The Slipgate.

Mankind's latest technological marvel promised to be the link to instantaneous travel, alternate universes, vast unexplored variable dimensions, unimaginable new resources, and  possibly even the control of the flow of time itself.  Man's understanding of the basic Slipgate technology was crude in its design, brutally primitive in its operation and, unknown to Man, his first attempts at Slipgate travel had far reaching repercussions.  There were other worlds besides Earth, other dimensions, other civilizations who never knew of the existence of humanity until that instant in time when Mankind's first Slipgate hummed into operation.

Mankind's first Slipgate tore a hole in the existential fabric that held the various dimensions together.  Each time the Slipgate was used, it generated an unimaginably powerful dimensional 'quake' which cut through the various alternate dimensions, a remorseless, unstoppable shockwave that rippled through time and space, consuming all in its path, leaving only hot dust and vapor in its wake.  On other worlds, continental plates buckled, fissures opened, magma flowed, coasts sank into strange colored seas, and the rims of the planets melted.

Always there was death.

The death of beings that Man had never seen before, had never even imagined existed.   Mankind's meddling in forces of which he had no understanding quickly brought about the complete genocide of over fifty sentient species, the destruction of two hundred and six inhabited worlds.  All in the time it takes to push a single button.

Far from Earth's plane, at a distance that was as hard to describe as it was to imagine, there existed a very dark and cold dimension.  A dimension where the inhabitants had mastered Slipgate technology before Man had known fire.   When the first of the Quakes began to be felt, the rulers of this dimension held council, and drew plans.  Their ancient scientists tracked the inter-dimensional disturbances back to their source; an heretofore unknown dimension rich in resources, ripe for colonization, and easily exploitable. 

Plans were made.  

Ancient forces were reawakened and mobilized.

The target was Earth.  

Innocent. 

Ignorant. 

Militarily impotent.  

Biologically insignificant.

Fertile.

As the next waves of quakes began to rock this dark dimension, the remnants of a once vast army assembled before their ancient Slipgates.  Slipgates which had now been tuned to the exact frequency of those primitive Slipgates on Earth, establishing a two way bridge across the dimensions.

A single hoarse command went forth, echoing over the assembled forces.   A deafening answer reverberated off the eldritch walls of the assembly area and the dark army began to march as one into the Slipgates.  A single desire burned in their collective heart ...

Conquest.

Through Earth's new Slipgates poured the seemingly endless nightmare ...

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