The Defenders of Eternity

[John Chris]

*takes deep breath* Ok. Here we go. I'm going to be strong. I'm going to...*trips* Damn it! Ok, I got it.

Chapter 1: Departure

June 2005. One year after the Star Wars.

They say space is silent, and that no one can hear you scream. They are dead wrong. In the asteroid belt, a great battle was being waged. Engines roared like lions as asteroids were shattered by red coherent beams of light. The X-shaped fighters zipped around the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter, one trying to best the other in mortal combat.

One fighter overtook the other, sending a deadly spray of laser bolts into the shields of the other, but the second fighter rolled and dove deeper into the field, using the big rocks as extra shields. The first fighter followed, almost as if she knew the other's every moves. The fighter sniffed around for the second, who seemed to disappear suddenly. Fighter One rounded the asteroid known as Ceres, and flew between two smaller asteroid, only to be ambushed by Fighter Two.

"He's good." The pilot of Fighter One said, and she juked and rolled to shake her enemy off. But her enemy was relentless.

"I have you now!" Pilot Two intoned. He was very close to killing Fighter One and was about to pull the trigger...

"What?!" He suddenly exclaimed, as a third fighter ambushed him from behind another asteroid. His shields overloaded by the rapid fire of his foe and his ship blew apart...

"Gaah!" I shouted, pulling off the simulator helmet. I can't believe I was beaten! Where the hell did he come from?

"You almost made it, John." A girl smirked, coming out of the other simulator. She's Jaina Solo, Jedi and pilot extraordinaire. "You just forgot about Anakin."

A mop of brown hair appeared from a third simulator and flashed the patented Solo grin. "Hey, guys."

I had to laugh. "One Jedi pilot I could take, but two? Fatality."

My name is John Fimont, and I am 16 years old. Last year, I dragged my ass through a nasty little war against the Dark Lord Brakiss, his Demon King ally and their merry minions. Actually, the demons attacked a couple months before Brakiss did, but that's irrelevant now. I was on a martial arts tour/training regimen in Konohagekure, when a sudden attack of demon forces forced me and my pals into a battle we neither wished nor wanted. Thrust into fighting with a bag of a few ninja tricks and a katana that later broke, I had to find my dad and later help him to an air base where he could return to the sky once more in the hot seat of an F-15 Eagle. In the meantime, I met the Solo kids as well as several other friends. Jacen, Jaina and Anakin were shot down over the island country after investigating a growing Dark presence way out here. And that...was just the beginning.

Now, we are aboard the Star Destroyer American Eagle, one of three ships defending the Earth. The other two are the Lion of England and Dragon of Japan, named so because they were the nations that eventually managed to gain victories against the forces of evil. Soon, we will go on a patrol in the Betelguese sector, where suspected pirates were reported. But for now, it was dinnertime.

I raked my hands through my wavy brown-black hair, still dazed at how close I got to winning against Jaina. I grinned, reminding myself how good the Solo kids are, especially when flying and being Jedi are concerned.

As for me, I've been training as a Jedi for over a year now. You see, I have always known that I could feel things before they happen, and later acquired a taste for frying enemies with lightning-based attacks as well as some telekinetic skill. Jacen later contacted his Uncle Luke Skywalker, and, well, the rest is history. In the year since, I grew strong in the Force, and acquired a lightsaber with a sapphire gem. I checked it now, as I went to the mess hall laughing about the recent dogfight with the others.

------

Captain Jacob Weston stared out of the transparisteel bridge windows of his mighty Star Destroyer Mk II, captured after the war. He wears a brand-new Earth Defense Force uniform, which is oddly similar to a US Navy uniform including cap, but with the newly stitched patches on. He contemplated the firepower at his fingertips, and shuddered at what that firepower did to the major cities of the world. New York City, London, San Francisco, Paris, Washington, Moscow, and more. All were devastated by Brakiss' fleet. They're still clearing the debris in what's left of the White House and the Hill. The Middle East and most of Asia was nearly devoid of life as Brakiss has ordered a Base Delta Zero at the end of the war, only to be stopped by the appearance of the Republic Navy.

The Captain stopped watching the Earth's new transports enter and leave orbit and turned to his crew.

"What's our status?" He asked.

"All crew are on board, sir." His XO, Commander Chris Amberson replied, standing at his commanding officer's side. "That includes the Defenders, too."

The Captain smiled at the name of the group of kids and mentors that were chosen on this tour of duty. None of them were past 21, with the exception of the powerful and wise senseis Kakashi and Genkai and the Dragon King Sarinoth.

"Very well. What about our systems?" The captain asked next.

"Sublights are green." Helms reported.

"All weapons are online." The senior weapons officer reported.

"Shields ready for use." The shields officer reported.

"Hyperdrive is a go." The second helmsman (hyperdrive station) reported.

"Lifesupport and communications, no problems there." The comms officer reported.

"Sensors are ready." Finally, the sensor operators reported.

"Good, good." The captain said, nodding as all the systems were reported to have no problems, as expected.

--------

We arrived at the mess hall, and after getting some good food (banthaburgers and fries) we all sat down together.

"So how was flight training?" Quinn asked, eating some spaghetti, while Sarinoth bites at some raw meat.

Quinn André. 15 years old, and my best friend. The heir to a family of Dragon Summoners, he is never anywhere without King Sarinoth or the bright green Dragonstone necklace around his neck, both of which were given as his 5th birthday present. Prophecy dictated that the Dragon King would face the Demon King at the end of time, and the one who wins controls the world, and all that crap. Fortunately, time didn't end or else we’d be screwed. When Quinn was ready to face the demon hordes with courage and determination at the final battles of the first part of the war, the Stone was the instrument the boy used to summon the King to his full 60' size. This enabled King Sarinoth to call the rest of the Great Dragons to fight the demon hordes and banish them back into the Makai or demon world. After that, any of the dragons could be summoned if the King needs help, no matter where Quinn is.
(Note: Dragon Summoners are my own creation, and based extremely loosely on Reign of Fire with a dash of D&D. Ask me if you want to use them.)

