THE FOLLOWING THINGS ARE THE PROPERTIES OF THEIR RESPECTIVE OWNERS; I DO NOT OWN THEM AND MAKE NO MONEY OFF OF THIS VENTURE
Mahō Shōjo Lyrical Nanoha (Teana, various other characters) – 7Arcs
Higurashi no Naku Koro Ni (Shion, the "Keiichi Crew") – 07th Expansion and Studio Deen
Shuffle! (Kaede Fuyō, Rin, Asa & Ama, Sia & Nerine, Primula) – Navel and Asread
Erika's New Perfume (Marie, Sarah, Erika, Timmy, Veronica) – Deviant-Art artist Lance the Young
Mai-chan's Daily Life (Mai, Kizuna) – Waita Uziga
Star Wars (Ahsoka, Cody, Rex, Force Unleashed cast) – George Lucas, Lucasfilm
Halo (Forerunners, UNSC, Sangheili Alliance) – Bungie and 343 Industries
StarCraft (multiple characters, events, and devices) – Blizzard Entertainment
Naruto (jutsu, abilities) – Masashi Kishimoto
Mahō Sensei Negima (spells, abilities, characters) – Ken Akamatsu
Kingdom Hearts (Keyblades, Heartless, Nobodies, Unversed, Aqua, other characters and concepts) – Square-Enix
Neon Genesis Evangelion (Mana Kirishima, other characters) – Studio Gainax
Elfen Lied (Kaede K., others) – Lynn Okamoto, Arms
Red vs. Blue (The Blood-Gulch Crew, the ex-Freelancers) – Rooster Teeth
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic (stuff, mentions) – Hasbro, Lauren Faust
Transformers Film Series – Hasbro, Michael Bay
Transformers: Beast Wars – Hasbro, Mainframe Entertainment
Bishōjo Senshi Sailor Moon – Naoko Takeuchi
Digimon – Google and Wikipedia won't tell me who presently owns this franchise
Yu-Gi-Oh! – Kazuki Takahashi, Viz Media
Sonic the Hedgehog - SEGA
Mass Effect – Bioware
Gears of War – Epic Games
Roughnecks: Starship Troopers Chronicles – Columbia Tristar (I think)
PLEASE READ & REVIEW, AND TEND TO THE TROPE & CHARACTER PAGES
DETAILS ON THE TRAVELS-VERSE'S COMMANDER SHEPARD:
First Name: Jason
Sex: Male; default face
Background: Spacer, War Hero
Alignment: Paragon (occasional minor Renegade moments)
Class: Hybrid – Adept/Vanguard Engineer with Sniper Training
Romanced in ME1: No-one
Spared Rachni Queen, saved Zhu's Hope colonists, talked Wrex down, saved Council
-BOOK 17 START-
Dimension ME-N7
Dropship Echo-57, descending to colony Freedom's Progress
LOCAL DATE: August 12, 2185 AD
CODEX – FREEDOM'S PROGRESS: "Freedom's Progress was once a typical Alliance settlement, but following complete communications blackout and its apparent destruction is now a lightning rod for anxiety and dread in the galactic human community. The communications blackout followed an upgrade of the colony's small military force (supplemented by mechs and security drones) with high-powered, tower-mounted GARDIAN lasers. Colonists complained about construction cost overruns, delays, noise, and damage to the local environment. They also feared the defense array could be seen as provocative to their world's neighbors. Such fears may not have been baseless. Authorities have still offered no explanation for the communications blackout, fueling rumors of plagues, natural disasters, or a cult-inspired mass suicide. Located in strategically insignificant space, Freedom's Progress had once offered residents spectacular rainbows, lush marshlands, and stunning mountain ranges. Its potential as an agricultural settlement and tourism wonderland rivaled that of any Alliance colony."
As the stealth-modified Pelican descended through the planet's atmosphere, the troop bay's nine occupants sat and waited. Tali'Zorah vas Neema was in charge of this op, and six of her eight subordinates were fellow Quarians. Most of them were good soldiers, but she was concerned about Prazza, who had a history of being impatient, short-tempered, and borderline-insubordinate. She just hoped he would fall in line when it counted. The coalitions had each provided a skilled human to the group; Cpl. Damon Baird fiddled with his Omnitool, while Erika Swanson, a wielder of one of the powerful weapons called Keyblades, sat in a corner clutching her Sangheili Type-33 'Needler', a bit nervous around all these new people. Tali had fought with Baird before, so she knew that he knew his stuff, and she'd seen the footage of Erika's combat capabilities; as shy as the little girl was, if pressed she was amazingly skilled and brave, and her weapon skills and 'special'-attack abilities were commendable.
