Epilogue: 10 years later
Arianna Skywalker walked down the stone halls of a temple on the jungle moon, Yavin 4. A small furry Hoojib following at her side.
Will he be happy?
Ari nodded. "Yes. He will be. We have wanted this for a decade."
The white alien nodded, going silent. Taga had eventually wanted to return home and soon met a mate and had babies. This was one of Taga's offspring. Ari did visit Taga when she could and more than once, Luke had surprised her by bringing the alien on a visit. Much like her father, this alien, who was called Melari in basic, wanted to travel. So, this alien was visiting the temporary Jedi Temple.
The pair entered one of the rooms with a high ceiling. Luke was sitting on the floor, his legs crossed. Facing him, there were five children, three were new. One human boy, one twi'lek girl and one human girl. The other two were very familiar to her. Though young, her children often liked to join training and as long as it wasn't too intensive or dangerous, she and Luke allowed it. Such as when there was lightsaber training, though she and Luke planned on letting them start with practice sabers in another year or two. The oldest was their daughter, Tiri, who was seven. She was named for Siri and Taylor, mixing their names to come up with a unique name that fit her. Their son, who was five, was named Ben, a tribute to Obi-Wan Kenobi. Their middle names were also tributes to past loved ones. Tiri's was Amidala and Ben's was Jett. They both had blonde hair and blue eyes, like their parents.
"The Force surrounds us and penetrates us. It binds the galaxy together," he said. His eyes were open, but Ari noticed that the others had their eyes closed. Meditation. Luke insisted that there always be meditation. So far, it seemed to be working.
After a few minutes, Luke dismissed class and the students filed out. The students bowed to him and then three of them left. They saw Ari and bowed to her too. "Master Narabe."
Ari went by that name so that there was no confusion by having two Skywalkers.
She nodded to them then entered the room.
"Master Skywalker," she smiled at him.
"Master Narabe," he smiled back at her.
"Mom, did you see how well we were doing?" Tiri asked, rushing over to her.
"Yes, I did, Tiri," she smiled, hugging her.
Ben followed and hugged his mother as well. He was quieter than his sister, but it seemed to suit him. He seemed a little more serious until he saw Melari. "Melari!"
The little alien leaped over to him and they started to talk. Ben aloud and Melari through telepathy.
"Can we go play?" Tiri asked.
"Just for a little bit. Then I want you to both wash up for dinner," Ari told them. The two of them nodded and rushed off with Melari following right after them. "And remember to stay in the approved areas," she called after them.
Luke chuckled and Ari turned to him. "What?"
"You sound so much like your own mother and my aunt."
"I do not," Ari protested, though she knew he was probably right. When she first found out she was pregnant with Tiri, she had her worries about being a good mother. However, it seemed to come naturally. "Well, maybe a little," she admitted.
Luke smiled and leaned over to kiss her. "It's a good thing. They were both good people."
Ari nodded, in response. She thought about her parents and brother every day. Yet, the pain had faded and it was bittersweet. While she wished they were here, she knew that if they had, she might not have joined the Rebellion. Life would be much different.
"They're with the Force now," Luke remarked, probably knowing where her thoughts were going. Ari knew he was right, yet still let him pull her to him, his arms wrapping around her waist. Ari rested her head against his shoulder, enjoying their stolen moments together. Though more and more Force sensitives were being found every day, there were a limited number who had achieved the status of Jedi Knights. There were still very few, especially since they were needed for missions and training the new Force sensitives. Yet, the number was growing every passing year.
"I have some good news for you," Ari remarked as they started to walk down the same hallway that Ari had just come from. "I heard from Leia."
"How is she?" Luke asked.
"Busy. She said the twins and Anakin are growing fast." Leia and Han had married four years after Ari and Luke. The following year they had twins, Jaina and Jacen. A year and a half after that, their youngest, Anakin was born. Ari still remembered a time when Leia had been pregnant with the twins when Ari had been pregnant with Ben. It had not been planned at all, but that had been a happy year for the entire family. "The reason she contacted us was to tell us that it's ready."
