A/N: Another season ends. Season 4 is nearly ready and I will soon start posting it!
Mystery Solved
Disclaimer: The characters of Stargate Universe belong to MGM. The characters of the Four Orders are entirely my own.
AU/SGU/FO: A powerful being from another universe appears on the Destiny just as Eli's time had run out. Stranded on the ship he has to figure out how to go home and the best way is to help the crew of Destiny.
Season Three – 'The envoy of the Gods'
Premise:
The crew of the Destiny had gotten into stasis as they planned to ride out the issues they had in the current galaxy. Stasis was to last 3 years until the Destiny reached the next galaxy (hopefully). It was supposed to be a dreamless state...
But it was anything but dreamless. The ship's AI had induced dreams for some but another being had other plans for them. It warned them that the universe is in danger and armed them with the knowledge they would need to survive the apocalypse.
Diablo and Viz had fixed their ship as best as they could and woke them up. Their reaction had been pretty as much as they had figured. But the discoveries they had made were invaluable not to mention they had allies they did not know they had. Once everything had been explained the crew of Destiny has an important decision to make...
Previously:
The crew of Destiny had returned to the ship and had begun the deliberations as to what to do with their two new passengers. The discussion is interrupted by a short recess when they go to visit the two.
They noticed they are a in a heated discussion and remain hidden to hear it. Diablo and Viz discuss some of the mysteries they had not fully shared with the rest of the crew. They have certain things to iron before doing so.
The crew then returns to discuss further the two. Some voice their concerns that when the two step over they must have a way of controlling them. Camille proposes they build the anti-prior device and test it on them if it works then can agree to this alliance.
All in agreement, Chloe and Eli are tasked with obtaining the information how to build it and then build it. Once that is done, Camille, Rush and Young go to visit the two in the brig while Chloe adjusts the device until it works.
They see only Diablo and ask him to do some things for them. He agrees but at some point the device interrupts his work. Satisfied they return back to the others and cast their vote. Apparently everyone felt safe from that experiment and the decision was unanimous.
Meanwhile, Viz wonders why they mistook him for Diablo. The latter shares it is what they wanted to see. They engaged into a conversation circling around the fact that the device doesn't work on them.
Viz doesn't feel comfortable beginning an alliance with a lie but Diablo quickly explains to him why they should. He also reminded him that we could have warned them that he was not him. But Viz admits he did not see it until it was too late. He still doesn't like it but agrees to play along.
And now:
Chapter 10
Their newest crewmembers were out of the brig and in their own room. They have not appeared for some time but Everett associated that with their need to properly rest. Still, he needed to see them. They have reached a new planet and it seemed a bit inhospitable even for their environmental suits.
He reached the door and knocked. He heard some commotion and then the door opened on its own. He got the impression it was an invitation but remained outside just in case it was not.
"Come in," He heard one of them say and ventured in. The room they originally got they had refused. Instead they took one of the empty storerooms. Everett had never ventured in but now he got the opportunity.
He followed the arched corridor that shortly after reached the storeroom itself. The area was not that big but it certainly looked it. Everett noticed some equipment he was not familiar with lying around a square area that was tapped. He wondered why they would place tape on a square area.
"Ah, mon colonel," Diablo's voice came from somewhere.
Everett looked up and saw him floating near the ceiling. "Good day, what are you doing there?"
"Tedious work, really," Diablo replied though that did not provide any information to the question asked. "Is there something I can help you with, Colonel?"
"I was hoping so."
"Oh, that bad, ah?"
"Well, we reached a new planet but…"
"But?"
"It is hazardous at best even for our suits."
"Why is the planet important, Colonel Young? "Viz asked while stepping from the other dimension into this one startling him a bit.
"Well, we picked up a power source."
"Ah, curious," Diablo said.
"It bears resemblance to the one of the Ancients."
"Alright, this is definitely very curious." Diablo said and descended until he touched the floor. "I will come shortly."
"Thank you,"
Everett had looked around while delivering the news. The room had really nothing in it. But when Viz appeared he realized they have moved the furniture to the other dimension. That was a useful trick to save space.
"Do you think they are messing with us just to visit some toxic world?" Viz asked after the colonel left.
"They have nothing to gain from that." Diablo replied. "As you are staying here,"
"True, but they can easily get rid of you."
"How?"
"They could leave. "
"And why exactly are you here?"
"To ensure that doesn't happen?'
"We make such a good team." Diablo smiled and left.
He reached the stargate room and noticed Eli trying to save one of the Kinos that looked like crap. Apparently the atmosphere of that planet was very toxic or acidic. He wanted to ask something when he sensed that annoying subsonic frequency.
He looked around innocently and noticed the smug face of Camille. Was she insane? He thought. He then reasoned she wanted to ensure it was not a fluke in the brig. He shook head and focused on Eli's Kino.
