Anakin approaches Padme and starts force choking her. He starts fighting Obi-Wan who takes the high ground . Anakin tries flipping over Obi-Wan who chops off his limbs. He crawls forward screaming "I hate you!" and starts on fire. A short time later he finds himself in a black suit with a black mask. He then sees Padme giving birth and then dying.
Anakin wakes up with his heart pounding and heavily breathing. His eyes are wide as he shouts incoherently. Padme wakes startled out of her sleep and looks at her husband and asks "Is there something wrong or is it just a nightmare?" He looks at her and shudders "More of a vision. A vision of what would have happened if Dooku wouldn't have issued Order 65. It was horrible" "What happened?" "I would have fallen more and more under Palpatine's spell and turned completely evil. I would do such horrible things there would be no going back. Palpatine would have issued Order 66 which would have been close to the end of the Jedi. Not only would I have had not tried to stop him but I would have joined him. Then I would have gone into the Jedi Temple with the 501st slaughtering everyone there , even the children. You try to get me to reject the Dark Side and come back and I force choke you in a fit of anger but you don't die, then. I then try to kill Obi-Wan who cuts off my limbs, then I start on fire. After which I am encased in a black suit with a black mask while screaming in agony. It is a good thing I killed Palpatine as you would not have recognized what I turned into." Padme shudders "I guess not, that is just horrible. I probably would have killed myself in remorse. I am not sure if I could live with myself if I was indirectly tied to such evil." He sighs "You are more or less correct. You die giving birth to the twins as you can't take the shock of both delivering the twins and finding out that I was a Sith Lord . We had a lucky escape." Padme replies "Well, it didn't happen and he is dead so it won't happen. Try to get some sleep if you can. You will have a coupe of hours to play with the twins if you get a good night sleep."
She wouldn't get a good night sleep. She knew that and doubted Anakin would either but the more sleep he got the better. These visions he described were always horrible. Palpatine must truly have been one with the Dark Side to have such an effect on her husband , she was sure of it. At the moment she was glad she wasn't a Jedi because she hated Palpatine now with a fierce hatred and hatred led to the Dark Side. As a non-Jedi her hatred was less dangerous. Still , whenever she got the chance, she wanted to speak to Master Yoda privately. He was always able to help her work things out and she didn't want to worry Annie by talking about her problems with his visions. They were her problem not his and he needed to get these visions off his chest. It helped him when he did so and if they caused her nightmares as well, so be it. She would not let her problems with them stop his improvement. Particularly since he has been improving so well. Master Yoda told her he was well on the way of becoming as light as the average Jedi.
"I am holding you back!" says Anakin Not this againthinks Ahsoka. "It isn't that big a deal. Yoda says you are close to being cured, don't blow it now. I can wait. I am NOT going to abandon you. Not this time." said Ahsoka. Anakin turns to Padme "You told her , didn't you?" "She has a right to know, Anakin! She didn't realize how many times you have had to leave behind people you cared for. First you left your mother, then your father figure dies right afterward, then your mother actually dies and then the Jedi Order seems to abandon your Padawan and she leaves right afterwards. You felt abandoned when she did that. She now knows that. She doesn't want to leave and I don't want her to leave. Until Yoda says you are cured if she leaves , I leave. "
Anakin looks stunned "That must be the first time I heard of a woman leaving her husband if a younger woman leaves!" Padme replies "I am not most women and this is not a normal situation. I know you love me. You have been smitten by me since you were ten! You are attracted to older women, Ahsoka is at least ten years too young for your taste." Anakin replies "True." Padme continues " She is far too moral and likes me far too much for her to have an affair with you, anyways" Ahsoka looks up smiling at her "Thanks". "Most importantly I frankly would rather you have 10,000 affairs rather than have Darth Vader unleashed on the galaxy". She shudders at the thought. "The affairs I could survive. It would be humiliating and depressing but it wouldn't be the end of the Galaxy. Other women have survived their husbands having affairs. Quadrillions of them do all over the galaxy. But Darth Vader I could not survive. If he is even a tenth as evil as you describe it would be the death of me."
