I've received a few questions about Darth Vader's origins in this story, so I just thought I'd take this opportunity to clear a few things up. Everything that happened during ROTS has occurred in this alternate reality, except Vader & Obi–Wan's duel on Mustafar ended differently. Vader is not confined to the suit, Padmé obviously survived her last encounter with Anakin/Vader and the birth of the twins, and she definitely does know who Vader is. Hope this helps explain a bit better.

Anyway, LOVE THE REVIEWS!!! Here's the next chapter…

Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars, etc.

Chapter Five

War!

Kashyyyk.

It was a world of lush jungles and huge, sprawling wroshyr trees. It was no surprise that the Empire still had its sights set on the planet; it had long served as a gateway for the entire southwest quadrant of the galaxy, making it of prime strategic importance. War had been waged on its usually docile inhabitants, the Wookiees, during the last days of the devastating Clone Wars. This, among other reasons, made it the ideal site to lure and trap Vader…if rumors of a suspected Jedi straggler hadn't been enticement enough, the thought of said Jedi undermining his authority and encroaching on his territory right under his nose would no doubt be the deciding factor. His arrogance and raging ego would not permit him to tolerate such a blatant act of defiance. He would want to deal with this trespasser personally. When it came to the Jedi, he was painfully predictable.

Her only regret was that the Rebellion would have to place the battle worn Wookiees in the face of imminent danger once again in order to carry out their mission. It had, much to Padmé's dismay, been her decision to stage the assassination on their home–world. Of course, steps and precautions had been taken to select a location that would be as far away as humanly possible from any known settlements, in an attempt to prevent any natives from finding themselves in the middle of their impending operation. She had to tell herself that it was all for the greater good. In the end, if the resistance succeeded, the ruinous flame of the Empire would be extinguished once and for all, and its forces would be withdrawn from Kashyyyk altogether. Never again would their kind be forced to suffer under its ruthless tyranny and oppression. Unfortunately, even the truth of this line of reasoning gave her little comfort.

Back at the Rebellions' main headquarters, it had taken some convincing to finally get Obi–Wan to concede defeat and agree to not accompany her to the verdant planet. Padmé had pleaded with him to return to her children; to watch after young Luke and Leia in the event that she herself didn't return. In all likelihood, their plan could ultimately fail. And if it did, any hope of ever seeing her son and daughter again would be lost. She needed to know that they would be well cared for if the worst happened…that they would be safe, and kept out of harms' way. As long as they were out of the Empires' reach, her own fate was of no importance. She could die knowing that they would be protected.

"Boss?"

"Yes?" Padmé sharply replied, her voice slightly cracking as she turned to her companion. "What is it, Red?"

"You feeling okay?" the computers specialist hesitantly asked. "You're looking a little pale."

"Don't worry, I'm fine," Padmé said, clearly lying through her teeth. In truth, she was nearly trembling as her nerves set in; a tight knot tugging at the pit of her stomach. "Is the perimeter secure?"

"All bases are covered," Red answered with a snort. "We have enough firepower to blow a hole through an Imperial Destroyer."

"Good, we'll need it," was Padmé's curt response.

Red intently studied his superiors' face for a moment before awkwardly clearing his throat. "I can only guess what's going on in that head of yours. I know it won't be easy for you. After all, the man was once your husban–"

"That thing was never my husband!" Padmé angrily exclaimed, fuming as she turned to her startled subordinate. "And it would do you well never to make that mistake again. Do you understand?"

"Yeah, sure…" Red sighed, realizing that he had obviously overstepped his bounds. "Read you loud and clear, boss."

Instantly regretting the palpable bitterness in her tone, Padmé released a labored breath and wearily rubbed her temple in a futile attempt to clear her whirling mind. Grimacing, she inwardly scolded herself for allowing her emotions to get the best of her.

"I'm sorry," she apologized after a fleeting silence, knowing that such a harsh reprimand had been uncalled–for. "You didn't deserve that."

"Hey, forget about it," Red replied, shrugging it off.

Padmé hated to admit it, even to herself, but his words had hit just a little too close to home for comfort. She had often wondered if, when the time came, she would really be able to kill Vader…if she would truly be able to pull the trigger. She knew that he was a monster. She knew that he had to perish if peace was to be restored. Yet, on the surface, he was something entirely different. Those deep, penetrating blue eyes. Those lips. The very lips that she had kissed and drowned in time and again; drinking in his love and basking in the Naboo sun while the hours slipped by. Hours that had been lost in time, but not forgotten. Never forgotten.

No matter how much evil he had done, he still had the face of her beloved husband. He still looked like the man she had fallen in love with. His body belonged to Anakin Skywalker, but his soul, if he even had one, was nothing more than an infinite abyss of pure hatred and fury. She had pledged her heart to a man, but he had been murdered by the dark side. How she cursed the Force for what it had stolen from her. She had planned to spend the rest of her life with her Ani. Instead, her dream of living out her days alongside the man she loved had been slain along with the man himself. But could she honestly bring herself to assassinate the beast who had taken his place, she wondered. Would she be able to spill his blood by her own hand? To see Vader as anything other than what he undeniably was would be nothing short of disastrous. But the question had long plagued and tormented her thoughts. It gnawed at her like a ravenous disease, eating away at her very core.

