Disclaimer: If you haven't read all the previous Last Knydaxian fics, please do so before reading this fic. Otherwise, you will be lost completely and won't know what the hell is going on.

Chapter 1

Captain's log, stardate 50247.3. Captain Elsa Frost speaking. The Archangel is on patrol in the territory of the former warlord, Emperor Zurg. Three months ago, A Galactic Alliance fleet attacked Planet Z, Zurg's base of operations, and destroyed most of his forces. Zurg himself, however, remains at large. Our mission is destroy anything that may have survived the Alliance attack.

"So you still haven't found that purple-faced bastard," Commander Shepard mused as she, Eric, and Elsa shared a three-way holo-call.

"Not yet," Elsa admitted. "I'm surprised he'd even show his face after what the Alliance did on Planet Z."

"Zurg was always a crafty bastard," Eric mused. "But he was always a bit of a coward."

"Still, taking out a few of his outlying outposts will make travel in this sector a lot more easier," Elsa stated. "And if it's good for galactic peace, it's good enough for me."

Eric chuckled. "You just love being the hero, don't you?"

"And you don't?" Shepard asked him.

"I'll admit I've done good things for the galaxy," Eric stated. "But I don't consider myself a hero. Just a soldier who follows orders and does what's best for his family. Speaking of which, how are Melody and Ariel doing?"

"Doing fine, Eric," Elsa told him. "Speaking of you, what's your current assignment got you doing?"

"Buzz and I have been trying to track down some new Cerberus unit," he explained. "I believe you heard of the Tixus massacre a few weeks back?"

"Oh yeah, that was gruesome," Elsa acknowledged. A few weeks prior, an Alliance colony on Tixus IV had been attacked by an unknown enemy, and there were no survivors. "You think Cerberus was behind the attack?"

"No idea; we're more or less just following a hunch right now. I'll let you know if we find something. If Cerberus has something that can level a colony like that, we're gonna need all the backup we can get."

"Sounds bad," Shepard admitted.

"Don't worry Eric, I think you're quite close to our position," Elsa told him. "If you need help, we'll be there."

"The same for you, Elsa," Eric replied.

"What about you, Jane?" Elsa asked. "What are you up to?"

Shepard shrugged. "I'm currently in the Terminus systems, making a patrol run."

"Not as glamorous as our assignments then," Eric remarked.

"Well, I call it a vacation," Shepard admitted. "Besides, it's helping me get to know a few of my new crew, like Garrus and Wrex."

"Who'd have thought the Krogan chieftain would join a starship crew?" Eric remarked.

"He's not just the chieftain, he's a total hardass. But he's become quite a good friend to the crew, including me."

Elsa stretched her arms. "Well guys, it's been a nice little chat, but I've got other duties to attend to. Like teaching Anna to play poker."

"That should be fun," Shepard said with a sly smirk.

"In that case, I'll see you in a week, Elsa," Eric bid her goodbye as he ended his side of the holo-call. "See ya."

Shepard then looked at Elsa. "Elsa…can I ask you something?"

"What is it?"

"Well, it's nothing much, but… remember when you and I went to Noveria to rescue Liara's mother? And we found that artifact that Saren had been experimenting on?"

"Yeah? What about it?"

"I was just wondering where it came from, that's all. I remember seeing what it did to those people, turning their corpses into those monsters."

"And scaring the shit out of Anna in the process. I remember."

"Do you think we'll ever find out where it came from, or how Saren got it?"

"I don't know, but ever since that mission to Feros, I've been thinking about that bastard and what he's been up to: siding with the Geth, getting that Cipher thing from that plant creature that also ended up in my head, and that device he stole from the Citadel archives. He's planning something. I know it."

"Let's hope we find out what it is before it's too late."

"Agreed. Goodbye, Shepard."

"See you soon, Elsa, and be safe out there."

"I will," Elsa responded, ending the holo-call.

xXx

Down in the Archangel's hangar, Sapphira was working on the ship's Mobile Suit units, going through their various systems. This was usually Melody's job, but she was busy doing other things, so Sapphira had agreed to take her shift.

"Hey, Saph!" a voice called to her.

Sapphira looked out of the cockpit of the Infinite Justice, the Mobile Suit she was working on, to see Kira and Athrun walking towards her. "Hey guys!"

"You screwing up my ride there, Saph?" Athrun asked jokingly.

