It was late morning, and the Jedi Master hopped out of the speeder, into the veranda of the Senator's apartment. C3P0 was sceptical of letting him enter, considering he is  considered a fugitive by the Republic, now the Empire. Padme's reaction was what made the droid more perplexed, since she warmly welcomed him into her home.

Since Obi Wan was an outlaw or so, he suggested that they may discuss whatever they had to in a more private area and the Senator agreed so they both went into the bedroom.

“So, what do I owe this visit from you?” she asked, taking a seat next to him on the bed.

“Well, Padme,” he started, not sure of what to say, “...when was the last time you saw Anakin?”

“I...uh...I haven't seen him often nowadays.” Amidala answered, “He"s always busy, but the last time I saw him was the day before yesterday.”

The Jedi Master now realised that Anakin was always occupied with something or another. Whether it was after a mission in the Outer Rim or after a battle, he always had something. “And do you know what he's been busy with?”

“I don't know.” She replied, “He never told me. He always said it was something about the war.”

He sighed, he wasn't sure if she was ready for the truth to be revealed but eventually, he must tell her. “Padme... I'll be blunt.”

“It concerns him, doesn't it?” she expressed her thoughts.

“You guessed correctly, milady.” He said, and then looked straight at her face, “I am afraid that Anakin is a Sith Lord.”

“What?” she snapped, “You have to be wrong. That can't be...”

"Wait for me, until I return," he said again for the hundreth time, in the middle of the night, like always. He got in the speeder and drove away to the depths of the city.

"Why are you always going at a time like this?" she voiced out her thoughts. He took the war too seriously. He was human, he must rest sometimes, even if he was not a Jedi.

Not a Jedi...yet he was one of the Generals of the Republic. Even Jedi died frequently during battles, but he survived all of them, even going as far as being the saviiur of the Republic. Was that possible, even for a non-Jedi?

Her eyes widened and she paused, the realization hitting her. She lowered her head, ashamed that she could have not seen it before. Regardless of him being a Sith or not, she must not allow the Jedi to kill him, for she loves him. And she must not allow him to kill the Jedi, for they stood by her in difficult times. She rubbed her baby bump. He loves her; she was sure of that, so the child's safety is secure.

“No, Padme, I wish I must not kill him,” he spoke, “But he killed everyone in the Temple.”

“Please don't,” she moaned with sorrow in her voice. He was a murderer, that had already sunk into her mind. He was a soldier of the Republic after all. But somehow, all of a sudden, name him 'Sith' and he was the most dangerous thing to exist.

Suddenly, his comlink beeped, silencing Padme and Obi Wan, and the latter received the transmission from his apprentice. A hologram of Ahsoka appeared, fighting the clones. He immediately walked out of the room.

“Master!” she exclaimed, thankful that he had received her call, “I found a security holo-recording of Vader and Sidious. Apparently he has sent Anakin to the Mustafar system to wipe out the Separatist leaders and deactivate the droid army.”

“Good, Ahsoka, get out of the Jedi Temple and meet me in Coruscant's lower levels.”

“Yes master.” She said, and unleashed a Force wave that took out most of the clones that surrounded her. Before they could recover, she got out of there and ended the transmission.

Obi Wan put the comlink back into his utility belt and turned towards the worried Senator. “Padme, Anakin has become a very great threat and must be removed, I am sorry but I have to, for the sake of the galaxy.”

“I feel like the people who would betray me are always the ones who are closest.” Amidala stated with melancholy.

“I am sorry. You and the baby need to get somewhere safe.” he instructed as he got onto his speeder, “Anakin would train the child to become a Sith, no doubt. Go to Senator Organa, he will help you and not to mention the organisation you and other senators have planned.”

She opened her mouth to question how he knew about that but before she could do that, he had already sped off. She guessed Bail just told him. She sat on the couch, ignoring 3P0. How could she have not known? What if Obi Wan was lying? Jedi do have a reputation to lie. She can't just sit around and wait. She told C3P0 to prepare the Silver Streak and some provisions to Mustafar. It is time to take matters onto her own hands.

* * * * transition * * * *

Vader punched in the frequency of the transmission he planned on deliver to his master. As soon as he inputted them, the hologram of his master appeared. “The Separatists had been taken care of, my master.” He informed, standing stiffly.

“It is finished then.” The blue translucent appearance of Sidious replied, “You have restored peace and justice to the galaxy. Send a message to the Trade Federation ships; all droid units must shut down immediately.”

