious's power anymore. No, it felt almost like he was against-

"Admirable attempt, but you're literally trying to hold back the Dark Side in its entireity, Grandmaster."

Yoda didn't react to Plagueis's arrival, his fellow Jedi reeling in shock but otherwise not attack the Sith Lord. "Planned this, you did?" Yoda accused with a strained grip on his sheilds.

"No," Plagueis denied, all jovialness lost as he riased his hands, lessening the load off Yoda. "I had no idea he could do this."

Yoda looked surprised if skeptical by the admission, but his attention was drawn by the cackling laughter of Sidious.

"Are you impressed, Master?!" Sidious called out sadistically.

"Bitterly so, Sidious," Plagueis admitted.

"I thought I might have to use this one day, to take you down! But who dreamed I'd have such an audience!" Sidious taunted as he pulled harder on the "opening"

Plagueis gave a troubled scowl before glancing to Yoda. "We can't hold this. Get back to Vader's po-"

The Dark Side howled, physically.

Plagueis's eyes shot wide as the barrier broke nigh instantly under a greater surge of the gathering storm. He barely managed to block incoming shrapnel as the vortex ripped through metal and steel, sending it flying like hail in a cyclone.

"Retreat, indeed," Yoda said reluctantly, glaring at the funnel of power and fury before making a hasty retreat.

With that, the unlikely group of Jedi and Sith made a hasty retreat as the storm of forcelightin began to steadily expand in height and size. They ran until they saw a make-shift wall of metal debris, the floor ripped up and curled back to form a defensive wall.

Leaping over it, they found themselves in familiar company.

Yoda instantly spotted Vader and Windu, both appearing to have done the bulkwork of making the defensive area. Celsha was helping Coleman remove a piece of shrapnel that appeared to have gotten stuck in his shoulder. Koth had arrived with himself and Plagueis. As had Tiin, but he was carrying an unconscious Vono. Evan was sitting on piece of debris, no doubt winded after his recent recovery. 

Yareal Poof, Depa, and Nat-Sem were nowhere to be seen.

Qui-Gon and Dooku were both at edge of the wall, keeping a more direct, grim watch over the event.

"You are still alive. Good," Vader noted, glancing to the wall pointely. "I did not believe Sidious was capable of this," he commented, leaving a silent 'yet' in his mind. He knew Sidious could do this, one day, but now?

"Do what?" Mace Windu demanded with a scowl, gripping his lightsaber tightly. "We had him cornered and defeated! How could he have this much power suddenly?" he demanded before glancing to Vader. "And how did you know it would happen, before anyone else?"

"I've witnessed this before. I could smell it coming," Vader answered, deciding to let them believe he meant that figuratively intead of literally. "More importantly, you are correct. Sidious did not suddenly recover and regain his old reserves. He is, now more than ever, dead."

"You're serious?" Qui-Gon said, turning to Vader skeptically. "He's unleashing that and you're saying he's a deadman?"

"He's a deadman for unleashing that," Plagueis countered with a scowl. "This will completely destroy Sidious. Even under normal circumstances, he doesn't yet have the power and control to weild something like this. He's just seeking to take us out with him. Also at least a tenth of Coruscant, maybe more?" he offered casually.

"And yet, you keep dodging the question: What is it?" Tiin asked pointedly.

"Are all of you familiar with what a Force Storm is?" Vader asked, straight to the point.