___________________
Disclaimer:
I do not own any of the shows depicted in this story, or any part thereof. All rights to these properties are retained by their respective owners.
Note:
This is the fourth, and final, entry in the Vortex series. That doesn't mean that I'll never do another crossover, nor does it mean that I won't use this series as a base. It simply means that the story arc ends here. I hope you enjoyed it.
The story primarily revolves around the main characters of Star Trek, Stargate SG1, and Andromeda, however there are minor parts contributed by other franchises. You should have no trouble appreciating the story if you are familiar with those three. I realise that some of the multi-universe crossovers have experienced a 'series creep', in which they throw tons of shows together and try to wedge them into the plot. I promise that I will keep everything relevant, and only stick to pulling all the loose ends of the previous stories together.
___________________
"Ah, the stars. From them, we have warmth and light, and soft breezes. They spark our imaginations, and inspire us to reach upward. All the while, stars writhe constantly with the power of millions of warheads. In their fury, they cast out blasts of searing plasma. They explode, destroying everything around them, and leave only the vast emptiness that is a black hole. Woe to civilization… to have parents like these."
- Vitesh, CY 9823
------
"We're getting a signal," The gate room operator spoke hurriedly, "It's SG-3."
"Open the iris," Hammond ordered.
Down in the gateroom, a team of soldiers rushed through the bluish wormhole, which closed as they made it to the platform. Colonel O'Neil immediately walked up to speak with them.
"Aren't you back a little early?"
"Sorry," Col. Adams looked down briefly, "The entire stronghold was wiped out. We barely got out before they broke into the gate room. The Asgard mother ship couldn't do a thing to the hostile ship, and the ground troops are starting to modify the Goa'uld hand devices to work with the shields they've been using. Even the heavy stuff was worthless this time. The alliance is losing ground fast, and according to intelligence we picked up from the Tolan, the enemy hasn't lost a battle yet in this war."
General Hammond had been listening to the conversation, and quickly gave orders over the PA, "All SG teams, report to conference room one immediately. Lt. Pierce, report to medical and give them all the information you can."
***
"We had assumed that the Borg were gaining these new technologies from the future," Admiral Witman explained, "Are you suggesting that the Borg have somehow been assimilating alternate time lines?"
"Impossible," Admiral Natchev interrupted, "In all encounters with alternate timelines, no one has ever reported anything divergent enough to give the Borg this kind of technology. They have advanced weapons, engines, sensors, and shields."
"Our theory is that all time lines are aligned so that the more divergent a timeline is, the more barriers you have to cross to reach it. Random phenomenon usually only breach a few, and never connect to the most distant timelines. However, the Borg have a technology that allows them to cross these barriers at will, and go to any timeline with a technology or species that they wish to assimilate."
"So, out of an infinite set of possibilities, how are the Borg able to find a particular timeline? The Borg don't appear to be the kind of species that would search at random," Witman asked.
"Have any of you heard of a work of fiction called 'Lost in Space'?" Janeway asked.
"It sounds familiar…" Admiral Carson began, "It was a television show, wasn't it? Twentieth century, as I recall."
"You know your history," Janeway observed.
"Well, I've always gotten a certain amount of pleasure from seeing how ancient people reguarded space exploration."
"What does this have to do with the Borg?" Natchev demanded.
"As you may have noticed in my report, we got a great deal of information from the collective before our officers were lost. One entry in the database mentioned that series, so we looked it up in our computers. In this timeline, Lost in Space was a long-running science fiction series, and it spawned three spin-offs and two films. However, this series doesn't even exist in the Commonwealth's universe."
Witman nodded, "Captain Picard mentioned that they had a science fiction series that mirrored our reality…"
"Appearantly, the events in Lost in Space were also real in another time line," Janeway added, "We believe that the collective is somehow using information from earth science fiction to locate targets for assimilation. If we could locate the source timeline that they've been using to navigate, we could travel to their potential targets and find allies. In each of these timelines, at least some of the assimilated technology is well known. For every layer of impenetrable armor, for every super weapon, and for every shield system; there is a timeline out there with a way to counter it. If we could find those, we could stop the Borg."
"Nice theory, but how do you plan to put it into practice?" Natchev asked, "The Borg aren't just going to tell you where they got their information."
