The False Apocalypse
Book 2: Rise of the Guardians
Chapter One
Success and Terror
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Disclaimer: I do not own any of the worlds or characters from the crossovers. If I did I would be working on them and not this. The original characters and world in the first chapter are however of my own creation.
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Each story of The False Apocalypse is part of a larger dimension hopper story. This is the second book in the series.
57 years after a time traveler became lost in their world, Kenshin Himura and his allies join Alden Nayel as they enter yet another world. Do these heroes from another universe stand any chance at saving the Jedi and The Republic? Sequel to TFA - A New Beginning.
Yes this is being written at the same time as A New Beginning.
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Fate can be a fickle bitch.
Life leads us to choices; some of which are easy, others can be downright tormenting. Heroes, the men and women that we look to for protection often bear the brunt of this torment. They are the ones who must make the truly difficult choices. "Who should I save?" "Who should I leave behind?" "Should I try to save everyone at the risk of losing them all when I know I can at least save most of them?" For better or worse, these are the choices that define the quality of a hero.
Decades ago an assassin was cast away from his own dying world in an attempt to save it. Lost in another dimension without any means of returning home, the assassin spent the rest of his life using his knowledge to improve the world he found himself trapped within. Over the years, friends and enemies alike became allies while others became foes more dreadful than any of them ever anticipated. It is terrifying how the presence of a single man can alter the fate of a country forever.
But why must fate choose a single champion, when so many are willing and able?
This is the story of how one man brought together the champions of many worlds. This is the story of how those champions became 'The Guardians.'
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The fated meeting between Master and pupil is not always the meeting of two. Kenshin, Sanosuke, later Aoshi and Hiko; we joined together teaching and strengthening one another. Together we created a special police force in Tokyo. In time that special force became an example for the whole country, for the entire world. Over the decades our actions brought people hope and tyrants fear.
Through trials and tribulation we trained and battled together for decades. Together we have sworn to expose and remove corrupt powers from government just as readily as we defeat criminals with visions of grandeur. It is our dream that one day we will find a way to create peace wherever we go, so those we protect may live free of the horrors bestowed by tyrants and war. It is a nigh impossible task, but a worthy one.
I Alden Nayel spent decades in Kenshin's world, working to manipulate major historical events. Once we had defeated all of Kenshin's significant opponents and obstacles, I began secretly recreating many of the technologies of my home world. One day the technology at my disposal was sufficient to begin studying the effects of the Space-Time travel that brought me to his world. It has been complicated, and far more advanced than anything I could have ever studied on my own. Thankfully wedge's supposed time machine was for the most part, intact if irreparable. My old friend did however leave most of his notes within the machine. Without those notes I would have never have begun to understand just how I wound up in another universe.
To be frank, I have never been considered a genius. Though my memory is a great asset, I was never much for the theoretical. It took me years to even decipher what half the notes meant. I've always had a knack for building things with existing, even experimental technology, but never for dreaming up the fundamentally new or figuring out how they functioned at a base level. Still, thanks to Wedge I have managed. Today, I believe I may have discovered the true function of the machine which threw me into this fate.
Space-time is far more complicated than even Wedge dared to dream. Though well outside my full comprehension, Space-time appears to be a many sided thing with nearly endless dimensions, each nearly overlapping but never quite touching. Over and over it repeats, down what I can only assume is an endless cycle.
Thanks to Wedge's notes and a few recent experiments it is my belief that his machine was less flawed with respect to its original intension than I had anticipated. It was simply overpowered. To move through time one needs to move back through the time dimension without stepping into another reality. It's like trying to paddle a raft upstream but pushing so hard that you throw yourself on to one of hundreds of other rafts on the same river. This is a particularly difficult feat for a physical body. This revelation, as surprising as it was, is not my most significant discovery.
Near the beginning of my journey a search of Wedge's machine turned up a number of small crystals. They obviously had something to do with the spatial warp and clearly held some significant amount of energy within them. Once the technology at my disposal was sufficient I was began to study them. I found that they were of a material that should only exist within the realm between dimensions. Whether it's a side-effect of the machine or of the travel itself I can't say. However, I can say for sure that these crystals originally resonated quite well with this dimension but that resonance has been on the rise as of late.
