Preparations

The starship RSS Odyssey, the Earth ship of the inter-dimensional taskforce now dubbed Endeavor was open for visitors and with visitors they preferably meant people who hadn't made up their mind yet or for the new mission recruits. As the airlock door slid aside the small group of mostly Valkyrie crewmembers and Preed and Ayko were welcomed by the smell of 'new'. Though the Odyssey wasn't a brand new starship, she had only been commissioned a few weeks ago and her already state-of-the-art systems now received additional upgrades especially for the job she was selected for. She was a member of the relatively new Poseidon class, a new type of cruiser not especially designed for battle but for deep space exploration missions, though due to the current situation in space, the initial design had been enhanced with improved weapon systems and shielding to increase their survivability and attack strength if they happened to jump into a hostile situation. Aboard the ship there was a lot of activity, engineers working on her systems, crewmembers getting familiar with their new home for the coming weeks and perhaps even months and those who were just interested in the mission or still trying to make up their mind. Captain Jericho personally received Korso and Brian and those they had brought with them. He greeted them with a hearty smile.

"Welcome aboard Joe, Brian, everyone. All decided to take a look? Still making up your mind?"

"I already did, Michael. Thanks for the welcome." Korso laughed and took the hand stuck out in his direction. "She looks gorgeous. Poseidon class isn't it? Haven't seen this design from the inside yet."

"Oh, but she'll start growing on you soon enough."

"But what about your ship, the Arcadia?"

"She'll do fine I'm sure. I've left her in Captain Sanchez's good hands. I believe he's more than experienced enough to be my successor."

"Good choice."

"Thanks. Shall we get going?"

Ayko made a sound that held the middle between a purr and a laugh. Loosening up her shoulders a little she shot Preed an amused look.

"I kinda like it already. Wonder what they're doing to my baby."

Her comment was heard by Jericho who halted for a moment until he walked next to her.

"Glad you could join us, Captain Ayko. Rest assured she's in good hands. A real beauty too."

Ayko grinned.

"Thanks for your admiration but you don't have to flatter me. It won't work."

"I'll keep that in mind," he replied with a laugh.

The Tsun'rhaa was parked in space dock as well to receive the same upgrades as the Odyssey. After all the Akrennian warship itself and its entire crew were part of the taskforce. Examples of these upgrades could be found in both external and internal systems, like enhanced sensors (both the main array and internals) and more powerful shielding and structural integrity systems. The medical bay was equipped with the latest technology and a new monitoring system capable of keeping track of each individual crewmember's health via a wearable sensor package. Also not a task was too heavy for the ship's computer, its already incredible power enhanced even more and backed up by a database filled with the knowledge of the entire Republic and beyond. During the mission, some systems like the main computer and sensor arrays would operate in a partially synchronized mode between all ships to enhance their capabilities even further. Jericho was distributing all of this information during their walk through the corridors on their way to the command deck. In the meantime they kept evading crewmembers and tried to get an idea of the ship's layout. The Odyssey was quite large, almost eight-hundred meters in length and the Poseidon class' exterior was different from the rest of the fleet, with a more rounded design. Her designers had quite possibly taken a peek at the Coalition starships that arrived at New Earth about two years ago. It was still unmistakably an Earth starship but with a few traits of something different.

"This looks amazing," Cale brought out as they passed the sterile white environment of the ship's main medical facility which was filled with twelve bio beds, floating holographic displays and tons of complex equipment, including a huge panoramic display along the farthest wall with a ton of constantly changing information on it.

It was a safe bet that it was the system that monitored the crew's health that Jericho spoke off. Engineers and a few doctors were present, all busy with equipment and systems.

"We'll get here eventually. Not sure if we can enter though. The doors are sealed; they're running tests. That display in the back is the Enhanced Crew Health Monitoring System or E.C.H.M.S. for short. It'll keep complete track of all bio-functions using this." Jericho activated his wristcom's holo-emitter and brought up an overview of his personal medical file with real-time information. "I've been injected with a couple of tiny sensors that'll keep track of everything twenty-four hours a day. If something's wrong the system will respond and both sickbay and myself will receive notification immediately. In addition, if the system detects the same abnormalities within multiple crewmembers a general medical alert will be given off and the appropriate response can be taken by either the computer or a medical officer. We'll get back here in a moment. First stop is main bridge."

