Chapter Text
Ashley’s Team
Leaning up against a table next to his old squadmate, Donkey let out a breath of air, “Some fight, huh?”
“Just another day at the office.” Ashley quipped back as she glanced down at the still slumbering krogan. “A little tougher than most days…but yeah…par for the course in this job.”
“So…How did you and that asari…”
“Rana.” Ashley quickly pointed out her asari teammate’s name. “Her name is Rana Thanoptis. Long story short…you’re probably familiar with what happened at Virmire…right?”
“Yeah.” Donkey glumly answered back, “I was still recovering from Eden Prime when the news broke. But you were listed as killed in action. That obviously didn’t happen. So what did?”
“You heard that I was assigned to assist a salarian commando team?” On receiving her friend’s head shake, she sighed, “Okay…did you find out about our mission?” As his friend again shook his head, the dark-haired lieutenant swore, “Damn.”
“A lot of what happened down there is still classified.” Donkey replied, “The records only state that you were killed in action. Nothing about your operation or what happened.”
“I’m not surprised.” Ashley sighed, “The Council and Udina didn’t want to hear about the Reapers even before I was…killed.” She chuckled ironically. “So, I wasn’t surprised when Dixie told us that just about everything having to do with the Reapers and our mission on the Normandy was classified.”
“Yeah.” Donkey agreed, “They put a tight lid on it. So, what did happen?”
“Well…” Ashley sighed as she recounted her and Rana’s escape via the underground tunnels and then the gateway and ending with their encounter with Nelia and the others and the two joining Nelia’s team.
“Shit.” The gunnery sergeant snorted, “That’s some story. So…you’re a lieutenant now?”
“Yeah.” Ashley smiled, “Not too long after me and Rana joined up with Nelia, we were sent on a special mission. Well…Twes…Twesata…Shels…Shelana…and Nelia had their commissions restored and Rana and I were given brevet commissions and we’ve both been working to make them permanent. All we’ve got left now is our evaluation cruise and I have a feeling this is going to qualify for that.”
“Gonna be quite a change going back to gunnery chief when you return to the Alliance.” Donkey joked.
Shaking her head, Ashley averred, “I’m not coming back.”
“What?” Donkey exclaimed astonished, refusing to believe the words his old squadmate had just uttered. “You’re Alliance blue! You can’t turn your back on your oath…your people…”
“Donkey!” Ashley sighed, “Please understand. This is my home now. I’ve been here for quite a few years. I have friends…a more or less adopted kid sister back on Drozana Station…a career where I’m judged by what I do and not by my last name…and…” she shyly concluded, “someone special.”
“And you’re willing to throw away all you’ve fought for and believed in for that?” Donkey exclaimed, his tone one of surprise with an undertone of disappointment, ”Who is he?”
Before she could answer, Ashley’s comm badge beeped. Automatically tapping her badge, she answered, “Williams here.”
“What’s the status of your team Lieutenant.” Soren’s Scandinavian accented voice came through the comm.
“Five casualties, Sir. The Klingons report two…the Romulans one. We lost Pappas from the Belladonna, and Matthews and Kristoff from the Valley Forge. I’m sorry, Sir.”
“Lort.” Soren grimly responded, swearing in Danish. They were good men. I’ll let Zsa-Zsa know about Pappas. Were there any survivors from the freighter?”
“Yes, Sir. I have two here. Gunnery Chief Donald Keys of the Systems Alliance Marines and Donna Welles, the chief purser. Most of other survivors—including ten children and teenagers—are safe with Shelana’s team. There are some humans in a containment cell that have had experiments performed on them.”
“What kind of experiments.” Soren asked, with a discernable fury behind his normally placid tone.
Taking a deep breath, Ashley responded, “They altered them with Borg and Reaper implants and also they apparently exposed them to spores from the Thorian plant that comes from my universe.”
“Damn.” The Fleet Captain cursed, “Do you think they could be cured somehow?”
“I don’t know, Sir.” Ashley honestly replied, “I do know that the effects of the Thorian spores can be neutralized by a low concentration nerve agent, but I don’t know any of the particulars about it. As for the Reaper and Borg tech…”
“I understand, Lieutenant. Is there anything else?”
“Yes, Sir.” Ashley affirmed, “We also have a krogan they were experimenting on. He is currently sedated.”
“He’s beginning to come out of it.” Twesata warned, “I’ve never seen regeneration that fast before.”
“He’s a krogan.” Donkey responded with a derisive snort, “Redundant organs and systems.”
“We have him in a confinement field.” Ashley affirmed, “But I’d feel much safer if we had him in more secure facilities.”
