Zack Carrey tossed and turned in his bed. The dream had him again. He was at the mine complex on New Caprica. There were dead bodies and wrecked Cylon centurions everywhere. "Clara!" he screamed. "Clara, I'm here!"

He came upon the bodies. The dead Cylon humaniform. The wounded woman. And on the bottom… Clara, with the tattered back of her nurse's scrubs covered in her blood. He turned her over as always and looked into the empty blue eyes.

"Why weren't you here?" Clara's voice asked. Despite being clearly dead, her lips moved. "Why did you bring me here to die?"

"I… I didn't," he insisted.

"I came out here because of you. Now I'm dead. I'd be alive if you never knew me." The dead face twisted into an angry one. "They were right. You never deserved me. And now I'm dead because of you!"

"Clara, no… I never…" But there was no conviction in his voice. This was what he believed, after all.

Zack was so full of guilt and horror that he couldn't face the accusing revenant of Clara any longer. He turned away from her and toward the woman bleeding out. But he knew something was wrong the moment he looked toward her. The figure that had been in civilian clothes before was now in a Stellar Navy uniform. His eyes wandered up her bullet-ridden torso to her face. His heart skipped at seeing the woman's face was new. A familiar one. "Julie," he rasped.

"Zack." Her voice was weak and pained. "Why… why did you let us die?"

Now the field was bereft of the mining vehicles. Bodies covered it. Bodies in Alliance uniforms covered the ground. He turned away from Julia's wrecked body and faced another form. Tom Barnes' chest haad nearly exploded from the gunfire that claimed him. A big, bloody hole filled Cat's forehead. The back of her head was gone.

"No," he whimpered. 'No! No no no not!"

At that point he woke up screaming. He looked around at his darkened quarters on the Aurora. On the nightstand his omnitool was giving off the blinking blue light of an incoming call. At first he didn't react. He couldn't. Not with the images from his dream still fresh in his mind.

When the omnitool kept going off Zack finally had the presence of mind to reach for the light and trigger it. "Carrey here."

"Commander, I need to see you in the ready office," said Julia, being all-business as usual. "Right away."

With his nap ruined already, Zack had no objections. "On my way," he said. He stood up and put a fresh uniform on. It was only when he was about to go out the door he remembered that he had taken a couple shots of tequila before his nap. He trudged over to the replicator and said, "Computer, a glass of water and six hundred milligrams of Niltox."

"Warn…"

"Override," he grumbled. The replicator came to life and left the pills and water. He put the three pills in his mouth and washed them down in one gulp. With that much Niltox, he expected to be virtually sober by the time he reached the bridge. That was the important part, too. He had to be completely sober, even if he looked horrible.

Once the Niltox had a minute or so to start working, Zack left his quarters.

The door chime for Julia's office sounded. She looked up from her screen and said "Enter". Once the door opened her expression lost its business-like demeanor, becoming one of concern. "My God, Zack, what's wrong with you?"

Zack walked up to the chair and set himself in it. His eyes looked tired and weary, which went with the deep, purplish-black color under them. His face was drawn and pale. And he didn't even bother trying to fake a smile. "Bad dreams," he said. "Nightmares. Worse than usual. I haven't slept well the last few days. My nap didn't go well either."

"Christ," Julia muttered. "Look at you. This is why you need to get counseling…"

"Not now, Julia, please," he pleaded. "I don't want the mother hen routine right now."

"Someone's got to say something," she insisted. "You're… Zack, if it's causing you this much trouble, you're arguably not fit for duty."

"That's just what I need," he insisted. "I need to be out in my ship, I need something to occupy my mind."

She gave him a sardonic look. "We both know bridge watches can be quiet and boring, so I'm not sure I see the improvement." When he didn't respond she sighed and continued, "Well, I need you out there anyway. The Koenig is our scout, after all, and we need one now."

"Can do," he answered.

"I'll have Nick relay you course data to you. Maintain the best scans you can."

"So, let me get my people together, we should be good to launch in an hour."

"You're dismissed. Good luck, Zack."

"Thanks." He left without a further word.

Leo's work day was officially over when he returned to his office with a mug of coffee. He sat and began to drink while he monitored their patient. She was laying in the standard care ward just two beds down from the one Robert had previously occupied.

Doctor Lani Walker stepped in a moment later. She was about a year younger than him, a bright young physician who joined the Alliance service out of idealism like so many others. She had a brown complexion and long dark hair with an ovular face. A pendant with a crystal was her one personal ornamentation, something Leo presumed came from her origin in the Tohono O'odham Nation, the self-named "Desert People" of Arizona and Sonora.

Leo looked up. "Doctor Walker, how can I help you?"

"I wanted to be honest with you," she said. "Over the last eight hours I have been feeling occasional spells of nausea and a sense of anxiety."

Leo pondered that admission. The symptoms were general enough that they could be from a number of possibilities. On the other hand, they also fit the symptoms he was hearing from others. He raised an eyebrow at that possibility. "Would you like something?" he asked.

"It is not severe," she replied. "I've felt worse before. But I thought you should know."

Leo stood from his chair. "Just for form's sake, I'd like to…"

He was interrupted by a clattering sound outside. He moved around Walker to the door. She followed him into the standard care ward of medbay.

Leo's chief nurse, a Darfuri woman named Nasri, was standing with hands held up in a peaceful gesture. "You are okay," she insisted.

Leo followed where she was looking to see their gown-wearing patient was off of the biobed. Her light brown eyes darted around the medbay ward in an obvious search, presumably for the armor they had removed while treating her. Leo fully entered the ward and brought his hands up, palms out. "Hello," he said. That drew the girl's attention to him. Her eyes were wide with disbelief and confusion. "I'm Doctor Leonard Gillam, I'm in charge here. We're only here to help you."

"Where is this?" she asked, or rather, she demanded. "This isn't the Galaxy Garrison… Who are you?!"

"I'm the Chief Medical Officer of this ship, the Starship Aurora," Leo answered. "You're safe here."

"But Earth doesn't have this level of technology yet," the girl protested. She began to wobble where she was standing. "You're lying. Are you…"

Nasri got to the girl just as she pitched over. "Doctor!"

Leo had his scanner ready when he got to them. Their patient wasn't entirely unconscious at the moment but it was clear she was too woozy to communicate effectively. "She's still recovering," he observed. "Let's get her back in the bed." He put an arm under the teenager's back while Nasri got her legs. They returned her to her bed gently.

