Chapter 10: The End
Above Tatooine, the space was as silent as usual for a desert planet that only smugglers and the occasional cargo ship ever visited. This planet, one of the many lonely worlds in the outer rim, was one that was neglected by the Empire, and that left the Hutts with free reign over the planet. That though, was about to change.
Out of the depths of space, a small corvette, the Tantive IV, appeared out of hyperspace, before moving along as fast as it could. In pursuit of it, an imperial Star Destroyer, the Devastator, emerged from hyperspace as well, and started to bombard the helpless corvette. Both ships were exchanging fire, and it looked as if the much smaller corvette was in a losing battle.
On the corvette in question, Princess Leia stood on the bridge as shot after shot hit the durasteel hull of the ship. This ship, her personal starship for nearly 3 years, was secretly carrying plans for the empire's latest super weapon, the Death Star. She didn't know how the Imperials had managed to track the Tantive IV from Scarif, but she did know that if she wanted to survive, she had to act now.
"They're attempting to hit the reactor" called out the tactical officer. "Shields are at 10%."
"Maintain fire and heading." Commanded Captain Raymus Antilles.
"Sir, I don't think we can maintain this for much longer." reported the tactical officer. "We were already damaged as it was, now we're exchanging fire with this Star Destroyer. I don't think we can-" Those were his last words before his console violently exploded, sending sparks everywhere and causing alarms to go off across the ship.
An astromech droid who was on the bridge at the time connected himself to the nearest interface, before speaking in a flurry of beeps and whistles.
"That last hit took out the main reactor" translated a crew member on the bridge.
"Give me the Death Star plans." cried the princess. "We've got to complete our mission." A lieutenant gave her the plans as she ran off into the bellows of the ship.
"My lord, the Tantive IV has been disabled." announced Commander Jason Kerala as he turned to face his superior officer, the cold, ruthless Darth Vader. "Shall I lock a tractor beam on her?"
"Tractor the ship into our hangar bay." Vader ordered. "Prepare a boarding party."
"Yes my lord." Kerala replied as he turned back around to give orders to the rest of the bridge crew. As he did so, Vader held his hand to his head, like he had a sudden headache. For a moment, Kerala panicked; if he was sensing something with his mysterious 'Force' powers, something bad was about to happen.
"Are you alright my lord?" he asked. Vader appeared to be slightly dis-oriented; almost as if he had felt something from that mysterious force of his. Vader appeared to stare blankly into the space in front of him, before looking back up at Kerala.
"I am unharmed, Commander." Vader answered, now back to his usual, cold self. "I will be down with the boarding action. You have the bridge."
"...yes my lord." Kerala responded, letting Vader get up on his own before watching him walk out the door.
The Star Destroyer ceased pounding the already helpless Tantive before increasing its speed to catch up to the drifting vessel. But instead of an anomaly opening in front of their eyes, nothing happened. The ship gradually slowed down to a halt as the Devastator tractored it into it's hangar bay. Soon, history would take it's course, and the biggest fight the Galaxy had ever seen was about to begin.
The deep depths of space were littered with stars. In each of them was a system with a star or two, and an assorted number of planets. No sound came from any of these, as the vacuum of space prevents sound from travelling through it.
The vacuum was not alone, however, as the large hull of a Galaxy class starship broke through the scenery. The ship, the USS Arizona NCC-71839, moved through the vacuum as if it were made of nothing. Its federation crew were using the ship to explore and protect in a pacifist manner.
Captain's log stardate 57200.59. The Arizona is nearing the end of its patrol of the Ivor sector. My crew and I have been out here on the edge of Federation space for over 3 years and we're looking forward to finally docking in at Starbase 75.
On the main bridge, Captain Darius Trent sat in his command chair, staring out into the cold void of space through the viewscreen. He was a man of thought, not instant action, as was evidenced by his relaxed attitude on the bridge currently. Sitting now, without anything else to interrupt him, he felt a sudden feel of nostalgia wash over him as he recalled back to his early days as Captain of the Arizona and being a Captain in general.
He had been in command of the Arizona since the day it was launched, the day before the Dominion War. Back then, the Arizona was one of the six original hulls put away for storage for use later after the initial six Galaxy Class ships were produced. First contact with the Dominion and the Borg however, forced Starfleet to press these hulls into service however, and with a few modifications, the Arizona was turned into a true vessel of war. She was made resistant to the phased polaron beams that the Dominion utilised at the time, and was eventually adapted to counter the Breen energy dampening weapon alongside the rest of the fleet. The ship was a proud survivor of Operation Return, the First Battle of Chin'toka and the Battle of Cardassia, which earned her various commendations and remarks throughout the war.
