Thanks to everyone who is reading and has reviewed. My apologies for not adding specific comments, but I am in a bit of a rush right now. Promise to have them for the next chapter. Here is an update to close out this year. Hope you all enjoy!


Time seemed to stand still as Sabé remained spellbound. Her body shook and her muscles stiffened in protest, preventing her from turning around. Breathing even became difficult as her heart slammed furiously within her chest. Sabé knew that voice — she knew it as well as her own; but that was impossible. Sabé fought through the shock, finally ordering her body to cooperate. The blood drained out of her face when she saw what had to be a ghost…

"It has been a long time," Padmé said, holding her arms out invitingly.

"Is this a dream?" Sabé asked hoarsely.

A large smile creased her face as she shook her head. "No, I can assure you that I am quite real."

"But how? I saw you…I saw your body…" Sabé began to swoon, Padmé ran over to help her stay on her feet. The Grand Inquisitor blinked rapidly as her friend helped her to sit down on a nearby bench.

"Take a deep breath."

Sabé nodded as she obeyed, never removing her eyes from her friend — her sister, who kept rubbing her back in support. She was dressed in a simple lavender outfit and aside from a few grey hairs, she had changed little from the woman from her memories. "I can't believe you're alive."

When she reached for Sabé's hand, her expression fell as she repentantly spoke. "I'm so sorry that I couldn't tell you or my family. Unfortunately, it was necessary."

"I don't understand."

"Perhaps then I should start at the beginning," Padmé said with a knowing grin.

"That is always the best place to start," Sabé quipped.

"Absolutely," called out the deep voiced Darth Vader, who emerged from the shadows. "We can finally tell her the truth."

Sabé whirled onto her feet and was about to stalk towards him when Padmé clasped her arm. "It's alright, my friend." She turned towards Padmé confused as she stopped in place. "Thomas and Sienna are both safe and sound on the Executor."

"And they are there willingly," Vader added.

A large smile eclipsed the former Senator's face as she extended her hand towards him, which he clasped happily. "Sabé, allow me to introduce my husband, Anakin Skywalker."

She stared at him while clenching her jaw. "Padmé, how can you trust this monster? He lied to me about everything!"

"You are mistaken about a few important things," Anakin retorted, waving his free hands innocently. "I'm sorry, but it was necessary to deceive you until we were sure."

Sabé looked at them both quizzically. "Sure about what?"

The former Jedi and his wife exchanged a quick glance before Padmé motioned for her to rejoin her on the bench. "Come. There is much to discuss."

Anakin added softly, "And after you hear our story, you may then pass your judgment."

His eyes narrowed as he watched his former Master, Obi-Wan Kenobi standing at the top of the skiff's ramp. Anakin's eyes shifted towards his wife who he was about to unleash his wrath upon for this betrayal when she protectively stepped in front of him.

"Stop Obi-Wan!"

He hesitated briefly before regaining his composure. "Stand aside, Senator. This is between Anakin and me. He must answer for his crimes."

"It is no longer your place to be judge and executioner," she shouted, continuing to stretch her arms backwards. "I will not allow you to harm him."

"And I cannot simply walk away, Padmé."

Anakin was confounded by her protectiveness, in light of all he had done. Revulsion consumed him when he realized that he was actually going hurt her — hurt the one that he had done everything for. This is where the insanity of Palpatine's promises had brought him to and now Obi-Wan was prepared to destroy him.

"Still the mindless Jedi, Obi-Wan," he sneered. "You'd rather kill your own brother than disobey the Council."

The Jedi Master's face furrowed. "You must be stopped. The friend I once knew is gone forever."

"And what will you do if Padmé doesn't stand aside? Kill us both?" Anakin angrily asked.

"I shall do as I must," he replied, activating his lightsaber in one motion.

Anakin grabbed Padmé's hand and whispered, "Stand back. Once I draw him away from the ship, get in and leave."

"Ani, I won't abandon you. I need you…We need you. You don't have to do this," she pleaded.

"Please, go my love. I can't fight him and worry about you both. Go."

Before Padmé could answer, Obi-Wan moved dangerously close causing Anakin to withdraw his weapon. She shrieked as the two sabers clashed dangerously close to her head. Anakin adeptlypushed the attacking Jedi away, moving their confrontation to the other side of the platform, creating an opportunity for her escape.

Padmé complied with her husband's wishes as she hurried towards the ship. As she was about to dash up the gangplank, she turned to watch them fiercely battling. Her heart, already broken from Anakin's misdeeds, was completely torn as she knew that it should have been different. Sighing deeply, she was about to enter the ship when a terrible pain suddenly radiated throughout her abdomen. Her pulse jumped when the realization struck her that the baby was coming…But it was too soon.

