"She's beautiful," Luke breathed in awe as he, his father, and the faithful little droid R2 gazed at the gleaming silver ship Anakin had recently purchased.

"She's almost an exact copy of your mother's Royal Starship," Anakin agreed, "With a few important differences. She's had enough modifications to almost equal the Falcon in speed, though I'm sure Han would dispute that. And I had a weapons system installed. The old Royal ships weren't equipped with any, but I figure it's better to be prepared."

Luke nodded. With the ending of the galactic civil war and the establishment of the New Republic, peace was a reality for most of the galaxy. However, there were still dangerous areas and the Skywalker family in particular might run into enemies. They had learned that lesson all too well just recently.

Arriving on the peaceful planet Naboo a few weeks earlier, they had met a man named Zel Miret, who was actually a former medical researcher, Tablo Colzin. In his past as Darth Vader, Anakin had taken part in the displacement of the Colzin family and in forcing Tablo to develop biological weapons for Palpatine.

Seeking revenge against Anakin, Colzin (or Miret as he was now known) had infected Luke with the deadly bysa virus. Fortunately, he and Anakin had reached an understanding, and in a sudden change of heart, Miret had given them the cure that had saved Luke's life.

Now fully recovered from the ordeal, Luke, along with his father, was going to search for Betta and Keren Colzin. Neither of them knew exactly where to begin, but they were going to try to find leads in the old Imperial records on Coruscant.

While making plans at their lake retreat, they had come to realize that they would need their own spacecraft. X-wings were one seaters- hardly ideal for a potentially long journey, and Han would need the Falcon. Of course, they could always request a shuttle from the New Republic, but they both wanted something with more speed and agility so Anakin had placed the order with Theed's starship factory. Now that the craft was ready, they had come to Theed to begin the first leg of their journey.

"So what shall we call her?" Anakin asked, wrapping an arm securely around Luke's shoulders. Since returning to the Light four months ago, he had been the caring, affectionate father Luke had always dreamed of, and ever since the close call with the bysa virus, he had been especially demonstrative and overprotective. It might have been annoying to most young men, but Luke had grown up with a gruff, undemonstrative uncle and he had always craved a parent's love. Now he leaned into his father's one-armed embrace and said softly, "The Naboo Angel."

"That's perfect," Anakin blinked back tears as images of his beautiful, dear wife filled his mind. Padme had been one of many of the Empire's victims. Her loss was a constant ache in his heart, but he had been blessed with the gift of their wonderful children, Luke and Leia. Thinking of family reminded him of the task at hand. "Ready to go?"

The three of them ascended the ramp of the newly christened Naboo Angel. The ship's interior was painted in soft, restful colors and consisted of a lounge, several bedrooms, and of course the cockpit. None of the rooms was large , but they were comfortably furnished. The Angel would make a good home away from home.

Anakin and Luke slid into the pilot's and co-pilot's seats, respectively, and began the ignition sequence. The Angel rose into the air and slipped through the clouds towards space. Anakin grinned in pure delight. It had been a long time since he had flown a ship like this. He glanced over at Luke to see if his son was sharing his joy, but Luke looked slightly melancholy.

"Something wrong, son?"

Luke looked over and smiled. "No, not really. I was just wondering when we'd see Naboo again."

"If we're lucky, perhaps it won't be long," Anakin replied. He fondly studied his son. "You've really fallen in love with Naboo, haven't you?"

"Yes," Luke agreed softly. It was true. His mother's home world had touched his soul. He wasn't sure exactly why. Naboo was uncommonly beautiful, but it was more than that. In the brief time he'd spent there, Naboo had become his home. Even more than Tatooine where he'd grown up, or Coruscant, where they'd spent most of their time following the decisive battle of Endor. Both of those planets were lovely, too, in their own way, but Tatooine held bad memories and Coruscant was too metropolitan for him to feel completely at home there. He just wasn't a city boy.

Anakin reached over to pat Luke's hand. He reflected once more that Luke was truly his mother's son. He was as gentle, compassionate, and understanding as Padme had been. Both of them had never compromised their values and both of them genuinely cared for other people. And now, Luke had even developed the same intense loyalty to Naboo that Padme had displayed so often.

"You know, son," he offered a little reluctantly. "You don't have to come with me. You could stay here and begin training Tera."

Luke turned to him in disbelief. "You know I want to come with you! We're a team, aren't we? Don't you want me to come?"

"Of course," Anakin reached out through their the link to reassure Luke of how much he was loved and wanted. "But even more than that, I want you to be happy. You deserve to be."

"I am happy, Father, as long as we're together. So don't say anything else about my not coming, okay?" Luke set the hyperspace coordinates.

"Okay," Anakin agreed, his heart both lightened and warmed by Luke's desire to stay with him.

They watched the starlines as the Naboo Angel shot into hyperspace. They were off to Coruscant. The journey had begun.

Leia stood on the landing platform and gazed anxiously at the sky. They should be arriving any minute now. She couldn't wait to see Luke. When they had parted, he had still been recovering from the bysa virus and she wanted to see with her own eyes that he was completely well again. Though she knew their father would not have agreed to their leaving Naboo if Luke were not 100% yet.

