Epilogue

Epilogue

Vnus was the last smuggler to sign the agreement and then all of the smugglers applauded. The alliance between the smugglers and the New Republic had now been made official in the lounge of the Millenium Falcon. Han, Leia, Luke, Chewie, Wedge, and the droids witnessed the signing from afar, but they were still witnesses to the grand achievement that had been made. The smugglers had shown their willingness to cooperate with the New Republic on a long-term basis, something that could prove to be very valuable in reviving galactic trade for the New Republic. All of them knew that it was a step towards restoring peace to the entire galaxy.

After the signing, Mara and Luke went up to the cockpit to talk in private. Luke could sense that something was wrong, and as he sat down he knew that he would not like what Mara was about to tell him.

“I’ve got to go with the smugglers when they leave here. There’s still a lot of work to do in integrating the cooperation agreement with all of the smugglers’ organizations. It may take months or years, I’m not sure. This means that we won’t be seeing each other for a long time,” she began and Luke wished that he hadn’t been right.

“That’s all right, when you come back...”

“When I come back, I want us to be friends. It wouldn’t work for us to try a relationship. You’ve got Jedi to find and train and I’ve got to help organize the smugglers. You’ll be on one side of the galaxy and I’ll be on the other. We wouldn’t ever get to see each other, it just wouldn’t work. So, we should just be friends for now. Maybe in a little while when things settle down...”

“I know,” Luke said dejectedly.

“It’s not that what we said to each other earlier meant nothing, it really did, but I just know that it wouldn’t work out. I still...I still love you, but as a friend only. Don’t worry, you’ll find someone someday, but it’s not going to be me. I’m sorry.”

“I understand, and I know that you’re right. It’s just that...it’s just that I don’t want to end up alone. Maybe it’s just not possible for a Jedi to find love.”

“No, that’s not it at all. You are a very special, a great man Luke. You’ll find someone who’s right for you someday.” Mara kissed him lightly on the cheek and then walked away. He heard the sound of her boots as she went down the ramp. She was soon aboard a freighter and lifting off. An unexpected tear came to her eye as the Falcon dropped out of view. She turned away from the window and wiped the tear away. She took the lightsaber off of her belt and knew that a part of Luke Skywalker would always be with her.

Luke looked up in the sky, thinking of how he was leaving Tatooine with an ache in his heart that hurt nearly as much as the first time he had left the planet with Ben Kenobi after the death of his aunt and uncle. He had loved Mara for that brief time when they had been together. They had been through so much and she was one of the few people who understood him, understood the Force and the ways of the Jedi. She had understood his commitment to finding and training other Jedi. He sat in the cockpit of the Millenium Falcon and watched the twin suns set. Then he stood and walked back to the lounge where the others were talking.

This was one of the many times that he was glad to have such friends. He stood in the doorway and saw Threepio and Artoo chattering in a corner, Wedge and Chewie were playing a game and it appeared that Chewie was losing, and Han and Leia were cuddled up together and watching the game. These were the people he had come to count on for friendship, support, and understanding. No matter what went wrong, he could always count on them being there for him. He stepped into the lounge and Leia smiled, motioning for him to take a seat near them. He returned the smile and watched the game.

Two weeks later the halls of the Imperial Palace on Coruscant were decorated with New Republic banners. Dignitaries wandered the halls and soldiers stood guard in full dress uniform. Mara Jade was dressed in a formal gown, something she had not worn in a long time. But today was a special occasion. There was a big ceremony going on, one she didn’t want to miss. She went to the doors of the council chambers and was admitted by the guards. She looked around the room, where ranks of soldiers stood with the council members. Mara walked to the front row of the crowd where various smugglers stood along with Han, Luke, Leia, Chewie, the droids, and Wedge Antilles. At the front of the room stood Mon Mothma, the head of the New Republic.

Horns sounded and New Republic flags were raised. The doors opened and three men stepped in, each one decorated in a new New Republic officer’s uniform. They marched briskly to the head of the room and stood before Mon Mothma. The music subsided and all the soldiers stood at perfect attention.

“Today,” Mon Mothma began, “we are here to honor three men whose heroism not only saved the lives of their comrades, but saved the inhabitants of an entire world from tyranny. Their names are Hak Vnus, Bilhok Jibuv, and L’ng Starm. Their brave act destroyed the Imperial Star Destroyer that was attempting to take over the world of Tatooine. By destroying one of the ship’s engines they caused the destruction of this vessel, and for that they have the thanks of every citizen of Tatooine and the New Republic.

