A Left Turn at Albuquerque

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters and universes that I am about to mangle around and mash together for my own demented author amusement – sadly all Robotech and Star Wars characters and concepts remain the property of Harmony Gold, Lucasfilm Ltd and Disney – I am merely borrowing them and make absolutely no profit from their use. As a result, please keep the legal attack dogs – also known as lawyers or attorneys -firmly muzzled and on a leash as I have no money to give to anyone.

Authors Notes: Sorry it has taken me so long to get this update off the ground as this story found itself stuck in the linguistic quagmire that is writers block and has only just managed to work its way free. Hopefully this chapter will be well worth the wait I have unavoidably put you all through. Chapter events begin just prior to the end of the previous chapter. A final quick reminder conversation in bold represents Chewie speaking and yes that does mean everyone's favourite scoundrel and his walking carpet co-pilot are in this chapter. Okay now that is out of the way let's crack on with the chapter.


Chapter Nineteen

Lars Homestead

Tatooine

Obi-Wan Kenobi felt his anxiety over Luke's condition flare into deep concern the moment he saw him lying there on the couch of the living room, completely unresponsive with only the gentle rise and fall of his chest showing that he still lived, with Beru – who radiated the concern of any worried parent to both his mundane and Jedi senses – sitting nearby. From the moment he had received her frantic call he had known that something was wrong, potentially very wrong, with Luke as he had been unconscious for far too long especially for such a minor reflexive use of the immense potential in the Force that he had inherited from Anakin. Still, it was one thing to hear that Luke was still unconscious but quite another to see the condition the normally highly active younger man was in.

What in the name of the Force could have caused this, he thought concerned even as he heard Owen ask Beru if there had been any change in the young man – who he knew both Lars loved as if he was their own flesh and blood as they had raised him as such since Beru sadly could not conceive children herself – in the time he'd been gone. Obi-Wan quietly hoped, prayed to the Force even, that there had been only for his sudden hope to be dashed as Beru responded in the negative.

"Do you think that you'll be able to help him," Beru asked him, the concern for Luke and the hope that he would be able to do something to help get him out of whatever this was clear to hear in her voice.

"I will," Obi-Wan replied determined. Though first I must discover just what is going on inside to put him in this state in the first place, he thought as he assumed the familiar Jedi meditation position next to Luke before holding out a hand and closing his eyes so as not to be distracted. Then he reached out with the Force and scanned Luke and was immediately shocked when he didn't sense that his mind was present to any real degree beyond what was necessary to keep his bodies autonomic functions running. What! he thought as he probed deeper, looking for any sign of the kind of damage that would cause such a state though not finding any damage. What he did find however made him reel back in surprise and confusion as he realized where Luke's mind was.

"That can't be right," he said aloud his surprise and confusion clear for both Lars to hear in his voice.

"What is it?" he heard Beru ask.

"Someone or something has pulled Luke's mind deep into the Force," he explained, knowing that the depth that Luke's mind was in the Force wasn't something that could just happen. Someone or something had to have done this deliberately, though whoever or whatever it was they had left no identifying sign in the Force that he could detect. "Almost like they want him to see something."

"Can you do something about it," Owen asked.

Obi-Wan nodded. "I can though it is probably going to take me quite some time and will certainly exhaust us both," he replied knowing that the only way he was going to get Luke out of this would be to enter whatever vision or perceptual reality he was experiencing right now and guide him out of there. Something that would not be an easy thing for him to do as while he could do this – he was after all a Jedi Master – he was not a dedicated mind-healer like some of his fellows on the Council had been and he had never been that good with visions – Force knew if he had it might have saved them all a lot of grief, he would certainly have stopped Sheev Palpatine a.k.a Darth Sidious from getting his vile claws into Anakin and ultimately corrupting him transforming him from the good, if flawed, man he had been into the raging engine of destruction that the galaxy knew as Darth Vader.

"Is there anything we can do to help?" Beru asked.

"No," he replied before knowing that the sooner he began the task before him the better it would be for both him and Luke. Which was why he calmly took one of Luke's hands in one of his own and placed his other hand on Luke's forehead – the physical contact between them would make this easier for them both – and closed his eyes before letting the Force take him into Luke's mind.

He felt himself leave his body and for a few moments he didn't see or feel anything then he saw it. Stretching into infinity a slender blue line, a line that would lead him to wherever the mind of Luke Skywalker was and whoever, or whatever, had drawn him so deeply into the Force. Thus, he willed himself to begin following it for a moment nothing happened but a faint feeling of resistance his physical body naturally not wanting to let his mental/spiritual self go, but slowly he began to move.

