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Chapter Text

In War, there is no substitute for victory.

-Douglas MacArthur

Star Wars

The Chosen One

War rages the galaxy. The RESISTANCE

prepares to launch a major strike to

finish the last REMNANTS OF THE EMPIRE

after Palpatine's death thirty years ago.

JOHN SMITH, a knight of Revan, gives his

final lessons to his apprentice, REY, so

she can be ready to face the leader of the

Remnant, DARTH CAEDUS.

However, mysterious forces beyond under-

standing of the physical realm prepare to

change the course of the war and Smith's

future beyond the border of the known

universe...

Chapter Text

On the home world of the dragons, John Smith was observing his apprentice, Rey, as she was going through a training course he made for her to train on. The final portion involved six training droids that fired laser beams, however they wouldn't kill anything they fired at. After taking out five of the six, Rey struggled to take out the last one. She became more and more frustrated as it dodged her attack and fired at her. Growling in anger, she threw her lightsaber at it and cut it down. However, as the lightsaber was flying around, it flew pass her and into Smith's hand.

"Enough," he said. "You failed the test."

"The probe won't stay still," Rey said. "It-"

"This wasn't a timed event, Rey. This was a lesson in self-control. For you to control your emotion and not the other way around. Let emotions control you, you will lose focus. Focus is something you can't lose when you're in a fight with the enemy."

Rey sighed. "I understand, master."

"I hope you do."

Smith heard his commlink chiming. He took it and pressed a button on it.

"This is Smith," he said.

"Smith, it's Dameron," said the voice of Poe Dameron. "General Organa has called a meeting with the high ranking officers. She wants you and Rey there too."

"Copy that. Smith out."

***

In the Resistance command center, General Leia Organa was going over the mission plan. It involved striking the main base of the Imperial Remnant on Christophsis, where a new army for the Remnant was being formed and Darth Caedus resided.

During the meeting, Smith was listening here and there, feeling more concerned about Rey and her training. She wasn't yet ready for the fight at hand, but he knew that life could sometimes change that almost overnight. He had lived for almost a century now and didn't know how much longer he had left, if there was much time left.

Life is a gift.

Smith looked behind him, but there was no one next to him. Whose voice did that belong to?

Continue to live. I be waiting for you on the other side.

It suddenly dawn in Smith's mind who it was.

"Aayla," he whispered to himself.

"Are you okay?" someone asked.

Smith turned and saw a female Mandalorian on his other side. She wore beskar armor with colors of yellow, black, and white.

"Do I know you?" he asked.

The Mandalorian removed her helmet. "Sasha Wren. We meet on Lothal thirty years ago."

"Ah, yes. How could I forget? So, how have things been?"

"Mostly fighting on the frontlines. You?"

"Training an apprentice mostly. Though she is a tough one."

"She?"

"Her name is Rey and she is quite the mystery."

"And is she also your lover?"

Smith set his eyes hard at Sasha. "No, because she is way too young for a man that's been alive for a century. Also, she seems to like a young Resistance soldier, Finn. He's closer in age with her."

"Excuse me, General Smith," a young man said.

"Hey, Finn, what's been going on?"

"Yeah, there are some men outside that want to see you."

"Who?"

"I don't know, but they don't look like they want to fool around."

"Okay."

He looked back at Sasha.

"See you later?"

"Here's hoping."

***

Smith stepped out of the command center and found some men in what appeared like they were in Republic police gear, but the colors were all wrong.

"John Smith?" said the one in the front of the group.

"Who's asking?" he asked. "Because if this is about some crime that happened, I'm the wrong guy to come to. For one, that's not my profession, and second, I've never covered up a crime either."

The men took out devices that looked like batons with electric points at the end.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Look, I know you guys are just doing a job, but we're currently planning the biggest strike against the Remnant and I plan to be there when it goes down."

The men turned on the electric points on the batons.

"Easy, guys. Look, if you can hold off on whatever it is you want with me for the next seventy-two hours, I'll gladly offer you my help. Sound good?"

"I really don't like you right now," the man said.

