"Far, Far Away..." - Part Six (Conclusion)

Part Six

The air inside the lab shifted subtly…dangerously.

Skeeta could feel it. “They know,” he muttered.

Tabitha didn’t look away from the engineers. “Of course, they do. We’ve been wingin’ this for, what—five minutes?”

“Long enough.”

A technician glanced at a console.

Frowned.

“…Sir,” he called out, “we’re detecting an energy spike from the object—”

Too late.

The TARDIS pulsed.

Soft at first.

Then brighter.

Alive.

Skeeta stepped forward with no hesitation. “Everyone step back,” he said. The authority in his voice cut through the room like a blade.

The engineers froze.

Tabitha blinked behind her helmet. “…Okay,” she whispered, “…that was kinda impressive.”

Skeeta reached his TARDIS and placed his hand against its surface.

The reaction was immediate.

A low hum.

Then—

Light.

Golden-blue energy rippled outward, washing across the room like a wave. The cables snapped loose. The scanners flickered violently. One by one, the Empire’s machines failed. The engineers stumbled back in shock. “What is happening—?!”

“It’s responding to him!” another shouted.

Skeeta closed his eyes. For just a moment. “…I’m here,” he murmured.

The sphere answered.

Panels shifted—impossibly.

Seams appeared where there had been none.

With a smooth, mechanical grace—

The sphere unfolded.

Not outward—

But inward.

Revealing a doorway that hadn’t existed seconds before.

Tabitha stared. “…You were not kidding.”

Skeeta turned. “Come on!”

Blaster fire erupted. Stormtroopers flooded the lab. “Open fire!”

Red bolts tore through the air.

Skeeta grabbed Tabitha’s hand—and pulled her inside.

The door slammed shut behind them.

Silence. Warmth. Light.

Tabitha stumbled forward—then stopped.

Her breath caught. “…No way.”

The interior stretched endlessly before her.

Golden columns.

Soft, humming energy.

A vast control room that defied every law of space she understood.

“…It’s… bigger,” she whispered.

Skeeta moved quickly, already at the central console. “Hold on!”

“What do you mean—?!”

The TARDIS roared to life.

Outside, the sphere lifted.

Blaster fire struck it and failed.

Energy shields flared.

The entire lab shook.

Inside, levers slammed and controls shifted. Skeeta worked like a man possessed. “Hang on!” he repeated.

The engines screamed—

Reality twisted—

And with a violent surge—

The TARDIS vanished.

Silence.

Stillness.

Then—

A soft hum.

Tabitha opened her eyes slowly. “…Are we dead?”

Skeeta glanced over his shoulder. “…No.”

She looked around again, still in awe. “…I was not prepared for this.”

“Most people aren’t.”

She took a few careful steps, touching the console…the walls…everything. “…You lived in here?”

“Yeah.”

Her expression softened. “…Alone?”

Skeeta didn’t answer right away. “…Yeah.”

That hit her.

She turned back to him and really looked at him. “…You don’t have to be alone anymore.”

He met her eyes.

Something unspoken passed between them.

Understanding.

Recognition.

Shared loneliness.

“…You kept up back there,” he said.

Tabitha raised an eyebrow. “You sound surprised.”

“I am.”

She smirked slightly. “Told you I’m more than a housewife.”

A small pause.

Then—

Skeeta stepped closer. “…You ever traveled through time before?”

Tabitha blinked. “…I can barely handle Utah.”

He nodded.

Fair.

“…I could use someone,” he said.

Her expression shifted.

“…Someone who asks questions.”

She smiled faintly.

“…Someone who doesn’t run when things get complicated.”

Her eyes glistened slightly. “…You askin’ me what I think you’re askin’ me?”

Skeeta held her gaze. “…Yeah.”

A beat.

“…I’m askin’ you to come with me.”

Tabitha’s breath caught.

All at once—

Everything she’d said earlier came rushing back.

The empty house.

The quiet nights.

The loneliness.

And now—

This.

This impossible, terrifying, beautiful opportunity.

“…You serious?” she whispered.

“I don’t joke about things like this.”

Her eyes filled.

A soft, overwhelmed laugh escaped her. “…Oh my gosh…” She stepped forward—and hugged him.

Tight. Without hesitation.

Skeeta froze for half a second—

Then—

Slowly—

He returned it.

Awkward at first. Then firmer. Real.

For the first time in a long time, neither of them felt alone.

— — — — — — —

Far, far away…

In the cold vacuum of space…

The Death Star remained.

Unmoving. Watching.

Inside a darkened chamber—

The breathing echoed once more.

Steady.

Controlled.

Darth Vader stood before a towering hologram.

Blue light flickered.

And then, the Emperor appeared.

Emperor Palpatine’s twisted smile curled in the holographic glow. “My lord Vader,” he said smoothly. “You have failed to secure the artifact.”

Vader did not move. “The object has escaped,” he said. “With its operator.”

Palpatine’s eyes gleamed.

Not anger. Not disappointment.

Something else.

“…Yes,” he said softly.

A pause.

“…I felt it.”

Vader tilted his head slightly. “The presence…”

“Is not of this galaxy,” Palpatine finished.

Another smile. Wider now. More knowing.

“There are… doors,” he continued. “Between realities. Between worlds.” The room seemed to darken further. “And sometimes…those doors open.”

Vader remained still—listening and learning. “…Shall I pursue them, my master?” he asked.

Palpatine’s expression shifted. Satisfied. “No.” A beat. “They will return.”

Vader’s mask tilted slightly. “…You are certain.”

Palpatine’s eyes burned. “Oh, yes.” A quiet, chilling chuckle escaped him. “Because another will come.”

The hologram flickered and vanished, leaving Vader alone in the dark.

Far beyond the Empire’s reach, the Tinkerer’s Type-X TARDIS drifted through the Infinite DC, carrying two souls.

Once strangers—

Now something more.

And their story…

Had only just begun.