The place was a bar in Tatooine. It was not at the centre of the Galaxy. In fact, Tatooine was a remote, backwater planet featuring mostly sand. All right, there was some interesting wildlife that did make a kind of a living in the sand and very occasionally about once every five years there was a spectuar rainstorm in parts of the planet when plants did spectacularly but briefly flourished which might interest some botanists. But mainly, and for those that lived on it, the Tatooine consisted of sand!

At the bar, a barman was busy putting glasses in a dishwasher and looking around at the bar seeing if there was any custom. 'Nothing much dramatic happening tonight, then!' he sighed at one of the regulars at the bar. The creature at the bar, an odd-shaped, Humanoid with a tentacle coming out of it's mouth he liked beer, replied, 'It would appear that way. Mind, I have heard that a celebrity might be on his way today. One that was born on this planet!'

'Do we actually have any celebrities born on this planet?' asked the barman, Fred.

'Of course, one Luke Skywalker, Jedi Master and New Republic Senator,'

'Is he born around here, he always keeps that quiet?'

'Can't really blame him for that, there's not much to say about this place, really!' said the creature.

'And his Senatorship is largely honorary, he doesn't turn up to the Senate that often, I don't think he even has voting rights!' said a figure clad in a robe which covered his face. There weren't that many people at the bar at this time, it was early, and the light from the two suns of Tatooine was just beginning to fade into one of their spectacular sunsets. The figure in the robe seemed very disguised.

'Good for him, then given the way those Senators carry on,' the Roan replied.

'Oh, beer, please!' the figure ordered from the bar.

'Coming right up, still no doubt when he comes it will be with lots of people, an entourage, pres and local police,' the Barman said.

'No doubt,' said the figure and took of his cloak revealing himself to be Luke Skywalker himself wearing brown and white tunic. 'Sorry about that,' Luke chuckled, 'A Jedi like myself doesn't have many problems in hiding himself, but I shouldn't play tricks like that on the unwary!'

'Not that that stops you,' said Han behind him with a lop-sided smile.

'Ah, excellent, Han! Oh, and Leia!' Luke greeted the pair. With a smile at the barman, the three moved away into a corner. Leia was wearing a colourful but comfortable green and black dress. All 3 were in their sixties and while their eyes did burn brightly they did have grey hair and many wrinkles. Han, despite been the eldest possibly did wear it best, but he did do this mostly by his style. The 3 did not resemble much in looks those that had originally fought the Empire all those years ago, though to many in the Galaxy they somewhat thought of them in that light.

'Nice to see you two here, it's been a while, how are things with you?' Luke asked.

'For us, not too bad. But we can't escape the crisis of this time. Past Isenguirm on the way here after that Yuzon Vong attack. What devastation.' 'It does seem that the Galaxy leaps from one crisis after another,' Leia sighed.

Luke complained. 'We just can't find peace. Genuine peace that is. You remember when we defeated the Empire for the first-time and the death of Palpatine? We thought we won then didn't we? Yet since then it has just been crisis after crisis after crisis. All right, we do have the odd spell of peace but it doesn't last. How the Galaxy yearns for a few years of quiet and recovery, oh, hi R2,' Luke acknowledged the little Astronomic Droid that moved up to the table and beeped a little mournfully as though acknowledging the gloomy atmosphere.

Leia added, 'Sometimes I don't think we have won at all. Though the Dark Side never seems to win either. But I would have thought that a Galaxy in a state of constant chaos would be a good consolation for it.'

'Well, Leia, the Dark Side is a state of mind as much as anything. You can't defeat it by destroying a Death Star or two or assassinating an Emperor or even in watching an Imperial fleet rot away. Not that easily. There are some that say that the Dark Side and it's temptations will never go away as long as the force exists. There are also some that say that perhaps we ought to live with it and that the peculiarities of the Sith was a perversion of the Dark Side as much as anything else!'

'I know, Luke, but remember that before the crisises of a few decades ago, the Galaxy had peace and plenty for many hundreds of years. And now we have constant war, it appears,'

'Almost as though we are paying for it!' Han agreed with his wife.

'It's almost as though there is someone or somethings that are trying to keep the Galaxy in a state of warfare. For their own purposes or something more sinister. Some power seems to be playing with both of us for their own ends,' said Luke 'I'm not sure how, but I seem to be able to sense someone doing this,' Luke sighed as he took a gulp from his drink, looking around the bar that once had been so familair in his younger years.

