The Skywalker Dynasty: Chapter 28

Han brought the Millenium Falcon out of hyperspace a little closer to Ackbar's command ship than he had intended. Poor old girl, he thought, she had been through so much and needed a rest badly, yet here she was, here they all were, back in battle. Han spoke to Ackbar over the ship communicator. "General Solo, Milleninum Falcon, requesting permission to proceed past blockade of Coruscant."

The Alliance command ship answered back "you may proceed" then someone added "good to have you here." It was so good to be needed, or was it? As the ship penetrated the atmosphere, everyone on board stared in shock. Smoke rose up from almost all parts of the city. In the air and on the ground, skirmishes raged. Dead bodies of many species lay on the ground and hung from windows.Wrecked and burning vehicles and debris were scattered all over the ground and even on tops of buildings. It was a horrid sight. Han didn't know if he was needed more on the ground or in the air. Anakin suggested they go to his home, check out all the holograms and transmissions and figure out where to start. As they flew into the underground landing area, they noticed that the outside of the house had been vandalized and therer was grafitti all over it. Palpatine's old palace nearby had been totally looted and set afire. Everyone knew of his demise. Anakin figured it was only fear of him and Luke that had saved their home from the same fate. Inside, it was not damaged, save for the few out of place things still lying about from Anakin's hurried departure.

Padme looked all around as she slowly walked through the house. "This is your house? Well, you sure came a long way from a Jedi with no possessions."

"Welcome to our happy home, darling." He said as he caught up with her and put his arm around her. "I'll make it whatever you want it to be. I have to make up for all that time I was a kept man at your expense."

She gave a shy smile. "How happy it will be remains to be seen." She spoke negatively, as she walked to the window by the balcony and looked out onto the devastated city.

"Careful" he said, gently pulling her back from view. "I wouldn't get to close to the windows with all the shooting going on."

Anakin pulled out the picture he had carried of her all those years, and had been too hurt to look at. He had found it in the bathroom in the red tunic. For the first time, he looked at it, really looked at it, and smiled. Then he looked at her, and the picture, her again, and showed it to her. "I carried this with me all those years. I never stopped loving you, Padme. I never stopped hurting. I love you so much." They both had tears in their eyes.
"Oh Anakin, I love you too. I am so happy we are together, and everything just has to be all right now."

"It will be, my love. I will do anything, I promise"

She put her finger to his lips. "I remember you saying these things before, and where that led. Please., don't..."
This time, he hushed her. "No, it's not like that. We're going to get out of this. Everything is going to be fine for all of us. We will make it happen." She fell into his arms, and they hugged. As he held her, he looked out the window into the city, and contemplated all that lie ahead. Just then, Anakin noticed something on the balcony- two darkly clad human forms! They must be looters trying to break in! "Get back!" he ordered Padme as he motioned her away. He ran out onto the balcony, followed only by Luke, and faced the two shady characters.

"Freeze right there, or we'll shoot!" One of them declared.

"You will try." Anakin chided them boldy.

The criminals let loose with their blasters, but the shots were quickly blocked and deflected backward into the air by Luke's lightsaber and Anakin's hands. Then Anakin used the force to pull both guns to him. Once he had them in his grip, he used the force to crunch them to pieces. "That's what I think of your guns. Most uncivilized." Anakin said to them as he smirked and shook his head, pieces of crumbling blaster falling to the ground from his hands. The criminals tried to make a run for it and scale back over the balcony, but Han came up from behind with his own blaster and shot at them. Fleeing, and still in shock from what they had seen, the scum fell to their deaths.

Back inside, everyone was congratulating them, all very impressed. One of the former younglings commented that he had never seen such awesome power, and that he had much to learn to be as powerful as Luke and Anakin. "Your skills will be needed." Luke told him and the other long lost Jedi. "I have just received a transmission, the rogue army has set up headquarters in the old Jedi temple. We must go to clean it out."To the younglings who looked upon it as a home and a sacred place, this was an outrage! They were determined to go immediately. Luke and Anakin agreed they would go, but first they must organize their attack for maximum effectiveness.

