Across the Stars

Warning: This story doesn’t contain mandos, action, or love scenes. I’ve wanted to write a story about this for a long time and I finally did. Ha.


This is dedicated with love to Amidalooine



He is Luke Skywalker. He is a hero of the New Republic, renowned fighter pilot, and the founder of the New Jedi Order. He has made peace with his past and the father whose deeds left scars on the galaxy that will probably never fully be healed. He has found a family he didn’t know he had. He is a Husband, Brother, Uncle and Friend. He knows some of his father’s history, but nothing of his mother’s. He has many questions, some that cannot be answered, except by those no longer breathing.

Now he runs his Jedi Academy to the best of his ability, training those who seek him out, wishing to share his knowledge of the Force. His sister’s children are among those trainees. He looks forwards to the day he crowns them with the title of Jedi Knight. He is Luke Skywalker.

She is Leia Organa Solo. She is the Chief-of-State of the New Republic. She is a mother, sister, Jedi, and wife. She has made peace with her past to the best of her ability, but does not wish to dwell on the details. Her questions lie in the future, not in the past. She unknowingly carries to completion the things her mother started. She is Leia Organa Solo.


Luke Skywalker stood outside the great temple, his 10-year-old nephew Anakin Solo beside him. He watched the silver streak zoom through the atmosphere toward the landing pad. The Yavin moon had no planetary defenses to stop intruders, but the pilot had contacted the Temple and had requested permission to land, and to speak with Luke Skywalker. Permission had been granted by Luke himself. As the ship came closer and slowed for the landing, Luke turned to his nephew.

“Do you know what type of ship that is?” He asked the boy.

“Jaina would know for sure, but I think it looks like a Nubian star cruiser, one of the less flashy models” answered Anakin. “Perhaps our visitor is from Naboo.”

“I wonder why they would take the trouble to come here, it must have been quite a trip”, mused Luke. His wife Mara Jade exited the Temple and came to stand at her husband’s side.

The ship landed and let off steam and hissed as it cooled. After a few minutes the hatch opened and a woman walked out. She was dressed in a non-descript flight suit and had pretty brown hair rolled into bun behind her head. She smiled as she walked over to Luke and said “My name is Ryoo Naberrie Tarsol, and you must be Luke Skywalker”.

“Yes, I am, and welcome to the Jedi Academy. May I introduce my wife, Mara Jade Skywalker and my nephew, Anakin Solo?” answered Luke.

"Hello, Mrs.Tarsol” nodded Anakin.

“Greetings Ryoo” said Mara with a smile of greeting.

“Hello, Anakin” Ryoo smiled at him, then turned to Mara and greeted her. She then turned back to Luke and asked, “Have you ever heard of Padme Naberrie Amidala?

“No, I have not heard of her” answered Luke.

“She is the reason I am here”. Ryoo began. “I am her niece, and I have information regarding your past. I am not a phony, and I have proofs. I would love to speak with you and your sister, Leia, together if that is possible, since this information concerns both of you”.

“You’ve got me curious now” smiled Luke. “And you are in luck. My sister and her family are coming to stay for a few days at the academy. She, Han, and her twins will be arriving sometime today.”

Ryoo smiled and said, “That is wonderful. I will return to my ship to freshen up and prepare. Thank you so much”

Luke nodded. “I look forward to speaking with you later.”


A few hours later Luke, Mara, Anakin, and several other Jedi stood outside the Great Temple watching the famous ship, Millennium Falcon, land; Ryoo also came out and stood beside her ship to see the falcon and her passengers arrive. 12-year-old Jaina and Jacen were the first to appear. Jaina ran over and gave her Uncle a big hug.

“Hi, Uncle Luke, it’s good to see you again. I can’t wait to start training again” said the pretty 12-year-old.

“That’s good to hear”, laughed Luke, and then turned to Jacen, “are you ready to start again, too?”

“Of course I am”, Jacen grinned as he gave his Uncle a hug. By now Han, Leia, and Chewie had made their way over to the group. Lowie ran up and jumped on his Uncle, while brother and sister greeted each other with a hug and Han picked up his youngest son and gave him a squeeze. Jacen and Jaina greeted their Aunt and spoke with her. Mara gave Leia a hug and then greeted Han. Jaina noticed the extra ship sitting on the landing ground and asked her Uncle,

“Uncle Luke, who else is here, I don’t recognize that ship, well I mean obviously it is a Nubian, but I don’t know who it belongs to” she finished.

