Despite the droid's protestations, I refuse to remain in the medical bed. However, the clones at the door have been instructed by Piett not to allow me to leave, so I begrudgingly remain in the sick bay. Wearing the ridiculously short sleep pants and robe that the droid has furnished me with, I pace up and down in the small room. The pain in my back has been reduced to a dull ache, thanks to the generous dose of painkillers the droids have forced me to take. But the pain is negligible compared to the anxiety I feel. How did I not see the attack coming? How did Kastellan know about Piett's true identity? Does he have allies among the admirals who are just waiting for their chance to take advantage of the present situation? My mind is a flurry of questions, none of which I have any answers for. Not yet. I decide that as soon as I am able I will pay Kastellan a visit in the brig, and use whatever means necessary to get answers from him.

"Excuse me sir," the droid interrupts my musings. I turn around to look at it. "What is it?"

"You have a visitor," it tells me, standing aside to reveal Padmé. I smile when I see her, and walk over to meet her.

"Ani, we were so worried!" she cries when I reach her. She puts her arms around my neck tentatively. "Are you okay? Why are you out of bed? You shouldn't be up and walking around so soon!"

I smile at her barrage of questions, feeling the deep love and concern behind them. "I'm fine, angel," I tell her, taking her face in my hands. "Luckily the wound wasn't deep. I suppose I have the suit to thank for that."

She nods. "I suppose," she agrees. "Oh Ani, what's going to happen now? Is your plan ruined?"

I sigh. "I don't know what's going to happen," I tell her. "I haven't had a chance to talk to the admiralty yet. Piett is all but keeping me a prisoner in here."

"Well good for him," she replies with a little smile. "I'm so grateful to him for being here when we couldn't be. Luke and Leia are sick with worry, but Firmus didn't think it was a good idea for them to come on board yet. At least the men already know about me."

"Yes, he's right I'm afraid," I tell her, letting her lead me to a pair of chairs where we sit down. "I miss them both," I add, smiling at her. "Hopefully..." I stop, not even sure I should voice the hope I have at this point. Everything is such a mess, I'm not sure I can even expect anything good to come of it all.

"So what has been going on?" she asks. "What is going to happen to Kastellan?"

"Kastellan is in the brig," I tell her. "His fate remains to be determined. As for the others, Piett has managed to convince them that I am really the same man that they knew as Darth Vader."

Padmé frowns. "How did he manage that?"

"A DNA read out," I reply. "The Force may have changed everything other aspect of me, but my DNA was not altered."

"Well that's fortunate," she replies. "So now that they have been convinced, will they accept you as emperor?"

"That remains to be seen," I tell her. "According to Piett, many of them have started to think about what Kastellan, said that I am Anakin Skywalker now."

"You mean they know that Anakin Skywalker and Darth Vader are the same man?" she asks.

"Yes, it seems so," I reply. "Somehow Kastellan found out about my arrest on Naboo; I think he must have a contact within the legal system there, or perhaps one of the guards themselves. My secret was bound to be discovered by someone at some point, Padmé. It's just unfortunate that the one who discovered was someone like Kastellan."

She nods in agreement. "Well, Piett found out," she points out. "And he accepted you. Perhaps the other admirals will too, Ani. I'm not sure what else we can hope for at this point."

"Yes, I know what you mean," I reply. "And have been considering that very same thing myself. The trouble is, if I reveal my true identity to them and they don't accept me, this whole plan will be blown sky high."

"It's a risk, no doubt about it," she agrees. "But what else so we have at this point, Anakin? I think your credibility as Vader has been destroyed. Perhaps it's time for total truth."

I sigh deeply, and rub my stubbly chin absent mindedly. Total truth? What is that? Is there such a thing any more?

"Ah, Padmé, nice to see you again," Piett says as he joins us in the sick bay.

"Thank you," she replies. "And thank you for keeping an eye on him," she adds, nodding in my direction. "He always has been a terrible patient."

Piett chuckles. "I believe that," he says. "You're looking better, Anakin. The sleep did you good."

"Thanks," I reply. "I'm feeling pretty good. Good enough to get out of here in fact."

"Nice try," Padmé replies. "You're not going anywhere just yet. Not while I'm here."

"I see the two of you have conspired against me," I reply, looking from her back to Piett again.

They exchange a look of mock innocence. "Us?" Padmé replies. "Would I do that to you, Anakin?"

"Yes," I reply immediately, earning a laugh from each of them.

"Anakin, the admirals want to see you," Piett tells me, deflating the playfulness of the mood instantly.

I look at Padmé, who seems as tense I as feel at this news.

"You mean now?" I ask him. "Here?"