Seemingly almost immediately a light appeared ahead of him the blue line tethering Luke's mind to his physical body - he would be leaving a similar line behind himself – disappearing straight into it. Obi-Wan willed himself on till the light completely enveloped him…

…and suddenly he found himself standing in what appeared to be part of the Room of a Thousand Fountains back in the Jedi Temple on Coruscant before its destruction. Familiar scents, the cornucopia of a million different flowers from all around the galaxy, reached his nose and the trickling of water from the fountains filled his ears. It was all he could do not to want to breathe in the scents and luxuriate in the sounds of what had been one of his favourite places in the temple to meditate as this Force facsimile was eerily real.

Instead, he forced himself to remain focused on what had brought him here. Thus, it didn't take him long to spot the blue line again, vanishing through the verdant foliage. Calmly he followed it, passing over a bridge across an artificial babbling brook that ran between two of the fountains. Though he would admit that after years of enduring the harsh desert climate of Tatooine – aside from that brief sojourn off world to rescue Leia after she was taken by an Inquisitor, which had ultimately led to another lightsabre fight between him and his fallen apprentice that he had won with only the fact that the Force told him Vader still had a role to play being what had stayed his hand from killing the monster who wore Anakin's face, he hadn't left this planet in years – being here again was a very welcome experience. Though at the same time it was also a very melancholy one since he knew that this place no longer existed in the real world – having been wrecked and burned out when the clones attacked the temple during Order 66.

For what seemed like an age the line continued before he finally came to a small anteroom off the main chamber. A room where several small benches – placed their either for Jedi to use when meditating or for visitors and temple staff to enjoy the natural splendour around them as the Room of a Thousand Fountains was one of the few areas of the temple that had been open to the general public. Waiting there on one of the benches, dressed in simple white moisture farmers fare that stood out sharply against there surroundings, was a very confused looking Luke.

Who had just spotted him.

"Ben! Ben Kenobi," Luke exclaimed standing up, "boy am I glad to see you. Do you know where we are? What this place is? The last thing I remember was seeing what a think was a meteor coming down, something was coming towards me then I was here wherever here is."

"This is a projection of the Room of a Thousand Fountains as it was before the destruction of the Jedi Temple just before you were born," Obi-Wan explained, "you actually physically haven't left Tatooine someone or something has brought your mind here through the Force."

"The Force?" Luke questioned, "and what are Jedi?"

Silently Obi-Wan cursed Owen for not telling Luke anything about the Jedi though he could understand to a degree why he hadn't. "It is a long story Luke and one we don't have time for right now," he answered, "right now I need to figure out just what brought you here so deep into the Force so I can return you to your physical body."

"That would be my doing Obi-Wan," an achingly familiar voice said from behind him prompting him to spin around. To see Qui-Gon Jinn - seemingly in the flesh and not blue and transparent as he was used to seeing his former master – standing there a well-remembered, slightly cheeky smirk on his face and a familiar twinkle of merriment in his eyes.

"Master Qui-Gon," he breathed in shock as it was one thing to see his teacher as a Force ghost it was quite another to see him like this, as he had been before his death at the hands of Darth Maul on Naboo. "You… you did this?"

"Ben who is this?" Luke asked a determined to get answers look on his face that was clearly something he had inherited from Padme. "And why is he calling you Obi-Wan?"

"Because it is my name Luke," Obi-Wan replied, "Obi-Wan Kenobi is the name I was born with I just go by Ben to avoid any Imperial problems. As for who this is this is Qui-Gon Jinn, my teacher in the Jedi arts."

Luke blinked. "You were a Jedi?" he asked, something telling him that whatever a Jedi was it was something that had once been very important.

"I still am Luke," Obi-Wan replied knowing that one just did not stop being a Jedi even though the Jedi Order – like the Galactic Republic they'd served for over a thousand generations – had fallen. Though increasingly there was hope that given time they would be able to recover, to rebuild from the grievous wound inflicted upon them by Sidious duplicity. Hope exemplified by the young man next to him and that Bridger boy he'd met last year. He turned his attention back to the patiently waiting Qui-Gon. "Not that it isn't good to see you as something other than a Force ghost master but why have you done this?"

"Because we need to speak Obi-Wan and Luke needs to hear it as well," Qui-Gon admitted, "you are aware of course of the turmoil in the Force over the last week or so?"

"Of course," Obi-Wan confirmed, he would have had to have cut himself off from the Force – again – not to have noticed the disturbance in the Force. No amount of investigation on his part, nor even communing through the Force with Yoda was any help in identifying what had caused it. All he knew was that both sides of the Force were in turmoil, the threads and tides of fate and destiny torn apart by whatever was causing the disruption. Never in his life – not even during the height of the Clone Wars – had he known the Force to be in such a state of upheaval. "You know what has caused this chaos?"