“It belongs to a lady who calls herself Ryoo Naberrie Tarsol. She arrived earlier today and she wishes to speak to Leia and me, together about our past” answered Luke.

“What’s that?” asked Leia, as she turned to her brother with a grin. “This better not be political, because I’m on vacation”.

“Well said, my dear” agreed Han. “Let’s get your stuff inside the Temple, J&J, and then we can talk to Luke some more”.

“OK”

“I’ll help”, volunteered Anakin; as Lowie voiced his willingness to help in his language. Mara said she’d come with them and the group set off towards the temple.


“How are you, Luke?” asked Leia, now that they were alone.

“I’m good, and you?”

“Tired, but healthy”, Leia smiled. “What were you saying about someone…?”

“Oh, yes, Ryoo Naberrie Tarsol arrived earlier today. She wants to speak with us together, about our past. She has piqued my curiosity, I’ll admit.” Luke continued, “Have you ever heard of Padme Naberrie Amidala?”

Leia thought for a moment and then smiled. “Of course I have, Padme Amidala was one of the prominent signers of the Petition of the 2000. Mon Mothma knew her, and together they laid the groundwork for the rebellion, before the Empire even became the Empire. She died right after the empire was formed, from unknown causes. She was a much loved senator from Naboo, who I think had also served as a Queen of Naboo at one time. Now, I only know this because my father taught me much that the Empire-approved school curriculum would not ever have included. I believe Bail Organa also knew her personally”.

“Well, that explains the Nubian”, said Luke, “But I wonder what Padme had to do with our past”.

“Another mother story, probably” Leia rolled her eyes. “Come on bro; let’s go meet the others for dinner”

“Sounds good” said Luke, as the siblings started toward the Temple.


Inside the dining hall they found their family and many of the other Jedi trainees preparing dinner. Ryoo was also there; she had introduced herself to some of the other beings as someone with a message for Luke and Leia. With the arrival of the twins, everyone found seats and began the usual chatting between bites that accompanies get-togethers everywhere. It was decided that Ryoo could share her stories after breakfast the next morning, and that Han, Chewie, and the children could attend if they wanted.

The next morning the Solo children met in Jacen’s room to discuss whether they wanted to attend “story-time” as Jaina put it or if they wanted to do something else instead.

“It sounds interesting to me, so I think I’ll attend”, decided Jaina. She looked at her brothers and said, “how about you two?”

“I am going to come with you, because I want to learn all I can about my grandfather, besides I like solving puzzles, and our grandparent’s past is like a puzzle”, said Anakin in his serious way.

“I’ll come with you”, said Jacen, and then added, “I don’t really have anything to do, anyway, and Tenel Ka isn’t back yet”.

After breakfast the Solos, Skywalkers, Ryoo, and Chewie gathered in Luke’s “office” room and found seats. Jaina brought a cushion to sit on. Ryoo smiled and began to speak.

“Thank you for allowing me to speak, I know some of you have your doubts about my story. The first thing I want to tell you is Padme Naberrie Amidala’s full name.” Ryoo paused for a moment and then continued. “Her full name was Padme Naberrie Amidala Skywalker”. Ryoo paused again and looked around at the group. Leia looked skeptical, the kids, Luke, and Mara politely interested, and Han and his wookie were unreadable.

“I have this to prove my statement”, she said, handing a piece of flimsiplast to Leia. It was a copy of a marriage certificate, stating that Anakin Skywalker and Padme Amidala had been joined in marriage in a civil ceremony by father so and so. A note at the bottom showed that this document and its information was to be undisclosed except by one of the aforementioned parties. Leia studied the document carefully and then handed it to her brother. Ryoo noticed that the Chief-of-State looked a little less skeptical now.

“Why did you wait all this time to come here?” questioned Luke. “If you couldn’t come yourself, why didn’t you send a message for us to come to you?”

