Is she turning against me too?!
Later that night, Palpatine summoned Anakin to meet him in the Chancellor’s private box at the Galaxies Opera House. There, while watching a troupe of Mon Calamari perform a zero-gravity ballet within immense spheres of shimmering water, Palpatine informed Anakin that Clone Intelligence Units had discovered that General Grievous was hiding in the Utapau system. After dismissing his aides from the box, Palpatine further confided that he had come to suspect that the Jedi Council wanted to control the Republic, and was plotting to betray him.
Palpatine said, “They asked you to spy on me, didn’t they?”
Squirming in his seat beside the Chancellor, Anakin replied, “I don’t, uh… I don’t know what to say.”
“Remember back to your early teachings,” Palpatine continued. “All those who gain power are afraid to lose it. Even the Jedi.”
No, that’s not true, Anakin thought. “The Jedi use their power for good,” he insisted.
“Good is a point of view, Anakin,” Palpatine said calmly. “The Sith and the Jedi are similar in almost every way, including their quest for greater power.” That’s not true, either .
“The Sith rely on their passion for their strength,” Anakin said. “They think inwards, only about themselves.”
“And the Jedi don’t?” Palpatine asked, lifting his eyebrows high to convey his belief that the answer was as plain as his face.
“The Jedi are selfless,” Anakin countered. “They only care about others.”
There was applause from the audience, and Anakin and Palpatine directed their attention to the performers. Palpatine said, “Did you ever hear the tragedy of Darth Plagueis the Wise?”
“No,” Anakin admitted.
“I thought not,” Palpatine said smugly. “It’s not a story the Jedi would tell you. It’s a Sith legend. Darth Plagueis was a Dark Lord of the Sith, so powerful and so wise he could use the Force to influence the midi-chlorians to create… life.” He slowly turned his gaze to Anakin before he continued. “He had such a knowledge of the dark side that he could even keep the ones he cared about from dying.”
Anakin thought immediately of Padmé, and of his most recent nightmares, and felt a tingling sensation along his spine. He said, “He could actually… save people from death?”
“The dark side of the Force is a pathway to many abilities some consider to be unnatural.”
Anakin thought about Darth Plagueis, wondering just how much of the legend might be true. He said, “Wh - What happened to him?”
Looking away from Anakin, Palpatine answered slowly, “He became so powerful, the only thing he was afraid of was losing his power, which eventually, of course, he did. Unfortunately, he taught his apprentice everything he knew. Then his apprentice killed him in his sleep. It’s ironic. He could save others from death, but not himself.”
Because the Chancellor was such a learned man and had discussed the ongoing hunt for Darth Sidious with members of the Jedi Council, Anakin wasn’t curious about how he might have learned such a bizarre story about the Sith. Anakin only wanted to know one thing.
“Is it possible to learn this power?” he asked.
Raising his eyebrows, Palpatine turned to once again lock his gaze on Anakin and said, “Not from a Jedi.”
INTERLUDE
Twenty-three years after the end of the Clone Wars, Darth Vader had no difficulty recalling Anakin Skywalker’s meeting with Supreme Chancellor Palpatine at the Opera House. Although he had not yet realized that Palpatine was really the Sith Lord Darth Sidious, it was at that particular moment that Anakin Skywalker decided he must learn the secrets of the Sith.
At the time, Anakin had convinced himself that he only wanted to gain the powers that would help him save his wife. He hadn’t wanted to take the path to the dark side. In fact, he had continued to behave nobly after that meeting at the opera. When the Jedi Council insulted
Later that night, Palpatine summoned Anakin to meet him in the Chancellor’s private box at the Galaxies Opera House. There, while watching a troupe of Mon Calamari perform a zero-gravity ballet within immense spheres of shimmering water, Palpatine informed Anakin that Clone Intelligence Units had discovered that General Grievous was hiding in the Utapau system. After dismissing his aides from the box, Palpatine further confided that he had come to suspect that the Jedi Council wanted to control the Republic, and was plotting to betray him.
Palpatine said, “They asked you to spy on me, didn’t they?”
Squirming in his seat beside the Chancellor, Anakin replied, “I don’t, uh… I don’t know what to say.”
“Remember back to your early teachings,” Palpatine continued. “All those who gain power are afraid to lose it. Even the Jedi.”
No, that’s not true, Anakin thought. “The Jedi use their power for good,” he insisted.
“Good is a point of view, Anakin,” Palpatine said calmly. “The Sith and the Jedi are similar in almost every way, including their quest for greater power.” That’s not true, either .
“The Sith rely on their passion for their strength,” Anakin said. “They think inwards, only about themselves.”
“And the Jedi don’t?” Palpatine asked, lifting his eyebrows high to convey his belief that the answer was as plain as his face.
“The Jedi are selfless,” Anakin countered. “They only care about others.”
There was applause from the audience, and Anakin and Palpatine directed their attention to the performers. Palpatine said, “Did you ever hear the tragedy of Darth Plagueis the Wise?”
“No,” Anakin admitted.
“I thought not,” Palpatine said smugly. “It’s not a story the Jedi would tell you. It’s a Sith legend. Darth Plagueis was a Dark Lord of the Sith, so powerful and so wise he could use the Force to influence the midi-chlorians to create… life.” He slowly turned his gaze to Anakin before he continued. “He had such a knowledge of the dark side that he could even keep the ones he cared about from dying.”
Anakin thought immediately of Padmé, and of his most recent nightmares, and felt a tingling sensation along his spine. He said, “He could actually… save people from death?”
“The dark side of the Force is a pathway to many abilities some consider to be unnatural.”
Anakin thought about Darth Plagueis, wondering just how much of the legend might be true. He said, “Wh - What happened to him?”
Looking away from Anakin, Palpatine answered slowly, “He became so powerful, the only thing he was afraid of was losing his power, which eventually, of course, he did. Unfortunately, he taught his apprentice everything he knew. Then his apprentice killed him in his sleep. It’s ironic. He could save others from death, but not himself.”
Because the Chancellor was such a learned man and had discussed the ongoing hunt for Darth Sidious with members of the Jedi Council, Anakin wasn’t curious about how he might have learned such a bizarre story about the Sith. Anakin only wanted to know one thing.
“Is it possible to learn this power?” he asked.
Raising his eyebrows, Palpatine turned to once again lock his gaze on Anakin and said, “Not from a Jedi.”
INTERLUDE
Twenty-three years after the end of the Clone Wars, Darth Vader had no difficulty recalling Anakin Skywalker’s meeting with Supreme Chancellor Palpatine at the Opera House. Although he had not yet realized that Palpatine was really the Sith Lord Darth Sidious, it was at that particular moment that Anakin Skywalker decided he must learn the secrets of the Sith.
At the time, Anakin had convinced himself that he only wanted to gain the powers that would help him save his wife. He hadn’t wanted to take the path to the dark side. In fact, he had continued to behave nobly after that meeting at the opera. When the Jedi Council insulted
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