The others followed Robert as he raced for the Jayhawk. Enhanced speed allowed them to get there quickly. By the time they did, Chandra spoke over the comm line. "They're suspicious, but I've got them on approach again through codes we extracted from Haron's personal CI implant. We'll fire to cripple as soon as they're in range."

"And we'll board." Robert rushed up the ladder to the port-side airlock. The others followed.

They were rushing toward the cockpit when all felt a fifth presence on the ship. They turned and faced the black-clad figure of Matsubara. He appraised them with cold eyes. "You will need my services," the figure said in a quiet, cold tone. "Mister Hank ordered me to ensure you recovered the data on your friend's location."

Lucy and Gina felt uncomfortable around the cybernetically-enhanced assassin. Robert merely nodded. "We'll go over by short-range transporter once we're in range. Strap in."

The Jayhawk cloaked and launched from the station. Lucy flew them on a course to keep the ship out of the crossfire when the station opened fire. "They're still on approach," she noted. She turned back briefly. "No shields. We could beam over, but we'd have to decloak."

"Let's leave that on the table for now. Continue the approach," Robert replied. He glanced to Talara. "You'll stay behind and bring us back. The transporter can only handle four at a time at an absolute maximum."

"Yes sir," she replied. Robert sensed she was quietly gratified that she wouldn't face any more violence today.

"They're stopping," Gina observed. "I think they're suspicious."

Robert watched the transport as it hung in space for a moment, not moving. "You're right, they suspect," he said. He glanced at the sensor readings. "They're building a particle charge for a jump. We've got to move now before they…"

Without warning the weapons emplacements of Toutaine Station opened up. Brilliant ruby light played over the warp nacelles of the vessel, wrecking both. More fire cut into the ship's navigational deflector and the sections behind it. On the sensor screen the particle charge dissipated, much to Robert's relief. "Take us in!" he shouted.

Lucy answered and the Jayhawk accelerated, its course and speed now bringing them up to the other ship in seconds. Talara took the helm controls from her so she could join Robert and the others. Lucy tapped at her omnitool. "Remote transport in three, two, one…"

The transporter on the infiltrator snatched them away. The Jayhawk cockpit disappeared in a burst of light. When the light faded they were on a bridge full of men in SS uniforms.

The ship's captain lunged for a control, intending to lock down his ship's database. Just before he could key in the command Robert's power flung him into the air, smashing him first against a roof and then the far wall. Matsubara became a sinister black blur, his superhuman speed and monomolecular-edge blade letting him dismember those whom he targeted. Gina sliced the hand from another officer raising his pistol and pushed away others with force. Lucy cut down one foe before getting to the doors.

Within the span of five seconds the bridge was secure. Two seconds later Lucy declared, "I've locked down the door!" She rushed for one of the nearby control panels and started working her omnitool.

Matsubara seemed to materialize beside her. An interface port emerged from one of his fingers. He pressed it against one of the control surfaces. "Commencing download," he said. "Decrypting enemy database."

"That's fast," Lucy observed. With Matsubara's help her job was easier. The cyborg's software ran smart-decrypt procedures that allowed them to progressively crack the encryption.

Gina looked to one of the consoles. "You'd better hurry. It looks like the engineer is in the middle of shutting down the anti-matter containment system." She started operating the console. "I'll do what I can to stop him, but he's going to cut off my access soon."

Robert went over to the captain and picked him up. "Where is your base?" he asked.

The captain narrowed his eyes at him and said nothing.

"I'm losing access," Gina warned. "We don't have much time left."

"I'm into their navigational data and drive database. Downloading logs, viewing…" After precious, terrible seconds passed, Lucy grinned and looked up. "I've got it! Interstellar coordinates and… universal! N1C4!"

"Containment field going down!"

"Talara, now!" Robert shouted into his omnitool.

The transporter on the Jayhawk yanked them away. They materialized on the small pad in the armory section and dashed for the stepladder leading up to the main deck. Just as Lucy made it to the first step the ship rocked violently, pitching out from under their feet. The lights flickered and went out, replaced by weaker blue and white lights after several moments.

The ship exploded, Talara explained mentally. I tried to get us to a safe distance, but we were still too close. I'm reading multiple systems damaged across the ship.

We'll get to work on the repairs. Do we have IU comms?

Negative. The transceiver took a direct hit.

Then get to work on repairs. Lucy, the data…

His heart skipped as Lucy looked over her omnitool with consternation. She smiled and nodded, relieving his worry. "It's here," she said. "Computers weren't damaged, and I saved the coordinate data anyway. Universe N1C4. That's where we're going."

