Dance Me to the End of Love

Suddenly awed by the adulation of the crowd, Luke turned away. He gave thetired fighter a look of approval, then found his gaze traveling upward, up to theceiling high overhead. For a second he thought he heard something faintly like agratified sigh, a relaxing of muscles a crazy old man had once performed in momentsof pleasure. Of course, it was probably the intruding hot wind of a steaming jungleworld, but Luke smiled anyway at what he thought he saw up here. There were many rooms in the vast expanse of the temple, which had beenconverted for modern service by the technicians of the Alliance. Even in theirdesperate need, however, there was something too clean and classically beautifulabout the ruins of the ancient throne room for the architects to modify. They had leftit as it was, save for scouring it clear of creeping jungle growth and debris. For the first time in thousands of years that spacious chamber was full.Hundreds of rebel troops and technicians stood assembled on the old stone floor,gathered together for one last time before dispersing to new posts and distant homes.For the first time ever the massed ranks of pressed uniforms and polished semi-armorstood arrayed together in a fitting show of Alliance might.