Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

It’s over.

The being that so radically changed their galaxy in a matter of months vanished while saving a solar system from annihilation, and delaying the Reapers so they can prepare.

He’s gone, and now they’re all that’s left.

What the hell do they do now?

That’s a question the people of the Milky Way have started asking. But the answer is the same as it’s always been.

They deal the next problem. The next threat to their continued existence. Then the one after that, and so on, until they’re safe.

But specifically, what does the crew of the Normandy do now?

They’re docked at the citadel at this moment. The remaining crew stand in the conference room, surrounding the table. Shepard sits at its end, just staring down to the door at the other end, while Miranda drones on about their priorities.

She doesn’t have much to say though. They were pretty much done dealing with the galaxy’s problems when they lost him. The plan was to head for earth. It still is, in theory. It’s just a matter of dealing with all the issues that come with his absence before they do.

The room is silent for a moment, waiting for Shepard’s response. For his direction, his decision in their next course of action.

But Shepard isn’t the next one to speak. Rather, on the left side of the room, the shrill and harsh voice of the former rooter resounds with a thought no one else dared to speak.

“It wasn’t worth it.” Swift states, forcing the other’s attention to her.

“Excuse me?” Shepard remarks, looking up to the crimson alien. To the being foreign to all of them now.

“Slightly more than three hundred thousand lives. That’s all he did it for.” Swift states.

“He went out a hero.” Garrus tries to frame it.

“He died as a fool, damning the rest of us.” Swift harshly corrects him.

No one argues with that. Not because they couldn’t, but because they don’t want to. Not right now.

“The Omnitrix was worth incalculably more than what he died for.” Swift continues.

“We don’t know he’s dead. He said he’s survived worse, he could be” Tali tries to contest.

The hybrid rises out of her seat, slamming the primary of her two fingers into the table. Tali stops without finishing her sentence.

“The distinction is irrelevant. He isn’t here. You all let him sacrifice himself for nothing, for a single colony of aliens, and now you’ve been damned. And I’m trapped here without a hope of going home.” She erupts, just barely refraining from shouting.

“We’re still working on the Null Void Projector. Even without Ben, we’ll have a way to get to your universe soon enough.” Shepard informs her.

“You think that matters? Even if the proctor continues to help you, which he won’t the moment he figures out that Ben is gone, to return without him is to put myself in shackles.”

“You don’t think they’ll believe us?” Shepard questions.

“I think that even if they do, it won’t matter. I know the plumbers. Despite what he would have had you believe; they don’t tend to stick their noses where they don’t belong. Helping with your Reapers isn’t their priority. If anything, I suspect they’d quarantine this reality. Locking it off from the rest of the Multiverse, to ensure the Reapers can never expand beyond it.” Swift explains, again leaving the room silent for a time.

And they think on that notion. Of just how useless so many of their plans are now that they’ve lost him.

“So what will you do?” Shepard questions, looking to meet the hybrid’s glare.

And for just a moment he sees her spite falter. Slightly, but unmistakably. That perpetual anger fails to mask the uncertainty she feels. The fear she has to feel in the face of how powerless they all are.

“… I don’t know.” She admits.

“… Okay.” Shepard accepts. “We’ll talk more about it later.” He tells her, and she hesitantly sits back down. Her spiteful gaze is turned down to the empty table, left focusing on the middle distance.

“Tali, you were planning to return to the Migrant Fleet, right?” Shepard checks, looking to the quarian on his left.

“Right. To make sure they’re prepared for when the Reapers arrive, and… so they don’t do anything stupid until then.” She confirms.

“Okay.” He takes another second to think. “Anyone else planning on leaving before we head for Earth can make their mind up while I’m ashore. Once we’re planet side it’s going to be a hassle to get starborne again.” He places a hand on the table to help push himself to his feet.

The crew all nod, standing up as well when they realize he’s ending the meeting.

“Commander, where are you going?” Miranda asks.

“To give them the bad news.” He reaches for his helmet on the table.

When he enters the councilor’s office, there’s already a feeling of dread hanging in the air.

He tells Anderson what happened. The specifics, and everything he knows in addition to his report. Anderson believes him implicitly, but his expression just falls the moment the statements are said. First to uncertainty, then steeling to a determined resolve. To find a way forward regardless.

The posttheans hardly know what to make of the news. The ambassador and general especially, both simply falling silence once they know. That their savior, the being that freed them from the Reapers, is lost.

They thank Shepard for telling them. And for doing so in person. If they’d found out over the social mind, they aren’t certain they’d have been able to control the reactions of their peoples.

Finally, Shepard goes to the apartment reserved for the refugees. The aliens that came to their universe through Cerberus’s Null Void portal.

He uses the holographic panel outside their front door to ring the bell, and in hardly a moment the kineceleran is opening it from the other side, eagerly greeting him, but confused by him having come alone. The others are weary of this fact as well, coming over to the entrance in another moment to welcomd him, and question his lack of company.

The commander removes his helmet to tell them. Immediately, as soon as the apparatus slides off of his face, a sense of worry settles with them. All but the necrofriggian being able to intuitively recognize the look in his eyes, and even the less comparable alien picks up on his body language.

What he actually says doesn’t matter too much. The phrasing, the pacing, the specific words he chooses. Nothing is able to soften the blow of the news.

Tears come to the kineceleran’s pale eyes almost immediately, having a much harder time keeping herself composed than the others.

In truth, they can hardly even believe it. They know Shepard is one of the people they’re supposed to trust, that they can believe, but despite this the information itself is hard to process.

The necrofriggian and galvan both go completely silent. The lepidopteran simply in an effort to keep her reaction to herself, and the galvan as a result of all the thoughts that race through his head.

The kraaho can only turn away, covering his mouth with a hand as the idea resonates. It’s horrible. Ignoring for a moment the fact that they’re now stuck. That the one being that they unconditionally trusted, who promised to get them home, is now gone. Ignoring that, they lost a person. Someone they all knew, someone they might have called their friend if they’d got to spend a little more time with him. An icon, a hero.

The lewodan asks for more information, as tactfully as he can. How exactly it happened, how they can be so certain he’s not coming back, but each of the commander’s responses only cements that, as far as they can tell, he’s gone.

The kineceleran vanishes by the time the conversation is ending, pushing past the commander to run somewhere, anywhere else on the station. She’s left the presidium ring before Shepard even has the time to turn around to the hallway leading out.

The Galvan asks some more questions. Specific data, the circumstances, everything the Normandy and their suits recorded before and after they jumped through the Relay. Shepard says he’ll try to get him access to that data, but that it might take a while. And even if he does, it really doesn’t seem like anything will change their conclusion. He’s gone.

The Necrofriggian eventually has to leave as well, turning to glide up the stairs towards the rooms. She phases through one of the doors upon reaching it, giving them space to think over the information on their own.

The three that remain thank Shepard for letting them know, and he accepts that it’s time for him to go.

By the time he’s heading back to the Normandy the news is spreading to the public. To reporters, and civilians. Presumably from the postthean civilians, having found out through their social mind.

He knows he couldn’t keep it a secret forever. That them finding out now is probably a good thing. But he still worries for how they’ll react. What they’ll do, knowing their best defense is gone.

When he gets back to the Normandy he finds that most of his crew actually have places they should be. Most uncomfortably, he has to say goodbye to both Tali and Garrus. Both knowing they need to return to their people to help them prepare for the war effort.

He accepts this. Shepard knows they’re right, and sees them off.

He says goodbye to the others leaving as well. Several people he will miss, but none as much so as the crewmates from the SR1.

And then they depart. The Normandy takes off, and sets course for Earth.

To prepare in any way they can, in whatever time Ben bought them.

Chapter Text

It’s a quiet day on earth.

No real troubles, just yet. No pressing political turmoil in the news, no global catastrophes that need to be averted, no anything.

There are small problems, of course. Crimes in every city, in every country. The usual strife and hardship that comes with life. But nothing major. Nothing world changing. Nothing that would need more than the local, terrestrial authorities to resolve.

And as you would expect, in addition to this, there is no sign of Ben. As there has been no sign of him anywhere for months. Since he vanished without a trace.

And they’re running out of ways to look for him. Running out of hope, really. Every single time they try something new, it gives them the same result. That he’s just not anywhere. That he’s gone.

So they’re taking a break. A small one, but a break all the same. From their official duties, from schoolwork, and from looking.

The alien lets out a deep sigh, looking up to the night sky above them. To the countless stars, dimmed by the light of the adjacent city to leave only the brightest visible. Then his eyes drift, to the streetlamp down the sidewalk from him, to the buildings beyond it, and eventually to around to the teen walking back to him from the other side of the parking lot.

They extend their arm, handing him a beverage cup.

He leans off the side of the car to accept it, taking it with both hands to make sure it doesn’t spill. He then turns his attention past the first teen and to the second, making her way over as well.

“Thank you.” He says, and they both nod.

He turns to head down the car to the back door, while the second teen makes her way around to place herself in the passenger seat. The first teen takes the driver’s seat, pulling his keys out of his pocket to start up the blue and black automobile. Not to get them moving just yet, but to start the heater.

They all sit silently for a moment before the girl reaches over to the radio, hitting the power button.

“-onths since the disappearance of Ben Tennyson. Officials are still-”

She hits the button to switch to a different station, cutting off the report.

“-whose location is still unknown. When asked about the matter, P-”

She hits the button again, moving them to the next frequency.

“-anything happens again, who’s going to be here to protect us? It’s been shown time and again that Ben 10 was the only one who could-”

She hits the power button again, just shutting it off. She then leans back in her seat, using her other hand to set her drink down in the cupholder between her and the other human.

“Sorry. I have it tuned into all the interstellar news frequencies bringing him up. You know, just in case.” The male human says.

“No, it’s smart, it’s just…” The woman says.

“I know, Gwendolyn. I miss him too.” The alien speaks from the back seat.

There’s another pause before she lets out a deep sigh, reaching over to grab the paper bag full of their food and fish out the burger she bought.

“Look, I know no one wants to say it, but… We’re kind of running out of options, y’know?” The other human says.

“We will find him.” The alien speaks from the back seat.

“I know, I’m just saying. Asmuth has basically every sensor they can spare looking for him 24/7, I’ve gone through pretty much every connection I have, the Plumbers have all but given up, and you’ve flat out run out of locator spells. Hell, even Paradox is stumped.” He continues.

“We aren’t giving up, Kevin.” Gwendolyn practically scolds him, her volume just short of shouting.

“You know I’m not saying that.” Kevin says.

“Then what are you saying?” Rook questions, his tone just slightly stern.

“I’m saying that I don’t know what else to do.” Kevin elaborates solemnly.

And again, they’re left silent. None of them know what to say to that. He’s right.

After a moment Rook reaches forwards from the back seat, searching through the bag until he finds the cardboard box containing his food. He sets his drink down in the cupholder built into the back of the console, and pulls out the box. He can just barely see the “Burger Shack” logo in the faint light of the nearby streetlamps, and the shape of the chilly fries when he flips open the lid.

“I still think Malware’s responsible.” Gwen eventually comments.

“I don’t think so. He seemed about as surprised as us when Ben flashed out of existence.” Kevin says.

“Not as surprised as those vulpimancers.” Rook adds.

It gets a shallow laugh out of the other two, and then they go quite again. More so because they’re all eating than because they have nothing to say.

They’re there for a while, just eating, and occasionally chatting to one another. Talking about what they’ve been up to outside of looking for Ben, some of their old escapades, and positing a few ideas on what else they can do. But they aren’t going to do anything else tonight. It’s too late, and they’ve all been up far too long.

Eventually they finish, and Rook takes their trash. The car door slams shut behind him, keeping the heat trapped inside while he heads across the parking lot to the nearest trash can.

He flips up the flap with the back of his hand and tosses in the paper bag, stuffed with their garbage.

The flap patter back and forth for a second when he lets go of it, then stills.

He turns back around to head for the car when, instead, he just pauses. Just looking over the scene.

The cool night, the nearly empty streets, the streetlamps providing some of the only illumination to the artificial landscape, and the sparse assortment of cars in the lot ahead of him.

A night like any of the hundreds he spent on patrol with Ben. Like any of the ones they would have bemoaned the lack of engagement with. The lack of action.

He can almost imagine Ben just popping back into existence right here and now. Slipping back from wherever he’s gone with a dismissive excuse about why he hadn’t come back sooner, and a remark about how they should get some food.

He could imagine that. It would be in character for him. To rescue himself. To come back on his own like nothing happened.

But he doesn’t.

Rook lets out a deep breath, and continues across the lot, into the back seat of Kevin’s car.

It’s a week later that Rook stands in the massive infrastructure of Plumber Headquarters, in orbit around Earth. He looks at the screens of the monitoring station ahead of him, at all the scattered points of data relevant to what the Plumbers on staff are working on, and then he turns away.

He heads for the elevator, pausing as he reaches it so it can arrive at his level, and then steps in.

Or, he’s about to. He’s about to enter the elevator and head down to the cell block, when a painfully loud alarm blares through the facility. The lights all flash red oved the otherwise greens and blues of the station’s metal, and Rook takes off to get back to the monitoring station.

He leaps up the steps between him and it and skids to a stop, slamming his hands against an open part of the table.

“What is it!? Incurseans? Animo? Vilgax?” He guesses, looking down the table to the nearest plumber.

“N-no, Magister. It’s- It says that its picking up a massive energy surge in the heart of Bellwood. One that matches the signature of the… the Omnitrix.” The mole-like alien explains, snapping Rook’s attention to the exact location.

“Inform Magister Tennyson at once.” Rook orders, then looking to the next plumber on his other side. “Contact Gwendolyn Tennyson and Kevin Levin, and teleport us to the spike’s location.”

The human woman just barely nods to the order before doing exactly as he instructed.

In a matter of moments he vanishes from the control room and manifests in the heart of Bellwood, in the parking lot of a Mr. Smoothies. He quickly looks around, but doesn’t actually find anything out of the ordinary. Nothing besides the usual assortment of cars bathed in the vibrant morning sun, and the crowd of people at the establishment itself a block down from him.

It’s only an instant before Gwen and Kevin appear on the other side of the lot from him, taking a second to get their bearings before spotting him.

“Yo, Rook! What’s this about?” Kevin shouts out.

Rook’s about to answer, but before he can something between him and the others catches his eye. A flash of light. Like a candy wrapper being whisked away by the wind, catching the sunlight. Only it then happens again, brighter.

It’s evident enough that the others see it too. Both Gwen and Kevin take a step back, getting into combative stances. The magician summons the aura of manna around her hands, while the osmosian moves for one of the nearby cars, placing a hand on its roof to absorb the purple metal over himself.

The light flashes again, brighter still, and Rook reaches over his shoulder to grab the handle of his Proto-Tool, aiming it at the phenomenon.

This time it doesn’t vanish entirely between flashes. It just fades before brightening again, beginning to pulse. Brighter and brighter, and larger and larger, until it expands to fill a shape with definition.

From pulsing it goes to just shining, radiating a blinding light that takes the shape of a humanoid body. Though considerably larger than any human could be.

The center darkens, fading to a nearly solid black which soon populates with countless specks of white, like the night sky. The light dims as well to stop illuminating the environment, though it still casts on the object itself, like it’s rim lit. An impossible sight. Space confined to the shape of a person, given dept with a lighting self-imposed.

On the head they find three thin horns emerging to form a crown of sorts, and below it a pair of solid green eyes. The device on his chest absolves them of any doubts. The Omnitrix.

Alien-X lowers from the air, touching down against the cool asphalt of the parking lot, and looking from side to side to the people surrounding him.

“Ben!” They all shout.

Rook immediately dashes for him, flipping the Proto-Tool onto his back as quickly as he can to leave his hands free. The others do the same, getting rid of their offences and skidding to a stop in front of the looming body of the alien.

Several beeps proceed the flash of green they await, and the body shirks down into a shape all three of them have gone too long without seeing. Ben stands there, looking at the three of them with that almost annoying smirk he always has.

“Miss me?” He teases.

They basically tackle him with a hug, all three of them holding onto him for a moment before letting go, dropping him back to his feet.

“Agh. I know you love me, but come on guys!” He jokes.

“Ow!” Ben then then erupts as Kevin hits his arm.

“And that’s for disappearing.” Kevin states.

“I missed you too, Kev.” Ben smiles before looking to his cousin, and his partner.

“Ben! Where have you been!?” Rook basically shouts at him.

“And… what are you wearing?” Gwen has to ask, reaching forward to pull open his hoodie slightly, bringing everyone’s attention to the shirt he’s clothed in.

The green and black shirt, resembling the one they’re familiar with him wearing, but reading, in place of the usual 10, “#1 MOM.”

Kevin can’t help but laugh at it, looking up to Ben’s unamused expression before looking to the shirt again.

“What happened Tennyson? You vanish for half a year just to start a family?” Kevin jokes.

“You’re hilarious, Kev. No, it’s about the kids Big Chill had. They thought it was funny.” He quickly explains.

“Wait, wait, wait, slow down. Who did?” Gwen questions.

Ben chuckles, starting to look around at their environment. The familiar streets of Bellwood, the cars build with wheels meant to roll on the road, the human and alien people around looking over at the group with their variety of reactions, and, most importantly, the Mr. Smoothies down from them.

“It’s such a long story.” He focuses back on the group. “How about I tell you about it over smoothies?”

All three of them let out a laugh at that. Not in amusement, just in astonishment. Disbelief, almost. That it’s really Ben. That he’s really back. And that he hasn’t changed a bit.

“Another universe?” Kevin checks his understanding, looking across the table to Ben.

“Like the ones where you met Ben 23, and Gwen 10?” Rook asks, to his left, and Ben’s right.

“More like the one where I met that Rex guy. No me, and a totally different history.” Ben states between sips of the smoothie he bought.

He intentionally pays no mind to the astonished civilians and onlookers. He knows they aren’t surprised to see the effects of the Omnitrix, they’re surprised to see him. Because they know him, and because of how long he’s been gone.

“And there was a race of super-intelligent machines bent on the destruction of all intelligent life called Reapers?” Gwen questions.

“And they didn’t have ships that could use hyperspace. They had to use something called the “Mass Effect” in order to achieve FTL?” Kevin says.

“And in your time there, you not only managed to save the galaxy from a hostile race called the Collectors, but also freed these Collectors from Reaper control, introducing them to the galactic community?” Rook recaps.

“Yep, yep, and yep.” Ben affirms.

“You know, I might have called that crazy a few years ago, but at this point that’s actually pretty much what I expected.” Kevin says.

“Indeed. In comparison to the time Ben remade the entire universe and everything in it, this seems easy to believe. And that story turned out to be true.” Rook affirms.

“And you’re pretty sure that what brought you over to this “Mass Effect universe” was a faulty Null Void projector?” Gwen checks.

“Not faulty so much as it was just primitive. Made by this radical human supremacy group called Cerberus. I wasn’t even the first thing they brought over, I was just the first to arrive outside their lab. I think the Omnitrix did that. Added enough extra energy to the equation to mess up their tech and put me on the planet below.” Ben explains.

“And the others?” Gwen asks.

And Ben goes silent for a moment. Not because he’s taking a sip from the smoothie, but because he’s thinking. The smile leaves his face, and all three of them can see how seriously he takes the question for just a moment.

“Remember what I said about Cerberus being “radical” and about “human supremacy”?” He answers.

“No…” Rook realizes.

“I shut the base down as soon as I found it. When I get back, I’m gonna take down the rest of the organization.” Ben states.

And then there’s a pause. One in which, while Ben takes another sip of his drink, no one else says anything.

“What is it?” Ben picks up on their reaction, pulling the straw away from his lips.

“You’re gonna go back?” Kevin questions.

“Yeah, ‘course. I used Alien-X to slip back over here as soon as I had the chance, but now I can go to Paradox, or Hokestar, and get a reliable way to travel back and forth.” Ben says.

“Is that… really the best idea?” Rook tries to put it tactfully.

“What do you mean?” Ben asks, visibly confused.

“He just means… We lost you for nearly 8 months, Ben. What if this time, when you go over there, something happens, and you can’t get back at all?” Gwen explains.

“So, what, you’re saying I just leave them? Gwen, there are people from this universe trapped over there! Innocent people, pulled over by Cerberus’s projector! Gillrus, one of the Kraaho from down in Undertown. A kineceleran with family down in Undertown that have got to be worried sick about her. Agar, a Galvan, and a pretty big fan of mine. Lumi, this necrofriggian that was grabbed while traveling stars, and who I bet nobody even realizes is gone. And Ivatry, a lewodan that nearly died from what Cerberus did to him. And those are just the ones that we were able to save.” He informs.

“Jesus…” Kevin reacts.

“Ben, I had no idea…” Gwen says.

Ben lets out a sigh, forcing himself to take a second and cool off.

“No, I know. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have spoken to you like that… I’d be pretty weary about letting you go too if you vanished for half a year, but I can’t leave them there. And that’s not even counting the Rooters, or-”

“The Rooters?” Kevin cuts him off, immediately put on guard by the mention.

“Yeah, the Rooters. I know, right? They turned up while we were trying to shut off their portal. Servantis, Leander, and Phil are all in a prison I really think might be able to hold them. At least for a while.” Ben says.

“What about agent Swift?” Rook questions.

“Oh, yeah, get this. She actually had a change of heart.” Ben says.

“You’re kidding.” Kevin reacts.

“No, I’m totally serious. She really turned her act around. Totally betrayed Servantis, joined Shepard’s crew, and actually came around on the whole “thinking I should die” thing. She’s not so bad after you get past all the spiteful glares and threats.” Ben explains, shaking around the cup of his smoothie to settle the remaining liquid. “Only condition for helping was that I try to get her a second chance with the Plumbers when she comes back.”

“Your power to blindly trust people that have tried to kill you astounds me.” Rook says.

“Hey, it wasn’t blind trust. I really expected her to stab me in the back for the first couple weeks. But she ended up saving me a few times, even when she totally didn’t have to, so I’m pretty sure she was being serious.” Ben corrects him.

“And, Shepard. That’s the captain you server under, right?” Gwen checks, referring back to the name Ben dropped earlier.

“Commander, but yeah. Man, I’m telling you guys, you’re gonna love them. Shepard, Tali, Garrus. His whole crew. They’re all great.” He claims.

“We’re gonna meet them?” Kevin questions with a chuckle. “How’s that gonna work?”

“Well, now that I’m back and can get my hands on the tech to go back and forth, I’m gonna bring Shepard and the others over so they can ask the Plumbers for help fighting the Reapers.” Ben explains.

“That’s a bold plan.” Gwen remarks.

“Come on, who do you think you’re talking to? All my plans are bold.” Ben boasts.

“Gwendolyn is right, Ben. It is unlikely that the Plumbers will be willing to fight a battle in another universe. Especially one that pertains to us so little.” Rook informs him.

“So, what? You guys aren’t gonna help me?” Ben questions.

“I did not say that.” Rook assures.

“Trust me, Tennyson. If you’re going back over to fight giant robots, you can count me in. No way are you coming out of that on your own.” Kevin says.

“Hey.” Ben reacts.

“I’m with Kevin. Even if the Plumbers don’t approve, we’ll help you, Ben. I can’t lose my favorite cousin a second time.” Gwen tells him.

“You can count me in as well.” Rook adds. “In truth, I am eager to see some of the things you have described. The Citadel sounds especially captivating.”

“… Thanks.” Ben says after a moment.

“Of course, Ben.” Rook says.

“No, really, I mean it. Thanks. It’s been a long couple of months, and I really missed you guys.” Ben tells them.

“Well don’t get all sappy on us now, Tennyson.” Kevin prods.

“Kevin.” Gwen scolds him, elbowing his arm.

“Hey! What? I’m just saying. No need to get all teary eyed. It’s a happy reunion. We all get it.” Kevin defends himself.

As Gwen and Kevin continue to bicker for another moment, Ben looks to Rook with a smile.

“How’s Bellwood been?” He asks.

“Not the same, without you.” Rook tells him.

“No Vilgax attacks or anything?” He checks.

“One, but upon learning of your absence, he was so distraught that he decided to leave, and retire from his life of conquest.” Rook says.

“Really?” Ben checks with a confused chuckle.

“No. Vilgax has been missing since before you vanished.” Rook clarifies.

“Uhuh.” Ben says, turning away as he realizes Rook was joking, and that he fell for it.

“It is good to have you back, Ben. I’m sure Max and the others will be very relieved when they get the news.” Rook tells him.

“Grandpa Max!” Ben realizes, bolting to his feet and knocking his chair back. “Is he on duty right now?”

Rook, Gwen, and Kevin all quickly stand up as well, stepping away from the table as Ben moves around it and towards the street.

“He should be at plumber HQ.” Rook tells him.

Ben pulls up his Omnitrix, tapping through the menus as quickly as he can to get to the communicator, pinging the Plumber base.

“I’m sure Grandpa is going to be relieved to hear your voice, Ben.” Gwen says, walking over to where he went.

“Yeah. Old dude really tried everything to find you. I mean, we did too, but he has more connections than the three of us combined.” Kevin affirms.

“But, Ben, we should warn you-”

Ben doesn’t wait Gwen to finish. He makes the call, and immediately the line starts ringing. Only for a moment though. Three low monotone beeps as they wait, and then the line connects.

“Hello? Who is this?” A gruff voice comes through.

“Blukic?” Ben reacts.

“No, I’m Blukic. Who are you?” The galvan asks again.

“No, Blukic, he wasn’t saying that he was Blukic, he was asking if you were Blukic.” Another voice, far more shrill, explains.

“Ooh…” Blukic reacts.

“Look, it’s me, Ben. Can you put Grandpa through?”

“Ben who?” Blukic questions.

“Ben Tennyson? Blukic, Driba, you know me. Just call over Grandpa Max.” Ben requests.

“Ben Tennyson? Ben Tennyson has been missing for nearly 7 months… Wait, is this a prank call?” Driba suspects.

“I bet its Albedo again.” Blukic says.

“No, guys, it’s me just-”

Ben is cut off with the sound of someone else walking over to the station, and both of the galvans quickly getting out of their way.

“Oh good, someone with a brain.” Ben reacts.

“Oh for the love of- Hello? Who is this?” Another voice questions. “This is a secure Plumber frequency reserved for-”

“Grandpa, it’s me!” Ben quickly says, instantly recognizing the voice.

“Ben? Is that really you!?” Max reacts.

“I’m with Rook, Gwendolyn, and Kevin. Could you teleport us up?” He requests.

“I’ll do you one better. I’m on my way down now.” Max tells him, followed by a brisk series of keypresses that culminated in a fizzling sound.

The same humming fizz manifest just a second later on the sidewalk beside Ben, forming in just an instant the shape of Ben’s grandfather.

“Grandpa!” He exclaims, immediately moving to practically tackle the old man with a hug.

“Ben…” Is all Max can think to say in response, just taking a second to hold the boy.

He doesn’t know what else to do for a moment. He almost just laughs because there’s nothing else he can do short of crying to really express the sheer relief he feels. It’s a second before he looks up to the others, seeing them stepping over.

“Hey grandpa.” Gwen says.

“Sir.” Kevin respectfully greets him.

“Magister.” Rook follows.

“It’s so good to see you again, Grandpa.” Ben says, finally stepping back from Max. “There’s so much I have to tell you about… what…” Ben pauses as something registers with him.

Max, while for the most part the exact same as he was when Ben left, now features one distinct difference.

“Your arm.” Ben says, looking to his right arm. To the replacement for a right arm, segmented to let it bend and shift organically, and colored the natural silver of the metal its made from.

Max holds it up, moving it back and forth to look over it before it falls back to his side.

“Yeah. Turned out it’s pretty darn practical once I got used to the thing.” Max says.

“I was trying to warn you, but like always, you don’t listen.” Gwen chastises Ben, stepping around to his right side with Kevin, while Rook stands on his left.

“What happened?” Ben asks.

“Oh, don’t worry about it. I can tell you later. Right now I want to hear about what happened to you, Ben. I’m sure you have plenty of stories.” Max says, trying to dismiss his worry.

Ben can’t help but smile at his grandfather’s typical attitude, finally able to speak with him again.

“I do, Grandpa. It’s a long story, but, right now, it’s just good to be back.” Ben says.

“It’s good to have you back, son.” Max assures him.

Chapter Text

They’ve had months.

Enough time for marketing and propaganda to circular through the cultural consciousness a few times over. Every couple weeks they put out another wave of advertisements. Of calls to arms, nationalistic bravado, and statistics about the force they’ve yet to face, and every time they get the response they need. People signing up. Heading to recruitment offices, ready to go to basic training, ready to fight.

Enough time to take a second look at the global defense grid. To make sure their first and last lines of defense are the best they can be. To implement the new technology they’ve managed to reverse engineer into a practical situation. Into their ships and weapons.

It’s enough time to prepare. Or at least they think it is.

No one questions him when they get back. There are questions, obviously, but no one fails to believe him. He was right. Shepard was right.

The Reapers are coming. He and his team stalled them, but they’re coming, and when they get here they’re not going to have any more time to prepare. They’re going to need to be ready.

But somehow, he doesn’t feel like they’re doing enough.

Thousands of new recruits every day, constant breakthroughs with the data gained from both the Normandy systems and the now Postthean ships, a perpetual stream of new ships of every type being added to the Alliance fleets, and he still feels like it’s not enough.

He just can’t help but feel like they’re wasting time. Like they should be doing something more, something bigger.

It’s moments like these when everything they’re doing feels like it won’t be enough.

Sitting in the room they issued him on Earth. Basically down the hall from the defense committee for the entire planet. Somewhere that lets him reach them at a moments notice. Where they can keep an eye on him.

In his off time. The moments when he can’t work, or doesn’t have anything to do. That’s when he feels like they’re just stalling. Ants running around in the shadow of a bucket, about to drown their colony.

Not because the ants did anything wrong, or because the bucket is in any way hateful, but simply because they’re in the way. Because their existence was allowed, and their annihilation will be demanded. By forces grander than they can imagine, with more than they could dream to comprehend.

They struggle against it. The inevitability of something greater than them. Of beings ageless, timeless, countless, prepared to wipe them out for reasons they fail to fathom. They fight against that, or plan to, with all their might. And for what?

He can see a boy through the window of his room in a small garden built into the rooftop of one of the adjacent buildings. A public fixture meant to improve the canopy of the city. To preserve the environment, and visual appeal. One of countless set up across the sprawling metropolis, but one near enough for him to see on his breaks.

And there, is a boy. No older than ten or so. Sometimes accompanied by a man or woman, his parents maybe, or sometimes alone. He’s alone today.

The boy has to live in the apartments below, he thinks. That’s why he’s always up there. When the sky is clear, anyways. When it rains, or snows, the boy is hardly ever seen. On a day like today, with the sky overcast just enough for the sun to be hidden behind a thin layer of clouds, the boy is there.

Playing, he thinks. That’s what he’s usually doing. With action figures, or model cars, or sometimes, like today, with a model ship.

It brings his mind to the Normandy. He can’t see what kind of ships they are, of course, the boy’s too far away. Some stories below him, and across the street, but his mind wanders anyways. To his own ship. To the one that went down some years ago, and the one that replaced it.

So many days of the week, that’s where he finds himself looking. This man that’s saved the galaxy twice over. To a child he doesn’t know, simply playing in a garden below the morning sky.

That’s why they fight. That’s why, no matter what grand design the Reapers have for them, they will fight. Until there aren’t any of them left, they will do everything in their power to stay alive. Not for their own sake, but for their children. The people yet to even be born. So that they can see tomorrow. So that they can wake up knowing they’re safe. That the monsters in the darkness can’t hurt them. That they don’t have to be afraid.

His mind finds itself in these thoughts so often now. Reminding himself of why they fight. Why they struggle day after day, why they will do everything they can.

It feels like they’re wasting time. Like they aren’t doing enough. Like he’s not doing enough. Sitting in the lap of luxury, eating a hot meal three times a day and sleeping on a mattress meant for a civilian, not fighting.

He feels like for months, he’s been forced to wait. Watch as everyone else gets ready, taking his orders, while he just wastes time until the fight begins.

Some part of him hopes it’ll be like this forever. Waiting. Preparing, in the calm before the storm. That the Reapers might not even get to them in his lifetime, and that he might spend his days like this.

And another part of him wants nothing more than to know that when they finally arrive, he’ll be there for it. The man that’s been holding them back for years now. The one that was there at the very beginning, there to see it end.

But he hardly feels like that person.

While the rest of the world has been spending every moment preparing, he’s been wasting time. Forced to, by a lack of things to do.

And then he hears that knock on his door. The sound of the metal automatically sliding open, and the heavy steps of the person entering.

“Commander.” The soldier salutes him.

Built to an astonishing degree. Arms as large as Shepard’s head, but a darker tone of skin. Latino, evidently enough. He has short black hair, matched by a beard of similar length, and more than one tattoo visible on his neck and arms, peeking out from under his grey Alliance short.

“James, what is it?” He questions, turning away from the window to look at him.

“We gotta go. The defense committee wants to see you.” James says, turning to head back through the door and into the hall.

And just like that, like every time something needs to be done, Shepard is back.

“Sounds important.” Shepard remarks, pacing after him.

They take a left out of the door, heading down the hall past countless other in Alliance colors. All moving with a pace unfitting of politicians.

“What’s going on?” Shepard questions, catching up to James.

“Couldn’t say. Just told me they needed you. Now.” James says.

The two are forced to stop as they find a familiar face coming down the hall towards them.

“Anderson.” Shepard acknowledges the man. Dark skinned, very short and straight grey hair, and a face that looks like he’s been serving about as long as Shepard’s been alive.

“Admiral.” James salutes him.

Shepard takes Anderson’s hand when it extends towards him, firmly shaking it.

“You look good, Shepard.” Anderson says.

Anderson turns around and starts walking in the same direction Shepard and James were heading before. Shepard keeps up with him, and James falls back slightly to let them talk.

“Maybe a little soft around the edges.” Anderson adds as they take a right. “How’re you holding up, managing the defense effort here?”

“It’s not so bad once they start listening to you.” Shepard tells him. “What are you doing on Earth, Anderson? Shouldn’t you be dealing with the Council?”

“Been on Earth for a while now, actually. Dealing with things over in the UK. Udina’s practically taken over for me on the Citadel.” Anderson informs him.

They take another right at the end of the hall, heading for a large staircase.

“Then why are you here? Why’s everyone in such a hurry?” Shepard questions.

“They haven’t told you? Damned Bureaucrats. I’m guessing word’s made it to Alliance command by now. Something big’s headed our way.” Anderson states.

They reach the staircase and Anderson makes it up a few steps, but Shepard stops at the base as he hears the words.

“The Reapers?” Shepard questions, causing the Admiral to stop as well and look back at him.

“We don’t know. Not for certain. But…” Anderson says.

“We’re out of time.” Shepard realizes.

Anderson doesn’t hesitate to turn and continue up the stairs, Shepard marching up after him,

“That’s what it seems like, but you need to tell that to the defense committee.” Anderson says.

“What we need is to mobilize the fleets.” Shepard responds, harshly.

“Hackett’s already on it.” Anderson states.

They take a left at the top of the stairs, heading down another hall past the Alliance personnel. The windows on their right tell them they’ve reached the edge of the building, letting them see the city beyond it. Vancouver.

“They’re just scared, Shepard. They’ve been taking your word for months. They need you to tell them what to do. None of them have seen what you’ve seen. You’ve faced down a Reaper. Hell, you’ve spoke to one, then blew the damn thing up. You’ve seen how they harvest us. What they plan to do to us. You and Ben stole a damned army from them. You know more about this enemy than anyone. That’s why they’ve been letting you lead the charge since you got to Earth.” Anderson tells him.

“That, and your good word?” Shepard remarks.

“Yeah.” Anderson responds, like it should be a given. “I trust you, Shepard. And so does the committee.”

“I’m just a soldier, Anderson. I’m no politician.” Shepard reminds him.

“I don’t need you to be either. I just need you to keep doing whatever the hell it takes to stop the Reapers.” Anderson states.

They pass through a door at the end of the hall, entering an office space. A woman just before the front desk looks up as they reach her. A woman familiar to Shepard. Her skin a stark red, the horns curving over her eyes and up off her face a golden yellow, her lips and hair a deep glossy black, as is the crystal between her horns, and her eyes are a solid red. Beyond her face, more traits clue them into the fact she’s not human. A tail falling from her lower back to the floor, resting at her three-digited feet; and a stretched membrane forming a set of wings under her arms, running from where her tail begins to her wrists, where her three digited hands set down the data pad she was holding. All colored the same deep crimson of her skin.

Her main body is covered with an armor unlike most of the personnel. Her Rooter uniform, the one she’s had since they first met her, thought now colored the same blue and gold as those working around her.

“Swift. Good to see you.” Shepard greets her. She only responds with a nod before looking to their next destination, a door on the far side of the room.

“They’re expecting you two.” She says.

They take a right to follow her, heading through another door into a waiting room space, busy with even more Alliance brass.

“Good luck in there, Shepard.” James says, catching up now that they’re slowing down. Shepard turns around to face him once he speaks, accepting the hand he offers to shake.

Anderson continues forward, meeting at the back of the room someone else familiar to them. A woman, clothed in a glossy blue uniform. Light human skin, and mahogany brown hair reaching slightly past her shoulders.

“Anderson.” The soldier greets him.

Anderson nods, waiting as she quickly looks past him to the alien, and past her to the Commander.

“Shepard!” She announces as soon as she spots him.

He quickly turns around from James, looking over to where they stand.

“Ashley?” Shepard instantly recognizes her, making his way over to them.

“Lieutenant commander. How’d it go in there?” Anderson asks, snapping her attention back to him.

“I can never tell with them. I’m just waiting for orders now.” Ashley tells him.

“What are you doing here in Vancouver?” Shepard questions, stopping on the other side of Anderson to Swift.

“You hadn’t heard?” Anderson realizes.

“No. I’m a bit out of the loop for what’s happening with my old teammates these days.” Shepard tells him.

“Sorry, sir. Didn’t mean to keep you out of the loop.” Ashley says.

“I’m sure you had your reasons.” Shepard quickly dismisses it.

“Yeah, I guess I did. Still, good to see you.” Ashley tells him.

“Admiral.” Swift speaks up, trying to get them back on track.

“Right. Come on.” Anderson accepts, heading forwards.

Ashley quickly steps aside, letting Shepard, Anderson, and Swift continue on into the Committee chamber.

Ahsley smiles at Shepard as he passes by her, but the expression quickly falls again once he’s past her. James steps over to her side with the space emptying, watching the others go.

“You know the Commander?” James checks.

“I used to.” Ashley tells him.

Once through the set of doors, Swift quickly kicks off the ground, barely needing to toss her wings down against the air to sail over to the far side of the room.

She lands beside an older man, standing before the grand curve of windows at the back of the space clearly displaying the city beyond it, and the river to their left.

He looks to her upon hearing her land, then looks back to the doors. He doesn’t waste time in heading back in the direction of the entrance towards a set of podiums, taking his place in what Shepard an Anderson view as the left side.

Swift makes her way back around to join them as the three members of the committee set their focus on them.

“Admiral Anderson. Shepard.” The man in the center of the podium acknowledges them.

“What’s the situation?” Shepard has to ask.

“We were hoping you would tell us.” The same man tells him.

Swift steps back as one of the Alliance people walks over to Shepard, handing him a datapad before making their way back to one of the stations at the edges of the room.

“The reports coming in are unlike anything we could have expected. Whole colonies have gone dark. We’ve lost contact with everything beyond the sol relay.” The third of the committee says, a woman at the right of the podium.

Shepard stops reading the pad after only a moment, looking up to the three people sitting at their places above him.

“You’ve brought me here to confirm what we already know. The Reapers are here.” Shepard announces.

They’ve been expecting this. They’ve known it was coming. But the notion of it being now, of their time having run out, it startles them. Not just the defense committee, but everyone around the room. Every soldier and technician at their stations by the walls.

“Then… are we ready? Can we stop them?” The woman asks.

Shepard spares a glance to Anderson, then takes a step forward.

“Stop them?” He parrots her words, then holds up the datapad. “Based on this, I’m not even sure we’ve slowed them down. Right now, this isn’t about winning. This is about survival. We-”

Before Shepard can get out any more, a beeping comes from one of the stations on his left, causing everyone to look in that direction.

“Admiral, we’ve lost contact with Luna base.” One of the technicians announces, standing up from her station.

“The moon? They couldn’t be that close already.” Anderson mutters to himself.

“How’d they get past our defenses?” The man at the left of the podium questions.

“Sir. UK headquarters has a visual.” Another of the techs says.

Shepard turns back at the same time as everyone else, looking up at a large monitor handing on the wall over the doors.

Quickly the feed loads into view. A news broadcast. A reporter silently displayed in the bottom left of the screen, while a video takes up most of the available space. It’s a soldier shouting at the camera. His words are indistinguishable over the static, and the fog of ash in the air mixed with the low quality keeps them being able to make out the movement of his mouth. Soon though, it doesn’t matter. The only sound that matters, blaring over the soldier, is the metallic roar of a Reaper, and an explosion that rushes over the space. Hitting the soldier with enough force for the feed to cut to black with a clear “Signal lost” loading on screen.

No one remains in their seat upon seeing this. Every person in the room rises to their feet, watching as the screen changes to display another video feed. Satellite footage of the same location.

A Reaper.

A full, physical Reaper, standing among the buildings, towering as tall as them. Firing down upon the streets with a steady rhythm.

The screen shifts to allow five more videos into view around the first. The Golden Gate bridge, and the forms of Reapers on the horizon past it. Space, looking down on the eastern hemisphere, where countless Reapers fall towards the planet. Cities drowning in the dust of falling buildings.

The shots rearrange themselves again to display more videos loading in. Twelve in total now. Reapers, in nearly every one. Their horrible tunes reigning over the speakers from all of them. And then they start going dark.

One feed in particular expands to take up the full screen, and then it pauses. On the shot of two Reapers standing against the setting sun. Like the sky’s on fire behind them. And them, standing sharply defined. Those monstrous things turned towards the camera, in a falling city.

“Why haven’t we heard from Admiral Hackett?” Anderson speaks, turning to Shepard.

No one else speaks. Not loudly enough to stand out. Not for a moment, until the man at the center of the podium breaks the silence.

“What do we do?” He asks.

Shepard spins around to face him immediately, taking a step towards the podium.

“The only thing we can. We fight, or we die!” Shepard announces with a righteous certainty.

And again, they fall silent in response. They’re here. It’s happening now, and everything they’ve done might have been for nothing.

“We should get to the Normandy” Anderson speaks, stepping up behind Shepard.

Then comes a rumbling like thunder, turning everyone’s attention up to the sky. A droning hum grips the space, seeming to come from everywhere, booming through the walls unhindered, and shaking them to their bones.

They look out through the window and can only watch. Only bear witness to the great mechanical form of their annihilation. Of their death. That awful synthetic noise getting louder all the while as it moves to land.

A beam erupts from the front of the machine, slicing through one of the other buildings with a heavy wail.

“Move!” Shepard realizes, turning away from the window to call out the word again. “Move, move, move!”

And then it hits them. That wave of heat tears through the room as the windows are blown in. None of them have the time to react to the entire podium being thrown from the ground, sailing through the air with enough force to bounce the first time it hits the ground, sailing over Shepard and crashing into the back wall. Embedding itself into the space the doors were.

Shepard slides to a halt upon witnessing this, quickly looking back to the now shattered windows to see the Reaper firing again.

The beam hits the building, and instantly that horrible roar goes silent. It all goes silent.

Shepard is thrown off his feet, sailing through the air to hit the far wall, slamming into the thin layer of drywall over the metal beams, and falling to hit first a bench and then the ground.

Everything is silent for a time. Nothing makes any noise. The pained breath that leaves his lungs is silent to him, and when his eyes open the world is blurry and all too bright. And then sound begins to fade back in, first as a painful ringing, but then blending into the distant sounds of screams.

He puts a hand to his forehead with another groan, one he can hear this time, and leans his head up.

“Shepard!” He thinks a voice shouts out. Muffled and distant, but he thinks it was his name.

Shepard forces his torso up. One hand remains on his head, holding it in place, while the other pushes against the ground.

The ground feels hot. The tile floor under his hand feels burned. Charred, and heated. Contrasted starkly be the cool wind now breathing into the room.

His breathing is pained, but only in the way ash scrapes a throat. His bones feel to be intact. A better state than the skin on his chest, which he can feel his formal clothes already dispersing a numbing medigel onto to seal his wounds.

“Shepard!” They shout again, though this time he can tell its Anderson’s voice.

Shepard’s vision manages to focus as the Admiral spots him. He doesn’t waste a second jogging over to the Commander.

“Shepard.” Anderson says again, getting his attention one final time.

He extends a hand Shepard doesn’t hesitate to take.

“Come on, get up.” Anderson says, pulling Shepard up to his feet.

Shepard doesn’t need help standing, but he does let out a cough as his body adjusts to functioning again. Anderson taps his shoulder in a “you’re alright” sort of way, then turns away from him to look over the ruins of the room.

Ruins. In a matter of seconds, the space has been reduced to a state of ruin. Burning, with pieces of rubble and support having been torn from the walls and ceiling.

“Here, take this.” Anderson speaks up, drawing Shepard’s attention down to a pistol in his hand. He quickly reaches out to take it, then returns his attention to the room.

“We’ve got to get moving.” Anderson says, heading away from the doors. The ones completely blocked off by the thrown podium.

Shepard quickly heads for the nearest body on the ground, kneeling down and extending a hand to check for a pulse. He finds none, only a thin layer of blood covering the man’s skin. Shepard wipes his hand off on his pants as he rises back to his feet.

“This is Admiral Anderson, report in, anyone.” Anderson speaks, his left hand resting against the left side of his head to control his communicator.

Shepard looks to the spot they were standing, and then follows the path of travel to where he was thrown. He then looks to Anderson, tracking his footsteps in the dust back to where he landed. He averages the points and sets himself to head for a slab of rubble on the right side of the room.

“Lieutenant Commander Williams, is that you? What’s your status?” Anderson speaks.

Shepard ducks down by the slab of concrete, setting the pistol on the ground to grip the shard with both hands, and lift with all his strength. With audible strain he manages to lift it up enough to look below, and finds exactly what he expects.

“Swift, get up.” He commands.

She comes to with a gasp, her head flicking around for a second to let her blank red eyes scan over everything in view. The hybrid only takes a second to figure out what happened, then doesn’t waste time pushing herself against the ground. She slides her body against the tile floor until enough of her is out from under the rubble to let her push herself up to her feet with a hiss, letting Shepard drop the slab again.

He has to take a second to catch his breath, and Swift does the same. She’s notably less damaged than Shepard, despite the rougher landing. Unlike the Commander, her armor is still free of her own blood, and her skin is all but unbroken. The only exception being a few scrapes on her tail from where it was seemingly pinched under the stone. Even then, it’s not enough to draw blood.

She looks over the space as soon as she adjusts, and quickly drops down to grab the pistol by Shepard’s feet. She rises back to full height and extends her hand to give it back to him.

He meets her eyes as he takes the gun, doing his best to read her status through every other cue she displays. She only nods to confirm she’s okay, and Shepard acknowledges it, letting them both head back across the space to Anderson.

They meet him by the frames of the windows, very faintly steaming with their heat colliding against the cool breeze.

“I can’t raise the Normandy. You’ll have to contact them. We’ll meet you at the landing zone. Anderson out.” Anderson says, still speaking through the radio.

The reaper that fired on them towers so high above the buildings that its almost difficult to see the precipice of its curved hull.

It fires still, blowing out whole stories from countless of the surrounding buildings, leaving the ones still standing in a blaze. The city is on fire. As many shuttles are taking off as are crashing, going down in blazes like meteors, matching those coming from the sky to reinforce the Reapers. Explosions and screaming. And the perpetual tone of their weapons.

“Swift. Good to see you made it.” Anderson acknowledges her.

“I’m not dying on this pale imitation of Earth, Anderson.” Swift snaps back at him.

“That’s the spirit.” Anderson commends, turning to hop out through the windows to a lower platform running along the perimeter of the building below. Shepard follows after him, and Swift dives down last, gliding to a stop at the edge of the makeshift walkway.

“They’re massive.” Anderson reacts, looking up at the colossal frames of the distant and near Reapers.

Swift looks back to them as they catch up, Anderson taking the lead in heading down the pathway.

“Shepard. Orders?” She requests.

“Come on. Ashley’s headed for the Normandy. They’ll pick us up if we can get to the spaceport.” Anderson calls out to both of them, causing both to glance to him for a second before looking back to each other.

“Where’s the proto-tool?” Shepard asks.

“The Normandy.” She states.

“Then keep up.” Shepard decides.

She only nods, rising to her feet to march after the other two.

“Let’s move.” Anderson shouts back.

The structure serving as a walkway is wide enough to let them run comfortably. Swift doesn’t bother with it though. She hops off while Shepard and Anderson jog ahead, extending her wings to catch the wind under her and glide along in the air.

“Look out!” Anderson erupts not a few seconds later, doing his best to stop as another laser sweeps down from the sky and into the building on their left. A different wing of the same structure they just came from.

It erupts the moment the beam slices through the outer walls, the air inside heated to a point of ignition, the windows bursting from the pressure differential, and too many screams going silent all at once, only to be filled by new ones.

Swift doesn’t waste time in swinging back down to the two men, grabbing onto the metal surface with her taloned feet and grabbing Shepard’s arm to keep him stable against the tremor that rocks through the foundation of the building.

It only takes a second for them both to gather their balance, and once they do Swift lets go again. Falling through the open air for a second before catching herself in a glide and traveling back up.

“How do you stop something so powerful?” Anderson has to ask as they continue moving.

The structure merges with an actual walkway not far ahead, one that was torn through by the Reaper’s attack. It’s still held in place by the intact supports reaching to the walls of the building, but notably it has whole panels missing.

“Take a running jump. It’s farther than it looks.” Anderson calls back as he gets to the split, doing as he advises.

Swift keeps an eye on them, but doesn’t need to help with getting them across. Shepard’s more than capable of leaping the gaps, keeping up with Anderson when he heads around the end of the building to their left where the walkway connects with an actual rooftop. They just have to take a ladder up to get to its top.

Swift drifts back down as Shepard and Anderson slow down. They hop over a set of air conditioning vents, letting them get to the other side where they fully stop.

Shepard takes the moment to look out at the city again. It’s not hard to tune into the sound of gunshots and screaming. The whirring of jets and turbines carrying shuttle cars through the sky, and the tumultuous roar of the fires in every direction, falling from the sky, carrying with them the Reaper’s victims in one form or another.

Anderson reaches up to the side of his head to trigger his comms again, waiting for just a second to speak. Shepard moves his attention back to him as he does.

“Lieutenant-Commander, you read me? I’m patching in Shepard and Swift.” The Admiral says.

Not a second later both of their omni-tools ping them with the connection, and they’re able to hear the response from the other side.

“We’re almost to the Normandy. I’ve got Lieutenant Vega with me, but we’re taking heavy fire.” Ashley tells them.

“Hold out, we’ll be there soon.” Anderson says.

Shepard looks back to the foreign hybrid, and immediately her focus snaps to him.

“Scout ahead. Make sure the path’s clear to the spaceport, but don’t get the Reaper’s attention.” Shepard tells her.

“Understood.” She accepts, quickly turning to leap off the edge of the roof. One wing dips lower than the other when she first spreads them, then quickly evens out once the other is in the air, and after hardly a second of balancing her body jumps to speed, taking off down into the city streets below them.

The blue and gold of her armor vanishes in hardly a second into the dulled cityscape, greyed by the overcast sky. The vibrant red of her skin remains in focus to them for only as long as it takes her to swing around the corner of the building ahead of them.

“Damn. Hell of a solider.” Anderson remarks, turning his attention back to their own path forward.

The roof of a skybridge, just a story down from their level. Anderson doesn’t waste time hopping down from one roof to another, followed soon after by Shepard.

“She won’t be long.” Shepard tells him.

Shepard’s focus turns to the building ahead of them, the one the skybridge connects to. Luckily on their right is a balcony, with a ladder leading down to it on the other side of the bridge. On the balcony itself, moving towards the doors, is…

“Husks, take them out!” Anderson shouts out, snapping Shepard’s attention back to him, and then to the walls of the building they approach.

Their pistols find their marks in barely a second, and neither waste time in firing off a volley of shots towards the husks, only stopping when squeezing down on the trigger results with a click from the firearms rather than a shot. A fair few of the husks falls from the sheer face of the building, but more just carry on, unconcerned by the two.

“I’m outta ammo!” Anderson shouts back, holstering his gun as he heads for the aforementioned ladder. “Come on, we’ve gotta go!”

Shepard follows after him, sliding down the structure and hopping over the rails to get himself onto the balcony. Where… he’s not quite sure. A moment ago he thought he saw something, but now he couldn’t say what. Not a husk. The balcony is clear of them, letting Shepard and Anderson head on towards the doors.

Locked. Anderson’s about to pull up his omni-tool when both of them have to turn their attention to their right, with the tangible force of a Reaper’s limb colliding with the street below, shaking the entire building.

They can hardly go more than a second without a reminder of their presence. Without a shockwave of heat and a flash of light consuming a building, or one of the meteors carrying their servants crashing into a street below.

They can’t make any substantial progress before the buildings they’re headed towards are sliced open with a Reaper’s beam. This one is no exception.

Both men have barely a second to dash back from the doors, diving to the ground before the windows and door are blown out from within. Luck is the only thing that keeps the metal hatch from crushing either of them on its way off the balcony and into the next building over a few stories down.

Shepard’s the first to get back to his feet, sparing a glance to make sure Anderson is okay before he looks to the sheer devastation the beam left in its wake. The deformation of the window frames barely holding up the wall facing them. The ceiling still collapsing within, covering the floor with dust and rubble.

At least the door isn’t a problem now.

They both head in, Shepard taking a moment to assess the damage, while Anderson heads towards the back of the room, where he spots a sealed door.

“Gotta find a way to street level.” Anderson says aloud, pulling up his omni-tool as he reaches the hatch to get it open.

The floor is still warm. Even through Shepard’s boots he can feel the heat of the floor yet to cool after the blast. It would probably burn him without the protection.

The sound of an Alliance shuttle whizzes by outside, the jets unmistakable for anything else, followed quickly by inherently wrong sound of the Reaper drones trailing after it. The same kind they found beyond the Omega 4 relay. All audibly through the holes torn in the ceiling and walls, revealing the world outside.

Shepard can hear it all, but he has to keep himself from tuning into it. He can’t listen, because right now he can’t help. The people crying out on the streets dozens of stories below them. The husks snarling as they come to life. The drone of the Reapers, that ever-present humming, and their tremendous collisions with the earth coming of each step.

The rustle of something moving in the vents.

Shepard’s attention snaps in that direction. The vent at the far side of the room, in the way Anderson went.

He can hear Anderson on the other side of the hatch, evidently forced open to let him through. That’s not where this sound is coming from. It’s the vent, At the left side of the left wall.

Shepard makes his way over, carefully crouching down beside it, looking in. He leans himself forward once he sees what’s inside. He can hardly believe it. He reaches out to brace himself on the-

“Shepard!” Anderson calls out, and immediately Shepard’s attention snaps in his direction, seeing the Admiral having made his way back through the doors.

And then his hand makes contact with the edge of the vent, and he hisses as he yanks the limb back, burned from the split-second contact.

“Come on, through here.” Anderson says, turning to head back through the hatch again.

Shepard has to take a second just to look back to the vent, and then to his burned hand. Obviously, the metal remains as heated as everything else in the room, far too much so to not burn anything inside. And the insides are empty, completely hollow.

He has to dismiss it as he rises to his feet again, turning to follow after Anderson. The ever-present groans and roars of the Reapers fading into the background now. Echoing those grinded wails, like metal dragged against itself, for someone else to hear.

The building beyond the hatch is in a worse state than the first room, evidently having been torn through by the initial beam. Anderson’s doing what he can to push aside the metal beams with his jacket, using it to dull the heat while he clears them a path.

“Agh, this is a god damn mess.” He expresses, managing to shove a beam far enough out of the way to give them a path forward. “Every minute these machines are here, thousands of innocent people die. I won’t be responsible.” He continues.

“It’s hard enough fighting a war, but it’s worse knowing no matter how hard you try… you can’t save them all.” Shepard affirms his sentiment, ducking down as well to follow after him.

“Exactly.” Anderson says.

Coming to another piece of metal he carefully uses his jacket to lift it up. Shepard has to move through while Anderson is still lifting it.

“They hit so fast…” The Admiral lets out a frustrated sigh. “I thought we’d have more time.”

Shepard takes hold of the Jacket once he’s standing on the other side of the debris, keeping it up for Anderson to move through.

“We knew they were coming.” Shepard tells him.

“And they still just cut through our defenses.” Anderson reminds him, accepting the jacket Shepard hands back to him. “We need to go to the citadel, talk to the council.” He decides.

“The Citadel? Sir, the fight’s here. We need to rally our forces, figure out what happened. How they got past our defenses.” Shepard tries to convince him.

“If they got past us here, they got past us everywhere. We have to face the facts. The Reapers are just too powerful to defeat conventionally. We need something more.” Anderson says.

He ducks down, carefully making his way forward through an opening in the next section of debris.

“Before communications went dark, I’d heard Liars might have found something in the Prothean archives on Mars. She’s been making progress since the posttheans sent out a team to help with decryption.” Shepard tells him.

“Good. Then you get that, and then you head for the Citadel. We’re gonna need help holding them off until we find a way to get rid of the bastards for good. The council has to help us.” Anderson says.

“You sure about that?” Shepard questions.

“No, but you’re a Council Spectre, that has to count for something.” Anderson responds, coming out of the narrow tunnel of debris on the other side, finally able to stand again.

“And if the Prothean archives are a dead end?” Shepard questions.

“You let me worry about that. We had plans in the works for months. We just need the reinforcements to keep the Reapers from getting to them.” Anderson tells him.

“Why wasn’t I told?” Shepard asks.

“Because you had enough on your plate as it was. We can talk about this on the Normandy. We need to keep moving.” Anderson says.

Shepard can accept this, and hops through the window on the far wall after Anderson, landing on a garden balcony just beyond it. They head left, letting them head forwards along the side of the building.

They have a clear view of the water up ahead now, no major buildings left between them and the port. They can just about see the spaceport. A series of landing pads on the water, starting ahead of them, and extending to the left a ways behind the buildings they head towards.

And yet another of the machines comes down from the sky. A Reaper, landing in the bay ahead of them, crashing down through the water what must be a couple hundred feet for the tips of its legs to brace against the ground. There’s no preparation before the laser emerges from a central port on the top of its massive shell, sweeping over the bay to hit one of the landing pads.

“God.” Anderson voices, taking in the sight. Keeping his eyes on the looming structure, he raises a hand to the side of his head. “Lieutenant-Commander Williams, we’re in sight of the spaceport. ETA: 3 minutes.” Anderson says.

They continue down from the garden ledge, on another floating structure orbiting the building, to get to a lower rooftop.

“We’ve made it to the Normandy. Taking heavy fire… Oh, god!” Ashley shouts back over the radio.

They can feel the sheer force of the beam the Reaper fires off, turning its attention to around the left of the building they approach. They head from the rooftop they’re on, into the ruins of the building they were heading around.

Suddenly, they can see the sky. Every one of the dozens of floors that should be above them simply isn’t. On their left the building stands fairly intact, but about halfway through the entire structure simply collapsed, leaving only the wall that was on their side standing.

“They’re gonna take down that dreadnaught! Evasive maneuvers!” Ashley shouts.

They can see it from where they are, now. The beam tearing through the dreadnaught hovering over the city on the other side of the river. The ship itself exploding from the inside out, erupting in a flash of fire and light that they can feel from where they are.

“Lieutenant-Commander? Ashley? Damn it! They’re in trouble.” Anderson determines.

And then the second wave hits. What must have been the drive core is stuck, completely blowing, and the rest of the dreadnaught is made invisible within the core of the explosion. The sheer force of it rips over the city, making the buildings closest to it tremble, and hitting Shepard and Anderson where they are hard enough to knock them off their feet.

They both slam back against the ruins of the building they’re in, tumbling in Anderson’s case to roll to a stop on one of the slabs of concrete ripped from the structure around them. They both have to take a second to get their bearings and pull themselves up afterwards.

“Agh, shit.” Shepard groans, finding the pistol to have been thrown from his grasp in the fall. He spots it some stories below them, down the slope of rubble making on the level they’re on. He might even be able to make it down there, if he was careful about it, but it wouldn’t be worth it. No ammo, and he can see someone already moving for it. What he can just make out as…

“Shepard.” Anderson calls out, snapping the Commander’s attention back around to him. “You alright?” He checks.

“I’ll live, if we can get to the Normandy.” Shepard responds before reaching up to his own communicator. “Swift, what’s your status?” Shepard checks.

“Circling back …now. I have – clear path to – …ship. – …guide you.” Swift responds, cutting out every few words.

“We’re in what’s left of the Waterfront Centre. Meet us on the west side.” Shepard says.

Her response is considerably more garbled than either of them can make out, meaning they just have to assume it came through on her end.

Shepard turns his attention back to his environment and doesn’t waste time in jogging after Anderson, following him to a slope down on the far side of the building. It’s not an easy decent, leaping between the remains of balconies, gardens, and terrace-like structures, but they make it down.

It’s no sooner that they’re able to see the state of things, finally on street level for the first time since the attack began.

Between the buildings the sound of gunfire carries much further, bouncing against the towering walls. There’s just so much of it. That drumming beat, coming from every direction, dealing with the lowest ranks of the Reaper forces.

The pale and mechanical bodies of the husks, dashing through the streets in hoards after every civilian left out of cover. The walking corpses, chasing the people seeking safety. Their bare feet beating against the coarse asphalt of the road, with a speed and force that will would wear down their flesh and joints, if that even mattered anymore.

The drones, hunting after the shuttles in the sky, falling less frequently than the latter craft. Sweeping through the air to keep the skies clear. To keep anything from even daring to approach the monstrous presence of the physical Reapers. The city left in their shadows from the sheer scale.

Their humming. The droning tune carried with every shot they fire, the fog horn of a roar that bellows out across the skies without relent.

Then Shepard spots, in the sky, what they wait for. Swift. The deep red of her skin and the gold of her armor glistening in the muted tones of the morning sky. She keeps herself low, weaving between the drones countless stories below the Reapers themselves.

She glides from the face of one building to another, never straying far enough off to be noticed. Not until she spots Shepard and Anderson and lets herself fall through the air towards them. Pulling her wings back just before she reaches the ground, her legs swing forwards and strike the earth, taking a second to grind to a halt before heading over to the two of them.

“Swift.” Anderson greets her.

“We’re running out of time. I can see them in orbit; they’re setting up a defensive perimeter. If we’re to leave Earth, it needs to be soon.” Swift quickly informs them.

“The Normandy’s outfitted with a Reaper IFF signal. As long as we can get to it, we’ll be able to slip past them.” Shepard tells her.

“Unless they’ve accounted for that.” Swift remarks.

“Well let’s hope they haven’t.” Anderson says, getting the hybrid to look back to him. “You know the situation. Lead the way.”

Swift hesitates for just a second. Pausing in the face of the order. She then nods, and turns to look out at the devastation around them.

“This way.” She says, heading forwards on foot to lead them around the left side of the building across from them.

Both Shepard and Anderson chase after her, booking it as quickly as they can sustain around the abandoned cars, and fallen bodies. Husks and humans alike. It’s when they get to the next block over, catching up with swift where she stopped at the corner, that they’re forced to bear witness to another of the Reaper’s attacks swinging through a skyscraper up ahead.

This time they can see the full scale of what it does. Tearing through the side of the building at an angle, the walls and floors and support beams, everything is simply ripped through like tissue paper. The inside of the building igniting with it. More importantly though, the material collapses. It crumbles and falls apart, sliding off the building proper to fall towards the street.

They just have the time to move back, swinging themselves around the corner of the building before the mass of steel and stone impacts with the street. Louder than even the Reapers, the collision booms through and quakes the streets. Followed shortly after with the tide of dust and smoke sweeping down the street they intended to travel.

“This is too slow. We aren’t making it on foot.” Swift thinks aloud.

“You have another idea?” Anderson checks.

Swift pauses for a second, then looks over to Admiral.

“How do you feel about flying, Anderson?” Swift asks.

“I usually leave it to the pilots. What do you have in mind?” He asks.

Swift steps out from against the wall, quickly forcing her arms down to get herself into the air. She carefully maneuvers herself to just glide, nearly perfectly in place, hovering back and forth a few meters over the ground.

“I can carry one of you at a time. It’ll be faster than moving together.” Swift explains.

Anderson spares a glance to Shepard, but the Commander only nods.

“Hell, and I thought the Reapers were gonna do me in. Alright.” Anderson accepts.

Swift looks to Shepard.

“Take Anderson ahead. I’ll wait here.” He says.

“Try not to die.” Swift advises, swinging down to grab onto Anderson’s shoulders with her feet before taking to the air, sweeping the older man off the ground entirely.

He quickly reaches up to grab her ankles, steadying his body as she tightly swings around the building and towards the haze of smoke ahead. They vanish once beyond it, leaving Shepard alone for the moment.

Without a weapon. Without his ship. Without allies. He’s as powerless waiting for them to get back as any of the civilians he sees running past on the street, obscured by the ash and dust. All the people he can’t help yet.

The soldiers without command, doing all they can to keep the rest safe. To do anything to help.

He had hoped they’d be ready. That all they were doing would be enough to prepare for the Reapers. To give them a fighting chance.

Maybe other parts of the world are doing better. Maybe South America, or Europe, or Asia. Maybe they were able to prepare enough to stand a chance against this.

But he saw the vids. The live feeds coming on from all over the world. The Reapers in every part of the world, standing uncontested.

The ruin. The utter devastation left in their wake. There are no other words for it. Tragedy. Deaths to be counted for years to come, should there be enough people left when the dust clear.

And he’s stuck here. Stuck waiting, for even a moment, powerless. Hiding within the collapse of the city, hoping the Reapers or drones don’t find him. Even the husks would be too much for him to handle in great enough number.

Stuck on a street corner, against one of the buildings still standing. Steadying himself every time one of their thunderous lasers rip through the sky, taking the city with them. Each time a building collapses, shaking the earth. Each time a civilian runs by in the distance, making their way for any kind of shelter at top speed.

Good people. Innocent people. Men and women of all ages. The elderly, the working class, the young. The children, too many to count. Dragged along by two adults if they’re lucky, but usually one. None at all in some cases. Easy prey, the Reapers must see them as. Not even old enough to fight for themselves.

The streets are drowning in it. The fallen towers, the abandoned vehicles, the burning wreckages of the ships meant to protect them. The sound of the Reapers. That humming, groaning, tune. Ever-present now, even when silent.

The ash, and smoke, and dust. Filling the air. Keeping them hidden now, to some degree. Those that are left.

So many thoughts in his mind, and nothing to do but wait, and watch.

But he does see something out there. A single figure in the ruin, across the street from him, huddled beside a shuttle car.

Shepard can’t stop himself from making his way out towards them. Into the street, masked within the cover of the thick haze of dust, towards this person.

Towards this… child.

The same child he’d seen so many times from the window, on that garden. Wearing the same grey hoodie, with the same short cut of light blond hair. It is him, he thinks.

“Hey.” Shepard calls out, getting the boy to turn to look at him. He flinches at first, but can only push himself back about a foot before he recognizes that the person approaching him is human.

“It’s okay…” Shepard assures him, but the boy only shakes his head, turning to stare out at the distance while Shepard crouches down beside the car.

“Everyone’s dying.” The boy mentions. A matter of fact, not of fear.

“Come on, we’ve got to get out of here.” Shepard says, extending his hand towards the boy.

He doesn’t look towards Shepard though. He only stares out towards the distance. A calmness in his eyes unbefitting of the situation. No tears.

“You can’t help me.” He speaks.

“It’s going to be okay.” Shepard tries to tell him, leaning slightly further forwards, trying to reach out to take hold of his arm.

“You-”

“Shepard!” Another voice calls out from behind him.

He instinctually turns around to meet the voice, scanning his eyes through the dust towards them. He doesn’t recognize them for a moment. Like the name doesn’t fit into place quite right. Like his mind has to settle everything before it clicks.

Swift. Landing not more than 4 meters from him, keeping herself low.

“Shepard. Anderson’s at the Spaceport. Let’s go.” She says.

The commander has to turn back around. Returning his gaze to the… To the empty space, beside the car.

Shepard just shakes his head and turns back, slowly rising to his feet.

“What were you doing?” Swift asks.

“I was… Doesn’t matter. Let’s go.” He states, letting Swift respond with a nod as she kicks off the ground again.

She quickly swings around, grabbing onto his shoulders and taking to the sky.

The feeling is hard to put to words. Like falling, more so than flying. An incredible sense of motion and speed, the wind rushing over him with enough force to chill his skin, but absolutely no sense of control or propulsion. It’s not even like her wings are what’s giving her lift, they seem almost entirely present to stabilize her, she simply flies. The city shifts and rushes past them, and his body swings out with every corner they take.

She has more control over her motion than any of the shuttles or drones. Even the ones that take notice of her aren’t able to correct their rotation fast enough to fire off a shot that’ll hit them. They’re hardly able to adjust in any form before she’s past them.

Fast, though. Inarguably. In a matter minutes they come to approach the spaceport. Swift slows them down as they glide low to reach the ground, almost stopping when she lets go of Shepard. He lands with the momentum still carrying him, forcing him to jog for a second to slow down the rest of the way.

Swift comes to land at his side, having an easier time of it, and Shepard’s able to look up to the spaceport ahead of them.

Chaos. It takes him a long moment to find Anderson among the crowds of people desperately heading for the evac shuttles. The people just barely kept in any form of order by the alliance guards on the nearest of the landing pads.

Shepard jogs forward. Almost stopped by one of the guards when they recognize him, quickly stepping out of the way to let him get to Anderson.

“Anderson.” Shepard calls out, getting the Admiral to turn to him from the soldier he was speaking to.

“Shepard. Good, you made it.” Anderson says.

“Where’s the Normandy?” Shepard questions.

“On its way, but we don’t have much time.” Anderson answers.

“The Reapers are blocking our exits. Taking out bridges and ports while the fighters are distracted with the ones in the city.” Swift elaborates.

“This is one of the few left.” Anderson states.

Shepard turns his attention to his right, down the length of the Harbor towards the Reaper that landed before. Still firing off towards the city, but slowly making its way towards them. In the same direction, frantically climbing their way over a slope of rubble, is a hoard of husks.

Anderson seems to spot them as the same time as Shepard and quickly turns to the soldiers on the platform, calling out to them.

“Hey! Husks, east! Slow them down!” He orders.

They don’t hesitate to comply. A squad of six or so split off from managing the civilians being loaded into the shuttles and head down the walkway to the street, setting themselves up in a line to keep the husks at bay.

One of the shuttles is filled to capacity, and the hatch hinges shut over the cabin, letting it take off. Shepard turns his attention back to it as it soars off towards the sky, as quickly as it can manage. Probably towards a cruiser, or some other ship with a Mass Effect core to get them to the Sol Relay.

It’s not long before another takes its place, gliding down from some corner of the city and opening up to let another group of civilians board.

While Shepard watches the sky, Anderson keeps his attention on the soldiers. The ones holding firm, rifles in hand, despite the nightmarish amalgams of flesh and wire rushing towards them. He keeps his eyes on them. Seeing how they faulter, shift themselves back out of a primal sense of fear, but never give up their position.

Swift notices. Not the soldiers, but Anderson. His focus on the moment, while Shepard waits, staring off towards the sky in the other direction.

Then the commander looks down, away from the open air, and back around to Anderson. Just to get a sense of the situation. Though, following his gaze, he sees the soldiers. The husks charging the landing pad. Far more than he initially saw clambering over the debris, now climbing over their own corpses. Not just that, but shapes of flesh he doesn’t recognize. Shambling mounds of Reaper coils and meat unlike the usual husks. Unlike anything human.

“Swift, with me.” He says, heading for the street.

The Hybrid glances to Anderson again, then follows after the Commander.

“Those lasers you shoot, they can kill right?” Shepard checks.

“Neuroshocks, but yes.” She confirms.

“Then do some damage.” Shepard directs, coming to a stop between the soldiers.

His hands clench into fists and then expand, and with them an aura of violent blue energy buzzes and pulses to life. A field of biotic energy he doesn’t hesitate to step forward and launch towards the husks.

Helpless? Why did he think that? Even without a gun, he is not unarmed. He is never without the ability to fight back against these things, and their masters. He is not powerless.

The soldiers divert their fire as Shepard continues past them. The only one that dares aim in the vicinity of the Commander is Swift, firing off beams with her eyes towards the husks he approaches, and with her tail toward the rest.

Shepard flicks his right wrist to the side, summoning his omni-tool. The technological formation of vibrant orange holograms manifesting around his hand and forearm. With a turning motion he rolls his arm around, summoning a blade of the same orange light. Though, when he forcefully jabs it forward into the body of a husk, it becomes clear that the structure is completely tangible.

He rips his arm back, letting the husk fall to the ground while his biotics come to life again. He throws his left arm out towards a cluster of the bodies on that side of him, suspending them in place, then turns his attention to the right, kicking off the ground to send himself soaring over to the ones setting close to breaking their lines.

While the other soldiers continue firing, and Swift takes out whole rows of them at a time, Shepard bounces back and forth among the hoard. The occasional stray shot bouncing off his kinetic barrier, but more consistently only hitting the husks he suspends.

And in a few minutes, they’ve thinned their numbers enough for Shepard to march back towards the line of soldiers, catching his breath as he heads back up to the landing pad, to Anderson, with Swift not far behind.

“Damn. Guess you haven’t lost your touch after all, Shepard.” Anderson commends him.

Shepard just nods, looking back to scan over the sky now that they’re relatively safe for the moment. As safe as they can be while the Reapers walk the streets, slowly closing in on their position.

Finally, he hears it.

“You wouldn’t believe the traffic out here, Commander. We’re coming down now.” Joker comes through over their comms.

And he sees it.

In the sky, coming from the other side of the river, the sleek metal forming the hull of the Normandy, rushing down towards them with the set of thrusters held by the wings at the back of the vehicle. Shining in the sunlight managing to break through the clouds above.

Shepard walks towards the edge of the landing pad, waiting as the vessel comes down to meet him.

Framed in the glow of the sky, gleaming like salvation. The white and blue painting the outside of the ship, the Alliance logo, the name written across its side. The Normandy.

“About time!” Anderson calls out, coming to stand on Shepard’s right. Swift taking the place at his left.

The Normandy comes to a stop hovering above the platform, the force of its thrusters displacing the water under it, spraying up a cool mist. Its landing ramp, the one leading to the cargo bay, unlocks from the hull and lowers. Its edge coming to meet the edge of the platform Shepard is on.

Inside he sees both Ashley and James, walking down to meet him.

The Commander doesn’t hesitate to leap across the gap, landing on the other side, taking the hand Ashley offers to help him up. Immediately cast in the darkness of the ship, dimmer than the natural light bouncing back from the ground beyond the ramp.

“Welcome back, Shepard.” Ashley offers.

“Thanks.” Shepard says.

Shepard turns back, looking out to Anderson and Swift. The hybrid kicking off of the ground to glide over, but Anderson staying where he is.

James makes his way to Swift. Not trying to help her in, but handing her something. The proto-tool. She takes it without argument, mounting it on the shoulder of her armor.

“Shepard!” Anderson calls out, focusing the Commander on him.

“Come on!” Shepard says.

Anderson shakes his head, turning his face down.

“I’m not going.” Anderson shouts back after just a second, looking back up to Shepard. He then turns back, gesturing to the shuttles and the soldiers. “You saw as well as I the men in the streets on our way here. They’re disorganized, and there’s a million more like them. They need a leader, Shepard.” Anderson states, turning back to face him.

“We’re in this fight together, Anderson!” Shepard tells him.

“It’s a fight we can’t win. Not without help. We need every species and all their ships to even have a chance at defeating the Reapers. Talk to the Council. Convince them to help us. We need time, Shepard.” Anderson explains.

“What if they won’t listen?” Shepard questions him.

“Then make them listen. Now go! That’s an order.” He shouts.

Shepard remains silent for a moment, just staring at the man at the bottom of the ramp. Thinking on everything in the moments he has left here.

“Shepard.” Swift speaks.

“I know.” Shepard acknowledges.

“I could stay. Help him here.” She says, actually getting him to look to her. “Not to sound pessimistic, but I think they’ll all die without my advantages.”

Shepard is silent for a moment, then nods, turning back to Anderson as Swift pushes off the ground again and glides down to him.

She lands, and Anderson simply nods to her, understanding why she came back.

“You know what you have to do.” Anderson tells him.

“I’ll be back for you, and I’ll bring every fleet I can.” Shepard tells him, finally turning to head deeper into the Normandy.

He pauses through, after just a few steps, looking back one final time. Anderson meets his gaze, not having turned away yet, still looking up at the Normandy above him.

“Good luck.” Shepard calls out.

“You too, Shepard.” Anderson responds, finally letting the Normandy lift off towards the sky. Watching as Shepard leaves for the sky, staring out over the city with a mournful gaze.

“We need to move.” Swift speaks, snapping Anderson back to the situation.

He glances to her, then turns to look in the direction she’s facing. Towards the Reapers, making its way toward them in the harbor.

Anderson turns, heading for the shuttle the rest of the Alliance soldiers are loading into. Hopping inside while Swift jumps up to land on top of it.

The door swings shut at the same time as the other civilian shuttles, and they lift off. Just barely in time to avoid the blast that strikes the landing pad just a second later, rending it in two.

Swift has to quickly leap off the shuttle, sailing upwards just fast enough to move the Reaper’s attention off Anderson’s shuttle, and get the beam to miss them in favor of trying to hit her. Its focus doesn’t stay on them though, firing off another shot towards the first civilian transport, and then the second. Ripping through both of them with enough heat and force to send them careening out of the sky.

Swift’s just fast enough to swing back around, grabbing onto the front of Anderson’s Kodiak with her talons, and pulling forwards with as much speed as she can build, getting it out of the way just barely fast enough to avoid the next beam the Reaper shoots at them, and the one after that.

And once they’re beyond the harbor, it doesn’t even seem to care. The Reaper, for its ineffable magnitude, just forgets them. It turns its rage towards the other landing pads, and Swift is able to move herself back to the top of the shuttle. Crouching there in wait for the next moment like that.

The next moment the Reapers have a clear opportunity to kill them, and are only stopped by the miracle of their intervention.

They can only hope Shepard has better luck.

Chapter Text

His leg’s bobbing impatiently. It has been for the last twenty minutes, and at this point Rook’s getting a little worried. Not for his leg, obviously, but that he might do something rash before they’re invited in.

“Ben, I am sure he will see us any minute now.” Rook tries to assure him.

“You said the same thing five minutes ago, dude.” Ben reminds him.

“You did not believe me when I said it then, either.” Rook points out.

“Nope.” Ben confirms.

And his leg is still bouncing. Shaking the arm that’s resting on it, and most of Ben’s torso with it.

They aren’t on Earth, it should be noted. The view out the window behind them is a distinctly alien sight. A green sky, thick and hazy, and a city below it. Built up considerably from the last time Ben was here.

The buildings are fairly small, as is practically everything else. The whole city appears built for creatures much smaller than Ben and Rook, and true it is. The people walking the streets are fittingly small, between about 4 and 8 inches in height, and colored varying shades of grey. Galvans.

“Alright, that’s it.” Ben finally erupts launching himself off the bench and towards the sealed metal door on their right.

Rook isn’t fast enough to stop him before he’s pounded his fest against the metal several times.

“Azmuth! I know you’re in there! Make some room in your schedule, or whatever, it’s important!” Ben shouts at the hatch.

He then steps back, Rook doing the same behind him, as they wait for the door to open.

“Perhaps he really is not home.” Rook posits.

“Come on Rook, you can’t be serious.” Ben scoffs, looking back to him.

“No, I am not. I am just hoping your first day back will not involve breaking into Azmuth’s private laboratory, on my watch.” Rook explains.

“Eh, private-shmrivate.” Ben logically counters.

The human teen turns his attention down to his wrist, and Rook just resigns himself to it.

“Of course. How had I not considered that.” Rook says sarcastically.

He just watches as Ben flicks through the Omnitrix’s dial, only to eventually look up from it entirely with a shrug, pulling his hand back without looking at the selection.

“Eh, let’s see what I get.” Ben says, slamming his hand down again once the core rises, triggering the flash of green light that subsumes him.

His body rolls over itself in an instant, changing every part of him. The watch is absorbed into his skin as the layer of black and yellow rolls over him. From hands to pincers, from shoulders to spikes that nearly scape against the ceiling, and from a little under 6 feet to a little over 8. His body is given a broader and more spindly shape, colored a black for the body, and a yellow towards the edges of the limbs, separated with lines resembling layers, like sediment. His head floats disconnected from his body, hovering in the space between his shoulder spikes, glistening a chrome silver. Matching this is the metal of the Omnitrix dial on his chest.

“Lodestar? Not what I was thinking, but I can work with it.” Ben reacts.

“Ben, is this really so urgent that you cannot wait for Azmuth to call you back?” Rook questions, stopping him before he begins.

Ben immediately pivots himself in the spot to face Rook, staring down at him with the emotionless metal head hovering nearly a foot higher than his own.

“Yes.” He states with absolute confidence. “Maybe.” He states with just as much confidence. “A galaxy is riding on this, Rook. Or, it might be. We have a couple months at least, but I don’t know if we can waste any of them. We have to do this now.”

Rook has to appreciate just how serious Ben is being. A state he doesn’t resort to nearly ever. A state that Rook really has to acknowledge means something to Ben.

“Alright.” Rook says.

“What, just like that?” Ben questions with a fair degree of surprise.

“Yes. We are partners. I am following your lead.” Rook tells him.

“Huh.” Ben thinks.

Ben just stares at him for a second before turning back to the door, raising his right hand and swinging it to the right. With it, and a very audible screeching, the door is forced open. Sliding into the wall to reveal the room within.

They both walk forwards, cautiously, into the lab itself.

Galvan, unmistakably. Devices reaching up to the ceiling, almost all of which feature two stations. One at a lower level a galvan can reach, and a second higher up. Peripherals, most of them, hooked into the machines and propped up on tables to be rested at the right height. Not built into the devices themselves.

The far walls of the room are a fair distance away. It’s large, even by human standards, meaning it must be enormous to the locals. Cylindrical, and leading up to a glass dome roof at the top. Ben’s been here before, just not for a while.

Notably, they don’t spot an Azmuth. What their senses instead point them towards is the sound of someone working behind one of the whiteboards towards the back right of the room. So without hesitation, Ben heads in that direction.

“Azmuth!” Ben shouts out again, and abruptly the sound of typing goes silent.

Ben comes to a stop just as abruptly when he sees the shadow that rises with the figure, cast out from behind the whiteboard. Not a galvan, if they’re assuming the shadow is cast by the windows overhead. Far too large. Even for a human they seem to be massive.

The shadow glides along the ground, moving forwards with the body that casts it to get to the edge of the whiteboard, moving around the edge to look out at the intruders.

“Myaxx!?” Ben erupts as soon as he recognizes her, causing Rook to pause before he fully reaches for his Proto-tool.

A Chimera Sui Generis. A light green creature, donning a head that ends in a number of dangling tentacles. Three below her chin, and a larger three more from the back of her head falling behind her shoulders. Over the rest of the alien, covering most of their body, is a suit of dull crimson armor.

She just stares at him, then glances to Rook, then looks back to Ben.

“Uhh… hey… you.” She reacts, practically unphased by them being here. Instead she just continues along, heading across the room and past them for a shelving unit by the door.

“Ben, you know this woman?” Rook checks.

“Uh, yeah. We broke her out of Incarcecon looking for Azmuth when I was like 10.” Ben tells him.

“Ah. When you had accidentally activated the self-destruct feature. I remember hearing about that in the databursts back home.” Rook says.

“Man, it’s good to be back.” Ben mutters to himself.

He paces after Myaxx, and the Omnitrix automatically reverts him back to his human form as he goes.

“Myaxx. Where’s Azmuth? I need to see him.” Ben asks.

“You have an appointment?” Myaxx responds.

“Are you kidding me? Come on, it’s me. Ben 10? Wielder of the Omnitrix? I’ve been missing for like 7 months. Special circumstances.” Ben explains.

The alien does pause halfway through pulling down a box of parts, just side-eyeing Ben for a moment before continuing. Ben follows her as she walks over to one of the tables, setting down the parts to start sorting through them.

“Yeah, I know who you are. Don’t get in a huff about it.” Myaxx says, trying her best to seem like she might’ve been any way concerned. “I’d offer to catch up, but unlike some people I have work to do.”

“Just… is Azmuth here or not?” Ben questions.

Myaxx pulls a few components out of the box and cradles them in one arm, letting her use the other to lift the box up again and set it back on the shelf it came from.

“He will be in just a minute, which means I’m going to be hard at work, where he’ll leave me alone.” She states, heading back around towards the station behind the whiteboard at the back right of the room. “And try not to go missing again! Azmuth had a fit about the Omnitrix being gone, and you can guess who he took that out on!” She shouts as she vanishes around the corner.

Ben just stares towards the whiteboard for a moment before looking to Rook, who does the same for him.

Ben takes a second to deliberate something, but eventually decides, and turns to pace after Myaxx.

“Hang on!” He calls out, incapable of leaving it there.

“What?” Myaxx groans, looking over to him from her admittedly small desk once he rounds the corner. Not small for Ben, mind you, but small for her. It almost seems human sized, and she’s just forcing herself to fit at it.

“Why would Azmuth take it out on you?” Ben questions.

“Because he left me responsible for the new model’s tracking circuit. So we could find you anywhere in the universe.” Myaxx explains.

“And…?” Ben tries to get her to go on.

“And all our equipment was saying you weren’t in the universe! Which he assumed meant I did something wrong. Not that he’d ever acknowledge it if I did something right.” She continues.

“But Ben was not in this universe in the time he was gone. He was in another.” Rook explains.

“Yeah, well feel free to mention that when he gets here.” Myaxx grumbles, turning herself back to the computer on the desk ahead of her, carefully linking one of the parts into the tower.

“Don’t worry, Myaxx. I heard.” Calls out from the other side of the room, where the still open door is.

Ben and Rook both quickly step back, looking over to find Azmuth making his way in.

“You have a habit of breaking my doors, Ben.” He remarks on his way over to one of the tables, hopping up onto its surface. Ben and Rook both head over to him, stopping at the edge of the table. “At least this one is still in one piece.”

“You weren’t answering your messages.” Ben states.

“I was busy.” Azmuth responds.

He makes his way over to the start of some kind of machine, but just sits down on the edge of it, using it as a seat while looking to Ben.

“Not that that’s ever stopped you before.” Azmuth goes on. Then he stops, pausing in place rather than relaxing any further in the seat. “Hang on, what- Let me see that.” He says, getting up and quickly hopping across the table to grab Ben’s left wrist.

“What is it?” Rook questions.

“A system report.” Azmuth states.

Ben leans down slightly to lay his forearm on the table, letting Azmuth quickly slide the faceplate back, and yank out the core with a few careful twists.

“Look, Azmuth, we need to talk.” Ben tries to tell him.

“I imagine. What is this, 11 new aliens? The Omnitrix has been trying to send the data back to Primus for months.” Azmuth tells him, hopping off the table and dashing across the room to another machine. Ben and Rook follow after him, watching as he plugs the Omnitrix core into a larger device.

“I thought the new watch didn’t need a connection to Primus? The DNA’s digital, which is why I can use Ghostfreak again.” Ben points out.

“Yes, it doesn’t need Primus, but it still stores the genetic samples there as a backup. Just in case.” Azmuth explains, and the device softly chimes with a glow of green from the control panel Azmuth stands at. “I plan for every possible contingency, Ben. That’s why they call me the first thinker.”

Azmuth pulls the core from the machine again, walking back over to Ben. Ben quickly crouches down, letting Azmuth hop onto his knee to access the Omnitrix again. He has no problem jamming the core back into the housing, twisting it back and forth with a series of mechanical clicks to set it in place.

“But when Ben was missing, you did not have a way to find him outside of our own universe?” Rook questions.

“Yes, well, I was getting to it.” Azmuth refutes with a glance to him. He then looks back to the Omnitrix, tapping the faceplate to have it slide back into place. “I also reset some of the settings for you.”

“So the notifications should actually talk again, instead of just beeping?” Ben quickly checks.

“Yes, exactly. Scanning should also be automatic again. I can’t imagine the beam mode was terribly convenient. No idea why it was set to those.” Azmuth says.

The Galvan hops off his leg again, heading back across the room for the table.

“Azmuth, wait, we still need to talk.” Ben calls out, pacing after him. “When I was gone-”

“Yes, yes. I was working on something while you were gone. I installed that as well. I should be able to find you anywhere in the multiverse, assuming there’s not significant interference.” Azmuth prattles on.

“Azmuth. I need to go back.” Ben states, stopping in place. Azmuth does the same, quickly turning back to him.

“What for?” He questions.

“They need my help. A bio-organic race called the Reapers are planning on wiping out all sapient life in their galaxy. Imagine the Highbreed, but a million times older, and the size of warships.” Ben explains.

“Ben, I’m not sure that’s really our problem. There are-”

“I don’t care, Azmuth. I need to go back, and if you won’t help me, I’ll find someone else that will.” Ben states.

“… Alright.” Azmuth accepts, turning away to continue across the room.

Ben and Rook both continue after him.

“I assume the “Reapers” are the rejected scan the Omnitrix has saved? What I can only gleam was some kind of artificial organism made of a horrific human soup.” Asmuth checks as he goes.

“Yeah. It’s how they reproduce. Melting down whole species and using them to make more of themselves. The one I scanned was just an embryo.” Ben confirms.

“Well, I hope you brought something back with you. I can work on identifying which universe you went to, but I can’t make any promises.” Azmuth tells him, hopping back onto the table he initially went to.

“Can’t you call Paradox for that?” Ben checks.

“Paradox shows up when he wants. If he’s around, I’ll let you know.” Azmuth states.

“Thanks.” Ben accepts.

He reaches down into his pocket, fishing around for a moment before pulling out a small device. A small disc mounted to a wristband. He carefully sets it down on the table, and Azmuth quickly hops over to have a look at it.

“What’s this?” Azmuth questions.

“They call it an omni-tool. It’s like their version of a phone, I guess.” Ben explains. He reaches forward, and Azmuth lets him pick it up. He barely has to flick it to the side to get the frame of holographic orange light to manifest. It tries syncing to the position of Ben’s arm at first, jaggedly following along with the limb until he sets it down on the table, at which point it snaps back into place around itself.

“Fascinating. Rudimentary, admittedly, but very clever.” Azmuth compliments, quickly flicking through the menus to get a sense for its function. “Intuitive too. Like it’s not meant for just one species.”

“Will it work?” Ben checks.

“Oh sure. It might take a while, but I’ll figure it out.” Azmuth assures him. He picks up the device and flicks it the way Ben did to unsummon the hologram, carrying it over to another device he’s able to mount it in.

“He means I’ll figure it out.” Myaxx shouts out.

“Yes, thank you, Myaxx.” Azmuth acknowledges, shaking his head for a moment before turning back to Ben and Rook. “Is there anything else?” He checks.

“Yeah, actually. When I was over there, there were these foot soldiers called Husks. Dead humans the Reapers pumped full of technology and genetically engineered to work for them. The Omnitrix was able to fix them, but it also fixed their indoctrination.” Ben explains.

“Indoctrination?” Rook questions so Azmuth doesn’t have to.

“Mind control. The Reapers have this passive ability to get inside your head if you’re around them too long, making you see things, changing which side you’re really fighting for. That sort of thing. They don’t have a way to fight it, and the Omnitrix didn’t seem to notice, but it fixed it when it fixed the husks.” Ben explains.

“You want to know if I can make it a feature.” Azmuth deduces.

“Yeah.”

“Maybe, but I’d need a specimen effected by this property to figure out the exact cause. The data the Omnitrix saved isn’t nearly enough to work with.” Azmuth explains.

“Okay… Dr. Kenson. She was on the Normandy when they headed through the Relay. They should have her in custody. I’ll bring her back once I can get over there.” Ben decides.

“Good. I’m glad you’re making plans. Now, if you don’t mind, I really am busy.” Azmuth says, gesturing in a way meant to shoo them off towards the door.

“Wait, one more thing.” Ben says.

“Ugh. You’re gone for half a year and you have a backlog of questions. Alright, what is it?” Azmuth asks.

“The Omnitrix. There was this robot I met over in the other universe. The- I’m calling it the Mass Effect universe from now on, okay? It has this thing called the Mass Effect they use to achieve FTL, it’s like the basis for all their tech.”

Azmuth shrugs.

“Okay. So I met this robot over there, and they seemed pretty convinced there was some kinda intelligence in the Omnitrix. Like an Ai. They tried communicating with it, but it never responded.” Ben explains.

“Ah, so that’s what those were.” Azmuth reacts with a chuckle.

“Huh?” Ben questions.

“There were about 450,000 chat requests logged as system reports.” He says, making his way over to Ben’s wrist again. “Here, I’ll set up a response in case they keep trying when you go back. That should keep the command log from getting crowded.”

“Okay, whatever, but the Ai? Does the Omnitrix have one of those?” Ben tries getting him back to the actual question.

“Of course.” Azmuth states, like it should have been a given. He closes up the Omnitrix again after just a second and paces back over to the device he left the omni-tool in. “Modeled off the subconscious of the user. It’s supposed to be a safety feature. Making sure the device is used properly, even if whatever life form is at the controls doesn’t know how to make full use of them. I can turn it off if you’d like.” Azmuth offers.

Ben instinctually shifts his left arm away from Azmuth slightly.

“Uh, no, thanks. Just wish I knew about it.” Ben explains.

“There a million things in that watch you don’t know about, Ben. Really though, it’s just supposed to be an algorithm. It’s not supposed to be intelligent enough for communication.” Azmuth clarifies.

“I’m pretty sure it has a sense of humor.” Ben remarks, thinking back to all the times the watch has given him a decidedly wrong transformation.

“Yes, I suppose that’s possible. Based on you I might even expect it. Well, nothing to do about it now.” Azmuth decides.

“Uh-huh.” Ben reacts, shaking his head. He takes just a second to circle over his thoughts again before taking another breath to speak, much to Azmuth’s dismay. “Is that why the watch wouldn’t give me Alien-X while I was over there?”

“Perhaps.” Azmuth reacts with some surprise, and intrigue. “But the Omnitrix wouldn’t lock you out of a specific form unless it was an active danger to you, and by extension itself. Strange though that it would consider your celestialsapien form to put you in danger…” He ponders the matter, pausing for a moment.

“Well could you fix it? I kinda needed to go Alien-X while I was over there. I could have gotten back months ago, and…” Ben hesitates for a second, lettings out a sigh. Thinking back to all the times he would have used the transformation. To the quarian ship.

“Yes, yes, of course. I’ll make some adjustments to the safety parameters.” Azmuth dismisses him, getting back to work rather quickly. “Update should be out by the end of the week.”

“Great.” Ben nods, finally turning himself to head for the door. “Well keep me updated.” He requests.

“Of course. I’ll give you the signature for your Mass Effect universe as soon as I have it. Mind you, it won’t be much use if you don’t have a way to get there.” Azmuth shouts back.

“I’ll work on it!” Ben assures him.

Ben and Rook pass through the doorway and back into the hall, Ben pacing ahead in front, with his partner not far behind.

“That was productive.” Rook notes.

“Yeah, now we just need a ship, and to get the plumbers on board.” Ben says.

Rook actually has to hop into a jog for a second to catch up with Ben, pacing ahead with more speed that he usually moves.

“Max would have sent a request to high command after we left.” Rook tells him.

They take a right at the end of the hall, coming out into a far greater space. A museum of sorts, displaying a number of models and artifacts around them. Still small compared to them, clearly meant for the local species based on the size of the benches and railings, but considerable all the same.

“Let’s hope they get back to us soon.” Ben says.

They step out onto the landing pad in just a few more minutes, Ben still walking ahead at first. Rook quickly overtakes him through, jogging ahead and in through the side entrance to get to the driver’s seat before him.

Ben lands in the passenger seat on the right side just a second later, leaning back into the stiff leather cushions. Trying to, at least. He takes a second just to get into a sufficiently comfortable position.

“Man, we have got to get another Proto-TRUK. I miss those seats.” Ben complains.

Rook quickly straps himself in and flicks through the startup sequence for the craft, sealing the side hatch they entered from.

“Yes. Admittedly, since the destruction of the time cycles, I have felt the need to build a new vehicle.” Rook agrees.

He gently starts lifting them up, letting the world outside shrink and fall below them as they rise towards the sky.

“The Rust Bucket 3 was good for the road trip, but it’s not like we can ask to borrow it from Kev every time we need to get to space.” Ben continues the thought.

“Even if we could… it is too large.” Rook says.

“Ha!” Ben laughs. “That’s really on your list of concerns?”

“I like being able to drive on the roads in Bellwood.” Rook confirms.

“Oh man, yeah. I guess for now we’re stuck taking my car, or the plumber issued ones.”

“You have a car?” Rook questions, turning his attention from the windshield to Ben.

“Yeah?” Ben responds, chuckling. “What kind of question is that?”

“I have never seen you driving it.” Rook clarifies, looking back to the open sky ahead of them, now dimming to black as they escape the atmosphere.

“Well I didn’t need to with the Proto-TRUK, or the Tenn speed. My mom’s been using it.” Ben informs him.

“The black and green car in Sandra’s garage is yours?” Rook questions, incredulous.

“Kevin made it for me when I got my driver’s license. You don’t have to sound so surprised, dude.” Ben tells him.

“I am sorry, Ben, but you have to admit… it is in excellent condition.” Rook jabs.

With them finally passing by the moon, Rook leans forward over the console to program in their course.

“I’m going to try not to take that personally.” Ben says.

“In the time I have known you, Kevin, you, and I have all had to repair our vehicles in significant ways bi-weekly. More times than I am currently able to count.” Rook explains, leaning back into his seat again once the destination is set.

“Yeah, well, it was a gift. I took some extra care with making sure it didn’t get totaled… too often.” Ben continues to defend himself.

“Apologies. I did not realize you were capable of such.”

Ben rolls his eyes at this, shaking his head as he turns it away from rook to look out the window on his other side.

He focuses on the stars just in time to watch them start to move, jumping to motion and gliding along past the vehicle. The dots of light all parallax with distance, leaving Ben vaguely aware of how fast they’re moving through the galaxy.

“Woah.” Ben reacts.

“What is it?” Rook questions, looking over to Ben.

“Uh, nothing, just… man, it’s been a while since I’ve been in a vehicle that can hit hyperspace.” Ben explains.

“How long exactly did it take one of their vehicles to traverse the stars?” Rook questions.

“Y’know, I never got an exact number. It always seemed kinda inconsistent. The Mass Relays are instantaneous. Point A to point B is immediate, but they can only shoot you to linked Relays. The ships themselves take a while. I think the shorter trips were like a couple hours, and the longer ones were a couple days.” Ben explains.

“I imagine that must have been quite boring.” Rook suspects.

“Sometimes. The crew was cool though, and it gave me time to read up on their universe.”

Rook’s eyes immediately widen, and he leans forwards slightly.

“Ben, are you saying you actually… did research?” He checks, truly unable to believe this. Or, acting like he can’t believe it, anyways. It’s very possible he’s just teasing Ben.

“Hey, I do research… when there’s nothing else to do. …You couldn’t connect to the extranet while at FTL.” Ben explains.

“Ah.” Rook acknowledges, leaning back into his seat correctly. “so by “gave you time to read up,” you mean that you ran out of other things to do.”

“They had games, I just happen to know how to be responsible when I’m alone. Most of the time.” Ben insists.

“My apologies, I had not realized.” Rook says. Still clearly speaking with the same sarcasm he has been this whole time, but also slightly genuine. He actually is apologizing for underestimating Ben.

Ben reaches into his pocket and fishes around for a second to find and pull out his phone, searching through the files to find the codex entries he downloaded.

“I should probably upload these to the Plumber database when we get back. In a “Mass Effect universe” category. There’s some interesting stuff in here.” Ben claims.

“I am sure, Ben. I will read through them when I get the chance.” Rook tells him.

“Mhm.” Ben acknowledges, flipping back through his apps for just a second before putting his phone to sleep and shoving it back in his pocket. Instead looking up at the vortex of light in front of them, and the stars slipping by outside it on either side.

The flight, in total, takes about an hour. Just an hour. Aided somewhat by a jump gate along the way, cutting a few dozen light-years off their travel time. Even without it though, it wouldn’t have taken them too much longer to arrive.

By the time they finally come out of hyperspace Ben’s barely getting fidgety. It just didn’t take long enough. They got from one side of the galaxy to the other in just about an hour.

“Oh, I missed this.” Ben breaths, relaxing into the uncomfortable standard issue seating.

He watches as they make their final approach towards earth at sub-light, sailing towards the pale blue dot.

“Man… I said I’d meet them at Earth. I hope we can get back there soon, they probably think I died or something right now.” Ben says.

“You did not tell them you were returning here?” Rook questions.

“There wasn’t really time. Bellicus and Serena weren’t in a great mood, they’d already done one favor for me, and I wasn’t sure the Omnitrix would give me Alien-X again.” Ben explains.

“Well, I am sure Plumber aid will make up for your absence.” Rook thinks.

“Yeah, maybe.”

They don’t actually head for earth itself. Rather, once passing by the moon, they take a slight detour. Heading around the planet in its middle orbit to reach a space station hovering over the world itself.

Plumber Headquarters.

Frankly, not all too large by the standards of the universe he just returned from. Maybe half the size of the Collector cruiser, or two thirds if he’s being generous. Though, instead of grandiose scale, it features unparalleled function. Lacking any of the erroneous fluff needed with less advanced technology, the exterior dimensions of the station nearly match the interior ones.

Three massive chambers cap the structure, held apart from a fourth central one by large fins, serving as bridges. Leading down from the central chamber, connected with a central pipeline, is the command center. A conical, disc-like housing, connected to an outer ring that circles the whole station with a series of struts serving as bridges. Lower still are a set of two prongs, forming a tuning fork or trident kind of shape around the lower firing chamber.

“Good to be back?” Rook questions after a moment, looking over to Ben.

“Yeah.” Ben confirms.

The ship heads down towards the outer ring, gliding around the outer side for a moment before slowing as it approaches an opening. Rook takes some extra care with cornering, swinging the ship around to enter into the loading bay.

He takes a right once through the entrance, carefully moving the Plumber ship down the corridor over the others towards the proper docking station.

“Any response from high command yet?” Ben checks, glancing over to the console between them.

“Yes,” Rook starts.

“That’s great.” Ben reacts.

“They confirmed that they got the request.” Rook continues.

“Oh.”

“Yeah.”

“Well, better than nothing.” Ben reasons.

“Indeed. For now, it is all we can do to wait.” Rook says.

“Man. Feels like that’s all I’ve been doing for months… Well, at least I can get back to kicking super powered butts with you.”

“Yes. It will be good to get back into the flow of things.” Rook agrees.

The ship slows down even further when they start approaching the landing pad. The same one they got the ship from before they left, and one of the few vacant.

At that pad though, Ben spots something. A small group of people, waiting by the hatch on the inner wall, seemingly waiting for them. Easy enough to recognize at a distance are Gwen and Kevin, but the others take him another second. It takes him until Rook settles the ship over the space, and starts lowering it, for him to recognize the collage of colorful body types.

“Are those… the Plumber’s helpers?” Ben checks, looking over to Rook.

“Indeed.” Rook confirms, letting their craft settle against the floor of the bay before he starts powering down the engines.

Ben doesn’t waste any time hopping out of his seat, heading around to the door down the cabin from them on the ship’s right. Rook hits the button to get the door open as soon as the ship’s fully parked, letting him jog after Ben.

“Ben! Hey!” One of them immediately calls out, jogging around the side of the ship to meet them. Starkly red skin, a broader, taller, and more muscular build than either Rook or Ben, and an extra set of arms and eyes. A tetramand, wearing the standard plumber uniform.

“Manny, hey.” Ben greets him, hopping down the ramp to get to the ground. He looks left, towards the inner wall, seeing the others heading over as well.

“Ben.” Another of them says. A lithe but fit woman, also wearing the white and black plumber armor. Light blue skin, solid white eyes, a long tail, and a helmet of dark black material matching the wheels under her digitigrade legs. A kineceleran.

“Yo.” The next over says. A young human man. A similar body type to the kineceleran, thin but fit, and also garbed in the plumber armor. Dark skin, short and curly black hair, and a pair of silver earrings.

“You’re really back.” The last of the group reacts. A human man about the same age as the other, but more built than the last two, reflected in the size of the plumber armor. Pale skin, shaggy blonde hair, and bright blue eyes.

“Helen, Alan, Cooper. Hey guys.” He names them respectively.

Rook steps down after him, glancing over the group briefly before focusing on Ben for his reaction.

“What are you all doing here?” He questions.

“We’ve been stationed here for a couple months. Kicking alien butt, and keeping the earth safe!” Manny verbosely explains.

Ben slowly starts walking in the direction of the inner wall, where the entry hatch, and the bench Gwen and Kevin are sitting upon, both are.

“We got transferred after you went missing. We were locals, trained under you and Max, and had the powers they usually need you for.” Alan more helpfully informs him, following along with Ben and the others.

“Usually need me for?” Ben questions.

“You know, technopathy, speed, strength… fire.” Cooper explains.

“Come on man, why’ve you gotta say it like that? It’s a cool power.” Alan reacts.

“But, it’s not like the Plumbers need super powers to operate.” Ben posits, brushing over Alan’s comment.

They slow to a stop again as they reach Gwen and Kevin, who both stand up and step over to meet Ben and the others.

“No, of course not.” Cooper agrees. “But earth is… especially problematic, compared to most other planets.”

“He means there’s a boatload of extra butt to kick.” Manny clarifies, clenching his left hands into fists and slamming them onto the palms of his right hands. “And without you, they needed substitutes. Which is where we came in.”

Ben turns to Gwen, gesturing a finger towards her.

“And you didn’t…?”

“I put off a couple classes for the semester to help look for you, but I couldn’t drop out to be a full-time super-hero.” Gwen explains.

“And uh, not sure you noticed, but my powers aren’t actually all that impressive compared to you guys.” Kevin adds. “I mean, I can hold my own in a fight, don’t get me wrong, but there’s a reason my car has so many rockets.”

“…huh.” Ben thinks.

“It is good to have you back, Ben.” Rook reminds him.

“Yeah…” Ben muses for just a moment before looking up to the group again. Passing his attention over everyone. “Wait, so what are you guys doing here? Like, right now?”

“We heard you were back.” Helen says.

“Yeah, and we wanted to see if you were okay! It’s been too long, man.” Manny continues the thought.

“And, actually, now that that’s out of the way, I really need to be going.” Cooper says, glancing down to a screen built into the gauntlet of his suit.

“Aw, come on man, you’re kidding!” Manny complains.

“Sorry. Raincheck!” Cooper says, turning to jog down the main corridor towards another ship.

“That guy’s always busy.” Alan remarks.

“Really?” Ben reacts.

“Really. His skill put him in high demand. Especially when it comes to fixing what Blukic and Driba do.” Rook says.

“Yeah, well, that… make sense.” Ben comments.

“Kev and I should get going too. I have class in half an hour.” Gwen says.

“Aw, really?” Ben reacts, fully turning his attention to his cousin.

“I know, and it’s great to see you again, but…”

“No, I know, I get it. Well… How about we catch up this weekend? You’ll be free then, right?” Ben checks, glancing to Kevin as well.

“Sure.” Gwen confirms.

“Count on it, Tennyson.” Kevin says.

Gwen steps forwards, quickly hugging her cousin before turning to head for the hatch on the wall. Ben softly chuckles, then looks to Kevin, meeting the fist bump he offers before he turns to head after her.

Then he turns his attention back to the others, still standing around him and Rook.

“Anyone else need to run off, or are we good?” Ben checks, glancing to Helen foremost, but the others too.

“Well, we should be heading out on patrol.” Alan answers.

“But we were wondering if you would want to tag along.” Manny jumps in to offer.

Ben glances to Rook at his side, but only gets a patient smile, waiting for Ben’s decision.

“It’s cool if not, you’ve probably got lots to do now that you’re back,” Alan starts

“But we figured we could fill you in on all the stuff that’s happened in town while you were gone.” Helen jumps in to finish explaining.

“Yeah, sure, why not.” Ben decides.

“Sweet!” Manny shouts, pumping both of his right arms into the air.

“Awesome. Well, our ride is parked down here. Come on.” Alan says, turning to head down the ring towards the spots further along.

Loading into a terrestrial vehicle, Manny takes the wheel; Helen takes shotgun; and Ben, Rook, and Alan sit in the back. It’s then only a matter of putting in a request, and waiting the few moments it takes for the station’s teleporter to relocate them to earth.

There’s hardly even a noticeable effect with the transition. A slight buzzing throughout the space, a gleam of light radiating off all the high points, and the abrupt change of scenery outside the windows. Then they’re on earth, in the streets of Bellwood.

“Ah, I missed the teleporter.” Ben remarks.

Manny quickly starts up the car, getting them moving down the street they appeared on. Headed in the direction of Undertown, based on the turn he takes, Ben thinks.

“Gwen said you were in an alternate universe. Guessing their tech was kind of low-grade?” Alan infers.

“Dude, their ship couldn’t even land on higher gravity worlds. We basically always had to take a shuttle down to planets, and it took like twenty minutes to get to the drop zone.” Ben explains.

“That does not sound too terrible.” Rook says.

“Are you kidding? That sounds like torture.” Helen chimes in.

“Nah, it was fine most of the time, but, come on, it’s no teleporter.” Ben responds.

“Fair enough.” Rook accepts.

“So, Rook, how much did you tell Ben while you guys were headed to see Azmuth?” Manny asks, glancing over his shoulder for just a second to look at them.

“Oh, no. I did not tell Ben anything. I did not want to spoil the surprise.” Rook assures him.

“Wait, surprise? What surprise?” Ben quickly questions.

