Anakin and the Darkness Within

[ssgtc]

Padme had been worried about Anakin ever since he returned from the Outer Rim. Ever since she had told them that they were about to become parents. Anakin's dreams, the dreams he had had about his mother, had returned. Only this time, they were about her. She had spent the entire night begging Anakin to talk to Obi-Wan about them. Or to Yoda. But Anakin, stubborn like he always was, was determined to handle this on his own. To prevent this dream from coming true. Now that she thought about it, saying she was worried about her husband might have been an understatement.

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Padme wasn't the only one worried about Anakin. Obi-wan could tell that something was bothering his old Padawan and friend. But of course Anakin refused to talk about it. While, ok, that wasn't that unusual for him, the sheer terror he felt radiating off of him was. Something was certainly very wrong. Obi-wan knew of only one person who might actually be able to reach Anakin when he got like this. He reached for his communicator and made a call.

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Anakin knew that Padme and Obi-Wan were worried about him. He felt terrible for that. But how could explain to them? Padme, for as much as she tried, wasn't a Jedi and didn't really understand the Force. Didn't really understand why he was so scared of the vision he had. She was there when he had the visions of his mother. And she was there when he found her. Didn't she remember how frighteningly accurate his vision had been? And to just brush it off the way she was? He felt his anger building and clamped down on it. Now was not the time. His thoughts then drifted to Obi-Wan. Padme wanted him to talk to his old Master about his dream. But Obi-wan could never understand. How could he? Master Kenobi was the perfect Jedi. He would have no choice but to report Anakin to the rest of the Council for breaking the Jedi Code and forming an attachment to Padme and marrying her. He would be thrown out of the Jedi Order, exiled. And while, ok, he had planned to leave the Order anyway after the war, there was no way he could abandon his fellow Jedi and the Republic in their time of need. Besides, the Jedi had been ravaged by the war. So few Jedi were left that the Temple was almost entirely empty except for the Younglings and the Temple Masters.

Actually, now that he thought about it, the Order was in desperate need of Jedi Knights. Maybe he could talk to Obi-wan about it. Tell him about the dream, tell him everything. The Council would be furious when they found out. But maybe, just maybe, they wouldn't kick him out until after the war. Or possibly he could even promise to leave the Order once the war was over. Yeah, that might work. He'd have to talk to Padme about it first though. Diplomacy wasn't exactly his strong suite. He left the negotiating to her or Obi-wan. He tried to stay in the background until they moved on to aggressive negotiations. That thought made him grin, remembering the look on Padme's face when he first explained the term to her on Naboo. Having made up his mind, Anakin turned to leave the Temple. And ran straight into Master Yoda.

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Padme was just about to leave for the Senate when her comm station went off. Her private comm station. Only a few people had that number. And if someone was trying to reach her on it, it must be important. Closing the door again, she went to the station and, seeing a Jedi Temple prefix, answered, half expecting it to be Anakin. Instead, it was Obi-wan. Ever the senator, she did not let the surprise show on her face or her voice, though she was pretty sure Obi-wan could feel it. "Come to think of it, could Jedi feel emotions like that through a comm call?" she asked herself. "She'd have to ask Anakin later."

"Master Kenobi," she greeted Obi-wan with a smile. "What a pleasant surprise. What can I do for you?"

"Senator," replied Kenobi, nodding his respects. "I could use your help with a, personal, matter. It's in regard to Anakin. I know you two are close and I was hoping for your help."

"He knows," was the first thing to cross Padme's mind. Why else would he be calling? She honestly thought more of Obi-wan than this. Certainly his reputation as "The Negotiator" led her to believe that he wouldn't make such an amateurish mistake. All of this flashed across her mind in just the first second or so after Obi-wan's request. "Of course, Master Jedi. I'm always willing to aide the Order however I can. What is it you would like?"

"Actually Senator, this is rather sensitive. I'd rather discuss this with you in private if possible."

"That confirmed it," Padme thought. "The gizka was certainly out of the bag now."

"I understand completely," Padme told him. "Would this evening work for you? I'll be at my apartment around eight or so."

"Eight would be fine Senator. I'll see you tonight."

"Wonderful," thought Padme as she disconnected the call. "Just wonderful. As if she didn't have enough to worry about."

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"Young Skywalker. In a hurry, are you?" asked the aged Jedi Master as Anakin almost literally ran into him, with only his Force enhanced reflexes preventing him from bowling over Master Yoda.

Anakin bristled at being called Young Skywalker, but then again, even a being five hundred years old would be "young" to Master Yoda.

"Apologies, Master," Anakin replied. "I've had much on my mind of late."

"Know this, I do. Taking a life, never easy it is."

"Oh! That's what he thinks this is about? His killing of Count Dooku?" Anakin thought to himself. A bit of his guilt at the way he killed him must have seeped into the Force because Yoda was giving him a look he normally reserved only for unruly Younglings that he had caught red-handed in one bit of mischief or another. Anakin knew better than to try to get anything over on the Grand Master of the Jedi Order.

