Anakin slowly stirred in the bed as he felt himself to be awake.

He looked at Padmé next to him, sleeping peacefully.

Both of them were fully clothed of course.

After Padmé had told Anakin that she loved him, she had led him to the bedroom and had let him sleep right next to her.

And next to Padmé on her other side, was Ahsoka, who had been fast asleep when she and Anakin had turned in.

Anakin looked at Padmé and stroked her brown curls before lifting his head up to look at Ahsoka, who was still asleep.

Ahsoka looked so peaceful, yet so sad.

A surge of affection for the young Togruta girl arose in him as he looked upon her.

He stood up and walked outside the bedroom to the other room, and towards the viewport to look outside at all the stars in space before him.

As he watched on, he couldn't help but think of all that had happened in the last few days.

Padmé's coming back into his life had changed everything. If it had not been for that, he would have been completely immersed in darkness, all over a lie.

As he thought about it, he remembered a quote from Yoda, 'Once you start on the dark path, forever dominate your destiny, it will.'

Although it brought much resentment to think of the old Jedi, given that he had been one of those to expel him, Anakin could not deny the truth of those words.

After all, had it not been for Padmé, Obi Wan, and Ahsoka, he would have had no hope or desire for redemption.

Padmé had given him something that the dark side could never give him;

Love.

He suddenly shuddered as he realized something.

Sith were forbidden to love.

(Not that he was really keen on being a powerful Sith anymore).

And Palpatine had ordered him to kill Padmé soon enough when he had captured her.

If he were to discover the truth, which Anakin was sure he at some point would, he would no doubt want to kill Padmé;

and Ahsoka.

Anakin shuddered at the thought of that.

He had lost so much.

Darkness had taken so much from him.

He couldn't let it take anymore from him.

Not Padmé, not Ahsoka.

Suicide was no longer an option for him. He no longer desired it. For it would not solve anything, and it would only make things worse.

Padmé and Ahsoka would be lost if he were to kill himself.

No, he wouldn't let anything happen to them.

He would never allow Sidious to harm them.

But what was he to do now?

He was interrupted from his thoughts by a soft voice calling out, "Anakin, are you okay?"

He turned around to see Padmé in her blue gown standing behind him.

He turned to Padmé and said, "Padmé, you're the one person who I can call my Angel, and if it hadn't been for you, all I would have known would have been hatred, and darkness. I know now, that I can't kill myself. I won't because if I do, I'll only make things worse for you and Ahsoka. I know now that I can no longer be loyal to the Sith. In fact, I don't even think I want to be one anymore, at least, not one like Sidious. My mother would absolutely hate me for being one. But I have no idea as to what I should do. I won't let him harm you or Ahsoka, but other than that, I'm lost as to what I should do."

Padmé said, "Your mother would never ever hate you. I can bet my life that she would not. She would be heartbroken, but she would never hate you. And she would be so happy if you were to turn away from the Sith. And as for what to do, you could fight Palpatine. Fight for what's right, bring peace back to the galaxy, end this tyranny that he has caused."

Anakin looked at her and said, "Sidious is a very powerful man. I have experienced his power, and his strength in the dark side is not to be underestimated. Plus, he has Tyrannus by his side, which means taking on him alone would be suicidal."

Padmé suggested, "You don't have to do this alone. There are Jedi that are still out there. They could really use your help. They could really help you. You could form a rebellion of Jedi. I never said you had to do this alone."

Anakin sighed and replied, "Padmé, I can't. I may not be on Palpatine's side anymore, but that doesn't mean the Jedi will help me. After what I did to them, they will surely want me dead. And plus, with all that's happened…

I'm sorry, but I can't. I just can't."

Padmé could only look at him sadly in response.

Was Anakin really going to do nothing?

Anakin looked out of the viewport sadly.

And then suddenly, Padmé's words struck something in him and his eyes widened.

He turned to Padmé, smiling a warm smile that he had not displayed in a long time, spun her around in his arms and exclaimed, "Padmé, my wonderful Angel, you have given me an idea!"


