Another Universe

Sonya shook off the disorientation, alarms blaring across the CIC. The crew lay slumped in their chairs or sprawled on the floor, reeling from the Avenger’s desperate fold jump from Ta’chara to escape the Nathal ambush.  A strange surge of power pulsing through her, unsettling and raw.  She unstrapped herself, rushing to Greg’s side to check his pulse, a quiet warmth steading her as she touched his cybernetic arm. “Striker, you on-line?”

“Yes ma’am.”

Relieved that she felt a strong pulse, Sonya adjusted Greg to a more comfortable position, “Good to hear.  Any chance you can give me a damage report?”

“You’re not going to want to hear it, ma’am. It might be better to tell you what’s functioning.”

Sonya sighed as she straightened back up. “Hit me.”

“Life support is at minimum acceptable levels; short-range sensors are all that’s currently working. Auxiliary power is at 20% and stable.  I’ve updated the damage control boards.”

Sonya quickly strode over to the damage control board where Commander John Wilson was laying, keeling down she checked his pulse. “Any way we can get main power online?”

“The failsafe sensors tripped and shut down both the reflex reactors and fission reactors. I can start them back up, but without engineering to assist, I cannot be certain it won’t pose a danger.”

Finding a strong pulse Sonya rolled John carefully out of the way.  She quickly stood up and tried to activate the comms. “CIC to Engineering, please respond. CIC to any medical, respond.” Silence was the only reply.  She grimaced, typing in a few commands, bringing up the reactor readouts. “Frack…Okay, Striker, start spinning up the reflex reactors. I’ll monitor from here… and keep trying to hail medical and engineering.”

Striker’s voice sounded concerned as he replied, “Ma’am, I must remind you that you are not a qualified engineer.”

Sonya nodded. “Noted. Would you rather we be adrift and run into something, say a planet?”

“Point taken, spinning up drives.”

The lights flickered and the deck began to hum; Sonya studied the displays hoping to see something obvious.  After what seemed like hours but in reality was only a minute the main lights flared back to life, silencing the alarms, but the CIC remained shrouded in a fog of confusion as the crew stirred. Sonya braced herself against the damage control board for a moment, the strange surge within her sharpening into a disquieting pulse—but she also felt strangely energized as the Reflex reactors powered up. She swept the room with her piercing sapphire eyes, locking onto Greg as he groaned, rubbing his temple, his cybernetic eye flickering back online. “Everyone up—report in,” she commanded, her voice slicing through the haze.

Greg winced as he flexed his cybernetic arm, the warmth of her earlier touch lingering in his thoughts, but he also felt slightly nauseous. “CO’s up but I’m not sure I want to ride that tilt-a-puke again… Status, Sonya?” His tone was steady, though a flicker of concern shadowed his gaze.

“Reflex reactors are spinning up,” she replied, her eyes darting to the displays. “Aux power’s holding at 20%, but we’re blind—long-range sensors are down.”

A faint crackle across the coms speakers broke the silence, and Martines, the Communications Officer, responded, his voice groggy as he checked his consoles. “Coms officer is up.  Looks like internal coms are rebooting.” He placed a hand to one of his earcups. “I’m picking up… odd comms traffic.”

Sonya’s unbidden awareness flared, a tingling sense of displacement still coursing through her. “Odd how?” she pressed, stepping toward his station.

Martines continued to press his earcup, frowning. “I’m getting references to an Earth Alliance and a Citadel—nothing we recognize.”

Greg looked at Martines curiously as he unstrapped himself. “A translation issue?”

“Don’t think so sir, there are strange alien coms, but this is in Galactic Common on civilian channels.”

Hammerly, rubbing her temple, squinted at her flickering console displays. “Sensor officer up. Long Range Sensors are back online.”  She quickly double-checked some readings.  “Unknown system, no URF or Nathal beacons. Gravity wells don’t align with our charts—could be a sensor glitch or…” Her fingers danced over the controls as she activated the experimental advanced DRADIS systems, and a blip materialized on it. “DRADIS Contact! Unknown vessel, frigate class, bearing zero-three-zero, mark forty-five. Range three klicks, closing fast on an intercept course.”

Greg moved to her side, his expression hardening. “Hostile?”

“Unknown,” Hammerly replied, her voice tight. “IFF doesn’t match anything in my database, but it’s armed—energy signatures suggest advanced tech…” She faltered, uncertainty creasing her brow.

