Star Wars: Specters of the Past

By SSG Michael B. Jackson

Disclaimer: Star Wars and all associated characters belong, ultimately, to George Lucas, and aren't mine, more's the pity. Still, he's done a damn good job so far, so who's complaining?

A/N: Ok, I've hit this in the after-notes, but I thought I should mention it up front also. This chapter has a lot of Ep. 4-6 material in it, retold from Jaina's POV (family lore, since she hadn't' even been born then), and this is there to get Padmé up to speed, so to speak. Sure, I could have just 'Blah'ed it with a little phrase to the effect of 'and after two hours of non-stop conversation, our heroine now knows all', but I didn't want to do that here. If you think that would've been better, let me know, and I'll consider it next time. Still, I kind of enjoy looking at the road I take to get somewhere, rather than just taking a nap 'til I get there, if you know what I mean.

Once the Millennium Falcon and the Jade Shadow were on course and boring their way through hyperspace, there was little for their crew and passengers to do for the next several hours. That being the case, most everyone ended up doing what space- and aircraft passengers had done for uncounted millennia faced with similar situations; they caught up on missed sleep. Granted, most of them would've liked to spend some time conversing, catching up on the decades Padmé had missed and the decades she'd lived before any of them had been born. But in the end, they'd all found themselves just too tired after the overly eventful day and evening they'd had, and everyone had simply retired to their cabins.

Unlike the others, however, Padmé found herself restless. She'd spent most of the last day asleep, never mind the last forty years, and even though she was still tired, no doubt due to the engineered viroid slowly taking her body apart, she found herself unable to get comfortable or settle down enough to sleep. Instead, she tossed and turned on the small bunk in the cabin that'd been lent her until, finally, she'd had enough. With a sigh, she arose and headed for the Falcon's common area, hoping to find some tea or milk, and maybe a light snack in what passed for the ship's galley.

The selection turned out to be much better than she'd thought it might, most likely due to the influence of Leia and the twins, and she took her snack back to a seat behind the holo-chess table once she'd finished preparing it.

Perversely, as she sat and sipped at her tea, she felt her eyes growing heavy, and before long her head was nodding toward her breast. At the same time, her fingers began to loosen around the squeeze-bulb of hot tea she held, and eventually it slipped from her grasp, falling toward her lap. As it fell from her hand, she started partially awake and made an uncoordinated grab for it, succeeding only in batting it into a spin that would undoubtedly splatter at least some of it's contents on her. 'Stang!' she thought sleepily, 'This is going to hurt.'

But before the squeeze-bulb hit, from out of nowhere a hand darted out and caught it, placing it carefully on the table in front of her. Startled, she looked first to the squeeze-bulb, and then turned slowly to see who her rescuer was, a "Thank you," already forming on her lips.

Her words died unuttered, though, as she beheld the slightly translucent figure standing beside her, a familiar grin on his face. He was older than she remembered him, but his wavy, shoulder-length sandy-blonde hair and flashing blue eyes were the same, and the merriment and tenderness behind those eyes melted her heart with recollections of better times. He was dressed in the traditional brown and tan robes of a Jedi Knight, and as she gaped, he reached out to brush her cheek tenderly and said wryly, "You should be more careful, Angel. As much as I wish otherwise, I can't do this very often."

Her eyes wide, Padmé said in a bare whisper, "A- Ani?"

The shimmering figure just smiled, all of the love and compassion she remembered shining through, and, as he slowly began to fade, said, "I'm sorry; I can't stay. But I'm glad you're back, and if I can find any way to help, I will." Then, his voice fading as the rest of him did, he added in a far away whisper, "Trust them, Padmé. They saved me; I know they'll save you too."

"Ani!" She said again, tears blurring her vision, "Wait! Don't-!"

But it was too late. By the time she'd wiped the tears from her eyes, he was already gone, the only indication he'd ever been there the squeeze-bulb sitting on the table in front of her and the lingering feel of his touch on her cheek.

For several long moments, she just sat, stunned, a hand to her cheek where his ghostly fingers had brushed, staring off into another, happier, time and place. Finally, a single diamond-bright tear welled up and slid slowly toward her chin and, a wistful smile on her face, she whispered, "Oh, Ani. I'm glad to see you too, even if it's only for a moment. Even if... I may be loosing my mind."