Sometime later…

The noise of Darth Vader's breathing through the black skull mask could be heard by clones as they saluted him in the corridors.

Vader stopped in a corridor and asked a nearby clone which he knew as Captain Fives, "Where is Commander Rex? I must speak with him at once."

The clone turned to face him and said, "My Lord, the commander is in his quarters at the moment. I will ask for him at once."

Vader nodded in acknowledgement and the clone turned and walked briskly away, to find Rex.

A few minutes later, Fives, followed by Commander Rex walked over to him and saluted him.

Rex asked, "My Lord, is there any trouble that we can help with?"

Vader responded, "Commander Rex, and Captain Fives, both of you have been personally serving under me since the start of the clone wars. I have come to respect you as trustable competent men of the Empire. However, in the recent past, I have come to question the Emperor's motives. You might already be aware of the Stormtrooper Programme which he has initiated. I wish to know your honest opinion on the matter."

Fives spoke up first, "With all due respect, we find this programme to be absolutely ridiculous to say the least. We are men, beings, not just expendable droids, and it feels like we're just being cast aside, our lives are just being thrown away. More and more of our brothers have been lost recently. The only good thing we have is a leader like you, and even then, some of us have really started to wonder if the Empire is really right at all."

Vader looked at him and said, "I am proud of you for your honesty. I also have some secrets to reveal and a proposition. Have you ever wondered who I really am? Are you aware of a young Jedi Padawan who was sentenced to death a year before the clone wars?"

Rex replied, "To be honest, I have been quite curious to know you. You may not be the same as the Jedi, but you have always been an effective commander, and you have always looked out for us clones. Many may fear you, but you have our respect and loyalty. I was told about a padawan called Anakin Skywalker who was falsely accused of murder. If I remember correctly, it was Palpatine who had him sentenced to death."

Fives added, "And I know for sure that a Jedi left the order shortly afterwards."

Vader then asked, "Have you ever wondered what happened to him?"

Rex and Fives shook their heads.

Vader then unlocked the clasp of his helmet and mask, and lifted them off.

Rex and Fives were stunned to see the face in front of them, young, and with long hair, and blue eyes.

Anakin spoke, in his real voice, "Commander Rex, and Captain Fives, I am that padawan, Anakin Skywalker."

Rex gasped, "You're Anakin Skywalker?! The same one?!"

Fives added, "The hero of Naboo who blew up a droid control ship at barely nine!"

Anakin said, "It really is me, Anakin Skywalker."

Fives said in astonishment, "It was you all along, you who led us together when Krell tried to kill all of us on Umbara, and who leads us now!"

Rex suddenly asked, "But if you were a Jedi, how did you become Darth Vader?"

Anakin proceeded to explain his story, starting from his getting framed to his sham of a trial to Palpatine's lie which had broken him.

By the time he had finished, Rex and Fives had wide open mouths of horror.

Fives gasped, "You were used, just like us!"

Anakin replied, "Yes, I was used, just like all of you. Palpatine has no true regard for anyone or anything, all he cares about is his empire and his power. And he will stop at nothing to keep it."

Rex suddenly asked, "Many of the legions in the Imperial army have already transitioned from clones to non clone humans. Will the same happen to us?"

Anakin said, "So far, it has not happened yet. The replacements are still in the beginning stages, but eventually, all clones will be phased out."

He then asked, "I have to ask you something. Do you serve the empire?"

Rex and Fives replied, "Of course we do."

Anakin asked, "Will you follow orders to the tee?"

Fives replied, "Good soldiers follow orders, but even then, it doesn't mean we can't question them."

Anakin then said, "In that case, follow me then."

He placed his helmet back on and walked towards a med bay.


Some time later…

Rex awoke and the first thing he felt was an intense headache in his head.

He slowly tried to turn his head to the side and saw Fives on a bed next to his, and then looked up to find Anakin without the mask and helmet standing next to him.

He slowly groaned, "My Lord…"

Anakin said softly, "Easy Rex, you've only just come out of surgery."

Rex asked, "You said there was something that had to be removed from my head."

