***Chapter One***

Everything about Padme Naberrie's birth was typically. Her parents were of a common origin, neither wealthy nor poor. Her planet, while beautiful, was not regarded for anything particular and the day the future queen was born would only hold regard as being the birthday of a queen. Nothing else happened on that day. It was perhaps the least auspicious way for a person of such importance to be born.

The Life and Times of Amidala, the People's Queen, By: Softa Jiane, Oralist and Historian

Luke Skywalker had never been so relieved to land on a plant in his entire life, mostly because he was exhausted. The battle of Endor and the destruction of the second death star had occurred nearly a year before. Luke had thought, at least at the time of the destruction of the second death star, that the war would end, the politicians would form a government and he could go ahead and start the new Jedi order. In reality, Luke had been leading a squadron of X-Wing fighters the past year in order to eliminate a large number of imperial loyalists. Unlike in his rebellion days when battles and military actions were strategic and often with wide gaps in between where boredom would set in, battles in the clean up effort were near daily. But, now, the squadron Luke led had been granted three weeks leave from the newly minted New Republic Navy.

Now, as the ship landed with his squadron and their X-wings Luke wanted exactly three things, in exact order. The first was a long, hot shower in private bath, the second was a hot meal in which he could linger without interruption and the third a full night's sleep in an actual bed. Luke was technically homeless as he had not had an actual home since storm troops destroyed his Aunt and Uncle's farm nearly five years ago, but Luke had been provided for during this period by the Rebellion and now the New Republic and therefore thought it a bastardization of the word as there were millions if not billions of people in object poverty in which a hot meal and a warm bed were not an option. Luke, on the other hand, did have a sister who still owned an Apartment on the planet Coruscant who had promised him the guest room during his leave from the squadron. This offer covered the hot shower and the full nights sleep and Luke was sure he would be able to find a hot meal in between the two.

The doors of the spacecraft opened and Luke walked out into the fluorescent lighted bay that blended almost seamlessly with the interior of the craft he had been previously riding in. His ruck sack full of musty sweaty uniforms strung across his shoulder, R2-D2 bleeping by his side and his X-wing serviced as specified by the new "New Republic Craft Manual" would be taken out by crew in the bay and the small crafts would receive annual maintenance and be used for training drills by the newly minted academy while he and his squadron where on leave.

"Commander Skywalker," Said an unfamiliar human female mere moments after his feet stepped on the plant proper. The short stocky red headed woman was wearing the sort of dark conservative suite popular among officials and business people. A sort of civilian formal wear.

"Yes," He responded, his voice both tentative and weary a the same time.

"Larken Cassie, the minister of diplomatic affairs, would like to see you before you officially take your leave." She said efficiently, her voice turning upwards at the end of her sentence.

"Now?" Luke questioned, sure that his voice had a certain desperation, as if he could wield her to give him formal instructions that he could take care of the three basic needs he was so looking forward to.

"Yes, she's asked that I take you straight to her office, apparently the matter is quite important." The woman said.

"And who, exactly are you?" Luke asked, not to be mean or condescending, but more out of a sense of safety he had acquired after fighting a war for the last half decade.

"Oh yes… of course, my name is Midge Naten, senior aid to Minister Cassie." The woman stuttered over her missed introduction.

"Right, of course," Luke responded as if the answer was obvious. The only reason Luke was even familiar with Minister Cassie was because Leia and the Minister were often mentioned in the same news reports. "You wouldn't happen to know what this is about?" Luke asked as he followed the aid through a series of hallways.

"No," Midge replied and then continued to walk in silence without offering further explanation, her low wide heels hitting with a dull thud on the steel floor of the spaceport.

Luke turned his attention to Leia's instructions during the walk-through space port. While the actual time they talked had been brief, Leia had not speared any effort in writing up instructions to get to and use the apartment she had spent so much of her time in as a teenager. The apartment had initially been purchased by her adopted father, real father, Luke reminded himself. Bail Organa had used the apartment when he was on Coruscant attending to his senatorial duties. Even through the war and change in government, the apartment had continued to stay in the Organa line, which meant that Leia had a ready-made apartment when the New Republic decided to set up their own government overtop the same buildings used by both the Old Republic and the Empire.

The instructions had been overly and unnecessarily thorough and included the best route to the building, how to enter the apartment using the keypad on the door, how to use the kitchen, the shower, the blinds in the bedroom. And, the best thing Leia had included was a listing of the best quick delivery in the area, including a Tatooine place that Leia claimed had the best curried eggs in purgatory she'd ever had. Luke was sure she had put that in specifically for his benefit, convinced he must be homesick for the planet that had served his formative years. Yet another reminder who drastically different their childhoods had been. Unlike his sister, Luke did not crave to return to his home planet, but of course unlike Leia, Luke's home world still existed. Though, the more he thought about it, the more Aunt Beru's curried eggs sounded fantastic.