Her eyes opened slowly. They were the same brown as her hair. "Where am I?" she asked. "Where are the… others?"

"Conserve your strength," he urged her. "Whatever happened to you on your ship, you're going to need more time to recover."

"But the others… the Castle!" She gripped his arm. "Did they get clear? What happened?"

"I'm afraid I have no idea what you're talking about," Leo said. "Just relax for a while. When you've got the strength, we'll do whatever we can to help you." He almost asked her name but held back. She clearly needed more rest. Natural rest too.

The girl's eyes slowly closed. She was fast asleep.

Leo gestured to the others to join him in stepping away. Once he felt they were far enough away to not disturb the patient, he said, "Okay, I'm going to inform Captain Andreys that she woke up and that she needs more sleep. Doctor Walker, would you mind monitoring her vitals for any more changes?"

"Not at all, Doctor," she answered.

"If you have any more anxiety problems or nausea, let me know. I can have Doctor Hreept fill in for you." When she shook her head in reply, Leo left the matter alone. He looked to Nasri next. "Did she say anything before we got in?"

"Nothing audible," Nasri replied.

"Alright. I'll let the others know. If she wakes up again, let Doctor Walker know first and me second. And give her something to eat and drink."

"Of course."

Confident in Nasri's ability to care for the patient, Leo left it at that.

Zack stepped into his quarters on the Koenig and placed his bag on the table. He zipped it open to check on the contents. The upper contents were a few personal things that he always brought with him, such as photos from his baseball-playing days in the minors, and they were quickly placed on his desk.

The tequila bottle and plastic tumbler? Those stayed in the bag.

Zack stowed the bag under his desk and departed his quarters, heading for the bridge. Once he was in the turbolift he was met by a man of light, almost pale, complexion, with a solid build. The man had blond hair that was pulled into a regulation-satisfying ponytail that went to the back of his neck. He had a wide face with a trimmed beard that matched the color of his hair. His uniform included the blue trim of medical branch and a single gold stripe on the collar rank tab, marking the man an Ensign. Given the size of the crew, this made his identity easy to discern.

After giving the lift the verbal order of "Bridge Deck", Zack turned to the other occupant. "Doctor Epstein," Zack said. "Did you get settled into the infirmary yet?"

"Of course, Commander," Doctor Wilfred Allen-Epstein answered. His English was pronounced with a German accent. Zack had only met his new Medical Officer a few times and thought he looked to be about Leo's age. "I'm quite ready for my first deployment on your ship. I enjoy working with Doctor Gillam and the others in the Aurora medbay, of course, but I appreciate the chance to go out on my own."

"That's the spirit, Doctor," Zack stated with less enthusiasm than he had been intending.

"I have heard about your loss, Commander. You have my condolences." A sad look crossed the young doctor's face. "I'm not sure how I'd take it if I lost Ben."

"Ben?"

"My husband," Epstein clarified. "He and I left Earth together to join the Alliance. I signed up for the Stellar Navy as a medical officer. He's a civilian science specialist, a biologist assigned to the Pathfinder."

"Oh? Which Earth?"

"Your's, actually." Epstein nodded.

"Ah." Zack forced any sign of emotion from his face. He couldn't help but think of Clara. And with that came the desire for a nice drink or two in order to dull the pain.

"Yes. I am from Bonn and Ben lived in Phoenix. We met over the Internet years ago. Before the Multiverse contact."

Zack nodded once in reply before stepping forward. The lift doors opened and they were on the bridge deck. Epstein followed him to the bridge, where everyone else was already at their stations. Zack settled into the command chair. "Alright everyone," he said. "Let's do this. Begin launch procedures."

A minute later the Koenig pulled free from its dock at the back of the Aurora's primary hull. The attack ship pointed slightly upward before its impulsor drives fired. The Koenig was soon gaining distance from its base ship. The warp drive nacelles built up into a flash and the ship was gone in a second.

Caterina struggled to think of the last time she ever visited the flight deck. The three hundred meter-long deck was lined with the berths to feed the ship's Mongoose starfighters into their launch tubes. The far end had the opening, now closed, to retrieve the fighters. Safety gear and tractor beam emplacements lined the walls and ceilings while, at the bow end, a control room overlooked the entire deck.

A handful of crew went about in duty uniforms marked with orange branch color. Cat rarely saw that color, which was for flight operations personnel. They were now outnumbered by the more familiar beige of operations and engineering crew, with a couple of the science specialists with engineering backgrounds helping out and wearing dark blue-trimmed uniforms that matched Cat's. Only Cat had the uniform skirt, however, instead of the trousers almost everyone else preferred.

She activated her omnitool scanner as she approached the lion ship. Seeing it up close and personal was the kind of sight she lived for now. The mysterious craft had been built with an entirely different aesthetic design to their own. Cat's mind raced with the possibilities. Was the design inspired for cultural reasons? Religious? Why would someone make a spaceship modeled after a feline species?

"I was wondering when you'd get down here." Lucy walked up beside Cat. "Couldn't stay away, could you?"

"Well, no," Cat admitted. "I've got to start working on my paper for that T'Vral DIstortion. But I wanted to see this first. What have you found out?"

"Nothing much. There's an internal space in the head where the cockpit is located, and we're pretty sure the entrance is inside the mouth." Lucy shrugged. "And Meridina and I feel something in it. It's power source is linked to the Flow of Life."

"You mean it's a machine that is powered by the same stuff you use for all of your metaphysical magic power? Has anything like this been heard of before?"

"Not by the Gersallians," Lucy said.

To that Cat's grin widened. "Another first for us then," she said. "I mean, imagine the papers we can write on this. Who knows how well the internal power source works? It might even be better than naqia."

"Maybe. The Flow of Life is capable of some amazing things. Although controlling it might be an issue. Also…"

Cat heard the tone in Lucy's voice. "What?"

"The Flow of Life's power, you don't just plug into it. Emotions and feelings, they all influence how the power works." Lucy frowned from the memories going through her mind. She thought of the cold power when dark emotions seeped into use of those powers. "What would happen if a machine reached into it? Darkness weakens the Flow of Life. What would machines do to it?"