“Understood. We’ll set up a level ten field in sickbay. From the description you’ve given me about his species, that should keep him confined.”
“Aye, Sir. They also experimented on a turian male. We found him on a lab table. The bastards vivisected him, Captain.”
“Lort.”
“It gets worse, Sir. His wife is one of the survivors with Shelana’s team. She doesn’t know.”
“Thank you, Lieutenant. I’ll be the one to break the news to her.”
“I can do it, Sir.” Ashley replied, volunteering for the hard and painful, but also necessary and humane, duty.
“Thank you, Lieutenant…” the captain replied, Donkey raising an eyebrow at the fondness in the taskforce commander’s voice, “But this sort of task comes with command. However, I would ask that you be there with me as you are familiar with her people and culture. I would also appreciate your advice on how best to break the news to her.”
“Of course, Sir.” Ashley responded with a slight smile on her face that again did not go unnoticed by her former comrade.
“The taskforce is now in orbit and the system secure We are beaming support personnel to the freighter.” Soren declared, “I’ll be beaming down shortly.”
“Aye, Sir.” Ashley acknowledged as Captain Magnussen signed off. Turning to her old friend, she explained, “That was Fleet Captain Magnussen. He’s in command of the taskforce I and my team are a part of.”
“He’s your someone special?” Donkey asked with a disapproving frown.
“Yeah.” Ashley responded with a bashful smile, “And no…we’re not breaking regs. We’re both professionals and Starfleet’s rules on fraternization are more flexible than the Alliance’s.”
“I see.” Donkey replied, his displeasure clear in his voice.
“I’m sorry, Donk.” Ashley apologized, “But he’s a good man and we really do care for each other. And no…we haven’t slept together yet…not that that’s any of your business.”
“I didn’t say anything.” Donkey replied with a frown. “Like you said, you’re not a marine anymore.”
Quickly picking up on the meaning behind her former squadmate’s final words, the former gunnery chief scowled as four pillars of blue light appeared nearby. Putting aside her seething anger at her former comrade, Ashley greeted Soren and those with him after they rematerialized, smiling on seeing the Danish captain. “Sir. Fleet Captain Soren Magnussen, this is Gunnery Chief Donald Keys of the Systems Alliance Marines.”
Coming to attention, Donkey rendered a crisp salute, “Sir.”
Inclining his head respectfully at the Alliance noncommissioned officer, Soren replied, “No need to salute, Chief. Starfleet has long dispensed with that custom. It’s a pleasure to meet you. Lieutenant Williams speaks very highly of you.”
“Thank you, Sir.” Donkey, still maintaining his military posture, replied before asking, “Might I ask about the others?”
“Yes, Sir.” Donna interjected, “When can we see Captain Forrester and everyone else? And when are we going to be able to go home? Can we go home?”
“We’ll take you to your friends in just a few moments, Ma’am.” Soren politely replied as Michaels, currently overseeing a blue shirted medic and two security personnel attending to the still comatose krogan signaled his commanding officer.
“Sir?”
“Yes, Jeff?”
“Doctor Cicar has set up a quarantine facility with a level ten confinement field. That should keep the big guy here secure.”
“Very good.” Soren acknowledged, “Beam him up along with those poor souls in that containment unit and then I want you and Corpsman Thompson to come with us to check on the rest of the passengers.”
“Yes, Sir.”
Speaking now to Salome and Twesata, Magnussen inquired, “Were you able to recover any useful intelligence?”
“I think we were, Sir.” Salome replied as she handed the Fleet Captain her padd. “It will take some time to analyze it, of course, but I think we might have found the key we were looking for somewhere in that data.”
Nodding his head in approval, Soren acknowledged, “Let’s hope so. Now I think it’s time we saw about the other people—don’t you?”
“Yes, Sir.”
Taking the lead as he and the others walked down the corridor. Soren paused at a window that allowed him to see into the other room, a laboratory with several slabs and tables. Clenching his teeth at the sight of the turian male lying on one of the slabs, his chest splayed open and carapace removed, the Danish starship captain spoke in a low, forceful tone. “This is the man you were telling me about?”
Ashley, who knew that Soren rarely openly displayed his anger, realized that her captain was at this moment incredibly furious. Controlling her own anger at what she saw, she answered back in an equally measured, restrained voice, “Yes, Sir.”
“Michaels!” Captain Magnussen commanded, “Beam this poor man back to the ship at once. Have Dr. Cicar do what he can to make him look…” as the captain tried to find the words to say, Jeff interjected compassionately as he motioned at a security officer, pointing at the lab door.
