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 Five – 'Adjustment'
Premise:
The crew of Destiny exited stasis only to discover two new passengers from another universe, which have spent their time fixing the ship. After some deliberations, they choose the keep them onboard as their newest allies.
Not long after, an Ancient seed ship nearly killed them all forcing them to start exploring the reason for that. Some of the discoveries they made shook them to their core and beliefs but much mystery remains. And one of the biggest ones is another powerful being that keeps obstructing Diablo in his quest for the truth.
Unsatisfied with the lack of progress of the SGC, Diablo leaves the ship and returns to the Milky Way Galaxy to dig up the history of the Ancients. Meanwhile on the Destiny life continues as the crew adjusts to the new realities.
Chapter 2
Dr. Nicholas Rush was now the happiest man alive. He had waited for many months for Mandy to come back to him and those times were very trying. But with the incessant hope that the weird transdimensional being had he had managed to endure it. And now they were finally together.
They had many issues to work through though. At first when they met he did pity her, given her situation. And then he grew feelings for her but at the time kept them at bay as he had his wife. She was not well either. He endured the difficult months leading to her untimely death that also coincided with the time of the Icarus mission. He barely paid any attention to his wife something that he still regretted.
When she was finally gone and he had his grief time he had focused on the work where he was again with Mandy. She was young, impetuous and smart. She was a kindred soul. He found some solace in her but it was more because of her condition than anything else. That changed over time but there was still something lacking. His lingering regret over the last days of his wife's passing was weighing him down and not allowing him to feel anything. He thought that burying himself into work would make those feelings go away but it made things worse.
And while he was brilliant it took the genius of a college dropout to solve the riddle of the pre-equation that led them to Destiny. Here on the ship he had the chance to say goodbye to his wife properly though he thought he might find a way to be with her through ascension. He used every resource to find that way.
When Mandy came to visit, feelings long forgotten came to the surface but she did not stay for long so he did not have the time to explore them. As she returned the second time, he thought he could give into the physical aspect of their burgeoning relationship and he did. Then Simeon butted in and all his hopes for something went away.
He had lost hope until she resurfaced but inside the Destiny's computer. He had found a way for them to be together but it was not enough. When Mandy suggested they meet in virtual space he jumped at the opportunity but without thinking. That was a painful and blissful mistake. Mandy had assumed he had feelings for her and while he did he had not explored them properly and the result was catastrophic, well nearly.
The regret from his actions led to Mandy and Ginn being quarantined. He had nearly lost all hope until Diablo and his sidekick arrived and rekindled that hope. This time around, he promised himself that he would not rush into anything. He would give himself the time to process the feelings he had and the root cause behind them.
He faced himself whenever alone. The conversations he had if seen would have made anyone think he had lost it but he had to be brutally honest so he did not hold anything back. He weighed in everything and reached the only smart conclusion – he was head over heels in love with Mandy.
The reason he did not share that with her was because he was afraid. His last union ended badly. Part of the reason, well, most of it was his fault. He had the most brilliant woman marry the kind of stiff he was and love him despite all his obvious shortcomings. And he was afraid that if Mandy loved him despite of all that, he might do the same mistake he did before and he was not ready for that.
"Don't you think you should let Amanda make her own damn mind after sharing your fears with her, Rush?"
That was the question Diablo posed him once as he appeared out of nowhere. Rush was furious at himself. He had spoken too loudly and now the devil himself barged in.
"Don't get too twisted, Rush." Diablo had said. "I wasn't passing by with the capacity of overhearing your self-pity party. I was in my bed trying to mediate, emphasis on trying as you make one hell of a ruckus with your self-doubt. It resonated loud and clear throughout the ship so it was impossible not to hear it."
"I am sorry I am such a burden..."
"You are not a burden, Rush, just human. But it would be best to share that with the future Mrs. Rush and let her share with you her fears on the matter and once you are both on the same page, make it official. Consummation is not needed as you already have several times done that though mind you in the virtual world."
