"You sure you want to do this?" The woman sat twisted around in her seat, staring at the asari from beneath thick rimmed glasses. Her blond hair was twisted into a tight knot at the base of her skull and she adjusted her glasses with a frown.
Was she sure? She had never been more certain about anything in her life; she wanted to tell them all. This was the first working mass relay the galaxy had been privy to in almost fifty years. To be the first ship to successfully navigate the mass relay would earn them a spot in the history books-or something like that. It would be nothing as monumental as destroying them and saving the galaxy, per say, but it would be something. Something rather than nothing was really all Niali wanted.
Her fingers curled around the datapad in her hand and she nodded once in affirmation. The blond hesitated for a moment before turning back around with an exaggerated sigh. The asari wanted to assure them that it would be just fine and that everything pointed to the success of this jump, but she could see the doubt written all over their faces. They were scientists, researchers and skilled engineers—for them, the proof was always in the numbers and the proof was there. She had spent many sleepless nights scouring over blueprints and reports to check for hiccups or inconsistencies. There had been none; at least none that had been an immediate concern.
She turned away from the cockpit and made her way back down to the bridge. "ETA is three minutes," the voice rang out overhead and Niali felt her heart skip a beat. In three minutes she would make history for the first time in fifty years. She and her crew would be the first to complete a mass relay jump and she smiled down at the message she had read at least a hundred times that day.
Be safe, be smart and be careful. Your father would be so proud of you.
I will see you soon, my light.
All my love.
Niali tucked the datapad beneath her arm and watched her crew spring into action. "ETA, one minute." She was going to prove them all wrong and she could already hear their joyous shouts as they cracked open dusty old bottles and toasted to their own success. The Alliance would greet them like heroes; they would shower them with honors and she ran her fingers deftly over the embossed emblem on her uniform. This was almost better than saving the galaxy—this was restoring it.
"Approaching the mass relay," the blond called over her shoulder and Niali left her post at the bridge to hurry towards the cockpit. She dug her fingernails in the back of the leather covered seat and gave a nod.
"Stations, everyone! Brace yourselves!" She could already feel the thrum beneath her feet and she tried to ignore the look of concern on the blonde's face as she swiveled back around in her chair to get them into position for the jump. Niali had been waiting for this moment for what felt like a lifetime and she swallowed hard as they approached the pulsating mass relay. The building suspense did little to calm her nerves and she bowed her head, "Do it," the command rolled off of her tongue smoothly and she fought the urge to close her eyes against the unknown. She couldn't, she had to see this for herself. Their ship had been specifically built for this, they could do this—they would do this.
"God help us," the blond mumbled under her breath as she directed them into the relay. Niali watched the cabin fill with a blinding blue flash of light and she blinked. Her skin began to glow a violent shade of periwinkle and she looked down at her hand. The chair back was still solid and firm beneath her grasp and she lifted her gaze.
She heard it then: the sounds of crunching metal and screams of agony. In a single heartbeat, the blue turned an angry shade of red and Niali barely recognized the sound that had been ripped from her own lungs. The chair back was gone and she was spiraling downward. Her lungs constricted painfully and she gasped; clawing at her chest in an attempt to make them work again—to let her breathe.
She was dying. It was the only logical explanation for this intense and unyielding level of panic and pain. Her body remained intact but she felt torn into a thousand tiny pieces that had been scattered all across the galaxy. No one would ever find her. Her mother would never know what had happened.
Mother.
Niali closed her eyes and tried to picture her face and the soothing cadence of her voice. Perhaps the memory alone would stop this horrible pain and make her passing easier. First her father had been taken from her mother and now Niali; all because of her own rash stupidity. There was no reason why it shouldn't have worked. The numbers were there and they had been fine! They had been more than fine, they had been perfect.
Her throat burned and her frantic hands grew still as her energy quickly depleted. Something was tearing her ship apart and her crew. They hadn't asked for any of it. A heavy weight settled against her chest and she could feel the universe pressing in on her from every side to swallow her whole.
It was cold. It was so very, very cold.