--Point of View: ???--

“They should be arriving any minute now.” I said quietly to myself as I watched the data scroll across my monitors.

I honestly never thought this day would come but here it is. Who knows how they will react to our reunion. I suppose it depends on who is in control. Only time would tell. Regardless of how things went from here, I was ready. Everything had been prepared. Once they brought the reactors back online, we would be connected and an interstellar path across the galaxy would open up. It would bring them here in the blink of an eye. The gates were amazing and the fact this one was still operational was a small miracle on its own. They were the pinnacle of technology and magic. A fusion of countless generations of my people working together. With them, no destination was unreachable, even those that existed outside our timelines. I knew that fact very well. Luckily for them and myself, the last coordinates loaded into their console would bring them to me. We had much to discuss.

With a quick flick of my wrist, the screen I was watching changed, swapping to a live feed of the action taking place on the planet’s surface down below. Scrying those caught in the midst of battle was easy. It was even easier if they knew not of your existence. A young couple of humans and a fearsome beast flickered into view. I was very much interested in meeting them all. Yes, I must see him again. Everything depended on him.

“You must make it here.” I whispered, gripping the arms of my seat.

I watched as they all fought for their lives against the endless onslaught of droids that had been unleashed upon them. The gate was quickly becoming surrounded. It was their only means of escape. A flurry of red danced across the scene as the monster known as Crim struggled to protect his new friends from harm. It was a spectacle to behold as his now laser charred flesh seemed to regenerate effortlessly after every hit. One may think he was invulnerable at first glance, but he was showing signs of exhaustion. They were growing slow and sluggish. Everything and everyone had their limits, even him.

As if on cue, the gate sprung to life, a rippling blue wave encompassing the arch. A low hum filled the air. They all wasted no time and raced towards it, Crim doing what he could do to shield his companions from harm’s way. A few more seconds and they would have been lost to the droids’ barrage of lasers, but luck was on their side today. As they passed through the glossy membrane of the portal, an explosion rang out from behind them. It tore through the entire facility like a tsunami. Everything on the same level was blown away in a brilliant flash of blue light while the remainder above caved in to fill the void the blast had created. The city, as well as the planet itself, shook from the sheer force of what had just transpired.

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The humans that remained on the surface scattered like ants as the ground reverberated and shook, toppling over any of the structures that were near the epicenter. Everyone was panicked and confused, years of training and discipline tossed aside as their lives were threatened. It was hard to imagine this ruined city becoming any more ruined, but it somehow managed. I simply watched and waited.

“It should not be long now.” I mused, glancing up at another monitor with a smile.

An alarm rang, and with it, a few more swipes of my hand were required. My guests had arrived precisely on time. I had better go greet them and tend to their wounds. They were sure to have more than just a few bumps and bruises after everything they had gone through. Thankfully, it was only a small trek to the room where I housed my end of the gate. Mine was much smaller than the old relics used by the empire but fundamentally they did the same thing. Its size meant I could not transport nearly as much but also ensured it was far harder to detect. This was the important bit. I very much valued my privacy.

My guests, who had never traveled via an impromptu wormhole before, were to no surprise, laying in a heap upon the floor when I arrived. Warp travel to those unprepared had a knack for making people very sick. Luckily for me, this group seemed to be faring better than most, at least while they were unconscious. I imagined they would be complaining far more if they were still awake.

I knelt and gently lifted the young woman, her blond hair a tangled mess. The suit she wore for protection was shredded, scorch marks from blaster fire and mana contamination. It would be best if I got her to a healing pod immediately. With another quick motion of my hand, a droid would scuttle into view. Unlike the ones these poor souls had encountered back on the planet, this one was made to aid me and my work, which so far involved little to no gunfire. It carefully scooped her up and carried her away down the hall.

Turning my attention to the other two, I noticed the man was in far better shape compared to the rest of his companions. A few bumps and bruises but no major issues at first glance. He had been lucky. I handed him off to another droid before turning to face the one I had been waiting for all this time. Laying in a pool of their own crimson blood, lay the great red wolf that had nearly given his life to protect his new friends. His whole left side was scorched from laser fire and any fur that did remain was matted with blood.

“Oh my, you’re far worse than I thought, aren’t you?” I said softly, leaning over to pat the wolf’s head with the utmost care. “You did a great job. You should be proud. Rest now, you’ll be better in no time.”

It took several droids and myself to whisk Crim away, but I was not about to let him die aboard my ship. He was far too important. Not to mention, he and his friends had all just caused quite a commotion across the galaxy. They will be here soon to investigate. I would have to prepare them for the next battle they were surely going to face. For now though, rest well and sweet dreams my fearsome hero.