Emperor Palpatine was fuming even as he sat on his throne, listening to Darth Tyrannus' explanation of how he had failed to kill the two Jedi and how the 'clone' had foiled him.

And it added to his suspicions.

He snarled, "So, my apprentice, you failed because of that 'clone'?!"

Tyrannus replied, "That clone was capable of wielding a lightsaber. Perhaps it was a Jedi in disguise."

"Or perhaps it was Vader," Sidious snarled, "There's only one Jedi I knew with a lightsaber of that color, and Vader kept it as a trophy."

He went silent for a few moments and then hissed, "My suspicions are growing stronger with each passing day. I sense Vader is no longer loyal to us."

Tyrannus remarked, "If the supposed traitorous clone was actually Vader as you say, it would make complete sense as to how he evaded all those imperial fighters and pulled off an incredibly dangerous maneuver. He is a dangerous pilot after all."

Sidious snarled, "You are right. However, there is more to this than it appears."

He then waited for a few moments and said, "I suspect Vader did not obey my orders when I told him to kill that woman of a senator. I suspect Padmé Amidala is not dead."

Tyrannus seemed shocked and exclaimed, "Not dead?! Are you saying he betrayed us over her?!"

"I'm sure he has," Sidious said, "And she must pay. But to try and kill her when Vader is around will be dangerous."

Tyrannus said, "But if as you say, the woman is alive, then surely either she must have escaped or Vader is protecting her."

"Correct my apprentice," Sidious snarled, "I'm sure that Vader is protecting her instead of killing her as he should have."

He then said, "If Vader is planning to turn on us, then we must move swiftly."

Tyrannus suggested, "My Lord, if I may suggest, why not employ someone to keep a watch on her family. For all we know, they may be involved in this. Otherwise, we could use them and Queen Apailana to draw her out."

Sidious smiled and said, "Excellent my apprentice, and who would that someone be?"

Tyrannus replied, "Young Boba Fett of course."

Sidious snarled and said, "He is young, but he craves revenge on the Jedi, and he is skilled like his father. He will do!"

He then said, "Soon Vader, I will take your beloved senator from you, and she will die and you will either bow before me or die!"


Meanwhile, on board the Devastator…

Anakin and Ahsoka were standing on the bridge observing the view outside.

Anakin asked, "Have we gotten any more support so far?"

Ahsoka replied, "Well Rex says the 711th legion, the last legion to be commissioned, has agreed to join us. Plus, Senator Organa has his own band of rebels if we need their help."

Anakin smiled at her and said, "I don't know if they'll want to work with us, but we definitely should consider, especially now that Obi Wan's with us."

Meanwhile, Obi Wan and Satine were standing in the corner of a hangar.

Obi Wan said, "Satine, there's something I want to ask you."

Satine asked, "What is it?"

Obi Wan asked, "In all these years, did you ever, you know, have the time to…"

"Have a romance?" Satine replied, "As if I would consider anyone else."

"Satine?" Obi Wan started, "Does that mean you…"

Satine replied, "I have loved you ever since the day you first told me. And if it were not for the Jedi Code, I would have loved to be with you."

Obi Wan said, "I don't think it matters much now anymore. But if you had told me, I would have left the Order for you."

All of a sudden, he heard Qui Gon's voice speaking, "You have my blessing, Obi Wan. Do not worry about the code."

Obi Wan spun around hurriedly, but could not find any trace of Qui Gon's force ghost.

"Obi Wan," he suddenly heard Satine saying, "Is someone calling you?"

Obi Wan turned to her and replied, "I will explain to you what just happened, but I can definitely say this, I love you."

"I love you too Obi Wan," Satine replied even as she pulled Obi Wan in for a hug and a kiss.

A few moments later, when the loving embrace ended, Obi Wan and Satine were gazing at each other when suddenly, they were interrupted by a few voices laughing.

Obi Wan turned around to find Anakin, Ahsoka and Kitster laughing.

Anakin smilingly said, "I always believed you were the perfect Jedi who would never ever break the code. Anyways, you have my back Obi Wan."

"Anakin," Obi Wan cried out but Kitster laughingly beat him to it saying, "He's never going to let you live this down Master Kenobi."

