Hi, thanks for all the nice reviews for this story. Now I hope you like chapter two just as much.
Revelations
Padme had to control her face to pretend to mourn the death of Sheev Palpatine, the chancellor of the Republic. She, as the senator of Naboo, Palpatine's home planet, had been chosen to inform the senate of the death and its causes.
"My fellow senators, I come to you with grave news," she started.
She had stayed at her apartment while everything happened to have no connection to the events whatsoever.
"Yesterday evening at eight thirty-seven standard time, our beloved chancellor Sheev Palpatine suffered from an allergic shock while he ate his dinner. The security personnel in his suite immediately called the medical team on duty, but a series of unfortunate events delayed them for too long a time. And none of the security personnel was trained in measures to deal with an allergic shock. You probably noticed the blackout that took place at the time that lasted an hour until electricity was back. We all know that due to the war it can happen that these blackouts take place, this one happened at the worst time possible.
"The medical team then wanted to change to the stairs to reach chancellor Palpatine, but an emergency on the twenty-first to twenty-fifth floors led to the staircase being overrun with the evacuating people from those floors. By now you will have heard about the horrible malfunction of the heating system that caused unbearable temperatures there until the blackout, which ironically allowed the technological staff to repair the system in time to prevent that something caught fire.
"The medical team that had to get through masses of evacuating people only reached Chancellor Palpatine twenty minutes after the call was made, which was too late for him. I have the sad duty to inform you of the death of the chancellor," stated Padme, looking grave.
Many senators cried out in surprise, shock and grief. Some clearly already planned how to position themselves to gain more power.
"As senator of Naboo, Chancellor Palpatine's home planet, I ask you all to join me in a minute of silence in memory of him," she continued and after about thirty seconds, all senators paid their respect to the late chancellor for a minute.
Then the normal chaos threatened to continue, but she still had the right to speak.
"My fellow senators, this death hits us at a problematic time, as we are still at war with the Separatists. We need to assure the people of the Republic that we will not fall due to losing our leader. I know that many of you will want to run for the position. We all want to protect the Republic. But the normal democratic process will take about a month at least. Elections have to be set up and the candidates need to present their programs. To keep the Republic capable of acting, we need to choose an interim chancellor until the elections are done. I ask all of you, especially considering how Chancellor Palpatine always worked to keep us united after many worlds split from the Republic, to not put political ambitions above the needs of all of our people. Don't let squabbling for power make us fail in our tasks. That would be a poor service to the memory of Sheev Palpatine.
"I don't know if Count Dooku would agree to a temporary truce to allow us to properly grieve for our late chancellor, but I will at least try to ask him. At the very least he respected the leaders of the opponent in the past enough to pay them his respects. And if it only works for a few days, it will already help us. The people of the Republic will want to pay their respects to Chancellor Palpatine as well. He led all of us through a difficult time," stated Padme, knowing she was lying her ass off, but needs must be met.
"I agree with Senator Amidala," spoke Bail Organa, "We should respect the work for peace of Chancellor Palpatine and not argue among ourselves to profit from the hole he left among us. I suggest that we each nominate two senators for the position of interim chancellor. The one that gets the highest number of votes will become interim chancellor. This way we can avoid a situation where theoretically every senator would vote for himself. In doubt those secondary votes should reveal the one or ones among us that most people trust to fill the position that was so suddenly left open."
The other senators agreed with the proposition.
"I agree but I would add a point. Those that don't want to run for the position should declare that before we vote. I for one would like to not run for either interim or actual chancellor, as I wouldn't have the time and physical condition to properly fulfil the duties that come with the office," declared Padme.
"That is a good point, Senator Amidala. If I may ask, are you sick, as you mentioned your physical condition?" asked Mon Mothma of Chandrila concerned.
"No, I'm not sick. I planned to actually announce this in two weeks, the normal point in time when I would have arranged to take a temporary leave of absence, but I am actually pregnant," here Padme smiled happily. She and Anakin had decided to let her announce her pregnancy but not who the father was.
"Then my sincerest congratulations, Senator Amidala. It's sad to think that your mentor won't be able to share your happy news anymore. But this gives hope that life goes on, even if we lose dear friends from our ranks," stated Bail Organa.
