Ad Astra :: Star Trek Fanfiction Archive ^{Beam me up, Scotty.}

Chapter Text

Near the Charon Relay, Sol System

“We’re not detecting anything on our sensors, Ma’am.” The SSV Orizaba’s sensor operator reported.

“Are you sure they’re going to be here?” Captain Hannah Shepard asked the admiral standing next to her.

“They’ll be here.” Admiral Hackett replied.  “Just remember the standing orders: Under no circumstances are you to target or charge weapons.  If you do, they will assume you are taking a hostile posture and react accordingly.”

“These Romulans sound like a dangerous race.” Captain Shepard stated, the note of suspicion clear in her tone of voice.

“You’re right.” Councilor Anderson conceded, “From what little I’ve seen of them, they do look like they can be dangerous.  But they seem to want to be our allies and, after seeing a little of what they can do, I’d rather have them on our side than against us.”

“Let’s hope you’re right, Councilor.” Hannah replied grumpily. “For all our sakes.”

Starboard Observation Lounge—SSV Orizaba

“So, Esteban…” Lieutenant James Vega jibed, gesturing with his hand holding a beer bottle at the large panoramic window, “You know what’s going on here?”

“No, Mr. Vega. I do not.” Esteban Cortez shook his head, “I was getting ready to ship out to Ferris Fields…”

“That’s right!” Vega interjected with a big, toothy grin, “You finally got a posting where you and your husband can be together.”

“Right.” Cortez nodded his head, “And then I got orders to report here.  What about you, James?”

“Same thing.” The burly marine responded.  “I was on my way to Fehl Prime and ordered here instead.  What about you, Doc?”

“Joker and I were on Mars…” Dr. Chakwas responded, “I was getting ready to retire, but just as I was about to sign the papers, I got orders to report here.”

“So…why didn’t you just go on ahead and retire?” Vega asked, his curiosity aroused.  “Did they tell you anything about what was going on?”

“No explanations.” Karin shook her head, “But the orders came straight from both Admiral Hackett and Councilor Anderson and that got me curious.  I had to find out what was going on.”

“That’s funny my orders did too.” A young brown-skinned officer with short black hair and brown eyes interjected, speaking in a posh English accent.  “I had reported in for my shift at R and D back at Arcturus Station and was told to report to the Orizaba, that I was being reassigned—special assignment.”

“And you are…” Vega smiled.

“Oh…I’m sorry…” The young woman stammered an apology “I’m Samantha…Specialist Samantha Traynor…”

“This is weird…” A man with a scraggly beard, wearing a ball cap and leg braces, commented. “All of us here called in for this special assignment.”

“I heard through the grapevine that you were about to resign, Joker.” Vega interjected, “What happened?”

The flight lieutenant confirmed with a nod of his head. “I was pissed off at the way they treated all of us Normandy vets after…well…you know.”

“We didn’t just lose the Normandy that day.”  Dr. Chakwas declared in a sad and gloomy voice, “We lost our heart and soul.”

 “Just as I was about to quit…” Joker recounted, “I was told by my new potential employer that they didn’t need me after all and then the orders to report here came in.”

 “Same thing happened to us.” A man speaking with a Scottish brogue joined the conversation.  “Sorry…name’s Donnelly, Ken Donnelly, I’m an engineer.”

“And I’m Gabrielle…Gabrielle Daniels.” The perky dark-haired woman standing next to the red-headed Scot introduced herself.  “We were both on the Perugia and were set to quit and go to a new job and then we were told by the people who were going to hire us that we were no longer needed.”

“So…who was it?  Who wanted to hire you?” Steve inquired.

“You’re not gonna believe this.” Joker smirked, “Cerberus.”

“Shit!” Vega whistled.

“They were the ones who wanted to hire us too!” Donnelly exclaimed, “Said they were gonna kick the Collectors in the daddybags.”

“They told me that they needed me for a special project and that Joker had already signed on.” Dr. Chakwas recounted, adding, “Once I heard that, they had me hooked.  Now, I’m wondering what their real agenda is.”

“Yeah.” Joker gravely nodded his head, “I’m thinking that maybe it was a good thing that we didn’t take that job now.”

“Well…Karin…Joker…I’m just happy to see that both of you didn’t sign on with those terrorists and are still in Alliance blue.” Lieutenant Gregory Adams grinned.

“Thanks, Greg.”  Dr. Chakwas smiled back.  “Good to see you here too.  So…how did you get roped into this?”

“I was on leave awaiting reassignment orders and got called in.”  The engineering chief responded. "I couldn't resist."

RRW Gallena

“That must be the Alliance ship.” Tovan remarked as the large dreadnaught appeared on the Gallena’s viewscreen.

“That’s the Orizaba.” Kaidan confirmed, “Hannah Shepard’s ship.”

“The mother of your old commanding officer?” V’lana inquired as Kaiden nodded his head in confirmation.

“Their weapons are off-line and their shields down.” Tovan reported.

“Good.” V’lana nodded her head.  “Keep our weapons and shields off-line as well after we decloak.”

“Ready for the show, Staff Commander?” The Romulan subcommander grinned as she looked up at the Alliance officer standing next to her.

“You’re enjoying this, aren’t you?” Kaidan grinned, “You realize that when you come out of cloak a whole lot of people on that ship over there are going to crap their pants.”

“That’s what makes it fun.” V’lana replied with a devilish grin, “Tovan…decloak.”

