Authors' Introduction

Hi Everyone!

This story is a little different than anything I've done before. It's a collaborative effort between the US and Canada! It's a cross-dimensional caper complete with pirates and kidnappers and all sorts of adventure featuring Excalibur from Earth 723 and several new and intriguing characters. One of my friends and I are writing it together--she plays her characters and I play mine and it's really been fun so far!

We really hope you enjoy it! Please let us know what you think!

Disclaimer: We do not own the X-Men. Felsentaube, Marti, Suzie, Edmund, and Alice are all original characters, however. Please do not sue us or steal our story!

NOTE: Neither Earth 723 nor Earth 724 exist in any official Marvel universe, but the third mysterious dimension and its bizzare inhabitants (the ones that will appear in later chapters) do. Also, although the language spoken by the character in the Prologue (you'll find out more about her and her companion as the story progresses) is based on German, it has a number of differences. All translations will be provided in the text.

Unexpected Angels
By Rowena and Tammy

Prologue

Stars passed the shuttle's windows, the orderly streaks slowing as slender grey fingers tipped by claws of a paler grey danced over the tiny ship's controls. Pupil-less eyes of the same color as the claws scanned the readouts and flicked to the surrounding star-field as their owner crouched before the console.

Behind the unconscious pilot something flicked into dim existence. Two bright blue eyes, faint enough that they could be seen through, narrowed in concentration.

All right, I'm in- thought the blue-eyed ghost to someone unseen and possibly not physically present. -Don't know what I'm supposed to do yet, but I can feel a trigger forming. Okay, let's see what this does...-

The eyes narrowed more, then widened as something on the console shorted out with a spectacular flash of sparks. -Glory!-

Eyes and thoughts flicked out as quickly as they had come, leaving the pilot to frown at the raging fire in front of her and reach through the flames to see if she could get a response from the damaged control. Long ears flicked forward as it came off in her hand.

"Dit ist nicht gut. Helfen Sie gelieve ons."

Those soft grey eyes moved back to the monitors as one hand went down to touch the pilot's belly before moving to join its mate in an attempt to smother the flames, but they were too deep inside the console. By time the access panel had been torn away the little ship was helpless in the gravity field of the planet that had been its destination.

The pilot braced herself, hands reaching out to grasp the frame around the door as the metal heated all around her.

"Jesus, helfen sie gelieve ons."