"Thank you, Senator Organa," nodded Padme.
She got several other congratulants and then the senators got to voting. She knew that many of those that would have voted for her would give their votes to either Bail or Mon and that was what she hoped would be enough.
The holonet news were full of the sensational news about the death of the chancellor. Many voiced condolences for the passing of the popular politician but there were also some reporters that questioned the series of events that had led to Palpatine's death. Most of those accused the Separatists of assassinating the chancellor to have a better chance to win the war. Speculation was that the evacuation on the twenty-first to twenty-fifth floors was caused intentionally, as was the black-out. Nobody could explain how it would be possible for the Separatists to achieve something on that scale, but it was claimed that Count Dooku would want the Republic to be without a leader to succeed in some dastardly operation that should turn the tides in the war.
There were sometimes violent discussions and arguments in talk shows about those theories and the only thing the ones watching the shows got out of them was that the investigation was still ongoing and until it was finished, it could only be determined that the cause of death was an allergic shock over a plant from Naboo that hadn't been noted in the Chancellor's personal file.
That caused new speculations why it wouldn't be noted down there, especially as one reporter investigated on Naboo and managed to find documentation about a similar allergic shock having taken place in Sheev Palpatine's younger years. But while it caused more conspiracy theories, nobody truly figured out what had really taken place.
Anakin listened to the report that Mace Windu gave about the death of the chancellor. Most members of the council were present physically, but some were connected via holonet calls from the planets where they were currently stationed. Nobody suspected anything being amiss and that there was more to it than bad luck and many unfortunate events coming together. The overheating of the floors had been determined to be caused by an old regulation switch. It would have been found during the next maintenance period in two weeks for sure, it was just really unfortunate to have failed at that precise time. The investigators still tried to find out if the Separatists were behind the blackout that hit the senate's building and the jedi temple. It was after all possible that the one behind it, if it was an assassination attack on the chancellor, wanted to keep the jedi far away as well until the deed was done.
That was good for him.
"This just leaves us with the problem of not knowing what he planned to do concerning the war for now," mentioned Obi-Wan.
Anakin secretly laughed in his mind. Obi-Wan had just given him the perfect chance to get R2 to reveal Palpatine being Sidious.
"I have a suggestion for this. As you know, I have an R2 droid that is very good at hacking into systems and gathering information and has done those things several times for me during the war. As time is of the essence in this matter, I would offer R2D2 to connect with the server of the late chancellor to find out what he wanted us to do. It would at least help with ongoing projects that only he was in the know about, or at least knew all the details. As secrecy is of utmost importance for the war's success, he wouldn't have written anything down in files that were openly accessible," suggested Anakin.
"Sound that reasoning is," stated Yoda, "Access to important military information we need. Permission of the council to take your droid to the late chancellor's office to find out what he wanted to be done you have."
"Thank you, Master Yoda. I will go there once the meeting is over," confirmed Anakin.
He was sure that he would have to call for more jedi once he had gained enough proof to start a more thorough investigation into the actions of Palpatine.
The council then proceeded to discuss ongoing missions on different planets.
Padme looked at the official results of the vote. Bail Organa had indeed managed to get a majority of the votes in the senate and was now interim chancellor. He directly set to work and declared to attempt to bring back peace to the Republic. Bail wanted to take up negotiations with the less violent members of the Separatists and see if he could arrange truces with them. He pointed out that despite the best efforts of the previous chancellor it hadn't worked out to bring the planets back into the Republic. Thus, getting them to be non-aggressive towards the Republic would be the best they could hope for right now.
This would work out well for the moment. The news stations had reported nothing but the unexpected death of Palpatine for the day and how it had come about. Those suspecting foul play pushed the blame onto Dooku and his forces. Once they could present proof that Palpatine was Sidious, they could also spin the story that this had been an attempt of the student to overthrow his master to take over control. It was the way of the sith. Nobody would suspect the 'Hero without Fear', which was how the press was calling Anakin.
And that was exactly what she wanted.
Anakin looked over the files that R2 had found on Palpatine's computer. Thanks to the astromech's abilities to hack into any kind of system, he had got everything that Palpatine had worked on, no matter what kind of security system he had used. Thanks to the force, Anakin had also discovered a secret set of rooms with a second computer, one connected to a separate server, from which he had clearly communicated as Darth Sidious. It was enough proof to call in the order.