Sonya’s instincts surged, her mind flashing to the fold spike. Greg looked at Hammerly’s displays. “See if you can match the drive signature—we need answers.” His tone sharpened.  “Sonya get on weapons see if you can get shields up.”

Striker interjected, “Sir, I’ve finally managed to contact medical and engineering sections. Casualty reports are coming in, no fatalities so far.”

Hammerly leaned into her console, her movements quick despite the disorientation. “Analyzing… drive signature doesn’t match Nathal or URF databases.” Striker chimed in, “Data fragments in my core suggest the ship’s designation is the Normandy. The rest is corrupted, overwritten several times—possibly from when they were creating my programming.” Hammerly’s frown deepened at the garbled readouts.

Greg’s brow furrowed. “Normandy? Coms, open a channel and request ID—we’re not looking for a fight, but let’s be ready to end it if needed.”

Sonya nodded, quickly striding back to the tactical station as Martines opened the line, moving his mic closer to his mouth. “URF Avenger to unknown craft, please identify yourself.” The silence stretched, the crew holding their breath, until a response crackled through—a woman’s voice, firm yet guarded. “This is Commander Narissa Shepard of the SSV Normandy. You’re in Citadel space. State your intent—or we’ll assume hostility.”

The CIC thrummed with tension as the Normandy’s silhouette loomed larger on the short-range sensors and DRADIS, its energy signature pulsing with an unfamiliar rhythm. Greg listened as the CIC buzzed with the crew’s unease as they shook off the effects of the miss-fold. Sonya sat at the tactical station, her piercing sapphire eyes scanning the readouts, while Greg sat back down in his command chair, his fingers rhythmically tapping the edge of the armrest, his cybernetic eye whirring as he considered their next move. “Prep for contact,” he ordered, his voice steady. “Arm defensive turrets but hold fire unless they engage.”

Sonya nodded as she worked at her consoles. “Shields are still down—DC crews are restoring power to the nodes, defensive weapons on-line.”

Martines glanced at Greg. “Channel’s still open, sir. Should I respond?”

Greg nodded, his gaze fixed on the sensor feed. “I’ll take it, let’s try to diplomacy first.” He leaned toward the comms on his armrest, clicking it on. “This is Avenger actual. We had a problem with our fold drive and accidentally arrived in your system. We have no hostile intent—our goal is to assess our situation, enact repairs, and depart peacefully.”

A pause stretched, some of the crew holding their breath, until Narissa Shepard’s voice crackled through, firm yet measured. “Your vessel’s design doesn’t match any known race. Where are you from?”

Greg exchanged a glance with Sonya, who nodded subtly, her mind racing to connect the surge to the fold’s failure and the feeling she was getting. He unmuted the comm. “We’re from the United Resistance Federation. As I stated before, a spike in our fold drive caused it to drop us here. Our chief engineer is working on it. I repeat, we seek no conflict and will be on our way as soon as we can figure out where we are.  This system is not on any of our charts.”

Narissa’s tone softened slightly, though caution lingered. “A fold drive spike? We’ve never heard of a fold drive.”

“It’s an experimental…” Greg rolled his eyes a little, “...and apparently temperamental drive. We normally use a hyperdrive for FTL.”

Greg noted the long pause on the other end and quickly muted as Hammerly signaled him. “Sir, they’re scanning our ship.”

Greg nodded and unmuted as Narissa responded, “We’re unfamiliar with that type of drive as well. What planet do you call home?”

“If you’re referring to just me, it’s Earth, but the several of the beings on board come from other systems.”

Narissa’s voice turned suspicious. “If you’re from Earth, how can your ship not have the Serpent Nebula in your star charts?”

Greg glanced over to the helm and then to Hammerly with a ‘did you get that?’ expression.  Hammerly nodded, quickly bringing up the appropriate star charts as Greg responded. “Huh, we must have some corruption in our navigation then…” Hammerly gave Greg a confused look as she brought up the comparison on one of his displays. Greg studied it for a second, then set his jaw as he recalled a dimensional theory class. “Commander Shepard, how much do you know about the theory of alternate universes? We’re sending you the star chart we have for the Serpent Nebula.”

There was a long pause after Hammerly transmitted the star chart before Narissa responded, “One of my crew is familiar with it, and after explaining it to me and seeing your star chart, this is starting to make a lot more sense in a crazy way.”

