Fasten your seat belts, and here we go!

Ton gritted his teeth against the pain as he dragged his injured left leg across the floor. Most of the Yoalans were dead by now; of the thirty who had accompanied them, there were only three left. Ens. Mothezsh was steadily slipping into unconsciousness despite his best efforts, Lt. Reukli had to shoot with his non-dominant arm since his left shoulder had been shot, and Lt Cdr. Chelcu was still trying to catch his breath after nearly having his rib cage crushed by a table falling on him. The others were covered in scrapes, bruises, and gashes, but they were able to fight nonetheless.

They had managed to climb three levels from the one they had entered from the lift. Ton had been hoping they would get Skywalker's attention by now – they were relatively close to the throne room. However, a part of him was beginning to worry over several aspects of that plan – the first was that Palpatine wouldn't even bother sending Skywalker to finish them off and they would simply die trying to get to him.

The second was that Skywalker himself would overpower even Kenobi and kill all of them.

Neither prospect was an enjoyable one, and Ton found himself wishing he had somehow been killed back over Dantooine when they had run into the Rebels. At least then he would have died in a battle against the enemy rather than against his own comrades. To think that he was firing upon Imperials was sickening.

Ton groaned as he collapsed to the ground before being helped to his feet by the trooper Ress and Lt. Sanus. Kenobi was up ahead, finishing off the guards in the area before the next wave arrived.

"Normally the reinforcements would come crashing on us by now," Lt Cdr. Norhek panted, looking around wildly to ensure nobody was coming. "Where are they?"

A hissing sound was heard as the door leading to the stairwell opened. Roughly a platoon of troops began pouring into the room, but their numbers weren't what caught everyone's attention. The platoon's commander entered the hallway, his dark attire contrasting sharply with the sunlight.

It was Skywalker.

It was time to implement the trickiest part of the plan.

Obi-Wan immediately began to focus on Anakin while the others began to fire at the oncoming platoon. Obi-Wan stepped directly in Anakin's way when he tried to head for the officers.

"Hello, Anakin," Obi-Wan said, keeping his lightsaber lowered.

Anakin stiffened, his red eyes glaring hatred at Obi-Wan, who hid the shudder that fought harshly to make itself known. The last time he had seen this look of unadulterated hatred was on Mustafar; even the fight on Nihoma hadn't held this kind of intensity to it. Anakin had been caught off guard and was angry, confused, and upset. This, though… he had obviously planned for this.

"Anakin, let's not do this," Obi-Wan tried reasoning. He knew he had to end this quickly lest the others get killed, but he didn't want to start the fight.

"Why?" Anakin spat. "So you can have the high ground again?"

Obi-Wan couldn't hide the flinch of pain he had from the boy's words. Anakin's screams from Mustafar suddenly echoed in Obi-Wan's mind, and he shook his head to get rid of them.

His attention immediately shifted to Anakin, though, who had already activated his lightsaber and was charging towards Obi-Wan. Obi-Wan immediately raised his blade to parry Anakin's first attack, which was a downward strike that held so much energy in it that Obi-Wan's knees nearly buckled from the blow. Obi-Wan immediately kicked straight forward to try and hit Anakin, but the boy dodged it, breaking the contact between their blades. Anakin used the Force to throw Obi-Wan into the wall, but Obi-Wan Force pushed him in return, shattering the windows.

Blaster bolts riddled the area, causing both Obi-Wan and Anakin to hop around and dodge them as they charged towards each other. The two made contact and their blades whirled like blue glowing wheels in front of them, moving faster than an observer would be able to see. Anakin thrust his blade forward in a jab, but Obi-Wan shifted to the right, bringing the handle of his saber down and smacking Anakin soundly on the left temple. Anakin cried out and twisted away from the blow, quickly getting his footwork together once more and using the moment to twirl around and bring his saber in a powerful swing. Obi-Wan fell to his knees to dodge the swipe that would have decapitated him, and he brought his blade to try and burn Anakin's shins, but Anakin leapt over the blade and kicked Obi-Wan in the back, causing the Jedi to yell and roll over before having to roll once more before Anakin dug his blade into him.

Anakin's blade sank into the ground as Obi-Wan barely missed the stabbing maneuver. Obi-Wan then leapt to his feet as Anakin removed his blade from the ground. Obi-Wan charged, bringing his blade in an uppercut as Anakin brought his blade down to bock it. The two sabers met with a loud crash and they sizzled in a hold. Obi-Wan was too out of breath to say anything to calm Anakin down, and he could see from the rage and hurt in Anakin's eyes that no amount of talking would convince him to stand down. This battle was a renewing of the Mustafar duel, plain and simple. No words of reason would reach him.

Padmé gasped for air as she dragged another fallen comrade out of the battle. Marrax could no longer fight, and there were no Yoalans left alive. Shiine still managed to hold his own despite his somewhat poorer aim from his lack of using his dominant hand, and Kerrick and Mentzer were holding up well enough through their injuries. Moeema had taken a hit, but it was a graze to her arm, and so she was still firing away madly at the troops.

If they could just throw a detonator and take cover it would obliterate most of their problem, which would allow them to focus solely on Anakin. Padmé hazarded a glance at the fight between Anakin and Obi-Wan and saw them glaring at each other as their lightsabers sizzled against each other. The two were fighting on pure willpower and strength, trying to make the other person's blade dig into him. She quickly returned her attention to the battle at hand, however, when her peripheral vision picked up a guard aiming right for her. Padmé was about to whip around and shoot him when Kobayashi got to him first, getting him right in the forehead.

"You alright?" he shouted over the din.