Robert let out a sigh of relief. I'm coming, he thought. I'm coming for you, just like I promised I would.

Another blow from a stun stick jolted Julia's body and caused her to collapse into her cell. The SS guard who'd happily caused the shock spat into her face before departing. The field imprisoning her popped back into existence. Julia, motionless on the floor of the empty cell, heard the guard walk away. Her clothes were soaked from the green healing fluid and days of sweat. Her muscles twitched from the shock of the stick.

Despite this Julia began to move, crawling slowly on the floor until she was facing the opposite cell. There her fellow prisoner was sitting, leaning across the far wall of the small cell. Her brown eyes were of a light tone, approaching amber. For the first time Julia noticed a collar on the girl's neck. A persistent green light blinked at the front. The look on the girl's face suggested barely-hidden frustration laced with resignation.

After a ragged breath came from Julia's lungs, she spoke, her voice still hoarse, "My name is Julia Andreys. Do you understand me?"

After a moment the younger woman nodded. "I can. They put a device in me so I could understand them."

"An auto-translator," Julia noted. "Who are you?"

"My name is Miko," the girl replied. She gave Julia a discerning look. "They've only put me in that chair a couple of times. They just leave me here usually. They must really hate you."

Julia, despite everything, chuckled at that. "Oh, yeah, they do," she said.

"Why?"

"Because my friends and I founded the Alliance. And the Alliance destroyed their empire. We liberated all of the enslaved nations under their rule."

A satisfied little grin crossed Miko's face. "Good," she said.

Julia grinned back before setting her head on the floor. She needed her rest if she was going to endure.

With their mission accomplished on Toutaine Station, the Jayhawk returned to the Joyride Madonna. The Wild Geese withdrew from the station as well, prisoners and freed slaves in tow, leaving the station's former operators to reassert control when they could manage to regain command of the station's systems.

"It was interesting working with you again," said Chandra on the screen in the Jayhawk's small galley. "I hope the intel you picked up is what you're looking for."

"Thank you," Robert replied, seated at the table. Gina and Talara were seated with him. Lucy was at the stove frying an egg for her meal. All four were out of their armor, wearing an assortment of civilian clothing. "I hope those freed captives can find a better life."

"My boss has some connections to Lyra Saxon and her fellow philanthropists. They'll be well cared for. Chandra out."

The viewer disengaged. "Commencing hyperspace transit now," the Joyride Madonna's CI informed them. They felt the subtle shift of the ship around them at the transit.

For a moment afterward the only sound in the room was the sizzle of the egg on the stove. "Anyone want some?" Lucy asked, checking the small spice cabinet as she did. "I'm making my mother's recipe."

"Sounds delicious," Robert replied. As he spoke there was a clear weight to his voice, mirrored by the feeling within him that the other three all sensed. He held up a digital reader. "From the information we picked up, it looks like the SS got the universe coordinates from Gamma Piratus. They've set up shop in a Darglan outpost."

"Fassbinder must have accessed the databanks of the Facility during the fight," Lucy observed, glancing back to Robert before cracking open another egg. Again the pan let off a dizzle as the yolk hit the hot surface. "Or maybe some kind of data siphoning device was planted where we didn't see it."

"Possible," Robert agreed, distracted.

"Do we know for sure that Captain Andreys is being held there?" asked Talara.

After a moment of silence Robert nodded. "I can sense it. She is. But even if she wasn't, this is still a lead worth pursuing. Going by the logs this N1C4 universe base they have is one of their major ones." He eyed something on the files he was looking through. "And look who's listed as being in charge?"

With a swipe of his finger he loaded the file onto their omnitools. Gina and Talara read it. "Fassbinder," noted Gina.

"Exactly," said Robert.

"Gina, Talara, can you give us a minute?" asked Lucy.

The two glanced from her to Robert before nodding and leaving. Robert looked at Lucy as she came over and sat down beside him. "Let's talk about what happened on Toutaine Station," said Lucy.

"Not much to talk about," Robert said.

"You almost lost yourself," Lucy said. "I felt it. You let your anger take control. You know better, Robert."

"Yeah." He clenched a fist. "I do." There was clear shame in his green eyes, shame and pain. "But I… Lucy, I've felt Julia in pain. Hearing that monster mock what was being done to her, I just couldn't... "

"I know. I understand. But it worries me. This feeling you have of sensing Julia, I think it's causing you a lot of harm." Lucy reached over and set her hand on his arm. "I'm not saying you're not sensing her, I'm just worried about what it's doing to you. You're becoming unbalanced, frustrated. Angry. You're allowing your darkest emotions to come out."