"You okay, kid?" Baird asked.
"Oh! Um… I'm j-just worried about h-how I'll perform on this op if things g-go bad."
"Kid… I don't know about the rest of these jokers, but Tali and I, at least, have seen the recordings of what you can do in a fight. If anything, you might have to tone your ass-kicking down a little or else we might not be able to keep up."
One of the Quarians scoffed, folding his arms. "Outfought by a child? I'll believe that when I see it."
"Shut up, Prazza" Tali replied. "You're only saying that because you haven't seen footage of what these 'Keyblade Wielders' can do. Trust me; Erika just may be the best fighter in this entire squad."
"Never underestimate the cute little ones, man" Baird said. "Some of the biggest heavy-hitters in the coalitions are small and cutesy-looking… until you see them mow down a pack of hostiles without breaking a sweat."
"Ground team, we are approaching the drop zone" the pilot said over the intercom. "20 seconds to touchdown. The place looks like a total ghost-town, just like we expected. Wait… One Quarian sighted, in the distance. Looks like we spooked him; he's making a beeline for a warehouse."
The Pelican touched down and the rear hatch opened, and everyone piled out, weapons at the ready. Starlight cut through a partly cloudy sky, streetlights and porchlights providing plenty of illumination. But nothing was moving; no-one was there.
"This is creepy" Baird surmised. "No bloodstains, no bullet holes, no signs of a fight. It's like everyone just… got up and left."
"Just like the other colonies that were hit" one of the Quarians said.
"Move out" Tali ordered. "Keep your voices down, and keep your eyes open for any movement or anything unusual. Let's get to Veetor and hope he isn't too freaked out to realize we're friendly."
The team cautiously moved around and through the prefabricated dwellings, making their way into the colony. After several minutes, they approached a closed door. They opened it, and a tall, skinny bipedal robot with white armor and two vertically-aligned red photoreceptors turned to face them.
"Intruder alert" the LOKI Mech stated. "Hostiles detected."
The mech raised its SMG to fire… and was interrupted by two quick-fired shots from Baird's Lancer that punched through its head, bringing it down.
"This type of mech would be stationed at this colony as security" Tali said. "They wouldn't be programmed to shoot on sight."
She crouched over the downed LOKI, the others gathering around as she scanned it with her Omnitool.
"It's been hacked and reprogrammed… This is a Quarian code. This is Veetor's handiwork."
"But why would he hack the colony's mechs to attack?" Baird wondered.
Suddenly, the nearby door opened, and three armed humans walked in. Both groups reacted by drawing weapons and pointing them at each other.
"Stop right there!" Prazza shouted as he pointed his assault rifle at the leader's head.
"Prazza, you said you'd let me handle this" Tali cut in, gesturing Prazza to back off.
"I'm not taking any chances with Cerberus operatives" Prazza snapped.
"Put those weapons down!" she ordered.
The investigating team quickly checked out the three newcomers. One was a woman with long, wavy black hair, fair skin, and a black-and-white bodysuit bearing the Cerberus logo. The second was a black man with buzz-cut black hair and black armor, also with the Cerberus insignia. But the third one, the man in the N7 armor…
"Shepard?" Baird said with astonishment. "Shit, man, is that really you?"
"Hey, Baird" Shepard replied, before then turning to his old squadmate. "Tali… Did that Geth data I found on Solcrum help you with your Pilgrimage?"
"…Yes" Tali replied, relief and muted joy in her voice. "It did." She then grabbed Prazza's rifle. "Put that thing down, Prazza! This is definitely Commander Shepard."
"But why would your old Commander be working for Cerberus?" Prazza asked, still suspicious.
"I'm working with them, not for them" Shepard replied. "It's a temporary alliance."
"How are you still alive, man?" Baird asked.
