Chapter 10: The aftermath

Obi-Wan was curious when Damask's aides began telling everyone the reception was over, and that the Separatist and Republic delegations were to convene in separate conference rooms. He wondered why Damask was having his aides tell everyone the news instead of doing it himself. He looked around for the man, only to find that neither he, nor Padme, was no where to be found. He immediately feared for Padme, although he calmed down when he realized her entourage would have known if she was in danger.

When Obi-Wan asked Sio Bibble where Padme had gone, he revealed she had disappeared on her own initiative. He figured she was retreating to her suite. Obi-Wan immediately thought Damask must have seen her leave and followed her. The Force wasn't telling him he had any reason to worry, but he didn't want Damask alone with Padme. He found the commander of the clone troops and informed him that he needed to leave to find Padme. As the two groups retreated to their assigned rooms, he slipped away so he could go to Padme's suite and check on her.

...

As Anakin stood from his kneeling position, he watched Palpatine walk over to the holo-projector. An image of a clone trooper in full armor appeared in the projector. As the trooper looked the same as all the others, it was impossible to know where he was located.

When Anakin heard Palpatine say the clone's name, he knew he had heard it somewhere before. It took him just a second to remember that he had heard one of the clone troopers in the Jedi Temple called that name. Quickly turning his attention back to the conversation Palpatine was having, he heard him tell the clone trooper to execute order 66.

After giving the short order, Palpatine cut off the transmission. Anakin waited for the next part, but nothing happened. "Is that all?" Anakin asked.

Palpatine turned around slowly to look at Anakin. He didn't start his reply until he was looking his new apprentice in the eye. "When I created the clone army, I instilled in them certain commands that they would respond to without question. One such command was an order that would compel them to see all Jedi as enemies of the Republic and execute them. That was the order I just gave to the clone trooper, and he is sending it around to all the other clone troopers in the Temple. It was I who led them to take the clone troopers on for mundane security, but it was just my way of having them embedded there for when this moment came. In a matter of seconds, all the clone troops embedded in the Temple will turn on the Jedi, most of them will probably be cut down before they even realize what is happening. The others will be too stunned and too outnumbered to be able to save themselves."

Palpatine walked over to the window that held the view of the Jedi Temple. Anakin went ahead and joined him. "If you want to know what is happening, I would suggest reaching out with the Force and feeling your former compatriots through it," Palpatine instructed Anakin. "This moment will mark the beginning of the end for the Jedi. It will be a day long remembered by my new empire."

Anakin did as his master commanded. He could feel the presence of every Jedi and sense that everything was calm. For a very brief moment he wondered if Palpatine had been wrong about the clone's willingness to turn on their Jedi commanders.

In an instant, Anakin could feel hundreds of Jedi crying out in the Force before their presences were snuffed out forever. Their cries were soon joined by the sense of dread from the Jedi who were fortunate enough to survive the first wave. All of them were trying to reach out with the Force and find out how many allies they had left. They all believed what they were witnessing was an isolated event; nothing more than the actions of a single deranged clone giving out an insane order to his crew. When they found out all the clone troopers had committed the same action, they couldn't believe it. Their denial made them fail to see the immense danger they were in and made them hesitant to act. This hesitation only made them easier to slaughter.

As the last of the Jedi in the Temple died, Anakin could do nothing more than shake his head and marvel in the mental weakness they had displayed. Palpatine had been right about them, not just in describing the deficiencies in their training that left them in such a sorry mental state, but in describing all their deficiencies that had made them weak and ripe for elimination by him. For the briefest of seconds, Anakin felt the barest of sympathies for the fallen Jedi. There was no real grief from him, but there was relief that Palpatine had thought enough of him to bring him to his side and spare him. It wasn't just a random selection, though, Palpatine had selected him not just because of the immense strength he possessed, but because of the unique insight he had about the failings of the Jedi. He was not like them at all, and that was why they were now dead, and he was still alive.

...