"That is partly it, Master. I'm afraid it's a bit more complicated than that. But I'm sure you're quite busy."

"Hmmmm, busy I am. But not so busy to neglect a Jedi in need. Walk with me, you will Young Skywalker. Talk, we will."

"That name again! Ugh," Anakin exclaimed internally. He really should just get used to it. He doubted Yoda would ever call him anything else. And with that realization, he simply replied, "Yes, Master."

As they walked through the Room of a Thousand Fountains, or rather, Anakin walked while Master Yoda rode his hoverchair, Anakin found that the calming waters of the fountains helped to soothe his mind. Not enough to reach true peace, Anakin hadn't known true peace, other than when he was in Padme's arms, since Geonosis. Though he suspected Yoda knew that and this seemingly aimless stroll was done purposefully to let Anakin calm his mind and order his thoughts. For that he was grateful. Since, during this walk through the room, the largest in the Temple, Anakin felt his mind clear and heard the Force urging him to unburden his soul and to finally let go. With that, Anakin made his decision to tell Yoda everything. Even if it meant getting banished from the Order.

Turning to Master Yoda Anakin said, "Master, would it be possible for us to talk privately? What I have to say, it would be best not to say in public."

"Come, Jedi Skywalker, talk in my Meditation room, we shall."

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Across Coruscant, Darth Sidious felt a wave of ice wash over him. As if the whole planet's temperature had suddenly dropped to that of Hoth. There was only one thing this could mean. His carefully laid plans, plans he had spent decades honing, building and cajoling into reality, were about to be completely upended. His only hope was to try and delve into the Force tonight and root out the cause of this shift. Fortunately, the Jedi were as blind to that as they were to everything else. The veil his master and his Master's Master had cast over the Jedi years previously still seemed to be very effective. Soon, he was quite sure, the Jedi would be nothing but a footnote in history.

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Anakin had spent the last two hours talking to Master Yoda, telling him everything. Leaving nothing out. Not his killing of the Sand People on Tatooine all those years ago, not his secret marriage to Padme, not how he had executed Count Dooku when he had been defeated and kneeling before him. He told him all of it. And as he did so, a sense of calm that he hadn't felt since he was a boy settled on him. A feeling that he was doing exactly what the Force wished him to. Master Yoda sat, and listened. At the end, when Anakin explained how he had had a vision of Padme dying in childbirth, Anakin broke.

With tears in his eyes, he begged the Jedi Master for help. Telling him he couldn't lose her, that she meant everything to him. Pleading for some way to change what he saw in his vision.

When he was finished, Yoda reached out, put his hand on Anakin's shoulder and squeezed. Speaking softly and kindly, Yoda said, "Young Skywalker, a great deal to discuss you and I have. Done things, you have, that you should not. Time for that later, we will have. For now, your vision we will see to. Remember, do you, your first lessons, when you arrived at the Temple?"

Anakin, through the tears in his eyes, looked at Master Yoda with something akin to shock. "Hadn't he heard him? He had murdered men, women and children for revenge. In anger. He had killed a helpless man. And the thing Master Yoda wanted to focus on was something that might not even happen?" That thought brought Anakin up short. "Whoa, wait a second. Might not happen. Why hadn't he thought this before? Why had he been so certain that his vision was set in stone? Because you were being selfish," he heard his conscience tell him. "Had he really been being so selfish that he could no longer recognize a simple truth? Was he really being so selfish that he was no longer putting his duty as a Jedi first? Was this truly the first time he had done either of those in years? What kind of a Jedi was he?" he asked himself. "The bad kind," his conscience answered back.

Realizing Master Yoda was looking at him, he shook himself out of his thoughts. "Master," Anakin said. "I've just realized that for the last few years, I have been an absolutely terrible Jedi. Not just my actions, but by putting my needs and wants first and failing in my duty as a Jedi. I've been selfish and more concerned with myself than with the greater good. And that is not befitting of a Jedi Knight. I am no longer worthy of that title."

Reaching for his lightsaber to give it to Master Yoda and resign from the Order, Master Yoda placed his hand over Anakin's and stopped him. "Remove your lightsaber, do not. A decision for another day this is. Strength it took to admit that, Young Skywalker. Your vision. Remember, do you, your early teachings?"

Overcoming his shock that Master Yoda was not only not demanding Anakin resign from the Order, but that he was still willing to help him, Anakin replied, "Yes Master. The future is always in motion. That what we see is just one possible future of many and may not come true. But, Master Yoda, my visions of my mother did come true. What if these do the same?"

"Hmmmm, why this is, attachment is forbidden. An easy answer for you, I do not have. To let go of those you love, you must learn. Easy, this will not be. All life ends, Young Skywalker. The way of the Force, this is. Many years will it take you to learn this, I feel."

"But Master, I don't have years. Our child is due in two months. I can't lose her. OUCH!" Cried Anakin as Yoda's gimmer stick cracked across his shins.

"Much to learn, you still have my young Jedi. For 800 years, have I been Jedi. Much I have seen. Much I have learned. To attempt to change your vision, ensure its outcome you may."