"Indeed, I do. A great change is coming upon the galaxy my old padawan. A change greater than anything that has happened since the fall of the Rakata one whose outcome will depend on the decisions and choices made by both the Rebellion and the Empire. Down one path is future brighter and greater than anything anyone can imagine, one free of the cycle of conflict between Ashla and Bogan that has blighted the galaxy for so long. But down the other lies complete Armageddon and the extinction of all life in not just this galaxy but another as well."

Obi-Wan frowned. "I am not sure that I understand master?"

"Then sit Obi-Wan and I will explain."

Obi-Wan did as he was bid and sat down on one of the benches, Luke sitting down next to him. Qui-Gon sat down opposite them – on another bench that seemed to just appear from nowhere. Once they were all comfortable Qui-Gon began.

"This story begins many millions of years ago before many of the races who now call our galaxy home evolved, before even the rise of the Rakatan Empire. It begins with one of the Celestials – the race to which the Ones on Mortis belonged – a being known as Haydon."

"Celestials?" Luke asked having never heard of the term celestial used in that way before, a way that indicated that it was the name of a species. "Who are they? And what's Mortis?"

"Please Luke save your questions," Qui-Gon answered, "I know you are curious and that is an asset, a curious mind is always a keen mind, but I have a great deal to tell you. A great deal that you need to know and understand given what has already come to the galaxy and what will soon follow them. And there is little enough time for me to explain as neither you nor Obi-Wan can remain this deep into the Force for too long."

"He is right Luke this state can be dangerous," Obi-Wan added, "if we stay here too long, we run the risk of depleting all our bodies reserves which could lead to both of us becoming one with the Force decades too early. It's why only the most experienced masters would normally do something like this and even then, would have others nearby to act as an anchor and a means to pull them back if they waited too long."

"One with the Force. You mean I could die?"

"Your body would but your mind and spirit, everything that makes you, you would transition into becoming a part of the Force as all living beings do when our time in the corporeal world ends."

"Kark okay I'll stay quiet," Luke answered even as Obi-Wan scowled at him for swearing in Huttese. That was a trait he had inherited from Anakin who had tended to speak a lot in Huttese, especially when annoyed. More than once he had had to reprimand him for his language, so had Padme and, occasionally, even Palpatine. Not that it ever did any of them much good, Anakin could be stubborn like that. I wonder if that's changed now that he goes by Vader and bows to Palpatine as his Sith Master, he thought. Somehow, he doubted it.

"Good. Now where was I?" Qui-Gon asked.

"You had just mentioned Haydon master."

"Oh yes thank you Obi-Wan," Qui-Gon acknowledged with a warm smile at his old padawan, in spite of everything that had happened he was very proud of Obi-Wan and the Jedi he had become, then he began explaining how Haydon as a scientist had become curious as to how life would evolve and cultures develop without any connection to and influence from the Force and how he had put a radical proposal to the others of his kind to answer such questions…

…and how his proposal would start a chain of events that had set another galaxy on fire, and which could soon do the same to theirs.


Main Hangar Bay

UES Sumatra

A Few Minutes Later

Standing under the shade of the forward cargo mandibles of the Millennium Falcon Han Solo and Chewbacca watched the activity in the Sumatra's main hangar with great interest. They had both learned a long time ago that you could learn a great deal about people by observing them as they went about their work. And what they were learning about these people was interesting them both greatly.

Everywhere there was the feeling of calm, cool efficiency – something that Han well remembered from his days in the Imperial Navy though there wasn't the undercurrent of fear that there was in the armed forces of the Empire. Whereas in the Empire – especially with officers – there was a sense that they were always looking to use you and would be willing to stab you in the back the moment is served their interests, there was none of that here. The people here seemed to be very content and happy with the jobs as they serviced fighters that looked almost like something out of a history of aviation holo but had something about them, something that said that they were both far more advanced and far more deadly than they appeared. Han had a slightly wistful smile on his face as he watched them, wishing his military career could have been like that instead of what happened to introduce and reinforce the fact that the Empire wasn't the force for peace and order – after the chaos and pain of the Clone Wars – that it liked to project itself to be.

One thing that stood out immediately to both as well was the fact that the crew was multiracial. Alongside humans they had spied at least three other alien species, that were distinctly different to one another. One they had seen stood on three-toed feet, had a bushy tail and short reddish-brown fur. Though like a few other races both Corellian and Wookie had met over the years they were all wearing breath masks. One of the others was a tall hairy being that were all taller and bigger than even a Wookie, while the strangest to both their eyes was the single being that looked like a human but was entirely made of bluish-white crystal. How it was possible for such a being to exist neither had any idea as it was unlike anything they had ever seen before which was saying quite a bit given that over the course of their lives both Han and Chewie had ventured all over the known galaxy.