"It was good." I said blandly, chewing into my burger.

Yusuke noticed my voice and smirked. "Lost, eh?"

"Well--" I went red.

"Bah, don't worry. I get that kind of crap all the time." The 16-year-old said. "But I come back every time."

Urameshi Yusuke. 16 years old. Once-dead-but-now-returned Spirit Detective. He's a street punk with an attitude, but he's really cool, especially when he's in a fight. Team members: Hiei, Kurama and Kuwabara. Special abilities: Spirit Gun and Shotgun, among others.

"Yeah, well, you haven't flown until you've flown against the Solos." I smiled at the twins. "But they're good in a fight, in space and on the ground."

"You know us all too well." Jacen chuckled, reaching for some bread with the Force. "Especially that time when you landed in that nest of giant marauding porcupines."

"Don't remind me." I grumbled. My butt is still sore from that little side trip into demon-infested Nagasaki to save my younger brother Ryan from the Demon King's minions. Jacen had to bail me out before I became a walking pincushion.

As we finished the meals, the PA system crackled to life. "All hands, prepare for departure. Repeat, all hands, prepare for departure."

"That's our cue." Naruto said, wearing his customary orange jumpsuit and forehead protector. "Guess we can head to the bridge and watch the departure. It's so cool, being up here in space!"

Uzumaki Naruto. Around age 13-14, he's one of the youngest members of this little band of evil-bashing heros. Currently a Genin-rank Shinobi or ninja, his Village Hidden in the Leaves was ransacked by a party of demonic enemies. His Kage Bunshin or Shadow Clone attack was the key in taking care of them, along with his teammates Sasuke and Sakura.

"Sure." I shrugged. Not like there's much to do except some Jedi training once we hit hyperspace. I walked through the wide halls and narrow corridors of the Star Destroyer, shaking my head at how big this ship really is. The main hangar itself could hold an Arleigh Burke destroyer. As we headed up the turbolift to the bridge, I could see the really weird but cool mixed crew of humans and aliens, not to mention droids, rushing about to their stations. Yep, this Star Destroyer is ready to go!

Continued next post...

[darthdavid]

Wrrrrrrrp Wrrrrrp Wrrrrrrp
Is that the mary sue klaxon I hear?
I read the thread asking if you were to post this and upon reading this my suspicions are comfirmed. Why in hell would you make a 16 year old air force officer/jedi/demon fighter/uber piolet if not for mar sue value?

[John Chris]

CNN News Alert!
Defenders of Earth Leave Orbit in Star Destroyer!

"Today, on CNN, we now report that the Defenders of Earth are going on a tour of duty on board the Star Destroyer American Eagle. They are expected to remain on the ship for several months as they enter into the wider galactic stage. Our hopes and prayers go out to them, and we hope they return home safely.

"In other news, Osama bin Laden was finally captured by several Jedi Knights earlier this week..."

----

"Hey kids. Ready to go?" Captain Weston asked as we piled into the bridge. I nodded crisply, and Naruto and Quinn both said yes enthusiastically, too enthusiastic, I think.

"Very well. Helm! Make your way out of orbit, please. Full power."

The Star Destroyer's engines exploded with fervor. The ion jets trailed blue fire out from the rear of the Star Destroyer as it accelerated out of Earth's orbit and then past the Moon, where a lunar base was being set up.

We could feel a slight rumbling as the Star Destroyer continued on it's path out of the Solar System, and we passed Mars, the asteroid belt and then Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune. We couldn't see Pluto, as it was too far to see. We could have engaged the hyperdrive straight from Earth, but the captain wanted a little tour of the Solar System first, as well as to test the sublights. Two hours later...

"Helm, coordinates locked in?"

"Yes sir!"

I began to anticipate the next order, like a small child on a plane getting ready to take off.

"Engage the hyperdrive!" Captain Jacob Weston's voice boomed as he gave the much-anticipated order.

The hyperdrive helmsman pushed the large lever forward, and with a deep whining rumbling that permeated the walls, the stars in the bridge windows became streaks of light, the ship seemed to elongate from the outside as psuedomotion set in, and we entered the blue tunnel of hyperspace.

------

Lightsabers hummed and fists flew. I blocked the green blade with my blue one as I fought Jacen off in a intense duel. The blades crackled and sparked as we tried to upstage one another, and we were both sore already with marks of low-level burn scars. I struck high, aiming for the other boy's shoulder and he parried the blow and went for my legs, which I blocked several times before hopping back and crouching in a horse stance.

I charged, striking out in a series of blows and thrusts, pushing Jacen back with every powerful blow. Finally, at a certain point, we locked blades and pushed against each other, neither of us daring to to try anything, the sparks flying...until I suddenly released the pressure and lashed out with my foot to trip Jacen. He stumbled forward, recovered, but I whirled, bringing my blade to bear on his neck. I nicked him, telling him that it's game over.

"You win." Jacen simply smirked. "Next time, you're not so lucky."

"We'll see." I grinned back, TKing my towel over and wiping off the sweat. Over in the next room, I could see Quinn with a bright red blade, blocking the blaster bolts from two remote drones. I could tell he's gotten better in his own training, and Sarinoth glanced at me with catlike eyes. It was weird how we both discovered our abilities at about the same time and yet were able to use the Force. When I asked Master Skywalker about it, he said, "Sometimes, the Force manifests itself in different ways, like Quinn's ability to summon dragons and your lightning skills. I forsee that the both of you are going to have very interesting times from here on out. Just keep working on those skills together and you'll be able to face anything together."

He is training well. The dragon said, his telepathy carrying a small amount of pride over to me.

"Yeah, he is." I said, and grinned as I leaned against the wall, and used the Force to operate another remote to attack him.

"Hey!" Quinn yelped as he tried to block, failed and got a stinging result in the rear. "That's not fair! I'm not ready for three!"

Sarinoth started laughing until his summoner friend glared at him, then the dragon took flight and went out of the training room, still chuckling like an idiot.

"Sure you are." I said, still grinning. "After all, bad guys won't be as forgiving as I am."