As they continued their walk through the Odyssey's spotless interior behind Jericho, the entire group wondered what more high-tech gear they were about to see. This ship was being refitted with all of the latest so when they were done it would be the most advanced starship in the fleet. Every system, every piece of machinery would be state-of-the-art and many things were customized and enhanced especially for the journey ahead. Cale as one of the Valkyrie's crewmembers almost started to envy Korso and Brian. And it was about to get even better. The command deck was unlike anything they had ever seen. The bridge was on top of the ship but not a separate module like on most Republic ships. To fit in with the rest of the design, the bridge was fully integrated and it was an amazing command area. The more or less circular deck was divided in two levels, the upper level in the back slightly elevated and separated by the consoles of two crew stations themselves from the rest of the bridge. This platform was elongated toward the back. This section immediately got the attention of most of the crewmembers and the mischievous smile on Jericho's face betrayed that this was no ordinary entertainment area.

"Oh, you're gonna like that part. Trust me."

It was as if the rest of the regular crew and the engineers at work didn't even notice them. It was likely they saw high-ranking officers coming and going and telling them to carry on the whole day long so a few more were nothing special. The bridge truly looked and felt like the nerve center of the ship. Everything was designed in such a way that information was viewable and accessible in large but structured quantities. Next to the solid displays, floating fluorescent blue holographic displays were an addition of each crew station. Even the main viewer was accompanied by extra virtual displays. One of them currently displayed the aft view of the ship, mainly dominated by the beauty of planet Earth while on the other a communiqué with the Atlas space station was maintained.

"Awesome," Cale said, trying to touch one of the projected displays.

His hand went right through, creating a local disturbance in the projection of the screen. He didn't feel a thing. Holographic displays weren't a new thing of course but to see them used so extensively on the bridge of a starship was something new. Everyone was impressed including the two Akrennians. Ayko knew of course that any upgrades to her ship required for the mission were installed without any cost. The new Tsun'rhaa just got even better without so much as a single credit being drained from her account.

"I don't think the bridge needs any explanation," Jericho said with a shrug. "Everything comes together here. In case of an emergency, all ship functions can be rerouted to main engineering. However this part of the ship, as well as other critical areas like engineering are heavily shielded and armored." He pointed at the ceiling. "Nothing will get through this that easily." Instantly the thought of what could possibly give it a try flashed through everyone's mind. What if they ran into things that could pass through energy barriers and solid material just as easily as they did through air? It was a valid question and relevant to take into account but it wasn't something easily taken care of. Jericho moved on with the tour though. Not everything on the Odyssey's bridge was just 'a little different' than everyone was used to. Jericho guided them toward the back through the small opening between the consoles on the elevated platform. In the back of this space two engineers worked on the active holographic tacmap. "This…" Jericho began, as he checked the system's status and touched the controls, "can I?"

"Yes sir. We're just working out a little glitch in one of the holo-emitters."

Indeed, the projection of New Earth and the immediate vicinity around the planet were plagued by tiny little projection errors. Nothing too major but it was annoying to look at. However a demonstration was possible while the two men did their jobs recalibrating the emitters.

"This is the strategy center. Should we ever get into a situation this is the room where a way out is planned. It's basically a small holodeck but with strategic planning and tactical simulations in mind, directly accessible from the bridge."

Suddenly the projection was distorted, flickered for a second then returned to a stable state without the glitches.

"Calibration complete, sir. That should do it."

"Thank you, Ensign." Running a little demo with just his hands in the air, Jericho made the projection tangible and played with it a little, zooming in and out on objects near the ship and expanding the simulation from just a projection in front of everyone's eyes to a hologram that completely surrounded the group. Everything they saw was an image created by the holo-emitters and aided by the external sensors. Reducing the simulation to what it was before he first touched it, he returned all settings to default for actual use. "You see, it's extremely versatile. Should we ever have to go outside the ship, for whatever reason, the system can aid us too."

"Looks amazing," Korso said.

"Is this an extra or is it standard for this ship class?" his First Officer asked.