Closing his eyes, Yoda reached out with the Force and brushed against Anakin. Opening his eyes again, Yoda told the young Jedi, "Much fear I sense in you Anakin. Fear for yourself, no. But fear for those around you, you do. Aide them in this state, you cannot. A darkness too, I sense within you. But your darkness, it is not. Strange this is. Tied to the loss of your loved ones it is. Share with me, your vision. Perhaps some clue we might find. Get to the root of it, we will."

Collecting himself, at least as much as he could right then, Anakin sank into a meditation exercise (never his strong suite, he never could sit still) and reached out with the Force feeling for Master Yoda. He really wasn't that difficult to find, his force presence shined like a beacon of light. Anakin was pretty sure his looked like a thunderstorm at the moment. Yoda joined with him and Anakin began to share his vision.

[ssgtc]

Author's note: I'm posting this mainly from mobile right now, so the formatting may be a little off. I'll correct the format as I get time when I have access to my laptop.

[archibald]

Mandatory video



How it should have ended, "revenge of the siths"

ROTFL

[ssgtc]

At 500 Republica, Obi-wan and Padme were having the conversation that she had been dreading all day. Not that anyone could tell. She was, after all, a consummate politician, showing and expressing only what she wanted the other person to see and hear. In that regard, she and the Jedi had more in common than the average Jedi would care to admit. For his part, Obi-wan got straight to the point.

"Senator, I need your help. Something is wrong with Anakin. He won't tell me what it is, but the way he feels in the Force, he's terrified of something. He's looked up to you since he was a boy and I know that you two are close. Is there anyway you could possibly talk to him? Perhaps get him to open up?"

For the second time that day, Obi-wan shocked Padme. She had been so certain that he was coming here tonight to confront her about her and Anakin's marriage and her pregnancy. And in a way, he was. It's just that he didn't know that he was. This gave her another problem. Lying to Obi-wan would be nearly impossible. While she could keep it off her face and out of her voice, the Force gave the Jedi a nearly unbeatable edge when it came to uncovering deception. All of this ran through her thoughts while listening to Obi-wan.

"Of course Master Kenobi. I'd be delighted to help," replied Padme. "You know I consider you and Anakin two of my closest friends. Whatever I can do, you have my word. But, you know Anakin. If he doesn't want to talk about it, and if he's made his mind up about it, it's practically impossible to get him to change it."

"Oh, yes. I'm quite familiar with my Padawan's stubborn streak. I also know that, out of everyone on this planet, you seem to have the ability to get through to him when no one else can."

"Oh, if only he knew," thought Padme. "Normally, yes, she could get Anakin to see reason. But this? Not so much." Unfortunately for her, a bit too much of her nervousness and fear for her husband was seeping into the Force and Obi-wan started to pick up on it.

"What could possibly be making her nervous and frightened," he thought. Certainly he wasn't asking her to do something unethical or immoral. He thought she would leap at the chance to spend time with Anakin. Their feelings for one another weren't exactly a secret. Oh, he supposed they thought they were. But the two of them really weren't nearly as discrete as they thought they were. Of course Obi-wan, like most everyone else, had assumed that they would be professional enough about it to not act on those feelings. That triggered another line of thought for Obi-wan, "What if they hadn't kept their distance? Could that be why Padme seemed so nervous? Was she worried that she and Anakin had been exposed?"

With that, disturbing, thought, Obi-wan reached out with the Force to gently probe Padme's Force Aura. With a shock, he found not only Padme's Force Signature, but the signatures of two other beings connected to hers! Padme was pregnant! A second shock came a moment later when he realized that the two tiny Force Signatures growing inside her were vaguely familiar. They actually felt a bit like Anakin. Obi-wan felt his heart drop. He loved Anakin like a brother. But this? To say that Anakin would have some explaining to do was putting it mildly. There was no doubt in his mind that the Council would be forced to expel him, Chosen One or not. The truth suddenly rushed at him in a flood, as if a dam had burst and the Force had come flooding in to confirm what he thought.

"Padme," he asked her gently, "you know why Anakin is troubled, don't you? I can feel it in your Force Signature. Anakin is the father, isn't he?"

For a split second, the politician's mask that Padme wore like armor, slipped. Her face registered her surprise, giving Obi-wan all the confirmation he needed that he was right. He placed his hand on Padme's and squeezed.

"Padme, I want you to know, Anakin is like my brother. The last thing I want is to cause him or you pain. You've both already had so much pain in your lives. But I truly am worried about him. He is slipping down a path that could lead to his destruction. I need your help." Before Padme could answer, the door to her apartment burst open.

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Anakin had never been so deep into the Force before. Master Yoda seemed to be guiding him down long forgotten pathways. In that moment, Anakin realized just how little he knew and how, for all his power and potential, how much he paled in comparison to a true Jedi Master such as Yoda. Yoda was guiding him down into the Force, deeper than he even knew was possible, to help him get to the root of his vision and the darkness that seemed to radiate from it.

