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 Four – 'Unravelling the past'

Premise:

The crew of Destiny woke up after entering stasis only to find two new passengers onboard. The powerful being Diablo and his sidekick Viz had repaired most of their ship in a display of power never before seen.

After some deliberations and revelations, the crew of Destiny chooses to keep them as their newest allies/crew members. But trouble knocked on their door when an Ancient seed ship nearly destroyed all of them.

Unified they set together on a journey of exploration of the deepest waters of their psyche and the darkest secrets of the Ancients. What they discover shakes them to the very core of their beliefs.


Previously:

Viz gives the task to Ginn and Amanda to find out if Destiny has interfered with the crew's stasis time.

Meanwhile Matt Scott's concern for his wife had grown into a fear of losing her as she had been more and more distant. He tasks Eli to find out though taking a risk as he knows that Eli still has feelings for her.

Eli accepts the job but with some reservations of his own. He observes Diablo and Viz reaction to Chloe, Wray and Tamara. He follows Viz only to find he's made some adjustment to Ginn and Dr. Perry's abilities in cyber space.

Then he sees Chloe and follows her. He sees he enter in a room but doesn't follow at first. When his curiosity takes over he finds her in a weird position channeling starlight and gets confronted by a being he's never seen before.

The divine being discusses some things with him especially one that Eli has kept secret and reminds him to be careful of Diablo and Viz who will uncover it soon enough. He then summons back Chloe and reprimands her of carelessness that she has for Eli.

He then divines a plan with which she would continue to serve him without anyone's interferences and with Eli's help as punishment for being this curious.

Chloe collapses and Eli goes to get the others to help her. But discovers quickly that while he knows how it happened he can't utter it.


And now:

Chapter 6

Chloe was rushed in the medical bay. Tamara checked her pulse immediately and noticed it was barely registering.

"What happened?"

"I don't know. I found her this way." Eli replied while still trying to process what has happened. The divine being he met was not joking around. But he was right about one thing – Eli had a secret. It was an experience he was not sure how to share with the others. It has shaken so much of his beliefs.

He spent one week trying to fix the last pod but was coming short. He then started exploring the ship and found a new chamber with stasis pods. But these pods were not empty as the one in which the crew entered for the 3 years stasis.

Some of them contained people. These people were Ancients and a few strays (those were definitely alien and particularly the aliens that made Chloe's life a misery). He had part of the mystery of the holes in the hull. They were definitely not from the galaxy he thought they met them for the first time.

His biggest surprise though was the Ancients. So they did make it to the ship but instead of manning it they were in stasis. Perhaps it was more logical given that they were few and that might have proven difficult.

Upon his arrival the pods activated. He thought it was simply the cycle they had set but as he learnt it was because it detected his human signature. The Ancients were less than pleased to learn that he and his friends were onboard let alone how much time has passed.

From what he understood firstly they had arrived at the ship a few hundred years after the initial launch which he did not believe as there was no way they could have survived even in the pods for this long. He then understood that they meant a few thousand years before he and the crew arrived – two thousand and change years to be exact from Aramaic Middle-East and one of them looked remarkably like Jesus.


A day or so later, when they settled with the idea of the time passage and the fact that humans of Earth, the second evolution, have claimed custody of the ship and the reasons for them going into stasis, they shared with Eli the story of God and his son. For Eli it was beyond logical revelation that Jesus was an Ancient and the whole resurrection story was actually an accident rather than intended result.

For any Christian or other derivative religion that would be quite the cultural and religious shock. The Ancients at the time had decided once more to help the poor humans and in doing so attracted unwanted attention from their cousins – the Ori. But instead of direct conflict the Ori had used the Romans against them and so Christ paid with his life. And instead of dying as the man had been ready for he ascended with the help of Oma Dessala and upon his brief presence on Earth he had been seen and voila the story of his resurrection spread creating the dominant belief system on Earth.

The actual story of what the Ancient intended when they were helping the humans however had nothing to do with what Eli had learnt and read in the bible but the religious zealots altered the story to fit their need and using the book of the Ori as a guideline created the Bible he was familiar with today. Of course the Ancients did not give up this easily and made some corrections but the deed was already done and altering it completely never happened.

Having found themselves in similar position as they did millions of years ago, the Ancients decided to leave Earth and the rest of their kind for good. They travelled to Dakara and from there to an experimental planet (that Eli suspected doesn't exist now given how he and others arrived on Destiny) from which they came to Destiny.