"To be fair, the feeling is mutual, which really doesn't happen a lot with me."

Suddenly, a blue round portal opened up behind Smith and someone pulled him through it.

***

Smith woke up sitting in a chair at a table. He was in a dimly lit room and there was a man in a 21st century light gray suit with a white shirt and navy tie with white lines going down it.

"Mr. Smith," he said. "So glad you're awake now."

"I wasn't asleep," Smith said. "Who are you?"

"My name is Quantico. Mr. Quantico. You're in the realm between realms, where time and space have no effect on."

"You mean Heaven? You an angel?"

"Not exactly. I am a Celestial, a guardian of the timelines of the War-torn Galaxy in the universe."

"The Milky Way Galaxy?"

"No, that is the Main Galaxy that the TVA oversees. We oversee this one and all the timelines that take place in this galaxy."

"And I did something that you guys didn't like, which is way I'm here?"

"No, this has nothing to do with anything you've done, but what is going to happen." Snapping his fingers, Quantico finished, "Walk with me."

Chapter Text

Quantico guided Smith to a massive room where six giant monitor hanged on one wall. Smith looked around and realized he was walking on a raised platform above an area where other Celestials were going about their business.

"You've been selected, Mr. Smith," Quantico said as they walked. "For what reason, I don't know. But my superiors told me to pull you out of your timeline and send you to a new one."

"What about my friends?" Smith asked. "I can't just abandoned them."

"Unfortunately, your friends' fates are sealed, I'm afraid."

"What do you mean?"

Quantico pointed to one of the monitors and there was a white line on the screen that was slowly turning black from right to left.

"That is your timeline," Quantico explained. "And that is what happens to a universe when a Chosen One dies and isn't replaced."

"Chosen One?" Smith asked. "You mean... Anakin Skywalker?"

"Ah, yes. The Chosen One. The one who's own sacrifice sent shivers, not just in your timeline, but in all timelines in the War-Torn Galaxy."

"So, how long does my timeline have?"

"Under normal circumstances, several thousand years."

"Okay-"

"But 'normal circumstances' aren't good enough. Not for me."

"What are you talking about?"

"See, I've been tasked with overseeing the end of your timeline, but I will most certainly not waste my life away so easily."

"Yeah, you've lost me."

Quantico pointed to a screen as it changed to show some people working on a device in what appeared to be inside a Remnant base.

"What is that?" Smith asked.

"That is a Timeline Exterminator Accelerator," Quantico said. "Or TEA, if you want."

"Yeah. I probably could have come up with a better name and title, but I can't think of one right now."

"No matter. This machine will make the process fast and painless. Your friends will be like, 'hey, what's that? Ugh.' Just like that."

Smith thought quickly about the situation. His galaxy lacked a Chosen One and he knew a probable way to fix that.

"Okay."

"Okay, what?" Quantico asked.

"Whatever it was you need me for, I'll do it."

"Great."

"And by 'it', I mean finding Anakin Skywalker after I brake your nose."

Smith punched Quantico square in the nose, grabbed the device in his hand, and walked through a blue portal that he made.

"Find him," Quantico said as he held his nose. "FIND HIM!"

***

Smith walked out of the portal and grabbed an ax that nearly hit him in the head. He handed the ax back to the one who threw it.

"Good throw," he complemented. "Anakin!"

There he was: Anakin Skywalker. He was at the end of a table in a pub on Coruscant.

"I need you to come with me, now."

"Who's asking?" Skywalker asked.

He got out of his sit and Smith noticed he was only four feet, seven inches tall.

"Oh," he said. "I was expecting you to be taller than that. You know what, I'm going to go now."

Smith opened another portal and went through it.

***

Smith walked out of the portal and found himself in a swamp nearly a stone structure.

"This looks like Yavin IV," he said.

He heard feet approaching him and he saw Skywalker appear.

"Okay, right height. Though you seem to be okay walking around shirtless. Wait, didn't you fight Asajj Ventress looking like this?"

Smith heard a pair of lightsabers activate behind him.