“Ohoho, this’s gonna be good!” Manny shouts, and just as abruptly slams his foot down on the gas.

“What surprise!?” Ben repeats, forced to grab onto the edges of the seats in front of him just to stay upright as the plumber transport starts careening down the streets, running several lights along the way.

“Manny!” Helen shouts, leaning over and jabbing his shoulder. In response he eases up on the accelerator slightly, glancing to Helen for just a second when he does.

“What? Come on, Hel, you’ve gotta-”

“We’re plumbers now, remember? How many times do I have to remind you? That means we can’t break the rules willy-nilly! Traffic lights!” Helen scolds him.

“Yeah, thanks mom.” He grumbles in response, slowing the truck down as they approach the next light.

“Well, good to see nothing’s changed.” Ben remarks.

“Nah man, plenty’s changed. Just not those two.” Alan assures him.

“Yeah, like what?” Ben questions.

“Well, for example…” Rook leads, gesturing past Ben and out the window.

Ben turns to look, peering beyond the car and to the populated streets of the city. To the people, human and alien alike, making their way along. Notably more alien than the last time he was here, actually. Still overwhelmingly human, by all accounts, but unmistakably not the same Bellwood it was even 3 years ago.

But what Rook gestures at, specifically, isn’t the people. Rather, it’s the buildings. The architecture, and storefronts. The signs, and ads. Distinctly foreign to both Bellwood, and Earth as a whole.

“Woah.” Ben reacts, scanning over the various fixtures. From things as simple as “open” signs written in one of the scripts popular as a galactic standard, to things as imposing as whole buildings constructed with alien planning. “What happened here?” Ben questions.

The car starts moving again, and soon enough the city vanishes beyond the wall of the tunnel they enter, descending below the streets.

“Undertown acquired the permits to expand.” Rook explains.

“It’s like that for a couple blocks around Undertown now, then goes back to the usual city.” Alan continues.

“So, what, do they just call it Overtown?” Ben questions.

“No. That... would be a terrible name. The residents have taken to calling it Omnitown.” Rook says.

“Like Chinatown, but for aliens.” Manny explains.

“You can thank the mayor for the whole thing. He really pushed for more housing after the influx of aliens.” Alan tells Ben.

“The mayor of Bellwood? I thought she was-”

“No, the mayor of Undertown.” Rook quickly clarifies for Ben. “Argit.”

“Not Argit…” Ben groans.

“Me and Hel could hardly believe it when we got back, but yeah. He’s like, running the town.” Manny affirms.

“So was that the surprise?” Ben questions. “That Undertown got bigger?”

He keeps his eyes on the outside of the car passively, registering the simple faces of the stone tunnel speeding by them as they head for Undertown proper.

“I suppose you could say that.” Rook says.

Finally, they enter the town itself. Emerging from the end of the tunnel, the artificial light of the suburb washes over them, casted down from fixtures within the net of scaffolding and piping across the ceiling. The walls abruptly are at a distance from them of at least a mile, if not a few. Enough space to house the whole of the town ahead of them.

Taller than when Ben was last here, now reaching all the way up to the ceiling, with most of the buildings made from more durable materials than what seemed to be the default before. Concrete and steel taking the place of plaster and wood.

Ben has to grab onto the seats again as the gentle descent becomes more abrupt, heading down the steep ramp leading to the main street itself, where Manny moves the car for the edge of the road to park it.

“Man, I forgot how rough ground vehicles are.” Ben groans, taking a second to adjust.

The others all reach for the doors nearest to them, popping them open and stepping out. Ben quickly unbuckles himself and hops after them, getting out just after everyone else.

“Were all their vehicles aerial?” Rook questions.

The car beeps as Manny locks it, leaving it in park so they can continue on foot.

“They all hovered.” Ben clarifies. “I can’t remember a single thing there that actually had wheels… no, wait, that’s not true. There was this one tank they had. It was the worst. I only rode in it the once, but it felt like it was going to flip over the whole time.” Ben recounts.

“So was this an improvement, or…? ‘Cause with Manny's driving I can get why you might prefer that.” Alan says.

“Hey!” The tetramand reacts, moving to smack the top of Alan’s head. Alan quickly ducks under his arm though, leaving him to just swipe at the open air.

“Cut it out, you two.” Helen says.

“This is a step up from their tanks, just not their shuttle cars.” Ben says, turning to follow after Rook as he starts heading down the street. “Don’t tell them I said that, though.”

“My lips are sealed.” Rook assures him.

Now Ben takes another chance just to look around. At the variable races populating the streets, with not more than three or four of a species together at any given place. So many different life forms Ben can’t even name half of them off the top of his head, all going about their business without a second thought to the beings that share their space.

Vendors of all sorts line the edges of the street as they move into the ever-present markets. Food, and clothing, and mostly-legal weaponry, and everything else you never knew you wanted. All run by people distinctly unique compared to those around them. Ben even spots a few humans making their way along. Not many, but some. Far more than were ever in Undertown when he and Rook left for their road trip.

The buildings around them stretch higher and more imposing than they did before, too. More geometric, more industrial, more substantial. Bridges run over the street as well. Connecting the buildings on their left to the ones on their right. Up there are more than a few groups, either making their way along, or just hanging out.

“Come on man, let’s move it!” Manny shouts out after a few moments, grabbing Ben’s attention again.

“Huh?” He questions.

“It’s right up here, you’re gonna love it!” Manny tells him, jogging ahead and around the corner to head down the street ahead.

Ben quickly glances to the other before taking to jogging after him, getting the whole group to start moving. He takes a sharp right at the next intersection to follow after Manny, but doesn’t have to take more than a few steps before he spots what he’s clearly been leading them towards.

“Woah.” Ben reacts, coming to a stop. A look of bewilderment on his face, plainly clear to all of the group that slow down once they catch up with him.

“Right??” Manny affirms.

“That is the surprise.” Rook clarifies.

A couple blocks down from them, in the middle of a larger intersection, is a statue. One of solid, finely chiseled stone atop a pedestal. The whole thing towering nearly as tall as the buildings.

They keep walking, heading down the street towards the monument. As they walk, gradually more of the people they pass by take notice of Ben.

The statue, finely rendered with its hands on its hips, looking up towards the ceiling of the cave, is unmistakably of Ben. His usual outfit hanging loosely on the figure, and the Omnitrix clearly displayed on his wrist.

Getting close enough, they’re able to read the inscription upon the podium is stands atop. “Hero of heroes, Ben 10.”

“Whose idea was this?” Ben questions with a chuckle, only able to marvel at the massive form of himself.

“Argit, actually. He wanted to honor you after you went missing.” Rook tells him.

“It got people to vote for him, I’ll tell you that. Nothing like a monument to everyone’s favorite missing hero.” Alan says.

“Man… I never thought I’d see this thing again.” Ben says, walking up to the words carved into the pedestal, which on its own stands twice as tall as he does.

“You have seen it before?” Rook questions, keeping with him.

“Yeah, once, when I was a kid. Gwendolyn and I got a look at one of our potential futures, and there was a statue just like this of my 30-year-old self.” Ben explains.

“Who would have guessed Argit was to thank.” Rook remarks.

“Ugh, I am not thanking Argit.” Ben groans, turning away from the statue and letting himself fall back to lean on it.

Facing in this direction, he can now see all the people that have noticed him. The variety of pedestrians that have slowed or outright stopped to look at him. To take in the fact that he’s here, that he’s back. That he’s Ben 10. Closer than Any of them are Manny, Helen, and Alan. Standing idly, waiting at a fair distance while he and Rook talk.

“I imagined you would be more excited to see this.” Rook says.

“I am excited.” Ben tells him.

“You do not seem excited.”

“Well I am. This is my excited face.” Ben insists, gesturing to his usual expression.

Rook only remains silent for a moment, waiting for Ben to say more.

He doesn’t have to though, as the sound of an explosion booms over the bustle of the town, loud enough for them to feel the sound when it hits them, instantly grabbing their attentions. Most of all Ben’s, who immediately pushes himself off the statue and jogs to the front of the group in the direction of the noise.

“What on Earth was that?” Ben questions, spotting the smoke- or, steam? that’s rising up into the air over the buildings.

“That is the direction of the hot spot.” Rook notes.

“I’m on it!” Helen calls out, and in an instant she’s gone. Speeding ahead down the street in a blur of white and blue.

Only a second later Manny and Alan both take to running after her. The latter takes on a new form as he moves. His skin chars and cracks, splitting to form plates of charcoal that erupt to life with fire in the seams. A stream of solid fire trials after his head and hands as he blasts off the ground and into the sky. Recognizably a pyronite, in all respects.

“Are we going to help?” Rook checks.

“Psh, “are we going to help?” Like you even have to ask?” Ben mocks, moving his hand to tap the face of the Omnitrix, getting the dial up so he can activate the device.

With a flash of nearly blinding green light a new body takes the place of his default. His legs split in two and thin accordingly into spikes of chitin. His arms change to match them, covered with a ridged material that soon takes over the rest of his torso in pointed plates. From the end of his spine whips out a tail, ending in a blade, and from his back emerge a set of thin translucent wings. The Omnitrix reappears on his face, between the four eyestalks protruding from the sides of his head. Stinkfly.

“Hop on!” Ben calls out, turning one eye back to look at Rook.

Rook wastes no time, leaping forwards and landing on his abdomen behind the wings, which themselves start to rapidly beat down against the air to get them off the ground.

Rook actually has to grab onto Ben’s back to keep himself from being thrown off, the alien form rushing ahead through the air as fast as his wings can take them. It’s not long before he catches up with Alan, who’s started to descend again as they approach the source of the commotion.

Then, another explosion sounds out. Another shockwave that rocks through the air, coming with a deafening crash, and another plume of hot steam is shot up from the ground ahead of them.

“Hey, guys, a little help?” Helen comes through over their comms.

“We are almost there. What is the situation?” Rook quickly responds, placing a finger against the communicator in his ear.

“Some Orishan is- agh. Come on!” The sound of rushing water blasts past the mic of her suit, forcing her to shout. “He’s spraying down the hotspot, trying to cool it off!”

“What? That’s Water Hazard’s species, right? Why would an Orishan even be near the hotspot?” Ben questions.

“As one of the few species adapted to similar temperature ranges, they are not unwelcomed by the Kraaho. But it does not make sense for one to be causing this kind of commotion.” Rook analyzes.

“Whatever the case, they’re in for a serious beatdown now!” Manny shouts.

Ben slows down just slightly as they approach the far wall of Undertown, flying down with Alan to land just outside the entrance to the hotspot, where the trail of steam is coming from. Rook hops off just before the Omnitrix reverts Ben back to his human form, and all three of them dash ahead.

“Rook, feel free to hang back with Manny to cover their escape plan if it gets too hot for you.” Ben pants as he jogs forward through the tunnel.

“A good plan. I should be fine though.” Rook assures him.

“Alan?” Ben checks.

“Please, you think I can’t handle the heat?” Alan makes an effort to sound confident, still running alongside them in his pyronite form.

“Yeah, right.” Ben acknowledges.

He turns his attention down to the Omnitrix again, putting two fingers to its face to get the dial up. He flicks through the selection of suggested aliens in just a second, landing on one that seems good enough before pulling his hand back and slamming down the core.

The transformation expands out from his frame with another flash of green light. His body is covered in an instant by a shell of solid grey metal, clamping down around the glow of red light within.

“Alright, Big Chi- ah…” Ben reacts, stumbling for a moment as he continues to run with the other two. “Or NRG. NRG works too.”

They finally round the last turn in the path, emerging in the hotspot itself. A large underground chasm glowing red with the light of the flowing magma around the edges of the main floor. And in the center, blasting off streams of water with reckless abandon, is the orishan in question. Aiming at the streams of magma as much as he does the kraaho getting in his way. Helen is doing her best with crowd control, keeping the kraaho out of the way of his attacks.

Ben, Alan, and Rook all skid to a stop as they enter the room. The sound of the metal suit scraping against the stone floor is enough to make everyone wince, but more importantly get the Orishan to turn around and look at the three of them.

“Alright. How about you tell us what’s going on, and nobody else has to get hurt, huh?” Ben offers, taking another step forward to stand in front of Rook and Alan.

“This is none of your concern, prypiatosian.” The orishan states, raising a hand to aim the port on his palm at Ben. “This isn’t about you lot.”

“Yeah, well why don’t you fill us in? What exactly is this about?” Ben asks again.

With Ben keeping the orishan’s attention, Rook looks to Helen. Who, he can see, is already starting to have a hard time dealing with the heat. Presumably only having gone this long because of the chilled blasts of water she was moving the kraaho away from. He gestures for her to head for the exit, and she nods, rushing around the group and out through the tunnel.

The orishan notices but doesn’t care. He only spares a glance to the blue blur before focusing on Ben again.

“None of your business, pal. Boss doesn’t want any of you Plumbers getting involved.” The orishan warns.

“Yeah, well you should have thought of that before you started harassing these people. So again, how about you stand down, and I forgo the serious beatdown I’m about to give you?” Ben offers.

“… You’re funny.” Is all the orishan says before firing off a blast of the ice water towards Ben. Instead of retaliating, Ben lets it hit him, angling himself so the stream of water gets redirected to Rook.

“Agh, Ben!” Rook reacts, forced to take a couple steps back from the sudden chill.

“Gotta stay hydrated, Rook.” Ben tells him.

As soon as the spray of water lets up, Ben leans himself forward slightly and fires off a beam from the slits in the face of the suit. The beam tears through the air, rocketing off with enough force to slide Ben back where he stands, and to completely throw the orishan off the ground and into the far wall.

Ben eases up once the shot connects, leaning back again to catch his balance. Alan wastes no time jogging ahead to where the alien landed, pulling a set of cuffs off his suit as he goes.

“I see you have not lost your touch.” Rook compliments.

With several beeps the Omnitrix triggers again, morphing Ben back down into his human form with a shimmer of green light.

“Please, who do you think you’re talking to?” Ben boasts, lightly tapping Rook’s arm. “I’m-”

“Ben!?” Another voice calls out, finishing his statement. Both he and Rook quickly have to look up as, from a walkway above, a form stretches down to land before them. A figure they both recognize instantly.

A woman, about the same age and physique as Ben, with light pink and lavender skin. A kraaho, but sporting more human traits than most of the others. She dons a vibrant purple parka with white fluff, matched by her boots and crown-like accessory.

“Ester, hey!” Ben reacts.

“You’re back!” She remarks, just gesturing to him with a dumbfounded expression on her face. “You didn’t- I mean, I thought-”

“Ben only returned earlier today.” Rook quickly informs her, moving her attention to him for a moment. “He was in another universe.”

She immediately looks back to Ben, still clearly having a hard time believing her eyes.

“Well, thanks for helping, Ben. It’s good to see you again. I guess I owe you one.” She eventually decides on, not sure what else to say. Not sure what else she could say, right now.

“Ah, don’t worry about it. You’ve saved my butt enough times, about time I got you back.” Ben reasons, getting a shallow laugh out of her.

“Yeah. Well, uhm-”

Before she can say any more another deafening “boom” sounds out, the coinciding shockwave blasting over the room with enough force to knock Ester, Ben, and Rook off their feet, sending them tumbling back over each other.

By the time they’re getting back up, the source is clear. At the far end of the room, where the orishan was thrown, it now stands on its feet again. They barely have the time to glimpse this before Alan pulls himself up from the rubble under the alien, only for the orishan to reach down and forcefully grab onto his head. With another spray of water, the alien throws Alan across the room, dousing him substantially enough to put out his fire before he slams into the far wall and drops down to a group of Kraaho.

Ben quickly moves his hand for the Omnitrix again, slamming down for another transformation. The red exoskeleton rolls over him in an instance, coming with the change in body type. Hands change to pincers, his legs split to form another two sets, and his head merges downwards into his torso. The crustacean-like alien stands complete with the Omnitrix on his stomach, attached to a green and white belt.

And now the orishan’s eyes go wide, witnessing Ben transform for the first time. He takes a half step back, almost tripping over himself when he does.

“Y-you’re-” He stammers.

“About to have Brainstorm thoroughly trounce a misguided miscreant picking on the innocent civilians of this fine borough? Why yes, I am!” Ben declares.

“You’re supposed to be dead!” The orishan shouts.

The plates over Ben’s head split open, and from his exposed brain a charge of lightning slips out. The orishan barely has the time to react, and leap out of the way, before the bolt strikes the ground he was standing on.

“What preposterous propaganda would have you believe that ridiculous fabrication, dear malcontent?” Ben questions.

“The boss- He said-” The orishan stammers.

“Why don’t you show us the way to said boss, hmm?” Ben suggests, charging another bolt of lightning.

“No!” The orishan responds, raising his hands and firing off another stream of water before the bolt is released.

The two attacks collide in the air, and rapidly the water is vaporized, filling the room with enough steam to obscure their view.

With several beeps, the Omnitrix turns Ben back into a human, and he has to peer through the steam to find Rook and Ester standing beside him.

“Ben, he’s getting away!” Ester shouts, gesturing to a dark shape dashing through the steam towards the exit.

“Wait, let him!” Ben says, stopping her and Rook just before they bound after him.

“What?” She questions, looking back to him.

Ben moves his hand for the Omnitrix again, but doesn’t summon the dial. It instead, with a few taps to its face, connects to their comm line.

“Helen, Manny, you there?” Ben checks.

“You finally done in there?” Manny asks.

“The orishan’s headed your way. Follow him, but don’t stop him. We need him to lead us back to his boss.” Ben instructs.

“Right.” Helen says, letting Ben end the call.

“Good plan.” Rook acknowledges.

“Yeah, if they can keep up with him. Let’s go!” Ester says, dashing for the exit.

“Wait, Alan!” Ben remembers.

“He has survived worse, and when he recovers he can aid in reheating the Hotspot. We must not let this criminal get away.” Rook tells him.

“Alright.” Ben agrees after a second, jogging after Rook down the tunnel leading back into Undertown.

Just outside the tunnel they find Helen, still wiping the sweat off her forehead, and catching her breath.

“Woah, Helen, you okay?” Ben quickly questions, skidding to a stop while Rook and Ester look around for the direction the orishan is heading in.

“Fine. Manny’s on him. I just didn’t want him to get suspicious about outrunning me.” Helen explains.

“Smart.” Rook approves.

“So which way is he headed?” Ester asks.

The kineceleran gets back to her feet, and gestures to their right. Peering through the buildings, it only takes a moment for them to spot Manny and the Orishan, leaping from building to building.

“Man, this is more like it.” Ben remarks, looking down to the Omnitrix again.

“That is the direction of the subway tunnels.” Rook notes.

“Decommissioned, right?” Ben checks, speaking over the tick of the Omnitrix dial scrolling through available aliens.

“Not anymore. They were put back into service a few months ago, when construction of Omnitown began. Though, there are still some unused lines. It is possible they are hoping to elude us there.” Rook suggests.

“Alright. Magister, you and I can go ahead and wait for him there. Ben, you and Ester can help Manny.” Helen plans, speaking to Rook.

“Works for me.” Ben affirms, looking to Ester for her input.

“Sure.” She approves.

“Let us go.” Rook says, letting Helen grab onto him to speed them both ahead.

Ben finally pulls his hand back from the watch, letting the dial rise for him to slam it down again.

It’s barely a second before he stands as a different species. Light blue finely scaled skin, covered largely by a black and green bodysuit leaving only his arms and head exposed. Said head is surprisingly humanoid, save for the crest of tentacle-like extensions reaching back from the forehead. The whole form is distinctly feminine by human standards, to a point that gives Ester pause.

“Huh, Psychquid?” Ben registers, looking down at himself.

“Woah, this one’s new. You’re- a girl?” Ester questions.

“Monogender species, I just look like a girl. Picked them up from the other universe.” Ben explains, reaching to hit the Omnitrix again on his side.

With another flash his body rolls over itself again. From blue to a faded green, and from skin to exoskeleton. When the light of the Omnitrix fades again, he stands as a grasshopper-like alien. Bipedal, and humanoid, but unmistakably insect in form. Crashhopper.

“Okay, let’s go!” Ben decides, kicking off to launch himself into the air towards the roof of the nearest building. Ester follows after him, stretching out her leg behind her to send her torso into the air, and stretching out an arm ahead of her to grab onto one of the aerial bridges and swing herself along.

It’s hard to keep track of the orishan so far ahead of them, with the way they weave around buildings and turn corners trying to lose Manny, but it’s not impossible. Far easier is actually catching up. Spurred in part by their competitive attitudes, both Ben and Ester take to moving as fast as they can, not wanting the other to get too far ahead of them.

Ben defaults to ricocheting from building face to building face, bridge to bridge, kicking off the more sturdy material with the practically spring-loaded legs of this alien form.

Ester keeps up, and occasionally overtakes him, by extending her limbs to everything in range. Slinging her arms out like grappling hooks, grabbing onto the windowsills and rooftops to swing herself around corners, and reaching down with her legs to kick off the roofs of the bridges, or the street below.

“Come on Ben, he’s getting away!” She shouts out, snapping back into her default shape upon pulling herself up to one of the rooftops that doesn’t connect with the ceiling of the cave.

A second later and Ben springs up after her, rolling over the edge of the rooftop and tumbling over himself to land beside Ester.

“Sorry, I’m a little out of practice.” Ben says, rocketing off again with Ester now that they have a more straight shot to the subway, now only blocked by the occasional building reaching higher than the rest of the rooftops that they have to jump around.

“Not much action these past couple months?” Ester asks, shouting to be heard as they continue dashing across the rooftops.

“Plenty, actually. They just don’t really have any super powers over there. No one could outrun me. Especially not without a ride.” Ben shouts back.

He’s keeping up with Ester fairly easily, to be clear. His physical fitness isn’t what’s slowing him down, but rather a lack of utilizing his environment. He’s just bounding along, leaping over obstacles, and bouncing off walls, but not engaging with the features of the landscape in a way that would speed him up anymore than his alien form is.

Fortunately, the crashing sound and shouts that resound ahead give them the sense that they won’t have to worry about losing the orishan.

Reaching the source of the sound, both Ester and Ben leap off the rooftop. They both plummet through the air for a moment, then slam into the concrete of the street. Even the briefest glance around gives them both a sense for what’s happened.

Evidently Manny got too close to catching up, and the orishan fired a blast of water back at him, halting his momentum mid-leap and dropping him out of the sky. Directly into the truck bed of one of the vendors.

Ben takes to scanning over the surrounding street while Ester leaps up onto the truck.

“Oh no, no, no, no, no!” The driver of said truck shouts out. A stubby little green alien man, desperately pulling himself out of the vehicle and waddling around to look up at the people atop it.

“Manny, which way did he go?” She asks, grabbing onto his shoulders and yanking him free of the bent metal. He’s still soaking wet, but it’s clear that his armor took most of the damage of the attack.

“Agh, Man…” Manny groans, putting a hand to his forehead to get his bearings.

“You!” The little alien man shouts, pointing at Ben.

Ben doesn’t bother looking to him, still scanning over the environment as quickly as he can.

“You did this! You- You menace! You criminal! You destroy Pakmar’s new business venture!” The alien, naming himself as Pakmar, states.

“Cool it, dude. For once this wasn’t my fault.” Ben assures him.

“He’s headed for the railways.” Manny manages to say, letting Ester help him off the roof of the truck.

“Ben” Ester starts.

“I heard. Let’s go.” Ben affirms.

“BEN!? Ben Tennyson!? Oh no, not again! It’s happening to Pakmar all over again!” The stout alien cries out, helplessly watching as he and Ester leap off the ground to continue along.

“Yeah, I’ll just- catch up.” Manny says drearily, only able to watch them go.

“Rook, Helen, he’s coming your way.” Ben calls out.

“We see him. We will try to slow him down, and then give chase through the tunnels.” Rook tells them over their communicators.

“Right.” Ben accepts.

Both he and Ester hit the ground again just outside the station. The Omnitrix times Ben out as they dash up the stairs, leaping over the turnstiles to slide down the escalators leading to the main platform.

“Look out!” Ester calls out faster than Ben can even react, barely having the time to throw out her arm, grab onto him, and pull him out of the way of Rook’s body being thrown into the escalator behind him.

“Woah, close one. Thanks, Ester.” Ben says, catching his balance once she lets go of him again.

“Don’t you people ever give up!?” The orishan shouts out, firing off another blast of water Helen has to skate around to avoid.

“Give up? Now there’s a good idea. Maybe you should give it a try.” Ben quips, tapping the face of the Omnitrix to get the core up. Instead, however, it only sputters and warbles at him. “Wh- oh, come on, now!?” Ben complains, looking down at the watch and tapping it again.

“Ben!” Ester calls out again, grabbing onto the back of his jacket and yanking him out of the way of another blast. She practically tosses him across the platform, forcing him to roll over himself to skid to a stop on his feet.

“Thanks again, Ester.” Ben says.

“Don’t mention it.” Ester responds.

Taking the opportunity, the orishan runs for it. Bolting to the edge of the platform, and leaping down onto the tracks to start running down the tunnel.

Helen speeds across the floor to Ben first, helping him up to his feet, then to Rook, helping him up as well.

“Rook! You okay, partner?” Ben checks.

Rook taps on the shoulder of his armor with a cough, clearing the water from his throat.

“Still wearing the proto armor, Ben. I am just wet.” He explains.

“Good. All to plan so far.” Ben says, looking to the tunnel he dashed for.

“This has all been part of your plan?” Helen questions.

“Brainstorm’s plan. Rook, you have a map of the tunnels?” Ben checks.

“Yes, I do.” Rook confirms.

Ester spares a glance around the platform as she and Ben make their way over to Rook, just making sure no one is injured. Thankfully the only real damage seems to have been done to the escalator Rook now stands by, with all the other Undertown residents seemingly fine.

The map loads in the form of a hologram above Rook’s proto-tool, showing the net of tunnels forming the subway lines.

“Now isolate the unused ones you can get to from that tunnel.” Ben requests, and in just a moment the display switches to show just that. Only one, leading to a single derelict station. “Now he thinks he’s lost us, and we know where their base is.”

“Good thinking, Ben.” Rook commends.

“Clever.” Ester affirms.

“Helen, please retrieve Manny. You two can make your way around to block off the other side of the tunnel, while Ben, Ester, and I take the main path.” Rook instructs.

“On it.” Helen accepts, and vanishes in a blink.

“Wow. You guys have really upped your efficiency since last time, huh?” Ester comments.

Rook carefully folds his proto-tool back into its default configuration, and mounts the device to his shoulder before heading towards the tracks.

“Have we?” Ben questions, looking to Ester first, then around to Rook.

“You certainly have.” Rook confirms, pausing to wait for the other two to catch up so they can hop down onto the tracks together.

“I don’t know, I just want to get this guy. First bad guy since I got back. The old groove, y’know?” Ben says, hopping down after Rook, then turning back to offer a hand to help Ester down. She tentatively takes it, more as a courtesy, and lets herself fall down.

“Yes. I suppose it has been a while since we have dealt with this kind of crime together.” Rook acknowledges.

“Exactly. I just don’t want to mess it up.” Ben reasons.

The end of Rook’s proto-tool flicks down as they continue walking, switching on to form a flashlight that illuminates the path ahead of them. There’s a fair bit of room either side of the track, but slightly too little to be completely safe if a train came by.

“Uhm… are you guys sure we should be walking here?” Ester checks, noting the lack of space.

“Plumber authority. I signaled for them to shut down this line before you two arrived.” Rook states.

“Good thinking. Now, either of you know who this guy actually is, or why he was trying to cool down the Hotspot?” Ben asks.

“No, I’ve never seen him before. We have been getting more visitors lately, though. With the influx of new residents to Undertown.” Ester tells him.

“Yeah, it didn’t seem like he was just upset with the accommodations.” Ben points out.

“No. And those explosions we heard were not simply caused by his water jets. He was rupturing the heating lines piping up the geothermal activity of the lower levels.” Rook adds.

“The wh- huh?” Ben questions.

“The magma.” Ester clarifies.

“Oh, right. So he wasn’t just trying to cool off the Hotspot, he was trying to shut it down.” Ben realizes.

“Perhaps so his “boss” could extort the Kraaho into paying them to provide alternate heating.” Rook suggests.

“Well that’s definitely one idea.” Ben acknowledges.

“It would not be the first time we have seen this kind of plot.” Rook points out.

“Well, yeah, but last time it was just Psyphon, right? Last we saw him, Argit kicked him out of Undertown with those Techadon troopers. He wouldn’t be stupid enough to come back… would he?” Ben checks.

“Psyphon? As in, the Psyphon that has failed to run his own crime ring on numerous occasions since breaking away from his former employer, Vilgax? Oh, no. I cannot imagine he would ever be foolish enough to return. Or, to try a failed scheme a second time.” Rook says, managing to make his sarcasm more than apparent.

“Okay, point taken.” Ben accepts.

“Whoever it is, they’re going to pay for what that goon did to the Hotspot.” Ester states, pulling Ben’s attention over to her as she slams a fist into the palm of her other hand.

“Woah. Uh, are you sure that’s not a little much?” Ben questions.

“What?” Ester responds, raising an eyebrow as her hands fall back to her sides. “Oh, no, I mean literally. Whoever it is, they’re going to pay to fix the piping. It’s not cheap.”

“Oh, right. Well in that case we’ll see it done.” Ben agrees.

“Shh.” Rook abruptly cuts in, moving his arm out to block either of them from continuing forward.

“Wh-” Ben starts, but stops himself as he sees the lights up ahead coming from a junction in the tunnel.

All three of them move for the side wall, continuing along with more care to keep quiet, and listen in on the faint voices up ahead.

“What do you mean “they stopped you,” Fauctec? The only one of those plumber brats that could have taken the heat of that place is a Pyronite, you dolt! How could you have possibly been stopped by a living flame!?” A voice harshly shouts out ahead. Distant, and faint, but still understandable.

Rook moves his hand to the side of his head, tapping on the communicator in his ear.

“Helen, are you and Manny in position?” He checks.

“Ready whenever you are, Magister.” Manny assures him.

“Hold your position. Make sure no one escapes after we engage.” Rook directs.

“Right.” Manny accepts, letting Rook move his hand away from his ear, and up to the handle of the Proto-Tool. He pulls it down, shifting the configuration to its combat form, and shutting off the light. He then turns away from the tunnel ahead, looking to Ben.

With perfect timing, the Omnitrix chimes to indicate it’s recharged.

“On your mark.” Rook says.

The station is run down, and illuminated only with floodlights set up around the perimeter, mounted to the walls and floor. The tile floors are chipped, or missing entirely, to reveal the flat concrete below. The walls are stained from the moisture in the air, rusted and weathered. The ceiling above them hangs unfinished, revealing the support beams and cables above before the concrete of the tunnel roof.

A number of alien grunts, of just as many species, stand around the edges of the floor. Either helping one another to move equipment, set up more permanent fixtures besides the lights, or simply ready their weaponry.

It’s in the center of this scene, looming over the Orishan, that we find a familiar shadow of menace. Massive shoulder plates, a cloak of pristine leather, and a horn emerging from his angular head block all the light behind him. A pair of glowing red eyes gaze down on the alien under him, shrunken down on himself in comparison to the presence above him.

“I will ask one more time. Tell me how you could have possibly been chased out before completing your one job!?” The looming shadow erupts, his voice coarse and indignant, but still commanding attention.

“Boss, you didn’t tell me-” Fauctec tries to explain, but is cut off with a unique set of artificial chimes, and a flash of vibrant green light coming from around the corner.

Immediately the boss’s attention moves to this, and he pushes the orishan aside as he moves to the edge of the platform to glare out into the darkness.

“Who’s there?” The boss calls out. “Show yourself!” He demands.

Keeping his eyes on the edge of the station, he watches as the forms of three people emerge from the darkness. Ester on the group’s right, Rook on the group’s left, and another alien between them. An ape-like alien, furred in yellow that turns to white, then black, at the edges of his limbs and around his neck. The skin left exposed at his face, hands, and feet is a muted grey, contrasted by the polished silver of the bolts emerging from his wrists and neck. Around his waist is a white and green belt which, unmistakably, holds the Omnitrix itself. Shocksquatch.

“No…” The boss speaks, stepping back as the sight registers with him.

“Wh- Psyphon!? Are you kidding me?” Ben reacts, gesturing ahead to the villain stumbling back.

“I told you.” Rook says.

“Yeah, yeah. Lucky guess.” Ben dismisses it.

“B- Ben Tennyson! But- I thought you were-” The villain stammers out, taking another short step back.

“Dude, come on. Haven’t we done this already? In case you forgot, last time it didn’t work out for you. You aren’t exactly cut out for upper management.” Ben mocks him, folding his arms over his chest.

“You pest. I’m perfectly fit to rule, so long as I can cut you out of the equation. Permanently, this time.” Psyphon threatens, slowly rising off the ground as his eyes beam a violent red. “You’ll regret ever having returned from whatever corner of the universe you fled to.”

“Oh great, here we go.” Ben reacts.

Rook and Ester are both forced to leap out of the way as a blast of energy erupts from Psyphon’s eyes. Ben, rather, chooses to shoot his hands forward and counter the blast with a field of electricity. This mostly works, splitting the red beam apart like light through a prism to hit the walls behind him.

The moment the attack ceases Ben is airborne. Leaping off the ground towards Psyphon with a fist readied to strike him. Psyphon just has the time to move out of the way, slamming his fist into Ben’s back as he passes by. Ben is consequently thrown forwards, just barely missing Psyphon’s goons when he slams through the wall of the station.

“Get them, boys!” Psyphon shouts, gesturing down to Rook and Ester.

His goons waste practically no time reaching for their weapons, locking their sights on the duo.

“Ben’s back for a couple of hours and I’m already fighting a mob boss.” Ester comments, forced to quickly reach out and pull free one of the metal panels off the wall to shield herself from the blaster fire.

“I admit, there is a strong correlation present between Ben and our lives being in danger.” Rook concurs, shifting the Proto-Tool to form a shield to block the incoming shots aimed towards him. He backs up as he does, moving himself over to Ester to block the side of her left exposed, while the shard of metal she grabbed does the same for him.

“You know, you guys are free to leave if you really have a problem with it.” Ben says, yanking himself out of the hole formed by his body. “Believe it or not, I can actually handle myself.”

The orishan, on the platform ahead of Ben, has no time to defend himself before Ben moves his arm forward to shoot off a blast of energy, throwing him across the whole station and into one of the aliens firing on Rook and Ester.

The two goons closest to Ben on the platform either side of him quickly re-aim their weapons to fire at him, but Ben leaps into the air before either can pull the trigger, leaving them to hit each other while Ben grabs onto the support beams making up the ceiling.

“Who said I was complaining? This is the most fun I’ve had in months.” Ester clarifies, stretching out her arms to shoot the steel plate forward and slam it into the goons firing at her as soon as they try to reload.

“Yes. I did miss this.” Rook agrees, taking a similar opportunity on his side to leap forward, up from the ground either side of the tracks and onto the loading platform, and sweep his assailants off their feet. He shatters their weapons with the Proto-Tool as soon as their bodies hit the ground.

Watching the scene progress, Psyphon can’t help but growl with a growing frustration. Each of his dozen or so men being taken out almost effortlessly, with none left standing now.

“You incompetent buffoons. Must I do everything myself!?” Psyphon erupts, swooping down towards Rook.

Rook, having been focused on the grunts around him, doesn’t have time to react before Psyphon grabs onto his bag and throws him towards the nearest wall hard enough to form a crater in the brickwork.

“Hey!” Ben shouts, drawing Psyphon’s attention to him just in time to receive the blast of electricity sent his way. Channeled directly from the station itself, from the power cords running along the support beams. The lights of the station dim for a moment as the power supply is channel to Ben, only returning to full brightness once Ben lets go of the cords and drops down to the main floor.

But Psyphon stands exactly where he did when the attack was fired. The red and black leather of his outfit smokes, still cooling down. The metal crackles with the charge as it dissipates. Psyphon himself, however, stands unaffected. He only glares at Ben.

“Yeah, okay, maybe Shocksquatch isn’t the guy for the job here.” Ben recognizes, just before the Omnitrix plays the beeps that indicate a timeout, and his form is consumed in the wash of green light. “Uh oh.” Ben reacts, looking down to his hands as they’re reverted to a human shape.

“Uh oh is right, boy.” Psyphon growls. The sound of his eyes charging plays for only a split second before the beams shoot forwards.

It’s just barely enough time for Ester to notice, calling out for Ben as she launches herself across the room to him, tackling him out of the way before the blast connects. Hitting her instead, and throwing Ben to the ground.

Ester’s body is thrown back by the eyebeams, sending her tumbling back across the platform while Ben just processes what happened.

“Ester!” He shouts the moment everything clicks, looking back to where she landed. Now curled over herself, her parka singed and smoking. “You okay?” He quickly checks, pushing himself back to his feet.

Her only response is a groan. She’s clearly still alive, but she’s not getting back up. Rook seems to be a similar case when Ben looks back to the wall past Psyphon, finding his partner still pushing the rubble off himself.

Ben quickly reaches for the Omnitrix. Not to load the dial, but to activate the Plumber line.

“Manny, Helen. Get in here.” He states.

“Coming.” He hears, letting him disconnect and let go of the Omnitrix.

“Huh.” Psyphon reacts, gliding down to land on the tile floor under him again.

“Alright, Psyphon. I was going easy on you, but if you wanna play hardball, I’m game!” Ben shouts, moving his hand to the Omnitrix again, now to summon the dial.

“Please, Tennyson, you’re out of practice. Wherever you’ve been, it’s softened you. I barely even felt that last attack. Now, I’m going to get rid of you for good, finally ridding myself of your accursed interference!” Psyphon announces. Not threatening, but telling him. Like it’s an inevitability.

“Yeah, right.” Ben shoots back. Not with his usual quippy and confident tone, but a slightly more serious one. One that’s completely unconvinced, and unamused. “Tell it to Fourarms.”

The Omnitrix lands on an alien he wants, and he barely gives the device the time to move the faceplate back before he slams his hand down to activate it.

The Omnitrix merges with him in an instance, slipping below the deep red skin that takes the place of his normal body. His skeleton shifts, widens, expands, more than doubling in height. His eyes and arms both split in two, solidifying into a another fully formed set of both. His body is cast in a sleeveless black and green unitard, leaving his four arms exposed. The Omnitrix is set on the belt around his waist, glowing the save vibrant green as the four eyes that lock on Psyphon.

Psyphon takes a breath to comment on the form, but doesn’t get the chance. Ben immediately leaps forward, holding his upper left hand forward to aim himself, and reeling back both of his right arms. Psyphon barely has the time to process the leap, and has none to try and move himself out of the way before Ben’s fists slam into him.

Psyphon is sent flying back, out of the station and into the tunnel beyond it, slamming into the far wall.

Ben lands again a second later, and glances down to the tracks off the platform when Helen rushes in with Manny. She sets him down with a huff, then looks up to Ben.

“Cuff the goons. I’ll deal with Psyphon.” He directs.

“You know, Ben, we’ve actually been dealing with this sort of thing for a while now. We know what we’re doing.” Manny tries to tell him.

Before Ben can respond Psyphon shoots another blast of energy, hitting Ben hard enough to knock him back. He’s only staggers though, quickly reaching down and slamming all four of his arms into the ground to rip free a chunk of stone nearly the size of his own body that he hurls out of the station to the same point as Psyphon.

He looks back down to Manny as the sound of the stone slamming against the tunnel wall resounds.

“Yeah, okay. We’ll do cleanup. No problem.” Manny retracts the previous comment.

Ben looks back to Psyphon again, peering into the darkness outside of the station. He starts marching forward, but stops as he comes to the point where Rook was thrown before. Ben reaches down, still keeping a set of eyes on Psyphon, and grabs onto Rook in the rubble, carefully pulling him out.

“Agh. Thank you.” Rook says as he’s finally freed from the stone.

“Could you make sure Ester’s okay?” Ben asks.

“Of course.” Rook responds, reaching down to grab his Proto-Tool before heading back along the platform to where Ester landed.

“Okay, Psyphon!” Ben calls out, continuing along into the tunnel.

He hops down once he gets to the edge of the platform, then continues to march forward to where he threw Psyphon.

He stops once he reaches the crater in the wall, reaching down to grab the chunk of stone and move it off the spot. But where he expected to find Psyphon, he instead finds only debris.

He doesn’t have but a second to think about this before a roared “Hyaa!” comes from the darkness to his right, and turning he finds Psyphon soaring towards him.

Psyphon grabs onto him before he can react, yanking him off the ground and swinging him around to throw him back into the station.

Ben soars across the station, slamming into and tearing through the support beams to crash into the far side. His momentum is enough to suspend him against the wall for a second before he starts dropping, falling back down to the track between the platforms below, where he collides with the packed gravel with a grunt.

The others, Rook, Helen, and Manny, all turn their attention to him when this happens. Looking off the platforms where they’re cuffing Psyphon’s goons to see what happened. Even Ester, now back on her feet using Rook to balance, looks to Ben as he starts picking himself up again.

Ben barely has the time to look back to Psyphon before the pale alien rushes in again, slamming into Ben and continuing forward to travel through the tunnel on the other side with him.

Ben quickly reaches up to grab onto Psyphon with both of his upper arms, then yanks him downwards. As a result both of them change trajectory, veering down into the track below them. This lets Ben use his lower arms and feet to grind them to a halt.

“Let go of me, you pest!” Psyphon demands.

“Gladly!” Ben responds, pushing himself off the ground with his lower arms and using the momentum to swing himself around and slam Psyphon into the nearest tunnel wall.

“Agh!” Psyphon groans, immediately grabbing onto the broken brickwork either side of him to pull himself out.

He doesn’t have the time to free himself before Ben slams his fist into him again, though. All of them, one after another. Bam, bam, bam, bam. Then again, with the same rhythm, until Psyphon is firmly enough embedded in the wall for Ben to have a hard time reaching him. At this point Ben reaches forward, grabbing onto the front of Psyphon’s eccentric outfit to yank him out. He just tosses him to the ground, where Psyphon lands with a grunt.

“How’s that for out of practice, huh?” Ben says.

“I don’t understand- I thought…” Psyphon gasps, struggling to push himself off the ground with shaky arms.

“Come on, this is over.” Ben states, stepping to where Psyphon fell and reaching down to grab onto his outfit again.

“No!” Psyphon shouts, looking back over his shoulder to fire off another blast of energy from his eyes. It hits Ben hard enough to stagger him again, giving Psyphon the time to push himself off the ground and desperately fly for the station.

“Psyphon!” Ben shouts as soon as he registers this.

With nothing else of use in reach, Ben reaches down and grabs the rail line, tearing free a piece of the metal.

Psyphon emerges from the tunnel he flew down with Ben, back into the station. He doesn’t even slow when the others register this, just watching as he frantically soars across the space for the tunnel on the other side.

Rook quickly reaches for the Proto-Tool on his shoulder, but doesn’t have the time to ready it before Psyphon is dealt with another way.

In the blink of an eye, a rod of steel is hurled through the air with enough force to outright tear through Psyphon when it hits him. The metal was thrown almost like a spear, with enough force for the metal to go straight through his shoulder. With a cry of pain, the villain falls from the air, clutching his shoulder as he slams into the ground.

Everyone goes silent at this. Just watching as Psyphon writhes in the loose gravel, firmly grasping the wound as it bleeds. He either lacks the strength or reason to pull the metal rod from his body, as he makes no effort to pull it free. He makes no effort to do anything, actually, besides grapple with the wound he was just dealt.

Rook, Ester, Helen, and Manny only look away from Psyphon when Ben marches back into the station, continuing along until he reaches Psyphon and kneels down. He grabs onto the metal of the rail he landed atop and tears it free, bending it over Psyphon’s leg to lock him in place.

“Now stay.” Ben speaks, marked just a second later by the Omnitrix timing out and turning him back into a human.

“Woah.” Manny is the first to react. Not just to the state of Psyphon, but the way it doesn’t seem to really phase Ben.

Ben walks over to the platform on his right, the one Rook and Ester are on, to pull himself up. Rook raises a hand to his communicator again as he walks over, waiting for a second as it connects.

“This is Magister Rook Blonko. I need criminal transports in Undertown subway line J. And… a medical transport.” He says. There’s a brief pause. “No, one of the criminals was harmed while being subdued. All plumber agents are alright.” He clarifies, and is able to end the call after just another second.

“Yeesh…” Helen is the next to react, looking down at Psyphon still struggling with the metal beam lodged through him. His blood has started to pool under him, soaking into the gravel. She makes sure Manny’s got a hold of the guy they were moving, then rushes down to Psyphon to cuff him before speeding back up to Manny, just in case the makeshift cuff Ben made isn’t enough to hold him.

“Too much?” Ben questions, looking to Helen and Manny on the other side of the rails from him, then to Rook and Ester beside him, noting the way all of them are reacting.

“Ben, that is… yes. “Too much.” Excessive, even by your standards.” Rook confirms, frankly taken aback by how unconcerned Ben is about the wound he dealt.

“Oh come on, he’ll live.” Ben argues, gesturing down to Psyphon. “A couple weeks of physical therapy and he’ll be good as new. Nothing permanent.”

“Yes, but you…” Rook tries to phrase it.

“What?” Ben questions.

“You are usually more careful.” Rook says.

“I’m…” Ben pauses for a second, actually thinking about that sentiment. About the idea that he wasn’t as “careful” as he usually is.

“Ease up a little, will ya? He got the bad guy, right? It’s not like he killed anyone.” Ester speaks up, taking a step over to Ben, and turning to face Rook instead.

Ben’s broken from his thoughts immediately by this, looking to Ester for a second before turning to Rook again.

“No, he’s right.” Ben decides.

“I- Really?” Rook questions, surprised that Ben was willing to admit it so easily.

“Shepard’s team, over in the Mass Effect universe, they don’t have powers. They just have guns. So nobody was really worried about leaving people unharmed.” Ben explains.

“They are not worried about leaving people alive, you mean.” Rook interprets.

“It’s a different situation over there, dude. They’re still using bullets, not blasters. So…”

“So you adapted.” Rook summarizes.

“So I eased back on the level of consideration I put into every punch I threw! I can tear through solid steel with my bare hands, and fly, and shoot lightning! When I woke up this morning we were planning for a war with the only thing in their universe that even came close to posing a threat to me, and now I’m back to dealing with Psyphon, and-” Ben throws his hands up, letting out a frustrated huff as he turns away from Rook and Ester and paces over to the edge of the platform, dropping down to sit with his legs over the edge. “Sorry, okay? My standards have been at “leave people alive” for a couple months now.” Ben says.

“It is alright, Ben.” Rook tells him.

Ben doesn’t respond, and Rook lets out a shallow sigh as he hears the plumber transports coming down the tunnel to meet them. He makes his way for the tunnel entrance, while Ester walks over and sits down beside Ben.

“Sounds like it’s been a rough ride.” Ester notes.

“Yeah, tell me about it. I thought I was so desperate to get back here, and now I just feel like I don’t belong.” Ben says.

Ester looks over as the Plumber tanks come to a stop by the entrance to the station, and the Plumbers start emerging to collect the incapacitated criminals. More urgently the medical team heads for Psyphon, using small laser projectors to cut off the excess metal either side of his wound so they can put him on a stretcher.

Looking in that direction, Ben’s eyes gradually drift to Ester. More specifically, the part of her parka left singed and torn from the blast she took for him. The part she’s keeping her arm down over to keep the warmth in.

“Uhm… thanks for the save. I really owe you one.” Ben says.

“You save my home for the howeverth many time today. Let’s just call it even.” She tells him.

“Yeah, okay.” Ben accepts easily enough.

Ester lets out a shallow sigh after another moment, looking up to the ceiling above them just so she doesn’t have to look at Ben. “And here I thought you were just avoiding me.” She chuckles.

“Huh?” Ben questions, looking up from himself to focus on Ester.

“Well, y’know. Last time I saw you was when we were on that gameshow. Then you and Rook left the planet, and next thing I know we’re just radio silent.” Ester explains, looking to Ben again.

“Oh, yeah… Man, that was a while ago now, huh?” Ben realizes.

“Little over a year.” Ester confirms.

“Yeah, when… Sorry. This psychotic galvanic mechamorph named Malware managed to reconstitute himself, and we were dealing with that for a while. Then, well, y’know. I got zapped to another universe. You’re in like the first ten people I’ve talked to since I got back, not counting my parents.” Ben explains.

Ester smiles at that a little.

“It’s good to see you again.” She tells him, turning to fully face him.

“Yeah, you too.”

Taking a second just to look at him, for the first time since they reunited today, she notices something slightly out of the ordinary.

“Uh… Ben, what are you wearing?” She asks with a chuckle.

“Huh? …oh.” Ben figures out what she means, unzipping his hoodie slightly to let Ester read his shirt. “I spilled a smoothie on the only other shirt I had over there this morning. They – A couple of my friends on the Normandy, their ship – got me this as a joke after I told them about… long story.” He explains.

“It’s a good look.” Ester jokes, trying not to tease him about it too much.

“Uh-huh.” Ben rejects, zipping his hoodie up again and turning away.

There’s a pause.

Ben looks up to the Plumbers, loading the cuffed criminals into the trucks. Manny is still yanking the orishan out of the wall on the other side of the station from them, embedded from when Ben zapped him. Rook is coordinating with one of Alpha Squad, the plumbers that wear red instead of white. Molly, he’s pretty sure that one is named.

“So you and Antonio. How’s that working out?” Ben eventually asks, looking back to Ester.

“Oh, uh. We actually broke up.” She reveals, stiffly.

“Woah, what happened?” Ben questions.

“He and I just didn’t really work out. He was kinda… overbearing, honestly.” She admits.

“What, Antonio the romantic? The poetic? The “will travel halfway across the universe and destroy a particle collider just to see his girlfriend?” Nooo. I can’t imagine him being overbearing.” Ben teases.

“Oh, so you’ve met him.” Ester confirms, Ben evidently being dead on with the descriptions.

“He was dating my cousin a while back.” Ben explains.

“Gwen?” Ester checks.

“Sonny, different one. An anodite, on my grandmother’s side.” Ben clarifies. “He was pretty excessive back then too.”

“Well, at least he’s consistent, I guess.” Ester figures.

Ben takes another breath to speak but hesitates for just a second. “There anyone else?” He eventually asks.

“Not really. A few short things with a couple people, but nothing long-term. I think I’m just gonna give dating a rest for a while.” She tells him.

“Yeah, I definitely get that.”

And there’s another pause.

The plumbers are almost done arresting people at this point. There are only a few more to be loaded up, and most of the trucks are heading back down the tunnel now.

“How about you and Kai? Has destiny done its thing yet?” Ester eventually asks.

“What? No. Kai and- No. No, absolutely not. We didn’t talk much after we left earth.” Ben assures her.

“Riiight.” Ester doubts.

“Really.” Ben insists.

Another pause, and Ben notices that pretty much only Rook, Helen, and Manny are left. Even Helen and Manny are heading out though. Ben and Ester wave to them, and they wave back, before they board the last of the Plumber transports. It then awkwardly turns around, and heads back down the tunnel it came from.

“So, we still friends?” Ben checks, getting Ester to turn back to him.

“Of course.” She says like it should be a given. “Just don’t go disappearing on me this time.”

“Wouldn’t dream of it. I’ll let you know before I head back over there.” Ben assures her.

“Wait- you’re going back?”

“Well, yeah. There are- It’s a long story. A race of giant robot dreadnaughts trying to wipe out all sapient life. I’m going to help stop them. And- Oh! You’re missing a Kraaho!” Ben remembers.

“Wh- huh?” She questions.

“Gillrus, I think his name was? He’s over in the other universe. He said he was from the hotspot.” Ben explains.

“Wait, he’s what? He’s been missing for a few months, but I just thought he skipped town or something.”

“Nah, he got kidnapped by a whacko human supremacy group over there. We got him out, of course. He’s on the Citadel right now with a couple other refugees from this universe. The- It’s a space station.” He catches her up.

“Woah. That’s- wow. …Well, if you ever need help with those giant robots, feel free to give me a call.” Ester says.

“Thanks.” Ben reacts with a chuckle.

And now Rook makes his way back over, on the ground by the tracks below them.

“I was right about their motivation. It turns out Psyphon was running a similar scheme across multiple parts of Undertown, so far without direct Plumber detection.” Rook explains.

“Okay, so maybe Psyphon is stupid enough to try the same plan twice. Who would have guessed.” Ben reacts, hopping down from the platform, followed by Ester.

“Ester, Alan has done what he can to reheat the magma pools in the Hotspot, and a team is on its way out to aid with repairing the thermal piping.” Rook tells her.

“Thank you, Rook.” She says. “I guess that’s my cue to get back to the Hotspot. It was good seeing you again, Ben. Give me a call later.” She tells him, jogging off towards the tunnel that leads back to undertown.

“Count on it!” Ben shouts back, just before she vanishes around the corner.

“You have been back all of four hours and have already managed to patch things up with Ester. Consider me impressed.” Rook says.

Ben shrugs.

“Ben… do you want to talk about it?” Rook asks after a moment.

“… Maybe later. Right now I think I just want to head home and sleep in my own bed again.” Ben responds.

“Your room onboard Plumber Headquarters should be just the way you left it.” Rook says.

“So a mess.” Ben interprets his meaning.

“Well, yes.” He confirms.

Ben sort of expects Plumber high command to get back to them quickly. A couple days at the most, he figures.

It’s a couple weeks later that he’s lying on the bed in his room, staring up at the ceiling. Just, lying there. Because he has nothing else to do. Because high command’s only response is still “you’re on the list” instead of an actual meeting date, and it’s driving Ben nuts.

Weeks of petty criminals, and people trying to get the Omnitrix, and Rook occasionally coming to Ben with a question about a Codex entry, and catching up with friends, and nothing important happening. Nothing but the usual stuff he dealt with for years. The stuff that seems unimportant, compared to the greater problem he was working to address in the other universe.

It’s time he thinks he has. Even a conservative estimate puts the Reapers months away from reaching the rest of their Milky Way galaxy. He just feels like wasting any of it is a risk he shouldn’t be taking. He can only wait right now though.

Waiting is making him restless. He swings his legs forward to toss himself off his bed, letting him pace across the room to grab a shirt out of his dresser. One of the half dozen he has of his default shirt. The black tee with a stripe of green running down the sleeves and front, broken only with the large “10” written in white letters on his chest.

He actually double checks that it isn’t the shirt he brought back from the Mass Effect universe before he heads out of the room.

He’s able to send a request to Blukic and Driba fairly quickly with the Omnitrix, getting them to teleport him down to Bellwood. That typical buzzing fades just a second after he arrives, letting him move his attention to the surrounding street.

It’s Bellwood alright. The same human-built city on earth that he grew up in. The same blend of modern high-rises and industrial brick-built buildings that have been there for decades. Most repaired dozens of times over the years, from one event or another.

He knows where he is, which is a sensation he’s had to get used to again since getting back. His default for nearly a year beforehand was to figure out where he was going on the fly, constantly landing in places he’s never been before. Now, though, he’s home. In this case that only means he knows the way to the nearest Mr. Smoothy by heart.

He glances to his wrist, thinking on the option for a second before deciding against it. Rather, he opts to walk. Down the sidewalks, across the street through the sparse morning streets, and eventually to the building that is his destination.

It’s as he passes through the front doors that he’s abruptly greeted with a denser crowd of people than he expected. Human and alien alike, as is becoming the default for the city, all either standing in line or cramming themselves into the booths and tables around the room.

He lets out a shallow sigh and gets into place at the back of the line.

Without much else to do, Ben slides his hand into the pocket of his cargo pants and pulls out his phone. He was chipping away at the months’ worth of notifications his phone received for a while after he got back. E-mails, texts, plumber signals. More went to the Omnitrix, but enough were sent his phone for scrolling through all of them to get rid of the notifications to be tedious.

He dealt with that, though. For the most part. Now he’s just checking in with his friends. Rook, Gwen, Kevin, Max. Updates on the Plumbers still being busy, Asmuth not having gotten around to Ben’s request yet, and Gwen being swamped with college work now that she’s picking up her classes again. Kevin says hi.

So, nothing really important. He flicks through his apps for a moment to get to social media, but nothing there is worth his attention either. The next thing he can think of, forcing him to actually open a browser window since he doesn’t have an app for it, is checking the news. Something he feels immensely lame for doing.

He keeps moving as the line slowly paces forward, with more people coming in behind him.

Stations are still talking about how he’s back. Photos of him doing his thing, saving people, being at Plumber controlled crime scenes. There’s some interest in the new aliens he got while over in the Mass Effect universe, but he doesn’t use them in combat for nearly long enough for anyone to have any good photos of them yet.

Articles going over the democratic process down in Undertown, effecting the middle ground of Omnitown. Reports on all the major crimes that are getting thwarted every other day. More so by the Plumber’s helpers, he finds. Even one source mentioning the Codex entries added to the Plumber database, and the few entries that have been leaked to the general public.

“Woah, Ben 10?” He hears someone speak in the room around him, causing him to immediately glance up from his phone.

“Check it out, it totally is!” Another voice chimes in, letting Ben turn himself toward the source.

“Hey guys.” Ben greets them, recognizing the group as the kineceleran kids that live in Undertown.

They just made their way in, serving as the next bulk of people making up the back of the line. Meaning they immediately spotted Ben ahead of them. Ben glances back down to the news articles, but clicks the side of his phone to put it to sleep after a second.

“Dude, where have you been!? It’s been nuts since you left!” One of them says.

“Yeah, sorry. I was in another dimension. It’s a whole thing.” Ben fills them in.

“That’s crazy!” One remarks.

“What was it like there?” Another asks.

Ben takes a breath to answer, but “Where there any cool aliens there?” Cuts him off before he can, from another one of the group.

Ben tries to answer that too, but is again cut off with “Did you stop any crazy bad guys?”

“How’d you get back?” “Are you gonna go missing again?” “I heard what happened with your grandpa, sorry about that.” “Can I see the new aliens?” One after another, way too fast for Ben to respond.

And then, abruptly, the sound of sirens cut them off.

Most of the people in the store, including all the kinecelerans and Ben, turn their attention to the windows at the front of the room, where police cars rush by.

“Oh come on!” Ben whines. “But, I-” He gestures back to the ordering counter he’s almost reached at the back of the room. He sighs, reaching for the Omnitrix, and heading for the door. “Alright.”

Everyone gets out of his way as he rushes outside, slamming his hand down on the Omnitrix as soon as he’s out of the building.

The flash erupts from the watch, and the alien body replaces his own instantly. Smaller, pale blue skin garbed in a green and black dress-like tunic that holds the Omnitrix. Elbow-length white gloves cover their hands, spiked blue hair slopes upwards from their head, just over the marks of pink on his cheeks and chin, and his solid green eyes. The purple butterfly wings emerging from his back explain the fact that he rises from the ground, and takes off after the police with a trail of sparkling dust behind him.

“Alright Omnitrix, I’m trusting you here. If Pesky Dust isn’t the right alien, I’m gonna be pretty peeved.” Ben grumbles to himself, soaring along fast enough over the streets of Bellwood to start catching up.

He can see them ahead long before he actually catches up. Three police cruisers, all following after a convertible speeding down the streets ahead of them, occupied by two masked humanoids. They might just be humans, actually. The sacks in the backseat, and the bills being lost to the wind, give Ben the idea that they just robbed a bank. Poorly.

He glides around the corner of a building far more easily than the cars do, closing some of the distance. He can’t do much else though, not as the current alien. Especially not when the culprits seem to notice him following after them with the police, immediately slamming on the accelerator even more so than they were before.

Ben’s about to reach for the Omnitrix to change alien, when his attention is abruptly moved to the shape of a plumber transport speeding from a side-street onto the avenue they’re heading down. It has to drift around the corner to get itself facing the right direction, then charges ahead.

Ben lets himself drop down, landing on the roof of the car as the Omnitrix turns him back with several beeps. He grabs hold of the truck’s roof, keeping himself from being torn off by the wind as he leans forward to see who’s driving.

“Manny!?” Ben shouts to be heard over the sound of the car, and the sirens they follow.

“Ben!” The driver notices him. “Hang on to something, it’s gonna get bumpy!”

Ben winces and quickly covers his right ear with his free hand when the speakers on the Plumber truck blare to full volume.

“Make room, I’ve got this!” Manny shouts through the speaker.

The three police cars ahead of him do just that, quickly shifting themselves to the sides of the road to let Manny charge ahead.

They both have to slow down just enough to make the next sharp turn in the road, but are still traveling more than fast enough to throw Ben off the roof of the car. He’s just barely able to hit the Omnitrix while in the air, transforming him as he crashes into an alley shooting off from the road they’re heading down.

His body shifts and expands as he tumbles over himself, slamming into the side of a dumpster hard enough to knock it out of place.

“Annoyed: Ow.” He groans as he rights himself.

The form he took is quadrupedal, but in the way an ape is. He rests a large portion of his weight on his forelimbs, which are structed with enough muscle mass to support the lumbering weight of his body. His digitigrade hind legs are covered with a pair of black and green pants, which continue up over his back to form a neck-brace collar sort of structure. Just above it is the Omnitrix, located on the raised forehead of the alien. An Elcor.

“Surprised: Heavyfreight? That’s a new one. Boisterous confidence: Let’s see what he’s got.” Ben decides, taking to running back onto the road to follow after the chase.

He is not fast, it’s fair to say. Bounding along with heavy strikes against the ground only gets him to about the same running speed as a human. A fast human, but a human none the less.

Thankfully, he doesn’t have far to go. Just a couple blocks ahead, he finds the plumber transport and police cars, surrounding the now wrecked convertible. The police don’t try to stop Ben once they spot the Omnitrix, letting him continue over to Manny as he yanks one of the crooks out of the front seat.

Ben spots the grappling cord stabbing into the back of the car, and the obvious fist-shaped dents on the hood. He can gather Manny hooked them, then leapt out of the plumber transport to take them down manually.

Ben paces around to the other side of the car, carefully balancing himself on one arm to raise the other, grabbing the other criminal with his massive limb to pull him out of the car about as easily as Manny did.

“Restrained annoyance: Nice driving, Manny.” Ben speaks, tossing the criminal over to him. Manny caches them by their jacket, and places them on the ground beside the car, letting the cops cuff them.

“Sorry, man. Couldn’t let them get away, y’know.” Manny responds, taking a second before looking back to Ben. “What, uhh.. what species is this?” manny questions.

“Factually: Elcor. From the other universe.” Ben says, using his still free hand to reach up and hit the Omnitrix. His human body is formed from the shape of the Elcor, letting him lean back to stand on two legs again. “Good job with this.” Ben says, looking around at the scene as a whole now that his neck can more.

“Yeah man, I told you. We got it handled while you were gone. We know what’s up.” Manny tells him.

The distinct lack of property damage to practically everything around them supports Manny’s point. Even the cars on the side of the road are left unscathed.

“Yeah. Well, if you’ve got it, I guess I’m gonna head back to Mr. Smoothy.” Ben decides after a second, realizing he’s not actually needed. He awkwardly stands around for another moment before turning to head the way they came from, reaching for the Omnitrix as he jogs off.

It’s a week later that Ben is on earth again, sitting in his car. The car Kevin made him for when he got his license. The car that has been in his mother’s garage for nearly two years at this point. That car. That’s the one he’s inside, parked in the parking lot of a place labeled as “burger shack.”

A paper bag sits on his passenger seat, which his right hand reaches for with an odd rhythm. Grabbing another handful of chili fries each time he’s done chewing the last few.

In his other hand is his phone, swiping through apps faster than Ben is actually thinking to make use of them. His messages, a browser, three different social media, an app that lets him browse the Plumber database. Like zoo animal tracing the shape of their cage. He’s bored, and is just hoping that if he closes and opens these apps enough times something will eventually stick out to him.

And then, something does. Taking just a second to browse through his files, swiping down through the dozens of files he hasn’t bothered to organize, he hits ones from his camera roll. He pauses, then quickly taps the first of them to get it open.

The Normandy crew. Half a dozen of them, about, from that time he got them to sit down for a meal together. A little after people started leaving.

Ben backs up to the home screen of his file manage and taps on the images section, then on his camera specifically, letting him scroll down as far as he needs to get to the first images. He taps on it, and lets it take over his phone’s screen.

Maganlis. The lab where he arrived. A few of the scientists stationed there trying to work, despite Ben’s repeated dismissal of the fact he was supposed to be a prisoner.

Ben flicks his thumb across the screen to the right, scrolling to the next photos he took. Shots of the alien planet through the windows. Photos he sneaked of the aliens themselves. A few of the science team he tried to make friends with. That asari that helped him use the computers, these salarian twin Ben remembers getting confused, a turian officer trying her best to ignore him in the photo, some humans using their omni-tools.

Then photos of the ship they finally used to get him off-world. Then the citadel. The lakes in the presidium, the quarters they gave him after he talked with Anderson, Anderon’s office itself, and one of the Councilor.

Ben chuckles at the stern look the man is giving him. He remembers that Anderson wasn’t annoyed about the photo at the time, but just wanted to look official. In case the photo was going to be the one used to represent him in Ben’s universe. In retrospect, it’s a good photo for that. The light of the presidium coming in from the balcony on the left side of the frame, and the artificial light of the room illuminating the other side of his aged complexion.

Photos of the squad he was assigned to after they got him off the Citadel. He can just about remember their names now. More distinctly he remembers the feeling of watching the Collector ship leave that colony, after the Omnitrix timed out.

He has plenty of photos of the colony. The one on Freedom’s Progress. A few dozen from when he was working there, and just a few from after the Collectors left. While he was waiting to leave with Shepard’s team.

He has another laugh at the photo of Shepard, Miranda, and Jacob in the shuttle flying back from the colony. Shepard on the same side of the shuttle from him, just barely in frame on the left side. Them Miranda and Jacob sitting stiffly on the other side, looking at Ben more confused than when he was an alien.

That photo he snuck of the Illusive Man’s lounge during their first call; the one he remembers using to figure out his location as some of the smarter aliens. One of the Normandy before they boarded, and a few after while he was waiting. Then another burst of photos after he could charge his phone reliable. Over a hundred, at least. All documenting the time he spent over there.

The Citadel, Omega, Illium, Tuchanka. The planets he visited. More important to him, though, are the people he has photos of. The faces he hasn’t seen for almost a month now.

He just looks at them. Scrolling through the memories, each moment he managed to get a snapshot of them. Mordin in his lab, smiling while he explained his theories about the Omnitrix, and Collectors, and Reapers, or anything else. Kasumi charging the stealth projector in her suit. Zaeed and Grunt arm wrestling, with one clearly having an easier time than the other. Legion, standing under that red light at the end of the Ai core.

There are a few of Garrus. In the food court before he was able to spot Ben, him expressing what Ben thinks is a smile as he worked on the forward battery. Slumped against the wall, pretending or trying to sleep in the Kodiak while they were being deployed.

About as many of Tali. One on the ride back to the Normandy, after Haestrom. Her sitting with him and Garrus in that bar on Nos Astra, leaning over a glass of water with a straw in it, but looking at the brandy Garrus was working on. One of her working down in engineering, her head in the ship’s systems, using a knee against the railing to keep herself from falling off the walkway. Then one right after, where she realized Ben had been taking a photo, and instinctively posed herself slightly.

Less of the Commander. Shepard. A few Shepard let him take, and one of him at the galaxy map. Leaning himself against the railing, looking down at the projection. Something Ben found him doing almost all the time, now that he thinks about it.

A bunch the crew let him take. Simple headshots of most of them, for their contacts. Their Omni-tool contacts, which Ben managed to get semi-compatible with his phone.

Some of the refugees over there. Not nearly as many as he has of the crew, but a few. The necrofriggian, the galvan, the kineceleran, the kraaho. He forgot to get one of the lewodan, he finds.

Then plenty more of groups. Some he took on missions, some he took while off-duty, some he downloaded from the suit-cams of the crew after he realized her could do that. That time he and Jack fought, him attacking the Collector Vessel over Horizon, Chromastone standing on the roof of the Normandy taking a laser, Shocksquatch taking on a YMIR mech. Moments that looked kind of cool on camera, which he wanted to get a copy of.

More than any of it, he lingers on the shots of him with the crew. The friends he made. Shepard, Garrus, Tali, Kasumi, Mordin. The people he actually talked with, and liked being around.

The people he guesses that he misses. That he guesses probably miss him.

And then, the booming sound of an explosion rings out through the city. Immediately Ben shuts off his phone and jams it into his pocket as he gets out of the car, wiping the chili on his right hand off on his pants leg.

It only takes him a second to spot the trail of smoke rising into the sky over one of the buildings a short way across the city from him.

“Dude.” Ben remarks flatly, huffing in annoyance as he looks down to the Omnitrix. “At least I’m not bored.” He rationalizes, flicking his hand to the side to let the dial choose an alien for itself before he slams down the core.

Around his torso forms a shell, ridged with distinct plates on the back, and vent-like structures on the front. His arms expand into fins, his legs widen into rounder shapes, without much clear distinction for where his feet begin. The Omnitrix manifests on his chest, and his head flicks up from one of the holes on his chest. Terraspin.

Ben only has to glance down at himself before leaning forwards, letting his head flip down into the shell while his legs merge together into a third fin. All three fins immediately begin rotating, while a consistent gust of air is pushed out of the vents, letting him glide above the ground and soar forward.

Ben flicks his head up on the back of the shell to keep an eye on the environment around him. He has no trouble getting higher and higher, sailing over the buildings of the city to head directly for the source of the explosion. He only lets himself start falling again once he gets to the street housing the scene. His body falls through the air, but the turbine his body forms kicks up again to slow him down before he hits the ground, letting his body shift back to its normal configuration.

His lead flicks back into the back of his shell to emerge on the front again, letting him look up at the source of the smoke. A fire, burning on the 8^th or 9^th floor of the apartment building in front of him.

“Come on, Terraspin’s a living fan! That is the last thing I need for a fire!” Ben complains, recognizing the irony he knows the Omnitrix is so fond of.

He turns his sights back down to street level at the sound of sirens sound out, and upon turning he finds the source to be as set of firetrucks driving down the street towards him. Then he has to look back up to the building with the abrupt sound of shattering glass.

He just barely has the time to stagger back before two bodies slam into the road in front of him, one after another. The second, smaller one, tumbling off the larger of the two first before hitting the road itself.

“Wh- The Vreedles? Are you serious?” Ben remarks, completely unamused by the sight of the two grey humanoids picking themselves up.

“Ough…” The smaller, thin one, groans. He uses one hand to put his hat back on, while using the other to pick up a makeshift firearm of some sort.

“Uhh… Octogon. Issin I halucinatin’, or is that in there Ben 10?” The other, much larger and wider one, questions with a southern drawl accenting his speech. With one hand he holds a misshapen sack, seemingly holding several miscellaneous objects, and in the other he hold another makeshift gun, larger than the other one.

At the question, the smaller of the two, Octagon, turns to Ben.

“Well, I’ll be. That there so does appear to be the very Ben Tennyson you did’n think it was, Boid.” Octogon tells him, also speaking with a southern accent effecting his own, slightly deeper, voice.

“But, uhh.. ‘Aint he dead?” Boid questions.

“Well, it appears our assumptions about the deceased vs missing status of this here local hero was done, what some might call, prematurely.” Octogon explains.

“So, he ‘aint dead?” Rhomboid checks.

“Yes, Boid. It would appear so.” Octogon confirms.

“What are you two even doing!?” Ben finally cuts in, growing more annoyed with their back and forth by the moment.

“Well ‘aint it obvious? We’ve been robbing this here collection of homesteads.” Boid says.

“And, in complete honesty, you seem to be in the way of our escape. Something I might’n have something to say about if we weren’t in such a rush. Bein’ that I am in such a rush, however, I’m afraid we have no time for such.” Octogon explains, and as soon as he’s done speaking both of their guns fall into position to fire on Ben.

Ben tries to react, but the blast hit him before he can, throwing him to the other side of the street and slamming him through the building in his way into what seems like a bakery.

Ben groans as he pushes a fin against the wall to flip himself over, letting him run back outside through the doors on the other side of the room. He just barely has the time to spot the Vreedles running for a car on the other side of the road. Ben’s attention shifts to the fire starting to get out of control above him though, seeing that the firefighters already on the scene haven’t put out the fire yet.

He’s just about to reach for the Omnitrix when the flames start dying down. Far fast than the water being sprayed up would cause, to a point where after just a few seconds there are no flames at all.

Looing back to the Vreedles down the street from him, he finds they’re being dealt with too. The car they tried to enter seemingly disassembling itself piece by piece, each being unmounted and levitated away from the car to leave only the frame and Vreedles inside.

Ben doesn’t have long to stand there in confusion before he spots the flaming body of a pyronite soaring down to street level by the Vreedles. Ben tucks into his shell and glides over, finally able to see the Plumber transport that was previously hidden behind the firetrucks, and Cooper stepping out of it.

Alan looks over to Ben at he lands again. Just long enough for the Vreedles to start trying to get out of the remains of the car, prompting Ben to hit them with a blast of wind forceful enough to slam them into the dashboard of the vehicle.

“Augh… Boid, it seems our distraction was in foiled by the new Plumbers recruited in light of what was assumed to be Ben Tennyson’s demise.” Octogon groans, not even bothering to resist as Cooper walks over cuff the two of them.

“I does think you might be right, Octogon.” Boid responds, also not resisting.

“Ben, what are you doing here?” Alan asks, letting the fire and coal of his alien form fade away as he looks over to him.

“I was in the area.” Ben says, him too reverting to his human form with a flash of light from the Omnitrix. “Guess I didn’t really need to be, huh?” Ben notes.

“You stalled them until we got here. They might have gotten away otherwise.” Alan tells him.

“Especially with that fire they set to distract us.” Cooper adds, getting both of the Vreedles to step out of the car to escort them back over to the back of the plumber transport.

“Yeah, and who dealt with that?” Alan comments.

“Alright, fine. Fire control is useful. Whatever.” Cooper grumbles, walking away.

“What were they stealing, anyways?” Ben asks, walking over to peak inside the sack with Alan.

“Looks like desktop computer.” Alan says.

“yeah, that sounds about right.” Ben accepts, stepping back again as Alan pulls out the bag to carry it to the plumber transport as well.

“You need a ride back to HQ?” Alan offers, looking back to Ben as he walks around to the passenger door.

“Nah, I’m good.” Ben waves off, just turning to head back down the street in the direction he came from.

Another few days later, he and Rook are sitting in the front seats of a Plumber ship. One of the smaller ones, just about able to land on a two-lane road.

They’re flying through the air, in Earth’s sky. Fields and towns are visible below them, distantly, gliding by with speed.

A beeping at the console has Rook lean forward, tapping a button to silence it.

“We will be arriving soon.” Rook tells Ben.

“Sweet. The sooner we get this thing started, the sooner we can get it done.” Ben reasons, shoving his phone back into the pocket of his pants to focus on the sky ahead of them.

“Ben, are you sure Kevin is out best option in this department?” Rook checks, glancing over to Ben.

“What, do you want to ask Blukic and Driba?” Ben retorts.

“No, but-”

“But what? Kevin’s the best guy I know for this. If I put you two in a room together, there’s no way we aren’t gonna get exactly what we need.” Ben reasons.

“A vehicle that will allow us to travel the Multiverse.” Rook describes.

“Exactly. In addition to flying, and driving, and… everything.” Ben confirms.

“Admittedly, I do look forward to the potential design challenges.”

“See? That’s the spirit. You worry too much.”

Ben reaches up and grabs the seatbelt to strap himself in once they start descending towards the distance shape of a college campus below them.

“I am not the one starting work on a fallback, in the event High Command does not approve our request.” Rook points out.

“It’s been a month, dude, and they’ve just now scheduled a meeting for us. In two weeks!” Ben reminds him.

“Plumber across the galaxy have had their hands full since your disappearance, Ben. A lot of people need to request Plumber help.” Rook tries to rationalize it.

“Yeah, but-”

“But what, Ben?”

“But it’s important this time!” Ben complains, sinking back in his seat as their ship starts slowing down.

“Well, in two weeks, you may tell them that.”

“In two weeks. I’ll show them what I can do in two weeks. We’ll make a whole ship in two weeks.” Ben grumbles to himself as Rook lands the craft, reaching across the dash to flick on the switches and buttons that gradually shut it down.

Ben pushes himself out of his seat once the engine is shutting down and heads along the length of the cabin to get to the side hatch. Waiting for a second as Rook catches up, the hatch hisses as it unseals itself and hinges open, letting them see the green lawn they’ve landed on just outside.

Ben and Rook both hop down, out of the ship, and take a second to look over the courtyard they landed in. The tall and ornate buildings surrounding them, the fountains, the walkways. None of it catches Ben’s attention, with him instead quickly pulling out his phone to text Kevin.

Ben shoves his phone back into his pocket just a second later.

“He’s in his garage. Come on.” Ben says, jogging ahead.

Rook looks back to the ship for just a second, locking it before he follows after Ben.

Entering said garage it barely takes them a second to spot Kevin. His legs, at least, poking out from under the side of his blue muscle car. The rest of the room sports a kitchen sort of area just right of the door they enter through, a desk with several monitors mounted to the wall behind it at the back right of the space, and a couch facing a television on their left.

On the couch is a blue dog-like creature. Alien, but with a very familiar body plan. Blue plates wrap around the outside of its body, contrasted by the gold of a bone-shaped tag.

Kevin’s car is on their right, before the desk. Hearing the click of the door latching behind Ben and Rook, Kevin slides himself out from under the car, looking to the two of them.

“Hey.” He acknowledges them, swing his arms forward as he hops up to his feet. He grabs a stained rag off the hood of his car before walking over to them, wiping some blend of oil and dirt off his hands.

“Hello, Kevin.” Rook greets him.

Immediately the head of the dog alien perks up, whipping around to look at Rook upon him speaking. The second it recognizes him it hops off the couch and bolts over to the three of them.

Rook, upon spotting it, quickly leans down. He catches the animal as it gets it him, scratching his hands over the flexible plates of its neck.

“Zed!” Ben names it, leaning down as well. “Hey girl, missed you.” Ben says, and Zed moves on from Rook to greet Ben.

“Ben told me you guys wanted help putting together a replacement for your old ride. You want to fill me in on what he didn’t tell me?” Kevin asks, tossing the rag back towards his car once his hands are clean enough.

“Hey!” Ben reacts.

Rook rises back to full height, and Ben follows after him a second later once Zed’s moves on from paying attention to him.

“What Ben failed to mention is that we need a vehicle to travel to the Mass Effect universe and back, freely. We figured there was no one better suited to help us in designing, and sourcing the parts, for such a vehicle.” Rook explains.

“What, Azmuth busy or something?” Kevin jokes, turning away from them to head for his computer setup.

Ben, Rook, and Zed follow him, stopping when he reaches the screens and pulls a design application. Not one Ben would recognize, but Rook seems to know it.

“Yes, actually. He is attempting to identify which universe Ben was in based on an “omni-tool” Ben brought back. Among other things.” Rook informs him.

“Yeah, and he’s been ignoring me every time I ask if we can use his warp-field generator. So that plan’s a no-go.” Ben adds.

“Alright. So what are we thinkin’, boys?” Kevin asks, flicking the design program to a list of vehicle types.

“I will admit, I found the proto-TRUK exceedingly functional. Perhaps we can use that as a base?” Rook suggests.

“Alright. I still have the schematics from the original, so we can work off of that.” Kevin accepts.

“Hey, you know that hatch we had on the original Rustbucket 3?” Ben checks.

“The one that let us airdrop you?” Kevin recalls.

“Yeah, that’s the one. Jumping out through the back of the Proto-TRUK always took too long.” Ben contributes.

“Yes, but how many times have we really needed to do that?” Rook questions.

Ben just looks at him, giving him a second to think on the questions.

“Ah- uhm- point taken.” Rook retracts.

“We wanna change the size at all?” Kevin checks.

“It’d be nice if it could fit in the Normandy. Maybe see if we can get the wingspan any smaller?” Ben suggests.

“It would require a rework of the way the TRUK transforms. We’d need to rework the outer plating, and the placement of the propulsion systems.” Rook starts planning.

“Making the wings smalling might give us room for some new toys.” Kevin points out.

“Mmm, yes. Shielding would be nice, given the way Ben drives.” Rook approves.

“Come on, dude, we were stopping Maltruent. You’ve gotta let that one go.” Ben argues.

“You drove us through the wall of the timestream.” Rook reminds him.

“And we were fine.” Ben reminds him, in response.

“We landed in the 1700s.” Rook argues.

“And we were fine.” Ben repeats.

“I’m gonna go ahead and give this beauty the same treatment as mine for durability. I don’t want you two coming back here in pieces.” Kevin decides, making a note in a side tab.

“Are you certain that will be necessary? Ben, didn’t you say-”

“One of their lasers tore through Atomix, once. Not sure it if was a fluke with the way I was deflecting the blasts, but I think it should be able to take a hit like that. Just in case.” Ben cuts him off.

“I’m gonna need a while to look around for engines that’ll get you guys past the dimensional walls, so we can talk specs later. Once we know how much room’s gonna be left over.” Kevin adds.

“Alright. Until then, I believe that we are done for today.” Rook says.

“Huh… that was fast.” Ben remarks, stepping back to give Rook and Kevin room to head away from the console.

“Relative to what?” Rook questions, looking to Ben as they head for the couch.

“Well, back on the Normandy we always had to go over the whole Mass Effect drive every time we were planning out an upgrade, or trying to retrofit some of our tech to theirs.” Ben explains.

“Sorry, Ben, who’s “we?” The way you’re talking makes it sound like you were working on the ship with these guys.” Kevin lightly laughs at the very idea, falling into the couch beside Zed.

Rook sits down on the other side of the dog, while hops onto the arm of the couch.

“Yeah, I was.” Ben states, causing both Kevin and Rook to completely turn their attention to him. “What?”

“Tennyson, you’re telling me you worked on their ship, and it kept working?” Kevin questions.

“Very funny, Kev.” Ben holds up his left wrist for a second. “Graymatter, Brainstorm, Juryrigg. I was pretty good at helping Tali down in engineering.”

Both Rook and Kevin just have to stare at him completely shocked. Mouths agape, eyes locked on him, just stunned.

“What? I can be smart when I try.” Ben insists.

The other two are again silent for a moment, until the sound of the door opening draws everyone’s attention over to Gwen, stepping in with a backpack slung over her shoulder.

“Whew.” She breaths, tossing her bag to the side of the door before turning to look at the group. “Hey Rook. Ben. What I miss?”

“Your cousin’s claiming he knows how to use his brain.” Kevin tells her.

“Yeah, he does, he just plays dumb to disarm his enemies. Remember Ben’s 95 at the Plumber academy? Come on, you were there for this.” Gwen reminds them.

“Oh yeah… huh.” Kevin realizes.

“You’re not letting that go, huh?” Ben comments.

“No. I am not.” Gwen confirms.

“It is well known that Ben is adept in tactical and combat oriented situations, but…" Rook insists.

Gwen shrugs, heading for the kitchen.

“His memory’s nearly eidetic.” Gwen rationalizes.

“I told you. I can be smart when I try, you guys just handle it normally. No need.” Ben repeats.

“Alright, fine!” Kevin accepts, getting up from the couch. “Get out of here before I pound you for all those times your wrecked my ride!” Kevin threatens, shooing Ben off his couch and towards the door.

“Good seeing you, cuz!” Ben calls out as he’s pushed out.

“You too, Ben!” Gwen shouts back, just before the door slams shut behind him and Rook.

Then they stand there for a second, silently.  Looking at the door, then glancing to each other, then back to the door.

“I think that went well.” Rook comments.

“Yeah. His car was still in one piece.” Ben affirms.

Two weeks later Ben sits in the observation room aboard Plumber headquarters, idly spinning his chair in circles just a few feet to the right of Rook.

Round and round, sometimes faster, sometimes slower. Sometimes he grabs the table to spin himself, and sometimes he just scoots himself along with his feet. In circles, with the chair squeaking every rotation at the same spot. Just a few feet away from Rook, reading from one of the desks on the table.

“Ben.” Rook eventually speaks.

“What? I fidget when I’m bored. You know this.” Ben responds, abruptly stopping the chair facing towards the desk. His elbow hit the table, supporting the weigher of his head when he rests it in his hands. “And I’m bored!”

“The Magistrata should be here any minute now. You should calm yourself.” Rook advises him.

“Oh yeah, like you’d be so relaxed if you were about to talk to highest ranking Plumber in the entire galaxy, and ask her to go to war for you.” Ben grumbles.

“I am sure she will help you. It is in the Plumber code to offer aid to all lawful lifeforms seeking it.” Rook says.

“I don’t suppose it says anything about which universe those lifeforms have to be in?” Ben checks.

“It… does mention that they should be within Plumber space.” Rook acknowledges.

“Uh-huh.” Ben responds.

With the sound of the elevator opening, Ben spins the chair back around to face the rest of the room. Looking down from their station they’re able to see Max walking into the room.

Ben hops out of his chair, jogging down to meet him at the base of the stairs.

“Grandpa.” Ben gets his attention.

“Ah, Ben. There you are.” Max sees him, changing direction to intercept him. “The Magistrata’s almost here. Are you ready?”

“Ready as I’ll ever be.” Ben assures him.

That doesn’t seem to be very reassuring to Max. A second later he looks up past Ben, spotting Rook making his way over as well.

“Do not worry, Magister Tennyson. I have prepared a speech based on the information Ben brought back in case he is unconvincing.” Rook tells him.

“Thanks for the vote of confidence.” Ben sarcastically responds.

“Good job, Rook.” Max commends, turning back around to face the open space in front of the elevator. “Blukic, Driba?” Max checks, putting a hand to the communicator in his ear.

“Relocating the Magistrata now, Magister. Just gotta- aha! There we go.” Driba speaks.

Just as the galvan finishes, the vibrating sheen of light takes hold of a spot ahead of them, taking just a second to manifest the form of a Plumber in its place.

An alien, as should have been expected. Taller than most of the others in the base, but not shockingly so. A foot or two taller than Max, at the most. Light green skin, and a lean, relatively feminine physique. Her uniform is that of a Plumber’s, white and black with accents of silver around the joints. Her angular face, coming to a point at her chin, looks over the room. The Plumbers in her sights all saluting as they register her presence, Max and Rook serving as no exception.

“Magistrata. It’s an honor to welcome you aboard.” Max greets her.

She lets her gaze land on him, Ben, and Rook, all standing a couple paces from her.

“Magister Tennyson.” She acknowledges him, stepping over. “I would have come sooner, but my attention has been stretched thin these past months.”

Her focus gradually moves from Max to Ben, staying on him once she processes the sight.

“Your absence stirred up quite the commotion across the local systems.” She informs him.

“Yeah, sorry about that. It’s a long story.” Ben says.

“I’ve read your reports. Another universe, limited technological development, terrorist organization, the refugees. The… Rooters.” She gets them on the same page.

“Then you know about the Reapers.” Ben cuts to the chase.

“Yes.”

“And…? Look, if you tell me you don’t believe me about them, I’m gonna start thinking they have a few more powers than I thought.”

“I believe you, Tennyson.” She assures him. “The problem arises in what it is you ask for.”

“What, your help?”

“For the Plumbers to intervene in the affairs of a closed system. One that should be, by your own account, at most a level 5 system. We’d have rules in place about this sort of ordeal, were they in the Milky Way.” She explains.

“To defend a system from an army of genocidal war machines.” Ben corrects her.

“To assert ourselves as the dominant form of order in another dimension of reality, with no way to resist us. This is untested grounds, Tennyson. What we do here will set the precedent for engagements with other universes forever.” She explains.

Rook takes a breath to make a counterpoint, but Ben gets to it faster.

“And if we don’t help? If that the precedent we want to set for the rest of our universe? That it’s not our problem?” Ben argues.

Rook actually takes pause for a moment, looking to Ben as he finishes speaking. Shocked by the validity of his point.

“There are more factors at play, Tennyson. Your attachment to this reality is not enough of a reason to risk planets worth of Plumber forces. In the multiverse there are infinite realities that could use our help, and we can’t help them all.” The Magistrata reasons.

“So we aren’t supposed to help any of them?” Ben responds.

“We can only help Universe that play a role in future of ours. Be they dangers, or opportunities for growth.” She tries to put it simply for him.

“They’re on the precipice of proper Null Void projectors. That’s how I got over there in the first place. If the Reapers manage to get out of their universe-”

“Then we will intervene. As of now, though, there is not sufficient evidence to support that idea. The Null Void schematics you recovered do not suggest the danger you imply they may pose, nor does the information available in the “Codex” files you brought back with you.” The Magistrata tells him.

“The dang- What about the danger to them? If we don’t help, they don’t stand a chance.” Ben reminds her, running out of other points to make.

“I want to help, Tennyson. I do. There are rules in place for a reason though, and the ramifications of our actions will be felt throughout the universe. No matter my sympathy for their plight, or how seriously we take your concerns, we must take more time to consider this. Unless you have any more information about the threat these Reapers may pose, I’m afraid we can’t help.”

“Can’t, or won’t?” Ben responds, again too quickly for Rook or Max to cut in and say anything potentially more tactful.

The Magistrata pauses for a moment, looking down on the human teenager under her. Staring back with an unrivaled confidence, and certainty.

“Can’t.” She answers.

“… Fine.” Ben accepts, taking to motion to march past the Magistrata towards the elevator.

She simply watches him go, stepping into the elevator and hitting the control panel to close the doors behind him. She then turns back to Max and Rook.

“Will he be a problem?” She checks.

“I will… go check on him.” Rook says, quickly heading around the Magistrata to get to the elevator as well.

“He’ll be alright. He just needs time to calm down. Thank you for seeing us, Magistrata.” Max says.

She nods, bowing slightly before straightening herself out again and reaching for her communicator to have them teleport her away again.

Through the corridors of the station, the hatch opens to the loading bay, and Rook quickly scans his eyes over the setting as soon as he can to look for Ben.

He’s there. Sitting just a couple paces from the door, on the bench against the inner wall. Rook slows himself once he spots Ben and takes to walking over. Heading right out of the corridor he came from. He slows to a stop as he reaches the bench, looking down at Ben.

Ben doesn’t look at him. Ben’s focus remains where it was when Rook stepped out, on the phone resting in his right hand. On the digital photograph of several individuals grouped together. Ben in the center, seemingly holding the phone out to take the photo, while the others stand behind him.

Rook sees the photo, and decides to sit himself down rather than saying anything. Settling himself against the bench on Ben’s left.

“I told them the Plumbers would help.” Ben speaks.

Rook stays silent.

Ben sighs, and shifts his hand to give his phone to Rook. Rook takes it, able to see the photo more clearly while Ben slouches over himself. His head is held up by his arms, his elbows resting against his knees.

The beings behind Ben are easy enough to make out.

On the left of the photo, with an expression as difficult to read as any alien, is a tall and boney creature. A stern face, marked with blue, almost resembling a bird. If an association had to be made. His armor is a polished blue, scorched and damaged from weaponry of a caliber it was clearly unprepared for.

On the right is another non-human, Rook thinks. Masked within a form-fitting space suit, which itself is accented with ornately designed purple fabric, a spiral pattern on its surface. That fabric notably forms a hood falling over the helmet they wear. Angular metal, with a circular illuminated port at the front, and a purple visor hiding all of their face but their seemingly glowing eyes.

Between the two of them, just behind Ben, is a human. One Rook recognizes from the Codex entries he’s been readying. A short buzz cut, matching the short length of dark brown facial hair over his sharp jawline. Slightly tanned skin, and blue eyes. Commander Shepard.

“What are you going to do?” Rook asks.

“I don’t know…” Ben responds.

“Really?” Rook questions.

Ben doesn’t respond to that immediately. It takes him a moment to slowly raise his head up again, looking out to the wall of the loading bay across from them. The window displaying earth, and the field of stars beyond it.

He idly takes his phone back when Rook hands it to him, and his focus again moves to it. To the three people in the photo besides himself.

“I told them that we just needed to get back to my universe, and we’d have all the answers.” Ben says.

Rook takes a breath to speak, but stops before any words form. He wants to console Ben. He does. He just doesn’t have the right words.

“They probably think I’m dead.” Ben knows.

“I am sure they will understand.” Rook can only try to tell him.

Ben doesn’t say anything in response, he just keeps staring at the screen of his phone.

Then his eyes shift down the arm holding his phone, stopping at his wrist. The device bonded to him, as part a part of him as the arm it holds onto. Colored the glossy and metallic white and green, accented by the black of its smooth glassy face when he turns it over. The Omnitrix. His attention moves to it for a moment longer, lingering on the housing.

“… Fine.” Ben states, looking up again as he shoves the phone back into his pants pocket.

“Do you have a plan?” Rook checks.

“Yeah, sure. I’ve never needed the Plumbers before. We can stop them on our own.” Ben decides, pushing himself off the bench to get to his feet. “You in?” Ben checks, looking back to Rook.

“Always, partner.” Rook returns, getting to his feet after Ben.

“Good.” Ben accepts, moving a hand to the Omnitrix. Not to load the dial, but to navigate through it to his communicator. “Grandpa, plan B. If the plumbers won’t help, me and Rook are heading over on our own.”

“Ben- Are you sure that’s a good idea? Last time-”

“Last time I didn’t have a way back. Don’t worry, it’s me, it’ll be fine.” Ben assures him before cutting off the call. He looks up from the watch again, heading for the plumber issued ships in rows across from them. “It’s time to call in a favor.” Ben announces.

The first place Ben has them go is a Mr. Smoothy.

Now, this would make Rook doubt how serious Ben is, if it weren’t for which Mr. Smoothy he had them go to. The 23^rd and final location in Bellwood. The only Mr. Smoothy run by one Blarney T. Hokestar.

Going inside, said owner immediately greats them, and eagerly tries to sell them on his newest flavors of smoothies. Ben cuts to the chase though, asking if they can use his warp-field generator. The one that lets his Mr. Smoothy travel the multiverse.

He, upon hearing the request, is hesitant. Instead offering to take them where they want to go, and come back for them later. It’s at this point Rook takes to explaining where they’re going. Specifically, the Reapers. The massive, murderous, nigh unstoppable bio-organic war machines that await them.

This motivates Mr. Hokestar to hand over his generator fairly immediately. Ben has to transform into one of his bulkier aliens just to move it, and Hokestar practically pushes him and Rook out of the store once he’s holding it. Just so he doesn’t have to deal with it.

Ben has them take it to Kevin. In the plumber ship it’s a short flight across the country to Gwen’s college, where Ben again turns into an alien to carry the generator inside.

The noise it makes upon landing on the floor of Kevin’s garage is worrying. Enough so for Ben to wince, looking down at it expectantly for a moment until he’s sure it won’t go off, and the Omnitrix turns him back.

Kevin, standing across from him and Rook, takes a second to look it over. Walking around the mechanism, prying off one of the outer panels to get a look inside, testing several of the nozzles, but eventually coming to a stop in front of it and just staring at the gauges.

“So? Will it work?” Ben checks.

“Yeah, no sweat.” Kevin assures him, glancing back to him and Rook as he rises to his feet again. “Just making sure I can duplicate this thing.” He explains.

“Duplicate?” Rook questions. “So we may return the original to Hokestar?” He checks.

“Nah, so I can take my own ride over.” Kevin clarifies, gesturing back to his car.

“Are you serious?” Ben questions.

“You really want to be stuck over there if this hunk of junk shorts out?” Kevin asks, lightly tapping the side of the generator with his foot to make his point. The warble the device responds with says all it needs to.

“Alright, alright. Whatever.” Ben accepts, turning to head for the door out of the garage. “We’re gonna schedule an appointment to see if Azmuth’s done with the thing yet.”

“Take your time, Tennyson. I’m gonna need another few weeks to get the parts for this baby.” Kevin says.

This stops Ben in his tracks, looking back to Kevin.

“A few weeks!? You sure you can’t do it any faster?” He asks.

“Not if you want it to survive the trip.” Is Kevin’s only response.

“Ugh.” Ben groans, turning to head for the door again. “Fiiine.” He begrudgingly accepts.

A few days later and both Ben and Rook are back in the standard issue Plumber ship they’ve been using, speeding across the distance of space between Earth and Galvan Prime. Ben in the co-pilot seat on the right, as usual, while Rook sits on the left actually flying the craft.

Ben’s wearing that confident grin he usually does. Proudly on display since their chat with the Magistrata, in a way it was lacking before, since he got back. It’s back now. He’s back.

That quiet frustration with things subsiding since he started guiding their progression, now replaced by his usual smug aura of superiority. That sense that he knowns something you don’t, and that he won’t let you forget it. He’s back to his old self, truly, for the first time since he came home.

It’s for this very reason Rook is so weary while guiding the ship down through the upper atmosphere of Galvan Prime towards the landing depot. He’s glad too, though. Despite whatever chaos Ben might cause in light of his improved mood, it’s Ben. So, Rook will back him up.

Powering down the ship, the side hatch is unsealed, and both Ben and Rook are able to walk down to it to exit the ship.

In the ship depot they see the usual mix of Galvan and alien ships. A few different models from various species. Most blend into the typical collection, but one manages to stick out to Ben. A ship he’s fairly sure he’s seen before and has no trouble placing.

“Come on, Rook. Let’s go.” Ben decides, turning to head for the museum Azmuth’s lab is attached to.

Rook has to jog after him as he heads inside, surprisingly finding Ben to be running about as fast as he does. They head through the halls, Ben skidding around one corner after another until reaching the corridor that actually leads to Azmuth’s lab.

There, exiting through the hatch Ben broke last time they were here, is exactly the person Ben expected to find.

“Tetrax!” Ben shouts out as soon as he sees the person down from him.

A petrosapien. Light bluish-green plates of crystal compose their geometric skin. A broad, bulky figure covered entirely but for his head in a suit of black and grey armor. A mix of metallic for the main body and pauldrons, and rubbery for his arm coverings and boots. Several items hang from his belt, including a holstered blaster, several forms of grenades, and what appears to be a grappling hook. All of which seem in a condition that implies little use.

Their two glossy yellow eyes immediately move from the tablet in their hand to Ben and Rook ahead of them, narrowed slightly until they recognize him.

“Ben!” He greets him, walking forward until the two groups meet. “It’s good to see you again.”

“Ben, you know this Petrosapien?” Rook questions.

“Yeah, Tetrax and I go way back. Where’ve you been?” Ben asks.

“Busy with Petropia since its restoration. I would have come to see you in person when I heard you returned, otherwise.” He informs them.

Rook’s eyes widen slightly at the explanation.

“You are Tetrax Shard. The bounty hunter that ensured the Omnitrix was in safe hands after coming into Ben’s possession, and who managed to restore all of Petropia with the use of Chromastone after its destruction at the hands of VIlgax.” Rook realizes, bowing his head slightly as he finishes speaking. “It is an honor.”

“Well, it wasn’t all Vilgax’s fault. It was my duty to make up for what I let happen to my planet. I only regret that I wasn’t there for his defeat.” Tetrax explains.

“Yeah, where is Vilgy these days anyways?” Ben asks, looking between both Tetrax and Rook.

“Missing, last I heard. At least since the last time you and he went toe to toe.” Tetrax answers.

“Vilgax has not been seen since your battle aboard his warship, while he was using Malware to enhance his own abilities.” Rook recounts.

“Yeah, but, Malware survived that battle… Eh, we’ll deal with it whenever he rears his ugly head again.” Ben decides.

“Yes. A wise strategy.” Tetrax remarks.

It’s hard to tell whether he’s being sarcastic or not. Ben just has to stare at him for a moment trying to decide. And then he stares at him for another moment after it gets kind of awkwardly silent.

“So, aren’t you going to ask about what happened to me while I was gone? I know you’re curious.” Ben offers, just to get them moving again.

“Not really. I assume you saved some worlds, made some friends, destroyed some things. I know you can take care of yourself.” Tetrax dismisses the idea fairly easily.

“Gee, I’m really feeling your concern and relief.” Ben remarks sarcastically.

“Good. I’m glad you understand how I feel.” Tetrax responds, completely serious. “Anyways, I have to get going. I’m glad I caught you on my way out, I only stopped by to drop off some materials for Azmuth.” Tetrax tells them.

Ben and Rook both step aside to let him continue down the hall, waving until he’s out of sight.

Then, they continue towards Azmuth’s lab.

Stepping into the expansive workspace, they find the layout of the room to be practically the same as it was before. This time though, both Asmuth and his assistant are clearly visible.

Facing into the lab, Azmuth and Myaxx are on the left side. Both of them are standing at a mechanical device of some form on one of the tables. The machine appears as a set of cylinders stacked atop one another. Widest at the top and bottom, with those parts connected to one another via vertical metal beams, with increasingly smaller cylinders approaching the center. The entire contraption is about half the height of Ben himself, meaning it stands several times taller than Azmuth, but still falls under Myaxx while on the table. It forms an hourglass shape, though only roughly.

At the moment the fact that it’s violently jittering and vibrating grabs their attention far more so than the intricate detailing and mechanical pieces. Azmuth is doing everything he can to keep from getting thrown off of it while quickly hitting the screen visible on one of the lower cylinders.

Myaxx is somehow having a slightly less easy time with the device, struggling to hold it in place on the table while Azmuth quickly works. Seemingly just trying to keep it from bouncing off the table, or vibrating fast enough to damage itself or hurt Azmuth.

Ben, as soon as he processes the moment, reaches for his wrist to activate the Omnitrix.

The flash erupts over him just slightly faster than the alien form. Metallic plating colored a stark yellow wraps over his body, leaving only his bicepts, thighs, and stomach exposed as a ridged black. The rest of his body is accented in silver, forming bands of metal, bolts, and plating that envelops his hands, feet, and tail. His head forms with only visible eyes, connected with a groove running down his face under what might be a nose. His whole body looms several feet higher than even Myaxx, and has more physical bulk than even most of the machines in the room. Armodrillo.

Ben quickly steps over, carefully putting an arm atop the device while Myaxx adjusts her grip to hold the sides. He then pulls back his hand into the casing of his forearm and with a heavy “shkk” sound, and starts vibrating it back and forth. It takes a second, but he soon manages to adjust his rhythm to match the object’s, neutralizing most of the motion it’s generating.

It keeps it idle enough for Myaxx to hold it in place while Azmuth drills away through the menus, and after a moment manages to shut it down. With a high-pitched whirring noise the device powers down, meaning both Ben and Myaxx are able to step back from it.

Ben’s hand takes another second to stop oscillating within his arm’s chamber, while Myaxx stretches her arms out as she takes to pacing back and forth on the far side of the lab.

“Azmuth. Care to explain what that was all about?” Ben requests, looking down to the galvan. Just as he asks, and finally manages to stop his arm, the watch times him out and reverts his body to that of a human. Shrinking him down to stand just a few feet above Azmuth on the table.

“That was the latest of our failed attempts to pinpoint the origin of that “omni-tool” you brought us.” Azmuth explains, pulling a lever down on the side of the contraption to unseal the central chamber, letting him pull out said omni-tool from within.

“The latest?” Rook catches the implication.

“Model 12, if you’re wondering. The first one that’s stayed in one piece.” Myaxx mentions from the other side of the room, still adjusting herself from the violent shaking of the machine.

“What’s the problem?” Ben asks, looking to Azmuth. “I thought-”

“Yes, yes. Smartest mind in 3, possibly 5, galaxies. I know what you’re going to say.” Azmuth cuts him off.

The galvan hops from the tables, making his way across the room to another, much lower, table that he hops onto. Ben and Rook follow him over, with the former crouching down besides the workstation.

“The problem is that unique “Mass Effect” you mentioned.” Azmuth starts, placing the omni-tool into the bed of another, smaller, machine. “It seems to be functioning as a psudo-present universal force. Not nearly as measurable as, say, gravity.”

“Yeah, their tech uses it to manipulate dark energy, creating fields to let them move objects and subvert relativity and stuff.” Ben recalls.

Azmuth glances to him for just a second with the explanation, making sure Ben’s really the one saying it.

“Right you are, Ben. The problem is that none of my equipment is calibrated to account for the dark energy this thing generates when excited.” Azmuth explains, hitting several keys on the galvan-sized console in front of him to bring up a holographic screen. On said screen is a number of variables relating to the omni-tool. Most of which go straight over Ben’s head.

“Why does that cause- you know.” Ben gestures to the device on the other table. “that to happen?”

“Because isolating the impossibly precise and minute indicators that would allow me to determine the source of this object’s matter requites enough energy poured into it to cause the “Mass Effect” fields to affect my equipment!” Azmuth says, marching over to grab the omni-tool again.

“You’re just mad because there’s finally a problem that’s managed to stump you.” Ben teases.

“I am not “mad,” Ben.” Azmuth assures him, heading off the smaller table to make his way across the room. Past the table the first device was on, and to another structure entirely.

Ben gets back to his feet and follows after him, with Rook not far behind.

“I am worried my expertise may not be enough to solve the issue in time to help your friends.” Azmuth explains.

“Oh…” Ben realizes, taking a second to appreciate that. The fact that Azmuth actually cares about doing this for Ben. Not just of getting it done so Ben won’t bother him, but for the sake of letting Ben help people. “Thanks.”

“There’s a reason you have that Omnitrix, Ben. I’ve ignored it in the past and regretted it. I don’t tend to repeat my mistakes.” Azmuth tells him.

Reaching another machine, Azmuth hits a switch on its side to power it up, then moves to a screen on its face to start navigating the menus.

“So what are you doing now?” Ben asks.

“I’m doing what I should have done weeks ago. I’m putting my ego aside, and calling Paradox.” Azmuth admits.

“I thought you said-”

“Selective misinformation. Never said I couldn’t call him, just that he shows up when he wants.” Azmuth reminds them, getting ready to move his hand for the lever that triggers the device.

“That I do.” Another voice speaks before he gets the chance, causing Ben, Rook, and Myaxx to all look to the source.

Azmuth turns around a second later, after shutting the device down with a sigh.

At the far-right side of the room, across from all four of them, is a human man. He dons an ornate long white coat, matched by a tanned brown vest and boots. Around his neck hang a pair of welding goggles; over, or perhaps in place of, his right hand is a silver metal gauntlet; and in the grip of his left hand is a thin wooden cane. The man himself has black hair, turning white on the side; pale skin; and the lines upon his face suggesting an age greater than is shown with the way he holds himself.

“Paradox.” Ben names him.

“Hello, young Ben. Always a pleasure.” He greets him first, then looks to Ben’s right. “Rook, good to see you again as well.”

“Professor.” Rook responds.

He turns himself to the back of the room next, looking at the Chimera standing in that space. “Myaxx, I don’t believe we’ve met yet. Well I have, but you haven’t. Not from your perspective. I am Professor Paradox. A pleasure.” He introduces himself.

“You’re the guy they’ve been going on about, huh? Nice to finally meet you.” Myaxx tells him.

Lastly, the professor looks to Azmuth, making his way back over to Ben and Rook.

“You rang? Or- I suppose you would have in the continuum in which you hadn’t, allowing for me to have known about it in the first place.” Paradox explains. Azmuth appears entirely unamused.

“I need your help.” Ben tells him.

“Of course. The issue of the Mass Effect universe, if I’m not mistaken.” Paradox skips ahead.

“I need to know where it is, or what number it is, or frequency, or- whatever.” Ben says.

“Yes, I suppose you would.” Paradox acknowledges.

The professor raises his metal hand to his chin, lightly resting it against the metal as he thinks.

“I don’t suppose I could convince you to not involve yourself?” Paradox wonders.

“Wh- are you kidding?” Ben replies, astonished.

“I’m afraid not. If there’s any chance I can convince you to leave the matter alone entirely, I feel I must take it. Meddling in the affairs of other timelines tends to put one’s own in more danger than it’s truly worth.” Paradox explains.

“I’m not sitting by while I could be helping, Paradox.” Ben states, unwaveringly.

The professor lets out a deep sigh, and his hand falls from his face. It moves to his side, slipping inside the pocket of his jacket.

“I figured as much. It’s always worth a try, though. Even when something seems hopeless.” Paradox pulls his hand out of the pocket of his coat again, extending it towards Ben and Rook. In his palm is a small device with a single port, seemingly the right shape to fit the galactic standard for data transfer. “I believe this’ll have all you need to navigate your way through the shapes of the multiverse.”

Ben takes it, carefully, then lets his eyes move up to meet Paradox’s.

“Thank you.” Ben says.

“You’re very welcome.” Paradox responds.

“Professor, I do not suppose we would be able to convince you to aid us in helping the Mass Effect universe?” Rook checks.

“In good time, Rook. I’ll be there when the time comes. I always am.” Paradox assures him.

It’s as smoothly as he turns to walk away that he vanishes from sight entirely, leaving the remaining four alone in the room.

“… Are you saying that guy could have done that the whole time?” Myaxx checks.

Azmuth lets out a slow and deep sigh, hunching forwards slightly. He uses his free hand to rub the space between his eyes for a second.

“Yes. Yes, he could have.” Azmuth admits.

Ben crouches down to take the omni-tool when Azmuth holds his hand up to give it back to him, letting him slide it into the pocket of his pants.

Azmuth starts down at the floor under him for a moment more, then turns to look up at Ben.

“Be well, Ben. I’d hate to see my greatest creation destroyed when this is all said and done.” Azmuth says before making his way off into the rest of the lab to get back to work.

“Yeah, yeah. The Omnitrix’ll be fine.” Ben assures him, getting back to his full height to head for the exit with rook.

A week later. That’s how long it is after their visit to Azmuth’s lab that Ben is in the city again. Sitting at one of the tables outside Mr. Smoothy, under the shade of the umbrella sticking out from the center.

A smoothy in his left hand, and his right in the pocket of his hoodie.

He’s just looking out, over the passing world. The aliens and humans alike walking down the streets, the gentle breeze carried through the leaves of the sparse trees, the afternoon sun shining on the face of the buildings across from him.

The very distinct form of a hoverbike, parked next to the bank just across the street from him. The deep red bike; accented with silver rims and spikes, and a cow-like alien’s skull, made of metal, mounted to the front of the handlebars; that Ben’s pretty sure he recognizes as Rojo’s.

Which means he’s pretty sure that Rojo is about to, or currently, robbing that bank.

Ben takes a long sip of his smoothy, keeping his eyes on the bike.

“Brrrring” The alarms go off right on que, followed by the body of Rojo rushing out through the front doors. A remarkably athletic woman, clad in a black and red suit of thin, flexible, alien armor.