They spent many years on the ship manning its systems and gathering information on the core mission of the ship. At some point they decided to go into stasis and leave the ship on automatic and be revived only in case of eminent danger, which ironically happened a few hundred years later when the first aliens along the way tried their luck on getting onboard the ship.

The Ancients tried to establish contact but it was unsuccessful so they used the powerful weapons of the ship to get rid of them and then after spending a few years to ensure there were no problems returned to stasis.

Then decades sometimes they again would run into new aliens with the same intent but no contact and again the same tactic of warding them off. During these periods and the long run already of the ship many systems would collapse and their energy reserves total would diminish and restoring the ship to full capacity would not be possible without stopping, finding a shipyard and fixing it for good. So they had to make do with what they had.

At some point their stay in the stasis would be longer and of course they had to come up with a way of extending the pods lives in order to compensate for the constant usage. And while these things were meant to withstand the rigors of time nothing lasts forever.


For a time they had peaceful stay in the pods and then a hundred years before Eli and his crew they ran into Chloe's aliens.

These creatures were relentless and their ships much more powerful than the last batch of bad aliens. They were all telepathic and did not give up easily. They had seen Destiny as a potential source of technology to add to their own. Fighting them off had proven a nearly impossible feat for the Ancients despite the technological advantage. So they had to change strategy and forced Destiny to drift between galaxies thus extending the transition time hoping these aliens will give up after years of looking for something that wasn't where they would expect and for a time that worked.

And then just ten years before Eli the aliens found them again. This time they attacked in a different way. They sent scout ships to dock with the ship right before entering for recharge when Destiny's shields would be down. Once inside the shield they had started probing the hull for weaknesses.

They had discovered that they needed to drill holes but they had to do it in a way that doesn't compromise the overall structural integrity of the ship and doesn't alert the Ancients to their presence. And at some point when even the defense systems of the ship found it difficult to shoot them down, they had finally succeeded in entering the ship and have begun exploring it.


The ship was forced to revive its passengers and alert them to the presence of the aliens onboard. The Ancients chased the aliens for days all around the ship and many battles were fought and in one of them they lost one to the aliens. He was not dead though, no, he was captured.

The aliens used a window to escape with their prize. The others figured they would study their prize to figure out how to deal with them more efficiently. And soon enough they returned with the idea of capturing the rest but it was not easy as they had planned and despite their advantage in numbers the Ancients held their positions and chased them away, not before capturing the few strays Eli saw in the pods next to them.

And then for a time there was not even a peep from them. The Ancients wondered if they had finally given up until the day they returned in full force and engaged the ship while recharging and at that point it was obvious they had come for blood. The Ancients did not know the reason for this sudden hostility.


They soon learnt of it and it was not what anyone would have expected. Their captured friend returned to the ship in his ascended form telling them that the guardian of Destiny has come to his aid when they were experimenting on him trying to mingle their DNA with his (and failing miserably as the Ancients physiology was completely incompatible and totally resistant to their attempts). When asked what guardian – he only whispered the words – the four horsemen and their leader.

He told them the guardian attacked with great ferocity the aliens destroying most of their ships without suffering any losses and released him from his burdens allowing him to ascend and return home. He also told them that it was time to let the ship be and allow destiny to guide it through the debris of time. But the others could not give up this easily and while Jesus had already ascended once he was not very eager to do it again. So they remained onboard and once again enjoyed the life of exploration.

The battle with the aliens did not last long because as soon as Destiny emerged from the sun the aliens ran. They had perhaps sensed the close presence of the guardian and did not want to try their bad luck again. Whatever the reason was for the next few galaxies they did not bother Destiny and life had returned to normal.

The ascended friend remained with them but did not retake his previous form. Over time he began to resent his friends for choosing the life of mortals and sometime after his resentment grew against those who had helped him ascend as it kept him from being with the others and then one day he had disappeared.


The time at which he reappeared was Eli's last day – day fourteen and hours before the arrival of Diablo and his sidekick. The moment he noticed Eli he had tried to kill him but Jesus and the others stood before him shielding him. That angered him a lot. Berating them for protecting the scum that the humans were and the reason of his exile, he swore vengeance upon his kind and then vanished again. Fearing for Eli and his crew's safety, Jesus decided it is high time they ascended again as it was the only way to protect them from the wrath of their once friend.