“Understood, Sir. I’ll have Fredericks accompany him back to the ship.”
“Thank you.” Soren replied. His eyes reflecting cold fury, the fleet captain again spoke in a low, commanding voice, “Williams…Thanoptis…Keys…Whaley...you understand his race better than any of the rest of us. What are their funerary customs.”
“Garrus and I talked about this once before Virmire.” Ashley recalled, “He wanted us to understand what to do should he…you know…”
Nodding his head in understanding, Soren requested, “Continue, please.”
“A turian funeral is very formal. Those in military service…and they would view Starfleet as being military…wear their dress uniforms with medals and decorations. They do not have a particular color or style of dress as we do, but as I said, formal attire is required. The funeral itself, from what Garrus told me, is very beautiful with blue candles and incense accompanied by the sound of tiny bells. The body is laid out on a silver slab etched with runes and designs.”
“I can show you which ones to use and help with the planning.” Rana volunteered. “When I was an undergraduate, I spent a year at the University on Palaven studying dextro-genetics and my roommate’s mother passed on while I was there. She explained to me what was involved with the funeral rituals. The body and slab are decorated with flowers and he would need to have his clan markings repainted. Hopefully, the freighter’s library will have that information in its codex.”
“It does.” Donna replied in a low whisper.
“Normally a priest officiates, but as the senior officer commanding, you would be an acceptable substitute.” Rana then explained in detail the ceremony and burial, adding, “Since burial isn’t possible, our practice of launching him in a torpedo casing at the sun would be considered appropriate.”
“Would it be proper to have his funeral alongside our people?” Soren inquired.
“It would.” Ashley replied, “The turians are a military culture with a strong sense of duty. His wife will consider it an honor for her husband to be buried alongside dutiful and courageous soldiers.”
“Then we will make the appropriate arrangements.” Soren declared as they entered the security holding area where Shelana and her team were watching over the remaining survivors. “Lieutenant Shelana. Report.”
“We’ve provided medical attention to the crew and passengers that we were able to rescue, Sir. Dr Frobisher has been a great help.”
At once recognizing the quarian woman sitting with the turian, Dixie gasped in a low whisper, “Zara.”
“Who?” Twesata asked, then remembering what the blonde engineer had said about her old quarian friend whispered, “Oh. That Zara.”
“Yeah.” Dixie murmured as she tried to make herself inconspicuous, “She probably hates my guts now.”
“I’m sure she doesn’t.” Twesata replied with a reassuring grin. “But you’re right that now’s probably not a good time to say hello. Later…once we’re back on the ship, you really should see her.”
“No.” Dixie shook her head, “I can’t do that.”
“I’ll come with you if you want.” Twesata promised, reminding the former Cerberus engineer, “You’re forgetting I’m an empath. If I pick up on anything bad, I’ll cut the conversation short and we’ll get the hell out before anything happens.”
“Okay.” Dixie took a deep breath, “When we get back to the ship. Thank you.”
“Hey…don’t mention it.” Twesata smiled, “That’s what friends are for.”
Escorting Fleet Captain Magnussen to the freighter’s captain, Shelana made introductions. “Fleet Captain Soren Magnussen, this is Captain Elmer Forrester, the captain of the Dawn Star.”
“Thank you for saving us, Fleet Captain.” Forrester stated in sincere thanks as he shook the Danish starship captain’s hand before asking in a plaintive voice, “Sir…do you have any information on my missing passengers and crew or on the status of my ship?”
“Your ship is secure.” Soren answered back soothingly. “I’ve taken the liberty of sending support personnel to ensure that there has been no sabotage and that it is still operable.” Seeing the concerned looks on the faces of the captain and the others, Magnussen reassured, “They have not entered anyone’s private quarters nor accessed any records or files. However…we would appreciate your allowing us access to your library database and logs as they might provide us valuable information on potentially getting you back home.”
“By all means, Fleet Captain.” Forrester agreed, “If your people need any assistance…”
Immediately recognizing that the other captain was politely asking if he and his crew could return to their ship, Soren nodded, “Thank you, that would be appreciated.”
After a momentary pause, the freighter captain inquired in a worried voice, “Can you please tell me anything about my missing passengers and crew?”
Pulling the captain aside where their conversation couldn’t be overheard while at the same time motioning for Ashley and the two humans rescued by her team to join them, Soren said in a low, solemn voice, “I don’t know how to tell you this but to tell you straight. If it were my crew, that’s how I would want to hear it.”
Taking a deep breath and exhaling, the freighter captain responded, “Thank you. I appreciate that, Captain.”
“The people who took them performed…experiments…on the ones we found.”
