Ahsoka's Forbidden Love, Part II

by BlueMetal22

Ahsoka and Anakin are living happily on Alderaan, with their daughter. Although Darth Binks is dead, Palpatine is back, in a very unusual way, plotting revenge upon Anakin and Ahsoka, and also to regain power. The Jedi Order teeters on the brink of extinction, and they plead with Ahsoka and Anakin to return. Rated T for violence and adult situations... nothing TOO graphic.

This story starts five years after the events of "Ahsoka's Forbidden Love." This story will make much more sense if you have read that prior story. There will be some limited recapping. As this story unfolds, Ahsoka and Anakin are living happily in their house on Alderaan with their daughter, who is now five years old. Ahsoka is 24, and Anakin is 29. They have managed to stay clear of the Jedi for these five years, other than occasional social visits as friends. Meanwhile, the spirit of Palpatine, who had been defeated and killed by Anakin, Ahsoka, and Shaak Ti, has forcefully possessed the body of a beautiful young lady, now physically age 22, and has fled to an ancient Sith temple, and has been plotting revenge.

Anakin slowly opened his eyes, waking from a sound sleep. He could feel the soft, warm bed, yet he also felt something else. A smile spread across his face, because he knew what it was, without even having to look. His beloved wife Ahsoka had once again rolled over in her sleep, and was now directly on top of him, peacefully sleeping away. Sure enough, when he moved his gaze from the ceiling downward, he saw the familiar blue and light grey pattern of Ahsoka's head.

With some newly married couples, there can be a loss of passion for each other after a few years of marriage. Couples become bored with each other, or perhaps they see things that they weren't aware of when they were dating. Not so with Ahsoka and Anakin. They were the exception. Their love, passion, and devotion to each other had only strengthened and increased in the five years since their marriage. They were completely and utterly in love with each other, and they weren't shy about expressing this.

So, after taking a quick spray in the mouth to get rid of his morning breath, Anakin wrapped his arms around his wife, and gently kissed her head. Ahsoka stirred awake with a smile, and Anakin whispered, "Good morning, dear." Anakin gave her another kiss to the head. Ahsoka asked, "Did I roll over on top of you again in my sleep?" Anakin nodded, as he gently caressed Ahsoka's body. He knew exactly where she loved to be massaged… when she was in the right mood, of course. Which, fortunately for him, she was at this moment. Ahsoka giggled, then mumbled, "Mmm Anakin; good morning to you too!" She reached down to where 'Anakin Junior' waited, and was just about to return the favor, when they both froze, and sniffed the air. Both of their eyes widened. Ahsoka asked, "Do you smell smoke?" Anakin nodded, and started to struggle out of bed. Ahsoka then laughed, and said, "Maybe you'd better let me check it out!" Anakin saw what she meant. He was so aroused by his gorgeous wife, that he dared not dash out of the bedroom where their daughter would see him.

Anakin blushed, and said, "Well, sorry; I can't help it if you're so incredibly gorgeous!" Still giggling, Ahsoka threw on her robe and quickly tied it closed, and told him, "Just stay there, I'll take care of it." She then dashed out of the bedroom, and entered their living room. Nothing appeared amiss there, so she continued into the kitchen. There, she saw their little daughter, who had climbed up on a stool, and had attempted to cook some eggs in a frying pan, shells and all, with predictable results. Ahsoka quickly grabbed the handle of the frying pan, put it in the sink, and sprayed the mess with water, also opening the window to let some of the smoke out. She then turned off the cooking unit, then sighed with relief. She knelt down and looked her daughter in the eyes. "Amara, sweetie, your father and I have told you not to touch this cooking unit, haven't we?" Little Amara looked at her mother, bottom lip out, eyes barely holding back tears, and nodded. Ahsoka's heart melted, and she gently hugged her daughter. "Okay, well, you weren't hurt, and you didn't burn the house down. But you mustn't touch this cooking unit again, unless one of us is with you. Do you understand?" Amara nodded again.

Ahsoka then heard Anakin walking into the kitchen. She looked back at him, and saw that he also had his robe on, and he did not have a tent pitched in the robe, just below his waist. She gave him a quick look and nodded with satisfaction, then looked back at her daughter. Amara looked up at Anakin, and said, "Daddy, I only wanted to make breakfast for you and mommy!" Anakin saw the pan in the sink full of water, and the smoke exiting out the window, and the cooking unit was turned off, and no one was hurt. He looked back at Amara, and any idea of talking sternly to her went right out the window when he saw her large eyes and quivering lower lip. Just like had happened with Ahsoka, Anakin's heart softened, and he scooped up his daughter and hugged her. "Well, the important thing is that you weren't hurt, and the house is okay. But, you don't touch that cooking unit again. Do you understand?" Amara quickly nodded.

Ahsoka then took Amara from Anakin and said to her, "Come on, I'll help you get dressed, while daddy makes us all breakfast." Anakin watched his wife walking out of the kitchen, carrying their daughter… and he also noticed Ahsoka's seductive figure moving beneath her silk robe. She glanced back and smiled at him, fully aware that Anakin was 'checking her out.' Anakin sighed, smiled, and turned back to the kitchen's cooking unit. Morning romance often had to take a back seat to the demands of raising a child.

After breakfast, Anakin was just about to ask Ahsoka and Amara what they wanted to do together with their day off, when suddenly, the doorbell chimed. Anakin opened the door, with Amara peeking out from behind his legs. Standing there was one of Amara's friends, a little seven year old girl who lived a short distance away. There were also four other children standing there. Anakin knew all of them, and also knew their parents. The children looked up at Anakin, and asked if Amara could come to the park with them to play. Anakin and Ahsoka immediately said "Yes!" simultaneously. Ahsoka then added, "That is, if you want to, sweetie." Amara responded by hopping up and down and clapping. Anakin nodded, and let her out the front door. The park was a very short distance away, and it was surrounded by the homes of friends of Anakin and Ahsoka, and they had let Amara go and play many times before without incident. So, Anakin and Ahsoka stood in the doorway and watched as their daughter happily joined the group of children and made their way to the park, which was well within sight of the house. They could also see that some of the neighborhood parents were walking around the park. Anakin and Ahsoka knew them all, and trusted that their daughter would be safe in the park with her friends.

When they saw that Amara had reached the park, Anakin and Ahsoka took a step back and allowed the door to close. They looked at each other, then seized each other in a passionate embrace. Ahsoka wrapped her legs as well as her arms around Anakin, and he carefully walked to the bedroom, literally carrying his wife with him. By the time he gently set her on the bed, she had managed to shed her silk robe, and Anakin needed little persuading to toss his robe aside as well. Ahsoka giggled and beckoned to her husband, and he didn't keep her waiting. Anakin was very grateful that Ahsoka was a moaner, not a screamer, in these situations. When he heard her softly breathe, "Oh, Anakin…" that alone was nearly enough to push him past the point of no return.

After they had finished, Anakin lay in bed, both arms around his wife, and kissed her several times, while telling her, "I love you, SO… MUCH! You are, by far, the greatest part of my life." Ahsoka had heard this from Anakin countless times since they had become a couple, yet every time made her just as warm and happy inside as the first time she heard it. She kissed her husband on the lips, and assured him that she felt the same way about him. They lay there for a while longer, savoring the opportunity to cuddle without fearing Amara bursting in on them. Anakin ever so gently caressed and fondled the blue and grey 'lekku' head-tails of Ahsoka's. He was the only being in the galaxy that would even dare to think about it, but he knew exactly where and how… and WHEN Ahsoka liked to be touched there. If anyone else ever dared to reach out and touch Ahsoka in this way, the result would very likely be a blindingly fast swing of a lightsaber, followed by the guilty party staring at a smoldering stump of an arm. And then, they would have to deal with Anakin. However, when her loving husband did it, the result was giggles and moans of pleasure, followed by intense kissing.

Finally, the couple realized they simply had to get up. Mother nature helped this realization. The refreshing liquid they had both had for breakfast was now ready to exit. Ahsoka said, "Honey, I'm sorry, but… I really have to pee." Anakin immediately said that he did too. They got up out of bed together, but not before Anakin told her once more; "You were amazing."

Many light-years away, in the ancient Sith temple of Malachor, a similar activity was taking place, but in entirely different circumstances. The sounds of snarling, angry intimate activities echoed throughout the temple. In one of the side chambers, a bed had been set up, on which lay a terrified Darth Maul. Having been completely rebuilt with a mixture of organic and bionic legs, not to mention his fully functional 'private area,' Darth Maul lay on his back, while being utterly dominated by a gorgeous young blonde woman who was physically half his size. Yet this was no ordinary lady. This remarkably flawless body was possessed by the spirit of Palpatine. The body may have been that of a beautiful blonde, but the spirit and Dark Force energy were 100% Sith Lord.

Palpatine had informed Maul that it was time to try out yet another aspect of this new body, so now Maul found himself unclothed in bed with his old Sith Master… who was now in the form of a young lady. Maul was as confused as he was terrified. Maul could sense that Palpatine was nearing climax by the burning red and yellow Sith eyes, and by the Sith lightning that involuntarily spewed out of the fingers.

When the moment was over, the young blonde lady lay down next to a terrified Maul with a heavy sigh of satisfaction. The lady's mouth opened, but it was Palpatine's voice that came forth. "Well, that was fascinating! I think this new body will serve me well. I can use it to gain power over many of the old men in the senate." Maul deduced that Palpatine intended to use this gorgeous new body to gain power via the bedroom. Palpatine's cunning, and decades of political know-how and savvy, hiding inside a beautiful young blonde, would be formidable. Then, the beautiful face turned to look straight at Darth Maul. This time, the girl's sweet, natural voice said, "Was it good for you, too?" Followed by Palpatine's wicked laughter, which echoed throughout the Sith Temple.

After showering and dressing, Ahsoka and Anakin left their house and walked hand in hand to the park, to check up on their daughter. They were taking their time, enjoying the sunny day, yet when they saw what their daughter was doing, they both looked at each other, and urgently quickened their pace. Little Amara was standing in the playground, and much to the delight of her friends, was using the Force to lift a toy spaceship in the air, and was swinging it in fantastic loops. Amara had her little hand out, and was guiding the toy ship.

Anakin's first instinct was to stop his daughter from using the Force. However, after recovering from initially being startled, Ahsoka realized that Amara was not hurting anyone, so she gently stopped her husband. She looked into Anakin's eyes and said, "Just a minute, honey. She's not hurting anything. Let's just watch for a while." Anakin nodded, and they both watched with growing pride as Amara made the toy ship perform increasingly complicated maneuvers, much to the delight of her friends.

Ahsoka smiled, and quietly said to Anakin, "I suppose we shouldn't be surprised; after all, she is the daughter of The Chosen One." She gave Anakin a look and a smile. Anakin returned the smile, and replied, "Oh really? Didn't you defeat Count Dooku, all by yourself?" Ahsoka knew that Anakin said this with great pride in her. She countered with, "Well, didn't you kill Palpatine, and then save me from death with that Force healing ability?" Anakin nodded, and said, "Yes, but, I had help. Shaak Ti helped distract Palpatine, and the Force-ghost of Qui-Gon Jinn instructed me on how to heal you. Besides, wasn't it you who killed the most evil and powerful Sith of them all, Darth Binks?! Split him clean in half, from head to crotch, if I remember correctly." Anakin leaned over and gave her a little kiss of pride and affection on her head. Ahsoka nodded, and said, "Fine, maybe we're both 'chosen ones.' The point is, we're both very strong with the Force, and it looks like our daughter has inherited this ability."

Ahsoka and Anakin sat on a park bench together, still watching their little daughter play. Ahsoka leaned her head against Anakin's shoulder, and he instinctively put his arm around her, while Ahsoka shifted and snuggled as closely to him as possible. After a quiet moment, Ahsoka asked Anakin a very important question. "Honey… what would you think about training her in the ways of the Force?" Startled, Anakin said, "You don't mean… turn her over to the Jedi?" Ahsoka scoffed. "No! Anakin… HELL no! We; you and I, we both renounced the Jedi Order together. Why would we now send our only child to join them?" Anakin chuckled. "I'm glad to hear you say that, sweetie. So, what did you have in mind?" Ahsoka explained, "We could train her. You and I. We both know a great deal about the Force. What I'm afraid of is, if we don't train her, then she won't learn any discipline with using the Force, and her natural Force abilities are only going to keep growing. The last thing anyone needs is an undisciplined, yet very powerful Force-user running around, doing who knows what." Anakin nodded. Ahsoka's words made perfect sense to him. Anakin smiled at her once more. "Yet another reason why I love you so much. You can make anything make sense, even to an old desert scavenger like me." Ahsoka playfully shoved him. "Shut up! You're not 'old.' And, I love you too." Anakin replied, "Yes, dear."

At that moment, little Amara's focus was diverted by some distraction or another, and the toy ship she was controlling smacked right into the ground, breaking into several pieces. Amara gathered them up, and ran over to her parents. "Mom, my ship broke!" Ahsoka smiled, and said, "Give it to your father, dear. He likes to fix things." Amara immediately thrust the broken toy into Anakin's arms, as Ahsoka giggled. Anakin looked at the broken toy, and sighed, but little Amara already knew how to use her large, adorable eyes to beg her father. "You can fix it, can't you, daddy?" Anakin glanced at both his wife, and his daughter, and said yet again, "Yes, dear."

Later that day, Anakin looked at Ahsoka. "It's been a few days. Are you ready?" Ahsoka smiled and replied, "Are you ready?" Anakin walked over to a locked box on top of a shelf, opened it, and took out three lightsabers. He kept one for himself, and handed the other two to Ahsoka. These were training sabers. With these sabers, there was no fear of death or dismemberment. Even if the blade was held directly against bare skin, there was only a warm tickling sensation. At worst, if the blade were held in place for over a minute with great strength, there might be a bruise. Nothing more.

The two former Jedi walked into their home's training arena, which Anakin and Ahsoka had built just for this purpose. The gymnasium floor was covered with a soft mat, and there were plenty of platforms, ladders, scaffolding, and other obstacles. In this arena, Anakin and Ahsoka sparred with each other, keeping their skills sharp. They faced each other, bowed, then ignited their training sabers. Anakin's face became more serious, as his mind shifted into combat mode. Ahsoka likewise shifted from loving wife and mother, to warrior, and assumed the perfect defensive posture with her two sabers.

