As Padme lowered her hand, causing the yellow light to die off, everything fell silent and dark. Not a soul moved as they all watched the two, entranced by the strange turn of events. Padme stood tall and strong in the centre of the platform whilst the Emperor cowered away, running up the steps of the Temple. The Clone army closed together again once he had passed, sealing the pathway, but they didn't open fire on the young Senator who stood before them. After all, they had been given orders not to harm ANY Senators.
The Emperor watched Padme down below him as she began to move towards the army of Clones. They didn't move at first, but with a deft flick of her wrist, they parted as one, creating the path for her to slowly and deliberately walk up. Anakin and Obi-Wan pulled themselves round so that they could watch what was going on up above. Yoda managed to pull himself up by his stick and hopped over to the two fallen Jedi who had somehow managed to drag themselves together.
"This is impossible!" They heard the Emperor cry as Padme reached the top step. "Only the Dark Lord has this kind of power!"
"I am the Dark Lord. I create myself."
"Padme. Stop, you must! Stop, you must now! The entire Force running through your head, burn you it will. Kill you!" Yoda called up, but Padme just shook her head.
"I want you safe...My Masters. Protected from this false God." And with another deft flick of her wrist she sent the Emperor tumbling back down the stone steps. The Clones were confused now. They didn't know who to obey.
At Commander Cody's command, they all stepped back to the edges of the platform, creating a clear space where they had once stood. The Emperor landed in that space, winded and struggling for breath. Padme took a gigantic leap, backflipped off the top step and landed at his feet. Then she turned to Anakin and the other two.
"I cannot let the Jedi become extinct. You are my Masters. You are my very existence."
"What are you talking about?" Obi-Wan said at last, pushing himself up into a sort of sitting position with his remaining arm. Anakin pondered over what she had just said. Why was she calling them her Masters? They didn't control her, they didn't teach her. How could she understand the ways of the Jedi?
"You cannot defeat me. I am the Emperor. I am all powerful." the Emperor bellowed, standing up to face Padme as she glared at him with her evil yellow eyes.
"You are tiny." she hissed back angrily. "I can see the whole of time and space. Every single atom of your existence...and I divide them." she said, pointing her hand at his chest. A huge gaping hole appeared, spilling blue light from withing. The Emperor shrieked as the hole slowly grew, engulfing his body.
"Everything must come to dust." she continued and the hole spread faster. "All things. Everything dies." her eyes were now glowing incredibly bright, the glow illuminating her whole face, with her soft features and fair skin.
"The Clone War ends!" she said in a loud clear voice that rang out across the platform.
"I will not die! I cannot die!" the Emperor screamed as he was finally engulfed in blue light, then disintegrated into a pile of dust at Padme's feet.
"Padme, you've done it. Now stop, just let go." Anakin pleaded, dragging himself towards her, but she turned to him shaking her head.
"How can I let go of this? I bring life back to the ones I serve." she raised her right hand and yellow bolts escaped her fingertips again, dancing across the Jedi. Each body it touched began to murmer and shift, as though the Jedi were waking from a deep sleep. Anakin couldn't believe his eyes as Mace Windu rose again, looking thouroughly confused as he surveyed his hands, which had re-grown from the stumps.
Anakin felt something warm on his chest, and looking down saw a bolt dance off him. Then his right arm felt warm, below the elbow where his mechanical hand was.
"It can't be..." he whispered, pulling the glove off and surveying his arm, which was once again flesh and blood, like it used to be. Anakin, and indeed the other Jedi were speechless as all around them, the fallen Jedi rose again, and each one inspected their new limbs.
Then Anakin saw a hand being held out infront of him. Looking up, he saw Obi-Wan standing over him, his arm and legs regrown like Anakin's. Anakin allowed Obi-Wan to pull him up, and as he stood there, watching the other Jedi get to their feet aswell, he suddenly felt all his energy and strength return to him.
He ran over to Padme, skidding to a stop infront of her.
"This is wrong. You can't control life and death." he stuttered in amazement as Padme grinned at him.
"But I can. I am the Dark Lord. I control the Galaxy." she whipsered, reaching out and gently touching his arm.
"But you're not the Dark Lord. You're Senator Amidala...Padme...My wife." Anakin responded.
"Why does it hurt so much?" she asked him and tears rolled down his face.
"The power's killing you...and it's all my fault." he sobbed and Padme took his hands into her own.
"I can see everything Ani. All that is...all that was...all that could ever be..."
"That's what Jedi see...what I see...all the time." Anakin was struggling to digest everything he had heard, seen and learned over the past hour. How could Padme understand what Jedi see? How could she even begin to understand the Force, let alone use it to defeat the most powerful man in the universe. How could she withstand the power of the entire Force running through her head.
And then he realised. The Force had given her these powers, but it was killing her slowly. The only way to save her, was to remove the Force. Send it back to where it rightfully belonged...inside the Force-cube.
"Come here." he said, pulling her close. She didn't object, allowing herself to fall into his arms.
He kissed her, deeply, allowing that one kiss to show every ounce of love he felt towards her. He could feel the Force, slowly transfering itself from her body to his, could feel her slowly growing weaker as this power was taken from her.
