Leia was on Alderaan with Bail Organa. She sensed something was wrong, and her suspicions were confirmed when her mother's face appeared on the HoloNews. She had been wounded in the Chancellor's office. Tears streamed down her face, and Bail Organa embraced her.
"Padmé will be alright. I know you two are very close," Bail Organa said, though he suspected there was something more there, a much deeper connection between Leia and Padmé. Could she be his sister? he wondered.
"You said you'd trust me with your life when you sent me to deliver the Death Star plans," Leia sobbed. "Will you trust me if I tell you the truth now, Father?" Leia asked, looking at her adoptive father. She had been working with him all these days and could barely bear the thought that he, in the future, had died before her eyes, on Alderaan.
"What are you talking about, Leia?" Bail Organa asked, confused, but a strange feeling stirred in his chest.
"Leia, darling, I don't think this is the right thing to do," Han said, appearing.
"Let her speak," Bail Organa said. "Why did you call me Father?"
"My name is Leia Skywalker, but that wasn't always my name."
"Skywalker? Like Anakin Skywalker?" Bail asked, surprised.
"I'm the daughter of Padmé Amidala and Anakin Skywalker. I came from the future, and when my parents died, my name became Leia Organa," Leia said, and Bail suddenly felt dizzy.
Leia told her adoptive father the whole story. She told him he could verify her story with the Jedi, but he didn't need to verify anything. Now he had an even stronger reason to oppose Palpatine.
A few hours later, when they finished talking, Bail Organa watched Han, not entirely convinced. Was he really her boyfriend? But in the future, she was his adopted daughter, a princess, she thought, looking at the smuggler. She preferred to say absolutely nothing.
"Do you want to go see her?" Bail Organa asked, knowing they would have to abandon the project they were working on halfway through.
"No, Mother has sacrificed herself to hide us," Leia said, suffering over her own decision. "We must finish this project. Only then will Palpatine lose half his power."
"We will not stop until the future emperor is finished," Bail Organa said, and Leia nodded.
Ahsoka had tears in her eyes as she waited at the medical base. Yoda had sent her and Mara there. He hadn't said it outright, but they understood it was to control Anakin. When he arrived, he would want to kill Palpatine, but it was still too risky. They had to finish him off politically, they had to destroy his army, Dooku, and Grievous, and only then could they defeat him.
Ahsoka saw Anakin's ship arrive and moved towards it.
"How is she?" Anakin asked desperately.
"Master, please, you must calm down," Ahsoka said, but it seemed impossible for Anakin to calm down.
"Father, please," Luke said, taking him by the shoulders, "you must calm down."
"Where is she?" Anakin asked, his eyes shining, panic consuming him.
"She's with Mara," Ahsoka said, and Luke looked at her, puzzled. Mara? "Come, I'll take you to her," Ahsoka said, and Anakin followed her. No one knew she was his wife; they had to pretend it was a Jedi matter. Only for that reason did he manage to control himself, just a little.
Mara was sitting on Padmé's bed. Senator Amidala had been the only one who had trusted her; not even Luke fully trusted her. She held Padmé's hand in hers, and Senator Amidala looked at her gently.
"What's wrong, Mara?" Padmé asked, looking at her with a smile. Was she that bad? For a girl like Mara to shed tears for her.
"Force lightning is the worst thing there is," Mara said, her eyes glistening. "You're pregnant."
"I'm fine. I knew it would be like this. You warned me. We did it. He trusts me," Padmé smiled.
"You're pregnant, Padmé," Mara said. "I know what Force lightning is. This was beyond that, much beyond that."
"This was meant to hurt Anakin. He wants to make him fall to the dark side. You must stop him," Padmé said, stroking Mara's hand.
"I won't let that monster come to power," Mara said, wiping away a tear. "Sidious will die."
"Have you changed your mind?" Padmé asked with a pained smile.
"He tortured me for years. I believed in him as a father. You were right, he tore me from my father's arms, turned me into a monster, but you gave me a chance," Mara smiled. "Luke, you, even your husband."
"I'm so happy to hear that," Padmé smiled. Since Mara had been training with Mace Windu, her anger and negative emotions had been brought under control.
