Padmé's heart slammed in her chest. Galen Starkiller. A skyborn. She glanced around. This wasn't her room. Did Anakin keep a blaster by his bedside like she did? But even if he did, she didn't know where. She also became suddenly aware the only thing she was wearing was one of Anakin's large shirts. She clutched the bedsheets.

"What do you want?" she asked.

Galen put his hands up. "I mean you no harm," he said a bit too calmly. "I just want to talk. To you and Anakin Skywalker. When you have the time, meet me here." He tossed a small data stick on to the bed. He smiled, nodded, and then left.

Padmé was clutching the stick and wide awake when Anakin returned. He was wearing his Darth Vader outfit minus the mask and helmet.

"What's wrong?" he asked. "I could feel your distress."

"Tell me the truth. Do you have no idea who Marek Starkiller was?"

Anakin's head jerked slightly back. He was not prepared for that question.

"The Starkillers were one of the high noble families of the Skyborn," Anakin said. "They were responsible for my father's death. They were all executed for their crimes."

"And Marek?"

"Was the second son of the family," he said. "Killed with the rest of them. Why do you ask?"

He sat down on the side of the bed.

"Because Galen Starkiller showed up in this room, said he wanted to talk, and gave me this stick," she said showing off the data stick.

Anakin stilled. His eyes focused on the stick. Then his eyes shifted to Padmé's. There was a chill in the room. She shivered.

"What?" he hissed. "There was a Skyborn . . . here? In this room? What did he do? Are you hurt?"

"I'm fine," she said. "Like I said, all he wanted to do was talk to us."

"Us?"

"Yes, he said us."

It wasn't until two weeks later they were able to go to the meeting place. Anakin had been quite busy securing the Empire. There were many who opposed his rule. A few tried to break away from the Empire, and not all the dust had settled. But Padmé kept insisting they meet this Starkiller and finally Anakin agreed. Neither one knew how he had managed to get past security and into the personal rooms of Darth Vader. Anakin had not left the room unlocked or unguarded.

The location on the data stick brought them to a hospital on Coruscant. The stick also provided a room in a ward for long-term residents. Many were elderly that were too sick to leave. They finally came to the room. Anakin had his lightsaber hidden in his jacket. Padmé had a blaster. Anakin had ordered a two squads of stormtroopers ready to storm the hospital at a moment's notice.

Padmé took Anakin's hand and squeezed it. She pressed the door panel button, and the door slid open silently. Inside was a single bed with an elderly human man laying in it. His eyes were closed. His face was horribly wrinkled and scarred. Thick tubes led into his mouth and chest. Wires disappeared into his white medical robes fed from various beeping machines all around the bed.

"So you finally came."

Both Padmé and Anakin jumped and whirled around. Standing against the wall was Galen Starkiller. He wasn't wearing the Skyborn clothes. In fact he was dressed normally and casually.

"You are Starkiller?" Anakin hissed.

Galen paused and then shook his head.

"I'm not looking for a fight," he said. Anakin didn't relax. Galen dug into his jacket and brought out a lightsaber. He tossed it to Anakin, who caught it. Anakin ignited the blade. It was a grey blade. It must have a Lignan crystal core.

"What do you want?" Anakin asked as he turned off the lightsaber and tucked it into his jacket.

Galen ignored the question and walked pass them to the bed. He stood at the foot of it looking at the man.

"This is my father," he said softly. "Marek Starkiller."

"Marek Starkiller was killed," Anakin said.

Galen sighed and faced Anakin. "For killing the Skywalkers," he said sadly.

"He's not dead," Anakin pointed out.

"And neither are all the Skywalkers," Galen said with a slight smile. "Here the two of us are. Both to be blamed for the deaths of the other's family."

"I know the Starkillers weren't alone in planning the death of my family," Anakin said. "But I do know they were the ones to kill my father."

Galen looked back at his father.

"What is that you want, Starkiller?" Anakin asked. "Revenge?"

"That would be the way of the Skyborn," Galen said softly. "But no. I'm less of a proper Skyborn than you are."

"What does that mean?"

Galen walked over to a small chest of drawers. He opened one and pulled out a book. A real flimsi book. He walked over and handed it out to them. Anakin cautiously took it. Padmé leaned over so she could read the title. A Walk in the Sky to Kill the Stars. She noted the obvious nods to the names Skywalker and Starkiller.

"What is this?" Anakin asked.

"A book," Galen said. "A story. About three Skyborn youths named Ananta, Marek, and Lakshmi."

Anakin tensed at the mentioned at his mother. Galen noticed.

