Ep I: The Slave Jedi

by jdLevengood

A rebooted version of Episode I. In this version, Anakin Skywalker is a young man, and former slave, who saves the life of Queen Padme Amidala when she flees to Tatooine after the conquest of Naboo. She is accompanied by the newly minted Jedi Knight Obi-Wan Kenobi, who recognizes the Force power in Anakin. The three will lead the liberation of Naboo, initiating the Clone Wars.

7. Final Victory

Chapter 7: Final Victory

After marching for several hours, the team led by Soala and Anakin reached the area with the armory. In order to avoid being seen, they had been forced to march through the thick of the forest. They had expected it to take them a long time, but the march proved to be easier than they thought. They were able to take a moment to rest as they awaited word of the diversionary assault.

They stayed back and out of sight from the armory so they wouldn't be spotted. When it came close to the scheduled time for the diversionary assault, they moved closer to the armory so they could see it.

The armory looked like a cylindrical ship hangar. Anakin could make out a door facing them, and from outside, it looked to be lightly guarded. There was no way to know, though, how many droids were inside, ready to back up the guards.

The fighters got into position. Soala and Anakin were in the center of the group, with the Naboo soldiers flanking them on either side. Soala pulled out her communicator, which was scanning the communications of the droid army. While they communicated entirely in binary, the device was able to tell them what they said.

Immediately upon activating the communicator, it started revealing the messages coming from the droids at the armory being attacked by the diversionary force. The droids there were notifying the central command of the attack. The central command was directing all available droid units to that position. Soala knew the units would get there quickly, and she desperately hoped the diversionary team would be gone by the time they arrived.

By monitoring the droid communications, they were able to follow as the reinforcements reached the armory. The droids fighting the diversionary team reported they had stopped for the moment, although they expected the resistance fighters to press their attack again. Additional reinforcements were being sent.

All eyes were on Soala as they were anticipating the signal to attack at any moment. All her attention was on the communicator. She paid attention as it told her one droid unit after another arrived at the other armory. When the check-ins stopped, Soala figured as many forces were diverted there as they could hope. She gave the signal to attack. Right as she gave it, she herself ran out from their hiding spot. For a moment, everyone was stunned, as they expected her to try and stay safe by bringing up the rear. Their hesitation meant that Soala ran quite a good distance alone, completely exposing herself. She was lucky the droids that spotted her didn't seem to think the young girl running their way was a threat to them. They watched her completely befuddled by what she was doing.

Anakin was the first to get over his shock and make a move to join the princess. He leapt into the air, landing directly in front of Soala and breaking into a run the moment his feet hit the ground. When he looked back to check on her, he saw the rest of the soldiers had emerged from the foliage and were running as fast as they could to catch up to their leaders.

Feeling a sense of danger through the Force, Anakin turned back around just as the droids guarding the door started firing at them. He used his lightsaber to block their shots. Someone behind him started firing, taking the droids down with expert precision. He looked back to see Soala had her blaster drawn. Once again, she was proving her proficiency with a firearm.

When Anakin and Soala reached the door to the hangar, they immediately started looking for a terminal Artoo could plug into. Anakin glanced back to see how far away Artoo was. He noticed him far behind the rest of the troops. The uneven ground made it hard to him to traverse.

Just as Anakin was about to grab Artoo with the Force and levitate him over the ground, the door opened abruptly. "What's going on here?" the mechanical voice of the droid sentry asked.

When the door opened, Anakin could see inside at the droids guarding the armory. There were far more than they had been expecting. Not only were there sentries, but there were robotic fighters who had transformed and were using their wings as legs.

With the Naboo fighters were still a good distance behind them, Anakin and Soala were sitting ducks. He moved quickly to try and take out as many droids as he could before they could fire at the princess. He yelled to her to hide as he charged right at the droid who had opened the door, slicing him to pieces. Soala obeyed him and dove to the side, taking refuge against the outside wall. They were fortunate in that the droids were too stunned to attack right away.

After slicing apart that first battle droid, Anakin surveyed the others. He knew he couldn't just take them on one by one, so he channeled the Force and pushed every droid against the walls of the armory. The Naboo fighters stormed through the door and started firing. Anakin stayed back as he didn't want to put himself in the line of fire. He watched as the soldiers fired at everything they saw. Most of their shots hit a droid, but a few of them came close to the stash of weapons. Anakin prayed they didn't destroy all of them.

"Hold your fire," Anakin yelled when he saw most of the droids had been destroyed. The soldiers obeyed, and he used his lightsaber to take out the last few droids. When everything was quiet, he surveyed the armory and saw they had avoided hitting most of the weapons.

"Move those carts over there," Soala commanded, pointing to the ones she wanted. "Move them alongside the stores of weapons and start loading them.

Even though there should have been no forces left outside, the fighters closed the door so they could work out of sight. After loading up four skids with almost all the weapons available, Soala ordered them to move out. She ran to the back door as the rest of the soldiers got the carts. She opened it and led everyone out. Anakin had the sense that route was not safe, and he made his way to the front of the group. Shortly after stepping out from the armory, a contingent of battle droids and tanks emerged from the same foliage where their army had hidden.

"Get back in the armory!" he yelled to everyone. All the Naboo soldiers around them started walking backwards as they fired at the oncoming army. The battle droids opened fire as well. While their aim was poor, there were enough of them to take out several Naboo soldiers. Anakin had to move his lightsaber frantically to block all the shots aimed at him and Soala. He wished she would use the cover he was providing her to run back to the safety of the armory. She had no intention of doing that, as she saw it as her duty to place herself at the front of the battle. She stayed right behind Anakin, firing away with her blaster.

The tanks behind the battle droids were moving slowly, bringing their large guns up to fire at the armory. Anakin knew he didn't have much time to do something about them. Once they had their guns aimed, they would be able to take out the entire group with just a few shots. While still using his Force senses to block the shots of the droids with his lightsaber, he channeled it to grab the tanks and lift them up into the air. As they flew up, he made sure to turn them around, so their guns were all pointed away from the armory. He flung them back against the forest, where they all crash landed in one clump.

The battle droids were shocked by what they saw Anakin do. They stopped firing for a moment as they turned around to see what happened. Anakin took the moment to survey his forces as well. He glanced back to see they had backed up enough, so they were right in front of the armory again.

"Get inside," Soala yelled. The soldiers all ran inside, but rather than take her own advice, Soala stayed behind Anakin and continued to pick off the battle droids. Her shots seemed to rouse them from their shock, and they began firing again. He blocked their shots as the last couple of soldiers caught outside halted in order to return fire as well.

One of the droids got in a lucky shot at the control panel, hitting the button for the doors and causing them to slam shut. Stuck outside now, Anakin, Soala, and the last two remaining soldiers were trapped.

"We need to take cover by the door," Anakin yelled to the others. The door was indented three feet into the structure, providing a small space for Soala and the soldiers to take cover. As they retreated, Anakin blocked one bolt after another, but it wasn't enough. One of the soldiers went down upon taking a direct hit. Anakin started formulating a plan to take out the whole army. He knew he could jump past the forces confronting them, then slice them apart. He wanted to make sure Soala was safe first. He glanced behind to find her pressed against the wall. There were blaster bolts hitting all around her, but she seemed safe as long as she stayed pressed against the doorframe. Her problem was she was not staying pressed against it. She was exposing herself every few seconds so she could fire her blaster. The lone remaining soldier on the other side of the door was doing the same thing.