I spent most of the next three years studying how this resonance was changing. As my equipment improved, so too did my measurements and understanding of these crystals. Over eight months ago I finally reach an epiphany about the relationship between these crystals and my travel. Every dimension has its own harmonic resonance. It is my greatest hope and fear that when these crystals resonate perfectly with another dimension, they will open a void to that reality.
So I kept these crystals close at hand, safe in the hands of my allies. I may not know when they will resonate with the next dimension; but together, we will be ready with they do.
It is impossible to know what worlds await us but the one thing I know is this. I will continue traveling through dimensions until I return to my own, or until I die. And now... Now is the time to see the results of my most recent experiment.
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In a brilliant flash of light a great void opened for only an instant. The burst of energy from the emptiness was so great it scorched the ground nearby. Out of the void, Alden was unceremoniously dumped on to cold and rough concrete. Left in a momentary daze he shook his head in an attempt to rid himself of the nauseousness he now felt permeating his mind. Then a victorious thought entered his mind.
"I was right."
It had taken Alden decades of calculating but in the end he discovered the exact month the crystals would resonate perfectly with the next dimension. For the age of Alden and his allies, staying close that month was not a problem. Kenshin was 85, while his master Hiko was quite nearly a hundred. Were it not for Alden's technology, several of them likely would have died of old age. Even Sanosuke had to admit that genetic manipulation had its advantages, though his overall fear of technology still brought thoughts of demons and witchcraft. At least he trusted Alden to use his 'witchcraft' for their betterment.
Alden looked around, hopeful that his experiment worked yet still very dizzy and exhausted from the transport. That was when he saw Aoshi Shinomori, stretched out beneath clothes far too large for himself. He was obviously unconscious and roughed up from the hard landing but from a distance the warrior appeared to be in good condition.
"Aoshi, wake up!" Alden attempted to rush over to his ally but tripped on his own sagging pants. Just like Aoshi, his clothes were far too large for his current size. Their physical age had regressed just at his own did all those years ago. So far the age issue was one of the apparent norms of dimensional travel he knew the least about. Clearly it was going to repeat with each jump but there were few theories as to why. Alden needed to find a physicist of Wedge's caliber if he was ever going to fully understand why this travel worked the way it did. For now they would have to resolve themselves to regress to the physical appearance of nearly teenage children each time they made a dimensional jump. That was going to make integrating into society rather complicated for the early years of each world.
Knowing he wasn't going anywhere without changing into some clothes that fit Alden pulled a pack off his back and began to change as quickly as possible. Though he didn't know for sure if this would happen, it was something he and his anticipated. They prepared accordingly by stocking their packs with everything they might need for a long journey, including several younger sets of clothes.
Once dressed more reasonably Alden stumbled over to his unresponsive ally and checked his vitals. Aoshi was out cold but very much alive. That was when it hit him. Alden grinned.
"Success!" Aoshi was one of the several allies who received one of the mysterious crystals. This clearly meant that the others had to be around here somewhere. Alden had successfully brought his allies with him. Whether or not anyone without a crystal but still nearby made the jump, was yet to be seen. These results would have to be documented and studied.
"Right... the others..." Alden was about to start searching for the rest of his allies when he noticed several small crystals littering the ground where Aoshi landed. He turned back to where he fell and noticed a similar number within the range of scorched concrete. Now this was certainly intriguing. Like last time there were around half a dozen of these crystals of varying shapes, sizes, and colors. These would have to be gathered, they were too valuable not to be.
Now there were new questions. Were these crystals a part of the jump, a part of the realm between dimensions, or perhaps crystalized energy from the rest of their bodies? Did they perhaps have something to do with the strange loss of age they seemed to receive?
'Once I find the others, these will be worth studying.' Laying Aoshi's body in a less awkward position, Alden stood to explore the area to find the rest of their allies. He could feel that they were close. Kenshin was the first to be found, soon followed by Kaoru, and Kenji their son. Sanosuke was found shortly thereafter, his left arm dangling over the edge of the floor into a seemingly endless void. This building was far taller than anything any of them had ever seen before.