Vader bowed, knowing that the praise was merely a lie, gave an answer of compliance and the call was ended. The beeping of the security console disturbed him from his thoughts as it displayed two Delta Jedi star fighters arriving. ‘They must've stolen them from the Temple hangar.’ He thought and his lips formed a cunning smile, ‘Still, it is quite impressive for Kenobi to survive Order 66, but they will not be given any mercy now.’

* * * * transition * * * *

Palpatine ended the comm and relaxed on his chair, pleased with his achievements. He had gotten the Empire he wanted and the perfect apprentice. There was only one tiny bother; Vader could easily overthrow him, but his naivety was his weakness hence, he could be easily manipulated. The inhibitor chip Vader had as a slave is his leash on him. Then he sensed a presence outside his door and he scowled; it seems the clones have failed their mission.

With one Jedi alive, the Order still exists. The thump of his guards was heard as he turned towards the green alien. “Master Yoda, you survived.” He said.

“Surprised?” Yoda replied, with a smug look on his face.

Palpatine rose from his seat. “Your arrogance blinds you, Master Yoda.” He sneered, “Now you will experience the full power of the Dark Side.”

He pointed his hand and shot lightning towards the old Jedi Grandmaster who didn't have enough time to avoid it therefore, landing a successful hit and sending Yoda flying to the wall. The Sith cackled and rose to his feet, walking towards him, “I have waited a long time for this moment, my little green friend.”

Yoda got up from the floor as Sidious spoke. The Sith have changed, they have become more developed but the Dark Side of the Force was just the easier way. The Light Side, might be more difficult, but also more powerful. The Sith have always underestimated the Jedi which was clear when Sidious said the words, with sheer happiness, “At last the Jedi are no more.”

“Not if anything to say about it, I have!” he exclaimed and unleashed a Force blast which sent Palpatine to the chair. “At an end your rule is,” he stated, preparing to fight, “And not short enough it was.”

Sidious chose to retreat and flipped to the entrance, but he blocked the Sith, and taking out his weapon, he taunted, “If so powerful you are, why leave?”

Seeing the ignited green plasma, Sidious replied, “You will not stop me. Darth Vader will become more powerful than either of us!” The Dark Lord took out his own lightsaber and turned on the blade.

“Faith in your apprentice, misplaced may be.” Yoda pointed the green blade to Sidious face, “As is your faith in the Dark Side of the Force.”

* * * * transition * * * *

Ahsoka jumped out of her ship. The lack of space had cramped her limbs and those aches she had been getting only got worse when she was suddenly exposed to the heat. She and her master put on their breath masks, and approached the control bunker, where Vader was supposed to be in. She had been to that place before during a mission with Anakin to rescue the Force sensitive children. She still shivered on the thought of she and him being close. She looked around. The surroundings hadn't changed much; not that she knew the terrain, it just appeared to be the same.

“I have a bad feeling about this.” Ahsoka expressed, the atmosphere not offering any enthusiasm.

Obi Wan and she walked forwards, their weapon drawn from their belts; being wary of the environment. They were blocked out of the Sith's Force signature, but they knew he was there; the sight of his star fighter and his astromech confirmed his location. Kenobi held on tight to the lightsaber hilt, nervous of the outcome. He had to fight against his closest comrade, something which was probably one of his weaknesses.

Then there he was, standing ever so silently, at the entrance. He has changed, a lot. He had pale skin and yellow irises that represented the fiery dark side within him and he held a crimson lightsaber. ‘Ahsoka, we do this together.’ Obi Wan communicated through their bond. ‘Be careful master. He is much more powerful than he looks.’ She mentally replied.

Vader let out a battle cry and leapt from his place to deliver a powerful strike on Ahsoka. She rolled out of the way and as soon as he landed, she threw her saber at him, but he blocked it with his own. The green weapon bounced back to the owner. She jumped away to avoid the strike on her body. Kenobi Force-pulled the Dark Jedi towards him before he could further harm his apprentice. He was met with powerful attacks, but he was the master of Soresu, which was a lightsaber form which could never be penetrated.

A few exchange of parries and attacks occurred before Ahsoka tried to Force push him into the lava and Obi Wan took the opportunity to rest a bit. Vader thrust his weapon onto the ground to add more friction and lessen his motion. As soon as the Togruta had exhausted her energy, he used Force lightning on her, but she blocked it with her lightsaber. The green plasma crackled as it absorbed the energy and she was pushed all the way to the bunker, hitting her back on the wall.