"Yeah, I'm going to leave now."

He activated a portal and walked through it.

***

Smith walked out of the portal and looked around.

"The Jedi Temple," he said to himself. "Though I'm in the hanger."

He saw Skywalker working on his Jedi fighter.

"Mechanic, pilot. Yeah, that's the whole package there. Actually, from behind, you look like the actor Paul... HOLY CRAP!"

Smith noticed Skywalker looked different from what he remembered.

"Dang, son, you look like Paul Walker. The Walker-Skywalker. I know he died nearly three centuries ago, but, wow, you look just like him."

"You were just leaving," Skywalker said.

"Actually, my timeline is in j-"

Skywalker force pushed Smith into another portal before he could finish.

***

Smith crashed into a pool table and one of the player was going to hit him, but he quickly grabbed the man's jaw.

"Oh, interesting," he said as he saw Skywalker at the front of the bar. "Beat it, bub."

Smith threw the man against the wall, rendering him unconscious.

"Again," Skywalker said as he placed his empty glass down.

"I told you that you're not welcomed here," the bartender said sternly. "Now, get out of my bar."

"Just give me one more drink and then I'll leave."

"That's not have this works."

"It does now," Smith said as he leaned on the bar. "Leave the bottle."

"Do I know you?" Skywalker asked.

"Nope, but I know you."

"Yeah, everybody knows me. I'm Anakin Skywalker."

"Yeah, I said that I already know. By the way..."

Smith looked at a pamphlet laying on the bar.

"...What are you doing in a bar in Knoxville, Tennessee, in 1977? You seem to be a long way from home."

"I know."

Skywalker took the bottle and drank it down.

"How many drinks has he had?" Smith asked the bartender.

"Too many," he said.

When Skywalker finished, he fell out of his chair and on the ground, unconscious.

"Well, I guess you'll do just fine," Smith said.

He drank down a glass of brandy and was about to pull Skywalker up, but stopped when he noticed that he wore something under his shirt.

"Hmm, interesting."

***

Back in the Celestial plain, Quantico saw a blue portal appear and Smith walking in with a unconscious Anakin Skywalker in to.

"This Anakin Skywalker is just right," Smith said. "Like the suit he has. Looks like a combination of his Clone Wars outfit and Darth Vader's. Very cool."

"I don't understand," Quantico said in confusion.

"Well, my universe lacks a Chosen One. I brought Anakin Skywalker, the Chosen One. Problem solved."

Quantico scoffed. "Really? You think you can just pull a Chosen One out of a timeline and place it in yours, with this? I wouldn't have accepted any Chosen One, but you have outdone yourself by bringing me the worst one of the Chosen Ones."

"What are you talking about."

"Mr. Smith, this Anakin Skywalker let down his entire galaxy. He's the stuff of legends, but not in a good way. He abandoned everything: his destiny, his order, and his galaxy to a horrible fate."

"Okay. So, how can I fix this?"

"I gave you the opportunity and you broke my nose."

"I'm sure it will be fine."

"Your universe is dying."

Quantico stopped to take a bit out of a sandwich he was holding.

"The humane thing to do is to end it."

"Is the idea of my universe dying make you peck-ish?"

"I'm eating my feelings."

"Oh, please, spare me your feelings. You put me in this situation because you ran your mouth about your TEA machine and the fact that my universe lacks a Chosen One because that wining, little brat from fifty years ago died..."

Smith had a strange feeling pass through him.

"...And he's standing right behind me, isn't he?"

Quantico nodded.

Smith turned around and saw Skywalker standing there.

"I'll be with you in a moment."

Turning back to Quantico, Smith continued.

"Now, I want to speak to your boss and explain to him or her, or they, because you might have more than one boss, that John Frederick William Benjamin Xavier Smith isn't going to stand for this."

When Quantico kept silent, Smith looked at the other people in the room.

"I sense something," Smith said. "A feeling called... fear. Your boss doesn't know what your doing here. You've gone rogue. Okay, change of plans, I'm going up stairs and telling your boss what your doing here. And, boys, that's going to be enough for you to bur-"

Smith suddenly vanished into nothing when Quantico touched him with a baton.