"Sure, sure." Quinn murmered and returned to blocking the bolts. He reflected one right back at me, and I yelped in pain.

"Quinn!"

"Heh, sorry!"

I shook my head and rubbed the sore spot and left to take a sonic shower, noticing Naruto and Sasuke arguing (yet again) about who's the better ninja. I saw Yusuke being berated by Genkai-sensei for being a dimwit, which he ignored heartedly before being smacked in the face. Sakura and Kurama seemed to hit it off well, creating a small garden in a room reserved for the plants. Kakashi and Hiei were clashing sword and kunai against each other, training hard to keep up their skills. Looks like everyone is doing all right on patrol duty.

-----
Betelgeuse System, 600 lightyears from Earth...

The star Betelgeuse is a red supergiant star. It is so large, that if it replaced the Sun, it would reach outside of Jupiter's orbit. Scientists know that it is near the end of it's life, and that it would soon become a supernova. Little does anyone know just how soon it will explode...

We reverted to realspace outside the star system. Even from here, the star looks huge, larger than any star that we have seen before. I wondered how long it would be before it would go. I'm sure it would be spectacular, but I won't want to be anywhere near it when it does!

"Wow." Sakura whispered. "It's big..."

"Yeah." Jaina agreed. "Is there anything out there, Captain?"

"Sensors?" He rebounded the question to the officers.

"Nothing right now." The senior sensor officer, a Lt. Commander Ray Caven, reported. Then he checked again, when the scanners sweeped across one part of the system. "Sir...we have something over there. Several million klicks closer to the star than we are."

"What is it?" Jacen asked.

"I don't know. We can move in to get a closer look. I recommend that we go to yellow alert, though. We can't get surprised by anything."

Captain Weston nodded. "All right. Go to yellow alert, then move in. Keep scanning."

Yellow lights began spinning around, alerting all crew to the possibility of a red alert sometime soon. The great ion engines kicked in for a few seconds, allowing the Star Destroyer to move closer so that the sensors can get a better reading.

"All right! We'll get some action soon!" Naruto noticed the lights, walking with me and Yusuke through the corridors.

"Maybe, maybe not." I said. Something was funny about the whole thing, though. "I'd better check on my fighter, just in case."

I headed to the main hangar, where Anakin was already tinkering away with his X-wing. "How's it going?"

"Oh, I can't figure out what's wrong with it." Anakin looked up, his face greasy with lubricant and fuel. "When I went out on patrol a while ago, it just seemed to stop and had to be towed back in. Must be the gyrostabilizers going on the fritz again. "

"I don't know...maybe you forgot to fuel up?" I asked, smiling. I climbed on the little steps. "Hmm." I leafed through the engines, when I spotted a loose wire, hard to spot unless you knew what you were looking for. "There's your problem. Loose wire that connects to the port fuel injector."

"Why didn't I catch that?" Anakin slapped his forehead and got to work replacing the wire.

I shrugged. "I think you were looking for something complicated to fix with your skills. Sometimes, it's the simplest answer that works. Occam's Razor."

"Hey, thanks." He said, as I hopped down and cleaned my hands on the rag in my pocket. I headed to my own snubfighter, walking around it to check for problems. I learned from Dad how to initate pre-flight checks for fighters, and my starfighter training expanded the systems I had to study, but not that much farther. I checked the engines, the laser cannons, the torpedo tubes, the shield generator and deflectors, the sensor equipment, the life support equipment and the cockpit, and last, but not least, the repulsarlifts, sublights and hyperdrive. Each piece of equipment is just as important as the next, and all must be in harmony to work properly, or else dangerous and even fatal problems would result, especially in the middle of a dogfight.

----

20 million miles closer to the supergiant, the ISD Darkness of the Void awaited their prey. Lord Brakiss, Master of the Dark Jedi Order, looked over his crew of Imperial Remnant officers and enlisted men, sensing their fear of him as he barked every command. He smiled, The Jedi fools are soon to fall into my trap. I could sense that wretched boy and his little friends. Finally, I can destroy them once and for all.

"Prepare for battle. The Darkness will move forward and launch fighters. The Dark Side and Revenge of the Sith will move to block their exit routes and disable or destroy their engines." Brakiss ordered. "And ready the missile on my mark!"

Lord Brakiss has procured a rare and powerful resonance missile, the same missile that the Sun Crusher uses to destroy a star. His plan is revealed: trap the Jedi's Star Destroyer with his fleet of 3, then disable their engines and escape, watching from afar as they are destroyed in a great and terrible supernova. Then, he could get to work on rebuilding his Imperium, with the aid of certain...allies he has met while on pursuit from the Republic fleets.

-----

"Sir! I have contacts!" Commander Ray Caven reported.

"What?" Jacen asked.

"Look here, here and here." The screen showed wedge-shaped objects moving in, then smaller fighters moving in. Star Destroyers! So, Brakiss is still alive...

"It's a trap." Captain Weston reached for the intercom. "This is the Captain! All hands, report to battlestations! This is not a drill! Repeat, this is not a drill! Weapons, fire at will!"

"Yes, sir!" The officer sent signals down to the gunners of the 100+ turbolaser batteries and they began spinning up the weapons to fire.

"Better go, Jace." Jaina said.

"Yeah. Good luck out there." Jacen nodded, and his sister ran down for the hangar bay. Jacen figured out that he was better at strategy than Jaina the tactician, so he chose to stay with the Captain as an advisor.

The Star Destroyers began to open fire once in range, spitting deadly green spears of turbolaser fire at the Eagle, while the ship returned a hefty amount of fire against the Darkness as fighters streamed out on both sides.

"On my wing!" I called to Anakin as I jumped into my cockpit and initated preflight. Klaxons continued to ring, as my droid, named Rocky, started up the engines.

"Right!" He waved back. As the first fighters flew out of the magnetic containment fields, we engaged our engines and flew out of the hangar bay, s-foils in attack position. There were 3 squadrons of X-wings, a squadron of A-wings and a squadron of B-wings that poured out of the Star Destroyer. We had the B-wings hang back to defend the Eagle, while we headed ahead to join against the 6 squadrons of TIEs fighting us.