Partof the reason for it was simple fear. Anakin was terrified of losing his wife and child. That reason, conveniently, was sitting literally at the top of his subconscious. A little too conveniently according to Master Yoda (at least that was the impression Anakin had gotten from the Grandmaster, communicating in this state was somewhat difficult, though the mental whack across the shins from Yoda's gimmer stick that he had just gotten for getting distracted seemed to come through just fine).

Concentrating once more, he and Master Yoda followed the paths that the Force was leading them down. As they went, Anakin seemed to feel the air getting closer, darker and colder. Continuing on, he seemed to sense a dark, glowing ball of black, as crazy as that sounds. With a start, he realized that part of that black ball of energy had entangled itself with his own presence! Could he really have been that close to the Dark Side without even noticing it? That shouldn't be possible. He would have felt it. Wouldn't he? He felt Master Yoda urging him on and followed the diminutive Jedi Master down.

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For Yoda, it felt like a curtain had been pulled back, or a long locked door finally opened. For the first time in years he felt the Force the way it should be felt. Like a veil had been pulled away from his eyes and he rejoiced in it. For all the darkness he felt in Young Skywalker's vision and tangled up within him, the young Jedi was still a beacon of light unlike any he had ever known, and the young man's presence was seeming to light the way. For Yoda, it was very much like seeing an old friend again as he traveled down into the Force, deeper than he had been able to in years. That was when he saw it. A dark tendril wrapped around Anakin, seeping into the boy's soul, poisoning his spirit. And leading directly to the vision of his wife dying, feeding and enhancing it.

For Yoda, the admission from Young Skywalker that he had broken the code and gotten married really wasn't all that surprising. Oh, he acted like it was of course. But the old Jedi had long suspected that Anakin and the Senator from Naboo were far closer than anyone suspected. In other circumstances, he would have called Young Skywalker before the Council to explain himself. But now, with so few Jedi left, less than 10,000 when the Order had once numbered in the millions, they could not afford to lose one such as Anakin. So long as the young man had put his duty as a Jedi first, Yoda had made very sure he avoided actually knowing whether or not what he suspected was true. That was all moot now of course following Skywalker's admission. He thought this as he and Anakin followed the tendril down to it's source. Deeper and deeper into the Force. Yoda himself had only ever been this deep into the Force on a handful of occasions. And only when absolutely necessary, as going this deep, it was far too easy to lose yourself in the Force and never find your way back.

As the two Jedi approached the source of the darkness, Yoda began to feel as if there was something familiar about it. Pushing against it with the Force, he was met with a violent reaction, almost physically throwing him back. Just before being thrown back to consciousness, Yoda saw a leering face peering at them. One that had been horribly disfigured and scarred, but one that he knew all too well. Supreme Chancellor Palpatine.

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Hidden deep within The Works section of Coruscant was the secret lair of Darth Sidious. Here was his meditation room. Here was where he kept his most precious Sith artifacts, some dating back thousands of years to when the Sith had ruled an empire. It was here that Darth Sidious was free to cast aside his public persona of Sheev Palpatine and let his true self show. It was here that Darth Sidious, Dark Lord of the Sith, reigned supreme. After the disturbing warning he had gotten earlier that day, Sidious too had dived deep into the Force. What could have possibly triggered such a warning? Had he been betrayed? Had Tyranus planned something to expose him should he be betrayed? He felt his anger boiling up to the surface. He let it. It would prove useful in rooting out the source of his problem. Burying himself deep within the Force, he began to probe outward. Searching for who or what it was that was threatening to expose him and destroy all he had worked for. Suddenly, he found that his problem had come to him. Approaching through the Force were Master Yoda and Anakin Skywalker. Through the Force he registered the shock he felt from both of them as they recognized his Force Signature. With as much power as he could summon, he threw both Jedi back and felt the connection with them break.

Pulling himself out of the Force as well, he understood with sudden clarity what had happened. That foolish boy had opened himself up fully to the Jedi and the light. Anakin's Force Presence was like a raging inferno, burning away the veil the Sith had placed over the Jedi. And consuming the threads of darkness that Sidious had buried within the boy.

By hiding nothing from the Jedi, he had lost his leverage over the child. Years of effort, carefully grooming the boy, building stress points in his psyche, applying just the right pressure to them, ensuring the boy would break exactly how and when he wanted him to, wasted. Anakin would not be so easy to seduce to the Dark Side now.

With a snarl that was more beast than man, he began pacing in his chambers, trying to plan what he could do. The problem was, he had always had the Force to assist him with his plans before. But that meddling boy and the little troll had managed to tear away the veil the Sith had placed over the Jedi. For him to delve deeply into the Force now would be akin to lighting a signal fire leading straight to him.

Sidious was loathe to just discard Skywalker. He had seen what the boy could become. He could be the most powerful Sith to have ever lived. Unfortunately, it didn't seem as though he had much choice in the matter. It wouldn't be long before the Jedi rallied the Senate and the Army behind them. He had to move quickly if he was to save himself. And moving quickly would cost him Skywalker.