SSV Orizaba

“Should be any time now.” Hackett observed as he glanced down at the chronometer.

As he gazed out the observation window, Vega thought he saw a shimmering.  “Did anyone see that?” He called out, pointing at the window.

“See what?” Samantha replied and then she saw it, a form taking shape.

“What the…” Hannah Shepard cried out as she glanced down at her monitor.

“Damn…” Cortez gasped as the object solidified, “It’s a…”

“Unidentified ship off our starboard!” The Orizaba’s executive officer called out, “Weap…”

“Belay that order!” Admiral Hackett quickly countermanded, “Keep weapons and kinetic barriers off line.”

“What the hell?” Joker exclaimed as his eyes took in the sight before him: A beautiful, yet also menacing winged space ship with what looked like a long midsection and a head appeared from seemingly nowhere.  Gazing at the bottom of the ship, the flight lieutenant swore he could see something painted, “Is that a…”

“Bird of some sort?” Dr. Chakwas finished, “Yes. It is.”

“Why do I have a bad feeling about this?” Cortez exhaled.

“Madre dios.” James whispered, “I hope these people are on our side.”

“The energy output.”  Adams mused, “It has to be humongous to render a ship totally invisible.”

“So they do have a means of making an entire ship undetectable.” Hackett whispered in an awestruck voice.

“That’s how they were able to arrive at the Citadel undetected.” Anderson replied.  “This is way beyond any stealth system we have. Captain?”  The Councilor inquired, “Were your sensors able to pick up anything before that ship appeared?”

Receiving a shake of the head from her sensors specialist, Captain Shepard replied in a grim voice, “No Councilor.  Nothing.”

Hackett muttered, “Let’s make sure we keep them on our side…shall we?”

RRW Gallena

“Their weapons and shields are still off-line, Subcommander.” Tovan noted, nodding his head in satisfaction.

“I told you they would be.” Kaidan remarked.

“It looks like we have allies, Centurion.” V’lana smiled.  “Satra…open hailing frequencies.”

SSV Orizaba

“Sirs…Ma’am…” The Orizaba’s communications specialist spoke up, “We’re being hailed.”

“Play it on all speakers ship-wide.  The entire crew should hear this.” Admiral Hackett ordered, “Captain…” He smiled as he turned his head the Orizaba’s skipper, “Your ship…your honor.”

“Open channel.” Hannah ordered.  “This is Captain Hannah Shepard, commanding the Orizaba.”

“Greetings, Captain.” A female voice answered as the entire complement of the dreadnaught, especially those in the starboard observation lounge, paused in their duties to hear the next words spoken. “I am Subcommander V’lana Avesti, commanding the warbird Gallena. I greet you as a friend and ally of the Romulan Republic.”

“Thank God!” Cortez sighed in relief as the subcommander’s words came through the speaker. 

“On behalf of the Systems Alliance, I greet you as a friend and ally as well.” Captain Shepard replied after receiving nods from both the Admiral and Councilor to continue.

“May this be the first of many fruitful exchanges.” V’lana diplomatically replied, “We are ready to receive your personnel and transfer our prisoners to you whenever you wish.  I would also like to extend a personal invitation to you, Admiral Hackett, and Councilor Anderson to take a tour of my vessel.”

Again, taking the two men’s head nods as an unspoken command, Captain Shepard responded positively, “We thank you and look forward to seeing you and your ship.”

“Our personnel will be ready and we should be on our way to you in half an hour—is that acceptable, Subcommander.” Admiral Hackett inquired, smoothly taking charge of the conversation.

“That is most acceptable.” V’lana replied.  “I look forward to meeting you then.”

“They’ve terminated the transmission, Ma’am.” The communications specialist reported.

Activating her intercom, the Captain ordered, “The following personnel are to report immediately to the hangar deck with their full kit and gear: Doctor Karin Chakwas, Lieutenant James Vega, Lieutenant Gregory Adams, Flight Lieutenant Jeffrey Moreau, Lieutenant Esteban Cortez, Specialist Samantha Traynor, Lieutenant Kenneth Donnelly, Lieutenant Gabrielle Daniels…” She then named a few more sergeants and privates.

 “Full kit and gear?” Vega exclaimed, “Does that mean what I think it means?”

“I think so, James.” Esteban replied as he pointed at the warbird, “Looks like that’s going to be our new home.”

First to spot the approaching dignitaries, Lieutenant Vega called out in a loud, clear voice, “Admiral on deck!”

As the assembled Alliance officers and men came to attention in front of the two Kodiak shuttles, Admiral Hackett, Councilor Anderson, and Captain Shepard approached.  “Stand at ease.” The Admiral commanded.  Clearing his throat, the Admiral then spoke, “You have been chosen for an important mission.  You will be representing both the Alliance and the Council to the Romulan Republic.  All of you have been chosen because of your qualifications.  We’ve only had limited contact with the Romulans, so…be careful.  Watch what you say and what you do.  We do have a liaison on board the Romulan ship to help out with any difficulties, but the best way to avoid problems is for you to think before you speak or act.  Above all, remember that you are on their ship and bound by their rules.  Any questions?”

“Do we know what they look like, Sir?” Kenneth Donnelly asked in a thick Scottish brogue.