"You said something about a power source?" He turned to Everett but made a small grimace indicating he's not comfortable at the moment.
Everett quickly spotted Camille and headed straight for her while Nicholas got to explain what they found.
"Have you lost your mind?" He asked her.
"I do not know what you are talking about." She replied.
"Where is it?"
"Where is what?"
"Camille, don't play games with me. We agreed that the anti-prior device will be used only if he steps out of line. It was not a toy for you to play with."
"Oh, that device,"
"CAMILLE!"
"Relax, Colonel," She said and shut down the device that she had hidden upon her person. "I just wanted to ensure that its range is accurate and it works here as well."
"And how long would you have waited to see that effect?"
"Long enough,"
"And if it hurt him while returning from that god forsaken planet carrying something dangerous? What excuse would you have had then? How many would have suffered for your indulgence?" Everett was angry. "Give it to me!"
"No, I will put it back."
"No, give it to me!" Everett enunciated slowly.
"I can do it on my own."
"It seems I can't trust you with it." Everett said and took it forcibly out of her hand. "Camille, you are endangering lives!"
"He deserves it." Camille replied completely ignoring what Everett had said.
"Look, I don't want to know where your hatred form him streams from, for now. But if you endanger the lives of our people based on some vendetta, I will put it in the brig for a long, long time."
Camille threw him a murderous look and stormed out. She did hate him. His actions led her to be alone without her lover. She had played along with the others until she saw the device work and it provided her with the perfect way to deliver her vengeance. Everett had taken it but she would get it back.
Everett sighed deeply. He had to find out what had gotten her around the twist. She had been so okay with him that her behavior now stunned him. It was not fear for the others that drove her actions. It seemed personal. But what could have he done to her that drove her so insane?
He returned the device and locked it up. He posted a guard outside the room to ensure she can't lay her hands on it again. He returned to the gate room and understood that Diablo had already gone to the planet.
"What was that about?' Nicholas asked.
Everett shared with him.
"Is she totally nuts?"
"I am sure there is a perfectly good explanation which we should discover quickly before she does something we would all regret."
Eli heard them too and frowned. He left them for a moment and went to see Chloe. He shared what has happened and asked her if she could inquire subtly about it. He then returned to the gate room just in time,
"What is it?" He heard Nicholas ask over the radio but static took over and soon the link was down. The gate shut down too.
"What's going on?" Eli asked.
"I think he found the power source and was about to tell us when the radio went caput."
"Dial the gate." Everett ordered.
Meanwhile on the planet, which was highly toxic and acidic, Diablo had indeed found the power source. The environment did not affect him as he was surrounded by his personal force field.
"Dr. Rush, I found the source of your power source." He said over the radio. "You wouldn't believe what it is…"
"What is it?" He heard the reply.
"It is…" Diablo hit the radio but there was only static. "Dreadful weather." He cursed under breath. "Alright, radio is gone. Now what shall we do with you, you beauty?"
It was a ship. Even more, it was one of the seed ships. For some reason, it had crash landed on this world. He found the hatch and got in. The inside was almost like Destiny though when he reached the end of the corridor it expanded into larger space where he could see materials and half constructed stargate.
"Ha," Diablo exclaimed. He wondered why there was only half a gate. It did not seem the local environment has done much damage to the hull. He stopped. And another thought came to mind. Was the ship building a gate for another planet before it crashed down? Or was it building it again?
He needed to find the bridge. He exited the large space and headed up and down the corridors and soon located the indicator for the bridge. He followed the corridor until he reached the bridge door. He prayed it open and got in.
It seemed there was no power. He went to the control consoles and punched a few buttons but nothing happened.
"But if that is the case then why are we picking up your power source? It must be active somewhere."
Just as he was to go and look for the power source he noticed something odd about the bridge. "Wait a minute!" He stepped back and took another look. He had thought it was a play of the weird lights coming from the weather outside but it was different.
He then had an illumination. "Brilliant," He exclaimed. "Now where are you?" He spotted the lights again and threw one of his knives. It hit the lights and the bridge changed. It had been a holographic projection. The bridge consoles were fully active.
He noticed that power has been rerouted to the structural integrity and the shields but not by the ship's AI. "Ah, we have guests. Now where are you?" He examined the power logs and found more power diverted to the aft the ship.
Before going to the aft, however, he searched the system logs to discover the reason the ship crashed here. As it turned out the ship did not crash but landed. It appeared as though someone or something piloted it down.
He also found the communications' logs and there for the first time got the confirmation he sought. The ship had received instructions from another Ancient vessel but it was not Destiny or any of the other seed ships. "Now isn't this interesting?" He sought the name of that ship and found it – The Guardian.