"To some extent this is an extra. This section is standard on the Odyssey's sister ships as well but the holo-viewer is something we modified into her. You guys wanna see more?" Of course no one said no to that, thus Jericho lead them off the platform and off the bridge back to where they came from. "Let's see if they've finished up in sickbay."

Jericho's presumptions were correct. The doors they had seen in their sealed state before were open as indicated by the panel near the right one and only one of the engineers was still present. Instead of working on systems however he talked to one of the doctors, clicking shut a small equipment case. One of the other medical officers, a woman with chestnut brown hair in a pony tail and a warmhearted doctor's smile gestured that the group was allowed to enter. When the doors opened they were instantly greeted by a bright white sterileness that almost blinded them for a second. The slight cool rush of air they could feel on any exposed parts of their body felt so pure in nose and lungs that the first breath they took felt unlike any other, clean and without any kind of odor. This sensation was in some way so alien to everyone's lungs that it required some adjustment. It was strangely pleasant but didn't feel natural.

"Thank you Lieutenant. If something happens or if I have further questions I know where to find you. Stay healthy."

"Thank you, Doctor."

The Lieutenant left sickbay, greeting the group on his way out.

"Good to see you again, Michael," the woman greeted.

"Likewise, Sarah. Is Doctor Jameson available?"

Gesturing in the direction of the man who had turned around and walked to a console at the end of the row of six biobeds on the left side of where they stood. His face was more round in shape, a little unshaven around the chin but that could've been on purpose. His hair was strongly on the gray side and cut short. That in combination with the lines in his face suggested that he was an older man with still unknown reasons for signing up for this mission. Sarah shrugged.

"You'll have to ask him. He's been busy since the early morning but he always has time for everyone."

"Thanks Sarah. Carry on."

"Yes sir."

With firm steps Michael approached the head medical officer, the group following him, in awe of the environment. All medical officers wore a white doctor's coat and Doctor Jameson was no exception. The clearly distinguishable piece of clothing was slightly different than usual in the fact that it had an upstanding collar similar to the navy blue uniforms of the Republic. Instead of the standard rank insignia's, the badges on both sides had been replaced by those of the medical division, the three caducei in a row ranking him above everyone else as Chief Medical Officer. Despite the fact that he was clearly busy, he still greeted Jericho with a faint smile as he looked up from what he was doing.

"Michael, good to see you again. I finally got things up and running here. Looks like you got visitors."

"Guys may I introduce you to Doctor Emmanuel Jameson."

He stopped doing what he did and walked up to group. As if they needed medical examining he studied them each for a little while, his face twisting a little sometimes, as if he could see straight through their skin, into their bodies and everything that went on in there. Even the Akrennians had to undergo this treatment and it got him a grunt from Ayko.

"What?"

Jameson didn't reply but when he was done he did a step back and took a breath and smiled.

"A fine collection of healthy homo sapiens and if you'll allow me, 'Akrennius Chiropteras Erectus.' Welcome to my sickbay. Though I hope I won't have to see you here too often, don't hesitate to drop by if you don't feel well."

A bit of an awkward silence followed in which several people raised an eyebrow, especially Preed and Ayko. Just when Preed whispered something about a human version of Gune and Cale asked Akima why Gune wasn't there with them, the little green alien entered sickbay. His large eyes grew even bigger with all the amazing technology unable to escape his gaze. He literally didn't seem to know where to look first, his eyes rapidly flashing from one side of the room to the other. When he finally seemed to notice the fellow members of his crew he rushed to Korso's side, apologizing for being absent all the time. The stupid thing was that nobody had actually paid any attention to it. Preed let out an annoyed sigh.

"Dear Gods, there it is."

"Gune is sorry Captain. He missed the shuttle Captain was on so he had to wait for another one, yes. And when it arrived Gune got on, yes. But when Gune arrived on beautiful ship he got a little lost but has already seen many wondrous things."

Crossing his fingers, hoping Gune hadn't touched all kinds of things he wasn't allowed to touch, he simply said: "It's all right Gune. You're here now."

The little scientist displayed a broad smile, still unable to keep his eyes off all the equipment that was the main subject of his interest. In the meantime, Gune himself had become Doctor Jameson's main subject of interest. Bowing down a little, bringing his height a little closer to Gune's he smiled when his gaze met the alien's.