Anakin stood on the platform that bobbled in the lava, looking up in anger at his former Master. Like a coward, he had leapt over to a nearby cliff to escape his relentless assaults.

"It's over, Anakin. I have the high ground."

Anakin inwardly sighed, knowing that he was correct. Yet the pride of his new found abilities swelled, urging him—begging him to blindly attack. He was about to go against his better judgment when a swift, sharp pain permeated throughout his being.

Padmé.

The baby.

Both were in trouble.

They needed him now.

Returning his focus to the moment, he searched around Obi-Wan frantically for something — anything he could use to shift the advantage. He nearly allowed a grin to eclipse his face when he realized that he was doing precisely what his former Master had always tried to teach him — fighting a smart battle. His platform lurched forward in the lava, further pulling him away from where the Jedi stood. Time was running out.

At that moment, Anakin concentrated the Force into the nearby cliff where Obi-Wan stood. A loud rumble echoed throughout the canyon while the ground trembled violently at his will. Taken by surprise the Jedi fell down the cliff, giving his former apprentice the opening he needed to attack. Anakin somersaulted from the platform to a position mere inches away from Obi-Wan, who was struggling to stand. Quickly, he swiped his blade forward, striking the unsuspecting Jedi across the arm.

He screamed painfully, grabbing at his wound as he fell to the ground. With the power of the Darkside urging him to kill his opponent, Anakin was about to obey until another volley of pain emanating from his wife and unborn child caused his resolve to waver. He sneered briefly before deactivating his weapon and running back to the landing platform. The only thing that mattered was Padmé. The Emperor, the galaxy and Obi-Wan would all have to wait…Only for the moment.

Upon reaching the skiff, Threepio hurriedly approached him, followed closely behind by Artoo. "Master Anakin, I'm afraid Mistress Padmé collapsed when she attempted to enter the ship."

He nodded, kneeling beside her. "Padmé…Angel? What's wrong?"

She looked up at him, fear etched in her face. "Ani. The baby…Something's not right."

"I'm getting you out of here."

Consumed with worry, Anakin was about to lift her when he saw the edge of a lightsaber strike his artificial arm. Sparks exploded, rendering the limb useless as he urgently called his weapon into his left hand. It took his remaining strength to parry the next series of powerful thrusts as the Jedi was leading him away from the platform, down towards one of the deep lava pits. Panic surged within Anakin as he was losing ground and could feel the pain intensifying within Padmé. He was running out of time and Obi-Wan's injury seemed only to embolden him.

Calming his mind, Anakin counterattacked, striking furiously at his former Master who quickly repelled the attack. He was about to re-establish his defensive stance when an errant strike caused him to instinctively jump backwards. However, when he landed, Anakin stepped onto a loose part of the ground which instantly gave way when he planted his feet. He struggled to remain upright, flailing his arms to maintain balance; but his momentum dragged him further back, causing him to fall down into the deep pit.

This was the end...

Moments later everything went dark...

Obi-Wan stood somberly while he watched his former student disappear down the trench. With the pain and anguish of what he had done finally taking hold of him, he mournfully shouted, "You were the Chosen One, Anakin! Why did you do this?"

Shaking himself out of his misery, Obi-Wan returned to the skiff where he carried Padmé inside. As he placed her on a bunk, she opened her eyes. "Anakin?"

"I'm very sorry, Milady." Obi-Wan apologized. "There was nothing I could do. Anakin's dead."

Tears filled her eyes, which narrowed when she looked up at him. "I will never forgive you for this," she vowed, her breathing intensifying as another contraction stuck. "It should have been you!"

The Jedi sighed, as he struggled to find any words to comfort her. When Padmé turned her head away to grieve, he silently made way to the cockpit. After keying in the ignition sequence, the ship's engines powered up and they lifted off into the sky...

A dull ache filled his head when the world of fire returned around him. He blinked rapidly when he turned to see himself only a few short meters away from a bed of liquid fire. It appeared that he landed on a small ledge, saving him from a terrible fate he didn't want to begin to imagine. Anakin reached out into the Force to find Obi-Wan, but to his dismay, both he and Padmé were no longer nearby. However, a more ominous, darker presence was growing nearer by the second.

Using the Force, he leapt to the top to see that the silver Naboo skiff had been replaced by the dark colored shuttle belonging to the Supreme Chancellor. Dusting himself off quickly, he bowed when the Dark Lord of the Sith approached.