According to the database, this seed ship landed on this planet four years ago though it had travelled in reverse for a few hundred years. The instructions it had received had stopped it producing stargates. That explained the half constructed gate he found but created confusion. Was the Guardian ahead of Destiny or behind it? How did this ship receive an instruction from that ship if it were behind the Destiny?
He sought the sensors logs at the time of the transmission. It appeared that it got it from a tear in the fabric of space. But that seemed impossible. How could the Guardian know in advance where this seed ship will be so it can send it from its end? That bore much thinking and concern.
"How advanced is that thing?" Diablo thought. "Or did it just beam the signal hoping that whatever ship was there will pick it up and proceed with the given instruction? Nah, it seems too random, too uncertain. And why you? And more to the point to what end?" He wondered what its mission is. Wait for the Destiny? Nah, it could do so in space. So why land?
"What is so important that you would be ordered to land and wait?" And then he got thinking about the timing. Four years ago, what happened then? Destiny obtained a crew. Coincidence, but then again he knew there is no such thing.
While he wondered, the console for the sensors activated and began scanning. He noticed it found Destiny and scanned it. The data appeared on the screen and he observed it. And the first shock came when it confirmed the presence of its crew recognizing it as human.
"How is that possible?" Diablo wondered. How can a ship two million years old recognize a human, a race that would exist long after its launch? "What are your base parameters for this determination?" He wondered and started poking around its system and logs. The only thing he found was the words – the Heralded Four. They were mentioned in a transmission log a few years after the launch of the Destiny.
"What the devil?" Diablo exclaimed. At least now he knew for sure that the Ancients have met with the Herald. But the way that was written it seemed like these Heralded were human and that was mightily intriguing.
The ship continued to follow some protocol. Diablo continued reading. It compiled a report for the condition of the ship and the status of the humans. It included some of their communication reports from the last update it had received from the Destiny. And that bore for Diablo much concern. Something here was off. It was obvious the ship sought something in particular but what.
He got that when the ship suddenly detected the presence of another being and it displayed it in a way Diablo would have never expected. "That is not possible!" He exclaimed flabbergasted. "How the hell do you know of them?" It represented Viz's species. It was highly disturbing.
"What is it in the back of your ass?" Diablo left the bridge and headed for the aft of the ship in a hurry. He had a bad feeling about this. How can this vessel recognize a species that has never been in this universe before? Has Viz omitted to tell him something? Or how can anyone of that species hide that fact from the rest? They shared everything in their own dimension.
He reached the back of the ship and saw a container. It had something in it. He opened it without a second thought and then he wished he did not. It contained one of the few things in the universe that could truly harm him.
"Gods damned it," He winced in pain. It was also something that could kill Viz on the spot.
So it seemed that someone of Viz's race was here after all. They are the only ones who know what can kill them and what can harm him. He sensed the ship powering up and preparing to take off.
"Not good," He attempted to stand up but couldn't. He could not even warn Viz of that thing and he needed to once he saw what it was linked with. "Not good," He could only hope that Viz would come to this planet after this damn thing had gone in space. Though, he thought that will not help at all.
This thing was linked to a weapon system. Even if Viz were to shift dimensions it could still reach him. Diablo cursed for his rash action. He needed to find the strength to stand up and stop this thing before it fires.
It was then that his mind processed what it had seen in the large room but ignored it as his interest was elsewhere. It was one of his curses. Had he paid attention he would have seen this coming. He could not destroy the ship as this will end the Destiny too. The ship lifted off and began its ascent.
Meanwhile on Destiny, Viz had returned to the crew's dimension. He wanted to see how things are going with the task they had given Diablo. He reached the gate room and found Colonel Young.
"Colonel,"
"Yes, "
"How are things going on the planet with Diablo?"
Everett turned around and saw Viz. "Sorry, we have been busy. We sent him to find a power source. He did but we lost contact. We have been trying to raise him ever since."
"How long ago was that?"
"Half an hour,"
"Hm, strange," Viz said. He was just attempting to call him when the link vanished.
"What is it?" Eli asked.
"I can no longer reach him. This is very strange." Viz got thinking. Where he could possibly be that this would sever his connection with him?
"Is he dead?"
"No, he is still alive but I can't reach him."
"This has never happened before?"
"It has but it was only temporary."
"What do you remember of that time?"
"Well," Viz got a glimpse of Diablo's mind. It scared him as he was in pain and terrified.
"What?" Everett asked seeing his reaction. "What?"
"I am not exactly sure." He stalled. He did not want them to know. They saw him as an unbreakable pillar. It would shatter them… No, he did not want to say it. He was the one that saw him as an unbreakable pillar. What was going on? What could terrify him? He reasoned it must be one of the few things that could hurt him.
But how can any of that be on that gods' forsaken planet? How is it that he did not sense it before going to it? The only logical explanation was that whatever it was it was shielded. But the strange part was why he could not sense it?