"Yeah." Robert nodded. "It's just, I… I can feel it, Lucy. He's hurting her. He's hurting Julie. She's in terrible pain from what he's doing to her. And we have to get her back, but always seems like something's in the way…" He broke off speaking as a low sob broke his voice. "I can't lose her, you understand that, right? I can't lose her too. I… I don't think I can even stand the thought of it."

"I know." Lucy shifted the chair over and put her arm around his shoulders. "Rob, I do understand. I just don't want to see you break. I don't want you to become something she'd hate."

"I don't either," he said. "But I… what if I can't save her, Lucy? What if… what if Fassbinder moves her before we get there? What if we never get her back, and he just goes on hurting her until she dies from it, and… and I don't keep my promise to her?"

"Don't dwell on that," Lucy urged. "You're just hurting yourself. We will get her back."

He nodded in response. Lucy felt the fear within him persist, fear he struggled against, knowing what it was doing to him. He couldn't quite banish it despite everything. "Maybe Zack was right," he murmured. "Maybe I dragged everyone into this life without appreciating what it could mean."

"We made our choices, Robert, not you," Lucy said.

"But I'm the one who put the idea in your heads. And now… now it might… I feel responsible for this. For this all." Robert gestured at their surroundings. "I know it's not just me, I know you all signed up for your own reasons, but if I hadn't jumped at it, we wouldn't be out here, and Julia wouldn't be…" He shook his head, trying to regain composure, fighting to, and losing. Tears clouded his eyes. "I promised her I'd come for her. I promised."

"And you are. But right now, you need to get a handle on your emotions so you can keep that promise. And you need a good meal." Lucy stood up and returned to the stove. "Including a slightly-singed egg."

He gave her a knowing look. "Only slightly-singed?"

"Well, one is. The other… egh." Lucy made a face and shook her head. "I should've finished cooking before playing therapist."

Despite everything, Robert let out a low chuckle. He wiped at his eyes. "Well, I need to get my game face on."

"Oh?"

"We should be at Avalon soon," he said. "And I'll need to get King Galahad's help for what I've got in mind."

"It won't take much to get him on your side," Lucy remarked. "As long as your epic storytelling has improved since last year."

A determined look came to his face. "I guess we're about to find out."

The command staff of the Aurora gathered again in the conference lounge off the bridge. "All systems repaired, sir," Scott confirmed for them. "Th' Quarians did a fine job with th' work, I'll tell ye. Widnae mind havin' a few of them on my staff."

"Perhaps you will one day, Commander Scott," Meridina said. She noted the feelings of the others at seeing her in Julia's chair, wearing a Captain's rank insignia. They bore her no dislike, but the entire situation was a frustration. An understandable one.

"So what are our orders now?" Angel asked.

"Admiral Maran will call shortly to give us our assignment," she replied. "It will most likely be to join a defense fleet. For the time being, Lieutenant Tra'dur will act as Operations Officer and Commander Jarod as First Officer."

Jarod frowned at that, but his nod was one of assent. Tra'dur was up to the task of fulfilling his job. Locarno's second, Rawlins, was still in training for a command role. "It makes sense," he said.

"Have we heard anything from Rob?" Cat asked. "Has he found any clues?"

"Nothing yet, and the Jayhawk isn't responding to hails," Jarod replied. "But given were they're going, I'm not surprised. Whatever means they found of getting out to Toutaine, they're probably still in hyperspace. IU comms don't work."

"Do you think they'll let us go after Julia?" Cat then asked, looking concerned. "I mean, if Robert finds her?"

"It depends on whether they have the response fleet ready, and if they assign the Aurora to it," Locarno said. "I wouldn't get my hopes up."

There was a soft little sound of disappointment from Cat. Her sister, seated beside her, put a reassuring hand on her shoulder.

"Regardless of where we are going, we should make certain the ship is ready for combat. Commander Laurent?"

"Twenty fighters were lost in the battle, twice that number were damaged. Eight pilots and nine sensor officers survived from the lost craft," Laurent said. "That is the final count. We haven't replaced the lost fighters yet, and we won't unless the fleet sends them out. I have deactivated Fox Squadron and reorganized the others to bring the other squadrons up to full strength once fighter repairs are complete. Give us another ten hours and all remaining fighters will be ready for combat."

"We've got a fresh load of solar torpedoes," Jarod confirmed. "And we replaced crew losses with transfers from the Pisces, Rembrandt, and Maimonides. If we end up in a combat situation, we're stocked for it."

"Very well. I…"

Meridina was interrupted by a tone and the voice of Tra'dur. "Captain, we have Admiral Maran on comms."

