The Clone Wars raged.
Worlds were reduced to ash, fleets torn apart in distant starfields. The Jedi, now generals, were stretched thin, their once-spiritual order burdened by politics and battle. Fear, anger, and suspicion seeped into the galaxy like venom.
In the shadows of this grand design, Palpatine watched.
He had prepared everything. From Dooku's rebellion to the puppet chancellorship, all had moved according to his will.
Now, it was time to claim his greatest prize.
The Chosen One.
The Visions Begin
Anakin Skywalker stood alone in his quarters, sweat clinging to his brow.
The vision had returned. Again.
Padmé screaming. Reaching for him. Dying.
Each time, it was the same—her belly swollen with life, her breath fading, her eyes pleading with him. He would wake choking on guilt and dread.
He paced, restless, unable to tell Obi-Wan. Unable to confide in the Council.
They wouldn't understand.
Only one person did.
"The Dark Side Holds Secrets the Jedi Fear"
"Anakin," Palpatine said, voice calm, kind. "These visions... they are not meaningless. The Force shows us the future only when it matters."
"I saw her die," Anakin admitted. "I can't lose her."
"You won't." Palpatine stepped closer, placing a hand on his shoulder. "There are ways to prevent such a fate. Power the Jedi deny you. Power your destiny demands you claim."
Anakin didn't speak, but his silence was agreement.
Palpatine smiled.
Inside his private sanctum, he opened holocrons forbidden to all but himself—ancient Sith knowledge, tales of those who shaped life and cheated death. He showed them to Anakin in glimpses, luring him deeper.
"You could save her."
And Anakin believed him.
The Jedi Fracture
Meanwhile, Count Dooku—his once-proud apprentice—had begun to waver.
He still served the plan, but Palpatine could sense his discomfort. His vision of a new order was not aligned with the true endgame.
He would need to be discarded.
But not yet.
Obi-Wan had discovered the connection between Dooku and the Separatist leaders. Geonosis was only the beginning. The Confederacy's power had expanded banks, commerce guilds, and entire sectors under their sway.
Yoda and Windu were growing suspicious.
But it was too late.
Padmé's Secret
In the shadows of the night, Anakin stood by Padmé's side.
She placed his hand gently on her stomach.
"I'm pregnant."
His heart thundered not with fear, but with possessive joy. A family. His family. Something worth fighting for. Something to protect at all costs.
But he said nothing to the Council.
Not about Padmé. Not about the child. Not about the visions.
The weight of the future pressed on his soul.
And in that silence, the dark side whispered.
The War Nears Its End
Grievous swept through the Mid Rim.
Systems fell. Jedi died.
On Coruscant, Palpatine stood as the galaxy's last hope, the beloved leader of a Republic under siege.
But behind that mask, he was preparing the final moves.
The Jedi had played their part. The Senate, too.
All that remained was Skywalker.
And the trigger.