As she said this, she heard a slight noise from the direction of the crew quarters, and, not knowing what to expect, glanced quickly in that direction. But rather than some other apparition, all that met her gaze was a slightly rumpled and still rather sleepy looking young woman, a curious expression on her face.

Blinking as she stepped from the darkened crew quarters to the somewhat more brightly lit common area, Jaina regarded Padmé quizzically and said, "Grandmother? Is everything all right? Are you... crying?"

Suddenly feeling a bit foolish, Padmé looked down at the table and said, "I, ah, couldn't sleep, so I decided to look for a little snack in the galley, and then, after I'd sat down, something... strange happened. I... saw something and- I'm sure I wasn't dreaming, but-" Finally, she just shook her head slowly, and said, "Maybe it just had something to do with the viroid, or one of the drugs they're giving me. I just don't know."

Concerned now, Jaina made her way over, and, putting an arm around Padmé's shoulders, settled in beside her. With a slight, worried frown, she said, "What did you see, Grandmother? What's made you so upset?"

Padmé bit her lip delicately, and, taking an oblique tack, said, "Jaina, I... need to ask you something. I know I should probably be asking your mother or your uncle this, but- but I need to know."

Jaina's frown disappeared, to be replaced by a mildly puzzled look, and she said, "Well, sure, Grandmother. If it's something I know anything about, I'll tell you whatever I can."

Padmé nodded, and said, "Jaina, I need to know... I need to know what happened to Anakin." Then, seeing the look of pain that came to Jaina's eyes, she hastily added, "Oh, not your brother, honey! I'm sorry, I didn't mean to dredge that up for you! I meant... your grandfather, Anakin." And, in a whisper, "My Anakin."

Jaina swallowed around the lump that'd formed in her throat at the thought of her brother, and said, "It's okay, Grandmother. I know you didn't mean-" Then, looking down for a moment, she started over. "Well, never mind that. But Grandfather Anakin... you're right, I'm probably not the best one to ask. Still... From what I was told growing up, everything all came to a head at Endor. I don't know if you've ever heard of Endor or not, but it's one of those funny worlds, a moon, really, orbiting a gas giant that just happens to be within the habitable zone for it's star system. Endor's a heavily forested place, and it's not only remote but obscure too. There's a race of sentients there, the Ewoks, they call themselves, but technology has never really been their thing, and the only time any of them ever gets off-planet is if they hitch a ride with someone. That, combined with the fact that Endor sits way out on the Outer Rim, almost all the way to Bakura, made it a perfect spot in Palpatine's mind to build his replacement Death Star."

"Death Star?" Padmé said questioningly. "I heard rumors about some superweapon not long before I was caught, and I think 'Death Star' was one of the codenames I heard, but... I never actually found out what it was supposed to be."

Jaina shook her head slowly, and said, "Thankfully, I've only ever seen holos, but- Well, basically, it was just one of the biggest artificial space-borne structures ever built by anybody. It was a fully armed battle-station as big as a small moon. And along with a whole Sith-load of conventional firepower, troops, and starfighter support, it carried one of the scariest strategic weapons the Empire ever built; a super-laser with enough punch to blow a planet in place. Unfortunately, Alderaan got to find out about that the hard way..."

At Padmé's gasp and wide-eyed look, Jaina suddenly realized that what was simply a historical fact for her constituted a mental and emotional bombshell for her grandmother, and, hastily, she said, "Oh, Grandmother, I'm sorry! I didn't mean to- I shouldn't have- Oh, Force, why don't I think before I open my mouth?"

But Padmé only blinked a bit dazedly, and said, "The Empire... destroyed Alderaan? A whole planet? An entire population? Just wiped out?"

Jaina just nodded mutely, not knowing what to say.

"And Bail?" Padmé asked softly.

Jaina shook her head, and said, "Lost with everybody else, Grandmother."

"I see," Padmé said in a stunned voice.