“My mother told me that she always wanted to give you the story herself”, Ryoo began, “but five years ago she was diagnosed with a terminal illness. This disease was such as to not let her leave the planet. It was after she received the diagnoses that she told my younger sister and I about our Aunt’s complete story, and that you were in fact our cousins. As for myself, I had to work up my courage, to come and face you. I have children and commitments, and now was the best, and really only, time for me to come. My three children are all at a summer camp for a month and my husband is reconciled to my absence. We had discussed him accompanying me, but decided against it. I didn’t send a message, because I’ve heard some of the tales told about your “mother” and the people who have tried to convince you that it was they who gave birth to you. I knew I wouldn’t be given any more credence than they were given, unless I came to you with credible proofs.”

“I guess that explains it”, said Leia. “How is your sister?”

“She is well”, replied Ryoo. “Pooja has six children and a very demanding family schedule and couldn’t take the time off. She would love to meet all of you, though”.

“Perhaps that can be arranged sometime” said Leia. “What else do you have to show us?”

“Many things, said Ryoo. She set a holoprojector and loaded a disk of photos.

“Continue already” said Han teasingly.

“Padme was born on Naboo to Jobal and Ruwee Naberrie. She became interested in politics from a very young age. She joined the Junior Legislatives when she was 11. Padme became a Princess of Theed (our capitol city) at age 12 and was elected Queen of Naboo when she was only 14. During her first year as Queen the Trade Federation decided to blockade Naboo to protest taxation, imposed by the Republic, which they deemed unfair. It started as a blockade, but became a military occupation when the head of the federation tried to take the Queen and her advisers into custody; after arresting many of the people in Theed City. The group was rescued by two Jedi, Qui-gon Jinn and Obi-wan Kenobi.

“So that’s what Ben looked like when he was young!” said Luke, as he looked at the news clip of the Jedi. Mara grinned at him.

“Padme and her advisers escaped the planet with the Jedi, heading for Coruscant to ask the senate for help. The hyperdrive was damaged and they were forced to land on Tatooine to repair it. They had no money beside republic credits”

“Which you can’t use on Tatooine”, laughed Luke.

“Exactly”, agreed Ryoo. “Most of the group stayed with the ship while Qui-gon and Padme, who was dressed as a pheasant, went to buy parts. While Qui-gon talked to a shop owner, Padme met Anakin, who was a slave of the shop owner. He ended up winning the needed parts for them by winning a pod race”.

“We both know that much”, said Leia, and seeing the question on Ryoo’s face, she continued, “on a trip on Tatooine, my husband and I recovered Anakin’s mother’s diary”.

“Oh, that is interesting”, said Ryoo. “Continuing, the senate refused to help without forming committees and going through discussions”.

“Of course”, said Leia with a roll of her eyes. Han snorted.

“Padme and the Jedi, along with Anakin returned to Naboo, where they enlisted the help of the Gungans, the other sentient species on Naboo. The Jedi helped the Queen and her staff sneak back into the palace while the gungans fought the droids. Padme’s mission was successful, and while she was settling with the trade federation’s leader, the two Jedi battled an enemy that had followed them from Tatooine. All I know is that he was a Zabrak and that he had a double Lightsaber. The Zabrak was killed by Obi-wan, after he had killed Qui-gon. While all this was happening elsewhere, Anakin somehow made it into space and into the droid control ship, where he blew it up by detonating several torpedoes inside the structure.”

“Anakin did this when he was nine?” asked an impressed Jacen.

“He won a pod race, too, remember?” said Jaina to her twin. Jaina looked at the news clip on the screen. It featured Anakin as a young hero, with a picture of him from the celebration that followed.

“He was cute” exclaimed Jaina.

“Yes, he was” agreed her Uncle.

“After this crisis had been taken care of, everyone went their respective ways. Padme was a much loved Queen, and the people of Naboo even tried to change the legislation to allow her to remain in office for more than her two terms. She refused, and a new Queen was elected. Padme wasn’t given much of a vacation before the new Queen asked her to serve in the galactic senate. This is a clip of a news conference she gave”, finished Ryoo as she started the clip.

An image of a young woman appeared on the screen, standing at a press box. She was smiling, “I want to thank Queen Jamillia, and the people of Naboo for their trust. I promise to serve in the senate for the people of Naboo, and not for myself. I thank everyone for their love and faith in me and promise to do what is right for the people of Naboo” she said, and then the clip ended.

“She sounds like you, Leia” said Han. Leia nodded, her eyes on the screen.