After a few more turns, they arrived at a door that read "Manager of New Republic Spaceport" and Midge rapped on the door with three staccato knocks.

It was only after the crisply presented minister answer the door that Luke realized this office had been commandeered specifically for this meeting. The office was in direct contrast to the tidy woman at the door, every surface in the office has some sort spare machinal part of it. There seemed to no order to the clutter. The woman in the other hand was dressed in crisp white shirt and black skirt. Her natural purple hair had been pulled back into tight tidy bun at the nap of her neck. "Commander Skywalker, thank you for seeing me on such short notice," She said as if it were optional at all.

"Madam Cassie, it's a pleasure." Luke responded using the rudimentary etiquette he had learned from the more refined people that fought in the rebellion combined with Aunt Beru's outer rim farmer finishing school education.

"Take a seat Skywalker," She said in a husky voice, pointing to a wood chair on the visitor's side of the desk in the storage closet turned office, or given the stuff still in the office, storage closet/ office combo.

Luke did as instructed, hoping there was no secrete test of decorum sometimes perpetuated be those from worlds that had the time and money for things like decorum.

"Look, Skywalker," She said as she sat on the edge of scuffed steel desk, getting less formal with each address. "I have a favor to ask, it's important that you hear me out."

Luke nodded, tentatively, thinking more and more about the long, hot shower and the soft bed that was waiting for him as soon as he got through this meeting.

"We have been working on getting Naboo to join the New Republic the past few weeks, but they have been a bit worried. They are a world full of their own custom and their past involvement in inter galactic government has been troubled to say the least. You understand what I mean, right."

Luke nodded, even he knew Palpatine has been a native of Naboo.

"Well, you see Naboo is a world that has a grand royal tradition, which mean's the most natural member of the diplomatic core to send is Leia Organa, on the count she is a princess." Minister Cassie said, as if it were ridicules anyone could be a princess.

"I don't understand what this has to do with me, I am most certainly not a prince, nor am I a diplomate." Luke responded awkwardly. First of all, he was sure this woman had no idea that Leia was his sister, very few people knew that and second of all, even if she did know, having a sister that was princess did not make him royalty, at least not in the tragic world the Empire had left in his wake.

"Nabooans have always had a great oral tradition of their own history. This is not just limited to things that happened centuries ago, one of the most popular stories in the oral tradition is the story of the Queen and the Jedi knight, the queen dying of grief when he was killed in the Jedi purge, legend stating she was still pregnant with his child when she was buried."

"And so, what, you think sending a Jedi and a princess is going to cement the planets entry into the New Republic? Though through his skepticism, Luke could feel excitement well up in his chest. He had such little time with both Yoda and Ben and any information on the Jedi could only aid in desires to continue his path to recreate a Jedi Order.

"Leia can fill you in on the details, but pretty much." The minister responded bluntly.

"What exactly do to want me to do, I mean, I may be a Jedi, but mostly I'm just a pilot." Luke said earnestly, not fully convinced in his own skill.

"Well, mostly we just need you to be a pilot, we are also kind of running lean in the diplomatic corps and we need you fly the Princesses ship. We have a group of special topic experts understanding resources, humanitarian need, local economics, but there already on Naboo and there is small New Republic Security force watching out for them, but any additional security you can provide is appreciated." The Minister finished and did not seem as if she had anything else to add.

"Fine, when?" Luke questioned, hoping he'd have three or fours days to rest up before he was off to yet another planet.

"The ships set to leave in an hour." The minister said, almost guiltily.

"Seriously." Luke responded, all humor stricken from his voice. Luke realized he had picked up some of Han's mannerisms in the proceeding years.

"Unfortunately. Leia will meet you at docking bay three."

"Anything else I need to know?" Luke questioned.

"No, that's all, Leia will fill you in on the specifics on the way."

Luke sighed and then said "I better hurry, May the force be with you," and left the storage room/ office before he received an official dismissal from the minister. Pushing down his disappointment that he would not be able to start his holiday quite yet while also examining the excitement about possibly learning more about the Jedi.

In the interim, before the ship left, Luke found the docking bay locker rooms where he took a quick cold communal shower next to three other guys who were finishing their shift off for the day and found a cold soggy sandwich from the docking bay's automat. Luke ate the sandwich while standing in docking bay in front of the sleek shinning yacht, justly named, The Rebel Star, waiting for his sister to arrive. Maybe it was his imagination, but R2-D2 bleeps and beeps seemed to have a disappointment to them, as if the droid had also been looking forward to a holiday just as much as Luke was.