Anakin slowly circled her, searching for an opening. He suddenly lunged with lightning speed, but Ahsoka was ready for him. Their sabers clashed, and the duel was engaged. They both parried, lunged, blocked, attacked, and retreated as necessary. After ten straight minutes of combat, neither one was able to score a breakthrough decisive advantage. Anakin decided to try a new trick; when their sabers were locked and both were straining, he called upon the Force, lifted up a rubber ball that Amara had left behind, and that ball flew at Ahsoka from behind, and bonked her on the head. Anakin smugly stepped back, and said, "That was a flying boulder, and it just shattered the back of your skull."

Ahsoka looked at the ball on the floor, wondering why she hadn't sensed that coming up behind her. She then looked at Anakin with an odd mixture of amusement, and frustrated anger. She then attacked, and managed to catch Anakin off-balance. He had let his guard down, while taunting her about the rubber ball, and now he paid the price. In a flash, Ahsoka viciously swung her saber against his, knocking it out of his hand, then the other saber collided with his feet, knocking him on his back. Before he knew it, Anakin felt one of Ahsoka's sabers, warm and tickling, pressed against his neck. She leaned down close to his face, and said, "I just cut off your feet, then your head." She then straightened up, and deactivated her training sabers. Anakin muttered, "Damn!" He then got up to his feet, saw his training saber laying on the floor. He held out his hand, and with merely a twitch of the Force, the saber leaped into Anakin's waiting hand.

When the two of them had started training against each other five years ago, when they first settled on Alderaan, they had discovered that it was quite easy for one or both of them to get carried away, and for egos to become involved, and for feelings to be hurt. After one particularly intense training session, feelings had boiled over, and they had spent several hours angry with each other, giving each other the silent treatment. Finally, this ended when Anakin had walked over to Ahsoka, apologized, and hugged her. So, now, they made it a policy to end every training session in exactly the same way.

Anakin clipped his training saber to his belt, and held out his arms. Ahsoka smiled, and responded by hugging her husband. Anakin reassured her by saying, "I love you, Ahsoka. Good training session." Ahsoka responded in kind. They kissed each other, and held their hug for as long as it took for their feelings to get back under control. Then, they slowly walked toward the exit of the training room, with their arms around each other's shoulders. Ahsoka admonished herself for her lack of awareness. "How did I NOT sense that ball coming up behind me?!" Anakin shrugged. "Just a second of letting your guard down is all it takes, as I found out when you decapitated me." By ending each training session with a hug, and a kiss, and allowing their combat modes to switch off, they always exited their training arena smiling and happy with each other.

On Malachor, the stunning young blonde that contained Palpatine's spirit was now fully dressed, and Palpatine was carefully studying several computer screens. Darth Maul timidly approached his master. Maul dared to speak. "Master, how are your plans progressing?" Palpatine waited for a moment before answering. "I have managed to recover all the credits I had concealed in various accounts." While serving as Supreme Chancellor, Palpatine had the foresight to hide away vast fortunes in different diversified accounts. Now, all were recovered, transferred, and consolidated, making Palpatine a trillionaire. Palpatine had quietly and stealthily become one of the top ten wealthiest beings in the galaxy once more. This is how Palpatine had spent the past five years; slowly and quietly draining one former account after another, and consolidating them; amassing new wealth. And, also, discovering the limits of this new blonde body. The bedroom rendezvous with Darth Maul had been one of the final tests. When Palpatine had asked Maul 'Was it good for you too?' Maul had to admit that, yes, it had been incredible. Even with the knowledge that this blonde body was inhabited by Palpatine, the physical experience had been incredible. However, Maul hoped he never experienced this again with Palpatine.

Back on Alderaan, the weekend had come to a close, and it was time for Anakin and Ahsoka to go back to work. The beautiful home they shared was not free, and they had to earn their living, just like every other being in the galaxy. Ahsoka piloted their 4-seater enclosed red speeder away from their home, and dropped Anakin off at his job; being a patrol pilot for the police force in the capital city of Aldera. Anakin loved this job, and loved still being able to pilot a ship every day, even if some of it got to be very routine and repetitive. Their home was beyond the outskirts of the city, and even beyond the heaviest suburban areas. Anakin and Ahsoka had decided that while they certainly didn't want to be in the city, they also didn't want to be completely isolated in the middle of nowhere. The suburbs were a satisfactory compromise.

Ahsoka gave her husband an affectionate kiss, then Anakin hugged little Amara. "Have a good day, daddy!" With that in his ears, Anakin waved as his two ladies moved away in the speeder. Anakin turned and entered the police department with a smile on his face. Meanwhile, Ahsoka continued piloting the red speeder to the place where she worked, which just happened to be the school where Amara was just starting her first lessons. Ahsoka worked there as the physical education instructor, and she loved every minute of it… even if she occasionally had to deal with unruly children.

Ahsoka parked the speeder, and walked with Amara, holding her hand, and deliberately walking a bit slower, so Amara's little legs could keep up. When they entered the school, Ahsoka stopped just outside of Amara's classroom. She knelt down so that she was eye to eye with Amara, and put both hands on her shoulders. "Remember what we talked about, Amara. Your father and I are going to train you to use the Force properly, but for right now, we don't want you using it at school. Not even on the playground. Do you understand?" Amara nodded. "I understand, mommy." Asoka smiled, and tapped her daughter on the nose with one finger, causing her daughter to giggle. "There's my good girl." Ahsoka stood up. "Have a good day, honey, and listen to your teacher. I'll see you at lunchtime." Amara said, "Okay, mommy!" while returning the hug, then scampering into the classroom to say hello to her friends. Ahsoka smiled, and continued on to her desk in the gymnasium office, preparing her day's activities. The Aldera weather forecast called for a bright, sunny day, so she decided to give the students a day outside.

Anakin walked into the pilot's briefing room, and sat down to receive their daily briefing. The chief of police notified them that there would be a sting operation that day, to catch some outlaws who were trying to spread the death stick trade on Alderaan. The chief emphasized that Senator Bail Organa was very proud that Alderaan had one of the lowest death stick usage rates in the galaxy, and wanted very much to keep it this way. After the briefing ended, Anakin walked to the locker room with the other pilots, and started to change into his flight gear.

No sooner had Anakin zipped up his flight suit, than he received an incoming message on his holographic communicator. Anakin activated it, and smiled at the familiar image. "Obi-Wan, it's been a while!" Obi-Wan replied, "Hello, Anakin!" They had not spoken in nearly a year, since they both were quite busy. After a bit of small talk, Obi-Wan said, "I can see you're just about ready to get to work, so I'll make this brief. I will be on Alderaan with Shaak Ti in three days. There's a small item of Jedi business to attend to. Would it be all right if we stopped by your house? Both Shaak Ti and I would very much enjoy seeing you, and Ahsoka, and your little daughter." Anakin replied, "Of course! Ahsoka will be very pleased to see you both, as will I."

On Malachor, Darth Maul also sat at the controls of a small warship. Specially constructed, this four person fighter was 50% larger than an X-Wing, yet it was far faster, and had specially upgraded weapons and shields. Palpatine sat in the co-pilot's seat, allowing Maul to do all of the flying. As the ship lifted off, Palpatine looked at Maul, and said, "From now on, while we are on this mission, I will use this body's natural female voice. Yet you must not forget to whom you are really speaking." Maul nodded. "I understand, my master." Palpatine reverted to the sweet, feminine natural voice of the blonde host body. "At last, we are ready to move against our mortal enemies. I must find Anakin Skywalker, and his wife, Ahsoka Tano-Skywalker." Maul glanced at his master. With his jaw clenched with barely restrained rage, Maul growled, "I want Kenobi." Palpatine chuckled, and replied, "You shall have him. I suspect we shall both have our revenge, very soon." The stars outside the cockpit elongated into streaks of light, as Maul put the ship into hyperspace. Destination: Coruscant.

On Alderaan, Ahsoka was leading the class of ten-year-olds in a lap around the track. She was determined to give these kids a decent workout, knowing that they all spent an appalling amount of time sprawled out on couches at home, playing games on the HoloNet. This would likely be their only serious physical activity of the day, and she wanted to make sure they got the most out of this hour and a half. Once the lap around the track was over, she lined them up in two lines, and called out, "Wind sprints to the end of the track, one versus one! On my whistle!" Ahsoka put her whistle in her mouth, and let out a short blast. The first two students took off, each trying to out-sprint the other. When they reached the finish line, Ahsoka blew her whistle again, and the next two sprinted away. When only two students remained, Ahsoka lined up with them. "I'm going to give you a head start. Don't let me beat you." She then blew the whistle, as the last two students took off running. She counted to five, then sprinted after them. While she could have easily smoked both of the students to the finish line, she could see that they were really trying hard, so she let it end with a tie, so as not to discourage them.

No sooner had that sprint ended, then one of the students said, "Hey, Coach Skywalker, look!" and pointed at the sky. Ahsoka squinted, then grinned. A police patrol fighter was approaching, and did a low pass over the school, then performed a roll. Ahsoka grinned and waved, because she knew it was Anakin, either on a mission or returning from one, just checking in on her. She sighed with happiness as the patrol fighter flew away. Behind her, the students were giggling, and there were a few teasing sounds of "Oooh!" They were all very well aware of what was going on, and who their coach was married to. Ahsoka turned to face her giggling students, and good-naturedly said, "Oh, so you still have energy for giggling, do you? We'll fix that. Line up in two lines for another sprint."

While the students were sprinting again, Ahsoka's mind wandered a bit. She was still getting used to the title of "Coach Skywalker," even though she and Anakin had been married for five years now. She fondly remembered asking Anakin, "Should I take your name? Ahsoka Skywalker… has a good ring to it, doesn't it?" She smiled to herself as she remembered Anakin's reply. "That's entirely up to you, my dear. You can take the name Skywalker, or keep the name Tano, or combine them both. Here is the only 'ring' I care about." Anakin had then gently picked up her left hand, and kissed it, directly where her wedding ring was. The meaning was clear. He was utterly thrilled that they were happily married, and it was of little concern to him which last name she went by. Anakin had confirmed this by stating, "Whichever name pleases you, pleases me as well." Ahsoka had decided on a compromise. Officially, she combined the two names, and was Ahsoka Tano-Skywalker… but in reality, she was so thrilled to be happily married to Anakin, and so deeply in love with him, she just went by Skywalker. She found that she was very proud to use this name, but gratefully respected Anakin for backing off and leaving the decision to her.

On Coruscant, a nightclub was celebrating its expansion. This particular nightclub had, at one time, employed Anakin and Ahsoka, immediately after they left the Jedi Order. (As seen in "Ahsoka's Forbidden Love.") Ever since they had left, this nightclub had become somewhat famous, due to its role in employing two famous former Jedi who had brought down the twisted, evil Supreme Chancellor Palpatine. Even some of the newer Padawan made a habit of stopping by on occasion. The owner of the nightclub, Luna, had no objection to this. She still dearly missed having Ahsoka and Anakin employed at her establishment. She felt infinitely safer when two of the most powerful Jedi ever were there to protect her nightclub.

This mental reverie was broken when Luna heard the doors of her nightclub open. This concerned her, since it was well before opening time. She turned to see who it was, and saw a very beautiful young blonde, and a mysterious figure in an entirely black outfit. She couldn't see the man's face until he removed his hood, and then Luna gasped. The man had red and black all over his head, and there were horns… and burning yellow and red eyes. Luna knew enough to realize this was no Jedi Knight. The blonde woman pointed at Luna, who suddenly found it very difficult to breathe. The blonde spoke in a sweet, yet determined voice. "You employed two former Jedi at one time. Years ago. And, you know where they are." Maul reached out, grabbed Luna by the hair, and slammed her face down on the bar. The blonde lady leaned down very close to Luna's face, and hissed, "You will bring them here." Luna found herself able to breathe normally again, and with trembling hands, reached for the nightclub's communicator.

On Alderaan, Obi-Wan and Shaak Ti had been warmly welcomed into the Skywalker home. Ahsoka happily hugged Shaak Ti, and Obi-Wan hugged Anakin, and clapped him on the back. Obi-Wan took one step back, and looked at Anakin from head to foot. "Anakin, old friend, it's been too long! Let me look at you…" Naturally, Anakin had made it a point to stay in excellent shape, as had Ahsoka. Before Anakin could reply, the front door opened, and Amara entered, having been playing in the nearby park with her friends. "Uncle Obi-Wan!" A delighted Amara ran up to Obi-Wan and leaped up into his arms. Obi-Wan deftly caught her, and wrapped her up in a hug. "Hello there!" However, both Obi-Wan and Shaak Ti felt something. They both looked at each other, then at Anakin and Ahsoka. Shaak Ti nodded as Ahsoka whispered something to her, then mouthed the word 'later' at Obi-Wan. He nodded in understanding, and returned his attention to the adorable little girl in his arms.

After Obi-Wan set Amara down, she then ran over to Shaak Ti, and gave her an equally happy hug. Amara then looked over at her parents, and asked if she could return to the park for another hour, because it was past her usual time to come home for dinner. Ahsoka looked questioningly at Anakin, who nodded, and replied, "Yes, sweetie, you can go and play. Just be back here in one hour for dinner." Amara, who was already halfway to the door, called out, "Thanks! See you later!" Then, the front door opened, and closed, and the little whirlwind named Amara was gone.

Both Obi-Wan and Shaak Ti gushed about what a wonderful child Amara was. Ahsoka told them about how Amara was beginning to show signs of her emerging Force abilities. "Anakin and I; we're going to start training her in the ways of the Force." Both Obi-Wan and Shaak Ti well remembered how Anakin and Ahsoka had elected to leave the Jedi Order, so neither one was foolish enough to propose taking Amara as a youngling in the Jedi Order, though both of them longed to do so. The offspring of Anakin Skywalker and Ahsoka Tano-Skywalker… little Amara had the potential to become an incredibly powerful Force user.

Anakin and Ahsoka continued to show them around their house, when they entered the large training gymnasium. Obi-Wan looked around and nodded with approval. "Very impressive! You know, Anakin; Shaak Ti and I just happened to bring some training sabers…" Obi-Wan reached into his cloak, as did Shaak Ti, and they produced two training lightsabers. Obi-Wan looked at Anakin and Ahsoka with a grin, and a competitive gleam in his eye. "What do you say, old friend? Want to see if this domestic bliss lifestyle has dulled your edge?" Anakin and Ahsoka returned the smiles as they took out their own training sabers. Ahsoka said, "We thought you'd never ask." All four of them ignited their training sabers, and faced off.