"Do I look like I'm here to cause trouble?" Sapphira remarked. "I'm just doing the usual tune-up."

"Any problems?"

"Not really, but there is a little offset in the targeting scanner."

"Don't worry about that," Athrun said with a shrug. "It's just a little something that I'm used to."

Sapphira looked at him. "You let your targeting system be a little offset? If I'm not mistaken, that's really gonna mess with your accuracy."

"I know, but I'm good at aiming manually, so It doesn't bother me."

Sapphira sighed. "As you wish, but if you can't shoot straight in a fight, don't be begging me to come bail you out."

"It's okay, Saph," Kira assured her. "Athrun pilots in his own way. Even I don't understand it, and I've been flying with him for seven years now."

"Does he fly as good as he kisses?" Sapphira teased, referring to their relationship.

"Saph!" Athrun blushed furiously.

"I'm kidding!" Sapphira brushed it off. "I know you two probably taste like heaven to each other."

"Is that how you think Melody tastes?" Kira joked.

Sapphira smirked. "Watch it, Yamato. I can punch you across this hangar without breaking a sweat."

"Speaking of Melody, where is she?" Athrun then asked. "She's usually doing the tune-ups for the suits right about now."

"She's with her mom," Sapphira explained. "They haven't had much time together lately, so I offered to cover her shift."

"You'd think empaths wouldn't have much to talk about," Kira stated. "I mean you already know how the other person is feeling anyway."

"Well, for Melody and her mom, they can talk for hours and hours about everything and nothing."

xXx

Up in the Archangel's mess hall, Ariel and Melody sat by a window together, enjoying their food. "It's so weird getting used to replicated food again," Ariel admitted, tucking into her meal. "I remember cooking everything myself back home on Aquatus, and here I have a computer to do it all for me."

"The wonders of modern technology, Mom," Melody remarked. "And I should know a thing or two about tech; I am chief engineer after all."

"So you are, Seashell," Ariel replied with a hint of pride.

"How have things been in counseling?" Melody inquired.

"Pretty much what you'd expect. A broken heart here, a grievance there."

"You sound like you don't enjoy it."

"Oh, I do enjoy my work," Ariel explained. "It's just…we, as a galactic society, have progressed so far in science and technology, and yet we're still burdened by emotional conflicts. But that's what I'm here for: to make sure those conflicts don't affect people in a way that distracts them or impairs their duty on this ship, and to help them mend their emotions."

Melody smiled. "Spoken like a true counselor."

"Actually, I get that more from your grandfather," Ariel stated. "He was always the great public speaker."

"I miss Grandpa," Melody said, in a rather sombre tone. "He was always so kind to me when I was younger."

"Everyone goes to the great sea sometime, Melody. You've been to the sea and back yourself."

"I know, but… Saph won't always be here, will she? And she won't ever be that powerful again. She told me herself."

"I know, but I was just making a statement about…ughh…." Ariel groaned and put her hand on her forehead.

"Mom? You okay?"

"I don't know… I feel faint…."

"Should I get you some water?"

"No… I think… Ahhhh!" Ariel then screamed loudly and fell off her chair.

"Mom!"

"Uhhh…Elsa…the darkness…." Ariel groaned, writhing on the floor in pain. "Black ship…the return…. Ohhhh…."

"Mom! Mom!" Melody shook her mother to try and get her out of this trance. She then hit her commbadge. "Lieutenant Ansaris to sickbay! Medical emergency in the mess hall!"

xXx

A few minutes later, Ariel was on a bed in sickbay, being tended to by Dr. Angela Ziegler.

"Have you figured out what's wrong with her, Doctor?" Melody wondered, her fingers twitching with nervousness and concern for her mother's well-being.

"I'm not sure," Angela admitted. "Your mother appears to have had a seizure of some kind, but her body isn't showing any of the usual symptoms."

"Will she recover?"

Angela held up a hypospray. "A shot of this, and she should be fine in an hour or two." She then injected the hypo into Ariel's arm, putting the Aquatan woman to sleep.

Melody sighed. "I wonder what could have caused this."

Angela thought for a moment. "Has Counselor Ansaris experienced anything like this before?"

Melody then remember something. "I think she might have. It was about two years ago, back when I was in the academy."

"Was this before your wife's encounter with Commander Hans?"

"Yeah, it was about a week before that. Captain Frost went to visit my mother and she had a seizure just like this, and she mumbled something about Hans."

