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: Thanks to everyone who reviewed, and here are some specific replies.

SeanWH: Glad to see that you didn't mind Jaina's little story. And I think you're right; too many of the EU stories I've read just don't pay enough attention to the bonds of family in the Skywalker/Solo clan. That's almost entirely what this story is about, BTW!

Beornthryth: So you liked Jaina's little Palpatine innuendo, huh? I just couldn't pass that one up. And I guess you picked up on what I was trying for pretty well; I wanted to present things from a character POV, and I thought Jaina was the best candidate.

AirAuthor: So you want more of Ani, huh? Well, he won't constantly be haunting poor Padmé, but he will definitely have a role (possibly a pivotal one) later in the story. And if you're wondering, my rationale for his sudden strong manifestation is simply that he has a much stronger connection to Padmé than to anyone else. Sure, he's popped up here and there in the last twenty-five years, but there was never anyone, not even Luke, who could so strongly 'draw' him. I didn't think he would miss Padmé's return for anything! And I suspect there may have been obstacles for him to overcome wherever he was for this to happen (side story? Maybe, but not just now...).

stocktonwood: Ah! A new reader! Glad you found this, and even gladder you liked it. And you're right; one way or another, Padmé needed to know all of this (and still needs to know a lot more!), and this is just the way it all came out. I'm glad you like the way the synopsis was slanted; I've always kind of seen it that way, and I thought an intelligent young lady like Jaina would've done some thinking about the family history, and come to her own conclusions about some things.

Doreen: Glad you liked my little 4-6 wrap-up too. I was really afraid it was too long.

dtaylor16889: Yeah, I think we all do pretty much like the 'fluff' every so often. I know I do. I guess it just depends on your tastes; I like a good blaster shoot-out or lightsaber duel as much as the next guy, but I also love to see good drama too. Hope this fits the definition!

Both ships, the Millennium Falcon and the Jade Shadow, translated from lightspeed to real-space a good safe distance from Naboo and within one of the system's officially delineated 'jump points'. This being the case, they almost immediately popped up on the screens of Naboo's Space Traffic Control, and were soon hailed by a decidedly odd voice that spoke with an equally odd accent.

"Deesa be da Space Traffic Control, hailin' da ships identified as- meesa not be believin' dis! Da Millennium Falcon an' da Jade Shadow?! Registered ta Han Solo an' Mara Jade Skywalker?!" Then, muffled as if turning away from the pick-up, the voice said, "Hey! Weesa got celebrities comin' down!" Finally, once more at full volume, the voice said, "Oh! An' wheresa y' be wantin' ta land?"

Seeing both Han and Leia's quizzical looks, Padmé smiled, and said, "What? You've never talked to a Gungan before?"

"Uh, not that I can remember," Han said slowly. "And I don't think I could forget a voice like that; it's even harder on the nerves than old Goldenrod back there."

"I heard that, sir," a slightly indignant voice said from the crew cabin behind them.

"And what makes you think I care whether you heard or not?" Han said sardonically.

"Well, I never-!" C3PO began, only to be interrupted by a quickly uttered, "Good! Then don't!" from Han Solo.

As the outraged droid retreated further toward the back of the crew cabin, Han turned to see two nearly identical reproving expressions directed his way, and, putting his hands up in mock-defense said, "What? He knows I love him. It's just, if I didn't kick him around every once in a while, he'd start feeling neglected. Probably end up with a complex or something."

Leia just smiled ruefully, and shook her head, while Padmé worked to keep her expression serious despite the giggle that was obviously trying to force it's way out. But before either of them could say anything, the voice was back on the com, sounding both confused and a bit concerned.

"Hello? 'Scusa me, is dere anybody on da line? Hello?"

Han just grinned and shook his head, but before he could reach the com to reply, a new voice came on.

"Naboo Control, this is Mara Jade Skywalker aboard the Jade Shadow. We were going to let the Falcon send you our flight plan," and then, with just a hint of sarcasm that said that she knew something was up, "but apparently they've developed com troubles of some kind."

Han snorted and, breaking in on the transmission said, "Uh, this is Han Solo on the Falcon. Sorry about the, uh, malfunction there, but we've got a hand on things now. And we need to set down at Theed, so we're told. Apparently that's about the closest we're going to get to where we're going."

"Oh," the voice said appreciatively, "Theed! Dat beesa bee-yutiful place! Yousa gots ta be sure an' visit alla da mon-yu-ments and da moo-zee-ums an' such! Deysa plenty enougha dose aroun' ya know!"