"Well, that's what experiments are for," Cat said. She couldn't keep the excitement from her voice. "That's science, Lucy. You ask questions, you make guesses, then you test for them and record the results to check against your guesses."

"I'm not sure I want to trust something like this to just guess-work, Cat."

"I'm sorry if this bothers you," Cat replied. "But if we don't try, we'll never know. Sometimes you have to…"

Lucy's expression changed from the stony frown it had been to growing surprise. Cat wondered why when she felt something as well. There was a sense that something was looking at her. Into her. The sensation was a surprise.

The bigger surprise came a moment later. The lion ship's eyes lit up. Without warning it rolled onto its legs. The officers surrounding it all watched in shock at the sudden movement. Those nearest fell away from it, as if it might pounce on them.

It didn't. Rather it sat its hind legs down before lowering its forelegs. Its shining yellow eyes looked directly at Lucy and Cat. Or, rather, Cat herself. Cat responded to the attention with an audible gulp.

"It's… it's reacting to you," Lucy said. "It senses something in you… something that I think it likes?"

"Oh? That's… nice," Cat squeaked. "So it doesn't want to eat me?"

"No. The trace feels faint. What do you feel?"

"Just this… like it's looking into me," Cat replied. "It's like it's uncertain about something. I… wait." Cat concentrated and thought she heard a voice. A faint "Who are you?" resonated in her mind.

"There's another mind in the link," Lucy said. "It's…"

"...the pilot." Cat tapped her omnitool. "Delgado to Medbay. Leo, is that pilot awake?"

After a few moments Leo's reply came. "She was. She went back to sleep."

"I'm thinking she might not be asleep anymore," Cat said.

"Why? What's…" There was silence from the other end. Lucy and Cat gave each other uncertain looks during this silence. It ended with Leo's voice returning. "You called it, Cat. She's awake again."

"How is she?"

"Resting. Why?"

"I think we should talk to her," Cat said.

Julia and Meridina arrived at the medbay just ahead of Cat and Lucy. The four of them entered the standard care ward together and joined Leo and Nasri at the biobed occupied by the pilot The others noted their guest was out of the armor she'd been recovered in and wearing a blue patient's gown. "How are you feeling?" Julia asked.

"Better. I'm still not sure what happened to me." She looked at them in turn until her eyes fixed on Cat. "You're the one I felt?"

"Yeah." Cat nodded. "Although I'm not sure why your ship linked to me."

"It liked something in you. That's how the Lions bond with pilots." The pilot rested her head on her hand. She still seemed woozy. "I'm sorry, I'm just…" She looked back up at them. "Did you find the others?"

"Others? There are more?" Julia asked.

"Yes. My friends are in the other four. We were all in the wormhole when everything went crazy. I lost control of my lion and fell toward the side of the tunnel. Then everything went black and I woke up here."

"I thought a wormhole was involved," said Cat. "That explains the neutrinos at the spot we found you. But we haven't found any other lion ships."

"Before we go much further, we should probably introduce ourselves," Julia said. "I'm Captain Julia Andreys of the Alliance Starship Aurora. This is my first officer, Commander Meridina, and Lieutenant Caterina Delgado is our science officer. Lieutenant Lucilla Lucero is one of our operations officers."

The girl on the bed nodded. "My name is Katie Holt. My friends call me Pidge. I'm a Paladin of Voltron." Her expression betrayed confusion. "Are you under the command of the Galaxy Garrison?"

"I'm afraid we don't know what that is," Julia answered. "This is going to sound outlandish to you…"

"There's not a lot that's outlandish to me these days," Pidge admitted, grinning slightly.

"That's a feeling we're all familiar with." Julia let herself smile at that thought. "But we think you hopped universes."

The grin turned into an expression of confusion. "Uh… what?"

"We're from an interuniversal state called the United Alliance of Systems," Julia explained. "We're a union of various Human and non-Human solar systems that span multiple universes, including multiple copies of Earth, using interuniversal jump drive technology. I come from the Earth of Universe H1E4, as do they." She indicated Cat, Lucy, and Leo. "Commander Meridina is a Gersallian from Universe N2S7."

Pidge's eyes widened. "You're… you're not kidding, are you?"

"No. Right now we're in Universe S0T5."

"Then…" She shook her head. "Whatever happened to the wormhole… it threw me here. Maybe the others too."

"I've been making the best sensor sweeps I can since we found you," Cat said. "But we're in a region of space called the Fracture that has some really screwed up spatial characteristics. I can't guarantee finding anything beyond a certain range."

"I think I can help you with…" Pidge tried to slip off of the bed. Leo caught her. "No, it's okay…"

"It's not," he said. "Your nervous system took a shock and you need rest."

"But my friends might be out there," she protested.

"Well, we can try to find them," Cat said. "Do you know of any special way to scan for them?"

"The Castle could. The Castle of Lions, I mean. It's the spaceship we use as our base. Now that I think about it, maybe it could be here too."

"If your ship has a link to your lion, maybe we can use that," Lucy said. She looked to Meridina. "What do you think?"

"It is worth a try," said Meridina.

"Do what you can." Julia nodded to them and they walked off. "I'd like it if you continued to rest, Ms. Holt. We'll keep you up to date on any developments." She gave Cat a wry look. "And I think Lieutenant Delgado is going to burst if she doesn't get to start asking you questions."

Their guest turned her head slightly, as if just now noticing the wide, anticipating grin on Cat's face. That grin faded slightly at seeing Leo's rather dour expression. "I won't wear her out," Cat promised.

"You can talk until her meal comes," Leo said. "Then you're out until tomorrow."

"You know, I really don't mind…" Pidge began.

"I'm your physician, and I do," Leo said. "Until I'm satisfied with your recovery, Ms. Holt, you're staying here and resting. Now, I'm going to see about your dinner. Nasri here is available if you need anything. Okay?"

"Okay," Pidge answered.

With a final nod to the others, Leo walked away.

"I have other duties to attend to," Julia said. "I'm sure Cat will answer any questions you have."

"It's only fair!" Cat agreed with great enthusiasm.

Assured that their guest was going to be well-cared for, Julia left the medbay. She could hear Cat's excited voice throwing out its first question before she went through the door.

With an imminent change in both shifts and watch, the Lookout was fairly busy. Those coming for dinner were treated to Italian courses.