"Kenobi," he heard the answer from his old master.
"Obi-Wan, I need some council members in Palpatine's office ASAP," stated Anakin seriously, "I have found information that is unbelievable and I need at least a second jedi of high rank to confirm this. I will also call Padme to get a representative of the senate here to witness things."
"What did you find Anakin?" asked Obi-Wan.
"I can't tell you on this channel. While it should be safe, I can't be sure if somebody hacked into the security system of the office here, even if that is unlikely. This is far too important to be handled the wrong way," explained Anakin.
"I see. I will get Kit Fisto and then we will come over," promised Obi-Wan.
"Thank you," replied Anakin and ended the call.
He then called Padme and told her the same he had told Obi-Wan and she promised to send two trustworthy senators, including the interim chancellor to also hear the information Anakin had found. Things were now in position to start the new act.
Obi-Wan watched the recording of Darth Sidious passing orders to Count Dooku, calling him Darth Tyrannus. This was just the last thing after Anakin had shown everybody the files he had got from R2, who had got them from the two servers that Palpatine used for his personal business.
"Palpatine was the Sith Lord we were trying to find. He played us all for fools," stated Obi-Wan completely shocked.
"Shit, that is a catastrophe," cursed Bail Organa, "We are in a war that was the personal plaything of a sith that wanted to take over the galaxy. If not for a huge coincidence that he couldn't have planned for, he would have got away with it. This war is completely senseless. Everything was manipulated by him for decades."
"One thing is especially urgent," pointed Anakin out, "This file about secret orders on the control chip that is implanted into the brains of the clones. Palpatine planned to give the order to kill all jedi to have them out of his way, as only the jedi would have the power to counter his own abilities. We need to get those chips eliminated. Fives was right."
Obi-Wan looked serious, "Yes, we can't allow for such a major security risk to continue existing. It is possible that Dooku knows how to activate that order as well. We can't be sure there."
"I suggest we call all clones in to undergo surgery. Those chips need to go. Once we know where they are located, we can get it done quickly," said Kit Fisto.
"There are millions of clones. We will never get them all in time, should Dooku really know how to activate them. Though from what we know about the Sith, it isn't that probable that he could use them," said Anakin, "I mean, the Kaminoans wouldn't have programmed anything onto those chips that would help the leader of the enemy. My guess is that the order is bound to either Palpatine personally or the office of the Chancellor. The second I consider the most likely. After all, the Kaminoans believed that Master Syfo-Dias ordered the clones for the order. That would exclude having a specific person enabled to use that devastating order. The holder of an acknowledged office would be a different matter. It also explains why Palpatine created as many exceptions to his term as chancellor as he did. And Palpatine wouldn't have trusted Dooku that much."
"True, there is no trust among the sith and the apprentice will one day attempt to take the position of the master," agreed Obi-Wan.
"No matter what, we need to perform this investigation perfectly according to the law-books. Nobody must be able to find flaws or personal feelings influencing this," stated Senator Bel Iblis of Corellia.
"True. Then it will be best if I leave this investigation to others," stated Anakin, "I was close to Palpatine, considered him a mentor since after I was saved from slavery by Qui-Gon Jinn. That would probably be bad for the investigation to be considered neutral. I can leave R2 here with Obi-Wan."
"Yes, that would probably be for the best, Anakin," nodded Obi-Wan approvingly, "I will contact you when we know the whole picture."
Anakin nodded and left the office to leave the rest to the others. He had done his part.
Anakin and Padme sat on the couch in her living room and watched the news on the holonet. So far, there hadn't been any updates on Palpatine's death or that he was a secret sith lord. But then again, Anakin had only got the proof today. It would take time for the ones in charge to decide upon a strategy to get this mess solved.
"Nothing new so far. They have been sending the same news all day," commented Padme after the channel switched to some show.
"Probably because the group I left in Palpatine's office hasn't decided yet how to publish the twist," replied Anakin.
"Yes. I'm just glad that I don't have to work through this. I have already handed in my note that I will leave my position as senator of Naboo to a substitute that Queen Jamila can decide for the time I am on baby break," Padme told him.