Obi Wan kicked Vader at the back, getting the attention of the Sith, who did gave a flurry of strikes at the Jedi master. Kenobi tripped and fell to the ground, his lightsaber knocked from his hand. Vader moved forwards to plunge his red blade into his chest but before he could do that, Kenobi kicked him away. Obi Wan levitated his weapon to the direction of the Sith, but he moved to the side and Kenobi grabbed the hilt.

They again duelled, moving indoors. Ahsoka was regaining her energy, and saw the fight going on in front of her. She Force pushed both of them to stop the chaos because she couldn't understand whatever was going on. “Enough!” she shouted, getting tired of it, “Anakin please —”

Vader refused to listen, and held her in a Force choke. “Sith do not negotiate!” He exclaimed and ignited his lightsaber to prepare to kill her. Obi Wan rose from his feet and ran towards him to purposely crash onto him. They were both taken out, their weapon separated from them and Ahsoka fell on the ground. They quickly got up and Obi Wan delivered a face punch. Vader dodged it and spun around to land a side kick on his enemy.

Kenobi was pushed into the side and seeing this, Ahsoka took her lightsaber and used an Ataru attack to deliver flurries of attack. Vader used the Force to quickly take his lightsaber and had to move on defence with her quick and powerful strikes. Her adrenaline rose when she thought that she might just win the fight. Soon, her master joined her and helped. The Jedi duo and the Sith fought till they were outside again.

Seeing the Sith push them, they planned a new strategy. ‘Get him to the lava.’ Kenobi said through the bond. On the count of three, Ahsoka and Obi Wan Force pushed him towards the molten river of stone and metal, with their full potential. Vader Force sped out of the way. He had had enough; he had exhausted his Force energy and yet they were still alive. With both parties having exhausted their Force energy, they moved to close combat.

Ahsoka used her previous trick of attacking rapidly but this time, Vader grabbed her arm with the cast and hit it with the hilt of his saber, breaking her radius and ulna. She screamed out loud, putting Kenobi on red alert. He sped towards him and kicked him with a force that sent him all the way to the river bank. Obi Wan immediately tended to Ahsoka. He took out the broken cast, tore a piece of his robe and tied it around her broken arm. “Master, get Vader! I can handle this.” she groaned.

A shadow was over them, and she pushed her master away from her as she blocked the attack with her other arm. Vader mercilessly gave her an onslaught of strikes when Ahsoka barely got up and had to crawl backwards and fight for her life. Obi Wan got up from the floor and slashed towards Vader's torso, but the Force had warned the Sith and his reflexes made him roll over to the other side. Ahsoka reassured her master through their bond, ‘Though I have broken my arm, I can still fight.’

“No, Soka, you are in no condition to fight in this situation.” He disagreed, “Go to a safe place, and leave me.”

“I can't master. We face this together.” Ahsoka said, stood in an Ataru stance next to her master, before Vader. The Sith Lord snarled and unleashed Force lightning upon them, taking out the unexpected Kenobi. Ahsoka parried, evaded and blocked then finally earned a jab on his chin. He spat out the blood that was bleeding from his mouth. He sprinted towards her and landed a knee-kick on her abdomen. It ached and she fell down, clenching her stomach. He picked her up and looked at her pathetic condition. “You should've listened to your master, Tano.” He said and dropped her hard. She would soon die from the injuries.

Now his attention could be fixed to Kenobi. The Jedi master limped because he had probably sprained, or better yet, fractured his leg, but that didn't seem to be the case. He charged at him, trying to find an opening in Kenobi's Soresu, but before Vader could even use it as an advantage, the Jedi shifted to Ataru. They fought for a whole long hour, occasionally shifting locations, until they were both tired. “Given up yet, Kenobi?” Vader sneered, having another plan and stalled.

“No. As long as one Jedi exists, the Order shall never perish.” Obi Wan replied, “You may try and annihilate us Vader but I assure you, some way or another, we will rise again.”

“Then I will hunt down every single one of you!” The Sith snarled and lifted his hand to draw energy from his opponent. The Force technique was used only by the most powerful dark side users, draining the energy of the enemy while replenishing one self's. Obi Wan felt dizzy and stumbled as he had never before felt the effects of the forbidden Force power. “The power of the Dark Side is no match for a Jedi like you.” Vader stated, and threw a dagger that penetrated through Obi Wan's arm and into the wall, trapping the Jedi.

Blood flowed from the injury, into the ground. His entire body had a spasm from the damage of his nerve cells by the dagger. “The Jedi will end now.” His opponent spoke and prepared his lightsaber. He didn't reply but just closed his eyes, preparing himself for the horror.