"Did you mother . . . ever mention me?" he asked.

"No, why would she?" Anakin said.

A sad smile crossed Galen's face. "Because she was my mother too."

"What?" Anakin shouted. Both Galen and Padmé jumped.

"We're brothers," Galen said calmly. "Half-brothers. My father is Marek Starkiller." Galen paused as he looked at the man in the bed. "Your father was Ananta Skywalker. Our mother was Lakshmi Breezefarmer."

"You expect me to just believe this?" Anakin asked.

"Anakin," Padmé said placing a hand on his arm.

"We could always compare our DNA if you're that skeptical," Galen said.

"So Lakshmi and Marek were in love," Padmé said. Anakin gave her a confused look. "What happened? Did they plan to use the Lignan to kill the Skywalkers? Is that why she married Ananta? Lure him in with false security?"

Anakin had tensed up. He clearly did not like hearing his mother talked about in such a way.

"No," Galen said. "Lakshmi was in love with Ananta."

"But Marek loved Lakshmi," Padmé guessed.

"Yes. My father loved my mother. And my mother loved my father."

"Wait but . . ." she said.

"And my father loved Ananta," Galen finished. "They all loved each other." He paused as he smiled. "My father told me stories. They met as children in the library of the palace of the Skyborn. They would read books and share stories. They would leave notes for each other for the other to find.

"As the grew older they became much aware of their world. The world of the Skyborn, especially the one ruled by Ananta's father who was the Grand Lord at the time. He was a cruel and twisted lord. Many Skyborn and much more Keshians died due to his whims. Ananta was not found of his father, but came to realize it was the system that had created him. So he wanted to change the system.

"He sought help from Lakshmi and Marek. His friends. His loves. They agreed. The only way to really get rid of the system was to get rid of the Lignan ore. Honestly there wasn't much left after 4,500 years. It was why Ananta's father had been so cruel. So stingy."

Padmé recalled there only being about thirty barrels of the Lignan left. The Omen had been a dreadnought. It had to have been filled with Lignan when it crashed.

"The Lignan would run out in the next few generations, but Ananta decided he would attempt to bring the end sooner. He, Marek, and Lakshmi researched in the great library for a way to destroy the ore. They didn't just want to dump it, lest it be rediscovered. They wanted it gone for good.

"But then my mother, Lakshmi, grew pregnant. She went out into the countryside to hide her pregnancy. My father wanted to marry Lakshmi, but his family outright refused. Starkillers were one of the seven high families. To marry someone as low as Lakshmi was insulting. So I was born a bastard. Hidden away. But then the Grand Lord died and Ananta became the new one. Tensions were high. My mother returned to the palace as she and Marek and Ananta continued to find a way to destroy the Lignan. But Lakshmi grew pregnant again, and since Ananta was the Grand Lord, no one could tell him he couldn't marry her.

"My father felt it was too dangerous. By now, his brother was whipping up support against the Skywalkers. He was right, in the end. His brother killed Ananta. The rest of the Skywalker family fell. The Starkillers were killed for their crime."

Galen paused as he looked at his father. Padmé noticed that Marek looked very old, older than he should.

Galen took a deep breath and continued. "My father wasn't at the palace when the attacks occured. He was in the countryside with me. When he was informed of what happened, he decided to fake his death. The poison he took melted his skin, but the Skyborn are cruel. When one of the high lords came to confirm my father was dead, he stabbed Marek's body with his lightsaber.

"Despite this, my father still lived. He was able to take me to a starship that was hidden in a cave. It was there he ran into Lakshmi. She had freed herself from the Skyborn and fled to the ship herself. They took off, but as you know the ship crashed on Tatooine. My father grabbed me for as I was just a baby. We were thrown far away from your mother.

"I grew up on Tatooine. My father disfigured and ill from his injuries, still looked for your mother every day. He was adamant that Lakshmi and her child were still alive. He would talk about how he would find them. How we would all be together. But of course it never came to pass. My father's health worsened and worsened. I joined the Imperial navy so I could support him.

"When I saw the Emperor introduce Darth Vader, I knew it was you. It was Lakshmi's son. I worked my way into the royal guard, but I didn't know how to approach you. What to even say."

"That was how you were able to enter my room," Anakin said. "You had clearance as a royal guard."

Galen nodded.

"How did you avoid detection?" Anakin asked. "If you are a Skyborn, a Starkiller, surely you're a Force sensitive."

"My father taught me to shield myself. He was afraid that somehow the Skyborn would find us. When you went to Kesh, I volunteered to go on one of the Star Destroyers to monitor your movements for the Emperor."

