Stargate Wars

Anakin frowned as he looked at the giant ring. "So, what is this thing supposed to be, again?'

Obi-Wan smiled. "According to the scientists, a portal to another part of the galaxy-or, if they're right, another galaxy far, far away altogether."

"It was discovered on a remote moon," General Windoo informed Anakin. "It was apparently put there by a long-departed species called the Goa'uld, according to local legend."

"So, I take it we're going to try this thing out ourselves." Anakin walked around the ring, studying the symbols on its surface. "A trip to another galaxy, you say?"

"It is theoretically possible," Obi-Wan replied. "Remember, Senator Grebleips funded an expedition to another galaxy before the war began. The leader of that expedition reported encountering a 'great ring in space' that allowed them to travel to the other galaxy."

"What exactly do we know about this other world the expedition visited, General Kenobi?" Windoo asked.

"From the official reports, it was a human world, primitive by our standards, but according to the leader of the expedition, they showed great potential. And, they've apparently had some sort of contact with our galaxy. How, we don't know, but Master Yoda wants us to find out."

"Well, I guess it's settled, then." Anakin nodded at Rex. "You heard the General. Let's get this thing spinning and see where it takes us."

"Right, sir." The CO of the Clone Troopers pressed matching symbols on the floor-mounted device. The ring began to spin as each symbol lit up and locked into place. When it was finished, what looked like a boiling wave of foam poured forth, followed by a shimmering pool of light.

Anakin walked up to the "Water" and carefully passed his hand through it. "Very interesting," he commented. He looked at his master. "Ready to go?"

"Apparently you are." Obi-Wan looked at Ashoka Tano. "We may be gone for a while," he said. "Until then, you are in command of the Clone Troopers."

The young Padawan nodded. "I'll do my best, sir."

Anakin smiled. "We know you will. Don't worry, Snips. We'll be back soon."

I hope so, Ashoka thought, as she watched her Master and General Kenobi walk through the glowing pool. Then it disappeared, and they were gone...

****

They were standing on a ramp. Obi-Wan could feel the tension in the air as he looked at the human troops pointing their weapons at them. The reports had been right-those were rapid-fire projection weapons, primitive by Republic standards-but still deadly. He looked at Anakin and they both raised their hands.

"We mean you know harm," Kenobi said.

"Everyone stand down!" A middle-aged man stepped forward as the troopers did as they were told. Surprisingly, the man grinned.

"I'm General Hank Landry," he said. "There's no need to introduce yourselves-I know who you are. Although I have to admit, when Walter told me who'd stepped through the Gate, I didn't believe him." General Landry nodded at his men. "As you were," he said. Then, to Kenobi, "You'd better come to our briefing room. We've got a team of people here I think you should meet...and we've got a lot to talk about."

"He knows who we are?" Anakin asked as the General escorted them down a corridor.

"It appears the reports were right," Obi-Wan replied. He looked at the surrounding walls. Wherever this place was, it seemed to be a military facility buried deep underground, which indicated a society still divided into nation-states that needed to protect their installations from attack.

They entered a formal-looking room with a long table. Seated at it were a dark-haired man somewhat younger than Obi-Wan, a man wearing glasses, a blonde woman, another dark-haired woman, and a muscular individual with a stoic expression on his face and a symbol on his forehead. They all looked up as he and Anakin entered the room, and Kenobi saw recognition on all of their faces.

"I'd like you to meet the members of SG-1, our world's leading expeditionary unit for the Stargate," Landry said. "Colonel Cameron Mitchell, Colonel Samantha Carter, who's normally in charge here, Doctor Daniel Jackson, Vala Mal Doren, and Teal'c."

"Pleased to meet you," the woman identified as Vala said. Teal'c nodded, while Mitchell, Carter, and Jackson all seemed excited to meet them.

"I gather you all know us," Anakin remarked as he and Kenobi sat down.

"We sure do," Mitchell said. "By the way, where's Ashoka? I thought you guys did everything together."

Obi-Wan was a little taken aback by the sudden familiarity, but said, "We thought it might be best if she stayed behind, for now...we weren't sure how you'd react to her, based on what we know about your world's level of development."

"Then we were right," Carter responded. "You really did make contact with Earth in some way."

"So everything I've seen in those movies actually happened-or will happen, somewhere." Vala grinned. "I'd love to see you two at one of those convention things I've heard so much about."

"It's a long story," Doctor Jackson added. "By the way, Vala and Teal'c are also from other worlds.

"That's an even longer story," Landry put in. "Well, first things first. You're on our homeworld, which we call Earth, and about thirty-five years ago, a man named George Lucas..."

