Disclaimer: The characters, settings, vehicles, technology, etc. belonging to Mass Effect and Star Wars are the exclusive property of BioWare and Lucasfilm, respectively. I am affiliated with neither and am not making any personal profit from this story.

In other words, I own nothing, and I'm only writing this for fun.

This story is rated M for strong language, violence, and minor sexual content to be found in later chapters. The beginning of this story takes place between The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi in the Star Wars timeline, and just before Mass Effect 3 in the Mass Effect timeline.

Thoughts and ideas for improvement are greatly appreciated.

Chapter 1

Darth Vader gazed out the window on the bridge of the Executor, staring out into the eerie blackness of space. Occupying said space were untold thousands of stars, spread out amongst a black background of nothingness. To the casual observer it would seem empty, but those stars represented thousands of worlds, many of which had life forms, their presence sending ripples through the Force which Vader could sense in his meditated state. He often found himself observing the space outside the viewport of his ship, simply attuned to the ebb and flow of the Force around him. It helped to soothe him, to keep him relaxed, which he needed nowadays. With the Rebel Alliance continuing to harass Imperials forces in the Outer Rim and his son somewhere among them, he needed to check his sanity every now and again. Otherwise, he might slip up, and the Emperor would not tolerate that.

At the moment, among the vast number of stars in the sky, Vader was aware of another object contrasting with the blackness of space around it. From the view of the Executor's bridge, it looked relatively small. In actuality, however, it was massive. The object was in the shape of a colossal torus, several kilometers thick and nearly a hundred in diameter. The outside of the ring was smooth metal, the color of bronze, gleaming in the light of the nearby star. The ships that surrounded the structure were dwarfed by its huge size.

The object in question had been discovered two weeks before by an Imperial freighter en route to Shola. A navigation error on the part of the pilot led to them being sent approximately 1,000 light-years south of where they were supposed to go. Coincidentally, the freighter stumbled upon the massive torus. The discovery was immediately reported to Imperial authorities, and the Emperor sent his best scientists to determine the origin and function of the device. The Emperor sent Vader, along with the Executor, to personally oversee the scientists' progress.

Vader earnestly wished to be elsewhere. He had other things to do besides stand around while Palpatine's scientists tried to figure out what that strange artifact was for. He would much rather be putting effort into hunting down the Rebel fleet than in the position he was currently. Why the Emperor deemed it so important for him to be present he could not guess, and he didn't care. Right now, his only alleviation was to stand at the bridge, looking out at the stars.

His meditation was interrupted as he sensed a presence approaching him from behind. He could hear footsteps against the metal flooring of the bridge as the figure grew closer.

"Lord Vader," he said.

"Yes, Piett, what is it?" Vader asked, not turning around but knowing it was his admiral, both from the sound of his voice and his presence in the Force.

"Our science teams have managed to gather some information concerning the device. I thought it best to present the findings to you personally."

"Go on," Vader said, his form unmoving.

"Well, the scientists have had some trouble dating it, but based on their early findings, they estimate that the device was constructed at least 120,000 years ago. They currently hypothesize that the device was constructed by the Celestials."

Upon hearing the age, Vader wasn't surprised at the identity of the builders of the ring. Long before galactic civilization first arose, the Celestials, or the Architects as they were sometimes known, controlled the galaxy. This ancient civilization held enormous technological knowledge, and were known for their massive construction projects that lasted for eons after their disappearance. They were said to be capable of creating and moving entire star systems, and some even thought that the very balance of the Force itself was guided by these mysterious beings. Thus, it was no shock to Vader that they were most likely responsible for building the structure.

"Does the team currently have any idea as to the nature of the device?" Vader inquired. "Why it was constructed?"

"Our ships' scanners have analyzed the architecture of the ring," Piett explained. "It is remarkably complex, and while the scientists have a theory, it is still unproven and it will take time for them to analyze the remaining data in order to confirm-"

"Get to the point, Admiral," lashed Vader. Piett could tell from the tone of his synthesized voice that the Sith was growing impatient.

"Yes my Lord," said Piett, somewhat nervous. "The interior of the ring is lined with gravitic polarization beams. The configuration suggests that the function is to create a hyperspace wormhole."

"A wormhole?"