"Yes!" Padmé nodded, firing at another guard. Padmé looked up briefly after throwing herself behind a potted plant to avoid a shot. There were chandeliers hovering there. Looking directly beneath them, she saw comrades and enemies alike. However, it was a risk she had to take; there were too many of them otherwise. Yelling, "Clear!" Padmé shot at one of the larger chandeliers, breaking the motor that was making it hover. Her Imperials looked around wildly to see why she was telling them to dodge, but Jifo managed to see it in time and warned the others. The heavy chandelier crashed down onto a handful of guards and then shattered, causing everybody to turn away lest they be cut up by shrapnel.

The temporary lull in the action allowed Padmé to once more throw a glance at Anakin and Obi-Wan. The two were still in the block, but Anakin's pure strength was beginning to overpower Obi-Wan, who was already exhausted from just getting to this point. Padmé froze. Obi-Wan was about to get hit.

"Could you shoot at your own husband, Padmé?"

Kerrick's question echoed in her mind briefly before she gripped her blaster firmly as she watched Obi-Wan struggle.

"Yes," she whispered, raising her blaster and firing.

Obi-Wan felt his muscles burning as Anakin's youthful strength began to overpower him. His own blade began to linger dangerously close to his face. Obi-Wan held his breath, trying to put all of his energy into his legs as he was about to release the hold and dodge, allowing Anakin's own momentum to bring him to the ground. However, something sparked in his mind and Anakin sensed it too. Anakin immediately broke the block and whirled around, deflecting a stun bolt aimed at him. He froze after deflecting it as it returned to its source. Obi-Wan paused too, watching Padmé dive out of the way of the bolt she had sent flying. She rolled into the center of the hall, but the other guards noticed her and she couldn't return her attention to Anakin.

Obi-Wan didn't know how Anakin was feeling about being shot at by his wife, but he wasn't going to give the boy the chance to stew on the matter and start attacking her. Instead, he sprang forward, aiming to cut at Anakin's shoulder and incapacitate him, but Anakin immediately turned and dodged the attack.

After dodging, Anakin immediately did an uppercut with his lightsaber, which Obi-Wan parried. The two exchanged blows, each matching the other's speed and anticipating the other's movements just as they had done on Mustafar. They were sparring partners all over again, and Obi-Wan had memorized Anakin's maneuvers from years of training him. However, Anakin also knew Obi-Wan's techniques.

Getting frustrated with the stalemate, Anakin Force pushed Obi-Wan to create some distance between the two before he began to charge ferociously, holding his lightsaber beside him as if he were ready to chop Obi-Wan in half. However, just as Obi-Wan began to parry the blow he was anticipating, Anakin slid onto his knees as he came into range, aiming his saber towards Obi-Wan's legs. Obi-Wan leapt, his head going forward from his own momentum, and so his left hand let go of the hilt of his saber in order to reach down and touch the ground. He twisted his body in midair, allowing him to flip around one hundred eighty degrees as his left hand balanced him. He landed on his feet facing the opposite direction he had started, and he bent his knees to absorb the landing, using the energy to spring forward. He reestablished his grip on his hilt and was about to charge when Anakin grabbed him with the Force and threw him into the ceiling, knocking the wind out of him. Not finished, Anakin then threw Obi-Wan into one of the walls before beginning to fling him across the hall once more. However, Obi-Wan latched onto the Force and face planted Anakin into the floor with it, causing Anakin to release him.

Obi-Wan landed on his feet and took a gasp of air as he tried to bring oxygen to his burning muscles. Anakin quickly leapt to his feet and the two charged once more, entering into a frenzy of thrusts and parries.

Jifo knew he was insane at this point.

All his life Jifo had been told he was quite the prodigy in nearly every school subject he took. He was at the top of his class in the Imperial Academy. He had a promising career ahead of him.

Blast it he hated the universe sometimes. What in the blazes possessed him to think he would be smart to take on this mission? What possessed him to think he could help keep the secret of Little One hidden? What possessed him to think that storming the Imperial Palace was a good idea?

He was insane. That had to be the explanation.

Jifo swore harshly as he nursed his wounded shoulder. He had been trying to cover for Kerrick, who had collapsed while trying to dodge a blaster bolt; his body couldn't handle the lack of oxygen anymore, and he was doing his best to crawl across the room to find cover. Jifo had run out to help him, but he had been hit too.

They were losing. They weren't going to survive this.

Raising his blaster, Jifo felt his arm trembling as he tried to take aim. He fired, but the shot missed his target and he swore again.

The guard took aim. Jifo closed his eyes.

A yell was heard and Jifo immediately jumped, opening his eyes. The guard had been smacked harshly over the head by the butt of a blaster, and the man fell to reveal Shiine. The man was shooting madly and he managed to kill three more, but as a fourth approached he pulled the trigger and heard the clank of an empty barrel. However, Carh'la immediately came to his defense, shooting the guard from behind and before falling to one knee whilst twirling in order to dodge a blaster bolt from her left and shoot the person who had fired it.

Jifo let out a small laugh as he watched his comrades kill more guards than he thought possible, and his confidence, strength, and courage returned in full. Picking up his blaster once more, he began to fire rapidly, killing two more guards, when a blow to the head rendered his world into darkness.

Marrax heard muffled sounds around him as he tried desperately to cling to consciousness. He had faded out for a while, but his determination latched onto the last sliver of alertness and he was slowly coming back to reality. He heard blaster fire, screams, scuffles, furniture scraping, people falling… it was pure pandemonium.

Opening his eyes, Marrax tried to focus passed the pain in his abdomen. It was burning, and it felt like someone was clawing at his intestines. Still, he inhaled sharply and propped himself up onto his elbows in time to see Moeema taking out some troops near him. A guard was about to shoot her from behind when Marrax snatched the nearest blaster he could reach and shot randomly five times. One of the shots managed to hit the guard in the gut, and the guard cried out, placing a hand over the wound.

