Long Forgotten – Voices of the Dead

Character(s): Luke Skywalker, Leia Organa, Owen and Beru Lars
Period: Pre-ANH/Post ROTJ
Genre: Drama
Summary: Luke Skywalker's thoughts on growing up on Tatooine, his care-taker, his family and his heritage.

There is a saying on Tatooine, an old proverb that says... "an invisible thread connects those who are destined to meet, regardless of time, place, or circumstance. The thread may stretch or tangle, but it will never break."

When I was younger my life was spent wanting off of that ball of sand so bad that I could taste it. Looking back now, years later, much of my life spent away from my home planet, I realize something about the planet farthest from the bright spot in the Universe. Tatooine is a spiritual place. Maybe not by the standards of Alderaan or Yavin, but a place where the Force dwells nonetheless, maybe even where the Force first made itself known. If I close my eyes, I can feel it, cold and clear at night, hearths glowing, banthas lowing, the force humming around you after the suns set.

My father started his life on Tatooine. My aunt and uncle ended their lives there, much too early. Funny, they never wanted to get away. They were perfectly happy with living out their lives under Tatoo I and Tatoo II, worn and weary, but all the stronger for it. Not everyone survives my home planet, but those who do know that it is never an easy place.

My planet breeds pilots, moisture farmers, podracers...and heroes. It breeds Sith Lords and Jedi. Sometimes moisture farmers are heroes and sometimes Sith Lords turn out to be heroes. I try every day to honor those that have come before me, those that gave their life for me, and those that raised me. Our loved ones smile back at us on the faces of our children. They wink at us over a stuffed Ewok, testing us with their tenacity. My son could never be stubborn, not ever; it's just not in his genetic makeup.

My seventh Naming Day, I woke up early, earlier than was usual on the farm. My uncle was always up with the suns, but this morning I woke first. Excitement bearing down on me, the day would soon begin and it would be all mine. I never knew the details surrounding my birth, but I knew that I had come to Aunt Beru and Uncle Owen on this day seven years ago. We celebrated each year. My aunt laughed as I ran around the table, patience her constant companion. It had to be, I was her charge. I was eager for my Naming Day treats, the warm pallie tarts, rock candy, and some trinkets that Uncle Owen picked up on his last trip to Mos Eisley.

Later that night as Aunt Beru was tucking me in, I asked the question I had asked so many times before. A routine that Aunt Beru and I shared. "If my father was alive right now, what do you think he'd be doing?"

She looked at me with the look she always saved just for me. "Why, he would be tucking you into bed," she said with a smile, her eyes softening.

"Aunt Beru," I sighed exasperatedly. "What would he really be doing? Tucking me into bed is too boring."

"I don't think he would find it boring at all, Luke. He would have enjoyed watching you go to sleep," she said.

Her face held the expression that I now recognize as regret. My aunt was the rock our tiny family was built on. My uncle said that she reminded him of my grandmother - soft and gentle, but strong and reliable. A dichotomy of traits all wrapped up into one.

Warmth spreads through me at the memory now, all these years later. Today is my Naming Day, and with it comes bittersweet memories, not mine or my sisters, but those passed on to us by rite of birth. The Force must know that we are strong enough now, that we can deal with the news of Palpatine's manipulations of my parents' lives, and the galaxy.

I stand out on the balcony that adjoins our sleeping quarters. My wife is sleeping soundly in our living area. She will curse herself...and me, for letting her watch the silly holodrama so late. I've just put Ben in his crib. I can hear his soft breathing in the background, music to my ears. He has my eyes and my father's eyes. Sometimes, just for a second, I can see a flash of him in my son, when I least expect it. This is what I had always hoped for, family around me and my roots firmly planted – always knowing exactly who I was.

Leia worried for me in the beginning, when I chased our past out of some desperate need to BE someone, to have a history - a heritage. I didn't know it then, and perhaps she didn't either, but I think somewhere deep down in her infinite wisdom, she knew that when you stop looking, stop chasing the past and just...settle down, when you are right in your own world, the Force will bring you what you need. It will bring your family to you. Sometimes it may not be your blood relatives; family comes in all sizes and shapes. Leia and I were lucky enough to find each other. And now, we've found our parents, their story coming to us on the heels of a war that made us forget the past bitterness by replacing it with something far worse. The Force truly does work in mysterious ways.

When Leia and I opened the trunks and crates brought to us by Palleon, we hardly knew what to expect. After all, our family is nothing if it's not exciting. Our minds swirled with possibilities - of codes, governmental literature or propaganda, weapons, manuals...

What we found were the inane items of a married couple. Items that would be considered trivial – a Jedi robe, boots, a belt, a necklace, and various holos of them and of simple landscapes that had been the background of their life together. There weren't a lot of things; you could tell the time had been scarce, but valuable. Each item we picked up had a story. I watched as my sister's shell cracked before my eyes, the years of being strong for me finally getting the best of her. She had longed for closure as long as I had, she just didn't let it show. My sister is no stranger to heartbreak.

We went through the documents and found everything, even the things that were better off forgotten, for there was nothing we could do now. Palpatine was long gone, tossed down a reactor shaft before I would be able to thank him properly for half of the crimes he perpetrated against my parents. And that is a good thing.

So I stand here on my Naming Day night, my real Naming Day, and for probably the first time in 30 years feel at absolute peace with the heritage that Leia and I share, with our place in the galaxy. When I think of the people who have sacrificed for us, it is always with an overwhelming sense of awe. For those that believed our lives more important than theirs live on - through our children and through us. We hope we haven't let them down.