DemonLordEnigma
26-12-2004, 20:49
Enigma's Palace
July 8, 3574
Earthdate: August 8, 2027
Planet: Terran
Enigma sat on his throne, thinking. The throne was a carved metal monstrosity designed to look like it was made of dragon bones, each armrest having LCD screens with touch-screen controls. Most people who saw it automatically assumed this was designed by Enigma to make him look more important. What was not seen was the tool marks on the floor behind the chair where Enigma had tried to have it pried from the floor so it could be replaced with something more modest. It was only after meeting several space empires that Enigma discovered the unknown material of the chair was tritanium, meaning it was designed to stay where it was.
The entire palace, big enough it was actually a large city, was made of the metal, with all of the lights, control panels, automatic doors, and climate control systems already in place. This place was a feat of Sarkarasetan engineering, managing to survive thousands of years intact. That was part of why, upon discovering what they thought were gutted ruins were in fact intact for everything except power sources, the current Sarkarasetans decided it would make a good capital for DLE. The amount of work required to make the place compatible with DLE technology turned out to be only providing a power source.
Right now, however, no one was taking the time to look at the city, the carved walls inlaid with gold and silver, or the hundreds of other items of beauty and exquisite artistry in the city's design. Right now, they were being distracted by the kilometer-long ship in orbit above it, threatening to open fire if some explanation as to why there were suddenly two DLEs was not provided very soon. And so far, neither one had any answers.
"Orbez, what the hell is going on?" Enigma asked.
"Hold on. I'm in a conference with Defense Ministress Toriya from the other DLE. As far as both of us can tell, the point where our histories diverge is the Cherry Ridge incident. We have CR as surviving and they have it as being destroyed after firing a missile in response to the vampire incident. We don't have that happening, and in both cases no damage was dealt to Siesatia. The problem is resolving which timeline is correct," Orbez said.
"How can two timelines exist at once?" Enigma asked.
"All timelines exist at once, just not in the same four-dimensional plane. In this case, we're stuck in a terrasect," Orbez said.
"I haven't kept up with space theory," Enigma said.
"A terrasect is a five-dimensional cube. It has four physical dimensions and one temporal. This can, according to our most advanced theories, only occur when competing temporal paradoxes interact with each other. In effect, we have to choose which timeline is the correct one," Orbez said.
"And how do you suggest we do that?"
"Well, Toriya suggested we flip a coin. I see no reason it won't work."
"The fate of our existance rests on a coin flip?"
"We're stuck in a tesseract. Normal physics don't entirely apply. Besides, this shouldn't happen under our understanding of time or physics. Toriya is flipping the coin now and... Huh. The other DLE vanished. And, according to a communication we just got from our ships in orbit over Earth, Cherry Ridge was destroyed years ago for shooting at Siesatia. Sir, I think someone is screwing with us."
"You're right. I am," a male voice said.
Enigma and Orbez turned and looked at the source of the voice, surprised to see a male with amazingly pale skin, black hair, black clothes, sunglasses on, and a lit cigarette in his mouth. He was also leaning against nothing, his back supported almost as though something solid were behind him. An obvious hologram.
"And you are?" Enigma asked.
"Nergal. I'm the one causing all of the mess you have to deal with. Let's just say the inability to map this region is so I can keep my home safe. It wasn't until the damn Sarkarasetans moved here that I had to use such a measure. Also, that temporal disturbance was just my way of saying hello. Rather than destroy you as I have done to so many, I think I'll keep you around. You manage to find me and I'll let you have whatever tech you want. Until then, I left something from the alternate timeline in your computers as a gift. You're a couple decades away from building it yet, but once done it should give you an edge no one else can claim. Until next time," the man said, vanishing as he finished speaking.
"Well, that confirms it. The mapping problems are not natural. But now what?" Orbez asked.
"We play the game," Enigma said.
July 8, 3574
Earthdate: August 8, 2027
Planet: Terran
Enigma sat on his throne, thinking. The throne was a carved metal monstrosity designed to look like it was made of dragon bones, each armrest having LCD screens with touch-screen controls. Most people who saw it automatically assumed this was designed by Enigma to make him look more important. What was not seen was the tool marks on the floor behind the chair where Enigma had tried to have it pried from the floor so it could be replaced with something more modest. It was only after meeting several space empires that Enigma discovered the unknown material of the chair was tritanium, meaning it was designed to stay where it was.
The entire palace, big enough it was actually a large city, was made of the metal, with all of the lights, control panels, automatic doors, and climate control systems already in place. This place was a feat of Sarkarasetan engineering, managing to survive thousands of years intact. That was part of why, upon discovering what they thought were gutted ruins were in fact intact for everything except power sources, the current Sarkarasetans decided it would make a good capital for DLE. The amount of work required to make the place compatible with DLE technology turned out to be only providing a power source.
Right now, however, no one was taking the time to look at the city, the carved walls inlaid with gold and silver, or the hundreds of other items of beauty and exquisite artistry in the city's design. Right now, they were being distracted by the kilometer-long ship in orbit above it, threatening to open fire if some explanation as to why there were suddenly two DLEs was not provided very soon. And so far, neither one had any answers.
"Orbez, what the hell is going on?" Enigma asked.
"Hold on. I'm in a conference with Defense Ministress Toriya from the other DLE. As far as both of us can tell, the point where our histories diverge is the Cherry Ridge incident. We have CR as surviving and they have it as being destroyed after firing a missile in response to the vampire incident. We don't have that happening, and in both cases no damage was dealt to Siesatia. The problem is resolving which timeline is correct," Orbez said.
"How can two timelines exist at once?" Enigma asked.
"All timelines exist at once, just not in the same four-dimensional plane. In this case, we're stuck in a terrasect," Orbez said.
"I haven't kept up with space theory," Enigma said.
"A terrasect is a five-dimensional cube. It has four physical dimensions and one temporal. This can, according to our most advanced theories, only occur when competing temporal paradoxes interact with each other. In effect, we have to choose which timeline is the correct one," Orbez said.
"And how do you suggest we do that?"
"Well, Toriya suggested we flip a coin. I see no reason it won't work."
"The fate of our existance rests on a coin flip?"
"We're stuck in a tesseract. Normal physics don't entirely apply. Besides, this shouldn't happen under our understanding of time or physics. Toriya is flipping the coin now and... Huh. The other DLE vanished. And, according to a communication we just got from our ships in orbit over Earth, Cherry Ridge was destroyed years ago for shooting at Siesatia. Sir, I think someone is screwing with us."
"You're right. I am," a male voice said.
Enigma and Orbez turned and looked at the source of the voice, surprised to see a male with amazingly pale skin, black hair, black clothes, sunglasses on, and a lit cigarette in his mouth. He was also leaning against nothing, his back supported almost as though something solid were behind him. An obvious hologram.
"And you are?" Enigma asked.
"Nergal. I'm the one causing all of the mess you have to deal with. Let's just say the inability to map this region is so I can keep my home safe. It wasn't until the damn Sarkarasetans moved here that I had to use such a measure. Also, that temporal disturbance was just my way of saying hello. Rather than destroy you as I have done to so many, I think I'll keep you around. You manage to find me and I'll let you have whatever tech you want. Until then, I left something from the alternate timeline in your computers as a gift. You're a couple decades away from building it yet, but once done it should give you an edge no one else can claim. Until next time," the man said, vanishing as he finished speaking.
"Well, that confirms it. The mapping problems are not natural. But now what?" Orbez asked.
"We play the game," Enigma said.