I wait, alone in my cell, trying my best not to worry. Yet, I cannot help but do so. If only I understood Piett's motivation, his goals, then perhaps I could find a way out of this, a way to appeal to the good man I know him to be. I am puzzled by the animosity he has shown towards me, for he and I always had a reasonably amicable relationship. But he doesn't believe you are Vader; he thinks you are an imposter. Correction: he knows you are. Is it the fact that I am masquerading as his former commander that has him so agitated, or is it more than that? I have not had enough time to study him, to try to get into his head to see what his motivations are; perhaps if I am given a chance, my questions may be answered.

My musings are interrupted by someone entering the cell block. I look up and see none other than Piett himself entering the room where I am being held.

"I told you that I would be back," he tells me. He steps into the room as the door lock shut behind him. "Now," continues, sitting down on the bench across from the one I am seated upon. "Let's have that chat I mentioned."

I frown under the mask, put off by his genial demeanor. "What's there to chat about? You've made your intentions fairly clear."

He nods. "So it would seem, yes," he concurs. "But there is still much to discuss. Let's begin with you telling me who you really are."

"What makes you so certain I'm not Darth Vader?"

Piett considers for a moment, not quite sure what to say. He doesn't know that I have guessed his true identity, and is therefore reluctant to say too much about his knowledge of Vader.

"Darth Vader would never have allowed himself to be taken prisoner so easily," he replies at last. "Nor would he have a woman on board, a woman he claims is his wife. If you were truly Darth Vader you would have choked me where I stood for challenging you the way I did before I came on board. And lastly, I know for a fact that Sith Lords carry red lightsabers. Yours is blue."

"Since we're putting all our cards on the table," I tell him, not responding to his list of observations, "it might surprise you to learn that I know that you too, Admiral Malz, are a fraud."

His face registers surprise, and I sense in him a growing feeling of unease.

"I know you are in fact Firmus Piett," I continue. "Who went missing, supposedly dead, at the Battle of the Endor moon. I checked into the records of this Malz you are claiming to be. The records don't go back further than one standard year, coincidentally around the same time that Firmus Piett was supposedly killed."

"How would you know anything about this Piett?" he asks angrily, letting his unease show.

"Because I know him very well," I reply. "He was the closest thing I had to a friend at one time."

Piett's eyes narrow. "Come now," he replies peevishly. "You're not going to continue with this farce, are you? I have proof that you are not who you claim to be. The Nabooian authorities were most helpful in furnishing me with details of the arrest and incarceration of Darth Vader, who now goes by the name of Anakin Skywalker. So for you to claim to be Vader is obviously a ruse. I'm not certain why you felt the need to try to impersonate him, but your little game has ended, here and now."

"Firmus Piett," I continue, determined to get through to him somehow. "Born on the world of Axxila in the Outer Rim, graduated at the top of his class from the Imperial Academy, and made captain by the age of 26; Served on board the Accusor before being assigned to the Executor; promoted to the rank of admiral in 3ABY immediately following the execution of Admiral Kendal Ozzel…should I go on?"

Piett watches me closely. "Anyone could access that information on the Imperial net," he retorts. "It proves nothing." His emotions, however, do not reflect his bold statement.

"No?" I challenge. "Tell me this then: why would I know anything at all if I were an imposter? And, more to the point, how would I even recognize that you are Piett unless I am who I say I am?"

Piett is confused now, and I begin to sense in him some uncertainty, as though he is not so sure of his course of action any more.

"You are not Darth Vader," he declares. "I knew Darth Vader, better than most." He stops, realizing that he has all but admitted to being Piett. He continues, nevertheless. "Darth Vader was ruthless, cruel and without conscience. He was a monster who stopped at nothing to get what he wanted, and cared for no one but himself."

"True," I admit. "I know exactly what a monster Darth Vader was. I know because I was Darth Vader."

"What are you trying to say?" he asks as the truth starts to dawn on him.

"I think you know," I reply. "You've been to Naboo, you know what happened to Vader. You know how he renounced the Dark Side, how he was redeemed and returned to being the person he was born to be."

"And that person is you? Is that what you want me to believe?" he asks.

"What I want it to understand your motivation," I respond. "The Firmus Piett that I knew was anything but ruthless, far from being a traitor. What has happened to turn you against the Empire?"

Piett frowns angrily, and turns away from me. I sense within him a deep sense of loss, of pain and anger. Something has happened, something terrible, to have caused this change in him.

I walk over to him. "Tell me what happened," I tell him. "You can trust me."

"Trust you?" he retorts. "I don't even know who you are. How do you expect me to trust you?"

I realize that in order to gain his trust, I must take drastic measures. Perhaps this gesture will prove once and for all that he can trust me. It must…there's no turning back now.

As Piett watches me in astonishment, I remove the helmet and mask.

"I'm Anakin Skywalker," I tell him as I face him at last.

Piett's eyes grow wide. "You are the man I saw in the records on Naboo," he says slowly. "So you really are Anakin Skywalker."

I nod. "Yes," I tell him. "And you are Firmus Piett."

He nods. "I suppose there's no point in denying it now."

"No, there isn't," I reply. I smile at him. "It's good to see you again, old friend. Now tell me what happened," I ask him.