Jaina took a deep breath, and, with a loud sigh said, "Well, at any rate, the first Death Star didn't last very long. Mom was already part of the Rebel Alliance, and she helped smuggle the plans for the Sith-damned thing to a rebel cell on Yavin IV. They analyzed them and found a weakness, and then managed to exploit it." Then, with a satisfied smile, she said, "Uncle Luke was the pilot who fired the magic shot. The 'Shot Heard Round the Galaxy', it was called." Then, her smile turning sly, she added, "Of course, both him and Dad agree that if Dad hadn't flown in to cover his afterburners, he never would've made it."

Padmé smiled as well, and said, "I guess I understand what the med-techs meant when they called all of you heroes, then. It sounds like your parents and your uncle started down that path at an early age."

Jaina shrugged, and, still smiling, said, "They're not the only ones. It runs in the family, I guess." And then, remembering Padmé's original question, she said, "Anyway, the second Death Star." After a slight pause to collect her thoughts, she continued.

"I guess Palpatine just had some kind of fixation for huge weapons of mass slaughter or something. Kind of makes me wonder if he wasn't compensating for something else." She shared a wry smile and a small giggle with her grandmother at this, and then said, "Well, having one Death Star trashed just didn't sit well with him, so he had a new and improved one designed, and they started putting it together in orbit over Endor. To make a long story hopefully a little shorter, the Alliance got wind of that, as well as the fact that Palpy himself was supposed to be making an inspection tour about halfway through the construction. Naturally, that presented an opportunity too good to pass up, so they pulled just about every rebel cell they could get a hold of into one big taskforce and launched an all-or-nothing offensive." She paused and, with a sigh, continued. "Well, it ended up working, but not exactly the way they'd planned. The whole thing had been a set-up from the start, and if it hadn't of been for Mom, Dad, Uncle Luke and Uncle Lando- he's not a real uncle, just an old friend of Dad's- everything would've gone sour. The rebels took some terrible loses, but the Death Star was destroyed, and the Emperor too. Of course, what went on inside, between Uncle Luke, the Emperor, and... Grandfather, well... that's a story unto itself."

"Go on," Padmé said, smiling encouragingly. "You're telling this just fine."

Jaina nodded slowly, and said, "Okay, then." And then, launching back into her narrative, "Before I can explain what Uncle Luke told us happened on the Death Star, you've got to understand some of what was going on between him and Grandfather. First off, up until about a year before that last battle, no one knew that Anakin Skywalker and Darth Vader were the same person. If Owen and Beru had any idea, they took it to their graves with them, and neither of them would ever so much as discuss Uncle Luke's parents with him. I guess they were just too scared." She paused for a moment, and then continued. "The only information Uncle Luke ever really got about his father was from Obi-Wan, and, well, he kind of had his own ideas on what Luke needed to know."

Padmé frowned, and said, "That... sounds like Obi-Wan. What did he tell Luke?"

Jaina shook her head, and said, "Oh, he told him the truth. 'From a certain point of view,' anyway. At least, I guess that's how he put it later. But basically, be led Uncle Luke to believe that Anakin and Darth Vader were two separate people, and that Darth Vader had murdered Anakin, along with the rest of the old Jedi Order. To give him credit, I can't say that it's exactly a lie. It's true that when you give in to the Dark Side, you betray yourself and everything you believe in." Then, looking down, she added in a small voice, "Eventually, I can see it killing you, the real you, that is. And whatever was left... wouldn't be anything you'd want to call a part of yourself."

Catching the undertones of pain, regret and shame in Jaina's voice, Padmé's eyes widened just slightly, and, putting a hand over hers, she said, "You... sound like you're speaking from experience, Jaina. I'm guessing that the Dark Side is more than just a philosophical concept for you?"

Jaina swallowed against a sudden tightness in her throat, and in a hoarse whisper said, "I came so close, Grandmother. After Anakin, I- There were times that I wasn't even really in control of myself. My mind would just... go away, sort of, and when it came back- when it came back I'd be standing in the middle of a field full of dead Vong. Dead and roasted by Force lightening, one of the Dark Side's nastiest manifestations. I don't know how I managed to pull away, really, but one thing I do know; if anything had ever happened to Jacen, or Mom and Dad, if I'd lost them too, I- I wouldn't have even tried. I'd have ended up becoming something that Darth Vader, not Anakin Skywalker, would've been proud of."

