Chapter Eight

Anakin's mouth dropped open in shock when he realized what he was seeing. Palpatine had Senator Bail Organa kneeling in front of him, his light saber dangerously close to Organa's neck.

Anakin moved forward cautiously into the office, his hand resting lightly on his own light saber. He looked suspiciously from Palpatine to Organa, wondering exactly what he just walked into.

"What's going on here?"

Palpatine looked up and smiled evilly. "Right on time."

Anakin's confusion began to subside and the more his gaze rested on Organa, the more he could feel his anger flaring.

"Anakin, I have caught the Senator red-handed. He's betrayed the Senate, he's betrayed everyone by what he's done. You must punish him, Anakin."

Anakin glared at Organa, feeling darkness begin to wash over him in waves. "What has he done?"

"All you need to know is that he is a traitor. You must punish him, Anakin. Kill him. Tear him apart, bit by bit."

At the mention of murder, Anakin's eyes began to cloud in confusion. Yes, he wanted to hurt Organa, but…killing him was against everything he had ever been taught. The civil, decent way to deal with Organa would be to bring him before the Senate. That's what Padme would want him to do.

"No…I can't. It's not the Jedi way. He should be tried before the Senate, not killed."

Palpatine's eyes flashed a devilish yellow before he answered angrily. "NO! You must kill him. Think of what he did to your wife, Anakin. He treated her horribly, called her a whore, threatened her. Just think of what he would have done to her if she had married him instead of you. He would have beaten her, thrown her around. He deserves to suffer the way he made your wife suffer. Torture him, Anakin. Rip him apart."

Bail's eyes widened in horror as Palpatine spoke and he looked desperately at Anakin, who seemed to be struggling with an inward battle. "Anakin, don't listen to him. He's just as much a traitor as I am. We've been working together. I've been reporting to him about the secret dealings in the Senate. He pays me for it, Anakin. You can't listen to him! I'm sorry for what happened with Padme…I didn't mean for it to go that far…"

"Shut up!" Anakin roared. "You will not speak about the Chancellor that way. You are the traitor…you're just trying to save your own skin!"

Palpatine nodded triumphantly. "Yes, yes, Anakin. I can feel your anger. It makes you strong. It will give you the power to save Padme. You must feed on it and take your strength from it. Use it now. Kill him. He must die."

Anakin continued to glare at Organa as his light saber flashed in front of Organa's face.

"You will pay for everything you've done to my wife and the Senate. You deserve nothing less."

Palpatine smiled wickedly. "Good. Use your hate for him and make him suffer."

At that, Anakin proceeded to slice off Bail's left arm and grinned when he heard Bail's howl of agony. He wait patiently for a few moments so he could allow Bail to continue his wallow in pain, then promptly sliced off his right arm. Instead of recoiling at Bail's screams, he drew strength of it and realized that this new feeling, this new dominance and darkness as fueling him. It did make him strong and if this would save her, then he loved it. Anakin waited several moments again before severing Bail's legs from his body until he was merely a stump with a head.

Anakin smiled sinisterly before leaning closer to whisper in Bail's ear. "Now, Organa, you will die."

Several moments later, Bail's head flew across the room.

Anakin breathed in deeply and felt the darkness surge at his victory. He knew now that his fate was sealed. There was no going back now. He paused for a moment and reached out delicately with the Force to find the other half of his heart. He found her, sleeping soundly, safe and warm in their bed. That was how it must stay. And this was the only way to accomplish it.

His eyes flashed and he kneeled down in front of Palpatine. "I pledge myself to your service. I am your servant. I will do your bidding…I just want to save her. I'll do whatever it takes."

Palpatine smiled and placed his hand on Anakin's shoulder. "Good, my young apprentice. From now on, you shall be called…Darth Vader."

Anakin nodded, signaling his approval of his new name.

"Now, Vader, you must travel to Mustafar to tie up some loose ends for me. I will give my order to have our opponents and the Jedi eliminated. Meet me here once you have completed your mission."

Vader bowed once again before leaving for his mission. First, there was one stop he had to make.

Padme sighed deeply and continued gazing out the window. Her frown refused to relinquish and her worry hung over her like a storm cloud. Something horrible had happened. There was something wrong with Anakin, she could feel it. Their child seemed to second that worry as she felt a strong kick from within.

"Anakin, please be alright. Please." She whispered into the silence.

She turned abruptly at the sound of the door clicking open. Joy spread across her face and she ran immediately into her husband's waiting arms.

"Anakin, I was so worried about you. Are you alright?"

He stroked her hair reassuringly before replying: "Of course it is. Why wouldn't it be?"

"I don't know. I just had a bad feeling, that's all. It was nothing."

He smiled lovingly down at her and placed a tender kiss on her forehead. "I can't stay long. I just wanted to let you know everything was ok. I have to go on a mission and I'll be back before tomorrow."

Padme's forehead furrowed in confusion. "What? Where are you going?"

"Mustafar."

"But why?"

"I have something I have to do there. I can't explain it…but Padme, you have to listen to me. There's going to be a lot of things going on within in the next few hours. The Chancellor and I…we've discovered treachery in the Senate and in the Jedi. We've decided to fight it and bring the traitors to justice. The Jedi are going to say I betrayed them, when they're really the ones that have betrayed me and everything I thought the Jedi stood for. Don't believe any of it because what I tell you now is the truth."

"I…can't believe the Jedi…they're against us…they're trying to take over?"

"Yes…you'll wait for me, right?"

She nodded quickly. "Yes, yes of course. I will, but Anakin…can't you tell me what's going on?"

"I wish I could…but you just have to trust me, alright?"

She nodded and he gathered her in a strong embrace. They kissed tenderly, both wishing that the moment didn't have to end. Before finally turning to leave, he placed a hand gently on her abdomen, then rested it lightly on her cheek to wipe away her tears. Then, he was gone.