Area 51, Nevada
"What do you mean I can't go?" asked David.
"It's just that, David, I can't let you go. Aside from Ms. Granger, who we'll be losing to Cerberus when this is all over, you know more about the alien technology, especially their computers, than any dozen researchers here at Area Fifty-One, and you've done it in forty-eight hours," said President Whimore.
"And what makes them the right candidates? I thought you didn't trust them." asked David, gesturing to Shepard and Winona, who were both in skin-tight space suits, though they'd not put on their helmets, nor their gloves.
"We can teleport," said Winona, looking up from the Scout Ship.
"And I've actually done it from further out than the point the Mothership is in," said Shepard, who didn't look away.
"You've been to space?" asked David.
"I've been to Venus," said Shepard. "Walked on the surface even. Not a very hospitable place, wouldn't recommend it for tourism. Not an Amazon or Dinosaur in sight."
"Venus?" asked Whitmore, surprised. He'd understood that the two dimensional travelers were powerful, but to have walked in the hell-like environment of Venus, well, that was nearly beyond belief, but they way Shepard had said it, he just about believed it.
"Wait, you never told me about Venus," said Sirius. "Plus, I still don't understand why both of you have to go."
"I didn't tell you about Venus because you were dealing with things at Hogwarts. I mean, I told you that Quirrel was possessed, and that I planned to take care of him," said Shepard.
"So, did you just leave him on Venus?" asked Sirius.
"Wait, you took someone with you to Venus?" asked the President.
Shepard stepped away from the Scout Ship, and down the steps to where David, Whitmore, and Sirius were waiting. "Voldemort, Riddle, he was possessing Quirrel. I didn't want him to endanger you, Winnie, or Harry, so I took somewhere I knew nobody would be visiting. I intended to leave the two of them there, providing food and drink, and let them rot there. Quirrel would have died in a few months anyway, and then Voldemort's spirit would have been trapped, alone, and Venus, until his last horcrux could be destroyed."
"What do you mean 'what have'?" asked the President.
"What he means is he lost his cool, he let Riddle antagonize him, lost control of the situation, and then absorbed Quirinus' soul at the same time he grabbed the last free bit of Riddle's," explained Winona, leaning against the Scout Ship. "So, after losing his temper, he went and wrecked the entire thing. The first humans to step foot on another planet, and he just let the acid winds of Venus wash away all the evidence."
Just then a sixth person entered the hangar, Captain Hiller in one of the bulky NASA space suits, sans helmet. He stopped at the top of the ramp when he noticed Winona and Black in their skin suits, "Wait, I get the bulky space suit, why you two get to wear the comfortable ones?"
Winona just shrugged, "They're custom made, Captain Hiller, it would take a few weeks to get you fitted and measured for one. The only reason Jimmy and I even have them is because we were planning on going up in the Burya next year, in preparation to putting up the UK's contribution to the ISS in 2000."
"I'm just saying, I've got the baggy antique, and you two got the new hotness," said Hiller.
"Are you hitting on my wife?" asked Sirius.
"I would hope not," said Jasmine, as she followed her new husband, along with her son, carrying his new step-father's helmet, into the hangar. "We just got married, and I don't appreciate him already looking at other women."
"I wasn't … she's just …" stammered Hiller, before hanging his head.
"There, now that's a man who understands marriage," said Sirius.
"Why do you think I didn't get married?" asked Shepard.
"That's because you'd have to chose, Jimmy, not because you're not in a relationship," said Sirius. "Of course, that brings up another issue, why are the two of you going? Why not just one?"
"If we're going to talk with these acrids, get them to move this ship out of orbit once we've defeated them here on Earth, we're going to need to talk with them," explained Whitmore. "Shepard's the closest thing we've got to a translator, and if any of the aliens give them trouble, either of them can gain valuable intelligence from their downed foe. Hiller is going to pilot the Scout Ship up to the Mothership and act as my representative."
"But why both? If Jimmy can do it himself, why send my wife along?" asked Sirius.
"Siri, honey, I need to go," said Winona. "Someone needs to keep Jimmy in line. Plus, as the duly appointed ambassador from the ICW and the British Ministry of Magic to the aliens, it's my responsibility to do so."
"Was wondering what you were doing at Hogwarts before we left," said Sirius. "Cerberus and Hogwarts wasn't enough, now you're getting into politics?"
"Think of it as moving the plan forward, Sirius," said Shepard, slapping his brother-in-law on the back. "I mean, why just unite the Earth, when we can get the opportunity to unite the aliens along with it?"
Sirius' eyes got wide, when he realized just what the plan really was, "So much for two to three hundred years."
Shepard shrugged, "Eh, plans change. At least I don't have to go with the Africa option."
"No, you'll just take over Britain with those sprogs of yours," said Sirius.
"While this is fine and dandy, we do have a schedule to keep. We wait any longer and we're going to lose even more cities to these aliens," said Whitmore.
"Well, the ship's good to fly," said Winona, stepping down from the dais.
"She got a name?" asked Hiller.
"A name?" asked Whitmore.
"All good spaceships have names. The Eagle landed on the Moon, all the shuttles have names," said Hiller. "Plus, it's not like we can call it 'Scout Ship' over the comms."
"I was thinking Normandy," said Shepard with a smirk.
"Normandy? Why that?" asked David.
"Operation Overlord?" asked Whitmore. "The invasion of Nazi-occupied France, the beginning of the end of World War II?" He nodded, "A fitting name."
Winona just rolled her eyes, "Don't you dare suggest we give it a hull number." She glared at her brother, her younger self as the lich nobodez.
"Well, it's not exactly a stealth frigate, now is it? Plus, this isn't a Navy operation anyway," said Shepard dismissively.
"Do you know what they're talking about?" asked Whitmore.
"At this point, I just ignore them when they start making references," said Sirius. "It used to be just Jimmy, but now that they've both admitted to being dimensional time travelers, I wouldn't be surprised if they do it constantly. They have at least started making references to pop culture from this timeline now and again. Eventually they'll switch over entirely."
"God, I hope so," said Whitmore. He then turned to Hiller, "Captain, you understand you mission. Pilot the Normandy to the acrid Mothership, get Mr. Levinson's virus into their computer systems, and then assist Mr. Shepard and Mrs. Black with their diplomatic mission to end the hostilities between the acrids and Earth."
Hiller saluted, "Aye sir, deliver the virus, then convince them to go away."
"Good luck," said Whitmore, returning the salute. He then presented three metal tubes to Hiller, "For afterwards."
Hiller smiled, the smile of one pilot to another, "Aye sir." he then took the cigars and put them in one of the pockets of his space suit. "Now, let's get this show on the road."