Although the fight started off as basically a free-for-all, the natural flow of the fight resulted in Ahsoka vs Shaak Ti, and Anakin vs Obi-Wan. Ahsoka proved to be a fierce competitor for Shaak Ti, nearly besting her adversary on several occasions. Shaak Ti was a Jedi Master, and Ahsoka was a former Padawan who never rose to the rank of Jedi Knight, yet it was not apparent in watching their duel now. Ahsoka and Shaak Ti matched each other's moves, blow for blow, with each of them lunging, parrying, blocking, flipping, and using the Force to hurl objects at each other. This time, however, Ahsoka was fully focused, and successfully blocked every object before it could strike her.

In the end, it was dumb luck that ended their duel. Shaak Ti miscalculated a parry, lost her footing, and tumbled forward unceremoniously. However, the unexpected movement resulted in her training saber making contact with Ahsoka's midsection, causing Ahsoka to lose her footing and fall forward, resulting in one of her training sabers striking Shaak Ti's head. The two stared at each other with disbelief. Both of these saber contacts would have been killing blows in actual combat. Ahsoka then burst out into laughter, as did Shaak Ti, as Ahsoka helped her up. Shaak Ti said, "It appears that we just took each other out!" Ahsoka replied, "I… guess so! Well, count that as a draw, I suppose!" The two of them hugged each other, then looked across the gymnasium to see how the men were doing.

Anakin and Obi-Wan were locked in a very intense duel. Both of their blue training sabers were moving with incredible speed. Obi-Wan was realizing that not only had Anakin NOT lost his edge in five years of domestic bliss, but that his old Padawan had a good chance of besting him. Obi-Wan realized that Anakin's raw power exceeded his own, and that only his longer experience allowed him to maintain a slim edge over the young former Jedi. Obi-Wan adopted a defensive strategy; allowing Anakin to be the aggressor, giving ground here and there, forcing Anakin to advance in pursuit of Obi-Wan. As a general rule, attacking is more difficult and taxing than defending in a saber battle.

Finally, Obi-Wan saw out of the corner of his eye what he hoped would give him a decisive advantage. He abruptly shoved Anakin back with his training saber, then performed a perfect backflip and landed on a raised platform in the gymnasium. Anakin saw a triumphant expression on Obi-Wan's face. Obi-Wan declared, "It's over, Anakin!" With a puzzled look on his face, Anakin replied, "What do you mean, it's over?" Obi-Wan stated, "I have the high ground!" Anakin scoffed. "Yeah, and? That means nothing!" Anakin swung viciously at Obi-Wan's legs, forcing him to leap in the air to avoid the blade. The problem was, when he landed, Anakin's blade was waiting for him. Anakin rapidly clashed his blade against Obi-Wan's, and completed a circular swing with such force, that it knocked the blade out of Obi-Wan's hands. Obi-Wan then felt Anakin's training blade contact his ribs. Anakin smugly said, "Now it's over."

To his credit, Obi-Wan took the defeat gracefully. "Well done, old friend!" Anakin stepped back as Obi-Wan hopped down from the platform. Anakin handed Obi-Wan's training saber back to him. They were joined by Ahsoka and Shaak Ti as they left the gymnasium, and returned to the living room. It was then that Ahsoka noticed their communicator was beeping. She had left it in the living room by mistake. She picked it up and answered it. "Hello?" She then gasped, and said, "Luna!" The communicator's screen showed Luna's tearful face, and there was a red welt on her forehead. Her voice sounded terrified. Anakin rushed over, followed by Obi-Wan and Shaak Ti. Anakin demanded, "Who did this to you?" Luna's eyes looked to her left, and a red and black face appeared as Darth Maul glared into the screen. He ignored everyone else as he hissed, "Kenobi! At last, I have found you!" A crimson red Sith saber activated just beneath Luna's chin. "You have two hours to get here, Kenobi. After that, she dies." The communication then burst into static.

Inside the Jedi Temple, in Master Yoda's personal quarters, a strange scene was playing out. Aayla Secura was lying on Yoda's bed, wearing nothing but an amazed smile. "Master Yoda… my goodness; that felt so good… how did you do that?!" Yoda's mischievous laugh was followed by; "Told you, I did. Size matters NOT." Aayla reached over and kissed him on the cheek. "I believe you, Master." As Aayla cuddled up next to Yoda, she reflected on how this relationship had developed. As soon as the Jedi ended their 'no attachments' policy, she and Kit Fisto had began seeing each other. Then, six months after the Jedi's battle against Darth Binks, Kit Fisto had been tragically killed while on assignment. Aayla had done her best to mask her grief, but Yoda had seen her anguish.

So, Yoda had invited her into his personal quarters to work through the grief. This in itself was not at all unusual. Yoda had, for many years, kept an open door policy, encouraging other Jedi to join him for meditation and seeking enlightenment in the Force. Aayla deeply respected and trusted Yoda, and likewise, Yoda had always been extremely fond of Aayla, and admired her work as a Jedi. And, Yoda was not blind. He had always been able to see her stunning looks, and now that the 'no attachments' policy had been ended by the Jedi, the two of them ever so slowly allowed themselves to explore their feelings for each other. It began with very small steps. Yoda invited Aayla to meditate. She invited him to oversee her lightsaber training. He invited her for a cup of soup. She invited him to a performance at the Galaxies Opera House. Once Yoda allowed himself to accept that he was in a romantic relationship, it made him feel a century younger. Aayla was thrilled as well. Best of all, none of the other Jedi cast disapproving looks, because a good number of them were in relationships of their own. Yoda mused to himself, as he gazed at Aayla's incredible body, as she dozed next to him in bed: Skywalker and Ahsoka Tano had been right all along. Denying such a basic, instinctual need as love and companionship only caused the Jedi severe anguish in their personal lives. Contrary to his fears, allowing attachments had only increased the happiness and satisfaction of everyone in the Jedi Order. All those that remained, that is.

Yoda's reflection was ended when the communicator in his quarters beeped for attention. Aayla gasped, and struggled to get her clothes back on, as Yoda did the same. When he had his familiar tattered robe and cane in place, he looked back at Aayla to be sure she was presentable, then activated the communicator screen. Yoda saw the faces of Obi-Wan and Shaak Ti, and they were in a red speeder. Obi-Wan brought Yoda up to speed on what had happened with Luna on Coruscant, in the nightclub. Yoda said "Hmmm," as he rubbed his chin. Obi-Wan said that they were going to Anakin and Ahsoka's starship, which was in storage, and would arrive at Coruscant in less than an hour. Yoda declared, "Park the ship at the Jedi Temple, you may. Together, get to the truth of this, we shall."

After the communication ended, Yoda turned and looked at Aayla Secura, who had a look of grave concern on her face. "Master Yoda, how could Darth Maul have possibly survived, after Kenobi cut him in half?" In addressing him by his title, and not as 'sweetheart,' Aayla acknowledged that their romantic interlude was over, and they were back to work as Jedi. Yoda, however, had no good answer for her question. Aayla's face lit up slightly, as an idea occurred to her. "Master, we should go to this nightclub now, together, rather than wait for Kenobi and Shaak Ti. They can meet us there." Yoda smiled, and agreed.

When Ahsoka piloted the ship that she and Anakin had purchased years ago out of lightspeed, the image of Coruscant filled the windows of the cockpit. Ahsoka couldn't help but sigh. So many memories on this planet, and many of them were bad. Nevertheless, she descended the ship into the planet's atmosphere as rapidly as the shields would allow. In fact, the heat friction from the very rapid descent caused a warning to light up on the control panel. Anakin quietly said, "Easy, dear. Don't cook us in the atmosphere before we even get to the Jedi Temple."

Ahsoka finally was able to land the freighter containing herself, Anakin, Shaak Ti, and Obi-Wan. They hurried out of the freighter and onto a speeder that would be a far better choice for maneuvering through the Coruscant traffic. When they finally arrived at the nightclub where Ahsoka and Anakin had worked, after leaving the Jedi Order, they rushed inside, only to be greeted by a somber Yoda and Aayla Secura. Ahsoka saw why the two Jedi were so somber, and she caught her breath with shock, and grief. Luna had been stabbed through the chest with a lightsaber, and left sprawled out on the bar of her own club. Anakin gazed at this sight with shock, grief, and growing rage.

Obi-Wan quietly walked up behind Anakin, and attempted to comfort his friend by placing his hand on Anakin's shoulder. "Anakin, I'm sorry, old friend. I know that she was a dear friend to you and Ahsoka." Anakin glanced back at Obi-Wan, then moved closer to his wife. Ahsoka stood near the bar, close to Luna's body, with her head down and her shoulders shaking. Anakin touched her shoulder, and Ahsoka spun around as Anakin caught her in a comforting hug as Ahsoka sobbed with grief… and also, just as with her husband, with growing rage.

Yoda looked at the body of Luna, and shook his head. "Tragic, this is. Such needless death." Ahsoka drew in a deep, shaky breath, struggling to get her emotions under control. She explained to Yoda, "This woman helped us so much, Master Yoda. After Anakin and I left the Jedi Order, we were walking around the streets of Coruscant, wondering how we would keep a roof over our heads. When we walked in here, this woman took an instant liking to us, and hired us both on the spot. She paid us very well, rewarded us with bonuses, and referred us to the best places to get an apartment. But, more than that…" Since a fresh wave of grief silenced Ahsoka, Anakin finished the thought for his wife. "She was a very good friend to us both. She had a very kind and generous heart. And, she did NOT deserve to die like this, Master Yoda." After a moment, Ahsoka looked up at Anakin's eyes and asked him, "Why would the Sith lure us all the way here, and NOT be here waiting for us? It makes no sense." Anakin answered, "I don't know, dear, but I'm sure it's nothing good."

Back on Alderaan, little Amara was enjoying playing with some of her friends. Anakin had hurriedly dropped her off on short notice with this babysitter before departing for Coruscant. The babysitter was an old friend, and agreed to watch over Amara until further notice. So, she decided to take the children to the park, where she hoped they would burn off some of their endless energy. The babysitter's house was conveniently located directly next to the neighborhood park. All she had to do was lead the children through her back yard, open the gate, and then they were in the park. Anakin and Ahsoka's house was visible on the opposite side of the park.

The babysitter had just settled on a bench, and was watching the children play. Presently, she noticed a pretty young blonde-haired lady on the far end of the bench. Their eyes met, and the lady smiled, and approached the babysitter. "Hello there; I'm sorry to bother you, but I was hoping you might be able to help me. I'm new to Alderaan, you see…" She held up a small tablet with Amara's picture displayed, then pointed out Amara in the crowd of happily playing children. "Is that little girl there Amara Skywalker?" The babysitter started to protest that she would not discuss this information about young children with a stranger, when the blonde stranger looked intently into the babysitter's eyes, and said, "Tell me the truth." The babysitter suddenly found herself compelled to answer the question, so she slowly nodded. The blonde lady smiled, and said, "Excellent. Thank you for your assistance. And now, remain still." She then touched the babysitter's forehead, and the babysitter found herself paralyzed, due to Palpatine using the Dark Side to enact temporary paralysis.

Palpatine was now very grateful for the new vessel of a beautiful young lady. This would make the next task infinitely easier. The children paid no attention as a beautiful lady approached them. "Excuse me, little girl? Are you Amara Skywalker?" Amara stopped playing, and looked with puzzlement at the pretty, smiling blonde-haired lady. Amara merely nodded her head. The lady explained, "I'm an old friend of your mother, Ahsoka, and your father, Anakin. They sent me to pick you up and bring you to them." This raised some suspicion in Amara's five-year-old brain. She clearly remembered both of her parents telling her, many times: "Never go anywhere with a stranger." Amara promptly told the lady just that. "My parents told me never to go anywhere with a stranger… and I don't know you." The lady replied, "Oh, it's okay, sweetie; I spoke to your babysitter over there, and explained what's going on. She says it's okay." Amara looked over at her babysitter, and saw that she was just looking at the other children, and made no move to object or intervene. Still, she was not convinced.

The blonde haired lady sensed this hesitation, and pulled out her portable viewscreen, and played back a message for Amara. It was an image of Ahsoka, which said, "Amara, honey, we need you to come with this lady and meet us on Coruscant." Anakin's face then appeared on the screen and added, "It's ok, sweetie. You can trust this lady; she's an old friend." Amara said, "Well… okay." She then took the lady's hand and walked out of the park with her. Internally, Palpatine made a mental note to reward the black market hacker who had forged those recorded images. As they left the park, Palpatine spared a glance at the paralyzed babysitter, and sneered. This Dark Force ability would retain its effect for at least another ten minutes, by which time, they would be long gone. In the playground behind them, the other children continued to play.

After walking a short distance down the street, the blonde lady led Amara into a parked starship. As soon as the door slid shut and they were safely out of view, Amara saw that the smile rapidly vanished from the lady's face. The grip on Amara's hand grew much tighter. Then, the lady shoved Amara into a seat, and strapped her in. The lady's voice was now cold and very threatening. "Do not move, and keep quiet." Amara was filled with fear, and then, she noticed a figure all in dark sitting up front at the control panel of the ship. The figure turned, and Amara gasped when she saw an evil-looking, terrifying man in red and black, with jagged horns on his head. He gave Amara a positively evil smile. Gripped with panic, Amara drew in a deep breath, then whispered, "Mommy! Help me!"

On Coruscant, Ahsoka was sadly helping the police record the death of Luna, and fully assisted in their investigation. They had just reviewed the club's security footage. Ahsoka wiped several tears away as she saw the recorded image of Luna being stabbed with a lightsaber by a hooded figure. Suddenly, Ahsoka staggered back, and gripped her own head. Clear as could be, she heard little Amara's voice: Mommy! Help me!" Ahsoka could not only hear, but FEEL the panic and terror. She understood that her daughter had reached out to her through the Force, filled with panic, pleading for help. Ahsoka rushed over to Anakin, who had been speaking to Yoda. "Anakin, Amara just called out to me through the Force. She's in danger!" This caused Yoda to look inquisitively at Anakin, who briefly explained, "Our daughter, Amara, has begun showing signs of having Force abilities." Anakin then looked at Ahsoka as she frantically pulled out her communicator. She put out a call to their babysitter, who immediately answered. Ahsoka saw that the babysitter's face was streaked with tears.