"I need to check on the others," she said at last. "You should wait here. Remember, stay alert and keep your guard up."

"What?" Red chuckled in disbelief, slightly quirking his brow as Padmé turned to walk away. "You're pulling my leg, right? You want me to stay behind while you do all the dirty work? You can't possibly expect me to just sit on my hands and do nothing…"

"You belong behind a computer, Red, not a blaster," Padmé retorted, stopping only to glance over her shoulder.

"Listen, boss, you're gonna make history here today," Red replied as he drew his sidearm from its holster; clearly making the gesture to convey the depth of his resolve. "I'm just glad to be a part of it. Even if I am just a small contribution to the success of this mission, I'll be able to sleep better at night knowing that I did my fair share to prevent future generations from having to go through what we've gone through. Trust me, I can do more than just punch buttons. Besides, if we don't pull this thing off I'm as good as dead, anyway."

"Red, you've already helped enough," Padmé assured the specialist, reluctant to accept his request. Frowning, she carefully scrutinized him for a moment before continuing. "But I suppose you do make a good point. If you must insist on endangering yourself, you can join Astrid's squadron."

"Ten–four, boss," Red said as his Commander continued on her way. "I'll see you on the other side, huh?"

"Let's hope so."

Overcoming her momentary doubts, Padmé purposefully strode toward her destination with one goal on her mind: the demise of Darth Vader. Not for the first time, she had come to question her capabilities and wallow in self–pity, but the reprehensible flash of weakness had quickly vanished. She had been a hypocrite. After rallying to convince the Rebellion to commit to her tactics, she had actually pondered over her own personal qualms and ridiculous misgivings. But now, back to her usual self, she was once again firm and unwavering in her devotion to the task at hand. Vader would die…and she would be the one to kill him.

Astrid clenched her jaw to keep from screaming as she tinkered with her malfunctioning comlink, and used every ounce of her willpower to keep from strangling the man crouched down beside her. Positioned near the outskirts of a dense stretch of jungle, she had been forced to endure the incessant grumbling of her second in command for what had seemed like an eternity. Having skipped their midday meal, it had been almost 24 hours since the last time they'd eaten. Luckily, she possessed the self–restraint needed for a stealth operation. Pavel, however, clearly did not.

"They couldn't even give us ten lousy minutes before shipping us off to the blasted land of the Wookiees," he complained. "I'm starving!"

"Apparently, you don't grasp the concept of 'noise discipline'," Astrid stated, not attempting to hide her agitation as she spoke. "Besides, you had plenty of time to grab a spare ration before we left – it's your own fault you're starving."

Pavel scowled. "Is that so? Even you must get hungry…"

"Perhaps," Astrid curtly replied. "But moping about won't fill your stomach, so do us both a favor and be quiet."

Pavel muttered a few inaudible words under his breath, but to Astrid's delight, obliged and said nothing more on the subject. Returning to her thoughts, she couldn't shake the foreboding feeling in her gut that had grown since their arrival. They had taken every possible measure to ensure the successful outcome of their mission, yet something still felt out of place. Surrounding the exact coordinates that had been intentionally created and transmitted by the Rebellion and intercepted by an unsuspecting Imperial fleet, she had remained watchful and steadfast from the moment they had touched down on the target planet. And now, on top of everything else, her comlink wasn't working. Her own squadron hunkered down and ready for action just behind her, she had tried and failed to contact the other surrounding units to check in and get their status reports. Hopefully, even though she couldn't reach them for confirmation, they had safely moved into position and were prepared for whatever might come their way.

"Hey, look at this," Pavel started in once more as he plucked a small, round berry from a nearby wild plant. "You think it's edible?"

"It could be poisonous," Astrid retorted. "Why don't you give it a taste and let the rest of us know?"

Pavel opened his mouth to reply, but was abruptly cut short before he could get a word out when a sudden, violent rumble sounded off in the distance, and the ground began to quake beneath their feet. Frozen in place, the squadron sat in complete and utter silence while the disruption gradually abated.

"What was that?" Pavel asked, listening intently. His answer came when the distinct sound of blaster fire soon followed.

"It looks like lunch will have to wait!" Astrid shouted, leaping to her feet and immediately racing in the direction of the ensuing assault. "Follow me!"

Astrid could hear the hurried footfall of her squadron following close behind mixed with her own as she charged onward; her adrenaline taking over and numbing her body to the thrashings of vines and branches as she relentlessly pushed through the nearly impenetrable jungle. Her heart pounded in her chest and ears, but she didn't stop or slow her pace. She merely stooped over and ran, bobbing and weaving through the labyrinth of natural obstacles.

This was it...the time had come. The future was in their hands and she wouldn't let anyone, including herself, down.