Disclaimer: I do not own any characters, names, or places from Star Wars or Doctor Who

Time is constantly in flux, and the future is always in motion. In the ever twining sphere of Time and the eternal ebb and flow of the Force, galaxies, planets, and life forms blaze into existence and live out their stories until they are silenced. Time and the Force compose a majestic symphony of what has been, what is, and what will be. But amid such a symphony are buried the parts called what might have been.

Simple sentient life forms and societies assume what might have been is merely a wish or a sigh of relief, an abstract expression of unfulfilled potential.

But societies and individuals with a deeper understanding of Time know that what might have been is often a strand of Time that flared to life once and wove an incredible, unique story all its own, only to be silenced by the fluidity of Time itself and forgotten by all but a chosen few.

This is a tale of what might have been. But whether it is only an abstract inkling, or a story of living reality lost to Time, you must be the judge.

Chapter 1

Padawan Aayla Secura was certain that this was the moment she'd been waiting for all her life.

She sat in the center of the mediation room, her lekku hanging serenely, while her lightsaber components circled around her head, held aloft by her control over the Force. She could sense every feature and detail of their structures, from the blue crystal of her saber's blade that currently cast her own blue skin an even brighter shade, to the subtly curved lightsaber handle that felt more at home in her hands than she'd ever imagined possible. Her deep connection through the Force to every part of her weapon was a welcome sensation, but also a familiar one; it was not the source of the current joy that threatened to burst out of her chest.

For in this moment she also felt an immersive connection to everything around her unlike anything she had ever experienced before. She could sense every sharp stone angle of the octagonal room she sat cross-legged in, every grain in the stone re-enforced wooden door behind her. Greater still, every brick, pillar, wooden board, cloth thread or fabric strand in the entire temple were alive before her senses, painted in vibrant, indescribable colors by the Force. So too were the other younglings who roamed the halls, or sat in their own mediation chambers, practiced the art of lightsaber combat, or deflected bolts from whizzing, spherical remotes, nearly twenty people total. She could hear their breathing, feel the perspiration on those still learning the art of attuning their bodies to their will, see the blurs of light trails that their weapons made as they hummed through the air. She could pinpoint the location of those she knew by name through the Force.

She could feel the structure of the Hormslate temple itself, octagonal room after octagonal room spiraling out from the Absolute Center chamber that rose through all five levels of the building. With ease her mind could draw upon and swim in the energy of balance that flowed through the temple.

Beyond, she could feel the rocks and crags of the mountain peak that stood beneath this Jedi temple, a peak named Balance Point by the Jedi for its location at the planet's zero longitude and latitude point. This peak's location allowed the younglings who traveled to the Hormslate temple to use the truth and strength of balance in their training.

This temple was an experiment, a test, to see what benefits might be gained by sending particularly gifted youngligs here.

Aayla worked to control her pride and keep it from blossoming into arrogance when she recalled yet again that she was among the first batch of younglings to train in this special temple. How wonderful it was to return here and in teaching this current group of Jedi learners, while her Master traveled on other Jedi business.

Hormslate was mostly a chilly, desolate planet covered in rocks, dried-up or frozen lakes and oceans, and snow-covered mountain ranges. But here, along the planet's equator, the temperature was warm enough to support a wide range of flora and fauna.

In this moment Aayla was not as attuned to the plant and animal life surrounding the temple as she was to the people dwelling inside the temple's walls, but wherever she directed her attention, she could ascertain the types of creatures and life forms that moved through that location, from the four-legged arboreal mammals to the crawling hive insects that swarmed the bases of the thick tree trunks.

She had never been this aware of her surroundings through the Force before, and she reveled in it, her attention roaming through the halls of the temple, out into the warmth of the forest day, higher still into the clear sky, then back again. She was one with the Force...

#

Aayla's eyes flew open and she gasped.

She felt herself awakening from a deep trance of some sort. Yes, a vision, she had experienced some kind of Force vision.

But the memory of it was already fading, slipping from the recesses of her mind. Desperately she strained to hang onto it, clinging to the last traces of memory as the rest slipped away like water through her fingers.

Force visions weren't supposed to be forgotten so quickly, were they?

Yet, the final dregs of the vision lingered in her mind, the sheer weight of what she'd witnessed overwhelming her:

In her vision, Master Windu was about to die, and a stranger, a fantastical stranger, saved him from that certain death.

The details of Master Windu's peril, along with nearly every other detail from the dream, no longer remained, already long gone from her mind, but the details of the stranger were etched into her memory: a face both gaunt and handsome, short hair, piercing blue eyes, leather jacket, dark pants and shoes. He emanated wild and eerie currents through the Force, ancient yet new, trustworthy yet unpredictable, old yet young.

Her awareness of all nearby life was also gone, but she could still sense the man from her vision, could sense him…close by and in the flesh…

…In this very temple.

He was here; through the Force she was certain that somehow, inexplicably, the man who had saved Master Windu in her vision was approaching the Council Chamber right now.