A/N:

Well, this is it, my dear readers. Last chapter. Then we'll have an epilogue, and then I'll be leaving the Star Wars fandom for a while, much fun as I've had dabbling in it. Hope you enjoy, I've never written an action scene any kind before. The ending might be a little confusing, there is an explanation at the end…but I sincerely ope you won't need it.

We do not leave for quite some time. There are preparations to be made, planning to do.

But two weeks after Yoda makes his announcement, I find myself boarding Padme's ship for Corascant.

Padme managed to find time off to come down and watch the twins. She has been here for two days, getting adjusted to the well set routine. And now my family stands before me, and we are saying our uncertain goodbyes, for Force knows how long. Pretending this is ordinary, I'll be back tomorrow, ignoring all other possibilities, and because that is what we believe, that is the truth.

I hold Leia one more time. Her warm body is soft and clean. "Bye, Leia," I whisper in her ear, "I love you."

Luke is being held by Padme, red-faced and screaming. He was okay a minute ago, before he realized what was happening, but once Obi-Wan stepped onto the ship after Yoda, and he realized that this could as permanent, or more so, as the goodbyes he was used to from his mother, he dissolved. Now Padme and I exchange babies in a difficult tangle of limbs.

Luke buries his face in my shirt. "Don't Daddy go, too," he begs, sniffling, "stay."

Supporting him with one arm, I use the other to tilt his face up to mine. "Hey, its okay, Luke. We'll be back home soon. And in the meantime you have Mommy and Leia."

He mashes his damp cheek to my face. "Don't Daddy go," he pleads one more time, blue eyes round and hopeful.

"I'm sorry," I apologize, "but we'll be back soon, okay? I love you, Lukey."

"I love Daddy," he says earnestly.

I grin despite everything. That's the first time he's ever told me that.

I set him down gently by Padme's side, where he stands solemnly by her side, clutching her hand.

I walk to Padme and hug her gently. I lean down and press my lips to hers.

"Eww!" shrieks Luke, "Daddy kiss Mommy!"

Thanks for ruining that moment.

"I'll be home soon," I promise.

"I know," she says sincerely, eyes glistening. "I love you."

"I love you, too."

Reluctantly, I turn and board the craft.

-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-

We enter the atmosphere using a cloaking device so that the radar will not detect us. Because we have timed our attack so that it is nighttime on the side of the planet Palpatine will be, we are able to land in one of the lower levels undetected.

The three of us grab our lightsabers. Yoda and Obi-Wan clip them to their belts, but I hold mine, glad to be able to, exhilarated to be out and fighting, happy.

"Are you all right?" Obi-Wan asks, concerned, when I still have not moved and the doors are open.

"Of course," I say, standing up abruptly and allowing the filthy Corascanti air to saturate my lungs.

I walk off the ship first, but Yoda soon steps ahead of me. Obi-Wan follows, making up the end of our silent train.

The area is damp with poverty. People beg by the sidewalks. I want to help them, and almost stop.

Like most of the lower levels, the walkways are very dimly lit. Flickering light bulbs are placed every ten feet or so along the walls, but many are burnt out. Some light slides out from the boarded up windows, but dies quickly.

It with is relief that I follow Yoda onto one of countless lifts that will take us to the upper levels.

"So we're just going to walk in and start fighting him?" I ask skeptically as soon as the doors creak shut and the lift begins to churn upwards.

Yoda nods his head gravely, "Our best hope, it is, to take him by surprise. Unprepared Palpatine will be."

I shuffle my feet, hesitant to disagree with the powerful Jedi master.

"Everything will work out in the end, you'll see," Obi-Wan says comfortingly, a half-smile playing over his lips.

"I wish someone would just explain why you're so confident," I grumble, "He killed Master Windu and all the other Jedi easily enough. What makes you two think we'll be safe from him? I don't—"

I stop abruptly, twisting the edge of my sleeve in agitation, seeing the other two exchange a glance; and feeling, through the currents and eddies that seem almost normal now, communication between the two.

"Yoda didn't think it was a good idea to tell you," Obi-Wan says slowly, looking over my shoulder at the ticker that tells us what floor we're on, "but…oh, dear, I don't quite know how to say this…it sounds rather…" He trails off, turning expectantly to Yoda.