Without a thought, Padmé put her arms around Jaina and hugged her tight, saying, "But you didn't, Jaina honey. You did come back, and I'm sure that Anakin, both Anakins, would've been proud of you. I know I am. And I feel privileged to call you my granddaughter."

Just as she had back on the medical frigate, Jaina once more felt a rush of warmth for her grandmother, and, impulsively, she said, "I know this may sound silly, considering we just met each other a little over a day ago, but- I love you, Grandmother. And I want all of us to be able to make up for all the years that we didn't have you in our lives."

Padmé felt her heart melt at Jaina's words, just as it had when she'd first touched little Ben's cheek, and a heartfelt realization came over her. Suddenly she knew in her heart that whatever she and Anakin had gone through had, in the end, been worth it. They had suffered, certainly, but there had been happiness too. And if this remarkable family, so rightly represented by the amazing young woman she held in her arms, was the end product of everything that she and Anakin had endured, then so be it. The price they'd paid had been dear, but little of true and lasting value ever came cheaply.

Aloud, she said in a husky whisper, "It doesn't sound silly, Jaina. And I love you too. That's what families are supposed to do. Love each other."

They just sat there for a long moment then, both drawing strength and comfort from the other's embrace, until finally the moment was broken by a polite cough from the direction of the crew quarters.

Both of them looked over a bit self-consciously, and, seeing Leia, Han, and Jacen standing there, all looking somewhat sheepish at interrupting what was obviously a private moment, they reluctantly released their embrace. But neither of them was embarrassed; both realized that they were all a family, and that in a family, a real family, people should never be afraid to display their emotions for one another.

Still, there was a moment's silence while everyone tried to figure out something to say, broken finally by Han Solo.

"Well, ah, sorry to interrupt," he said a bit uncertainly, always the one just a bit uncomfortable with showing his feelings, even to those closest to him. "It's just a little hard to sleep with you two night-owls out here, that's all."

Both of them laughed, and Jaina said, "Oh, come on Dad. We weren't making that much noise. Not enough to be heard over all the wheezing and groaning this poor old ship makes whenever she's under way at least."

Raising his eyebrows in mock-indignation, Han said, "Hey, kiddo! This 'poor old ship' was hauling your little butt all over the galaxy when that little butt was still swaddled up in diapers, if you'll remember! Speaking of which, I could remind you that a healthy amount of your potty training went on in that 'fresher right over there. If I was the kind of parent to bring stuff like that up, that is. Let's have a little respect here, okay?"

Jaina flushed crimson for just a second, and then, giggling, said, "Okay, Dad, you win! No bad-mouthing the Falcon, even if she is a few dozen parsecs overdue for services. But I know we weren't that loud."

Smiling, Leia said, "Well, not really. But you know how lightly your father sleeps whenever we're flying, and after all these years, I dare say that he knows every noise this ship is likely to make. Of course anything out of the ordinary is going to wake him." Then, frowning slightly, she said, "And besides, neither Jacen nor I could ignore all the little tremors passing through the Force out here. A really strange sensation woke both of us up a few minutes ago, and after that it was like an emotional thrill-ride out here. Naturally, we were curious."

Jaina shook her head, and, laughing, said, "I guess that's what happens when you live in a house full of Jedi; it's never enough to keep just your voice down." Then, a slightly quizzical expression taking over her features, Jaina said, "You know, now that I think about it, it was a strange sensation that woke me up too." And, looking to Padmé she said, "Given the timing, it must've had something to do with whatever you saw, Grandmother. Don't you think?"

Paling visibly, Padmé said, "I- I don't know. I just assumed that- well, I'd just about convinced myself that I must've imagined it! But if not, then-" Her eyes widened suddenly, a look more of wonder than fear, and she fell silent.

Concerned as Jaina had been, the three new arrivals all moved closer to Padmé, and Leia said, "What is it, Mother? What did you see?"

But Padmé just shook her head slowly, and said, "Before I even try to answer that, I need to hear the rest of what Jaina was telling me." Then, turning to Jaina, she said, "Would you mind continuing, dear?"