Ahsoka added, "This is nothing compared to what Anakin did with Padmé one time. He was like, 'oh how beautiful your nails and teeth are' and another time, he even lay on her lap and asked her to maul him and eat him."

Anakin cried out, "Hey Snips! No!"

Ahsoka smirked and said, "Since you're not going to leave Master Kenobi alone, I can't leave you alone either! But don't worry, it's just him, Satine, Kitster, you and me here, so you're safe."

Kitster added, "Yeah, we'll keep your secret safe."

That only caused Anakin to go red in the face.

To everyone's surprise, Obi Wan turned to Satine and said, "I admit, I would rather let you eat me if, uh…"

Satine smiled and said, "Yes, I will maul my handsome Jedi Knight and bite you and eat you."

Just then, Padmé approached them and called out, "Anakin, Rex has been looking for you for the past ten minutes. He wants to let you know that your starfighter painting's ready."

Just then, Rex turned up and said, "Sir, your starfighter's painting is done. Would you like to see it?"

"Of course," Anakin replied, "Lead the way."

Rex led Anakin and the rest of the group to another section of the hangar and came to see what was Anakin's starfighter.

It was an Eta-2 Actis class Interceptor, and the paint job was looking quite impressive.

It was painted mostly yellow with a few lines of black.

And standing near the starfighter was R2-D2, looking up at the left wing.

Anakin smiled and said, "Behold, the Azure Angel."

Padmé gasped, "You named your starfighter that?"

Anakin smilingly replied, "After you my lady."

He then turned to R2 and said, "She'll need a droid for sure when I go out there. What do you say R2? Want to fly with me again like we did over Naboo?"

R2 beeped affirmatively, indicating a yes.


Some time later…

Anakin was standing in his quarters looking outside his viewport.

Obi Wan was standing next to him.

Obi Wan spoke, "Anakin, there's something you need to know."

Anakin asked, "What is it?"

Obi Wan asked, "You know that your mother is on Naboo with her family and Padmé's family, right?"

Anakin nodded.

Obi Wan said, "Before I left Naboo, your mother said she wanted to see you again. She made me promise to bring you home."

Anakin's face fell down and he said, "I can't Obi Wan. Not now."

Obi Wan asked, "Anakin, why? Do you not want to see her?"

Anakin said, "It's nothing. It's just the rebellion."

Obi Wan said, "Then how do you have time for Padmé and Ahsoka, but not your mother?"

Anakin admitted, "When I first heard that she was alive and well, I wanted to kill myself. I felt totally unworthy of being her son, and I still do. No matter what I do, a part of me will always be Vader. I can never forgive myself for what I did. She'll hate me for what I have become. That's why I cannot go back to her."

Obi Wan's expression softened at this and he said, "Do you think a mother would just reject her child like that? Anyone else might, but not a mother."

He continued, "As a Jedi, I never knew my mother. So I cannot say I know exactly what it feels like for you, and the closest thing I had to a parent was Qui Gon. But still, there were times when I did feel rejected in my life."

Anakin said abruptly, "I was the reason he pushed you to take the trials."

Obi Wan explained, "You are not to blame. Don't blame yourself for this. Qui Gon may have been abrupt and I admit, I did feel rejected at that time, but later on, I realized that he would not have recommended me for the trials if he had felt I was not ready. And honestly, yes I did feel obligated in the beginning, but I grew to love you like a brother, and I still do. So don't blame yourself for that."

He then said, "From all that I have learnt, I can definitely say that there is no greater productive bond between that of a mother and her child. Yes, she will be shocked, as I was to know what happened to you, but she will hear you out, as I did, and with more patience and love. And stop saying that a part of you is Vader. If you keep loathing yourself for that, you won't be able to let go. Guilt can be destructive in the long run, and it is an emotion of the dark side."

Anakin said, "Would you say Darth Malgus was an example of that? He killed his own wife because he felt she was making him too weak for the dark side. Perhaps he felt guilt and shame and used it to fuel himself."

Obi Wan replied, "I agree with you on that. And that is all the more reason as to why you need to let go of your loathing."

Anakin said, "Alright. I will do as you say and go see her, but I can't do this alone."

