Chapter 2

The Black Hole

Author's Note: I noticed that my story didn't get any reviews for the first chapter a few days after I posted. Well, I'm not giving up. Even though I didn't have any reviews or faves or whatever, my friends have always told me never give up, so I won't. Also, this chapter takes place about seven years after the last chapter so be prepared for Trevor to have… changed. He now goes by the name Omega too, so that is how I will address his 'POV' from now on.

Barriss POV

"So, remind me again… what are we doing at the edge of the galaxy?" I asked.

The Council had requested that Ahsoka, Skywalker, Kenobi, Master, and I be sent to the outer reaches of the galaxy to search for something. What was this thing? I didn't know because I hadn't been paying attention during the briefing. Why hadn't I been paying attention? Because Ahsoka had been making faces at Skywalker the entire time.

"Master Yoda felt a large energy source near the brink so he sent us to check it out," Ahsoka said, checking the controls for any sources of life. "But there isn't anything out here."

Skywalker said, "Let me check, Snips."

Kenobi stroked his beard thoughtfully. "Maybe the source has moved on?"

"Or it could be cloaking itself?" Master said in response.

"Ahsoka was right. There's nothing out here," Skywalker said, letting Ahsoka sit back down in her co-pilot seat. "I agree with Obi-Wan. It's probably moved on. We should just contact Master Yoda and tell him that nothing is here."

"Barriss, can you try and make contact with the Council?" Master asked.

I nodded and entered the com-number into the system. Seconds later, the images of the Council members appeared on the holo-board.

I stepped aside so that Master and Obi-Wan could speak. "Masters, it would seem as though the energy source that you detected has moved away," Luminara said.

"Troubling, this is," Master Yoda replied, stroking his chin. "A large power source, this was. Continue your search elsewhere, you must. Find this power, we shall."

"Yes, Master-"Luminara cut off as the images of the Council started flickering rapidly. "Masters, what's going on?"

"Lose… signal… find…" were the last words any of us were able to here as the signal cut off and we were engulfed in utter darkness as the power shut off.

A few moments later, the lights came back on and everyone went into a panic. Skywalker and Kenobi went into a systems check, while Luminara and Ahsoka tried to regain control of the ship.

"What the heck just happened, Ahsoka?" Skywalker asked, his voice an octave higher than normal.

"I don't know, Master! I'm trying to figure that out for myself!"

I was checking out the life support system when I happened to look out the cockpit window and saw the thing that had probably caused our problem.

"You guys might wanna look out the window," I said, still looking outside.

They all looked out there and their jaws just about dropped to the ground because only about a kilometer away was a black hole.

"I'm guessing that that's the source of power we were looking for," Skywalker said, his eyes widening.

Ahsoka shook her head, lekku swaying with her. "I can't sense anything coming from the black hole and the scanners keep saying that it's not there. But there's something else wrong here. This black hole isn't registered in the charts."

"Nevertheless, we should probably turn around," Luminara said and Ahsoka nodded. She tried to turn the ship, but the handles wouldn't comply with the ship and we didn't turn.

"Ahsoka, you heard Master Unduli. Turn the ship around."

"I'm trying, Master! But no matter how hard I turn the controls, the ship just doesn't comply!" she said, jerking the controls back though nothing happened.

"It's like the black hole is calling us," I said, making everyone eye me warily.

"What do you mean?" Kenobi asked, curiosity getting the better of him.

"Well, think about it. This is an uncharted black hole that isn't showing up on the scanners and has no energy in the Force. It's obviously a sign," I concluded.

"I don't think that we even have a choice anymore," Ahsoka said breathlessly. "We just entered into its pull of gravity and since we have no control over the ship, we're going through it either way."

We all grabbed hold of something as we drifted closer and closer to the swirling mass of darkness. The ride became rougher and soon, it was throwing almost all of us against the walls.

"Here we go!" Kenobi said and we plunged into the massive hole.

At first, there was darkness. When I was youngling, one of teachers taught us about black holes. They had told us that they pretty much absorbed all sources of light and I was experiencing it firsthand.