"That's great. I need to wait for things to calm down a bit before I hand in my official resignation from the order. But just knowing that it won't be long anymore lifts a huge burden from me. I hated having to keep our marriage a secret from everybody. The only thing I will do before I tell the council is telling Obi-Wan. He deserves to know before they are told," stated Anakin.
"That's true. I hope he takes it well," said Padme.
"He won't, he is the perfect jedi," objected Anakin, "But he will respect it and not give us trouble. And he knows that I am not a good jedi in following the restrictive rules."
Padme leaned into him.
"You are a good jedi, it's the mentality of the order that needs renewal. But that is something they have to work out on their own. I think we can leave Coruscant in four to five weeks. By then I will be in my eighth month of the pregnancy and it is normal to arrange things for giving birth. Nobody will think anything about it that I want my child to be born on Naboo instead of Coruscant," commented Padme.
"True. I look forward to our little one being here. And that we don't have to hide anymore. We can show openly that we are a family," he said smiling and kissed her cheek.
"Yes, a true family," she agreed and put her head onto his shoulder.
Obi-Wan reported to the council about the things that had been in the files of Palpatine.
"We can't be completely sure but it seems that Palpatine didn't intend to keep Dooku as his apprentice for much longer. There are files that indicate an operation to groom a new apprentice, one much stronger than Dooku, one that would help him exterminate whoever remained from the jedi order after he used the clones to kill off those on missions for the war effort," reported Obi-Wan.
"Troubling that is. To not have sensed the sith this close to us, a disturbance in the force that means. Serious that is," stated Yoda.
"You are right, Master Yoda," agreed Mace Windu, "Do you have a lead on who he wanted as his apprentice?"
"Nothing absolute, but I have a suspicion concerning that part," admitted Obi-Wan, "He has taken high interest in Anakin for years. It was also on his urging that Anakin was made part of the council, to act as his personal contact to the jedi. Additionally, all the missions that Anakin and the 501st were given were among the hardest and most dangerous of the whole war. He wasn't left much time to recover. If Palpatine was trying to groom a new sith apprentice for himself, it makes sense that he would target the strongest force sensitive inside the order and drive him to the limit of his mental balance."
"Has Skywalker shown any tendencies of turning to the dark side?" asked Mace Windu.
"No. He might have fought more aggressively in battles the more time passed in the war, but that isn't something that only concerns him. Many jedi that are commanders of clone units have shown that change in behaviour," answered Obi-Wan, "Palpatine must have known something else, something he could use to trigger the fall. But I'm not sure what it could have been."
The other council members didn't have any ideas about that either.
"Observe this closely we must. Afford another sith with Skywalker's power we can't. Lucky that an allergic shock killed the sith we were," said Yoda.
"We need to avoid that any of Palpatine's supporters of his plans to take over the absolute power over the galaxy can enact any plans. There were files that showed that he planned to end the Republic and announce himself Emperor of a new Empire that would include both the Republic's and the Separatists' territory," continued Obi-Wan, "Concerning the matter with Anakin, I will talk to him and suggest that he takes a vacation from the war. He certainly needs one. If necessary, we can do a repeat of his job as Senator Amidala's bodyguard. The two are friends and she has a calming influence on him. That is if Anakin refuses to take a break."
"You know him best, Obi-Wan," stated Mace, "If you think that this would help, then we will support it. And Naboo is far away from the war."
"The planet is also great to feel the living force," added Ki-Adi Mundi, "Due to the large natural areas, it should be perfect for Skywalker to regain his mental equilibrium."
The others nodded. None wanted that Anakin fell to the dark side. And he hadn't got as many vacation days during the war as was mandatory, simply because he was called to too many battlefields in short order. There was also the matter of the false accusations of his padawan. That would build up over time.
Anakin was at the temple, three weeks after the death of Palpatine. As he had told in the former chancellor's office, he had kept out of the investigations. He had spoken with Obi-Wan about a few things that had been found out by analysing all the files that were secured. Padme would return to Naboo in three days, all her preparations were finished by now, and it was time to come clean with Obi-Wan. He had asked his old master and friend to reserve an hour of his time for an important conversation between just the two of them. Obi-Wan had thankfully agreed and thus, Anakin was now sitting in a lounge that was reserved for the two of them by Obi-Wan.
