Z’ha’dum, surface

  On Z’ha’dum, fog hung in the air, creating a surreal haze.  Sulu still hadn’t gotten over the feeling the world gave him.  It was just wrong.  Tuvok had attempted to investigate the temporal and spatial abnormalities of the world, but had met with little success.  The only thing they knew without a doubt was that this Lost World was a juncture, a converging point.  It was both an alien world and an ancient Earth.  Even traces of Middle Earth were present, suggesting a connection between that world out of phase and the planet they currently stood upon. 

  At least the ship had been secure since the initial attack by the dinosaurs.  The group of Sleestack, who had been detected about 8 miles from the Excelsior, hadn’t made any moves.  They were just gathered around the Stargate, performing some bizarre ritual.  It was something that Sulu found vaguely familiar, a fragment of some lost dream, perhaps.

  The observers that Sulu had dispatched to the Stargate had reported in every 30 minutes, with nothing to note.  So when the COM chirped 12 minutes before the next scheduled report, the Captain knew that something was up.  He activated the COM.

  “Captain here.”

  “Captain, this is Ensign Wright at the observation post.  Something’s happening, sir…the Stargate has been activated.  The Sleestack are really agitated by this, sir.  They’re acting crazy, leaping and chanting.  I can’t tell if they expected this or if it’s a surprise.”

  “I’m on my way, Ensign.  Have your teams ready to move.  We don’t know yet who’s coming through, but if they’re hostile to us I want them contained.”

  “Yes, sir.  Wright out.”

  Sulu sighed and moved toward the turbolift, clipping his phaser to his belt. 

  A short while later, the small hoverplatform gradually slowed to a halt.  The vehicle might be small and uncomfortable, made for moving cargo around in cargo bays, but it beat walking.  Even from here, Sulu could hear the howling and chanting of the Sleestack.

  “We’ve got to stop here, Captain,” said the driver.  “Any closer and they’re bound to notice.”

  “Then Let's go,” said Sulu.

  The team made their way through the foliage to the Observation post.  Ensign Wright approached the Captain.

  “The Stargate is still active, sir.  Nothing’s come through yet.”

  “Sir!” another ensign interrupted.  “Look!”

  The group watched as the Stargate sprang to life.  It’s previous low hum replaced by a booming throb, its surface shimmering like liquid mercury.  The Sleestack were going berserk, leaping and undulating.  Sulu was thankful that the Stargate’s hum drowned out their hoarse shrieks.

  Suddenly, someone was through!  It was a human wearing a military uniform, and armed with a rifle.  Sulu recognized him as a member of the US Army.  Another one sprang through, and the two crouched on either side of the gate, weapons up, eyeing the Sleestack with uncertainty.

  Another man appeared from the gateway, a man with a beard and black garments.  Sulu was trying to place him when the figure activated a glowing green energy blade, and the memory slammed down in Sulu’s mind.  It was Luke Skywalker!

  The Sleestack had formed a circle around the Jedi, hissing and snarling.  The other 2 soldiers didn’t seem to need any more reason than this, and opened up with their machine guns, spraying into the horde.  Greenish blood and ichor filled the air as groups of the lizardmen where riddled with bullets.  Others leapt at Luke, but were slashed down by his lightsaber.

  “Let’s move, men!  Those are friends!”  Sulu yelled, and the Star Fleet teams rushed forward toward the melee.  Even as they did so, more US Army members were coming through the gate.  Sulu fired his phaser into a Sleestack, vaporizing it.  Luke flipped over several of the Sleestack, coming down behind them and rending them with the light blade, causing several halves of Sleestack to tumble to the ground.  For all their ferocity, the green lizards were no match for Luke, Star Fleet, and the US Army.  (Note: now there is a sentence that you would never EVER see in ANY other story but this one…hahaha)

  More men were coming through the Stargate, and among them Sulu recognized Indiana Jones…then what looked like two Jones’!

  The Stargate deactivated and wound down, and as it did so the humming stopped.  While the remaining Sleestack were gunned down, Sulu approached the Indy’s and Luke.