Piett nods. "They want to see their emperor unmasked, Anakin," he tells me. "They want to know who it is they are about to declare fealty to. If you want my opinion, I think you should show them."

"Don't you think that's very risky?" Padmé asks. "If they see that he is Anakin Skywalker, won't they refuse to accept him as emperor?"

Piett remains silent for a moment. "I cannot say for sure, Padmé," he admits. "But from what I can tell, just talking to them, they seem like reasonable, decent men. There's an old saying on my homeworld; you can attract more bees with honey than vinegar. If they see that you are not the ruthless despot that Vader was, that you are an honorable man, a man who cares about more than just power, then perhaps they will give you their allegiance willingly."

"He makes a good point, Ani," Padmé says, reaching over and taking my hand. "If you can earn their allegiance rather than wresting if from them by force, the way Vader would, the way Palpatine did, it will mean far more, and will establish the basis for a peaceful coexistence between them and the Alliance."

I look at my wife, knowing that of all people involved, she more than anyone understands the subtleties of political negotiation. She has always had uncanny instincts and knew tremendous success both as a queen and as a senator. If she believes that this will work, then shouldn't I believe it too? I want to believe her; I want to trust that her instincts are correct. She has always been right in the past, more times than I can recall…

"Okay," I say at last. "Let's do it. Bring them in, Firmus."

"Are you sure?" he asks.

I nod. "Yes," I tell him. "I trust my wife's instincts. Besides, we're backed into a corner. What other choice do I have at this point? It's time to introduce the admiralty to Anakin Skywalker."

Piett glances at Padmé, and then leaves us.

"It will be alright, Ani," she tells me, squeezing my hand.

I nod. "Do I look okay?" I ask, running my hands through my hair nervously. "Hardly look like an emperor in my pajamas."

Padmé smiles. "No one else could make sleepwear look as distinguished," she replies.

I laugh, grateful for her presence at this moment of truth. I squeeze her hand as I sense the approach of a group of men. In a moment, they are before us. I am relieved that all 38 of the admirals did not decide to descend upon me all at once; still, the 8 who stand before me are enough to make me nervous. They look at me in surprise, perhaps expecting to see a monster under the mask. I say nothing to them, but look at each one of them in the eyes, looking into their minds as they stare at me with undisguised shock.

"Gentlemen," Padmé begins, standing up and taking control of the situation. "I am Padme Naberrie Skywalker, the wife of Anakin Skywalker," she turns to me at this point. "No doubt you have a lot of questions at this point, but please keep in mind that he is still recovering from a life threatening injury. I ask that you do not stay too long."

She sits down again, and I am suddenly struck by the irony of the situation. Here I am sitting in my pajamas in a hospital room, holding court with my empress for the first time. Quite an auspicious beginning…

"Lord…uh..." begins one of the men. "I..I don't know what to call you," he admits. "You are clearly not Darth Vader anymore, though we understand that you were at one time."

I nod. "Yes, for 22 years I was Darth Vader," I tell them. "But before that I was Anakin Skywalker, Jedi Knight."

"Hero of the Clone Wars," puts in another of the men at this point. "I remember you, sir," he adds, still unsure how to address me. "You were one of the greatest warriors in the galaxy."

"What happened to you?" asks a third man. "What caused you to become Darth Vader? You were a hero, a Jedi..."

"It's a long and complicated story," I tell him. "One of the great dangers of being a Jedi is the temptation of the Dark Side of the Force. I succumbed to that temptation, for reasons I will not go into at this point. Suffice it to say that the late emperor took advantage of my youth and arrogance to turn me into his apprentice, and, eventually, his henchman."

"Palpatine destroyed the good man who was known as Anakin Skywalker," Padmé puts in. "He used him, twisted and abused the trust that Anakin had placed in him since he was a young boy. Palpatine had planned all along to use Anakin to destroy the Jedi and the Republic. And he stopped at nothing to see that plan come to fruition."

The admirals look at one another, clearly surprised by this.

"So what happened to Darth Vader then?" asks one of them. "Clearly you are no longer the evil Dark Lord anymore, nor are you the cyborg that we all believed you to be."

"My son redeemed me," I tell them, not holding back anything anymore. "I had believed that my child had died, along with my wife, for 22 years. For 22 years I lived with the guilt, believing that I had killed them, a lie told by our illustrious emperor to further enslave me and keep me in darkness. When I learned that my son was alive, I knew that I had been lied to, and it compromised everything that Darth Vader had come to stand for, everything that he believed in. My son brought me out of the darkness, with his steadfast belief that deep down inside of Vader there was a good man, the man who had once been his father. If it weren't for Luke, I would have remained in darkness, but he never gave up on me, even when I brought him before the emperor as my prisoner."