Eli was not very keen on going to his crew and lying down to die. He wanted to enter the stasis pods on their end but Jesus was adamant. Seeing that Eli will not comply he forced his will upon him telling him 'have faith in the universe it will not let you down'. It seemed as though he knew something that he did not.

Eli wondered if he knew of Diablo's arrival or just sensed a general hope in the air or the Living Force. Regardless of the preparations the ascended one returned and unceremoniously and without any logic or reason jettisoned the aliens into space. He then turned to Jesus and told him that the source of his pain will pay dearly and if the humans were by faith in their stead they would suffer and die and there was nothing anyone could about it even if they had on their side the leader of the four as he would perish too in agonizing death.


Eli did not understand this reference at the time but now having lived through it he came to the realization that the horrid experience they had some time ago was not exactly meant for them.

And then he remembered that the ascended one said that if they were to arrive first they would be struck too and not even the time eternal could help them as he too would be destroyed. So the seed ship aimed for the time eternal and the heralded four and that only meant that they were on the ship behind them, the very people who saved his life. This also meant that Diablo's guesses were more or less correct too though he did not know at whom the blast was actually aimed at.

This also meant that the ascended one had access to information mortals do not. He had seen the way to destroy the time eternal and built in the ship that landed. But perhaps the increased radiation on the planet damaged the seed ship's sensors and they overloaded with multiple heralds' sensors ghosts and that's why it tried to kill them too. Yeah, that seemed more logical to Eli and more likely as the ascended on aimed to kill five people in total not 80.

Still Jesus forced him to go and die. And while he knew that he couldn't resist the command and until this very moment when the divine being pointed out his secret he came to realize why he was so shaken, shaken to the very core of the power of the Ancients. There were no guarantees that Jesus actually did sense something coming and that he sent Eli intentionally to die or sacrifice him to quell his ex friend's anger or use him as a diversion.


When he woke up in the stasis room, he was nearly convinced that he has indeed died but instead of going to Hell or the land of the Ori he was still on the ship and that these disgusting Ancients were playing a sick game with him. That was until Diablo. His presence reassured him he was once again in the land of the living.

Still the experience to be forced to go and just die has shaken his faith in the Ancients despite their intent of protecting him. Knowing the benevolence with which his friends saw the Ancients he could not bring himself to share this experience with them as it will shake theirs and he was not ready to do that.

When everything settled he returned to that stasis room and found it empty. He could only imagine that Jesus and his friends ascended and that quelled a bit his fear and anger he felt towards them for overriding his natural instinct for self preservation. Of course he would have gladly given his life as this was his original idea but being forced into it is something else entirely and he wished that upon no one. He still remembered his every fibber fighting against the powerful command but to no avail.

And if they did ascend to fight the other one, he full heartedly hoped they kicked his pompous ass thus preventing him from ever interfering in this manner. He began to better understand the weird laws of the ascended Ancients (that he listened to when learning of the stargate program and subsequent conversations with his current friends).

Still he felt the need to share this with someone because as the divine being pointed out Diablo will figure it out sooner or later. The way the divine one described Diablo did scare him as he could only imagine what this man had stored in his head. There was a need to share before he had to explain it to the rest. But the sad truth was he did not know whom to trust with such terrible knowledge. He had thought of Chloe but he figured that she knew something given whom she worked for. Speaking of Chloe, he wondered what she did for the divine being. Sadly he could not even begin to guess.

And then it dawned on him something that has been bugging him for some time and that was his friends' weird scattered stories of dreams. He figured that during stasis Destiny did interfere again and used the time to occupy their minds with something. But he realized now there was more to it and he was willing to bet that the divine one had something to do with it.

That was the reason why Diablo was so agitated. He knew he could see people's aura but in the presence of Chloe he always seemed at a loss. Perhaps that is what the divine one meant when he said that he did not want Diablo to catch up.

Was it possible that he was shielding Chloe's aura from Diablo's sight? Yeah, that seemed only logical given his reaction to her. And today he saw that peculiar behavior towards Wray and Tamara. Has he revealed something to them too that needed protection thus making Diablo suddenly more alert and agitated? That was fully possible but of course the most annoying part was that he could not tell a living soul about this particulate issue as the divine one had allowed him to think about it just not say it aloud or write it down. It was very frustrating.


Suddenly he realized that someone was shaking him and he diverted his attention back to reality where he saw Matt vigorously utilizing his strength to attract his attention. Eli could only imagine what his facial expression or lack of it would have prompted his friend to resort to such tactic.