Luke shifted to look at her, blue eyes sparkling. "Really? That's ahead of schedule."
"I suppose having a sister as a New Republic leader helped."
Luke smiled and hugged her and Ari wrapped her arms around him as well. It had taken ten years, but a new Jedi Temple had been built. It was supposed to take another two years, but it had been finished quickly. Though the previous Jedi Temple was still there, Ari and Luke felt that the ghosts of the past were too great there. Though balance had been achieved, they felt the Jedi temple should serve as a place where records were kept and saved as well as a tribute to all those who perished. A new temple was built in the sprawling city of Coruscant. Yavin was ideal for training, especially for the new students. It allowed them to get away from others. Instead they could focus on learning about the Force, surrounded by nature and other Jedi. However, the Jedi needed a place on Coruscant. Yavin was not close to Coruscant and since the new Republic was going to stay on the city-planet, the Jedi needed a place there as well. Luke and Ari had already decided to keep their place of training in Yavin even after the temple was completed on Coruscant. Yavin would be there for those that wanted to get away from the busy, never sleeping city-planet.
"Leia said they want us there when they publically announce its completion."
Luke sighed. He didn't like being in the limelight very much, but Ari also knew that he could never say no to his sister.
"It won't be so bad," Ari assured him.
"I hope not," he admitted. "Look at how that large wedding turned out."
Ari laughed quietly. As predicted, everyone wanted there to be a large celebration and Ari was certainly she only knew one quarter of the people there. Luke seemed overwhelmed with so many people always approaching him, even just to say a few words. The couple had used the Force to coordinate their escape and managed to get away without anyone noticing for about ten minutes.
"So, you won't want to say a few words?" Ari asked him as they stepped out into a courtyard of the temple. There was no roof there and it allowed them to see the sky where the last rays of sunlight were disappearing.
Luke thought it over. "I suppose I should. Someone has to."
"And you are the Jedi Master," Ari agreed.
"So are you," Luke pointed out.
Though she was called Master, Ari wasn't sure if she fit that title. "Either way, everyone knows you. You blew up the Death Star and you went onto defeat the Emperor and Darth Vader. Then you were a Jedi when everyone thought the Jedi were gone."
"True, but it wasn't just me," he answered. "It took every single person. It took unsung heroes, like you. Like many others."
Ari nodded and knew he was thinking about their comrades who lost their lives fighting for freedom. She thought of the monuments that had been erected to those fallen heroes. Though it couldn't bring them back, she was glad they were there.
"But you are a Jedi and I think people would like to hear you speak. There are other options, but I am not an excellent public speaker. I suppose Leia could, since she is doing well with her training. I could contact Taylor and ask her, but I am not sure if she will want to speak, after surviving the purge."
Taylor had been a frequent visitor to the temple on Yavin and had taught a number of classes. She had also brought a few Force sensitive beings with her on occasion, including a girl that certainly took after her mother, with the same brown hair and the same bright eyes. Her daughter, Hope. She and Eean had also adopted another Force sensitive orphan. Another girl named Reslina, who was only six months old when they had adopted her. Born only a standard month apart, the two girls were very close and had a connection that seemed similar to the ones that twins had. Taylor taught them about the Force, though they had come to the Temple and been trained by both Ari and Luke. The girls, though a year older than Tiri, got along very well with Tiri, Ben as well as the Solo twins and Anakin. More than once, when everyone had come together, they were all found to be playing together in a small courtyard of the temple. Taylor said that at the Jedi Temple before, they weren't allowed to play like that, but she felt children should be able to play and be children. Everyone else agreed. They would all grow up soon enough. Taylor and Eean were on Coruscant and said both girls would attend the Temple to learn about being Jedi, yet they planned on the girls being close so they could see them at any time. That was another change. Jedi were allowed to keep ties with their family. In fact, it was encouraged.
"You are probably right. I doubt she would want to speak."
"Then I think your only other choice is Mara."
"She tries not to show herself that much," Luke reminded her.
