Roads Paved in Shadow
Book II
Chapter One
'The Past Drives the Future'
The Milky Way
Space is vast.
In mankind's current understanding of the universe, there exists approximately one hundred billion, billion galaxies and each galaxy contains at least between ten to two hundred billion stars. Consider that this is only mankind's estimation of the number of galaxies. The estimate of the numbers of stars in the universe may well be at the low end. The truth is that mankind has no idea exactly how many galaxies and stars there are in the universe. Because of their limited imaginations, and their meager understanding of the universe, those approximations are in and of itself limited. Mankind's understanding of the universe is vast, but the sum of our knowledge is equal to that of a grain of sand when compared to that same vastness. Much is known, and nothing is known. There may be only one universe, or they may be billions of them existing side-by-side yet never touching…unless something happens to change the dynamics of the multiverse itself.
There are massive stars hundreds of times larger than the small yellow star that inhabits the Sol system. There are black holes, super giants, red dwarfs, neutron stars, dwarf stars, quantum irregularities, antimatter, and thousands of other phenomena known and unknown to the understanding and imaginations of man.
The Milky Way galaxy is described as a discrete concentration of numerous stars separated from similar formations by huge distances. The Terran solar system is an insignificant part of the Milky Way, a galaxy which is thought to contain over two hundred billion stars shaped in disk-like pattern, some three thousand light-years thick and having a diameter of one hundred thousand light-years. It is spiral shaped and it rotates at a rate of one revolution every 200 million years. The dynamics of the Milky Way galaxy is as complex and as wondrous as the mechanisms that compose the Human body. Gravity, light, energy and stellar dust, are just four of the unique forces that allows the galaxy to exist. The amount of energy required to keep it galaxy functioning normally is unimaginable. Occasionally, these energies come into conflict and results are…unique.
Cortour sector
Four million years ago, a massive star three hundred times larger than Earth's sun exploded. Such a monster could not be sustained and it collapsed in upon itself creating a supermassive black hole. This is not an uncommon occurrence, but something happened that coincided with the explosion. A freak of nature, a small neutron star with the core of antimatter interactive with the exploding star. An antimatter-cored neutron star existing under the current conditions of that portion of the universe was impossible a freak and should not have existed in nature. The ancient species that observed this very unusual phenomenon recorded it, analyzed it, and tried to understand what the consequences of the two stellar objects interacting with one another might result in.
There was some speculation by two of those races that this antimatter neutron star was someone's creation and not a naturalized freak of nature. Whoever or, whatever the reason the why of the star's existence was never discovered.
The aftermath of the star's explosion was monitored for generation. Despite those observations, the true magnitude of what exactly happened would not be fully realized for millions of years.
But what was known was this:
The universe is a very stable entity. Exploding stars, black holes, and antimatter explosions are all commonplace in the galaxy and means very little to the universe. However, in this instance, something else happened. In a very stable system, instability occurred. It was a rupture of space-time at the very center of explosion of supermassive and antimatter neutron stars. The massive amount of interactive energies created a small rupture in the universe. This tiny rupture was only eight thousand light-years long and a thousand light years thick. The rupture existed for thirteen nanoseconds before it began to collapse. Two seconds later, the rupture had shrunk to two hundred light-years wide and fifteen light-years thick. In another ten seconds, the massive energies that created the rupture had dissipated leaving a small tear no more than two light years wide and half-light thick located in the region that, in the future would be known as the Cortour sector. Those who observed it estimated that this multi-spatial rupture would ceased to exist within an hour. They were correct in their calculations, but they hadn't accounted for several small variables. The most important of those variables missed was that the healed rift had left a small scar in the spatial fabric of the galaxy. Many species flew passed the extinct rift and never noticed or impacted it. Invisible and undetectable, it remained present in the universe, waiting for a trigger that would open the rift once again.
In the millions of years that followed, the races that studied the explosion and its aftermath died out, their scientific data lost to the ravages of time. What was unique was forgotten. However, if the observers had survived then they would have seen two events that science could not explain. The first was the complete disappearance of the black hole and second, they could have seen the creation of the Katasi nebula.
