Siri stumbled back a step, his words hitting her like a physical blow. She scarcely noticed his hesitation, so strong was her shock. It was only sheer force of will that kept her standing, kept her from giving into the unsteadiness in her legs, the trembling of her hands. Anger and disbelief and a sorrow so deep she couldn’t breathe from its intensity washed over her. A snarled knot of raw emotion that pulsed so strongly in her she ached with it.
And no matter how hard she struggled to accept the emotions, to let them go... she couldn’t. It was just one blow after another. He kills them. Destroys them. Destroys us. On the heels of that thought was another; could she have done something if she’d still been alive? Would she have made any difference? Or would she just have been another body on the pyre?
“Anakin is why the Order turns to ash...” It took her a moment to regain the ability to speak, and when she did her voice was pained. “And Palpatine was the Sith Lord. He was behind... behind everything.” How could we have been so blind?