The sound of approaching footsteps caught their attention.

Looking in the direction that the footsteps were coming from they were both surprised to see Captain Sommerville approaching. In the time since they had last seen him, when he had gone up to the bridge a few minutes after they landed in this bay, he had clearly showered and gotten changed as he was no longer wearing the tough, functional armour that he had been wearing previously. Instead, he was now in a white uniform with purple and gold highlights and dark to the point that they were almost black, blue trousers.

He was also not alone.

Walking behind him and pushing some sort of repulsor trolly with several boxes on it, were two soldiers wearing a lighter version of the armour that he had been wearing. Han guessed that they were simply security troopers assigned to the Sumatra.

"Captain Solo, Chewbacca I hope nobody has given you any trouble," Johannes said as he approached.

"None at all," Han replied, "occasionally they've checked if we're alright or if we need anything but other than that they've been content to mostly ignore us and carry-on servicing those fighters."

"That is good to here."

"Are you alright," Han asked sympathetically. "It can't have been easy seeing your ship be destroyed. Let alone launch the weapon that would do it."

Johannes grimaced. "I'll survive," he replied, "the thing is I always thought it would be the Invid who would destroy my ship – like they've destroyed others – not a collision with a bunch of space whale things after emerging from a fold."

"Who are the Invid," Chewie asked, just beating Han to the punch. Though even as he asked the question, he wasn't sure that he really wanted to know the answer as given how powerful these people seemed to be, how advanced they were, anyone capable of defeating and destroying them would have to be dangerously powerful themselves. We have enough problems with the Imperials, better not encourage more trouble to show up on the galaxy's doorstep, he thought.

"They're nothing for you to worry about Chewbacca," Johannes replied much to the Wookie's relief, "there space – just like ours – is a very, very long way from here."

"I see."

"So, what can we do for you," Han asked, "somehow I doubt you came all the way down here just to have a chat."

"Your right I didn't," Johannes admitted, "I came to bring you these containers. They contain what we're willing to give you as a reward for helping save my life and the lives of the remains of my crew."

Han perked up slightly. "What is it?" he asked. "Sorry if I seem a little eager but running an independent ship is not easy or cheap now. It was bad enough under the Republic, or so I'm told, but it's a million times worse under the Empire. Kriffing Imperial tax collectors."

Not to mention having to 'donate' a sizeable chunk of any smuggling profits I make to the likes of the now late and very unlamented Jabba the Hutt, he thought remembering that while smuggling spice and other contraband past Imp patrols was profitable Jabba had been getting greedier in the last few years taking larger slices of the profits for himself. Thankfully the disgusting overgrown slug was now dead and thus he wouldn't have to deal with him again. The rest of the Hutt Cartel would also be too busy with infighting over who would take Jabba's place – not to mention fighting off attempts to muscle in by rival crime syndicates like the Pykes or Black Sun - to really bother him and Chewie for a while giving them a chance to earn some real money for a change. Who knew what they would be able to do then, well beyond finding a safe, well safe-ish, port somewhere where they could give the Falcon a much-needed overhaul. As much as he loved his ship, he knew she needed work done to her to make her function at her best, work he currently couldn't afford to do.

Johannes chuckled, seemingly unaware of his inner thoughts. "Don't worry I understand completely," he said before gesturing for Han and Chewie to follow him. "Come I'll show you."

Han raised an eyebrow but followed, somewhat eagerly, behind the other man with his tall furry companion bringing up the rear. After only a handful of steps they were next to the trolly, and Han watched as Johannes approached one of the boxes and pressed something on the side that opened it. Reaching inside he pulled out what looked like a small remote and a case. A case that he laid on top of one of the other boxes before holding the remote over the box. There was a faint whirr followed by a click then the lid popped open. Johannes lifted the lid and moved aside gesturing for Han to look. Which he did…

…and his eyes widened at what was inside.

Sitting there in neat rows were slender ingots of a metal that he knew instantly from its sheen to be gold. While a soft metal it was very hard to come by in the galaxy today, most of the easy access deposits having been mined out centuries or even a few millennia ago, which made it extremely valuable indeed. If his eyes weren't deceiving him then there was enough in this box alone to make him and Chewies quite wealthy indeed.

"Gold," he breathed, "are all of these boxes full?"

