The Jedi Temple. Anakin sat thinking in the council chamber; his mind returned to his wife, Padmé, who was at home, safe at the apartment. As much as he feared her death and that of their unborn child, he knew he had put on a brave face. He thought back to what Palpatine had told him, and suddenly it hit him. The Chancellor, his friend of thirteen years, was an enemy of the light side of the Force. He was a Sith and had deceived the entirety of the Republic.
Knowing he had stopped Master Windu from doing something stupid, Anakin hurried from the council chamber and headed for Palpatine’s office. Mace already didn’t like him and had been that way for years. Anakin didn’t need him to like him. His wife’s life was on the line here. Palpatine had cost people their lives for his plan.
Reaching the Senate Building, Anakin meets Windu, Kit Fisto, Saesee Tiin, and Agen Kolar a few doors down. Windu, questions why Skywalker is there. Anakin quickly tells him and the others that he wants to help them arrest Palpatine.
Fisto questions him, having always liked Anakin. Skywalker tells him, Tiin, and Kolar what he told Windu earlier when he reported Palpatine as the Sith Lord and a longtime enemy of the light side. Anakin points out that Windu wants a reason to trust him, and now he has one.
The Light Side Wins Out; Palpatine’s Fate Is Decided
The procession into the Chancellor’s office is almost identical to the original timeline. However, Anakin trails with the group. When Mace goes to arrest Palpatine, the same fight breaks out, but Fisto, Kolar, and Tiin are not killed as Skywalker jumps in to protect them.
Fisto is knocked out early in the fight, while Kolar and Tiin sustain serious injuries but nothing life-threatening. Windu and Anakin are the only ones left. Palpatine snarls that it is a betrayal that Anakin would join the Jedi and, therefore, the light side instead of him. He tries appealing to him about using the Dark Side to “save the one he loves.” To force a response from Anakin, he starts electrocuting Mace with Force lightning.
Scrapes And A Window
Windu deflects the dark side energy with his lightsaber and bounces it back onto an unsuspecting Palpatine. The chaos reveals the Chancellor’s Sith face. Anakin jumps in to help the Jedi Master with the Sith Lord getting in the last word. Part of Anakin’s mind wants to take him up on his offer. However, the light side-aligned part tells him the darkness will cause chaos.
With Palpatine cornered in the office window, Anakin plunges his lightsaber into the Sith Lord’s chest, right through the heart. Windu thanks him for his help, telling him he now respects him more than before. Knowing it’s a small victory, Anakin takes it. He helps call for medics to attend to Fisto, Tiin, and Kolar and remove the Chancellor’s corpse.
A New Future
After helping the medics and Windu, Anakin heads home to Padmé to tell her the war is over. She asks what happened, and he explains everything. Upon learning that Palpatine was the Sith Lord, the senator is surprised he went so far as to hide in plain sight.
Anakin tells her that their future is secure and safe. He also reveals that Palpatine caused the visions of her death. Before he can explain further, his comlink chimes; it’s Obi-Wan checking in from Utapau.
Obi-Wan congratulates Anakin on discovering the truth about Palpatine. Anakin thanks him and asks if he’s returning to Coruscant soon. Kenobi tells him he will be as the threat of Grevious has now been neutralised. He also encourages his former Padawan to contact Ahsoka and tell her what’s happening.
Anakin thanks him again and disconnects. Padmé sees his discomfort and manages to get him to open up. He tells her that Palpatine tried to turn him against Obi-Wan and everyone else by using her “death” as a stepping stone. Padmé suddenly remembers what he told her about the visions of Shmi’s passing. She asks if the dreams he was having were sent to him. This gives him pause. It’s possible. He then describes the feeling he had when they first happened. However, he realises that these were visions compared to the ones he had of his wife; they felt different. He was forced even.
Contacting Ahsoka
After concluding their conversation about the visions, Anakin and Padmé agree to Obi-Wan’s request to call Ahsoka, who is still hunting Maul on Mandalore. They tell her that the war is over and that Palpatine is dead. She’s surprised to learn that a Sith Lord was under their noses the whole time.
Anakin apologises profoundly for not believing her bad feelings about the Chancellor. Ahsoka brushes off his concerns, telling him that she understands. She then explains her mission to capture Maul isn’t going too well as he’s vanished, and she can’t get a lock on him. Her former master explains that the council is sending aid to her location.
Wary, Ahsoka says that Maul isn’t someone the Jedi will be able to take on and that it’s a suicide mission for anyone who has never fought him. Anakin smugly reminds her that she’s one of those. Ahsoka argues she’s not a Jedi anymore and that she’s taken on Grievous. Before Anakin can argue, Padmé cuts him off and tells their friend that there’s a lot they need to discuss.
Ahsoka recognises the look in Padmé’s eyes and nods in acknowledgement before telling them she should be with them as soon as Maul is captured. She then bids them farewell before deciding her troops need to be said.
Ahsoka Informs Her Troops
After ending her call with Anakin and Padmé, Ahsoka briefs Rex and their troops that the war is officially over. She recounts what her former master told her about Palpatine being a Sith and that he started the war. A shockwave ripples through the troops. Rex controls the conversation, telling them it will take some time to get all the facts.
Ahsoka informs the group that backup is coming in their fight with Maul. The clones want to question it but choose not to, as the more help they get, the faster they can get on with their new lives of freedom. So they disperse, leaving Rex and Ahsoka to talk.
Rex asks what it was like to talk to Anakin again. Ahsoka admits it felt nice, like the light side was her side again. She admits that something felt off with Padmé. Confused, the captain asks what she means. Ahsoka says it’s just a feeling for now. She won’t know until she sees her and Anakin in person. She asks if he’d join her upon her return to Coruscant. With a smile, Rex tells her it will be an honour.