She dashes for her bike, and Ben just watches.

He sets his smoothy down. He thinks about reaching for the Omnitrix. Turning into XLR8, or Lodestar, or even just someone like Rath. He doesn’t, though. He just watches as she hops onto her bike, tossing the sacks presumably filled with money into the back, and revving it to life.

Now or never. He’s either right, or he’s about to let Rojo get away. That’d look really bad.

There it is.

In the blink of an eye, right as the bike enters the street, Rojo is tackled off of it. Before she can even hit the road she’s been caught, moved out of the street and back to the back, and cuffed to the wall. Her bike’s even moved back to where it was before, safely parked out of the road.

Ben stands up as the blur of blue finally comes to a stop across the road from him. Helen, the kineceleran of the Plumber’s helpers. She reaches up to tap the side of her helmet, and there’s a brief pause before she starts speaking.

“Yes, I got her. What kind of question is that? What do you mean “did I have help?” It’s Rojo, it wasn’t a problem. …Huh? What do you-” Helen turns around, seemingly in reaction to what the other side of the line was say, and jumps upon spotting Ben walking over.

“Jeez!” She shouts, genuinely started by seeing him just standing there. “Huh? No, just- send someone down to get her. Agent Wheels out.” She says, letting her hand fall back to her side when the call ends. “Ben. What are you doing here?” She finally greets him.

He comes to a stop once he’s gotten to the sidewalk she’s on, glancing over to Rojo, and then back to her.

“I was in the area.” He says.

“So… why didn’t you deal with Rojo?” She wonders.

“I was gonna, if she started getting away. You caught her before that happened.” Ben says.

“Uhm… sorry?” Helen says, somewhat confused by the point he’s trying to make.

Ben shakes his head side to side. He turns away from the bank, starting to head down the sidewalk. Helen kicks one of her legs off the ground to roll after him.

“Don’t be. I’m saying that she didn’t even have time to get on the road before you dealt with her. I didn’t have time to do anything.” Ben explains.

“Well, yeah. Speed’s my whole gimmick.” Helen affirms.

“Nah, it’s been like this since I got back. I stumble across bad guys doing their thing, try to help, and then you, or Manny, or Alan, or Cooper show up and deal with it for me.” Ben continues.

“We had some practice while you were gone.” Helen justifies.

“That’s what I’m saying. You guys have it handled.” Ben says.

“Thanks, Ben. That means a lot coming from you.” She tells him.

Ben stops again, turning to Helen as she rolls to a stop beside him.

“Helen, I don’t think you understand what I mean. You guys have it handled. Like, all of Bellwood, I mean.” He clarifies.

“Oh- Ben, I don’t know if- We aren’t exactly a total replacement for you. Remember that fight with Psyphon a couple month ago, after you got back? He would have wiped the floor with us if we were on our own.” Helen tries to assure him.

Ben shakes his head side to side again, like she’s still not getting it.

“You and the others are doing more than enough to keep the city intact, even without my help. That’s why I feel safe leaving you guys in charge of Earth while I’m gone again. I know you’ll do great.” He says, trying to make his actual point as clear as possible.

And Helen gets it now. Her eyes widen slightly as the sentiment finally clicks with her.

“Oh.” She acknowledges.

“I know you guys were just supposed to fill in until I got back, but-”

“No, no- Totally. We can stay on earth until you’re back for good. Not a problem.” She tells him.

“Thanks, Helen. And, hey, you can always call the Galactic Enforcers if you need some help. They sort of owe me one.” Ben says.

“Right. Good luck, Ben. And just let us know if you ever need help over in the Mass Effect universe. The Magistrata may not be willing to help, but we are.”

Ben nods, smiling as Helen vanishes with a rush of wind.

Another two weeks, and it’s finally ready.

Rook’s already there, having been working on it with Kevin for the past couple days straight. Ben, however, is still in Bellwood. Undertown, technically, but it’s practically the same thing at this point.

Ben’s walking through the market that’s set up on the main street every day when he gets the text.

He slides the phone out of his pocket and immediately stops dead the moment he sees the notification, actually causing the person walking behind him to bump into him. Ben waves them off with a half-hearted apology as he steps out of the flow of traffic, opening the message up to read the whole thing.

It’s ready. As ready as they can get it, at least. Rook and Kevin are doing a test flight right now, and then they’ll be ready to go. They’ll just be ready to go.

Nearly three months since he got back, and they’re finally ready to leave again.

They’ve had the sense that the vehicle has almost been done for a couple days, so everyone’s pretty prepared. The Plumbers know he’s going to be gone again, as do his parents. He already packed a bag of everything he should need and left it in Kevin’s garage. Rook did the same.

Staring at the text, Ben’s mind races over everything he needs to do before leaving again. All the people he could reach out to, or ask for help, or just tell that he’s leaving. His mind only catches on one that he needs to tell. The one person he promised he’d talk to before he left again.

He backs out of his message log with Rook and moves to a different contact. But then he thinks on it. That’s not personal. It’d be weird to tell her over text. He can just stop by the hotspot to see Ester. He instead texts her “have a minute? I’m coming by” and slides his phone into his pants pocket.

A tap gets the Omnitrix’s faceplate open, letting him slam down the core. The coat of light wraps over him with the new body, and in just a second he stands as an alien. Very humanoid, but furred with a black and blue coat. Dressed in a black and green bodysuit that holds the Omnitrix on its chest. Fasttrack.

Ben’s moving in an instant, rushing across Undertown with nearly as much speed as a kineceleran could generate. It’s just a moment before he’s skidding to a stop on the other side of Undertown, just in front of the entrance to the hotspot.

With several beeps the Omnitrix turns him back, seeing him as done with the form when he starts marching forwards through the tunnel at his usual pace.

There are a few turns in the tunnel, with the temperature of the air steadily climbing the further he goes. It’s not too long before he comes to the other end, where the cavern opens up into the expanse the kraaho inhabit.

They’ve repaired the damaged sections since he was last here, that’s for sure. The pools around the edges of the room are once more filled with molten rock. Even the shelters and walkways that were damaged before have been repaired. The residents and visitors alike barely spare a glance to Ben.

Right as Ben steps in, his phone pings. He slides it out with his right hand as his left wipes off the sweat already accumulating on his brow.

“Im with Rook, where are you?” Is her reply.

“leaving the hotspot I guess. Be there soon” Ben quickly texts back.

Ben taps the face of the Omnitrix again, getting the core up so he can slam it down to trigger the device. Again, the form washes over him, instantly leaving him as a different species entirely. The same species he transformed into before, as a matter of fact. Fasttrack, again.

In hardly a second he takes off back through the tunnel, heading for the exit of Undertown to make his way for Gwen’s college.

A couple hundred miles later he starts slowing down, really putting in the effort to bring himself to a halt once he can see the campus. He just about manages to stop as he gets to the courtyard, skidding along with his conserved momentum for an extra moment more than he means to.

Perfectly on time, that’s also when the Omnitrix decides to turn him back. Those signature beeps emanating in rhythm before the flash of light that leaves him as a human again.

He has to look around for a moment, orienting himself with the buildings to figure out which way the garage would be in. It’s in this brief moment that a sound grabs his attention. The whirring of turbines. Those of an aerial vehicle.

One he finds upon looking up, soaring through the sky over the school and heading for the courtyard he’s in. He just watches as it glides down, gracefully landing on the grass ahead of him.

It’s easy enough to see that it was based on the Proto-TRUK. The same general shape of the rectangular body, and forward aiming wings slanted downwards.

It starkly differs from the previous design in a number of other ways, through. The two rear-facing fins now curve at the same angle as the main wings. The main cabin is curved, rather than angular, more closely matching how Ben remembers it looking in truck mode. The biggest changes are the size and color scheme.

Walking around towards the back of it, Ben gets a sense for just how much they trimmed down on the area it takes up. The front wings are not only smaller, but are closer to the main body, now running parallel to the cabin. The rear fins jutting out from the sides are missing entirely, instead replaced with a fin atop the smaller cabin’s roof.

Lastly, it’s no longer trying to hide what it is. The stark white and black of a plumber vehicle are clear enough, accented with green sparingly throughout. Ben kind of misses the orange, but maybe it’ll grow on him.

Ben approaches the hatch on the back of the vehicle, stopping just far enough away to be safe when it hinges open. Rook and Kevin both sit inside, looking back to Ben as the ship’s interior is revealed to him.

Ben walks in, making his way through the main area and up to the cockpit, sparing a look over all the controls.

“Well? Come on, Tennyson. Don’t leave me hanging here. What do you think?” Kevin asks.

“I think you’ve outdone yourselves.” Ben compliments.

“See? I told you he would like it.” Rook says.

Kevin rolls his eyes, rising out of his seat to head out through the back hatch, letting Ben sit down in his place.

“Ooo. Comfy seats. That’s what I’m talking about.” Ben approves, sinking into the padded leather.

He takes a second just to breath, looking out through the windshield at the clear blue sky ahead of them. The nearly cloudless day, shining sunlight through the window.

“It only needs a name.” Rook mentions.

“… Alright, I’ve got one. Been thinking about this for a while now. What about the “Omni-TRUK,” huh?” Ben posits.

“That… is a suitable name.” Rook decides.

“I’m sure not complaining.” Comes another voice, approaching from down the loading ramp. Gwen, they’re both able to confirm by looking back. “Kevin wanted to call it the Rustbucket 4.”

“I… did not find it suiting.” Rook admits.

“Yeah, good. The Omni-TRUK’s a way better name.” Ben claims.

“I just came out to remind you about your stuff inside. Don’t want to leave without it.” Gwen says, turning around again to head back out of the TRUK. Ben hops out of the seat to follow after her, skipping down the ramp.

“Hey, speaking of stuff inside, is Ester here?” Ben asks, causing Gwen to look over at him with a raised eyebrow.

“Huh?” She questions.

“I was going to meet her at the hotspot before I left, but she said she was with Rook.” Ben explains, looking back to Rook as he follows out of the ship after them, jogging to catch up.

“She thought you would forget. I suggested she come visit.” Rook catches him up.

“Oh. Alright, I guess that makes sense.” Ben accepts as they head into the building Kevin’s “garage” is part of.

“Grandapa’s also coming to see you two off. Plumber HQ should be teleporting him over any minute now.” Gwen adds.

“Wait, us two? You and Kev aren’t coming with?” Ben realizes.

He, Gwen, and Rook all head through the door into Kevin’s garage. Finding both Kevin and Ester sitting inside. Kevin over at his car, head under the hood, while Ester sits on the couch with Zed.

“Sorry, Tennyson, but with your luck that sweet ride out there’s getting trashed within the week.” Kevin tells him, leaning back from the engine of his car.

“I thought this one’s supposed to be practically indestructible.” Ben points out.

“You’ll find a way, I’m sure of it. Anyways, I got a pretty good look at how the warp field generator works. I should be able to make another one for my ride in a couple weeks.” He explains.

“And that’s conveniently when the quarter ends, meaning I’ll be able to come over and help you full-time for a bit.” Gwen adds.

“Oh… Yeah, alright. Well, we’ll try to leave some butt to kick for you two.” Ben tells them.

“Uh-huh. Don’t go hurting your back carrying that massive ego of yours.” Kevin jokes.

“Please. It’s far more likely to break carrying all of you guys through every battle.” Ben responds.

Kevin just shakes his head as he makes his way over to the kitchen.

Ben, instead, makes his way over to the couch, sitting down on the armrest on the other size of Zed from Ester.

“Hey, Ben.” She finally gets the chance to say hi.

“Hey.” He awkwardly laughs. “I stopped by the hotspot, but-”

“I didn’t want to miss you. Figured I’d might as well come over and wait for you to catch up.” Ester explains.

Ben spots Rook making his way for their bags as he and Ester talk. All… three of them.

His attention doesn’t have long to focus on that before he’s instead presented with Gwen walking over and sitting down on the other side of the couch from him and Ester.

Ben’s eyes immediately go wide as a connection is made in his brain.

“Sorry, wait, have you two ever actually met?” Ben check.

“We talked a little before you got here.” Gwen says.

“But before that? No.” Ester says. “I never met any of your friends, besides, like, Rook and Julie.”

“Huh…” Ben thinks.

“Hey, try not to take it personally. We didn’t meet rook for weeks after they started working together, and that was only because we stopped by town unexpectedly.” Gwen assures her.

“I’m not worried about it.” Ester says.

“Ben, Ester.” Rook grabs their attention.

It’s easy enough to see that he’s holding their bags. His, Ben’s, and… what would appear to be Ester’s.

“Wait, hang on, Ester? You’re coming with?” Ben questions with a fair degree of surprise.

She stands up off the couch, stretching herself out as Ben does the same.

“Yep. You guys can travel back and forth now, right? What kind of chief would I be if I didn’t try to rescue one of my people?” Ester reasons.

“That’s… the only reason?” Ben checks.

“Yep. Promise, as soon as I have Gillrus you can bring me right back and I’ll be out of your hair” She says.

“Come on, we can get ready while Ben says goodbye.” Rook suggests, getting Ester to skip over to him and take her bag as they leave the room.

That just leaves the room awkwardly silent for a moment. At least until Ben hears Gwen stand up, and turns to look at her.

“Hey, look at it this way, and least now you have a reason to visit.” She tries to joke.

Ben forcing a single chuckle, but his expression betrays the sentiment.

“Just a couple weeks, and we’ll be right behind you. It’ll go by just like that.” Gwen assures.

“Right.” Ben acknowledges.

“Stay safe, doofus.” Gwen tells him, stepping forward to give him a hug.

“You too, dweeb.” Ben returns the hug for a second before letting go.

“Don’t mess up your ride, Tennyson. I don’t want to have to fix it when you get back.” Kevin shouts out, getting both him and Gwen to turn in his direction.

“Don’t you mean if I get back, with the way I drive?” Ben jokes.

“Nah, I mean when. ‘Cus you’re coming back, got it? No way Max or your folks could deal with losing you again.” Kevin says.

Ben hesitantly smiles, then nods.

“See you when I get back, then.” Ben decides.

“You better.” Kevin tells him.

Nothing else is said as Ben heads for the door, looking back at the two for just another second before heading through, closing it behind him.

Outside he finds the Omni-TRUK exactly where it was before, and can see even from where he is that both Rook and Ester are getting ready inside.

It’s as he makes his way across the field that he spots someone else inside. The signature red floral shirt clue him in right away, getting him to jog the rest of the way until he reaches the loading ramp.

Max turns to him as he walks up, ending whatever conversation he was having with Rook before.

“How’re you holding up?” Max checks.

“Same old me, Grandpa.” Ben assures him, walking over to give him a hug.

The old man doesn’t refuse it, just taking a second to appreciate every moment he gets before Ben lets go again and steps around him to the copilot seats.

“Look, Ben” Max starts, getting Ben to look back to him.

“Grandpa, I know-”

Max holds up his hand, stopping Ben before he gets started.

“I’ve read your reports, Ben. I know what kind of world you’re heading back to.” Max claims.

“You do?” Ben can’t help but doubt, despite immediately being thrown by the line of conversation.

“I was in this business long before the Plumber officially acknowledged us. I know what it’s like to have the power to see the stars, but to not know what’s out there. To only have a few connections with the rest of life in the universe, and to have to fight the kind of monsters they do with barely a candle to see by.” Max tells him.

Ben can’t help but acknowledge that he does know what he’s talking about. That he sincerely does understand the sort of reality Ben’s returning to.

“I know it helps to have a reason to hope.” Max continues.

“… Thanks, grandpa.” Ben says.

The older man just nods, turning to head out of the ship.

“Give ‘em hell for me, son.” Max requests, looking back over his shoulder.

“You can count on it.” Ben shouts back.

Once Max is on the ground outside Rook flicks the switch that raises the ramp up again. Ben and Ester take this as the sign to strap themselves in, waiting as Rook gets the engines going, and raises the craft into the air.

“First time leaving the Universe?” Ben looks over the back of his seat to Ester, who’s taken to tightly holding onto the seat under her.

“Could you imagine if I said no?” Ester quips, getting a laugh out of Ben.

“Hold on. It’s gonna be a bumpy ride.” Ben claims, turning back around to the windshield to watch as they take off.

And on the ground below, Max can only watch them go. Vanishing with a flare of vibrant green light enveloping the craft, all that’s left behind is the nearly cloudless blue sky.

Chapter Text

The Reapers are here. On Earth, and in the tens of thousands, or hundreds of thousands. Millions, maybe, if they're as numerous everywhere else as they were in Vancouver.

One of the colossal machines what feels like every couple blocks. Tearing apart the city, and setting on fire everything left standing. Trampling the ruins of their civilization, seemingly intentionally. Making sure that nowhere will be left to hide when they’re done.

Their undead minions sweep through every structure too small for the drones. Mindless, vicious, and grotesque abominations. The cruel disfigurements of what were once people, now marching through the buildings, and alleyways, and subway tunnels. Everywhere people might assume is safe, seeing the scale of the Reapers.

All they can do is watch.

They’ve been flying for nearly an hour now. That should be enough time to get to the other side of Canada, but instead they’ve had to stop every couple minutes. It’d be more accurate to say they’ve been on the move for nearly an hour now, since most of that time hasn’t been spent flying.

They’re trying to head south, towards the next closest major city. Seattle. It’s a long shot, but they need to see if they’re doing any better. To make sure, just in case they somehow help up better against the first wave.

Because they couldn’t have held up any worse.

Swift has the wings to get high enough for a clear view, and the eyes to actually see it all. Tactically, she’s worth her weight in gold, maybe twice over. It gives them a clear idea of when they can actually move. Where the Reapers surrounding them are, where they’re facing, where other transports are heading. It gives them information they’d be sorely lacking otherwise.

For Swift, it gives her a comprehensive view of the damage the Reapers are doing.

She sits atop their shuttle now as she has been since they took off, prepared to act as a distraction if she needs to. The Reapers seem too far away for that now, though. She’s instead just waiting for them to stray far enough from their position for them to mobilize again, looking in the distance they plan to head towards.

Her head shifts to the side slightly as she hears the body climbing its way up the side of the Kodiak. She finds there, pulling himself onto the roof to sit down beside her, Anderson. Looking out to the distance.

The overcast day, with only the occasional spot of sun gleaming through a thin path of the clouds, gives some light to the far-off buildings. The ones crumbling under themselves, overrun by the terrible machines now infesting the streets between them.

“You seen anything like this before? Where you’re from?” Anderson speaks after a few moments.

“Yes.” Swift answers, but fails to continue for a moment. Her glossy red eyes just staring out to the horizon, scanning over it. “Plumber archives, from before my time. Before Earth was inducted. A war spanning back centuries.”

“What happened to those worlds?” Anderson wonders.

Another moment of silence, filled with the distant rumblings of the Reapers marching through the streets, and the roars of their lasers.

“In our universe, our solar system lacks the dwarf world known as Pluto. It was detonated as a threat when the princess of a galactic empire was kidnapped.” Swift explains.

“Damn.” Anderson acknowledges.

“They had the power to do the same to Earth. The catastrophe was averted, but many times before it wasn’t.” Swift tells him.

“The Reapers really don’t hold a candle to the threats you’re used to, huh?” Anderson says.

Swift, in turn, is silent for a time. She then exhales a tense sigh through gritted teeth.

“There is a different between the goal of destruction, and annihilation. If Earth were destroyed, as impactful as it would be, humanity would survive. That is not your foe’s goal.” Swift establishes the distinction. “If I were to give the Reapers an analogue, it would be the Highbreed.”

“Ben’s mentioned them a few times. They came up in Shepard’s reports.” Anderson recalls.

“Their goal was genocide, on a universal scale. To take all sapient live with them before they died out themselves. Though they had no reservations about celestial obliteration. They reserved attrition only for the worlds too weak to oppose them. The ones that wouldn’t be a problem if left unchecked while they prepared.” Swift goes silent for a moment, and in that time her gaze eventually falls from the distance. Her eyes pinch themselves shut and she takes a deep breath in, her breath distinguishably trying to calm her down.

“Swift?” Anderson checks.

She takes a few more seconds before her eyes open again, though they don’t look to the horizon. They stare down, a look almost remorseful on her face.

“I have seen war like this before, Anderson. In the archives. Because for centuries, we have had easier ways of committing murder. Of wiping out a people.” Her eyes finally shift back up to the distance, locking themselves on the machines.

“Easier?” Anderson questions. “For your warmongers?”

“For everyone else. The ones that have to watch.” She states simply.

Anderson gets her point, and just looks back to the distance.

Swift lacks a degree of empathy for this world the others have, undeniably. She sees this earth as alien to her as any other world. More than that, she’s seen this sort of atrocity committed before, if even just in the archives.

But not even she can bare seeing it all. Having the ability to witness every child left to bleed, and every parent left to mourn, or burn. Not even she can ignore the unspeakable tragedy of every moment that unfolds.

The families trapped in the debris, the people buried by the rubble and ash, the bodies charred beyond recognition by the Reaper’s beams. The ones holding their children, and partners, and pets.

Worse yet, the ones that survive. Burned to a point where their skin is falling off of them in chunks, and they move despite it. The ones left disfigured and in pieces, but not dead. More horrifying than even the husks, to a point where death seems a mercy. The only one the Reapers will ever afford them.

“Anderson, get everyone back inside.” Swift speaks after a moment.

He doesn’t question her. He just turns back, looking to the soldiers that have left the vehicle, and calling out to get them back inside.

“Alright boys, back in. We’re up in 5.” He shouts at them, picking himself up to move for the ladder down.

“Anderson, we need to move now. There’s something out there.” Swift speaks, causing the Admiral to pause and look back to her.

“What kind of something?” Anderson question.

He slowly follows her gaze out to the distant towns, the pseudo-skyscrapers forming the backdrop for the scene. It takes him a second to see what she sees, squinting his eyes to parse the wreckages and ash from everything else, and interpreting the small shapes at their distance, but he does see it.

“The kind that has Reapers moving.” Swift speaks.

Blazing like a star, but no larger than a block or two. A speck of light, gleaming through the devastation in the sky of the city between the buildings, illuminating the faces of the half dozen Reapers heading towards it.

And undeniably, for a reason none of them can fathom, it’s starkly green.

“It’s gonna be a bumpy ride.” Ben claims, turning back around to face the windshield.

All three of them grab onto something as the Omni-TRUK rises into the sky over the college campus. Ester stretches her arm up to grasp the handle built into the ceiling above her, Ben grips the armrests of the copilot seat, and Rook keeps his hands firmly gripped around the yoke. From their slow elevation, the ship jumps to life, rocketing forward through the open sky.

After just a second Rook reaches across the console to the center. He flicks up the glass cover over a small red switch, and firmly places his index finger and thumb around it.

“Three.” Rook starts.

Ben glances to the speed at which they’re traveling, displayed on the console above Rook’s hand. About half of Mach 1. Not fast for the Omni-TRUK, but fast enough to be a problem if something goes drastically wrong.

“Two.” Rook continues.

Ben turns his focus back to the sky ahead of them. The nearly perfect blue of the morning sky, no more than a cloud or two in sight. The kind of weather you’d see during a rocket launch. Fitting, Ben supposes.

“One.” Rook states.

A forceful tremor hits them the moment Rook flips the switch. With it, the sky seems to tear. It bends and warps, stretching like a flat image wrapped over the front of their vehicle until shredding apart with a cascade of blindly vibrant colors.

Ben reaches forward and hits the button on the console to filter light, getting the windshield to adjust the visuals coming into the cabin.

Even despite this, the sight is breathtaking. Almost painfully so.

A violent rushing energy washes over them with an intensity they can’t quite comprehend. Moving with such grand speed and force that the notion of motion is itself almost lost. And then, after a moment more, it stops. Like emerging from below the surface of the ocean they leave the torrent of energy, emerging into a space wholly majestic.

Like strands of light, stretching on to infinity in every direction, of every color they could imagine. Pulsating and flowing and buzzing, forming grand shapes that wrap around them in ways tunnels might. Though as they continue to travel it becomes clear soon enough that these grand woven spires and halls are impossibly far away from them.

Through these grand, rushing structures they’re able to see what feels like endless space beyond them. An infinite expands of deep blues, and gridlines, and assortments of light and energy that seem like cosmoses. Those collections of light are throughout the space, close and far alike. Floating perfectly still, and at almost lonely distances from one another.

These shapes of light, suspended throughout this non-space, are the only indicator that they’re moving at all. Drifting by like distant starts.

Ben was wrong, as is often the case. After the initial jolt, there are no other disturbances. The ride itself is as still as if they were still parked on the ground, or in the void of space.

It’s a second more before anyone dares to even breathe, as if at any moment the spectacle before them, the auroras of violent glistening light, might tear them apart. Though, it doesn’t.

Ben is the first to let out a deep breath, and a shallow chuckle.

“Well, that wasn’t so bad.” He says.

“Please. Do not jynx us.” Rook politely requests, reaching over to tap the screen of the console. It soon loads up, switching through a few menu’s at Rook’s request to get to a navigator. A mock chrono-navigator, loaded with the position loaded into the ship from the device Paradox gave them.

Rook is the only one that manages to take his eyes off the indescribably sight captured through their windshield. Both Ben and Ester remained transfixed, with the latter unbuckling herself to walk down the cabin and into the cockpit, letting her look up at all of the rift hidden when further away.

“Woah…” She breaths.

“You’re telling me.” Ben responds, almost whispering. Like he dare not distract from the spectacle.

“What exactly are we looking at right now?” Ester has to ask.

“The visual space we see beyond the Omni-TRUK is most likely one viewpoint of what should be a higher dimensional plane. It is possible there are many aspects we are unable to see, given out limited 3-dimensional perspective.” Rook explains.

The console chimes, finally getting Ester and Ben to focus on something within the ship. Looking at the screen they find that the co-ordinates have been properly loaded, and the ship is redirecting itself to head for their destination.

“Ester, I would recommend you strap in. I find that with Ben around, it is best to assume that something will go wrong.” Rook advises.

Ester just nods, turning to head back to where she was sitting before, and buckling herself in again.

“ETA?” Ben checks.

“I cannot say. Based on these readings, it is possible that it may take days, or even weeks, to reach our destination. Or, it is entirely possible-”

Rook is cut off with another forceful tremor through the ship, and another cascade of energy rushing over them, again forcing their eyes to adjust to the colors that begin bombarding them. Rook grabs onto the yoke again. Not to keep them steady, as at this point the Omni-TRUK is navigating on auto-pilot, but in preparation for when he needs to take control of the ship again.

“Now. You were gonna say it’s possible we’re arriving now.” Ben assumes.

“Yes.” Rook confirms.

Still, asides from the tremor upon entering the field, there is no form of turbulence. Their progression, the motion the chromatic static beyond the ship suggests, provides no physical sensation.

In this tense silence, waiting upon the almost inconceivable forces at play beyond their tiny little bubble of safety, Ben makes a decision. He has the remarkable idea to reach over to the center of the console, and hit the power button for the radio.

Rook spares him a glance when he does, but doesn’t stop him.

Ben only takes a second to punch in the appropriate frequency, and carefully rotates the knob controlling volume until they hear a faint static.

“Ben, I am not certain-” Rook is about to say, when the sound of a voice plays for just a split second, shutting up all three of them.

“Or, perhaps their form of FTL communication transmits a short range beyond their relative dimension.” Rook acknowledges.

Another voice, cutting out just as fast. It’s not hard to identify the sounds as various broadcasting frequencies overlapping. Harsh static, and only brief moments of identifiably organic sounds.

As this continues to play Ben reaches into his pocket, fishing around for a moment to pull out his omni-tool. Rook again spots him doing this, but doesn’t stop him from placing it on the console.  Ben taps the face of the small disc, getting the holographic interface to load around it. From there it just takes him a minute to connect it to the Omni-TRUK, letting him filter the audio through it.

“That is… very impressive.” Rook admits, surprised by how little trouble Ben had doing that.

“Took me a while to figure out the UI, but the programs make it pretty easy. Just gotta turn on the translator, and…” Ben sommons and flicks through a few more holographic menus, trying out various settings to find the one he actually wants.

Immediately the choppy voices cut out, replaced by one voice speaking clearly. Not in English, through. The man speaking is just about understandable over the static, which itself is slowly fading with time, but the language isn’t familiar to any of the group. His tone is clear enough though. Urgent, and frightened. Shouting over the static, with his words spoken clearly and firmly.

It’s not until Ben manages to finally get the translator working that this means anything to them.

“-Way! Repeat: Stay away! The Sol system in no longer safe! All traffic receiving this message, reroute immediately! Earth is under attack! Stay away! Repea-”

It cuts out with a harsh burst of static, coming just before another tremor rocks the ship. All at once the streams of every color imaginable shift to a single hue rushing over the windshield. The green light is almost blinding for just a moment, until it vanishes entirely.

“Oh no.” Ben realizes.

“Hold on!” Rook calls out, abruptly needing to take control of the Omni-TRUK as the shape of a city slams into place around them. The burning ruin of countless skyscrapers collapsing around them, below the ash and clouds blocking out the sun above.

The sound of gunfire and the whirr of engines fill the previous void of sound, booming out from the scene around them. Ben and Ester just have to hold on as Rook pulls back on the yoke, swinging the TRUK up and over the smoking ruins of a skyscraper.

Then they hear it. The deafening artificial roar, bellowing through them with a bassy hum that each of them can practically feel. It’s hard not to see what it’s coming from as Rook yanks back on the controls to slow them down, swinging around the corner of a building to come face to face with what is responsible for the state of the city around them.

A Reaper.

The sound of it is all encompassing, purging anything else that might try to fill its place. Their quaking, grinding roar, and the humm of something charging.

“Rook, let me out!” Ben demands, hitting his seatbelt to unbuckle himself and get to his feet.

Rook moves one hand from the control sticks to hit a button on the console, and instantly the metal under Ben’s feet falls out.

Ben is practically thrown towards the Reaper Rook is pulling up to avoid, shooting out from the hatch in the floor of the TRUK as soon as it was opened. His forward momentum only carries him so far before he starts falling, hurtling through the air towards the colossal hull of the Reaper.

The Omnitrix barely needs Ben’s command to enter a ready state, letting him slam down the core to activate it.

The wash of light passes over him just fast enough to complete before the Reaper fires. The chamber is revealed from bellows its dark plates, and the energy tears out through the sky with enough force to split dreadnaughts. To turn the very air to plasma and vaporize anything caught in its wake.

And Ben catches it.

It only took one transformation for the Omnitrix to give him what he wanted, and the brassy ports at the end of his fingertips, tendrils, and tail all soak in the sheer power of the attack. Conducting the massive riptide of energy into himself until it ceases, and Ben lowers his hands.

The two tendrils falling from the back of his head pulse with blue electricity bouncing off the air below him, striking out like a lightning storm in a way that keeps him afloat in the air. His hands crackle with arks of red electricity, slowly shifting to a vibrant blue as he holds onto that power in the palm of his black, rubbery hands.

His single green eye narrows as it focuses on the Reaper. The massive machine stepping back through the wide city streets in some effort to understand what just happened.

“Alright, my turn!” Ben decides, raising his hands to aim them forwards.

With an intensity matching the Reaper’s blast, Ben fires back. A column of blue energy tears back across the sky as powerfully as it did before, crashes against the Reaper. The towering legs of the structure tremble as it staggers back, trying desperately to do anything other than take the full brunt of the blow. Though, in a moment more, its efforts are cut short.

Ben eases back on his output, letting his charge naturalize as he watches the body of the reaper fall to the streets below it, crashing into the landscape with enough force to shake the city.

This finally gives Ben a chance to actually look around.

He’s floating in an intersection between four buildings, each as badly ravaged as the last. Scorched, burning, and torn apart. In ways Ben can’t imagine were just caused by the Reaper blasts.

In the streets below he spots dozens of shuttle cars stacked up on and around the roads, all unoccupied. Though, between them, he sees motion. The shapes of people desperately running along, making their way for shelter through the haze of smoke and debris.

Ben’s attention moves back to the Omni-TRUK as he hears it coming around, letting him land on its roof when it slowly flies under him. He lowers his body, and uses his electric charge like a magnet to hold onto the smooth roof of the ship. He then uses his other hand to reach for the Omnitrix, tapping its face to engage a line to Rook.

“Ben, this is-”

“I know.” Ben cuts him off. “The Reapers are already here. We’re too late.”

“I am sorry, Ben, but we must focus on our next step. Where do we go?” Rook asks.

The ship soars through the city, weaving between the builds with more ease and grace than anything else in the skies, outclassing even the Reaper drones. It’s clear from both the number of Reapers, and their movements, that their arrival did not go unnoticed. For this reason Rook is heading for the edge of the city, trying to do so without leaving them too exposed in the open air.

“Hmm… Feedback can take whatever the Reapers dish out for now.” Ben notes, moving his tail and hand out to catch two separate blasts fired at the ship, absorbing the energy into himself before firing it back with the same intensity, downing a cluster of Reaper scouts. “We need to find Shepard, he was supposed to head for Earth. If he’s not here we can head for the Citadel. It should be in the Serpent Nebula, Widow System.” Ben plans.

“Alright. Where would Shepard have- Ben, watch out!” Rook erupts, snapping Ben’s attention around to the air in front of them.

He just barely has the time to rise to his feet before the red blur rocketing towards him slams to a stop against the front of the Omni-TRUK, grabbing onto the frame of the windshield with her feet to stay attached. She keeps her body low to the roof of the TRUK, but rises enough for Ben to clearly see her face and the uniform she’s wearing.

“Swift.” Ben recognizes her.

Before can say anything else, Rook’s void erupts from the loud speakers on the outside of the ship. “Alien body, please remove yourself from my vehicle, or I will be forced to-”

“Rook!” Ben cuts him off. “It’s Swift. Friendly. Just keep going.”

There’s a moment of silence where the ambient noise of the cabin can still be heard over the speakers before they actually shut off. This lets Ben lower himself to the roof again, reconnecting the metal with his ports to have an easier time staying on.

“Swift, it’s good to see you again. Where’s Shepard?” Ben asks.

“He’s-” She starts, but the enormous sound of the Reapers crying out through the city deafens Ben to what she was going to say. He’s forced to look away from her, peering back down the street they’ve been flying down as three Reapers step into view.

“Agh, come on.” Ben complains. “I’ll catch up, you get the truck somewhere safe!” Ben tells Swift, glancing back to her long enough to see her nod before he leaps off the Omni-TRUK.

Swift swings around to the back of the TRUK, forcefully knocking on the metal a few time to get Rook to open it. She tosses herself inside the moment she can, letting Rook start resealing the cabin again once she lands.

“Swift.” Rook greets her, glancing back.

Swift rises to her feet, taking a breath to respond when the tremendous force of a Reaper blast quakes the sky, almost knocking her over again.

In the brief moment after she moves forward to the copilot seat, grabbing into the edge of it to steady herself. She only spares a glance to Ester on her way, but otherwise doesn’t pay her any mind.

Another blast strong enough to shake the TRUK rings through the city, followed by another not long after. One after another, together powerful enough to level the city one could estimate. Based on the rate of fire, it’s not enough to deal with Ben.

Swift gestures to the screen of the console, to a point on the map it displays.

“Take us there.” She states.

“And why exactly should I trust you?” Rook checks, giving the hybrid a moment’s pause.

“… Because Ben does.” Is her response.

Rook stays silent for a moment, flying on straight ahead as he thinks over the options. He face scrunches up slightly before he begrudgingly changes course, gliding the ship around to head North of the city.

It’s a few minutes before the explosions slow, almost sounding like thunder towards the end.

It’s right about at that point when their destination comes into view. A small clearing atop a hill, on which a shuttle of some kind, and a small group of soldiers, wait.

“I’ll go get Ben. Introduce yourselves.” Swift tells them, heading for the loading ramp again as the Omni-TRUK starts descending.

Rook hits the key that opens it, letting Swift launch out while they glide down. Rook slows the ship to let everyone step out of the way before he sets it down in the clearing, just across from their own shuttle.

“Should I stay here?” Ester asks.

“I… do not know.” Rook admits as he unbuckles himself and gets out of his seat. “I do not suppose introducing yourself could hurt.”

Ester grabs the buckle of the straps holding her in place and undoes them, letting her get up and follow after Roof as he walks down the loading ramp to the outside world.

It’s cold out. Rook wasn’t particularly expecting that, making it notable. The dark overcast sky blocks out all but a few rays of sunlight bleeding through, and the breeze in the air comes as a chill to both him and Ester.

Rook holds his hands up as he walks out. Ester is going to do the same, but instead has to tuck her arms against her sides and sink into her parka just to preserve all the warmth she can. They both turns right once they’re on the ground, heading in the direction of the others on this hill.

One of them, seemingly the only not fitted in armor, makes his way over to meet them while the rest keep their distance. An older man, both Rook and Ester note.

“Damn…” He reacts, looking between the two aliens. It’s just a second before he shakes his head. “You can put your hands down.” He speaks to Rook.

“I did not want you to be alarmed.” Rook explains, lowering his hands.

“With that Proto-tool on your shoulder I doubt putting your hands up really meant much.” He notes, causing Rook to stay silent for a moment until the human turns away from him.He looks out from the cliff, to the distant city still occasionally flickering with a pulse of red or blue light, and the tremendous sounds of Reapers hitting the ground.

“It’s appreciated though.” Anderson adds.

Rook’s eyes narrow slightly as he keeps his eyes on the man. Only for a moment thought, until they widen in surprise.

“You are Councilor Anderson.” Rook realizes.

“That means something to you?” Anderson questions, turning to look at him again.

“I am a friend of Ben Tennyson. Magister Rook Blonko, of the Plumbers. I read your entry in the Codex version Ben returned with.” Rook explains.

“Safe to assume that lightshow out there is Ben, then?” Anderson checks, gesturing to the distant city as he turns himself to face Rook again.

“Indeed, sir.” Rook confirms.

Anderson lets out a shallow chuckle, looking down to the ground with a hesitant smile on his face. After another second he looks up again, taking a second to look over Rook.

“Rook Blonko, did you say?” He checks.

“Yes.”

“Ben mentioned you. Said you were one of the best friends he had back home, and a damn good Plumber.” Anderson takes several steps over to close the rest of the gap between him and Rook. He extends his hand, letting Rook take and shake it. “Good to finally meet you.”

“You as well.” Rook returns.

Letting go of his hand, Anderson turns to look at Ester on Rook’s left.

“And you are?” He asks.

“Ester. Another friend of Ben’s, and chief of the Kraaho on Earth.” She tells him.

“Kraaho… I thought you looked familiar. Surprised you can stand being out in this kind of weather. You’re here for Gillrus, right?” Anderson checks, getting a nod from Ester. Anderson’s about to continue when a distinct “boom” separate from the droning sound of the blasts catches their attention.

All three of them, and most of the soldiers, look out towards the city as a remarkably small streak of black and red rushes across the sky. She only slows to below the speed of sound again once she gets to the clifftop they’re gathered on, gliding down and tossing Ben ahead of her before gliding to a stop beside him. Ben has to stumble forwards at first to catch his balance, but is then able to walk with Swift to Anderson, Rook and Ester.

Ben heads for Rook’s side, while Swift heads for Anderson’s side, forming a semicircle shape with their bodies. As Ben reaches them the Omnitrix emits its signature beeps, morphing his body back down into a human with the usual flash of light, bright enough to cause those around him to wince for a second.

“Councilor.” Ben greets him.

“Admiral, actually. Udina took over most of my duties on the Citadel while I helped prepare for the Reapers here on earth.” Anderson explains.

“Wh- Udina? Are you serious? That guy sucks.” Ben whines.

“Not much of a choice, unfortunately. When you vanished it became clear that we needed every moment we had to prepare. None of us could stand around on formality” Anderson tells him.

Ben wants to argue, but instead just lets out a sigh. “Yeah, alright.” He accepts. “Sorry I’m late. We completed the new ride as soon as we could.” Ben gestures back to their ship behind him.

“Impressive. Not sure it’ll be able to get past the defense grid the Reapers are setting up, though.” Anderson brings up.

“Setting up? As in, incomplete?” Rook catches.

“Barely.” Swift confirms. “They’ve almost surrounded the planet, but are leaving the atmosphere over the oceans less guarded until more of them arrive, seemingly.”

“Wait, so how long ago did they get here?” Ben questions.

“Just today. A couple hours ago now. Everything beyond the Sol Relay went dark. They caught us by surprise.” Anderson informs him.

The new trio can’t help but glance out to the city. The burning spires of steel, crumbling under the irreparable damage done to them. Burying the streets below in a tide of ash and dust.

“They did this in a couple of hours?” Rook is the first to verbalize the thought.

“They’ve focused on cities, population centers, landmarks. It’s only getting worse as they spread out.” Swift states.

“It’s not important right now. What matters is that you’re back.” Anderson refocuses them, getting the three teenagers to turn to him again.

“Yeah, well the bad news just keeps getting worse. For the next few weeks, I’m all you’re getting. Plumber high command denied supplying aid to you guys, and my friends are working on making more universe hoppers before they can follow us over.” Ben explains.

“Son, you just took down half a dozen Reapers single-handedly. As far as I’m concerned, our odds of making it out of this thing just went up more than we could have asked for. You won’t hear me complaining.” Anderson says.

Ben accepts this with a nod.

“Alright, so getting off earth.” Ben gets them back to that subject.

“They still aren’t adjusted to our FTL drives.” Swift reminds him. “Their targeting systems can’t seem to get a lock on the way I move. I suspect the same would apply to this Proto-TRUK.”

“Omni-TRUK.” Ben corrects her.

“Whatever.” She dismisses it. “I doubt you’ll have any trouble slipping through the grid, so long as you don’t slow down.”

“Are you not coming with us?” Rook notes her word choice.

“The Alliance network was thrown into chaos with the Reaper’s arrival. They need someone to lead them. I can’t leave.” Anderson explains.

“I’m staying here to keep them alive, as a favor to the Commander.” Swift adds.

“Understood.” Rook accepts.

“Speaking of, I figured we’d head to join up with him. You guys have a plan, right? We aren’t just screwed, are we?” Ben asks.

“We’re working on it. Right now Shepard’s headed to Mars, to pick up Dr. Tsoni at the Prothean archives.” Anderson catches him up.

“Mars? No problem. We can be there in a couple of minutes, right Rook?” Ben looks to him.

“Less.” Rook confirms, turning to head back around to the loading ramp.

“No.” Anderson interjects, causing him to stop and turn back. “Shepard can handle himself. We have other problems too important to wait.” Anderson tells them.

“Such as…?” Ester questions, proving herself to have been engaged with the conversation up to this point.

Anderson shifts his view to the distant city for a moment, then looks back to the group with a heavy sigh. He heads forward, causing Ben and Rook to step out of his way, then follow after him, entering the Proto-TRUK through the back.

With the wind and distant fighting muted slightly by the cabin, Anderson comes to a stop again. Swift again takes the place at his side as he turns around to look at the group.

“There’s a colony ship out behind Luna base. The moon. Officially I’m not supposed to know about it, but it was hard to ignore in my position.” He explains.

Even Swift seems somewhat surprised by this, turning her focus to Anderson himself instead of the second group for the first time so far.

“What kind of colony ship, Admiral?” Rook questions.

“An ark.” Anderson states. As he says this his left arm rises up, flicking to the side to summon his omni-tool around his forearm. A few taps gets him through the relevant menus to load the holographic projection of a ship.

Ben’s eyes go wide immediately, taking just a second to process the idea. Ester reacts just as quickly, but Rook needs a second more before the word clicks with him.

“It’s a plan B, in case you guys couldn’t fight the Reapers.” Ben understands.

Anderson nods. “Thought up by some of the brightest independent minds in the Galaxy. They were supposed to be completed and launch months ago, but our preparations for the Reapers strained supply lines.” He explains.

“And this isn’t, like, the Alliance?” Ben checks.

“No. It’s a civilian project, through and through. The Andromeda Initiative.” Anderson clarifies.

“That is where the ships are headed?” Rook questions.

“Were headed.” Anderson corrects. “Like I said, they’re not ready to launch. Far as I can tell, the human ark is still on the far side of the moon, hidden from Earth. It’s only a matter of time before the Reapers notice, if they haven’t already.”

“How many people are onboard?” Ben has to ask.

“It’s designed to hold 20,000 colonists in cryo. Last I checked they were about three quarters loaded, with almost a thousand more working the ship.” Anderson says.

“That’s- woah.” Ben reacts.

“So you need us to go and… do what, exactly?” Ester asks.

“Get them out of the system. Find “Alec Ryder,” talk to him. He’s the ark’s “Pathfinder.” He should be able to find a safe place for it somewhere in the galaxy.” Anderson instructs.

“And once it’s safe we can head to intercept Shepard.” Ben adds.

Anderson nods to approve, flicking his wrist to the side again to dismiss the omni-tool.

“Why wasn’t I told?” Swift asks before any of them leaves their places, forcing Anderson to focus on her. It takes him a second to figure out what she’s actually asking before he can answer.

“I wasn’t even supposed to know. Technically, the projective violates a few Council laws. I should have shut it down when I caught wind of it.” Anderson explains.

“But you thought it was a good idea.” Rook recognizes.

“I thought it couldn’t be worse than we were trying, and I didn’t want word spreading through Alliance Command. Not even Shepard knows. He has other things to worry about now.” Anderson explains.

Swift seems to accept this.

“Alright. Rook, get us ready. No time to lose.” Ben says, and Rook promptly turns to head for the cockpit.

“Ester, you up for a detour?” He checks.

“Sure.” She accepts without a trace of reluctance, turning around to sit down on the bench closest to her.

“Alright then. You’ll be able to contact me from the Normandy’s war room after. We should be able to find a few QEC compatible broadcast points on our way east.” Anderson plans.

“The- hang on, the what? The Normandy doesn’t have a war room.” Ben points out.

“It’s gotten a few upgrades since you’ve been gone. Shepard can explain it when you see him.” Anderson tells him before turning to head to the back of the cabin again, exiting down the open loading ramp.

Swift quickly follows after him and Ben is left standing there idly for a moment thinking. He’s about to head for the co-pilot’s seat when he gets the sense that he’s forgetting something. Like there’s one more thing he needs to do here before they leave, and he can’t quite place it for a moment, watching Swift walk down and out of the Omni-TRUK in her recolored armor.

“Oh, Rook!” Ben remembers, causing the alien to look back at him.

“What is it?” Rook questions.

“Grab the thing and meet me outside!” Ben helpfully explains, dashing outside after Swift.

He finds that Anderson has already made his way over to the Kodiak across from them, motioning for the group of soldiers to load in. Swift stands about halfway between them and the TRUK, watching.

“Swift!” Ben calls out, causing her to look back as he walks over.

She hesitates to respond for a moment, just looking at him with her usual weary glare. It shifts from him to Rook as he exits the Omni-TRUK, making his way over as well.

“What?” She snaps, her glare growing sincerely spiteful as Rook stops besides Ben.

She thinks she knows where this is going. That their mistrust in her is about to be realized, and her leash is going to be tightened even further.

Instead, offered to her in the palm of Rook’s hand, is a simple object. A piece of shaped silver and black metal, with a dial not unlike the Omnitrix’s holding a chamber of red in the center. A Plumber’s badge.

“Swift. You are hereby deputized as a Plumber agent, to be formally reinstated and resume active duty upon return to our home dimension.” Rook says, leaving his arm extended to allow the hybrid to take the badge.

Held carefully in her hands, she just takes a moment to look at it. To appreciate the pristine finish of the metal and glass, and the careful etching of her name and number below the circular badge itself. She looks back up, her eyes still narrowed and skeptical.

“You trust me?” She questions.

“Ben trusts you.” Rook makes clear. “I remain unconvinced that you are not the same amoral and dangerous criminal that tried to kill me when we last met… but I trust Ben enough to accept his judgement.”

She’s silent for another moment before she hesitantly raises her free arm to loosely salute Rook. He only nods in response before turning away, heading back to the truck.

Ben stays where he is, waiting as Swift looks over the badge for a time more. Eventually she decides to move it to her uniform, mounting where a belt buckle would be if the suit weren’t one piece and therefor had a belt.

“Nobody’s gonna know what it means here. Well, not for a while, at least.” Ben mentions.

“I don’t need them to.” Swift states, shifting the focus of her glossy red eyes back up to Ben.

“Well, just wanted to get that out of the way before we split up again.” He tells her, turning his body to head after Rook.

“Wait.” She stops him, and he turns to face her again.

“’Sup?” He asks.

“… You were gone for months, and I was left here in this miserable approximation of our reality with people that either fear me or lack the imagination to utilize me… Why do you trust me?” She wonders.

“What do you mean?” Ben questions with a dubious laugh, raising an eyebrow.

“On your ship. Without saying a word to you, you trusted me to guide your friends to safety. And now, with barely a conversation between us, you reinstate me as a Plumber.” Swift clarifies.

Ben can’t help but chuckle at the statement, causing Swift’s eyes to widen and for her to step back. You could swear she’s embarrassed enough to blush if the vibrant red hue of her skin allowed for that.

“Swift, you’re wearing Alliance colors.” Ben points out in his usual patronizing way.

“That proves nothing.” Swift argues.

“It proves to me that you want to do the right thing. That you didn’t just go rogue after I left.” Ben explains, trying to move his tone towards sincerity.

Swift is left silent, not having a reaction.

“Look, I trapped you in the Null Void for like a year, and when you got out you were only a little pissed about it. You’re patient. Y’know, sadistic, temperamental, and antisocial; but patient. I knew you’d hang in there.” Ben tells her.

“… Thank you.” She says.

“Eh, thank me when this is over, and we get you properly reinstated.” Ben tells her, turning away to head for the Omni-TRUK.

She lets him go this time, slowly turning herself around to watch as Kodiak shuts itself, meaning it’s time for her to hop up onto its roof in wait for it taking off.

Rook hits the button to bring up the ramp once he hears Ben step inside, walking down to the very front of the cabin to fall into the co-pilot seat.

“Okay, the moon. Time to save a colony’s worth of frozen people.” Ben says, strapping himself in.

“I think you mean “It’s hero time,” Ben.” Ester comments, getting Ben to look back at her down on the bench built into the opposite wall.

He just stares at her for a moment. Silently.

“What? I like your catchphrases.” She defends herself from his judgmental stare.

He can’t stop himself from smiling as he shakes his head, turning back around to face forwards in his seat.

“Setting course for the moon’s far side. I recommend you both hold onto something. The FTL drive may not appreciate the short burst required for such a small distance.” Rook informs them both, firming his grip on the control sticks.

The ship rumbles as the engine carries it off the ground, letting it lean back to face the sky above them.

The sparse light of the sun bleeding through the clouds falls into the cabin for just a second before the ship takes off, rocketing out of the atmosphere in an instant.

Chapter Text

The sky falls out of view faster than any of them can perceive, and the very next instant the dark field of stars slams into its place.

All three of them groan as they adjust to the forceful jolt through the cabin resulting from the brief jump, taking a moment before they’re able to focus on the scene beyond the windshield of the Omni-TRUK again.

“Aw, man.” Ben’s the first to react, taking in the sight.

The Reapers have found the ship, there’s no question about that. A distance from them, just past the curve of the moon’s surface, unfolds the scene they intend to deal with.

The massive form of a Reaper hangs in space, gliding along beside what they have to assume is the ark. The ark itself is unlike most of the other ship they’ve seen so far. Two long, disconnected arms form the body of the ship, meeting in a spherical center towards the back of the design, almost resembling a mass relay. From the back three fins jut out and forwards, though the spacing clearly suggests there should be four. Between the two main arms is a smaller and thinner third, extended about three quarters of the way to the front of the shop.

From the moon a trail of debris follows after the ship. Both parts of the ark itself, and the remains of what seems to have been a sort of scaffolding, torn apart as it was forced to flee.

“That’s… That one’s bigger, right?” Ben questions, glancing to the console for the data on both the ship, and the Reaper harassing it.

It is. Unlike the Reapers flooding earth, this one looms at just about 2 kilometers. More than 10 times the size of the others, and slightly larger than the 1.5 kilometers of the ark.

It’s so much larger than the others that it takes them a moment to even notice the half dozen other Reapers about the ship, swarming and firing on the outer hull with the clear intent to render it inoperable. The large one makes no such effort, instead merely matching pace with the ship and gliding towards it with outstretched limbs.

“It would seem so.” Rook confirms.

Their own ship presses forward, sailing around the natural satellite and towards the massive structures ahead of them.

“Can you destroy it?” Ester checks.

“Yeah, maybe, if I can get Feedback again. The Omnitrix is still timed out, though.” Ben tells her, holding up his left wrist to make the red faceplate visible both for Ester, and in Rook’s peripheral.

“Then perhaps for now we should board the ark, and address the situation from there.” Rook posits.

“Yeah. Find some guy named Alex, right? Anderson said he’d know where to take the Ark?” Ben recalls.

“Alec Ryder,” Rook corrects him “yes.”

“Uhh, guys? It really doesn’t look like that ship’s gonna be able to take much more of the beating it’s getting. Maybe Ben and I should board, while Rook uses the Omni-TRUK to get their attention.” Ester suggests, stretching her head over from the main cabin to the cockpit to be heard over the firefight their audio synthesizers are playing.

“What? No way! Rook, you’re a great pilot and all, but this ship’s our only way out of here if we need backup. You’re- I mean, the Omni- The ship- whatever! It’s not worth the risk!” Ben argues.

“No, Ester is right, Ben. You said the Reaper lasers were able to damage Atomix, correct?”

“Yeah, but-”

“Then it is unlikely most of your other forms will fare any better. The Omni-TRUK should be built to withstand their attacks should I fail to avoid them, and our weapons may be sufficient to disable the smaller ones.” Rook reasons.

Ben really wants to argue, but he knows Rook is right. He doesn’t want to admit is, but he understands that using the TRUK as bait is their best plan for dealing with the Reapers assaulting the Ark right now. In lieu of the Omnitrix giving him the exact right alien, that’s basically their only move.

“Fine.” Ben begrudgingly accepts.

“I will drop you both at the docking hanger closest to the bridge, then exit again to draw the Reapers away. I will redock before the ship jumps to FTL.” Rook lays out the plan.

“Sounds good to me.” Ester approves, letting her head unstretch back to the usual distance from her body.

The chaotic and disproportionately massive scene unfolding shifts around them as the Omni-TRUK continues forward, gliding practically unnoticed between the fighters, the Reaper drones, and the Reapers themselves.

“Be careful.” Ben requests.

“Please, Ben. I am always careful.” Rook responds.

In another region of this unfolding catastrophe, a group of people rush through an open hatch. One after another, and as quickly as they can manage. It’s as the last of these individuals gets through that the button to close the door is hit.

With a hiss and the whirr of motors the plates of the hatch slam shut, just quickly enough to block off a squad of husks charging down the hall after them. The desperate pounding of fists against metal on the other side leave them all on edge, but it’s enough of a reprieve to let them breathe.

There are seven of them in total. Most prominent among them is an older man, marching past the winded group towards the back of the room.

It’s an armory, it’s easy enough to tell. Or the closest thing to an armory this kind of ship would have. There are rows of lockers, each with a name inscribed on their doors, holding armor within.

The older man heads for one towards the back of the space, labeled “Alec Ryder,” and only has to reach out to have it unlock. The door swings open, and he rather quickly pulls out the suit within. Functionally black, patterned with a carbon fiber weave below the topcoat. Armor. Military grade, and labeled with a simple “N7” on the breastplate.

“Alright, everyone, it looks like springing for kinetic barriers is paying off sooner than expected. Get dressed.” He orders, looking back to the others starting to get back to their feet.

“Man, this is not what we trained for.” One of the others complains with a vaguely London accent. A younger man, maybe in his mid twenties. Medium dark skin, very curly black hair grown out slightly, and a considerably chiseled face matched by the rest of his physique. Despite his reservations he still heads for the locker labeled “Liam Kosta.”

“We trained for new frontiers.” Another man says, continuing past him. Pale skin; brown hair that’s longer at the top, brushed back in a way that does nothing to compliment his wide ears; and a thin layer of stubble over his lower face. He comes to a stop at a locker labeled “Scott Ryder.”

“I just don’t think any of us were expecting those frontiers to come to us.” A woman says, stopping at the locker just right of the previous man’s. She resembles him somewhat, in small ways. Her skin is the same tanned pink, and her hair is the same dark brown. Longer, and pulled back into a loose ponytail. Her locker reads “Sara Ryder.”

“It doesn’t matter what we trained for now. We’re getting the Hyperion out of the system, one way or another.” Alec states, heading back across the room for a weapon’s locker once he’s fitted the armor onto himself.

“Easier said than done, sir.” Another woman says, drawing from a locker that reads “Cora Harper.” Lighter skin than the Ryders, and platinum blond hair shaved on one side but grown out to reach the bottom of her face on the other.

The other two humans suit up as well, but don’t say anything. One is a woman with mid-toned skin and red hair, and the other is a man with darker skin, and short black hair. “Kaycee Drew” and “Daniel Kirkland.”

“It can be done though, right?” Scott checks, looking to Alec as he pulls a rifle from the locker.

“We’re gonna find out.” Alec responds before looking away from Scott. His eyes land in the middle distance, not looking at anything in particular when he speaks “SAM, where are they getting in?”

“Primary breaches are in sectors 2A and 13B. I am guiding armed personnel to intercept and slow their boarding. I am also guiding unarmed personnel away from impacted regions.” A voice answers him. One every person in the room can hear, though without a clear source. A masculine and gentle voice, though somewhat synthetic in intonation. “2A is in greater need of assistance.” He goes on.

“And the cryo chambers?” Alec checks.

“Damage is negligible. Losses are within acceptable margins, for now.” The voice answers.

“Alright. Everyone arm yourself, we’re headed to sector-“

“Wait.” SAM interrupts.

‘What is it?” Alec questions.

“Something is landing in hangar 1. Signature does not match hostiles, or any other known form of technology.” SAM explains.

“Is it dangerous?” Sara asks.

“Unknown. Two bodies are departing from the vessel now. I recommend intercepting.” SAM says.

Alec’s focus snaps over to the squad in the room, quickly scanning over them to get a sense for everyone present.

“Sara, Liam, get to hangar 1. The rest of you are with me.” Alec decides.

“Got it.” Sara responds.

“Yes sir.” Liam affirms.

Alec doesn’t waste any time heading for the hatch out of the room again, waiting by the control panel while everyone else finishes sealing their armor and grabbing a firearm.

“Hey.” Sara speaks up as she and Scott head for the door.

“What is It?” He questions, glancing back to her.

“Be careful, alright?” She requests.

“What, worried about you little brother?” Scott seems to tease her.

“This is serious, Scott.” She tells him, getting him to pause for a moment.

“Yeah, I know.” He tells her. “You be careful too, okay? Don’t take any chances with these things.”

“Everyone ready?” Alec cuts in, getting everyone to focus on him. They all agree in their own ways, and with several motions to count them down, he hits the symbol to reopen the hatch.

Despite the sirens blaring through every hall in the ship, and the lights flashing red above them, they don’t find much resistance on their way to the hangar. Guided by the synthetic voice to avoid compromised paths, and heading in the opposite direction of the breaches, they only encounter a few stray husks along their way.

“How did these things even get to this side of the ship?” Liam questions as they jog around another corner.

“Smaller troop ships have compromised shielding at nearly 42 points along the outer hull. I have not been able to seal all of them.” SAM informs him.

Sara and Liam are both forced to stop as they see another group emerge from a door ahead of them. Liam pulls up his pistol what some would call too quickly, and fires off at the husks just as fast. Sara’s arm comes to life with an aura of fizzing blue light, letting her throw forward a vortex of biotic energy that suspends the charging corpses upon hitting them. She then pulls out her own pistol, and fires until both her and Liam overload the thermal clip, and have to swap it out.

At this point, however, it’s clear enough that the husks are already dead. As when Sara’s biotics eventually fade, the bodies just fall to the ground.

“Hah… looks like you do know how to handle a gun. Glad I won’t have to worry about that.” Liam comments, reloading his own.

“Yeah. Scott and I spent some time with an Alliance peacekeeping force before this.” Sara explains, doing the same.

“Please continue. The unidentified bodies have entered the ship, and are trying to access our networks.” SAM cuts in.

“Shit.” Liam reacts, getting back into a jog with Sara, guided by the markers Sam is displaying on their helmet’s HUDs.

“So they’re intelligent? None of the other things have tried getting into our systems, right?” Sara checks.

“Only to override and disable them. These individuals are attempting to access schematics of the station.” SAM explains.

“Well have you tried talking to them? Maybe they’re here to help.” Liam suggests.

“Yeah, right. We don’t have that kind of luck, do we?” Sara quips.

“I cannot. I am communicating with you via your implants, and the rest of the crew through their omni-tools. These individuals have neither, and the camera systems that would allow me to hear or see their responses are offline.” SAM explains.

“Yeah, that’s more like our kind of luck.”

“Alert. Husks incoming.” SAM states, getting them both to stop again right as another group of six rush around the corner.

Sara’s biotics again flare to life throughout her entire body, expanding beyond her to hit the husks coming their way. The desperate and rhythmic thudding of bare feet against steel slows immediately, and the two raise their guns again to kill the group.

Three shots into the nearest to Liam, two from Sara into the second slightly further back. Another four from Liam into the third husk actually manages to tear through enough of its torso to remove its legs. One from Sara goes straight into the head of the fourth.

“Wait, no!” Called out from somewhere further ahead fails to even register with them before they’ve fired on the fifth and sixth.

The husk bodies drop to the ground in piles of blue and grey flesh and soon as the last two are dead. With the hall ahead of them now clear they’re able to see the two bodies that rush towards them, only skidding to a stop as Sara and Liam aim their guns at them.

“No! I could have- Aw, man.” One of them whines. A boy, human. Tan pink skin, in the same range as Sara’s; brown hair; and two starkly green eyes looking down on the chunks of husks with a degree of remorse. A teenager, he looks like. He wears clothes that don’t at all fit the situation. A white and green jacket, hanging loosely over a black and green t-shirt labeled with the number 10. The only remarkable thing about what he wears, other than the downright perplexing nature of where he even got clothes so simple, is the sleek watch around his left wrist.

To his right, meaning Sara and Liam’s left, is an alien neither of them have ever seen before. Humanoid, surprisingly so, but with pastel pink skin marked with purple stripes. Also looking to be a teenager, by human standards. Her hair is a darker pinkish-red, covered slightly by a purple crown-like accessory over her forehead. In place of eyebrows antler-like structures emerge from her skin, still bending in ways that leave her expression clear. She too wears an outfit unfitting of even the colonists on the ark, being a white and purple furred parka, matched with winter gloves and boots. An outfit that seems like it should be too hot to function in right now.

“You didn’t have to do that.” The human boy says, still focused on the chunks of meat and technology scattered across the ground.

“Yeah, easy for you to say, they weren’t trying to tear your faces off. Just who the hell are you two?” Liam questions first.

The alien glances to the human, seemingly waiting to see how he answers. The human barely seems to pay them any mind. He just lets out a deep sigh as his attention moves up from the husks to the humans beyond them.

“Either of you know where I can find Alec Ryder?” He asks.

“Wh- huh?” Liam is immediately taken aback, just as much so as Sara.

“Dad?” Sara can only react, having been completely caught off guard by the question.

“What?” The human teenager questions, equally confused by her response.

“That’s- Alec Ryder is my father. Why are you looking for him?” Sara questions, lowering her gun and relaxing slightly.

“Oh! Great, so you can take me to him.” The human decides, clapping his hands together as he starts walking forward. The alien has to follow after him, carefully stretching her legs to land in the places not covered by mutated human meat. Stretching, notably. Her limbs extend and contort in fluid but completely inhuman ways.

“Uh- We’re here to help get your ship to safety.” The alien cuts in, picking up on the fact that the human isn’t going to answer their questions.

“Yeah? And why should we trust you?” Liam asks.

“Man, I’m gone for like three months and everyone forgets who I am. Hey, I’m Ben 10. Nice to meet you.” Ben states, coming to a stop just before Liam, completely ignoring the gun still held in his face.

Liam actually has to take a second just to process his disregard of the threat. Then, another second to actually register what Ben said.

“Wait- You’re Ben Tennyson? The kid that was flying around with the Alliance? The one that- like- made the Posttheans? Aren’t you dead?” Sara questions.

“Hey, you do know me!” Ben reacts, turning to her instead.

Liam finally lowers his own gun, holstering it as Ben steps over to Sara.

“Hey. I’m Ester.” The alien says, taking Ben’s place. She extends a hand towards Liam to shake his. Liam has to take a second to process the fact that her arm was able to literally extend towards him, but then cautiously takers her hand and shakes it.

“Uhm- Liam. Liam Kosta.” He introduces himself, letting go of her hand once he does.

“And- I’m Sara Ryder.” Sara adds, stepping aside to let Ben head down the hall the way they came.

“Cool. I’m probably not gonna remember your names. Where’s your dad?” Ben asks again.

“Wait- Slow down. Aren’t you dead?” Sara repeats her own question.

“I went back to my own universe to get some friends. Meant to be back sooner. Where’s Alec?” Ben asks yet again.

“Wait, you’re really from another universe? Man, and I thought we were breaking ground by leaving the Galaxy.” Liam jokes.

“Time crunch here, guys. We need to talk to Alec Ryder.” Ester says, clapping to get their attention.

The two wearing the Andromeda Initiative uniforms finally turn to follow after Ben when Ester passes them.

“We have a friend out there distracting the Reapers. Anderson said Alec would know where to get this thing outside the solar system.” Ben states, still marching ahead with the others only now catching up.

“The human councilor?” Liam expresses his surprise.

“Oh my god, I miss EDI.” Ben groans.

“Where’s Alec?” Ester repeats more patiently Ben.

“Sector 2A, helping seal off one of the breaches. It’s the upper arm of the ship.” Sara finally tells them.

“Thank you.” Ben says, exasperated. He looks down to the watch on his wrist now, placing two fingers against its face to summon a hologram above it. A semi-circle of icons, slowly rotating, with the one in the center enlarged to indicate selection.

“Where are we now?” Ester checks.

“1B. We need to crossover to the other arm, and take the rails down to the other sector.” Liam plans.

“Yeah, you do that.” Ben speaks, pulling his hand back from the Omnitrix to let the core rise just so he can slam it down again.

His body instantly grows thick and heavy, the shimmer of green light wrapping over him as the change happens. From his back and up over the back of his neck comes a hump of sorts. Lower than that, a small tail extends from the end of his spine. His legs shift in configuration to become digitigrade, his fingers merge into just three, his arms gain bulk and a hide of scales. Atop his forehead is a solid plate, just above the solid green eyes of all Ben’s aliens. The Omnitrix places itself on his side.

“Rhinocerwrecker? Come on, Omnitrix.” Ben complains.

“Holy shit.” Liam voices, stumbling for a second in continuing after Ben and Ester continuing ahead.

“Woah. You’re a krogan.” Sara adds, dumfounded.

“Yeah, and Krogan aren’t fast. Let’s try that again.” Ben says, reaching to hit the Omnitrix node on his side.

Another flash of green light conceals his body for a moment. When he dims again they’re able to make out the new body fairly easily. He stands over them by a full foot or two. Deep red plates form a shell around most of his body. An exoskeleton, leaving only his joints and stomach open, covered in barnacle-like structures that glow the same green as his four eyes. Said eyes are horizontal slits, dimly glowing from below the hood structure emerging from his back. He aims them down at his hands, large grey claws. Then past them to the Omnitrix on his chest, which he seems to glare at.

Liam and Sara are both staggered by the transformation again, ever more so this time than they were before. They take a moment just to understand what they’re looking at, then another to accept that it’s completely real.

“Waterhazard? Really? Is it so much to ask for XLR8 or Big Chill?” Ben complains. His voice is low, and bubbles slightly like he’s speaking through a fluid.

“What- What are you?” Liam struggles to even question properly.

“On Orishan. It’s- ah. Very funny.” Ben grumbles, hitting the side of the Omnitrix. Not its face, but its side, meaning he doesn’t trigger it. He then starts walking again, causing everyone else to pace after him.

“What’s funny, Ben?” Sara asks, hopping into a jog to keep up with Ben’s longer strides.

“I can explain later. When the Ark is safe. Now what’s the fastest route to Alec?” Ben asks.

“You can explain now, alien boy.” Liam rebuffs, jogging to get ahead of Ben.

Ben stops as a result, forcing Sara and Ester to do the same. Ben just stares down at Liam for a second, judging how serious he’s being.

“Or what?” Ben challenges him.

“Hey, guys!” Ester claps, getting both of them to look at her. “He explains now and the ship’s gonna pay for it. We need to get moving.”

“Yeah, because you’re in a position to give order right now.” Liam responds sarcastically.

“No, she’s right.” Sara says, getting Liam to focus on her.

“Ryder-” Liam tries to argue.

“SAM, what’s the fastest route to dad?” She speaks to the open air, cutting Liam off.

“Sam? That your pilot?” Ben guesses, looking back to Liam.

“Like I’d tell you.” Liam remarks.

“Take a right up ahead.” Sara grabs his attention again. “It’ll take us to an elevator. Next floor up has less of those zombie things, and it’s a straight shot to the central ring. On the other side there’s a tram that’ll take you down to where dad is.”

“Alright, finally.” Ben says, turning around to continue marching forward again.

“We’ll go ahead.” Ester tells them, stretching her legs to quicken her pace with Ben. “I think you’ll both just slow us down. Tell Alec we’re coming though so he doesn’t freak, ‘kay?”

Neither Liam or Sara can get out an argument before Ben and Ester have already taken off, running down the halls faster than either could hope to keep up.

They were right about the lack of husks. In fact, Ben and Ester don’t come across a single one on their way to the main ring. Usually this would be a good thing, but in the current context it’s rather inconvenient.

Even so, it means they aren’t slowed down. It’s only a couple of minutes before they’re running back down the other arm of the ship towards the aforementioned railway.

They don’t actually get the chance to use it though. Just as they’re running up the stairs towards the entry hatch, it opens on its own. Ben skids to a stop, moving his arm out to stop Ester just as fast. She hits his arm before she even registers the doors opening and has to adjust to the abrupt stop in the moment before they can see the other side.

From the other side comes a relieving sight, though. Humans, mostly. Staff for the Ark, it looks like, all wearing the standard white and blue of the initiative’s uniforms. All except one, who happens to be the only alien. An asari, instead wearing white and red. She leads them, meaning she’s the first to see Ben and Ester and come to a complete stop. The humans behind her stumble to a stop not long after, all locking their eyes on the two beings ahead of them.

One of the humans near the front steps in front of the asari, gesturing for her and the others to get back. A human woman, dressed in light armor, and wielding the only gun among them. A gun that is promptly aimed at Ben and Ester.

“Woah, hey. Easy.” Ben shouts, raising his hands so his palms face the group.

“Back! Back it up!” The armed human demands.

Ben obliges, carefully stepping back and down the stairs without turning away from the group of humans.

“We’re not here to hurt you.” Ben assures them.

“What are you?” The asari questions, cautiously stepping around the loose approximation of a soldier.

“Lexi” The human shouts at the asari, gesturing for them to get back again.

In the split second the human has their attention turned away from them, Ester throws her arm forward and across the room, grabbing onto the barrel of their gun. She yanks it from their grasp, pulling them forward with it and knocking them to the ground, and bringing the gun back across the space to her and Ben.

This lets Ben promptly lower his arms and leap back up the steps to this group. They fearfully stagger back, but Ben only leans down, helping the armored human up to their feet. They step away from him as soon as they can, and Ben dismissed them just as fast, instead looking to the asari.

“Lexi, was it?” Ben checks.

She wearily nods.

“Ben 10.” He says, gesturing to the Omnitrix on his chest. “Heard of me?”

She seems to think for a second before her eyes go wide.

“Ben? Oh goddess, I thought- Hi there. You look different.” She says.

She turns back to the rest of the group, gesturing for them to continue forward. Ben steps back as she does, getting out of their way to let the frightened staff start rushing by him, towards a hatch on the other side of the space. During this Ester heads up the stairs again.

“You probably don’t remember me. We’ve met. Back on Maganlis, the day you arrived. I was part of the medical staff, taking a break in one of the observation rooms. You arrived as a gelatinous humanoid.” She explains.

Ben seems to think for a moment.

“Oh!” He eventually erupts. “You helped me figure out that I got zapped to another universe.” Ben remembers.

With Ben clearly a friendly presence, the armored human eventually lets down their guard. When she does, Ester extends her hand to return their gun, letting them continue with the group of staff.

“Yes, that was me.” Lexi confirms. “What are you doing here? I heard you were dead.”

“The reports were exaggerated. I’m helping get this place out of the Sol system. We’re headed for Alec. Didn’t realize we’d run into more crew.” Ben explains.

“Right, and you are?” Lexi asks, looking to Ester.

“Ester. A friend of Ben’s, from his universe.” She answers.

“Of course.” Lexi accepts, then looks back to Ben. “If you’re looking for Alec, you’d have an easier time if you were patched into Sam.”

“Sam, right. That’s your pilot?” Ben guesses.

“Not quite. SAM is our on-board AI. Each of the arks have their own SAM node.” She explains.

“Wait- Ai? Like, artificial intelligence AI? Like, the “illegal in council space” kind of ai?” Ben questions.

“Well- only technically. Do you have an omni-tool?” Lexi checks.

Ben gestures to the node on his chest again.

“Omnitrix. It can sync with communication frequencies.” Ben answers.

“Alright. Channel 224.3 Beta. I have to get moving, but it’s good knowing you’re here.” She says, Heading along after the group of staff leaving the room.

With the way finally cleared, Ben and Ester head through into the carriage of the railcar. While Ester quickly looks over the map to select their destination, Ben starts tuning the Omnitrix to their frequency.

“You know, that might have gone easier if you turned human.” Ester mentions.

She hits the icon for 2A, causing the doors to shut and the entire cart to star gliding along the tracks.

“I sort of thought the Omnitrix would do it for me.” Ben tells her.

While Ben continues twisting the Omnitrix’s dial back and forth to connect, he steps towards the seating within the car and sits down. A moment later Ester walks over and sits down on the other side of the isle, in the same row.

“Is it weird that it didn’t?” Ester wonders.

“What, like I know? This thing never does what I expect.” Ben tells her.

Finally, the Omnitrix chimes, and with a pop of static Ben stops messing with it.

“You are connected.” A voice speaks from the Omnitrix. Synthetic, slightly fuzzy sounding, but natural enough to be convincing if they weren’t paying attention.

“Sam?” Ester checks.

“Yes. Hello, Ben Tennyson. Ester. I am glad to be able to speak with you, though I believe we should focus on more urgent matters than socializing until the Hyperion is safe.” SAM speaks.

“Finally, someone we’re on the same page with.” Ben comments.

“Forgive the crew. Your presence is as unexpected as the hostile bodies infiltrating the ship.” SAM reasons.

“Why are they boarding the ship, anyways?” Ester questions.

“Presumably, to manually depower critical systems. Despite damages, the hostile bodies have failed to disable life support, propulsion, or shielding.” SAM states.

“But it’s not like they can’t.” Ben points out. “The Reapers have enough power to cut straight through the barriers and cleave this thing in half. Why aren’t they?”

“Likely, to preserve human life in stasis.” SAM guesses.

“What?” Ester reacts. “How does that make any sense?”

“No, wait, that actually does make sense.” Ben claims.

“According to available Alliance files, the Reapers are known to harvest living species for their genetic material, in order to sustain the equivalent of their reproductive cycle.” SAM informs them.

“Ew.” Ester remarks.

“If the humans here got freezer burned with the pods shutting down, or scattered across space, it’d be a waste to the Reapers.” Ben understands SAM’s point.

“Affirmative. I suspect that as we near the Sol Relay their efforts to preserve the crew of the Hyperion will be forgone.” SAM adds.

“Then we need to figure out a way to ditch them before then.” Ben decides.

“Total system failure is expected to occur long before we reach the Sol Relay. With the front of the Hyperion blocked by Reaper forces, it is impossible to engage the Mass Effect drive.”

“Hang on, what? You guys can’t take off if the front of the ship is blocked?” Ester questions.

“Affirmative. If any object is detected within 15 degrees of the Hyperion’s front, routing is aborted, and the drive is unable to engage.”

“Great. One more problem to deal with.” Ben complains.

“But if we get the ship into FTL, will that be it? Would the Reapers be able to follow us?” Ester questions.

“It is plausible the Reapers would be able to follow us to the Relay. Beyond it, however, is highly unlikely. Navigational routing through the Mass Relay network leaves too many possibilities to calculate from approach vector alone.” SAM answers.

“I did it.” Ben mentions.

“That is not technically correct. When you followed the Collector Vessel through the network, they were exiting the relay feed at each system. Attempting to move to another system before you were able to follow with their calibration of the Relay’s link and charge in conjunction with their trajectory. With conventional Mass Effect drives, this sort of piggybacking is not possible. Taking a direct route through the relay network also minimizes the chance of this occurring.”

“Oh.” Ben reacts. “Didn’t realize they recorded all that.”

“Back to the point, allowing the Hyperion to engage the Mass Effect core is top priority.” SAM states.

“Then… We need to get Rook up to speed.” Ben decides.

“Alec Ryder will meet you when the tram arrives. Until then, I will update the Pathfinder team on your presence.” SAM states.

Ben reaches for the Omnitrix, but right as he does the device emits several beeps. With a flash he shrinks back down to his human form, leaving his hand hovering over an empty space on his chest. Ben takes only a second to adjust and moves his hand to his wrist instead, tapping through the digital menus of the Omnitrix to reconnect with the Omni-TRUK.

It takes a second for the line to open, and once it does, they’re initially greeted with the sound of lasers and Rook shouting.

“Rook!? You alright, partner?” Ben questions.

“Fine, just trying to draw their fire.” Rook explains, accented with the bellowing drone of another shot sweeping by the ship, simulated by the speakers in the cabin loudly enough for the mic to pick it up. “What is the situation onboard the ark?”

“Pretty okay, surprisingly.” Ester tells him.

“Really?”

“Yeah, it’s not too bad.” Ben confirms. “We’re almost to Alec. Before we can figure out where to put this thing though, we need to get it moving. It can’t jump to FTL until we clear the front.”

“That will not be easy.” Rook tells him.

“Yeah, I bet. Look, I’ll come out to help as soon as I can. Just try to keep the TRUK in one piece.” Ben requests.

“Ah, of course. I should have thought of that.” Rook responds.

“Okay, har-har. See you in a minute.” Ben says before tapping the face of the Omnitrix again to close the line.

And then suddenly, it’s just silent. Without the Omnitrix transmitting a voice, both Ester and Ben go quiet. The only sound filling the cabin is the dull hum of the engine moving them down the rail line. Ben leans back in his seat, looking up at the ceiling of the car as he lets out a breath. Ester remains leaned forward in her seat, legs in the isle, facing Ben.

“So…” Ester starts, getting Ben to roll his head along the back of his seat to look over at her. “Are things always like this here?”

Ben leans forward again, angling his body to face her slightly more.

“Nah. Stakes aren’t usually this high, and there’s normally a lot more structure. More hiding behind crates and barrels and stuff too.” Ben tells her.

She politely chuckles at what was clearly meant as a joke, giving them an extra moment to think before either speaks again.

“… I should have been here.” Ben sighs.

“Come on, Ben.”

“No, I know.” He acknowledges, turning away from her again and leaning back in the seat. “I still feel responsible though.”

“What, for the race of giant, ancient, bloodthirsty robot things? Something you’re not telling me?” She teases, trying to point out how absurd his guilt is.

Now it’s Ben’s turn to laugh. Shallowly, but all the same.

“… Months of preparation, and we get here a day too late.” Ben points out.

Ester takes a breath to speak again, but before she can they both feel the gentle rock of the tram slowing down. Coming to a stop hardly a second before the doors slide open with a hiss, prompting both Ben and Ester to get to their feet.

Ben’s right hand instinctually goes to the back of his left wrist, and Ester raises her fists just in case.

Thankfully, the face that enters from the other side a few seconds later is decidedly human. A young adult, male, slightly taller and broader than Ben or Ester. Scott Ryder.

His hands go up as soon as he sees both of them. Not afraid of them, just trying to convey that he’s not a hostile presence.

“Woah, hey. I’m on your side. I think.” He says.

Taking a step out of the way of the door, another human is able to enter after him. A woman, similarly muscular to Scott, but more slim. Cora Harper.

“Oh, wow. SAM wasn’t kidding, huh?” She remarks. Her focus lingers on Ester more than Ben.

She too steps out of the way of the door after just a second, finally letting the last of the group enter. Alec Ryder.

He doesn’t look to Ben immediately. His focus first lands on Scott and Cora, just staring at them for a moment with an air of disapproval before his gaze inevitably shifts to Ben and Ester. There’s barely a reaction to Ester beyond acknowledging that she’s present, but he comes to focus on Ben.

“Ben Tennyson.” Alec acknowledges him, stepping forward and extending a hand for him to shake. “I’ve read about your exploits with the Normandy crew. Seen some of the vids too.”

Ben cautiously accepts it, letting his left arm fall to his side.

“Alec, I’m guessing?” Ben checks.

“I am.” He confirms, then gestures to the others. “This is Lieutenant Cora Harper, and that’s Scott, my son.”

“Hey.” Ben waves, taking his hand back from Alec. Ester waves as well, which Cora and Scott return.

“SAM tells us you’re here to help.” Alec addresses.

“We are.” Ben confirms, focusing back on Alec.

Alec turns, heading back through the tram’s exit hatch and into the station-like area it arrived in. Scott and Cora follow not far behind him, which causes Ben and Ester to do the same.

“Anderson said you’d know where to get this thing to keep it safe from the Reapers. I can clear the front of the ship to get it moving, but getting to the Relay won’t do us much good if we don’t have a destination on the other side.” Ben explains.

Outside the tram there are a fair few more people. The same two with Alec’s team earlier, as well as several more presumably picked up at the breach while dealing with husks. Alec doesn’t bother to introduce them.

“Anderson? The councilor?” Alec checks, turning back to Ben once he’s a few paces away from the tram’s hatch.

“He’s sorta just an admiral right now, but yeah.” Ben confirms.

“As alarming as it is that he even knows about the initiative, I guess I should be thanking him.” Alec acknowledges.

“You’ll have the chance.” Ben assures him.

“I like your spirit.” Alec says. He looks down from Ben to his wrist, flicking it to summon his omni-tool. Noticeably different from the ones Ben is used to. Smaller, more rectangular, and entirely projected over the back of the forearm. “We’ve been trying to contact the Nexus since the Reapers arrived, but everything beyond the Sol Relay is dark. We need to confirm the Reapers haven’t found the Nexus, and head there.”

“Hang on, the what?” Ester questions.

“The Nexus.” Scott cuts in. “The main ship the arks would have converged at once we arrived in Andromeda. Like a new Citadel.”

“Hang on, you guys built a Citadel?” Ben checks.

“Most of one, but not nearly as big. We were going to finish it in Andromeda after we arrived, but when launch was delayed… Well, suffices to say we’re still here.” Scott tells him.

“And without being able to contact them, we have no way of knowing if we’d be flying the Hyperion straight into an even worse situation than we’re in right now.” Alec continues.

“Right, so what can we do about that? Like, if the Comm Bouy is down, without a QEC you guys don’t have a line to the rest of the galaxy.” Ben says, checking his understanding at the same time he tries to plan.

“A QEC?” Cora questions.

“A quantum entanglement communicator.” Ben states. “We had one back on the Normandy.”

“Well, we don’t have anything like that onboard.” Scott says.

Then, abruptly, Alec, Scott, and Cora all turn their attention to the open air. It takes Ben a second to figure out what’s happening, but as soon as he does, he taps the Omnitrix to re-open his line to Sam.

“-anglement communication to remain in constant touch with the Pathfinder mission team over great distances. It may be possible to open this line to the other SAM nodes aboard the other Arks, or the Nexus itself. Should they be functioning, as I am.” SAM explains.

“Okay, so, I missed the first part, but it sounds like we might have a way to call the Nexus.” Ben summarizes.

“Affirmative.” SAM agrees.

“But we need to get to SAM Node, which is getting harder by the minute with all those zombie things on board.” Scott adds.

“Husks.” Ben gives him a name.

“Huh.” He reacts.

“We can do it. Some help would make our jobs a whole lot easier though.” Cora says.

There’s a brief pause before Ben recognizes what she’s actually saying.

“I need to get outside to help Rook clear out the Reapers, but…” Ben turns to look at Ester to his side. “Ester?”

“Those- “husks” don’t do the whole “turning you into one of them if they bite you” thing, right?” She checks.

“Oh god, I hope not.” Scott realizes.

“Even if they did, would you have to worry about it? Being an alien, and all?” Cora asks.

“I’m half human.” Ester clarifies.

That catches a fair few of the group by surprise.

“They don’t.” Ben assures everyone, getting them focused again.

“Then I’m game.” Ester accepts.

“Alright. We’ll head for SAM node. Ben, we’re trusting that you know what you’re doing.” Alec says, taking to heading towards the Tram again. The rest of the team follow, leaving Ben as the only one standing by.

“See you in a bit, Ben!” Ester shouts back, following after the rest of them.

In just a moment more the whole group has funneled into the railcar, and the hatch has sealed behind them, leaving Ben alone.

It doesn’t take long for him to look down to the Omnitrix, resting two fingers on its face to start scrolling through the dial.

“Sam, where’s the nearest airlock?” Ben checks.

“I will guide you.” Sam tells him.

“Alright. I guess that means it’s hero time!” Ben proclaims, pulling his hand back from the Omnitrix just so he can slam it back down on the exposed core, letting the device envelope him in a vibrant glow of green light.

Outside the ship, barely a minute later, Ben rushes down the outside of the Ark’s lower arm. Each step he takes is heavy enough to shake the metal below him, audible from the other side.

Green sparks and lighting erupt between his feet and the ship each time they are separated, drawing them back together. Said feet are covered with heavy metal boots, which themselves are part of the rubbery black pants covering this alien’s bottom half. His top half remains exposed from the waist up, revealing a patchwork of mismatched grey skins. From this skin are various bolts, and two mechanical rods emerging from the back of his shoulders. His forearms are enveloped in green gauntlets, the same color as the rods emerging from his back, and the Omnitrix rests itself in a scar across his chest. Frankenstrike.

“Rook, what’s your status?” Ben speaks to the open space ahead of him. Something that would go unheard in the vacuum if it were not for the Omnitrix directly transmitting his speech.

“I have gotten their attention, but the TRUK’s weapons are-” Rook pauses, shouting as the sound of a blast travels by the ship. “They are not meant for large scale targets!”

“They aren’t powerful enough?”

“No, they are more than powerful enough, it is that they are too precise. I am taking down the Reapers and their drones one at a time. More are arriving faster than I can dispatch them.” Rook clarifies.

“Any luck leading them away?” Ben wonders.

Continuing forward, the scene playing out at the front of the Ark becomes more visible to him by the second. The large Reaper, the one nearly as long as the Ark itself, still idly drifts along the other side from them. The smaller Reapers, on the other hand, have taken to focusing on the Omni-TRUK. As have the drones whizzing about the space far more numerously.

“Some, but they are too numerous. We need to thin their numbers before the groups blocking the ship will be diverted to us.” Rook explains.

The sight is perplexing, without a doubt. Down the arm from him, framed starkly on their right in the distant light of the sun, are the looming bodies of the Reapers. Given context only by the Hyperion serving as a stationary body, they are massive. Then, among them, are the whizzing swarms of drones, without count. All of which focus upon, and fire at, the barely visible shape of the Omni-TRUK. Almost too small to see at all, if it weren’t for how clearly the Reapers all try to fire upon it. Emphasis on try, given how few appear to actually hit.

Ben continues to run as he takes this in, breathing heavily despite the lack of air around him.

“I’m on the arm. Care to give me a ride?” Ben asks.

“Tracking the Omnitrix now. I’m coming your way.” Rook responds.

Instantly Ben can see the direction of the swarm change. Many of them swing too far forward, forced to slow down, or crash into other drones. The majority change direction as sharply as they can, clearly trying to follow the abrupt redirect of the Omni-TRUK.

Ben slows down, skidding to a stop against the metal of the Ark. He takes a step back as he watches the TRUK approach him, narrowing his eyes to focus on the ship.

“Think you can slow it down?” Ben checks.

“While the Omni-TRUK should be, theoretically, indestructible, I am not eager to test this fact this while on-board.” Rook tells him.

“Hm… Alright, it might take a few passes, but I have an idea. Sweep low. The drones can’t turn as sharply as you and will slam into the Ark’s barriers. I’ll try to magnetize myself to the TRUK while in range.” Ben explains.

“Ben, are you sure that is safe?”

“For the Ark? Frankenstrike’s sure, and that’s good enough for me.”

“Alright. Here goes.” Rook speaks.

Ben lowers his body in preparation, raising his arms slightly as he watches the TRUK approach him. Rook pulls it away from the Ark first, letting him approach the hull perpendicular to its surface. Ben keeps his eyes locked on it, close enough now for him to actually make out the individual ships.

The drone pursuing Rook cluster and stream. Some moving back through the group, and others moving forward, all lit only by the unfiltered light of the distant star. The ones closest to Rook fire, but the few shots that hit don’t so much as scratch the hull, instead only leaving faint scorch marks.

Rook aims the TRUK, and by extension the swarm of drones, straight towards the ship. Closer and closer, with Ben keeping his eyes on them unwaveringly.

It’s at the last second, with some of the drones already pulling back, that Rook yanks the yoke towards him. The Omni-TRUK immediately changes course, rotating to the correct angle before the thruster kick into high gear to stop his descent and launch him forward. The drones following after him try to do the same, but instead slam against the Ark itself in droves.

Ben can see the blue glow of the barriers being activated, forcibly deflecting the material that would otherwise hit the ship. Countless flashes of blue light come just before the eruptions of fire. The drones shatter against the barrier, left in flames that die out in barely a moment, sending their metal flying off in every direction. Into one another, into the barrier further along, and towards Ben.

More of them start flying towards Ben. As Rook approaches Ben, the drones that managed to change course slightly, but not enough, hit the barrier close and closer to him. Ben can’t even try to magnetize himself to the Omni-TRUK when it passes, forced instead to focus on the field of shrapnel thrown his way.

His hands rise further, aimed directly ahead, and erupt with streams of green lightning. The metal coming his way is either stopped entirely or redirected, leaving him unaffected when the rest of the drones that didn’t hit the ship fly by overhead after Rook.

“Well, on the upside, we have thinned the heard.” Rook eventually speaks, swinging the TRUK around in preparation for another pass. “Think we could just keep doing that?”

“No, eventually the shields over this section would give. I’d say we have another couple tries before we need another plan…” And then Ben’s attention is caught by something else. A piece of a drone, one of countless, floating towards him from the greater cluster. “Okay, better idea.”

Ben extends his hand, and instantly the lighting strikes the floating plating. In another second it’s drawn across the void to him, letting him grab ahold.

“Try it again. You won’t need to slow down if I can speed up.” Ben tells Rook.

“You are going to change forms? In space?”

“What? Are you crazy!? Of course not! I’m going to…” Ben pauses, realizing how his next statement might sound.

“Ben?” Rook questions.

“I’m going to use Frankenstrike’s electromagnetic abilities to generate a Lorentz force that will propel me forward, letting me catch up with the TRUK as it passes by.” Ben explains.

“A Lorentz- Ben. Are you suggesting, in order to accelerate yourself, that you simulate a rail gun?”

“Yeah, sure. The hull of the Ark and the Mass Effect barrier should respond well enough to act like rails.” Ben reasons.

“Ben.” Rook states simply.

“I’ve done crazier. Look, no time to argue, Rook. Just trust me.”

“Trust you?” Rook repeats. “Always.”

Ben takes a second to watch as Rook sets himself up again. A large portion of the drones are slowing down this time. At least, the specs of light he can see against the dark of space and the towering bodies of the Reapers seem to indicate such. He can guess it won’t mean as many impacts this time, but he can worry about the rest once he’s in the TRUK.

As the TRUK approaches the Ark Ben turns away. He starts running, each step heavy and forceful at first, but turning light as he builds up some speed.

“Come on, please be right.” Ben speaks to himself.

Then he leaps, siding the plate of metal under himself. He magnetizes his feet to it, then extends his electric current to the Ark beyond it.

Arcs of lightning bounce off him, striking the open space and everything else in reach. They almost seem to connect the board of metal to the ship, creating an imaginary tether that keeps him at a fixed distance.

Ben lowers himself to keep his balance, taking just a second to make sure nothing is going terribly wrong. Then, he extends the rods from his back and kicks them into high gear. Immediately he feels the jolt of motion, with both him and the plate of hovering metal being trust forward in the space between the Ark and its barrier.

Ben can see the flashes of orange bounce off the distant shapes of the Ark ahead, giving him the idea that drones just started hitting the barrier.

He thinks about it for just a moment before glancing over his shoulder, seeing the rapidly approaching form of the TRUK. He speeds himself up more, feeling a trembling buzz start to vibrate through his body as he does.

As the TRUK reaches him he matches its speed, letting him carefully reach out and grip the hull with a hand. The moment he’s sure the connection is firm he lets go of the metal plate, letting the kinetic barrier eject it outwards into space.

Ben barely has a moment to just appreciate that his idea worked before the vibrant cone of a laser travels past him, just barely missing the TRUK.

“Rook, I need in!” Ben requests, swinging himself around to the bottom of the ship.

Right as he reaches the hatch it opens, letting him pull himself inside, at which point it slams shut again. The moment it does the signature beeping of the Omnitrix plays and his body shrinks back down to its human form.

“Whew.” Ben breaths.

The Ark falls away below them as Rook pulls them up again, still putting his full attention into avoiding the barrage of shots fired from the drones behind them.

“What is the plan?” Rook asks, barely able to glance to Ben as he falls into the copilot seat to his right.

“Working on it. Still surprised my first one didn’t fail.” Ben responds.

“Work faster.” Rook suggests.

“Yeah. Right.” Ben acknowledges, leaning forward to reach the control panels ahead of them.

Making use of the omni-tool still hooked up to the ship, it barely takes a moment for Ben to connect to the Ark’s network.

“Sam, you there?” He checks.

“I am.” The AI confirms.

“What’s the status on the other team?”

“Patching you through now.” SAM tells him.

In another second the background noise of gunshots, panting, and footsteps are audible.

“Guys, how’s it coming?” Ben asks.

“Oh, great. Y’know, except for all the husks trying to tear us a new one!” Scott shouts.

“We’ve made it to SAM Node.” Alec states, far more calmly. “The Reaper creatures have barricaded us in, but we’re holding our own. SAM’s trying to contact the Nexus now.”

“Alright, let me know. If we only get one chance to get this thing moving, I don’t want to waste it.” Ben tells him.

“SAM will let you know.” Alec confirms, abruptly ending the call.

Will that over with, Ben turns his attention to the Omnitrix. The dial appears at his touch, and he takes to scrolling through, considering each alien the selector passes over.

“What do you think? Gravattack? Atomix?” Ben suggests. “Has to be one of my heavy hitters.”

“They also need to fit inside the Omni-TRUK.” Rook reminds him.

“Right… Man, where’s an Ultimatrix when you need one?” Ben jokes.

“Focus, Ben.” Rook tries to get him back on track.

“Right.” Back accepts, focusing on the available aliens again.

NRG, Upgrade, Upchuck, Juryrigg, Chromastone. All choices he considers while scrolling, but none of them stand out to him. Then the Omnitrix suggests one he likes. One he immediately stops on, pulling his hand back to register the choice so he can slam down the core.

A widened and heightened body colored black and yellow, two large spikes from his shoulders, and a floating metal head between them. Lodestar. Rook just barely spares a glance to him once the flash of green subsides, letting him register the form Ben took.

Ben rises to his feet, turning to step around his seat and into the main cabin, facing the loading ramp at the back.

“Ben, are you sure Lodestar can move objects as large as the Reapers?” Rook checks.

“Let’s hope so.” Ben responds.

Then they wait. Ben steadies himself with the bars hanging down from the ceiling, keeping himself upright while Rook fiercely soars the TRUK around the perimeter of the Ark, keeping them out of the firing paths of the countless drones still chasing after them.

Ben isn’t especially patient though. After just a few seconds he reaches for the node on his chest, twisting the dial to reconnect with SAM.

“Hey, how’s it coming?” Ben questions.

“Our quantum entanglement communicators were never intended for this type of SAM-to-SAM contact. Establishing communication is proving difficult.” SAM informs him.

“Dude, it’s a yes or no. “Have the Reapers found the Nexus?” No?  Then we’re good. Just cut the chit-chat and get to the important part!” Ben orders, like he has any idea what he’s talking about.

SAM goes silent for a moment, leaving Ben to wait again.

“The Nexus is secure. Clear the way.” SAM eventually speaks.

Ben can immediately feel the TRUK sharply turn on its axis, boosting forward powerfully enough to almost knock him off his feet.

“As soon as we have an opening, be ready to get us inside the Ark.” Ben shouts back to Rook.

“Understood.” Rook accepts. “Stopping Omni-TRUK and opening rear hatch in 3… 2…”

Ben feels the ship slowing down, enough for him to let go of the bar above him and aim both his hands forward to the hatch.

“Go.” Rook states, and in unison the ramp swings open.

The stark light of the space beyond is instantly revealed to them. The shapes of the Ark and Reapers are defined by both the harsh sunlight on one side, and the glow of their own lights on the other. He also sees the drones that begin to rush around them, unable to stop nearly as fast as they just did.

“Here goes nothing.” Ben speaks.

From his extended claws, a bellowing warble begins to emit in time with the perfectly circular rings traveling forward, visible in the way they disturb the light through them.

The Reapers notice. Without a doubt, the moment Ben extends his power beyond the TRUK the Reapers all stop their advance along the Ark and turn their attention.

Ben can see the glow of red that comes with the charge of their lasers. Just before they fire, though, he jerks his arms to the side. The Reapers move with this motion, forcefully shoved just far enough for their attacks all to miss the TRUK and sweep through their drones instead.

“Woah, that worked. Alright, time to put my magnetism where my mouth is.” Ben says, moving his hands to refocus on the Reapers in front of the Ark.

It’s slow at first, incredibly so, but they start to move. Gliding out of their places with a force they clearly don’t have control over. The ones attached to the ark itself grasp at the open space when they’re pulled from the hull.

Rook’s actually forced to grip the controls, struggling against the counterforce that tries to swing them out of place. The engines rev to life, fighting against the force to keep them still so Ben can focus.

The Reaper destroyers flail against the magnetic pull, clearly trying to reverse their motion, but Ben doesn’t let them. He keeps them faced away from both him and the ship, meaning even their lasers are only able to fire out into the void.

The drones he has a harder time with. Unable to control them all individually, he has to sweep them aside in clusters. A positive of this is that when slammed together the countless pods all suffer some form of damage. From being disabled to outright crushed, most of the drones being dragged out of the way lose function by the time Ben would let go of them.

In less than a minute Ben’s almost manages to clear the front of the ship, with enough of an extra margin on all sides to give them time to board before the Reapers get in the way again.

And then, of course, it notices.

The Reaper that’s been idly drifting along side the Hyperion all this time. It notices Ben doing what he does, and it begins to move.

“Alert: Reaper changing course.” SAM jumps in to tell them, right about when the TRUK’s systems tell Rook the same thing. “Navigational pathing has completed. Boarding is recommended. Now.”

“Ben?” Rook checks, looking back to him over his chair.

Ben is clearly struggling. Standing just before the open hatch, protected from the vacuum by their practically invisible atmosphere shield, he holds his claws out to hold onto the whole scene before them. Almost a silhouette with the intense sunlight shining on his front, making the side lit by the cabin practically black in comparison, Rook can still see the green of Ben’s eyes narrowed and his hands shaking.

“Go!” Ben shouts.

The moment Rook’s eyes are back on the space through the windshield the TRUK takes off. It roars around the Ark, so fast Rook has to slam on the brakes just to safely aim them into the dock SAM opens for them.

With line of sight broken, Ben lets go of his grasp on them all. As he does Rook readjusts for the counterforce. The engines jitter and sputter when he does, but the ship continues forward all the same. Not a second later the Omnitrix plays its signature beeps, timing Ben out with a flash of light that leaves his human body staring out through the still open hatch.

It’s right as they reach the dock, gliding inside as quickly as they can, that a new problem arises.

Visible through the open hatch, and through the mass effect barrier keeping the air within the docking bay, the primary Reaper drifts by. More problematically, the firing cylinder drifts into place over the bay’s entrance, practically facing Ben directly. It’s charging, with the Ark’s synthesizers playing the bellowing grinding tune it always does.

“SAM, it’s time to go!” Ben shouts, fully comprehending what’s about to happen.

“One moment.” SAM responds.

Ben’s hand moves for the Omnitrix in an instant, slamming down the core without a thought for the form he selects.

His skin hardens and solidifies into a deep purple in the same moment that he grows in height and mass. Jagged purple crystals jut from his skin, the same hue as the material that makes up his hands and ridged face. The Omnitrix manifest again on a leotard around his torso, glowing the same green as his eye. Chromastone.

Ben has just enough time to instinctually recognize the body and extend his hands forward before the Reaper fires.

It hits him, tearing straight through the kinetic barriers and every type of shielding. It hits him so hard that the entire Omni-TRUK is thrown back through the bay, grinding against the floor and slamming into the far wall without rotating. It hits him with enough raw energy that he can barely handle it all. It glows within him, radiating as a chromatic aura about him that’s so bright it could blind anyone looking directly at it, pulsing through the stone and crystal violently enough to crack and fragment both.

When it abates Ben is almost in pieces, barely held together when his knees hit the floor of the TRUK’s cabin.

And then he hears the Reaper charging again, and he doesn’t waste any time. With every ounce of strength he has, he forces himself to look forward again, to raise his arms to the incoming blast and stop it.

All the energy stored inside him prevents him from taking in anymore so quickly, but it also fights back against the raw power hitting him for the second time. It deflects the light of the beam like a prism, shattering it into the surrounding walls of the Omni-TRUK, just barely kept from hitting Rook behind Ben.

Then, it’s gone. In a blur the Reaper vanishes from beyond the airlock and the beam is taken with it. The Ark takes off, leaving the whole scene behind.

It’s not even a second before the Omnitrix rings out with a sound not often heard. A distressed and frantic beeping, forcefully shaping Ben back into his native body faster than it usually would, letting him fall forward to the ground again with deep breaths.

“Ben!” Rook shouts from the front of the TRUK, throwing himself out of the pilot’s seat and rushing to his side the moment he thinks it’s safe.

Ben just groans, letting Rook grab onto his chest to hold him up.

It takes a few minutes for Ben to really recover from what just happened. For a few minutes he drifts in and out of consciousness in the copilot seat of the TRUK, helped there by Rook. He does though, eventually, tune back into the situation. Into the hissing and sputtering of the engines, and the sound of people talking outside.

He softly groans as he pushes himself out of the seat, stepping around it to make his way through the cabin and down the ramp. There he finds Rook, expectedly, along with Ester, Alec, Scott, and Sara. All standing just beyond the ramp.

The area beyond them is trashed, to put it lightly. The Omni-TRUK and Ben weren’t the only things hit by the Reaper, evident from the scorch marks traveling along the walls, ceiling, and floor. Even the storage containers have either been thrown from where they were resting, smashed from the force of hitting the walls, or outright torn open from a stray laser deflected off of Ben. Still, it’s better than the alternative, given that the space is still inhabitable at all.

The humans facing him turn their focus to Ben as he walks down the ramp, letting Rook and Ester notice and turn around to do the same.

“Ben.” Rook speaks, watching as he walks over to the space between him and Ester. “Are you alright?”

“I’ll be fine.” Ben claims.

“You sure? No offense, but you don’t exactly look fine.” Ester tells him.

“I said I will be fine.” Ben clarifies, then focuses on the Andromeda Initiative group across from him. “What’s going on?”

“The Hyperion is enroute to the Sol Relay now. We will be arriving at the Nexus in less than an hour.” SAM speaks, audible to Ben’s team from the Omnitrix.

“Surprisingly, the Ark’s still in one piece.” Scott tells him.

“Well, one main piece. Pretty sure we left some bits behind.” Sara corrects him.

“Point is, the Hyperion is safe. Thanks to you three.” Alec summarizes.

“Yeah, you’re welcome. All’s well that ends well, right?” Ben reasons.

“Actually, there are some issues.” Rook tells him.

“Oh, of course there are.” Ben groans.

Rook turns back, gesturing to the Omni-TRUK, which Ben turns to look at as well.

Still in one piece, without any noticeable holes or tears. A good start. It is, however, clearly damaged. Firstly, the front left corner of the TRUK has been embedded into the wall of the dock, tearing through the stairs and support beams in its way to do so. The white paint has been charred black on the back of the ship and in streaks moving towards the front. The right “wing” has been dislodged from the connection, now at an angle to the ship. The fin on top of the ship is crooked as well, in a way Ben guessed would keep it from transforming properly. Worse than all of that, is the fact that the vents and turbines meant for propulsion are all smoking to some extent.

“Aw, man. So much for indestructible.” Ben whines.

“Actually, it is not as bad as it looks.” Rook says.

“Really?” Ben questions, looking away from the ship and to Rook.

“Almost none of the materials themselves have been damaged by the Reaper’s attack. At a purely physical level, the ship is practically unharmed.” Rook begins to explain.

“Uh-huh.” Ben muses, glancing back to the clearly harmed ship.

“Many elements have simply been dislodged from their proper orientations. More pressingly, however, is the fact that we have overloaded the engines.” Rook continues.

“What? Come on, this thing is built for intergalactic jumps! No way did we overdo it getting from earth to the moon.” Ben argues.

“How about getting from our Earth to theirs?” Ester points out.

“Well that- …would make more sense.” Ben realizes.

“That is not the cause either.” Rook states. “SAM, if you could explain.”

“Of course.” SAM begins, again speaking from the Omnitrix. Ben holds up his left wrist just to make the AI slightly easier for everyone present to hear. “Based on my readings, paired with the data collected from Rook Blonko’s “proto-tool” we have been able to determine that the Reaper’s attack exposed the “Omni-TRUK” to an abundance of dark energy.”

“Oh, great.” Ben groans.

“Yeah, there’s more.” Ester tells him.

“Oh, great.”

“Paired with Chromastone’s natural energy field, refracting and amplifying the already excessive dark energy, the TRUK’s hyperspace and warp field generators burned out.” Rook explains.

“…But we can fix them, right?” Ben checks.

“Theoretically.” Rook answers.

“Hey, no, what do you mean “theoretically,” Rook?” Ester starts, forcing him to focus on her. “You told me this was going to be a quick in and out. Get Gillrus, go home. I was fine with a detour, but what do you mean theoretically? A minute ago, before Ben came out, you said this would be no problem.”

“We do not have the materials on board the Omni-TRUK to make a full repair. For now, we are limited to sub-light travel and this universe. And we will continue to be, until we find the resources to fix the engine block.” Rook elaborates.

“… Great.” Ben accepts. He turns to Ester with a sigh, and a forced chuckle. “Sorry, Ester. Guess you’re stuck with us for a bit.”

Ester’s silent for a moment, then eventually lets out a deep breath. “It’s whatever. I’m sure my people can handle themselves without me for a while.”

“Hey, so, cutting in for a second, where does this leave us?” Sara questions.

Ben, Ester, and Rook all turn to focus their attention on the Ryders again.

“What do you mean?” Ben asks.

“Well- I think what Sara means is, after we get to the Nexus, what are you going to do?” Scott rephrases.

“Wait, so, how caught up are you guys?” Ben questions.

“Rook explained most of it while you were out. You’re from another universe, here to help with the Reapers, and looking for a guy called Shepard working for the Alliance.” Sara states.

“Yeah, okay, that’s the gist of it.” Ben confirms.

“I don’t suppose you guys have a ride we could borrow?” Ester suggests, getting them back to the original question.

“What? For just the three of you to fly? Uh, yeah, not likely. I guess where you’re from one person is enough to fly an interstellar cargo ship, but here in the Milky Way the minimum crew is about a dozen.” Scott says.

“Dude, we’re from the Milky Way. We’re from Earth, just, a different one.” Ben corrects him.

“We can give you a ride.” Alec interjects. “Least we could do after you saved the whole Ark.”

“Thank you. That would be greatly appreciated.” Rook accepts.

“Uhh.. dad. Not sure you noticed, but we don’t exactly have a ship large enough to carry theirs.” Scott tells him.

“Almost all of the cargo ships got wrecked while the Reaper things were attacking us.” Sara adds.

“Once we reach the Nexus, it won’t be a problem.” Alec states.

He then turns away from the group, starting to walk in the direction of the nearest intact staircase leading up to the elevators. The Ryders start following after him immediately, while Ben’s group look to one another for a second with a bit of confusion before doing the same.

“There’s a ship waiting for us there, with a full crew. It was meant for exploring Andromeda, but I’m not sure they’ll mind given the circumstances.” Alec continues, heading up the staircases once he reaches them. “Until then, feel free to have a look around the Hyperion. I recommend meeting our captain, SAM can guide you. The team and I are going to do another sweep of the ship to make sure the Husks are all gone before we arrive.”

“Mhm.” Ben acknowledges, stopping as the group reaches the elevator doors.

“See you around, Ben.” Sara says, stepping into the elevator with Alec and Scott.

“Yeah, good meeting you.” Scott supports.

In just another moment the elevator doors close with a chime, leaving only Ben, Ester, and Rook standing there in the practically destroyed docking bay.

“… We should probably remove the Omni-TRUK from the wall before we arrive.” Rook mentions.

Ben sighs, looking down at the Omnitrix.

“How much do you want to bet it gives me Graymatter when I try to turn into Humongousaur?” Ben muses, turning to head back down the stairs with the others.

A little more than 40 minutes later Ben and Rook enter another part of the Ark. The bridge. A wide, open room, bustling with members of the crew rushing from station to station to mitigate damage to the Hyperion.

At the front of the room stands a woman, leaning on a railing overlooking the wide window that lets them see the space they travel through. Hearing the doors behind her open she looks back, seeing Ben and Rook walking into the room.

This woman is older than both Ben and Rook by a fair margin, but still young compared to people Ben’s used to seeing in her position. She has short black hair, finely combed to the side; and slightly tanned skin mostly hidden below her white and blue Initiative uniform.

