"I'm pretty sure these are the best eggs I've ever had," Hobbie said.
"I'm pretty sure everything here is the best everything we've ever had," Wes said.
Tycho laughed. Wes wasn't wrong. Everything in the Guest House - the pillows, the toiletries, the in-suite coffee, even the dining room menus - was the perfect mix of sleek and upscale, but simple and practical. They finally had a chance to look over the full menus when sitting down to breakfast. Tycho could only imagine how vast the kitchens must have been to create everything on the menu. Many of the dishes were ones he'd never heard of, some were ones he thought sounded familiar from Winter's state dinners with Leia where he'd been a plus-one, and the rest sounded like comfort food. They clearly specialized in Naboo cuisine, but it was a galactic menu.
"Good morning gentlemen. May I interrupt you for a moment?"
Tycho looked up to see a man in a Guest House uniform. "Is there a problem?"
"No sir." He handed Tycho a datapad. "Lady Sabé asked me to deliver this to you. I will return momentarily." He gave Tycho a small bow and walked away.
"What is it?" Wes asked.
"Looks like a note from her." Wes and Hobbie scooted their chairs around the table to read over Tycho's shoulder.
Good morning Gentlemen! I trust your night was comfortable. While the Guest House dining is unmatched on Naboo, unfortunately the same cannot be said for hospital dining. I have therefore taken the liberty of asking the kitchens to prepare a breakfast for delivery to your friends. Feel free to include a note here to be delivered as well. The direct line to your suite from a hospital call bank is 326-3827. I have also arranged for dinner for the six of us in dining room six for this evening at eighteen-hundred. Do enjoy your day and I shall see you for dinner.
-S
"She really does think of everything," Hobbie said.
"Yeah, Winter is the same way." Tycho scrolled down a bit and started typing. Wes and Hobbie read over his shoulder.
"Really, you're asking him if he slept?" Wes said.
"At least he'll know it's you," Hobbie said.
"That's the point." Tycho finished typing and after a few moments, the Guest House staff member returned to pick it up.
"So now what?" Wes asked as they finished eating.
"We can hang out upstairs and wait for them to call. Then, since they probably won't be back until later this afternoon, you can pick something fun to do."
Wes' face brightened. "You want to go to that Alderaan exhibit?"
"Sure, if you want." He actually did want to go, but he didn't want everyone else to feel like they had to go.
"I want to see it," Hobbie said.
"Sure. We'll head out later."
Wedge looked up as the hospital door slid open and a droid pushed a cart inside. "Good morning gentlemen," the droid said. "Breakfast delivery."
Wedge looked at Luke, who shrugged. "Is that standard? We didn't order anything."
"Breakfast delivery is standard. However, this comes courtesy of the N'Callah Family Guest House. I believe there is a note attached." Wedge took the datapad off the top of the cart. "Good day gentlemen." The droid hovered away.
"Is that name familiar to you?" Wedge asked.
Luke shook his head. "No. Who is the note from?"
"It looks like it's from Tycho."
"Is it really from Tycho?"
Wedge skimmed, then scowled. "He says I better have slept."
Luke grinned. "Definitely Tycho." He looked past Wedge to the cart. "It sure smells good."
Wedge shifted onto the bed so Luke could read over his shoulder.
Good morning!
We were told last night that Luke was scheduled for a bacta immersion today, so, Wedge, you better have slept. We're staying at the N'Callah Family Guest House which is owned by Sabé N'Callah. Bit of a story how we got here, but we can save that for later. Definitely eat the breakfast. We had dinner with Sabé last night and between that and breakfast, it's probably the best we've ever eaten. You can call us from the hospital; the direct line to the suite is 326-3827. Also, sleep more.
T
"How does he know I'm scheduled for a bacta immersion if I haven't even decided that yet?" Luke said.
"Take it as a sign. You think that's the same Sabé R2 talked about, who he knew?" Wedge took the top off the cart and handed one of the plates to Luke and took the other for himself.
"I don't know how common the name is, but I'd be surprised if it wasn't. I don't think he ever gave me a surname though."
It looked like scrambled eggs, sausage, some kind of fried potatoes, and toasted bread. Wedge took a bite of each. The eggs were silky, the potatoes fully flavored, and the sausage just a bit spicy. Tycho wasn't wrong about the quality, that was for sure.
Soon after they finished, a human nurse came into the room, followed by a hover cart with tools for removing biomechanical limbs. Wedge heard Luke quietly sigh behind him. She stopped to look at the food cart. "N'Callah Family Guest House? Fancy."
"You know it?" Wedge asked.
"Everyone knows it. Lady Sabé is on the hospital board. The food is some of the best on Naboo." She picked up her datapad. "John, right?"
"That's right," Luke said.
"So." She put it down. "What are we doing today?"
"It seems everyone is determined to make up my mind for me."
Wedge held back an eye roll. Hospital procedures always made Luke a bit petulant.
"I only brought it in case that's what you decided and I wouldn't have to go back and get it."
"That's very efficient."
At least he sounded diplomatic. Wedge noticed she hadn't brought extra bacta patches in case he decided something else. He was pretty sure Luke noticed too. He heard Luke sigh again.
"What do you think?"
"You know what I think."
"Yeah, I know."
They'd had this conversation more than once over the past several months. He knew why Luke was reluctant to replace it. He thought it was some kind of symbol of his fallibility that he should always be reminded of. Wedge had pointed out that Luke wasn't a salamander and wasn't going to regrow a new biological hand. It was still going to be biomechanical, it was just going to function better. And there was no point torturing himself over something that happened almost forty years ago. Brianna had been even less diplomatic with her blunt admonition to 'stop being an idiot, and get that shit fixed.'
Luke shifted his eyes back and forth between Wedge and the nurse. He finally seemed to make up his mind. "Okay."
"Okay, what?" the nurse said.
"Let's do it."
"You're sure?"
""You better do it before I change my mind."
"You might change your mind?"
"No, no, I'm - I'm kidding. I'm ready." He nodded several times for emphasis.
The nurse turned to look at Wedge. "Do I have time to make a call real quick?" Wedge asked.