Jaina bit her lip and said, "Well, um, now that two of the original participants are here, I'm not sure it's really my story to tell..."

Padmé just put a hand over Jaina's and, meeting the puzzled gazes of the other three, said, "Jaina was just bringing me up to speed on some of the things that have happened over the last three decades or so. I asked her what had happened to her grandfather, and she's been doing a wonderful job of not only painting the foreground but filling in the background as well. I'd very much like for her to continue, though I'm sure those of you with first-hand experience will jump in to help her out if need be."

Han smiled, and, turning his mischievous gaze on his daughter, said, "Go ahead, kiddo. I don't mind listening to a tall tale instead of telling one for a change."

Beside him, Jacen laughed, and, smiling warmly at his sister said, "Looks like the spotlight's on you, sis."

For her part, Jaina gave a long-suffering sigh, and said wryly, "You see what I have to put up with here, Grandmother?"

Smiling warmly, Padmé said, "I see," conveying to Jaina volumes of emotional understanding with just those two words.

There was a slight pause as Jaina composed herself, and then she said, "Well, let me see. Where did I leave off?"

"You'd just told me what Obi-Wan had said to Luke about Anakin," Padmé said slowly. "And, metaphorical truth not withstanding, I'm still trying to figure out why he put things just that way. It almost sounds like he was deliberately trying to turn Luke against his own father."

Jaina sighed, and said, "Unfortunately, we all think that's pretty much what he was trying to do." At Padmé's horrified look, Jaina hastily added, "But you have to understand, by that point Obi-Wan must've been desperate. We know, from things that came out a lot later, that, at the beginning at least, Obi-Wan still hoped that Anakin could be saved. But after years and years of living out there in the Jundland Wastes, hearing about Darth Vader and the Emperor's mounting crimes third-hand, and probably feeling every death through the Force throughout the Jedi Purges... well, I think he finally just gave up hope. In the end, I think he figured the best he could do was to help forge a weapon that just might be able to take down both Darth Vader and the Emperor. And Uncle Luke was it."

Padmé just shook her head slowly, her eyes wide and a sinking sensation in her heart, and in a bare whisper she said, "Oh, no. Force, no. Please don't tell me that- that Luke and Anakin fought and- and that my son... that he-!"

But before she could continue, Jaina put an arm around her shoulders again and, giving her a gentle squeeze said, "No, Grandmother, it didn't happen that way. Remember, I told you that, almost a year before Endor, the truth got out. Or, at least, it got to Uncle Luke." She paused for a moment, frowning, and then said, "He did something... well, not so bright, Grandmother. Heroic, sure, but bright, definitely not. If you can picture that."

Smiling once more, Padmé said, "From a Skywalker? I'd be surprised by anything less."

Jaina nodded, and said, "Well, the short, short version is, Uncle Luke was training under an old Jedi Master at the time, Yoda, and-"

"Master Yoda?!" Padmé exclaimed. "He was still alive then?"

Mildly surprised, Jaina said, "You knew him, Grandmother?"

Padmé nodded, and said, "For years, when he was head of the Jedi Council. We weren't friends, that kind of relationship wouldn't have been possible, but we did respect each other. And I always knew that he was the heart and soul of the Jedi Order. But you say that your uncle trained under Master Yoda?"

"For a little while," Jaina said, "but not nearly long enough. I guess he pretty much learned most of what Obi-Wan and Master Yoda thought he had to know, in order to stand even a chance against Vader. But it was a crash course, a few weeks that Master Yoda tried to cram decades worth of training into. And even that got cut short."

Frowning, Padmé said, "What do you mean? Why?"

Jaina sighed, and said, "You remember what I said about doing something not so bright? Well, this is where that comes in." She paused for a moment, and then said, "He took off before Master Yoda was through with him because he'd figured out, through the Force, that Mom and Dad were in trouble, and that if he didn't do something, they might die. The part he hadn't caught on to was that the whole thing was a set-up, a trap Vader had set for him, using Mom and Dad as bait."

Padmé's eyes widened, and, looking to Leia, she said in a small voice, "Oh, no. He wouldn't have..."