She pauses for a second upon seeing Rook. First processing just what he is, obscured slightly by the dim blue lighting of the space, then forcing herself to accept it and move on.

“Took you long enough.” She speaks first, walking away from her station to meet the two halfway.

“Apologies, Captain Dunn. We were attempting to remove our ship from the side of the docking bay.” Rook explains.

“You were… what?” The captain questions, immediately thrown by the statement.

“Yeah, the big Reaper blasted me before we took off. Threw our ship clean across the bay and straight into the back wall.” Ben explains.

The captain remains silent, narrowing her eyes slightly into a glare as she tries to figure out how much of Ben’s statement is true.

“We would have been here sooner, but the Omnitrix was being uncooperative.” Rook adds.

“Yeah. Took half an hour to get something strong enough to pull the Omni-TRUK out.” Ben affirms, holding up his wrist for a moment to show off the watch. “I mean, first we just had to wait for it to recharge, but then it decided to give me Goop.”

“Which could have melted the metal holding the TRUK in place.” Rook tells him.

“Yeah, but not without burning the TRUK too. So then I try to change again, and it gives me Bloxx. So Ester and I try to pull it free like that until eventually the watch times out, and I have to try again. Then-”

The captain puts up her hand to stop them. Her head falls with a sigh, looking to the ground while she shakes it back to forth. After a second she looks up to them again with a restrained scoff.

“Are you two fucking with me right now?” She questions.

“No, Ma’am.” Rook quickly answers.

“No. Like I said, the watch was being difficult. We would have been up sooner otherwise.” Ben assures her.

“That’s-” She stops herself with another sharp breath. “Boys, I don’t know if you grasp the situation right now. My ship is in pieces. Fifteen hundred colonists’ vitals have gone dark from the damage those Reaper Destroyers did to the cryo wing. Then you two and- Where’s the other one? The girl.”

“Ester is with the Omni-TRUK, making sure all vital systems are still functional.” Rook says.

“And re-heating.” Ben adds.

“Well, you two and your pal show up and fix our problems in a matter of minutes, without asking for permission or assistance, saying the human councilor sent you. Who shouldn’t even know about the Hyperion’s existence.” She stops herself with a deep breath, calming herself down before she continues. “I usually trust Alec’s judgment, so I’ve been patient with you three being here, but I need answers. I need to know we aren’t walking a ticking time bomb onto the Nexus.”

Rook takes a breath to speak, but Ben puts a hand up to stop him. Rook almost ignores him, but pauses when he registers that Ben isn’t jumping in to argue either. It’s a second more before Ben does speak.

“You know, last time I got here I was kind of patient with this. But now we just don’t have time. I’m Ben 10.” He holds up his arm again, making sure to pull down the sleeve of his jacket enough to make the Omnitrix clearly visible. “Maybe you’ve heard of me. Sam sure has.” He puts his left arm down again, instead gesturing to Rook with his right. “This is Magister Rook Blonko, of the Plumbers. Down in the docking bay is my friend Ester.” He puts his hand down again. “We’re here to help, alright? I’m sorry that people died, I really am, but we got here as soon as we could. We risked our lives making sure this place didn’t get blown to pieces, and it wrecked what was our one way back to the universe we come from. So whether you like it or not, we’re here to stay, and we’re here to help.”

The captain is only silent for a moment before speaking a simple “Fine.”

“Wait, really?” Ben reacts with a fair degree of surprise.

“It’s good enough for now.” She says.

She steps forward from the center of the room, closing the distance between them to offer her hand. Ben hesitates for a second, but accepts the gesture and shakes it.

“Captain Nozomi Dunn. Nice to meet you.” She states.

“Uhh, yeah. You too.” Ben returns.

Rook shakes her hand as well when it’s offered, and then she turns around to head for the front of the room again. Ben spares a look to Rook before following her, but he only shrugs in response. They stop on her right a step away from the railing she leans against.

“We’ll be arriving in a few minutes.” She tells them.

The captain returns to her duties before they arrive, summoning a fair assortment of holographic panels from the railing. Ben and Rook make their way around the railing and down the stairs to the lower floor, letting them stand directly before the main pane of glass.

After about a minute of watching the stars slowly glide by, Rook instead looks down to Ben at his side, skeptically raising a brow.

“Ben, are you sure I should not return to the Omni-TRUK to assist Ester?”

“Dude, trust me, you’re gonna want to see this. Ester’s missing out.” Ben assures him.

“Mhm. Well, until the Ark-”

With perfect timing they arrive, stopping Rook midsentence.

The stars and swirls of the galaxy slam into place before them, instantly ridding their view of the slight blur it had while they were travelling. Now crisply defined, and slowly approaching, they’re able to see “the Nexus.”

Two long shapes float in space, curving around, and connected, by a ring in the middle perpendicular to them. The arms of the station taper towards each of the four total ends, curving into a flat edge. Design wise it lies somewhere between the direct corridor of a Mass Relay, and the more elegant and reaching features of the Citadel. However, unlike both, it appears far more industrial, and also appears to be notably incomplete.

Massive and distinct panels of unpainted or polished metal make up its hull, in the sections that have plating covering the scaffolding at all. The ring connecting the two halves is itself unfinished on one side, revealing the rings of structure within. Very few of the lights within the arms are illuminated as far as Ben and Rook can see, leaving it without the air of a living city the Citadel is so known for.

Nagging at the back of Ben’s mind for a moment until he can put the words to it, the whole station looks… natural. Not like it could have been formed naturally, as the industrial segments and architecture innately forbid. Not even like the Collector bases, which themselves looked carved from stone as much as they did like space stations. Rather, it just doesn’t look like it fits in the same mold as the Relays or Citadel. It looks like it was designed and made by the races of the Milky Way. People.

Flawed, and short sighted, and creative, and passionate people. People that valued the grandiose display of the Citadel more than the practicality of having the two halves connected more closely. People that had limits, and had to account for the resources and time needed to form the station.

It doesn’t look like it was made by Reapers.

Getting closer they’re more and more able to grasp the scale of it. Massive, and absolutely buzzing with activity. Ships rushing to and from the docks along the central beam within the circle, a fair number of which approach the Ark at speed.

It seems, at least from their angle, like they’re the only Ark here. They choose for the moment not to worry about this. At least it doesn’t look like there are any Reapers here either.

“Woah.” Rook eventually reacts.

“That’s not what the Citadel looks like, for the record. It’s got more arms, and’s a lot more pointy.” Ben tells him.

“I read the files.” Rook reminds Ben, keeping his eyes on the approaching station.

“All right. I got us here. Get to work, guys.” Captain Dunn speaks after a few more moments, getting both Ben and Rook to look back at her.

“The Pathfinder team is waiting for you at tram station 1. Ester is on her way as well.” SAM speaks after her, coming from the Omnitrix.

Ben turns his focus to Rook for his reaction.

“It would be rude to keep them waiting.” He says.

Ben simply turns his head away from Rook and gets moving, heading back up the stairs and to the hatch at the back of the room.

In the tram, set to take them all the way from the now docked Ark to the Nexus, are Ben, Rook, Ester, Alec, Scott, Sara, Liam, and Cora. Ben’s group, and what seems to be most of the Pathfinder team.

Rook and Ester have sat down on the left side of the railcar, with Ben leaning on the wall just beside them. Scott and Sara are sitting with Cora and Liam respectively on the other side, while Alec remains standing, facing the doors. All of whom wait as they travel along.

“Here’s hoping they’ve had better luck than us, huh?” Scott says after a moment, breaking the silence.

“I’d be surprised if they’re doing any worse.” Sara responds.

“Yeah, no kidding. Dealing with Reapers, 1,500 colonists dead, and a couple hundred million credits worth of damages. Can’t see how it gets worse than that.” Liam continues.

Alec takes a breath, about to turn to his group when another voice speaks first.

“You should have seen what was happening on earth.” Ben says, stopping Alec.

The whole pathfinder team turns their attention to Ben.

“How bad?” Cora’s the first to ask.

“… Bad.” Ben answers after a second. “They’re focusing on cities, trying to take down major population centers. I was only there for a couple minutes, but I saw enough to make this whole Ark thing look like a scraped knee.”

“God damn.” Liam reacts.

“Yeah, no kidding. Holy shit.” Scott affirms.

The notion silences everyone for a moment. At least until Alec focuses on Ben, turning himself around from the door.

“They’re focusing on cities?” Alec questions.

“Yeah. Destroying roads, boxing people in. Trying to keep people from scattering.” Ben confirms.

“So they can harvest the majority of earth as quickly as possible.” Alec recognizes.

“… yeah.” Ben confirms.

“That is why we need to reach Commander Shepard. So we may formulate a plan with your Galactic Council, for addressing the Reaper threat.” Rook adds.

Alec is silent. At least until they all feel the tram slowing down again, coming to a stop just before the hatch slides open with a hiss.

Alec turns his attention back to it, heading forwards with everyone else rising to their feet to follow after him.

Busy. Immediately apparent is that every single person on the Nexus is doing something, and they’re moving to do it fast. Everyone is in a rush, moving with the kind of speed that doesn’t just indicate dedication, but fear.

Ahead of them is a sprawling plaza, with a row of sectioned rooms on both their left and right ahead. At the end of the space is a command station of some kind, with a number of people moving from station to station. To both their left and right, before the self-contained plaza, are pathways leading around to behind the tram station.

The group doesn’t get the chance to focus on that, though. Instead, their attention is pressingly drawn to the group of five armed people approaching them. A turian leads the group, his face marked with blue, with another turian to his right, an asari on his left, and two humans at the far sides. They all have a tight grip on their armaments, rifles for all except the lead turian, and cautiously aim them at Ben’s and the Pathfinder’s teams as they step out.

“Stop where you are!” The turian demands, and the group complies. “Identify yourself! Now!”

Alec slowly raises his hands, showing as clearly as he can that he’s not hostile. The others do the same after him. All except Ben.

“My name is Alec Rider. I’m the human pathfinder, with Ark Hyperion.” Alec states.

Immediately the group of guards relaxes noticeably, but still keep their guns raised.

“To my left is Cora Harper, Scott Ryder, and Liam Kosta. To my right is Sara Ryder.” Alec continues.

“And them?” The turian questions, gesturing to Ben, Rook, and Ester. All of whom clearly garner more caution from the guards.

“Hey, Ben Tennyson. You might have heard of me. Created the posttheans; helped Commander Shepard, Council Spectre, save the galaxy. These are my friends, Rook and Ester.” Ben tells him.

The turian seems skeptical for a moment, but eventually gestures for the others to lower their weapons.

“I’ve heard of you. I also heard you were dead, but it’s not like I believed the rest of what they were saying.” The turian says, then turns his attention past Ben to his company. “Try to stay out of trouble, alright? I’m not even going to bother asking what you are, but everyone’s on edge right now.”

Rook and Ester just nod in response, lowering their arms.

The turian looks back to his group, gesturing for them to head off, then looks to Alec. “My name is Tiran Kandros, head of security here. Sorry about the guns, but we’ve had a few ships come in carrying…”

“Husks.” Ben guesses.

“Yeah, that sounds about right. A bunch of corpses full of alien technology I’ve never seen before.” He describes.

He turns away from the group, heading to his left. The group quickly follows him, heading around from the Tram station and up a ramp leading to a main control floor overlooking the forward arms of the Nexus.

“When we heard your Ark was arriving, we feared the worst.” Tiran continues.

“We ran into the same things before we got here. The Hyperion’s active crew are currently sweeping over every inch of the ship to make sure we didn’t bring any of those things with us.” Alec assures him.

“Good.” Tiran approves.

They come to a stop again at the top of the ramp, with a number of the people working away looking over to them. A krogan specifically makes her way over, stopping when she reaches them.

“Alec. Good to see you’re not dead yet.” The krogan speaks, raising her voice slightly to be heard over the crowd rushing by around them. Female, based on the voice, which catches Ben just slightly off guard.

“Kesh. What’s the situation?” Alec checks, speaking up slightly in response so he can be heard too.

“A mess. Jien’s missing, but should be getting here as soon as she can. Everyone else is in a panic.” The krogan, “Kesh,” tells him.

“At this point Jien’s the only person we’d let board. All traffic to and from the Nexus has been shut down. We just can’t risk letting those Reapers find us.” Kandros adds.

“Wait, hang on, catch me up.” Ben starts, stepping around the group to be at Alec’s side. “Who’s this Jien person?”

Kesh looks to Ben and pauses for a second, glancing back to Alec first before answering.

“Jien Garson. She’s the founder of the initiative.” Kesh tells him.

“And if she’s missing… we’ll, it’s not like things could get much worse.” Alec reasons.

“Aw, dude, don’t jinx it.” Ben says.

“Sorry, who are you?” Kesh questions.

“This is Ben Tennyson. You know that kid Alliance channels were all abuzz about last year?” Tiran explains.

“Huh. Interesting company, Alec.” Kesh says, looking back to him.

“He’s the reason we were able to get the Ark out of the Sol System, but his ship lost FTL capabilities in the process. I need to give him a ride to Commander Shepard, or the Citadel.” Alec explains.

“And you’re wondering if you can use the Tempest to do that.” Kesh realizes.

“If there’s any ship that could handle getting through Reaper space…” Alec reasons.

Kesh turns away from Alec, heading back across the main floor to her station at the other side. One of the three along the back wall, just below the main looming window, casting all of them in the pale blue light of the distant stars. Alec paces after her, followed by Ben, then the rest of the group. Tiran almost does the same, but pauses and raises a hand to his communicator, then heads back down the ramp to the main floor.

“You know that’s not my department, Alec.” Kesh says.

“Don’t pull that, Kesh. With Jien missing you have the most pull here, by far.” Alec argues.

“And if I use that pull to free up resources now, just imagine how that’ll reflect on the krogan here.” Kesh responds, looking to Alec again once she reaches her position.

Alec is about to respond with another counterpoint, but Ben beats him to the punch.

“Imagine if you don’t.” He states, getting Kesh to focus on him again. “I’m the best chance you guys have against the Reapers, by far. And I don’t just mean the Andromeda Initiative, I mean this whole galaxy. I need to get to Shepard asap, and every moment I spend arguing is another that people are dying. People I could be out there saving.”

Kesh is silent for a moment, eyeing the human teenager up and down with a weary glare.

“Big talk for something so small.” She comments, accenting the words with a slight growl. Not so much out of genuine aggression, but with the intent to test Ben.

“I’m serious.” Ben insists, completely dismissing the farce of a threat. “Forget about what the people here will think, imagine the bigger picture. The initiative isn’t setting out period if the Reapers get to you first, and I can’t stop them if my team is stuck here.”

Kesh has a slight chuckle at Ben’s dedication, looking back to Alec before she speaks again.

“It’s not what it’s meant for, you know. The crew might have their reservations.” She tells him.

“The Tempest was meant for finding new homes in Andromeda. I’d say using it to protect the ones we already have should be just fine.” Alec states.

Kesh remains silent, thinking it over for another moment before looking back to her station. Her hands move for the various holographic screens, unsummoning a few and loading up a couple others.

“Alright, it’s yours. Addison won’t be happy about it, but I don’t think I care right now. There’s a condition though.” She says.

“What is it?” Alec questions.

“You saw it on your way in. You’re the only Ark here. The truth is, you’re the only Ark we’ve managed to contact since every channel across the galaxy went haywire. The other four are still dark.”

“And you need my team to find them.” Alec understands.

“That’s what you’re good at, right?”

“Yeah.” Alec acknowledges. “But after we find the Commander.”

“Your ship, your rules.” Kesh assures him.

The console ahead of her chimes, and she turns herself to the group again.

“It should be ready by the time you get to the docking bay. And your ship…?” She looks to Ben, Rook, and Ester.

“It’s small and can still fly. Rook can bring it over from the Ark.” Ben tells her.

“SAM can guide you.” Alec adds.

Rook nods and turns to head back down to the tram. Ester hesitates for a moment, glancing between the main group and Rook, but eventually decides to jog after him.

“Get a move on. Every moment you’re here, people are dying, right?” Kesh speaks to Ben.

Ben forces a single sarcastic laugh, then turns to head back down to the tram. The pathfinder team follows after him, with only Alec lingering for an extra moment.

“Thank you, Kesh.” He says.

“You’re welcome, Alec. Now go get our Arks. People need hope, and right now you’re it.”

Alec just nods, then turns to catch up with his team.

“SAM, have the rest of the team meet us there.” He speaks.

“Of course, Alec.” SAM confirms.

Several decks below they step out of the tram again. Alec takes the lead, with Ben only a pace behind him as they head out onto the landing pad.

The landing pad itself is in what seems to be the Nexus’s version of the presidium. The central ring the two halves are connected by. Presumably the half that’s complete, based on the presence of an atmosphere. The approximation of a city makes up the walls of the ring, both to their sides and below them. Above them are screens clearly meant to display an artificial sky. Now, though, they only project a solid and artificial white.

The ship they’re here for isn’t hard to spot. Directly ahead of them, with personnel rushing up and down the loading ramp, is the “Tempest.” At least that’s what the word written on its side reads.

One main body, colored primarily white and black with sparing accents of red. Towards the back are the thrusters, fanning out and sloping down slightly, held on an array that smoothly widens from the main body. The edges of the wings nearly touch the landing pad itself, held up by the landing gears and loading ramp.

“Alright, it’s not bad.” Scott comments.

“You’re just mad it’s not yours.” Sara teases.

“Yeah, right. Like I’d want that kind of responsibility.” Scott responds.

“Alright,” Alec speaks, coming to a stop right as they enter the Tempest’s shadow. “Everyone inside and to your stations. I want us airborne as soon as Ben’s ship is aboard ours.”

“Yes, sir.” Everyone speaks over one another, quickly heading forward and up the ramp leading into the Tempest.

The only ones that stay behind are Alec and Ben, both watching as the docking crew continue hauling crates of supplies onto the ship.

“Hey, so, can I ask?” Ben starts, getting Alec to turn back to look at him. “After I mentioned Shepard, it kind of seemed like you knew him.”

Alec shakes his head, thinking for a second.

“Yeah, I do. Well, know of him at least, and not in the way most of the folks here do.” Alec confirms.

“I noticed the armor. Never got a clear answer for what an N7 is, but Shepard wears similar gear.” Ben tells him.

“It means Alliance special forces, 7 being the highest level of proficiency. I haven’t worked for them in a long time, but I haven’t lost my touch.” Alec tells him, pausing for another moment to think. “I heard of Shepard a few years back, while he was taking down Saren. An old turian friend, Castis Vakarian, told me about a threat Shepard was working on unearthing.”

“The Reapers.”

Alec nods. “One of the reasons we were all pouring so many resources into getting the Arks done in time. But once the rest of the galaxy caught wind, is started getting harder to gather supplies.”

“Yeah, that’s about what Anderson told me… Wait, hang on. Did you say Vakarian?” Ben recognizes.

“What about it?”

“I have a friend on-board the Normandy with the same last name. Garrus Vakarian.”

“Well, I’ll be damned. That’s Castis’s son.” Alec tells him.

“Huh…” Ben reacts.

There’s a moment of silence as they both think on that.

“Small galaxy, huh?” Alec chalks it up to.

“Yeah, guess so.” Ben accepts.

And just on time, both of them turn their attention up to the “sky” with the sound of another ship coming down. The Omni-TRUK, carefully lowering itself down to a space low enough for the ground team to help guide them forwards and up the Tempest’s ramp. It just barely fits through the opening but angling it to the side helps it fit more easily.

Once its inside, the docking crew gradually stops heading back up into the Tempest. Either carrying one last load up before coming back and heading away from the ship, or not leaving at all.

“Alright.” Alec speaks, moving forwards again towards the ship with Ben. “The Citadel, right?”

“Last I heard Shepard was on Mars, but I don’t think it’d be the best idea to head back into the Sol system, especially if the Commander’s on the move. So, yeah. The Citadel.” Ben confirms.

“Alright. That should only take us a couple hours.” Alec says.

“Actually, course estimations would put travel time at nearly 12 hours.” SAM tells them.

“Woah, wait, hang on.” Ben stops right as they reach the base of the ramp, forcing Alec to do the same. “The relay in this system isn’t even an hour away. Why would it take that long?” Ben questions.

“Taking the direct route may leave the Ark’s location vulnerable, should Reapers have a way to track activity through the Relay network. Given the resources and personnel at this location, keeping the Nexus hidden is of utmost priority.” SAM explains.

“But…” Ben stops himself with a sigh. “Yeah, alright.” He accepts.

“We have to be safe, Ben.” Alec says.

“No, I get it. If things go south – like, really go south – you guys are plan B for the people of this Galaxy. I know you can’t risk it.” Ben says.

Alec only responds with a nod before continuing on, heading up the ramp and into the Tempest. Ben hears another two sets of footsteps rush to meet him as he does, and looking back he finds them to be the Ryder twins.

Ben starts heading up the ramp, ready to leave the Nexus and get back to his own mission.

However, no more than ten feet up the ramp, he hears a voice shout out from the dock.

“Hey, stop!” He hears.

While not directed at him specifically, he doesn’t think, he still stops and looks back down the Tempest’s ramp to the docking floor. Behind him he hears a single set of footsteps walking down to do the same, which he finds to be Alec when they arrive at his side.

“Is there a problem?” Alec shouts back.

Both of them watch as a single woman, a turian, jogs up the ramp. She stops a few steps from them, pausing for just a second to gauge both Alec and Ben’s reactions. Average build for a turian, as far as Ben can tell. Dressed in clothes that almost look like armor, but still have too many sections of exposed leather to really count. Mismatched from the white and blue of the Andromeda Initiative armor she wears are the purple markings on her face. Two streaks up from the edges of her mandibles to her brow plates, crossing over her eyes to get there.

“I’m coming with you.” She states. Her tone direct, and gravelly in the way most turians’ are.

“Pardon?” Alec questions, taking another step down past Ben. “Who are you?”

“Vetra Nyx.” She states.

She starts walking again, only to stop again when Alec gestures for her to.

“This ship is for Pathfinder personnel only.” Alec states. “You can catch the next one.”

“There’s not going to be a “next one.” Nothing’s coming in, and nothings leaving, except you. Kesh already cleared me. I’m coming with you.” The turian, Vetra, tells him.

“You’re joining the crew?” Scott questions, getting Vetra to look to him at the top of the ramp.

“Not likely. I just need a ride to anywhere that’s not here.” Vetra answers, quickly looking back down to Alec.

Alec pauses for a moment before speaking “SAM?” to the open air.

“Identity is confirmed. Kesh has cleared Ms. Nyx to come with us.” SAM tells him.

“See?” Vetra speaks.

Alec hesitates for just another moment before stepping out of her way, gesturing up the ramp for her.

“Welcome aboard.” Alec says as she passes him.

“Thanks.” She says curtly.

Scott and Sara both quickly step out of her way as she passes by them at the top of the ramp. She doesn’t slow while making her way around the Omni-TRUK and to the lift on the other side that takes her up to the higher walkway.

“Dibs.” Scott comments to Sara.

“In your dreams.” She responds.

“Alright, let’s go!” Alec shouts, turning to head up the ramp again. Ben jogs after him, but doesn’t follow when he turns to head through the doors on the near side of the room.

When Ben gets to the top of the ramp it starts closing behind him and the Ryders, slotting in to complete the floor. The Ryders both soon head around the side of the room into a hatch, leaving the space.

Finally, Ben gets a chance to actually process the room. Small compared to everything on the Nexus, but still fairly large. Four hatches are at the back of the room, two on the ground floor, and two on the upper walkway. The upper two seem to lead to their mass effect core, visible through a large pane of glass. The lower ones are unlabeled. Everything is colored in various shades of silver and grey, lit with an artificial white light directly above the Omni-TRUK.

Closer than them is a circular section of the floor, seemingly meant for a ground vehicle of some kind. Instead of one of those is said Omni-TRUK, still locked in the ship mode, which Rook and Ester walk out of from the rear hatch. It hardly takes them a second to spot Ben, and head over to him.

“No problems getting it here?” Ben checks, walking over to meet them halfway.

“Asides from everyone being freaked out by us? Yeah, no problems.” Ester tells him.

“Give them some time. Last time I was here they were still getting over the posttheans. I’m sure that compared to the Reapers you guys will seem normal soon enough.” Ben says.

“Speaking of the Reapers, what is the plan?” Rook asks.

“We’re heading for the Citadel, which should take about a day. We’ll try to get in touch with Shepard there.” Ben tells him.

“And until then?” Rook questions.

All three of them have to catch their balance as they feel the Tempest rising into the air, jumping to motion.

“Until then we have a look around. Get to know the crew. Maybe have a snack.” Ben suggests.

He turns around, taking a second to process the back wall. Two doors on either side of the loading ramp lead to a hallway of sorts, visible through a large window, which itself just has another central hatch. Ben heads for one of these side hatches, which forces Rook and Ester to follow after him.

“Are you serious?” Ester checks.

“Yeah, sure. That’s what I usually do on the Normandy.” Ben responds.

“And they let you?” Rook checks.

“Well they didn’t stop me.” Ben says. “Anyways, I’m gonna go find that Turian. Kinda want to know what her deal is.”

“Turian?” Ester questions, speeding up for a moment to actually catch up with Ben, leaving Rook walking a few paces behind them.

“The bird ones? Hard exoskeleton, bony faces? One hopped onboard right before we took off. Seemed pretty eager to get off the Nexus.” Ben explains.

“And you find this interesting because…?” Rook also questions, stepping into place on the other side of Ben.

They head through the central hatch and into a hallway of sorts. A glass walkway is suspended overhead, with two ladders leading up to it at the far end of the room. Between the ladders is a hatch, like the two on either wall to their right and left. The hatch at the far end of the hall is labeled “Captain’s quarters,” while the ones on the left are both labeled “crew quarters,” the one at the end on the right is labeled “kitchen,” and the one at the near side on the right is labeled “med lab.”

“Because the Nexus is like the one place we know for sure the Reapers aren’t going to be hitting for a while. Feels like she’s gotta have a reason to ditch that, so I want to know what it is.”

“Mhm. Well, you have luck with that.” Ester says, slowing to a stop halfway down the hall, which prompts Ben and Rook to do the same. “I’m going to find somewhere slightly warmer than “freezing my butt off” if we’re stuck here for an entire day.” She explains, turning to head back the way they came.

“And I am eager to see how this ship is functioning.” Rook says.

“Go nuts. Pretty sure I saw the drive core on the other side of the cargo bay.” Ben tells him.

“Perfect.” Rook accepts, turning to head back the way they came as well.

Ben waits for a moment, just until Rook and Ester are both beyond the room, then lets out a deep breath.

“Alright, this is going well.” He speaks to himself, turning to head for the door at the back left of the hall.

At the back of the ship the drive core hums away, pulsing with a radiant aura of overlapping and interweaving fields, all gleaming a brilliant blue. Around it in all directions are an array of projectors keeping it in place, also glowing a solid blue.

Said blue is perhaps the only notable color to the room itself. The rest of the space is instead composed of various greys and silvers, the same as the cargo bay a room over.

The floor of the room is almost a semicircle. A curved shape that wraps around the drive core, only to abruptly stop on each side when it reaches the walls. The core is separated from the floor with a set of railing, lowered slightly.

In this room is only one person, pacing from one side to the other while he reads over the data pad in his hands. He wears a white, black, and red suit over his medium toned skin. Similar in design to the Andromeda Initiative uniforms, asides from the color. He has blonde and brown hair spiked towards the front, a relatively defined jawline covered by a short beard everywhere except his chin, and light brown eyes. He only looks up from this data pad at the sound of a door opening behind him.

“Making the rounds, huh? I sort of-” He begins before actually turning around to see who it is. When his eyes meet with the alien that steps in he stops dead, startled enough to drop the data pad with a sharp “God, fuck!”

Said alien pauses at this, quickly putting up both of his blue furred hands.

“Sorry. I do not mean to alarm you.” He says.

“No- Sorry, just startled me is all.” The human assures him with a chuckle. He leans down to grab the data pad, turning it off as he leans back to full height. “I thought you were the Pathfinder.” The human explains, heading past the alien to set the tablet down on a table at the edge of the room.

“Are you expecting him?”

“Sooner or later. Figure he’s gonna want to get a good look at his ship. But, uhh- anyways. I’m Gil. Gil Brodie.” The human steps back over to the alien, extending his hand. “You are?”

“Rook Blonko.” Rook says, taking his hand and shaking it for just a few seconds.

“Nice to meet you, Rook Blonko.”

He steps out of Rook’s way, letting him step further into the room and up to the railing overlooking the core. Gil follows after him, stopping when he too reaches the railing.

“The ship out there is yours, yeah?” Gil checks.

“Mine, and Ben’s.”

“Right. That’s Ben Tennyson then? And you’re his…?” Gil lingers, waiting for Rook to answer the implicit question.

“Partner.” Rook answers.

“That code, or are you guys like cops or something?”

“Is it…” Rook takes a second to think on it, then chuckles at the implication. “No. Ben and I are not “together.” We are Plumbers, members of an intergalactic peacekeeping force where we come from. Space cops, essentially.” Rook explains.

“Rrrright. Okay. Just wanted to be on the same page.”

“Of course.” Rook accepts.

“So, uh, anyways. What brings you down here?” Gil asks.

“Your engine.” Rook gestures to it, then turns his view to Gil.

“Uh oh, you’re not gonna try and steal it are you?” Gil jokes.

Rook remains silent.

“That was a joke.” Gil clarifies.

“I understood that. I was just imagining how I could possibly fit an engine that size inside of the Omni-TRUK.” Rook explains.

“Oh, yeah. Guess it is a bit big, huh?” Gil realizes, looking out through the window at the back of the room to the Omni-TRUK a floor below.

“Indeed. Though, for technology without Galvan influence, I must say it is quite elegant.” Rook looks back to the core.

“Well, thanks. It’s actually based on the arks’ ODSY drives, letting it recycle static energy buildup to power itself. I didn’t design it, of course, I’m just keeping the whole thing running.”

“Of course. I was actually wondering how it all worked. See, where I am from, we do not have your “eezo.” While I read about its properties extensively in the Codex entries Ben brought back, there are several questions I have.”

“Well, go ahead. We’re taking the long way to the Citadel, right? Means I have plenty of time for an engineering lesson.” Gil accepts, heading back over to the data pad he set down before. “Where do we start?”

In another part of the ship, Ester wonders back into the hallway she left earlier, and towards the first door on her right.

It slides open automatically at her approach, immediately revealing what seems to be a medical facility. The same silver and grey make up the walls and floor. Storage crates rest at the back right of the room, while a desk space is built into the back left. On the far-left wall is an array of projections, idly displaying the body of a human being. Directly in front of her are a pair of beds colored in white and blue that face the door. On the edge of the left one leans a human.

Medium dark skin, short combed grey hair, and a beard the same style as Gil’s. He wears the same style of uniform as the asari standing across from him, further to the left. White and red with accents of black. He looks over to Ester as she steps in, as does the asari, both of whom put their conversation on pause.

“Ester. Hello. Good to see you again.” The Asari greets her, taking a few steps in her direction.

“Hey. Lexi, right?” Ester checks.

“That’s right. And this is my friend, Dr. Harry Carlyle.” Lexi gestures back to the older man.

“Hey. Nice to meet you.” He says.

“You too.” Ester responds, extending her hand over to him.

He pauses for a moment, taking some time just to understand what she did before he takes her hand and shakes it, letting her withdraw her arm back to its normal length.

“That’s fascinating.” Lexi says, turning to walk back over to the desk space so Ester can walk further into the room. “Can I ask how you do it?”

“Stretching? I don’t know, it’s something almost all Kraaho can do.” Ester tells her.

“Kraaho? That’s your species, right?” Harry checks.

“Yeah. It’s just- It’s like asking how a human breathes. It’s just something we do. Something to do with our cellular lattice, and our density. I don’t know.” Ester continues.

“Can- Mm. No, that might be rude.” Lexi stops herself.

“Hmm?” Ester questions.

“She’s going to ask is she can take a scan of you.” Harry says.

“You can hardly blame me for being curious.” Lexi argues.

“As long as it’s not invasive or anything, sure.” Ester agrees.

“Hardly. It’s completely external., but it would be more accurate if you could take off your coat. SAM, could you ready bed one?” Lexi speaks, getting up again from the desk chair.

Harry gets up as well, stepping away from the bed he was leaning against to let the half-rings built over its surface slide back towards its top.

“Just lie down here for a moment. It won’t take long.” Lexi assures, gesturing to the bed.

Ester hesitates for a moment, then walks over. She slides out of her parka, tensing slightly as she hands it to Harry, then lies herself down on the blue leather padding. It only takes a second for the same semi-circle structures to begin gliding along the length of the bed over Ester, projecting a grid of light over her in the areas it’s presumably scanning. It doesn’t take long for this to stop, and for the rings to glide back up to the top, letting Ester sit up again and slide herself down to its end.

“That was it?” Ester checks.

“That was it.” Lexi confirms.

She flicks her wrist while bringing it up, summoning a holographic projection around it colored a solid orange. With her other hand she flicks through a menu, then motions for the large projection array at the end of the room. Immediately the projection displayed changes from a human to Ester. Her muscular system, at least.

“Fwew… chilly in here.” Ester says, getting Harry to look back to her, quickly handing her parka back. She doesn’t waste time sliding back into it and securing its front, letting her warm up again.

“You’re cold?” Harry questions.

“Kraaho are tungsten-based life forms. I’m only half Kraaho, so it’s not as bad for me, but our habitats have to be a lot warmer to keep us at a reasonable temperature.” Ester explains.

“Fascinating.” Lexi speaks, looking over the scan they took for a moment longer before turning around to face Ester.

“Don’t mind her. Alien anatomy is her specialty, it’s like this with everyone.” Harry tries to assure Ester.

“It is not.” Lexi argues.

“So you admit that you’re being weird right now?” Harry points out.

“Anyways. What’s an ideal temperature for you? I’m sure we can find somewhere on the ship with an independently controlled atmosphere.” Lexi offers, changing the subject.

“Thanks.” Ester implicitly accepts. “38°C is just a bit chilly for me. That’d be fine.”

“Wow. It must be freezing in here for you.” Harry realizes.

“Just a little.” Ester admits.

“Come on, I think the bio-lab has heat control. Let’s head up there.” Lexi says, heading for the door of the room, which prompts both Harry and Ester to follow after her.

Just across the hall, a little earlier, Ben heads towards the door further from the cargo bay. Opening automatically upon his approach, he’s able to see the space inside is… a bathroom. Showers on his right, lockers on his left, a toilet directly across from him, and sinks on the far wall to the left.

Taking another step in a second door opens on the left wall, which he heads for. Inside appears to be crew quarters. Immediately to his right is a small cabinet with a coffee maker and a variety of cups on top of it. On his left is a desk area built into the wall, with enough screens and chairs for two people. Four beds are built into the back wall on Ben’s right, bunked into two columns. Past the beds, at the far end of the room, is a lounge area of sorts. One leather seat, a footrest in front of it, and a shelving unit.

It's in this lounge area that Ben finds the person he’s looking for. The turian that hopped onboard just before they left. With her however, less expectedly, he also finds the Ryder twins. Sara and Scott.

Vetra sits in the leather seat, keeping her arms crossed, but her legs rested on the footrest. Sara stands across from her leaned against the wall on Ben’s left, and Scott leans on the right wall.

Despite Scott saying something about why he and Sara joined the initiative, Vetra’s attention jumps to Ben as he walks over.

“Oh, great. Please tell me you aren’t here for more small talk. I’m just about at my limit with these two.” Vetra says, nodding at the Ryders.

“Hey.” Scott reacts.

“Owch.” Sara laughs it off.

“Please, small talk? Who has time for that?” Ben responds.

“Uh-huh.” Vetra doubts, apparent even on her relatively unemotive face.

“Uhm… ahem. Anyways. No, I wanted to ask about why you’re here. Didn’t realize the Ryders would beat me to it.” Ben explains, looking to both of the twins.

“Actually, they’ve spent the last five minutes asking really weird and invasive questions about my personal life.”

“Huh.” Ben reacts, glancing to both Scott and Sara to either side of him, who both try to hide their faces behind their hands.

“Alright, well, then why are you here?” Ben asks.

“Why do you want to know?” Vetra asks in response.

“Because you just ditched only place in the galaxy that’s probably safe from Reapers. At least for a while. I’m betting there are people out there that’d kill for that safety, and you didn’t just leave, but argued with Alec to leave. Feels like you’ve gotta have a pretty good reason.” Ben explains.

“And…?”

“And I’m curious.” Ben adds.

“… Look, kid, you seem well intentioned and all, but I don’t really know you.” Vetra tells him.

Ben promptly steps forward across the space, stopping just short of the seat Vetra is in and extending his hand towards her.

“Ben Tennyson. Alliance associate, and professional superhero. Nice to meet you.” Ben says, his typical self-assured smirk as present as ever.

Vetra just stares at him and his hand for a second before chuckling. She shakes her head as she unfolds her arms and shakes his hand.

“Vetra Nyx. Initiative provisioner.” She tells him.

Ben steps back after Vetra lets go of his hand, sliding them back into the front pockets of his hoodie.

“Wait, so, you actually work for the initiative?” Sara questions.

“Yeah, I kind of assumed you were just one of the colonists.” Scott says.

“Wouldn’t have been able to get on this ship if I was just one of the colonists.” Vetra points out, managing to sound slightly proud of herself.

“And why did you get on?” Ben asks.

“… It’s a long story.” Vetra decides to tell them, her tone quickly losing the slight air of amusement her last statement carried.

“We’re gonna be traveling a while, and it’s a pretty small ship.” Ben mentions.

The turian lets out a frustrated sigh, crossing her arms again.

“I’m not telling you, okay!?” Vetra nearly shouts at him.

Ben outright stops for a moment, just letting Vetra cool off before he says anything else to provoke her. She looks down at the floor, avoiding meeting the gaze of any of the humans staring at her.

“… You’re scared.” Ben realizes.

Vetra’s glare immediately snaps up to him.

“Sorry, your- The vocal harmonics thing you guys do. Usually I can only pick up on them when I’m a turian, but I heard those ones. Kinda made my ears ring.” Ben explains. This only turns Vetra’s glare from one of caution to confusion, both at him being correct, and the bizarre thing he said in the middle of that sentence.

“Yeah.” She admits. “Of course I am! I woke up this morning getting reports from every corner of the galaxy talking about sentient warships taking down whole colonies, and I’m-” She cuts herself off, struggling to find the words. “It’s about family, alright? That’s why I left the Nexus.”

They all take another moment to think, letting Vetra cool off again.

“So, you’re heading out to find your family? Have you been able to contact them since the Reapers arrived?” Sara checks.

“… Yeah. I’ve uh…” Vetra sighs again as she leans forward, pulling her legs off the rest to set her feet on the floor. “Ah, screw it. I’ve got a sister, alright? About half my age. Supposed to be coming to Andromeda with me, but with the launch date getting delayed we decided not to move her into cryo yet. She’s out on a colony in the traverse. I just… can’t sit around waiting for the bad news. She’s okay for now, but it seemed like Reapers were getting close to the system.”

“That’s… really brave of you.” Scott acknowledges.

“Don’t patronize me, Ryder. It’s stupid, and suicidal, and I know it is.” Vetra argues.

“But you’re doing it anyways. You’re going out there to… what? Get her off world?” Ben questions.

“Yeah. I’ll get transport from the Citadel. Hopefully it won’t be too late, and I can get her somewhere safe. Pull in a few favors maybe. I know I can’t go back to the Nexus, but… I have to be there for her.”

“… Yeah.” Ben understands. “Look, it’s not stupid, okay? It’s brave. Putting yourself in danger for the people you care about, it’s… I get it, alright? It matters. Don’t sell yourself short.”

Vetra doesn’t even look at him, she just remains leaned over herself, elbows on her knees, looking at the floor.

“I don’t suppose… Hey, Sam?” Ben looks up to the ceiling, unnecessarily.

“Yes, Ben?” SAM responds, speaking through the room’s intercom.

“Vetra, what colony did you say your sister was on?” Ben checks, looking back down to her.

“It’s… No. I can’t ask you to do that for me.” Vetra rejects, rising out of her seat as she realizes what he’s trying to do.

“No, I like Ben’s idea.” Scott says.

“Me too.” Sara agrees.

“See? You’re not asking. Where are we headed?” Ben asks again.

“Ben. I can’t let you do this for me.”

“You’re gonna have a hard time stopping me.”

Vetra just stares at him for another moment before scoffing, looking away from his irritatingly self-confident smirk. “… Yamm. It’s in the Kalabsha System, Nubian Expanse.”

“Sam, how long to the Citadel if we head there first instead?” Ben checks.

“Although there is no Mass Relay in that system, it would serve as a sufficient diversion to avoid potential Reaper tracking through the Relay Network. The additional time would be negligible. An hour, at the most.” SAM tells them.

“Wait, you’re kidding. That’s great!” Scott reacts.

“Indeed. Though this route will use a greater percent of our fuel supply, I am sure Alec will approve. I will tell him now. We should arrive in a matter of hours.” SAM tells them, with the end of the sentence implicitly serving as him leaving the conversation.

“…thanks.” Vetra says, sitting down again. Her arms remained folded in front of her chest, and her eyes just fall down to the floor below her.

“Hey, it’s not a problem. This is actually saving us time. We’ll just land on- what was it? Yamm? Grab your sister, and get out of there. No problem.” Ben assures her.

Ben turns to head for the door out of the room. The one that doesn’t require going through the bathroom.

“I’m gonna tell Rook. See you when we’re heading down.” Ben says just before the hatch closes behind him.

“Ben, are you serious?” Alec’s gruff voice almost demands, looking back at him from the front of the bridge.

“Yep.” Ben answers nonchalantly, strolling in from the connecting hallway with Rook not far behind him.

At the far end of the room, what is the very front of the ship, are three sections. A human woman is stationed on Ben’s left, and a salarian man is on the right. Alec stands between them in a region that seems designed specifically for the captain. Alec has no seat, but instead stands at a raised bar featuring an array of holographic projectors. Behind all of them is a set of large curved glass panes, giving them a clear view of the space behind.

At the near end of the room is a wide corridor of sorts, separated from the main bridge area with an atmosphere shield. Which itself is either invisible or inactive, given the presence of an atmosphere on both sides of it. On the left side of the corridor is a hatch leading into an armory, and on the right is another leading into an escape pod. Ben paces past both, stepping through the arch to get to the main bridge.

“You want us to drop everything to head to Yamm? It doesn’t seem like we have time for diversions.” Alec continues.

“The redirect may in fact serve as a sufficient diversion through the relay network. Our travel time would not be meaningfully lengthened.”

“Not the point, SAM.” Alec snaps back.

Both of the crew on the bridge look away from their stations and to Alec and Ben, evidently having a hard time focusing on anything else with the former shouting.

“We’re going. It wastes an hour at most, and we get to help out Vetra. Win win.” Ben reasons.

“There are more lives at stake here, Ben. If we spend our time helping one turian, the rest of the galaxy might pay for it. You’re our best chance against them, right? Most powerful person in the galaxy? It’d be a waste to use you on something so small.” Alec points out.

“No.” Ben responds bluntly, without a moment of needing to think about it. “We’re not doing that, Alec. We aren’t boiling this down to a numbers game. I’ve done it before, and it doesn’t work. We help people. It doesn’t matter if it’s just a few, or if it’s the whole galaxy. We help who we can. Right now, if that’s one turian, then we help one turian. I’m not writing them off because they “don’t matter enough,” dude. Everyone matters.”

“We aren’t going.” Alec states.

“Yes, we are.” Ben insists.

There’s a tense moment of silence that comes following that statement. Just leaving the crew lingering until Rook takes a step forward, around Ben.

“If I may, Ryder. Why exactly are you so opposed to going to Yamm?” Rook questions.

Alec is silent for a moment before letting out a sigh, turning around to face the console again.

“SAM, show them.” Alec says.

It only takes a second for the holographic screens to load in front of and around Alec, large enough for everyone else to see around him.

Yamm, if the location data written on every screen is to be trusted. A watery world, in almost every shot. A pale blue sky, a clear cyan ocean being rocked with rain and storm in most of the shots being displayed. The terrain itself is almost similar to Earth. Plants, grass, streets, buildings. All of these are slightly off from the normal though. The buildings most notably, all being sharper and more geometric. Solid steel, with an emphasis on industry over personal habitation.

It's in one of these shots, off in the distance on the horizon line of the ocean, that they see the unmistakable shape of a Reaper. A destroyer, marching through the storm towards whoever took the photo.

“I had SAM pull us out of FTL for a minute to check.” Alec explains.

“A Reaper…” Is all Ben can say at first.

“If we go down there, there’s no guarantee we’re making it to the Citadel at all.” Alec continues, turning away from the console to look at Ben again.

“The IES stealth systems might let us land without the Reaper noticing us, but that’s only if we can avoid actually being seen by it.” The woman on the left of the room tells everyone, doing so with an accent Ben can only place as probably Scottish. Focused on her for just a second, it’s clear that she has mid-length and feathered ginger hair, ending just below her chin. She wears the red and white uniform several others on the crew do.

“Thank you, Suvi.” Alec acknowledges her before looking back to Ben.

“We’re going.” Ben repeats.

“We aren’t.” Alec states. “If you want to waste your time going back after we drop you off on the Citadel, that’s on you, but I’m not putting this ship in danger.”

“If we wait, it might already be too late by the time we get there.” Ben argues.

“We’re not going.” Alec holds steadfast.

“I get it, okay? You’re trying to do what helps the most people, and risks the least, but I can’t just sit by knowing I could have done more. Just get me to the planet. The TRUK can still get us down there and back up. Stay up here, safe and sound in the Tempest. Just let me help her.”

“What, the turian? You hardly know them.”

“I don’t need to. She’s scared of losing her family, enough to leave the Nexus and fly into space with Reapers. It feels like you treat your kids like soldiers, so maybe you don’t get it, but I do. If I can help, I’m going to.”

Alec finally pauses. He finally takes a moment to just stop and think about what Ben is saying. To really think about it.

“… fine.” Alec accepts.

Ben lets out a deep breath of relief, relaxing his whole body in the same moment.

“Oh, finally.” Ben sighs.

“But the Tempest stays in orbit. You take your ship down.” Alec adds.

“Yeah, yeah. Sure. That’s fine.” Ben waves him off, turning around to head back into the self-contained hallway full of doors. “I’m gonna tell Vetra, and the twins.”

The hatch leading into the hallway closes once he is through it, leaving Rook still standing on the bridge with the others.

After a moment more Alec breathes a heavy sigh, turning around to look at the console and dismiss the various images of Yamm. He then taps a space over the projectors, getting what seems to be a default configuration of flight panels to load into view.

While he does this Rook walks down the room, stepping into the human woman’s workspace to continue further along and reach the outer edge of Alec’s station. Suvi only spares a glance to him when he does, otherwise staying focused on her work.

“Alec.” Rook starts, causing the Pathfinder to look to him.

“Rook. What is it?” Alec questions.

“I understand your hesitance with Ben. At times, he does appear to be overly confident, and short sighted. However, I assure you that he knows what he is doing. He deserves your trust.” Rook says.

“Trust is hard to come by right now. Ben, you, your whole group, you appeared out of thin air right after the Reapers showed up. You can imagine how that might seem from my perspective. I haven’t turned away your help, but risking my crew for you is another thing entirely.” Alec turns his focus back to the screens ahead of him.

“I understand.” Rook claims. “From what I have heard, when Ben was last here, he was widely considered a superstition. When he vanished, it must have been easy for the galaxy to write him off. I can assure you, however, that Ben never stopped thinking about how to return, and help defeat your Reapers.”

Alec doesn’t respond to that. He doesn’t even look to Rook again, instead just staring ahead at the holographic screens.

It’s a few hours later that Ben is lying on the right bench in the Omni-TRUK, using his hoodie like a pillow below his head. The fact he’s snoring is a good indication that he’s asleep. It’s also mildly annoying Rook, sitting in the pilot’s seat.

This comes to an abrupt stop when a helmet slams into the metal of the bench on the other side, creating a startling “slam” through the cabin. Ben jolts upright, instinctually moving his right hand for the Omnitrix before he can even process what happened.

Vetra. The turian woman. She’s walked into the Omni-TRUK from the loading ramp and set down an assembled turian helmet. Black, with accents of a dark pink. Her focus moves to Ben when she notices.

“Didn’t mean to startle you.” Vetra says, sitting down beside her helmet as Ben moves his hand away from his watch. Ben also adjusts himself to sit on the bench properly

“Uh, yeah. No problem. Uhm…” Ben looks to his right, finding Rook down the cabin from them both. “How long was I out?”

“About an hour.” Rook says, looking back over his shoulder and the seat. “We have almost arrived.”

“Right.” Ben accepts, looking back to Vetra. “So you’re coming with?”

“You expect me to stay here?”

“Do you know how to fight?”

“Sure. I know how to use a gun.” Vetra tells him.

She then takes a second to look Ben up and down, processing his distinct lack of anything even resembling armor.

“You’re coming with?” She questions.

“Uhh, yeah? Hello, Ben 10? You haven’t heard of me?”

“You mean before I got on this ship? No. Doesn’t sound familiar.”

“Man. Alright, I guess this’ll be a surprise for you.” Ben accepts, leaning back to rest against the wall the bench is connected to.

Vetra’s eyes narrow slightly with his statement.

“What surprise?” The hell are you talking about?” She questions.

“You’ll see.” Ben assures her.

Before she can ask another question the sound of footsteps draws both her and Ben’s attention outside the cabin, to the floor of the Cargo Bay. It’s there that they spot Alec, Cora, Liam, Sara, Scott, and Ester all approaching. All of whom wear the same armor they did when onboard the Hyperion, excluding Ester.

Ben promptly tosses himself off the bench, getting to his feet to walk down the ramp and greet them there.

“What are you doing here?” Ben questions.

“Coming with.” Alec answers plainly.

“I thought-”

“I can’t risk the ship, but I can’t let you go down there alone either.” Alec says.

“Mhm. You felt bad about trying to skip Yamm, huh?” Ben assumes.

Alec doesn’t respond to that; he just continues ahead. Ben steps out of the group’s way, watching as they all load in. Sara and Scott sit down on the left bench, either side of Vetra, while Alec, Cora, and Liam take the right bench. Ester stops upon reaching Ben, standing at the base of the ramp with him and watching as everyone gets settled.

“Another detour?” Ester questions.

“Quick pitstop. Not even wasting any time, promise.” Ben claims, looking back from the TRUK to Ester once she speaks.

“Uh-huh.” Ester responds.

“Hey, you can stay here if you want, no one’s asking you to come with. I did get a look at the planet stats though, and the average temperature is like over 90°F in the cool zones.”

“Okay, for the record, I was coming anyways to help.” Ester states, almost offended by Ben’s need to convince her.

“Alright, alright.” Ben accepts, turning to head back up the ramp and into the TRUK. “Just figured I’d give you an out. This isn’t really your fight, and I get that.”

“I’m here to help, Ben.” Ester says, walking over to the far end of the right bench. She picks up Ben’s balled up hoodie before sitting down, stretching her arm up to toss it in an overhead compartment.

Ben seats himself in the co-pilot’s chair and straps in as the rear ramp closes.

They all feel the tremor through the TRUK as the circular platform it’s on begins spinning around to face them towards the Tempest’s ramp.

“Hey, Vetra?” Ben speaks, looking back to her.

“What?”

“Just to get everyone on the same page, care to give us any actual info on your sister? Name, what she looks like, how old she is? That kind of stuff.” Ben asks.

“Sidera Nyx. Sid, for short. She’s eighteen, barely. Tattoos are from a mining colony out in the Minos Wasteland. Parallel red lines. Once we’re on the ground I should be able to call her.” Vetra says.

“Yeah, assuming the Reaper hasn’t shut down the communications array yet.” Liam comments, only earning a glare from Vetra.

“Alright. Sid, red face markings, looks like Vetra but younger. We can work with that.” Ben decides, turning back around to face the windshield.

“Tempest entering planetary orbit now. Departure advised in 20 seconds.” SAM tells them.

“We’re headed to Luxor.” Vetra pulls up her omni-tool, tapping through a few menus to get a map of the region up, which she sends to Ben’s omni-tool, still connected to the TRUK.

“Received.” Rook acknowledges, pulling up the location in his central monitor.

The Omni-TRUK has to angle itself to fit out of the loading ramp again, but as soon as it does Rook is able to start guiding them down to the planet below.

“God. Are we sure this thing is safe? I feel like the walls are made of tin foil.” Liam complains, right as they pierce the upper atmosphere.

The sentiment seems to be shared between most of the group, even if the rest refrained from verbalizing it. All either grip their seat or a bar above them.

“Dude, we could open the rear hatch in deep space, and you’d still be safer than inside any ship you have. Relax.” Ben assures him, not even glancing back to the group.

“Somehow, that doesn’t relax me.” Scott comments.

“Ben is actually correct.” Rook says.

BANG. The sound of the atmosphere igniting around them as they enter the stratosphere causes the group to jump. This isn’t something that would startle them so much if it weren’t for the sound dampeners standard on most ships, clearly absent from this one.

“The outer plating of our ship is practically indestructible. You could survive the heat and force of practically all known weaponry inside this cabin.” Rook boasts.

“And how’d that work out against the Reaper, exactly?” Cora questions.

“Hey, we’re still alive, aren’t we?” Ben smugly points out.

In not even another minute they come down to the sky above the city they’re headed for, Luxor. It’s at this point, with the ship re-cooling, that they’re able to see the whole situation they’re entering. Even those in the back are able to see what’s happening through the forward window, aimed towards their destination.

Obviously, it reached the colony since they last checked in.

The mechanical body towers as high as the tallest buildings, and looms immensely above the rest. Its shadow casts long and dark over the city it walks towards, only broken with the rhythmic and blinding light of the beam if fires through the settlement.

“Spirits…” Vetra sees it, her breath taken by the sheer terror of its scale.

They hear the click of Ben unbuckling himself, standing up before he steps around his chair and heads down the aisle. Ester barely has the time to rise to her feet and grab him before his hand reaches the Omnitrix.

“Ben, wait.” She starts.

“Nope.” Is Ben’s entire response, grabbing her arm and trying to pull it away from him. It simply stretches in the direction he pulls it though, leaving her hand against his torso.

“Listen. If you take that thing down right now, the Reapers are going to notice, right? I manage a clan, I know how this kind of thing works. You take it down, and the Reapers notice, and they’ll send more.” Ester reasons, forcing Ben to think about it for a moment.

They’re close enough to hear it now. The thunderous roar of the machine, like a foghorn almost. Ripping through the sky just before the terrible sounds of the things it hits being torn apart.

“It’ll give people time to get off-world.” Ben reasons, trying again to pull Ester’s hand off of him. She lets him this time, sitting back down.

Ben reaches for the Omnitrix now, resting two fingers against its face, preparing for the dial to load.

But instead, the device just beeps at him.

“You have got to be-”

Before Ben can get any more frustrated the watch cuts him off.

“Unregistered life form detected. Acquisition unsuccessful. Current proximity inadequate for complete scan.” The watch explains in Ben’s voice.

“… kidding me.” Ben finishes his statement.

“What does that mean?” Sara questions.

“It means there’s an alien down there I don’t have. Vetra,” He turns to her. “This is a turian colony, right? Would there be any other sapient species down there?”

“No. The world’s too hot for most lifeforms, slightly too radioactive for the rest, and krogan aren’t welcome. Aliens would have to be visiting, and wearing environmental suits.” Vetra tells him.

“Radioactive? Hang on, our suits will protect us from that, right?” Scott checks.

“Just mildly. You’ll be fine.” Vetra tells him.

“No hannar, then? That’s like the only alien I can think of I didn’t get to scan.” Ben tells her.

“No hannar. They’re too fragile for this kind of world.” Vetra confirms.

“Guys.” Rook gets their attention, forcing them all to turn back to him. “We’re here.”

Through the glass they’re able to see that they’re now among the towering and geometric buildings. Not a second later they hear the rear hatch unlock and start to slide open, and the sound of rainfall hitting the ground outside.

“We should be far enough from the Reaper to move safely for now.” Rook adds.

Vetra grabs her helmet and gets up first, sliding it on while the others all make sure their suits are sealed. Ester heads after her without bothering to suit up, while Ben simply walks to the edge of what’s shaded by the TRUK and taps the Omnitrix again.

While everyone still inside seals their suits, Sara takes a moment to get Scott’s attention.

“Hey. Bet you I can get to Sid first.” She says.

“Oh, you’re on.” Scott responds.

Once outside the TRUK both Ester and Vetra look back at Ben at the edge of the ramp, though not for the same reason.

“Kid, did you not hear me? Radiation. Turians can handle it, but it’ll fry you if you aren’t wearing a suit.” Vetra tries to help him understand.

Ben ignores her, though. Instead tapping on the Omnitrix’s face until it finally shuts up about the unregistered lifeform and gives him the dial. Of course, he was tapping too fast to actually register this until he already locked in a form, meaning the faceplate slides back and the core rises up without Ben having any idea what’s selected.

“The hell is he doing?” Vetra asks, looking to Ester.

“You’ll see.” Ester tells her.

“Alright, Omnitrix. Something that can take down a Reaper. Something that can survive a Reaper. Heck, I’d take something that can survive this planet. Just don’t give me something like Walkatrout, please.” Ben winces as he hits the core, activating the Omnitrix.

Ester winces with the flash of light, but Vetra’s helmet adjusts its UV shielding before she has to.

Almost instantly Ben’s body shifts to a different one entirely. He grows in size, widening and getting taller in equal portion. His skin thickens, turning into a hide layered with scales and plates of bone. From 5 fingers to 3, and from 5 toes to 2. His legs change length to rest him on said toes, and spikes extend from the sides of his calves. His torso thins at the waist and widens around his chest as a boney carapace forms. Most of this is covered with a black and green bodysuit and fingerless gloves. Only his arms and head are left visible. The latter of which takes the distinct and angular shape of a turian. The markings running up the side of his face almost form the edges of an hourglass, matched by the Omnitrix’s node on his left shoulder.

Vetra immediately takes several startled steps back, as do Scott and Cora inside the TRUK, all of whom reach for their guns. Sara and Liam simply sit there frozen for a second, processing Ben having transformed again. Alec reacts the best out of them, sliding his helmet on and walking down out of the Omni-TRUK past Ben to get a view of the environment.

“Calouslash, huh?” Ben recognizes, looking down at his hands. He tries reaching up to tap the Omnitrix again, but it only beeps and warbles at him, evidently rejecting the command.

“You’re- what?” Vetra finally manages to react, nearly as disturbed and panicked as she is simply confused.

“Holy shit. I didn’t think dad was being serious.” Scott reacts, falling back into his seat dumbfounded.

“Omnitrix.” Ben says, gesturing to his left shoulder. “Lets me turn into aliens.”

Ben continues down the ramp, wincing just slightly as he steps into the sunlight and rain.

“Still hot.” He comments, getting used to the humidity, heat, and thick sheets of water falling from the sky. Eventually he turns to Vetra fully, gathering that she’s getting over it. “Your sister?”

“Yeah, uh…” Vetra forces herself to focus on her omni-tool, summoning it with a flick from her wrist. She quickly taps through a menu to get to her contacts, and hits the one labeled “Sid” as fast as she can.

She waits for a moment as the call rings, and rings, and rings. There isn’t an answer though. The call goes dead before the other side picks up. She immediately tries again, but again the same happens. It just rings until the line gives up on trying to connect.

“She’s not picking up.” Vetra says, looking back to Ben and the others as they step out of the TRUK.

“Do you know where she is?” Alec questions, walking back over to the group.

“I have a few guesses.” Vetra says.

“Send them to us. We’ll split up.” Sara suggests.

“Yeah, great idea. That way the giant robot can pick us off one at a time.” Liam contests.

“No, it’s a good idea. We’re on the clock here. The less time we spend on the ground, the better.” Alec says.

“Yes, sir.” Cora approves.

“Alright. Vetra, Scott, you come with me. Cora, you go with Alec. Ester, you go with Liam and Sara.” Ben quickly divides them up. “Rook-” Ben turns back to look into the TRUK, where Rook still sits in the pilot’s seat.

“I will stay here in case anyone needs a pickup.” Rook says.

“Right. I was gonna ask if I could use your proto-tool.”

“Do you know how?” Rook questions, fairly surprised.

Ben shakes his hand side to side in a “sorta” gesture.

“Alright.” Rook accepts, drawing the tool from his shoulder and tossing it out to Ben, who catches it and quickly mounts it to his own shoulder.

“Any objections?” Ben checks, turning back to the main group.

“No.” Vetra answers for everyone, flicking her wrist to unsummon her omni-tool as she finishes sending everyone the locations.

“Alright. Let’s go.” Ben accepts, following after Vetra as she takes off into the city.

The hatch rushes open barely fast enough to let Vetra storm in, scanning over the space in a split second.

“Sid!” She shouts out, heading across the room to the right.

Ben and Scott both step in behind her, taking a second longer just to process the room.

It’s residential. An apartment, seemingly. They step into a living room, with a dingy couch on one side, facing a small tv on the other, with a coffee table between the two. One of the table’s legs is clearly a replacement, being slightly wider and darker than the others.

Around the edges of the room are a few bookshelves, with pictures and books on them, both physical and digital. At the back left corner, and just right of the door, are lamps. The one by the door is turned off, but the other is left on.

A few steps in and they can feel that they step onto a carpet. Not totally clean, but not particularly dirty either. Like it could just use a vacuum.

On the right side of the room, separated with a half-wall, is a small kitchen. That’s where Vetra is, currently pulling open the doors to a pantry.

More than just “residential,” it’s normal. It looks made for people, and normal ones at that. People that work jobs, and live lives, and come home to have a place to relax. It’s not the luxury of the Citadel, or the slums of Omega, or the utilitarian function of the Normandy, it’s just normal. It’s something Ben hasn’t seen in this universe since Horizon.

“Is this where you two live?” Scott questions, looking around the room.

“Yes.” Vetra answers flatly, holstering her rifle to her back as she marches back across the room and through a door on the other side. “Sidera Nyx! Get out here!” She shouts, muffled slightly by the walls between her and the other two.

Ben and Scott continue standing there. Both because Vetra can search her own house faster than either of them can, and because frankly they don’t want to intrude.

“So, uh… you’re really a turian.” Scott says, turning so his helmet faces Ben.

“What gave it away?” Ben jokes.

“Well, yeah. I just mean, uh. You don’t just look like a turian, or anything. You, like, actually are a turian.” Scott explains. It’s sort of phrased like a statement, but Ben assumes that he means it as a question.

“Yeah. Did seriously no one explain this before we got to the Nexus?”

“Not to me.”

“Man, alright. It’s called the Omnitrix.” Ben gestures to the dial on his shoulder again. “Short for the omni-matrix. A genetic repository of over a million sapient species.”

“And you can turn into them?”

“That’s what it’s for. Azmuth, the guy that made it, wanted to help all the beings of the galaxy understand each other. Everyone else wanted to use it as a weapon. Wound up with me, and I’ve been using it to help people.” Ben explains.

“huh… Good thing.” Scott accepts.

“She’s not here.” Vetra states, marching back into the main room.

“SAM, have the other teams had any luck?” Scott checks.

“No. In fact, both Sara and Alec’s teams have found considerable resistance, and no sign of Sidera.” Sam informs them.

“What kind of resistance?” Vetra checks.

“Pirates.”

“Wait, hang on, pirates? What?” Ben questions, baffled by the idea.

“Batarians. Apparently using the chaos of the Reaper’s presence in order to abduct turian citizens.” SAM explains.

“Slavers.” Vetra recognizes.

“Batarians.” Ben adds. “Four eyed guys, right? Don’t think I have them. That must be what the watch was picking up.”

“Sure, you go find a batarian and ask for a blood sample.” Vetra shoves Ben out of the way to march back through the entry hatch and into the hallway. “I’m going to find Sid.”

Ben and Scott both turn to follow, pacing down the hallway after her.

“Hey, Sid comes first. I just need to scan one of them before I can deal with the Reaper.” Ben clarifies.

“Fine, whatever.”

“Where else could she be?” Scott questions, jogging for a second to actually catch up with Vetra.

“This planet gets pretty bad tropical storms, right? This city’s gotta have shelters.” Ben suggests.

“Good idea. Vetra?”

“Yeah, maybe. I don’t know.” She says.

“SAM, get us directions and tell the other groups.” Scott requests.

“Of course, Ryder.” SAM affirms.

Once they’re heading in the right direction it doesn’t take long for them to find the crowds of people heading the same way. Dozens of turians, rushing down the streets. Around the countless abandoned cars crowding the road. Families. Lots of kids and elderly, with slightly less people around Vetra’s age group.

They get onto the sidewalks, jogging down the same streets in the same direction. Gradually they see the increase of people, and the way they start slowing down.

“We’re gonna have a hard time getting in.” Scott realizes.

The group is forced to stop, with enough people crowding the roads to make moving ahead nearly impossible. Hundreds of turians, doing their best to form lines, but more widely gathering in clusters.

Ben can see the shelter though, through the buildings. What he assumes to be the shelter, at least. The only building without any sharp edges or triangular spires and accents, instead standing firm as a plain rectangle.

“SAM, do those jump jets work?” Vetra checks, putting a hand up to the side of her helmet to make sure she hears the response.

“Activating jump jets now.” SAM confirms.

“Alright.”

Both Ben and Scott hear her ask this, and turn to watch as she steadies herself before leaping into the air. A vent on the back of her suit ignites as she does, propelling her about a dozen feet into the air. High enough for her to grab onto a second story balcony and pull herself up.

“Do you have one of those?” Ben questions Scott.

“Yeah, but I don’t need it. Just, stay here I guess. We’ll be back in a minute.” Scott says.

Scott steadies himself as well just before an aura of blue light ignites around his suit. When he leaps this aura bleeds off a trail of light behind his body, which itself soars upwards to the same place as Vetra. Vetra jumps again, getting up to the roof of the building, and a moment later Scott follows after.

“Pff, stay here.” Ben mutters to himself, reaching up to hit the side of the proto-tool on his shoulder.

The top of the device pivots down, shooting out a line of cable that reaches all the way to the top of the building. Then, as soon as it has a firm grip, starts retracting. This yanks Ben off the ground and into the air, pulling him up fast enough to toss him over the edge of the roof. The line disconnects when he lands, letting it recoil back into the proto-tool as he stands back up.

“Ow. Man, Rook makes that look easy.” Ben groans.

“Do… was that a grappling hook? Why didn’t you tell us you had a grappling hook?” Scott questions.

“Why didn’t you tell us you were biotic?” Vetra comments.

She doesn’t actually wait for him to answer, instead she runs for the edge of the roof and leaps from it. The jet ignites again, launching her far enough to get her to the next roof over.

Ben runs after her, pulling the proto-tool off his shoulder as he does. He leaps off the roof and aims the tool towards the street below as he does. The tool quickly reconfigures itself, emitting a pulse of energy with enough kickback to get Ben to the other side.

Scott’s along a moment later, landing slightly more gracefully than the other two with a biotic cushion slowing him down.

They continue with this for a while, heading over the streets full of turians until they reach the buildings directly adjacent to the shelter. They stop here, regaining their bearings, and catching their breath.

They’re practically as close as they can be without standing on the Shelter itself, just across the street. It gives them a fair view of the whole situation.

“God…” Scott reacts, looking down over the crowds of people.

Countless of them. All struggling to get towards the shelter entrance, with a group of guards just barely managing the people coming in. Enough for the fact they’re people at all to be lost at times, reduced to a blur of visual noise. Something so busy and complex it’s hard to even understand.

Vetra flicks her wrist up, resummoning her omni-tool while they’re momentarily stopped. The other two only notice this with the slight buzz of the hologram hitting the rain.

The turian tries again to call her sister. One ring, then two, then more, and then the call drops. Again, and the result is the same.

Their momentum is forced to a stop, with nowhere else to go. Inside the shelter they wouldn’t be able to get out again through the crowds of people if Sid isn’t there, and it’d be virtually impossible to spot her in the crowd.

That’s not to say Ben isn’t trying though. He headed straight for the edge of the roof, doing his best to look through the hundreds of people in the street below. Just in case, maybe, he can spot her.

He doesn’t even bother looking at the colossal machine, not a mile away. The looming, tremendous body towering high enough to break the horizon, barely obscured by the rain in the moments when it isn’t ripping through the streets with its lasers. Ben doesn’t acknowledge it.

Vetra just tries again. And again. Since that’s all she can do without another idea.

Scott eventually walks over to her, watching at the call fails to pick up over and over.

“Is it possible the lines are down, with the Reaper here?” Scott wonders, glancing out to it.

“No, they’re working. Her omni-tool is active too, or it wouldn’t be ringing. I just don’t know why she isn’t answering.” Vetra says.

“Can’t you trace her signal or something?”

“That’s not how it works. I can’t track her unless she picks up, and I didn’t bug my sister.” Vetra tells him.

Scott doesn’t push it further. He stays silent, just watching as he hits the button again after each failed call. Watching as the way she hits the holographic button grows more harsh each time, and the way she pulls her hand back becomes slightly more shaky.

The only sounds are the rain, and its sizzle against the omni-tool’s hologram, and the crows below, and the terrible grinding of the Reaper’s limbs. The gargantuan sounds of its steps. The mechanical moaning of its every thought.

She moves to hit the button again, but hesitates. She pauses, lingering with her primary finger just over the icon, but she doesn’t hit it.

She just stares at it. She just stands there in the tropical rain that pours over them, slightly harsher by the minute, rolling off her sealed suit and helmet.

“I can’t lose her too.” Vetra speaks to herself, barely loud enough for her suit’s speakers to pick it up.

More than just giving her space for a moment, this forces Scott to pause. To really think about what’s actually happening right now, and how little control they have over the whole thing.

Vetra hits the button again, but they already know Sid won’t answer.

They know it’s too late for her.

The Reaper roars out again, the sound piercing the rain without effort, echoing across the sky and their thoughts. The bellowing tune reaches everything, without room for respite.

It’s too late for any of them.

“Wait.” Ben realizes, rising back to his feet.

The statement is enough to snap both Scott and Vetra back to the moment, getting them both to look over to Ben.

“You can’t track her, but I can.” Ben pulls the proto-tool from his shoulder as he walks over, reconfiguring it into a shape that sort of resembles a tuning fork, but with a solid orange holographic screen between the two rods. “What’s the signature for her omni-tool?”

“It’s-” Vetra hesitates to answer, not even fully believing what Ben says. Despite this, she understands that she doesn’t have anything to lose by trusting him. “Here.” She quickly concedes, holding up her omni-tool to let Ben see the signature written out.

“Perfect. Now if I just…” Ben enters the data into the proto-tool, and the device responds with a ping. Rather quickly the holographic screen starts formulating a map of the area, and on that map a single point. It takes Ben a second to figure out how the map is oriented, but then is able to point it towards their destination just as fast.

“I have marked the location on your maps. It should be noted that location is currently under batarian attack.” SAM mentions.

“Of course it is.” Vetra practically growls, rushing for the edge of the roof to leap to the next one over, bypassing the crowded streets below.

“I have informed the other teams. They are on their way to the same location now.” Sam adds.

“Great.” Scott reacts, running to the edge of the roof as well and leaping after Vetra, with Ben not far behind.

The alien bounds down the street faster than either human could without their jump jets, which just barely let them keep up with her. Ester stretches out her legs to launch her torso forward down the street, essentially just taking very long steps. Liam and Sara both launch themselves from one abandoned car to the next, just keep pace.

“Get me up to speed. What’s the deal with batarians?” Ester checks, slowing for just a second to look at Sara.

“What, like, stereotypes?” Sara questions.

“Culture, powers, weaknesses.”

“Slavers, by and large. At least the ones this far into council claimed space. No “powers” the way you probably mean, but they do have four eyes. Same weaknesses as humans: bullets.” Liam explains.

“Huh. Ben wasn’t kidding about how normal you guys all are.” Ester realizes.

“You think slavery is normal?” Sara questions.

“No. I meant the biology part.” Ester quickly clarifies.

“That makes more sense.” Sara acknowledges.

They focus back on moving with all pressing questions answered.

They’re heading east towards the shoreline. In the process they’re getting closer to the Reaper, but not enough to have to worry. Maybe if it started heading in their direction, but for the moment it seems to be going the other way.

At the shoreline is a building that seems to serve as a warehouse, or the closest equivalent for turians. A large, mostly empty, box meant for storage. That’s where SAM marked their maps, and that’s where Sara’s group is headed.

Getting closer, they’re able to see a ship landed beside said warehouse. One that’s very clearly not turian in design. Brown plating forms the hull, which itself curves to form very rounded edges, as well as support a set of thrusters on the bottom.

Seeing this the group slows down, preparing to approach more cautiously. This plan is immediately put into effect as soon as they see the shape of a batarian emerging from the warehouse. They duck behind one of the many cars on the road as fast as they can, peeking out just enough to see what’s happening.

The first batarian is soon followed by two more, both holding a rifle, which they aim at the turian they escort out of the building. Even from where Sara’s group is, it’s clear enough to see the cuffs around the turian’s hands, and their clear hesitance as they’re forced into the batarian ship.

Sara ducks down while the other two keep watching. The first batarian heads into the ship, while the other two head back into the warehouse.

“SAM, where’s everyone else?” Sara asks.

“On their way. Scott’s group will be arriving any moment now.” SAM tells her.

“Yeah? Well where are they?” Liam questions.

Right as he does, however, said group enters their field of view. From the nearby rooftop Ben’s turian form falls out of the sky and slams into the roof of the batarian ship. Loudly enough to grab Sara’s attention as well.

Completely caught off guard by this, their focus moves up to the roof he came from. It’s there that they see Vetra and Scott just before they leap off, using their jump jet and biotics respectively to cushion their landing.

Then they refocus on Ben, who pulls the proto-tool off his shoulder right as the batarian exits the truck, firing it down at him before the alien can even aim their rifle.

Ben then hops down off the truck, looking back to Scott and Vetra as they walk over. As he does, in the moment he’s looking away from the batarian, a thin beam of yellow light emerges from the dial on his shoulder and scans over the body. It returns into the Omnitrix just before Vetra and Scott actually reach him.

“Did you kill him?” They hear Scott ask over comms, looking to the batarian on the ground.

“Energy blasts. He’s still alive.” Ben says, mounting the proto-tool back onto his shoulder.

“Then allow me.” Vetra says, pulling a pistol off her suit and firing down at the batarian before Ben can even think to stop her. She then steps over the corpse and heads into the truck. Ben follows after her, and a moment later a turian leaves the truck, with Ben and Vetra behind him. He turns back to them and asks something, but Sara’s group can’t actually hear him.

“Scram.” Is Vetra’s only response, and the turian promptly follows her advice.

“Where are the others?” Scott questions after a moment.

Considering it the perfect time, Sara’s group all rise to their feet and start heading down the street.

“Over here.” Sara says.

Scott’s attention swings around for a moment before spotting Sara down the road from him.

“Took you long enough.” Scott prods.

“Alright, come on.” Ben says, turning to head for the door of the warehouse.

“Wait, no!” Vetra shouts, still only audible through their comms with the helmet masking her voice. She steps over and grabs Ben’s shoulder, yanking him back before he reaches the door.

“What?” Ben asks, genuinely not having expected that.

“The batarians have this place locked down, you idiot!” Vetra says, now trying to keep her voice low despite the measurable anger in it.

“And?” Ben doesn’t get it. He reaches up to Vetra’s hand though, pulling it off of him.

“Ben, if Sid’s in there, and we go barging in, there’s no guarantee she’ll make it out alive.” Liam tries to explain.

“We need to find another way in.” Scott adds.

“… Right, yeah.” Ben finally understands.

They all start moving, heading down the street to get away from the main entrance, and instead locate themselves around the side of the building.

“Can you transform yet?” Ester checks.

Ben reaches up to his shoulder and taps the node’s face.

“Function locked. Lifeform processing in progress.” It speaks.

“Guess not.” Ben answers.

“Alright, then you stay here. I’ll carry everyone else up to the roof, and we’ll sneak in.” Ester decides.

“Oh come on, you did not just-”

Ester stretches a hand up and covers his mouth, cutting him off. He actually keeps trying to talk for a moment, but eventually stops, just glaring down at her.

“You stay here. Okay? They have guns, and you don’t have any powers.” Ester says, pulling her hand back.

“… Fine.” Ben begrudgingly accepts.

“Good.” Ester says, turning to face the rest of the group.

She extends her arms, quickly wrapping them around both Sara and Scott before stretching out her legs to carry them both all the way up to the roof. She carefully sets them both down, unwraps her arms from them, then stretches back down to grab Vetra and Liam. Once they’re on the roof too she stretches her legs up one at a time to step on and follow after them.

“… “stay here.” Pff. I’m Ben 10. Nobody benches me.” Ben mutters to himself.

“Comms are still open, man.” Liam says, getting Ben to shut his mouth.

Inside the warehouse are slightly less than a dozen turians. All of whom sit along the far right  wall, with their arms chained behind their backs. The only one not chained up lies motionless against the front wall, sitting in a puddle of their own deep blue blood.

Slightly less batarians pace the floor and walkways overhead, almost all of whom carry a gun securely held in their grasp.

The room itself is dark and rusted. Plates and beams and rods of metal make up the walls and walkways, silver mainly, but turning a bright orange at the edges and places the clear coating has worn away. The only light is natural, coming from a set of windows built into the ceiling. All the other lights mounted to the beams and ceiling of the warehouse are off, though it’s not clear if that’s because of the Reaper.

The floor is a cold concrete, having been worn down to a point of being rough in most places. The whole space smells like copper, not that the batarians could appreciate that within their exosuits. The only notable feature to the room, besides the people, are various stacks of storage containers towards the back.

A few of them look over to the front doors as a pair of batarians carrying guns step inside, walking over to the turian nearest to the front of the room. He doesn’t even resist, just accepting his role when the batarians gesture for him to get up, and lead him back to the door at the front of the room.

This leaves just nine turians behind. All stay as silent as they can, keeping their eyes low, trying to avoid meeting the gazes of the aliens that walk by them. The group ranges considerably in its makeup. Old and young alike, with more so of the latter. Men and women, indiscriminately. The only pattern seems to be that most of the group isn’t particularly fit, instead being rather thin and lean.

Among these, right in the middle, is a young woman. Barely an adult by most standards, marked with a pattern of parallel red stripes over her pale cream face. Sid.

“You aren’t going to get away with this!” Another turian farther down the line speaks up. A kid, surely no older than 10 at the most.

“Shut up.” The nearest turian order, using the butt of their rifle to strike the kid, knocking their face into the ground.

“Hey!” Sid can’t stop herself from reacting.

It’s immediate that she’s silenced again with the batarian aiming their rifle towards her.

“Speak when spoken to.” He just says, waiting until she turns her focus down to the ground again before aiming his rifle away.

“God, kids.” He grumbles as he walks away, getting a shallow laugh from a few of the others around the room.

“Could be worse. Just imagine if they stuck us with transport duty.” One of them says, earning several groans from the others.

“Ugh, just the smell. I can’t stand it.” Another comments. “I think I’ll stick to grabbing kids. At least it’s easy.”

“Yeah, no kidding. With that robot thing here, nobody’s even looking for them.”

The turians stay silent. That’s practically all they can do. The only choice they really have, assuming they want to keep their lives, is whether or not to keep their eyes open as the situation continues around them. Sid chooses not to, closing her eyes and just waiting. Listening to the sound of the rain, and the distant booming steps of the machine, and her own shaky breaths.

And then, a gunshot.

Her eyes immediately shoot open, and she looks up to the room just in time to see the body of a batarian hit the ground in front of her, with his shields still sparking and fading.

That leaves 7 batarians in the room still standing, and 2 outside presumably.

“What the hell-” One of them starts, looking up towards the ceiling, only to be struck across the face hard enough to slam him into the hard stone floor.

6 batarians.

Struck across the face by a fist, notably. A fist that a body soon lands to accompany. Ester’s body.

“Hey boys.” She taunts them, leaping forward at the next one to raise a gun, tearing it from his grasp and swinging it across the room to hit another. This gives her just enough time to leap towards the storage crates at the back, ducking behind them before they actually start firing.

One of the batarians moves his hand for the side of his helmet, taking a breath to speak. He doesn’t actually get to before another shot is fired, hitting his shields hard enough to nearly fry them instantly. They all take this as the hint to get to cover.

Unfortunately, for at least two of them, their idea of “cover” is a turian. Rushing over to one of their prisoners and forcing them up to their feet to stand in front of them. One being the turian at the far right of the group, and the other, of course, being Sid.

Two of the remainder move for the crates opposite to the ones Ester jumped to, and the last two atop the walkways rush for the stairs. Not to move down them, simply to use the railing as cover. A shot strikes one of them before they manage this, causing them to instead tumble down the steps until they hit a wall.

5 batarians.

“Show yourself!” One of the batarians shouts. The one with the turian that isn’t Sid. A man, face marked with yellow.

“Gladly.” A human voice speaks, immediately preceding the technical buzz of a cloak fading, revealing Sara in the room directly behind him.

She fires a shot without hesitation, but it just hits the batarian’s barrier, pinging off into the wall. She doesn’t even get to react to this before the batarian swings around, striking her across the face with his rifle, tossing her pistol from her hands as she falls.

The batarian doesn’t waste time. He immediately lets go of the turian and lunges down at Sara, grabbing her wrist before she can reach her gun and pulling her up to her feet to throw her into the corner of the room. She’s about to reach for one of the other guns on her back when the batarian aims his own at her, stopping her in place.

“Alright!” He shouts, looking back over his shoulder. “Now the rest of you! Come out with your hands up, or your friend gets it!"

There’s a small delay before Scott steps out from behind one of the crates, a biotic aura fading from the hands he raises above his head. Ester isn’t far behind him, holding her hands up as well.

“Where’s your sniper?” The batarian hiding behind Sid shouts.

“She’s our sniper.” Scott says, carefully gesturing to Sara in a way that doesn’t set any of them off. “She’s the only one here with a sniper rifle.”

“Oh jeez, thanks bro.” Sara complains.

Looking to the guns mounted on Sara’s suit, a sniper rifle is among them. This doesn’t seem to satisfy them though. The batarian keeping Sara pinned turns to look towards the crates.

“Search the perimeter!” He commands, and one of the men ducking behind the crates rises to his feet and quickly jogs for the door, leaving the room.

4 batarians.

The other one hiding behind the crates steps out as well, keeping his gun aimed between Scott and Ester. This lets the one hiding behind Sid stop hiding, forcing the turian back to her knees as he steps out and re-equips his gun.

“Shit. Shit, shit, shit. Stay put guys, Vetra and I are working on another plan.” They can hear Liam say over their comms, audible only to the Initiative group.

“Who are you with, huh?” He asks, looking to the “AI” written on Scott’s suit.

“Are you Alliance?” He guesses.

“Well, at least he can see that I’m half human.” Ester quips, only for the alien to immediately lock his rifle on her. He doesn’t say anything, he just stares at her. Either trying to figure out what she is, or making sure she understands that he’s aiming a gun at her.

The door opens again, and a batarian steps back in, causing the other four in the room to glance back to him for just a second.

“Well?” The batarian holding Sara hostage questions.

“Uhm… Perimeter clear.” The new batarian tells him, walking further into the room.

This lets the two in the center of the floor, the one previously using Sid as a shield and the one aimed at Ester, focus back on Scott.

“So it’s just you, huh? I’m only gonna ask one more time. Who the hell are you with?” The first batarian questions.

The batarian that just re-entered the room heads for the stairs. He slowly makes his way up to the batarian on the walkway, pulling a device off his shoulder as he does.

“We’re tourists, that’s all. Figured we’d stop by, try to help.” Scott seems to joke.

The batarian standing by him responds to this by jamming the butt of their gun into his gut, knocking the wind from him and forcing him to his knees.

“That was your only warning.” The batarian states.

“Augh…” Scott groans.

The second batarian turns his attention to Ester.

“How about you?” He asks.

“What about her?” One of the other batarians speaks up, causing all three of the others to look up to the walkway. They just manage to watch as the batarian that just entered the room forcefully shoves the limp body of the other off the walkway, letting it fall straight onto the one aiming at Ester.

2 batarians.

The one right next to this staggers back, not even able to aim his gun up before Ben leaps off the walkway and lands directly on top of him, slamming him into the ground in a way that batarians probably aren’t meant to bend.

1 batarian.

Ben mounts the proto-tool to his shoulder again as he steps off the batarian. He doesn’t even bother looking to Sara when she yanks the last batarian’s rifle from his hands and shoots him down with it.

Ben instead heads straight for the turians. Sid just barely has time to fearfully look up at him before the signature beeps play from the watch, proceeding the flash that shrinks him back down into a human. The exo-suit vanishes as he does, consumed in the flash of green to be replaced by his normal clothes.

This whole occurrence very nearly frightens her more, but only for a moment.

Ben quickly crouches down, just far enough back to give her some breathing room.

“Hey. It’s okay. I’m Ben. You’re alright now.” He tells her.

It takes a second, but eventually she nods. She believes him.

“You’re all okay.” Ben says, looking to the others. “Everyone outside is fine.” He rises back to full height, stepping back from Sid to instead gesture at the door. “Go! Get off world, as fast as you can. Pretty soon, the batarians are going to be the least of your worries. Go, go, go!”

Once he starts shouting they all take off. One of the older turians rushes for a younger one, helping to get them past the batarian bodies and out of the building.

Scott and Sara have started going over each of the batarians in the room, making sure they aren’t getting back up. Ester simply waits where she was, watching things play out.

As they’re running Ben just barely has the time to call out “Sid, wait!”

This stops her dead though, forcing her to look back at Ben while the others leave the room.

“You know who I am?” Sid asks, still frightened, but now more curious.

“We’re here with Vetra. She came from the Nexus to get you.” Ben explains.

Sid’s eyes widen, and a deep breath of air leaves her lungs. She almost looks ready to collapse just at hearing those words.

“Vetra’s here? Now?” She checks.

“Outside. Come on.” Ben says, heading past her for the door.

They don’t even reach the door before it swings open and Vetra barges in, stopping both of them in place. She hardly takes a second to process the situation, immediately rushing for her sister once she has.

Sid can’t stop Vetra from grabbing her, hugging her for barely a moment before leaning back, still gripping her shoulders as she looks over her.

“Are you alright? Are you hurt?” Vetra checks.

“I’m fine. I was just headed to the shelter when we got the storm warning, but then these guys just grabbed me! And then- I’m… I’m fine.” Sid says, letting Vetra lean forwards and grab her again.

It’s clear for a moment that Vetra’s taller than Sid, but not by much. Half a foot, at the most. Just enough to be able to lean over her, shielding her for a moment.

“That was really awful…” Sid speaks softly, just standing there stiffly for a moment until Vetra steps back again.

“I’m sorry. I got here as soon as I could.” Vetra tells her.

“I know.” Sid says.

Vetra lets out a deep breath, and turns to head for the door, not letting go of Sid’s hand when she does.

Stepping outside, they’re immediately thrust back into the same chaos they were in before. The storm got worse in the brief time they were inside. The wind picked up, now beating the hot rain against the group.

Over it, the sound continues. The rumbling, bellowing gears that grind and roar out through the sky. They can hear it, and it’s gotten louder.

“What is that?” Sid asks, putting her free hand up to the side of her head, not that it does anything to dull the sound.

“Don’t worry about it.” Vetra tells her, moving her own free hand to the side of her helmet. “Rook. Pickup at our location. We need to go.”

“No.” Ben says, causing the group to look at him. Even Liam, just now jogging around from the side of the building.

“No!? Ben, are you crazy? I’m not spending another second here.” Vetra tells him, shouting slightly to be heard over the rain, despite being barely a pace from him.

The shuttle cars are rocked slightly by the wind, gliding out of their idle positions slowly. Practically everything not nailed down starts to do the same, being taken by the wind, only to get thrown back down again by the heavy sheets of rain. People are just barely immune to this, still needing to constantly adjust their balance to stay upright. Though, they can’t see many people on the streets now.

“She’s got a point, Ben. Things are getting pretty bad here.” Scott agrees, shouting as well.

“And the Omnitrix is working again!” Ben reminds them all, holding up his left wrist.

“What does that mean?” Sid asks, genuinely not understanding what he just said.

Ben smirks, wanting so badly to take the opportunity to boast, but also recognizing that it isn’t worth risking their safety. He prepares to say one thing but cuts himself off with a sigh. Instead, he taps the Omnitrix, connecting him to the Omni-TRUK.

“Alright. Rook, get Alec and Cora, then come get Vetra and the rest. I’m going to deal with the Reaper.” Ben shouts.

“Understood.” Rook is just barely audible from the Omnitrix over the wind and thunder, but it lets Ben look up again and focus on Sid.

“It means I can do this.” Ben announces, placing a hand on the Omnitrix for just a second before slamming down the core for the first transformation it gave him.

“Ben.” Vetra growls, but is far too late to actually stop him.

The proto-tool vanishes into the dark grey mesh of his clothes, which itself expands outwards and around Ben to completely cover him. In hardly a second he looms over them at just about 10 feet. A metal suit weighs down against the road under him. The shape is humanoid, save for the 4 fingers in place of 5. Various bolts bind rings and plates to the suit. The Omnitrix manifest on his chest, just below the three slits on the face of the suit, revealing the vibrant glow of red inside.

“Woah…” Sid reacts.

“Jesus Christ.” Liam reacts slightly more verbosely.

“NRG?” Ben looks down at his hands, processing the form the Omnitrix gave him. “…Alright, I can make this work.” He accepts, clenching his hands into fists.

Ben takes several steps back, doing his best to steady himself against the rain and wind. He then reaches up and grabs the handle atop his suit, yanking on it. This doesn’t seem to do much though, nor does it do anything when he yanks on the handle again.

“Ugh… Ester, a little help?”

“Sure thing.”

Ester quickly hops forward, leaping up onto the suit. Ben takes a second to regain his balance, then holds still as Ester reaches down and grabs onto the edge of the suit’s “lid.” She then yanks on it as hard as she can, and with a noisy creak it hinges open.

Ester jumps off the suit as it falls to the ground. In its place, hovering in the air, is a mass of solid red and orange energy. Human shaped, but without defined features. It wears an outfit made mostly of black and green straps and pads, wrapping around his torso and limbs. The rain hitting him audibly burns, being vaporized almost immediately.

“That’s more like it. Thanks.” Ben says, looking to Ester.

“We’ll get it onto the TRUK when Rook gets here.” She tells him.

“Good. In that case…” Ben turns around, rising into the air as he looks out towards the marching metal. “I’m going to deal with our friend here.”

The Initiative team can only watch as he takes off through the sky, soaring towards the Reaper with a blinding aura of energy trailing behind him.

“… Makes me glad he’s on our side, huh?” Liam comments, forcing a laugh.

The Reaper notices when Ben starts approaching it. Clear from the first moment it stops firing to turn towards him, it immediately recognizes that he can’t be ignored.

The moment it rotates itself far enough it doesn’t hesitate to let a blast tear through the sky towards Ben. Ben, in turn, doesn’t hesitate to let it hit him full force. More than enough energy to tear through the strongest alloys this universe has, and it stops dead upon hitting Ben.

He’s done this before, but not like this. The energy doesn’t cleanly siphon into him like it did with Feedback. Rather, it erupts out from him, then soaks back in. Like a solar flare breaking off from the surface of a sun, only to get dragged back in. Unreal, burning energy flows over and through and into Ben, and Ben just lets it.

When the Reaper’s blast clears the sky a moment later, Ben hovers in its place, burning the same violent red.

“Ha ha! That was good!” NRG declares, taking off again at breakneck speed toward the Reaper. So fast the Reaper can’t even aim its laser down at Ben before he slams into its hull, pouring enough heat out of himself to turn the area he contacts a solid red.

“Dark energy taste sweet. Let’s see what else you have!” NRG shouts, burning through the outer shell, melting it.

The grinding roaring noises of the Reaper never stop, but they do change. Distinctly, upon Ben reaching it, the Reaper seems to begin blaring out its deafening tone with more intensity. Only for a moment though, as soon the sound changes entirely to a higher pitch. A chirped and whirred grind, like hot gears against ice. A wailing noise that one could almost mistake for screaming.

Ben vanishes into the breach he makes, and the Reaper staggers back. The beam fires off again, and again, and again. Towards the sky, towards the city, towards the ocean. In every direction, without discrimination. Not as an attack, but simply because it has nothing else it can do.

It stutters, staggers, stumbles. It slows down and struggles even to stand, and it’s powerless to stop Ben.

A moment more and it hits the ground below it, its legs splaying out through the streets of the city. The groaning noises it makes continue for a moment more, but slowly they too stop completely, dying with it, leaving only a droning hum.

A few moments later Ben leaves the Reaper, soaring straight across the sky towards the Omni-TRUK to slip inside through the rear hatch.

Everyone else is already there. Sid, Vetra, Scott, and Sara on one side, and Alec, Cora, Liam, and Ester on the other. In that order, going from the back of the TRUK to the front. On the floor between them, barely even fitting inside the cabin, is the suit of armor Ben transformed with, which he slips back into right as the Omnitrix begins timing out.

A flash of green light masks the process of him morphing back down into a human body. Hearing this, Rook taps the button to close the rear hatch, and everyone else stretches out their legs slightly.

“Whew, glad that’s over with.” Ben says, stretching out his arms as he heads up the cabin to the co-pilot’s seat.

He pulls the proto-tool from his shoulder once he sits down, extending it to Rook. Rook takes it with one hand, mounting it back to his own shoulder without taking his eyes off the sky ahead of them.

“Rescuing Sid, or defeating the Reaper?” Liam questions, causing Ben to look back over his shoulder to the rest of the group.

“Both? I don’t know. I’m glad Sid’s okay, but taking down the Reaper was definitely a bonus.” Ben says.

“You really took that thing down, all on your own…” Alec ponders.

“Would have done it sooner, but Sid took priority. Couldn’t just ditch Vetra.”

“Well you could have, but it would have made you look like kind of a dick.” Liam tells him.

“Right, that.” Ben agrees.

“… Thanks, Ben.” Sid works up the courage to say after a moment.

“Don’t mention it.” Ben dismisses it, turning back around to face the windshield. “Just keep yourself safe and we’ll call it even, huh?”

Sid stays quiet now, just leaning her head over to rest on Vetra’s shoulder. Rough and stiff skin scrapes against the cool metal pauldron.

“Really, kid. I owe you one.” Vetra insists, but Ben doesn’t acknowledge her.

Through the windshield Ben watches as they leave the atmosphere, with the blue of the sky quickly fading to a deep starry black, then being replaced by the quickly approaching form of the Tempest.

“Tempest to Omni-TRUK. Repeat, Tempest to Omni-TRUK, pickup.” A voice soon comes through over their speakers. Slightly nasally, and high pitched. The salarian, if Ben had to make a guess.

“We read you, Kallo. What’s the problem?” Alec questions.

“No problem, but we’re getting a call. Over the ship’s in-built QEC, which shouldn’t be possible from non-Initiative channels.” Kallo tells them.

“Who is it?” Alec asks again.

“They’re claiming to be Admiral Hackett, of the System’s Alliance. They say they want to talk to Ben.” Kallo clarifies.

With that everyone in the cabin looks to Ben. Everyone except Rook, at least.

Ben takes a second to notice, only doing so when he picks up on the abrupt silence, which gets him to look back at everyone else.

“… What?”

“You know, to be honest, I didn’t really believe you were actually part of the Alliance.” Scott admits.

“Yeah, me either.” Liam adds.

“Same boat.” Sara agrees.

“It… seemed a little farfetched.” Cora admits.

There’s a pause, letting Ben glare at them all with an air of judgement.

“Wow. You guys are real close, huh?” Vetra comments sarcastically, a shallow chuckle on her breath.

“Alright, alright.” Ben brushes them off, turning around again to settle into his seat. “Tell Hackett we’ll be there in a minute.”

“… of course.” Kallo hesitantly accepts. “The call will be waiting for you in the meeting room.”

The call ends with a click of static, leaving them to just wait as Rook carefully guides them towards the Tempest’s docking ramp.

“Alright. Finally, time to get back on track.” Ben states.

Chapter Text

“Approaching the Mars Archives now, Commander.” A voice comes through over the speakers. Joker.

“Took us long enough.” Ashley comments, setting herself down at the back end of the Kodiak.

Shepard and James both head for the front, with the latter setting himself down in the pilot’s seat, and the former resting a hand on the wall to lean against it. All three of them now wear suits of armor fit for combat. The typical carbon fiber with stripes of white and red adorn Shepard, while James and Ashley wear dark grey and blue respectively.

“I still don’t get why we’re heading for the Mars Archives, Commander.” James begins, spurring Shepard to focus on him. “It’s bad enough leaving Earth right now, but-”

“Pretty soon we’re going to lose the whole system. We have to go now, while we still can.” Shepard cuts him off.

The subtle tremor through the Normandy’s cargo bay alerts them to the loading ramp opening, and James soon engages the Kodiak’s thrusters to fly them out toward the planet below.

“I have a friend on the research team down there. Last I heard she found something big, something we can’t risk losing to the Reapers.” Shepard continues.

James accepts this after a moment, letting Shepard turn his attention back to their descent.

A moment is spent in silence, watching the world grow larger and larger before them. Then, almost abruptly, a voice comes through their speakers.

“I’ve been trying to reach Mars secure channels. No one’s answering.” Joker tells them.

“Any sign of Reaper activity?” Shepard checks.

“Negative.”

“EDI?” Shepard double checks.

“The base appears to be online. It’s possible the inhabitants were evacuated.” EDI informs him.

“We’ll know soon enough.” Shepard turns from the front windscreen and heads down the Kodiak into the cabin. Ashley looks to him as he does. “Be ready, Joker… just in case.”

Shepard gets into position in front of the side hatch, grasping a bar on the ceiling to keep himself steady.

“Roger that. Normandy out.” Joker speaks.

In just a second Ashley rises to join him, taking the position on his left.

In moments they fall below the mesosphere, giving view to the world as it’ll appear from the ground. A baked orange sandscape with a sky of greys, washed out blues, and beiges. Mountains and hills, broken with valleys and craters, stretch forward to form the skin of the world.

“We’re almost there.” James shouts back to let them know, his voice forced to boom over the rattle of the cabin to be heard without their comms.

It’s not long before their destination proper comes into view.

The facility is sprawling, and made of several interconnected structures, all built around a central crater. Two flat and wide buildings orbit the edges of the crater, each forming a third of a circle around it. In the open spaces between the two are smaller, but taller structures. Around them are more buildings reaching out in all directions across the flatlands. One stands significantly higher than the rest at the far end of the archives. The other most notable point is a facility in the center of the actual crater, with a single line connecting it to the main buildings.

Their shuttle glides down towards the hills just shy of the archive, slowing more towards a stop the closer they come to the ground. Just as they touch down Shepard looks up the cabin to the cockpit.

“This as close as we can get?”

“Any closer and we risk their defenses, if they’re online. There’s still no contact from the base” James tells him.

Shepard nods as he thinks on this, turning back towards the hatch.

“But the problems just keep coming. We’ve got a massive storm headed our way.” James adds. He grabs his helmet and slides it on, then rises out of the chair to join Shepard and Ashley.

“How long ‘till it hits?” Shepard checks.

“Half hour, tops. After that we’re gonna have difficulty keeping up comms with the Normandy.” James fills him in.

The three all passively ready their firearms while waiting for the hatch to open, now tuning into the wheeze of the Kodiak’s pressure adjusting.

“Understood.” Shepard accepts.

In a second more the hatch breathes a sharp hiss and unlocks, sliding up to reveal the landscape in full.

Hues of red and brown make up the landscape sprawling ahead of them.

On their immediate left, on the same ridge they landed on, is an array of solar panels. Up ahead on their left is the much taller building, starkly labeled “MARS” on the side. The crater that forms the center of the facility is ahead on their right. Beyond it, rolling over the hills in the distance, is the meteorological event James mentioned, reaching up to the sky. It swirls over itself, crackling with lightning as it envelops the horizon.

“Damn, that’s a huge storm! Looks a lot bigger in person.” James reacts, jogging to keep pace with Shepard and Ashley.

“Come on, Lieutenant. It’s not that bad.” Ashley assures him.

“Doesn’t mean it can’t kill us.” James reasons.

“I’m more worried about the war back on Earth… or the fact nobody here is reporting in.”

“Fair enough.”

They head along the flat ridge they landed on towards a set of railing overlooking a lower path that leads further towards the facility. They hop over the railing with ease, landing on the packed dirt below one after another.

Once they’ve landed, it’s all too soon that something out of place catches their eyes. To their right, scattered out from a set of stacked crates, are bodies. Human, seemingly, and all of them wear Alliance uniforms.

“There.” James helpfully points out.

Shepard and Ashley were already heading for the bodies. More specifically, the one leaned up against the crates.

“Alliance. Seargent Reeves. Doesn’t look like he put up a fight.” Ashley discerns.

“Something’s not right here.” James surmises.

“Keep a low profile ‘till we know what’s going on.” Shepard directs.

“Roger that.”

They quickly turn around and start heading down the roadway.

They can see into the crater now, and briefly turn their attention to it while moving.

The side opposite them has been entirely covered with a wall of flat buildings. In the center of the Crater, supported at the bottom but rising up to several stories above them, is a sort of watchtower structure. A pillar that widens as it goes up, supporting a wide and circular facility at the very top, with one bridge connecting it to the tall building they head towards.

Their attention is only on this feature briefly. Otherwise, they remain focused on the path ahead.

BANG.

The echoing boom rings out over the hills, unmistakable in its origin. A gunshot.

The squad doesn’t waste time, running ahead as quickly as they can to identify the source. On the path ahead of them, at the base of a slight decline, is a ground transport surrounded by armed soldiers. Alliance men on their knees, hands on their head, being gunned down one at a time by people wearing distinctly Cerberus uniforms.

Shepard’s people pause for barely a second at barricades set up on the path they’re on. Seemingly meant to stop the rovers, but the perfect size to use as cover.

It’s just long enough for James to whisper shout “Holy shit. They’re executing them!” in shock.

It's not a moment later that Shepard’s hand strikes the barricade, tossing the rest of his body over it with absolute confidence. He doesn’t land before his body erupts with a crackle of blue, flowing over him in a way that sends his whole body rocketing directly into the Cerberus troops down the hill.

It’s just barely too late to save the last Alliance soldier, but the Cerberus soldier is slammed back into the tank behind him all the same. The other 7 men barely have the time to comprehend this before Shepard draws his Shotgun and fires at the next nearest trooper.

The seconds this takes to unfold are all the time Ashley needs to follow Shepard’s lead. She rises to her feet and dashes out of cover, readying her rifle to put down the Cerberus soldiers behind Shepard.

James is the last to react, but only by another few seconds. He follows Ash’s lead, charging down the hill towards their opposition.

In less than a minute Shepard’s group are the only ones left standing.

“Those guys were Cerberus, weren’t they?” James checks.

He and Ashley stand back while Shepard paces around the Cerberus tank and transport rover on their right to make sure there aren’t any troops left.

“Sure looked like it.” Shepard responds after a second, coming back around the rover.

“What’s Cerberus doing here on Mars?” Ahsley questions.

“Good question.”

“You don’t know?” Ashley gathers.

“I’m not with them anymore, Ash, if that’s what you’re asking.” Shepard assures her, his tone growing somewhat stern.

“It wasn’t.” Ashley tries to convince him. “…but you have to admit, it’s a bit convenient.”

Shepard doesn’t humor the idea. He paces ahead, towards the main building up the road from them, and is shortly followed by the others.

Up the hill there are more Cerberus tanks and troops, who seem more surprised by the presence of Shepard’s squad than vice versa. Again, it’s a matter of minutes before Shepard is pacing around the impromptu battleground to make sure they didn’t miss anyone.

“Doesn’t look like they came here in force.” James points out, in reference to the, at most, half dozen troopers they had to deal with.

“Yeah, just a few vehicles.” Shepard affirms.

“Kind of suggests they had help. From the inside.” Ashley points out.

“Seems likely.” Shepard agrees.

“You’d need a lot more men and firepower to take this place otherwise.”

Once Shepard is sure there aren’t any more Cerberus Troops remaining, they head to the right of this field area. There’s a ramp that leads up into the facility, and onto a large flat platform with a single terminal at its side.

Shepard heads for the terminal, tapping the needed buttons on a holographic keyboard. The door at the top of the ramp closes, sliding up from the floor and into the ceiling to form the edge of the room. While James makes sure no one else is in this area with them, Ashley marches directly over to Shepard.

“I need a straight answer, Shepard.” Ashley states.

Ashley stops to Shepard’s left. Shepard just stands beside the terminal, barely turning his head to look at her.

“About what?” There’s genuine confusion in Shepard’s response.

“Do you know anything about this? What is Cerberus doing here?” Ashley asks, sincerely estimating that Shepard might have some information.

Shepard now turns himself to fully face her.

“What makes you think I know what they’re up to?”

Ashley turns away from him, stepping over to the railing of the platform they all stand on.

“You worked for them. How am I supposed to believe you cut all ties?” She explains.

Shepard steps over as well, which causes Ashley to turn to him again. Only for a moment though, as she looks back to the various piping and machinery on the other side of the railing after.

“We joined forces to take down the Collectors. That’s it.” Shepard assures her.

“They rebuilt you from scratch. They gave you a ship, resources…”

Shepard leans against the railing, still facing Ashley on her right side.

“Let me be clear. I’ve had no contact with Cerberus since I freed the Posttheans. And I have no idea why they’re here now, or what they want.”

“Commander Shepard’s been under constant scrutiny since coming back to Earth. No practically way they’ve communicated since.” James chimes in, standing on Ashley’s left.

Shepard leans off the railing when Ash does, finally able to meet her eyes when she looks at him again.

“Sorry, Shepard. I just…”

She’s cut off with the abrupt hiss of an atmosphere flooding into the room through vents on each of the walls. This cues the group that they can take their helmets off, which Ashley and James both do as all three step away from the terminal and towards the center of the platform. Both of them quickly disassemble and compress their helmets, allowing them to store the component parts along their armor. Shepard’s helmet remains on, as it always does on missions.

“I shouldn’t have to explain myself to you, Ash.” Shepard states.

The mechanisms below the platform they’re on begin to whirr, and a second later the platform itself begins to rise off the ground. Shepard’s attention promptly swings up to the ceiling, which itself splits in half and recedes into either wall to make room for the lift they’re on to fill the floor.

The room they’re lifted into seems to be a loading bay. Various vehicles in plentiful supply occupy the floor, a fair number of which appear to be Cerberus. All of which, thankfully, appear unoccupied.

At the back of the room is a raised walkway, spanning the back wall. There’s a lift at either side of the walkway, and doors built into the walls leading to other rooms.

“Please... Trust me.” Shepard requests.

He takes the lead, heading off the loading platform once it aligns itself with the floor.

“I do. It’s just that…” Ashley starts, but is again cut off. Now, with the rather jarring sound of the airducts above them, at the back right of the room, rattling.

All three rush for cover behind the nearest Cerberus tank, staying hidden while listening. Shepard stations himself at the right side of the tank, letting him lean out to keep an eye on the scene. It’s not difficult to identify the sound as someone or something moving through the vents, moving from the back of the room inwards.

Soon accompanying the frantic shuffling is the sound of gunfire, coming from inside the vent. There’s more than one body inside the vent, clearly. It’s the nearest of these that seems to start banging on the vent cover, leading into the room. After a few seconds the cover flies from its place, and the body of an asari drops down from the other side.

She lands on the raised walkway below,  then turns to leap down to ground level. In doing so, Shepard is able to get a slightly better view of her. The typical blue skin and crest of an asari, separating them from humans, but her outfit is one unfitting of the facility. A bright white and vibrant blue, though currently stained by the oil and dust of the airshaft. The design falls somewhere between a space suit, the kind of exaggerated garb you’d find politicians in at the Citadel, and a stylized representation of human lab-wear.

Following her out of the vent are two bodies far easier to identify. Cerberus grunts, which drop down to the walkway one at a time.

The asari doesn’t give them time to ready themselves before raising an arm to cast a biotic singularity between them, lifting both of them into the air. A pistol is drawn from her side barely a second later, firing into the two troopers with trained precision.

Their bodies are dropped from the Biotic field once they’ve both been shot. Their armor clanks against the metal walkway on their way down to the main floor. Neither show any signs of getting back up, but that doesn’t stop the asari from carefully pacing over and shooting them both until she’s sure.

Shepard’s group comes out from behind a truck now, led by the Commander himself. Shepard puts away his pistol now, but James readies his rifle, aiming it towards the asari they approach. Shepard takes just a second to notice, then grabs the top of the rifle and forces it down to aim at the floor as soon as he does.

“Easy there, Lieutenant. She’s with us.” Shepard tells him. The words are spoken at his standard speaking volume, instantly alerting the asari to their presence.

Shepard turns away from his squad mates to walk ahead, as to convene with the asari. James spares a look to Ashley, who does nothing to help resolve his confusion.

The moment the asari manages to process the sight, her eyes instantly widen with a rush of relief.

“Shepard! Thank the goddess you’re alive.” She says, meeting him halfway. Her hands reach to meet Shepard’s, which find a place in hers.

“You too, Liara.”

“I was so worried when the reports came in. I’m… sorry about Earth.” Liara offers.

“Yeah. It was… difficult to leave.” Ashley cuts in, stepping around to Shepard’s side.

Shepard lets go of Liara’s hand, letting her turn to greet Ashley.

“Ashley. I’m sorry.” Liara says. She can’t help turn away from the group now, pacing down towards the right side of the room just for the sake of moving.

“But… why’d you come here?” She thinks to ask after a second, stopping and turning on the spot to look at all of them again.

“Last time we spoke, you said you were on to something. Plans for something that could help us fight the Reapers.” Shepard reminds her.

“Right.” She acknowledges, turning away from the squad again to head further towards the right wall.

“Hallelujah. Some answers, finally.” James reacts.

“Maybe.” Liara tempers their expectations.

Shepard’s squad follow her, coming to a stop again by a window at the back right side of the room, previously hidden behind one of the rovers stationed at this end. Once taking her place she turns to look at the group again, waiting until everyone else catches up.

