Raging war in the Galaxy ! The savage Clone Wars keep taking its toll on both sides. Many brave Clones perish in battle along with their honourable Jedi leaders while many more Battle Droids are destroyed in the ensuing chaos ! Innocent bystanders in the middle of the conflict suffer the worst ! When will one side be victorious ? In a distant galaxy, a performer of the highest caliber soldiers on to wrap up his show while suffering from great pain...

House of Blues, Atlantic City, New Jersey, USA, 29 August 2009

Thousands of fans were screaming and cheering as one of the greatest singers of all time was finishing up his last "encore" song, titled "Children Of The Sea". Despite his advanced age at 67, he belted out his lyrics as if he were 30 years younger.

"LOOK OUT ! The sun is going black, BLACK ! LOOK OUT ! It's never, never, never, never coming back ! LOOK OUT !"

As he finished, he held his hands high up in the air, balled into a fist with the exception of the index and little finger pointing up. This was reffered to as the Devil Horns, often associated with Hard Rock/Heavy Metal music. Fans replicated the gesture.

Ronald Padavona, better known as Ronnie James Dio, flinched slightly. "Ugh ! That pain again ?! Why doesn't this stop after months of touring ? I can't keep up running to the bathroom and taking antacid all the time !" Being the professional performer he's always been, he did his best to hide his pain from the public. He prompted the audience to clap, then motioned to the black haired man to his right, wearing glasses, featuring a thin mustache and goatee and clothed in a black vest. "TONY IOMMI !" Then he gestured to the ginger haired man to his left, featuring a mid-sized beard and wearing a tan vest. "GEEZER BUTLER !" Finally, he turned to the one in the back, whom lacked facial hair, wore a black sweatshirt and looked menacing, but truly isn't. "And VINNY APPICE ! THANK YOU ! We are... Heaven & Hell ! Thank you ! Good night ! Thank you !" He bowed several times along with the others before the audience.

Once they were backstage, Tony confronted the diminutive singer. "Ok, tour's done, Ron. Now will you finally get yourself checked ? I have to say that you're starting to worry me a bit." He stood, his arms crossed.

Ronnie nodded. "Don't worry, Ton, the moment I get back home, I'll have Wendy set up an appointment for me. It's probably just a bad stomach flu. You oughtta know, Ton, with all that touring going on, we're bound to catch something."

Geezer shook his head. "Lasting for months on end ? Has to be one heck of a stomach flu ya caught there, Ronnie. There could be more to it than you think."

The drummer, Vinny, remained optimistic unlike the other two. "Well... we've toured together for a long time and I've seen Ronnie under the weather on repeated occasions. Never stopped him. Remember the Strange Highways tour back in '93 ? You, Tracy and Jeff were caught up with something... And again, it didn't bother the performance much."

Ronnie clenched his fists, recalling his "poor" performance. "And like Holy Diver Live in 2005, when Doug filled in for Craig. I had a flu which prevented me from sounding my very best. I still can't believe they chose to release the recording. You know I'm much better than that !" He checked his wrist watch. "Woah ! We gotta cut our chatter short, guys. Lots of fans will want autographs and pictures."

On their way to meet their fans, the quartet bumped into Lemmy Kilmister, bass player and vocalist for Motörhead. He politely tipped his top hat to Ronnie. "You keep outdoing yourselves, you know ? You'll be touring with us next year, right ?" He gave a warm smile.

Ronnie let out a quick laugh. "Wouldn't be the same without you, Lemmy ! Of course I wouldn't miss it for the world."

Lemmy playfully punched him on the shoulder. "You take care of yourself, ya hear ?" He quickly looked at his watch. "Oh, it's 9 pm. Time for a Jack n' Coke... or several. I'll see you guys later !" He went off for his nightly drinking session.

Tony just shook his head and laughed. "Blimey ! That Lemmy will never change, ha ha ha ! Well then, on to meeting with the fans, shall we ?" He gestured towards the coming room, already packed with fans.

In a nearby pub...

Around a small round table sat both Ian Gillan and Tony Martin, enjoying a few cold beers.

"Ahhh... nothing like a cold pint in the evening." Ian merely sipped his brew, enjoying it as long as possible.

Tony wasn't rushed to enjoy his, he preffered to simply take in the cozy atmosphere of the pub. "This is a nice little place, thanks for inviting me."

To Ian, the gesture was nothing. "It's always better with a friend, you know. Besides, other than a love for good beer, we're two former Sabbath vocalists that never got officially fired from the band."

Tony simply nodded. "Speaking of which, have you heard ab-"

Before their conversation could continue, a couple of familiar faces popped up. Glenn Hughes and Ozzy Osbourne.