Now however, she spent her days patrolling a small area of Federation space close to the Typhon Expanse, a region of space known for temporal anomalies, and occasionally going in there for survey work. She would rarely encounter any other ships on the long route across the border regions, and when it did it was invariably a freighter which had broken down or another Starfleet ship also making its own long patrol. It almost seemed as if Starfleet Command had forgotten they even existed at points, as the ship was rarely pulled into the local outpost, Starbase 75, for anything close to routine maintenance. That, however, was about to change.
"Sir, I'm getting some very strange readings from the Ivor system." reported lieutenant Jason Horan, the ship's Chief Science Officer, interrupting Trent's thoughts.
"Don't tell me. It's a Borg Transwarp conduit." complained Lieutenant Sabrina Hawk, the ship's Helm and Operations officer. The human woman's brother had been assimilated by the Borg in an incident where the Enterprise-E had gone back in time in order to prevent the cybernetic beings from assimilating earth before it discovered warp travel.
"Now let's not let ourselves down with that again Lieutenant." replied commander Miral Aldrin, the ship's First Officer. "We all know what happened to your brother on the Enterprise."
"What can you say about these readings so far?" Asked Trent, attempting to change the topic of the conversation.
"Hang on…" paused Horan as he looked at his console in confusion. "It's gone."
"Gone?" asked Trent. "What do you mean?"
"Well, it was there for a moment, but then it just...disappeared." Horan remarked. "I can't find any trace of it in the sensor logs."
"It must've been a system glitch." Aldrin figured. "Think I'll be adding that to the long list of maintenance to be done at Starbase 75."
"It doesn't hurt to check it out though." rebutted Trent. "Lieutenant, set course for the Ivor system. Warp 5."
"Aye sir." Hawk responded. "Course set for the Ivor system at warp 5, on your mark."
"Hit it." ordered Trent.
And all at once, the massive hull of the Arizona swerved around to align with the Ivor system. The warp nacelles then did their magic, creating a bubble around the ship that bent the space around the Arizona so that it would travel faster than light without any time dilation. From the outside, it appeared as if the ship stretched into the distance before disappearing in a flash of light.
In orbit of the forest moon of Endor, a battle was taking place. Rebel forces had just managed to destroy the shield generator for the Emperor's still incomplete battlestation, the Death Star II. Now without shields, the battlestation was left vulnerable as several small fighters of the Rebel Alliance slipped into the incomplete superstructure, heading inside for the reactor core.
In Emperor Palpatine's throne room, an injured Darth Vader watched on as his son, Luke Skywalker, was tortured at his master's pleasure. The Dark Lord of the Sith was attacking him with force lightning, causing Luke great pain as he screamed out for help.
"Father, please, help me!" he cried as the Force Lightening writhed across his body. It was clear that he would not be able to survive much more of this. Vader considered his options; either help his son and betray his master or leave him alone and let him die. His two halves were torn against each other as he struggled to make his decision.
Suddenly time froze. He watched as his son's facial expressions stopped in time as Palpatine's force lightning froze in place. The battle outside ground to a halt as well, fighters and ships freezing in space and time.
"I know what you're thinking." called a voice, startling Vader. "You're wondering whether what you're doing is actually right; whether it's too late to turn back to the light."
"Who are you?" angrily demanded Vader. "Show yourself!"
"As you wish." the voice conceded. From the dark, one of the Emperor's Red Guard walked out, his force pike held up as he marched towards Vader. Stepping past the frozen Palatine, he took off his helmet to reveal a...somewhat familiar face.
"Who are you?" Vader requested.
"I am Q." the man replied. "I knew you in...another time."
"What is the reason for your presence?" Vader asked. "Have you come to save the Emperor from his own selfishness?"
"Oh trust me, I don't care about your Emperor or what happens to him." Q answered. "I'm more interested in you."
"Me?"
"Oh come on, my friend, this is all about you. Why else do you think I froze time for everyone except you? Even your precious Emperor doesn't know what's going on here. I'm here to help you with your choice."
"My decision has already been made." Vader brushed off, attempting to make Q go away. "If my son does not wish to join the dark side, he must die."
"Don't give me that garbage that your Emperor put in your head." Q berated. "For the first time in a very long time, you've been given the option to step out of the dark and back into the light. Now, given the opportunity, your two halves are fighting each other for dominance. The question is though, will Darth Vader stay on top, or will Anakin Skywalker take the reins?"