"Out here to the right, third corridor on the left, there's a call bank. I'll get the prep started, then wait for you."
"Thanks. I won't take long." He grabbed the datapad with Tycho's note off the cart and pointed to Luke. "I will be right back."
The call bank was right where the nurse said it was. There were a few other people making calls, but there were enough booths that Wedge could be far enough away from any of them for a little bit of privacy. He followed the instructions to press '1' to get out of the hospital, then put in the number from the note. A few moments later a small holo image appeared of Tycho, Wes, and Hobbie in what looked like a fancy hotel room.
"Hey!" Wes said. "How's Luke?"
"Did you sleep?"
"Yes. And he'll be fine, he's getting prepped for his bacta dunking now."
"See, I told you he'd be fine."
"Did you eat the breakfast?" Hobbie asked.
"Yeah. You weren't wrong about food quality." Wedge rubbed his face. He had slept but probably not more than a few hours. "Where are you three? What is this Guest House?"
"It's on the north side of the city," Tycho said. "It's great, really comfortable. If we ever let Wes talk us into taking a vacation again, we're coming here."
"I second that," Wes said.
"And is -" Wedge took a quick look around again to make sure there was no one too close. "Is Sabé who I think she is?"
"Yes. We can discuss later, but yes. And she's great. You two will love her."
"One of the nurses said she was on the board for the hospital."
"Yeah, she's on the board for a lot of things, apparently, including the Political Museum."
"A Political Museum?"
"Yeah, it covers all of Naboo's political history. We were over there yesterday in the Hall of Rulers looking at - well, looking at what you'd expect we'd be looking at. She approached us."
"And then Tycho started talking too much," Wes said.
"Shut up. It was fine. Anyway, she brought us here and we had dinner with her. She really is amazing. You'll meet her at dinner tonight."
"How are we supposed to get there?"
"My guess is there will be a car waiting for you when you leave the hospital."
That seemed simple enough. "We won't be there for another six or seven hours. What are you doing for the rest of the day?"
"We're going back to the Political Museum," Wes said. "They have a special permanent exhibit on Alderaan."
"Sabé was telling us last night that Naboo and Alderaan had several long running exchange programs before the Clone Wars slowed everything down and the Empire put a stop to them. There was a lot of travel back and forth. So the exhibit is lots of items people brought back, testimonies, things like that," Tycho said.
"Oh, that sounds great. You should definitely check that out." Wedge looked around the hall again. He hadn't been gone more than a few minutes, but it felt like too long. "I better get back and make sure he's not being petulant with the nurse again."
Wes laughed. "That's how you really know he's okay."
"Okay. We'll see you in a bit," Tycho said.
Wedge waved and ended the call. Back in the room, the nurse had laid out all the tools to remove a mechanical hand and two assistant droids had come in.
"Those three okay?" Luke asked.
"Yeah, you know them. The usual controlled chaos."
Luke grinned.
The nurse moved a stabilizing table under Luke's right arm. "Last chance to back out."
Luke shook his head. "No. I'm ready. Let's do this."
Rayna settled into her office chair with her second cup of coffee for the day. She took a quick look at her new messages, then scrolled through her contacts list. Setiya Karn was the Deputy Security Chief on Karrashda, but he ended up at all the sector level meetings because his boss hated them. He was always one of the more junior people in the room, and he always had to take decisions back home first. But he was smart and loved his job and was always someone Rayna felt she could rely on. She typed his office number into her console.
A few moments later, his holo image resolved above the call plate. "Hi Rayna!"
"Good morning Setiya. At least I think it's morning where you are."
Setiya glanced over his shoulder. "Just after midday."
"Ah. Close."
"So, to what do I owe the pleasure?"
"Oh, I heard the name Karrashda the other day so I was thinking about you."
"Hah. Nothing bad I hope."
"Nah, just tourist stuff. I was wondering if you ever resolved that issue you were talking about at the last sector meeting, that rash of missing persons cases."
"Oh, that." He shook his head. "I guess we kind of solved a few of them. By which I mean, maybe ten out of the forty or so turned back up, although only two of them were alive. They all had some kind of weird injuries, head trauma. But we still have no idea where they were, who took them, how they got back. I actually kind of wanted to look more into it, but my boss keeps telling me to kick it back to the local law enforcement. But they keep kicking it back to me since they can't make heads or tails of it. But my boss won't let me put more resources to it, so, really no one is doing a whole lot."
"But it's been going on for at least a month," Rayna said. "Aren't people getting upset? Family members? Friends?"
"Oh, it's been going on a lot longer than a month. I only just found out about it a couple months ago. I imagine people are really upset, but my boss just tells me he'll handle that part." He shrugged. "I wish I could help out more with stuff they really need help with. But then they also send me nonsense, like some issue the other day with a couple of tourists complaining about the mountain temple relics having been removed, but there was no sign. Except supposedly there was actually a sign. I don't know."
"The complainers anyone interesting?"
"No one famous, if that's what you mean. Just some random married couple, I think."
"Just as well."
"Yeah, for sure. So, what's up with you? Anything weird and interesting?"
"Nah. Got my people running some drills I need to check on."
Setiya nodded. "I should do that."
"You going to be at the next sector meeting?"
"You know it. Gotta get off this rock once in a while."
Rayna laughed. "Great, we'll do lunch again."
"All right. See you then."
Rayna ended the call and leaned back with her coffee. That sort of confirmed what Tycho had said about the relics having been removed and possibly no sign. But they didn't seem like the type to make complaints about it, in any case. So, no new information. She took another sip of coffee and went back to her messages to open up the first report on her "drills."
Eris waved as the guest she'd been assisting walked away. He didn't see her. Most guests were like that. Most days were like that. She loved her job and was proud to be doing it. But most days were slow and steady and most guests didn't know her name. The busiest days were during the large festivals and conferences during the year and the Guest House was packed. The best events were the charity events that Lady Sabé sponsored or when the Guest House was open to student organizations and events or other educational groups. The place was not only busy, but the guests were polite and excited to be there, since this was not normally a place they could afford to be.