The Chancellor then walked to his holonet terminal and called up various reports that he had access to as due to his position as Head of the Army. "Hmmmm, slightly worse than he had hoped," he thought. A fairly large percentage of Jedi, including most of the Jedi Council, were on world at the moment. Of course, that also meant there were more Clone Troopers as well. He would need more than what were available though if he was to pull off what he was thinking. Unless of course, he came out into the open. Show the Galaxy what true power was. Crush the Jedi personally.

Sidious sighed, resigning himself to throwing away Skywalker. He knew that the boy would never trust him now, would never betray the Jedi. He would have to act quickly, before the Jedi could fully realize what had happened and react. Accepting the inevitable, Sidious began sending messages to various Clone Commanders and then placed a holocall.

"Commander Cody. The time has come. Execute Order 66."

[lordroel]

Aug 22, 2020 23:50:07 GMT ssgtc said:

Padme had been worried about Anakin ever since he returned from the Outer Rim. Ever since she had told them that they were about to become parents. Anakin's dreams, the dreams he had had about his mother, had returned. Only this time, they were about her. She had spent the entire night begging Anakin to talk to Obi-Wan about them. Or to Yoda. But Anakin, stubborn like he always was, was determined to handle this on his own. To prevent this dream from coming true. Now that she thought about it, saying she was worried about her husband might have been an understatement.

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Padme wasn't the only one worried about Anakin. Obi-wan could tell that something was bothering his old Padawan and friend. But of course Anakin refused to talk about it. While, ok, that wasn't that unusual for him, the sheer terror he felt radiating off of him was. Something was certainly very wrong. Obi-wan knew of only one person who might actually be able to reach Anakin when he got like this. He reached for his communicator and made a call.

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Anakin knew that Padme and Obi-Wan were worried about him. He felt terrible for that. But how could explain to them? Padme, for as much as she tried, wasn't a Jedi and didn't really understand the Force. Didn't really understand why he was so scared of the vision he had. She was there when he had the visions of his mother. And she was there when he found her. Didn't she remember how frighteningly accurate his vision had been? And to just brush it off the way she was? He felt his anger building and clamped down on it. Now was not the time. His thoughts then drifted to Obi-Wan. Padme wanted him to talk to his old Master about his dream. But Obi-wan could never understand. How could he? Master Kenobi was the perfect Jedi. He would have no choice but to report Anakin to the rest of the Council for breaking the Jedi Code and forming an attachment to Padme and marrying her. He would be thrown out of the Jedi Order, exiled. And while, ok, he had planned to leave the Order anyway after the war, there was no way he could abandon his fellow Jedi and the Republic in their time of need. Besides, the Jedi had been ravaged by the war. So few Jedi were left that the Temple was almost entirely empty except for the Younglings and the Temple Masters.

Actually, now that he thought about it, the Order was in desperate need of Jedi Knights. Maybe he could talk to Obi-wan about it. Tell him about the dream, tell him everything. The Council would be furious when they found out. But maybe, just maybe, they wouldn't kick him out until after the war. Or possibly he could even promise to leave the Order once the war was over. Yeah, that might work. He'd have to talk to Padme about it first though. Diplomacy wasn't exactly his strong suite. He left the negotiating to her or Obi-wan. He tried to stay in the background until they moved on to aggressive negotiations. That thought made him grin, remembering the look on Padme's face when he first explained the term to her on Naboo. Having made up his mind, Anakin turned to leave the Temple. And ran straight into Master Yoda.

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Padme was just about to leave for the Senate when her comm station went off. Her private comm station. Only a few people had that number. And if someone was trying to reach her on it, it must be important. Closing the door again, she went to the station and, seeing a Jedi Temple prefix, answered, half expecting it to be Anakin. Instead, it was Obi-wan. Ever the senator, she did not let the surprise show on her face or her voice, though she was pretty sure Obi-wan could feel it. "Come to think of it, could Jedi feel emotions like that through a comm call?" she asked herself. "She'd have to ask Anakin later."

"Master Kenobi," she greeted Obi-wan with a smile. "What a pleasant surprise. What can I do for you?"

"Senator," replied Kenobi, nodding his respects. "I could use your help with a, personal, matter. It's in regard to Anakin. I know you two are close and I was hoping for your help."

"He knows," was the first thing to cross Padme's mind. Why else would he be calling? She honestly thought more of Obi-wan than this. Certainly his reputation as "The Negotiator" led her to believe that he wouldn't make such an amateurish mistake. All of this flashed across her mind in just the first second or so after Obi-wan's request. "Of course, Master Jedi. I'm always willing to aide the Order however I can. What is it you would like?"

"Actually Senator, this is rather sensitive. I'd rather discuss this with you in private if possible."

"That confirmed it," Padme thought. "The gizka was certainly out of the bag now."

"I understand completely," Padme told him. "Would this evening work for you? I'll be at my apartment around eight or so."

"Eight would be fine Senator. I'll see you tonight."

"Wonderful," thought Padme as she disconnected the call. "Just wonderful. As if she didn't have enough to worry about."