Several hours later, Obi-Wan and Anakin were sitting in the quarters they'd been provided with. They had just finished watching the "Movies" with the SG-1 members, and Landry had agreed to leave them alone to talk about what they'd seen.

"I don't care what those 'Episodes' say!" Anakin exclaimed. "Master, there's no way I could do anything to hurt you-or turn to the Dark Side, let alone become a Sith Lord, even if Padme were..." He fell silent, still not wanting to believe that Padme could meet the kind of fate he'd witnessed.

"We cannot change destiny, Anakin," Obi-Wan said. "We are Jedi. There are certain rules we must obey. We can only do what the ways of the Force permit us."

"We're still human beings with free will," Anakin replied. "Master, I refuse to accept that I'll become the instrument of the Republic's downfall-or turn into the kind of monster I saw. Besides, what about Palpatine? Surely there must be something we can do about him."

"If what we saw is true, then you will be redeemed, and we will be reunited-as you will with your son. As for Palpatine...we can only influence the course of events. We cannot change what must be."

Anakin closed his eyes. "It's all just so...unfair." He opened them again. "I guess this is supposed to be the price I pay for allowing my emotions to overcome my judgment."

Kenobi laid a hand on his shoulder. "You will always be a Jedi. Even though you will get lost along the way, you will find your way back from the Dark Side in the end."

Anakin still didn't seem convinced. But before he could say anything, an alarm sounded in the outside corridor. "Unscheduled offworld activation!" a voice said. "All security teams stand by!"

Anakin and Kenobi looked at each other. "Shall we go see what the emergency is?" Obi-Wan asked. "They may need our help."

Anakin sighed. "Like you said, Master-we're Jedi. No matter what might happen later, this is what we do right now." They stood up, and walked out of the room, following the soldiers who were headed for what their hosts called the Gate Room.

****

What's going on?" Colonel Carter was asking. She acknowledged Anakin and Kenobi as they entered the room.

"We're receiving an offworld transmission," the man Carter's people had identified as "Walter" said through a microphone from their Gate's control room. "It's coming from the other galaxy."

"Put it through," Carter ordered.

"General Kenobi, we're under attack," a slightly garbled voice was saying. "Droids tried to breach our security, but Ashoka and Windoo went to hold them off...called for reinforcements..."

"Sounds like Rex is in trouble," Anakin commented with concern.

"This is General Kenobi," Obi-Wan responded. "Message received and understood. Will return with reinforcements as soon as possible." He looked at Carter and the rest of her team.

"I hope you don't mind," he said. "It's a remote base, and our own troops might not arrive for some time yet."

Mitchell grinned. "A visit to the Star Wars galaxy? Are you kidding?"

"It will still be a combat situation, Cam," Carter reminded him. As they stepped towards the Gate, she added, to Kenobi, "I guess you saw...what happened, or is supposed to happen, in your futures."

"We did." Kenobi looked troubled. "I have already discussed the matter with Anakin...but there will no doubt be much more to talk about when we get back."

Sam nodded. She could only imagine how difficult it must have been for them to see what, until now, had ben entertainment to her and the others. Then they went through the Gate...

As they came out on the other side, Kenobi could see Rex coming towards them with a slight limp. "How bad was it?" he asked.

"They were commando droids, sir," Rex replied, with a slight grimace. "There weren't as many of them as we'd expected, but there were enough of them to keep us busy. Seems like old Grievous might be having problems getting more droids these days."

"Where's Ashoka and Windoo?" Anakin asked.

"Gone," Rex replied. "General Windoo wanted her to come back with us, but she wanted to make sure they didn't discover the Ring, so she stayed behind with him...to make sure our message could get through."

"You mean they've been taken prisoner?" Anakin asked.

"I'm afraid so, sir. We were able to make contact with the Fleet, but it'll be a while before another ship can get here." Rex looked at Carter and her group. "But it looks like you brought some reinforcements anyway."

Obi-Wan nodded. "I'm afraid we don't have much time for formal introductions-let's just say these are the people we made contact with in the other galaxy. And they are here to help."

Rex nodded. "Right. You lot had better come with me, then." As they followed him, Rex added, "So, you're from another galaxy, eh...?"

"Master, I hope we are going to mount a rescue operation," Anakin said as they headed towards a waiting transport. "I know you might think it's reckless, but this is Windoo and Snips."

"Believe me, Anakin; we'll do everything in our power to get them back. But Grievous will be expecting an attempt, and we must be careful." Obi-Wan looked at Rex, who was showing Mitchell how to handle a blaster. "Our new friends might not have the Force, but if they did, I'd say it was strong within them. Now, let us prepare. We won't have much time."

****

Once on board the waiting transport, Anakin asked, "Do we have any idea of where they were taken?"