“Soon after she began serving in the Senate, she became the target of assassination attempts”, continued Ryoo. “The supreme chancellor, once a senator from Naboo, asked that she accept the protection of a Jedi. She reluctantly agreed, and so Obi-wan Kenobi and his padawan Anakin Skywalker came to her apartment to begin their duties. It was the first time she’d seen them since the trade federation business.”

“Palpatine was from Naboo?” Han asked the question as Mara leaned forward.

“Yes”, said Ryoo and then she added, “we are not proud of it, at least most of the Nubian people are not”.

“I bet they aren’t”, agreed Jacen.

“The very night of the Jedi’s arrival, another assassination attempt was made. A preprogrammed droid released two of those deadly poisonous kouhuns. Anakin sensed the danger and killed the creatures as Obi-wan grabbed the droid as it flew away from the window. Anakin left to find a speeder in order to rescue his friend. Obi-wan told Padme later that they found a bounty hunter named Zam Wessel; who was about to tell them who had hired her when she was hit by a poisonous dart, which killed her instantly. Now the Chancellor insisted that Padme return to Naboo until the person trying for her life was found. Nothing Padme could say would change his mind. Obi-wan began his search for answers while Anakin accompanied Padme back to Naboo. Padme brought him home to visit us before she left for a more secluded and secure retreat.” Ryoo paused and handed around some holopics from the visit. “That’s me with the straight hair, and there is Pooja with the curls”.

“Pooja was adorable”, said Jaina.

“Ryoo, you look a bit like Jaina did when she was little” said Jacen. The pictures were passed around. Leia studied one of Anakin and Padme together, and Luke looked the longest at one of Padme, Anakin and the little girls.

“The next news we had of Padme was that she was on Geonosis, in the middle of the first battle of the Clone Wars. No one understood or knew what she was doing there, or how she even ended up there. She was supposed to be in hiding!”

“You must have been very worried” remarked Leia.

“My mother and Grandmother were very worried. I was still very young and did not really understand what was going on. A big war? I couldn’t picture it. On Naboo, weapons were outlawed!” said Ryoo. “Padme returned to Naboo with Anakin and together they explained to all of us what had happened. Anakin had had visions of the mother he had left behind on Tatooine dying. He decided he had to go to Tatooine and find out what was happening to her. Padme insisted on accompanying him, and so they left Naboo together. When they arrived on Tatooine, they discovered that his mother had married and gone to live on a moisture farm.”
“With Cliegg Lars”, finished Leia.

“You learned of this from the diary?” asked Ryoo.

“Yes”, said Leia. “And we heard more from one of Anakin’s childhood friends. Kitster told us how Anakin had come back to find that his mother had been taken by the Tusken Raiders. He found her, only to have her die in his arms. After the burial Anakin and Padme left Tatooine”, finished Leia.

“They left Tatooine for Geonosis after receiving a message from Obi-wan, whose search for Padme’s enemy had led him to that world. They had forwarded Kenobi’s message to the Jedi Temple as he had requested, and then had decided to try to rescue him themselves. This mission Padme claimed credit for. They were captured in a droid factory which was working full force cranking out battle droids and were then taken to an arena, where they found Obi-wan chained to a pole, awaiting his execution. They were chained to poles as well.”

Ryoo paused and took a drink. She looked around the group, noticing the expressions on each person’s face. Leia was listening intently, and studying the pictures on the projector reel with a face that Ryoo could not understand. Han and the wookie were watching and listening with an air of detachment. The kids looked enthralled, and she wondered if they really found this story interesting or if they were just used to looking interested during talks since their mother was Chief-of-State. Mara, Luke’s wife, remembered Ryoo, was just listening; Ryoo supposed it must be interesting for her, since it concerned her husband. And then there was Luke, he is such a Jedi she thought. His face was clear of emotion, so she couldn’t tell what he thought of the whole thing. Ryoo took a breath and began again.

“On Geonosis, the executions are accomplished with ferocious creatures, in a show-like setting. Three humans were chained to three poles, and three horrible predators were released into the arena.”

“What were they?” asked Jacen, the creature lover.

“An Acklay, a Nexu, and a Reek”, she answered him with a smile.

“Those are all really mean animals when aroused” he said.