More than an hour passed before Alden found Hiko Seijuro carrying an unconscious Megumi Takani. Even as a young boy Hiko was tall and muscled, far more so than the rest of Alden's allies. It seemed that he was a man truly destined to be a mountain among men. Even in his old age the man was stronger than masters in their prime.
"Good, you found her. I think that's everyone that made it." Alden said in relief at how many of his allies made the jump
"Don't tell me you left my stupid apprentice alone with that brute of a friend of his?" Just from looking around it was obvious that the technology in this world was advanced, very advanced. If Sanosuke woke up in this kind of place it was doubtful that Kenshin alone could calm him down. At least, that was how Hiko felt.
"You forget, Kenshin's the best at calming him down. Besides, everyone else is there." It was true, Kenshin's calm and lighthearted disposition tended to be contagious when he wanted it to be.
"You give him too much credit. How many made it?" Hiko asked, knowing how experimental this little journey was.
"Eight if you include us, not bad considering how many crystals we had." Alden replied with a smile. It was sad that Yahiko decided not to try coming with them. He was a powerful ally but without knowing if his family would make the trip he didn't want to take the chance of being separated from them. All together his motives were reasonable.
"Are these the cars you told us so much about? They certainly look nicer than the horseless carriages the city folk started using." Hiko motioned to the hundreds of vehicles that filled the floor. As far as Alden could tell this was some kind of parking complex, far larger than anything he had ever seen.
"Air cars, they're far more advanced than anything from my world." Looking out over the edge of the floor into a vast cityscape, Alden could tell that this building and those around it were far taller than anything even the greatest engineers of his world dreamed of creating. He whistled, impressed at the sheer unending void he hadn't thought to appreciate when he found Sano.
"I would not like that fall."
"Then we better get to the others before the muscle head wakes up." Hiko replied, indirectly agreeing with Alden's assessment. Men were not meant to build things this high into the air. It was unnatural. He was sure Sanosuke would agree with him on that matter.
When they made it back to the rest of their allies, Kenshin had already awoken though the others will still out cold. During the trek back Alden couldn't help but think about the technology this world had at its disposal. It should be more than sufficient to complete his research. Still there were more pressing matters at hand. First they needed to figure out what kind of dimension this was. As far as he could tell they were in a city, an exceptionally advanced city but that could mean quite a few things. He stroked his chin wondering what world this could be.
"Is this a futuristic Earth ... or is it another planet all together?" Alden whispered to himself as he started attempting to wake his remaining allies. It was clear that most of them would take a while to awaken.
Youth was a pleasant feeling; the few pains his modified body suffered from were gone, though he knew his allies would find the difference far more noticeable. His long white hair now light silver again, it was a minor difference but one he reveled in. That simple change in hair color was something he was sure Kaoru would appreciate about Kenshin. All things considered it would be weird for the couple now that they appeared to be the same age as their son.
"Hey, Kenshin…" The now red haired boy turned to Alden, his attention taken off the awe inspiring city lights. "Sano is going to freak when he sees the air cars. Try to calm him down; you've always been the best that."
"Oro?" Kenshin replied, confused about what exactly air cars were but knowing his friend likely meant the large boat looking things that lined the walls within this complex. Alden sighed, knowing he would have a lot of explaining to do - again...
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Within the hour everybody was awake and gathered together. It had taken a bit of time and privacy for everyone to change into some better fitting clothes. They were all thankful for planning ahead. After a finals sweep to make sure no one had missed any crystals they proceeded to the end of the floor where Alden explained an 'elevator' should be. The explanation, needless to say caused Sano to, as expected ... freak out.
"DAMN NO! YOU'RE NOT GETTING ME IN THAT POSSESSED ROOM!" Sanosuke screamed, his eyes wide in fear. This entire concept was worse than a train or a camera! With a door that opened on their own, who knew if they would ever escape such a creature? It was just as likely to eat them as suck out their souls.
"Sano it's not possessed, remember our 'little talk' about technology?" Oh god did Alden remember their 'little talk.' He in no way wanted to go through that again. Five hours of pure hell, that's what that was.