The babysitter tearfully recounted how a beautiful blonde had somehow paralyzed her, and led Amara away from the playground. "In my head, I was screaming out to Amara, pleading with her not to go with this woman. But my body was paralyzed. I couldn't utter a sound. I just now regained the ability to move. I'm so sorry, Ahsoka!" Ahsoka brushed aside the apology. "Did you see which way they went? What kind of transport did they have?" The babysitter sorrowfully shook her head. "I'm sorry, but they walked behind me, and I couldn't move. I couldn't even turn my head, or move my eyes. Ahsoka, I'm so sorry—" Ahsoka had heard enough, and abruptly ended the communication.

The small ship containing Palpatine, Maul, and Amara leaped out of hyperspace, and flew to rendezvous with a fearsome-looking battle cruiser. Amara watched as the ship grew steadily larger in the cockpit window. Amara nearly whispered, "What is that?" Palpatine glanced back, and replied, "The key to regaining ultimate power." Amara didn't know what that meant, but she instinctively knew it must mean very bad news for many people.

On Coruscant, Anakin and Ahsoka rushed back aboard their small ship, joined by Yoda and Aayla Secura, as well as Obi-Wan and Shaak Ti. Now, they had to figure out where they wanted to go. Amara's abductors were obviously in league with the Dark Side; the re-emergence of Darth Maul made that abundantly clear. Yoda and Aayla told Anakin and Ahsoka about the visions of darkness that they recently had. Aayla Secura explained that many times, she and Yoda had woken each other up with disturbing visions in their dreams. And, these visions were related to the Dark Side of the Force. Anakin was pondering the significance of this, when Ahsoka spoke up and said, "Wait a minute… you two, Aayla and Yoda… woke each other up?!" The fact that Aayla and Yoda were blue and green, respectively, prevented them from blushing as a human would. Still, there was considerable awkwardness in the air. Yoda then declared, "Talk about that later, we shall. Focus on more serious issues, we must."

At that moment, a call came over the transmitter. It was from Senator Bail Organa. Anakin answered, with Ahsoka by his side. After greeting the two Skywalkers, Senator Organa shared good news. "Anakin, the security forces on Alderaan recorded a ship taking off suddenly, very near the park by your home. It leaped into hyperspace as soon as it cleared Alderaan's atmosphere; however, with the help of a friend, we have tracked it down." In the holographic viewscreen, Bail Organa stepped aside, and was replaced by Senator Padme Amidala. She smiled, and graciously said, "Hello, Anakin. Hello, Ahsoka." This was unexpected, and awkward for Anakin. They had not parted on the best of terms. Although Anakin returned her greeting, he couldn't help thinking to himself, "She could still stand to lose about forty pounds…" As for Ahsoka, she was vaguely aware of Anakin's past infatuation with Padme, but it had been so long ago, and she knew her husband was utterly devoted to her, so she was not in the least jealous or insecure at seeing her Anakin speaking to Padme.

However, there was no time for small talk or catching up. Padme came to the point. "Anakin, the security forces on Alderaan managed to record the markings on this ship, and we have matched those markings on a ship that recently came out of hyperspace near one of Naboo's colony moons." Padme fed them the coordinates, and Ahsoka thanked her sincerely. Before ending the communication, Padme said, "I'm aware that your daughter has been kidnapped. If there's anything I can do… anything, please, let me know." After that conversation ended, the ship containing the Jedi (as well as two former Jedi; Anakin and Ahsoka) leaped into hyperspace. Destination: a colony on one of the moons of Naboo.

On Coruscant, Padme looked worriedly at Bail Organa. "I fear that they may be walking into more trouble than they can handle." Senator Organa nodded in agreement. Padme then smiled, as an idea occurred to her. She summoned her pilot, and they boarded her Naboo Royal Starship, and took off. Destination: the Jedi temple.

Meanwhile, past Naboo, Palpatine's fighter had docked aboard the larger vessel. Palpatine strode down the ramp, followed by Darth Maul, who was dragging Amara along by the hand. Little Amara was too intimidated by Maul's appearance to consider fighting back. She allowed herself to be dragged along. As they proceeded across the docking bay, toward a turbolift, Amara noticed there were no living crew members. Only hundreds and hundreds of droids of all types. Then, they were in the turbolift, which whisked the three of them to the main bridge. Palpatine sat in the captain's chair, while Maul busied himself at the weapons station. Palpatine glared at Amara, and said, "You would be wise to remain quiet, or I shall have you locked in the brig." Amara didn't know what a brig was, but it didn't sound pleasant.

Anakin and Ahsoka's ship came out of lightspeed, and they could see the moon of Naboo close by. There was some discussion about where they should go next. Land on the surface of the moon? Perhaps on Naboo itself? This debate was ended when Ahsoka said, "Anakin… something's wrong…" She furiously worked the controls, then threw up her hands with frustration. "Nothing's working! It's almost as if we were…" This thought trailed off as an incredible sight appeared outside the cockpit, transfixing everyone in the ship. Yoda finished Ahsoka's thought. "Caught in a tractor beam, we are." The space in front of their ship shimmered, as Palpatine's massive starship de-cloaked and appeared in plain view. Anakin muttered, "A cloaking device." They all stared at the enormous ship. It was metallic in color, roughly dagger-shaped and triangular in appearance, with the main bridge perched on top.

On the bridge of the massive ship, Palpatine mused how easy it would be to blast the ship right here and now. Maul glanced over, and repeated his demand from before. "I want Kenobi." Amara, hearing this, whispered, "Uncle Obi-Wan?!" Neither Palpatine nor Maul heard this.

When Ahsoka and Anakin's ship touched down in the docking bay, Yoda peered out the cockpit window. What he saw was most disheartening. There were hundreds of super battle droids and droideka destroyers, all around the ship. These were not the puny, laughably ineffective regular battle droids. These weapons were far more effective, and in large numbers, the odds appeared insurmountable. At least, for the moment. Yoda turned to the others, and said, "Too many, there are, for the moment. Offer no resistance, and wait for a better opportunity, we shall." Yoda then touched the switch that lowered the ramp, and with a heavy sigh, raised his arms and walked down the ramp. One of the super battle droids seized Yoda's lightsaber, and placed him in bondage. Obi-Wan, Shaak Ti, and Aayla Secura each walked down the ramp, and also were disarmed and bound.

Back on the ship, Anakin felt no obligation to follow Yoda's instructions, since he and Ahsoka had left the Jedi Order years ago. However, a word from his wife changed his mind. She gently said to him, "Anakin… our baby Amara is here; on this ship somewhere. Surrendering may be our only opportunity to find her." This forced Anakin to stop, calm down, and think things through. Ahsoka was right. If the two of them charged down the ramp and started swinging their lightsabers, whoever was behind all this would have plenty of time to merely kill Amara. As much as Anakin hated to admit it, surrender was the wisest course of action at this time.

On the main bridge, Maul received a message from the super battle droid commander. Maul turned to Palpatine. "They are all captured." The beautiful young lady containing Palpatine's spirit nodded, and ordered Maul, "Proceed with the plan."

Elsewhere in the ship, two of the few clone troopers that were stationed on this ship were at the shooting range, practicing their rifle marksmanship, and exchanging idle chatter. One had been trying to decide between the current X-34 landspeeder and the upcoming XP-38. Just as he had decided to get the older X-34, his friend was trying to convince him to hold out for the newer model. "I'm telling you, man, the XP-38 will fly rings around that old X-34 bucket." His friend retorted, "Yeah, at double the cost. No thanks. I have other things I want to spend my money on when I retire."

Just then, the doors to the range opened, and one of their comrade troopers entered. One of the clone troopers whispered to his friend, "Check this out." He then called out, "Hey, Jenna, over here! We saved a lane for you." The female trooper, Jenna, walked over to the pair. One of them handed her a blaster rifle, and said, "We have a challenge for you. Beat our score, and we'll buy you a round at the bar." Jenna carefully aimed down the lane, with her face next to the rifle as she squinted into the scope. This proved to be a painful mistake. When she squeezed the trigger, her rifle did not let out a low powered shot, which was the norm for the rifle range, but a full-powered blast. The loud noise and recoil caught her off guard, and the rifle smacked hard against her helmet.

The two male troopers behind her broke into hysterical laughter. Jenna angrily turned, and shoved the rifle into the chest of one of the laughing troopers. "You stupid PRICKS! What the hell's your problem?" One of the pair mockingly asked her, "Did you check the settings of your blaster on the rifle range, Jenna?" Her fury grew, because she was sick of their constant immature pranks on her. Because of the throbbing pain in her head… but also, because as maddening as it was, they were right. She had not checked her blaster settings before firing. She angrily shoved them aside as she stormed toward the door, with their continued laughter burning in her ears.

Jenna didn't even bother to visit sick bay. She knew that the actual damage was minor. It was her rage at her two comrades that really hurt. She decided to take a hot bath, hoping that would calm her down. She visited the ship's gymnasium, and went into the female locker room. She was grateful that there was no one occupying the spa at that moment… one of the benefits of serving on a ship with droids for 80% of the crew. Droids don't take hot spa baths.

After slipping out of her uniform, Jenna slowly lowered herself into the hot water. She had only just started to relax, when she heard a noise, and felt something in the water. Then, she felt a touch in a very private area, and screamed, launching herself right out of the tub. To her horror, a tiny baby Dianoga was clinging to her upper leg, and one of its tentacles was beginning to explore a place on her body where no man had gone before. She frantically slapped at the tiny beast until it disengaged, dropped from her leg, and rapidly slithered down the nearest drain.

Jenna immediately knew who was responsible for this, and her feeling was confirmed when she heard raucous laughter. The two "friends" of hers stepped out of hiding, and asked her if she was feeling relaxed yet? Jenna furiously wrapped a towel around herself and lunged for her blaster that was stored in her locker, fully intent on stunning the pair. Alas, they were too quick for her, and had made good their escape before she managed to fumble open her locker and secure her blaster. She glared at the door, and muttered, "This isn't over."

Elsewhere, in a darkened chamber, the captured Jedi (and, in Anakin and Ahsoka's case, former Jedi) were each suspended in a confinement field, hovering in place, and utterly helpless. Even Yoda found that he was unable to use the Force to attempt to escape. Presently, the double doors opened, and in walked a hooded figure. The doors clanged shut behind him, and the figure walked up to Obi-Wan. The hood flew back, and Darth Maul glared hatefully at Obi-Wan. Maul growled, "At last." Obi-Wan replied, "So, it really is you, Darth Maul. How did you survive?" Obi-Wan was, of course, referring to the duel on Naboo, when Maul had been sliced in half. Maul replied, "It was my hatred of you, Kenobi, and my desire for revenge. I shall not lose to you again."

Maul motioned toward the control panel, using the Force to deactivate Obi-Wan's containment beam. Obi-Wan landed on the floor in a crouch, tensed for action. Maul said, "I shall make this a fair fight." He reached into his cloak, and pulled out a lightsaber, which he disdainfully tossed on the floor. "Take it." Obi-Wan was very wary of this. Why would a Sith Lord just give him a lightsaber? Why would a Sith Lord be the least bit concerned about 'fair' combat? Nevertheless, Maul's next action was to take out his own double-bladed red Sith saber and ignite both blades, so Obi-Wan saw few other options. Using the Force, he summoned the saber that Maul had dropped on the floor, and ignited its blue blade, just as Maul lunged at him. Combat commenced, with Anakin, Ahsoka, Aayla Secura, Shaak Ti, and Yoda helplessly looking on from within their confinement beams.

Combat commenced in a savage display of swordsmanship from both combatants, for several minutes. At first, Obi-Wan wondered if he might be able to maneuver himself close to the control panel, and free one or more of his comrades from their confinement beams. It was not to be. Maul would not let him get near it, and their duel was so intense, Obi-Wan couldn't spare the concentration to work with control panel with the Force, as Maul had. Obi-Wan could feel the fatigue setting in, and knew he had to end this duel soon.

Obi-Wan's prayers were answered, as he suddenly saw his chance as Maul took a second too long to recover after Obi-Wan locked sabers and shoved him back. Obi-Wan followed this up with a mighty Force shove, and Maul's back hit the metal wall hard. Maul crumpled to the floor, dropping his saber in the process. Obi-Wan couldn't believe his good fortune, and quickly swung his saber at Maul's neck, thinking as he did so, "Let's see if he can recover from decapitation!" Obi-Wan's saber made contact with Maul's neck… and did nothing. The bright blue blade pressed against Maul's flesh, but nothing more. In a flash, Obi-Wan realized that this was a training lightsaber, much like the one he had used in Ahsoka and Anakin's home gymnasium on Alderaan.

Then, in rapid sequence: Obi-Wan heard Shaak Ti scream "LOOK OUT!" Obi-Wan heard Maul let out a sinister chuckle, and then, Obi-Wan felt a white-hot searing pain enter his belly, and exit out his back, as Maul re-ignited his red Sith saber and impaled Obi-Wan. Darth Maul had baited him into this conflict, and pretended to lose focus, in order to torment Obi-Wan by letting him think he had won. Obi-Wan had never had a chance. The Sith Lord had no intention of an honorable, fair fight. The Sith Lord wanted revenge, and that revenge was sweetened with a little false hope. Obi-Wan grew desperately weak, the life-force already leaving his body, as Maul slowly, tortuously moved the red saber, thereby enlarging the wound. Maul used the Force to pick Obi-Wan up off the floor, with the red saber still stabbing through him. Maul locked eyes with Obi-Wan. "At last… revenge is mine." Maul deactivated his saber, and watched as Kenobi hung like a suspended rag doll, nearly lifeless.

With utter contempt, Maul Force-shoved Obi-Wan against the wall. Upon impact, Obi-Wan's body vanished, as his physical life ended. Only his empty clothes hit the floor. Although Maul was taken aback by this, his sinister joy at killing Obi-Wan was greater. Maul glared at the grief-stricken Jedi still in their confinement beams. Although Maul could easily have killed them all, he didn't. He merely strode triumphantly out of the chamber. Outside the chamber, two clone troopers stood watch. Maul glanced at them, and said, "Let no one enter." He then strode away as the troopers replied, "Yes sir!"