Anakin explained, "Just before you were born on Kamino, a biochip was implanted into your head. It was fitted into all clones. A set of orders are in that chip, and when an order is called for, the biochip is programmed to make the clones obey without question."

Rex suddenly gasped and cried out, "My Lord, did I really kill all those… What happened to me?!"

Anakin said, "One of those orders, Order 66 states that in the event of rebellion, all Jedi Commanders are to be removed using lethal force. In other words, kill any Jedi you see."

Rex cried out, "I, what have I done?! All those at the temple! No wonder I couldn't tell how it happened! I couldn't tell how I had just suddenly done it, I mean, I would never, but I had to obey! It was like, I couldn't think, think for myself!"

Fives suddenly sat up and yelled, "It all makes sense! We were slaves! Now I know why we ended up doing it! All this time I was feeling so horrible for what we did, that we shot and killed padawans, knights, even younglings, all to find out that we were made to, like droids!"

He suddenly glared at Anakin and yelled, "You led us into the temple! You made us do this!"

Anakin looked down, shame written across his face and said, "I regret every bit of it. I was a slave as much as you were, only under a different kind of chip, not a biochip though."

Rex concluded, "Grief over your mother's supposed death at the hands of the Jedi, Darth Sidious's lies; you were mad with grief; that's what controlled you, isn't it?"

Anakin looked up at Rex, grateful for the statement of understanding and said, "I went mad with grief and broke, and only recently, I found out that it was all a lie. Obi Wan never killed my mother. He saved her."

Rex said, "I have to admit, there were some Jedi I didn't particularly like, not that they deserved to die, well except Pong Krell of course."

Fives added, "I agree. You were the one that helped us against Krell that day on Umbara."

A few months after the Clone Wars had started, a Jedi Master called Pong Krell had turned to the dark side and had turned the troops of the 501st and 212th legions against each other on Umbara. When they had realized what had happened, they had decided to rebel against Krell. Anakin, as Commander Vader, had discovered this and had supported them against Krell, partly because Krell had no regard for the clones, whom he had seen as expendable, and partly because Krell had taunted Anakin when he had been framed and had supported the 'death sentence' on him.

Unlike Palpatine, he had always believed in the clones' ability to think for themselves, and that had been another reason not to have the 501st and 212th legions accused of treason.

Anakin was interrupted from his thoughts by Rex saying, "My Lord, why did you choose to remove our chips now?"

Anakin replied, "Because thanks to Padmé Amidala Naberrie whom we recently captured, I've come to realize the truth about Palpatine, and now I intend to rebel against him. He is a cruel, ruthless evil being who will stop at nothing to get what he wants. I wish to ask you once again if you will join me."

Rex and Fives immediately raised their hands and Fives said, "Count us in. We will fight alongside you. You fight along the front lines, always, and when you need our support, we will give it to you."

Rex added, "You can count on us. I have always been loyal to you, and will be loyal to you, now that I know you intend for us to fight against our enslavement, together."

Anakin declared, "Yes, we will break our chains, yours from the control he has imposed, and me from the darkness which claimed me once!"

He then said, "And one more thing, I'd really appreciate it if you could call me Anakin instead of 'My Lord' or 'Lord Vader', in private for now of course."

Rex and Fives nodded and Fives asked, "What about the other clones? Shouldn't we have their chips removed?"

Anakin said, "I was coming to that. Yes, You and Rex will coordinate with each other to have the chips removed. I know you are capable of coming up with something for that. Also, I want you to get into contact with other clone commanders of other legions, especially the 212th. I think Commander Cody might be willing to listen if he hears about this."

Rex replied, "I agree. Last time I spoke to him, he said he was starting to question the Empire."

Anakin said, "Then get him in touch with us. See if he will help us. Tell him about the chips and make sure he has them removed from his men before Palpatine can do anything."

Rex and Fives chorused, "Yes sir."


A short while later…

Admiral Markus Piett was facing the viewport of the bridge staring into outer space when he suddenly heard a voice calling out, "Admiral, Lord Vader is requesting your presence in the hangar bay.