"Then the rumours are true about empathic Aquatans."

"Rumours?"

"Some scientists like myself have theorised that Aquatans like you and your mother have some kind of precognitive abilities, as in the ability to see into the future."

"And since my mother predicted Hans coming back… what could she have predicted this time."

"What exactly did she say?"

"Something about darkness, a black ship, and Elsa. I'm not sure what it meant."

"In any case, you should go and tell the captain this."

"I will," Melody agreed. "Tell me if my mother's condition changes, Doctor."

"I'll let you know as soon as possible, Melody," Angela replied as Melody left sickbay.

xXx

Up on the bridge of the Archangel, Admiral Kristoff Bjorgman was in the captain's chair, this being his shift on the bridge.

"Ensign Athha," he asked one of the new officers on the bridge. "Anything to report on the sensors?"

Cagali Yula Athha turned around in her chair to face him. "Not as such, Admiral, but I have picked up an unusual reading."

"Well, what is it? If it's Zurg related, we should check it out."

"I don't know if it is Zurg related, sir," Cagali explained. "But I think it's definitely some kind of temporal distortion."

"Temporal? Are you sure it's not my chronal accelerator, love?" Tracer called over to them from the other side of the bridge.

"No, it's different than yours-and much fainter."

"Keep tabs on it," Kristoff stated. "I'll report it to Captain Frost once she gets back on duty."

As if on cue, Elsa and Anna walked onto the bridge. "Captain on bridge!" Elsa announced.

"Elsa! I thought you and feisty pants would be off duty for a few more hours," Kristoff remarked.

"I tried to teach Anna to play poker," Elsa replied. "It didn't go well."

"I kept beating you, that's why!" Anna argued.

At the front of the bridge, Tracer and Merida were giggling to each other. "Seems like the captain isn't as good as Melody said," Merida muttered.

"Too right, love," Tracer replied.

"Alright, enough small talk," Elsa called everyone to attention. "This is still the Galactic Alliance flagship after all." She then took Kristoff's place on the captain's chair. "Has anything happened up here?"

"Nothing but a temporal blip on Cagali's scanner," Kristoff reported.

"Temporal?"

"Just something that came onto my screen a while ago," Cagali stated. "It's just come back onto my monitor again, and it's stronger than before."

Elsa looked over Cagali's shoulder at the monitor. "I remember Buzz telling me about the time Zurg used a temporal weapon to…de-age most of the crew at Star Command, as he put it. Perhaps this is the radiation from that weapon."

"No, that got destroyed," Kristoff told her.

"Well, we can't worry about it now; we've got our current assignment to deal with."

Suddenly, Melody rushed onto the bridge, panting heavily. "Ca…Captain…"

"Melody?" Elsa noticed her. "What's wrong? You look like you've run across the entire equator of Arendelle."

"My mother…she had some kind of empathic seizure…and…."

"Easy, easy," Elsa told her, putting her hand on the young officer's shoulder. "Take a few deep breaths, and tell us slowly."

The alarm then blared on the Archangel's bridge, and the holographic form of Angel appeared. "Captain, there's an enemy ship approaching us, and fast."

"It's Zurg!" Kristoff realised.

"Everyone, battle stations!" Elsa ordered.

At that moment, Zurg's familiar dreadnaught came out of warp in front of the Archangel. On the front of the ship was a large cannon-like-weapon, which was pointed directly at them.

"Captain, we're getting a transmission from the ship," Tracer stated.

"Put it through," Elsa instructed.

Zurg's face appeared on the viewscreen. The tyrant's armour looked slightly scuffed and scratched; its owner had fallen on rather hard times. "Hello, crew of the starship Arch-Idiot," he sneered.

"Zurg," Elsa responded. "You're looking a bit weary. Did the loss of your planet take more of a toll on you than we thought?"

"Very funny, Captain Frost, but just because Planet Z is no longer in my possession doesn't mean I can't take out some nice personal vengeance on you and your puny friends."

"Given how well your little vengeance plots have gone in the past," Elsa replied, "you'll forgive my skepticism."

"Oh, don't worry; I've learned from my past mistakes. And with my Electro-Disruptor Cannon, I'll show you exactly what I mean." The cannon on the front of Zurg's ship began to charge up in power, preparing to fire at the Archangel.

"Shields up!" Kristoff ordered.

"Already on it!" Tracer replied.

The weapon then fired at the Archangel, ripping the shields to shreds and knocking the ship about like a boat on a stormy sea.