"Uh, sure," Han said, rolling his eyes and shaking his head. "And now how's about sending us some landing coordinates? Couldn't find all those 'bee-yutiful mon-yu-ments and moo-zee-ums' without 'em, now could we?"

Leia slapped his shoulder playfully, giving him yet another reproving look, but his only reply was a wry grin and an innocent, "What?"

Apparently oblivious to Han's sarcasm, the voice said, "Oh, no worry 'bout no coordinates, fren! All yousa needs ta do is flip ta com channel one-seventeen, and deysa beacon! Yousa jus' follow dat right ta da spaceport, an' den dock in bays fourteen an' fifteen. Nothin' easier, fren!"

"Right," Han said slowly, and then, over-cheerfully, "Well, thanks a lot, Control, and you just have yourself a wonderful day."

Again missing the significance of Han's tone, the voice said, "Yousa welcome, fren, an'-!"

But before it could finish, Han stabbed the cut-off with a growl, and, turning to Padmé said, "Are all Gungans this... chipper? Please, tell me they're not."

Padmé just gave a short laugh, and said, "Oh, no. Most of them are much more lively. That poor fellow sounded positively dour by comparison."

Han sighed, and, locking in the beacon, muttered resignedly, "Great. It's gonna be one of those trips." But, as usual, there was just the ghost of a grin on his lips, letting both Leia and Padmé know that he wasn't really serious; he was just being Han Solo.

As they dropped below the clouds, Theed became visible, it's ancient public buildings and rustic stone residences harmonizing perfectly with the lush greenery and the spectacular waterfalls glimpsed in the distance.

With a smile and a slight intake of breath, Padmé said softly, "Home. It's been so long..."

Beside her, Leia smiled, and said, "It's beautiful, Mother. The few holos I've seen don't do it justice."

Over the com, which they'd left open on a private channel since dropping out of hyperspace, Luke said, "Leia's right. It is beautiful. And it also seems... peaceful. Soothing, somehow."

Padmé's smile widened, and she said, "In my time at least, we always did everything we could to work with the planet, not against it. Thankfully, it doesn't look like that's changed."

Han grunted, and said, "Must be an awfully lucky place. Not many planets made it through the Empire, the Vong War, and everything that came between without a few scars."

Before Padmé could reply, Mara's voice came over the com, saying, "Yeah, and I think I just spotted one. Take a look to your three o'clock, about six or seven clicks out. See it?"

They all looked in the direction she'd indicated, and before long they saw it too; a white and brown discoloration covering most of a verdant green field. Without moving closer, it was impossible to make out any details, but they all knew what they were looking at. Refugee camps had changed little over the millennia, and the rag-tag collection of tents, pre-fab buildings, and hastily poured duracrete pads would've looked equally at home in any era of strife, all the way back to the Great Hyperspace Wars and probably long before.

Padmé sighed, and said, "No, I don't suppose Naboo got off completely untouched. But thank the Force this Vong War you keep talking about didn't actually make it here. I'll take refugee camps over blast craters any day."

Han shook his head slowly, and in a low tone said, "Blast craters ain't even the half of it. The Vong wrecked worlds. You never got a good look at Coruscant, but let's just say it's a lot more rustic than it used to be. And then there's Ithor and- Sernpidal." He hesitated just briefly before pronouncing the last name, the site of Chewbacca's last act of heroism and his final resting place. Then, swallowing hard, he finished with, "Nobody's gonna be living on either of those places again for a long, long time."

Padmé paled slightly at this, and said, "Then I'm doubly thankful they never made it here."

There was little to say to this, and so everyone was silent for several moments. As Theed grew closer, however, and more detail became visible, Leia pointed out the largest and most impressive structure in sight, a compound of ancient stone buildings with vaulted, turquoise roofs, walled gardens full of flowers and growing things, and stone courtyards with spectacular fountains. The whole complex stood near the center of Theed, as if it were the very heart and soul of the city, and Leia said, "That's the palace, Mother?"

Padmé nodded, smiling once more, and said, "Mm-hmm. And it doesn't look like it's any the worse for wear. I guess either the Imperial governor decided to leave it alone, or there was a reconstruction project after the fact." And then, a faraway look in her eyes, she said, "There are so many memories for me in that palace, good and bad... I remember the first time I saw it, when I was just a girl; I was so excited! But I never dreamed I'd eventually be sitting on the throne myself." Then, her tone turning wistful, she said, "I remember the first time your father saw the palace, when he was just a boy; the look on his face! I guess he'd never even imagined a place like it, much less ever seen one. And then, years later, when I was a senator, and he'd been assigned to protect me by the Jedi Council, we came back here..." Then, noticing the rapt expressions on Han and Leia's faces as they listened, she flushed just slightly, and said, "I'm sorry. Just reminiscences from another time, I guess."