Violeta was still on duty herself, but was off-watch for her mid-shift meal. In contrast Angela Delgado had just finished her last watch. The two sat together at a table closer to the starboard bulkhead of the lounge area, enjoying spaghetti and meatballs in Angela's case and a spinach lasagna in Violeta's.

Angel typically didn't take meals with her sister's girlfriend. This was supposed to be a meal with Cat for both of them. Her failure to appear so far left them feeling increasingly awkward. Finally Angel got tired of the silence and asked, "So, fun game the other day, right?"

"Yeah. If only we'd cleared the Dragon King fight. We really need a healer." Violeta flashed Angel a little grin. "Or a monk who uses the Life Chakra properly."

Angel gave her a sardonic grin. "I draw the line at spouting gibberish," she retorted. "Isn't there a way to just, I don't know, say I'm using the ability? Isn't that how these games usually go?"

"I would have to adjust the settings. And it would be really immersion breaking."

"Oh." Angel put her fork back into the spaghetti and began to twirl the noodles around it. For several moments she seemed focus exclusively on her food. The time let Violeta finish chewing another mouthful. "So, how are you and Cat doing?"

"We're fine."

Angel gave Violeta an intent look. There was something about the way she said it that sounded familiar. "Well, that's nice," Angel said. She took a bite, chewed for several seconds, and swallowed. "I mean, I love my little sister, and I want to see her in the kind of happy, mutually-beneficial relationship I've never had."

And there it was. The look in those vivid purple eyes Angel had expected to see though did not want to see.

"I thought it was really nice of you, actually," Angel said. "Letting her take you to Vulcan of all places for a science conference, instead of visiting your folks on Sirius."

"It was a big moment for Cat," Violeta said quietly. "I couldn't ask her to give that up."

Angel nodded quietly. Violeta was hiding it well, but there was just a hint of the tone to her voice that made it clear how disappointed she was.

The conversation might have continued if not for the newcomer. "Pardon me, Lieutenants?" They looked up to face Talara. The Falaen had a plate full of what looked like ricotti. "Do you mind if I join you?"

"Not at all," Angel said. "Do you, Violeta?"

Violeta shook her head. "No, it's fine," she said.

Talara sat at another chair, back to the lounge bar. "I wanted to thank you. I know I am new to your vessel and do not know any of you very well. But despite that you still allowed me to participate in your game."

"Everyone's going to be new at some point," Violeta said. Her smile was genuine now. "And you seem to have a lot of fun as a Dragoon."

"I am actually curious about that," Talara said. "According to the history files I've read, dragoons in your history did not wear such armor, nor did they jump as part of their fighting. They were mounted infantry of various sorts. Why does your game show otherwise?"

"It's all fantasy," Angel pointed out. "It's like how the game lets me punch a lizard the size of a small house and not smash the bones in my hands in the attempt."

"It's not supposed to reflect history, but legend," Violeta said. "It's fantasy."

"I think I understand. My people have their own heroic legends. Maybe I could introduce them into your game?"

"There are custom campaigns, we would just have to add Falaen legendary stuff to it within the framework of the rules." Violeta lifted her fork. "But first we beat the Dragon King."

"I will do my best to be there," Talara promised.

Caterina squeed with delight. "That must be amazing!" she exclaimed. "A big robot, from all five?! So what, you just control the arm?"

"Yes and no," Pidge answered. "It's… kind of both. We control our own parts, but at the same time we're controlling it together. It's this link that's in your head. As long as we keep it together, Voltron stays together." Grinning, Pidge held up two fingers. "And now you owe me two questions."

"Ask away."

"So you came from a 21st Century Earth, and your sister's boyfriend found that underground alien base. How did you learn to use the technology?"

"The Darglan had what they called brainwave infusion technology. It let us download raw data into our brains," Cat explained. "I learned like four different methods of faster-than-light travel on my first try."

"Woh. That sounds useful."

"Well, you still had to do things the old-fashioned way for the learning to really stick," Cat said. "I spent months reading up on the science involved. I kept asking Leo for more infusions, but he kept refusing me. He said he would burn my brain out. And we later learned he was right." A somber look crossed Cat's face at remembering the rampage that the Avenger had inflicted on Earth C1P2.

"Alright. Let me think of my next question." Pidge's face showed intense thought. "Okay, so what happened to these Darglan?"

Now the somber look turned painful. "They were wiped out a thousand years ago," Cat said. "By a species called the Shadows."

"Wow. Even their name sounds nasty."

Cat nodded. "And they were. And it's horrible, because the Darglan weren't a harmful species at all. They were scientists and explorers. They believed in diplomacy. We've learned they even used to transplant sapient species between planets to protect them from calamities."

"It sounds like they would have gotten along with the Alteans."

"The Alteans?"

"They were the people who built the Lions and Voltron," Pidge answered.

"Oh!" Cat finally smiled. "That was my next question!"

Pidge briefly matched the smile before looking sad again. "They were wiped out by the Galra ten thousand years ago. Princess Allura and Coran are the only Alteans left."

"That's horrible." Again Cat was frowning. "It's a shame it was so long ago. That means the Darglan weren't around, they couldn't have saved any of them."

For a moment both were quiet. Cat nearly asked if Pidge was ready for her to leave. "So, since I answered your question before you asked it, this means it's my turn again?" Pidge finally asked.

"Hey, no fair!" Cat complained in a playful tone. But she nodded anyway.

"What kind of ship is this?" Pidge asked. "You look like you're not that different from the Galaxy Garrison."

"The Aurora is called a star cruiser. The frame was actually built by the Darglan three thousand years ago, and we filled it in afterward." Cat used her omnitool to call up a holographic image of the Aurora. Pidge looked at the ship with interest. "She's built to do a lot of things. Science missions, exploration, diplomacy, transport. And military stuff if we have to. I honestly don't like the military stuff, I prefer exploring new things. Like I am now, actually. Yesterday we actually came across a T'Vral Distortion!"

"And that is…?"

"Nah ah. I get the next question."

"And time's up," said Leo, walking in behind them. He brought with him a covered tray.

"This isn't hospital food of some kind, is it?" Pidge asked.

"I had the head cook of our ship's crew lounge prepare it," Leo replied. "Calling Hargert's food 'hospital food' would be completely unfair." He tapped the side of the biobed. A hardlight table appeared over Pidge's lap. "Here you go, Ms. Holt. Hargert's trying out Italian cuisine tonight. I expect you to eat all of it and to then get some rest."