There was no one to see what happened and what was once known was los.t
The black hole ceased to exist, but the rift and the fantastic energies inside of it remained and, in the millions of years the internal energies of the rift slowly expanded. Tendrils of the 'other rift' energies reached as far as the nearest galactic clusters. Any of the original races studying the rift would have recognized and ultimately concluded that the creation of the rift was not a natural occurrence and its effects would have profound consequences for the local galaxies at large. Some other force, for unknown reasons had created a multiversal bridge. A chaotic one, with no discernible, directed purpose. This spider web of tendrils was responsible for the scores of people, ships planets, solar systems, and even solar system clusters finding themselves–somewhere else.
Each rift tendril had its own unique chaotic properties. Some of these tendrils dissipated, some exhausted themselves of energy and winked out. Others were triggered by insignificant explosions or interactions with exotic particles. Battles among starships unknowingly operating around those invisible tendrils were the usual culprits of the displacements. Certain races such as the Preservers and Ashknasi knew of tendrils and could manipulate them with ease. A few scientists discovered these energies, in reality rift tendrils, harnessed them and used them to break the dimensional barriers. Sometimes the tendrils were bi-directional. Some were only directed one way. There were and continue to be many examples of such transference, however the epicenter of the rift continued and remained undiminished. If the source of the energies were born in what is now known as the Katasi nebula, then its heart resided in the Cortour star sector, the Bermuda triangle of the multiverse. It was here where the rift lived and spread its tendrils.
It was always there.
Waiting.
Earth year 2005
A Terran starship, its people known by much of the galaxy as the Tau'ri, on what was supposed to be a simple milk run collecting a shipment of naquada suffered an event that would affect the history of the galaxy for decades to come. On the shakedown cruise the newly minted crew was attacked by two Goa'uld Ha'tak warships. The Goa'uld feared and hated the Tau'ri because of their continued defiance and their uncanny ability to inflict damage at the Goa'uld's expense. It was obvious to the parasites that the Tau'ri were becoming stronger with each passing day and the Goa'uld were dedicated to stamping out this Human menace before it become too strong. A decade later, their fears were affirmed. But it was during this particular battle that events happened that would lead to the Goa'uld system Lords and their Ashtorath successors to the brink of annihilation.
The resulting battle with warships using naquada-enhanced nuclear missiles, energy weapons, and hyperspace, as well as subspace interactions, pushed the Prometheus class starship into another universe. The interaction of such energies upon the universe was insignificant and the ship should not have traveled between the dimensions because of it. However, the transference occurred because the exotic energies touched the millions of years old rift reacted with and triggered it. As a result, the damaged ship found itself in another universe. The ship's defensive shield barely protected it from the tremendous energies inside the rift but further depleted the shields.
Unaware of the war being waged in this new universe, the Terran ship immediately encountered another fish-shaped starship. The race that created this starship were in a life-and-death struggle against the Humans of that universe and those Humans were losing the war. Identifying the Terran's ships as an Earth vessel with a Human crew, the much larger ship attacked. Unfortunately, it bit off more than it could chew was itself destroyed.
The Terran warship's crew, confused by the attack, and as of yet unaware that they were displaced in another reality, begin their journey to Earth. Their hyperdrive system was partially damaged from the series of battles, so it could not travel as fast as they normally would have been able to. However, in the journeys they discovered a small Human military outpost and made contact. Unknown to everybody, this was a First Contact and almost resulted in a shooting war when a warship captain, trying to dominate the situation, practically fired on the unknown Terran ship. Fortunately, cooler heads prevailed, and the continued contact proved somewhat peaceful. It was at the base that the Terran crew of the SGC–USAF vessel discovered exactly how far and how alone they truly were. The local natives were stunned by the fact that such a primitive, small ship originating from the early 21st century could defeat an enemy that had all but crippled the forces of Earth of their reality.
At the beginning, the locals were more than a bit skeptical; however, after hours of conversation and discussion both sides began to realize the truth. The two groups didn't understand how much they were wanted by the enemy ship's companions seeking answers and revenged at the loss of their fellow shipmates. In tracking down the small ship they had discovered the small Earther base. The ensuing fight between the Terran vessel and the enemy ships resulted in the destruction of all enemy ships. This was a shock on both sides as this had never happened before since war began. But the small Terran ship was again damaged in combat, and was initially presumed lost. Several search and rescue vessels found the warship and discovered that it had not suffered as much damaged as everyone had feared. Knowing that the enemy ships would return to greater numbers, the base was abandoned and the small Terran ship was ferried to the largest outer base that the other Humans possessed. It was well known that no local Human ship could survive combat against one of the enemy vessels and those Humans were effectively facing extinction. The enemy had no compassion and their intent was to wipe out what they considered barbarians, those that killed their beloved leader.