"Stay pressed against the wall, I will take care of them," Anakin yelled. With his back turned to the droids, Anakin never noticed the tank coming out of the forest. One of them had landed upright and was able to get itself back into the battle. As it raced forward, it fired directly at the door, hitting the side where Soala was seeking shelter. The princess howled out in pain. Anakin was thankful he could hear her, as it indicated she had at least survived the initial blast. When she fell right in front of the door, he was able to see she was still in one piece, but her shoulder was completely blackened. He could smell the burnt flesh, and knew it was bad. While the blast hadn't killed her, he was doubtful she would be able to survive for long with an injury like that. The lone remaining soldier rushed over to tend to her.

A feeling of dread hit Anakin. He had promised Padme he would look out for her sister and see her through this battle safely. He had failed, horribly. He thought about how he would have to face her, but quickly put those thoughts out of his mind. He needed to concentrate on doing whatever he could to save Soala's life. He used the Force to create a whirlwind that swept up all the droids and tanks in front of him and pushed them into a ball. He then pushed the ball away with such force it flew through the air. Anakin knew when it landed, it would do so far away from them.

Anakin ran back to the door, to find the soldier sitting with Soala across his lap. He had his helmet off, allowing Anakin to see his face. He was surprised to see the soldier was younger than he was, probably the same age as Soala. He was cradling the head of the princess. Anakin was impressed by the way the young man was caring for her.

"How is she?" Anakin asked the young soldier.

"She's alive, and breathing, weakly, but she's breathing." The young soldier was fighting back tears as he spoke. "I have no idea how much longer she will last."

Touching her with the Force, Anakin was able to confirm what the soldier told him. Her Force essence was weak. How much longer, she had, he had no idea. Looking over her, he could see that her left shoulder was not the only part of her body that took the blast. The entire left side of her torso was charred. Her arm itself had somehow miraculously escaped the shot. Her neck and head were untouched, giving Anakin some hope she was okay enough to last until they could get her to a medical facility.

Anakin jumped in shock when the armory door opened. He was scared more attacks were coming, but only friendly troops emerged. He was instantly relieved to have some help in saving Soala's life and expected them to leap into action. Instead, they became distraught over the sight of the princess.

"Are any of you officers?" Anakin yelled to them. He was irate they were not able to better handle themselves. Only one man slowly raised his hand to indicate he was an officer.

"Are there any medical facilities nearby we can take the princess?"

"I-I don't know." The officer was nervous as he spoke.

"Any medical facilities in the city would be guarded by the droid armies." The young soldier tending to Soala appeared to actually know something.

"What about the medical facilities in our hideouts?" Anakin asked him.

"From what I know, they were not built with extensive medical facilities."

For a moment, Anakin felt hopeless. He quickly remembered the story he had been told of how Padme and the others had escaped. There had been a house with a secret tunnel leading to the palace. The royals had prepared for all contingencies. He wondered if part of those preparations included a hideout or bunker with a medical facility.

Knowing there was only one way to find out, Anakin closed his eyes and reached out with the Force. Given his emotional state, it was difficult to calm himself enough to reach out, but he managed to do it. He soon felt the familiar touch of Padme's mind.

...

Padme darted up in bed, filled with a sense of dread. At first, she thought she must have had a horrid nightmare. It didn't take long to notice the dread she was feeling was not her own. It was Anakin's. Even before she heard his thoughts, she knew what the cause of the feelings were.

What happened to Soala?

She took a hit and will die if we don't get her to a bacta tank.

Padme did her best to keep her emotions under control. She could feel everything Anakin was, and knew how much pain he was experiencing. A large part of the pain came from his failure to keep his promise to her to watch over her sister and protect her. Padme was heartbroken for her sister, but she wanted Anakin to know there were more important issues.

The mission must come first Anakin. You can't abandon everyone to save Soala. You have an important role to play in our mission that comes first. Padme felt so horrible over what she told to Anakin she almost vomited.

You've seen what I can do, Padme. I can save Soala and perform my role in the mission if you just tell me where to take her.

Concentrate on the mission Anakin. I don't want Soala to die in vain.

She's not going to die at all, if you would tell me where to take her.

Padme could feel Anakin's determination. Through their connection, her fear and doubts were soon replaced by his confidence. It warmed her heart to know how far Anakin was willing to go to save Soala.

Okay Anakin. See if one of the soldiers can give you a holo-image of Theed.

...

"Do any of you have a holo-image of Theed?" Anakin yelled to the surrounding soldiers. Almost all of them were too stunned to reply. The soldier with Soala was unfazed.

"Here you go," he said as he pulled out his projector and activated it.

Anakin knelt next to it, awaiting further instruction.

...

Reading his thoughts, Padme could tell Anakin was looking at an image of Theed. She had believed through their connection she would be able to see what he was. They hadn't done it before, but she believed they could figure it out. Necessity was the mother of invention.

Padme closed her eyes and tried to see what Anakin was seeing. It didn't work.

Let me see what you're seeing, Anakin.

Just like that, Anakin was able to do it, and Padme was seeing the holo-image of Theed. There was something else there. When Padme looked, she saw it was Soala. She was able to see the condition her sister was in, and it horrified her. She became so distraught she started to feel faint as she felt her connection with Anakin slipping away.

Pull it together, Padme. Your sister needs you.

She pulled herself back from fainting and the connection returned to full strength. She was able to see the holo-image of Theed Anakin was holding. He had turned away from Soala so she couldn't be disturbed by the sight of her sister.

Giving him instructions, Padme guided Anakin's hand through the image, having him mark the location of a house that contained an underground bunker with a bacta tank. With the location marked on the image, they would be able to use the map to find it.

...

"How were you able to do that?" one of the soldiers watching Anakin asked.

Reflexively, Anakin broke the connection with Padme. He had to think up something quick. "The Force guided my hand. There is a secret bunker with a bacta tank where we can take the princess."

Anakin turned his attention to the rest of the soldiers. "I am going to save the princess's life. The rest of you will have to take the weapons back. Drive the carts into the forest, then make your way back. When you reach the base, General Kenobi will distribute the weapons. Be sure to tell him what I am doing, and that I will join you tomorrow morning as you start your assault. I promise I will make it."

"Will you require any assistance with the princess?" one of the soldiers asked.

Anakin looked down at the young soldier cradling the princess. "I think the two of us will do just fine by ourselves." He nodded at the soldier, who seemed to beam with pride over the confidence Anakin was showing in him.

After the carts with all the weapons were driven away, Anakin brought out an empty cart. Soala was laid out on it. They took Artoo as well, as they figured they would need him at some point. Anakin drove the cart into the forest behind the rest of the soldiers. Once inside the forest, they turned in the opposite direction and headed for Theed. It took them almost an hour to reach the outskirts of it. They stopped there as Anakin knew they couldn't go into Theed until night fell and the streets emptied.

With a little time on their hands, Anakin went ahead and started a conversation with the young soldier. "What is your name, soldier?"

"Ryu, Ryu Kim. Uh, Private Ryu Kim, sir." Anakin heard the uneasiness in the man's voice.

"Are you a real private in the army, or did you just give yourself the rank?" The man's uneasiness and embarrassment was all the answer Anakin needed. "You can tell me the truth. I'm not exactly going to have you kicked out of the resistance. I'm pretty sure not all the resistance fighters are regular soldiers."

"I know they aren't, as I joined the resistance with several of my friends. One of my friend's older brothers is a regular soldier. He was on leave when the droids came. He knew where to go in case of an occupation, and he let us come with him."

"I'm glad he allowed that. I shouldn't have to tell you we ended up needing all the bodies we could get. And you did well back there, despite not being a regular."

"I failed back there. I was staying close to the princess, hoping I could keep her safe, but I failed."

"It was I who failed. Before we came here, I promised the queen I would keep her sister safe. She was my responsibility."

