A Long Time Ago, In a Galaxy Far Away

Chapter 81

"....On distant Naboo, in a rose-covered arbor overlooking the sparkling lake, Anakin and Padmé stood hand in hand, Anakin in his formal Jedi robes and Padmé in a beautiful white gown with flowered trim. Anakin's new mechanical arm hung at his side, the fingers clenching and opening in reflexive movements.

"Before them stood a Naboo holy man, his hands raised above their heads as he recited the ancients texts of marriage.

"And when the proclamation was made, Artoo-Detoo and See-Threepio, bearing witness to the union, whistled and clapped.

"And Anakin Skywalker and Padmé Amidala shared their first kiss as husband and wife.

"As ends Episode II, Attack of the Clones," Luna said, finishing the story. Anakin smiled as Padmé leaned into his chest. He didn't think that the story over all would be accurate, but it was, more accurate than the HoloNet in some cases. Anakin also didn't miss the fact that while a war did start, the way the story ended, it still managed to be a happy ending.

Another thing Anakin didn't fail to notice was that Dooku went straight from Geonosis to Coruscant. To his master.

At the beginning of the war.

Anakin knew that the Jedi had been tracking Sidious somewhere on Coruscant before they had made it to the Invisible Hand, but even in the beginning? Even then Sidious had been right under their noses?

"Star Wars: Episode III, Revenge of the Sith," Luna said after pausing a moment to turn the page and take a breath, drawing Anakin's attention from his thoughts. He sat up a little straighter, sharing a glance with Obi-Wan and Padmé. This was the time period they had just left. "This story happened a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away. It is already over. Nothing can be done to change it.

"It is a story of love and loss, brotherhood and betrayal, courage and sacrifice, and the death of dreams. It is a story of the blurred line between our best and our worse.

"It is the story of the end of an age.

"A strange thing about stories—

"Though this happened so long ago and so far away that words cannot describe the time or distance, it is also happening right now. Right here.

"It is happening as I read these very words.

"This is how twenty-five millennia come to a close. Corruption and treachery have crushed a thousand years of peace. This is not just the end of the Republic; night is falling on civilization itself.

"This is the twilight of the Jedi.

"The end starts now.

Anakin tried to get rid of the foreboding feeling that settled in his gut. It didn't sound like anything good was about to happen in this story or that anyone could by some miracle make it an okay ending.

Then again, the Empire was created, what exactly should he have been expecting?

Luna continued into the introduction, explaining the initial attack on Coruscant and the subsequent capture of the Chancellor and the shock radiating across the galaxy that followed.

She also told of the reactions of the adults believing it was the end of the Republic while all the younglings tried to comfort their parents with one message: "Don't worry. It'll be alright.

"Anakin and Obi-Wan will be there any minute.

"They say this as though these names can conjure miracles.

Never had Anakin expected that he and Obi-Wan were such figureheads in the war. Anakin knew they were famous from their many missions, the Negotiator and Hero With No Fear, but he hadn't thought that they were that famous. That well known.

That believed in.

Luna had told them they were heroes, that the fate of the galaxy was in their hands, but Anakin had figured that she was over exaggerating.

He was starting to wonder if he had been wrong.

The story then went on to explain the doubts that, the grown-ups at least, had. Why they didn't believe that the Republic could be saved. Their fears that even if Anakin and Obi-Wan could do everything the stories said, that it wouldn't be enough.

"These adults can take no comfort from their younglings. The Chancellor is captured. Grievous will escape. The Republic will fall. No mere human beings can turn this tide. No mere human beings would even try. Not even Kenobi and Skywalker.

"And so it is that these adults across the galaxy watch the HoloNet with ashes where their hearts should be.

"Ashes because they can't see two prismatic bursts of realspace reversion, far out beyond the planet's gravity well; because they can't see a pair of starfighters crisply jettison hyperdrive rings and streak into the storm of Separatist vulture fighters with all guns blazing.

"A pair of starfighters. Jedi starfighters. Only two.

"Two is enough.

"Two is enough because the adults are wrong, and their younglings are right.

"Though this is the end of the age of heroes, it has saved its best for last.

"And I believe I will turn the rest of this story over to said Jedi," Luna said, closing the book as she looked over to the group sitting against the wall with a small smile.

"Hold on, you've already lived through it?" Luke asked, turning to his parents and Obi-Wan.

"Part of it," Obi-Wan replied. "Only the Battle of Coruscant."

"So you're in the middle of that one?" Leia questioned.

"More like the beginning of part two of three," Luna specified.

"How long have you known we were here?" Han asked as he stood, stretching before helping Leia to her feet. Everyone else followed suit.

"I notice you were here in the middle of the arena battle," she responded with a shrug as she began to put away her book, slipping some sort of stuffed animal into the bag as unnoticeably as possible. Anakin frown, wondering about it, but decided against asking Luna about it. "Hope I didn't say anything that was completely off from what really happened."

"It was far more accurate than what the HoloNet has come up with occasionally," Obi-Wan reassured her.

"So that was all true?" Luke asked.

"Well, I can say it what happened that I was present for was. I obviously can't confirm everything," Obi-Wan said, giving Anakin and Padmé a look, "such as whether or not you two actually held your wedding on Naboo."

"To be fair, we had a very good reason," Anakin pointed out.

"Still, you never bothered to mention it."

"And, we still had a very good reason."

"Naboo.... Never been," Han muttered, thinking to himself.

"It's a lovely planet," Leia told him.

"Yeah, and I want to visit sometime," Luke said.

"That makes two of us," Luna agreed.

"Hopefully you both will be able to visit one day," Padmé said, a sad expression gracing her features as she thought about it.... She had always wanted to raise her children on Naboo.

It never happened.

Anakin pulled her into a one armed hug, having an idea of what she was thinking. Luna seemed to as well, because she changed the subject.

"So, is there any particular reason you were all meeting here in the first place or what?" she asked.

"It was just somewhere to meet up, besides, I believe I have a promise to fulfill," Anakin told her. Luna looked at him confused before understanding dawned on her face. A grin broke across her features.