"Ah, that's better," he said.

"What did you to him?" Skywalker asked.

"I sent him to the garbage dump. You'll fit right in."

Skywalker charged at Quantico, but he vanished into nothing.

"That was close," Quantico said with a sigh

Chapter Text

Smith was on his back and in a daze. He saw a bright light like he was staring at a sun. He heard someone walking toward him. As his vision cleared up, he recognized Skywalker standing over him.

"Don't just stand there, bub," he said. "Give me a hand up."

Skywalker merely raised his hands and two lightsabers activated, one blue and one green.

"On second thought, I'm okay," Smith said frantically. "Thank you very much."

Just as he was finishing, Skywalker charged at Smith. However, Smith quickly dodge the strike and rolled along the ground, dodging more strikes. He hit Skywalker with his heel and got back on his feet.

"Where the heck are we?" Skywalker asked as he rubbed his chin.

"I don't know," Smith replied. "Looks post-apocalyptic in setting. If it was on Tatooine."

"Joker."

Skywalker charged again and Smith dodged, followed by a kick to the gut.

"Did you not hear what Quantico said?" Smith asked. "If we don't stop him, my galaxy is gone."

"Not my problem," Skywalker said as he walked off.

"Oh, yeah? Is that what you said when you let your galaxy go to crap?"

Skywalker stopped and turned around. "Come again?"

"He told me about you, said that you abandoned your galaxy and everyone there. Besides, you thank me for getting you out of that place-"

Hearing a lightsaber activate, Smith dodged and elbowed Skywalker in the stomach. However, he couldn't prevent Skywalker from force pushing him through a stone wall and into the remains of a X-wing.

"Ah, Red Five," Smith said when he looked at the markings. "Haven't seen you since Ahch-To."

When he got on his feet again, he saw Skywalker standing just two yards away.

"Listen, I don't want to fight you, Anakin. I don't care what it was you did. I just need your help."

"Yeah?" Skywalker said as he activated his lightsabers. "Well, I don't really care."

Smith sighed. "Okay, it's your funeral."

Skywalker charged and Smith dodged, but this time he activated his indigo blade on his lightsaber. Smith blocked a strike on his left and used force lightning to block a strike from the right. He leaped over Skywalker and landed behind him, but Skywalker quickly disarmed Smith and struck. However, Smith used the force to stop the blades from finishing the final blow.

"Look, maybe they can fix it," Smith said.

"Fix what?" Skywalker asked as he lowered his weapons.

"Those freaks from the Celestial plain, they have the power to destroy my galaxy. However, if they can do that, then maybe they have the power fix yours. But we have to get back there to find out."

Skywalker gave it some thought and deactivated his weapons.

"Hey!" someone shouted.

Smith and Skywalker saw someone in a hood on the belly of what appeared to be the remains of a AT-AT walker.

"If we fight each other," the hooded figure continued. "We lose."

"Uh, hi," Smith said. "Look, we don't want trouble, but if you can, any help would be appreciated."

"They're coming."

"Who's they?"

Coming over a hill, a group of speeders hovered toward them. The hooded figure jumped off the walker and stood between the speeders and the force users.

"I've got this," he said as he removed his hood.

"Okay," Smith said.

"Well, well, well," said one of the bikers, an Imperial inquisitor. "The boss is going to love this. It's probably best to not run."

The man pulled out a heavy blaster and fired, but the inquisitor activated his lightsaber and deflected the blaster bolts. When the blaster overheated, the inquisitor forced the man into a pile of debris.

"We don't know who that was," Skywalker said.

"But I know you," one of the bikers said.

"Holy crap," Smith gasped. "That's Darth Vader."

"Who?" Skywalker asked.

"He's you. Corrupted by the dark side."

Vader got off his bike and stood just a few feet from Skywalker.

"Have you come to destroy me, Skywalker?" Vader asked.

Skywalker's only reply was activating his green lightsaber.