Leia smiled warmly, but before she could say anything, Luke's voice came over the com, saying, "No, Mother, it's alright. In fact, it's more than alright; I'm pretty sure that all of us would like to hear more. It's one thing to read about something on the Holonet, but it's another entirely to hear about it from someone who was there. And all of those little personal moments... well, those just make it all real for us, Mother."

Padmé smiled again, and said, "We'll talk, Luke. One way or another, before all this is over, all of us will sit down and just talk as a family. We have to."

"I'd like that, Mother," Luke said quietly. "I think we all would."

Before Padmé could reply to that, Han, working the controls along with Leia said, "Hate to break this up, but everybody should go ahead and prep for landing. We're gonna be touching down in about two minutes."

Padmé sighed, and said, "Okay, then," and, directing her voice toward the com, "I'll see you in a few minutes, Son."

"I'm looking forward to it, Mother," Luke replied, and then, just before cutting the com, "See you all groundside."

Once both ships had berthed at their respective docking bays, the Skywalkers and the Solos, minus the twins, who'd agreed to stay and watch Ben for the time being, rejoined one another in the corridor outside. Both Artoo and Threepio stayed with the ships as well, and only the unfortunately necessary 2-1B droid joined them, following Padmé closely.

Immediately upon sighting her son, Padmé walked over quickly and embraced him wordlessly and warmly. A bit startled at first, Luke nevertheless returned her embrace and, smiling, said, "Whoa! What'd I do to deserve that, Mother?"

Her cheek pressed to his chest, Padmé said, "It's just my way of saying thank you, Luke. Thank you for being the person you are, for doing all the things you've done, and for enduring as much sheer hell as you have. For all of that, a hug from your Mother is the very least you deserve."

Luke felt a tightness in his throat at her words, obviously heartfelt, but he couldn't help but wonder what had prompted them. Seeing the question on his face as they parted, Padmé smiled and said, "Your niece brought me up to speed on some of the things that happened while I was asleep. I... know what happened between you and Anakin there at the- end. I know that you saved him, that you brought him back, and- and that's a gift beyond any price, Luke. It... puts to rest one of the greatest demons that's haunted me since- since everything went so wrong." She paused for a moment, searching for the right words, and then said, "I- don't even have the right to say this, Luke; I wasn't there when you were growing up, and I had no hand in making you the person you are, but- but I'm proud of you, all the same, whether I have the right to be or not. And I'm sure that, wherever he is, Ani's proud of you too."

Luke bowed his head as she said this, working hard to control the emotions her words engendered, and finally said, "It... means a lot to me to hear you say that, Mother. More than I can say." Padmé just smiled in reply.

Stepping up beside Luke before more could be said, Mara said gently, "Hey you two, there'll be plenty of time for this after we've seen Master Cilghal. And if that's going to happen, we need to wrap things up here and grab some local transportation. Unless you feel like walking ten klicks or so."

"Not really," Luke said, smiling. "It's just too bad that they have such limited landing facilities out there. This would've been a lot easier if they had room for non-priority traffic."

Leading the way as they began to move toward the spaceport proper, Han said over his shoulder, "Things would've been a lot easier if Palpatine hadn't of been such a vindictive bastard in the first place." And then, after a momentary pause, "So, did you get a hold of Master Cilghal on the way down?"

Luke nodded, and said, "She's about as busy as you'd expect, but she said she'll be able to make time whenever we get there." Then, shaking his head, he added, "She sounded exhausted, too, which is saying something for a Jedi Master. Hopefully she's not overtaxing herself too badly out there."

Mara gave a short laugh, and said, "You've seen other refugee camps. What do you think?"

Luke sighed, and said, "I think she probably has her hands full and then some."

By this time, they'd reached the spaceport's main terminal, and, unlike so many of the Rim worlds they'd become accustomed to over the years, this one actually had a customs and immigrations station. Fortunately, they'd known this in advance, and, as no real trouble was expected, Han and Padmé had left their blasters on the Falcon, though Han had muttered something to the effect of having body parts he was less attached to. Still, with no less than three Jedi in their party, all retaining their lightsabers as was their right on almost any world, even Han had to admit that there probably wasn't much to worry about, especially on a world as civilized as Naboo.

Apparently Space Traffic Control had called ahead, and they received something like VIP treatment as they processed through. The youngish security officers manning the station were overly deferential, and obviously slightly awed by the living legends before them. For the most part, they simply waved everyone through, never asking to examine any baggage or using any obvious scanning devices. In fact, all that they asked really was that everyone pass their identichip through the station's reader in order to process them into the immigration system. Unfortunately, that presented a problem for one member of the party.