"If you are offering me power or something else of the sort, then begone." Vader ordered. "Nothing will make me betray my master."
"Oh trust me, I'm not here to give you power." Q retorted. "I'm here to give you knowledge."
With a snap of Q's fingers, memories started flooding back to Vader. Words flashed inside his head as his mind began to process the new memories...Arizona...Earth...War...Changeling...Capture...Anakin...Hope…
Vader held his head in pain as he continued to process the information. A different universe, separate to his own, and completely different. A world where people sought not power, but the ability to better themselves. Where diplomacy and exploration took precedence over war and militarism. A place where, in the face of great odds, hope reigned supreme. And at the centre of that world, a dream shone brightly into the night, lighting the way for trillions of beings.
The pain passed, and Anakin Skywalker looked back up at Q. Through his mask, Q could see that the man had suddenly changed; rage no longer filled his eyes, instead they shone with a glimmering hope. For a moment, Anakin looked up at Q, slightly confused, before smiling beneath his mask.
"I know what to do." Anakin stated, and Q smiled a reassuring smile.
"In that case, my job is done." Q finished. "Au revoir."
In an instant, Q vanished, and time slowly returned back to normal speed. The frozen ships and energy bolts outside slowly sped up until they returned to their original pace. Inside the Death Star II, Anakin Skywalker turned to face his destiny.
Captain's Log, Supplemental. It's been an hour since we arrived at the Ivor system, but so far, we haven't managed to find anything. Not a wink. It's like what Horan said; it's almost as if it never existed. And yet I feel...relieved somehow. I don't know why, but I feel like I don't want to know what it was, or why it was there. I'll keep us here another few minutes while Horan completes his analysis, then we'll be on our way to Starbase 75.
In his ready room, Captain Trent fiddled with the PADD in his hand. He needed something to take his mind off what was going on here; for some reason, it was keeping him on edge. He didn't know what was going on, but he knew that he didn't like it.
The door suddenly chimed, making him put the PADD down on the desk and look up at the door.
"Come in," he ordered. The doors opened to reveal a crewman, in an ensign's uniform, and with him a PADD.
"I have the report on the war you requested, Captain." he began as he entered the room.
"What war?" asked a confused Trent. "And I didn't ask for a report."
"Oh come on mon capitaine." the crewman complained as he snapped his fingers. Trent knew who this man was; he had seen those reports.
"You're Q." he confronted.
"Why is my presence always regarded as bad?" Q asked himself as he facepalmed.
"What are you doing here Q?" Trent asked.
"I'm here to present you with a gift." Q replied. "Behold; the power of memory!"
As Q snapped his fingers again, Trent's face went into a state of shock. The memories came flooding back to him, like water falling into a glass. Within moments, he remembered everything; the war, the pain, the Empire, all of it.
"Oh...my…" Trent stuttered as he began to process the enormity of his new memories.
"You're right to say that." Q remarked. "It was a long war."
"But we...won though, right? We closed the anomaly."
"Well… some would put it that way." Q replied. "Now, I must ask you a question."
"What is it?" Trent prodded.
"I am contemplating returning everyone's memories of the war, on both sides." Q continued. "Now, normally, I would just do it with a snap of my fingers. However, given that it was a bit of a...touchy subject for some, I decided to ask you whether everyone else should know what you do now."
"Me? Really?"
"Why of course you. You were the Captain of the ship that made first contact with the Empire. I would ask Anakin Skywalker, but he's a bit...preoccupied at the moment. Therefore, the choice is yours."
Trent sat in thought for a moment. He could say yes, and then trillions of other beings on both sides would remember an entire year's worth of war and destruction. It could serve as a cautionary tale, so that others would not make the mistakes they had done.
But then again, what damage could that information cause? How could he know that someone else wouldn't go insane and try to actually bridge the gap between both universes? From what he could recall, the people of that universe were savage and warlike; far too misaligned with Federation ideals to even be considered a Federation ally.
"No." he finally replied. "No-one else deserves this information."
"I see." Q noted. "Do you want me to remove them from you?"
"No thanks, it's fine." Trent answered. "Someone's gotta remember what happened. Aside from you of course. I guess it's me."
"Very well then." Q finished. "Till we meet again."
And in an instant, Q vanished in thin air.
The door chimed again, startling Trent as he had just begun to recompose himself. Within moments, he straightened himself out before readying himself for whoever may come through the door.
