E: You managed to land the ship. (Well, you are a Skywalker after all.)

The mission is deemed a success. Palpatine thanks you formally for rescuing him. A war council will be called together to talk about how Dooku's death will influence the near future but for now you have a day full of smiling for the camera and accepting congratulations ahead of you. To be honest though, you are very distracted the entire time. You are tired of war, of all the bloodshed and death and you just want to rest for a while. In the evening though there comes a very nice surprise for you - Padmé visits you in the temple and she's got amazing news. Really ill-timed news that are potentially devastating for your Jedi career but you don't say that out loud. It's the last thing she needs to hear, what with how worried she already looks. So you grin and kiss her and tell her that everything will be alright and you take her to her apartment and spend the night, glad to forget about the mission for a few hours. Until you wake up covered in sweat, the screams and pleas of your dying wife ringing in your ears. The dream was so real you are immediately reminded of the vision you had shortly before your mother died. There is no question about the meaning of this warning from the Force - Padmé is going to die giving birth to the child growing in her.

You can't find anymore sleep that night. You woke Padmé up and when you tell her what's going to happen she brushes off your concerns, insisting it was only a dream. But you know it wasn't. You know it's going to happen, unless you do something about it. But what can you do?

The Jedi have to know what to do and the only Jedi I trust is Obi-Wan. I have to tell him about the vision. (Only available if Obi-Wan is still alive, go to F)

The temple archives have the largest collection of knowledge about everything to do with the Force and visions. I'm going to do some research. (Go to G)

Palpatine will know what to do. The Jedi failed me the last time when I had a vision. Now I need an outside perspective. (Go to H)

F: You decided to tell Obi-Wan about your vision. (Was that a smart idea?)

After your successful mission you do get a few days of leave and so does Obi-Wan. That's why it's not hard to find him and of course your old Master is always willing to talk to you so you meet him in his quarters over tea.

"Last night I had a dream," you begin, "a very unsettling dream. A friend of mine was in it and they were in terrible pain. I think they might be dying. I'm sure it's a warning, a vision the Force sent me but I don't know what to do about it."

"Hm," Obi-Wan makes, scowling a bit as he thinks about your words. "Is this dream about a mission of some sort? Do you see surroundings or other indicators for a place or timeframe?"

"No," you have to admit. "It was kinda vague and fuzzy. I don't know where. It has to be soon because the person didn't look much older than now though. And I doubt it's a mission."

"Well it's not much of a warning if you don't have any details. Are you sure that this isn't just a normal dream? Anxiety can play tricks on the mind."

"It's not a dream," you insist, irritated. "And it's detailed enough that I know it's not about preventing a murder or something. This is... This isn't something I could stop, even if I knew exactly when and where. But maybe there is something... some knowledge or technique of the Force that can... you know... stabilize people who are hurt or diseased or just old, something to keep them going?"

Obi-Wan's scowl deepens. "Anakin, you have to remember that death is a part of the natural order of things. If you foresee an accident you can prevent it from happening. If you know someone to have a disease you can search for a cure. But everyone dies eventually. That is the way of life. It is sad but it is still natural. If it was indeed a vision you had and not a dream, which is by no means certain and there really have been no clues as to how to prevent it, then maybe the Force is telling you to prepare yourself. Not to prevent a death from happening but to look at your own feelings and accept that a friend might not always be at your side." Obi-Wan lays one hand on your shoulder, trying to comfort you. "I did notice you avoided telling me who you saw or what the cause of death is in that dream... I sincerely hope it isn't me. But if it is and there is no way for me to avoid such a fate then I would accept that it is my time and so should you."

You shake off his hand, suddenly angry. Is Obi-Wan seriously telling you to just let Padmé die!? Of course he doesn't know it is Padmé... He isn't even convinced that it is a real vision. But you know because you remember the vision you had about your mother. It was just as fuzzy but you knew it would be soon, you knew it would be on Tatooine and if you had gone to find her just a few days earlier, you might've been able to save her.

You never told Obi-Wan about that vision. Maybe if you explain, he would take you more seriously. But then you would have to tell him how you knew you could've saved your mother. You might have to tell him... about the Tusken... Or you could just pretend you agreed with him and go search for the knowledge you needed in the archives.

The temple archives have the largest collection of knowledge about everything to do with the Force and visions. I'm going to do some research. (Go to G)

It's time to come clean. I'm going to tell Obi-Wan all about Tatooine... even if it means I'm gonna end up in jail for it. (Go to I)

G: You do some research in the temple archives.