Pidge removed the top cover, revealing a plate of cheese-stuffed ricottii pasta in a marinara sauce covered in melted mozzarella. A bowl to the side had chicken soup, and there was an apple to the other side. A drink container of reddish liquid, fruit punch Cat guessed, was present as well. Pidge's reaction to the sight was to literally lick her lips. "It's been too long since I got to have real food," she said. "On the Castle, all we have to eat is this green goo stuff. This looks like my mother made it."

"It sounds like the Alteans never developed replicators," Cat said.

"What do they do?" Pidge asked while reaching for a fork.

"You can find that out tomorrow," Leo said, leveling a look at Cat.

"Okay, okay, I'm going," Cat said, slipping off the biobed. "I'll see you tomorrow."

"Mmhmm", was the muffled reply through a mouthful of ricotti.

The excitement of Caterina's talk with Pidge had slightly overshadowed Cat's interest in continuing her paper on the T'Vral Distortion. Even as the data from her scans of the star in question moved over the screen of her personal monitor in her quarters, Cat couldn't focus on it. All she could think about was the scientific mysteries of the Green Lion, the Alteans, and all the other things Pidge had told her about her home universe.

She was so engrossed in her thoughts that she didn't notice the door open. Violeta entered with her uniform jacket already unfastened, revealing the burgundy red shirt beneath the uniform. "How was your day?" Violeta asked Cat

"Oh, it was… great. The pilot of the lion ship woke up and I got to ask her some questions," Cat answered. "What about you?"

"Since we're not leaving the area yet, there wasn't much for me to do on my helm watch," Violeta replied. "It was boring. I spent most of my time wondering what we're going to do with that Dragon King encounter."

"We almost beat him last time," Cat pointed out. "And on our first try."

"I'm worried it was beginner's luck." A sly look crossed Violeta's face. "It would help if your sister used the chakras right."

"It's like the feather for the headband. It's something she's doing to convince herself she's not fully immersed in the game." Cat's eyes wandered back to her monitor. "What did you want to do?"

"Maybe see if someone else is interested in playing a healer class. We've been making do with our self-heals and the healing potion items, but this encounter was made for a properly-balanced team. Do you know if anyone…?"

"Zack might, if I asked him nicely," Cat said. "Or I guess I could take a Potion of Introspection and branch into the white magic tree?"

"No, because you'd probably have to give up your Blizzaga spell, and you'd lose all of your progress toward the other Tier 3 black magic." There was a pause. "What's so interesting?"

"Oh, I'm just examining our readings of the area. I'm trying to see if I can find any indications that more of those lion ships are around." Caterina tapped a key on the control. "The pilot, Katie Holt, said something destabilized the wormhole they were entering and that her ship hit the side of the tunnel. I'm wondering if whatever it was could have altered the wormhole they were traveling in. Maybe infused it with just the right particle signature to punch into sixth-dimensional space."

"Huh. Well, that sounds important. I'll leave you to it then."

Cat was so focused on her work that she didn't notice the hint of disappointment in Violeta's voice. Nor did she notice the sound of the door opening. She only realized Violeta had left when she finally looked up and said "Vee?" in her quiet quarters. Seeing her girlfriend had left, presumably to go to her own shared quarters in the junior officers' area on Deck 5, Caterina sighed and returned her attention to the monitor screen.

Leo arrived at the medbay to begin his morning rounds. Doctor Singh met him at his office door. "Good morning, Doctor," the New Punjabi woman said amiably.

"Good morning," he answered. He accepted the digital reader she handed him. A quick look over it confirmed nothing major happened. "How are our stocks of genralim?" he asked, referring to a Dorei-specific drug that they were using to help those feeling sick from the Fracture's effects.

"We have enough to last our Dorei crew through another week and a half, at least, going by their current consumption rate," Singh replied. "If we're still in the Fracture in five days I would recommend we start rationing the remaining dosages."

"Hopefully we won't be," Leo replied. "We're only scheduled to be here another six days as it is. Although our find may change that. Speaking of that…"

"Patient Holt slept through the night," Singh informed him. "She awoke half an hour ago. All of her vitals are good and she's not showing any sign of the fatigue or nervous strain she had yesterday. And I've already arranged her breakfast, so you needn't worry about that." She shook her head. "Just how did a fifteen year old wind up in this situation anyway?"

"I've asked the same myself," Leo said. "Although I suppose we can't complain too much. Cat was only eighteen when we started operating from the Facility."

"A little on the young side, but at least she was at the start of adulthood and not a youth," Singh pointed out.

Leo nodded once to indicate he accepted her point. "Well, that will do it. Have a good day, Doctor."

"You as well, Doctor." Singh walked out the door.

Leo put on his white lab coat and walked to the standard care ward. He found Pidge wolfing down a small stack of pancakes. A few fluffy fragments of what had been scrambled eggs were obvious on a plate to the side, as was the husk of an orange. "Well, you've got quite the appetite," he noted. "Maybe I will have to put restrictions on your diet."

"I've been eating green goop for too long," she answered.

"Ah. Well, whatever it was, it certainly worked well with human physiology," Leo remarked. "So how are you feeling?"

"Better." She set the fork down. "When can I go? My friends are still out there. I need to find them."

"Well, I'm going to run some scans first, but if you can stand and move on your own without any problems, you should be fine." Leo tapped at his omnitool to generate the medical scanner built into it. "So let's get started on that…"

When Meridina reported to the bridge that morning, Julia noted she still looked ill. "Isn't there anything the medbay can do for you?" she asked as soon as Meridina sat down beside her.

"I am afraid there is not," Meridina replied. "My physical ailments are merely a symptom of the greater problem. This place… it is fundamentally wrong, Captain, in a way my people have never known. And I feel there is more to it than a mere warping of space."

"I'm going to put in a commendation for you when this is over," Julia said. "And a recommendation that any further exploration be done with crews that don't include psionically-sensitive members."

"I admit I am looking forward to leaving this place and never returning." Meridina shifted in her seat. "But until then, we have duties to attend to, yes?"

"We do." Julia turned toward the port side of the bridge, where Caterina and Barnes were at their Science and Engineering stations respectively. "Anything new to give me this morning?"

"That lion ship is Goddamned insane, and we've learned nothing new about it," Barnes answered.