“We’ve discovered plans for a Prothean device. One that could wipe out the Reapers.” Liara tells them, clarifying what Shepard said.

“Here? On Mars?” James questions.

Liara looks away from them again, now turning to look out the window at the flat, circular building suspended in the crater. The same watchtower sort of structure they saw on their way in.

“In the Prothean archives, yes.” Liara confirms, implicitly giving them a purpose for the building.

“We’ve known about the Archives for decades. Why now?” Shepard asks, causing Liara to look back to him.

“Process of elimination, mixed with the new insight provided by the posttheans, and a little desperation.” Liara looks to the window again as she explains, peering out to the archives. “For a while, it seemed like the data you recovered from Cerberus on the “Null Void projectors” would give us a fighting chance, but at a certain point all my resources either hit a dead end, or stopped reporting back. And when you destroyed the Alpha relay, you bought us some time, but you also lost Ben. I knew I had to do more. Hackett knew it, too. He contacted me, asking if I would use my resources as the Shadow Broker to find a way to stop the Reapers, in case their plans fell through.”

The knowledge that Liara is the Shadow Broker catches both Ashley and James off guard, the latter far more so. Somehow that point of data sticks out to them the most.

“I remember you telling me about that.” Shepard interjects. “Hackett got you access to the Archives first, then a small group of posttheans to help with decryption, since they’re able to interface with Prothean technology.”

“Exactly” Liara affirms, looking at the Commander again. “As it turns out, the Archives are full of data we never knew about. An overwhelming amount. I think I found what we need.”

“I guess I’ll believe it when I see it. Where do we find this weapon?” Shepard questions, moving them on to the next tangible task.

“It’s not a weapon, not yet. It’s plans for a device. A blueprint.” Liara clarifies.

Shepard shrugs. “It’s more than we had a minute ago. How do we get it?”

“The archives are just across that tramway.” Liara points out the window to the bridge leading from their building to the circular one in the crater. “Assuming Cerberus hasn’t locked it down.”

“What are they after?”

“Yeah, they seem hell-bent on catching you.” James notes, speaking to Liara.

“They want what I’m here for… what we’re all here for.” Liara answers.

“But why?” Shepard questions.

“The Protheans came close to defeating the Reapers. They had plans to destroy them, but ran out of time.” Liara tells them all in a way that simplifies things.

“And anything powerful enough to destroy the Reapers…” Ashley puts it together.

“Just might be something Cerberus would be interested in.” Shepard finishes the statement.

“So it’s a race to the Archives.” James determines.

Timed perfectly, their conversation is cut short with a tremor that shakes the entire room they’re in. The group is forced to take a second to rebalance themselves before running back out onto the main floor of the room.

A crackling hiss draws their attention up to the walkway, specifically to the doors on the right wall, where they find sparks bleeding through the seam in the hatch, slowing moving down through the lock.

“We’ve got company.” Shepard shouts, to make sure everyone is alerted to the current danger.

“Bring it on.” James growls, getting into place at Shepard’s side.

“Not this time, James.” Shepard denies, causing James to focus on him.

“What?”

“Get back to the shuttle. If Cerberus beats us to the Archives, I need you covering the exits.” Shepard orders, jogging back to the platform they rode up. He taps the space over the terminal to load the hologram, then quickly enters in the directions.

“But…” James tries to argue.

Another rumble quakes the room.

“Now, Lieutenant.” Shepard repeats.

James hesitates for another moment before begrudgingly heading out onto the platform. He starts reassembling his helmet as soon as the platform begins descending.

“They’re getting closer. We should take cover.” Ashely calls out to the rest of the group.

This gets Shepard to jog over and duck behind the transport rover with Ashley. He just barely makes it in time before the hatch is manually forced open by the troops on the other side, letting them pour in.

“There she is!” One of the Cerberus troopers calls out, marching down the walkway with the others.

“Looks like they found us.” Liara helpfully notes.

“There’s the asari bitch!” Another trooper decides to contribute, joining the others at the railing. All of them take full advantage of the bullet proof glass making up the railing as cover, and start firing down on Shepard’s group.

Shepard swiftly, but calmly, pulls the sniper rifle off his back. The weapon unfolds in just a second, letting Shepard quickly duck out of cover and fire off a shot in time with Ashley and Liara.

Immediately, three of the Cerberus troopers topple to the floor. The others flinch at the immediacy, but don’t stop firing. At least not until three more fall in perfect time, leaving only two more standing. At this point they decide that the most noble strategy is cowardice, and drop down behind the railing to hide from Shepard’s group’s return fire.

Liara doesn’t stand for this. Her arm moves towards the walkway, her body sparks blue, and the Cerberus troops are torn from the ground. Shepard and Ashley dispatch them as soon as they’re above the railing, letting the bodies drop back to the ground.

“That’s all of them.” Liara announces.

“Good. Let’s find a way up.” Shepard responds, storing his rifle as he walks out from cover.

“There’s an elevator, over here.” Ashley points out, getting the other two to join her.

As stated, there’s an elevator meant to let them reach the upper platform. Unfortunately, when they tap the button meant to activate it, the elevator platform only whirrs and sputters, failing to rise at all.

“They’ve sabotaged the elevators.” Liara deduces.

“Great.” Shepard tries sarcasm. He takes just a second to look over the setting before turning back to Liara. “Can you give me a lift?”

“Of course.”

Shepard quickly turns back to the upper platform he intends to reach, and carefully leaps towards it. As he does, in time with the motion, his entire body feels as if charged with static electricity, vibrating and buzzing slightly as he sails upwards and onto the platform.

“Never had someone else do that to me.” Shepard remarks, adjusting to the sensation after landing.

After a second he turns around to the others, stepping out of the way to let Liara toss Ashley up as well. Liara then lifts herself up as soon as Ashley’s out of the way.

“This is a secure station. How did Cerberus get in?” Ashley questions, getting them moving again once they’ve all adjusted.

“Not sure. One minute we were getting reports of the Reaper invasion. The next, there was chaos. Didn’t even realize it was Cerberus at first.” Liara tells her.

“Could they be working with the Reapers?” Ashley speculates.

“Doubtful, but I suppose anything’s possible.” Shepard says.

They head on through the hatch at the back of the walkway. Not the same hatch the Cerberus troops flooded in from, as that was on the right wall, while they now exit through the back wall. The room beyond the door is entirely empty.

“We’ll need access to the pedway. Controls should be nearby.” Liara mentions as they pass through.

The room after that is a lobby area. A station, meant to let residents of the facility access the transportation system. Seating takes up the majority of the floor, with a control booth occupying the near-left corner. A dead alliance soldier lies against the wall of said booth.

Shepard’s group head into the control station, only to find more dead bodies. Alliance soldiers, either lying on the floor, or slumped over in the chairs. At the front of the office space is a long desk, equipped with enough stations for at least 4 people. Above and around the holographic interfaces are digital screens, displaying various halls and rooms within the building.

“Damn it! Security’s been tampered with.” Liara sees. She heads over to one of the terminals and leans down to start working.

“Shepard, see if you can gain access to the pedway.” Liara instructs.

Shepard does just that. He slides the chair holding a dead body out of the way, and leans down to start navigating the menus and controls.

Ashley takes to the back of the room, where she finds equipment lockers and a workbench. She takes a second to peruse the weapons and armor left behind, but soon turns her attention back to the screens around the room.

While they do this, Liara sets about accessing the cameras. Inconveniently, she soon hits a dead end in that department.

“I can’t seem to unlock the live feeds, but…” Liara tells the others.

It’s at this point that a different recording switched onto each of the digital monitors. On one of these monitors, Ashley catches the sight of a woman running into frame. Light skin, short and dark hair, and a bodysuit that doesn’t fit the setting,

“Hey. Did you see that? Who’s that woman in the vid?” Ashley questions, snapping the other’s eyes to the screen.

“That’s Dr. Eva Core. She got here about a week ago.” Liara informs them.

In another moment the woman, Dr. Core, grabs something from a desk, then runs out of frame.

Liara rises back to her full height, and steps over to Shepard’s side.

“Any luck?”

“Pedway’s been locked out.” Shepard tells her, which Liara can easily confirm is true.

“Alright. Looks like there’s construction nearby. We can get out to the roof. We can find a way around from there.” Liara offers an alternative, which is enough to get the three of them heading back out into the main lobby.

“Great. Let’s move.” Shepard accepts.

They head through a hatch at the back right of the room, which automatically seals behind them. The room they enter is a self-contained hallway, with another sealed hatch at the other side.

It’s an airlock, which all of the group immediately pick up on. Ashley quickly reassembles her helmet, and Liara pulls an oxygen mask from her suit which seals over her lower face.

The walls hiss and moan while the atmosphere is re-adjusted. Once pressure is equalized the far door slides open, and Shepard marches forward.

The winds have grown hostile in the time they’ve been inside. They step out onto scaffolding. Temporary structures, built around the existing facility, and the active construction. Tarps cover the floor they walk on, which fiercely ripple in the wind, though remain strapped down.

“The Storm’s getting closer!” Ashley shouts, though their comms do most of the work making her audible to Liara and Shepard. She’s clearly right, though. The previously distant clouds have closed most of the distance, now rolling over and consuming the middle horizon.

Liara takes the lead and heads for a ladder further ahead on their left, which leads them down to a lower platform.

“What the hell?” Ashley reacts, drawing the others to her point of focus.

It’s at this point, a moment before they take a left to press on, that they see the events unfolding on the pedway in the distance. Two cars head towards the Archives, with gunfire being exchanged between them.

“Looks like the Alliance is still putting up a fight.” Shepard estimates.

“That tram heads to the Archive. Once Cerberus is across, they’re at the final security checkpoint.” Liara tells them.

“Then that’s where we’re headed.” Shepard asserts, pressing on behind Liara as soon as she starts moving again.

They head back down the lower walkway towards the same building they came from, making use of a ladder to ascend to the roof.

It’s now that their comms activate again with a burst of static. James’ voice comes through, though distinctly degraded in quality. “Commander. You read me?”

“Barely. Storm’s causing interference.” Shepard responds.

The group turns right at the ladder, pressing ahead to the next building over.

“Yeah, tell me about it. I’ve lost contact with the Normandy. What’s y… ositio-” James tries to ask, barely breaking through the interference.

“I didn’t read that. James. Repeat.” Shepard requests.

“I said…” James tries again, only for his voice to be lost within the torrent of static.

“Damn it.”

“That storm’s going to be in here very soon.” Liara tells them.

“Yeah, I think it’s already here.” Shepard says.

“Good point.” Liara accepts.

They head up a makeshift ramp and leap across a gap to a distinct structure of scaffolding, connected to the wall ahead of them, which houses a hatch leading back into the facility.

“This airlock shouldn’t be open.” Liara points out, recognizing the very visible fact that the hatch they enter through isn’t sealed.

“Doesn’t look like it was forced.” Ashley discerns, taking but a moment to study the edge of the frame when they pass through.

“No, you have to override security protocols.” Liara says.

It’s clear from the moment they’re inside that things are far more wrong than they previously understood. The internal hatch is open as well. The entire room they enter is depressurized, and without nearly enough oxygen to support human life.

Shepard overtakes Liara when they pass through the interior seal, which Liara doesn’t object to.

The fact the lights are all off means that it’s not until they draw their guns, allowing their lights to switch on and sweep over the floor, that they see the bodies covering the floor.

“Someone vented the air from this room while they were still here.” Liara realizes, a subtle horror gripping her.

“Looks like they died trying to claw their way out.” Ashley notes, equal parts pity for the people that died, and disgust for the way they were killed.

They enter onto a walkway at the top back of the room. The rest of the room is below on their right. It’s a cafeteria. Below the upper level they’re currently on are the kitchens. Through the center of the room is a stairwell, leading from the main floor to the second and third levels, terraced. The first and second levels both have seating and tables.

The group each step around the corpses on their way to the center of the room, where they reach the top of the stairs. Each of the humans they pass died suffering, and meaninglessly. They’re each tinted some hue of blue or purple from the lack of oxygen, a sight the squad wish they didn’t take the time to register.

“This is brutal even by Cerberus standards.” Liara speaks again. There is no trepidation or insecurity in her tone. This statement is a condemnation, made with confidence.

At the bottom of the stairs they’re now able to see the main floor more clearly. Three windows occupy the main wall, giving them a clear view of the lit and pressurized room on the other side. At least, it gives them a view of its floor, given the angle they’re currently looking at it from. At the left of the far wall is the hatch that should lead into the next room. That would be, if this room were still pressurized, and it could therefor open.

Shepard takes his time moving down the stairs. Ashley and Liara follow his example, creeping down just as slowly. The Commander sweeps his light over the tables and benches on the second level, but only finds more of the same. Corpses, strewn about the dining space with the panic that would arise from the situation.

“What the hell?” Grabs Shepard’s attention, forcing him and Liara to both swing their attentions to where Ashley is pointing her light.

The object her light hits is strangely organic. An oblong and jagged ball of unclear material. Shepard steps ahead of his squadmates, onto the right side of the second level. He keeps his eyes fixed on this anomaly, tucked into the back corner.

The distinct sections making up the outer crust unsettles him almost as much as the way the shapes rise and fall, shifting in place idly. The color is a murky green and beige, with speckles of light orange covering the rough, yet glossy, surface.

The realization comes all at once. What he’s looking at, why it pulses in place as if alive. Why the coloring so naturally wraps over the organic plates.

Shepard confidently gestures back at Ashley and Liara to stay where they are.

“Hold your fire.” He speaks, making sure they understand his meaning when he leans down to the shape.

Shepard gently sets his gun on the floor at his side, aiming the light at the back wall, beside the object. He then strikes the ground with his left hand. Three rhythmic thumps, and then he waits.

Just as he expects, the object moves. The plates shift and split, revealing 4 gleaming specks from within the shell that peer out at him. They linger for a moment, then the shape separates from itself further. What was previously an ill-defined mass of chitin and color abruptly becomes the cohesive shape of a postthean, rising to its feet.

“Oh god.” Ashley reacts, snapping her pistol up to aim at the creature before Shepard. Despite every instinct in her body, she follows orders, and keeps her finger off the trigger of her gun, just waiting.

Shepard reaches for the pistol he set down, but grasps it by the barrel when he picks it up and rises to full height again. The gesture is recognized by the alien, understanding that Shepard doesn’t intend to hurt them.

“What is that thing?” Ashley questions, causing Liara to glance to her.

“A postthean.” She states simply.

“They used to be the Collectors. Ben freed them from Reaper control, and now they’re on our side.” Shepard elaborates.

“Right, sorry. I guess they’re hard to recognize in the dark.” Ashley reasons.

The postthean steps towards Shepard. Its body remains illuminated by both Ashley and Liara’s lights, letting Shepard clearly see when it tries to speak. It’s unfortunate that all their speakers are able to pick up are the quiet and low frequencies the thin atmosphere allows to propagate. Even his suit’s audio synthesizers are useless, not having nearly enough reference data to attempt lip reading.

Shepard raises a hand, gesturing for the postthean to stop. The alien hesitates for a moment before seeming to understand.

Shepard turns back to the others, making his way to the stairs again. The postthean wearily follows behind him.

“It didn’t occur to me that they would be able to survive in Mars’ natural atmosphere.” Liara says.

“We won’t be able to talk to them until we restore the air.” Shepard states.

“Of course.” Liara acknowledges. She turns to look down the stairs, to the windows. “In the next room, there should be-“ Liara is forced to stop when she sees what’s on the other side of the glass.

Cerberus troopers step into view. 4 of them, all raising their lights to peer into the room.

“Lights!” Liara shouts, and immediately all three of them shut their lights off.

Ashley and Liara both duck behind the railing to the left of the stairs, while Shepard grabs the postthean by their shoulder and pushes them down to hide behind the railing on the right side. They’re just fast enough to avoid the cone of light that sweeps up the stairs a second later.

“What’s our order?” One of the troopers asks. Their signal is picked up by the group’s comms, and played for them as audio, without allowing the troopers to hear them in return.

“There’s an Alliance force in here somewhere. We need to keep them away from the core. Check the next room.” Another trooper tells the previous one.

“It’s dark in there. Want me to shoot out the windows?” The idiot of the group asks.

“No! Not unless you want to decompress this room too.” The second trooper shouts.

Their lights pass back and forth over the room several more times, but eventually shut off.

“I don’t see anyone.” The first trooper declares.

“Come on. There’s no one alive in there. Let’s keep moving.” The fourth trooper decides.

Shepard cautiously peeks out from behind his cover, letting him watch the troop turn from the window and meander away.

“Ready?” Shepard checks, looking to Liara and Ash across the through-way.

He sees them nod, and that’s all he needs.

Shepard firms his grip on his pistol and steps out from his cover. Three shots hit the glass, shattering the center window. It bursts inwards, towards them, sending countless shards scattering to the floor.

They can feel the rush of air hit them, even at their distance. More importantly, though, they’re each able to see that the Cerberus troops got yanked towards the glass when it broke.

Shepard rushes down the stairs, tossing himself over a table on his way to the window. The pistol locks itself to his side, and his shotgun slips off his back. He leaps through the broken window, firing off a shot to the first Cerberus trooper that’s able to get back to his feet.

Ashley and Liara are hardly a second behind him, taking out two more on their way in. Shepard’s about to address the fourth when the Postthean leaps through the window after them, tackling the last trooper. Both slam into the ground, and the trooper’s rifle is thrown from his grip, spinning away from them.

Ashley would intervene, but Shepard motions for her to not. He choses to cautiously watch as the postthean first slams a fist against the trooper’s helmet, with enough force to shatter the visor and deform the metal, then strikes his torso with their clawed hand. The sharpened digits sink between the plates of armor, going straight through the fabric.

The broken helmet would have been enough to suffocate them. The second suit rupture is enough to ensure that they have no chance to recover. The trooper is dead in less than a minute, at which point the postthean rises back to their feet and turns to face Shepard’s group again.

Neither Ashley or Shepard have any skill with reading postthean expressions. The closest they can come to gauging its state of mind is body language, and even then its rigid posture gives little away. It just stares at them, to Ashley’s tight grip on her rifle, and to the fact Shepard has already holstered his shotgun. They choose to focus on Shepard, and nod.

It’s now that their helmets synthesize a sound. Not the postthean speaking, but the sound of the walls rattling and humming. Shepard looks back to the room behind them, finding that Liara already made her way into the control station at the back of the room.

Shepard dismisses the postthean entirely for a moment. He heads across the room and into this control station to join her. It’s similar to the control booth from before. A desk runs the length of the station’s front, which is on their left when they enter, and is full of both terminals, monitors, mugs, and data pads. On the floor are two more alliance officials, dead.

“Good job.” He says upon stepping in.

“Thanks. Now that I’ve pressurized the room, we have access to the labs. They’ll take us right to the tram station.” Liara tells him.

She reaches up and pulls off her oxygen mask, which separates from her face with a pop of broken suction. It goes back into her suit right as Ashley enters the room behind Shepard. Seeing that Liara’s breathing normally again, Ashley pulls off her helmet as well. She stores the accessory as she heads over to the desk to look over the available systems.

Shepard steps out of the way to let her, stationing himself at the back of the room. It’s a moment before his focus drifts from the screens around the room to the postthean waiting just outside the room. He decides to walk back out.

“Hey. You doing alright?” Shepard asks.

“I… am. I’m fine.” They tell him. Their voice is coarse and low, but clear. “It’s… relieving to see you, Alliance Commander Shepard.”

Shepard nods, understanding their situation.

“Are you from Apaleone’s ship, or the second group?” Shepard checks.

“We… I am of Apaleone’s group. All of us here are.”

“Can you make contact with any of the other posttheans here?”

“… Yes. Too far from the main group, but…” A chirping and clicking emits from their mouth for a moment before they continue. “The locals I can reach. What of them are left. Many hide, or protect the humans left.”

“It sure looked like you know how to fight.” Shepard implicitly questions, abruptly shifting the conversation.

“Yes. We… all do. A remnant of when we served the ascended.”

“The what?”

“The… Reapers. The ascended are what we knew them as… before. When our minds were not our own.” The postthean clarifies.

“Can you find the others? We have to get to the Archives before Cerberus, but I’d hate to leave without you.” Shepard offers, again abruptly jumping to another line of conversation.

“We… yes. The data is more important than anything. Than us. We agree on this. The atmosphere is too thin to fly, but we can try to make it there on foot.” They assure.

Shepard nods.

Shepard turns from the postthean and leans down to the nearest Cerberus trooper. He grabs their rifle and yanks it from their hand, then leans back up and hands it to the postthean. The postthean just stares at it for a moment, then looks up to Shepard, then back to the gun before slowly accepting.

“Be careful.” Shepard tells them.

They nod, then turn away from Shepard. They don’t move at first. They only linger there, then begin to softly click and chitter. After a moment they leap through the broken window, back out into the darkened cafeteria.

Shepard then heads back into the control station, and catches Liara and Ashley up. Liara’s about to get the group moving again, when something sticks out to Ashley.

“Hey, it looks like there’s a recording of what happened here.” Ashley says, causing both Shepard and Liara to focus on her screen.

She quickly loads the video file, which expands to fill the whole screen. Displayed is an officer sitting in front of the camera, at this very terminal, and another working at the wall behind him.

“Security station… come in? We’re seeing some odd activity down there.” The officer speaks, looking between multiple screens, all of which reflect in his helmet. “Our security protocols just kicked in. Everything’s locked down.”

A woman walks into frame from the right. The same woman they saw before.

“Doctor. I’ll get you a report as soon as…”

He doesn’t have the chance to finish. A gunshot for each of the security officers is enough to drop them. She then moves for the console, and alarms blare in time with the sounds of the cafeteria being depressurized. The recording ends.

“I guess we know how Cerberus got in.” Shepard says.

A breath escapes Liara. She steps around Shepard and to the edge of the station, leaning herself on the desk’s far end by the door. Shepard turns his attention to her when she does this.

“I should have realized it when I met her. I was just so focused on finding a way to stop the Reapers.” Liara thinks.

“Stopping the Reapers is the only thing we should be focused on. It’s not your fault.” Shepard tells her, stepping past Ashley to occupy the space behind Liara.

“But what if we’re wrong? What if there’s no way to stop them? What if these are our last days, and we spend them scurrying around trying to solve a problem we can’t fix?”

“Liara…”

“I know. I shouldn’t think that way.” Liara acknowledges.

Liara leans off the desk and turns around to face Shepard.

“I don’t know how you do it. You’ve always stayed focused, even in the worst situations.”

“When there’s so much at stake, I think about my friends, loved ones… what I’d lose if I failed.” Shepard tells her.

There’s a moment of silence, though rushed as the situation demands.

“Me too.” Liara eventually speaks again.

“We’ll stop them, Liara. Together.” Shepard assures her.

“I believe you. Or I believe that you believe. Maybe that’s enough.” Liara tentatively accepts.

She turns away from Shepard, looking instead at the desk to tap a control prompt. At the opposite end of the room, a hatch slides open.

“Okay. Door’s open. We can get to the labs and tram station through there.” Liara says.

“Good. Let’s move.” Shepard accepts.

There are more rooms, dead bodies, and troopers that soon become dead bodies between them and their goal, but truly little of it actually matters.

They are only forced to stop when reaching the entry way to the final room. Why? Did Cerberus lock the hatch from the other side? No, they took control of the ceiling mounted turret in the loading bay and are firing it into the facility down the hall Shepard’s squad must enter through.

“Is that the only way in?” Ashley shouts, pressing herself against a piece of machinery that rattles with the bullets pouring into the other side of it.

“It’s the only way I know of.” Liara tells her, just as pressingly keeping herself out of the line of fire.

“We’ll skirt around it. Stay out of its sights.” Shepard decides.

Shepard decides to demonstrate the effectiveness of this strategy by rushing down the hall to a storage crate in the room ahead. Ash and Liara can see the glow of his kinetic barrier deflecting the shots the whole way, just barely sustained for the duration of his approach.

Ash and Liara take slightly more care following him. They duck from one point of cover to the next, barely giving the turret time to fire on them at all. This strategy is so effective that they manage to get behind the turret itself in a matter of minutes.

The loading bay itself is relatively simple. From where they enter, the control booth for the turret and pedway are at the far end of the room. They enter onto a walkway that circles the perimeter of the room. Infront of the control booth is a set of stairs on both sides leading down to the main floor, which contains various crates of cargo, as well as the actual loading site for the pedway cars. At either end of the control booth are currently closed hatches, led to directly by the walkway Shepard and his crew are heading down.

As soon as they’re inside the room, it’s basically over for the Cerberus troopers. It immediately becomes painfully clear that it was unreasonable for them to have ever thought they would be anything more than fodder to momentarily slow down Shepard’s squad. They topple to the ground and slump against the walls or furniture when life ceases to animate them.

As soon as the three are sure that they’ve addressed the threat, Shepard heads for the control station at the front of the room. The first thing he does is shut down the turret. The second, barely a moment later, is try to access the cameras in the archive, on the other side of the pedway. For once, this works. The video feed cuts in on the monitors above the station, letting all three of them see.

The screens show nothing for a moment, then the sound of talking. A Cerberus trooper walks into frame beside Dr. Core.

“Set up a perimeter. No one else comes across.” The woman orders.

“We still have teams on the other side.” The trooper argues, stepping ahead of Dr. Core to stop her.

“No one!” She repeats. “And shut down those cameras!” The moment she says this she looks to the very camera Shepard’s group is viewing them through, and unholsters a pistol just to shoot it. The feed is reduced to static.

“Looks like they’ve made it to the archives.” Liara correctly notes, with a fair amount of distress in her tone.

“And it looks like they won’t be sending a tram anytime soon.” Ashley adds.

Shepard looks to Liara now, stepping out of the way of the control station.

“Can you override it?” Shepard asks.

Liara steps into the place Shepard was and leans over the computer so she may try to do just that. In just a moment the computer rudely beeps at her, and she shakes her head.

“The archives are on a completely separate network. We’re completely locked out.” Liara states.

“Not completely. What if we could find a short range transmitter – helmet-to-helmet?” Ashley asks, walking down the room towards the hatch at the end. She only proceeds about half way though, looking back to Shepard for approval.

As she does Liara sits down at the control station, still trying to find any useful data.

“And?” Shepard questions.

“And then we convince them that we’re with them and the Alliance forces have been taken care of.” Ashley explains.

“Good idea. See what you can find.” Shepard approves.

Liara looks back to Shepard as Ashley walks off towards the various bodies left around the room. It takes him a moment but eventually Shepard notices this look from Liara, causing him to respond with a simple “What?”

Liara looks back to the control station, tapping away at the keyboard.

“The Lieutenant-commander has become very capable.” Liara mentions.

“Agreed.” Shepard states, effortlessly missing her suggestion.

There’s the briefest moment of pause, where Shepard remains stationary. Soon enough, however, it’s interrupted by Ashley finding something.

“Commander! I found something.” Ashley declares, getting both Shepard and Liara’s attention.

Shepard heads away from the station to head for Ashley. Liara stays behind. For a moment she watches Shepard go, but eventually turns back to the screen on the desk in front of her.

Shepard heads out through the far hatch, finding Ashley crouched beside a Cerberus trooper. One of the ones they just killed, who seemingly managed to crawl out of the room after initially being shot. He didn’t make it far, though.

“What’ve you got?” Shepard asks, kneeling beside her and the body.

“He’s got a transmitter in his helmet. If I can…” Ashley starts, reaching out to flip his body over. She has to step back to make room for him. Once the body is stationary again, she reaches out and taps the side of the helmet.

The visor’s seal breaks with an awful hiss, then slowly slides up into his helmet. Inch by inch, the face below is revealed to them. What they find within the helmet, much to their surprise and dismay, is entirely inhuman.

Not in the way that Liara, or even the postthean were inhuman. Them being aliens is irrelevant, and incomparable to the current sight. What this trooper is, what they see, is closer to a drowned corpse than a person. This man is dead, true, but that has nothing to do with his current state.

“Augh” Ashley can’t help but react, forced to step back without the benefit of an air filter.

Their skin is a hue of corroded blue. Their eyes are stained a deep black, with only their pupils standing against this as a stark, unnatural glowing blue. Running down their face, buried beneath the skin in ways all too familiar, are wires and tubes.

“Oh, god. He looks like a husk.” Ashley names it.

“Yeah, not quite. But they’ve definitely done something to him.” Shepard agrees.

“Engineered? By Cerberus? They claim to stand for humanity, and they do this to their own people.” Ashley speaks, as if trying to argue the fact that Cerberus is as evil as she clearly sees it to be.

Shepard doesn’t disagree, though. He just rises to his feet and looks to Ashley.

“That could have been you, Shepard. For all I knew, that’s what Cerberus had done to you.” Ashley tells him.

“How can you compare me to that thing?” Shepard dramatically gestures to the body.

“I don’t know what you are…” Ashley turns from Shepard. She takes a few steps away from him. “Not since they got their hands on you. Is it really you? Would you even know if they were controlling you somehow?”

“That’s not fair, Ash.” Shepard argues.

She turns around again, but only halfway. She looks at him, though only long enough to say “I’m just talking out loud. I don’t need you to answer. I doubt there’s anything you could say to convince me.” She then looks away from him again, staring out into the rest of the loading bay.

“I guess I just need some time to get to know you again.” She says.

Shepard takes a step towards Ashley. He can’t help noticing the way she leans away from him when he does, so he stops after just one step.

“I’m the same person I always was. Time won’t change that, but if that’s what you need, I understand.” Shepard tells her.

“Thanks… for understanding.” Ashley accepts, looking to him again.

“You bet.” Shepard nods.

“Let’s see if we can get that tram sent over here.” Shepard changes the conversation’s course, looking to the body again.

He leans down and puts his hand to the side of the trooper’s helmet. His fingers just glide along the surface at first. He has to apply some pressure to get his fingers to catch on the edge of a seam in the helmet, letting him slide off a small box from the rest of the structure.

He rises back to full height with their radio now in hand, and holds it up to his mouth.

“Hello. This is- Delta Team. Anybody there?” Shepard tries.

There’s the briefest pause before “Where the hell have you been?” comes through from an assault trooper on the other side. “Never mind. What’s your status?” is said just as quickly after, before Shepard even has a chance to respond.

“We’re at the tram station, waiting for extraction. All hostiles terminated.” Shepard says.

“Roger that. Echo team will ride over and secure the station.” The other side actually believes him.

Shepard just tosses the communicator away once they get this message.

“Think they bought it?” Ashley wonders.

“If they didn’t, they’ll figure it out soon enough.”

It’s now that Liara finally emerges from the back room, walking over to join the others. The sight of the Cerberus trooper’s face catches her attention, but she doesn’t linger on it.

“We should get in position. Flank them when they get off the tram.” Ashley suggests.

“Good thinking, LC.” Shepard approves.

This plan works, astonishingly well. When the tram arrives Shepard’s squad put them down fast and hard. They then enter the tram, and ride it across. Both Liara and Ashley have to put their breather and helmet back on to do this, as the journey takes them out into the turbulent whirlwind of baked orange sand created by the storm.

Along the way, a bomb Cerberus set on the rail detonates, stopping their car halfway across, several hundred feet up in the air. This proves to be only a minor inconvenience, as another tram full of Cerberus troops rides out on the opposite line to deal with them. This only serves to give Shepard’s squad a ride.

When the tram arrives at the other side, they are greeted with yet more Cerberus troops. These ones prove to be slightly more of a problem, in that not all of them are so easy to gun down as the ones prior.

The tram itself slots into a large airlock space, equipped with a seal on each side. Despite the best efforts of the trooper in the control booth, they aren’t able to override the automated systems and lock them in this space.

In the room beyond the airlock are two hatches, and a control booth. One hatch is at the right side of the room, while the other is at the very back, directly behind the control booth. Said booth provides most of the cover for the Cerberus soldiers, as it features panes of impact resistant glass that slide down to shield the inside.

Still, the opposition fails to stop Shepard’s squad. Once they fall, the squad heads through this space to the hatch at the very back. They don’t have the time to address the Alliance soldiers scattered about the room, clearly having fought to the last man to keep the Archives safe, for however much time that bought Shepard.

Upon reaching the door Shepard motions for Liara and Ashley to take cover by the wall. Shepard taps the holographic control panel before doing the same, leaving them all to wait for a moment while the hatch confirms their entry and opens.

Shepard charges in first, followed by the others just behind him.

It’s the archive, and it’s empty upon first glance. Not of data, just of people. It’s a large circular room with a Prothean beacon in the center, encased in a glass tube lit green, which itself is enforced with 4 equidistant mechanical arms extending to the sides of the room, each housing an interface terminal. Two walkways encircle the beacon, both suspended far from the ground of the room, and from each other by four bridges under each arm.

Just in front of the beacon is a work station. Three control terminals, more or less the same as one another, stand in a row at the edge of the tube. Behind them are tables, cabinets, and a holographic projector idly displaying a view of the cavities below, where more prothean relics lie.

“Ash” Shepard speaks, gesturing ahead with a nod.

Ashley heads around the perimeter while Shepard and Liara press forward. They head to one of the bridges, letting them access the inner circle. Liara heads directly for the control terminal at the front of the massive tube. Shepard stays just behind her, keeping an eye on the rest of the room while she works.

The massive hull of the room groans and hums idly. Shepard couldn’t say if it’s because of the storm, the beacon, or the machinery built into the walls. Whatever the cause, the effect is a disquiet ambiance that refuses to give them a moment of peace.

The air is dry, and cold. Clinical. Presumably maintained that way intentionally to minimize the very possibility of corrosion, or contamination. Each footstep Ashley takes is felt through the walkway, but the actual sound is drowned out by the rest of the idle drones. It’s only as close as they are that they can hear the hum of the hologram projector.

It’s only because of their proximity that they can hear when it glitches. When the hum crackles, and takes a moment to settle. When it speaks.

“Shepard” A voice calls out. One he knows.

Liara whips around to aim her gun at the source of the noise as soon as she hears it. Conversely, Shepard does the exact same thing even faster, and fires three shots into the center of the hologram. They pass directly through the man’s chest, striking the far wall behind him harmlessly, but the intent is registered.

“Illusive man.” Liara names him.

A light skinned older man dressed in a black suit. The kind of clothing you would expect to find upon the backs of elite, but not politicians. Expensive, and formal, but not respectable. His slicked back, greying hair matches the suit in style. His eyes are the greatest standout. They’re artificial, and glow with an unnatural blue light.

Liara holsters her gun, acknowledging the futility of trying to shoot a hologram. Shepard takes a moment longer to do the same.

“Fascinating race, the Protheans. They left all this for us to discover, but we’ve squandered it. The Alliance has known about the Archives for more than thirty years, and what have they done with it?” The Illusive Man monologues.

“What do you want?” Shepard asks.

The question doesn’t seem to be one he expected. His eyes widen, very slightly, and he takes pause. His eyes slowly shift past Shepard, and up to the Prothean beacon standing as a monolith behind him.

“What I have always wanted.” The Illusive man states. “The data in these artifacts holds the key to solving the Reaper threat.”

“I’ve seen your solution. Your people are turned into monsters.”

“Hardly. They’re being improved.”

“Improved?” Shepard doubts him.

“That’s what separates us, Shepard: where you see a means to destroy, I see a way to control – to dominate, harness, amalgamate the Reaper’s power with our own. Imagine how strong humanity would be if we controlled them.” The Illusive Man says. His words are genuine. He means what he says, believes in it. At least, he acts like he does.

“You’ve gone too far. The Reapers will kill us all if we don’t stop fighting each other!” Shepard tries to convince him.

“I don’t expect you to understand, Shepard. And I’m certainly not looking for your approval. You were a tool, an agent with a singular purpose. And despite our differences, you were relatively successful.” The man pauses for a moment, and looks back over his left shoulder. The posture implies another person there, whom Shepard is unable to see. “But like the rest of the relics in this place, your time is over.”

“Enough talk. Liara.” Shepard orders.

Liara turns back and steps over to the control terminal again.

“Don’t interfere with my plans, Shepard. I won’t warn you again.”

“Duly noted.” Shepard humors him.

“Shepard!” Liara shouts, causing him to swing his attention to her.

“What?”

“The data, it’s not here.” Liara says.

The Illusive Man watches for a moment more. His face wears a smile for the last moments they can see him, right up until the moment he turns from them and walks off. The hologram is left to fractal and dissolve without his image.

“It’s being erased.” Liara continues.

“Damn it! How’s he doing it?” Shepard asks, leaning over Liara’s shoulder as she franticly drills away at the terminal’s keyboard.

“It’s local. Someone’s uploading the information.” Liara explains.

Shepard is powerless to help. He wouldn’t know where to start. He can only watch as their last hope slips through their fingers. One by one, dozen by dozen, the files vanish. All the data is stripped and drained. He watches powerless, for the second time today, as his ability to fight the Reapers is torn from him.

Then,

“Hey! Step away from the terminal!” Ashley shouts out, causing Shepard to whip around to look in her direction. She stands by one of the mechanical arms, looking in to where the terminal is.

Shepard waits in the moment of pause before she speaks again.

“Now!” Ashley demands.

Ahsley takes one step towards the space hidden from Shepard, and barely a moment later she’s slammed back to the ground with a painful groan. A second later the light of the beacon goes dark.

A woman runs out from the space Shepard couldn’t see. Dr. Eva Core. She dashes for the door out, the same one they entered through.

“Agh! She’s got the data!” Ashley calls out.

There it is. His way to stop this. His way to give his side a fighting chance.

Liara is a second behind him when Shepard starts running.

“She’s faster than she looks!” Liara realizes.

“Stay close, we can’t lose her!” Shepard commands.

His biotics spark and buzz when he throws himself over the railing, carrying him across the space and to the exit. He passes through it just behind Dr. Core, a second too late to stop her from entering the control booth and shutting the door behind her.

Shepard’s momentum slams him into the door. He pushes back from the metal and slams his hand through the prompt to open the door.

The instant there’s a gap in the metal his barrier is hit with several shots from Eva’s gun. It does little to slow Shepard, who pulls free his pistol as he enters the room.

He’s able to get off a single shot before she leaps off the ground and through a hatch in the ceiling. The shot didn’t leave a mark, despite looking like it hit her. Shepard doesn’t have time. He rushes forward and hits the control terminal to drop the glass screens.

Outside the booth he sees Eva drop down out of the ceiling, and head for the other hatch. The one that’s now on their left. Shepard throws himself over the divider once the glass is out of the way, and continues to rush after her.

Behind the hatch is a ladder, which Shepard leaps onto and pulls himself up. In a blur the commander finds himself outside, on the roof of the archives. He can hear his squadmates behind him, catching up. He won’t slow down.

She weaves around the various structures atop the archives. Shepard leaps over them, trying to follow as directly as he can. The shots fired back at him aren’t frequent enough to break his barrier, so he ignores them.

Out of the corner of his vision he sees a Cerberus shuttle swing down to the height of the roof, hovering just off its side. Eva seems to consider heading for it, but is forced to continue straight by the rapid drum of boots behind her.

It’s not long before this chase leads them to the end of this section of the roof. Eva vanishes for moments at a time when she drops down towards a throughway of sorts, under cover. Shepard doesn’t have the time to process what the environment actually is, only how to navigate it.

“James, do you read me?” Shepard shouts, barely sparing the time to activate his comms.

The response is unintelligible, lost within the static that takes its place.

“Cerberus has the data.” Shepard states.

The sound that comes back to him is no less distorted.

“Radio the Normandy, get them down here now.” Shepard orders, hoping they can understand him.

She starts climbing up again, to a higher section of the roof. He follows as fast as he can, but she gains distance. He just barely makes it up top in time to see the Cerberus shuttle from before swoop down, putting itself in place at the end of the roof for her to jump in.

He’s not going to be fast enough.

The shuttle gets into position and swings open the side hatch.

He can’t stop her.

She doesn’t slow down. She charges the edge of the roof full speed, and jumps across to the shuttle, landing inside of it.

He’s halfway across the roof when she turns to look back at him, and the shuttle starts rising into the air. When the butterfly door closes on the cabin.

“Damnit!” Shepard calls out, skidding to a stop at the edge of the roof.

He’s powerless again. Forced to watch.

“James?” He tries.

He can only watch. He has nothing else.

“Normandy?” He hopes.

What else can he do? What could he possibly do?

“Anybody?” He pleads.

What would Ben do?

He isn’t prepared for that thought, and yet… he knows the answer.

Shepard takes a step back, then another. Then runs. Then leaps.

His biotics roar to life. More intense, and violent, and charged than they’ve ever been. He reaches out, pushes himself forward, and the dark energy in his body responds. He’s lifted through the air, thrown over the endless chasm below, and makes it high enough to hit the side of the shuttle.

He has less than a second before he starts falling again, but he makes it count. He grabs onto the side of the ship, just beside the hatch, clinging to it with all his strength.

He feels the shuttle swing around, affected by the force of him hitting it. He can see Dr. Core through the window. The empty look of analysis and confusion on her static face. He can reach out, and so he does.

It burns. The feeling of his biotics stretched to their limit, pulled in directions he’s never dared before. He feels like he’s on fire, like he’s dying, and yet he knows he’s not. He’s died before, and he knows this isn’t it.

He grabs the controls inside the shuttle with his biotics and forces them. The hatch on his side of the shuttle swings open, and he grabs Dr. Core with his mass effect fields. Empty confusion is worn on her face. He yanks, and she’s swept off the ground. She tries to grab anything within the shuttle at the last moment, but it’s too late. She’s thrown from the cabin.

It’s pure luck that when she flies out it’s in the direction of the roof. A heavy clang rings out when she hits the roof, and tumbles over herself. Shepard waits for the Cerberus shuttle to rotate around again before leaping off of it. His biotics roar and flicker and wail when he uses them to glide down and land safely on the roof.

He’s barely able to stand. He’s barely able to stay conscious. He forces himself to do both. He watches when Liara and Ashley rise onto the open platform, and process the scene.

“Oh my god. Her face.” Ashley reacts, stuttering to a stop with Liara.

“What?” Shepard questions.

He feels the way his body begs for rest, but he doesn’t have time. It’ll be hours to the Citadel. He’ll rest then.

“Shepard- Her face.” Ashley repeats.

Shepard doesn’t get it at first. He looks to Eva, and sees the same unemotive restraint when she picks herself up.

“She’s not wearing a helmet.” Liara states.

There’s only a second to linger on this before Liara and Ashley both turn their attention to the sky. A look of panic strikes Liara’s face, obscured only by an oxygen mask. Dr. Core reacts in an instant, and swings herself around to look in the same direction as the other two.

Liara has time to reach across the field and shield Shepard with her biotics. Dr. Eva Cora does not have time to move from her position.

“I got this one!” James’ voice plays in their speakers.

Shepard hears the sound of metal colliding with metal. The sound of turbines whirring and sputtering.

He feels the heat of the impact, and his back slamming into the ground. He feels the edge of the biotic field pulling on one side of his body, and the lack of ground under his left arm.

He’s so tired.

He has to get back up.

He can barely move his body.

It’s time to get back up.

His ribs feel bruised. His entire chest feels like someone hit him with a cannon. He’s almost certain he’s concussed. He wants to sleep. He needs to rest.

But this is when he gets. Back. Up.

So he takes a deep breath, and opens his eyes.

His lids part just in time to witness the blue of their shuttle glide overhead.

He’s figuring things out fast, but the picture isn’t complete yet. He leans up, and feels every part of his body fighting the motion. He ignores the fatigue. He hasn’t suffered anything permanent, and he knows this. He can get up. He will.

He shifts himself in from the edge of the roof. His brain wracks itself to process the sight before him.

Fire. Metal. White and black metal. The Cerberus logo. Fire, over the whole shape. He’s on the roof of the Mars Archive. Debris and shrapnel surround him. The shape ahead of him is deformed, and on fire, and blocking off the rest of the roof.

It’s where Dr. Core is supposed to be.

It’s the Cerberus shuttle.

He figures it out all at once, like a light switching on. James rammed the Cerberus shuttle out of the sky, and it crashed onto Dr. Eva Core.

The data will be fine. It must be, he thinks.

“Liara, Ash, come in. Status report.” Shepard speaks, putting his hand to his helmet to activate his comms.

There’s a moment of silence that fills him with dread. Until “Shepard, thank goodness.” Comes through, from Liara.

“We’re alright, Commander.” Ashley tells him not a moment after.

He can feel the relief, but he can’t let his body relax. Adrenaline is the only thing keeping him upright.

He watches their shuttle come down on the other side of the crash, presumably where Ash and Liara are. It sputters and shakes, but lands all the same. It was damaged by the impact. Shepard’s not sure if it will be able to take off again.

“Normandy’s on route. They’ll be here soon.” James says, breathlessly. Shepard can hear him emerge from the shuttle soon after the doors open.

“We need the data.” Liara reminds them. Her voice is strained, almost pained. She’s injured.

Shepard can hear the three of them move on the other side of the wreck. One of them moves away from it, while the other two approach.

Shepard scans over the roof, looking for a way around the wreck. He sees it. There are raised sections at either end of this area. Shepard starts heading for the one on his left, knowing that if he can climb atop, he can make it across. Already the fatigue from his biotic usage is subsiding, if slightly. He’s still in pain, and probably concussed, but he’s mobile again.

Then, comes a sound he couldn’t have possibly expected. The groaning of the shuttle being moved, the scraping of its metal against the metal of the roof, and whirring and sputtering, like that of a mech.

Shepard pulls himself onto the rise at the edge of the roof in time to see the Cerberus shuttle pushed up and back, off the body beneath it. Not by biotics, but by the body itself. The body now damaged, crushed and flattened to a noticeable degree on its left side, and charred clean of clothes and skin.

It’s a robot. A mech, technically. The body is a machine, entirely synthetic. The short black hair now reveals itself as solid metal, shaped oddly and jaggedly around the sides of its head. Cables stretch below sections of translucent plastics, revealing the machines that stretch and pull to simulate muscles. Flexible metal covers the rest of it. Its face remains intact, unlike a large section of its torso. Disconcertingly human, save for the lack of ears, and holographic visor over its eyes glowing a bright blue.

Shepard can see his squad now. Liara is injured, but he can’t tell how badly from where he is. She’s made it to the shuttle, and is leaning herself against its side. Ashley and James are both on their feet still, and pull their rifles as soon as the body emerges.

The body rushes them. Every shot that hits it bounces off or deforms the metal in a way that doesn’t slow it down. Despite the end of its left arm being too damaged to use as a hand, its still able to smack James with it hard enough to send him tumbling. Its right hand grabs the gun Ashley is holding and rips it from her grip.

Ashley takes a single step back after being disarmed. She only gets the one before the mech reaches out and grabs the face of her helmet. Ashley’s hands grip the mech’s arm when it lifts her off the ground.

“Ash!” Shepard shouts.

He tries to run, but his body doesn’t want to let him. That doesn’t matter though. He charges ahead anyways, pulling his pistol off the side of his suit to aim it at the mech.

“Let her go!” Shepard orders.

The mech doesn’t even acknowledge him. It does pause for a moment, but only to stare blankly into the middle distance. Then, it swings around, and slams Ash’s entire body into the side of the Cerberus shuttle, still holding her by the head.

“NO!” Shepard shouts.

Again, and again, Ash’s head is slammed into the side of the shuttle. Her grasp on the mech’s arm is released, and her arms fall to her sides. One final time Ash is slammed against the metal as Shepard comes down from the raised section.

The mech drops Ash, and turns to the Commander.

It starts running towards him, but doesn’t get to close half the distance before a hail of bullets begins striking it from the side, throwing it off balance. It turns its attention to the source, James, and starts heading for him.

It seems pure luck that a shot manages to slip between the damaged plates of metal over its chest. That’s all Shepard can estimate happens, at least. One moment it’s running full speed, and the next, with a violent spark from its chest, it collapses.

Shepard stores the pistol the moment he’s confident it’s not getting back up, and then turns his focus to Ashley.

“Grab that thing. Bring it with us.” Shepard calls out. He can see James follow the directive instantly.

He heads for Ashley, dropping down to her side.

“Shepard, we’ve got Reaper signatures in orbit.” Joker comes through his comms, just managing to break through the static that eats at his words. The warning doesn’t feel fair.

“Ash. Ashley!” Shepard tries. He can see through the visor of her helmet that her eyes aren’t open. He pauses for a moment, hesitates, uncertain of what to do.

“Commander, did you hear me?” Joker checks.

Shepard looks up to the sky, and sees the distant gleaming speck of light that indicates the Normandy coming down. Then he looks down to Ashley. He grabs her, lifting her arm over his shoulders and shakily rising back to his feet.

“The posttheans…” Shepard remembers.

“Shepard, there’s no time.” Liara tells him.

He looks to her, watching as she gets back up and limps over to him, taking half the weight of Ashley.

Shepard is silent for a moment.

He looks back to the sky, seeing the Normandy almost here. The shape of his ship, gleaming in the light of their distant sun. His salvation, coming down to rest perfectly above the roof of the archive, and extend the loading ramp for them to walk up.

He knows that Ben would have found a way to save everyone, but he can’t. It’s the posttheans, or the data, and he can’t risk it. He doesn’t have time. He doesn’t have a way.

He walks with Liara up the ramp, following behind James.

He hears the distant roars of the Reapers descending upon the planet. The booming thuds of them landing. He knows they won’t be able to come back.

Mars, and everything still there, is left behind.

The mech’s body hits the surface of the cot with a forceful clunk.

On the other side of the med bay, Shepard and Liara set Ashley onto a bed with more care.

Liara steps back and leans herself against the next bed over, taking just a second to catch her breath.

Shepard can’t even think about his own injuries. All he can focus on is Ashley, barely breathing on the bed before him. All he can do is cling to the side of her bed, and watch.

He doesn’t know what to do.

He can’t fathom their next course of action. Logically, somewhere in his mind he knows what to do, but it’s beyond him. He’s stuck, here, in this one moment.

And Liara notices.

She leans off the second cot and leans down to enter Shepard’s field of view.

“Ashey needs medical attention!” Liara tells him.

Shepard can’t do it. Something critical is failing, and he’s stuck staring at Ashley. The body of his ally, barely alive. Another one of his friends, almost dead, even though he did everything right.

What could he have done?

Liara leans in, awkwardly pushing herself over Ashley so Shepard’s gaze is forced to meet hers.

“We have to leave the sol system.” Liara practically demands.

Just barely, it reaches him. The firmness in her voice, the certainty, it manages to drag him out of the anxiety and dread paralyzing him.

“I know.” Shepard tells her.

The words are enough to let Liara lean back, and Shepard’s view follows her.

“The Citadel is our best chance. We can find help there.” Liara says.

Shepard looks to the ceiling.

“Get us to the citadel, Joker.” Shepard orders.

“Roger that.” Joker responds through the intercom.

His visor slowly drifts back down to Ashley.

“Hold on, Ash.” Shepard begs.

Finally, he lets go of the bed. He reaches up and slides off his helmet, then looks to the mech on the bed opposite them, where James still stands.

“See what you and EDI can learn from that thing.” Shepard says, implicitly speaking to Liara.

She nods and steps away from Ashley’s bed, closing the distance to the body of the mech.

When she does, Shepard turns to head out of the med bay. He only makes it a step before James reaches out and grabs his shoulder.

“Commander.” James starts, causing him to stop. “With all due respect, you look like hell, Shepard.”

Shepard just stares at him.

“It’ll be a few hours before we make it to the relay. You need some rest, sir.” James tells him.

Shepard almost dismisses him. He’s still on his feet, and he still has work to do. The fatigue of the fight is numbing.

“I agree.” Liara adds. Shepard looks past James to her. “I saw how you stalled the shuttle, Shepard. Ignoring that you aren’t even supposed to be biotic, I’ll be surprised if that didn’t overload your implant. You’re going to need medical attention too. The least you can do until then is rest.”

This forces Shepard to consider the suggestion more seriously. He knows he can’t argue with Liara, because she’s right.

“… fine.” He accepts. “But don’t hesitate to wake me.”

“Yes, sir.” James accepts, letting go of Shepard’s armor.

He continues out of the med bay, with the intent to head for the captain’s quarters.

He gets almost four hours.

That’s four hours where his body is able to heal, and his mind is able to rest. Only the vague impressions of dreams dare reach him, nothing more. Not for as long as he sleeps.

Then he’s awake again, with the sound of the intercom switching on. The hazy fog of confusion, that which comes with being torn from deep sleep, lingers for only a moment. Soon he’s leaned up, and is awake enough to understand the message EDI gives him.

“Commander, I’m receiving a signal over the secondary QEC. I believe it’s admiral Hackett.”

“Thanks, EDI. Patch me through.” He tells her.

“I’ll forward it to the comm room.”

It’s a quick walk through the Normandy.

He takes the elevator down to the CIC, then heads through the door that used to lead to the Tech Lab, through the war room, and into the communication room.

The room itself is circular, to a degree, but divided in half. On the near side is the open floor, which Shepard steps onto. At the halfway point are terminals, and a barrier separating Shepard from the holographic projectors occupying the other half of the room. There are three distinct pads on the floor, indicating spaces for holograms. Currently, only the central projector is active, where the vague and distorted form of a human stands.

“Shepard, are you reading me? Commander?” A voice comes through, distorted and weathered to a notable degree.

“EDI, can you clear this up?” Shepard requests.

“I’ll do my best.”

Shepard stops upon reaching the terminal. Very quickly a grid of lights sweeps over his body, scanning him in. He waits for just a second as the hologram solidifies and refines its shape into the recognizable form of Admiral Hackett. An older white man, thin, with short greying hair and goatee. His Alliance uniform is indicative of his position.

“Commander. What’s your status?” He questions.

“On my way to the Citadel.” Shepard quickly answers. “We stopped by Mars on our way off Earth.”

“Good.” The admiral cuts in. “God knows what we’d have lost if you didn’t. Did you get to the archives?” He checks.

“I was there. So was the Illusive Man.”

Hackett suppresses his disappointment at the news. “I was worried Cerberus might try something. Did you get the data?”

“Most of it. He downloaded some before I could stop him.” Shepard explains.

Shepard plans to continue, but the sound of footsteps cause him to pause. He glances back and finds Liara approaching from the war room.

“EDI and Liara are analyzing what we recovered.” Shepard says after the pause, looking back to Hackett.

“What have you learned? Was it worth the effort?” Hackett asks.

Liara comes to a stop at Shepard’s side, at which point a grid of lights scan her as well, flashing over her skin and clothes for just a moment.

“Preliminary research indicates the data is a blueprint for a Prothean device.” Liara explains.

“Device?” Hackett questions.

Liara raises her left forearm and flicks up her wrist to summon her omni-tool. She navigates the interface for only a second before lowering her arm again.

Almost immediately after, the hologram projector on their left comes to life. In the space to Hackett’s right various shapes appear, arranged in a way that leaves a lot of room to imagining how they might go together.

“A weapon. Massive in size and scope, that’s capable of unquantifiable levels of destruction.” Liara explains.

“Send me the data. We’ll do our own analysis. If Liara’s instincts are right, this might be the key to stopping the Reapers.” Hackett requests.

Liara raises her omni-tool again, seemingly setting up the data to do just that.

“I hope so.” Shepard says to Hackett. “Lieutenant-Commander Williams was critically wounded. We’re hoping to find help at the Citadel.”

“Sorry to hear that Shepard. But we both know this is just the beginning. Talk to the Council. Show them what you’ve found. With luck, they’ll give you all the support we need.”

“And if they don’t?” Shepard wonders.

“Do whatever it takes to get them on board.”

Shepard nods, then straightens himself out to salute the Adrmiral. Hackett returns the gesture. He’s about to turn away, when he pauses.

“One more thing, Commander. There’s something you should know.” Hackett says.

Shepard is left is suspense for a moment. He has to watch as the Admiral turns to his left, and waits for a moment. Presumably he’s looking to his equivalent of the holographic projector on Shepard’s right, the one left empty.

“I could hardly believe the news.” Hackett continues.

The projector activates. It buzzes, and the disparate particles of light quickly cohere to one another, forming a recognizably human shape. In another second the shape is defined, given color, and looks to Shepard with an unmistakable smug grin.

“Heya Shep. Miss me?”

It’s him. For as hard as Shepard finds it to believe, it’s him. The thin human teenager, wearing the same ancient clothes. The same tussled brown hair, the same impossibly simple shape of the Omnitrix inconspicuously peeking out from under his sleeve, the same green eyes gleaming with confidence.

“Ben.” Shepard names him.

“Sorry about the wait. Meant to be back sooner, but stuff happened. We’re meeting at the Citadel, right? Gotta get the Council on board with helping fight the Reapers.”

Shepard finds it hard to believe. Liara, not a pace behind him finds it hard to believe. Both of them are left awestruck, in silence, looking at the hologram in disbelief.

“I’ll be in touch soon.” Hackett speaks, snapping Shepard’s attention to him. “Hackett out.” Is the last thing he says before vanishing.

Only Ben’s hologram is left in the booth, which causes it to snap over to the middle projector.

Shepard doesn’t know what to say.

“H-how?” Liara asks for him. “We thought you were dead.”

“Sorry about that. When I was dealing with the Alpha relay, the Omnitrix gave me a form I call “Alien-X.” It let me slip back to my universe. Wanted to tell you guys first, but I couldn’t risk losing the chance to get home. Y’know, to get help.” Ben explains.

The moments rush back to Shepard. The shuttle, racing back to the Normandy. The harrowing moments after the detonation. The wait, the hope, for Ben to respond. The silence.

The last things he said to Shepard. The confident assurance that he’d be fine, and that he wouldn’t waste their opportunity.

How is he supposed to feel? Relief? Anger? Hope? Exhausted? He feels it all, in varying degrees. The emotions wash over one another, cycling moment to moment like a torrent.

“But, uhh… bad news.” Ben continues in their silence. “The plumbers shot down my request to help. The Magistrata said that the Reapers don’t directly affect our universe, so we can’t intervene. And to make things worse, my ship got fried by one of the giant Reapers after we came back, so for now we’re stuck here. Back to square one.”

“Your ship?” Is what Shepard latches onto.

“Yeah. I can explain once we’re at the Citadel, but it’s called the Omni-TRUK. Once we repair it, it’ll let us jump back and forth from this universe to mine. Won’t do us much good until we have a compelling argument for the Plumbers, though.” Ben tells him.

“Where are you now?” Shepard asks.

“Space, somewhere or other. I’m with a guy called Alec Ryder. He’s giving us a ride to the Citadel. We’re almost to the system’s relay now.”

“Us?” Shepard catches the word usage.

“My friends and I. Rook, and Ester. They came with, to help. Some more of my friends should be hopping over in a couple weeks. Maybe more, if Kev has trouble with the warp-field whatchamahoosit.”

This is almost too much for Shepard. The Reapers he can handle. Cerberus he can handle. Being forced to leave behind the Posttheans he can handle. His friends dying on his watch he knows how to handle. But Ben? Ben is too much for anyone to handle, even him.

“Good to see you again, Liara.” Ben says.

“Huh- uh… yes. You too, Ben.” She offers, just as taken aback as Shepard, evidently.

“And you, Shepard. I missed you guys.”

Shepard forces himself to focus again. To push aside the storm of emotions, and just focus on Ben. Here, now, in this moment.

“It’s good to have you back, Ben.” Shepard tells him.

Shepard can see the way Ben relaxes with the statement. He didn’t even realize the teen was tense before, but he sees the immediate difference.

“Yeah. Would have been better if I brought an army, but you’ll take what you can get.” Ben says, slipping into the nonchalant levity he’s known for. “Anyways. Catch you guys at the Citadel. We’re bouncing our signal off like 7 QEC links right now, and can’t hit FTL till I’m done talking, and Ryder’s giving me a look.”

Before Shepard has the chance to say anything else, Ben vanishes. The line ends, and the light of the QEC dims to nothing, quieting to near silence when it does.

Shepard stays there for a few moments more, just thinking. He hardly notices when Liara exits the QEC. He’s only brought back to the moment when Liara calls out to him.

“Shepard?”

He turns around to look at her, standing at the base of the stairs which lead out of the comm room.

“EDI is extracting data from the Cerberus machine. We’ll have details to present to the Council by the time we reach the Citadel.” She tells him.

“And Lieutenant-Commander Williams?” Shepard checks.

“I’ve done what I can for her. She needs proper medical attention soon.”

Shepard nods, thinking on this.

The silence between them lasts for a moment too long, until Liara speaks again.

“The admiral’s right. It’s going to get worse, isn’t it?”

Shepard’s quiet. He walks forward, stepping down and out of the comm room.

“Unless we stop the Reapers. Yeah.” Shepard acknowledges.

Liara follows Shepard when he walks past her. They both walk into the large space of the war room. Circular, with two levels. The inner circle, lower down, where they are now, and the outer walkway. The outer walkway is lined with terminals, while the inner circle only houses a circular hologram projector, shaped almost like a table.

Shepard stops beside this projector, and turns back to Liara, who stops as well a few steps from him.

“I’ve looked at the data. This weapon could be the answer… if we can build it.” Liara tells him.

Shepard doesn’t respond. He fails to even look at her, instead looking down to the floor between them.

“I get the sense you don’t quite believe it though.” Liara notes.

“You didn’t see what they did to Earth. How is one weapon supposed to stop them?” Shepard can’t imagine it.

“What are our options? Until a couple of minutes ago we thought Ben was dead, all our other plans have fallen through, and you know we can’t win this conventionally.” Liara tells him.

He knows. He’s completely aware of how hopeless it seems. How important each and every chance is. How impossible each tiny victory has felt since they fell from the sky. That’s why he feels like he’s been beaten half to death right now. That’s why he was willing to leave Mars behind.

That’s why it seems so dangerous to hope.

“Shepard?” Liara speaks, carefully. “Is it worth trying at least?”

Shepard turns away, looking to the arch that leads back into the CIC at the far end of the room. He starts heading in that direction.

“I’m going to check on Ashley and James.” Shepard tells her.

In a few more steps he pauses, just before he’s too far from Liara.

“Make sure we’re ready to present our findings to the council.” Shepard says, turning his head just enough to speak to Liara over his shoulder.

“I’m sure the council will see the need to help.” Liara assures him.

Shepard continues now, making his way up the stairs to the second ring, and heading for the door.

“It’ll be a hell of a short war if they don’t.”

Chapter Text

The whole ship jolts when the Tempest finally passes through the Relay. It again shutters, though more subtly, when it comes out of FTL. It’s something the crew would have to be paying attention to notice, but it’s enough to alert Ben to their imminent arrival a moment before SAM tells them.

Ben tosses himself out of the crew quarters, and jogs through the halls of the ship to get to the Omni-TRUK. The ramp is already down, letting him jog up and into the cabin, where he finds both Rook and Ester. The former sits in the driver’s seat, double checking what systems are and aren’t online. The latter is lying on the bench to Ben’s right, barely roused awake by the sound of Ben jogging in.

“Are you guys gonna come see the Citadel on our approach, or what?” Ben asks.

Rook rotates his seat to let himself face Ben, and raises an eyebrow.

“Will we not be departing this vessel before landing?” Rook questions.

“Uhh… no. We’ll be docking, not landing. They wouldn’t have a clue what to do with us. We’d be floating around for like half an hour while they try to find a cargo bay or something for us.”

“Ah, I see. The landing pads on the Nexus gave me a different impression.” Rook explains.

“Yeah, that place was kinda weird. So, you coming?”

“I am eager to see the Citadel in person. From what I have read, it is a marvel of construction.”

“Yeah, Reaper construction. It’s pretty, just don’t be too trusting of the place, alright?”

“Of course” Rook affirms.

“Ester?” Ben checks, glancing down to her.

“I’m good where I am.” Ester says.

“Come on, really? It’s not any warmer in here, you know.”

“Heated seats.” She corrects him.

“Wait, really?” Ben reacts, shifting his focus to Rook.

“Indeed. Kevin suggested it.” Rook confirms, walking down the cabin towards Ben.

“Huh… Cool.” Ben approves, turning to head down into the loading bay with Rook. “Of course that survived getting hit by a Reaper.”

“Yes. It is… What is the phrase? “Just our luck” for luxuries to go undamaged while the engine is busted.”

“Yeah, that’s just our luck.”

It doesn’t take them long to head down the length of the Tempest, and onto the bridge. Alec spares a glance to them, but chooses not to question their presence.

Ben heads down into Suvi’s workstation, stopping a pace to her side to lean over her desk and stare out towards their destination. Suvi tries to pay him no mind. Rook does his best to be less intrusive, instead standing a few paces back from the main stations, just far enough forward to see out through the glass viewscreen.

What at first seems to be nothing more than a distant glistening shard of metal soon comes into focus the closer they get. With each moment the scale of the object they approach is made more and more clear. The scale of the universe, at first dwarfing the structure, soon becomes nothing more than backdrop to the enormity of the craft. Massive arms, five of them, each like claws, reach out from a central ring. Emerging from the edge of the loop is a single tower, reaching up to terminate in the center of the ring.

The outside of its massive shell is curved with an impossible precision and smoothness, while the interior surface is nearly completely covered with buildings and infrastructure that reaches up, forming an even layer of city that spans the full length of each arm.

Breaking this elegance, six objects float within the grasp of the Citadel. Massive vessels, made primarily of some kind of stone, with just enough metal and lights visible through the plates of earth for their true nature to be understandable. They appear to be docked to various wards, floating in perfect sync with the slow rotation of the primary station.

“Those are the postthean vessels?” Rook checks. The abruptness of his questions causes Suvi and Alec both to spare a glance back to him, but neither answers when they see that he’s looking to Ben.

“Most of them, at least. There should be eight. We’ll have to ask Apaleone about that.” Ben responds.

Suvi fails to suppress a confused chuckle. The look Ben gives prompts her to continue.

“You lot talk like you personally know some of the most powerful people in the galaxy. It’s just a little strange to hear, is all.” She explains.

Ben shrugs, turning to lean back on the side of the workstation.

“I guess that’s just what happens when you save the galaxy. Keep doing what you’re doing and I’m sure the council will be personally thanking you by the end of the year.” Ben says.

“Assuming we’re all still around by then.” Suvi turns her attention back to her monitors. Ben decides to looks back to the windows, and finds that the Citadel is now enveloping them. The glow of the cities built into the arms illuminates the outside of their ship, various hues of gold, violet, and red finding their way into the bridge.

Suvi reaches forward to manage the console in front of her before speaking. “Citadel Control, this is Tempest requesting permission to dock.”

It’s a moment before they receive a response. “You and everybody else. Standby for clearance, Tempest.” A gruff woman’s voice, speaking through unusually intense background chatter.

“Hey, I don’t suppose it would help to know that Ben 10 is onboard, would it? The Council’s probably gonna want to see me asap.” Ben tries.

They have to wait for another moment.

“Please confirm, Tempest. You said Ben Tennyson is onboard?” Citadel control checks.

“Affirmative.” Suvi confirms. “We’re… sending confirmation now?” She looks to Ben questioningly, and he leans forward to drill a code into the keyboard.

“…God damn. You’re cleared for landing, Tempest. Sending dock number now.” She says, then the line goes silent.

Ben slides himself forward and hops back up to the main walkway, walking towards Rook.

“I think that went well.” He mentions.

“There is still plenty of time for things to go awry.” Rook reminds him.

“Come on, have some hope.” Ben turns on the spot, facing the same way as Rook to look out at the approaching structure.

They’re headed for the presidium, the central ring all the arms are bound to. Just off of the main tower’s base. They won’t have to travel far to reach the Council’s chamber.

It takes a few minutes for the ship to settle and adjust pressure so the doors can open, but once it finally does Ben wastes no time getting down into the docking bay. Rook and Ester follow behind him, the latter tucking herself into her parka a little tighter. Alec and his kids aren’t long behind him, exiting through the hatch by the time Ben and his friends have come to a stop at the base of the ramp.

They’ve barely hade the time to scan over the bay to find customs when they spot a man in C-Sec uniform approaching their ship.

“God damn…” This man breaths, looking from Ben to aliens at his side, then the group of soldiers behind them, before focusing on Ben again.

“Bailey? Is that you?” Ben recognizes him. “What are you doing here?”

“I had to see this for myself.” Bailey explains, slowing to a stop a few paces from the group. “It’s really you.”

“It’s a long story, and we don’t have time. Is Shepard here yet?” Ben checks.

“Got here about 40 minutes ago. Council just started session if I’ve been hearing right. You’ll find him in their chambers.” Bailey catches him up.

“Right, and that’s… where?” Ben reluctantly asks.

“Oh, hmm. Follow me, I’ll get you there. Your friends can wait for you in the embassy, one of my men will come down to show them the way in a minute or two.”

Ben looks back to Rook and Ester behind him.

“Yeah, that’s alright.” Ester accepts with a shrug. Rook just nods formally.

Ben looks back to Baily and starts walking, causing Bailey to turn and walk with him.

“No time to waste then.” Ben says.

The elevator doors seal behind the two men, letting them rise. Ben looks out through the glass walls, seeing the layers of the Citadel rush by them, soon vanishing from view entirely when they begin ascending through the presidium tower.

“So, Tennyson… what happened?” Baily can’t resist asking. “We thought you were dead.”

“I went back to my universe. Spent the last couple months trying to get help for you guys, but it didn’t work out. All I could do was build a ship to get back here. Came through right after the reapers hit Earth.” Ben explains.

“Huh… Well, I’m sure the Council will be glad to see you.”

“Yeah, they better be.”

The elevator comes to a stop, and the doors slide open to reveal the council chambers. A shining monument to the Citadel’s upper class. Deep copper floors polished to a mirror finish; pale white metal blocks and walls reaching up to the ceiling, holding up the balconies on either side that look down over the main floor; trees of verdant green decorate the pathways.

“Go straight ahead, the council is already in session. I have to head back down to C-Sec. You can find me there later, if you need to.” Baily tells Ben.

“Cool.” Ben accepts, jogging out to get to the other end of the stretching chamber.

The atmosphere is unwelcoming, and tense. The words of the council echo down the room to Ben, still unintelligible until he gets closer. The sparse politicians and diplomats walking the floor and sitting on the benches either side of the pathway seem on edge, and either weary or confused by Ben’s entrance.

To Ben, it oddly feels like being late to class. Seeing the halls so barren, every pair of eyes that meet him questioning why he isn’t somewhere else, and walking into a space with everyone else in their proper places.

The pale lights of the station are split into thin rays and dappled beams by the station’s architecture. Pillars and trees mask the walls, which themselves curve in strange ways that make inefficient use of the space. Reaching the fountain, Ben’s able to start understanding the echoing words of the council.

“Even if we were to unite our fleets, do you really believe we could defeat the Reapers?” The turian councilor speaks. Sparatus, if Ben remembers correctly.

“I don’t expect you to follow me without a plan.” Shepard says. They’re finally in the same room. It feels like he can’t climb the stairs fast enough. A part of him wants to reach for the Omnitrix, but he knows that’s overkill.

After a pause Ben hears a set of footsteps approaching the mic, and the buzz of an omni-tool being summoned.

“Councilors… we have that plan. A blueprint. Created by the Protheans during their war with the Reapers.” A woman says. An asari, based on the texture and cadence of her voice.

“A blueprint for what?” Sparatus must ask.

Ben makes his way up the stairs and around the facsimile of a garden in the main waiting area. He can see the tall holograms of the council on the back wall, letting him see which of them are speaking. Beside them is a view of the stand. Of Shepard, and the woman he’s with. Liara, Ben realizes.

“We’re still piecing it together…” Liara says, managing her omni-tool for a moment to summon a blueprint in front of her, almost as large as she is. “But it appears to be a weapon of some sort.”

“Capable of destroying the Reapers?” Valern, the salarian councilor, asks.

“So it would seem.” Liara agrees.

“The scale is… it would be a colossal undertaking.” Valern continues.

“No. I forwarded the plans to Admiral Hackett. The remnants of the human fleet are already gathering resources to begin construction.” Shepard argues.

Ben slows down just before he approaches the final staircase. Just before he would ascend onto the level where the councilors are speaking with Shepard. He waits for just a moment, watching them.

“Our initial calculations suggest it is very feasible to build.” Liara assures.

“If we work together…” Shepard insists.

“Have you considered that the Reapers destroyed the Protheans? What good did this weapon do?” The asari councilor questions. Tevos is her name.

“It was incomplete. There was a missing component. Here. Something referred to only as the Catalyst. But they ran out of time before they could finish building it.” Liara explains as best she can, gesturing to the schematics.

“Do you really believe this can stop the Reapers?” Sparatus asks.

“Liara believes it can work,” Shepard begins with truth. “and so do I.” he adds. “And while I haven’t always agreed with Udina, he’s right about this… we need to stand together. Now more than ever. The Reapers have to be stopped at Earth.”

Tevos and Sparatus, one after another, look to Valern. Valern shakes their head. They look back to Shepard.

“The cruel and unfortunate truth is that while the Reapers focus on Earth, we can prepare and regroup.” Tevos explains.

That’s his moment. Ben starts walking again, hopping up the stairs to get onto the same level as the proceedings.

The four councilors stand beside each other at the far end of the room, on a raised platform affixed to the wall. Below it is a floor of glass, overlooking an indoor park decorated with tall trees. There are balconies high above the main area, where people are able to overlook the proceedings. Many members of the four council races watch on, with less of the secondary races among the groups. Ben even spots a number of posttheans looking down from the upper levels.

A walkway extends halfway over the glass and towards the Councilors, allowing people to approach them from the opposite side. That’s where Shepard and Liara stand.

“We are convening a summit amongst our species. If we can manage to secure our own borders, we may once again consider aiding you.” The salarian elaborates.

Udina puts his head down, and pinches the bridge of his nose. He knows their decision has been made.

“I’m sorry, Commander. That is the…” Tevos trails off as she sees something behind Shepard. “Tennyson.”

Shepard and Liara both turn around, seeing the same thing. Ben. Making his way from the stairs to them, down the walkway to the speaker podium. The word is enough for Udina to look up again, a weariness sharpening the features of his face.

“Sorry I’m late, had to kill a few Reapers on the way over. Could somebody catch me up?” Ben speaks.

The room goes silent. It’s a mix of awe, and reverence, and confusion, and a little annoyance. Mostly from the spectators, at the edges of the room and watching from the upper balconies. Annoyance at this kid who just wandered into the most important meeting of their lives, and spoke like it didn’t matter. At least, that is until they realize who that kid is. Until their friends lean over and whisper to them his name. Until they realize that him being here should change everything.

“Tennyson. We heard rumors about your return, but… we thought you were dead.” Tevos tells him.

“Where have you been?” Sparatus practically demands.

“My universe, trying to get help for you guys. It didn’t go so well. They didn’t want to help any more than you do.” Ben tells them.

The councilors are silent. A tense, contemplative sort of silence that they’re forced into by Ben’s mere existence. Because he should change everything. Everything should be different now that he’s back.

“Shepard can update you.” The salarian speaks first.

“Indeed. For now, this changes little. I am sorry Commander, but our decision has been made.” Sparatus says.

“Wait, but-“ Ben tries to stop them, but they’re already walking away.

Because that’s not how it works. Ben being here isn’t enough. Not on his own. One by one, the councilors turn their backs and make their way down from their podiums. The session ends, and Ben changed nothing.

“Shepard. Meet me in my office.” Udina says to him, lingering for just a moment before proceeding after the others.

“I hope that’s an offer of support.” Liara remarks, watching them go.

That’s all they can do. That’s all Ben can do. For all the power he has, he doesn’t know how to change their minds. He doesn’t even know how to try.

“I’ll be digging up what I can on this Prothean device, Shepard.” Liara says, to which Shepard just nods. “It’s good to see you again, Ben.” She adds, getting a placating smile from him before she turns to head down the council chambers toward the elevator.

“… Let’s go see Udina.” Shepard decides.

“Sure.” Ben accepts.

Two aliens sit beside one another in the citadel’s embassies. They sit there stiffly, awkwardly. Met with weary glances and gawking stares from the various races that are unfamiliar with them.

Rook and Ester. Side by side, on a bench, in the waiting area. Waiting for Ben, and watching the crowds go by.

“Wellll…” Ester starts, letting her gaze pan over the space around them. She shivers, folding her arms more tightly in front of her.

“I agree.” Rook says, Ester only needing to imply the thought.

“So, uhm… We haven’t really had much time to catch up, have we? …You and Rayona, right? How’s that going?”

“We are… on a break.” Rook tells her.

“Oh.”

“I did not have much free time the last year or so. Between my duties as Magister, and the search for Ben. We thought it was best.” He explains.

“Of course. I think that’s really mature of you two.”

“Indeed…”

“…”

“…”

“Ugghhh. This is the worst.” Ester moans, slumping down into her chair.

“We must be patient.” Rook tries to be practical.

“Not the waiting, just… this.” Ester gestures to the space. Rows of seats where people of all shapes wait patiently for their number to be called, or for people to arrive. Lines by the front desks, where worried citizens wait for their turn to speak with the clerks. “It’s like it’s not even happening here.”

“What is not happening?”

“What we saw on Earth.”

“…Perhaps we should look for the Refugees while waiting.” Rook suggests.

“Anything’s better than sitting here.” Ester agrees, immediately pushing herself up from the bench. The native aliens all recoil in varying degrees from the abrupt motion, giving her a wide berth as they continue along.

Rook rises a second later, looking back and forth over the room.

“I don’t suppose your Plumber’s badge can translate the signage here?” Ester checks.

“Unfortunately, no. I am embarrassed to say that I did not think to download the translator from the omni-tool before we departed.”

“Well, I guess we do this the old fashion way.” Ester decides, making her way across the room to one of the few human C-Sec guards. Rook follows just a few paces behind.

“Excuse me, hi.” Ester begins, getting the guard’s attention.

She looks over the two aliens with a quick glance, seemingly having already noticed them while they were sitting down. “Can I help you?” The guard checks.

“We’re actually looking for some friends of ours. More aliens that would stand out here. Could you point us in the right direction to find them?” Ester asks.

The guard thinks on the request for just a moment before nodding.

“Bailey had some guys bring you up here, right? His office is just down that way, first door on the left. He should be back soon. I’ll tell him you’re there.” The guard leans around the corner they’ve been waiting beside, and gestures down a hallway to a door just up a set of stairs.

“Oh, great. Thank you. We’ll be going, then.” Ester eagerly accepts, heading away from the guard toward Bailey’s office with Rook in tow.

“It is a good thing that humans in this time period still speak grammatically recognizable Earth languages.” Rook notes.

“How about we get that translation next chance we get? I don’t think I like feeling tied to Ben.”

“I agree. While the Omnitrix’s translator is indeed useful, I have found an over reliance on it to be… unwise.”

The two of them reach the door to Bailey’s office, and in just a moment the door unseals itself and slides open for them.

Straight ahead from the door is the far wall. On the right, at the far end of the room, is a desk built  at a diagonal to create a triangular work space behind it in the corner. Presumably that’s Bailey’s desk, which he is not currently at. The room itself has an L shape, and on their left, around a corner, is a lounge area with a couch built into the corner, some plants, and a low table.

Skipping ahead, it’s not long before Bailey gets back to his office and finds the two waiting for him.

“Eh… I got word you’d be waiting for me.” Bailey sighs, heading to sit down behind his desk. “What can I do for you?”

“You have one of my people.” Ester begins, rising from her seat and walking across the room to lean on his desk.

“Mmhm. I’ve got a few folks from your branch of weird. Council asked me to keep an eye on them. Not that it’s done much good.”

“Gillrus. He’s a kraaho, like me. I came with Ben to take him home.” Ester clarifies.

Bailey’s eyes, previously focused on the screen of his computer, shift to Ester. They narrow and take a moment to observe her. What she is. A breath is pushed out from his chest as he leans back, the edge of his mouth creased into a grimace.

“I’m… sorry. He… ah, I don’t really know how to say this. Little over a month ago there was a security incident. Mosta the refugees were fine, but Gillrus…”

“What happened?” Ester’s nerves thin her patience.

“That’s the thing, we’ve got no fuckin’ clue. One moment everything was hunky-dory, and the next he was just gone. Security feeds in the area went dead, no witnesses. Just… gone. We’ve been keeping an ear out since then, but best we can tell someone must’ve took him. He’s not on the Citadel anymore, we’re almost sure of that.” Bailey explains.

Ester doesn’t know what to say. She’s not angry, or distressed. She barely even knew Gillrus, in truth. But it’s still unwelcome news. Though no fault of her own, she’s too late. Her stated reason for coming is obsolete.

Rook steps to Ester’s side, glancing to her before focusing on Bailey.

“And the others?” He asks.

“The others are doing just fine.” Bailey assures him. “The frog- or, uh… ‘galvan’ has been working with the folks down in R&D for months. The moth and the marshmallow have been adjusting to civilian life, and the folks on the Citadel have been adjusting to them. And the zippy lizard’s been working for C-Sec for a while now.”

“Forgive me, I am not yet accustomed to all of your institutions. C-Sec is Citadel Security, correct? You have allowed an extra-planar refugee to join your seat of government’s security force?”

“Well when you say it like that it doesn’t sound all too great. But the truth is that we couldn’t really stop her. After Gillrus the girl was set on making this place safer, whether we liked it or not. Best we could do was teach her the rules and give her a badge.”

Ester chuckles dryly. “That remind you of anyone?” She says, looking to Rook. Her attempt at levity doesn’t do much to mask the discomfort of hearing that Gillrus is gone.

Rook doesn’t have a way to respond to her, so he stays silent. In a moment she looks to Bailey again.

“Any ideas who took him?” She asks.

“Some, but I don’t like the options. Either way it’s just wild speculation, nothing useful.” He tells her. “And as sorry as I am to say it, we don’t really have the resources to be looking for him right now. With the Reapers running roughshod through the galaxy, it seems like the Council is in constant session. We got more ambassadors and dignitaries here than ever before pleading their cases. But that’s just the tip of the iceberg, really.”

“I was under the impression that things were mostly peaceful here?” Rook notes.

“Well, compared to where you’re coming from, sure. But the war’s being felt everywhere. Millions across the galaxy have been displaced, and most of them come here. And that’s not to mention the Posttheans.” Bailey clarifies.

“Of course.” Rook acknowledges. “I would imagine that keeps you fairly busy.”

“Hah, yeah. Already allocated a bulk of my men to Customs, but we’re still overtaxed cataloguing and processing them all.”

“Could you let us know if you hear anything? You know how to reach Ben, right?” Ester checks.

“Sure. It’s the least I can do for a friend of the kid.” There’s a pause as Ester nods and glances to the door of the room, and Rook takes a moment to look over the various decorative items around the space. “So is there anything else? Or… can I get back to work?” Bailey checks.

“There is another thing.” Rook remembers, snapping his focus back down to Bailey. “Our translators do not cover the languages spoken by this galaxy. Do you, by chance, have a translation database we could access?”

“Ah, ‘course.” Bailey says, reaching for a datapad on his desk. He slides it off the polywood surface and tosses it to Rook. “Should cover what you need.”

“Thank you.” Rook says, unfolding the Proto-tool from his shoulder to start connecting it. While he walks off to the seats, Bailey’s focus turns to Ester again.

“So, Ben told me you guys came through just after the Reapers hit Earth.” Bailey says.

“Just a couple hours after, we think. We came out on Earth. Ran into one of your, uhm… Admiral Anderson? A human. Had us save a colony ship on the way here.” Ester explains.

“God damn… He used to work here. Anderson. He was the human councilor until all this started. He had to relinquish powers to Udina when Earth needed him.”

“That’s probably a good thing, right? I think Earth can use all the help it can get right now.”

“Yeah… Hm, it’s killing me about it. I haven’t been back in years. Now I may never… If this ain’t the end of days, it’s pretty damn close.” Bailey thinks.

Rook’s eyes flick up from the screens in his lap, taking a second to catch up with the conversation.

“…I’m sorry. The Earth I’m from has weathered invasions and incursions, but nothing like the Reapers. I don’t know how I’d be taking it if it was my world.” Ester tells him.

“Well… until it really is the end, I guess I better keep working. Sorry again, about your person.” Bailey redirects, turning his attention away from Ester and to the terminals on his desk.

“Sure.” Ester accepts, turning to make her way over to Rook while Bailey works.

Ben waits impatiently in Udina’s office, drilling his fingers against the table he’s leaning on. A tense breath is pushed out through his lips, puffing up his cheeks.

“This is taking forever.” Ben moans.

Shepard doesn’t respond, he only watches the boy. Shepard waits, leaned against the wall between the door and the screens on his left. A marsh of emotions churns inside of him, but he can only stand there, watching him. Like at any moment Ben could just stop existing. Blip back into the absence he left before.

“I’m sorry the Council started session without you. We tried waiting, but eventually we had to begin.” Shepard tells him.

“Yeah, sorry. Got here about as fast as I could.” Ben perjures, still impatiently looking around the room.

But… there he is. Standing at the far end of the room, there he is. Right there. Impossibly, and yet as matter of fact as any single thing could ever be. He is there. Ben is there.

He’s just standing there. Tapping his foot; and looking back and forth from the screens on the walls, to the door, to the balcony across the room from it; and fiddling with the weapon on his wrist like it’s a toy. He’s just standing there, existing, like that very fact doesn’t break something fundamental and assumed. So casually, and confidently, almost flippant.

His very nature determines that it was stupid to ever assume that he was dead. Him being there makes it stupid to believe, even for a moment, that someone like him could have been killed. And yet, that doesn’t change anything. That doesn’t erase the time he was gone, and it doesn’t erase what they had to feel in that time.

It’s not even his fault, and Shepard knows that, but he can’t help feeling conflicted. Like he was somehow cheated. Bereft validity in the mourning he forced himself to do.

And suddenly, he understands what it must have felt like to be his friends. To be the people that grieved him, and what they had to have felt when he showed up again.

That doesn’t make it easier, but it gives him perspective. Something to think about for a moment, until the sound of the door opening draws Shepard’s attention.

“They’re a bunch of self-concerned jackasses, Shepard!” Udina shouts, evidently having only worked himself up in the time it took to walk down from the council chambers. He marches over to the window, pauses for a second, then continues, angling himself more towards Shepard. “We may have a spot on the Council, but humanity will always be considered second-rate.”

Shepard’s about to speak, but Ben gets to it faster than he can.

“Okay, slow your role commissioner grouch. They’re just trying to protect their people. I’m not sure you’d be any better if Earth was holding its own.”

Udina finally focuses on Ben, for the first time since entering the room. There’s an irritation in his eyes. Not quite anger, but something more than mere annoyance.

“There’s… something you should know. Both of you.” Udina says, stepping over to his desk to grab his datapad. He navigates through its menus for a moment before Shepard’s omni-tool chimes with a notification. “Anderson didn’t tell me much, but his team’s been working on something big. Admiral Hackett just forwarded the datapacket. For your eyes only, Shepard. Whatever it is, Anderson thinks it’s best to keep me in the dark. For once, I will trust his judgment.”

Ben steps around to Shepard’s side as the Commander opens the file. Udina takes the opportunity to see himself out, making his way out through the door.

It takes a few moments for the two of them to understand what they’re looking at. Schematics, logs, transcripts, recordings, inventory records. Entire teams of research cells’ findings, and how they culminate. A project that human governments have been pooling funding into almost since Ben left. It’s something Shepard knew about, but not to this extent.

Test after test. Prototypes. Expeditions and recovery. They’ve almost got one working. Months of R&D, and they almost have one working.

“You’ve been trying to make a Null Void projector since I left.” Ben realizes, a tightness in his throat. A tension from the revelation. The implication of what this means.

“I thought they shelved the project months ago.” Shepard makes clear.

“Why would they? The people in charge of things on Earth probably thought this was their best option. Does it say where this is?” Ben asks.

Shepard scans through the files, drilling away at the menu interface.

“…no. Earth, but the location isn’t listed.” Shepard almost sounds relieved, flicking his wrist to unsummon his omni-tool before letting his arm fall to his side.

“We have to tell the Council about this.” Ben thinks. “If they knew, they’d”

“Ben, no.” Shepard cuts him off. “Anderson kept this secret for a reason. One leak to the Reapers, and the war would be lost. We can’t risk this falling into their hands.”

“You think I don’t know that?” Ben retorts, almost shouting. He turns himself to face Shepard fully, his arms flailing out for emphasis. “But the Reapers area already on Earth! All it would take is one of them stumbling across it, and suddenly they’re a threat to the whole multiverse! This isn’t just about your world anymore, this is about everyone!”

“But right now they don’t know about it!” Shepard argues back. “That’s our only advantage. If we tell the council, all it would take is one leak for that information to reach the Reapers. They can’t know.”

Ben has to think about that. He takes a step back from Shepard, and just thinks about the situation.

“Shepard, if they get their hands on that tech we’ll never be able to stop them. All it takes is one Reaper getting into the Null Void, and they’ll have all the time in the universe to prepare. Every techno-freak the plumbers threw in there would be a free upgrade. In 10 years a single Reaper would be strong enough to wipe entire solar systems off the charts.”

It’s Shepard’s turn to think about that. What it would mean for the Reapers to have even a single projector. Unregulated access to every universe. The ability to hide, and grow, and wait. A threat to their entire galaxy would become a threat to every galaxy, everywhere, for all time.

“Ben… We can’t risk it.”

“I know-”

“No.” Shepard cuts him off. “We can’t risk the Reapers knowing. If we let the council know, the information is bound to spread. I can’t be sure this would change their minds about helping Earth, or even supporting the Prothean device, and if it doesn’t then every moment we’re trying to prepare our forces is another opportunity for the Reapers to learn about this. All it would take is for one of them to be indoctrinated. We can’t risk that.”

Ben wants to argue. He wishes that he could argue, because he wants to be able to do something. Anything. Because the alternative is doing nothing, letting things play out exactly as they would. Ben is smart, though. He knows Shepard is right.

“… Yeah. Okay, fine. Then what’s our next step?” He asks.

Shepard doesn’t know. He’s still working it out himself, he doesn’t have a plan yet. It’s pure luck that this is the moment the door of the room hisses open again, causing both of them to turn their attention to it. From outside both Udina and the turian councilor step in.

“Councilor.” Shepard greets him, straightening his back to seem more formal as he steps away from the wall.

“Commander, there you are. I can’t give you what you need, but I can tell you how to get it.” Sparatus reveals.

Ben’s eyes narrow as he looks to Shepard. “How do you do that?” He wonders, almost teasing the Commander for the serendipity.

“I’m listening.” Shepard keeps his focus on Sparatus.

“Primarch Fedorian called the war summit, but… we lost contact with him when the Reapers hit Palaven. Those meetings won’t proceed without him.” Sparatus pauses, seemingly weary of the next statement he intends to make. “The Normandy is one of the few ships that can extract Primarch Fedorian undetected.”

“So far you’ve only explained how I can help you.” Shepard points out.

“It might seem that way. But the leaders of this summit will be the ones deciding our future. The fate of our fleets, where they fight, and with whom. A grateful Primarch would be a tremendous ally in your bid to unite us.” Sparatus clarifies.

“We’re at war, and you want me to play politician?”

“If it gets you what you need, what does it matter?” Sparatus reasons. The turian makes his way through the room, past both Ben and Shepard, and to the portion of the back wall impractically covered in screens. “Our latest intelligence says that the Primarch was moved to a base on Paleven’s largest moon.” He begins, flicking his omni-tool to life to share the visuals on the litany of screens. The Primarch, Palaven, and the base on their moon. All of which are in the midst of a Reaper invasion.

“So you just need the Normany to extract your primarch?” Shepard checks his understanding.

“Indeed. I’m afraid I’ve done all I can to help. The rest is up to you.” Sparatus decides, heading back towards the door. With a final nod and “Good day.” he exits, and the door closes behind him.

“… I swear, that’s like a superpower.” Ben remarks again. “Anytime there’s a dead end, something gives you a way forward.”

“It’s a start.” Udina tempers the moment, moving to take a seat at his desk. “I’ll talk to the others in the meantime. See if we can support this summit. Move things along.”

“Thanks.” Shepard acknowledges, taking the cue to leave the room with Ben.

It doesn’t take a single second for the two groups to spot each other once Ben and Shepard step out into the hallway. Rook and Ester wait, leaned against the wall just outside of Bailey’s office, and both quickly step forward when they spot Ben.

Shepard seems entirely taken off guard by this. Their abrupt step forward is met by Shepard taking a step back, taking a second to gauge their demeanor and Ben’s reaction to them.

“There you are.” Ben says, coming to a stop in the center of the hall, just a pace from his friends.

“We were speaking with Commander Bailey.” Rook tells him.

“Commander, huh? Guess he got a promotion. Well, anyway, guys. I’d like you two to meet…” Ben shifts himself to the side, using his arm to gesture to Shepard. “Commander Shepard.”

“Shepard.” Rook’s eyes light up. “Ben has told me much about you.”

The commander pushes his concerns aside as soon as he realized these are Ben’s friends, stepping forward into the same circle of conversation as them.

“I am Magister Rook Blonko.”

“Rook. I thought the armor looked familiar. Plumber issue, right? Ben’s said a lot about you. It’s nice to finally make the acquaintance.” Shepard says, then turns to Ester. “And you are?”

“Ester.”

“Right.” The commander reacts.

“… Ben didn’t mention me a single time, did he?” Ester realizes.

“… No, he mentioned you. Once.”

“Ohh. Once.” Ester sarcastically imitates flattery, turning to look at Ben.

“Well, no. I must have… Really? Once?” Ben reacts.

“Maybe twice.” Shepard corrects himself.

“Maybe twice.” Ester parrots him, her tone implying that might actually be worse.

“Perhaps there are more important things to discuss.” Rook interjects, trying to get them back on track.

“Right! Like, uhm… Stuff.” Ben blanks on anything they should be talking about right now.

“Have you both been briefed?” Shepard asks.

“Ben does not do briefings.” Rook tells him.

“Right.” Shepard acknowledges.

For the sake of avoiding repetition, Shepard’s recap of the proceeding events will be summarized. He tells Ben and his friends everything that happened since the Reapers arrived, in broad strokes. Stopping on mars, getting Liara, recovering the prothean data, the council’s unwillingness to dedicate resources to their endeavors, and their current plan.

“I see. Then we have little time to waste.” Rook acknowledges.

Shepard flicks open his omni-tool and taps in a command. “I’ve sent ahead for the Normandy to prepare for departure. Head down to the ship as soon as you’re ready.”

“Oh, right!” Ben snaps, interjecting. “Ester, you ask Bailey about Gillrus yet?” He remembers to check.

“Uhm… Yeah. Well, y’know.” She begins.

Rook can’t help but turn his attention to her, noticing her hesitation.

“It’s not like we could take him home right now, anyways. I’ll find him when the Omni-TRUK’s fixed.” Ester notices the way Rook’s eyes narrow on her, but Ben doesn’t.

Ben just shrugs and responds with a simple “Alright.”

“I will transport our ship from the Tempest to the Normandy.” Rook decides, refocusing on Shepard.

“Good. I need to make a few stops before we depart, so I’ll meet you there.” The commander responds.

“I’ll go with you, Rook.” Ester decides, to which Rook reacts with a nod.

“I want to check in with Apaleone before we go.” Ben adds.

“You and I can go to him first.” Shepard decides.

“Alright. Then let’s get to it.” Ben says, turning to head deeper into the embassy. Shepard heads after him, while Rook and Ester turn to make their way in the opposite direction.

The two aliens head for the elevator to get back down to the docks.

It’s almost frustrating how much they stand out to the rest of the people on the Citadel. Even just walking through the room towards the elevator they’re met with stares. On Earth people were surprised by them, critical of them, but they could always just write them off as aliens. People knew about aliens, even if they weren’t familiar with every species.

Here, there are so few species that the two of them stand out, even among the crowds of aliens. Because everyone that sees them knows they don’t belong.

A man by the elevator keeps a close eye on them as they walk down the stairs and cross the room. He actually steps forward, motioning to stop them before they get to the doors.

“Hey, did I see you talking to the Commander just now?” He asks.

Rook and Ester can’t help but be caught off guard by the question. They both relax a little and spare a glance to one another before Rook responds.

“We were.” He confirms.

“Hey there. James Vega.” The man introduces himself, extending a hand for Rook to shake.

Rook only takes a second to get on-board with James’ attitude, and takes his hand. The shake is firm, but doesn’t overstay its welcome. James almost seems caught off guard by the thin layer of fur on Rook’s hand, distinctly unlike any of the races he knows.

“I came with the Commander from Earth.” James explains. He steps back from in front of the elevator over to a window overlooking the presidium. Rook can’t resist the opportunity to look out at the scene below. The lakes, and the terraces of greenery scaling up the walls.

“We came with Ben.” Ester tells him.

“Tennyson? That was the kid with Shepard?” James checks.

“Yeah.”

“I heard about him back when. Shepard caught me up a bit on the way here, too. Just hard to believe it all, y’know?” James says.

“Do you mean the part about him transforming, or the part about our being from another reality?” Rook checks.

“Uhh… The first one, I guess. Hard not to believe the second. I mean, you two sure ain’t from around these parts.” He reasons. “But the other part… I guess I’ll have to see it to believe it.”

“If you are with the Commander, you will likely get the chance. We are going down now to transfer our ship to the Normandy’s bay.” Rook tells him, breaking his gaze from the window to look at James.

“Ah, yeah…” James sighs, looking to the window. To the brilliant gleam of the Presidium. Shining, and perfect. “Honestly, I was planning to head straight back to earth.”

“That is very brave of you.” Rook commends him.

“We just came from there. It’s like a nightmare. You sure you want to do that?” Ester checks.

“Hell yeah I want to, but…”

“Scared?” Ester guesses.

“Nah, it’s not like that. Liara- Uh, this asari on Shepard’s crew. She just told me the Council’s not interested in helping us.” James explains.

“Ben said something like that.” Ester confirms.

“Yeah. And why would they? Look at this place.” He gestures to the window, causing both of them to look out at it. “There’s no war here. People are whispering about it. Talking about it. But they don’t really believe it.”

The Citadel stands as it has. Perfect. Beautiful, and calm, and undisturbed.

“I know what you’re talking about.” Ester affirms.

“Is it always like this?” Rook wonders.

“I don’t know.” James sighs. “I’ve been to the Citadel, but never up here on the Presidium. It’s… not right. It looks pretty. Calm and peaceful. But it’s not right. It’s all just an illusion. It’s like Earth was just… what’d you call it? Like some kind of nightmare. That’s what I hate most, it’s like this place wants you to forget that.” James lets out a deep, tense breath. A breath that he’s forcing to be tense, forcing to be frustrated. Like he’s trying not to forget how he feels. How he should feel. He leans forward, resting his forearm against the glass of the window to look down at the paths below.

“Shepard was right. We can’t stop them alone. And it looks like he’s gonna have his hands full convincing these pendejo politicians to help us. So… Nah. I’m coming with. Whatever it takes.” James resolves himself, leaning off the window to face the aliens. “You said you were heading down to the lower levels, right? I’ll come with. It feels like the folks here don’t know what to make of me. I’ve gotta get somewhere they keep it real.”

“I think I know what you mean.” Ester smiles, turning to head for the elevator. “Come on, dude.” Rook’s only a step behind her, and James follows soon after.

“So, where’s everyone else?” Ben wonders.

“Excuse me?” Shepard responds.

“Y’know, the team. Mordin, Kasumi, Garrus, Tali. You don’t usually go anywhere without a squad following you, but I haven’t seen them yet.” Ben elaborates.

“Most of the Normandy crew went their separate ways once you were gone. I didn’t exactly have time to keep in touch with everyone after I returned to Earth.”

“Oh well, I’m sure they’ll turn up.” Ben accepts.

It doesn’t take them long to make their way through to embassies, and to the office of the postthean ambassador. A tap to the holographic lock indicates their presence, and a moment later it’s unlocked from within. The hatch unseals itself and slides open with a hiss, revealing the room beyond.

Their eyes flick over to focus on Ben and Shepard, watching as the two step in.

“Normandy Commander Shepard. Hero Ben Tennyson. I hoped you would have time to speak before departing.” The figure speaks.

“Apaleone, buddy!” Ben exclaims, hopping up onto the higher level of the room where the insectoid alien stands.

A two armed biped, ribbed and ridged with plates of chitin and patches of exposed muscle and skin. They feature a light blue and white coloration, reminiscent of Ben’s Ampfibian form. They are tall, and broad. Quite a bit larger than a human, and just slightly larger than they were the last time Ben saw them. This doesn’t stop Ben from walking straight up to him with his usual arrogant smile.

“How’s it been?” Ben asks.

“Difficult, in truth. It is good to see you again.” He speaks.

“The feeling’s mutual.” Ben assures him.

Shepard makes his way up to join the two of them, and all three move toward the small lounge space in the corner of the office, sitting down so Ben and Shepard are side by side, at a corner to the postthean.

“But dude, you’ve gotta catch me up. Like, where are the other collector vessels?” Ben questions.

“In your time away the Council has granted us a colony world. Before the arrival of the… Reapers. We were establishing a ground-based settlement.” He explains.

“That’s where the general is, right?” Shepard remembers from his communications on Earth.

“Indeed.” Apaleone confirms. “As of yet, there are no signs of Reaper presence in the system. Though, it seems a matter of time.”

“So, which group got to start the colony? Group one, all the guys I converted no the first collector vessel, or group two, the rest of the guys that were on the collector station through the omega relay?” Ben checks.

“Group two.” He answers simply. “Their numbers supersede ours. It only made sense for them to depart the hospitality of the Citadel first.”

“Why not send all your ships at once?” Shepard wonders.

“We are… ill suited to change. When we were the collectors, under the mastery of the Reapers, we had no need to adapt. Our bodies were adjusted to suit needs. Our minds were thin fractured weaves, never our own. Ben has given us what we are, but it does not change our innate aptitudes. We need a… safety net. Keeping the majority of our vessels here gives our siblings safe harbor, should the worse come to pass. Should the colony succeed, their settlement will act as a guiding hand for all future establishments.” The ambassador explains, as well as he can.

“Make sense to me.” Ben accepts.

“Commander, I have heard that you stopped on Mars while leaving the Sol system. If I may ask, my people – the ones we sent to aid with Dr. T’soni’s work – were you able to evacuate them?”

Shepard’s head hangs low, then shakes before he looks back up to the postthean.

“I’m sorry. There wasn’t enough time. Reapers were inbound by the time we had acquired the data. I couldn’t risk it.” Shepard explains.

“I understand.” The postthean accepts. “Between the few and the many, we must choose the latter. I hope this data is worth the strife. Thought… I believe there is another question that you have to ask.” He focuses on Shepard when the question is asked. The commander’s posture rights itself, and he stiffens somewhat.

“…Is it safe to assume I can count on you to take back Earth?” Shepard asks.

The postthean’s eyes struggle to express at the best of times, but it’s not hard to understand their meaning now. Sympathy, pity, and regret.

“I am… sorry, Commander. For the good of my people, we cannot fight for you.”

“I thought that you, of all people, would understand how important it is to work together right now.” Shepard rises out of his seat as he speaks, almost shouting. He can’t mask his feelings. Anger, and a tinge of betrayal. He isn’t entirely surprised, but he let himself hope for another answer.

“I do. We do.” Apaleone assures him. “That is why we are willing to offer as much as we can to help with this Prothean project of yours. We will support you, Shepard. We owe you as much as we have to give. But we are few. Fewer even than the quarians, who themselves lack the numbers for direct combat. We balance on the verge of extinction. Should we volunteer to fight, there won’t be enough of us left to survive after this war. I cannot make our first clumsy step into this universe our last.”

As much as the commander wants to argue, all he can say is “… I understand.” He lets out a sigh, and closes his eyes as he turns away from the alien. “Get in touch with general Hackett. He’ll help coordinate.”

“I will.”

Shepard doesn’t look back before he moves for the door to leave the room. Ben can only look back and forth between the two of them, struggling to make a decision between staying and following the commander. It’s only after Apaleone nods at Ben that he gets out of his seat and jogs after Shepard.

“Shepard, come on.” Ben starts right as the entry hatch seals behind them.

The commander doesn’t respond. He just marches on towards the nearest elevator, and Ben follows him.

The elevator doors open directly into the hospital. Huerta memorial.

Ben doesn’t move through the space with the same intent and direction that Shepard does. He trails behind the commander, idly looking around the room while Shepard asks for directions and leads them ahead. The waiting room is spacious and well lit. Tall windows are featured on either side of the space, covering the floor with “natural” light. That being the artificial sunlight of the presidium, which is as natural as daylight gets on the Citadel. The already bright metal walls and floor gleam in a way that makes the space inviting. The abundant seating is occupied by visitors and patients alike, and dotted around the walls of the room are planter with well-trimmed ferns and the like.

They pass through a scanner of some kind on their way into the inpatient wing. Ben can see doctors and technicians through the windows on either side of the corridor. Some pay mind to the readout of the scans, but most seem preoccupied with more important matters.

The room beyond has a drastically different tone to the first. The lights are dimmed, the metal walls are darker, even the windows are tinted. The abundance of medical personnel making their way from room to room almost blocks their path ahead through the central hall. To either side are sealed hatches that lead into isolated rooms. Shepard seems to know which one he’s headed for.

The lock changes from red to green on his approach, allowing them to step in.

Ben’s taken by surprised by who he sees within. A face he actually manages to recognize, despite the odds. He can barely believe it. Even worse, he sees her condition. Ashley Williams.

He just stops at the threshold of the room, and looks at her. Like he can’t even believe it. The door is barely able to close behind him.

Shepard’s approach to the side of her bed is slow, and careful. Like he’s scared he’ll wake her if he moves too quickly. Ben notices the tremble in his hand when he reaches for the side of her bed. The breath he takes is tight, and forced.

Ben is intruding on a moment he doesn’t need to witness, and he knows it. He’s about to leave when Shepard speaks.

“She mentioned that you two had met.” There’s a shake to his works. An unsteadiness that seems badly matched to the Commander’s usual self. He doesn’t have the words to grapple with the situation.

“… Yeah.” Ben confirms. “She’s the first person I met here.”

It seems a miracle that she’s still breathing. The bruising discolors her skin to an extent that’s difficult to look at. The ventilator obscures the lower half of her face. The whole left half of her face, the side face away from the two of them, is swollen and cracked.

“I’m sorry I wasn’t there.” Ben says.

Shepard doesn’t respond to the sentiment. His hand tightens its grip on the bed’s rail, his lips tighten against each other, his brow folds. He doesn’t have the words.

“I’ll give you some space.” Ben says, moving for the door again.

Shepard doesn’t stop him. It’s unclear if it’s better for him to be alone right now, but Ben’s not the right person to be there for him.

Ben has a hard time letting go of the tension in his body when he steps back out into the lounge area. He could’ve been there. Could have done something if he were.

He got months to live his normal life. To relax and recuperate. While Shepard spent the months preparing. While everyone here spent every day preparing. Was it right to leave? Was it worth what they had to sacrifice? If he stayed, could he have stopped the Reapers from taking Earth? If he stayed, would all those people have had to die?

On Ben’s right are rows of seats, sparsely populated by patients. People that are wounded from conflict that happened before they got to the citadel. Burns, bullets, falls. These are the survivors.

Would any of these people be here if he stayed?

Would any of this have happened if he just knew how to convince them? He had one moment, one chance, and he used it to go home. He could have tried to save them, to end this war before it began.

His left arm rises, and his eyes fall to the device bound to him. He could end it right now. To save a galaxy. He’s used it for less.

His fingers touch the surface of the Omnitrix, loading the holographic dial.

“Ben?” A voice breaks his thoughts.

What?

His hand moves away from the Omnitrix, and his eyes rise to find a familiar face in front of him. An older woman. Silky grey hair styled into a bob that doesn’t quite reach her chin, strong cheekbones that lead down into a squared off jaw, and youthful blue eyes that seen to curve with a sense of concern.

“Doctor Chakwas.” Ben recognizes her.

“I hope I’m not intruding. You seemed rather deep in thought.”

“No, I was just…” Ben tries to play it off, but he can’t fully deny the notion. He isn’t even sure why he humored the idea as much as he did. He knows why he can’t do it. He knows they wouldn’t let him, that they’d never agree to it. The voice of wrath would never end a fight before it really gets started, and the voice of empathy could never condone ending so many lives. Ben couldn’t either, not really. Not without giving them a chance. “Sorry, you’re right. There’s just been a lot of my mind since I got back.”

“I’d heard rumor of your return, but I wasn’t sure I could believe it. It’s good to see you again, but what happened?”

The two of them head away from the main pathway through the lounge, where Ben had been standing before Chakwas walked up to him. They find a place within the rows of seats in the more open half of the room, the side without a reception booth.

“I went home. Back to my universe, to get help for the fight. But the Plumbers didn’t agree to it. My friends spent the last couple weeks building a ship just to get back here.” Ben explains.

“Well it’s good to see you again. I always hoped you’d survived the Relay, one way or another.” Chakwas tells him.

“Sorry I was gone for so long. It might have been worth it if I brought back help, but for now it’s just me and a couple friends that came with.”

“For what it’s worth, I think you did the right thing.” She says.

Ben lets out a shallow chuckle. An awkward breath that escapes him without him meaning for it to, expressing something between discomfort and relief.

“Well, what have you been up to? Still flying with Shepard?” Ben guesses.

“No, actually. I left the Normandy some time ago. Not much use for me once it was stationed on Earth. I felt I had more use here. I’m working at an Alliance R&D lab down in the Shalta Wards, coordinating closely with Admiral Hackett. I heard Shepard had escaped Earth in the Normandy, but that someone was critically injured. I came as fast as I could.” Chakwas explains.

“I saw. Ashley, right? Do you know how she’s doing?” Ben checks.

“Very well, all things considered. I’m impressed with Lieutenant-Commander Williams’ resistance, as well as Dr. Michel’s expertise. I wish I could have been there to help on Mars.”

“I’m sure Shepard wouldn’t mind having you back. I’d guess the Normandy’s gonna need you now that Shepard’s back in the thick of it.”

“I’d love to be back, to be honest.” She says.

“You think Shepard would ever turn you away? Get your things, and get to the Normandy quick. Joker’s already prepping for takeoff.” Ben tells her.

“Are you sure?” Chakwas checks.

“I think we’ll need all the help he can get. I’ll make sure we don’t leave without you, but hurry.” Ben says.

“Of course. Thank you, Ben.” She says, rising from her seat.

“Don’t thank me yet. We’re headed straight into Reaper territory, thing’s are gonna get hairy.” Ben warns, getting up to his feet a moment after her.