At one of the ship's medical bays, a medical droid listened to Jenna describe what the baby Dianoga had done to her. The droid scanned her private area, and announced to her, "There is no damage. You may return to duty." The droid then abruptly turned and walked off. Jenna muttered to herself, "Like hell, there's no damage!" And yet, she understood that this droid was not a counselor. It did not understand emotional trauma… the trauma of laying in warm water, then unexpectedly feeling a slithering tentacle between her legs, starting to explore as it went up her—

Jenna forced herself to stop re-living this horrible experience in such vivid detail. She put her uniform back on, then angrily slammed the helmet back on her head, seized her blaster, and stormed out of the medical bay. She was determined to make those two idiot 'comrades' pay for this.

In yet another part of the ship, little Amara sat in a small room. The door was locked, and the scary looking red and black man with the horns on his head had told her to stay there and keep quiet. Suddenly, she heard a voice. "Amara… can you hear me?" Amara tilted her head and replied, "Uncle Obi-Wan? Where are you?" Then, there was a shimmering, and Amara saw a vision of her dear friend. Amara was very confused. "Uncle Obi-Wan?! You look… different!" She tried to reach out and touch the Force Ghost, and naturally, her hand went right through. The vision said to her, "My physical body was killed, Amara, yet I will live on forever through the Force." Amara felt tears welling up, and she choked out, "Y-you're dead?!"

Obi-Wan remembered that he was dealing with a young child. "Only my body is dead, Amara. Now, you must listen carefully. The others… your parents, and Yoda, and Shaak Ti, and Aayla Secura; they are all in terrible danger. They all need your help." Amara wiped her eyes, and nodded. She was ready to help. Obi-Wan pointed to a metal box high up on a shelf. "You see that box? You must use the Force, and get it down." Amara remembered using the Force in the playground, with her toy ship. She knew she could do it. She closed her eyes, and focused with all her might. The metal box shifted, then hovered shakily in the air. The box started to descend, then Amara's focus broke, and the box fell the rest of the way, and clanged loudly on the floor. Still, at least she could now reach it. Obi-Wan instructed her to open the box. Amara gasped, because inside were all of the Jedi's captured lightsabers. Amara recognized the sabers that belonged to her mother and father, along with the other Jedi's sabers. Amara looked up at Obi-Wan. "Do you want me to use these to fight the bad guys?" Obi-Wan smiled, and shook his head. "No, Amara. Darth Maul is a Sith Lord, with decades of training. You wouldn't stand a chance. I want you to use one of those sabers to get out of this room, then return them to the Jedi, and to your parents."

Amara carefully picked out one of her mother's sabers. This was the shorter of the two. Her mother never allowed her to even touch it, and now, she held it in her hands. She carefully touched the switch, and a brilliant blade sprang out. The humming noise was quiet, yet still sounded very dangerous. Amara loved it. She turned toward the door that held her in this room. Obi-Wan said to her, "Just hold that saber against the door, and cut a hole to get out. Be very careful not to touch the hot, melted parts of the door. And, before you go, I want to teach you one little trick with the Force. It may be useful."

After Amara had listened to Obi-Wan's instructions, and the image of him vanished, she sighed, and held her mother's saber up to the door. She tentatively poked at the door with the saber, and a wide smile appeared on her face when the metal instantly melted with the saber's touch. Amara went to work.

In the corridor, Jenna angrily strode past the medical bay and around a corner, and bumped squarely into Darth Maul. He was less than pleased, and growled, "Why are you not at your post, trooper?" Jenna stammered, attempting to explain that she had been in the medical bay. Maul gave her a quick up-and-down glance, and declared, "There's nothing wrong with you." He then seized her with the Force, and lifted her several inches off the floor. He leaned close, and hissed in her face; "You will find that we have little patience for malingering on this ship." Fortunately for Jenna, Maul remembered he had pressing duties elsewhere. He abruptly released his Force choke, and Jenna fell gasping to her knees. Maul glared at her, and said, "Now, get back to your station." Jenna glared at Maul as he strode away. She muttered to herself, "Okay, that is IT. Now they're all going to pay."

In the chamber where the Jedi were still held helpless in the confinement beams, they all heard the doors slide open. Soon, they saw who had entered: a very beautiful young blonde woman. She immediately walked over to Anakin, and pushed a button on the control panel. The beam released him, and he tumbled painfully to the floor. He was still tightly bound around the wrists and ankles, so he couldn't put up his hands to break his fall. The blonde woman walked over to him, and made a show of helping Anakin to a sitting position. Then, suddenly, she leaned forward and caught Anakin in a very intense kiss. A shocked Anakin tried to wriggle out of it, but the woman held his head forcefully in place. She also gave Ahsoka a hateful, spiteful glance.

Although Ahsoka was initially very shocked to see a gorgeous blonde kissing her husband, the Force whispered a warning to her. Ahsoka opened her mind, and actually heard a warning from Obi-Wan, inside her head. "Ahsoka, that woman is Palpatine. Use great caution." She looked at the woman again in disbelief, and saw the hateful, spiteful glance. Ahsoka scoffed, and called out, "You're not fooling me, Sith." Upon hearing this, the woman broke the kiss with Anakin, licked her lips, and replied, "Well, that is unfortunate." Ahsoka then understood; this Sith wanted to torment her, and cause her to suffer. This Sith wanted to stir heartache, betrayal and jealousy. Ahsoka realized the best way to defeat this plan. "Oh, Anakin… you're not going to believe who you were just kissing." She then added a giggle at the end of that sentence, just to let the Sith know that she was not going to fall for it.

As for Anakin, he studied the woman's face, and called back to Ahsoka: "I don't know who this crazy bitch is, honey. You have to believe me." The blonde woman then stated, "Oh, I assure you; you do indeed know me." The woman then coughed, looked Anakin straight in the eyes, and said with Palpatine's familiar voice: "Didn't I tell you, Anakin, that the Dark Side of the Force is a pathway to many abilities that some consider to be… unnatural?" Anakin realized with horror and disgust that this beautiful, sexy blonde body was occupied with the twisted, evil spirit of Palpatine.

Palpatine chuckled, and continued. "You see, when my prior body was killed, my master, Darth Binks, seized my spirit before it entered the nether regions of the Force, and stored it in an orb. When Darth Binks was killed, a cleaning man and his daughter were cleaning out Bink's residence, and she found the orb that contained my spirit." (As seen in "Ahsoka's Forbidden Love) Anakin interrupted Palpatine. "So, let me guess. You took over her body, and no doubt killed her father. Two more innocent beings snuffed out so that you may continue your quest for power." With a dismissive wave of the hand and a disdainful snort, Palpatine replied, "Two meaningless, insignificant beings. The fact that you show the slightest bit of concern for THEM tells me that you are far too weak and small-minded to join me."

Anakin declared, "There's nothing you can say or do that will change our minds. Ahsoka and I; we'll never join you." Palpatine immediately snarled, "That's right, you won't! Didn't I just tell you that you're too weak and small-minded? You associate with the vile Jedi… for a time, when you both left the Jedi Order, I thought that perhaps there might be a chance. Then, you showed your soft, sentimental weakness, and concern for those insignificant little beings throughout the galaxy. And so, my plans have changed."

From within his confinement beam, Yoda spoke up. "Returned for revenge, you have. You wish to cause suffering." Palpatine stood up, and sauntered over to Yoda's beam. "How VERY perceptive of you, Master Yoda. I do indeed mean to use this fabulously beautiful female body to make quite a splash in the senate's political scene… but first, I am here for revenge. Darth Maul already had his revenge on Obi-Wan Kenobi. And now, I shall have my revenge on all of you. Anakin and his worthless wife shall soon feel my blade. Shaak Ti, you were involved when my old body was killed. You will suffer for that. Anakin, you took off my head. I promise you exquisite pain and torment for that. And as for Yoda… my little green friend… first, you shall watch me kill your new girlfriend, Aayla Secura, and then, you too shall die."

Palpatine then stepped over to the control panel. "But first! Before any of that… I have a very special surprise for all of you to share." After touching a few buttons on the control panel, a screen shimmered, and Darth Maul's face appeared. He was on the main bridge. Palpatine asked, "Is all in place?" Darth Maul bowed his head. "Yes, master. We are approaching Alderaan. The device will be ready within the hour." Palpatine chuckled. "Excellent." The screen went dark.

Palpatine looked back at the captives in the confinement beams. "You see, I was going to establish a grand galactic empire, and build an incredible weapon… it was to be called, the Death Star. It would have been glorious. A symbol of the might of the empire. It would have had a weapon powerful enough to destroy an entire planet. It would have guaranteed peace and ORDER throughout the galaxy. Thanks to all of YOU, those plans went awry. So, when I was reborn in this… amazing, young new body, after recovering my hidden funds, I was forced to scale back my plans." Palpatine nodded to another screen, where an outline of the large warship was seen. "I have named this prototype vessel, a Star Destroyer, and this name shall be well earned." They saw there was a huge weapon underneath the vessel. Palpatine confirmed their worst suspicions. "This is a superlaser, and it can destroy an entire planet with one shot. We are now on our way to test it… on Alderaan. Then, I shall kill you all." Ahsoka then understood why they had been kept alive this long. Palpatine wanted them to see this. Palpatine wanted them all to suffer, especially Anakin and Ahsoka, watching the destruction of their new home, along with billions of innocent lives.

Out in the corridor, Amara was timidly ducking from doorway to doorway, trying to stay out of sight. She knew what she had to do, but this ship was huge. There were so many levels, and corridors, and doorways that all looked the same, as well as rifle-toting droids everywhere. She tried to remember where the ghostly vision of Obi-Wan had told her to go, but now, she found herself getting confused. Was it room 56 on level 7, or room 57 on level 6? And, once she found the correct room, how would she be able to get in and free her parents?

As Amara rounded a corner, she bumped squarely into the legs of a clone trooper, who was holding a black rifle. Before Amara could react, the trooper knelt down. The helmet came off, revealing a pretty face with dark hair. The lady asked Amara, "You were with the Jedi who were captured, weren't you?" Amara fearfully nodded. The lady trooper offered a tight smile, and said, "Perfect." She then looked Amara in the eyes, and said, "My name is Jenna, and I'll help you find your parents, and the other Jedi. Are you ready?" Jenna offered her hand, which Amara happily grasped.

As they walked down the corridor, Jenna put her helmet back on. Amara looked up and asked her, "Are you a clone trooper? I thought they were all men?" Jenna shook her head, and replied, "Not exactly. I work with the clone troopers, but I was recruited after the end of the clone wars." Jenna then looked down at Amara. "Sweetie, I've recently realized that the people on this ship are bad… very bad people. They nearly killed me today, so, I'm going to help you and the Jedi stop them." The resulting smile from Amara warmed Jenna's heart. They continued down the corridor together.

Back in the chamber, Palpatine saw on the viewscreen that the star destroyer had re-entered regular space. Alderaan was in clear view, and was steadily getting closer. Soon, they were in perfect firing position. Palpatine pressed a button on the control panel, and spoke to Darth Maul. "Begin the preparations to fire the main weapon." Palpatine then glanced back at the captives, to be sure they all had an unobstructed view.

In the corridor, Jenna and Amara bumped into a large super battle droid. It scanned Jenna, and recognized her as a trooper. It also recognized Amara as a high-value prisoner. In a monotone voice, the droid demanded to know where Amara was being taken. "Where are you taking this prisoner." Jenna replied, "She must join the other captives in the chamber. Upon orders from the leader himself." The droid announced, "I must confirm this." As the droid turned to a communications panel, Jenna suddenly ignited a lightsaber, and speared the droid in the back, then yanked the blade upward through its head. The droid fell to the deck, deactivated and still. Jenna deactivated the saber, looked at it admiringly for a moment, then handed it back to Amara, saying "Thanks, kid. That's a handy little weapon." Amara retrieved her mother's saber, and put it back in her pack with all the other Jedi sabers.

In the chamber, Palpatine was just beginning to boast to the captive Jedi about the awesome firepower contained within this ship, when suddenly the double doors opened. Palpatine glanced with annoyance as a single trooper entered the room. "Yes, what is it…" Then, Palpatine noticed that little Amara stood beside the trooper. Palpatine snarled, "What is the meaning of this?" Jenna did not answer with words, but instead, raised her blaster rifle to fire. She never got the chance. Palpatine saw her motion, and quickly used the Force to yank the blaster out of Jenna's hands. Palpatine then gave her a hearty blast of Force Lightning. Jenna bounced off the wall, and lay still in a motionless heap.

While this was happening, Amara had slipped over to the control panel, and was frantically pushing buttons, trying to deactivate the containment beams, and free her parents, and the other Jedi. She heard a noise behind her, and turned. Palpatine stood directly behind her, but rather than rage, Amara was surprised to see the young, blonde lady kneel down and try to talk nicely to her. Palpatine used this body's natural sweet female voice to try to tempt Amara. "I'm glad you're here, sweetheart. Your parents and their Jedi friends are very bad people. That's why your parents abandoned you. They were going to sell you to the Jedi, who have stolen children from their parents for centuries, to be raised as Jedi slaves. I'm going to stop them, and then, you will be safe."

Amara, however, wasn't buying any of this. With tears in her eyes, Amara declared, "You're lying! Uncle Obi-Wan told me all about you. You're really an evil old man, and you're using the Dark Side to take over this poor girl's body. You only want me so you can turn me bad, and help you hurt other people. Well, I'm not going to do it!" Amara then closed her eyes, and remembered what the ghostly vision of Obi-Wan had told her. She hoped that this would work… but the trusted her Uncle Obi-Wan. She concentrated with all her might, drew her hand back, and then shoved it out as hard as she could. All the Force power this young child was able to summon was enough to produce a mighty Force push; strong enough to knock Palpatine backward hard against the control panel. Palpatine's head smacked the metal edge of the panel hard enough to leave a gash, and render the Sith Lord unconscious.

Ahsoka felt a surge of pride in her daughter's action, but also knew the Sith would not be out cold for long. From inside the confinement beam, Ahsoka called out, "Amara, honey, the two blue buttons! Yes, right there. Hit those two." Amara obeyed, and instantly, all of the confinement beams were deactivated. Anakin, Ahsoka, and the Jedi felt great relief to have their feet on solid ground again. Amara ran over and hugged her parents, then remembered what was in her bag. "Here, mommy! I used it to get out of that room I was in; I hope I'm not in trouble!" Amara held out Ahsoka's lightsabers. Ahsoka kissed her daughter on the head, and gratefully accepted the two sabers. Anakin told Amara, "If you hadn't, we'd still be in those confinement beams. Well done, sweetheart."

