The Skywalker Dynasty:

Chapter 23

After the spirits were gone, the remaining members of the group stood in awe, in joy, in love, and embraced. Anakin and Padme literally could not keep their hands and eyes off of each other! She was still a bit in a daze, and had not fully regained her coherent mind enough to consider everything or to ask questions about what had happened, or who Luke and Leia were. It was going to be a lot on her when the time came to fill her in, but the only thing that mattered now was that she was saved, alive and healthy, and back with Anakin. That night, under the stars, the gravediggers returned to bury the empty coffin, never realizing she was not in it. For now, it was best no one else knew the shocking turn of events. As far as everyone else knew, she was buried. Anakin felt terrible for her family, he would have to let them know somehow. The group in the Millenium Falcon was gone from the gravesite, but still in the past time as they left Naboo's atmosphere. Luke was now helping Han copilot, since Anakin was too busy cuddling with a sleeping Padme. He had to hold her every second, afraid if he let go, she'd disappear, or die in her sleep. She did not seem real to him as he held her, looked at her, touched her, smelled her hair, tasted her lips. It was a dream come true magnified. Finally, his eyes closed, and his head tilted to the side. He too was asleep. Leia, seeing them, smiled, and covered them up to their necks with the Jedi cloak as a blanket. Then she joined Han and Luke at the pilot seats.

"Han." Luke said with a smug smile. "have you now seen something that would make you believe there is a mystical energy force controlling everything?"

Han's eyes started rolling before all these words left Luke's mouth. "What do you think?" was his only answer. It was obvious.

Luke, turning to Leia, laughed. Leia was so relieved to see Luke back to his old self. It was overwhelming to them to have their parents on board! They had missed all their growing up years, and now what? Leia's mind raced to strange questions. They were still back in time, could they still go find themselves as babies? Would Anakin and Padme decide to stay in their own original time, how would this affect the future? It was a lot to grasp and comprehend, and to consider what to do next. If only they didn't have to think about it right away, they would need time to plan what was best. Or did they even know the answer to that. They all stared out at the stars, and Leia, standing behind her brother and her betrothed, stretched her arms around both sets of shoulders. "Lately it's occured to me," she said, "what a long strange trip it's been."
They all laughed. "That is the understatement of the epoch!"

Just then, Han's communicator began to beep. He picked it up, and heard a crackling but desperate call for help. It was Chewy! Oh, poor Chewy! In all the confusion he and the droids had been left on Kashyyk, during the Clone Wars! Chewbacca explained to Han that his borrowed piece of junk ship had broken down in midair, crashing. He and R2 were okay, but poor Threepio was again dismembered and in dire need of repair! They were all three trapped, and were doomed to be killed by droids or clones or both if Han did not come right away! Han looked to Luke and Leia for approval. "Look, gang, whatever else we have to do, I've got to save my buddy." Luke and Leia agreed, they would not have it any other way. The Falcon set its course for Kashyyyk, still in the same time. It wasn't long before they approached it, and Chewbacca guided Han to his location via the communicator as the ship landed. The hatch opened, and Han and Luke jumped outside. Leia stayed inside with her parents, still sleeping off their major and otherwordly experience. She kept guard with her own blaster.

Luke spotted Chewbacca as he ran toward them. "There he is, Han!" he pointed out.

"Over here, pal!" Han screamed. This only alerted the enemies, who were in pursuit. The situation appeared desperate. While Han and Chewbacca tried to hold them off with blasters, Luke ran back to the ship. "Leia, we have to get out of here. I'm going to wake up father so he can fly the ship out of here while we fight and make our escape. Leia looked over at Anakin, hating to disturb him. Luke thought the reuninted lovers in each others' arms was a touching sight too, but needed one of them badly. He gently shook Anakin's shoulder and spoke softly. "Father, please wake up, father?" Slowly, Anakin began to stir, his head moving back and forth, groaning softly. When he opened his eyes, he froze in a look of shock. The first thing he saw was Padme, and he was not yet awake enough to remember what had just happened. It took a few seconds to absorb into his mind. Then he remembered! He looked at Luke, and back at her, and smiled. It WASN'T a dream!

"Father, I don't like bothering you, but we are in trouble. We came to rescue Chewy and our droids and now we are under under attack. Han and Chewy need me to fight, will you please fly the ship?" This took awhile to sink in too. Then he looked at Luke and nodded.

"Be right there." He kissed Padme and gently laid her down without waking her. He followed Luke to the front of the ship, and they looked outside. "I sure wish Obi Wan was still here" Anakin said out loud, "this is a Clone wars battle, a job for Kenobi and Skywalker." He looked so forlorn as he gazed out at the scene.

Luke turned to him, igniting his lightsaber, and said "well, how about Skywalker, and Skywalker?" Anakin smiled at his son as he pulled his own lightsaber an ignited it. Slowly, but surely, to his and Luke's surprise, the red was melting down and changing colors until the entire blade was now brilliant blue! The last sign of the dark side in either of them was now gone. They looked at the blade, then back at each other, and at Leia, and they all smiled.

Anakin took the ship up over the scene and set it on automatic pilot hover. "Leia, can you keep a watch on this for us?" He asked. "This will help in event of a quick getaway." She nodded, sure thing! She also kept watch over the ship, prepared to use her blaster or even its gunner to protect it if necessary. Anakin and Luke gave one last smirky look of pride at each other as they literally jumped out the open hatch, flipping backward, then into synchronized Jedi spins before they landed squarely on their feet, lightsabers humming. There they were, father and son, side by side in battle, for the first time both united on the good side of the force.

Han and Chewy saw the two Jedi. "It's about time, I thought they were gonna kill us!" He snapped at them.

Anakin and Luke stood back to back so that no one could shoot or attack them from behind, and slashed away with their lightsabers. "I've got your back, son." Anakin joked.

"Likewise, Father!" Luke yelled back in great satisfaction. They were very good together. Han was amazed to see them not only slicing up droids, but deflecting blaster shots like they were nothing! It was a fierce battle, the four of them against the larger group, and it got very scary at times. But soon, all of the droids lay on the ground in smoldering pieces. Triumphantly, Anakin turned off his lightsaber, spun it in the air, and slammed it back onto his belt like an old west gunfighter after a successful duel. In admiration, Luke did the same. They turned to each other, both with smug smiles. "Skywalker and Skywalker, that works." It certainly did.

"Hurry" Han yelled, "we have to get out of here before anything else tries to attack us!" Luke and Anakin enjoyed using their Jedi skills to jump back into the hovering Falcon's open doorway, and helped Han and Chewbacca in too, as they took their old places at the pilot and co-pilot seats. The Falcon's instruments alerted Han of more enemies coming in the distance. Amid the rubble on the ground, Luke spied R2, squealing and bouncing up and down, his long arms dragging a net with the pieces of his friend Threepio in it. They needed to send an extension arm down to pull them up.

"Let's go!" Luke said as he looked up at Han. "And don't forget the droids!"