Julia restrained a sigh. Tom Barnes was admittedly trying to clean up his speech, as she'd asked, but it was clear that this was a long-term project. "Lieutenant Delgado?"

"Given how local space is formed, long range scans aren't as clear as I'd like," Cat said. "So I can't be sure of a similar signature nearby.

"We could try and re-open the wormhole from our end," Jarod said. "If we can do that it might give us a chance to determine the universal coordinates of her home."

"We should be careful about opening any kind of interuniversal point inside the Fracture. There's no telling what could happen given how messed up local space-time is."

"We'd need to be precise," Jarod said.

"Yes. And I'm not sure…"

When Cat let that sentence trail off she drew the attention of the others. "What is it, Lieutenant?" Julia asked.

"It just might work," she muttered. "It just might... " She looked up from her checking of sensor logs. "The lion ship is supposed to have this special dedicated connection to their home base. If we could tie it into our systems, we might be able to use that and my scans of the residual energy to re-open the wormhole safely."

"How?" Jarod asked.

"The same way the Daleks opened that rift to the Void," Cat said. "We tie the jump drive into the navigational deflector."

"You mean the thing that nearly caused some sort of fraking ancient horror to come out?" Barnes asked. He didn't even hide the sarcasm.

Cat shot him a look. "That's why we're going to be careful. We can cut the particle feed at the slightest hint of it going wrong. But with the right configuration, all we'll be doing is re-opening the wormhole that already formed."

"Even if we do this, hooking that lion ship up is going to be a pain," Barnes said. "The thing only fits on the launch deck. We're going to have to build connections from scratch if we're going to tie it into the jump drive or the sensors."

"And we'll need Katie, er, Ms. Holt," Cat added. "She knows her ship's systems better than we do."

Julia considered the idea for just a moment before nodding. "Alright. See if Doctor Gillam is ready to release her from the medbay. Lieutenant Barnes, get started on your end. I'd like to see progress before the end of the day."

Barnes stood from his station and was relieved by a Gersallian ensign. Cat looked over and said, "if you're okay with it, I'll go get Ms. Holt."

For a moment Cat wasn't sure what reply she'd get. In the end, she got a single nod of assent from Julia, and jumped from her chair.

Cat made a beeline for the standard care ward when she got to medbay. Pidge was still on her bed. Now she was wearing the black suit that was normally under her armor. "How are you feeling?" Cat asked her, smiling.

"A lot better today." Pidge smiled back. "Doctor Gillam's letting me go."

"That's good. We're going to try something and we need your help. It may be your way back home."

Pidge got off the bed. "Lead the way."

Cat led her out of the medbay and into the blue-lined corridors of the Aurora. Pidge looked from side to side, taking in the sights of a Human-crewed starship like none she'd ever seen. They came to a door that opened and revealed the interior of a lift. Once they were inside Cat said "Deck 22, Section I." The lift started to move.

"How long is it going to take us to get across the ship?" asked Pidge.

"A minute or two. The lifts move horizontally as well as vertically," Cat answered. "The flight deck is on Deck 22. Section I is the second section of the ship back from the end of the primary hull. The lift will open close to the main entrance to the flight deck."

"How many people are on this ship?"

"About two thousand crew and one hundred civilian specialists," Cat answered. "The civilians are mostly science specialists that work in our science labs. And a few support personnel."

Pidge was visibly impressed. It was certainly more than the small three-man crews that the Galaxy Garrison managed for its exploration ships. "And how many science labs?"

"Three specific labs. Lab 1 is for computer science and analysis of unknown technology. Lab 2 is for physics-related experiments and analysis. Lab 3 is biological sciences. I'll have to take you by Lab 3 later and introduce you to Doctor Ke'mani'pala. She's a Gl'mulli, although using a gendered pronoun really doesn't work for Gl'mulli, they're an agendered species of gelatinous beings."

That revelation clearly interested Pidge, and brought on her next question. "How many species do you have in your Alliance?"

"Right now? There are just four currently, and Humans are by far a plurality from the number of Human states in various universes. The Gersallians and Dorei of N2S7 and the Alakin of A7R6 are the other species in the Alliance, and a few like the Gl'mulli, the Dre'kari, the Gy'torans, and the Falaens are still thinking about joining."

"But they still join your crews?"

"Yes. We have programs that let non-Alliance citizens join the Stellar Navy."

By this point they were at the starboard entrance to the flight deck. Once again the engineering and ops teams were at work around the lion. But instead of being on it or around it, they were working further away with data cables and power conduits.

Pidge had a satisfied look at seeing her lion sitting on the deck. "Have you been inside?"

"The door's in the mouth, and it won't open for us."

"Well, since you answered so many of my questions, let me show you what my lion is like on the inside."

Cat let out a little squee. "Sorry," she said afterward. "Force of habit."

Pidge's reaction was a gentle chuckle. "I feel like doing the same thing. This ship is beyond anything my Earth has put together." She walked up to the Green Lion. After a moment it opened its mouth. This revealed a circular hatch in the throat. She stepped into the mouth and looked back. "Don't worry, my lion won't bite."

Cat nodded and followed, feeling very much like a circus lion-tamer sticking their head into the lion's mouth.

With his morning bridge watch over, Zack returned to his quarters. On arriving he pulled off his uniform jacket and set it on a hanger in his closet space. Once he was comfortable he sat at his desk and breathed in a little sigh. For the moment there was precious little to do given the nature of their patrolling. Which meant he had more undesired time to dwell on his pain and loss.

What made it all worse was the conflict raging inside of him. A part of him knew that he needed to go to the others. To Julia, to Tom, or to Jarod or Leo. Admit his problem to them. Get their help in dealing with his pain.

The other part recoiled at the thought. The last thing he wanted to be was a burden on them. More than that, he was ashamed. Zack felt like he was teetering down the slope toward what his father had become. He didn't want his friends to see him that far, to see how far he'd already gone.

Wordlessly, almost without thinking about it, Zack drew his tumbler and a fresh bottle of tequila out of his bag. He broke the seal on the bottle and poured himself a shot. For a moment he did nothing but stare at the drink. He knew he shouldn't take it. He knew he should be putting the bottle up. It was just too easy to decide that a single shot could be followed up by another, and another…

Even now he felt the pull. After all, he'd already opened the bottle and poured himself a shot. He might as well enjoy it, right? It would be silly to waste good tequila.