"I…I went home, to Axxila, after the Death Star was destroyed," he begins. "I left the Executor, for the Devastator had lost most of its command crew and I was headed there to take over its command. But before I could get there, my shuttle was damaged, sending me off course. I ended up in the Outer Rim eventually, and managed to reach Axxila. My intention was to return to the battle as soon as I could find a ship to get me there; but what I found on Axxila changed my mind, it changed me forever." He stops to collect his thoughts. "My mother had become quite ill several years back, and I had put her into a long term care facility. It cost a great deal, but it was the best in the system, and I didn't want her to have anything but the best. But when I went to see her while on Axxila, what I found was the most disgusting, blatant case of abuse I have ever seen. The facility was filthy, the patients neglected beyond belief. My mother had died as a result of this neglect, of that I have no doubt. I demanded an explanation for the state of affairs, and was told that Imperial cut backs were responsible, that the taxes the facility was forced to pay the Empire were so high that they couldn't keep up the place. I didn't believe them, wouldn't believe them; but upon investigation, I learned that it was true. The personnel who I had entrusted my mother's care to were all gone, and in their place were nothing but incompetent, apathetic paper pushers. None of them cared, none of them were even qualified to care for the elderly, but the cost of keeping trained professionals was simply too high. So rather than closing the place, they kept it open, another way for the Empire to collect easy money, preying on the infirmities of the elderly who were too weak and ill to fight back."

I can feel his pain, his indignation as he recalls his mother's neglect. I cannot help but remember my own mother's tragic end, knowing the depth of the pain he feels.

"The Empire is evil," I tell him. "You know that now, don't you?"

He nods. "Yes, Lord Vader, I do. When I think of all the years I spent serving the Empire…"

"I know," I tell him. "I have had to deal with a tremendous amount of guilt since renouncing the Dark Side; but I have set upon a course of action that I hope will help to make amends for all the evil I helped perpetrate."

"What is that, my lord?" he asks.

I smile at him. "No, not my lord, Piett, the name is Skywalker, Anakin Skywalker. I have assumed the identity of Darth Vader in order to infiltrate the Imperial ranks."

"To what end?" he asks.

"To destroy the Empire," I tell him. "To put an end to it once and for all. I have the allegiance of the Rebel Alliance on my side, lead by my children, Luke and Leia Skywalker. Your allegiance would further our cause, Firmus."

"How?" he asks simply. "How do you plan to do this?"

I regard him for a moment, trying to ascertain whether I can truly trust him. Yet, at this point, all is lost if I cannot, for I have already revealed my true identity to him, not to mention my plans to destroy the Empire.

"I understand your uncertainty, my…Anakin," he replies, sensing the reason for my hesitation. "Let me prove to you now that you can trust me." He activates his comlink. "Bridge, this is Malz. Release the prisoners, repeat: release the prisoners and stand down. Bring Lady Vader here to me in the cell block."

He looks up at me. "Well?"

I nod, grateful for his gesture of good will. "Well, the plan is simple, though it will take some doing. Palpatine named Darth Vader as his heir and successor. If I can become emperor, it would put me in the perfect position to put an end to the fighting, to dissolve what is left of the empire permanently, and restore peace to the galaxy. I need the support of the admiralty, however; and that is something I am not certain of, not yet."

Piett nods thoughtfully. "A brilliant plan," he comments. "But surely as Vader you are in a position to demand the support of everyone, are you not? Who is it that you are unsure of, besides Malz of course?"

I smile. "Well, I think I know where he stands now," I tell him. "It's Kastellan I'm worried about. I have sensed a great deal of animosity in him; I don't trust him."

"With good reason," replies Piett. "He is the one who first alerted me to the possibility that you are not who you claim to be."

"What?"

"Anakin!" I turn to see Padmé at the doorway. She runs over to me and we hold one another tightly for a moment, relieved and overjoyed to see that the other is unharmed. "I was so worried," she tells me softly. "So worried that you'd been harmed in the explosion."

I stroke her hair gently. "It's okay, Padmé," I tell her soothingly. "I'm just fine. There's someone here I want you to meet."

Padmé pulls away and looks over at Piett, then back up at me questioningly.

"Padmé, this is Firmus Piett, an old friend, and a new ally. Firmus, my wife, Padmé Amidala Skywalker."

"It is an honour to meet you, my lady," he says, bowing to Padmé.

"Likewise," Padmé answers. "Anakin has told me much about you. We're glad to have you on our side."

"Lord…I mean, Anakin, didn't you tell me that your wife had died?" Piett asks tentatively.

"Yes, I did," I tell him. "Palpatine lied to me about that too. He told me that I had killed her, along with our unborn child. It was only recently that I learned the whole truth," I say turning to look at my wife with a smile.

"How monstrous," he comments, shaking his head. "He used your sorrow to control you all those years."

"Yes, he did," I tell him, frowning at the thought of those long lonely years.

"He knew that my hold on the Dark Side stemmed from the pain I suffered at the loss of my wife and child, and he used that pain to turn me into his slave. And I let him. For that I will never forgive myself."

"But now you will put an end to his legacy, Ani," Padmé reminds me gently. "You will eradicate all traces of Palpatine from the galaxy once and for all."

I nod. "Yes, that is the plan." I look back at Piett. "Can we count on you to help us?"

Piett looks at me, and then back at Padmé. "It seems we both have good reason to despise the Empire, Anakin," he tells me. "Nothing would give me greater pleasure than to fight by your side to bring it down. You have my loyalty, once again," he says, holding out his hand to me.

I smile, and shake his hand. "It will be good serving with you again, Piett."

He smiles back. "At your service, Anakin."