Prologue III

(8 ABY)

"... and here we enter the long hallway leading toward the White Room, where the ceremony will take place about 1100 local time." The reporter halted for a short moment and directed the attention of the viewers toward the paneling of the prestigious corridor leading into the Cantham House. "As you might know, the wood used to panel this hallway is uwa and was indigenous to Alderaan. The large slabs you see here are probably the last oddments of this precious wood after the destruction of its planet of origin. Now let us proceed to the White Room where the ceremony..."

As the documentary droned on, Serina turned down the volume and called toward the kitchen, "Hey, if you want to watch the wedding, you should hurry up. It's going to start soon."

"Coming!" A large pitcher filled with strongly diluted Cashok nectar in one hand and a stack of empty cups in the other, her fourteen-year-old daughter marched out of the kitchen with Marisa close on her heels, carrying a platter with various snacks and cut-up fruits. With a quick motion, Serina gathered her three-year-old son into her lap to get him out of the way of his sister and her aunt.

By the time, the broadcast out of Coruscant had switched from the documentary to the live transmission, the foursome had settled down comfortably on the large couch. As he popped a handful of bang-corn into his mouth, Ben started giggling at the weird melting sensation it produced.

"Shush!" Dara chided her brother, "it's starting."

With a broad smile on her face, Serina ruffled her son's hair and pulled him into her lap. Then she turned the volume up another notch.

"... and here comes the bride. What a sight to behold! The dress she is wearing ..."

Together with billions of other viewers across the galaxy, they watched the beautiful Alderaanian princess walk down the red carpet of the central aisle toward the dashing onetime smuggler, general and hero of the rebellion, expectantly awaiting his bride whom he had fought for only little over a month prior on Dathomir. After Leia had taken up her position across from her soon-to-be husband, the camera took a quick pan of the audience in search of the missing best man. Moments later, it located the Jedi, as he entered the large hall through one of the many doors in the far back.

"That's Luke Skywalker, isn't it, mother?"

"Yes, Dara, that is him," Serina confirmed.

"Is it true, that the princess is his sister?"

"Yes, his twin sister even," her mother expounded.

"... Chief of State Mon Mothma will now address the bridal couple..."

"Mother, you know what Olic told me last week in school?"

"No, Dara," Serina gave an exasperated sigh, as Ben started to giggle again. "What did he tell you?"

"That he heard somewhere that Darth Vader was Luke's father."

"Aha," her mother commented with a raised eyebrow, "is that so?"

When nothing else was forthcoming, her daughter pressed on, "And? Do you think it's true?"

For a long moment, Serina just gazed at her daughter, considering where this questioning might be leading to. Finally, she nodded. "Yes, he was Luke's father. But let's watch the program now, ok?"

"... Yarna D'al' Gargan is now going to perform the Dance of the Seventy Violet Veils before the couple exchanges the marriage vows..."

As the Askajian dancer started into her performance, Serina could sense her daughter brooding over yet another question. Ben had just grabbed a handful of Pandathan munchsticks and was busy stuffing them into his mouth. When he felt her looking down at him, he reached up and held the last one of them into her face. With a smile, she accepted his "gift". Still busy chewing the slightly salty, finger-sized pastry, she turned toward her daughter with an inviting expression on her face.

Dara didn't have to be asked twice. "If Darth Vader was their father, then who was their mother?"

"Well," Serina mumbled and hurried to swallow the rest of the munchstick, "many records from the Clone Wars were destroyed during the first years of the Empire. But from what I discovered, her name was Padmé Amidala. For many years, she served as senator of the Chommell sector."

"Was she as pretty as Leia?" Dara mused, more to herself than her mother.

Serina nodded. "I did once see a picture of her. She was really beautiful and, from what I read, quite intelligent. As a matter of fact, when she was your age, she was elected Queen of Naboo and ruled for two terms before becoming a senator."

"Whoa!" Dara was impressed. "What happened to her?"

"She died in childbirth at the age of twenty-seven. Luke and Leia never got to know her."

It would take her daughter some time to digest this information, so, Serina turned back toward the viewscreen. Apparently, the dance had already ended some moments earlier and the couple was now in the process of exchanging their marriage vows. Finally, Mon Mothma concluded the ceremony:

"Now that you both have committed yourselves to one another through the vows you have just taken and the receiving of these rings, I now pronounce you husband and wife. May the Force be always with you. You may now kiss the bride."

As the Chief of State presented the newlyweds to the assembled guests, thunderous applause and cheers filled the large ceremonial chamber of the Cantham House. Then everybody arose and a long line of well-wishers formed, accompanied by the remarks of the reporter as he informed the viewers of their names and positions as well as the presents they had brought.

"Mother?" Dara's curiosity had apparently not been satisfied quite yet.

Serina heaved another sigh and turned back to her daughter. "Go ahead," she prompted her with a smile, "what do you want to know now?"

"Padmé was a good person, wasn't she?"

Serina nodded in confirmation. "And brave and brilliant and selfless and many other things, too."

"Then how could she want to have a child with somebody as evil as a Sith Lord?" Dara's lack of understanding was quite palpable.

Serina lifted Ben from her lap and handed him to her aunt. "Could you please take him to his room and have him change into something clean?"

"Sure." Marisa grabbed the three-year-old, careful to avoid his sticky fingers. Moments later, Serina was alone with her daughter. As she turned down the volume to a mere low mumbling, she considered what she could and should reveal to her inquisitive child. Although Luke Skywalker had never tried to hide the truth about his father, it was by far not common knowledge yet who the much hated Sith Lord had once been. And yet, there was really no reason to tell her daughter anything but the truth about the man who had become her destiny.

"There is something you need to know about Darth Vader. He was not always a Sith Lord. There was a time, when he was a famous Jedi knight. For many years, he fought in the Clone Wars as one of the Jedi generals. It was during that time, that he married Padmé..."

"But, mother, weren't the Jedi forbidden to marry?" her daughter interrupted her.

Serina nodded. "True enough, but it didn't stop him. He truly loved her. Love can cause you to sometimes do things others might consider quite stupid." And didn't she know that only too well!

"What was his name?" But before Serina could even start to answer, her daughter drew the right conclusion, "Was he Anakin Skywalker? Is that where Luke got his name from?"

"Yes, that used to be his name until he fell to the dark side. But you know, at the very end of his life, he cast off the chains of the dark side and turned again into Anakin Skywalker when he saved his son from the Emperor."

Dara nodded thoughtfully. "I remember now. After you returned to Taanab, you told us that Vader had killed the Emperor and not Luke Skywalker as many claimed. Hmm..."

Serina could sense the thoughts whirling through her daughter's mind. What conclusion would she come up with next?

"Anakin ... that has got to be a pretty common name, right, mother? Wasn't our father's name Anakin as well?"