Marrax snorted, managing to say, "Yeah, let's see how much you like it."

"Marrax! You're awake!"

Marrax jumped and looked over to see Kobayashi. "Koby!"

Kobayashi was bleeding from multiple wounds, but none of them seemed to be from blasters, so he was still relatively fine. He helped Marrax get to his feet as Moeema covered them. Marrax observed the scene. All the Yoalans were dead, Kerrick and Jifo were both motionless on the ground, and Carh'la was attempting to find cover whilst dragging Capt. Mentzer, who had succumbed to injuries and could barely move. The others were still fighting fiercely.

"We have to cover them!" Marrax motioned to Carh'la and the captain, and Kobayashi nodded. The two rushed ahead, Kobayashi taking the lead, and they began to fire madly, hitting any guard who got close. However, the guards were beginning to encircle them, and the two had to go back to back to ensure they wouldn't get hit. Carh'la finally managed to get Capt. Mentzer out of harm's way, but she sat there panting, unable to stand, and just shot from where she sat. Ress ran over to help her, leaving Numel and Shiine open, and both yelled out as they were hit. Padmé immediately came into view and backed them up as they attempted to get out of harm's way.

They weren't going to make it.

"Damn it," Kobayashi snarled. "What's taking Obi-Wan so bloody long?!"

Nothing existed outside of the flurry of blue that Obi-Wan saw in front of him. His world was a silent one, only crying out when he sensed danger spike up from somewhere his eyes didn't detect. He dodged a blow from the side where Anakin would have easily chopped an arm off, and he twisted, throwing a leg out to trip up the boy's footwork. While Anakin did avoid the trip, his footwork was still thrown off enough to prevent him from counterstriking. However, he quickly compensated and was able to block Obi-Wan's next attack, which was an overhead strike. The two stared at each other intently as their blades snarled, scraping against each other in a battle that emitted sparks.

Obi-Wan finally found his breath and his voice. "Anakin, this has to stop. We're here to help you. I don't know what Palpatine put into your head, but—"

"Trying to help me?" Anakin laughed harshly. "That's new. You know, you really shouldn't lie to me. At least be straightforward like you were on Mustafar. You made it quite clear then that you were there to kill me!"

Anakin gave out a yell with his last sentence and shoved Obi-Wan off, but Obi-Wan came right back at him and the two were fighting once more. However, Obi-Wan managed to kick Anakin in the jaw, throwing him to the ground, but Anakin temporarily let go of his lightsaber and curved his back as he landed on it, immediately thrusting himself off the ground and onto his feet once more.

"Anakin, I'm not here to kill you!" Obi-Wan yelled in frustration as Anakin immediately charged, summoning his lightsaber to his hands.

"Oh I know that!" Anakin bellowed as he began to attack once more. When the two held each other in another block, he continued. "You didn't kill me on Mustafar, after all. I figured you enjoyed hearing me scream far more."

Obi-Wan flinched. He was unable to reply, too stung from the accusation. However, Anakin changed his attention when he also said, "It doesn't matter now, though; you will surrender to me."

Surrender?

"What?" Obi-Wan stared at Anakin in confusion, his grip not lessening. Anakin had temporarily backed off from the block, allowing Obi-Wan to catch his breath.

Motioning around them, Anakin, said, "You and I can fight until sunset, Kenobi… but can they?"

Obi-Wan jumped, looking around the hallway. The Imperials had fallen, one by one. Even Padmé was barely holding herself up. Most of them were already on the ground. Only Ress, Moeema, Zhymmia, and Kobayashi remained standing.

"Surrender, Obi-Wan," Anakin ordered. "If you do, they'll be spared."

They wouldn't survive this battle any longer. Obi-Wan either had to finish Anakin off now and then somehow manage to kill off all the guards who were remaining, or he had to do as Anakin said.

Damn it.

Obi-Wan deactivated his blade.

Lynorri Chelcu paced the ship restlessly. She had tried sitting in the cockpit seat, but that had only lasted for about a minute. There was no way she could sit still with all the thoughts flying through her head.

She and Kerrick had estimated that the mission would either be accomplished or failed by about the half hour mark. It had been almost an hour at this point.

He had said he would come back. She knew he would come back. Why weren't they signaling her?

Lynorri felt her chest burn, and she shook her head ferociously, but she couldn't hold back the sobs that began to come out. Covering her mouth and squeezing her eyes shut, she sat in the pilot's seat and began to weep.

Now what?

That was all she could keep repeating in her head. It was as if her mind had simply overloaded from the horror and terror of the situation. All she could keep asking herself was, now what?

Now what was she going to do? How were they going to survive this? How was she going to help Anakin?

How in the blazes was she ever going to see Luke and Leia again?

Padmé shuddered, trying to keep her composure as she was led along by stormtroopers. By some miracle they were all still alive – the only ones killed were the Yoalans. The others were badly injured, though, and some were practically being carried by their captors. Leading the procession was Anakin, who hadn't even looked twice at Padmé when he had walked by her.

They were standing just outside of the throne room. Palpatine was on the other end of this door. Their death was on the other end of this door.

Padmé knew one thing for sure. She was not going to think of the children. Her last thoughts about them would be here and now before she got anywhere near Palpatine. He was not going to find out about them… not from her.

The large ornate doors to the throne room opened, and they were ushered inside.

Having been disarmed, they were not considered a threat anymore, and so Palpatine dismissed all but the Red Guards from the throne room. The stormtroopers filed out two by two until the last pair vanished into the darkness near the entranceway.

