"So you're, like, my mother in law?" Mara asked after her shock was over.

"Yeah." Padme responded.

"Oh my gosh, I have, like, a million questions to ask you!" Mara said like an anxious teenager. She had barely ever heard of Luke's mom. Man, Luke didn't even know about her.

"Luke and I at first didn't know anything about you, but then it turns out R2D2 kept some old recordings of you and…" Mara said at a fast pace.

"So, old R2 finally spilled the beans? Hah, I'm surprised he waited this long. Now about earlier, you said you were fighting your nephew?" Padme interrupted.

"Yeah, something's wrong with Jacen's head…Wait, you don't know? Can't you see what goes on in the living world?" Mara asked, for she was confused again.

"Nope, only Force ghosts can do that. Regular souls have to stay here and hope for the best." Padme said

"Oh, well that stinks. And to think I could have been a force ghost, too!" Mara whined.

"Oh, don't worry. You can still see what's going on if a force ghost takes you with them." Padme said to comfort her.

"Then, when was the last time you went? I know some of your friends here are force sensitive. What about Ben and Anakin and the older Anakin… hey, where are they? Are they here?" Mara got up as if she was going to look for them.

"Well, force ghosts don't really stay in one place. They go out and have fun in the living realm for hours and hardly ever come back here. It's pretty tough to catch them at a good time. My husband spends all night in the living realm with his friends! The last time he took me with him was a decade ago, to see my grandchildren." Padme explained.

"Well do they come here? They have to sleep eventually. Hey, where is here exactly?" Mara asked. Her questions were endless.

"This is the Skywalker Retreat. Where all members of the Skywalker family live after they die. And, yes, the force sensitive members of our family come here when they feel like it." Padme explained.

"Well, what about Anakin…Anakin Solo, your grandson His last name isn't Skywalker, but he's still part of the family." Mara questioned.

"Actually he lives in the Solo Retreat across the street. He comes to visit every now and then. However, his 16 year old soul likes to wander around like his grandfather." Padme answered.

"Wait, he's the same age as when he died? But, I was 58, and now I look like I'm 25 again, but I'm wearing the same thing as when I died. How does the appearance work here anyway?" Mara continued to question.

Padme answered, "Your age is one of youth, but your clothes are what you wore when you died. I know, it's pretty weird, but I don't make the rules. That's why I'm stuck with this stupid hospital gown for the rest of eternity! However, those rules do not apply to…"

"Force ghosts." Mara completed her sentence. She was catching on, and she almost regretted leaving her body behind.

"Exactly, so basically force ghosts rule, and regular ones suck." Padme said in a depressed tone. She laid her head on her pillow.

"C'mon, now. It can't be all bad. We still get to do something, right?" Mara said trying to comfort her mother in law. Padme got up again and sighed.

"Well, we do get to do whatever we want in the realm of the dead. We can go shopping, watch holovideos, and basically enjoy ourselves. Yeah, I guess it's not all bad. It's a LOT easier than life as a senator was. Oh, the war would kill me, and there were the scandals, and paparazzi. Life- I mean death, is pretty much easier now." Padme started to feel better.

"There's so much I want to know about you! I know it may be a lot, but, would you mind explaining your life's story to me?" Mara pleaded of her. She wanted to know everything about her husband's mother. Padme made a big sigh; this was going to take a while. Unless. There was an easier way to tell her life's story. Then, it hit her.

"I have a better idea. C'mon." Padme said as she perked her head up. She grabbed Mara's hand and ran out of the building, and headed for the bus stop.

"Where are we going?" asked Mara.

"You'll see." Padme answered.

Then, a huge astro-bus pulled up in front of them. Mara and Padme got the two front seats on the bus. After all the passengers got on, the bus sped forward at the speed of light! Mara watched as hundreds of galaxies passed before her eyes. She wondered where Padme was taking her. She had never been this far into the universe. Even at this speed, it took an hour before it got to their stop.

"Milky Way Galaxy? Anyone for the Milky Way Galaxy?" The bus driver called.

"That's us! C'mon." Padme jumped out of her seat with Mara following.

They stepped out of the bus onto some concrete pavement. Everything was different here. The architecture and technology was completely different, and a little primitive in their opinion.

"Where are we?" Mara asked.

"In the Milky Way, the humans call the afterlife heaven or hell. Heaven if you're good, hell if you're evil. Actually, the afterlife system works differently depending on your religion. There are three main religions here: Christianity, Judaism, and Islamic. Explaining them all would take too long. Now, let's go." Padme explained.

They walked around until Padme found what she was looking for. They walked up to a tall building.

"Ah, here we are!" Padme said.

"Borders? What is this place?" Mara said confused.

"It's a place where they sell holovideos, music, and books. Actually, holovideos are called DVDs, and they come in thin round discs." Padme explained. They walked into the large building and headed over to the movie section. Padme stopped to search through the "S" section.

"What exactly are we looking for?" Mara scratched her head at this new place.

"Found them!" Padme exclaimed. She held up six DVDs. Their titles were:

Star Wars: Episode I-The Phantom Menace

Star Wars: Episode II-Attack of the Clones

Star Wars: Episode III-Revenge of the Sith

Star Wars: Episode IV-A New Hope

Star Wars: Episode V-The Empire Strikes Back

Star Wars: Episode VI-Return of the Jedi

Padme purchased the entire saga, and they left the building. They also got a knapsack to keep them all in. When they got back on the bus, Mara examined the DVDs closer.

"Hey that's you! And there's Luke, Leia, and Han! And there's Vader and the Emperor!" Mara pointed out.

"Exactly, it's our story on DVD." Padme said.

"How do they know about you?" asked Mara.

"Beats me. They know about you, too. They just didn't make a movie about it. You're in a series of novels" Padme explained. When they got home, they rushed up to their room to watch their movies. Padme took out a small packet of something into a microwave she kept in her room.

"Wow, I didn't notice this stuff earlier." Mara said as she looked at Padme's Earth goods. Padme had a microwave, fridge, DVD player, and plasma-screen TV.

"Yeah, every time I go to the Milky Way, I like to bring something back. That TV shows a much better picture than a hologram. And this popcorn isn't anything you can get in this galaxy." Padme said.

"Popcorn? What's popcorn?" Mara had never heard of it. Padme pulled out the popcorn from the microwave.

"Here, taste it. It's what Earthlings eat whenever they watch a movie." Padme held out the bowl for Mara to take a piece. Mara wasn't big on trying new foods, but this looked appetizing. She put it in her mouth, and nodded in approval.

"It's pretty good." Mara smiled at this new food. Padme walked over to the DVD player and placed the first DVD in the slot.

"Now sit back and relax, because it's going to be a long night." Padme sat back on the floor as the movie started.