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HERITAGE.DOC
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1988-07-31
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217 lines
Heritage
by
Leah Parker
The desert preserves things well, thought Luke as he pulled a packet
of letters from their storage space in the X-wing. He had found them among
journals, texts and other letters in Ben's place on Tatooine. At the
time, they had caught his eye for the feminine hand in which they were
addressed. Luke had never heard Ben mention a woman in his life, but that
didn't mean there wasn't one.
Though he was reluctant to read what might be personal and private
messages, that wasn't what had kept him from reading them then. The time
hadn't been right.
He was leaving Dagobah, for probably the last time; as Yoda had
joined the Force permanently, there was nothing there to draw or keep him.
He was still reeling somewhat from the confirmation of Vader as his father.
He felt, somehow, that the time had come for reading these letters.
He picked the first one out of the bundle, noting it was dated a few
years before he was born.
* * * * *
Dear Ben,
There is just so much to tell you! I'm in love!
No, it is not with my betrothed; how could I love a man I've
never seen? And yes, I realize that there are problems because of
that betrothal. But, I trust in the Force, and the Maker of all,
that we will find a way.
As you have no doubt guessed, my love is for your star
pupil, Anakin Skywalker. And, here is where the problems come
in: we want to get married.
I know I'm already betrothed. (To a man I've never met) But,
as my family is already highly placed, the breaking of this
agreement should not adversely affect their position. And, most
of them being Force-sensitives, they would understand my
decision. (I hope.)
Ben, when you get back from your visit to your brother, we
would like you to marry us. We are truly and deeply in love and
you must know it is so, too. You tell us to trust our feelings,
and we know that we must do this, for our feelings tell us that
this is the right thing to do.
Oh, Ben, I don't mean to sound like I'm hurrying your visit
on, but do come back soon! We will be waiting for you.
Until then,
Veltira
* * * * *
Luke put the letter back in its envelope carefully. He was beginning
to see why he had felt that the time wasn't right to read these at the time
when he found them on Tatooine. He pulled the next one out of the packet.
This one was almost a year later than the one before.
* * * * *
Dear Ben,
I wanted to thank you again for marrying us. Anakin says
that I'm embarrassing you with my "overenthusiasm" in my thanks.
I'm sorry if I am, but I really am grateful to you for what
you've done.
I'm not just talking about the marriage itself, but your
advice, your counseling and your understanding. I know that you
feel this was not a good idea, and you have your reservations
about the outcome. I trust you when you say that I should not
say anything to my family about this marriage, though I do not
understand it. They will have to know sooner or later,
especially when I do not marry Bail Organa.
Besides my family, there is only one thing that troubles me,
and that is the Emperor's interest in Anakin. I know that I
should be pleased for him that so highly placed a personage as
the Emperor would favor his company, but I feel there is
something terribly, terribly wrong with this alliance.
Ben, why do I feel as though something unclean has walked
through my heart whenever Anakin mentions the Emperor and what
they have done or talked about? There is nothing in what he says
that should do that to me. I have heard similar things all my
life and have never had this feeling of dread as I do now.
Ben, please talk with Anakin and see if you get the same
feelings as I do. I trust your judgement almost more than my own
and your feelings almost as well as my own. Back-handed
compliments, I know, but I am worried.
Please let me know as soon as you can. I'll be waiting for
your answer with anxiety.
Yours in the Force,
Veltira
* * * * *
Luke was shaken. Bail Organa? His mother - for he was certain that
Veltira was his mother - had been betrothed to Leia's adopted father? But
why would Ben ask her not to tell her family? He put away that letter and
pulled the next one out. This was dated a few months after the last one.
* * * * *
Dear Ben,
How can he have done this? I understand now your feelings
that our marriage was not a good idea. But Ben, why? How could
have he have turned so blindly to Darkness and Evil? I know now
why I felt as I did about the Emperor. If I had seen or met him
before, I would have known him for the filthy, evil creature that
he is.
I will take your advice, and consider Anakin dead. I wish
you could have turned him back, but I know that you tried, and
nothing now can bring him back to me.
Ben, how could you have known that this would happen? I have
to believe that you did, because now I have had to marry Bail
Organa. I would not have been able to if my family had known of
my marrying Anakin.
Ben, I'm pregnant and with twins. Bail has agreed to keep
the girl and claim her as his own, but the boy (for it is one of
each) he will not tolerate and must be raised away from Alderaan.
I need your help, Ben. I don't know Beru very well, but as she
is Anakin's sister, and married to your brother, I think she
might be willing to take my son. Could you talk with them for
me? I would be very grateful to you.
Veltira
* * * * *
Luke had assumed that Bail Organa had adopted Leia, but she never
said so, so it must have been that Bail remarried and his wife adopted her.
He was learning more and more of his parents, and it was somewhat numbing.
There was one more letter left in the packet. This one was nearly two
years later. About a year after his birth, he realized.
* * * * *
Dear Ben,
Thank you for speaking to Owen and Beru for me. I am glad
to know that they will take him in. I'm sorry to hear about the
School closing and the Jedi massacres that have been taking
place; I understand your reasoning for your "retiring" to
Tatooine. It is a rather distant and very desolate place.
I appreciate your concern for Luke, and I am glad that you
will be there to watch over him. I am going to have trouble
parting with him, and Leia will be broken-hearted. They have
been inseparable lately. I will do what I can to ease their
pain, but I'm afraid that I will not be able to do the same for
myself. I do not believe that I will last out the year.
I am afraid that this is good-bye, Ben. I could hope that I
would be around to see my children grow - mine and Anakin's - but
there has been too much lately for me to bear and I can feel the
weight of it all crushing me.
Ben, keep my son safe, and see that he grows strong. I know
that you saw the future when you told me not to tell my family
about marrying Anakin, for I have had a vision of the future of
my own.
Luke and Leia will find each other, and they will avenge
their father on the Emperor. And me, too.
I have kept Anakin's lightsaber. Why, I don't know. Perhaps
that was all that was left of him when the Emperor seduced him
away from me. In his conceit, he required that Anakin construct
a new weapon as his pupil.
You must see that Luke gets the lightsaber when the time is
right. I trust you in this.
Good-bye,
Veltira
* * * * *
Luke sat, stunned, staring at the last letter in his hand. It wasn't
his father that wanted him to have his lightsaber, but his mother! It must
have been hard on his mother, to have given him up, and knowing what had
become of Anakin Skywalker.
And her future vision ---. Luke shook his head. Luke and Leia had
found each other, but Leia was unaware of their relationship. And as for
avenging anyone on the Emperor, much less Darth Vader or a woman who he
could not truthfully say he remembered as his mother, he could hardly
believe.
Though, as he thought this, he could almost hear Ben saying, "Trust
your feelings, Luke. Believe in the Force."
Yes, he would trust his feelings, and believe in the Force. He would
also use his mother's feelings and trust in the Force to work for him. He
also understood the insistance that Ben and Yoda had that he must meet and
confront Vader again.
And this time it would not be to defeat him, but to save him.
* * * * * * *