"ELI?"

"Yes, what, what?"

"We were afraid you have drifted away like Chloe." Tamara explained when he wrestled Matt from releasing Eli from his grip. "You have been standing like a statue for the last ten minutes."

"Oh," Eli exclaimed. "I haven't realized. I am sorry if I have scared you."

"It's alright but I need to check you." Tamara said. "Matt, leave us."

Matt took a look at Eli again but obeyed her. She got to do her job and Eli had to suffer through it without resisting. His thoughts dwelled back to his realizations and illuminations. He had to share this burden with someone before it drives him mad and Diablo catches up as for some reason the divine one had put the fear of it in him. He resented that tactic of course but drove the need for sharing greater. But he was still uncertain with who as anyone would want him to share it with the rest and he was not ready for that just yet.

"Are we done?" Eli asked at some point.

"Yes, but I want you to check in tomorrow, just to be sure." Tamara replied.

"Thanks, and again I am sorry if I had you scared."

"I get it, Eli. You were quite distressed when you brought Chloe in. I can understand how that can shake anyone." Tamara smiled. "I was just hoping it is not..."

"Contagious," Eli finished her sentence.

"Yes,"

"That does make me feel a bit better." Eli shared. "How's she by the way?"

"Her vitals have stabilized. She will be alright."

"But she's still unconscious. Any ideas what caused this?"

"For the moment, I'm hoping exhaustion."

"Yeah, let's hope so." Eli said though he knew it was definitely not that. "I am come by tomorrow. Thank you!"


Eli left and headed straight for his quarters. He tried again to write down his encounter with the divine being but discovered he was scribbling nonsense. He tried recording himself but with the same result.

"Man, this is so frustrating." Eli said surprising himself of actually speaking correctly. "Arg, what did you do to me?" He employed his will into overcoming this blocking force but that exhausted him so quickly that he fell on his bed powerlessly. He clenched his fists. "I will find a way to beat you, you, whatever you are!"

For a moment, he thought he felt amused but realized it wasn't he who felt this way but rather the divine being.

"Nothing is unbeatable." Eli said directing it to the ceiling. And then he thought 'Why are you so afraid of Diablo finding you out?' No response. Ha! Eli got some edge from this silence and regained some of his confidence. 'Are you afraid he will kick you to the curb?'

'Do not get too cocky, Mr. Wallace!' The reply came after all.

'So you are afraid?'

'Do not presume to know the endgame of my actions based on what little you could see of the whole picture.'

So there was a reason behind his actions. But what could he possibly hope to achieve by keeping Diablo in the dark?

'There is a time and a place for every action to take place. Acting too soon without having all that is needed to achieve a goal is sentencing all to a failure of universal proportions.'

'I don't understand.'

'That is why you should not speak or act when you do not see the whole picture based on some misguided emotion, infant. Diablo in a way is just as emotional as the rest of you and at times even more so. He acts without thinking of the consequences of that rushed act hence the reason for the shielding. He is not yet there or ready for what must be done when the time and place is right.'

'But he will still figure you out!'

'Eventually he would work it out but not yet. He still needs to discover much before that time comes.' The divine one said. 'You will also not share with him or anyone else the burden that you carry.'

'But I have to. It is driving me mad and you insinuated...'

'Yes, I do apologize for creating this inconvenience in you. It was only to remind you what you have gone through and reach the conclusions that you did recently. They were necessary for you to realize that are forces outside of your control but while that is true it is also helping you to piece together a much larger puzzle.'

'That is very considered of you.'

'Do not worry, child. Diablo will reach this conclusion too. As I told you he has that annoying ability though you will not be implicated in any way until the day has come for you to share your story. And do not worry, I will make it appear so natural, your sharing that no one will blame you for not sharing it sooner.'

'Well that is a relief.' Eli said though he was not so sure that Diablo will not add up the missing pieces and figure out the whole picture. The divine being was right about his suspicious nature.

'You worry too much.'

'Given what I have seen him being able to deduce from having no information it is a valid assumption.'

'He is not a god, child.'

'No one apparently is.' It was more directed to the fact that Jesus was an Ancient and that the entire belief system was bull.

'Belief is not subject to gods or the religions created to fit them.'

'Well that's giving me such comfort.'

'Sleep, child of Earth, sleep,' The powerful voice of the divine resonated in him and whether he wanted to or not, he drifted in the embrace of the land of dreams.


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Lordheaven