When it got really slow, she would catch up on planetary news, but always kept an eye out for an approaching guest. As she was finishing her second article, she saw a car pull up to the steps outside. The driver let two human males out of the back. One looked like he was a bit shorter and favoring his left foot just a little bit. She slid her tablet back under the desk. Rayna had told her their names and said not to make a big deal of it. The last part hadn't really been necessary. Eris knew how to do her job.
Eris heard the elevator ding, and then their three friends came sprinting through the lobby like children who hadn't seen their school friends since the end of the last term. They slowed down just enough to get through the glass doors without slamming into them. They flew down the steps and nearly knocked over their shorter friend in a giant hug. The taller one stood back and watched for a moment, then joined them.
Eris smiled. The three of them had been so kind to her and were so excited that their two friends were coming to join them. It was lovely to see friends with so much affection for each other. She hoped they stayed a while.
"Hi, we're here for dinner with Lady Sabé," Tycho said.
"Yes, very good sir. If you'll come -"
"Good evening Perin!"
"Good evening my Lady!"
Luke turned to see an older woman matching the description Tycho had given him approaching.
"I was just about to seat your guests," Perin said.
"Oh, very good." She turned to Luke. She gave him a small bow and focused on him while giving quick, periodic glances to Wedge. "I am Lady Sabé N'Callah of House N'Callah. Please allow me to formally welcome you to Naboo."
Tycho had said she was very formal in front of staff, and less so in private. He gave her his best diplomatic nod. "Thank you. We're honored to be here." She smiled at him.
"Shall I escort you, my Lady?" Perin said.
"No, thank you. I'll take it from here. Gentlemen, this way please."
She led them through the dining room to an enclosed area with a small buffet table, bar, and a table set for six. Another staff member was waiting for them. He pulled out a chair on the far end. "Good evening my Lady."
"Good evening Alomar."
Tycho pointed Luke to a seat next to her on the far side, while he took the seat next to her on the near side. Wedge sat on the other side of Luke and Wes and Hobbie took the remaining seats.
"What can I get for you to drink, my Lady?"
"Oh, well, what are we having?"
"Grilled blackfish, today's catch, with a creamy citrus sauce. It is accompanied by a Chandrillan red bean risotto."
"That sounds magnificent. I will have a glass of Molinari, if you please." She turned to the group. "It's a crisp white. Excellent with fish."
He poured her a glass. "And for you gentlemen?"
"I think we'll have that too," Tycho said.
"Just water for me, thank you," Luke said.
"Very good sir." Alomar filled their glasses and then their plates. He set the last one down in front of Wes. "My Lady, there is coffee and tea should you or your guests desire it. And for dessert there is Chalactan lava cake. Will you require anything else, my Lady?"
"No, thank you Alomar. And again, my thanks to the kitchen staff."
"Very good my Lady. Gentlemen, enjoy your meal."
Alomar left the dining room. Luke saw a small red light come on over the door as it shut. Tycho had told him it was a secure space. Tycho, Wes, and Hobbie all immediately dug in, while Sabé took a leisurely sip of her wine. Luke and wedge glanced at each other wondering if they should start before she did. The etiquette habits of decades of diplomatic dinners were hard to break.
"Don't mind them, they know they know the rules," Sabé said.
"That means you can eat," Wes said.
Sabé turned to Luke. "I trust your stay at the hospital was comfortable? As comfortable as a hospital can be, I suppose."
"Oh, um, yes. They're very professional."
"Very good. Now -" she paused to take a bite of her fish. "Delicious. Now, your friends have been quite gracious in filling in some of my gaps in knowledge. Not too many details, mind, just the broad brush strokes. However, there is one detail about which I simply must ask you to elaborate."
"All right." Luke was certain she wanted to know about Anakin, but the slight mischievous look on her face as she leaned over reassured him dinner conversation would be lighter topics.
"You must tell me how you met R2."
Luke smiled. They had told him how excited she was to hear about R2. "It's a bit of a wild story."
"I have no doubt."
"And R2 is a master of improvisation."
"I know this well."
Luke could Wedge laughing beside him. "My part actually started with Leia giving R2 a mission and the only remaining copy of the Death Star plans…"
Luke couldn't tell what had woken him up. It was still dark out. There was a light breeze coming in through the balcony. He rolled over to look over his shoulder at the other bed. Wedge was still asleep. Nothing seemed amiss here. He quietly climbed out of bed and tiptoed into the common area. No one was there. He took a few more steps and he could see Tycho sitting on the floor of the larger, common balcony. That's what it was. Luke sat down next to him. "Hey."
"Oh. I didn't wake you, did I?"
"No, of course not." Luke waved it off. "I was just…using the refresher. What are you doing on the floor?"
"Just seemed like a good place to think, you know, about the past few days." He shrugged.
"It has been busy."
"Did Wedge tell you what happened?"
"Sort of? He said he didn't really know, and I got the impression that was actually true."
"Yeah, I'm pretty sure he blacked out on us. It was kind of scary. We weren't really sure what to do. Wes was telling us about a similar incident from Wraith Squadron with another pilot. They had to just wait it out for a few days. "
"Everyone responds to trauma differently," Luke said. "And, it's not really that surprising."
"No?"
"Wedge told me once there was about a week between when his parents died and when Booster and Mirax showed up. He doesn't remember much of that week. And after the Battle of Yavin, there was all kinds of stuff going on, medal ceremony, all that. He doesn't remember much of that either, until he came up to my room, looking for me."
Tycho nodded. "When we were visiting you on Yavin, Corran showed me his room. He said it had been Wedge's too. He was describing to me how the - the Force stores memories in the walls, or something -"
"I know," Luke cut him off. He'd almost thrown up the first time he'd gone back in that room. "I've only been in there a few times. It's… potent." Luke caught a quick spike in guilt from Tycho for having brought it up.
"It's worth noting," Luke said, now feeling a bit bad himself, talking about Wedge without him being there or without his permission, "that, while we've all had our traumatic experiences, Wedge was a lot younger than the rest of us, the first time. You were, what, twenty-one?"
"Mmm-hmm."