"Rise, Lord Vader."

"My Master… I failed in dealing with Kenobi and now he has taken…my wife."

Palpatine slightly grinned before approaching the younger Sith. "I'm afraid, my friend, that I bring bad news. The Jedi have continued their treachery…Your wife is dead."

"How can that be?" He painfully screamed, jerking away from his master's comforting hand. "She was alive!"

"I sensed her death in the Force; surely you did as well."

Anakin reached into the Force, feeling his perceptions were suddenly blanketed. Only a short time ago he could feel Padmé, who was further away, but still alive. And now, nothing. The universe itself which was always at the edge of his perception had become obscured by the shroud of the Darkside — by Palpatine himself.

But why would he do such a thing? Unless…

He angrily clenched his teeth, staring over at the Sith Master. "Then allow me, my Master the opportunity to hunt him and the rest of the renegades down until they are purged from the galaxy."

"You may, Lord Vader. Show them no mercy."

The Sith apprentice hurriedly half-bowed before departing for a smaller platform at the rear of the facility. A shuttle similar to Palpatine's rested in the shadows, which had belonged to the slain Separatists. Anakin quickly boarded the ship and launched it into space, away from Darth Sidious. Almost immediately, his senses returned, but to his horror, he could feel his wife's life force fading rapidly. Anakin activated his navicomputer to search for the closest medical facility.

Polis Massa.

He quickly engaged the ship's hyperdrive in route for the remote outpost. His heart trembled in terror, knowing he would not reach her in time.

He had to do something immediately.

Anakin moved from the pilot's seat to the floor where he folded his legs and closed his eyes. Immersing his entire being into the Force, he visualized the bond they shared, following the thread through space and time until he found himself within his beloved's soul.

/Padmé, my love./

/Anakin…Oh Anakin…the pain./

/I know, Angel./

/I'm dying.../

/You must be strong. I'm coming for you./

/How? Obi-Wan told me you died./

/He lied. I'm alive and I am heading to Polis Massa./

/You can't, Anakin. Bail Organa was waiting for us with Master Yoda. You won't be able to defeat them both./

/I don't care. I must get to you and the baby./

/They won't harm us, Ani. Besides, they believe that the baby is as strong in the Force as you./

/I believe I might have a solution, but you will have to be brave./

/Please be careful. I don't want to lose you again./

/You won't. I promise./

The dark cockpit returned as Anakin opened his eyes. Quickly he stood up and sat at the comm station where broke into the central computers on Polis Massa. He found that the medical droids were in the process of delivering their baby and her life signs had finally stabilized. They had observed that she was dying until only a few minutes prior.

Perhaps he could make them think the opposite. However, he would have to act quickly and in a way not to arouse the suspicions of the Jedi. He was well aware that both Obi-Wan and Yoda would know the difference between Padmé sleeping and merging with the Force. Anakin would have to send her to a place that even the Jedi's abilities could not reach. He quickly downloaded the new set of instructions, as well as sent a priority message to Theed in Palpatine's name. Hopefully the Force would be with them as too many things could go wrong.

Obi-Wan stood silently with the medical droid as it finished cleaning off Padmé and Anakin's newly born son. He turned to present him to his mother who seemed to be slipping away quickly. He turned to the medical droid. "I thought you said that she was stabilizing?"

"I'm sorry Master Jedi, but it seems that we are losing her again."

"Do something!" He urgently ordered.

"My apologies, but her ailment is beyond our means."

Padmé smiled inwardly as she overheard the discussion. She knew her Ani had done something, but what exactly, she did not know. However, she felt no more pain as a peaceful sleep was descending upon her. She smiled happily as she named her son Luke — a name she had loved since childhood. Hopefully Anakin would be pleased with her choice.

Padmé thought that she was talking about something important, but she no longer felt in control of her actions. In her dreams she saw herself with Anakin and their two children — she had been carrying twins. How surprised Anakin would be when she told him. In this vision they were happy, living away from the darkness. In this world that she now existed, there was no more war, no pain, just harmony.

If this was death, she welcomed it with open arms…

The last of the funeral party left the Mourner's Pillar, leaving the carriage containing Senator Amidala's body alone until the gravediggers placed her in her tomb. A solitary figure wearing a black hooded cloak, which concealed his features, approached swiftly. He paused when he observed her lying with her japor snippet entwined within her fingers. Kneeling at the front of the carriage, Anakin placed his hand on her forehead, extending his entire focus into the Force. A moment later, Padmé's eyes shot open, and she smiled when his face came into focus.

