"Not again!" Jim Kirk exclaimed as his away team, including Leonard McCoy and Spock were aboard a shuttle that was once again being pulled into a spacial rift.
"Captain, according to readings, this rift is like the one we encountered before," Spock said.
"Where are we going this time!?" Bones asked.
"Surely not that other galaxy!" Jim said. He had tried to steer the shuttle away from the rift, but it had appeared so suddenly that they had not had time to react, and they had simply been pulled in as the Enterprise had been before.
However, this time, they were not aboard the Enterprise but were aboard a shuttle as they had been on an away mission, and the Enterprise was waiting for them at a nearby planet.
As they passed through the rift, they experienced the same problems as last time, and awakened in another galaxy feeling the difference in the gravity well and the same dizziness. Bones knew what to do this time, although his stomach had much the same reaction as last time. He leaned back in the chair he was sitting in. "Jim, I hate going through rifts!" he said.
"I can't say I'm very fond of it myself," Jim replied as he was still trying to get his stomach to settle down. "Can you tell where we are, Spock?"
Spock was scanning. "We are definitely in the same galaxy again, Captain. The readings from the Enterprise are still the same. We are near the planet Tatooine again."
"The one with two suns, right?"
"Yes."
"I wonder what we'll find down there this time."
"I hope we're not going to end up on some Death Star again," Bones declared. "I'd just as soon stay in the shuttle."
"Will you relax? Surely we're not back at that time again."
"You never know. What if we're in some sort of time loop and we have to keep repeating this over and over until we lose our minds? And then we become some science experiment about traveling from galaxy to galaxy through time."
Jim and Spock looked at Bones. "You really have to get out more, Bones," Jim said. "How do you know we're traveling through time?"
Bones folded his arms. "Who knows what we're traveling through?"
Jim guided the ship down to the planet which they had been to before when they went on an unexpected journey through the spacial rift on the Enterprise. However, he wondered what they would encounter this time. He landed on the outskirts of the town as they did the other time, and did not forget the shaded goggles before they opened the ramp. The heat wafted its way into the shuttle because of Tatooine's two suns. "I still don't know how anyone lives on this planet," Bones remarked.
"Adaptation, Bones," Jim replied.
They walked down the boarding ramp, and were bombarded by a strong wind which caused their attire to billow out, as they were dressed in the attire they wore to the planet they had been exploring, and it was much like what was worn on Tatooine. Spock was using a tricorder to scan the area. "Captain, I believe they are about to experience a dust storm," he said.
"A dust storm?" Jim asked with alarm.
"Yes. I believe it would be wise of us to remain on the ship until it passes."
Jim could see what looked like a ship in the distance, and it was a shiny silver color, and he thought he could see two figures standing outside it. One of them had a robe on that certainly billowed out in the strong winds that were now blowing. The other seemed to be dressed in purple, and looked like maybe it was a uniform. "Maybe we could ask them for help," Jim said. "Secure the ship, Spock."
Bones followed Jim as they headed on toward the ship. The two beings outside the ship noticed them immediately as they got within visual distance, and they were also wary. "Hi," Jim said feeling nervous. He also had a phaser, but he hoped he would not have to use it. "I'm Jim Kirk. We're kinda new to this planet and I was wondering if you could…" Jim was not sure what he wanted to say. What did they need? And how did they explain what had happened.
"What he's trying to say is that we were sucked into a spacial rift and we're in a completely different galaxy than what we came from, and we need help," Bones blurted.
Jim looked at him with one of his "thanks a lot" looks. "Right," he said as he looked at the two. One of them looked a lot like the Obi-Wan Kenobi, or Ben Kenobi they had met on their other trip to this far away galaxy, only he was much younger.
"You're from another galaxy?" the younger man said with what sounded like an English accent, looking much too skeptical.
Jim felt as though this one could see right through him with his blue eyes. He noticed that the man's hair was cropped short except for a long thin braid that hung down in back. "Yes we are," Jim said. "I don't know how it happened, but…"
"We don't have time to talk out here. You're welcome to come aboard." The man eyed Spock who had now come up with Jim and Bones. "We'll talk in the ship since we're about to be in a dust storm."