"You are scared of me now, aren't you" Anakin replies. "I am terrified about what you might become if you don't make it. You are so close, don't blow it at the last minute. I don't mind a little fear, the danger is probably part of what attracted me." "What?!" he cries. "I have a confession to make , Anakin. I am an adrenaline junkie. " she says "Talk about pointing out the obvious." Ahsoka mutters under her breath "Well, I didn't know it!" Ahsoka stares at him "You really put her on a pedestal, Anakin. It is obvious to everyone else. Her whole life she has been throwing herself into dangerous situations. Isn't that a clue? She likes the thrill of danger. You two are the biggest adrenaline junkies in the galaxy. You get excited in combat, I have seen it . It isn't the death, you are no Sith. It is the danger, it is the rush you get from that you crave. It is why Obi Wan had such a hard time teaching you discipline. It is difficult to be disciplined and excited at the same time. Besides have you ever considered how I feel? You felt abandoned merely because I left the order. I never told you that you should leave my life entirely. Don't you think that might make me feel rejected?" "By the force , you are right. I never considered how it might look to you. I am self centered, aren't I" Anakin replies. "Only when you are like this, you become self doubting and only look at yourself and your problems." Padme says "We have been fighting a bit more lately Anakin, do you know why?" "The war is getting to you." he replies "No, it is because I trust you more. The first few weeks after Palpatine's death I walked on eggshells fearing to do anything to set you off. I knew how dangerous a time it was for you and the galaxy. Now that you are better I am more willing to argue with you. In a bizarre way it is a good sign. It means I am sure enough that you won't unleash evil into the galaxy at large to argue with you. I would never have done this months ago." He laughs "That is one way to look at it , I guess. OK, Ahsoka stays until Yoda and she agrees that she should leave. I don't want her to feel I am pushing her away." Finallythinks Padme.
Bail Organa was having a good week until the report hit his desk. The Republic was pushing the CIS back and Mandalore was being folded nicely into the Republic Government. With their deserved reputations as warriors he greatly preferred them inside rather than outside the Republic. Now this, Count Dooku was recruiting more Sith. As it was signed by Obi Wan himself he had little doubt that it was true. He liked and trusted Obi Wan Kenobi. He had a reputation of great loyalty to the Republic. More and more Bail thought Dooku was almost unique among the Sith Masters. He seemed to be very sane. He didn't execute his subordinates for no reason, he didn't waste money building statues to himself, he didn't conduct pointless political purges, he didn't claim to be a god. This scared Bail greatly although he could not admit it publicly . Dooku was avoiding the most common pitfalls of the Sith and he was brilliant. He didn't realize just how brilliant Dooku was until he was made Supreme Chancellor. He read the writings of Dooku when he could find the time and he had to admit that Dooku was not only charismatic but extremely intelligent. Reading between the lines he saw Obi-Wan thought so as well.
Anakin shouted "Company, attention!" The clones at once went into attention as a man and his wife came down the platform. A clone and his wife to be more precise. "Welcome back, Captain Cody. Civilian life didn't suit you? I thought your restaurant did well." Cody replies "Yes, sir it did. However , I missed my brothers. Even with my wife I am too used to being among my fellow clones. Thanks for coming to my wedding, sir. I know you are busy." Anakin replies "Well, I got Plo Koon to cover me for a while. He knew we knew each other well. Obi-Wan sends his regrets in not being here now but he is involved in a crisis right now. " He looked up at Cody's wife who was a tall , willowy woman named Liz from a low gravity planet. A near human race called the Yarm in which the women averaged 7' tall and the men 8'. Evolved from human settlers that crash landed on a low gravity world they were tall, slender , had orange to red skin, and red to yellow hair . She was tall even for them standing a full 7'6". Despite her great height she was gentle and shy. Sometimes people took her for cold or distant but she was merely quiet until people knew her. When he got to know her better Anakin rather liked her. She was quite different from another orange skinned non-human he knew and liked. He always liked Cody as well. Cody was a loyal, brave soldier who did things by the book. Not quite as commanding as Rex but very competent. Rex's civilian stint would start soon. Although would make sure Rex knew he would back whatever choice he made Anakin hoped he would stay in the army after he got back. He would miss Rex both as a commander and as a friend.