GAME OF DESTINY
Author's Note: Game of Destiny is different from other SG-1 stories because it's set in the future. Also, the story takes its time; it will be quite a few chapters before readers see Lanteans, Ascended Beings, Merlin, the Goa'uld, or even see an SG-1 team member go through a Stargate – other than Teal'c. Therefore, I ask readers to have patience with the pace of the story. Lastly, be aware that references to people claiming to have seen apparitions in Lourdes, France, in 1858, and in Fatima, Portugal, in 1917, are a matter of true historical record.
RELATED EPISODES:
Red Sun
Thor's Hammer
A Hundred Days
Threads
Avalon I & II, & all
episodes involving Merlin
Disclaimer: All Stargate characters and storylines belong to MGM Entertainment, no copyright infringement is intended. No money is being made, this story was written just for fun.
* No reviews, please, at this early stage. Thanks.
PROLOGUE
Look within, awaken, rise.
- Ancient-Lantean mantra
"The difference between Fate and Destiny? Whether known to us or not, Fate rules our lives, shaping them as inevitably as death. And yet a chance is also given us, in some small portion, to create our own Destiny, and therein lies the most essential factor: Courage."
- Akashic Records Keeper
P2Q-463, Vyus. Earth date-equivalent: 08.05.2023.
The wind was howling outside. Teal'c, now in his third day here, took refuge from the vast, all-encompassing dust storms, darkness falling as he hunkered down for the night in a bunker. He took off the dark glasses and hood he wore to help keep out the sand and the wind. There was so far no good explanation for the global storms, but he had been sent on a mission to investigate a series of strange phenomena on eleven other planets besides Vyus.
Teal'c had already investigated reports of catastrophic anti-gravity phenomena and people vanishing without a trace on P3X-974, Cimmeria, whose people used to believe the Asgard were Gods, and whose primary defense weapon was a device known as Thor's Hammer. He had travelled to K'Tau, whose people worship the god Freyr, after sightings of "ghostly apparitions" followed by scientific evidence of a miniscule slowing of K'Tau's planetary spin. On P5C-768, Edora, known for its naquadah mines and annual fire rain, and where a turbulent fire rain left O'Neill stranded for a hundred days – the planet experienced a range of extraordinary phenomena: severe drought was followed by epic floods; several groups of people in different geographic locations vanished without a trace; there were sightings of ghostly apparitions, and incandescent clouds of light which emitted a mysterious sound or tone or vibration, immobilizing those in range of its influence. Like scientists working on these cases, Teal'c was mystified.
The Pangarians, who developed the drug Tretonin, which provides perfect health but is made from Goa'uld symbiotes, experienced drought, then floods, then a devastating anti-gravity episode, and now the same massive, global dust storms as on Vyus. Teal'c found similar patterns on Orban, and likewise on P2X-416, home of the Bedrosians and Optricans, and likewise, on P2S-4C3, Langara, the home world of Jonas Quinn, and more of the same on P2A-509, P26-007, P3C-117 and P3K-447.
With a few exceptions, all the affected planets had essentially followed the same sequence, with the planets in the worst shape now experiencing the global dust storms. What might come next was pure conjecture. Dr. Carter speculated that some unknown geo-magnetic disturbance might be leading towards planetary polar reversals; she said other scientists believed something had triggered catastrophic vacuum decay, which meant a vacuum bubble was expanding at light-speed and destroying everything in its path. However, she'd told him that so far none of their speculations could account for all the phenomena, and, as he understood it, their research still lacked a common denominator to tie everything together.
His investigation wasn't part of the Stargate Program; Teal'c began his expedition six months ago, departing Chulak after Chulak's representative in the planetary federation approached him and asked him to investigate the multi-planet phenomena. Chulak was now experiencing a severe drought, and there were reports of people vanishing. Would floods and ghostly apparitions and massive dust storms and the other phenomena experienced on other planets develop on Chulak, too?
Since the start of his investigation, Teal'c occasionally conferred with Dr. Carter, and following Dr. Carter's suggestion, Teal'c had begun wearing a unique tool belt with an assortment of scientific testing devices – several of which could double as weapons if the situation called for it. He wished he could call Dr. Carter and consult with her right now, but that wasn't possible: Earth's Stargate wouldn't be open again for another five days.