Smiling contritely when her turn came, Padmé turned to the station supervisor and said, "I'm sorry, officer, but I don't have an identichip right now. It's a long story, but I lost it some time ago and haven't had a chance to replace it yet. That won't be a big problem, I hope?"

The supervisor paused for a moment, thinking, and then said, "It shouldn't be, ma'am. I'll need to get some basic information, though, and, normally, I'd have to ask you to wait here until the system's cleared you. That could take a while though, with the Holonet as shaky as it is these days."

Frowning, Leia stepped up and said, "Officer, I understand that you have procedures to follow, but, as I'm sure you can see by the equipment she's wearing and the medical droid following her around, my Mother isn't in the best of health. We came here to see a Jedi healer, but the longer we wait, the sicker she gets."

The supervisor's eyes widened slightly at Leia's words, and, glancing toward Padmé she said, "I'm sorry, Princess, but- did I hear you correctly? This woman is your mother?"

Padmé sighed, and said, "I know I don't exactly look the part, Officer, but a few decades in carbonite can go a long way toward preserving one's looks." Seeing the supervisor's eyes widen even further at this, she finished with, "I realize that all of this is- well, irregular would be a colossal understatement, but- it would be greatly appreciated if you could find some way to facilitate things for us, Officer."

The supervisor just stared for a second, and then, a smile slowly forming on her lips said, "Well, ma'am, I have to admit, you've already managed to make this a... memorable shift, to say the least. But I think, given the reputation of the people vouching for you, we can waive the wait." Then, holding up a standard datapad, she said, "Just state your full name, species, date and place of birth. Once you've done that, I'll need you to place a finger in that little receptacle on the desk for a genetic sample, and that should be it."

Padmé complied with the supervisor's instructions, provoking another wide-eyed look when she gave her birth date, and a slight frown when she gave her place of birth.

"You were born here on Naboo, ma'am?" the supervisor said curiously.

Padmé nodded, and said, "And it's been a long, long time since I was home."

Smiling again, the supervisor said, "Well, in that case, ma'am, welcome back. And I'm-"

But before she could complete her sentence, there was a sharp ping from her console, and a flashing message appeared on the screen in front of her. Her smile faded to be replaced by a slightly disbelieving look, and it quickly became apparent that whatever the alert was, it wasn't limited to her console. A number of the uniformed security officers nearby tapped their earphone coms and, placing hands conspicuously on holstered blasters, made their way quickly over.

Looking around at the circle of approaching security personnel, and feeling acutely the missing weight on his right hip, Han Solo turned slightly toward Leia and, in a low, sardonic tone muttered, "I have a bad feeling about this, sweetheart."

His expression and voice calm in spite of the situation, Luke looked to the immigration supervisor and said, "Is there a problem of some sort, Officer?"

The supervisor bit her lip in consternation, obviously conflicted by whatever was going on, and more than loathe to risk the ire of this band of old war heroes who'd racked up two Death Stars while she was still in diapers. But in the end, devotion to duty won out, and she said, "I'm sorry, Master Skywalker, but I'm afraid there is." She sighed, collecting herself, and then continued. "Since your mother is a Naboo native, none of the data had to go out over the Holonet; the archives are right here in Theed. The system matched her DNA trace and pulled up her records almost immediately."

Luke frowned just slightly, and said, "So what's the problem then, Officer?"

Sighing once more, the supervisor said, "The problem, Master Skywalker, is that your mother has a warrant on file for her arrest. A very old warrant, dating from just after the fall of the Empire, but still valid, I'm afraid."

Her eyebrows shooting up in surprise, Leia said, "A warrant for her arrest? For what?"

The supervisor bit her lip once more, obviously extremely uncomfortable with the entire situation, and then, rather than reply directly to Leia, she turned to Padmé. Taking in her stricken expression, the supervisor said reluctantly, "Former Senator Padmé Naberrie Amidala Skywalker, in the name of the duly elected monarch of Naboo, King Evandarius, I place you under arrest for high treason, conspiracy to overthrow the government of the Galactic Republic, and crimes against the galaxy. Please surrender yourself willingly, or- or necessary force will be used to secure you."

Ok, that one took a while, and I have no idea why. I guess writer's block is threatening to settle in, God forbid. Hopefully, that last little twist caught you all by surprise, and I think you'll find where I'm going with that one interesting. Please review, and stay tuned; the ride has just begun!