"I know," Ryu said sheepishly. "I saw you protecting her, but I wanted to help. I had met her before."

"When?"

"It was a couple months ago." Ryu's spirits brightened as he remembered a happier time. "I was at a party at a friend's house, when I saw this beautiful girl all by herself. She was the kind of girl I probably shouldn't have had a chance with, but I went up to talk to her, and we ended up talking the whole night. She didn't tell me much about herself, but it didn't matter. I felt like I learned enough about her to know we had a connection. I went home that night thinking I would see her again, but I never did. I looked for her everywhere. I almost posted something on a message board to find her." He shook his head as thought about the situation. "I had no idea she was Princess Soala until she came to the base."

"I can imagine how surprised you must have been," Anakin said. "Soala told me about that night. Well, she told me about nights like that. She mentioned going out and socializing with other teens her age. No one recognized her, and at first, she was disappointed, but she soon realized its benefit. She was able to hang out as a normal teen." Anakin paused as he thought about what he should say. "While she didn't mention any boy, I could tell she must have had a good time with someone."

"It's okay that she didn't remember me."

"Don't worry, she will remember you after this."

...

"All the troops are here. We're ready to board the transports." The clone trooper stood at attention with his rifle held across his chest. Dressed in his full suit of armor, he looked regal, but deadly, to Padme.

"Thank you, Captain Rex," Thrawn replied. He was standing at attention as well, his hands clasped behind his back. Padme was next to him, standing up perfectly straight, but not quite at attention.

"You may instruct the soldiers to start loading onto the ships," Thrawn commanded. Rex clicked his heels together before pivoting around and addressing his troops.

"Soldiers, load the ships."

The clones turned in perfect unison. Once they were all facing the open loading ramps of the transports, they marched into them.

"The troops are very impressive." Padme felt the need to say something, as the silence between her and Thrawn was awkward. She was unable to think of anything other than the plight of her sister. She was closely inspecting the troops in the hopes it would take her mind off Soala, but it was doing no such thing.

"They will do their job," Thrawn said softly. "Palpatine sent me a message that he and Bail Organa reached Coruscant safely. They are ready to deal with the political fallout from our actions. All we need is the strike team led by Generals Skywalker and Kenobi to come through and clear a landing area for our clone troopers."

"They will complete their part of the mission," Padme said confidently.

"I share your optimism, even though we have no idea what has happened on Naboo. Our intelligence has not been able to pick up any transmissions concerning what might have happened to the strike team. Their ship could have been destroyed in orbit, or they could have failed to find any resistance fighters. We are going there blind, just trusting they will come through."

"They are safely on Naboo, with the fighters they need." Padme's voice was uneasy, as she was thinking about all the things that went wrong for them. Despite that, they were in a good position to succeed. "They will come through for us."

Thrawn looked over and stared at her. He wondered where her confidence was coming from. Despite what she was saying, she was really a nervous wreck. While she had confidence the mission would succeed, she feared it would cost her sister her life.

"We should board the ship ourselves," Thrawn said when he saw the clones were all loaded on their transports.

...

Waiting for the city to empty out was excruciating for Anakin. He knew the longer they waited, the closer Soala got to death. They had to wait, though, as she was never going to survive if they got caught on their way to the bunker. She was monitored closely by Anakin and Ryu the entire time, and they were both ready to risk everything if her demise appeared imminent.

The two waited until after nightfall to emerge from the forest and make their way into the city. The streets were deserted, with few lights on as almost everyone was asleep. Anakin had the skiff moving at a low speed, as the vehicle made less noise that way. He was trying to be as cautious as possible. They knew there would still be patrols of droids on the streets, but they could monitor them. The troops were in constant contact with each other, and Artoo was able to use their radio transmissions to locate their positions. He was able to tell Anakin which route to take so they were able to avoid all the patrols.

When they were still a few blocks from the house, they stopped the skiff and abandoned it. They had no way to hide the skiff, and they didn't want the droids to find it right next to the bunker. They did their best to leave it in an alley where it would be hard to spot, then ran to the house, with Anakin carrying Soala in his arms.

The house holding the bunker looked just like all the others on the street. Anakin wasn't sure they had the right place until Artoo plugged into the computer and beeped excitedly, indicating they were in the right spot.

Anakin waited for the door to open, but nothing happened. Artoo started beeping and rocking frantically. Anakin figured he was trying to tell them why he couldn't open the door, but the humans couldn't understand him. For just the second time in his life, Anakin was wishing Threepio was around, as the protocol droid could tell them what the astromech droid was trying to say.

"I need to touch the doorbell. It needs to read my biometrics." The sound of Soala's voice was so unexpected it startled Anakin.

Anakin looked around and found the button. Ryu was looking around and noticed it the same time Anakin did. He grabbed her hand and pressed her finger against it. The door slid open for them. After looking around to make sure they were still alone, Anakin went inside, followed by Ryu and Artoo.

The indoor lights turned on the moment the door shut. Anakin saw the place was decorated like a normal family dwelling. It even had holo-pictures of a family of four. Everything was done to disguise it.

"Look for the basement," Soala said.

"Stay here and watch for droids," Anakin said to Ryu. "If they find that skid, they might go house to house looking for who it belongs to. While I am sure this house is built to withstand an assault, come and warn me if you see anything."

"I will do that," Ryu replied.

He walked to the other end of the house to find the stairs to the basement. He took them down, with Artoo beeping he wanted to come as well. Anakin didn't want to worry about the droid, so he left him at the top of the stairs.

Once he reached the ground floor, Anakin looked around at the equipment. His eyes immediately fixated on the bacta tank at the back of the room. It was equipped with more than just that, though. There was a large metal slab in the middle that was surrounded by numerous mechanical appendages. Anakin shuddered looking at it, as he realized it couldn't be a very pleasant experience to get treated by those robotic arms. There was also a medical droid sitting idly by the wall. Anakin walked over to activate it, but it came on itself when Anakin reached it. Seeing the injured Soala in the arms of Anakin, it immediately knew she was the patient who needed help.

"Please put her on the table so I can inspect her." Anakin did as the robot requested. The mechanical appendages around the table came to life as they started scanning Soala and poking needles in her body. Anakin trembled as he thought how unpleasant the experience must be for her.

The droid didn't have to work long to give its assessment of Soala's situation. "She needs an incubation of several days in the bacta tank. Once that is completed, she will be completely healed. I have induced a coma and will place her in the tank.

The mechanical appendages started cutting away at her clothing. Anakin averted his eyes, taking just the occasional glance at her to make sure she wasn't being harmed. The appendages cut away at her clothes until she was in her underwear. After they stopped, the droid fit a breathing mask over her face.

The table tilted itself, startling Anakin. He moved back as he watched the mechanical appendages all place themselves under Soala's body. They lifted her up and carried her over to the tank, gently placing her in the liquid.

Knowing she was okay now, Anakin reached out across the distance of space to find Padme. When he felt the familiar touch of her mind, he smiled. He sent her a brief message before breaking the connection.

...

Obi-Wan surveyed the soldiers assembled. They were far from the best-looking fighting force, but they would do. He was just thankful the humans and Gungans were getting along. Having a common enemy to fight did wonders for them. While many of the Gungans were unfamiliar with the weaponry they were being asked to use, the humans were showing them the basics. He had confidence in the Gungans. Given how much the entire species wanted redemption, he knew they would come through. The one person he was concerned about was Anakin. He knew how much they needed him.