Leia just smiled wanly, and said, "He didn't know who I was, Mother. He only knew about Luke then. As far as he was concerned, I was just an uppity Rebel princess from a House that didn't even exist anymore. And I'm... glad that he didn't know then. If he had, he'd have wanted us both. He'd have wanted us beside him, serving the Dark Side and helping him to usurp the Emperor. That was his plan for Luke, and I know that he'd have been... delighted to include me if he'd known."

Padmé shuddered violently then, and in a tortured whisper said, "How could you, Ani? How could you?" Then, visibly forcing herself to relax, she turned to Jaina and said, "So what happened then, dear?"

Jaina sighed, and said, "Just about what you'd expect, I suppose. Uncle Luke came charging in and promptly got caught up in Vader's trap. Mom managed to rescue herself with a little help, and Dad... well, Dad ended up on a little side-trip to Tatooine inside a block of carbonite, courtesy of Darth Vader, Boba Fett, and Jabba the Hutt." Then, smiling wickedly at her father's involuntary shudder, she added, "But that turned out okay in the end, obviously." Then, picking up the narrative, she said, "Uncle Luke faced Darth Vader, just like he'd intended, but things didn't go right at all. He went in with incomplete training and bad intel, while Grandfather knew exactly who and what he was dealing with. Needless to say, Uncle Luke lost that fight. Badly. And then, after he'd beaten Uncle Luke down, cut off his right hand, even, instead of just killing him like he expected, Grandfather did something even worse."

"He told him," Padmé said in a flat, emotionless voice. "He told him the truth."

Jaina nodded, and said, "Yeah. And, delivered like that, it just about killed Uncle Luke anyway. Vader tried to talk him into joining him, I guess, said that together they could get rid of the Emperor and rule the galaxy together, or something like that. Naturally, Uncle Luke didn't want any part of that, and he just about died escaping from there. But he did get away, and he took the truth with him, even if he didn't want to believe it." Jaina sighed, and then said, "In the end, I suppose that's what made all the difference."

Jaina paused then, looking into the faces of her parents and her brother and, seeing only encouragement, she continued. "A lot happened to Uncle Luke over the next year, I guess. He... matured a lot, everybody says, both as a person and as a Jedi. Eventually, him and Mom and Uncle Lando managed to rescue Dad from Jabba the Hutt, and then-"

"You're leaving somebody out, kiddo," Han said in a quiet, sad voice that Padmé hadn't even guessed he possessed. "Somebody real important, to all of us."

Jaina swallowed hard, tears suddenly stinging her eyes, and said, "I- I know, Dad. But it... hurts so much, even now that I-" She stopped there for a moment, composing herself, and then said, "I did leave someone out, Grandmother, someone who deserves better. It's just that- he died, not so long ago; an early casualty of the Vong war, and- well, when someone you've known your whole life, someone who held you when you were a baby and played with you when you were a little kid and was just there for you always when you needed him-!" Her voice had climbed as she spoke, finally breaking at the last words, and the tears she'd been holding back so forcefully finally spilled over.

"Oh, Force," she said, angrily swiping at her eyes. "I thought I was over this. I thought once we'd had the memorial on Kashyyyk- but I guess you don't ever really get over a death in the family. And that's what Chewbacca was, Grandmother; family. As surely as if we'd shared the same blood."

"Kashyyyk," Padmé said slowly. "He was a Wookie, then, your friend?"

Jaina nodded slowly, and said, "He'd been Dad's friend forever, for years before they ever met Mom or Uncle Luke. He owed Dad a life-debt, and if you know anything about Wookies, you know what a life-debt means."

Padmé nodded also, and said, "I understand. And I'm guessing that he felt that that life-debt extended to your father's relatives as well. To his children."

Jaina nodded once more, mutely, not trusting herself to say anything more on the subject.

Padmé smiled sympathetically, and said, "I think I can see why you miss him so, then. Wookies are legendary for their fierceness, but once you know a little bit more about them, you find that they're also known for their gentleness and their intensely protective nature towards their friends. And I've never heard of a Wookie who didn't like children." She paused for a moment, and then said, "Not many little girls or boys are privileged to have a Wookie for an 'uncle' while they're growing up. I'm just sorry that I never had a chance to meet your friend, and to thank him for watching over my grandchildren."