The enemy accepted no communication. Offers of surrender were ignored, and it was made very clear that the enemy would destroy Humanity everywhere. To them, this was a holy mission and they intended to complete it no matter the cost. Earth fought back and found to their sorrow that Human technology was inferior to that of enemy. Everyone on Earth and the other worlds both human and alien knew it only a matter time before Humanity was exterminated. But with the presence of this new Terran warship, that certainty changed everything. The technology on the Tau'ri warship was so advanced that the enemy ships could not stand against it and its weaponry. The locals knew that they could obtain the amazing technologies of the stranded ship, the war would be all but won.
Within a day, the enemy found and engaged the mid-range base intending to destroy it utterly, leaving no survivors as an example to the rest of Humanity of what was coming. It was also a measure of revenge extracted for the humiliation and loss of several of their ships, something to which they were entirely unaccustomed. No primitive species should have been capable of such an action and although they refused to voice it out loud, it was a priority that they preempt the Humans from getting their hands on such weapons and technologies and turning this 'training exercise' into a real war.
The captain of the Terran ship offered herself as negotiator to help settle the dispute between local Humanity and the enemy government. It was a useless gesture; the enemy had no intentions of negotiating. Only the flowing blood of their enemies would satisfy them. What they were unaware of was that the Terran ship could see their own vessels very clearly past their admittedly very impressive ECM and scattering fields. The small ship transmitted accurate sensor data to the other Earth ships, feeding them targeting telemetry. For the first time, Earth ships accurately targeted and hit the enemy vessels despite their stealth fields. The initial, devastating strike came as an absolute shock to the enemy who lost a half a dozen ships in the first seconds of the battle. But they fought back and thousands died on both sides.
The enemy quickly discovered to their sorry that the Earth ships, their space mines, and fixed defenses were too much. The enemy was pushed back for the first time. Shocked, and awed, the enemy became even more enraged. They blamed the, and rightly so, small Terran ship which had changed the conditions of war. Their new priority now was to destroy the small ship by any means necessary. Their efforts failed as the Terran ship used its main weapon given to them by the Asgard for the first time, completely butchered the enemy ships it had targeted. In humiliation and in fear for their lives the surviving enemy ships retreated and the Earth base survived against all the odds.
Everyone on the base were exuberant. The government of Earth after hearing what had happened at the mid-range base couldn't believe it. They fully expected everyone on the base to have died and the enemy to slowly converge on Earth to begin to initiate the final solution. The military officials and politicians were more than pleased. Not only had the base and its people survived but the enemy was pushed back, licking their wounds for the first time, and very likely re-evaluating their war effort. This presented Earth forces and the administration an opportunity to change the course of the war and it re-ignited the fantasy that they could win. It all depended on the small Terran warship. Negotiations between the Tau'ri crew and the Earth government quickly began. The agreement was that the Earth would trade critical supplies and support and in return, the small Terran warship would provide some of their exotic technologies desperately needed if Earth were to survive. On paper, it was a simple but important exchange and its success would be a template for more exchanges in the future.
The military grumbled at not getting everything that they wanted but reluctantly accepted the proposal with minor changes. In the final agreement, the Terran crew offered sensor technologies, their advanced railgun schematics, and their ECM systems that could see the enemies through their stealth systems. That was thought to be enough to satisfy them as it gave Earth a better than even chance of surviving the war. They were also offered to discuss their hyperspace drive systems, a form of faster-than-light technology completely unknown by the Earth and the surrounding alien governments, later if the initial terms were concluded to everyone's satisfaction. As a sweeten the deal, the locals promised the crew several warship hulls which were badly needed by the Tau'ri's fledgling space force.