Thinking about the extent to which they were counting on Anakin, Obi-Wan shook his head over the nature of it. A week ago, he was just a simple man living on Tatooine. Now, he was the lynchpin of an invasion force trying to defeat a powerful army. The Force was at work in everything. Anakin was powerful in the Force in ways none of the trained Jedi were. He had a great destiny, Obi-Wan could feel it. It made him wonder why he was born and hidden away on a remote planet, only to be discovered now. The Force was mysterious, and when all this was over, the Jedi Council was going to have to spend time deep in meditation to figure out what was happening in the galaxy.

"All the troops are ready," Tarsals said as he walked up to him, accompanied by Captain Olie.

"Give the signal to the platoon leaders," Obi-Wan replied. "Tell them to have their troops assemble into formation outside."

...

"Lieutenant, give me the sensor read-out." Thrawn started barking out orders the second their ship exited hyperspace.

"All ships exited hyperspace in formation," the lieutenant said as he read through the information appearing on the screen in front of him. "The enemy ships are spread out around the planet. I am detecting ten ships breaking formation at this moment and heading in our direction."

"Show me those ships on my holo." The transparent images of ten ships appeared in front of Thrawn and Padme. "Continue observing the rest of the ships around the planet. I am sure they will send more our way as their orbits bring them close to us.

Thrawn pulled out a pointer and started highlighting the holo-images of the ships before him. As he did so, he explained to the queen what he was doing. "I'm highlighting which ships I want each tow craft to target. Since there are ten ships coming at us, and we have five tow-craft, each one can target two enemy ships, one they will push away and another they will pull towards them."

"Transmit my assignments to the rest of the fleet," Thrawn bellowed.

With the assignments done, Thrawn stared at the transparent images of the ships as he rubbed his chin. Padme did so as well, and after a few moments she saw them start to move erratically. The tow ships were using their tractor beams to move the ships around. Now came the moment of truth. Padme was anxious as she watched to see if the ships would truly start jumping to hyperspace out of fear.

"I really hope this works," she began. "My skepticism about your plan has been growing. We're using a parlor trick to try and imitate the power of the Jedi. It will be a stretch for the Neimoidians to believe we have powerful Jedi aboard."

Padme picked up a feeling from Thrawn that he was being very contemplative. "When I first came to this world, I was completely ignorant of the power of the Jedi. I have to say, after I met a couple of them and saw what they could do, I came away completely unimpressed by their power. From my perspective, they have the power to use the Force to carry out parlor tricks as you would call them, but not much else. The power of telekinesis does not equate with the power of foresight, but somehow, they have convinced everyone otherwise. They have done a great job in convincing people that the ability to perform magic tricks means they have wisdom, knowledge, and power beyond all other beings in the galaxy. However, I have carried out a detailed analysis of their mistakes and failures, and that showed no such evidence of advanced wisdom or foresight. This parlor trick you are calling it is just copying the bluff the Jedi perform regularly. This Republic has an unnecessary fear of the Jedi that we are seeking to capitalize on. The ships will flee out of fear. You just have to wait for it."

Padme felt like countering everything Thrawn said about the Jedi and the Force. Over the past few days, through her connection with Anakin, she had gotten to experience a little of what it felt like to have power in the Force, and it was everything the Jedi claimed it was. She stayed silent, as being reminded of Anakin and her Force connection with him made her want to try and seek him out. She closed her eyes and tried to concentrate, seeing if she could initiate the connection with him.

...

Anakin spent the morning deep in meditation. He did it mostly to kill time, but he also thought it wouldn't hurt to channel the Force early. It was almost time for the battle to start.

While still in meditation, he felt the familiar presence of Padme. He once again reiterated to her that her sister was safe. She told him to prepare himself, he would be needed for the battle soon.

...

Padme couldn't believe it, but everything was happening exactly as Thrawn had anticipated. First, the ten ships that had been heading their way disappeared as they jumped to hyperspace. Then, the other ships of the blockade did so as well. She couldn't believe the Neimoidians were truly that spooked, but the evidence was right in front of her.

"We have an opening for the transports," one of the Alderanian officers announced to Thrawn."

"Good. Send the freighters through it." His voice was loud as he gave his commands, but he spoke softly when he made a comment that he only wanted the queen to hear. "Now, we will see if the strike force is able to carry out its task."

...

The communicator in Obi-Wan's hand vibrated as a pre-recorded message came out of its speaker loud and clear. "Federation ships are in retreat. Troop transports are heading for the surface. Strike force is to clear the area." After putting the communicator away, Obi-Wan surveyed the troops lined up around him. They were anxious, and ready for a fight. While he still questioned their ability, there was no denying their desire to destroy the droid army and liberate the planet.

"Move out!" he yelled as loud as he could. "The clone troops are on their way. We need to march to the landing field and clear it for them."

...

Anakin was still meditating when he received a message in his mind from Padme. The freighters with the clone troops are heading your way. He broke out of his trance and headed up to the first floor, taking one last look at Soala in the bacta tank.

"Stay with Soala and guard the place the best you can," he said to Ryu. "There is no reason to believe the droids will find out what this place, but if they do, radio me."

"I will do that," Ryu replied. Using the Force, he could sense the boy was willing to give his life for the princess.

Moving quickly, Anakin walked outside before leaping on to the top of the house. He channeled the Force, reaching out with it to feel the presence of their troops. They were approaching the landing spot. He continued monitoring them as he watched the sky around him. The Federation transports were flying out to the field. Anakin knew he could take them out right now, but he had a feeling that he should not reveal himself just yet. He stayed perched in his spot, using the Force to reach out and monitor his troops as the battle started. The droids put up more of a fight than they had been expecting. The numbers they had were alarming. Wave after wave of battle droids marched across the field, pushing the troops back into the forest and taking complete control of the landing area. They began constructing large guns in the middle of the field in anticipation of the troop transports arriving.

Knowing it was time to make his move, he scanned the sky around him, identifying all the droid transports flying out to the field. He used the Force to grab as many as he could and send them crashing to the ground. He only needed to destroy a couple before the others retreated. Satisfied he had diverted the droid reinforcements, he crouched down as he channeled the Force, amassing energy. When he had enough, he leaped high into the air, flying over the city in the direction of the field where the battle was taking place.

As he started his descent and neared the field, he could see the battle unfolding below him. The droids, along with a line of tanks, were advancing on the Naboo forces in the forest. Anakin knew he was arriving just in time, and he knew he couldn't hold anything back when he joined the fight.

Upon landing in the middle of the droid army, Anakin pushed out with the Force, knocking down battle droids and sending tanks crashing into each other. The entire droid army was thrown off its attack as it tried to re-assemble its formations.

With the Force fueling him, Anakin raced to the join the soldiers on the front lines. As he ran, he took out a few more droids with his lightsaber. When he reached the front lines, he could feel the awe they were experiencing over what they had witnessed. In an instant, they had gained the utmost respect for him. Anakin knew they would do whatever he told them. With the droid army in disarray, the strike force had just a moment to counterattack. Anakin reached out with the Force and touched the minds of all of them, feeding them the impulse to charge ahead and attack. They just needed the command to go.

"Charge!" Anakin yelled as he ran out into the field. He headed right for the first tank he saw and used his lightsaber to slice off its guns. The rest of the strike force followed him, tearing apart the droid army.

...

The battle went just as Thrawn planned. The strike force cleared out the field for the clone troop transports to land. Once they disembarked, Anakin and Obi-Wan led the forces into Theed, leading them to victory over the droid army as they retook the capital city and destroyed the central command of the army. The only thing they failed to do was capture the Neimoidian viceroys. Instead of ruling from the capital, Nute Gunray had been in a ship in orbit. His had been one of the first to flee when the Neimoidians thought they were going up against an army of Jedi. The low-level functionaries in Theed were the highest ranking Neimoidians they managed to capture.