“They look a lot like us.” Councilor Anderson answered, further explaining, “In low lighting, if one of them were wearing a hood or a cap, you probably wouldn’t be able to tell the difference between a human and a Romulan.  We’ve only seen the subcommander, but if she is indicative of her people, then expect them to have slight brow ridges and pointed ears and a slight green tint to the skin, but otherwise, as I said, indistinguishable from humans.”

“Space elves.” Joker chuckled.

“Are there any races other than Romulans on their ship?” Specialist Traynor quickly asked before any of the senior officers could address Joker’s barb.

“Yes, there are.” Anderson replied, giving Samantha a smile of gratitude.  “There are Remans—they are an offshoot of the Romulans and are a former slave race. There are also other races, but I’m afraid their identities will have to remain classified until we reach the warbird. There, you will find out everything.  I can’t tell you much now...” Anderson apologetically concluded, “But I can say this—once you arrive on the Gallena, your views of the universe and our place in the cosmos will change forever.”

“Damn.” Vega whispered under his breath.  “Now I’m really curious.”

“So am I, Lieutenant.” Doctor Chakwas agreed.

 “Shuttle Two will be used to ferry the prisoners back.  Prisoner escort contingent will take that shuttle.  Shuttle One will be for everyone else and will remain on the Gallena.” Captain Shepard ordered.  “If there are no further questions—mount up!”

“Damn…that’s a big ship.” Joker gasped as the shuttles drew closer to the warbird.

“We’re being hailed, Sirs.” Cortez called out from the Kodiak’s pilot’s station.

“Put it on monitor.” Captain Shepard ordered as a Romulan woman with short black hair appeared on the screen.

“Greetings Alliance shuttles.” The woman announced, “I am Sublieutenant T’vena.  Please cut your engines, we will tractor you into our hangar deck.” Her lips then turned up into a slight smile, “As you humans say, just sit back and enjoy the ride.”

“Do as she says.” Admiral Hackett ordered.  As both shuttles depowered their engines, a blue beam coming from the warbird captured them.  “What the?”  Cortez cried out in alarm as he reached for the control console.

“Do not be alarmed.” The Romulan flight controller stated through the speakers.  “That is merely our tractor beam.  We use it to bring objects in closer.  As you are unfamiliar with our procedures, we thought this would be a safer means of bringing you aboard.”

“Sirs?” Cortez asked, his hand still hovering over the console.

“Relax, Lieutenant.” Hackett commanded.  “Just do as she says and enjoy the ride.”

“Yes, Sir.” Cortez responded in a quiet voice as the shuttles were drawn towards the open hangar deck where, much to the surprise of everyone in the shuttle, they saw beings walking about, carrying out their duties, without apparently wearing any form of armor or environmental suits.

“How are they able to function?” Dr. Chakwas asked.

“Yeah.” Joker exclaimed, “Why haven’t they been sucked out by the vacuum?”

The shuttles then seemed to pass through an invisible barrier.  “I don’t believe this…” Dr. Chakwas cried out, “But there’s a breathable atmosphere!”

“They must have some sort of barrier that can maintain pressure and atmosphere on a large scale.” An excited Samantha Traynor declared, “Do you have any idea of how advanced this is?  What we can do with that if we can get them to share that technology with us?”

“Glad they’re on our side…” Vega whispered as both shuttles touched down.  The door opening, the marine lieutenant exclaimed as he picked up his gear, “Well…here we go.”

Councilor Anderson exited the shuttlecraft first, flanked to his right by Admiral Hackett and his left by Captain Shepard with the rest of the crew trailing at a respectful distance behind.  As he approached the subcommander, the councilor immediately noticed a male Romulan wearing what was apparently a uniform with red trim standing to the subcommander’s right and slightly behind.  Another Romulan woman, this one wearing blue trim on her uniform, stood to the left and slightly behind the subcommander, and a bald, apparently female figure with pointed ears wearing gold trim stood directly behind the subcommander. 

However, it was the figure standing next to the subcommander that immediately attracted Dr. Chakwas and Joker’s attention. 

“Is that who I think it is?” Dr. Chakwas whispered, gesturing with her head at the human wearing Alliance dress blues standing next to the subcommander.

“Sure is!” Joker replied with a broad grin.

“Now we know what Kaidan’s been doing.” Chakwas whispered.

“Or who he’s been doing.” Donnelly quipped as his eyes drifted momentarily to the attractive subcommander, earning in response a slap to the back of the head by Gabrielle.

“Ouch!” Donnelly grumbled as he rubbed the back of his head, “That hurt!”

“Pig.” Gabrielle retorted in a low voice.

Coming to a halt before the subcommander, Anderson bowed, “On behalf of the Council and the Systems Alliance I thank you for your hospitality.”

Inclining her head at the councilor, Subcommander V’lana responded, “Welcome aboard the RRW Gallena.  Gesturing towards the male Romulan, the subcommander began introducing her senior staff.  Centurion Tovan Khev, my first officer.  This is…She gestured towards the Romulan woman on her left, “Lieutenant Satra, my science officer.  And this is…” She then turned towards the other woman and introduced her, “Lieutenant Veril…chief engineer of the Gallena.  And I’m sure you’re all familiar with Staff Commander Alenko?”

“Staff Commander.” Anderson grinned as he nodded his head at Kaidan.  Turning his attention back to V’lana, the councilor continued, “It is an honor to meet you again.  You have already met Admiral Hackett.” V’lana then brought her fist to her chest.

“Must be their form of a salute.” Adams noted.