The Red Guards surrounded them and then slammed the bottom end of their staffs into the ground in unison as a salute to the emperor. Anakin walked forward, approaching the steps that led up to the throne, and went on one knee. "Master, I've brought the prisoners, as you requested."

Padmé felt herself physically grow nauseous at the sight, and she could tell the others were having similar reactions as she watched them either shudder or flinch, including Obi-Wan.

Daring to look up, Padmé saw Palpatine, who was smiling. He looked particularly at her, and she felt violated, looking away quickly as the nausea increased.

"You all should know that it is quite pointless to fight me," Palpatine purred, and just to add insult to injury, he motioned to Anakin, saying, "They should show the proper respect to me, don't you agree, Lord Vader?"

Anakin paused and then stood, turning to face them. He gave them a cold look. "You all should be kneeling before the emperor."

They all stared at him, either glaring or gaping. Padmé just looked away, unable to stand the sight. She did see fierce looks of hatred being thrown towards Palpatine, though.

When Anakin didn't get the reaction he wanted, he held out his hand, manipulating the Force to forcibly throw them all onto their hands and knees. "I said kneel!"

Padmé gasped as a crushing weight thrust her to the ground and kept her there before it vanished, leaving her panting. She heard Palpatine purr once more.

"Good," he rumbled as Anakin turned around and bowed to him. Palpatine then addressed the group again. "Lord Vader has been and always will be my most faithful servant. Any other ideas that you may have had in manipulating him are futile. How unfortunate it is that you all must have put so much effort into coming all this way, risking your lives and the lives of your families to save someone who doesn't even require your sort of saving. Lord Vader, what do you do with traitors such as these?"

Walking up to the throne and then standing beside it with a hand on the chair as if he were actually comfortable standing there, Anakin smirked and looked at the prisoners. "You execute them."

Palpatine reflected his apprentice's smile. "And so they shall be executed."

Padmé looked at the others and then at the Red Guards as they approached them, lowering their staffs to do the final blow. She was hoping somebody would fight, but there truly was no point. Anakin himself had essentially ordered their execution. Nobody would fight. Nobody could fight.

Shaking her head, Padmé yelled, "How could you do this, Anakin?! How could you possibly choose Palpatine after all he's done to you! He left you in so much pain and didn't treat your injuries properly when he stuck you in that suit! He purposefully allowed you to be weakened so you'd never be a threat to him! He's fooled you all these years – I was beginning to think you'd stop being naïve and look at him, look at what he really is, and realize that he's an animal and a monster!"

Anakin held up a hand, stopping the guards. He then slowly walked towards the group, watching Padmé. He paused before entering their midst, however, and would get no closer. His face held a strange expression, somewhere mixed between anger, hurt, anxiety, and fear. "He's my Master. There's nothing more I need to examine or understand than that. I'll always serve him so long as he draws breath."

Padmé felt the wind get knocked out of her. She wanted to scream. She wanted to hit him. She wanted to shoot Palpatine. She wanted to see her c—

No. Padmé shook her head. She would not think about that here. Not with two insane psychics in the room.

Anakin lowered his hand, nodding to the guards to resume their duty. He stood there, motionless, holding his breath. Padmé squeezed her hands so hard she felt her fingernails break the skin and make her palms bleed. This was sick. She couldn't die like this—they couldn't die like this. Not after everything that had happened. Not after everything they had done. The others seemed too injured or too shocked to say anything. Even Obi-Wan was silent, looking at Anakin solemnly before closing his eyes and awaiting his execution. Padmé took a breath, shaking her head and about to cry out, when suddenly a loud bang echoed around the room, causing everyone to jump.

Looking around wildly, Padmé looked over everyone in the group. They were all also looking around, their eyes darting to every corner of the room. The guards were caught unawares as well, obviously disturbed by what the sound was. When Padmé and the others looked to Anakin, though, he was standing perfectly still, eyes looking behind them. Padmé then threw a glance at Palpatine to see if he was staring at the same thing, and then she gasped as the others saw it too.

Palpatine had a blaster hole in his chest.

It was still smoldering, and Palpatine had both hands over it, his eyes wide as he was gasping for air that would no longer fill his lungs. He let out a raspy breath that wheezed as blood mixed with air. Anakin then closed his eyes, nodded, smiled, and immediately sprang into action, activating his lightsaber and killing the Red Guards. Padmé and the others then belatedly remembered that he had been looking elsewhere and they all followed his previous gaze.

Two figures stood in the shadows by the entrance. Padmé could vaguely make out the white armor of stormtroopers, but their helmets were removed. When she squinted hard enough, Padmé could make them out.

It was Rowan Chupa-Pau and his wife, Jan.

The two stood side by side, facing each other, holding hands with one hand each and holding a blaster together with the other. Jan held the blaster while Rowan had his hand placed over hers, holding her finger over the trigger. The blaster was still smoking. The two weren't looking anywhere but at their target, their eyes hard, determined, and yet sad. However, there was a fire smoldering beneath them, a fire that any wronged parent knew well.

The two slowly lowered the blaster.

Padmé and the others, all gaping and speechless, returned their gaze up front as they heard Anakin climb the stairs towards the throne. Palpatine was beginning to slouch, still gasping for air. Anakin put a hand on Palpatine's shoulder and harshly shoved him into a straighter seated position. He then backed away and gave a mock bow. "All hail the emperor. As I said, Master, I would serve you so long as you draw breath. It's a pity that won't last much longer."