Markus Piett immediately turned to the person who had spoken, a young woman and said, "Very well. Captain Sloane, you have the bridge."

He then went to the main hangar bay of the star destroyer and saw Vader standing near a starfighter.

Vader motioned to the admiral to follow him and led him to a corner of the area.

Piett asked, "Lord Vader, is there any matter in which I can be of some help?"

Vader replied, "Thank you for asking Admiral Piett. Actually, I would like to commend you on being a fearless and competent officer."

Piett replied, "Thank you My Lord."

Vader said, "But there is another matter. I would like your honest opinion on Emperor Palpatine vs. myself."

Piett thought for a moment and replied, "Well to be honest, I'm loyal to my commanding officers, and among my commanding officers, I am loyal to you first."

"Why?" Vader asked.

"Because," Piett replied, "You fight alongside us, on the front lines, and I would rather reserve my loyalty for someone who leads us actively rather than someone who simply sits on a throne and gives orders."

Vader then asked, "Since you say this, I would like to ask you a question. If you had to choose between the Emperor and me, whom would you choose?"

Without any hesitation, Piett replied, "You of course My Lord."

Vader waited for a few moments and said, "Very good, I have come to see you as a trustworthy officer in all my time with you, and I am going to need your help. First, I must tell you who I really am."

With that, he unclipped his mask and helmet, and removing the headwear, he said in his normal voice, "My real name is Anakin Skywalker, and I was once a Jedi Padawan under Jedi Knight Obi Wan Kenobi."

Piett opened his mouth in shock and exclaimed, "You're the hero of Naboo! The one who was…"

He trailed off, not wanting to strike a wrong chord.

But Anakin finished saying, "Framed? Expelled from the Jedi Order for something I never did? Sentenced to death? Yes. Well, it turns out, Palpatine is a Sith Lord. I assume you are aware of what that means."

Piett replied, "As far as I know, the Sith were enemies of the Jedi, but the last one I know was out there was Maul. And Count Dooku went dark."

Anakin replied, "Yes, Darth Tyrannus is the Sith name of Enforcer Dooku, and he serves the Emperor, the true Sith, who orchestrated this entire war., leading both the Separatists and the Republic, and then doing away with the Separatist council minus Dooku and Ventress when he had enough power to establish his empire and the Jedi supposedly tried to assassinate him."

Piett opened his mouth in horror and exclaimed, "But that means…. We've been played with, from the inside!"

He then asked, "How did you become Darth Vader then?"

Anakin explained, "My sentence was nothing more than a sham. Actually, it was all a ploy to get me to turn. At first, I refused to join Sidious, but then…"

And so, he proceeded to tell Piett his whole story about how he had been tortured, how he had finally broken when Palpatine had lied to him about Mace Windu and Obi Wan 'murdering' his mother, how he had murdered Mace in cold blood, how he had slain the Jedi including the younglings at the temple, how he had lived as Vader, and how Padmé had somehow gotten through to him and changed his entire life by telling him the truth.

Piett was horrified at the whole story to say the least.

Slowly, he said, "I can't believe what our 'so called illustrious Emperor' did to you! He made you mad with grief and used you! And while I am appalled by how you killed those children, I am also appalled at how he just used you like a tool!"

Anakin said, "It took me a whole lot of time for me to realize what I did, and when I did, for a while, I wanted to kill myself, but now, I want to make things right, I want to take down the Empire and restore freedom and justice to the galaxy, but I can't do it alone. I need your help."

Piett firmly replied, "Then you have my full support. I am loyal to you, as I have always been, and I will be loyal to you till I die. If you really wish to make things right, I will help you."

Anakin looked at Piett warmly, realizing just how valuable of a friend Markus Piett was turning out to be.

He then said, "Well in that case, I will need you to find out who all on this vessel, apart from the clones, are loyal to me. Put those who support Palpatine more than me on a list and have it ready within the month."

Piett replied, "You can count on me My Lord."

Anakin said, "You can just call me Anakin, when we're alone. Thank You."


Padmé was staring out of the viewport in the living room when she suddenly heard the doors open and the snap hiss of a mask being removed.