"Every object in existance has a quantum signature. It is a unique property of each time line, and it can't be changed. We believe that we could use the quantum signature of an item from the source timeline and compare it with alternate timelines until we find the source. Seven believed that the computers at Starfleet headquarters could be hooked up to a modified drive system, and search for the right quantum signature automatically. She felt that we could track down the right one in a matter of days."
"Good," Natchev responded, "Because that's how long we have. The Borg have begun systematically assimilating our boarder colonies. According to estimates, the Federation will be gone within a week. A single Cube with technology from alternate timelines wiped out the sixth, seventh, and eigth fleets simultaneously without a scratch. Only the Enterprise and a handful of ships survived."
"You wouldn't happen to have an item from the source galaxy, would you?" Witman asked.
"We think so," Janeway paused, "After the Enterprise killed the enemy bioship on the original passage through the vortex, Andromeda returned to the site to collect samples of the ship's hull. When we initially came up with our plan, we asked for a piece of the destroyed bioship, and they provided one."
"I plan to assemble a special task force to deal with this situation," Witman said, "The Enterprise will be leading the mission, as they have the most experience with the Borg, and with alternate timelines. You will be second in command of the task force. The Defiant and the Temujin will round out the force."
"My flagship and the Detroit will act in a long-range support capacity," Admiral Natchev stated, "If we encounter the Borg, I intend to do everything in my power to prevent the assimilation of the Enterprise or Voyager."
"Still using the Agamemnon, Admiral?" Janeway smiled.
"I wouldn't trade it for all the Sovereigns in starfleet. I put in special orders to get a Lakota refit for her, and a few extras. The Borg aren't getting past us without a fight," Admiral Natchev attempted to appear confident, though she knew her mission was suicide.
***
Q watched silently as the Eclipse class star destroyer fired its superweapon harmlessly against the Cube. The shields wavered, and energy from the planet-destroying beam blasted the Borg hull. Even after opening a tiny breach in the shields, it had enough force to vaporize a small moon. Still, the Cube continued silently, inexorably for the planet below. The hull was hardly scratched by the immense firepower, and the shields were at full strength again in seconds. The Eclipse was the only defender left.
The new Death Star had already been assimilated, and drones were beaming down to the planet, now impervious to blasters and conventional weapons alike. Assimilation had become such a meaningless process. The collective grew in size, but it already had consumed every piece of technology belonging to the Empire. In fact, the armor of the Sun Crusher had significantly improved their already impressive hull technology. They had six different weapons capable of destroying planets with ease now, and the collective expected to acquire at least ten more by the end of the month.
'The Borg are becoming too strong,' Q thought, 'A few more years of this, and they'll be a threat to the continuum…'
The Eclipse began charging it's superlaser again. The chief engineer wondered why they even bothered. They should give up and try to escape. As quickly as the massive ship could manage, it swung around and brought its main gun to bear against the planet. Then, the engineer knew what was about to happen. Thrawn was down there recovering, and Moff Kedrin was going to sacrifice Coruscant to keep him from being assimilated.
The engineer shook his head, and looked up to Kedrin, "One last act of defiance? I hope the Borg think torture is irrelevant."
"We'll soon see, old friend," Kedrin responded, "Either way, I think we're doing the people down there a favor."
***
"Beka, there is no shame… in shedding a tear for people we've lost," Rev said.
"Really?" Beka looked right through him, "Did you cry Rev?"
"Yes, I did," The wayist responded frankly, "We know you're a strong person, and no one would think less of you…"
"There isn't really anyone left, is there? I hardly know Dylan and Tyr. It's just the two of us now, and the Maru. I'm not sure why I'm even letting those two stay on board. This is my ship, and I'm tired of putting my life on the line for the Commonwealth."
"Beka, you're using anger to avoid facing the pain," Rev said.
"Oh is that what I'm doing? Thank you Doctor Bem."
"I may not have a degree, but I am your friend. I know when you're in pain, when you're afraid, and when you don't know what to do."
"My friend? I don't have any friends," Beka responded, "If I had friends, I'd be in pain right now, because that's what friends and relatives do. They just cause you pain."
"You don't mean that…"
"I don't? Look, I've been around the block a few times, and every friend I've ever had either died or stabbed me in the back. Maybe when Dylan gets his Commonwealth going, it won't be like that, but I don't think I'll live to see it. Tyr was right; I'm not doing this unless I get something out of it, I don't see that happening. You can keep working on the Commonwealth if you want, but not on my ship."
"Beka, I never died, and I would never stab you in the back."
"I told you, you're not my friend. Now get out, and leave me alone."