"They are," Johannes answered with a smile, while robotechnology had no use for gold the metal was too soft and not conductive enough to be used in any of their modern technology, they kept significant stockpiles on their larger ships as it was a useful trade good. "There are approximately several hundred kilos of it here. I know it isn't much but…"

"Not much," Han exclaimed a look of utter incredulity on his face, "several hundred kilos are enough to set me and Chewie up for the rest of our lives." Not to mention give the Falcon an overhaul and upgrade greater than anything I could have ever dreamed, he thought. Oh, he knew he would have to be careful and discreet about how he laundered it and turned it into useable credits – less the Imperials or others find out and start asking some very awkward questions – but he knew people and places where he could do that.

Johannes smiled. "That is good to hear, I'll get the marines to load it on your ship," he said as he closed the case and returned it and the remote to the box, "once we reach our destination you will be free to leave. Though I do hope you'll stay for a bit as I know Admiral Hunter wants to meet with you."

"Where are we going anyway?" Chewie asked.

"I believe you refer to the system as Hoth. Most of our ships are currently in orbit of the sixth planet, though we're probably not going to stay there for much longer," Johannes admitted even as he gestured for the marines to start loading the gold aboard the Millennium Falcon, "it's just a pit stop so to speak while we finish recovering from the incident that stranded our fleet here."

"Good place for a pit stop," Han commented, "nobody bothers with that ice cube of a planet. Though there is a decent hyperspace lane from the system so me and Chewie won't have any problems when we decide to leave. Though I must ask do you know what this Admiral Hunter wants to see us about?"

"Probably to thank you himself though if I know Rick, he's probably got an offer of some kind for you since we're obviously very new to this part of space and don't know much about what goes on around here."

"Well, we can certainly help you out there can't we Chewie."

"That we can," Chewie confirmed inwardly smiling. Oh yes, he could tell them a great deal about the true reality of the Galactic Empire and how non-humans were treated like second class citizens at best and objects to be enslaved and worked to death at worst. The injustice the Empire subjected the galaxy to never ceased to make his blood boil with rage only the fact that he owed a life debt to Han had prevented him leaving the Millennium Falcon and joining the growing rebellion against the empire.

"Excellent. We'll make our last fold to Hoth in about an hour," Johannes said, "Zendril pushed the fold engines a bit too hard getting to us."

"We're not stranded, are we?"

"Oh no just some minor issues that need fixing. It won't take long, hence why we'll be able to fold again in about an hour. In the meantime, would the two of you care to join me in the mess hall for something to eat?"

"I wouldn't say no, and Chewie definitely won't," Han answered even, as if on que, Chewie's stomach grumbled prompting both humans to chuckle even as Chewie did the Wookie equivalent of blushing slightly in embarrassment.

"Great this way." Han smiled slightly as he and Chewie began following the other man off the hangar deck and deeper into the interior of the Sumatra.


Lars Homestead

Tatooine

Sometime Later

Beru Lars was getting increasingly anxious as she gazed upon the unconscious form of her nephew as he lay on the other couch in the living room. It had been nearly an hour since Obi-Wan had begun doing whatever it was he was doing to try and bring Luke out of the state that he had fallen into. So far there had been no change in either of them.

"I wish something would happen," Owen commented, "that we would get some sign that something was happening with them."

"I know what you mean," Beru agreed a moment before the overhead light flickered prompting her to look up in surprise and confusion just as they flickered again, "what's up with the lights? Something wrong with the main junction box?"

"I don't know," Owen replied, a moment before the lights went off, but only for a few seconds, before coming back on prompting him to stand up. "Alright I'll go and check the switchboard and junction box."

"In the meantime, I'll go and get us some caff it might calm our nerves a bit."

"Good idea who knows how long Obi-Wan will be doing whatever he's doing," Owen replied before leaving the living room. Beru for her part stood and began making her way towards the core shaft of the homestead – ignoring to the best of her abilities the occasional flickering of the lights – and her kitchen which was on the other side. She turned a corner and heard a splash prompting her to blink and look down, to see a thin rivulet of water running along the floor a rivulet that was coming from the direction of the core shaft. Huh I didn't leave the taps on in the kitchen did I, she thought as she walked along boots splashing in the water and she walked up the short three steps to the core shaft.

Immediately she realized that they had a much bigger problem.

The entire floor of the core shaft was awash with a thin, but deepening film of water. It was obvious as well where it was coming from as from the centre line of the storm door's she saw several thin streams of water falling from above. For a few moments she stared at it in shock and confusion…

…then she turned and ran calling for Owen.


Authors Note: Well, another chapter bites the dust. I hope you all enjoyed it. Hopefully the next chapter will not be quite so long in coming but we will just have to see. Until next time.