"I swear this won't go unpunished," Mara said, smiling until she felt the uncontrollable, wrathful Force mark on Anakin's body. "He's here," Mara said, taking Padmé's hand, who looked at her nervously.
"He mustn't see me like this," Padmé said, trying to stand, but Mara stopped her. There was no way to prevent it. "I'll try to stop him if anything goes wrong. Luke is here, Obi-Wan, Ahsoka, and Master Mace Windu has arrived too," Mara said, and Padmé nodded fearfully. She didn't want Ani to see her like this.
Anakin opened the bedroom door, and Mara quickly stood up, allowing them some privacy. Seeing his out-of-control emotions, she placed a hand on Anakin's shoulder and then left.
"Angel," Anakin whispered, running to Padmé and falling to his knees beside her bed.
"Angel," Anakin whispered. After long minutes, Anakin took his wife's hand. She was wearing her wedding ring. Tears streamed from Padmé's eyes, and now they streamed from Anakin's as well.
Padmé knew what was happening; she knew what Lord Sidious had done to her.
Anakin watched his wife, hurt and wounded, lying in that horrible hospital bed. But this was personal. The wounds Sidious had inflicted on her, he had seen before. They were the same wounds that had been on his mother's body when she died in his arms on Tatooine. The same scar adorned Padmé's face. He brought his hand to her injured face, feeling his wife's tears fall onto his hand. Padmé wasn't Force-sensitive, but when everything seemed to vibrate around her, she knew her husband was fighting to control himself.
"Ani, I'm fine," Padmé said, touching Anakin's face. "We did it. He trusts me completely." Padmé smiled.
"You'll never risk yourself like that again," Anakin said, his voice almost a whisper. "I won't allow it," he whispered again.
"Ani," Padmé said, smiling. "We've fought so hard for this. It's done. He confessed everything. We just have to deal with his army, Dooku, and Grievous." Padmé said, showing him a tape recorder.
"Is that it?" Anakin asked.
"His confession, his true face." Padmé smiled, tears welling in her eyes. "I still have to pretend to be his ally, but we have it, Ani." Padmé smiled.
Anakin took the recording, and Padmé knew it had been a mistake to show it to him then. He turned on the recording and saw everything that happened, every word they had planned to say with Padme, she had acted excellently, then the outcome that no one expected, long minutes in which the Force lightning caused Padme to lose consciousness.
Padmé stood up to embrace Anakin when she saw his pale, worried face. Anakin handed her the recording and took her hands. Tears streamed down her face as she saw the same marks she had seen on her mother that time. They were exactly the same marks, her entire body bruised in the same cruel way. Palpatine had dared to hurt his wife. He had trusted him, he had told him what had happened with the Tuzken. Now the picture was clear. Padmé was right. Palpatine had been behind his mother's death. That was why she had survived so long as a prisoner of the Tuzken. Palpatine had always been behind it.
Anakin gently embraced Padmé, who tried to hold him close, clutching his chest. Then Anakin saw that her back was also bandaged, and all his calm vanished. If this wasn't falling to the dark side, it was very close. He kissed Padmé's forehead, and she knew she had failed to hold him back.
He left the room with a single goal in mind: Palpatine's head would roll on the floor by his lightsaber.
"Father," Luke said, glancing at his mother. "They couldn't stop him. Father, you must stop," Luke said, trying to stop Anakin.
Anakin couldn't even breathe. The pressure in his chest made him want to scream, to destroy everything in his path. What had that bastard done to his wife? What had he done to his mother too? Palpatine would die by the very power he had helped to build.
"Father, please," Luke said, but Mara shook her head. Luke trusted Mara and stopped his mother, who weakly tried to follow Anakin.
Ahsoka sat looking at Padmé. She sensed the darkness in her master. For the first time, she couldn't find the arguments to stop him. Palpatine deserved the worst possible death.
"Vader!" Mara said, running after him, knowing that this would affect him.
"I am not Vader," Anakin growled, a dangerous yellow flash appearing in his blue eyes.
"Then prove it," Mara said, drawing her lightsaber. "If you want to kill Palpatine, you'll have to go through me."
"You still defend that monster? Are you on his side?" Anakin shouted, his voice completely unnatural. Obi-Wan wanted to intervene, but he didn't understand what Mara was doing, and when he saw Mace Windu watching from afar, he knew the girl knew what she was doing.