She turned around to see Anakin putting his mask and helmet on the desk before he swept her up in his arms and spun her around.

Padmé was surprised and cried out, "Anakin, what's going on? Put me down!"

Anakin placed her down and said, "I am going to do exactly as you suggested, fight Palpatine. Rex and Fives said they'll help me, and soon, the entire 501st and probably the 212th legions will be on our side!"

Padmé smiled and replied, "That's wonderful. I'm so glad you're finally seeing what needs to be done!"

Anakin replied, "All for you my angel, and thanks to the fact that Obi Wan saved my mother."

Padmé smiled at that.

Just at that moment, Ahsoka who was in the bedroom was about to come outside, but saw what was happening and decided to watch from the doorway.

Meanwhile, Anakin and Padmé were completely unaware that they were being watched.

Anakin took Padmé's hands in his own hands and said, "Angel, how soft and warm your hands are."

Padmé smiled and replied, "The better to caress you with."

Anakin then continued, "How sweet your smile is."

Padmé replied, "The better to make you smile with."

He then said, "How comforting your arms are."

Padmé replied, "The better to hold you with."

Ahsoka couldn't help snickering as she saw the sight before her eyes.

Anakin then looked at her nails and said, "How beautiful and sharp your nails are."

Padmé suddenly glared at him playfully and covered his face with her right hand and fingers.

Anakin was certainly not expecting that, and he flinched slightly.

And then, he suddenly heard a growl.

Padmé removed her hand smilingly and Anakin looked at Padmé incredulously and cried out, "Did you just growl?!"

Padmé laughed and said, "I did."

Anakin couldn't help laughing even as he said, "How ferocious your nails are, and your teeth."

Padmé smiled evilly and replied, "All the better to eat you with!"

Ahsoka couldn't control herself anymore and began to laugh out loud.

Anakin and Padmé realized that they were being watched and turned to see Ahsoka come into the living room, laughing as she strode forward.

Ahsoka approached them and said, "You two look very cute together, and amusing. I couldn't help laughing seeing you."

Padmé said, "It seems Anakin has a silly side which has just started showing up."

Anakin looked at them and said, "It wouldn't be true if it hadn't been for you two. Thanks for not giving up on me Padmé. And Ahsoka, thank you for accepting me."

Ahsoka said, "Your saying that you would never do what Sidious did to me itself was what made me start to wonder about you, all the things I had heard and believed, and after you told me what happened, I just couldn't help but not hate you, and start to trust you."

Anakin said, "I regret everything I did as Vader, though on a small note, I still do feel like some Jedi Masters like Mace Windu deserved it, but I have to admit, maybe even saying this is too much."

Ahsoka said, "I agree that this is a bit tough. I mean, they surely did not deserve to die. Yeah, some may have been outright cruel when they expelled me, but I would never wish death upon them."

Anakin asked, "What do you mean?"

Ahsoka replied, "I was framed for murdering some Jedi and working with Aurra Sing. She too, led me into a trap and when I was caught, I was expelled."

Anakin cried out, "What?! Don't tell me you too got cast out!"

Ahsoka explained, "Master Plo Koon and Master Fisto and Master Shaak Ti were against it, but the rest wouldn't listen. The questioning was nothing but a formality."

Anakin seethed, "I bet Yoda did nothing, he just let it happen, didn't he, expelling you like he expelled me?"

Ahsoka sadly nodded.

She continued, "It was a military trial, and Admiral Tarkin was pushing for my execution."

Anakin asked, "Tell me your master was trying to help you out. Was he or she?"

Ahsoka teared up at the mention of this and said, "No. Master Windu cast me aside without even hearing me out."

To say that Anakin felt rage at that statement was an understatement.

He cried out, "Of all the Jedi that were killed, I don't think I'll regret his death! How could they do that to you?!"

He then said, "I was away from the capital at that time, taking care of another threat somewhere. I didn't hear much except that you were sentenced to death."

He asked, "How did you survive?"

Ahsoka replied, "The night before my execution, Master Koon came and broke me out. He then took me to Jedi Master Kirak Infila who agreed to train me while Koon tracked down the true culprit."

