Disclaimer: I am not George Lucas or Rick Riordan.
Enter Luke and Mara, on Tython.
Luke glances over at Yun-Shuno.
Luke. I'll meet you at the turbolift.
Mara. You sure? [at Luke's expression] Yeah, you're sure.
Exit Mara.
Luke approaches Yun-Shuno, who views HoloNet coverage of the Battle of Coruscant.
Yun-Shuno. Amazing. Three thousand years, and I will never get over the power of the Force . . . and mortal ignorance.
Luke. Thanks, I guess.
Yun-Shuno. Oh, not you. Although, I suppose I should wonder, turning down immortality.
Luke. It was the right choice.
Yun-Shuno studies Luke carefully, then turns back to the HoloNet.
Yun-Shuno. Look at them. They've already decided Nyax was a freak series of storms. Don't I wish. They haven't figured out how all the statues in Galactic City got removed from their pedestals and hacked to pieces. They keep showing a shot of Bria Tharen strangling Saw Gerrera. But I imagine they'll even come up with a logical explanation for that.
Luke. How bad is the planet?
Yun-Shuno. [shrugs] Surprisingly, not too bad. The mundane are shaken, of course. But this is Coruscant. I've never seen such a resilient bunch of humans. I imagine they'll be back to normal in a few weeks. And of course I'll be helping.
Luke. You?
Yun-Shuno. I'm the messenger of the gods. It's my job to monitor what the mortals are saying, and if necessary help them make sense of what's happened. I'll reassure them. Trust me. They'll put this down to a freak groundquake or a solar flare. [bitter] Anything but the truth.
Luke. I owe you an apology.
Yun-Shuno. And why is that?
Luke. I thought you were a bad parent. I thought you abandoned Jacen because you knew his future and didn't do anything to stop it.
Yun-Shuno. I did know his future.
Luke. But you knew more than just the bad stuff, that he'd turn dark. You understood what he would do in the end. You knew he'd make the right choice. But you couldn't tell him, could you?
Yun-Shuno. No one can tamper with fate, Luke, not even a god. If I had warned him what was to come, or tried to influence his choices, I would have made things even worse. Staying silent, staying away from him . . . that was the hardest thing I've ever done.
Luke. You had to let him find his own path and play his part in saving Tython.
Yun-Shuno. [sighs] I should not have gotten mad at Mara. When Jacen visited her on Csilla . . . well, I knew she would have a part to play in his fate. I foresaw that much. I thought perhaps she could do what I could not and save him. When she refused to go with him, I could barely contain my rage. I should have known better. I was really angry with myself.
Luke. Mara did save him. Jacen died a hero. He sacrificed himself to kill Palpatine.
Yun-Shuno. I appreciate your words, Luke. But Palpatine isn't dead. You can't kill a Sith.
Luke. Then . . .
Yun-Shuno. I don't know. None of us do. Blown to dust. Scattered to the wind. If the Force is with us, he's spread so thin that he'll never be able to form a consciousness again, much less a body. But don't mistake him for dead, Luke.
Luke. What about the other Sith?
Yun-Shuno. In hiding. Malgus sent Sekot a message with a bunch of excuses for supporting Palpatine. "I was just trying to minimize the damage," blah, blah. He'll keep his head low for a few centuries if he's smart. Darth Krayt has fled, and Korriban has crumbled into ruins. Malak slipped back into the deep ocean when it was clear Palpatine had lost. Meanwhile, my son Jacen is dead. He died believing I didn't care about him. I will never forgive myself.
Yun-Shuno slashes through the HoloNet with her amphistaff.
Luke. A long time ago, you told me the hardest thing about being a Je'daii was not being able to help your children. You also told me that you couldn't give up on your family, no matter how tempting they made it.
Yun-Shuno. And now you know I'm a hypocrite?
Luke. No, you were right. Jacen loved you. At the end, he realized his fate. I think he realized why you couldn't help him. He remembered what was important.
Yun-Shuno. Too late for him and me.
Luke. You have other children. Honor Jacen by recognizing them. All the Je'daii can do that.
Yun-Shuno. [sighs] They'll try, Luke. Oh, we'll all try to keep our promise. And maybe for a while things will get better. But we gods have never been good at keeping oaths. You were born because of a broken promise, eh? Eventually we'll become forgetful. We always do.
Luke. You can change.
Yun-Shuno. [laughs] After three millennia, you think the gods can change their nature?
Luke. Yeah. I do.
Yun-Shuno. [surprised] You think . . . Jacen actually loved me? After all that happened?
Luke. I'm sure of it.
Yun-Shuno. I'll give you a list of my children. There's a male on Dagobah. Two females on Tatooine. A few others. Will you see that they get to the Praxeum?
Luke. I promise. And I won't forget.
On the amphistaff, Han and Leia smile.
Yun-Shuno. Luke Skywalker. You might just teach us a thing or two.
Exit Yun-Shuno.
Enter Ashla, meeting Luke before he reaches the turbolift.
Ashla. Well, Luke, you will stay mortal.
Luke. Er, yes, ma'am.
Ashla. I would know your reasons.
Luke. I want to be a regular guy. I want to grow up, have, you know, a regular teenage experience.
Ashla. And my daughter?
Luke. I couldn't leave her. Or Corran. Or . . .
Ashla. Spare me. I once warned you, Luke Skywalker, that to save a friend you would destroy the galaxy. Perhaps I was mistaken. You seem to have saved both your friends and the galaxy. But think very carefully about how you proceed from here. I have given you the benefit of the doubt. Don't mess up.
Exit Ashla, erupting in a wall of flame.
Luke arrives at the turbolift.
Enter Mara.
Mara. Why do you smell like smoke?
Luke. Long story.
Luke and Mara board the turbolift.
The turbolift descends.
The turbolift doors open, and Luke and Mara step into the Imperial Palace.
Enter Shmi and Kenobi, arguing with Sate Pestage.
Shmi. I'm telling you we have to go up. My son . . . [sees Luke and Mara] Luke.
Shmi embraces Luke.
We saw the palace lit up blue. But then you didn't come down. You went up hours ago.
Kenobi. She was getting a bit anxious.
Shmi embraces Mara.
Luke. I'm all right. Everything's okay now.
Mara. Master Kenobi. That was wicked 'saber work.
Kenobi. [shrugs] It seemed like the thing to do. But Luke, is this really . . . I mean, this story about the six hundredth floor?
Luke. Tython, yes.
Kenobi looks longingly up at the turbolift.
Kenobi. I'd like to see that.
Shmi. Ben. It's not for mortals. Anyway, the important thing is we're safe, all of us.
Enter Kyp.
Kyp. It's Gaeriel. I just ran into her downtown.
Mara. [frowns] What's she done this time?
Kyp. It's where she's gone. I told her she would die if she tried, but she insisted. She just took Artoo and . . .
Luke. She took my aiwha?
Kyp. [nods] She's heading to the Manarai Mountains. She said she had to get to the Praxeum.
Exit all.