Chaos Theory – Re-keyed. Buffy the Vampire Slayer/Neon Genesis Evangelion/Stargate SG-1/Star Wars/Star Trek/Halo/Lord of the Rings Crossover...
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Title: Chaos Theory: Re-keyed
Rating: PG - Language and Violence.
Genre: Crossover
Author: PitViper
Date (Part Eight): 2009-1-31
Summary: This is a BtVS/NGE/SG-1/SW/ST/LotR/Halo crossover. Based on the Halloween costume episode. Very AU. The Key's spell goes both forwards and backwards in time… what happens when it interacts with Ethan's Halloween?
Disclaimer: I don't own it, wish I did. I'm not making any money off of it – so please don't sue me. BtVS is the property of Mutant Enemy and 20th Century Fox. Neon Genesis Evangelion is the product of Gainax and ADV Films. Star Wars is owned by George Lucas. Stargate SG-1 belongs to Double Secret Productions and Sci-Fi channel. Lord of the Rings is the property of J.R.R. Tolkien and his family. Halo is owned by Bungie. And Star Trek is the property of Paramount Pictures (Who obviously understand nothing about Gene's vision of the future)
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Chaos Theory: Re-Keyed
Part Eight: "Transitions and Memories"
As the Voyager II spacecraft was flung out past Saturn on its way into the interstellar void, a senior member of the voyager staff, a scientist by the name of Carl Sagan, decided to have Voyager turn and take one last look at each of the worlds the spacecraft had seen during its journey through the stars. It glanced back past Saturn, and captured fleeting images of Jupiter, Mars, and Venus… the sun, distant yet still the grandest star in the sky, through some happenstance of photographic and optical coincidence captured one pale dot suspended in what appeared to be a sunbeam. As Doctor Sagan would later note, this tiny mote of dust, this Pale Blue Dot, was the only home the species known as Homo Sapiens had ever known.
All the wars, all the conflicts, every single event in recorded history, happened on that insignificant pixel floating in the eye of a camera several hundred million miles distant. Every act of violence perpetuated by the strong against the weak, every atrocity ever committed, every famous speech and every fond farewell ever recorded happened on this fragment of solidified stellar debris. In a way, some would think it was better that Carl Sagan didn't know what was truly out there. That there existed in the vast, mostly empty, ocean of space other life: other worlds teaming with human descendants and that those descendants would be under the yoke of a brutal, self-serving species that enjoyed evil and destruction for its own sake.
But, in the grand scheme of things, Doctor Sagan would have wanted to know. He would have lamented the plight of the humans under the brutal control of parasites; he would have mourned the death of his theory that a species capable of interstellar travel would have had to first shed its hostile, self-destructive tendencies. But he would have rejoiced in the fact that we were not alone.
He would have felt the call of science, and of knowledge. He would have happily walked amongst people descended from ancestries we have seen die out – vanished civilizations that would have been given new perspective, new life, new hope.
He would have looked to the Asgard and said: there is hope.
Finally, he would have argued vehemently that humanity not simply take its warlike ways to the stars – that we, as a young, but responsible, species would have a duty and obligation to step carefully into that sea of stars. To not let violence be our first resort, and to ensure that we did not interfere with those cultures who were not ready to be interfered with. He would have demanded that science be given its due, that there be vessels dedicated to the pursuit of knowledge and the furthering of man's wisdom.
Unfortunately, Carl Sagan died before that could happen. And in this reality, as in countless others, his passing had been felt by all who knew of him… especially by those who had gathered here… in this facility, on a little speck of dust, a pale blue dot, we call home – and sometimes Earth.
General George Hammond was a weary man at this point. The dawn was shining in the courtyard beyond this not-so-little room – something that, considering the truth about the location of this room, seemed impossible. After all, how could one see a courtyard beyond what appeared to be a huge window when they were several hundred meters below the surface? They were surrounded by re-enforced concrete, metal armor plates, and other defense systems… some of which truly boggled his mind.
And the underground portion of the facility was still under construction. Although you could hear no noise, nothing to give away that every minute new rooms, corridors, new equipment and systems were being created and installed. They had been whisked below ground by a closed-circuit version of their transporter system, which had the benefit of being not only secure, but virtually impossible to jam unless someone cut the hard links. And then there was the above ground construction. All in all, by the end of the day this facility would have more active area and personnel capacity than the SGC and Cheyenne Mountain combined.
