Worlds Without End, Part II

On a small, isolated world in a back corner of the galaxy that the universe seemed to have forgotten, there was a single settlement. On this world sat a tiny mud hut which happened to be the home of one of the two most powerful masters of the Force that lived. If any had somehow found themselves in this particular area of the swampy planet they would have heard the sound of a heated argument between that master and a particularly unruly student.

"Unfortunate that I know the truth?!" Luke Skywalker exclaimed, unable to restrain his frustration. To have spent years believing that his father had been a champion of good only to learn that he was the very symbol of darkness wasn't easy, and the fact that his teachers had deliberately perpetuated that illusion made it all the more painful. Darth Vader, greatest enemy of all Luke held dear, was his own father. Considering the weight of that statement, he was taking it pretty well.

"Not ready for the burden were you," Yoda said wearily, although Luke wasn't really listening. The master coughed, but whether it was to get his attention or just succumbing to his age was unclear. "There is a great evil coming. Stopped it must be. Time you will have, but squander it you must not. Mind what you have learned, save you it can." He was interrupted by another coughing fit. "Hear, and remember: Once you start down the dark path," he warned with a choke in his voice, "forever will it dominate your destiny."

Luke could sense his master's lifeforce starting to fade, and his own concerns were pushed aside. "Master Yoda..." he said impotently, knowing that very soon he'd be gone, just like Ben... just like so many people he'd cared about. It was so hard to keep burying the people he loved, and now, when this horrible truth was placed before him, the one he most needed to guide him was going to die too.

Master Yoda, sensing his fear, spoke to him, his voice broken as he struggled for every breath. "There... is... another... Skywalker." And with that, he vanished.

After taking a few moments to come to terms with his grief, Luke exited the small hut and walked towards his ship. Artoo, the most loyal droid ever built, warbled at him with concern. Even he could tell something was wrong, and there definitely was. This was his burden now; Ben, Biggs, Uncle Owen, Aunt Beru, and now even Master Yoda, they were all gone, leaving him to face this impossible task. "I can't do it, Artoo," he said quietly, more to himself than to his droid. The emptiness weighed on his soul. "I can't go on alone."

"Yoda will always be with you," a distant voice told him, and it took Luke a moment to realize he'd actually heard it out loud.

"Obi-Wan," Luke said, feeling a mix of emotions. He was glad for the company of his long lost friend, but the lie was so fresh in his mind he couldn't hide his sense of betrayal. "Why didn't you tell me?"

The shade sat on a log and Luke joined him, listening as the old man explained what had happened. His father had been the champion that he had remembered, but the promises of the dark side in the end had been too much for him. He had fallen... become so afraid of losing the woman he cared about that he'd become the agent of the evil the two of them had always fought so hard to stop. That was why Luke had been hidden away, to save him from the same fate as his mother; and so had she. "Leia," Luke said, the answer suddenly so clear. "Leia is my sister."

"Your insight serves you well," Obi-Wan said with approval.

Luke knew what he meant, that this wasn't his burden alone. If he could train his sister in the ways of the Force, if she too became a Jedi, there might be a way to accomplish the impossible. "There is still good in him," Luke told the elder. "Perhaps together-"

"You have time," Obi-Wan said, "but not as much as you might think. You must prepare yourself for the destiny that awaits you. You face not only Darth Vader, but the Emperor and the forces of evil. Do not take Yoda's warning lightly." Luke could sense his teacher's anxiety. "I'm afraid that in the trials to come you will face enemies more powerful than you can possibly imagine."

Luke was resolute. "I can save him." There was no doubt in his mind.

"You must do what you must," Obi-Wan said. "But never forget what he is. Whatever has happened, destiny is clear. You will face Darth Vader again."

Traveling across the universe, a single message defied physics by exceeding the speed of light due to a few scientific technicalities. Even then, it took centuries to cross the great emptiness between galaxies. It was a perfect metaphor for the eventual recipients: unfeeling, ever patient, inevitable. The Borg are not so much a force of arms as they are a force of nature. And when they received the message and learned about the existence of a race with new technology to acquire, their reaction was predictable. Unfeeling, and ever patient. It would be theirs; it was inevitable.

Captain Janeway and her senior officers stood at attention in the main shuttlebay as they watched the Imperial ship dock. There was a palatable excitement in the room as the door opened and the first member of the Galactic Empire set foot on a Federation starship. Hours before, they had feared it would be as a conqueror.