There has to be some way to save Padmé. You're the Chosen One, everyone says so! If anyone has the power to do it, it would be you. You don't have any grand capabilities as a healer but you know there are ways to utilize the Force in such a way and the temple archives should hold records of it.

Decision made you bury yourself in holo discs, not even caring all that much if you leave a data trail. The librarian glances at you suspiciously a few times but you don't care. You read all you can on Force healing, birthing complications and whatever else you can think of. But most of what you find only deals with open wounds or disease and you don't think that's the problem here. Besides, it isn't just about Padmé. You don't want to lose a loved one ever again. What you need is some way to... to feed life force to a weakened person or to anchor their soul to the mortal realm so they can't slip away. But you don't find any detailed instruction or even just description of such a thing in any of the discs available to you. Thus more than once you glance at the closed doors behind which the restricted section lies, the one only accessible to Masters. You can well imagine the flurry of questions you'd expose yourself to if you asked any Master for permission to go there and without a key and with the librarian already watching you like this, there's no chance you can get in without it.

You go to the library several days in a row and get more frustrated and bitter as you go. At last you have to admit that you won't find anything in here. You need to talk to somebody. You need help.

Go to H.

H: You go to Palpatine.

The next morning you find yourself in Palpatine's office. You're still amazed that he even has time for you. Or rather that he makes time. Being the Chancellor of the Republic his timetable has to be pretty full and yet he somehow always manages to squeeze you in when you come to him. Sometimes you speak about the war; he values your strategic opinion and perspective. Sometimes you speak about the Jedi and their ability on the battlefield, how to best utilize them. Sometimes you just talk, about history, politics, anecdotes from your younger years, of your fears of not meeting expectations. Speaking with Palpatine usually leaves you relieved and confident in your own opinions, many of which the Chancellor shares. It's not a surprise that you would decide to tell him about your vision. You don't go into much detail of course, just that you saw someone close to you dying and that you couldn't count on the Jedi to help you prevent it.

"I don't know what to do, Chancellor," you admit. "I'm sick of so many people dying around me... and I'm terrified it'll happen again."

"Oh my dear boy," Palpatine says soothingly. "You will never be rid of that fear unless you distance yourself from people in general and that is of course not a desirable path to take. Many soldiers chose to take that path, especially with a war going on but it takes a special kind of strength to hold onto your bonds even as the entire galaxy is in such danger. What I mean to say is, you are strong, Anakin. Strong enough to protect those you care about, I'm sure. You saved me after all." He smiles as if he's made a joke and your heart feels just a little bit lighter.

"I can't protect this person though, not from everything. Not from this. I know that I could if I just knew how."

"This person you worry about, are they being injured?"

You hesitate. "Well, not directly. Not in a way that I can just go and prevent an attack or an accident, anyway," you say, suspecting where he is going with this.

"Then it is a disease? Could the problem be solved by bringing them to a hospital in time?"

"Maybe... I don't know. In the vision it looked like they already were at a hospital so evidently, that didn't help."

"Ah, I understand. That is why you are looking to the mysterious Force for a solution."

"I am just a knight. If the Jedi do know anything that could help me, I could only access such knowledge with a Master's permission. But the Masters would only warn me of growing too attached to a single person."

"They would hinder your curiosity, your desire to learn more about the most noble art of healing simply because of their own antique traditions?" Palpatine asks with a hint of incredulity. "That does not sound very wise."

"Yet that is what they do," you answer sullenly.

"So you cannot ask further question without the backing of a Master... or if you were a Master yourself. An honor that I personally think you are more than ready for."

You smile a bit but there's no real joy in the gesture. "The Council doesn't think so."

"Well, you did just defeat Count Dooku and saved my humble self, all while preventing the death of thousands when you landed the Confederacy ship safely. Let me see if I can't do anything about the Council's opinion."

"You would do that?" you ask, barely allowing yourself to hope.

"Of course Anakin. For you I would."

You know you should reject his offer. Your friendship with the Chancellor shouldn't influence your career as a Jedi. Taking advantage of that is not very honorable. On the other hand, that was a pretty important mission that you mastered pretty much all by yourself. And if the title of Master could help you gain knowledge on how to help Padmé, there really isn't anything to say except... "Thank you, Chancellor."

Go to K.