"Hold on!" someone yelled, but I couldn't tell who it was.

I must've had my eyes closed because after what seemed like hours, Ahsoka said, "Barriss, you can open your eyes, now. We've exited the black hole."

I let the lids of my eyes open as a collection of planets entered my view. There were probably about nine of them and about half of them were separated from the other half by a large asteroid belt. The one that caught my attention the most, though, was a huge sphere of what seemed to be orange gas. It had a very large eye of red gas in it that resembled what my master called a 'typhoon'.

"Master, where are we?" Skywalker said.

Obi-Wan ran a hand through his hair. "I honestly don't know, Anakin. The black hole seems to have taken us to a different system."

"More like a different galaxy," I said. "We were at the Brink and I've heard old smuggler tales that talk about black holes and wormholes being a method of transportation. I have a feeling that the black hole did more than just get in the way of our mission."

Everyone looked at me warily. I shrugged and added, "Well, it's not like I'm gonna try and convince someone that we're not thousands of light-years away from home. I know almost all of the systems in our galaxy and this is obviously isn't one of them."

Master nodded and said, "My padawan is right. The black hole seems to have transported us to a different galaxy, one that hasn't been charted."

"I say that we check it out," Skywalker said, a thrilled smile creeping onto his face. "We might as well learn about this galaxy since we have some time on our hands. Snips, what's the nearest planet that we can land on?"

Ahsoka did some calculations with the ship's instruments and finally answered, "Well, the nearest place to land would be that small, crimson planet over there, but it has a very thin atmosphere. In fact, the only planet in this system seems to be that blue and green planet to the right of it. According to my readings it has a breathable atmosphere, oceans, forests, jungles, cities, deserts, and a lot of people."

She looked at all of us when she said, "Maybe we can find some people that can tell us where we are!"

"Well, seeing that the planet has the only breathable atmosphere in the system, we'll head there," Master said, but suspicion evident in her voice. "Barriss, remember when you said that the black hole was calling us? Well, I didn't want to believe it, but now I that feeling in the pit of my gut that we just might embarking on an adventure within an adventure."

An adventure within an adventure?

I shrugged my shoulders and decided to go with what my master said, not knowing that it would soon lead us to a new ally.

Omega (Trevor) POV

I rounded the corner of the alley, making my way to the Underground. I passed by Old Lady McGregor's house and she was outside, knitting scarves for the men at the soup kitchen once again, even though she should've been in the nursing home.

"Hey, Ms. McGregor!" I called, waving to the kind old lady.

She looked up and smiled, revealing her missing teeth and said, "How're you doing today, Omega?"

"Fine, thanks for asking," I said, giving her the meth that she wanted. "You know, meth is pretty bad for ya, Ms. McGregor! I suggest that you skip out this time."

She shook her head. "As you young folk used to say, yolo! And my days are numbered, Omega! It'll only be awhile till this old body is in the grave!"

She started cackling and just snatched the meth out my hands. I shrugged and walked on towards my "office".

On the way there, I passed a Williams and Raleigh Publishing Store and I forced myself to look away. I had long since left my family, but the sight of my father's old company still pained me.

Ashley…

I tried to focus on what I would be doing at work instead of my old friend. She was way more than a friend…

Shaking the thought away, I tried to concentrate on the task beforehand. Hmm, let's see. Well, we obviously have to sell drugs to the junkie's, maybe do some small burglaries for my clients, and possibly contact John and see if there are any contracts available.

My life hadn't been a good one since I was eight, but I guess that it was better now than it was when I was thirteen. I mean, it's always a better life when you're a drug dealer and a mercenary instead of your own father's sex slave, right?

But I'll admit, it's not much better when you have the amount responsibilities that I have…

Looking up to the heavens, I whispered, "I swear, when I get my hands on you, you're going to be a dead woman, Ashley! Even though you already are gone…"

I swear that I heard her laughter through the clouds, but then a felt a ripple in the fabric of the universe. Time seemed to stop for me and I stopped dead in my tracks. I listened to the signals around me and I finally came to the conclusion that something-or someone-had arrived on the Earth and whoever they were, had a strong presence.