"Please relay him to the conference lounge, Lieutenant." Meridina and the others looked to the main viewer behind her head, where Maran's image appeared. "Admiral, the Aurora is prepared to resume field operations."

"Good. We're sending you to Avalon, Universe S0T5. King Galahad personally requested your presence to secure the system. You will be under Avalonian command until further notice."

Meridina nodded. Behind her the others exchanged looks, many of them hiding their feelings. "Understood. We will arrive as quickly as possible. Might I ask on the effort to find the SS operating bases?"

"We've made some headway, but we're still gathering the response fleet. The need to establish defenses is delaying us. But we can't afford to allow the Reich to raid our worlds at will, so it's a sacrifice we must make."

"Indeed. Is there anything else?"

"No."

"When you have a target, can we be with the strike force?" Angel asked.

Maran considered Angel's request. "I'm afraid that's unlikely, unless Avalon is secure by that time." After a moment he gave them a reassuring look. "If we secure an SS base and discover Captain Andreys or her location, I will inform you as soon as it is practical. You have my word."

"Thank you, Admiral," Meridina said on the others' behalf. "Mi rake sa swevyra iso."

"Mi rake sa swevyra iso," he responded, after which he disappeared.

There was no hiding the disappointment in the assembled. Meridina acknowledged it with a nod. "Julia would want us to ensure the Alliance's security," she reminded them gently. "Should the worst come to pass, that is how we should honor her memory."

There was clear anger on the faces of Zack and Angel, but aside from that nobody said anything. Meridina gave Zack a worried look before saying, "You are all dismissed."

The assembled officers got up to leave, all save Zack, who lingered while deep in thought. Meridina turned back to him. "Your anger is misdirected," she said.

"No, it's not," Zack retorted. "It's damn well not. Davies is playing politics, I know it. That's how he operates. It's why Julia's being listed presumed dead, he doesn't want us looking for her because he wants an opening to put one of his people on the Aurora."

"I suspect Admiral Maran will be unwilling to do so."

"You're assuming he can stop it. Think about it, Meridina. These attacks happened on Maran's watch. Even if there was nothing he could have done to prevent them, people are going to blame him anyway. It's what people do. And Davies is going to take advantage."

"Perhaps. Either way, we must trust in Robert's efforts, and that Julia will be found."

"I just hope she's alive. And… whole."

Meridina sensed his thoughts at that. Of the catatonic, or nearly-catatonic, prisoners liberated from Nazi control. He was tormenting himself with finding Julia alive but such a broken shell of a person that she was never the same again. Or with not finding her alive at all, but merely confirmation of her death, a lonely and painful death at the hands of SS cruelty. "You dwell very much on such terrible possibilities. Do not forget that Julia is a strong and willful person. She will do what she can to resist, and we may yet recover her whole."

Zack nodded. There was little conviction in it. "That's what I hope to see," he said. "But we all hoped the war was over, and yet… it never was." He stood up. "I'd better get back to the Koenig. You may need us."

"A good idea, Commander. Thank you for anticipating the possible need."

Zack said nothing before leaving.

The journey to Avalon required two interuniversal jumps and a few hours at warp between them. The second jump deposited them in the arrival zone of Avalon's system. Nearby the garden planet and its single moon continued their slow orbit of Avalon's G3 sequence star. Multiple ships were on site, enough that Jarod outwardly mused, "The system looks pretty secure to me."

"They may fear a major attack, either by the SS or other elements seizing advantage of our current situation," Meridina pointed out. "Inform System Command that we are ready to assume system defense duties."

Tra'dur nodded. "Aye Captain… we are getting a signal."

"They wish to speak with us?"

"No Captain." The Dilgar shook her head. "Captain, it's the Jayhawk. They're asking permission to dock and..." She turned back to face Meridina. "...and are advising us to prepare for interuniversal jump."

Robert and Lucy arrived on the bridge to find the others waiting, clearly mystified. "We did it," he said, walking up to Jarod and handing him a data disk. "Universal and spatial coordinates for the base where Fassbinder operates from, straight from an SS armed transport."

Jarod took the disk and used his omnitool to scan its contents. "Universe N1C4," he noted. "It's not on any of our lists."

"They got it from the Gamma Piratus Facility." There was an eager tone in his voice. "We should get going. The longer we wait, the more time the SS has to bail out when they realize their location is compromised."

"I am afraid we cannot," Meridina said. "We have direct orders from Admiral Maran to secure Avalon. We are under Avalonian command until further notice."