“Yes they are” Ryoo said and then continued. “Padme climbed up her pole after unlocking her shackles with a hairpin. Anakin used the Reek’s strength to break his chains, which he then used to ride the Reek. Obi-wan grabbed one of the handler’s weapons and disposed of the Acklay. Padme used her chains to swing down and knock the Nexu away from her. It was finished off by Anakin’s Reek. They picked up Obi-wan and the next thing they knew, the arena was filled with Jedi and Battle droids. While they were fighting for their lives and the Geonosians were watching more Jedi had arrived to look into Kenobi’s report. The Jedi battled the battle droids valiantly, but they were overwhelmed by sheer numbers. The surviving Jedi were herded into a small group in the middle of the arena. One of the Jedi leaders spoke with one of the leaders of the Separatists Party. The Jedi refused the Separatist demands and the droids were ready to begin the slaughter again when huge ships had suddenly appeared. These ships were under the care of a Jedi named Yoda and full of clones. The Jedi were picked up by the ships and the clones engaged the droids and Separatists. The Separatist leader tried to escape, but was pursued by the ship carrying Kenobi, Anakin and Padme. Padme fell from the ship after the ship came under fire from the droid ships accompanying the man. She went with a clone trooper to find help for the two Jedi while Kenobi and Skywalker landed in the Separatist hanger just before their ship exploded. There was a battle, but my mother wasn’t too clear on why. Padme arrived at the end, just as the Separatist leader was making his final escape. Both Obi-wan and Anakin were injured and Anakin was missing his arm. Most of the Jedi left for Coruscant immediately. After a few bacta tank sessions and the fitting of a robot arm for Anakin, the two of them returned to Naboo for a rest. They came and visited us for a few days before returning to the Lake House where they married. Anakin returned to Coruscant a few days afterwards and Padme came home to rest for a time.”

“Did Padme seem different then, or do you not know?” asked Leia curiously.

“My mother remembers noticing changes in Padme, but said that she attributed them to the arena and wholesale slaughter she’d witnessed. Padme never told anyone about her marriage”, answered Ryoo.

“Padme continued to be a senator during the clone wars, didn’t she?” asked Jaina, who was trying to remember the history she’d learned.

“Yes, Jaina, she did”, said Ryoo. “We did not see her again for the next two years. Travel was dangerous and she was very busy on Coruscant; with the Senate continually voting more executive powers on the Chancellor, and the war legislation. She was worried about how things were going, as evidenced in her conversations with my mother and grandparents. Here is part of one. I brought copies of most of them.” Ryoo paused and fiddled with a pad, and then Padme’s voice blossomed out of the speaker.

"Yes Sola, I am healthy, but I am very worried. Did you here that the Senate is voting on more powers for Palpatine tomorrow? It seems like soon the Senate will vote themselves out of existence!"

“Are you voting against the proposition, Padme?”

“Yes, as are some of my associates, not that it will do any good; we are in the minority right now. I don’t think the chancellor needs this much power”.

“Do you still trust Palpatine?”

“I still do think highly of Palpatine, he was our senator and he was a wonderful friend to me while I was Queen, but he doesn’t seem to be interested in diplomacy anymore. It is very discouraging”. *Padme sighed*

“How is that Jedi, Anakin? Have you heard?”

“Oh Sola, not much”, Padme’s voice sounded tired; “He and Obi-wan are still with the attachments in the Outer Rim Sieges. Last I heard he is still alive, but who knows now?”

“I hate war. It is so hard to answer the girls’ questions, because I do not know the answers myself”

“War is truly terrible, Sola, and it is so pointless. So many have died, a new casualty report came in two days ago. Four more Jedi have died, and whole platoons of clones. And
don’t mention civilians to me, I cried when I saw the numbers!”

Ryoo stopped the playback. Anakin had climbed into his father’s lap. Leia had tears in her eyes; memories that wouldn’t leave had resurfaced again.

“The Clone Wars destroyed a great many things” said Han. Ryoo nodded and continued.

“When the news that Coruscant itself was under attack, the entire Republic was horrified, how could have this have happened? And when everyone found out the Chancellor had been captured! You can imagine the turmoil, fear and talk that resulted. Not to worry, Skywalker and Kenobi, the “Heroes of the War” were on their way. Anakin had been labeled as the “Hero with no Fear” and it seemed that he and Kenobi could not be killed. And once again they came through, rescuing the chancellor, killing on of the main leaders of the CIS in the process. And if you look at this footage of what Anakin landed, you’ll see why he was considered one of the greatest pilots in history.”