TIEs from the other Star Destroyers poured out, and we began to get outnumbered. I smiled, knowing how well we Jedi and Republic pilots fly under heavy combat, but I won't let myself get cocky. I concentrated on the Force, melding my mind with Anakin's as we became more than just wingman and wingleader. We became one as the newly discovered battle meld took shape, and we cut through the TIE ranks, shooting accurate shots and dodging blows that would kill normal pilots. The two of us racked up kills, and winced whenever a pilot died a fiery death, but the others were pretty good in their own right.

Jaina soon joined us, and our meld became stronger as she poured her flight experience into it. We cut through the TIE ranks once more, and the survivors ran with their tails between their legs.

However, the enemy Star Destroyers pounded upon the Eagle, a 3-1 disadvantage that forced the Captain to order the fighters to attack the closest enemy Star Destroyer, despite firepower disadvantage. We recieved the orders and decided on the best way to attack the nearest Star Destroyer: designated as the Dark Side.

"All right." Jaina said, ever the natural-born squadron leader. "We go in together. The other fighters will recieve telemetry from us and vector in."

"Risky..." I said, then grinned. "But what plan isn't?"

Anakin took point, and we made up the 'extra shields' as we dove in, our astromech units screaming at us for being reckless. We weaved random jinks and rolls to dodge the deadly turbolasers and point defense weapons. The TIEs tried to stop us, but a couple of other X-wings used this chance to get some kills and tied them up. I winced as a young pilot named Daniel died to a turbolaser. I never knew the guy, but it was quick, yet nasty.

Now! Anakin sent a volley of proton torpedoes towards the Star Destroyer, then Jaina added her torpedoes and so did I. Each fighter threw torpedoes or concussion missiles, though a few died before they could do it, and then we all broke off, returning to the dogfights against the remaining TIEs or taking the fight to the Destroyer, peppering the cannons and sensors and shield emmitters with laser fire.

The torpedoes homed in, blossoming with energy as they impacted against the shields, collapsing one section and allowing the Eagle to vector fire in in with her turbolasers and drill fire into it. The commander was forced to either choose to continue to fight and die, or run and die by Brakiss' rage. He chose to fight, and someone had to finish the Star Destroyer as the bridge was pounded with turbolaser and ion cannon fire.

That someone happened to be me, as I dove in real low, too low for the laser cannons to get a good lock and then flew over the superstructure, dodging the green blasts of energy. I picked my proton torps again, linked them so that they'll fire dual shots, and then concentrated the Force on the bridge windows in the center of the the bridge. You wouldn't believe the way time seemed to slow down at this point. As the bridge shields collapsed under the withering barrage of the Eagle's turbolasers, I shot the torpedoes down towards a surprised commander, who barely was able to say anything before the torpedos impacted and detonated, destroying the bridge and bagging me my first Star Destroyer kill.

"Yes!" I exulted as I flew behind and above the ruined Destroyer, to the cheers of the others. The ship began to list and drift off, sporadic turbolaser fire no longer much of a problem and internal explosions happening as the Eagle finished it off with a powerful broadside.

Unfortunately, there are still two other Star Destroyers, and they intensified firepower, angered by the death of their comrades. The turbolasers smashed on the shields and then knocked them down, drilling holes into the hull that caused hull breach alarms to sound as the insides were exposed to space, spilling everything that wasn't tied down.

Quinn was running around, helping to put out fires that sprang up when electrical equipment sparked and caught anything that's flammable. Suddenly, a turbolaser blast ripped through the hull, sending alarms blaring to warn the captain of the breach. A small firestorm licked towards the boy before sucking back out into space, carrying everything with it. Quinn was pulled towards the breach, and would have flown out if he didn't grab a railing and hung on for his life. As it is, the hurricane grabbed at him, wanting to take him to his doom and he screamed as he realized his fingers slipped off the railing...only to find his wrist grabbed by Yusuke!

"Seal the breach, now!" Yusuke yelled, and the bulkhead nearest the vacuum started to close. Quinn was gasping for breath, glad to be alive as he dropped to the floor when the bulkhead closed.

"You ok, kid?" Yusuke asked.

"Y-yeah." Clearly, Quinn was shaken up by the ordeal. "I don't wanna try that again!"

"I know." Yusuke grinned. "Let's get you something else to do."

"Hey, where's Sarinoth?" Quinn asked.

A loud squawk-roar answered him, as the small Dragon flew back on his shoulder. You ain't getting rid of me that easily!

Quinn laughed, relieved that his dragon friend is still alive.

------

As the Star Destroyer's engines were beginning to grow increasingly under attack and the captain heard reports of battle damage, hull breaches and lost weapons and shields, Lord Brakiss grinned. He could feel the deaths of the men and women on the ship and out in the airless void of space. He could sense the fear of the Jedi, as they tried to fight off 2 to 1 odds.

"Begin the firing sequence on the weapon." He ordered, and as the ship turned about to throw the missile into the sun, he was rewarded with the crew reporting on the weapon's status: green and ready to fire.

"Fire on my mark! 3...2...1...fire!" He shouted. The missile sprang to life and it sped for the star.

"Impact in 12 minutes, sir. We expect the star to implode within a minute after that."

"Very well. Continue firing upon the enemy Star Destroyer! I want it as disabled as possible before we wear out our welcome!" He ordered.

The Revenge was already making the run to hyperspace as the Darkness continued to trade turbolaser blasts with the Eagle, smashing more deadly energies into it, finally disabling it when it blew out an engine. Then, the Darkness collected what fighters remained and jumped to hyperspace, leaving the remains of Dark Side and the Eagle to their fates...

[John Chris]

Wrrrrrrrp Wrrrrrp Wrrrrrrp
Is that the mary sue klaxon I hear?
I read the thread asking if you were to post this and upon reading this my suspicions are comfirmed. Why in hell would you make a 16 year old air force officer/jedi/demon fighter/uber piolet if not for mar sue value?