I: You decided to tell Obi-Wan about what happened on Tatooine

"You don't understand," you huff, "I had that exact same kind of vision before." Then you launch into your tale. Obi-Wan doesn't seem that surprised, he knows you were on Tatooine with Padmé as he had to call you there on a mission. But he never knew that your mother died and his condolences sound sincere. His sympathy makes your heart ache, old wounds getting ripped open again. You haven't planned for it but now you feel like you have to tell him everything, if just to get that ugly secret off your chest at last. What's the worst that could happen anyway? Tatooine is outside of any law, it's not like you could be dragged in front of a court for this. They could throw you out of the Jedi order but hey, at least then you'd have time for Padmé.

So you spill it all, how you found her terribly brutalized and how after she died in your arms your anger just took over completely. You can't even remember most of it but you know that you left nobody alive. You avoid looking into Obi-Wan's eyes the entire time. Your Master has gone very silent at your side.

"And I... I don't know what I'd do if something like that happened a second time," you say, close to tears now. "I can't lose another person I care about, I just can't. I wouldn't be able to escape that... that darkness inside of me. Obi-Wan, I need your help."

You look up at last and Obi-Wan's face is white as a sheet, his lips pressed together to almost nothing. When he speaks at last his voice is very quiet. "First of all, I want to thank you that you told me about this. Even if it came a little late. Carrying such secrets with you is never a good way to deal with them. But Anakin, you were almost a child. So much has happened since then. The war, as much as I despise it, made you grow into a man far stronger than the Padawan you used to be. You have to believe in yourself. Loss is always something hard to deal with but you can't let it destroy you. Losing your mother must've been terrible for you. She was your family, she was innocent and she was helpless. But the friends you have here, the Jedi, we all have made our vows to protect, to fight and to die if necessary. The clones are soldiers ready to die to accomplish any missions. Even the politicians you know and like, like Palpatine or Senaor Amidala, they serve their planet and the Republic and their work is dangerous. They know what they are dealing with and they are ready for it. You have to be too."

You can barely believe it. Obi-Wan still doesn't get it! You have half a mind to just leave, brush him off like he does with you. How could you possibly make him understand? There seems to be no way... unless... If you tell him that it's Padmé, that she is family to you like your mother was because you're freaking married alright, and if you tell him that Padmé needs to live not because she's a Senator but because the baby is going to need her, maybe then he'll finally get what you're trying to say and stop suggesting you should let people die!

It's all or nothing. He should know about my relationship with Padmé. (Go to J)

Screw Obi-Wan, Palpatine would understand me. At least he's not a Jedi. I should ask him for advice. (Go to H)

J: Tell Obi-Wan about your relationship with Padmé.

"You don't understand, Obi-Wan. In my vision, I saw Padmé dying in… in childbirth. And it's going to happen soon. She's pregnant. I can't prevent her giving birth and she can't die from that, it's not fair. It's got nothing to do with the war and she needs to be there to be a mother."

"Padmé... is pregnant? Are you sure of that? She is not in any relationship and if she's been gaining weight, it could just be stress from the war..."

But you have enough, you grab Obi-Wan by his shoulders and say very clearly: "Yes Obi-Wan I am bloody sure. Padmé and I have been married for three years, she told me she's pregnant herself and I felt the life growing in her, a powerful life, a life I helped to create. I had a vision of my wife dying and possibly my child too, now stop telling me that I have to get used to loss and help me save my family!"

For once, Obi-Wan doesn't know what to say. In fact, he's silent for almost a minute, just staring at you in shock. Finally he clears his throat and takes a step away from you.

"Well, uh, I have to say... first of all, congratulations, I guess, for becoming a father... and uh, I guess you know how the Council will think about that so I don't have to tell you, though I will have to tell them, eventually I mean but you hardly need their suspicion now so I suppose it can wait a bit and..." He struggles with the words, apparently losing all of his eloquence the more he tries to think of what to say. At last he takes a deep breath and continues: "If Padmé is having a… a baby, and a powerful Force sensitive at that and if being in a normal hospital isn't enough, I suppose she would be best taken care of in the medical ward of the temple. The healers there might not deal with a lot of... of births, on a regular basis I mean but they have experience dealing with young children and healing wounds, stopping bleeding and such and the Force can give great insights into what is wrong with a patient so... yeah. If you are worried, you could bring her there once it's time. I can talk to some people to make sure she's admitted."

"That's not enough," you insist. "What if there's no time to get her to the temple? What then?"