"I don't give a shit! That thing's possessed and you're not getting me in there." Sano exclaimed while crossing his arms in protest and standing outside. In this time, the door managed to close while the members of the Lotus Guard focused on getting Sano under control.
"So you would rather run down 600 flights of stairs?" Alden replied sarcastically, knowing that despite Sano's amazing stamina he was one of the laziest people he knew. Well when it came to anything other than fighting Sanosuke's laziness was a certainty.
"Six ... WHAT!" Sanosuke soon sprinted to the edge of the floor and looked over the edge to deny Alden's words. Much to the distaste of his stomach his worst fears were realized. The warrior who could crush pure stone with his bare hands nearly swallowed his lungs in fear as he saw no end to the void among steel and lights.
"Come now Sano, Alden's never led us wrong before, that he hasn't." Kenshin brought up in an attempt to remind his friend of the many things Alden's technology had done for them in the past.
"Yea but, but, how is this normal? What kind of society of sorcerers builds a city like this?" Sanosuke replied meekly as he collapsed to the ground.
"Well, I wouldn't put it at this level but this isn't too far from what cities in my world looked like. The air cars from my world were far less advanced though." Alden stated, praying this would finally put things to rest.
"Then how do you know it's not possessed..." Sano was about to continue when the elevator door opened, revealing a darkly robed man with dark blond hair of near shoulder length and a vertical scar just next to his right eye. A deep seeded fear gripped Alden the instant recognition set in.
"Younglings, what are you doing down here?" The darkly robed man asked, confused that anyone so young would be this deep into the Jedi temple's hangers. What was even stranger were the clothes these children were wearing, they clearly did not match the very generic earth tones Jedi younglings were meant to wear. Pink was certainly not a standard color. That didn't even begin to touch on the peculiar coats several of them were wearing, nor the apparent vibro-blades at their sides. To make matters worse he sensed something down here. It was quite peculiar, the fact that his master had contacted him, sensing the same thing proved that something had happened. Both of them wanted it checked out.
"Hey who are you calling younglings!" Sanosuke was highly offended by the term he had never heard of before. It certainly sounded derogatory to him.
"This one doesn't think that was an insult, Sano. We do look like children; that we do." Kenshin replied, scratching his head sheepishly. He hoped the man here could help them figure out where they were. It was certainly better than appearing in the middle of the ocean or some frozen wasteland.
"You're not dressed like younglings, what are you doing down here. There shouldn't be any tours at this time of night." Night had just fallen a few hours ago and most Jedi had returned to their dorms for the night. As far as he knew, every Jedi in the temple felt the same shuttering in the Force about an hour ago. Like his master said, it felt like someone came out of hyperspace into the temple's hangers. That of course was impossible, not only would the planet's defense shields prevent such a thing from occurring but on the off chance that it did the planet would likely be fractured to the core if the ship was large enough. Considering that the temple wasn't currently ground zero for a planet wide catastrophe, something else had to have occurred.
"Would you believe me if I said it was complicated?" Alden replied with a hesitant grin, now gaining a full understanding of where he was. Now the important question was when they were. Alden clearly recognized the man before them and his relative age. He quickly concluded that there were somewhere within the last year or so of the clone wars. It was by far the most terrifying place he could imagine arriving in. Not only was there a galactic war going on but soon that war would come to a very oppressive end.
The Jedi's stare hardened at the reply as he eyed their weapons. These children were clearly not supposed to be here. Their swords proved that. Now the question was why they were here and why such young children were so heavily armed. He supposed it was possible that they were behind this disturbance in the Force, but it seemed highly unlikely considering their age. That was when the man reminded himself of the time he destroyed a Trade Federation Battleship at the ripe old age of … nine.
"I don't like it when he gets that look." Hiko shrugged with a sigh. It was obvious that Alden recognized this man and from the look on his face that was not a good thing. The last time he got that look was the day he noticed Enshi before the man tried kidnaping Kaoru. If ever there was a day that was truly a mess; that would be it.
"I asked you a question. Who are you?" Anakin Skywalker insisted on an answer. With or without one he would be taking these kids to the council as soon as possible. First though he needed to know what he was dealing with.