Tony whispered to Ian's ear. "I don't know what they're doing here. Aren't they supposed to remain sober and clean ?"

To their surprise, both men ordered sodas. Noticing the two sitting around, Glenn cleared his throat. "Mind if we join you ?"

Tony pointed to some chairs. "By all means, make yourselves at home, gentlemen."

Ozzy nodded at Gillan. "Long time no see ! Y-you're still performing with Deep Purple, right ?" He then took a look at Tony. "Uh... who the hell are you ?"

Tony humored Ozzy, displaying a big toothy grin. "Hi ! I'm Tony Martin ! Nice to meet you personally too !"

A proverbial lightbulb appeared over Ozzy's head. "Ohhhh... Y-you're the one who sang on the "Rap" Sabbath album... What a letdown that was !" Ozzy merely placed a "comforting hand" on Tony's shoulder.

Tony seethed inwardly. "Of course ! Everybody remembers Forbidden... for all the wrong reasons !"

Glenn attempted to help break the tension between the two singers. "Well, Tony, if I can provide an opinion, I believe that both Headless Cross and Tyr were fantastic records. Your voice truly shined on those."

Ozzy shook his head in disbelief. "T-Tyr !? G-good ? You've got to be fu-"

Ian quickly barged in the conversation. "Ozzy, enough ! You have a right to your own opinion... and so does Glenn. Take my work with the band for example. Not everyone out there liked Born Again. And that's totally ok !"

"Even less liked Seventh Star which I sang on, so I don't think it's fair to pile all the negativity on poor Tony. He had massive shoes to fill and you know it." Glenn chimed.

Ian suddenly focused all his attention on Tony. "Well... what were you about to say before they came in ?"

Tony scratched his head for a second, reajusting his bandanna. "What... ? Oh, right ! As I was saying, have you heard about Ronnie being sick ?"

Ozzy nearly lost his glasses in shock. "Is he really ? We never really got along, but still, when there's a mate that's unwell, I s-still care for them. Do you know w-what he has ?"

Glenn stepped in to give his thoughts. "I've actually spoken to Ronnie a few months back. Told me he has stomach issues that came around during the current tour. He thinks it's just a bug and will pass with time."

Ian raised an eyebrow, giving a slightly concerned look. "A bug that sticks around for months on end ? Sounds like an infection of sorts. Did he go to see a doctor about it ?"

Glenn merely shrugged his shoulders. "I honestly don't know. I didn't ask."

Tony looked at the others with a big smile on his face. "Here's an idea : Let's sneak into their tour bus and surprise him ! It might cheer him up."

Glenn removed his glasses momentarily, reaching for a tissue to remove a smear. "Well... We could do that, I guess. We best head there now. There's no telling when they'll be back."

Ian checked his watch. "Oh, we don't need to rush. Knowing Ronnie, he's busy signing autographs and chatting with fans. He won't stop until every single fan got their due. So they could still be busy for several hours."

Ozzy was the first to get up. "Well, I-I'm not waiting. I'm going there now."

For once, Tony agreed with him. "Might as well."

Heaven & Hell Tour Bus

The four men quickly ran towards the tour bus. As they were about to open the door, they heard footsteps in the distance. Glenn turned towards the sound. "Oh crap ! That's Scott Warren, their keyboardist. Quick, get inside before he sees us !" He whispered.

Seconds later and the men hide in the sleeping portion of the bus, which has 4 bunk beds.

Ian peered through the window and watched Scott. He was busy loading up the instruments in one of 4 storage compartments under the bus. Fearing he might come inside and discover them, the men braced themselves. All breathed a sigh of relief as he walked back into the darkness. Moments later, they heard more footsteps and voices.

"You're pretty crazy, ya know ?! Sneaking into a storage compartment has to be the most insane idea you've had !"

"Shut up !" Another voice roared. "And take this case of Jack Daniels with you. Don't break it or they'll be hell to pay !"

"You and your darn Jack !" A third voice commented.

"Hey, Eddie ! Pack this case of Coke with you. Can't have my Jack without my Coke !"

"Figures !"

Ozzy peered through the window and couldn't believe his eyes. "Oh great ! Just great ! We're not the only ones sneaking aboard, it seems. Heh ! Lemmy, Philthy Animal and Fast Eddie are coming for the joyride too !"

Glenn tried to wrap his head around the mental imagery. "Lemmy Kilmister, Phil Taylor and Eddie Clarke ? Well... Having the classic lineup of Motörhead with us will definitely make this trip even more interesting. And possibly louder too if they start playing their music anywhere."