  “Greetings Luke…Indy…uh, Indy,” Sulu said to each in turn.  “I’m not sure what would make you decide to journey to this world, but I’m afraid that we’re in pretty bad shape here.”

  “Believe me,” said young Indy, “The place we left was about to be filled with vulture-spider-worms with 10 mouths.  A jungle seems like paradise in comparison.”

  Luke spoke up.  “Captain Sulu…we have urgent business to speak of.”

  “Then let's not waste time,” Sulu replied.

  20 minutes later they were seated in the Captain’s briefing room aboard the Excelsior.  Sulu explained their situation, coming here, crash landing.  Wallart and Max Sterling covered the GMU’s story, its flight from the Octorg.  The Indy’s and Luke absorbed this.

  Indy lay what looked like an open book on the table.  But it was immediately clear that this was no ordinary book.  The pages were alive with characters, symbols and glyphs forming and unforming as they scrolled across its surface.  Indy explained the book, a living temporal document, and told them that it was coming to an end.

  “We don’t know what it means yet.  We don’t even know if deciphering it will help, but we’d like to try.  Perhaps it can give us some clues.  However…” here he faltered.  “However, I must point out that the path of events this document records may be unalterable…it may be fate…a set road that we all must take whether we wish to or not.  As I said, we just don’t know.”

  “Mr. Tuvok, would you take this to science and have a look at it?  See if you can decode it?”

  “Of course, sir,” Tuvok replied, picked up the book, and headed to the science lab.

  The room was quiet for a moment, then Luke leaned forward to speak.

  “Captain,” Luke began, “when I was transported to the Earth, it was just as the Rebel and Imperial fleets were jumping to Z’ha’dum…here.  It appears I’ve arrived before I left, since those fleets aren’t here.  Either that, or the possibility that they were destroyed.  I don’t choose to dwell on that, so I’ll assume I’m early.  Once the fleet gets here we’ll have transport.  But the fact remains that this place is a nexus…in the Force, in Time, in Space.  Something monumental is about to take place…we’re just not sure what it is yet.”

  “You’re not too early,” Lt. Wiles stated.  He keyed on a video screen and activated the audio.  There, a magnified view of events taking place in orbit above the planet, was a fleet appearing from hyperspace.  The audio crackled with chatter.

  “The signals belong to the Rebel Alliance and the Galactic Empire.  These must be your fleets, Commander Skywalker.”

  Middle Earth

  Aragorn led the elves and hobbits into Rivendell.  It had been a long journey, but they had not been troubled during their travels, for once.  It was just as well, for the party was still shaken by its encounter with the Nine.  They settled in to enjoy a reprieve while they awaited Gandalf’s return.

  However, Gandalf did not return.  Days passed, and the party, as well as Rivendell itself, began to worry.  Elrond Half-Elven convened a council meeting to discuss the situation.

  Later, seated in the Grand Council chamber of Rivendell, Elrond addressed the council.

  “Gandalf told me before he left that the coming days would bring the greatest trials ever faced, and that the world hangs in the balance.  I have never known him to exaggerate, so I take him at his word.  This troubles me greatly, more so since Gandalf himself is not here.”  The council murmured its agreement.  Elrond continued, “It is in this troubled and fearful state that I must recommend a drastic course of action.  If Gandalf will not return to us, then we must go to Gandalf.  There is elvish magic that can accomplish this, but it has not been used in ages, and its effects are uncertain.  However, I know of no other way.  We will never find him if we look on foot, for Gandalf may not even be in Middle Earth any longer.  But I refuse to sit idly by while the world ends around me.  We must find him.”

  “Here here!” the council echoed.  Frodo closed his eyes and shook his head.  He disliked magic, especially when its effect was unknown.  But he agreed with Elrond…too much was at stake now to just sit and take their chances.  They had to do something.  Preparations began to invoke the Elvish magic.  It was an ancient and powerful spell, one that would require time to prepare and enact. 

  Sweden, Earth, post-Mythos Apocalypse

  Gandalf had finished explaining some of the contradictions of Z’ha’dum, the nexus.  That was where they needed to go, the place they needed to start.  The wizard meditated to recover his lost strength, and prepared to transport them to the Lost World.