"My, my, you must be Gune. I've heard so much about you and your work. I'm Doctor Jameson."

Gune looked at the man with enormous round eyes, his jaw dropping a little. Did he hear that correct? People enthusiastic about him and his work? As if something exploded inside the creature, he grabbed the doctor's outstretched hand and shook it wildly, as if trying to pull Jameson's arm off. The man laughed and appreciated the gesture.

"Gune very honored and excited that people heard of him! He's working very hard on new things all the time. Yes he does. All Gune wants is to help."

Everyone laughed, except for Preed maybe.

"And it's much appreciated Gune," his Captain praised.

Gune's face was now dominated by a proud smile. Nothing could make Gune happier than interest in his work. However it was time for something else of interest. Doctor Jameson had finally managed to free his hand, or better said his whole arm, from Gune's little three-fingered hands and expected the group to follow him to the E.C.H.M.S. The huge panoramic display was even bigger from up close and ran from the deck up to the ceiling. A dazzling load of information was displayed over the entire surface of the display and Doctor Jameson easily brought up more options with a few simple gestures. On closer inspection it turned out to be Jericho's medical profile and real-time information in a larger overlay view. Everyone was intrigued by the workings of this system and looked carefully and without touching anything. Gune simply watched with enormous eyes and without even blinking, the readings in all their different colors reflecting back in the shiny balls.

"Are you okay with this Michael?"

"There's nothing I need to feel ashamed off," he replied with a laugh while unbuttoning his uniform jacket.

He also got rid of the other layers underneath until his muscular upper body was fully exposed. On his wristcom he brought up his medical file as well. As expected, the data one both the large display and the small wrist worn device were the same. Turning Jericho toward the group to explain the standard procedure for all Odyssey crewmembers he pointed at several marks on Jericho's brown skin. Examples of these spots were the belly, each one of his breasts, the lower back, under both shoulders and the lower part of his neck.

"At these points, we've injected a couple of sensors to monitor the subject's complete medical condition. All the readings are collected and evaluated in real-time by the system. It really is the ultimate medical accessory to monitor the health of a group of people, in this case, the entire crew of the Odyssey. I think there's little more that needs saying. This sickbay is fully equipped to handle the most extreme cases. My team is a group of skilled people and I have trust in them as much as I have trust in that what we're about to do is the right thing. Just out of curiosity, are you all signing on?"

The members of the Valkyrie crew looked mostly at each other for a moment but of course Korso and Brian confirmed. Ayko proudly identified herself as the Captain of the Akrennian ship. Jameson didn't try to bribe the rest though. He was perfectly fine with them having their reasons.

"Now I have a question for you, Doctor," Akima said, curling her finger playfully around one of her purple bangs.

"What is it my dear?"

"What made you join the Odyssey crew? Of course they needed doctors but was there any reason in particular?"

The eyes of the older man twinkled for a second.

"A valid question, I must say. To tell you the truth, I was simply fascinated. As a doctor, and sometimes I'd like to call myself a medical scientist, I was fascinated by the existence of a reality between realities and the possibility of the existence of any form of life dwelling in an environment like that. We don't even know what kind of effects trans-dimensional space will have on our fragile carbon-based bodies. As a scientist I wanna sit on the front row of this new endeavor. Rudely speaking, we'll simply be a couple of single-celled organisms in a Petri dish."

Though Akima didn't really know what to think of the last comparison she understood and smiled.

"You may be right, Doctor."

Jameson smiled back.

"Even though it isn't just a roundtrip, for a scientist it'll certainly be worth it." In the meantime Jericho had buttoned his uniform jacket and readied himself to continue the ship's tour. Jameson closed the medical file with a quick gesture, dismissing the real-time readings to the background. "Good luck to you all."

"Thanks Doctor."

"You'll be seeing us, Doctor," Korso said with a slight nod, pointing a finger in his direction.

Jameson laughed as he continued his work.

"Not too often I hope."

In main engineering the crew was engulfed in the rhythmic sound of the Odyssey's main reactor core, a large pulsating cylinder of light, surrounded by consoles and these consoles were in turn manned by crewmembers working on calibrating the power systems. Everyone was busy and the group was forced to split up if they didn't want to stand in someone's way. Engineering was located deep inside the Odyssey's stern. Jericho demonstrated the section's features using one of the larger and currently unmanned stations.