Greg chuckled. “Yeah, I guess we might have accidentally just proved it’s not a theory.”

“I want to send a shuttle with a small team to talk face-to-face, if possible?”

John shook his head mouthing, “Bad idea.” Greg straightened, his voice resolute. “I’ll have our Air Boss send you landing instructions. A security team will escort you to Pilot’s Ready Room Two. I must request that you carry only sidearms.”

John grimaced as Narissa responded, “I suppose it’s better than nothing. We’ll be over in a bit.”

Greg shut off the comm and turned to the crew as he stood. “Set condition two. All hands, prep for guests. Sonya, with me. Have Hunter go to the main hangar and escort our guests to Pilot’s Ready Room Two. John, you have the CIC.  Let’s continue to try to keep this from escalating.”

Hammerly adjusted her console controls, her voice tight. “They’re deploying a shuttle—three life signs, one robotic. Closing at 200 meters per second.”

The corridor’s dim lights flickered as they reached Pilot’s Ready Room Two, a reinforced space with theater-like seating, a tactical table, and sealed blast doors, armed guards took positions at the exits.

The doors hissed open, and Narissa Shepard entered with a Turian, a Quarian, and a repaired Geth platform—Legion—its optic scanning as they walked in with weapons holstered under the guards’ watchful eyes. Narissa’s pale sapphire eyes assessed the room, her posture tense from recent battles against the Collectors. “Captain Westner, I’m Narissa Shepard. This is my away team—Garrus Vakarian, Tali’Zorah, and Legion. Your ship’s design is unusual.”

Greg stepped forward trying to give an air of authority. “I’m Captain Gregory Westner, URF Avenger.” He gestured to Sonya. “Lieutenant Sonya Blade, my senior Weapons Officer.” He smirked. “As is yours to us.  Ready to prove some theories correct?”

Legion’s synthetic voice cut in, its head tilting. “Some of your technology shares structural similarities with Geth and Reaper constructs. Explanation is required.” Its tone was neutral, but the others tensed at Legion’s bluntness.

Greg smiled as he gestured to the tactical table. “I wish I had that answer, but right now what answers I do have probably just raise more questions.”

Sonya stepped up beside Greg as Narissa and the others came down to the table. Greg punched up the holo display. “Our best working theory is that we’re from another reality. Our VI, Striker, flagged your ship from corrupted data that was partially overwritten.”

Narissa exchanged a glance with Legion, who analyzed the room silently. She nodded slowly. “I’d like Legion to cross-check your VI’s data. Maybe he can use it to help figure out how you can get home.”

Greg nodded, glancing at Sonya. “Striker, please pull those fragments—show them what we’ve got and transmit them to Legion as well.” The holo image crackled, projecting a hazy Normandy moving away, followed by a blue flash and a different starfield. It shifted to a pixilated image with corrupted gaps, showing scans of the Normandy with fragmented details. “That’s all the data I have, sir.”

Legion’s optic pulsed as he looked at the readouts on his Omni Tool. “Shepard-Commander, I can confirm this corrupted data is indeed of the Normandy.  This data suggests we may have encountered this vessel before, however the Normandy has no records of this vessel. Probability of prior contact: 34%.” Narissa relaxed slightly, brushing a strand of blonde hair back, her curiosity piqued. “How is that possible?”

Greg shrugged. “I don’t know, but I’m getting the feeling there’s more to this ship than we realize. If you’re willing, let’s talk about our histories and maybe we can find a common thread that links us.”

The briefing room buzzed with cautious optimism as Narissa Shepard and her team studied the hazy Normandy schematic projected by Striker and discussed historical events with Greg and Sonya as Striker displayed non-classified information that Greg and Sonya were talking about. The first threads of trust had taken full root, but the air suddenly thickened with urgency as Hammerly’s voice crackled over the comms from the CIC. “Captain, CIC, we have multiple DRADIS contacts—bearing one-two-zero, mark three-zero. Range sixty klicks out, closing fast. One dreadnought class signature, and several frigate class, designation unknown. Approaching on an intercept course!”

EDI’s voice crackled over Narissa’s Omni Tool so the others could hear. “Multiple Geth Heretics and a Reaper are on an intercept course! They’ll be in firing range in five minutes.”

Greg exchanged a glance with Sonya before calling out. “Action stations! Set condition one!  New arrivals are presumed hostile! Hammerly, we’re on our way,” he replied, striding toward the door. “Commander, James will escort you back to your shuttle—I need to get to CIC.”