Obi-Wan sighs. "Anakin, I don't know what you want me to say. If you are really that convinced that there's danger ahead, I can try to talk to the Council about giving you an extended leave from the war until the... until it's over. If you spend that time furthering your education by watching the healers perform their duties and ask a bunch of oddly specific questions, I doubt anyone would call you out on it until after you would be scheduled for your next mission... If there are any more..."

"You think that would help? I could learn enough about healing there to save Padmé?"

"From dying in childbirth? I think so, yes. It might be a good idea anyway to have some better first aid skills, at least you'd be able to keep a comrade alive long enough for professional help to arrive. That is what I would suggest you tell the healers, in any case."

You grab Obi-Wan in a hug, muttering thank you's.

"Oh Anakin... I don't know what you were thinking... Actually I doubt you were thinking at all, not with your head at least..."

"I should've told you a lot sooner," you say. "I… I'm sorry I doubted you. I thought for sure you'd sell me out to the Council immediately."

Obi-Wan looks very uncomfortable. "Actually, I'm quite glad you gave me as much plausible deniability as you did. Looking back, I deliberately ignored quite a few hints. Just… as long as you're aware that this can't go on for much longer."

"I'll speak to the Council myself if I have to. After Padmé is safe," you promise.

You take your leave from your old Master, finally with a new hope. Obi-Wan holds word, you get an extended leave and have plenty of time to visits the healers. They are glad for a volunteer to help out and you've never been a more attentive student in all your life. The visions continues to repeat in your nightmares but it only makes you determined to learn more. Between spending time with Padmé on the evenings and doing something you feel is productive as well as not constantly hearing about the war, it actually is a happy time for you, more then you've experienced in years. Maybe there is hope for a better time yet. As a family.

Go to K.

K: Timeskip.

(Author's note: Everyone has to go through this one no matter their choices before. From here on out, different paths will open up so if you want to play around with endings, here's a good spot to pick up the story from.)

The following days pass in a blur. Padmé becomes noticeably rounder. You continue to wake up in sweat, plagued by visions. One day you are called in front of the Council and for a moment you think your secret's been found out. They know about your marriage and are going to throw you out of the order. You haven't exactly been subtle with the way you sneak out every night to meet her. But it's not about Padmé. Instead they tell you the Chancellor has appointed you as his personal representative on the Council. There isn't much they can do against that, however they refuse to grant you the title of Master that is normally held by every Council member. As you hear of this your anger is hard to contain. You're sure that Palpatine only wanted the best for you but now it looks to everyone as if he's favoring you, putting trust in you that the Council finds unwarranted. What should've been a reward, they turned into an offence. You are beyond disappointed. With the title of Master, there would've been so many more resources available to you, like access to the restricted part of the temple archives. You could've used that to further your knowledge of the Force and how to use it to help Padmé. Yet that promotion now seems to be in the distant future only.

Angry with the Council and with yourself for getting your hopes up, you leave the Council chambers - but the Masters are not done yet. The next mission you receive is one you initially can't even believe they would give you - you are to report Palpatine's doings to them. You are to spy on one of the only two people outside of the order you consider friends, family even. On top of that, they seem to be thinking that that is what Palpatine wants you to do to the Jedi by appointing you to the Council - and they want you to run all information you might put in a report for the Chancellor by Mace Windu first. They want to turn you into a freaking double agent.

Now you know that war sometimes calls for subtlety and that the information spies deliver can sometimes mean the difference between victory and failure. But you have always been upfront about your intentions and Palpatine is hardly the enemy. Sometimes you think he's the only one who knows how to handle the galaxy. The Jedi should be lucky that they have him as Chancellor, not be suspicious of his long reign.

But you bite your tongue and say nothing. Palpatine is innocent and as such you won't have anything of interest to report to the Council anyway. As the Chancellor's representative, you are meant to ease communications between the two parties so of course you'll tell them about Palpatine's decisions... if they concern the Jedi. That is in the job description after all. And also, maybe you should stop complaining about the Jedi so much to Palpatine. He might get the wrong impression. Your personal grievances with them have nothing to do with the order's usefulness to the Republic after all.

It is a couple of days and a few half-hearting reports later that you are called to the Chancellor. The message is a bit confusing as he wishes you to meet him at the opera. Maybe paranoia has taken a hold of your old friend if he no longer wishes to discuss important business in his own office. If he just wanted to invite you to the event as a friend, he could've told you a bit more in advance after all. The way it is you have to hurry to get there before the doors close for the show and even then you miss the beginning.