"As you can see, engineering itself is equipped with its own shield system. Also the exterior around this section is more heavily armored. We don't wanna get stuck without power or ability to maneuver inside an environment like that."

"What about warp?" Cale asked. "Can we go beyond sub-light speeds?"

"That's what we're gonna find out after the weekend."

"Who's we, Cale?" Akima asked teasingly, patting him on the shoulder. "I thought we weren't going."

The amused look on her face almost made him laugh but he recovered quickly from that awkward moment. He had made his decision, Samantha's well-being weighing the most and Akima knew that too, though she felt the urge to join the Odyssey's crew more than he did at the moment. It took him only little time to respond though a dozen things flashed through his mind in that tiny moment. They just couldn't take a little girl that young on a trip that dangerous and for such a long period of time. Akima didn't want her daughter taken to daycare but unless they quit their jobs it was inevitable but at least Samantha was safe on Earth while their parents were working in outer space. Because of the danger and the messed up state of space, command didn't sent out ships on long missions anymore. Still, he felt it was better for them to stay here, inside their own universe than to take her to places they still knew little to nothing about.

"We aren't. I just got carried away a little. It's merely just interest."

After main engineering came the main hangar deck. The Odyssey was equipped with several standard issue shuttlecraft and a small squadron of eight Dominator Mark II automated fighters. These craft would also receive modifications based on the outcome of the test flight into trans-dimensional space. They were still all standard right now so there was nothing fancy to be seen here. After a few more specialized areas such as science labs and a large astrometrics lab (though they all had their doubts if it would do them much good) the last part of the tour took the group to the crew quarters. These were quite satisfiable as they were large and roomy and though the officers were granted larger quarters, nobody would have to share space with anyone else. Due to possible mental strain of this mission they were all private. At the end of the tour, Korso and Brian were more than satisfied with their decision. The Odyssey was fully equipped to sustain and provide comfort for its crew as much as possible during the upcoming mission.

"You'll be seeing us Michael. We'll be there Monday morning."

The airlock doors opened with a soft hiss to let the group through. Jericho saluted and the entire group returned the favor including the Akrennians.

"I'll be seeing you as well, Captain, Commander."

"You bet," Ayko said grinning. "You haven't seen the last of us yet. Mark my words."

"So what do you wanna do next?"

Down on the surface they noticed the evening would soon visit the city. They could feel it at their stomachs too.

"Get rid of this hungry feeling," Ayko translated everyone's thoughts into words, a little harsh perhaps but she hit the spot. "I'm in the mood for something greasy. Who's in? And what're you laughing at?"

Cale raised his hand to defend himself against a possible wave of rudeness from their Akrennian friend and tried not to.

"Nothing. You just bring it so funny that's all. I'm in. Are we all in guys?"

His question was met by enthusiasm. Ayko grunted.

"Glad to be so entertaining. Follow me. I know a place and it might not even be so bad to your little human stomachs."

Dinner was great. Like most of the time when they ate in an alien restaurant, it was quite a challenge to identify the contents of their plates but Ayko's choice had undeniably been a good one. They hadn't been devouring their food like the Akrennians but everyone liked their choice. The general conversation was good too. It was as if everyone collectively and deliberately tried to avoid the Drej and the mission and have a last good time together. It wouldn't be long now. It was Friday, according to the old Earth calendar and the initial test was on the Monday just after the weekend. The Valkyrie crew would split up, it's senior officers joining the bold Odyssey mission together with Ayko and Preed while the rest of the crew gathered under Cale and Akima. Maybe new recruits would soon walk the old bird's deck plating and serve under her new Captain. Korso even felt the need to bring out a toast in Cale and Akima's honor.

"To the son and daughter I never had," Korso said, his unshaven face shaped into a grin, his blue eyes glittering with a little bit of joyful pride. "Good luck to you both." He clearly remembered those two days he took each of them under his wings. Even though he had been an entirely different kind of man back then he had watched them both grow and he had taken joy in it. "Take care of the old bird for me." For a moment he felt the urge burning to express again how sorry he was for everything that happened in the end of their quest for Sam Tucker's legacy but decided against it. One look in the eyes of his 'children' was enough to convince him of their forgiveness. Saying it would ruin this special moment. They knew he felt deep regret over what he did, there was no need for him to tell them again. "I'm sure you'll fit in your new roles as commanding officers."