With the successful execution of Order 66 by the clones in the Temple, Palpatine knew it would be successful elsewhere. He walked back over to the holo-communicator, and with a single command Order 66 was transmitted to the rest of the clone troopers in the galaxy.

...

Commander Rex's communicator buzzed very distinctively as he followed the Republic's delegation into their conference room. The communicator was telling him he had a message, one that he should take only if he could do so in secret. He looked around the room and was happy to see few of the dignitaries were paying any attention to him. He let his second-in-command know what he was doing before he walked out into the empty hallway. When he brought up the message, he was met by the holo-image of the chancellor. For some reason, he was wearing a cloak over his head. The clone didn't think much of it as he just listened to the message, knowing he would have to do whatever the man asked of him. It was a rather short message, instructing him to do nothing more than execute Order 66. He had never realized there was an Order 66, but when he heard it, something in the recesses of his mind activated and he instantly knew what they had to do. They had to execute the lone Jedi that was with them.

Rex went back inside the room and gathered the rest of the clones around him. He told them what command they had to carry out. Even though Order 66 meant nothing to the other dignitaries, he kept his voice low as he didn't want them to hear anything they said. He wasn't sure if all the other clone troopers would recognize the order. Thankfully, they all seemed to know what he was talking about. They nodded their heads as he told them to wait, he would inform the political aides they had to leave them alone and be on their way.

Sio Bibble was incredulous when he was informed the group was going to be left without any security. He demanded to know why. Normally, the clones would have had to obey such a request, but the Order from the chancellor compelled them to secrecy. Sio was not happy, but the clones had their orders from the chancellor, and no minor aide was going to override it. After hearing enough complaints, Rex led his clone troops out of the room and in the direction of Padme's suite, where Obi-Wan had informed them he would be.

As the clone troops tried to leave, they were stopped by some of Damask's battle droids. The droids demanded to know where they were going, as their leader wanted everyone to stay in the room he had instructed them to stay in. Commander Rex didn't have time for any delay and told them they needed to get past them, they had an order from their chancellor they needed to carry out. The droids responded by aiming their blasters right at the clones. Commander Rex realized they were in a bad position and commanded the clones to return to the conference room. After the clones took a few steps in the direction of the room, the droids went ahead and lowered their weapons.

"NOW!" Commander Rex shouted to his troops. As one, they all turned around and started firing at the battle droids. They took out most of them before the droids were able to return fire. When the droids did return fire, they managed to take out a few of the clone troops.

When it was all over, Commander Rex only had about half his troops left. He hoped it would be enough for taking out the Jedi. He ordered them to hurry, as he wanted to get away before any more battle droids tried to come to the aide of their fallen brethren. The clones ran through the halls in the direction of Padme's suite.

...

Sio Bibble had been looking out through the mostly closed door and witnessed the entire battle. He couldn't understand what the clones had to do that they would go to war with the battle droids to do it. He was gripped with terror as he had no idea what the fight he just witnessed meant. He kept waiting for more battle droids to come by, but none came. He had no idea what was going on, but something significant was taking place. He had one thought and one thought only, get off the planet and to the safety of the fleet in orbit. He told the rest of the group that trouble seemed to be afoot and they should leave. Someone protested, wanting to know where Padme and the Jedi were. He assured them the two of them were together and safe, which was probably true. No one else offered any protestation, so he led them out.

The group found the coast clear, to their relief. After they made their way through a few hallways, Sio radioed Thrawn and demanded he send them shuttles to evacuate them.

...

When Thrawn received the message from Sio, he played ignorant, even though he knew exactly what was happening. He had his own secret orders from Palpatine that he needed to carry out. He could evacuate the group, all he needed was to know that Secretary Amidala was with them. When he told Sio he needed to evacuate the Secretary, the man assured them he would find her.