Anakin couldn't help feeling a twinge of resentment.

Why hadn't it happened to him as well?

He said, "I wish it had happened to me. When I was sentenced, I was taken to Palpatine's office. He told me he had done it to save me from getting killed by the Jedi. When he revealed himself to me as the Sith Lord, I initially refused to join him and told him I was going to find Obi Wan and get everything sorted out. But then he got angry and knocked me out before I could escape. You know the rest of the story."

Padmé said, "Obi Wan tried to break you out that night, but he was led on a false trail. An explosion was set up in a cell to try and trick him into believing you had died."

Anakin asked, "Was the real culprit caught?"

Ahsoka replied, "Master Koon found out it was my best friend, Bariss Offee, who had framed me, but right after that, he was declared a traitor, and soon, the Jedi were wiped out and Palpatine declared himself Emperor."

Padmé asked, "How did you end up captured?"

Ahsoka replied, "A few days ago, Master Infila and I were training when Dooku and a few inquisitors arrived on the planet in a shuttle. Master Infila saw him and told me to run while he fought them off. He managed to hold them off for a while, but then Dooku distracted him by causing a flood in a city, and when Master Infila was trying to save the civilians, he snapped his neck. I saw the sight just as I was about to take off and rushed forward without thinking, and I managed to kill two of the inquisitors, but then I got knocked from behind and I lost my lightsabers. Then Dooku brought me to Palpatine saying that I was going to be a gift for you."

Anakin sighed and sadly said, "I was the one who killed all the Jedi at the temple. But I remember some masters like Koon, Fisto and Shaak Ti were not at the temple. I assume they are in hiding."

Padmé said, "Masters Koon, Fisto and Shaak Ti are with the rebellion. Master Yoda was going to go into exile on Dagobah after being defeated by Palpatine but the others convinced him not to. Now, he is with the rebellion in a safe location."

He then said, "Ahsoka, now that we've told each other our stories, I want to get to know you better. I want you to know that you can trust me, and I want to trust you."

"Like, friends?" Ahsoka asked.

Anakin replied, "Well yes."

Ahsoka thought for a few moments and said, "Deal. But what should I call you? I don't like Vader and I don't think I could call you Master. Don't get me wrong, I do feel I can trust you, but it doesn't change what happened."

Anakin replied, "I understand. I don't deserve to hear you call me Master, like a student, after all that I've done, and you don't have to call me Master except for in public, if Palpatine calls or something like that. And soon, you won't have to call me that in the presence of the 501st. Call me Anakin."

Ahsoka asked, "You want me to call you Anakin? Anakin Skywalker?"

Anakin said, "I'd feel better. It's who I am, although part of me will always be Vader. I can't undo what I've done."

Padmé felt sad upon hearing that. She understood Anakin was feeling guilty, but surely, saying things like that would only be detrimental for him.

It would affect him.

Ahsoka frowned slightly and said, "Anakin Skywalker."

She then grinned at Padmé and said, "Your Anakin Skywalker is quite a silly guy if I might say."

Anakin just smiled.

Ahsoka continued, "What a guy Skywalker is. What a Skywalker this guy is. Skywalker guy."

Suddenly, her eyes widened and she cried out, "I GOT IT! What about Skyguy?!"

Anakin's jaw fell and his eyes widened, dumbstruck at what he had just heard.

This girl, with whom he had barely spent much time with, had just called him 'Skyguy'.

Ahsoka was free with him, not scared, or any such thing.

That was good. But this…

He cried out incredulously, "SKYGUY?! SKYGUY?!"

Padmé just started laughing at how ridiculous the new name sounded.

She said, "Go on Ahsoka, I like that."

Anakin said, "I can't believe you would do this to me as our first act of friendship Ahsoka! You are so snippy. THAT'S RIGHT! I'm going to call you Snips because you are so snippy Snips!"

"HEY!" Ahsoka cried out, but Padmé only laughed further on.

And thus began the friendship between 'Skyguy' and 'Snips', which was just a start of what was to come.