Padme didn't need the Force or a lightsaber to know when her beloved Anakin was near. She was alone except for Threepio, who now came to her with a tray of tea. Captain Typho was on duty, ready to come in in case of an emergency. Padme also kept several hidden blasters in her 500 Republica apartment, so usually she wouldn't ever be worried.

Except now, when she was responsible for the life of a baby inside her. One she and Anakin would love together, if they made it out of the whole mess of a war.

She didn't turn around when Anakin's speeder landed on the plush balcony overlooking Galactic City, but merely put her tray aside and stood.

"Oh, Master Anakin," Threepio was saying, "how good to... how rude!"

Anakin walked past Threepio and flung his arms around his wife, holding her so tightly in a way that Padme knew something was wrong.

"What is it, my love? What happened?"

Anakin let go and held her at arms' length. He needed her to know more than anything that he would keep her and the baby safe.

"Padme, listen to me. We aren't safe here on Coruscant. The Republic is in danger."

Padme looked back at him alarmed. He had been very stressed lately, from his nightmares of her dying in childbirth and his duties from the Jedi council and the chancellor, but he looked more worse for wear than ever now.

"In danger? From the Sith?"

"Chancellor Palpatine... is the Sith Lord. He tried to make me his apprentice, and killed Master Windu?"

Padme was shocked at the news. "Master Windu is dead?"

"I was there, I tried to stop it," Anakin replied, "he's too powerful for me to face alone."

Padme looked away as she brewed on the situation. She had lost faith in her old political mentor as he had taken excessive powers during the war, but this was too much even for him. Yet, her husband had been there and was telling her, and there was no alternative to believing him.

"Who else knows about this?"

"Most of the Jedi don't know. I told Mace Windu when I found out and he went with a team of Jedi. None of them made it."

"We have to warn the Jedi!" Padme exclaimed, "We have to warn the senate too, before he does anything dangerous!"

"My only priority is to keep you and the baby safe," Anakin replied as he stroked her worried cheeks, "He knows about us, and he's sure to come for the baby if he knows."

"But Anakin, the Jedi..."

"Open up in there!" the voice of a clone trooper said.

Anakin turned and went for his lightsaber, but the door was blasted open and Commander Appo and eleven other 501st Legion clone troopers came bursting into the apartment, blasters raised.

"Goodness gracious me!" Threepio exclaimed.

"Commander Appo, what are you..."

The clones opened fire.

Anakin screamed in fear for Padme as he moved his body in front of her, deflecting the blaster bolts.

Padme reached behind the pillow and pulled out a blaster as the clones were struck dead by their own fire.

"That was too close."

"We need to get you to Naboo right away," Anakin said as he switched off his lightsaber, "You're not safe here, and neither is the baby."

The fortress of the Separatist council was impenetrable, even by the entire Republic navy. It was the prefect structure to hide the leaders of the Confederacy of Independent Systems as they ran from the Republic that had left them, without Count Dooku and General Grievous, essentially defeated.

The Separatist council was assembled in the strategy room, which had a holographic map of the battles underway across the Outer Rim.

Nute Gunray, the Neimodian Viceroy of the Trafe Federation, nervously stood at attention as the projector blinked, indicating a transmission was coming through.

Gunray, like his fellow aristocrats of the Confederacy, was glad that Grievous was dead; he had been a burden and a terror to them. Yet his fear of Lord Sidious was as strong as it had been when they had met, and he had always secretly regretted making a deal with the secret Separatist leader.

The large, hooded hologram of Sidious appeared before the Separatists, drawing their attention.

"What is it, my lord."

"Viceroy Gunray, I am pleased to tell you that Chancellor Palpatine has been deposed. Mace Windu is also dead. I am coming to Mustafar myself."

Gunray blinked in hidden terror as San Hill fainted, caught by Wat Tambor.

"You're... coming here?"