"It's truly mind boggling, isn't it?" A deep voice called out from one of the chairs in the lounge. Hammond turned from his introspection to face the recessed recliner that contained an occupant he had obviously missed before he started his introspective analysis of the pseudo-image being displayed on the wall.
As his eyes focused on his companion, he realized that it was yet another of the 'Changed'. The people of Sunnydale California were, for a lack of a better word, changed – whether by fact or by acquaintance, they were all irrevocably altered by their experiences. "So you dressed as G'Kar."
"Yes... as to whether or not it's an improvement..." The man who looked like G'Kar shrugged, "Who knows? You don't. The medical officers in the med bay don't." He let out a gruff chuckle, "I don't. But what does it matter? This flesh and bone and blood? It is not important how we changed or what we changed into – it is our experiences that define us: How we choose to face tomorrow after today has passed. That's the really important thing."
He got up, and strolled towards the window, arms clasped behind his back as he looked out into the fake display of life. "We're tiny pebbles – each rolling down a mountain. How we choose to go forward... " He spared a meaningful glance at the general, "Well, General Hammond, how we choose to go forward will influence which other pebbles start moving down the mountain with us."
G'Kar looked back to the fake window and sighed, "As an acquaintance of mine once said, 'Once the avalanche has begun, it is too late for the pebbles to vote.'" G'kar let a flash of distaste cross his features, "I disagree. Every choice and every action we take has meaning. How we react to these changes, that's what will define the direction of the avalanche. I think you will find that those who are involved here... they will determine the future of not just this town, this country, or even this world...
"They will determine the path of the entire universe." After a long pause, G'Kar finished, "The universe is about entropy, General. What my acquaintance failed to realize was that the avalanche started with the big bang and the pebbles... well... the pebbles have been voting ever since. Oh, they might forget from time to time... but every once in a while a great man comes around to remind them.
"What we have here General is a collection of Great Men. Men who, in their own ways have influenced not only their own reality, but every reality that has remotely heard of their names. Kirk and Spock, Janeway, Picard, Anakin, Obi-wan, Gandalf... The list is mind-boggling. I was touched by G'Kar, and I will never be the same. And now I've touched you..." He looked into Hammond's eyes, "Can you say that you have not been changed by your experiences here?"
"But they're all fictional characters..." Hammond began... But was cut off by G'Kar's laugh.
"Fictional! HA! General... I've seen things you would never believe. It doesn't matter that I saw them with G'kar's eyes. I. Saw. Them. So did they." G'kar gestured into the distance, at the debriefing that was still going on. "Jim McNeil remembers Kirk's son dying on Genesis... the emptiness of Spock's death... the Jubilation of his rebirth – even though it cost him everything he cared for. Just because he is Jim McNeil in body and perhaps in mind, don't discount the decades of memories imparted by his possessor – for when the time comes he will be in the center seat, commanding a starship."
"And you?" George managed to grunt out.
"Me?" G'Kar held up a notepad and a pen, "I'm thinking about taking up writing. Seems I've picked up a bit of a knack for it from somewhere."
Hammond looked at the Narn script scrawled on the page. "What does it say?"
"Oh... Just a little something a friend asked me to write up – once its ready, you'll find out with the rest. Until then... consider it... a surprise." G'kar smiled genuinely.
--
"Y'know, you coulda not teleported in like that, Danny-boy." the image of Jack O'Neill wagged his finger in the face of his close friend. "In addition to setting off all the alarms, you nearly gave George a heart-attack."
Daniel grumbled slightly, "Look, I got the message... it would have taken me ten minutes to walk back to the complex, another fifteen to go down via the transporter, and another three to walk to the room."
"Couldn't ya have teleported outside the room?" Jack shrugged.
"Sir, shouldn't one of us go and..." Carter started, but was interrupted by a panicking Feretti.
"You want to go and grab the General and drag him back in here? Be my guest. Just let me get the hell out..." Feretti looked visibly disturbed and nervous.