The admirals are listening in amazed silence. I stop, only to take a breath before I continue.

"I have no desire to be emperor," I tell them. "The very title is like poison to me now. All I desire is to bring healing to the galaxy, to see peace and justice restored." I stop now; feeling exhausted both emotionally and physically. I watch the men before me, trying to determine what is in their minds and in their hearts. Padmé watches them too, but then turns to me, a look of concern on her face.

"You're exhausted," she tells me softly, putting her hand on my arm. She looks up at the admirals. "If you cannot see that this man is the only hope the galaxy has, then there is nothing else to be said. He and he alone can unite the rebel Alliance and the remnants of the empire. He was and still is the greatest Jedi the galaxy has ever known, the most accomplished warrior, and a natural born leader. In fact, you would not find a better leader anywhere in the galaxy, were you to search for a life time. With him as your leader the conflict that has plagued the galaxy for decades can finally be put to an end."

Padme's words leave me moved and speechless. I take her hand in mine, not caring if the admirals see the look of utter adoration in my eyes. I am beyond caring at this point, however. Padmé is right; everything has been said. It's up to the admiralty now, for the future of the galaxy is now in their hands.

The men say nothing in response to Padmé's impassioned speech, but I can sense in them that they are not unaffected by our words.

"We obviously have a lot to think about," one of them finally says. "And much to discuss with our comrades. I have to tell you personally that your story has inspired me," he adds, looking at me. "I had no idea that Darth Vader was such a complex, tragic man, and the fact that you have turned your life around the way you have is truly a testament to your strength of character. But I am one man; there are others who have to know this, to consider all that has happened and the consequences therein."

"I agree with my comrade," puts in one of the other men. "But we cannot speak for everyone. We will speak with the others, but it would mean a great deal more if you did, sir," he says, addressing me.

"I will gladly speak to them," I tell him, "when I am permitted to leave the medical facility," I add, looking at my wife with a smile.

"Of course," replies another of the group. "You are obviously well looked after and well loved," he remarks with a smile, glancing at Padmé. "We will speak with the others and await your recovery. And may I say that I hope it is a speedy one."

"Thank you," I reply. How refreshing it is to hear genuine, heart felt concern from an imperial officer, rather than obvious pandering and empty flattery. Padmé was right to show these men who I truly am, for I sense in them acceptance, respect and even admiration. But, as they pointed out, there are others who must be in on this decision. I can only hope that they will be united in their acceptance, for if the admiralty is divided, then the conflict will only continue.

I watch as the group leave, feeling cautiously optimistic.

"Well, I think that went very well," Piett comments as the door closes behind them. "Very well indeed."

"I think so too," Padmé agrees. "They were very open to what you had to say, Anakin. I think most of it truly shocked and surprised them. But most of all I think that they can see with their own eyes what a remarkable man you truly are. They would have to be blind not to see it."

I look at her and smile. "Well my love, you are speaking from a decidedly biased view point," I tell her. "This will not be an easy decision for them to make. In accepting me as their leader, they relinquish all ties to the old empire, and in essence, are signing its death warrant. While some, like those we just spoke with, will accept change gracefully, there are others who will not. Change can be terrifying for some, even if it is a change for the better. Some of these men are in their 50's or even 60's, and have spent half of their life or more in service to the Imperial navy. Now we are trying to take that away, to replace it with something unknown; that can be a scary thing."

"I agree," Piett comments. "But these men are intelligent, Anakin; no one makes Admiral without being above average. Well, unless they get a hasty field promotion that is," he puts in wryly. "They know that the empire has been decimated, and for it to survive and continue would be an enormous struggle. Even if they don't know the particulars, they surely realize that the Rebel Alliance now outnumbers them in man power and ships. That alone should be enough to persuade them to join your cause."

I nod, knowing that what he says is true. But will the rest of the men in that conference room see it?

"You need to rest, Ani," Padmé announces at last, standing up. "Don't try to tell me you're fine, I know better. Let's go, your majesty."

I smile at her, and let her lead me back to the bed. I lie down, wincing against the newness of my wound.

"Now rest," she orders, pulling the light blanket up over me.

"Yes ma'm," I reply with a grin.

She leans down and kisses me lightly. "I'm very proud of you, Anakin Skywalker," she tells me softly.

"Thanks angel," I reply. "It means a lot to hear you say that." I try to stay with her longer, but the lethargy is too strong, and I can feel my eyelids getting heavier and heavier.

"Sleep," I hear her whisper softly as I drift off.