"You were already a naval academy graduate, at your first unit. Leia was nineteen, but she had already been a Senator for two years, and was running Alliance missions even before that. I was nineteen, but I was ready to leave home. Not the way that I did, but I was ready. Corran was already a working CorSec officer when his parents died. Wedge was only fifteen. He was in school, and wanted to stay in school, and do more school, and then build things. Doing dangerous things was not part of the plan.
"It hits everyone differently. But I think it hits harder, the younger you are."
"I hadn't ever thought of it that way. It was like his brain did a slow reboot after Wes found you. I'm sure he was glad to have you back."
"Yes. Though I do think he was a bit irritated."
"What? Why?"
"I did actually mean to be right behind you."
"Oh. Well, I can't say I blame him there."
Luke withheld a sigh. "I would do it again," he said quietly. "I mean, not, not following you. I mean -"
"I know. I know you will always do everything you can to protect us. That's what I kept telling myself all the way down the mountain, when it felt like we were leaving you behind. Because you would never leave us behind."
Hadn't he, though? Not going back after Hoth? The whole reborn Emperor fiasco? Losing track of them in general over the past eleven years?
"That doesn't mean it didn't hurt," Tycho continued. "We just got you back. That's what Hobbie said. We'd lost track of what was really going on with you - we never really knew - and it seemed like we hadn't even had a chance to catch up yet. And then…I'm not saying you made a bad choice. I know we can't always help you, especially when it's Jedi stuff, or something dangerous. But… we're allowed to worry about you too."
Luke reached out and put his hand on Tycho's army, trying to impart some measure of calm. "I'm sorry." It was the only thing he could think of to say.
Tycho shook his head. "No, I'm just talking too much. I don't mean to vent to you. I didn't want to vent to those two, not while trying to keep them focused. I've just been carrying it around so…"
Luke shifted to sit a little bit closer. "There have been times when I know Wedge wished he could have gone with me to do something. Because he thought it was dangerous, or there weren't enough other people helping me. And I've always told him that I'd much rather he didn't so that he could be there, after everything was over, to tell me what an idiot I am."
Tycho smiled. "How often does he actually tell you you're an idiot though?"
"Probably not as often as he'd like."
Tycho laughed. "Or, maybe he says it exactly as often as he'd like."
Luke returned a small smile and shrugged.
Tycho threw a glance back into the suite. "Is he going to freak out if he wakes up and you're not in the room?"
"I can probably catch it before it comes to that. Are you saying I should go back to bed?"
"You are probably worse about getting good sleep than he is."
"I'm sure he would agree with you." He paused. "But you're probably right."
Luke let Tycho help him up. But before they went inside, Tycho surprised him with a tight hug. "I guess that was all a long way to say, I'm glad you're okay and you're back with us." He pulled away. "And, I'll try not to wake you up again."
Luke smiled and nodded. He hadn't thought that had been convincing.
Luke rolled over and stretched and opened his eyes. The sun was already streaming through the window and the sound of flowing water wafted up from the canal. He sat up. He didn't know what time it was, but he was pretty sure he hadn't meant to sleep this late. This was the most rested he'd felt in a long time though.
He put on a robe and walked out onto the room's private balcony. He took a deep breath. He could smell the grasses on the knolls to the north. The small bit of the city he could see across the canal looked residential, with rooftop gardens and penthouse apartments. He couldn't see the rest, but could sense a gradual increase in activity. The rest of the city was waking up too.
Wedge was still asleep. Not surprising, despite Luke being in and out of the room at night, since it seemed Wedge had only slept a few hours over the past three or four days. The common area to the suite was empty, but someone had made coffee. Hobbie was standing out on the main balcony, watching the city. "Does the sun come up in the east here?"
"West, actually."
"I'll have to remember that for tomorrow. I watch the sun come up over Coruscant almost every morning and it's very nice. But I bet it's really spectacular as it comes up over the water there." Luke pointed southwest along the canal.
"Oh, I'm sure you're right," Hobbie said. "Maybe I'll join you."
Luke saw an empty coffee cup on one of the tables. "How's the coffee here?"
"It's actually meant to be consumed in the room here."
Luke chuckled. The coffee on Karrashda had been pretty bad. "Where is everyone?"
Hobbie raised an eyebrow.
"And I guess by everyone I mean Wes, since the rest of us are here."
Hobbie smiled. "Yeah, he does fill up a room. He went for a walk. We walked back here from the Political Museum yesterday and he saw all kinds of other stuff he wanted to look at. We didn't stop though because we didn't want to miss you getting back."
"I talked to Tycho last night, but I didn't ask him about the Alderaan exhibit. How was it?"
"It's very nice. We only got a few exhibits in though. He got a bit… overwhelmed. So we stepped out."
Luke nodded. He had thought that might be something Leia would like. He'd have to give it more thought though.
"So you talked to Tycho?"
"Yeah. He…filled me in on a few things."
"Oh. That's good too."
Luke raised an eyebrow. Hobbie never said anything superfluous. "What else?"
"Normally I wouldn't speak for anyone but myself - if that - and sometimes Wes. But I feel like I can speak for all three of us here. Sometimes Wedge monopolizes you - which we totally understand. But, sometimes it's nice to spend time with you without anyone else."
"Oh."
"Because you're special."
Luke looked away, almost reflexively.
"Your brain is still fighting itself over that stuff, huh?"
"I suppose so."
Hobbie gave him a light slap on the shoulder. "That's okay. That's what we're here for. To give the good side back up."
"You are good at that," Luke said, hoping he sounded reassuring.
"That's why we worry about you, though, you know? We don't want you to end up alone. We know you're going to run off and save the day, whenever you think you need to. But you always seem to end up doing that stuff alone. We just want you to make sure you come home when you're done."
"I've never been very good at that."
"At what?"
"Coming home. It seems like that's all people have ever wanted me to do. When I was a kid, my Uncle Owen always wanted me to come home, or stay home. I always wanted to be on some adventure. My kids always wanted me to come home. Leia and Jaina, Jacen, and Anakin always wanted me to be with them. The galaxy always seems to need something. Like I was always pulled in multiple directions and never managed to satisfy anyone."