Jim looked around, nearly sighing, "Children... Please. The last 48 hours have been difficult for everyone. The General is entitled to some time to reflect, hell, I'd like to sit down and reflect with a bottle of Romulan Ale myself, but since the good Doctor's friend hasn't even been born yet – not to mention the fact that there might not even be any Romulans..." Jim paused for a moment, "Lets just keep our heads together, shall we?"
"Jim's right." Xander stated, "We have to start figuring out our next course of action. Merlin has informed me that the transport grid will be down for at least the next seventy two hours. To be honest, I don't mind, since that's time we have to prepare the old fashioned way.
"First things first however. The Alteran city below good-ole Sunnyhell needs secured, raised, and the dimensional rift needs to be tuned to a safe set of quantum coordinates. While the current hell-dimension does have a pretty powerful energy signature and plenty of positive entropy for that energy to flow into our realm, it's unfortunately too mystical in nature to properly charge ZPMs from."
Carter spoke up at this, "The city below us is filled with pre-constructed ZPM shells. But they're the standard Alteran version, not the versions used by the military systems in the Knighthood facilities."
"To be honest, Major, I don't think that makes much of a difference." Jack spoke up, "The standard Alteran modules are stable, secure, and easily usable through a variety of means. The Knighthood modules can be finicky sometimes, as they're built to power specific military hardware. The Standard modules can power devices simply by connecting up standard copper conduit, if necessary."
Xander frowned, "That's overkill though for most of the applications I could think of. Besides, we're going to have to reclaim the SGC's spare gate for use as the master gate in Sunnydale City."
Carter quirked her lips a bit, "Sunnydale City?"
"Shoot me for my lack of originality, but since Merlin doesn't have the name, the city doesn't have any name, and I've been through three kinds of hell in the last twenty-four hours, then Sunnydale City it is." Xander practically growled out, "Unless you have something better to call it," He glanced at Daniel, "Other than names from the Lord of the Rings," he then glanced at Jack, "And no, we're not calling it Enterprise, Jack. We'll have that ship soon enough."
"Darn, I had plans for that place. The Ancients kicked ass..." Jack practically grumbled. "My second suggestion is out as well, since the Pillar of Autumn will likely be one of the first operational designs we have."
"In any case, We're going to raise the city, that's our short term plan. But on the urgent list – as in done by the end of the week, is Hizonner - the Mayor."
"Ah, yes." Guilty Spark took this moment to speak for the first time, "Mayor Richard Wilkins the Third... and according to my analysis, the Second and the First." A series of holographic images appeared showing the normally cheerful mayor standing with a wide variety of historical figures reaching back to the Eighteen-hundreds. "While it is known that you primates have significant facial similarities that can run in genetically similar lines, no two of your species are identical to the extent that the man in these photographs are without being clones."
"Is that a possibility?" Carter asked, looking at the images.
Guilty Spark tilted for a moment, "Yes, but a very minor one, considering the nature of the area and the lack of advanced technology required to accomplish the task. No, Mr. Wilkins shows a predilection towards far more macabre activities." A series of coroners images appeared suspended in the holographic field, with enlargements showing carvings that anyone familiar with demonic and mystic languages would be familiar with. "He is conducting a series of ritual sacrifices, although I cannot identify the precise ritual involved. In any event, it may be the reason he has lived over a hundred years without any significant signs of aging."
"He's pulling a Highlander on us." Jim said, a dark storm rising in his eyes. James Kirk's experiences with immortals and near-immortals were never cheerful events. Jim McNeil was thinking he'd have similar luck.
Giles coughed lightly, "Perhaps, perhaps not. I've seen similar symbols and arcane designs, but usually associated with personal empowerment of the demonic variety." He paused for a moment, "Each sacrifice was a step of muting the human soul within and preparing the body as the container of infernal energies – such as those that a Hellmouth would produce. A basis in the arcane is a requirement of the rituals."
"So this guy was a mage who decided he wanted to be a demon?" Xander asked, "What for? I mean, mages are pretty powerful already, and this guy has shown he has no problem staying alive..."
"Mages are not immortal, or even nearly so. Some do age slower than normal human beings, but they are still frail creatures bound by the same physical limitations any normal human possesses." Giles lectured, "Although they are formidable, they are not nearly as indestructible as some of the infernal beings that once walked the earth. They were known as Old Ones. They are usually mistaken for Dinosaurs or similar creatures, but are normally found far nearer to the current era than their prehistorical counterparts."