  “I must warn you all, that I don’t know what to expect.  The Lost World is a world of contradictions and uncertainty.  Space, Time, and dreams overlap there.  We must proceed with caution.”

  “Understood,” Kirk said.  Hyuj nodded in agreement, and even the arrogant Q seemed resigned to be serious.

  “Very well,” Gandalf said, and lifted his staff into the air.  The laboratory, the land around it, and the writhing Shoggoth that surrounded the building, still held back by Q’s shield, began to fade.  The world swirled into a blend of colors and patterns.  Then everything crystallized back into reality.  The four were on the edge of a mountain, overlooking a great jungle valley.  A misty haze hung in the air, obscuring the sky, and making distance and time of day seem uncertain.

  “I remember now,” Kirk said, thinking back to Radagast, the battle with Cthulhu, and the Sleestack.  “This is definitely the place.”

  “And we are not alone,” Q said flatly.

  The group spun around, following Q’s hard stare.  A massive demon figure rose and moved toward them.  Gandalf’s features lit up with recognition.

  “Sauron.”

  “Yes, Gandalf…I have returned.”

  “But what about Avalon…I thought-“ Kirk began.

  “You thought?” boomed Sauron, laughing.  “You thought nothing.  I have known of this all along.  The Convergence.  It is here.”  He pointed upward, and Kirk gazed into the sky, and now he could faintly see the flickering lights and shadows of a space fleet in orbit around the planet.  “Saruman thought he was strong, thought he could stop me from being here, and earning what is mine.  I had to destroy him.”

  “Enough!” Gandalf called.  “What do you want, Sauron?  If it’s battle you seek…”

  “Not at all, wizard.” Sauron’s eyes narrowed, and he grinned.  “I have come to help.  I, too, know that all things are on the edge of the abyss.  I am no fool, and I have no desire to be destroyed by something I cannot stop alone.  We…need each other.”  His words hung in the misty air.  As if in echo, the One Ring on Sauron’s finger glowed red.

  Q’s eyes narrowed.  “You’re a liar, oh horned one.”

  Sauron roared in fury.  “I know of your kind, the Q Continuum.  I learned much while wearing the guise of Avalon.  Even you didn’t know what I really was.  I will forgive your insolence, but do not tempt me again.”

  Q, Gandalf, Kirk, and Hyuj eyed each other, uncertain of their next move.  They couldn’t trust Sauron.  It was suicide.  But what did he want?

  “Your offer is rejected, Sauron.  Leave this place,” Gandalf said.

  Sauron’s eyes became slits, and the reared up to his full height, dwarfing them, even Hyuj.  “Very well, fool.  I was going to spare you.  Now I see I’ll just have to kill you and take the crystal myself.  Give it to me, Kirk!”

  “I should have known what you wanted, demon,” Gandalf growled.  A sphere of golden-white energy swirled to existence around the group.  “You know that you cannot pass!”

  “You forget, I have this, old man,” Sauron pointed his great fist forward, the Ring blazing in crimson fury.  “The Secret Fire is nothing to me now!”  His clawed fist was enveloped in crackling energy, and a blast of power surged out, shattering Gandalf’s defensive shield.

  “Now, die!” Sauron screamed, and an energy wave exploded forth, smashing into the 4 and nearly overwhelming them.  Only Q and Gandalf’s power combined held back the onslaught.

  Q and Gandalf answered with a combined bolt of raw energy, which smashed into Sauron, but was held back by the power of the Ring.  Hyuj sprang forward, smashing his powerful fist into the demon, but the impact barely moved him.  Kirk could do little but watch in horror; he’d had no idea just how powerful the Ring had made Sauron.  He prepared to transport the 4 of them away, back to the Void if need be, to escape, in case Sauron was blocking Q’s teleportation power somehow.

  The energy surged back and forth, from Sauron to Q and Gandalf.  But it didn’t look like they could stop the evil magic.

  And suddenly a blast of energy crushed Sauron from behind.  Sauron stunned by the unexpected attack, left himself open for an instant.  Gandalf cried out, and lighting poured down from the sky directly into Sauron’s face…boring into his skull, sending him into convulsions.  The snarling lighting continued to lance into his forehead, and a second later the back of Sauron’s head exploded, penetrated by the shaft of lighting that now flew out and continued into the ground, burning a crater in the earth.