"But now you don't have to. You can focus on what you want, and what you need. And… you don't have to be so ready to accept not coming home."
Luke frowned. "I don't do that."
"But… you do. We know you're always going to run to the rescue, especially when you believe you're the only one who can. That's how you've always been. We've all done dangerous things. We've all known that any mission could be the one where we didn't come home. But you seem to… acquiesce to the idea, like it's your inevitable fate. And it doesn't have to be.
"I'm sure you don't much care for being compared to Brianna - she doesn't like being compared to you - but she would go through plans one through a million before she'd even consider the idea that she wouldn't come home. Hell, she'd go through plans one through a mission before she'd even consider being late for taco night. Not that she would leave business unfinished. But any unscrupulous Force user who thinks they're gonna make her miss taco night better be ready for the lightning round."
Luke smiled in spite of himself. "Do you talk about me?" He certainly had no issue with them spending time together, but it would be weird if they talked about him.
"Well, no. Not necessarily. She just… talks. Usually it's some comedic rant about annoying politicians and their insistence she do something for them interfering in her social life. So, I'm extrapolating. But, she has plans. And she keeps those plans. And that's why you need more taco night."
Luke smiled again. "This, from the most introverted person I know."
"I think I've socialized more in the past year than I have in my entire life."
Luke laughed. "She must exhaust you."
"Funny though, she doesn't. I can see how she would exhaust other people. On purpose. But, I think she calibrates around me. I'm not sure if she's using the Force to do that, or if it's just a thing she does, kind of like Wes."
"Hmm. That's an interesting question."
"And it's not like it has to be taco night. I'm not suggesting you come hang out with us with her. That would be weird."
"Just a bit, yeah." Luke looked out across the city. It seemed fully awake for the day, with a bright blue sky, as the sun climbed higher. "West, huh?"
"Yup."
Luke nodded. "Maybe I'll join you."
Luke stepped off the elevator and looked around. It was after zero nine-hundred, but there were still some people in the dining room having breakfast. The bar looked empty and a few people were on the patio. He walked into the lobby. Eris was waving goodbye to another guest walking out the door. "Good morning."
"Oh! Good morning!" She gave him a little bow. "Forgive me, I don't know the proper term of address for you."
He'd been using John Smith at the hospital, but she seemed to know who he was anyway. He decided to steal a line from Brianna. Or maybe she stole it from him first. "Just Luke will do fine." He never much liked being called master anyway, ever since 3PO had done it first. "I hope we haven't caused too much of a disturbance around here."
"Oh no, not at all! Your friends have been so kind and lovely. It's been nice to have some normal guests for a bit."
Luke laughed. "I think you might be the first person in the history of the galaxy to call me and my friends normal."
"Oh." Eris blushed. "No, I didn't mean - it's just - you see, many of the typical guests here, they're - well, I don't want to speak out of turn."
"I won't tell anyone."
"Well, they just, I think, stay in places like this a lot, so they're, you know…"
"Accustomed to luxury?" Luke offered.
"Well, yes. But your friends really are lovely and it's been nice to have normal conversations with guests."
Luke smiled. He didn't really think they would have caused a disturbance, but he had been curious if anyone else had made a big deal of it. "You should know we are a bit weird though. At least Wes is."
"Oh no," she said in what seemed like genuine disagreement. "He's very sweet."
Luke laughed again. "Well, he is that too." Wes had always been the goofy gentleman with women.
As if on cue, Wes came through the glass doors and crossed the lobby. He was carrying what looked like a couple of brochures and a pastry box. "Good morning Eris!" He set his items down on her desk and waved.
"Good morning Mr. Janson!"
Wes grinned and gave Luke a nudge. "She calls me 'Mr. Janson'."
"Did you go to Palika's?" Eris asked, looking at the pastry box.
"Yeah, I went out for a walk and passed by the place. Thought I'd give it a try. You know it?"
"It's the best pastry place in Theed! Everything they have is delicious."
"I got these jam filled dumplings." Wes opened the box. "Do you want one?"
"Oh, no, I'm not allowed to accept gifts from guests. But you are very kind."
"Really? Not even one?"
"Wes, you're going to get her into trouble," Luke said. "She was just telling me how normal she thinks we all are."
"Normal?! Oh, well, that's okay, she just doesn't know us very well yet." He grinned and gave Eris a wink.
Eris blushed and smiled and Luke sensed she wasn't actually offended. Wes was already on to another topic.
"Hey, I also stopped by the tourist info place and the guy gave me this brochure on the Festival of Light. You know anything about it?"
"That's the biggest Festival of the year on Naboo! There are usually festivals going on all over the planet every few weeks, but there's always a lull in the run up to the Festival of Light. That's why it's been so quiet around here this week. But this place will start to fill up in a couple of days. Will you be staying?"
Wes gave Luke several large nods. "I guess we're staying," Luke said.
"The day marks Naboo's entrance into the old Galactic Republic. It was celebrated unbroken for eight-hundred and sixty-eight years. The day we entered the New Republic was different, of course. But the original date is very special to Naboo, so we've kept it the same."
"You said this Guest House was over eight-hundred years old too, right?" Wes said.
"That's right. The N'Callahs were one of the ruling families of Naboo before we had a world government. They were also one of the first to support the move to a planetary government. We weren't a democracy right away, but it did come."
"That's quite impressive," Luke said.
"The Naboo are very proud of our history," Eris said. "If you stay - and I do hope you will - you may want to have your meals brought to your room, when you eat in though. The dining room can get a bit crowded."
Luke nodded. "Thanks for the tip."
"This is going to be great," Wes said.
Luke spotted a few other guests coming into the lobby. "Well, I guess we should let you get back to work."
"Thank you for coming by," Eris said.
"See you later!" Wes waved, then followed Luke into the hall.
As soon as they were past Eris' line of sight, Luke sensed a bit of…embarrassment? Regret? Remorse? It couldn't be about Eris. He remembered what Hobbie told him earlier and pointed further down to the hall where the bar let out onto the patio. "Want to sit outside for a minute?"
"Yeah!"