...

When the command ship landed, Padme headed straight for the bunker where Soala was. She almost hugged the bacta tank as she apologized to her sister.

Knowing exactly where Padme would be, Anakin went to the bunker. Once there, he told Ryu to go to the main base. He had done a good job and his task was complete. The man looked reluctant to leave. Anakin told him they would have a continued need for a sentry, and that he could fill it, once he was rested. Upon hearing that, the man enthusiastically left.

Apprehensively, Anakin walked down the stairs to the basement. While Padme had been forgiving of him when they were connected, he wasn't sure if that attitude would continue after she saw her sister in person. He walked to the bottom of the steps without Padme noticing him. When he saw her, his heart broke. Padme was sitting on the platform holding the bacta tank, leaning against it and stroking the glass. She appeared desperate to hold her sister, but that was the closest she could get.

As Anakin walked towards her, Padme finally looked up at him. He could see the desperation and fear on her face, but it changed abruptly when she saw him. She was overjoyed as she ran to him and threw her arms around him.

"Just hold me," she whispered. Anakin wrapped his arms around her, holding her tight.

The two stayed in their embrace for a while. When Padme had enough, she pushed herself back and looked up at Anakin. She reached up and stroked his cheek.

"Thank you for not listening to me," she said as her voice cracked. "I owe my sister's life to you."

"It was the least I could do, given how much I owe you."

"You owe me?" Padme said with a shake of her head. "How can that be?"

"If it wasn't for you, I never would have left Tatooine. If I never left Tatooine, I would not be on the path to becoming a Jedi."

While Padme did her best to try and look happy for Anakin, she knew what all the implications were for him as a Jedi. She looked away from him so he couldn't see the sadness on her face.

"So, you are to be a Jedi then."

"The Jedi Council is on its way to decide that, but Obi-Wan believes they will allow it."

"If you become a Jedi, you will be throwing away any chance we have of being together." Padme went back to stroking Anakin's cheek. "With what you've done, you have earned the stature to marry me. You are the conquering hero of Naboo. All the soldiers saw how you turned the tide of the battle for them all by yourself. Many of them also know what you did to save my sister's life. For anyone who doesn't know your exploits, I will teach them."

"I wish we could be together, but right now, the galaxy needs me as a Jedi." Anakin's voice conveyed his dejection. "More importantly, Naboo needs me as a Jedi. The fallout from this battle is rippling across the galaxy. Hego Damask is calling in his alliances with the other warlord, and they are starting to line up behind him. There is going to be war, and there is fear that it will begin with the Federation returning here with all their new allies to conquer the planet once again. The Council is coming here with every available Jedi to try and prevent that, but Naboo will never be safe until the warlords are defeated and this war is over. I know the Republic is not ready for war. They need all the help they can get. After what I did here, I know they need me." He paused and swallowed hard before he said one last thing. "The Jedi do not exactly kill people for leaving. Perhaps once this war is over, I could return and marry you."

"That won't be possible." Padme was almost crying now. She knew when he talked about protecting Naboo, he was really talking about protecting her. He realized any marriage between them would be impossible during the war, and the only way to end the war was for him to become a Jedi. "If you become a Jedi, you will be held to their standard of anonymity. The citizens of this world will never learn what you did for us. You will never have the stature you need to marry me."

"So, this is it, then." Now, Anakin was close to tears.

"Yes, it is." Padme stroked his cheek again before jumping up into his arms. He wrapped his arms around her and held her as she kissed him one last time. After a very long kiss, she separated their lips just enough to say one thing to him.

"I will always love you, Anakin Skywalker."

...

For the next couple days, Padme refused to leave the bunker. It had been built as a safehouse from which she could conduct all business, so there was nothing she missed out on by staying there, close to her sister. She was even able to contact Palpatine and Bail Organa, keeping abreast of everything happening on Coruscant.

"The Senate has been receiving reports that all the warlords are fulfilling their alliance agreements and joining Hego Damask," Palpatine revealed to her during one of their conference calls. "For once, our politicians are not shying away from their responsibilities. They realize we are at war, and they are ready to take the steps necessary to fight it."

Bail Organa took over for Palpatine. "There is a growing realization in the Senate that Chancellor Valorum is not up to the task of leading the war effort. We just got done with a no confidence vote, and while Valorum won it, the loss of support showed by the vote sent a loud message. It is clear he cannot last much longer, and steps are being taken to find his successor. There are only two candidates being considered, and one of them is Palpatine."

"Congratulations," Padme said.

"Right now, he is the second choice of most Senators," Bail continued. "Ainlee Teem was hand-picked by Valorum, and most Senators want her as she is more experienced and gives the office some continuity. She has been very astute by reaching out to us and offering us leadership of the war committee."

"So, no matter what happens, the Republic's conduct of the war will be in your hands," Padme pointed out.

"Yes, but it is still vital that I become chancellor," Palpatine stated. "Every decision the war committee makes will still have to be approved by Teem. She will have veto over everything. I fear that Naboo will not be properly defended by her. While your planet will almost surely find itself under attack again, allocating resources to you will be difficult as it is far from the most important strategic planet. With limited resources, Naboo may be left to the warlords."

"Is there anything I can do to help?" Padme asked, nervous.

"The main thing holding back Senators from voting for me is the fear I am a loose cannon that will need to be constrained. If you could record a message detailing my calm conduct in planning the liberation of your planet, that would do much to alleviate the fears of those on the fence."

"I will record that message and get it out to you right away."

...

"His power is raw. His potential is apparently unlimited. He is strong in the Force in a manner I have never known in a Jedi." Obi-Wan completed his speech to the Jedi Council, outlining Anakin's power. He was trying to explain why the Order needed to break its rules to bring Anakin into the Order. He scanned the Council, trying to read them. He got the sense they were skeptical, and that he needed to work harder to make the sell.

"I realize regular knights such as me do not have access to the Jedi history that you on this Council do. There are rumors among the knights of a prophecy concerning a chosen one. A prophecy declaring a Jedi will bring balance to the Force. With the potential Anakin is showing, I believe he is this chosen one."

Mace Windu, the second highest Jedi, leaned forward to talk. He did not appear impressed by anything Obi-Wan just said. "You are correct in assuming there is a prophecy of a chosen one mentioned in the Council's private histories. It was a prophecy that was recorded during the very founding of the Order. It has been kept private, as there is much lore from that time period that is almost impossible to believe. There are tales of crystals that could be used to channel the Force and give Jedi immense power. Stories of Jedi who could use the Force to travel through hyperspace, even to other galaxies. The possibility of any of these stories being true is small. This council will not base any decision to train Anakin on meaningless prophecies."

"Than base it on what I've seen and felt with my own senses," Obi-Wan pleaded. "With minimal training, the power Anakin has in the Force is greater than any Jedi."

"Strong in the Force is he. Demonstrate it, he did." Obi-Wan along with almost every member of the council jumped when Yoda finally spoke. He was the Grand Master Jedi, and normally led every meeting. He was always the most talkative during the Council meetings, but this one was different. He had said a few words to open the meeting, then uncharacteristically stayed silent. He listened intently to everyone else but seemed weighed down by the events that had recently transpired.

"More to a Jedi, there is, then strength in the Force. Discipline in using the Force. Knowledge of how to act. The restraint to turn away from the dark side and follow the light. All of these are important." Obi-Wan had told them everything about his time with Anakin. He even told them about the times on Tatooine when he had witnessed him utilizing the dark side. He knew Yoda was referring to this, and he felt the need to defend Anakin.