__________________

"Young Skywalker. In a hurry, are you?" asked the aged Jedi Master as Anakin almost literally ran into him, with only his Force enhanced reflexes preventing him from bowling over Master Yoda.

Anakin bristled at being called Young Skywalker, but then again, even a being five hundred years old would be "young" to Master Yoda.

"Apologies, Master," Anakin replied. "I've had much on my mind of late."

"Know this, I do. Taking a life, never easy it is."

"Oh! That's what he thinks this is about? His killing of Count Dooku?" Anakin thought to himself. A bit of his guilt at the way he killed him must have seeped into the Force because Yoda was giving him a look he normally reserved only for unruly Younglings that he had caught red-handed in one bit of mischief or another. Anakin knew better than to try to get anything over on the Grand Master of the Jedi Order.

"That is partly it, Master. I'm afraid it's a bit more complicated than that. But I'm sure you're quite busy."

"Hmmmm, busy I am. But not so busy to neglect a Jedi in need. Walk with me, you will Young Skywalker. Talk, we will."

"That name again! Ugh," Anakin exclaimed internally. He really should just get used to it. He doubted Yoda would ever call him anything else. And with that realization, he simply replied, "Yes, Master."

As they walked through the Room of a Thousand Fountains, or rather, Anakin walked while Master Yoda rode his hoverchair, Anakin found that the calming waters of the fountains helped to soothe his mind. Not enough to reach true peace, Anakin hadn't known true peace, other than when he was in Padme's arms, since Geonosis. Though he suspected Yoda knew that and this seemingly aimless stroll was done purposefully to let Anakin calm his mind and order his thoughts. For that he was grateful. Since, during this walk through the room, the largest in the Temple, Anakin felt his mind clear and heard the Force urging him to unburden his soul and to finally let go. With that, Anakin made his decision to tell Yoda everything. Even if it meant getting banished from the Order.

Turning to Master Yoda Anakin said, "Master, would it be possible for us to talk privately? What I have to say, it would be best not to say in public."

"Come, Jedi Skywalker, talk in my Meditation room, we shall."

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Across Coruscant, Darth Sidious felt a wave of ice wash over him. As if the whole planet's temperature had suddenly dropped to that of Hoth. There was only one thing this could mean. His carefully laid plans, plans he had spent decades honing, building and cajoling into reality, were about to be completely upended. His only hope was to try and delve into the Force tonight and root out the cause of this shift. Fortunately, the Jedi were as blind to that as they were to everything else. The veil his master and his Master's Master had cast over the Jedi years previously still seemed to be very effective. Soon, he was quite sure, the Jedi would be nothing but a footnote in history.

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Anakin had spent the last two hours talking to Master Yoda, telling him everything. Leaving nothing out. Not his killing of the Sand People on Tatooine all those years ago, not his secret marriage to Padme, not how he had executed Count Dooku when he had been defeated and kneeling before him. He told him all of it. And as he did so, a sense of calm that he hadn't felt since he was a boy settled on him. A feeling that he was doing exactly what the Force wished him to. Master Yoda sat, and listened. At the end, when Anakin explained how he had had a vision of Padme dying in childbirth, Anakin broke.

With tears in his eyes, he begged the Jedi Master for help. Telling him he couldn't lose her, that she meant everything to him. Pleading for some way to change what he saw in his vision.

When he was finished, Yoda reached out, put his hand on Anakin's shoulder and squeezed. Speaking softly and kindly, Yoda said, "Young Skywalker, a great deal to discuss you and I have. Done things, you have, that you should not. Time for that later, we will have. For now, your vision we will see to. Remember, do you, your first lessons, when you arrived at the Temple?"

Anakin, through the tears in his eyes, looked at Master Yoda with something akin to shock. "Hadn't he heard him? He had murdered men, women and children for revenge. In anger. He had killed a helpless man. And the thing Master Yoda wanted to focus on was something that might not even happen?" That thought brought Anakin up short. "Whoa, wait a second. Might not happen. Why hadn't he thought this before? Why had he been so certain that his vision was set in stone? Because you were being selfish," he heard his conscience tell him. "Had he really been being so selfish that he could no longer recognize a simple truth? Was he really being so selfish that he was no longer putting his duty as a Jedi first? Was this truly the first time he had done either of those in years? What kind of a Jedi was he?" he asked himself. "The bad kind," his conscience answered back.

Realizing Master Yoda was looking at him, he shook himself out of his thoughts. "Master," Anakin said. "I've just realized that for the last few years, I have been an absolutely terrible Jedi. Not just my actions, but by putting my needs and wants first and failing in my duty as a Jedi. I've been selfish and more concerned with myself than with the greater good. And that is not befitting of a Jedi Knight. I am no longer worthy of that title."

Reaching for his lightsaber to give it to Master Yoda and resign from the Order, Master Yoda placed his hand over Anakin's and stopped him. "Remove your lightsaber, do not. A decision for another day this is. Strength it took to admit that, Young Skywalker. Your vision. Remember, do you, your early teachings?"