"Two clones of you, created there were," he admits, "sent to take your place in prison, one was. The other," he continues, "sent to Sidious, he was, to pretend service. Working for Sidious the past few months this clone has been. A spy he has also been."

It takes a minute for the full implications of this to sink in. "You created a clone of me, without telling me? Did you think maybe you should have asked me?"

"The right thing it is," Yoda says calmly, refusing to acknowledge my anger, "help us to defeat Sidious it will. Think you are the clone, and therefore faithful, Sidious will, when see you he does."

"So are you expecting him to fight instead of me?" I ask angrily, voice rising.

"No, we are not," Obi-Wan intervenes, "Midichlorians are not transferred through DNA; his count is just over the average. You are right; we should have told you the plan. Yoda believed it was best, and I just went along with it."

"You just went along with it? What if he dies? I am not going to ask another human being, another person, to die for me."

"No, you don't understand. He will leave and you will stay. But when you confront Palpatine, he will believe you to be the servant and therefore be off his guard when you attack."

"What about you two?" I ask as the doors hiss open into the cold night air, "Aren't you going to help me?"

Master Yoda walks out, covered in typical Corascanti clothes—elegant, draping, simple, all trace of Jedi gone—"Young Skywalker, as soon as engaged Palpatine in combat you have, help you we will."

Grimly, not speaking, I follow him out, drawing my cloak closer, Obi-Wan following behind me.

The doors to the apartment are locked, and a night watchman stands before them. But he is easily tricked into opening the door and forgetting about us with a few mind tricks from Yoda.

The hall is dark and hushed. I place my feet lightly, fearing that the slightest noise will alert someone to our presence. I hold my breath and mask my presence in the Force, until Yoda stops outside a door and indicates that this is where we will find Palpatine.

Okay, Anakin, Obi-Wan speaks quietly through a Force bond, The clone should be waiting just inside the door. What you need to do is contact him without alerting Palpatine to your presence and then attack Palpatine while he is asleep.

I am hesitant. Isn't that a little low, attacking him while he's sleeping? I wonder dubiously.

It is more than he deserves. Obi-Wan is bitter, full of viciousness that I never saw in him while he was a Jedi. Look what he's done to you. To everyone.

I look at my hands, metal covered in a thin layer of skin. I move them and hear the gears shift to accommodate the change.

I picture Leia, limp and empty. Dead children, burning buildings, broken families. And wonder how I could have questioned the rightness of killing Palpatine.

I reach my hand to the door. The silvery metal of the knob is cool and smooth under fingertips. And then there is a hand on my shoulder, and I turn to see Obi-Wan, looking quite panicked. No! He screams in my mind, you must contact him first, from out here!

I comply, hesitantly reaching out with the Force, probing beyond the door until I feel what I assume is the clone. It is almost familiar. The presence feels like a shadowy echo of something I used to be, once upon a time. We're here, I say silently, We're ready.

Using the Force, I slip the door open and move to step in, but Obi-Wan grabs the hood of my cloak and pulls me back. A cloaked man, head bent, steps out and indicates that we should follow him. We do, and at the end of the hall he tugs the three of us into what appears to be a storage closet. Someone flicks a switch and the light comes flickering on, momentarily blinding me so that I have to squint.

When I recover, I receive the greatest shock I have felt in a long time. The man has pulled his hood down, so that I can see his face, and it is like looking into a mirror…but different. His face does not sport scars. His hair is thicker, as is his skin. Even with my poor eyesight, I can make out the fact that his skin is much darker. Well, I guess that's to be expected. I've spent most of the past year indoors. It's just these past few months I've gone outside at all, and Degobah is so foggy and dark that there is no sun to speak of.

I meet his eyes, which are happy, the happiest eyes I can remember seeing since before this war started. "Hello," I say awkwardly, "I'm Anakin."

"I guess I am, too," he replies, laughing slightly. There is something wrong about that laugh… "Listen," he says shortly, "if he wakes up before you have the chance to kill him, an excuse could be that you were considering flying back to Wuquiona to finish your mission, and wanted his permission."

"What exactly was my mission?" I ask, not sure if I want to know, unable to stop myself from asking.

"Wuquiona is basically a wasteland," he informs me, "except for the native civilization. Today I was there to finish off the native populace to make room for an army outpost."