She was eager to see her father, too. Now that they were finally able to move beyond the shadows of the past, she was looking forward to becoming closer to him.

"Don't worry. I'm sure they'll be along soon," Lando Calrissian, newly appointed governor of Coruscant, spoke from beside her. "You know with half the spaceport controllers on strike, it's taking alot longer for traffic to move on- and off-planet."

"How are the negotiations coming along?" Leia asked. Lando had taken on a tough job. Under Palpatine's control, Coruscant had become a world where a relatively small group of his lackeys controlled most of the planet's wealth and everyone else barely survived. Now the population expected the New Republic, via Lando, to undo twenty years' worth of damage to the economy overnight. Every day new groups protested and went on strike. Lando's days were filled with meetings with economic advisors, union representatives, and relief-aid committees. His duties had prevented him from vacationing on Naboo, but he had squeezed a few minutes in to welcome Luke and Anakin.

Lando broke into a genuine smile, the first one Leia had seen from him in days. "I think we're close to resolving it. Don't make any announcements, but I'm meeting with their representative tomorrow and we're on the verge of reaching an agreement. By the way, thanks for lending me 3PO. He's been a big help."

"Han will never believe that," Leia remarked. Then she was griining broadly herself as a gleaming silver ship approached and came to a gentle landing at the end of the platform. "Here they are."

And then Luke, Anakin, and R2 were among them and they were all laughing and hugging.

"It's good to see you."

"We've missed you."

"Are you all well again?"

"Beeeeep."

Finally they all drew back and looked at one another. Luke noticed some important faces were missing. "Where are Han and Chewie?"

Leia sighed. That was the boo-fly in the ointment these days. Han's position in the New Republic fleet meant that he spent a lot of time away from Coruscant. "They're with the fleet near Gaizarane. They won't be back for a couple of weeks."

Anakin touched her shoulder sympathetically. "Seems like he has to spend a lot of time away."

Leia nodded, then smiled at him. "That'll change soon, though. After the wedding, he's going to take a new position in the New Republic."

They looked at her curiously.

After a dramatic pause, Leia continued. "Han will be the head instructor at the New Republic Flight Academy."

"Han? Han Solo? He's going to be a teacher?" Luke rather incredulously asked.

"Flight instructor," Leia corrected with a grin. "You should see your face. It's exactly the way Han looked when Admiral Ackbar first suggested the idea. But the more we talked about it, the more we realized it's perfect for Han. He's one of our best pilots, a great tactician and innovator, and he knows all about the strengths and weaknesses of various types of ships. He'd get to spend a lot of time flying and, best of all, he'd be permanently stationed on Coruscant."

"Personally, I think he'll be a great instructor," Anakin said reassuringly. "Who could do a better job teaching the young pilots of the New REpublic?"

Luke nodded slowly. Now that he thought about it, the idea did seem somewhat plausible. "How about that? Han, Father, and me all becoming teachers. You'll have to find some proteges, too, Leia. You don't want to be left out."

"It sounds like more fun than drawing up the Intergalactic Constitution," she agreed. "The interim one giving us emergency powers to govern will expire in a few months, and we're working day and night trying to come up with a new constitution that will please the majority of the Senate."

Anakin studied his daughter thoughtfully, searching for signs of overwork and exhaustion. He had, necessarily, been focused on Luke's health these past weeks, but he didn't want to neglect Leia. However, she seemed perfectly well. Radiant, even. Being engaged obviously gave her a lot of joy. He still felt the need to caution her, though. "Don't work too hard. You don't want to tire yourself out right before the wedding."

"That's one reason I am working so hard," she responded. "No matter what state the government is in, Han and I are getting married in three months and then we're taking a nice, long honeymoon to the Valtra resort. If the Constitution isn't finished by then, someone else will just have to take my place. Still, I'd like to see it completed."

The conversation about the state of the government continued until they reached Mordan Towers where Leia's apartment was located. Then Lando told them farewell.

"I'm not the only one working long hours," Leia told them as they entered a turbolift and rode up to the twentieth floor. "Can you believe Lando's turning into a workaholic?"

"Lando? A workaholic? Never thought I'd hear those words together in the same sentence," Luke shook his head.

Leia had a small, but cozy suite with an eye-catching view. They entered and made themselves comfortable. Leia and R2 served chips and drinks. Then she resumed the conversation. "Actually, Lando's doing a wonderful job. He's a good administrator. He knows how to get things done efficiently and he's really looking out for the ordinary citizens of Coruscant. I think he's the best person we could have chosen for the job."

"I'm glad everything working out," Luke remarked. "We've all changed a lot, haven't we?"

Leia nodded and reached out to take her brother's and father's hands. "I think we all bring out the best in one another."

They smiled and sat quietly a little while, just enjoying one another's company. Then, remembering that they had come to Coruscant for a purpose, Anakin spoke up. "Leia, we need access to the old Imperial records."