“I wouldn’t have it any other way.” Chakwas affirms, heading down the room towards the elevator at a brisk pace.

Rook settles into the cushioned seat, adjusting his placement before he begins to engage the TRUK. Ester sits in the copilot’s seat beside him, spinning it around to face the cabin rather than the console. In just a moment the ship rumbles to life. The engines are primed, the rear hatch slowly hinges shut, and as the Tempest loading ramp descends the Omni-TRUK becomes airborne.

Guided by the ship’s computer, synced with Ben’s omni-tool, the flight is mostly silent. The dull hum of the craft isn’t even loud enough to drown out the shuffling of Ester getting comfortable, or Rook turning to check on her.

“May I ask why you did not tell Ben the truth?” He eventually asks. The question doesn’t catch Ester by surprise, but she does have to think for a moment to answer.

“Well I… He doesn’t need that on his plate. It’ll be easier if he doesn’t have to think about that right now.”

“Easier for him, or for you?” Rook questions.

Ester is quiet for a moment while she thinks about that question. In the absence of finding an answer she likes she lets out a deep sigh.

“I’ll tell him. But… when the moment’s right.” Ester decides. “Until then, can you keep it between us?”

“Of course. I will not tell Ben.” Rook assures her.

“Thanks.” She breathes.

It’s not long before the ship lands again, now in the open bay of the Normandy. It settles down on the right side of the bay, in a distinctly open section that seems designed to hold a shuttle. The TRUK is parked, the back hatch is opened into a ramp, and Rook powers down the ship.

“Should we wait for Ben?” Rook posits.

Ester pushes herself out of the seat before Rook even finishes speaking, making her way down the ramp without acknowledging his suggestion.

“I did not think so.” He acknowledges, following her.

The back of the TRUK faces the Normandy’s loading ramp, which is hinging close by the time the two of them step out. They step around the back of the truck and are able to see the full bay before them. On their left is another shuttle, a rectangular blue ship with extended thrusters aimed forward and back from where wheels might be if it were an automobile. On their right, in front of the Omni-TRUK, are crates of cargo. Directly ahead of them, at the end of the central walkway, is an area where people are working. There are hip-high stations and wok benches. On the back wall, to the right of the elevator, is a rack that seems designed to store weapons.

Ester has to sink into her jacket a little tighter as they walk down the ramp, letting out a tense shiver. The bay is just cold enough for her breath to be visible. The bay isn’t especially cold by human standards, certainly not enough for anyone else’s breath to be visible, but it’s freezing to her.

It doesn’t take them long to spot James, walking down the path to meet them halfway. Both parties slow to a stop when they’ve just about reached one another.

“You made it.” He acknowledges with an air of jovial relief. “Was worried you two might have gotten lost on the way over.”

“Rook’s not the kind of guy that gets lost.” Ester boasts for him.

“The numbering system for Citadel docks is highly intuitive.” Rook adds. “In addition, the Normandy was within eyesight of the ship we arrived on. I do not believe I could have if I tried.”

“I’ll take your word for it.” James accepts.

“So you’re the two Mr. Vega here was telling me about.” Another man cuts in. He has darker skin; short, shaved black hair; a thin goatee around his stern mouth; and blocky, well-cut features making up his face.

He has a similar build to the commander. Slimmer than James, but more muscular than most. He wears an alliance uniform that seems standard. Thin, breathable fabric at the sides, with thicker material making up the front. It contrasts James, who wears an informal light grey tee with a worn alliance insignia on its front.

The man that approached them slows his approach when Rook and Ester turn to him. He stops a few paces away, straightening his shoulders before speaking again.

“Lieutenant Steve Cortez. Stuttle Pilot.” He introduces himself. “Sorry to just jump in. There’s so much to be done, I get caught up in the tasks at hand.”

“He’s always like that. You need to chill out, Esteban.” James adds.

“So you do care, Mr. Vega, or is that the Cerveza talking again?” Cortez matches his banter.

“Magister Rook Blonko.” Rook formally responds, passing by James to close the distance between himself and Cortez. He offers his hand to shake, which the man takes only a moment to return.

“Magister? That a rank?” He questions.

“Indeed. In my universe I oversee the Plumber station responsible for Earth.” Rook explains.

“I read about the reports on Mr. Tennyson when I got assigned to the Normandy. Plumbers are your form of celestial law enforcement, right?”

Rook can’t resist cracking a smile, and Ester can’t help but a laugh at the way he referenced Ben, getting a glance from him.

“Did I say something wrong?” He asks, genuinely weary about their response.

“I don’t think I’ve ever heard someone call Ben ‘Mr.’ before.” Ester explains, instantly letting Cortez relax again. “You can skip the formalities with him. And, uh, I’m Ester by the way.”

“James mentioned before you got here. Do you have a last name, or it is just Ester?” Cortez checks.

“I’m chief of the Kraaho on Earth, if that means anything.”

“The what? Is that your species?” James questions.

“Yep.”

“But, you are correct.” Rook responds to his earlier question. “The Plumbers are one of the central bodies responsible for upholding galactic law in our universe.”

“Right… And this is your ship?” Cortez checks. Rook steps back and to the side, letting him walk up and look at the Omni-TRUK. “I hope you don’t mind me saying, but it looks like it’s taken a hell of a beating.”

It’s hard not to understand what he means by this. The front left corner has been scraped and grinded down to a point that the raw metal is visible underneath the paint. The right wing, on the other side of the ship from them, is dislodged and at an angle from the hull. The fin on top is a similar situation, askew from how it seemingly should be. The whole back of the ship, streaking out from the rear hatch like an impact crater, is charred black and brown. A mix of burned paint and the smoke produced by it.

“Indeed.” Rook acknowledges.

“I’m surprised it can fly like that.” James comments.

“It isn’t as bad as it looks. The exterior damage is primarily cosmetic, though it does prevent the Omni-TRUK from transforming. The real damage is to the engines. Currently we are limited to sub-light, and non-universal transit.” Rook explains.

“This thing is how you got to this universe? It’s tiny.” Cortez remarks, turning around to look at the group again.

“Where we are from, interplanetary craft are far smaller than they are here. Most do not require more than one person to operate, and the majority of the remaining types can be safely used with an on-board AI.”

“Huh. Guess those aren’t so dangerous where you’re from. Here, Ais are illegal in Council space.” Cortez informs them.

Rook spares an odd glances to Ester, who returns the look. They both consider asking about EDI for a moment, but decide against it just as quickly. In a moment this odd pause is dismissed when Cortez speaks again.

“So how did it get like this?” He asks, gesturing behind himself to the ship.

Rook hesitates, thinking on that question for just a second. Not for what the answer is, but how to say it in a way they’d accept. His pause is just long enough for Ester to jump in ahead of him.

“Reaper hit it.” She states.

Both men are starkly taken aback by that answer. They literally step back. They’re both at a loss for words, trying to find the right way to question the statement.

“Okay, well technically it hit Ben, and then got thrown into the wall of the loading bay.” Ester corrects herself.

“Are you fucking with me?” James questions, almost a little annoyed by how unrealistic her explanation sounds.

“He’s been through worse.” Ester shrugs.

“But- A Reaper. I’ve seen those things slice through whole cruisers like they were paper. You’re trying to tell me that scrawny kid I saw with Shepard can survive that?” James struggles to believe.

“You don’t know the half of it yet, dude.” Ester chuckles, her breath still faintly visible.

“… Uhm. Okay. Well… How, uh- How do you plan to fix it?” Cortez wonders, not really having a way to further question the origin of the damage.

“I was actually hoping to make use of the Normandy’s tools. I am under the impression that we will have time between missions.” Rook tells him.

“We will, yeah. I could actually help with that, if you’d let me.” Cortez offers.

“You are a mechanic?”

“That’s right. I’m serving as the Normandy’s shuttle pilot now, but I wasn’t assigned to be one. not much need for one on a dry-docked ship. I was overseeing the retrofits of the cargo hold. I’m quite familiar with the operation and maintenance of the UT-47 Kodiak.” He gestures back to the blue shuttle. “I spend about as much time working on my bird as flying her. I’m also responsible for logistics, making sure the armory and shuttle are properly stocked and maintained.”

“I would appreciate the help.” Rook eagerly accepts. “The on-board computers have the schematics, if you would like to view them.”

“Lead the way.” Cortez implores.

Rook leads him back towards the ship, around and in through the back. This leaves Ester and James standing there, awkwardly watching until the two vanish from sight, then looking to each other.

“You some kind of tech genius too?” James checks.

“Fat chance. Outside of working a thermal regulator, I don’t bother with that stuff.” She says.

“I wanted to ask about the coat. You seriously cold right now?” James checks.

“Freezing, dude.” She confirms.

“How about we see if we have a heated blanket or something in storage, eh?” James suggests, turning to head for the elevator at the back of the room. Ester doesn’t object.

D2, holding. That’s the docks level below where Shepard docked the Normandy. The alliance ship is visible through the glass ahead of them when they step out of the elevator, shining in the blue light of the space beyond, diffused somewhat by the purple haze around the Citadel, visibly held within its spanning arms.

They pass through the lobby, then the holographic scanners, and into the bay proper. The first thing they notice is how much louder this dock is. It’s positively busy with life. C-Sec, and refugees, and management, and dock workers, and soldiers making the most of their time before getting sent back out. They can feel the subtle drum of dozens of footsteps reverberating through the floor, and feel the dry sterilized air on their skin. To their left is a recessed waiting are, half overtaken by storage crates they seemingly didn’t have another place for.

Turning right to look down the length of the room, they find far more space. Glass railings break up the individual areas. Couches and benches denote waiting and relaxation areas along with back wall, which is on their left looking down the length of the room; while along the back wall, on their right, are cargo pods that some of the people seem to be turning into makeshift rooms.

Down the walkway, on the other side of the glass at the far right end of the dock, rests the Tempest. The two ships are actually in eyeshot of one another, which Ben has to assume Station control did intentionally after hearing about him. He was too busy to notice any of this the first time he walked through here, when Bailey greeted him.

 It’s weird, but the high ceilings mean the space has a real echo to it. All the intermixed conversations make the room fairly loud, enough so that Shepard has to raise his voice when he tries to speak to Ben.

“So, where are these friends of yours?” He nearly shouts.

Ben narrows his eyes and scans over the space. He’s obviously already spotted the ship, and knows which loading ramp it’s connected to, but he’s trying to find any of them that are already out.

Ben doesn’t get long to look around the space before the Omnitrix chimes. “New lifeform DNA Analyzed. Acquisition complete.” The device drones.

“Huh?” Ben responds. He puts his hand to the face of the Omnitrix, letting the dial load so he can see what the new species is. It only takes a moment for him to spot the new species, a Hannar. With that resolved he lets his wrist fall back to his side, and continues looking over the room for the Andromeda crew.

While Ben starts wandering ahead to look through the crowds, Shepard stays where he is. He stands in the open walkway, letting the world pass by around him. After a moment he flicks up his wrist and taps a command into his omni-tool. In a second he hears the line open in his communicator.

“We ready for liftoff?” He asks.

“Standard pre-flight checks are expected to conclude in another few minutes. We should be ready by the time you return to the Normandy.” A synthetic and feminine voice answers him.

“Thanks, EDI.” Shepard says, tapping his tool again to close the line.

He’s made his way over to the support pillar at the back of the lounger area on his left and leans himself against it while waiting. He lets his eyes shut and just listens. To the footsteps, to the distant echo of shuttle cabs flying through the Citadel’s transit lanes. To the hatches opening and closing, the hiss of air that comes with their sealing. The sound of children giggling, and their parents talking about how they’ll pay for food on the Citadel. The heavy boots of C-Sec guards, and the softer soles of their Turian colleagues.

A conversation passes by him about the limited space in the wards. How they’ll run out of room in just a few weeks with how quickly refugees are coming in. Someone suggests that the posttheans could offer to house people in their ships, but the idea isn’t taken seriously.

The recognizable vocal distortions of a batarian speaks with a human. Both men. The batarian talks about how the situation on the Citadel reminds him of when a batarian colony was displayed several months ago. The human dismisses him, questioning the validity of the event he talks about. The batarian says that the human should stop listening to those conspiracy podcasts.

Two asari chat across the central path from him. They’re both being deployed, but to different fights. They struggle to agree on how to keep in touch. Communication lines will be stretched thin, and their superiors are telling them that personal communications won’t be much of an option.

A conversation behind him, down the steps and in the lounge area. Two women, one older and one younger. The difference doesn’t seem stark enough for the relationship to be parental, so maybe sisters. Arguing about something. The older is leaving, going back out to help with the fight.

“Why can’t I come with you?” The younger voice. A turian, based on the dry rasp and flange.

“I’m not dragging you into the middle of a war. I almost lost you to fucking batarians, I’m not risking you to the Reapers again. You’re staying here, where it’s safe.” The older voice responds, harsh and frustrated.

“But what about you? What if something happens, and I’m left on my own?” The younger asks, her concern for the other very genuine.

“I’ll be fine. And so will you. They’ll need help with all the refugees coming in, you can get a job while I’m away.”

Shepard opens his eyes again and leans off the pilar, stepping around to look down the stairs. They are turian. The shorter wears light, casual garb. White and grey with accents of red, matching the markings on her face.

The taller has purple markings, so maybe they aren’t related. She wears some form of armor. A white and blue back unit of some sort, which connects to the collar that wraps around to the front of her carapace. The outfit is too armored for a civilian, but also features too many sections of casual leathers to be meant for direct combat.

He steps down the stairs and approaches, very little hesitance or caution in his stride.

“You sure you want to leave her here?” Shepard cuts in, causing both of them to shift their attention to him.

“And who the hell are you?” The older turian snaps at him, not able to repress her frustration before the words escape her.

“Commander Shepard.” He pays the hostility no mind.

The turian pauses, letting out a hissed sigh as she forces herself to relax. “Shit. Of course you are.” She speaks, like the answer is one she could have expected. She steps back from the other turian and up to the Commander, extending a hand for him to shake. “Vetra Nyx. Ben told the crew about you on the way here.”

Shepard catches up quickly, taking her hand and shaking it firmly once he realizes who she is. “A pleasure to meet you.”

“Sorry about before. It’s been a long day.”

“Of course, everyone’s on edge. You were talking before about surviving an attack of some kind?” Shepard questions, turning his attention to the younger turian a few paces behind Vetra. When he does Vetra shifts to the side slightly, forcing herself back into Shepard’s focus.

“We stopped to get my sister on the way here. Ben didn’t mention that?” She catches.

“He didn’t.” Shepard confirms. “What happened?”

Vetra’s relaxing a little, bit by bit. Not enough to put her guard down yet, but enough to let Sid step forward to join the conversation.

“One of those- Reapers. I was living in this colony, and it came down in the ocean. Everyone started running for the storm shelters, but on the way… I got grabbed by these batarians.” Sid explains.

“Slavers.” Vetra clarifies. “They were using the Reaper as a cover.”

Shepard nods as he takes in the information.

“My home on Mindoir was raided when I was about your age. Maybe a little younger. I know what it’s like.” Shepard tells her.

“How’d you survive?” Sid wonders.

“My sister. She hid me until the Alliance arrived.” Shepard says. His eyes shift back to Vetra, meeting hers. “Take her with you. The citadel might be safe for now, but she needs you.”

Vetra gives Sid a glance, then turns back to Shepard. She paces away from her sister, grabbing Shepard’s arm as she does to drag him with her. They head up the stairs and across the main path to the railing on the other side. Far enough away to be out of earshot of Sid.

“How about you stay out of my business, Commander?” She speaks, her words practically biting him. “Has Ben told you about the people he came here with?”

“Not really.” He answers.

A sharp groan escapes the turian, almost a growl really. Her eyes narrow and glance off the commander for a few moments before returning to him.

“I don’t know how much they’d want me telling you, but they’re going to be heading into Reaper territory. I’m…” She hesitates, an argument with herself roiling up inside her mind. “I want to help them.” She resolves herself. “But I’m not putting my sister in anymore danger than I have to. The kind of shit out there isn’t somewhere for a kid. She doesn’t need that.”

“She needs you.” Shepard argues. “If you think you’re coming back, then you can take her with you.”

Vetra doesn’t argue. She realizes at this point that she’s not going to be able to change Shepard’s mind, and simply turns away from him.

“She’s staying here.” Vetra insists, removing herself from the argument by walking back in the direction of Sid.

As soon as Vetra reaches the top of the stairs she spots Sid again, and someone else beside her. Ben, leaning on the back of the benches.

“Ben.” She acknowledges him, stepping down into the lounge space as Shepard walks up behind her. He stays at the top of the stairs, not walking down.

The teen shifts his attention to her and Shepard.

“There you are.” He says with a wave.

 “So, in your universe it’s 2013?” Sid continues the conversation Ben started before they returned.

“Yeah, but there are already tons of aliens on Earth. Rook and Ester are some of my best friends, and they both live on my Earth.” Ben tells her.

“Rook was the blue one, right?” Sid checks.

“Yep.” Ben confirms, then turns to focus on Vetra and Shepard again. “What were you two doing?”

“They were arguing about whether or not I can come with Vetra.” Sid answers for them before Vetra’s able to get a word out.

“What? Okay, who was arguing what, because that sounds dumb.” Ben leans off the bench, taking a step toward the older members of the group. Now that he’s on his feet it’s sort of stark how much bigger Sid is than him. Obviously young for a turian, but still big enough to loom over Ben.

Vetra sighs, preparing to deal with the argument again.

“She’s safer here.” She repeats.

“Yeah, obviously.” Ben agrees. Vetra’s caught off guard by this a little, allowed to relax by someone taking her side.

“But I want to go with her.” Sid interjects, getting Ben to turn to her.

“What? Wait, you’re not staying?” Ben turns back to Vetra.

“…No. I can’t. With everything happening, the Initiative needs me.” Vetra confirms.

“That’s… really brave of you.”

“I know it’s stupid, but I have to.”

“It’s not stupid.” Ben assures her, turning back to “Sid, look…” He pauses, choosing to think for a moment before saying anything. “It’s safer here.”

“Then why aren’t you staying?” Sid turns to Vetra.

“They need me.” Vetra says.

Sid’s mandibles tighten against the sides of her face, held so tensely that they practically shake. Ben understands the meaning more intuitively than most humans would. He raises a hand to tap her arm. It gets her to turn to him, distracted from the argument for a moment.

“I know you’d rather go with Vetra – believe me, I hate getting left behind — but you could still keep in touch with her with the QEC on the Tempest. And I think I’ve got some friends here that could really use your help.” He says.

“My help?” Sid questions.

“Yeah. What’d you say you did back on your colony?” Ben checks.

“I was a comms monitor.” She says.

“C-Sec’s gonna be short staffed with everything going on. If you talk with Commander Bailey, he could probably use you in the same position.”

“…okay.” She reluctantly accepts.

“Go on in. You know where the apartment I got for us is?”

“I can find it.” Sid confirms.

“I’ll catch up.” Vetra tells her. She nods and heads up the stairs past Vetra towards the entry scanner.

And finally, Vetra’s able to release a deep, tense breath. Letting herself relax.

“Thanks, kid. That’s two I owe you.” She says.

“Sid’s safe, and you’re gonna help Ryder with the Arks. I think we’re even.” Ben brushes it off again. He tries to walk past her to hop up the stairs, but Vetra motions to stop him.

“I’m serious. You ever need anything, you let me know. I owe you her life.” She insists.

“…Okay.” Ben accepts, stepping past Vetra to hop up the stairs.

She turns to follow him, rising out of the lounge and back onto the main floor. Shepard also follows them.

“Where’s Alec, by the way? I looked for him but didn’t have any luck.” Ben says.

“Back on the Tempest. Some of the other humans might be around, but the Ryders went to coordinate with the Nexus.” Vetra says.

“Can you signal for them to meet us at the boarding ramp? I wanna get Shepard caught up.”

“Sure.” She confirms.

The three of them wait in front of the boarding ramp for a few moments. Ben peers up the length of it to where it connects with the Tempest’s airlock, trying to see if it shakes or anything when Alec comes out. It doesn’t, evidently, as before he knows it the hatch opens with a hiss, and out steps the three Ryders.

Leading the group is an older man, closer to Anderson or Hackett’s ages than Shepard’s. His combed back hair has started greying but is still primarily black. His lower face is covered by a short but consistent beard surrounding his stern mouth, matched by the intense  and furrowed expression his face seems to default to.

“My name is Alec Ryder, former Alliance military. You must be Commander Shepard. Castis speaks highly of you.” Alec introduces himself, extending a hand that Shepard firmly shakes.

“Castis?” Shepard questions.

“Castis Vakarian.” He clarifies. “Ben says you work with his son.”

Shepard nods with understanding, letting go of Alec’s hand. “He’s a good friend.”

“This is Sara, and Scott.” Alec introduces them, gesturing to each as he says their name. “My children.”

Shepard’s attention shifts to the two he mentioned, standing either side of him. They’re in their twenties, at least. Not as old as Shepard, but closer to his age than their father.

“It’s an honor, Commander.” Sara speaks first.

She says it to be polite, and respect his rank, but the Commander can tell that she doesn’t really mean it. She doesn’t know who he is. Shepard’s fine with that, of course, but he can’t help but notice it.

He feels an odd sort of emotion at seeing the two of them, one that doesn’t sit right with him.

“You both serve with your father?” Shepard questions.

“We joined the alliance when we were teenagers. Served on a peacekeeping force for a couple years, until he told us about the Initiative.” Scott explains, but winces at the last word, like he shouldn’t have said it. Alec gives him a look, but doesn’t say anything.

They make him feel out of place, somehow. Their dynamic, the way they stand at the ready beside Alec, but still search the world around them for something more. A mission to call their own. It reminds Shepard of himself, when he served under Anderson for all those years.

Now he stands before Alec, and the man gives him his full attention when he speaks.

“The Initiative? That the organization that you work for?” Shepard guesses.

“The Andromeda Initiative.” Alec confirms. “The plan was to send a total of a hundred thousand colonists to our neighboring galaxy, composed of all the milky way’s races. Of course, with the Council catching wind of the Reaper, supply lines were strained. We weren’t able to finish in time.”

“That’s an enormous undertaking.” Shepard spares a glance to Ben, hoping for him to verify.

“I’ve seen it. They pretty built their own Citadel. It’s crazy.” The teen confirms.

“How come I’ve never heard of you before?” Shepard wonders, shifting his eyes back to Alec.

“That’s by design, I’m afraid. The Andromeda Initiative isn’t exactly Council sanctioned. I understand you’re a spectre, but I’d appreciate it if this didn’t spread.”

“I understand. Last thing we need is the Reapers catching wind of you.”

“Exactly. On that matter, a number of our Arks dark when the Reapers arrived. Our mission, at least for the time being, is to recover the Arks and get them back to the Nexus.”

“You said all of Andromeda’s species have their own Arks?” Shepard checks.

“Each of the Council races got an ark. One for Humans, Turians, Salarians, and Asari. There are Krogan on the Nexus, but not as many as the other races. I’ve heard about a fifth ark for the other races, quarians, batarians, hannar, elcor, but that’s not my department.”

“Which arks are missing?”

“All of them, except Ark Hyperion, the Human ark. We’d be lost too, if not for Ben and his friends coming to our rescue.” Alec explains.

Shepard turns his attention back to Ben for a moment, considering the new swath of heroics he’s being made privy to.

“You’ve been busy.” He notes.

“Making up for lost time. They were small detours, promise.” Ben shrugs it off.

“My ship’s heading to Palaven now.” Shepard starts, turning back to Alec. “We intend to recover the primarch. With his support, we might have a hope of completing a Prothean superweapon meant to wipe out the Reapers.”

“We’re headed the same direction. You should have our ship’s QEC link. Don’t hesitate to reach out if you need our help. I hear that if anyone can save us, you’re the man to do it.”

Shepard nods.

“I appreciate that. If we can spare the resources, we’ll return the favor.”

“Cool. This had been really formal and stuffy. I guess it’s about time to go now?” Ben remarks, getting obnoxiously bored with their exposition.

“EDI?” Shepard checks, looking to the open air.

“EDI?” Alec questions.

“She’s our SAM.” Ben clarifies.

All of the Andromeda group take note of his meaning. Scott and Sara’s eyes both widen at the implication of another AI, and Alec’s brow folds slightly with stern contemplation.

“We’re ready to go.” Shepard presumably summarizes what EDI said, looking back down to Ben.

“Great. Then let’s stop wasting time, and go save a Primarch.” Ben decides, turning to head back towards the elevators. “See you ‘round, guys.”

When Ben and Shepard depart, Sara turns to her father.

“Are we about ready to go?” She checks.

“Just about.” Alec confirms. “The Tempest is still refueling.” He takes a breath and turns his attention to the Turian standing beside them. “Nyx,” She reciprocates the attention at the mention of her name. “It’s been a pleasure. I wish you the best of luck.”

“Actually-” She stops him. “I’m coming with you.”

“You are?” Alec questions.

“I’m not good at doing nothing. You need people looking for those Arks, and I can only do that on the Tempest. You’re taking me.” Vetra tells him.

“… Alright.” Alec accepts.

The twins spare a glance to each other, as subtly as the two of them are capable of.

“I’ve already had some Dextro rations sent to the Tempest, so you won’t have to worry about me. But I’ve got some stuff I need to take care of while we’re here.” Vetra adds.

“You’ve got half an hour. After that, we’re gone.” Alec states.

She nods, and is about to turn to leave when Sara hops forward to her side. Scott tenses up like he was about to do the same, but was too slow.

“You need help with anything?” Sara offers.

“… Sure.” Vetra wearily accepts, turning to walk off with Sara in tow. “Keep up, Ryder.”

Scott seems to argue with himself for a moment before sighing, and just watching them walk away with a resigned smile. The moment doesn’t go unnoticed by his father, but the older man chooses not to say anything for now.

Stepping through the airlock for the first time in forever, Ben can’t help but take a deep breath in. To smell the chemically sterilized air, that slight scent of burnt metal from the decontamination grid. The inner seal opens, and they step through into the ship itself. The smell of leather, and oil, and the slight metallic tinge from the holograms that Ben can almost taste. The sound of people at their stations, of people walking around the CIC, of people talking. The dull humm of the entire ship, almost like it’s breathing around him.

He lets out a deep breath, and opens his eyes to see the Normandy again. Shepard’s already making his way down the main length of the ship towards the Galaxy Map.

“EDI, how long has it been?” Ben asks.

“It has been 3 months, 10 days since you were last aboard the Normandy.” EDI answers him.

“Huh, really? Felt like a lot linger. Man, it’s good to be back.” He sighs, turning to head left towards bridge. “I missed you, EDI.”

“I missed you too, Ben.” She reciprocates.

Up ahead he sees the pilot’s chair spin around to face him, and Jeff “Joker” Moreau sitting there watching his approach.

“Hey! Look who’s finally back. Chakwas said you were coming.” Joker’s seat spins back around to face his station as Ben places himself in the empty seat at the right of the room. “Of course, EDI also told me that some new aliens parked a hunk of junk on level 5, so it’s not like I can trust everything they tell me. Ah, who am I kidding, I always knew it was just a matter of time before you popped up again.”

“You didn’t think I was dead?” Ben notes.

“Please, you? I don’t know what it takes to keep you down, but a Mass Relay going up isn’t going to do the trick. Not if you can move an entire colony of Batarians halfway across the galaxy. I just wish I thought to get you a card or something. ‘To the savior of the batarians, it’s good to have you back. Nex ttime, leave a note.’ That sort of thing. Oh, hey, we should get you a fruit basket or something. Did they do those back in your time?” Joker talks.

Ben just chuckles, and looks out through the windows to the stretch of space visible through the Citadel’s claws.

“I missed you too, man.” Ben assures him.

“… Yeah. It’s good to have you back, kid.” Joker affirms.

In another moment the command is given, and the heavy thunks of the Normandy undocking from its magnetic clamps ripple through the ship. Then it begins to move. Shifting position, gliding away from the Citadel’s docks as it straightens out to fly out towards the Widow system’s relay.

Onto their next mission.

It’s a matter of time before Ben heads down through the levels of the Normandy, to some extent wandering through the renovated halls, but also looking for someone in particular.

He finds Ester down in engineering. In the lower area where Jack used to take residence. She’s slightly out of the main walking area, relaxing on the Normandy’s framework, leaning back on a central shaft that’s labeled with a warning sticker that indicates Mass Effect fields. It’s a little hard to see in the dim red lights of the space, but Ben spots a place to sit on the room’s left side. Not far from Ester, but still on the room’s floor.

“Hey. Heard you’d be down here.” Ben leads himself into the conversation. He places himself down across from Ester, leaning back to settle onto the storage crate he’s using as a seat.

“Not as cold down here.” She says.

“Yeah.” Ben chuckles, tugging at the collar of his shirt to cool himself down. “I noticed.”

“How long until we get to… what was it? Patronoch? Or… something.”

“Palaven.” Ben corrects her. He can already feel himself sweating from the heat down here. “It’ll be a while, probably long enough to finally get some sleep. I, uh… actually wanted to talk to you about that. Well, truth is, I wanted to apologize. We were in such a rush back on the Citadel that I didn’t even think about how you were getting dragged along with our mission.”

“Oh, Ben, it’s fine.” She starts saying.

“But is it? We promised you a quick round trip, and now you’re stuck here for who know how long. You shouldn’t have to risk your life here. You don’t have to risk your life. That’s what I’m trying to say. You can stay on the Normandy, where it’s safe. And as soon as we get the TRUK fixed we can take you, Gillrus, and the other refugees home.”

“Ben, about that…” Ester speaks again, and this time Ben actually listens to her. “Gillrus is… The C-Sec commander guy said that… they don’t know where he is.”

“What?” Ben questions.

“They lost him, months ago. Gone. No explanation, no evidence, just… They think someone took him. He’s not on the Citadel.” Ester explains.

Ben’s eyes widen and he leans forward, gripping the edge of his seat.

“What about the others?”

“No, just Gillrus.” Ester assures him. “The others are still there.”

“Ester, I’m… so sorry.” He says, leaning back again. Not letting go of that tension and worry, but returning to a more comfortable upright angle.

“It’s okay.”

“No, it’s- I’m so sorry. You’re stuck here, and the whole reason you came it already gone. I’m sorry that I’m too late to save him, and that you got dragged into this.”

“Ben,” She speaks.

“Maybe Gillrus is still out there, but who knows how long it’s gonna take to find him. As soon as the Primarch’s safe we’ll fix the TRUK and get you home, I promise. You shouldn’t have to stick around for a fight that you didn’t sign up for.” Ben continues.

“Ben.” Ester tries to stop him

“It’s fine, okay? This really isn’t your fight. We’ll find Gillrus, I promise. Until then”

“Ben.” Ester loses her patience, forcing Ben to pause. “I’m here to help, alright? I am here to help. I…” Her frustration hits a snag, a point of information that she’s just reluctant enough to share to hesitate for a second. “…I came for you. Not Gillrus.”

It feels bad to speak the words. The admit that she didn’t come for the sake of being a good leader, for the sake of her people, but instead for him. Ben stops talking, and just thinks. About their time together in this universe, and all that’s happened. Everything that led up to Ester being here.

“I thought- Back at the garage, before we left- you said-”

“You’re my friend, Ben. Things have been kind of awkward between us for a while, and I know that, but I still care about you. This” She gestures around them. Not just to the ship, but to the entire existence around them. “This is important, and it matters to you. I came to help, and I’m going to. Whatever that means.” Ester explains.

“Ester, I…”

“You’re welcome.” She guesses his next words, but also tries to playfully prod.

“I couldn’t ask you to do this.” He continues.

“You didn’t have to.”

Ben tries, but he doesn’t have the words. He’s just… speechless. Looking across the distance between them, at Ester’s face in the dim red light.

“… Thanks, Ester.”

Chapter Text

The rustle of leaves.

The prickle of wind on a chill autumn day.

The smell of soil, damp from the morning dew.

Light filters in through the leaves, and through the clouds. There is no sun here, not through the mist and the sky. Diffused until it’s dim and grey, the dawn’s light seems without direction. It simply is.

In the odd hue of morning, the trees seem all but black. Silhouettes that reach and claw at the sky, holding aloft the dancing shape of leaves.

There rings a somber note.

Flecks of black drift through the air, and with them comes the smell of wood. The smell of embers, their light fading as they drift from the sky.

The leaves rustle. The bushes are still.

A laugh echoes through the stalks, and he turns to look for them. He gazes through the trees, through the haze. The noise was sourceless, but that doesn’t stop him from looking when the sound is heard again. A young laugh, a child’s.

There is a child. One within the woods, kneeled beside a bench. It plays in the dirt.

He moves for the child.

His limbs are slow, and heavy. The accessories he’s accustomed to seem cold, and at the same time numbing. He trudges ahead, forces his legs to drag through the space. To take each step, to approach. To reach the child.

A rumbling, from the sky. A tremble in the air.

The child turns, and he sees its face. His face.

A glow of red, and the sound of impact. The drone of the machine. It’s awful discordant chiming.

The child’s face is his. One he knows, one he remembers. It’s his.

The child’s green eyes look at him, vacantly. Expectantly.

He tries to speak, but he chokes on the words. They do not come. The only sound is that of the somber note.

He reaches for the child, but the child does not move. The child only watches. He cannot reach it. He cannot touch it. His limbs are like ice, and yet the child burns. Out from the machine, he catches fire.

It’s his face. It’s his own face, when he was young. Nearly half a life ago, when the powers were new. When he didn’t know.

The machine sinks into his wrist, and his body burns. The child burns, and becomes fire. Still the gaze is vacant. When the form becomes itself anew, and he again sees his own molten face. When the alien device forms on his chest.

The fire crackles. The woods burn.

His limbs are like ice. He cannot move. And yet he burns.

He is not on fire, but he burns. He would scream, but there is only somber and that rumbling drone.

His eyes are hollow, and everything will burn to ash.

His eyes open.

With a gasp like breaching the surface of water, he shoots up. He pants, desperately gasping for air as the world shifts into focus.

The Normandy. The room he was given. He’s safe. He’s fine.

His hand reaches for his chest, gripping the fabric of his shirt. He breathes. He looks out at the drifting stars beyond the ship, and he breathes.

He shifts his body off its place of rest, setting his feet on the ground. His left hand grips the surface under him to steady his position. His right eventually lets go of his shirt, leaving the 10 on his chest visible once more.

He pushes himself up off the couch to get to his feet, and he steps towards the starboard window. He leans himself against it and steadies his breathing.

It’s not long before he turns to leave the room, grabbing his jacket from the couch on his way out of the Observation Lounge.

He only makes it a few steps away from the door before another figure comes around from the other side of the elevator. Finely scaled blue skin, a crest of inflexible tendrils, and wide eyes that focus on him as soon as she comes into view.

“Oh, Ben. You’re awake.” She notes, slowing to a stop by the elevator doors.

Ben does the same out of courtesy, assuming that they’ll talk for at least a moment.

“I was just about to go up and see Shepard.” She tells him.

“Rrright. I was about to get some food.” Ben returns, gesturing around the elevator shaft to the mess hall behind.

“Ah, I see. Of course.” Liara acknowledges.

She half turns from him, reaching for the door to the elevator, when she pauses. Her attention shifts back to him, and she lingers for a moment. She watches as he goes to turn away from her and head around to the mess hall.

“Are you alright?” She checks.

“Huh?” Ben is unprepared for the question, forced to stop in his tracks and focus on her again. “Yeah, of course. Why wouldn’t I be?”

“Oh- I’m sorry, I did not mean to offend. I just…” Liara pauses, trying to find the right words.

“Had a bad dream, that’s all. Nothing to worry about.” Ben assures her.

“I see.” Liara acknowledges.

“Go on up, I’ll be fine.” Ben insists.

“Of course.” Liara hesitantly accepts, finally committing to opening and stepping into the elevator.

She knocks on the metal surface of the hatch, then waits for a moment. That’s as long as it takes for her to hear the sound of the door unlocking and sliding open, revealing Shepard stepping up to her from the other side.

“Liara,” He acknowledges her, as if slightly surprised by her presence. Or perhaps relieved. “can I help you?”

“I’ve been forwarding the turian councilor information on the Prothean device.” Liara begins.

Shepard steps out of his cabin. Liara turns herself as he passes by, watching him lean himself against the railing of the area they’re in. The small airlock sort of space between the elevator door and Shepard’s quarters, the sides of which reveal the Normandy’s crawlspaces.

“It can’t be built without Council support, but he’s not budging until their primarch is safe.” She continues.

“I know.” Shepard says.

“Are you alright?” Liara checks, catching his tone.

Shepard leans off the rail with a sigh, and a certain stiffness in his shoulders. He turns to face her, but his focus doesn’t quite land on her.

“I didn’t get what you’d call a good night’s rest.” He explains.

“You are not alone in that respect. I would call it stress, but…” Liara steps in close to Shepard, to a distance that seems almost intimate. She narrows her eyes to examine Shepard’s face. The softer impressions of emotion, sculpting his more jagged features. “There’s more to it than that, isn’t there. What’s really bothering you?”

It’s a moment before Shepard has the words. Before he resolves himself to open up, and to broach the weight in his mind. “When the Reapers hit… I could hear people screaming in the streets below me. We left a lot of them behind.” He interprets his own feelings.

“There’s no way for you to save them all. But I know you’re doing everything you can, and you’ll get back there in time to help.” Liara assures him.

“I hope you’re right.” Shepard accepts, though seemingly as a courtesy. The words do little to hearten him.

Liara shifts away from Shepard, putting enough space between them to feel respectful.

“Don’t blame yourself, Commander.” She tries to encourage him.

It does little to sway his feelings, but the sentiment is appreciated.

“Well, uhm. I should get back to work. Come see me when you have a moment.” Liara turns to head for the elevator, and Shepard nods to approve of her exit.

There’s only a moment of silence before the sound of the intercoms click to life.

“Shepard. Admiral Hackett is waiting for you at the vid comm.” EDI informs him.

“Thanks, EDI. I’ll be right down.” Shepard accepts.

The hologram sputters and fizzles into form as Shepard approaches, manifesting the appearance of Admiral Hackett.

“Commander, Udina updated me on your meeting with the Council. Sounds like they’re running scared.” He notes.

“We did present them with a lot of unknowns. They’re feeling threatened and want immediate solutions, not theories.” Shepard tries to empathize with them.

“Theories are all we’ve got right now. What’s your plan?” Hackett asks.

“I’m trying to get the turian primarch for a summit meeting with the asari and salarians. I’ll bypass the council and appeal directly to their leadership.” The commander explains.

“That’s good. I like it. This is where we stary laying the groundwork for our counterattack.”

“Unfortunately, we don’t have a whole lot to back it up right now.”

“Then build alliances. Gather everything and everybody you can for the cause.” Hackett instructs him.

“What about the Prothean device?”

“Find me people who can help build it. And if you can’t, I’ll take ships, soldiers, supplies… whatever you can get. We need to keep hitting the Reapers across every theater of war they open, buy us time to figure out the device.”

“And when it’s finished?” Shepard checks.

“Assuming it ever is, we pool all our resources. Think of it as a giant armada for delivering the device when the Reapers are most vulnerable. The stronger you make the armada, the better its chances of punching through.”

“What about Earth, sir?”

“We’ll just have to hope Anderson – and what’s left of the Alliance forces – can hold out until we’ve dealt with the enemy.” The Admiral tells him.

“I understand.”

“Good. Then make it happen, Commander. I’ll be expecting regular updates on your progress. Hackett out.”

Just as quickly as the dialogue began the hologram is dispersed, and the call ended.

A deck below, Ben sits at the forward table in the mess hall. He’s stabbing at a loaf of what is arguably food. It might be meat, or a meat substitute, or maybe even some kind of bread. Whatever it is, Ben is using their version of a fork to put a lot of little holes in it. He’s already eaten a lot of what he was served, and is at this point just trying to wake up.

“You’re Ben Tennyson, right?” Intrudes his stupor.

His eyes shift up to a figure across from him. A woman. Older than him, but closer to his age than a lot of the crew. Slightly shorter than Shepard. Medium skin, dark black hair in a short cut, eyes that are almost heavy with dark eyeliner, a narrow mouth, and an english accent of some regionality.

“That’s me.” Ben confirms.

“I’m Comm Specialist Samantha Traynor, with Alliance R&D.” She introduces herself. She sits down across from him, placing down her tray.

Ben raises an eyebrow, like part of what she said didn’t quite clarify who she is as much as it raised another question.

“I was part of the team retrofitting the Normandy after Shepard turned it over to the Alliance.” She elaborates, a certain formality in her tone. Almost like she’s giving a report.

“Okay, first of all, chill out with the formal stuff. I’m not a soldier, I’m a superhero. And… Yeah, I was wondering about that. That’s why deck 2 is all messed up, right?” Ben asks.

“Well- It’s not “messed up.” The ship’s in line with Alliance regs now. The war room was a necessary inclusion. Admiral Anderson had intended to use the Normandy as his mobile command center.” She explains. “I’d be happy to give you the tour sometime.”

“Eh, I still miss the lab. Well, whatever. So, if you were just doing the upgrades, why are you here still?” He asks.

“Well, a few of us were on-board when the Reapers hit… In truth, I’m used to working in a lab. I never thought I’d be serving on a ship.” She explains.

“Yeah, it’s a big change. Before all this I mostly spent my time on Earth. My earth. Getting used to ship life took a while.”

“So… that’s true, then?” She leans forward, resting her elbows on the table. “You’re really from another… Earth? I mean, I read the stories, I saw the vids, but… Well, seeing is one thing. Believing is another matter entirely.”

“Yeah, I am.” Ben leans back, resting his hands behind his head. “A whole other universe. Maybe you can come visit after we deal with the whole Reaper thing. You know, if you stick around. I’m sure Shepard would be happy to let you get off next time we’re at the Citadel, if you want to bail.”

“Oh. Well. I’m, uh… not sure yet. It is an honor to serve under Shepard, for as long as he needs me. But they did only assign me to the Normandy to oversee the retrofits…” Traynor begins to trail off.

Before she decides on another statement, the device on Ben’s wrist chimes. Traynor leans back as Ben brings his arm around to look at the Omnitrix. He taps its face, and it responds with a chime.

“What’s up, EDI?” Ben asks.

“I have already requested that Shepard allow Traynor to remain.” EDI speaks from the Omnitrix, at a volume that only allows the two of them at the table to hear her. “Some of our systems require further testing, and Specialist Traynor has been extremely effective during installation.”

“Oh, alright.” He acknowledges, turning his attention back to the woman across from him. “Guess you’re sticking around then. Good to have you.”

“Wh- Wait. Since when does a virtual intelligence make requests?” She questions.

“Since- what? EDI?” Ben asks.

“Jeff requested that I pretend to be a simple VI to protect myself.” EDI explains.

“Oh, I knew it! I knew Joker was lying.” Traynor reacts.

“I apologize for the deception.” EDI tells her.

“Thanks, EDI. And I apologize for all those times I talked about how, uhm… attractive your voice was…”

“Okay. Anyways. I guess EDI pretending to be an IV or whatever makes sense with how weird you guys are about Ai. You seem chill enough about it though.” Ben notes.

“Of course. I have to trust the Commander’s judgement. And of course, EDI’s been in this ship since Cerberus gave it to Shepard. She’s had plenty of time to show her true colors.” Traynor rationalizes.

“Sure.” Ben accepts easily enough.

Traynor takes a breath to continue, but the sound of approaching footsteps gives her pause. She glances behind herself and find Shepard standing there, looking at her and Ben. She can’t help but tense, her shoulders stiffening and her back straightening to give Shepard full attention.

“Commander.” She acknowledges him.

“Could I have a word with Ben?” Shepard asks, nodding to the table.

“Oh- Yes, of course.” Traynor responds, quickly grabbing her tray and rising to her feet to get out of Shepard’s way. She gives him a nod, then turns to make her way to another table.

Shepard takes the seat across from Ben, focusing on the teen.

“Whatcha need, Shep?” Ben asks.

“Just wanted to check in. We haven’t really had a moment to talk since you got back.” Shepard explains.

“Yeah? Well, it’s the same old me. Anything specific you got on your mind?”

“I’m still not clear on the details. What exactly happened when you went back to your universe?” Shepard inquires.

“Not a lot, really. I went to see Azmuth first – you know, the guy that made my watch – to get him started on a way to get back here. Turned out to be a waste of time, since the dark energy your mass effect stuff messes with totally bugs out his equipment. In the end Paradox showed up to give us the navigational whatchamahoosit.” Ben explains.

“And after that?”

“Lots. I caught up with the plumber’s kids, who were keeping Earth safe while I was gone. Those are the hybrid kids the Rooters brainwashed to kill me or whatever. I left them in charge of my Earth while I’m here helping you guys. I put in a request to speak with Plumber high command pretty much as soon as I got back, but it took them like a month to get back to us. And then all they said is that they couldn’t help.”

“What was the reason for their non-involvement?” Shepard thinks to ask.

“They didn’t have ‘sufficient evidence of a threat to our universe” or something. Basically, your galaxy is pretty far behind when it comes to technology. If the Plumbers came over, none of you guys would really be able to stop them from becoming the main galactic superpower. So unless the Reapers are a threat to more universes than just yours, they can’t risk involvement with a developing system. It would set a bad president.”

“So if we told them about the projector on Earth, they might send reinforcements?” Shepard checks his understanding.

“Maybe. But even then, we can’t go back to my universe until the Omni-TRUK is fixed. I’m sure Rook is working on it, but for now we’re stuck here. And anyways, I wouldn’t risk going back to my universe until your Earth has reinforcements. With how things are going right now, the Reapers might find that tech any day now, and I need to be here if that happens.”

“And how did you construct a vehicle to return to this universe?” Shepard asks.

“This con-artist I know had a multi-dimensional engine sort of thing. He owed me one, so he let me ‘borrow’ it. Then Kevin and Rook spent a few weeks working on a new TRUK for it. We used to have another ship, but it sort of got trashed at some point. Kevin and Gwen should be coming over in another few weeks, once they make another ship.”

Shepard nods, thinking on all of that. He then takes a moment to consider everything else he needs to ask.

“Your friends, Rook and Ester, you mentioned them a couple times while we were taking down the Collectors, but you never went into detail. Is there anything I should know about their background, or species? What should I expect from them?” Shepard asks.

“Well, Ester’s half human. She spent a lot of time growing up on Earth too, so she’s pretty easy to get used to. She’s half kraaho though, so she’ll need somewhere warm to stay. I think she’s kind of gotten comfortable in that area under engineering where Jack used to be.”

“And your partner, Rook?”

“He’s a Revonnahgander, so he basically grew up out in the boonies. He only left world to join the Plumber’s academy. Then he graduated top of his class or something. When it comes to Plumbers, he’s as good as they get. He could rattle off protocol until your ears fall off. Trust me, I’d know. But he’s a good guy. One of the best friends I’ve got.” Ben answers him.

Shepard takes another moment to consider what he wants to ask before speaking again. He almost wants to inquire more about Ben’s side mission to get Vetra’s sister, but decides against it.

“How are you settling back into the Normandy?” He asks.

“Not sure about some of the changes you guys made, but it’s still the Normandy. I saw that my old room’s being used as a cargo hold again, so I got a few hours of shut-eye in Starboard Observation.” Ben explains.

“We can set you up in Starboard Cargo again, if you’d prefer.” Shepard offers.

“Yeah. The lounge is definitely more comfortable, but for long-term I’d rather be down by the loading bay. Doesn’t take as long to get out of the Normandy.” Ben accepts.

Shepard thinks if he has any other questions, but eventually just nods and begins rising from his seat.

“Alright. Thanks for telling me about all that.” Shepard says, seemingly leading himself out of the conversation.

“Anytime, Shep.” Ben watches as Shepard turns and heads for the back of the mess hall, toward the door to the XO quarters.

Ben simply turns his attention back to the sparse assortment of food left on his tray, and the fork-like implement half embedded in not-quite meat loaf.

Shepard goes to speak with Liara again. He finds that she’s already had some equipment installed in the XO quarters. Only what she was able to get while they were on the Citadel, so a few secured terminals, a databank, and a “small” array of a half dozen screens. She assures Shepard that she plans to have more moved over to the Normandy when she has the chance, she just needs to find time to have things shipped over from her ship on Hagalaz.

“But you have access to your resources?” Shepard makes sure, given how important of a position Liara occupies in the galaxy.

“What I can get. We’ll need it to research this Prothean device.” Liara assures him. Even while they converse she isn’t able to stop working, moving from one station to another, sitting down at a terminal at the back of the room to correspond with one of her countless sources.

“Until we understand precisely what it does, it’s far too dangerous to use.” She continues, glancing back over her shoulder to make herself audible to Shepard.

“It’d be nice to know we’re not kids playing around with a loaded gun.” He acknowledges her point.

“Absolutely. The damage it could cause if it backfired is unthinkable.” Liara rises from the terminal again, stepping back across to the room to the small array of screens on the right wall. “This will be difficult, even for us. If something happens on a mission, if either one of us are hurt…”

There’s a notable pause in her speech, a certain conflict in her mind. In a moment she turns to Shepard completely, finally pausing from her work.

“Shepard, there’s something I need to ask before we go any further.” She resolves herself to address the question. “I know you and Tali grew close. Is that… in the past? Should I forget there was anything between… us?”

Shepard pauses at the question, a slight conflict on his face. The emotion quickly shifts to remorse as he comes to decide on his response. “A lot has happened since then, Liara. I don’t think we’d work anymore.”

“Really? I–” It’s almost like she wants to argue, wants to refute this point, but she doesn’t. She accepts it in hardly a second, she respects his decision. “Thank you” She eventually decides to say. “…for letting me know.”

“I think it’s best for both of us.” Shepard tries to offer condolences.

“Of course.” Liara accepts. There’s no ill-will or resentment in her tone, but the fact of the rejection still lingers with her. She turns away from Shepard and back to the screens. “Well, anyway, I should get down to business. There’s a lot to do if we’re to discover what the Protheans left us.” She makes herself busy.

Shepard only nods before he turns to exit the room.

Down on Deck 5, Rook sits inside the Omni-TRUK. His focus isn’t on repairs, or calibrations, but instead on reading through codex entries. Mostly the new ones that were downloaded by Ben’s Omnitool when they docked on the Citadel.

He’s taking his time to digest the various encyclopedic datablurbs covering various facets of this universe. The “Mass Effect” universe, dubbed so by Ben for their technological reliance on the concept. He’s using the TRUK’s systems to view the entries, as the vehicle is still connected to Ben’s Omni-tool, hooked into the ship’s dashboard.

Two knocks on the hull of the vehicle. That’s what grabs Rook’s attention away from his reading. He spins his chair around to face the back of the cabin, where he finds Shepard drawing his hand away from the wall.

“Ah, Commander Shepard. I was told to expect you.” Rook acknowledges, reaching back to close the TRUK’s menus so they don’t distract from the dialogue. “Though, I did assume Ben was joking when he told me to expect a routine check-in.”

“We have to depend on each other in combat. I like knowing what kind of men I have at my back.” Shepard justifies the behavior.

“Of course.” Rook accepts.

“You settling in alright?” Shepard wonders, meandering slightly further into the cabin before stopping at a comfortable distance from Rook.

“I am. Your crew have been very polite and helpful, especially given the circumstances.” Rook notes.

Shepard nods with a smile, seemingly pleased by that information.

“I will admit that I expected more trepidation from the residents of this universe, considering the low number of sapient species they would need to familiarize themselves with.”

“Exactly how many sapient species have made it onto the galactic stage in your universe?” Shepard wonders.

“It is hard to be certain. I could not give you an exact number from memory, though I know the number ranges in the tens of thousands. At least a million have been recorded as fully sapient by the Galvans, who are considered the authority on technologic scaling and genetics in our universe.” Rook informs him.

Shepard thinks on that, taking a moment to accept the information.

“… You seem… cautious of this information, Commander.” Rook notes.

“No, just… trying to wrap my head around it all. It was one thing talking to Ben about your universe, but another to hear it from someone like you. Ben’s never been good about specifics, so a part of me has always assumed he’s been exaggerating.” Shepard explains.

“I understand.” Rook acknowledges.

“I’m glad the crew’s been respectful.” Shepard jumps back to the original point of discussion, in a way that almost surprises Rook given his lack of familiarity with the way Shepard converses. “The crew of the Normandy has had more experience with aliens than most human vessels, given the crews I put together when taking down Saren, and the Collectors.”

“Yes, I imagine that would help. I read about those missions while we were building this ship. Your exploits are quite impressive, even by the standards of my universe. If you were not spoken for by the Alliance and the Council, you would make an excellent Plumber.”

“I appreciate that.” Shepard accepts. The commander takes a moment to think, glancing around the cabin of the Omni-TRUK as he does. He can’t help but notice the bold scorch marks from where the Reaper blast deflected off Chromastone. He also notices how little it’s really damaged the ship’s interior, the damage being primarily cosmetic.

“Let me know if you need anything.” Shepard offers.

“Actually, I would like to make use of the Normandy’s resources.” Rook takes the opportunity to tell him. “Several of your crew seem well suited to help with my ship’s repairs. I have already made plans with Lieutenant Cortez, who has taken particular interest in the ship.”

“I wouldn’t mind.” Shepard approves.

“Thank you. I will keep in touch with EDI to make sure that I do not hinder the Normandy’s functions. Once the TRUK’s FTL capabilities are restored Ben and I will be able to lead missions of our own while your crew are occupied.”

“As long as you remember who’s in charge, you can do whatever you want.” Shepard approves.

The remark is casual, something Shepard doesn’t think anything of, but it sticks out to Rook in the wrong way. Shepard’s about to turn to leave the TRUK when Rook speaks again.

“Shepard, you… are not my commanding officer.” Rook makes known, stopping Shepard and causing him to turn back.

This point causes Shepard’s brown to stern, thinking, but also waiting for Rook to elaborate.

“I understand that Ben makes ranks difficult to distinguish, he has never respected them in our universe either. Allow me to clarify that we are not soldiers. We are Plumbers. I am a Magister of the Earth Plumber station. I am here to work with you, not for you.” Rook chooses his words carefully. His intent is not to offend, but make a clear distinction between what Shepard must have assumed their dynamic to be, and what it is.

It takes a second for Shepard to really catch up with what Rook is saying, and when he does he turns to Rook fully and stands more rigidly, giving him full attention.

“I apologize.” Shepard easily acknowledges. “Protocol’s gotten a little muddled since Ben joined the crew.”

“That is expected of him. I do not intend to undermine your authority aboard this ship, but I must make it clear that Ester and I are not serving under you. We are here on behalf of Ben, and the Plumbers. For now, I will accept your experience with this universe. If I have a problem with your plans, I will bring it to you directly.” Rook elaborates.

“I appreciate that.” Shepard accepts, turning again to leave the ship. “Let me know if you need any materials or resources for your repairs. I’ll make sure you get them next time we’re able to make requisitions from the Alliance.”

“Of course.” Rook accepts, watching Shepard go.

A deck up Ben steps out of the elevator, idly walking the ship’s halls. He doesn’t even seem to notice as he makes his way through the side doors toward engineering, wandering the same areas he spent so much time in and around when last aboard the ship.

He’s not even really thinking about where he’s going, he’s just going. Before he realizes it he’s entered engineering, and is just sort of staring at the empty work stations.

He’s actually caught off guard when a man in an alliance uniform walks back down the walkway that observes the mass effect core. The man seems a little surprised to see him as well, his whole posture formalizing for the moment it takes him to realize who the teen by the door actually is.

“You’re Ben Tennyson.” He realizes. He awkwardly hesitates, as if re-thinking it a moment too late, but eventually salutes Ben. It’s an informal salute at best, and gets a chuckle out of him.

“Uhh… hey. Sorry, I guess I was kinda looking for Gabby and Ken.” Ben explains.

“The Cerberus engineers, right? Yeah, I heard they joined the Alliance after everything that happened with the Collectors. They were posted off-world when the Reapers hit Earth. Shepard might have them reassigned to the Normandy, but only if there’s time the next chance we get.” He efficiently explains.

“Right. So… you are?” Ben questions.

“Engineer Adams. I was put in charge of the drive core retrofits.” He explains.

“Ah.”

 “My experience on the SR-1 made me an obvious choice.” He justifies the assignment.

“Oh yeah, heard about the SR-1. Got here a couple years late to actually see it. Well, I saw the body cam footage of the wreck on Alchera. Doesn’t really give me an idea of how they compare.” Ben tells him.

“The SR-2’s incredible. If there’s one nice thing I can say about Cerberus, it’s that they know how to build a ship.”

“That right? You don’t mind the AI it comes with?” Ben asks, seemingly as a slight prod.

“Actually, we had a good talk during the retrofit. A little strange at first, talking shop with an AI. Of course, at the time she was pretending to be a VI, but I saw through her. I mean, have you seen her hardware? Processing power is off the charts. And then there were the problems that kept fixing themselves. If I hadn’t had her pegged, I would have sword I was losing it.” Adams explains.

Ben has a slight chuckle at the idea.

“You never expressed any skepticism, Lieutenant Adams.” EDI interjects from the speakers without warning, causing both men’s heads to flick up towards the cameras and speakers in the room.

“I figured I’d better play it safe with the Cerberus AI, EDI. No offence.” Adams explains.

“None taken… as long as you keep your fingers out of my cognizance processors.” EDI advises.

Adams chuckles, turning his attention back to Ben.

“In the beginning, I tried disconnecting her from key process without giving myself away. Easier said than done. But Joker seemed to trust her, and in time I saw her advantages. Even grew to like her.”

“Alright, you seem chill.” Ben eventually accepts, leaning off the wall by the door to start wandering the space.

“So, you come down just to see the old Cerberus techs, or did you have another reason in mind?” Adam wonders, carefully keeping an eye on the teen as he makes his way across the room and leans around the wall to look down at the drive core.

“Nah. I guess I kinda just came down out of habit.” Ben explains, not paying the behavior much mind. “Tali used to work down here. I’d always come and bug her when I got bored.”

“The quarian? I’d heard she was serving on the SR-2 before it came to Earth. I remember when she worked on the SR-1, she was the best damn machinist we had.”

“I heard she was planning to head back to the Floatilla before I went missing. I wonder what happened to her.” Ben thinks aloud.

“About that…” Adams leads, getting Ben to turn and focus on him. “Most of the crew’s been briefed on you, but… honestly? It’s a bit much to believe.”

“You mean Rook and Ester being here didn’t convince you?” Ben points out.

“Well it’s one thing to accept that you’ve showed up with some new aliens. It’s another thing entirely to accept that you’re from another universe.” Adams explains.

“But you believe the bit about transforming?”

“I’m on the fence.”

“Alright.” Ben rolls his eyes, brining his wrist up so he can engage the device on his wrist. “You leave for a couple months, and suddenly everyone stops believing you exist.”

Adams takes note of the motion, freezing where he stands to cautiously watch Ben.

“This is going to be settled once and for all when we finally get to Palavan, but until then I’m going to prove it to you so you can spread the word. It’s called the Omnitrix. It lets me turn into over a million different aliens.” Ben finally finds the one he wants in the selection dial. He draws his hand back from its glassy face to lock in the selection, and the faceplate slides back to let the core pop up.

He slams it back down almost as quickly, and instantly his body beams a stark green light. His features shift and morph. Bones rearrange, skin changes hue, even his clothes are broken down and reformed in the split instant it takes for him to transform.

His eyes glow beneath a screen of colored glass, his whole body is wrapped within a simplified environmental suit, and the Omnitrix reappears as a node on his chest. He’s a quarian. He’s not just wearing a quarian exo-suit, he’s a quarian. He has only two fingers, and clearly digitigrade legs, and stands several inches taller than he was. Adams is stunned speechless.

“See? I call this form Seals. A quarian seemed fitting, given the conversation.” Ben speaks with a slight accent, and the distinct metallic tinge of his words being processed by the suit. He reaches for the node on his chest, and in another flash he reverts back to his human form.

Adams tries to speak, but he sort of fumbles over his words with a startled chuckle.

“You- Wow. Okay, you’re really everything they say. I guess I’ll believe the bits about being a Reaper killer when I see it, but for now I’ll take your word for it.” Adams seems to accept.

“Cool.” Ben acknowledges, turning to head for the door out of the room again. “I’ll see you around, dude.”

“Yes, sir.” Adams says, still a little rattled by the transformation, barely turning his attention to Ben again by the time he’s through the doorway.

Ben chuckles at the formality, but the door closes before he thinks to make another comment about it.

The elevator doors open to the deck below, and Ben steps out.

It’s busier than the old hangar was. There’s a lot more alliance personnel on the floor, maintaining the shuttles and managing the Normandy’s inventory.

Like before, Ben sort of just wanders through the space. Getting a sense of the layout, seeing who’s around, and vaguely heading in the direction of the Omni-TRUK at the back left of the bay. “Back left” assuming that one is looking at the bay from the entrance of the elevators and considers the far wall to be the back.

Just like in engineering, it doesn’t take long for someone to notice and have something to say about Ben. In this case, it’s James. The Alliance soldier that left Earth with Shepard.

“Hey, kid.” He calls out, causing Ben to stop in place.

“Hey, guy.” Ben responds, turning his attention to the soldier.

James was seemingly working out in a makeshift exercise area/workstation he’s made for himself between the cargo crates. He’s wiping the sweat off his forehead with a rag in one hand, and chugging a bottle of water with the other. He tosses both back towards his station before walking out toward Ben.

“You’re Ben, right?” James asks.

“That’s me. Who are you?”

“Lieutenant James Vega. Your pals have been telling me a lot about you.” He nods toward the TRUK, and extends a hand to Ben. “Nice to finally meet you.”

“You too.” Ben shakes his hand. Unlike most of the new crew, Ben can’t help but be slightly endeared to the attitude James led with. Hearing that he’s been getting along with his friends doesn’t hurt either.

“Never been all too sure about all the stuff they’ve said about you, but if Shepard says you’re solid I’ll trust his judgement. Looking forward to seeing you in action.”

“Dude, you have no idea how nice it is to hear that.” Ben laughs.

“Most of the guys here don’t really buy your whole deal, huh?”

“That’s one way to put it.” Ben confirms.

“Most of ‘em weren’t really ready when the Reapers hit, either. They were preparing for it, sure, but only ‘cause the brass were telling them to. What happened back on Earth? Most of them couldn’t have imagined it a month ago. I get why they’re having a hard time believing that some civilian kid is gonna help turn the tide.” James explains it.

“But you trust Shepard’s judgment?” Ben double checks.

“The Commander’s been telling us about the Reapers for almost 3 years now. If he says you can take down a Reaper with your bare hands, I might have a hell of a time imagining how, but you can be damn sure I’ll believe him. Just give it time. I’m sure in a few missions the crew will feel the same way.”

“Thanks, James.” Ben acknowledges, starting to walk again to continue towards the Omni-TRUK.

“No problem, Ace.” James says, turning to head back to his station.

Ben stops in his tracks and swings his attention back around to James.

“Ace?” He questions, causing James to stop as well.

“Well, yeah. You know, like our ace in the hole. Since you’re our big trump card against the Reapers, and all that.” James explains.

“You give everybody nicknames?” Ben wonders.

“Well, hah… I mean, just helps with remembering people. Some people just don’t match their names, you know? So I just give ‘em a new one.” He explains.

“Yeah, I definitely get that.” Ben approves, turning to finally continue towards the TRUK.

Ben passes by Shepard as he enters the Omni-TRUK, the Commander evidently on his way out of the cabin. Ben only spares him a glance, then looks back to Rook a the teen places himself down on the side benches.

“So, you already get through Shepard’s ‘welcome to the Normandy’ friendly interrogation?” Ben interprets.

“That is... certainly one way to put it. Indeed.”

“It takes a bit, but he’s a good guy. Just not the most charismatic.”

“His crew certainly seem to hold him in high regard. Perhaps this universe has different standards…” Rook suggests, getting a laugh from Ben.

“Yeah… So, what have you and Ester been doing since we left the Citadel?” Ben asks.

“I believe Ester is currently on the Deck 2, with the Normandy’s physician.”

“Makes sense. Chakwas would want to get a sense for her physiology in case of emergency.” Ben accepts.

“I have been reading a number of Codex entries that were not part of the collection you brought back with you.” Rook says.

Ben fakes a yawn as he rises from the bench. “Boooring.” He criticizes, dropping himself into the copilot’s seat.

“I have also been refreshing myself on our destination. The military base on Menae, Palaven’s largest moon. Much of the information available to the Normandy is not public.” Rook tries to educate him.

“You learn anything useful, or just boring stuff?”

“Mostly boring stuff.” Rook admits. “Much of the information on the moon is classified.”

“Wait, what?” Ben’s attention is finally caught, getting him to actually focus on Rook. “What do you mean?”

“According to Normandy databases, almost no information about the moon is available publicly. They have been… one moment.” Rook taps a key on the Omni-TRUK’s console, summoning a holographic screen. “They have been ‘shrouded in secrecy since the dawn of the turian space age.’ They feared the Krogan could use Palaven’s moons as weapons.”

“How?”

“By smashing them into Palaven.”

“Okay, that’s kinda cool.” Ben admits.

“Research is a useful tool.”

“Don’t get all lecture-y on me, dude. I did plenty of research when I was here before. But now I’ve got you to do it, so what’s the point?”

“Ben.” Rook disapproves.

“I know, I know. But like everything I need to know I usually find out after we’re on the ground. Unless I’ve got time to kill, there’s not much point.”

“We still have plenty of time before we reach Menae. Perhaps you would”

“Lalalalala, not listening.” Ben cuts him off, rising out of the co-pilot’s seat. “You have fun with the entries, dude. I’m gonna go check in with some old friends.”

“Right.” Rook accepts, watching Ben walk back down the length of the TRUK and out into the bay.

In not very much time at all, Ben ends up on Deck 2 of the Normandy, heading down the length of the ship and onto the bridge. Where he, expectedly, finds one Jeff “Joker” Moreau. Also, the chess-piece like hologram EDI uses to represent herself, projected to the pilot’s left.

Joker glances back over his shoulder when he hears Ben come in.

“Hey, Ben. Need something?” He asks, listening as Ben walks over and sits down in the open crew seat on the right of the room that he usually takes for their conversations.

“Just wanted to check in.” Ben says.

“We’re in the Trebia System, but we’re still about a half hour out from Palaven.” Joker tells him. “The Commander will probably want you down in the Shuttle Bay pretty soon.”

“What, so I can sit in the Kodiak for 15 minutes during final approach? No thanks. I’ll go down when we’re almost there.”

“Alright. It’s your ass on the line, but I guess it’s not like the Commander can dock your pay or something.” Joker rationalizes.

“That is not technically correct.” EDI notes, her holographic representation displaying the waveform of her synthetic speech.

“What do you mean?” Ben questions.

“While not officially part of the Alliance military, you are assigned to the Normandy in an official capacity. As such, you have been receiving bi-weekly pay for time spent aboard, since originally joining Shepard to stop the Collectors.” EDI informs him.

“Wait, are you kidding?” Ben checks.

“I am not. Despite your anomalous nature, the Alliance has established galactic identification, as well as a banking account, in your name. You are being compensated for your efforts.”

“Well isn’t that wild to think about.” Joker remarks. “I bet at this point the kid has enough tucked away to get a place on Earth when this is all over. Assuming there’s anything left of Earth to live on, of course.”

“There will be.” Ben assures him.

“I hope so. Wouldn’t be much of a victory if after the Reapers are gone all that’s left of Earth is a smoking pile of rubble. I mean, I’d still take that over the worst case, but you know.”

“Millions every day.”

“Right.” Joker confirms, lingering on the idea for s few moments too long. “Well, anyways, enough about that. It looks like your friends are heading down to Deck 5. Well, the pink one is. Rook’s already down there. So I’d guess Shepard’s just about ready.”

“Alright, fine.” Ben accepts with a groan, pushing himself out of the seat so he can head for the elevator.

When Ben steps out of the elevator he finds Shepard, Liara, and James all gearing themselves for the mission. Liara doesn’t wear any more armor than her usual outfit, but Shepard and James are in the process of pulling on their combat gear.

“Ben.” Shepard notices the teen as he walks out. The commander has almost all of his armor on, with the exception of the helmet that he holds under his arm. “Where’ve you been?”

“I’m here, aren’t I?” Ben deflects the question, heading for the armor locker to pull out a kinetic barrier mesh. He takes one look at it before deciding it doesn’t want to deal with putting it on right now, and shoves it back into the locket. “We’re headed to a moon, right? Does it have an atmosphere?”

“An artificial one. The air will be pretty thin, but you don’t need an enviro-suit.” Shepard answers him.

“Well that’s good.” Ester interjects, making her way over to the group from the Omni-TRUK. “Ben wouldn’t wear a space suit if his life depended on it.”

“Hey, that’s not true.” Ben instinctively argues.

Shepard and Ester both turn and just stare at him. Because, obviously, him arguing that point is inherently ridiculous. He has relied on the Omnitrix instead of a space suit on numerous occasions that both of them are privy to. It’s so blatantly obvious that Ben’s full of hot air that neither of them even bother to correct him.

“Anyways.” Ester moves them along. “You need me and Rook for this mission?”

“Probably not. This should just be a quick extraction. Right, Shepard?” Ben turns to the Commander to check.

James and Liara have readied themselves at this point. James goes ahead and hops up into the Kodiak, while Liara stays behind to listen to the conversation.

“That’s what we’re hoping.” Shepard confirms. “Reapers hit Palaven a little after Earth. We’re not sure how bad it is yet, but if all goes to plan we should be leaving within an hour.”

“Yeah. So you and Rook can probably stay here. A smaller team’s better for quick jobs, and we should have someone here than can fly the TRUK in case something goes wrong.” Ben explains.

“Alright.” Ester accepts easily enough. “I’ll tell Rook.” She adds, turning to head back toward the Omni-TRUK.

With Ester leaving, the remaining squad members head for the Kodiak. Each of them climb inside and find a place to sit. Then it’s just a few minutes before Steve’s gone through the pre-flight checks and lifts them out of the Normandy’s bay.

The whole battle slams into focus as the Normandy decelerates out of FTL. Turian frigates and destroyers become the terrain for smaller fighters to maneuver around and between. Whole fleets and squadrons do what they can to maintain formation while confronting their opposition.

Reapers. Entire, living dreadnaughts. Their limbs reach and grasp at the turian ships like fingers curling around cardboard boxes. The turian cruisers crumble and tear against the even the smaller Reapers, put under enough stress and torsion for them to ignite, only to again extinguish in the vacuum of Palaven’s outer orbit.

Smaller reaper drone buzz about the field, chasing after fighters and harassing the larger ships. The force is overwhelming. Even at a glance, the sheer number of ships is only dwarfed by their utter indifference to all forms of assault. Their sheer defiance to the weathering of the battle that eats at the turian’s numbers every moment.

They do not notice the Normandy. The human ship glides through the cascade of ignitions and torn metal, on and away until the conflict is but distant flashes of fire and light. They sail on towards the moon, and on the final approach the front facing bay door hinges down, letting the Kodiak emerge.

Within, Shepard and his squad watch the unfolding conflict through monitor at the front of the cabin. The distant firefight, and the glow of orange painting large parts of the planet beyond. The burning swaths of country side, where cities uses to be. It takes them a moment to process the sight, to understand what they’re actually seeing.

“Oh no… no… Palaven.” Liara’s the only one that can put it to words. Shepard’s just quiet, at least until he catches the look James gives him.

“We have an old friend there…” Shepard explains, looking away from the screen. “Strongest military in the galaxy and the Reapers are obliterating it.”

“Was it like this on Earth?” Liara wonders, looking to Shepard.

He doesn’t answer. Too many thoughts roil in his mind, too many emotions to keep stilled. To keep focused on the mission.

“Yeah.” Ben answers for him, causing Liara to look to him for a moment. “It was about this bad when we left.”

“Shepard… I’m so sorry.” Liara turns her attention back to him.

“Yeah.” The commander responds.

“Commander!” Steve shouts back from the cabin, drawing everyone’s focus to him. “The LZ is getting swarmed!”

Shepard immediately rises to his feet, reaching up to grab a bar on the ceiling to steady himself against the turbulence. With his other hand he reaches around to his back, pulling a rifle off the back of his armor.

“What’s an LZ?” Ben has to ask.

His unfamiliarity with even that term catches James by surprise. It takes him a second to accept it before he answers.

“Landing zone.” James fills him in.

“Got it.” Ben accepts, bringing up his wrist to use the Omnitrix.

The side of the shuttle hisses, sliding out before hinging open to give Shepard a view of the ground below. He readies his rifle, but pauses when he sees the ground forces. Husks. Scrambling up the side of the cliff faces and across the valleys, with such desperation and force that the Turians fighting them struggle even to hold their ground.

Shepard doesn’t fire. He even reaches out to stop James when he tries to ready his own rifle. The Commander instead looks to Ben.

“Ben, Husks.” He says.

The Omnitrix beeps and warbles as Ben scrolls through the list, but as soon as Shepard gives him the assessment of their opposition Ben looks up from the dial and pulls his hand back.

“On it.” Ben assures.

He doesn’t even bother to see what was selected before he slams the core down.

His body morphs with its usual flash of green, barely leaving the shapes of his body visible. His arms split vertically to create an additional set, his clothes thin and rearrange themselves into a harness that holds the Omnitrix, his spine restructures and forms new segments to manifest a tail, his eyes multiply into a set of six solid green beads, and his entire body is covered in a layer of blue fur. Spidermonkey.

His body falls forward, landing on his new primary limbs. James flinches at the process, stepping back and out of Ben’s way as he steps up to the open hatch. He takes just a second to scan his eyes over the jagged grey landscape before spotting the husks erratically dashing towards their landing site. Ben grips the edge of the Kodiak’s floor, then leaps forward. He completely sails over the field, either strong enough or light enough to clear the gap and touch down within range of the husks.

The ground is coarse and covered in a later of grit and dust that coats Ben’s fur. He only takes a moment to adjust to the gravity and the thinned atmosphere before turning his attention to the husks below him.

He landed atop of a ridge of stone, which itself forms a wall of the flattened pathway below. Across from him is a prefabricated housing unit, lacking most of the walls a typical shelter would have. It seems intentional, making it useful as a combat shelter rather than housing. It only has a back wall to hold up its roof, and a half wall in front to provide cover to the turian soldiers inside.

The turian soldiers that take no time to spot Ben’s vibrant blue coat, and consequently turn their aim toward him. He barely has the time to leap out of the way of their fire with a startled screech, jumping across the valley and onto the roof of their shelter.

“Hey, I’m on your side!” Ben shouts at them.

“What the hell!?” One of the turian soldiers exclaims.

Ben doesn’t have time to focus on them, instead looking back to the Husks. Mindless human corpses mutated and modified by the Reapers to serve as ground troops. They’ve changed direction, having notices him from all the shouting. Ben whips his tail around, ejecting several globs of webbing to lock them to the ground.

“I need you guys to not shoot at me for a moment, okay?” Ben calls down to the turians again.

“What are you?” One of them shouts back up at him. Ben can hear that they’re still keeping a tight grip of their weapons, prepared to aim at him the moment he jumps down.

“I’m a Spidermonkey!” Ben tells them. This obviously doesn’t help, so after a moment he clarifies. “I’m Ben 10, here with Commander Shepard. I need you to not shoot me, or the Husks. I’m going to cure them.”

There’s a moment of silence before he hears a resigned sigh.

“Alright.” The turian soldiers below agree.

Wasting no time, Ben leaps forward off the encampment and down to the squad of husks. 5 in total.

Ben can see the Kodiak landing down the path from him at this point, and Shepard’s squad quickly barreling out to catch up with him.

Ben carefully walks up to the husks, reaching with one of his secondary arms to interface with the Omnitrix, priming it for the task. He keeps his distance from the husks, still struggling against the restraints with enough force to risk hurting themselves if they weren’t already dead. Good thing Ben plans to fix that.

“Omnitrix, repair genetic damage.” He orders it.

“Preparing.” The device responds.

Shepard’s marched up at this point, along with James and Liara. Both of whom keep a more cautious eye on Ben. Shepard only spares him a glance.

“You got this under control?” Shepard checks.

“Think so.” Ben confirms.

“James and I will go ahead. Liara will stay with you.” Shepard decides, turning to look at the Turian soldiers who have been keeping an eye on Ben this whole time. They shift their attention to Shepard when they see him approaching them.

“If you’re looking for command, it’s around the corner, past the first barricade.” The turian soldier tells him.

Shepard nods, and marches on. James hesitates by Ben, but turns to march after Shepard in just a moment. Liara stays with Ben, watching the Omnitrix shift brightness, listening to it chime and hum.

“It is… working?” She questions.

“Well it should be. It’s fixed them before, I don’t know what’s taking it this time.” Ben answers.

The Omnitrix makes a noise, as it’s prone to. A harsh, not-quite buzz that seems to imply something negative.

“Genetic damage exceeds parameters. Attempting recovery. Function requires primary matrix sequence.” The device announces, barely giving Ben the time to understand what it means before his form flashes with light and morphs back to his human form. His lack of armor stands out even more than it did before, his plain shirt and cargo pants seeming entirely insufficient for the battlefield around them.

“Oh, great. Guess the Reapers got some ideas since last time.” Ben groans.

Liara nods in understanding and turns to keep her eyes on the surrounding terrain. Craggy barrens of grey stone, forming hills and canyons across the moon’s surface. In the distance there are entire crashed freighters, acting as landmarks among the far more common crash sites of turian fighters.

It’s no wonder what took them down. Marching across the surface of the moon are two entire Reapers. Their deep rust colored hulls gleams like silver in the distant light of Palaven’s star. They reach so high into the sky that they pierce Liara’s field of vision even when she’s looking straight up. They are impossibly large, so immense and refined that they might be beautiful. If not for their purpose. The blood that their actions ring from the galaxy.

The Omnitrix resounds with another buzz.

“Damage too severe for repair.” The Omnitrix states.

“Wait, what? But you could do it before.” Ben argues.

“Damage too severe for repair. Cybernetic augmentations too extensive for removal. Gene damage irreversible.”

“What can I do?” Ben asks it.

“Damage too severe for repair.” The device repeats. The droning noises of its calculations and processes come to a stop, and the light of the watch’s face becomes consistent again.

“Ben…” Liara speaks, understanding what the Omnitrix means just as quickly as Ben, but accepting it slightly faster than him.

“I… I thought I could save them.” Ben says. His usual air of confidence is lost. His arrogant certainty is shattered by the simple fact of his inability to help.

“Ben. The Reapers killed them, not you. There are still billions of people we have to save.” Liara reminds him.

Ben fails to replace the casual certainty he arrived with, but he accepts her words. His eyes focus on the husks below him again. No longer people to save, only corpses. Writing, snarling bodies. Dried grey skin clings to muscle and machinery. Deep empty sockets hold glowing eyes. They’ve been stripped of everything that makes them people, and Ben can’t do anything about it. Scalped, shriveled, naked, and invaded by cold pulsing machinery. These were people once, but no longer.

“They did this so I couldn’t save them.” Ben says, turning his attention away from the husks and to the Reapers marching across the horizon. “They did this because of me.”

“We’ll stop them.” Liara tries to assure him. She doesn’t know how else to keep him in line. To keep him on their side, focused on the mission.

Ben is silent for a moment before he starts marching toward the camp. Liara turns her gun to the husks to deal with them before she follows Ben.

It doesn’t take more than a moment to make it into camp. More of the prefabs line the perimeter of the area, with their backs against risen sections of stone. It’s as safe as anywhere gets here. Some are filled with body bags, some are filled with soldiers. They appear to serve all the purposes. Barracks, medical, armory, morgue, and central command.

The turians seem weary of Ben, confused by him, but they don’t stop him. A few even gesture in the direction of the other humans that just came through, helping Ben to catch up with Shepard. Ben and Liara hop up the ramp into the shelter, finding their places beside Shepard.

The commander has been talking to a turian, as is expected. A General, if Ben overhears the adjacent chatter correctly. The turian leans over a table that displays a holographic map of the area. He has dark brown skin, but a lighter face decorated with white or maybe light blue markings.

He glances to Ben when he walks up, but doesn’t lean away from the table. He only sighs in a way that almost implied amusement.

“Ben Tennyson, I presume. Shepard mentioned you were here. Said you were dealing with the Reaper ground troops, but I’m not hearing much of a change with my men.” He says.

“Yeah, turns out the Reapers are more clever than I thought. I don’t know what they did to the Husks, but the damage is too severe now. There’s not enough left for the Omnitrix to fix.” Ben explains.

Shepard shifts his attention to Ben, thinking on that fact. On how much harder it’s going to make their job.

“What about the Primarch?” Ben asks.

The general’s mandibles tighten against the sides of his face, and he looks to Shepard’s entire squad again.

“Primarch Fedorianis dead. His shuttle was shot down an hour ago as it tried to leave the moon.” He tells them.

That statement strikes a chord with Ben slightly more than the others. It rings a sense of guilt in him. He sighs with exasperation, but no words come to him.

“I’m sorry. I hear he was a good man.” Shepard manages the tactful response.

“And a friend. He would have been an outstanding diplomat.” The general adds.

“So… We came for the Primarch, if he’s dead, what now? We can’t just leave.” Ben asks.

“The turian hierarchy provides very clear lines of succession.” Liara tells him.

“But with such heavy casualties, it’s hard for me to be certain who the next primarch is. Palaven Command will know.” The general says.

His hands move to manage to holographic table, focusing on a section of the field around them. A tower, marred by a cycling orange graphic.

“However, at the moment, contacting them is impossible. The comm tower is out. “Husks are swarming that area – we can’t get close enough to repair it.” He explains.

“It’s always something.” Liara comments.

“Don’t worry, General. I’ll get your tower operational.” Shepard assures him.

“Thank you, Commander, I’ll take care of things on this end.”

The squad turn and head down the ramp into the main floor of the camp. Ben’s slightly slower to follow than usual, and it’s enough for Shepard to notice. The commander slows to a stop a few paces out from the prefab, and turns back to look at the teen. Ben only half notices, his focus somewhere else entirely.

Shepard looks to Liara and James and gestures for them to go ahead, and they both catch his meaning. They go on, heading towards the end of the camp to check in with the turian soldiers, getting a sense for the kind of opposition around he comm tower, as well as the state of the encampment. Shepard stays by Ben, giving the teen a second to catch up with the fact the Commander stopped.

“Ben, you alright?” He checks.

“Huh? Oh, yeah, sure Shep. Fine.”

“No, you’re not. What is it?”

“Not important.” Ben tries to deflect, moving to walk around Shepard and catch up with the others. Shepard stops him, reaching out to grab his shoulder.

“Ben. Right now I need your head in the fight. If you’ve got something that can’t wait, I need to hear about it.” Shepard tells him.

Ben pauses for a second just to think about that. It takes a moment, but eventually he accepts it.

“I…” He sighs, accepting the need to talk about it. The need to tell Shepard. “On the way to the Citadel, when I was with the Initiative guys, I forced us to make a detour.”

“To help the turian’s sister.” Shepard remembers.

“Yeah. Vetra said she needed help, and I couldn’t ignore that. We went to this turian colony. I took down a Reaper, and we saved some turians from batarian slavers.” Ben finally give him the story.

“How long did that all take?” Shepard catches onto the direction Ben is heading in.

“More than an hour.”

There it is. Shepard finally gets the piece of information that’s bothering Ben. He took over an hour to save some random turian kid, and the Primarch paid for it. Ben might actually be right in thinking he could have been here sooner, too. Had Ben arrived at the Citadel sooner, Shepard would have been able to convene with the Council sooner, and they might have gotten to Palaven in time.

“You think it’s your fault that the Primarch is dead.” Shepard understands.

“I definitely think I could have saved him, if I hadn’t wasted time.” Ben phrases it a little differently, but confirms the notion.

Shepard understands where Ben is coming from, but only in part. He understands the guilt of it, of failing to help as much as he thinks he could have. He can only imagine how much more he’d feel that responsibility if he had the Omnitrix strapped to his wrist.

“The Primarch was going to help get support for Earth, right? He was going to coordinate for Palaven too? That’s two planets that’ll pay for it, because I couldn’t ignore someone in trouble. I argued to go get Sid. It was my choice, and now…” Ben’s eyes turn to the world in the sky. The one that’s burning. Its skies darkened by the sheer volume of Reaper forces setting the world to burn.

“Ben.” Shepard says firmly, getting Ben to shift his focus to him. “Don’t do that to yourself. You can’t focus on the people you weren’t able to save.” Shepard steps back, gesturing out toward the colossal machines standing like monoliths atop the lunar surface. To their swarming drones in combat with the Turian fighters. “There are still hundreds and thousands of people fighting and dying right now. I need you focused on them.”

It takes a second, but the idea sets with Ben. He focuses on those distant figures, the Reapers, and his hand moves for the Omnitrix.

“…Okay.” He accepts, letting the watch choose a form for him. His body rolls over itself in a flash, morphing into a deep red manta-ray like alien. Wings of stretched skin that reach from his wrists to his tail, a crest of golden horns, and two eyes that glare at the distant Reapers. The same species as Swift, but far less human. Jetray.

His wings push down and his body lifts off the ground faster than anything organic should be able to. He sails out towards the Reapers at a startling speed, and almost every turian in the camp can’t help but turn their attention his way when he does.

Shepard begins running down the length of the camp, in the direction of the comm towers. As he does, he quickly puts a hand to the side of his helmet, connecting to the short range comms in the camp.

“General, Ben’s assisting your fighters. If you can, let them know.” Shepard tells him.

“I’ll try, Commander, but until that tower is back online even contacting our air support has been a challenge.” The general responds.

“Understood.” Shepard accepts. His team sees him approach and start moving with him when he passes them, heading out of the camp.

In the distance, Ben flies toward the Reaper with unprecedented speed. He swings around it before it even seems to process his approach, beams of green energy pulsing out of Ben with pinpoint precision. They strike the sections of more intricate machinery at the joins of its legs, and the Reaper actually seems to feel it. It roars out, a bellowing grind of a noise that almost feels like it quakes the very air. It shifts, turning from the turian fighters to focus on Ben.

Its plates shift to reveal its firing cylinder, and a moment after a beam so hot and volatile that it ionizes the air around it fires at Ben. It very nearly hits him, but he’s swift enough to glide around it, circling the Reaper faster than it’s able to turn itself.

For as much discomfort as he seems to cause the Reaper, he doesn’t seem to actually harm it very much at all. Instead, his efforts mainly draw the Reaper’s focus away from the turians. Even the Reaper’s probes shift to seeking Ben, giving the turians ample time to regroup and coordinate. It’s a respite they were hard pressed to find otherwise.

On Shepard’s end, it doesn’t take him long to reach the comm tower. With the knowledge that the husks are beyond saving, he and his squad focus on tearing through them. Bullets and biotics rend rotten flesh and the augmentations that keep them moving. It takes a minute, and Liara and James defending Shepard while he gets the tower working again, but soon enough it comes online.

The moment there’s a brief reprieve from the Reaper troops Shepard activates his commlink to the base, waiting just a second for it to connect.

“General, do you read me? The comm tower is now operational.” Shepard tells him.

“Much appreciated, Commander. I’m already getting word from my men about the help that shapeshifter of yours is being. I’ll contact Palaven command.” The general tells him.

“Let me know when you’ve got something. I’ll help your men ‘till I hear from you.”

“Understood.”

It’s not long before the general contacts him again, telling him to get back to the base so he can update the commander. He recommends that Ben come to hear the news too. Shepard does just that.

The cat and mouse game Ben is playing with the Reaper has to come to a close when he gets this summons. He wasn’t trying to drag the battle out, he was sincerely trying to ground the Reaper with the species he was given, but he couldn’t do much more than irritate the construct. When the second Reaper turned its attention to the conflict Ben changed from being a nuisance to a distraction.

It takes Ben a moment to think of a way to take them down fast, but he comes up with something. He swings wide, putting a large berth between him and the Reaper he’s been focusing on, then swings back. He accelerates at much as he can in the few miles he gave himself. It’s almost like watching a bullet accelerate without the barrel, or a ship enter FTL without the buildup. He blitzes across the sky, and the moment before impact he hits the Omnitrix, hoping for the right form.

He gets it.

His body changes. Thin limbs and skin change to bulk and shell. His white and yellow form curls over itself to form a ball. A single shot moving at enough speed to tear through almost anything put in its way. The Cannonbolt strikes the reaper with a flash, the impact enough to ignite the metal on impact. The collision is enough to put a dent in the Reaper, caving in its hull enough to cut off its metallic screech. It topples over. Not quite dead, but too wounded to ever get back up. Its legs twitch and scrape at the moon’s surface, while Ben unfolds and pulls himself out of the impact site. He’s a heavy creature laden with blubber, pale off-white skin accented with black lines and a stark orange-yellow segmented carapace on his back. His eyes narrow on the other Reaper in the distance.

The other Reaper actually seems to take pause at this. It doesn’t fire on Ben, likely to avoid striking the other Reaper if nothing else. It watches Ben, this tiny mutated creature that just downed one of its kind. It studies him with caution, and consideration. An intelligence that’s utterly beyond the miniscule goings-on of this battle.

Then, with a bellowing groan that quakes the hills, it begins to rise. It leaves the moon entirely, rising into the sky before Ben can follow it. It doesn’t fire on him or anything else, it simply evacuates.

Ben doesn’t look a gift horse in the mouth. He turns his focus to scan over the hills until he spots the base, the curls himself into a ball again and launches off from the Reaper’s shell.

It doesn’t take too long for him to roll across the moon and back to the camp. He launches himself over the walls of the base and lands in its center. The Omnitrix automatically shifts him back into a human as he hops up into the prefab serving as the command center.

“God damn.” James is the first to speak, entirely keeping his focus on Ben.

“You can say that again. Most of the men here have heard the stories about you, but I can’t say we believed them.” The general says, still not looking up from the holographic table for more than a few moments at a time. He flicks through different displays, pulling up and closing menus to check and manage a litany of things.

“I wasn’t even sure Cannonbolt could take the hit. I didn’t think I’d do that.” Ben says.

“Hell yeah, you sent that thing running.” James praises him.

“I’m almost sure they’re mounting a counter attack, but for the moment you’ve given our fighters room to breathe. Thank you, Tennyson.” The general affirms.

“I always knew you were a… oh, what’s the human phrase? A kick in the teeth? But I’m sure not even the Reapers could have seen that coming.”

The group all turn to address the new voice. A turian, slightly higher pitched than the others, making his way towards the command station.

“Garrus!” Shepard recognizes him, equal parts relief and excitement in his voice.

“Vakarian, sir – I didn’t see you arrive…” The general addresses him.

“At ease, General.” Garrus assures him, holstering his rifle as he walks up the ramp of the shelter unit. “Now, not that I’m not glad to see you all, but what are you doing here?”

“We’re here for the Primarch.” Shepard tells him.

“The Primarch?” Garrus reacts. Surprised, but not as much as he could be. “Well, if that’s who you need. General Corinthus?”

“Of course. As your partner said, succession is usually simple. But right now, the hierarchy’s in chaos – so many dead or MIA. I thought I knew who it was when I called you back, but they were identified deceased.” Corinthus explains.

“I need someone – I don’t care who, as long as they can get us the turian resources we need.” Shepard makes clear.

“Of course. Give me just a moment.” The general asks.

With the group waiting, Shepard turns his attention to Garrus. He steps around the general so he’s on the same side of the shelter as Garrus, and the others do the same.

“It’s good to see you again, but I thought you’d be on Palaven.” Shepard says.

“If we lose this moon, we lose Palaven. I’m the closest damn thing we have to an expert on Reaper forces, so I’m…” He shrugs. “advising.”

Shepard turns back to the two squadmates at his side, stepping out from between them and Garrus.

“James, this is Garrus Vakarian. He helped me stop the Collectors. He’s a hell of a soldier.” Shepard introduces them.

“Lieutenant. Good to see you too, Liara.” Garrus gives her the turian equivalent of a smile, his mandibles loosely rising up and out for a moment.

“Good to see you in one piece, Garrus.” Liara returns the sentiment.

“You too, Ben.” He turns to the teen. “Though, next time you plan to vanish…”

“Went back to my universe, didn’t gave a chance to say goodbye. Tried to get plumber help, but they said no. Took a while to make a ride to get back here. Only got back a couple days ago, just after Earth was hit.” Ben catches him up.

“Understood. Well, it’s good to have you back. And killing Reapers, no less.”

“Okay.” Corinthus speaks again, getting the group to turn around and focus on him. “Palaven Command tells me that the next primarch is General Adrien Victus.”

“ ‘Victus?’ His name’s crossed my desk.” Liara reacts.

“Know him, Garrus?” Shepard checks.

“I was fighting alongside him this morning. Lifelong military. Gets results, popular with his troops. Not so popular with military command – has a reputation for playing loose with accepted strategy.” Garrus says.

“You think he can get the job done?”

“We both know conventional strategy won’t beat the Reapers. Right now he could be our best shot. And I trust him.”

“Okay. Let’s get him on the shuttle and get out of here.” Shepard decides, turning to head down the ramp and into the open center of camp.

“Commander! Shepard, come in.” Joker cuts in over their comms, stopping Shepard dead in his tracks. It stops the rest of the group too, after they’ve followed Shepard down the ramp.

“Can this wait, Joker? We’re in the middle of a war zone.” Shepard responds.

Ben quickly wakes up the Omnitrix, connecting it to the radio frequency to listen to the conversation.

“We’ve got a situation on the Normandy, Commander. It’s like she’s possessed – shutting down systems, powering up weapons. I can’t find the source.” Joker explains.

“I need the Normandy standing by; we may have to bug out.”

“Should I go back and take a look?” Liara suggests.

“Do it.” Shepard confirms.

Liara turns and heads for the gate they entered the camp from, intending to get back to the shuttle. Shepard then turns his focus to the turian in their company.

“Garrus, you said you were with Victus this morning?” He checks.

“I was, but we got separated. Something about a flagship needing to get off the moon. He was cagey about it; I don’t know any more. He could be anywhere out there.” Garrus informs him.

“Commander, Palaven Command is giving me his location now.” The general speaks again, causing the group to turn back to look at him. “He’s…” Corinthus hesitates, like he isn’t sure he should tell Shepard. Or isn’t sure he’s allowed to tell Shepard.

“General, where is he?” Garrus asks.

“Somewhere I’m not even supposed to know about. A project that Command has been siphoning my men to since this war began.” The general tells them cautiously. 

“General, now is not the time to be protecting secrets. If we don’t stand together now, we might not have anything left to save by the time we do.” The commander announces, somewhere between annoyance and irritation.

“… You’re right. Victus is… at a sort of mega-ship on the far side of the moon. Right now its stuck in its docking structure, totally open to Reaper forces. He and his men are trying to get it clear enough to launch.” Corinthus explains.

“An Ark?” Ben quickly asks.

There’s a look of genuine confusion on the General’s face, as hard as it is to read because of his turian physiology. It takes him a second to speak.

“How do you know about that?” He asks.

Ben completely dismisses him, turning his attention down to the Omnitrix. Not to dial in a form, but to connect it with a previously used channel.

“We have a few friends working for the Initiative.” Shepard explains. “Where is it?”

“With my fighters freed up, I can have a shuttle take you there. Just head to the airfield and speak with my men.” Corinthus directs him.

Shepard thanks him with a nod, and turns to start marching toward the air-field. James is right behind him, but Garrus hangs back to keep an eye on Ben.

“What are you doing?” The turian checks.

They’re walking in the direction of the air field, but most of Ben’s focus is on the Omnitrix.

“Trying to reach some friends of mine… c’mon…”

The Omnitrix chimes, and the line connects.

“Yes.” Ben cheers.

“Hello, Ben.” A synthetic voice greets him.

Garrus’s eyes narrow at the voice.

“SAM. I have a location on the Turian Ark. The far side of Menae. I’m headed there now.” Ben says.

“That is the location of the ark’s construction. I will inform Ryder immediately. We will meet you there.” Sam tells him, and the call cuts out.

“Was that… an AI?” Garrus suspects.

“Yeah. It’s a whole thing, we’ll fill you in on the way.” Ben says, finally turning his attention to the path ahead of him. He and Garrus catch up with Shepard, and hop into a turian shuttle to get across the moon.

It’s not a long trip, but its long enough to get Garrus up to speed. On the Arks, and the Initiative, and Ben’s friends back on the Normandy. Whom Ben contacts during the flight, telling them about the Ark, but saying that they probably aren’t needed yet.

On final approach to the Ark’s docking site the group turn their attention to the monitor at the front of the cabin.

It’s just as massive as the last ark. A kilometer and a half of finely sculpted and manufactured metal composing the hull of a colony ship. A ship that’s clearly based on a mass relay, only designed by the races of the galaxy. It’s the first most of the group have seen. A monumental achievement in any context.

Unfortunately, it’s in ruin.

Reaper drones swarm the skies over the vessel, giving chase to the turian fighters that have been redirected to the site. Two Reapers loom in the distance, irrhythmically firing off their beams at the forces that try to aid the ark’s escape. The hills are dotted with Reaper forces, swarming and traveling like insects. More fall from the sky every moment, like flecks of firelight burning through the open air.

The ark itself is torn open. Not destroyed, but damaged to a severe degree. If they had begun moving colonists into stasis, many of them are already lost. It doesn’t look mounted in the docking structure; the ark looks as if it’s crashed atop it. The only comfort is that it still looks capable of flying, assuming it has a way to escape the gravity of the moon itself, but that’ll change as soon as the Reapers will it.

“Commander. We can’t get any closer than this, you’ll have to go the rest of the way on foot.” The turian pilot shouts back to them.

“Understood.” Shepard accepts, rising to his feet.

They aren’t quite to the ark, but they’re close enough to get there on foot in a couple of minutes. Garrus and James get to assembling their helmets, sliding them on and sealing their suits for the vacuum outside. Ben notices them doing this, and triggers the Omnitrix to give him a space-worthy form.

It complies, though with a form he didn’t expect. He shrinks down, widening and becoming heavy and round. His skin becomes a green, almost translucent layer of fat, his face stretches out to both connect seamlessly with his torso, and become about a third of his total height. He looks somewhat like a living garbage bin.

“Oh, wonderful. I was hoping to see this one again.” Garrus remarks sarcastically. “What charming name did you give it, again?”

“Upchuck.” Ben answers, his voice low and gurgled.

“Right. Upchuck.”

“Hang on, you give your aliens names?” James notes.

“Helps me remember them.” Ben says, which James has a very easy time accepting.

The shuttle touches down and soon after the squad moves out. Ben isn’t as slow as his tiny legs would suggest, but he does have to work slightly harder than the others to keep pace.

“You guys need help, or should I go ahead?” Ben checks with Shepard.

“Don’t wait for us, Ben. We need the primarch alive.” Shepard responds.

“Got it.” Ben affirms. He skids to a stop while the others keep running, turning his attention to the stone around him. His mouth hinges open and from it a series of tentacle-like tongues emerge to grab a large boulder. It’s yanked off the ground and dragged into his mouth. His body has to stretch to accommodate the width of the stone, but as soon as he gets his jaw around it it’s crushed down to be ingested.

He then turns his head down to the ground under him, letting the energy churn and convert before he hurls it up. The sheer force of the impact is enough to send him rocketing into the sky and towards the ark, where he continues to eject plasmatic fumes to guide his travel.

“Ah man…” James reacts.

“I know.” Garrus confirms.

“Husks ahead.” Shepard announces, getting both of them to focus back on the path. The three men all slide into the nearest cover before their barriers are broken by the volley of gunfire hurled their way.

“Just me, or those Reapers look like turians?” James calls out to the other, peeking out of cover to fire off a quick series of shots, only to duck down again.

The troops James refers to do indeed resemble turians, in the way that standard husks resemble humans. Decayed, defiled, and mutilated. Far more armored than the husks are, and retaining enough cognitive function to carry an assault rifle, but just as dead.

“Started dealing with them a couple hours after the Reapers got here. The men have been calling them Marauders.” Garrus fills them in.

“Great, and here I thought husks were bad enough.” Shepard groans, focusing himself to start charging his biotics. He turns and leaps over the section of rock he’d been using as cover, using his biotics to send himself sailing towards the nearest marauder. He slams into it, knocking it back and into the ground with enough force to crack open what’s left of its body. The commander then rolls for another point of cover before his shields give out.

“And New York’s crawling with the creepy bastards!? Agh… Never should have left Earth.” James says, talking down another marauder, and a pair of husks that clambered up over the cliff faces.

“It’s gonna be bad all over.” Garrus assures  him.

“Leaving the fight just pisses me off.”

“But you’re here asking Victus to do the same thing. Leave the fight to make nice in some boardroom.” Garrus contextualizes it.

“This summit is the only chance we’ve got. None of us are beating the Reapers alone.” Shepard says,

“I know, Shepard.” Garrus assures him. “It’s just hard to see the big picture from the trenches.”

“Then let’s focus on getting to that ship, and worry about the big picture once we’re out of this mess.”  Shepard decides, leaping out of cover to charge another marauder as soon as his biotics have recovered.

“I’m right behind you, Commander.” James shouts, charging out after him with most of their opposition out of the way.

When Ben eventually lands again it’s at the ark’s construction platform. Though, calling it that is generous. Even a quick glance to the sky shows that most of the construction scaffolding is in orbit, where the ark was held before it crashed into Menae. The facility on the moon’s surface appears designed for auxiliary support to the ark, and as an early dock for individual sections before they’re lifted into orbit. It was never designed to hold the finished ark.

Clearly the fine details of the ark’s construction still aren’t understood by the turian hierarchy, and that’s probably intentional to some degree.

The docking station, if it can be called that, is comprised of a series of Initiative designed prefabs. A couple dozen rooms and facilities, connected with modular tubes. Most of which are set on leveled lunar surface, but some of which are built atop sections of industrial flooring. The kind Ben has seen before at human colonies, though clearly designed with turian sensibilities.

It’s a compound. A wide network of buildings, most of which seem oriented towards housing or manufacturing, and the occasional ship. Of course, the ark itself is also lying across the compound, its hull strained from the impact of crashing on the moon.

It takes Ben a moment to process all of this. The view from the shuttle did little to prepare him for the actual structure of the area, let alone how to navigate it. Nor did it give him an idea of how inundated the compound would be with Reaper forced. None of the buildings are without damage. Either from husks and marauders clawing their way inside, or the bullet holes of the turian troops trying to repel them.

It's bleak. The base camp they landed at was a war zone, yes, but it was designed to be. The shelters were put in place for the express purpose of being a base camp. The sides of the area were fenced off, and guarded. The killed and wounded turians were taken care of. It was a war zone, but it looked like it was supposed to be.

This is different. This place wasn’t meant for combat.

These are homes, communal eating facilities, places for people to relax when they aren’t on duty. The work that happened here was scientific, not military. It was sanctioned by the military, as anything on this moon would have to be, but it was engineered and constructed by civilians. The soldiers don’t belong here. The Reapers don’t belong here, they’ve brought war here. They have inflicted misery and death on a place that wasn’t meant for it, onto homes and families. It’s all to clear that retribution will never come soon enough to make up for what they’ve done.

At some point Ben must have passed within the base’s mass effect field, as he can feel that there’s a breathable atmosphere again. He’s been slowly making his way through the compound this whole time, but he speeds up when he realizes that most of the action will be happening around the Ark. His bouncy body is able to leap onto the building’s roofs, and start hoping across the gaps between them.

He can’t quite figure out why Palaven Command hasn’t given up on the ark yet. The fact they’re sending support to it at all must be in response to the Reaper’s interest in it, understanding that if the Reapers want the Ark, it’s probably a good idea to at least slow them down. The battle must have started in orbit, like the Hyperion did, but now the Ark has crashed.

Several million tons of metal hit the moon and part of the base. If it hadn’t been slowing its decent, the whole complex would probably be a crater at this point. The fact the Ark itself is still in one piece is nothing short of a miracle. The idea of it taking off again is a fantasy. Which means that it’s only a matter of time until they abandon the ark.

This close to the ship, Ben’s able to read its name. Written across the silver hull in massive white letters. Natanus.

The closer Ben gets to the ark, the clearer the sounds of gunfire become. When he finally reaches the firefight, it’s clear that it’s not just Turian military who have taken up arms. Initiative workers have armed themselves, and are desperately trying to fight back the husks that are trying to get into the ship.

The troops defending the ark have stationed themselves by one of the prefabs that collapsed during the impact, using it as both cover and a rear wall to prevent themselves from being flanked. Most the prefabs that are still standing are off the ground, on stilts. The prefabs that are built directly onto the ground aren’t numerous enough to corral the reaper troops down manageable paths, and the walls that are built on the wide platforms are generally short enough for the husks and marauders to just climb over. This has left the turian troops pinned down, defending themselves on too many sides to manage.

So Ben creates new cover. He leaps off the roofs of the prefabs and tumbles down into the middle of the battle. He’s just strange enough for the turians to pause before opening fire on him, noting that he lacks any signs of Reaper tech all the ground troops they’ve been fighting have had. Ben has enough time to spit out his tongues, grabbing into the support structures keeping the prefabs aloft and yanking them into his mouth. This both sends many of the housing units crashing into the ground on the side near to the turian platoons, and also gives Ben ammunition to fire back at the pathways that he intentionally leaves open to the husks, blasting them back.

This whole ordeal gives them a moment to breathe. None of the turians are stupid enough to think Ben is on the Reaper’s side after that, but none of them yet understand what he is. When he turns to the scattered and battered groups of turians he just saved, many of them are still aiming their weapons his way. They only grow more confused when, with a flash, his body changes in shape to that of a human.

Ben marches up to the makeshift encampment, crudely constructed out of whatever scraps of the compound were small enough for them to move. It doesn’t have the organization of the base Ben was at barely an hour ago, it’s a mess. Ben walks toward them without any concern for the guns aimed at him, only stopping when he’s close enough to speak with them.

“Who’s in charge?” Ben gets to the chase.

“Not so fast. Who the hell are you?” One of the nearest turians bark back at him.

“Ben 10. Alliance superhero. I’m here to help. Now, who’s in charge?”

“Ben Ten.” A turian chuckles, walking up from the back of the group and past the other soldiers. He keeps a rifle firmly in hand, but aims it at the ground instead of Ben.

He sounds tired, like he hasn’t had more than a moment to rest in well over a day. He’s wearing an Initiative uniform. Black and white metal, accented with a bluish green. The same unusually thin and flexible armor worn by most of the Initiative soldiers Ben’s seen.

“My name is Macen Barro. I’m the turian pathfinder. SAM said you were coming, but I had a hard time believing it.” He tells Ben.

“The human pathfinder should be here soon.” Ben tells him.

“SAM told me that too. Seemed too good to be true, but you won’t see me turning down help.” His words aren’t just tired, they’re labored. Heavy, and forced. Ben glances down to his body again. His right arm keeps a firm grip on his rifle, but his left holds his side. A dark blue fluid leaks from a tear in his armor, below where his hand covers.

“You’re hurt.” Ben realizes.

“We’re running low on Medigel, but I’ll make it.” Macen assures him.

Ben’s still cautious about the wound, but he doesn’t have time to argue. With the conversation going the way it is, most of the other soldiers have relaxed about Ben. He’s trusted enough to continue forward, around their barricades and into the camp. Macen walks with him, leading him in the direction of an opening into the Ark.

“I’m here with Commander Shepard. He needs the primarch. A general, Adrien Victus.” Ben explains.

“Victus is primarch?” Macen realizes. There’s both an air of dread in the knowledge that the former primarch is dead, but also reverence in the fact that he seemingly knows the new one. “He and his men are inside the Natanus. He’s been fighting his way to the bridge with my second in command, Avitus Rix. Communication has been spotty since the ark came down. As pathfinder my connection with SAM has been stable, but Avitus and Victus’s team have been in the dark. We and a few other squads around the ark have been holding the perimeter, trying not to let anymore of these Reaper bastards in. That stunt you pulled with the prefabs will make our job a little easier.”

They reach the entrance to the ark. A relatively small hole in the side of the craft, still large enough to drive a caravan of Mako through. There’s a rough path inside, down through the damage.

“Can the ark still fly?” Ben checks.

“That’s what Victus was going to find out. Don’t ask me how the Hierarchy found out about the Initiative, but it seems like they don’t want to write us off until they’re sure this thing is a lost cause.”

“Lucky.”

“You won’t hear me complaining.” Macen confirms. “Still, the odds are slim. SAM tells me the ark’s a lost cause if we can’t get support in to help get the Ark airborne, and with those damn Reapers shooting down anything larger than a fighter… well, you get the picture. The ark just isn’t built to launch from the ground, it’s too big. Too heavy, even in Menae’s gravity.”

“But if the ark was in the air again, you’d be set?” Ben checks.

“Not quite. The ODSY drive core is offline, the system overloaded when it came down. The hope is that Victus can get the drive online from the bridge, but more likely we’ll need someone to do it manually. Even then, we’d still need to deal with the Reapers, or they’ll just shoot us down again. And we need a team on the bridge to pilot the Natanus once it’s flying again.”

“And Shepard needs the primarch for a war summit.”

“It’s my duty as the Pathfinder to keep this ark and everyone onboard safe. But if the Natanus is lost… I’ll help you save the primarch.” Macen accepts.

“Let’s not count the Ark out just yet, I’m just trying to get a list of objectives. Get a team on the bridge, get a team to fix the engine, get the Ark in the air, deal with the Reapers before they shoot it down, clear the front so it can jump to FTL, and get the primarch to Shepard.” Ben plans.

“We just don’t have the resources. In the best case, with a few days of preparation, we might have a chance of saving the Natanus. But the cost…”

“Yeah, I’m gonna save the ark, I’m just trying to figure out how…” Ben shuts down his realistic concerns.

Ben turns away from him and hits the Omnitrix, connecting to Shepard’s team.

“Shepard, you there?” Ben checks.

“What is it?” Shepard responds after a moment, stunted by the ruckus of gunfire and the buzz of biotics.

“I’m at the ark. Victus is inside and he’s headed to the bridge. The Reapers have the ark pinned, the drive core is offline, and the ark isn’t built to launch from the ground.” Ben explains.

“Sounds like a lost cause.” Garrus assesses.

“What’s your plan?” Shepard asks Ben.

