A/N: This was meant to be the final chapter but I over-ran. The next chapter will actually be the final one.

"Are we going to make it? Do we have enough time?" Dormé's hand gripped the armrest of the co-pilot's seat. Dread twisted her stomach. Obi-Wan had told the clone troopers they would need ten minutes' flight to be clear of the detonation radius. But by the time Dormé's ship had shot free of the Imperator it must have been less than five. Now it must be more like…

"Four minutes thirty-five seconds," Anakin's voice interrupted her thoughts. He indicated the tiny chrono attached to his wrist with a twist of his arm.

Dormé cursed. Anakin frowned, scanning the vast array of unlabelled switches, buttons and levers overhead. "Hyperdrive?"

"Erm-?"

"You have one. I noticed the external vents. Where?" Anakin's words were clipped with urgency.

Dormé's brain finally caught up. A leap into hyperspace would take them to safety in an instant. If only she could remember… she closed her eyes, trying to recall the brief tour of the ship the dealer had given her back on Tarrabba. But her mind was blank. She couldn't remember if he'd even mentioned a hyperdrive…

"Three minutes fifty-five seconds."

Dormé opened her eyes to see Anakin reaching towards a switch far to his right.

"Ah!" Now she remembered. "Yes. That's the one."

"Thanks," Anakin shot back with a sarcastic grimace, flicking the switch and pressing a rapid sequence of buttons on the keypad to his left. "Programming the-" he started, before stopping with a frown. "That's strange."

"What's the matter?"

"No navicomputer."

"It that a problem?"

Anakin tapped at more buttons. "Not necessarily. We'll have to rely on beacons. But this ship must be even older than I thought."

Great, Dormé thought. Force knew when the hyperdrive had last been used. What were the chances of it working now?

"Only one way to find out," Anakin muttered, glancing to the chrono again. "Three minutes forty. Ready?"

Dormé nodded the affirmative.

Anakin nodded back, then reached over to the hyperdrive throttle and pulled.

Below them the ship shuddered.

It creaked, then it groaned.

Anakin grimaced, glancing to the console. "Come on…"

The groan grew louder, then suddenly splintered into a roar.

That was it! The hyperdrive had fired! Relieved, Dormé let out the breath she had not been aware of holding.

The engines fell silent.

Dormé glanced back across to Anakin. He cursed, staring at the console display, his eyes following the rapidly scrolling sequences of diagnostics. He tapped a few buttons, then pulled the hyperdrive throttle again.

This time the groan of the engines barely increased in volume before it spluttered out. Silence.

Anakin watched the screen for a few moments, shaking his head. Then he put a hand to his face, closing his eyes and rubbing his forehead.

"What's wrong?"

Anakin sighed, slumping back in his chair. "Power failure. The system can't produce enough power to reach critical energy density."

"Can you fix it?" Dormé frowned in concern as Anakin unbuckled his safety restraint and stood up.

"No." He spoke without looking at her, heading towards the doorway that led to the main room of the ship.

"Where are you going?"

"To be with my wife."

It was a few seconds before Dormé realised exactly what he meant. Stunned, she fumbled to unclasp her own belt and set off after him. "So that's it? After everything we have just been through you are just going to give up?"

Anakin was already at the opposite end of the room, leaning over Padmé's body. Dormé began to walk towards them.

"It's not a case of giving up," Anakin said, without turning around. "It's a case of finding peace. There's still a chance we might survive the blast. Or we might not. We no longer have the power to choose. It is the will of the Force. I'm sorry."

"But surely there must be something!"

Anakin ignored her. Dormé got the distinct impression he was hiding something. "Can't you shield us?"

"Jedi can shield minds, thoughts. Not people. Not ships."

"What about fixing the hyperdrive?"

Anakin sighed in irritation. "It's ancient Rakat technology. Force-enabled. Not even the engineers that built the ship fully understood it."

"But you are supposed to be the most powerful-"

"No." The curt reply cut her off. "Even if I…" he hesitated, seeming to regret having started the sentence.

"No. There is no acceptable solution."

Dormé had reached Anakin's back. Over his shoulder, she could see Padmé laid out on the stretcher – still serene, still beautiful, still incredibly frail. The senator's complexion was white, the skin stretched paper-thin over her delicate features. Dormé's eyes travelled lower. Was she still breathing?

"Is she-?" Dormé's voice softened with the dreaded question.

Anakin glanced back over his shoulder. "No… not yet. She's holding on. I must be with her now. Please." The expression in his voice had changed. Softened. Weakened. Gone was the efficiency and urgency of a few moments ago. Gone was the warrior. Suddenly, his words seemed to be loaded with the burden of every emotion he had ever experienced.

Dormé could feel that same tide of emotion in her own body. Her hands were shaking, and what she wanted to do more than anything was to curl up on the floor and pray to the Force that they would survive.

Except Dormé did not trust the will of the Force. She had faced death countless times today. Every time she had won. Anakin might have given up, but she would not do the same. Not quite yet. She turned back to the cockpit, determined to face whatever came next without fear.

After all, fear would mean Obi-Wan had won.

And she couldn't allow that. She would never allow that.

She took her place in the co-pilot's seat and buckled herself in. Swivelling the chair to face the viewport, she gazed out towards the sprinkling of distant star systems. Somewhere, out there, should have been their destination.

Perhaps it still could be.

Perhaps she would be able to work out a solution, if she could just focus, and think...