"I won't move," Mara said firmly. She wasn't going to deny it; she was afraid. She had always wanted to face Vader, but not like this, not when Anakin Skywalker was about to turn to the dark side.
Anakin looked at Luke. He had to kill Palpatine; he wouldn't hurt the girl. He attacked, and Mara blocked him.
Attack after attack, Anakin felt his mother's pain. He saw her face again and again as she closed her eyes in his arms, as she couldn't finish saying she loved him. He could still feel her blood on his hands. And now Palpatine had wounded Padmé in the same way—his wife, his pregnant wife. He had seen the recording, had seen Sidious's face as he made her suffer. Mara attacked him and nearly managed to wound him. She was still his ally, he thought, anger clouding his senses. He attacked her fiercely this time.
Mara knew the exact moment Anakin's emotions spiraled out of control, but Mace Windu had taught her to control her own. She hated Vader, but she didn't hate Anakin Skywalker. She never thought she could stand up to the Chosen One, but she was doing it. It was difficult, but she had to. She owed it to Luke, she owed it to Padmé. She had to stop him. She couldn't let him fall to the dark side. That was exactly what Palpatine wanted.
"Are you attacking me with hatred?" Mara asked, blocking an attack that would have truly hurt her.
"You're his ally, you're still loyal to him," Anakin said, attacking, his eyes slowly changing color.
"Look at your wife," Mara said, striking him so he would see Padmé. "This is what he wants. He wants to feel your hatred, your anger, your pain."
"Then why are you defending him?" Anakin shouted, attacking her again.
When Anakin's attacks became more intent on hurting her, even though she was controlling them, she began to use the technique Mace Windu had taught her. She wouldn't master it for a long time, but she had to control her own emotions. Regardless of how long it took, she was fighting her greatest enemy, even though she didn't see him as one now.
"Anakin," Mara said, blocking an attack. "This is what he wants."
Long minutes passed, during which Obi-Wan, Luke, and Ahsoka were tempted to intervene. They continued fighting. In a moment of carelessness, Anakin disarmed Mara, and she fell to the ground. She quickly got to her feet, but didn't pick up her lightsaber.
"You won," Mara said, smiling. She had fought her enemy and survived. "Does that make you feel better?"
"It's not you I want to kill," Anakin said in a dark tone.
"When you get there, he'll consume you. That's what he wants. That's why he hurt her. He wants you to go after him. He's playing with you," Mara said, and Anakin seemed to hesitate.
"Why should I believe you? You're his ally. That's why you're stopping me," Anakin said, starting to walk again.
"I grew up hating you. I grew up feeling the Force lightning. I grew up craving power. I grew up wanting to kill you," Mara shouted. "I grew up wanting to fight you, and when I finally did, I didn't feel any better about it," Mara said, and Mace Windu smiled.
"I have to do this," Anakin said, his emotions overflowing. He could feel a shield in the Force. They were trying to hide his Force mark. Obi-Wan, Luke, Mace Windu, Ahsoka—they were all trying to hold him back so Palpatine wouldn't sense his impending downfall.
"Anakin," Mara said, stepping toward him. "You are stronger than me. You are the Chosen One. I came here because Palpatine sent me. I thought I had to kill them. I thought that even though I loved your son, I had to kill him because that's what he wanted. But I was able to overcome those feelings."
"Don't you see what he's done to him?" "He'll hurt her again," Anakin said, his eyes returning to their blue color.
"You can't save her if you fall to the dark side, Anakin. There's only suffering, power, anger, and pain on that path. I've lived it," Mara said. "Don't give him the satisfaction of defeating you. Don't give him the satisfaction of turning you into Vader."
"I—" Anakin began, feeling dizzy.
"Your wife risked everything, more than anyone here," Mara said, looking at Padmé with admiration. "Even wounded, she can say we won. Because it's war, Anakin. People suffer, get hurt, and die in wars. But why do we fight if we're just going to throw it all away when we've come this far?" Mara asked.
"I won't let him hurt her again," Anakin said, feeling a pain in his chest. "I won't let him do what he did to my mother."
"Don't let Anakin Skywalker die. Don't let him turn you into that monster I thought I hated. Stop now, and you can save her," she said. Looking at Padmé.