When the message was over, Thrawn simply nodded to Lieutenant Palleon, his aide-de-camp, who was standing dutifully by him. He knew his part in the plan they had to carry out, and started working at his computer, ready to hack into the Separatist's droid control system when needed. His ability to do so was the sole reason Thrawn had originally selected him for the post he occupied. He had previously been on the Separatist side, helping to establish the code that ran their droid systems. His defection had been a real gift for Palpatine, although they had been waiting to utilize his skills, saving the secret information for just this occasion.

...

Sio cursed over the fact they couldn't just leave. He didn't want to send anyone back and have them risk being caught by the battle droids. He was hoping that when they boarded the shuttles, he would simply be able to convince the pilots to leave without Padme. He did look around to see if there was anyone who would make a sacrificial lamb. He didn't see anyone until his eyes fell upon Padme's two droids. He couldn't remember their names, so he just called out to them.

"Hey droids. You two. Yeah, you, the protocol droid and the astromech droid." The two droids looked at each other before looking at him. "I just received word from Thrawn we are to evacuate the planet. We can't do so without Padme, though. He wants the two of you to return to her suite and fetch her. When she's with you, bring her to the same landing platform where we arrived. You can do that can't you."

"Sir, I am a protocol droid, trained to serve high-ranking officials and fluent in over six million forms of communication. My skills would-"

"Great, you can do it." The humans ran off, leaving the droids alone. Once they were alone, Artoo took off to try and find Padme. With nothing else to do, Threepio simply followed his compatriot.

...

Plagueis stood outside Padme's suite. Given that the place was his turf, he had access to every room, even Padme's suite. He had his own master code that would allow him to enter any room he pleased.

Right as he was ready to key in the code to open the door, his communicator beeped to indicate it had intercepted a message. The Sith Lord knew what it was before he even checked. It was the message his partner had sent to all the clones in the galaxy, telling them to execute their Jedi commanders. He took just a moment to reach out and sense Obi-Wan. The Jedi was okay and heading his way. Plagueis knew the clones would be on his tail. He had just a short amount of time to tell Padme what he needed before everyone converged on them.

When the door slid open, Plagueis charged in and activated his lightsaber. He wanted to be ready to defend himself in case Padme tried to attack him. One look at her was all he needed to know she would be doing no such thing. She was lying in her bed, and struggled just to turn and look at him. She was sweating and appeared too weak to even sit up.

"What are you doing here?" She managed to yell at him, but she didn't sound well doing so.

"I'm here because I felt the same thing you did. Anakin Skywalker just became consumed by the Dark Side." Plagueis was surprised that she seemed to be feeling it as acutely as she was. There was something else affecting her.

"My husband has been flirting with the Dark Side, that much is true." Her voice was strained as she spoke, but there was a determination in her tone. She struggled to sit up, holding one hand clutched to her body as she did so. Plagueis had noticed she had been wearing rather loose and baggy clothing during the start of the summit. With her hand holding her clothes tightly against her body, he was able to see why, she was trying to hide her protruding stomach. He suddenly understood everything, why he had felt multiple presences in the Force earlier, and why she had felt Anakin's turn to the Dark Side so acutely.

Plagueis reached out with his hand so he could control the flow of the Force around Padme. He channeled it so he could feel the child she was carrying. "I can't believe I didn't notice this before, but you're pregnant, and with the child of Skywalker." Plagueis was looking at Padme and saw the expressions of both fear and shock on her face. He ignored them for the moment as he probed the child with the Force.

"You are carrying a son, one who is very strong in the Force, just like his father. He is connected to him and felt his turn to the Dark Side." Plagueis used the Sith gift of foresight to take a look into the child's destiny. He closed his eyes so he could see the images the Force was giving him. "While the future is never set, this one is going to have a difficult time avoiding the destiny the Force has for him. I can see him becoming a great and powerful warrior. What side he will be a warrior for is indeterminate. Wait. I am getting an image of an awards ceremony. He is there, not dressed as a Jedi. A medal is being placed around his neck." Plagueis was getting a multitude of images that were confusing him. "No, he's not the one receiving the medal, he's the one handing out the medal. No, that's not it." Plagueis was thoroughly confused at what the Force was revealing to him. "The Force is showing me a different destiny for him. No, it's showing me the destiny of a woman instead."