No sooner had Amara distributed all of the lightsabers to Yoda, Aayla Secura, and Shaak Ti, then she felt a sinister feeling in the back of her head. Amara turned her head, and saw the beautiful blonde that contained Palpatine's spirit rising to her feet. Only, this blonde was no longer quite so beautiful. There was a nasty gash on the forehead, and a trail of red blood trickling down the formerly stunning face. There was also a look of rage. Palpatine locked eyes with Amara, and, through clenched teeth, growled "You insolent whelp; you will pay for this…" The hands came up, and started to crackle with Dark Force Lightning.

Just as this lightning burst forth, headed straight for Amara, Yoda leaped in front of her with incredible speed, his green lightsaber just barely managing to block the lightning onslaught. As Anakin and Ahsoka frantically ignited their lightsabers and rushed to help, Yoda called out over his shoulder; "Aayla Secura and Shaak Ti; go and stop Darth Maul, you must, before he destroys Alderaan!" Aayla and Shaak Ti scampered for the doors, while Palpatine was soon confronted by Yoda, Ahsoka and Anakin.

Palpatine's gaze locked on Ahsoka for a moment. The old, familiar voice of Palpatine sneered, "I have killed you once before!" Meanwhile, a golden saber appeared, and a bright red blade sprang forth. Palpatine was referring to their previous battle on Coruscant, where Ahsoka very nearly died after being stabbed in the belly by Palpatine's red saber. (As seen in "Ahsoka's Forbidden Love.) As Yoda, Ahsoka and Anakin carefully advanced, Palpatine's hand reached out and slammed down on a red button on the control panel. Just as the three Jedi nearly had Palpatine cornered, the doors slid open once again. In rolled three droideka assassin droids. They rapidly unfolded their limbs, aimed their cannons, raised their shields, and opened fire.

Yoda engaged Palpatine in saber combat, while Anakin and Ahsoka spun around to deal with the assassin droids, and cover Yoda's back. The three droids sprayed out insane amounts of laser fire, which both Anakan and Ahsoka managed to block… however, they both knew they couldn't keep this up forever. Especially if more droids showed up. Suddenly, Ahsoka had a flashback, to old memories of when she had been a Padawan in the Clone Wars. She and the Jedi had tangled with these assassin droids several times, and she remembered…

Ahsoka muttered, "I hope this works…" She stopped deflecting fire for just a second, concentrated, and pushed her hand forward, delivering a powerful Force shove. When she had been a young Padawan, she had experienced difficulty with that move on these droids, but now, as she was older and far more powerful, she was able to send the droids tumbling backward. Anakin shot her a grin, and together they rushed the droids, who were already struggling their way back to their optimum firing posture. Ahsoka pushed her lightsaber through the droid's shield, then ignited the blade, destroying the droideka. Anakin did likewise. Ahsoka turned her head, and saw the third droideka was back upright, and was aiming its cannons at her beloved husband. "Oh, no you don't!" Ahsoka held out her hand, and used the Force to lift the droid up in the air. It still opened fire, but Ahsoka moved the droid up and down with the Force, ensuring that its accuracy was thrown off. She then closed her eyes, and threw the droid against the metal wall as hard as she could with the Force. The droid was shattered into a heap of bent and broken pieces. Anakin thanked her, then locked the doors to the room. The two of them then turned to help Master Yoda, who was locked in a vicious duel with Palpatine.

Meanwhile, out in the corridors of the Star Destroyer, Aalya Secura and Shaak Ti were trying to fight their way to the main bridge… but there were so many battle droids in their way. One on one, or even ten on one, ordinary battle droids were no challenge for a Jedi. Yet when there were hundreds of them, as well as the super battle droids, all firing simultaneously, the pair of Jedi were starting to have doubts that they would ever reach the bridge. They ducked into a doorway in order to get a temporary respite from the deluge of blaster fire. Aayla looked at Shaak Ti. "Do you have any suggestions?" Then, they both noticed, across the corridor, in the opposite doorway, they doors opened, and out stepped the clone trooper Jenna that had befriended Amara. She had regained consciousness, and seeing that all the Jedi were locked in a life-and-death saber battle, she had slipped out, before Anakin had locked the doors. Now, having realized she was on the wrong side, Jenna resolved to do anything she could to help the Jedi, and gain revenge against everyone on this ship who had wronged her.

Jenna beckoned to Aayla and Shaak Ti. They looked at each other, but with no better options, decided to trust this trooper. Using their Jedi quickness, they bolted across the corridor before any of the droids could fire a shot with any accuracy. Jenna didn't waste time with words. She reached up, and opened an overhead hatch. After pulling down a ladder, she scrambled up, and beckoned to the two Jedi, who followed her. These emergency service crawlways led directly to the main bridge. As the three of them rapidly made their way to the bridge, Aayla asked Jenna, "Why are you helping us?" Jenna replied, "I've realized that I'm on the wrong side, and I want to make amends. Also, to get some payback against some of the people on this ship." Shaak Ti disapprovingly said, "Revenge is not the Jedi way." Still, she remembered that they had a planet to save, and this must take priority.

Finally, Jenna stopped, and opened a hatch beneath them. She peeked out, then reported to the Jedi, "We're near the entrance to the main bridge. There are five super battle droids guarding the entrance." This was certainly better than the hundreds that they had been facing before. As Aayla Secura and Shaak Ti prepared to drop down to the floor below, Jenna said to them, "May the Force be with you."

After rapidly slicing apart the super battle droids, Aayla and Shaak Ti used the Force to shove the doors to the main bridge open. They stepped in, and saw a chair with a red and black horned head. Darth Maul was facing away from them, and had not yet bothered to turn to face them, as if they were not worth his time. Finally, Maul spoke. "At last. I was beginning to think you weren't coming." Finally, almost reluctantly, Maul stood up, and turned to face them. He sneered. "Surely you two females don't think you have a chance." Despite Maul's low opinion of them, Aayla Secura and Shaak Ti were both Jedi Masters, and they both ignited their blades, assuming defensive poses. Maul grinned hatefully, and ignited his double-bladed red Sith saber. As their blades locked, Maul hissed, "I have already killed one Jedi today." Shaak Ti answered, "Yes, however, these are not training sabers." She proved the point with a vicious swing, which Maul avoided, but which also sliced a nearby chair in half. Aayla Secura added, "We are going to finish what Kenobi started. You shall not survive this time." Darth Maul replied with only a hateful hiss as he locked sabers with the two female Jedi Masters.

Meanwhile, Ahsoka and Anakin's frustration was growing. Every time they defeated one group of Droidekas, another few destroyers, or super battle droids, entered the battle. The destroyer droids had blown apart the locked doors to the chamber. Although the pair of former Jedi knew how to defeat them, it was time consuming, it drained their energy, and it left Yoda to battle Palpatine alone. Also, their little daughter Amara was still in the room with them. Ahsoka called out to her, "Honey, get down, and stay out of the way!" She did not want Amara to be struck with a stray laser blast. Amara did as she was told, watching wide-eyed as she saw her mother and father blocking volleys of laser blasts, and using the Force to hurl destroyer droids and super battle droids against the wall.

Unfortunately, Yoda's battle against Palpatine was not going well. The gorgeous young body that Palpatine's evil spirit occupied had benefits besides just being pleasant to look at. Palpatine's dark Force abilities combined with the youthful resilience of this young body, whereas Yoda's body was nearly 900 years old. Yoda was obviously extremely powerful with the Force… still, his body had limits, and even with the Force, Yoda could feel himself nearing these limits. It did not help that Yoda's style of fighting involved a great deal of acrobatics; jumping, leaping, somersaults, and flips. Anakin and Ahsoka could see this, and yearned to help him, yet they faced an unending onslaught of droidekas and super battle droids. Finally, Anakin grumbled, "Enough of this." He had noticed that the heavy metal bulkhead near the double doors had become damaged in the course of the battle. Hundreds of deflected laser blasts had weakened the metal. Anakin lowered his saber, closed his eyes, and stretched out his hand, before the next batch of robotic adversaries entered the chamber. The bulkhead started to creak and groan, and ever so slowly bend down.

Ahsoka saw what Anakin was doing, and deactivated one of her sabers, stretching out her hand, and combining her Force abilities with her husband's. Working together, the bulkhead was pulled down, sealing off the entrance. Eventually, the super battle droids and droidekas would be able to blast their way through, but it would take them time. Amara, who had been looking on, breathed "Wow!" as she saw what her parents had done, using the Force. She realized in that moment that she wanted, more than anything, to be able to learn to use the Force like her parents.

The problem was, Yoda was all but defeated. Forced to battle Palpatine alone for an extended length of time, Yoda's old body was near total exhaustion. Palpatine unleashed another trademark evil laugh as Yoda struggled to maintain even a basic defensive posture. Palpatine boasted, "Your arrogance blinded you, Master Yoda. I was able to rise to become Supreme Chancellor right under your nose, and all of you in the Jedi Order were too arrogant, stupid and weak to detect me!" The former Supreme Chancellor disdainfully used the Force to yank Yoda's saber from his hand. Yoda was too weak to stop it. Palpatine then snarled, and flung Yoda's green saber directly at Anakin and Ahsoka, who were rushing over to help Yoda.

When Anakin and Ahsoka raised their heads, having successfully ducked Yoda's saber, they were horrified to see that Palpatine had used a 'Force sprint,' and in a flash, was standing directly in front of their little daughter Amara. "Foolish child. You chose the wrong side. Now you will experience the full power of the Dark side." Palpatine's hands went up, and just as a torrent of Dark lightning erupted forth, a small green blur flashed in. Yoda had gathered the last of his mortal strength, and with a Force sprint of his own, had thrown himself in the path of the lightning, saving Amara's life.

At first, Yoda was able to block the lightning with his bare hands. Palpatine laughed, and actually increased the intensity of the lightning assault. Yoda crumpled helplessly to the floor, as Anakin and Ahsoka rushed Palpatine. As the three of them savagely swung at each other, moving across the chamber, Amara tearfully crawled over to Yoda's body, which still had trace amounts of Force lightning crackling about his body. Amara whispered, "Master Yoda, you saved me!" With a supreme effort, Yoda turned his head, looked at Amara, and smiled. He reflected that this child existed because two of the Jedi Order's most promising, Anakin and Ahsoka, had rebelled against the Jedi's stifling rules, and struck out on their own. He felt a flash of regret, as he remembered how Ahsoka had been unjustly expelled from the Jedi Order. The regret burned deep as he recalled how Ahsoka had felt betrayed by the ones that were supposed to have her back. Yoda looked into Amara's eyes. "Tell your parents… sorry, I am. Listen to their teachings. The Force will be with you… always." Yoda then closed his eyes, and his physical body disappeared. As Amara wept, she saw his clothing silently drift to the floor.

On the main bridge, Darth Maul found that he may have severely underestimated his two opponents. Jedi Masters Aayla Secura and Shaak Ti were working together flawlessly, giving Maul and his double-bladed saber all he could handle. A most unwelcome thought entered Maul's mind: these two females might actually best him. Out of nowhere, he lashed out with a mighty Force shove that sent the two Jedi tumbling back. Rather than press the attack, Maul dashed over to a certain control panel, and pressed a series of switches. The Star Destroyer's planet-killing weapon slowly lowered down from the bottom of the ship, and stopped when it was securely locked on Alderaan. The system then began charging up until there was enough power to fire, and destroy the target. Estimated time till firing: ten minutes. This prototype took far too long, in Maul's opinion; however, Palpatine had assured him that this was only the beginning. Future improvements would speed up the charging time. This prototype was intended just to make sure the weapon would even work at all.

When the two Jedi had regained their footing, Maul hissed at them, as he held a defensive posture. "You two fools have wasted your time. My master's plan will NOT fail. Alderaan is doomed… as are you." Shaak Ti glanced at Aayla Secura. They nodded at each other, and both advanced on Maul together. The Jedi and Sith sabers locked and strained against each other once more. Shaak Ti had extra motivation in this fight, as Obi-Wan had been her lover and serious boyfriend. Even though she knew that as a Jedi, she should not allow grief and revenge to cloud her thoughts, Shaak Ti couldn't help but feel a little of both of these emotions as she viciously swung her saber at the hateful, evil being that had tricked and killed her dear Obi-Wan. Still, with a supreme effort, Shaak Ti forced herself to push down the negative emotions of grief and anger, and focus purely on the fight at hand.

Elsewhere in the ship, Jenna also struggled to contain her emotions. She was still in shock, after Palpatine had nearly killed her. She was more determined than ever to rebel against those whom she had sworn to serve… but how? She was a mere clone trooper, with an armored suit and a blaster. What could she do to assist Jedi against two Sith Lords?

Then, it dawned on her. Of course! There was one thing that she could do, that would greatly assist the Jedi. She hurried over to a control panel in the corridor, and accessed a certain control protocol. She looked at the readouts, and smiled with satisfaction. Although the battle droids, super battle droids, and droidekas had all been modified after the Battle of Naboo to no longer rely on a central control ship for instructions, there was another option. Jenna was just about to enact this, when she heard a noise behind her. She turned, and there stood her two 'friends' from the rifle range… and the ones who had planted the baby dianoga in her bath. Jenna called upon all of her acting abilities as she removed her helmet and smiled at them. "Hey, guys, just the two I was looking for! I need you to help me out, if you have a minute." The two looked at each other, and said, "Well… sure! No hard feelings about before?" Jenna shook her head no. The other one said, as he laughed; "Good, but you should have seen the look on your face when that dianoga was wrapped around your leg… priceless!"

It took all of Jenna's self-control NOT to blast holes in both of their chests right here and now, but she had something else in mind for these two. She pushed the rage down, and led the two of them around a corner, and into a narrow corridor. "I was having some trouble here, and I was hoping the two of you could help me out." She reached out and opened a service hatch. The two 'friends' leaned over. "What, you mean in the trash compactor?" Jenna rapidly shoved the two of them in. They fell approximately ten feet, landing hard in the foul, smelly trash. There was almost instantly a loud, threatening, rumbling snarl emanating from under the trash pile. Rapidly, tentacles erupted from the trash, coiling tightly around the two troopers, and began dragging them under as they screamed. This was another Dianoga, but it was no baby. Jenna smiled, and just before their heads were pulled under, she called out, "No hard feelings!" She waved goodbye, and when the trash compactor was silent once more, she closed the service hatch.