Since it was midmorning, there were a few people on the patio, but it wasn't too crowded. They found a table on the north side out of everyone else's view. Wes set his brochures and pastries on the table and let out a large breath as he sat. "All okay?" Luke asked as he sat down.
"Yeah. Yeah, sure."
"You know, whenever I say that, no one believes me."
"Yeah, but I don't make a habit of lying about it," Wes said.
Fair. Luke held Wes' gaze for a minute, then Wes turned away and sighed. "So?"
"We almost -" Wes glanced around and dropped his voice. "We almost lost you."
"Weren't you the one insisting to everyone that I was fine before you even found me?"
"Well, yeah. But…" Wes looked around again. "I suggested the place."
"Wes -"
"And I kept telling you to ignore all the weird stuff you were noticing!"
"Wes, none of this is your fault."
"Yeah, I know." Wes pushed his brochures around the table. "I just wanted everyone to have some fun."
"Wes -"
"And don't even tell me everyone was having fun, because no one was having fun. Crazy stuff aside, I mean."
"I don't know, I think Tycho likes history museums."
Wes shrugged. "Yeah, I guess. I don't know. I mostly just wanted you to have fun. It just seems like you've missed out on a lot over the years, so I wanted to make up for that. Not that you shouldn't have done all the things you've done with your life. We wouldn't be here if you didn't. But," he shifted to lean in closer to Luke, "the Force is all about balance right? So even if you couldn't be balanced in the moment back then, you have time to make up for it now, so it balances out over all, right?"
That sounded suspiciously like something Brianna might say. Given what Hobbie said earlier, maybe she had. Still, the idea had some merit. "Maybe you're not wrong."
"Wait. I'm not wrong?"
"Wes, you've always been the best advocate for living life to its fullest. For you, life is meant to be experienced, enjoyed, and most importantly, shared. And it is true, I suppose, that the Jedi life, as it was taught to me, doesn't make much room for those things. I'm sure Brianna would think so." He caught a flash of embarrassment from Wes. "But, they also got a lot of things wrong. So maybe," he wriggled the fingers on his right hand, "I'm holding on to something I don't need to hold onto."
Wes' face brightened. "So, we're gonna stay for the festival, right?"
"I don't see why not."
Wes grinned and pushed the pastry box over to Luke to take one. "It's gonna be great. There's gonna be all kinds of food and music and art. It takes up the whole promenade leading up the palace and almost every other square meter of free space in the city. There'll be tons to see. So," Wes took a pastry for himself, "you need to stay off your feet for the next couple of days."
Luke smiled. It was always a pleasure to see Wes happy. Luke threw him a mock salute. "Yes sir."
The five of them had just settled into the balcony to watch dusk settle over the city when there was a knock at the suite door. Tycho jumped up. "I'll get it."
A man in a Guest House uniform stood in the hallway. "Lady Sabé would like to inquire if the Master Jedi would like to join her for a private tour of the Political Museum this evening."
Luke poked his head in from the balcony. Everyone was looking at him. "Yes, that would be very nice." He gave everyone a quick wave as he followed the Guest House employee out the door. He could sense a little bit of apprehension, but no one said anything.
They walked through the lobby and the employee waved to the night desk attendant. "Thank you Khirs. Have a good night."
"Good night Deven."
There was a short car waiting by the steps. Deven opened the back door for Luke then hurried back around to the driver side. Sabé was already sitting in the back. "Thank you for joining me. I hope I didn't interrupt anything," she said as they pulled away.
"No, not at all. Just enjoying the night air."
Sabé nodded. "It is mild in Theed all year round, but late spring evenings are particularly pleasant."
After a short ride through the city, they pulled up to a short staircase at the back of the museum. "Thank you Deven. I'll send you a note when we are ready to be picked up."
"Yes my Lady."
Sabé led Luke up the stairs, through sets of double doors, a large office, and a hallway before entering the museum. She pulled a small disk out of her pocket and pressed a button on it. "This is a short range jammer. The battery gives us a few hours to speak freely."
Luke nodded. She hadn't asked him anything particularly personal at dinner the night before. He wondered when it would come. He followed her through the museum.
"This museum has always been one of Theed's most popular attractions," she said. "It was exquisitely maintained for centuries, then fell into a bit of disrepair during the Imperial period. I was on the restoration committee. Every single Senator to a galactic governing body for the last nine hundred years is in this hall. Our participation in galactic governance is a source of planetary pride."
"Hobbie told me there was a gap."
Sabé smiled. "Yes. Not many people actually look at the dates, and so don't notice. Your friend is quite observant."
"He always has been."
"When the Empire came in, one of the first things they did was try to clear our archives, no doubt trying to cover Palpatine's tracks. After they left, and we started to restore the museum, most people didn't even remember that he had been our Senator. Those of us on the committee who did remember debated if we should restore his position in the line. I argued that a civilization does not prevent future evil by forgetting past evil. But ultimately I was persuaded that his inclusion would induce a social trauma that Naboo did not need. Perhaps one day, enough time will have passed that we can include him again, as a warning, if nothing else."
They stopped in front of another exhibit. Hobbie had said that Luke looked like her. He supposed that he did.
"We met when we were both in the Legislative Youth Program," Sabé said. "Many Naboo youth participate, especially those from elite families. She was the star of our class though. She had such a talent for seeing through all perspectives and bringing everyone together. I was never as good, except perhaps where it came to security issues. We made a good team when a situation required both a security perspective and a social empathy for those with other views.
"We lost touch for a bit after the program ended. When she and a few others became serious candidates for Queen or King, the security forces put out a call for applicants meeting certain visual characteristics matching the applicants'. Padmé was using the moniker Amidala by then, but I recognized her. I applied and got in. After she got elected, she would sometimes join us in training, undercover. We still made a good team, and she directed that I become a member of her handmaiden security force.
"She was a magnificent Queen. But it was as Senator that she really had her time to shine. She truly believed, with all of her passion, that good politics and good governance could make people's lives better, that they could set people free to thrive on their own terms. She gravitated toward other like-minded Senators like Bail Organa and Mon Mothma. She wasn't naive though. Any naiveté she might have had was destroyed by the Trade Federation invasion. She always sought the good in people. But she also knew that not everyone shared those ideals. She preferred the halls of words. But she would fight when necessary. And no one fought harder for peace than her."