"So be it."

Vader activated his lightsaber and charged. Skywalker charged and removed Vader's head from his body, which collapsed on the ground.

"Well, that was anti-climatic," Smith said.

"Who's next?" Skywalker asked.

"Maul!" the inquisitor shouted. "Your next."

Maul activated a giant magnetic and Smith and Skywalker was pulled toward it. A small turbo engine was pulled in and slammed into them, making everything go black.

***

When Smith came to, he was tied up in heavy chains in a cage that was being pulled by one of the speeder bikes. He saw Skywalker and the hooded man in separate cages.

"How long was I out?" Smith asked.

"Not long," Skywalker replied.

Smith tried to break the chains, but, for some reason, he wasn't able to.

"Don't try it," the hooded man said. "Those chains are bawd with magic. You won't break them with mere physical strength."

"Who are you?" Skywalker asked.

"My name is Canderous Ordo of Mandalore."

"Where are we?"

"I have no idea, but Jolee Bindo believed that it's a purgatory of sorts. Basically, this is were the Celestials send all the trash to be disposed. There is a resistance, a group of wonderers in the Badlands in the western section."

"These others could help us get back to the Celestial plain and restore my galaxy."

"Us?" Smith asked.

Ordo chuckled.

"What's so funny?" Skywalker asked.

"She might have something to say about that," Ordo said.

"Who's 'she'?"

"See, in purgatory, you're either killed for good or you work for her."

Chapter Text

About an hour later, the speeder bikes headed toward a ruined structure of the Death Star along a canyon. The gates to the structure opened and the speeders hovered in. After they stopped, they took their prisoners out and in the center of the court.

"Oh, so that's where the Death Star went," Smith said.

"Hey, I'd shut up if I were you," a scoundrel told him. "The boss doesn't like all the noise."

"Good to know."

A door within the structure opened and a figure was coming out of the darkness within.

"Please, tell that isn't Palpatine?" Smith asked.

"I don't think that's Palpatine," Skywalker said.

Soon, the figure became more clearer. It was a woman, though she was very disfigured. Her mouth was so wide that her teeth were showing. Her eyes were trunked to the point that they appeared like small stars. Her hands had three tentacles instead of fingers. Her hair was white and went down to her waist. She moved, not like she was walking, but like she was floating off the ground.

"Sweet mother of pearl," Smith gasped. "I don't even want to know what parents thought that was a good pairing."

"Anakin Skywalker," the woman said. "I was wondering if the Celestials would send one of you here. After the events on Mortis, I thought I never have the opportunity to see you."

"Wait, you know the Mortis gods?"

"Yes. They were my family, or the closest thing to a family I ever had."

"And you are..."

"I am Abeloth. The Mother."

Smith was confused. "No way. I was there on Mortis, though I forgot what happened for a long time, and you were never mentioned."

"Of course, because they imprisoned me in a black hole for thousands of years. When they died, I escaped and was left unchecked. However, I was imprisoned again in a lake before the Celestials took me and placed me here."

Abeloth moved a hand and the chains fell off Smith and Skywalker.

"And I've been after this Mandalorian for a long time. Isn't that right, Canderous? Oh, you've said some very disturbing things about me, haven't you?"

"What's she talking about?" Skywalker asked.

"I don't know," Ordo said.

"Oh, I think you do," Abeloth said.

In less than a second, the flesh on Ordo vanished and his skeleton collapsed onto the ground.

"Holy crap," Smith said in shock. "Was that necessary?"

"Is that suppose to scare us?" Skywalker asked.

"Well, it scared the Celestials," Abeloth replied. "Otherwise, they would have left me in that lake. But this was the best thing that could happen. I can wield my powers here without shame."

"Because the Mortis gods can't do a darn thing about it?"

"Oh, quite the opposite. I long to have my family back, but with me as the one who controls the balance, like Anakin Skywalker. Did the Jedi really care about the balance? Did they feel safe after the fall?"

"We're Jedi," Skywalker said. "We're never safe."