As he understood it, the reason was pure economics. The economic situation on Earth had become so dire and funds so scarce, that Stargate teams were rarely active these days; the Stargate Program had been cut back so severely, that the Stargate itself was generally now open for incoming traffic only one day every three months.
Like Teal'c, the other original members of SG-1 were now busy with individual projects of their own: Dr. Carter was retired from the military and worked with a contract research group exploring something known as "fractal nonlinear resonance detection" technology. Her infrequent contact with Teal'c was in a non-official, advisory capacity only. After Daniel Jackson's book was published, Jackson became the most famous anthropologist on Earth, having his choice of a host of anthropological research issues to pursue. Colonel Jack O'Neill had retired – more than once, but as far as Teal'c knew, he'd remained in retirement these last six months.
Teal'c tossed and turned, restless, trying to sleep, and now he heard a barely audible tone or vibration, recognizable as one of the phenomena experienced on other planets. Some of those planets' inhabitants became immobilized upon hearing the sound, though he'd already learned he possessed the ability to block it. With the wind howling outside and the dust storms raging, Teal'c finally drifted off.
o - o - o - o - o
ON EARTH, unknown to Teal'c, the planet had experienced six months of drought, world-wide. Next came reports of groups of people vanishing without a trace, and reports of mysterious, incandescent "clouds of light," which emitted a mysterious "tone" or vibration, and which apparently immobilized those in range of its influence.
By June of 2023, two popular religious leaders in Jerusalem, Maghav Rek'iel and Maghav Mar'tan, made headlines when they announced to the world their belief that the incandescent clouds of light were actually a supernatural phenomenon, and that "the end times" were fast approaching.
Late in July rain finally returned to Planet Earth, constant, torrential rains causing floods of biblical proportions. In California, sizeable portions of the coast went underwater, and still it kept on raining. Then in August, according to reports that made world-wide news, "a ghostly apparition" of unknown origin was observed in Lourdes, France, on August 12th and 13th.
Lourdes was the town where Bernadette saw visions of the Blessed Virgin Mary in 1858, making it a place for pilgrimage ever since, though now observers didn't claim it was Mary they saw but rather a "messenger from heaven." Given the accumulation of recent events and the general atmosphere of the times, it wasn't hard to understand why the apparition sightings in Lourdes sparked an interest in prophecy and had multitudes of people talking about "the end of the world."
o - o - o - o - o
1
Los Angeles. August 15th, 2023 – during a brief break in the rains there. Twenty-one year old Nikki and her boyfriend, Fred, are looking through the menu while the waitress waits to take their order.
Nikki: "I'm gonna have the crab cakes."
Waitress: "One or two cakes?"
Nikki: "Two."
Waitress: "Alright, and what side orders would you like?"
Nikki looked and made some choices.
Waitress: "And you, sir?"
Fred: "I'll have the seafood platter. Can I get it without the Special Creamy Sauce?"
Waitress: "Sure. And what side orders?"
Fred: "I'll take the green beans ... and the broccoli. Yeah, that should be good."
Waitress: "What will you have to drink?"
Fred: "Water, please."
Nikki: "I'll have a glass of white wine. The chardonnay."
Fred, reproachfully: "Nikki!"
Nikki: "I can have a glass of wine with dinner if I want it."
Fred, to the waitress: "Miss, no wine for her. Doctor's orders."
Nikki, annoyed: "Freddie, I don't know what your problem is. One glass of wine's not gonna hurt anything."
Fred: "Miss, she can't drink, she's an alcoholic. And later, if I should have to go out to the Men's Room and she tries to order a drink ... don't give it to her. O.K.?"
The waitress nods her head 'yes.' After they finish giving her their orders, the waitress leaves and some minutes pass.
Fred has excused himself and left the table for a trip to the Men's Room. Nikki motions the waitress over to their table.
Waitress: "Can I get you something else?"
Nikki: "I'd like to order a glass of white wine. Chardonnay."