About 15 minutes later, the unmistakeable voice of Ronnie was heard. "Phew ! What a crowd that was ! But at least every fan got to meet us. That's what matters in the end."

In the middle of the bus, there were a couple of sofas with some tables on one end. The other end had a very small kitchen area, complete with a stove and microwave. There was also a small fridge. Next to the fridge was a sliding door leading to a one-man bathroom/shower. Ronnie and Tony sat on the sofas, along with Scott, while Geezer sat next to Vinny in the front.

Vinny took a glance at the back. "Everybody ready ? Don't forget your seatbelts, huh ?" With that, Vinny turned the key and the motor began to rumble to life. "Don't worry, Ron ! You'll be home in a couple of days. Ok, here we go."

As the bus began to move, Phil "Philthy Animal" Taylor, Motörhead's drummer, cursed his luck. "Why do I always have the worst of luck ?! This case of Jack is gonna break a bone or two, I can feel it ! For God's Sake, Lemmy ! Can't you go just one day without your Jack Daniels ?! UGH !"

Several minutes later, they cruised on the highway. Vinny recognized a familiar landmark. "Oh, we're going through that tunnel in a moment, guys." Moments later, the tunnel was strangely illuminated. Vinny scratched his head, slightly confused. "Hmm... Don't remember all those lights... maybe a recent renovation proj-"

Suddenly, a shadow passed the bus on the right in blinding speed, emmiting a sound like a car's horn. Vinny abrupdtly hit the brakes. "HOLY SHIT ! ... Wha... WHAT THE FUCK WAS THAT ?!"

From behind, Ronnie's angered voice could be heard. "Why the hell did you brake ?! Now I've got beer all over my pants ! Thanks a lot, Vin !"

Underneath, Phil's prediction almost came true. "What the ?! Why the... Oh no ! Here comes the Jack crate ! Ow Ow Ow Ow ! That's gonna sting ! Why me ?!"

Geezer looked in all possible directions. "What did you see ?"

Vinny just stared back with wide eyes. "I... I'm not sure, Geez. It looked... it looked like a spaceship of sorts."

Geezer held back his laughter. "A spaceship ?!" Have you been hitting the weed ?"

Vinny stuck out his tongue. "I wouldn't talk if I were you, man ! All I had is this coffee right here ! That's it !" Another strange vessel passed above them. "See ? SEE ?! I'm not losing my marbles !"

Geezer couldn't believe what he was seeing. "Bloody hell ! Hey, Ronnie, Tony, Scott ! You better come at the front ! We have a problem !"

The 3 men soon showed up. Ronnie shook his head in disbelief. "This is like a really bad dream !"

Tony thought worse. "No. More like a cocaine trip gone bad !"

Scott was at a loss for words. "Sorry, guys. Don't have a clue."

At the back, an alarmed voiced sounded out. "AHHHHH ! IT'S GOING TO HIT US ! AHHHH !"

Ronnie snapped back to reality. "That voice... it sounded like... Glenn Hughes ?!"

The four men ran over to the front. Ozzy looked so shaken. "I... I don't know w-what I saw... But it scared the piss out of m-me ! Look at my pants ! They're soaked !"

Tony Martin struggled to remain serious. "So the rumors are true ! You do have a weak bladder !"

Ronnie simply facepalmed. "Oh God. You know what ? I don't even care how you guys sneaked onboard ! But Ozzy, for God's sake, change your pants and shorts ! Look in the bedroom, there might be some extra shorts and pants. Come on, you're stinking up the place !"

As Ozzy went to change, the rest of the men watched as many, many vessels of all shapes and sized passed by them, honking angrily. Underneath, Lemmy had no idea what was going on. "What's with all the noise ? Did we run out of gas or something ?"

Vinny suddenly had a crazy idea and tried to wrap his head around it. "Fellow men... I have a sudden feeling we're not in New Jersey anymore..."

And thus begins a brand new (and original) story. For those that followed my works over the past 6 years, I sincerely apologise for removing them. I wasn't fully satisfied with them and took a few years' break. During that time of inactivity, this idea came into my mind. Some of the works I had done before, such as the Ahsoka/Lux on Earth storyline, I do plan on revisiting in time and hopefully I'll be able to make them even better than they originally were. So in this story, we have members of Black Sabbath, Dio and Motörhead suddenly appearing in a Galaxy far, far away. How will they escape that tunnel ? You'll find out in the next chapter. You've noticed by now that there are two Tonys. Tony Iommi will be referred to as simply Tony. Tony Martin referred as... you guessed it ! Tony Martin. That ought to make it less confusing. In these trying times, I wish all readers and reviewers to stay safe !