The others expected Robert to react negatively, or at least insist on taking the Koenig. Instead he actually grinned. "Go ahead and put King Galahad on, then. Since he's effectively in command. Actually, if you'll let me…"

Using his omnitool Robert re-established the short-term comm channel he'd used to talk with Galahad earlier. The stout, solidly-built King of Avalon appeared on the bridge holo-viewer, his full beard of gray and white long enough to cover his upper chest, partially obscuring the rich regal robes he was clad in. He looked almost like Santa Claus, if Santa Claus were a hard-partying, boisterous bruiser of a monarch who seemed to be permanently bellowing. "Ah, Sir Robert!" he declared. "I see your vessel has arrived!"

"It has. Captain Meridina is currently in command."

"Ah, good, good! A Knight of Gersal you are, Lady Meridina, I do recall that. Perfect for the mission of securing Avalon's honor!"

Meridina sensed the confusion of the others, much like her own. Robert and Lucy did not share it. "My orders were to secure Avalon, Majesty," she replied politely. "I am ordered to place my ship under your command."

"Indeed, and as I requested, you will secure our honor by reclaiming the Lady Julia from the foul clutches of our enemies!"

Jarod gave Robert and Lucy a bewildered look.

Meridina took a moment to consider the situation before nodding politely. "I understand, Your Majesty. And I thank you for giving us the opportunity to perform this duty. Our honor is also at stake."

"I would assume so, and it warms my heart to have the chance to grant you this quest! The stories they will tell of this day, why, they will be grand! Knights rescuing knights always makes for glorious tales! Now, I will not keep you any longer. Sir Robert, I will relay the information you provided to Admiral Maran upon your departure. Now go forth, heroes of the Alliance! Go forth and bring Lady Julia home!"

Galahad's image disappeared from the screen. The others all looked to Robert and Lucy. "This was all you?" Cat asked.

"Much of it," Robert admitted. "The response fleet isn't going to be ready for another day, at least, and Maran would be reluctant to go in before then. But we can survey the area and be in position to call ships in if they start to flee. And if we have an opening..." His green eyes hardened. "...then we go in. I'm not leaving her with them one moment more than is absolutely necessary."

"And since we took out one of their armed transports at Toutaine, it won't be long before they know we're coming," said Lucy. "So we should get going."

"We've made two IU jumps today already," Jarod noted.

Meridina responded by triggering the ship intercom. "Bridge to Engineering."

"Engineerin' here," answered Scott.

"Commander, we have the location where Captain Andreys is being held, and orders from King Galahad to see to her rescue. We will need to commence another interuniversal jump. Can the drive take it."

There was no hesitation from the other end. "To get our lass back? Ye dinnae need t' ask, sir. She'll manage. Might need some time t' get her ready for th' jump home, but she'll get ye there."

"Understood," said Meridina. "Lieutenant, set drive coordinates to N1C4. Mister Locarno, use the positioning data provided to plot a course the moment we are through."

"Aye Captain" and "Aye Ma'am" were the responses.

Moments later the Aurora generated and entered an emerald-colored vortex, off to reclaim her captain.

As always, Julia had no way of knowing how long she'd dozed off. When she awoke she looked across the way and into the other cell. Her fellow captive was seated up by the field now. One of her fists was clenched with what seemed like frustration. Julia noticed her eyes were reddened, as if she'd been crying. "Hey," she said weakly.

Miko glanced her way. Her amber-toned eyes focused on Julia with equal parts pity and frustration. "You're awake," she said. "What are they doing to you? It's not just the chair?"

"No. They're torturing me between sessions," Julia admitted frankly. She gestured to the way her skin seemed to glitter. "Some kind of nanobots that signal pain into my nerve endings."

Miko's other hand clenched. "I'm sorry," she said.

"Not your fault," Julia said. "You're just a prisoner too."

"How did they take you?" Miko asked.

"They attacked a world, well, it's basically my home," Julia answered. "When I'm not on my ship."

"Your ship? What kind of ship?"

"I command a starship called the Aurora," Julia replied. "I'm a Captain in the service of the United Alliance of Systems."

"'Starship'?"

"A vessel that travels between solar systems, through deep space," Julia elaborated.

Miko nodded in understanding. "A voidship, then. You command a voidship? My mother used to as well, when I was little. She left the service to raise me."

Julia felt intense curiosity over Miko. Was she Human or simply Humanoid? What kind of culture did she come from? After considering all of the possible questions, Julia started off with the same Miko gave her before. "How did they take you?"

Miko's expression betrayed anger, at the SS and herself. "I was visiting an outlying colony when the SS attacked it. I joined the colonists in trying to fight them off, but they were too powerful. They… they killed so many…" Miko let out a low, pained sob. "And they threatened to kill more if I didn't surrender. So I did, to protect the other people. But…"

Julia immediately saw where this was going. "The SS killed everyone anyway."