A smile came across Plagueis's face as he realized what he was seeing. He opened his eyes to look at Padme because he wanted to see her face when he revealed he knew the whole truth. "The Force is showing me the destiny of the boy's twin sister. It appears you are carrying two children." Plagueis paused for a moment to sense the potential of each child. "The boy is extremely powerful in the Force, that much is apparent. The girl has a good deal of power as well, but there appears to be an instinctual desire to hide it, she is trying to mask her strength in the Force." The smile on Plagueis's face broadened as he understood the implications of it. "The ability of a Force user to mask their ability in the Force is a Sith trait. It's a necessity, an attribute that allows us to walk among the Jedi without being detected. Let's see what fate the Force has in store for her."

Once again, Plagueis closed his eyes to see the images the Force was presenting to him. He got an image of her destiny far in the future and hated what he saw. She was surrounded by a large family, and they were all dressed as Jedi. Given what has happening at the moment, the implications of what he was seeing were clear.

Angered, Plagueis opened his eyes as he scowled at Padme. She continued to look at him with an expression of terror on her face. "Is that why you're here? You want my children. You want to raise them as Sith."

The scowl on Plagueis's face grew even more intense as he was angered over Padme's cluelessness. "Raising your children as Sith would be much more trouble than they would be worth. Despite being connected to Anakin and knowing what happened to him, you appear clueless the chaos the galaxy is experiencing at the moment. I am going to be fortunate just to get through it with my life and power intact. I am in no position to be holding you hostage until your kids are born."

The look of utter confusion on the face of Padme told Plagueis he was going to have to inform her of the chaos that was breaking out. First, he couldn't help but vent some of the anger he was feeling towards her. "I want to thank you for showing me just how my former apprentice was able to spend five years working closely with you and you were never able to figure out his real identity and what he was truly planning for the galaxy. Since you don't know everything that happened, I will begin by informing you that your husband was turned to the Dark Side by my former apprentice Darth Sidious, although you know him by his birth name, Sheev Palpatine."

"Palpatine a Sith Lord? It can't be possible."

"It should make perfect sense to you." Plagueis was angry and made no attempt to hide it. "He is the one who spent years preparing for war. He is the one who convinced you to instigate it by liberating your home planet. He is the one who benefited the most from it, by rising to the office of chancellor." Thankfully, the expression on Padme's face seemed to indicate she was realizing how Palpatine had used her.

"I know it must be tough for you to accept that you have been used and manipulated for the past five years. You have worked closely with the chancellor, and all that time he was working towards taking over the Republic while you were trying to save it. The result is Palpatine is now set to be the autocratic ruler of the galaxy. Trust me when I tell you I understand exactly how you feel. I had my own plan in place to rule the galaxy, but Palpatine usurped me. I should probably feel some sense of pride that I selected an apprentice who was shrewd enough to accomplish what he did. He put together his own plan and executed it perfectly. He overtook me, as any Sith apprentice should with his master. I underestimated him and did not anticipate him making a move against me so early. It was the emergence of your husband that ruined everything. His power allowed you to earn a victory in the Battle of Naboo and put my Separatist's on the defensive from the beginning. The original plan was for you to be assassinated shortly after the defeat of your planet, with the unprepared Republic hurrying to take revenge. The decimation of their forces early was to lead them to sue for peace and surrender to me."

There was a look of sadness on Padme's face as she recognized how Palpatine had planned to betray her before he even knew her. Plagueis was actually feeling some genuine sympathy for the girl. "I know how difficult this must be to hear, but it is imperative that you understand who your husband is now following. You have to understand what he has become. If you are looking for any solace in his turn to the Dark Side, take heart in the fact that if he had not become Palpatine's apprentice, he would have been slaughtered in the Jedi Purge that is now taking place."