Palpatine looked as if he were about to say something, but a last horrible gag emitted from his throat before he finally slumped in his seat. Rowan came forward from the back while Jan continued to stare at Palpatine without batting an eye. Anakin used the Force to shatter a window behind the throne and then together with Rowan the two picked up Palpatine's body and threw it out the window.

Obi-Wan finally seemed to have found his voice. "What the hell is going on?"

Anakin and Rowan, who had been staring out the shattered window, both turned to look at Obi-Wan. However, Anakin smiled at Rowan and shook his head, walking forward to explain while Rowan resumed his vigil. Jan walked over to him, and the two held each other, staring out the window.

"I'm sorry," Anakin simply said, his smile now gone. He held true sadness in his eyes as he looked them over. "I'm so, so sorry for all the hell you guys have been through today."

"Just tell us what's going on!" Capt. Mentzer managed to find his voice too.

"When did you know?" This question came from Kobayashi, who was staring at Anakin intently. "When did you remember? When did you realize that Palpatine was a bastard and you shouldn't serve him?"

Anakin stared at Kobayashi for a long while, the sadness become very prevalent in his eyes. "I knew about a day ago. Kobayashi, I… I'm so sorry about what happened on Nihoma."

"Did you authorize it?" Kobayashi demanded.

Anakin immediately shook his head. "No. I wasn't even aware of Palpatine's order to kill your families. All he told me to do was kill all of you since you were traitors. I knew that you were actually from Nihoma, so I sent a fleet there to find you."

"Did you tell them to interrogate my family?"

Anakin sighed. "Yes and no. I told them who your family was, so I essentially implied that they could get information about you from your parents. I did not, however, sanction any violence against anybody aside from you. That was the decision of the admiral of that fleet, and he paid for it with his life."

Kobayashi paused, and then asked, "Do you know if my brother's alive?"

Anakin shook his head. "No. Koby, I…"

Kobayashi immediately cleared his throat and shot to his feet. "Just don't."

Walking towards Anakin, who simply watched him sadly, waiting for something to happen, Kobayashi glared beyond Anakin at the window before finally looking at him. "Palpatine had brainwashed you… he made you someone you weren't. For that, Anakin Skywalker, I will forgive you…"

Anakin raised his eyebrows, a look of genuine surprise crossing his face. Kobayashi continued, "However, I do owe you this,"

Throwing his arm back, Kobayashi punched Anakin across the jaw with all the strength he could muster. Everyone leapt to their feet, and Anakin remained with his head thrown to the side temporarily before looking back at Koby with an odd expression on his face.

"That was it?" he asked. Kobayashi, on the other hand, began shaking his hand with his eyes wide.

"Ouch!" he yelled with a laugh. "I didn't realize you had such a bloody iron jaw!"

Anakin stared at him in bewilderment before the two looked at each other and started laughing loudly. The sound echoed around the room, seeming to bring life back to everyone. Padmé smiled and ran to Anakin, who immediately saw her and ran the distance remaining between them. Wrapping his strong arms around her, he twirled her in the air as she began to laugh in delight, all injuries forgotten. When the two had finished embracing they shared a bunch of brief kisses, both laughing too hard to maintain any long contact.

The others immediately ran to Anakin, hugging him as he held them all, a look of relief and pure joy crossing everyone's features. Finally, the only person left was Obi-Wan, and the two stood there staring at each other for a while.

"All those things you said downstairs…" Obi-Wan shook his head.

Anakin's joy diminished, and he gave a somber look. "I… I had to make it convincing… it certainly helped get the ranting out…"

Obi-Wan walked towards him slowly. "Anakin, I…"

"Don't," Anakin shook his head. "Don't apologize. I deserved everything I got on Mustafar."

It was Obi-Wan's turn to shake his head. "No, you didn't."

With that said, Obi-Wan threw his arms around Anakin, holding him tightly. Anakin stood there, completely surprised, and not knowing what to do. An embrace from the other Imperials and from Padmé was expected, but Obi-Wan… Padmé knew that Anakin had this idea that Obi-Wan never showed outward affection, and honestly she herself had never seen the man give somebody a hug except for the one time she saw him after Order 66.

"Anakin, you know I would never hurt you," Obi-Wan whispered as he held him. "You know that, right?"

Anakin stood there, silent. His eyes began to glisten a little, though, and he eventually began to hug Obi-Wan in return. "Yes… I know, Kichita."

The two hugged for a long while before the others' curiosity couldn't be held back any longer. "But seriously—how did you break out of Palpatine's hold?"

Anakin released his grip on Obi-Wan, tears slowly trailing down his face. Obi-Wan wiped the tears away with a smile, and then Anakin looked at everyone else.

"Rowan and Jan got in contact with me," he explained.

"But—but how?" Mentzer gaped.

"An old friend," Anakin smiled, motioning to the corner of the room. Everyone whirled around to see a little mouse droid come out of the shadows, beeping softly.

"A mouse droid?" everyone stared blankly before Kobayashi yelled out.

"Oh! Oh!" he repeatedly yelled, gaping and pointing at the droid. "Oh!"

"For heaven's sake, Koby, what is it?" Kerrick snapped.

"That's the Force Imprint!" Kobayashi exclaimed as Anakin laughed. "That's—that's—"

"Luke," Anakin finished for him. "They sent Luke to find me. When I sensed the imprint, it triggered memories in me that Palpatine had blocked. I immediately made sure Palpatine didn't sense the imprint and then I followed Luke. He gave me a message from Rowan, and together we arranged for, well, this."

Anakin motioned towards the throne and the window.

"How did Rowan and Jan get in here?!" Moeema asked.

"I let them in," Anakin shrugged. "I don't mean to downplay you guys—you were amazing getting all the way up here—but it does help to know the secret passages in this place."