*feels himself get shot down as he realizes he shouldn't have written all this, if it really is a (male) Mary Sue...*

I just thought maybe people would like what I write. I guess I'm not as good a writer as I thought... .

(Although there was precedent for young people to be promoted to officer status in the military, especially during wartime. Just rare, but it happened...maybe I should change the age, but to what, I don't know)

[Kuja]

Wrrrrrrrp Wrrrrrp Wrrrrrrp
Is that the mary sue klaxon I hear?
I read the thread asking if you were to post this and upon reading this my suspicions are comfirmed. Why in hell would you make a 16 year old air force officer/jedi/demon fighter/uber piolet if not for mar sue value?

It's based on anime, dude. Teenage anime main characters are legion.

[John Chris]

It's based on anime, dude. Teenage anime main characters are legion.

Thanks. that makes me feel better. Of course it's anime-based! How else could I do this?!

[Kuja]

OK, two things.

First, you need to decide whther you're writing in present or past tense. Right now you keep flipping back and forth and that's supremely annoying.

Second, david was right but for the wrong reasons. You character is leaning heavily towards a Mary Sue. I highly recommend you check this out before you continue your story:

How to Write Bad Fiction, by Chuck Sonnenburg.

Learn from one of the best, kiddo.

[John Chris]

The ship crew cheered and began to land at the hangar bay, collecting EVed pilots and tractoring any enemy survivors into the bay and preparing the brigs for them.

However, while everyone was cheering, I was wondering about something. My attack on the enemy Star Destroyer seemed all too easy, like it was almost supposed to happen. It should have been much harder than that attack run I did, with TIEs forcing me to break off and my fighter being damaged. I frowned, remembering that one of the Star Destroyers seem to have turned away while we were down. Brakiss wouldn't just leave us alive, would he?

"John, what's up?" Anakin asked.

"Something's not right, Anakin. Don't you get the feeling that things seem a bit...easy?"

The younger Solo frowned. "Seemed tough enough."

"Yeah. But if Brakiss really wanted us dead, why stop now, when our shields and engines are down?" I didn't like it.

"I don't know, John." It ate at the both of us. "Let's get back to the bridge, see what the Captain would say."

"All right."

------

The missile sped on it's way into Betelgeuse, and plunged into the outer shell of the star. When it detonated, it forced the heat and energy to cool, causing the core to implode, setting off a chain reaction that would fuse helium into carbon, carbon into oxygen, oxygen into other elements, until the core became iron, stopping the collapse for a short time. However, the collapse would then accelerated due to gravity until it could collapse no more as iron squeezed, then the core rebounded, sending matter and energy spewing out at a quarter of the speed of light or faster...

----

The celebration on the bridge was short-lived, when Commander Ray Caven grew apprehensive. "Sir...SIR!"

"What?" The captain ran over.

"Betelgeuse...something's wrong with it." Ray said. "I can't explain it."

Suddenly, everyone even remotely psychic or Force-sensitive on board the Star Destroyer could sense a growing disturbance in the Force coming from the star. It was contracting right before our eyes. Oh shit...

"Sithspawn..." Jacen cursed, watching the star grow redder as the energies inside it was forced into the core by gravity.

"Core readings are off the scale, temps in excess of 500 million, no 1 billion k...sir..." Caven's face was as white as a sheet. "It's going to explode."

"Supernova." Captain Weston whispered. "And they disabled our engines..."

"There's nothing we can do..." Jacen said quietly. "How long till the shockwave hits?"

"Minutes, maybe less. We'll be blinded first and then, and then..." The commander said and wiped his brow, wishing he didn't know what happens when a supernova explodes.

Suddenly, the star flashed and stopped contracting. Iron was fused and could be fused no longer. Now, the core began to expand, creating a shockwave that soon passed outside it's own outer shells at half the speed of light and then sped outward, taking its planets first, then spread out further into the system and beyond. Heat and light was released at exponential proportions and the supergiant finally became a...supernova.

"We're screwed. Bastards..." I cursed, halfway to the bridge. The star brightened to blinding proportions, forcing us all to cover our eyes. The light was bright enough to overload the shades, even on the lowest setting. Then the Star Destroyer heated up to extremely dangerous levels, like if the reactor went critical. I could barely breathe as every breath I took was like taking in fire, and it damaged my lungs, forcing me to cough violently. The shockwave was coming and the Destroyer was about to be consumed by it, not even giving the bridge crew time to scream as the shockwave rushed for the Star Destroyer to finish it off and...suddenly....

Black turned to white, white turned to black, and the universe ceased for a moment that became an eternity...

"The pact has been broken. We have been cheated." Whispered an old-sounding voice.

"Yes. The rules have changed. The game is not over yet." Another voice sounded, sounding eternally sarcastic, but the meaning is not.

"It is time...to fix what has been broken...to adapt to what has been changed..." A woman's voice said, like a fresh breeze on the sea.

"Indeed. It is not their time. They are needed, for the time has come..." An old, but strong, almost magical voice agreed.

"They must gather more chosen ones. This is but the beginning." A child's voice declared. "Their fates are not to die in this manner. We cannot allow this to pass..."

"Then it is agreed..." A strong voice, filled with authority, announced. "To fight the evil that is beginning to grow once again, they shall not die here. They will instead be transported to the Sanctuary..."

"Yes. The Sanctuary. It is the only place that is safe." A final voice said.

"Then it is decided. With all our powers combined..." The first voice started.

"...we shall repair what must be repaired..." the others replied together.

"...and bring balance to what has been unbalanced." the final voice concluded.

From this unknown, unseen council, energy in different colors flowed from them and impacted upon the American Eagle, and it disappeared from this universe...for how long, no one but this council knows...

Time returned to normal, and the supernova continued on it's deadly path, consuming the Dark Side and then it would keep on going, obliterating nearby star systems. A colony was in the way, and it would be too late for the millions left after the ships evacuated...