Mara Jade, had been the Emperor's Hand for years. She knew how to use the Force, but she had tapped into the Dark Side and used it to the Emperor's bidding. She had snuck into Jabba's Palace as Arica to kill Luke or at least make sure he was killed by someone else. She had failed. Years passed until she and Luke met once more. During that time, someone had used Luke's lost hand to create a clone, Luuke. There was a battle and Mara destroyed the clone. In doing so, she freed herself from the Emperor's hold on her. She renounced the Dark Side and went away for about half a year before returning, asking to learn the way of the Jedi. Even though she had wanted to kill him before, Luke welcomed her. Not everyone might welcome her if they knew her history. Ari still felt a little uncomfortable around Mara and knew that she needed to find a way to let go of the past with the redheaded woman. Especially since Mara was spending quite a lot of time with Lando. They had been involved for some time, though neither she nor Lando explained what that meant. Neither did they explain why Mara called Lando a rouge or why Lando always seemed to call her his lady luck. They both seemed happy though and Ari knew that for them and for the time being, that was enough.
"So I guess that means it is up to you," Ari replied.
"I suppose so," he admitted. "Though I would at least like you there with me."
"I will be," Ari assured him. She paused before adding, "In fact, all five of us will."
Luke gave her a questioning look. "You, Tiri, Ben, Leia and Han?" he asked.
Ari paused. "Well, I suppose they will all be there, yes. But that wasn't what I meant. I meant Tiri, Ben, me and…" she took Luke's hand in hers. "Luke…I just found out today. We're going to be parents again."
Luke stared at her for a moment, looking surprised. He wore that expression twice before. The first time when she had said they were expecting a daughter. The second time, a son. She could almost see him doing the math in his head. She had said five, yet only given the names of three people.
"Twins?" Luke asked.
"Twins," she nodded.
Luke gave a very uncharacteristically shout and before Ari knew what he was doing, Luke pulled her into a tight embrace and spun her in a circle, her toes brushing the floor.
"Luke, put me down," Ari laughed and the Jedi Master released her, grinning.
"I know we have already been blessed with two wonderful children, but the Force is now blessing us with two more."
Ari nodded. "Yes. I don't know if there will be two boys or two girls. However, I keep thinking it will be a boy and a girl." She hadn't told Luke right away about her suspicions. She was certain she was going to have a child, but since she had been informed there would be twins, she could not get the image out of her mind of one boy and one girl.
"The Force?"
"Or mother's intuition."
"I suppose we will have to tell everyone soon. Han, Leia, Lando and Chewie. They'll be thrilled. Then the Naberries, if we want to use the Lake Retreat again." For the birth of both children, it had been on Naboo and they had spent the first few days with their new children at the Lake Retreat, away from prying eyes and talk. Just time to enjoy being a family again. They did visit Naboo often to visit all the Naberries, not just special occasions, like the wedding of Pooja and then two years later, Ryoo's wedding. They went to visit often and both Luke and Leia got to know much more about the family they had never known.
"Soon, but not just yet," she answered.
Luke nodded and wrapped one arm around her waist. Ari leaned against him, head resting on his shoulder as they watched the sky darken and the stars started to appear. It reminded Ari of how she had seen the stars the night of the celebration after the destruction of the first Death Star. It had been nearly fifteen years ago. She had been young then, still a teenager. Now she was an adult, married to her best friend with two wonderful children and two more on the way. The first time she had looked at the stars from here, she hadn't expected it.
They watched as a shooting star streaked across the sky. Ari thought back to when she and Luke had made wished on shooting stars, back when they used to lay on the domed roofs of their homes on Tatooine. She used to wish for adventure and to travel. Luke had wished for the same things. They had done all that and even more.
"Did you make a wish?" Ari asked him.
Luke shook his head. "There isn't anything else I need to wish for."
This made Ari smile in response.
"Did you?" Luke asked.
This time it was Ari's turn to shake her head. "All my wishes have come true," she said and looked up at him. Luke smiled and leaned over, kissing her softly. When he pulled back just a few inches, he stroked her cheek, tucking back a strand of her blonde hair
"I love you, Ari."
"I love you, Luke."
THE END