"We found him after the Normandy's destruction" the woman replied with a British accent. "He was a complete wreck; extensive damage to nearly every organ, system, muscle, and bone, exposure to sub-zero temperatures… Thank God that his helmet stayed on and kept his brain intact; as it was, when we rescued him there was still a tiny bit of neural activity; he wasn't dead yet, and if you believe in that sort of thing you could say his soul hadn't left his body. We spent two years and you-don't-want-to-know-how-many credits putting him back together."
"Impossible" Prazza replied. "Nobody would spend such effort just to revive one man."
"You haven't seen what Shepard can do, Prazza" Tali replied. "Trust me; it was money well spent."
"What are you doing here, Tali?" Shepard asked.
"One of our people was here on Pilgrimage. His name is Veetor. We came to find him."
"Isn't it a little strange for a young Quarian to visit a remote human colony?"
"Quarians can choose where they go on Pilgrimage. Veetor liked the idea of helping a small settlement. He was always… nervous in crowds."
"She means that he was unstable" Prazza said. "Combine that with damage to his suit's CO2 scrubbers and an infection from an open-air exposure, and he's likely delirious."
"When he saw us landing," Tali continued, "he hid in a warehouse on the far side of town. We suspect he also reprogrammed the mechs to attack anything that moved."
"So… Who's the girl? Is she a new member of the coalition?"
"Actually, it's the damndest thing" Baird replied. "Turns out, there was a whole other coalition zooming around the multiverse, kicking ass and fighting bad guys. Ours and theirs just had a formal meeting earlier today for the first time. Erika's presence makes this our first joint op between the two. Don't underestimate this kid just because she's small and adorable, Shepard; she can kick ass."
Shepard smiled, and the sight of it somehow made Erika feel a little less afraid.
"So what's our next step?" the black man asked.
"Veetor's the only one who can tell us what happened here" Shepard said. "We should work together to find him."
"Good idea" Tali replied. "You'll need at least two teams to get past the drones, anyway."
"Oh, so now we're working with Cerberus?" Prazza asked.
"No, Prazza" Tali replied. "You're working for me. …Shepard, head for the warehouse through the center of the colony. We'll circle around the far side and draw off some of the drones to clear you a path."
"Roger that. Make sure to keep in radio contact."
"Will do. Baird, take Prazza and three others and make your way around the buildings; you're in command of them. Prazza, you'd better follow his orders if you know what's good for you. I'll take the others and make our way through. Erika, go with Shepard."
"Y-Yes, ma'am."
"Good luck, Shepard. And whatever happens… it's good to have you back."
As Tali and Baird's teams left, Erika stayed behind.
"It's an honor to f-fight with you, Commander" Erika said, still a little shy. She grinned. "…You're p-probably fortunate my sister Marie isn't here instead of me; y-you have a fictional counterpart in our universe that s-she's well-aware of, so she'd likely b-be too busy fangirling to focus on the mission."
Shepard chuckled. "She can't be any worse than some of the fans I've dealt with in this universe" he replied.
"S-So, um… Who are you two?"
"Miranda Lawson" the woman introduced herself. "I was head of the Lazarus Project that put Shepard back together, and I'm currently his XO."
"I'm Jacob Taylor" the other man said. "I'm… pretty much just a soldier."
"A damned good one, from what I've seen" Shepard added. "Okay, let's get going."
The quartet moved out, heading down the building's ramp.
"Be careful, Shepard" Tali radioed. "There's a squad of security drones up ahead."
"Thanks for the warning" Jacob replied. "We'll keep our eyes open."
They moved on, Shepard taking down a LOKI with a single shot from his pistol, and then into another open area. Several aerial drones flew in, their forms shimmering with active energy shields. Shepard and Miranda both pointed their Omnitools at the pack, and two Overloads hit, destroying two drones and draining the shields of two more; Erika used her Needler to down the unshielded drones. Concentrated fire from Jacob's assault rifle brought down another drone, while a fourth fell to a few well-placed pistol rounds from Shepard. They moved through a few more houses and down into a courtyard, where more flyer drones came in. Erika primed and threw a plasma grenade, which stuck to the drone at the center of the formation. The resulting explosion took out all but one drone, which was heavily damaged and easy prey to a Warp attack from Miranda.
"Damn, whatever that was, I want one!" Jacob said.
"Plasma grenade" Erika replied. "I'll g-give you its operation details later. I b-brought three for this op, so I h-have two left."
"Hurry, Shepard" Tali radioed. "My team's inside the loading docks, and Baird's is almost here."