Jim just stood there a moment as he looked at the other man who was definitely dressed in a uniform, and he definitely looked skeptical, but he went along with the other man. Jim looked at Bones and Spock.
"Jim, how do you know they're not going to take us prisoner or something?" Bones asked.
"I do not believe that is the case," Spock said.
They went on into the ship as the wind seemed to be picking up even more speed and picking up more sand as well. The boarding ramp closed, and Jim wondered how long they would be stuck there with the sand storm raging out there, and now, they were with people they did not know, although he thought this person looked very familiar.
"I'm Obi-Wan Kenobi," the younger man in the robes said and offered his hand.
Jim just stood there surprised a moment, but then he shook the man's hand. "I'm Jim Kirk," he said, although he had already told them his name. "This is Doctor Leonard McCoy, and Spock."
Jim could tell by the look on Bones' face that he knew this was the same person they had met before. "You seem rather surprised," Obi-Wan said. "Have we met?"
"Uh…" Jim was not sure what to say.
"You say you came from another galaxy, and you were transported here through a rift?"
"Yes."
"That's odd. What galaxy are you from?"
"The Milky Way."
"Interesting."
"Why are you guys here on Tatooine?"
Obi-Wan was silent a moment as he studied these three men who had shown up unexpectedly. "We were on a mission to take the queen of Naboo to Coruscant," he said. "Our ship was damaged when we were escaping from Naboo, and we had to land here. Our hyperdrive was damaged."
"Hyperdrive? Oh, that's like our warp drive," Jim said thoughtfully. "We have a ship."
"Is it capable of lightspeed?"
"Uh…yeah. We've been to this galaxy before."
"Captain," Spock interrupted. "May I speak with you?"
Jim looked at Obi-Wan. "If you'll excuse us a moment," he said.
Jim, Spock, and Bones moved over away from Obi-Wan. "What?" Jim asked.
"Captain, revealing future events to these people could alter their course," Spock said.
"Spock, what we saw in their future wasn't good. Don't you remember Darth Vader?"
"Of course."
"I don't think trying to help them change their future is such a bad thing this time, Spock," Bones declared. "Besides, we're not even from this galaxy."
"Still, you do not know the consequences of changing events to change the future," Spock reminded them. "What if there are worse consequences than what they face now?"
"Spock, sometimes you just have to take a chance," Jim said. "If that guy doesn't take over this galaxy, maybe things can be better."
Spock was not sure this course of action was the right one but he supposed there was no way to know for sure. "I will follow your lead, Captain," he said.
"Thanks."
They went back over to Obi-Wan. "We have been to the galaxy before," Jim said.
"When?" Obi-Wan asked. "Did we meet?"
Jim scowled. "Well, it was in the future."
"The future?" Obi-Wan thought about the conversation he had with Qui-Gon, his master, before. "What happened?"
Jim frowned at that question. "You were an…old man, and you had been living here."
Obi-Wan looked surprised at that. "Here? I would never live on this miserable ball of sand," he declared.
"Well, you did. You had been watching over a young man named Luke Skywalker. He had lived with his aunt and uncle here, and he was a Jedi…or you were training him to be one."
"I was?"
"Yeah, and…it's kind of a long story."
"I would surely like to hear it. Where did this young Jedi come from?"
"Here. We met up with you and him while you were talking to a pilot to take you to Alderaan."
Obi-Wan was very curious now. Jim went on to tell him the story, and Obi-Wan thought a moment. "I will have to speak to my master about this. You're telling me that they're going to build some sort of superweapon that can destroy planets?"
"Yes, and there was this guy they called Darth Vader." Jim was not sure he wanted to tell Obi-Wan that Vader killed him. "He used what you call the dark side of the Force."
"You know about the Force?"
"You told us about it."
"Once this storm is over, we must find Qui-Gon and inform him of this."
A while later, Obi-Wan's communicator beeped. "Master," he said.
"We are unable to get back to the ship as I'm sure you're aware," Qui-Gon Jinn replied.