"Alright, Anakin, you asked me to take some time for an important conversation," started Obi-Wan.
"Yes, I did. There is something I kept secret over the years. I wanted to tell you earlier, but the war and things that needed to be done always prevented it. I didn't want to shirk my duty when the war raged," started Anakin.
"That does sound ominous," commented Obi-Wan.
"Possibly. Well, you remember that I told you about my dreams about my mother dying," asked Anakin.
"Yes," nodded Obi-Wan, still feeling guilty for not taking the time to go to Tatooine with his padawan at the time to check on Shmi Skywalker. He had trusted in the decision of the council that it was the best way to cut the attachment Anakin had to his mother, thinking that they would cause trouble in the future for the order.
Then Anakin told Obi-Wan how he and Padme went to Tatooine and found out what had happened to Anakin's mother from Watto, Anakin's former owner. How she had married a moisture farmer and moved outside of the city. Then how they met the Lars family and were told that Shmi had been kidnapped by Tuskens. Anakin admitted his loss of control after his mother died in his arms after he had finally found her. Then how Padme had pulled him back from the abyss and his feelings for her.
"I know it was against the rules, Obi-Wan, but I need her. I have darkness in my soul, I acknowledge that. I can't simply release that darkness into the force, but I can keep control over it by countering it with love. The love I feel for Padme, and to some extent the brotherly love for you or Ahsoka. You three were my most important anchors when I was dangerously close to falling into the dark side.
"I didn't plan to stay with the order after I married Padme, but then the war started, I was given Ahsoka as a padawan and I didn't want to abandon the order and Ahsoka. It would have been according to the rules if I left the order after I married Padme. Due to being needed as a jedi commander for the clone troops, I changed my plans to stay until I got Ahsoka to knighthood and the war was won. I never expected it to last as long as it did and to cost that many lives. Now that we found out that Palpatine was behind the whole war, was the leader of both sides, I don't see any reason anymore to hide my marriage.
"But you deserved to know the full truth, Obi-Wan and to know it before I tell the council that I'm leaving the order. I want to be there for Padme. I didn't get to spend much time with my wife since we married, simply because the war prevented it. And, well, Padme is pregnant with our child. I want to be a father for this child and I couldn't do that if I stayed a jedi. You know that I disagree with certain rules we have, as I don't see the sense in them. I also see problems with the perception of the jedi from the normal people. I suggested changes several times, but they were always brushed off by the council. Additionally, the order behaved horribly when Ahsoka was accused of bombing the temple. I can accept that the accusation was investigated, but nobody gave her the benefit of the doubt. And the punishment for Bariss was laughable compared to what they planned for Ahsoka," stated Anakin.
Obi-Wan was shocked about the confession his former padawan had made to him.
"I have to be a blind moron to have overlooked this much," he groaned.
"Well, I will admit that both Padme and I can be sneaky," grinned Anakin.
"Yes, you certainly can be. How did she manage to hide her pregnancy?" asked Obi-Wan.
"Her robes as senator of Naboo allowed her to hide her growing stomach. She just had to declare what she wore fashionable and it was believed. I mean, many senators wear strange clothes," shrugged Anakin, "And to be fair, she has just entered the eighth month of the pregnancy. Before that, it was easy enough to simply wear flowing clothes."
"I want to admonish you, but that would be futile. You never followed the rules like I tried to teach you," sighed Obi-Wan, "Are you sure that this is what you truly want, Anakin?"
"Surer than I ever was about anything, Obi-Wan. Padme is my life. I like being a jedi, but if I have to choose between being a jedi and being with Padme, she will always win," confessed Anakin, "And it's not as if we will be gone forever. When Padme is back to her post as senator after the baby is born and a bit older, we will return to Coruscant and you can come and visit us. But I won't allow for the order to take the baby away from us. If the order wants to train my child, we will have to work out some compromise."
"The council won't like that, but they probably will accept, simply to prevent you from breaking. We suspect that Palpatine wanted to lure you to the dark side, considering how much interest he showed in your development," admitted Obi-Wan.
"I guessed the same," nodded Anakin, "knowing that he was the sith we couldn't find, his advice and conversations with me were put into a different light."
"What do you mean?" asked Obi-Wan and Anakin told him about several things that Palpatine had said and insinuated over the years.