"They defeated the Borg," Janeway had said with dismay as Chakotay filled her in from the bridge.

Her first officer nodded. "They made it look easy. We were nervous for a little while, but once Tuvok contacted them we were able to explain the situation. They're called the Galactic Empire."

"I guess that means we're a little farther from home than we thought," Janeway said.

Chakotay nodded. "Harry estimates we're on the other side of the known universe. Fortunately the wormhole is still stable, but I'm not sure heading back yet is such a good idea."

"Agreed," Janeway said. "The last thing we need are more Borg looking for their missing cube."

"Admiral Thrawn has offered to tow us to an Imperial station where we can repair the ship."

And that was the man: Admiral Thrawn. The man who had destroyed a Borg Cube in minutes, and who had brought their ship to the station for repairs. What they hadn't realized was that the station was one hundred eighty light-years away, a journey of several weeks for Voyager. The Incaciad had done it in eleven minutes. As the captain of a ship trapped thirty-five thousand light-years from home, that wasn't the kind of thing you failed to notice. With that ability, Voyager could be home in days, and Janeway was ready to do anything to get her hands on it, even if she had to resort to stealing it.

Janeway stepped forward and greeted Admiral Thrawn. His skin was blue, and his red eyes were rather intimidating, but he wore a friendly enough expression as she approached. He was polite as she made introductions and then began a tour of their ship. Eventually, he seemed to steer the conversation in a different direction.

"I'm rather interested in that ship you were fighting," Thrawn said as they left astrometrics. "The Borg?"

"The Borg," Janeway said, briefly reflected on her own experience with them. "Not exactly the friendliest of races from our side of the wormhole."

"Certainly not very personable," Thrawn agreed. "Are they your enemies?"

"Only in the sense that we exist," Janeway said as they entered the turbolift for the lower decks. "The Borg don't see anyone besides themselves as anything except raw materials."

"Charming," Thrawn said as they exited the lift. A short way up the corridor Janeway directed him to a door on the right.

"This is our transporter room," Janeway said.

Thrawn looked about it, his brow furrowed. "I'm not quite sure I understand."

Janeway gestured towards the transporter pad. "This device allows us to break down matter in one location and reconstitute it in another." She was starting to feel hopeful; if this was technology alien to the Empire she could possibly trade it for their own technology: the hyperdrive.

"You do this with people?" he said, attempting to hide his distaste.

"It's perfectly safe," Janeway said a bit too quickly.

Thrawn tapped his lips as he looked at the pad and the controls thoughtfully. "I could see how it could be useful in moving large amounts of cargo," he said finally.

"I'm so glad to hear you say that," Janeway said with a smile that would put a Ferengi to shame.

In a different part of the galaxy, near Sullust, Luke wasted little time in shedding his flight suit and heading down to the meeting room in Home One. He wasn't certain what was being discussed, but he knew it would revolve around the Emperor's new Death Star. Having already gone against one, he was leery about a repeat performance.

In a group like the Rebel Alliance there's always an attempt to maintain military command and discipline, but in the end you are dealing with just bush pilots, pirates, and militia. The noise of the many arguments was a bit surprising, so Luke quickly slid over to where Leia Organa and Han Solo, his closest friends, were sitting. "What's going on?" he asked, noting the scowl on Han's face.

"Just five hundred people with five hundred different ideas about how we should end the war," Han said cynically.

"The Emperor has changed his plans," Leia said. Her face was a mask, but he could sense the conflict in her. She seemed uncertain about what they should do herself. "Originally he was going to inspect the Death Star, but now he seems content to wait for them to get on schedule themselves."

Luke understood. "We were hoping to take advantage of it."

"Exactly," Lando Calrissian said, taking a seat next to Luke. "The old man never leaves Coruscant, it would've been the perfect opportunity to take him out of the picture for good."

"The Emperor is incidental," General Blissex said emphatically as the argument toned down slightly. "The Death Star is a weapon of unimaginable destruction and it must be destroyed."

"Agreed," General Madine said, "But at what cost? We prepared for this assault knowing we had an opportunity to behead the Empire. Without the Emperor the Death Star is a less important target."

"We need to do this now," Admiral Ackbar said. "With the weapons systems non-operational we stand our best chance against it."

"It's too great a risk for too small a prize," Madine replied. "The plan commits all of our resources. If we attempt and fail the Alliance is finished, and with it any hope of restoring freedom to the galaxy."