And the only explanation for that made him shiver to the bones. The only danger he could not sense was the one that could kill him.
"What?" Everett asked as whatever Viz had been thinking had made him very pale.
There was only one course of action left but he feared that day. He did not want to do it even it meant his death. The only way was to sever his connection to the other dimensions, cutting off his access to his own kind. The very thought of it scared the living hell out of him.
Who did this? And the answer was obvious. Only one of his species could build this kind of weapon but who. Who would do that? And why?
"Colonel," Chloe's voice came over the coms.
"What is it?"
"Sensors are picking up a ship ascending from the planet's atmosphere."
"What? What kind of ship is it?"
Chloe paused for a moment that exclaimed loudly. "It is a seed ship!"
Viz's mind exploded with indignation. How can these Ancients know how to build such a weapon? Did the Time Eternal teach them? But why would he be concerned with that?
"Sensors are picking some kind of radiation."
"What kind?"
"Don't bother, Colonel." Viz replied instead. "It is transdimensional."
"How do you know that?" Everett asked. "What are you not telling us? What is that thing? Is it a weapon?"
"Why would a seed ship be armed with a transdimensional weapon?" Nicholas asked. He began to think Camille may have been right. Viz may prove to be dangerous but asked himself how did Ancients know how to build it? And worse how did it know the Destiny at some point will have a transdimensional being onboard. "Why would the Ancients have such a thing?"
"They wouldn't." Viz replied. He had reached the only conclusion imaginable. Even if they had the blueprints, they could not finish the weapon without the help of a transdimensional being. "Only a transdimensional being can build it."
"What can we do? Raise shields?"
"It won't help." Viz shook head. "It will not affect you but it will kill me."
"Can't you shift to another dimension?"
"That won't help either."
"Then what would?" Eli asked.
"There is only way to deal with that. I have to sever my link to the other dimensions."
"Alright then do it."
"It is not that simple, Eli." Viz said. "Would you cut off…no…would you damage your brain if it meant saving your life?"
"How much damage are we talking about?"
"Bad,"
"Colonel, Destiny's systems just went offline." Chloe announced.
"WHAT?"
"We are sitting ducks."
Viz sighed deeply. There was no other way. He had to do it even if it is mutilating himself. He could not leave Diablo to die. "Relax, humans, there is no other way. But I won't do it here. While I believe the weapon will not damage you, I cannot take the chance it might."
Viz rose above ground and headed to the nearest hatch. He exited the Destiny and flew away as fast as he could. He wanted to put as much distance as he could between him and that seed ship.
He did not want to risk their lives if there was even the smallest chance the weapon was not built properly. He knew that the moment he cuts himself off he would die as he would assume the form he had held for all this time. And the human form can't survive in the vacuum of space.
He considered other options of course. Whoever built that weapon also must have taken precautions. He had thought telling them to destroy the ship but he feared that with that weapon onboard destroying the ship might cause their destruction too. Whoever it was could not afford to have transdimensional beings around and was definitely willing to destroy Destiny if necessary.
Of course he could be wrong. They were many ways to ensure Destiny survives but not its crew. And that was a risk he could not take. Goodbye, existence, goodbye, he thought and prepared.
Back on Destiny, Camille headed to the bridge and when she asked what is going on was stunned of the answer. She feared something like this but not the reaction of the weird being.
"Colonel, the seed ship has altered its course." Chloe announced.
"It is following Viz right?"
"Yes, sir," Chloe was in tears already. There was nothing she can do. The ship's main systems were still unresponsive. She had a ton of questions but no answers.
"Can we at least fire the weapons?" Everett asked.
"No, sir,"
"Damn it. There must be something that we can do."
"There is." Nicholas replied. "We can watch."
"That was very insensitive, Rush."
"No, that is the truth."
"Well, Camille, it seems you will get your wish." Everett couldn't resist retorting.
"The seed ship is ready to fire." Chloe announced. She sensed that whatever Colonel Young meant will be discussed another time.
Nicholas wished he could make contact with the weird being he met and tell him that he's wrong because the envoys of the Gods were about to meet their maker. He knew that because if Diablo could intervene he would have done it already.
"The seed ship is firing."
They saw a flash of light leaving the ship and heading straight for where the sensors indicated Viz was currently. The light had almost reached his location.
"Colonel, the seed ship fired again, this time at us."
"What is it?"
"The sensors identify it as a degrading radiation."
"What does this mean?"
"It will kill us but the ship will remain intact."
It seemed that not only Viz and Diablo were not long for this world but everyone onboard. Chloe pondered on that for a moment and then she froze. Everything around her seemed to have stopped. But she could still move. And then she was back with the others.
Suddenly everything around them started to lose coherence. For a moment each of them felt like a ghost and then…
The story will continue in the next season…
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Lordheaven