"Well, we did hear the droids say something about having a base camp in the mountains to the West of here," Rex replied. "My guess is they're waiting for a rendezvous with Grievous."

"Which means that Count Dooku won't be far behind," Anakin replied.

Obi Wan nodded. "Contact the Resolute and have them look for any ship that might have entered the system." He looked over at the SG1 team. "I'd like to learn more about how this George Lucas began having visions of our galaxy's future."

"Why don't we find out?" Anakin sat down next to Colonel Carter. "Master Kenobi would like to know more about how this contact with our galaxy might have happened."

"Actually, I've been thinking about that," Carter replied. "A few years ago, we encountered a civilian named Joe Spencer who had been having visions of our missions for several years. It turned out that both he and our former commanding officer, General Jack O'Neill, both had stones that worked in conjunction with an alien communications device. It's possible someone in your galaxy and George Lucas also had similar stones."

"I've heard of such stones," Obi-Wan commented. "Some of the Jedi have been known to use them to hone their telepathic abilities. But I've never heard of any being able to work across extragalactic distances, let alone send visions through time."

"Well, we've encountered various forms of time travel in the past," Doctor Jackson informed him. "Who knows what other technologies could be in our galaxy, or yours?"

"Who, indeed?" Obi-Wan liked this young man. A scholar, yet also a warrior. Like the others, he would have made a fine candidate for Jedi training...

"We're picking up an ion trail, sir," Rex said. "It's leading straight for those foothills. Looks like there's a network of caverns in there. It could be a trap, sir."

Obi-Wan nodded. "Then we will have to be ready." He looked at the others. "I know you haven't had time for any formal training with our weapons, but you'll familiarize yourselves with them soon enough. Rex and his men will provide you with cover while we search for Ashoka and Windoo. Good luck...and may the force be with all of us."

They set down on hard-packed ground where they found traces of vehicular and droid movement. "Stay sharp, everyone," Rex said. "Okay, let's move out. Torrent Company, with me. SG-1, stay close. Don't want to lose anyone in those caverns."

The caverns reminded Mitchell somewhat of the caverns he'd visited in Virginia. Ther were no tour guides, here, however. As they rounded a bend, they were suddenly met with a burst of droid laser fire.

"Return fire! Spread out!" Mitchell instinctively raised his blaster and squeezed, feeling a sense of satisfaction as his beam hit one of the droids as it emerged from the shadows.

"Nice hit," Rex commented.

"Thanks!" Mitchell grinned. Then he ducked and fired at another droid. The blaster was slightly heavier than his own P-90, but not much, and it seemed able to hit with pin-point accuracy no matter what angle he pointed it at. He heard something sizzling behind him, and turned to see Jackson standing over a decapitated droid, lightsabre in hand.

"Anakin let be borrow it," he somewhat sheepishly replied. He looked down at it. "I had one of these when I was a kid," he commented. "The real thing's a little heavier, though."

As they took care of the remaining droids, they found Windu and Ashoka tied up in the center of a rocky chamber.

"I told you Anakin wouldn't let us down," Ahsoka said to Windu as they were untied.

"It's good to see you again, Kenobi," Windu said. He looked at Mitchell and the others. "I see you've made contact with the inhabitants of the other galaxy."

"We'll have ample time for formal introductions," Obi-Wan replied. "Right now, we need to prevent Grievous and Dooku from escaping..."

On board the Resolute, Carter finished up explaining her plan to Admiral Yularen. "...So, if we can fool Dooku and Grievous into thinking that you're using the Ori Supergate to escape to our galaxy, and manage to activate the gate with the nuclear warheads in place, the results should be...satisfactory." Obi-Wan had told her about the giant ring the earlier expedition had found, and Carter, in turn, had told him about the Ori, the religious fanatics who had built the Supergates. "Of course, we never got to test this theory, since the Ori are no longer a threat."

"It sounds feasible," Yularen commented. "Very well. We've been able to locate the ship that Dooku and Grievous are using. It seems to be a smaller version of the Malevolence. We know that it carries an ion cannon, so our plan will be to lure their ship to the supergate, have them fire on the warheads...and let matters take their course from there. If the gate's vortex becomes as unstable as we predict, it could end the threat posed by Grievous and Dooku once and for all."

"I've already discussed this plan with Master Yoda, and he has agreed to it," Obi-Wan said. "So...let us begin."

The ship in question was smaller than the Malevolence had been, but it was still fast, and Grievous and Dooku both watched with satisfaction s they closed in on the Resolute. ""We may have lost the Padawan and the Jedi, but we can take satisfaction in that the Resolute will soon cause us no further problems," Count Dooku said. He nodded at Grievous. "The success of this mission will make you a great hero in the New Order...do not disappoint me this time."