Disclaimer:
I do not own any of the shows depicted in this story, or any part thereof. All rights to these properties are retained by their respective owners.
Note:
This is the fourth, and final, entry in the Vortex series. That doesn't mean that I'll never do another crossover, nor does it mean that I won't use this series as a base. It simply means that the story arc ends here. I hope you enjoyed it.
The story primarily revolves around the main characters of Star Trek, Stargate SG1, and Andromeda, however there are minor parts contributed by other franchises. You should have no trouble appreciating the story if you are familiar with those three. I realise that some of the multi-universe crossovers have experienced a 'series creep', in which they throw tons of shows together and try to wedge them into the plot. I promise that I will keep everything relevant, and only stick to pulling all the loose ends of the previous stories together.
___________________
"Ah, the stars. From them, we have warmth and light, and soft breezes. They spark our imaginations, and inspire us to reach upward. All the while, stars writhe constantly with the power of millions of warheads. In their fury, they cast out blasts of searing plasma. They explode, destroying everything around them, and leave only the vast emptiness that is a black hole. Woe to civilization… to have parents like these."
- Vitesh, CY 9823
------
"We're getting a signal," The gate room operator spoke hurriedly, "It's SG-3."
"Open the iris," Hammond ordered.
Down in the gateroom, a team of soldiers rushed through the bluish wormhole, which closed as they made it to the platform. Colonel O'Neil immediately walked up to speak with them.
"Aren't you back a little early?"
"Sorry," Col. Adams looked down briefly, "The entire stronghold was wiped out. We barely got out before they broke into the gate room. The Asgard mother ship couldn't do a thing to the hostile ship, and the ground troops are starting to modify the Goa'uld hand devices to work with the shields they've been using. Even the heavy stuff was worthless this time. The alliance is losing ground fast, and according to intelligence we picked up from the Tolan, the enemy hasn't lost a battle yet in this war."
General Hammond had been listening to the conversation, and quickly gave orders over the PA, "All SG teams, report to conference room one immediately. Lt. Pierce, report to medical and give them all the information you can."
***
"We had assumed that the Borg were gaining these new technologies from the future," Admiral Witman explained, "Are you suggesting that the Borg have somehow been assimilating alternate time lines?"
"Impossible," Admiral Natchev interrupted, "In all encounters with alternate timelines, no one has ever reported anything divergent enough to give the Borg this kind of technology. They have advanced weapons, engines, sensors, and shields."
"Our theory is that all time lines are aligned so that the more divergent a timeline is, the more barriers you have to cross to reach it. Random phenomenon usually only breach a few, and never connect to the most distant timelines. However, the Borg have a technology that allows them to cross these barriers at will, and go to any timeline with a technology or species that they wish to assimilate."
"So, out of an infinite set of possibilities, how are the Borg able to find a particular timeline? The Borg don't appear to be the kind of species that would search at random," Witman asked.
"Have any of you heard of a work of fiction called 'Lost in Space'?" Janeway asked.
"It sounds familiar…" Admiral Carson began, "It was a television show, wasn't it? Twentieth century, as I recall."
"You know your history," Janeway observed.
"Well, I've always gotten a certain amount of pleasure from seeing how ancient people reguarded space exploration."
"What does this have to do with the Borg?" Natchev demanded.
"As you may have noticed in my report, we got a great deal of information from the collective before our officers were lost. One entry in the database mentioned that series, so we looked it up in our computers. In this timeline, Lost in Space was a long-running science fiction series, and it spawned three spin-offs and two films. However, this series doesn't even exist in the Commonwealth's universe."
Witman nodded, "Captain Picard mentioned that they had a science fiction series that mirrored our reality…"
"Appearantly, the events in Lost in Space were also real in another time line," Janeway added, "We believe that the collective is somehow using information from earth science fiction to locate targets for assimilation. If we could locate the source timeline that they've been using to navigate, we could travel to their potential targets and find allies. In each of these timelines, at least some of the assimilated technology is well known. For every layer of impenetrable armor, for every super weapon, and for every shield system; there is a timeline out there with a way to counter it. If we could find those, we could stop the Borg."
"Nice theory, but how do you plan to put it into practice?" Natchev asked, "The Borg aren't just going to tell you where they got their information."
"Every object in existance has a quantum signature. It is a unique property of each time line, and it can't be changed. We believe that we could use the quantum signature of an item from the source timeline and compare it with alternate timelines until we find the source. Seven believed that the computers at Starfleet headquarters could be hooked up to a modified drive system, and search for the right quantum signature automatically. She felt that we could track down the right one in a matter of days."