"And I said that was complicated. Who we are and how we got here are both questions whose answers border on the absurd." Alden replied as vaguely as he could. It was going to be difficult telling the truth without any proof to back him up. This time they had no time machine to flaunt as tangible evidence. Anakin blinked at the vague complexity of the answer.
"What? You will answer my questions." Anakin decided to force the issue, waving his hand at the silver haired boy and applying a bit of Force Suggestion.
"What is he doing?" Hiko asked his friends awkwardly. Was this man crazy or something? People didn't just go around issuing commands and waving their hands around like that. Perhaps it was some kind of local mannerism. That was what he thought, at least until Sanosuke started wailing and spilling his guts to the Jedi. Most of it was rather unintelligible, but he was able to catch something about a magic crystal and a city of sorcerers. Kenshin was of course by his side, trying to get him to calm down. Seeing such a vast city had certainly taken a lot out of the warrior's mind. He would have some adjusting to do. Truthfully the entire scene was rather embarrassing.
"Is he alright?" Anakin asked, concerned about the boy who seemed to have a mental breakdown the moment the Force Persuade touched his mind. Either he was very weak minded or he was struggling with some very difficult issues at the moment. Based on the barely comprehensible gibberish, it was probably safe to assume the latter.
Anakin was about to walk over to the boy and try to comfort him somehow when his holo-com started beeping. Taking the communicator into his palm the image of his master Obi-wan Kenobi appeared in blue hue.
"Master?" Anakin asked the moment he recognized the caller.
"Did you find anything Anakin? I just finished talking to Master Yoda, he said it felt like some kind of Hypergate opened up." Obi-wan explained his fellow master's thoughts. Quite frankly he agreed, The feeling was much the same as one experienced when entering hyperspace.
"That's impossible Master, even the Gree forgot how to use their gates centuries ago. I did find something though. There's a group of younglings down here. I don't think they're Jedi."
"Younglings, in the hanger? We haven't given any tours since the war started." Obi-wan replied, this was most peculiar docking in the Jedi temple was highly regulated.
"Bring them to the council chambers, they may be related to this disturbance."
"Of course master, what should I do with their weapons?" Anakin asked, knowing he couldn't carry them all by himself. He glanced at the group who had apparently knocked out the one who was having a breakdown. Judging by the precision and knowledge of pressure points utilized, it was obvious that these children were more than just that.
"I'll have a droid set a lockbox outside the chambers. How hostile could they be?"
"Believe me, we won't give you any trouble Master Kenobi. We actually have urgent business with you." Alden stepped next to Anakin to bring his image into view. With a courteous bow he did his best to show their peaceful intentions.
"Good, I look forward to seeing you then. Obi-Wan out."
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It was some time before the rather large group could reach the council chambers. Hiko carried the unconscious Sanosuke on his shoulders, much to the surprise of the Jedi. Few children were so strong at such an age, especially to carry the boy so effortlessly. The most peculiar thing of all was how one boy, Kenji, was talking about how strange it was to see his parents so young. How Kenshin and Kaoru were the boy's parents was beyond Anakin. They all appeared to be around twelve or thirteen years of age. When they finally did arrive, Anakin instructed them to place their weapons in a rather large storage container, just outside what seemed to be a very large and ornate room. They were somewhat resistant at first but after several influential members did as instructed, the others followed suit.
Upon entering the round room Obi-Wan greeted them warmly from his seat near Master Yoda. "Welcome, please take a seat. I'm sure we have much to discuss." Master Kenobi was a welcoming middle aged human with hair a few shades lighter than Anakin's and a well groomed beard. Well known as the negotiator he had the air of a fatherly figure about him. The only other Jedi seated in the room was Master Yoda; a very short creature with distinctive green skin and only three fingers. In spite of his appearance, Yoda was by far the wisest and most powerful Jedi in millennia. Considering that he was nearly 900 years old; that was no fact to sneeze at.
"I, I'm sorry, but why is there a…" Kaoru meekly tried to ask a question about Master Yoda but found a firm hand over her mouth. She thought the old master looked like a troll or goblin of some sort. It was rather unsettling. It was a very good thing that Sanosuke was out cold.