"I know an underground passageway that leads from my parking hangar to the street just before you reach the temple. We can take that for surprise."

Luke looked at his father, a bit unsure. "You mean, just march right into the temple?"

Anakin stared right back at him. "It won't be the first time it's been done. We can do it, and this time, for the right cause." Images of his attack on the temple with the clones raced through his memory. This was a chance to almost rewind it, to redo it, to atone for it, for a good instead of evil. Luke and the whole new band of Jedi followed Anakin as he made his way downstairs.

Padme came running. "Anakin, you promise me, you and Luke will be safe, I will not lose you." He stopped to hug her again, and they kissed.

"Padme, I love you so much. This is something we must do, and we must go now. We will return." She hugged him again, and then turned to her son, Luke, and hugged him too. No one else spoke, but they all knew they had to go. Anakin led the way again, turning back to take one more look at Padme. She blew him a kiss. "For luck." She whispered. He returned the air kiss. Anakin and Luke gave her one last look of love as they turned to lead their Jedi underground, and to the Jedi temple.

Leia hugged her mother as they both worried with anguish imagining what Anakin and Luke now faced. But they were not to be left in peace, either. Lando called in to Han's personal communicator. "Han old buddy, get over to the senate building. The freedom fighters are almost defeated, and if it's stormed, we will lose our last chance at freedom!" Lando and Wedge, along with other pilots, were monitoring the battles from the air, and both sides had fighters in speeders, some were even snipers using sneak attacks. It was chaos! Was it even safe to be out in it? Of course not, but something had to be done. Everyone's hearts and minds raced. This was it, the final showdown, the last stand for freedom. All who went out were risking their lives, but they could not hide and do nothing after all they had endured. Leia got a call on her personal communicator from Mon Mothma, asking her for any help she may have available. She promised to come. The time was now.

Leia looked up at Han with her most pleading eyes. "Han, can you cover me? I'm going into that Senate building."

"What, no, you can't go in there, not without sufficient backup..."
Then Padme stood up next to her daughter and bravely announced "she will not be alone, I am going too." Leia looked at her.

"Mother? Are you sure? After all you've been through..."

"Leia," she continued, "all I've been through, all we've all been through will mean nothing if we fall back under a vicious and hostile regime, this one just as dangerous and more unstable than even the empire! We will all surely be marked for death anyway if this happens! We must act now to secure safety and liberty for ourselves and all other living beings!" Everyone was very moved by Padme's courage and determination.

"You got it." Han decided right then. "Both of you go in and make your move! You are both former senators, it will be an important power play. This is just what we need. I'm sure if I tell Lando and Wedge what's going on, they will be right behind us!" Chewy bellowed loudly, shaking his blaster in the air. Han looked at him and laughed nervously. "I didn't want to speak for you, pal, this is going to be the roughest yet. Good to have you along!" Then, a heavy sigh. "Let's go, into the Falcon."

"Oh dear, what am I to do?" Threepio whined. Leia suggested he stay behind and guard the house, and report anything unsavory to them. That was important too! "Oh, R2!" he cried as he saw his longtime companion roll away with the others. R2 whistled back an encouraging way that they would meet again.

Perhaps their greatest challenge of all awaited them. Hearts pounded and ice water ran in veins as the group prepared themselves. Leia tossed her spare blaster to her mother, who caught it in midair. It had been a long time, but she could still handle it. Han and Chewy readied the Falcon for its flight into destiny or doom. They were going right onto the heart of the city, into the heat of battle, into the mouth of the beast, and face it down with all they had.

Somewhere underground, along the darkened secret passageways, the last of the Jedi all marched together, toward the temple. As they approached the opening that would take them to the street above, Anakin turned around and faced them one last time. "May the force be with you." He said to the group in his most heartfelt and encouraging voice. They all returned his message, then, with Anakin in the lead and Luke at his side, began their ascent up into the city.