The agreement was straightforward and to the point. However, the situation devolved into a major conflict of interest when the politicians entered the negotiations and added their list of demands. Both the politicians and the military Chiefs of Staff decided that the technologies being offered and the ones already given were not sufficient. They wanted more. They wanted the defense shielding, and full access to the incredible nuclear weapons that the Terran ship possessed. They wanted the energy beam weaponry able to gut enemy ships in a single shot. They wanted full access to everything on the ship and the crew's unfettered knowledge of those systems.
The crew refused. The Tau'ri that their own classified military secrets and were not going them to a foreign entity.
The politicians in the military were incensed by the crew's flat out refusal. The crew had to understand that the Earth government and its world were fighting a war for their very survival and isolated crew had the keys to ensure Earth's survival. But in their arrogance, they had the audacity to refuse to give over those technologies, claiming they were classified. Furthermore, they were keeping a promise to alien allies, alien! Despite the anger that the refusal generated the military officials understood (somewhat); they didn't like it but they did understand the crew's reluctance.
The politicians however were, to put it bluntly, unhappy. Members of the political leadership of Earth, especially certain senators, refused to take no for an answer. They felt insulted that this Human crew refused to help their brothers and sisters by honoring some promise to aliens that would most certainly betray them.
The first attempt to covertly acquire these technologies failed miserably. The government tried to use telepaths to glean the information from the minds of the crew. That action was a failure for two reasons. The first reason was that the officers on the mid-range base kept the telepaths away from the displaced crew as much as they could. The second reason revealed a problem that greatly concerned the telepaths/ Any telepath that attempted read one of the crewmembers was rebuffed. Telepaths became physically sick and the only thing that they pickup was what could best be described as 'white static'. This confused and worried the telepaths because they had never encountered anything like that before. This unknown was a threat and revealed to them a weakness that frightened them. They needed to understand the cause of this 'mundane' defense so that they could counter it and its effects.
Other attempts to steal the knowledge was only marginally successful due to the crew's diligence.
Three days later, a second Terran ship, accompanied by several other allied vessels searching for the missing vessel and its crew discovered the rift and entered. General Jack O'Neill quickly contacted his wayward vessel and made arrangements to meet them at the Earth of that reality. With General O'Neill and the team of SG-1 in charge, more formal diplomatic talks began. Once more, those politicians backed by several Military Chiefs of Staff tried to force them to submit to their authority. Their intent was to get as much technology from General O'Neill as they possibly could. To pressure the Tau'ri into giving Earth what they wanted, certain promises previously agreed to were reneged upon and claimed the displaced ship, its crew, and their rescuers owed them for all the help and supplies given the crew. It was a plot by several senators who had initially made the promise to try to steer the situation in their favor. General O'Neill refused to be intimidated. Certain senators and certain military officers then threatened both ships, claiming that because they were Human ships from wherever, they were obligated and subject to the rules, laws, and regulations of the Earth government and that it superseded any obligations and orders from the traveler's universe. It was further suggested that if the crews did not accede to the demands, then they would be branded traitors and their two vessels would be confiscated by the government as was their right in a situation where the entire planet was in jeopardy. In other words, the ends justify the means.
General O'Neill and his crews didn't react to well to the implied threat and ended the talks. Other members of the committed were angered by the rash actions of their colleagues purposely trying to derail the meeting. They desperately tried to calm everyone down but the damage was already done. The SGCers left but not before giving that government two last pieces of advice.
Dr. Daniel Jackson, ever the moderator, informed the Earth representative in the meeting that they would not be intimidated and that it would be unwise for them to continue these discussions at this time. Tempers were flaring, and words were said that effectively ruined the talks for now. He also suggested that talk mighty begin again if Earth survived the war. It was a jab that didn't go over well.
Teal'c's, a leader of the Free Jaffa Nation, warning was blunter. He flatly told them that it would be unwise to try to attack his Earth as was implied. He was disdainful of this Earth's technology and he told them that his own people have burned worlds in the name of false gods. His people remembered.
The visitor's threat was just as clear and the meeting ended on a very sour note.
Most of the representatives on the committee were highly upset with the others intentionally pushing away what was basically the source of Earth's salvation. The others were unrepentant and believe they had the right to do whatever was necessary to defend their planet, even if it meant taking the travelers vessels by force for the greater good of their Earth, not what they considered some primitive upstart planet's foolish concept of honor towards alien allies that would most certainly betray them sooner or later.