  The lightning stopped, and only the sound of Gandalf panting and Sauron sizzling and twitching on the ground was heard.  Their unseen ally stepped forward from behind Sauron’s body.  It was Radagast.

  “Well done,” he said.  “I feared I would lose you if you fled.”

  “He was blocking my power...” Q said in amazement.

  “Radagast,” Kirk stepped forward, ignoring Q, “Of course, you’re still here on Z’ha’dum.  Thanks for the rescue, but how did you survive your battle with Cthulhu?”

  “I nearly did not.  Only this,” he held out a small, Dark Crystal with the Elder Sign embossed on it, “only this saved me, but now its power is depleted.  Cthulhu fled, but I was crushed in his lair when the mountain collapsed.  I barely survived.”

  “Yes, yes, tearful reunions not withstanding,” Q interrupted.  “What should we do?”

  “I have a plan,” said Radagast, looking down with disdain at the corpse of Sauron.  He wondered if the Dark Lord was truly dead.  But this thought left his mind quickly.  If they didn’t stop the coming doom, it wouldn’t even matter.

Babylon 5 Fleet Command

  Sheridan gazed out of the front viewport of the Agamemnon, waiting for the ship to reappear in normal space.  With a blinding flash of light, it happened.  Looking back out the viewport, Sheridan had expected to see the previous waves of Minbari, Centauri, and Narn starships in orbit around Z’ha’dum.  The galaxy’s last best hope for survival, orbiting the foul planet in formation, ready to attack in an instant.

  Instead, he saw blinding flashes of light and flaming chunks of starship hulls leaving sparking trails behind them as the careened through space.  Every one of the ships was destroyed, blown to pieces.  The crescent shape of Z’ha’dum hung silently, beyond the debris field.

  “Captain!  We’ve been set up!  Enemy ships were waiting to ambush the fleet!”

  “I can see that, Lt.!  ”Sheridan stared in horror at the endless swarms of starships that were obliterating the task force.  Helm, take evasive action!  Try to-”

  The Agamemnon buckled and caved in as dozens of plasma bolts rained down on it.  The helmsman tried to move the ship, but it was like trying to dodge snow in the midst of a blizzard.  As the flagship disintegrated, decks peeling away from the superstructure, other ships tried to dodge away. 

  Cruisers and destroyers went to full power, attempting to flee, but there was no place to run.  The innumerable Octorg fleet unleashed fire upon them from all directions.  Only the precision that stems from one mind allowed the giant fleet to fire without hitting each other.  Even ships that directed full power to their shields were helpless.  The firepower was unstoppable.

  The last surviving ships of the Babylon Five allied forces met fiery ends in the emptiness of space.  They had all died before even reaching Z’ha’dum, but the worst part was that these doomed ships and crew would actually be the lucky ones.

  And no one had noticed the small starship Voyager, come out of warp directly into the path of the Octorg barrage.  Its wreckage made the debris field 0.08% larger.  (I know, total cop out, but I just couldn’t bear to add another plotline!  Heh)

  Space, near Z’ha’dum

  On the bridge of the Defiant, Admiral Ackbar watched in silent horror as the remnants of the Babylon 5 fleet exploded into fireballs.  Without even pausing, the Octorg fleet continued toward them, too numerous to count.  Cthulhu had returned to Z’ha’dum.

  They had barely been in orbit of Z’ha’dum for 5 minutes when the incoming Octorg fleet had been sighted.  Then an unknown fleet of ships had appeared, and the massive armada had stopped just long enough to destroy it.

  Now it was heading for them.

  “Battle alert!  All crew to your stations!” he shouted hoarsely.

  “Sir, more ships incoming…sir, it’s the Vindicator!”

  The Vindicator, the Eclipse, and possibly a dozen more Star Destroyers and Interdictor Cruisers flashed into Realspace from Hyperspace, moving swiftly towards the rebel and “rebel” Imperial fleets.

  “Then the Emperor has come as well,” Ackbar grunted.  “Signal Grand Admiral Thrawn…tell him we’re ready to fight.”