"If we wait, we only postpone the inevitable," General Blissex said. "The Empire has already proven this weapon is not for show. They used it against Alderaan because they sympathized with us. If that weapon is complete, no one is going to be willing to risk helping us. We'll lose our support and eventually be wiped out."

"Princess Organa," Mon Mothma said over the din. "You are the senator from Alderaan. You've seen this weapon used first hand. What is your opinion of all this?"

"She's not a military officer-" Blissex began, but wilted under Mon Mothma's stare.

Leia took a deep breath, and Luke could feel that she was even more conflicted. "The Emperor does nothing on a whim," she said finally. "He has shown throughout his reign that he carefully plots out his every choice. His tight rein on the military high command is proof enough of that." Luke could sense the pain as she thought about her homeworld. "No one is more aware than I of the threat that weapon poses, but we can't let fear blind us to reality. The Emperor's sudden behavior is indicative of something important, more important than his pet project. Or, even worse, I fear he may have learned our intentions, and altered his plans accordingly."

"How could he know?" General Reikken asked. "Are you suggesting a spy amongst us?"

"I'm suggesting that the Emperor might have laid a trap for us at Endor," Leia said. "And if so we'd be fools to step into it. If not, if he changed his plans for some other reason, we may have our priorities out of order."

"What could be more important than a Death Star?" Ackbar demanded.

"That, admiral," Leia said, "is exactly what I'm afraid of finding out."

After some time the group finally agreed to hold off on the attack until the rebel spy network was able to learn more about the Emperor's plans. There was still an almost funeral-like tension in the air, regardless of everyone's view of the decision. They had had their first real glimpse of the end, and it had been just as suddenly lost. But as Ben had told him, Luke had time ahead of him, and he planned to put it to good use. After the meeting he took Leia aside. He didn't want to have to do it now, given her own burden at the moment, but she had to know. "Leia," he said, finally finding the courage to say the words, "I need to tell you something... something rather incredible."

Admiral Thrawn's smile vanished after Janeway was transported off the bridge of the Incaciad. It seemed like the woman would never shut up, but after three days of conversations -enough time for the engineering crews to install the new hyperdrive on Voyager- she had filled him in on much of what lay on the other side of that wormhole. Tens of thousands of splintered powers vying for their own little share of their galaxy. Thrawn had little doubt what the Emperor and his advisors would have in mind, and given his own proximity to the anomaly... he suspected he'd have a very interesting opportunity in that little ship. "Captain," he said, not even turning his head.

"Yes, admiral," Captain Jarrol replied.

"Have our fleet escort Voyager to the wormhole," Thrawn said, his eyes never leaving the vessel. "Let's make sure she doesn't lose her way."

"Engineering to the bridge," B'ellana Torres, Voyager's chief engineer, said over the comm. "We're ready down here."

Janeway was literally on the edge of her seat in anticipation. "Seven?"

"I've established a link between our astronavigational database and long-range sensors," Seven said as she entered some commands in astrometrics. "I've fed the data through to the helm." She finished tapping the panel. "Whenever you're ready, Mr. Paris."

"You heard her, Tom," Janeway said, fidgeting with excitement. "Set course for the wormhole, maximum..." she stopped short. "Velocity," she shrugged at Chakotay, who smirked at her.

"I'm sure they'll come up with a name for it soon enough," he replied.

"Course laid in," Tom Paris said at the helm. "Engaging the hyperdrive." With a single push of a button, the stars began to stretch and turn, and the Voyager crew found space suddenly replaced with a kind of milky-white pattern around them.

Janeway stood up and approached the screen. She had been in Engineering when the Incaciad had brought them to the Imperial station, and hadn't witnessed hyperspace before. "It's beautiful," she said quietly, the tiniest hint of emotion in her voice.

"Yes it is," Harry said. "It's the way home."

Almost as suddenly the starlines returned, and the normal ebony of space spread out before them. "Are we there?" Janeway said, her voice still barely audible.

"Yes, captain," Paris said. "And for the record we made it in 12 minutes, 41 seconds. Just might be a new Starfleet record."

"Let's hope we have an opportunity to challenge that record," Janeway said. "Give our thanks to-"

Captain Janeway never finished. Instead space twisted in on itself before her, and the ominous sight of three Borg Cubes filled the screen in front of her. "Oh my God," she whispered. "They found the wormhole." She watched the Cubes pass Voyager and fly towards their star destroyer escort. "What have we done?"

Go To Part III
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