EPILOGUE.

2.3K 93 36
                                    

The Naboo skiff descended onto the landing pad. Without a platform or a team of awaiting mechanics, the circular courtyard was barely a place for landing a starship. But in Naboo's Lake Country, there wasn't a large supply of landing pads, so the skiff's pilot would take what he could get.

The landing ramp extended from the hull and the skiff's inhabitants stepped onto the cobblestoned courtyard. The warm sun reflected off the ship's silver paint and the lake greeted the newcomers with its blue current. It wooshed and sloshed, and for the skiff's riders from Coruscant, it was a wonderful site in comparison to the city's concrete jungle.

'Ahsoka, do you not think you should be pulling back on the gifts?' Obi-wan asked, his arms full of the wrapped presents. 'If you continue like this, their house will be full of toy speeders and miniature starships.'

'Nonsense. I think the more toys the better,' Padme interrupted. 'A home full of toys is better than a home full of droid parts, in my opinion.'

'Who am I meant to spoil if not the Skywalker children? Do you think that they deserve any less?'

'Of course not. That's not what I meant.'

Obi-wan inched his chin around the stack in his arms and looked at Ahsoka. The woman feigned a look of offence and Obi-wan rolled his eyes with a growing smile. Not Padme nor Ahsoka helped the man carry the pile of gifts, but they took the lead to the house at the bottom of the street.

'I might be of some help, Master Kenobi?' C3-PO hurried after the trio with his stiff joints. 'I could take a small box or two?'

'That would be most kind.'

Obi-wan bent his knees to let the droid take the top two gifts from the stack. C3-PO's golden fingers balanced the pair in a much smaller stack and the droid turned away to hurry after Padme and Ahsoka. Little did he know that the two miniature gifts did nothing to lighten the weight, and Obi-wan huffed as he staggered down the slanted hill of uneven cobblestone.

Ahsoka was clad in Jedi robes but had opted for the thinner linens and ankle boot option. Coruscant had its neutral weather of warm breezes and the occasional rainy day, but Naboo was always sunny and pleasant. If Ahsoka couldn't exchange her robes when off-duty as the Jedi Order's Grand Master, then when could she?

Behind the stacked gifts, Obi-wan dawned his newly trimmed beard and hair. The brown locks no longer skimmed his shoulders and had been shortened to just pass his ears. 

But unlike Ahsoka, the man wasn't in Jedi robes. He wore his usual brown tunic and an old over robe, while a pair of knee-high boots and brown pants sat on his lower half. 

Obi-wan's decision to stay on Tatooine was a no-brainer, as he was comfortable with living off-the-grid. His times with the Order were over and he was enjoying an early retirement in his Jundland Wasteland complex.

C3-PO remained the same as he always did, only with shinier and polished parts. His joints still hissed, and his arms were still stiff, but the protocol droid was still as polite and oblivious as ever. But the black contraption that was once attached to his chest plate was gone and the droid's memory logs had been restored.

Padme was in a warm yellow dress that skimmed her summer flats. The Naboo senator was glad to be back on her home planet, as she had been attending constant meetings on Coruscant. 

She had returned to her duties as the representative in the New Republic's Senate but tried to find time to visit the beautiful planet. But when the whole galaxy was working towards rebuilding the New Republic, Padme had little time to spare.

The group passed traditional buildings with very few locals on the streets. It was setting towards the evening and the aging population of Naboo's Lake Country preferred to be on their balconies. The lake that surrounded the edge of the land was the main attraction of the peaceful town, and it was the perfect place to settle away from the galaxy's usual busyness.

Accismus⋆౨ৎ˚⟡.• Anakin Skywalker⋆౨ৎ˚⟡.•Where stories live. Discover now