"For most of his life, all Anakin ever knew was the dark side. He was raised a slave, and in order to escape it he had to call on it to do so. But he did so not just to save himself, but to free every slave in the city where he lived. From that point on, whenever he was in danger, he had to call on it to save himself. This most recent battle was completely different. He never called on the dark side, even when he feared for the life of the princess, or when our strike team was in a desperate situation. He remained calm and rational the entire time. In just the little bit of time I had to train him, I accomplished a remarkable change in him."

Mace Windu leaned back in his chair now. "And if we were to allow him to become a Jedi, would you expect to be the one to continue training him?"

Mace's question was one Obi-Wan had been anticipating. "I know I am an unlikely candidate for training someone with such immense ability. Training him would seem like a task that should be performed by an older, more experienced master who has already taught several Padawans. Anakin is a much different student then we have ever had. Experience is not going to count for much with him. The fact he is much older than anyone who has ever been brought into the Jedi order is going to require a much different training regimen. Whoever trains him is going to have to make up the regiment as they go along. Perhaps the one thing we know, is that Anakin having a solid amount of trust in his mentor will be vitally important. He is a grown man that is not going to just accept the word of his master like the young Padawans do. The two of us have known each other for a short time, but a strong bond has formed between us. I gave him his first lessons, and I know I did much to earn his trust. He has confidence and faith in me and will readily accept me as a mentor."

"Your assessment of the situation matches our own." Ki-Adi-Mundi was smiling beneath his long goatee.

"So, what does that mean?" He was trying to hide the excitement he was feeling.

"It means Anakin is to be a Jedi," Mace Windu revealed. He was smiling broadly and looked happy as he spoke. Obi-Wan knew that meant he was completely on board with the decision. He did glance one seat over to Yoda, to see he did not appear happy.

While Obi-Wan could have merely been happy that he got the decision he wanted, it was imperative for him to know just how much support he and Anakin had. "If it would not be out of place for me to ask, I would like to know just how much support Anakin and I have from you."

"Asking for the results of the vote, you are." Yoda was direct. "Deserve to know it, you do. Before we started, set the condition of unanimous vote, we did. Reach that condition, we did."

The members of the council were normally good about controlling their body language and hiding their emotions. The current moment proved to be an exception as the other council members were eyeing Yoda. Both Obi-Wan and Yoda noticed it, causing Yoda to feel he needed to respond to the unspoken message they were sending.

"Many votes did we take, to reach unanimity. Lone holdout, I was. Acquiesce in the end, I did." There was a heaviness and weariness in Yoda's voice Obi-Wan had never heard before. Yoda had apparently given his vote reluctantly. It was something that surprised Obi-Wan, as Yoda had never been one to give in to the demands of others.

"Why did you end your hold out and give in to the others?" he asked.

"My last act on the council, I decided it should be." Obi-Wan was shocked over what he was hearing. "Hold up the training of Anakin, I should not have done."

"You're leaving the council? Why? What does this mean?"

"My time left in this realm is short. Go away to meet my end, I will. Time for me to do so, it is. Dark times these are, and fail to see them, I did. No more good am I to the order, leave, I must."

Obi-Wan stared directly at the floor to hide his emotions. He did glance around at the faces of the other masters on the council, who all had expressions of sorrow. Yoda leaving to die alone was an old Jedi tradition. It was one that wasn't followed much anymore, and that was what made what made it so surprising.

"Hold up Anakin's teaching, I could have. Futile, it was. Vote for it, anyway, my replacement likely would. Now that he is to be trained, this I must say. Uncertain, Anakin's future is. Great potential, there is. Potential for triumph, but also for darkness. Watch him closely, you must. Tamper his anger and fear, you must. Tame the wildness he has in the Force, you must. Fail to do so, and dire the consequences will be."

Obi-Wan could sense the mood of the other council members, and he sensed they did not share the opinion of Yoda. He truly was on his own on the issue. To Obi-Wan, it was a sign that perhaps the old Jedi Master's time had passed if he didn't see the wisdom in training Anakin. While he was going to be sad to see his former master leave, this was evidence that it was time for him to step aside and let some fresh blood run things. If he saw the start of this war as a failure, and a personal one at that, then he was right to leave others to run things.

"I will find Anakin and inform him of the decision that has been made." Obi-Wan held his emotions in check as he spoke, as was demanded of any good Jedi. He bowed to Yoda and Mace Windu before pivoting on his heels, walking through the circle of masters, and leaving the room.

...

"Congratulations, Senator-, I'm sorry, I mean Chancellor Palpatine." Padme was in the bunker, talking with a holographic image of the newly elected chancellor. "The Republic is in good hands with you as Chancellor. I know you will be the war leader we need to earn us victory over the Separatist warlords."

"I am the one who should be thanking you. Your actions in liberating your planet and freeing your people earned you much admiration here in the capital. The clout you earned made people pay attention to your message of support. I know that, more than anything else, is what earned me the votes to be chancellor."

"I am glad I could help. My planet needs a close ally in the chancellor's office."

The mood of Palpatine changed abruptly. "Your planet could have a very close ally running the war if you were to accept what I am going to offer you." Padme seized up as she realized what was coming. "The leadership you displayed in freeing Naboo from the grip of the Neimoidians was remarkable, and a sign that your skills would be wasted by leading just one planet. I am offering you a position on the war council, as the Minister of Recruitment and Procurement. Your task would be to manage the logistics of the war. Much of that will be negotiating with planetary leaders in order to win pledges of soldiers and material. I have seen how persuasive you can be, and I feel I have found the position where your abilities will be best utilized."

"I am flattered by the offer, Chancellor Palpatine, but there is no way I could pull double duty. Handling my responsibilities as both Queen of Naboo and Minister of Recruitment and Procurement would be too much."

"I understand that." Palpatine appeared to be greatly concerned about something. "While the law allows for planetary sovereigns to serve as senators, it is not allowed for cabinet ministers, due to the conflicts of interest that would arise. For you to take the position I am offering, you would have to abdicate your throne. I know this must sound disconcerting to you, but I believe Soala, with the heroism she showed during the invasion, will be a remarkable leader for your people. I would not have offered this position to you if I thought otherwise. I have been told word of her deeds has been spreading all over the planet, and that she is practically being worshiped. She would make a fine queen for your planet and leave you free to serve the rest of the galaxy."

Looking at Soala in the bacta tank, all Padme could think was that it should have been her in there. She should not have allowed her sister to take a greater risk than she took herself. She had made a mistake by not being the one to come here with the strike force. She did not intend to make the same mistake twice.

"I am honored by the offer you made for me to sit on your war council, but I am afraid I must decline the offer. While I am sure my sister would make a wonderful queen, I am afraid an abdication, for any reason, would be seen by everyone as an abandonment of my people. The citizens of this planet would turn away from my sister, and the government officials on Coruscant would be hesitant to work with me after the sign of disloyalty." Padme knew nothing she said was true, but she needed every excuse she could think of to turn down Palpatine.

"While I feel you are gravely incorrect on both counts, I can't exactly compel you to serve on the council. I assure you this will not affect our relationship moving forward in any manner. I know we will still end up working closely together as the war progresses. I know I can count on you if I ever require your assistance. I will leave you alone now." The holo-image disappeared, leaving Padme alone with her sister in the bacta tank.

...

Anakin stood in the center of the council circle. Yoda was leading him through his Padawan pledges. He was initiating Anakin into the order as his very last act.

Anakin was at the part where he pledged to serve his master and obey his teachings. As he had expected, Obi-Wan had been assigned to train him. He was happy for that, as he believed Obi-Wan would give him a leeway that most of the other Jedi would not afford him. He had his concerns about learning under Obi-Wan but would rather have someone familiar than someone unknown. He could sense the feelings of his master as he stood behind him. He was feeling an enormous sense of pride.