“With this act they saved the lives of their fellow smugglers and the populance of Tatooine. They did this act unselfishly and with great courage. For this they have received the highest possible honor we have to offer,” Mon Mothma stopped and held up three medals. With precise and deliberate movements she put medals around each man’s neck. They turned and faced the crowd and everyone applauded.

“We are also here today to welcome the three newest starship captains in the New Republic fleet. These same three men have elected to foresake smuggling and use their talents to command New Republic vessels. They have all been granted the rank of Captain for their distinguished service and have been given command of three combat vessels. Their experience will further aid our cause to elimate the tyranny of the Empire from every section of the galaxy.” The room erupted into applause and the music sounded again. The ceremony broke up and the three newly-commissioned officers marched out of the room.

Vnus sighed with relief and fingered the medal. He had been given command of his own ship, the Phoenix, which had been allowed to join the New Republic fleet. They had tried to get Vnus to accept command of a larger ship, but he couldn’t imagine leaving his ship. He had built it himself and he would never leave it. It would be like losing a friend or even his own child. Now though, he would have a full-time crew on the ship and access to facilities where he could repair it when it needed it. He smiled to himself, he couldn’t wait to get on board and start to work on repairing the weapons systems, and this time he would actually repair them and not just hotwire them.

Jibuv had been given command of a corvette and his damaged shuttle, which had been found badly damaged in the hangars on Tatooine, was on board. He looked forward to fixing it up once again. He too could not leave his ship behind, for it was too much a part of him. Although he had once been an Imperial pilot, Jibuv felt that the New Republic still had a lot of work ahead of it and that he could help to destroy the Empire forever.

Starm, who was still a little depressed after hearing of the attack on his homeworld, was in command of a frigate that was to lead a relief convoy to help the planet. There had been survivors and he knew that he had to help them, because they were his people. Even though he had been exiled, Ingra would always be his home. He was hopeful that he could help his planet, and earn the respect of his people, as he walked towards the spaceport where he could catch a shuttle that would take him to where the newly-renamed frigate, Nan Mews, was berthed.

Before they went their separate ways, the three men shook hands and said their good-byes. “I’m going to miss you guys. We’ll have to get togehter sometime. Good luck on the relief mission Starm,” Vnus said to his friends.

“Good luck on fixing that crate of yours Vnus. I still can’t believe that they let you keep that thing. That’s no privateer, it’s a flying deathtrap!” Starm joked and patted Vnus on the back.

“Well, I’ll see you two. I’ve got to try and get my ship working again. It wouldn’t be good if the ‘Captain’s Private Shuttle’ wasn’t even spaceworthy,” Jibuv remarked and then walked towards the shuttle to take him to his corvette. Vnus and Starm shook hands again and then they walked away, neither one looking back.

After the ceremony, Mara had pulled Luke aside. He smiled at her and extended his hand. “I’m glad that you could come,” he told her.

“I’m glad I could too, because those three guys deserve those medals. It’s too bad that we smugglers have to lose three of our own to the New Republic.”

“I hear that Talon Karrde’s been thinking of retirement.”

“He has been. I’ve got to meet with him soon and see what his plans are. I think he wants to turn the entire outfit over to me. I don’t blame him for wanting to retire, smuggling can get pretty tiring. Sometimes you want to just settle down,” she replied and touched his cheek. She wanted to kiss him again, but held back. She turned away and called over her shoulder, “I’ll keep in touch!” Then she walked away and Luke knew that it would be a long while until he saw her again. But he knew now that he had gained a friend today. Sadly, he turned away and walked to his quarters. He stood at the door, shrugged, and then walked up to the roof. The wind whipped at him and he looked out over the city.

He saw a lone vehicle in the sky, its running lights on. He could feel Mara in it and he imagined her sitting there and then he wished that he could reach out and touch her one last time. The aching in his heart was still there and he turned away to leave; he had to get his X-Wing out of Maintenance tomorrow to go back to Deysdon IV. As he walked back across the roof, he could almost hear Mara’s voice saying: ‘Good-bye Luke’. He nodded and the door to the roof slammed shut behind him.

[END]