Ryoo loaded another disk into the projector and the image began to play. A gigantic fireball appeared, flanked by small ships spraying fire suppressant and water on the flames. The kids gasped. A newscaster was heard explaining that this ship was the one with the chancellor and his rescuers aboard. The remains of a space frigate could be seen now, a ship that wasn’t meant to land, especially not under these conditions. The ship took out a tower and some other structures as it crashed onto the runway and gradually slowed to a stop. Now emergency rescue crews were shown cutting through the rest of the armor to reach the ship’s remaining passengers. The clip ended, and everyone looked at each other.

“Wow, that was totally awesome!” exclaimed Jaina, the first to speak.

Han grinned, “He’s got me beat”. Chewie chuffed in agreement.

“That was really amazing! No wonder he was such a hero to everyone,” said Jacen.

“You certainly got your piloting skills from him” said Leia to Luke; he smiled and replied “and you certainly inherited Padme’s diplomatic skills”.

Leia nodded quietly. The others finished exclaiming and turned to Ryoo again.

“We do not know much of what happened between Anakin and Padme, but Kenobi and Skywalker were allowed to remain on Coruscant for a time. Padme told us that Anakin had been assigned to the Jedi Council by Palpatine as his personal representative. Padme did not sound too happy when she told my mother this. Obi-wan was assigned to the search for the droid general of the CIS. He found him on Utapau, and engaged him. Kenobi came out the victor, and Padme told us she and some of her fellow senators were going to the Chancellor’s office to ask him to step down. By now the Chancellor had been in office for far longer than he was supposed to be. The chancellor refused. The next news that came from Coruscant was that the Jedi had tried to assassinate Palpatine and now the Jedi were all declared enemies of the Republic, and that Palpatine had declared himself Emperor; having turned the Republic into the first Galactic Empire”.

“And that is how all the Jedi died”, said Jaina sadly, “they were killed by the clones by order of the emperor.”

“Yes,” said Ryoo, “My grandparents, mother, and sister and I were worried frantic. We couldn’t contact Padme at all. And then there was Anakin and Obi-wan, our Jedi friends, now declared enemies. The news wasn’t good and we had no way of knowing the truth anymore.” Ryoo paused and took a sip of her water. Everyone in the room waited more or less impatiently. She had them interested. “Then, less than a week later, Bail Organa arrived with Padme. She was dead, and obviously very pregnant. I remember crying a lot. Both Pooja and I did. Our Aunt dead? How could that happen? There was an elaborate state funeral a week later. Thousands lined the streets of Theed City, and not one eye was dry. She was probably the most beloved public figure Naboo has ever had. And just think! She was only 28, how young to die. Queen Apailana respected Padme’s privacy and did not allow any looking into her death or why she was pregnant.”

“Now”, continued Ryoo, “all this is what my grandmother told Sola, my mother just before her death, and what my mother in turn told Pooja and I when the Empire was no longer a threat to your safety. Bail told Ruwee that Padme’s child had not died, and that he was adopting it for safety reasons. He told her that Padme had named the child Leia, and that he and his wife would care for the girl like she was their own, because that is what they would consider her, and that was what she would consider herself. Bail charged my grandmother to never tell anyone, because if she did the little girl’s life would be put at risk, and so my grandmother promised”.

“Was your grandmother still alive when the Empire fell?” asked Mara.

“No, she died 15 years into the Empire and my grandfather died a year and an half after she did” answered Ryoo.

“Were there big parties on Naboo when the Emperor died?” asked Anakin.

“Yes, there were”, answered Ryoo, “when giving this story to me and my sister, my mother told us how she had been so excited that Leia had done all she’d done, and how she, (my mother), wondered about the unlikely hero of the rebellion, this Luke Skywalker. Skywalker isn’t a very common name, you know, and so she wondered, as I sometimes did, if you and Anakin were somehow related. The people on Naboo were mostly sympathetic with the rebellion, and there were ways to get news. It was not long after the battle of Endor that news reached us that Luke, the rebellion’s hero, was Princess Leia’s brother. With that information, Sola searched information records and found the record of Padme’s marriage to Anakin Skywalker; now she knew who the father was for certain, and she also knew that the children were legitimate. The only thing I do not know is how or why Padme died. I have heard the story of Anakin becoming Darth Vader, and though it is hard to believe that the Jedi I saw would do the horrible things he did, I have to believe it, since I doubt you’d lie about this sort of thing.”