“What sort of experiments?” Forrester asked, choking back a sob.
“They had a variety of genetic and cybernetic experiments done on them.” Soren plainly replied.
“Shit.” The freighter captain swore. “Do you know who did this?”
“Perhaps we can discuss this later, Captain Forrester?” Soren suggested as he glanced at the disconsolate turian woman sitting with another woman who Soren had recognized was a quarian. “I’m sorry, but there’s one more task I have to take care of.”
Following the Fleet Captain’s gaze, Forrester nodded, “If it’s what I think it is, Fleet Captain...I should be with you when you tell her. Her and her husband were passengers of mine and so my responsibility.”
“Of course, Captain.” Soren concurred as his gaze turned to his ground team leader, “Lieutenant, if you would join us, please?”
“Yes, Sir.” Ashley responded with a slight incline of her head.
As they approached, Captain Forrester cleared his throat and spoke in a gentle tone, “Orinia? This is Fleet Captain Soren Magnussen and Lieutenant Ashley Williams.”
Looking up, the turian woman pleaded, “Do you have news of my husband? Is Lorrin all right?”
“I’m sorry, Ma’am…” Soren said in a soft, consoling tone of voice, “Your husband…”
“No!” Orinia shook her head, “No…No…No! This was our anniversary cruise!” Tears running down her cheeks, she sobbed, “How?”
“With courage, Ma’am.” Ashley lied, “He honored his family, clan, and regiment.”
Giving Ashley the turian equivalent of a sad smile, Orinia replied, “You don’t need to lie to me, Lieutenant. My husband was a businessman. He was never much of a soldier. We met while he was doing his required service. He was a clerk assigned to logistics and procurement. Just answer me one question, and please be honest. Was it painful?”
“I’m sorry, Ma’am.” Ashley replied as tears ran down her cheeks, “I’m afraid it was.”
“Did you get the ones who did this to him?”
“Some of them.” The Starfleet lieutenant responded.
“And you have my word we will find the rest, Ma’am.” Soren interjected as Lieutenant Commander Michaels approached.
“I’m sorry, Sir.” Jeff apologetically interrupted, gestured at two Klingons warriors behind him with a human male standing between them. “They said they found him hiding in a storage room. He says he’s part of the freighter’s crew.’
“Captain?” Soren turned to the commanding officer of the Dawn Star. “Is he part of your crew?”
“Yes.” Forrester nodded his head, “He’s a communications officer.”
“How did you escape?” Magnussen queried the man, quietly signaling Twesata to join him and the others.
“I was lucky.” The communications officer responded, “I was able to break away from those pointy-eared aliens during the attack.”
“He’s lying. He works for Cerberus.” Twesata declared, glaring at the man as she drew her phaser and fired, instantly stunning him. “He had a false tooth filled with cyanide.” She explained as she holstered her weapon. “I didn’t think you wanted him dying on us.”
“Good work, Lieutenant.” The Fleet Captain praised before explaining to the surprised and shocked freighter captain. “Lieutenant Glex is Betazoid. Her race is both empathic and telepathic.”
“What are you going to do to him?” Forrester inquired as he looked down on the fallen spy.
“While I’m tempted to let the Klingons have him…” Soren replied, bringing cruel grins from the two warriors, “I think I’ll let Salome interrogate him instead and then turn him over to Starfleet Intelligence. Jeff?”
Kneeling down next to the man, the security chief quickly removed the false tooth. “One fake tooth filled with cyanide, Sir.” Michaels exclaimed, the disgust on his face evident as he glared down his nose at the Cerberus agent before handing the phony tooth to his commanding officer. “You sure you don’t want me to save us the headaches and just give him to the Klingons, Sir?”
“I’m sure.” Soren replied, dismissing the Klingons. On their way out, the two warriors spat at the feet of the spy, with the leader growling in a low, menacing tone, “Pet’aQ.”
“Salome?” Soren gestured at the Belladonna intelligence officer, motioning for her to join the conversation.
“Sir?”
“Go with Lieutenant Commander Michaels and the prisoner. I want you in charge of this man’s interrogation.”
A cruel smile crossing her lips, the dark-haired lieutenant queried, “How extensive do you want the grilling?”
“Get as much information as you can while staying within the boundaries.” Magnussen grimly answered.
“The spirit or the letter?” The intelligence officer asked, the predatory grin still on her face.
“Keep it in the lines, Lieutenant.” Soren replied, “Get everything you can from him, but I want him in one piece when we get back.”
“Understood, Sir. But…” she remarked as she looked down at the prisoner, now beginning to shake off the effects of the phaser, “he doesn’t have to know that—does he?”