Jenna sighed a happy, satisfied sigh, and went back to the control panel. Now that THOSE two were taken care of, it was time for some payback against the other evil-doers on this ship. She had heard enough of their plans, in the chamber, to realize that she was indeed on the wrong side, and decided it was time to set things right. After she made as many adjustments as she could here, she concluded that the last step would have to be carried out on the main bridge. She put her helmet back on her head, and started walking toward a turbolift.

Meanwhile, on the main bridge, Darth Maul had lost his arrogant overconfidence, and was slowly starting to feel as if he had bitten off more than he could chew. These two female Jedi Masters were giving him all he could handle, and then some. His attempts to separate them had failed. They coordinated their attacks, and came at him together. It was all he could do to block their attacks. He had tried to isolate one or the other with a Force push, but this failed because he couldn't get enough of a break in combat. If he tried to focus for a few seconds on Shaak Ti, then Aayla Secura was all over him. And vice versa. Darth Maul desperately thought to himself, "If only I could focus on just one of them, only for a moment…" Maul was confident that he could defeat either of them one on one. However, Shaak Ti and Aayla Secura had no intention of getting separated so that he could prove this theory.

Finally, the weariness in his arms accelerated Maul's undoing. Aayla and Shaak Ti had Maul backed into a corner, and he was no longer able to keep up the pace. Any being, even a powerful Sith Lord, has limits of fatigue, for they are made of flesh. Maul had reached the limits of his strength. Shaak Ti saw an opening, and rapidly sliced Maul's double-bladed saber in half. Maul attempted to grab one of the halves, so at least he would have one blade, but his weariness bred clumsiness, and he dropped both halves of his saber. They clattered on the floor, and Aayla rapidly sliced them with her saber. The two halves were destroyed.

As Aayla Secura and Shaak Ti raised their blades to finish Maul off, he decided to try something new. Even though he never used this ability, preferring to focus on saber combat, he realized he had no other options, so he raised his hands and blasted out Dark Force lightning. However, he was nowhere near as adept with this as his master Palpatine, and what little Force lightning he was able to summon was easily blocked by the two Jedi. Maul ceased the lightning, and by now, all pretense of anger and hatred was gone, replaced with desperate pleading for mercy. "Please! No more! I yield. Please, show me mercy, I beg of you!" Shaak Ti glanced side-eyed at Aayla, as if to say, 'can you believe this guy?!' Aayla looked Maul in the eyes. "Perhaps we might have shown you mercy, had you not tricked and slain Obi-Wan, and if you and your master were not trying to obliterate an entire planet in your dark quest for power." The two beautiful female Jedi then swung their blades down. To his credit, Maul accepted his fate, and did not cry out with the pain and terror he felt. The two Jedi did not want him making another surprise resurrection, so they did much more than merely slice him in half this time. When they were through, Maul's body lay in 27 pieces. Shaak Ti muttered to Aayla, "Let's see him come back from that!"

As the two Jedi headed for the exit from the main bridge, the doors opened, revealing a single trooper. The trooper removed her helmet, and they recognized Jenna. Jenna smiled, and replied, "I see you finished off Darth Maul… and, I have good news. I can help you deal with the thousands of battle droids and destroyer droids on this ship." The two Jedi glanced at each other. It was true; this would make getting off the ship alive far easier. And, neither of the Jedi sensed any ill will or deception from this female trooper. Aayla then remembered something. "First, we must deactivate the main weapon on this ship, before it destroys Alderaan."

Aayla and Shaak Ti studied a console, then looked at each other and smiled. In his arrogance, Darth Maul had left the firing control sequence unlocked and able to be cancelled. Clearly, he had not considered for a moment that the two female Jedi might best him in combat. Had the console been properly secured, the task of saving Alderaan from destruction would have been far more difficult. Instead, Shaak Ti deactivated the superlaser, and the huge weapon slowly raised itself back up into its storage position. After this was complete, Aayla called up the self-destruct protocol. She glanced knowingly at Shaak Ti, who nodded with silent agreement. This ship, with its monstrous planet-killing weapon, must be destroyed. Aayla set the countdown for the longest possible delay: thirty minutes. She then pushed a button, beginning the countdown. The two Jedi then looked over at Jenna, who was smiling as the entered commands into another console. She explained, "One of my jobs was to program the droids and destroyers, so, I gave them all a new assignment. I instructed all the battle droids and super battle droids to hunt down and destroy the droidekas, and vice versa." The two Jedi nodded with satisfaction. This would give all of those metal menaces something to shoot at besides the Jedi. Together, the three of them hurriedly left the bridge.

Back in the chamber, the duel between Anakin and Ahsoka vs Palpatine was nearly a deadlock. Palpatine hissed at Ahsoka, "I seem to remember running my saber through your belly, and yet, you live?" As Anakin swung away at Palpatine, he smugly replied, "You see, the LIGHT side of the Force is the pathway to many abilities SOME consider to be… well, you get the idea." Palpatine snarled, "Insolent child." Palpatine then lunged out hard and fast straight at Ahsoka, who leaped back to avoid the attack. In that split second, Anakin's attention was diverted just slightly, making sure his wife was uninjured. That was all that Palpatine needed. With a lightning-fast swing, Palpatine's red saber sliced Anakin's hand off at the wrist. His saber deactivated and rolled across the floor, as Anakin fell to his knees in shock.

Palpatine lunged for Anakin's head, but the saber was blocked by Ahsoka. That was the good news. The bad news was, Ahsoka now found herself in one-on-one saber combat with Palpatine. Anakin, naturally, was terrified. As much as he loved and respected his wife as a warrior, he knew that Palpatine was simply on another level. Particularly since Palpatine was no longer trapped in the aged body of an old man, but now inhabited the body of a young woman. Anakin's heart was particularly touched when he saw that Ahsoka was doing her very best to draw Palpatine away from Anakin. She was defending her beloved husband to the end.

Meanwhile, unseen by anyone else in the room, little Amara had taken refuge under a console. She had decided to stay there during this fight, and hope that her parents were able to defeat this evil woman. Amara had gasped with shock when she saw her father lose his hand, and his saber. She then felt anger stirring in her little five-year-old heart. She wanted to help somehow… then, she spied her father's lightsaber, lying still on the floor. No one was looking her way, so, she timidly held out her little hand, and concentrated. The saber shook, then leaped through the air to her, almost hitting her in the face. Amara then looked out, and gasped, for two reasons. The furious swordfight was coming ever closer to her, and also, her mother appeared to be losing. She was still fighting, but was barely able to block the furious, powerful assaults being rained down on her.

Anakin had managed to struggle back to his feet. He sadly stared at his severed hand, lying on the floor. He then resolved that, even though he was one-handed now, he still had to help his wife, somehow. He still had one good hand. Anakin searched around for his lightsaber, and was unable to locate it.

Palpatine saw this, and sneered. First, to kill this annoying Togruta Padawan. Then, to destroy Anakin himself. Palpatine could sense that Ahsoka was getting desperate, and felt that now was the time to end this pitiful duel. Palpatine executed a Force shove, pushing Ahsoka back. Palpatine's hand then clenched, and Ahsoka was lifted several feet into the air with the Dark side of the Force, and was being choked to death. Sinister laughter escaped Palpatine's lips.

This laughter suddenly stopped when Palpatine felt an intense pain, and unceremoniously tumbled face-first to the floor. The duel had brought Ahsoka and Palpatine very near to Amara's hiding place, and when Amara saw her beloved mother being choked to death, she had ignited her father's saber, and sliced at Palpatine's legs, severing both of them at the knees. Palpatine had been so focused on torturing Ahsoka, this was not noticed until it was far too late.

Ahsoka was released from the Force choke, and landed nimbly on her feet, like a cat. Palpatine was sprawled awkwardly before her, still in shock and pain. When Ahsoka drew near, Palpatine hissed with rage, and spewed out Dark Force Lightning, which Ahsoka effortlessly blocked with her two sabers crossed in front of her. She advanced on Palpatine, deflecting the lightning back at its source. The beautiful female face of Palpatine was burned away, and for just a second, the screaming face resembled the aged old man of Palpatine's previous body. Then, the lightning ceased, and Ahsoka wordlessly swung her sabers, and lopped off Palpatine's head. Then, just to be sure, she swung again, and sliced the head in half. Once more, Palpatine was dead… and, this time, there was no Darth Binks to capture the Dark Force spirit before it disappeared into the netherworld of the Force. (As seen in "Ahsoka's Forbidden Love.")

Ahsoka stepped past the hideous corpse, and pulled her little daughter Amara out of hiding. She showered her daughter with kisses, and said, "Thank you, sweetheart. You saved me." Amara looked up at her mother, and once again deployed her adorable, large, 'I'm not in trouble, am I?' eyes. "Mommy, you're not mad at me, are you? For touching daddy's lightsaber?" Ahsoka let out a little laugh, and squeezed her daughter tighter in her hug. "No, sweetie, not this time. You had a very good reason." Ahsoka then let out a little gasp, as she suddenly remembered… Anakin! Her darling husband…

Ahsoka spun around, and saw Anakin standing there with a smile, even though he had just lost a hand. "Don't worry, I'm fine… well, okay, I'm not fine, but I'll live." Anakin then kissed his daughter Amara, and said, "Very well done, Honey. I'm proud of you." He then kissed Ahsoka on the head, and said, "You too. You should have seen yourself… you were incredible." Those were words not normally uttered outside of the bedroom.

At that moment, there was a tremendous explosion, and the debris blocking the door blew apart. Ahsoka and Anakin ignited their lightsabers once more. As the smoke started to clear, Ahsoka asked Anakin, "Think you can handle that thing with one hand?" More words not usually spoken outside of the bedroom. However, before he could answer, they both saw with relief that it was just Shaak Ti and Aayla Secura, as well as a single trooper. They had blasted open the door with some thermal detonators. Ahsoka and Anakin extinguished their sabers. Aayla Secura regarded the burned, beheaded corpse of Palpatine, and nodded with approval. She then said, "I see you accomplished your mission. Darth Maul met a similar fate on the bridge." Jenna then informed them that the countdown had reached the twelve minute mark. Anakin looked puzzled. "What countdown?" Shaak Ti answered, "Until this ship self-destructs. We must be sure this planet-killing weapon is destroyed." Ahsoka turned to her daughter, saying "Come on, honey. We need to get back to the docking bay, and fast." As they jogged toward the exit of the chamber, and down the corridor, Anakin asked Jenna, "What about the droids and destroyers? And, are there any more human troopers on this ship?" Jenna answered, "I reprogrammed the droids and destroyers to fight each other. And, there are a few other troopers, but they'll just have to find a life pod. I sent out an 'abandon ship' alert from the bridge."

As the group made their way through the star destroyer's corridors, they saw here and there that Jenna's reprogramming had indeed worked. The shattered bodies of battle droids, super battle droids, and droidekas were everywhere, as were hundreds and hundreds of blaster burns in the walls. The few that remained functional were far too busy shooting at each other to pay any attention to the group of Jedi, former Jedi, and one trooper that dashed by. However, when they reached the docking bay, a nasty surprise awaited them. Every ship in the docking bay had been blasted to smithereens, including Anakin and Ahsoka's private freighter ship. A last parting gift, from either Darth Maul or Palpatine. Ahsoka sighed with frustration. "Dammit!"

Anakin turned to Jenna. "Are there any other ships, or escape pods?" Jenna stammered, "Well, yes, but the next closest escape pods are too far from here." She pointed at a monitor, showing the time left before self-destruction. The monitor read three minutes. "We'll never make it in time." Out of sheer desperation, Ahsoka pulled out her holographic communicator, hoping someone, anyone, was within range. And, her prayers were answered. Shimmering into view was a hologram of none other than Mace Windu, seated next to Senator Amidala. She smiled at them through the hologram. "Hey, guys! Need a lift?"

Then, outside the shimmering shield of the docking bay, a familiar sight from years ago: a telltale all-chrome Naboo ship, the kind used by royalty and senior government officials on Naboo. Displaying incredible piloting skills, the ship spun around, backed into the docking bay, yet did not land. The ship sat there, hovering, and lowered its boarding ramp. No one, not even Amara, had to be encouraged to sprint as quickly as possible for the ramp, and board the ship. Jenna was the last one on board, as Ahsoka called up to the cockpit, "Punch it!" The ramp lifted up, and the chrome ship exited the shield of the star destroyer, and then blasted away as quickly as possible. After perhaps three seconds had passed, the star destroyer suddenly exploded in a tremendous fireball, taking with it the Sith's planet-killing weapon. But it had happened at a heavy cost.

The Naboo ship was rocked by the shockwave from the exploding star destroyer, but was otherwise unharmed. The ship continued to nearby Alderaan. Ahsoka practically pulled Anakin over to a bench, and shoved him down in a seated position. She then rapidly opened a medical kit, and said, "Give me your arm." Anakin obeyed, and Ahsoka grimaced as she dressed the cauterized stump of an arm with bandages. As she busily wrapped his arm, she also gave him a glance. "I seem to remember someone cautioning me that all it takes is a moment of distraction…" Anakin, however, did not object to this mild criticism. Instead, he leaned forward, and kissed the top of Ahsoka's head. He then explained, "That's for blocking what would have been a killing blow, and for leading Palpatine away from me, after I lost my hand. Thank you." Ahsoka gave her husband a pleased smile, and replied, "Anytime, SkyGuy."

They then looked up, and saw Padme watching them with a smile. Padme sat across from them, and said, "I hope you're both feeling alright. That must have been a terrible fight!" Both Anakin and Ahsoka nodded. Anakin nodded to his stump of an arm. "I've had better days, but I'll live… thanks to her." He once more gave Ahsoka a little kiss. Padme continued smiling at them, then said, "I'm glad you both ended up together, and that you make each other so happy." Ahsoka suddenly remembered, "Where's Amara?" Padme replied, "Oh, she's up in the cockpit with the pilot. I think she's quizzing him on every button and switch." Ahsoka giggled, and Anakin said "Yep, that sound like her."