Narissa nodded, already moving toward the exit. “Reapers are ancient machines—our weapons struggled against them in the one battle we had with one. I’ll coordinate from the Normandy—EDI, link with their VI and transmit what we have on the Geth and Reapers.” She and her team hurried out.

The corridor’s dim lights flashed as they rushed back to the CIC, the crew snapping to action. Hammerly called out, “Link established with the Normandy. Contacts flagged as hostile Geth and a Reaper. They’ve powered up kinetic barriers, but no additional shields. The Reaper has a massive power output.”

“We have established a direct comms link with the Normandy as well,” Martines reported.

Sonya took her station, her piercing sapphire eyes narrowing at the readouts. “Shields and deflectors are up! Reaper barriers are too strong—our ballistic weapons can’t currently penetrate them.  Frackers’ are cocky, not even trying evasive maneuvers.”

Hammerly called out, “Their ECM is powerful, request linking Striker in to increase our ECCM capability.”

Greg nodded, “Do it.” He moved beside John at the tactical table, activating the link to the experimental advanced DRADIS to give them a 3D holographic view of the battlefield, his voice firm. “Target the Reaper with Ion cannons and Reflex turrets, use ballistic weapons on the Geth ships, torpedoes and missile are at your discretion. Jan, I need you at DC—we can’t launch fighters yet. Narissa, how long to reach the Normandy?”

“We just need another minute,” Narissa replied.

Sonya called out as her hands danced over the controls, “Deflectors up. Shields at 87% and rising.  Targets entering effective range.”

Greg looked at Sonya. “We’ll give it to you. All batteries, light them up!”

The Avenger erupted with a massive barrage as turrets and launchers came to bear, Geth frigates quickly disintegrating under withering ballistic, torpedo, and missile fire. Blue streaks from Reflex and Ion weapons lanced toward the Reaper, its barriers flickering as Reflex energy bolts bypassed the barriers and tore into its hull. The kinetic barriers quickly collapsed under the ionizing assault, slowing its systems as it returned fire with tendril cannons, joined by battered Geth frigates that survived the first barrage. Sonya adjusted her targeting.

As Narissa’s shuttle rocketed back to the Normandy, Joker’s voice filled their comms. “Holy shit, Commander, they’re holding them off! Burned through the Reaper’s barriers on the first shots—it’s taking heavy damage!”

EDI interjected, “One type energy weapon the Avenger is using is ionizing the Reaper’s systems. Its secondary cannons are slower and less accurate than normal.  The other seems to be going straight through its barriers.”

“We’ll be onboard shortly. Setup an attack run on the Reaper, let’s give them a hand.” Narissa ordered.

Hammerly shouted, “Massive energy power-up!” Her voice cracked with urgency.

The Reaper’s front section seemed to rear up slightly as the fire in from the Avenger ripped into it causing noticeable damage.  Its cannon glowed for a second before a massive beam shot out, hitting the Avenger and burning though her shields, scorching and damaging the ablative armor protecting the hull.

CIC shook slightly from the hit, “Ablative hull damage, Decks 5 through 9! Conduit ruptures reported on those decks!” Jan reported, her face calm as she scanned the boards.

“Shields at 47% and falling; deflectors have failed! Another hit like that cuts through the hull!” Sonya called, her heart racing with a dangerous thrill like she could feel the destructive Reflex energy from the ship wanting to be unleashed.

Hammerly called out, “Geth ships are still closing—launching armatures!”

Sonya activated the point defenses, CWIS and flack turrets shredding the Geth armatures with energy bolts and energy flak fire as Greg shouted, “Marines to your rally points! Prepare to repel boarders if they break through!”

On board the Normandy Narissa raced up to the bridge as Joker updated her, “Holly shit Commander, they just took a direct hit and not only are still intact they’re barely damaged!  That Reaper is getting owned!” Joker grinned, but his eyes darted nervously.

“The Reaper Dreadnought’s barriers are almost completely down our weapons should have an effect.” EDI responded.

“Ok Joker take us in but watch the crossfire.” Narissa pointed at the screen, her voice commanding.

“Seriously Commander, it’s me you’re talking to.” Joker smirked, adjusting course.

Greg watched the last Geth ship vanish on the holo display, “Must be doing something right…Sonya, you got the Normandy on an attack approach to the Reaper?” Greg leaned forward, his expression intense.