"To look for information on Betta and Keren Colzin?" Leia asked. As they nodded, she said, "I've had 3PO begin searching for references to them already. He's found a note about some political prisoners from the Mid and Outer Rims in that time frame. It was seventeen years ago, right?"

"Right," Anakin agreed. "Where is he? We need to see those records."

"He's working in Lando's offices now, but he'll be home early," she smiled at R2. "He's anxious to see you again." R2 whistled in reply.

Leia went to her desk, switched on the computer, and punched some keys. "I have the notes here, though. I knew you'd want to see them."

They crowded around the computer and studied the records. They mainly seemed to list the species, gender, and age of the prisoners taken from various planets. The charge against each one was treason. No names were given, but there some from Naboo, including several women and children.

"How could children commit treason?" Leia muttered angrily.

Anakin felt a terrible pain constrict his chest. How could he have ever supported and believed in such monstrosities? How could he have been so deluded? He himself had not taken children prisoners. Little Keren Colzin had been the only exception, and even as Vader, he had not meant for her to come to any harm. But he had known that Palpatine did many cruel, unjust things, and he had simply turned a blind eye to most of it, telling himself they were necessary evils and that once the Empire was in complete control, it could begin to heal the galaxy's wounds. He wondered how he could have been so blind as to think that Palpatine could bring any good to the galaxy.

He felt Luke's hand on his arm and he forced himself to put aside his pain and give the boy a reassuring smile. Luke was so empathetic, to all people, really, but especially towards his father. Anakin did not want to burden his son with his own guilt. Luke didn't deserve that.

"Here we go," Leia had scrolled down to the bottom of the page. "Destination: Roon."

Anakin shook his head, "Roon? Why did he send them to Roon? Why not just execute them if he wanted them dead? Why waste a ship and crew?"

This Roon's a pretty bad place?" Leia asked.

"The planet itself is hospitable, according to the rumors I've heard," Luke answered. "But to get there you have to travel through a seething mass of asteroids and gases. It's practically impossible."

Leia's face fell. "So if Betta and Keren were on that transport, they're probably dead."

"I have to know for sure," Anakin said heavily.

"We'll need to take plenty of supplies," Luke remarked. "Roon is on the edge of the Outer Rim. It'll take a couple of weeks to get there even at lightspeed."

"Wait a minute," Leia protested. "If going to Roon is so dangerous, I don't want the two of you going. I don't want to lose either of you."

"We'll be all right, daughter," Anakin rested a strong hand on her shoulder. "The Force will guide us through. Don't worry."

"It's hard not to," Leia sighed. After a moment she said, "But I suppose you have to go."

"Yes," Luke and Anakin said together. Anakin added, "I can't enjoy being part of a family when I know I've taken someone else's from him. If there's any chance at all of reuniting the Colzin family, I have to take it."

Lando and 3PO came over for dinner and they had a good time laughing and visiting together. It was late when Lando left. Anakin went on to bed. 3PO and R2 retired to an alcove, conversing in their affectionate, argumentative way. Luke and Leia cleaned the kitchen in companionable silence, and then returned to the living room.

"How did Miret's trial go?" Leia asked.

"Better than we expected. He has to work at the Theed University research lab for five years without pay. He'll live in a small apartment near the lab and receive three meals a day. The judge said he could make up for trying to take a life by working to save others," Luke replied.

"What happens in five years?"

"Then he's a free man again. It helped that no one died during any of the attempts, and that Father and I spoke in his defense," Luke told her.

Leia gave her brother a fond smile, even as she shook her head half-disbelievingly. "Defending the man who tried to kill you. Only you would do that, Luke. Although after the way you saved Father, I suppose I shouldn't be surprised."

"I feel sorry for Miret," Luke said softly. "The Empire treated him terribly. He just let his bitterness take over his life until revenge was all he could think of. You should see him now, Leia. He's a broken man." Luke thought of the last time he had seen Miret. He and Anakin had gone to Theed University shortly after the trial to tell Miret of their plan to hunt for his missing family and to see if he could give them any more information. Miret had not even been able to look him in the eyes. He had thanked them in a whispery voice with tears running down his cheeks. Before they left, he had taken Luke's hand and begged for his forgiveness. Luke had said gently, "You saved my life. There's nothing to forgive." Miret had not answered aloud, but simply had broken down sobbing.

Now Luke looked at his sister and said firmly, "He deserves a chance to start over."

Slowly Leia nodded. "I suppose so."

Luke and Anakin kept busy the next few days, meeting with Mon Mothma to get official approval for their search, gathering supplies, and spending time with Leia, Lando, and the droids.

Then early one morning the little group gathered on the landing platform again. Leia had tears in her eyes as she bid her brother and father farewell. They were going on a dangerous journey and she couldn't help worrying.

"Be careful," she said as she hugged them both.

"We will," Luke promised. Anakin kissed her cheek.

Lando gave them a cheery wave. "Don't be strangers."

"We'll be back as soon as we can," Anakin said.

"With Betta and Keren," Leia said, forcing herself to smile.

"With Betta and Keren," Anakin agreed firmly.

3PO and R2 said good-bye and then the two Jedi boarded the Naboo Angel and took to the sky, heading for Roon.