Informing The Senate Of Palpatine’s Deception
The news of Palpatine’s death and actual status as a Sith spreads like a grassfire on Lothal. Bail Organa and Mon Mothma, two of Padmé’s closest allies and friends, are the first to receive the news after receiving late-night calls from Anakin and the Jedi Council.
While those against Palpatine sensed something was majorly off with him, his allies were left scrambling, screaming that Anakin should be arrested for assassinating a politician. Moteé, the handmaiden sitting for Padmé, is shocked at how infighting there is.
The infighting is nothing new to Moteé, but this is the next level, and Typho agrees with her when she questions it. What’s more, the session is screened by Padmé and Anakin from the senator’s apartment. Anakin comments on what a mess he has created. His wife comforts him, telling him that he has to stop an evil force from destroying the light side.
While this should be comforting to Anakin, it’s not. He killed a powerful man, and he needs to be held accountable. Before Padmé can tell her husband not to wallow in his self-pity, C-3PO wanders over and means them they have a guest. They turn just in time to see Master Yoda.
Yoda Knows
Greeting the Grandmaster warmly, Padmé summons him to join her and Anakin’s conversation about the debate. Anakin understands that Yoda already knows about him and Padmé but holds his tongue. Finally, having sensed his discomfort, Yoda acknowledges that he knows about them and has known them for a while.
Anakin is surprised by this and curiously asks how. Yoda admits that what Anakin felt towards his mother when he arrived at the temple all those years ago is the same as what he does towards Padmé now. He reveals that he greatly respects the Jedi Knight for ruining his life. However, Yoda cautions that he must decide what to do next. Anakin says the council will expel him and adds that the Queen of Naboo will not be unhappy with the massive secret Padmé has been keeping.
In his profound wisdom, Yoda tells Anakin and Padmé that they had to do what they needed to and that it is no one else’s right to dictate that fact. This is surprising to the couple as they had expected another response. He tells them farewell and asks them to consider his advice.
Ahsoka, Rex, And Obi-Wan’s Return To Coruscant
A few days after Palpatine’s death, Ahsoka, Rex, and Obi-Wan return to Coruscant, and the reunion is awkward. Kenobi greets Tano, but she tells him to save his apology as she is only there for the friends who didn’t shove her under a speeder. The comment hurts the Jedi Master, but he knows he deserves it.
Rex, meanwhile, gives Obi-Wan a sympathetic look but says nothing. Finally, the trio makes their way up to Padmé’s apartment. Padmé greets them at the door, and Ahsoka and Rex are taken back to Padmé’s pregnancy. Neither of them needs an explanation of who the father is.
Anakin and Padmé greet their friends with a hug, with Ahsoka relieved her master didn’t fall for Palpatine’s dark side pitch. Then, a conversation begins to catch everyone up on what has happened.
Rex Tells His Side
Rex admits he’s known about Padmé and Anakin’s relationship for a couple of years but didn’t realise how deep it went. Anakin explains to Obi-Wan and Ahsoka that he told Rex because he could keep a secret. This hurts Obi-Wan. He admits that he had an inkling since Anakin and Padmé had defied his orders to remain on Naboo.
Ahsoka, however, isn’t surprised. Padmé reveals that the former Padawan had known since Obi-Wan had sent her as a third wheel on that classified mission. Anakin realises that when Ahsoka had left the Order, this is what she had been trying to tell him before she had walked away.
The Explanation
After Obi-Wan and Rex have left a few hours later, Anakin asks Ahsoka to remain behind. She dreads what will come up but swallows the feeling before her former master can sense it. Anakin tells her he found it odd that she didn’t react the way he thought she would and asks her back up what Padmé had said earlier.
Ahsoka doesn’t try to stall. Instead, she confirms that everything Padmé had said was correct. Anakin asks why she never said anything. The former Padawan admits she didn’t want to upset him as she would’ve been told to mind her own business. Anakin agrees he would’ve had a go at her if she had. After a momentary pause, he says that the light side works in mysterious ways. She comments that so does the dark side and asks what made him come to his senses.
Anakin explains that Palpatine was referring to Padmé as his wife was what triggered him to remain on the light side. He realised that he had been playing and that his family needed him. That included not just Padmé and the baby but Ahsoka, Obi-Wan, and Rex. His statement touches Ahsoka as she feels the same way. She tells him that he is the big annoying brother she never realised she wanted.
The Birth Of Luke And Leia And What Happens Next
A few months pass and Padmé gives birth to fraternal twins; a son, Luke and a daughter, Leia. The Skywalkers follow through with their plan to raise the twins on Naboo. However, given how much time Anakin and Padmé spend on Coruscant, they agree only to do this part-time.
Anakin is forced to reveal his secret to the Jedi Council and is almost expelled. However, what saves him are the two people who believe in him most; Obi-Wan and Ahsoka. Kenobi threatens to step down as a Council member if Anakin is kicked out. Ahsoka threatens to expose them for being too caught up in politics and corruption if they dare expel Anakin. Finally, Yoda admits it was time for things to change.
Telling The Queen
For Padmé, she tells the Queen of Naboo of her marriage and the birth of the twins. Apailana is far from impressed with her, but she will overlook it if Leia joins the same program Padmé did as a child. Padmé says she will consider it. Apailana also proposes a compromise; Padmé serves as her advisor. This surprises the senator, but she is quick to say yes. But she only does it after she weighs up her options.
As for Obi-Wan and Ahsoka, they continue to serve as family friends. The twins affectionately call them “Uncle Obi” and “Auntie Snips.” Even Rex joins the family dynamics as “Uncle Rex.” Finally, Mon Mothma and Bail Organa share the title of Chancellor.