Returning the Romulans’ gesture of respect, Hackett brought his hand to the tip of his hat, rendering a crisp salute. “Subcommander? I’d like to introduce you to Captain Hannah Shepard, commanding officer of the Orizaba.”

“Captain.” V’lana nodded her head respectfully.

“Subcommander.” Hannah also nodded her head as the two ship captains exchanged gestures of mutual respect.

 “I’d also like to introduce you to Dr. Karin Chakwas…one of our best physicians.”

“Doctor.” V’lana inclined her head, “I look forward to your impressions of our sickbay.  My ship’s doctor is looking forward to meeting you.”

“Flight Lieutenant Jeffrey Moreau.”  Joker’s hand came up in a slightly irreverent salute as his name was mentioned.

“Flight Lieutenant.” V’lana nodded her head, “I’m sure you’ll find conning a warbird a unique and different experience from what you’re used to.”

“Lieutenant James Vega…a fine soldier and marine and Lieutenant Esteban Cortez, an excellent shuttle and fighter pilot.”

“Fighter pilot?” V’lana raised an eyebrow as she addressed the pilot, “Lieutenant? I’d be curious to hear about your take on our Scorpion fighters once you've had a chance to get settled in and more familiar with how things work here.”

“Looking forward to it, Ma’am.” Cortez responded; his curiosity aroused by the mention of the alien fighters.

Turning her attention to Vega, V’lana smiled, “Lieutenant? You’ll work with Sublieutenant Solana. She’s in charge of what you would call the ship’s ‘marines’.”

“Ma’am.” Vega nodded his head.

“Engineers Gregory Adams, Kenneth Donnelly, and Gabrielle Daniels.” Admiral Hackett introduced as a man with close cropped brown hair and craggy facial features, a ginger-haired man and a dark-haired woman all came to attention, “And finally, I’d like to introduce you to Specialist Samantha Traynor—one of our brightest young up and comers.  She’s an expert in communications and computer hardware and software.”

“Engineers.” V’lana grinned, “Veril will help you get settled in and Specialist Traynor, you’ll be working closely with Lieutenant Satra.”

“I look forward to it, Ma’am.” The eager communications specialist responded.

“Well…” V’lana gestured, “Shall we commence our tour?  This, of course, is our hangar deck.”

“That…barrier…we passed through.” Gabrielle inquired, barely containing her enthusiasm, “It keeps the bay pressurized and maintains the atmosphere?”

“Yes.” V’lana grinned, “It’s actually common technology where we’re from.”

“That’s common technology?”  Donnelly exclaimed in a hushed voice, “If that’s their common tech, I’d love to see what they consider exotic.”

“Tell me about it.” Gabrielle whispered back.

“Where are you from?” Hannah inquired as the group walked out of the hangar bay and into a turbolift.

“That’s rather complicated to explain.” The subcommander replied.  “In short, we’re from a parallel universe.” Seeing the looks of shock, disbelief, and amazement on the faces of all her guests with the exception of the councilor, admiral, and Kaidan, V’lana let out a breath.  “I know it’s a lot to take in right now.  I’ll let my science officer walk you through the details after our tour.  But for now, suffice it to say that while similar in many ways, there are some very important differences such as…”

As the turbolift door opened, Vega gasped in surprise as he saw a male human wearing a gold and black uniform walk past them, “That’s a…”

“Human?” V’lana nodded her head, “Yes. That’s one of the similarities…and differences between our universes.  As in your universe, humans are a major species.  In fact, they—along with the Vulcans, Andorians, and Tellarites, are one of the founding races of the Federation—a major power.  For a long time, we Romulans were…you could say rivals…of the Federation.”

“What happened to change that?” Vega inquired.

“The Hobus supernova.” V’lana responded in a somber tone.  “Commander Alenko can fill you in on that later.”

“Yes, Ma’am.” James replied, seeing that his host did not wish to continue that line of conversation.

“When we finish the tour…” Kaiden smoothly interjected, “I’ll be happy to go over things with you.  Subcommander?”

“Thank you, Commander.” V’lana smiled as she continued the tour, “This ship has allied itself with the Federation and so we have some exchange officers serving aboard just as there are Romulans serving aboard some Federation starships.”

“So…where are we going first?” Dr. Chakwas asked as V’lana led the group down a corridor.

“Engineering.” The subcommander answered back, “I thought you might like to see what powers this ship.”

“We sure would.” Gabrielle and Donnelly exclaimed in unison as Adam’s face broke out in a wide grin.

As the door slid open, V’lana ushered her guests in.  “It’s always busy here, so follow me.”

She led them to a large sphere.  “Is that what I think it is?” Adams gasped in a mixture of astonishment and disbelief, “A singularity?”

Nodding her head, the subcommander responded with a smile, “Yes, it is.  Romulan ships are powered by artificial singularities.”

“Damn.” Anderson exclaimed in amazement. “How did you…that’s…”

“Remarkable.” Hannah whispered.

“The power output!” Donnelly exclaimed, “It must be astronomical compared to what our engines could generate.”

“What about the other powers in your universe?” Admiral Hackett inquired, “Do they use artificial singularities as well?”

“No.” V’lana shook her head.  “They use warp cores powered by matter-antimatter engines.”

“Matter-antimatter?” Gabrielle gasped.  “How do they keep from blowing up?  For that matter, how are you even able to contain that singularity?”

“I’m no engineer.” V’lana replied apologetically, “But magnetic containment and other methods are involved.”