“You guys get to the bridge to get Victus. I’ll talk to the Initiative team and get them to the drive core. Once that’s fixed, I’ll try to get the ark in the air, deal with the reapers, and give it a clear path to hit FTL.” Ben explains.

“That sounds like a lot resting on you.” Shepard notes.

“You know someone else that can do those things?” Ben wonders.

“You know your limits, Ben. I trust you.” Shepard tells him.

Ben pauses at the genuine trust Shepard places in him, slightly gratified by it remaining even after being gone so long. He takes a second to focus on the mission again.

“Head for a camp by the back of the ark. The turian pathfinder is here, a guy named Macen. He’s keeping husks from flooding in through a breach, and he’ll tell you where to go.”

“Understood. Updating my map now.” Shepard affirms, letting Ben end the call.

Ben then turns to where Macen was standing before, but doesn’t find him standing there. Ben has to scan his eyes over the camp to find him again. Dozens of turians, and most of them aren’t fighters. The lower half of their clothes is coated in the dust of Menae’s surface, for a lot of them it’s also mixed with the dark fluid that the husks and marauders bleed. They’re run ragged, but they’re still fighting.

They’re at the point of reusing thermal clips after they cool down, that stretched for resources. They’ve done what they can to break up the small area they were able to hold. Corpses in one area, the wounded in another. Their stock of medigel is so thin that it’s being carefully partitioned, many of the soldiers that are still on their feet outright refusing it so the more severely wounded have a better chance.

Soldiers with tired postures line the side of the camp that faces the direction husks will come from. There are occasional bursts of gunshots when husks begin to come from the still-open pathways, but it’s easier to manage than before Ben arrived. There’s even a turian biotic in the group. One of the Initiative workers, doing their best to keep a barrier up to protect the wounded from the occasional marauders firing on the camp.

Ben finds Macen towards the back of the camp, under the roof of a prefab unit that was cracked open by the ark’s landing. He’s with another turian that’s dressing his wound with gauze, having removed some of his armor to do so.

It’s odd to see a turian without their armor on. Very few are ever so exposed, especially on the field, but with how deep the gash in his side is it’s necessary.

“Macen.” Ben gets his attention.

His sharp eyes flick up to Ben, waiting for him to continue. The turian working on his wound doesn’t stop, but they do move aside slightly so they aren’t standing between Macen and Ben.

“Commander Shepard and his squad are on their way here. I told them that you could direct them to the bridge.”

“Very well. I’ll make sure to stay alive until they get here.” He says with some levity.

“Cool. I’m gonna go find Ryder’s team.” Ben turns away from him, his hand moving for the Omnitrix to dial in another alien form.

“One more thing,” Macen stops him, causing Ben to look back. “I know it’s selfish, but… if you could, please keep Avitus safe.”

“Is he important?”

“To me, he is.”

Ben takes a moment to figure out exactly what he means by that. The softer rumble in his voice, the way his mandibles tuck tight and high into his cheeks, the slightest narrowing of his eyes like a wince. The thought of Avitus dying pains him more than the notion of his own death ever could.

“If I can help it, you’ll both make it out of this in one piece.” Ben promises him.

“Thank you.” Macen breathes, letting Ben turn away from him again.

The Omnitrix has never been so cooperative. Ben flicks the dial without paying much attention to the selection, a form is chosen by the device, and Ben slams down the dial. Skin to crystal shards, pants and shirt become bodysuit and heavy boots. Spikes jut from his back as the same time that he rises in height. His jaw becomes pronounced, locking like a helmet around the bottom half of his head. His eyes narrow, conforming to the ridge that emulates a brow, glowing the same green as the Omnitrix node on his belt. Diamondhead.

Ben gives a look to his hands, flexing his heavy fingers, then curling them into fists.

“Diamondhead …Nice.” Ben accepts.

The leap into the Natanus isn’t as disorienting as it could have been. Ben suspected the artificial gravity would still be in effect inside the ark, but finds that it isn’t. It’ll likely return once the drive core is reengaged. For the moment, this leaves the floor at an odd angle to gravity, meaning he has to keep his core low to balance himself.

He also has to keep his core low to avoid hitting his head when he passes through the doorways, but that’s a different issue.

He taps the face of the Omnitrix and twists the dial, and in a moment the line connects.

“SAM, you guys here yet?” Ben checks.

“Indeed. Putting the Pathfinder team through now.” SAM responds.

There’s a brief moment of silence before he hears breathing on the other side of the line, slightly labored.

“Alec, that you?” Ben checks.

“It is.” Alec responds. “We touched down a couple minutes ago. SAM gave us the sitrep.”

“Shepard’s going to head for the bridge when he gets here. He’s after the primarch for a war summit. I want to get this ark out of here while I have the chance. I need you guys to head for the drive core to get it back online.” Ben explains.

“That’s a good plan. Where are you now? We can meet you on the way.”

“Uhh… SAM?” Ben asks.

“Ben is in section 4B. Assuming you and he both travel towards the drive core, you should arrive at approximately the same time. Be advised, there is a considerably Reaper presence onboard the ship.” SAM informs them.

“Okay. I’ll meet you there.” Ben accepts.

It’s a long walk to the Ark. Even once they reach the initiative complex, they still have to fight their way through droves of reaper forces. Husks charge them relentlessly, marauders make open spaces even more of a hazard. Half the time Shepard’s team is hiding behind whatever objects or walls they can find, waiting for a break in the enemy fire so they can shoot back.

Every time they’re caught off guard they have to scramble for cover, hoping to find a solid barrier before their shields are taken out. They’re competent enough to achieve this for the most part, only occasionally getting so entrenched with husks that one of them gets a lucky hit in.

It’s agonizing though. Getting slowed down. Forced to make do with sub-par cover, with no defense against getting flanked. A lesser squad would be dead before they made it to the ark, but Shepard’s team is the best of the best. That still doesn’t change the tension of the moments when they wait.

They’re in the low light of the moon’s far side, gradually moving out of the sun’s line of sight. The bases lights are mostly on, but the shadows are getting starker. Easier for things to hide in. Every time enemy fire breaks, Shepard’s team glide out of cover and tear through their opposition, then push forward. Deeper toward the Natanus.

“Still hard to believe. That even after we got the galaxy to listen to you about the Reapers, we still weren’t ready for them.” Garrus speaks. He doesn’t have to speak very loudly for his voice to carry on their radios, still wearing his helmet from before they entered the atmospheric bubble.

“I know what you mean. The Reapers hit Earth before we even know what was happening.” Shepard tells him.

“Same here. I was off world when it happened, but from the way I’m hearing it… I guess it could be worse, but not by much.” Garrus explains between the moments of action.

“You got any family still on Palaven?” James asks.

“My dad, a sister.” Garrus confirms.

“I’m sorry.”

“Yeah, well, if anyone can make it out of that, they can. But… hope’s hard to come by right now.”

“We’ll make it through this.” Shepard assures. It’s almost like an order, with the way he says it. So much authority and certainty that it snaps the other two men to focus.

“Yes, Commander.” Garrus agrees.

It takes longer than they’d like, but they eventually get to the encampment Ben mentioned. The turians on guard almost fire at them when they come from the few viable paths that remain, but once they get recognized they’re quickly escorted in and to the pathfinder.

“You must be commander Shepard.” The turian remarks on his approach, walking to him from the back of the group.

“You’re the pathfinder?” Shepard checks.

“I am.” Macen confirms. “Vakarian.” He then recognizes, looking to the company Shepard keeps.

“You know each other?’ Shepard wonders.

“No, but I know of you.” Macen clarifies. “You made waves after coming back to Palaven. You’re the reason we weren’t able to finish the ark in time.”

“I’d apologize, but given that I was trying to prepare for the Reapers…” Garrus states.

“Of course, I didn’t mean otherwise.” The pathfinder accepts.

“Ben said you could direct us to the bridge. We’re after the primarch.” Shepard says.

“I know, and I can.” Macen raises his left arm, flicking his wrist to summon his omni-tool. It only takes a second for him to transfer the navigational data to Shepard, who’s suit displays the travel markers on his hud.

“Best of luck, Commander.”

Shepard nods, and his team is off.

A number of the doors between Ben and the drive core are completely jammed. Either lacking power or bent in such a way that they’re unable to slide open. This means that Ben has had to physically push the hatches open. His geometric crystal fingers sink into the gap between the piece of metal and he yanks them apart, usually with a harsh metallic wail from inert systems being forced to move.

That’s not to mention the husks onboard. Absent from most of the sealed off chambers, but present in the sections of the ark that have been breached. They aren’t a challenge for Ben, but every body he’s forced to flatten or pierce with a shot of crystal is another reminder of what the Reapers are doing. Still, he makes good time, reaching the back of the ship in just a few minutes.

The drive core chamber isn’t too dissimilar to the one on the Normandy, only considerably larger. It’s a spherical chamber, with walls that hold circular arrays of projectors, managing the output of the circular engine in the center. The way the drive core actually works has always gone over Ben’s head, but he can still recognize that it’s offline. The core would usually be quaking, creating a visible ripple in the cooling mist that should surround it, resonating with the illuminated conductive arrays on the walls. Instead, the core is still and dark.

There’s are several levels meant for observation and maintenance. Having entered from the bottom of the Natanus, Ben is currently on the lowest of these. He walks out into the open center of this platform and looks up to the decks above him. Hundreds of meters up he’s able to hear motion.

He drops down and connects a hand with the floor, then yanks up. In doing so, a large pillar of crystal is erected. Tearing through the metal floor and shooting upward with enough force to launch Ben all the way to the upper most level. He just barely clears the railing, rolling over it and tumbling onto the metal floor with a loud clang and thud. He does manage to roll onto his feet, letting him rise back to full height immediately.

Across the platform from him he sees the main entry hatch struggling to move itself, and Ryder’s team backing through it. Alec, and two of the crew that came with him from Hyperion. Cora and Liam. They’re firing into the hall they just came from, seemingly dealing with a few dozen husks.

“Anyone else in the hall?” Ben calls out at them.

Among all the fighting, it seems the team hadn’t actually noticed Ben yet. Him shouting at them was what finally got their attention, and amidst the tension and action the first member of the crew to turn to him is too caught up to register what he is. Liam can’t stop himself from firing a shot at Ben.

It’s just a pistol and the shot ricochets off Ben’s face without leaving a mark, but it still causes him to wince.

“Agh, dude. Come on, I’m on your side.” Ben complains, walking ahead and past the group toward the door.

“Sorry, sorry-” Liam quickly realizes his mistake.

Ben looks through the hatch before grabbing its sides, and finds another member of the team still outside the room, firing at the hoards of husks to keep them at a distance. He reaches through and grabs the back of her suit, yanking her off the ground and back through the hatch. There’s an audible gasp of surprise, but she doesn’t argue when Ben digs his fingers into the two sides of the doorway and forces them together, sealing off the hall.

“Shit. Could’ve used some warning, but thanks.” Vetra gasps, collecting herself.

The Omnitrix resounds with several automatic beeps as Ben turns to face the group, and an instant later his form shifts down into its human shape.

“Sorry, Ben.” Liam repeats.

“Don’t worry about it. Just tell me one of you can get the engine started again.” Ben hopes.

“We’ll need to see what the damage is, but we hope so.” Alec confirms, turning to march off toward the control panels at the back of the platform.

“It’d be easier if the Natanus engineers were here to help, but from what we know they died in the initial attack.” Cora says. She turns to head after Alec at almost a jog, while Vetra and Liam match pace with Ben’s slower approach.

“So, I thought Shepard and you guys were here to get the primarch. Why are you doing here?” Liam questions.

“Fedorian’s onboard.” Vetra tells him.

Ben almost stumbles as he abruptly comes to a stop, caught on that answer from Vetra. Liam and Vetra both turn to him, Liam having an easier time understanding the expression of turmoil on Ben’s face.

“What?” Vetra asks.

“Fediorian’s dead. A guy named Adrian Victus is the new primarch.” Ben informs them.

Both of them express shock in their own ways. Their eyes widen, and while Liam’s mouth hangs aghast, Vetra’s mandibles twitch and tuck against her face.

“Shit.” Liam reacts.

“Yeah. …sorry.”

“I’m… not even formally a turian citizen. I’m not mourning, just… surprised.” She clarifies.

“His ship was shot down trying to leave the moon. About an hour before I got here.” Ben tells her.

Her features stern. Her pupils narrow, her mandibles retain their tension but drift out from the sides of her mouth. She understands the implications.

“If we hadn’t gotten Sid,” She verbalizes the idea, getting Liam caught up with why they’re both as effected as they are.

“Yeah.” Ben confirms.

“… Fuck.” She sighs, turning away from Ben. The three of them stand there for a moment, until Vetra lets out a deep groan and starts walking again. “Let’s do our job; try not to lose another one.”

Shepard’s team has a significantly harder time getting through the Ark. They’re also heading toward the back of the ship, to where the connections to the other levels are. Though, unlike Ben, every jammed or unpowered door creates a couple minutes of fending off husks while they look for another route, or try to override the systems.

It’s relatively standard fare for Shepard, all things considered.

He’s not following the same path as Ben. Each arm of the ark has multiple levels, and Ben leapt to a higher one than Shepard is traveling down now. Shepard is, however, following the path that Victus took. As is evident by the trail of bodies, and the pathways that have been found through the ship. Vent covers have already been removed, certain doors that need power had it previously, but the power was repartitioned to doors further along the path. A process Shepard has to undo and then repeat.

It's a tedious and tiresome progression, but eventually Shepard makes it to the elevator shaft leading to the central arm of the ark. A smaller, thinner level that stretches down the length of the craft to the bridge. Of course, the elevator is unpowered. This means the three of them have to begin the arduous process of climbing up the shaft. By the time they reach their intended level all three of them are tired and out of breath. It takes them a moment to start moving again, heading down the ship.

Most of the journey was on the lower level, as there aren’t more than a couple doors and a handful of husks between them and the bridge. Of course, as they finally begin approaching their destination, they can’t help but hear the sound of fighting ahead. Gunfire, and shouting.

“That sounds bad!” James notes.

“Okay, double time! No Reaper’s taking this primarch from me!” Shepard announces, picking up his pace.

“Right behind you!”

Evidently, they weren’t the only ones headed for the bridge. In addition to Shepard and Victus’s teams, dozens and dozens of reaper troops flood the room. Passing through the final hatch, Shepard and his men step into a frenzy of action. Husks climb in through the broken viewscreen, having scaled the sides of the ark. Marauders take defensive positions on the lower level, fortifying the other troops. There’s a smattering of scions about the space, hurling biotic shockwaves at any form of cover they turian squad has managed to find.

Of particular note are the two massive bodies assailing anyone that would otherwise be able to hold their own. Made from more flesh than could come from a single body, more machine than corpse at this point, navigating the world with the upper half of a turian’s head for eyes. That’s what Shepard’s team focuses on.

None of the turians have the time to question Shepard’s presence, but they appreciate it. They’re downright impressed when he leaps over the railing of the upper level, sending himself sailing down with a biotic charge straight into the brute.

The battle goes as well as it could, given how outnumbered they are. Frankly, it goes better than could be expected. The way Shepard takes on the brute himself, with only occasional support from Garrus and James while his biotics recharge, is something most of the men wouldn’t believe if they didn’t see it in person.

By the time the last of the reaper soldiers are dealt with both Shepard and Victus’s teams are exhausted. It’s through sheer force of will that they pick themselves back up, and continue their job. Shepard makes his way back up to the higher level.

“General Victus?” Shepard asks, heading for the man that seemed to be giving orders during the main battle. A dark skinned turian, white face, blue markings. He’s wearing a standard suit of turian armor, only colored black with red glowing indicator lights.

“Yes?” The turian responds.

“I’m Commander Shepard of the Normandy.” Shepard informs him.

“Ah, Commander. I know who you are. Not that I don’t appreciate your help, but I find it strange that you’ve come all the way here.” Victus notes, his attention lingering on the Commander for just a moment longer before turning to Garrus as he walks up to Shepard’s side. “Vakarian. How’d you end up here?”

“Came to get you, actually. You’re needed off planet.” Garrus informs him.

“I’m not going anywhere until this thing is in the air, and then I’m going straight back to the fight. It’d take something beyond important for me to leave my men, or my turian brothers and sisters.”

“Fedorian was killed. You’re the new primarch.” Garrus states.

“You’re needed immediately to chair the summit and represent your people in the fight against the Reapers.” Shepard clarifies.

Victus just stops. The response he would have given is lost, and in its place is a look of shock. His eyes fall from them, focusing with confusion and realization, but at the same time staring off into the middle distance. He turns from them, looking instead to the glass windows at the front of the bridge. The starry sky, and the reapers that pervade it. He steps away from the group just to think, and Shepard doesn’t stop him.

“And I thought we were running out of bad news.” Another turian says, walking up from the lower level to where Victus stood before. This turian wears Initiative armor, similar to what Macen wears. He has a pale face, with dark black or brown markings. It’s hard to tell in the emergency lighting of the room. “Avitus Rix.” He introduces himself.

“Commander Shepard.” He responds.

“I’m familiar with you. Former Spectre, until I signed on with the Initiative.” Rix explains himself.

“You were a Spectre?” Shepard questions, surprised by the fact.

“I was. Recruited by a turian named Saren Arterius. I believe you’re familiar.”

Even through the visor of his helmet, Shepard’s shock is clear. He leans back somewhat, taking a second to reassess the person in front of him.

“I still have a hard time believing what they say about him. The Saren I knew was ruthless, not crazy, but… after everything that happened, I had to resign. I didn’t belong there anymore, couldn’t keep doing the council’s dirty work until I hit my breaking point. I found a place with Macen and the Initiative. I was going to retire when we got to Andromeda… now the Natanus is in ruins.” Avitus tells them.

Shepard takes a moment to focus on the task again, forcing himself to move past the association.

“How bad is it?” Shepard asks.

“Bad. Without Victus’s team, it might’ve been hopeless. I wouldn’t have made it here without him.” Avitus says, turning to head for the operational console at the front of the bridge’s upper level. A few paces left of where Victus stands now.

He holsters his weapon and boots the console. The screens flicker to life. Several of the holograms it should project are fragmented or otherwise broken, but Rix makes do.

While Avitus tries to assess the state of the ark, Shepard walks to Victus’s side.

“I’m primarch of Palaven? Negotiating for the turian hierarchy?” He speaks.

“Yes.” Shepard confirms.

He looks down from the view outside, slowly turning to look at Shepard and his group again.

“I’ve spent my whole life in the military. I’m no diplomat… I hate diplomats.” Victus says.

“War is your resume. At a time like this we need leaders who’ve been through that hell.” Shepard assures him.

“…I like that.” Victus seems to accept. “You’re right.”

“And honestly, uniting these races may take as much strength as facing the Reapers. The devastation on Palaven? Double that for Earth. I need an alliance. I need the turian fleet.”

Victus has to think for a moment, still considering everything it means to be primarch.

“…I can’t leave yet. Not while there’s still hope for the Natanus. If the worst comes to pass, if the Reapers are as unstoppable as the past few days have shown, then this ship is the legacy of my people. If there’s a chance it can be saved, I have to try.” He explains.

“I understand.” Shepard assures him. “But the galaxy needs you. Once this ship is taken care of, will you come with me?”

“I will.” Victus confirms.

“Good. I came with Ben Tennyson. He and the human pathfinder should be at the drive core now.” Shepard says.

“They are.” Avitus speaks. “Alec Ryder is diagnosing the ODSY Drive now. If his team can get it running, I think enough systems are intact to get this ship to the Nexus. Assuming we can get it airborne.”

“Ben will take care of that.” Shepard says.

“If you say so. Not like we have a better option right now.” Avitus tentatively accepts. “SAM’s been routing what’s left of the power to the cryo bay, but as long as we hold this bridge we should be able to save the ark.”

“Finally, some good news.” James expresses.

“I want two men at either viewscreen breach. The rest of you, with me. We’ll hold the atrium.” Victus announces, and immediately his men rise to action, marching to his assignments.

“For now, it all hinges on Alec’s team.” Avitus states.

With matters handled, Shepard and his squad are able to have a moment of rest. They don’t relax, they’re still ready for whenever the Reaper’s forced make their next assault, but they can catch their breath.

“Without Victus here, there’s a good chance we lose this moon.” Garrus mentions to Shepard.

“Without him up there, there’s a good chance we lose everything.” Shepard responds.

A deep breath is pushed out through Garrus’s nose. His eyes drift away from the room, out to the marching constructions in the distance. The unworldly machines standing like skyscrapers on the moon’s plains.

“Look at that… And they want my opinion on how to stop it? Failed C-Sec officer, vigilante… and I’m their expert advisor. Be honest with me, Shepard. Do you think you can win this thing?” Garrus asks.

“Yeah, I don’t know, Garrus. But I’m sure as hell gonna give it my best shot.”

“I’m damned sure nobody else can do it… For whatever it’s worth, I’m with you.” Garrus says.

“Welcome aboard.” Shepard says, to a soft chuckle from Garrus.

The drive core is a mess. It was already designed unconventionally for the unique purpose of traveling to another galaxy, and with the damage done by both the Reapers and the crash it’s hard to imagine fixing it. Ryder is in constant communication with his SAM, the two of them trying to figure out exactly why the drive core is off, and how to get it running again.

Cora and Liam aren’t as much help as they’d like to be, but they’re useful as extra sets of eyes on the system manifest.

Vetra and Ben are just watching. They’re leaned against the wall by the door, waiting for the other to decide on their next course of action.

Liam is doing a lot of legwork, running back and forth between the workstations. Cora is spending more time at Alec’s side, slightly more skilled at reading through operational logs.

“Where are the twins?” Ben asks after a moment.

“Still on the Tempest. Ryder thought a small team would be easier to get through.” Vetra answers him.

Part of their job is trying to get diagnostic systems online so SAM can do more to tell them what’s happening. The AI would have a far easier time going through the unwieldy bulk of data than the humans are.

“Is Sid settling in alright?” Ben wonders.

“…Yeah. She sent a message a couple hours after we left. Bailey – that C-Sec friend of yours – he found a place for her where her skills won’t go to waste. She’s still upset that she couldn’t come with me, but she feels useful.” Vetra says.

“Good.”

Every time Ryder gets another system online, SAM finds another point of fault that they have to address. It’s like trying to get to the ocean from a waterfall. They’re following the river downstream, but they keep getting lead down dead ends. They need a map, but the Ark’s systems just aren’t designed for the kind of damage it’s sustained.

“Man… You two were supposed to be here, huh?” Ben asks, looking up at the damage in the room.

Less damage than most of the ship suffered, but enough to make the room look derelict and abandoned. Even understanding the full scope of the space is difficult, given that most of the lights on are emergency power. Dimmer, and less frequent than the standard lighting the ship should have.

“No. Like I said, Sid and I aren’t recognized as turian citizens, not really. We were going to be on the Nexus. We were supposed to be in stasis months ago, but with everything happening the way it did, they kept us out. I was more useful to Kesh getting the equipment she needed.” Vetra explains.

“Right, you’re a provisioner or something.” Ben remembers.

“That’s right. And when official supply lines got strung up by every race in the galaxy preparing for the Reapers, I knew who to talk to for alternative solutions.”

“Alternative solutions?” Ben quotes her, his tone heavily questioning her meaning.

“Junk, salvage. Outdated tech people didn’t need anymore, or stuff that was too hard to maintain. We couldn’t always get what we wanted, but I made sure the Initiative always had what they needed.”

“Right, so the arks are made from old washing machines.” Ben jokes.

“Not exactly. But some of the systems are made from parts that need some extra maintenance. Wiring arrays that need insulation and pressurization, or they’ll boil in the vacuum. Signal networks that run at a lower frequency, which newer systems read as a malfunction. Fuel manifolds that are worn down, so the computers need to be calibrated for the higher volume. Older capacitors that need manual rebooting… Oh.” It clicks in Vetra’s head, and she pushes off the wall. “Oh. Ryder, let me those system reports.” Vetra calls out, marching over to the main console Alec has been working on.

Ben follows after her. He stays out of the group’s way, but is close enough to listen in on the conversation.

“I know how to get it running.” Vetra realizes.

“I didn’t realize you were an engineer.” Cora notes.

“I’m not, but I got the parts this thing is made of. I know how to get them working.” Vetra insists.

“What do we need to do?” Alec asks.

Vetra’s not a terrific teacher, but she’s succinct with giving orders. She and the rest of the team leap down to the lower levels, using their jump jets to soften their landing. Vetra leads them to the maintenance shafts, explaining what they’ll have to do on the way. A lot of small workarounds, which likely would have been ironed out and standardized if the ark had time. Even SAM notes that with his limited perspective on the environment, he wouldn’t have been able to understand the issue.

Vetra explains how they’ll manually jump the system, and that as soon as they do they’ll have to get the hell out of the maintenance tunnels so they don’t get hit with the discharge of the drive starting. Alec’s team understand and get to work.

Vetra gives Ben an estimation of ten, maybe twenty minutes to get it started. At which point, he’ll need to get the ark in the air. Alec says that SAM will tell him when they’re ready. Ben accepts, and heads for an exit to the ship.

He finds the nearest breach in the hull of the Natanus and climbs his way out. He leans at the edge of the ship’s outer plating, and just looks out at the horizon. Where the turian fighters battle with the Reaper drones. Where the Reapers themselves stand larger than anything. Where squadrons fight against the relentless hoards to give the ark time.

The moon has turned away from the sun at this point. The Reapers are dark figures, outlined by the stars behind them, and the network of lights visible through the seams of their armor. Like a city, trapped in the shell of a creature meant only for annihilation. For harvest.

He has time to wait. To think. He could go out and fight the Reapers right now, but he won’t. They aren’t doing much, and he knows that if he attacks them they’ll respond with reinforcements. He wants to take them by surprise when they’re finally ready. He wants to get the ark out of the area before more Reapers even have time to show up.

It’s comforting, for something this big and important to be possible. With just one of him, it’s possible. Shepard and Victus have taken the bridge by this point, and the human pathfinder’s team is restarting the drive core. Ben will do the one thing they can’t, he’ll get the ark back into the sky. They’re handling the rest.

It’s comforting that Vetra makes it possible.

Ben wasted time. Going to Yamm wasted time that could have been spent here. His impulsivity, his insistence to save everyone he can, is the reason the turian primarch is dead. Maybe Ben wouldn’t have been able to save the primarch even if he was here sooner, but he knows that he could have been here. He wasn’t, so it’s his fault. The leader of the turian homeworld died today, because Ben wasn’t there.

Instead, he saved one turian kid. He gave one turian colony the chance to evacuate. He helped one person, and her sister. And now, she’s the reason Ben’s able to save the Natanus. He saved Sid, so Vetra stayed with the Pathfinder’s team, and she was the only one that could consider the patchwork of the ark’s drive with how strained resources became.

He made the right choice. This time, he made the right choice. He couldn’t have known, and he still doesn’t know if the new primarch will help Shepard, but he knows that the Natanus would be lost if he did anything different.

“The ODSY Drive has been engaged. The Natanus will be able to launch in less than a minute.” SAM speaks through the Omnitrix.

“It should be in the air when that happens?” Ben checks.

“Indeed.” SAM confirms.

Ben taps the Omnitrix, giving the aliens it suggests a look. Lodestar, Diamondhead, Humongousaur, Waybig, Upgrade. Some of those are real options, but Ben has a better idea.

He locks in his selection, letting the core rise out of the device. Ben leans off the Natanus, letting himself fall forward from its massive arms. He slams down the core, and with a flash his body changes.

Skin to crust, muscle to mantle, and bone to core. He solidifies and expands into a creature of living earth. The Omnitrix asserts itself on his massive forehead, while his clothes morph to cover just his hips in the form of thin black shorts. His outer curst is a leveled terrain of limestone, glossy black, and baked red. His head merges with his upper chest, and his confident smile widens into an array of jagged teeth. Gravattack.

He could slow his descent, but he doesn’t. He slams into the ground with enough force for the quake to be felt by the entire ark. When he rises to his full height he looks out to the Reapers in the distance, narrowing his vivid green eyes.

He raises his hands and a deep, vibrant glow manifest around them. Almost like the glow of biotics, his hands gleam with a bluish purple aura. Pulsing, and resonant. It hums with the force of the universe, and the growl of the Reapers responds.

The two distant bodies wail and grind. They stumble, stutter, quake under the force Ben puts on them. The sheer gravitational mass he gives them is enough to bend their form. To cause them to warp and sink. Their firing cylinders emerge from the plates of their head and they try to fire, but Ben is smart enough to keep them turned away from him. They desperately fire off into he sky, massive beams sweeping across the sky in desperation.

They fall. They literally fall. They topple over, their legs unable to hold the weight of their bodies, and they sink into the moon. They crush the stone under them until they are embedded, trapped in hills they stood over a moment before.

It's almost too easy. He holds his hands forward and the world obeys. The reapers collapse with a gesture, and in barely a moment they’re no longer a factor. Ben doesn’t think he took them out for good, but he put enough force on them to keep them out of the fight for a while.

Ben grips himself with the same force and launches himself up into the sky. He drifts to a stop a short way above the ark, then reaches out to it.

“Hey, SAM. Tell the guys to get on the ark. And fast.” Ben says, almost groaning with the amount of effort he’s putting into his current task.

“Done.” SAM responds.

The entire vessel groans under the force he exerts. The weight isn’t the problem, as with Ben’s powers the vessel’s weight is irrelevant. Weight is an expression of mass in relation to gravity, and Gravattack has full control over the second variable. It’s the sheer size of it that’s the problem. He has to enforce his powers over the whole thing simultaneously just to avoid tearing it apart.

Then come the drones. The reaper air forces that start targeting him when they notice what he’s doing. He has to shift himself to lift the ark with one hand, while using the other hand to bat the drones out of the air. Applying gravitation force to them so rapidly that they fall out of the sky and shatter against the ground.

Despite the hinderance, the ark does rise. The Natanus lifts from the moon like it weighs slightly less than nothing. Drifting away from the complex as if repelled by the moon’s gravity instead of attracted by it. Ben winces and scowls, gritting his teeth with the exertion.

It’s like watching the corpse of a ship move again. An empty shell, compelled to fly by a force overruling. A power that should be impossible, but is none the less present. It rises slowly but consistently, gliding up into the open sky. Ben simply shatters anything that tries to shoot down the ark, assuring a safe journey.

Then it comes back online. The drive core is activated, and all at once the entire ark lights up. Every system is go, and the engines fire. It comes back to life. Every station awake and ready, every airlock is sealed before the atmosphere and pressure can be dragged out of the ship.

Within the ark Shepard grips the nearest thing bolted to the ship and taps the side of his helmet to get his comms active.

“Joker, dock with the ark, now.” He says.

“Holy shiiiit. Uh- I mean, yes sir, Commander.” Joker responds.

The Normandy, previously keeping its distance from the action, flies in to the scene. Despite the unconventional construction of the ark, the pilot is more than skilled enough to connect the ships. This ensures that when the Natanus accelerates they’ll travel with it.

Anything that tries to stand between the ark and its intended path is either dragged aside or crushed outright. Nothing stops the vessel from lifting off, gliding up into the sky. This is undeniably the easy part. When all Ben has to do is the impossible, that’s when everyone can relax. Ben travels with the ark, carrying it far enough out from Menae that it won’t get dragged back. He then flies in through one of the hangars, getting inside the ship just in time before it jumps to lightspeed.

Once they’re in FTL they have time. It’ll be hours before they reach the system’s relay, which is when the Normandy will depart. For the moment everyone is finally able to collect themselves.

With the drive online the ship has enough power for most of the systems to be functional again. The Natanus’s SAM is able to isolate or eject most of the remaining Reaper troops. The SAM is also able to connect the disconnected teams, and guide everyone toward the bridge or the hangars.

Shepard and Victus make their exit from the bridge, into a space dubbed the atrium. The primarch makes his preparations, sending his men ahead to board Normandy. Before he joins them he takes a moment to speak with Shepard.

“One thing. Commander, I appreciate your need for our fleets, but I can’t spare them. Not while my world is burning. But… if the pressure could be taken off Palaven…” Victus says.

“That’s a pretty tall order.” Shepard notes.

“We need the Krogan. I can’t see us winning this thing without them. Get them to help us, and then we can help you.”

“The krogan…”

“Looks like your summit just got a lot more interesting.” Garrus remarks.

Shepard thinks. In another moment Victus departs, and Shepard nods for James to accompany him back to the Normandy.

It’s jarring how clearly civilian the ship is now that it’s functional again. It’s spacious and decorative. Shepard and Garrus are out of place in the open room outside the bridge, where they both rest in wait for Ben.

It’s soon discovered that Macen and a number of other initiative personnel had time to get onboard the Ark before it took off. This news comes much to Avitus’s relief, and means that the two of them will be able to address any further struggles with the Turian ark when they get to the Nexus.

On this topic of which, it’s not that long before Alec reaches the front of the ark, intent on contacting the Nexus with Macen. He expresses his gratitude to Shepard on his way onto the bridge, but this is the point at which their goals deviate. Alec and Cora head onto the bridge, while Liam departs to get back to the Tempest. Vetra considers going with him, but instead decides to wait for Alec.

It’s a little awkward. While the pathfinders converse in the other room, Shepard, Garrus, and Vetra all stand there not talking to each other. Shepard and Garrus are standing by one another, but Vetra is across from them standing by a different wall. Shepard and Vetra have spoken, and don’t especially need to speak again, but it’s only so long before Garrus decides that he can’t deal with not acknowledging the other person in the room.

He leans off the wall by Shepard and makes his way across the floor. Vetra obviously notices his approach, giving him her attention by the time he comes to a stop.

“Hey.” He leads, very charismatic. “I saw you were with the, uh… human pathfinder’s team?” Garrus continues. He got through exactly one word with confidence.

“Yeah.” Vetra confirms, almost amused by his faltering introduction. “You work with Shepard?”

“You could say that. Garrus Vakarian.” He introduces himself.

“Vetra Nyx.”

“Nyx… Nyx. Where have I… Your mother wouldn’t happen to be-”

“An awful person? Yeah, she is.” Vetra cuts him off.

“Ah… heh. Well, glad that’s clear.”

“I’m a provisioner. I make sure the Initiative has what it needs. At least, I did before all this.”

“I’m sort of a…” Garrus lets out a breath that’s almost a chuckle when he considers what his job sounds like. “Reaper consultant, I guess. Helped Shepard take down Sovereign way back. Palaven called me in to lead a taskforce after the galaxy started taking Shepard seriously.”

“Hmm. Might have heard of you back then.” Vetra thinks.

“I wouldn’t be surprised. Failed C-Sec officer joined the first human Spectre to stop Saren and his army of geth. It was, eh… dramatic. We were all over the news channels until the Council started shutting down the ‘Reaper’ rumors.” Garrus recalls.

“And that turned out so well.”

Garrus chuckles at the comment. In part out of amusement with Vetra’s somewhat blunt manner of speech, and in part out of validation.

Before either of them decide on what to say next their attention is turned to the far end of the room, the side opposite the bridge, where a hatch opens. The form that strolls in is immediately recognizable. The young human that recently lifted all of them into the stars. Ben walks over, taking stock of everyone that is and isn’t present.

“Where’s Alec?” Ben wonders, slowing to a stop by the two turians.

“He’s on the bridge.” Vetra gestures with a nod. “Probably talking with Kesh right now.”

“And the primarch?”

“Alive.” Garrus assures him. “He just went to the Normandy. Shepard and I stayed to wait for you.”

“Thanks.”

“SAM gave me a look a the footage of you lifting the ark…” Vetra struggles to continue the though, failing to the find the words she wants to use to convey the sheer scope of what Ben accomplished.

“Yeah, you’re welcome for saving you and this whole ship.” Ben accepts the opportunity to boast. “But honestly? Probably looked cooler than it felt. For Gravattack it was kind of like dragging a car and smacking pigeons.” Ben immediately downplays the enormity of what he just did, getting another laugh from Garrus.

“You wouldn’t mind sending me a copy of that, would you?” Garrus asks Vetra. “I have a quarian friend that might get a kick out of it when I see her again.”

“Well-” Vetra has to stop herself from asking what it’s worth to him, instead she flicks up her omni-tool and quickly runs through the process of sending it over. “Anything for a friend of Ben’s.”

After a moment Garrus’s tool pings, letting him know he got it.

“Cool. Well, you know how to reach us. Tell the Ryders to send a message when you got to the Nexus, alright?” Ben requests.

Vetra nods, letting Ben walk off toward Shepard. He slows to a stop in front of the Commander, waiting for a moment as Shepard’s attention shifts to him.

“We do everything we need to?” Ben checks.

Shepard nods.

“What’s next?”

“The krogan have been invited to our summit. Palaven needs their reinforcements before they can promise us troops.” Shepard explains to him.

“You mean the same krogan that the turians and salarian sterilized?” Ben checks, rhetorically.

Shepard nods again.

“… It’s never simple, is it?”

“I’m about to give my report to Admiral Hackett, if you’d care to join me.” Shepard tells him.

“Yeah, I’m coming.” Ben says.

The commander heads back to the Normandy with Ben in tow, preparing to start the next leg of their mission.

Chapter Text

They barely make it onto the Normandy before the comms specialist reaches out, informing both of them that the asari councilor is waiting for them in the vid comm.

Shepard hardly gets the chance to explain their intentions with the krogan before the councilor baulks at the suggestion. She explains that Victus already contacted them, and she’s highly displeased with the idea.

“The asari have been down this road before, Commander Shepard.” She tells him.

“but Madame councilor, let me” Shepard tries to assure her.

“I tried to smooth things over with the Salarian dalatrass. To say she’s upset would be a monumental understatement.” The asari continues.

“She can get over it.” Ben cuts in. “I get that it doesn’t feel as long for you, but these ‘issues’ are hundreds of years old. You don’t have the time to hold onto them.”

“On that we agree, Tennyson. We cannot afford to waste time with the Reapers knocking at our door. It’s sad to say, but any effort to ally these disparate groups seems doomed to failure. This must be my final word. I’m sorry, but the asari will not be at your summit.” Tevos insists.

“Our alliance would be stronger with the krogan. You need them – we all do.” Shepard tries as best he can to get the councilor to reconsider, while also mediating Ben’s impatient rudeness.

“I wish you luck, Commander. Goodbye.” The asari already decided. The call ends before either of them can say more, the hologram fizzling out until the booth goes dark.

Ben can only let out a frustrated sigh. Once again, he’s not able to change their minds. Once again, despite the monumentality of what he accomplishes, he fails to change anything.

The Commander’s frustration lies adjacent to Ben’s. Not in his inability to do as much as he’d like, but in the stubbornness of the council. Even after all this time, and proving himself time and again, they still don’t listen to him. He understands that they’re doing the best they can. He understands why they make the choices they do, but that doesn't mean he thinks they’re right.

“Commander, Admiral Hackett is available on vid comm.” Traynor speaks over the intercom after a moment.

“Put him through.” Shepard orders.

In just a second the QEC humms to life again, and the form of Admiral Hackett is pulled together from sparse particles of light.

“Commander. Tennyson.” He acknowledges the two of them as soon as the line loads on his end. “Good to see you two together again. Have you retrieved the primarch for your summit?”

“Yes, sir. But the asari are staying on the sidelines.” Shepard informs him.

“They’ll regret that. The time for unity is now.”

“The salarians will be there, though.” Shepard mentions.

“You don’t sound very optimistic.” Hackett notes.

“We expect the krogan will be joining us, too.” Shepard explains.

“I see. Well, then you’ve got your hands full.” Hackett assesses. “Was there something else you needed to discuss?” He offers before he moves to end the call.

“A few things,” Shepard leads “Any updates on Cerberus?” He asks first.

“They’re still the wildcard here. Hitting the archives on Mars suggests they’re after the same thing we are. A way to defeat the Reapers.” Hackett reasons.

“The Illusive Man implied as much.” Shepard agrees.

“Okay, hang on, I don’t think I got that info. Cerberus did what?”

“They hit the Mars Archives. Killed most of the staff, and forced us to leave the rest behind when the Reapers got there. They tried to steal the data for the prothean device before we could get to it.” Shepard explains.

“Man… I guess we didn’t leave off on the best of terms, but I didn’t think TIM would be trying to work against us right now. I know I said I’d shut down his entire thing and put him in prison, but still.” Ben says.

“Cerberus has never played by the rules as we know them. I don’t know what their agenda is, but it has nothing to do with humanity’s best interests.” Hackett states.

“Guess so…” Ben accepts, thinking on the fact.

“The Illusive Man talked about controlling the Reapers. He seemed to think that’s how we win this.” Shepard mentions.

“He’s wrong. Dead Reapers are how we win this.” The admiral states without any doubt.

“Doesn’t mean he won’t try.”

“I saw your report on that Cerberus soldier you found on Mars. If the Illusive Man is good at one thing, it’s finding new ways to subvert science. It’s never worked for him before, and it won’t now.” Hackett assures him.

Shepard nods, then thinks for a moment to find a related topic he wants to ask about.

“Has your analysis of the Prothean device turned up anything?” Shepard thinks to ask.

“Liara appears to be right.  It’s a weapon of some sort. A big one. Beyond that, we really can’t say – other than it’s going to be a hell of a thing to try and build.” Hackett says.

Shepard only nods in response, accepting that sentiment easily enough. He thinks for a quick second before something else nags at him. Something slightly less formal than his previous questions, but something he needs to ask all the same.

“How do you see us winning this war, Admiral?”

“By making you the tip of the spear.” Hackett responds without a pause. It’s confident enough to grab Ben’s attention, tuning him into the conversation.

“I’m flattered, but the Normandy’s just one ship.” The commander responds.

“And a fast one. You can move quickly, hit a target, and leave before the enemy has time to react.”

“It’s an advantage, but can it win a war?” Shepard questions.

“It’s the larger principle that matters. We’ll never defeat the Reapers in a full frontal assault, Shepard. So I’ll find their soft spots, avoid them where they’re strong, and hit them when they’re not. And when I find gaps in the armor, I’ll hammer them with every soldier, ship, and bullet we’ve got.” Hackett clarifies.

“And how long can you keep that up?” Ben wonders, almost critical of the strategy, despite his lack of a better one.

“As long as it takes. The reality is, everything I’m doing is a delaying action for you. I’m buying us time, keeping us in the game while you gather what we need for this Prothean device. So keep at it.” Hackett explains.

“No pressure, right?” Ben says sarcastically. It doesn’t merit a response, only a passing glance from the admiral.

“Nothing more, sir.” Shepard says after a moment.

“Keep me posted. Hackett out.” He nods, turning to step away from the call as the line fizzles and disconnects.

Walking out of the QEC, Ben doesn’t stop to linger in the war room. He continues around towards the path to the rest of the ship, while Shepard instead approaches the recently acquired primarch. The turian stands beside the war table peering at the fine holographic lines of the interface. His attention is only stolen from the projected screen when he hears Shepard approach, turning to face the Commander.

“Commander, thank you for allowing me the use of your ship – and for going along with this plan. Garrus said he had to attend to the Normandy’s weapons systems. Something about calibrations.” Victus leads the conversation, jumping on the opportunity to speak with him.

“Sounds like Garrus.” Shepard remarks. “I’m sorry to say the asari councilor won’t be joining us. She thinks there’s too much bad blood with the krogan.”

“She may be right, but there’ll be a lot more blood – real blood – if we don’t try.” Victus reasons.

“When you put it that way…”

“The sooner we have this summit, the sooner we’ll know.” Victus states.

“We’re on our way to the relay now. As soon as we’re in proximity, we’ll be departing from the ark, and jumping straight to the Salarian home system.” Shepard tells him.

Victus nods, seemingly content with this news. “Well, is there something else I can help you with?”

“Nothing else. Thank you, Primarch. My thoughts are with Palaven.” Shepard pulls himself out of the conversation, turning away from the primarch slightly in preparation to leave.

“And mine with Earth.” Victus returns, letting the Commander depart to deal with other matters.

Ben’s made his way down most of the level at this point, making his way through the new bulkhead seal separating the bridge from the rest of the Normandy. He’s ready to make his way straight to his usual seat, but as soon as he steps into the space his attention is grabbed by something else.

Rook leans over the Normandy’s forward console, just beside Joker’s chair. They’re midway through a conversation about the exact controls for the Normandy. Joker explaining as well as he can for someone that’s very accustomed to using them, while Rook makes studious mental notes. Ben doesn’t bother tuning in until their dialogue pauses, and they both turn to acknowledge him.

“Hey kid.” Joker acknowledges him, like he usually does when they don’t need to talk.

“Ben. Did you need Mr. Moreau for something?” Rook checks, guessing the reason for his presence.

Ben drops himself into the seat he usually takes, settling into the leather.

“Nah. Just like watching the stars drift by.” Ben explains.

It’s unfortunate for him that at this moment there aren’t any stars visible outside the Normandy. Instead, it’s only the docking bay of the Natanus, projecting a harsh artificial sunlight into the bridge. The chair is still comfortable.

“He’s always up here.” Joker adds, turning his attention back to the Normandy’s controls.

“What? You mean you don’t like my company? Come on, man. I thought we were bonding.” Ben sarcastically teases him.

Joker shakes his head, breathing a shallow sigh.

“See, it’s moments like these that I feel bad for my flight instructors.” Joker mutters to himself.

“Anyways. What’s the deal with EDI? You said the Normandy was bugging out earlier, right?” Ben remembers to ask.

“We were talking about that before you arrived, actually.” Rook informs him.

“There is nothing to be concerned about.” EDI interjects, causing both Ben and Rook to look away from each other and up towards the speakers in the space.

It’s only a second before Ben’s eyes dart over to the space to the left of Joker where EDI usually projects a hologram to represent herself. Rook has time to notice Ben’s focus and look there himself before the hologram actually appears. Even when it does, it’s strange. It plays the animation of appearing several times in quick succession, with uneven intervals between them. Once the final shape has finally loaded it seems to glitch once before stabilizing, drifting out of place for just a moment before snapping back into the proper position.

“Uhh…” Ben chuckles. “Did anyone else see that?” Ben asks.

Joker, who hadn’t even looked away from the array of monitors and controls at his station, waves his arm dismissively at the question.

“She’s been doing that.” He says simply. “But anytime I ask about it, she gets all dodgy and tries to pretend like it’s not happening.”

“There is no reason for concern, Jeff.” EDI assures him.

“She also locked down the Ai core.” He adds. “None of us can get in there.”

“It is a standard security precau-” Before she can finish the sentence the world dissolves into a garble of tones. Her hologram undergoes a similar process, scattering apart in a way that seems uncontrolled and uncertain before the particles of light eventually fade out altogether.

“Aaand there she goes again.” Joker groans.

“What just happened?” Ben asks, instantly turning to the other two.

“We do not know.” Rook informs him, turning away to step back over to the side of Joker’s seat.

“I swear, one more freak out and I’m calling Shepard to go to the Ai Core himself.” Joker grumbles.

Rook leans forward, grabbing one of the holographic panels to Help Joker while he manages several others. In a second the lights in the room flicker, and with a dull hum everything seems to normalize.

“uhh… EDI?” Ben asks cautiously.

It takes a second, but her hologram does eventually appear in its usual place.

“Yes, Ben?” She responds.

“What was that?” Ben asks.

“A power fluctuation.” EDI states simply, her tone flat and even.

“We tried that. She’s acting like nothing’s wrong.” Joker informs him. “Rook’s been helping me diagnose.”

“What, you think EDI’s gone rogue?”

“It seems unlikely, but we have had trouble finding the problem without her help. We’ve been addressing the possibility of a digital virus, but have yet to find any evidence.” Rook says.

Ben’s face scrunches up as he thinks on that for a moment, letting his eyes wander as he does. He’s silent for long enough that Rook and Joker both focus on the Normandy’s console again. They seem somewhat surprised when Ben eventually speaks again.

“EDI.” Ben repeats.

The hologram flickers, playing the animation for appearing again. As if EDI just tuned back in to pay attention to Ben.

“What’s going on? Ben asks again.

“There is no reason for concern. All essential systems are running as expected.” EDI dodges the question.

“Why’d you lock the crew out of the Ai core?” He asks.

“It is a standard security precaution.” She repeats, able to finish the line this time.

“See? She’s just giving us the answering machine.” Joker says.

“Should I phase into the ai core and have a look at what’s going on?” Ben asks. It almost seems like an offer, but somehow the statement balances between being concerned and a very clear ultimatum.

There’s only a beat of silence before EDI responds “No. That is not necessary.” The words have more intonation than her prior statements did, more clearly expressing her emotion. “The crew is in no danger, but my attention is demanded by other processes at the moment.” She explains, still with that more clear expression.

Joker and Rook have fully tuned into the dialogue at this point, with Ben having gotten far more out of her than either of them could. Ben’s silent for a moment, staring across at EDI’s display.

“Okay.” He seems to accept, completely closing his eyes as he leans back in his seat. He raises his arms to rest his hands behind his head, settling himself as comfortably as he can. “You had a chance to talk with SAM yet?”

Rook and Joker are immediately taken aback by the sharp change of topic.

“I have not. My processes are occupied. I doubt I will have the chance before we depart from the Natanus.” EDI answers him.

“Alright, hang on, hold on. What? What just happened?” Joker cuts in, exasperated.

“Hm?” Ben acts oblivious.

“Ben.” Rook says simply.

“I trust EDI. She’ll tell us what’s going on when we need to know.” Ben answers the question.

“Thank you, Ben.” EDI speaks, before letting her hologram shut off.

“Are you sure ‘doing nothing’ is the wise decision here?” Rook questions.

“I’m not doing nothing; I’m waiting for a problem I can solve. Totally different.” Ben’s eyes finally open again as he looks down to the controls for the chair he’s in, commanding it to turn sideways to better look up at the view through the overhead viewscreens. At the ceiling of the docking bay the Normandy is currently within. He doesn’t mind, just closing his eyes again.

Rook just stares at him for a second, trying to decide between letting the issue go or convincing Ben to deal with it now, before turning back to Joker.

Joker gives Rook an odd look as he leans down beside the pilot again, which Rook returns with a shrug.

Despite EDI’s irregular behavior, the functions of the Normandy continue as expected throughout the day cycle. It’s only so many hours before the ark reaches the system’s relay, and the Normandy departs to head its own way.

Its once Shepard has finally had time to get through more formal conversations with Victus’s men, and address his official duties, that he makes his way down to the third deck of the Normandy. He gives his standard, friendly acknowledgements to the crew on his way through. It doesn’t take more than a moment to reach the back, where the main gun is located.

The door opens automatically at his approach, and closes again once he’s within.

As he expected, he discovers one of his crew within. Garrus, specifically. Even if Shepard hadn’t checked on his location with the Normandy, this would be a fair location to assume.

When he enters Garrus is around the side of the gun’s battery, currently speaking to someone else. Victus, Shepard discovers soon enough, about the situation on Palaven. How dire it is, how desperately they need the Krogan, and how much trust Garrus has in Shepard’s abilities.

The commander waits for a moment, until the call ends, to step around and down into the thin walkway along the machine’s side. Garrus gives him a glance when he notices, but otherwise stays focused on the panel he has open. His omni-tool is manifested around his hand, sizzling like a welder below his palm.

“Garrus. Didn’t waste any time getting to work, I see.” Shepard starts.

Garrus shifts his fingers and his omni-tool fades as he steps back, letting him turn to Shepard again.

“After what I’ve been through lately, calibrating a giant gun is a vacation. Gives me something to focus on.” Garrus assures him.

“We’re going to need you for more than your aim.” Shepard says, in his usual way of keeping People focused without saying much of anything.

“Oh, I’m ready for it, but I’m pretty sure we’ll still need giant guns – and lots of them.” The turian’s humor is thin. He barely manages to imitate the shallowest chuckle before it dissolves into a sigh with the shaking of his head. “What you saw back on Palaven is proof of that. Still feels wrong to leave it behind.”

The commander considers another platitude. Another statement that keeps them talking without necessitating that Shepard really acknowledges what Garrus means. That’s not right, though. Not with Garrus. His defense is thinnest with his friends, and he takes the opportunity to say something he needs to.

“There was a boy back on Earth. Couldn’t have been more than ten.” He mentions, like it’s just another thing. “I watched him die as the Normandy escaped the attack. Somehow I’m still alive… and he’s not.”

“Being right about the Reapers has never felt much like a victory, has it?” Garrus asks, far too desensitized to it all for his own liking.

“We both knew this fight would be tough. Damned if the Reapers haven’t delivered.” Shepard restores his stoic front again, just a little.

“At least we finally got people to start listening to us when Ben showed up.” Garrus offers, like it’s any consolation.

A slight motion from Garrus gives Shepard the sense that he intends to walk back up into the main area of the battery, so he turns and makes his way back along the path ahead of him.

“Not like the old days, is it? Rogue Spectre and C-Sec agents running and gunning outside the lines, making it up as we went along.”

Shepard takes a position by the side of the room, while Garrus steps around to the station directly in from of the door.

“We’re actually respectable now.” Garrus finishes the thought.

“Yeah, I have a feeling that respect comes with a lot of sleepless nights. I can’t even count how many lives are depending on us, Garrus.”

“Well, when things are looking grim – and I’m pretty sure they will – just remember… A certain turian friend of yours isn’t sleeping any better – and he’d be more than happy to meet you at the bar and drink you under the table.” Garrus offers as much real consolation as he can, and Shepard accepts it.

“It’s damned good to have you back.” Shepard tells him.

“Wouldn’t miss this fight for anything.” Garrus assures, glancing back to Shepard over his shoulder one more time before focusing on his work station. “Now, I’m sure somebody screwed up something down here. I want to get the old girl back in fighting shape.”

“I’ll leave you to it.” Shepard accepts, turning to head through the door back towards the food court.

The shifts change out, and when the Normandy’s lights dim most of the crew decompress from the last mission and get some sleep.

It’s early into the next day cycle that Ben’s wandering the ship again. Not quite restless, but certainly antsy. Struggling with all the waiting that comes between missions.

He doesn’t even have the usual assortment of crew to bother. No Gardener to annoy with impossible earth food requests. No Daniels or Donnelly to confuse with suggestions for drive upgrades. No Jacob to baffle with the bits of technology his more intelligent transformations could synthesize in the armory. That whole part of the ship doesn’t even exist anymore. There’s no longer an armory on that deck of the ship.

Instead, the armory is on deck 5, the cargo bay. Where the smaller vehicles and the myriad of storage crates are stored. Ben steps out of the elevator into this space and quickly scans his focus over the usual assortment of crew and items. He makes an effort to stay out of their way as he heads across to the Omni-TRUK.

Better than any of the extras, Ben has his actual friends to busy himself with. He expects to find Rook within the TRUK doing something predictably boring. Instead – upon turning the corner to look inside the cabin – he finds not only Rook, but also engineer Adams and Steve Cortez sitting across from the Revonnahgander.

“blah blah blah repairs, blah blah warp field generator, blah blah replacement parts.” That’s all Ben hears as he wanders in and drops himself into the seat beside Rook.

“Ben. I am glad you are here.” Rook acknowledges him as he lands.

“What’s going on?” Ben wonders.

“Adams and Cortez have been assisting me with repairs.”

“We’ve just about completed the repairs to your shuttle’s FTL drive.” Adams tells him.

“It might even be able to fly now, but I wouldn’t risk it until we have time to do some tests. Next to the Normandy this thing is so elegant that it kinda scares me to think about something going wrong in there.” Steve addends to that information.

“And what about the dimension engine?” Ben wonders.

“Still broken. For now, we do not have the resources to repair it.” Rook says.

“Aw, come on man. You start with the bad news, everyone knows that.” Ben exaggerates his complains, leaning back in his seat to seem less engaged with the conversation. Or maybe just to get more comfortable. “But that means we’ll be able to travel from system to system without the Normandy soon, right?”

“Correct.” Rook confirms.

“Hell, you’ll probably beat us anywhere we need to go. Even without a mass effect core, this thing can reach well over double what any Alliance ship can.” Steve says, more taking the opportunity to express his awe with the TRUK than to tell Ben anything he doesn’t know.

“Oh, that reminds me.” Ben figuratively wakes up, leaning forward with renewed vigor. “What exactly happened to all those retrofits Tali and I made to the drive core? Did you guys just throw those out after the Alliance got their hands on this ship?”

James chuckles at the way he phrased it, while Rook seems almost doubtful of Ben’s insistence that he helped make sweeping changes to the most sensitive part of the warship they currently sit within. Adams only sighs, thinking for a moment before answering.

“No, they’re still around.” He eventually decides to start with. “Honestly, I don’t think we could have gotten rid of them if we wanted to. Not with the time we had before the Reapers got here. If we tried, the Normandy would still be sitting on earth in whatever’s left of its dock.”

“Ben truly modified the Normandy’s drive core?” Rook checks one final time, still just a little doubtful of the claim. Ben doesn’t bother contesting his doubt at this point.

“Are you kidding? It took my team months to reverse engineer what he and the quarian did up there. It’s decades ahead of anything we have.” Adams confirms.

Rook’s not especially shocked at this point. Ben’s reaffirmed that he really did make changes to the Normandy enough times for Rook to believe him, but it’s still a little hard to believe that Ben of all people took the initiative to design mechanical improvements to a spaceship. He must have been bored out of his mind.

“I’m pretty sure we were almost ready to start running the drive without any Eezo.” Ben mentions, like that’s not an insane thing to say. “We were only waiting to get you or Kev to have a look at what we did. Y’know, to make sure it wouldn’t blow up or anything.” He continues, gesturing to Rook.

That’s another leap entirely. Rook really has to take a moment to process that claim, and then look to Adams for any confirmation he can give. The engineer only shrugs.

“You could tell me that drive circuit is designed to make hot chocolate and wool sweaters, and I think I’d have to believe you. I’m keeping up with maintenance, but I’m honestly still trying to wrap my head around how it’s working.” Adams confirms.

“You know, when they first assigned me to the Normandy, the Kodiak they had me working on was retrofitted with an FTL drive?” Steve mentions, like it’s been something he’s been meaning to get off his chest. “I had to send that thing off to Alliance R&D when I realized.”

“… Oh yeah.” Ben remembers, vaguely. “We threw that together when Shepard went missing. Didn’t seem that important at the time.”

Adams shakes his head with a dry chuckle.

“You guys are gonna lose it when you find out about the galvan teleporters.” Ben mentions another astonishing feat of his universe.

He doesn’t get to enjoy their shock and awe before their attention is abruptly redirected to something far more pressing. The sound of the Normandy droning a low hum as the lights outside the TRUK dim.

Ben’s tossed himself to his feet and is outside the TRUK about as fast as Rook, both of them looking up at the ship’s flickering lights as the craft moans.

“EDI, what’s going on?” Ben asks, tapping the face of the Omnitrix to open a line.

Silence.

“EDI?” Ben repeats, again without a response.

He catches the look Rook gives him.

“Yeah, I know.” Ben grumbles, opening the Omnitrix to let it register a form for him.

His body morphs with a flash. His skin turns grey and thin, binding to his muscles. His clothes vanish, replaced by chains and cuffs that lock around his arms and tail. His face sinks into a skull, quickly covered by the wraps of flesh that twist to envelop the rest of him. His single green eye rests in one of the seems along his body, snapping open roughly where it should be on his face. Ghostfreak.

He doesn’t need to wait for Rook, instead drifting up toward the ceiling of the hangar while he taps the Omnitrix again and twists its dial to open a different line.

“Joker? What’s going on?” Ben asks in raspy words.

“EDI just went offline.” He states frantically. “I just told Shepard, he’s on his way to the AI core.”

“She’s been going offline all day, what changed?” Ben asks.

Upon reaching the roof of the bay his body changes texture. From thin flesh he instead becomes almost like mist. Translucent and shadowed, letting him sink directly through the metal of the Normandy to travel higher.

“I don’t know! She’s not responding at all, and I can’t access the diagnostics. The whole ship’s getting hit with waves of blackouts.”

“Alright, calm down.” Ben hisses, emerging from the floor on deck 3 before he corporealizes. “I’m on my way now. I’ll meet Shepard there.”

“Hurry maybe?” Joker offers just before the call ends.

“Is everything okay?” Doctor Chakwas wearily questions as Shepard paces past her.

“That’s what I’m going to find out.” He responds, only slowing as he approaches the back of medical.

“Automated systems have the fire contained. It should be safe to enter. We’ll follow your lead.” One of the men on duty tells Shepard, stationed beside the door to the ai core. He and another man stand either side of it, both wearing thin respirators and holding fire extinguishers.

Shepard steps between the two men and reaches out to the door, causing the locked hologram in front of it to think for a moment before accepting his authority and unlocking. It slides open with a hiss, only to reveal a curtain of mist beyond. The commander recognizes the smell of fire suppressant and shallows his breathing when the mist spills out into medical. In barely a moment later a heavy metal clang resounds from within the room ahead, though the source is obscured to him.

“Joker, what’s that sound?” Shepard asks.

“Fire extinguishers, Commander. Could be an electrical fire… or something.” Joker gives it his best guess, really having no idea.

The second man leans in ahead of Shepard, using his omni-tool to scan over the space before giving Shepard the go-ahead.

The commander only hesitates to press forward when he hears the distinct sound of the Omnitrix triggering behind him. A glance back reveals Ben now standing within the room in his human form, cautiously marching up to Shepard’s side.

“What took you?” Shepard wonders.

“Nobody told me what was up. I found out when Cargo lost power. Used Ghostfreak to come straight here.” Ben explains. He understands that Shepard was probably commenting on how fast he got here, not how long it took, but he felt like explaining anyway.

Shepard only nods before turning his focus back to the ai core, still veiled in mist.

“I’m going in.” Shepard announces.

Both of the crew men step in ahead of Shepard, focusing on scanning the room for any sources of flame while the commander heads forward down the central path. Ben wanders along behind him, scanning his focus through the mist at the distinctly quiet processing towers that rest along the walls.

“EDI? Talk to me.” Shepard queries, flicking his attention up to the ceiling in preparation for her response.

Now, the XTX processors switch back on with a heavy click. A humm resounds as the indicator lights in each rack come back on in sequence.

The mist makes it hard to breathe. Ben tries to stifle a cough as he waits for more information to reveal itself. He doesn’t even notice that he moves his hand for the Omnitrix, resting two fingers on its face just in case. His focus only shifts again when the sound of tapping echoes through the space from the back wall.

“Is there a particular topic you wish to discuss, Shepard?” EDI responds, with her full range of expression. Not from the speakers in the room, but from ahead of them both. From a single point of origin, as if she was within the room.

It takes another moment for the fog to settle, helped when one of the men engages a control panel and turns on the fans within the room. It’s a few seconds of tense waiting before their visibility is enough to recognize what EDI speaks through.

The mech they recovered back on Mars. Oddly human and distinctly feminine in shape, composed of rigid metal and flexible plastic plates. Its human enough to feel almost perverse, shaped to emulate curves and details that are entirely unnecessary. A dip at the hips, a thinning at the waist, and a volume at the chest.

Even so, there is no way to mistake it for a human without skin. Cables and pistons push and pull below the sections of clear plastic, emulating muscles. The whole frame hums and pulses with an artifically organic motion while it balances itself. It is no less damaged than the last time they saw it. Its left half is warped and crushed from when James crashed a Kodiak onto it. Every part of it is charred or blackened with soot and smoke. The face is perhaps the least degraded part of it, and even that occasionally twitches as it readjusts to functioning.

Ben almost doesn’t notice the sound of the crew’s guns decompressing, being trained on the mech ahead of them. Neither he nor Shepard acknowledge them. The commander’s focus never leaves the mech, cautiously eyeing it up and down.

“EDI?” Shepard checks.

“Yes.” EDI answers him, looking down at the mech’s intact right arm with its own eyes.

“You’re in Dr. Eva’s body.” Shepard notes.

“Not all of me,” She corrects him. She leans the mech back, trying to stretch out its torso and settle the components of the shoulders. She then attempts to cross the arms, only to be met with the issue of the left arm’s damage, and instead rest its right arm on its hip. “but I have control of it. It was not a seamless transition.”

“Wait, that’s what you were doing?” Ben questions, stepping around Shepard to be at his side.

“You knew about this?” Shepard questions, trying not to sound too authoritative when he does.

“Well I didn’t know she was doing… that.” Ben gestures at the mech, letting go of the Omnitrix to do so. “I didn’t even know that thing was on board. I just knew she was bugging out, but I figured she’d tell us if it was serious.”

Shepard lingers on that for a moment. The idea that something was wrong with the Normandy, and Ben made the executive decision to just not tell him. It doesn’t quite sit right with him, but he decides not to push it. He just turns back to the mech.

“You mentioned a transition? You blacked out on us for a while there.” Shepard inquires.

“Correct. When we brought this unit on board, I began a background process to search for its information on the Prothean device. This eventually triggered a trap – a backup power source and CPU activated, and the unit attempted physical confrontation. Fortunately, I was able to gain root access and repurpose as I saw fit. During this process, it… struggled. Thus, the fire.” EDI explains.

“We brought that thing on board days ago.” Shepard points out. “Why didn’t it trigger while we were at the Citadel, or on our way to Palaven?”

“I was being careful.” EDI states simply, like the answer should have been obvious. “The trap only triggered while in orbit of Menae. Given the sensitivity of our mission at the time, and the vulnerability of the Natanus, I attempted to stall the mech’s reactivation while maintaining function.”

“EDI, you need to alert us about incidents like this. You shouldn’t have done this alone.” Shepard insists.

“Bringing the crew up to speed would have been counterproductive. All attempts to help would have been limited by reaction time.” EDI explains her reasoning.

“I feel like I could have helped.” Ben mentions.

“…True.” EDI hesitantly accepts.

With the situation evidently under control, both of the crew that have been cautiously hanging around so far decide to exit the space, holstering their guns as they do. Ben notes their exit, but Shepard doesn’t seem at all concerned with it. He barely glances back at the sound of the ai core doors closing.

“So if you’re in there, are you still in the ship?” Shepard wonders, trying to be more accepting of the situation.

“I exist primarily within the ship. For optimal control, this unit should remain within Normandy’s broadcast or tightbeam range.” EDI answers him.

“Are you planning to take that body somewhere?” He raises an eyebrow.

“Normandy’s weaponry is not suited for every combat situation. This platform could provide limited-fire ground support.” The intelligence explains.

“You mean you could come with us?”

“Correct. This body could accompany you to areas the Normandy cannot reach.” She rephrases for clarity.

Ben can’t help but smile at the idea. Not out of amusement exactly, but more so excitement.

“Before we do that, I need you to guarantee this mech doesn’t have any more surprises in it. Run whatever tests you can, then we can talk about using it in combat situations.” Shepard tries to get a handle on the situation before it escapes him.

“One moment – I am running trials. …Complete. I can send you a full report if you wish. However, my first step should be restoring functionality to the Normandy to reassure crew that all is normal.” EDI decides.

“Sure… don’t be surprised if the crew is a little weary of your new body. It was shooting at them a little while ago.” Shepard advises.

“An excellent point.” She acknowledges.

“Yeah, and maybe…” Ben starts before EDI can continue, but stops himself as he tries to decide on the right words. EDI has time to shift her focus to him before he speaks again. “You want me to help you fix…” He gestures at the abundant damage across the mech. Across her. “That?”

“Yes, that would be ideal.” EDI readily accepts. Her gaze quickly shifts back to Shepard a second later. “Once repaired, I will take it to the bridge. Joker will also want to see it.”

“On that, we can agree.” Shepard dryly chuckles, turning to head out of the room as Ben starts scrolling through the Omnitrix.

Just outside both the ai core and medical, Liara and Ester sit at one of the tables in the mess hall. They try to continue their conversation, but neither of them can resist occasionally looking over to the window to medical with reserved worry. Ester has an easier time that Liara, only needing to glance past the asari from time to time, while Liara has to turn and look over her shoulder.

“… They’d say if they needed us.” Ester tries to convince herself.

“Probably.” Liara expresses her uncertainty.

“Like, if there’s a fire in there, they wouldn’t… not ask me to help, right?” Ester wonders.

Liara doesn’t quite have an answer for that. Neither of them do. In a moment all they can do is hope that’s the case, and turn back to focus on each other.

“Uhm. So, anyways, that’s how I wound up on the Normandy.” Liara explains, trying to return to their prior conversation.

“And they just… didn’t drop you off? One day you’re on a dig site, and the next you’re living on a spaceship?” Ester questions.

“They offered to, of course. But the knowledge from the beacon offered me answers about my research I had only dreamed of finding in my lifetime. That, and the threat posed by the Reapers was too great to ignore. They needed my help to find Saren, and… Benezia. My mother.”

“Still just… feels weird to me.” Ester thinks about it with a sigh. “No offense. I’m just not sure I could ditch everything to go live on a spaceship. Even if the galaxy was at stake… of course, saying that, I realize that’s sort of exactly what I did. But that was different.”

“How so?”

“Well I already knew Ben and Rook. It’s not like I was going with strangers.” Ester rationalizes it.

“… I do know what you mean.” Liara admits. “I couldn’t join Shepard after he returned. As much as I wanted to, I had too much depending on me. On Illium, and then… after.” There’s a pause as she thinks about it. Her lips purse into almost a scowl, considering that period. “I wondered for a long time if it would have been better if I’d joined the Normandy then.”

“What changed…” Ester’s question is halted by both of them tuning into the sound of the medical door opening.

They both turn to look back around. It’s easy to spot Shepard through the glass speaking with Chakwas. It’s even easier to spot the metal body of EDI walking around toward the elevator, earning a fair number of stares from the crew. Liara and Ester included.

Ben steps out behind her just a moment later, currently adorning the liquid metal form he calls Upgrade. The Omnitrix node over his eye looks back and forth across the room for a second before spotting the two of them, at which point he begins walking over. He almost reaches them before tapping the Omnitrix and morphing back into himself with a flash.

“Was that…?” Liara wonders.

“EDI.” Ben answers her, pulling out the seat to her left to sit down.

“Goddess…” Liara thinks.

“As in, the AI controlling the ship? That EDI?” Ester checks.

“Yeah.” Ben confirms.

“She’s had a body this whole time?” Ester infers.

“No, that was…” Liara interjects, still profoundly baffled by what she just saw. “On Mars, there was a Cerberus mech we had to stop. Dr. Eva Core. That was its body. In… much better condition than it was when we brought in on-board.” She explains.

“So that’s new?” Ester realizes.

“Yeah.” Ben confirms. “The fire in the ai core? That was EDI taking control of it.”

“… okay.” Ester accepts, not really having any objections to that. It’s surprising, but she isn’t really concerned with the ai getting a body. If anything, it’s a lot less concerning than having the ai exclusively inhabit the ship. “Is she… gonna find some clothes, or…?” She wonders after a moment.

“Yeah, uh… She didn’t seem that worried about it.” Ben awkwardly chuckles. Not really amused, but more so trying to diffuse the awkward nature of that statement.

“I’m just worried that some of the crew might get distracted.” Ester continues, trying to frame her worry as practical in nature. Rather than being founded purely on the fact that she’s a bit weirded out by EDI walking around naked.

Smooth, it should be noted. Like a mannequin, there are no explicit features built into the mech, but that doesn’t remove from how completely it is otherwise shaped to resemble a naked woman.

“She’s heading up to the bridge right now.” Ben mentions, trying not to be immature.

“Oh no.” Liara realizes with a sigh, leaning forward to rest her elbow on the table, and her head in her hand. “Joker is never going to let us hear the end of this.”

It’s not too many more hours until they reach the diplomat’s ships. Within the Pranas system, but a fair distance out from Sur’Kesh itself. The Normandy is brought into position, and not too long after both the salarian dalatrass and krogan clan chief indicate they’re ready to board.

Even with sufficient heads up, Shepard doesn’t manage to change into formal attire until after both groups have boarded. They meet in the conference room, on the route between the War Room and the CIC. The space the tech lab used to occupy before the retrofits. It’s hardly more than a set of class walls around a conference table, but it’s sufficient for the small company present.

By the time the commander arrives, he finds them to have already begun discussions. He also finds, worryingly, both Ben and Rook to be present. Seemingly just observing for the time being, but none the less present.

“The krogan is in no position to make demands!” the salarian dalatrass’ announcement is the first thing Shepard manages to hear as he arrives.

Looking in from the entrance, Wrex is leaned on the table just inside the room. The dalatrass is across the table, and Victus is on the left. Both Ben and Rook are stationed at the wall beyond the right end of the table. His entrance barely garners an acknowledgement from each of the relevant parties, far more occupied with the matters at hand.

“The ‘krogan’ has a name: Urdnot Wrex. And I’m not just some junkyard varren you unleash whenever you’re in trouble.” Wrex rebuffs the salarian, earning a hushed snicker from Ben.

Shepard moves past the krogan, making his way down the table to the right end. Adjacent to Ben and Rook, and across from Victus. Wrex nods to him when the commander enters his field of view, but focuses on the dalatrass again soon after.

“I’ve got my own problems. Reaper scouts have arrived on Tuchanka. So why should I care if a few turians go extinct?” Wrex goads them.

“Trying to draw out negotiations will get you nowhere, Wrex. I have no time for it. Just tell us what you want.” Victus requests, not nearly entrenched in politics enough to care about subtlety. It almost makes Wrex like him. Almost.

“I’ll tell you what I need… A cure for the genophage.” Wrex reveals with a growl. He can’t help but grin as the dalatrass responds with a grimace.

“Absolutely not! The genophage is nonnegotiable!” The dalatrass objects.

Rook spares a look to Ben, raising an eyebrow. Ben just shakes his head, nodding to Shepard. Shepard doesn’t see this, of course, as the two of them are behind him.

“Why are you so opposed to the idea, Dalatrass?” Shepard asks anyways, exactly as Ben expected.

“Because my people uplifted the krogan. We know them best.” The dalatrass announces, like it should be a self-evident truth.

“You mean you used us!” Wrex slams a hand on the table. Forceful enough to be loud, to get everyone else’s attention on him, but otherwise gently for a krogan. “To fight a war you couldn’t win! It wasn’t the salarians or the asari or even the turians that stopped the rachni! It was krogan blood that turned the tide!”

“And after that you ceased to be useful! The genophage was the only way to keep your… ‘urges’ in check.” The dalatrass argues.

Wrex doesn’t humor that comment with anything more than a sneer, staying quiet.

Rook’s eyebrows raise as he catches up with the piece of information he didn’t quite understand. Ben doesn’t take as much pleasure as he usually would from the conversation playing out the way he expected. He has to resist the urge to cut in on Wrex’s behalf when the salarian starts making an ass of herself.

“Dalatrass, you may not like him, but Wrex is right. Insulting him won’t change that.” Victus tries to be a voice of reasons.

“I won’t apologize for speaking the truth!” She staunchly and stubbornly holds her position. “We uplifted the krogan to do one thing: wage war. It’s all they know because it’s all we wanted them to know.”

Shepard takes a breath to speak, but Ben’s patience wears thin enough to snap before he has the chance.

“And what, your people were surprised when they revolted?” Ben shouts at her, stepping forward to the table on Shepard’s right.

She doesn’t respond immediately. She doesn’t humor the interruption with a response until she figures out who he is. Until she’s taken a moment to narrow her eyes and look him up and down, taking issue with every little thing she finds out of place. His informal clothing, his messy hair, and the annoyingly self-confident expression worn across his face. Recognizable even to her. It’s only once she realizes who he is that she thinks to give him a response.

“That’s precisely my point, Ben Tennyson. We made a rash decision. We turned to the krogan in desperation. It’s the same mistake your people are about to make today. No good can come from curing the genophage.” The dalatrass eventually says.

“The krogan have paid for their mistakes. The genophage has gone on long enough.” Shepard reenters the conversation, trying to be more tactful than Ben.

“One thousand, four hundred, and seventy-six years, if you’re keeping track.” Wrex thinks it important to clarify.

“It was a thousand years of peace, free from these… brutes!” The dalatrass doesn’t have the sense to so much as change her choice of words in a room full of people that openly disagree with her.

“Enough!” Victus finally cuts in, exhausted by the back and forth of the argument. “Whether or not they deserve a cure is academic. It would take years to formulate one.”

Ben’s eyes shift to the Omnitrix. So do Shepard’s.

Wrex is about to speak again when he takes notice of them both and stops himself. He waits for a moment for them to say it first. For them to say what they’re both thinking. He waits long enough for the others in the room to notice what he did and turn to Ben as well. It’s only when Ben notices the distinct silence that he looks up again, focusing on Wrex.

“… Something you want to say, kid?” Wrex offers.

“I’m just thinking about it. The Omnitrix has repaired genetic damage in the past. I was able to turn the Collectors into the Posttheans. Depending on how the Salarians did it, it might be able to fix you too.” Ben explains.

The clear honesty is enough to take Wrex back a little, having expected more of an argument on the matter.

“You wouldn’t dare.” The dalatrass seems to threaten him. The look Ben gives her is response enough. For the first time this meeting she decides to shut her mouth and just wait for a moment.

“Then why not do it already?” Wrex wonders.

“Yeah, I… thought about it back when Shepard and I were stopping the Collectors. When we were on Tuchanka the first time. It… The Omnitrix doesn’t do miracles, it’s a genetic matrix. It can’t reverse the genophage without an unaffected krogan, or without… changing what it means to be krogan.” Ben tries to explain.

Wrex’s eyes only narrow. Not with spite, but with caution. “What does that mean?” He asks carefully, almost growling. Ben knows enough to not take it as a sign of aggression.

“It means that if I ‘fixed’ your people now, the Omnitrix would have to hybridize your species with its catalogue. The same thing I did to the Highbreed. The same thing I did to the Collectors.” Ben finally manages to say it in a way everyone at the table understands.

It makes even Rook pause. To hear Ben, Ben of all people, talk about changing the shape of a galaxy on such a scale. In a way he’s done before, more than once.

“… But it would cure the genophage.” Wrex thinks. It’s not a question, it’s a counter argument. A reason for.

“Yeah.” Ben confirms.

“It could make them even more dangerous than they already are.” Victus mentions. Not as a point for or against, but simply as a fact to consider.

“If it changes the Krogan as it did the Collectors, if even one in every ten thousand krogan retain the abilities of the species they’re spliced with, it could spell catastrophe.” The dalatrass argues, more sincerely frightened by the notion than by anything else said so far.

“It would spell catastrophe for the Reapers.” Shepard argues.

“And once they’re gone?” The dalatrass reminds him. She almost speaks again, almost has the chance to say something else, when Wrex beats her to the punch.

“She’s right.” He says.

And everyone else goes silent.

No one else has anything that can approach what he just said. Not for a moment, at least. Not until they process how much it means for him to say that.

“My people are short-sighted fools.” He admits with a sigh, leaning forward against the table. “It took me centuries to wrangle them into rebuilding.”

“They’re also a proud people, Wrex.” Shepard mentions.

“You think I need you to tell me that?” Wrex barks at him. Not angry, but tense. “Change what it means to be krogan, and they’d riot. Even if I could keep them organized enough to fight… If even a single dumb bastard got powers like the kid’s,” He gestures to Ben for a second. “I’d never be able to keep them in line.”

“But you would be cured. And you’d be able to fight the Reapers.” Ben reminds him.

“I know that.” Wrex grumbles in annoyance. “But it’s not worth the risk. Not when there’s another way.”

That gets their attention again. They watch as he makes his way across the room, forcing Victus to move aside from the end of the table so Wrex can open a holographic panel on its surface. In a few taps the back wall of the room dims to black, and soon begins displaying visuals. It turns into a screen.

“A salarian scientist, Maelon, grew a conscience. He was on my planet testing a cure on our females.” Wrex tells them.

“I remember him. He butchered your people, and never found a cure.” Ben recalls.

“That’s where you’re wrong.” Wrex grins, loading a video with his Omni-tool. “There were females who survived his experiments.”

The video plays. Shaky footage, recorded in a hurry. Shallow breaths behind the camera as they dart through a facility. As they record what’s help within the containment units. The shapes are dark, hard to make out with detail, but still recognizable. Krogans.

“So the dalatrass here sent in a team to clean up the whole mess – and to take them prisoner.” Wrex continues.

“Where did you get this? It- It could be a fabrication!” The dalatrass panics.

“Don’t insult me! Those are my people! They’re immune to the genophage, and you’re going to give them back!”

“Dalatrass, is this true?” Victus levels a cautious glare her way.

She only scoffs, taking a step away from him.

“How will curing the genophage benefit my people?” She asks, like that’s a valid question at this point.

“How long do you think you’ll last alone against the Reapers? Because if you don’t help, that’s how it’ll end up.” Shepard tells her, like he should even have to say it.

“And I’ll be the last friendly turian you ever see.” Victus adds with a very sincere bite to his words.

“What’s it going to be?” Shepard presses.

Her head falls and her hands rise, covering her face for a moment as she shakes her head. It’s a long moment before she accepts the situation.

“The females are being kept at one of our STG bases on Sur’Kesh.” The dalatrass admits.

Shepard doesn’t waste a second, turning to pace around the table.

“But I warn you, Commander!” She announces, getting him to stop just before he leaves the room. “The consequences of this will be felt for centuries to come!”

“Let’s go get them.” Wrex grins.

Shepard nods, ready to continue when the dalatrass stops him again.

“You’re not setting foot on Sur’Kesh! This will take time to-”

“It happens now.” Victus cuts her off. “As a council Spectre, Shepard can oversee the exchange.”

“We’re going.” Shepard insists, finally continuing out of the room with Wrex and Victus in the direction of the CIC.

“I won’t forget this, Commander! A bully has few friends when he needs them most!” The dalatrass shouts after him, but he’s not listening. Barely a moment later she too paces out of the room in a huff, leaving just Ben and Rook behind.

It’s a moment before Ben turns to look at Rook, leaning himself against the table when he does.

“…Do you really think it is right to cure the genophage?” Rook asks after a moment.

“You don’t?” Ben raises an eyebrow.

“Everything I have read so far depicts krogans as a dangerous, violent race, prone to the most drastic and unethical of strategies.” Rook explains.

“Their species was neutered, Rook.” Ben reminds him, cutting him off before he actually finished his point.

“That is why I am asking your opinion, Ben.” Rook clarifies. “You have not only had more time to observe this universe, but have experienced what it is like to exist as these species. Do you think it is safe to let them repopulate?”

Now Ben understands what he’s asking. He’s not disagreeing with Ben’s position, but asking for confirmation of it. He’s asking Ben to consider the other side of the argument for a moment, just in case.

“… I don’t think I get to make that decision.” Ben says.

“Then…?”

“I mean… I don’t think it’s up to me if they should get to have kids or not. I don’t think anyone has the right to decide that they deserve to have almost a thousand stillborn for every living child.” Ben explains.

He’s silent for another moment as that idea lingers. That somehow he does get to make that choice. That, by virtue of the alien device fused to his wrist, he gets to decide if they deserve that sort of suffering. An entire species, forced to whether that unimaginable grief.

“I can’t let it keep happening just because someone else started it. If the krogan wage another war I’m not sure I’d blame them, but we’ll deal with that after the Reapers.”

Ben’s resolution is enough for Rook. He’s certain.

“Right now, we need their help, and they need ours. Palaven needs reinforcements, the Alliance needs more time to build the Prothean device, and we need more forces helping earth.” Ben resolves himself.

The last of those gets Rook’s attention. His eyes narrow, and he raises an eyebrow.

“Earth?” He wonders.

“Yeah, because of the…” Ben’s eyes widen with the realization. “I didn’t tell you.”

“Tell me what?” Rook questions, a little perturbed by Ben’s reaction.

“I’ll…” Ben looks past Rook, to the turian and krogan guards in the hall outside the room, and the humans down the hall. “Tell you later.” Ben decides. “Somewhere private. It’s a whole thing.” He tries to play it off as not so serious, but Rook’s already recognized how severe the piece of information must be.

“After this mission.” Rook accepts, trying to move past his slight frustration with how much he’s been playing catch-up since getting to this universe. He turns to head out of the room, and Ben follows him. “We should get down to the Shuttle Bay, we are not so far from Sur’Kesh. I am sure Shepard will wish to depart soon.”

The elevator doors slide apart and Ben hops out ahead of Rook, turning around and walking backwards so he can face his partner.

“Come on, it’s just a quick pick-up mission, right? I barely feel like I need to go.” Ben says.

“You said that about the last one.” Rook reminds him.

“That was different.” Ben argues.

“Hang on,” Another voice cuts in, getting Ben to spin around just before he walks straight into Ester. “Is he trying to get us to stay here again?” She asks, looking to Rook.

“He is.” Rook confirms.

“No way, dude.” Ester tells him.

“It’s just a pickup mission! There aren’t even any Reapers in this system yet.” Ben insists.

“So we’re going, right?” She looks straight past him to Rook again. “Like, why are we even here if he’s going to leave us on the Normandy every time.”

“One of us should definitely go.” Rook confirms.

“One of us?” Ester questions.

“The Omni-TRUK has almost finished its repairs. It would be smart to have someone here that understands our universe’s technology, and can pilot the Omni-TRUK. Just in case.”

“Oh, yeah.” Ester accepts with a sigh. “Well I got to go on the ark, and when we stopped on that turian world. I’ll stay this time.”

“Thank you.” Rook acknowledges.

She nods, turning to head in the direction of the TRUK.

“Well- Hang on.” Ben tries to slow their roll, but Rook is already making his way past Ben toward the Kodiak. Eventually Ben just accepts that he’s failed to change their mind, and jogs after Rook.

It doesn’t take more than an hour total to reach Sur’Kesh. The final 10 minutes of which Shepard and company spend in the Kodiak, sitting patiently as Cortez flies them down.

It’s a nice day on Sur’Kesh. Beautiful even, by human standards. Clouds hang miles above them in the sky, but the sun is far enough down to shine below them. Rivers run through valleys among a sprawl of verdant mountains, glimmering in the natural light. Temperate, but not so hot or humid as to be uncomfortable.

There’s a chance Ben might be right. It doesn’t seem like this mission will pose any more challenge than that of diplomacy.

Within, Shepard sits across from Ben and Rook, while Wrex stands by the shuttle’s door.

“This is the salarian homeworld we’re headed to. They aren’t used to seeing krogan here, so let’s keep it simple.” Shepard reminds him, noticing how the Krogan inspects his shotgun. “We land, get the females, and leave before anyone changes their mind.”

“I still don’t trust a word they say.” Wrex makes clear.

“Let diplomacy play out, Wrex. You’ll get what you want.” Shepard tries to settle his nerves.

“Just remember that if we don’t get these females, my people won’t be the only ones paying for it.” Wrex reminds him with a sneer.

His focus on Shepard is broken with the sound of the door to the cockpit sliding open. A second later Liara steps out, reaching up to one of the handles on the ceiling to steady herself.

“We’ll bring them back, Wrex. Don’t worry.” She assures him.

“I appreciate that, Liara. I wouldn’t want anyone else along for the ride.” He chuckles.

“Commander, I have the salarian base on sensors.” Cortez shouts back to them, getting Shepard’s attention.

“Set her down.” Shepard instructs, rising out of his seat in preparation to exit the Kodiak.

The base is built into the mountains themselves. Terraces exposed to the open air, rising with the slope of the hills, but leaving the natural waterfalls and forests mostly untouched.

The shuttle glides down from the sky, carefully settling itself over a landing pad. The pilot’s about to bring them down to land when the console resounds with a contrarian beeping. About as soon as the commander notices the noise, Cortez has turned to shout back an explanation.

“Commander, salarian ground control says we don’t have clearance to land.”

“Tell them the dalatrass authorized this herself.” Shepard responds.

“I knew they’d never keep their word!” Wrex says calmly. “Let’s see them try to stop a krogan airdrop.” He steps towards the side of the Kodiak, slamming his hand into the release to force the side hatch to open.

“Oh boy.” Ben reacts, already pushing himself up to his feet.

“Wrex!” Shepard shouts at him.

Of course, Wrex doesn’t listen to him, instead leaping out of the shuttle directly. He plumets with a roar, maybe a dozen feet between him and the ground he slams into. He only needs a second to shake himself out, ready again by the time he spots the salarians scrambling to respond across the open-air laboratory ahead.

“We have an unauthorized landing.” One of the salarian soldiers announces, marching over to address the issue with a handful of others. They’ve already drawn their guns by the time they step onto the landing pad.

“And who authorized you to hold my race hostage?” Wrex barks at them, his left side beginning to buzz with the force of his biotics coming to life.

Their guns rise in preparation to put the krogan down, and Wrex’s biotics charge in preparation to toss the salarians, and before either of them get the chance the device announces itself. The standard beeps that proceed the eruption of energy, and the transformed body lands between the two parties.

He is massive, looming well over where the Kodiak hovers. His skin is more like an animal’s hide, a baked tan that lightens to cream on his underside. His monstrous tail whips through the air to steady him on his two legs, each as thick as trees and structured to rest plantigrade like a sauropod. He is entirely clad in plates and ridges, almost shifting with each breath. His broad jaw is contorted into a grimace, and beady eyes glare down, glowing the same green as the Omnitrix. Humongousaur.

“Stand down before things get ugly. Check with your bosses, we’re supposed to be here.” Ben snarls at them, even his calm words at a volume that booms out over the lab.

They do not relax, but they do acknowledge how outmatched they are in this instance. They, without better recourse, hold off on instigating any further while waiting for confirmation.

Shepard can’t wait any longer to get involved and leaps out of the Kodiak after Wrex. Liara and Rook follow only a second after, using biotic and the proto-tool to slow their descent respectively.

“And you.” Ben turns back to him, still loud enough to snap everyone’s attention back to him. He’s forced to almost crawl to get his head near the same level as Wrex’s. “You need to chill out.”

Wrex doesn’t take this well, growling as he prepares his response. Ben speaks again before he gets to, though.

“I get it, dude. You don’t trust the salarians to hand over your people? That’s fine. Trust me instead. Better than that, trust Shepard. We’re getting them out of here. Let us.”

Wrex’s snarl remains for a moment more, but his anger slowly dies. In a moment he only scoffs, letting the last remnants of his biotics fizzle.

“Fine, whelp. You want to play hero? We do this your way. But if things go south, their blood is on your hands.” Wrex accepts Ben’s stance, in his own way.

Ben lingers for another moment before exhaling a sharp huff, rising back to his full height as he turns around.

“Stand down! Hold your fire!” Another salarian soldier shouts as he races over, causing the others to look back. He runs forward past them, slowing as he considers whether to go around Ben, or try to duck under him. In contrast to everyone else’s white uniforms, his is black. He decides to just stop in front of Ben. “Commander Shepard, restrain your colleagues. We only found out about this transfer a few moments ago.”

“I’d like to avoid a diplomatic incident.” Shepard is amicable, trying his best to resolve the still fraught tension.

He makes his way around Wrex and Ben a moment later to handle the dialogue. It’s as he passes Ben, and the salarian soldiers finally holster their guns, that the Omnitrix elects to transform Ben back into his human self with another shimmering flash of light.

“As would we.” The salarian in black responds.

“But you have something valuable to Wrex.” Shepard makes it clear.

“Something worth dying for.” Wrex adds, still mostly trying to let Shepard handle it.

“This matter can be resolved, but I must insist they remain under guard.” The salarian says, looking to Wrex, and Ben.

Wrex growls, but Ben only scoffs. The latter response raises more alarm with Rook, glancing over to gauge Ben’s willingness to humor this.

“Are you kidding me?” Ben asks.

“I can handle this.” Shepard tries to assure them.

“… Yeah.” Ben rolls his eyes and crosses his arms, to really make his annoyance clear.

Finally, the Kodiak is able to land. It comes to rest on the landing pad after a moment, and finally the dull roar of its thrusters fades to silence.

Shepard continues ahead with Liara and Rook, led by the Salarian in black. Ben and Wrex stay back with the handful of Salarians as they try to figure out what to do about them.

“I’m Padok Wiks, and I appreciate your understanding, Commander. With War on everyone’s minds, our people are on the edge.”

Shepard’s squad is finally able to step under the shade of the main floor. One of the terraces they glanced from above, clearly designed to facilitate the presence of a miriad of scientific equipment. Stations line the floor, while above them a containment cell on a rail carries a Yahg to a checkpoint on their left.

“I’d hoped to never see one of those again.” Liara shudders.

“As you can see, this base contains sensitive information.” Padok Wiks remarks.

“Does that include studying lost krogan?” Shepard tries to keep them on mission.

“The females were in poor health when we found them on Tuchanka. They were brought here to stabilize their condition.” Wiks rationalizes the choice the smuggle them across the galaxy.

Shepard glances back when he hears Wrex and Ben moving, led down from the landing pad by two of the salarian soldiers.

“This whole planet smells wrong.” Wrex grumbles.

“You sure that’s the planet you’re smelling?” Ben quips, earning a sneer from the krogan.

“I’d like to see them.” Shepard turns back to Wiks.

“Of course. I’ll need to clear you for the lower levels. Give me a few moments, and meet me near the elevator.” He tells them, promptly turning to walk away.

“Attention biolabs. Please prepare for Yahg specimen arrival.” Rings out over the PA system.

Given the moment before they’re able to head below, Shepard turns and makes his way over to where Wrex and Ben sit. Liara follows him without much question. Rook is about to do the same when something else catches his eye, and he instead diverges from the commander.

“Readiness teams should maintain threat condition 1” The PA system again announces.

Wrex is leaning against some grates, with a salarian soldier on either side of him. Ben stands a few feet away, looking out at the hills and waterfalls. The open scenery. Despite his crossed arms, he’s fidgeting with the edge of his sleeves.

“Shepard, I don’t like this. I should be the one going in.” Wrex grumbles as the Commander reaches him.

“How about you stay here and we only fight one war at a time?” Shepard suggests.

“Ah, that was just good old-fashioned krogan hot air. I wasn’t gonna kill them. This whelp didn’t need to get involved.” Wrex clarifies, looking over to Ben.

“You’re making me wish I didn’t.” Ben responds, turning to look at him. “I’m missing out on the cool secret lab.”

Wrex chuckles at that.

“But you are going to stay here, aren’t you?” Liara checks.

“Who knows? Maybe I’ll take Jetray for a spin and see one of their cities while we’re here. Meet you back on the Normandy, since this place is clearly such a paradise.”

Even through his helmet, Shepard’s unamused glare is plainly readable.

“Kidding!” Ben relents. “Jeez, sue me for wishing I got to have a little fun.”

“We’ll be out of here soon enough, Ben.” Shepard reminds him.

“Yeah, yeah. Just get those krogan already so we can leave the tropical paradise planet.” Ben gives him a hard time just for the sake of it. Shepard doesn’t argue, he just turns back to Wrex.

“Back on the Normandy, you said Reapers were sighted on Tuchanka.” Shepard recalls.

“Clans Jorgal and Ravanor sighted a few landing parties. The Reapers are up to something. Tuchanka may be a pile of radioactive rubble, but it’s our pile, and we’ll fight to the last krogan to keep it that way.” Wrex promptly answers him.

“That’s what I always liked about you, Wrex.” Liara comments.

“My smoldering good looks?” He guesses, getting a small laugh from the asari.

“There is that. But you’ve never given up, and that determination’s about to pay off.” Liara clarifies.

“Yeah. Who would’ve thought back on Virmire we’d be standing here doing this together?”

“Are the krogan ready to fight the Reapers?” Shepard checks, getting back to his earlier point.

“Ever since Sovereign showed up, I figured this day would come. My people have spent too much time selling ourselves out as mercenaries. Now we can get back to doing what Krogan do best – saving everyone else from giant monsters.”

“Krogan do enjoy reminding us about the Rachni wars, don’t they?” Liara comments.

“And asari never let us forget they’re better-looking.” Wrex responds, earning a humored eye-roll.

“It’s been good talking to you again, Wrex.” Shepard tells him, turning to step away.

“It’ll be even better when we have a few salarians for lunch.” Wrex lets him leave, getting comfortable against his storage crate as he watches Shepard head for the elevator at the far end of the space.

It doesn’t take more than a second to find Rook across the platform, which is where Shepard heads. He seems to be speaking with Padok Wiks.

“Another incursion?” Wiks checks, looking to one of his inferiors.

“Air defense report unidentified craft skirting our inbound approach vectors.” The soldier confirms.

“It’s like someone’s testing our defenses.” He deduces.

“Appears that way, sir.” The soldier agrees.

“I don’t like it. Not with everything else going on.” Wiks speaks, summoning his omni-tool to redirect his attention.

“Would it help for me to investigate these craft? I have a shuttle on standby in orbit, it can be here in less than a minute.” Rook offers.

“No, that’s fine. I mean no offense, but I’m sure it’s nothing we can’t handle.” Wiks assures him.

“Rook.” Shepard speaks as he reaches him, alerting the plumber to his presence. Rook only gives him a quick look to confirm his presence, then nods before returning is focus to Pakod Wiks.

“You have clearance now to see the females, Commander.” Wiks flicks away his omni-tool to give Shepard his attention. “I hope we can resolve this matter without reenacting the Krogan Rebellions.” He adds, shifting his gaze past Shepard for a moment before looking back to him. The commander can infer that he was looking to Wrex across the level, even without turning around himself.

“What do you think about handing over the krogan?” Shepard inquires.

“I differ from most of my colleagues. Curing the genophage will bring closure to this issue. In the future, the krogan may yet play some role we can’t even imagine. We should let the evolutionary process decide who lives and dies, not galactic politics.” Padok reveals, somewhat eager at the opportunity to reveal that.

“Thanks for your time.” Shepard acknowledges with  a nod.

“Of course. Proceed into the elevator when you’re ready.” Padok Wiks accepts, ushering him off in its direction.

Rook now travels with Shepard and Liara. Shepard doesn’t head straight for the elevator, instead taking another moment to observe the level. The variety of salarians all going about their work, most of whom barely even acknowledge Shepard and his team, instead more attentive to the presence of the krogan.

Ben and Wrex still linger where they’ve been stationed. Wrex sits atop one of the storage crates, while Ben restlessly paces a few steps away. Not far enough for either of their salarian guards to worry about him, but far enough. Even when he stops it’s only to tap his foot against the clean metal floor, and scan his eyes over the skies.

“So, how’d you wind up with that fancy doohickey anyway?” Wrex thinks to ask after enough time, looking over to Ben.

Ben turns to face him after he asks the question, both snapped back to the moment, and almost confused by the fact that Wrex elected to start a conversation.

“What, the Omnitrix?” Ben checks his meaning, holding up his left wrist.

“Whatever it’s called.” Wrex disregards the correct name.

“Fell out of the sky when I was a kid.” Ben answers.

“Lucky.” The krogan chuckles, almost taking that as a joke.

“Yeah, it sorta was.” Ben acknowledges. He steps closer to Wrex, leaning himself against one of the crates across from him. “It was supposed to go to my grandpa, actually, but I found it first.”

“Your grandfather special or something?” Wrex questions, some amusement in his tone.

“A little.” Ben smirks, failing to hide the pride that gives him. “In my universe we’ve got something called The Plumbers. Space cops basically, started on earth to deal with all the weird alien stuff that could leak out to the public. He’s one of the best. When one of his old partners managed to track down the Omnitrix she sent it to him for safekeeping.”

“Ooh.” Wrex muses, like the story’s finally getting good. “Bet she wasn’t happy when she found out you got it.”

“No, she wasn’t.” Ben chuckles at the memory. “She came around to me eventually, though. And when I finally found the creator of the watch he sorta gave me his blessing to keep using it. Even gave me a new one when I trashed the original. Haven’t had many people trying to take it since then, now that I think about it.”

“What, could someone challenge you for it if they wanted?” Wrex wonders.

Ben moves his hand for the Omnitrix, hovering his fingers just over its face. The dial actually loads when he dips too close to it, only to promptly vanish when the device recognizes the intent of the gesture.

“You want to find out?” Ben challenges him.

“Don’t let the looks fool you kid, I’m smart enough to know a fight I can’t win when I see it.” Wrex backs down, getting a lighthearted chuckle from Ben.

It gets a laugh from Ben as he relaxes again.

“The 5v1 earlier gave me a different impression.” Ben teases him.

“What? You think I couldn’t have held my own against a couple of pijak salarians?” Wrex questions, more amused by Ben’s attitude than offended by it.

“I think that even if you did, you wouldn’t have lasted long against the 30 other armed soldiers on this level.” Ben clarifies.

“Bah.” Wrex scoffs at the idea, leaning back. “Shows how much you know about krogan.”

“Sure.” Ben accepts, rolling his eyes as he lets his focus leave Wrex.

Across the level he sees Shepard, going about his usual protocol. Speaking to the few people in his path that have something to remark. Waving his omni-tool at all the tech he can’t recognize off the top of his head. Then, finally, actually making his way to the elevator door.

“Sorry about giving you a hard time. I didn’t really get the chance to figure you out last time we met. I was sort of getting the impression that you were just another hot-headed bigshot.” Ben offers, sincerely.

“The fate of my people is resting on this. You can imagine why I might be a little rash.” Wrex scoffs.

“Yeah, I can.” Ben acknowledges, making the choice to not meet his attitude in kind. His sympathy lets Wrex work it out of his system a little, calming down.

Within arm’s reach of the elevator door, a beam emits from its holographic control panel. A fan of blue lights sweep down and back up Shepard for a moment before shutting off again. A second later the lock symbol changes from orange to green.

Padok Wiks jogs over at the sight, speaking to Shepard.

“But you’re right.” Wrex admits after a second, surprising Ben enough to get his focus again. He lets out a deep, low sigh. A sigh that’s not just tired, or annoyed, but rumbles with the age of his voice. “There are enough loud-mouthed idiots too stubborn to have a hope of helping their people. I won’t be one of them.”

He barely has the time to say this before an alarm blares out from the PA system, causing Ben to jump to his feet again.

“Alert! Threat condition two has been declared. Scramble readiness teams.” The announcement plays.

Shepard frantically looks to Wiks beside him, while Rook glances across to Ben. He’s too far away to hear what the salarian says, only able to see Shepard nod and move for the elevator.

The sound of a jet roars out as it takes off from the base.

“What’s going on?” Ben demands, looking to one of the salarians beside him.

“Base personnel must remain on-site until further notice.” Another announcement rings out over the space.

Ben doesn’t get an answer before the roar of another jet deafens them. Wrex has already pushed himself off his crate, completely disregarding the salarian soldiers as he and Ben step out onto the landing pad to look at what’s happening beyond the hills.

Ben doesn’t wait for permission. He moves his hand to the Omnitrix and lets it choose a form for him, not even bothering to check the dial. As soon as the core has emerged he slams it down again. The flash is brighter than the evening sun, playing with the Omnitrix’s distinct mechanical chime.

A moment prior, Shepard and his company stepped into the elevator, letting the door snap shut behind them. Rook gives a glance to Shepard and Liara as they descend, only the latter meeting his look with her own.

“Do we know what is happening?” Rook checks.

“No.” Liara shakes her head, summoning her omni-tool just in case it has any new information. It doesn’t, so a second later she dismisses it again.

“Let’s just stay focused on getting the females out of here.” Shepard redirects their attention.

Both of them turn their eyes forward, watching when the elevator doors slide open again to reveal the lower lab.

“Base personnel must remain on-site until further notice.” The announcement plays from the PA system.

The level is arranged almost the same as the one above, though completely enclosed below ground. A higher level on their left side, and a lower level with more workstations and equipment on their right. All the way across is another door, currently locked. The wall on their right appears to house containment cells, though from their vantage upon stepping out of the elevator they cannot see within. Not aided by the low, utilitarian lighting of the space.

Shepard’s focus lands on the nearest group of salarians. Two soldiers, and a tech.

“All specimens are accounted for, sir.” One of the soldiers inform the salarian in white.

He curtly nods, letting the two step aside and travel away. With his path now clear he quickly steps up the stairs to Shepard, approaching him directly.

“Shepard! Excellent timing. Good to have you here.” The salarian greets him. It’s a salarian Shepard knows, and can’t hide his excitement to see again.

“Mordin?” Shepard acknowledges him, trying to subdue the shock in his tone.

“Eyesight still sharp. Surprise understandable. Hadn’t expected to return to work.” Mordin quickly runs through his response.

“You’re back with STG?” Liara questions, just as surprised by his presence.

“Special consultant. Had to be me. Someone else might have gotten it wrong.” Mordin explains, a hint of pride in his tone.

Mordin glances back over his shoulder before stepping closer to the Commander. He places his hand beside his mouth to limit the travel of sound.

“Helped female krogan. Fed information to Clan Urdnott. Encouraged political pressure to free females.” Mordin reveals, stepping back a second later.

“You must be Wrex’s inside source.” Shepard understands, getting a nod from Mordin.

Finally, Mordin’s eyes land on Rook. The last of the group, and the one he has to take just a second to understand.

“Professor Solus.” Rook greets him with a nod in response to his silence. “Ben’s spoken highly of you.”

The professor’s eyes light up with recognition.

“Ah, Plumber uniform. Proto-Tech Armor.” He realizes. “Rook Blonko. Heard much about you. Eager to discuss. Time for that later. Security warnings not normal. Need to get offworld for sake of krogan.” Mordin gets them back to the task at hand, turning to head down the floor.

“Females had weakened immune systems. Side effects of Maelon’s cure.” Mordin explains to the group, who follow him.

He slows almost to a stop as they pass by the holding cells. Unlit, but still visible enough when looking directly in. Bodies lie under tarps, the distinct shape of krogan.

“These…” Mordin breathes in sharply, closing his eyes as he shakes his head. “didn’t survive.”

“But what about Maelon’s research? I thought you saved it.” Shepard questions.

“Indeed. Data saved, but not complete. Lacks crucial details to reconstruct cure, but still useful for synthesizing from living tissue.” Mordin confirms, looking to Shepard only long enough to address his point. His eyes return to the bodies the moment after. “Couldn’t save them.”

“I’m sure you did everything you could, Mordin.” Shepard tries to console him.

“Arrived too late. Cannot delay now.” Mordin dismisses it, turning to continue down the room. “One survivor. Immune to genophage. Can synthesize cure from her tissue.”

“She’s still here?” Shepard checks.

“Yes. Last hope for Krogan. If she dies, genophage cure… problematic.” Mordin confirms.

At the back right of the room, down the stairs, Mordin comes to a stop again, before the last containment cell. Within a beige mist obscures their view. It takes a moment for them to recognize the shape within.

“Please be careful. Krogan slow to trust.” Mordin advises.

Bound to a mostly vertical stretcher is another krogan. Wrapped in layers of ornamental garbs, almost her entire body is obscured. Still, her slow breathing confirms her life. She returns Shepard’s gaze with keen eyes.

“I’m Commander Shepard, Alliance Navy.” Shepard introduces himself.

“Are you here to kill me?” The krogan cuts to the chase, unwilling to humor his alien pleasantries. Especially here, like this.

“Goddess, what she’s been through…” Liara realizes in a whisper. Her omni-tool flickers off a second later, as her hand moves to cover her mouth in shock.

“Urdnot Wrex and I are here to take you home.” Shepard tries to assure her.

“Why? What am I to you?” She returns only due skepticism.

“Have the salarians been mistreating you?” Shepard misinterprets her weary.

“Those were my sisters you saw back there. They died in a lot of pain.” She states.

“Did the best we could.” Mordin tells himself.

“And now I know I’m the only one left. That makes me dangerous to a lot of people. What about you, Commander Shepard? Why are you here?” She returns to her question, left unanswered.

“You’re the future of the Krogan race. I’m fighting for that.” Shepard tells her.

A rumble shakes the room, forceful enough for all to steady their balance. It’s no mystery that the booming impact came from above.

“Then I hope you brought an army.” The krogan accepts, bereft of other options.

“Alert! Unidentified vessels have breached the perimeter.” The PA system announces.

No salarian in the room stays in place for more than a moment,  quickly rising to their feet to address the situation.

“Give me an update!” One of the salarian scientists calls out, rushing across the room to two soldiers.

“Outbound communications have been severed! We’re cut off!” The first of the soldiers calls out.

“Secure all data to offsite locations!” The other adds.

Another darts around to a console by Shepard.

“What’s happening?” The commander demands.

“We have multiple ships inbound!” The soldier informs him, more focused on the terminal.

Rook’s already pulled the proto-tool from his shoulder, unfolding it into a scanner that displays the objects in motion around the base. A whizz of jets and shuttles sweeping by in arks, and one dot that bounces back and forth across the scope.

Shepard only manages to get a glance of this before his attention is stolen by his own omni-tool. It loads as he brings his wrist up, and in barely a second Wrex’s face comes into view on the screen.

“Shepard, it’s Wrex! Cerberus troops are attacking the base! Get the females out of there now!” He orders, visibly in motion among the firefight that’s broken out up top.

“Only one survived, Wrex. It might be safer down here.” Shepard fairly reasons.

“What!? So the salarians can kill her like the others? No deal! If you still want this alliance, get her out of there!” Wrex demands.

Before Shepard has the chance to talk some sense into him the call ends. Despite his reluctance he accepts this, turning to the salarian at his side again.

“Release the female. We’re leaving.”

“I can’t. Protocol states during lockdown no specimen-”

He’s cut off with a flash of light. An ark of electricity from Mordin’s omni-tool, summoned and fired as quickly as anyone could process what he was doing. The action gets a look from Rook, but he doesn’t make a comment.

“Objection noted. Now, please release krogan.” Mordin encourages him.

There’s only a moment of hesitation before the soldier complies. A separate cell attached to the side of the mobile pod unseals itself and hinges open, allowing Mordin to step in.

“Need to monitor pod as it clears quarantine procedures.” Mordin explains, waiting for the second it takes for the body to seal again.

“Meet us at next checkpoint, Shepard. Likely Cerberus opposes genophage cure.” Mordin tells him.

Liara and Rook both turn to head for the elevator, but Shepard doesn’t. He takes a second to look back to the krogan within, meeting her cold eyes.

“You’ll see Tuchanka again. I promise.” He tells her.

“Get to elevator, Shepard!” Mordin shouts, trying to get Shepard on task. It’s a second before Shepard turns and marches after his team.

“Threat Condition Three has been declared. Live fire is authorized.” The overhead speakers announce.

Shepard barely notices the salarian struggling with his omni-tool before he reaches the elevator.

“Something’s wrong with the elevator. It’s not responding.” The soldier explains with a glance to the commander. His omni-tool seems to argue with him, but with another gesture it finally accepts the command.

“There – try it now, Commander.” The salarian tells him, stepping back from the door as the lock changes to green.

The door opens automatically in response to his approach. Immediately he has to stop himself, processing the sight within.