Skywalker activated his lightsabers, but Abeloth was quicker, forcing him into the air and straight through the laser desk portion of the structure. Abeloth then turned to Smith, who took a step back.

"Hey, I don't want any trouble," Smith said. "I have no beef with you. I just want to go back home."

"Well, truth be told, I could get you."

"Oh, really?"

"But I don't want to."

"Pardon?"

Smith suddenly groaned in pain as tentacles gripped his head. But the pain felt more like the dark side gripping his mind.

"I know it hurts," Abeloth whispered in his ear. "But it's something I've learned a long time ago. Besides, I like getting my hands dirty."

"I don't like the sound of that," Smith groaned.

"Shh, I've got you."

***

Smith found himself in a cafeteria inside the Resistance base on Dragonworld. He was talking to Rey, though he appeared to be upset about something.

"You're not ready," Smith said. "As it's stands, Darth Caedus is more stronger than you. You need to keep training until you're ready."

"But when will I be ready?" Rey asked.

"You'll know, because I'll know."

"I don't understand."

"You will one day."

"But I can't just stay here training while the rest of the Resistance is out there fighting the Remnant. I should be out there helping win the fight."

"Why? Because you carry a lightsaber? Or because you can use the force?"

"Yes."

"Wrong. Unless you are properly trained, you could do more harm, not just to yourself, but also are friends. Finn, Poe, Ben, Jaina. Even Leia. Do you want that?"

Rey didn't know how to answer.

Smith quietly sighed.

"You're a terrible teacher," Rey said.

Smith's eyes looked at her in surprise. "What?"

"You're a terrible teacher."

As he looked at Rey, her presence appeared to come and go, being replaced by a strange, disfigured woman.

***

"You're a terrible teacher," Abeloth said.

"Rey never said that," Smith groaned.

"No, but I bet she thought it."

Abeloth removed her tentacles from Smith's head.

"Gah, I feel violated," he said.

"You seem lost, Mr. Smith. Is it because of Aayla?"

Smith straightened himself and pulled out his lightsaber. "This was Revan's lightsaber and I'm going to mess you up with it."

"If you plan to kill me, it's going to take more than one lightsaber."

"How about three?"

Suddenly, two lightsaber blades pierced through Abeloth's chest and was raised off the ground. She looked and saw that it was Skywalker who struck her.

"And now the third one," Smith said as he activated his lightsaber through the left side of her head.

However, Abeloth chuckled and used the force to deactivated the lightsabers. She went back on the ground and felt the hole in her head.

"If I wasn't immortal, that would have killed me," she said. "However, I've had enough fun. Boys and girls, go ahead and kill them."

As Abeloth walked off, her goons turned their weapons on Smith and Skywalker. They fired and the force users defended themselves.

"Anakin," Smith said. "We could use one of the TIE fighters to get out of here."

"Good idea," Skywalker said.

Skywalker unleashed a force wave and knocked the goons off their feet. Smith followed him as they got in a TIE fighter and flew off.

"Boss, what do we do?" the inquisitor asked.

"See where they go," she said. "But don't engage them. I have a feeling that they'll be back soon." 

Chapter Text

The TIE-fighter that flew quite the distance from Abeloth's base. It then started to pop smoke from the rear and went to the ground fairly hard. The hatch on top went flying into the air and Smith and Skywalker got out.

"Well, that was confusing," Smith said. "The Mortis gods? I thought there was only three of them."

"Okay, let's set some ground rules," Skywalker said. "Rule one: I talk."

"I don't really talk much-"

"SHUT UP! Let me think. We've got to get back to the Celestial plain, right? Right?"

"Was I suppose to answer that?"

"Just nod."

Smith nodded his head.

"Right. Now, we should look for those others that Ordo mentioned before he got himself killed. If there is a chance that they know how to get out of here, we find them."

"I smell quest."

Skywalker sniffed the air. "I smell gasoline."

Smith and Skywalker looked and saw a gas station in the distance.

***

While Smith sat at a table eating some food, Skywalker was through the items in the store, like he was looking for something specific.