 “I’ve got their track” Sonya called out, “All Geth frigates destroyed—shifting all fire to the Reaper.  Our shields down to 25%! Would be nice to get that bastard in front of our lances and see how it likes them.”

John, beside Greg, looked skeptical. “Have they been tested? We can’t afford another glitch.” John wiped sweat from his brow, his voice tense.

Jan reported, “Enemy secondary cannons are bleeding through shields—damage to batteries and minor hull breaches are being reported, nothing critical yet.”

“Records indicate full-power tests, sir,” Striker confirmed.

Hammerly called out, “The Normandy just made a run at the Reaper it’s cannons are powerful for a ship that size.”

Greg adjusted the tactical display noting that the Normandy scored a couple of solid hits on their target, “Helm, keep us on a broadside but oversteer by a few degrees, let’s make it tempting for him to try and cross.  Sonya, boost power from starboard shields to portside to sweeten the bait.” The Avenger’s fire severed the Reaper’s appendages as it turned hard, its speed slowed by ionization.

As the combination of fire from the two ships continued to sever appendages off, the Reaper seemed to take the bait, turning hard to try to quickly cut across to the front and rotating counterclockwise to try and get its main gun back on target but its speed was now even slower than the Avenger’s maneuverability.  “Make the call Sonya!” Greg’s voice rose, urgency sharpening it.

Sonya quickly called out, “Helm, reverse turn and angle us up twenty.” She flipped off the lance safety covers, her pulse pounding, breath quickening.

The Avenger slowly responded, shifting direction as the Reaper started to cut in front of the ship. Sonya hand hovered over the buttons as the Avenger’s guns continued to pound the Reaper, ripping into its now exposed superstructure.

On board the Normandy EDI quickly called out, “Massive energy spike from the Avenger!” They watched as the massive lances on the sides of the Avenger glowed for half a second before brilliant blue beams of energy streaked out from them, nearly blinding the crew on the bridge as the beams ripped deep into, and in places, through the damaged Reaper as they cut across the massive dreadnought.  The Reaper’s eyes darkened as it went into an uncontrolled lateral rotation and began to slowly break apart from internal explosions and the uncontrolled rotation.  The Normandy crew looked in shock as EDI’s hologram flickered with surprise, her voice echoing her disbelief, “The Reaper Dreadnought…is destroyed.  They did it!”

Back on the Avenger, Sonya lowered the safety latches, relief washing over her. “Lances cycling. Sensors, confirm target destruction.”

Hammerly sighed in relief. “Confirmed. Uncontrolled counterclockwise lateral spin, multiple internal explosions—she’s breaking up.”

Greg smiled, relaxing slightly. “Cease fire, set condition two. Sensors, sweep the wreckage for anything useful. Jan, status?”

Jan, at damage control, rubbed her neck, scanning her console. “Minor hull breaches are being sealed, we’ve lost a lot of ablative armor on the starboard side, multiple starboard turrets report moderate damage, and there are reports conduit ruptures on multiple decks. No fatalities, but we’ve got wounded. Shields are offline to recharge faster, and aux powers now at 5% and charging.”

The CIC hummed with tense relief as the Reaper’s wreckage drifted in silence, its fragments scattering across the void. Sonya leaned back in her chair for a moment, her unbidden surge fading to a dull throb, her piercing sapphire eyes scanning her displays for threats as the crew steadied themselves. Greg stood at the command table, his cybernetic eye recalibrating, the weight of the battle easing slightly. He glanced at Hammerly before looking up at the DRADIS display. “Sensors, any more contacts?”

Hammerly shook her head. “DRADIS and other sensors shows the area’s clear. Normandy’s holding position, scanning the wreckage as well.”

Greg checked the display on the tactical table as it updated. He turned to John. “Take over DC so Jan can return to flight ops so we can begin to launch and recover craft.”

Sonya frowned, pulling up the fold drive logs as an idea hit her. “Hammerly, could there have been a specific resonance either before or after the Fold spike?”

Hammerly’s eyes brightened as she followed Sonya’s train of thought. “If so, we could use it to get home! Let me loop Maria into this.”

Martines adjusted his headset. “Normandy’s requesting our status, sir.”

Greg unmuted the channel. “Commander Shepard, this is Avenger Actual. We took some minor damage. Hopefully, no more of those Reapers are lurking around.”