As he had been told earlier, he was to take every pledge and follow every rule of the Order. That included pledging to never enter a romantic relationship. It was very difficult for him when Yoda led him through that pledge. He did it without hesitation, although it pained him greatly to make a pledge he wished he didn't have to keep. He was in love with Padme. The connection they had was something that as far as he knew no one else had. But if he was a Jedi now, he was going to have to forget about her.

...

The rays of the afternoon sun came in through the slit between the curtains. The sunrays provided a minimal amount of light in Soala's bedroom, just as Padme wanted. She had heard that when coming out of a bacta coma, the light would hurt one's eyes. It was either a bacta coma, or carbonite freeze. Still, she figured there was no point in taking chances. She wanted her sister to be as comfortable as possible. She could have had the medical droid bring her out of the coma right after they took her out of the tank, but she didn't want her waking in the cold and uncomfortable bunker. Padme had Soala kept in the coma as she was transported to her room in the palace. Just before the medical droid left, he injected her with the drugs to wake her. He had said it would take ten minutes for them to take effect, and she was anxiously watching the clock.

When Soala's eyes started to flutter, Padme's heart seized. She reached out and took a hold of her sister's hand as she tried to talk her out of the coma. "Soala, it's me, your sister, Padme. You were gravely injured when you led an attack against the droid army. You've spent the last five days in a bacta tank. Our invasion was successful, and our planet has been liberated."

"What about Anakin?" Soala asked. Her voice was weak, but not quite as weak as Padme had thought it might be.

"He-he is safe, and well. I haven't been able to see much of him, as he has been meeting with the Jedi Council so they can determine if he is to be trained as a Jedi."

"I had a feeling he would make it through okay." She smiled as she pressed her head back against her pillow and closed her eyes. "I owe my life to him."

Soala startled her sister when in one swift motion she reached out and grabbed a hold of Padme's hand and held it with a death grip. Padme tried to pull her hand away, but Soala's grip was too strong for her to even move an inch. The girl's strength was remarkable. Soala lifted her head up as she glared right at Padme.

"Marry him. Promise me you will do so."

For almost a minute, Padme could do nothing more than stammer as she was too shocked to form a coherent sentence. "Um, you must be delirious Soala. You know I can't do that. I am the queen of this planet, and I don't exactly have the freedom to just marry whomever I want."

"You don't have to be the queen anymore." Soala was giving her sister a knowing smile. It seemed impossible, but somehow, she knew about the conversation she had with Palpatine and the offer he had made to her.

"What are you talking about?" Padme was doing her best to play dumb.

"When I was in the bacta tank, I heard the conversation you had with Palpatine. I know he offered you a position on his war council. If you abdicate and take it, you will be free to marry Anakin."

"I can't do that." Padme couldn't look at her sister as she spoke.

"Blast it!" Soala was furious with her sister. "Don't be unreasonable. Everything will work out perfectly, if you will just accept it. You can abdicate with a clear conscious, serve a vital role in the galaxy, pursue your relationship with Anakin, and leave me as queen of this planet. I am ready for it. I have been preparing for it my whole life, just like you."

"Being queen is a burden. One that I do not wish to pass on to you. Soala, I want you to be free to pursue-"

"I want nothing more than to see you free to marry the greatest man in the galaxy."

Padme blushed over Soala's description of her Anakin. It was a bit of teenage hyperbole, but it wasn't too far off the mark. She desperately wanted to be with Anakin, but her position as the queen of Naboo was not the only obstacle.

"Anakin is set to be a Jedi. If he joins the Order, they likely won't allow him to have a relationship."

"Who cares what they allow." Soala was speaking through clenched teeth now. "I know about the connection the two of you have. The one that even the Jedi can't detect. The one that allows you to communicate across the galaxy. The one that will allow you to have a discreet relationship no one has to know about."

Padme's heart raced as she found it difficult to breathe. Her sister had just laid out the perfect argument for her and Anakin to marry. Everything Soala said was true. She leaned over and gave Soala a hug. It was all the princess needed in order to know what Padme had decided.

...

The ceremony where Padme abdicated and Soala was coronated was a small and private affair. The tact of the situation called for a low-key transfer of power. While the public wouldn't get to see the transfer itself, the two sisters knew it wouldn't matter. At the victory parade that night, Soala would be publicly introduced as the Queen of Naboo. That would be enough for the people to accept her as queen.

...

"I really think you're going to like it here, Threepio." Anakin talked pleasantly to the protocol droid as he led him through the halls of the palace. "You are finally going to be able to live up to your programming. You're going to be serving a royal, full time."

When Threepio stopped and looked over at Anakin, he appeared bewildered, despite being unable to make facial expressions. "I'm confused. I thought I was supposed to be serving Secretary Padme, not Queen Soala."

"I apologize for confusing you, Threepio. I simply misspoke. I still haven't quite internalized that Padme is now a cabinet official instead of a royal. The fact this should be an exciting time for you doesn't change, though. You're be going to Coruscant and accompanying Padme to all kinds of important meetings and functions. You might even get to use all five million forms of communication your fluent in."

"It's six million forms, Master Anakin. And I doubt I would ever be able to us them all. Even at two a day, it would take me eight thousand years to run through all of them."

"Good to know." Anakin bit his tongue as he thought how thankful he was he had traded Artoo for Threepio. If he had been stuck with the protocol droid, he would have flung him to the sun. "Can you continue showing me to Padme's room."

Thankfully, the protocol droid didn't say anything more and simply lead Anakin to Padme's new room. Upon Anakin's request, the droid disappeared instead of going inside to announce Anakin's arrival. The door was open, so Anakin peered inside to see Padme pacing around. She looked incredibly nervous, which Anakin couldn't understand. When Padme finally noticed Anakin standing in the doorway, she nearly jumped to the ceiling.

"I apologize for startling you, Madam Secretary," Anakin said. "Perhaps I should have had Threepio announce me."

"No, it's fine," Padme replied with a nervous smile. "I've just got a lot on my mind, with the new position is all. I was lost in my own thoughts." She gestured as she talked, and Anakin could see she was holding something in her hand. She glanced at the package he was carrying in his hand as he walked inside. With nothing to do, Threepio walked past Anakin and out of the room.

The moment was awkward, as the two stood a good distance from each other. "Those robes suit you well," Padme said to Anakin.

"And that outfit, you look beautiful in it."

"Thank you. And thank you for answering my request and coming down to see me."

"I didn't really think I could decline an offer from a secretary sitting on the war council. The Jedi are going to be working closely with you, and I didn't want to be the cause of any animosity."

"I think you should know I could never have any animosity with the Jedi, not after everything you and General Kenobi did to liberate my planet. That is why I called you down here. I had medals made for both you and General Kenobi, to celebrate and acknowledge the role you played in liberating Naboo. Your master already declined his, as he said Jedi are not supposed to accept rewards like medals. He didn't forbid me from offering one to you. Everything you did, you did before you were in the Jedi Order. Please take this, Anakin."

Padme held out the medal in front of her. Her arm was trembling, and Anakin wondered once again what she was so nervous about. He knew he could connect with her to find out, but he didn't want to do that. He had pledged to leave all that behind.

"I am sorry, but I must refuse." Anakin was finding it difficult to speak. "When I was initiated as a Padawan, I had to make several pledges. One was to act selflessly, avoiding accolades and practicing humility. Given my situation, it is imperative I follow all my pledges to the letter."