"Aw, crap!" Baird's voice came in.
"What's wrong?" Shepard asked.
"Stupid Prazza pissed off a YMIR Mech! We don't have the firepower between the four of us to kill this thing!"
Shepard's group took cover by the loading bay doors, which soon opened. They moved in, and seconds later Baird's fireteam ran in from another direction, the YMIR hot on their heels. One Quarian failed to get to cover in time, a missile from the YMIR's launcher blowing his torso open. The rest quickly made a run for the crates littering the area, providing cover fire for each other as they went. Prazza remained out front, unloading his assault rifle on the war-mech.
"Prazza, you idiot!" Baird shouted. "Get your ass into-"
The YMIR turned its focus onto the gung-ho Quarian, unleashing a hail of gunfire with its heavy machinegun. Prazza was ripped to shreds, his mangled body collapsing in a heap.
"…cover. Shit. …Eh, he was an asshole anyway."
'Jeez, that thing's as big as an Mgalekgolo' Erika thought. 'And it has energy shields and heavy armor. So much for the easy part of the mission.'
"This is gonna be one tough son-of-a-bitch to take down" Miranda said.
Shepard leaned out and hit the mech with an Overload. Miranda and Baird both followed his lead, two more bursts of electricity hitting the YMIR and draining its shields to around 5%. Erika summoned her Keyblade and cast Thunder, which took them down the rest of the way.
"Defense systems compromised" the YMIR announced in a deep mechanical voice. It turned its machinegun on the crate Shepard was hiding behind, destroying it after a few seconds. Shepard sprinted for more cover, his shields being drained further and further as he ran. The YMIR was then distracted by gunfire hitting it from the sides, as Tali and the other Quarians gave Shepard some covering fire. It turned and fired a missile at them, only for Miranda to hit the in-flight warhead with a Mass Effect field that destabilized it, causing it to curve downward and explode harmlessly against open ground.
Shepard sent out an Incinerate that crashed against the YMIR's heavy armor, slowly burning through parts of it. Jacob fired his assault rifle, but it did little damage to the heavy plating; the same happened when Erika fired her M6C pistol. Erika then primed and threw another plasma grenade. The YMIR fired at it mid-flight when it was within a couple meters, detonating it prematurely; however, it was close enough that the YMIR took some damage from the blast. The YMIR turned its gun on Erika, who quickly cast a Reflega, the interlocking hexagonal magic barriers deflecting the barrage of bullets sent its way.
Shepard and Miranda both hit the YMIR with a pair of Warp attacks. These took out the rest of its heavy armor plating. In response, the YMIR got a little more aggressive, firing rockets at the cover that the two were hiding behind, pinning them. Then, Erika rushed out, Keyblade in hand. She strafed to dodge machinegun fire and a rocket, and leapt in close, hitting the YMIR with a melee combo with her Keyblade, tearing big rents in its armor. She struck at its legs, taking out a knee and forcing it to kneel. Then, she got behind it, charged her Keyblade with magic, and swung a heavy blow at its upper back, tearing through its armor and internal components. She hit something vital, apparently, as it seized up and began to beep with increasing tone.
"She's gonna bloo, Cap'n!" Baird shouted with an exaggerated Scottish accent.
Erika leapt away, flash-stepping over to the others and getting into cover, just as the YMIR exploded violently, pieces & parts flying everywhere.
"I'll admit" Miranda said as she walked up to Erika. "That was impressive."
"Damn fine work, kiddo" Jacob said.
"T-Thanks" Erika blushed and smiled at the praise.
"Shepard," Tali shouted, "Veetor should be in that building over there. I'll be there in a minute; I just want to check on my team first."
Shepard, Miranda, Jacob, Baird, and Erika approached the door. They opened it, finding a cramped, dark room. At the far end were a console and a wall of nine screens, displaying graphs, readings, sensor data, and other information. And seated in front of it was a lone, twitching, rambling Quarian.
"Monsters coming back" he murmured fearfully. "Mechs will protect. Safe from swarms. Have to hide. No monsters. No swarms. No, no, no, no, no."
"Veetor?" Shepard asked.
"No Veetor" he replied. "Not here. Swarms can't find. Monsters coming. Have to hide."
"Nobody's going to hurt you anymore" Shepard said in a soothing voice.
"I don't think he can hear you, Commander" Jacob said.