As the public officials argued among themselves, other covert agencies in the Earth government decided to initiate their own secret contingency plans. Several groups of covert operatives forced their ways into the Tau'ri vessels. Their mission was to commandeer the ships, and capture and aggressively interrogate the crews whom they considered traitors to Humanity. Several of General O'Neill's crew were killed as both sides fought inside the ships. By order of General O'Neill. both ships initiated the failsafe protocol and the infiltrators were spaced via transporter. That very advanced and highly classified piece of technology was kept secret from the Earth government in fear that the revelation of such technology would become an overwhelming temptation which would have resulted in the same action that got the infiltrators spaced.
At the same time, the conspirators gave false orders to space-borne Earth defense forces to detain both ships and the crews crew on the pretense that they had threatened war against the Earth. Some military commanders in orbit immediately targeted two crews and the Ha'tak. The generals and commanders were receiving trajectory orders either to fire or stand down. Most were unsure of what to do but they did continue to try to surround the three ships. But they were also terrified of firing because they knew what those small ships were capable of.
Meanwhile on Earth, senior military staff tried to talk their own ships' captains down to keep them from firing on the Terran warships but the conflicting orders served only to aggravate the situation.
General O'Neill had had enough. He opened communications directly to the head to the Earth government located in Geneva Switzerland. He informed them that he was leaving and taking his ships and his crew, and they would brook no opposition whatsoever. If any ships dared to attack his two vessels or his allied ship, he would personally launch several two gigaton nuclear missiles at the very heart of Earth's government.
This ultimatum generated chaos throughout the entirety of Earth's government. The words spread like wildfire. People from senators to janitors scrambled for bomb shelters with every single one of them wondering if they could get to the shelters in time and if said shelters could withstand several multi-gigaton bombs on top of their heads. Many people thought O'Neill was a madman but not the President. She saw him for what he was, a man who had no connection to her Earth and was willing to do anything to insure the safely of his people even if it meant killing millions of people in the process. There was no use fleeing for some perceived shelter that wasn't designed to protect against gigaton level detonations. All she could do was plead for him not to use them and plead to her own forces to come to their senses, listen to her orders, and leave his ships alone. This debacle was a low point in a very dark time presidency and the survival of Earth.
During the panic. O'Neill, using the sensor and communications suites tracked down and publicly expose the conspirators hidden inside the government while the current president tried her best to calm everyone down. The senators and leaders involved in the attempted takeover of the ships were exposed via their communications and compromised computer files to the entire world. During the confusion, the three vessels escaped from Earth orbit without firing a shot. The unseen Jaffa escorts, cloaked and waiting at the edge of the star system returned with them through the rift. There was no more contact with that alternate Earth.
But the rift remained.
Two years later, an ancient species came through the rift. The collective long had dreams of breaching the barrier of time and space, to touch the face of God and in doing so, become gods themselves. The rift didn't bring them face to face with God but they were pleased at what they saw and planned to impose their will upon the galaxy. This ancient race immediately encountered the Asgard. They were impressed but considered the Asgard a powerful although immature, middle-level race striving to become a First One and still in need of guidance. Certain changes were demanded if the Asgard were to be allowed to walk the paths of enlightenment. The ancient species insisted that if they were to establish true and stable orderly system in this new galaxy, Earth and his people had to be removed.
The Humans of that world represented chaos and the ancient species abhorred chaos. The Humans of that planet Earth, would most certainly interfere with the Vorlon vision of the galaxy. Any world that was touched by the so-called Terrans was to be destroyed to minimize the potential damage. The elder race didn't want any trace of the Terrans' influence to contaminate their plans.
It wasn't even a question to be discussed. The Asgard immediately rejected their overtures as the Vorlons expected they would. Both sides recognized the truth that they were diametrically opposed to each other.
The elder race went to war against the Asgard expecting a hard-fought but ultimately easy victory. But they encountered fierce resistance from the Asgard and their fledgling Earth allies. It was called the Five-Day War by the Terrans. In those five days, the elder race was driven back but the price to do so was astronomical. Six inhabited worlds were lost.