Neither you, nor seemingly the Chancellor pay much attention to the show going on. Palpatine starts out by informing you that General Grivious has been found and that he expects you to get the mission to hunt him down soon. However then he sends away whatever underlings he has sitting near him and you know now he's getting to the real reason he called you here.

"Anakin, you know I'm not able to rely on the Jedi Council. If they haven't included you in their plot I assume they will soon."

"I'm not sure I understand," you answer hesitantly.

"You must sense what I have come to suspect. The Jedi Council want control of the Republic. They're planning to betray me."

You stare at him, not sure what to say. You know there is some mistrust between the Jedi and the Council. Particularly that the Jedi think there is a Sith Lord in the senate, maybe even amongst Palpatine's personal advisors. Can it be true after all? Is there someone whispering poisonous words into your old friend's ear?

"I don't think-," you start but Palpatine interrupts you: "Anakin, search your feelings. You know... don't you?"

You are reminded of your current mission. To report the Chancellor's actions to the Council. But Palpatine must be wrong... or is he?

"I know they don't trust you...," you admit carefully.

"All the senate, all the Republic, or democracy for that matter... There are so few people I can trust anymore," Palpatine muses.

"I have to admit, my trust in the masters has been shaken," you answer, if only to show you understand him.

"Why?" the Chancellor asks quietly. He gives you a look that says he knows more then he lets on. "They asked you to do something that made you feel dishonest, didn't they? They asked you to spy on me, didn't they?"

...How could he possibly know that?!

"I don't... I don't know what to say." If you confirm it the Chancellor might sanction the Jedi order, maybe even draw them back from the war. But lying... You hate lying to your friends.

"Remember back to your early teachings. All who gain power are afraid to lose it. Even the Jedi."

"The Jedi use their power for good."

"Good is a point of view, Anakin. The views of the Sith are similar in almost every way. Including their quest for greater power."

You shake your head, wondering how Palpatine even knows about the Sith. "The Sith rely on their passion for strength. They think in words only about themselves."

"And the Jedi don't?"

That brings you up short. Could it be true? The Jedi certainly fear losing power when it means giving that power to the Sith, that is for sure. "The Jedi are selfless. They only care about others."

Palpatine is silent for a moment, musing over your words while applause rings through the hall as the show progresses.

"Have you ever heard of the tragedy of Darth Plaguis the wise?" he asks at last.

"No."

"I thought not. It's not a story the Jedi would tell you. It's a Sith legend. Darth Plaguis was a Dark Lord of the Sith, so powerful and so wise he could use the Force to influence the midichlorians to create life. He had such a knowledge of the Dark Side he could even keep the ones he cared about from dying."

Thoughts swirl around in your head. How has Palpatine come across such an obscure story? Why does he know so much about the Sith? Why does he tell you this? But above all... There was a way to keep people from dying using the Force!? This was exactly the kind of power you have searched for for weeks now. It is possible after all!

"He could actually save people from death?" you can't help but reconfirm.

"The Dark Side of the Force is a pathway to many abilities some consider to be... unnatural", Palpatine says quietly but with a glance at you that says he knows exactly how much you desire such power.

"What happened to him?"

"He became so powerful, all he was still afraid of was losing his power, which eventually of course he did. Unfortunately he told his apprentice everything he knew. Then his apprentice killed him in his sleep. Ironic, he could save others from death but not himself."

Your rational mind catches up to your racing heart, if a bit sluggishly. Palpatine doesn't seem like he wants to warn you of this power or the cost of it by pointing out it is a knowledge firmly on the Dark Side. Instead it almost seems like he is suggesting it as a possible route to take, knowing what he does about your personal history. But regardless of how much he mistrusts the Jedi, suggesting you use a power of the Dark Side to save the ones you love... That does sound like something a Sith would say. You have to make sure thought that that is what he means. So you ask, pretending to Palpatine that you're open to the idea and pretending to yourself that you're not:

"Is it possible to learn this power?"

Palpatine turns to you slowly and says in an ominous voice: "Not from a Jedi."

And in that moment you know it. You know that the Council was right all along and yet they know nothing because the Sith Lord is not amongst the Chancellor's advisors. He sits right next to you.

You turn your gaze back to the show, heart racing. Even with that realization there's nothing you can do, not right now, in such an open setting. But you can go and report this conversation to the Council, as is your mission anyway. It would be the right thing to do.