“In other words…” Anderson interjected with a knowing smile, “You know, but it’s classified, and you don’t want to be rude by telling us that.”

“Very perceptive, Councilor.” V’lana winked in response.

“I’m curious…” Captain Shepard inquired, “Where does a subcommander fit in your chain of command?”

“Our command structure probably works a bit differently than yours.” V’lana responded.  “In our service, a subcommander can be anything from an executive officer to a commanding officer of a shore installation or a commanding officer of a cruiser or smaller sized warship.”

“And the Gallena?” Shepard asked.

“Is a Valdore-class warbird.” V’lana responded, “Roughly matching what you would call an attack cruiser.”

“So…you’d be the equivalent of a Captain in our service?” Hackett surmised.

“Probably.” V’lana conceded.  “A commander in our service would be the equivalent of a senior captain, commodore or rear admiral in yours.  A commander could be in charge of anything from a D’Deridex-class battlecruiser to a major shore installation to serving as a planetary governor or commanding a squadron of ships.”

“To be so young and have risen so fast…” Hannah began only to be interrupted by Kaidan.

“The subcommander explained that the Romulan Republic tends to promote qualified officers as quickly as possible to make the most effective use of them.”

Councilor Anderson remarked, adding, “We’re not that much different.  Your daughter was on a fast track.  She’d have made Captain in another year or less.”

“And we…I…” Hannah choked up momentarily, “…. lost her because she didn’t have enough time to learn on the job.”

“We do lose people because they were thrown into battle too early or simply because of misfortune and yes…” the Romulan admitted, “…some officers who shouldn’t have been promoted are promoted too early.  But my universe is not a place where we have the luxury of lengthy apprenticeships—not anymore.  Besides us, the Federation and Klingon Empire are also forced to place individuals who just twenty years earlier would have been nothing more than junior officers into positions of command.  You have to understand; my universe is wracked by several wars and they have taken their toll.  The Federation and the Klingons were fighting a major war each other until recently, our time, with the Republic caught in the middle of both of those powers while at the same time having to fight the Tal Shiar and what’s left of the old Romulan Star Empire both of which want to subjugate us.”

“Sounds like a free-for-all!” Cortez whistled, shaking his head.

“Pretty much so.” V’lana agreed, “And all of us are fighting the Borg, the Undine, the different Mirror Universe Terran Empires, the Tholians, and other threats that have been popping into our universe recently.  And then there’s the Elachi…”

“Sounds like hell.” Vega shook his head.

“It’s not all bad.” V’lana responded, “There are bright spots and moments of beauty that you take when and wherever you can.  Risa’s lovely and, I have to admit, I have a soft spot for a few places on Earth.  I love sipping coffee in the piazza in Florence and sunbathing on the beach on the French Riviera.”

“So Earth exists in your universe?” Samantha inquired.  “London? Big Ben? Oxford?”

“Yes.” V’lana replied with a smile.  “Some of the buildings have been rebuilt though.  Your 21^st century was a rough one for the Earth in my universe because of the Eugenics Wars and all, but you humans are a remarkably resilient lot—you get knocked down; you just get back up again and rebuild.  You never give up and you have this way of bringing diverse cultures and races together…including mine—and we Romulans are a particularly stubborn and arrogant lot…no easy accomplishment.”

“So how did this clusterfuck in your universe get started?” Joker, silent until now, asked.

Shaking her head, V’lana answered honestly, “You could say it began when the Empire….”

“The Romulan Empire?” Hackett interjected.

Nodding her head, V’lana affirmed, “Yeah.  When the Empire began to teeter.  The usual internal backstabbing and politicking that we Romulans are known for—I won’t bore you with the details—combined with skirmishes with the Klingons and the Federation and rebellions as lower caste Romulans, Remans, and other subject peoples decided enough was enough laid the groundwork for what was to come.  Then the Hobus supernova and the shit hit the fan shortly afterwards when the Klingons came to pick on our bones and the Federation intervened.”

“Damn.” Joker shook his head.  “Guess wherever you go there’s always someone pissing in your soup.”

“Yeah.” V’lana agreed as the tour reached its next destination, sickbay, “Doctor?  Here’s our sickbay.  I’ll leave you to get better acquainted with the doctors and nurses you’ll be working with.” The subcommander directed, “Councilor, Admiral, Captain, if you’ll accompany me to the bridge and then my ready room, we have much to discuss.  Lieutenants? Specialist?  If you’ll accompany Sublieutenant Solana and Lieutenant Veril, they can show you where your quarters are and help you begin to get acclimated to your duties here.  Tovan? Satra? I’d like you to attend the meeting in my ready room as well.”

“Thank you.” Dr. Chakwas responded as she was quickly introduced to Aven and the Romulan nurses currently on duty.

“Ma’am.” Lieutenant Vega replied, bringing his hand up in a salute for himself and the other officers.

“Flight Lieutenant?” V’lana addressed Joker, “If you’d please remain here, our doctor might have some ideas regarding a possible cure for your affliction…”

“I doubt that.” Joker responded in a morose tone.  “I suffer from Vrolik’s Syndrome—brittle bone disease.  There’s no cure—not even with genetic engineering.”

“Still…” The subcommander urged, “You might want to let our doctor consult with your doctor to see what they can do.  While Aven doesn’t usually deal with humans, we do have access to much of the Federation medical database on our ship’s computer—their medical sciences are quite advanced.  They might very well have a cure.”