"Yes, Master. We received a transmission from Naboo, but I did not allow them to answer."
"You were right to do so. It is possibly bait so that it can be traced."
"My thoughts as well, Master. I have other news to tell you."
"What's that?"
"Master, there are three men here who are from another galaxy," Obi-Wan said.
"Another galaxy?" Qui-Gon was silent a moment. "Are you certain?"
"Yes, Master. They have information that is very important for us."
"Once this storm is over, I would like to meet them."
"They also have a ship, Master."
Qui-Gon considered that. "Are you certain that we can trust them?"
"Yes. Their demeanor seems to be completely truthful. They are not trying to deceive us."
"As I said, I want to meet with them when this storm is over. Perhaps their appearance will change our destinies."
"Yes, Master."
The transmission ended. Obi-Wan went to the lounge where Jim Kirk and the other two were. "My master wants to meet with you once this storm is over," Obi-Wan said. "He is quite interested in what you have to say."
"We'll be glad to meet with him," Jim replied.
Obi-Wan sat down at the table. "Who was this Darth Vader?" he asked. "Did you see him?"
"We did, but he wore a black outfit that included a helmet, face mask, that covered all his features. He was very tall, and he carried a red lightsaber. He was on that Death Star."
"Death Star?"
Jim realized he had not told him all about that. "It was some sort of space station that was a big as a small moon," he said. "And it was the shape of one. You wouldn't know it was a space station until you get too close to get away. But it was metal and it was like one big ship."
"Fascinating. I thought we were going to Alderaan. What were we going there for?"
"Well, you were trying to deliver the plans for the Death Star so that they could be analyzed and find a weakness to destroy it."
"So the Death Star was orbiting Alderaan?"
Jim frowned. "It might have been," he said.
"Might have been? Did you get to Alderaan?"
"It had been destroyed by the Death Star," Spock said. "The entire planet."
Obi-Wan's mouth dropped open slightly. "But how?"
"It was a powerful weapon."
"But why was I taking the plans there?"
"We don't know all the details," Jim said. "There was a princess being held on that Death Star. I helped rescue her. Her name was Leia Organa. You were trying to deliver the plans to her father on Alderaan."
"Bail Organa?"
"Yes."
"But he has no children."
"All I know is that he had one then. She was a princess. Her planet was destroyed right before her eyes."
"Was the Death Star destroyed?"
"Yes. We helped all we could."
"It must have taken years to build something like that."
"I don't know. All I know is that there was some guy called the Emperor, and he was the ruler, and the central government was on Coruscant. He had taken it over."
"He had taken over the whole government?"
"Yes, and Darth Vader was his enforcer, I suppose."
"Emperor? But there is no emperor in power. Only the Chancellor. The Senate controls the government."
"But all this that's happening now must be tied to that," Spock pointed out. "Why was the queen escaping from her own planet?"
"The Trade Federation had blocked all trade routes," Obi-Wan said thoughtfully.
"But why?"
"We don't know. There's no logic in their actions."
Bones shook his head. "That sounds familiar," he said.
Spock glanced at McCoy. "He is correct," he replied. "There is no logic. Perhaps, their actions are in some way tied to the developments that bring about the dictatorship government. Why were you taking the queen to Coruscant?"
"To ask for help from the government," Obi-Wan answered.
"How would there be a change of power?"
"Only if…there was a vote of no confidence in the chancellor. There was a message to the queen saying that the people were dying, but I don't believe it was true. It was a way to trace the message."
"What would make a queen have no confidence in a chancellor?" Jim asked.
"Her people dying," Bones said thoughtfully.
"But who would take over? How would anyone predict this?"
"Sympathy."
They were all silent a moment. "How does your government work?" Spock asked.
"A new chancellor would be elected," Obi-Wan said. "That overbearing Senator from Naboo. He's forever complaining about how the government works. But he has no Force powers. We would have detected it. This is all just speculation. We must speak with Qui-Gon about this."
"Well, we'll help you explain it all to him."
"Good. I have a feeling I'll need your help."