"So you saw what happened there," Padmé said softly.

Galen shrugged. "I did. I did not lose any sleep over the loss of the Skyborn."

Padmé frowned. She knew Galen had suffered greatly due to the Skyborn, but how, like Anakin, could he be so unphased by their lost?

"And now what?" Anakin asked. "What do you want?"

Galen paused as he looked at Anakin. Padmé could see it. The strong face and cheekbones. The dimpled chin. The two did look alike.

"I just wanted you to know," Galen said. "I thought you knew. At least knew about my father and your father and mother. I just wanted you to know I was alive."

Padmé took the book from Anakin's hand. She looked at the title again. A Walk in the Sky to Kill the Stars. The stars . . . The stars were the Lignan.

"It's over, you know," she said. "We destroyed the Lignan. In fact I got the idea from a note Marek left for Lakshmi in a book."

"We used it to kill the Emperor," Anakin said.

Padmé couldn't believe Anakin had openly admitted to it. The official story was the Emperor was old and had died of a sudden stroke. Galen didn't seem surprised.

"Good," he said. "I never liked him. He would have fit right in amongst the other Skyborn."

Anakin nodded at that.

"So now what?" Padmé asked.

Galen took another look at his father. "Would like to come to my place for dinner?" The request took both Anakin and Padmé by surprise. "You could meet my wife and daughter."

Padmé was surprised Anakin agreed. But they did find themselves in a nice high-rise apartment. Galen introduced them to his wife Juno, a lovely human woman with pale light blonde hair, and their baby daughter Ellsie.

"Would you like to hold her?" Juno asked Padmé. Padmé wasn't one for holding babies, but now that she was expecting she couldn't help but say yes. Juno eased the baby into Padmé's arms. The baby stared up at Padmé with big round brown eyes. Anakin leaned over and smiled down at the baby. Ellsie raised her little chubby hands and grabbed towards Anakin.

"Bah," she said. "Bah."

"Do you want to hold her?" Padmé asked.

"I uh . . . Have never held a baby before," Anakin said.

"Well you better start practicing," she said as passed the baby off. Anakin was stiff and awkward. The baby let out a few burbles.

"What's the point of all this?" Anakin whispered softly so Galen and Juno couldn't hear.

"Point of what?" Padmé asked.

"Bringing me here. Introducing me to his wife and daughter. What does he want? Power?"

Padmé thought about it as she watched the baby who was very focused on Anakin.

"Maybe he just wanted you to know you weren't alone," Padmé said softly.

Anakin scoffed and the baby jumped a little in his arms. Her face scrunched up and Anakin froze fearing she would start crying, but she didn't.

"Is that so hard to believe?" Padmé asked. "Isn't that what you wanted? Not to be alone." He shot her a look. "You told me I was the first person to notice you. To really notice you. I think that's all Galen wants. For you to know he exists. You're not alone. He's not alone."

Anakin frowned and the baby's face scrunched up in confusion.

"He's not a Skyborn," Padmé said taking the baby the away from him. Anakin gave her a look. "Or well he's as much of a Skyborn as you if not less. You actually spent time amongst them. And even if he does want something, you can figure it out when he asks."

That night they returned to her apartment instead of the palace. Anakin pulled her into the bedroom, and it wasn't long until they were both naked in the bed. He kissed her all over causing her to giggle. She tried to pull his lips up to hers. A few times she managed. They would share in passionate kisses, and then his lips would slip away. Sometimes to play with her breasts and other times to lavish her much lower. When he finally entered her, she arched her back and moaned.

Afterwards they laid in the bed both holding the other. She closed her eyes as she rested her head against his chest. She listened to the steady beat of his heart. She remembered the book Galen had given them. The one he had written. It was Padmé's first flimsi book. She recalled one of her first conversations with Anakin when he said she was looking for a story. A romance story. In the end she had found it.

It was a story worthy of the Skyborn's palace library. One of betrayal and death. One of love and loss. And while it had ended in the typical Skyborn fashion for Ananta, Lakshmi, and Marek, it had ended differently for their children. The three had broken the cycle they were trying to break. Their children had found love and kept it; at least Padmé hoped that was so.

Padmé would be happy with that book as her only flimsi book. Perhaps she would finished what Galen had started and write the rest of the story out. Perhaps one day she would share it with her own children. Perhaps they would go out in search of their own stories one day. Find their own bookstores. She just hoped that Lakshmi, Ananta, and Marek's sacrifices truly unbound them from the cycle of the Skyborn past. After all the bloodshed, they deserved to be happy, free, and loved.

The End