Except... The power Palpatine spoke of does intrigue you. To manipulate the midichlorians is nothing you've ever thought of before. Maybe you could use this method to save Padmé and anyone else you care about. It might be worth looking into.

Do the right thing and report the Chancellor to the Jedi Council. (Go to L)

You know, maybe you should research this dark power on your own first, maybe get some advice from Palpatine later. What could go wrong? (Go to M)

L: Do the right thing and report the Chancellor to the Jedi Council.

You do your best to pretend to think deeply over the conversation you just had while the show continues - truthfully, you don't have to pretend much in that regard. As soon as you're dismissed though you make your way straight back to the Jedi temple. You're lucky to catch Mace Windu in a corridor and without bothering much with who might be around, you tell him of your conclusion - Palpatine is a Sith Lord. He and Dooku must've been playing the Republic the entire war long, no wonder you can't seem to get anywhere. For a moment you worry that the few hints the Chancellor gave you might not be enough. It is far from solid proof after all. But Mace is convinced immediately or maybe he was long since searching for an excuse to take action. Anyway he grabs whatever Jedi Master he comes across in the next five minutes and leaves to arrest Palpatine. You offer to go with him as well but are rebuked.

Left on your own you start pacing. On the one hand you really don't want to be pulled into the whole mess that you just started. With your official 'mission' over, you can finally do what you should've done ages ago, take Padmé and go take some nice, relaxing vacation so she can have the baby without problems. On the other hand, if the Jedi arrest Palpatine now, any chance to learn about the technique from Darth Plaguis will be gone. Also Mace was only able to assemble a handful of Masters. If their attempt to arrest the Sith Lord is not successful - even if they can defeat him but he survives - it would be an easy thing for him to discredit the Jedi, make it as if they are the ones betraying the Republic. And without proof of the opposite, who would disbelieve him? This could potentially end disastrous for the Jedi. Maybe you should intervene?

Follow Mace (Go to N)

Naah, they'll be fiiiiiine... (Go to O)

M: Research the Dark Side alone

Oh boy, is that really a good idea? ...is what you think as you leave the opera and make your way back to the temple. Palpatine's words continue to ring in your head as you bury yourself in the temple archives, reading as much as you can about midichlorians and how one could possibly influence them. At night you even steal yourself into the healer's wing to 'spend the patients some company', meaning you sit there in meditation and try to twist and tuck at their Force signature.

A few days pass like this. You barely sleep, your wife tells you you look awful (what does she know?) and you snap at her to leave you alone. You're running out of time. Padmé will have her baby soon. Are you ready for that? Maybe you should go back to Palpatine and ask for more help to understand this technique...

I should confront Palpatine and ask for lessons in how to control the dark side. (Go to P)

I don't need anybody else, I will save Padmé myself through my new awesome Force powers! (Go to Q)

N: Follow Mace

If the Jedi fail to arrest Palpatine, that could have disastrous consequences and they will need as much help as they can get to do it. You're masterful with the lightsaber and you have more than your fair share of combat experience. You should be a part of this. Nobody would disagree with you if you argue like that.

Decision made you make your way to the senate and practically run up to the Chancellor's office. As you open the door a grisly sight awaits you – the remains of around half a dozen Jedi Masters litter the floor, each of them dead and each of them having died rather quickly if the positions of their bodies are anything to go by. You actually have to step over them to get into the room. The only one who is still fighting is Mace Windu but even he has a hard time just defending himself against the onslaught of his enemy.

If anyone thought that just because Palpatine is old it means he's also weak, you would call them a fool. In fact you witness Palpatine perform acrobatics no human that age should be capable of performing and even though Mace is one of the deadliest Jedi with a lightsaber, he's clearly being pushed on the defensive. But when you enter it seems to startle the Sith Lord as his lightsaber gets knocked out of his hand. That is not the end of it. Mace makes to strike him again and Palpatine raises his hands and lets loose a stream of lightning.

"Anakin!" he calls out to you even as Mace starts to ward off the deadly rays with his lightsaber, "Anakin, help me! He's going to kill me!"
"You are too dangerous to be allowed to live!" Mace growls out and you shiver as you remember that Palpatine used that same reasoning to make you kill Dooku. Mace is going to kill Palpatine. And if he does that, then any chance to get that knowledge of how Plaguis managed to save people from death will die with him.

Help Mace kill the Sith (Go to R)

Help Palpatine kill the Jedi (Go to S)