* * * * transition * * * *

Yoda glanced at his robe which hung from the podium. He decided to leave it there as a sign of his failure and his exile. The Sith have advanced but the Jedi, they were held on with the past. He lost his lightsaber so he scurried into a tunnel which supplied electrical energy. It was small enough so he could fit and the clones would not be able to go after him.

He took out his comlink and contacted Organa. “Hurry. Careful timing we will need.” He informed, keeping his voice down.

“Activate your homing beacon when you're ready.” The reply came.

****

“There's no sign of the body, sir.” The clone said to his Emperor.

“Then he is not dead.” Mas Amedda stated. “Double your search.” Palpatine snarled.

“Yes, sir.” They bowed and left.

****

The humbled-grandmaster crawled out of the tunnel and reached outside. He activated the signal then saw the Senators speeder right below him and jumped right onto the passenger's seat. “How was your mission?” he asked.

“Into exile, I must go.” Yoda replied, with sadness as they flew towards the ship, “Failed I have.”

* * * * transition * * * *

Just then, the sound of a ships engine echoed in the atmosphere, distracting the enemy. Vader stared at the ship, it was Padme's. He was slightly nervous. He knew what to do; kill her, but how could he? He loved that woman and out of that love, came two children, but love was the ultimate weakness of the Sith and must be avoided. He put his feelings aside. He planned to ignore her for the time being and see what happens. If she supports the Jedi, he will kill her. If not, he would try and seduce her to the Dark Side.

He faced Obi Wan but then a stun blast hit him in the chest along with a Force push which sent him flying.

“Ahsoka!” Kenobi exclaimed in relief. She dropped the blaster she took from a broken droid and let herself fall to the ground, her breathing was irregular. Using all his strength, Obi Wan pulled out the dagger and ran towards her. He wrapped her arm around his shoulder and helped her get to the landing pad, but once they reached the hallway, Vader caught up to them. Channelling his anger and frustration, he used the Force to push them towards either side and crush them on the wall. Obi Wan and Ahsoka moaned from the pressure and pain, feeling their bones bend against the wall. A little more thrust and their skeletons would break.

Vader sensed the presence of his wife. She stood across the hallway, her hand on her chest; a symptom of heartache and shock. He immediately stopped; dropping Kenobi and Tano; as she stood there in fear.

“Padme,” he said as he walked towards her to hug her, but she made him stop.

“What have you done?” she asked, tears appearing in her eyes. “You, you were a Sith Lord. How could I have been so blind?”

He remained silent, not knowing what to tell her. Should he lie? Or should he just tell her the truth? Telling a lie might lead to complications, so he resolved on the truth. He sighed then said, “Yes, I am a Sith but trust me I – ”

“How can I trust you now?” she replied, seeing that Obi Wan was slowly regaining his energy, while Ahsoka was unconscious. “When you killed all those younglings?”

He silently gulped and avoided her eyes. He killed children but they would eventually grow up to be enemies of the Empire. Kenobi, he was trying to persuade Padme to their side. He glared at the Jedi on the floor. “Obi Wan is trying to turn you against me.” He snapped. “All of this, I did to protect you. Don't you see? The Jedi are traitors of the Empire for a reason.”

“The Empire?” she questioned, shaking her head, “Anakin, the Empire is whatever I am against. Please all I want is your love.”

“You don't need love.” He replied, “Why should we put us in such a condescending position through love!?”

“Love is not disgraceful.” Padme responded, approaching him and caressing his face. “It is a beautiful miracle of life.”

“No, it is merely a weakness which leads to chaos and disorder.” He said coldly.

The statement made Padme remove her hands, and she said, walking away, “I don't believe this. You, you've changed. What have you become?”

“I have become a true Sith.” He replied, with arrogance. “I am the most powerful creature of the galaxy.”

“Then I can't be with you, not like this.” She responded, “I'm afraid, if you continue this, we must separate, and the child...will be raised by me.”

Anger flared up in his soul, the moment he heard that. He walked forwards, threatening her. “What?!” he snapped, “The children are a part of me! You don't have the right –”

“Children? I'm deeply sorry, Ani, but it is for their sake.” She replied and ran while Obi Wan stood up and Force pushed him away. Padme closed the door as he carried Ahsoka on his back and limped to Padme's ship. Vader got through the door and sprinted towards them, catching up. He saw Padme help Obi Wan get in. “Traitor!” he yelled. She didn't look at him but said, “Goodbye, Vader.”

The ramp closed when she pressed the button and the ship rose to the air. He jumped as high as he could but slipped on the smooth surface of the ship and had to jump back to the ground. He watched as the ship flew into space and went into hyperspace.