"Christ, that's all we need, a demented warlock running around in the body of a Demonic T-Rex." Daniel muttered softly.
"Odds are a creature like that wouldn't like Earth too much – too much power, too little food." Xander responded, thinking about the historical archives that detailed the demon infestation several thousand years earlier. "Besides, we're getting off topic. The mayor is on the short list, but he's not the biggest threat."
"The Goa'uld?" Daniel ventured, and watched as Xander shook his head in the negative.
Teal'c ventured next, "The Sith?"
"They'll not be a problem for a while. And even then, they'll want to get away and carve their own little kingdoms out of the stars. No..." Xander paused, "It's an ancient threat I speak of."
"The Xa-Nee-Shay." Dawn breathed out. Xander nodded in the affirmative.
"Or, as any devotee of Table-top RPG can tell you, the Warhammer 40,000 Empire." Xander added rather unhelpfully. "Although considering the time that has invariably passed since they last tried to invade, the Warhammer 10,000,000 Empire."
Giles spoke up, "There's no proof that these parallel universes are aligned with our own time-flow. It could easily only have been a few decades for them since their first attempt."
Xander nodded, "Unlikely, but a possibility. Although if one thing being taught by Merlin has shown me, it is that time is not a constant. We perceive it that way because it is the way we've developed to make sense of the universe around us. Our perceptions are just that, perceptions. The reality of time is that there is no such thing as a temporal constant. What we Perceive is simply how time flows here and now, on this planet, in this solar system, in this galactic cluster. When time is shaped and flowing differently, we'll still perceive it the same way, but it will make other things we think should be constants appear to shift – to violate their rules. Its not the rules that are changing, its the way we perceive them in relation to time that is changing."
Jim nodded then spoke just as Hammond walked in the door, "The variable flow of time is a precept of Warp Theory."
This precipitated a raised eyebrow from George Hammond, "Warp Theory?"
Jim glanced quickly at Leonard, who then arched an eyebrow in response. After a moment, he steepled his fingers together and began lecturing, "We were discussing the Variable Flow of Time. Time flows differently depending on your location in space relative to gravitational sources. Even on planetary bodies there are minuscule differences in the way space-time interacts."
Tim Morgan continued, "The actual name for the faster-than-light propulsion we use is 'Space Time Continuum Field Distortion Drive, colloquially called, 'Warp Drive'."
"The early warp propulsion system was achieved through an antimatter matter reaction using a lithium gas in a magnetic containment field. These early warp drives were barely able to form a warp field." McNeil spoke softly, his voice almost reverent of the early attempts by humanity to leave its solar system.
"Aye, They were sometimes called Impeller drives, and required quite a kick from a standard engine to speed the craft up to a nice fraction of light before they could start the field and hold light speed." Scotty added, his accent a bit thicker this time.
Leonard looked at his comrades, "The field works, in essence, by twisting components of space and time. Early systems used electromagnetic principals to form the distortion field. It was soon discovered that by channeling plasma from the matter and antimatter reaction through specially alloyed electromagnets, a short lived boson was created." He paused for a moment, "This boson had peculiar properties: It started out detectable within a few centimeters of the electromagnetic generator. Then it was undetectable by standard electromagnetic sensors for several picoseconds of time, before it reappeared again. Its reappearance coincided with the outer boundary of the Warp Field. After passing this point, it then disappeared again for a few picoseconds until it emitted an electromagnetic pulse, gamma radiation and delta radiation."
Tim continued the thread, "The lads in charge of research realized that by manipulating how far it took for each of those particles to reappear, they could control the shape of the distortion field. Eventually, they learned that particles of the exact same type would remain invisible for the exact same amount of time, measured in picoseconds. Given enough power and a proper field coil configuration, the particles would become saturated... and adding more power would cause the particles in the field to travel much further in the same amount of time. Depending on how much power was put through the field coil, a particle could be generated that would seem to traverse vast distances instantaneously. The power was measured by the speed of light divided inverse log of the maximum saturation energy of the material generating the particle."