"Then there is the fact that the order doesn't want to see that they can't simply treat all force sensitives the same. Not just because they are all different races but also because each person is unique. They have one mould that they think that it is the best one to follow and everybody has to fall in line. That isn't a good thing, that is brainwashing. Additionally, the order condones child soldiers, which the public has seen as highly controversial ever since the war started," pointed Anakin out.
"What? What do you mean child soldiers?" asked Obi-Wan shocked.
"It's sad that you don't even see it, Obi-Wan," sighed Anakin, "I'm talking about the padawans. I got Ahsoka when she was fourteen years old. That is still underage according to the laws of the Republic. And still, she was sent to me as a padawan when I was already fighting in the war. And several others shared her fate. We usually have the masters accept padawans between the ages of eleven to fourteen, then they age out and are sent to other branches of the order, like the agri corps. Which is unfair to the extreme. What right does the order have to decide which path a child should go? They should decide which area interests them the most and then pursue a career in it. Not have the order dictate their fate."
Obi-Wan hated to admit that Anakin had a point. He himself had experienced that part when Qui-Gon at first didn't want to take him as a padawan.
"What would you do if it was your decision?" he asked.
"I would change the system of how the children are taught in the force. Only take in orphans and those children where the parents agree to let the children be raised by the temple. It has to be their free will, then it will be accepted by the population. For all others, set up contact locations where the children can be taught in controlling their abilities with the force. Set up protection to avoid that scrupulous criminals kidnap them and use them for their nefarious purposes. One possibility could be to offer the families of those children apartments close to the temple. Perhaps even found a second one where it is easier to have the families living in a community with the jedi that train the children. I believe that training them in the responsible use of the force is good.
"And they can start with that from the age of five but separating them from their families leaves a void in their souls that can't be filled by the order itself, as one of the rules forbids attachments. I don't believe that the light side of the force is so weak that those bonds can be abused that easily. What should be taught is how to keep balance of one's emotions, not how to get rid of them. We aren't droids, Obi-Wan and even they can develop a personality. Just look at R2 and 3PO," commented Anakin.
"And where would we manage to build such a temple? It would be a logistical nightmare," stated Obi-Wan, "If the council ever agreed to it, even if I personally think it could work and would improve the image of the jedi."
"My personal favourite would be Alderaan," answered Anakin, "the planet is home of a pacifistic people and is full of life and thus glows in the force. The people there have a low rate of crime and the risk of the children being influenced negatively by the dark side would be reduced. Additionally, the royal family has been supportive of the jedi for ages, thus they would cooperate with such a plan easily."
Obi-Wan thought about it. If it would be realised, Alderaan would indeed be nearly perfect for it. It was a sad thought that even if it became a reality, Anakin wouldn't be part of it, as he would leave the order. Still, perhaps he could help leaving a bit of a legacy of his old padawan inside the order. He had noticed several things during the years of the war and knowing that Palpatine was behind it, they needed to analyse many things to prevent that there were manipulations that he caused that they didn't know about and acted towards Palpatine's plans being fulfilled.
"I will try to convince the other council members of this idea. It certainly has merit," nodded Obi-Wan.
"Wasn't there this phrase of Master Yoda 'Do or not do, there is no try?" joked Anakin.
"Yes, but you know how the council works," gave Obi-Wan back, "And this isn't something I can influence with the force."
Both laughed about it and talked a bit more before Anakin went to the council chambers to declare his retirement from the order.
Anakin stood next to Padme while she was in labour. He held her hand, basically willing his strength into her to get through the birth without problems. His nightmares had stopped, but the memories of seeing Padme die while giving birth still haunted him. He was also nervous, as the doctors had determined that Padme wasn't carrying just one baby but two. Neither of them had suspected anything about it until Padme had a full examination at the hospital a day after they had reached Naboo.
The month had been busy, what with them finally telling her family that they had married right at the start of the clone wars but had kept it secret due to his position with the jedi order and the war. Still, the Naberrie family had welcomed Anakin in their midst and thrown themselves into preparations for the birth of the babies. There was also the matter of updating Padme's personal data, which included adding his surname to hers. There had been several surprised messages from senators that Padme was friends with, who had congratulated them to their marriage, as they hadn't revealed that part before they went to Naboo.