Padme laughed nervously as she was frightened by what she was hearing while at the same time not believing it. "The Jedi Purge, what's that?"

"It is Palpatine's extermination of the Jedi, that is what it is." Plagueis's tone indicated the seriousness of what he was saying, and Padme seemed to understand it as tears of terror started to well up in her eyes. "I left him in charge of overseeing the construction of the clone army, and he used his position to create the clone army as a death trap for the Jedi. Their minds were embedded with secret orders that were to be carried out at his behest only. One such order is for the clones to turn on their Jedi leaders and slaughter them all." Plagueis had a feeling Padme was going to need some hard proof, so he pulled out his handheld holo-imager and played the message he had just received. "This is a message I just intercepted. It was sent to Commander Rex, the leader of your clone troops here." Plagueis let the message play so Padme could see Palpatine command the troops to carry out Order 66. "In case you can't figure it out, Order 66 is the order for the clones to turn on their Jedi commanders and execute them."

Padme offered no question that Order 66 was what he told her it was. "Are they going to kill Obi-Wan? We have to-" She stopped herself as she realized Damask probably didn't have a problem with the clones killing Obi-Wan.

"Despite what you might be thinking, I have no desire to see the clones kill your Jedi friend. He is on his way here, in fact, and when he gets here, I will allow you to leave with him safely."

"Why would you do that?"

"Because I have plans for you. I intend to hold on to my own slice of the galaxy, but should I fail, I have contingency plans ready to be activated. These contingency plans will enact my revenge against Palpatine and ensure that my Sith legacy replace that of my former apprentice's.

"Your own Sith legacy?" Padme was once again confused.

"Five years ago, when my apprentice and I had our falling out, I took on a new apprentice, ready to carry on the true legacy of the Sith should Sidious manage to eliminate me. While Palpatine has been shrewd in amassing power, there are aspects about him and what he has done that have revealed to me he is not a true Sith. The failure is all mine. I chose the wrong apprentice and failed to give him the proper training. He and Skywalker will not be able to continue the Sith lineage, I believe. Their inevitable downfall could take several decades, but I would like to see it occur within a decade or two, so that my my apprentice might be able to seize their position and rule as a true Sith. That is where you come in to my plan. Despite all your failings, you can still be a very influential and very powerful person in this galaxy. You could start the rebellion against Palpatine, although it is not something that can be done right away. I would advise following the way of the Sith and taking the time to amass the power you need to overthrow him. He is not vulnerable now, his hold on the government is strong, and with the elimination of the Jedi, there is no one with the strength to oppoase him. Wait for the right time to go after Palpatine. He commands all the institutions of the Republic now, but alternatives will grow over time. When those alternatives are strong enough, reveal yourself, and defeat Palpatine and his apprentice. You are going to need patience. Go into hiding, raise your children, and prepare them for a role in your rebellion."

"And let me guess, during all this, your apprentice will be waiting in the wings to seize power for himself in the aftermath of Palpatine's defeat."

"Yes, but you now know what he will be trying. I do not fear you knowing what he will be planning. If I have trained him properly, he will defeat you and rule the galaxy, if I failed to train him properly, then you will defeat him, and the legacy of the Sith will end. Following my plan is the one chance the galaxy has for peace."

As Padme thought over what Plagueis had told her, it all sounded too incredible. They had come to this summit to find out what he had planned with his partner. She never would have suspected that the two Sith Lords would have opposing schemes for ruling the galaxy. Palpatine had carried out his and was set to seize control of the Republic. Now, Plagueis was willing to let her escape so that she may one day overthrow Palpatine and clear the way for his own apprentice to seize power. It seemed like a fool's bargain, other than the fact that it allowed her to leave safely and go into hiding with her unborn children. Right now, that was all she wanted to do. Get away and leave everything behind.

"Padme, it's Obi-Wan." The voice of the Jedi coming through the intercom startled her. "I'm right outside your door and I came to check on you. Please open the door so I can see you're all right."