Obi Wan said, "I never said you had to. If you want, Padmé and I will go with you, and I think you should take Ahsoka too. They've been a huge part of your redemption. I am proud of how you swore to Ahsoka that you would never do to her what Palpatine did to you."

Anakin said, "Thanks Obi Wan. That means a lot to me."

Obi Wan smiled and held Anakin's shoulder lovingly.

Anakin then turned on his comlink and said, "Rex, get a shuttle ready, and my starfighter too. And tell Piett to set course for Naboo immediately."


Some hours later…

The Devastator dropped out of hyperspace above the planet of Naboo, and soon, a shuttle and a starfighter exited the star destroyer and headed for the planet.

Obi Wan who was sitting in the shuttle's cockpit asked Padmé who was in the copilot's seat, "How do you think Shmi will react?"

Padmé answered, "I can't say for sure, but I'm sure she will scold him at most. She won't disown him or some such thing. I can bet my life she won't."

Obi Wan said, "Good thing we brought Ahsoka and R2 along. We'll need them in any case."

"Don't forget me too," a third female voice piped up even as a head poked into the cockpit, and Obi Wan replied, "Of course not Satine."

A few minutes later, the starfighter and the shuttle reached a clearing near the lake house and landed there.


A few minutes later…

Shmi Skywalker, a wise woman, was gazing out into the distance, wondering what was going on.

A male voice behind her called out, "Mom, get inside! It might be the Emperor himself."

Shmi looked around to see a young man with short hair and a stubble holding a blaster ready.

Shmi calmly said, "Owen, you don't need to be so tense. I don't think it's him."

Another voice called out, "What if it is Shmi? I can't lose you again!"

Shmi turned around to see a middle aged man with a beard and a prosthetic leg and replied, "Cliegg, you won't. For all we know, maybe it's Obi Wan coming back home."

And then, Owen called out, "Look, there's some people coming out!"

Shmi turned to look at the trees out of which some figures were emerging.

Two were in front.

One was a very familiar Jedi Master with auburn hair and a beard, except, his hair looked trimmed.

And the other one was a young man clothed in black, wearing a black cape and a belt with what looked like a lightsaber hilt attached to the side. He had long sandy blonde hair down the neck, and blue eyes, just like her…

"Ani?" She whispered, stunned to see who it was, "My son? Is it you?"

Anakin looked at his mother with a mixture of emotions in his head.

She looked older but still had dark hair, and she certainly looked better off than she had been when he had left with Qui Gon.

Seeing her physically after eleven years made his heart nearly stop.

Even as Padmé, Satine, Ahsoka, and R2 emerged from the trees, Anakin looked at his mother for a long time without saying anything and finally said one word, "Mom?"

Shmi rushed towards her son and pulled him into a hug crying out, "Ani, it's really you! You came back! You came back!"

Anakin's arms instinctively wrapped themselves around her and they both burst into tears, tears of both sorrow and joy.

A few minutes later, Shmi pulled out of the hug and said, "Anakin, I can't believe the Jedi Council just threw you out of the Order! I can't believe they would brand you a criminal and cast you out for alleged murder!"

It was at this point that Anakin's expression turned into one of fear, guilt and sadness and he said, "Mom, you wouldn't be proud of who I've become. I was more than just that."

Shmi paused, sensing there was more to come that she had not heard and asked, "What do you mean son?"

Anakin at first said nothing, not knowing how to explain himself.

He then asked, "Mom, did you hear about Darth Vader and how he killed the Jedi?"

Shmi gasped and said, "Of course I did! I couldn't believe he would do such a thing! He was a monster that day!"

Anakin said, "You're right. He was a monster that day. I was a monster that day."

Shmi was shocked to hear Anakin say this and asked, "You could never be a monster! What are you saying?!"

Anakin teared up, afraid of what would come.

When she heard the truth, surely, she would hate him forever and cast him away, wouldn't she.

He slowly said, "Mom, it's because I wasn't held prisoner by Darth Vader. I was the dark lord of the Sith, Darth Vader."

This was it. He knew it.

Shmi just stood there, jaws wide open in horror.

Those words had struck her like a bombshell.