'Strange you should say that. Have you heard of the Sucals? No? They are an odd council that have influence on many worlds. They were on our side when we were the Rebellion, in fact it was them that provided us on advantageos terms of those first-rate torpedoes we had on our X-wings, you remember those, Luke! Yet I remember when we became the New Republic, they quickly defected. On a very odd point as I recall. I thought it strange at the time because most were happy to be joining us!' Leia informed.

'Yes, I think I do remember someone saying that an organisation giving troubles were the Sucals!'

'Indeed, Luke. We did wonder why a bit they did that. They just seemed to support whoever was causing the most trouble. Some said it was because they were an organisation that specialized in arms deals as I mentioned, some said there was some Sith influence in causing trouble. Personally I think they were just trouble-makers. Witness their support of the Yuzon Vong at the moment. Oh, hi Threepio, Lando. Were've you been?'

See-Threepio sat his tall, golden droid body down on a chair and said, 'Good evening,' in his normal, rather prissy droid voice. 'We were chased all the way here by bandit ships. It's typical of the Galaxy in that due to the distractions of the current conflict that the New Republic Navy cannot control even a few bandits. All this conflict causes my motors to run slowly,'

The man he was with gave Threepio's back a slap, 'And I have to spend a few days been chased around with laughing-boy here, how much fun is that? All I want to do is to make a bit of money. Odd how I never seem to be able to.' Lando was a man that did not always appreciate the company of mechanized droids. 'What a Galaxy!'

'Sometimes I have a dream,' said Han.

'Do you, really?'

'Yes, Luke, you don't need to be a Jedi to have dreams or hunches. I have a recurring dream that all of the troubles since the destruction of the Empire never happened. There was still a few trouble-spots but rather minor and were quickly dealt with. There was no resurrection of the Empire, no new Death Stars or super-Death Stars or any other such super weapon. Just a Galaxy slowly recovering from the trials of tyranny and war. And peace. But totally unnotworthy!'

'Strange dream, Han!' commented Luke looking around the bar with his sharp Jedi senses although he was in a relatively relaxed mood. The bar was moderately full, his old haunts of many years ago. Of course, since his youth the place had been refurbished 5 times, redecorated 3 been bombed from space and had almost changed out of all recognition. But it managed to keep some sort of atmosphere with drinkers, talking, some playing games. It wasn't quite as dramatic as some bars in the Galaxy but well.

'There are those that say you have been notoriously lucky in some of your life, Han!'

Han scowled at Lando. It was true that he did have a reputation of getting out of some tight spots but he never personally considered himself lucky. 'Maybe in some things. But I must say, I would appreciate just a quiet life for a few years rather than this constant round of adventure. Yes, I do manage to get out of situations in the nick of time, but I wish I wouldn't get into them!'

'You know, Han does sometimes wake up in the night sweating over nightmares!'

'I do, Leia! Even in my youth, well, I might have been to some of the most dramatic spots of the Galaxy, though often in unusual places in them, I don't think I'm boasting to say that I have been with some of it's most beautiful women as well. Though I was never far away from something happening causing my heart to stop with fear which puts a dampener on things. It's all very well having gorgeous sex, but when you are worrying if Danzig, the Correlian Slasher is going to bite your head of for a few credits, literally, that tends to be a bit of a turn-of! I did once go to the famous gambling planet of Vegas were only the rich and powerful tread. But I didn't see much more than their lavatories. Which are pretty disgusting, strangely!' I have had my best mate and long-term companion killed, recently. That wasn't so lucky. In fact, I sometimes think that the luckiest thing I have done with my life is marrying Leia, here!'

His wife smiled at the compliment. 'I have heard it said that all of history is pre-written. Some say by a God, though a few mischievous people say it is by a madman.' She said. Threepio replied in his high, metallic voice, 'I would be most upset if I found that someone was writing tales about my life and putting me in danger all the time!' This didn't sound like much of a threat coming from Threepio. But Han growled, 'For once I agree with Golden-rod. If I find out that someone is writing about me I will personally have more than just a few words!' Han Solo was old, nowadays, but this was still a threat of considerably more menace coming from him!

'But considering the Galaxy,' said Luke. 'Will it ever have proper long-term peace. It yearns for it. Cries out for it. But will it ever get it? I hope so, one day, but it doesn't look likely now.' Luke was a bit gloomy and finished of his drink before offering to buy a round for the rest of the table. Well. Will the Galaxy every find proper peace?