Everyone raised glasses. However Cale wasn't planning on letting Korso's words just wash over him like that. Using Korso's own words against him, he was 'the old man he never had' and he said that in the same proud way he did.

"And to our Commander as well," Akima said with a wink. Brian stood up.

"At ease everyone."

A moment later they all stood and even Ayko wouldn't let this moment pass without sounding her voice.

"To the success of our mission and the end of all that nonsense up there."

She tossed her hand in the air and raised her glass of Akrennian ale higher than all the others. Korso shook his head and chuckled.

"Are there anymore people who like to give a speech or can we toast now?"

In a response everyone brought their glasses forth and finally they clinked together above the approximate middle of the table.

"To success."

"To honor."

"To bravery."

"To us."

Everyone had different feelings during this special moment. The crew of the Valkyrie said goodbye again to two members of her original crew and again it weren't just any two people. Her Captain and First Officer, stepping down for their successors and climbing the steps to their final mission. Though nobody showed it, everyone was slightly touched. They could feel it from each other but the faces didn't match the feelings. Except for one person perhaps. Gune sniffled and everyone instantly noticed.

"Gune, it's okay," Akima said in a comforting way. "They're not gone forever."

"Gune thinks it's not good for everyone to split."

Korso smiled. Gune was utterly bad in hiding his emotions like they did but in essence everyone felt the same. He roughly patted the alien's bald head and Gune let him.

"Listen Gune. She's right okay. I'm not gone for good. I'll be back and we'll meet again. But in the meantime, this crew needs ya. Cale and Akima need ya. They can't do it without you. So I want you to keep doing your best. Because you are the best in what you do."

"Hmm, hmm," he purred.

"You can do it."

"I will carry out Captain's last order."

"That's my Gune. All right everyone, does everyone have room for desert? Let's grab that waiter by his collar."

It was late in the evening when Cale and Akima walked back to their apartment with Samantha asleep in her buggy. Neither of them wanted to leave her at daycare for so long but it had been such a weird day with a meeting, followed by a Drej attack and their visit to the Odyssey. Samantha was too young to be bothered by such things, fortunately. Her mind was still way too young and innocent, unaware of the dangers that lurked in the many corners of the world in which she lived. Her parents were still her guardians, protecting her against many of these dangers making it appear as if they didn't exist. It was an illusion that worked perfectly for a child Samantha's age but unfortunately not for themselves. However, if they let themselves be bothered by it too much, they wouldn't even be able to sleep, not with the constant thought of the possibility of something bad happening haunting them day and night.

The apartment was just as they left it. Clean, tidy and untouched. With the happy and less happy moments of the evening still fresh in their mind they decided to call it a day too. Tucking in Samantha, taking a shower, brushing teeth. Everything was standard routine. There was but one slight interruption. Cale just finished taking a shower when the chime of a wristcom echoed through the bathroom. Apparently Akima left it on a little edge near the sink after taking a shower.

"Akima? I think it's for you."

"Got it!" She was already dressed in her silky white nightgown, her wet hair rolled into a towel. Holding this coupe up with one hand she found her wristcom by touch as she looked into the mirror and slowly unwrapped the towel. "It's a message. Stith's dropping by."

"What you mean now?" he said in a surprised way, stepping out of the shower with a towel wrapped around his waist. "What's it saying?"

"No not now. Tomorrow. She and Kero are bringing the kids over too. The Son of the Empire's escorting their taskforce ship to Earth."

Cale chuckled.

"I knew it wouldn't take long for them to send a ship too." He took a breath and wrapped his arms protectively around her as he stood behind her. "For some weird reason I look forward to seeing those kids of hers again."

"They're sweet. Cale, what're you doing?"

"Oh, you do like what I'm doing," he said playfully as his fingers hit the sweet spots on touch.

He placed a soft kiss in her neck and when he placed his head on her shoulder she kissed him on his cheek.

"How do you do that?"

"Do what?"

She laughed.

"Nothing, go on."