"Master Yoda is one of the wisest and most powerful beings in existence. Then, this is Obi-Wan Kenobi, both of them are on the High Council of the Jedi order. I'm sure you remember the stories I told you about them and their legendary struggle against the Sith." Alden took a stern glance at Kaoru. He knew she meant well but it was not the place for those questions, it was however the time and place for introductions. His final words though, rang a bell with his allies. Over the decades Alden had told them stories about many of the worlds he thought might exist. They now realized just the kind of situation they were in, and who that Anakin was. This truly was worse than they had imagined.
"Masters, allow me to introduce myself. I am Alden Nayel, and my friends are…" Alden motioned to Kenshin first, one of his closest friends and most trusted allies.
"Kenshin Himura, and this is my wife and son Kaoru and Kenji; that they are." Kenshin replied with a smile while motioning to them. He felt the urge to lovingly hold Kaoru's hand but the spacing of the seats around this room were much too far apart. This announcement was certainly puzzling to both the present Jedi. As far as they could tell all three family members were only children. Still, both of them could tell through the Force that all of these children had much older presences than their body's showed. Through the Force, It was quite like looking at an old changeling who was impersonating a far younger being.
"Uh – hello…" Kaoru greeted the Jedi, still a little unnerved by Yoda's appearance. His sharp teeth didn't help the matter. It was hard to believe that this was the legendary Yoda she heard so much about. She knew he was short and green but for all her imagination she never thought he looked anything like this. It was some comfort to her that she knew how kind and gentle the master was.
"Nice to meet you, Master Jedi." Kenji replied politely. If there was one thing the boy learned from Kenshin it was how to be polite. It was actually quite shocking how much he looked like his father. His voice was just a hint lower and his hair just a tinge darker but the overall resemblance was a bit uncanny. In fact, the greatest distinguishing feature between the two was Kenshin's signature X shaped scar on his left cheek. How that scar still remained was uncertain as virtually all the injuries the warriors had accumulated over the years had vanished. It was a reminder to Kenshin of how the scar refused to heal for months after it was given. He could only assume that it was a much deeper part of who he was than some superficial wound.
"The name is Hiko Seijuro, and the unconscious lump is Sanosuke Sagara." Hiko replied bluntly as was his way. He did hope that Sano didn't wake up with Yoda here. The conversation with him was going to be long enough as it was.
"Aoshi Shinomori, it's an honor." Aoshi stated with a formal bow. As far as he was concerned they were meeting with the military leadership of a very powerful country. As such a certain level of respect was due. From the stories alone he held great respect for the Jedi, their sense of honor, and their power.
"I'm Megumi Takani, the medic for this group of muscle heads. It's a pleasure to meet you." She was the last of their group to introduce herself though everyone knew this was only the beginning
"A pleasure it is, hmm, yes." Yoda replied with a warm smile on his face.
"Well, now that we're all introduced I suppose we can get down to business. What were you doing down in the hangers? We sensed something very peculiar down there and were hoping you could give us some answers." Obi-Wan asked, hoping they could get to the bottom of this disturbance they felt.
"How we got here is a bit complicated, but I believe it is safe to say that what you sensed was us entering this dimension." Well, that was certainly the interesting answer. Of all the stories the Jedi thought they might hear, dimensional travel was not anywhere close to being on that list.
"E-excuse me, but did you just say 'entering this dimension.'" Master Kenobi replied, more than a little confused by the statement. Quite frankly the term 'entering this galaxy' was a more believable statement. Considering what they all felt however, their story did seem to hold some water.
"I know, it does sound ludicrous; but I do recall the Gree having such technology millennia ago. Surely the Jedi recall the Asation incident, when the Sith Dread Masters opened a dormant Gree Hypergate." Obi-Wan went to open his mouth but found no words to reply. Though the memory was vague he did seem to remember hearing about it at some point. It had been quite a while since he did any significant history reading.
"What does ancient Gree technology have to do with any of this?" Anakin asked from his own seat. He vaguely remembered the incident from his studies in the academy. The incident was a footnote but a rather important one at the turn of the last Sith Wars.