"You could easily be describing Leia."
Sabé smiled at him. "Indeed. I followed her career much more closely after the Battle of Endor. The similarities were not lost on me." She looked back up at Padmé's portrait. "It was my great privilege that she called me her friend." She beckoned him to follow her again. "Come."
Luke followed her back the way they'd come, looping through several other exhibit halls and finally around to the other side of the museum to the Hall of Rulers. Sabé tapped the glass on one of Padmé's displays. "Do you know what this is?"
Luke looked where she was pointing. It was a small square-ish pendant. "R2 showed me an image once. He said he was there when Anakin gave it to her."
Sabé nodded. "I never saw them together much during the Clone Wars. They were actually pretty good at being discreet. Whenever he was in the room, especially if there were other Jedi, or Senators, or really anyone, he was always Master Jedi this or Master Jedi that, just as she would refer to any other Jedi.
"She never explicitly told me they were married. But I'm certain that she knew that I knew because whenever it was just the two of us, suddenly he became Anakin. She had a softness about her, a glow. Even when he had said or done something that frustrated her, or they had some spat, as couples often do, that glow never dimmed. It was quite remarkable."
Luke was again reminded of Leia. No matter how much Han might infuriate her on any given day, her presence in the Force lit up whenever Han was in the room. And so did his. He started to say so. "Leia -"
"Do you know what happened?"
Luke stopped.
"The Alderaanian delegation had no explanation to give. I had my assumptions, which I now believe must be wrong. I did not ask your friends directly, and in any case, they were quite intent on not speaking out of turn." She looked at him. "Do you know what happened?"
Luke now understood what this was for. She had spent sixty years mourning her friend, only to have no answers and more questions. "Somewhat," he said. "Most of what I know I got from R2 because he was there, or overheard conversations, or made some educated guesses later. He said after the last battle above Coruscant, she told Anakin she was pregnant. He started to have concerns about her health. He had visions in the Force of her dying in childbirth."
"Are such visions reliable?"
"They -" Luke wasn't really sure how to answer. He'd never had much consistency with them. "It depends. There are a lot of unknowns. I would say in this particular case it was more of a… self-fulfilling prophecy… or a manipulation."
Sabé frowned. "Go on."
"After the Clone attack on the Jedi Temple - which R2 said he did not know was led by Anakin at the time - he heard Anakin tell her that he had found a way to save her. She was skeptical and tried to reassure him that she was fine. He took R2 to Mustafar, where Palpatine had told Anakin the Separatist leaders were. Anakin told R2 to stay with the fighter. He said it was the last thing Anakin ever said to him. R2's sensors could detect twelve people in the mining control room above the landing platforms. Then there were thirteen. And swiftly there was only one. He said Anakin didn't come back down after he killed everyone. He just stayed up on the catwalk.
"A short time later, she landed her skiff on an adjacent platform. Anakin came down to meet her. R2 said he could see a bit of what happened and caught some of the conversation. She was upset because Obi Wan had told her Anakin had killed Younglings at the Temple. He was upset that she brought up Obi Wan. She tried to convince him to come away with her, away from the war, so they could be a family. He said he could save her with his new powers and that they didn't have to hide anymore. They could rewrite the rules.
"She couldn't go along with it. He was already upset and that's when Obi Wan stepped off the skiff. He had stowed away. He accused her of betraying him. He -" Luke felt Sabé brace herself. There was no point softening it. "He attacked her. He used the Force to choke her. Apparently he didn't actually injure her, but he did knock her out. That's when Obi Wan and Anakin started to fight. After the fight moved off the platform, R2 said he made his way over and he and 3PO managed to get Padmé back on board the skiff. A short time later, Obi Wan came back alone, with Anakin's Lightsaber. R2 said his sensors could still pick up Anakin somewhere, but they left anyway.
"They met up with Bail Organa and Master Yoda, who had just barely escaped his own fight with Palpatine. They went to a medical facility on an Alderaanian mining colony. The medical droid there said he couldn't actually find anything wrong with her, but she was dying. He would have to operate to save the twins. That's the first anyone knew it was twins."
"How could she be dying with nothing wrong with her?"
"I know a little about Sudden Adult Death Syndrome. It usually requires a sudden emotional shock. But that would have left a medical marker for the droid. Another possibility is that it was Palpatine. He picked Anakin up on Mustafar after Obi Wan left. They would have been in some kind of surgery at the same time. For Anakin to fully be Darth Vader, Palpatine needed him to sever any connections to anything - or anyone - Anakin cared about. Palpatine was a powerful practitioner of the Dark Side of the Force. It's possible he was… pulling from her to give to Anakin." Luke paused to take a breath. "R2 said she lived just long enough to name us, and to tell Obi Wan that she believed there was still good in him."
Sabé reached out and took a hold of his hand. Luke wasn't sure if it was her or the Force or just the new, properly functioning sensors in his ungloved right hand. But it sent a shiver up his spine.
"Was she right?"
"I wouldn't be here if she wasn't." She turned her head slightly to look at him. He kept going. "I met him twice. The first time was at the Tibana gas mining colony on Bespin. After the Battle of Hoth I didn't meet up with the rest of the survivors. I went to Dagobah to find Master Yoda and continue my Jedi training. While there I had vision in the Force of Han and Leia being tortured in a city in the clouds."
"Was that reliable?"
"It… turned out to be, yes. They made it past the Imperial blockade at Hoth, but their hyperdive was broken, so it took them two months to get to Bespin at sublight speed. The administrator was an old smuggling buddy of Han's. But the Empire beat them there. Vader didn't really care about them. He just wanted to do something I could sense to draw me out. Obi Wan and Yoda told me not to go. But I couldn't leave them." Luke could feel Sabé frowning at him. But she didn't ask any questions, so he pressed on.