"Yeah" Erika added. "T-This guy seems to be several fries short of a Happy Meal at the moment."
Jacob and Baird chuckled, and Miranda couldn't stop a small amused smile from forming. Shepard smiled and then pulled up his Omnitool.
"Have to hide. Have to hide. Mechs will protect. Swarms coming. Storm coming. Storm of swarms."
Shepard waved his Omnitool, and the wall of screens went out, displaying error messages. This finally got Veetor's attention, and he turned and stood, looking at the humans with surprise.
"You're human" he said with shock. "Where did you hide? How come they didn't find you?"
"Who didn't find us?" Miranda asked.
"The… the monsters. The swarms. They took everyone."
"We aren't survivors, Veetor" Shepard replied. "We just got here. …Could you tell me what happened, please?"
"You don't know. You didn't see. But I see everything."
Veetor walked over to the console, pressing a few buttons. The screens came alive, showing a single video clip across all nine of them. It showed insect-like things buzzing through the air, and several organic-looking pods being pushed/guided by strange bipeds.
"Looks like security footage" Miranda said. "He must've pieced it together manually."
"What the hell is that?" Jacob pointed to one of the unknown bipeds. Veetor paused the image.
"My God" Miranda said, a hint of shock in her voice. "I think that's a Collector."
"I don't think I've heard of the Collectors" Shepard said. "Are they some kind of new Terminus System alien?"
"They're a species from somewhere beyond the Omega-4 Relay" Jacob replied. "Only a few people have ever seen one in person. They usually work through intermediaries, like slavers or hired mercenaries. If they're involved with the Reapers somehow, it could explain what happened to the colonists."
Onscreen, more Collectors moved many humans, who looked to be dead, unconscious, or paralyzed.
"The Collectors have very advanced technology" Jacob continued. "It's feasible they'd have a weapon capable of disabling an entire settlement at once."
"The seeker swarms" Veetor said. "No one can hind. The seekers find you. Freeze you. Then the monsters take you away."
"Why didn't the Collectors take you?" Shepard asked.
"Swarms didn't find me" Veetor replied. "Monsters didn't know I was here."
"The Collectors aren't known for being careless" Jacob said. "Maybe his enviro-suit kept him from showing up on their sensors."
"Or maybe they did see him," Baird suggested, "and they just didn't care because he wasn't a human and didn't try to stop them from taking all the people."
Shepard turned back to Veetor. "Tell me more about the swarms."
"It's how they find you" Veetor replied. "Seeker clouds – machines like tiny insects. They go everywhere. They find you. Then they sting you – freeze you."
"Sounds like miniature probes, maybe" Miranda said. "Find victims, then immobilize them with a stasis field or nerve toxin.
"I wanna know more about the Collectors" Shepard said.
"Nobody knows much" Jacob replied. "They're so rare that a lot of people don't even believe they exist."
"More importantly," Miranda said, "why are they abducting human colonies? What are they after?"
"Maybe the Illusive Man can figure it out" Jacob suggested.
"T-The coalitions will want to get t-to the bottom of this, too" Erika said.
"What happened next?" Shepard asked Veetor.
"The monsters, the… Collectors took the colonists onto their ship," Veetor replied, "and then they left. The ship flew away. But they'll be back for me. No-one escapes!"
"Veetor…" Erika spoke softly, getting his attention. "T-The Collectors are only after humans. They l-left you alone because you aren't one. They won't be back for you."
"Are… Are you sure?" Veetor asked.
"This isn't the first colony the Collectors have hit, Veetor" Jacob replied. "They've hit several other worlds, all of them with populations composed entirely of humans. They're after us, not you."
"We appreciate all that you've told us" Shepard said. "You've been very helpful."
"I studied them" Veetor said. "The Collectors. The swarms. I recorded them with my Omnitool. Lots of readings – electromagnetic, dark energy…"
"We need to get this data to The Illusive Man" Miranda said. "Grab the Quarian and call the shuttle to come pick us up."
"What?-!" Tali interrupted as she came in. "Veetor is injured and traumatized! He needs treatment, not an interrogation!"
"We won't hurt him" Jacob replied. "We just need to see if he knows anything else. He'll be returned unharmed."
"Your people can't stand us" Miranda said. "If we give him to you, we'll never get the intel we need."
