Explorers
It hadn't been the dreaded end Tycho feared...
He didn't really know what to expect, to be honest. Maybe drifting into oblivion without even being aware of his own end. Maybe feeling himself torn apart, atom by atom until nothing else remained.
But he hadn't expected this!
In a way it resembled a hyperspace jump, except the stars weren't stretching into lines, but rather it looked like traveling through waves of energy. Visible waves raging from the purest white, to incandescent red.
His X-Wing didn't even feel like moving, except for the waves that signaled their moving forward. There was also this sound, like a hum. Not like a sound that actually heard per se, it was more a sound you felt inside your head.
He looked to his left side, watching Wes' perplexed reaction as he gazed at the colorful waves, like a kid looking at the Life Day lights.
He smiled at Wes' expression. Count on the Taanabian to find a positive thing even in the most awkward situation he'd got thrown in!
"Blaze, check if comm system is still down, will you?" He turned to face his R2 astromech, not being able to use his panel, which was still unresponsive.
The red R2 unit beeped in what was an evident negative answer. Tycho cussed, trying to restart his communications panel.
"What about your systems? Can you reach Zapper?" He asked. Blaze's answer was still a negative one. They were stuck there, unable to communicate with each other, while they traveled to who knows where, through a seemingly unending tunnel.
A sudden panic surged through him.
What if this was it? Just roaming forever inside this anomaly? Who could guarantee there was an end to it?
He shrugged it off, regaining control of his own thoughts. Of course there had to be an end! Just like this thing had appeared on their coordinates, it would also have to have a counterpart finish somewhere else!
He'd read about theories concerning these stellar tunnels. Though no one had ever reached a consensus about their nature, some scientists had come forward it an explanation that these sort of anomalies could be some kind of gateway to distant parts of the galaxy.
Maybe even taking them outside of their own galaxy!
It the navigational panel down, they wouldn't even have navdata registers to be able to calculate where they would end nor to know how far they had traveled...
The light waves on the tunnel walls began slowly changing into a uniform white light surrounding them.
Tycho looked once more to Wes' X-Wing, just as the other pilot looked his way too. He looked a bit to tense for his likings...
If there was one thing Tycho had gotten accustomed, was to the ever good humored nature of the Taanabian pilot. And everyone in the squadron knew that whenever Janson looked stern or tense, something serious was worrying him.
All of a sudden, their starfighters gained momentum and speed. Just like on the entry, Tycho felt himself pressed against his seat as his X-wing soared through what was now a blinding light.
And then they were out of it. They were back in realspace.
He looked back in time to see the swirls of white light collapsing and disappearing. Static from his comm panel brought his attention back to the matters ahead. He punched the button, calling for Janson.
"Hey Wes! Your systems are all normal too?" He inquired his friend. " Everything alright with you?"
"All systems seem to be up and running, Tych!" Wes replied. "Zapper is a bit shaken, but otherwise everything's fine. I have no readings on what that thing was. Not as we entered it, nor was we exited. Just a mess of data, indicating massive energy surges, but nothing that could indicate its nature."
"You tried comparing those readings to any other data we'd picked up before? Or any data our R2's have available?"
"Doing that as we speak..." Wes checked his monitor, reading the data being analyzed and exchanged between Zapper and Blaze. "Nothing...Unknown Anomaly. That's all the conclusions they got."
"Well, this is about to get weirder!" Tycho scoffed. "Comm Scan's telling me that this is Endor system!"
"What? That doesn't make sense! We entered that blackhole, tunnel, whatever you wanna call it, just to get back at the same point we left?" Wes claimed, an hint of sarcasm to his voice.
Both pilots punched in the coordinates that should take them to Endor's moon, and after a while, with no place for doubts, there it was...
Not only the Sanctuary Moon, but also the whole fleet!
"I thought they'd evacuated!" Janson said, trying to pick any sign that the Rogues would also be there.
"I guess that thing must have closed after we were 'swallowed' by it." Tycho reasoned. " So the fleet returned..."
"Tych...that doesn't make sense..." The other man countered. "Why would they run back here, and risk the whole fleet?"
"Well, what do you want me to say, Wes? I know as much as you do! I don't know why they came back...let's just get ourselves back to HQ, if you don't mind. " His frustration was quite audible. If there was something he hated, was being in a situation that didn't make sense.
"Maybe we're the ones who are on the other side, you know? We had Endor behind us when we left, and now it's right smacked in front of us!"
"One thing doesn't add up to your reasoning Wes. These are the exact coordinates, to the micron, of where we were to begin with...I don't know what to tell you..." Tycho grumbled.
"Rogue Two, Home One Control here. "The same female voice from before crackled on Tycho's comm. "Do you mind informing us of just you guys came from? "
Home One Control, Rogue Two..."Tycho sighed. "It's a long story, and we're not sure of what just happened ourselves..."
"Not the best explanation, Captain. Stand fast as we deploy an escort to bring you aboard."
"I'm sorry...bring us aboard? Why?" The Alderaanian inquired.
"Because, Captain...the last you checked in with Control, you two were heading groundside with the rest of your squadron. So, unless you can explain to me how both of you managed to take off and reach space without any briefing or authorization, and how you managed to even escape our sensors, you are being escorted aboard Home One where you can further explain us all of those details!" The controller ordered them.