Panic-stricken, Padme glared at Plagueis, wanting to know what she should do. "Let him in," he said to her with a nod. He looked ready to fight the Jedi, but she had a feeling that was not what he desired. She went ahead and ordered the suite's computer to open the door for him.

When Obi-Wan stepped in, he was startled when he saw Plagueis with his lightsaber activated. He immediately pulled out his and activated it. Holding it in front of him but staying back.

"I don't know what you have planned, but the Secretary is leaving with me." Obi-Wan yelled, speaking with all the anger he could muster.

"I guess you might be pleased to learn then that this is exactly what I have planned." Plagueis gave Obi-Wan a big smile as he replied. He continued to smile, and almost laugh as he saw the Jedi was taken aback and completely confused by what he was hearing. He had been expecting a fight and was disappointed not to get it. He kept eyeing Padme, hoping she would explain the situation to him, but she didn't pick up on what he wanted.

"What's going on here?" he asked.

"You might not have been able to feel it, but your former apprentice, Anakin Skywalker, has been turned to the Dark Side by my former apprentice, Darth Sidious, who you know as Palpatine." Palgueis paused so Obi-Wan could digest the information, and he seemed to get weak for a moment as he composed himself. "Palpatine has just ordered all the clones to eliminate the Jedi. With them out of the picture, he will be able to complete his plan to seize control of the Republic. If you will listen to me, then you can escape here with Secretary Amidala. At the base of this mountain, there is a stealth Sith ship. You can use it to escape in secret."

"Is this what he has been telling you," Obi-Wan's nostrils flared as he glared at Padme. He was sounding angry, because he was really scared over what he was hearing. He didn't want to believe any of it. He didn't want to believe the world he knew was being eliminated.

"Yes, it's what he has been telling me," Padme admitted. Plagueis decided to stay silent and let Padme do what she could to convince him.

"And it could all be lies," Obi-Wan countered. "He might be doing nothing more than trying to get us to mistrust Palpatine. First, he planted evidence to indicate he was sharing information on a superweapon with him. Now, he is trying to make us believe that he has turned Anakin and is trying to seize control of the galaxy. Come with me, Padme. We will radio Coruscant and get to the bottom of what is happening."

"We don't need to do that, because I have been able to sense everything he has been telling me is true." Plagueis saw that to her credit, she was speaking calmly and coolly. All the pain she had appeared to be feeling had left her. She had found a strength that he believed came from accepting what was happening and realizing what role she had to play in the future. She stood as she talked and didn't appear to be weak any longer.

"Anakin has truly turned to the Dark Side," Padme continued. "I know this because the two of us have shared a special connection in the Force ever since we first met. It was a connection that allowed us to feel each other's emotions, read each other's thoughts, and most importantly, secretly communicate with each other no matter how far apart we were." She was slowly walking towards Obi-Wan, trying to place herself between him and Plagueis so the two would be unable to fight.

"The connection between us existed because of the great love we shared. You never knew it, but we married shortly after the Battle of Naboo, and have been carrying on a secret relationship since then. All that is over now, because I was able to feel Anakin embrace the Dark Side through our connection. It has a hold of him, and it is not going to let him go. The man you trained is gone. The man I loved is gone, and with his embrace of the Dark Side he will never be able to love me again."

Padme was now standing right in front of Obi-Wan. Plagueis was surprised by many of the things she was saying. She appeared to embrace what he had told her. "Despite all that, there is hope. Plagueis may not be an ally, but he recognizes we share a common enemy, and he is willing to let us leave so that we may battle this enemy for him."

Obi-Wan looked between Padme and Damask, unsure of what he should believe. Plagueis was anxious, as he knew how difficult it had to be for the Jedi to accept what he was hearing. He reached out with the Force to feel the conflict taking place within him.