As she pulled the medal back, Padme appeared to lose all composure. Anakin could see tears in her eyes. She turned around and walked to her dresser to hide her reaction. After placing the medal on the dresser, she wiped away the tears before turning back around to walk back to him. Anakin was thoroughly confused why she appeared to be so broke up over him simply refusing the medal.

Given the way Padme was acting, Anakin was glad he had brought along a gift for her. "Despite the fact that I declined your gift, I would hope that you would not do the same for me. As I said before, I would not be a Jedi without you. I owe you, and I brought you this gift as a token of my appreciation.

To Anakin's delight, Padme did not hesitate to take the gift from him. When she opened the box, she was too stunned to say anything. She stared at it, her mouth agape.

"This is your lightsaber."

"It's not mine anymore," Anakin pointed out. "As part of my training, Obi-Wan said I needed to construct my own. He told me I was free to do with that one whatever I wanted, so I thought I would give it to you."

"I'm touched Anakin." She pulled it out of the box and inspected it.

"I will leave you alone." Anakin bowed to her before he turned to leave.

"Anakin," Padme called. He turned around to see what she wanted. "I-I will never forget you."

"I know."

...

"I can't believe you are leaving like this," Obi-Wan said to Yoda. "You are close to death, and you are taking off to a location you won't tell anyone about, so you can die alone." The two of them were standing outside an Alderanian shuttle that had been provided for Yoda by Bail Organa. It was small but equipped with hyperdrive.

"Yes, old Jedi tradition, it is. Death, it is not. Passing into other world, it is."

Obi-Wan didn't know why Yoda had selected him to be the last one he would speak to, but he had a good idea why. "You aren't leaving over the decision to train Anakin, are you?"

"Disagree with decision, I do. Reason for me leaving, it is not."

"Why does Anakin's training worry you so much?"

"Powerful, he is, but also reckless. Great danger there is in training him to utilize his Force abilities."

"But what would you have us do?" Obi-Wan was almost whining, which was very unbecoming for a Jedi. "I know you are concerned over his use of the dark side, but that is exactly why I need to train him. If I train him properly, I can steer him away from the dark side. If we had cut him loose, like you wanted, he would never learn how to push away the dark side and would be even more likely to embrace it and fall to it."

"Fall to the dark side, he still could. After learning to harness his abilities, lose him we could. More powerful dark Jedi would he be if never trained." Obi-Wan conveyed his disapproval of Yoda's reproach with a hard stare.

"Left him on Tatooine, you should have." With those harsh words, Yoda turned and started walking up the ramp to the ship. Right as he reached it, he turned around to say one final thing to Obi-Wan.

"Be mindful of the Force during the war. Grave consequences there will be for the galaxy, I fear. Gone out, the lights of the galaxy have. Long time, it will be, before they shine again."

...

Anakin walked through the Naboo Congress hall. He was walking to join the Jedi Council on one of the balconies, where they were set to watch that night's victory parade. He was almost there when he felt Padme talk to him through her mind.

Come and meet me.

Where, he replied.

Feel where I am.

...

Padme's presence in the Force served as a beacon to Anakin. He was able to lock on to her and feel where she was. He was surprised to learn she was out in the middle of the forest. He wondered what she would be doing out there and why she would want him to come to her. He sensed she was calm, even joyous, and that just added to the puzzle.

He encountered no one as he walked out to meet her. When he was just a short distance away from her, he saw she was standing in the middle of a circle of torches. He could also sense someone was with her.

"Padme, Soala," he said when he reached them and stepped inside the circle of torches. "Why did you ask me to come out here?"

Padme swallowed hard before replying. "A couple days ago, Soala suggested we forget about all the rules preventing us from being together. We deserve happiness and should be experiencing it right now. I was supposed to ask you to marry me, secretly, when I gave you the medal, but then you declined it. I took that as a sign you would never betray your Jedi pledges. Soala convinced me I couldn't just drop it like that. You needed to know what I really wanted."

Anakin had to keep his emotions in check as he walked over to her and took her hands in his. "I want this." They kissed before they turned their attention to Soala. She led them through the ceremony. They pledged themselves to each other before Soala declared them husband and wife. They sealed the pact with a kiss, which was brief as they were interrupted by the sound of small explosions in the sky. They looked up to see the explosions were nothing more than fireworks going off to signal the start of the parade.

Realizing they had to get back, Anakin and Padme kissed one last time before they embraced. "Come to my room after the parade," Padme whispered in his ear. Anakin ran back to the palace separately, as he didn't want to risk being seen with the two girls.

...

Celebrations were taking place all around the galaxy: Coruscant, Neimoidia, Alderaan, Mandalore, Muun. Many citizens were excited about the war, as they believed it would be short and result in a glorious victory for their side.

On Naboo, the Jedi Council and the political dignitaries watched from separate balconies. Anakin and Padme took every chance they could to steal glances at each other. It pained them that they would have to keep their marriage a secret from everyone, but they both realized once the war was over, they could be together. With the galaxy in peace, Anakin could leave the Jedi and be with her. There were many who believed the war would be short. Hopefully, it would not be long until they could live together as husband and wife.

Epilogue

The holographic image of Darth Plagueis appeared in front of Darth Sidious. He scowled at the human as he spoke to him.

"So, my apprentice. It appears that you have been able to set-up your own path to become ruler of the galaxy. It is my job to remind you, all this was my plan. I was the one who spent years manipulating everyone into starting this war so that I would become the galactic ruler. You are nothing more than a usurper riding my coattails."

"You had a plan with serious deficiencies, I merely perfected it." Sidious forced himself to sound pleasant as he talked. "It wasn't a bad plan, in its own right. After the assassination of Queen Amidala, the cry of vengeance in the Senate was to lead me to become the new chancellor. Continuing with the desire for vengeance, I was to command the Republic's forces to carry out attacks they were not prepared for. Your superior forces would wipe them out quickly. The Republic would sue for peace and surrender unconditionally to you, leaving you as the ruler of the galaxy, and me as the defeated former ruler graciously brought into your administration."

"And what deficiencies were there in that plan, other than you wouldn't be the single all-powerful ruler."

"Your plan would have completely destroyed the Republic, and all the institutions that are actually needed to run things. All your underlings would have been the uncivilized warlords you had to ally with to seize power. Your plan would have led to you seizing the Republic from the outside, destroying it in the process. By seizing power from the inside, I am maintaining the real power in the galaxy, the bureaucracy."

"All this supposes your military will actually be able to defeat mine. While my plan called for you to lead it to its utter annihilation, simply holding it back will not save you. My forces are still vastly superior in number to yours."

"For now, but the Republic is much larger, and has more resources overall to call on. I just have to hold out long enough, and I will be able to build a military bigger and more powerful than yours."

"And what makes you think you will be able to hold out for that long?"

"I have Admiral Thrawn, a tactical genius on my side to make the most of the forces I have. More importantly, I have Anakin Skywalker, an immensely powerful Jedi that has just been discovered and accepted into the Order. He won the Battle of Naboo for us, and will win one battle after another for us."

"Yes, I heard about him. Something tells me you would have never dared to oppose me without him on your side. I must say, with your actions, you have proven yourself to be a worthy Sith. This is how I always expected it would go. You would not be a true Sith if you didn't try to supplant me and seize power yourself. Your actions speak well of me in choosing you as my apprentice."

"I am no longer your apprentice," Sidious yelled back. "There is no master-apprentice relationship between us. We are equals now."

Plagueis smirked over the insinuation. "If we are equals, then only one of us can survive this war and seize the power we both crave. From here on out we are enemies." He paused as he lit his red saber and held the blade in front of his face in salute. "May the best Sith win." Sidious pulled out his lightsaber and returned the salute.

Coming Soon

Episode II: Empire Ascendant