I was close to tracking down the power source when it disappeared. I wrinkled my eyebrows together, angry that I hadn't been able to put my abilities to use. I started walking again, headed toward my stall.

Oh, another thing. Before I had left my old life behind, I had discovered something that would change my life forever. I was Force-sensitive, like the Jedi I used to watch on my TV screen.

Barriss POV

"Prepare for landing," Skywalker said to Ahsoka, who set the ship down smoothly. I surveyed the new landscape and raised my eyebrows.

It was a large and dense forest that contained many trees and shade. I saw some animals surveying our ship and coming just a little closer. One of the animals had thin fur and a bushy, small tail. It had antlers and was about four feet at the shoulder.

"So, are we going to get out and explore?" Ahsoka asked, a hint of excitement and curiosity in her tone. She looked up to Skywalker, who grinned.

"Sure! Let's go!" he said and both got up from their seats.

"Now, hold on, you two!" Kenobi remarked, raising a hand and making them stop.

They both looked over at him and asked, "What?"

"We need to establish some rules, first," he said, and they both looked dejected, which brought about a humorous smile on my face. "First of all, don't reveal to anyone that we're Jedi. Second, if you come into contact with any of the people of this planet, get as much information out of them as you can. This is an uncharted planet and we need to learn as much as possible. Third, absolutely no kind of stealing or hijacking of any sort of vehicle or weapon."

His eyes went straight to Ahsoka, who mockingly gasped and said, "Why do you always think that I'm gonna steal something?"

"Because you've had a history of hijacking vehicles inside and outside of missions," Kenobi said, and Master and I tried to cover up a laugh. "Now, we will all rendezvous back here in about two hours. Everyone take these comlinks. I've programmed them to the same channel." He held out his palm and revealed the communication devices.

We all took one and Ahsoka grabbed me by the hand. "Come on, Barriss! Let's go!"

We exited the ship and immediately set off at a run. We soon made our way out of the woods and I saw lights coming from what looked to be a city.

I pointed toward it and said, "Ahsoka, look."

She turned towards there and grinned. "Finally! I was beginning to wonder when we would find some people! Now, come on! They must have some food there!"

I rolled my eyes as she ran off, but I followed and soon, we were on the outskirts of the city. I gazed up at the buildings which were, to my disappointment, very short and tiny compared to the ones on Coruscant.

"Huh, it's not like Coruscant, right Barriss?" Ahsoka said, reading my thoughts and elbowing me in the ribs.

I nodded and said, "That's for sure."

We set off a jog once again and finally arrived in what looked to be the slums of the city. I looked in disgust at an old man as he barbarically devoured a piece of molded bread. "These people obviously don't take of their cities," Ahsoka remarked, distancing herself from the hobo.

"Well, you have remember Ahsoka, some people can't afford nice homes and clothes," I said. But when I saw a scantily clad woman lead a man toward an apartment building, I added, "Though some people could at least have the dignity to earn their money through, err… non-promiscuous ways."

We both nodded and started walking again. A few moments later though, Ahsoka said, "Hey Barriss, why are these people giving us weird looks?"

"Maybe we have something on faces?" I said, though it came out as more of a question. I honestly had no idea why they were looking at us weirdly. Then, I noticed that we hadn't seen any kind of species other than humans. "Um... Ahsoka, I think that they don't like us because we're not human."

"What?" Ahsoka asked, her voice taking on a more frustrated tone. "So, you're saying that this entire planet is basically racist?"

"No! What I'm saying is that I don't think that they've ever seen something besides a human!" I whispered harshly.

Ahsoka scoffed and replied, "That's almost impossible Barriss! There are thousands of different species in the universe! How could they have not ever seen a Togruta or Mirialan?"

I was about to answer her question when a man screamed, "Aliens! Over there!" He pointed at us and yelled, "Someone call the government!"