Waitress, not sure what to think: "Your friend said you're not supposed to drink."
Nikki: "Oh, my stupid boyfriend always says that when we go out to eat. It's really not true, that I'm an alcoholic. He's just really cheap and doesn't want to pay for anything he considers unnecessary expenditures. It's ridiculous, how cheap he is!" She sighed, a resigned kind of sigh. "But it's not really his fault, he's got that obsessive-compulsive disorder, you know?"
Waitress: "Can I see your I.D.?"
Nikki: "I'm twenty-one," showing the waitress her driver's license.
The waitress doesn't want to be in the middle of this, doesn't know what to think or say. She hesitates, thinking it over and trying not to stare at her customer's left arm, which is completely covered with tattoos, thinking, this girl must be one hell of a wild child. Then coming up with an idea: "Everything's all on one bill, so ... maybe we'd better wait for your boyfriend to get back."
Nikki, getting her wallet out of her purse, pulling out some bills. "Look, I have my own money. I'll pay for it."
The waitress, looking perplexed, doubtful about everything that's transpired.
Nikki: "Listen, what's your name?"
Waitress: "Marie."
Nikki: "Well listen, Marie, I don't want to argue with you about this, I'm a paying customer and I can have a drink if I want one. And don't take too long, O.K.? I'd like to have it here already before Old Cheapskate gets back and makes a fuss."
The waitress wishes this wasn't her table, now looking in the direction of the Men's Room, thinking, Why the hell is the boyfriend taking so long?
Nikki: "Listen, Marie, I'll give you a nice tip, O.K.? Now please go and get me my drink."
The waitress walks off, not to get the drink but to try to stall until the boyfriend gets back.
Fred seems to be taking a long time in the Men's Room. Nikki sits waiting for her drink. She puts her wallet back in her purse and sees her pack of Virginia Slims there in the purse. Wonders if she has time to go out for a quick smoke before Freddie gets back and before the waitress gets back with her drink?
o - o - o - o - o
They managed to have dinner without a ruckus. They've left the restaurant, Fred just put the key in the ignition.
Nikki: "Why don't you ever let me drive? You said I could sometime."
Fred: "Sure, you can drive, just not today."
Nikki: "You always say that." Pouting, grumbling, "I never get to drive. It's not fair."
They start driving and pull on to the highway. She pulls out a cigarette from her purse.
Fred: "Don't you light that up in here, I'm warning you. I'll stop this car and kick you out, so help me God!"
Nikki: "Oh, you're so obsessive about everything. You're stifling me, I'm suffocating, I can hardly breathe around you anymore!"
Fred: "I don't care, light that up and neither of us will be able to breathe. I'm warning you."
Nikki: "It's you, it's your fault. You're always on me about something – being around you is makin' me wanna smoke more than I usually would, you know that?"
Fred didn't respond, he was trying to hold back things he could say.
Nikki: "You didn't use to be like this, you used to be fun."
Fred: "Yeah, I used to be fun."
Nikki: "Well, you did. You're driving me crazy, I don't know how much longer I can take it."
Fred: "Do we have some contract I don't know about, holding you here?"
Nikki: "You couldn't stand it without me, not having me to boss around and control. You can't see yourself as you are, the way I do."
They got quiet then, Fred thinking, she wouldn't talk this way if she were really herself. No, of course she wasn't an alcoholic, but it wasn't good for her to drink, not in her condition. He'd seen her in some pretty dark moods lately, and as far as letting her drive, well, it wasn't safe, simply because – she drove too fast.
Nikki thinking, she knew what she'd said wasn't true, and she knew he knew it too. She pushed him because she had to, because she needed someone to push against and she knew he could take it. Seemed like he could always take anything she threw at him, no matter what.
Nikki still held the unlit cigarette in her right hand, neither one saying anything, no music on the radio, the car getting quiet, quiet, quiet. They drove that way in silence for a mile, then two miles, the silence now virtually echoing around them, until, finally, Fred reached for Nikki's left hand and took one of her fingers, putting it in his mouth, sucking on it. Pulling it out, putting another one in and sucking on that, making a sound like mmmmmm.