“I see no reason to tell him that.” Soren responded, “Just remember that you’re in Starfleet now.”
“I promise I’ll behave.” Salome vowed. Sauntering up to the groggy Cerberus agent, the intelligence specialist cupped the man’s chin while looking down on him. With a sneer on her face, she practically purred, “You and I are going to have such fun together.” Motioning for Dixie to join them, Salome requested, “Dixie’s familiar with his organization, Sir. Request permission for her to join the interrogation. It would also help if I had a telepath with me.”
Nodding his head, Soren gave his assent, “Glex…Whaley…go with Lieutenant Jenkins and assist her.”
“Aye, Sir.” Both women replied as they joined the group about to beam out.
“We’ll get what we can out of him, Sir…” Jeff promised, “but do I really have to keep the girls from ripping him apart?”
“I’m afraid so, Jeff.” Soren answered back. “I’ll see you back on the ship.” Turning his attention back to the grieving turian, the Danish starship captain inquired in a kindly voice, “Is there anything you need? Anything we can do for you?”
Orinia sniffed as the quarian woman with her comforted her the best she could, “Thank you. Please…may I see my husband? I need…I need to say goodbye to him.”
Nodding his head, Soren signaled a Caitan nurse, “Ensign Srerow will take you to him.” Turning to the ensign, the Fleet Captain requested, “These people aren’t familiar with how our transporters work and they’ve been through enough shock for one day. Contact the ship and have a shuttle sent down to take her and the others to the Valley Forge. See that they all receive checkups and medical care as needed and then have them assigned temporary quarters. Also, inform the counselor that his services will be needed.”
“Yes, Sir.” Ensign Srerow acknowledged as she gingerly took charge of the turian woman, speaking softly to her as she led her away.
“Thank you, Admiral.” The quarian woman said as she introduced herself, “I am Zara’Arosa vas Callina. But please, call me Zara.”
“Of course, Zara…” Soren smiled back, “But my rank is Fleet Captain, not admiral. Fleet Captain is a brevet rank given to a captain put in command of a temporary taskforce.”
“My apologies, Fleet Captain.” Zara replied, “May I ask you a question? Are we truly in another universe?”
“I’m afraid you are, Zara.” Soren answered back apologetically, “But rest assured, we will do everything we can to get you back to your home again.”
“I might have a theory on that, Fleet Captain.” The young quarian explained, “My specialty is astrophysics. I am currently studying the increased presence of dark energy and dark matter in certain star systems. The Farinata system, what we call the parallel system to this in our universe, possessed an increased amount of both dark energy and dark matter along with certain particles I cannot identify. I was wondering if…”
“You might be able to use our science labs?” Soren interrupted with a smile, completing the quarian’s request, “Of course you can. I’ll have my chief science officer coordinate with you. I’d be most interested in your findings.”
“Thank you, Fleet Captain.” Zara enthusiastically responded, “If I may, I’d like to get started as soon as I can.”
“By all means.” Soren readily agreed, “A shuttle should arrive for you shortly to take you to the ship.”
“Sir…” Zara politely requested, “If I may, I know that you use matter teleportation—I saw our captors use it to escape. I would like to ask that I be allowed to travel by that method so that I could get to work as soon as possible.”
His smile growing wider, the Danish starship captain responded as he tapped his comm badge, “Of course. Magnussen to Valley Forge. One to beam up, quarian, standing one meter in front of my location. Have Lieutenant Commander Zha’Thara meet her in the transporter room and tell Talana to cooperate fully with Ms. Zara.”
“Understood, Sir. Locked on, beginning transport.”
As Zara transported up and the other surviving passengers and crew of the Dawn Star, led by their captain, were escorted to the waiting shuttle, Soren turned to Ashley, announcing, “We’ll be leaving behind a garrison along with the Klingons and Romulans and another joint task force will be arriving in system shortly after we leave. You and your people did an excellent job, Lieutenant. You should be proud.”
“I am, Sir.” Ashley responded, “But not for myself. It’s the team that deserves all the credit. They worked well together. I just barked orders.”
Nodding his head approvingly, the Fleet Captain declared, “I’ll make sure that everyone receives proper credit when I file my report with Admiral Tuvok and Starfleet Command.” Watching as Shelana and Rana, along with the rest of the landing party, beamed out, Soren, smiling fondly at the gorgeous raven-haired woman standing next to him, quipped, “Ready to leave this rock, Lieutenant?”
Taking her beau’s hand in hers for a brief moment, Ashley looked up in his eyes and smiled back, “Hell yeah, Sir.”