Leonard spoke quietly, "By building sensors that used specific short duration types of bosons that were visible to the electromagnetic spectrum, we could detect these particles while they were in the picosecond transit. This first device was called a transtator, a sensor that was able to detect the bosons while in transit. In essence, we created the first subspace sensor, and the transtator became the core of every advanced technology the Federation produced. And by defining how much energy, and discovering the logarithmic relationship between energy and subspace, we were able to create a warp-energy unit measurement scale, called the Cochran."
Kirk picked up, "Once we learned how to detect the particles through all stages, we were able to design systems that could finitely control the warp field. We were able to completely eliminate relativistic distortion while surrounded by the field. We were also able to achieve speeds faster than warp one. The kicker was that the further a starship traveled the more unstable the field got. Short trips within a few light years were easy, but longer trips required that the field be re-calibrated every twenty or so light years."
Leonard brought his hands down from their clasped position, "We eventually discovered we could travel longer distances without recalibrating by using a unique crystalline structure based primarily on an isotope of Lithium, known as Dilithium. Dilithium has hundreds of variations, each possessing slightly different properties. But with the Vulcans' knowledge of subspace, we were able to detect its unique trans-dimensional structure. In normal electromagnetic wavelengths, it looks like an ordinary crystal in most of its forms, however, in subspace, it is a sixteen-dimensional structure that is not only non-reactive with antimatter when exposed to a proper intermix formula, it acts as a field stabilization matrix that attunes the raw plasma energy that results from an antimatter/matter reaction to a specific frequency that can produce a specific type of subspace particle – nicknamed the warp-particle. Engines still needed calibrated, but the distances involved were around every one-hundred light-years, instead of every twenty."
"It wasn't until after the Warp Five engine was developed that we had subspace sensors and raw computational power that could give us the answer as to why this was. Most of the leaps in computational power and subspace engineering were necessities driven by the need to calibrate engines on the fly – and it was an accident that anyone at all noticed." Tim took a deep breath, "Just as space isn't empty, neither is time. Space-time is a tapestry in constant motion and constant change. And its full of holes."
Jim picked up yet again, "Think of a sphere of swiss-cheese. Now imagine that we're two dimensional creatures living on that three dimensional surface. All we would ever see is a flat plane, where everything we ever knew existed. However, there would be the occasion that a trip from point A to point B would take longer by going through Point C rather than going through point D. This is because the surface is filled with holes. In two dimensions we don't see these curvatures, but they're still there – and while we might not perceive them a person standing at an arbitrary point E, outside the plane of perspective, would see the difference in time that travelers through points C and D would experience." He looked at everyone around him, "Now, as three dimensional creatures living in a three-dimensional plane, we are tied to our perspectives, but the truth is, there are many layers we cannot perceive – and its in these layers that subspace principals operate."
"Aye," Tim said finally, "And even after three hundred years, we're still working out the kinks. Warp Theory is just that, Theory. We've an idea, lads, and it works, but we know that it doesn't always work, and not always as we expect it ta work."
Jim followed up, "In many ways we're lucky, because every new discovery opens up a hundred new doors to thousands of new techniques for manipulating space-time. Some of it is good. A lot of it gives us new ways of doing things we already know how to do, but allows us to do them better. But for every beneficial technology we develop, there's a dozen or so immoral scientists and individuals willing to pervert it for weapons manufacturing.
"The photon torpedo is an excellent example of two rather innocuous technologies that were brought together to make a terrifying weapon of mass destruction. A single photon torpedo can vaporise a ground vehicle, a building, a city, or properly configured and detonated – blow away a sizable chunk of an Earth-sized planet." He looked Hammond in the eye, "With a reaction mass of less than one kilogram." Jim paused for a moment, "This was achieved by the Klingons, by the way. They developed it about three hundred years before Neil Armstrong walked on the moon. Once the Federation got a hold of it, we took a few things we learned, and figured out a way to double the firepower, with 70 percent the reaction mass... and because we knew of highly stable anti-matter storage methods, we could have made a torpedo that dwarfed the capacity of the biggest ones made by the Empire. And weapons based on subspace principles are even worse."
"We could have made weapons such as those," Joyce spoke up at this, "But that's not our way." Her flat tone insinuated what she felt about that particular line of thought.