  But the fight did not come to them yet.  Instead of attacking Thrawn and Ackbar, the Octorg fleet opened fire on the Vindicator and the remnants of the Imperial Fleet that had remained with Palpatine.  Billions of plasma bolts smashed their way through the Star Destroyers.  Grand Admiral Thrawn watched in horror from the Chokai as the ships were utterly destroyed, not even particles remaining due to the raw power of the attack.  Even the Eclipse was destroyed.  So many loyal servants of the Empire, gone in an instant.

  But a second later, Thrawn’s horror turned into shock.  As the energy of the attack dissipated, the Grand Admiral realized that one ship had survived.  And that ship was the Vindicator.  Not only had it survived, but there wasn’t a scratch on it.

  If the Octorg were surprised at the Star Destroyer’s miraculous survival, they didn’t show it.  Instead, they opened fire again, blinding Thrawn as the energy of countless suns was expelled from the Octorg warships.  The second barrage lasted longer than the first had, and it took Thrawn several seconds to adjust his eyes back to the comparative darkness of normal space.  But the Vinidcator still hung there in the darkness, unscathed.

  Thousands of Octorg warships maneuvered around the Star Destroyer, surrounding it on all sides, and the cyborgs opened fire again.  This time, the plasma bolts died in mid-stream, simply fizzling out.  The Imperial ship just sat there, mocking the vast armada surrounding it.

  Thrawn had thought the Octorg attack unbelievable, almost beyond even his comprehension.  But the next event pushed his belief in an ordered universe to the very limit.  In the span of 5 seconds, a sphere of pure, writhing blackness welled up out of the Vindicator, shrouding it.  The zone of darkness warped back and forth, almost twitching, and then it lashed out.  A vast, seething mass of the darkness whiplashed through the Octorg fleet, destroying every last one in sight…what must have amounted to millions of miles worth of vessels, instantly.  It was only a few moments, though, before more of the dreaded Octorg vessels came pouring in to fill the space.

  The Grand Admiral was speechless, for what could he do now that could affect beings with such power?  Would his future actions have any impact at all?

  Z’ha’dum, surface

  On the ground, things were not good.  Octorg landing forces had materialized on the planet, and the starship Excelsior was once again fighting for its life.  The battle was vicious.

  “Get down!” Luke shouted, slicing 2 lumbering cyborg Deep Ones with his lightsaber.  The horrible things fell over, unable to stop the lightsaber, but the Federation forces weren’t so fortunate.  Sulu’s phaser blasts impacted harmlessly against the Octorg shields, and Indy and the Delta Green forces had no luck with standard firearms.

  Luke used the force to crush 5 of the Octorg together, creating a ball of flesh and cybernetics.  But even as he did so, another Octorg stabbed an ensign in the neck with its assimilation probe.  Instantly the man’s facial features began to distort, and cybernetic parts began to jut out of his skin.  Sulu vaporized the ensign with his phaser, but had no time for remorse.  More of the things were coming toward the defenders.  As Sulu raised his phaser toward a lurching Octorg drone, he almost gagged.  For etched on the face of this twisted abnormality were the features of Rick Hunter, of the SDF-3!

  Before Sulu could decide what to do, an amazing change took place.  Without warning, a colored haze began to warp the air, and even the Octorg paused to analyze this effect.  The world was changing, blurring.  Sulu became dizzy and shut his eyes.  It took him a moment to regain his composure but before he could open his eyes, he heard a single battle cry.

  “Attack!”

  He opened his eyes and saw a horde of elves charging the Octorg, augmented with magic weapons.  The elves had merged the Lost World and Middle Earth with their sorcery.  Now the battle began in earnest.

  Elsewhere on Z’ha’dum

  Kirk tried to ignore the flickering lights of battle in the sky above them, and listened as Radagast continued.

  “I know it is difficult to believe, even as war takes place in the sky and here on the ground.  But none of these perils compares to what is coming.  You know, James Kirk.”