Grievous growled. "No...Master." He looked at the droids who waited at the firing controls. "It appears they are getting ready to activate the Gate," he said. "Stand by to fire!"

"Roger, roger." The droid nodded as it entered the firing commands. The ion cannon sent a massive energy pulse towards the Resolute-which suddenly veered away.

"What are they doing?" Grievous demanded.

"They seem to have anticipated our attack, sir," the droid replied. "Uh, sir, something's happening to the Ring..."

Grievous and Dooku both watched as flashes of light suddenly lit up along the ring. They continued to watch as the ring's vortex became active and expanded, heading towards them with alarming speed.

"Change course!" Grievous demanded.

"We can't, sir!" The hapless droid replied. "The vortex's field is..."

"Grievous...what have you done..." Dooku's last thoughts were of how he could have allowed himself to be fooled by the weak, corrupt Jedi as the vortex swallowed their ship, ripping through its hull, and consuming both of them with the relentless gravitational pull of a singularity until there was nothing of either of them left but a few scattered molecules.

Once the cheers on the bridge of the Resolute died down, Admiral Yarulen laid in a course for Coruscant. The sight of the planet-wide city that was the heart of the Republic was a welcome sight, and it wasn't long before they were all being welcomed in the Presidential Palace by Padme and Master Yoda.

Yoda nodded at the SG1 team, as Carter, Mitchell, and Jackson tried to suppress how awestruck they were at being able to actually meet the legendary Jedi Master. "Fought as true Jedi, all of you did," Yoda said. "In your debt, we forever will be."

Carter bowed. "Thank you...Master Yoda."

"And, to you, Kenobi and Skywalker, great gratitude also. Because of all of you, the threat to the Republic, ended it has finally been."

"We're already chasing down the remaining Confederate forces," Windu said. "Without Dooku or Grievous to lead them, they're pretty much in a state of disarray."

Yoda nodded. "Then finally over, the war is." He took Obi-Wan aside. "Read your report on the other galaxy, I have. Great tragedy, been avoided has been."

"I hope so, Master Yoda. But there is still one last piece of the puzzle..."

Yoda frowned. "Yes, yes. Palpatine. As long as he holds power, then truly over the threat will not be." He looked at Kenobi with determination. "Do what you must."

In his office, Chancellor Palpatine was making plans for a quick departure. The news of Dooku and Grievous's end had been surprising, to say the least, as were the reports he was getting of Confederate defeats happening across the quadrant. It was time to regroup, gather new allies on Naboo, and plan his next move...

The doors to his office slid open. Palpatine looked up in surprise as General Windu and the Clone Captain, Rex, entered with a group of troopers and security personnel.

"You're to be congratulated on your victory, General," Palpatine said with what he hoped was convincing sincerity. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have some urgent business..."

"Not so fast, Chancellor," Rex said. He held up a pair of handcuffs. "We need to ask you a few questions."

"We did some checking on some suspicious transmissions that have been coming into your office," Windu said. "It appears you've had a great deal of communication with various unsavory individuals...including a certain bounty hunter we've arrested. He's agreed to testify against you, by the way."

"Testify?" Palpatine finally lost his composure. "I am the Chancellor of the Republic!"

"Not for much longer," Windu said. "Captain, would you do the honors?"

"Chancellor Palpatine, you're under arrest for acts of treason against the Republic," Rex informed him. "Come along quietly, now." The Chancellor, speechless, had no choice but to oblige as he was taken away.

In the Presidential Palace, Obi-Wan watched as Anakin and Padme talked. Then Anakin joined him. "She said yes," he said.

Obi-Wan smiled. "She always did have more wisdom than the other senators...or maybe not." Then he turned more serious. "I was opposed to your involvement with her. However, in light of recent events...I know the two of you will be very happy together, and the Force will be with you and your children."

"I suggested a couple of names to her," Anakin replied. "She seems to like Luke and Leia...purely hypothetically, of course. I decided it would be better if she didn't know about...her other future."

Obi-Wan nodded. "That is probably for the best. Since it now apparently won't happen, we can't say where our destinies will take us. Only that we must follow the right path when it presents itself."

As they escorted the SG1 team to the landing field for the trip back to the ring and their journey home, Anakin said, "Well, it looks like our people are officially allies now. This reminds me...this is for you." He winked at Mitchell as he handed him a scroll.

"General Kenobi already gave us a copy of the treaty for our President," Carter commented as they boarded a transport. "What's that thing?"

"Oh, just a copy of the arrest warrant for Palpatine. It's got Yoda's official seal on it." Mitchell unrolled it. Now he could give General O'Neill something that would have made every Star Wars fan back home green with envy:

Master Yoda's autograph.

Obi-Wan watched them take off. May the Force be with you, he thought.

THE END