But time was running out. And if what came next was death, she would greet it without fear.

Anakin closed his eyes, reaching out for the delicate tendrils of Padmé's life force, willing himself to find her consciousness, to connect with her before she passed into the Force. He was desperate to find her, to show her his love, one last time.

She evaded him. He could feel it – she was too deeply unconscious, too close to death. He pressed his eyelids more closely shut. He would not give up. He had to try…

Do or do not. There is no try.

Master Yoda's voice sprung suddenly into his mind, clear, bright and melodious. It took Anakin's breath away.

Back on the Imperator, Anakin had sensed the execution of Order Sixty-six: the instruction for the clones to turn on their Jedi commanders. Anakin had known in advance what would happen; Obi-Wan had shared that knowledge with him just before they had parted on Tarrabba. Submerged in the dark side of the Force, it didn't concern him; the Jedi were traitors, Obi-Wan had told him so. But now he knew that had been just another lie, and star's end… how many of his friends had died? How many had been captured? Was the Jedi Grandmaster amongst them? Fresh grief and horror spiked in his chest.

What exactly had happened to him, onboard the Imperator? He knew something - someone- had pulled him back to the light side of the Force. Why? To fulfil the prophecy? Up until now Anakin's thoughts had been so occupied with Padmé, he hadn't even considered the possibility that he might have a future.

A future without her?

Angrily, he pushed the thought away. Padmé was alive; that was more important than anything. Her life force was still there, he could feel it, still fighting, still surviving, after everything he had done to her.

If she died, he would have killed her.

The pain of that knowledge even eclipsed the pain of Obi-Wan's betrayal.

Anakin did not have enough energy to even contemplate Obi-Wan's betrayal.

He cared only about Padmé. Now, if they could only survive the detonation of the Imperator, there was still a slim chance they could reach a medical facility in time to save her.

Not slim. Miniscule. Yet Anakin still clung to it.

Your own weaknesses, you cling to. Brought you to this place, attachment did. Let go of it now, and freedom, you will find.

Anakin sat up in shock when the voice spoke again. It was even cleared this time, as as if Master Yoda was standing behind him...

"Master…?"

Of course, there was no one there. Could Yoda have escaped the clones, and be broadcasting to him through the Force? It was a comforting thought, and yet the lesson the ancient Jedi Master seemed to preaching was not one he wanted to hear.

A way, there is. Sense knowledge in you, I do.

Anakin gritted his teeth. "No. I will not do that. I cannot- "

But the persistent voice continued, interrupting his protest.

.

Accept it, you must. Choose the right path, you must.

Out of evil, a new hope will be born.

A light in the darkness. A future. A dream.

Help that light grow, you can, if wise, you are.

Anakin tried to shut his mind against the voice, wishing he could stop it. No riddles. No prophesies. Not now. He would not put duty before his wife, not now. He turned back to Padmé, placing a careful kiss on her forehead, entwining her fingers with his own. Closing his eyes, he rested his cheek against her chest, willing her to live, trying to recall memories of happy times, of their wedding day…

Relentlessly, around him and inside him, the voice continued.

Your feelings, young one, consider with care.

Remember your wife: noble, wise and fair.

In your heart, find her. Listen, do not speak,

Open your mind, her wisdom you should seek.

The future, in motion. Decide you must.

Help you she can. In her love you can trust.

On Anakin's wrist, the chrono continued its countdown.

One minute twenty-five seconds.

Just over a minute later, in the cockpit, Dormé was trying to ignore the nerves shaking every part of her body. There was no solution. There was no prospect of escape; the ship was travelled away from the Imperator as fast as its ancient engines would allow. And there was no change of rescue; the nearest star ships were all part of the military fleet. An emergency call for help would lead Obi-Wan directly to them.

There was no choice but to wait, and hope the ship could survive the blast.

So much for greeting her fate without fear. She'd never been more afraid in her life.

Suddenly, to her right, a flash of black shot into the cockpit. The flash, Dormé quickly realised, was Anakin.

Before she even had time to yell in surprise, he had flung himself into the pilot's seat, and slammed the starship control stick upwards, pulling the vessel in a tight loop. The centripetal force yanked Dormé's head abruptly back to bang against her headrest.

"Anakin," she grunted, fighting against the force trying to squash her into the seat, "what are you doing?"

"The unacceptable solution."

They shot out of the loop and barrel-rolled to the right.

When Dormé opened her eyes, she couldn't quite believe what she was seeing.

"I…" She couldn't speak. Stricken with horror, her gaze remained fixed on the viewport. On the distant form of the Imperator.

They were heading straight towards it.

By her side, Anakin let go of the controls. "Brace yourself."

"Why? What-?"

Anakin shot her a glance. "Just hold on."

A heartbeat later, the command ship detonated in a blinding flash, the expanding sphere of light searing outwards at an incomprehensible speed.

No time to speak. Barely time to think. The light enveloped them.

Everything went black.

In a shuttle at the opposite side of the detonation, Obi-Wan watched the shimmering cloud of dust that had been the Imperator. He scanned the Force steadily, searching for Anakin's distinct Force signature. He had to be certain; Skywalker was far too dangerous to be left alive.

But if he had somehow managed to escape, it would not take Obi-Wan long to find him. The boy had always been like a beacon in the Force, whether one of sickening brightness or infinite light.

Now, there was nothing.

The Chosen One. The Hero with No Fear.

Both titles had been misplaced.

Anakin Skywalker was no more.