  Kirk nodded.  He had been trying to hide his agitation, but could not mask it any longer.  A nagging feeling was overwhelming him.  He knew that his vision of the Devourer was nearly reality.  They had to do something now, not only to stop the madness on Z’ha’dum, but to stop Azathoth, the Devourer, from destroying all things.  Gandalf, Q, Radagast…they all felt it, on one level or another. 

  “My plan is simple,” said Radagast, “we will all channel our power into you, Kirk, and you must use that power to keep the crystal in check while you search the Void.  You must find out who will be responsible for awakening Azathoth.  We must stop this being!  And, although I can’t explain it, I know that you are the one who will discover this being, I have foreseen it.  You will succeed.  Of this I am certain.” 

  The group took this in, and Gandalf looked at Kirk.  “You must be strong, Kirk.  The power of the crystal will attempt to sway you.  You must resist it, and control it.  The fate of the world is on your shoulders, Captain.”

  Kirk tried to brush off the tension.  “I’ve had the world on my shoulders many times, Gandalf.  Some in the Federation actually invented a term based on me…’Kirk Luck’.  I’ll do my best.”

  “I do hope your Kirk Luck doesn’t run out today, Captain,”  Hyuj said, stepping back from the group.  “We need it now.”

  No one else spoke, and Radagast, Gandalf, and Q summoned all their power and placed it in James T. Kirk. 

  Around them, above them in space, battles raged and different events went forward.  And even as they did, the ordered multiverse teetered on the edge of an abyss that defied description.  This was the only way to stop the coming doom!

  The power inundated him and filled him, and he knew that he could do it.  He could discover what he needed to find.  He must!  He clutched the crystal in his hand, summoning its power and adding it to his own.  Then he aligned the spheres and the angles, and left Z’ha’dum.

  In his wake, a wave of fear expanded outward, like a feeling of dread was permeating the very fabric of reality.  This wave of foreboding extended to everyone.  Even Great Cthulhu paused in his attacks and shuddered.  Sulu felt cold as he fired at the Deep Ones.  The elves shivered.  Luke felt something in the force that he had never experienced before.  Radagast’s mystical certainty that Kirk would succeed was still present, even stronger than before, but it became tainted in a way that he could not explain.

  The only being who did not cringe and did not shiver was the form of the Emperor.  For in reality, the Emperor had merged with Nyarlathotep, the soul and messenger of Azathoth. 

  This creature tittered gleefully to itself instead. 

  The Ultimate Void

  Kirk collected his thoughts and energy, sensing that the crystal was within his grasp despite the fact that he had no true body.  Now he had to determine the identity of the being whose lifeline was to brush Azathoth, rouse him, and bring the end of all things.  Kirk’s mind gazed out across the lifepaths, and began mentally bearing down on the line belonging to this unknown being. 

  He looked again at this bright existence-line, but still could not read it, it was fuzzy, out of focus.  But it was getting clearer.  He continued following this path, and an image began to form in Kirk’s mind, but it was still not discernable.  The elusive path was all Kirk could see now, all of his power was focused on it, for he had to know who this being was before he could stop it.  Hurtling along the lifeline, the image grew clearer, and, obsessed, Kirk pressed on, oblivious to everything else.  Almost there…he could see a man, a man he felt that he knew.  The path was very near the point where it would touch Azathoth now, and Kirk “zoomed in” even closer, focusing on the point of contact with the Chaos beyond, dissecting it, boring into it, and as he did the image finally crystallized.  The lifepath belonged to…

  James T. Kirk.

  Too late, Kirk realized the truth.  He was the one who would arouse Azathoth.  In fact, he had just done it.  He had tried too hard; his desire to save the world had been too great.  By expending so much power from the shining crystal on analyzing the point of contact, he himself had caused the point of contact.  Kirk had just turned on a flashlight in a pitch-dark room, bringing attention, too much attention, to both himself and his reality. 

  James Kirk’s mental scream of frustration, anger, denial, and hopelessness ended abruptly.  As the being with the dubious honor of being the first to rouse Azathoth, the one to call him forth, Kirk was also the first to be engulfed.  His body, mind, and consciousness were torn to shreds, annihilated by the oncoming fractal wave.  And though he was the first to fall, he would not be alone.  In the next instant everyone and everything else would join him.

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