"They're so vicious and just evil, I…"

Their conversation came to an abrupt end at the sound of boots on the floor. Fassbinder appeared with guards. He looked into Julia's cell and smiled thinly. "I have seen off my guests and had a short rest, now it is time to resume our session. You may yet have secrets we can find of use."

At the snap of his fingers the two guards lowered the field and entered to grab Julia. She couldn't resist beyond scowling at Fassbinder. They forced her to her feet and dragged her off.

Once in the uncharted universe, the Aurora immediately warped away from her arrival point, bound for the coordinates the recovered intel showed for the SS-held base in N1C4. On the Aurora bridge Cat was focusing entirely on her sensor returns.

In the center of the bridge, Jarod gave Meridina an interested look. "You seem distracted," he said.

"I feel an… oddness about this place," she answered. "Within the Flow of Life. But it is not debilitating to me as the Fracture was, so please do not be concerned."

Jarod nodded. "Right." After a moment's pause he said, "Have you thought about appealing to the Promotion Board on the issue? With the fleet re-mobilizing we need all of the experienced Captains we can get."

"That is true. But I have less than a year of starship command experience. A vessel like the Aurora would be unacceptable as a first command to many. Julia's appointment undoubtedly cost Maran much influence."

"A new captain is going to be hard on the crew," Jarod observed.

"I know. But we must persevere. Julia would want that from us." Meridina focused inward for a moment before asking, "Lieutenant Delgado, do you have anything on sensors?"

"No ships yet. Something that might be a faint warp trail. And there's a sort of spatial distortion in this area of space. From what I can tell, we're along the outer edge of it. But unless we get closer I can only speculate on the source. And it could be just about anything."

"Log the results and keeping scanning. We may come upon an enemy ship at any time."

Cat nodded in reply. "Yes sir," she said.

Sharp pain filled Julia's head. The Aurora Chair was on, full-power, drilling into her mind to extract memories to display. She let out a breath and focused herself on happy memories. Memories of playing with Robert when they were little, running through the wheat fields of the Dale family farm under a warm summer sun. She thought back to those peals of laughter at all of their games and chases.

The same memories played on the viewer beside the chair. Fassbinder watched the scene with growing frustration. She couldn't hold out much longer… could she? The chair was so powerful. Her mind should be failing to it. But so far… nothing. Nothing even remotely useful, indeed, very little even remotely relevant.

With a curt hand signal Fassbinder had the chair turned off. Julia lost some of the tension in her body while under the machine's mental invasion. Fassbinder stepped up to the chair and glared into her eyes. "This defiance is pointless," he said. "The more you hold out, the harder the Chair will break you in the end! This petty resistance will do nothing for you!"

Julia met his eyes and bit into her lip, as if denying herself the passionate response she felt in her heart. Instead she leveled a look at him and said, in measured tones, "Andreys, Julia Megan. Captain. Serial Number Bravo Zero Zero Zero Three One Zero One Hotel One Echo Four."

"Still fighting, Kapitan? Do you think fighting will make it easier? That resistance will reduce your suffering in some way?" Fassbinder's right hand went for the gauntlet on his left forearm. "We'll see about that." His finger found the key for the nanobots.

Julia screamed.

Robert and Lucy were in the Lookout when she noticed the color drain from his face. He gasped in shock and gripped the table. His right hand locked up, releasing his fork to clatter onto the plate before him.

"Robert?"

He took in a breath. "He's torturing Julia again," Robert finally said. "I… I can feel it."

Lucy swallowed and extended a hand. "We're going after her, okay? Focus."

"I… I am. It's different here, though. I can feel it. Not like before, stronger. Like… like whatever he's doing… " He let go of the table. While he was still pale, Robert was at least moving his hand again. "God, Lucy, the pain she's in."

Lucy didn't sense the same, but she sensed how Robert was feeling it. A constant, savage pain, general to the whole body, no obvious cause to promise relief. "She won't be for long," Lucy urged. "Now, focus and try and block it out. Will the connection to quiet."

Robert drew in a breath, a long one. Color started to return to his cheeks. Lucy could sense that he hadn't entirely banished the feeling, however. His connection to Julia was too intense for that. "Doesn't this place feel odd to you?" he asked.

"A little, I suppose. It's not the Fracture, at least."

"God no, just one visit was enough for me." Robert shook his head. "It's just… there's something with the Flow of Life here." As he spoke, Robert felt the pain intensify. He winced in sympathy and kept his focus. It's not my pain, he thought. I have to block it out, I have to be functional. As those thoughts filled his head, angrier thoughts about Fassbinder followed, and he forced them away too.