Padmé and the others knew he was being sincere, but she still wanted to punch him in that moment.

Obi-Wan quickly continued the conversation. "But how are we going to get out of here now? With all the commotion we've made I'm sure those guards outside will—"

"Be too busy with the Rebels," Rowan interrupted, causing everyone to gawk at him.

"Rebels?!"

"Well we had to have some sort of distraction," Anakin said. "We didn't know if you guys would be showing up or not."

"What would possess you to think we wouldn't come for you?" Padmé demanded.

Anakin quickly held up his hands to calm her down. "I did expect you to come, I just didn't know when."

"But that still doesn't explain how we're going to get out of here—oh!" Kerrick clapped his hands together as he remembered and he quickly dug into his pocket to get the transmitter, flinching as his broken ribs protested against the movement. Everyone suddenly seemed to be remembering their injuries as the adrenaline began to wear off, and many sat back down on the ground. Anakin immediately began to tend to them, tearing off bits of his tunic to wrap up wounds.

Kerrick pressed the transmitter button and then smiled triumphantly. "Lynorri will be on her way,"

"Thank the Force," Obi-Wan sighed, collapsing on the ground in relief. Everyone smiled and then they all looked at each other. Their huge grins looked ridiculous, and they all couldn't help but laugh their heads off, the sound bouncing around the room and filling the air with delight and relief.

There had never been a more beautiful sound to Lynorri's ears than hearing the gentle constant beeping that told her Kerrick was signaling her to come. A small part of her wondered if it was perhaps a trick; that perhaps he had been killed and they were trying to draw out any reinforcements, but at this point she didn't care. She had to at least make sure.

Gunning the engines, Lynorri flew the ship at top speed towards the palace. The signal was coming from the top of the palace, and she quickly piloted it up there, finding a shattered window. There she saw, to her most wonderful relief, her husband waving madly with an enormous smile on his face. Piloting closer, Lynorri lowered the ramp and awaited their arrival.

They hadn't stopped laughing.

The ramp closed after Obi-Wan, who was the last to enter, had just landed in the ship. Kerrick immediately was helped by Ress to the cockpit where he could reunite with his wife.

Amidst all the commotion, Rowan and Jan held each other.

"At least Ralth can finally rest in peace," Jan whispered.

Her husband smiled and nodded. "Yes, he can,"

Kobayashi managed to catch his breath and smiled contently as he leaned against the wall. "So we're going back to Yoala now,"

Anakin paused from hugging his wife and then looked at everyone a little apologetically. "Uh, well, we're stopping by the Rebel flagship first. You guys need medical attention."

Capt. Mentzer blanched. "The Rebel ship?"

Anakin sighed. "Unfortunately. I'm not going aboard, though; I still don't particularly like them, and, well, we didn't exactly hit it off that well the last time we ran into each other."

Everyone jumped, belatedly remembering the battle they'd had over Dantooine.

"Uh, right," Shiine stammered. "Yes, it would probably be best if you stayed here."

"But will they even treat us?" Mentzer asked.

Rowan snorted. "After all the information we gave them about Imperial Center they essentially owe us."

"I'm not complaining," Marrax laughed weakly. "I could use some medicine right now."

Jan, who had returned from the cockpit after telling Lynorri where to go, smiled. "Just relax; we'll be there within the minute."

When the ship docked with the Rebel cruiser, everyone was apprehensive despite the notion of being treated. Even Marrax and Kerrick, who had sustained the worst injuries, hesitated.

Sighing, Obi-Wan decided it would be best if he led the way. Motioning to the reluctant Imperials, he said, "Come on."

Everyone except for Padmé and Anakin boarded the cruiser. It was rather large and seemed quite formidable. Looking at it made the Imperials miss the Executor all the more. However, they were all quite happy to see doctors come to their aid, and they were all escorted to the med bay.

Relaxing, Anakin found a seat on the Naboo ship and sat, Padmé getting comfortable beside him.

"You shot at me," Anakin noted, his voice sounding slightly indignant and surprised.

"You were about to kill Obi-Wan from what I could tell," Padmé argued gently, leaning against his shoulder and closing her eyes. Then, her eyes still closed, she smacked his chest.

"Ow! What was that for?"

"For not just killing Palpatine the moment you remembered. It would have made things infinitely easier."

"Believe me, I wish I could have," Anakin sighed. "But it wouldn't have worked. Palpatine was still pretty unsure about me the entire time. I had to do something big to prove my loyalty."

"What would you have done if we hadn't been there?"

"The Rebels were planning on attacking with or without you guys being there," Anakin answered. "Rowan, Jan, and I were going to use that."

Padmé opened her eyes, giving Anakin an irritated look. "You were going to use them as bait."

"Hey, I already told you there wasn't exactly another way," Anakin said sheepishly, shrugging.

"Those are people's lives you're talking about,"

"I know that, Padmé…"

Sighing heavily, Padmé shook her head. She then resumed her previous position, holding Anakin's hands in hers as she began to fall asleep, completely at peace. It was amazing how things had changed so rapidly in the throne room; it had seemed like they were all going to die… she had never been more happily deceived in her entire life.

Smiling, Padmé decided it was time to turn the surprise on Anakin. "You know, you're going to have to find a different name for that mouse droid."

Anakin's voice rumbled in his chest against her cheek as he inquired, "Hm?"

"I said you'll have to change the mouse droid's name. You'll confuse Luke otherwise."

"I'll confuse…?" Anakin paused, and then Padmé heard his sharp intake of breath. "You… he… Luke's…?"