On Yavin IV, Jedi Master Luke Skywalker looked up at the sky. "They're gone..." He whispered in sadness. "I can no longer sense them."

"What?" His wife, Jedi Master Mara Jade Skywalker asked, her little Ben beginning to cry in her arms*. "What happened to them?"

"I don't know Mara, I don't know." Luke moaned.

End of chapter 1.

*(hated the timing of his birth in the actual NJO series, so it's a little early.)

[Kuja]

...interesting.

[John Chris]

OK, two things.

First, you need to decide whther you're writing in present or past tense. Right now you keep flipping back and forth and that's supremely annoying.

Second, david was right but for the wrong reasons. You character is leaning heavily towards a Mary Sue. I highly recommend you check this out before you continue your story:

How to Write Bad Fiction, by Chuck Sonnenburg.

Learn from one of the best, kiddo.

1. Thanks. I'll try to be careful about that in the future.

2. Hmm. I do need to make him more fleshed out. I want him as far away from Mary Sue as possible. How can I do that (otherwise making it known that I dumped her)? And the thing you gave me doesn't explain enough.

[Kuja]

2. Hmm. I do need to make him more fleshed out. I want him as far away from Mary Sue as possible. How can I do that (otherwise making it known that I dumped her)? And the thing you gave me doesn't explain enough.

I hate to say it, but practice makes perfect, and there's little that can make up for experience. Just make him as realistic as you think you can without compromising the story and listen to the feedback you get so that if anyone spots a problem, you can fix it.

[John Chris]

I hate to say it, but practice makes perfect, and there's little that can make up for experience. Just make him as realistic as you think you can without compromising the story and listen to the feedback you get so that if anyone spots a problem, you can fix it.

Ok. I'll be posting Chapter 2 sometime tomorrow. In the meantime, lemme know what you thought about the last chapter. Which parts you liked, which parts didn't like, etc.

[John Chris]

I returned to consiousness, groaning. My head still hurt from banging into a wall when the supernova hit. But then, I opened my eyes, taking in the fact that I'm still alive. How?

The room I was in looked clearly like any hospital room you could find everywhere, but the only difference is that it is pure white. Not a spot of color anywhere. I could see the others, scattered on other white beds. They were still unconsious. A soft light bathed the medical area, but I could not discern where it came from.

As I got up, I noticed fresh clothes (brown tunic and pants) and my lightsaber, and put them on. As I finished, a man in striking blue robes walked in. I reached out with the Force, and found him easily blocking my attempts to see who he is. I was surprised at his ability to evade my probe.

"Hello, I am Kryn Nesda." He bowed. "My Masters have said that you are to meet them when you have returned to consiousness."

"Well, I am--"

"John Fimont, I know." He smiled. "Your questions will be answered soon, very soon. But first, come with me."

"All right." I nodded and felt a bit unsettled. Man, this guy must be really psychic to get through me like that. "By the way, got any Aspirin?"

"No, I don't believe so. But I'm sure that headache of yours will go away soon." The man--Kryn, smiled again as I followed him down the still-bright corridors.

As I was escorted to a large circular room with dimmed light, I could sense great power emanating from the room. If we Jedi were like suns, then this power I sensed was like that of a supernova! In the shroud of the shadows, I could barely see a number of people sitting on plushy chairs. Slowly, the room brightened, and I could see the people that now sat before me. I was intruged by this godlike council, and deduced that they were probably the ones that saved us.

The first person seemed to be an eternally old man with long, elf-like ears and even longer hair. His arms seem nothing but skin and bones, and his fingers are long, thin sticks. The man wore a blue-gray robe that seemed not to have an seam or thread on it anywhere. Though he looks old, there's no mistaking the power I sensed in him.

"I am Ellimist." The old man said. "We are pleased to meet you."

I was confused with his saying, but nodded in respect.

The second person was a man in a red skintight unisuit, the kind of clothes no decent person would be caught dead in, in my opinion. The aura of power I sensed from this guy was even greater than the Ellimist. He had brown hair, but I knew he could change it at any time.

"The name is Q, and I think you'd better keep your fashion comments to yourself." The guy said, getting a narrowed glance from me. He stretched out his hand for me to take, and I shook it anyway.

The third godlike being was a woman with striking (and very odd) blue hair and a kind smile. She wears an extremely elaborate kimono decorated in many beautiful gems and bright colors. She glanced at my straight black hair and brown eyes.

"I'm Tsunami, one of three sisters." She said, and cocked her head slightly. "Young man, you look familiar..."

"Really? And who would be my alter ego, ma'am?" I bowed to her.

She chuckled softly. "And as charming as him, too. You will see him soon."

"Yes, ma'am." I then turned to the next member of the group. This one had a long purple-blue robe, long white hair and a pointy hat. He looks like some kind of wizard, especially with those spectacles of his.

"My name is Merlin, and yes, I am a wizard." He smiled softly, with a twinkle in his eyes. "I'm pleased to see you."

"And you, sir." So this is Merlin! Wizard of the ages. I wondered how he got out of that invisible prison.

The next person almost made me underestimate him, for he seemed to have the body of a 12-year-old kid, wearing a green T-shirt and jean pants. But as with the others, his aura was extremely powerful, though closely Force-related. He has black hair in a bowl-cut and brown eyes, smaller than mine.

"I'm Akira. Pleased to meet you, John." Akira said.

"Yeah, same here." I said. I could tell that he and us could become good friends soon. I supposed he's one of those eternally youthful people that is very rarely seen by others. Could be wrong, though.

The next person was a brown-haired man who looks to be in his 30s. He, like Tsunami, wore elaborate clothes, but it was more like royal clothes, plus a blue cape that wrapped around his broad shoulders. An air of royalty and a wisdom of the ages surrounded him, like he seemed have always been around.

"Young man." The voice was one of command and authority, kind, yet imperial. "In my universe, I'm considered the God-Emperor of Mankind. Here, just call me...Jason. I'm pleased to meet you."

"All right...Jason. I'm pleased to meet you, too." I said. And finally, I turned to the last person.