"Good," Natchev responded, "Because that's how long we have. The Borg have begun systematically assimilating our boarder colonies. According to estimates, the Federation will be gone within a week. A single Cube with technology from alternate timelines wiped out the sixth, seventh, and eigth fleets simultaneously without a scratch. Only the Enterprise and a handful of ships survived."
"You wouldn't happen to have an item from the source galaxy, would you?" Witman asked.
"We think so," Janeway paused, "After the Enterprise killed the enemy bioship on the original passage through the vortex, Andromeda returned to the site to collect samples of the ship's hull. When we initially came up with our plan, we asked for a piece of the destroyed bioship, and they provided one."
"I plan to assemble a special task force to deal with this situation," Witman said, "The Enterprise will be leading the mission, as they have the most experience with the Borg, and with alternate timelines. You will be second in command of the task force. The Defiant and the Temujin will round out the force."
"My flagship and the Detroit will act in a long-range support capacity," Admiral Natchev stated, "If we encounter the Borg, I intend to do everything in my power to prevent the assimilation of the Enterprise or Voyager."
"Still using the Agamemnon, Admiral?" Janeway smiled.
"I wouldn't trade it for all the Sovereigns in starfleet. I put in special orders to get a Lakota refit for her, and a few extras. The Borg aren't getting past us without a fight," Admiral Natchev attempted to appear confident, though she knew her mission was suicide.
***
Q watched silently as the Eclipse class star destroyer fired its superweapon harmlessly against the Cube. The shields wavered, and energy from the planet-destroying beam blasted the Borg hull. Even after opening a tiny breach in the shields, it had enough force to vaporize a small moon. Still, the Cube continued silently, inexorably for the planet below. The hull was hardly scratched by the immense firepower, and the shields were at full strength again in seconds. The Eclipse was the only defender left.
The new Death Star had already been assimilated, and drones were beaming down to the planet, now impervious to blasters and conventional weapons alike. Assimilation had become such a meaningless process. The collective grew in size, but it already had consumed every piece of technology belonging to the Empire. In fact, the armor of the Sun Crusher had significantly improved their already impressive hull technology. They had six different weapons capable of destroying planets with ease now, and the collective expected to acquire at least ten more by the end of the month.
'The Borg are becoming too strong,' Q thought, 'A few more years of this, and they'll be a threat to the continuum…'
The Eclipse began charging it's superlaser again. The chief engineer wondered why they even bothered. They should give up and try to escape. As quickly as the massive ship could manage, it swung around and brought its main gun to bear against the planet. Then, the engineer knew what was about to happen. Thrawn was down there recovering, and Moff Kedrin was going to sacrifice Coruscant to keep him from being assimilated.
The engineer shook his head, and looked up to Kedrin, "One last act of defiance? I hope the Borg think torture is irrelevant."
"We'll soon see, old friend," Kedrin responded, "Either way, I think we're doing the people down there a favor."
***
"Beka, there is no shame… in shedding a tear for people we've lost," Rev said.
"Really?" Beka looked right through him, "Did you cry Rev?"
"Yes, I did," The wayist responded frankly, "We know you're a strong person, and no one would think less of you…"
"There isn't really anyone left, is there? I hardly know Dylan and Tyr. It's just the two of us now, and the Maru. I'm not sure why I'm even letting those two stay on board. This is my ship, and I'm tired of putting my life on the line for the Commonwealth."
"Beka, you're using anger to avoid facing the pain," Rev said.
"Oh is that what I'm doing? Thank you Doctor Bem."
"I may not have a degree, but I am your friend. I know when you're in pain, when you're afraid, and when you don't know what to do."
"My friend? I don't have any friends," Beka responded, "If I had friends, I'd be in pain right now, because that's what friends and relatives do. They just cause you pain."
"You don't mean that…"
"I don't? Look, I've been around the block a few times, and every friend I've ever had either died or stabbed me in the back. Maybe when Dylan gets his Commonwealth going, it won't be like that, but I don't think I'll live to see it. Tyr was right; I'm not doing this unless I get something out of it, I don't see that happening. You can keep working on the Commonwealth if you want, but not on my ship."
"Beka, I never died, and I would never stab you in the back."
"I told you, you're not my friend. Now get out, and leave me alone."