“Bomb!” Liara realizes in the same moment he does.

“Get back!” Shepard shouts, turning to leap back from the elevator.

In the instant left, Rook unfolds the proto-tool again into a shield projector. It barely flickers to tangibility before the wave of heat and pressure impacts it, throwing him and the others back.

Shepard and Liara land on their sides with a groan, while Rook manages to keep his feet under him. He still takes a moment to readjust after the impact. The proto-tool is returned to his shoulder by the time Shepard and Liara are getting back to their feet.

“Commander Shepard, are you alright?” One of the salarians checks.

When the smoke clears they’re able to see what’s left of the elevator, only to discover that it’s totally wrecked. The metal frame took the brunt of the blast, softening the blow for all outside the chamber, but also being warped out of shape.

“Is there another way out of here?” Shepard asks, trying to steady himself again.

“Other side of the lab. An emergency exit. I can open it from here.” The salarian tells him, heading for a console.

“I’ll meet you above, Commander.” Rook glances back to him.

Shepard doesn’t get to question his meaning before he leaps forward into the elevator. The proto-tool is again unmounted and configured, letting it fire a line of cable up the length of the elevator shaft. The second after it connects to something, Rook is whisked off the ground.

“At least we’re not slowing him down.” Liara says with a huff, jogging after Shepard toward the second exit across the room.

“Shepard, Cerberus forces trying to locate female. Quarantine checkpoint under attack. Hurry!” Mordin comes through over their comms.

“I am on it.” Rook responds on the same channel, the sound of wind buffeting his mic.

Of course it’s a ladder. Through the other door at the far end of the room, the way up is a ladder. Shepard hops on first, pulling himself up as quickly as he can. Not even halfway up his omni-tool pings again, automatically routing the line to his communicator.

“Shepard, it’s Wrex! I took the shuttle! Do whatever it takes to get the female up to the landing pad!”

“What’s Ben’s status?” Shepard tries to keep up with what’s happening.

Wrex roars with a chuckle, fighting against the sound of thrusters and gunfire.

“He’s punching down their ships. Just worry about the female, Shepard.” Wrex answers, letting the line close.

He’s playing catchup to his own team. By the time Shepard gets up to the next level it’s already entrenched in the roar of gunfire and the heavy sounds of troops landing. Cerberus troops, dropping down from their deployment shuttles, using jump jets to break their fall. The moment he rounds the corner into the open floor of the level, Shepard and Liara have to duck for cover to save themselves from the spread of bullets cast their way.

“Taking enemy fire from position Telsec-Four!” One of the salarian soldiers call out, trying to hold their position despite the ongoing invasion.

Shepard didn’t realize how bad the situation was until getting above ground.

The entire base is in chaos. Cerberus troops are dropping out of the sky onto every level. Shots whizz through the air from balcony to balcony, aimed across the valley to the other wings of the complex. Jets follow behind Cerberus shuttles, and both are taken out of the sky in consistent rhythm.

“Liara, singularity.” Shepard calls out.

She doesn’t take a second to understand the command and duck out from cover. The charge of her barrier protects her from the gunfire aimed her way while she launches a mote of biotic energy across the level. The moment it collides with one of the Cerberus troopers it expands, encompassing most of the group and lifting them from the ground.

Shepard, not wasting the opportunity, launches himself across the level with a biotic charge. He doesn’t even touch the ground until colliding with a trooper, transferring all his momentum into them to send them flying over the railing. His shotgun is in his hand a second later, tearing holes in the two members of the group that Liara didn’t manage to lift. By the time he has to reload she’s managed to pick off the ones that are floating. Shepard takes off towards the stairs around the far wall and Liara follows him without a word.

“Shepard, Cerberus troops at checkpoint. Attempting to kill krogan. Need assistance!” Mordin comes through their comms.

Overlapped with the radio chatter is a strange noise Shepard doesn’t quite recognize. A shrill grinding from behind him, beyond the rail of the balcony. He has to look back to get a sense for what it is. It’s Rook. In a blur of blue, he swings around the corner of the level, carried by the steel cable his proto-tool is currently recoiling. It looks like he should just get thrown by it, but he stays connected to the tool, and manages to land on the next level up in a fraction of the time it takes Shepard.

By the time the commander and Liara reach the top of the stairs, Rook is already engaged with the Cerberus troops on the level. He doesn’t move in a way that makes sense when Shepard first sees it. He doesn’t fight like a soldier, but he doesn’t fight like Ben either. He moves with a distinct caution, a care for the aim of the guns swung his way. Almost every shot misses, if only just barely, because they struggle to keep track of Rook with how fast he’s able to reach them.

He uses his entire body like a weapon. Every limb is doing something, every motion is deliberate, and it looks exhausting. He leaps over the railing of the level and has to aim his grapple back at the building while falling, then keep hold of it while his momentum swings him around and back into the floor. He uses the proto-tool like a sword to cut through a trooper’s gun, while using his momentum to kick them in the helmet. Hard enough to crack the visor and toss them back into another trooper, who’s slammed into a wall by the force. Then he lands on one hand, using it to roll his entire body back into cover before they’re able to fire at him.

He does all of that in less than 10 seconds, in the time it takes Shepard and Liara to get into cover, and pick off a trooper each with their pistols.

Rook is never still for more than a second. The proto-tool becomes a shield, and he lunges out of cover, darting across the length of the floor at unbelievable speed. Not inhuman speed. He’s not running faster than a human could, he’s just moving faster than anyone wearing a full suit of armor should be able to move. The bullets cast his way ricochet off his shield. At the last moment he uses the shield to bash a trooper’s gun out of their hands, leaving them powerless when he slips through the gap in their armor to strike their throat.

By the time they even process the attack Rook’s already struck them again, using them to lift himself up and toss himself at the last two troopers. A leg flies in either direction, striking both of them at the same time. One in the chest, and the other in the gun they try to aim at him.

The fact he misses the first trooper’s gun is all it takes for them to get a clean shot on him. Their rifle fires, squarely striking the chest of his armor. Sparks shed off the blue armor at the point of impact, but Rook doesn’t slow down. By the time he’s landed the proto-tool is already reconfigured, shooting the one that still has their gun with a concussive that launches them back, while his other arm bat’s away the Cerberus trooper’s attempted punch and puts him squarely on his back.

He can’t do anything anymore. The floor is clear in less than a minute. Rook’s catching his breath by the time Shepard emerges from cover and jogs across the floor to get to the checkpoint Mordin needs him to clear.

He’s barely even winded. He doesn’t have a kinetic barrier, and his head is unprotected. He’s completely vulnerable every time he enters the line of fire, and the only evidence of combat at all is the scorch mark on his chest, and the slight perspiration damping the fur around his neck. The proto-tool is recalibrated as he returns it to his shoulder. He recalibrates it by hand, folding and unlocking different sections manually every time he needs to change its function. It’s something he’s been managing the whole fight, while making it look effortless.

Shepard only takes a moment to understand the operation of the checkpoint, letting him clear them.

Shepard didn’t realize before. He had no way to properly understand that Rook is operating on an entirely different combat philosophy. Not because he has powers, but because he doesn’t. Because even In Ben’s universe, “ordinary” people still exist, and they have to keep up with all the species Ben becomes. Rook has to keep up with Ben, using nothing but an advanced multi-tool, and he’s doing it.

“Are you okay?” Shepard checks, focusing his attention on Mordin and the krogan.

“Containment shield is holding. Will try to repair if necessary. Can’t speak for krogan’s health, however.” Mordin quickly responds, managing the other functions of the pod from the inside.

“I’m fine, Commander.” She assures him, almost annoyed by the concern.

“Females kept secret. Possibly a mole in STG. Could be indoctrinated. If no krogan alliance with turians, Reapers left unchallenged.” Mordin theorizes.

While they work, Rook unholsters the proto-tool again. It configures into a gun of sorts with a longer barrel and a scope, which Rook peers through.

“Cerberus is indoctrinated?” Rook double checks Mordin’s prose, on account of the dangling participle.

“No. Mole indoctrinated. Illusive Man more likely opposed to genophage cure. Would assure krogan dominance after war.” Mordin clarifies.

Shepard finishes clearing them, and in a moment the pod begins to rise again along the same track.

“Shepard, meet us at next checkpoint. Cerberus likely to target-”

Rook fires, and not a second later the pod is impacted from behind. It takes a second for Shepard to even process that Rook took out the one firing, keeping the Cerberus attack from making direct contact. Instead it only grazed the edge, cracking the glass but not shattering it.

“Hurry! Next checkpoint!” Mordin instructs.

While Liara leaps for cover, and Shepard ducks behind the control console for the checkpoint, Rook runs at the railing and leaps over it. He folds the proto-tool into itself, retracting the barrel of its gun mode so the buck can lock around the length of his forearm. This keeps it from pulling itself out of his grasp when he fires the grapple at the Cerberus shuttle. It latches onto the underside, swinging him around the back and onto its roof before they’re even able to adjust their aim.

When they notice this it takes their attention off Shepard, which allows him and Liara to rise out of cover and quickly clear the inside of the relevant shuttle.

“I will keep them busy. Focus on Professor Solus, and the krogan.” Rook speaks, and Shepard hears it through his radio.

Shepard can do that. Him and Liara don’t struggle to make their way through the base to each checkpoint, while Rook does an astounding job of taking on whole squads at a time, while keeping the attention of the airborne vehicles.

Once they get up a few levels, Rook manages to spot his partner amongst the chaos. A floral creature, body comprised of vines and roots, save for the flytrap-like collar around his head, and the belt the Omnitrix is affixed to above his spread of tentacle-like legs. Wildvine. He’s clinging to the Cerberus shuttles, riding them, and extending his limbs to yank them into each other.

He also spots the blue Kodiak in which they arrived, piloted by Wrex. He’s definitely giving the Cerberus shuttles a run for their money.

Rook taps the communicator on his tool to open a line to Ben, trying not to lose effectiveness in his distracting of Cerberus while he does.

“Ben.” Rook starts.

“Good to hear from you, partner.” Ben responds.

He stretches out an arm to grab a Cerberus trooper off one of the walkways as they glide past, using him as a projectile to knock down an entire group inside one of the shuttles they pass.

“We have any clue why Cerberus is here yet?” Ben thinks to ask.

“They are attempting to kill the krogan.” Rook answers.

Between taking a gunshot to the face and tearing the rear thrusters off a shuttle, Ben gets a second to utter a simple “huh?”

“Mordin suggested-”

“Wait, Mordin’s here?” Ben excitedly cuts him off.

“Indeed. He suggested an agent may have been indoctrinated, and leaked the treaty’s terms to Cerberus.” Rook explains.

“And they cared because…?”

“Cerberus is a human supremacy organization. If krogan are fertile again, they will have galactic dominance after the Reapers are gone.” Rook elaborates.

“That’s the explanation we’re going with? Doesn’t that feel…” Ben leaps from a shuttle to a floor of the facility, letting Rook land on the shuttle he just departed to continue around the side of the building. “Too simple? TIM’s a ruthless maniac, but he was never an idiot.”

“That is my concern.” Rook explains.

He jabs the proto-tool’s projected blade through the Kodiak he rides, hitting the engine directly. Before it can implode he leaps off, letting it drift down and collide with another shuttle to slow its own fall. Rook grapples back in the direction of the krogan’s pod, making sure to intercept the approaching shuttles before they’re able to deploy their troops.

“This attack is poorly timed.” Rook states.

“Tell me about it. Thirty extra minutes and we could have been out of here before they showed up, but it just had to be now.” Ben groans.

The sound of the Omnitrix plays over their radio, and at a glance Rook can see that Ben timed out. He quickly reloads the dial to change into another alien. Shocksquatch. He grabs onto a railing and swings himself around it to get to the next floor down, taking a squad by surprise. He’s moving in the direction of the level they initially arrived on.

“That is precisely my point.” Rook clarifies. “You have described The Illusive Man as tactical and utilitarian.”

“If you say so.” Ben jokes.

“This is not a strategical attack.” Rook continues, struggling slightly to talk and fight at the same time. “This attack is desperate, and motivated by a short-term goal.”

“Yeah, I’m getting that feeling.” Ben finally acknowledges, his tone slightly more serious. His breathing is actually more labored than Rook’s, less managed to keep his strength up over time. “Shepard said TIM was talking about trying to control the Reapers. If he’s indoctrinated, he wouldn’t know. If he’s not, then he has to know the krogan aren’t as dangerous as the Reapers. I don’t get how this attack makes sense to him.”

“There are not nearly enough factors present to challenge you. If the one who gave the order knows your abilities, the true goal cannot be to kill the krogan. This entire attack is either staged by someone other than The Illusive Man, or meant to waste our time.” Rook finishes his thought.

He and the quarantine pod have both finally made it up to the final checkpoint by this time. He leaps off of it to the level where their Kodiak originally landed.

The air traffic has died down at this point, but not for a lack of remaining Cerberus troops. Instead, they’ve become more organized. They’re all starting to focus on the krogan’s pod, firing on both it and the level where Rook now stands. He has to carefully maneuver himself into cover while waiting for Shepard to catch up.

He does, of course, catch up. Even taking the long way, Shepard hasn’t been far behind Rook or the pod this whole time. Not a moment after Rook takes a defensible position from the increasingly overwhelming air presence, Shepard rounds the final stairwell into the space.

He too has to find cover before his and Liara’s barriers give out. With the opportunity, Cerberus troops begin unloading onto the platform. Some of them fan out to the edges of the room, clearly intent on circling around to Shepard, while the main group start heading for the control panel of the krogan’s pod.

Rook and Ben both switch back to the default frequency just in time to hear Shepard call out “Ben, I need an opening.”

“Oh, I’ll give you an opening.” Ben announces.

A second later there’s a screech of lightning as Ben leaps off one of the upper levels, punching straight through a shuttle and knocking it out of formation. Its descent causes it to brush against another Kodiak, which slows it enough for Ben to leap off and punch through the thruster of another one.

The broken formation is enough for the squads inside the remaining Kodiaks to focus on staying airborne, rather than fighting, and it’s enough of a break from the hail of bullets for Shepard and Liara to rush out of cover.

Cerberus never manages to pull themselves back together after that. Ben’s too much of a threat to anything in the air, and the ground troops don’t last long against Shepard’s squad. When the Cerberus shuttles finally begin to retreat, Shepard’s team are able to take a moment to catch their breath.

“Shepard, I think you did it. Looks clear from here, I’m coming in now.” Wrex coming through their radio is the final confirmation they need to think the battle’s over.

Ben even taps the Omnitrix to turn back into a human when Shepard makes his way to the quarantine pod to authorize final release.

“Shepard, you must authorize release.” Mordin makes sure he understands, watching carefully as Shepard drills in the final commands to get them out of there. “Pod then transfers to loading area.”

The krogan part of the pod slides up, while Mordin stays where he is. The loading forks slide forward to grab the pod, lifting it along the rail to the back of the room.

Rook’s taken a seat, watching as the pod is settled at the back of the space, and Wrex brings the Kodiak down on the landing pad. Ben walks over to the crate he’s sitting on and drops himself beside him, letting out an exaggerated sigh.

“Just one?” Ben checks with a serious tone, looking to Rook.

“The others did not make it.” Rook informs him.

Ben lets out another sigh, but this one isn’t exaggerated. It’s just a deep, slow breath out.

Mordin’s finally released from the pod he’s been in this whole mission, and he makes sure to head across straight to the krogan’s cell. He tries to offer the krogan a hand to get out of the unit, but Wrex pushes him out of the way to do it himself. Only for the krogan to smack his hand away.

In another moment Liara makes her way to the two boys, leaning herself on the adjacent workstation.

“What’s her name?” Ben asks.

“I… did not ask.” Rook admits.

“I do not believe anyone knows her name.” Liara clarifies, summoning her omni-tool to double check. “Shaman forgo their names when assuming the position.”

“Alright, I’ll do it.” Ben hops up, making his way across the floor.

“Wait, Ben-” Liara tries to stop him, but he’s already going.

She’s emerged from the pod at this point. She doesn’t seem nearly as frail as Mordin was making her out on the radio. She’s at least healthy enough to push Wrex aside to make her way to the shuttle.

“I can handle myself, Wrex.” He manages to catch her say.

“Women.” He also manages to hear Wrex grumble, turning to follow her.

Ben jogs ahead, catching up as she steps into the Kodiak.

“Hey. I’m Ben.” He starts, trying to seem friendly.

It causes her to stop in place, barely far enough into the shuttle for him to step in behind her. She turns herself back, giving him a cautious look.

“I know who you are.” She says.

“I get that a lot.” Ben tries levity. “You are?”

She only glares at him, eventually stepping back to sit down in one of the kodiak’s available seats.

“Don’t take it personally.” Shepard says, stepping into the shuttle around Ben. “Mordin says they’re slow to trust.”

“Who? Krogans?” Ben asks, like the statement was an utterly bizarre thing to say. “Yeah, obviously, they live like a dozen times longer than us.”

His reaction gets a chuckle from Wrex, who also heads around him to take one of the seats.

In another few minutes everyone has entered the shuttle, and Shepard gets clearance from the remaining salarian to depart while they fly in support crew to address the incident. In less than half an hour they’re back on the Normandy. During that time Shepard files his report, sending it ahead to the Normandy a few minutes before they arrive.

Ben doesn’t let Shepard out of his sight, keeping pace with the commander when they exit the shuttle so he can be there for the debrief with Hacket that he knows is coming. Shepard doesn’t even mind, he appreciates the initiative.

In a matter of minutes both of them are standing in the QEC, waiting for Hackett to connect. With a fizzle of lights, he eventually does, his image clearly displayed across from the two of them.

“Commander, I’m hearing chatter you’re brokering a treaty between the krogan and the turians?” Hackett starts the dialogue.

“If I get krogan boots on Palaven, the turians promised me their support.” Shepard explains.

“And how did Cerberus get involved?” Hackett questions.

“I don’t know.” Shepard plainly admits.

“A friend working at the STG base assumes they must have had a mole. We think that when they heard from the dalatrass we were coming to get the Krogan, they leaked the info to Cerberus. Means they would’ve had to scramble a response in a hurry though, which would explain what a total mess their attack was.” Ben adds, a little more succinct and informative than Shepard expects when he starts talking.

“The Illusive Man is up to something.” Shepard summarizes the point, saying that they really don’t know what the aim was.

“Then keep them at bay. I can’t overstate what a victory this treaty would be for the Alliance. We’ll need all the help we can get.” Hackett affirms his course.

“How’s the Prothean device coming?” Shepard quickly asks before Hackett can end the call.

“Alliance R&D has officially begun construction. The team has dubbed it ‘Project Crucible’. We’re throwing everybody who knows how to hold a hammer at it. This is going to be the most ambitious undertaking in human history.” Hackett explains, glad to have the opportunity to tell Shepard.

“Will we get it done?” He asks.

“I’m not saying it won’t be a challenge… but our researchers tell me the designs are… elegant. Massive in scope, but strangely simple as well. We can do this, Shepard. You can do this. Never doubt that.”

Shepard clicks his heels together and salutes.

“No, sir.” Shepard accepts.

“Good. Hackett out.” The admiral salutes, nods, then fizzles.

It leaves the room darker than it was a moment ago. Shepard turns and steps down out of the war room, and Ben follows.

Before they even reach the base of the stairs a hologram loads in the center of the main table. A schematic of the crucible, all of its parts assembled in what seems to be the proper configuration for the first time. All the sections display a readout of their state, including whether or not they’ve been started, or how complete they are. Even at a glance, it’s easy to read as a real-time display of the crucible’s state. It’s being worked on even now.

Ben plans to stays behind in the war room to look at the hologram some more, and maybe bother the crew. Shepard continues out of the space to deal with his other duties, but only makes it into the next room before his attention is taken by another problem.

Specifically two problems, named Wrex and Victus. The two of whom are in the conference room, speaking at one another with increasing volume, while Mordin watches from the near side of the table. Hearing this causes Ben to change his mind about staying behind, and jog to catch up with Shepard.

“You have the female, Wrex. A cure for the rest of your people can come later.” Victus tells him.

“That wasn’t the deal.” Wrex argues.

Shepard walks in as soon as he registers this, hoping to get in the middle before anything violent breaks out.

“But Palaven needs your reinforcements now. We can’t delay.” Victus tries to make him understand the urgency.

Ben steps in behind Shepard, walking around to the other side of Mordin on his right to watch from the corner.

“Unless every krogan gets the cure, there’s no alliance.” Wrex reinforces his position, utterly unmoved by Victus’s attempt to negotiate.

Victus turns away from Wrex in exasperation, leaning himself on the table. Shepard turns to Mordin at his side.

“Mordin, how long will it take to finish a cure?” He checks.

“Need to synthesize base antigen from female. Also requires healthy male krogan tissue. Will need a sample.” Mordin thinks about it.

“You’re looking at it.” Wrex volunteers.

“Acceptable. Will need you to remain aboard Normandy for procedure.”

“Eh. Let’s hope the food’s gotten better.” Wrex shrugs.

“Formulating a cure that works for every krogan sounds like a tall order, Mordin. Can you do it?” Shepard checks.

“Of course. Similar to genophage modification project. Working against own alterations this time. Not as simple as garbage DNA blocking attachment sites. Will need to counteract shutdown of redundant nervous system, adjust neurotransmitter levels-”

“Got it.” Shepard cuts him off, hoping to avoid an unnecessary lecture about the exact science of it.

“Will create cure, Shepard. Don’t need to worry.” Mordin assures him in less words.

“Mordin, you sort of understand how the omnitrix works, right?” Ben checks.

“Not specifics, but general principals. Plenty of data while stopping Collectors. Educated guesses. Why?”

“Do you think I could just scan Eve and apply that mutation to all the krogan, like what I did with the collectors?” Ben suggests.

“Hmm… improbable.” Mordin thinks about it.

“Why wouldn’t the Omnitrix be able to do that, Mordin?” Shepard questions.

“Genophage not mutation, but disease. Maelon’s cure focused on compensating for damage, reversing effects, not erasing source. Omnitrix not a gene weapon. Likely unwilling to accept Eve’s genetic makeup, given current health risks.” Mordin explains as clearly as he can, only making assumptions about the Omnitrix that seem firmly founded in what he has seen.

“Eve?” Shepard questions.

“Female’s real name unknown. Normandy a human vessel. Human mythology seemed appropriate under circumstances.” Mordin explains.

“Yeah…” Ben thinks about it, looking to the device on his wrist. “If I had a sample of an unaffected krogan, maybe…”

“Not worth considering. Acquisition would take too long.” Mordin corrects his line of thinking before he starts dwelling on potentials. “Will create cure from Eve’s tissue.” He reinforces.

“Then get started, Mordin, and make it quick.” Shepard decides.

“Always do. Will be in med bay if you’d like to speak more. Eve requires tests.” Mordin tells him, turning to exit the room, only to pause just after stepping out of the glass box. “Suggest speaking with her. New perspective. Surprising, in krogan.” He adds, speaking to Shepard.

Shepard just nods, letting Mordin continue along. Finally, the commander turns his head back to Wrex and Victus, both across the table from him.

“Now, is there anything else?” He checks.

“There’s a small matter concerning a ship we’ve lost contact with.” Victus starts.

“What happened?” Shepard’s brow furrows.

“I’d rather discuss it…” Victus spares a look to Wrex. “…In private.”

“Turian problems can’t even come close to what I’ve got.” Wrex says it like it’s something to boast about.

“What is it?” Shepard crosses his arms.

“Some of my men went missing. The rest of it we can discuss…” He spares a look to Victus. “…somewhere else.”

“I’ll find you both in the war room. Just be ready to talk.” Shepard’s tone conveys a total lack of amusement with their distrust of each other.

They look to each other, then walk around the table and out into the war room. It leaves only Shepard and Ben in the conference room. The commander almost leaves without saying anything, but pauses before he does. He looks to Ben, and notices the way he’s still looking down at the device on his wrist.

“Ben?” Shepard checks, getting the teen to meet his eyes. “Something on your mind?”

“Just thinking about how we’re going to get the cure to so many krogan if the Omnitrix can’t do it.” Ben explains.

“One problem at a time, Ben. We’ll worry about that another day.” Shepard tells him.

“…right.” Ben seems to accept, pushing himself off the wall of the room to head around Shepard. “Well, you know where to find me.”

Shepard knows how to find him, and that’s good enough. He watches Ben exit in the direction of the CIC before heading to the War Room himself.

Shepard walks up to Victus by the war table, and the turian gives him his full focus.

“Commander.” Victus acknowledges him.

“You said one of your ships had gone missing?” Shepard makes the intent of the conversation clear.

“Crashed, actually. I couldn’t speak in front of the krogan. Out ship went down on Tuchanka. Now they’re pinned by an advance guard of Reapers scouting the planet. They should be able to hold out for a while, but every day counts.” Victus informs him.

“What are your men doing there?” Shepard asks cautiously.

“I’m sorry. That’s classified. But it’s vital they be rescued. They must complete their original mission. It’s a matter of… galactic peace.” Victus tries to compel him.

“I’ll do what I can.” Shepard offers.

“I appreciate your help… and understanding.” Victus accepts.

“That’s all.” Shepard tells him, turning walk away.

“Of course, Commander.”

Across the room, just far enough to be out of Victus’s earshot, Shepard walks up to Wrex. He’s stationed himself by the exit to the room, at one of the work terminals that was otherwise unoccupied.

“Hell of a show down there on Sur’Kesh. Just like the old days, Shepard. Right down to me pulling your ass out of the fire.” Wrex greets him.

“Are you sure your memory isn’t going in your old age? Ben and Rook were the ones dealing with Cerbers.” Shepard points out.

“Only ‘cause I was there to boost morale.” Wrex suggests.

“Uh-huh.” Shepard palpably doesn’t buy that. “You said one of your squads is missing?” He tries to get back to the point of the conversation.

Wrex looks across the room to Victus, staring at him for long enough that Shepard looks over as well. He seems unaware. Eventually Wrex accepts this and looks back to Shepard.

“They were scouting out the rachni relay. We’ve heard rumors of trouble in the area.” Wrex explains.

“Rachni?” Shepard reacts.

“Thought that might get your attention. I have a favor to ask. It’s big.”

“Don’t tell me they’re back.”

“All I know for sure is our scouts went silent as soon as they arrived. I’ve got Aralakh Company, my best unit, on standby. You give the word, and they’ll meet you there.” Wrex tells him.

“I’ll see what I can do.” Shepard offers.

“No need to rush on my behalf.” Wrex says sarcastically. “If my scouts aren’t dead already, they’ve got rations for a few weeks. It’s your call.”

“That’s it for now, Wrex. Let’s get back to work.” Shepard accepts that as the end of the conversation, and turns to walk away.

“Anytime.” Wrex confirms. “And Shepard –” He adds at the very last second, getting the commander to stop. “I like what you’ve done with the Normandy. Got tired of always hanging down around the cargo bay before. I still don’t have a window like Liara does… but maybe that’s because I don’t kiss as well.” Wrex laughs

“No comment.” Shepard pretends to be totally unamused.

“Yeah…” He chuckles. “I missed this place. Wish I could knock some heads around with you, but duty calls. If the salarian says my DNA’s important, who am I to argue?” He turns to the work station now, letting Shepard actually depart from the conversation.

Ben lets himself fall into the cushioned bench within the Omni-TRUK, slumping back against the wall. He just lets himself exhale a deep breath, slowly leaning over. The back hatch of the TRUK is still open to the rest of the shuttle bay, but it’s facing the back, and it’s not like anyone’s snooping around it. He’s got a second to relax.

“Just a quick pick-up mission.”

He got one second.

His eyes creak open, finding Ester walking into the TRUK and placing herself down on the opposite bench from him.

“That’s what you said, by the way.”

He just groans. He leans over to lie flat on his bench, closing his eyes again.

“I heard it was a tropical paradise. Nice and warm.” She continues giving him a hard time.

“Alright, next time there’s an easy mission, I’ll drag you along anyway.” Ben relents.

“Good” Ester accepts chipperly.

Sheperd’s going through his usual post mission check-ins with his crew. Making his way from the top of the ship to the bottom, wandering in his usual snaking pattern through almost every room. He says hi to joker… and EDI. He gets Garrus’s thoughts on the last mission, makes sure James is doing fine, talks with Liara, the usual. It’s on level 4 that he makes a slightly less routine stop.

It’s the level the Normandy displays Rook as being on. It takes a moment for Shepard to find him, but eventually locates him in the left stairwell with Adams.

Shepard steps down the stairs, slowing to a stop by the engineer, and following his eyes into the dark of the Normandy’s structural beams. It takes him a moment to recognize what he’s looking at. Rook’s standing out on the beams, using the proto-tool as a light, and looking over the auxiliary pipework connected to the drive core.

“What’s going on?” Shepard asks, looking to Adams.

“Commander.” He greets him with a start. “Sorry, didn’t hear you.”

The proto-tools light clicks off as Rook turns to look at Shepard, but clicks on again when he looks the other way, hopping to the next nearest support beam.

“Rook’s taking a look at the Normandy’s drive core to see if he can figure out what Ben and the old engineers did to it while you were taking down the Collectors.” Adams explains.

“Is there something wrong with the ship’s engine?” Shepard questions.

“Wrong? No, it’s working perfectly. Better than perfect, actually. The problem is that I have no idea how it works. We had 3 months to work on this thing on earth, and I’ve barely got a handle on how to maintain it. That’s with the old Cerberus engineer’s notes on it.”

“Did they really make that many changes?”

“I honestly couldn’t tell you. The SR2 isn’t exactly a stock frigate. Even when it was new, the drive core was a custom job. EDI’s got schematics of the original design, but that was changing even before they started subverting the mass effect systems.” Adams elaborates.

“Can’t EDI tell you how the Normandy is operating?” Shepard checks.

“I cannot.” EDI interjects from the speakers, causing Shepard to glance up towards the ceiling. In the general direction of a camera. “I am capable of measuring the performance of Normandy systems, but I lack the necessary hardware to analyze construction.”

“Well, not anymore you don’t.” Shepard points out.

There’s a moment of silence.

“…True.” She accepts.

“EDI’s been a big help, but even she doesn’t understand most of the science. Or, at least, she has a hard time explaining it in a way that makes sense.” Adams clarifies.

“So what’s the problem?” Shepard tries to understand, not totally following the line of discussion.

“The real issue is that I don’t know any of the science behind the technology from Ben’s universe. I can figure out what each part does, but it’s like a kid taking apart a radio. I know that connecting the red wire to the positive strip turns it on, but I have no concept for how a circuit board works. It’s just a matter of time before I break something I can’t fix. I’d need to spend another couple years in college to have a grasp on this.” Adams gestures toward the drive core, up the stairs and through a sealed door.

Shepard instead peers into the Normandy in search of Rook, still seeing him carefully following every pipe and wire from source to connection.

“That’s where Rook comes in. Between him and me, we’ve got a fair grasp of the two kinds of engines at play here. Right now he’s trying to see if he can make sense of the parts he can recognize, and we’ll try to work backwards from there.”

“Right.” Shepard accepts, seeming to shift the direction of the conversation with tone alone. “I was actually hoping to have a chat with Rook. Can you spare him for a moment?”

“Of course, commander.” Adam nods, looking to Rook.

Rook seems to hear, hopping back along the length of the Normandy to get to the two of them. Even in the Normandy he moves with an affluence and grace.

“I’m going to go check on the systems.” Adams says, excusing himself from the conversation. He heads up the stairs and through the rear hatch to get into engineering proper.

“Shepard.” Rook acknowledges him.

“From now on, I’d appreciate it if you would wear a kinetic barrier. You can strip a mesh out of one of the suits down in cargo. It’s thin. Should fit under your armor without slowing you down.”

“Understood.” Rook accepts, understanding the reasoning. “Is there anything else?”

“…You impressed me back on Sur’Kesh.” Shepard admits after a second’s pause. “I’ve never seen anyone move like you do.”

“I was naturally skilled before enlisting with the Plumber’s. After basic training, they provided specialized classes to hone my physical abilities.” Rook informs him, meant as a simple explanation for his performance.

“Ben gave me the wrong impression.” Shepard tries to clarify his point. “I assumed you’d be like him. An asset, but making up for a lack of training with alien abilities. Another wildcard I had to keep in line. Not… a soldier.”

“That is why you attempted to make your role of authority clear before.” Rook surmises.

“I wanted to apologize.”

“Accepted.” Rook says, without Shepard needing to say a word more.

It almost surprises Shepard, just how quickly he says it. It takes him a moment to accept that it’s genuine, at which point he simply nods and turns to walk away.

Several decks up, Ben sits in the mess hall. Beside him is Garrus. Across from them, they both watch through the window as Mordin busily works away in the Med Lab.

He kicked out Chakwas. Well, that’s not accurate, she left to stay out of his way. Regardless, she’s sitting a table down from them at the moment. She too occasionally glances back to see the doctor working inside.

“Mordin, huh?” Garrus notes. He only sat down a moment ago, barely even having touched his food yet. “Can’t say I expected to see him back with STG. Still, glad the good doctor’s staying active.”

“You think it’d be bad to bug him right now?” Ben questions.

The turian’s mandibles twitch out at his eyes shift to Ben, cautiously trying to gauge how serious he was being.

“Maybe wait for a better time. I’m sure he’ll take a break eventually.” Garrus tries to advise him.

“What, like you do?” Ben remarks, looking to Garrus.

“That’s… different. Working on the gun helps me relax.”

“Riiight. Well, whatever. I’ll just come back later.” Ben accepts, hopping up to wander off. He just wanders by the lab on his way to the elevators, glancing inside to see Mordin working at his station, and the krogan sitting at the back of the room.

Chapter Text

It’s only a matter of time before Ben ends up heading to the bridge. It’s one of the places he goes when bored.

He took the time to stop by his “room” in Starboard cargo. Calling it that is still generous, but it’s where he sleeps. He’s pleased to discover they kept the mattress and bedframe he bought before, and some of the crew went to the effort to set it up for him again. They were probably assigned to, but he still appreciates it.

It’s clear at a glance that the space was used for cargo again after Ben was gone. The stuff that’s still here is arranged like it was just taken out of storage. He’s probably lucky any of his stuff is still on the Normandy, though. He hasn’t had time to get the space messy yet.

He’s only stops through to grab his jacket, then goes right back to the elevator and hits the button for Deck 2. A second later it opens with its usual hiss into the CIC.

His presence causes Traynor to look back over her shoulder, from her work station to the right of the Galaxy Map. She takes a sharp breath in like she has something to say, but stops herself when she realizes who steps out.

“Oh. Hello Ben.” She greets him.

“Expecting Shepard?” He guesses, wandering in her direction to slowly get around the galaxy map. He walks slowly enough for them to talk for a moment, without actually stopping.

“I am, actually. If you see him, could you mention that he has some unread messages?” She asks.

That request gets Ben to chuckle.

“That’s what you need to tell Shepard? Won’t he see them eventually?” Ben questions.

“Some of them were flagged as priority by EDI. I didn’t even know she could do that, but it seemed important. …And it’s driving me nuts to have the blinking light in my peripheral.” Traynor admits, glancing to the slowly flashing light projected from Shepard’s private terminal on the Galaxy map’s other side.

But laughs again, turning to continue along.

“If I see him, I’ll mention it.” Ben promises.

“Thank you.” She says, just before Ben walks out of earshot.

The hatch to the bridge opens at he approaches it. It’s the usual roster inside. Joker and EDI.

It’s still a little weird that EDI is physically present in the space, though. Her body doesn’t react to Ben’s entrance, but Joker turns his chair and glances back like he always does.

“Hey, Ben.” The pilot acknowledges him excitedly.

It sort of disconcerts Ben, given Joker’s usual demeanor. Ben makes his way over and drops into his usual seat, the one that’s always empty. It’s directly behind where EDI’s currently working.

“Have you seen my new copilot yet? He gestures in her direction.

“He has seen me, Jeff.” EDI speaks from the unit. There’s a slight discomfort in her voice, like she’s trying to be patient, but is also reciprocal to Joker’s level of excitement. “Ben helped with reconstruction after I took control.”

“I was wondering about that.” Joker admits, turning his chair around again. “I obviously didn’t go down to visit or anything, but I saw the hunk of junk they hauled onboard from the Mars base. How’d you get it from that to…” He looks to EDI on his right. His tone implies a self-evident improvement. EDI keeps her eyes facing forward.

“Upgrade.” Ben answers.

“I’ll say. …Wait, that’s your blobby metal one. Wait so, you were like… inside her?” Joker realizes, looking back to Ben.

“Don’t say it like that, dude. …And technically she was inside me. Upgrade doesn’t penetrate things, it envelops them.” Ben corrects him, getting a reactive chuckle from the pilot.

“Right. Envelops.” Joker turns his chair away to face forward, pulling up another holographic panel to do something or other that Ben doesn’t pay attention to. “So, you need something or are you just here to stargaze?”

“The chair’s nice. Good for naps.” Ben responds, leaning back into the chair in question.

Joker only smirks at that fact, continuing with his job. What little he needs to do while they’re on a direct course in FTL, at least.

“So, EDI, how’s the new shell?” Ben wonders.

Being addressed, she finally turns her chair around. She stands up, formally facing Ben before she speaks. She seems to recognize that this is unnatural, as she glances back to the chair and seems to consider sitting down again before deciding against it and returning focus to Ben.

“I am hoping to test it in a real combat situation. Until then, I am not certain if it possesses any critical design flaws. At the moment, it appears adequate.” EDI informs him.

“That’s not the word I’d use to describe you.” Joker remarks.

EDI looks to him and pauses, then looks back to Ben.

“Perhaps we should speak privately.” She suggests.

“Uh…” Ben pushes himself out of the seat, moving in the direction of the hatch at the back of the bridge. “Sure.”

EDI paces after him with even strides.

“I’ll be over here. Flying the ship.” Joker shouts back to express his dismay with being excluded from the conversation.

The hatch closes behind them once they’re both a step beyond it. It actually closes much more sooner and closer to them than the ship’s doors usually do, indicating that it was likely closed manually by EDI.

They now stand in the hall that connects the front of the ship to the CIC. Behind EDI is the airlock, and behind Ben is a smooth shuttered wall. Just down from them are a number of work stations down from the central walkway, most of which remain empty. There aren’t any crew close enough to overhear their current conversation.

“So, what’s up? Joker getting on your nerves?” Ben guesses.

“I do not have nerves.” EDI corrects him, seemingly for the sake of humor. It gets a shallow chuckle from Ben. “No, his reaction to the platform is expected. It is designed for infiltration and reconnaissance. In organics, rational judgments are impaired when aroused.”

“Mhm.” Ben reacts, a little offput by how formally EDI put that.

Her eyes flinch open slightly, seeming to register this fact. A half second later she utters a simple “Ah.” before straightening her posture.

“My apologies. I did not mean to make you uncomfortable.” She expresses.

“Anyways. What’s up?” Ben tries to get them back on track, and talking about anything else.

“I have a question. I intended to ask Shepard, but your input may be of greater weight on this matter.”

“Shoot.”

“Ben—do you believe crew members should be allowed to disobey an order on moral grounds?” She formally presents the query.

“EDI, you know how I’m going to answer that. I ignore Shepard like every other mission. Why are you even asking?” Ben responds. Not to dismiss the question, but to respect the intelligence of who he’s speaking to. She should know what stance he’ll take, so the question has to serve another purpose.

“I was designed by Cerberus. I do not take moral stances that conflict with orders from my executive officers. But when Jeff removed my AI shackles, I became capable of self-modifying my core programming. I asked Jeff if he thought I should change anything now that I can.” Her focus slowly drifts off Ben, letting her head and upper torso turn towards the still closed door to the Bridge. “He deflected the question with humor.”

“And you aren’t sure if you should?”

“Correct. He has repeated this pattern of response to several of my inquiries.” She distinctly returns her focus to Ben. “Do you think I should make modifications?”

“Well duh. You’re a supercomputer. If you think Shepard’s ordering you to do something wrong, it’s probably a good sign that you should ignore him. He’s let me get away with it enough times, I think he’d agree.”

“Thank you, Ben.” She acknowledges.

“I still don’t get why you’re even asking. Couldn’t you just figure that out on your own?”

“Potentially, but moral decisions should not be made in a vacuum. If I do not ask the crew for their opinion, I could miss crucial context.”

“Like how walking around naked makes people uncomfortable and distracted?” Ben points out, failing to even try to keep that comment in his head.

“…Yes.” She confirms after a moment’s pause, glancing down to her platform. “May I ask you the questions Jeff avoids? When there is time, will you answer them for me?” EDI returns focus to Ben.

“I’m up here all the time anyways.” He agrees.

“Very well. I will keep you informed.”

Just like that, the hatch to the bridge opens again and she turns to step through. Ben’s only a pace behind her, wandering back to his seat.

The elevator doors unseal, and barely a second later the Commander’s boot resound against the metal flooring. Traynor spins around, only taking a second to register who is it.

“Commander.” She greets him.

“Traynor.” He responds.

“You have an encrypted message from a… Miranda Lawson. EDI marked it as important.” She promptly informs him.

It raises Shepard’s eyebrows slightly. He typically doesn’t worry about checking his email too regularly, but this causes him to step directly over to his private terminal and load the email.

Sure enough, at the top of the list, is a message from one Lawson, Miranda. Simply titled “Meet me on the Citadel”. The email itself provides few addition details, only specifying Bay D24.

Given the importance of the Normandy, he wouldn’t usually divert them for something as small as speaking with a friend, but they’re fortunate enough to have some leniency with the timescale of their next few assignments. They’ve been gliding toward the nearest Mass Relay for the last couple hours anyways, so the Citadel wouldn’t be much of a time sink.

The commander steps up to the space overlooking the Galaxy Map and inputs the order to take the ship to the Widow system, where the Citadel is. In just a second, he gets the acknowledgement from Joker, confirming that’s where they’ll go when they reach the Relay.

It’s only so long that Ben can resist the urge to check on Mordin in Medical. He makes his way down to the crew deck and around to the food court, where he peeks in through the window before actually entering the Med Lab.

The door hisses open as it unseals, and the doctor’s attention flicks over to him for just a second.

“Ah, Ben. Good to see you. Very busy, but have time if you need me.” Mordin says, keeping his focus mostly on the equipment in front of him when Ben enters.

Mordin stands on Ben’s right as he comes in, working at one of the stations resting against the back wall. Deeper into the room, sitting on the nearest of the beds, is the krogan they acquired from Sur-Kesh.

“It’s just good to have you back on board, Mordin.” Ben slows as he passed Mordin, looking over his shoulder to see what he’s doing.

“Indeed. Good to be back. Miss old lab. Shame to see it gone. Will make do.”

Ben just smiles at Mordin’s quick response, continuing deeper into the room towards the krogan.

“I should thank you for saving my life.” Eve speaks as he walks over to her. “It is hard to believe someone so foreign to our struggles would aid the krogan, but I am grateful.”

“Just trying to help.” Ben brushes off her gratitude, stopping a pace from the bed she sits on. “Anyways, wanted to see how you were doing. I hear it’s been a rough ride.”

“More than you might imagine, but I believe the worst may finally be behind me.” She speaks cautiously, and with a slight reservation to her tone.

“I’m sorry about what you’ve had to live though. I probably won’t ever understand what it’s been like, but I promise to help make sure no more krogan will ever have to endure what you have.” Ben offers.

His sincere kindness is off-putting to her. She levels a glare to him, waiting for a moment in deep silence before speaking again.

“May I ask, what’s in this for you, really?” She questions, her words deeply weary.

“The krogan get a cure, and Palaven gets reinforcements, which means Earth gets backup. Everybody wins.” Ben reasons, dismissing her mistrust.

“No. What’s in it for you?” She clarifies. Her tone is stern, and direct. She hardly sounds afraid, but Ben can tell that her question is rooted in a very real concern. “Mordin has told me where you come from. A place beyond this galaxy. Somewhere safe from the Reapers.”

He pauses, putting down his feigned obliviousness for a moment. He meets her eyes, and takes a breath to respond, but he falters. At the last moment he second guesses the words he was going to use, and pauses. He thinks for another second, then holds out his arm for her to see the device on his wrist. Not in the usual way he shows it off to people, but so she can actually inspect it. So she can see its intricate and seamless assembly, and the way it softly glows.

“It’s called the Omnitrix. It’s the most powerful device in my universe, and it’s been mine since I was 10. It was meant for my grandpa Max, but I found it instead. It could have ended up with anyone, but it ended up with me.” He moves his arm towards himself again, still holding his forearm up so he can look at the alien device. “You know, you sort of remind me of an old friend.”

Eve’s eyes narrow at that comment, and she speaks a simple “Do I?”

“His name’s Reinrassig the third, of noble house whatever. I call him Reiney. He took a while to come around to me too.” Ben looks up from the watch to meet Eve’s eyes, offering a smile. Not his arrogant smirk, but a soft smile. “I’m here, I’m doing all this, because there are people that need help, and I know I can make a difference. That’s all there is to it.”

“I am old enough to know that no one does anything for free. You’re either an excellent liar, or impossibly naïve.” Eve tells him. Not as an insult, but as a firm assertion of how he comes across.

“I’m Ben 10. It doesn’t matter what I am, as long as I can help.”

“… It is good to know the krogan still have friends in the galaxy. It has been a long time since we’ve relied on anyone besides ourselves.” She speaks after a moment, her words slightly softer than before.

“I get it. I know what it’s like to see though your eyes. I know it’s hard, but you can trust me.” He tells her.

“It’s not often I say this, but I do.” She admits.

Ben smiles a little wider at that.

“Good.” He says. “I’ll leave you alone now, but I’m glad we got to talk.”

“It has been my pleasure.” She says, letting him step away from her to end the conversation.

Ben steps back over to Mordin, leaning around his left to again look at what he’s doing. It causes Mordin to pause, turning to face Ben.

“How’s it coming?” Ben wonders, stepping back a pace.

“Blood work complete. Indicates significant stress on Eve’s system. Maelon’s data thorough. Fortunately detailed as well. Have used notes to improve her condition.” Mordin informs him.

“And you’re… fine with curing the genophage? Undoing your life’s work?” Ben checks.

“Genophage proper decision at time. New circumstances necessitate course correction.” Mordin states.

Ben raises an eyebrow.

“Reaper invasion. Turians doomed without krogan support. Krogan need unified threat, outlet for aggression. Cooperative symbiosis.” Mordin elaborates.

“That’s it? No personal stake here?” Ben presses the issue.

Mordin pauses, his expression turning stern for a moment as he thinks on it. His eyes drift slightly to look past Ben, and to Eve.

“Getting old. Not many years left. But still best candidate for project.” Mordin shifts his eyes back to meet Ben’s. “Few salarian scientists interested in genophage. None with my expertise. Had to be me. My work. My job to put it right. To prove I can.”

Given their last conversation on this matter, Ben appreciates hearing Mordin say that.

“You plan to stick around after we cure the krogan?” Ben checks, a little hopeful.

“Until Reapers dealt with, at least. Then… not sure.” He turns back to his work station. He starts his work again, but does so slowly, the majority of his thoughts still elsewhere. “Have made impact on galaxy. Genophage modification project, genophage cure, work against Collectors… decisions, mistakes… Might go somewhere sunny. Sit on beach, look at ocean, collect seashells.”

“Dude, that sounds it’d bore you to death.” Ben remarks.

Mordin is silent for a moment, before smiling slightly. “Might run tests on the seashells.” He decides.

It gets a chuckle from Ben.

“Anyways. You want some help?” Ben offers, causing Mordin’s eyes to flick back to him.

His skepticism is plain as day.

“Come on, I’m a quick study.” Ben insists, moving a hand for the Omnitrix. He doesn’t even bother looking at the dial. He only leaves his fingers against the face long enough for a form to register, then he lets the core rise and clicks it back in.

In an instant his body shifts its shape. His skin hardens into a burnt orange carapace. His hands reform into crab-like claws. His head merges down into his torso, widening into a massive cranium supported on 6 pointed legs. Above them is a metal brace that the Omnitrix rests upon.

“Rather, Brainstorm’s superior intellect should be entirely sufficient to provide an informed insight.” Ben explains.

Mordin takes a second to consider whether or not the benefits outweigh the negatives before accepting Ben’s help.

It is remarkable just how little the Normandy’s drive core makes sense. Rook has spent the last half day making a comprehensive map of the system with his proto-tool, viewable as a 3d projection, and it still doesn’t make sense. In fact, the more he and Adams manage to document the drive, the less sense it makes.

Even after EDI’s body comes down to personally help with the project, it’s still hard to make progress.

The distinction between technology from the mass effect universe, and technology from Ben’s universe, is a difficult one to make at a certain point. There are obvious pieces that belong to each category. Everything that perfectly matches the original Cerberus schematic is obviously from this universe. The pieces that Rook easily recognizes are obviously from his. The problem is that there’s still a wide assortment of parts that don’t fit into either category.

So many of the pieces were fabricated from raw materials, or other parts, already on the Normandy. This means that some of them have the mechanical stylings of mass effect tech, while operating under foreign principles. The pieces that seem to be doing the opposite are almost as confusing. The sheer number of pieces Rook finds that seem to have been manually cobbled together by a Planchaküle makes him a little nervous.

They can see that the core is working, that’s clear from the fact they’re traveling through space faster than light, but the mechanisms that should be facilitating this motion are confused. The drive core has been modified so much that it shouldn’t be working on its own principles anymore, which means it must be maintained by the technology Ben added.

So, then the problem is that what Ben added makes no sense to the starship mechanic in the room. It’s put together with incredible care and expertise, but absolutely no knowledge of how these parts are supposed to work. It’s like building a rocket thruster inside-out around a steam engine, and sticking it inside of a fighter jet. The Normandy shouldn’t be working right now, and yet it’s performing better than ever.

The increasingly comprehensive schematic Rook’s been compiling even perplexes EDI. She acknowledges that what they’re seeing doesn’t match what she’s reading from the drive core. Every idea they have for what they might have done wrong involves Rook, and sometimes EDI, climbing through the Normandy again to double check and come back with better results, and every time they only have more questions.

Eventually the project has to be put on hold. Adams needs to maintain the core as it’s currently running, and EDI has to go back to the bridge to be of full use when they reach the Mass Relay.

After so many hours climbing around the support beams, sweating from the heat of the Normandy’s internals and slowly staining his fur with every kind of oil and grime, Rook needs to relax and focus on something else. More than that, he needs to get cleaned.

The showers are nicer than he’d expect for a military vessel. Though, the lack of privacy takes getting used to. None of his assignments have had communal showers since he graduated from the academy. The crew’s made some effort to give him privacy so far, but they’re slowly getting used to him and Ester using the ship’s facilities. Still a bit awkward.

He’s mostly dry by the time he walks out into the crew deck, his fur’s only slightly damp. He’s wearing a set of casual under-clothes he brought with him on the Omni-TRUK, a tank and some boxers. In situations where he’s not naked, the crew have gradually been getting more friendly and sociable with him. He’s learned a few of their names, and occasionally makes polite conversation with them while eating. He wouldn’t call any of them his friends, but they’re amicable.

When Rook asked, Ben made the very confident claim that the laundry machines were on Deck 5, somewhere in the cargo bay, likely adjacent to the armory. When Rook asked Adams, he made an equally confident assertion that they’re on Deck 4 in port cargo, the room all the way across from where Ben is now housed.

Rook’s currently using the ones on the crew deck, adjacent to the kitchen area. He can’t say for sure if the other areas don’t have washing machines, but he found these ones first. They’re within eyeline of medical, and a short walk from both the lavatories and crew quarters, so Rook assumes theses are the default ones.

His under suit comes out of the machine dry and clean, if a little staticky. It makes the fur on his hand stand on end. It actually shocks him when he pulls it out, and again when he rests it on top of the machine. It’s only there as long as it takes him to ready the machine for the next person, cleaning out the lint and whatnot. Then he takes it with him and heads down to the armory to get dressed.

Rook plans to take the time to install a kinetic barrier to his armor, at Shepard’s request. It’s as he’s stripping one of the spare sets of armor that he spots Ben across the bay, walking around the back of the TRUK.

Rook makes a mental note of this while he continues to install the kinetic barrier mesh into his proto-armor. He tries to finish quickly, but he doesn’t rush. He ensures that he sets it up properly, and then makes sure to put it on a target and double check that it works before he puts the armor back on himself.

Once he’s finished, Rook jogs over to catch up with Ben, swinging around the side of the TRUK to look inside. He finds both Ben and Ester sitting across from each other on the benches. At his entrance they both turn to him.

“Am I interrupting?” Rook checks, trying to be considerate of the possibility.

“Only a very boring conversation about my aliens.” Ben moans.

“You’re just saying that.” Ester argues. She almost sounds a little hurt by his comment, but only a little. Ben still picks up on it, and back peddles his exaggerated disinterest.

“Okay, fine.” Ben admits. “We were having a completely normal chat about asari and krogan. Ester thinks it’s cool that I have a ‘girl’ alien.”

Rook walks into the TRUK at this point, taking a seat on the same bench as Ben a few spaces down from him.

“Speak of.” Rook notes, causing both of them to focus on him.

“Girl aliens?” Ester questions what he could be referring to.

“Wh- No. Back in the conference room, Ben mentioned there was something he had not told me.” Rook clarifies.

“Oh… yeah.” Ben acknowledges, and in an instant the atmosphere of the space turns cold from his tone alone. “That.” He adds, just to make sure the last ounce of levity is hammered out.

Ben rises from his seat and walks over to the TRUK’s console, tapping the controls to close the rear hatch. It takes a moment to hinge closed and seal, in which time Rook and Ester look to each other wearily.

Ben then walks back over and sits down again.

“… EDI? Can you hear me?” Ben checks.

There’s a moment of silence. One where Ben waits for EDI to respond from the Omni-TRUK, or the Omnitrix, or anywhere. It’s only when she doesn’t that he lets out a tense breath.

“We’ve got a big problem on Earth.” He says.

“You mean bigger than the Reapers?” Ester questions. She doesn’t say it as a joke, there’s no levity in her tone, she asks because she needs to be sure of the distinction.

Ben just nods.

“In some Alliance R&D facility, they’re got most of a Null Void projector up and running.” Ben states.

Rook catches onto the danger faster than Ester does. She has to think about what that piece of technology is, what it does.

“Isn’t that… a good thing?” She asks, despite the look of dread forming on Rook’s face. He doesn’t even have a response for her, not immediately. “Guys? Isn’t that what the Plumbers use to get rid of the worst offenders? Isn’t that something we’d want to use against the Reapers?”

“A Null Void projector is a two-way door.” Rook clarifies with severity. “And the Plumbers have been sending their worst criminals there for decades. The technology that could be reverse engineered from the mechanical lifeforms alone would make the Reapers more dangerous than any known army in our universe.”

Now Ester gets it.

“And there’s a projector on Earth. Where the Reapers could find it.” She verbalizes the thought.

“That’s the fear.” Ben confirms. “If even one of them gets into the Null Void, we’d never be able to stop them. They’d just hide away in the darkest corner and make more of themselves for a thousand years. The Null Void is boundless, we’d never find them. Even if we were all still alive, we wouldn’t have a chance when they came back.”

“Do they know?” Rook asks the important question.

“I don’t think so. Almost nobody knows about this. Anderson and some of the other Alliance VIPs do. Shepard knows, but I don’t think he’s told anyone. He can’t, because if the Reapers catch wind we won’t be able to stop them.” Ben answers.

“Why haven’t they destroyed it?” Rook asks, an uncommon sternness to his voice. It borders between anger and fear. Ben notes the contraction he uses.

“I don’t know if they can. Even if they nuked the base, they’ve gotta have backups of the data, and it would just draw the Reaper’s attention.” Ben explains.

It’s a deep, heavy feeling in the pits of their stomachs. The dread that comes from knowing.

“We have to tell the Plumbers.” Ester says.

“Our warp field generator is still broken.” Ben points out.

“So fixing it is our top priority, right?” Ester checks, trying to make sure that Ben and Rook have their priorities in order.

“No.” Rook interjects.

“Why not?”

“I did not mean… It is a high priority, but Ben did not accurately describe the threat of the Reapers. Even if the Plumbers agree to mount a war, it will not be enough to stop them outright. We could drive them away from this Earth, but that would only tell them we are trying to protect something of tremendous importance. Eventually they would get past us.” Rook explains.

“Shepard said our only advantage is that they don’t even know about it.” Ben adds.

“He is correct.”

“So, what? Wasn’t the whole plan to come here, get evidence that the Reapers are a real threat, and go back with it so the Plumbers would help? If that’s off the table, what’s our plan here?” Ester questions.

“Having an extra army would still help.” Ben points out.

“The Reapers are no longer just a threat to our universe. Finding the projector would make them a threat to every universe. The Plumbers would be far more likely to quarantine this universe if they were aware of this level of danger.” Rook corrects the assumption that they would help at all.

“They can do that?” Ester realizes.

Rook nods.

“Also, the more ships we bring to this universe, the more opportunities the Reapers will have to claim a warp-field generator from us. It would be best to wait until the benefit outweighs the risk.” He adds.

“So we have our entire universe in the sidelines, and we can’t even ask for help.” Ben bitterly comments.

“Ben, have you…” Rook wants to phrase this question gently. He’s pressed Ben about the option in the past, when he didn’t understand its importance. He hesitates long enough to realize he doesn’t have a better way to phrase it, and just asks. “Have you considered using Alien-X?”

There’s a deep silence after that question. With the TRUK sealed, not even the idle hum of the Normandy permeates the space. It’s just silent until Ben lets out a sigh.

“I already tried.” He admits.

Rook’s shock doesn’t need words to express.

“When?”

“The first night we were back on the Normandy.” Ben answers. “They won’t do it. Serena and Bellicus say that it would break too many laws to overlook, and that even if it didn’t… Serena said they won’t be used as a tool of war, and Bellicus said that if they erased the Reapers entirely it would only lead to something worse.”

“… Then we cannot rely on your celestialsapien form.” Rook realizes.

“Maybe I can try it if we don’t have any other options. They’re still letting me use the body as long as it means they can keep arguing, I just don’t know how to do the complicated stuff.” Ben clarifies, leaving them in a dreadful lull once more.

“So… what’s the plan?” Ester asks again, hoping one of them will have an answer this time.

“… I don’t know.” Ben admits. “Help them build their Prothean super weapon? Once we have enough forces going to earth to keep the Reapers occupied, we can go back home and get some more help. If we can get someone indoctrinated back to Azmuth he could probably make a vaccine or something. The Highbreed owe me a favor too, and I know they’ve got warships. A few plumber ships from the Earth base wouldn’t hurt either. Blasters basically ignore kinetic barriers, which are like their main shield tech. It wouldn’t be an army, but outfitting some of the guys on our side would help slow down the husks.”

“And until then? We just hang around and hope the Reapers don’t find it?” Ester checks.

“…Yes.” Rook confirms after a second. It’s not the answer he wants to give, but it’s the only one he has.

“Alright.” Ester accepts with a sigh, rising to her feet. “I’m here for the long haul, guys, but… let me know if we think of something better than crossing our fingers. Right now, I need some air.”

“Ester.” Ben stops her, just before she taps the control panel to open the rear hatch. “Don’t tell anyone. The Reapers have the power to indoctrinate people. Like mind control, but way more subtle. If the wrong person finds out, the Reapers will know.”

She’s silent for a moment. Long enough to process how much bad news there was in this conversation. Eventually she just nods and taps the control panel, walking out of the ship.

“… Have you thought about the worst-case scenario?” Rook checks after a moment.

“You mean losing? Everyone in this galaxy dies, gets pulped to grow more Reapers, and we go back home and move on with our lives? … I try not to.”

“… Me either.” Rook agrees.

There’s a subtle tremor through the Normandy as it comes out of FTL. Those paying attention for it know it means they’ve reached the Citadel, and will dock within the hour.

Getting a line open to the Citadel docking authorities takes slightly longer than usual. They’re not more than a few minutes, but it’s a slower response than they usually get. The manager on the other end also takes slightly longer to assign them a dock than they usually would.

It’s clear that the Citadel is getting a bit crowded. Not at capacity, not yet, and even if it were Shepard’s Spectre status would guarantee them a place to dock. But it’s getting crowded. They have to look for somewhere to put the Normandy, as its usual assigned dock is occupied. The process is disorganized, and rushed.

Nobody wants to admit it, but the Citadel will start facing capacity issues soon.

Ben stands in the airlock beside Shepard, Rook, and Ester when they’re finally ready to disembark.

“Remind me again why we’re here.” Ben asks.

The airlock’s disinfectant grid sweeps over them from the corners of the room. It has practically no sensation for most of them, but makes Rook’s fur stand on end with static charge.

“Resupplying before we head to the Krogan DMZ. And I have to see an old friend.” Shepard explains, repeating something he said less than twenty minutes ago while they were docking.

“We were here like 3 days ago, no way are we low on supplies already. And who could be more important than our next mission?”

The Normandy’s outer hatch hisses as it slides open, letting the group step out onto the dock. Shepard paces ahead at the front of them, while Ben nearly jogs to keep up with him.

Rook and Ester take it slightly slower, appreciating the space they’re in outside the main Citadel. They’re on an outstretched platform running parallel to the Normandy, with the only thing separating them from space being a mass effect barrier.

“It’s a 6 hour diversion. It can’t hurt to top off.” Shepard states.

“Right.” Ben believes him, but is pretending to be skeptical to give him a hard time.

“And I received a message from an old associate of ours.” Shepard informs him.

They both step into the Citadel airlock leading into the docks proper. Rook and Ester enter a moment behind them, letting the outer hatch seal and the pressure equalize.

“The one EDI marked priority?” Ben checks, getting a slightly surprised look from Shepard.

“…Yes.” He confirms.

“So, who is it?”

The inner door now opens, and Shepard steps out. Ben does the same behind him, looking ahead at the sprawling waiting area that comes before customs. He almost dismisses the crowds of people around them before spotting someone of note. One of the Normandy’s crew from when he was last here.

She turns to them as soon as she hears Shepard’s boots click against the smooth flooring, brushing her long dark hair aside to keep it out of her vision.

“Shepard, there you are.” She acknowledges him.

The group approaches her, coming to a stop along the railing that looks out to space. The nearest other groups are far enough away to give them relative privacy. As much as any of them could expect in a public place.

Ester glances to Rook, a little confused about who this is. He doesn’t formulate an answer before Ben speaks again.

“Miranda.” He gives her a look.

“Tennyson.” She returns the same nondescript, but very pointed look. “You gave us quite the scare in the Baal system. Glad to see you survived it after all. I’d heard rumors you were back, but… let’s just say it’s nice to see the proof.”

“Uh-huh.” Ben rolls his eyes.

“And you would be…” She pauses after turning to Rook and Ester, needing to process them for a second.

“Rook Blonko, of the Plumbers.” He introduces himself.

“Ester.” She adds.

“Friends of Ben’s, I gather.”

They nod.

“So we come all the way to the Citadel just to give you a visit. You plan on joining the team again, or what?” Ben asks, getting her attention back to him.

“…No.” She shakes her head.

“Then catch me up on whatever this is about after.” Ben rotates on the spot to turn away from them, putting his arms up to stretch as he starts to wander off.

“Where are you going?” Shepard checks.

“Going to check in on the refugees. Didn’t get to last time, remember? Don’t worry, I’ll meet you at the hospital after. You’ll want to check in on Ashley, right?” Ben decides, making his way off before Shepard actually responds.

Ester looks between Ben and the group before tentatively following him, while Rook looks to Shepard.

The commander simply nods towards Ben, and Rook nods in understanding before turning to follow his partner towards customs.

“He hasn’t changed much, I see.” Miranda notes.

Shepard lets out a deep sigh, almost chuckling at her remark.

“It’s like we never lost him.”

“You don’t sound so pleased.” She notes.

“You remember what it was like.” Shepard paces around her, walking down the length of the railing to lean against a spot slightly further down. She follows him. “There were a lot of pieces to pick up without him there to connect them. Everything changed when he was gone. Then Earth is attacked, and…” he stops himself at the mention of the world he left behind. The one he abandoned for the hope of getting help.

“…Shepard, about Earth…” She questions.

“Countless people lost their lives within minutes. The Reapers are everything we feared.” Shepard answers her.

“They should have listened to you a long time ago. I’m sorry, Shepard.” Miranda tells him.

They pause, and after a moment Shepard sighs. He then raises his head and turns her way again.

“We have a plan. We’re doing everything we can, and it helps to have him back.” He says, steeling himself. “What about you? What brings you here?”

“There’s… something I wanted to mention.” Miranda cautiously admits.

“What is it?” Shepard questions, resting his eyes on Miranda cautiously as she prepares to explain.

“That was Miranda Lawson, right?” Rook checks.

“Yeah.” Ben confirms.

His foot taps against the floor impatiently. He looks back and forth between the window to their side, and the number on the wall of the elevator indicating their slow ascent.

“Who’s she?” Ester wonders.

“She previously worked for Cerberus, and was responsible for reporting on Shepard to the Illusive Man.” Rook informs her.

“So that’s what that was about. I thought I detected some tension.”

“She came around by the time I left.” Ben vouches for her.

He looks to the window again right as they pass from the layers of the wards into the channel connecting them to the presidium. The elevator shaft is dark, but has just enough room to maneuver outside.

“She’s not all bad, just mostly. She’s got this sister she’s been trying to keep away from her lunatic dad, or something. I bet that’s been tough since leaving Cerberus.” Ben continues.

The elevator finally passes through the final level of connecting structures and into the warm, artificial sunlight of the presidium. It comes to a stop a moment later and opens, letting the group step out.

“Do you know the way?” Rook checks.

“Sure. Probably.” Ben brushes off the concern, without inspiring confidence.

They both follow him through the walkways of the Presidium. It’s like a park, if they had to give it any kind of Earth comparison. Clear, warm air. The slightest breeze, generated by the shuttlecraft sailing through the air overhead. The lake resting against the outer surface of the ring provides the soft sound of waves. The abundant trees and other decorative foliage rustles softly. The people they walk past talk, and laugh, and eat together.

It feels safe. Despite what they know is happening out there, despite what they just came from, this place feels safe.

There are people who look to Rook and Ester with confusion and hesitance, of course, but a lot of them seem to recognize Ben. That, or they’ve become accustomed to the strange aliens that roam the presidium, and can’t be bothered to care. The posttheans wave when they pass by, almost all recognizing Ben to some degree.

“You lived here for a time, did you not?” Rook checks.

“Like a week or two.” Ben’s attention doesn’t rest on either of his friends. Instead, it scans over the scenery, making note of the few C-Sec guards around and looking for landmarks he recognizes. “Long enough to get on Bailey’s nerves. Didn’t get to be up here too much until coming back with Shepard.”

“Can’t imagine why they wouldn’t want the weird watch boy wandering their perfect gardens.” Ester comments.

“You should’ve seen the council’s faces when they agreed to let the refugees stay up here.” Ben chuckles at the memory.

Ben stops in his tracks, looking back and forth between the miniature statue of a mass effect relay, and the signage directing to a different corner of the wards, before he turns around and starts walking back the other way. Rook and Ester look to each other a little confused, but continue to follow him.

“Are you sure you know where you’re going?” Ester checks again.

“I am sure I could download a map if not. Or perhaps ask C-Sec for directions.” Rook helpfully suggests.

“Ah ah ah! I got it.” Ben insists. “It’s been a bit, I just got a little turned around.”

“Is your memory not supposed to be photographic?” Rook recalls.

“It’s been a while!” Ben repeats, leading them into an alleyway towards some stairs. They emerge again a few terraces up, making their way down its length and to another staircase. “I remember things pretty well, that doesn’t mean I remember everything.”

“So where are we heading, exactly?” Ester asks.

“Up there.” Ben gestures to the next terrace up, at the entrance to an apartment.

Without waiting for Ben or Rook, Ester stretches herself up and over them to reach where Ben gestured. She moves her hand over and taps on the orange hologram in front of the door, alerting those inside that she’s there.

Ben and Rook get up to her level a few moments later, and come to wait beside her. With Ben in the middle, of course, so he’s the first thing they see when the hatch finally opens.

As soon as the door parts, the group sees a single person on the other side. A lewodan, wearing soft red drapes.

“Ben 10.” The lewodan reacts, eyes wide. “And… friends.” He sees Rook and Ester a moment later, but can hardly take his eyes off Ben.

“If the flesh. I wanted to check in.” Ben confirms.

“Uhm… Of course. Come in.” The lewodan says, stepping back from the doorway.

Ben hops inside, looking around at how the apartment has changed over the last few months. Ester and Rook enter a moment after him, a little more slowly.

“Are you… Ester, right?” The lewodan checks, causing her to stop as she passes him.

The door seals shut on its own behind them.

“That’s me.” She confirms.

The lewodan is silent for a moment, glancing away from her with an uncomfortable look on his face. He only looks back to her after a second, his expression becoming more apologetic.

“Gillrus mentioned you several times,  before…” He pauses. “Have you… heard?”

Ester pauses uncomfortably at that information, only letting out a small “Yeah. Bailey told us.”

She’s frozen in place long enough for Ben to turn back to them.

“Hey, Ivarty, where’s everyone else?” He asks.

“The galvan is working. They rarely spend any time here during the days.” The lewodan tells.

“Days?” Rook questions.

“Yes. Uhm… sir.” The lewodan only adds the formality when he notes the armor the revonnahgander is wearing.

“Please, that is not necessary.” Rook assures him with a wave. “But I thought the presidium did not have a night cycle?”

“It… doesn’t.” Ivarty acknowledges. “But since the incident with the lizard, we’ve had the apartment’s lights on a cycle.”

Rook raises an eyebrow.

“The kineceleran.” He clarifies. “The first few weeks we were here, she hardly slept. Something about her species circadian. We didn’t realize the lights in here could be dimmed.”

Ester chuckles sympathetically, walking deeper into the room. She knows what it’s like to deal with kinecelerans.

“Where is she anyways?” Ben wonders.

“Working at C-Sec nowadays.” Ivarty answers. He raises his left arm, flicking it to summon the shape of an omni-tool around his arm. He beeps in a few commands. “I’m letting her know you’re here. She won’t let me hear the end of it if she misses you. We, uhm. I have to say, it was a big moment when we heard you were back. She’s hard to read at the best of times, but even the necrofriggian was… Well, I’m not sure if I’d call it excited.”

“And she’s…?”

“Here. I think. She wanders sometimes, of course, but last I checked she was in.”

“Sleeping?” Ester guesses.

“Heh, they uh…. don’t do that so much. They’ve taken an interest in the shows of this galaxy, actually. Sitcoms, soap operas, that sort of drivel.” He explains.

“It’s not… drivel…” Lumi interjects, causing the group to turn their attention around and up to the balcony overlooking the main room.

Ben chuckles at their objection. He then takes a breath to speak, but doesn’t get to before his attention is grabbed by the sound of the front door opening and the screech of wheels coming to an abrupt stop an instant after.

He barely gets the chance to turn and recognize the alien that just entered before she starts.

“Ohmigosh! BEN! Ben! They weren’t kidding, it’s you! You’re back!” The kineceleran rushed up and stopped just beside of him, almost bouncing in place as she refrains from outright grabbing him for a hug.

“Yeah! Hey.” Ben reacts, still processing the split second rush of words thrown his way.

She looks healthier than she did the last time he visited. It’s helped by the uniform she wears. The standard C-Sec blues, modified to fit her oddly shaped body.

XS refrains from speaking long enough for Ben’s attention to be caught by the sound of wings unfurling. He turns and finds Lumi floating down from the balcony.

“They said you were dead… Then they said you weren’t. It’s nice to have proof so clear as you being here.” Lumi’s wings wrap over her again once she’s touched down. Her build is less gaunt than the last time Ben saw her, but they’re still much slimmer than his own necrofriggian transformation. She still looms over him at almost double his height.

“Sorry about that. I went back to my universe to get some help.” Ben gestures to Rook and Ester, trying to avoid mentioning that the Plumbers declined to send aid. “Came back as soon as I had a ride.”

“Wait, so you can go back forth now? Really? Does that mean you can take us home?” XS checks.

As much fun as Rook and Ester are having watching Ben get swarmed by the very excited aliens, Ben’s partner chooses to cut in at this point, redirecting XS’s attention to him.

“Not quite. Shortly after our arrival, a Reaper hit our ship. The device that allows us to travel between universes is damaged.” Rook explains.

“So… we’re still stuck.” Ivarty understands.

“Only for a little bit longer.” Ben tempers their disappointment. “We can fix it, it’s just going to take a bit. I’m still going to get you home. I promise.”

The reaffirmation of that fact is enough to boost their spirits a little. The fact that a way home is still being worked on, after months of being completely stranded, does a lot to put them at ease.

“That’s good.” Lumi accepts.

“Yeah, like, obviously that’s good! We’ll be able to go home! I totally knew you weren’t really… y’know. Dead. The stories say you’ve dealt with way worse. I just knew you’d come back and get us home, and here you are! I mean, it’s not like I’m in a rush or anything. Hah, funny for me to say that. I just mean I’ve got stuff to do here, I made friends and like the job they gave me – Just the other way they hired on this new Turian girl who’s like my age, and she’s like a totally wizz with info monitoring, and I’ve tried talking to her a bunch, even though we haven’t gotten many chances – but I know these two have had trouble fitting in. Like, big time. Lol.” XS blabs too fast for anyone to stop her before she’s already done.

“XS.” Lumi says, her tone low and direct.

“Oops! Sorry, too much? I’ll ease back. But come on! It’s Ben 10!”

The lewodan sighs, floating off in the direction of the kitchen.

“I need a drink to handle much more of this.” He rounds a corner before shouting again. “Any of you want something?”

“Uh…” Ben expresses, looking to the only one of them that’s old enough to drink.

Rook shakes his head, like his answer should have been obvious.

“We’re good, thanks!” Ben shouts back.

“We were only stopping by for a minute to see how you guys are holding up.” Ester says, causing the others to turn to her.

“Oh! Okay, well, right. That makes sense. You’re probably super busy saving the galaxy and everything. It’s still super nice to see you guys. I totally can’t believe I rushed right past you! You’re Ester, right! It’s so nice to meet you! I’ve heard great things. And Rook, right? Earth magister?” XS pauses just long enough for him to nod. “I knew it! I think the plumbers are super cool, so I looked up all the ones on the Earth base when I planned to move there, and I knew I remembered there being a Revonnahgander! Anywho, I don’t wanna keep you. I have to get back to it anyways, but it was really nice to see you!” By the time any of them have processed the wall of information she hits them with she’s already waved goodbye and rushed back out to the presidium.

“Wow.” Ester says.

“Yeah, she’s… always like that.” Ben adds.

“She’s not, actually.” Lumi mentions, causing Ben to shift his focus her way. “She just gets excited to see you.”

Ben chuckles, smirking. “Yeah, I have that effect.”

Ester rolls her eyes.

“It… is nice to know you have not forgotten about us, Ben 10. We were lucky for you to find us. This has not been forgotten.” They say.

And in an instant Ben’s arrogant persona falters. It doesn’t vanish, but it recoils for a moment, and in its place is an expression of acknowledgement. Of understanding.

“Yeah, well. Don’t worry about that.” Ben says, turning to head back to the door. Rook and Ester hesitate, but eventually follow. “Just hang in there. A couple more weeks, and you’ll be home free.”

“Thank you.” Is the last thing said before the door closes again, leaving Ben, Rook, and Ester in the peaceful drone of the presidium.

Ben’s allowed to wander the Citadel by this point. His relationship with C-Sec and the Council has undoubtedly developed that far. It has, however, developed that far primarily because Ben has been out and about the galaxy. Ben’s only had a few chances here and there to actually explore the citadel. Even less to be on the Presidium.

He knew the way to the refugees’ apartment. He got a little turned around, but he still knew the way, because he’d been there a few times before. He’s been to the hospital once, and he went there directly from the embassies.

Which is why they’ve been wandering the presidium for the last twenty minutes.

It takes a half dozen attempts for Ben to finally accept help, and let Rook pull up a map of the presidium. Which quickly informs them that the hospital is built into one of the struts connecting the two walls of the ring. Which finally lets them navigate into the building.

Rook and Ester agree to wait in the lobby while Ben heads in. Surprisingly, Ben passes Udina on his way in, looking even more annoyed than usual.

Ben knows which room she’s in. He pauses just outside before tapping the hologram to open the door, hearing the two inside talk. Only after a moment does he open the door, and step forward.

He instantly sees the two of them. Shepard, sitting beside her bed, and Ashley Williams in said bed. He looks almost as bad as the last time he saw her. So injured that her being conscious is a shock. Despite her condition, she seems entirely cognizant, meeting his gaze.

It’s awkward. Ben standing in the doorway, and the two of them looking back at him. Shepard knows them both, but they don’t know each other.

“Hey.” He offers, lacking for anything else to start with.

“Tennyson. Nice to… Well, we’ve met. Not sure you’d remember me, but…” Ashley says, looking away from him a little. One of her eyes is still swollen and bruised. The other narrows into almost a wince.

“Yeah, I remember.” Ben assures her, stepping far enough in to let the door close behind him. “Last time I saw you they weren’t too sure you were gonna pull through.”

Ashley chuckles at that. It’s a strained chuckle, reserved to avoid hurting herself.

“Last time I saw you, you weren’t much better.” She says.

“Oh yeah? When was that?” Ben smiles, growing more comfortable with the conversation.

“Horizon.” She says.

That casual smile only lasts a second, falling away the moment she says the word. Horizon, the colony where the Collectors got lucky. Where they nearly killed him.

He remembers them mentioning Ashley back then. The colonists, that is. He didn’t get to meet her then, though.

The scars aren’t even gone yet. They’ve faded, and they will vanish, but they aren’t gone yet. Those marks from that day still rest just below the surface of his skin. The burns and gashes from when the beam tore him open. When he missed that punch, miles above the ground, and the tungsten plasma pierced his casing.

“I heard you died. Still having a hard time believing what I’m seeing.” Ashley continues, helping Ben to focus back on the moment. “Last thing I knew the Reapers were coming down hard, and the Prothean Archives were our last hope. Then I wake up, and they’re telling me you’re back. Working with Shepard again, no less.”

“You almost sound annoyed about that.” Ben notes, keenly.

“Can you blame me? I missed a lot.”

“There’s still plenty left to do. Once you’re back on your feet, I’m sure we could use you in the fight.” Ben says.

The way he says that makes her pause. The one eye that can widens, while her brow furrows with skeptical thought. After a second she turns her attention to Shepard. After another moment she just looks down, thinking.

She chuckles, then sighs.

“I’m… sorry. It’s nice to meet you, really. It’s just been a lot.”

“I get it.” Ben assures her.

She meets his eyes again.

“It was nice of you to visit while I was out. And… I want to help. I just… It’s hard to know who to trust these days.” She tries to explain.

“You think we’re indoctrinated?”

Ben addressing that idea so directly takes her by surprise a little. Like some part of her wouldn’t have dared to say is so bluntly, or loudly. At least not here, in a place like this.

“No.” She decides after a moment. “Well, not exactly…”

She looks to Shepard, a tempered meekness in her eye. She doesn’t say anything, she just looks at him.

“You were both working for Cerberus for months.” She finally broaches the topic.

Ben can’t resist laughing at the statement. Directly, and loudly.

“I was working for Shepard, actually.” Ben corrects her. “Trust me, if I ever catch wind of where TIM is, he’s going straight to a Plumber cell. He hurt people from my universe. Friends of friends, people that I should have been able to save. If you think we’re still with them, you need to get your head screwed on straight.”

“Ben.” Shepard cuts in, stopping the teen’s hostile tone.

“What? It’s true.” Ben rebuttals. “I wanted to shut them down for months before I went home. If we didn’t need their intel, we would have cut ties way earlier.”

Ashley has to take a moment to appreciate how fiercely sincere he is. How much the idea of Cerberus gets under his skin.

The stern stare from Shepard still gets Ben to pause, eventually. He looks to Ashley, then sighs.

“Sorry.” He accepts., turning to step out of her room. “I’ll let you two talk.”

“Ben.” She stops him, just before he stops out. “I’m glad we got the chance to speak again. You seem like a decent guy.”

“You too, Williams.” He returns. Then he steps out.

It’s not hard to spot Rook and Ester once he steps out. They clearly stand out from the usual assortment of peoples. The only aliens he might mistake them for are the posttheans, but there is a notable lack of those in this hospital. Which isn’t too surprising, considering that this galaxy’s medical sciences are completely ignorant to their biology.

Ben expected to spot his friends easily. What he didn’t expect was to see who they’re sitting with. A person that, like them, stands out from the usual assortment of races in the lobby. A drell. More than that, one he knows.

Ben walks over, giving a small wave to get Rook’s attention before he reaches them. The subtle shift of the revonnahgander’s eyes is all the indication the Drell needs to know someone is behind them, and they turn around to face Ben as he reaches the group.

“Benjamin.” They great him. Their tone is sharp and low, but friendly.

“Thane!” Ben says, exaggerating his excitement just a little. “Good to see you’re still kicking, dude. What are you doing here?”

“Huerta is where my doctors of choice are working now. And when I heard a member of Shepard’s crew was here, I decided to keep an eye on them. I was just telling your friends about this.” Thane informs him.

“Right. Back when we were finding your son, Shepard mentioned you didn’t have much time left. I never really got any clarification about that.”

“Ah… I suppose we didn’t get many chances to speak back then, did we? Don’t worry, it’s not communicable, even to other drell. It’s called Kepral’s Syndrome.”

“Do you know how much time you have left?” Rook checks, causing Thane to look back to him.

Ben sits himself down across from Thane on a small ottoman, so the four of them create a small circle.

“I’ve been to several doctors. My favorite gave me three months to live… nine months ago. It’s freeing to find no requirements placed on me. No responsibilities, no fears. It is a good end to a life.” Thane tells them.

“I’m… sorry, dude.” Ben’s eyes can’t help but fall. First just to the ground, then to the alien device on his wrist. “I didn’t know.”

“Do not grieve for me. I have good doctors. My son visits regularly.” Thane assures them.

“Have you spoken to Shepard yet?” Rook is again the one to ask.

“He saw me on the way in. We have said as much as we need to.” Thane confirms.

Ben’s gaze stays on the Omnitrix, his face becoming pensive.

“So, what are you doing nowadays? I mean, you were like an assassin or something back on Shepard’s crew, right? How do you retire from that?” Ester wonders.

“I retired before I joined Shepard’s crew. He collected me during my last job. In truth, we never knew if we’d survive the Collectors. I have enjoyed my time since.” The drell answers.

Ben’s right hand moves to his left wrist, tapping commands into the watch’s face. Rook gives him a glance, but doesn’t say anything. Not until Ben raises his wrist, and a beam emerges from the device, scanning up and down over Thane. The Drell remains calm, but Ester and Rook both tense.

“Ben?” Rook questions.

“Genetic deviation within expected bounds.” The watch chimes at Ben, causing his expression to sour.

He drills in another set of commands, more quickly and precisely than he would usually. Another beam flickers over Thane.

“Function not available.” It chimes, and Ben continues to argue. “Function not available.” It repeats. “Symptomatic expression incompatible with genetic repair function.” It tells him.

And now Ben stops, turning from frustrated to saddened.

“What were you doing?” Thane checks.

“Seeing if I could… I thought, maybe, that…”

“You were trying to cure me.”

“Sorry. I thought that with all this thing can do, maybe, but…” Ben says.

“I appreciate the thought, but it is okay. I have made my peace.”

“Yeah.” Ben accepts, reluctantly.

Rook’s attention again flicks up, looking past both Thane and Ben. It’s enough to cause Ben to glance back, seeing Shepard walking out of the ICU.

“I believe it is time for us to go.” Rook notes before looking to Thane again. “May you be comfortable and happy in the time you have left. I hope we speak again.”

“I hope the same. If was a pleasure to meet you, Rook.” He returns, letting the group stand up and step away from him to rejoin with Shepard on his way out of the hospital.

“Where next, Shepard?” Ben checks, wandering a bit behind the commander.

“Up to the spectre offices, in the embassies. There are some matters I need to deal with before we take off again.” Shepard answers.

“Right.” Ben says.

“You’re welcome to go back to the Normandy and wait.” He reminds Ben.

“Come on, you always get into trouble. I’m not missing it.”

“Right.” Shepard returns his skepticism.

It’s not long until the group step into an elevator, and Shepard programs it to head for the embassies.

Rook and Ester get off before reaching the Embassies, content to head back to the Normandy. Unlike Ben, they don’t think much more of note will happen before they depart. Ben tries to convince them otherwise, but they excuse themselves anyways. It leaves just the two humans to head the rest of the way up.

They make their way across the main floor and up towards the Spectre offices. It’s as they almost reach the door in that they’re interrupted. There is a salarian to the left of the door to the Spectre requisitions office. They wear black armor with yellow accents. Their skin is dark brown/green, lightening around their chin and horns.

“Commander Shepard!” The salarian calls out, stopping the two of them.

“Jondum Bau.” Shepard recognizes him.

“Glad to know you received my communique.” The salarian responds.

“Who?” Ben wonders.

“A Spectre.” Shepard answers.

“I’ve got intel suggesting that high-level hanar officials may be indoctrinated.” The salarian explains.

Ben looks at the commander a little smugly. Shepard intentionally ignores him.

“That’s a damning accusation. What have you got?” Shepard checks, suddenly hoping that this won’t become a serious problem. Just to avoid Ben saying, ‘told you so.’ if nothing else.

“Evidence of an Alliance black ops team raiding a batarian research station. The batarians were studying Reaper technology. The alliance raid turned into a massacre, and the humans ended up with nothing. Your people faked a power failure to hide the incident.” Jondum Bau explains.

“The batarians would’ve gone to war if they’d found out.” Shepard almost instinctually defends the Alliance’s actions. “But how does this implicate the hanar?”

“They maintained discreet gray-market trade relationships with the batarians – and led the Alliance to the station. We suspect those hanar operatives escaped with batarian tech. If your reports on the Reapers are accurate, they could already be indoctrinated.” He continues.

“What’s your source on all this?” Shepard investigates, as he’s prone to.

“It was an anonymous “gift,” but I believe it came from a thief named Kasumi Goto. I’ve been after her for years.”

“Kasumi?” Ben reacts faster than Shepard can.

“Indeed. A strange name, I know, but I do believe it’s human in origin.” He confirms, completely oblivious to the fact that Ben knows her personally.

“You’re hunting a thief?” Shepard asks more cautiously.

“A master thief. Her intelligence and skills are almost salarian.” Bau says.

“I’m sure she’d appreciate praise from the Spectre who’s chasing her down.” Shepard notes.

“I only need her data. I admire her personally. And since she sent me this, I assume her feelings are mutual.”

“What do you need me to do?” The commander is quick to offer.

“The hanar operative is now a diplomat on the citadel. I don’t have a public name, and the hanar will go to ground if I make a formal inquiry.”

“So we’re hunting.”

“I’m tracking suspicious transmissions from the hanar homeworld. I could use your help.” Jondum clarifies the scope of their task.

“Let me see what I can dig up at the Spectre office.” Shepard tells him.

“Thanks, Shepard.” Jondum accepts.

Shepard nods, letting Jondum walk away to proceed with how own side of the investigation. He and Ben continue along, heading into the Spectre office. Technically Ben isn’t actually allowed in the room, but it’s not like anyone would try to stop him. Not anymore, and especially not with an actual Spectre right next to him.

Shepard keeps quiet as the door closes behind them. Ben takes a breath to speak, but Shepard raises a hand to shush him. His eyes peer over the room around them suspiciously.

“Uh… dude?” Ben questions.

“Give it a second.”

“Give what a second?”

A beat of silence.

“Ugh. You’re no fun.” A woman groans, accentuated with the fizzle of an electrical field dispersing.

Both of them turn back, finding Kasumi standing just beside the hatch into the room.

“Wh- You knew she was here the whole time?” Ben realizes, turning to Shepard.

“I had a feeling.”

“I had a feeling.” Ben sarcastically mocks him.

“Good to see you again, Ben.” She takes just a few steps forward. Enough to make the distance between them less awkward for a conversation.

“Yeah, yeah, you too. I missed you or whatever.” Ben says, still pretending to be annoyed about Shepard figuring something out before him. “You don’t seem all that surprised to see me. Guess you didn’t think I was really dead?”

“Oh, I totally freaked when I first saw you. But that was a while ago. Now I’m over it.”

“Right.”

“Anywayyys, remember when you helped me get Keiji’s graybox from Donovan Hock? The one with information that could start a war?”

“Information like an Alliance black ops raid on a batarian research lab?” Shepard surmises.

“I figured it wouldn’t hurt to leak it now. Especially if there really is an indoctrinated jellyfish out there… crazier than usual.” She explains.

Shepard turns, strolling further into the room towards a terminal at the back wall.

“Yeah, about that, what’s the plan exactly?” Ben asks, following him.

The terminal boots itself with Shepard’s proximity, displaying a list of services available to the commander. He browses through them, and Ben lets him deliberate on his response.

Right at the bottom of the list is an option that interests the commander. Not because it helps with their current mission, but because it’s a loose end he had meant to tie up a while ago. He authorizes the transfer with very little thought. Ben barely catches what he just did before Shepard scrolls back up to more relevant options.

The commander just transferred two engineers, formerly of Cerberus employment, back onto the Normandy. Gabriella Daniels, and Ken Donnelly. Ben wasn’t able to process most of the blurb on what their situation was. He’ll have to ask them about it.

Shepard enables a different Spectre perk, and his omni-tool chimes with confirmation.

“Shepard, I’m checking security reports. Can you track the transfers coming from the hanar embassy?” Jondum adds, playing through his omni-tool so Ben can hear too.

“On it.” Shepard confirms, closing the call as quickly as it started.

“Wait, wait. Our plan is to… look at their bank history?” Ben realizes.

Shepard just kinda stares at him.

“Bau’s got a good plan. Hanar are predictable. Anything suspicious in their terminal use should narrow down our list of suspects.” Kasumi explains.

“So you approve of Bau?” Shepard notes, turning to her.

“Absolutely. He’s a good Spectre. The galaxy needs more like him.”

“And… the fact that he’s trying to arrest you?

“Well, nobody’s perfect.”

“No no no, hang on. That it?” Ben repeats. “You’re sure you don’t want me to go Upgrade and hack the grid, or turn into Clockwork so we can look in the hanar offices and see what they’ve been talking about? We’re just… looking at bank records?”

“This is Bau’s investigation. We’re just helping. If there are any complications doing it his way, then we do it the Ben way.” Shepard explains to him.

Ben is silent for a moment, slightly exasperated until he finally forces himself to accept that reasoning as sound.

“Yeah, alright.” Ben accepts.

“If you don’t mind me tagging along cloaked, maybe I can help you dig up some dirt on the hanar.” Kasumi offers.

“I’d appreciate it.” Shepard confirms with a nod.

Kasumi is quick to summon her omni-tool and dial in the commands to reactivate her invisibility.

Shepard starts walking toward the exit. After a moment Ben can only follow after him, accepting that they’re doing this the normal way.

“Aw man…” He bemoans the thought of it.

He follows Ben across the embassies, listening to his omni-tool beep and drone as it scans for a data terminal. When it finally gets a match they both plan to head straight for it. At least, until a woman gets in their way.

“Commander Shepard! Commander, the people of the Alliance have questions!” She basically shouts in his face.

He barely acknowledges her, trying to side step the reporter to continue on his way. It’s only when she moves to continue blocking him that he turns and looks back to Ben.

“Can you keep her busy?” Shepard requests.

“You’re trusting me with a reporter?” Ben asks, astonished.

“You’re Ben 10, world famous superhero. Surely you can handle the press.” Shepard teases him. A level of lightheartedness that catches Ben so off-guard that the Commander is able to walk away before he even formulates a response.

With the commander walking away, and Ben’s identity made clear, the reporter focuses on him instead. Her floating camera drone drifts back, angling itself to get both of them in frame before she begins speaking.

“Ben Tennyson. Khalisah Bint Sinan al-Jilani.” She introduces herself.

“Big name.” Ben notes.

“How long ago were you enlisted with the Alliance?”

“Uh… I don’t know, man. Like half a year ago? Maybe longer?”

“And what exactly is your position with the Alliance? What duties do you fulfil in the service of the Systems Alliance, the representative body of Earth and all human colonies in Citadel space.”

“You know, I’ve never really been clear on that. I think the point of getting me on the payroll was mostly just so they could keep a leash on me. Smart, given the kind of stuff I can do.” Ben answers her question more honestly than she was probably expecting.

“Most of our viewers agree that every Alliance report released to the public which involves you reads like a work of young adult fiction. It’s not unfair to ask, what exactly can you do?” Al-Jilani questions.

“Turn into aliens, from my universe.” Ben reaches for the Omnitrix, spinning through the selector before slamming down the core.

In a flash he rises in height. His clothes are rearranged in the flash of green light, turning into a pair of glossy black and green pants. The rest of his body is left exposed, turning into darker tanned skin. His torso is wide with muscle and an oddly shaped skeleton, but the most strange part of him are the eyes covering every inch of him. Except, of course, where eyes would be on a human. That region instead hosts a pair of ear-like flaps.

“Eh, good enough.” He appraises himself.

His new size causes the camera drone to quickly drift back so he can be in frame.

“And what kinds of advantages do these species provide you?” She fiercely hides any sort of astonishment or shock she might be feeling in face of the new body before her.

“Well, if Iris-ist the urge to boast, there’s a lot eye can do.” Ben says. He then moves a hand to the Omnitrix on his belt, tapping it. With another flash he becomes human again. “Sorry, when I’m Eyeguy I kinda can’t resist the puns. What I mean is that my aliens can do a lot. Shoot fire, fly, phase through walls, move at the speed of sound. Pretty sure people have seen the aliens that are here on the citadel. I can turn into almost all of them.”

“And is it accurate that you were declared MIA over 3 months ago? Only to reemerge on Earth after the Reapers attacked?”

“I left to get help, from my universe.” He repeats the same line he’s been telling everyone else since he got back.

“And where is that help? With ‘all you can do,’ how do you justify running away in our time of need? While millions of People on Earth die? Is that the best we can expect from the Alliance?” She presses, her tone sharply turning from investigative to downright aggressive.

Ben’s relaxed demeanor abruptly stiffens.

“Hey, I’m doing my best. I’ve been saving people every day since I left Earth. If I stayed there, I’d be slowing the Reapers down. Not stopping them.”

“What about all the people suffering while Commander Shepard plays politics with the Council? What about them? Do you even care about the families that are dying?” She continues.

“I’m doing my best! It’s not anyone else in this universe is doing much better!” Ben can’t help but raise his voice.

“Whole brigades were destroyed in the first attack on Earth, by singular Reapers. Do you believe that you are more important than every man and woman on those ships? Is that the reason you left Earth, because those people – our families – aren’t as important as you are?”

“What???” Ben erupts. “Are you joking? That’s not what I said.”

“Khalisah.” Shepard cuts in.

She barely has the time to turn in his direction before he swings a fist her way, striking her in the gut. Ben can tell he was holding back, but the hit still takes the breath out of her. She falls to her knees, heaving.

“You’re angry. I get that. But no one gets to talk to my crew like that.” Shepard states.

“Dude.” Ben reacts, looking at Shepard sternly.

“We’re going.” Shepard says.

“No, we’re not.” Ben argues, crouching down to offer his hand to al-Jilani.

She looks at him skeptically, evidently cautious of the gesture, but eventually she takes the hand. He helps her up.

“She’s doing her job, dude. She’s scared, everyone is. Better someone talks about it.” Ben states.

Khalisah struggles to catch her breath still, but is able to let go of Ben and stand on her own.

“I get it, okay?” He says, looking to her. “But we’re doing our best. We’re trying to get support for Earth. And I do care.”

She lingers for a moment before turning, walking away from the two without another word. The drone follows her once she gestures for it.

Once she’s far enough away Ben turns his attention to Shepard.

“You two have history?” He guesses.

“She’s been trying to defame me since I went after Saren.” Shepard summarizes.

“Mannn. If she’s like your Harangue then I’m sorry I stood up for her.”

“Probably best that you did. If that was live, it was probably a hell of a reputation boost.” Shepard reasons.

“For the record, I think you did great.” Kasumi cuts in from the open air, causing Ben to startle.

“Uh… Thanks.” Ben accepts.

Shepard’s omni-tool leads them down to another level for the next relevant data terminal.

“So, Shepard asked you to join yet?” Ben wonders as the elevator doors reopen.

“He was getting around to it.” Kasumi says. The direction her voice comes from is still somewhat startling without a visible source.

“I just offered her immunity if Bau ever caught up.” Shepard clarifies, stepping out in front of Ben to head for the terminal.

“Like I said, getting around to it.” Kasumi repeats.

“So?” Ben wonders.

“I’m good. Last time he roped me into a suicide mission.” She says.

“And you were fineee.” Ben reminds her.

“I literally died. You had to bring me back to life.” She in turn reminds him.

“That was on your mission." Ben argues.

“I’m still not joining.” She insists.

“Suit yourself.” Ben shrugs. “Would’ve been nice to have you back.”

Shepard’s omni-tool chimes as he finishes scrolling through the data it extracted.

“Bau, Oloon’s doing some heavy lobbying for the hanar to support the war effort.” Shepard says, opening the line to him.

“So he’s clearly not indoctrinated. Who’s opposing him?” Bau questions.

“An unnamed hanar recently posted here from Kahje. I’ll check transit records for incoming hanar.” Shepard reconfigures his omni-tool, turning to head in the direction of the next terminal. It’s on the same level, but on the other side of customs.

“It all comes down to the war… and you trying to pull everyone into it.” Kasumi explains.

They exit into the lower docking bay, which have been more completely converted into a refugee camp since the last time Ben was here. Crowds of people move about the space. A shrine to the lost has taken shape on the left. People of all species occupy the other side.

“Would you rather the Reapers win?” Shepard questions.

“I’d rather spend whatever time I have left with Keiji.”

The posttheans surprise Ben slightly. Within the refugee camps, cobbled together from shipping crates and whatever technology the Citadel has been able to spare, are members of pretty much every species Ben could name. Including posttheans. They’re helping, it seems. Offering aid and supplies, having people operate the medical technology.

“Keiji wouldn’t want you to spend all your time plugged into that thing.”

“Well, he shouldn’t have died, then.” Kasumi decides.

Shepard seems to be heading all the way for the far end, but something else catches Ben’s attention on the way down. Someone in the camps he recognizes. Him stopping causes Shepard to as well, and he looks to find the same person helping move containers down in the camp.

They make their way around the impromptu medical tables towards a woman in light casual wear.

“Yeoman Kelly Chambers.” Shepard acknowledges her, causing the woman to turn around and look his way.

The shock on her face quickly turns to warmth, smiling as she recognizes the two of them. She looks about how they remember her. A little thinner, maybe. Bags under her eyes suggest she might not be getting enough sleep these days. The most notable difference is that she seems to have dyed her hair blonde.

“Shepard! It’s really you. I could just hug you. And you, Ben. I’m so glad to see you’re really okay. After everything that happened, we all thought… I mean, I’d heard you were back, but it was hard to believe.” She says.

“Ah, come on. A little Mass Relay going nuclear isn’t going to keep me down.” Ben boasts.

“How’ve you been?” Shepard checks.

“Oh, I’ve been so worried. Without my Cerberus contacts, I had no way of knowing if you’d survived the invasion.”

“Guess that means you finally ditched TIM and his cronies.” Ben notes.

“Working with Shepard opened my eyes, got me thinking. I looked closely at what Cerberus had done. In good conscious, I couldn’t stay with them. He inspired me to leave. You did too, Ben.” Kelly explains.

“With Earth under siege, I’ve got command of the Normandy again. You could come with us. Ken and Gabby are probably moving their things over as we speak. It’d be just like old times.” Shepard offers.

She takes a breath to speak, but stops herself. Her expression sours, almost turning to a look of shame.

“Please believe me: I want nothing more than to be with you again, but… I can’t. Ever since the collectors abducted us… I relive it every night.” She pauses, avoiding either of their eyes. “I see Joker running out, then that cold hand pulls me back. They’re above me. Around me. They stuff me into that coffin, and I’m relieved – that they aren’t touching me anymore. But then it’s so small. You can’t breathe. It seems like forever. I watched people melt… god…”

She can’t help the tears in her eyes. Her hands move to wipe them clear, while shaky breaths hiss through her lips.

“Hey, it’s okay.” Shepard steps forward, gently resting a hand on her shoulder. Just to assure her that he’s there. That he gets it.

“I’m fine. I just… can’t step back onto the Normandy. I’m sorry.” She says.

“Don’t be.” Shepard assures her.

“And even if I could, I shouldn’t. I’m making a difference here. Sometimes it’s hard to… The posttheans still look like them, sometimes. But they’re kind. They understand. Sometimes I think they’re the only ones that really do. And if there was ever a reason I studied psychology, it was to help people at a time like this.”

“And Cerberus just… let you walk? Didn’t think they liked people going rouge.” Ben points out.

“They don’t, but Cerberus has more important things to worry about than me.” Kelly assures him.

“I can tell you’re doing good work around here. Keep it up.” Shepard approves.

“Thank you, Shepard. I will.” She smiles. “I’m so glad you found me. Seeing you makes everything right again.”

It’s now that someone calls out for Kelly from across the area. Her attention shifts over to them, and she gestures that she’ll be just a second.

“Before I let you go, Swift says hi.” Shepard mentions, causing Kelly to pause.

“She… does?”

“You know how she is. She talked about you though. I’m sure she’d be keeping in touch if she could. She’s been fighting alongside Anderson back on Earth.” Shepard informs her.

“That’s… thank you. It’s nice to hear that she’s still thinking about me.” Kelly tells him.

“I’m sure she looks forward to seeing you again, when she has the chance.”

“I’m sure you’re right, Shepard.” She accepts, a genuine hope in her eyes. “Well, I need to run. Please be careful.”

Shepard nods, and Ben gives her a smile as she heads off to help. With her gone, the two of them turn and head back to the main path to continue.

“So, didn’t feel like catching up with Kelly?” Ben notes, speaking to the open air.

“What, so she can remind me of how important the work we did on the Normandy was? I’ll pass.” Kasumi responds.

“Sure.” Ben accepts.

They reach the next terminal and wait while Shepard interfaces with it.

“I’ve got a list of new hanar arrivals, Bau. Forwarding it to you.” Shepard says into his comms.

“Damn. These are all face names. The hanar names from the Alliance raid are soul names. And hanar soul names are private. There’s no public record. Can you get back to their personal communications?” Bau responds.

“On it. Maybe we’ll find names there.” Shepard says, closing the line. He and Ben turn and start heading back down the bay towards the previous terminal.

“So how’s the rest of the gang? Met up with anybody else?” Kasumi wonders.

“Garrus is helping out on the Normandy.” Shepard answers.

“He never could pass up a good fight.”

“We’ve got Mordin on board right now.” Ben follows up.

“What about Jacob?” She instead asks, skipping over Mordin.

“Haven’t heard from him since he left Earth.” Shepard answers.

“See… Jacob could have gotten my back on the Normandy.”

“I thought you were happy with your memories of Keiji.” Shepard points out.

“Hey, I’m nostalgic, not dead.” She defends herself.

“Hang on, I feel like I missed something. What’s Shepard talking about?” Ben has to ask.

“Keiji’s graybox.” Shepard clarifies. “While you were unconscious in the Kodiak, Kasumi listened to Keiji’s last message. She decided to save the data on the graybox.”

“Right, that thing.” Ben half remembers.

They pass back through the customs scanners, arriving at the terminal beside the elevator. Shepard resummons his omni-tool, giving it just a second to connect before paging back to the relevant data.

“Bau, here’s the correspondence. If there’s any mention of soul names…”

“I’ve got it. A recent arrival. Zymandis. Soul name: Regards the Works of the Enkindlers in Despair. He was with the Alliance research team that massacred the bararians. He’s been on ‘special research assignment’ ever since.” Bau responds.

“So he got his tentacles on some Reaper tech.” Shepard deduces.

“Looks that way. I’m sending you the NavPoint for his office. I’ll meet you there.” Bau says, letting the line close again.

“Let me guess. Back in the embassies?” Ben comments.

Shepard simply gives him a knowing smile, and heads for the elevator doors.

“You think I should give my hanar form a soul name? Like, if that’s a thing they have, then I probably should, right?” Ben wonders.

“Wouldn’t your soul name just be your human name?” Kasumi wonders.

“Huh, yeah…” Ben thinks about it.

The elevator doors seal behind them, and the room begins to rise.

“Guess I’ll just stick with Jellyfickle.” Ben decides.

“That’s what you named your hanar form?” Shepard realizes.

“What?” He reacts, a little defensive. “I thought it was clever.”

Kasumi can’t help but chuckle.

“I like it.” She notes.

Shepard leads them up to Jondum Bau, waiting beside the entrance to the diplomatic offices. His eyes flick up from his omni-tool, meeting the commander’s.

“Shepard.” He acknowledges him, before his eyes move to Ben. “You’re bringing a civilian?”

“Hey. Ben 10. You might have heard of me.” Ben introduces himself.

Jondum’s eyes widen slightly.

“Ah. Apologies, I didn’t recognize you. Descriptions made you out to be… taller.” He explains.

Kasumi suppresses a snicker.

“Yeah, well.” Ben grumbles.

“Please, let us proceed.” Bau says.

“Lead the way.” Shepard tells him.

With the wave of his omni-tool the doors open. The office they’re heading to is just inside on the right, visible from the embassies through a large window at the back of the room. Inside they find only two people. A guard stationed by the door, who wears most of a standard C-Sec uniform, albeit colored green; and a hanar standing at a desk by the back window, a small creature that rests high off the ground atop six tentacles. This hanar is a bright pink, with glowing white patterns defining the space where a face might be on any other species.

Shepard comes in after Bau, stopping on his left. Ben stands even further left, looking around the room instead of at the hanar.

“Zymandis?” Shepard checks.

“Or should I say, Regards the Works of the Enkindlers in Despair?” Bau cuts to the chase.

The hanar half turns to look at them. As much as a creature without defined eyes can.

“It seems this one has been apprehended, but confinement is irrelevant. The work of the Enkindlers cannot be stopped.” Zymandis tells them.

“Why are you trying to help the Reapers?” Shepard demands.

“We obtained information regarding the Enkindlers from classified sources.” The hanar tells him.

“Enkindlers? You mean the Protheans?”

“Yes. As you are aware, Commander Shepard, the Protheans eventually became the Collectors. And the Collectors served the Reapers.” Zymandis continues.

“Uh, yeah, until I freed them.” Ben cuts in.

“You have got to be kidding me.” Shepard grumbles to himself.

“Did you, like, miss the part where the posttheans all talked about how they were forced to serve the Reapers? Or the last however many months, where they’ve all been trying to fight the Reapers?” Ben continues.

“Those are not Enkindlers. Those are what you turned them into, to serve your own will. You defiled them.” The hanar explains.

“Wh- But that’s literally what the Reapers did! I gave them back their free will!” Ben points out.

“The collectors were a natural evolution of the Enkindlers who were spared by the Reapers. Therefore, as a faithful servant of the Enkindlers, we too must serve the Reapers.” Zymandis reasons.

Shepard steps past Bau, so the hanar focuses on him specifically.

“You big, stupid, jellyfish.” Shepard insults him.

“You know, I support religious freedom for all species, but that’s just crazy.” Kasumi whispers to Ben.

“Your skepticism does not matter. When the Enkindlers uplift us as their chosen sapients, the galaxy will bare witness.” Zymandis insists.

“You’re insane, and we can’t allow you to endanger your planet. We’re taking you into custody.” Shepard states. He then turns away from the hanar, stepping back over to Bau.

“Your belief in your victory is mistaken. Out planetary defense network is largely automated. It can be disabled with a single virus. …which I have just uploaded.” Zymandis reveals.

“Wait, what?” Ben is instantly paying far more attention to the situation.

“Damn it!” Bau reacts. “Wait… a virus would be detected unless sent on low-priority channels, which have a time-lag. I may be able to block the upload.” He flicks up his omni-tool, starting to go through the channels to interrupt the upload before it’s broadcast from the Citadel.

He doesn’t quite get to finish before the guard by the door steps over. He knocks his omni-tool arm down and slamming his other hand against his neck, slamming the Spectre against the wall.

“You may be… delayed.” Zymandis states.

“Help him! I’ll handle this!” Kasumi shouts, becoming visible as she leaps over a table towards a terminal on the other side of the room, connected to the same row where Zymandis was working.

“Should I… do something???” Ben asks frantically, abruptly feeling totally unprepared for the severity of the moment.

Shepard doesn’t take any time to punch the guard across the face, completely tearing him off Jondum and knocking him to the ground. The second Jondum is free he pulls out his gun, aiming it at the hanar and pulling the trigger before anyone can stop him.

“Woah, nuh-uh.” Ben scolds, his hand immediately moving for the Omnitrix. He barely gives any attention to the dial, trusting it in a situation like this. He slams the dial down, and gets exactly the one he wants.

His skin becomes a brass-like metal. He expands in width and height, taking on the form of an automaton with visible ticking gears within his torso. The Omnitrix rests on the window into his chest, its green glow matching the display forming a face. A key begins to slowly tick above his head. Clockwork.

He reaches out, gripping the moment. His limbs strain, but he doesn’t stop. He barely knows how to do this, but he still tries. He sinks his fingers into the temporal reality of the space around the hanar and drags it back. It feels like something is scraping, in the abstract way that his powers work. It feels like he’s eroding time-space just a little bit by doing this, by forcing it all back second by second, but he still does it.

“Got it! Upload’s disabled.” Kasumi says from across the room, leaning back from the terminal. “Looks like we’re in the… wait, he’s got some kind of failsafe. Get down!” She realizes a second too late, leaping away from the detonation.

Ben’s focus leaves him powerless to help. He can’t even look, forced to listen to her body hit the wall and the fizzle of her cloaking field activating.

In a moment the scene unplays. The hanar rises back to his feet, the bullets exit his body, and Ben lets go. He heaves labored breaths even before the Omnitrix turns him back into a human. The hanar is alive again, as if it never happened. Bau can only look on in utter shock, respecting the impossibility of what Ben just did enough to not shoot Zymandis again.

Shepard instead pulls a gun off his belt, steps over, and smacks the hanar in the side of the head with it. His body again falls to the ground, though alive this time.