This is an absolutely fantastic story. I love they way you tell it, echoing the style of Stover's book, and I really like how you explore this alternate set of possibilities. Your idea about the Sith is fascinating, and it's a great explanation for how they truly have changed. And the ending is just great. I'm not quite sure how to read it, whether it's positive, negative, or neither, and that's absolutely perfect for this story. This journey was fantastic!

Pure genius.

Hoo boy...
Now THAT was dramatic.
From the opening moments as Mace Windu fell to the Dark Side, to your exploration of Anakin’s internal conflict as he finds himself torn between his revelation about his own potential for darkness versus his desire to do the right thing, everything in this story was EXCELLENT.
It was always perfectly easy to understand what motivated the characters even when we didn’t approve of their actions- such as the senators ‘electing’ Mace Windu without actually realising that’s what he wanted-, and the reactions of classic characters to new situations- such as when Anakin told the Jedi Council about his fears and failures- were well-done without making anyone appear out of character.
The scenes with Yoda were particularly effective, perfectly capturing the blend of wisdom, power and compassion that made that small but powerful Jedi such a prominent figure among the Jedi Council, with his final moments perfectly conveying the never-truly-seen but nevertheless present bond between him and Anakin, with his last moments a truly moving piece of writing.
And as for the lightsaber duel between Anakin, Obi-Wan and Mace/Salus…
VERY well thought-out, to say the least; you definitely went into a GREAT amount of thought planning out how that confrontation would unfold, with each lightsaber blow carefully thought-out and the battleground very well-described, with some excellent dialogue coming together with some very interesting personal insight as Anakin finally recognises the one precept of the Force he NEEDS to master to pull off his last victory…
It doesn’t just feature cool visuals; in the true “Star Wars” tradition, its ending REALLY makes you think about some fundamental aspects of the line between ‘good’ and ‘evil’.
All in all, an excellent piece of work; keep it up!

i like the concept of the story...

however... one thing i just can't accept... padma's decision to confront Mace. I understood her decision to pose him politically, but fight him?

She is pregnant. It would be the same think as going with a baby in her arms.

While i could understand her wish to self sacrifice ... this is just too much. She is endangering not only herself, but her helpless, innocent child.

She is taking her child into a danger zone not to fight, but to die.

It is obvious that she KNOWS she has NO chance of defeating a sith, and yet, there she goes, ALONE and defenseless.

She is basically sacrificing her child for useless posturing.

This story is amazing! Beautiful, powerful, and gripping. I loved it.

OMG THIS STORY IS AMAZING!! I love it! The whole thing was so wonderfully written and I just love the whole idea of Anakin saving Mace and accepting both the light and dark inside of him and truly becoming the Chosen One. And I love that Padme saves the galaxy and becomes Chancellor - she so deserves it! And I loved that while your story could be poetic and serious and dramatic you were also able to add in witty banter between Anakin & Obi-Wan and Anakin & Padme and even Padme and the droids, lol. This is truly a great achievement on your part and one of the best Star Wars fan fictions I have ever read. Good job!

i love it. keep it up. it stinks that this is the end of the fic but still, where ever you got these ideas from, i hope its putting out more.

Kill me you did... *whacks author repeatedly with cane* My time it was not, killed mace you could have, but no... *continues to whack author* you *whack* must *whack* pay! No one kills yoda, without yodas permission... gr...

Wow! Well done! Mace Windoo a bit ooc - I can't picture him loosing control like that even as a Sith. But other than that, great job! You kept everyone else in character very well. And I liked the fact that Padme had a more assertive role here. Also, good job having Anakin mature. He has a much better head on his shoulders here than in canon!

...I really can't imagine Mace ACTUALLY turning to the Dark Side. But, eh, it's fanfiction. General Grevious could be a closet homosexual and Yoda a ballerina dancer. Fortunaly, they're not.

loved it, did a great job...

I love the idea of making Mace a Dark Jedi and then redeming him. And the way you had Anakin find the balance of the Force-spectactular! The story was very well written! Keep up the good work!

I have the bad feeling that Mace has just fallen...again...(sighs)
Other than MAce's fall and Yoda's death I love this fic! It's wonderful!
I think Anakin's appointment as new Head of the Jedi High Council could have gone better, but it could have also gone worse so...I shall resign myself to what you've given us.
Great fic!
I definitely loved it.

Wow, a very cool story! I had a great time reading it. I really liked your view on Anakin's struggle with his darker side and how he ultimately resolved that struggle. Is there - or will there be - a sequel? It would be really interesting to see how things develop, how Luke and Leia would grow up with their parents, how they would experience their training with the Jedi, how the Jedi will change, how Anakin will do as the new Master of the Jedi and how Padmé will do as the Chancellor. But even if there's no sequel, the ending was very satisfactory, and I especially liked that bit about darkness stirring...I guess you can never really be rid of evil/darkness...without darkness, there's no light, after all. Though one thing I didn't quite understand: Mace fighting these creatures...it sounded a lot more like a Sith fighting them than a man who is trying to get over his phase of having been a Sith fighting them. Shouldn't he meditate or something instead of going out and killing them in cold blood (no pun intended)?

Great Story. Windu always teatered on the brnk between light and Dark. Kind of like stogy old Master Vrook.