In using the Force to probe the Jedi, Plagueis lost sense of his surroundings. Otherwise, he would have noticed the clone troops approaching. They were able to run in and aim their weapons right at Obi-Wan. Padme and Plagueis both saw them, but Obi-Wan had his back turned and wasn't paying them any attention. Luckily for them, Plagueis did notice them and used the Force to start strangling them.

"Release them!" Obi-Wan yelled when he turned around and saw what the Sith was doing.

"They were trying to kill you!" Padme explained. When Plagueis told her Palpatine was using the clones to eliminate the Jedi, she had trouble believing it. Now that she witnessed the clones trying to shoot Obi-Wan, all her doubts disappeared. "It's just like Plagueis described. Palpatine is using the clones to eliminate the Jedi."

"That's what he wants you to believe," Obi-Wan said. The three troopers dropped dead from their strangulation.

"You should leave, Secretary Amidala," Plagueis said, dejected. "It is clear this Jedi is never going to have any trust in me, no matter what. I hope you remember this moment, as it is a clear example of why the Jedi were defeated by the Sith. Take the turbolift to the surface level. My ship is right outside the lone exit."

Padme looked to Obi-Wan, and he nodded to her to indicate she should leave. For a moment, she wanted to continue to protest, and get him to come with her, but she figured that wouldn't happen. She needed to concentrate on getting herself to safety.

"Thank you." Padme said nothing more as she ran out of the room. Despite everything she had said to Damask, she had no intention of following his plans. She had just said what she needed to earn his trust so she would let him leave. She believed she could still turn Anakin back if she could just talk to him. She needed to get somewhere safe. Somewhere away from all the chaos. She ran through the halls, intending to make her way back to where she left the delegation. She needed to make sure they knew what was happening. As she made a turn, she almost ran right into Threepio and Artoo.

"Mistress Padme, we were just looking for you." Threepio's voice was completely even, as he was oblivious to everything that was happening. "We were sent to find you and take you to the landing platform."

"The landing platform, why?"

"Master Bibble has decided we should leave here and seek the safety of the fleet." Padme didn't realize what he knew, but she knew he had made the right decision. They needed to get off the planet. Once they were with the fleet, she could try and contact Anakin. She followed them to the shuttle. As they ran to the shuttles, she wondered whose side Thrawn was on in all this. The man was close to Palpatine, but even as the fleet commander, he was just one man among thousands. He wasn't in any position to do anything to her. She knew she would be taking a chance returning to the fleet, but she had no choice. Right now, going there was the least worst of several bad options.

...

Obi-Wan and Plagueis maneuvered around the small suite, each waiting for the other to attack. "Once again, I have to implore you to lay down your weapon." Plagueis wanted to give reasoning with the Jedi one last chance. "We have a common enemy. One we could unite to eliminate."

"Enough with the lies." Obi-Wan charged right at Plagueis. The Sith Lord blocked the thrust and easily took control of the situation. With all the turmoil the Jedi was experiencing, he was fighting wildly and uncontrollably. He had no idea what to do, and it showed. Plagueis maneuvered him so his back was to the window, he then Force pushed him, so he flew right out it and to the ground below. He reached out with the Force to feel Obi-Wan survived the fall but was injured. That was the perfect situation for Plagueis, he could deal with all the other people he had to, then go back to see if he could talk some sense into the Jedi.

...

When Padme and the droids reached the landing platform, they found that two of the three shuttles had their landing platforms up already. They entered the last shuttle that still had theirs down, and found they were its first occupants. The pilot smiled to them as he radioed the others, they had Padme, and could return to the fleet.

The shuttles lifted off and flew away. They hadn't gotten far when alarms in every cockpit starting ringing to indicate the Separatists had sent almost every robotic fighter they had after the shuttles. They were coming up from the surface and closing on the shuttles fast. Their fighter escort had time to turn around and engage them, but there were just too many of them. They made it through the fighter escort, and fired on the shuttles, taking out two of them. They had the third one lined up, but reinforcements from the fleet arrived in time to save it. The shuttle made it to the flagship and was directed to land in Thrawn's personal hangar.