People started screaming and crying out and some people tried to rush us. I nodded to Ahsoka and took off running through the city. As we descended deeper into the town, the buildings became taller and nicer. The sidewalks started to have less cracks and weeds in them.

We were out of breath as we finally turned around and I said, placing my hands on my knees and taking deep breaths, "I think that we finally lost them."

Suddenly, a bright light shined down on us and a loud voice said, "Unidentified persons, please get down on your knees and place your hands in the air. If you do not follow, we will be forced to use lethal force."

"Do they mean us?" Ahsoka asked.

I shrugged and looked up just in time to see a man converse with another man and they started pulling out their guns. Ahsoka and I exchanged glances.

Once again, we took off, heading toward someplace where we could hide, but then she scream. She tumbled forward, blood squirting from her leg.

I gasped and rushed over to her, but then a projectile hit me in the shoulder. I stared in shock as the wound began to bleed.

What kind of ammo are they using? Usually blasters cauterize the wound just like lightsabers, so why is my arm spewing blood?

Another grazed my knee and I finally got out of my shock. The full force of the pain in my arm came to me and I fell onto my knees, grasping my shoulder and trying desperately to stop the flow of blood.

The last thing that I remembered was the sound of sirens and the glare off blue lights as I entered the realm that many know as unconsciousness.

Omega POV

I was finishing up the work day when I got a call from Raven, the leader of the X's. The X's were basically the local gang that had x-ed themselves out of society, thus the name.

I answered my phone and asked, "What is it, Raven?"

"What, no hello? Come on, Omega! We've been friends since your were fourteen, remember? I was the one who helped you out when you needed work to support you and your girlfriend!"

I winced at the mention of Ashley, but replied, "Hey, Raven. How are you?"

"I don't have time for chit-chat, Omega! I need you to do an assignment for me!"

I sighed. Sometimes that woman can be so bipolar…

"What's the contract?" I asked, running a hand through my brown hair.

"Well, there was an incident in Miami earlier today," she started off. "Apparently, my contacts there say that it was some kind of aliens roaming around the place. Anyway, they've been captured by the government and now, they're trying to do this big cover-up about the whole thing."

"Cut to the chase, Raven!"

"Alright! What I need you to do is break into Area 51 and snap some pictures of the aliens."

My jaw dropped the floor and I remarked, "Are you crazy?! Area 51 is one of the most high-level security bases in the world! I would get killed if I tried to sneak in there!"

"Yeah, but a buddy of mine is on leave from the military and he just happened to be a high-clearance security guard at Area 51, so he can lend you his uniform."

I sighed and leaned back against the brick wall. "I have a headache."

"Oh, don't be a wimp! You've done way more dangerous stuff than take a few pictures of some aliens," she replied harshly.

"Why do you need those pictures, anyway?"

"There are some things that I want from the government, things that only they have access to. If they're to cover this whole alien thing up, it must be pretty important. With these pictures and the right amount of persuasion, I could all the resources that I need for at least ten years."

I contemplated this. Well if this thing works out, I could all the financing from Raven that I needed to last for awhile… Plus, I'll have the uniform and a gun if anything goes wrong and I need to shoot my way out of there. Besides, it's only a few pictures…

"I want twenty percent of the profit that you make and a home in the suburbs," I demanded. "I would also like for you pay for a scholarship to North Greenville University in South Carolina."

"That it?"

"Uh… yeah, pretty much!" I said, looking at the sun as it set. The pastel colors reminded me of the last day that I had spent with Ashley before everything went wrong.

When I get to heaven, I am going to get that girl…

"Okay, you've got yourself a deal. By the way, the pictures are due in two days. Your disguise will be waiting at your house in the morning. Now get some rest, Omega. You're gonna need it."

The call ended and I gathered my things. I set off down the street with aliens and cameras on my mind.

Author's Note: I hope to get some reviews on this chapter, but I guess that's up to you guys. Anyway, review, or fave this story, or follow it… whatever!