"What do you mean, going groundside?" Wes bit off. "You saw us being pulled inside that blackhole! You gave the evacuation order! Is this some kind of a joke?"
"I can assure you Lieutenant, this is no joke!" Her voice had a angry tone to it. " I have no idea what you're talking about! There was no blackhole anywhere near, and I can assure you, that you were heading to the Moon. I can replay you the recordings if you wish..."
Wes grumbled in frustration. Just when he thought things couldn't get any weirder, now they were being treated like nothing had happened and escorted aboard the Frigate, under suspicion of...what exactly?
"Wes. "Tycho's voice came through the comm. "Don't make this any more difficult, Ok? I also don't understand what's going on, but let's wait until we're aboard. "
"Aye, aye Captain!" He saluted him, his tone filled with sarcasm.
"Try not to direct you frustrations on me, Ok?" Tycho shook his head, his lips pressed into a fine line. Every single time Wes got annoyed, mad or frustrated, he always thought it to be acceptable to just pour it out on him. "Just because I have a high level of tolerance towards your tantrums, doesn't mean I won't award you with kitchen duty if you keep it up!"
"Sorry..." Wes apologized. "I'm just..."
"I know. But it's still unpleasant." He chided him.
Four X-Wings with markings that Tycho didn't remember seeing before, appeared at their sides.
"Rogue Two, this is Black Spear One. "Said a voice he'd never heard before. A woman's voice with a undulating accent he couldn't quite identify. "Follow our lead into the hangar. "
"Black Spear One, Rogue Two here. We acknowledge. "He answered. " Behave now, Wes!"
"Hey!" He whined, though Tycho felt his squadmate's tone to become a bit more cheerful. "It's me!"
"That's what I'm afraid!" He smirked.
The six starfighters headed to the frigate's hangar, with the first two Black Spear squad's x-wings landing perfectly side by side, followed by Tycho and Wes and the last two fighters.
As the Rogues opened their cockpits to exit their X-Wings, they saw four security officers surrounding General Cracken. The pilots got down and walked towards the General.
Tycho saluted him, followed by Wes. Cracken returned their salute, but his expression was a closed one.
"Gentlemen..." The General sneered at them. "Please hand your ID's to Captain Gies for analysis."
"May I ask why, General?" Tycho inquired.
"Because I would very much like to know exactly who you are." He declared.
"Sir?" Tycho was perplexed. "What do you mean who we are?" He asked pointing at Wes and himself.
Wes looked at Tycho, shrugging and shaking his head. He was as taken aback as the Alderaanian.
"You got yourselves a problem!" Cracken continued. "I see quite clearly in front of me two people who look exactly like Captain Celchu and Lieutenant Janson. But you see? I just came from groundside!" He crossed his arms, throwing them a cold glare. "I was on a briefing with Rogue Squadron...all six of their pilots! Including the two you claim to be!"
The security officers surrounded the baffled pilots, escorting them through the corridors of Home One, until they reached Cracken's office.
As they entered, the General turned on the holocomm on his desk. He inserted the comm number for the Rogues make shift HQ, and Wedge's figure appeared, from the waist up, floating above the desk.
"Commander Antilles. " Cracken spoke to the figure. "Do you mind calling Captain Celchu and Lieutenant Janson?"
"Of course, General!" They saw him turning to call someone. "Wes, Tych. Come here just a sec."
In the office, Tycho and Wes were utterly confused with their current situation, but when two figures appeared on the place that Wedge's figure, they couldn't help but gasping and staring in disbelief...
Floating above the General's desk, were two very familiar figures...speaking with very familiar voices...
Tycho and Wes found themselves staring at themselves!
On the other side of the holocomm, somewhere on the surface of Endor there was another Tycho Celchu and another Wes Janson!
And the two figures also stared confused as Airen Cracken ordered them to come forward, and came in full view of the other pair of pilots.
Both pairs looked at each other and then at their counterparts...
"You can see my reasons for not believing you, gentlemen." Cracken stated. "Maybe now it would be a good time for you to offer me an explanation!"
Tycho swallowed hard, still trying to make sense of it all. And Wes didn't look much better than him!
"I have no explanation for this, General!" Tycho pointed at the other pilots' image on the holocomm. "I am who I claim to be! And believe me, this..." He pointed at Wes. "...is Lieutenant Janson! I only have one theory...it's far fetched and no one has been able to come forward with any serious scientific evidence...but it's the only thing I can think of!"
"You have my attention!" Cracked snarled him.
"Like I said, we are exactly who we claim to be." Tycho tried to explain. "But so are they!" He pointed again at the holocomm.
"Well, thanks!" Wes' voice came through the holocomm, while the other Tycho gave him an amused look. "I was having identity issues, so thanks for clearing that one up!"
"I do hope you're going somewhere with your line of reasoning..." Cracken warned him.
Raking his fingers through his hair, the Alderaanian stared into the General's eyes.
"Ever heard of the Parallel Universes Theory?"
All eyes turned to him...
This was going to be more complicated than he'd expected!