I close my eyes briefly, shuddering at the thought of this almost-me killing.

He only does what he is told, Obi-Wan says silently, correctly guessing the cause of my agitation, Do not blame yourself or him. It was necessary for the good of all that he obey all of Palpatine's orders.

But it's not okay. I refuse to meet anyone's eyes, and instead glare formidably at a cleaning droid perched precariously on a shelf above the other-me's head. "Yes," I say in a monotone. I'm responsible for any death he's caused.

"Here," says the other-Anakin suddenly, "We'd better exchange cloaks so that there is less chance he'll spot the difference."

He pulls his cloak off, and I silently hand him mine. Shivering, I draw his around me. It is made of extremely thin silk, and seems to be designed mostly for style. Or at least, there's no way it would do any good in the cool Corascanti atmosphere.

"There," Obi-Wan says as soon as we've exchanged cloaks. "It's a bit harder to tell the difference now…Oh, dear, I don't know what to call you…Clone?" he winces, "That sounds awful, but there it is, I don't know how else to do it—what we need you to do is go as fast as you can to the lowest level of this skyscraper and walk about ten meters left until you find a Nubian ship, then bring it up as quickly as you can and hover outside Palpatine's window in case we need to make a quick getaway."

He nods and slips silently away.

I take a deep breath and slide out the door behind him.

We reach the place where the door is, and I put my hand on the knob, and again Obi-Wan pulls me back. But this time he pulls me into a tight embrace. He lets go of me and smiles. Call as soon as you need us, Anakin, he begs silently, don't try to do this all on your own. I nod to indicate I understand.

May the Force be with you, he adds silently, as I glide through the door.

I open several doors in the suite before I open one to hear a light snoring.

Palpatine.

I pad hesitantly to the bedside, hardly daring to breathe in case it wakes him. I concentrate solely on cloaking my presence. I am afraid, in my wild imaginings, that he will hear my heart beating.

When I am about a foot from the bed, I press the hilt onto his head and move to press the button—

But too late, because in the millisecond space gap I've given him, he is awake and tumbling off the bed. My lightsaber ignites only to pierce a hole in the pillows.

In one swift, fluid motion, he has a lightsaber in his hands, and is standing, knees bent, ahead of me. "And so the apprentice betrays the master," he hisses through clenched teeth. His face, which is illuminated only by the faint glow of our lightsabers, is lit with fury.

"No," I stumble, "No, I wanted to ask you—"

"And I'm sure that's why you were holding a lethal weapon to my head!" He snarls and stabs at me. I bring my own saber up from my side just in time to block it, and aim a blow of my own at his chest.

But it's too late, I am on the defensive. Now he is driving me back—back—back.

In desperation, I jump and hurl myself over his head, landing squarely on a dresser in the corner, head nearly scraping the high ceiling.

He sneers, and seems to be more annoyed than anything, as he charges at me.

When he gets near, I jab my saber at him, intending to stab his heart, but when my saber is almost close enough, he pushes it aside and uses the Force to tip the dresser, sending me sprawling.

I find myself crushed under a weight of clothes and drawers, and scramble backwards on my hands, trying to get away.

His lightsaber is drawing towards me, closer, and, still buried under the weight of clothes, I snap my wrist free and bat it away, simultaneously reaching up with my other hand to grab his wrist, bending it back—back—if the bones break it is over, he will be unarmed and I can kill him.

But just as the bones are about to crack, snapping like twigs, the gears in my hand reverse, forcing me to let go.

Obi-Wan did the same thing on Mustafar.

I reach down and grab my lightsaber, running through the door into the main part of the suite as he stoops to get his lightsaber, hoping to gain an advantage. He darts into the room, looking frantic, and I flip over his head so that once again I am behind him. I stab hopelessly at his back and this time it seems that I am fast enough because there is a hiss of pain and then he is facing me again, face contorted.

But now he is driving me back. Any time I reach out to stab at him he blocks, and, before I am able to attempt again he stabs at me until I am forced to give up and just block, over and over, in order to prevent myself from being skewered.

Each step takes a conscious effort. Something has happened and I am missing the Force, the easiness which used to live in my feet and move me. I have to think before each blow, and precious time is wasted.