Overcoming his shock that Master Yoda was not only not demanding Anakin resign from the Order, but that he was still willing to help him, Anakin replied, "Yes Master. The future is always in motion. That what we see is just one possible future of many and may not come true. But, Master Yoda, my visions of my mother did come true. What if these do the same?"

"Hmmmm, why this is, attachment is forbidden. An easy answer for you, I do not have. To let go of those you love, you must learn. Easy, this will not be. All life ends, Young Skywalker. The way of the Force, this is. Many years will it take you to learn this, I feel."

"But Master, I don't have years. Our child is due in two months. I can't lose her. OUCH!" Cried Anakin as Yoda's gimmer stick cracked across his shins.

"Much to learn, you still have my young Jedi. For 800 years, have I been Jedi. Much I have seen. Much I have learned. To attempt to change your vision, ensure its outcome you may."

Closing his eyes, Yoda reached out with the Force and brushed against Anakin. Opening his eyes again, Yoda told the young Jedi, "Much fear I sense in you Anakin. Fear for yourself, no. But fear for those around you, you do. Aide them in this state, you cannot. A darkness too, I sense within you. But your darkness, it is not. Strange this is. Tied to the loss of your loved ones it is. Share with me, your vision. Perhaps some clue we might find. Get to the root of it, we will."

Collecting himself, at least as much as he could right then, Anakin sank into a meditation exercise (never his strong suite, he never could sit still) and reached out with the Force feeling for Master Yoda. He really wasn't that difficult to find, his force presence shined like a beacon of light. Anakin was pretty sure his looked like a thunderstorm at the moment. Yoda joined with him and Anakin began to share his vision.

Nice our first true Star Wars TL on the forum, keep it up i say.

[stevep]

Very good and although its still likely to be very bloody it could end up a lot better than OTL in terms of Sidious being exposed and defeated without the virtual total destruction of the Jedi. Preferably also with both Padme and Anakin surviving to bring up their children.

[ssgtc]

With a gasp, Anakin fell to the floor, hurled almost bodily from the depths of the Force by that dark presence. Looking over to Yoda, he saw the Jedi Master was shaken, but still on his meditation couch. "Master," he asked shakily, "what was that?"

"Hmmmm, the Sith Lord that was. Discovered him, we have. But too late, I fear. Recall his face, do you?"

Anakin, still shaken from the experience, nods. "Yes Master. It was horribly scared and disfigured. Almost as if it had been ravaged by some powerful beast." Here he paused. He could barely choke out what he said next. "And it looked like the Chancellor."

"The Chancellor, it was. His true face did we see. Scared, not by beast, but by the Dark Side. Quick and easy the Dark Side is. But extract a terrible price, it does. Blind we have been not to have noticed. Failed I have as a Jedi. Now, all may be lost. Prepare we must. Not long will Sidious wait to begin his attack now that exposed he is."

"I agree Master. But, how? To try and destroy him is not the Jedi way. But, he may be too powerful to capture peacefully."

"Learned from your mistakes, you have Anakin. Proud of you, for that, I am. But destroy the Sith, we must. Too much power does he have to bring to a trial."

Thinking on that, Anakin had a, for him, rare moment of political insight. "Master Yoda, what you say has merit. Palpatine, or Sidious, has far too much power over the Senate. But if the Jedi move against him directly, he could use that against the Order. If we are unsuccessful, he will use our attempt to restore Democracy to discredit the Order and destroy us. But perhaps my wife could be useful. I hate even thinking of this, but she knows beings in the Senate who will stand up for what is right. If we get the Senate on our side, we may have a chance." Those last words seemed to rip Anakin's heart out to say them. The last thing he wanted was to place Padme and his child in any sort of danger. But the simple fact was, just by being his wife, Sidious had probably already marked Padme for death.

Anakin had no illusions that Palpatine knew about his relationship. His vision and the dark tendril leading from it had proven that. The betrayal by the man that had always been his friend, had been a mentor to him, practically a father to him was tearing at his insides, threating to rip him apart. Two things kept him from giving into the anger he felt toward him. The first, and biggest reason, was Padme. Padme would never agree to him becoming something so evil. He would lose her then just as surely as he had in his vision. The second, was that giving in to his anger and hate is exactly what that kriffing Sith wanted him to do. Anakin may be rash. And arrogant. And stubborn. A litany of other awful traits. But he wasn't foolish enough to believe for one second that Sidious would help him in the slightest once he had what he wanted. Of that, he was absolutely certain. And at least if Padme were at the Temple, she would be safe.

Sitting across from him, Yoda watched all this play out on Anakin's face and felt it in the Force. Felt his determination rise and his spirit begin to heal. A strong Jedi he will be if past this crisis the Order survives, he thought. "A wise suggestion, Young Skywalker. Go. To the Temple, bring your wife. Explain to the Council I will what has happened. For yourself, be not afraid. A strong and wise Jedi you will be. Prepare the Temple for an attack we must. The Younglings we must save above all else. The future of the Order, they are. Look up to you, they do. Your mission that will be. Protect them, you must."