Later, Padme's ship landed on Alderaan, near Ahsoka and Anakin's house. When the ship had settled down, and had been powered down, everyone gathered in the main hold. Only now, could the Jedi and former Jedi truly allow the events of the past 24 hours to really sink in. First and foremost, everyone mourned the loss of Obi-Wan and Yoda. Aayla Secura spoke for everyone when she sadly said, "I know Master Yoda always said, 'Rejoice for those who transform into the Force; mourn them do not, miss them do not.' Yet I fear it will be impossible for me to follow this wisdom." She wiped away tears as she said this. Everyone else nodded in agreement. Shaak Ti looked at Aayla, and the tears that she had barely been holding back now flooded out. Shaak Ti took a shaky breath, and managed to say, "Obi-Wan had become the light of my life, these past five years. Ever since the Jedi ended the 'no attachments' policy, and we started seeing each other… we gave each other so much happiness." This prompted a fresh stream of warm, silent tears on Aayla's face. She had been privileged to see a whole other side of Yoda (literally) that no one else in the Jedi order had ever seen. She had seen that Yoda had a mischievous side, and was indeed capable of great love. He had made her smile and laugh… among other things… more times than she could count, while they had been together. Now, that was all gone.

Anakin also felt grief and loss, as Obi-Wan had been his closest friend, and one-time mentor. Ahsoka, too, had spent years fighting alongside Obi-Wan, and had deeply respected him. To see him cut down as a result of Sith treachery… this caused her intense grief. And, even though both Anakin and Ahsoka had, for a time, been very resentful of the Jedi's stifling policy and maddeningly stubborn Jedi Masters, they still both respected Yoda. Particularly when they reflected that Yoda's dying act had been to protect their little daughter. They both were obviously very grateful for this act of self-sacrifice. Ahsoka had already whispered to Anakin that she believed this was Yoda's way of apologizing for the unpleasantness that led to the two of them walking away from the Jedi order.

Presently, Mace Windu entered the main hold, accompanied by Padme. They sat down on the padded bench, facing all the others. Mace sighed, and let his head hang down in defeat and resignation. The Jedi had been dealt a staggering blow today. The loss of Obi-Wan and Yoda… a Jedi Master, and a Jedi Grand Master… it was difficult for him to process. Mace lifted his head, and gazed at Anakin and Ahsoka. He then said, "The Jedi Order is on the brink of annihilation. Where we once numbered 20,000; do you know how many there are today? Barely 100. For the entire galaxy. And now, we've lost Obi-Wan, and even Master Yoda?!" Even Mace Windu was overwhelmed by the gravity of the situation. He again looked at Anakin and Ahsoka. Even though it was very much against his nature, Mace actually pleaded. "You must return. We need you. We are desperate."

Immediately, Anakin and Ahsoka locked eyes, reading each other's thoughts without saying a word. Being very perceptive, Mace was able to sense their refusal even before they said anything. Mace continued his pleading. "At least allow me to take the girl, then! She is very powerful with the Force, since she is your offspring. Let us place her with the next class of younglings." That was all Ahsoka could stand to hear. She stood up, and looked Mace Windu dead in the eyes. "THAT, right there, is a major part of why the Jedi are in the mess they are today. Clinging to the ways of the past. Practically abducting children from their families, and never allowing them to have life, love, and form attachments of their own? Only allowing them to serve the whims of an unemotional, uncaring, stubborn Jedi council that is mired in corruption and political intrigue?"

Anakin inwardly flinched as Ahsoka lit up Mace Windu. He agreed with everything his beloved wife was saying, and admired her for having the courage to say this. Anakin knew that he himself would never have the courage to tell off Mace like this. But Ahsoka was not done yet. She actually leaned in closer to Mace, and continued. "Did you know that Palpatine actually said as much to Master Yoda? 'Your arrogance blinded you, Master Yoda.' THAT is what Palpatine said to Yoda, as they were fighting. And it's true. The Jedi's downfall is a direct result of the arrogance of the Jedi Council. I will NOT hand over my daughter to you, so that she can go through the very thing that Anakin and I walked away from."

Anakin stood up, and placed his one remaining hand on Ahsoka's shoulder, in order to calm her before she bloodied Mace's nose. Anakin mused to himself that this must have been very therapeutic for Ahsoka to say all this to Mace Windu's face, after he had played a major part in expelling her from the Jedi Order. Anakin then said to Mace, "Ahsoka and I are going to begin Amara's education in the ways of the Force. However, our daughter will remain with US. She will not be taken to Coruscant and cloistered away in the Jedi Temple, never to see her family again. She will continue to have a normal life; going to school, playing with her friends, spending time with her family. Now, when she is older, if she chooses to join the Jedi, we will not stop her, but she will have to make that informed decision on her own."

Aayla Secura and Shaak Ti had heard this discussion, and they wiped away their tears and joined in. Shaak Ti said to Mace, "We must re-think a great many things about the Jedi Order, if it is to survive. But first…" Aayla looked at Shaak Ti, who nodded. Aayla looked at Mace. "You are restored to the rank of Jedi Master." Yoda had demoted Mace from Jedi Master to Jedi Knight, due to the fact that he had refused to help Anakin find Ahsoka, who had been kidnapped by the Sith, which cost the Jedi an opportunity to stop Order 66. (As seen in "Ahsoka's Forbidden Love.") However, the Jedi Council, which had already been decimated in numbers, was now without Obi-Wan and Yoda. There was hardly a Jedi Council left. Aayla Secura and Shaak Ti knew that despite his faults, Mace Windu possessed great intelligence, and was a formidable fighter.

Mace Windu bowed in acknowledgement. Aayla Secura stated, "When we return to Coruscant, and meet in the council chambers, we have a great deal to discuss, if the Jedi Order is to survive. There will need to be unprecedented changes, in every phase of the Jedi Order."

Several days later, Ahsoka sat with Amara in the waiting room of a hospital on Alderaan. Ahsoka tried to keep her daughter occupied. She had started to read a story from a magazine in the waiting room, but Amara interrupted her mother. "Mommy, on that big ship, who was that evil lady who shot lightning from her hands?" Ahsoka put the magazine back on the table, and cuddled her daughter close. "Honey, that was a Sith Lord. It actually used to be the Supreme Chancellor, but his old body was killed, and he ended up taking over the body of that young lady… it's pretty confusing." Amara nodded as if she understood. She then looked up at her mother. "Mommy… I could feel the bad, the evil, coming from her. It was so strong." Ahsoka was astounded that her little five-year-old daughter was so insightful. She doubtlessly was blessed by the Force in ways that Ahsoka and Anakin were not; she could sense a person's true nature much more easily than any other Jedi. And yet, Amara was not done. "Mommy… I felt the same thing on the playground, when that bad lady kidnapped me. I'm sorry I went with her." Ahsoka smiled at Amara, and said, "Oh, sweetie, it's all right. You didn't know. And she had a very convincing story."

Then, a nurse appeared in the waiting room. "Ahsoka Tano-Skywalker?" Ahsoka and Amara eagerly stood up, and the nurse smiled. "Your husband is asking for you. Everything went very well. Follow me, please." They followed the nurse to a room in the hospital, and there lay Anakin, holding up his new right hand, and admiring it. He opened the fingers, wiggled them, made a fist and opened it again, and even looked at the artificial tendons in his wrist moving. They appeared completely natural. Ahsoka walked up to him and gave him a kiss, and then studied his new hand. The hospital had done an admirable job, even matching the skin tone, and perfectly imitating the warmth of genuine human flesh. Amara then hopped up on the bed, and hugged her father, as he gently patted her back with his new hand.

On Coruscant, in the Jedi Council chamber, Aayla Secura sadly looked around. Counting herself, Shaak Ti, and Mace Windu, there were now only five of them on the council. They had reached an important agreement. Moving forward, the Jedi would be much less a religious order, and less domineering over the lives of their members. Master Yoda had already done away with the 'no romantic attachments' policy. Now, the council ruled that Jedi would have personal time. They would be free to visit their families from time to time. The Jedi Order would allow them use of a small Jedi ship to travel and visit loved ones. As long as the individual Jedi kept up their performance, and did what was expected of them, they would be rewarded. Also, the Padawans and Younglings would be educated about the history of the Sith, and would be taught in how to recognize them.

Having decided this, they realized that they must stay ever vigilant. Mace Windu stated, "Although the Sith have been eradicated once more, the Dark Side of the Force remains. It shall never be eradicated. Sooner or later, someone new will appear, and we must be prepared." Aayla Secura and Shaak Ti nodded in agreement.

Many lightyears away, on Corellia, a boy lived in anguish. His father had caught him stealing candy from a market. As punishment, the father had whipped the boy until he screamed. Then, he forced the boy to pack up everything in his room in boxes, except his clothes. When the father felt his anger building, he interrupted the boy's packing to whip him again. When the boy's room was empty, the father screamed that he was allowed only to be in this empty room, the bathroom, and school. He also made the boy visit a juvenile criminal counselor. Not only that, but news of this spread like wildfire in school, and the boy lost all of his friends. All for stealing two pieces of candy.

Finally, the boy could take no more of the father's cruelty. He slipped out of the house at night, and fled blindly into the darkness. He eventually wound up in an old, dirty warehouse. All sorts of ships came and went constantly in the nearby Corellian spacedock. Items that were lost or abandoned ended up here, in this warehouse. As the boy feared being found out and returned to his cruel father, he scurried behind the crates, all the way back against the wall of the warehouse. Now, he needed direction. Where would he go? What would he do next? Where was his next meal coming from? As he attempted to move further back into the shadows, he bumped a crate, and it tipped over. Out rolled a strange looking artifact. It was almost diamond-shaped… but it was glowing red. The boy picked it up, and was transfixed. He had no way of knowing that this was an ancient Sith holocron. How it came to be in this warehouse is lost to the ages, but all that mattered is that the boy now held it… and he heard a strange voice in his head.

"You have great power, boy; you only need to learn how to use it. You can have anything you wish." The boy remained transfixed, listening to the voice in his head speak of amazing powers that he could learn to use. "Learn to use the Dark Side of the Force, boy, and there are no limits to what you can achieve." This was utterly fascinating to the boy. He had heard rumors of the Force, on the playground, but had never imagined that HE had this power.

A rat then appeared on top of a crate, curiously looking at the boy. The voice in the boy's head said, "Your first test. Do as I tell you." The boy looked at the rat, and held out his hand, scrunching his eyes shut in concentration. When he opened his eyes, the rat was lying on its side, dead. Choked by the Dark Side. The boy heard the voice tell him, "Excellent. Now, a much tougher test." When the boy heard his next instructions, he gulped, but obeyed the voice. Taking the Sith holocron with him, the boy carefully exited the warehouse.

The boy returned home. He could see the lights were on. When he opened the door, his father turned, and advanced with fury. "Just where the hell have you been?" Without waiting for an answer, the father towered over the boy, removing his belt, clearly intent on giving him another thrashing. The voice in his head said, "Now, boy. Do it!" The boy held up his hand and concentrated, this time with his eyes wide open. The father suddenly stopped, unable to breathe. He dropped his belt, gasping and clawing at his throat, and dropped to his knees. The voice encouraged the boy. "Good, boy, good! Let the HATE FLOW THROUGH YOU!" The boy obeyed, letting his anger and hatred of his wicked father flow through him. The father fell backwards, and suddenly, the boy stopped. His anger and hatred lessened, as it sank in what was really happening. Wicked or not, this man was his father. Naturally, the voice in his head was less than happy with this. "Mercy is for the weak, boy! When has your so-called father ever shown you compassion? If you want to explore the power of the darkness, kill him, NOW!" After hesitating, the boy squeezed his fist, and the father fell silent.

The boy sat on the floor, staring at his father's body. He managed to convince himself that the voice was right. His father had never shown any love, affection, or inspired any laughter or happiness. All he gave out was anger, harshness, cruelty, and suffering. Any lingering affection he had once held for his own father had been thrashed out of him by his father's belt long ago. The beating he endured for the stolen candy was hardly the first. The voice returned. "You did very well, son. He was not your father; he was your enemy. There is only one fate for enemies. Now, you must take his money, and go to Malachor. There, your true training shall begin."

On Alderaan, Ahsoka and Anakin led Amara into their gymnasium, where they trained. Anakin knelt so that he could look Amara in the eyes. "Honey, your mother and I are going to start training you now, in the ways of the Force. This is serious training, do you understand?" Amara remembered watching with amazement at her parents fighting destroyer droids, and the evil Sith Lord. She nodded her little head. "I understand, daddy." Ahsoka also knelt, and handed Amara a box. When she opened it, she gasped. "For ME?!" Her parents nodded. Amara took out the object, carefully pushed a button, and a brilliant, shimmering blue blade sprang out. Amara now had her own training lightsaber. Part of her yearned to swing it around wildly, as if it were a toy, but Amara understood that this was not a toy, and if she wanted to be a Jedi, she could not act like a little child. Amara deactivated the blade, thanked her parents, and attempted to stuff the lightsaber into her waistband. Ahsoka smiled, and corrected her. "It goes like this, sweetie. This way, when you have a real lightsaber someday, you won't cut your own legs off."

Anakin then put Amara to work, giving her an exercise to do. Amara concentrated, and lifted various objects in the gymnasium with the Force, including her rubber ball. Both Anakin and Ahsoka looked at her from behind with pride, as she held the objects in the air. These objects went up in the air smoothly, instead of shaking and unsteady, indicating Amara's mastery of the Force had already begun to grow. Ahsoka gave Anakin a long kiss, and whispered, "I love you, dear." Anakin smiled, and whispered the same back to his wife. They didn't want to disturb Amara's concentration.

After Amara completed her exercise, she sat and watched her parents. Ahsoka looked at Anakin with a challenging smile. "You ready?" She had already ignited her training lightsabers. Anakin smiled, and ignited his training saber as well. As their sabers clashed, little Amara watched, transfixed at the raw power, speed and skill demonstrated by her parents. All Amara could say was, "Wow…" She wondered if she would ever be able to match this pace being set by her parents. Little did she know that in time, she would surpass it.

AFTERWORD

Yes, there was some weird stuff in this one, such as Palpatine possessing a hot blonde's body, and Yoda sleeping with Aayla Secura. But, is it really much weirder than what we have seen on-screen in the Star Wars movies and TV shows?

I was happy with how the little girl Amara turned out in the story. I hope you were as well.

I deliberately didn't give the Sith boy a name. He's just meant to represent that you cannot kill the Dark Side of the Force; just as you can't kill the Light Side. You can kill all the Sith practitioners, but someone, someday, will stumble onto the secrets of the Sith and start it all over again.

So, will I make a Part III with Amara vs the Sith boy? Hmmm…. Maybe, but it took me months to write this one. So it won't be for a long time.

I hope you enjoyed the story. Please leave a comment, as long as you're not trying to sell me artwork!