Anakin POV

I stood on the deck of a Republic Cruiser as the planet of Moraband came into view. It was a dark planet that seemed to have areas of mountains ranges roaming all over it. It looked like a very foreboding place and I shuddered to think of my family trapped down there. I felt someone come up next to me, and turned to see Obi-Wan.

"We will have to be careful, Master. This place is consumed with the dark side," I said.

"You must be mindful, my old friend. Siduous will be coming for you. No doubt about it," he replied.

I took a deep breath to clear my head, "This is a trap," I said.

"Don't worry, General," said Rex. "We will go in as a group and come out as a group."

"Right, come," said Obi-Wan, and he motioned us over to a hologram of the castle. "This is an old Sith fortress. They will be keeping the captives in the dungeons down here," he said motioning to the map. "And this is the throne room, where they are waiting for Anakin."

"Remind me why they are so gung ho about him, sir?" asked Rex.

"Anakin can bring balance to the Force, he can also push it out of balance. With him as a Sith Lord, they would be nearly unstoppable."

Rex nodded.

"I will go into the throne room," said Obi-Wan. "And give Sidious a run for his money. Rex, you and Anakin will go to the dungeon and help evacuate the women."

"No," came a voice behind us.

We all turned to see Master Yoda, Master Depa, and Master Windu walking towards us. "Face the sith alone, you will not. A trap, this is, but fall, the Jedi will not."

"Master Depa," I said. "I did not know you were here."

"I can do more than just sit and talk," she said twirling her lightsaber hilt. "Sidious is in for a surprise."

Yoda, Depa, and Mace were on a gunship filled with clones going to a drop location near the throne room of the temple. Obi-Wan, Rex, and I were in another gunship going to the south side of the temple towards the dungeons. Qui-Gon had joined us, but had said very little. His mind was focused on rescuing my mother, just as I was focused on rescuing Padme.

It would be very easy to do this, just to give into my hatred for Palpatine for doing this to my family. If I let the darkside flow through me, I reasoned, I would get there faster, and she would not be in as much pain. I had the anger already within me, and all I had to do was go to the place inside myself where I could release it. I could kill whatever demons was hurting my beloved as easily as batting an eye.

But my mind went back to what I became when I used the dark side. "I feel the conflict within you let go of you hate!" begged Luke before I turned back to the light. I knew that if I used the dark side, even to save Padme, I would be letting everyone down. I could not turn back to the monster I had become as a Sith Lord. I took a deep breath and did something I had never done before, I released Padme into the Force. She was not mine no more. Whatever I saw in there, I would deal with. I would not turn to the Dark Side, even to spare her from pain I decided.

When we finally hit the ground, my lightsaber shot into my hand, and I started to destroy droids that were in my way. Droid after droid I slashed and decapitated the machines as I marched closer and closer to the dungeons where I knew Padme and the rest of my family was being held prisoner. I went back to my old training of aggressive Shien lightsaber moves as I quickly went through the droids, and made my way through the Sith temple towards Padme's presence. Qui-Gon kept up with me, although we left the clones far behind, only Rex could keep up with us. Side by side we went through the battle droids and got to the door of the temple.

I turned to Qui-Gon and said, "Stand guard," then I used my 'saber to cut through the locked door. But as I was doing that, another door came down and bolted down locking us out of the compound.

"Blast it!" I said.

"Hang on sir!" came Rex from behind me. "I got something." He pulled out the mainframe of the door panel and hot wired two wires together. In a minute, both doors were open.

"Okay, let's go," I said.

We went inside, and I was using the force to guide me as I ran through the labyrinth of the Sith fortress. I had to think to myself. If it was anything like my fortress on Mustafar, then the holding cells would be a few levels below the surface. I led Qui-Gon and Rex through the bowels of the fortress, letting the force direct me to Padme.

"Do you have any idea where we are going sir?" asked Rex.

"Kind of," I said. "I think we are close."

We rushed into a room, and there was pitch darkness. Qui-Gon and I turned our lightsabers on to see, and the room lit up with blue and green. It was a dungeon that went down as far as the eye could see. There were cobwebs in between the bars of the cells. I looked into one of the cells and saw a skeleton propped up by the wall.

"They're here," whispered Qui-Gon.

"Mom? Padme? Snips?" I yelled out.

I heard coughing just a little farther down, and then I saw an orange arm poke out of one of the cells. "Master?" came a scratchy voice.

We all rushed to the cell. Ashoka looked awful in the light of my lightsaber. She was her clothing was torn and she had severe cuts and bruises all over her face and upper body. Her back looked like she had been thrashed with an electro whip. Her face was ashen color like she had not been fed in days.

"Babe," said Rex.

"We got separated. I don't know where the others are," she said.

"Let's get you out of here," I said, and used the force to open the bars off the wall.

She coughed as Rex picked her up. "I could have done that, Skyguy. They said if I fought back, it would get worse for them."

I nodded. She looked like she was about to pass out.

"Rex, get her to medical and then stay with her," I commanded. "Qui-Gon and I can handle this."

"No master," Ashoka said weakly. "It's a trap, they want you."

"I know, Snips. I'll handle it," I said. "Go Rex!" I ordered. He took off down the hall with Ashoka in his arms.

"How do you plan to handle this?" asked Qui-Gon.

"I have no idea."