Anakin wanted to argue with him. Wanted to tell him that he would need him if he faced Sidious. Even started to form a reply to press his point. He was one of the finest duelists in the Order. His sheer power and ability were the equal of most of the Masters on the Council (he did admit, privately, that Mace, Yoda and likely Obi-wan could best him in a duel). Instead, upon seeing the look Yoda was giving him, Anakin simply nodded his head and replied, "Yes Master. Once I return, I'll see to the safety of the young ones. May the Force be with you Master Yoda."

"And with you Jedi Skywalker."

______________



Before Padme could even register what was happening, Obi-wan had leapt off the couch, his lightsaber flashing, deflecting bolt after bolt back at the Clone Troopers who had opened fire on them. But for every one knocked down by either a deflected bolt or Obi-wan's saber when they got too close, it seemed as if two more took his place. Obi-wan was shouting at her to move and find cover while trying to order the Clones to stand down. As Padme's shock wore off, she grabbed the blaster from her couch and began firing at the clones. Through the din of battle, she vaguely heard a transport touch down on her landing pad. "This is it," she thought. "The end. I'm so sorry Anakin. I'm so sorry little ones. I tried." Just as she turned to face what she thought were reinforcements, she saw Anakin, her love, almost literally fly through the room, lightsaber already lit, and join Obi-wan in repelling the Clones. Seeing The Team in action was truly awe inspiring for Padme. They moved almost as if they were one being. Sabers flashing, stabbing and slicing, moving through the Clones with a practiced ease. In minutes it was all over.

Obi-wan and Anakin both powered down their lightsabers and looked sadly on the Clones that they had had to kill. Clones that they had led personally in battle on a dozen worlds. "What took you so long?" asked Obi-wan.

"Oh, you know Master. I couldn't find a speeder I really liked. Plus, I figured you could use the practice. You seemed to be moving slower the last time we spared. I was afraid you might be losing your edge."

"Only in your mind, my young apprentice. Regardless, I'm glad you arrived when you did."

"You're welcome."

Turning to Padme, Anakin gave her a bow, "Senator, Master Yoda wishes me to escort you to the Jedi Temple. The Order could use your aide in defeating the Sith Lord."

"Oh Anakin," cried Padme as she rushed into his arms, tears streaming down her face. Anakin looked like he had been hit by a stun blast at Padme's sudden surge of affection.

This caused Obi-wan to smile for what seemed like the first time since they got back to Coruscant. "Well don't just stand there Anakin. I believe its considered rude not to hug your wife back when she grabs you like that." If anything, the look on Anakin's face got even more shocked. This was highly amusing to Obi-wan to see his normally outgoing friend be shocked into silence.

"He knows, Anakin. He wants to help," Padme told her bewildered husband.

Embracing Padme with everything he had, Anakin then turned to Obi-wan and took a deep breath. This was not going to be easy.

"Master, let me start by saying that I'm sorry. I know I've failed you and the Order by breaking the Code. I have my reasons, but that doesn't excuse it. I've already spoken to Master Yoda." Looking at Padme, "Once Sidious is gone, I'm leaving the Order. No more secrets." Turning back to Obi-wan, now it was Anakin's turn to chuckle as Obi-wan's mouth had dropped open at Anakin's frank admission and acceptance of the consequences. Something had changed in his old Padawan. And changed for the better. "Obi-wan!" Anakin yelled for the third time.

Finally, snapping out of it, all Obi-wan could do was shake his head. "Did Master Yoda really send you here for Padme?" he asked.

"Yes. While Master Yoda and I were meditating, don't looked so shocked, I do do it occasionally, we discovered who the Sith Lord is. It's a long story and we need to get back the Temple immediately. He may be moving even faster than we feared if the attack here is any indication. I'll fill you both in on the way."

_______________



"So that's everything. Master Yoda and I discovered that Palpatine is the Sith Lord. He's manipulated the entire war to get power. Now we need to stop him. But if we try to do that without the Senate behind us, it will just backfire on us and make it look like every accusation Palpatine has ever levied at the Order was true," finished Anakin, giving his best friend and his wife a very condensed version of what was going on.

"So that's why you need me at the Temple. To try and organize the Senate to back the Order in removing Palpatine. I'm not sure it will work. Most of the Senate is behind him, or at the least won't stand up to him. I can get you a few thousand Senators, but not a majority."

"Anakin, I hate to bring this up, but won't your relationship with Padme just turn Senators away? Couldn't they argue that she's the 'Jedi's pet Senator.'" This last bit Obi-wan said with an apologetic look at Padme. She quickly waved his unspoken apology away as not needed.

"It's a possibility," Anakin admitted. "But without it, the Order would be seen as the bad guys here. We're already looked down upon because of the war. This would just make it worse."

"True, but..." Obi-wan stopped in mid sentence. For approaching the Temple was a massive column of Clones. It looked to be every battalion on planet at the moment. At their head, marched a solitary figure, clad all in black and radiating a darkness that seemed to swallow up the light around him.

"Sidious" breathed Anakin. "Hang on, this is gonna be a rough ride in."