The silence was suddenly broken by Owen crying out, "Then what are we doing? He's here to kill you, run!"

Cliegg, the older man, moved forward and stopped his son saying, "No wait! If he was here to kill her, he would have done it by now! And Obi Wan wouldn't be here right now."

Turning to Anakin, he gave a look that radiated shock, yet curiosity.

All of a sudden, Shmi cried out angrily, "How could you join the Sith?! You joined them! I failed you! I thought I had raised you with good values! What happened to that sweet little boy I knew?! You went and became Darth Vader! You killed all those children! How can you even dare to stand here?! Are you here to kill me?!"

Anakin cried out, "Mom I would never, I didn't even know…"

"Know what?", Shmi retorted, "That the Sith are evil? That your Emperor wanted you to kill children? You knew it was wrong and you did it! You're evil! No! Not my son! My son would never do this! Go, get out of here!"

"Mom please no," Anakin was begging but Shmi yelled out, "You're not my son! My son would never… How do I know now that you weren't Sith before you got expelled?!"

All of a sudden, Padmé ran and stood between them crying out, "Shmi please stop it! Please listen! You have no idea what made him Vader!"

Shmi turned to Padmé and cried out, "Padmé, is it you?! How can you be near this man?!"

Padmé cried out, "Shmi, please, he didn't join the Sith and get himself expelled from the Order! He was framed and sentenced to death! Palpatine framed him! He sentenced him! He took him to the side and told him to join him! Anakin refused and tried to get to Obi Wan, but Palpatine kidnapped him and tortured him for months! The worst is, at the end, after he tried to assassinate you, he showed Anakin a fake recording of Mace Windu and Obi Wan murdering you and lied to him that the Jedi murdered you!"

This new piece of information changed everything.

Shmi looked horrified, as the truth began to seep in.

She looked at Anakin who was standing with tears in his eyes and asked, "Anakin, is that true?!"

Anakin nodded.

Obi Wan walked over to Shmi and said, "You have no idea what it was like for him. He was all alone, and had no one to help him."

Ahsoka added, "I think I should mention this. He was tortured brutally, starved, electrocuted, and even whipped with a barbed wire."

Shmi gasped at that and cried out, "No! Tell me that's not what happened to my baby boy!"

Anakin looked around for a moment, then lifted a portion of his upper clothing.

And as Shmi felt Anakin's waist, she found something and gasped.

There, starting from the lower back, were lines of thick scars.

Shmi, realizing what had happened, looked Anakin straight into the eyes.

Anakin tearfully said, "I tried to hold out, but no one came for me and I started to feel like even Obi Wan didn't want me anymore. Mace Windu threw me out, and when I saw that recording, I broke, I couldn't take it anymore and I went mad, and…"

Shmi burst into tears and wrapped her arms around Anakin crying out, "Oh my baby, my baby, my baby, I didn't know! I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry! How could he do that to you?!"

Owen suddenly spoke up, "Are you saying he was forced to be Vader?"

Satine spoke up in response, "In a way, you could say he was."

Cliegg said, "I can't say I blame Anakin. I wanted to murder those Tuskens when they took my wife. Who am I to judge?"

Owen added shamefully, "I probably would go mad if something like that happened to me. Of course, I wouldn't kill children, but I would definitely want revenge."

Ahsoka said, "Revenge can do terrible things. It can make a person lose their soul to darkness."

Meanwhile, Anakin and his mother had just ended the hug and Shmi was exclaiming, "How could he do that to you?! How long did he treat you like this?!"

Anakin replied, "Seven or eight months."

Shmi was horrified to say the least. In all her time as a slave, there had been times when she had been chained, or whipped, or starved, or sometimes even molested, but surely, she had at least been fed well and spared, allowed to walk, especially get things for her little Ani from time to time. This was beyond what she had endured. And plus, she had never been beaten with an electro whip or a barbed whip or electrocuted like her son had been.

Anakin said, "Mom, I want to make things right. I'm organizing a rebellion to fight against Palpatine and bring peace and justice and freedom back to the galaxy. I will do my best to help the Jedi, but even that won't change much. I cannot forgive myself for what I did. It was all my fault. I did this. And a part of me will always be Vader."