Nikki sat there just looking on, not enthusiastic, saying as if mildly annoyed, "My fingers'll be all sticky now," but she didn't pull them away. Fred sucked on one finger then the other for a while until eventually she pulled them away.
Nikki: "I'm not going to that therapy session tomorrow."
Fred: "You promised you'd go."
Nikki: "Therapists are quacks."
Fred: "Look, don't you think you ought to try something? I'll go with you. Anyway, Dr. Lynh's expecting you."
Nikki: "It's a waste of time. My father thinks so too."
Fred: "Did he actually say that?"
Nikki: "He said he tried going to shrinks once, when he was about my age, and it didn't help. He said it was basically a waste of time."
Fred: "Maybe it was, in his case. But your father's not some normal, ordinary guy."
Nikki: "What's that got to do with it?"
Fred: "It's just different." He stopped, trying to think of what he really wanted to say. "Listen, it was hard on me, that time you blacked out. It's not so easy, you know, waiting for someone to wake up from a coma."
Nikki: "Coma, schmoma. It wasn't even a coma. The latest I've heard they're calling it an extended unconscious incident. Anyway, those doctors don't know anything, you know that."
Fred: "Yeah, well, I'm just trying to look out for you. Listen, when we get home let's call your father. It's been a couple of months, hasn't it?"
Nikki, doubtfully: "I don't know, I'm not sure I feel like talking to my father right now."
Fred: "I'm gonna call him."
Nikki was quiet, lost in thought for a moment, then said: "Alright Freddie, you can call, but can we stop at the cemetery first?"
o - o - o - o - o
Twilight in the cemetery, stopping at her mother's grave. Not her birth mother – Nikki was adopted when she was eight – but her adoptive mother, Silke. Darkening clouds overhead, Nikki quietly mumbling an Eastern mystic prayer she'd learned from an old book at the bookstore.
May those wandering in the fiery desert
find direction and hope in You, O Lord,
May those lost in the frozen wasteland
find new spirit and release in You, O Lord,
May those who are weary and powerless find
strength and everlasting peace in You, O Lord.
She repeated the prayer over and over then suddenly stopped, looking up and away towards the trees at the end of the lawn. Just for a moment, she thought she saw a shadow there, where oak trees lined up beyond the access road. But it was nothing, and there was none of the familiar up-rush or down-rush of feelings when things began to happen. No goosebumps, no tingling sensation.
Fred, looking in that direction: "What is it? Did you see something?"
"No, it's nothing."
"You sure?"
"I'm sure. It's nothing."
"How are you feeling?"
"O.K., I guess. It won't last though. I wish I could just stay here."
Clouds filled the sky and then a sprinkling of rain. After they got home Fred soon had her father on the line. It was an international call and took a minute to get through. When her father answered on the other end, Fred said, "Daniel, this is Fred. I've got Nikki here. She wants to talk to you."
Nikki shooed Fred out of the room, hesitated, then picked up the phone.
"Dad?"
"How's my baby girl?"
"O.K., I guess. I miss you, Dad."
"I miss you too, kid."
"Are you in Lourdes?"
"Yeah, I'm in Lourdes."
Her father, the famous Dr. Daniel Jackson, settled himself in a chair in his hotel room in the small town in southern France.
He said, "I hear you're getting a lot of rain there."
"Yep, lot of rain."
"Who ever heard of rain in L.A. in August?"
Nikki, facetiously, "Haven't you heard? It's the end of the world."
Daniel chuckled, it was good to know her sense of humor was intact.
Nikki: "Did you get my e-mail about Ron?"
They talked for a while about her bookstore-owner friend who'd passed away, Ron McAllister, until Daniel eventually asked, "How's Fred?"
"O.K., I guess."
"Has he been taking care of you?"
"Too much. He's gettin' on my nerves."
"Well ... I bet it's just because he cares about you. Maybe he's trying too hard, but ..."
When Nikki didn't respond, Daniel asked, "Is the wedding still on?"
"Oh, I don't know."
"You don't know?"
"I guess I'm kinda having second thoughts."
Daniel settled in some more. They talked for about an hour.