"Ugh!" Anna grunted as she was flung from her seat.

"Damage report..." Elsa groaned.

Melody checked a nearby console. "Shields are down…weapons systems are offline…pretty much half the ship's systems are knocked out completely."

"Well, that's just prime," Elsa replied.

"Mom? Are you there?" Sapphira's voice called in over the comm channel.

Elsa tapped her badge. "Yes, Sapphira, we're alright."

"We've got a problem down here. Whatever that blast was damaged the hangar doors. We can't launch any fighters or Mobile Suits."

"We're basically sitting ducks," Kristoff realised.

Zurg smiled. "Still skeptical, Captain?"

Elsa scowled. "What the hell did you do?"

"Rendered most of your equipment inoperable," he explained. "Your ship is defenseless. And you with nary a sarcastic comment." Several hatches opened on Zurg's ship, and his yellow-coloured hornet drones flew out by the thousands, their laser weapons pointed at the Archangel. "And now, Captain Frost, my hornets will tear your ship apart, piece by piece!"

Just then, a buzzing sound was heard from the bridge of Zurg's ship. "What the devil?" He turned to one side for a moment. "Hm. Judging from the colors, I'd say one of your associates happened upon us, Captain."

"It's Eric!" Kristoff exclaimed.

The Minerva raced onto the scene, opening fire on Zurg's ship.

"Captain Ansaris to Captain Frost," Eric radioed in. "We picked up Zurg's ship on our sensors. We'll deal with him; you guys get out of here." The Minerva's main cannon charged up and took a direct shot at Zurg's ship, but the shot merely bounced off the shields.

"What the hell?!" Eric exclaimed in disbelief. "That should've blasted the ship to splinters!"

Zurg's hologram appeared on the Minerva's bridge and chuckled. "I see you've discovered my reflective shielding, Captain Ansaris. Any shots taken at my ship will just bounce right off."

The cannon on Zurg's ship took aim at the Minerva, firing a beam that cut across the bow of the Minerva.

"Ahhh!" Eric grunted. "We're hit!"

"Ahahahaha!" Zurg cackled. "All of my enemies are totally helpless, like lambs to the slaughter."

"Well, there goes the Minerva," Kristoff stated.

"We're doomed," Tracer said softly.

Cagali then looked at her screen. "Captain, that anomaly I saw earlier is back again. And it's getting much stronger."

Just then, in a blindingly bright flash of blue light, a small grey single-person fighter craft appeared in the middle of the fracas. It was old and beaten up, with a faded black symbol on one side.

"Who the hell is that?" Melody wondered.

"Who dares to disrupt my vengeance?!" Zurg demanded. He exited his warship via an airlock and flew over to the small craft. "You there! Come out and show yourself before I tear your ship apart!"

The ship's cockpit then opened and, a figure clad in red and silver armour hovered out and stood atop the ship. They wore a helmet with a blue visor covering their face.

"Looks like that's the pilot," Kristoff assumed.

Anna looked closely at the figure's armour and body. "There's something familiar about them."

"I came a long way to get here," the figure said to Zurg in a modulated voice. "And I'm not gonna let you hurt these people, Zurg."

"Excuse me?" Zurg snapped. "You're the one who's butting in here with your little pod and fancy cosplay!"

"Maybe so," the figure replied. "But if you had left these ships in peace, then this could've been avoided."

"You don't tell me what to do!" Zurg argued. "Hornets! Destroy this interloper!"

Zurg's hornets flew towards the figure at full speed. The figure then pulled out a sword-like weapon from their back. The sword had a red-and-gold hilt and a blade that glowed a soft orange colour. A set of wing-like thrusters then appeared from their back and they took off at full speed towards the hornets, taking out an entire squad with one slash.

"Woah!" Melody looked in awe.

"Such speed," Anna noted.

"Whoever they are, I'm glad they're on our side," Tracer added.

The figure kept slashing through the hornets at full speed, as if it were a hot knife cutting through butter. Some hornets tried shooting at the figure, but they were outgunned as the figure's sword weapon had a blaster mode, which they then used to obliterate the hornets. Soon, all of Zurg's hornets were nothing more than scrap floating in the vacuum of space.

"Your hornets are destroyed, Zurg," the figure scolded the tyrant. "I suggest you surrender now, and make this easy on yourself."