"None the less, it is our history." Leonard spoke quietly. "As a matter of cosmic history, it has always been easier to destroy than it has been to create."
Jim blinked, half expecting Bones to jump in there and start arguing... but it was not to be. "I will never agree with those who demand peace at any price. Lines have to be drawn, otherwise we'll lose everything we've fought for. But as it stands, this argument is irrelevant. Despite how much time has or has not passed in parallel universes, it is only a matter of time before the Xa'nee'shay invade us again. In fact, they may have already sent their first scouts."
Xander nodded, "Just as time is not a constant, neither is space. There's no guarantee that two parallel galaxies will be in synchronization when a ship transfers from one universe to the other. The Alterans have technology that can compensate for that, but the Xa'nee'shay don't. Until they figure out what is where, and in relationship to their own galaxy, the best they can do is aim for the heart of the galaxy and end up somewhere in the ecliptic." Xander paused, "They could be days away, or decades... But they might be out there."
Daniel sighed, "Why invade us though?"
"The Alterans who fought them before fought them to a stand-still," Xander answered simply, "That hurt their pride. They've never faced a resistance such as the Alterans put up – and they'll want to prove they're the strongest and most powerful." Xander noted.
Jim smiled, "They're supported by their military – they need to fight, to have an external threat, otherwise their militaristic infrastructure would cannibalize itself. A shining example of what happens when the military mindset goes too far." He looked around at the table, "They've probably used the legend of their defeat at our hands to promote a military expansion that would dwarf anything we can readily imagine."
"How can we beat something like that?" Jack asked softly, "I mean, if they've been expanding and expanding... they would have billions..."
"Trillions. Perhaps hundreds of trillions..." Leonard corrected softly.
Jack blinked, "Huh..."
Jim followed up, "The Alterans fielded a force of over a trillion soldiers at its height, and had hundreds of trillions of citizens spanning six galaxies. In order to have a chance to defeat that scale of government and military that the Alterans represented, the Xa'nee'shay would have to field an overwhelming force. Drawing on the resources of several galaxies the size of the Milky Way."
Again Leonard corrected, "I'd estimate that they'd gather the resources of at least twenty galaxies, if they are planning an overwhelming victory. But I do not have all the variables."
With a sigh, Xander looked around the table; noting each face that was there physically and each one that was being virtually projected... "Then we'll have to get those variables. Gentlemen..."
He paused for a moment to lick his lips. "The clock is ticking."
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Author's Notes:
I know. Sorry for the lateness of the story. Its hard to pick up a good head of steam, especially when you're getting towards the end of a particular story. I've always had trouble getting to the less than exciting endings – and I despise leaving stories with cliff-hanger endings, especially when I don't know how long it will be before I can get the next installment up and running.
There's a bit of talk about space and time in this chapter, and its important – because a lot of what will happen in the future is based on perspectives that different people have of space-time, and its relationship with the rest of the world, the universe, and the greater multiverse that contains it all. Its my own personal concept of how a warp-drive would work, so it might not agree with science or the Trek tech manual, but its close, I promise you that.
I've moved a bit off the Xander-centric lines in this story, but that's because this is mostly setting up the future and why things are different in this story than in the canon timelines. To do that, I've shamelessly used Dawn as a catalyst, and of course, that meant that there's quite a bit floating around her and what she does in this story.
As for the future of Chaos Theory, I've got a few more kinks to work out on the background story, an ever expanding writer's bible/technical manual and perhaps a historical reference. I've also got a desire to put in a few nods and links to other stories that I've read that share some (or many) coincidental similarities to this one – but that depends on the authors/maintainers of those other stories. I've not put anything in yet, and don't plan to unless I get a go-ahead from them, and of course, you'll see them added to the disclaimer I try to put in each story.
To everyone who has sent me reviews (and a couple of those who sent me emails) I hope its up to the standards I've been setting with my previous chapters and that you've enjoyed it. If you haven't guessed by now, I love sci-fi, and this chapter was kind of my "total-geek-out-technobabble" moment. Its out of my system for at least the next 100,000 words. :)
Well, I've jabbered enough for one chapter... onward and upward. There's one chapter left to go to this part of Chaos Theory... maybe two if I get inspired. I can promise it won't take as long as this chapter took to be posted. After that... well... we'll see.