"Not much really. I was merely pointing out the fact that dimensional gateways have existed within certain advanced civilizations. Nearly sixty years ago, a good friend of mine attempted to develop a time machine. That didn't work out so well and it threw me into their world." Alden replied, emphasizing his friends when speaking about their world.
"So this machine just randomly dropped you here?" Anakin asked, he knew that hyperspace was a complicated thing. There have been a few incidents involving failed hyperspace jumps that resulted in forward time travel. While the technology itself was well established, even those who worked on it barely understood the physics behind it. The reality was that such technology was beyond the complete comprehension of even the best physicists in the galaxy. The phenomenon had been studied for tens of thousands of years and there was still progress being made today. He did know however, that there was a significant difference between entering a parallel dimension and another one altogether. To break into another reality all together was… well the ramifications of that were frightening to say the least.
"I suppose you could say that. The technology is hardly mastered. Wedge was actually going for time travel when it all happened. I spent years after my first jump trying to figure out what went wrong. Our current appearance is just one of the many side effects I haven't figured out just yet."
"I can't say it's entirely pleasant being this short again, but having all my wounds healed is a nice bonus." Hiko commented, having noticed the absence of the deep gash from when Kenshin mastered his succession technique. Of all his scars that one hurt the most, by far. This bit of information gave the present Jedi quite a bit to think about. There was so little known about inter-dimensional travel that it wasn't that difficult to believe such strange side effects were possible. Truthfully most civilizations gave up on the subject because there was very little to gain outside of hyperspace usage. Most of the alternate realties that had been opened were infested with strange and violent creatures. To make matters worse the gateways themselves were highly unstable and difficult to use safely.
"That does bring up a very interesting question. If you're from some other reality then how do you know such obscure history about our world?" Obi-Wan asked what to him seemed to be a very obvious question. If they've only been in this plane of existence for an hour or so then how did this Alden boy know so much?
"Hmm, why indeed. Another complicated answer perhaps?" Master Yoda sensed this to be the case. Very little was simple when it came to dimensional travel. It was much like the Force in the fact that it could be studied for millennia without a single being gaining a full comprehension of the subject.
"Unfortunately, for that answer I would prefer that Anakin not be present." It was clear that this statement highly offended the world's 'chosen one' whose reaction quickly drew Obi-Wan's attention. After a short exchange of glances between the two Masters in the room Obi-Wan motioned for his former apprentice to give them some time. This action did not set well with Anakin but he accepted it none the less. It was obvious from Alden's tone that he would say no more with Anakin present. Once the doors had shut to the chambers the silver haired boy sighed in relief. Kenshin on the other hand shook his head at the young Jedi's reaction.
"That one has a very hard head; that he most certainly does." Kenshin commented, seeing just how difficult their self-imposed mission would be in this world.
"He's a good Jedi but he still has a lot to learn." Master Kenobi replied.
"Very true. Now then, you wanted to know how we know so much about your world?" Alden brought them back to their earlier conversation.
"I would assume you had some way of viewing this world but that doesn't answer how you know about our history." Master Kenobi pointed out.
"Not a bad guess. Where I'm from the Force does not exist. However, it seems that a number of authors in my world had some form of psychic connection to the events of other dimensions. Countless books and shows were written for entertainment. The story of your world was one of the most expansive ever written." The two Jedi in the room exchanged glances. The connotations of this event were becoming increasingly disturbing.
"I was shocked at how much he knew about our world. Alden knew everything about Kenshin's past and countless enemies we had to face." Kaoru added, their friend's knowledge came in very handy over the years. For all of the enemies they had to face it seemed a miracle that they survived.
"So these authors have even seen the future of countless worlds?" Both present Jedi knew just how terrifying a weapon this sort of knowledge could be. Alden merely nodded affirmatively.
"My presence and actions altered the events of their world forever. I would like to think it was for the better but that is impossible to know for sure."
"Always in motion is the future, always difficult to know what will be, hmm, yes." It pleased Yoda that the silver haired boy knew how complicated the future was. Even by preventing visions, it was difficult to know if those actions would truly lead to a greater good. Shortsightedness made for easy mistakes when dealing with such matters.
"Has Anakin killed Dooku yet?" Alden asked in an attempt to gain an understanding of when they were.