"Yes, a wormhole that could potentially be used for transportation from one point to another."

"Where does it lead?"

"We don't know. The scientists are still analyzing the data in order to ascertain a possible end point for this wormhole. They assume that the destination is extremely far away or very isolated, unable to be reached with standard hyperspace travel. Otherwise, there would be no point in building this device to reach said destination."

"I see."

For a moment the bridge was silent as Vader mulled over this information. Nothing could be heard except the bustling activity of Imperial officers around the bridge and Vader's mechanical breathing. Piett stayed quiet. He knew better than to rush the Dark Lord.

"So we have no idea what we would find on the other side of that wormhole?" Vader finally asked.

"No, my Lord," Piett answered. "I have sent the early findings to the Emperor over encrypted channels. We still know very little about this structure, but we certainly don't want the Rebels exploiting it somehow."

"Good. The bridge is yours, Admiral. I must speak with the Emperor."

"Yes, Lord Vader."

And with that, Vader turned away from the viewport and walked out of the bridge, his dark cape flowing in his wake.

Not long after, Vader was in his meditation chamber, which also housed the holographic display he used to communicate with Emperor Palpatine. Stepping onto the raised circular platform, he knelt down as a connection was made with Coruscant. Sure enough, within a few seconds, the blue holographic image of Darth Sidious appeared before him, magnified several times so that it towered over Vader. This was obviously a tactic to make himself look intimidating to his subordinates, including Vader. At this point, it didn't faze the Sith apprentice, but he dealt with it all the same.

"Lord Vader," the Emperor said. "I was hoping you would contact me before I had to send a transmission myself. Admiral Piett sent me the preliminary findings of the science team examining the device we recently discovered. I assume you are aware of this?"

"Yes, my master," Vader answered. "Apparently the device was constructed by the Celestials millennia ago, and our scientists believe it is meant to create a hyperspace wormhole to an as-of-yet unknown location."

"I read the findings, Lord Vader. I am well aware of this; there is no need to remind me."

"Yes master."

In his mind, Vader silently hated the figure looming over him. While he had admired Palpatine as a mentor during his upbringing as a Jedi, after he became his Sith apprentice, he eventually grew to despise the man, and loathed the fact that he was now trapped in servitude to his master. He longed for the day when he could finally overthrow Sidious and gain control of the Empire himself. At the moment, however, that was impossible. Due to his injuries from Mustafar, he could not stand against the Emperor alone, and his son would not join him, at least not right now. For the moment, Vader had to tolerate his position in subservience to the man who ultimately caused his downfall.

"Curious," the Emperor mused, "how the Celestials would go to all the trouble to build such a massive device. Causes one to wonder where this gateway might lead."

"The destination must have been important for them to build this device for the sole purpose of reaching it."

"Yes. Important indeed." With that, a deep crease fell on the Emperor's forehead as he drifted deep into thought. Vader couldn't presume to know what he was thinking at the moment. Often times, he couldn't tell what plans his master was concocting until they came into fruition. Darth Sidious was patient and calculating, and a very hard man to predict. Vader stopped trying to do so a long time ago.

"Perhaps extremely valuable," Palpatine spoke softly, breaking the silence.

"What are you suggesting?" Vader inquired.

"I think that it should be clear what I am suggesting, my apprentice. Here we have an ancient artifact constructed by the precursors to galactic civilization. Said artifact is meant to create a portal leading to somewhere that was obviously of great enough significance as to build a portal leading to it."

"You want to send a ship through the wormhole?"

"Yes. There is no telling what lies on the other side, but it could be worthwhile. Lord Vader, tell the scientists to speed up their work in analyzing the device's infrastructure as to determine how to use it. Once it is functional, send a ship through the wormhole. Find whatever lies on the other side and report it back to me as soon as possible."

"Master, I would assume there would be significant risks associated with operating a wormhole generator of that age, and which we know so little about."

"Then make sure the scientists have studied the device thoroughly before using it." The Emperor was adamant. "I want whatever is through that portal. Anything that can serve as an advantage for the Empire is highly valued. Are we clear, Lord Vader?"

"Yes master. I will tell our experts to double their efforts at once."

"Good. See to it then. We will discuss this later." The hologram of the Sith Lord then fizzled and blinked out of existence.