"Thanks for the advice,"
"Well, it is free of charge and hopefully once you are done, I could manage to mediate in peace, for a change."
"I'm glad you have our best interests at heart."
"Each person for himself, Rush, though just like in politics, in order to get something you want you have to give something else." Diablo said. "In all seriousness, relationships are tricky as you have to make them work. When we have bad ones we tend to build a wall and though the other person can still see us through the holes in it he or she doesn't see everything and we fear what that might be. And as we do not want to get hurt again we tend to do weird and stupid things that seem to jeopardize that new and scary possibility of love. But the only thing that matters is this – if you truly love someone then you will take the risk. It is best to know than to wonder what might have been."
"You know. You are a source of constant surprise."
"I'm glad to oblige and, Rush – no risk no reward. In my youth, I wished I adhered to that more often."
"Oh, now, I got to hear that story."
"Another time, perhaps," Diablo replied. "Good night, Doctor Rush."
That conversation helped Rush a lot in the coming months. Of course he hoped Diablo would stick around and he would hear that story but Diablo left the ship. He appeared convinced that only he can solve the riddle of the Ancients but he had to be in the Milky Way Galaxy for that.
Rush was left with his fears alone but with diligence he worked through it and with the help of the newly born telepath. At first he was not very keen on having Dr. Cameron pock his mind but she needed help too. And while he was messed up he was one of the best candidates for her to practice on. The two formed a bond of trust and helped each other.
He had waivered many times as the time was passing. Waiting for someone to wake up was trying at best but Rhea helped him a lot. This patience of his was rewarded seven months after Diablo left the ship. It was the day Mandy woke up.
At first they had conversations only at the chambers she and Ginn were as they were not yet ready to get up. Rush had to clench his teeth and endure it a bit longer. 'Nature can't be circumvented'. Those were the words of Diablo and his sidekick. But he used that time to share with her his fears and why it did not work the last few times between them. It turned out that she had similar fears.
'It all worked out as you had foreseen it.' Rush had said to air in his quarters after these conversations in an attempt to reach Diablo and thank him.
Speaking of him, it has become increasingly difficult not to mention his absence to the SGC that seemed to visit more often. Viz played him very well but when Colonel Carter wanted them in the same room, they had all panicked quite a lot.
And then once again, the brilliance of the dropout came into view. Eli using another obscure reference of his movies saved the day. He suggested the use of a holographic projection or more to the point an overlay. One person would be overlaid with the imaging and assume the role of Viz while he played Diablo.
The fact that it worked the next day and that Carter bought the performance was not half as impressive as them pulling off this little miracle. Here of course it was Rush's brilliance and knowledge of the system that saved the day. It was his way of thanking Diablo for his help.
Still, everyone wondered how long would they have to play this charade? Will Diablo ever find his way back to Earth? And when? Will it be within their lifetime or not? From what he understood after Viz explained it again (from the notes he had been left) there was a chance Diablo may spend an eternity trying to get back to Earth.
Mandy and Ginn remained positive about it. They believed that this weird being Diablo will make it. They both got the impression that he was incapable of losing or at least he did not know how. Though of course, Viz rebutted that assumption, he did agree that Diablo was not the type to give up. He recanted several stories to support that statement and they all had to agree that success of this mission was very likely within their lifetime.
Speaking of Ginn, Rush noticed she spent less and less of her time with Eli as he seemed to be too preoccupied with something. One day, Everett called him and he had the explanation of what he had been doing.
"We have to tell Ginn too." Rush advocated on her behalf. "She has the right to know so not to have the wrong idea."
Everett looked at Rush somewhat stunned. These past few months have been trying and the usual grumpy scientist was back but ever since Dr. Parry woke up it was as though that Rush was gone. He was considerably more sensible as many had noticed and rather pleasant to work with.