"Dooku; that was our last mission, why?" Obi-Wan replied surprised that the boy knew even that detail. The events were being suppressed from the media for the time being. Only the senate and Jedi knew the full details.
"Is he on the council yet?" Alden groaned, clearly disheartened by the news. They were easily within the final year of the clone wars.
"Anakin, Force no. He's growing rapidly but he doesn't have the patience or the experience to be a Master." At this, Alden scoffed.
"With his new authority, Palpatine will be placing him there soon enough. The man is the Darth Sidious you've been looking for. Within the year he will manipulate Anakin's feelings and turn the chosen one to the dark side. At first Anakin will go to Master Windu when Palpatine reveals his true colors. The events that follow will bring Anakin to his ultimate fall and your attack on Palpatine will give him all the excuse he needs to initiate order 66 and destroy the Jedi." This was quite the sobering revelation. It sounds like this Darth Sidious played them all from the beginning. Thinking back they could tell just how close Palpatine had been to Anakin since the events on Naboo.
"This is worse than any of us feared."
"If true this is, then remove Palpatine from office, we should." Yoda replied, knowing the sooner they dealt with Palpatine, the better.
"But like they said, we would be heading right into his trap." Obi-Wan replied. This was a terrible turn of events. The most politically powerful person in the galaxy had been manipulating this war from both sides and now they knew he was also the most powerful practitioner of the dark side in millennia. These were dark times indeed.
"The longer you let it go, the more time he will have to groom Anakin as his new apprentice. All I can say is that keeping the two of them separated is the least you can do. Palpatine won't move to destroy the Jedi until he's either cornered or has Anakin in his grasp." Alden gave his own thoughts on the subject. These events were far bigger than him and his friends. There was actually very little they could do outside offering their knowledge.
"Bring this to the council we must but rest for now we should." Master Yoda added. It really was quite late and not the best time for making important decisions. They needed to confer with the council.
"Yes, it is quite late. I'll have some visitor's accommodations prepared for you all, unless there's anything pressing you have left to say?" Obi-Wan offered, knowing they wouldn't have anywhere to stay.
"We don't have much to offer, Master. However, it is our purpose to help however we can. Our knowledge and skills are at your disposal." Alden offered with a respectful bow and was soon followed by his allies.
"Very well, we will see you tomorrow then." Kenshin's allies all stood and bowed formally once again before exiting the chambers.
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Minutes later, after the council chambers stood empty the two Jedi Masters strolled through the glorious halls of their temple. These halls were less private than the council chambers but their current discussion would not need such privacy.
"Their story is quite unbelievable, do you think we can trust them?" Obi-Wan asked the aged Grand Master of their order. Floating on his hover-chair Yoda looked around the halls, finally resting his eyes on his fellow council member.
"Sense deceit in their words, I do not, but cautious we must be when taking their word." Like the master said time and time again, the future was always in motion. Even if these beings were right, their mere presence had already changed the future. How large this change will be will only be known to historical records, longer after they are all dead and gone. The changes we can see in person are insignificant compared to the events of the greater galaxy.
"They do act like Jedi, but I hope they're wrong. It's hard to accept that we're heading for that level of disaster."
"To underestimate the dark side, foolish it is. A dark past I sense in them. Observe them for now, I think."
"If only we could teach Anakin that kind of patience." Master Kenobi replied with a sigh. Neither knew what the next day would bring. However, they did know that the future of their world rested on Anakin's decisions. Those however, rested with Anakin and those who interacted with him
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Chapter Notes
Well, here it is. I had the first few chapters of this written fairly thoroughly until I decided to watch episode 3 a few days ago. That was when I had a new idea about the time Kenshin and his friends would arrive in this world. I actually like this idea quite a bit better as it gives me more time to develop a relationship between them and the Jedi.
In case anyone is still a bit confused about this story I will reiterate. This is the second book of a series called The False Apocalypse. It is a complete rewrite of an older story of mine which is still up if you wish to take a look at it. Though I am writing book 2 at the same time as book 1 it is best if you read the active portion of book 1 before trying this one. I tried to give a decent explanation of the plot at the start of the chapter but there really is no replacement for the real start of the series.