"The clones and the Jedi are fighting among themselves," replied the dark lord of the Sith, "now is the ideal time to strike again at the heart of the Republic and defeat them. Viceroy Gunray, gather all droid forces and prepare to launch to Coruscant. We will leave no life form on the planet alive. Scorch them to the core."

Gunray hesitated, utterly petrified. This was perhaps, if no other time was, too far.

Then again, he was not willing to risk his own life now more than at any other time. If trillions innocents on Coruscant had to die, that was okay.

"Immediately, my lord."

To his aide Rune Hakko, Gunray said, "Recall all droid units in the Outer Rim and prepare the fleet. We're going back to Coruscant! And prepare the landing platform for Lord Sidious!"

On Mygeeto, Ki Adi Mundi led his men into battle against the Separatists.

"Come on," he urged, walking ahead of the clones.

As soon as he was safely away from them, the armored, anonymous soldiers coldly raised their rifles and opened fire.

Mundi was fast to deflect the fire, but was quickly overwhelmed by the heavy ammunition and fell dead on the crystal battlefield.

On Felucia, General Aayla Secura led her troops through the fungus, including two ATST walkers.

Secura stopped as she suddenly sensed an unknown danger.

Commander Bly looked to his men and they nodded, immediately opening fire on the Twilek Jedi. Secure fell dead before she knew what was coming, and the clones fired repeatedly at her corpse, to make sure she was gone.

Stass Allie rode her speeder through the swamps of Saleucami, leading her batallion through the siege.

Commander Neyo signaled for his men to stop, and they allowed General Allie to ride ahead.

The clones instinctively fired, sending Stass Allie's speeder off course.

It landed on the field of battle with a crash, bursting into flames.

"It will be done, my lord," Captain Jak said to the hologram of Lord Sidious in his fighter.

Plo Koon thought his men were firing on enemy ship in front of him that he did not see and could not react in time. His Interceptor was hit by a volley of laserfire and was engulfed in flames as it crashed down into the high rises of Cato Neimodia.

Commander Gree was accompanied by another trooper as they pointed their blasters at Yoda, who stood on the Kashyyyk balcony overlooking the battle.

Before the men could fire, a green blur jumped at them and decapitated them both.

Obi Wan Kenobi flew upwards out of Utapah's sinkhole system in his Jedi starfighter, towards Bail Organa's ship Tantive IV that awaited.

"I want to see the body," said Commander Cody.

As Anakin escorted Padme down the hangar towards her personal yacht, accompanied by Threepio and Captain Typho, his comlink beeped.

Dismayed, Anakin took his comlink from his belt and answered it.

"Skywalker, we need you at the Temple. The clones have turned against us and are attacking."

"I... uhh..." Anakin was at a total loss. He looked from Padme to the distant Jedi Temple, from which he saw smoke beginning to rise.

"Go," Padme urged him, "I'll be safe on Naboo. I promise."

Anakin hesitated, then kissed her on the lips as tight as he could. He took the jappor snippet around her neck and stroked it.

"You are definitely an angel, my love. You belong on the moons of Iego."

Padme managed a smile as she kissed him back. "You're still a funny little boy. Go and fulfill your duty to the Jedi. Your child will be waiting on Naboo."

They immersed in one last passionate kiss and Padme at last let go and boarded the shuttle.

"Take care of her, Threepio," Anakin said.

"Yes, Master Anakin. Good luck."

Typho followed the droid on board as the ramp closed shut.

Anakin tearfully turned away as the golden shuttle lifted off into the night. He could not sense the future in the Force, or whether it would all be all right in the end.

Master Obi Wan, if there was ever a time I badly needed your guidance, this is it.

Standing with Yoda and Bail Organa, Obi Wan tapped into their bond and replied I will be there soon, my friend.

Anakin rushed back to his own speeder, determined to get to the Temple quickly.

"Great danger, I sense in the future," Yoda warned Obi Wan and Bail, "the dark side, at its strongest it is. Survive, the Jedi Order may not."

"The future is always in motion," Obi Wan reminded him, "the prophecy may yet be fulfilled."