"Luke and Leia are on Yoala," Padmé explained for him, opening her eyes once more and sitting up straight to look him in the eye. Anakin was gawking at her, his eyes wide, and a look of immense joy and anxiety crossed his face. Smiling reassuringly, she stroked his cheek, saying, "Don't be nervous about it, Anakin. They're really quite excited to meet you. They wanted to come along on the rescue mission to save you."

Anakin's anxiety immediately vanished and he just laughed. "Force, they sound just like… like…"

"You," Padmé sighed heavily, and Anakin laughed all the more.

"We're all going back to Yoala? As in alongside the Rebels?"

Rowan sighed. "Yes. They're rather interested in recruiting some of us. You do realize that with Palpatine gone the Empire is… well…"

"Fragmenting as we speak," Carh'la finished for him, sounding a little sad. "And the galaxy will once more be thrown into complete disarray."

"At least we got rid of the galaxy's biggest problem," Marrax said with conviction, and everyone nodded as they all went about their own business, either helping each other with their wounds or simply looking out the window at hyperspace and resting.

Numel examined the room and watched everyone. Ress and Jifo were talking and laughing as they began to make jokes at how many times they thought were going to get themselves killed at the palace. Shiine was grumbling about how he'd have to write with his right hand for a while, leaving Zhymmia and Marrax giggling. Kerrick and Lynorri were sleeping, holding each other and leaning against each other while reclining on one of the med bay beds. Carh'la and Capt. Mentzer were tending to their own wounds in silence while Ooke was passed out on another bed, his mouth wide open as he snored, garnering attention and laughter from Kobayashi. Rowan and Jan were standing side by side, looking out at hyperspace.

Numel shook his head as he watched the Chupa-Pau couple, muttering, "Who would have thought it? The slayers of Emperor Palpatine: a supposed traitorous commander and a housewife."

Moeema, having overheard Numel, walked up to him and shook her head. "No, Numel. A father and a mother,"

Numel looked at Moeema briefly before returning his gaze to the couple. Yes, he supposed she was right. There was nothing more formidable than a parent, after all. Giving a small smile, Numel turned his attention to Zhymmia, watching her to make sure she didn't overexert herself from her injuries.

Thirteen hours was an amazingly long amount of time to sleep. After all the stress and hellish experiences from the day, everyone was grateful for the rest. However, now it was time for an even happier event.

The Rebel fleet exited hyperspace, and the Imperials gladly rushed to the hangar where Lynorri would pilot them down to Yoala. They had all been fortunate enough to avoid any contact with the Rebels aside from the doctors since Rowan had done most of the talking for them. The Rebels were just as ecstatic as the Imperials that Palpatine was dead, and it left a quiet, if uneasy, sense of peace in the atmosphere between the two groups. Now, though, it was time to reunite with their families.

Everyone stood with anticipation as Lynorri landed the ship. Outside the windows they could see their families standing in groups, holding each other and staring at the ship as if it were their salvation or their doom. They didn't know who'd be coming back alive. When the ramp opened, the Imperials nearly ran each other over to get to their loved ones, laughing the entire way.

There was a sound of cries of joy and relief as everyone reunited with their relatives. Hugs were exchanged, tears were shed, and happy yells filled the air. Two children, however, stood in the midst of it, looking lost, afraid, and sad as they anxiously turned their heads to find someone they knew.

Padmé immediately came into their view.

"Mommy!" Leia cried, running to her alongside Luke.

The twins immediately were engulfed in a hug by their mother, who cried and kissed them and repeatedly told them she was alright and that she loved them. After the three had shed tears for a while, Luke finally asked, "Where's Father?"

Leia jumped and gasped. "Where's Daddy? Is he okay? Did you save him?"

Padmé didn't think her smile could grow any larger, but it managed to do so. "Yes, he's fine. He's just over there."

The twins immediately whirled around to see the man in question standing at the bottom of the ramp. He stood there, stunned, watching the two children with an enchanted look on his face. Luke and Leia suddenly grew shy and paused, but then Anakin gave a smile and the two felt warmth and love envelop them. Squealing in delight, the twins ran their legs off, holding their arms out as their faces glowed with glee. Anakin immediately fell to his knees and wrapped them in a bear hug, unable to say anything due to the overwhelming emotions swirling in him.

"You're okay you're okay you're okay!" the two continuously yelled.

Back on the ramp of the ship, Obi-Wan overlooked the entire scene and couldn't stop himself from smiling. The Yoalans, though saddened at the loss of their warriors, were ecstatic that the mission was a success, and enormous gongs and drums were beaten in exultation as the entire planet celebrated. Bonfires were created since the sun was setting, and an enormous party began. There was a large feast prepared, and everyone attended, laughing, joking, eating, and talking with each other.

As they ate, Ooke commented, "It's such a relief that we're all still alive and together, and Palpatine's no longer an issue. I never imagined we'd get to this point! I don't even know what to do now!"

"I'm going home," Moeema shook her head with a sigh. "This mess has been a little too exciting for me. It's not like I can rejoin the navy."

"Same here," Kerrick intoned, leaning against his wife.

Ooke looked at the two and then shrugged. "Yeah, I suppose I should too."

Carh'la glanced uncertainly at the Rebels who had joined the celebration with the Yoalans. "I don't know… with the galaxy in such disarray and with the Empire viewing us as traitors… honestly I think joining the Alliance might be the best option."

Jifo choked on his juice along with some of the others. "What?"

"Well what else is there to do?" Carh'la rolled her eyes. "I understand why some of you don't wish to return to the fighting – you've been through enough and have families to worry about. But I feel obligated to do something, and the Empire won't take me back… the Rebels are my best option. At this point all they'll be fighting are a bunch of fragments being led by moffs and the like."

When everyone continued to gape at her, Carh'la shrugged and said irritably, "It's just a possibility!"