The Asgard and Earth forces fought back using everything they had all but wiping out the invaders huge armada. Only a few of the Vorlons' armada managed to flee back through the rift never to return, however, the damage was catastrophic. The last planet to be utterly destroyed and rendered uninhabitable was the Asgard's new home world, located in the Milky Way galaxy. After the replicator war, the Asgard survivors relocated from their galaxy to the Milky Way. Somehow, the elder race got through the planetary shield before the Asgard could counter the strike. Many of the Asgard people were killed before the elder race fled from the vicious retaliation that both the Asgard and Earth forces inflicted upon them.
During the last battle, the Terran ship Prometheus was struck several times by Vorlon energy weapons. The ship was damaged, its hyperdrive was knocked out of alignment, and the ship was forced to stop in the previously unexplored Cyrannus star system to affect repairs. It was there they discovered that the system was inhabited and they met the people of the Twelve Colonies of Kobol for the first time. First contact did not go well as a could have. After shots were fired, Prometheus escaped and returned to Earth, leaving behind a confused and angry group of previously unknown humans in its wake.
The Vorlons escaped through the rift and were relieved. But the fighting wasn't over yet. What the elder race didn't understand or take into consideration was that the Asgard weren't ones to allow such devastation to go unpunished. It was inconceivable to them that arrogant middle race dared consider coming to home world seeking revenge so they were unprepared for what happened next. The remnant of the Asgard fleet went through the rift in pursuit and turned the enemy's home world into expanding molten rock.
It shouldn't have been possible for a younger race to wreck such havoc, or so the Vorlons believed. They could not conceive of such a loss. After such death and destruction, the survivors wisely decided not to retaliate. They had enough of war with aliens from other dimensions. Their first war millions of years earlier almost brought disaster to them and their galaxy, and almost caused the extinction of their people. With the ignominious defeat that most bitter lesson was remembered now. And lesson happened high. With this defeat, no longer were they a great power. The great Vorlon Empire was no more. It had just become another footnote in the history of the universe.
Gathering the few survivors of their race they left for the rim. Only a few of the aliens chose to remain behind to watch and see what the galaxy would become. Most didn't care. The Vorlon known as Kosh didn't care if the young races all burned either. He was just curious to see how events would unfold.
Asgard probes were brought in to monitor the rift, but with an almost total loss of the Asgard civilization and the massive rebuilding required for them to regenerate their civilization for a second time (the first being rebuilt after the replicator war ravaged their galaxy) those probes were left unattended and unmonitored. The Terrans should have monitored the probes, but war and events force their attention elsewhere. The Asgard had requested that their survival be kept secret as they were rebuilding their civilization and their people. As in another universe, the Asgard ultimately chose to combine their DNA with Human DNA to create an inferior version of an Asgard Human hybrid. The hybrid's brain capacity was not as advanced as the clone versions but they were hardy, and able to reproduce. The price was that the Asgard couldn't transfer their minds into new clones. They couldn't retain the vast stores of knowledge that they once took for granted. Their life spans were now limited and they could no longer walk around naked without problems arising that were never considered before. The old Asgard came to an end and in its place, was a new, young thriving race stepping into the universe once more. They needed time to learn once more but they survived and Earth was happy and all the better for it.
In the midst of all this change, once again, what should have kept an eye on was ignored.
The events that occurred after the Vorlon home world was destroyed in the other universe was just as devastating to the locals. In that galaxy, the death of billions of Vorlons sent the local races into psychic spasms. On every inhabited world for a thousand light years from the epicenter, thousands of genetically tampered beings died as their brains hemorrhaged. Millions went insane and billions more suffered debilitating migraines. Four percent of the population suffered strokes, but eventually it passed. The psychic screams were also heard in the darkness by something else. The Shadows awoke from the deep slumber surprised by what they felt and they were pleased. Without Vorlon interference, they were free to do as they would. When they discovered the rift, it opened new possibilities and so they planned.
Note:The event describe are similar but NOT exactly what happened in Consequences of Actions and what would have happened. The Vorlon Asgard war is different as well as the meeting of the Prometheus with the Colonies. It is a variation. Also for some, you may recognize the Cortour system and the Katasi nebula. This is a multiversal entity that exists in many realities in one form or another. It is responsible for so many space ship displacements, etc, everywhere. If a ship or person finds him or herself in another place, it is likely due to some interaction with a rift tendril. The rift is the very heart of the tendrils and are a continual source of pains in the butt transferals everywhere.
Thank you for reading