A moment's silence followed Padmé's words, and then Jaina, having regained control of herself, continued.

"Chewie was there too," she said evenly, the effort obvious. "He was always there, from the beginning, and if I don't mention him, it's not because I don't care. It's because I care too much still, and it... still hurts so much to remember he's gone. But I'll muddle through." She sighed deeply then, and said, "Anyway, after Dad was rescued, things moved along pretty quickly if I remember right. A lot of little things happened along the way, and- don't give me that look, Dad. I know they weren't little to you. But Grandmother had a question, and I'd like to get to the answer some time before we drop out of hyperspace."

Han rolled his eyes, and said, "Sure, who am I to interrupt? I was only there, after all. While you, on the other hand, were just a-"

"Dad!" Jaina said sharply, just a hint of a grin, entirely too much like his own, he noted, taking the edge off her tone. "What was it you said about not blistering people's ears back at the med-bay?"

"Okay!" Han said, throwing up his hands in mock-surrender. "I give! Tell it your way, kiddo."

Jaina shook her head and then said, "Well, everything pretty much led right into the big naval battle I mentioned before. The catch was, the whole half-built station was being protected by a planetary-grade shield, being projected up from Endor. Naturally, they needed a ground assault team to take that out, and I bet you can guess who ended up on that." She paused, taking in Padmé's reaction, and then said, "There were a few problems with that, but everything ended up working out in the end. All except for one thing, that is."

"Luke," Padmé said flatly.

Jaina nodded, and said, "He'd had a lot of time to think over that year, and I guess he'd had a couple more conversations with Obi-Wan and Master Yoda too. Which was no mean feat, considering that they were both dead by that time."

Padmé gasped, and said, "Jaina, you mean to say that both Obi-Wan and Master Yoda were still somehow able to communicate with Luke, even after they were..."

Jaina nodded again, and said, "Apparently, it's something that some extremely powerful Jedi could do. A lost technique of some sort, we're all guessing. And it's real enough; I think all of us Force-sensitives have had... experiences at one time or another."

Padmé only nodded, and said in a small voice, "I'll... have to take your word for it, I guess."

Beginning once more, Jaina said, "From what Uncle Luke's told us over the years, he wrestled with his conscience for most of that year. He wasn't sure at first whether Vader was even telling him the truth, despite having felt through the Force that he was. Eventually, he accepted it, and apparently Yoda and Obi-Wan eventually confirmed things. That was also, I gather, when he found out about his relationship to Mom. I can't imagine how hard all of that must've been for him."

Padmé just shook her head, her eyes full of compassion for her son.

"What he finally decided," Jaina said, "was that he just couldn't do it. He told us that, once he knew what was going on, he realized that there was no way he'd be able to kill his own father. And that left him with only one option."

"He decided he was going to save him," Padmé said in a tone of mild wonder.

Jaina nodded, and said, "That was his decision; to either save his father or die trying. And I don't really think he was very sure how it was going to come out." She paused for a moment, trying to recall just how her uncle had told the tale, and then continued.

"He gave himself up to Vader, down there on Endor, and tried to talk him into leaving the Emperor. I remember he said that he could actually feel the conflict inside Grandfather, that it wasn't just bravado when he said that to him. He even said that at one point he almost thought he'd won, that he felt Grandfather teetering on the edge. But it didn't work. He was still too tightly bound to the Emperor and to the Dark Side. He took Uncle Luke up to the Death Star and presented him to the Emperor, hoping that between the two of them they could get him to turn. I guess that's when Palpatine let Luke know about the trap he'd set for the Rebel offensive, and apparently he threw a lot of other things out there too." She paused once more, taking in Padmé's rapt expression, and then said, "In the end, there was a fight. The Emperor instigated it, and then sat back to watch like the cowardly Sith-spawn he was, doing everything he could to goad Uncle Luke into calling on the Dark Side. Things went back and forth then, until something really bad happened. During a lull in the fight, Vader managed to pick up on some of what was going through Uncle Luke's mind, and he found out about Mom. Once that'd happened, he made the mistake of telling Luke that if things didn't work out with him, he'd go after her. And then things got ugly."

