The Triangle: Eternity War: Cloistered Shadows
Revealed by Tony Gallichan
Chapter One: "And So It Begins..."
The explosion ripped through layer after layer of reality. The sheer power of it equalled a similar explosion millennia ago, but it was not like this one. This explosion was different. This explosion had happened on an inhabited planet not a desolate moon. And one more thing...
This explosion had...passengers.
The cause of the explosion, the ship, screamed out her pain as her insides were ripped out of her and spread thinly throughout the dimensions. She had done her best, though. The humans were safe. Admittedly there was some damage in the general area, but her pilot and his friends were safe. Stranded but safe.
As the last vestiges of her intelligence faded, her diminishing senses picked up the anguish and symbiotic pain of her pilot. After all he had been through, nearly loosing his mind and having to deal with the universe's higher powers whilst in that state, to loose each other now was a tragedy of cosmic proportions. And as the darkness folded around her, she felt...them. Her tormentors. Her killers. Her...
And cold grey eyes watched all this happen.
Things had not gone to plan. They should now have a base, a home. After all this time, to be defeated by one of the old enemy was the final indignity.
After what seemed an eternity awareness returned. But it was an awareness of far greater proportions. They flexed their mental muscles and were surprised at the reach of their grasp. Whole new universes were now open to them. They opened a series of portals and looked long and hard at where they lead. Choosing some and discarding others they realised that this disaster had been to their advantage. Now they could plan afresh. Now they could achieve their goal. They would return home and destroy the usurpers.
But it would take a little bit of planning first.
The owner of those cold eyes sighed. He was so near now. He had been on his way to carry out his mission - the last mission he would have known as things were at the moment. And now Time had run her course and once more he would have to become involved in that way.
He decided on a whistle stop tour of these newly connected dimensions. Memory prompted him and he realised that he had to also make a causal connection.
The Doctor was not at his happiest. He had dropped Bernice, Roz and Chris at the house at Allen Road for a break. After all, even Adjudicators needed their rest and a certain "professor" of archaeology always enjoyed her visits to the local pub. He had intended to stay with them but a message on the house's antiquated answer phone, (complete with a fake celebrity message that Ace had called naff), had caused him to sigh and had him heading back to the TARDIS, leaving a hastily scrawled note to his companions. At least they wouldn't be involved in this.
The warm hum of the console room greeted him and the lighting level rose slightly. He closed the doors and pulled the master power switch. As the time rotor began to oscillate, he ruminated on his choices, those he had made and those he would have to make. And it seemed like they weren't choices at all. He had made his bargains with Death and Time and now they called him back to the battle. C'est la guerre.
Master Skywalker stood on top of the mountain and just breathed. Corruscant might be the political hub of the universe but it was simply too congested, too busy, too...grey. How the old Jedi council had stood to be based on Corruscant he would never know. Perhaps he should have asked Master Yoda when he had had the chance.
He sat down and then sprawled out on his back and ruminated that Yoda would probably have told him that all beings are connected to the force, (or rather, "Connected to the Force, all things are.") and where better to be than somewhere where life thrived? Still, as much as he appreciated the wisdom of his tutor, he sometimes needed time alone. All Jedi did. Well, as alone as a person could be when he is connected to life itself.
The view was stunning. Lush green forests and verdant meadows always made him feel relaxed. Strange really. After all, he was just a farm boy from a harsh desert world; he should feel like he did about Tatooine more than he did with this place. He closed his eyes, and in less than a minute, Luke Skywalker, Jedi Master and farm boy was asleep.
It was the echo of a strange wheezing, groaning, bleeping sound as well as the feeling of a life form totally unfamiliar to him that snapped him to wakefulness.
After a minute or so he had the feeling of two more life forms, again, both were unfamiliar to him. Then came the voice, haughty and arrogant that came with a feeling of...of...well, of timelessness. The other life form had a feeling that was similar to the feelings he got around droids except more alive and sentient.
"If you think that for one moment I am climbing up there then you have another thing coming. You go and bring him down. And remember, be polite."
There was a very faint electronic whine and after a few seconds a shining metal head floated up into view.
* Greetings, organic. Would you like a vegetable product? *
And from below came a resigned sigh.
A universe away, cold eyes checked readings on consoles. The information was relayed to the correct place. The council were summoned and plans were made. They would investigate this strange void; they would find where it led. They would use it. They would conquer. They would be the dominant life form. They were, after all, the superior race.
After a journey to Corruscant in what had to be the most impressive vehicle that Luke had ever seen, he and his guests, as he had come to think of them, had rushed to the Senate chamber. The huge, dark hall echoed with voices of concern and dismay as the man who accompanied the metal head addressed the Senate.
"And so, as you can see, no universe will be safe. I know that I might not be believed so I have this proposition for you all. My, er, associates will be holding a conference very shortly. They ask you to send a delegation to it. If you agree, we will, together, be able to defeat that git, Palpatine..."
At the mention of that name, the Senate was in an uproar.
Babylon 5 was supposed to be the last, best hope for peace. Well, that's what they liked to say. Now it seemed that it's mission had partly failed. The great Shadow war might be over - just, but the battle always had to be fought, be it a battle for victory or a battle for peace.
In C and C sensors totally failed to detect the station's latest arrival. Not surprising really. They had been designed to deal with normal, everyday things as well as the occasional oddity. However, they hadn't been designed to detect this. In grey sector there came a wheezing, groaning sound and a blue police box appeared, fading gently into view.
Time's Champion had arrived.