"You're welcome to take Veetor's Omnitool data" Tali replied. "But please, just let us take him."
Shepard was quiet for a few seconds as he decided, and then turned to Miranda and Jacob. "Veetor's traumatized, and he needs medical care. Tali will give us the Omnitool data and take him back to the Flotilla."
"…Understood, Commander" Miranda replied, sounding a tiny bit cross but unwilling to defy Shepard.
"Thank you, Shepard" Tali said. "I'm glad you're still the one giving the orders. Good luck out there. If I find anything that can help you, I'll let you know. Come on, Veetor. Let's go home."
As the Quarians left, Erika and Baird turned to follow. Before they could leave, though, Baird turned back to Shepard.
"I'm giving you some coordinates" he said to Shepard, calling up his Omnitool. "Once you've got a ship, head here to meet with the coalitions. Also, here's the magitech footage of the stuff that's happened with us since your not-quite-death, along with everything regarding the other coalition."
"Thanks, Baird" Shepard replied. "We'll go over it and meet you there." He reached out, shaking Baird's hand. "It was good seeing you again, Damon."
"Same here, man. It's good to have you back. I'll tell Marcus you said hi."
"I'll t-tell the others what we've learned here" Erika said. After a few seconds, she giggled. "Marie's gonna flip when s-she finds out I fought alongside the great Commander Shepard."
-SCENE BREAK-
Starshot
Argus Rho cluster, Phoenix System
Six Hours Later
The Starshot had returned to its initial arrival point in this dimension, waiting for Shepard to show up. Everyone had been briefed on the events on Freedom's Progress; news of Shepard's survival and return had spread quickly, and the DDF's higher-ups were already looking for anything they could find on the Collectors. The Starshot stayed near the Mass Relay, keeping an eye out while also masking its emissions the few times a freighter ship came through.
Finally, however, a very unique-looking ship came through the Relay – 190 meters long, a thin, tapering shape with two nose-fins and four engines, white armor with bits of gold and black, the Cerberus logo near the front, and "SR-2 NORMANDY II" printed on the side in big black letters. The Starshot sent a hail, and the Normandy II pulled up alongside the much larger vessel's starboard side. A 'Kodiak' shuttle departed from the small ship's ventral hangar and flew into the Starshot's starboard hangar, setting down on a prepared landing pad. The side hatch opened, and Shepard, Miranda, and Jacob stepped out. Colonel Holland, Shipmaster Arum, and Gamma Team walked forward to meet them.
"Welcome aboard, Commander" Col. Holland said.
"Thank you, sir" Shepard replied with a salute.
"If you three could follow us to the ship's forward mess-hall, we'll discuss arrangements over a meal."
"And maybe a tour of the new Normandy after that?" Shepard suggested.
Marie suppressed a squee. Miranda, in contrast, let out an unhappy sound.
"A limited one, of course" Shepard tried to placate his XO.
"Sounds good" Teana said. "But first, we eat."
-SCENE BREAK-
Normandy II
80 Minutes Later
Shepard stood in the cockpit with Joker, watching the camera footage as the shuttle carrying the DDF visitors returned to the Starshot.
"So what's the word, Commander?" Joker asked. "Are we getting any help?"
"Yeah" Shepard replied. "I told them what we're doing, recruiting specialists to fight the Collectors, and they've agreed to assist us. Though our status as part of a criminal organization precludes them from helping us as much as they could if we were still part of a legitimate government. Still, they're going to at least let some of their people participate in missions with us, and they might lend us some weapons."
"What's on our agenda now?"
"Well, first we're going to head to the Citadel, to recruit Kasumi Goto and check in with Anderson. Then, we'll head to the Omega Nebula; they found the original Normandy's crash site in the Amada System, on Alchera. After that, we'll head to the Sahrabarik System, to meet back up with the Starshot and seek out Zaeed Massani, Mordin Solus, and 'Archangel' on Omega."
"Less than a day back on the job and they've already booked your schedule for you, huh?"
"That's how things happen with us, Joker."
"Like old times, eh?"
"Yep. Alright, let's head for the Widow Nebula. Time to check up on an old friend…"
The Normandy II flew away from the Starshot, approaching the Mass Relay. A tendril of bluish energy surged out from the relay's core and 'grabbed' the ship, and with a flash of movement it was gone.
-CHAPTER END-
Next Time: Omega