"Am I dead?"

"Hardly," he answered, wrapping her in his arms.

"Did it work?"

After kissing her briefly, he backed away slightly to look at her. "Well you're here talking to me aren't you?"

"But how?"

Anakin grinned proudly. "I ordered the medical droids to place you in a drug induced coma. It was something that I picked up during the war when we were too far from the medical frigates." His smile grew as he continued, "And one of the side effects is that it made someone appear as if they were dead because all of their life functions were reduced to minimal."

Again squeezing him, Padmé whispered, "How ever you did it, thank you." As her mind became more fully awake, awareness of everything that happened returned to her. "What about the twins?" She worriedly questioned.

"Twins?" He asked stunned.

"Yes, we had a boy and a girl."

Anakin's features fell as he released her. "By the time I arrived at Polis Massa, they were gone."

"We must find them! Anakin, I can't live without my babies."

Reaching over to hold her tightly, he answered, "We will, my love. I promise."

Padmé offered a slight smile at her stunned friend who continued to watch her intently.

"I know where your daughter is," Sabé admitted.

"As do we," she answered. "We found her soon after my funeral. In fact, I believe you saw me on Alderaan. Bail and Breha were kind enough to allow Leia to keep their name, while I raised her in private."

The Inquisitor turned in surprise. "Did Bail know Anakin and who he is now?"

"Of course he does," Padmé answered. "Anakin was a very important figure during the Clone Wars and they worked closely together for years. However, Bail is unaware that Vader knows about Leia and me"

"Why not?"

"That is the reason for the entire charade, Sabé." Anakin responded. "We had to be very cautious with what we told you. Palpatine has eyes and ears everywhere"

"And what of your son?"

Padmé turned sadly to Anakin, then looked away abruptly as tears filled her eyes. Placing a gentle hand on her shoulder, he answered, "We've searched for nine long years, but we've been unable to find Luke." He sighed deeply. "All we know was that Obi-Wan took him, but until he visited you on Alderaan, he had simply vanished."

"Every effort to contact him had failed," Padmé sheepishly added. "Even Bail didn't know where he went."

"With good reason, Padmé." Sabé said, turning towards Anakin. "Vader—Anakin did after all murder the entire Jedi Order. I doubt he would trust you with your son."

"I am filled with nothing but regret over my actions. Palpatine's lies and false promises nearly drove me to insanity that day." He smiled slightly as he looked at Padmé. "Yet, I stayed as his apprentice and learned everything I could until it was time."

"Time for what?" Sabé curiously questioned.

Anakin briefly glanced at his wife before returning his focus to the Inquisitor. "We became concerned that the Emperor had learned that Padmé still lived. I was going to take her and Leia into hiding when we heard about Saché's death."

Padmé then added, "At first we thought it was an accident, but when both Moteé and Ellé, who were helping us, disappeared, we knew that Palpatine was trying to bait us into showing our hand."

"So Ellé is dead?"

A stray tear fell from Padmé's face as she looked up at Anakin. "We buried her after we found her burned to death on Nar Shaddaa."

Sabé shook her head as she reclined against the railing. "So it has been Palpatine all along…"

"I'm afraid so," Padmé said softly. "And there was nothing we could do to stop him."

Looking at Anakin, Sabé asked, "If you knew it was him, why didn't you tell me when we spoke?"

"I couldn't risk one of the Emperor's minions learning about Padmé," he replied. "Besides it wasn't the right moment to act."

"What do you mean?"

"We believe now is the time to end Palpatine's reign of terror. We're going to overthrow him, but we need your help."

She rose to her feet abruptly, folding her arms snugly against her chest. "My help? Why?"

"The people of the Empire know and trust you. They are aware of your boldness with your inquiry and we will need their support if our coup is to be a success."

Sabé straightened as she realized the implication. "You are going to kill Palpatine." As Anakin nodded, she further questioned, "Once you get rid of him, who will take his place?"

Padmé stood up and interjected, "That is a discussion for another time. Obi-Wan stole our Luke and we want him back desperately." She then gently grabbed Sabé's upper arm. "Please tell us where he is. I must have my precious little boy back!"

Before the Inquisitor could speak, the sonic boom of a ship decelerating from orbit filled the air — a small, one man ship soon after came into view as it passed over the landing platform. At first she looked at in surprise, wondering who would want to travel to this spirit forsaken world. However, moments later when she saw the brown robed figure emerge from the ship, Sabé stood stiffly as she remembered who she had called to help her.

This was not good.

TBC-Thoughts, comments and reviews welcomed!