“It’s at least worth a try, Joker.” Dr. Chakwas pleaded.  “From what little I’ve seen so far; I’d say these medical facilities are the most advanced I’ve ever seen.”

Heaving a dejected sigh, Joker reluctantly agreed, “All right…I’ll give it a try…but I’m telling you right now, they’re not going to be able to do anything.”

“She might be young…” Councilor Anderson whispered to the Admiral and Captain, “But she knows how to command.”

“It appears she does.” Hannah reluctantly agreed.  “Still…I’d like to see how she does in a crisis situation.  Maybe we can set up wargames sometime.”

“I’ll see what I can do.” Hackett whispered back.

“Oh…this is rich…” V’lana whispered to Kaidan as she and the Staff Commander walked ahead of the others, “Your Captain Shepard wants to test us in a wargame…she’s not sure I can handle myself or my ship in a fight.”

“How do you know…” He then held back a chuckle as she gently tugged her ear. “That’s right…your hearing’s a lot more sensitive than ours…”

“And don’t you forget it.” V’lana whispered back with a playful smirk.  “Still…Captain Shepard’s idea does have merit.  I’d like to get a handle on your ships’ fighting capabilities if we’re going to be doing joint operations and you should have a feel for how we do things. Won’t be much of a fight though…”

“You’re awful sure of yourself.” Kaidan whispered.

“It’s the simple truth.” V’lana whispered back, shrugging her shoulders. “The technology difference is just too great. I’ll tell you right now what my plan of attack will be, and you can go ahead and tell them—it won’t make a difference.  Cloak, attack, take out a ship or three, cloak, and, as you humans say, rinse, lather, repeat. I haven’t seen anything you have right now that can stop that.  It’s not a matter of courage or skill or ability.” V’lana declared, “It’s technology.  On the ground…” She murmured, partly in an effort to soothe wounded pride, “It’s a bit more equal.  Our energy weapons give us an edge, but not by much when you take into account things like cover, shields, and barriers.  Like I told you a while back, your mass accelerated rounds and heavy munitions in ground combat are nothing to take lightly—we saw that on Freedom’s Progress. Also, your biotics give you rather unique tactical options.  I have a feeling Lieutenant Vega and his friends are solid troops and will get along fine with Solana’s assault troopers.”

“Which means we’ll have to break up a few brawls.” Kaidan whispered back, his lips turning up in a crooked grin.

“Of that, I have no doubt.” V’lana grinned back as the turbolift door slid open to reveal the bridge.  “And here…” She announced, raising her voice, “Is the main bridge.”

“Damn.” Admiral Hackett whistled. 

“That’s a sweet setup.” Captain Shepard agreed.

“Thank you.” V’lana replied, acknowledging the Alliance humans’ praises, “If you’ll come this way, we can go to my office.  We have much to talk about.”

“Yes, we do.” Admiral Hackett nodded his head only to be once again flabbergasted as his eyes fell upon the spacious office.  “Damn.  This is at least three times the size of my office.”

“Makes that little cubbyhole I used to have on the Tokyo look like a closet in comparison.” Anderson shook his head in amazement.

“You should see the size of the ready rooms on Federation ships.” V’lana chuckled as Satra and Tovan joined the group. 

“I can’t believe this is a warship.” Hannah exclaimed, “It’s more like a…pardon me for saying so…a yacht or cruise ship.”

Her smile disappearing, V’lana replied, “You should have been on my first command, the Pharos.  An old T’liss-class warbird.” She then called up an image on the monitor. “You want to talk about cramped. The D’helan I commanded afterwards wasn’t much roomier.”

“Being given command of a Valdore is no small honor.” Tovan added, coming to the defense of his commanding officer and friend.  “And this ship and crew are more than capable of fighting.”

“I meant no disrespect.” Captain Shepard quickly backtracked.

“I’m sure the Captain didn’t, and no offense was taken.” V’lana diplomatically interjected.  Nodding her head, satisfied that the human captain had received and understood her unspoken message, the subcommander turned to her first officer and smiled at him, “Tovan? Would you provide our guests with refreshments?  I think this qualifies as a special occasion—you know what to break out.”  As her first officer handed glasses full of a blue liquid to her human guests, V’lana gestured towards the couch and chairs as she took her seat behind her desk, “Romulan ale. Breathe it in first to take in the aroma and then gently sip it.”

“Just like you would cognac.” Hackett noted as he followed the subcommander’s advice.  Taking a sip of the ale, he practically gushed in praise, “This is…this is remarkable.”

Smiling, V’lana replied, “While many have tried, it can’t really be replicated—much like your single malt scotch or Andorian ale—amongst other things.  I have a private stash I take with me on voyages for special occasions such as this.”  Shaking her head, she remarked somberly, “Looks like I’m going to have to make it last for a while.”

“So…there’s no hope for you to return to your home?” Hannah inquired.

“There’s always hope.” V’lana responded with a note of optimism in her voice.  “We could find a wormhole or we might run into the Elachi or something similar…anything can happen.”

“These Elachi.” Hackett queried, getting down to business, “What can you tell us about them?”

“Not much more than what I already have.” V’lana ruefully admitted.  “We were just beginning our investigations when we entered that anomaly.”

“What about your experiences when you were captured by the Tal Shiar that time?” Kaidan gingerly inquired. “Didn’t both Sela and Hakeev use the phrase indoctrination?”