"Normally I would agree with you, Rush but not this time."
"Why not,"
"The less people know about Eli and Chloe's extra curriculum activities the better. And Ginn is too close and might do something irrational."
"I wonder if you would be that cavalier if it was Tamara."
"Rush, my feelings aside, you keep forgetting what happened the last time we confronted them. Chloe was in coma and we couldn't tell whether she would wake up at all. I don't want a repeat of that."
"I get it but you also keep forgetting that Ginn is one of the avatars of the ship. She can remain neutral about it."
Everett sighed. He was ready to battle this one with Rush or anyone but he knew Mr. Grumpy was right. She had every right to know. He had kept her too occupied to focus on a search for Eli but she was bound to notice eventually.
"Fine, get her here." He ceded.
Rush rushed to get her. He asked her for full privacy mode hoping this would keep the nosey super being away. She wondered why all the secrecy and then wished she did not. Of course, she had noticed Eli's absence and distance but attributed that to work. She was not happy about this but ceded to the logic of Colonel Young.
She remained still. She was processing this revelation. On one hand, she suspected his feelings for Chloe might resurface but she was certain Chloe did not share them or so she hoped.
After so many months of patience and waiting they were finally together. She learnt of the many developments that happened since they last saw each other. For her and Amanda it felt like yesterday but not for the rest. And yet she was ok with most of it but Eli's distance had begun to take its toll.
She wondered though what were they doing every three or so days. A part of her wanted to redirect ship's resources to investigate but Rush and Young were adamant that should not happen. Apparently they feared what the next response of that super being might be and they were not very keen on finding out, and given what she knew of him she could understand why.
"We keep observing from a distance. It is best for now." Young added. It was obvious he was not fond of this type of reaction to the actions of that being but he was responsible for all their lives and he did not want to do anything to jeopardize that.
"Why not use Dr. Cameron to find out more?" Ginn asked.
"We considered it but ultimately decided against it." Everett said. "We do not have any idea how powerful that being's mind may be."
"And given that he's been able to fool even Diablo, we are understandably cautious about how we proceed about him." Rush added.
"Powerful or not she could read him." Ginn said.
"On rare occasions, members of the crew have been able to resist Dr. Cameron's abilities. Now, I hate to imagine what that being is capable of."
"We know this is not ideal, Ginn." Everett said. "And I promise I will make everything in my power to keep things at status quo but for now we have to play possum."
"Live to fight another day," Ginn said remembering her last conversation with Eli.
Everett and Rush looked at each other and their looks said it right away – Eli's endless parade of obscure references. And it was good advice.
Suddenly the ship jumped out of FTL. Ginn momentarily assumed a stoic stance and her eyes drifted.
"Ginn, what's going on?" Everett asked.
"Sensors are picking up elevated neutrino emissions emanating from nearby."
"Wormhole?" Rush exclaimed.
"Unknown at this point,"
"Let's go to the bridge." Rush proposed.
They left Everett's quarters and headed for the bridge. The command crew was already there checking the sensors.
"Report!" Everett said.
"The ship jumped out of FTL but we are in neutral space. There is nothing here."
"Ginn says the ship picked elevated neutral emissions."
"Neutrino," Rush corrected.
"Yes, those," Everett nodded. "You mentioned wormholes?"
"It is only a guess but whenever a wormhole or a black hole appears those tend to get rather elevated." Rush explained as simple as he could.
"The first one is a welcomed distraction. The second one, let's avoid that."
"Scanners do pick up the emissions but we are unable to pinpoint the source." Varro said.
"What I would give for the Enterprise's sensors right about now." Eli said.
"For what?" Varro asked.
"Never mind," Everett replied.
"Our sensors are simply not advanced enough." Chloe added.
"Perhaps if I can find how to boost the resolution we may get something." Eli said while working through the system.
"Mandy, can it be done?" Rush asked. He knew that wherever she was on the ship she can hear him.