Narissa’s voice crackled back, tinged with respect. “None that we are aware of.  Impressive work, Captain. You handled that one easily, it took a combined fleet last time we fought one and we lost several ships.”

“It was closer than it appeared.  Without some upgrades we would probably be in a spot of trouble if there was more than one attacking us.  We’re going to send out a salvage team once we complete our scan and were sure the wreck is stable.”

“I would be careful, even centuries dead Reapers have been able to indoctrinate personal searching them and there may be husks on board.” Shepard’s tone turned grave.

“Husks?”

“Races that have been killed by the Reapers are sometimes turned into what we call Husks, basically mindless cybernetic drones.”

Greg nodded. “Well, that’s disturbing.  We’ll use full bio and psionic hazard protocols then, as well as security teams if we do go over.  I don’t want to lose any personal to that thing.” Greg’s expression hardened, determined.

“Would it be possible for you to share schematics for your heavy beam weaponry? It could aid our fight against Reapers when they return.”

Greg grimaced. “Not sure how useful ours would be—you’d need a Reflex Energy reactor as a power source. But I’ll happily share Ion battery schematics for your Thanix cannons.”

John signaled Greg to mute, his eyes narrowing. “Sir, is it wise to give them any schematics, even basic ones?”

Greg’s voice hardened. “Their Thanix cannons are powerful and two of them fit on a frigate. It could shift the balance if we can adapt them.”

Narissa’s voice returned, relief evident. “That’s acceptable. EDI will transmit the data.”

Greg unmuted. “Striker, re-establish the data link. We’ll confirm once the transfer’s done.”

Striker chimed in. “Connection active, sir.”

“Sounds good. Shepard out.”

Hammerly turned to Greg. “Sir, I have Chief Maria on with me, using Sonya’s suggestion, we found two resonances, one before and one after the spike. With Striker’s help, Maria thinks she can use them to return us to our reality and universe.”

Greg’s eyes lit with hope. “How certain is she?”

“Ninety-five percent for our universe, but the margin of error might land us 12 hours from Ta’charin via hyperdrive if we’re lucky.”

Greg smiled. “Great work! Unless the wreckage yields something vital, we’ll try it post-transfer.”

Chief Maria replied over the coms, her Shokan growl was more pronounced then normal, “We should be ready to attempt the jump back in twenty minutes.  They were completely drained by our last jump.”

The direct intercom beeped on the tactical table, and Greg activated his headset. “Actual.”

Lieutenant Katherine Kerrigan’s voice came through, tinged with unease. “Sir, are we secure?”

Greg nodded reflexively. “You’re on my headset. What’s on your mind?”

Kat snorted, Greg was one of three who knew she hid psychic powers from the PSI Core. “Funny. I felt a strange presence… the Reaper’s mind was massive. It wanted me to join it, to help ‘indoctrinate’ you and the crew. It recoiled when I resisted and fought back. I’m guessing few, if any, here seem PSI-sensitive in a way to fight back. I still sense a faint trace I recommend using caution if we attempt to salvage anything.”

Greg glanced at Hammerly. “Roger that.  Do you feel comfortable joining the security detail?  You might be able to tell if it’s affecting the team.”

“I think it’s a wise idea for me to go as well.”

“Alright, I’ll assign you to the detail. Westner, out.” He clicked off the intercom.

Greg clicked of the internal coms and checked the tactical holo display again as it was updated with the readings from the ongoing sensor scan.   After a few minutes several areas were highlighted and potential recovery targets, he looked up, “Jan launch the salvage team and give them the data from the sensors.  Full CBPD containment procedures.”

Jan quickly worked her station. “Launching salvage team and escort.”

On board the Normandy Narissa watched the Avenger’s transports and fighters rocket toward the remains of the Reaper and shook her head.  “I don’t like this. Keep an eye on them EDI.” Narissa paced, her face etched with worry.

“Shepard, I have just finished receiving the data from Striker and I don’t believe Striker is a VI as the Avenger crew indicated.”

Narissa looked over at EDI’s holographic form, “It’s an AI?” Narissa stopped, her eyes widening.

“Yes.  I’m not sure if he is even aware of it, he could be shackled in some way.  If the Reaper influenced him somehow then he could pose a danger.”

“Their hailing us.”

Narissa nodded, “Put them through,” She straightened, composing herself.

Greg’s voice came on, “Avenger Actual here.  Striker indicated that the data transfer has competed and we can confirm the data integrity on our end.  Everything transfer ok on yours?”