Shmi cupped Anakin's face in her hands and said, "Look at me Ani."

Even as he looked at her, she said, "Ani, if you feel remorse for what happened, if you want to make things right, then there is hope for you. But you have to stop holding on to your guilt. Yes, you were responsible for what you did, and the worst part is that you will have to live with it, but that does not mean you should cling on to your guilt forever or it will destroy you. It will pull you down and prevent you from becoming the Jedi you were meant to be."

Anakin was surprised to hear his mother say that.

And then, Shmi declared, "Listen to me, you are my son, Anakin Skywalker, my sweet little boy, and now a good man who wants to make things right. Darth Vader is dead. Anakin Skywalker, my son is alive."

Anakin stood rooted to the spot for some time, then wrapped his arms around his mother even as she hugged him.

Just then, they were interrupted by a voice crying out, "Oh, it's the maker. You're back finally at last!"

Anakin looked ahead at the source of the voice and his eyes widened with surprise when he saw a protocol droid, a very familiar one he had built, the wiring now covered with steel plates.

And then, he gasped, "Threepio, is that you?"

The droid responded, "I am C3PO, human cyborg relations. You are back! My maker is finally back!"

Later on, Padmé and Satine were in the garden talking with Shmi and a blonde haired woman called Beru who was Owen's wife.

"So," Beru asked, "What would you say about Anakin?"

Padmé said, "I would say he was under the influence of the Sith, but after finding out the truth about his mother, he started to change for the better, and now look where he is. He's come so far."

Shmi asked, "Padmé, I hope you don't mind me asking, but do you love my son?"

Padmé replied, "I love Anakin with all my heart. He's the love of my life."

Shmi smiled and said, "I felt as much. You've helped him come so far. Thank you for helping my son when he needed it."

Satine said, "Your son is a good man, and I'm happy to be his friend."

Meanwhile, Obi Wan and Ahsoka were conversing with Cliegg and Owen near the women.

Owen said, "Not only did you save Mom, but you brought my brother back. I know he went dark, but I can't say I blame him, except for some actions."

Cliegg said, "Owen, you know he regrets those deeds more than anything.

Obi Wan said, "I should have asked that bounty hunter if he had any information on Anakin."

Owen said, "It's possible that that murderer wouldn't have had any idea himself. Plus you were focused on getting us to safety. It's thanks to you that Dad even agreed to get a prosthetic leg."

Meanwhile, in the lake house, Anakin was standing on a balcony, overlooking the lake and a meadow.

He was thinking about all that had happened.

If it had not been for the fact that Obi Wan had saved his mother, and that Padmé had come to him and told him the truth, he would have been steeped in darkness, and everyone around him would have been living broken lives in some way or another.

He would have been nothing but a cold hearted monster.

But now, he had so much, so many people around him who cared about him.

Even his stepfather and stepbrother, whom he had never met before, were already willing to give him a chance and love him like their own family.

And yet, he was still clinging on to being Vader, in a different way. Nothing but pessimism, self pity.

His mother loved him, Obi Wan loved him, Padmé loved him, Ahsoka loved him, but despite all of this, he was still unwilling to let go of being Vader.

Even saying that a part of him would always be Vader did count as clinging on to his dark past in a way.

If he were to be truly redeemed, the decision had to come from within.

The darkness had taken too much from him.

Plus, it wasn't false that there were Jedi who had fallen to darkness and had come back to the light.

Revan for instance.

And then there was Cedonia.

Cedonia, once a Sith warrior, then the Alliance Commander who had fought against the Eternal Empire, and then fought for the Republic and the Jedi.

She had chosen the light over the dark and in doing so, had paved her way towards the Jedi.

Ultimately, she herself had become a Jedi Master.

And no just that.

She had loved, loved and married a Republic spy, Theron Shan, and that had been one factor in the Jedi Order allowing romances and families, and not forcing parents to give up their infants, and that had lasted until the Russan reformation because before that, many Jedi had fallen and caused a lot of chaos and terror in the galaxy.

But mainly, if Cedonia could renounce the Sith, and become a Jedi, then why couldn't he at least stop holding on to his guilt?

And he made a decision.