"We are working on it." Her answer came. In the meantime, they noticed that the ship's shields were raised.
A sudden pull made everyone lose their balance.
"What was that?"
"Unknown,"
"What? A cloaked ship, a nebula, what?"
"Unknown,"
Viz entered the bridge in a hurry pushing Eli aside. "Ginn! Invert the shield polarity and shut down the engines. NOW!"
"Care to share with the rest of the class?" Everett asked.
"Not right now, no!" Viz replied.
"Done," Ginn's voice came in.
"In storage bay four, you will find four barrels. Attach two C4 to them and expel them through the closest to them starboard hatch." Viz ordered.
"Mandy and I are on it." Ginn replied.
"Everyone, this is the bridge. Secure all stations. Shut down any electronics or experiments." Viz continued. "Chloe, use the maneuvering thrusters only and tilt the ship portside. Eli, wait until the barrels pass us by and then at four hundred meters detonate them."
"Isn't that a little close?" Chloe asked.
"And without the shields?" Eli added. "That would be..."
"Would it be convenient for you two to stop questioning and actually executing my orders to the bloody letter?" Viz said raising his voice reminding everyone every now and then how much alike he was with Diablo.
"There is no need to be snippy." Chloe said but smiled. Using the thrusters, she tilted the ship as ordered and waited for the barrels. She wondered what he had put in them but on second thought it was best she did not know.
"Barrels are out." Mandy reported. "The ship is very concerned about this tactic."
"Duly noted," Viz replied. He only hoped this little tactic will work. He had seen Diablo do it once. He had also seen ships torn apart when they failed to comply with the order. "Keep the ship away from restarting the engines."
The barrels appeared on the other side of the ship. The distance between them and the ship reached the ordered one and Eli sent the detonation signal. If they had expected an explosion they were disappointed as there was not one. A flare did appear but it disappeared rather quickly.
"Well, that was a bust. What now?" Eli said.
"There are times that even young burgeoning minds should keep their mouths shut, Mr. Wallace." Viz scolded him. "Keep watching. Brace for impact."
"Impact? What impa..." Eli's question was drowned in the sudden emergence of an eddy five hundred meters to port. "What the hell is that?"
Viz did not bother to answer him. The pull the ship had been experiencing became an opposite force and hurled them violently away from the eddy. Sparks flew from every console but the uncontrollable spinning of the ship was definitely the worst part.
The struggle to regain control continued for a long time. Many were on the floor spitting their guts out as even the inertia compensators were unable to level the ship or diminish the sudden change of G forces.
Viz used his uncanny self to shift between the dimensions and reach the controls of the ship in an effort to regain pitch but his efforts were insufficient. He began losing consciousness. In the moments before he completely blacked out he noticed the appearance of radiant light on the bridge.
A being of pure light had appeared. It subjugated the ship's controls to its will and the spinning subdued. Moments later the ship came to a halt. Chloe and Eli stood in awe as that was their master, the super being.
"When will you ever learn?" His melodic voice asked. "I release both of you of your obligations to me but until Diablo returns you will visit the starry forest once a month."
"Sure,"
"And keep that one... (he gestured at Viz) safe."
"Can we tell them now about...?" Eli asked.
"Yes, but keep some details out of it, like my name."
As Viz snapped out, the radiant light of the super being was gone. "What the devils was that?"
Looking at Eli and Chloe he understood. The super being had been here but conveniently he did not stick around for him to take a look at him. Still the both of them seemed somewhat relieved. Now there was a story there for sure.
But it had to wait. They had some more pressing matters to attend to – like reviving the crew and checking out the ship. The spinning and the increased G forces had caused some structural damage. Many of the crew have been injured and most were in critical condition.
'It could have been much worse.' Viz thought. He knew of course that they had come very close to extinction. It was a fluke of a miracle that the ship's primitive sensors even picked up the subspace eddy.
To be continued...
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