"So, how exactly did you end up on Earth in the 1970s?" Smith asked. "For me, that was over three hundred years ago."

"Have you been checked for ADHD?" Skywalker asked.

"Nope. ADHD was eradicated a decade before I was born."

Skywalker angerly ripped off one of the glass doors of its hinges.

"What are you looking for?" Smith asked.

Skywalker went behind the register desk and took a bottle out of the med kit.

"No, no, no, that's rubbing alcohol," Smith said. "You don't wanna drink that-"

Skywalker drank it anyway.

"-Okay, never mind. Forget the liver."

Skywalker sat on top of the register desk as he drank the rubbing alcohol.

"Y'know, in my world," Smith said. "You're well regarded."

"Not in mine," Skywalker interjected.

"I can tell. I never cared about the attention. Which is kind of funny, because I've been alive for nearly a hundred years and-"

"You're a hundred years old?"

"Almost. I've still got a few months before I get there. You? Anakin Skywalker, the Chosen One. You were a Jedi. No, you were the Jedi. He was a hero in my world."

Skywalker cleared his throat. "Yeah, well, he's nothing in mine."

After drinking the last of the rubbing alcohol, Skywalker threw the bottle onto the ground.

***

Later that day, Smith and Skywalker continued toward the Badlands, going through a graveyard of Republic cruisers and Star Destroyers, with the laser dish of the Death Star partially buried into the side of a plateau.

"You said Anakin Skywalker was a hero in your world," Skywalker said. "What happened?"

"He died," Smith said.

"How?"

"You sacrificed yourself to save your children by throwing Emperor Palpatine out the window."

"Emperor Palpatine?"

"Oh, yeah, Palpatine was the Sith lord that was behind everything, from the Clone Wars and the death of Qui-Gon Jinn."

"You serious?"

"Trust me, I wish I was joking, but it is the truth."

"And my children?"

"Yeah. Luke and Leia. They are your twin children that you had with Padme Amidala."

"Wait, me and Padme were a thing?"

"I'm going to guess that that wasn't a thing in yours. Right?"

"No, though I might've had a crush on her when I was a kid."

"Happens to all of us."

Suddenly, they stopped when they heard a noise in the distance.

"Did you hear that?" Smith asked.

"Yeah, but what was it?" Skywalker wonder.

On the side of a hill, a small dog ran over toward them. It jumped into Smith's arms, who was surprised to see the little rascal in this wasteland.

"Look at this little thing," Smith said. "She's coming with us."

"No, she's not," Skywalker interjected.

"Oh yes, she is."

"Heck, no!"

"Sorry," someone said. "Sorry about that."

Coming over the hill, a man ran toward them.

"Uh, who are you?" Smith asked.

"I'm John Smith," the man said. "Who are you?"

"John Smith."

"Oh, another John Smith. Well, everyone calls me Johnny. Wait until you see my girlfriend."

"Girlfriend?"

"Oh, yeah. Darth Talon. Dang, she hot, especially after have that baby awhile back."

Smith took a silent moment to take that all in. "I didn't need to know that."

"Then you shouldn't have asked," Skywalker said. "Listen, bub, we need to find the ones called the Others, located in the borderlands. Do you know where that is?"

"Oh, sure," Johnny said. "That's twelve clicks west of here. I can lend you my ride if you like. It would be my honor."

"Okay. Where is it?"

"It not far."

***

In the middle of a cornfield, Johnny lead Smith and Skywalker to his ride, which was a car from the 22nd century.

"Holy crap," Smith said. "I haven't seen a car like this in ages."

"Just take care of her," Johnny said.

"Don't worry, bub," Skywalker said.

"First things first, I need my dog back."

"Okay, but here's the thing," Smith said. "You better take better care of this beauty. Otherwise, you probably shouldn't own this little angel."

"As you command, your Honor. It shan't happen again."

Smith gave the dog back to Johnny and he and Skywalker got in the car, with Skywalker in the driver's side. After Johnny waved a good-bye, the car drove off out of the ship graveyard, across a desert, and into a forest region.