Shaking his head with a laugh, Kobayashi muttered, "Well I know what I'll be doing."

Anakin immediately began to say something, but Kobayashi interrupted him. "No, I'll hear nothing of it, Anakin, so don't you start. We've both already agreed that what happened on Nihoma wasn't your fault. I'll not have you coming along. You have a family to worry about, and I… well I have a planet."

Padmé glanced at Kobayashi, and seeing his stubborn expression, she and Anakin both knew that there was no arguing with him. Sighing, Padmé noted, "Well, I should really make sure my family is okay and let them know I'm still alive."

"So I suppose we're going to Naboo, then," Anakin intoned.

Luke, who had been silently listening to everything so far, finally piped in. "What's Naboo?"

Anakin wrapped an arm around his son, kissing him and saying, "It's only the most beautiful planet in the universe."

Luke became quite excited at this description. "It is?"

"Yep!"

"I want to see Naboo!" Leia immediately exclaimed.

"Me too!" Luke agreed.

Anakin chuckled. "You will, don't worry."

After releasing Luke from the hug, Anakin was about to take a bite from some of the food provided when he noticed Leia was staring at his face with great intensity. Raising an eyebrow, he was about to question what was wrong when she suddenly started to laugh hysterically and point at him. Bemused, he asked, "What's so funny?"

"Your nose is funny looking!"

Anakin blinked. "My… nose…?"

Padmé sighed and then laughed, recalling how she had described him to her daughter. "It's nothing, Anakin."

Although Anakin was still a little confused, he was ready to drop the subject when Luke suddenly took great offence to it. "Hey! His nose isn't funny looking! He has my nose!"

Smirking, Anakin looked at Luke and said, "You mean you have my nose… and I'm taking it back!"

Anakin pinched Luke's little nose with two fingers and then pulled away, hiding an imaginary nose in his fist while Luke yelped and gasped in horror.

"Mother!" he shouted. "Mother, he took my nose!"

Padmé began to chuckle alongside Anakin as Leia rolled her eyes in exasperation. "He didn't take your nose, silly! It's still there!"

Luke looked at her incredulously before tentatively prodding his face to ensure she wasn't lying. "It is?"

Their parents' chuckles turned into laughs.

Obi-Wan watched them in amusement before his own concerns began to arise. What was he going to do now? Anakin was safe and sound, and so was his family. They were reunited… honestly, Obi-Wan's job was done. He had a new concern now; he had to somehow restore the Jedi Order. Should he go to Yoda? Should he join the Alliance?

Obi-Wan's thoughts were interrupted when he heard Luke and Leia gasp. Glancing over, Obi-Wan noticed with a jolt that they were looking at him. "Uh… sorry, did I miss something?"

Anakin gave a gentle smile. "They were asking if you'd come along. I said only if you wanted to."

Come along? Wait, what?

"Master, you are coming with us to Naboo, right?" Anakin suddenly asked, his eyes yearning for Obi-Wan to say yes.

Obi-Wan stared at Anakin, stunned. He hadn't expected Anakin to invite him to Naboo… Anakin had always wanted to be with Padmé and the children, not Obi-Wan… right?

"Kichita?"

At the sound of the title Anakin used, the Imperials' attention immediately turned to the conversation, their eyes filled with sudden curiosity. Obi-Wan felt his heart melt upon hearing Anakin address him that way, and he smiled as his eyes burned a little from unshed tears. Perhaps he did know what he'd be doing. "Of course I'm coming along."

"YAY!" Luke and Leia shouted, running over and hugging Obi-Wan. "Uncle Obi's coming Uncle Obi's coming!"

Anakin smirked evilly. "You know, I could tell them to call you grandpa."

Obi-Wan shot him a glare. "Don't you even think about it."

After the twins had let him go and run back to their parents to continue eating, the Imperials immediately swamped Obi-Wan.

"You know, you never did explain what Kichita meant," Moeema prompted.

"Kichita…" Obi-Wan sighed contently, mulling the word over in his mind. "It's… well, it can't really be translated into a single word in Basic. It's a word from an ancient Jedi language that all Jedi learn as part of traditions and ceremonies. Kichita is used for those who are considered extremely close family. If you were to translate it, it essentially would mean 'dear other part of me.' It's a term of affection used for friends and family who the speaker considers, well, a part of him. It's not a title bestowed lightly."

"So all this time… he was essentially stating you were family to him?"

Obi-Wan smiled softly as his heart warmed at the thought of it. A little voice in his head said he was being very un-Jedi with his emotions, but at the moment he didn't really care. "Yes, he was."

The moment was interrupted when enormous fireworks began to explode overhead due to the Rebels' involvement in the party. The Yoalans yelped, but the Imperials and their families laughed and yelled in delight. Kobayashi immediately stood, grabbing his glass and raising it. "I'd like to propose a toast: to those who fought so that this day may be the way it is, and in memory of those we lost. To those who are here today, and to all the days to come. Cheers!"

Everyone raised their glasses, shouting, "Cheers!" as the fireworks boomed overhead and the shouts of the Yoalans and Rebels echoed all around.

Fin

The end, baby! WOOHOO! Wow, I'm really really happy and sad that this story is finally over. I published this sucker back in October of '09 - good grief that's a long time. This was an enormous work for me, but it was so much fun writing it, and I thank you all so much for coming along for the fun and enjoying it and giving me reviews and encouragement! So what did you guys think? Loved it? Hated it? Which Imperial's your favorite? What's your favorite scene? What aspect of the story did you enjoy the most? Let me know!

I'll see you all in my other stories! Find the info for my fics on the "NOTES" section of my profile!

Girlbender875