"Come." he eventually stated, and Commander Aldrin walked into the room.
Before Q had come, he hadn't even begun thinking about her in those ways, always regarding her as out of reach due to rank. But now, with those memories of her and their relationship together in the other timeline he...struggled to hold himself back.
"Is everything alright sir?" Aldrin asked. Trent snapped out of his stupor before answering her question.
"Everything's fine thanks Commander." Trent answered. "What do you have for me?"
"Well, Horan's finished his analysis and, well, he found nothing." Aldrin continued.
"Is that so?" Trent queried.
"Well, not exactly. He found some microscopic space dust which has a differing quantum signature to our universe. He thinks that the sensor reading he picked up was of an anomaly which connected to another universe. Only briefly though. It destabilized before anyone could use it."
"What a shame." remarked Trent, covering for the fact that he knew what had lay behind that anomaly. "A major scientific discovery, and we missed it."
"Don't worry, we'll get the next one." Aldrin assured him. "Now, however, I think we should return to our patrol."
"Yes, of course." Trent realised. "Let's get this show back on the road. Take us back to Starbase 75. Warp 4."
"Aye sir." Aldrin replied. Turning to face the door, Aldrin was about to walk out before Trent spoke up again.
"Hey, are you free this evening?" he asked her, seemingly out of the blue.
"Of course I am." Aldrin answered. "What's up?"
"Do you want to have a few drinks down at the bar later?" Trent proposed. "Off duty of course."
"Of course sir." knowing what he was implying about the nature of their meetup. "I'll be there at 1900."
"See you there then." Trent finished. With a smile on both their faces, Aldrin walked out the door, leaving Trent alone once more.
Captain's personal log, supplemental. I'm still struggling to cope with the memories that Q gave me of the other me. A whole war, with a power from another universe nonetheless. It's fascinating to think of the possibilities of where their society went wrong.
And yet, despite all the odds, hope exists in that universe. Hope that one day things will be better, and all peoples of the Galaxy will unite in harmony. It's almost like the dream of the Federation, and I can only hope that they can grab it with both hands.
Starfleet has ordered the crew and me on shore leave for the next few months while the Arizona is undergoing refit. I don't know what I'll do in the meantime. I could try and meet up with my parents at some point; the Carolina's due back at Earth in a few weeks. Or I could check on how Darwin and Sasha are doing; they only just got their new commands, and I'm really proud of both of them. Until then, I have only myself to keep me company, myself being of course the memories of the other me.
These memories have given me a deep insight into the wide and varied nature of us, as sentient beings. Both sides of the war were polar opposites from each other, and both had their strengths and weaknesses. But in the end, I believe that while the star wars will come and go, it's the star trek that will last forever…
The End.
I have planned this moment for a very long time. The big end to the series, the final shot, the last touches, whatever you want to call it. And for a very long time, the time I thought it would end changed as well.
First it was midway through last year. Then it moved to the end of last year. Now, though, it's ended here, two years since I first uploaded here. I want to thank you all for following me on this incredible journey. Your support has given me the courage to face the last year, and continue on with this series. And now, we're here, and I bet you're all wondering what I'll do next.
Well, that I'm not so sure about right now. On one hand, I want to continue writing and bringing joy to you all. On the other hand, I have the real world banging at my door, telling me to focus on my real-world life. And at this point, I think I need the time to focus on my studies and get ready for some major trials coming up in my life.
So I'll be on hiatus for now while I batten down the hatches and prepare to get some work done. But fear not; I've been planning for a while what to do when I come back.
I have two crossovers planned, featuring the Original series cast and the Next Generation cast respectively. I also have an original series, focusing on the adventures of the USS Arizona, in the works as well. All three of these are gearing up to be really cool so far, and I can't wait to begin to share them with you when the time is right.
And none of this, of course is going to stop the release of the Special edition of 'Star Trek Vs Star Wars: The Beginning'. I'm sure you're all wondering about a release date for that, and all I'll say is that it is very close to completion. There'll be some new scenes in the book, exploring various areas which weren't properly explored in the original, plus some nice new images to give you a feel for the visual aspect of things. And, should all go well, I may end up creating a Special Edition for 'The Imperial War' as well. Until then, the best place to keep up to date with me is on Deviantart, where I'll announce when I'll post up the Special Edition, as well as the images that will be in each book.
Until then, share these stories around with others you think might be interested. Make sure to favorite ones you like and leave feedback in the reviews. And as always, see you next time.