Eventually, as he slowly drives me back into the hall connecting the main room with the bedroom, I flip over him one more time, and swipe at his ankles. He jumps and lands slightly off balance. When he whirls to face me I am already gone, swinging my saber in a broad sweep at his legs. He jumps again, but this time I burn off the bottom of one of his boots.

Now each step he takes is slightly lopsided, causing him to be slower to duck when I jab at him. Now he's on the defensive, and I am driving him towards the wall.

With a frustrated hiss, he blocks my stab and brings his still smoldering boot to my face, burning me where it touches.

Now the pain in my face has half blinded me, and realizing this, he turns on a light. And now I cannot see at all.

I guess blindly, sweeping my saber here and there, and I still have enough help from the Force that I am right most of the time and meet his blows.

But it is when I feel my back to the wall that I truly fear for my life.

I give a hoarse yell, and suddenly Obi-Wan and Yoda are in the room.

Yoda is everywhere, impossible to focus on, blurring as he darts here and there.

And Obi-Wan—Obi-Wan fights with me. He is beside me, his every step designed to work with mine, each stab or swipe carefully coordinated.

Suddenly, as though at a signal, I flip over Palpatine's head and stab at his back. He is so busy flinging things at Yoda with the Force that when he turns to block me his attention is diverted completely.

He is unprepared for Obi-Wan's blade in his side.

He topples to the ground, his face surprised. We all stop moving in shock, to watch.

His hands claw at his stomach, and when he opens his mouth to speak, blood trickles out.

"Anakin," he breathes, "do not…please…do not…have mercy…"

I have no pity left in me.

And suddenly, in a way I have never felt before, I am the Force. I am Palpatine, and suddenly I know all of his plans and ambitions, his weaknesses and fears.

And so I can only watch from my own body as the Force fills me and uses me to press the blade to Palpatine's skull, killing him instantly. And just as suddenly, both of our Force-presences, which were contained in that body, are gone.

The universe is so quiet I wonder if I have gone deaf.

Oh, there are noises. Obi-Wan is tugging at my cloak, begging me to hurry. Yoda is at the window, sliding it open and jumping into the waiting ship.

But there are no emotions, no feeling, no whisper of thought. I allow Obi-Wan to guide me to the ship, feeling isolated.

I have lost my bond with Obi-Wan. I feel no pain, no emptiness, because there is nothing to feel. I have suddenly and irrevocably been stripped of anything concerning the Force.

I am isolated. I suddenly cannot prove without looking and feeling that anyone else exists. There is just me now, lost without a sense of where I am.

I tumble into the ship, and do not take the pilot seat. There is little I can do to help.

Obi-Wan says, "The Force is balanced Anakin."

I give a shuddering sob. "I can't feel it. I can't feel anything."

He looks at me sadly. "I know. I feel your pain, and I felt it when our bond was riped apart."

"I'm sorry," I mutter, and I feel as though I am a padawan again with nightmares in the night. "But I can't feel anything."

"You have done your job. I am only sorry it had to come at such a high cost to you. By releasing the two most powerful Force-presences, the Force has been balanced…Anakin, I am so proud of you right now I cannot even say."

"Thank you," I tell him, and mean it.

"The galaxy is a better place because of you," he says softly, "there is nothing more you could have done."

Padme is awake when I walk through the door. She is curled up in a ball on an armchair, reading a book. She is so thoroughly absorbed she does not notice me entering.

Wanting to surprise her, I creep behind the chair and touch her shoulders gently. "Hello, Padme," I say softly.

She yelps and flings her book to the ground, moving to face me in one motion.

When she sees who it is, her face lights up with a smile. "Ani…oh, Ani, I'm so happy to see you…oh, I've missed you so much.

I kiss her softly and stroke her soft air. "I missed you too," I say, momentarily forgetting everything else. "It's good to see you, too."

For no reason at all, she laughs. "I'm just so happy," she says in response to my confused look. "I didn't know if you'd be back."

"I'm here," I say softly. "It's over."

A/N II:

See, his Force Presence—not his consciousness—was in Palpatine's body when Palpatine died. So he lost his Force presence but kept his consciousness. As far as I know there is nothing in the SW universe preventing this. Stay tuned for the epilogue.