The order hadn't taken his confession well but nothing much had happened. He had told them that he had been aware of the consequences when he married Padme and how she had kept him sane through the war and the influx of darker emotions he was confronted with due to the reality of how horrible the war was. He also voiced his problems with several things that the order did and how they played into his decision. He did keep his lightsabre though, as Obi-Wan argued that he got into too much trouble all the time without looking for it to risk him not having that weapon to defend himself. Not to mention that it would be a PR nightmare to have one of the most popular jedi be forced to hand in his signature weapon, just because the order disapproved of his decision to put his family over the order.
In the end, Obi-Wan had managed to convince enough members of the council of a compromise. He wasn't the negotiator for nothing. Anakin would be considered a freelancing jedi, still following the basic principles of the order but not bound to them like other jedi. He would keep command over the 501st clone unit and take on a few missions once the babies had turned six months old. Until then, he would concentrate on recovering from the war and taking care of his now bigger family. The training of the children was still discussed, but even Mace Windu understood that it wouldn't work to simply take them in at the temple like other younglings, as that would destabilise Anakin.
They had found a personal journal of Palpatine how he had manipulated things to in the end get Anakin as his newest apprentice. From preventing that he was found by the order when he was young to arranging his mother's kidnapping by the Tuskens and following death due to their torture. He also was the mastermind behind the horrible accusation against Asoka. And no one wanted another sith rising due to their actions. It was easier to accept a few compromises instead.
Concerning Asoka, Anakin had tried to contact her to also tell her his news, but so far, she hadn't answered his messages. He was sure he would succeed in the end, but probably she needed a bit more time to decide what she wanted to do. He had made sure to tell her that she would always welcome with him and Padme.
Now, when the medical droid that assisted the doctor, as with Anakin's visions and the importance of Padme as the planetary senator in play, nothing was going to be risked, said that the first head was visible, Padme pushed hard, while pressing his hand in a way that would have hurt somebody not trained the way he was. He held her and gave encouragement the best he could, but he hated that he couldn't help her with the pain from the birth. Still, when the first baby was out and the droid declared it a boy, he was happy. They still had to continue for the second twin, but that was also done after another fourteen minutes. A little girl.
They had both been right when they said what gender their baby would have. And once they had finally consulted a doctor, as they didn't have to hide the pregnancy anymore, they had already been told about it. That allowed them to decide names.
"Which names shall I add to the birth certificates?" asked the doctor.
"Luke and Leia Skywalker," answered Anakin happily.
It was great to finally be able to claim his relationship with Padme as her husband and being the father of the twins. The doctor nodded and went to do so. When he came back, he looked at the two of them seriously.
"I just got the midiclorian count for the twins. Both of them are registered as force-sensitive and their scores are unseen in any child that was ever born on Naboo. I take it that was caused by you being their father, Mr Skywalker," said the doctor.
"Yes. I have the highest midiclorian count among the jedi that are currently part of the order," confirmed Anakin, he still counted among them, due to Obi-Wan's compromise solution, "According to the test when I was nine, I have twenty thousand."
"Well, your children surpass event hat incredible count. We determined Luke to have twenty-nine thousand and Leia to have twenty-eight thousand five hundred," informed the doctor the parents.
"Nearly thirty thousand!" exclaimed Anakin shocked, "Obi-Wan will get a migraine when I tell him. As will the rest of the council."
"Perhaps that will convince them that jedi having families and having children is a good thing," added Padme, her voice tired. It wasn't surprising, she had been in labour for over ten hours.
"We will see. I will contact Obi-Wan as soon as you and the babies have been cleaned up and get to sleep off the exhaustion from the birth. I am so happy, Angel. We have two wonderful babies and everything went well."
"Yes, Ani," she smiled at him happily, "We are parents."
"Yes. Thank you so much," he smiled with tears in his eyes, holding her hand again.
"Thank you for being here with me all the time. It helped a lot," admitted Padme.
He kissed her gently and stroked her hair that was wet from the sweat she worked up during the birth. Then the babies were carried into the room and handed over to them. Anakin got Leia and Padme held Luke.
Things would be different from now on but together they would master all things that life put into their way. Like they always did.