Hmm...now this man is interesting. He seemed to be in his early fifties, with blond hair going white, sparkling blue eyes and is swathed in Jedi robes with a lightsaber attached. As I reached into the Force, I could find a connection with this guy...and three of my friends. To say that I was surprised was like saying that a whale likes to swim.

I smiled. "The Solo Trio are going to be extremely surprised when they see you in the flesh...Anakin Skywalker."

"I know." He said, returning the smile. "In fact, I could feel them awakening now."

"Yeah." I turned my senses back to my friends, who's presences brightened slightly as they, too became aware of their surroundings. "Should we wait or..."

"I suppose we can wait." Anakin said wistfully. "I've been waiting for a long time to finally see my grandkids in person. Kryn?"

"Yes, Master." The man bowed and left the room, leaving me to wonder what this Council is all about.

It didn't take long for the others to arrive: The awed Captain Weston. The stern, street-kid look of Yusuke, who didn't seem to be as surprised as we were, for some odd reason. The fox-like face of Naruto, twitching in excitement. Quinn and his dragon Sarinoth and of course, the supremely surprised Solo kids, not to mention the others.

"No...way." The younger Anakin said first, as the twins dropped their jaws when they saw and sensed their grandfather. Then the others were introduced to the other godlike beings.

Anakin the First just shook his head and chuckled. "If you two are done catching flies, we could get on with our Council meeting."

"Oh, right." Jacen shut his mouth, and so did his sister. "It's just an amazing...experience that we've gone through. Are you sure we aren't dead?"

"Nope." Q smirked. "I am sure that you are alive. I could hear that little heart of yours beat, after all."

"Yeah, it's a surprise, all right." I said. "But we aren't here to have a family reunion, are we?"

"No, I suppose not." Anakin II said. "Why are we here, and what is this place?"

"Good questions. But the answers will not be short." Merlin said.

"Well, that's what we're here for." Quinn said. "We have all the time in the universe, don't we?"

"Er, I wouldn't say that..." Jason said, a concerned look crossing his face. "Let us begin."

-------

"You guys know the concept of alternate universes, right?" Anakin I asked.

We nodded. Hyperspace is considered an alternate universe, though it's more adjacent than alternate, having corresponding points in realtime. When the demons attacked on Earth, they came from the Makai, or Demon World, which is considered to be an alternate dimension.

"Well, what we're about to show you goes deeper than that. Much deeper. Ellimist?" Anakin nodded to the old man.

With a wave of a hand, we were no longer in the Sanctuary. We were, in fact, at a vantage point from where we can see everything from the smallest of quarks and singularities, and the largest of galactic superclusters at the same time. Time seems to have no concept here, and I suspected that this is but a glimpse of what the gods and godlike beings of this Council see.

Whizzing around are infinite numbers of bright lines with different colors and different lengths. Some are exceedingly short, no more than seconds by normal times, and some are so long, it's hard to see whether they end at all. There are also infinite numbers of marble-like objects, each with billions of galaxies of their own. We were awed by the show, and very nearly overwhelmed.

"The Multiverse." Akira explained. "Infinite worlds where timelines change in an instant." He pointed to a bright line, showing my own timeline. It's not yet complete, though. " All the possible worlds that have ever been created, and all the possibilites that could come to pass."

"Wow." Jacen said. "It's pretty overwhelming."

"Yeah." Yusuke agreed. "But as pretty as they are, you didn't show us all this for nothing, right?"

"Indeed." Tsunami said, then pointed to the farther timelines, where the infinite merge into the few. There, we started seeing horrifying images of planets, stars, even whole galaxies destroyed. A great darkness sweeps across many of the timelines, rupturing them and tearing them apart like a shredder tears apart paper. What is left are feeble shadows of what was before, of dead and dying universes that consume themselves in a pitiful Big Crunch that is much weaker than the Big Bang.

"Ohmygod. What happened here?" Sakura asked. Each one of us were in varying degrees of horror, but there's no denying that we were horrified at a world being destroyed in a terrible battle.

"It is the Enemy you see, the very essence of evil." Merlin said gravely. "Evil that seeks to destroy all life and render the Multiverse uninhabitable. In the time that the Earth would be consumed by it's sun, the Enemy appeared at the very edge of the multiverse. We were caught off-guard by them, and fought hard, but we barely survived."

Jason nodded and picked up the rest of the story. "The forces of Chaos, as we call them, attacked on several different fronts, from the physical in the form of armies of darkness; to the metaphysical, attacking the soul and using magic to their dark ends; and then the temporal, going back in time to change events in their favor."

"You see, at the beginning of the Multiverse, there was only one chronoline, and that chronoline split up soon afterwards into the billions of timelines you see here. Towards the end, most timelines will join together into one once again. By the time of the attack, the number of possibilities had narrowed to a few thousand, and decreasing fast, as the universes "melded" into each other. We were approaching Unity, or the Big Crunch as your scientists so eloquently put it." Q added, a little snideish at the end there.

"There's more on the forces of Chaos." Ellimist said. "The Enemy's main strategy is to attack 'turning points' in each universe, arriving to each timeline and altering them, usually by destroying humanity in some subtle way, and by doing that, they would be ever closer to their goal: extinguishing the greatest of shining lights in the Multiverse. Those attacks would weaken us, made us gods more vulnerable to direct attack. Yes, we can be defeated, but..." He glanced at Anakin Skywalker.

"We obviously didn't sit idle while this happened." Anakin I said. "As we saw the destruction, we sought steps to interfere and take control of the timelines to stop the Chaos forces, including setting up bases where universes have already ended for all intents and purposes. You are in one of these bases, a planet-sized fortress that is the only concentration of matter larger than atoms in this dead universe."

The Council stopped for us to digest this information.

"It's pretty heavy stuff." Naruto said, looking dazed. "This Enemy makes Zabuza and Orochimaru look like honest people."

"Yeah. I wonder if Sensui was involved with them." Kuwabara said. "Wouldn't put it past 'im."

"Yeah. Maybe even Brakiss, too." Quinn said. "and Palpatine before him."