“Yes…” V’lana nodded her head, “They did.”

“Could I ask you to fill us in?” Hackett interjected.  “This could be important.”

“Sure.” V’lana replied, “We were ordered to infiltrate the Tal Shiar—to find out what Sela and Hakeev were up to and we were making progress. We found out that the Tal Shiar were salvaging Borg tech…”

“Borg?” Anderson interrupted.

“A cyborg culture…” V’lana explained.

“Like the Geth?” Hannah interjected.

“Hmmm…not really. Not from what I’ve been told about your Geth.” V’lana replied.

“The Geth are purely artificial.” Satra politely interrupted, “While the Borg are a true fusion of organic and cybernetic.”

“Damn.” Anderson shook his head.

 “They’re rather difficult to describe in a few short words.” V’lana continued, “I’ll explain more about them later—but for now, I think you wanted to hear about my experience with the Tal Shiar?”

“Right.” Hackett nodded his head as he took another sip of the heady liqueur.

“They attempted to reprogram me into working for them, but it wasn’t your standard type of brainwashing.” V’lana recalled. “They had me do things…” She shuddered uncontrollably, “I fought it the best I could…did everything the opposite of what they wanted me to do.”  The humans listened quietly and politely as she explained, “They had a subject…” V’lana remembered as she fought back her tears, “A Romulan. They forced me to put Borg implants into her.  I…I…literally tortured that poor woman to try to fight the indoctrination.  In the end, I put her through more pain than what she would have endured had I just done what they wanted.”

“And you would have lost yourself in the process.” Kaidan gently interrupted as Tovan nodded his head.  “Which was exactly what they wanted.”

“Commander Alenko is right.” Tovan declared, “Don’t forget, Little Sister, I read your report afterwards.  You won—you defeated them.”

“Cybernetic implants…mental reprogramming…” Hackett mused, “Sounds a lot like something Cerberus would do.”

“From what I’ve heard about your Cerberus…” V’lana said, “They are very similar to the Tal Shiar.”

“This situation could be far more dangerous than we realized.” Anderson mused, “If her ship made it into this universe, who’s to say other ships might not follow—or might already be here.”

“Or vice versa.” Captain Shepard interjected, “Cerberus might already be in the other universe.”

“And they would have willing collaborators both in the Tal Shiar and a Federation black operations group we only know as Section 31.” V’lana agreed, explaining, “Normally the Federation is bound by its Prime Directive regarding noninterference with other cultures, but that directive has been taken rather liberally on more than one occasion and Section 31 has no problems with outright breaking it.”

“Not to mention the Klingons, the Tholians, the Orions…or even worse—the Borg or Elachi.” Tovan added.  “If any of them find their way here…”

“Your Reapers will be the least of your problems.” V’lana emphatically warned her human guests.  “No offense to your capabilities…” The Romulan subcommander stated matter-of-factly, “But imagine what a fleet of Klingon battlecruisers or Orion pirates or just one Borg cube can do.”

“What can they do?” Hannah challenged.

“Here…let me play some recordings of prior dealings with the Borg by my people, the Federation, and the Klingon Empire and you can see for yourself.  Computer?” The subcommander ordered, “Play all recordings from all powers dealing with the Borg from first contact through the most recent.”  Taking a deep breath, V’lana advised, “Make yourselves comfortable.  This is going to take a while. One warning—after you see this, you’ll never have a complete night’s sleep ever again.”

As the video recordings played, Hackett, Shepard, and Kaidan’s faces all grew pale as Anderson watched, mouth agape at the destruction caused by just one cube.  “This is…” Hackett stammered, his hand trembling.  “How did you…how did you manage to defeat those…things?”

“We haven’t.” V’lana admitted, “The Borg are relentless.  You defeat one cube…another will be back eventually.  It’s a never-ending struggle.  But what’s worse is the fate of those taken by the Borg.  To become drones…” The Romulan woman shook her head.  “I’d rather be dead.”

“And as the subcommander stated, the Borg aren’t the only threat.” Tovan pointed out.

“Do you think they managed to get into our universe?” Anderson inquired.

“There’s no reason to think they didn’t.” V’lana replied, “After all, we’re here and we have evidence that at least someone or something from your universe made it over into ours.”

“And you think the Borg and the Reapers are working together?” Shepard asked.

“It’s not impossible.” V’lana answered back, “Although I have a feeling the Reapers are the junior partners if they have teamed up.  Hell…” She added, “The Borg might not even be calling the shots.  It could be the Elachi or someone else.”

“We need to find out what’s going on.” Anderson declared.

“Agreed.” V’lana nodded her head.  “And from what I’ve seen and read from the data you’ve given me after our meeting on the Citadel, I think the best place to start our inquiry will be the Omega system.”

“Which means dealing with Aria T’Loak.”  Hackett declared, explaining, “Nothing happens on that station without her knowledge or approval.”

“A dangerous woman.” Anderson cautioned, “But if you can gain her cooperation, that would help you immensely.”

V’lana grinned as she stood up, “It looks like Omega will be our first stop.”

“We’ll let you get to it, then, Subcommander.” Admiral Hackett responded as he rose to his feet.  “Councilor?  Captain?  I think we should let our new friends get to work.”

“Agreed.” Councilor Anderson responded as he gave the subcommander and Kaidan a warm smile, “If there’s anything you need…you just holler.”