“That is not something anyone would lie about” acknowledged Luke.

“And that is my story, your story really,” said Ryoo. Leia stood up and gave Ryoo a hug.

“Hello, cousin” said Leia tears in her eyes. “I believe you, and thank you for bringing our story to us.” Ryoo blinked back tears and smiled.

“You’ve done such a wonderful job by your kids and the galaxy, Leia, Padme would be so proud of you.”


After lunch, most of the group made their way out to Ryoo’s ship at her invitation. Jaina was excited, and couldn’t wait to go over every inch of the pretty cruiser. Ryoo showed them around the ship, and then when they were all together in the common room, as she called it, she disappeared for a moment and came back with several packages.

“First for Jacen, the animal lover”, she said with a grin. Jacen grinned back and removed the light packaging to find a clear cage containing a small brown egg.

“Neat! What is it?” he asked with a big grin on his face.

“A duck egg” answered Ryoo, “the Nubian ducks can be friendly pets, it will consider you its parent, I’m sure you’ll enjoy it”. She then turned to Jaina and handed her a small box. Jaina opened it to find a string of light blue pearls.

“Oh, they are pretty, thank you Cousin Ryoo!” exclaimed Jaina.

“Something to wear to those important functions”, said Ryoo to her. “And for Anakin,” Ryoo handed Anakin a package. He undid the wrapping to find a collection of difficult holopuzzles. “I heard you are a problem solver, so here is some more to solve”.

“Thank you”, grinned Anakin.

“And, for the not so newlyweds,” said Ryoo with a huge smile on her face, “a late wedding present” as she handed a package to Luke and a package and small box to Mara. Mara opened the small box first to find a beautiful strand of light pink pearls.

“These are gorgeous Ryoo, thank you,” said Mara, as Luke helped put them on. She unwrapped the second package to find a beautifully framed holo of Ryoo and Pooja and their families. “All my new relatives”, she said with a grin.

“Yes, indeed,” answered Ryoo. Luke opened his package to find a nice formal suit. He just laughed and said thank you to Ryoo. Mara laughed with him, something she’d gotten good at since their marriage.

“And now for the best daughter Padme could have hoped for and the insanely lucky guy who married her” said Ryoo, turning to Leia and Han. Everyone laughed as she handed Leia and Han their gifts. Han unwrapped a new chrono, fancy with nice trim. Leia unwrapped two framed pictures, one the same as Mara’s, the other a picture of her mother, Padme, dressed in a beautiful gown.

“She was going off to the senate, and the Queen held a ball for her. That was how she looked 4 years before she died.”

Leia blinked back tears and said “thank you, Ryoo, so much”. Leia looked at the picture of her mother, who smiled back at her. So young to have done all she’d done, so young to die. Han put his arm around her and gave her a squeeze, Leia managed to give him a half smile.

“And these are for you too,” said Ryoo, handing Leia a flat box. Leia opened it to find three different pairs of beautiful earrings.

“Were these hers?” asked Leia, looking up at Ryoo. Ryoo nodded.

“I thought you’d like these, I have some and Pooja has some--of her jewelry”, said Ryoo. “If you ever come to Naboo, we will load you up with stuff”, she added with a smile. Leia nodded. The group stayed in the ship for a little while longer, talking and showing off their gifts.


Ryoo stayed at Yavin until the day of the Solo’s departure. She observed the Jedi Academy and the Solo children in their lessons. She had many different talks with various people, many long and cousinly talks with Luke and Leia. They shared stories about their lives, and places they’d gone and their hopes for the future. Ryoo also had a reunion with R2, who appeared to remember her. She told Luke how much she and Pooja had loved playing with the droid, and Luke told her about the times R2 had saved his life. Mara told jokes about dragging him around caverns and forests. Finally it came time to go their separate ways, and the good-byes were many, and a bit teary. All were happy in their new-found relationships, and each had new things to think of and grow with. The future looked bright.