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Haunted. That was the only word to describe what Anakin was seeing now. 'This planet is haunted' he thought. Thousands of voices and cries from the past invaded his mind as he went deeper into the ruins of what surely must have been a palace. An image came to his mind: the view he had had of the planet as he approached it. It actually looked like a forest. A rain forest, like Endor. Completely abandoned. As he got closer, he started seeing the ruins. The place he was about to land had actually been a city. And a marvellous one. He could see in his mind, through the Force, what it had been like. Huge, majestic, imposing. Beautiful.
His mind stopped drifting as he got to a big room deeper in the palace. He concluded it must have been the throne room. Not even in Coruscant had he seen such a magnificent construction. The columns, the windows. Everything transpired magnificence and culture. 'Nubian culture' the walls whispered to him. Even in ruins, the palace transpired what it had been.
"What happened to this place?" he wondered aloud. "Why am I here, Ani?"
Surprisingly, this time, no answer came.
Aboard the Millenium Falcon, Han and Mara silently left the cockpit so that Luke and Leia could talk.
Luke glanced at his wife and gave her a thankful nod. "Leia?" He gave her a concerned look as he noticed how deep in her own thoughts she was.
"Yes" she finally raised her head.
"You still haven't told me how you know where Anakin is. Was it a vision?"
"Kind of." She took a deep breath before responding "He came to me in my dreams."
"Who?"
"Anakin...Skywalker, I mean. Our father" she explained.
"He appeared to you?" he asked. His blue eyes looked surprised.
"Yes, Luke. And this time, as a young man. He told me to go to Naboo. He told me Anakin needs me. Us."
He looked carefully at her. "There's more, isn't there?"
"Yes" she took his hands in her own before going on "He asked me to tell you he loves you."
A small smile spread across his lips. "And that was all?"
"Yes" she broke eye contact with him "No." She raised her eyes to looked at him again. "He asked me" she hesitated "he asked me if I've ever forgiven him for the things he did, Anakin did, he said, as Vader."
"What did you say?"
"I told him the truth. I don't know."
They were silent for some time.
"Have you?" asked Leia finally.
"Forgiven Vader?"
"Yes. Have you?" she repeated.
"No. I don't think so. And I don't think he has the right to ask that of us." He stated bitterly. This was very unusual for Luke, Leia thought.
"You're probably right." She didn't sound very confident but decided it was better to drop the subject for now. "Did you manage to contact Jaina and Jacen?"
"Yes. Both of them. Jaina was with the Rogues on a mission but said she'd be there and Jacen has already left Yavin"
"Good." They went silent again.
"What do you know of this planet, Naboo?" asked Luke.
"Strangely, not much. From what I've gathered, an advanced society ruled by a monarchy used to inhabit it but then, sometime during the Empire years, something happened and the planet was abandoned." She was silent for a few minutes before concluding "Perhaps the Empire devastated it."
"I wonder the reason for that."
"As if any at all. It's the Empire we're talking about after all. What I wonder is why would our father tell Anakin to go there." Leia wondered aloud.
"Is our father taking care of Anakin?"
"Yes. That's what he said anyway"
"From the state you told me Anakin was in when he left you and Han, I think I'm starting to understand some things here."
"I know what you mean, Luke."
Haunted. That was the only word to describe what Anakin was seeing now. 'This planet is haunted' he thought. Thousands of voices and cries from the past invaded his mind as he went deeper into the ruins of what surely must have been a palace. An image came to his mind: the view he had had of the planet as he approached it. It actually looked like a forest. A rain forest, like Endor. Completely abandoned. As he got closer, he started seeing the ruins. The place he was about to land had actually been a city. And a marvellous one. He could see in his mind, through the Force, what it had been like. Huge, majestic, imposing. Beautiful.
His mind stopped drifting as he got to a big room deeper in the palace. He concluded it must have been the throne room. Not even in Coruscant had he seen such a magnificent construction. The columns, the windows. Everything transpired magnificence and culture. 'Nubian culture' the walls whispered to him. Even in ruins, the palace transpired what it had been.
"What happened to this place?" he wondered aloud. "Why am I here, Ani?"
Surprisingly, this time, no answer came.
Aboard the Millenium Falcon, Han and Mara silently left the cockpit so that Luke and Leia could talk.
Luke glanced at his wife and gave her a thankful nod. "Leia?" He gave her a concerned look as he noticed how deep in her own thoughts she was.
"Yes" she finally raised her head.
"You still haven't told me how you know where Anakin is. Was it a vision?"
"Kind of." She took a deep breath before responding "He came to me in my dreams."
"Who?"
"Anakin...Skywalker, I mean. Our father" she explained.
"He appeared to you?" he asked. His blue eyes looked surprised.
"Yes, Luke. And this time, as a young man. He told me to go to Naboo. He told me Anakin needs me. Us."
He looked carefully at her. "There's more, isn't there?"
"Yes" she took his hands in her own before going on "He asked me to tell you he loves you."
A small smile spread across his lips. "And that was all?"
"Yes" she broke eye contact with him "No." She raised her eyes to looked at him again. "He asked me" she hesitated "he asked me if I've ever forgiven him for the things he did, Anakin did, he said, as Vader."
"What did you say?"
"I told him the truth. I don't know."
They were silent for some time.
"Have you?" asked Leia finally.
"Forgiven Vader?"
"Yes. Have you?" she repeated.
"No. I don't think so. And I don't think he has the right to ask that of us." He stated bitterly. This was very unusual for Luke, Leia thought.
"You're probably right." She didn't sound very confident but decided it was better to drop the subject for now. "Did you manage to contact Jaina and Jacen?"
"Yes. Both of them. Jaina was with the Rogues on a mission but said she'd be there and Jacen has already left Yavin"
"Good." They went silent again.
"What do you know of this planet, Naboo?" asked Luke.
"Strangely, not much. From what I've gathered, an advanced society ruled by a monarchy used to inhabit it but then, sometime during the Empire years, something happened and the planet was abandoned." She was silent for a few minutes before concluding "Perhaps the Empire devastated it."
"I wonder the reason for that."
"As if any at all. It's the Empire we're talking about after all. What I wonder is why would our father tell Anakin to go there." Leia wondered aloud.
"Is our father taking care of Anakin?"
"Yes. That's what he said anyway"
"From the state you told me Anakin was in when he left you and Han, I think I'm starting to understand some things here."
"I know what you mean, Luke."