Padmé closed her eyes, the pain of imagining her husband and their son locked together in a battle to the finish written plainly on her face. But finally she opened her eyes, and when Jaina saw that she was ready to hear the rest, she continued.

"I don't really know all of what happened next. None of us do, because Uncle Luke won't talk about it to this day. I don't know if he called on the Dark Side or not, but- well, he won. He beat Vader down, and almost killed him, I guess. But he didn't. He refused to give in, to kill his own father. He told the Emperor that he wouldn't, and that he'd never join him because he was a Jedi, like his father had been before him. And he said all that with Vader at his feet." She paused again, thinking, and then said, "That must have struck something in Grandfather, I think. I guess we'll never know, but I think that just pushed along something that Uncle Luke had started earlier and... Well, the Emperor didn't take that very well. He figured he didn't have any more use for a Skywalker who wouldn't serve him, so he decided to fry Uncle Luke with that Force-lightening I mentioned earlier." She shook her head then, and said, "A Master Jedi, or even an experienced Knight might've been able to protect themselves from that, but Uncle Luke had never even heard of anything like it before. He was helpless. And he would've died then, but-"

"Anakin," Padmé breathed, unshed tears rimming her eyes.

Jaina smiled, and said, "Yeah, Anakin. I guess watching that old corpse electrocute his only son while he begged for Grandfather's help was just too much for him. Finally, he did what he should have in the beginning; he killed Palpatine. Dumped him over the railing into the station's reactor core, Uncle Luke said. And good riddance to bad rubbish."

"And then?" Padmé said, something akin to hope written large on her face.

"And then," Jaina said sadly, "Uncle Luke did his best to drag Grandfather off that station. The shield was down by then, and the station was history. It was falling apart around them, and the main reactor was just a few minutes from turning into a miniature nova, courtesy of Uncle Lando. But... well, Grandfather's injuries were just too severe. Not the ones Uncle Luke had given him, necessarily, but more the damage done to his life support gear by the Emperor's lightening bolts. This is something else that Uncle Luke hardly ever talks about, so I don't know all the details, but... Grandfather died there on that battle-station. In Uncle Luke's arms, if I had to guess." And then, seeing her Grandmother's tears finally come spilling over, she said softly, "But one thing Uncle Luke has always said; there, at the end, Darth Vader was gone. He hadn't beaten him, Grandfather had. He made the choice that freed him, finally. And the man who died there in my uncle's arms wasn't Darth Vader; he was Anakin Skywalker, redeemed and once more a part of the Light."

As Jaina ended her story, the dam behind which Padmé's emotions had been swelling finally burst, and the tears sliding down her cheeks were joined by deep racking sobs. Jaina immediately wrapped her in a warm hug, just letting her cry the grief out as she knew she'd have to.

"Ani!" She said in a broken whisper, "My Ani! Why? Why did it have to be this way? Why did it take- take our son almost being murdered by that madman to- to set you free? Couldn't you see? What he was? What we could've had? I-!" But her voice broke there, grief momentarily overwhelming her, and she just sobbed and clung to her granddaughter, one of the few bright rays of sunshine in the darkness that seemed to surrounded her life.

But then, in the midst of her sorrow, while all those around her came close and offered what soothing words they could, another, familiar, voice, heard not with her ears but with her heart briefly made itself known.

"Don't cry, Angel," it whispered tenderly, the strain of making itself heard obvious. "I told you; they saved me. He saved me. And because of that, someday we'll be together again. But not now. Not so soon. I've had an angel in my life; now they deserve to have one too."

Holy cow, FINALLY the end of chapter 7, and yes, it's a monster. I realize it's a lot of 'fluff', but sometimes I like fluff, and I thought this was fluff that needed to be covered. Apologies for the long retelling of a lot of stuff that we already know, but Padmé didn't know it all, and I wanted character POV's and her reactions. Plus, for some reason, I feel one of those special grandparent/grandchild bonds coming on between her and Jaina (I don't know why!), and I wanted to develop that a little. If this is too long, or too much regurgitated goo, let me know, and I'll work to cut down on it next time. Oh, and PLEASE review!! Thanks.