"Never!" Zurg growled. "Just because you took out my hornets, doesn't mean you can stop me. Especially when I've got another trick up my sleeve."

"Go ahead," the figure remarked. "Just try and make it interesting."

"Oh, trust me: I'm going to destroy you!" Zurg then pressed the Z emblem on his chest armour. A small pod ejected itself from Zurg's ship and flew towards them. It then burst into multiple pieces, each piece flying onto Zurg and fixing itself onto him. Before long, he was suited up in a huge suit of what could best be described as power armor, complete with a big yellow Z emblazoned across the chest.

"I had saved this little toy for Sapphira Frost and her mother," Zurg remarked, "but I think it'll do the job of destroying you nicely."

The figure chuckled. "Don't count on it, metalhead."

"Trust me: this was built to kill Knydaxians."

"Knydaxians?" the figure responded. "In that case, I just have one word to say to you."

"And what's that?"

The figure's eyes closed. "Henshin." Suddenly the figure's form was enveloped in a shining blue light.

"No, she can't be…." Elsa said as she watched.

"By all the spirits," Anna whispered.

The light faded and the figure had transformed into the familiar blue and gold form of an ikaru shantoria Knydaxian, still clutching their sword weapon.

Zurg started. "What...what ARE you?!"

"You don't need to know," the figure said. "Here's what you do need to know: I'm the last of my kind. A long time ago, I was told that I'd be the bringer of light and hope to the universe. And Zurg…you can think of me as the can opener that's gonna bust your sorry hide open."

Zurg clenched his fists. "We'll see about that!"

The Knydaxian flew above Zurg, firing a volley of blasts from her hand and sword. Zurg attempted to dodge the blasts, but a few of them hit him and damaged his armor. The Knydaxian slashed the sword on Zurg's arm, stripping the armour straight off it.

"What?!" Zurg exclaimed in alarm.

The figure fired a few blasts from behind, striking him in the back.

Zurg scowled. "Two can play that game." His armor opened to reveal an energy blaster. He charged up a huge blast, then fired it at the figure.

The Knydaxian took the blast with full force, not even breaking a sweat.

"HOW ARE YOU ALIVE?!" Zurg screeched.

The Knydaxian held their hands together and started to charge a blast themselves using the energy they had absorbed from Zurg's attack.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" Zurg demanded.

"Finishing you once and for all," the figure responded. The figure then let out a high-pitched scream as the blast was unleashed directly at Zurg.

Zurg cried out in utter terror. "NOOOOOOO!"

The blast pushed Zurg into his warship, and both were vaporised in the ensuing explosion.

The figure returned to its ship, its golden colour fading away.

On the bridge of the Minerva, Eric looked on in shock. "My God… Elsa, did you and your guys just see that?"

"We did," Elsa responded. "Whoever that is…they just killed Zurg."

"She's a Knydaxian," Anna uttered in amazement. "But I thought Sapphira and I were the last adults still alive. Maybe it's another survivor of the Zetans?"

"Whoever they are, they seem as powerful as Sapphira, judging from those gold markings" Kristoff pointed out.

"Captain?" Cagali said. "We're receiving a message from the craft. Text-only."

"What does it say, Cagali?" Elsa inquired.

"It says, 'Permission to come aboard, Captain Frost?'"

Kristoff looked at Elsa "What do we do?"

Elsa sighed. "Let them onboard. And…find Sapphira. I think she'll want to meet this person, whoever they are."

"Aye," Kristoff agreed.

Melody looked on at the ship. "Where do you think they came from, Captain?"

"I don't know, Melody, but I think we're about to find out," Elsa replied.

xXx

Author's note: Welcome one and all to the third main Last Knydaxian fic. As you have just read, a mysterious stranger has arrived and kicked Zurg's butt Future Trunks style, just who are they and why are they here? All shall be revealed in the next chapter. As I said in the Elsanna fluff one shot I posted earlier in the week, I'll be updating this fic weekly on saturdays rather than daily like I usually do. I'm doing this to give myself more time to write the fic. Als, if you guys wanna support me and stuff, my first original novel has been out for a while and could really use some support. Links to where you can buy that will be on my tumblr and will probably be updated by the time the next chapter comes out.

Also, if your wondering where Nona's usual fanfic cover is, sadly, I don't have money to pay her right now, but I will eventually, so sometime soon, the placeholder cover I've made will be replaced with an awesome cover by Nona.

That's all for now! Catch you next time!