“EDI is checking it now.  I noticed you are sending shuttles into the heart of the Reaper.” Narissa’s tone was cautionary.

“We found some locations we want to check out.  We’ve got safeguards in place and a very short time-limit as we need to get back to our Universe as soon as we can.  I’m taking what you said deadly seriously, and they are aware of the Husk threat.”

Narissa looked at Joker, “Understood, EDI has some concerns about the Reaper trying give Striker a virus.” Narissa glanced at EDI’s hologram.

There was a pause on the other end before Greg responded, “Striker is running a diagnostic now.  We’ll have techs check his code as well.”

“He’s quite an advanced for a VI.” Narissa raised an eyebrow.

“He is, his systems are the most advanced we have.  I’ve at times wondered if he’s not made the jump to AI.”

Narrissa glanced over at EDI, “EDI thinks he has.”

There was another pause on the other end when he came back his voice sounded clearer as if he was using a headset mike, “Well, that might explain a few things.  I’ll have to have a talk with him.  If he has become an AI then we’ll have to figure out how that will work going forward.”

Narissa looked at Joker, “You sound surprisingly calm about that.” She tilted her head, intrigued.

“Oh, I’ve got concerns…Striker are you eavesdropping?”

Striker’s voice responded sounding a little sheepish, “Yes sir, sorry sir.”

“And that’s one of them.  You were worried EDI had you figured out and would tell on you.”  It sounded more like a statement than a question.

Striker sounded apologetic, “Yes sir.”

EDI chimed in, “My apologies but your crew had a right to know.” EDI’s hologram pulsed slightly.

“Well, you have your answer, let’s keep the circle in the know small for now.  Command staff will be informed but we’ll keep it there.”

They could hear the relief in Striker’s voice, “Thank you sir.  I’ll let you get back to your conversation and stop eavesdropping.”

Greg sighed. “Appreciated, Striker. We’ll fold out as soon as we finish our salvage mission.”

Narissa nodded. “We’ll stay until you’re ready.”

“Thanks, Commander. Avenger out.”

Fifteen minutes later aboard the Avenger called out, the Marine Commander Irena Bradley “Salvage Teams have reported contact trying to get to the tertiary objectives and are withdrawing back to the dropships!”

John glared at Irena, “Under who’s authority?”

“Lt. Kerrigan sir, I gave her authority as ranking officer on the mission in case coms were spotty.”

Greg nodded as he connected the tactical table to Irena’s and zoomed in on the Reaper, watching the blips indicating the salvage and security teams moving back to the icons indicating the dropships, “She has a feeling about things. Martinas, I want to listen in.”

Irena nodded and turned back to her tactical table, she could hear the sounds of explosions and weapons fire over the coms as Kat responded, “We’re withdrawing in good order, but they are everywhere!  Drops are reporting contact as well.”

Irena reflexively nodded, “Any casualties?”

“I’ve got three injured, team two has four injured...nothing serious, no armor penetration yet.  Ammo is still good, your orders?”

“Continue falling back to the dropships and then get your asses back here, we’ll have biohazard units standing by.”

“Yes ma’am.  Kat out.”

Greg watched the display intently; Kat had sounded relatively calm but the battle around them sounded intense.  Jan’s voice made him snap out of it, “Drops are recovering the teams.  They’re under light contact.”

Greg nodded, the tactical map showed the blips had merged and were being replaced by counters next to the dropship markers indicating that the teams had boarded and what their status was.  Greg zoomed out the display as Jan called out, “All team members recovered and they are bugging out.”

Greg nodded again feeling relieved, “Good to hear, let me know as soon as they are aboard.  Navigation, begin Fold preparations.”

“Aye sir.”

Greg looked over at Sonya still sitting at her station and began to wonder why he didn’t send her over on the salvage mission, was it because of his increasing feelings for her?  James didn’t say anything to him about it and there was no question Sonya right now was the most qualified weapons officer they had. He looked around at the rest of the crew working at their stations and could see the adrenalin of combat hadn’t worn off yet for some of them.  This was their third engagement, and he was starting to see which members of his crew could handle themselves well and which ones would need to be watched closely.  He turned back and looked up at the DRADIS watching as the indicators for the transports made their way back to the ship.  “Once their aboard and clear biohazard protocols we’ll start the clock for fold out.”