Lucy sensed all this. To help Robert keep his attention focused, she continued their current conversation. "It feels like the Flow of Life is diverted," she said. "Not weakened, just… like it's weaved in with something. Something we can't sense."

"Right." Robert nodded. "I don't think it'll have an effect on what we do, though. It won't undermine us like the Fracture would."

"Agreed." Lucy took another bite. "Something to consider for later anyway…"

Klaxons filled the Lookout, red lights appearing by the doors. "Ship Status is now Code Red. All hands man battle stations. Repeat, status is now Code Red…" the computer informed them.

Robert and Lucy rose from their seats and left for the bridge.

By the time they arrived the command crew was in position. Jarod was now in a uniform with burgundy red command trim color, although his rank insignia remained that of a Lieutenant Commander. He sat beside Meridina at the First Officer's chair, turning and looking up at them. "We picked up an SS cruiser on long-range sensors," he explained. "We're on an intercept course now."

"The Koenig just completed in-warp launch, Captain," Tra'dur confirmed. "They are cloaking."

"Fighter squadrons are ready for launch," Jarod added.

With nothing to do on the bridge, Robert and Lucy took seats toward the rear and harnessed themselves in. At her station, Cat called out, "SS cruiser on sensors, Tannenburg-class. I've also got another ship, but the configuration is unknown. And the power signature, it's… new. It's not matching anything I've seen before. Nothing in the databanks either."

"Interception in five minutes," Locarno said. "Maintaining Warp 9.8."

"Are they allied to the SS or opposed?" Robert asked.

"I'm not sure yet. We're not close enough for me to…" Cat stopped long enough to check her sensors. "...okay, they're fighting. I'm picking up weapons fire."

"Accelerate, Mister Locarno," Meridina ordered. "Bring us in now."

"Accelerating to 9.86. Interception in fifteen seconds."

The Aurora dropped out of warp within weapons range of the two ships. The Nazi cruiser looked like any other they'd seen under SS command: black hull, a swastika emblem on the dorsal bow, and the sides of the ship marked with the twin lightning bolt runes.

It was now beside a vessel of dark gray coloring. It was a single-hulled ship, broad and flat in shape. Visible warp nacelles pulsed red, integral to the ship's hull to either side of its aft sections. A visible bridge area was built into the bow. Any markings were in the areas of the hull burnt black from weapons fire, with multiple hull breaches present.

"Hail the other ship," Meridina said.

Tra'dur attempted to do so. "No response," she said.

"Looking at the readings, I think their comm systems are down, possibly destroyed," Cat added.

"SS ship is locking on," Tra'dur warned.

"Fire," Meridina said.

The Aurora's main guns opened up on the Tannenburg-class ship. The cruiser's shields held briefly under the barrage from the sapphire bolts… and then yielded, broken down by the full power of the Aurora's bow batteries.

"Alpha Squadron, on me," Laurent said over the comms. "Bravo and Charlie, engage."

The three squadrons raced ahead of the Aurora and hit the cruiser with a full barrage of torpedoes. With its shields broken down, the SS ship was helpless against the attack. One by one, white-blue sparks collided with the SS ship, blasting through armored hull into sections below. A strike to its antimatter fuel reserves atomized it in a white fireball.

"Enemy ship destroyed. And going by these readings, I think they were beaming people over to the second ship while we approached," said Cat.

"Boarding parties," suggested Jarod. "We should probably render assistance."

"Agreed," said Meridina. She tapped her command chair control. "Commander Richmond, Major Anders, prepare teams immediately to repel boarders on a possibly friendly vessel."

As the two gave confirmation, Robert and Lucy released the harness straps holding them to their chairs. "We'll join the counter-boarding teams," Robert said.

"Mi rake sa swevyra iso," Meridina replied.

By the time Robert and Lucy were at Transporter Station 1, the Aurora was alongside the unknown vessel. Over the comms they consulted with Anders and Richmond. Lucy would join Anders in beaming near the other ship's engineering spaces, where weapons fire was being detected. Robert, Richmond, and security forces would beam in close to the bridge. Talara was joining the second wave, as was Gina.

Once they materialized Robert and Richmond headed forward through the ship. The corridors were lined by walls of dark red metal with gray flooring. Along the way they found bodies at some of the junctions. Some were SS, and others were Human or Human-like forms in uniforms of dark red and gold.

Behind him, Richmond and her teams swept forward. "Weapons fire in this direction," Richmond said, facing a corridor leading to port. "Disruptor fire and an unknown signature."

Robert nodded. At the fringe of his senses he could sense something, a ripple in the Flow of Life. "You go that way. I'll go this way." He indicated the way ahead.