“Will do, Councilor.” Kaidan grinned back as V’lana nodded her head in reply.

“Councilor…Admiral…Captain.  Until we meet again.”

Omega

Zaeed Massani grumbled as he hefted the limp unconscious body of the batarian who he had been paid to bring in for ‘reasons unspecified.’  “Damn…you’re heavy.” As he made his way down Omega’s alleys, the hardened mercenary lugged his prize, barely attracting a glance from those he passed by.  Arriving at a locked door, Zaeed activated his omnitool and entered in a sequence of letters and numbers.  Nodding his head in satisfaction as the door unlatched and opened, Massani entered the apartment. “Where do you want him?”

“Just dump him on the floor.” A Turian wearing body army responded.  “Be the most comfortable place he’s going to enjoy for some time.”

“Here you go.” Zaeed replied as he dumped his cargo on the floor.

“Still alive.” Another Turian remarked as he checked the unconscious Batarian.

“I honor my contracts.” The grizzled mercenary responded.

“So do we.” The first Turian declared as he activated his omnitool.  “The bounty has been transmitted to your account.”

“Pleasure doing business with you.” Zaeed responded as he turned to walk away.

“You up for another job?” The Turian inquired, “We’re always looking for people who are reliable and know how to keep their mouths shut.”

“Nah.” Zaeed replied, “Got one more job here to do and then some unfinished business to take care of and then I’m retiring.  Getting too old for this line of work.”

Laughing, the Turian responded, “Enjoy your retirement, Old Man.”  He shook his head in amazement as his voice took on a respectful tone, “Living long enough to retire in this business…gotta be good and lucky.”

“Goddamn right.” Zaeed rumbled as he exited the room.  Returning to the flat near Aria’s nightclub, Afterlife, that he liked to rent whenever his business took him to Omega, Zaeed activated his monitor.  “Seems simple enough.” The old mercenary remarked as he examined the images appearing on his screen of a dark haired fair skinned woman and a dark skinned, well-muscled man—both human.  “Take these two out and collect my fee.” He then read the dossiers supplied by his new, nameless, employer.  “Miranda Lawson and Jacob Taylor.”  His lips then turned down into a frown, “Both highly skilled and powerful biotics.  Damn…I hate taking on bios.” Massani grumbled as he continued to read.  “So…they were last seen making their way to Mordin Solus’s clinic.  Can’t hit ‘em at the clinic.  That salarian and his mechs will scrag me the moment I draw my weapon.  Nah…I’ll have to draw ‘em out.  But how?  That area’s under quarantine because of the plague…”

Aria T’Loak…the self-styled boss of Omega, sipped her drink in silence as she contemplated her realm from her luxurious couch at the center of her nightclub, Afterlife.  As the music boomed and the dancers danced, the asari crime-boss read the intelligence intercepts from her pad. As she read, one word was repeated over and over again.  “Looks like we might have a new player.”  Looking up, Aria addressed her Batarian aide and bodyguard, “Bray…I want to know who or what these ‘Romulans’ are—and I want to know five hours ago.”

Cerberus Base—Undisclosed Location

“Welcome to your new command, Commander Shepard.” The Illusive Man exclaimed as he gestured with his arm towards the galaxy display.  “The SSV-2 Normandy.”

“Normandy?”  Shepard repeated, cocking her head to the left.

Nodding his head, the Illusive Man affirmed, “Yes.  We thought that the name was fitting.  Just as you once saved humanity aboard the original Normandy, you’ll now command its replacement on your mission to further the good of humanity.”

“I can’t do it alone.” Shepard declared, “I’ll need backup.”

“And you’ll have it.” The Illusive Man responded.  “Your crew is one-hundred percent loyal to you and the mission and I’m giving you one of my best people as your XO.  Commander Shepard, I’d like you to meet Kai Leng.”

A man with Asian features, wearing black armor approached, “Commander Shepard.”  The man nodded his head in greeting.

“Mr. Leng.”  Shepard nodded her head in return.

“You’ll find that Kai is a most resourceful man, Commander.”

“I’m sure he is.”  Shepard answered back, “What are our first orders?”

Nodding in satisfaction at his puppet's readiness to follow instructions, the Illusive Man advised, “This is to be a purely human undertaking for the benefit of humanity.  We must show everyone that Cerberus is the only body interested in doing that--not the Alliance and definitely not the Citadel.  Your first mission will involve the recovery of a Prothean communications device on Fehl Prime that the Alliance has been safeguarding, but not foolishly not permitting us or anyone else to study.  We need that device.”

“So you want us to go and get it.”  Shepard concluded as the Illusive Man nodded his head in agreement.  "Understood.  We’ll begin immediately.”

“Good.” The Illusive Man smiled as he nodded his head, “Oh…one other thing…” He said, his eyes carefully gauging his puppet's reaction to his next statement, “Alliance forces on Fehl Prime will most likely resist any efforts to take the beacon.”  He then paused for a moment, “That won’t present a problem for you—will it?”

“Of course not.” Shepard replied, “If the Alliance interferes, then they are not part of the solution—they are part of the problem.  And I know how to deal with problems.”

“Good.” The Illusive Man smirked.  “Then I will leave you to your mission.  Good hunting, Commander Shepard.”

As the Illusive Man’s image faded away, Commander Shepard turned to the Cerberus assassin who was her new first officer, “Shall we begin, Mr. Leng?”