"Whoever is with them, it is imperative that we stop them, right?" I said, patting my palm with my fist. "But right now, the Eagle is in need of extensive repairs..."

"...we're already on it." Anakin I said.

"Yeah. But right now, we're also too few in numbers." Captain Weston said. "We lost quite a few of our crew, and half our starfighters in the battle with Brakiss."

"That bad?" Jacen asked.

The captain nodded sadly. "Just got the latest casualty reports. It's not good."

"I suggest that we first talk to Mom, Dad and Uncle Luke about this, if we could get back." Anakin II said. "We're going to need some good fighter pilots, like Kyp's Dozen or the Rogues, plus ground troops if necessary. We're basically going on extended duty with a high chance of combat whereever we go and we need the firepower."

"Agreed." Jason said. "I will go to my universe and see about pulling some heavy hitters. My Space Marine chapters are very good, and extremely loyal, sometimes too loyal. Plus, there's some much-needed ass-kicking for me to do. Internally, as well as externally."

"What about getting some other universes to help?" Naruto asked. "I mean, there ought to be some good troops out there..."

"Yeah, I see what you mean." I said. "I think I have a few in mind. But how are we going to get back to our universe, much less others?"

"Easy." Q smirked. With a snap of his fingers we ended up popping to a grassy area where there seems to be a large circle with strange hieroglyphic carvings on it and bright...glowy triangles called chevrons, plus steps to get on or off and switches by the side. "This, my friends, is what is affectionally called a Stargate. It creates a wormhole that can cover huge distances in space-time in seconds, even faster than your fancy-shmancy Falcon."

"So we can use this to get home, right?" Jacen said.

"Yup. Here, let me show you how these things work." Anakin I showed us how to dial to places. There's either 7 chevrons to interstellar locations, 8 chevrons to intergalactic locations, and then something new: 9 chevrons, which lets us go anywhere, anytime in the Multiverse, and also to get to the Sanctuary. It turns out that Yavin IV has a Stargate, which was deemed an oddity when it was unearthed, a hypergate that didn't work.

Anakin Skywalker pushed the 9 Chevrons in a sequence, and the chevrons lit up in the same sequence, then...

KAWOOSH! A large splash of water-like substance erupted, then 'fell' back into the wormhole.

"Cool, very cool. So who's going to step in?" I asked.

"Uh, let's have us go in," Jacen suggested, pointing at his siblings and me. "Then you, Grandfather."

"Me?" Anakin said nervously. "Oh, no. I don't want to get strung up like a common criminal by the Senate."

"Aww, come on. You're on that Council! Besides, I'm sure Uncle Luke would want to see you!" Jaina said. "Besides, who's going to believe that we survived that supernova without your telling them?"

"All right, all right, kids. I'll go. But the moment people start howling for my blood--" Anakin I started, but a pager went off. Captain Weston looked sheepish, as he picked up his comlink.

"Yeah?" He asked. "What? Are you sure? All right. I'll get them."

I didn't like the tone of his voice. "What is it?"

"Major Servor of the Marines, has found a little problem aboard the ship. A problem that concerns you, Lieutenant."

I narrowed my eyes. "Ok, lead the way."

Ellimist waved a hand, and we were suddenly inside the Star Destroyer. As Anakin Skywalker explained it, the ship was towed inside a giant hangar large enough to hold the entire Death Squadron fleet. Mechanics were all over the place, fixing the ships' holes and replacing turbolaser batteries. However, our little problem was in the brig. Why it concerned me soon became evident, as I recognized two young friends: my brother Ryan (age 11), and a kid named Konohamaru (age 10). The others struggled not to laugh, and I was not amused.

"Hi, John." Ryan chuckled nervously, though immediately became scared at my face. Veins popped in mine and Naruto's heads, and the two boys knew that they were in deep, deep shit.

----

"What possessed you two to stow away aboard the Star Destroyer?" I yelled at my brother. "How the hell am I going to explain this to Dad! Don't you realize that there's a real good chance that you could've been killed?!"

"Sorry, John--"

"Oh, so now you're sorry? You couldn't be sorry before you what, took the last shuttle with Konohamaru using an Illusion spell (Henge no Jutsu)?"

He nodded very slightly. "I tried to call him off, but he really insisted."

"Oh, right, you couldn't restrain your friend. Use common sense, moron! There was a space battle not an hour ago, and you could have been spaced!" I smacked him upside the head, leaving a welt in the back. "Not to mention you embarrassed me in front of the Captain and everybody! You're staying right here in the brig until I figure out what to do with you!"

"But--"

"No buts. Wait till Dad hears about this. You're taking the very next shuttle home ASAP!" I promised darkly. I stormed out of the brig, not seeing Naruto scream at Konohamaru (who sees him as an older brother and calls him Boss).

Furious, I let the door slam behind me, raking my fingers through my hair in heavy irritation. Calming techniques barely worked.

Captain Weston was trying very hard not to smile, but a dirty look from me, and he sobered. "Lieutenant. Sorry about that. I didn't realize they were on board until now. In retrospect, they're good at hiding."

"Yeah, too good." I groaned. "Why didn't Security catch them before we left?"

The captain sighed. "From what I can gather, the younger boy used some sort of spell to fool them as they stowed themselves in a packing crate. Your brother probably added a little Force power to it."

I sighed. "Yeah, I could see them doing that. What am I going to do?"

The captain seed to think about it, then smiled evilly. "How about making them into errand boys until we can get them into Yavin IV? Knowing your father, he'd do just that."

I smirked. "Good idea, sir. However, I think I'd need to get them through the Stargate first. My dad's so going to cream Ryan, and I need to get them home."

He seemed a bit sad, making me smile a bit. "Very well. Let's go."

----

It was finally decided we all would go, binding the little brats so that they won't run away or anything. They objected a lot until I gagged them, and that finally shut them up. Meanwhile, the Stargate lit up again, and now as the wormhole settled down, we began entering with a very reluctant Anakin Skywalker, back into Yavin...

Ok, guys. What do you think? Good, bad or ugly?