That other part of him was still protesting when his hand wrapped around the tumbler and picked it up. Its contents burned their way down his throat.

But a single drink didn't bring reprieve. It made the shame worse. He'd given in again. He knew he shouldn't, but he did, and by doing so he was just proving what he feared. He was losing control.

Just like his father.

The part of him that wanted to put up the bottle mused that Clara would be disappointed in him. Everything he'd done, all of the battles won, the ships saved, and it would be for nothing if he didn't stop this.

Zack put his hand on the bottle. For the moment it stayed there. He knew, he knew, he should be putting it up. He was out in the field. Niltox couldn't cover the smell on his breath. People would know what he was doing.

Perhaps they should. If anything it would force him to admit his problem.

Like that's a justification was the snarky thought in his head.

The entire struggle wore away at Zack until the emotion became too much. At that point he surrendered to the inevitable and poured another shot.

The cockpit of the Green Lion was only made for seating one person, the pilot. Pidge occupied the chair and Cat stood behind her, checking her omnitool. "Tom and Lucy are close to finishing the connection you'll need to the ship," she said.

"Great." Pidge tapped at the controls of her lion. "Right now I'm not picking up anyone. Your idea is probably my best hope of finding the others."

"Thanks," was Cat's reaction. "So what next?"

"I'm opening up the maintenance access ports so I can run your cables into the Lion's systems."

"Right." Cat said nothing for several moments, not wanting to disturb Pidge as she worked. Finally the curiosity became too much for her. "What is it like? Piloting this I mean?"

"It's pretty amazing." Pidge looked back to her. "My lion and I share a bond. I can feel the lion while I'm in here."

"That is… wow. I mean, I know some strange stuff can exist. I've seen Meridina and the others use their life force power stuff. But it just seems so weird. Cool, but weird."

"I never imagined something like this could work either," Pidge admitted. "But I'm glad it does. Green and I, we understand each other." A quiet moment passed, with Cat unable to think up more questions. "I need to get into the internals to set things up," Pidge suddenly said. "Can you watch the cockpit and tell me when the systems show they're ready to link up?"

"Well, yeah, I can," Cat said.

"Great." Pidge left her seat and went to the compartment behind the cockpit. She looked back and said, "With your help, we'll be ready to find my friends in no time."

Apley remained quiet from his place in the Koenig command chair. At the helm Ensign Jean Hajar, a former Starfleet officer and Starfleet Academy graduate, was fulfilling Apley's usual function on the bridge with her usual diligence. Magda and Sherlily had gone off-duty after Zack. In Sherlily's place was Technical Officer Jesus Perez. Beside the Nuevosalvadoreño, at Ops, Ensign Hrnaahr U'ruhn was busy examining the sensor returns at his station. The tan-complexioned Miqo'te man had wheat-colored fur lining the feline ears at the top of his head. A tail with a tuft of fur of that same color was laid over the top of said chair.

Apley noticed U'ruhn seemed to be particularly focused on the sensors. "Do you see anything, Ensign?" he asked.

"I'm showing what looks to be a very small power source on sensors." U'ruhn drew out the "r" sounds in his speech a little.

"How small? It's not a ship, is it?"

"I don't know, sir. Our sensors are not working well in this environment. It could be."

Apley considered his choices. "Cloak the ship," he ordered. "Ensign, take us in. Let's get a look at this."

Dealing with the frightened Cabeans was working on Lady Dolores' impressive reserve of nerve. She stepped into her sanctuary on the Judgement of Fate to get away from Tothwallad's sniveling worry about the Alliance vessel's power. The room was a set of guest quarters with a spare cot and spartan amenities. These did not concern her and her only addition to the room's effects were a few tools of the trade that included a set of restraints should she have need of an in-depth interrogation.

Dolores sat upon the cot and fumed. The Cabeans didn't deserve their inflated status in NEUROM. At least the Mandragorans were good fighters and the Grunders of the Sternheim were generally competent. Why did the Fates make this vessel the one in position to explore this mysterious new power? It was maddening.

Through the twisted realms of the Fracture, a voice came to her. I require a status update, Dolores.

She swallowed. She recognized the mental voice. Lord Minister Thalum she replied in her mind and being, using the same connection that the high-ranking officer of the Ministry of Fate was using to reach her across the vast expanse of space. He was undoubtedly at his post among the Anethgan Inheritances, overseeing the efforts and loyalty of those genetically-modified creators and builders. Balancing the central members of NEUROM always called for the best the Ministry had to offer, and Dolores knew from personal experience that Lord Minister Thalum - one of five Lord Ministers that oversaw the Ministry of Fate - was one of the most powerful beings in NEUROM.

Which was why she could not delay on responding to his inquiry. Lord Minister, the Judgement of Fate remains undetected. The Alliance vessel remains ignorant of our presence.

Excellent. Admiral Gal-Nazad's advance squadron should be present within thirty muhurta. The rest of his force will arrive a cycle after that, should the Alliance vessel prove more resilient than proposed. Have you identified the ship?

It is called the Aurora, Lord Minister.

There was a pause afterward. A very long one. Dolores pondered what it meant. She was certain Thalum was undoubtedly in contact with another. There were whispers that Thalum answered to the All-Father himself, the faceless and ageless being that founded the Ministry millennia ago. The prospect of the All-Father observing this operation brought real, exquisite fear to Dolores.

This vessel is known to us. Show caution and do not reveal yourself. Admiral Gal-Nazad will secure the target and deal with the Alliance ship.

Understood, Lord Minister. The Fates will be with us.

The Fates are always with us, Lady Dolores.

And like that, the presence was gone from her mind. Dolores was alone again.

"Lady Dolores." Tothwallad's voice came over the ship intercom. "Please report to the bridge."

"What is it?" she demanded.

"An Alliance vessel is approaching," was the reply. "Your assistance in dealing with it is required."

There was a growing, subtle tension on the Koenig's bridge. "You're still picking up that signature, Ensign?" Apley asked.

U'ruhn nodded. "I am, Commander."

"When will we be in visual range?"

"That I am not certain of. The spatial twisting is distorting light in this area. I cannot be sure when it will allow us a visual."

That didn't sit too well with Apley. "Go to Code Yellow. I want shields up the moment we decloak." He tapped a key on the panel beside the command chair. "Bridge to Carrey. Sir, I think you should get back up here."

