To My Child

Luke Skywalker was interrupted from his Jedi meditation when a courier rang the buzzer on his door.

"Master Skywalker, this envelope is to be delivered to you." The courier said after Luke opened the door and greeted him.

"Who is it from?" Luke asked.

"The Galactic Trust, sir."

"The Galactic Trust? Why would they be sending me something?" Luke asked in confusion.

"I am not sure, sir. I am only delivering it to one of the addressees, and that is you."

Luke quirked an eyebrow, what did this guy mean by one of the addressees? Luke accepted the envelope hoping it would make sense once he opened it.

The courier bowed after handing Luke the envelope and took his leave. Luke closed the door and walked towards his sitting room. As he walked he looked down at the envelope.

The manila envelope was fairly large. Based on the weight, Luke suspected that it contained some sort of datapad. Luke looked to whom the envelope was addressed to, and was shocked as he read: To Luke or Leia Skywalker.

The address was written in fading blue ink in elegant, curvy handwriting. It appeared that the envelope had been addressed many years ago to both his sister and himself. However, he had just recently learned that Leia was his sister. It had been a secret, and as far as he was aware very few people knew about their connection. Who would have left a letter for The Galactic Trust to deliver to Leia and him years later?

Luke was curious to learn of the contents of the envelope, but something told him to wait and open it with Leia. He was going over to dinner at her apartment tonight and he would bring the letter with him. He laid the envelope on a small table in the sitting room, and left to meditate some more. He would just need to be patient for a few more hours.

Leia had invited Luke over for dinner because Han was out flying a mission for the new Republic, and she did not like to dine alone. Besides, she enjoyed the company of her sibling a lot more than some of the politicians she dealt with on a daily basis.

Leia had just walked into her apartment from work five minutes before a buzzer sounded to tell her someone was at the door.

Leia smiled as she opened the door and stated, "You are early. I have not even started cooking dinner yet." She noticed an envelope in Luke's hand and asked, "What is that?"

"The reason I am early."

This was a mysterious statement, and Leia quirked an eyebrow at her brother in response.

Luke chuckled at his sister's puzzlement and further explained himself. "This arrived today from a courier who said it was from The Galactic Trust. It is addressed to both of us." He showed her the envelope and added, "I thought that we could open it together."

"But who would send something to both of us?"

"No idea, but we can find out!" Luke said with a wink.

Leia smiled again and stated, "Ok, dinner can wait a bit, lets go in the sitting room and open it."

Both Luke and Leia sat next to each other on a sofa in the sitting room. They briefly glanced at each other, both were curious as to the contents of the envelope.

"Now lets see what this is all about," Luke said as he tore open the envelope, and placed the contents on the coffee table in front of them.

Inside the letter was a datapad as Luke had guessed earlier, and a small holo image of a woman. The woman was very beautiful. She had long, dark brown, curly hair, brown eyes, and a pleasant smile. As Luke and Leia stared at the holo, they both had the feeling that the person was familiar, but neither remembered meeting her.

Luke turned to Leia and asked, "Do you know that person?"

"No, never met her, but she seems familiar, do your know her?"

"No, but she seems familiar to me too."

"Why don't we turn on the datapad, it might tell us who the person is." Leia stated. She reached over and grabbed the datapad off the table and turned it on.

"It has a letter on it." She told Luke.

"Well read it to me."

"Ok, give me a minute." Leia sat back on the sofa, so that she would be more comfortable, and then started reading aloud the letter to her brother.

To My Child,

If you are reading this, then unfortunately I am no longer with you physically, however you will always have my love. These last few months of being pregnant with you have brought me great joy. The thought that I am bringing new life into the galaxy warms my heart. With the clone wars gradually coming to an end, I cannot help but feel that you will be a beacon of hope as we start over. Although we never got to spend time together, deep down I know my child will accomplish great things.

However, I digress. The purpose of this letter was to provide you with a memory of me, and to let you know that I love you very much. You may be wondering about the address on this envelope. Your father and I decided to keep it a surprise as to whether we were having a boy or a girl. Therefore, as I am writing this letter, I do not know your gender. If you are a boy you will be named Luke, and Leia if you are a girl.

Leia paused, and looked at Luke in shock. Luke had a stunned look on his face as well. This letter was from their…

"Mother." They both whispered in awe simultaneously.

Luke had no memory of his mother, and Leia only remembered vague images of her. Neither had been given a lot of information about their mother, they suspected for their protection, but now they had a letter from her. Luke and Leia stared at each other for a few more moments; both too shocked to do anything else. The datapad slipped from Leia's hand, but Luke caught it before it hit the floor.

He looked at it, and then back to Leia. She was still too stunned to do anything, and he was curious to know more about his mother.

"I'll continue reading." He stated to Leia, as he anxiously read aloud the remainder of the letter.

My name is Padmé Naberrie Amidala Skywalker. I am a Senator for the sovereign system of Naboo, the wife of your father, Anakin Skywalker, and your mother. I was formerly Queen of the Naboo. As you can tell, I have served the Republic and its democratic ideals for most of my life. I feel that liberty is essential for all people, and have worked to maintain it for the people I serve, and most importantly for you. I am sorry that I am not able to watch you grow up, but I will leave you with some advice. My experience in serving the Republic has shown that democracy can be frustrating. Bureaucracy and egos sometimes get in the way. However, no matter its faults, Democracy provides a way for us to exchange ideas and provide for the greater good. Without it, we could be under the oppressive rule of a dictator. Dictators may provide order, but they tend to look to their own self-interests rather than the interests of the people under then. If I can leave you with anything, it would be to request that you support and serve the Republic. I believe that if people work to serve its ideals peace and prosperity will reign throughout the galaxy.

On a more personal note, I would like to make one more request of you. The marriage between your father and I has been kept secret, since the Jedi code forbids relationships like ours. However, our love is pure and unconditional and I do not see it as a cause for concern. I know that my death will be very difficult on your father. He has had a difficult life, first as a slave and then a Jedi Knight fighting to uphold Democracy. I love your father very much and will continue to do so into death, but he will need your love as well. Your father has a great need to be loved, and I ask that you fill it in my absence. In return, I know he will give you his love. Now that I am one with the Force, you will be the light in his life and help him follow his life's path.

As I conclude this letter, you may wonder why I chose to write this letter. Your father has been having nightmares of my death. I believe the nightmares are stress induced, and I believe I will be around to watch you grow. However, death is always a possibility and I did not want to be unprepared in the event that I did become one with the Force. I wanted to make sure that you had something from me, in the event of tragedy. Never fear death my little one, for even though my physical presence is gone, my love for the Republic, your father, and you will live on forever.

Your Loving Mother,

Padmé Naberrie Amidala Skywalker

Tears streamed down Luke's face as he finished reading the letter. He gently placed the data pad on the coffee table and glanced over at his sister. Leia had tears streaming down her face as well.

They just stared at each other for a few minutes, both processing the letter their mother had sent them. Then, Leia picked up the holo of her mother and scooted over to sit closer to Luke. They both smiled at the image. Dinner was forgotten as they continued to gaze at the image of their mother; both continued to cry at the joy of having a shared memory of their mother.