"Ani," Padmé whispered. "Come back to me," she pleaded.
When her lightsaber fell from her hands, Mara quickly grasped it with the Force. She had prevented Vader's creation.
She collapsed to the ground, exhausted, but with a smile on her face, a smile she shared with Luke, who looked at her with pride.
Luke carried his mother back to their room. They had created chaos in the medical station; it was fortunate the Jedi were in control.
Tears streamed freely from Anakin's eyes. He felt like a child again, a child saying goodbye to his mother one last time, only to watch her die again in that place. And now he saw the same marks on his angel, on his wife.
"Come here," Obi-Wan said, pulling him into a hug. "I wasn't there for you then, but I'm here now, Anakin. I'm here now," Obi-Wan said.
"Master," Anakin said, burying his face in Obi-Wan's neck, who stroked his hair.
"You know," he said after a few moments, "This was easier when you were even shorter than me." He felt Obi-Wan chuckle as he pulled away slightly from the hug.
"That was many years ago," Anakin smiled.
"You'll always be my brother, Anakin," Obi-Wan said.
"You'll always be like my father, Master," Anakin said, letting go of Obi-Wan.
"We won't let you fall to the dark side, Anakin," Obi-Wan said. "You are the Chosen One. You must balance the Force. You will end Palpatine when the time is right."
"When the time comes, I'll enjoy watching him fall," Anakin said irritably.
Mace Windu approached his new apprentice, helping her to her feet.
"You managed to control your emotions. You did well," Mace Windu smiled.
"Thank you, Master," Mara smiled.
Anakin approached her again, embarrassed by what had happened.
"I'm sorry, I—" Anakin said, unsure of what to say.
"Apology?" Mara joked. "I've wanted to challenge you ever since I first wielded a lightsaber."
"Was this what you expected?" Anakin teased.
"Of course not," Mara laughed. "I could have defeated you; I just didn't want to."
"Whatever you say," Anakin joked, looking at Ahsoka, who was still sitting in the same spot.
He walked over to her and sat beside her.
"What you just saw, know-it-all," Anakin said, and Ahsoka hugged him.
"Master," Ahsoka said, worried. "For a moment I felt I shouldn't stop you, what you did to Padmé. For a moment I wanted to join you."
"It's over now, wise lady," Anakin smiled. "We'll be together when the end comes."
"I wouldn't miss it for the world," Ahsoka said, smiling.
When Anakin regained the composure he had almost lost a few minutes earlier, he felt able to apologize to Padmé for what had happened. He walked to her room only to find Luke arguing with her.
"Dad," Luke complained. "Can you please tell her she can't leave in this state?" Luke asked, but Padmé knew how to reason with Anakin.
"Please, Ani," Padmé said, hugging him. "Please, let's go home. I don't want to be here."
"Oh, come on, by the Force," Luke said, rolling his eyes.
"Can you give me a better argument than that?" Anakin joked.
"Of course not," Luke laughed.
"Let's go home," Anakin said, picking Padmé up.
"Ani, I can walk. I'm just a little hurt. I'll recover in a few days," Padmé complained.
"But I want to carry you. That's the only way I can be sure nothing bad will happen to you," Anakin said, kissing her.
Mace Windu smiled beside Obi-Wan. Anakin had passed one of the greatest tests of all. He hadn't fallen to the dark side. That was Palpatine's failure. He hadn't managed to isolate him from the Jedi like in the future Leia and Luke had described. He hadn't managed to take away his Padawan, the one he considered his sister. His children fought by his side, and what's more They had even managed to take away one of Palpatine's most powerful allies. Padmé had suffered the most, but she had succeeded; she had unmasked Palpatine. Now all that remained was to dismantle everything he had built and bring him down.
"Why hasn't Skywalker turned to him yet?" Palpatine wondered. Did the boy not know the truth? Was Padmé so astute that she didn't even share this information with her husband? He had thought that with what he had done, Skywalker would come after him, bring him down, but it hadn't happened. It seemed the boy truly had no idea that he was the Sith Lord they were looking for. He would have to wait, he thought with annoyance. Now that Amidala was on his side, he hoped things would move faster. What he had done with her would undoubtedly serve, at least, to unsettle Skywalker.