"I did end up fighting him, Vader, I mean. I think his instructions were to just capture me and bring me back to the Emperor. But I actually gave him a good fight. Not that he was trying to kill me. But, I think he was impressed. He didn't want to do what the Emperor wanted. He tried to recruit me to help him overthrow the Emperor. That's when he told me - because he was the one who told me - that he was my father. Obi Wan had told me that Vader killed my father."
"He lied to you?"
"Well, he - as far as he was concerned it was philosophically true. I took it literally."
"I see."
"I don't think he wanted to do anything the Emperor said. I think he just wanted me, that connection. Everything the Emperor tried to wipe out. Trying to recruit me was the only way he knew how. Even after only one meeting - he tortured my friends, cut off my hand - I believed there was good in him too.
"When I saw him again at Endor it was because I turned myself in. I was with the ground team that was tasked to destroy the shield generator. I hadn't planned on turning myself into the Imperial garrison. But he was there and... Well, I thought it would at least keep his attention away from the rest of the team.
"He was even more conflicted then. He tried to deny it. But he couldn't even convince himself.
"I was trying to avoid fighting anyone. But Palpatine goaded me into taking a swing at him. Vader blocked it and we started to fight. I tried to stay on defense, kept trying to talk it through. I think it was having an effect, but not enough of one.
"Up to that point, he didn't know about Leia being my sister - I had only just found out. I let it slip, thinking about her. He threatened her. I'm not even certain he knew exactly who it was I was thinking about. I took the bait. I attacked him. I nearly won. I nearly did exactly what Obi Wan and Yoda told me I was supposed to do. Then I heard Palpatine laughing behind me. I realized he didn't even care which one of us won. He just needed one of us to win, to kill the other one. He needed one of us in a constant state of rage and anger and pain and resentment. Anything to keep the guilt at bay.
"I said I wasn't going to do it. I even tossed my lightsaber on the floor. Palpatine was pretty angry that his game wasn't going to work. He had the ability to use the Force to shoot lightning from his hands. It's… exceptionally painful. I must have looked quite pathetic, writhing on the floor in pain, begging for help. But something in Anakin finally changed. After everything I had said, this was the tipping point. He grabbed Palpatine from behind and threw him down a reactor shaft. That's how Palpatine died. Anakin caught some of the lightning too, damaging the breathing apparatus. That's how he died.
"Everyone thought I went there to kill the two most powerful men in the galaxy. But I didn't kill anyone."
"He saved you."
"As he was dying, I said I needed to save him. I meant medical attention. He said, 'you already have.' So I guess he would say that we saved each other."
Sabé turned to face him and took his other hand. Luke could see tears in the dim museum light. "You are truly your mother's son. You did what she could not." She pulled him into a gentle hug. "Thank you for this. I needed it more than I realized." She pulled away a bit, with a sad but determined smile. "She would be so proud of you."
Luke looked away. Owen had never said he was proud of Luke. He just wasn't the sort of person to express that kind of emotion. Beru said it occasionally. Over the years, Luke had caught himself wishing that Obi Wan or Yoda would be proud of him, even though he knew that wasn't really how being a Jedi was supposed to work. He had simply run out of people who he wanted to be proud of him. And given all the other areas of his life that had turned out less than ideal, he wondered if anyone would be anyway. "I did at least manage to get that right."
She gave his shoulders a squeeze. "Your friends did tell me you sometimes have… difficulty acknowledging your own accomplishments."
"I think I just temper them with my failures more than they do."
"Mmm. Do your friends know of your failures?"
"Yes. Mostly. Wedge - well, he knows everything. He could probably tell you more about me in an hour than I could ever tell you myself. But, they don't have to live with those failures."
Sabé nodded. "I do not know of your failures. But I know Padmé and I know her kind heart that she has passed to you. You saw hope for Anakin where others saw only rage and hate. I know she would tell you to treat yourself with the same care and kindness that you so readily give to others."
Luke smiled. "Wedge often tells me something similar."
"I do not doubt it. Our closest friends often see us in ways we cannot see ourselves. Do you trust your friends?"
"I do."
"Then trust their judgment. That whatever your failures, and whatever amends you feel you must make, that you can trust their judgment that you are worthy of their kindness, their support, and their love."
Luke nodded. "Making what I feel match what I know isn't always easy."
"Then come. Let us move on." Sabé slipped her arm into Luke's and led him away into another part of the museum. "I wish to tell you all about the exceptional woman who was your mother."
Luke walked down the hall toward the suite. He had half been hoping that everyone had gone to bed already, or that maybe just Wedge was still up. But he could sense them all still up in the common area, waiting for him. He didn't really feel up to talking. He had just spent the past three hours talking about…everything. But he didn't want them to worry either.
He swiped his key card over the door lock and stepped inside. They were all sitting on the couches in the common area, looking at him. He let the door shut behind him. They were all worried anyway, of course. He wished he knew what to say to alleviate it. Nothing he said ever seemed to work.
It was like a vicious loop. The more they worried, the more anxious he felt and the less he knew what to say, which just made them worry more.
Wes was up first, popping over the arm of the couch to rush Luke for a hug. Wes had always been the most open with his emotions, but Tycho and Hobbie, and then Wedge weren't far behind. It was so easy to be around them when they were happy, but so hard to keep them that way. Wes had been right, of course. He did lie a lot. And they knew it. But anything closer to true would just kickstart the loop. Wouldn't it?
He told Sabé he trusted them. And he did. At least, he said he did. He was just protecting them from his more sullen thoughts. Or maybe he was protecting himself from their distress.
What would it look like if he actually did though? He would do what they wanted? Let them do what they wanted? He knew they just wanted to help. That's what they'd been telling him all day. But it wasn't always clear what that needed to be.
Or, maybe it didn't need to be. He just needed to let it happen.
He hugged them back. Not that he hadn't been already. But it had been more a half-measure, a concession. Now, it was for real.
And almost immediately, there was a change. All their worry and distress and heartache, they hadn't gone away. But they shifted to the background, replaced by… hope… comfort… relief… resolution.
He knew it wasn't a mindset he could maintain every second of every day. It would take work and practice. But, if they thought he was worth it, then so were they.