In quarantine Kat sat quietly on an examination bed as they went through the decontamination and biohazard protocols.  The whole time she was on the wreckage she could hear the Reaper whispering to them.  To the others it probably was like a background hum, or a noise they couldn’t explain.  To her she could hear the voice, like nails on a chalkboard trying to rip into her mind at first and then the same voice promising power and that she would survive the harvest, whatever that meant.  When she had whispered what she had experienced to Dr. Richardson he asked her to use her abilities to scan the rest of the team to make sure they weren’t under any effects, and her scanning so far had found 3 of the team who seemed to possibly be affected, she hoped there was something on the Avenger that could treat them.  Dr. Richardson, in a full biohazard suit, walked over to her and pretended to scan her with something he spoke to her in a low voice.  “Thank you, it would have taken us all day to completely scan them and then more time to figure out if anything was truly wrong.  Now we can focus on certain individuals first.”

Kat nodded, “You’re welcome, I’d still scan the others in case I missed something.”  Her expression turned to concern. “Do we have a way to help them?”

Richardson grimaced, “We have some therapies that can help, but it will be a long process.”  He patted her on the shoulder, “Get some rest, you’re going to be stuck in here for another 10 minutes at least.”

Fifteen minutes later, the Avenger shifted position as the Normandy pulled a safe distance away. Greg strapped in, the crew following, while the navigation officer called, “Fold mark in twenty seconds. All hands brace!” Tension filled the CIC.

Sonya glanced at Greg, she could feel the ship’s energy surge as the countdown hit zero. “Mark!”

A brilliant blue flash engulfed the Avenger, the CIC shuddering. Sonya gripped her station, the surge syncing with the fold, guiding them through. The stars shifted, and the ship stabilized, the crew seemingly just disoriented.

Hammerly blinked, checking her console. “No contacts. Sensors confirm—URF space.  I have a bearing for Ta’charin dry docks, twelve and a half hours out.”

Greg exhaled, a faint smile breaking through. “We’re back. Martines, signal command—we’ve got a heck of a debrief ahead.”

The observation deck of the Avenger glowed softly under the faint hum of hyperspace, the viewport revealing a mesmerizing blue and multicolored swirl of the hyperspace tunnel, a stark contrast to the battle-scarred exterior. Sonya stood by the wide window, her reinforced combat suit traded for a worn duty uniform. The ache in her ribs was a quiet echo of Ja’rad’s grip, but less than what it should have been. The strange surge within her had settled into a faint pulse. Her piercing sapphire eyes reflected the swirling light, but they weren’t focused on it—it was just a blank stare as she processed the day’s trials: a tournament, a mis-fold to another reality, fighting a Reaper, the fold jump back, and a bond forged with Greg.

Greg joined her, his cybernetic eye dimmed, a steaming cup of coffee in hand. He leaned against the railing, the warmth of their earlier trust lingering between them. “Twelve hours to Ta’charin,” he said, his voice low. “Command’s already hounding us for that debrief.”

Sonya smirked faintly, glancing at him. The controlled expression was already back in place. “They’ll have a field day with the Reaper and that Normandy alliance. Think they’ll buy the fold spike story?”

“After the logs—and Striker’s… upgrade—they might,” Greg replied, a wry smile tugging at his lips. “Kat’s psychic warning about the Reaper’s mind still nags at me. If it left a trace…”

She nodded, her expression sobering. “And Striker making the jump to AI? We’ll need to watch him closely. That corrupted data—something’s buried there, beyond Ta’charin. No one seems to know how this ship came to be a derelict.”

Greg’s hand brushed hers, a gentle reassurance. “We’ll unravel it. Together. Your resonance idea got us home—what sparked that?”

Sonya met his gaze, a rare vulnerability softening her features. “I don’t know. After the victory, it was like something unlocked inside me, starting to stir.” The pulse flickered faintly, a whisper of power tied to the fold.

Greg smirked, tilting his head. “Your uncle Raiden said gods gain power through nexus points. Maybe you’re a god?”

Sonya shot him a look. “Yeah, right.”

Greg poked her playfully. “Demi-god, then?”

She chuckled. “Sorry to burst that bubble, but nope. Both parents are mortal. I survived a super-soldier program that saved my life.”

Greg patted her hand gently. “Glad you’re here. We make a solid team.”

Sonya nodded, a warm smile breaking through. “That we do.” The swirl of hyperspace stretched into the distance, its colors hinting at mysteries yet to unfold.