"Right. Lindstrom, your squad is with the Captain. The rest of you, with me."

WIth Lieutenant Lindstrom and his squad behind him, Robert moved on. After passing several closed spaces, he found metal steps that led to an upper deck. Robert vaulted up them, leaving his security escort behind. He wouldn't get too far ahead of them, or at least he wouldn't try to, but he was eager to find the source of this feeling he was sensing. The sense was not quite like a biotic, he thought, remembering how Shepard and Kaidan and Wrex sometimes made his heightened senses feel whenever they employed biotics.

A port door ahead slid open. He emerged onto an upper deck area for a large bridge area. Control stations nearby were empty and below him the sounds of fighting continued. He went up to a railing looking out over the main bridge of the ship.

It was clearly meant to be a flag bridge, with what looked like a large command holotank in the center. Around it were stations for command staff officers. Further forward were seats for the command crew and stations for, Robert presumed, the rest of the ship.

The SS boarders were mixed. There were no Panzergrenadiers among them, but there were men in combat armor, and all were firing disruptor weapons at the bridge crew. The bridge crew in turn, clad in the same uniforms he'd seen among the slain, sticked to cover while firing rifles. Beams of purple energy sizzled in the air, a couple hitting SS targets, some not.

But his attention was immediately drawn to figures who were not armed, yet emerged from cover. Again he felt a ripple through the Flow of Life, such that despite the difference he half-expected to see them hurl dark matter or some other form of biotic power at their foes.

But instead of the purplish-blue bolts of biotic power he was familiar with, Robert watched as red-hot flame erupted from the palms and fists of the defenders, creating violent projectiles. It was a surprise to see it, especially as it became clear they weren't using mechanical flamethrowers of some kind, but generating flame from nothing.

No, not from nothing. From their own life energy.

One figure in particular jumped past the others, using the return fire as cover to close with the boarders. The woman was on the lithe side and quite agile, evading a shot as she drew close. She jumped in the air and twirled, her leg outstretched in a kick. Pure blue flame seemed to erupt from her heel as it swept through the air, creating a powerful arc of blue flame that slammed into the SS forces, setting them alight or otherwise forcing them back. The attacker turned when she hit the ground and made a punching motion with her fist. Another tongue of blue flame moved through the air at another of the SS boarders. The man screamed as blue flame enveloped him.

All the while, Robert sensed these attacks through the Flow of Life. It was something he'd never seen before, that he'd never known was possible. But there was no denying the truth of what he was seeing.

Below him more SS forced themselves through a side door. The lead figure was exposed; she would be gunned down before she could retreat to cover. Robert jumped down between her and the SS reinforcements, his lightsaber igniting in mid-air. He intercepted the fire, sending the beams back into their shooters. One disappeared in a haze of emerald energy, two more going down to the reflected beams as well. Robert lifted his hand and willed their compatriots to fly backward. The universe answered his will and they did just that, slamming into the far bulkhead with enough force to knock them out. He repeated the action with the squad behind them, knocking them back through the door they'd entered through. With his will he forced the door shut, cutting off that entry to the bridge. A check of his omnitool confirmed that Lindstrom and his squad were approaching the same, taking the SS under fire. Trapped against the bridge door, they went down quickly.

Robert turned and found the armored figure staring at him. Her eyes were a light brown, amber in tone, and there was an intensity in them beyond the rush of combat. Her hair was dark, brown bordering on black, pulled into a tail at the back of her head kept in place by a gold metal band with a red flame crest on it. Robert sensed she was older than her barely-middle age appearance suggested. Behind her, her crew were turning their attention to him now that the SS boarding teams were driven from the bridge. "Who are you?" the woman demanded. "What are you doing here?"

Given how on edge the woman was, not to mention her crew, Robert extinguished his lightsaber to emphasize he wasn't a threat to them. "My name is Robert Dale, a Paladin of the United Alliance of Systems," he replied, trusting in the auto-translator to make his speech understandable for them. "I'm here to find a close friend of mine captured by our enemies." He gestured toward the fallen SS on the bridge. "We'd like to help you, if you'll let us."

The woman's eyes narrowed slightly. But only slightly, and only for a moment, as she made her judgement of him. Robert felt her concern and surprise give way to curiosity… and a flicker of hope. "I see. We did not expect to find friends," she said.

"Can I ask your name, and what you're out here for?" Robert asked.

"Yes," she replied. Her voice took on a firm, determined tone. "I am Princess Ursa of the Fire Nation, a Captain of the Fire Nation Void Navy, and I have come to free my daughter Miko." She gave Robert an inquisitive look. "We accept your offer of aid."