"...I think you should get back up here."

Zack heard Apley's remark through the pleasant haze that was dulling his senses and feelings. "Crap," he muttered. He frowned and, through the haze of drink, cursed himself for giving in. He tossed the tumbler, which still had half a drink of tequila in it, into the far wall. The tumbler didn't shatter, the advantage of its materials clear on that point, but it did send the remaining drink spraying into the wall and a bit into the carpet.

"I knew better," he mumbled to himself. "I knew better, Goddammit." Guilty and ashamed, Zack forced himself to stand. He went to his replicator. He needed to use it. He needed to be functional, which meant he needed the Niltox to undo what the tequila's alcohol was doing to his brain. "Computer, six hundred milligrams of Niltox and a cup of cool water, now."

"Warn…"

"Override!" he snarled. The computer dutifully replicated the detoxicant and the water for him to wash the pills down with. He grabbed the pills, threw them in his mouth, and took the cup next. With the water it contained he washed the entire thing down in a single gulp.

And then he waited, patiently, for the Niltox to work its way to his head.

On the Judgement of Fate, Lady Dolores was frowning at Tothwallad's description of the situation. "The Alliance vessel's cloaking system makes it impossible for us to detect," he said. "And they will undoubtedly detect our engine signature at this distance. We need your assistance in dealing with them."

She glared to the sensor officer, Lieutenant-Superior Teswall. "Your incompetence will not go unrecorded, Lieutenant."

Teswall nodded numbly. Tothwallad bristled at Dolores for the threat. It was a foolish thought. and the look on her face told him Dolores had sensed it. She said nothing at the moment.

Instead she went to the station of another Lieutenant, Kishtamar. "I will need to concentrate," she said. "And I will be linked to your mind to understand the controls. Sit beside me and remain still."

"Yes, Lady," he said, suitably intimidated.

"Let them see you, Captain," Dolores said. "Let them come close enough so that we might grip them."

Magda and Sherlily arrived together on the bridge to relieve Perez and U'ruhn. Magda looked over the sensor returns. "Good catch, Ensign," she said to U'ruhn. "You're going to earn that sensor specialist mark early at this rate."

The young Miqo'te man's cheeks filled with color. Apley stifled a chuckle at how he did indeed resemble a cat feeling proud about himself. "Thank you, Lieutenant." He moved on to an auxiliary post at the back of the bridge. Perez left the bridge to assume his standby post with the ship's damage control teams.

"Where's the Commander?" Sherlily asked from Tactical. "He should've beaten us here."

Yes, he should have, Apley thought darkly. He was wondering the same. It wasn't like Commander Carrey to ignore an urgent summons. Whatever his informality with his officers and crew, he was always keen to be there for his ship when there was imminent danger.

"Bridge to Carrey," Apley said into the comms. "Sir, we're coming up on an unknown power signature. Please report to the bridge."

Apley's renewed summons to the bridge was heard by Zack after he finished chewing the breath mint that would, he hoped, cover up the alcohol smell. He knew he couldn't afford to wait any longer. Clearly something was urgent. He just had to hope the Niltox finished working before he got to the bridge.

Zack was almost to the door of his quarters when the first headache hit. He cried out in shock at the intensity of the pain. His next step found his feet not quite hitting the floor right. The room seemed to tilt slightly from his perception. Another step and he stumbled for a moment. His hand went up to his head, as if that gesture could relive the pain. But it didn't. It couldn't. "Wha…?" escaped his lips while the room began to spin around him.

Then the floor loomed in his vision, growing larger and larger until everything went black.

With no sign of Zack Carrey yet, Apley remained in command while the Koenig approached the unknown power signature. Magda was busy at her station. "We're starting to get past a fold of some sort," she said. "I'm getting visual data."

"On screen."

The ship that appeared was one of the strangest Apley had ever seen. It was primarily a light beige, with brown and gold highlights and trim. The ship was long and sleek in its appearance with a single-bodied hull that mounted several weapons of medium size and what looked like a launcher.

But the biggest surprise were the six very real, very realistic-looking tentacles that were based from the bow.

"I'm running the ship through recognition charts now," Magda said. "Standby."

"Send warnings to the Aurora," Apley said. "I think we've found a spy."

"I'm trying, but they're jamming all frequencies. I don't think I'm getting through."

Lady Dolores moved her hands over the controls that, through complicated machinery, directed the biological components of the tentacle arms at the command of the ship's officers. She felt out with her essence and power to feel for the unknown ship. After several moments she sensed the other beings from that ship. It was still trying to hide behind its invisibility machine.

But it couldn't hide from her. She felt where it was and operated the controls accordingly.

I have you now…

Without warning one of the tentacles lashed out toward the Koenig. Apley didn't have time to call for evasive maneuvers before the tentacle grabbed at the Koenig. They were at its extreme range, just close enough that the tentacle wrapped around the beam of the ship. Within seconds the cloaking field failed and the vessel rippled into view.

Lights on the bridge flickered. "Code Red!" Apley shouted. "Lieutenant, how did they see us!?"

"I don't know, sir," Magda replied. "Whatever it is, it's draining our shields and systems. We're losing power to several critical systems."

"Break away then!"

Hajar's console let out a low, negative beep. "Helm control isn't responding! Engines are at full power and this thing still has us!"

"Main power is down to sixty-eight percent and falling!" Magda added. "Batteries are also being discharged."

"Lieutenant Sherlily, open fire!"

"Phasers aren't responding. Firing torpedoes!"

Two torpedoes flew from the launchers on the Koenig. The enemy ship with the bizarre tentacles didn't seem to pay attention to them. As it turned out, they didn't need to, as the other ship now showed energy shields resilient enough to take two hits from solar torpedoes.

"No effect!"

"Activate warp drive, let's see how they like that."

Hajar tried. Nothing happened. "I've got no warp power. The drive can't engage!"

"Main power is down to forty percent," Magda added.

"Transmit a mayday to the Aurora, now," Apley insisted.

"I can't get a signal out," said Magda. "Backup fusion reactors are also draining and we've lost the charge in the emergency batteries. At this rate we'll lose life support in less than three minutes!"

Apley tapped the intercom key again. "Bridge to Engineering, you've got maybe two minutes, or we're all dead."